Laos tourists to Vietnam soar by 117%

The number of Lao tourist arrivals to Vietnam soared in the first half of the year, with a growth rate of 117%, which is the third-highest rate among nations having visitors to Vietnam, following Cambodia (338%) and India (236%).


French people took to the streets on Saturday in remembrance of Adama Traore, a Black man who died in police custody in July 2016.





Hundreds of people, including several left-wing politicians and Traore's sister and brothers, gathered at Paris' central Place de la Republique at about noon, despite an earlier ban by police, broadcaster BFMTV reported, noting that marches also took place in the cities of Marseille and Strasbourg.





Though the demonstration in Paris was mostly peaceful, police fined some protesters 135 ($150) for participating "in an unlawful march," it added.





Traore's brother Youssouf was arrested for "violence against a policewoman," while legal proceedings were initiated against his sister Assa for "organizing an undeclared demonstration."





Adama Traore, a Black French citizen of Malian descent, died on July 19, 2016 while in police custody after being restrained and apprehended by police.




LAWYERS representing exiled independent presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere on Friday said Zanu PF members seeking to block him from running in the August 23 elections have the option of de-campaigning him than approaching the courts.

Kasukuwere last month successfully filed his nomination papers to contest against President Emmerson Mnangagwa and 10 other presidential candidates, including Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa.

A Zanu PF member Lovedale Mangwana has, however, launched a court challenge seeking to have the former ruling party commissars candidature rejected because he has been out of the country for more than 18 months.

According to Mangwana, Kasukuwere has to be disqualified from running for presidency in line with the constitution and electoral laws.

While arguing in chambers before High Court judge Justice David Mangota, Mangwana's lawyer Lewis Uriri said if one ceases to be ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe, they lose the right to qualify as a voter.

An allegation has been made, he has been out of the country for over 18 months and he does not deny that, Uriri submitted.

A passport holder is not necessarily a resident. The question is: has he been in the country for 18 months?

The issues that are before the court have been decided by the Constitutional Court (Gabriel Shumba).

The key jurisdictional fact has been made and disqualifies him.

Kasukuwere's lawyer Edith Utete said there was no proof that his client had been out of the country during the mentioned period.

Utete also argued that Mangwana had no legal standing to approach the High Court to say his rights had been infringed.

He has a simple remedy and that is to not vote for him, Utete said.

He can also de-campaign him. He has no injury.

Let's assume that the court does not grant the order, will he lose anything?

The applicant does not have the locus standi to approach the court.

Utete added: At law, he who alleges, must prove. The first respondent (Kasukuwere) has not come to this court to seek a relief.

It is the applicant who must seek relief.

Mangwana bears the onus to prove every positive allegation he makes.

Utete said Mangwana should provide proof that Kasukuwere had been out of the country for more than 18 months.

"I dare him to indicate otherwise. There is a positive averment, which is made, Utete said.

"The law submits that a voter can temporarily leave his jurisdiction.

Section 23 of the Electoral Act provides for the residency' issue.

No evidence has been provided to prove the evidence that he has been absent for 18 months.

Utete said the decision of the nomination court to accept Kasukuweres bid cannot be faulted.

He said Kasukuwere's temporary absence on medical issues will not make him a victim of section 23 of the Electoral Act.

Utete submitted that there was no law that removed the name of the candidate from the list when it had already been gazetted. Standard
PRIME MINISTER Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday he has been abused by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and in seeking legal advice, will leave no stone unturned to determine whether he is guilty of witness tampering.

Rowley announced at a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Anns, that he is now receiving legal advice and has instructed Attorney General Reginald Armour to look into whether Augustine acted outside the Constitution on Wednesday.
PHOENIX  The Department of Child Safety is not providing some information to local foster care review boards, leaving volunteer board members without data they need to help determine the permanent status of more than 11,000 children in out-of-home care, according to a new state report.

Auditor General Lindsey Perry said the boards  there are 123 across the state at last count  monitor what DCS has done to carry out a childs case plan for achieving some permanent status, whether that is returning to a parent or terminating parental rights. They also provide findings and recommendations to juvenile court judges who make the ultimate decision on what happens to children who have been removed from their homes.

But in a report to state lawmakers, she said some DCS caseworkers did not comply with the agencys policy requiring them to attend a boards case review sessions. That prevented some local boards from conducting complete reviews of children in foster care.

Perry also said the ability of the boards to get information has been hobbled by a 2-year-old computerized system designed to track all cases, as well as the failure of caseworkers to keep those records current.

She said, though, that the fault is not entirely with DCS.

Perry said that the Administrative Office of Courts, which is tasked with getting the information from DCS to the volunteer boards, didnt get some of what they requested because they had made errors in making the requests from the automated system.

Whatever the reasons, Perry said all this impairs the ability of the boards to do their jobs.

In a written response, DCS Director David Lujan said he agrees with the findings of the auditors and will implement their recommendations. He specifically said there will be additional training and supervision and, as appropriate, progressive discipline guidelines for supervisors when there are staff performance issues.

Foster care review boards were established by the Legislature in 1978 in response to concern that foster children were being lost in out-of-home care and staying too long in temporary placement.

There is at least one foster care review board in each county, with several in the more populated counties. The five volunteer members on each board are appointed by the court and are supposed to represent the racial, ethnic, social and economic groups of the county in which they serve.

Board members are legally required review at least once every six the case of each child who remains in out-of-home placement and provide a report to the juvenile court within 30 days.

All that goes to the role of boards in ensuring that there is some effort being made to achieving some permanent status for children rather than allowing them to simply languish in foster care. And that specifically includes a target date by which a child can be returned home or placed for adoption or permanent guardianship.

To do their jobs, Perry said, boards need to review the actions of DCS. That includes whether reasonable efforts were made to prevent the childs removal from home in the first place and whether remaining at home would be contrary to the childs welfare.

The boards also make findings and recommendations about whether the out-of-home placement continues to be necessary as well as whether the placement is safe, appropriate and the least restrictive. And they also ensure there is a written case plan to establish an appropriate permanency goal that outlines the tasks for both the child and the parents and whether they are following those tasks.

But what the boards need to do that, the report says, is the cooperation of DCS.

Perry said DCS policy requires caseworkers to attend local board case reviews  or at least arrange for their supervisor to attend in their place. But she said that isnt the case.

Auditors picked two days to review where there were 124 case reviews scheduled. They found that caseworkers attended just 86 of those.

There were another 16 where the caseworker did not attend but notified AOC of their absence and provided a statement with case updates. And in 22 cases, no one attended or notified AOC.

The information caseworkers have, Perry said, is important.

Caseworkers can provide information and perspectives in case reviews that may not otherwise be available to local board volunteers, she said, information they need to make findings and recommendations to juvenile court. And she said this is more than academic.

In one situation where a caseworker did not attend, the child under review actually had been hospitalized for suspected physical abuse prior to their first out-of-home placement. She said that meant the board had no current information about the childs health conditions or the status of any criminal investigation against the parents.

And to make her point of how valuable caseworker attendance is, Perry cited a situation where the caseworker did attend a meeting and provided the local board with some information it did not have, like the childs current placement and target date for achieving permanency.

Further, the caseworker was able to inform the local board that the childs parents had stopped participating in services that were required for them to be reunited with their child, she said, information the local board would not have known because it was not in the case documents they had received. Perry said that enabled the board to include the parents lack of participation in its findings and recommendations to the juvenile court.

But its not just the actions or inactions of caseworkers that can hamper the ability of boards to do their jobs. Perry said board members also have to get the information they need.

DCS began using its Guardian system in early 2021, which is designed for caseworkers to manage and store information about individual cases. It is that system that is used by the AOC to provide the local boards with what they need.

But Perry said a review of 13 cases from around the state for two specific dates checked showed that the Guardian system did not provide AOC staff a complete report in any of those situations. And in some cases, she said, the caseworkers direct supervisors actually noted that up-to-date information was not stored in the system.

Additionally, the supervisors did not document taking additional action to hold the caseworkers accountable for creating an up-to-date case plan in Guardian, such as noting a deadline by which the case plan should be created or following up with the caseworker, Perry said. All that, she said, is important.

Without complete information about the cases of children in out-of-home care, local boards may not be able to fulfill their statutory responsibility to review these cases and submit complete findings and recommendations to the juvenile court, the report says. And that can mean the boards cannot assess progress made toward the childs case plan goals.

Perry said none of this should be a surprise to DCS, citing two meetings last year of a special oversight committee at the Capitol.
PHOENIX  Phoenix officials plan to proceed with an agreement to donate up to 600 unclaimed firearms in the citys possession to the National Police of Ukraine, despite a request from some state lawmakers to reverse the decision.

The city council last week unanimously approved the plan, which authorizes the city manager to enter a two-year agreement with the Pennsylvania-based logistics company DTGruelle, which will transfer the firearms  valued at about $200,000  to police in Kyiv.

Earlier this week, two Republican state lawmakers sent a letter to Mayor Kate Gallego and members of the city council, calling the plan plainly unlawful.

Phoenix spokesman Dan Wilson on Thursday said the citys law team is working on a response, which will serve as its official comment on the letter. However, he did add that the city views it differently than the way legislators view it.

Phoenix has a 30-day policy on unclaimed property, including firearms. If nobody claims a firearm in 30 days, Phoenix can dispose of it, according to the citys website. In this instance, Phoenix would dispose of the guns by donating them to Ukraine.

Its a normal process for us, with these unclaimed weapons, to move them around to other law enforcement agencies, Wilson said. And so, the only difference here is that the law enforcement agency is not a domestic law enforcement agency, its one outside the country.

Sending unclaimed firearms to a police department overseas might be a first for Phoenix, Wilson said.

We believe, based on the understanding of the people in the positions currently, that it has never happened before, he said. But we are not 100% sure. The research it would take to confirm that would be lengthy. But based on the people who have been with the department a long time, we believe this is the first time.

In December 2022, a proposal to continue to auction off unclaimed weapons was pulled from the city councils agenda after Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari objected to the practice, saying the city should not be profiting off weapons that may have been used in murders, according to an article in The Arizona Republic.

At the time, the city had more than 3,000 firearms  either legally confiscated by Phoenix police or found, but never claimed  that were waiting for auction, the article stated. The city sets aside weapons that dont work or have been altered, Wilson said.

In January, the council met in an executive session behind closed doors to discuss what to do next, Wilson said.

At some point, the city council had directed staff to research viable options for unclaimed firearm donation or disposal, officials said. However, its unclear who came up with the idea to send the weapons to Ukraine.

The U.S. Department of Commerce previously approved the National Police of Ukraine to receive unclaimed firearms from the U.S. through DTGruelle, city council spokesman Cooper Payne said in an email prior to the council vote.

James Thornton, compliance manager at DTGruelle, said that while this is the first time the company has worked with Phoenix, it conducted a similar firearms transfer with Miami in August 2022. Miami sent rifles, semi-automatic weapons and handguns, according to an NBC 6 article. In November, DTGruelle received an introduction to the city of Phoenix regarding a similar arrangement, according to an email from Thornton.

We had gotten the city of Miami to donate us firearms through their processes, Thornton said in a phone interview. And then the city of Phoenix wanted to piggyback off of that and do their own initiative with us through our contact over at (the) Ukrainian parliament.

Thornton added that the process has been lengthy.

This has taken such a long time because of the due diligence that the city needs to take, that we need to take, in reviewing the various regulations together to ensure that were doing this very responsibly, he said.

The shipping company has a number of things to do before sending the firearms to Ukraine, said Marco Gruelle, managing director at DTGruelle.

The company already has its firearms transit, export and import permits in place, which will allow the company to fly the weapons to Poland before they arrive in Ukraine. But first, a representative from DTGruelle will visit Phoenix for a final inspection of the firearms before an additional inspection at the company headquarters in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.

DTGruelle and its partner nonprofit DTCare support Ukraine, according to companys website.

The logistics company also partners with the Ukrainian Arsenal of Liberty, which will deliver the weapons to the police force, according to an email from a city spokesman.

Founded by the Ukrainian parliament, the groups goal is to arm Ukrainian civilians against the ongoing Russian attack, by soliciting Americans, organizations and wholesalers to donate their firearms, according to the UAL website.

We feel very strongly that an armed populace is going to be the biggest deterrent to an aggressor, which will never stop being aggressive, Gruelle said. Just because Putin is overthrown doesnt mean that somebody equally or even more aggressive than him wont come in.

And an armed populace is going to be the most able to deal with this type of warfare. In particular, arming of women, so that they can protect the homeland while the men are fighting on the front lines. Its really important to have that. So, we feel strongly, and we were approached by the Ukrainian Arsenal of Liberty to do this, and we agree to work with them in that capacity, he said.

Gruelle added, however, that as part of the agreement with Phoenix, the donated firearms will only be given to Ukrainian police and are not intended for the ongoing war.

These ones are specifically slotted because thats what the Phoenix Police Department wanted, was to have them go to the police forces. They specifically made us agree to that, Gruelle said in a phone interview.

The Phoenix Police Department referred questions about the agreement to Phoenix city hall.

Weapons that the city will provide to the logistics company include handguns, rifles and shotguns, Wilson said in an email. No date for the transfer has been determined.

The city will not track the firearms after DTGruelle accepts them. The company is contractually obligated as a U.S. customs broker, freight forwarder, warehouseman, Federal Firearms Licensee, and U.S.-appointed forwarding agent for UAL, and having the proper licensing, means, and know-how to export from the U.S.A., to deliver the firearms to the designated receivers in Ukraine, according to an email from the city.

The lawmakers, both top members of the House Judiciary Committee, who objected to the plan, wrote that unclaimed firearms may only be sold  not donated  and the buyer must be authorized to receive and dispose of the firearms under state and federal law.

Rep. Quang Nguyen, R-Prescott Valley, and Rep. Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, cited several Arizona laws.

One such law, A.RS.  13-3108(A), prohibits political subdivisions from enacting ordinances related to the possession, sale, transfer or acquisition of firearms in Arizona.
Help, stop that thief!





If a thief stole your wallet with $100, would you call the police? I would.

So who do we call when weve been robbed by our former Republican Governor and AZ Republican-controlled legislature? They took $194 million dollars of our tax dollars to build  and then remove  an ill-conceived container wall at our southern border.

This wasteful wall cost each and every one of Arizonas 7.3 million residents more than $26. For a family of four, thats $106 that could have bought 20-plus rotisserie chickens or Happy Meals.

Angry your money was used for a political stunt? Want to avoid getting ripped off in the future? Then vote! Make sure everyone you know is registered to vote and casts their ballots in the next election. We only need to oust one MAGA-mayhem-Republican from the AZ Legislature to end their control. Vote to stop wasting our tax dollars on culture wars and political theater.

Thea Chalow

Oro Valley

Land of the free and home of the brave?

The path to my comfortable retirement with quality healthcare is paved with opportunities given me by favorable circumstances and helpful individuals, known and unknown, at critical points since my birth. Hard work is indeed necessary but never sufficient. Love your neighbor as yourself compels me to join others to help those facing systemic obstacles in fulfilling their dreams, be they descendants of Black slaves, immigrants arrived in childhood, student-loan debtors, the homeless, refugees or members of LGBQT.

Our wishes are hampered by legislators and justices who lack the courage to face the historical facts of slavery and existing racism and to free those struggling to live, but enslaved by the super-rich and false beliefs against nature.

Lets celebrate our 247th birthday by nominating and electing candidates who can help us to make our country truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Ke Chiang Hsieh

Midtown

Woke?

Woke is defined as a gift to persons of different complicated matters that when transcribed into the local pedigree of those of a system that is not full of a computation of elements affecting the underlying commitment to bringing about that which is paramount within the psyche to conflagrate those into an aberration of ones self-realization to covet that which when realized is pointed out to be that which can be remitted in a near feeling of being ones own self which when projected will allow others to find their true wokeness.

David ben Avram

Marana

Solution to the housing crisis

Stop telling people that theres a hundred-year guaranteed water supply! Sorta solves that water crisis for ya too, might even solve your urban sprawl and heat island problems. Or are we too afraid of big bad real estate. Or are they makin water out of wine now?

Cynthia Duncan

Midtown

Colorblindness not the solution

Editor,

Most people delight in seeing colors. The Supreme Court, 6-3, prefers colorblindness.

Being colorblind might allow someone not to notice that there are very few or no students or faculty of color in their school. We might not notice that people of color have worse health care outcomes and die earlier than white people in the United States. And those who prefer to be colorblind might not see the income and wealth disparity that exists between white people and people of color.

I had the privilege of hearing Native American Rubin Snake give a keynote address. It was entitled The Re-browning of America. The Supreme Court should know that people of color have been here from the beginning and that the first slave ship from Africa arrived in 1619.

Creating a more perfect union includes all of us. Including all of us is best achieved not by colorblindness but by seeing and accommodating all of us.

Dave Gallagher

Foothills

Solutions needed

Re: the June 30 article Our Justice System: A Paradox of errors and innocence.

In her op-ed, Yolanda Slan argues, that too many innocent people are sentenced to prison and that this represents systemic errors, but she gives no possible solutions to the problem. Secondly, she argues that there is systemic racism in our justice system. While its true that Blacks are arrested and convicted out of all proportion to their numbers in our country, there are reasons for this that do not involve systemic racism. For example, although Blacks represent 13% of the general population, sadly, they commit over 50% of all homicides in this country. They also commit other crimes far above their 13% population percentage. Perhaps Slan can offer us some solutions on how to reduce Black crime in order to reduce the Black crime rate and keep more Blacks out of prison.

David Pearse

Foothills

Comparing presidents

Re: the July 1 letter Trump vs George Washington.

The writer claims that George Washington chose not to run for a second term even though requested to do so by his colleagues and the country at large, and he went peacefully and happily back to a quiet life ... This is false; Washington served as President for two full terms-eight years. He then returned to Mount Vernon and died a little under three years later. Maybe the writer let her OMB (Orange Man Bad) syndrome get the best of her in her effort to argue that there should not be any attempts whatsoever to compare the two presidents.

Douglas R. Holm

East side

And while were at it

Re: the July 3 article Political parties should be abolished

Lets also trim legislatures. Every year, federal and state legislatures pass many new laws. Try telling your kids, We have 79,000 rules in this house, most of which you cant understand, and any violation will be punished. No? Well, we have 30,000 federal and 49,000 Arizona laws to live by. Two dysfunctional political parties and 80,000 laws. It doesnt work. Wipe the law books clean, replaced by plain English simple laws. And eliminate Lawyers, the most divisive liars ever born. A true government by the people for the people. And a lot cheaper, too.

Thad Appelman

Northwest side

Hostile UA

The best place to enjoy fireworks celebrating our nations birthday used to be the top floor of the University of Arizona parking garages. That ended last year when the University posted signs at the entrance to the garages forbidding the viewing of fireworks on July 4. Similar signs were in place this year. Threatening signs were also posted inside the garages containing the ARS citation for Trespassing on the top floor, a not-too-subtle reminder of the power of the University to have a citizen arrested and jailed for noncompliance. I am expecting a self-serving response, citing public safety and fear of crime. But clearly, the University is not a good neighbor. It heralds its star athletes and stellar Cancer Center, but the bottom line is it remains hostile to the public. Banning citizens from a tax-supported facility to celebrate our nations birthday is not justified.

Carl Formby

Northwest side

Ciscomani vs. Engel in 2024

Re: the July 3 article Dems bet abortion can topple Ciscomani.

If the Democrats hope to unseat Rep. Juan Ciscomani, they have to do a better job with their candidate. The last time Kirsten Engel ran, she was too low profile and had others speaking for her on TV ads: former Rep. Gabby Giffords and Sen. Mark Kelly. She needs to speak for herself, forcefully and clearly in presenting her position on the issues important to CD6. She should also mention her opponents voting record on issues affecting the District. Finally, in addition to air time, she needs to post lots of signs throughout the District announcing her candidacy.

Raymond Silverstein

Midtown

Intolerance

Re: the July 3 article Intolerance creating dangerous atmosphere.

Mr. Sheldon Metz has proven his own point about intolerance with his opinion piece. He has demonstrated his intolerance against those who disagree with him.

I disagree and support a different point of view; I believe in my God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. God gave me those rights, not the government or the bureaucracy in Washington D.C.

Thank you for proving your point of intolerance.

Richard Barnes

East side

Smartphones are not so smart

I believe that smartphones are a problem, especially for our teenagers.

Smartphones can have negative effects on teenagers. They can lead to addiction, causing social isolation, poor academic performance, and mental health problems.

They can also lead to sleep deprivation which can lead to fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.

They can lead to cyberbullying online or through text messaging. They can have a serious negative impact on teenagers mental health and, in some cases, lead to depression and suicide.

They can lead to distractions in school and other settings. This can cause poor academic performance.

Parents and educators should be aware of the risks associated with smartphone use. They should set limits on screen time.

I believe that smartphones should be banned in the classroom completely.

I believe that excessive use of the smartphone is not really a smart idea.

Thomas McGorray
MIDDLE EAST

NABLUS, West Bank  Israeli forces killed three Palestinians, including two militants shot in a gunbattle, in new West Bank violence on Friday, days after Israel concluded a major two-day offensive meant to crack down on militants.

The persistent violence raised questions about the effectiveness of the raid this week in the Jenin refugee camp, which saw Israel launch rare airstrikes on militant targets, deploy hundreds of troops and cause widespread damage to roads, homes and businesses. Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed in the operation.

In the nearby city of Nablus, the West Bank's commercial capital and a flashpoint city, two militants were killed in a gunbattle with Israeli forces. Israel's Shin Bet security agency said the men were behind a shooting attack this week on a police vehicle.

Later Friday, Palestinian health officials said Israeli forces shot and killed a man during a demonstration in Umm Safa, a town in the central West Bank. The army had no immediate comment.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the two dead in Nablus as Khayri Mohammed Sari Shaheen, 34, and Hamza Moayed Mohammed Maqbool, 32. Two militant groups, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, claimed them as members.

More than 150 Palestinians have been killed this year in the West Bank, and Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis have killed at least 27 people.

Israel says most of the Palestinians killed have been militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and people not involved in the confrontations have also been killed.

Meanwhile, Israel's army said Friday that it disciplined five officers, but would not file criminal charges for their actions during Israel's 2021 war in the Gaza Strip.

The soldiers, who received army reprimands for their actions, did not obey standard procedures when striking Gaza, the army statement said.

Israel's war with Gaza left more than 250 Palestinians dead, while 13 people were killed in Israel.

Human rights groups have harshly criticized the conduct of Israeli forces during the 11-day war. New York-based Human Rights Watch has said the actions of the Israeli army amounted to war crimes, including attacks that had "no evident military targets," and resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians.

The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into Israeli actions in Gaza dating back to 2014.
Conceptual artist Mark Dion is back in Tulsa for the first time in almost five years.

Dion will be spending the next week updating the Cabinet of Wonder installation at Gathering Places ONEOK Boat House, which will reopen to the public Friday, July 14.

Originally from Massachusetts, Dion has traveled the globe creating one-of-a-kind installations for museums such as the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art in New York as well as the Tate Modern Art Gallery in London.

Dion created the Cabinet of Wonder at Gathering Place in 2018, which opened to the public in November of that year.

He now returns to give the exhibit an update after giving Tulsans a chance to contribute to the space. We visited Dion during the installation process to see what is new to the exhibit and how his journey as an artist has progressed in the past five years.

These questions and responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Tulsa World: So, youre coming in to add new pieces. Whats the reason behind the update?

Mark Dion: I was very surprised and delighted that five years passed so quickly and that the work is popular. Everyone here told me that its incredibly well-loved, and they asked, Would you consider doing more? I said, Well, there isnt any more space. Really, this is pretty full. So, I had to really think about is it even possible to do more? Now that its a lived-in space, I know what works, what doesnt, and who the audience is.

TW: Did the audience youve curated this for change in the past five years?

DION: Ive always planned it to have a very diverse reception, but at the same time, understanding what this is, how meaningful this is for children, and how exciting it is for very young people  that kind of gave me a clue that an interesting way to imagine expansion is by making things that are specifically tailored for kids who are fascinated by teeny tiny things, and things on their scale.

Another thing is making a place for the community. So, building the Community Cabinet where people could donate things, and theoretically come back and see them. There are some really interesting things in here that encourage multi-generational exchange. So, things like the telephones, for instance, are the things that people talk the most about because theres two telephones from a different generation.

TW: You worked with the architects while this space was still being built, but have you ever had to retrofit your exhibits into an existing space?

DION: Yeah, I would say thats more typical. This is the first time I had a purpose-built space for something like this, a space that was really intended to hold the collection. You know, when I was brought in here, in the very beginning, they had an idea of how the space would look, but they didnt have an idea of what (would be in it.) So my job, in a sense, was to fill the space.

TW: So, this (a tall wooden cabinet with many drawers) is one of the new pieces going in?

DION: This is one of the new cabinets, the Community Cabinet. So, we have objects that were donated from Tulsans. We dont necessarily have all of the backstory on these things, but these are things that people have brought to us to place in the cabinet, things that are somehow meaningful to them, which I think is really interesting. Theres also the Childrens Cabinet, which we designed to be able to move out into the space. It has lots of drawers to hold smaller things, sometimes very small things. It was meant to kind of work for their height, to have the kind of objects that kids are obsessed with, and to be a little less structured than some of this, which is really about categories.

TW: You play on themes of nature and the environment. Is there anything in the past five years since youve installed this thats playing on your mind whenever youre thinking of new items?

DION: Certainly, in my own life, of course, you know I have a 6-year-old child. So now I understand how this person would interact with this, or what would be appealing to them. I think that this is meant to be a space of delight, and news right now, its pretty grim and increasingly so. So, to create a place thats about experiencing pleasure, delight, observation, and I think the important thing is to reaffirm joy.

The new Tulsa World app offers personalized features. Download it today.
Its Sunday morning, and after a couple of hymns from the choir, the pastor of the sort of megachurch one might see throughout the Bible Belt takes up the microphone to deliver the days sermon.

Pastor Pauls message begins on a note of triumph, as he describes how this congregation grew from a modest ministry in a storefront church to its present status, with a baptismal the size of a swimming pool and thousands of people in the pews.

But there is more to the preachers message this morning. Hes had a revelation about the Word  and it is one that, despite all the Scriptures he quotes to substantiate his case, rocks the foundations on which many of his fellow congregants have based their faith.

Lucas Hnaths drama The Christians has been praised for its serious, even-handed examination of issues of religious faith. The New York Times said the play raises probing questions about how and why organized religion can be a divisive, if not abusive, social force, while the National Catholic Reporter stated that it handles a complex and intellectual debate in a relatable way and that, more importantly, shows the human and real consequences of choices based in spirituality.

American Theatre Company will present the Tulsa premiere of The Christians with performances at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, July 13-15, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 16, at Studio 308, 308 S. Lansing Ave.

Hope Unitarian Church, 8432 S. Sheridan Road, will host a special performance in its auditorium, 8 p.m. Monday, July 17.

Vern Stefanic directs the production, which stars Will Carpenter, Lydia Gray, Mark Ingham, Leslie Long and Micah Weese.

Tickets are $16-$24. To purchase, and more information: americantheatrecompany.org.

On the Far End gets state debut

Tulsa playwright and actress Mary Kathryn Nagle will present the Oklahoma premiere of her one-woman show, On the Far End, 5 p.m. Sunday, July 9, at The Cove at River Spirit Casino, 8330 Riverside Parkway.

The play is the story of activist Jean Hill Chaudhuri, a citizen of the Mvskoke (Muscogee) nation, and how her family history is interwoven with the United States legacy of broken promises, from the Trail of Tears to the recent case of McGirt v. Oklahoma, which reaffirmed the sovereignty of the Mvskoke Reservation in Oklahoma. July 9 is the third anniversary of the McGirt decision and has been proclaimed as Sovereignty Day by Chief David Hill.

On the Far End recounts Chaudhuris life, from her eight attempts to run away from the Eufaula Indian Boarding School, to her marriage to a young Bengali scholar, and the advocacy for Indigenous peoples rights that became her lifes work.

Nagle premiered the play in April at the Round House Theatre in Washington, D.C. Nagle, a Cherokee Nation citizen and author of the plays Sovereignty and Manahatta, is one of the most-produced Native playwrights in the United States today.

Tickets are $10. riverspirittulsa.com

Sistema Tulsa students play Ravinia

Students from the music education program Sistema Tulsa took part in a four-day workshop held during Chicagos prestigious Ravinia Festival, which culminated Saturday, July 8, with a concert in which the students performed side-by-side with members of the Chicago Philharmonic, led by renowned conductor Marin Alsop.

The students were taking part in Seminario Ravinia, a national gathering of students from El Sistema-inspired organizations, which includes orchestral training, mentorship and fellowship.

Alsop, chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Orchestra, said of the event: The opportunity to work with students so dedicated to boosting their life skills through the universal language of music is as important to me as leading any orchestra. Im thrilled to have time over these four days to also meet with the educators who are such crucial mentors for these young people, supporting their personal growth and affirming that they are welcome and, in fact, already a cherished part of this national community of musicians.

Jose Luis Hernandez, the director of Sistema Tulsa said: Sistema programs serve students with free instruments, music lessons and life-affirming opportunities. After many years of dedication and practice, they have earned the honor to represent our program and the Tulsa arts community at the national level.

Sistema students attending are Amaya Harbin and Lamya Smith of Booker T. Washington High School; Victor Fischer of Mingo Valley Christian School; and Solomon Williams of Memorial High School.

Finding Nemo Jr.

Theatre Tulsas educational program, Theatre Tulsa Academy, will present Finding Nemo Jr., a musical based on the popular Disney animated film.

The hour-long musical follows the adventures of a timid clownfish named Marlin, who must face his fears and set out on an epic journey to rescue his son Nemo, aided by the cockeyed optimist Dory, the laidback tortoise Crush and others he meets along the way.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, July 13-14, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, and 4 p.m. Sunday, July 16, at the Tulsa PAC, 110 E. Second St. Tickets are $20.25-$26.50. 918-596-7111, tulsapac.com.

Blueys Big Play

The popular childrens TV series Bluey, about the adventures of a family of blue heeler dogs who face remarkably human-like problems, will come to the stage in Blueys Big Play, presented by Celebrity Attractions.

The show follows the efforts of the titular pup Bluey and her sister, Bingo, to encourage their father to make the most of a lazy Saturday afternoon, with the characters portrayed through state-of-the-art puppetry.

Performances are 10 a.m., 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday, July 15, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 16, at the Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. Tickets are $20-$75. 918-596-7111, tulsapac.com.

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Paul Wilson was between jobs as chef, and his soon-to-be wife was also without a job, so they decided to take a trip  traveling by bicycle, public transportation and, when all else failed, hitchhiking, from Minneapolis to Utila, Honduras.

He and his girlfriend had learned to scuba dive, and he knew that Honduras was a popular site for diving, and it was one of those places he just wanted to see, said Pamela Sherman, Wilsons mother. Paul was always someone who liked to grab life by the horns and charge ahead. He was an adventurer, in how he lived and in how he approached food.

Paul was always coming up with unusual combinations, Sherman said. When he was in New Orleans, he did a wasabi rice pudding that was just delicious. And I cant imagine any other chef creating a dish that included foie gras and Rice Krispies. But that was the sort of thing he loved doing.

Wilson, whose career included stints as executive chef at some of Tulsas finest restaurants and this year earned him a nod as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest, died June 29. He was 50.

Wilson, who earlier this year opened Sans Murs (French for without walls), a pop-up tasting menu concept at the Silo Event Center in west Tulsa, was killed in a bicycle accident as he was returning home from work at around 1:30 a.m.

There was a bridge out on the trail, but there was no real barricade, and he just went off the path, Sherman said. We were told by the coroner that death was probably instantaneous.

A celebration of life is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday, July 23, at the Silo Event Center, 4629 W. 41st St. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Aug. 8 at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, 1301 S. Boston Ave.

Paul H. Wilson was born Dec. 9, 1972, in La Mirada, California, to Don H. and Pamela J. Wilson. The family moved to Tulsa and lived in the Crosby Heights neighborhood on the west side.

Sherman credits her sons interest in cooking in part to the influence of her own father, who had been a cook during his time in the Navy, and always encouraged Wilson in his adventures with food.

When Wilson was 16, the family moved to the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. His parents divorced, and Wilson went to live with his father in Hudson, Wisconsin, where he graduated high school and got his first cooking job at a place called Dicks Bar & Grill.

I ended up working in some of the best restaurants in Minneapolis, Wilson said in a 2009 interview with the Tulsa World. I worked at a great vegetarian restaurant and at another upscale restaurant that had mostly Europeans in the kitchen, and they cooked classic German and French dishes.

From there he went to New Orleans, where he had a management job at a now-closed spot called Charley Gs in Metairie. He said he liked the work, but he had his sights set on a position at The Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel, where Rene Bajeux was executive chef.

Bajeux, who died in 2018, was a French Master Chef, one of only about 50 chefs with that title working in the United States.

It took me three years of rubbing elbows and contacting people, but I finally got on the line in his kitchen, Wilson said. Everyone called him Papa, and he was an awesome teacher.

Wilson remained in New Orleans until August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.

I remember getting a call on Aug. 28, 2005, from Paul, saying he had just crossed Lake Pontchartrain, Sherman said. He managed to get out ahead of the hurricane.

Wilson arrived in Tulsa and quickly set about establishing himself as a chef with a mastery of culinary styles from classical French to Cajun, all enlivened by his unique approach to juxtaposing ingredients and flavors.

He worked as executive chef at The Summit Club, The Chalkboard, The Kitchen on Brookside, the revived S & J Oyster Co., Juniper and Papa Ganouj before he and former business partner Greg Donnini opened the chef-driven speakeasy Boston Title and Abstract in 2018, which featured dishes inspired by classic French cuisine with touches of Creole and Latin flavors.

One of the things he said he wanted to do when he came back to Tulsa was to turn the Tulsa restaurant fine dining scene into a chef-driven environment, Sherman said.

It was Wilsons work at Boston Title & Abstract that earned him the James Beard Award semifinalist recognition for Best Chef in the Southwest. Ironically, Wilson learned about the nomination not long after leaving Boston Title & Abstract to develop what would become Sans Murs.

It was a surprise, because it was never something I went after, Wilson said in an interview earlier this year when the honors were announced. I never saw the need to chase after awards or Michelin stars or what have you. Ive been in this business 30-plus years, and Im pretty comfortable in my own skin.

Hugo Gutierrez, owner of the Silo Event Center where Sans Murs was based, said he had been wanting to add a restaurant concept and that mutual acquaintances put him together with Wilson.

We hit it off from the start, Gutierrez said. He told me about his background and some of the things we could do together to make the Silo a true destination. He had such a unique concept, one that was innovative and exciting, and I would love to be able to keep that dream alive.

Gutierrez has established a GoFundMe account to raise funds to help the family cover funeral costs.

Wilson is survived by his six children, Jakob Wilson, Clifford (Ford) Hawkinson (Kaitlyn), Elaine De Moulin (Zach), Mia Wilson, Westley Wilson and Sophia Wilson; his mother, Pamela Sherman, stepfather, John Sherman, father Don Wilson and stepmother Karen Wilson; sister Bethany Cabellero (Michael), brother Erick Ekstrand; step-siblings Lisa McCaul (Todd Whitney), David Wilson (Theresa), Jim Wilson (Deloris) and Michelle Olson (Cody); and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Paul H. Wilson Scholarship Fund, which will help disadvantaged youths, at Oklahoma State University-IT in Okmulgee. To donate: osugiving.com.

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Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect more recent customer figures for Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

An alarming number of Americans risk losing access to utility service because they cant pay their bills, according to the Conversation, a nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Its articles are shared by the Associated Press.

Energy utility providers shut off electricity to at least 3 million customers in 2022 who had missed a bill payment. Over 30% of these disconnections happened in the three summer months, during a year that was the fifth hottest on record, according to the Conversation.

Public Service Company of Oklahoma, which provides electric service for the majority of the Tulsa metro, has several options for people having trouble paying their bills:

The PSO Light a Life Program is a year-round fund administered by the Salvation Army to help customers needing emergency assistance with their utility bills. July is Home Energy Aid Month, an annual effort uniting PSO, The Salvation Army, City of Tulsa and other local utilities to help raise awareness and support for area residents who need temporary assistance to pay their home heating or cooling bills. Customers can make contributions to the Light A Life program with their monthly bills or directly.

Payment extensions can help customers pay off their balances by breaking past-due amounts into installments over several months after a minimum initial payment of 25%. Payment extension plans can last up to one year. One-time renegotiations are allowed. Customers who have paid off previous credit arrangements are eligible for additional payment extensions.

Late fee reviews are available upon customer request on a one-time basis, according to the company. Reviews look at the account and other circumstances. Late fees are equal to 1.5% of the past due balance for services and charges, excluding security deposits.

PSO has more than 573,000 customers, including about 491,000 residential and more than 66,500 commercial in northeast, southeast and southwest Oklahoma.

The company also offers other options:

Its Average Monthly Payment program helps customers avoid high seasonal spikes with a more stable, rolling average payment. The program is free.

Its Power Pay program allows customers to choose the amount they want to pre-pay and the method and frequency of payments. PSO deducts the pre-funded amount to pay for usage, which is calculated daily. These accounts do not require a deposit, a credit check or any reconnect fees. Customers may carry up to $1,500 of their current balance at enrollment, the company said.

OG&E

OG&E, which provides electric service for the Oklahoma City metro, parts of Sapulpa, Jenks, Glenpool, Bixby and Muskogee, also offers the following:

Its Social Service Department connects customers with social service agencies that may help with electric bill assistance. Whether through an OG&E payment plan or through its partnerships with state and local organizations, the department helps find the optimal payment and assistance plans for qualifying households. Customers can contact the OG&E call center 800-272-9741 to find a solution that works for them.

A Low-Income Assistance Program (LIAP) gives qualified Oklahoma customers a $13 per month credit on their bill. Customers must be qualified for the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

OG&Es Lend-a-Hand is a partnership with the Salvation Army that provides assistance year-round, not just during hot summer months, for customers having trouble paying their energy bills. Customers can contact their local Salvation Army office for more information.



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An inmate has unlawfully walked away from the Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center in Hodgen, Oklahoma at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday evening, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections has stated.

Isaac Espinosa, 34, is described as an Hispanic male. He is serving a 15-year sentence out of Oklahoma County for robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to the press release.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections advises if you see Espinosa, do not approach and call 911.
Tulsa Countys seven largest school districts have all opted to not participate in a new merit-based teacher stipend program touted by the State Department of Education.

Officials from Bixby, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Owasso, Sand Springs, Tulsa and Union each confirmed that their districts did not submit applications to participate in the Oklahoma Teacher Empowerment Program. The application window closed June 15.

Approved in 2022, House Bill 4388 directs that any Oklahoma lottery proceeds in excess of $65 million be put in a revolving fund to finance the Oklahoma Teacher Empowerment Fund Program. The program provides additional one-time stipends of at least $6,000 to educators who are designated as advanced, lead or master teachers.

As per the Oklahoma State Department of Education, that money is made available to districts twice a year on a first-come, first-served basis; districts are required to provide matching money to participate.

However, the number of teachers who would be eligible for those funds would be capped at 10% per district. Additionally, those teachers would have to be nominated each year to receive the pay increase and would have up to 15 days added to their contract.

OSDE spokesman Justin Holcomb did not respond by deadline to inquiries about how many districts statewide submitted applications for the fund.

In an emailed statement, a spokeswoman for TPS said the district opted not to submit an application this spring due to concerns about whether the program will even be funded.

Oklahoma Lottery Commission Executive Director Jay Finks said, with the lottery reporting record sales in 2023, he is anticipating more than $20 million being directed to the programs revolving fund come September.

With its fiscal year ending June 30, the Oklahoma Lottery Commission is in the process of reconciling its books and undergoing its annual year-end external audit. That process must be completed before any money can be directed to the Oklahoma Teacher Empowerment Program.

State law dictates that the first $65 million in lottery proceeds be put into the Education Lottery Trust Fund, which is distributed among common education, higher education, the state teachers retirement system and a school consolidation fund.

Those obligations are paid out over the course of the fiscal year, Finks said, with the Oklahoma Teacher Empowerment Fund Programs revolving fund on track to receive a cash deposit since the $65 million threshold has already been reached.

Theres still a lot of pieces of success to this  but at least we can say that year No. 1, there is going to be a healthy amount of funds available for that, which should set it up for success in the long run, he said.

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For Joe Kralicek, last months storm was another reminder that the city needs a new public safety center.

Kralicek, director of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency, said the organizations emergency response center in the basement of the Police Courts Building downtown got so hot in the immediate aftermath of the storm that officials decided to pick up their computers and temporarily do their work from the 10th floor of City Hall.

My understanding is that the plant that provided the steam energy for our chillers to work, that they lost power and were not able to provide what we needed to run our chillers, Kralicek said. So our emergency operations center had no air conditioning.

TAEMA is one of several government entities that would share space in a new public safety center proposed as part of the $814 million Improve Our Tulsa 3 capital improvements package. The proposal, which goes to voters Aug. 8., calls for allocating $47.5 million for the project.

The city has not decided where that facility would be located, though one property that has been looked at is the old State Farm corporate headquarters, just north of the Broken Arrow Expressway and west of 129th East Avenue.

We have a world-class response system, but they dont have the facilities they need to actually operate out of, Kralicek said. So this is vital for Tulsas future. This is vital for response to future disasters, because they are going to occur here.

Kralicek said TAEMA has been operating out of the Police Courts Building, at Sixth Street and Elwood Avenue, since the 1980s, and that it shows: Cell phone connections are spotty and the fire suppression system is antiquated, making it impossible to use the kitchen facility during disaster responses.

The facility really needs to be self-supporting and self-sustaining for 24-hour operations where I have more than a 100 people down there at any point in time, Kralicek said. That includes the feeding and care of these individuals.

The existing emergency operations center is approximately 1,000 square feet, about one-fourth the space architects have told Kralicek is needed.

Thirty to 40 people converged in the emergency operations center after last months storm hit, Kralicek said, but it is not unusual for hundreds of people to pack into the room during a crisis.

It is not nearly adequate enough for our needs, Kralicek said. The only reason why we were able to get by with what we had down there that day (last month) was because we were doing virtual as well.

Police headquarters has been in the Police Courts Building since 1969. The structure, which is also home to Municipal Court, and the city jail, has been plagued by structural problems and space limitations for years.

The strong winds that swept through the Tulsa area on the night of June 17 downed countless trees and left hundreds of thousands of people without power, some for as long as a week.

Kralicek did not have to look back far to recall other instances when the EOC failed to live up to the moment during a crisis. He said water pipes inside the walls broke during the prolonged February 2021 cold snap.

I was having to work a disaster while I was standing ankle deep in water at one point while we were getting the water shut off and getting everything dried off and cleaned out, he said. This was not the first time during a disaster that we have had issues down here at the EOC.



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A Taiwan Fourth: First District Congressman Kevin Hern gigged China on the Fourth of July by saying he supports independence for Taiwan  and saying it while in Taiwan.

Support for Taiwan as an independent and sovereign nation has been one of the founding principles of the (Republican Study Committee) and has remained a top priority for 50 years, Hern said during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen, the Taipei Times reported.

What an honor it would be to one day soon see Taiwan experience the same independence that our original 13 colonies enjoyed in the early days, Hern said.

Hern led a five-member delegation from the Republican Study Committee to Taiwan during the July 4 holiday.

The Chinese government considers Taiwan a breakaway province and is extremely sensitive about American officials publicly supporting formal independence.

Taiwan has operated as an autonomous democracy since 1949, when the Mao Zedong-led Communists drove Chiang Kai-sheks nationalists from the mainland. Although the U.S. maintains close ties with Taiwan, it does not recognize it as an independent country.

On Defense: Fourth District Congressman Tom Coles Rules Committee is scheduled to take up the Houses version of the National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday.

It could be an ordeal.

Because NDAAs are considered must pass bills, members often try to load them up with all sorts of amendments. Its up to Cole and the Rules Committee Republicans to put something on the floor that can pass with little or no Democratic support  a tall order given that Republicans can lose only four or five votes and at least that many Republicans want to negate some of the concessions made to pass a spending and debt-limit deal six weeks ago.

As those negotiations showed, though, holdouts on the right ultimately gave Democrats more leverage and contributed to a final bill that did not go nearly as far to cut spending as the most conservative Republicans wanted.

First Amendment: U.S. Sen. James Lankford repeated for Fox News his assertion that the Biden administration is trampling on religious freedom.

This particular administration is not going to protect the religious liberty of conscience protections that are already in law, he said.

Lankford was particularly drawing attention to a 2017 Vermont case in which a nurse claimed she was assigned to assist with an abortion despite her religious objections.

The hospital denied the allegation but was sanctioned by the Trump administration. The Trump Justice Department sued the hospital in December 2020, just before leaving office; the incoming Biden administration dropped the suit nine months later.

Big money: More than most, Oklahomas congressional campaigns are paid for by men with lots of money.

Thats what OpenSecrets.coms analysis of Federal Election Commission reports from the last election cycle suggests, anyway. It found that only one of the states seven members of Congress, 5th District Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, received more than 10% of her campaign money in contributions of less than $200.

The delegation ranged from 1.57% for 3rd District Congressman Frank Lucas to Bices 14.85%.

By contrast, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont reported more than 70% of his contribution dollars from small donors. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia received more than two-thirds of hers in small amounts.

The average is 20.9% for current Republican House members (19.4% for Democrats) and 35.1% for Senate Republicans (27% for Democrats).

OpenSecrets also tracks individual donors by gender. Nationally, men make 61% of congressional campaign contributions but account for 70% of the money donated.

For Oklahomas delegation, the mens share of individual financial support ranged from 71.3% for Bice to 83.1% for Cole.

Dots and dashes: Truck manufacturers and California reached agreement for implementation of the states ban on internal combustion trucks by 2036, a rule loudly opposed by U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin because of the California markets influence on the rest of the country.  Bice is a co-captain for Thursdays Congressional Womens Softball game.

 Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World

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Survey says: A poll released last week but conducted in early June shows former President Donald Trump almost 10 points underwater with Oklahoma voters.

Only 44.6% of the 302 likely voters surveyed by SoonerPoll.com said they have a favorable opinion of Trump, compared to 54% with an unfavorable opinion.

Sixty percent of the sample group identified as Republican.

Trump still fared better than President Joe Biden, but by only 8 percentage points. Trump beat Biden by 33 percentage points in Oklahomas 2020 presidential election.

Gov. Kevin Stitts favorability rating came in at 45.5%, compared to 53.7% unfavorable, and the Oklahoma Republican Party was at 50.9%  roughly the same percentage that viewed the Oklahoma Democratic Party unfavorably.

Over and out: State Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton, abruptly announced his resignation after accepting a job heading the Lawton Chamber of Commerce.

Montgomery, 31, was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2016 and the state Senate in 2018. He was reelected just last year. A special election will be called to choose a replacement.

Montgomerys Senate District 32 encompasses the northwest half of Comanche County, including most of Lawton as well as Fort Sill, Cache and Medicine Park.

Left behind: The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs and the states cybersecurity agency said six databases found on an external server have been deleted.

The databases contained clients personal information. ODVA Interim Director Greg Slavonic said it appeared that none of the data had been inappropriately accessed.

Officials said the databases were inadvertently left on the contracted servers after ODVAs website migrated to a system maintained by the state in 2020.

On the boardwalk: Gov. Kevin Stitt and the rest of the countrys chief executives will be taking that Coast City bus down to Atlantic City this week for the National Governors Association convention.

Stitt and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper are scheduled to lead a discussion on Governors Actions to Accelerate Infrastructure Projects.

Meetings and events: Tulsa Public Schools parent Ashley Daly will be discussing advocacy with Heart of the Party, the Tulsa Chapter of the Democratic Federation of Women, at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Baxters Interurban Grill, 717 S. Houston Ave.

Prior to that meeting, at 5:30 p.m., a new book club will meet to discuss The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America, by Carol Anderson.

City Councilor Laura Bellis will speak to the Tulsa County Democratic Partys monthly gathering at 6 p.m. July 25 at Schusterman-Benson Library, 3333 E. 32nd Place.

 Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World



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The Peoples Committee of Ninh Thuan Province in south-central Vietnam partnered with ACT Holdings JSC to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Ca Na Lagoon new urban area project in Thuan Nam District, projected to cost nearly VND4.5 trillion (US$190.3 million), on Saturday.

Upon completion, the seaside urban area project will cover some 64.5 hectares of land in Phuoc Diem and Ca Na Communes, and accommodate 9,000 people.

The project is set to attract 56,000 workers in 2035 and tap the provinces potential real estate field to suit the demand of residents and boost socioeconomic development.

The new urban area is slated for completion in late 2027.

Tran Quoc Nam, chairman of the Ninh Thuan Peoples Committee, said that the Ca Na Lagoon new urban area will meet the housing demand, address environmental pollution in the seaside area, and create a green, clean, and beautiful seascape.

The project will also back the operation of the Ca Na seaport complex; and house workers, entrepreneurs, experts, and scientists in nearby industrial parks, seaport zones, and liquefied natural gas-fueled power plants, Nam underlined.

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The first batch of lychees of northern Bac Giang Province exported to Thailand via an official channel has been put on the shelves of Gourmet Market supermarkets in the import country, a representative of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday.

Vietnamese lychees have been already present in Thailand for several years, but this is the first time that a Vietnamese company has shipped this kind of fruit through an official channel to Thailand and put it on the shelves of a large supermarket chain in this country, a representative of the Department of Industry and Trade said.

Vietnamese lychees are available in seven Gourmet Market supermarkets of The Mall Group, one of the leading retailers in Thailand.

The milestone will help boost the consumption of lychees in the following years as local exporters have been aware of the requirements of importing enterprises and consumers in Thailand, the representative added.

"I am very happy to be one of the pioneering firms to bring fresh lychees to Thai consumers," said Nguyen Xuan Viet, chairman of Vifoco, the exporter.

"My company hopes to export some 1,000-2,000 metric tons of fresh lychees to Thailand next year."

Nguyen Thanh Huy, a representative of the Vietnam Trade Office in Thailand, affirmed that Thailand is a kingdom of fruits in the Southeast Asian region but it is also a potential market for Vietnamese lychees.

The quality and harvest time of Vietnams lychees and other farm produce are keys to winning the Thai market.

For example, the lychee output in Thailand and imports from China plunge in July, paving the way for Vietnamese lychees.

Bac Giang Province harvested more than 176,000 metric tons of lychees in the year to July 5, meeting 97.8 percent of the full-year target.

Of the total, over 81,000 metric tons was sold at wholesale markets and outlets nationwide and 94,600 metric tons was exported, including 91,100 metric tons to China, 252 metric tons to Japan, 70 metric tons to Australia, and 32 metric tons to the U.S..

Besides fresh lychees, Bac Giang has produced and shipped dried lychees, lychee juice, frozen lychees, and canned lychees.

In Vietnam, fresh lychees are currently priced at VND14,000-32,000 (US$0.6-1.4) per kilogram, while dried lychees cost VND35,000-45,000 ($1.5-1.9) per kilogram.

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Nghe An Province in north-central Vietnam will provide funding of over VND25.8 billion (US$1.091 million) for its localities and schools to set up mobile swimming pools and run swimming courses, as part of its efforts to reduce drownings among children.

The province passed a resolution stipulating policies on developing swimming pools and teaching local children swimming skills at a Peoples Council meeting held on Friday.

Under this resolution, children aged 6-15 will be taught how to swim and equipped with anti-drowning knowledge to ensure their own safety.

Of the financial aid backed by the state budget, more than VND23 billion ($972,900) will serve the development of 281 mobile swimming pools.

Besides, over VND2.28 billion ($96,400) is earmarked for organizing swimming courses dedicated to children in 76 disadvantaged communes during the 2024-25 period.

This move is expected to reduce drownings among children by 5-10 percent.

Members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in Que Phong District, Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam set up a swimming pool at a spring to teach local kids how to swim. Photo: Doan Hoa / Tuoi Tre

The province took various measures for drowning prevention, but its drowning rate remained high.

According to a report of the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, the province reported 293 child drowning deaths between 2016 and 2022 and 18 deaths in the first half of 2023.

The north-central province has 216 swimming pools meeting the size requirements and 76 mixed swimming pools made by local residents to teach kids how to swim.

Most of these pools, however, were built by private firms for commercial purposes and they are located in central areas where parents can well afford their kids swimming classes.

Meanwhile, children in rural, mountainous and other disadvantaged regions have limited access to swimming courses.

Speaking at the meeting, Thai Thanh Quy, secretary of the provincial Party Committee and chairman of the provincial Peoples Council, asked relevant agencies and local authorities to closely work with local households to adopt anti-drowning measures effectively.

They were also told to study a plan to incorporate swimming into the school curriculum in the long run. 

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Police in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam have detained two men for unlawfully transporting an anesthetized tiger to Hanoi for sale.

Nguyen Tri Ngoc, 50, and Ngo Sy Thanh, 47, were arrested on Saturday on charges of illicitly transporting endangered, specious, and rare wildlife as per the Vietnamese Penal Code, the provincial police said.

Ngoc and Thanh had been caught carrying an anesthetized tiger weighing nearly 235kg without any documents in a truck in Quynh Luu District that day.

After stopping the suspicious vehicle for a check, police officers found the animal being kept under anesthesia in a metal cage in the vehicles trunk.

The two men declared that they were carrying the animal to Hanoi for delivery to their partners.

Police officers have seized the truck along with two cellphones from the men and they are proceeding with procedures to prosecute the wildlife traffickers.

Police have also left the tiger in the care of professional staff while expanding their investigation into the case.

In August 2021, the provincial police seized 17 tigers illegally kept in captivity in two houses in Yen Thanh District, but nine died later during the transport from their captive place.

Currently, only two zoos in Nghe An are licensed by the authorities to raise tigers.

Tigers and many other wild animals are strictly banned from being traded in, imported to or exported from Vietnam as they are on the list of endangered wildlife protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which the Southeast Asian country has been party since 1994.

Transporting, trading, capturing or killing wild animals or parts thereof is a criminal offense in Vietnam punishable by between six months and 12 years in prison, according to the Penal Code.

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Catch up on the news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- Police in north-central Nghe An Province said on Saturday they had caught two men red-handed illegally transporting two anesthetized tigers weighing nearly 240 kilograms.

-- The Center for Science and Technology Application under the Department of Science and Technology in southern Bac Lieu Province has proposed extending the suspension of its operation after 1.5 years of shutdown as it has run out of money.

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday presided over a conference in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to remove bottlenecks of expressway projects and speed up the disbursement of official development assistance capital for the delta region.

-- The Investigative Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security on Saturday arrested Tran Thi Binh Minh, former deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment, for her alleged involvement in violations at Hanoi-based Advanced International JSC (AIC Group) and the Biotechnology Center of Ho Chi Minh City. She was charged with abusing positions and powers while on duty.

-- A waste treatment plant in Phu Quoc City off Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam has seen its trial operation suspended as it failed to meet waste treatment requirements, causing environmental pollution.

Business

-- The first batch of lychees of northern Bac Giang Province exported to Thailand via an official channel has been put on the shelves of Gourmet Market supermarkets in the import country, a representative of the Bac Giang Department of Industry and Trade told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday.

-- Construction of Ca Na New City, a coastal urban area project carrying a price tag of VND4.5 trillion (US$190 million), started in Ninh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam on Saturday.

Lifestyle

-- France was crowned the champion of the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival 2023 in the namesake Vietnamese city after beating Italy in the final on Saturday night, winning a prize worth $20,000.

World News

-- A residential building collapse in northeastern Brazil killed 14 people as the last missing people were found lifeless, Reuters reported, citing civil defense officials.

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Authorities in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam are seeking measures to cope with the aftermath of recent land subsidence which badly hit two vast areas of a riverside road in Phu Phong Commune, Chau Thanh District.

The first subsidence-hit road section, measuring more than 45 meters long and four meters wide, is located in Phu Hoa Hamlet.

The second one, some 55 meters long and around seven meters wide, runs through Phu Thanh Hamlet.

Land subsidence hits a riverside road in Phu Phong Commune, Chau Thanh District, Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

The land subsidence posed threats to local households and their farmlands, disrupted traffic and daily activities of the locals, the Phu Phong administration said on Saturday.

Following the incident, the local administration inspected the affected road and set up warning signs there to make daily commuters aware of the vulnerable locations while reporting it to upper authorities for solutions.

Land subsidence disrupts traffic and daily activities of local residents. Photo: H.T. / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Duc Thinh, office chief of the provincial steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that land subsidence in this Mekong Delta province has hit 66 locations measuring around 11.7 kilometers in total in the year to date.

More than VND133 billion (US$5.6 million) is needed to address the problem, he said.

Land subsidence was mostly reported in Cai Lay Town and the districts of Cho Gao, Chau Thanh, Cai Be, and Cai Lay.

Many locations suffered severe land subsidence and required emergency measures to protect the locals and their assets, while the funding needed to tackle the land sinking exceeded the districts budget reserves, he said.

During the first seven months this year, land collapse took place on an increasingly larger scale and may maintain the upward spiral in riverside areas throughout the province.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development submitted to the provincial administration a plan to address 34 subsidence-hit locations, with a total fund of over VND47 billion ($1.9 million).

The department is working on solutions to cope with land subsidence facing the remaining 32 locations.

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Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday chaired a conference in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on removing blockages to accelerate work on expressway projects and the disbursement of official development assistance (ODA) capital for the delta region.

The prime minister asked relevant ministries and departments to team up with local authorities to take some effective measures to eliminate obstacles for speeding up such key projects.

The ministries and leaders of the provinces and cities in the delta region should direct project investors to closely monitor the pace of construction, news site Chinhphu.vn reported, citing the prime minister.

PM Chinh also told the ministries and the authorities of those provinces and cities which expressway projects run across to promptly complete site clearance, handover, and resettlement processes.

Besides, the prime minister asked contractors to quickly mobilize workers and construction equipment, while ordering consulting units to regularly check the safety and quality of construction.

As for projects with uncompleted site clearance, the local Peoples Committees should accelerate land clearance to hand over the cleared site to investors prior to late 2023.

Moreover, the government chief took into account the resettlement and support for affected residents, asking local authorities to create new jobs for them and ensure the quality of new accommodations for these households.

At the conference, the prime minister praised the leaders of Can Tho City and provinces in the region as well as relevant departments for their efforts in implementing these projects, addressing hindrances, and ensuring the sufficient supply of building materials over the past few years.

PM Chinh called on participating officials to put forward solutions for lifting barriers facing expressway and ODA projects in the delta.

Among the expressways that have got off the ground in the region are Chau Doc - Can Tho - Hau Giang - Soc Trang, and Cao Lanh - An Huu, while work is being sped up on the My Thuan - Can Tho, and Can Tho - Hau Giang - Soc Trang - Bac Lieu - Kien Giang - Ca Mau expressway projects, heard the conference.

The Mekong Delta region has opened to traffic 171 kilometers of expressways, while a total length of 463 kilometers of expressways in the region will be put into service in 2026.

The region will have some 554 kilometers of expressways in 2026.

Between 2021 and 2025, the delta region is developing 62 projects funded by ODA and foreign loans, but the disbursement of public investment capital and ODA loans for these projects remain low.

As of June, the region had disbursed VND154 billion (US$6.5 million) in foreign loans, with the rate of 5.34 percent, well below the national average of 15.7 percent.

At the conference, the government leader gave the nod for a plan to borrow $2.53 billion from six foreign partners to finance 16 sustainable development projects in the delta region.

The Mekong Delta region plays a strategically important role in Vietnams socioeconomic growth.

It is vital to invest in traffic infrastructure in the region to drive up the operation of industrial parks, create new growth space, and promote its potential, said the prime minister.

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Unlike most TV comedy duos Claire Lovering (North Shore, Class of 07, Wellmania) and Danielle Walker (Taskmaster, Get Krack!n) had no performing history together prior to their first ABC comedy series, Gold Diggers.

Both met during the audition process, impressing creatives with their chemistry and cast around Christmas 2022.

Within weeks they were doing a table read of the script on zoom for a massive number of TV executives, including bigwigs from the USA.

There were about 60 people on the zoom, including the Head of CBS, and the President of CBS. Ive never seen that much involvement and hands-on approach, Lovering tells TV Tonight.

Its Dannis first acting role and my first lead role. We were learning a lot and under a lot of pressure. There was a lot of responsibility and pressure that the show would be made or broken on our relationship and chemistry. Because of that we really looked to each other, supported each other, almost trauma-bonded and got closer every day.

The period comedy is produced by KOJO Studios and Stampede Ventures in partnership with CBS Studios for ABC. With CBS involved it also meant there were US executives on set, including Greg Silverman whose credits include 10 Things I Hate About You, Jersey Boys, Unforgettable, Arthur, Lego Movie 2 and more.

Greg Silverman, did say to Danni, Theres only two reasons why I would be here. Its either things are going wrong, and Im here to fix them, or things are going really well and I want to be associated with it. And he said, its the latter. We took that to be a good thing, said Lovering.

You just want to pretend that no ones watching

The pair admit it was just a tad intimidating having suits on set.

It can just feel a bit stressful when youre thinking about people critiquing you, said Walker.

Particularly when youre making comedy, and you just want to pretend that no ones watching. It can get in your head thinking People are watching, and theyre the money people. Theyve made this long haul flight to be here to kind of see if its working,' added Lovering.

Gold Diggers is created by former Totally Wild / Saturday Disney presenter Jack Yabsley (Mikki vs the World, Prank You Very Much, How to Do Stuff Good) who penned the pilot episode on a series of vomit bags on a plane to Bali.

Jack started writing it seven years ago as a project for some of his funny female friends as a web series. He set it in a gold rush town because his ex girlfriends parents had a Airbnb that looked like that. So it was like I would just shoot it there, Lovering explains.

We came aboard at the very end.

Over the years it evolved and snowballed and was picked up by different companies and let go finally it all came together with ABC, CBS and Kojo. I think its lot bigger than he ever expected, and then we came aboard at the very end.

Jack had about 7 other writers. He was the only only straight white man. He made sure that he had people of every other ethnicity, sexuality to try and make up for what he lacked in the chromosome area, Walker recalls.

Any experiences, or any voices that are represented, are written by someone whos authentically that. So, he definitely outsourced a lot. But when I read the show bible and his Directors Statement, there was a line, which I really loved: I wrote this shows for two funny women to do just that -be funny,' says Lovering.

I thought it was cool that was his starting point.

In terms of the plot, its about two sisters who are running away from their past and trying to find a newly-rich husbands in the gold fields. Its contemporary vernacular and humour but set in 1853. Its bold, brash, irreverent, silly, stupid, bonkers -any of those words.

Were two girls looking for a better life

Were two girls looking for a better life, Walker suggests. If they covered all these issues, in a modern way, it would feel maybe a bit on the nose. I think back in the day, you were trying to have the basic necessities of life so its an easier place to start from.

We speak like girls from 2023 and make very contemporary references. The hope is that audiences can connect with us, relate to us, have fun, but also kind of laugh at the issues, Lovering observes.

Filming took place in Maldon at an unused replica of a colonial town up for sale, fortuitously discovered by producers.

The cast includes Eddie Perfect, Luke Mullins, Michala Banas, Aaron McGrath, Kartanya Maynard, George Zhao, Susan ann-Walker, Heather Walker and Lincoln Younes.

She has an impeccable French accent, doing physical comedy in a bloody hooped skirt.

Megan Wilding (Mystery Road: Origin, pictured above) is an absolute scene-stealer as ex-BFF Francesca LEstrange.

Its a tricky role, because shes playing a dual reality the whole way through as the French aristocrat, but also as our old best friend with that twinkle in her eye saying, Dont you dare say a thing!' Lovering explains. She just balances it so beautifully. She has an impeccable French accent, doing physical comedy in a bloody hooped skirt. She was also in the writers room, so she contributed a lot to the storyline. Jack is a huge fan and wrote the role for her.

Also a stand-out is Semisi Cheekam (Hardball) as teen entrepreneur, Kelvin.

Hes an absolutely beautiful angel! says Walker. Hes 16. Hes top of all his classes in school. Hes also the rugby captain and hes an actor. Hes absolutely incredible and lovely.

Both Lovering and Walker are hoping for a second season if the series is well received.

Weve got absolutely no idea yet. Who knows? Walker replies.

Well see how it lands. Weve definitely signed options so there are hopes for it, agrees Lovering. But it just depends if it resonates. I guess Ill stay off Twitter!

Gold Diggers screens 9:05pm Wednesday on ABC.
The Nevada DMV called a man's 'GOBK2CA' joke license plate inappropriate and recalled it after it went viral

The DMV said the vanity plate was defamatory. elbud/Shutterstock

The Nevada DMV recalled a man's "GOBK2CA" license plate.

Adam Steelmon said he has had the plate for more than twenty years without issue.

A spokesperson for the Nevada DMV said the plate was recalled because it is defamatory.

A Nevada man's joke license plate telling fellow drivers to "go back to California" was recalled by the state's department of motor vehicles after it went viral on social media.

The state recalled the license plate in May after the DMV received a complaint about it, a DMV spokesperson told Insider.

Eli Rohl, a spokesperson for the Nevada DMV, said in an email that the plate was in violation of a section of the Nevada Administrative Code that bans making defamatory statements.

"In this case, the defamed group is Californians. Mr. Steelmon's plate is not unique in this; we regularly turn down plates that share the same messages," Rohl wrote in the email. "If we've been rejecting applications for other 'back to California' plates, then it's not an equal application of the law to receive a complaint about this plate and neglect to take action on it."

Adam Steelmon told the local ABC affiliate KOLO he has had the license plate on his car for twenty years and never had issues from the state until recently.

"Local law enforcement have pulled me over to tell me they liked my license plate," Steelmon said. "Texas has pulled me over. In 20 years, I've had one person say well I don't think your license plates are very appropriate."

Steelmon plans to appeal the decision before an Administrative Law Judge who will determine whether or not to uphold the recall, Rohl said in the email.

"If he doesn't like the AL judge's decision, he can appeal it through the District court all the way through the Nevada Supreme Court," Rohl wrote.

Read the original article on Insider
By Andrea Shalal

BEIJING (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said 10 hours of meetings with senior Chinese officials in recent days were "direct" and "productive", helping stabilise the superpowers' often rocky relationship as her four-day Beijing trip ended.

Before departing China on Sunday, Yellen said the United States and China remained at odds on a number of issues but expressed confidence that her visit had advanced efforts to put the relationship on "surer footing".

"The U.S. and China have significant disagreements," Yellen told a press conference at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, citing Washington's concerns about what she called "unfair economic practices" and recent punitive actions against U.S. firms.

"But President (Joe) Biden and I do not see the relationship between the U.S. and China through the frame of great power conflict. We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive."

With U.S.-China relations at a low over national security issues, including Taiwan, U.S. export bans on advanced technologies and China's state-led industrial policies, Washington has been trying to repair ties between the world's two biggest economies.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing last month, the first trip by the top U.S. diplomat in Biden's presidency. Climate envoy John Kerry is expected to visit this month.

The U.S. diplomatic push comes ahead of a possible meeting between Biden and President Xi Jinping at September's Group of 20 summit in New Delhi or a Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering scheduled for November in San Francisco.

Yellen said her visit aimed to establish and deepen ties with China's new economic team, reduce the risk of misunderstanding and pave the way for cooperation in areas such as climate change and debt distress.

"I do think we've made some progress and I think we can have a healthy economic relationship that benefits both of us and the world," she said, adding that she expected increased and more regular communications at the staff level.

Briefing reporters after the visit, a senior Treasury official said the trip as expected did not result in specific policy breakthroughs, but was "very successful" in terms of "re-establishing contact" and building relationships.

She said Chinese officials raised concerns about an expected U.S. executive order restricting outbound investment, but she assured them any such measure would be narrow in scope and enacted in a transparent way, through a rule-making process that would allow public input.

Yellen said she told Chinese officials they could raise concerns about U.S. actions, so that Washington could explain, and "possibly in some situations, respond to unintended consequences of our actions if they're not carefully targeted."

DECOUPLING WOULD BE 'DISASTROUS'

Yellen met with officials including Premier Li Qiang and People's Bank of China Deputy Governor Pan Gongsheng, whom she referred to as the head of the central bank, appearing to confirm his expected promotion.

She also met U.S. companies doing business in China, climate finance experts and women economists.

In her meetings with officials, she urged more cooperation between the sides on economic and climate issues while criticising what she called "punitive actions" against U.S. companies in China.

She reiterated that Washington was not seeking to decouple from China's economy, as doing so would be "disastrous for both countries and destabilising for the world."

The U.S. has implemented export controls designed to restrict China's ability to acquire high-tech microchips that Washington fears could have military applications, and is considering an executive order to curb U.S. investment in sensitive areas.

But some U.S. lawmakers want stronger action. A bipartisan group has proposed giving the government sweeping powers to block billions in U.S. investment into China.

Yellen said she had emphasised to her Chinese counterparts that any investment curbs would be "highly targeted, and clearly directed, narrowly, at a few sectors where we have specific national security concerns," to avoid unnecessary repercussions".

Yellen stressed that any executive order would not be for economic gain and talked through what such an order "might look like" with her Chinese counterparts, according to the senior treasury official.

Asked about plans by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to create a common trading currency for their BRICS group, Yellen said she expected the dollar to remain the dominant currency in international transactions.

On Russia's war in Ukraine, she told her Chinese interlocutors it was "essential" that Chinese firms avoid providing Moscow with material support for the war or in evading sanctions.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Writing by Andrea Shalal and John Geddie; Editing by William Mallard and Kim Coghill)
Wagner Group leader and ex-convict Prigozhin has lost the respect of Russian prisoners who now think he's a 'traitor,' activist says

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private-mercenary group. REUTERS/Yulia Morozova/File Photo

Russian prisoners have now turned on the Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, an activist said.

Prigozhin, an ex-convict, was once popular among prisoners and recruited thousands to fight in Ukraine.

SOme prisoners rioted in support of his short-lived mutiny and were disappointed he called it off.

Russian prisoners, many of whom rioted in support of the short-lived Wagner Group mutiny, have now turned on the group's leader, an activist said.

Olga Romanova, the head of the Russia Behind Bars prisoner-rights group, said that prisoners feel "depressed" and "apathetic" and view Yevgeny Prigozhin as a traitor.

Prigozhin launched a short-lived rebellion against Russian leadership last month but called off his men as they were marching to Moscow and agreed to go into exile in neighboring Belarus.

Romanova said that the prisoners don't like losers and that the word "wool" is being used in reference to him, which is slang for "traitors" who collaborate with the authorities.

Prigozhin, who was himself formerly incarcerated, was once extremely popular among Russia's prison population, Romanova said.

The Wagner Group recruited thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine, saying they'd gain their freedom after completing their service. A video shows Prigozhin personally visiting prisons to appeal to the prisoners.

Though Wagner never confirmed the number of prisoners they had recruited, the US intelligence community said it believed the group had deployed 40,000 convict fighters in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Following the failed rebellion, Reuters found that there were at least three convicted criminals freed to fight in Ukraine among the mutinying Wagner mercenaries.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stopped Wagner's recruitment drive earlier this year amid Prigozhin's escalating public feud with government and military leadership.

Instead, the Ministry of Defense began recruiting prisoners for its "Storm Z" battalions. But several of these soldiers seem to have quickly become disillusioned, with videos circulating showing them refusing to return to the front lines due to poor conditions.

Prisoners in Moscow and Rostov prisons had rioted in support of the mutiny, and prison authorities supported these. Many of these prisoners were angry after Prigozhin halted the rebellion and made videos criticizing him, Romanova said.

Prigozhin's criminal career began when he was 18  he was caught stealing and received a six-month prison sentence.

After getting out of prison, he joined a gang in 1980. He participated in a robbery spree around Leningrad before authorities caught him choking a woman on the street while his accomplices stole her jewelry. He was sentenced to twelve years in a high-security penal colony and served 10 years of the sentence.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Secretary of State urged to help find resolution to Drumcree dispute

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has been urged to intervene to help find a resolution to a 25-year-old Co Armagh parading dispute.

Members of the Orange Order have staged an annual protest during the Drumcree parade in Portadown for more than two decades.

However, the Parades Commission again refused permission for the return route to proceed along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road, a ruling maintained since 1998.

Orange Order members on Sunday held a short protest at the police lines barring them from the return route.

The orders grand secretary Mervyn Gibson insisted their protest will continue as he called on the Parades Commission to be disbanded.

Standing close to the police line, Mr Gibson said it brought back memories of the Orange Order and the wider unionist community standing together.

Its great but also sad to see that brethren have been standing here for 25 years  25 years and everybody thinks its sorted, he said.

Recent interviews on the radio, I was told this is sorted, I assured them it wasnt sorted and that brethren would remain here until there is a resolution.

That resolution is for the brethren of Portadown to find with those who are prepared to listen to them, with those who are prepared to compromise with them, with those who are prepared to talk with them.

The parade is only allowed to pass in one direction (Niall Carson/PA)

The Parades Commission has a major part to play and they have failed Portadown district, they have failed Northern Ireland in so many different ways.

It is time for them to go. It is time for the Secretary of State (Chris Heaton-Harris) to exercise some influence to see a resolution here.

This shows the people of Northern Ireland and wider world that the Drumcree situation is still here, and were determined to support the Portadown brethren until a resolution is found.

Responding, a Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said decisions around parades are a matter for the Parades Commission acting independently of the Government.

The Parades Commission continues to have the full support of the Government in their challenging role in relation to parades in Northern Ireland, they said.

Dialogue remains the best way to find a solution to local issues such as Drumcree.

This years parade set off from Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown town centre on Sunday morning to a church service at Drumcree Parish Church.

Twenty-five years ago the parade was first prevented from completing its traditional return route, with the stand-off making headlines in the 1990s when nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road resolutely opposed to the parade passing through their area.

This lead to violent clashes for several summers and political tensions that resulted in a major security operation.

The parades mark the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, an act that secured a Protestant line of succession for the British crown.

Earlier Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart said it was a very sad day that 25 years on from this dispute were still in the same situation where Orange feet are not welcome on a particular stretch of road.

She told the BBCs Sunday Politics programme: I want to see a society where our culture is respected, our identity is respected, and I think it is no big thing to ask that the Garvaghy Road Residents Association enter in to some form of mediation.

Unfortunately for many, many years their intransigence has actually been rewarded by the Parades Commission.

We cant move on if there is no respect or tolerance for a 10-minute walk down a route which has changed enormously over the last 25 years.

However SDLP MP Claire Hanna said the dispute is in the past.

I think you might as well ask to refight the Battle of the Boyne, that is a fight that is in the past, she said.

That dispute, as anyone who was around at the time will know, was profoundly damaging to community relations. There were awful scenes around it and awful consequences.

I think the DUP need to get their heads around the world we are living in today, and to offer leadership around the world we are living in today.
HCM CITY  Vietjet will offer free Sky Care comprehensive travel insurance on all domestic and international flights for all passengers of all ticket classes to bring them a happy and safe flying experience.

According to Vietjet, passengers will have benefits including reimbursement of medical expenses incurred due to accidents or illnesses (including COVID-19), flight-related problems (including flight delays, baggage delays, baggage loss or damage, and lost travel documents), and Global Travel and Medical Support Services 24/7.

It said passengers who successfully purchase tickets and fly any flight will automatically get Sky Care travel insurance. It applies to all ticket classes including Eco, Deluxe, SkyBoss, and Business. Passengers can look up the insurance certificate information after 24 hours from the time of completing their flight at https://vietjetair.hdinsurance.com.vn/search-insurance-policy.hdi or call the hotline: (+84) 1900 068 898.

Last week, Vietjet announced to increase the frequency of its direct flights to Australia to 34 flights per week to respond to the traveling demands of the peak season.

Flights of HCM City- Melbourne and HCM City- Sydney routes will be increased to seven per each.

The HCM City-Sydney route will fly daily from December 5, 2023. Meanwhile, from December 1, 2023, non-stop flights from HCM City to Melbourne will fly daily.

Vietjet will also increase its flights between HCM City and Brisbane to three return flights per week. From December 6, 2023, flights from HCM City to Brisbane will depart on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays.

The airline added that a party of zero ong tickets applying for all flights to Australia are available every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from now until December 31, 2023, when passengers book tickets at www.vietjetair.com and Vietjet Air mobile app.  VNS
France wins a Nang fireworks festival with sunning light show

A NANG  France won the a Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) in the final with Italy along the banks of the Han River on July 8, wrapping up the two-month-long festival.

The French team was awarded a cash prize of US$20,000, while the Italians took home $10,000 for being runners-up.

Poland received the innovation prize, and the audience favourite award went to Finland with a $3,000 cash prize for each team.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha was among the top officials in the final.

Once again, France showed off a stunning performance, named 'Light Up With Love' and featuring western and K-Pop backing tracks.

Dynamite by BTS and Stupid Love by Lady Gaga had the audience singing along under a lit-up sky.

The team also included a French remix of the Vietnamese song Bay (Fly) by Thu Minh.

The team's captain, Edouard Gregoire said: Its a show of art and they had a good feeling during the demonstration. We used some of our favourite songs in the final.

To illuminate a borderless world, we have chosen to speak of love. Love can be of different forms. One can love literature or art as one can love others. Our show is intense, rhythmic, emotional, joyful, and dramatic. It is both current and past with a French and also Vietnamese touch.

The Italian team  who won twice in 2017 and 2018  started an amazing performance with Gossip, River Flows in You, and dance song Wake Me Up, followed by Viet Nam trong toi la (Im Vietnamese) by Thuy Chi.

According to the designer of the Italian show in the final, Michele Martarello, the two-time champion team drew inspiration from the artist Jose Angelinos exhibition called Gli Equilibri Fluidi (Fluid Balances), in Rome. The artist was able to create a hypnotic dance using lights and vibrations, in an environment that gave the possibility to combine classical and modern.

Michele Martarello said: We want to strengthen the connection and to shorten the distances between human beings; our project aims to create a harmonic marriage between classical and modern, dark and light, giving us the chance to fully respect every form of art present in our show. Inspired by the Italian artist, we want to light up, once again, the sky of a Nang.

France and Italy were the two best teams following the festivals selection from eight teams: Viet Nam, Finland, France, Canada, Australia, Italy, the UK and Poland between June 3 and June 24.'

In the festivals history, Canadas Davis Whysall took the top prize in 2008, while Chinas Liuyang Dancing ranked first in 2009 before Frances Jacques Couturier Organisation took the title in 2010.

The US team Melrose Pyrotechnics took the top spot in 2013, while the Italian team, Parente Fireworks, doubled in 2011 and 2012.

The Australian Howard&Sons Pyrotechnics clinched the title in 2015, while Italys Martarello won the title twice in 2017 and 2018.

Finlands Joho Pyro Fireworks won in 2019 before the festival was suspended by COVID-19 for three years.

a Nang is the only place in Viet Nam to have hosted a fireworks festival.  VNS
HA NOI  Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son joined representatives of 70 countries and relevant international organisations at a virtual ministerial meeting to launch the global coalition to address synthetic drugs on July 7 (US time) under an initiative of United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

In his speech at the meeting, foreign minister Son shared global concerns about the threat posed by synthetic drugs, and emphasised the need to promote international cooperation in the spirit of respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs of countries, with holistic measures and a comprehensive approach, to deal with issues related to drug supply and demand.

He also stressed that joint efforts by the international community to address relevant issues should support the implementation of the three basic conventions on drugs and help further strengthen the role of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).

The Vietnamese official suggested that international attention should be paid to enhancing support for developing countries in sharing information, improving capacity, resources and technology, saying that in order to solve the drug problem in a sustainable way, it is necessary to strengthen measures to eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, promote education and create jobs, especially for young people.

Son also talked about the efforts of Viet Nam and ASEAN to strive for a drug-free environment, and affirmed Viet Nams support for international efforts to create more motivation and mobilise more resources for the fight against drug at the national, regional and international levels.

Delegates expressed their deep concerns about criminal activities related to the production, transportation and trafficking of drugs, and the negative effects of drug active ingredients on public health and social security.

Challenges that the synthetic drug problem poses to sustainable development such as poverty reduction, education and employment security were also put on the table.

Delegates pledged to coordinate actions at the national, regional and international levels in drug prevention and control, based on science and transparent information, and a comprehensive and balanced approach.

Countries also highly valued the role and ability to provide technical assistance and expert experience of existing international drug control mechanisms such as CND, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).

This is the first conference held under the initiative of the US Secretary of State to promote discussion, information sharing and cooperation and action coordination in response to the threat posed by synthetic drugs, which are emerging in many parts of the world.  VNS
BRUSSELS  A technical mission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), led by Deputy Director General of the Directorate of Fisheries (D-Fish) Nguyen Quang Hung, held a working session with the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) of the European Commission (EC) on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) on July 6-7.

The delegation updated the EC on Viet Nam's progress in implementing the recommendations made by its inspection team in October 2022.

The two sides discussed and agreed on a number of issues related to provisions in the Decree amending Decree No. 26/2019/ND-CP on transferring quotas of fishing licenses; the use of fishing vessel monitoring system (VMS); responsibilities of suppliers of VMS installed on fishing vessels; the control of the legal origin of fishing vessels imported into Viet Nam; and designated fishing ports.

They also considered the amendment of Article 70 on control under the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), and the supplement of regulations on control of aquatic products originating from fishing activities imported into Vietnam by container ships.

The Vietnamese informed the EC on the pace of deploying the management of offshore fishing vessels and vessels' movement through ports, and supervision of fishing output at ports; the implementation of the Capture Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Protection Plan; the fisheries management plan; the traceability work to ensure that shipments exported to the European market are legal; and the enforcement of law with a focus on handling vessels violating foreign waters and building a database on the handling of such violations from central to local levels.

According to Hung, the two sides have basically reached an agreement on discussed issues and the DG-MARE also agreed with the work that Viet Nam has carried out.

The EC suggested that Viet Nam take stronger measures to combat illegal fishing and put an end to fishing boats violating foreign waters, as well as to handle fishing vessels that lose VMS connection, he said.

The MARD and DG-MARE are scheduled to hold an online dialogue in September to continue to exchange and update the implementation of recommendations before the EC sends its inspection team to Viet Nam to examine the countrys efforts on IUU fishing prevention and control in October.  VNS
HA NOI  An exhibition to promote and introduce potential and investment opportunities between Ha Noi and provinces in the north-central region is currently taking place in ong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province.

The exhibition, with the theme "Connecting for development together", runs until Monday and has been organised by the Ha Noi Promotion Centre on Investment, Trade and Tourism.

The event's aim is to introduce potentials, strengths, images, cooperation and investment promotions between Ha Noi and north-central provinces, especially Quang Binh.

It also aims to support businesses to introduce products, connect and seek business cooperation opportunities, contribute to raising awareness and effectively implement the "Vietnamese people use Vietnamese products" campaign.

The exhibition introduces achievements, potentials, investment environment and tourist destinations in Ha Noi.

Typical handicraft products from traditional craft villages in Ha Noi are also on show to seek future cooperation with different provinces and cities.

Nguyen Thi Mai Anh, deputy director of the Ha Noi Promotion Centre on Investment, Trade and Tourism, said that Ha Noi was particularly interested in calling for investment and looking for opportunities for craft village products and tourism.

The work aims to widely connect different provinces and cities across the country.

Thanks to this innovation, in the first six months this year, tourists to the capital city increased 2.5 times compared with the same period last year, she said.

The Ha Noi People's Committee hope to innovate quality and showcase a range of services to attract more and more tourists from all over the country to the capital city.

Ha Noi also simplifies procedures to call for domestic and international investors and ease enterprises difficulties to have more effective cooperation with partners.  VNS
Cong Thanh

More than 81,000 mangrove trees have been planted by local residents and volunteers to form a green dyke system, creating a sustainable farming area for a 7,000-population community in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang's Vinh Chau town.

The 20ha Symphony Forest project has increased its survival ratio to 92 per cent, filling the forest blanket area with an alluvial embankment along coastal Lac Hoa Commune and providing a livable habitat for the local community and nature.

The communitys own labour force and volunteers also completed a 2.5km bamboo fence as a water breaker for 44,000 trees on another 10ha mangrove forest in 2023, and are aiming for an overall target of 50ha by 2025.

Pham Thi Huong Giang, the founder and chairwoman of the Song Foundation that fundraises for the project, said the mangrove afforestation in Lac Hoa was one of two key parts of the Symphony Forest project that includes 250ha of rocks and bare land area on the coast of the south-central province of Ninh Thuan .

We aim to set up a typical sustainable afforestation project that involves plantation, care and supervision in a strict five-year plan across multiple sectors. The plan will ensure saplings grow strongly on a solid alluvial ground, which could actually work as a green protective dyke for the local community and help them generate incomes, Giang said.

Our project has raised funds from the community, organisations and individuals to build a harmonious link between people, nature and green space, creating a 'forest symphony'.

The purpose of the fund is to achieve better environmental outcomes through planting new forests. Whether it is water preservation, carbon absorption or reducing land erosion, the scheme will make a real difference to our provinces future."

The 44-year-old said each donation of VN90,000 meant a tree would be planted and cared for over a five-year period in the coastal mangrove forest in Vinh Chau Town and would contribute to a sustainable future for the Mekong Delta.

Truong Van Vinh, an expert from HCM City-based Agriculture and Forestry Institute, said the forest could provide ecological services and livelihoods for the forest-based community.

Mangrove forests can help communities in the coastal areas be resilient to climate change as it could protect them from the consequences of landslides, high tides, floods and big storms, Vinh said.

The wetland forest will create a fresh environment and ease saline intrusion in the area, while building a natural shelter for seafood species and an income for local residents.

Vinh said less damage from natural disasters would help the local community preserve their traditional fisheries and crafts related to the mangrove forest.

The mangrove afforestation has engaged local residents since they were aware of the importance of the green shield and prolonged the livelihood of wetland-based life for generations.

Son Tup, an ethnic Khmer man, who has 20-years of experience in planting mangrove forests in Lac Hoa Commune, said the mangrove played a key role in fighting natural disasters.

Mangrove forest naturally breaks flood water and high tides during the monsoon and rough wind season. Large waves and a long time soaking in water are major reasons for heavy erosion at the soil dyke. This means our rice crops will be completely damaged by flooding water, he said.

Salt water intrusion adds to crop loss in the mangrove forest area. So, wetland forest is one of the most effective solutions in reducing erosion.

He said a community-based afforestation team of 40-members was assigned to regular checks of the newly grown mangrove saplings.

Kim Nang, a member of the forest project, said the mangroves helped strengthen soil structure with its network of tree roots.

Thicker layers of alluvium leave the dyke protected enough from rough seas and large waves. Mangrove forests prevent high water breaking, and crop land will not be intruded and become salty, he said.

He said groups of 10 or 20 did daily checks on the growth of saplings and clear any dangers to the newly planted mangroves.

Twenty to 30 per cent of the saplings will die if they do not receive proper care in two or three months after planting. We can also earn extra income from seafood catches during our forest tending and allowance from afforestation, Nang said.

He said high-value species including oysters, fish and crabs were found living on sandbanks in the forest.

Tran Vu Khanh Linh, a managing member of the project, said he had followed the project from the very start.

Its not easy. The forest trip takes us hours, wading through 3km of mud marsh doing surveys and mangrove tending. However, we are supported by the local community in sharing experience and on how to grow the mangroves best, Linh said.

We are so happy to see mangrove saplings growing well with daily care and love from the local farmers.

Linh said the project used IT applications including Geographic Information Systems, drone, and remote sensing techniques in monitoring the quality of the forest as well as forecast system installation warning of any possible natural disasters.

The founder of the Forest Symphony project has been calling for donations from the community in expanding afforestation across Ninh Thuan Province  where about 97,000 trees were planted over 100ha of marshy land in the last 10 years or so.

Giang said the ecosystem in the sand dunes and rocky land areas  which were previously destroyed by over-logging for firewood  had been visibly restored by the green shadow of trees, shrubs and weeds.

We hope underwater reserves in the area will refill from the afforestation project and the strong determination of the community and local authorities in expanding the forest area over the next few years, Giang said.

It needs joint-hand actions from the communitys fund-raiser for the Forest Symphony project. Donations from any event can help the project grow more trees in Soc Trang and Ninh Thuan.

An auction of a painting can provide a fund for growing more than 2,000 trees in the project as the cost for planting and tending a tree is only about VN90,000 over five years, she said.

Since 2021, the New Zealand Embassy in Viet Nam has provided financial support for the Song Foundation to plant 10,000 trees in the two provinces.

The New Zealand Embassy is proud to be part of a project that will see an estimated 3ha of forest planted in Ninh Thuan Province. Reforestation is critical to our planets long term health and this is a fantastic result for Ninh Thuan, said Tredene Dobson, New Zealand ambassador to Viet Nam, at the start of the project.

Staff members of PricewaterhouseCoopers  a global consulting company  also contributed funds and labour to grow 1,000 mangroves in Soc Trang.

We expect that the Forest Symphony project under the green happiness programme' will be a way for all donors to contribute little efforts in building a larger green and fresh natural landscape and forest canopy habitat for both people and wildlife, Giang added.  VNS
On July 8, Joton Group inked a deal with the US consulting company CT-Strategies on preparation of documents for the establishment of a free trade zone in Tien Lang district of the northern port city of Haiphong.

The event marks the breakthrough and leadership of both the city and Joton Group in innovating Vietnam's economic activities by developing free trade zones in line with global economic trends.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the leaders of Haiphong and all partners who have accompanied us from the research process to the signing ceremony today. The development of this zone is considered an important turning point in economic development, trade, and investment," shared Tran Thoang, senior customs and trade specialist, and director of CT-Strategies Vietnam.

According to the pre-feasibility study, the zone is not merely a venture but also a symbol of international cooperation and far-reaching vision. The project will lay the foundation for a favourable business environment, providing opportunities for domestic and foreign businesses to develop and expand business activities in the country.

Vu Duy Quyen, deputy general director of Foreign Affairs of Joton Group said, "We chose to accompany CT-Strategies to research and implement this project. With their professionalism and experience, we believe that this cooperation will bring outstanding results and sustainable development for the free trade zone."

The research and implementation of the project will bring opportunities for investors to share experiences, learn from each other, and build solid links in the fields of economy, trade, and investment.

Tien Lang district is located near the central area of Haiphong, one of the major economic centres of Vietnam. The construction of a free trade zone near this area helps Joton Group easily access the modern and synchronous infrastructure system of the northern provinces, such as deep sea ports, road, waterway, air, and railway transport networks in the pipeline.

In particular, Tien Lang Airport will be developed in the future, according to the plans approved by the Prime Minister.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, CT-Strategies CEO Andrew Ferrelly said, "Joton Group has selected CT-Strategies with extensive experience in the management and operation of free trade zones in the United States. This shows Joton Group's interest in applying international methods and experiences to the management and development of a global standard free trade zone in Vietnam."

CT-Strategies will conduct market research, analyse potentials, and propose specific strategies and plans for the zone. "Important factors such as infrastructure, planning, business model, and investment attraction measures are taken into account before making a decision," Ferrelly added.

Once put into operation, Joton's free trade zone is expected to become a vibrant commercial area as well as bring many jobs and benefits to the community. The investors are committed to promoting sustainable development and business activities, contributing to the prosperity of the region.

Hai Phong licenses 4 new investment projects The northern port city of Hai Phong on May 9 granted investment registration licenses to a project to build Berths No.7 and 8 at Lach Huyen deep-water port area, and three others in the citys industrial parks.

Haiphong continues goal to boost business climate Thanks to its potential and favourable investment climate, the northern port city of Haiphong continues to attract both domestic and non-national financiers into its industrial and economic zones.
Mom-and-pop businesses, some struggling to qualify for bank loans, now have an even stronger ally in the McLennan Community Investment Fund.

Already providing financial assistance totaling $325,000, mostly through loans averaging $8,500, the fund has received certification from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It becomes eligible to receive grants up to $1 million, though its first likely will fall between $600,000 and $700,000, Executive Director Jane Allen said in an interview.

In turn, McCIF will lend those funds to small business owners  for their businesses growth and further development, according to a press release. Some funds will also go toward providing financial education to small business owners.

Allen said the fund was created to serve Waco, Robinson, Bellmead, Lacy Lakeview and Beverly Hills. Board members include Waco insurance executive Tom Chase, Waco City Council Member Andrea Barefield, Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Alfred Solano and Jocelyn Williams, coordinator of the Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerces Center of Business Excellence.

The fund so far has received $310,000 combined from the city of Waco and McLennan County, and about $75,000 in private donations, Allen said. Its designation by the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution qualifies it for significantly more federal money.

Allen said loans locally are available at 6% to 9% interest for help acquiring equipment, vehicles or real estate.

Building permit roundup

Development along Lake Brazos near Interstate 35 continues, with Catalyst Urban Development following through on announced plans to build a parking garage. It has secured a permit valued at $6.5 million to place a 491-vehicle precast concrete garage at 520 S. University Parks Drive, according to a newsletter from the local Associated General Contractors of America office.

Another permit valued at $750,000 will allow alterations to the former McAlisters Deli space at 812 S. Sixth St. to CAVA Mediterranean Grill. Another, for $700,000, was issued to replace a chiller in the office building at 801 Washington Ave. A permit to remodel an office suite at 925 Columbus Ave. does not include an estimated cost, according to the Associated General Contractors of America newsletter.

Home price climb

Home values as determined by the McLennan County Appraisal District and home prices as determined by the law of supply and demand continue to surge locally for varied reasons. But TexasRealEstateSource.com put the trend in focus by comparing price increases in ZIP codes statewide.

Wacos 76701 ZIP code ranked 23rd on the list, its average home price rising from $106,297 in 2016 to $270,355 this year. That is a 154% increase over seven years, tying Houstons 77026 ZIP code, where the average price increased from $57,627 to $146,153, according to the breakdown.

The 76701 ZIP code includes an area roughly bounded by the Brazos River, Jackson Avenue, Waco Drive and 25th Street.

Wacos ZIP code 76707 ranked 30th on the list, the average home increasing in sales price from $59,671 to $146,974 over seven years, a 146% increase. That ZIP code is found in North Waco, home to the Sanger Heights neighborhood. The river, Waco Drive, Cumberland Avenue and New Road serve as rough boundaries.

By analyzing data completeness of each month, it was deemed that February 2016 had the most complete data whilst being far enough back to provide an insight as to how house prices have changed over time, a methodology explainer says.

Median house prices came from Zillow.

Eight of the 10 top Texas ZIP codes for increased home prices are in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the percentages ranging from 228% to 189%. Topping the list is Round Top, a tiny community in Fayette County, where the average home price skyrocketed to $1.05 million from $301,003 seven years earlier, a 251% increase. Second is ZIP code 78203 in San Antonio, which saw a 235% jump over seven years, from $55,288 to $185,505.

The list assigns ranks to 100 ZIP codes experiencing the largest increase in average sales price. The last four making the list are ZIP codes in Dallas, Whitney, Bells and Bartlett, all tied at a 122% increase.

Across Texas, the average house price has risen by 74% from 2016 to 2023, with only one ZIP code, 78332, experiencing a slight depreciation in average home price, about 1%, according to a summary accompanying the report. The 78332 ZIP code includes properties in Alice, Palito Blanco and Ben Bolt.
The American Red Cross is assisting residents of the Woodway Park Condominiums complex after a fire engulfed a building there Saturday morning.

Officers received a call at 6:50 a.m. about a fire fully engulfing a building, and the first unit arrived three minutes later, according to a Woodway Public Safety Department Facebook post. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to a single building, according to the post. The complex in the 1500 block of Western Oaks Drive has 10 multi-unit buildings.

Woodway Public Safety Department Chief Khalil El-Halabi said when firefighters arrived, a section of the buildings roof had already collapsed, and the fire had spread across the entire rooftop. He said the fire was contained by 7:24 a.m. and mostly extinguished by then.

A child was being treated for possible smoke inhalation, and an officer was being treated for heat exhaustion, the post says. El-Halabi said there were no serious injuries as a result of the fire.

He said five units were damaged, and 12 residents were displaced.

Fire marshals are investigating the source of the fire, and it is unknown how long the fire had been going when firefighters were called, he said.

The Waco-McLennan County Fire Corps brought its rehab bus to help firefighters dealing with heat, and community members stopped by offering water and food, according to the post.
Homespun Quilters Guild

The Waco Homespun Quilters Guild will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at New Road Church of Christ, 3100 S. New Road.

It will be a picnic gathering. Attendees should bring a covered dish item.

Back-to-school picnic

The GB Lindsey Family Charitable Fund will have its fourth annual Community Barbecue & Back-to-School Picnic from 5:30 to 7 p.m. July 28 at Texas State Technical College, 3801 Campus Drive.

The event will kick off the Waco Family & Faith International Film Festival. The picnic will feature free barbecue, along with the distribution of free backpacks and school supplies to help children get ready for school. Families can drive through or stick around and relax in the park and take in music by DJ Auggie.

For more information, call 908-672-6024.

Hewitt storytelling

An adult storytelling workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 29 at Hewitt Public Library, 200 Patriot Court.

Anyone interested in improving their storytelling skills is welcome to attend. Seating is limited. For more information, call the library at 254-666-2442.

Back-To-School Bash

The Waco Police Department will hold its third annual Back-To-School Bash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 29 at Richland Mall, 6001 W. Waco Drive.

The event will include a chance to meet and greet Waco police, fire, emergency medial and SWAT personnel, along with free eye screenings, kids haircuts, immunizations, face painting, family fun games, great music and back-to-school shopping.

Math, English camps

The Educational Opportunity Center at McLennan Community College, in partnership with MasteryPrep, will offer free TSIA2 Boot Camps on Wednesday and on July 26. The camps will feature English language arts and reading sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and math sessions from 1 to 4 p.m. Participants may choose to register for one or both sessions each day. All sessions will be held in Room 101 of the math building at MCC.

Preregistration is required for the free event. For more information, contact Deborah Gurcan at 254-299-8599 or dgurcan@mclennan.edu.

Newcomers to meet

Newcomers and Neighbors of Waco will meet at 11:30 a.m. July 19 in the Baylor Club at McLane Stadium, 1001 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Reservations are required by Monday and can be made by emailing reservationsnnn@gmail.com.

Faith Walk barbecue

Faith Walk Church, 700 S. Robinson Drive, will have a barbecue dinner fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 15.

The meal will feature barbecue chicken, sausage, potato salad, beans and a drink, for $12.

Proceeds go to the church building fund.

To order, call or text 254-235-1595.

Cooling center returns

The city of Waco and Waco-McLennan County Office of Emergency Management will operate a cooling center from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at the city Multipurpose Center, 1020 Elm Ave.

Air conditioning, seating and bottled water will be available on-site. Pets are welcome if they are in a crate. The cooling center will be extended if needed.

Woodway Farmers Market

The Woodway Farmers Market will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 23 at Carleen Bright Arboretum, 9001 Bosque Blvd.

The event will feature a diverse array of vendors, food trucks and live music. Parking will be available at the Pavilion Event Center at the arboretum, Woodway City Hall and Woodway Family Center.

Bush library trip

Greater Waco YMCA is organizing a field trip for active, older adults to the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas on July 29.

Cost is $80 for YMCA members, $100 for nonmembers. Registration deadline is July 22. Space is limited, and registration is required.

The bus will depart at 7 a.m. from the YMCA, 6800 Harvey Drive, and will return around 4 p.m.

For more information, contact Crystal Hernandez at chernandez@ymcactx.org or 254-753-5437.

Pantry fundraiser

The Salvation Army will hold a drive-thru food pantry donation event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at its Family Thrift Store, 4721 W. Waco Drive.

The organization is looking for nonperishable food to fill its pantry.

YMCA plans indoor 5K

The Greater Waco YMCA, 6800 Harvey Drive, will hold an indoor 5K event at 8 a.m. Aug. 19.

Competitors will run individual 5K races on YMCA treadmills in the air-conditioned facility.

Entry fee is $25 for YMCA members, $35 for nonmembers. Entry deadline is Aug. 5.

For more information, email Crystal Hernandez at chernandez@ymcactx.org.
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the 500th day of the war Saturday by hailing the country's soldiers in a video from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraine's resilience in the face of the Russian invasion.

Speaking from Snake Island, Zelenskyy honored the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country, saying that reclaiming control of the island "is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory."

"I want to thank  from here, from this place of victory  each of our soldiers for these 500 days," he said. "Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine!"

It was unclear when the video was filmed. Zelenskyy was returning from Turkey on Saturday.

He announced that five commanders of the defense of the Azovstal steel plant, a monthslong siege early in the war, were returning on the plane with him.

The sprawling steelworks was the last bastion of resistance as Russian forces took control of the port city of Mariupol. Its defenders became renowned among Ukrainians for holding out in wretched conditions in the plant's tunnels and corridors.

Azovstal's more than 2,000 defenders left the steelworks in mid-May 2022 and were taken into Russian captivity. The five leaders, some of whom were part of the Azov national guard regiment that Russia denounces as neo-Nazi, were freed in a September prisoner swap and taken to Turkey.

Under the exchange, the leaders were to remain in Turkey until the end of the war under the Turkish president's protection. There was no immediate official explanation about why they were allowed to return to Ukraine.

"The return of the leaders of the Azovites from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of the existing agreements. Moreover, in this case, the terms were violated by both the Ukrainian side and the Turkish side," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russian forces took control of Snake Island on Feb. 24, 2022, the day Moscow launched its invasion, in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraine's biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.

The island's Ukrainian defenders were captured but later freed as part of a prisoner exchange. After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there, forcing the Russians to pull back on June 30, 2022. The Russian retreat reduced the threat of a seaborne Russian attack on Odesa and helped pave the way for a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports.

"Let the freedom that all our heroes of different times wanted for Ukraine and that must be won right now be a tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. "We will definitely win!"

Intense battles continued to rage Saturday in the country's east and south as Ukrainian forces pressed their attacks against multi-layered Russian defenses in the initial stages of their counteroffensive.

Ukraine's interior ministry said a Russian rocket strike on the town of Lyman killed eight civilians and wounded 13 others early Saturday. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, posted images showing some of the dead and said, "the Russian terrorists are continuing to strike civilians in Donetsk."

Lyman is a few miles from the front line, where Russian troops recently intensified fighting in the forests of Kreminna.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update that the eastern town of Bakhmut that was captured by the Russians in May has seen some of the most intense fighting along the front in the past week.

It said Ukrainian forces made steady gains to both the north and south of Bakhmut, noting that "Russian defenders are highly likely struggling with poor morale, a mix of disparate units and a limited ability to find and strike Ukrainian artillery."

Amid the fighting, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of planning to sabotage the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, fueling fears of a radiation catastrophe. Ukraine's military intelligence claimed Saturday that Russian troops have planted more mines around the plant, a claim that couldn't be independently verified.

On Saturday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was shown visiting firing ranges where volunteer soldiers are being trained, a trip that comes two weeks after an abortive mutiny launched by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner troops marched on Moscow in a bid to oust Shoigu.

Prigozhin agreed to end the mutiny, which represented the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power, in exchange for an amnesty for himself and his troops and permission to move to Belarus. On Saturday, Russian messaging app channels ran comments by one of Wagner's commanders, Anton Yelizarov, who said that the mercenaries had taken leave but would eventually deploy to Belarus.

Pitched battles along the front line in Ukraine are raging as NATO leaders are set to meet in Vilnius for a two-day summit to offer more help in modernizing Ukraines armed forces, create a new high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that it will join their alliance one day.

Ahead of the summit, the U.S. announced it will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, though two-thirds of NATO members ban the munitions.

Photos: Russia's war in Ukraine reaches the 500-day mark
Vintage Aviation News staff did not write this article; the content comes via our partners who wish to help support our website.

Few advancements have transformed aviation as dramatically as the development and introduction of jet engines. Their introduction marked the beginning of a new era known as the Jet Age. This period, starting in the mid-20th century, witnessed profound shifts in air travel, military strategy, and the overall global landscape.

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The Birth of the Jet Age

As the Jet Age was taking off, so were the hopes and aspirations of millions around the world. The promise of speed, efficiency, and greater accessibility to distant places was more real than ever. This age of swift air travel began with the introduction of jet engines, marking an irrefutable departure from the era of propeller-driven aircraft.

The invention of the jet engine can be traced back to the work of Sir Frank Whittle in the United Kingdom and Hans von Ohain in Germany. These pioneers worked separately but concurrently, laying the foundation of the jet engine in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Their work ushered in an era that drastically improved the speed, efficiency, and reach of air travel, bringing about the Jet Age.

Jet Engines: Powering Faster and Further

What differentiated jet engines from their predecessors was their functioning mechanism. Unlike propeller engines, which generate thrust by moving a large amount of air at a slow speed, jet engines operate by propelling a smaller amount of air at high speed. This principle, based on Newtons third law of motion, facilitated aircraft to reach higher altitudes and speeds, something impossible with propeller-driven planes.

Early Challenges and Solutions

Jet engines, while remarkable for their power and potential, were initially fraught with technical issues. Early jet aircraft were fuel-inefficient and had a limited range, making them unsuitable for long-distance flights. Engine reliability was another significant concern, with early jet engines often experiencing failures and requiring frequent maintenance. However, much like how the academic writing service EssayHub.com helps college students overcome academic challenges, the aviation industry relied on engineering prowess and continuous improvement to push the boundaries of what was possible.

As aviation engineers and mechanics navigated the challenges of designing and implementing a completely new type of engine, they devised solutions to improve the reliability and range of jet-powered aircraft. Their efforts eventually paid off, paving the way for the modern, globally connected world we live in today.

Commercial Aviation and the Jet Age

The impact of the Jet Age extended beyond technical advancements. It played a pivotal role in shaping commercial aviation, significantly reducing travel times and making long-distance travel more accessible.

Before the Jet Age, transatlantic flights were long, expensive, and often grueling affairs. The advent of jet engines led to the emergence of faster, smoother, and more comfortable planes. This enabled airlines to offer a greater number of flights, catering to an ever-growing passenger market. As jet engines became more efficient and reliable, long-haul travel was no longer a luxury but a commodity available to the masses.

The Legacy of the Jet Age

The Jet Ages legacy extends to our present day. The influence of jet engines is felt across commercial, military, and space aviation. They power our modern airliners, military fighter jets, and even the rockets that take humans to space.

Jet engines not only revolutionized aviation but also triggered technological and social changes. The need for more advanced jet engines spurred a continuous drive for innovation and research, leading to significant advancements in materials science, thermodynamics, and engineering principles. This age of relentless innovation had a trickle-down effect, paving the way for advancements in various other industries, from energy production to automotive design.

Socially, the advent of the Jet Age fostered a global culture of connectivity and accessibility. The ability to travel faster and farther broke down geographical barriers, fostering cultural exchange and global understanding. Jet travel played a crucial role in creating our global village, making it possible to have breakfast in New York, lunch in London, and dinner in Dubai. This new reality of interconnectedness has shaped global geopolitics, economies, and cultural exchanges, making the world a more connected and integrated place.

Conclusion

The Jet Age was not merely a period of technological evolution; it represented a significant shift in how humanity perceived distance and time. The jet engine, the powerhouse of this era, reshaped the face of the globe, making the world a smaller place.

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In the grand narrative of human history, the Jet Age stands out as a testament to our relentless pursuit of progress. It reminds us that the sky is not the limit but rather a playground for our ambitions and dreams. Through the power of jet engines, we have redefined the boundaries of our world, crafting an era of unprecedented speed and connectivity.

Vintage Aviation News staff did not write this article; the content comes via our partners who wish to help support our website.
According to Waterloo Police Sgt. Melissa Ludwig, officers contacted Cody Phennicie, 42, shortly before 8:30 p.m. at 422 W. Donald St. in connection with an assault case. However, when police arrived Phennecie refused to come out, leading to a brief standoff.

Officers were following up on an assault case and they saw the guy that was wanted in the assault case, so they went to the house, Ludwig said. He didnt want to come out, they tried to call him out and after a little bit he ended up coming out.
Daily global temperatures reached an unofficial record high multiple times this week, according to at least one metric, and caused communities around the planet to take drastic measures to help people beat the heat.

A work stoppage in Beijing stretched into this week after a string of days where temperatures were higher than 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).

In North Grenville, Ontario, the city repurposed hockey rinks into cooling centers as temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) and felt like 38 degrees (100 degrees Fahrenheit) with humidity.

And the National Weather Service in the United States has issued heat advisories for a large swath of the continental U.S., reported a number of heat-related hospitalizations in Austin and San Antonio in Texas and recorded record-breaking temperatures in cities including Portland, Oregon, Tampa, Florida and El Paso, Texas.

Photographers for The Associated Press captured how people all over the world endured  and in some cases suffered from  the heat.

People dove into bodies of water in Ukraine, Turkey and Spain. Tourists in Rome and a man in Manila shielded themselves from the sun using umbrellas. A security guard in Beijing and a construction worker in Nashville wiped sweat from their faces on days when the temperature was over 100 degrees.

And climate scientists told the AP that the record-setting heat is poised to continue as the planet keeps warming. Commenting on the global temperature highs earlier this week, Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field said, A record like this is another piece of evidence for the now massively supported proposition that global warming is pushing us into a hotter future. ___

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
After plowing through a new, 57-page USDA report titled Concentration and Competition in U.S. Agribusiness, I asked an agronomist friend who had also read the report why it seemed that its writers used so much hem-and-haw language in analyzing, for example, the rise of todays powerful seed companies.

Im less interested in the authors conclusions and opinions, the friend emailed back, and more interested in the data they show. I think its up to those of us outside USDA-ERS  the U.S. Department of Agricultures Economic Research Service  to interpret the data in a manner thats less favorable to corporate agribusinesses.

Thats good advice. There are reams of data in the report, particularly in three key focus areas: seeds, meatpacking, and food retail. We  or us outside of USDA  need to draw our own conclusions and push policymakers to do the same.

For example, according to USDA, Between 1990 and 2020, prices paid by farmers for crop seed increased by an average of 270 percent, while seed prices for crops grown predominantly with genetically modified (GM) traits rose by 463 percent, substantially more than commodity output prices.

How would most of us explain this incredible, 193 percent price increase in GM seed over non-GM seed during this period?

No doubt, many of us would link the price increase to the tightening grip that one seed giant was having on GM traits in the U.S. corn, soybean, and cottonseed markets.

USDA confirms this in its detailed analysis: By 2009, GM traits owned or licensed by Monsanto were used on 95 percent of soybean acres, 81 percent of corn acres, and 79 percent of cotton acres in the United States.

But wait, the report hems, The increases in seed prices reflected to a large degree the higher productivity of improved crop varieties and provided a return on investments in R&D by seed companies.

So, which is it  the transparently evident tight control of GM traits by one company or the never-defined returns on investments in R&D by seed companies?

Both, haws USDA, because Higher seed prices reflect to a large degree the market power that firms derive from their IPRs (intellectual property rights) ... and a return on company investment in R&D.

That murky explanation reads more like a 2010 seed company press release than a 2023 USDA official report.

Thats the problem with this and other recent USDA reports on market concentration, notes Peter Carstensen, a professor of law emeritus at the University of Wisconsin and an expert in antitrust law and economic regulation. The ag department often takes the middle road because USDA has little role in regulating any market anymore.

The big villain here is the DOJ, the Department of Justice, the government agency, explains Carstensen, that failed to challenge, or settled on ineffective terms, the major mergers in agriculture.

The reports conclusions in other areas of its anticompetitive focus, meatpacking and food retailing  basically, grocery selling  are just as statistically solid and definitively inconclusive as its views on the seed market.

For example, the report notes in its summary, Economic theory and empirical analyses demonstrate that high concentration can facilitate the exercise of market power, with firms driving sales prices above  or livestock purchase prices below  the prices that would prevail in competitive markets.

However  and you knew there would be a however on the horizon soon  the relationship between concentration and market power is not tight, and high concentration can often result from factors like innovations or the realization of scale economies that improve productivity and reduce costs and prices.

Austin Frerick, a Yale University fellow who researches ag antitrust and competition issues, agrees with Carstensen that DOJ could do far more to push tougher antitrust reviews and legal challenges. But USDA  and specifically, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack  could be doing more, too.

Vilsack hasnt done anything meaningful to address the concentration issues highlighted here in seeds, meatpacking, and grocery stores, notes Frerick. Hes been doing a little song and dance  but theres no substance there.

There sure is a lot of hemming and hawing, though.
People are complaining about President Biden being 80 years old. From the above quote from Lindsey Graham expectations are senators stay forever. The oldest five senators are: Grassley 89, Feinstein 89, Sanders 81, McConnell 80, Cardin 79. As a voter, if age is a big factor I would expect the above senators to be voted out in their next election. The other factor Graham mentions is longevity in the Senate. As a voter consider two more factors: influence and money. The longer the stay in the same position, the more money is available to influence these senators. Voters -- do not complain about the age of your president, he is term limited. Your representatives and senators ought to be term limited as well.
On July 1 in Letters to the Editor a Waterloo citizen stated, "The president won't make an executive order to pull weapons off the shelves." The president alone cannot do this. Congress has to act for this to happen. President Biden continually has been asking Congress to reinstate the nation's ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines which expired in 2004 and to close loopholes for gun background checks.

In 1994 Congress passed the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protective Act. It prohibited the manufacture, transfer, possession or sale for civilian use of certain semi-automatic assault weapons. The act also banned magazines that could accommodate 10 rounds or more. There was a sunset provision by which the 1994 ban would automatically expire after 10 years unless renewed by a vote of Congress. In 2004 the Republican Congress refused to renew the assault weapons ban.

Polls show a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines have an approval rating of over 60% in the United States. It's time for Congress to act.

Kathy Breckunitch, Waterloo
Profanity in Video, 18+

I post very little images and or videos of the SMO. Yet there is tons of real info available, but death is not a good thing for anyone and anywhere. Yet this is a Ukrainian Duck Shoot at the Ukrainian Carnival

Soldiers of the 305th Artillery Brigade of the V Group destroyed an entire column of enemy vehicles, one by one. The enemy retreated. The entire column of 7 armored vehicles were destroyed. An estimated 80 men died. Only 3 soldiers can be seen emerging from the wrecks https://windowstorussia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/VID_20230708_103933_884.mp4

This is the normal

I just ask myself why does the Ukrainians act like Ducks in a row during the war?

Ask NATO, that is who is training Ukraine to die

WtR
Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation

The AFU continued to attempt offensive actions in Donetsk, Krasny Liman and South Donetsk directions.

In Donetsk direction, as a result of the competent and courageous actions of the defending units of the Yug Group of Forces, nine enemy attacks have been successfully repelled close to Druzhba, Severnoye, Maryinka, and Pervomaiskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

In addition, enemy units were hit close to Krasnogorovka, Avdeevka, Veseloye and west of Kleshcheevka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

An ammunition depot of HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system projectiles has been destroyed near Mikhailovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

One ordnance depot of 110th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU has been destroyed near Avdeevka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

The enemy losses were up to 500 Ukrainian servicemen killed and wounded, three tanks, six armoured fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, two pickup trucks, two U.S.-manufactured M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery systems, and one D-30 howitzer.

In Krasny Liman direction, as a result of the active actions by the units of the Tsentr Group of Forces, as well as aviation, artillery and heavy firing systems, an enemy attack has been repelled near Torskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

An AFU manpower and hardware concentration area has been hit close to Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk Peoples Republic) and Serebryanka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

The activities of one Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group have been suppressed close to Torskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

The enemy losses were over 60 Ukrainian personnel, three armoured fighting vehicles, three pickup trucks, and two D-30 howitzer.

In addition, three ammunition depots of the 66th mechanised and 81st airmobile brigades of the AFU have been hit close to Novolyubovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic) and Serebryanka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

In South Donetsk direction, as a result of the active action by aviation, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of the Vostok Group of Forces, an enemy attack has been repelled and one Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group has been eliminated near Urozhaynoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

In Zaporozhye direction, AFU manpower and hardware concentration areas have been hit near Pyatikhatki and Orekhov (Zaporozhye region).

Two combat reconnaissance actions by AFU units near Marfopol and Rabotino were repelled (Zaporozhye region). In addition, the actions of an Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group have been disrupted close to Dorozhnyanka (Zaporozhye region).

The enemy losses were up to 170 Ukrainian servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and one pickup truck.

One French-manufactured Cezar self-propelled howitzer, one U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system, two Msta-B howitzers, two D-20 guns and one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system have been also destroyed.

One ordnance depot of the 65th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU has been destroyed near Orekhov (Zaporozhye region).

In Kupyansk direction, the attacks, launched by Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, as well as artillery of the Zapad Group of Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of manpower and hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Stelmakhovka, Novosyolovskoye, Artyomovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Sinkovka, Berestovoye, and Dvurechnaya (Kharkov region).

The enemy losses were over 30 Ukrainian servicemen, two motor vehicles and one U.S.-manufactured AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar.

In Kherson direction, the enemy losses were up to 40 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, four motor vehicles and one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised 102 artillery units of the AFU at their firing positions, manpower and military hardware at 126 areas.

A fuel base for AFU military equipment has been hit close to Zaporozhye.

Air defence facilities have shot down one Su-27 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force near Novogrigorovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

Six HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system projectiles have been intercepted.

In addition, 17 unmanned aerial vehicles have been destroyed close to Verkhnekamenka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Maryinka, Volodino (Donetsk Peoples Republic), Ostrikovka, Shirokoye, Mirnoye (Zaporozhye region), Novaya Mayachka, Novaya Kakhovka, Malokakhovka, Ulyanovka (Kherson region) and Volfino (Sumy region).

In total, 453 airplanes, 241 helicopters, 4,938 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 air defence missile systems, 10,582 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,135 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,383 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 11,512 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation.

WtR
Columbus Area Historical Society

1973

John Gaddo, Columbus, and Patricia Biddle, Rio, were among 123 new freshmen students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse named to the 1973 Marching Chiefs band.

Cynthia Coughlin was hired to assist Georgia Adams, in teaching at the new Columbus Pre-school. The school is a new addition to the Columbus community.

1983

Herbert Salzwedel was honored by the Columbus American Legion Post No. 62 for his 60 years of service to the local legion post.

Dave Adam was the winner of a $100 scholarship in the Youth Spirit in America scholarship writing contest sponsored by the Republican Party of Columbia County.

1993

Bettie Abrams retired from the Columbus Public Library. Abrams had worked at the library since 1957. She said that the big changes in the library have been the remolding project in1992, and the expansion of the childrens library from one shelf to the entire lower level.

The Columbus Care Center announced the addition of Debra Barth as administrator. She replaces Cheri McCormick who returned to her position as business office manager. McCormick also took on additional duties as assistant administrator.

2003

The finishing touches were being applied to the Boy Scout Cabin on its restoration project.

The public was invited to attend a presentation of the Historic Structure Report for the Firemans Park Pavilion. Architectural historian Eric Wheler and architect Val Schute of River Architects made a presentation and answered questions. The presentation discussed how the pavilion appeared in the 1920s, current needs, and cosmetic issues.

Follow on Facebook at Columbus, WI Historical Society, email columbuswiareahistory.com or visit columbuswiareahistory.com. The Columbus WI Area Historical Society is looking for a home for its museum. If anyone has ideas on where to locate, contact David Komarck-Bennett, society president.
Road building is continuing this week arsenic Michigan originates much than 90 caller projects that will adjacent lanes and ramps astir nan state.

The Michigan Department of Transportation lists much than 60 closures scheduled to statesman Monday, July 10, pinch dozens much passim nan week.

Projects getting underway see activity U.S. 10 successful Bay County, M-54 successful Genesee County, U.S. 131 successful Kent County, and M-43 successful Ingham County. There is besides notable activity successful Berrien, Cass, Gratiot, Macomb, Montcalm and Oakland counties.

Below are immoderate of nan closures to watch retired for this week based connected nan the states building schedule. All projects are upwind dependent, and authorities officials punctual drivers to travel posted signage.

For a afloat schedule of upcoming projects, sojourn MDoTs online map, here.

U.S. 10 successful Bay County

Both directions of U.S. 10 will beryllium reduced to 1 lane of postulation betwixt U-75 and 7 Mile Road opening Monday and continuing for astir a week. On Tuesday, July 18, each postulation is scheduled to beryllium shifted to nan eastbound broadside while nan westbound broadside goes nether construction.

The activity is portion of a $32.8 cardinal task to rebuild westbound U.S. 10. It includes span attraction astatine Three Mile Road, a culvert replacement astatine Culver Creek, and yet nan replacement of nan Mackinaw Road overpass successful May 2024.

The Three Mile Road span remains closed and isnt expected to reopen until Labor Day weekend.

M-54 successful Genesee County

Starting connected Friday morning, Dort Highway (M-54) will person a lane closed successful either guidance betwixt I-75 and Hill Road successful Grand Blanc. Road activity originates astir 7 a.m. Friday and is scheduled to reason Thursday, July 13.

M-15 successful Genesee County

Monday originates a 30-day detour play to let for activity connected M-15 successful Genesee County. The $11.3 cardinal task involves resurfacing astir 7 miles of road betwixt Potter Road and Dodge Road.

Drivers will beryllium detoured astir nan closure utilizing Richfield Road, Irish Road, and Mt. Morris Road. The detour will beryllium successful spot until astir Aug. 8, though building wont beryllium done until September.

Grand Rapids Avenue successful Ingham County

The resurfacing of Grand River Avenue (M-43) betwixt Okemos Road and Park Lake Road originates Monday. A azygous lane successful each guidance will beryllium closed until early August.

The $12 cardinal task involves resurfacing and drainage improvements on M-43 betwixt Marsh Road and Park Lake Road. Work includes updating CATA autobus extremity access, completing ADA ramp information improvements, and adding a pedestrian land to cardinal crossings.

U.S. 131 successful Kent County

Southbound U.S. 131 betwixt Ann Street and I-196 successful Grand Rapids will acquisition a double-lane closure this week and into nan pursuing weekend. Also closed will see nan connected ramp from Leonard Street/Turner Avenue.

U.S. 127 successful Gratiot County

Work connected U.S. 127 Business Route (BR) is getting underway Monday successful Ithaca. The $313,000 task will see resurfacing betwixt Emerson Street and Barber Street, arsenic good arsenic ramp improvements.

Lane closures and postulation shifts are expected passim nan project, which is scheduled to wrap up sometime successful August. At slightest 1 lane of postulation will beryllium unfastened successful either guidance astatine each times.

U.S. 12 and M-60 successful Berrien and Cass counties

Work starts Monday connected a $5.4 cardinal task that will amended astir 15 miles of pavement connected U.S. 12 and M-60 successful Berrien and Cass counties. The area is betwixt M-139 and Leet Road, located southbound of Niles.

Construction is expected to proceed until astir Oct. 20. During that time, location will beryllium single-lane closures and intermittent full closures pinch posted detours successful nan area.

I-94 successful Battle Creek

Rebuilding of nan Capital Avenue bridge will statesman Monday aft it was demolished complete nan weekend. I-94 will person 2 lanes unfastened successful each guidance into September, while Capital Avenue remains closed until nan task is complete.

The building is portion of a three-year, $160 cardinal task to repave 10 miles of I-94 betwixt Helmer Road and 7 1/2 Mile Road. It includes rebuilding 9 brides and repairing six others.

M-21 successful Clinton County

Drivers should expect delays if theyre readying to beryllium driving M-21 successful Clinton County. Work to adhd a four-way extremity astatine nan intersection of M-21 and Hollister Road originates early Monday morning.

Throughout nan one-week project, location will beryllium single-lane closures during nan day. Construction should wrap up Monday, July 17.

M-100 and M-43 successful Eaton County

The intersection of Saginaw Highway (M-43) and Clinton Street (M-100) successful Grand Ledge is going to beryllium resurfaced. The task originates Monday and is expected to beryllium complete successful early August.

Drivers should expect lane closures connected some roads during construction, and alternate routes are advised.

16 Mile Road successful Macomb County

Drivers who usage 16 Mile Road (Metro Parkway) successful Clinton Township will beryllium down to 2 lanes astatine Gratiot Avenue (M-3) opening Monday morning. The closure will proceed done nan extremity of nan month.

The closure is portion of a $22.6 cardinal task to resurface 3.3 miles of Gratiot Avenue betwixt 14 Mile Road and Wellington Crescent successful Macomb County. In summation to nan roadworthy improvement, nan task will see sidewalk upgrades, modernized postulation signals, and motion replacements.

M-91 successful Montcalm County

Lafayette Street (M-91) will acquisition lane closures for overmuch of nan week adjacent Flat River. Road activity is scheduled to commencement astir 8 a.m. Monday and proceed done 4 p.m. Thursday.

I-75 successful Oakland County

Continued activity connected I-75 successful Oakland County will require a double-lane closure connected nan northbound road opening Wednesday. The lane closures are planned betwixt Ortonville Road (M-15) and Davisburg Road, and are scheduled to past until July 28.

Read much connected MLive:

U.S. 23 roadblocks and Michigan Ave. paving: Washtenaw County roadworthy activity for July 7

Grading Michigans roads from 1 to 10. See really yours rate.

Expect much thoroughfare closures arsenic $3.9M building task originates successful Ann Arbor

Carpool lanes connected I-75 would beryllium a first for Michigan highways

Michigan had much crashes but little drunk, drugged and distracted driving successful 2022
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 9 PM PDT SATURDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures up to 100-106 degrees expected. * WHERE...Mineral and Southern Lyon Counties, Greater Reno- Carson City-Minden Area, Western Nevada Basin and Range including Pyramid Lake and Northern Washoe County. * WHEN...From 11 AM to 9 PM PDT Saturday. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There will be some relief at night as low temperatures drop into the upper 50s and 60s overnight. However, high temperatures are still close to 10 degrees above average for this time of year and close to daily records. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&
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Instagram Celebrity

The exciting announcement arrives shortly after the former star of 'One Tree Hills' treated fans to a rare video of his 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter playing ball outside together.

Jul 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Chad Michael Murray is going to welcome a new addition to his and Sarah Roemer's family. When announcing that they're expecting their third child together, the "One Tree Hill" alum shared a photo of his wife debuting her huge baby bump.

The 41-year-old posted the snap on Instagram on Friday, July 7. "Baby #3 loading Anyone know any new gadgets for babies? It's been a bit since we had one," he quipped in the caption.

"Ps- forgive the quality of the photo- alas I''m still on IPhone 8 becoz I love the button and won't trade it away," Chad continued joking. "Sometimes I see ppl staring at my phone with button envy and I get it."

The exciting announcement arrived shortly after Chad treated fans to a rare video of his 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter playing ball outside together. "Watching the leaps a kid can make every year is utterly fascinating," he penned in the accompanying message.

"We made him take 3 months off & now our boy is starting to dial in for the upcoming season. #thisis8 #proudparents," the actor, who has yet to reveal the name of their kids, further noted. "Side note - how dang cute is it that our daughter wanted to help train her big brother by being the ball girl."

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Cover Images/Instagram/RobinLori Celebrity

The Oscar winner and his wife, who also share 13-year-old daughter Vida and 10-year-old son Livingston, believe that their son 'can handle' his journey on the photo-sharing platform.

Jul 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves gave their eldest child a special surprise for his 15th birthday. Instead of spoiling Levi with material gifts, the "Interstellar" actor and his wife gave the teenager permission to join Instagram.

On Friday, July 7, the parents shared a video on the photo-sharing platform as a tribute. "Yes, we are allowing you, today on your 15th birthday, to join the social media universe," the proud dad said before his spouse chimed in, "Yes, all his friends have had it for long time. We've been holding out."

Camila admitted that she's a "little nervous" about Levi getting on Instagram. However, Matthew said they both believe that their son "can handle it." The 53-year-old Hollywood star explained, "He knows who he is and he knows where he's going at that... He's got a great story to tell and share."

Matthew, who also shares 13-year-old daughter Vida and 10-year-old son Livingston with Camila, went on to note that people will get "a very cool and respectful young man" if they follow Levi's page. He added, "I hope y'all can best treat him in the same way."

The Oscar winner concluded the clip by telling Levi, "Enjoy the adventure." He then elaborated, "Enjoy sharing your story, expressing yourself, and what you put out there and the exchange you get with the people out there... We love you, happy birthday."

Thankful for the permission, Levi expressed his gratitude in the comment section. "Mamma and Papai thank you!!" the teenage boy exclaimed.

Matthew and Camila, who tied the knot in 2012, have been known for raising their children away from the spotlight. In a 2020 interview with Town and Country, he said, "Sometimes loving your kids means giving them just what they want. Other times it means tough love."

"Affluent people can give their kids everything they want, but they're not usually going to get what they need," the father of three continued explaining. "Loving a child is a lot harder if you really give a damn. 'No' takes a lot more energy. It's a lot easier to say 'yes.' "

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Sony Pictures Movie

Cast member Ernie Hudson confirms the new 'Ghostbusters' movie has completed filming but the release date is still uncertain because of the ongoing writers strike.

Jul 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Ernie Hudson has revealed that the "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" sequel has wrapped filming. The 77-year-old actor is returning as Winston Zeddemore in the untitled flick but admits that the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike means that the slated December release date is uncertain.

"Yeah, we finished, the movie is done, it's wrapped. Obviously, they're editing and doing whatever else. I've heard rumours the end of the year they'll push for, or maybe spring next year," Ernie said to Screen Rant.

"I never know how the studios are gonna do whatever they do, but the filming is done, which was a little bit difficult with the writers' strike and everything going on. So, I know there was a lot of shuffling around in terms of where it was being done, but I'm thankful that we at least got it done in the can, and now, I'm like everybody else, waiting to see what it all looks like."

Ernie recently confessed that he has learned to "love and appreciate" the franchise more after starring in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife". The star has discussed how he felt sidelined during the original movies in the 1980s but explained how returning as Zeddemore for the 2021 picture gave him immense satisfaction.

Hudson told Total Film magazine, "I've always loved being part of it, but I really learned to love and appreciate the film. What parts were taken out or whatever - I just felt like it was a perfect little movie. Once we came back to it, [director] Jason Reitman especially, went above and beyond to let me know how much he appreciated the character. Fans always have. 'Ghostbusters' has really been some part of my life every day for the past 40 years."

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Wired Celebrity

The 'Trainspotting' actor and his actress child Clara offer glimpses of their father-daughter dynamic and when attending an event to promote their movie together.

Jul 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Ewan McGregor loved showing his kids the stomach-churning toilet scene from his movie "Trainspotting". The actor starred as junkie Mark Renton in Danny Boyle's gritty 1996 movie - based on the book of the same name by Irvine Welsh - and he's revealed he used to take great pleasure in playing showing his kids the infamous scene in which his character climbs into what's dubbed the "worst toilet in Scotland."

"I wasn't there when [my daughter] Clara watched 'Trainspotting' for the first time. But I did used to show my kids the toilet scene. Just for a laugh. It's a unique situation, perhaps, for a father to be able to show his children footage of him going down the toilet," Ewan - who is dad to five kids including actress daughter Clara - told reporters at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

Ewan attended the festival alongside Clara to promote the new movie they made together - "You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder" - and the 27-year-old actress revealed her dad used to embarrass her as a kid with some car karaoke on the school run.

Speaking about Leona Lewis' song "Bleeding Love" - which features in the film - she explained, "We used to be big fans of Leona Lewis. I started growing out of it at some point. My father didn't. On our drives to school, right when we were about to pull up, he would really crank it up, roll the windows down and I was ducking. It was really cool we got to put it in the film."

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Instagram Music

The musician who plays bass in the 'Californication' group regrets the way they recorded their 1984 album and wishes his bandmates agreed to re-record the LP.

Jul 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Flea wants to re-record the one Red Hot Chili Peppers album he has regrets about. The "By the Way" rock group's bassist wasn't impressed with the way they made their 1984 self-titled record and he blames it on the lack of "connection" with musicians Jack Sherman and Cliff Martinez, who replaced Jack Irons and Hillel Slovak after they quit, though he insists they are "great" at what they do.

"I always regret the way we made the first one. I think the songs are really good. Our band was smoking at the time. But [drummer] Jack [Irons] and [guitarist] Hillel [Slovak] quit, and we hired these two other guys, Jack Sherman and Cliff Martinez," he said to the Los Angeles Times.

However, he can't persuade his bandmates to record the album again. He added, "Both were great musicians, but the connection just wasn't as profound as we had with the guys we started with. I've often wanted to go back and re-record that album, but I can never talk anyone into it."

The album only had one single, "Get Up and Jump". After a tour in support of the collection, Sherman was fired and Slovak rejoined the band. The album also features founding members Anthony Kiedis on vocals and Martinez on drums. The LP was produced by Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill.

Meanwhile, former guitarist Josh Klinghoffer recently confessed he's not a fan of the music they've made since he left the rock band. The musician was in the group from 2009 to 2019 and recorded two albums, "I'm with You" and "The Getaway", plus the B-sides compilation "I'm Beside You" with them. He replaced John Frusciante, who has since returned.

And Josh thinks they were making "cooler music" when he was in the band and admitted he was "shocked" by their latest album, 2022's "Return of the Dream Canteen", which he was unable to finish, and didn't think much of 'Unlimited Love', which was also released last year.

Appearing on the Brazilian podcast "5 Notas", Josh said, "I don't think I finished [listening to] the second [2022 album, 'Return Of The Dream Canteen']. I was trying to cram it in once before leaving on a plane, and I got as far as maybe the ninth song, and I don't think I listened to the rest."

He continued, "It's tough [listening to their new music], only because I honestly think we were doing cooler music. I never want to sound negative about anyone doing music, but I was shocked when I heard their new record."

Flea previously hinted at artistic differences with Josh. He told NME, "It was a big shift for us, parting ways with Josh. He's been with us for 10 years, and it was an emotionally difficult thing to do. Not only was he a great musician, he was also a thoughtful, supportive team player - a communally-minded, kind and intelligent person."

He added, "But artistically, in terms of being able to speak the same [musical] language, it was easier working with John. Getting back into a room and starting to play and letting the thing unfold  was really exciting."

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Warner Bros. Pictures Movie

The 'Superbad' actor explains why he couldn't be part of the group chat with Margot Robbie and the other cast members of Greta Gerwig-directed Mattel doll adaptation.

Jul 9, 2023

AceShowbiz - Michael Cera didn't join "Barbie" group chat because he didn't have a smartphone. The 35-year-old actor teams up with the likes of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as well as other A-listers like Dua Lipa and Will Ferrell in Greta Gerwig's hotly-anticipated movie based on the iconic Mattel but doll but revealed that because he only has a flip phone, he was unable to keep up to date with his co-stars outside of work.

"Margot was so great. She had a sleepover with the Barbies before photography started, and the Kens were allowed to either visit briefly or to phone in and say hi," he told People.

Simu Liu added, "So we made sure to show our support but not be overbearing with our presence. And all the Barbies and Kens got in a group chat."

Michael explained, "I don't have an iPhone myself.  I have a flip phone. But I still think I wouldn't belong on [the group chat] anyway, because [my character] Allan is sort of in his own little world. Greta's gift for me when I arrived was a picture disc of NSYNC's [2000 album] 'No Strings Attached' which felt like somehow a real guiding light in the backstory of this character."

The "Superbad" star seems determined to live without the latest technology because he's happy being off the grid but insists his decision not to join sites like Twitter or Instagram wasn't "conscious" - he just never got around to it because he doesn't find them interesting.

He told The Hollywood Reporter, "It doesn't feel conscious [the decision not to join social media]. I guess it's just something that I didn't elect to do. Because everybody does it, it starts to feel like a big choice. But it's just not interesting to me."

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When a child undergoes a medical procedure, which include vaccinations, consent is given by the parent or guardian. Consent is the green light to make things happen. For some, giving a vaccination is a no brainer and consent is given quickly. Those parents want their child to be vaccinated and dont need any extra time, education, counseling, or documentation to help them with that decision. Not all parents are quick to decide though.

The right to know whats in a product is a basic yet necessary concept all consumers should be entitled to. It should extend to all products marketed and sold to parents, but I find that it does not always happen in the medical world.

My kids dont love how much I scrutinize products that come into our home, but since Im responsible for their health, safety and well-being, when it comes to food, technology and health care products, I like to get as much information as I can about the things Im choosing for them. Most of the items I purchase list exactly what I wish to know and what I need to know.

Now, if Im at the grocery store shopping for my children, I ask myself different questions when I see something that I want to buy them. As I scan the ingredient list, I ask myself, does the product have nutritional value? Is the particular food healthy  not by industry standards, but my familys standards? With the information right there on the box, I can easily choose to put the item in my cart or not.

When Im shopping and see something that I want for my children, I take a few things into consideration before putting the item in my cart. I ask myself if it is child-friendly and something my kids will like to use or play with. After determining if it is, and that I can afford to make the purchase, I look over the product and review its quality. Is it well made? Does it meet safety standards? Does the company who manufactures it have a good reputation? If I discover that a flaw in the product after purchasing it, will I be able to return or replace it? Simple questions, as a consumer they are valid and serve a purpose.

The chance to educate parents in Oklahoma of the risks associated with products advertised for children known to have side effects was recently squashed . As a former consumer of these products, learning about the decision to withhold information was disturbing. It reminded me of a time when I traded my ignorance for blind trust.

Other parents, especially those who have concerns or reservations about vaccines, may need extra time, education, or counseling to aide them in their decision.





Image seen on the NVIC FB page.

If its an ingredient concern, parents may want to see a complete list of ingredients. If its a concern about which company makes the vaccines theyve been offered, parents may want to investigate that companys track record before deciding to use their products. If its a side effect concern, as each vaccine are known to have them, parents may want to investigate those further. That way they can weigh the pros and cons of each vaccine product. Looking things up isnt a bad thing. Knowledgeable consumers are their own best advocate.

Doctors, or their staff, have the means and the time to fully inform their patients. Some choose not to though. They use a less is more approach  instead of offering all of the information, which includes cons, they provide the bare minimum. Giving less info about a product that comes with risks keeps parents in the dark. Thats not the best way to treat parents nor do I think it the best way to practice medicine.

Who Decides?

Keeping valuable information away from a customer isnt a wise idea. When that happens, the customer, in this case the parent, is left making decisions about products that they may not be ready to make. That should never happen. But thats what happened in Oklahoma.

Opponents of the bill that Governor Fallin recently vetoed cited that parents would be confused if they were given more information regarding vaccines:

Sen. Ervin Yen, a cardiac anesthesiologist, had argued for defeat of the measure, saying the list of ingredients is confusing and could deter parents from getting immunizations.

House Bill 3016 does nothing to encourage vaccination and most likely would discourage it by scaring parents with a list of all possible ingredients, including many words they would not comprehend, said Yen, R-Oklahoma City.

That bill aimed to ensure that certain vaccine information was put into parents hands. Giving parents vaccine information isnt confusing; its the parents right to know it!

Some information is included on the sparse one-page Vaccine Information Sheets (VIS) that doctors are required to share. But the limited information on the VIS documents doesnt include the outcome of safety studies or a list of vaccine ingredients, which is important information that parents should be made aware of and would benefit from knowing. Something else the VIS doesnt include is the fine print.

Parents contemplating vaccines should read the fine print especially when that fine print includes words like risks, adverse reactions, injury or death. That particular information, as well as facts about vaccine exemptions and how to file them, requires further reading. Besides knowing that all vaccines come with risk, vaccine consumers should take time to read up and educate themselves on the law.

Schools claim that children coming to school must be vaccinated in order to access their education. While that is true in some states, in quite a few others across the country, parents can opt out of vaccines. I was reminded that I had that option just a few days ago.

Options

All too often, when schools send vaccine notices home, only part of the law is included in the notice. In states where they exist, information about exemption should be included on any and every vaccine notice going home.

A few days ago, I received a notice from my childs school. It stated that my son was required to get a booster shot for the upcoming school year. If my child already had that booster though, all I needed to do was send in documentation of the date that hed received it. Knowing what I know, I knew that information to be untrue. Something important was missing from the form letter Id received: the right to use an exemption.

One of three vaccine exemptions exist in each of the 50 states: religious, philosophical, or medical. But school administration and school nurses, who become the vaccine gatekeepers for school-age children, rarely offer that information. When that happens, parents, even me, a parent-in-the-know, are left in the dark about their rights. Thats why it is imperative that parents look up that information up themselves. When armed with all of the information, parents can make well informed decisions.

Its Up to You

The first step to being informed is for a parent to know that they have rights.

But, with others working overtime guarding vaccine information, glossing over it, withholding it while also dismissing parents valid concerns, using those rights can be difficult. Thats because its clear that some doctors and some politicians dont want parents to use their rights or gain access to basic vaccine information.

Its Up to Me

It was only after accepting vaccines for my children  and watching some of my children suffer the consequences from them, did I think to learn all there was to know about vaccines. Before I set out to learn more, not once was I ever offered the box nor the label (package insert) by our providers. Not once was I counseled on all of the risks. Not once did I expect a negative outcome beyond a red make at the site of the injection. Thats because I was told only the benefits of vaccines and that they were required for school. My child never reaped the benefits, and as it turns out, vaccines have never been a prerequisite for any of the schools or programs that hes attended.

I dont claim to know all there is to know about them, far from it, but because of my sons vaccine injury, I can share the other side of the vaccine story.

That side isnt published in pharmaceutical ads thousands of consumers are exposed to on a daily basis. It should be, but my bet would be that the vaccine industry would crumble if more people knew just how very negative vaccines can be.

Cathy Jameson is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.



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The Wuhan Cover Up How Health Officials Conspired with the Chinese Military to Hide the Origins of COVID-19 (Childrens Health Defense)

The Wuhan Cover-Up pulls back the curtain on how the US government's increase in biosecurity spending after the 2001 terror attacksfacilitated by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)set in motion a plan to transform the NIAID into a de facto Defense Department agency.



While Dr. Fauci zealously funded and pursued gain-of-function research, concern grew among some scientists and government officials about the potential for accidental or deliberate release of weaponized viruses from labs that might trigger worldwide pandemics. A moratorium was placed on this research, but true to form, Dr. Fauci found ways to continue unperturbedoutsourcing some of the most controversial experiments offshore to China and providing federal funding to Wuhan Institute of Virology's (WIV's) leading researchers for gain-of-function studies in partnership with the Chinese military and the Chinese Communist Party.



Vax-Unvax: Let the Science Speak (Childrens Health Defense) Hardcover  Illustrated, August 15, 2023 by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Author), Brian Hooker (Author)

Based on over one hundred studies in the peer-reviewed literature that consider vaccinated versus unvaccinated populations. Each of these studies is analyzed and put in context of the difference in health outcomes of vaccinated versus unvaccinated infants, children, and adults. Given the massive push to vaccinate the entire global population, this book is timely and necessary for individuals to make informed choices for themselves and their families.
The body of a man who drowned has been recovered in Lake Guntersville after a search began on Friday.

Jeffrey S. Abston, 65, tried to help rescue a dog and lost his life, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

(Abston) exited a pontoon boat to assist in the retrieval of a dog but never resurfaced, the agency said in a press release.

Troopers with the agencys Marine Patrol Division responded to help local authorities search for Abston.

At about 9:20 a.m. on Sunday, Abstons body was recovered near where he went missing, in South Sauty in Jackson County.

The agency is continuing to investigate.
A woman shot who was shot Friday night at a Norwood apartment complex has died.

Birmingham police said they are withholding her name pending notification of her family members.

The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. in the 3200 block of 17th Avenue North.

The victim, a mother of four, was taken to UAB Hospital where she was pronounced dead on Saturday.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the preliminary investigation revealed the victim was involved in a verbal argument with another woman. We believe the second adult female shot our victim, Fitzgerald said.

The suspect was taken into custody. Fitzgerald said investigators believe both women had children fathered by the same man.

Photos and videos posted to social media showed the suspect pointing a gun at the victim while the victim was holding her young daughter. Friends said two of her sons were also there when she was shot.

The 21-year-old suspect remains held in the Birmingham City Jail pending formal charges.
A domestic dispute between the parents of a child left both of them dead, and a third person injured.

Birmingham East Precinct officers were dispatched just after 6 p.m. Saturday to a report of a person shot in the 6800 block of 66th Street South. They arrived on the scene to find a man unresponsive from a gunshot wound, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald.

He was rushed to UAB Hospital.

Police issued a lookout bulletin for a vehicle containing the possible shooter.

Moments later, officers were notified of a gunshot victim at Woodlawn High School. When they arrived at the school, they found the vehicle that had been linked to the first shooting.

When officers approached the vehicle, they found a woman inside, also unresponsive from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

A second woman  the driver  had also been shot. She was taken to the hospital and is expected to be OK.

While officers were at both scenes, they learned the male had died at UAB.

Fitzgerald said the man and woman who died shared a child. A domestic dispute between them took place at the 66th Street location.

We do believe the male shot the female (who died), he said. Were still trying to determine how he was shot.

The women then left the 66th Street location and drove to Woodlawn High School where help was summoned.

Again, Fitzgerald said, weve seen a domestic dispute lead to two people being killed.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Authorities have released the names of the parents of a young child who died from gunshot wounds Saturday night in east Birmingham.

Police identified them as Alajah Fairfax, 20, and Corey Denard Louis Jr., 19.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald on Sunday said Louis shot and killed Fairfax. Her death is classified as homicide. Louis death remains unclassified, but investigators believe his gunshot wound may have been self-inflicted.

Birmingham East Precinct officers were dispatched just after 6 p.m. Saturday to a report of a person shot in the 6800 block of 66th Street South. They arrived on the scene to find Louis unresponsive.

He was rushed to UAB Hospital.

Police issued a lookout bulletin for a vehicle containing the possible shooter.

Moments later, officers were notified of a gunshot victim at Woodlawn High School. When they arrived at the school, they found the vehicle that had been linked to the first shooting.

When officers approached the vehicle, they found Fairfax inside, also unresponsive from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

A second woman  the driver  had also been shot. She was taken to the hospital and is recovering.

While officers were at both scenes, they learned Louis had died at UAB.

Fitzgerald said the man and woman who died shared a child. A domestic dispute between them took place at the 66th Street location.

Louis, he said, then fired shots at Fairfax and her friend. The women fled the 66th Street location and drove to Woodlawn High School where help was summoned.
Sharks are apex predators that have long prowled the Gulf and Atlantic waters.

But the largest and most feared of the fish were once victims of overfishing. Depleted in numbers, sharks were rarely spotted by beach visitors during the 1960s and 70s  or about the time when the movie Jaws influenced the public perception about the species, mostly bad.

Read more: Sharks, bears, alligators: Summer of wildlife on Alabama beaches and beyond

Shark numbers are recovering in the Gulf and Atlantic after 30 years of measures to rebuild their depleted populations, said Robert Hueter, a shark researcher based in Sarasota, Fla. Beginning in the 1960s, shark numbers began dropping drastically due to overfishing, either intentional or incidental, to about 25% or less of what they were. Now that sharks are returning, we are seeing more of them.

Harvest restrictions

The rise of video footage of shark sightings, often captured on peoples cell phones or other technology like drones, is also altering the perception.

Many of the images capture sharks swimming close to shore. A drone video captured in June depicted a shark-infested water above Alabama Point.

Just last weekend, a large hammerhead shark was seen zipping around the shallow waters of Perdido Key, Fla.  just east of Orange Beach. The video was captured through a beach-goers cell phone and went viral as part of national news stories about a rise of shark sightings throughout the country.

Everyone having a phone with a camera now  what was once just a fish story, is now broadcast through social media, inflating public perspective, said Hueter.

Sean Powers, director of the University of South Alabamas School of Marine & Environmental Sciences, credits the National Marine Fisheries Services  the federal government authority charged with the management of fish and other marine life  for implementing an aggressive rebuilding program of several shark species.

There is a severe restriction on the harvest, said Powers, noting that fishing for great white sharks is federally protected, meaning any species caught in the U.S. must be set free. Also, there are prohibitions on bloodbaiting aimed at tossing fish carcasses into the water in hopes of luring sharks near shorelines.

This screenshot from drone footage taken by Rex Jones shows a few of the dozens of sharks spotted just off the shore in Orange Beach.

Over time, sharks have rebounded and it has raised alarms with the rise of sightings near crowded beaches.

Im 50 and most people live their life or have experienced the ocean during a time when sharks were not very common particularly the larger and most noteworthy sharks, said Powers. People base their views on the environment through life experiences. Its a shifting baseline, and we are going into a phase where there are more sharks in the ocean. Thats by design. Its a good thing. Its a sign of a healthy ocean.

Shark assessments and attacks

Dolphins swim in the ocean off of Robert Moses State Park, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Babylon, N.Y. Beachgoers often mistake dolphins for sharks. Shark sightings have become more common along Long Islands shores this summer and not just the mostly harmless, abundant dogfish. Since June, there have been at least five verified incidents where sharks bit swimmers and surfers. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)AP

And a healthy ocean is filled with sharks and are becoming a nuisance to anglers.

If you talk to fishermen, sharks are biting off their snapper, said Powers. Commercial fishermen have to fend them off and move into (other) locations. Some fishermen are saying that shark populations are recovered, and we should start harvesting them more.

Powers said that will inevitably mean more shark encounters with humans, or user conflicts.

And while shark-on-human attacks are rare, there has been reports of bites occurring in the New York area. National news reports indicate there were at least four shark bites off the coast of Long Island during the Fourth of July weekend.

There have been no bite reports in Alabama this summer. According to the International Shark Attack File, kept by the University of Florida, there have only been 10 shark-on-human attacks in Alabama since 1837. Alabama ranks No. 11 among the states for shark attacks, and far behind neighboring Florida, which leads the country with 912. Other Southern states ahead of Alabama include Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas.

Powers said that in Alabama, there is a shark monitoring program to get a better sense on their population in the Gulf. He said the effort is similar to red snapper, a federally protected fish whose population count is the subject of constant dispute between state and federal officials affecting a popular tourism activity in coastal Alabama.

Like snapper, its not perfect, Powers said. Its based on catch and scientific and independent information we have. But I doubt it becomes a big enough thing like (retired) Senator (Richard) Shelby putting in $10 million of federal funds to figure out the shark populations like he did with red snapper. But we know shark assessments show the species is recovering. We have to now answer the question, do we want to recover to a spot where kind of allow harvest and try to minimize user conflict?

Related: Red snapper frustrations boil over in Alabama as feds place strict limits on 2023 season

He said that great white sharks still need to be protected, but species like sand sharks that swim off the Gulf Coast are still considered protected species and are to blame for the negative interactions with red snapper fishermen.

But officials, Powers said, will need to get a better handle on the data.

The big missing point is we dont have enough data and studies to figure out how many sharks we need for a healthy ecosystem, he said. Its not about how many of the species we can harvest. Its about what does a healthy ocean look like? And then we try to figure out what is the overall shark population species should be.

He added, Well get there with the data. We are just not there yet.
A shooting in Pleasant Grove left one teen injured and another in custody.

Officers were dispatched about 8 p.m. Saturday to a report of gunfire in the 1000 block of 10th Street, said Chief Danny Reid.

They arrived to find a 16-year-old boy who had sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. He was taken by paramedics to Childrens of Alabama.

Reid said a 14-year-old boy was taken into custody. He is facing criminal charges through Jefferson Countys Family Court.

The chief said because of their ages, no additional information will be released.
David Shers ComebackTown for a better greater Birmingham

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Todays guest columnist is Richard Friedman.

During my long tenure as Executive Director of the Birmingham Jewish Federation, an Israeli Consul General told me something Ive never forgotten. You know, he said. We consider Alabama the most pro-Israel state in the country.

There are reasons  ranging from religious ties, to admiration for Israel as a democracy, to the countrys determination not only to survive but also to thrive, to its accomplishments as a fountain of innovation.

Alabama is heavily Christian and the ties between the Christian community, especially the Evangelical community, and Israel that have flourished over the decades have been heartening. They believe the Bible affirms the inextricable link between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel and know that the roots of Judaism and Christianity converge in this tiny, holy piece of land 6,500 miles away.

There are Christian groups in Alabama doing remarkable work for Israel; aiding its citizens, advocating in Montgomery and Washington, DC, donating dollars and praying daily for the well-being of the Jewish state.

Alabama officials at every level of government  from the U.S. Congress to the governors office to the state legislature to local mayors and town councils  have supported Israel; issuing proclamations, taking legislative action, promoting ties between the two countries and visiting Israel multiple times.

They admire Israels willingness to stand up to terror and understand that Israel faces security challenges no other country encounters. They marvel at the fortitude it takes for Israelis to go about their day to day lives in the face of a nuclear threat from Iran and missiles from Hamas and Hezbollah.

They also know that Israel is an outpost of democracy and Americas best ally in one of the worlds most turbulent and strategically important regions. Yes, Israels democracy goes through spasms, just like our country and other democracies. Yet, it endures and retains its vibrancy.

Alabama first state to call for the establishment of Israel

Alabamas support for Israel has important roots. In 1943, as the Jews of Europe were being murdered by Hitlers Nazis and desperately seeking refuge in their Biblical homeland, Alabama, through a unanimous vote by the Legislature, became the first state to call for the establishment of a Jewish country in the Biblical homeland of the Jewish people.

For decades, organizations, such as the Birmingham Jewish Federation, have reached out to the broader community, explaining why Israel is an asset to the U.S. and encouraging Alabamians to visit Israel. The Levite Jewish Community Centers recent Jewish Food and Culture Fest, which was coupled with a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Israels rebirth as a modern Jewish state, drew 2000 people, many of them not Jewish.

During my work as Jewish Federation director, part of my job was to educate about Israel. I appeared many times on call-in radio, spoke widely to churches and civic groups and wrote extensively in the Birmingham News and on Al.Com. No matter the forum, people were hungry for information, wanting to learn more.

Thanks in part to the support Israel has received from our state over the decades  and from the American people overall  this tiny country has flourished. Now, as Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, its achievements are a miracle.

This country of 9 million people  a population slightly larger than Alabama and Mississippis combined  has become a world leader in technology, medicine, agriculture, defense, cybersecurity, water management and other important fields. Its know-how and relationships with companies, universities and communities throughout our state have benefited Alabamians.

Returning after a 2022 trip to Israel for HBCU presidents, Dr. Charlotte Morris, president of Tuskegee University, told Southern Jewish Life magazine, The trip gave me an opportunity to explore collaborations between some of the things we are doing here at Tuskegee and institutions in Israel. Israel has super expertise in advanced technology, agriculture and the sciences. I wanted to make sure we explored these areas.

Being in Israel also affected the Tuskegee president as a Christian. I am a Bible scholar. I dont know any other way to describe seeing places I had studied in the Bible other than Wow! she said.

As Israel continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary, I say Todah Rabah  Thank You in Hebrew  to my fellow Alabamians. I think that Consul General, who believed Alabama was the most supportive state in the union, may have been right.

And that makes me proud.

Richard Friedman is the retired executive director of the Birmingham Jewish Federation. He is currently associate editor of Southern Jewish Life and Israel InSight magazines.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. Hes past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

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Its hardly news that the government has long managed news reporting through a combination of leaks, favored treatment, and threats. With the growth of social media and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration blatantly used every tool in its arsenal to censor constitutionally protected free speech. Posters on the pre-Musk Twitter and Facebook, to take the most obvious examples, were regularly shadow banned and even silenced altogether from posting alternate views to those of the government.

This past week, Judge Terry A. Doughty detailed the governments manipulation of social media in a 155-page memorandum. Based on what was presented to the court, he enjoined agencies, officers, and employees from HHS, NAIAD, CDC, FBI, DoJ, White House, OMB, DHS , and DoS from continuing their practices. Those practices, which the judge characterized as almost dystopian, included flagging posts and urging encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner for removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech." It also bans their working with the Election Integrity Partnership, the Virality Project, the Stanford Internet Observatory, or any like project or group for the purpose of urging suppression or reduction of content posted with social-media companies containing protected free speech.

The public officials had threatened the social-media companies with adverse consequences for noncompliance, including reforming Section 230 immunity, antitrust enforcement, and increased regulations if they failed to comply. Its clear that these tactics allowed the Biden Administration to suppress free speech through proxies, where to have done so directly would have resulted in more immediate scrutiny and judicial halt. The memorandum is a well-documented history of the Administrations unconstitutional control of information.

While a great deal of the suppression concerned COVID-19s origin, the government response, and treatments, the judge found it was very wide reaching: suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story prior to the 2020 election; suppressing speech about the lab-leak origin of COVID-19,the efficacy of masks, lockdowns, and the vaccines; suppressing speech about the integrity of the 2020 election and voting by mail; suppressing even parody content about the Bidens and the administration; suppressing negative posts about the economy and the President himself.

To be sure, the government has some legitimate purposes in monitoring posts which are not violative of the right to free speech. The judge specifically held that the preliminary injunction does not prohibit the defendant agencies, officers and employees from:

(1) informing social-media companies of postings involving criminal activity or criminal conspiracies: (2) contacting and/or notifying social-media companies of national security threats, extortion, or other threats on its platform; (3) contacting and/ or notifying social-media of criminal efforts to suppress voting, to provide illegal campaign contributions, of cyber-attacks against election infrastructure, or foreign attempts to influence elections; (4) informing social-media companies of threats that threaten the public safety or security of the United States; (5) exercising reasonable government speech promoting government policies or views on matters of public concern; (6) informing social-media companies of postings intending to mislead voters about voting requirements and procedures; (7) informing or communicating with social-media companies in an effort to detect, prevent, or mitigate malicious cyber activity; (8) communicating with social-media companies about deleting, removing, suppressing, or reducing posts on social-media platforms that are not protected free speech by the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

This is merely an injunction that is effective only under a full hearing and order in the case, indicating that the court believed the plaintiffs were likely to succeed after a full trial. Nevertheless, the Administration finds so threatening this minimal limit on its power to shut down protected speech that it has filed an immediate appeal.

T he most obvious targets at this stage of the case were the infectious disease epidemiologists Jay Bhattacharya and Martin Kulldorff, co-authors of the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD), leaders in the fight against lockdown policies. They expressed concern that lockdowns had damaging effects on physical and mental health, dissented from the views that everyone needed to be vaccinated, that masks protected people from COVID, that it was appropriate to mask young children, and asserted that natural immunity was stronger than vaccine immunity. But states also have an interest in open discussion of alternate views in setting policies. Missouri and Louisiana contended they have a sovereign and proprietary interest in free speech. I think that is inarguable. It is, after all, the most significant reason for the First Amendment -- an informed citizenry.

Lest you think this is just partisan wailing by conservatives who were banned or a theoretical discussion of constitutional law, Brett Swanson shows how it had significant, even deadly, consequences.

Social-media platforms were powerful tools for full-spectrum censorship, but they didnt act alone. Medical schools, medical boards, science journals and legacy media sang from the same hymnal. Legions of doctors stayed quiet after witnessing the demonization of their peers who challenged the Covid orthodoxy. A little censorship leads people to watch what they say. Millions of patients and citizens were deprived of important insights as a result. Health authorities and TV doctors insisted young people were vulnerable, demanded toddlers wear masks, closed schools, beaches and parks, and were loath to contemplate crucial cost-benefit analysis. The economy? Mental health? Never heard of them. These experts denied the protective effects of recovered immunity, a phenomenon weve known about since the Plague of Athens in 430 B.C. They effectively prohibited generic drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, such as azithromycin and ivermectin, which low-income nations around the world were deploying successfully. They failed to appreciate the evolutionary dynamics of mass vaccination during a pandemic. The U.S. government spent $6 trillion to buoy its shuttered economy, and most people got Covid anyway. Worst of all, the lockdowns and mandates resulted in unprecedented bad health outcomes for young and middle-aged people in rich countries. Excess mortality in most high-income nations was worse in 2021 and 2022 than in 2020, the initial pandemic year. Many poorer nations with less government control seemed to fare better. Sweden, which didnt have a lockdown, performed better than nearly every other advanced nation. After navigating 2020 with relative success, young and middle-age healthy people in rich nations began dying in unprecedented numbers in 2021 and 2022. Health authorities havent focused enough on this cataclysm of premature death from non-Covid heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, kidney failure and cancer.

This case is most significant, to be sure. Perhaps, as Brendan ONeill warns, its more than a check on mere dictatorial partisanship. The governments years-long censorship success until now was a logical follow-on to the absurd words hurt litany against free speech.

Activists wielding nonsense like microaggressions, words that make the listener feel unsafe, safe spaces on campuses, the very idea that words wound, he contends, are mere libels against free speech and weapons in the hands of those who would deny us that right. This administration found this infantile atmosphere a ticket to control speech with which it disagreed.
Activists for reparations have been inundating Americans with a larger-than-life version of Black history, while historical comparisons to other groups inside and outside America are buried. Its no wonder Americans dont know that, from the 17th to 20th century, Americas unprecedented diversity was considered a vulnerable point of failure. It took hard work to bring together a unified American population, work that leftists have undermined.

Even today, many nations teeter on the verge of failure or experience diminished success because their governments find diverse populations troublesome. One policy prescription is to engage in ethnic or ideological cleansing. (See, e.g., here, here, and here.)

Indeed, were it not for other nations ousting disfavored populations, America might be as ethnically homogenous as North Korea or Rwanda. Instead, immigrants, from African slaves to free Irish to indentured Italians, ended in America when their own governments engaged in ethnic, tribal, and religious cleansing to restore their own populations homogeneity. America became the Mother of Exiles, welcoming other nations wretched refuse, but it was a very caveated welcome.

In time, America built a peaceful and prosperous nation on unprecedented racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. Then it did one better. It became the worlds leading anti-racist nation, supporting the most successful minorities in the world. This is Americas greatest achievement and one that helped uplift the rest of the world. Once Americans understand this unique history, leftists will no longer be able to exploit their ignorance of and guilt for slavery and Jim Crow.

Some know that the first step in African slavery was for the slaves countrymen to capture them for sale to African, Arab, European, and Asian buyers for labor elsewhere. But few know that, from 1607-1924, most immigrants who came to America, no matter their race, came because their countrymen forced them out.

Public domain image from an 1868 Boston want ad.

In the 19th. century, millions of desperate Irish, Jews, and Italians were forced to emigrate to Americas eastern seaboard. For three centuries, English Protestants had tried to squeeze Irish Catholics out of Ireland, finally succeeding with the Irish Potato Famine, which was essentially a genocide by famine. The Russian Empire saw Jews as a deviant race and began cleansing them. Meanwhile, exploited and desperate southern Italian ethnicities were deemed to be scientifically inferior, and their government urged them to emigrate. In the new western states, economic conditions forced hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Japanese to come for work.

Tribal ethnicity (as opposed to race) and religion remained the primary targets of cleansing. Ninety-nine percent of genocide victims and genocidaires were of the same race. Slavery has lingered in Africa and Asia, despite being officially abolished in most regions. Former slaves and their descendants remained perpetually tarred with a slave identity.

From 1800-1924, tens of millions of non-Protestant, uneducated, poor, destitute immigrants took voyages that, until the mid-19th century, were as perilous as any slave ship to America. In 1865, after the Civil War definitively ended black chattel slavery in America, four million American-born blacks competed with the wretched refuse of the world for jobs and other resources. Discrimination between immigrants and Americans and between immigrants and immigrants was reflexive and pervasive.

Every group faced need not apply signs, slurs, and over-policing. Severe hatred against the Irish Catholics drove illegal deportations. Anti-Catholic mobs torched convents and churches, sometimes with parishioners inside. The government condoned the inhumane treatment of thousands of Italians toiling as illegal indentured servants. The KKK targeted blacks, Jews, and Catholics, and Jim Crow laws targeted blacks but ensnared many poor whites.

The Wests version of Jim Crow laws affected Asians even more severely than blacks. Laws prevented Asians from owning land and, sometimes, their land was confiscated. Western states werent slave states, but they had Native- and Mexican-American debt slaves.

Jews, Irish, Italians, and Blacks lived in tenement housing in northeastern cities under conditions of deadly squalor and disease. Immigrants got the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs working in mines, building canals, railroads, and sewers, and as sexually abused domestic help. Tens of thousands died, and their families were left destitute.

The boldest experiment upon the stability of government ever made in the annals of time, was teetering on failure. America had to resolve endless cases of racial, religious, and ethnic discrimination. One effort was to limit the number of people entering America using targeted restrictions.

In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Immigration Act. With the latter, immigration officials could subjectively deny entrance to undesirable immigrants, of whom Italians, Jews, and Irish featured prominently.

More laws targeted the inferior Mediterranean types from southern Europe until 1924 when the Golden Door to America was closed. Then came the Great Depression repatriation of over a million Mexican-American citizens and their noncitizen elders.

When it came to the immigrants already in America, public schools became crucial to avoiding failure. They were charged with unifying people with the American values of speaking English, working hard, self-reliance, valuing education, and abiding by the rule of law. There was still discrimination, of course, but immigrants rarely protested. After the treatment meted out in their home countries, America was still the better option, and here perseverance had its rewards.

After WWII, the Golden Doors to America re-opened wider than ever. Moreover, in 1964, Democrats finally joined Republicans to pass comprehensive civil rights legislation that would place America on a path to becoming the worlds anti-racist leader. The private and public sectors became fully engaged, and now American organizations spilled over with racial, ethnic, and religious diversity and equality of opportunity.

No wonder, then, that America is still a beacon for those in countries that continue to have ethnic and ideological cleansing. Thus, from 1900 to 1970, European and Arab nations, Turkey, the Soviet Union, and new Asian and African nations underwent unprecedented initiatives to force racial, ethnic/tribal, and religious homogeneity on their populations. Targeted expulsions and genocides multiplied exponentially.

America boasts the worlds most educated and prosperous black population. The household income of US Latinos is higher than in any Latin American country. Asian Americans are Americas most educated and highly compensated racial group. Native Americans experience a quality of life envied by indigenous populations elsewhere.

To better understand the significance of this achievement, consider that, in Nigeria, ongoing ethnic cleansing and conflict have some nations preparing for a failed Nigerian state. Nigeria is 100% black. Also, nations continue to see ethnic cleansing as a purposeful policy to simplify governing. Russia and China even endorse a new standard that authorizes rulers to use any means necessary to create their preferred citizenry. There have been plenty of takers.

The current narrative driving reparations is that blacks were the only people in American history to suffer from racism. While they did experience the unique insult of race-based chattel slavery (something tried with the Irish, who kept dying in the fields), the reality is that all new immigrant classes to America suffered racism, discrimination, and abuse. The American miracle is that America overcame this sadly human history and became something much bettersomething that leftists now want to tear apart in their quest for power.

Sadly, the activists could win for they are controlling what history Americans remember. They are selling an inaccurateand partly fabricatedslave history. We are at a point where many believe Americans invented slavery. Meanwhile, they dont understand that diversity, if handled badly, can be so polarizing that it still drives most armed conflicts, ethnic cleansing, and failing states.

America defied the odds, building a peaceful and prosperous nation from unprecedented diversity and, along the way, becoming the worlds leading anti-racist nation, supporting the worlds most successful minorities. If Americans were schooled in unrevised histories of discrimination in America and the world there would be no reparations movement, and millions of Americans would renew their pride in America and inform the activists that the jig is up.

You can find Kathleen Brush on Twitter.
As Americans, we are being assaulted by numerous alphabet ideologies we dont understandfrom DEI to ESG to LGBTQ+. We seek to understand through logic, but by doing so, we become only more confused. The only way to understand whats happening is to recognize the ideology that underlies all of it: Marxism. When Patrisse Cullors, BLMs co-founder, acknowledged that BLM leaders were trained Marxists, we failed to understand the significance. It is time to change that.

Marxisms central idea is that the world is broken down into two groups; or as Marx stated: in a word, oppressor and oppressed. This is from his opening statement in the Communist Manifesto (published in 1848). If you remember nothing else, remember this.

Classic Marxism sees the world in binary terms: the bourgeoisie (oppressor) and the proletariat (oppressed). The bourgeoisie own the means of production, and the proletariat dont. Marx believed that, if the proletariat seized the means of production, all class conflict would end, bringing us to a Communist utopia. Ironically, Marxists advocated achieving utopia through violent revolution.

The Frankfurt School is the key to understanding how Marxism is used today. It is responsible for what we now term cultural Marxism or neo-Marxism. The Frankfurt School was established in the 1920s to study Marxism with the goal of understanding why communism was not taking hold in Western societies. The most important idea that came from the Frankfurt school is critical theory. (The seminal work is Traditional and Critical Theory by Max Horkheimer, published in 1937.)

Image: Herbert Marcuse (edited), from the Marcuse Family. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Critical theory expanded on Marxs idea of the superstructure. The superstructure is made up of all the cultural and social institutions in society. Marx explained that those are the things that influence our modes of thought, and views of life.

According to traditional critical theorists, the superstructure reinforces the power structures and acts as a natural resistance to the changes that would otherwise bring about communism. The superstructure, they argue, is subconsciously ingrained and taints our traditional modes of analysis (e.g., reason), thereby making elusive any objective analysis of the world.

Critical theorists believe a more subjective analysis is required to understand how the superstructure maintains the bourgeoisie hegemony (control/dominance). In short, critical theory runs everything through the filter of oppressor and oppressed. It seeks to expose and eradicate all perceived tyranny within our social institutions. For Marxists, critical theory becomes the tool to address all disparate outcomes between oppressor and oppressed.

Critical theory expanded significantly in the 1960s under a movement known as the New Left, another product of the Frankfurt School. The New Left is guided by the writings of a new wave of Marxists led by Herbert Marcuse, often considered the Guru of the New Left. Marcuse believed a communist revolution required the development of what he called radical subjectivitythat is, the development of a form of self-consciousness that finds present social and economic conditions intolerable.

The New Left expanded critical theory beyond analyzing the bourgeoisie and the proletariat and, instead, looked at a multitude of different power struggles. Queer theory analyzed how social institutions maintained heterosexual hegemony, the modern feminist movement analyzed how the institutions were used to maintain the patriarchys hegemony, and critical race theory (which began in Harvard Law School in the mid-1970s) analyzed how the institutions maintained white hegemony.

The obvious problem with critical theory is that it purports to explain all disparate outcomes between the various oppressor/oppressed groups. Its advocates are conditioned to attribute any unequal outcomes to institutions and not to individuals. However, the connections are often tenuous and unverifiable (think racist highways). When one believes oppression is reinforced by unverifiable factors within social institutions, one soon comes to believe that oppression lurks everywhere within those institutions.

Take, for example, the issue of systemic racism, a concept that was raised repeatedly during the George Floyd riots. Advocates could not provide concrete, verifiable examples of systemic racism. Instead, systemic racism came to stand for the vague notion that our social institutions reinforce oppression on unconscious levels. This naturally led policymakers to flail around on nonsense solutions designed to disable the institutions themselves (think defund the police). Contrast modern systemic racism to the actual systemic racism in Jim Crow lawslaws that are verifiably racist and oppressive.

Without concrete or verifiable explanations for disparate outcomes, critical theorists come to see even the most innocuous ideas as responsible for maintaining the oppressive hegemony. Extremist CRT advocates attack ideas that most would find universally beneficial. Why do whites (and now Asians) do better in school? To CRT advocates, its because standardized testing, meritocracy, and even math and logic are racist concepts that only serve to maintain the status quo. These extremists even decry diligence and promptness as white standards used to maintain oppression. Ultimately, if there is any inequity (defined as unequal outcomes), the related institutions are viewed with suspicion, sometimes comically so.

In other words, critical theory trains people to ignore the far more obvious and simple explanations, such as cultural differences, fatherless homes, and other factors that more directly lead to differences in school performance. In that way, critical theory prevents us from effectively identifying and addressing real problems.

With subjective analysis, evidence becomes less relevant. Critical theorists use concepts like lived experience or my truth to support disparate outcomes. Lived experience holds that truth is subjective and that we experience oppression through our subjective experience as members of victim groups. Individuals from oppressor groups do not have lived experience and may not assess the lived experience of the oppressed group members. In fact, this is a common theme in Marxism: the rights of the oppressors are irrelevant or subordinate to the rights of the oppressed, which are sacrosanct (think different standards for free speech).

At first blush, we may compare lived experience to anecdotal evidence. However, the differences are significant. Whereas anecdotal evidence is an objective piece of evidence used to verify conclusions from larger data sets, lived experience is a subjective understanding of the world. It cannot be verified, falsified, or discounted by the oppressor groups. Instead, it simply must be accepted as true, and it becomes a replacement for traditional scientific methods of proof. Under the lived experience standard, objective verification of critical theory becomes impossible and ultimately irrelevant.

Critical theory teaches members of oppressed groups that they have no control over their destiny and that their failings are a result of unseen forces. While this offers a satisfyingly comfortable explanation for failure, it encourages complacency and resentment. Success requires an ability to identify a problem and a belief that one can address the problem. Critical theory removes this ability to identify problems and removes a sense of control.

For these reasons, critical theory should not be taught to our children; it will only lead to resentment, bitterness, and helplessness. We were mindful of these threats during the Cold War, but let our guard down after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is time again to be on guard. And the first step is to understand the threat.
For the most part, the American media arent much interested in the riots consuming France. But since images of burning cars and buildings are too dramatic to ignore, and because it is the height of the tourist season in a European destination favored by American travelers, they have had to acknowledge them now and then. Mostly, the death of a youth at the hands of police is cited as the cause, and comparisons are drawn to the George Floyd riots that began in Minneapolis and spread throughout our country.

More sophisticated American commentators mentioned the word jihad, acknowledging what the left refuses to admit, that the Koran and other Islamic scripture and respected commentary authorizes violence against nonbelievers, aka, infidels, whenever it is advantageous to the spread of Islam.

But leave it to a man-in-the-street Frenchman of Algerian origin, one of millions of people in France descended from Muslims who immigrated from the former colony that violently achieved independence, to lay out the stark reality of where this is headed, with no theological complications.

French Algerian states the goal of the French intifada is to "colonize" the French. pic.twitter.com/Kq0loLu1BZ  Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) July 8, 2023

Since the young man does not mention religion, it cant be Islamophobia to point out where this vision of the current insurrection is heading. He is all about vengeance, a powerful motive in human life, albeit one which leftists, who clothe themselves in the garments of lofty ideals like equity and justice, are loath to admit.

Stepping back from the immediate circumstances in France, those of us who are the products of Western Civilization must face an uncomfortable reality. We have dominated the planet for almost four centuries, thanks to the military might that grew out of the scientific and technological revolutions with their origins in the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Gunpower, firearms and cannons, and later steam engines, airplanes, and other industrial/technology marvels enabled Westerners to impose their will on other peoples, colonizing and otherwise humiliating them. Resentments are natural, and the desire for vengeance, rarely expressed as clearly as the young man above, is an understandable if not noble consequence.

I have long warned that China, which with great justification regarded itself as THE most sophisticated and meritorious civilization under Heaven until the Opium Wars vanquished its claim to power, has every reason to harbor these sentiments of revenge in its quest to shape a Sino-centric world order.

But China, like Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, has successfully adapted to the technologies created by Western Civilization, and is suffering the same demographic consequence: population decline. It turns out that wealth and ease do not foster growing populations, but rather single-child or childless families, and substantial numbers of people who do not wish to reproduce, who remain single or who enter same sex relationships that are biologically sterile.

Meanwhile, the very Western-origin technologies making long distance travel convenient and cheap, along with the demographic collapse of prosperous societies in Europe, North America, and East Asia, has unleashed a tidal wave of immigration from poor countries into most of the rich countries, with the exception of East Asia, where Japan is already enduring the process of population collapse with the accompanying graying of the age structure, with South Korea, Taiwan and China not far behind. These countries with civilizational roots in Confucianism are not as open to immigration as their rich Western counterparts.

Thus, the world a few decades from now will be composed of far more people with cultural origins in societies that have resisted adaptation to the building blocks of mass prosperity. Some of these will be residents of the historically Western countries like Sweden, where demographic projections have them in the majority. Those who notice are demonized as advocates of a conspiratorial "replacement theory," unworthy of polite notice. The demographic warning signs are so convincing that public attention must be diverted if the left is to remain in power and continue the policies that make these projections likley to be realized.

Unless something dramatic changes, the prediction of the French Algerian man above will become reality.

Photo credit: Twitter video screengrab
Ben & Jerrys, the infamous peddler of semi-frozen dairy products and Marxist propaganda, recently put out the following statement:

The U.S. was founded on stolen Indigenous land. This year, let's commit to returning it.

It also asserted that the "land back" movement was about "ensuring that Indigenous people can again govern the land their communities called home for thousands of years," but, oddly, focused much of its statement on the taking of land from the Lakota in South Dakota.

In response, Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Band of The Coosuk Abenaki Nation, said his tribe would be willing to take back the land currently owned by Ben & Jerrys. However, it doesnt appear that Ben & Jerrys, which sits on a large tract of land once occupied by the Abenaki, is terribly eager to take Chief Stevens up on his generous offer. What a surprise! The ice cream company is more than willing to cede lands owned by others, in remote (and conservative) places like South Dakota, but not so willing to take a permanent hike itself. Who couldve guessed? (There is a connection here, when you think about it, in terms of progressive rationale, to a classic P.J. ORourke chapter on overpopulation titled, Just Enough of Me, Way Too Much of You.)

Ben & Jerrys incessant yet hollow virtue-signaling is akin to the elites mindset that allows them to feel superior telling the rest of us we must make significant sacrifices in our lives to address the climate change crisis, while they own three mansions, a couple of Bentleys--and fly around the world in private planes.

The confectioner is known for the outre names it gives its ice creams, such as Oat of This Swirled and Cherry Garcia.

Perhaps the ultra-progressive sugar-slinger should add new flavors-- such as Banana Republic, Straw-purchaseberry, Man-go-away, Pissedoffio, Marxist Magic Cookie Dough, White Privilege Vanilla, and Systemic Racism Oreo to its lineup.

Oh, and Chocolate Fraud, Gaslight Grape and perhaps even Indian-Giver Caramel Custard.

Im sure you can think of others.

Image: Don.chulio, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0
Back in the COVID days of "masks," Governor Abbott opened up Texas and things got back to normal by the end of 2020. Nevertheless, some county leaders decided to enforce their own mask mandates and challenge the governor directly. In the end, the governor prevailed in the Texas courts:

Settling a heated pandemic-era debate between Gov. Greg Abbott and leaders of the state's major urban areas, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the governor had the legal authority to forbid local officials from requiring residents to wear masks in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. "It is disappointing and dangerous  but not surprising  that the Texas Supreme Court yielded to the state's partisan political fight against local governments, ruling that the governor's emergency powers can be used to prevent local officials from actually dealing with emergencies," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. And it answers a two-year-old debate: whether Abbott overstepped his authority by banning local leaders from enacting their own mask mandates during a public health emergency.

It had little to do with science and more with playing politics. As you may know, our cities have tilted Democrat in contrast to suburbs and rural areas, where the GOP is stronger. It was literally mayors and some county executives just fighting the governor.

The court's ruling is moot today because the state Legislature banned local jurisdictions from requiring masks, vaccines, or business shutdowns. Nevertheless, the ruling is a significant victory in the courts and confirms the governor's powers. This is important because this won't be the last time that a GOP governor gets into a fight with Democrats in places like Austin and El Paso.

PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

Image: Greg Abbott. Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Massive corruption in government. Lying by public officials. Office holders receiving bribes. Unjust prosecution of political opponents. Justice meted based on political affiliation. News and information dissemination based on allegiance to a particular world view. Parents denied the right to mold and shape their own children and instead being forced to yield those rights to the state by law. Forced celebration of deviant behavior with a demand for approval of same, or else. The compromising of a once muscular military into one which is inundated with self-defeating progressive policies. And we could go on. The symptoms of decay noted above are occurring virtually unabated in this country right now, and in the West in general, and are directly linked to the widespread adoption of leftist ideologies. These have been embraced by many in our institutions, public and private, and have captured the imagination of our youth. Ironically, they represent policies that only a decade or two ago would have been scorned and reviled by those same individuals who now accept and promote them. The question is why. Why has there been such a departure from the guiding principles and values that launched the United States and the West to greatness for so long? Whats changed?

One key underlying reason is the turning away of or the complete lack of interest by so many in the Judeo-Christian values and principles that catapulted our civilization to prominence in the first place. That turning away has resulted in a nation that is starved for the knowledge of God, and the objective truths of God, with all His precepts and standards that make up a just culture. Abandoning those, we now find ourselves subsequently awash in sin and lawlessness. We have in effect in large part, become our own gods. We shunned the transcendent beauty of a holy God and replaced it with a vacuum of belief that we fill with whatever suits our desire at a given moment in time. This will only accelerate as time goes on. Our culture, our system of government, was not designed to thrive in an environment such as this. Instead, we can expect open tyranny by that same government in the not-too-distant future. John Adams along with other founders, observed, Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. George Washington said, Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. Religion, he thus suggested, is necessary to the preservation of free government. As Mark D. Martin, Dean of the School of Law at Regent University wrote: Why did they believe that the success of the union ultimately depended on the virtue of the people? Simply put, the Founders knew that government was downstream from culture. A virtuous people would courageously defend the rights endowed by their Creator and restored by the blood of patriots.

I read that last line and asked myself, what the hell happened to us during Covid? Our rights were trampled on left and right and very few of us stood up and said NO! What of the churches of America, the very bastions of salt and light? To my knowledge, very few Pastors or Priests said anything publicly. But what pressure could they have biblically applied back then, let alone today against the raging of woke, the canceling of dissenters, the shutting down of religious speech, while the depravity of a vocal minority commands the day? As evangelist Mario Murillo opined: We could take away their power overnightif only a specific group would speak out. There are 400,000 men and women who are protestant ministers in the United States. They lead the largest voting bloc in America. Yet, the vast majority of them refuse to speak out on even the most incontrovertible and egregious acts of Woke. Why dont they?

The Barna Group is perhaps the most respected research and polling organization in the USA as it relates to the church. These very questions were asked of thousands of pastors and leaders in various polls over the past few years, and the results are unsurprising. When asked; On which issues do you feel limited or pressured to speak out about as it relates to homosexuality? 44% said limited, since they were unwilling to offend, while 37% felt pressured to speak on the subject. As it relates to same-sex marriage, 22% felt limited, 32% felt pressured. When asked what their key concerns were, 72% said watered-down gospel teaching. It strikes me as odd that such a high percentage would indicate this. 66% had a high concern for the cultures shift to a secular age. 46% said negative perceptions of the church, while 36% indicated hostile culture towards Christianity. How do you think Christian leaders and martyrs through the ages would respond to those last two? Roxanne Stone , Editor in Chief of the Barna Group said, The pressure for leaders and especially faith leaders to satisfy everyone on all sides, and to avoid offense, is very real today, especially in the digital era. So, to many, fear of offending and perhaps being labeled a hatemonger is a core reason for not speaking out and taking a strong biblical stand on some of the key issues of the day. Related to this finding, George Barna himself observed, "Our studies show that Americans are neither deep nor sophisticated thinkers. Most people seem more interested in living a life of comfort and convenience than one of logical consistency and wisdom. Our children will continue to suffer the consequences of following in the unfortunate footsteps of their parents and elders. People who are willing to fight for a more reasonable way of thinking and acting can make a difference, but it will be slow progress." Wow.

The underlying, uncomfortable, reality at the core of Americas malaise is that in the public square, we have largely abandoned God, along with the biblical roots of our founding. Our churches seem to have acclimated to the culture or are unwilling to be the salt and light it so desperately needs. Not all mind you, but too, too, many. Sin has been normalized to such an extent that we are no longer alarmed by it, but rather desensitized. That last exit on Americas moral highway was Sodom. We are past that symbol of depravity. But there is always hope. I recall back in 2001 when we lived near Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois, we were allowed to host recruit Sailors on major holidays. It was Thanksgiving, not long after 9/11. I asked the three young men sitting in our living room why they joined. To a man they said, I saw the Towers go down. I knew I had to fight for my country. Those brave young men and women are still out there, along with many, many, praying Dads, Moms, grandparents, and yes, Godly, courageous, Pastors all willing to eschew comfort and take a stand against tyranny. Lets pray they stand up and their numbers expand. We need them now.

Photo credit: Pexels public domian
With nauseating predictability, the usual political hacks clamor to compromise our Second Amendment every time some ghastly crime involving a firearm occurs. Seldom if ever is attention paid to the workings of the twisted mind that actually caused the horrible event.

A combination of ignorance and the desire to deceive has led to the inherent misnomer of the term "assault weapon." Recent nuance has added the suffix "style" to the word "assault"  supposedly to add a hint of honesty to the expression, although a recent nominee to head the BATF was still unable to define what an assault weapon is. I shall give it a try right here: a common military weapon, being a rifle that has selective fire options of single shot, bursts of three, and full-automatic. It may also have enhanced magazine capacity and heat displacement. Oh, and by the way, full-automatic weapons have not been legal for American civilians to possess for about a hundred years  except for people who have a Class Three federal firearms license.

Assault-style weapons are nothing more than single-shot, semi-automatic rifles that only look like actual military weapons...usually because they have a second grip for the shooter's other hand. There may also be a heat shield around the barrel...whoopie! So what's the big deal about how they look? It's because political demagogues, whose arguments hardly have any substance, have to rely on superficiality to get their points across.

Another tactic used by those who are hostile to the Second Amendment is to grossly misinterpret what it says: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." They fixate on the reference to the word militia and falsely conclude that the amendment pertains only to the National Guard. Really? At the Constitution's writing, militia meant just plain ordinary folks who could be called upon to muster in the event of an emergency  and they needed to bring their own weapons and ammunition  and there was then no such thing as a National Guard. Some constitutional scholars also like to point out that, in the language of the document, the government has powers and the people have rights. "The right of the people" excludes the government.

Another common fallacy claims that the only firearm the founders were aware of was the musket. People had rifles and pistols then as well. Rifles were more accurate than muskets and had greater range, but they were not a military weapon because they needed to be cleaned much more often than the smooth-bore muskets. Shortly into the Civil War, rifles began to be used because of the invention of the Minie ball, which was cone-shaped and didn't do as much lead-fowling of the barrel.

Before the adoption of the Class Three federal license requirement, "Tommy" guns were sold in hardware stores and other places. Introduced in 1918, they were nicknamed the "trench broom" by the doughboys fighting in France. Not truly a rifle, since they fired pistol rounds, they were still quite popular.

The latest fad among the enemies of the Second Amendment has been to call for the banning of semi-automatic firearms. Much like a double-action revolver, a semi-automatic weapon will fire a bullet with every complete pull of the trigger...but with noticeably less effort. Such weapons have been available for over a hundred years.

There's also this pesky statistic that more Americans are punched and stomped to death than are killed by rifles. Also, there are more gun suicides than murders  which may explain the current advertising blitz over gun suicide prevention  but such events, however unfortunate, are not accidents. Guns may make it easier to kill, but they're not the reason.

Speaking of causation, the recent spate of unfortunately sensational "mass" murders, in my opinion, is the result of focused media attention and the psychic dislocation caused by the government's overreaction to the COVID pandemic. It can only be an opinion, since nobody has actually figured this out. By the way, it also seems that stabbings are on the rise as well...in spite of the Second Amendment.

The problem is not inanimate mechanical devices. It is human fallibility. Murder has been against the law since Moses came down from the mountain, but it still hasn't stopped. It may actually be getting worse, but diverting attention away from the essence of the problem doesn't help. Yeah, blaming guns rather than the jerks who pull the triggers is much easier  but dealing with murder isn't supposed to be easy.

America used to be a lot cornier  and that was a good thing. With the expansion of the welfare state, we have vastly increased the number of males who've grown up in fatherless homes. Popular sociologic theory has it that females are compelled by biology to mature in mostly the proper way  whereas males need to be taught how to be an adult. Without a father, young males are left to learn that on the street. What could go wrong? Sounds complicated, so let's blame guns instead.

Image via Pexels.
A male member of staff has been suspended following allegations an unnamed BBC presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images, the broadcaster said.

The corporation has said it was investigating a complaint since May when it was first made aware, and that new allegations of a different nature were brought to it on Thursday.

The BBC has been in touch with the police alongside conducting its own inquiries and talking to the family of the teenager.

In a statement on Sunday evening, the Metropolitan Police said: The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter but no formal referral or allegation has been made.

We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow.

BBC director-general Tim Davie said he is wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent after a host of BBC presenters were forced to publicly state they were not the individual in question amid heavy speculation about the identity on social media.

In a note sent to staff and seen by PA, Mr Davie said the corporation takes all such allegations incredibly seriously.

In a statement shared with PA, a BBC spokesperson said: The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.

New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own inquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.

We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.

We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC board will continue to be kept up to date.

The statement added that the corporation has a robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.

This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps, the BBC added.

It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.

We have been clear that if  at any point  new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.

BBC director-general Tim Davie spoke with the Culture Secretary on Sunday (Jacob King/PA)

The allegations reported by The Sun newspaper claimed the BBC star paid the person, said to have been 17 when the payments began, 35,000 in exchange for the images.

The teenagers mother told The Sun she saw a picture of the presenter on her childs phone sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.

The mother said she was told it was a picture from some kind of video call and looked like he was getting ready for my child to perform for him.

The family were said to have complained to the BBC on May 19, but allegedly became frustrated that the star remained on air.

Mr Davies note to staff on Sunday said: The BBC became aware of a complaint in May; the BBC investigations team have been looking into this since it was raised and have been actively following up.

New allegations, of a different nature, were put to us on Thursday, and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.

I can also confirm that we have suspended a member of staff.

He added: By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex. I also want to be very clear that I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.

We are in contact with the family referenced in the media reports. I want to assure you that we are working rapidly to establish the facts and to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care, including by external authorities where appropriate.

I have spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters. He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.  Lucy Frazer (@lucyfrazermp) July 9, 2023

Earlier on Sunday, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said Mr Davie assured her the corporation is investigating swiftly and sensitively into the allegations.

Gary Lineker and Rylan Clark were among the BBC stars who publicly stated they were not the presenter in question, with Lineker tweeting: Hate to disappoint the haters but its not me.

While Clark wrote: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun  that aint me babe. Im currently filming a show in Italy for the BBC, so take my name out ya mouths.

Jeremy Vine also said: Just to say Im very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday  whoever the BBC Presenter in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly aint me.

Nicky Campbell suggested he had contacted police about being falsely mentioned online in connection with the story.

He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.

I think its important to take a stand. Theres just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends, he wrote.
The BBC has been urged to act very swiftly to deal with the claims centring on an unnamed presenter alleged to have paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.

Government minister Victoria Atkins described the claims reported by the Sun as very, very serious as questions over the broadcasters handling of the situation were raised.

The newspaper said the star paid the person, said to have been 17 when the payments began, 35,000 in exchange for the images.

In the latest claim, the young persons mother said she saw a picture of the presenter on her childs phone sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.

The mother said she was told it was a picture from some kind of video call and looked like he was getting ready for my child to perform for him.

The family were said to have complained to the BBC on May 19 but became frustrated that the star remained on air. He is understood not to be due on air in the near future.

Ms Atkins, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, told Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday: These are very, very serious allegations and the BBC have said they have processes in place.

But as public attention and concern grows the BBC is going to have to act very swiftly to deal with these allegations and to set out what they are doing to investigate them.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the BBC needs to speed up their processes (Victoria Jones/PA)

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves urged the broadcasters to speed up their processes in investigating such allegations.

The Labour MP told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: I do feel that I often come on this programme and we do start with another crisis at the BBC.

The BBC do need to speed up their processes, it looks like these issues were raised in May, were now in July and the presenter stayed on air.

Thats not good enough so the BBC need to get their house in order and give greater clarity to what on earth has gone on in this case and what they are trying to do to put it right.

Former home secretary Priti Patel said the BBCs response has been derisory.

They must provide the victim and his family a full and transparent investigation, she said.

The BBC which is funded by licence fee payers has become a faceless and unaccountable organisation.

Media lawyer Mark Stephens said the BBC handling of the complaint had been a shambles, arguing it had really dropped the ball.

And it does seem that theyve also caused this to escalate, because it was the frustration with the BBC not acting that led to the family to go to the Sun newspaper, he told Times Radio.

And that I think is reckless, because of course what has happened is weve seen all this conjecture on social media.

A number of BBC stars publicly said they were not the presenter at the centre of the allegations, amid heavy speculation about their identity on social media.

Gary Lineker tweeted: Hate to disappoint the haters but its not me.

Rylan Clark wote: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun  that aint me babe. Im currently filming a show in Italy for the BBC, so take my name out ya mouths.

Jeremy Vine said: Just to say Im very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday  whoever the BBC Presenter in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly aint me.

Nicky Campbell suggested he had contacted police about being mentioned online in connection with the story.

He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.

He wrote: I think its important to take a stand. Theres just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.

A BBC spokesperson said: We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.

As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this. That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.

If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.

If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided  including via newspapers  this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.
Jeremy Hunt will promise evolutionary not revolutionary reforms to get pension funds making billions of pounds of riskier investments in fast-growing firms to boost economic growth.

The Chancellor is to use a City of London speech on Monday to detail plans to encourage the financial sector to unlock capital and increase returns for pensioners.

Alongside regulatory reforms, he will welcome an agreement with leading pensions firms to put 5% of their investments, a sum of up to 50 billion, into high-growth businesses.

Aviva, Legal & General and Phoenix Group are among those understood to be taking part.

Pensions firms welcomed that Mr Hunt was not making the move mandatory, as the industry had been warning against.

In his annual Mansion House speech, the Chancellor will pledge that changes will put the needs of pension savers first and foremost.

It will be an evolutionary not revolutionary change to our pensions market, he is expected to say.

The Chancellor is taking action on pension funds (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Mr Hunt will pledge to prioritise a strong and diversified gilt market, meaning he was not forcing firms to favour riskier investments over the low-risk ones offered by the Government.

He will also set out a golden rule of never making changes that compromise the sector with what he is calling the Mansion House Reforms.

Nigel Peaple, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Associations policy director, said: The Chancellor has confirmed today that the pensions sector will keep their freedom to invest in the interest of the individuals whose savings they manage.

This is the key priority for the pensions sector and we welcome that Mr Hunt has listened to our views on this important matter.

After the gilt market turmoil of last September, it is reassuring that the Government is committed to a strong and diverse gilt market and that, in consequence, it is seeking evolution not revolution with regard to pensions.

We look forward to continuing our dialogue with the Government on their proposed pensions reforms, seeking always to achieve outcomes that mean a win, win, win for savers, pension schemes and the UK.

Michael Moore, chief executive of the British Venture Capital Association, said: We welcome the Chancellors recognition of what we have known to be true for a long time, that British pension savers are losing out.
Fourteen people have been arrested across the first two days of the Trnsmt music festival in Glasgow, police have confirmed.

Three people, two males and one female aged between 18 and 29, were arrested on suspicion of assault and disorder on Friday evening when Pulp headlined the three-day festival at Glasgow Green.

On Saturday, following heavy rain and thunderstorms, police said 11 arrests had been made of people aged between 15 and 46 accused of offences including assault, disorder and drug offences.

Festival-goers arrive at the Trnsmt Festival at Glasgow Green in Glasgow on Sunday (Lesley Martin/PA)

Festival-goers have been arriving for the final day of music acts, including headliners The 1975, with Becky Hill, Jamie Webster and The Kooks performing earlier in the day.

Among those attending, 18-year-old Lewis Prentice, from Ayr, said seeing rock band Kasabian, who played the main stage on Saturday evening before headliner Sam Fender, had made his life.

He added: Im looking most forward to Jamie Webster and The Kooks (on Sunday).

Kasabian were absolutely amazing, they were mental. That made my life.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Ellie Galloway, from Maybole in Ayrshire, revealed her own unique reaction to seeing rapper Aitch on the main stage on Saturday.

She said: I did a back flip in the mosh pit at Aitch.

The teenagers led bemused passengers on a train between Paisley Gilmour Street and Glasgow Central in a sing-a-long to classic Oasis tracks including Dont Look Back In Anger and Half The World Away as the warmed up for their third day at the festival.

On Saturday festival-goers had to contend with heavy mud as Glasgow Green turned into swamp, but there will be a little respite for music-lovers on Sunday, with sunny intervals forecast before rain returns in the late afternoon and early evening.

Sam Fender closed the festival on Saturday evening (Lesley Martin/PA)

Festival director Geoff Ellis said organisers were keeping a close eye on the weather as he praised the reaction to the weekend line-up.

He said: The bar was set high across the site and its always amazing to witness fans discovering new music from the likes of Swim School and Heidi Curtis.

We were keeping a close eye on the weather but any showers were overshadowed by an action-packed day of live music.

Indie band The Kooks took to the main stage on Sunday under sunny skies  playing hits such as Ooh La, She Moves In Her Own Way and finishing off with Naive.

Frontman Luke Pritchard said: I love Glasgow  being in a field and playing music and being with you guys  thank you so much.

Also playing the main stage for the first time on Sunday was Becky Hill.

She last appeared at the festival in 2021 on the King Tuts Stage when one fan collapsed and fans scaled the bar.

She said: Its been quite a while since I was last here when I was over there (at the King Tuts Stage) and you lot closed the stage down.

Thank you to Trnsmt for having me back to play on this bloody massive stage.
A service which helps people to find suitable and affordable insurance handled nearly double the number of call centre inquiries last year than those it dealt with a decade earlier, according to brokers.

The British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba) said that in total, it received nearly 3.5 million inquiries to its find insurance service between 2012 and 2022, including online searches and calls to the contact centre.

Specifically looking at its call centre, it said that 97,862 inquiries were handled in 2022, nearly doubling (a 92.7% increase) compared with 2012.

Biba highlighted the case of a 62-year-old woman from Leeds in Yorkshire, who was looking for travel insurance for her nephews year-long trip to Japan.

She was signposted to Bibas find insurance service and found a specialist to cover a working trip.

She said: Things only got better when it was explained to me that a year-long holiday was unlikely  thats when everything dropped into place, I was looking for the wrong product as my nephew was travelling on a working visa.

Graeme Trudgill, Biba chief executive, said: Travel insurance is hugely important, offering you financial protection for many situations. Most importantly if you have a medical emergency or have to cancel your holiday due to unforeseen circumstances.

Policies vary significantly in terms of levels of cover so its essential that you get a policy that is right for you.

Our find insurance service can put you in touch with a specialist broker to help find a suitable policy for your specific needs. It has helped many consumers but is particularly useful if you have non-standard requirements and are struggling to find insurance online, or an off the shelf policy doesnt cover your individual requirements.
The placing of an Irish flag and a picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on a loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone has been criticised as childish and not acceptable.

The towering pyre in Moygashel attracted attention online after a boat was placed on the top of it.

By Saturday evening, an Irish tricolour and a republican flag, as well as a picture of Mr Varadkar had been added to the boat.

On the side of the boat a banner reading Good Friday Agreement? That ship has sailed was hung, with a mock copy of the 1998 accord across which the words null and void were printed.

This is not acceptable, it is childish and promotes hate. Again the many are let down by a few. #NotInMyName https://t.co/mi1z5CeAQl  Doug Beattie (@BeattieDoug) July 9, 2023

Given the title No Irish Sea Border Bonfire, in reference to opposition in unionist and loyalist communities to post-Brexit trading arrangements, the bonfire was lit at around 11pm after a parade and an address by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson.

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie tweeted in response: This is not acceptable, it is childish and promotes hate. Again the many are let down by a few.

Most of the bonfires to mark Northern Irelands traditional July 12 celebrations will be lit on July 11.

People watch as the pyre with a boat on top is lit (Niall Carson/P)A

The Twelfth marks the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, an act that secured a Protestant line of succession for the British crown.

There has been controversy around bonfires in previous years, with election posters and Irish flags hung from the stacks of wood, with some towering more than 100ft high.

Meanwhile, the annual Drumcree parade is taking place in Co Armagh on Sunday, from Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown to a church service at Drumcree Parish Church.

Orange Order members parade along Drumcree Road outside Portadown (PA)

It is 25 years since the parade was first prevented from completing its traditional return route along Garvaghy Road, with the Parades Commission again refusing permission for the return leg this year.

The stand-off at Drumcree made headlines in the 1990s with nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road resolutely opposed to the parade passing through the area, leading to violent clashes for several summers and political tensions necessitating a major security operation.

DUP MP Carla Lockhart said it was a very sad day that 25 years on from this dispute were still in the same situation where Orange feet are not welcome on a particular stretch of road.

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart of the DUP (Niall Carson/PA)

She told the BBCs Sunday Politics programme: I want to see a society where our culture is respected, our identity is respected, and I think it is no big thing to ask that the Garvaghy Road Residents Association enter in to some form of mediation.

Unfortunately for many, many years their intransigence has actually been rewarded by the Parades Commission.

We cant move on if there is no respect or tolerance for a 10-minute walk down a route which has changed enormously over the last 25 years.

Most of the hundreds of bonfires constructed in loyalist neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland pass off without incident, but several continue to be the source of controversy.

In previous years, there have been complaints from nationalist and cross-community politicians about their images being placed on the fires.

It is the busiest date for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service which usually deals with hundreds of calls related to the towering pyres.
Labours Rachel Reeves has said she is concerned about US plans to arm Ukraine with cluster munitions.

The shadow chancellor said cluster bombs are not appropriate weapons to send to Ukraine.

US president Joe Biden has committed to sending Kyiv the weapons, despite many Nato allies prohibiting their use.

Rishi Sunak did not express support for the move ahead of President Bidens visit to the UK.

He said Britain discourages the weapons as one of the 123 signatories of a convention banning the bombs for their devastating impact on civilians.

Asked about President Bidens commitment by the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News, Ms Reeves said: We all agree that Ukraine needs to be properly armed to fight Russia and their illegal invasion.

But I am concerned about the use of cluster bombs, and it is not just the UK who has these concerns, other countries clearly do as well.

So I would like to find a way to properly arm Ukraine but without using these weapons which can have an impact, not just on the battlefield that time, on that day, but for months and years afterwards.

That is something that causes me deep concern, and many other people as well.

While I support President Bidens desire to ensure Ukraine is fully armed to fight Russia, I am not convinced that these are the appropriate weapons.

Mr Biden has said it was a difficult decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine and sought to justify the move as needed to fortify Kyivs depleting ammunition stocks.

But the Prime Minister has said the UK is committed to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

President Biden will meet the King and Rishi Sunak when he visits the UK before heading to Lithuania (Jane Barlow/PA)

Well, the UK is signatory to a convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, he told broadcasters.

Cluster munitions deploy a large number of bomblets across a wide area.

Unexploded bomblets can continue to pose a threat to civilians long after conflicts end.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits their use or stockpiling because of their indiscriminate effect on civilian populations.

The US, Ukraine and Russia are not signatories.

Lord Ricketts, who served as the UKs first national security adviser, told Sky News: You can feel the allies are all very uncomfortable with this.

We have all of us, apart from the Americans, signed up to the convention which means we dont produce or stockpile or use these weapons. They are indiscriminate weapons, of course.

The former senior diplomat added: I think we do owe it to the Ukrainians to understand why they need these weapons.

This offensive that they have launched, there is a lot riding on it. If it stagnates, bogs down, the risk is this war will just continue.

Mr Biden will meet Mr Sunak on Monday, before the two leaders attend a summit in Lithuania on Tuesday where they will discuss support for Ukraine and its future membership of Nato.

The president will also meet the King at Windsor Castle.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has been urged to intervene to help find a resolution to a 25-year-old Co Armagh parading dispute.

Members of the Orange Order have staged an annual protest during the Drumcree parade in Portadown for more than two decades.

However, the Parades Commission again refused permission for the return route to proceed along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road, a ruling maintained since 1998.

Orange Order members on Sunday held a short protest at the police lines barring them from the return route.

The orders grand secretary Mervyn Gibson insisted their protest will continue as he called on the Parades Commission to be disbanded.

Standing close to the police line, Mr Gibson said it brought back memories of the Orange Order and the wider unionist community standing together.

Its great but also sad to see that brethren have been standing here for 25 years  25 years and everybody thinks its sorted, he said.

Recent interviews on the radio, I was told this is sorted, I assured them it wasnt sorted and that brethren would remain here until there is a resolution.

That resolution is for the brethren of Portadown to find with those who are prepared to listen to them, with those who are prepared to compromise with them, with those who are prepared to talk with them.

The parade is only allowed to pass in one direction (Niall Carson/PA)

The Parades Commission has a major part to play and they have failed Portadown district, they have failed Northern Ireland in so many different ways.

It is time for them to go. It is time for the Secretary of State (Chris Heaton-Harris) to exercise some influence to see a resolution here.

This shows the people of Northern Ireland and wider world that the Drumcree situation is still here, and were determined to support the Portadown brethren until a resolution is found.

Responding, a Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said decisions around parades are a matter for the Parades Commission acting independently of the Government.

The Parades Commission continues to have the full support of the Government in their challenging role in relation to parades in Northern Ireland, they said.

Dialogue remains the best way to find a solution to local issues such as Drumcree.

This years parade set off from Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown town centre on Sunday morning to a church service at Drumcree Parish Church.

Twenty-five years ago the parade was first prevented from completing its traditional return route, with the stand-off making headlines in the 1990s when nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road resolutely opposed to the parade passing through their area.

This lead to violent clashes for several summers and political tensions that resulted in a major security operation.

The parades mark the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, an act that secured a Protestant line of succession for the British crown.

Earlier Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart said it was a very sad day that 25 years on from this dispute were still in the same situation where Orange feet are not welcome on a particular stretch of road.

She told the BBCs Sunday Politics programme: I want to see a society where our culture is respected, our identity is respected, and I think it is no big thing to ask that the Garvaghy Road Residents Association enter in to some form of mediation.

Unfortunately for many, many years their intransigence has actually been rewarded by the Parades Commission.

We cant move on if there is no respect or tolerance for a 10-minute walk down a route which has changed enormously over the last 25 years.

However SDLP MP Claire Hanna said the dispute is in the past.

I think you might as well ask to refight the Battle of the Boyne, that is a fight that is in the past, she said.

That dispute, as anyone who was around at the time will know, was profoundly damaging to community relations. There were awful scenes around it and awful consequences.

I think the DUP need to get their heads around the world we are living in today, and to offer leadership around the world we are living in today.
The BBC has suspended a presenter accused of paying a teenager thousands for sexually explicit photographs.

The broadcaster said an initial complaint over the unnamed TV presenter was made in May, but said new allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature.

It confirmed on Sunday afternoon that it has been in touch with the police alongside conducting its own inquiries and talking to the family of the teenager.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter but no formal referral or allegation has been made.

An unnamed BBC star allegedly appeared in his underwear in a video call and paid more than 35,000 in exchange for sexual images.

Several famous names including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker have since publicly said they were not the presenter at the centre of the allegations, amid baseless speculation about the persons identity on social media.

Key Points

BBC presenter suspended

Top BBC presenter stripped to underwear in video call with teen he paid for explicit pictures

Stars speak out after top presenter paid teen for explicit photos

BBC has very serious questions to answer over presenter in sexual image scandal

Mother of victim blames BBC presenter for turning child into ghost-like crack addict

MPs respond to BBC presenter scandal

07:55 , Holly Evans

A number of MPs have responded to the growing crisis surrounding the BBC over its suspension of a prominent presenter, who allegedly paid a teenager for explicit images.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel told the Sun on Sunday: The allegations, carried by The Sun, are absolutely horrendous.

The BBC owes an explanation to the country who funded it and placed their trust in it.

And the Corporation must cooperate with the police if they are contacted to investigate.

Labours Rachel Reeves said: The BBC needs to get a grip. We seem to lurch from one scandal to another.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said that director-general Tim Davie assured her the corporation is investigating swiftly and sensitively into the allegations.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held an emergency meeting with the BBCs director-general on Sunday (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

BBC to meet with Metropolitan Police today

07:32 , Holly Evans

The BBC is to meet the Metropolitan Police on Monday as the corporation deals with allegations that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images.

The corporation has been in touch with the police and confirmed a male member of staff has been suspended, while The Sun reported that the presenter at the centre of the allegations made panicked calls to the young person last week.

The newspaper said the presenter allegedly asked What have you done?, adding that it is claimed he asked them to ring their mother to get her to stop the investigation.

According to BBC News, the corporation will meet the Metropolitan Police later to discuss the matter.

How the BBC presenter scandal unfolded

07:20 , Namita Singh

A number of BBC stars have spoken out to deny any association with the explicit photos scandal that led to a presenter being suspended by the broadcaster.

A report by The Sun claimed that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager, said to have been 17 when the payments began, 35,000 in exchange for the images.

The teenagers mother said she saw a picture of the presenter on her childs phone sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.

Their family made a complaint on 19 May this year, it is reported.

The BBC has suspended a male employee over the allegations and says it has been in touch with external authorities - understood to be police - alongside conducting its own inquiries.

The corporation said it was made aware of a complaint in May but that new allegations of a different nature were brought to it on Thursday.

Here is a timeline of bombshell allegations:

Which stars have spoken out about BBC presenter scandal?

Editorial: The BBC must urgently provide answers over its presenter scandal

07:00 , Namita Singh

The calls have come from all parts of the political spectrum for the BBC to act swiftly to investigate its handling of allegations that a star presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for explicit pictures. The BBC has belatedly suspended the presenter in question and called in the police.

Urgent talks between the culture secretary Lucy Frazer and BBCs director-general Tim Davie on Sunday highlight the political pressure  that will only build  on the BBC to act.

Not least given that the allegations involve potential criminality. And while there have been plenty of occasions where the BBC has been used as a political football in recent times, it is clear that the corporation has serious questions to answer.

Read The Independent view:

Editorial: The BBC must urgently provide answers over its presenter scandal

BBC presenter accused of making panicked calls to teenager

06:40 , Namita Singh

The BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for explicit pictures made panicked phone calls to them after the story was published to try and stop the investigation, it has been claimed.

The TV star, who was suspended by the broadcaster on Sunday, allegedly called the teenager twice after the claims were made in The Sun last week and asked: What have you done?

He also asked the alleged victim - who is now 20 but said to have been 17 when the payments began - to call their mother and get her to stop the investigation, according to the newspaper.

More in this report:

BBC presenter made panicked calls to teenager to try and stop investigation

Allegations against BBC presenter deeply concerning

06:20 , Namita Singh

BBC is looking into sexual misconduct allegations against an unnamed presenter swiftly and sensitively, a government minister said she was assured by the BBC director-general.

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer, who described the allegations as deeply concerning, said that the corporation needs to be given space to investigate the matter.

I have spoken to BBC director-general Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters. He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively, she tweeted on Sunday.

I have spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters. He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.  Lucy Frazer (@lucyfrazermp) July 9, 2023

Given the nature of the allegations it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action. I will be kept updated.

BBC anchors come forward to deny baseless allegations against them

06:00 , Namita Singh

Several famous BBC names, including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker, have come forward to say publicly that they are not the presenter at the centre of the allegations of sexual misconduct, amid speculation about the persons identity on social media.

Gary Lineker and Rylan Clark were among the BBC stars who publicly stated they were not the presenter in question, with Lineker tweeting: Hate to disappoint the haters but its not me.

Hate to disappoint the haters but its not me.  Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) July 8, 2023

While Clark wrote: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun - that aint me babe. Im currently filming a show in Italy for the BBC, so take my name out ya mouths.

Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the sun- that aint me babe. Im Currently filming a show in Italy for the bbc, so take my name out ya mouths pic.twitter.com/6lZo45U6Pe  R Y L A N (@Rylan) July 8, 2023

Jeremy Vine also said: Just to say Im very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday - whoever the BBC Presenter in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly aint me.

Nicky Campbell suggested he had contacted police about being falsely mentioned online in connection with the story.

He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.

I think its important to take a stand. Theres just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends, he wrote.

What are the allegations brought against unnamed BBC presenter?

05:40 , Namita Singh

The allegations reported by The Sun newspaper claimed the BBC star paid the person, said to have been 17 when the payments began, 35,000 in exchange for the images.

The teenagers mother told The Sun she saw a picture of the presenter on her childs phone sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.

The mother said she was told it was a picture from some kind of video call and looked like he was getting ready for my child to perform for him.

The family were said to have complained to the BBC on 19 May but allegedly became frustrated that the star remained on air.

BBC has robust internal processes to deal with sexual misconduct allegations

05:20 , Namita Singh

BBC has robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with allegations of sexual misconduct, said the corporations spokesperson as it deals with allegations that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images.

The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May, said a BBC spokesperson.

New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own inquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.

We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.

We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC board will continue to be kept up to date.

The BBC has robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations, said the statement, adding that this is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.

It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.

We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.

All allegations of sexual misconduct taken incredibly seriously, says BBC director-general

05:00 , Namita Singh

BBC director-general Tim Davie is due to face the media on Tuesday for a scheduled briefing following the release of the corporations annual report, but the growing crisis involving the unnamed presenter will dominate the event.

Mr Davie has said he is wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent after a host of famous BBC faces were forced to publicly state they were not the individual in question amid heavy speculation about the identity on social media.

In a note sent to staff and seen by PA, Mr Davie said the corporation takes all such allegations incredibly seriously.

The BBC became aware of a complaint in May; the BBC investigations team have been looking into this since it was raised and have been actively following up, Mr Davie told the staff on Sunday.

New allegations, of a different nature, were put to us on Thursday, and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols. I can also confirm that we have suspended a member of staff.

Tim Davie

He added: By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex. I also want to be very clear that I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.

We are in contact with the family referenced in the media reports. I want to assure you that we are working rapidly to establish the facts and to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care, including by external authorities where appropriate.

No formal referral made says Met

04:40 , Namita Singh

In a statement on Sunday evening, the Metropolitan Police said it has not received any formal referral in the claims against the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit images.

The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter, but no formal referral or allegation has been made.

We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow.

Allegations of different nature brought against presenter

04:20 , Namita Singh

The BBC has said it had been investigating a complaint against an unnamed presenter since May, when it was first made aware, but that new allegations of a different nature were brought to it on Thursday.

As well as being in touch with the police, the corporation is conducting its own inquiries and talking to the young persons family.

Pressure mounts on BBC as it deals with presenter explicit photo claims

03:58 , Namita Singh

Pressure is mounting on the BBC as it deals with allegations that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images.

The corporation has been in touch with the police and confirmed a male member of staff has been suspended, while The Sun reported the presenter at the centre of the allegations made panicked calls to the young person last week.

The newspaper said the presenter allegedly asked what have you done?, adding that it is claimed he asked them to ring their mother to get her to stop the investigation.

BBC boss to be grilled by reporters on Tuesday

Monday 10 July 2023 00:00 , Matt Drake

BBC director general Tim Davie will appear before the media on Tuesday to answer questions after the release of its annual report.

The reports are to assess the BBC's performance over a year.

In a separate statement, the BBC said it will be in a position to provide further updates on the situation in the coming days.

What do we know so far?

Sunday 9 July 2023 23:00 , Matt Drake

A male BBC presenter has been accused of paying a teenager 35,000 for sexually explicit photographs

The Met Police said the BBC made contact with the force

BBC boss Tim Davie said the BBC is taking the allegations "extremely seriously"

There were claims of a "different nature" revealed on Thursday, Mr Davie said

Several high-profile BBC presenters have been forced to deny allegations following rumours on social media

Fresh new allegations reported

Sunday 9 July 2023 22:48 , Matt Drake

New allegations have emerged tonight that the BBC presenter made panicked calls to the teenager after the story broke.According to The Sun, the presenter called the teenager last week and asked what have you done?The newspaper also reported the BBC star asked the alleged victim to call their mother to try and stop the investigation.

BBC were told of new allegations of a 'different nature'

Sunday 9 July 2023 22:00 , Matt Drake

In a statement, the corporation said they were told of new allegations last Thursday.

Adding: "The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.

"New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols."

BBC first made contact with police on Friday

Sunday 9 July 2023 21:02 , Matt Drake

BBC home editor Jason Farrel reported that the corporation first contacted the Met Police on Friday.

The broadcaster is said to have made further contact today.

According to the BBC, there will be more "in the coming days".

BBC Presenter: What are the allegations? What has happened so far?

Sunday 9 July 2023 20:00 , Matt Drake

The Sun newspaper spoke to a woman who claimed their child was paid 35,000 by a BBC presenter to send explicit pictures.

The mother said her child, now 20, was only 17 at the time it allegedly happened.

A male member of staff has been suspended, the corporation confirmed today.

The corporation claims it has been investigating a complaint since May when it was first made aware and that new allegations of a "different nature" were brought to it on Thursday.

The BBC has been in touch with the police alongside conducting its own inquiries and talking to the family of the teenager.

BBC director-general Tim Davie said he is "wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent" after a host of BBC presenters were forced to publicly state they were not the individual in question amid heavy speculation about the identity on social media.

The BBC has asked former detective Jeff Brown to investigate the claims.

An obscenity lawyer said the BBC presenter, if found guilty, could face a sentence of 26 weeks which may increase if the alleged images were shared.

BBC is taking matter seriously, says MP

Sunday 9 July 2023 19:17 , Matt Drake

Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee. Dame Caroline Dinenage said she has spoken to BBC boss Tim David today.

He is said to have given "assurances that the BBC is treating this matter seriously and with urgency".

She added: "I'm aware of the duty of care to both alleged victim and perpetrator in this case, so intend to wait until we have more info before commenting further."

Met Police had 'initial contact' from BBC

Sunday 9 July 2023 18:32 , Matt Drake

According to the Metropolitan Police Service, they have had initial contact from the BBC but no formal referral or allegation has been made.

In a statement, they said: "We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow."

Who has spoken out about BBC presenter scandal?

Sunday 9 July 2023 18:03 , Matt Drake

The BBC presenter scandal has prompted baseless speculation online about who might be involved, forcing some stars to publicly distance themselves from the allegations.

Below we take a look at who has responded to distance themselves from the claims and how the allegations unfolded:

Rylan Clark was among the first to clear his name after the scandal broke.

Mr Clark said he is in the process of filming new content with the broadcaster.

Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine was quick to take to Twitter to distance himself from the scandal.

Just to say Im very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday, he wrote.

Whoever the BBC Presenter in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly aint me.

BBCs Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker said he had nothing to do with the scandal in a straightforward Twitter statement.

Radio star Nicky Campbell was forced to take to Twitter after being falsely accused of being connected to the scandal.

I think its important to take a stand, he wrote.

There are just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.

Which stars have spoken out about BBC presenter scandal?

BBC presenter 'could face jail term if guilty

Sunday 9 July 2023 17:45 , Matt Drake

A leading obscenity lawyer has claimed the accused BBC presenter could face a sentence of 26 weeks if found guilty.

Myles Jackman said the sentence could increase substantially if they are found to have shared the images, The Guardian reported.

Mr Jackman said: Any child under 18 that takes a photo of themselves is manufacturing child pornography, they are in possession of it, and they have distributed it.

Anyone soliciting photographs from someone under 18 has committed a serious raft of offences.

BBC asks former detective to investigate claims

Sunday 9 July 2023 17:12 , Matt Drake

The BBC has reportedly hired a former detective who specialises in whistleblowing, sexual assault and fraud.

Jeff Brown has led the BBC's corporate investigations team for more than six years.

The family of the alleged victim is said to have met Mr Brown on Friday, The Telegraph reported.

He worked for the Metropolitan Police Service for almost 13 years.

After leaving the Met, Mr Brown spent almost five years working in Canada investigating human trafficking cases in the Halton Regional Police Service in Ontario.

BBC 'in touch with police' following allegations

Sunday 9 July 2023 17:02 , Matt Drake

The corporation has been in touch with the police following claims one of its presenters paid 35,000 for sexually explicit photos, the BBC reported.

Following the claims that a presenter paid a teenager for the pictures, the BBC said it is working as fast as possible "to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps".

Adding: "The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.

"New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols."

Top BBC presenter stripped to underwear in video call with teen'

Sunday 9 July 2023 16:32 , Matt Drake

The BBC presenters suspension comes after the unnamed star was accused of stripping to his underwear while on a video call, the mother of the alleged victim claimed.

It is alleged that the TV star paid more than 35,000 in exchange for sexual images and that the teenager used the money to fund a cocaine addiction, which destroyed their life.

The mother described how her child, who was said to be 17 when the payments began, turned from a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict in three years.

Neither the presenter nor the teenager has been identified. It was confirmed today that a male BBC presenter has been taken off the air following the allegations.

The mother, who said she wanted no payment for the story, complained to the BBC in May and begged them to make the presenter stop sending the cash, according to The Sun.

Top BBC presenter stripped to underwear in video call with teen

I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours'

Sunday 9 July 2023 15:46 , Katy Clifton

Mr Davie added: By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex. I also want to be very clear that I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.

We are in contact with the family referenced in the media reports. I want to assure you that we are working rapidly to establish the facts and to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care, including by external authorities where appropriate.

Tim Davie condemns baseless online rumours

Sunday 9 July 2023 15:45 , Katy Clifton

The BBCs Director-General Tim Davie said he is wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.

In a note sent to staff, Mr Davie said the corporation takes all such allegations incredibly seriously.

The note added: The BBC became aware of a complaint in May; the BBC investigations team have been looking into this since it was raised and have been actively following up.

New allegations, of a different nature, were put to us on Thursday, and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.

I can also confirm that we have suspended a member of staff.

Tim Davie, director general of the BBC (PA Archive)

BBC statement in full

Sunday 9 July 2023 15:15 , Katy Clifton

A BBC spokesperson said: The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.

New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own inquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.

We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.

We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues.

The BBC board will continue to be kept up to date.

The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.

This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.

It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.

We have been clear that if  at any point  new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.

Breaking: BBC presenter suspended

Sunday 9 July 2023 15:14 , Katy Clifton

The BBC has just confirmed a male member of staff has been suspended following allegations an unnamed BBC presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.

Well bring you more on this breaking story as we get it.

What are the allegations against the unnamed BBC presenter?

Sunday 9 July 2023 14:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A BBC presenter has been accused of paying a teenager over 35,000 in exchange for sexual photos.

The mother of the victim claimed the money was used to fund a cocaine addiction which destroyed her childs life.

Neither the presenter nor the victim have been identified.

BBC is investigating allegations swiftly and sensitively'

Sunday 9 July 2023 13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The culture secretary said she had been assured the BBC is investigating allegations against one of its presenters swiftly and sensitively.

In a tweet after a phone call with BBC director-general Tim Davie on Sunday, Lucy Frazer said: I have spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters.

He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.

Given the nature of the allegations it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action. I will be kept updated.

I have spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters. He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.  Lucy Frazer (@lucyfrazermp) July 9, 2023

BBC responds to allegation

Sunday 9 July 2023 13:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In response to the report, a BBC spokesperson said on Saturday: We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.

As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this.

That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.

If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact, that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.

If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided  including via newspapers  this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.

Media lawyers says BBC handling of complaint has been a shambles'

Sunday 9 July 2023 12:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Media lawyer Mark Stephens said the BBC handling of the complaint had been a shambles, arguing it had really dropped the ball.

And it does seem that theyve also caused this to escalate, because it was the frustration with the BBC not acting that led to the family to go to the Sun newspaper, he told Times Radio.

And that I think is reckless, because of course what has happened is weve seen all this conjecture on social media.

Culture secretary to hold urgent talks with BBC director

Sunday 9 July 2023 12:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer will hold urgent talks with BBC director-general Tim Davie over deeply concerning allegations that an unnamed presenter at the corporation paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.

Senior officials have told the broadcaster that the allegations reported by The Sun newspaper must be investigated urgently and sensitively, with the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) kept updated.

Ms Frazer and Mr Davie will have a phone call on Sunday as the BBC comes under pressure over its handling of the complaint.

A DCMS spokeswoman said: These allegations are deeply concerning.

As a public service broadcaster in receipt of public funding, senior officials have stressed to the BBC that the allegations must be investigated urgently and sensitively, with the department kept informed.

The Culture Secretary will be speaking to Tim Davie later today.

Former Tory leader says BBC is in a mess'

Sunday 9 July 2023 11:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said the BBC is in a mess and should have immediately suspended the presenter at the centre of the sex scandal.

He said it is clear the corporation has tried to play this down from the beginning only for the scandal to explode.

The BBC should act like everybody else does and immediately suspend somebody pending the investigation, Sir Iain said.

He told GB News: That way its clear and then you can get on with it. At this stage, to try and do it quietly and behind the scenes - it never works because somebody has blown the gaff and theyre in trouble now.

I dont quite know what theyre doing. Its a mess. Clearly if you read the newspaper reports, you can see that the BBC has tried to play this down from the beginning. And it has not worked, because it has exploded.

They didnt have any plan. Any inquiries that are taking place seem to be a mess. And thats led to a whole series of reputational damage across the newspapers to the BBC.

(PA Archive)

BBC urged to act swiftly over allegation

Sunday 9 July 2023 10:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The BBC has been urged to act very swiftly to deal with the claims centring on an unnamed presenter alleged to have paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.

Government minister Victoria Atkins described the claims reported by the Sun as very, very serious as questions over the broadcasters handling of the situation were raised.

Ms Atkins, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, told Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday: These are very, very serious allegations and the BBC have said they have processes in place.

But as public attention and concern grows the BBC is going to have to act very swiftly to deal with these allegations and to set out what they are doing to investigate them.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves urged the broadcasters to speed up their processes in investigating such allegations.

The Labour MP told the BBCs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: I do feel that I often come on this programme and we do start with another crisis at the BBC.

What are the allegations against the BBC presenter?

Sunday 9 July 2023 10:17 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The BBC presenter has been accused of paying a teenager over 35,000 in exchange for sexual photos.

The mother of the victim claimed the money was used to fund a cocaine addiction which destroyed her childs life.

Neither the presenter nor the victim have been identified.

Stars speak out after top presenter paid teen for explicit photos

Sunday 9 July 2023 09:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Several high profile figures have spoken out about the allegations to deny any involvement.

Writing on Twitter, TV presenter Rylan Clark said: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the sun- that aint me babe. Im Currently filming a show in Italy for the bbc, so take my name out ya mouths.

Shortly afterwards, radio star Jeremy Vine also responded to the story, telling his Twitter followers: It certainly aint me.

Gary Lineker tweeted: Hate to disappoint the haters but its not me.

Nicky Campbell appeared to suggest he had contacted police about being mentioned in connection with the story.

BBC has very serious questions to answer over presenter in sexual image scandal

Sunday 9 July 2023 09:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Senior MPs are calling for the BBC to investigate its handling of allegations that a star presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for explicit pictures, saying the corporation has very serious questions to answer.

Labours shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the allegations are deeply concerning and called for the BBC to get a grip.

And government minister Victoria Atkins called on the BBC to act swiftly to deal with the allegations.

These are very serious allegations and I can quite understand the publics concern about them, she added.

BBC under fire over star paying teen for sexual images - latest

BBC presenter should not stay on job under investigation, shadow chancellor says

Sunday 9 July 2023 08:57 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The BBC presenter at the centre of claims he paid a teenager for explicit pictures should not stay in his job while an investigation is carried out, Rachel Reeves has said.

The shadow chancellor told the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News the allegations are deeply concerning.

Ms Reeves said: The idea that some presenters think that they act with impunity and they can get away with these sorts of things, it does call into question the ethics, the investigations, how long these things take.

The BBC, but also other broadcasters, do need to get a grip because we seem to lurch from one scandal to another and more needs to be done.

She added: When serious allegations are made like this I dont think it is right that people stay in those jobs while those very serious investigations go on.

BBC responds to allegation

Sunday 9 July 2023 07:49 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In response to the report, a BBC spokesperson said: We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.

As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this.

That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.

If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact, that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.

If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided  including via newspapers  this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.

Mother of victim blames BBC presenter for turning child into ghost-like crack addict

Sunday 9 July 2023 07:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Speaking about the allegations, the mother of the victim told The Sun how her child, now 20, had gone from a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict in three years.

She said: When I see him on telly, I feel sick.

I blame this BBC man for destroying my childs life.

Taking my childs innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.

That aint me: Rylan Clark and Jeremy Vine respond to BBC presenter scandal

Sunday 9 July 2023 07:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

TV presenter Rylan Clark has addressed baseless speculation surrounding the unnamed BBC presenter who has been accused of paying a teenager for explicit photos.

The unknown presenter is reportedly a BBC star who has been taken off air since the allegation emerged.

After the story was published, Mr Clark said: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the sun- that aint me babe. Im Currently filming a show in Italy for the bbc, so take my name out ya mouths.

Read more here:

That aint me: Rylan Clark and Jeremy Vine respond to BBC presenter scandal

Top BBC presenter stripped to underwear in video call with teen he paid for explicit pictures

Sunday 9 July 2023 07:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A top BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager thousands of pounds for explicit pictures stripped to his underwear while on a video call, the mother of the alleged victim has claimed.

It is alleged that the TV star paid more than 35,000 in exchange for sexual images and that the teenager used the money to fund a cocaine addiction, which destroyed their life.

The mother described how her child, who was said to be 17 when the payments began, turned from a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict in three years.

Neither the presenter nor the teenager has been identified. The presenter has reportedly been taken off air over the claims.

Matt Drake reports:

Top BBC presenter stripped to underwear in video call with teen
Sarah Ferguson opened up about her recovery after undergoing a single mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery.

Last month, the 63-year-old Duchess of York revealed that she had been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. During an episode of her "Tea Talks" podcast with Sarah Thompson that was recorded one week after her surgery, Ferguson reflected on recuperating after the eight-hour procedure.

"It's really just extraordinary to come to terms with a new you," she said on the episode that was released on July 5.

Sarah Ferguson shared an update on her recovery after being diagnosed with breast cancer last month.

Ferguson continued, "It's extraordinary. You just cannot be complacent with yourself or life or just how lucky you are."

DUCHESS SARAH FERGUSON DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER

The "Her Heart for a Compass" author recalled that her doctor had seen a "shadow" when she went in for a routine mammogram. Ferguson said that she then went to London's Royal Free Hospital where she "had a contrast put in my arm" so doctors could further examine the shadow. Afterward, the duchess said she visited King Edward VII's Hospital in London.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"From the drive from the Royal Free over to the VII, I sort of looked up mastectomy," Ferguson remembered. "And then pathology came back a few days later and then, of course, your mind's already gone racing in every direction. And then [I] get a text saying, 'We think it's mastectomy.' Then your mind plays more tricks. And then you go and meet the reconstructive surgeon and you suddenly think, 'OK, we can do this.'"

Ferguson explained that she underwent DIEP flap, a type of reconstructive surgery that uses skin and fat from a woman's abdomen to create a new breast after a mastectomy. She said that she was "very lucky" that she was able to the reconstructive surgery immediately after the mastectomy.

The Duchess of York said she underwent a single mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery.

The television personality admitted that she became nervous while being admitted to the hospital ahead of the surgery.

"When I walked in on the day, I walked straight into critical care. And that made me a little bit wobbly," Ferguson said.

Thompson recalled that she and Ferguson were texting before and after the surgery. "When you sent me your picture in the evening, you'd come out," Thompson remembered. "I mean, no one has looked that good coming out of surgery, but you looked amazing. But it was a relief that was."

"That lovely morphine smile I had," Ferguson joked.

"I was chatting away," she added. "I kept taking my oxygen mask off and saying, 'Sorry! It's the morphine.' I got away with talking an absolute load of rubbish."

Ferguson expressed her gratitude to the "amazing" nurses who took care of her and noted that she had written to "every single one of them."

Ferguson recalled that she was in surgery for 8 hours.

She also urged her listeners to be proactive about their health. "We must make people realize, it's not OK. But if you're going to get it, then catch it quick," Ferguson said. "Do the screening, catch it quick and go and say I can do this."

The duchess continued, "It's not bravery. It's not courage. It's about understanding that you're not going to feel as you did for a bit. So don't try and be a superhero. Take many steps, have the cup of tea, trust people. Very important not to be complacent with every single thing now."

Ferguson, who is famously known as "Fergie," shares two daughters, Princess Eugenie , 33 and Princess Beatrice, 34 with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, 63.

In addition to her own fears, Ferguson said that her diagnosis had been scary for her family as well.

"I think it's scary for any family member out there," she said. "You really start looking at your own demise. It's a wake-up call, and then you think, 'How am I going to deal with this?'"

The duchess shares daughters Beatrice and Eugenie with her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.

However, Ferguson explained that she considers herself "very lucky" that she caught the cancer before it had spread.

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"[It] didn't go into my lymph nodes, and I don't have to have chemo or radiation or Tamoxifen," she said.

Ferguson added, "My job is to get out there strong, healthy and keep spreading the word."

Last month, Ferguson's representative told Fox News Digital, "Sarah, Duchess of York was recently diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected at a routine mammogram screening."

"She was advised she needed to undergo surgery, which has taken place successfully."

Her rep added, "The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family."

"The Duchess wants to express her immense gratitude to all the medical staff who have supported her in recent days."

Ferguson's representative continued, "She is also hugely thankful to the staff involved in the mammogram which identified her illness, which was otherwise symptom free, and believes her experience underlines the importance of regular screening."
Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps traveled to Benton, Illinois, for the content, but it sounds like one of them may have made a potential love connection while filming their new series.

Sonja, 59, hit it off with a man named Billy Richard while she and Luann, 58, filmed their new series Welcome to Crappie Lake, which debuts on Sunday, July 9. He texts me all the time, Sonja exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the Crappie Lake premiere. He likes to drive, so every time we speak he goes, Im gonna get my truck and come on up there and see you.'

Billy  a New Orleans native who was just visiting a friend in Benton  would have quite the 20-hour drive ahead of him, but he doesnt seem deterred. He has a big truck with big wheels, Sonja quipped.

The reality star added that she and Billy have discussed meeting up in Louisiana, though she noted shed rather fly than drive. Driving is so far. Well see, well see, Sonja told Us. I thought the guy was local!

Tommy Garcia/Bravo

Luann, for her part, developed an attraction to another Benton man, but she didnt see many options for long-term relationships. Theyre all kind of married in these small towns, she explained to Us. Theres not a lot to do, so I understand why people would be married. You need a partner.

Welcome to Crappie Lake follows the longtime pals and Real Housewives of New York City costars as they attempt to bring some of their urbane charm to a town with a population of just 7,000. Over the course of eight episodes, the duo go mudding, catch catfish and drive tractors, among other things.

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip-RHONY Legacy

Read article

Lesser friendships might have crumbled under the weight of so many unusual stressors, but Sonja and Luann had no such problem. One of the greatest things that came out of this trip is that Luann and I always make it work, Sonja explained. We come to a happy medium, and neither of us are wrong. We just have different and opinions on things.

Luann agreed, though if the pals land a season 2 shes hoping they get the chance to film in a more temperate locale. It was hot. I mean, beyond, she recalled of Benton. Its the only place Ive ever been where if it rains, it gets hotter.

Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake premieres on Bravo Sunday, July 9, at 9 p.m. ET.

Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
Last April, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told reporters he was "extremely concerned" to have "just learned" that a recruit had been involved in a high-profile use of force incident in a past law enforcement job in Fairfax County, Va.

But internal emails obtained by the Star Tribune show the officer, Tyler Timberlake, had informed the city of the prior incident during his background check in September 2022 seven months before a news article drew attention to the hire.

A month after O'Hara publicly vowed to direct a thorough investigation of his hiring, Timberlake sent an email to Mayor Jacob Frey, City Attorney Kristyn Anderson and Public Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander accusing the chief of defaming him and asking for city officials to look into the matter.

"Chief O'Hara's recent statements regarding my employment with MPD are factually false and can be proven as such," wrote Timberlake in the May 15 email, verified as authentic by Star Tribune sources. "These statements have been harmful to my reputation by, among other things, implying that the chief had no knowledge of my prior work history or my hiring at MPD when, in fact, he was involved in my hiring."

An MPD spokesman did not reply to requests for comment Saturday, and O'Hara declined to answer questions last week on what and when he knew about Timberlake's past. City spokesman Casper Hill said "the city has no comment on those emails."

The handling of Timberlake's time with the department has prompted sharp critiques from insiders and watchdog groups for O'Hara, who was appointed chief less than a year ago on a promise to help usher in a new era of public safety. Timberlake's employment was terminated July 5, records show. A city spokesman would not say whether he was fired or quit.

The emails come two days after the president of the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation maintained that O'Hara was present during Timberlake's final interview and "fully aware of his history."

"[Timberlake] was assured by Chief O'Hara he would be OK, if he did good work," union President Sherral Schmidt said in a statement Thursday. "This is clearly not the case."

'Grave concern' after chief comments

The city officially hired Timberlake in January. In April, the Minnesota Reformer reported that he'd faced a federal lawsuit and criminal charges after subduing a man with a stun gun.

Body-camera footage of the incident, which appeared in national news stories, shows Timberlake and other officers and paramedics responding June 5, 2020, to a report of a man in a Mount Vernon, Va., neighborhood who said he needed oxygen. The recording shows officers arriving to find Lamonta Gladney pacing in circles, responding confusedly to their questions. Others try to coax Gladney into an ambulance, and Timberlake shoots the man with a stun gun, sending Gladney to the ground writhing in pain.

The Fairfax County police chief lambasted Timberlake's conduct, saying the footage "erodes the public's trust of police officers." A jury found Timberlake not guilty on the three misdemeanor counts of assault and battery. Last year, Fairfax County settled a lawsuit with the victim for $150,000.

On April 20, responding to the report, O'Hara said Timberlake would not be deployed as an officer pending the investigation.

"We will get to the bottom of this and take whatever measures are necessary to ensure we are always hiring officers who meet our standards and that we are ultimately placing only the most qualified and competent police into the service and protection in the City of Minneapolis," the chief said in a statement.

The emails show Timberlake corresponding with a city employee about the incident during his background check on Sept. 26, 2022.

"Also send me the time frame of your critical incident, the day it happened, the day they charged you and the dates you were on leave," wrote Craig Johnson, a Minneapolis police sergeant, among a list of follow-up questions.

Timberlake replied saying the incident had occurred June 5. He'd been placed on administrative leave the next day and ordered to turn himself into the Fairfax County jail. He was released from jail the same day and remained on leave, and he was reinstated after being acquitted at trial, he said in the email.

O'Hara was appointed to the chief job in November, less than two months after the exchange.

In his May 2023 email to city officials accusing O'Hara of lying to the press, Timberlake said he had "grave concern" that O'Hara would continue to defame him. "As the city is aware and as the evidence shows-I have been nothing but candid, honest, self-aware during my work to earn a place within the MPD to contribute to a career I love," he wrote. "It is disappointing that, when confronted with a limited in-scope narrative of events by certain media outlets, Chief O'Hara found it easier to defame me than to own the truth - which will show that he interviewed me and approved of my hire after a full disclosure of events."

The email ends asking the city officials for an investigation.

Staff writer Liz Sawyer contributed to this report.

This is a breaking news story. Check back with startribune.com for more updates.
Mark did not get the 400 help with his energy bill last winter

More than 700,000 households in Great Britain have missed out on 300m worth of support for energy bills, according to BBC analysis of government figures.

These are households in places such as park homes and houseboats who did not have an energy supplier to apply a one-off 400 payment automatically.

The government said in February that more than 900,000 such households were eligible.

But only about 200,000 applications were made before the 31 May deadline.

The government announced last year that all households would get 400 taken off their energy bill over winter. For households who pay their bills by direct debit, the support was given through monthly payments from October to March.

However, for those with non-conventional energy set-ups the government launched the 400 Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding earlier this year.

BBC Verify analysis of data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero shows that of the more than 200,000 applications made under the scheme:

almost 125,000 had already been paid by the beginning of June

nearly 6,000 had been approved but not yet paid

almost 13,000 were on hold or being validated by local councils

around 60,000 were rejected or cancelled.

Matt Cole from the charity, the Fuel Bank Foundation, said it was disappointing that so many people had missed out and believed it was down to a number of factors.

"The launch of the scheme in spring this year rather before winter when it was needed most, the reliance on families self-identifying that they were eligible rather than them automatically receiving it, and the somewhat complex process to claim help will all have contributed."

The government said it had spent more than 50m "supporting 130,000 households without a domestic energy supplier".

This data suggests just over 300m of the possible 360m in Great Britain had not been claimed before the deadline.

People who thought they were eligible needed to apply on the government website or call a helpline, which is what Mark, who lives on his narrowboat, did.

"A lot of people [on canal boats] tried to put an application through for claiming for it [but] we hit a barrier when it said: 'Do you live in a marina or are you off grid?'

"The minute you clicked 'off grid' you went through to a box that said 'you are not eligible at this time'."

Mark uses three and a half bags of coal for his multi-fuel stove each week in winter. He had been paying around 9 per bag but last winter the price nearly doubled.

"[The 400 payment] would've been a great help. That money's had to come from somewhere so it's had to come out of the rest of my budgeting or my savings.

"It would've made my winter a bit easier, maybe I could have spent a bit more money on the grandkids."

Carol says she had to fight for her payment after being rejected several times

A government spokesperson said: "We spent billions to protect families when prices rose over winter, covering nearly half a typical household's energy bill.

"We're now seeing costs fall even further with wholesale energy prices down by over two thirds since their peak.

"We are urging councils to process applications and complete final checks as quickly as possible to ensure all those eligible receive the support they need."

The government said anyone who did not apply before the deadline should visit its Help for Households page.

Carol lives on a park home site south east of Runcorn. She says the application process was simple, but she was forced to apply three or four times because she kept getting rejected.

"We got refused, I don't know how many times. I kept going, I wouldn't give up. Because I thought, 'Why should I give up?' I've worked all my life, I've paid into the system.

"[The 400] was very important because 99.9% of people on these sites are all retired and a lot of them only have a basic pension, or maybe a bit of a top-up pension.

"But it's not going very far because food's gone up, petrol's gone up, so the 400 was absolutely a godsend."

Park homes were the largest single group seeking the 400 support, with 47,400 households out of the 203,580 who applied.

Tenants in private accommodation had the highest rejection and cancellation rates, with 47% of applications from this group being stopped. Applications were rejected if people had already received support, made a duplicate application or were not eligible.

The Office for National Statistics estimated that about 137,000 care home residents in England pay for some or all of their care, and these were eligible to apply for the support.

There were just under 22,000 applications from households in care homes across Great Britain.

Chart displaying which types of households applied for and got the 400 energy help

In a similar scheme for Northern Ireland, 28,000 households were eligible for 600 worth of support, totalling around 16.8m.

There were just over 8,000 applications in Northern Ireland from those without a domestic electricity supply, with just over 4,000 already paid by 1 June 2023 and 160 awaiting payment.

Of the rest, just over 2,700 were cancelled or rejected and just over 1,000 were still being worked on. This means almost 23,000 Northern Ireland households may have missed out on an estimated 13.6m.

You can hear more on this story on the Money Box podcast.

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Cost of living: Tackling it together

Here are some energy saving ideas from environmental scientist Angela Terry, who set up One Home, a social enterprise that shares green, money-saving tips:

Get a water-efficient shower head free of charge from your water company and use showers rather than baths

Consider loft insulation, which she says costs around 460 for a typical semi-detached home and could save 355 a year on gas bills

Hang out washing instead of using a tumble dryer

Use windy days to feel where draughts are in the house. Wetting the back of your hand helps to locate them, then use insulation or draught-proofing tape

What can I do if I can't pay my energy bill?
Weather records are falling like dominoes around the globe this summer.

The Earth's unofficial average temperature broke records last week. Daily high temperatures broke records in South Florida and Arizona. A Texas heat dome broke records in June and it was the planet's warmest June on record.

The dizzying headlines are unlikely to slow down over the next few weeks, or in the years to come as climate change reshapes the world's weather, making natural events more extreme.

"Theres a definite chance we will see record daily highs being broken a few more times over the next four to six weeks," said Robert Rohde, lead scientist for Berkeley Earth, an independent non-profit focused on climate analysis.

Here's why:

It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which drives global temperature trends because it has the most land surface.

Marine heat waves are expected to increase from covering 40% of the world's oceans and seas in June to 50% later this summer, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

El Nino is warming up the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and is forecast to intensify and linger through at least the end of the year.

The steady influence of global warming.

Here's a breakdown to understand the records and how they're calculated and set.

The sun rises over downtown Austin on another hot day on June 30, 2023.

Could this year be the warmest on record?

It is actually almost a certainty that this will be the warmest year globally, Michael Mann, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told USA TODAY. We can expect that combination of factors to supercharge weather events this summer in the form of extreme heat waves, drought, wildfire and flooding events."

A month ago, after processing May temperature data, Berkeley Earth put the odds of a record warm 2023 at 54%, slightly better than a coin flip, Rohde said.

Updated odds haven't been calculated yet, but "now that June has come up as a scorcher, the probability has certainly increased, Rohde told USA TODAY. Its now more likely than not that 2023 will set a new record for the warmest annual average.

The current record for warmest year is 58.69 degrees over the global land and ocean, set in 2016, during the last El Nino. Last year's global average was just below that, 58.44 degrees.

How is the global average temperature determined?

For roughly the last 40 years, the average temperature has been derived from a data set that includes observations from satellites, land and the atmosphere, Rohde said.

To look at global average temperatures from the 1970s and earlier, scientists use data from weather stations, oceangoing ships and buoys, he said. Using that method, global temperatures can be reconstructed dating back to around 1850. Thats how scientists know its "as warm as it has ever been since humans began using technology to measure the temperature of the Earth," he said.

How are other US weather records defined?

The National Weather Service collects data from weather monitoring stations across the country and keeps track of records, including daily highs and lows, the daily, monthly and annual average of the highs and lows, total rainfall, total snow and maximum wind gust.

The data can be complex, and the National Weather Service runs information submitted from individual weather stations through quality control routines to catch outlier values that appear to be unreasonable or inconsistent with nearby stations. Comparisons on the number of records broken among stations from year to year is difficult because a station established 35 years ago would break more records than stations taking measurements since the late 1800s.

While maximum and minimum temperatures are obvious, two other categories can be more confusing. A cool maximum occurs when the warmest temperature for the date is lower than it's ever been before. These records still occur, but happen less frequently than warm records

A warm low occurs when the lowest temperature for a date is higher than it's been before. This record occurs more often.

Records are reported in the following ways:

Daily records : If, for example, it was 90 degrees in Daytona Beach on any given date and it had never been that high before on that date, it's a new daily record for that date.

Monthly and annual records : These can be used to describe days, months and years, including the average of the highs and lows combined.

All-time record: When it's the highest or lowest temperature, rainfall or snow ever in recorded history at any given monitoring station, it checks all three boxes: a daily record, a monthly record and an all-time record.

Are warm records being broken more often?

Yes. Statistically weather records could be compared to a bell curve, with the most frequently observed temperatures along the high peak of the curve and the unusually warm and cold temperatures at either end where the curve tapers off, said Karin Gleason, chief of the monitoring section at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

But, in stations across the globe, the curve has shifted to the right, Gleason said. Average temperatures have increased, and the frequency of new warm records being set has increased. Rainfall records also are set more often.

"We're seeing more precipitation in high-intensity events than we have historically at a lot of stations," Gleason said.

They've also documented a steep, rising trend in overnight low temperatures in many locations, driven by high humidity and clouds that hold in heat and interfere with overnight cooling. In many cases, she said, warmer overnight lows are pushing average temperatures higher more than the daily highs.

What global temperature record was broken during the week of July 4?

A new daily global record of 63 degrees was set Thursday, according to data from the University of Maine's Climate Reanalyzer. Climate Reanalyzer takes daily temperature and satellite observations and puts them into a model that constructs a representation of the temperature across the Earth on a daily basis, and dates back to 1979. Thursday's high surpassed a daily high reached the two days before.

What does NOAA say about the apparent record?

NOAA, the official source of global temperatures and temperature records in the United States, said this week it couldnt confirm the announcements from Climate Reanalyzer.

Climate Reanalyzer uses model output from NOAAs National Centers for Environmental Prediction rather than actual temperature measurements and that output cant be used as proxy for actual surface temperatures, the agency stated.

However, NOAA added, We recognize that we are in a warm period due to climate change, and combined with El Nino and hot summer conditions, were seeing record warm surface temperatures being recorded at many locations across the globe.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2023 heat keeps breaking records: What to know amid climate change
US treasury secretary Janet Yellen (left) shakes hands with Chinese vice premier He Lifeng during a meeting (Getty Images)

Janet Yellen said her bilateral meetings with Chinese officials in recent days were direct and productive and even expressed confidence that her brief visit had advanced efforts to put the US-China relationship on a surer footing.

The US treasury secretary on Sunday concluded her four-day trip to Beijing that was Washingtons latest attempt to repair ties with China as the two superpowers have frequently been at loggerheads with each other.

The US and China have significant disagreements, Ms Yellen told a press conference at the US embassy in Beijing, mentioning Washingtons concerns about what she called unfair economic practices and punitive actions against US firms.

But President Biden and I do not see the relationship between the US and China through the frame of great-power conflict. We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive.

On Saturday, Ms Yellen told vice premier He Lifeng that a 2022 record in bilateral US-Chinese trade showed there is ample room for our firms to engage in trade and investment.

Ms Yellen also suggested that the US and China need to communicate better.

Amid a complicated global economic outlook, there is a pressing need for the two largest economies to closely communicate and exchange views on our responses to various challenges, she said, adding that such an effort would help both sides more fully understand the global economic outlook and make better decisions to strengthen our economies.

Ms Yellen said the US would continue to communicate directly its concerns to China (Getty Images)

Moving forward, Ms Yellen said that the US would continue to communicate directly its concerns about specific economic practices and would take targeted actions to protect its national security.

She urged China not to allow any disagreements to lead to misunderstandings, particularly those stemming from a lack of communication, which can unnecessarily worsen our bilateral economic and financial relationship.

Ms Yellen also called for the worlds two largest economies to combat the existential threat of the climate crisis among many other issues.

Additional reporting by agencies
Vice President Cevdet Y?lmaz and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met in Doha Sunday to discuss economic cooperation opportunities ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's planned trip to the Gulf states on July 17-19.





Accompanied by Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet ?im?ek, Y?lmaz arrived in Doha on Saturday to strengthen bilateral relations and explore potential avenues for economic cooperation.





"We discussed relations between the two countries and possibilities of economic cooperation during the productive bilateral and delegation-level meetings," Y?lmaz said on Twitter.





"As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, we plan to hold the 9th High Strategic Committee meetings. We have signed a total of 95 agreements" in eight previous meetings, he said.





"In addition to the new projects we discussed during our visit today, we aim to deepen our cooperation, especially in the defense industry and energy fields," Y?lmaz said, adding that these initiatives are expected to foster closer ties and strengthen mutual interests, serving as a solid foundation for future collaboration between the two nations.





The strategic cooperation between Qatar and Turkiye will continue to contribute to regional stability and economic development, he said, adding friendship and cooperation between the two countries will further advance ties in all fields.





"I would like to express my gratitude to the officials of the State of Qatar, especially Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, for their hospitality," Y?lmaz said.




While running for a Miami congressional seat last year, Ruth Swanson repeated Donald Trumps false claim that he won the 2020 election. Now Swanson, a Republican, is running to oversee all elections in Miami-Dade County as supervisor.

Swanson, an educator, was the subject of multiple videos last year when she answered questions from a TikTok personality conducting interviews at a Trump event.

Ruth Swanson, a former English instructor in China, is running as a Republican for elections supervisor in Miami-Dade County.

Asked who won the 2020 election, Swanson answered Trump in the video posted in February 2022. She said of the U.S. Department of Justice: I think they should have gone and taken what the evidence was in Arizona  and across the nation. They should have done their due diligence, and I dont think they did.

READ MORE: Miami-Dades elections director was ready to run for the job in 24. Now shes not

As Miami-Dade voters prepare to join the rest of Florida in electing their county elections supervisor, the 2020 presidential election is helping define candidates for the soon-to-be partisan office.

Juan Carlos J.C. Planas, an election lawyer and former Republican office holder who joined the Democratic Party as Trump ran for reelection in 2020, cited false claims about President Joe Bidens election as a reason for running for elections supervisor.

Election denialism in the aftermath of the 2020 election shook me to my core, Planas, 52, said in a statement Friday after filing to run at the Election Departments headquarters in Doral. More than any time in my life, our democracy was clearly under attack.

Juan Carlos Planas, a former member of the Florida House and a Democrat, is running for Miami-Dade County elections supervisor in 2024.

Planas served in the Florida House of Representatives between 2002 and 2010 and represented multiple Republican candidates since leaving office, including Miami-Dades former mayor, Carlos Gimenez, now a GOP representative in Congress.

In recent years, Planas became a vocal critic of Republican office holders, calling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a wanna-be dictator in an April Facebook post.

Planas is the third candidate to file for the office of election supervisor, currently an appointed post that reports to Miami-Dades Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava.

In early 2025, the countys Elections Department becomes an independent agency under Floridas Constitution. Miami-Dade is the only Florida county with an appointed elections supervisor, but a 2018 amendment to the state constitution requires voters to elect the supervisor starting in 2024.

Under state rules, candidates for election supervisor compete in partisan primaries, so the Republican and Democratic nominees in Miami-Dade will face each other on the November ballot.

Willis Howard, a Democratic campaign consultant and former North Miami Beach administrator, is running for elections supervisor of Miami-Dade County in 2024.

Willis Howard, a Democrat who is also running for Miami-Dade elections supervisor, emphasized he is a long-time member of his party. Asked about Swansons statements on the 2020 election, Howard said he wants to increase confidence in ballot results by making the countys Elections Department more transparent.

The system does work. Its worked for 200 or 300 years, said Howard, 49, a campaign consultant active in local races and a former chief of staff at the city of North Miami Beach. When folks stop believing in the system, everything starts to crumble.

A former English instructor in China for five years, Swanson said in a 2022 interview that she has been an advocate against the persecution of the mostly-Muslim Uyghur population in China since returning to the United States.

She challenged Gimenez for what was then the 26th District congressional seat in 2022 but did not qualify for the Republican primary ballot.

It was during that race that Swanson agreed to an on-camera interview in a parking lot with Jason Selvig, a host of the Good Liars social-media feeds, which post videos that tend to poke fun at conservatives.

Identified as a Republican congressional candidate, Swanson declined to offer evidence of a stolen election when pressed by Selvig. I dont think I want to go into all of it today, she said.

Reached by phone this week, Swanson, 42, declined to be interviewed or state her position on the 2020 election results. Im not giving my opinion on that. Thank you, she said.

While contradicted by the Justice Department under Trump and state-level investigations, public doubts that Biden won the 2020 election arent fringe in the Republican Party. Trump continues to insist the 2020 election was stolen, and hes the leading contender for his partys 2024 nomination.

In her 2022 campaign website for Congress, Swanson posted a statement from a supporter praising Swanson for unrelenting action for election integrity and fixing the fraudulent election.

At roughly the same time as her Good Liars encounter, Swanson gave an extended interview on the United Patriot Party YouTube channel. She said she joined the executive committee of the Miami-Dade Republican Party as part of a broader effort to bring true conservatives into local party leadership.

We have managed to do some really good things, she said. We are trying to clean up the probable election fraud that has been happening, and trying to prevent it from happening in the future.
Ukrainian commanders who were captured by Russia after leading the defense of Mariupol from the Azovstal steel plant last year have vowed to return to the battlefield following their return home Saturday evening.

The men are among the highest profile fighters to have fallen into Russian hands since the start of the war. They announced their intentions at a news conference held shortly after their arrival in Ukraines western city of Lviv, accompanied by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

They had been flown back from Turkey  where they had been held since September under an agreement reached with Russia  in the same plane that carried Zelensky back from his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Under the terms of their transfer 10 months ago, Turkey had agreed the men would not be handed over to Ukraine until the wars end. It was not immediately clear why Erdogan had apparently violated that agreement with Moscow.

Zelensky welcomes the commanders in Lviv. - Roman Baluk/Reuters

For Zelensky, it appeared to mark another significant achievement from his Istanbul trip, after he had earlier secured strong support from his Turkish host for Ukraines eventual membership of NATO.

The Azovstal siege lasted weeks and made heroes in Ukraine of the men and women who held out for months from February until the end of May 2022. The Russian military has claimed that over 2,000 Ukrainian service members surrendered there.

At the press briefing in Lviv Saturday night, some of the fighters spoke about their experiences in Turkey and shared their expectations of the future.

Denys Prokopenko, a commander of Azov regiment, said: The most important thing for today is that the Ukrainian army has seized the strategic initiative on the front line and is moving forward every day.

Prokopenko said returning to the front line was the reason he and others had returned to Ukraine.

Video footage showed large crowds that gathered in Lviv to greet the leaders.

Azov deputy commander Svyatoslav Palamar described his experience in Turkey using a poem by famed Ukrainian writer Lesya Ukrainka.

We are paraplegics with sparkling eyes, with a strong soul and a weak will. Eagle wings are growing behind our backs but we were shackled to the Turkish soil, he said, adding that Zelensky and his team found the key to take their shackles off.

We will continue to do our job. We are military men. We took an oath, Palamar added.

Zelensky pictured with Azovstal commanders as they return to Ukraine from Istanbul. - Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout/Reuters

Zelensky thanked his team and Erdogan in particular for helping to bring the Azovstal leaders home.

The Ukrainian president also announced his appointment of Oleksandr Pivnenko as new commander of the National Guard.

Zelensky described him as a powerful soldier and combat officer who distinguished himself in the battles against Russian invaders, in particular, in the battles for Bakhmut in his address to the Ukraines National Guard later on Saturday.

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By Steve Holland

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Delaware (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden departed on Sunday on a three-nation trip that will be dominated by a NATO summit in Lithuania aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against Russia while not yet accepting Kyiv as a member of the alliance.

But the challenges of forging solidarity among NATO's 31 member countries were highlighted in a call between Biden and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan before the alliance summit in Lithuania this week, with Sweden's bid for membership in the Western alliance a continued point of contention.

Biden's first stop will be in London, where he will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street on Monday and then travel to Windsor Castle for a visit with King Charles.

The talks with the king, expected to include climate initiatives, will give Biden a greater sense of the man who succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after her death last September.

Biden had tea with the queen at Windsor in June 2021, and they discussed many of the same issues that remain a top priority today, like Russia and China.

Biden will travel on to Vilnius, Lithuania, on Monday night and hold talks with NATO leaders there on Tuesday and Wednesday. Biden and the NATO allies aim to show support for Ukraine and give Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a sense of what will have to be done to gain NATO membership sometime in the future.

In a CNN interview previewing his trip, Biden urged caution for now on Ukraine's drive to join NATO, saying the alliance could get drawn into the war with Russia due to NATO's mutual defense pact.

"I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war," Biden said.

Zelenskiy said an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO would send a message that the Western defense alliance is not afraid of Moscow. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO, and Zelenskiy said that would be one of his goals in Vilnius, in an interview broadcast Sunday.

"I'll be there and I'll be doing whatever I can in order to, so to speak, expedite that solution, to have an agreement with our partners," Zelenskiy said on ABC's "This Week."

The NATO membership of Sweden, whose accession to the alliance has been blocked by both Hungary and Turkey, will be part of the agenda in Vilnius. New members must be approved by a unanimous vote of all existing NATO members.

Biden discussed Sweden's NATO bid with Erdogan in a telephone call, and the two leaders agreed to meet in Vilnius, Erdogan's office said on Sunday.

Erdogan told Biden that Sweden must do more to contain supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which it considers a terrorist group and who continue to hold demonstrations in Sweden, Erdogan's office said.

A centerpiece of Biden's visit to Lithuania will be a speech he will deliver at Vilnius University on Wednesday night.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the speech will cover Biden's vision of "a strong, confident America flanked by strong, confident allies and partners taking on the significant challenges of our time, from Russias aggression in Ukraine to the climate crisis."

One of Biden's objectives is to show Americans back home the importance of continuing support for Ukraine as he faces re-election. Some of his Republican rivals in the race for the November 2024 presidential election have voiced doubts about his strategy.

Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey late last month.

Biden's last stop will be in Helsinki for talks with the leaders of the newest NATO member, Finland, and to attend a summit of U.S. and Nordic leaders.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Franklin Paul, Andrea Ricci and Leslie Adler)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China is tamping down on meetings that provide false information and could harm citizens, state media said, as the authorities step up oversight on what they consider questionable activities in various areas.

The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and 10 other authorities issued a circular calling for a nationwide crackdown on meetings that "disrupt market order, affect social security and stability, and infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of the people," Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

China wants to curb activities like gatherings and forums that collect fees irregularly and schemes that provide participants money, expensive gifts or securities, it said.

The irregular activities include unofficial ventures claiming to be organised by authorities and activities improperly described as "national" "international" or "summits", state media reported.

In its recent crackdown, China has shut more than 100,000 online accounts that it said created fake news and content and has targeted rumours that hurt businesses.

China said in recent years, some unregistered entities have impersonated official institutions or formally organised "cottage" forum activities, or carried out fraud and wealth accumulation through forum activities, infringing on the legitimate interests of the people and disrupting market order.

(Reporting by Bernard Orr and Qiaoyi Li; Editing by William Mallard)
COLDSPRING, Texas (AP)  Sheriff Greg Capers was the classic picture of a Texas lawman as he announced the capture of a suspected mass killer: white cowboy hat on his head, gold star pinned to his chest, white cross on his belt and a large pistol emblazoned with his name on his hip.

For four days, Francisco Oropeza had evaded hundreds of officers after allegedly killing five neighbors when they complained that his late-night shooting was keeping their baby awake. The sheriff said his deputies arrived in 11 minutes, but Oropeza was gone. With the search over, Capers had a message for the victims families.

They can rest easy now, Capers told a row of television cameras in May. The burly sheriff later personally hauled the coward across a town square into court.

But an Associated Press investigation led the sheriff's office to disclose that deputies took nearly four times as long as Capers initially said to arrive at the mass shooting.

The AP also found Capers turn in the national spotlight belied years of complaints about corruption and dysfunction that were previously unknown outside the piney woods of San Jacinto County.

Capers did not directly respond to requests for comment.

What has played out under his watch is indicative of challenges police face across rural America, where small staffs must patrol vast jurisdictions. It also reveals the difficulty in holding powerful law enforcement officials accountable in isolated areas with little outside oversight.

Former deputies said Capers office has long neglected basic police work while pursuing asset seizures that boost its $3.5 million budget but dont always hold up in court.

Deputies did not arrest Oropeza last year after he was reported for domestic violence and never contacted federal authorities to check his immigration status, although immigration officials say he was in the country illegally. Capers department also appears to have done little to investigate after another family's call to 911 reporting a different mans backyard gunfire nearly struck their young daughter.

The county paid $240,000 in 2020 to settle a whistleblowers lawsuit accusing Capers of wide-ranging misconduct. Last year, county leaders hired a police consulting firm to examine the sheriffs office but disregarded its recommendation to have the Texas Rangers public corruption squad investigate.

The LION Institute found evidence that Capers fostered a fear-based culture and oversaw the improper seizure of tens of thousands of dollars of property. The group's report, obtained by the AP, also alleges deputies failed to follow up on reports of 4,000 crimes, including sexual and child abuse.

The sheriff and his inner circle do whatever they want, regardless of law, with no consequence, said Michael Voytko, who spent nearly five years as a San Jacinto County deputy before leaving in 2020 for another law enforcement job. There was no accountability there for any of the deputies.

After the April 28 mass shooting outside Cleveland, 46 miles (74 kilometers) northwest of Houston, Capers second-in-command said the sheriff initially gave his best guestimation about the response time. Chief Deputy Tim Kean added that low pay has left the office short of deputies to patrol the county, where 27,000 people live scattered along dirt roads through thick forest.

Kean also dismissed the consultant's accusations as "straight-up lies" drummed up by the sheriffs political opponents and said the county settled the whistleblower lawsuit to avoid a costly trial.

This place is open any time to the Texas Rangers, Kean said in an interview. Any day they can come in here and go through this whole building top to bottom.

___

In April, as Wilson Garcia and his wife tried to calm their crying baby boy, gunfire from the lot next door echoed off the pines around their house.

Garcia said he walked over and asked Oropeza to take his target practice farther from their home. When Oropeza refused, Garcia and his wife made their first of many 911 calls at 11:34 p.m.

By that point, Oropeza was already on the sheriffs radar.

Deputies were called to Oropezas home at least three times in the prior two years, according to call logs. One came last June, when his wife reported he punched and kicked her, pounded her head on the driveway gravel" and threatened to kill her, court records said. The logs show a deputy arrived 46 minutes later; Oropeza was gone.

An arrest warrant for Oropeza was dropped late the next month after his wife said she didnt want to press charges, according to Kean. She is accused of hindering his apprehension in the mass shooting.

Experts say Oropeza's immigration record barred him from having a firearm. The 38-year-old Mexican national was deported four times before 2016 and illegally reentered the county, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His lawyer, Anthony Osso, declined to comment on his clients immigration status and said Oropeza will plead not guilty to capital murder.

Kean said deputies cant check immigration records themselves and did not contact ICE because they don't find the agency responsive.

The logs do not clarify the nature of all the calls to Oropezas home, but Capers has said his office previously received complaints about the man's gunfire.

Garcia recalled telling his wife to get inside that April night as he watched their neighbor run toward their home, reloading his rifle. At 12:11 a.m., a dispatcher heard gunfire over the open phone line, according to a detailed timeline that the sheriffs office provided to the AP in response to questions.

Deputies arrived on the street five minutes later, which was 42 minutes after the first 911 call, according to the timeline. Garcias wife, his 9-year-old son and three others were dead.

Kean and another sheriffs official said the initial calls came in as harassment complaints about Oropeza shooting on his own property and that some calls required a Spanish translator. They said the three deputies on duty were working on an aggravated robbery and the time it took them to respond was average given the countys size and the area's rough roads.

___

The next day, when Keith and Tiffany Pinkston heard about the shooting, their first thought was, That could have been us.

In January, the family was enjoying a backyard campfire with friends when they said their neighbor began shooting. Bullets blew holes through their fence and one sprayed sandy soil up at their 8-year-old daughter as she ran, screaming, they recalled.

The group scrambled for cover and called 911. When deputies arrived nearly 40 minutes later, the Pinkstons said, they did not ask for the neighbors identification.

Two months later, state police arrested the neighbor on a manslaughter charge in a deadly car crash. Court documents show he was a convicted sex offender who had failed to register with Houston police the year before. His felony record prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

Kean said deputies routinely identify callers and anyone they are calling about, make sure no one is wanted, and look for evidence of gunfire, although he could not say whether they did so at the Pinkstons' home. In logs, deputies wrote that the callers were heavily intoxicated and their neighbor denied having a weapon. The deputies suggested the gunfire was fireworks.

Keith Pinkston, a self-described country boy who often carries a handgun and generally supports police, showed the AP round holes in his fence that he said were from shooting by the neighbor. He called Capers and his deputies worthless.

___

Capers spent decades as a deputy in the Houston-area before being elected sheriff in 2014. He took over a 32-officer force with a history of corruption chronicled in a 1984 book, Terror on Highway 59, and inspired a made-for-TV movie. The book documented how Sheriff James Humpy Parker ran roughshod over the rights of motorists, particularly those of color, in the 1970s. Parker eventually pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges and resigned.

We thought wed gotten over that, County Commissioner David Brandon said. But obviously we havent.

By last year, county commissioners were concerned enough about staff turnover that they paid the LION Institute, the police consulting firm, nearly $50,000 to review the sheriff's office and suggest improvements.

The groups report lays out evidence that the sheriff's staff falsified training records and failed to pursue 4,000 reported crimes over the years, including 106 alleged sexual assaults. The report said Capers dismissed concerns about an affair between a deputy and an informant and brushed aside reports that the same deputy leaked investigative information to suspects.

When LION CEO Mike Alexander tried to present the findings to commissioners in a closed-door meeting in August, he was surprised to find the sheriff there. Alexander, a former police chief, wrote in his subsequent report that Capers presence was analogous to allowing a possible organized crime suspect to be present during a briefing between the investigating detective and prosecuting attorney.

Kean denied deputies neglected investigations, largely blaming an admin screw-up in the departments computer system and saying some victims couldn't identify their attackers. He also said Alexander never interviewed Capers, him or other deputies.

Two commissioners told the AP they deferred to the district attorney, rather than referring the matter to the Texas Rangers. The other two dismissed the inquiry as a witch hunt that rehashed a disgruntled former deputys lawsuit.

That lawsuit, brought by Michael Flynt, accused the sheriff's office of retaliating after he raised concerns about Capers' conduct. Flynt was a retired Houston-area officer whom Capers recruited to run an undercover drug unit in early 2017. The sheriff's office had fired him by June 2018, charging Flynt with forging government documents by allegedly lying on his job application.

Judges eventually dismissed and expunged the charges. Flynt, 57, unsuccessfully ran for sheriff against Capers in 2020.

That year, Capers acknowledged in a deposition that he told a former deputy to scrub Facebook of information about the deputys romantic relationship with a confidential informant in a series of gambling cases. The county settled Flynts lawsuit two months later.

After less than two years working amid Capers' corruption, Flynt said he understands why people hate cops.

___

One local whose life was upended by the gambling busts is Rickie Wood. Even after all charges against him were dropped, Wood said he was unable to recover much of the property deputies seized when they raided his used car dealership in 2015. The items included titles to more than 25 vehicles and his pickup truck, he said.

They took everything that I owned to where I couldnt even operate my business, the 68-year-old said. It was devastating.

Wood presented a list of more than two dozen items to the sheriff's office in 2017 describing some, including his truck, as badly damaged. Others, including two laptops and a Smith & Wesson revolver, were missing.

Kean said the sheriff's office had warrants for the seizures and he wasn't aware of anything being broken or lost, noting that the office keeps a careful inventory of property.

Former deputies said questionable seizures were common, and Capers conceded in his deposition to paying one person $2,815 for missing property, including diamond earrings.

He also said under oath that he may have used seized funds to attend a sheriffs conference in Reno, Nevada, after the commissioners refused to foot the bill.

The sheriff said the trip was for training but acknowledged he also spent some of it gambling. ___

Associated Press videojournalist Lekan Oyekanmi contributed to this report.
By Aidan Lewis and Khalid Abdelaziz

CAIRO (Reuters) -Egypt said on Sunday it would host a summit of Sudan's neighbours on July 13 to discuss ways to end a 12-week conflict between rival Sudanese military factions that has triggered a major humanitarian crisis in the region.

Diplomatic efforts to halt fighting between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have so far proved ineffective, with competing initiatives creating confusion over how the warring parties might be brought to negotiate.

Neither Egypt, seen as the Sudanese army's most important foreign ally, nor the United Arab Emirates, which has had close ties to the RSF, have played a prominent public role.

The two countries were also not involved in talks in Jeddah led by the United States and Saudi Arabia that adjourned last month after failing to secure a lasting ceasefire.

Sudan's two largest neighbours, Egypt and Ethiopia, have been at odds in recent years over the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam on Ethiopia's Blue Nile, close to the border with Sudan.

The summit in Cairo on Thursday aims to "develop effective mechanisms" with neighbouring states to settle the conflict peacefully, in coordination with other regional or international efforts, Egypt's presidency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sudanese delegations, including from civilian parties that shared power with the army and RSF after the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir four years ago, are expected to meet on Monday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for exploratory talks.

The leaders of former rebel groups from Darfur that signed a partial peace deal in 2020 are expected to travel to Chad for talks, though the timing of the talks is unclear and travel in and out of Sudan remains complicated due to the conflict.

AIR STRIKE

The fighting that erupted on April 15 in Sudan's capital Khartoum has driven more than 2.9 million people from their homes, including almost 700,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries, many of which are struggling with poverty and the impact of internal conflict.

Over 255,000 have crossed into Egypt, according to latest figures from the International Organization for Migration.

There were clashes on Sunday between the army and the RSF in El Obeid, southwest of Khartoum, as well as in the south of the capital, residents said.

On Saturday, Sudan's health ministry said a strike by fighter jets in Omdurman, part of Sudan's wider capital, left 22 people dead, an incident that drew condemnation from U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

On Sunday, the army denied responsibility for the strike, saying its air force had not hit targets in Omdurman the previous day and that the RSF had bombarded residential areas from the ground at times when fighter jets were in the sky before falsely accusing the army of causing civilian casualties.

The army has depended largely on air strikes and heavy artillery to try to push back RSF troops spread across Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, the three cities that make up the capital around the confluence of the Nile.

Violence has also flared in other parts of Sudan including the western region of Darfur, where residents say militias from Arab tribes along with the RSF have targeted civilians on the basis of their ethnicity, raising fears of a repeat of the mass atrocities seen in the region after 2003.

(Additional reporting by Mohamed Waly and Omar Abdel-Razek, Writing by Hatem Maher and Aidan Lewis; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
By Ezgi Erkoyun and Kanishka Singh

ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden expressed a desire to see Sweden join NATO "as soon as possible" in a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in which they discussed Sweden's bid to become a member of the Western alliance, the White House said on Sunday.

Turkey, along with Hungary, has been a stumbling block to Sweden's bid, which requires unanimous approval by all NATO members.

Erdogan told Biden that Stockholm has taken steps in the right direction for Ankara to ratify its bid, referring to an anti-terrorism law, but said these steps were not useful as Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) supporters continued to hold demonstrations in Sweden, the Turkish presidency's communications directorate said separately on Sunday.

Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement.

The leaders agreed to meet face-to-face in Vilnius, Lithuania, at an upcoming NATO summit and discuss bilateral relations and regional issues in detail, the Turkish presidency also said.

On Thursday, Sweden failed to convince Turkey to lift its block on Stockholm's path to NATO membership in a foreign minister-level meeting, as Ankara requested more action in the fight against terrorism.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would convene a meeting between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, abandoning policies of military non-alignment that had lasted through the decades of the Cold War in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While Finland's NATO membership was green-lighted in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden's bid. Stockholm has been working to join at next week's NATO summit in Vilnius.

During their call, Biden and Erdogan also discussed the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, and Ukraine's aim to join NATO, according to the Turkish presidency's readout.

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Peter Graff and Leslie Adler)
METAIRIE, La. (AP)  A former Catholic priest in Louisiana has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to drugging and molesting 17 men he met in a popular tourist area in New Orleans, a prosecutor said.

WVUE-TV reported that Stephen Sauer, 61, targeted people in the city's French Quarter who appeared drunk, lost or in need of help, according to Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul D. Connick Jr.

The crimes occurred from 2019 to 2021, and many of the victims were visiting from out of state, Connick said.

The investigation began in 2021 after Sauer sent a computer to an electronics repair company in New York. A technician found hundreds of images suggesting sexual assaults had occurred. New York law enforcement officials determined the images were taken in Metairie and notified the Jefferson Parish sheriff.

The prosecutor said Sauer put narcotics in men's drinks at bars or gave them sleep-inducing drugs after they passed out from drinking. He then drove the victims to his home in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, where he photographed or videotaped the unconscious men and molested some of them.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office found during its investigation that Sauer shared the images with others through a website or by email.

Sauer was sentenced Friday after he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of sexual battery, nine counts of third-degree rape, 17 counts of video voyeurism and 16 misdemeanor charges of possessing drugs without prescriptions and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Judge Shayna Beevers Morvant gave Sauer the 25-year sentence, ordered him to register as a sex offender and banned him from contacting 12 of the victims.

Detectives identified many victims because Sauer took photographs of their drivers licenses or other forms of identification, Connick said.
China's He Lifeng welcomes Janet Yellen during a meeting in Beijing

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has just concluded a four-day trip to China, aimed at rebuilding bridges between the two countries.

Was the trip to Beijing a success? Well, by one very basic metric, yes.

The US and China are once again talking to each other, face to face, politely and respectfully, if not warmly.

It's a stark contrast to trans-Pacific communication during the Donald Trump administration, which was done largely via the megaphone of social media.

The tone and the content from both sides is more positive and more measured. Ms Yellen's trip follows US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's high-stakes visit in June, where both countries pledged to stabilise relations.

At the end of her trip on Sunday, Ms Yellen said it would help to build a "resilient and productive channel of communication with China's new economic team". That should not be discounted.

In March this year, much of the top tier of China's government was replaced with men whose primary qualification is loyalty to leader Xi Jinping. Key among them is the country's new economic chief, He Lifeng.

On Saturday Janet Yellen spent much of the day with Mr He. She said their talks had been "direct, substantive and productive", while admitting that the two sides had "significant disagreements".

Throughout her visit Ms Yellen sought to persuade her Chinese hosts that under President Joe Biden, America is not fundamentally hostile to China.

"We do not see our relationship in terms of great power conflict", she said, and "we do not seek to decouple" our economies from each other.

It appears the Biden administration is trying to demonstrate that its China policy is not simply a continuation of the Trump administration's open hostility to Beijing. Did she succeed? We are still waiting to hear from the Chinese side.

But as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. And from Beijing's perspective, some recent actions of the Biden administration are anything but friendly.

Key among them is the imposition of export controls on certain US microchips that are used in the development of artificial intelligence.

Janet Yellen spoke a press conference at the US embassy in Beijing

Far from being eased, the US is now moving to widen those restrictions to other high-tech exports to China, while leaning hard on its allies, from Japan to Germany, to the Netherlands, not to supply China with the means to make the most cutting-edge microchips.

America's motivation is simple: It doesn't want China to have easy access to American technologies that could give it an edge in things like AI, and in military technologies that could one day be used against the US in a future conflict over, for example, Taiwan.

All of this means that while dialogue has re-opened, and looks set to accelerate in the coming months, the process is delicate.

Progress made in the last few days could very easily be knocked back by another "spy balloon" incident, or a close call between US and Chinese naval ships or aircraft.

Even the most optimistic experts believe this is now a very difficult relationship that will require careful, long-term management by both sides in order to keep it stable.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet on Sunday decided that Israel would work to prevent the collapse of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA), but did not offer any concrete steps to do so.

Israel has been stepping up military operations against armed groups in the occupied West Bank, where the PA has limited autonomy.

The volatility has laid bare the weakness of the PA in the face of hundreds of Palestinian militants and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Netanyahu's office said his security cabinet had decided to act to prevent the collapse of the PA, though it was not a unanimous decision. His coalition includes far-right parties that oppose Palestinian statehood.

Eight members of the top-level forum voted in favor, with one voting against and one abstaining.

The statement said Netanyahu and his defense minister would bring forward "steps to stabilize the civil situation in the Palestinian arena," but did not give any specifics.

Set up 30 years ago as part of interim peace accords with Israel, the PA has seen its popularity shrivel amid allegations of graft, incompetence and widely hated security cooperation arrangements with Israel.

There is also uncertainty over the position of 87-year-old Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas has defied prophecies of an end to his two decades in power and refused mounting demands to go, even as prospects of a lasting peace with Israel look more distant than ever.

In an interview with CNN broadcast earlier on Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden warned that the PA "has lost its credibility, not necessarily because of what Israel's done, just because it's just lost its credibility, number one, and, number two, created a vacuum for extremism."

"It's not all Israel now on the West Bank, all Israel's problem, but they are a part of the problem," he said, referring to nationalist cabinet members bent on expanding Jewish settlements.

For Palestinians, Netanyahu's far-right government has made worse an already bleak outlook, with violence surging and Jewish settlements set to expand in the West Bank - among territories where Palestinians hope to build a future state.

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Hugh Lawson and David Holmes)
(Reuters) - Russian air defence systems shot down two missiles on Sunday, Russian officials said, one over the annexed Crimean peninsula and another over Russia's southern Rostov region that also borders Ukraine.

A cruise missile was shot down near the city of Kerch on the Crimean peninsula, without inflicting any damage or casualties, Russia-installed Governor Sergei Aksyonov wrote on the Telegram messaging app. He did not specify where the missile had been launched from.

Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, but is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.

Local officials said traffic movement on the Crimean Bridge that links the peninsula to the Russian mainland was restored after an apparent suspension. No reason for the traffic halt was given.

In another incident, air defence shot down a Ukrainian missile in Russia's Rostov region, Governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram.

"There were no casualties. The debris partially damaged the roofs of several buildings," Golubev wrote.

Moscow regularly accuses Ukraine of attacks against targets inside Russia. Kyiv has denied this, saying it is fighting a defensive war on its own territory.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alexander Marrow, William Maclean)
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare arrives in China on Sunday for his first visit since striking a security deal, pledging to "remain neutral" amid rising China-U.S. competition and prioritise his nation's development needs.

Western analysts said Sogavare would be feted after signing the security pact that alarmed Washington and some Pacific Islands neighbours including Australia last year. Concern over China's naval ambitions in the strategically-located region prompted Washington to strike a defence agreement with Papua New Guinea last month.

Sogavare highlighted his focus on infrastructure in a speech to mark the 45th anniversary of independence from Britain on Friday, where he said bigger countries were jostling for influence.

"We want to remain neutral because it is not in the interest of our people and country to take sides and align ourselves with interests that are not our interests. Our national interest is development," he said.

The need for infrastructure on islands outside the capital Honiara was urgent, he added.

Already, Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is building a cellular network financed by a $66 million Chinese EXIM bank loan, prompting concern by a parliamentary committee about the debt burden, and a Chinese state company will redevelop Honiara's port.

On a week-long trip funded by Beijing, Sogavare will open the nation's embassy, meet Chinese companies, and visit Jiangsu and Guangdong, his office said.

"The relationship continues to thrive and expand, a testament of a serious connection," his office said.

China's foreign ministry said China and the Solomon Islands had "contributed to peace, stability and development in the region", and the two countries leaders would discuss international and regional issues.

In a local television interview, Sogavare said the Solomon Islands was dependent on aid from Australia, but was shifting its foreign policy to look for opportunities with China, as well as India and Gulf states.

Sogavare came to power in 2019, switching the nation's diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing.

Honiara will host the Pacific Games in November. China has constructed the stadium, is advising on security, and will train 80 Solomon Islands athletes arriving in China this week.

"The timing is about the Pacific Games, the athletes are being sent over, and showing gratitude... this is the domestic theatre of Chinese foreign policy," said Graeme Smith, a Pacific affairs experts at the Australian National University.

Sogavare will be feted as "this small nation that dares to stand up to the U.S. and to stand up to Australia," he added.

Solomon Islands has one of the closest relationships with China in the region, said Meg Keen, director of the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands program.

"With the Pacific Games and elections coming up, Sogavare will be seeking resources for national and political advantage," she said.

"It is not a zero-sum game," she added. Sogavare will leverage geopolitical rivalries to also accept aid from the U.S. and Japan.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Kim Coghill)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean opposition lawmakers sharply criticized the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog on Sunday for its approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They met with Rafael Grossi in a tense meeting in Seoul that took place while protesters screamed outside the door.

Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agencys director general, arrived in South Korea over the weekend to engage with government officials and critics and help reduce public concerns about food safety.

The IAEA last week approved the Japanese discharge plans, saying the process would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts. South Koreas government has also endorsed the safety of the Japanese plans.

In his meeting with members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Korea's parliament, Grossi said the IAEAs review of the Japanese plans was based on transparent and scientific" research. He acknowledged concerns over how the Japanese plans would play out in reality and said the IAEA would establish a permanent office in Fukushima to closely monitor how the discharge process is implemented over the next three decades.

Our conclusion has been that this plan, if it is carried out in the way it has been presented, would be in line, would be in conformity with the international safety standards, Grossi said.

The lawmakers responded by harshly criticizing IAEAs review, which they say neglected long-term environmental and health impacts of the wastewater release and threatens to set a bad precedent that may encourage other countries to dispose nuclear waste into sea. They called for Japan to scrap the discharge plans and work with neighboring countries to find safer ways to handle the wastewater, including a possible pursuit of long-term storage on land.

The party has also criticized the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for putting people's health at risk while trying to improve relations with Japan.

If you think (the treated wastewater) is safe, I wonder whether you would be willing to suggest the Japanese government use that water for drinking or for industrial and agricultural purposes, rather than dumping it in the sea, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party lawmaker who attended the meeting, told Grossi. The party said Woo has been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days to protest the Japanese discharge plans.

Further details from the meeting werent immediately available after reporters were asked to leave following opening statements. Closely watched by parliamentary security staff, dozens of protesters shouted near the lobby of the National Assembly's main hall where the meeting was taking place, holding signs denouncing the IAEA and Japan.

Grossi was to fly to New Zealand later on Sunday and would then travel to the Cook Islands as he further tries to reassure countries in the region about the Japanese plans.

Hundreds of demonstrators had also marched in downtown Seoul on Saturday demanding that Japan scrap its plans.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plants cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the facility, has been storing the treated water in hundreds of tanks that now cover most of the plant and are nearly full. Japanese officials say the tanks must be removed to make room to build facilities for the plants decommissioning and to minimize the risk of leaks in case of another major disaster. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons in early 2024.

Japan first announced plans to discharge the treated water into the sea in 2018, saying the water will be further diluted by seawater before being released in a carefully controlled process that will take decades to complete.

The safety of Fukushimas wastewater has been a sensitive issue for years between the U.S. allies. South Korea and Japan have been working in recent months to repair relations long strained over wartime historical grievances to address shared concerns such as the North Korean nuclear threat and Chinas assertive foreign policy.

In a statement released by state media on Sunday, North Korea also criticized the Japanese discharge plans, warning against fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment." The statement, which was attributed to an unidentified official in North Koreas Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, also criticized Washington and Seoul for backing the Japanese plans.

What matters is the unreasonable behavior of IAEA actively patronizing and facilitating Japans projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable, it said. Worse still, the U.S. and (South) Korea openly express unseemly welcome to Japans discharge plan that deserves condemnation and rejection, provoking strong anger of the public.
Some people think the office is dead. New York developer Michael Shvo is betting big the office is still very much alive  so long as its plush as a Mandarin Oriental hotel, cozy as a hedge-funders Hamptons spread, and designed by a starchitect who wont work for just anyone.

Shvo, the rising real-estate powerhouse who ducked into Miami Beach to rescue the legendary Raleigh Hotel, is staying for something else: to turn the resort city into a place of productivity, and not just play, for the working uber-rich.

And that, he said, means offices unlike anything Miami Beach  or even Miami, for that matter  has ever seen.

Shvo, whos undertaken a high-profile, $500 million restoration and expansion of the Raleigh, the 1940 beachfront Art Deco gem thats been closed since 2017, is simultaneously working to develop three luxe office buildings on either end of Lincoln Road Mall. The office projects alone are expected to require another $690 million. He puts his total investment in Miami Beach at close to $2 billion.

Hes hired the architectural firm of British superstar Norman Foster for two office projects, and luxury-retail architect Peter Marino for a third. Miamis Kobi Karp is collaborating on all three. Karp and Marino are also working together on the Raleigh renovation and the new Rosewood Residences tower next to it.

Its no coincidence all three office projects are within walking distance of the historic Raleigh. Shvo said he found only bad product when he looked for working space for himself no more than a short stroll from the hotel property, where he plans to live part-time at the Rosewood Residences.

Tatiana Soboleva, a tourist from Paris, France, walks through Soundscape Park in Miami Beach on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Two of developer Michael Shvos office building projects will face Soundscape Park, the popular venue for films and concerts by the New World Synmphony.

I am a big believer that the office environment shouldnt be less attractive than your home environment, Shvo said. The same reason Im using Peter Marino to design the Raleigh and to design office buildings for me is because I want my office building to feel like the Raleigh. I want my office building to feel like Im in a hotel. I want the service level to be the same. I want the design aesthetics to be the same. There is no reason that when one goes to work their experience should be inferior to what they have in their private residence.

Shvo has become a national figure following a multibillion-dollar spree of acquisitions of landmark and historic office buildings in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, including the California citys iconic Transamerica Pyramid, at a time when the office market in those cities is cratering.

But Shvo thinks prime office buildings will hold their value if carefully refurbished and repositioned. The Pritzker Prize-winning Foster + Partners designed the Transamerica tower rehabilitation for Shvo.

Developer Michael Shvo stands on the terrazzo floor in the lobby of the gutted South Beach landmark Raleigh Hotel, which he bought for $103 million in 2019. Shvo is spending $500 million more to restore the 1940 Art Deco hotel and two smaller, abutting historic hotels, while adding a luxury condo tower in the rear.

In Miami Beach, Shvo has secured development, design and historic-preservation approvals for two new buildings and one gut-renovation  of the familiar, if foreboding, clock tower building at Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue. He said he is also looking at a fourth, undisclosed site.

Were designing a product for a very specific customer, Shvo said. The customer lives in Miami Beach and wants to be in Miami Beach, and doesnt want to drive 45 minutes each way to Brickell. The idea is that the missing component in Miami Beach is great, Class-A trophy office, because everything else is here. You have great restaurants, you have great beach, you have great weather, you have great houses. What you dont have is great office.

Here are thumbnails of the three projects:

Developer Michael Shvo plans to refurbish the clock tower building with a new design, shown in this rendering, by Britains Foster + Partners and Miamis Kobi Karp Architecture. The remade 1957 bank building will have its dark cladding replaced with open terraces and clear windows.

 407 Lincoln Road, the so-called clock tower. Shvo is under contract to buy the 13-story 1957 office condo building, erected originally for the Miami Beach Federal Savings and Loan. Its the tallest on the outdoor mall, and a familiar landmark because of the digital clock on top that gave the building its nickname  though the timepiece hasnt worked since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The planned total cost for acquisition and reconstruction is $300 million. Construction is expected to start in early 2024.

The city historic preservation unanimously approved the plan. Although the pedestrian mall is a protected historic district, the board concluded the building exterior does not possess any historic or architectural distinction.

The design plan by Foster + Partners calls for gutting the towers interior to its skeleton and stripping off its dark glass, aluminum and brick skin. The refurbished tower, which would pack in 130,300 square feet of office space, aims to meet high-performance energy-use and sustainability standards, a Foster hallmark, and boast a new white, terraced exterior with big clear windows and a rooftop amenity deck.

It would also get new digital clock.

Located across the street from Lincoln Road Mall, The Alton will rise six stories. The building, shown in a rendering, will have offices ranging between 50,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet.

 The Alton, encompassing most of a city block between 1656 Alton Road and 1677 West Ave. The property includes the site of the famed Epicure Market, which was open from 1945 until it closed because of damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017. A porcelain plaque with the markets name still adorns one of the shops old entrances on Alton Road.

Shvos $300 million project, consisting of all new construction, will have six stories and 203,722 square feet of offices across Alton Road from the west end of Lincoln Road Mall. Shvo closed on the property in June 2022. The site is not designated as historic by the city. Construction is expected to start in early 2024.

An aerial photo shows the Alton Road site once partially occupied by Miami Beachs famed Epicure Market, which was open from 1945 until it closed because of damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017. The building will be replaced by a six-story luxury office building. In this photo, people walk across Alton Road near the future sight of new office building on June 21, 2023.

The green building by Foster + Partners, in collaboration with Karp, envisions an open, set-back and low-slung design with landscaped outdoor terrace rooms and panoramic views from the offices. The project will also include a pedestrian passageway through the middle connecting Alton and West Avenue.

 One Soundscape Park, a $90 million project, will replace a parking lot and a slender, nondescript 1999 office building at 1665 and 1667 Washington Ave. with six floors of boutique offices designed by Marino and Karp.

The site sits across the avenue from the city park that serves as a venue for projected films and concerts by the New World Symphony. Shvos clock tower also backs up to the park.

Construction on One Soundscape is expected to start late this year. Though the properties are in a historic district, the city determined the existing building is too new to merit consideration as a historic or architectural landmark.

That will benefit Lincoln Road and it will support local businesses and restaurants, Shvo said of his office projects.
At least eight people ages 15 to 18 were injured in a shooting after an argument broke out between two groups at a house party in El Paso, Texas, authorities said Saturday.

The shooting happened Friday night at a house where El Paso city police said over a hundred people were in attendance by the time officers arrived, according to a statement.

The investigation revealed there was a party being held at a residence and uninvited guests arrived to the party, the news release stated.

As an argument began, a shooter began firing into the crowd, striking several people, authorities said.

Several people were fleeing when officers arrived, police said. The departments gang unit responded to assist with the investigation.

The shooting victims included two 16-year-old girls, three 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl, according to police.

Two 18-year-olds also were hurt, police said.

Six of those injured were transported to hospitals with non life-threatening injuries, according to police.

The shooting is among over 360 mass shootings to occur in the United States so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

There have been 2,146 US shootings this year where children ages 12 to 17 have been injured, the archives data shows.

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By Andrea Shalal

BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States has repeatedly referred to a senior Chinese central banker as the head or acting head of the People's Bank of China (PBOC) in recent days, appearing to confirm his expected elevation to the top post.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen referred to PBOC Deputy Governor Pan Gongsheng, whom she meet during a series of meetings with top Chinese officials, as the head of the central bank during a press conference ending her visit to Beijing on Sunday.

The ruling Communist Party named Pan the PBOC party chief on July 1, a move that two policy sources said put him in position to succeed Yi Gang as central bank governor for the world's second-biggest economy, a position nominated by the government.

The Treasury Department was already referring to Pan as central bank head after Yellen met him on Friday. She also met Yi and other officials including Premier Li Qiang, during her four-day visit.

Asked to clarify her remarks on Sunday, Yellen said: "It's up to the Chinese side to decide and to announce their decision, but I did meet with the acting governor of the PBOC at this point, and we had very good discussions."

The PBOC and China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries on behalf of the government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

Pan, 60, has been deputy governor since 2012 and is China's top foreign exchange regulator. The expected elevation of the financial technocrat, who has done research at Cambridge and Harvard universities, points to growing concerns within the country's leadership over systemic risks in its sprawling financial sector, policy insiders and analysts say.

Governor Yi has been widely expected to retire since being left off the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee during the party's once-in-five-years congress in October.

The apparent leadership shift comes as expectations rise for the authorities to take steps to boost the flagging economy. A slowdown is deepening and spreading with the waning of a burst of activity that followed the lifting of strict COVID-19 controls.

Yellen emphasized the importance of the U.S. and China cooperating on global challenges in her meeting with Pan, during a trip aimed at improving communications between two sides at odds over issues including trade and security.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Beijing; Additional reporting by Reuters Beijing newsroom; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by William Mallard)
CAIRO (Reuters) - United Nations' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the air strike that reportedly killed at least 22 people in Sudan on Saturday, according to a statement released by a spokesperson early on Sunday.

At least 22 people were killed and scores injured in an air strike by Sudan's army on western Omdurman city, the Khartoum state health ministry said on Saturday, as the war between the country's military factions entered its 12th week.

The secretary general is also appalled by reports of large-scale violence and casualties across Sudan's Darfur region, according to the statement released by Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesperson.

"He is also concerned about reports of renewed fighting in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing," it added.

Guterres reiterated his call for the Sudanese Armed Forces and its rival Rapid Support Forces to cease fighting and commit to a durable cessation of hostilities.

(Reporting By Moaz Abd-Alaziz, Editing by Franklin Paul and Kim Coghill)
US congressional Democrats raise concerns on cluster bombs for Ukraine FILE PHOTO: 155mm Base Burn Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM) rounds wait to be loaded in South Korea

By Kanishka Singh and Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and Representative Barbara Lee raised concerns on Sunday over the decision by President Joe Biden's administration to send cluster bombs to Ukraine to combat the Russian invasion.

The United States said on Friday it would supply Kyiv with the widely banned bombs as part of a new $800 million security package that brings total U.S. military aid to more than $40 billion since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Rights groups and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have questioned Washington's decision on the munitions.

Kaine said he had "some real qualms" about the U.S. decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine because it could inspire other countries to sidestep an international convention barring the munitions.

"It could give a green light to other nations to do something different as well," Kaine told Fox News Sunday. However, he added he "appreciates the Biden administration has grappled with the risks."

"They're not gonna use these munitions against Russian civilians," Kaine, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of Ukraine's potential use of those bombs, adding Kyiv had given assurances that were outlined by the White House.

Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, told reporters on Sunday that Ukraine in its written assurances said it would not use cluster bombs in Russia or in populated areas.

Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed on to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons.

They typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode pose a danger for decades after a conflict ends.

Lee urged the Biden administration to reconsider the step.

"Cluster bombs should never be used. That's crossing a line," she told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, adding the United States risked losing its "moral leadership" by sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby defended the decision and said the United States was very focused on demining efforts in Ukraine.

"We are very mindful of the concerns about civilian casualties and unexploded ordnance being picked up by civilians or children and being hurt," Kirby said in an interview with ABC's "This Week."

"But these munitions do provide a useful battlefield capability," he said. He added that Russia is using cluster munitions in Ukraine and "indiscriminately killing civilians," while the Ukrainians will be using them to defend their own territory.

Support for Ukraine amid Russia's invasion has mostly been bipartisan in the United States. The Biden administration and many U.S. lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties have defended the decision to send the controversial weapons to Ukraine, saying they were needed to accelerate Kyiv's counteroffensive.

Republican U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said Ukraine's counteroffensive was going slowly and that the cluster bombs could be a "game changer" for the Ukrainians.

"They would be a game changer in the counteroffensive. And I'm really pleased the administration has finally agreed to do this," McCaul told CNN on Sunday.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Joey Roulette, Additonal reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)
The US will send cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package, national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed on Friday, following months of debate within the Biden administration about whether to provide Kyiv with the controversial weapons banned by over 100 countries, including key US allies.

Im not going to stand up here and say it is easy, Sullivan told reporters. Its a difficult decision. Its a decision we deferred. Its a decision that required a real hard look at the potential harm to civilians. And when we put all of that together, there was a unanimous recommendation from the national security team, and President Biden ultimately decided, in consultation with allies and partners and in consultation with members of Congress, to move forward on this strategy.

President Joe Biden approved the transfer of the munitions this week, officials told CNN. CNN first reported last week that the administration was strongly considering the move, as Ukrainians forces have struggled to make major gains in their counteroffensive against Russia.

Throughout the conflict, the US has, in the face of intense lobbying, gradually agreed to Kyivs requests for more aggressive weaponry, including Patriot Missile systems and modern tanks. But the decision to send cluster munitions marks a watershed moment with the Biden administration agreeing to send a weapon that most countries have agreed should have no place in modern warfare.

Biden said in an interview with CNNs Fareed Zakaria on Friday that it was a difficult decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions for the first time but that he was ultimately convinced to send the controversial weapons because Kyiv needs ammunition in its counteroffensive against Russia.

It was a very difficult decision on my part. And by the way, I discussed this with our allies, I discussed this with our friends up on the Hill, Biden said, adding, The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.

The munitions will be compatible with the US-provided 155 mm howitzers, a key piece of artillery that has allowed Ukraine to win back territory over the past year, according to the Pentagon. In a statement announcing a new round of aid to Ukraine, the Defense Department said the US will be providing 155mm artillery rounds, including DPICM, or Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions  the type of cluster munition the US currently has in its stockpiles.

Dr. Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, told reporters on Friday that Ukraine gave assurances in writing that it would not use the cluster munitions in urban areas that are populated by civilians, and that there would be a careful accounting of where they use these weapons.

Risk to civilians

Cluster munitions scatter bomblets across large areas that can fail to explode on impact and can pose a long-term risk to anyone who encounters them, similar to landmines. Over 100 countries, including the UK, France and Germany, have outlawed the munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but the US and Ukraine are not signatories to the ban.

German defense minister Boris Pistorias said Friday that providing the munitions to Ukraine is not an option for Berlin because it is a signatory to the convention. But he declined to weigh in on the US decision to do so. Those countries that have not signed the convention  China, Russia, Ukraine and the US  it is not up to me to comment on their actions.

Human rights advocates have condemned the move. Human Rights Watch said in a report on Thursday that transferring these weapons would inevitably cause long-term suffering for civilians and undermine the international opprobrium of their use.

Biden will overrule statutory restrictions imposed by Congress on exporting munitions with a greater than 1% dud rate  the munitions the US is set to provide may have a dud rate of up to 2.35%, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Thursday. Biden will invoke Section 614 of the Foreign Assistance Act to waive those restrictions, a defense official said, which allows the president to provide foreign aid regardless of export restrictions if it is in the national security interest of the United States.

The dud rate refers to how often the bomblets the munition scatters across a large area fail to explode, posing a long-term risk to civilians who may encounter them later. A higher dud rate means more of the scattered bomblets will fail to explode on impact. Ryder said the Russians have been using cluster munitions with a dud rate as high as 40%.

Kahl reiterated Friday that the Pentagon would not be providing munitions with a dud rate over 2.35%, a rate which was demonstrated through five comprehensive tests conducted by the Department of Defense between 1998 and 2020.

Ukrainian officials have been pushing the US to provide the munitions since last year, arguing that they would provide more ammunition for Western-provided artillery and rocket systems, and help narrow Russias numerical superiority in artillery.

Biden reluctant at first

Biden was reluctant at first, officials told CNN, given how many countries worldwide have banned the munitions.

But changing battlefield conditions inside Ukraine over the past three weeks prompted US officials to give them renewed and serious consideration, and the Pentagon recommended to Biden that the munitions be provided to Ukraine at least on a temporary basis until non-cluster ammunition is able to be resupplied, officials said.

It is not clear whether the heavy amount of artillery ammunition the Ukrainians have been expending day-to-day would be sustainable without the cluster munitions if the counteroffensive drags on, officials and military analysts said. Biden ultimately agreed with their assessment.

A defense official provided more information to CNN on Saturday about how the US military tested the cluster munitions that the Biden administration plans to send to Ukraine, to make sure that the munitions have a dud rate of 2.35% or lower.

The defense official said the testing of the munitions was executed via live fire, as opposed to a simulated or virtual test, and the most recent tests were conducted in 2020 at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona by Joint Munitions Command employees.

During the testing, a sample set from each lot in the test group is fired and the number of unexploded bomblets is assessed and recorded, the official said. That data is then compiled to develop the report, which includes dud rates.

The official said that the types of cluster munitions the US is planning to send, the M864 and M483A1 models, were most recently tested in 2020 and 2017, respectively.

We set aside 40 rounds from each of the 11 lots tested, the defense official said. A lot is essentially a batch of ammunition, and the rounds were randomly selected by employees at the US Armys Joint Munitions Command where the rounds are stored.

The official said the munitions were tested in multiple ways, including through air burst and ground point detonation, and from multiple distances, ranging from 15 to 30 kilometers.

There are also multiple ways that the duds are counted to include photo tracking systems, acoustic systems and manual observation, the official said.

Critics have raised questions about the militarys testing process, including whether it was done under ideal conditions or tested under different weather and terrain conditions that might affect how the munition reacts. The defense official did not address whether the munitions were tested under those different conditions.

Russias ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, said the US decision was a move of desperation.

As part of the continued assistance to the Kiev regime, Washington is considering the possibility of sending cluster munitions to Ukraine. There has been talk about it since spring, Gryzlov told Russian state news agency TASS on Friday.

Now, the hawks in the West have realized that the much-advertised counter-offensive of the Ukrainian armed forces did not go according to plan, so they are trying at all costs to give at least some impetus to it. In fact, it is a move of desperation, Gryzlov said.

CNNs Jeremy Herb and Radina Gigova contributed reporting.

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The American president touched down at Stansted Airport near London on Sunday

US President Joe Biden has landed in the UK ahead of a Nato summit in Lithuania later this week - which comes after several allies questioned his call to send cluster bombs to Ukraine.

The UK and Canada are among those who voiced concern about supplying the bombs, which are widely banned because of the danger they pose to civilians.

The US says they are needed because Ukraine's weapon stocks are dwindling.

On Monday, Mr Biden will meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The two men are expected to discuss various issues, including the war in Ukraine.

Mr Sunak has not directly criticised his US counterpart following Friday's cluster bomb announcement - but on Saturday he said that the UK was one of 123 countries signed up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty which bans the production or use of the weapons.

Other US allies have gone further, however. Nato partner nation New Zealand said on Sunday the munitions could cause "huge damage to innocent people".

Cluster bombs typically release lots of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Unexploded bomblets can linger on the ground for years before they detonate.

The US says it has received written reassurances from Kyiv that Ukrainian troops will not use the weapons in Russia or in urban areas.

While in the UK, Mr Biden will also meet King Charles for the first time since the King was crowned.

Members of Nato - a military alliance of 31 Western nations - will then meet in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday. Boosting ammunition stockpiles and reviewing defence plans will be on the agenda.

Finland will attend its first summit since joining in April, and plans from Sweden to follow suit have been blocked by Turkey, which accuses it of harbouring terrorists. Mr Biden is expected to seek support from Mr Sunak to help broker a deal with Turkey.

Ukraine harbours its own ambitions of joining Nato. But speaking to CNN before his trip, Mr Biden said this could not happen until the war was over - in line with the alliance's long-standing policy.

Citing Nato's mutual defence pact, Mr Biden pointed out that members undertake to protect "every inch" of each other's territory - meaning that "if the war is going on, then we're all in war".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously accepted this position, while requesting a "signal" that his country will be able to join the alliance when the war is over. He is expected to attend this week's summit.

The US decision to fulfil a Ukrainian request for cluster bombs came on Friday. Officials said this was part of a military aid package worth $800m (626m).

Mr Biden told CNN it had been a "very difficult decision" but that he had eventually acted because "the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition".

But a number of Nato allies quickly distanced themselves from the decision.

Canada and Spain - both member states - added their own opposition to that of New Zealand.

"No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defence of Ukraine, which we understand should not be carried out with cluster bombs," Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles said.

But Germany, another signatory of the treaty and Nato member, said that while it would not provide such weapons to Ukraine, it understood the American position.

One of the concerns surrounding their supply is their failure - or dud - rate. Unexploded bomblets can indiscriminately detonate.

But the US has said its cluster bombs fail less frequently than those Russia is already using in the Ukraine war.

Ukraine has promised the weapons will not be used in civilian areas and will monitor and report on their use, but Russia dismissed these assurances as "not worth anything".

A potentially awkward visit

Analysis box by Frank Gardner, security correspondent

This is, potentially, an awkward visit coming at a critical time for the US-led Nato alliance.

President Biden may not have intended to cause offence by skipping King Charles' coronation in May, but his absence was noted.

Then there is the business over who should be the next secretary general of Nato. The UK and the Baltic states favoured the British Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, who has been instrumental in galvanising Western support for Ukraine.

But without US backing, that's a non-starter - and Mr Biden instead appears to favour the former German defence minister and European Commission head, Ursula von der Leyen.

And there is also the row over cluster bombs. The UK is among 123 nations to ban these weapons which can cause indiscriminate harm to civilians.

But the US is going ahead, in the heat of international criticism, in supplying them to Ukraine as its forces struggle to break through Russia's defences in the south of Ukraine.

But Mr Biden's stopover in Britain is so brief that any cracks in the transatlantic alliance are likely to be smoothed over by warm handshakes and ample protocol.
BlackRock's Larry Fink isnt the only CEO no longer using the now-controversial acronym ESG.

ESG  which stands for a focus on environmental, social, and corporate governance principles  was mentioned by just 74 S&P 500 companies on corporate conference calls held during the first-quarter earnings season, according to data gathered by FactSet.

That was the lowest count in nearly three years and down from a peak of 156 in the fourth quarter of 2021. Executives are now more likely to mention artificial intelligence (AI), which garnered 110 mentions in calls held from March 15 through June 9.

The ESG mentions could fall again when companies begin to release their second-quarter results in the coming weeks.

"Something drastic happened in the past year or so," said Erick Mokaya, lead author of The Transcript, a newsletter devoted to trends in earnings calls.

Dont expect to hear the term at all when BlackRock (BLK) reports on July 14. Its boss, Fink, stated recently that he now refuses to say ESG because the term has become "weaponized" and "misused by the far left and the far right."

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The pledge was notable because Fink had become a corporate face of that trend over the last decade thanks to years of annual letters to investors that urged long-term investors to consider responsible ESG practices when evaluating companies.

These comments earned him critics from both sides of the ideological spectrum. Some on the right accused him of "woke capitalism." Some on the left said Fink's own firm didnt go far enough to reduce its own exposure to climate issues by divesting from oil and gas investments.

BlackRock also became the target of high-profile efforts by state officials, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, to pull public pension money from BlackRock. Florida withdrew $2 billion from the firm as punishment for its ESG stance.

The political focus around the issue keeps ratcheting upwards. House Republicans are aiming to make July into 'ESG month on Capitol Hill as they undertake efforts to reverse the trend toward do-good investing. The once-dry investing term has also become a mainstay issue on the 2024 GOP presidential campaign trail.

'We aren't getting this one right'

Mokaya pointed to one moment last September as a key turning point for how ESG is treated by the c-suite.

It was then that JPMorgan Chase (JPM ) CEO Jamie Dimon appeared before Congress and questioned much of the ESG orthodoxy, saying "we arent getting this one right."

Dimon argued that a more nuanced approach to things like climate practices was needed.

"Since then, a lot more CEOs have gotten bolder" about questioning previous ESG strategies and downplaying the term, said Mokaya.

Some investors have also pulled back. Inflows into US sustainable funds hit their lowest level in seven years last year in 2022 amid the growing backlash, according to a report from Morningstar. The outflows continued through the first half of 2023, according to Refinitiv.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

July is 'ESG month'

The outflows and declining mentions on CEO calls coincide with rising heat in the political arena that is expected to continue in the coming months.

DeSantis has signed a sweeping law to bar state officials from investing public money in ESG efforts. DeSantis has also taken the issue to his presidential campaign where he likes to brag that his bill kneecapped" ESG.

Florida is not alone, either. There are currently 26 states proposing anti-ESG investing bills according to a recent study by Morgan Lewis.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to reporters on June 20. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The activity on the campaign trail comes as the House of Representatives plans their own focus on the issue in the month of July.

US lawmakers are set to make proposals to change the rules that govern asset managers as Republicans in the House look to further roll back the trend.

Shareholder activism will also be under the microscope as will the Biden administration's handling of the issue. A hearing about "protecting investors" is scheduled before the House Financial Services Committee on July 12.

ESG "is clearly politicized in the US and that's something asset managers and lending institutions just have to deal with," TD Cowen Managing Director John Miller recently said.

Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

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You have to admire the moxie of authors and filmmakers who set their science-fiction spectaculars in the very near future, essentially confronting viewers with what may seem a pretty outlandish forecast for their own lives. Those that pull it off present us with possibilities resonant enough to ponder, even when theyre too far-fetched to actively fear: So it proves in Restore Point, a sharp, high-shine sci-fi outing from the Czech Republic, in which earthly life after death is routine, a cellular rather than spiritual matter.

Set in an unspecified (though Czech-speaking) central Europe in the year 2041, director Robert Hlozs whopper of a calling-card debut may offer a more credibly subdued, budget-constrained visual of the mid-21st century than the lavishly built Blade Runner 2049  unless were in for a drastic design (r)evolution over the course of the 2040s  but its ideas are sky-high in concept. Marrying glossy mainstream genre aesthetics to probing, elaborately conceived speculative storytelling, this is a notably ambitious and auspiciously well-realized first feature for Hloz: the kind that appears to be flaunting his capabilities for even bigger international and Hollywood assignments.

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It could well net them, too, if Restore Point breaks out beyond Czech borders. The signs so far are good. U.S.-based outfit XYZ Films will release the film Stateside, and has further closed deals in Australia, New Zealand and multiple European territories; following its home premiere in Karlovy Varys Special Screenings section, it will make its North American debut at the genre-specific Fantasia fest. An English-language remake is not at all hard to imagine, though as it is, the material doesnt stand much to gain from more expensive treatment.

In brisk expository brushstrokes, Hloz and co-writers Tomislav Cecka and Zdenek Jecelin lay the scene: Rising economic equality has led to a huge spike in violent crime, with the average citizens likelihood of being murdered such that authorities have declared a constitutional right to be revived in the event of an unnatural death. Enter Restore Point: a technology that can, in the manner of a video game, back up and reboot human life to its last saved point, thanks to cellular regeneration. (The script is adept in the kind of movie science that makes enough sense in the moment, even if it doesnt bear close scrutiny.)

Its a utopian idea for a grimily dystopian world, though not everyone has embraced it: Among the holdouts is a rebel band of activists branding themselves the River of Life, who resort to terrorist acts to state their ethical opposition to scientists playing god. When David Kurlstat (Matej Hadek), the head researcher at the pioneering Restoration Institute, and his wife turn up murdered, all signs point to the protestors: More surprising is that neither has a valid backup point to enable their revival.

Tough police agent Em Trochinowska (a terse, purposeful Andrea Mohylova, cast from similar steel to Noomi Rapace) is assigned to the case, which proves not quite so cut and dried. Restoration Institute CEO Rohan (Karel Dobry) is oddly uncooperative, while Ems investigation is continually obstructed by aggressive Europol agents: David, resurrected via some roundabout plotting, is along for the ride. The ensuing tangle of conspiracy upon conspiracy is convoluted but never uninvolving, given heft and interest by knotty considerations of the political, economic and environmental factors defining this chaotic future  where, with death now off the table, taxes are the last certainty left.

This makes for a talkier enterprise than a U.S. studio version of the premise would likely be, but not dully so  Restore Point never feels stymied by its budget (not inconsiderable by Czech production standards, but frugal relative to many of the films genre touchpoints), instead taking equal interest in the verbal and visual expansion of its ideas. (Aurally the film is less exciting, with a conventionally pile-driving score supplemented by Debussys Clair de Lune as an overly recurring motif.) Hloz can certainly mount a tight, pulsating action setpiece when he wants to, but the film, coming in efficiently under two hours, isnt crammed with unnecessary chases or surplus gunfire, keeping its powder dry ahead of a twisty, fighty finale.

Its on the design and effects front that Restore Point is most effective and resourceful, digitally embellishing existing brutalist architecture with holographic intrusions and scrolling information-burst screens to build a world in an advanced state of progress and decay. Outside the city, glassy, hard-edged solar farms stand in for countryside, as far as the eye can see; gnarled, sprawling factories fill the remaining space, silhouetted behind their own smog. Hlozs smart, far-reaching debut answers many of its questions, but leaves audiences to consider one for themselves: If this is the future awaiting us, do we really want to live in it twice?

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Torsten Muller-Otvos, the CEO of Rolls-Royce, shared his favorite details of the new Spectre. Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce's first electric car is here: the $420,000 Spectre.

We talked to the brand's CEO about his favorite details of the new model.

He loves its elegant rear lights and brake pedal that closes the driver's door.

Rolls-Royce's first electric car, the $420,000 Spectre, has arrived.

At a press event marking the EV's launch, the brand's CEO, Torsten Muller-Otvos told Insider he's proud of what Rolls-Royce has achieved in a big-picture sense  by transplanting the essential character of a Rolls into a vehicle with a completely novel powertrain and fuel source.

But when asked about his absolute favorite parts of the new model, a few smaller, more subtle details sprang to mind.

Those taillights

Rolls-Royce says the taillights look like "islands in a lake." Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce is renowned for painstakingly making sure every detail on a vehicle is as elegant as possible.

Look closely at the Spectre's taillights and you'll notice they're single, uninterrupted parts, plunged into a smooth, uninterrupted body panel. Rolls-Royce says this sophisticated look is meant to evoke "islands in a lake."

Most cars' taillights are broken up by a trunk lid, or butt up against a gap in the bodywork. That makes things easier, the brand's design director, Anders Warming, said. But the Spectre isn't most cars.

Engineering the Spectre's taillights was a feat, he said. Rolls-Royce

Achieving that look and making sure everything was water-tight took lots of engineering, Muller-Otvos said.

"The effort we've put into those rear lights to give them that shape and also more or less stick them into the body was quite something," he said. "We finally got there, and it works."

A grille? On an EV?

The Spectre's grille pushes air around the car instead of sucking it in. Rolls-Royce

What's a Rolls-Royce without its iconic, upright grille? It's such a recognizable design element that Rolls-Royce decided to keep it for the Spectre, even though there's no radiator or engine up front.

"I also love the detail of the Pantheon grille, because that was also something not in any way debatable," Muller-Otvos said. "You might argue you don't need a grille because there is no cooling air needed, but obviously this is such a signifier of our brand that we said it's unthinkable not to have one."

A pink Rolls-Royce Spectre. Rolls-Royce

Muller-Otvos said the company went to great lengths to adjust the grille's design so it would deflect air around the car and aid aerodynamics. In an EV, every bit of drag you can eliminate adds driving range.

A brake pedal with a new feature

Rolls-Royce cars have doors that swing shut automatically. Rolls-Royce

Every new Rolls has doors that electronically swing shut at the push of a button. The Spectre introduces a new feature that makes things even more effortless. Now all you need to do is hop in and press the brake pedal, and the driver's door closes automatically.

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Separate manhunts were continuing simultaneously on Monday afternoon for two of three murder suspects who escaped from custody in separate incidents that occurred across the country in a four-day span, authorities said.

One of the fugitives, 35-year-old Eric Abril, suspected in a Northern California hostage-taking homicide and shootout with police, was captured on Monday afternoon just miles from a hospital he escaped from early Sunday, authorities said.

The latest fugitive to escape was identified as Chadwick Shane Mobley, 42, alleged to have absconded from authorities in Montana on Sunday while being taken to Michigan to face charges in the 2011 slaying of a 20-year-old woman, who was found fatally shot in the basement of a relative's home, according to officials.

Employees of a private transport company contracted by the U.S. Marshals Service were driving Mobley from the Lincoln County Jail in Libby, Montana, to Michigan on Sunday when he managed to slip out of his handcuffs and ankle shackles and bolt from custody around 10 a.m. local time at a gas station in Plains, Montana, according to the Sanders County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's officials said Mobley is considered dangerous and warned residents of Plains, a small town of about 1,100 people, to keep the doors of their homes and vehicles locked and to immediately call 911 if they spot the fugitive.

PHOTO: Fugitives, from left, Chadwick Shane Mobley, Eric Abril and Michael Burham. (Plains Police, Placer County Sheriff, Warren Police Dept.)

Mobley was arrested on June 28 in Lincoln County following a nationwide manhunt.

Mobley's escape came just hours after Abril escaped just after 3 a.m. Sunday from a medical facility in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville, where he was supposed to be under 24-hour surveillance, Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said at a news conference.

Woo said a sheriff's deputy spotted Abril shortly after he escaped but lost him during a brief foot chase.

Abril, described by authorities as a "very dangerous fugitive," was captured about 12:45 p.m. in a Rocklin, California, residential neighborhood, about 6 miles from the hospital he escaped from, officials said.

"I know there's a lot of questions surrounding this case, specifically, surrounding the circumstances regarding the escape," Woo said. "Quite frankly, I have a lot of questions, as well. I can assure the community that when the time is right there will be a thorough investigation into how this was able to occur and whether there were any policy violations."

Abril was arrested on April 6 after he allegedly shot a California Highway Patrol officer in an ambush while wearing body armor and took two hostages at gunpoint at a park, killing one and wounding the other, according to police. He was arrested when he was injured during a shootout with law enforcement officers, authorities said.

Woo said Abril was taken to the Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, the facility he escaped from, on Thursday for an undisclosed medical issue.

PHOTO: A search was launched on July 9, 2023, for 35-year-old Eric Abril, a suspected murderer, who authorities said escaped from the Sutter Roseville Medical Center near Roseville, Calif. (Placer County Sheriff's Office)

Abril's escape came as a massive manhunt was already underway for murder suspect Michael Burham more than 2,000 miles away in northern Pennsylvania.

The 34-year-old Burham, a suspect in homicide and rape cases in Jamestown, New York, escaped Thursday night from the Warren County Jail in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

Burham, who authorities described as a "self-taught survivalist" with military experience, remained on the run Monday.

PHOTO: The Jamestown Police Department released this booking photo of Michael Burham. (Jamestown Police Department)

Army spokesman confirmed to ABC News that Burham served as a water treatment specialist and utilities equipment repairer in the Army Reserve from February 2008 to December 2020. Burham had no deployments and held the rank of Sergeant at the end of service.

Burham was last seen around 11:20 p.m. Thursday wearing an orange-and-white-striped jumpsuit, a denim jacket and a pair of Crocs, state police said.

Burham escaped from the recreation yard by climbing atop exercise equipment and exiting the yard through a metal-grated roof, Warren County spokesperson Cecile Stelter told reporters during a news conference Friday. Burham then used bed sheets tied together to lower himself to the ground and flee on foot, she said.

More than 165 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers are involved in the search for Burham, authorities said.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a news conference Monday afternoon that the search remains focused on the Northern Pennsylvania, where evidence found at several campsites has been linked to Burham.

Bivens said investigators believe Burham is receiving some kind of external assistance.

We do believe that he is getting some assistance. From where or what that type of assistance is, Im not prepared to comment on, Bivens said.

Pressed by ABC News on whether Burham could have gotten inside help with his escape, Bivins responded, "I can tell you that is being thoroughly investigated."

Residents in and around the city of Warren have been advised by authorities to lock their doors and windows and were warned that Burham should be considered armed and dangerous.

MORE: 2 escaped inmates, including convicted murderer, found after multistate manhunt

Bivens described Burham as a "self-taught survivalist" who "could be potentially holed up in a wooded area near the city," he said.

Assuming Burham is hiding out in the local woods, Bivens described the plan to continue pushing Burham, increasing his desperation and making him susceptible to capture.

We continue to make sure that were putting pressure on him and we wont know until we capture him just how close we really are, Bivens said.

The search is challenging due to the rugged and steep terrain, Bivens said. "It is taking a lot of time and effort to search those areas," he noted.

Burham was arrested on May 24 after leading authorities on a multi-state manhunt. At the time, there were three warrants issued for his arrest, including one stemming from charges he raped and unlawfully imprisoned a woman on March 13 in Jamestown, authorities said.

MORE: NY Prison Escape: Inmates Kept Notes About Escape Plan on Cell Walls, Source Says

Burham was previously named a person of interest in the killing of 34-year-old Kala Hodgkin on May 11 in Jamestown, police said. Amid the latest manhunt, Jamestown police are now referring to Burham as a suspect in that case.

During the previous manhunt, Burham allegedly kidnapped an elderly couple at gunpoint on May 20 in Sheffield, Pennsylvania, and drove them to North Charleston, South Carolina, where he was arrested, according to the FBI.

In the new search for Burham, a $9,500 reward is being offered for information that leads to his apprehension, state police said.

Stelter told ABC News that in the previous manhunt, Burham lived in the woods for multiple days, demonstrating his survivalist abilities.

ABC News' Peter Charalambous and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

1 of 3 suspected murderers who escaped from custody in separate incidents captured originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth can go into effect  at least for now  after a federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily reversed a lower court ruling.

Last month, a district court judge in Tennessee found that the state's new law banning transgender therapies like hormone blockers and surgeries for transgender youth was unconstitutional because it discriminated on the basis of sex. The judge blocked large swaths of the law from taking effect.

On Saturday, however, the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati granted an emergency appeal from Tennessee. In a 2-1 ruling, the majority wrote that decisions on emerging policy issues like transgender care are generally better left to legislatures rather than judges.

Given the high stakes of these nascent policy deliberations  the long-term health of children facing gender dysphoria  sound government usually benefits from more rather than less debate, wrote Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton, an appointee of former President George W. Bush.

Tennessees attorney general, Jonathan Skrmetti, praised the ruling, saying the ban can now be fully enforced. The case is far from over, but this is a big win, he said in a statement.

The ruling is preliminary, and remains in force only until the appeals court conducts a full review of the appeal. Sutton wrote that the appeal process will be expedited, with a goal of resolving the case by Sept. 30.

Tennessee is one of at least 20 states across the country that have recently enacted bans or restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Federal judges in Indiana and Kentucky have blocked those laws from taking effect, while a judge in Arkansas struck down that state's law.

Sutton acknowledged that other judges have ruled differently.

We appreciate their perspectives, and they give us pause, he wrote. But they do not eliminate our doubts.

Judge Amul Thapar, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, joined White's ruling. A third judge, Helene White, dissented in part and concurred in part.

White  who was first nominated by former President Bill Clinton and later nominated by Bush  ruled that she believes the Tennessee law is likely unconstitutional, but said she would not have applied her ruling statewide, as the district court did. She said she would have limited her ruling to apply only to the nine plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit and to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where some of the plaintiffs had sought care.

I fail to see how the state can justify denying access to hormone therapies for treatment of minor Plaintiffs gender dysphoria while permitting access to others, especially in light of the district courts robust factual findings on the benefits of these treatments for transgender youth, White wrote.

Gillian Branstetter, a spokesperson with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the Sixth Circuit is the first federal circuit to allow a ban on transgender health care for minors to go into effect. The Sixth Circuit covers Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky.

The ACLU, its Tennessee chapter and two law firms called Saturdays ruling beyond disappointing and a heartbreaking development.

As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want all the transgender youth of Tennessee to know this fight is far from over and we will continue to challenge this law until it is permanently defeated, the joint statement said.

The federal government has also filed its own challenge to the Tennessee law.

The law bans health care providers in the state from offering hormone treatments or surgeries for transgender youth where the purpose is to allow the child to express a gender identity inconsistent with the immutable characteristics of the reproductive system that define the minor as male or female.

Tennessees Republican-dominant General Assembly, as well as some Democratic lawmakers, passed the law after Vanderbilt University Medical Center was accused of opening its transgender health clinic because it was profitable. Videos surfaced of a doctor there touting that gender-affirming procedures are huge money makers. Another video showed a staffer saying anyone with a religious objection should quit.

___

Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise contributed to this report from Nashville, Tennessee.
Sgt Kim is carrying out a one-man protest outside embassies in Seoul

Sgt Kim Jae-kyung stands, unflinching, outside the Colombian embassy in Seoul, dressed in full military gear. The day before, he was in front of the Dutch embassy. The day before that, it was the Greek.

This one-man demonstration by the former special forces soldier is his way of showing gratitude to all 22 countries who sent troops or medics to support South Korea after it was invaded by its neighbour North Korea in 1950. Now he wants his country to help Ukraine, following its invasion by Russia in February 2022.

"We are lucky enough to now be the 10th most prosperous country in the world, because of the foreign soldiers who shed their blood and sweat for our country," the 33-year-old says.

It is this rationale which led him to the battlefield in Ukraine, where he served on the front line for four months alongside the Ukrainian army, as an anti-drone gunner and combat medic for the 3rd Battalion of the International Legion.

Kim is one of just a handful of Koreans known to have defied his government's orders, by heading to Ukraine to fight. As he entered the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, shortly after the region was reclaimed from the Russians, he witnessed first-hand what he describes as "horrendous, evil, war crimes".

This is why - in his mind - South Korea must now do more to help the Ukrainian war effort.

Sgt Kim travelled to Ukraine to fight, against the wishes of the South Korean government

Weeks into its counter-offensive, Ukraine is burning through ammunition faster than its allies can produce it.

Meanwhile South Korea is cautiously sitting on one of the biggest stockpiles in the world. With its own conflict with the North still unresolved, it doesn't know when it might need the bullets.

Not only this, but with its flourishing defence industry, it is turning out tanks and other weapons at a speed that countries in Europe can only dream of.

Ever since the start of the Ukraine war, pressure has been building on Seoul to send its arms to Kyiv, from the US, UK and EU member states. They have invited the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to next week's Nato summit in Vilnius.

Ukraine's Ambassador to South Korea, Dmytro Ponomarenko, told me ahead of the summit that he believed South Korea's weapons could "change the course of the war".

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky recently made a similar plea in the Korean press.

"Please remember that 70 years ago, Korea was in desperate need of help. The whole world reached out to Korea in defence of justice and freedom. Ukraine today is like Korea 70 years ago," the leader said.

But, despite signing up to all international sanctions on Russia, and providing Ukraine with more than $200m of humanitarian aid, the government has drawn the line at sending lethal weapons.

Publicly politicians have been able to hide behind a long-standing policy of not arming countries in conflict, but privately many worry about antagonising Russia. Before the war, in 2021, the two countries conducted $27bn worth of annual trade. Seoul also hopes, somewhat wishfully, that Russia might be able to keep North Korea in check.

"The Russians have made it very clear to us that weapons are their red line, and that if we cross it, they will retaliate," a South Korean diplomat told me recently.

South Korea has sold arms including tanks such as this to Poland

This retaliation may come in the form of economic sanctions, or, more concerningly for Seoul, support for North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. The Russian politician and former president Dmitry Medvedev hinted in April that Moscow could supply Pyongyang with the latest technology for its nuclear weapons if Seoul were to support Ukraine militarily.

Instead, South Korea has taken the more comfortable approach of selling weapons to those who are already arming Ukraine, to help replenish their depleted stocks. Last year it sold $13.7bn worth of tanks, jets and other arms to Poland, followed this year by a huge haul of ammunition - more than 4 million rounds.

And after agonising over whether to provide the US with hundreds of thousands of Nato-standard 155mm shells, a private sale of the artillery has now been agreed. There is little to stop Poland and the US sending these weapons on to Ukraine. Indeed, there are reports (in Korean) that some of the ammunition is in the process of being transferred.

Ramon Pacheco Pardo, the Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance, believes Seoul is aware its shells are being redirected.

"It is difficult for the South Korean government to argue that the country's lethal weapons are being used in Ukraine without its knowledge," he said. Though the South Korean government is refusing to be drawn on the deals, citing "national security concerns", and says its policy on weapons supply has not changed.

Olena Zelenska travelled to Seoul to meet President Yoon in May

But when Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska visited Seoul in May, followed by EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, lethal weapons were mysteriously absent from their list of requests. The feeling among Western diplomats in Seoul is this indirect supply is working well enough, for now.

But Ambassador Ponomarenko is urging the government to do more by sending weapons to Ukraine directly. "We understand this is not easy, so as a first step we are asking South Korea to supply us with defensive rather than offensive weapons, like anti-missile and anti-drone systems," he said.

Some question the difference South Korean weapons would make to the war.

"South Korea's strength is in the post-war recovery phase rather than military support," said Prof Kim Youngjun from Korea National Defence University, who advises the government. "Korea's experience and expertise in building roads, hospitals, schools, telecommunications, will be more useful," he said.

Ambassador Ponomarenko disagrees. "We know that South Korea would like to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, but to start the renovation, we must end the war. And to end the war, we need its lethal weapons," he said.

Kwon Ki-chang, who served as South Korea's ambassador in Ukraine until 2021, thinks his country should agree to Kyiv's request.

He believes South Korea is facing a critical choice, about what it wants to stand for - whether it continues to define its national interest based on economic interests, or whether it wants to champion democracy and freedom.

"We must escape our small country mentality and not be afraid to stand up to Russia, to defend democracy and freedom. We may suffer some short-term economic losses, but we can overcome them. This is the right thing to do."

These K9 howitzers were also delivered to the Polish army from South Korea recently

With Moscow surely aware of Seoul's strategy of indirect supply, one South Korean official suggested it to me, it was not the Russians the government is worried about any more.

A recent poll suggested that 56% of South Koreans oppose such assistance, with 42% in support. With elections next year, the government does not want to give the opposition any metaphorical ammunition.

Though events in Ukraine may force its hand.

Softening his stance, the South Korean president suggested in April that if Ukraine were to come under a large-scale civilian attack, he would consider sending arms. It is said he also sees similarities between the Korean and Ukraine wars.

When the war in Ukraine broke out, some South Korean politicians viewed it as a faraway war. Now they argue it has come too close to home. Few doubt that what happens in Ukraine will change the world, with the impact felt here.

What the South Korean president must decide, as he heads to the Nato summit, is does he want to try to influence the outcome or merely deal with the consequences.

The atrocities witnessed by former soldier Kim Jae-kyung have left him struggling with PTSD, he says, and prone to bursts of anger. He is waiting to find out whether he will be fined for breaking the law, to take part in the war, while his passport has been frozen.

"We must do what we can to end this as soon as possible, and prevent further war crimes," he says.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A U.S. drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, according to the Defense Department.

Three Reapers had been flying overhead searching for the militant on Friday, a U.S. defense official said, when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian aircraft. Shortly after that, the drones struck and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe details of the military operation.

The official said al-Muhajir was in northwest Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually operated in the east.

It was not immediately clear how the U.S. military confirmed that the person killed was al-Muhajir; no other details were provided.

In a statement Sunday, U.S. Central Command said there are no indications any civilians were killed in the strike. The military was assessing reports a civilian may have been injured.

Friday was the third day in a row that U.S. officials complained that Russian fighter jets in the region had conducted unsafe and harassing flights around American drones.

Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement that during the Friday encounter, the Russian planes flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations.

The first friction occurred Wednesday morning when Russian military aircraft engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behavior as three American MQ-9 drones were conducting a mission against IS, the U.S. military said. On Thursday, the U.S. military said Russian fighter aircraft flew incredibly unsafe and unprofessionally against both French and U.S. aircraft over Syria.

Col. Michael Andrews, Air Forces Central Command spokesman, said the Thursday incident lasted almost an hour and included close fly-bys, by one SU-34 and one SU-35 and that they deployed flares directly into the MQ-9.

U.S. officials said the drones were unarmed in the earlier flights, but were carrying weapons on Friday, as they were hunting al-Muhajir.

We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region, said Gen. Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, in the statement.

Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, said this past week that the Russian and Syrian militaries had started a six-day joint training that ends Monday.

Gurinov added in comments carried by Syrian state media that Moscow was concerned about the flights of drones by the U.S.-led coalition over northern Syria, calling them systematic violations of protocols designed to avoid clashes between the two militaries.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) on Sunday said that Ukraine shouldnt be admitted to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) immediately, warning that doing so would put the NATO allies at war with Russia.

I think it should be incremental, McCaul said of admitting Ukraine to the alliance on CNNs State of the Union.

I think first, they have to win the counter offensive. Secondly, have a ceasefire, then negotiate a peace settlement. We cannot admit Ukraine into NATO immediately; that would put us at war with Russia under Article Five, the Foreign Affairs chairman said. Under Article Five of the NATO treaty, an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all.

I think what the conversation is going to be about is what security agreements can be put in place with Ukraine as a predicate to perhaps NATO  ascension of Ukraine into NATO, but I think its way too premature to be talking about that, McCaul said.

Russias war on Ukraine has crossed the 500-day mark as Ukraine pushes its counteroffensive efforts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long argued that Kyiv should be admitted to the alliance of European and North American nations.

Pressed by host Jake Tapper on whether hed support admitting Ukraine to NATO after the war is over, McCaul said it would still have to be done, again, incrementally.

I think a security agreement with Ukraine to lay the predicate down the road. They would have to come up to certain standards within NATO qualifications to be admitted, he said.

McCaul also said Ukrainians have demonstrated a will to fight, a will for freedom and democracy against tyranny and oppression. I think theyve earned it, but we have to put it on the right path forward, not an immediate ascension into NATO.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The world is big enough for US and China, Yellen says as she concludes Beijing trip

The world is big enough for both the United States and China to thrive, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday as she wrapped up a visit to Beijing aimed at stabilizing the relationship between the worlds two largest economies.

Yellen said she had direct, substantive, and productive talks with Chinas new economic leadership, including Premier Li Qiang and Pan Gongsheng, the newly appointed Communist Party chief of Chinas central bank.

No one visit will solve our challenges overnight. But I expect that this trip will help build a resilient and productive channel of communication, Yellen told a news conference in Beijing.

Broadly speaking, I believe that my bilateral meetings  which totaled about 10 hours over two days  served as a step forward in our effort to put the US-China relationship on surer footing.

Chinas Deputy Finance Minister Liao Min said in a statement Sunday the two sides held long and candid meetings and would maintain communication in the future.

Yellens trip marked the second visit by a US cabinet official to the Chinese capital in a matter of weeks as Washington seeks to steer relations with Beijing back on course after months of inflamed tensions.

Yellen speaks to reporters at the US embassy in Beijing on Sunday at the conclusion of her trip. - Thomas Peter/Reuters

In recent months, while pushing to resume high-level diplomatic talks, the US has imposed sanctions on Chinese companies, successfully pushed allies in Japan and the Netherlands to restrict sales of advanced semiconductors to China and rallied other advanced economies to counter Beijings economic coercion.

But Yellen reiterated that the United States is not seeking to decouple from China, which she said would be disastrous for both countries and destabilizing for the world and virtually impossible to undertake.

There is an important distinction between decoupling, on the one hand, and on the other hand, diversifying critical supply chains or taking targeted national security actions, she said.

She said the United States would continue to take targeted actions to protect its own national security interests and those of its allies, while making sure these actions are transparent, narrowly scoped and targeted to clear objectives.

Following Yellens meeting with Chinas Vice Premier He Lifeng Saturday, a report from the official Xinhua news agency appeared to suggest the Chinese side took issue with this approach.

China believes that generalizing national security is not conducive to normal economic and trade exchanges, it said. The Chinese side has expressed concerns about US sanctions and restrictive measures against China.

A way to live together

Yellen said the US and China have significant disagreements that need to be communicated clearly and directly, but noted that the Biden administration does not see US-China relations through the frame of great power conflict.

We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive. Both nations have an obligation to responsibly manage this relationship: to find a way to live together and share in global prosperity, she said.

Yellen said she pressed Chinese officials on Washingtons serious concerns about Chinas unfair economic practices  including barriers to market access for foreign firms and issues involving intellectual property  and worries about a recent uptick in coercive actions against American firms.

Beijings updated counter-espionage law and crackdown against Western consulting and due diligence firms have unnerved US businesses.

Over the past months, Chinese authorities have questioned staff at the Shanghai office of US consultancy Bain & Company, and closed the Beijing office of Mintz Group, an American corporate due diligence firm, while detaining five of its local staff.

Targeted restrictions

Yellen said no final decision has been made to limit outbound investments by US companies in China, when asked about potential upcoming foreign investment curbs that might be implemented by Washington.

I was able to explain to my Chinese counterparts that if we do implement such restrictions, that we will do so in a transparent way, she said, adding any new curbs or sanctions would be highly targeted and clearly directed narrowly at a few sectors where we have specific national security concerns.

I want to allay their fears that we would do something that would have broad-based impacts on the Chinese economy. Thats not the case. Thats not the intention, she said.

The Biden administration is preparing new rules that could restrict US investment in certain sectors in China, according to multiple media reports including from the The Wall Street Journal and Politico.

Yellen said she discussed with Chinese officials areas of cooperation on global challenges, including working together to mobilize multilateral financing for climate action. US climate envoy John Kerry is expected to visit China next, according to US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, though he did not provide a timetable for the trip.

Yellen said she also raised the importance of ending Russias brutal and illegal war against Ukraine, and said it was essential that Chinese firms avoid providing Russia with material support for the war or in evading sanctions.

Warmer reception

Yellens trip followed another high-profile visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June. Compared to Blinken, she appears to have received a warmer welcome  and more positive reporting in Chinese state media.

When Yellen landed in Beijing Thursday, she was greeted by a smiling Chinese official who pointed toward a rainbow that had appeared in the sky, according to a video circulated widely on Chinese social media.

The rainbow was mentioned again by Chinas Premier Li during their Friday meeting as a sign of hope for improvement in relations.

Arent China-US relations like this too? Li said. After the storm, we will definitely see more rainbows.

In addition to the official meetings, Yellens preferred choice of food has received plenty of attention in China.

A Beijing restaurant specializing in spicy cuisine from the southwestern province of Yunnan has seen a surge in customers after it shared photos of Yellens delegation having dinner there on Thursday night, their first meal after landing.

Yellens group liked the wild mushrooms so much, they ordered four dishes made with them, the restaurant said in a Weibo post Friday.

Following her visit, wild mushroom dishes at the restaurants branches across China sold out, it said in a later post.

Yellen, the first woman to head the US Treasury, also invited a group of Chinese women economists for lunch Saturday.

Our people share many things in common, far more than our differences, Yellen told her guests, according to a readout from the US Treasury.

I know we share similar stories and experiences about what a career in economics is like, and the challenges you can face when youre the only woman in the room or at the decision-making table.

In a Twitter post, Qian Liu, managing director of Greater China at the Economist Group who attended the lunch, called Yellen an inspirational role model.

Chip war

Yellens trip came just days after China retaliated in a tech war with the US by announcing restrictions on exports of two strategic materials needed to make semiconductors.

The move was widely seen as a response to the Biden administrations ban on advanced chip sales to China, which was announced last October. According to multiple media reports, the curbs will be expanded to restrict the sale of some artificial intelligence chips.

The sanctions strike at the heart of Beijings tech ambitions, as chips are vital for everything from smartphones, self-driving cars, and advanced computing to weapons manufacturing.

Jake Werner, an East Asia Research fellow at the Quincy Institute in Washington, said it was unlikely Yellens Chinese counterparts would be persuaded by her argument that the US ban is not meant to stifle Chinas economy.

US and Chinese leaders alike consider these technologies foundational to the future of growth. Chinese leaders see the restrictions as an attempt to permanently subordinate China to US power and to coercively exclude Chinese business from the most important industries of the future, Werner said.

This issue will continue to be one of the most poisonous areas of contention within the relationship.

A former Chinese official has indicated that further retaliatory measures may be on the cards.

Even as both Beijing and Washington indicate high-level discussions will continue, the thorniest aspect of bilateral ties  particularly the tussle over access to advanced technology  may fuel more tension in the relationship.

CNNs Laura He contributed reporting.

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He re-energised a nation that had begun to stagnate through the 1990s, shaped the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region.

Over the weekend Japan and much of the world commemorated the first anniversary of the tragic assassination of Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japans history and the most consequential leader of post-war Japan. Shinzo Abe was not just a great son of Japan but also a highly regarded Asian leader and an internationally respected statesman. Above all, for us, he was a true friend of India.

He re-energised a nation that had begun to stagnate through the 1990s, shaped the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region and laid the economic, social, political and security foundations for the emergence of a New Japan in the twenty-first century.

Not surprisingly, therefore, Shinzo Abes shocking assassination on July 8, 2022 has been widely mourned in Japan, in India and around the world. To recall and record his singular contribution to what I call the normalisation of Japan, I invited a few Japanese and Indian scholars to contribute essays for a volume that has just been published. This collection of essays, The Importance of Shinzo Abe: India, Japan and the Indo-Pacific (HarperCollins, 2023) is a record of Abes historic legacy.

Abes special equation with India has many dimensions. His grandfather, Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, was welcomed in New Delhi by Jawaharlal Nehru with great fanfare that deeply touched the psyche of post-war Japan. India was among the first free nations to establish diplomatic relations with post-war Japan.

China, South Korea and many Southeast Asian nations had initially poor relations with post-war Japan, given the history of Japanese imperialism in the region. India stood out as a friend.

While Japans citizens became avowedly pacifist after the experience of being the only nation to have suffered a nuclear attack, there was a brief period in the 1980s when Japanese elite sought to reassert their presence and personality. It was at this time that Shintaro Ishihara and Akio Morita co-authored the famous polemical tract, The Japan That Can Say No (1989), in response to Western bullying and attempts to put a lid on resurgent Japan. The United States had imposed draconian trade restrictions on Japanese imports and the European Union cited competition from Japan as the reason for creating a single market. Yet, Japan remained a subdued geopolitical power, content with being the worlds second biggest economy.

The economic stagnation of the 1990s and Chinas rise after 2000, overtaking Japan to become the second biggest economy, woke Japan up to the reality of a new power play in Asia. This writer was part of a high-level delegation sent to Tokyo by the government of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to explain to a miffed Japan why India had conducted nuclear tests in 1998. By 2006, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed the nuclear deal with the United States, Japan had come around to accepting and sharing Indias security concerns.

It was Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Junichiro Koizumi who in 2005 first initialled a strategic partnership between Asias two great democracies. However, it was Prime Minister Abes 2007 visit to India, and his historic address to the Indian Parliament on what he termed the Confluence of the Two Seas -- Pacific and Indian Oceans, quoting Dara Shikoh, that defined the new phase in the bilateral relationship.

At present, Japan is among the few countries with which India has a virtually problem-free and productive bilateral relationship. Abe is to be credited for this.

He was not only the architect of a new Japan-India relationship but also the principal visionary behind two major geopolitical ideas of our time in Asia  the Indo-Pacific and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue  otherwise known as the Quad. Indias external affairs minister S. Jaishankar -- who knew Abe well -- notes in his preface to my book that: If there is a single individual who can be associated with the emergence of the Indo-Pacific as a strategic reality and the Quad as a cooperative platform, that is unquestionably Prime Minister Abe.

Tomohiko Taniguchi, a former special aide to Prime Minister Abe and one of the authors in my volume, says that Abe regarded Dr Singh as his mentor and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a close friend and partner. Taken together all these are adequate reasons for the initiative I chose to take in editing this volume paying tribute to Shinzo Abe.

But there is another reason as well. In the standard international relations literature in both countries, heavily influenced by Western scholarship, there is an overwhelming tendency to view the India-Japan relationship merely through the prism of Big Power rivalry in Asia, that is the China-US rivalry. While both Japan and India have shared concerns about China and share a friendship with the United States, there is a far more important historical factor defining Indias view of Japan.

From Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore, to Mokshagundam

Viswesvarayya and Jawaharlal Nehru, the intellectual leaders of Indias national movement were inspired by Japans example of being the first industrial nation in Asia that also successfully defeated a European power, namely Russia, in 1905. All four of them wrote eloquently about the need for India to learn from Japan. It is not surprising at all that by the 1940s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose chose to go to Japan in search of support for the cause of Indias liberation.

Post-War Japan turned excessively pacifist, and came to accept Western dominance in world affairs far too easily and sought security in a US nuclear umbrella. The brief moment in the 1980s when there was a Japan that could say no passed too quickly. Funked by Chinas rise Japan was beginning to keep its sights low. Shinzo Abe changed that, seeking the normalisation of Japans status as an Asian nation, campaigning for a change in the countrys Constitution to enable the re-arming of Japan.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas new security and defence policy initiatives have been made politically possible in Japan thanks to the groundwork that had been laid by Abe. Hopefully, Japans new leadership will reinforce Japans independent personality, as Shinzo Abe sought to, and not retreat into the comfort of remaining an occupied nation.
Consistory called for Sept. 30, on the eve of the Synod. Asians include Bishop Sebastian Francis of Penang. Pontiff's "sorrow" over new violence in Holy Land, hope for resumption of "direct dialogue." At Angelus Francis recalls the "things" that God has "hidden" from the wise and revealed to the "little ones" who know how to "welcome" them.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - There are also the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan of Hong Kong and the Bishop of Penang, Malaysia, among the new cardinals named today by Pope Francis at the conclusion of the Angelus in which he recalled the violence in the Holy Land.

The consistory, the pontiff continued, will be held next Sept. 30 - on the eve of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops - for the election of 21 new cardinals, including 18 electors, whose "providence" expresses "the universality" of the Church, which "continues to proclaim God's merciful love to everyone on earth."

Among the new cardinals is the bishop of Hong Kong, a "bridge" to mainland China, a land and people dear to the pontiff's heart amid complicated relations with Beijing authorities over violations of religious freedom and the state of the Sino-Vatican agreement (and the appointment of bishops).

For the Middle East, the long-awaited appointment by the Church of the Holy Land of Patriarch Pizzaballa, in a complicated phase for the region at home to continuing violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

The relentless spiral was also evoked today by Pope Francis, prior to the convening of the Consistory, in which he said he "learned with sorrow" of the "new blood spilled" in the region, not least the massive army operation in Jenin.

The pontiff then hoped that "the authorities" of the two sides "can resume direct dialogue" to "end" the "spiral of violence" and "open paths of reconciliation and peace." Speaking to AsiaNews, former patriarchal vicar Msgr. Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo described it as a "surprise" that has been expected "for more than 20 years."

At the conclusion of the Marian prayer, the pope then greeted a group of Ukrainian pilgrims, once again asking for prayers for a people "so tried" and who "have suffered so much" and the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans for the rescues of migrants at sea.

His thanksgiving that fits in with earlier reflections on todays' marking of Sea Sunday in which he hailed how much they work on ships and in the marine environment, especially in cleaning up the waters "from filth" by entrusting sea workers to the "protection of Mary Star of the Sea."

Earlier, commenting on the words offered by the Gospel liturgy, the Pope recalled how God's "greatness" consists in the love with which he acts, but "is not understood" by those who believe they are great and "manufacture a god [lowercase, ed.] in their own image: powerful, inflexible, vindictive."

"He fails to accept God as Father who is full of himself, proud, concerned only with his own interests." Jesus recalls three wealthy cities of the time-Corazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum-where "he performed many healings," the pontiff points out, but "whose inhabitants remained indifferent to his preaching." Here the miracles were "spectacular events" but exhausted "passing interest" they were "filed away" for other news of the moment.

In contrast, the little ones "know how to welcome and Jesus praises the Father for them," says the pope, according to whom the simple and little ones are like children, feel "needy and not self-sufficient," are "open to God" and are "amazed" by his works.

"Do we know how to be amazed," the pope asked, "at the things of God?"

Francis went on to observe that our lives "are full of miracles," gestures of love and signs of God's goodness, but "our hearts can remain indifferent and become habitual," unable to "let ourselves be impressed," which the pope calls "a beautiful verb," like "a photographer's film." This is the right attitude before the works of God: "photograph them in the mind [...] so that they may be impressed in the heart, and then develop them in life, through many gestures of good."

In the final passage of the Angelus he urges the faithful to ask themselves whether in the face of the "tide of news that overwhelms us" we are capable of stopping "at the great things that God accomplishes" and whether, like a child, we are capable of marveling at the good that "silently changes the world." "May Mary, who rejoiced in the Lord, make us capable," the pope concluded, "of marveling at His love and praising Him with simplicity."

Below is the complete list of new cardinals:

S. H.E. Msgr. Robert Francis PREVOST, O.S.A., prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops

H.E. Msgr. Claudio GUGEROTTI, prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches

S. E. Msgr. Victor Manuel FERNANDEZ, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

S. E. Msgr. Emil Paul TSCHERRIG, Apostolic Nuncio

S. E. Msgr. Christophe Louis Yves Georges PIERRE, Apostolic Nuncio

S. E. Msgr. Pierbattista PIZZABALLA, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

S. E. Msgr. Stephen BRISLIN, Archbishop of Cape Town (Kaapstad)

S. E. Msgr. Angel Sixto ROSSI, S.J., Archbishop of Cordoba

S. E. Msgr. Luis Jose RUEDA APARICIO, Archbishop of Bogota

S. E. Msgr. Grzegorz RYS, Archbishop of odz,

S. E. Msgr. Stephen Ameyu Martin MULLA, Archbishop of Juba

S. E. Msgr. Jose COBO CANO, Archbishop of Madrid

S. E. Msgr. Protase RUGAMBWA, coadjutor archbishop of Tabora

S. E. Msgr. Sebastian FRANCIS, Bishop of Penang

S. E. Msgr. Stephen CHOW SAU-YAN, S.J., Bishop of Hong Kong

S. E. Msgr. Francois-Xavier BUSTILLO, O.F.M. Conv., Bishop of Ajaccio 17- H. E. Msgr. Americo Manuel ALVES AGUIAR, Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon

Rvdo. Angel FERNANDEZ ARTIME, s.d.b., Rector Major of the Salesians

They are joined by three other future non-electoral cardinals, having passed the age of 80, two archbishops and a religious who have distinguished themselves for their service to the Church:

H.E. Msgr. Agostino MARCHETTO, Apostolic Nuncio.

H.E. Msgr. Diego Rafael PADRON SANCHEZ, archbishop emeritus of Cumana

R. Fr. Luis Pascual DRI, OFM Cap., confessor at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, Buenos Aires
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Building on the same platform as the era's Passat and Skoda Superb, the first-generation Volkswagen Tiguan was made in Germany, Russia, China, and Vietnam. The brand's homeland factory was responsible for assembling the North America variant, which was launched in 2008 as a 2009 model. The saga continued with a mid-cycle refresh in 2011 and the second generation that came out in 2016.Tied to the SEAT Tarraco , Skoda Kodiaq, Audi Q3, and B8 VW Passat, it is currently the brand's best-selling model worldwide. The powertrain family comprises gasoline, diesel, and electrified units, which vary depending on the market. In the United States, where Volkswagen offers the long wheelbase version only, which adds the Allspace suffix, it packs a 184 hp (187 ps/137) and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) of torque 2.0-liter gasoline unit and standardall-wheel drive, from $28,245, excluding destination.Volkswagen is currently putting the final touches on the third generation. The all-new Tiguan is due this fall in Europe, with the official unveiling scheduled for September and the order books opening in the first quarter of next year. We've seen numerous prototypes doing their thing in the open, and the company itself released images of camouflaged testers. One thing that immediately stands out is the softer design and the front lighting signature that was inspired by the brand's electric ID range. It will feature the optional IQ Light HD Matrix tech, and a light bar will link the main clusters together.Another design trait will be the minimalistic grille. Further down, it has a new bumper with a bigger air intake and discreet side air curtains. The new taillights are expected to be integrated into a single trim panel, and they might feature full-width LED lighting to go with the extra wide reflectors that will be retained. Volkswagen hasn't opted for flush-mounted door handles, and the front and rear overhangs are about the same size as before. However, the model is 1.3 in (32mm ) longer from bumper to bumper, measuring 179.2 in (4,551 mm). At 76.3 in (1,939 mm), the width is the same, and the height was increased by 0.2 in (5 mm) to 64.6 in (1,640 mm). Strangely enough, the wheelbase is identical to its predecessor, measuring 105.5 in (2,681 mm).Those sitting at the rear will have an extra 0.4 in (10 mm) of headroom. And speaking of space, it is worth noting that the cargo area is now 1.2 cu-ft (33 liters) bigger at 22.9 cu-ft (648 lt). Volkswagen also mentioned better quality materials inside and heating, ventilation, electric adjustment, and massaging functions for the front seats, which should give the new Tiguan a premium feel. Drivers will stay connected on the go due to the 15-inch touchscreen infotainment system that came from the ID.7, though it will be offered on upper specs solely, with integrated climate control. Lesser variants will sport the 12.9-inch display.Digital dials and a head-up display will be on deck. The center console is home to a rotary dial, a cubby at the front, and a pair of cupholders at the rear, and it no longer hosts the gearshift lever, which was moved to the steering column. Although new, the steering wheel is about the same size and shape as before and integrates the usual buttons on both sides of the airbag. We expect the entire cockpit to be bathed in ambient lighting, at least on more expensive trim levels.Volkswagen has played it safe when it comes to the construction, as the new Tiguan builds on an upgraded version of theEvo, shared with a whole bunch of other models made under the VW Group's roof. Therefore, it's safe to assume an all-electric variant is not in the pipeline. Electrified power will, however, be part of the offering, with plug-in hybrid assemblies mixing a 1.5-liter TSI gasoline engine and (one or more) electric motors. This version will launch in two outputs, with 201 hp (204 ps/150 kW) and 268 hp (272 ps/200 kW) combined, and the latter is expected withGasoline units will be part of the engine family, as well as mild hybrids. Europe will still get one or two turbodiesels, and it is likely the 2.0in different outputs. The gasoline lineup could comprise the 1.5 and 2.0 TSI units, and all of them will be offered with DSG automatic transmissions and no manual gearboxes. The 4Motion all-wheel drive system is expected to be limited to the upper grades.While the next-gen Tiguan is set to go on sale in the first quarter of 2024 on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, it has been reported that the Tiguan Allspace might not get a successor for North America. We might instead end up with the redesigned VW Tayron that's rumored to debut in two years in China as the indirect replacement of the Tiguan Allspace, believed to use the same underpinnings as Europe's 2024 Tiguan. Thus, we would not hold our breath for a possible introduction in the land of the free. However, we wouldn't rule it out entirely either until Volkswagen says so. That said, are you excited about the all-new Tiguan, and do you wish they sold it over here, or would you settle for the rumored Tayron instead? Let us know by speaking your mind in the comments area below.
Usually, in July, we have many summer road trips and vacations and a lot fewer (automotive) novelties of any kind. This week wasn't the case, though, with interesting news in abundance, especially across the American market.

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If you want the niched announcements first, the 2024 BMW XM Label Red costs no less than $185k in the United States, but the online configurator tool from BMW of America that now also includes the fancy schmancy XM Label Red doesn't give too many additional reasons to worry about the final bill  all options added and you're still below the $200k threshold. As an alternative, BMW has quietly updated the online portal to include the MSRPs for the 2024 5 Series  a "four-door sedan where sport and luxury intersect" in 530i or 530i xDrive guise with 255 hp on tap from $57,900 or $60,200, respectively.Just in case the MSRPs seem high, you'd better not think how much the 520i and i5s cost in the Land Down Under  Australia is not a good place to get your latest all-new Bavarian model, for sure. Lots of stuff happened in Europe, too, like the fourth-generation Kia Picanto city car or the arrival of the 2024 Fiat 600e as the Jeep Avenger's poshItalian cousin that also costs an arm and a leg (35,950  which is over $39k in hard-earned US greenbacks).But I am not going to talk about those or the introduction of the quirky little Fiat Topolino because a mountain of 2024 model year arrivals has piled up on the US market. The 2024 Ford Maverick (with very few hybrids and higher MSRPs plus additional standard features and two new hues) was announced, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y swapped white for a Midnight Silver Metallic exterior paint color, and the 2024 Chevy Equinox is now also available to configure from almost $28k. Speaking of General Motors, for unknown reasons, the Blazer EV SS introduction was delayed to next spring  but that's not entirely surprising considering the lackluster sales of the company's EVs.In short succession, we might also want to remember that the entire 2024 lineup of Mitsubishi models comes with three oil changes for free, meaning they are trying to lubricate the dwindling sales in any way possible. Jokes aside, I would instead jump on board a new 2024 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT, even though the new rugged trim level costs almost $40k. Oh, and speaking of rising costs, the 2024 Buick Enclave build and price went live, and the most affordable version is over $45k, while the Avenir asks no less than $59k of you. No, thank you if you ask me.Anyway, if you want a podium for this week's novelties, in third place sits the 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T that just debuted (finally) with plug-in hybrid turbo muscle. This is the American automaker's first-ever electrified performance model, and the specification packs 288 horsepower, 383 lb-ft (520 Nm) of torque, and a 15.5-battery pack that's said to be enough for up to 32 miles (51 km) of zero-emissions driving. And you want to know the best asset it has? Well, that would be the MSRP, which is a tad friendlier to your pocket than the Alfa Romeosibling  by around a couple of thousand bucks, that is.Now it's time to move to the runner-up position for the most essential automotive novelty of the week  the all-new, first-ever Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class. The new two-door Benz came around the block with a major responsibility  Mercedes wanted to simplify the model range and resorted to introducing the CLE as the indirect successor to four models, the C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet along with the E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet. The new CLE will naturally clash with the Audi A5 and BMW 4 Series, and the entire powertrain lineup was electrified to give it a jolt of advantage when the moment of reckoning arises.Looking like a shrunken S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet, the CLE is relatively compact indeed - 191 inches (4,850 mm) in length and sporting a 112.8-inch (2,865-mm) wheelbase. Inside, the modern arrangement is jam-packed with tech features coming from the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an 11.9-inch touchscreen that seems to float just above the center console. MBUX is on point with 5G, so Zoom conferences, TikTok videos, and Angry Birds are a go (among many others). Created around the MRA II architecture, the CLE will only feature electrified engines, and of course, we don't care as much about the European diesel as we do about the upcoming Mercedes-CLE 53 4Matic set to arrive in 2024 with a M256 3.0-liter turbo six churning out 429 hp (435 PS) and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm) from under the hood.Last but not least, the most important reveal of the week is just a teaser, sadly. Toyota again subtly aroused everyone with confirmation that, indeed, a rugged Land Cruiser model is coming to America  and also put it face-to-face with one of its ancestors (most likely an FJ40 two-door). There is no timeline for the introduction just yet, no confirmation if this will be a Land Cruiser Prado (250) or something else, and not even a name was flaunted. But we did see the profile, and the silhouette mirrors the side design of the 2024 Lexus GX 550, so the bar has been set pretty high for the upcoming reveal, indeed.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
A houseboat is, by definition, a very peculiar type of mobile home. This one, called the MV Zenia Sofia, is perhaps even more so and, because of it, has much more charm, having started as a tugboat almost one hundred years ago.

Photo: YouTube/Tiny House Giant Journey

Photo: YouTube/Tiny House Giant Journey

Photo: YouTube/Tiny House Giant Journey

MV Zenia Sophia started out as the two-masted gaff rig schooner Edward A Young in 1926. It served as tugboat for the next four decades before moving into private ownership and becoming, for the first time, a full-time live-aboard home called Crusader. Under the new name of Zenia Sofia, it's been the home of the Pakkers for almost three decades, and it's a staple in Seattle, where it spends most of the time it's not out cruising during the summer months.Zenia Sofia is also one of the most outstanding recent examples of downsizing and living the nomadic lifestyle, standing out from all the rest by the fact that it's the perfect combination of artistic touches with the utmost functionality. It has served as a family home for four for such a long time, after all.Zenia Sofia was recently featured with a full tour on the Tiny House Giant Journey YouTube channel, which is how we all get the chance to jump onboard and get a taste of this type of lifestyle . Pamela Pakker-Kozicki, one of the owners and architects of the overhaul, conducts the tour, explaining what life on a boat is really like when you've done it for so long and the many benefits  and downsides  it comes with.Even if you're not considering making such a transition, this story is worth your time. Zenia Sofia is not just a beautiful boat but a wonderful DIY construction that's equally good-looking and functional. Today, it's no longer a masted schooner, but some of that original personality shines through thanks to Pamela and husband Ulrich's artsy touches, an eclectic mix of finishes, and ample room for an entire family.Now measuring 56 feet (17 meters) in total length and tipping the scales at 60 tons, Zenia Sofia has three decks, including the top deck that doubles as sun deck or, in the winter, the place where Ulrich sets up a giant barbecue. It relies on power and water from the marina, with Pamela admitting that marine insurance and finding docking at the marina are two of the biggest challenges of living on a boat. When the tour was filmed, Zenia Sofia was moored at the Shilshole marina in Seattle.Pamela and Ulrich bought the boat in 1995 but only renamed it in 2010 after the birth of both their daughters. They did the conversion themselves, and it was a 21-month project that tested their patience, their skill, and their budget in unexpected ways. They built the entire upper deck once the masts were removed, which is when Ulrich's sculptor skills came in handy. They also replaced most of the original wood that had rotted through and used marine aluminum for the upper part.Inside, Zenia Sofia offers four bedrooms, two heads (bathrooms to us folk who don't live on water), two salons, a complete galley with an attached pantry, and a gorgeous, all-wood wheelhouse. Now that the two daughters whose names were used for the new name of the boat have moved out, no one sleeps below deck anymore. Their old bedrooms with a shared bathroom have been repurposed as storage rooms, while the forepeak bedroom of the parents is undergoing an overhaul.Paula and Ulrich now sleep in the cabin next to the aft lounge, a most spectacular place built around an oversize brazier sitting on a gorgeous wood table and surrounded by a circular couch decked in natural fur. It has a very ski cabin, rustic vibe to it, and it's a very surprising appearance on a boat  so that probably adds to its charm The houseboat uses propane for heating the water and cooking, wood-burning stoves, and a pallet-burning heater during the colder months. With the exception of some rationing for electricity, it has everything for a comfortable family life, from a large kitchen with a pantry you'd be pressed to find in a regular city home to two full baths and enough space to move around and even to entertain considerably-sized parties.One of the complaints most frequently lodged against any type of mobile home, whether on land or on water, is that they're hardly family-friendly environments due to spatial restrictions. The Zenia Sofia is an exception: its size and the reconstruction it went through mid-life recommend it as a family-perfect permanent home. Paula can vouch for that, having raised two children onboard during her 25 years there.Paula doesn't mention a price tag for the Zenia Sofia, but considering the amount of time it's been part of the family, whatever figure she'd throw around would no longer be relevant either way. She does say, though, that a houseboat conversion like the one she and Ulrich undertook is very expensive unless you're willing  and able  to do much of the work yourself. Living on a boat is not for everyone, and it's even more exclusive if you take this aspect into account as well.
9 July 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The latest survey in Yerevan conducted by GALLUP International Association (GIA) reveals that Armenian society started to quit the myth addiction. This malady, which was once incurable, was able to recover a lot under the iron fist of the 44-day Patriotic War.

Considering that during the war, some countries believed in the myths invented by Armenians, while others supported them out of special sympathy, but in the end, this exaggerated "Armenian saga" started to make people feel disgusted. To top it all off, even hypothetically they commence to believe in these fabrications themselves, let alone others. It's a bit funny, but listening to the debunking of this myth makes one even want to abandon the planet. So the Armenian myth claims that many things that we currently utulise in our daily life, which make our life easier, such as phones, colorful televisions, most medicaments, and so on have been discovered and invented by Armenians. And let's not forget that this claim includes the territories of some world countries.

They brag that Russia gained victory over Nazi Germany thanks to the marshals and generals of Armenian origin. Going further, even Hay intellectuals declare that if these officers had not participated in the Red Army in WWII, Russia would have lost the war. Or the USA became great after the Armenian migration. However, in both cases, they forget the realities that Armenia is the poorest country in the South Caucasus, and they enjoined the humiliating defeat in 2020.

Reading the books and articles of so-called Armenian intelligentsia, I have no other option but to think that they are competing with each other in fabrications. Further to the above-mentioned myths, some Armenian scholars claim that the West owes them as modern European culture, according to them, was formed since they were the first nation in the world who accepted Christianity, and thanks to them Christianity was preserved, and spread so widely.

Needless to speak with them and to try explain that Armenia was the third state after Caucasian Albania and the kingdom of Urfa which officially accepted Christianity. In such cases, even the books confirming these facts, written in Armenian hundreds of years ago, will not help you. Instead of reading manuscripts written by hooks or crooks in their own language and going deep into the facts, they prefer to blabber and scandalize.

Of course, an ordinary Armenian living under such fairy tales throughout his life would claim that they are superhuman and the world is indebted to them. So, in their mind, all countries led by the USA, which "Armenians made it great," are obliged to race to save them whenever Armenia is in danger. Therefore they were mad in 2020, when no country came to help them, more precisely, to die just for them during the 44-day war. They were unable to make out why those ordinary people, i.e. Russians, the French, Americans and so on were reluctant to sacrifice for the culture creator superhuman Armenians; though they believed and expected it.

On the other hand, the world could not make out Armenian intention either. For example, why an ordinary American from Texas should die for them. Unlike brain-washed Armenian, the same American questions that if they are so good and made the USA great, why Armenia is the poorest and most miserable country in the South Caucasus. Everybody asks that if they are so capable, why they do not to live and make their own country great. Actually the same questions have been asked for a long. However, brain-washed Armenians resisted to accept the reality.

Another good news came from world-known GALLUP International Association last week. So, it conducted two surveys in 2023, the first in January and the second recently. According to the results of the first survey, 91.3 percent of Armenians believed that in any war with Azerbaijan, foreign countries will run to help Armenia. A total of 34 percent believed that France will help Armenia, 30 percent expected help from Russia, 28 percent from the USA, and 25 percent from India. The most ridiculous thing is that 40 percent of Armenia thought Iran would fight with Azerbaijan for the cause of them. It reveals the extent of stupidity stemming from brain-washing. Only idiots can think that for Armenia 35 million Azerbaijanis in the South Azerbaijan will fight against 10 million Azerbaijanis in the north.

However, GALLUP says that in the second survey, 64.5 percent of Armenian expect foreign assistance. Besides, the percentage of people expecting help decreased to 19.6 percent, Russia 19.5 percent, Iran 18.6 percent, the USA 11.6 and India 6.8 percent. The results herald that the percentage of Armenian comprehending the real situation increases. They also prove that the provocations and terror acts in Karabakh and on the Azerbaijan's border are committed by Armenian terrorist groups and separatists, because they are still hopeful that someone will want to be part of this illegal game. Unfortunately, it seems the provocations will continue because the majority of Hayk keep hoping for external assistance and believing in promises made by leaders of different countries such as Macron, who is more pro-Armenian than Armenians.

On the other hand, the survey confirms that some effective operation of the Azerbaijan Army continues successfully and the final peace is not far. Metaphorically speaking, on every provocation, banging on the empty heads of Armenians, the Iron Fist convinces Armenians that promises of people such as Macron are as empty as the heads of Hayk.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

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9 July 2023 23:00 (UTC+04:00)

Afghanistan's Taliban-led government started extracting oil from wells in the north of the country.

"Priority will be given to the employment of technical and non-technical staff and the reconstruction of the mine using the revenues of Sar-e-Pul," acting Mines and Petroleum Minister Sheikh Shahabuddin Delawar, Azernews reports.

The Qashqari basin has 10 wells and 200 tons of oil is being extracted from nine, the Kabul Times reported, citing a statement by the Mines and Petroleum Ministry.

Officials hope to increase the extraction capacity from Qashqari to more than 1,000 tons.

Following a return to power in Kabul in 2021, the Taliban signed an agreement last year with a Chinese company to extract oil from Sar-e-Pul.

In January, the interim Afghan Taliban government also signed a 25-year contract with a Chinese firm to extract oil from the Amu River basin and develop an oil reserve in the north.

According to the contract, the Chinese company will invest $150 million in the first year and increase to $540 million in three years.

Afghanistan is estimated to be sitting on untapped resources of more than $1 trillion, which has attracted the interest of foreign investors.

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9 July 2023 18:06 (UTC+04:00)

Vice President Cevdet Ylmaz and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met in Doha Sunday to discuss economic cooperation opportunities ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's planned trip to the Gulf states on July 17-19, Azernews reports.

Accompanied by Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Ylmaz arrived in Doha on Saturday to strengthen bilateral relations and explore potential avenues for economic cooperation.

"We discussed relations between the two countries and possibilities of economic cooperation during the productive bilateral and delegation-level meetings," Ylmaz said on Twitter.

Hazine ve Maliye Bakanmz Sayn @memetsimsek ile Katara gerceklestirdigimiz calsma ziyaretinde, Katar Emiri Seyh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ile gorustuk.

Ikili ve heyetler aras yaplan verimli gorusmelerde, iki ulke iliskileri ve ekonomik is birligi imkanlarn ele aldk. pic.twitter.com/ANZlTVlTPf  Cevdet Ylmaz (@_cevdetyilmaz) July 9, 2023

"As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, we plan to hold the 9th High Strategic Committee meetings. We have signed a total of 95 agreements" in eight previous meetings, he said.

"In addition to the new projects we discussed during our visit today, we aim to deepen our cooperation, especially in the defense industry and energy fields," Ylmaz said, adding that these initiatives are expected to foster closer ties and strengthen mutual interests, serving as a solid foundation for future collaboration between the two nations.

The strategic cooperation between Qatar and Turkiye will continue to contribute to regional stability and economic development, he said, adding friendship and cooperation between the two countries will further advance ties in all fields.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the officials of the State of Qatar, especially Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, for their hospitality," Ylmaz said.

Erdogan is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE on July 17-19.

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9 July 2023 11:32 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has received the outgoing Tajikistans ambassador Rustam Soli, Azernews reports.

The minister pointed out the both peoples share common history and culture.

The parties expressed confidence with the progress of relations in all areas in line interests of both peoples.

Ambassador Soli expressed his gratitude for the support during his activity in Azerbaijan.

Minister Bayramov wished ambassador Rustam Soli success in his future activities.

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9 July 2023 10:56 (UTC+04:00)

On July 8 from 11:40 PM Baku time to 06:05 AM on July 9, the units of the Armenian armed forces from the positions located in Yukhari Shorja and Zarkand settlements of Basarkecher district, Karchevan settlements of Agaraq district, fired the Azerbaijan Army positions located in Bazikarkhana and Demirchidam of Kalbajar district, Kilit settlements of Ordubad district in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with small arms of various calibers, Azernews reports, citing MoD.

On July 8, from 10:35PM to 11:10PM Baku time, positions of our Army located in the direction of Shusha and Kalbajar regions were also fired upon by members of illegal Armenian armed groups in the territory of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed.

Azerbaijan Army have taken retaliatory measures in these directions.

In addition, the quadcopters belonging to the armed forces of Armenia attempted to conduct reconnaissance flights over the positions of our army located in the territories of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Lachin district, and the quadcopter belonging to illegal Armenian armed groups attempted to conduct reconnaissance flights over the positions of our units located in the direction of Tagaverd village, Khojavend district.

As a result of the immediate measures taken, the activity of quadcopters attempting to fly over our positions was prevented.

At the same time, with the involvement of engineering equipment, the activities of illegal Armenian armed groups, which attempted to expand supply roads in various directions, dig trenches, prepare shelters, as well as install surveillance cameras in combat positions, were successfully prevented as a result of the measures taken by our units.

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9 July 2023 23:41 (UTC+04:00)

Sudan and Iran have agreed to resume diplomatic relations and open embassies in the near future.

Azernews reports that the talks held in Azerbaijan between Foreign Minister of Sudan Ali al-Sadiq and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian led to such a decision. This was officially announced by the Iranian Foreign Minister during a press conference in Algeria, where he arrived on an official visit.

The restoration of relations takes place against the backdrop of normalization between Riyadh and Tehran. Sudan severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016 after storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran. In March of this year, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to resume relations in March as part of a deal brokered by China. As-Sadiq and Abdollahian met on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku.

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9 July 2023 12:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan will supply crude oil to Tajikistan for processing at a plant in the free economic zone (FEZ) "Dangara". According to Azernews, this was reported by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan, following the meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation between the two states.

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9 July 2023 14:36 (UTC+04:00)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the need for collective action Saturday to address escalating Islamophobia and xenophobia in Western nations, Azernews reports.

The vile attack on our sacred book, the Quran, in Sweden on the first day of Eid al-Adha reveals the terrifying dimensions of Islamophobia, he said in a video sent to the Gala Dinner of the 46th Annual Convention of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA).

Erdogan emphasized the responsibility of all Muslims to prevent a recurrence.

All of us, all Muslims, have a great responsibility to ensure that such acts, to which we react very strongly in Turkiye, do not recur. If we act as one heart and one wrist, no one in the world dare to attack the sanctities of Muslims, he said,

Erdogan also acknowledged the strong bond between Turkiye and Pakistan as two brotherly nations, highlighting exceptional relations between the two countries.

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9 July 2023 15:16 (UTC+04:00)

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak will use the Nato summit in Lithuania to urge allies to increase their defence spending as he warns they face "unprecedented" security challenges, Azernews reports.

The Prime Minister will meet with leaders in Lithuania on Tuesday for talks that will feature support for Ukraine and its future membership of the defensive alliance.

At the summit in Vilnius, Downing Street said that Mr Sunak will ask allies to up their defence spending to ensure it is prepared for future threats.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said: "As we face new and unprecedented challenges to our physical and economic security, our alliances are more important than ever.

"The UK is Europe's leading Nato ally, we are the United States' most important trade, defence and diplomatic partner, and we are at the forefront of providing Ukraine with the support they need to succeed on the battlefield.

"We have forged and invested in these alliances because we know they are the foundation of our strength and security. And I will continue to lead a United Kingdom which puts our international relationships at the heart of delivering for the British people."

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9 July 2023 16:26 (UTC+04:00)

French people took to the streets on Saturday in remembrance of Adama Traore, a Black man who died in police custody in July 2016, Azernews reports.

Hundreds of people, including several left-wing politicians and Traore's sister and brothers, gathered at Paris' central Place de la Republique at about noon, despite an earlier ban by police, broadcaster BFMTV reported, noting that marches also took place in the cities of Marseille and Strasbourg.

Though the demonstration in Paris was mostly peaceful, police fined some protesters 135 ($150) for participating "in an unlawful march," it added.

Traore's brother Youssouf was arrested for "violence against a policewoman," while legal proceedings were initiated against his sister Assa for "organizing an undeclared demonstration."

Adama Traore, a Black French citizen of Malian descent, died on July 19, 2016 while in police custody after being restrained and apprehended by police.

His death triggered riots and protests against police brutality.

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9 July 2023 19:00 (UTC+04:00)

As of 5:00 pm (GMT+5), the voter turnout in the presidential elections in Uzbekistan reached 69.85 percent, Azernews reports, citing Trend.

The Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan reported that over 13.4 million people included in the voter lists have already cast their votes.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 am local time. A total of 10,784 polling stations started their work, including 56 stations in 39 countries outside Uzbekistan.

Citizens have the opportunity to vote until 8:00 pm local time.

The total number of registered voters eligible to participate in the presidential elections is nearly 19.6 million people. According to the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan, 376,623 citizens of the country have already participated in early voting from June 28 to July 1.

The presidential elections scheduled for July 9 will be the first after the amendments to the constitution based on the results of the referendum held on April 30, 2023.

The constitutional amendments entail an extension of the president's term of office from 5 to 7 years.

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Impatience growing in KRV for flood restoration even as county says help is on the way
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Texas has begun installation of its latest barrier to thwart illegal aliens crossing the Rio Grande, a line of giant orange buoys chained together down the middle of the river. The first 1,000 foot segment is being deployed at Eagle Pass, one of the most prolific crossing points by illegal aliens.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/more-come-abbott-announces-installation-floating-border-barrier-along-rio-grande

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12279075/Texas-rolls-huge-buoys-1-000ft-Rio-Grande.html

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/democrats-freak-sue-texas-governor-greg-abbott-after/

Meanwhile video has shown federal Border Patrol agents using wire cutters to create an opening to let illegal aliens into the country through a razor wire barrier installed by the State of Texas with the landowner's permission. About 30 aliens walked through with the Border Patrol's assistance.
A biological man who served 30 years in prison for attempted murder, and now dresses as a woman and calls himself Sarah Jane Baker, speaking from the podium at a Trans Pride rally in London, called upon transgender activisits to assault femimists on sight. "If you see a TERF (trans exclusionary radical feminist), punch them in the face" Baker told the crowd. Given Baker's criminal record, there is little doubt that he meant it literally.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12280305/Transgender-activist-tells-crowd-Trans-Pride-march-TERF-punch-face.html

This is one more instance of the violent nature of transgender activists. The tranny shooting children and staff members at a school in Nashville was the first warning.
An HCA Healthcare nurse was blitz-attacked with a tire iron at about 3 a.m. on July 6 in the hospital's parking lot, and Florida police charged a 27-year-old man with attempted murder two hours later.

A nurse was taking a break in the parking lot of HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital in Fort Walton Beach when a stranger hit her five to six times with a tire iron, according to an arrest report from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. The assailant fled after she fought back and screamed for help. The attack left severe lacerations and swelling, and eight surgical staples were required.

Police arrested Raul Milla Jr. after finding him on a bike with a bloody tire iron in the bicycle's basket and fresh blood on his shirt, according to the arrest report. Mr. Milla is charged with unpremeditated attempted murder.

"We are thankful that our colleague is recovering from this unspeakable act and we are providing support to her during this time," a spokesperson for Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare told Becker's. "The health and safety  of our patients, colleagues and visitors remains our highest priority, and we have robust security measures in place throughout our hospital campus. When made aware of the incident outside of our hospital, we notified law enforcement and we're assisting with their investigation. HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital will continue assisting fully with local law enforcement and we are very thankful for the efforts of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office that led to the quick arrest of the suspect."
The Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland documentary aired on BBC to rave reviews

The award winning director behind the powerful BBC docu-series Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland has expressed optimism that peace will survive in the face of challenges.

James Bluemel, whose documentary on Syrian refugees won him a Bafta in 2017, told The Guardian he believes the region will continue to enjoy relative stability despite sporadic tension.

There are little pockets of factions that are trying to rattle the cage again but they cant muster the numbers," he said.

"There is a far bigger swell of people that has achieved something remarkable that very few post-conflict societies have achieved.

The filmmakers latest project has been praised for providing an un-sanitised look at our troubled history 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement.

Read more PSNI probe burning of Irish tricolour and Leo Varadkar poster on Tyrone bonfire as hate crime

It has been hailed by critics for stripping away political narratives and propaganda to depict what it was really like for those who lived through our darkest days.

The five part series has picked up accolades around the world since it began airing in May.

It was the London directors sequel to his equally acclaimed 2020 documentary Once Upon a Time in Iraq.

Bluemel has previously described how his time in Baghdad stirred his curiosity about a conflict closer to home

You would hear these really familiar terms and sectarian attitudes," he said.

"It reminded me a lot about what I used to hear about Northern Ireland on the news when I was growing up.

"I understood the broad politics but there was a gap.

"From being in Britain, I think it felt like it was between Protestants and Catholics and had nothing to do with us.

"I didnt know what it felt like for people to live through it.

The success of the documentary comes at a turbulent time for the region as loyalist anger at post-Brexit trading arrangements continues to simmer.

It has provided a tense backdrop to the summer marching season ahead of its pinnacle event on the Twelfth of July.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar poster and Irish flags burned as first July 12 bonfire lit in Moygashel, Co. Tyrone

The political vacuum left by the DUPs boycott of Stormont remains as controversial Troubles legislation offering a conditional amnesty to perpetrators is expected to come into law soon.

The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is listed for amendments in the House of Lords on July 18.

Despite his positive outlook and belief that the peace process will ultimately endure, Bleumel was severely critical of the impact of Brexit on the institutions here.

It seems particularly short-sighted and frankly stupid to wreck an incredibly complex peace process over something which is an internal battle in the Tory party, he said.

Craigyhill bonfire said to be 'largest in the world'

The filmmaker was speaking to The Guardian from a rural village in Albania where he is working on a new documentary as an executive producer.

The project is focused on people planning to make the perilous journey to the United Kingdom including a young honey maker who cannot see a future in his slowly decaying community.

We want to show exactly why people are leaving, what sort of people are leaving, and the reception theyll get, Bluemel explained.
Half a million people are expected to participate in or watch parades as thousands of Orangemen and women take to the streets to mark the Twelfth of July.

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland will host demonstrations in 18 cities, towns and villages across Northern Ireland on Wednesday.

The main events marking the 333rd anniversary of King Williams victory at the Battle of the Boyne will take place in Belfast, Lurgan and Enniskillen.

Many people, including the elderly, will be unable to take part in celebrations.

But they will be able to watch the festivities on TV.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal, just three days before the demonstrations in Northern Ireland.

Live TV coverage: GB News, 9.30am

GB News will provide live coverage throughout the morning in a dedicated two-and-a-half hour slot.

It will be fronted by former First Minister and ex-DUP leader Baroness Arlene Foster, who attracted almost 100,000 viewers last year.

Reporter Dougie Beattie and ex-Coronation Street actor Charlie Lawson will be providing updates until 12pm.

Programming will also include live feeds from parades taking place in Liverpool and Glasgow.

A large amount of planning has gone into this years coverage which will also include expert commentary from Dr Gavin Hughes.

Pre-recorded packages from the Republic of Ireland and Holland will be broadcast as GB News seeks to tell the story of how the Battle of the Boyne helped shape modern day Europe.

Dame Arlene took to social media on Saturday following a great day at the annual Rosnowlagh parade in Donegal.

"Looking forward to the main event now on GB News next Wednesday from 9.30am, she tweeted alongside a Union flag emoji.

Charlie Lawson retweeted the post signalling his own excitement ahead of the live coverage.

The Twelfth and the Orange Order: Origins and traditions

Highlights: BBC One NI, 9pm

The BBC has axed its live coverage of what is widely regarded as one of the largest annual festivals in Europe for a second year in a row.

However, the broadcaster will show an hour-long highlights programme on Wednesday evening.

Helen Mark will present the coverage from Brownlow House in Lurgan with commentary provided by Dr David Hume and Mervyn Jess.

It will showcase the best bits from parades in Belfast, Ballymena, Loughbrickland, Magherafelt, Clogher and Ballinamallard, as well as the Rossnowlagh parade in Donegal.

The programme will also be available to watch on iPlayer.

Highlights: UTV, 10.45pm

A special programme recapping the entire day will be aired on UTV later on Wednesday evening.

The 25 minute highlights show will include the best moments from around the region including Belfast.

The city holds the longest Twelfth parade on the day, with participants walking over six miles to the field.

Orangemen and women from nine districts will be accompanied by approximately 60 bands.

Online: Belfast Telegraph, all day

Well have live coverage throughout the day with updates, photos and videos right here on belfasttelegraph.co.uk!
People watch as the pyre with a boat on top, with a picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a banner that reads "Good Friday Agreement ? That ship has sailed", is set alight in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

Police are investigating the burning of an Irish flag and a picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on a bonfire in Co Tyrone as a hate crime.

It comes after the leader of the DUP branded the incident in Moygashel as wrong and disrespectful.

PSNI Chief Inspector John Keers said: "We received a report on Saturday evening, July 8, in relation to material placed on a bonfire in the Main Road area of Moygashel.

"Police are treating this as a hate crime."

"Evidence is being gathered in respect of this in order to establish whether criminal offences have been committed."

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he agreed with his party colleague and fellow MP Carla Lockhart who expressed opposition the use of effigies on bonfires, which she said should be about history.

I am proud of my tradition but if we want respect for our culture and identity, then we must show respect to others, Sir Jeffrey posted on Twitter.

"Burning the flag of our neighbouring state and a poster of the head of government of that state is disrespectful and wrong.

"It is not culture!

UUP leader Doug Beattie has described the incident in Moygashel on Saturday night as childish and unacceptable.

Ms Carla Lockhart weighed in on the issue on BBCs Sunday Politics programme.

Speaking to host Mark Carruthers, she said: I have always been clear I dont want to see bonfires with effigies or flags on them.

I want to see bonfires that represent the very historic nature of them when they were lit to welcome King William to Northern Ireland. I dont agree with it (use of effigies) and I want to see that move on.

In my own constituency (Upper Bann), significant strides have been made with bonfires and that is what I want to see in the future.

People watch as the pyre with a boat on top is lit (Niall Carson/P)A

Read more Boat appears on top of Co Tyrone bonfire ahead of family fun day

The towering pyre in the village near Dungannon attracted attention online after a boat was placed on the top of it.

By Saturday evening, an Irish flag and a republican flag, as well as a picture of the Taoiseach had been added to the boat.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar poster and Irish flags burned as first July 12 bonfire lit in Moygashel, Co. Tyrone

A banner reading Good Friday Agreement? That ship has sailed was hung, with a mock copy of the 1998 accord across which the words null and void were placed on the side of the vessel.

Given the title No Irish Sea Border Bonfire, in reference to opposition in unionist and loyalist communities to post-Brexit trading arrangements, the bonfire was lit at around 11pm after a parade and an address by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson.

Mr Beattie tweeted in response to the bonfire: This is not acceptable, it is childish and promotes hate. Again the many are let down by a few.

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SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan also commented via Twitter.

He said Burning flags or effigies of politicians with differing aspirations is not in any way acceptable. Bluntly, its a hate crime and does not reflect the views or behaviours of people who share this home place.

All leaders must call out such disgusting hate when it rears its ugly head.

The Fine Gael politician Charles Flanagan also hit out at the burning of the Irish flag.

"Burning the National flag of a friendly neighbour & its head of government is gratuitously offensive & unacceptable, he posted online.

"Such naked sectarianism has no place on the challenging path to peace, stability & reconciliation & must be condemned by all democrats.

Most of the hundreds of bonfires constructed in loyalist neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland pass off without incident, but several continue to be the source of controversy.

In previous years, there have been complaints from nationalist and cross-community politicians about their images being placed on the fires.

It is the busiest date for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service which usually deals with hundreds of calls related to the towering pyres.

Most of the bonfires to mark the Twelfth celebrations will be lit on July 11.

Meanwhile, the annual Drumcree parade took place in Co Armagh on Sunday, from Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown to a church service at Drumcree Parish Church.
Four people have been arrested following an aggravated burglary in Portstewart on Saturday evening.

Police received a report shortly before 8.30pm that two men and two women, who were armed with weapons, were attempting to break into a house in the Swilly Close area.

A man and woman were both inside the property during the attack. The man sustained minor injuries after confronting the suspects and received medical treatment at the scene.

The woman was uninjured, but was left shaken by what happened.

On officers arrival, the suspects had left in a car and extensive damage had been caused to windows at both the front and back of the property.

Police stopped a car a short time later on the Portmore Road and two women, aged 28 and 61, and two men, aged 34 and 31, were all arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.

PSNI Detective Sergeant Colhoun said: They remain in custody at this time, assisting detectives with their enquiries. This was a terrifying experience for the occupants of the property and our investigation is now underway to establish what happened, who was involved and a motive.

We are appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time, and saw anything suspicious, to call police on 101.
Poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish flag placed on bonfire in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone. Pic by Niall Carson/PA Wire.

People watch as the pyre with a boat on top, with a picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a banner that reads "Good Friday Agreement ? That ship has sailed", is set alight in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

People watch as the pyre with a boat on top, with a picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a banner that reads "Good Friday Agreement ? That ship has sailed", is set alight in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

An Irish tricolour and a poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar were placed on top of a loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone before it was set alight on Saturday night.

The large pyre in Moygashel attracted attention after a boat was mysteriously placed on it last week.

A family fun day took place earlier on Saturday after a banner reading "Good Friday Agreement? That ship has sailed" was added to the side of the vessel.

A mock copy of the 1998 peace deal with the words "null and void" printed over was also added.

An image was previously edited to include the words No Sea Border on the craft and shared on the Moygashel Bonfire Associations Facebook page.

The premature Eleventh Night celebration was advertised as the "No Irish Sea Border Bonfire" before it was lit at 10.30pm following a parade.

Read more Boat appears on top of Co Tyrone bonfire ahead of family fun day

A number of activities took place beforehand including target shooting games with ice-cream, candy floss and popcorn on offer to those attending.

Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson addressed the crowd.

Pyre with a boat, picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and an Irish flag set alight in Moygashel on Saturday night. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire.

T-shirts bearing the words of the Ulster Covenant and God save the King were sold at the event which also featured a flag stall.

The use of the boat is not the first time organisers have broken with tradition  a caravan was placed on the top of the fire last year.

The Moygashel Bonfire Association said its committee believed its culture was in danger as they railed against post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish flag placed on bonfire in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone. Pic by Niall Carson/PA Wire.

A spokesman added: Our culture is under attack on a daily basis, and if not resisted with everything in our power, our Britishness will become unrecognisable.

Our cultural celebrations that we have grown to enjoy with our families will be demonised to the point of extinction.

The bonfire boat and our efforts are to highlight our strong opposition to the Irish Sea border.

We believe that the implementation of the Union-dismantling protocol aligns our economy with the South and is a process of transition towards a united Ireland.

Loyalist anger is at breaking point and we hope to see a peaceful [resolution] to the situation before it is too late. We fear time is running out.
Police are investigating a sudden death in Newry after a body was discovered in the Catherine Street area of the town on Sunday.

Detectives have erected a cordon in the vicinity.

Local councillor Doire Finn has offered condolences to loved ones of the deceased.

My thoughts are with the family and friends of the person who sadly passed away in the Upper Catherine Street area of Newry, she said.

"It is always difficult to lose a loved one and even more challenging in sudden circumstances such as these.

Ms Finn also urged local residents to co-operate with the police investigation.

I know that the local community in the area will be concerned upon hearing this news and I would ask that police are given the time and space they need to conduct their enquiries, she said.

"I would also ask anyone with any information to come forward to police immediately and assist them in any way possible.

A PSNI spokesperson said enquiries remain ongoing and an update will be provided in due course.
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Caoimhin Adams with his family, parents Caitriona and Kieran, sister, Aimee and brothers, Aodhan and Dylan in Newtownabbey. Credit: Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX

Tributes have been paid to Caoimhin Adams, who passed away just hours after a cross community party was held in his honour.

The death of the eight-year-old from Newtownabbey, who was terminally ill, was announced by his mother on Sunday.

Caitriona Adams said it was with a very heavy heart that the family was announcing that Caoimhin gained his angel wings this morning.

She added: "Thank you for all the love.

Earlier this year, Caoimhin Adams became the first person on the island of Ireland to be diagnosed with ROHHAD (rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, autonomic dysregulation).

It is a rare, incurable disease, with a mortality rate of about 50% due to cardiorespiratory arrest.

On Saturday, a cross-community fun day for Caoimhin took place at his Newtownabbey home with the young boy also surrounded by friends and family.

Residents in the area hosted a barbeque with businesses donating balloons, banners and takeaway food vans to make the day particularly special.

Police and firefighters attended the little boys party and he was also pictured meeting Buzz Lightyear, one of the characters from animated film Toy Story.

Following his passing in the early hours of the morning, brother Dylan paid tribute to the brave child on social media.

He said: Im going to be completely lost without you, wee man. You didnt deserve any of this. You were the strongest, bravest and toughest eight-year-old ever.

Ill miss you so much Caoimhin.

Hill Croft Primary School in Newtownabbey said he always had a ready smile and a sense of fun and adventure and described him as an inspiration to all.

It is with deep sadness that we inform our school community of the sad loss of one of our pupils Caoimhin Adams, they wrote.

Caoimhin was a pupil with us from 2018-2023. He has always struggled with very complex health needs, but he never let them hold him back. Caoimhin always had a ready smile and a sense of fun and adventure.

"He greeted his staff team and friends with a huge, Hey guys! when he arrived at school each day. He loved dressing up; role play and especially messy play. He loved the busyness and bustle of the classroom and being surrounded by his friends.

Caoimhins health significantly deteriorated over the last year, and he had been unable to attend school. He was a much-loved pupil who stole the hearts of all who worked with him. His bravery and determination despite all he faced each day, is an inspiration to us all.

Many people who had followed Caomhins journey online also left messages of condolences on social media with hundreds sharing their love and support for the family.

One said: My heart is broke for you all! What an amazing wee boy who was loved by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

"He always had the cheekiest wee grin anytime I met him.

While another wrote: Caitriona I'm very sorry for your loss. He was brave and truly inspirational little boy. I will be keeping you, Kieran and all your family in my prayers. May he rest in peace.

Another posted: I am so, so sorry to hear this. Heaven has just gained one very special little angel. He certainly was one very loved little boy. Love to you all.

East Belfast charity Team Dot, the group which helped to organise the fun day, paid their own tribute to the young boy.

On social media they said: Caoimhin gained his angel wings this morning. Sending all our love to his wonderful family who just loved and adored him so so much.

To know you was to love you kiddo. The best little boy with a smile that would light up a room.
A total of 384 people were detected crossing the Channel on Saturday and 686 on Friday (Gareth Fuller/PA)

More than 1,000 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in two days, taking the provisional total for the year so far to over 12,500.

A total of 384 people were detected on Saturday and 686 on Friday  the new highest daily total this year, according to Home Office figures.

It means 1,070 migrants crossed the Channel over two days, in 13 boats on Friday and in seven boats on Saturday, taking the provisional total for the year so far to 12,503.

The number of people who made the crossing last year reached a record 45,755, prompting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to make stopping the boats a key priority.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been battling to get her central policy of forcibly removing unauthorised arrivals to Rwanda off the ground after it was blocked by appeal judges.

The Government has lodged a bid to take its legal battle to the Supreme Court.

Treasury minister Victoria Atkins insisted the Government was focused on the fundamentals of looking after children, after being repeatedly asked whether reports that immigration minister Robert Jenrick had cartoon murals at an asylum centre painted over made her feel uncomfortable.

Ms Atkins told the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News: I think we have got to focus on the fundamentals here. If there are children arriving in the United Kingdom via small boats, then as soon as they land in the UK they are looked after properly.

The local authorities step in, they have their welfare, their health needs and their schooling needs looked after. That is the fundamentals.

But we also have to stop people from being enticed by criminal gangs to cross the Channel, because that journey in itself is such a dangerous journey.

It must be terrifying for children who come across and so that is why we are so focused on stopping the boats.
One story leads most of the nations papers (PA)

The story of a BBC presenter paying a teenager to send them explicit photos dominates the front pages of Sundays newspapers.

After The Sun broke the story on Saturday, its Sunday edition continues coverage as it talks to the alleged victims mother and reveals the unnamed star sent pants pics to the teenager.

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Both the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times describe the story as a BBC crisis, the Mail saying the presenter is a household name while the Times says the teenagers parents complained months ago and reveals stars were lining up to say its not me.

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The BBC is coming under fire over its handling of the affair, according to The Sunday Telegraph, while the Daily Mirror said bosses partied with the star after the familys complaint.

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Other stories do make the front pages elsewhere, the Sunday People reporting that the Government plans to spend another 800,000 to paint a Union Flag on the Prime Ministers plane.

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The Sunday Express concentrates on what it calls a risk to national security from banks refusing to do business with Britains defence industry.

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And the Daily Star on Sunday revives the word bonk with the latest in its stories about boffins.
Nato leaders are gathering for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania (Virginia Mayo/AP/PA)

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, Natos much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The worlds biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member.

And there is controversy about the USs announcement on Friday that it will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions.

US President Joe Biden with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Susan Walsh/AP)

Military spending by member nations still lags behind longstanding goals. And an inability to compromise over who should serve as Natos next leader forced an extension of the current secretary generals term for an extra year.

There are questions over how Ukraine should be eased into the alliance. Some maintain admitting Ukraine to Nato would be the fulfilment of a promise made years ago and a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.

Others are fearful it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

(PA Graphics)

I dont think its ready for membership in Nato, US president Joe Biden told CNN in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

He said joining Nato required countries to meet all the qualifications, from democratisation to a whole range of other issues.

Mr Biden said the US should provide long-term security assistance to Ukraine  the capacity to defend themselves  as it did with Israel.

The challenges come at a moment when Mr Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, with Swedens prime minister Ulf Kristersson (Burhan Ozbilici/AP)

Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance, said Douglas Lute, who served as US ambassador to Nato under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

You dont want to present any openings, Mr Lute said. You dont want to present any gaps or seams.

Members of the alliance have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its ongoing counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become Natos 31st member.

I think its appropriate to look at all the success, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview with The Associated Press. So I think the invasion has strengthened Nato  exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated.

He noted Germanys shift toward a more robust defence policy as well as other countries increase in military spending.

The US announced on Friday it will provide Ukraine with the controversial cluster munitions.

Such a bomb poses a higher risk of civilian harm as it opens in the air releasing smaller bomblets across a wide area, hitting multiple targets simultaneously. Ukraine has promised to use them carefully.

In a statement on Saturday evening, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni  one of Western Europes staunchest backers of Ukraine in the war  reiterated her countrys condemnation of the Russian aggression but called for the universal application of the principles of the international convention banning the production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.

Spains defence minister Margarita Robles said while her country respects the US decision, it did not agree with it.

No to cluster bombs and yes to helping in the legitimate defence of Ukraine, which we understand should be carried out without that type of bomb, she said.

Canada and the UK also voiced concerns while Germany, which has signed the ban treaty, said it will not provide the bombs to Ukraine, but expressed understanding for the American position.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres does not want continued use of cluster munitions on the battlefield, a spokesman said (Khalil Senosi/AP)

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention and so as a result, of course, he does not want there to be continued use of cluster munitions on the battlefield.

But the ongoing war has allowed other challenges to fester or bubble to the surface.

In particular, Nato leaders said in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but little action has been taken toward that goal. Mr Putin occupied parts of the country in 2014 and then attempted to capture Kyiv in 2022.

A grey zone is a green light for Putin, said Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland, and now a fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The US and Germany insist the focus should be supplying weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine win the current conflict, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join Nato.

However, countries on Natos Eastern flank  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  want firmer assurances on future membership.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for that as well. During a visit to Prague on Thursday, he said the ideal result of the Vilnius summit would be an invitation for his country to join the alliance.

Jake Sullivan, Mr Bidens national security adviser, described the summit as an important moment on that pathway toward membership and that allies need to discuss the reforms that are still necessary for Ukraine to come up to Nato standards.

Nato could use the occasion to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the Nato-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle blocking Swedens attempts to join Nato alongside its neighbour Finland.

Mr Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey. However, a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Mr Erdogan signalled that this would pose another obstacle.

He equated those who permitted the crime to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the US are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Mr Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Mr Biden says that Swedens Nato membership has to be dealt with first.

Mr Sullivan said the US is confident that Sweden will join Nato in the not-too-distant future, but it is unclear if the matter will be resolved during the summit.

It is not the first time that Mr Erdogan has used a Nato summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said there is growing frustration among allies toward Mr Erdogan, building on concerns about his ties to Mr Putin, democratic backsliding and sanctions evasion.

Theyve tried playing nice, Mr Bergmann said. The question is whether its time to get much more confrontational.

Hungarian Prime Minister Vitkor Orban is also delaying his countrys approval of Swedens membership. In response, Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is blocking a 735 million dollar (572 million) US arms sale to Hungary.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenbergs tenure has been extended for another year (Virginia Mayo/AP)

We dont want members who arent interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests, he said. Im just sick and tired of it.

However, Mr Risch rejected the idea that these disagreements are a sign of weakness within Nato.

These are kinds of things that always arise in an alliance, he said. The fact that weve been able to deal with them and will continue to deal with them proves that this is the most successful and strongest military alliance in the history of the world.

At least one potentially flammable item has been taken off the summit agenda. Rather than seek consensus on a new Nato leader, members agreed to extend Jens Stoltenbergs tenure for a year. He has had the job since 2014, and it is the fourth time that his time in office has been extended.

More disagreements loom over Natos updated plans for countering any invasion that Russia might launch on allied territory. It is the biggest revision since the Cold War, and Skip Davis, a former Nato official who is now a senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said it could involve lots of arm wrestling and card trading.

Thats an issue that will cause tension and dissent, and thats not what the Vilnius summit is all about, he said.
Anthony Hughes delivered a Mitsubishi L200 to the 36th Marine Brigade in Avdiivka earlier this year

More than 50 Ukrainian refugees are arriving in Northern Ireland every month as desperate citizens continue to flee the brutal conflict which has ravaged their country for 500 days.
Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Dame Arlene Foster among Orangemen supporters at the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Thousands of people were out in force on Saturday as a sea of sashes descended on the coastal village of Rossnowlagh for the traditional Donegal Twelfth parade.

The rolling hills and sandy beach provided the most scenic of backdrops as members representing some 60 lodges and 50 bands from across Ireland took part in the march from St Johns Parish Church to the demonstration field.

They were applauded by spectators, including former DUP leader Dame Arlene Foster and DUP MLA Deborah Erskine who reclined in camping chairs along the route.

Dame Arlene Foster among Orangemen supporters at the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Brethren young and old from lodges in Cavan, Leitrim and Monaghan were joined by members of Northern Irish lodges from as far afield as Fintona and Donaghadee for yesterdays procession. Grand Master of the Order Edward Stevenson took part in the parade.

The Rossnowlagh parade is the only Orange parade in the Republic of Ireland and the family event has been held there since 1978.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Donegal County Grand Master David Mahon said the institution in the county was in good health.

The mood is always very good here and we get help from everybody, he told the BBC.

Everybody gets on well. We get loads of help from all the communities.

Weve a number of lodges with ten members and then some with 75 members. Wed a new band formed here called Doorin Flute Band which is over by Killybegs.

Theyll be out for the first time today.

Theyll have pride of place near the start of the parade.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

One man who left Northern Ireland for Canada in 1970s revealed he was delighted to be back for one of the highlights of the marching season.

I try to get back for the Twelfth in Northern Ireland and its lovely to get up to Donegal, said Joe Cully, who is from Belfasts Shankill Road.

The day was a stark contrast from the scenes witnessed last year in Belfast, described by the Order as abysmal and unacceptable, and which have prompted it to consider changing the route of the parade in the city.

Read more The Twelfth: BBC NI drops live coverage for second year in a row

It would see the total distance of the procession shortened by six miles, omitting the traditional gathering in The Field at Barnetts Demense altogether, according to a leaked internal Orange Order document.

The proposals have divided opinion among members and supporters of the organisation, some of who admitted anti-social behaviour and excessive drinking around the parade were a problem.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Orangeman and former Belfast councillor Chris McGimpsey said: Its almost a tradition in with certain elements in our community to drink too much and cause all sorts of trouble.

However, Professor John Tonge of the University of Liverpool pointed out: A lot of the drinkers have nothing to do with the Orange Order - theyre out to celebrate the Twelfth.

Im not sure the Orange Order can do anything about that.

This years route through the city remains unchanged with thousands of Orangemen and women walking the whole 10-mile outward and return route.

Orangemen and supporters take part in the annual Rossnowlagh procession, in Donegal. Pic by Press Eye.

Other significant demonstrations include Co Armaghs gathering in Lurgan which will be the largest on the day with around 150 lodges gathering there.

In Co Antrim, parades will take place throughout the county in Ballycastle, Randalstown, Broughshane, Portglenone and Upper Ballinderry.

Read more The Twelfth 2023: Northern Ireland parade locations

Co Down there are our locations hosting this years Twelfth, namely Loughbrickland, Bangor, Comber and Kilkeel.

Ballinamallard will be hosting this years demonstration in Fermanagh while in Co Londonderry Magherafelt will be the anchor for the Twelfth celebrations with Coleraine hosting those near the north coast.

Co Tyrones celebrations will be held in Dungannon, Clogher and Dromore.
Modern morals: My friend wants to bring her kids along to my birthday weekend but I dont want them there
Real UFF boss hiding out near Lisburn with heroin dealer

The crime boss at the centre of the Newtownards loyalist feud is hiding out with a heroin dealer on the outskirts of Lisburn.
Lightstock.com

We know that God sent Jesus to earth as a pathway to salvation for Gentiles or those without Jewish backgrounds. Jesus became the sacrifice so humanity could access Gods forgiveness. We know Jesus was convicted of blasphemy because He was Gods Son. His accusers beat Him and made another man carry His cross. Jesus was crucified on the cross between two thieves, but who was there when He was crucified?

What led to Jesus crucifixion?

Before His betrayal, Jesus was prepared for burial. Matthew 26 tells the tale of a woman with an alabaster box pouring precious ointment on His head. Those gathered with Him questioned why she did it, seeing it as a waste. Still, Jesus asked the crowd not to bother her because she was preparing Him for burial. Judas went to one of the chief priests, asking what they would give to turn over Jesus. From the moment they told him they only wanted 30 pieces of silver, Judas sought to betray Jesus.

At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him. When Judas asked if he would be the betrayer, Jesus said, Thou hast said. He also said it would be better if the betrayer were never born. Later in Matthew 27, Judas hung himself after betraying Jesus. The Bible says all of Jesus disciples fled and forsook Him. Many declared they wouldnt leave, while Peter denied Jesus three times.

Who was at the cross when Jesus died?

The story of Jesus crucifixion starts at the point He was betrayed. From that point until His death, specific people were involved in the final stages of Jesus life.

Judas Iscariot.

By the time Judas betrayed Jesus, He was already a wanted man. His preaching upset the Sadducees, the Herodians, and the Pharisees, but the final straw was His storming the temples and accusing the leaders of turning Gods house into a market. His arrest was unavoidable. Judas role was to lead the group of men to Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. After betraying Jesus, Judas returned the silver and ultimately hung himself.

Caiaphas.

Before Pontius Pilate, Jesus was tried by Caiaphas. As one of Jerusalems most influential and revered high priests, Caiaphas involvement in Jesus crucifixion is the most significant. Jesus threatened Caiaphas power, so he had to stop Him by any means necessary. Jesus was unfairly tried in a manipulated court at Caiaphas house, where he took on the role of judge and prosecutor. Jesus was accused of blasphemy in the following hours and sentenced to death. However, without the power to order an execution, Caiaphas asked for the help of the Roman authorities.

Pontius Pilate.

In 63 BC, the Romans invaded Palestine, so they were in power during Jesus time. Pontius Pilate was in charge of Jerusalem and wasnt interested in Jesus, except he felt Jesus threatened to disrupt the peace. So when Caiaphas brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate, it was for sedition, not blasphemy, which wouldve been meaningless to Pilate. Still, Pilate said Jesus was innocent, but it didnt end there.

The crowd.

Pilates decision didnt sit well with the gathered crowd, who also believed Jesus was guilty. While acknowledging that Jesus didnt do anything wrong, Pilate didnt want the protesting group to transform into a riotous mob, especially during Passover. So he exercised the tradition of letting a prisoner go on Passover, hoping the crowd would free Jesus and punish someone else. Barabbas, a well-known prisoner, was alongside Jesus, and the crowd was invited to free one of them. Instead of choosing Jesus freedom, the group opted to save Barabbas, leaving Pilate no choice but to condemn Jesus to death before washing his hands of the ordeal.

Simon of Cyrene.

Jesus was beaten and taken to Golgotha for crucifixion. The cross that He died on was carried behind Jesus by a man the Bible calls Simon of Cyrene. We dont know much about this event, but three of the four gospels mention him by name. In all versions of the crucifixion, we can understand that Simon was forced to carry Jesus cross by the guards, but what was his significance? So far, he was the only person that did nothing to harm Jesus and momentarily eased His suffering.

Mary Magdalene.

Like Simon of Cyrene, Mary Magdalene was a relief during all this horror. The Bible says that Jesus cured one of her demons, and all of the gospels, aside from Luke, say she witnessed Jesus crucifixion and burial. Maybe even more significantly, it was to Mary that Jesus first appeared after His death. We should note that some scholars think Saint Mary Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala, isnt one but two or three separate people. Still, none of these beliefs diminish the significance of her presence during Jesus final hours.

The other Marys.

St. John notes that Jesus mother, Mary, also witnessed the crucifixion, but it gets slightly confusing. The gospels say that as many as four Marys were present at Jesus crucifixion. St. John says Jesus mother, Mary of Magdala and Mary, the wife of Cleopas, possibly Jesus aunt, were also there. St. Mark and St. Matthew believe another Mary, James or Josephs mother, was there.

Longinus.

Longinus was the name given to the anonymous soldier who pierced Jesus side with his spear. His name arguably comes from the Greek word for spear tip because so little is known about him. According to Luke and Mark, an anonymous Roman Centurion also comes up in the gospels. In this version, the soldier announced that he believed Jesus was the Son of God.

Jesus died on the cross so that we may live. We should spend our time witnessing. We dont know when Jesus will return to collect the church, as the Bible says Hell come like a thief in the night. Jesus doesnt even know when Hes returning because only God knows. Its up to us to prepare and be ready for His return.
"I think it's one of the most impressive things that I've witnessed in the world as part of my career and also my personal life as well."





(Xinhua) -- "Maybe after reading this book, you will understand why your father keeps running off to China. Because it's such a fascinating place."





That's the dedication Dr. Denis Simon wrote in 1991 to his children in his first book -- "Technological Innovation in China: The Case of Shanghai's Electronics Industry."





As a U.S. expert who has made outstanding contributions to China's modernization drive, Simon won the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2006.





Aerial photo taken on Aug. 17, 2020 shows the container dock of Yangshan Port in Shanghai, east China. This year marks the 30th anniversary of China's announcement that it would develop and open up Shanghai's Pudong, which epitomizes China's continuous efforts to deepen reforms and open its doors to the world. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

Simon has spent the last four decades working on issues related to China's talent development and utilization, the internationalization of higher education, and the development of the Chinese national innovation system. Recalling the days of flying across the Pacific between China and the United States, Simon's memories about China are still vivid.





IMPRESSIVE CHANGES





Simon made his first trip to China in 1981, a year after he received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California at Berkeley. Since then, he has been traveling between China and the United States.





"My two children, they saw me many times getting up very early in the morning to catch a plane to fly out to China. And I would be away for two or three weeks at a time. They would wonder what I was doing there," said Simon in a recent interview with Xinhua.





During his first three-week trip in 1981, Simon traveled to about eight or nine different cities in China. He remembered taking about 52 rolls of film for 36 photos each. "And I still have those today. And they were really memorable pictures of a society so different from the United States," he said.





Simon still admires the great changes that have happened in China over the last 40 years. He remembered specifically standing on the Huangpu River in Shanghai and looking out at the river's east side, Pudong, and was told that it was going to become a big economic zone.





"One could have never imagined in those days what was going to happen some 20 plus years later with the transformation of Pudong," Simon said.





He also went down to Shenzhen and was shown a model of the future of the city as the special economic zone; "I looked out the window and all I saw were big fields filled with mud and there were no buildings and almost no people. And it was very hard to imagine what was going to happen as well. And of course, it happened," he said.





Communication was not easy at that time. "We didn't have Zoom or FaceTime; nor did we even have cell phones in the early 1980s. We had to communicate by fax and telex," he said.





He remembered that when he wanted to call home, he had to book a call at a hotel some three or four hours in advance, going through a Chinese operator, an international operator and then an American operator before getting connected to the United States. "Usually, you would be in your hotel room and they would ring you up and say, 'Dr. Simon, your call is being put through,'" he said.





"Now, we just pick up a cell phone and we make a call for a few cents, not so much money. And we call like it's nothing special and add to that, all the other things like WeChat and Twitter and whatever. You can see that we've gone through a revolution that has facilitated this kind of rapid communication between the two societies," Simon said.





Noting that he has witnessed the very beginning of Chinese modernization, Simon said it was a perfect opportunity to understand how China became an "economically advanced, increasingly prosperous economy" since the launch of the reform and opening-up. "I think it's one of the most impressive things that I've witnessed in the world as part of my career and also my personal life as well."





Simon recalled when even Beijing and Shanghai were relatively dark at night in those days as China's power sector was still not well developed. There weren't those kinds of boulevards that were filled with bright lights and signs and everything. There weren't many big commercial streets other than Nanjing Road in Shanghai and Wangfujing in Beijing.





"All of a sudden during the 1980s, and then into the nineties, we began to see the development of a national market and a national infrastructure in China that connected different parts of the country," said Simon.





"FAMILY, HARD WORK, EDUCATION"





Talking about the prime reasons behind China's record economic and social transformation, Simon said there are "three critical ingredients that we can't simply ignore -- family, hard work, education."





"The ... desire of parents wanting to see children do well and wanting to make sure that there's food security and housing, etc. for their families is a very, very important value across the culture and social system," he said.





The second is "a belief in education." "Education is indeed a critical variable in helping to create upward mobility in society," he said.





Then hard work. "I think the changes created during this reform era have allowed people to improve the quality of their lives through hard work. Chinese people have shown a great degree of resilience during some difficult times. I often say they really are like bamboo, they bend, but they don't crack, they don't break. The work ethic in China is very, very strong," said Simon.





However, behind China's unprecedented development, the foreign expert observed, "the first and most important thing is the level of government commitment" regarding reform of the national economy to improve the living standard of the Chinese people and the country's status in the world.





"This level of commitment by the government, even though there have been moments of disagreement about the pace and the direction of the reform, the commitment to the reform has not diminished at all," he said.





Secondly, the opening-up policy and the connection to the outside world have been "very, very important for China," said Simon. "In cultural terms, it gave Chinese people a sense of how other societies around the world have decided to pursue their growth and development."





The Chinese have been very good at learning from the success of many other countries as they faced many new challenges during the course of modernization, he said. "That learning mentality has proven to be another second critical success factor."





Then out of that came the third factor, which is that China decided to have an export-oriented economy where it allowed foreign investment to come in. It put forth a joint venture law and a series of policies to continually improve the business environment for both domestic and foreign enterprises, said Simon. "And that attracted a great deal of foreign interest in setting up factories and more recently even setting up research institutes."





"The last thing that I would say is that we cannot forget China's own indigenous efforts, particularly in education and science and technology; the government's increasing investment in education has paid off very well," he said.





"The commitment to invest in science and technology, I think, has been very critical. Particularly over the last 10-15 years, the payoff has been substantial," he said. "Now that China itself is generating innovation, it is becoming an innovator rather than just a recipient of technology."





FRANK, HONEST EXCHANGE





Simon returned to the United States in June 2020 after his five-year tenure as executive vice chancellor of Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in China. "If you would've asked me 30 years ago, will we see a joint venture university and can China attract a famous university like Duke, I would have told you 'bu ke neng' (which means impossible). But happily, I was wrong!"





"During my five-year tenure at DKU we did everything we could to build those kinds of high-quality bridges between the Chinese side and the Duke side, and more broadly between the Chinese people and American people," he said.





The people-to-people exchanges between the West, including the United States, and China need to be further expanded, said Simon.





"I tell people all the time if you just visit Beijing and Shanghai and tell me you saw China, then I believe you really haven't seen China. You really need to see rural China, urban China, Western China, Southern China, etc. to appreciate the diversity and complexity," he said.





"You need to get a sense of all that's present in China. Visitors need to get a sense of the full range of differences and the vastness of China as a society to appreciate the challenges faced by the government -- past, present and future. China may seem to be a very homogeneous society, but it's not so homogeneous when you consider the diversity that comes from the regional differences that remain ever present," Simon said.





Despite the ups and downs in bilateral ties, the relationship between the Chinese people and American people is "an A-Plus or a Win-Win, however you describe it," Simon noted, expressing "cautious optimism" about the future of U.S.-China relations, which have been strained for the last few years.





He suggested Washington and Beijing adopt a "formula of patience, persistence and perseverance" when dealing with their bilateral ties, which should be a two-way relationship based on mutual respect and trust.





"The potential for mutual benefit and for positive win-win outcomes is so substantial that we would be foolish to cast aside these huge upside opportunities. Sure, we must deal with our differences, but that does not require us to blow up everything into large intractable problems that will keep us divided for many years," said Simon.





No global problem or issue can be solved in a meaningful way without significant contributions from both the U.S. and the Chinese side, the expert said. "I think that's what we have to work for to ensure a better tomorrow," said Simon. "It will not be easy and there is a need for some frank, honest exchanges between the two societies at all levels. The time to start is now."
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
NORTH ADAMS  Last year, Tara Jacobs, a city resident, was elected to the Governors Council to represent western Massachusetts.

Its rare for Berkshire County residents to get elected to the council. The Governors Council meets weekly to approve the governors appointments for judges, clerk magistrates and members of groups like the state Parole Board. The group also weighs in on the governors pardons and commutations.

Jacobs district includes Western Massachusetts, including all of Berkshire and Franklin counties, and most of Hampshire and Hampden counties. Councilors serve two-year terms. Jacobs predecessor Mary Hurley, a retired judge and East Longmeadow resident, decided not to run for reelection.

Seven months into the job, The Eagle checked in with Jacobs to talk about her new role.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What has being on the Governors Council entailed so far? How would you would explain the job to constituents?

A: I always start by explaining it because Im doing all I can to raise awareness for the role, but still the majority of people have never even heard of it, let alone know what it does. Its a council of eight and our role is to give advice and consent to the governors nominees for judges and clerk magistrates and Parole Board members and other positions across the judiciary. There are some other roles where we give our advice and consent, including things like notaries and justices of the peace. And then we weigh in on pardons and commutations as well as some other things but the list is kind of long.

Its been interesting, when I started, the new administration was starting as well. So for me, thats been fantastic because I am very excited to work with this particular administration and because Im coming into the role new, so too are they and so its been kind of a learning experience.

For judges and clerk magistrates, they first go through another vetting group called the JNC, the Judicial Nominating Commission. They had to recruit them, they had to do some orientation, work with them, get them sworn in and so that took several months. They have a stack of applications for the various judicial postings and other postings. Then theres another few groups (who review applicants) after that. So theres a pipeline that Governors Council is at the end of and so its been quiet [a] while were waiting for those nominees to start rolling in. But theres 30 plus judicial postings, theres some clerical positions and spots on the Parole Board  were going to be very busy once we get started.

We just reappointed Dr. Charlene Bonner to the Parole Board and shes a forensic psychologist who has enormous respect and support from both her fellow Parole Board members but also parole officers.

Q: Last month, Governor Haley recommended seven pardons. What your reaction is to that? Where and when does the Governors Council come in on those pardons?

A: Im super happy, excited and proud to see pardons come through so early in the administration, because I think its a sign of the values of this administration, and also the courage because its been a recent trend that governors administrations have waited until theyre about to step out the door to do them.

(In many cases) they were teenagers when they had their offenses. This happened decades and decades ago. Theyve led exemplary lives since then of service to their communities. Some of them have done some incredible, incredible things, and theres this barrier  because it was on their record  for them to do the full achievement of their aspirations. But even with that limitation, the things theyve achieved are just so impressive.

I think were all enthusiastically in support [of the pardons].

I actually reached out and I called all the cases to talk to each individual person and [see] what the impact of this has been on their life and what theyre hoping will be different going forward. Those were amazing conversations.

One guy [Terrance Williams] was 15 years old and was horsing around with his best friend. The parents of the kid didnt want it prosecuted. ... And it was prosecuted. Its not a good thing  he hit his friend with a stool. I think that calls for disciplinary consequences. [The prosecution] seems like a big overreaction for what happened.

[Williams] started a nonprofit for youth and elderly marginalized members of the community to promote positive things for their lives. He had wanted to be a cop his whole life and this kept him from doing that. I think our consensus was this never should have been prosecuted to begin with, so of course, [a] pardon is so deserved. But hes just one example of many people who are living lives that are hampered somewhat by decisions like that.

To answer your other part of the question, the process is that the Parole Board makes recommendations to the governor on pardons. The governor can then choose to ask the Governors Council for advice and consent on those pardons. So the governor asks us to approve, but the Governors Council can veto and then thats final. [However,] a person can apply again.

Q: After the election, you said one of the things you were most excited about was bringing more diversity the judicial bench and thinking about how you would do that. How are you thinking about that now?

A: I have been doing a lot of outreach and [connecting] with individuals and groups who represent marginalized communities in an effort to encourage lawyers to put an application in for judicial postings and current sitting judges. Theres going to be an opening on the Supreme Judicial Court in a few months. Western Mass. has not had a seat at that table for a very long time. It would be amazing for us to have somebody from Western Mass.

Someone has to get the nomination from the governor and make it through the other vetting and then end up in Governors Council chambers for me to be able to support [them]. I can encourage people to apply and if theres someone that I think would be fantastic.

Weve had the discussion, too, about areas of practice. Theres kind of a trend where it kind of skews towards former prosecutors becoming judges. Theres other legal areas that deserve to have representation on our judicial benches and Id love for us to get to a more of a balanced place in terms of women and people of color and areas of legal practice and LGBTQ+ [people] and even things like diversity in terms of people who have disabilities being represented on the bench. I think it creates a more just and fair judicial system. Well see who the Healey administration nominates.

Q: You have been on the North Adams School Committee and Library Board of Trustees. Do you plan to stay on those bodies?

A: Because its been so slow picking up on the Governors Council side, its been hard to really know for sure what the workload is going to feel like when it really gets underway.

My School Committee term is up for reelection this cycle [this fall], so Ive been collecting my signatures. Theres still some really important things on School Committee that I would love to be a part of helping to accomplish. Realistically, if it comes to a point where the Governors Council work becomes overwhelmingly time consuming, I may rethink things.
 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"

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China is building its first large icebreaker, a ship type it had never built or operated before. The Chinese ship will be similar to the new Russian Lider class ships but without the nuclear power. The Chinese heavy icebreaker will be a 90,000 ton ship built in China for China to use in assisting other ships to navigate the Arctic waters off northern Russia. The route is 6,400 kilometers shorter than the conventional route via the Suez Canal. The Suez route also has to deal with the ship size restrictions for using the canal. There are also transit tolls, which can be as much as half a million dollars for a very large ship.

China already has two smaller (21,000-ton) research vessels with limited icebreaking capabilities. The first one was built in Ukraine during the 1990s while the second one was built in China in 2018. Russia has only launched one of the nuclear-powered Liders, in 2019, and it has not entered service yet for the usual Russian reasons of limited money, design defects, poor construction standards and corruption. Construction of the other two was delayed until the 2030s because money was not available. Russia needs these ships to replace the elderly Cold War era nuclear icebreakers. Russia has always taken the lead in maintaining a force of heavy (and often nuclear powered) icebreakers in order to keep northern ports, rivers and coastal waters navigable during the several months a year they are otherwise frozen shut. This provides commercial and military advantages that Russia was willing to pay to maintain. The Russians have run out of money, which the Chinese have not. In fact, China now has the largest ship building industry in the world.

While Chinese shipbuilders concentrate on commercial ships, mainly cargo vessels and tankers, they also build warships specialized vessels, like icebreakers. Chinese warship construction continues at a rapid pace, building large numbers of destroyers and amphibious (LPS and LHD) assault ships. These ships are also world class in terms of technology and design. To accomplish this China has worked for over a decade building incrementally better models of these ships. Satellite photos of their shipyards plus activities of research facilities and capabilities indicate a serious effort to move ahead of Western navy technology during the 2020s. That means transition to all electric drive ships and sensors that match Western capabilities and are evolving rapidly enough to surpass them.

China is still experimenting with aircraft carrier design while putting two carriers into service with a third nearing completion. Each carrier represents a different stage in the Chinese development process. As part of that effort China became the only country in the world with two shipyards capable of building large carriers. These two yards are visibly expanding their capabilities so that the largest (100,000 ton) carriers can be built. China did not begin their aircraft carrier development until the late 1990s. In contrast China has been developing its own designs for other types of warships since the 1970s and 80s.

China takes as long as necessary to get ship designs right. In some cases, this takes a long time. An example of this is Chinese development of nuclear submarines. Since the 1960s China has been trying, and failing, to design and build competitive SSNs (nuclear attack subs) and SSBNs (ballistic missile carrying nuclear subs) as well as a reliable SLBM (sea launched ballistic missile). SSBNs are larger and more complex than SSNs and China has been concentrating on perfecting a competitive SSBN design. China began construction of its first SSN in the 1960s and a decade later built its first SSBN. While each SSN and SSBN improves, those improvements have produced nuclear sub designs that are still several decades behind the Americans though close to matching current Russian nuclear sub tech. Propulsion and silencing capabilities developed for the SSBNs have been applied to SSNs and the latest SSN design, the Type 93G is like the Type 94A SSBN and evolutionary improvement with each Type 93 SSN built incorporating improvements based on experience with previous Type 93s. Chinese shipyards are apparently able to build two or three nuclear subs simultaneously.

While the U.S. Navy is stuck with a dysfunctional warship construction capability and new technology it cannot afford, the Chinese have avoided the American mistakes so far and are rapidly closing the quality gap. That includes having their new ships spend a lot of time at sea, in all seasons and weather, to gain operational experience that can be obtained no other way. The major limitations on further rapid expansion seem to be recruiting problems arising from Chinas lack of a sea-going tradition among its people, plus its so-far limited operational experience at sea. Chinas solution to the latter is exactly right and simply takes lots of time and money, which they are providing. The recruiting problem can probably be dealt with the same way, but that additional delay will require either significantly slowing down the construction problem or having a lot of ships go straight from the construction yard to placement in an expensive floating reserve. Both have their political problems.

All this is the result of China concluding that it is no longer enough just to be the major land-based military power in East Asia, as they have been for thousands of years. The new Chinese economy requires that China protect its access to foreign markets and sources of raw materials. A large, modern navy would not only do that but also be capable of contesting the naval domination that the West has had for centuries.

China now has a naval strategy unlike any in its history. That is one component of a Chinese strategy that involves ambitious goals on land and sea. China is seeking ownership of the South China Sea, large chunks of India and, rather quietly, the Far Eastern Russian territories. In addition, the Chinese seek naval domination in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Going after adjacent land areas is the traditional Chinese way of expanding. China has tended, for thousands of years, to absorb areas not populated by Han (ethnic Chinese) people. While the traditional Chinese lands are now incorporated into communist China, there is no precedent for Chinese naval domination beyond their coastal waters.

Westerners fail to understand some basics about Chinese history and practice. For example, the Chinese have long called China Zhongguo, which is usually translated into English as middle kingdom. A more literal and accurate translation is everything under the heavens. Until the 21st century, this mainly meant adjacent land areas occupied by at least a large minority of Han Chinese. But now China points out that everything means the South China Sea as well and perhaps much more distant lands. China has laid claim to the South China Sea because China is currently faced with a situation unique in Chinese history; dependency on markets and resources far from the Chinese heartland and best reached by sea. Until quite recently China had observed the policy that we have everything we need and do not require whatever foreigners have. This was one exception; gold, silver and gems. This made trade with China difficult because China had much to offer, including silk and other exquisite textiles. China tolerated foreign traders coming in by sea. Most of these were Arab and Indian, but this trade was not essential for China. Nor was trade via the land route; the Silk Road that reached as far as the Middle East, as well as India and all points along the way. Since China preferred to be paid in silver this limited how much distant customers could afford. That worked well for China.

China did like to keep an eye on what was happening in distant lands and sometimes took extraordinary measures to do so. For example, in the early 15th century (1402-33) China funded a large fleet of over 300 ships. These included many enormous vessels that were 120 meters (370 feet) long so that distant lands could be investigated in a proper manner. These ships were more than twice the size of Western vessels. This rare Chinese fleet was proposed and commanded by Zheng He, a very capable Chinese general and a senior official who had the trust of several Chinese emperors. The purpose of the tribute fleet was to impress on foreigners the might of China and to demand tribute from foreign rulers. The tribute fleet also traded, if only to bring back samples of foreign goods, envoys and ideas. All of these were seen as curiosities, not anything really useful to China. The tribute fleet also carried over 20,000 soldiers to impress on foreigners that you did not want to mess with China. Zeng He was a very capable general and he used his tribute fleet troops a few times to impress on troublesome foreigners that the Chinese meant to get their way. These seven voyages took the fleet into Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and east Africa.

After Zeng He died, apparently while leading the last voyage, the emperor ordered the fleet dismantled and written records of the voyages filed away. China had, as always, everything it needed in China and the foreigners had nothing to offer that justified such a large fleet. Let the foreigners come to China with their offerings and, as long as they recognized Chinese supremacy, they would be tolerated.

What Zheng He missed was the growing knowledge explosion in Europe. This was producing all manner of new, and very useful technologies. Before the end of the 15th century some of these new European ships had reached East Africa and the formerly unknown and explored Americas. Over the next few decades these high-tech foreign barbarians traded and conquered their way closer and closer to the Chinese empire. When these heavily armed black ships of the western barbarians showed up seeking to trade, the Chinese were not impressed by what the western voyagers had to offer.

Western ideas were particularly disdained. For over 400 years after the first voyage of Zheng He China dismissed Western ideas, encompassed in the Renaissance, Age of Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution and a growing body of new scientific, engineering and political developments. From the 17th century on those Western concepts became more difficult to ignore. Western advances in ship building, navigation and weapons, especially cannon and firearms, arrived in China more frequently, in larger numbers and often violently. China was slow to adapt. By the late 19th century, when the despised Japanese adopted much of this Western technology, China was forced to recognize that the world had changed, and not in a way that benefited China. The new ideas generated by the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment could be ignored but not Western technology. Western ideas like democracy and radical socialism (communism) had some appeal to Chinese eager to replace the ancient imperial system based on feudalism and a highly skilled bureaucracy. Efforts to implement these new ideas caught on, but not in a big way and often with disastrous results. What was produced was a century of revolution and civil war that made China much weaker. Chinese later regarded this as a century of humiliation made possible by the superior technology and organization of Western nations.

When the Chinese communists came out on top in China after World War II one of main goals was to finally reap the benefits of the Industrial Revolution. But the Great Leap Forward of the 1950s and the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s killed over 30 million Chinese while doing little to help the economy or most Chinese. Chinese leaders learned from this and by the 1970s realized that the existing communist government could only claim to have destroyed feudalism and replaced it with a communist economic system that was not much more effective than the ancient imperial system. Then Chinese leaders sought to try something different. In a typically bold move worthy of Admiral Zheng He, the Chinese were encouraged to create an Industrial Revolution using Western ideas of property rights and entrepreneurial development of new products and manufacturing techniques. By the 1980s Chinese leaders were proclaiming that it was glorious to get rich as long as you stayed out of politics. In other words, the communist dynasty would still rule, but in a way that allowed most Chinese to get rich, or at least more affluent than they had ever been in the past. It worked and from the 1980s through the present China finally went through the Industrial Revolution and became the second largest economy in the world (after the United States). At the current rate of growth China may have the largest economy by the late 2020s and believe they will need comparable military power to hold on to their economic gains.

The Chinese leaders were impressed by the United States, which had been the most effective practitioner of the Industrial Revolution and had gotten into it late, during the 19th century. By 1900 the U.S. had the largest economy in the world and, the Chinese noted, were still a nation that produced all it needed within the continental United States. Despite that, the Americans were very much a trading nation, but that was something of a bonus. The Chinese communists also noted that during World War II the Americans mainly exported weapons, industrial equipment, fuel and food. The Americans did this with a population less than a fifth that of China. By World War II less than ten percent of Americans were employed in agriculture, produced nearly as much food as China and exported what they did not consume. The Americans were producing most of the new technology. By World War II the U.S. had the most powerful fleet on the planet, and still do. Their air forces were unmatched and in the 1960s Americans were walking on the moon and returning safely.

By the end of the 20th century, Chinese leaders were wondering what to do about this. These leaders, while still communist, were seen by most Chinese as just another imperial dynasty. The privileged sons of the senior communist officials were disparagingly called little princes. And while some of these sons were an embarrassment to their families, many more turned the next generation of senior leadership into what amounted to hereditary rule. The Chinese leaders noted this, along with the growing assertiveness of the newly affluent Chinese. By the early 21st century over half the Chinese population were wealthier than they ever imagined. In two generations most Chinese families had gone from poverty to affluence. Their children were better educated than any before. At this point, the Chinese rulers realized they could hang onto their hereditary power only as long as the newly affluent saw their communist rulers aiding continued economic growth rather than losing it via growing corruption or wars that achieved little other than impoverishing the newly affluent Chinese.

To assure the survival of the new dynasty Chinese leaders adopted a typically Chinese solution; they deliberately planned for the long term. In Western terms, they played the long game. This meant maintaining economic growth while also creating Chinese scientific and military capabilities that were beyond what any other nation possessed. That had worked in the past until Chinese emperors ignored the rest of the world despite the good advice of imperial officials like Zheng He, who is now hailed by Chinese as a visionary that was ignored. By 1980 Chinese leaders decided they would no longer ignore the rest of the world but would instead become prosperous and powerful enough to dominate it for the long term. As Zheng He demonstrated, that required the most powerful navy on the planet.

To achieve military dominance, the Chinese leader accepted that this would take decades and this is what the Chinese are up to. Military reforms began in the 1980s as the Chinese adopted Western weapons, techniques and technology. China purchased or stole all the Western tech they could and this included manufacturing technology as well as Western designs for weapons, training and military equipment. China went slowly. They didn't build a large nuclear arsenal once they had learned how to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in the 1960s. Same with warplanes and armored vehicles. This was not the Western way but it has worked for the Chinese as they acquired and learned to use one technology after another.

The Chinese approach to warship design and construction is a good example. Since the 1990s the Chinese have gone from producing copies of Russian designs to those matching the latest Western designs. It was the same with the ground and air forces. The Chinese also realized they could no longer rely on a large (in manpower) armed forces but needed a much smaller force of better educated, trained, equipped and armed troops.

Back in the 1980s Chinese leaders calculated that it would take half a century to match and surpass the West in military power. Westerners scoffed at such an idea but now it is generally agreed that by the 2030s the Chinese will achieve their goal. That does not mean China will use that military power to conquer the world. That was not the Chinese way. Their plan is to possess military power that will, like Zheng Hes tribute fleet, impress upon foreigners that China is not to be defied and that if China wants something, they are more likely to get it. That is being done via the Chinese BRI (Belt and Road initiative) project which is reestablishing the Silk Road, not just overland but with a maritime version as well. The land version involves investing over half a trillion dollars in building transportation and other infrastructure from China into Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and even Europe. These local investments give China enormous political and economic leverage. Long term it means China has finally sound something worth exporting along the Silk Road; Chinese economic and if needed, military power.

The maritime version of the new Silk Road is there to ensure access to areas outside Eurasia. More importantly the new Chinese fleet can dominate shipping lanes worldwide and force other nations to worry about their own access to the seas.

All this depends on continued Chinese economic and technological growth. That is less certain that Chinese plans for military expansion. It was the rapidly growing economy that enabled the Chinese to pay for their new fleet and modern ground forces. Chinese leaders and foreign economists both note several serious flaws in the Chinese financial and political systems. Chinese leaders are trying to use a tightly controlled and high-tech police state to fix these economic problems and it is unclear if their Big Brother approach will work. If it does, it will change the world as well as China.
The shooting spree in Brooklyn and Queens started around 1110 ET Saturday and ended two hours later, police said. The 25yo gunman was in possession of a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun with a high capacity magazine and an "illegal" scooter, New York Police First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban said at a news conference.

Police sources told NBC News that the suspect "appears to suffer from emotional or mental issues." NYPD Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny noted that the suspect was a "male Hispanic."

The rampage started when the suspect shot a 21yo man in the shoulder in Cypress Hills. About 20 minutes later, the suspect fatally shot an 87yo man once in the back on Jamaica Avenue near 108th Street. A 44yo man was reportedly shot in the face near 126th Street and remains in critical condition. And a 63yo man was shot in the shoulder on 134th Street.

"We don't know the motiveIf you look at the demographics and pedigree of the victims, they're all different," Kenny said.

The assistant NYPD chief continued, "At this time, the video shows that he's not targeting anybody. He's not following anybody as he's driving on his scooter, he's randomly shooting people."

MAN WENT ON SHOOTING SPREE IN NYC TODAY AT RANDOM STRANGERS ***

pic.twitter.com/0byJnLVQpe  The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) July 9, 2023

NYC, Queens: man on scooter went on shooting spree killing 1 and injuring 3 today. pic.twitter.com/J7l6bcFA4G  AlphaFox (@Alphafox78) July 9, 2023

The suspect was arrested two hours later on the corner of Sutphin Boulevard and 94th Avenue in Queens.

This is just another day in crime-ridden NYC as Democrats fail to enforce law and order. Remember, progressives in City Hall were the ones that pushed disastrous defunding the police measures a few years ago.
Finland has reminded us of the rise of eco-fascism as a Minister who called for climate abortions for African women four years ago is forced to resign. This comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Bill Gates attempt to flood Africa with dangerous malaria vaccines.

Meanwhile, birth rates continue to decline in Sweden and Australia because of climate change, so they say. Talking of Australia, the ACMA proposed legislation aims to stop the public from talking about the climate scam, among other things.

As the German government begins to crack under the strain of net zero fanaticism, the NHS, proving that being a tool for Covidians was just the beginning, shows it is entering an era where it is being used as a tool for net zero zealots.

Study Smarter, Eco Fascism, retrieved 8 July 2023

The following is a collection of articles published over the last week from a variety of sources.

Climate abortions for African women: For those who havent heard yet or only read/listen to corporate media, the climate crime  and there is no other term for it  has taken a new turn for the worse. On 30 June, the Finnish Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr. Vilhelm Junnila, had to resign over his climate abortion speech.

Some four years ago, as a Parliamentary Freshman, Mr. Junnila, recommended to the Finnish Parliament that his country sponsor climate abortions for African women to save the planet. Yes, you read correctly: climate abortions. This 4-year-old speech surfaced as eco-fascism takes ever more extreme forms throughout Europe. Read more HERE.

Since the publication of the World Economic Forums (WEF) Great Reset and its parallel UN Agenda 2030, it is no longer a secret that the Decade of 2020-30 is not only called by WHO The Decade of Vaccination, it is an unbelievably horrendous plan for humanity.

Among the prime targets, it includes massive population reduction, by any means possible, including, coerced and WHO-mandated lethal vaccinations, forced sterilisation, wars, manufactured famine  and a myriad of other human-killing means.

In addition, there is also WEF-invented technocratic Fourth Industrial Revolution  the fore total digitisation of everything, including transforming surviving humans into transhumans with the help of the deadly 5G ultra-microwaves, full digitisation of money via a novel concept of programmable Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) which by a digital process may be programmed to be turned on and off according to the controlling elites will. Read more HERE.

Birth rates continue to decline in Australia and Sweden: Climate change is the main culprit, Australian experts say. Climate concerns are anything but new. What is new is the safe and effective covid injections. To distract from this, the Australian expert makes sure to point out that anti-vaxxers are cunningly trying to hijack this discussion and point out that covid injections are to blame. Australia is not alone; Sweden is experiencing a similar birth decline. Read more HERE.

WHO and Gates announce plans to flood Africa with ultra-dangerous malaria vaccines: The World Health Organisation and its partner organisation, the Bill Gates-controlled GAVI, announced Wednesday that they will be flooding Africa with 18 million doses of malaria vaccines. During a Wednesday press conference, WHO director Tedros Adhanom declared that 12 African countries will be receiving 18 million doses of malaria vaccine in the coming months, declaring that climate change is largely responsible for the continuing disease burden in the continent. Read more HERE.

Climate change by flawed numbers: A widely known assertion (still promoted by NASA) that 97% of climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change was simply based on a flawed survey of authors of published papers and has been thoroughly debunked.

The case made for IPCCs statement that at least 95% degree of certainty that more than half the recent warming is man-made is also flawed. Professor Norman Fenton illustrates why. Read more HERE.

2022 Nobel Prize winner says there is no climate crisis: John Clauser is an American theoretical and experimental physicist with a long and accomplished career, specialising in quantum mechanics. At the Quantum Korea 2023 conference, Clauser voiced his concerns about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), accusing it of disseminating misinformation about the state of the planets climate. He said, I dont think there is a climate crisisI think the key processes are exaggerated and misunderstood by a factor of about 200. Read more HERE.

UN digital first responder forms an addition to the now well-known fact checker: No matter what UN goal you scratch at, a questionable ideological foundation emerges from below its charitable surface. I can appreciate that people are deeply concerned about the environment (Goal 13), but thats not the same thing as going along with an ecomodernist climate discourse. If Bill Gates wants to lower the Earths temperature by dispersing millions of tons of chalk dust into the atmosphere or by suspending technologically manipulable mirrors between the Earth and the sun, the ecomodernist remedy may well be more dangerous than the disease. Far more dangerous. Read more HERE.

NHS guidance for developing a greener practice: According to NHS England and NHS Improvement, Climate change threatens the foundations of good health, with direct and immediate consequences for our patients, the public and the NHS.

In October 2020, NHS England published Delivering a net zero National Health Service, which outlined its ambition for the NHS to become the worlds first healthcare system to reach net-zero emissions  by 2040 for emissions controlled directly by the NHS, and by 2045 for emissions influenced by it.

A key first step was for every trust and integrated care system across the country to develop and implement a Green Plan, describing any carbon-reduction initiatives already underway, and any plans for the subsequent 3 years. In 2021, the Greener NHS team launched the Healthier planet, healthier people campaign to highlight how staff action is already making the NHS greener. In addition, in primary care, domains called A Sustainable NHS and Providing High Quality Care were incorporated into the Investment and Impact Fund incentive scheme in 2022 to help move NHS England towards its net-zero targets. Read more on Medscape HERE.

[First Covid NHS now Net Zero NHS. Is the NHS becoming a danger to the publics health?]

German political establishment begins to crack: As Greens double down on their politically suicidal climate agenda, the German political establishment begins to crack. Few are happy about the proposed changes to the Building Energy Act, or the Gebaudeenergiegesetz (GEG). A recent survey shows that 74% of Germans believe there are too many open questions and that the legislation should be substantially delayed if not shelved. Majorities in all parties are opposed; even 51% of Green voters dont want the GEG to pass right now. A substantial part of the establishment media has accordingly become openly critical of the Greens. Read more HERE.

Biden approved the largest offshore wind project in the US to date: The Biden administration just approved the biggest offshore wind project in the US. Located about 13 nautical miles southeast of Atlantic City, the Ocean Wind 1 project offshore New Jersey. The project, which will be run by Denmark-based power company rstedt. A non-exhaustive list of backlashes for Bidens wind farms includes the impact on whales and the impact on fisheries. Read more HERE.

White House wants to block sunlight to save the Planet from global warming: Despite the European Commissions recent warning that large-scale interventions such as solar engineering to reverse climate change could have unintended consequences, the White House published a new report Friday indicating that the Biden administration wants to manipulate planetary systems to block the sunlight to save the planet. Read more HERE.

ACMA proposed legislation will suppress and oppress Australians: According to the proposed [Australian Communications and Media Authority] ACMA legislation, every single thing I am saying in this post is illegal and will carry with it hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. Come and get me Albo  Ill be waiting, writes Meryl Dorey. Here are seven statements that will soon be considered illegal if the Albo Govermaceutical Fascists get their way  The first in her list of soon to be banned topics is human-caused climate change is a scam.

We should be able to agree, disagree, fight with our words, and use our own minds to determine what we feel is right and what isnt. This legislation will remove all those rights. It will stifle, suppress and oppress Australians to the point where life wont be worth living for many. Perhaps thats the goal? Read more HERE.

A Japanese airline would rather have you rent clothes than deal with your bag: An initiative by Japan Airlines Co. and Sumitomo Corp. will soon offer rental clothing for tourists and business travellers during their visit to Japan. Japan Airlines will calculate the reduction in carbon emissions based on saved aircraft weight, and inform customers. Read more HERE.

This idea is an extension of the The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5C World report published by C40 Cities and Arup which, among others, aims to limit the number of new items of clothing per year to 3 per person. Read more HERE.

It also dovetails into the World Economic Forums infamous strapline: You will own nothing and, by implication, you will rent everything from those who own everything.
This July 3 marks the 10th anniversary of Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah Sisis violent seizure of power in Cairo. The first democratically elected leader in 5000 years of Egyptian history, Mohamed Morsi, was swept from office, his supporters were massacred by the hundreds, and he ultimately died in prison. With US and UK support, Sisi quickly reversed any tentative democratic gains made during the countrys brief, difficult transition from the rule of longtime Western-backed autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

In the decade since Sisis coup, his government has systematically crushed opposition to his rule. Political parties and critical media have been banned en masse, activists, journalists, and civil society actors harassed, disappeared, tortured and jailed, and prisons transformed into hotbeds of systemic sexual violence, and other horrific abuse. It is estimated that half of Egypts 120,00 inmate population are currently incarcerated for political reasons, one of the highest rates in the world.

The circumstances of Morsis forced ejection from office, and of Egypts regression to one of the most repressive countries on Earth under Sisis rule, have been well-documented, despite many NGOs and news outlets fleeing the country over the years. Yet, there is a crucial component of the historical record that has not been revealed until now.

Leaked documents reviewed by The Grayzone reveal that the media giant Reuters worked closely with the British Foreign Office to drive the fateful events of July 3 2013. What follows is the story of how Cairos first democratically elected government in history was undermined, Sisis blood-spattered coup whitewashed, and the military entrenched in power, through covert propaganda funded in secret by London.

British spies strike secret deal with Reuters

In the wake of Egypts revolution in February 2011, chaos reigned untrammeled. What path the country should take, whether and when free elections would be at last held, and if so who would be entrusted by the public with governing Cairo moving forward, was far from clear.

Large-scale protests against the interim military administration following Mubaraks departure were an almost daily occurrence, as were violent and sometimes fatal clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Along the way, protesters ransacked and occasionally occupied the offices of local police forces and intelligence services, attacked foreign embassies, and torched government buildings.

Against this tumultuous backdrop, Egypt prepared for its first free parliamentary vote in October 2011. Though many citizens welcomed the elections, officials across the West openly angsted about the popular Muslim Brotherhood emerging victorious and pursuing an independent path. Such fears were particularly pronounced in Britain, Cairos former imperial master, and its largest investor today.

As if on cue, Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), the charitable arm of the Thomson Reuters global news conglomerate, established Aswat Masriya, an ostensibly independent media outlet, to cover Egyptian affairs. Unbeknownst to the Egyptian public, the effort was wholly funded by the British Foreign Office. By the time Aswat Masriya closed, a staggering 2 million had been pumped into the initiative by London.

[Aswat Masriya] became Egypts leading independent local media organisation until its closureIts content was offered for free syndication across the region, a leaked TRF document boasts. In 2016, [it] became one of the top 500 most visited websites in Egypt.

Reuters Cairo offices provided payroll, human resources, and security support to Aswat Masriya, and the outlet was based there for its duration. A since-deleted online profile states 300 Egyptians were trained via the project, a veritable army of journalists generating over 300 stories each and every week in English and Arabic. These were then recycled by over 50 media outlets worldwide, including Reuters.

Londons rationale for kickstarting Aswat Masriya was clear. Establishing a local news platform granted the Foreign Office an unparalleled degree of on-the-ground narrative control as events unfolded in Egypt, both domestically and internationally. British intelligence has established a long record of funding news outlets overseas for this precise purpose  including Reuters.

During the late 1960s, London financed the creation of Reuters Middle East service. The outfit provided slanted stories about local and world events for reuse by journalists elsewhere, in English and Arabic  in the precise manner of Aswat Masriya.

There is reason to believe Reuters are receptive to the idea they would have to give something in returnWhat [British intelligence] might secure, in effect, is the chance to influence in some measure the whole Reuters output, a declassified Foreign Office file states. There is an opportunity here to evolve a relationship [with] Reuters[British] interests should be well served by the new arrangement.

Reuters inflates protest numbers at armys command

In late 2012, Morsi enacted a Constitutional Declaration, under which he temporarily assumed sweeping executive powers, prompting small protests to break out. Aswat Masriya led the charge in condemning the decision, portraying it as a scheme by the president  and by extension the Muslim Brotherhood  to gain total, permanent control over all Egypts branches of government.

In reality, the Declaration was scheduled to only last three weeks, and had been enacted due to Cairos powerful, heavily politicized judiciary repeatedly attempting to impede Egypts democratic transition. By that time, judges had already dismissed the countrys first constitutional assembly and elected parliament once, and threatened to do so again, as the countrys new draft constitution strictly limited military power in politics. But the fear driven by outlets like Aswat Masriya and Western media had incited masses of demonstrators back into the streets.

Though Morsi moved to hold fresh parliamentary elections and a referendum on the new constitution, negative coverage of the declaration and the smattering of demonstrations convinced opposition politicians to begin holding confidential meetings with army chiefs, discussing ways of unseating the President, as the Wall Street Journal reported.

Fast forward to April 2013, when a mysterious youth group called Tamarod suddenly materialized to collect signatures demanding Morsis removal by June 30th. Meanwhile, opposition leaders clamored for mass demonstrations across Egypt, especially in front of the Presidential Palace. Aswat Masriya granted the new movement blanket coverage. While contemporary polling indicated 53% of the public still supported President Morsi, the outlet served as an non-stop megaphone for the opposition.

By June 30th, the streets of Cairo and other major Egyptian cities were filled with protesters as Morsi refused to resign. Military sources told Reuters that as many as 14 million people, or almost 17% of the countrys population, had come out to demonstrate. While the news agency acknowledged the figure seemed implausibly high, it reassured readers the army had used helicopters to monitor the crowds.

The 14 million claim was duly recycled by news organizations the world over  including Aswat Masriya. Sisi exploited the international outcry and internal upheaval to remove Morsi from power, and suspend the recently passed Constitution. Opposition figures went on to inflate the total number of protesters ever-further. A particularly popular fantasy sum was 33 million, given it was higher than the total number of Egyptians whod voted for Morsi in the first place.

Subsequent investigations revealed there were between one and two million protesters at the absolute most. As The Grayzones Max Blumenthal wrote at the time, the stunning crowd counts [Egypts opposition] spread across the world do not seem to hold up against critical scrutiny. And as the mirage of a 30-million-person march evaporates, an unsavory military coup stands exposed.

Leaked recordings released in the wake of the coup subsequently exposed that Tamarod was financed by the United Arab Emirates, another former British imperial holding. It further showed how high ranking military officials  who also drew from that slush fund  had openly discussed using protests to rid themselves of the meddlesome Morsi.

Aswat Masriya whitewashes reality of Sisis Egypt

Neither Aswat Masriya nor Reuters ever mentioned these bombshell disclosures. The former was also by-and-large silent when in August 2013, Egyptian security forces under Sisis command brutally crushed a protest in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in Cairo, slaughtering at least 817 people. Human Rights Watch dubbed the bloodshed perhaps the largest mass killing of protesters on a single day in modern history.

Using armoured personnel carriers, bulldozers, ground forces and snipers, police and army personnel attacked the makeshift protest camp and gunned down protesters, the organization recorded.

Nonetheless, Aswat Masriya published an official investigation into the massacre which blamed the gross death toll on protesters themselves, claiming they initiated attacks on security forces. Amnesty Internationals contention that the probe was a concerted whitewash, specifically set up to shield security forces from censure, was mysteriously omitted from its coverage.

Perhaps predictably, the outlet uncritically reported Sisis landslide election victory in May 2014, when he the army general received 96.91% of the vote, in no small part due to most other candidates either dropping out of the race, or being jailed before polling day.

Cairo had already slipped back into dictatorship by that time, and would only fall further into autocracy in the years to come. Not a trace of this reality would ever be reflected on the pages of Aswat Masriya, though. Fittingly, in November 2016 the publication uncritically reported Sisi explaining to US lawmakers that human rights in Egypt should not be perceived from a Western perspective, due to differences in challenges and local and regional circumstances.

The situation in Egypt had grown so dire by 2017 that the British Foreign Office could no longer ignore it. In February of that year, London designated Cairo a human rights priority country. An accompanying factsheet noted that reports of torture, police brutality, and forced disappearance had ratcheted in recent years, and so too had restrictions on civil society and freedom of expression, while a number of prominent human rights defenders were banned from travelling.

A month later, Aswat Masriya closed its doors permanently. An accompanying press release noted that TRF was unable to find a sustainable source of financing for the platform. It is uncertain why the British stopped supporting the outlet, although it had clearly fulfilled its purpose of helping ensure a suitably malleable, friendly government was safely installed in Cairo, and was likely surplus to requirements as a result.

When the UK media exposed Reuters clandestine Cold War-era relationship with British intelligence in January 2020, a spokesperson for the news agency claimed such an arrangement was not in keeping with our Trust Principles and we would not do this today.

Reuters receives no government funding, supplying independent, unbiased news in every part of the world, they added.

What the Reuters flack neglected to acknowledge was that only three years before, his organization still served as a financial channel for the Foreign Office to an Egyptian outlet which incited the overthrow of the countrys first democratically elected government. Whether the London-based media giant is involved in similarly covert, state-backed machinations today is anyones guess.
Farmers in Ireland are expressing outrage over the globalist Irish governments decision to cull 200,000 of the nations healthy cows to meet the green agendas climate goals.

The government is moving to reduce national cattle numbers over claims they contribute to climate change due to carbon emissions.

A report by the Irish Department of Agriculture outlined how 200,000 cows could be killed over the next three years to meet carbon targets.

The plan would reportedly come at a cost of around 600 million euros to taxpayers, with the document indicating that 5,000 euros per cow would be offered as compensation.

The countrys Environmental Protection Agency said that the agriculture industry was creating nearly 40 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions there, and much of it stems from the methane in livestock and the use of nitrogen fertilizer.

The country has committed to reducing its agricultural emissions by 25 percent by the year 2030.

They are calling the plan a dairy reduction scheme, but the result is the senseless slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals in the name of somehow helping the environment.

The cull would entail killing 65,000 cows per year over the next three years, reducing the countrys overall dairy herd by 10 percent.

It is being positioned as a potential retirement exit scheme for aging farmers.

The president of the Irish Farmers Association, Tim Cullinan, said that the plan would only serve to increase farmers mistrust in the government and will not have the intended environmental aims.

He said: Reducing dairy or beef production in Ireland will also lead to carbon leakage with production moving to other countries with a higher carbon footprint.

This is likely to increase global warming rather than reducing it.

Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association President Pat McCormack believes that the focus should be on other sectors when it comes to helping the environment.

He said: Were the one industry with a significant roadmap, and, to be quite honest with you, our herd isnt any larger than it was 25 to 30 years ago.

Can the same be said for the transport industry, can the same be said for the aviation industry?

He added that any culling that takes place needs to be done on a voluntary basis.

McCormack said that farmers would be willing to do their part to help preserve the environment, but that forcing the issue is not a solution.

Other critics of the plan fear that the move could have a major effect on the country that is not unlike what happened during the potato famine.

Australian geologist Ian Plimer said that the move would only end in disaster.

The Irish know about this from the potato famine, he said.

A third of their population died, a third emigrated, and the same thing will happen.

They will lose productive people from Ireland, and theyll go somewhere else.

Elon Musk has also weighed in on the proposal, tweeting in reply to an editorial wondering if American herds would soon follow suit: This really needs to stop. Killing some cows doesnt matter for climate change.

This really needs to stop. Killing some cows doesnt matter for climate change.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2023

Animal meat has long been a target of environmentalists and governments looking to exert more power.

Frankenfoods like Beyond Meat are being pushed on the masses, and tactics such as carbon taxes, agricultural subsidies, and tax schemes are being used to limit the availability of meat.

Some have even called for meat consumption to be banned.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has said that he believes all wealthy nations should switch to 100 percent synthetic beef, and he has provided financial backing for meat alternative brands like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.

Synthetic meats are often made using genetic modification, and their long-term effects on human life are not known.

Lab-grown meats also fall short when it comes to nutrition, with many options lacking protein and other important nutrients.
Taqa Arabia, the full-service energy and utility provider in Egypt, has announced the start of trading of the group's shares on The Egyptian Exchange (EGX).

The shares started trading on June 9, 2023. This comes after receiving the EGX listing committee approval to list Taqa Arabias shares in the Utilities sector under the ticker symbol (Taqa.CA).

The trading was attended by Rami El-Dokany, Executive Chairman of The Egyptian Exchange; Eng Khaled Abu Bakr, Chairman of Taqa Arabia; Pakinam Kafafi, CEO of Taqa Arabia; Karim Awad, Group CEO of EFG Holding and Mostafa Gad, Co-Head of Investment Banking at EFG Hermes, which managed the listing of Taqa Arabia in the EGX.

Supply side

El-Dokany said: The listing of a major group such as Taqa Arabia on EGX encourages more private sector companies to go public, which improves the supply side in the stock market. This is an indication of our successful efforts, in cooperation with the concerned state bodies, to simplify listing procedures, create an environment that encourages trading, and illustrate the advantages of listing.

Being listed on EGX help companies achieve their potential growth and have easier access to necessary funds for their expansion plans on one side, while also improving market sectoral diversification, increasing its liquidity, and augmenting its depth; all of which have a positive impact on Egypts economic growth on the other side.

"This marks a significant milestone in our journey towards success, as we strive to play a fundamental and impactful role not only in Egypt's energy sector, but also in Africa and the Middle East," said Bakr.

Favourable climate

"It reflects the stability and favourable climate we have experienced in Egypt over the past 10 years, along with the implementation of a robust reform strategy in the energy sector. Moreover, it showcases our 25 years of experience, marked by excellence and unwavering determination."

"We have unwavering confidence in the Egyptian stock market and its ability to attract regional and international investments. At Taqa Arabia, we are fully committed to expanding our portfolio of services, with the EGX playing a vital role in fulfilling our growth strategy as a reliable source of financing," Bakr added.

Key event

"Today, we are witnessing a key event in the remarkable journey of Taqa Arabia since its establishment in 2006. Over the past 17 years, the group has achieved unparalleled successes and remarkable accomplishments," stated Kafafi.

"Our dedicated team works around the clock, catering to the needs of over 1.7 million customers in more than 50 cities across Egypt. With a workforce of over 3,400 employees, we are committed to providing cutting-edge solutions to meet diverse energy and utility requirements, including natural gas, electricity, water treatment, and marketing petroleum products & lubes."

Gad said: Taqa Arabia is the leading integrated energy and utility provider in Egypt, Africa and the Middle East, with a solid track record of achievements and strong growth potential. We are proud to support such a pioneering group in executing the largest listing in the EGX since 2021, which is also the first listing for a private company in the energy sector.-- TradeArabia News Service
MBABANE  With expectations high that it will be dissolved on Tuesday, the 11th Parliament will earn itself a ticket into the golden circle of those that have failed to pass some critical laws.

In the event that His Majesty King Mswati III dissolves Parliament as anticipated, chances that there will be more than five sittings are next to zero. This means that critical legislations which touch on the lives of thousands of emaSwati, some of which have dragged for years will not see the light of day anytime soon. Such an assertion is based on the fact that the passing of a legislation is a lengthy process which includes tabling, debate, first to third reading and adoption by the House of Assembly after which it proceeds to Senate. The general objective of Parliament is to assist Members of the House of Assembly and senators in their consideration and passage of legislation as well as national issues of good governance.

One of legislations that will not see the light of day under then outgoing 11th Parliament is that which is meant to facilitate the conversion of the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF). What makes this legislation crucial is that it is expected to grow the ENPF into a multi-trillion organisation and its hundreds of members will get improved benefits that will improve their lives even when they retire.

infamous

The idea behind transforming the ENPF garnered popular appeal in the 1990s as it was one of the infamous 27 demands by the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU). Over the years five Cabinet ministers, namely Lutfo Dlamini, Patrick Magobetane Mamba, the late Winnie Magagula, late Makhosi Vilakati and the latest being Phila Buthelezi have dealt with this matter and left office before seeing it till the end. Magagula shocked MPs during the 10th Parliament when she withdrew the bill to establish the new fund at the last minute during the last sitting at the end of June 2018. When the outgoing 11th Parliament came into office, MPs mobilised and the late Vilakati attempted to revive the debate of the Bill and in May 2019, he shared that it was with the Labour Advisory Board (LAB), which is a tripartite structure where inputs are being made. He set a target that by the end of the same month, it should be presented to Cabinet before being tabled to Parliament.

However, nothing came out of it and this is despite the fact that MPs even moved and passed a motion calling for the bill to be re-tabled. Worth noting is that during Vilakatis funeral on January 28, 2021, the ENPF announced through its representative that they would honour him by fast- tracking the conversion of the fund into a pension scheme, which would see every worker getting a pension. This year, Buthelezi accepted a motion from the MPs to bring back the Bill and he is on record having said that it was now at Cabinet and that he himself was frustrated by the delay. The second legislation that will not pass under then 11th Parliament is the Opium and Habit Forming Bill which was withdrawn by the Minister of Health, Lizzie Nkosi, last Monday. While the justification for its withdrawal made sense, it is a fact that the bill has dragged for too long.

referred

Widely referred as the Cannabis Bill, MPs at the House of Assembly have, since 2018 been doing nothing but a back-and-forth whenever the time comes for them to debate, adopt and pass it. In the same year, the legislators voted against a debate of a report tabled by the select committee tasked with working on the Bill. They further instructed the Ministry of Health to withdraw it completely to allow for further consultations. This was to be followed by a re-tabling in 2019 which however, was met with resistance from some MPs who argued that the Bill was being shoved down their throats by outside pressure. With government not giving up, the Bill was on the Parliament agenda in 2020, but on June 17 of the same year, it was withdrawn during a sitting at the House of Assembly. This time, the sitting was characterised by a back and forth of two factions of the members of the House, one made up of those who wanted it passed and the other who had come prepared to throw it out.

The MPs who were against the passing of the Bill argued that there was a need to allow for further consultations on it. They argued that the Bill touched on a lot of emaSwati and, therefore, there was a need for thorough consultations before it could be passed in Parliament. This year, the outgoing MPs once again showed resentment towards the Bill and went to the extent of declaring that passing it will make them lose votes in the upcoming general elections. The main issue has been some clauses related to the issuance of licences or permits for the production of cannabis for medicinal purposes and scientific use. During the debates, it was stated that companies seeking to get licences for the production of cannabis for medicinal and scientific use in the country should at least have 33 per cent of emaSwati representation. The delay in the passing of the Bill has been criticised by experts who have argued that the Kingdom of Eswatini was missing out on big business while its neighbouring countries were making money from planting cannabis for medicinal purposes.

secured

In 2021, medical cannabis producer Highlands Investments from Lesotho secured the sale of 8.5 tonnes of pure cannabis flowers for the European market that will be shipped to North Macedonia. The shipment was said to be the worlds largest single legal cannabis export to date. The third piece of legislation that is in danger of not passing under the 11th Parliament is the amendment of the Employment Act, 1980 which was to happen through the passing of the Employment Bill No.7 of 2023. While proper consultations have been conducted on it, passing of the Bill has dragged following a litany of issues raised by various stakeholders. In particular, stakeholders have raised concern that certain clauses could cause a negative impact in the business environment, such as the prohibition of labour broking which if passed into law as proposed in Section 129 together with the provisions which outlaw outsourcing and subcontracting of what was termed as core business as scripted in Section 130, can cause unintended and disastrous outcomes in the business space.
Met Eireann has issued a series of weather warnings on Sunday as scattered thunderstorms are set to move across the country.

The first warning covers counties Kildare, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Galway and Roscommon and is in place until 12pm.

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Thunderstorm Warning Updated



Possible impacts:



Spot flooding

Poor visibility

Difficult travelling conditions.



Valid: 08:59 Sunday 09/07/2023 to 12:00 Sunday 09/07/2023



See full details herehttps://t.co/FS6gXn7xuP pic.twitter.com/2Ad3wluiXZ  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) July 9, 2023

A second warning will be in place in Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare and Connacht from 1pm to 8pm on Sunday.

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The forecaster said the thunderstorms could cause spot flooding and come with the chance of hail. It warned of poor visibility and difficult travelling conditions in affected areas.

The UK Met Office has also issued a thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland from 10am until 9pm. It said heavy showers and thunderstorms may cause some flooding and travel disruption.

Advertisement Low pressure remains in charge of our weather over the coming days, bringing further heavy showers and longer spells of rain to our shores  pic.twitter.com/c7F1jdWk6o  Met Office (@metoffice) July 8, 2023

Met Eireann said the showers will continue for a time on Sunday night, but will die out in most areas. Temperatures will drop to 7 to 11 degrees overnight.

The weather will continue to be unsettled next week.

Heavy showers in the south will gradually move northwards on Monday and will become widespread during the afternoon, Met Eireann said. Thunderstorms and spot flooding are also possible, with highest temperatures of 17 to 21 degrees.
Rory Coveney has announced that he is to step down from his role as RTEs Director of Strategy with immediate effect.

Mr Coveney has been with RTE since 2007 in a variety of roles. Prior to joining RTE, Rory worked for Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

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Mr Coveney is the brother of Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney, who has recused himself from Cabinet discussions regarding the Executive Board in recent weeks when necessary.

In a statement, Mr Coveney said he met with incoming director general Kevin Bakhurst in recent days, and is resigning to give him the space to create a fresh leadership team.

I met with Kevin 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.

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"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.

Kevin Bakhurst, Director-General, RTE, said: I want to express my sincere thanks to Rory for his significant contribution to public service media during his time in RTE.

"As Strategic Adviser to the Director General, and latterly as Director of Strategy, Rory steered the organisation through a period of unprecedented change in media, while overseeing RTEs complex strategy and public affairs units."
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has been urged to intervene to help find a resolution to a 25-year-old Co Armagh parading dispute.

Members of the Orange Order have staged an annual protest during the Drumcree parade in Portadown for more than two decades.

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However, the Parades Commission again refused permission for the return route to proceed along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road, a ruling maintained since 1998.

Orange men during the 25th anniversary Drumcree parade in Portadown. Photo: Niall Carson/PA.

Orange Order members on Sunday held a short protest at the police lines barring them from the return route.

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The orders grand secretary Mervyn Gibson insisted their protest will continue as he called on the Parades Commission to be disbanded.

Standing close to the police line, Mr Gibson said it brought back memories of the Orange Order and the wider unionist community standing together.

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Its great but also sad to see that brethren have been standing here for 25 years  25 years and everybody thinks its sorted, he said.

Recent interviews on the radio, I was told this is sorted, I assured them it wasnt sorted and that brethren would remain here until there is a resolution.

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That resolution is for the brethren of Portadown to find with those who are prepared to listen to them, with those who are prepared to compromise with them, with those who are prepared to talk with them.

The parade is only allowed to pass in one direction (Niall Carson/PA)

The Parades Commission has a major part to play and they have failed Portadown district, they have failed Northern Ireland in so many different ways.

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It is time for them to go. It is time for the Secretary of State (Chris Heaton-Harris) to exercise some influence to see a resolution here.

This shows the people of Northern Ireland and wider world that the Drumcree situation is still here, and were determined to support the Portadown brethren until a resolution is found.

This years parade set off from Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown town centre on Sunday morning to a church service at Drumcree Parish Church.

25 years ago the parade was first prevented from completing its traditional return route, with the stand-off making headlines in the 1990s when nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road resolutely opposed to the parade passing through their area.

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This lead to violent clashes for several summers and political tensions that resulted in a major security operation.

The parades mark the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, an act that secured a Protestant line of succession for the British crown.

Earlier Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart said it was a very sad day that 25 years on from this dispute were still in the same situation where Orange feet are not welcome on a particular stretch of road.

She told the BBCs Sunday Politics programme: I want to see a society where our culture is respected, our identity is respected, and I think it is no big thing to ask that the Garvaghy Road Residents Association enter in to some form of mediation.

Unfortunately for many, many years their intransigence has actually been rewarded by the Parades Commission.

We cant move on if there is no respect or tolerance for a 10-minute walk down a route which has changed enormously over the last 25 years.

However SDLP MP Claire Hanna said the dispute is in the past.

I think you might as well ask to refight the Battle of the Boyne, that is a fight that is in the past, she said.

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That dispute, as anyone who was around at the time will know, was profoundly damaging to community relations. There were awful scenes around it and awful consequences.

I think the DUP need to get their heads around the world we are living in today, and to offer leadership around the world we are living in today.
Controversy and scandal at RTE and the BBC dominate the front pages on Sunday as the public service broadcasters deal with deepening crises.

The Business Post reports that RTE is preparing to "move against" members of its senior management team as soon as Monday in a radical bid to restore public confidence after the Ryan Tubridy payments controversy.

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The Sunday Independent reveals that RTEs former director general Dee Forbes asked the Government for a 35 million bailout while auditors investigated her involvement in the secret payments made to Mr Tubridy.

The Ireland edition of The Sunday Times says forensic accountants hired by RTE are investigating whether Mr Tubridy received a 100,000 loyalty payment in 2012 as part of a deal he signed to present his morning radio programme and The Late Late Show.

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Ministers are discussing a taxpayer-funded bailout of RTE as the crisis continues, The Irish Mail on Sunday reports.

The Irish Sunday Mirror publishes photos of Ryan Tubridy out for a jog ahead of him facing questions from TDs and Senators on Tuesday.

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The Sunday World has further detail on the suspected murder of a Dublin woman in Spain last week.

Sunday Life says a "child-killing paedophile" from Belfast has been released from prison.

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The story of a BBC presenter paying a teenager to send them explicit photos dominates the front pages of the British newspapers.

After The Sun broke the story on Saturday, its Sunday edition continues coverage as it talks to the alleged victims mother and reveals the unnamed star sent pants pics to the teenager.

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On tomorrow's front page: The BBC presenter at the centre of a sex-pictures scandal stripped to his underpants for a video call, the alleged victims mother claimed https://t.co/NYncseqVf0 pic.twitter.com/x0lC1tp4X1  The Sun (@TheSun) July 8, 2023

Both the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times describe the story as a BBC crisis, the Mail saying the presenter is a household name while the Times says the teenagers parents complained months ago and reveals stars were lining up to say its not me.

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Mail on Sunday: BBC crisis over top star in sex photos probe #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/5Etku3gS8e  George Mann (@sgfmann) July 8, 2023

Sunday Times: BBC crisis over star paying teen for sex photos #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/xU74CsU32T  George Mann (@sgfmann) July 8, 2023

The BBC is coming under fire over its handling of the affair, according to The Sunday Telegraph, while the Daily Mirror said bosses partied with the star after the familys complaint.

Sunday's front page: BBC star partied with bosses at award bash after sex pic allegations were made#TomorrowsPapersTodayhttps://t.co/DCsVg2C39p pic.twitter.com/P65ZlG75p0  The Mirror (@DailyMirror) July 8, 2023

Other stories do make the front pages elsewhere, the Sunday People reporting that the British government plans to spend another 800,000 (935,000) to paint a Union Flag on the prime ministers plane.

The Sunday Express concentrates on what it calls a risk to national security from banks refusing to do business with Britains defence industry.

Tomorrow's front page: Woke banks are 'a risk to national security' as they are not backing Britain's defence #tomorrowspaperstodayhttps://t.co/mOe0K6ViZ7 pic.twitter.com/noM8C7UJUu Advertisement  Daily Express (@Daily_Express) July 8, 2023

And the Daily Star on Sunday revives the word bonk with the latest in its stories about boffins.
South Korean opposition politicians sharply criticised the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog for its approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant during a tense meeting in Seoul on Sunday.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agencys director general, arrived in South Korea over the weekend to engage with government officials and critics and help reduce public concerns about food safety.

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The planned release of the Fukushima plants treated wastewater emerged as a major political issue in South Korea after the IAEA last week approved the Japanese discharge plans, saying the process would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts.



Rafael Mariano Grossi, right, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea (Ahn Young-joon/AP/PA)

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South Koreas government has also endorsed the safety of the Japanese plans, saying that the contamination levels of water pumped out from the plant would be within acceptable standards and would not meaningfully affect South Korean seas as long as the plants treatment systems work as designed.

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In his meeting with visiting members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Koreas parliament, Mr Grossi said the IAEAs review of the Japanese plans was based on transparent and scientific research.

He acknowledged concerns over how the Japanese plans would play out in actuality and said the IAEA would establish a permanent office in Fukushima to monitor closely how the discharge process is implemented over the next three decades.

The politicians responded by harshly criticising IAEAs review, which they say neglected long-term environmental and health impacts of the wastewater release and threatens to set a bad precedent that may encourage other countries to dispose nuclear waste into sea.

They called for Japan to scrap the discharge plans and work with neighbouring countries to find safer ways to handle the wastewater, including a possible pursuit of long-term storage on land.

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Protesters stage a rally against Japanese governments plan to release treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear power plant, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea on Sunday (Ahn Young-joon/AP/PA)

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The party has also criticised the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for putting peoples health at risk while trying to improve relations with Japan.

If you think (the treated wastewater) is safe, I wonder whether you would be willing to suggest the Japanese government use that water for drinking or for industrial and agricultural purposes, rather than dumping it in the sea, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party politician told Mr Grossi.

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The party said Mr Woo has been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days to protest against the Japanese discharge plans.

Further details from the meeting were not immediately available after reporters were asked to leave following opening statements.

Mr Grossi was to fly to New Zealand later on Sunday and would then travel to the Cook Islands as he further tries to reassure countries in the region about the Japanese plans.

Dozens of protesters shouted in a nearby hall while holding signs denouncing the IAEA and Japan.

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Hundreds of demonstrators had also marched in Seoul on Saturday demanding that Japan scrap its discharge plans. Those protests provided a tense backdrop to a meeting between Mr Grossi and South Korean foreign minister Park Jin, who called for IAEAs active cooperation in reassuring the South Korean public.

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The IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi met opposition Democratic Party members at the National Assembly in Seoul (Ahn Young-joon/AP/PA)

The safety of Fukushimas wastewater has been a sensitive issue for years between the US allies. South Korea and Japan have been working in recent months to repair relations long strained over wartime historical grievances to address shared concerns such as the North Korean nuclear threat and Chinas assertive foreign policy.

South Koreas assessment about the safety of the discharge plan was partially based on observations by a team of government scientists who were allowed to tour the Fukushima plant in May.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had agreed to that visit during a May 7 summit with Yoon in Seoul, in a show of his desire for improved ties.

In a statement released by state media on Sunday, North Korea also criticised the Japanese discharge plans, warning against fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment resulting from the discharge of nuclear-polluted water.

The statement, which was attributed to an unidentified official in North Koreas Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, also criticised Washington and Seoul for backing the Japanese plans.

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What matters is the unreasonable behavior of IAEA actively patronising and facilitating Japans projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable, it said. Worse still, the US and (South) Korea openly express unseemly welcome to Japans discharge plan that deserves condemnation and rejection, provoking strong anger of the public.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plants cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the facility, has been storing the treated water in hundreds of tanks that now cover most of the plant and are nearly full.

Japanese officials say the tanks must be removed to make room to build facilities for the plants decommissioning and to minimise the risk of leaks in case of another major disaster. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons in early 2024.

Japan first announced plans to discharge the treated water into the sea in 2018, saying the water will be further diluted by seawater before being released in a carefully controlled process that will take decades to complete.
MBABANE  Government has observed that the Christian community was silent when some disingenuous and sinister voices were calling upon emaSwati to boycott the general election.

Alpheous Nxumalo, the Government Press Secretary, said government was, however, in support of the prayer services even though they were sanctioned a bit late. He said the Christian community was silent during the time when ferocious and strange voices were calling for the boycott of the national election exercise. Citing Exodus 17:11-13, Nxumalo, a theologian and pastor, said Moses hands were held up in support by Hur and Aaron while the battles and the war were raging on and not when it was finished. He said Israel was winning when Moses hands were lifted up to heaven. But, he said, when his hands were down, Israel was losing the battle. He said it took two of Moses trusted associates, namely Aaron and Hur to hold up Moses both hands so that the children of Israel could win.

In the same way, he said the Kingdom of Eswatini appreciated genuine and productive prayers. Prayer had been working and it is still working, he said. The government press secretary said heroes were not born by fighting at the end of the battle but at its inception. Nonetheless, to be late is still preferable than never, he said. He pointed out that Christians should be as wise, bold and pro active in all matters which impacted on society. Standing on the sidelines of history has no legacy at all, he advised. He said Christians should respond to their calling to serve God, their country and society. Nxumalo said they shouldnt just be voters but should rather stand to be elected if their calling is to serve in politics. He then mentioned that the call for the Christian community to pray for the country at this point in time was quite appreciated because the country needed Gods intervention to stop the ritual killings. He said God is needed to stop the ritual killing of children, women and men who were in the past murdered by some people who obviously wanted to climb the political echelon through demonic stunts.

The government spokesperson said the ritual murder of emaSwati for purposes of climbing to political office and power constituted violence. It may be soft violence in the sense that it occurs in obscurity and in silence, however its effects, destruction and loss is equally the same with all other open, crude and visible violence, Nxumalo said. All in all, he said government supported the calls by the countrys Christian community to hold prayers for the peaceful national elections. He said government was in full support of the prayers because they sought to encourage Christians to vote. This is no doubt a noble cause, the government press secretary said. However, it comes a bit too late because if the registration for voting was closed weeks ago and if you arent registered you cant vote, he said.



We are not silent  Bishop Hlatjwako

Bishop Samson Hlatjwako, the Chairperson of the League of African Churches, said Nxumalo talked sense but has unfortunately issued an irresponsible statement this time around.

He said they talked through prayer in their different denominations. We pray every day for the country and its not true that we are silent, he said. He said they had been praying for the country, sometimes holding public prayers since the emergence of COVID-19. He said the countrys newspapers and electronic media reported on their public prayers on peace and stability in the country. Hlatjwako said there was a time when he was also threatened with death during the peak of the civil unrest. The chairman said the forthcoming prayer service would also be dedicated to the 55th Double Celebrations in September 2023. The nation will celebrate His Majestys 55th birthday and 55th independence anniversary. Hlatjwako urged Christians to be strong and not give up as they have been earnestly praying to God to end violence in the country.

conjunction

In February 2023, the Council of Swaziland Churches in conjunction with the African Womens Peace and Development Foundation publicly announced a prayer service for peace, end violence and stop the killings. It was held at Bosco Skills Centre in Manzini. It must be said that Nxumalo, the government spokesperson, mentioned that such prayers were necessary.

Eswatini News reported yesterday that pastors, at a press conference, announced prayer services to be held on July 15, 2023. Arch Deacon Bhekindlela Magongo said people disappeared every time there were elections in the country. In the presence of the Minister of Home Affairs, Princess Lindiwe, the men of the cloth from the three main church bodies made the announcement after His Majesty the King had allowed them to hold the services.

Magongo said they would be praying for peace and stability. It was reported that Bishop Hlatjwako invited the Christians to attend the services without fail. The main day for the election is September 29, 2023. The countrys nominations will be held on July 22, 2023 and July 23, 2023. Primary elections would he held on August 26, 2023. Candidates would begin their official campaigns between August 27, 2023 and September 27. The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is responsible for overseeing and supervising the registration process, facilitating civic and voter education and reporting on elections. The Prayer Institute of Texas, USA, says God has always been concerned about who governs His people. It encouraged Christians to listen prayerfully to the candidates and ask the Holy Spirit to show them who they need to vote for.

In 2017, at the height of political trouble in Kenya, Christians held prayers throughout the country. The Kenyans intensified prayers for their country as the tightly contested August 8, 2017 general election was drawing closer. Citizens across the East African nation sought divine intervention in the election as they prayed on the streets, in churches, in public rallies and in their houses.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, Natos much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The worlds biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member.

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And there is controversy about the USs announcement on Friday that it will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions.

Military spending by member nations still lags behind longstanding goals. And an inability to compromise over who should serve as Natos next leader forced an extension of the current secretary generals term for an extra year.



US President Joe Biden with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Susan Walsh/AP)

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There are questions over how Ukraine should be eased into the alliance. Some maintain admitting Ukraine to Nato would be the fulfilment of a promise made years ago and a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.

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Others are fearful it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

I dont think its ready for membership in Nato, US president Joe Biden told CNN in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

He said joining Nato required countries to meet all the qualifications, from democratisation to a whole range of other issues.

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Mr Biden said the US should provide long-term security assistance to Ukraine  the capacity to defend themselves  as it did with Israel.

The challenges come at a moment when Mr Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, with Swedens prime minister Ulf Kristersson (Burhan Ozbilici/AP)

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Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance, said Douglas Lute, who served as US ambassador to Nato under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

You dont want to present any openings, Mr Lute said. You dont want to present any gaps or seams.

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Members of the alliance have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its ongoing counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become Natos 31st member.

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I think its appropriate to look at all the success, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview with The Associated Press. So I think the invasion has strengthened Nato  exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated.

He noted Germanys shift toward a more robust defence policy as well as other countries increase in military spending.





The US announced on Friday it will provide Ukraine with the controversial cluster munitions.

Such a bomb poses a higher risk of civilian harm as it opens in the air releasing smaller bomblets across a wide area, hitting multiple targets simultaneously. Ukraine has promised to use them carefully.

In a statement on Saturday evening, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni  one of Western Europes staunchest backers of Ukraine in the war  reiterated her countrys condemnation of the Russian aggression but called for the universal application of the principles of the international convention banning the production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.

Spains defence minister Margarita Robles said while her country respects the US decision, it did not agree with it.

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No to cluster bombs and yes to helping in the legitimate defence of Ukraine, which we understand should be carried out without that type of bomb, she said.

Canada and the UK also voiced concerns while Germany, which has signed the ban treaty, said it will not provide the bombs to Ukraine, but expressed understanding for the American position.



UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres does not want continued use of cluster munitions on the battlefield, a spokesman said (Khalil Senosi/AP)

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention and so as a result, of course, he does not want there to be continued use of cluster munitions on the battlefield.

But the ongoing war has allowed other challenges to fester or bubble to the surface.

In particular, Nato leaders said in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but little action has been taken toward that goal. Mr Putin occupied parts of the country in 2014 and then attempted to capture Kyiv in 2022.

A grey zone is a green light for Putin, said Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland, and now a fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The US and Germany insist the focus should be supplying weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine win the current conflict, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join Nato.

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However, countries on Natos Eastern flank  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  want firmer assurances on future membership.



Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for that as well. During a visit to Prague on Thursday, he said the ideal result of the Vilnius summit would be an invitation for his country to join the alliance.

Jake Sullivan, Mr Bidens national security adviser, described the summit as an important moment on that pathway toward membership and that allies need to discuss the reforms that are still necessary for Ukraine to come up to Nato standards.

Nato could use the occasion to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the Nato-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle blocking Swedens attempts to join Nato alongside its neighbour Finland.

Mr Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey. However, a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Mr Erdogan signalled that this would pose another obstacle.

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He equated those who permitted the crime to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the US are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Mr Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Mr Biden says that Swedens Nato membership has to be dealt with first.

Mr Sullivan said the US is confident that Sweden will join Nato in the not-too-distant future, but it is unclear if the matter will be resolved during the summit.

It is not the first time that Mr Erdogan has used a Nato summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said there is growing frustration among allies toward Mr Erdogan, building on concerns about his ties to Mr Putin, democratic backsliding and sanctions evasion.

Theyve tried playing nice, Mr Bergmann said. The question is whether its time to get much more confrontational.

Hungarian Prime Minister Vitkor Orban is also delaying his countrys approval of Swedens membership. In response, Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is blocking a 735 million dollar (572 million) US arms sale to Hungary.



Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenbergs tenure has been extended for another year (Virginia Mayo/AP)

We dont want members who arent interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests, he said. Im just sick and tired of it.

However, Mr Risch rejected the idea that these disagreements are a sign of weakness within Nato.

These are kinds of things that always arise in an alliance, he said. The fact that weve been able to deal with them and will continue to deal with them proves that this is the most successful and strongest military alliance in the history of the world.

At least one potentially flammable item has been taken off the summit agenda. Rather than seek consensus on a new Nato leader, members agreed to extend Jens Stoltenbergs tenure for a year. He has had the job since 2014, and it is the fourth time that his time in office has been extended.

More disagreements loom over Natos updated plans for countering any invasion that Russia might launch on allied territory. It is the biggest revision since the Cold War, and Skip Davis, a former Nato official who is now a senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said it could involve lots of arm wrestling and card trading.

Thats an issue that will cause tension and dissent, and thats not what the Vilnius summit is all about, he said.
Voters in Uzbekistan were casting their ballots in a snap presidential election that is widely expected to extend the incumbents rule by seven more years.

The vote followed a constitutional referendum that extended a presidential term from five to seven years and allowed President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to run for two more terms in office.

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Mr Mirziyoyev was elected in 2021 to his second five-year term, the limit allowed by the constitution at the time.

A set of constitutional amendments approved in Aprils referendum allowed him to begin the count of terms anew and run for two more, raising the possibility that he could stay in office until 2037.



Uzbekistans president Shavkat Mirziyoyev, fourth right, poses with family members after voting (Uzbekistans Presidential Press Office via AP)

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In May, the 65-year-old Mr Mirziyoyev called for a snap election.

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He is set to win the vote by a landslide against three token rivals.

More than 10,700 polling stations opened in Uzbekistan at 8am local time (3am GMT) and were scheduled to close 12 hours later.

By 11am, more than 33% of voters had cast their ballots, election officials reported, which was enough to deem the vote valid in accordance with Uzbek laws.

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Since coming to power in 2016 after the death of longtime dictator Islam Karimov, Mr Mirziyoyev has introduced a series of political and economic reforms that eased some of the draconian policies of his predecessor, who made Uzbekistan into one of the regions most repressive countries.





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At the same time, Uzbekistan has remained strongly authoritarian with no significant opposition. All registered political parties are loyal to Mr Mirziyoyev.

In Aprils referendum, more than 90% of those who cast ballots voted to approve the amendments extending the presidential term.

Similar constitutional amendments in recent years have been adopted in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Like the leaders of other Central Asian nations that have close economic ties with Moscow, Mr Mirziyoyev has engaged in a delicate balancing act after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, steering clear of backing what the Kremlin calls a special military operation but not condemning it either.

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Syrias information ministry has cancelled the BBCs media accreditation, accusing the broadcaster of biased and fake news in its coverage of the war-torn country.

The announcement comes days after BBC Arabic released an investigative documentary about the illicit drugs trade in Syria, where the broadcaster highlighted links between the estimated multi-billion-dollar industry and the Syrian army as well as members of President Bashar Assads family.

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The Syrian information ministry said in a statement that the decision was made after warning the channel more than once that it has broadcasted its misleading reports relying on statements and testimonies from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria.

Damascus revoked the licences of both the broadcasters radio and television correspondents in Syria, as well as their videographer.



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We speak to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts, the BBC said in a statement emailed to the Associated Press (AP), adding that the broadcaster provided impartial independent journalism.

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We will continue to provide impartial news and information to our audiences across the Arabic-speaking world, the statement said.

The illicit drugs industry, most notably the addictive Captagon amphetamine pills, has boomed in war-torn Syria in recent years.

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While experts say it has been a way to generate revenue for the countrys crippled economy and sanctioned leadership, it has been the scourge of neighbouring Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as other Gulf countries.

Captagon has been used both recreationally and by people with physically demanding jobs to keep them alert, as well as fighters on the battlefield.

The UK, United States and European Union have sanctioned a handful of drug kingpins and close associates of Mr Assad for their involvement in the trade.

The Syrian government denies any involvement in the production of Captagon.

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A Syrian parliamentarian told AP last month that Syria had been used as a transit state for Captagon and other drugs, and accused opposition groups of running the industry.

After Syria restored relations with many of its neighbouring countries and returned to the Arab fold, cracking down on drug smuggling has been a key issue in regional talks.

Syrias uprising  which turned into a full-blown civil war, now in its 13th year  has killed nearly half-a-million people and displaced half of its prewar population of 23 million.

Syrians in both government-held territory and an opposition-held enclave in the countrys northwest suffer from poverty and crippled infrastructure.

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US treasury secretary Janet Yellen has said she agreed Washington will listen to Chinese complaints about security-related curbs on US technology exports and may respond to unintended consequences as she ended a visit to Beijing aimed at reviving strained relations.

Ms Yellen defended targeted measures on trade that Chinas leaders complain are aimed at hurting its fledgling tech industries. She said the Biden administration wants to avoid unnecessary repercussions but gave no indication of possible changes.

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Relations between the two biggest economies are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes about technology, security and other issues.

A key Chinese complaint is limits on access to processor chips and other US technology on security grounds that threaten to hamper the ruling Communist Partys development of smartphones, artificial intelligence and other industries.



US treasury secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference in Beijing on Sunday (Mark Schiefelbein/AP/PA)

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We will open up channels so that they can express concerns about our actions, and we can explain and possibly in some situations respond to unintended consequences of our actions, Ms Yellen said at a news conference.

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Ms Yellen talked with Chinas number two leader, Premier Li Qiang, and other officials during 10 hours of meetings. She had a five-hour session on Saturday with her Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Treasury officials said in advance there were no plans for her to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Ms Yellen received a warm welcome and prominent coverage by the state press, but Chinese officials gave no sign they would change industrial or other policies that Washington and other governments say violate Beijings free-trade commitments.

On Saturday, Mr He said Washington should adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude to improve relations.

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On Sunday, Ms Yellen announced no agreements on major disputes or plans for future activity but said her department and Chinese officials would have more frequent and regular communication.

US-Chinese political strains are adding to uncertainty that is dampening the willingness of consumers and businesses to spend and invest.

Chinas economic growth rebounded to 4.5% in the first quarter of 2023 from last years 3% after anti-virus controls on travel and business activity were lifted in December. But factory activity and consumer spending decelerated in the quarter ending in June.

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Chinas Vice Premier He Lifeng attends a meeting with US treasury secretary Janet Yellen at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing (Pedro Pardo/Pool Photo via AP/PA)

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Mr Xi accused Washington in March of trying to hold back Chinas industrial development.

Beijing has been slow to retaliate for US technology restrictions, possibly to avoid disrupting its own industries.

But three days before Ms Yellens arrival, the government announced unspecified controls on exports of gallium and germanium, metals used in making semiconductors and solar panels. China is the biggest producer of both.

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Ms Yellen said she tried to reassure officials Washington doesnt want to decouple or separate its economy from China, while it tries to de-risk trade.

The Biden administration is pressing semiconductor makers to move production to the US to reduce reliance on Taiwan and other Asian suppliers, which is seen as a security risk.

Washington wants to develop alternatives to Chinese supplies of rare earth elements, metals used in smartphones, wind turbines and other products.

They have expressed some concern that de-risking amounts to decoupling, Ms Yellen said. She said she tried to assure my Chinese counterparts that this is by no means the same thing.

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The de-risking involves attention to clearly articulated and narrowly targeted national security concerns, as well as broader concern with diversifying our supply chains, which the United States is doing in a few important sectors, she said.

Throughout her visit, Ms Yellen appealed for healthy economic competition, a reference to complaints Beijing violates its free-trade commitments by subsidising and shielding politically favoured industries from private and foreign competition.

Ms Yellen said she had expressed concern to Chinese officials about coercive activities against US companies.

That follows raids on consulting firms and the detention of staff members without explanation and what the US government says is arbitrary detention or prohibitions on people leaving China that some complain are used to pressure them in business disputes.

Chinese leaders are trying to revive investor interest, but foreign companies are uneasy about their status after Mr Xi and other officials called for economic self-reliance.

The ruling party has also expanded an anti-spying law that has fuelled uncertainty about what law firms or consultants can do.

On Saturday, Ms Yellen appealed to Mr He for cooperation on climate change, the debt burdens of developing countries and other global challenges. She said their governments should not let disagreements about trade and security derail economic and financial relations.

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Beijing broke off climate discussions with Washington last August in retaliation for a visit by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the House of Representatives to Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by China as part of its territory.

President Joe Bidens climate envoy, John Kerry, is due to become the next senior official to visit China next week. China and the US are the worlds top emitters of climate-changing carbon.

China signed an agreement last month to restructure the debt of Zambia, including billions of dollars lent under Beijings Belt and Road Initiative to build ports and other infrastructure across Asia and Africa. Treasury officials pointed to that as successful cooperation.
Family location tracking app Life360 is booming, with the ASX-listed companys share price doubling over the past year and the business finally translating its surging growth into financial sustainability, even as privacy and stalking issues continue to dog the app.

The premise of the business is simple: keeping loved ones safe by being able to track them 24 hours a day.

Tracking app Life360 has about 50 million active monthly users. Credit: Paul Rovere

And there is more. The app can send an alert if the person being tracked is in a car exceeding the speed limit, or leaves an area designated by the person tracking them.

Undoubtedly, the key contribution Life360 makes to the community is our mission to simplify safety so families are connected and protected, chairman John Coghlan told investors at the companys annual meeting in May this year.
She said as of April, less than a quarter of Australias 39 universities were publishing information on their websites about sexual violence reports and disclosures or disciplinary actions. Henry said universities may be collating the information, but if the reports werent easy to find, they werent being sufficiently transparent. Loading Henry said the failures were in large part due to the over-reliance on the self-regulating university sector to lead the reform effort and deficiencies in the regulatory approach by Tertiary Education and Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA). Universities and their peak body Universities Australia will claim that theyre doing quite a lot in this space, but theres no way of actually testing their claims, she said. There have undoubtedly been improvements since 2017, but I am concerned that it is only occurring in pockets. There are currently no measures in place compelling universities to do better, she said.

Lydia Jupp, a university student and End Rape on Campus advocate, said they experienced extensive sexual harassment while living on campus at 19. Loading It got so bad that for three days, Jupp didnt leave their room. It culminated in me  I didnt feel safe enough to go outside my room, Jupp said. Every time I would, I would run into someone who had assaulted someone. It was a nightmare. The university student, now 24, became a go-to for sexual violence survivors at their university.

Jupp said queer students faced high levels of violence and that it was important for students to be consulted when assessing solutions. Between 2017 and 2022, TEQSA undertook at least 60 investigations into complaints and registration assessments about sexual violence. But no university faced enforcement action, despite TEQSA being able to impose administrative sanctions, fines or put conditions on university registration. During the same period, South Australias Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Tasmanian Ombudsman and the ACT Supreme Court all made adverse findings about how universities and residential colleges handled sexual assault and harassment issues. Less than a quarter of Australias 39 universities are publishing information on their websites about sexual violence. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Henry believes TEQSA is reluctant to come down hard on universities.

One in six students reported to have been sexually harassed in the 2021 National Student Safety Survey, in which 44,000 students participated. One in 20 said they had been sexually assaulted. Loading Almost half of the incidents happened in campus areas, despite more than 50 per cent doing their studies online because of the pandemic. Bremner from End Rape on Campus said students lacked confidence in their institutions handling of sexual violence, including some students with disabilities who still found reporting systems inaccessible. If anything, the situation for some students has gotten worse, Bremner said.

Education Minister Jason Clare said the survey results had provided a wake-up call. While universities have affirmed their commitment to addressing these issues, a sustained effort is needed to improve student safety on campus including prevention strategies, consent training, and setting behavioural expectations for students and staff, Clare said. Minister for Education Jason Clare. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The Australian Universities Accord is considering institutional governance settings, with an interim report due in July. Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said universities were working hard to reduce sexual harm on campuses. A decision is yet to be made about whether the safety survey will run again.

She said Universities Australia launched the world-first Respect. Now. Always initiative in 2016, and released revised guidelines this year, to help universities respond to sexual harm and would bring the sector together in July to discuss best practice approaches to prevention. Loading Jackson said there had been hundreds of measures and programs developed at Australian universities to prevent and respond to sexual harm, and that universities had a strong understanding of their own demographics, which is why they were best placed to tackle the issues. The University of Melbourne, Monash University, Australian National University, Macquarie University, UTS, Swinburne University, UNSW, Curtin University and University of Tasmania are among the universities that are publishing detailed sexual misconduct reports annually. Universities say they are taking the issue of sexual harm seriously and have developed online disclosure tools, apps, employed specialist case managers, poured millions into establishing student safety wellbeing teams and invested in training in consent and respectful relationship modules.

Professor Sharon Pickering, Monashs deputy vice-chancellor (education), said as a university, they had a responsibility to prevent sexual harm in their communities. We support victims-survivors, respond justly and empathetically to all disclosures and reports, and implement evidence-based prevention programming for staff and students. Macquarie University publishes its safety and behaviour incidents annually, while the University of Sydney publishes its reports in its annual report and will publish a dedicated annual report on sexual misconduct this year. La Trobe University expects to publish its sexual misconduct reports publicly this year. The Australian Catholic University does not publish a sexual misconduct report. University of Melbourne student union president Hiba Adam commended the university for its efforts in addressing sexual violence and said it was crucial to acknowledge progress made thus far in shedding light on the issue.

However, we must also recognise that more needs to be done to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students, she said. Hiba Adam, University of Melbourne Student Union president. Credit: Joe Armao A TEQSA spokesperson said it was re-evaluating their work alongside experts and updating their resources for higher education providers on tackling sexual harm. They said TEQSA understood the complaints processes could be re-traumatising and had made it mandatory for staff to do training with Centre Against Sexual Assault House. They have reduced the time it takes to assess and respond to complaints about sexual harm, to 37 days from 74 days on average. In 2023, three concerns about sexual harm have been received and closed following assessment by TEQSA, the spokesperson said.
Earlier on the blog today, we posted about heavy rain and lethal flooding in north-eastern United States and China. Now its Japans turn.

Torrential rain over southwest Japan has triggered landslides that killed at least one person, as authorities urged tens of thousands to leave their homes and troops were sent to help with rescue operations.

Damaged houses in Saga prefecture, southern Japan. Credit: Kyodo News via AP

Satoshi Sugimoto, director of forecast division at the Japan Meteorological Agency, said: The rain is becoming so heavy unlike anything seen before.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that woman in her 70s was killed when a landslide hit her house in the Fukuoka prefecture before dawn. A government spokesperson said four people were missing and two were injured.

The highest-level heavy rain warning was issued in parts of the Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, on Kyushu, Japans third-largest island.

The land ministry said eight rivers had burst their banks and dozens of slopes saturated from continuous rain since late last month had turned into mudslides. The same region was hit by rain that killed dozens of people in July 2017.

Some parts of Fukuoka had reportedly received more than 600 millimetres of rain since Friday, more than usually falls in the whole of July, and another 100 millimetres is expected until early tomorrow.

The rain has disrupted operations at Toyota subsidiary Toyota Motor Kyushu in Fukuoka and tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Corp in Fukuoka and Saga prefectures, as well as the postal service, mobile carriers, railway lines, roads and airlines.

With Reuters
The Mormon Church is significantly reducing its use of a controversial shell company after an investigation revealed it had engaged in alleged serious tax evasion in Australia.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons, set up a tax structure in 2012 that allowed its adherents in Australia to accumulate exemptions worth hundreds of millions of dollars that are not lawfully available to followers of other religions.

Former Mormon Dr Simon Southerton says he hopes the latest development marks the beginning of a regulatory crackdown. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The investigation by this masthead in April 2022 found some of its tax activities could be in breach of Australian tax laws. Now the Latter-day Saints church, which has repeatedly said it complies with tax laws, has moved to unwind the tax structure.

In Australia, the church has ensured that donations and tithing  neither of which are tax-deductible  are routed through a charitable trust to gain 100 per cent tax deductibility. Mormons are required to pay 10 per cent of their gross income in an income-deducting practice known as tithing, a significant financial impost on followers.
Jordana Hunter, program director of education at the Grattan Institute, said the changes to NAPLAN reporting could be the wake-up call Australia desperately needs. But she was concerned the new proficiency levels were confusing. Developing could be easily misinterpreted as a positive when the student had not met the benchmark for their year level, while strong could also mean the student had only just met expectations and was still performing below the national average, she said. Keeping parents informed: Mother Kelly Toyne with her grade five daughter Avery and Christ the King School principal Louise Vakirevic. Credit: Jason South Hunter said NAPLAN was still one of the few reliable ways to measure how students were tracking but more needed to be done to link the new results to previous years.

This work should be a priority for government so that we dont waste the huge time and financial investment in NAPLAN over the last 13 years, she said. NAPLAN  the National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy  was introduced in 2008 to test the literacy and numeracy skills of Australian students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Education ministers agreed to the new assessment standards in February after a review in 2020 revealed fewer Australian students were meeting minimum standards in international surveys compared to NAPLAN results. Australian students recorded their worst-ever results in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), failing for the first time to exceed the OECD average in maths while also tumbling in reading and science.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the changes were developed in consultation with teachers and other education experts, as well as parents. He acknowledged that more students would need additional support under the new, stronger standards. The next step is to provide that additional support, he said. Thats why I have said we will tie funding to the things that will help students who fall behind to catch up. Ange Rogers, a mathematics education lecturer at Melbournes RMIT University, said the overhaul of categories rendered the 2023 result mere point in time data, with schools unable to interpret their progress compared to previous years. Considering that point in time was March and we are receiving the results in July, it is effectively obsolete in terms of its teaching value, she said.

Rogers was also concerned the new proficiency standards could be confusing, particularly in the strong category. I think it can give parents an inaccurate sense of where their child is sitting, she said. You can be strong but be below the national average. I wouldnt consider a child sitting below the national average as strong in numeracy or any area. Australian Catholic Universitys Jessica Holloway, an expert in education data and accountability, said the initial results may be confronting for some, but she urged parents to speak directly to their childrens teachers. Conversations that parents have with their children about the results can really change the way that child thinks about themselves, not only in the immediate time but also for the future, she said. Teachers are the ones who are on the ground. Theyre the ones who know the students better than anybody. And theyre able to speak, really expertly, on that students progress and achievement level.

Holloway said NAPLAN was originally devised as a randomised test to take the temperature of Australias education system but individualised testing had placed too much emphasis on the results. I dont think that we have a broad evidence base to suggest that emphasising testing is a way to improve education, she said. Rogers agreed there was too much pressure surrounding NAPLAN. As a parent I dont usually bother showing my children their NAPLAN results, she said. I would love NAPLAN to be a pop quiz that just occurs on a random day ... there is too much pressure and hype around it. At its core, it is a tool to gather data on how the Australian education system is travelling.

Louise Johnston, principal of Christ the King School in the Geelong suburb of Newcomb, said the school had continued to improve its NAPLAN results over the past five years and she was not concerned that would change. Its one set of data, on one day, she said. Of course, we do track it year upon year, but essentially, this year were just getting a new set of baseline data and well be able to continue the type of tracking weve done in the past, with this new set moving forward. Johnston said the main change was in how the data was provided to parents. When they get their results ... no matter whether were using the old system or the new system, some parents will have questions and other parents will be satisfied and trusting the school that their childs point of need is being met. Loading

Kelly Toyne has three children who have sat NAPLAN, including two this year at Christ the King. She said she wasnt expecting any surprises with the results because she stayed in regular contact with the school about her childrens progress. I think its a piece in the puzzle, she said of the test. Its one of the many ways we can gauge where theyre at. At Braybrook College in Melbournes west, one of Victorias 20 highest-performing schools in NAPLAN between 2019 and 2022, principal Kelly Panousieris said there may be a change in results under the new standards but she wasnt concerned. Its a point-in-time test. its not what we base everything that we do on.
In the realm of local infrastructure projects, there are frequent cost blowouts, logistical difficulties and delays. And then theres North Sydney Olympic Pool.

Mike Baird was premier, Tony Abbott was prime minister and Joe Hockey was treasurer when North Sydney Council went cap in hand to governments in February 2015 asking for $25 million to fund the redevelopment of the spectacular but ageing facility.

Slowly, slowly: Construction of North Sydney Olympic Pool in April 2023. Credit: James Brickwood

Councillors wanted to move fast, and gave the MPs just three weeks to write back. On the day the deadline was reached, they resolved to write to Baird again immediately, trying to cash in before the NSW election.

From then, however, things slowed down. In November 2017, the council passed a mayoral minute titled Finally fix our pool, setting the project in motion by committing to a design dubbed option two, for an estimated $28 million.
MBABANE  Who is the real director of Funduzi Forensic Services Pty Ltd?

According to papers filed at the Industrial Court, Thulani Mabuza, who says he is a male businessman of Mbabane, has identified himself as the director of this company that has been engaged by government, through the Office of the Auditor General (AG), to conduct a forensic audit on the acquisition and distribution of medicines to public health facilities under the Ministry of Health. Because of this directorship status, Mabuza informed the court that he was duly authorised to depose to an affidavit on behalf of Funduzi, where he is responding to allegations by two Ministry of Health officials, Sincedzile Magwaza and Fortunate Bhembe, who have successfully obtained an interim order stopping the investigation against them.

However, Magwaza and Bhembe, responding to Mabuzas affidavit, submitted to the court a number of documents purporting that the director resigned from Funduzi.

resigned

The documents show that one Paston Mndeni Dlamini is the sole director of Funduzi after Mabuza resigned on November 29, 2022. One of these documents is a letter bearing the same date and a signature purported to be that of Mabuza, which is referenced Resigned as a director of the company, and reads: I Thulani G. Mabuza resigned as a director of the above mention company (sic). There are also minutes of an extraordinary meeting held at Funduzis office in Mbabane on November 29, 2022, which reflect that Mabuza resigned and Paston Dlamini took over the company. It was resolved that Thulani G. Mabuza has resigned and Paston Mndeni Dlamini has appointed as new director of the above mention company. Mr. Thulani Mabuza has transferred his shares to Mr. Paston M. Dlamini. Directors will be as follows; Paston Mndeni Dlamini  100 per cent (sic), reads the minutes which were signed by both Mabuza and Paston.

There is a share certificate that has been annexed to the court papers and it also purports that Paston is the 100 per cent shareholder. The certificate states: This is to certify that Paston Mndeni Dlamini of Funduzi Forensic Service is the registered proprietor of 100 per cent shares of One Lilangeni each, fully paid up, numbered as per margin inclusive in the Share Capital of E100 subject to the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company. Given at Mbabane this 29 day of 11, 2022.

reflected

It is also reflected in the Form J of the company with a stamp from the Registrar of Companies dated December 9, 2022 that Mabuza resigned on November 29, 2022. A letter of the same date (November 29, 2022) purports that Paston accepted the appointment as it reads: I Paston Mndeni Dlamini has accepted as a director of the above mention company (sic). Magwaza, in the replying affidavit, said Mabuza does not have authority or capacity to depose to an affidavit on behalf of Funduzi because he purportedly resigned as both director and shareholder of the company on December 29, 2022. She averred that the resignation was registered with the Office of the Registrar of Companies on December 9, 2022 and this position she reportedly affirmed when she carried out a search at the said office.

authority

In view of the foregoing, Mabuza does not have authority to represent Funduzi nor does he have authority to depose to an affidavit on its behalf. I annex hereto marked SDM 28 a copy of the records of the registrar of companies as well as the confirmation of the resignation of Mabuza as a director, and the transfer of his shares to one Paston Mndeni Dlamini, reads Magwazas affidavit. Magwaza and Bhembe have informed the court that an application will be made on Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 9:30am or so soon thereafter for the striking out of the entire affidavit of Mabuza, which was filed on July 4, 2023. The reason for the striking out is that: the said Thulani Mabuza does not have the authority and capacity to oppose the application to produce documents, depose to an answering affidavit on behalf of the sixth respondent (Funduzi) as at the material time, he was neither a director nor a member of the sixth respondent, reads the notice to strike out.

The health officials have also prayed that Funduzi and Mabuza should pay costs for the application. According to the documents annexed to the court papers, Paston and Mabuza both gave their addresses as P.O Box 9 Mankayane, which is the postal address as that of Emalangeni Primary School. This is the Post Office Box that these two people provided when the registered as directors of Funduzi and remain in the registration papers at the registry of companies.

registration

In the company registration papers, the postal and physical addresses of Funduzi are not provided, save for that of the director(s) as being of the primary school. This school is located in a rural area that is about 25 kilometres away from Mankayane town. Access to the area is through rough gravel road that is full sharp, big stones and huge potholes that are sometimes filled with rain water such that they may be mistaken to be permanent ponds. Motorists also have to negotiate their way through cattle that are a constant feature along this road. It is little wonder, therefore, that public transport is scarce on this road and, as confirmed by some residents, a kombi that services one of the communities there travels once in the morning when it drives commuters to Mankayane and drives them back in the evening.

In between the morning and evening, there is no public transport and the people have to travel by foot. This is hardly the area you would expect to find a company that conducts forensic investigation involving hundreds of millions of Emalangeni. When the Times SUNDAY went to Mankayane town and made its first stop at the Post Office, it got confirmation that the P.O Box 9 Mankayane that appears on the papers of Funduzi Forensic Services actually belongs to Emalangeni Primary School. In court papers, Magwaza stated that she had been made aware that Funduzi is a local company and its postal address she found as a consequence of a search was PO Box 9 Mankayane.

attention

She further brought it to the attention of the court that the registration of the company was on October 10, 2022. She submitted that the relevance of the date of registration pertained to the companys competence in respect of compliance with procurement provisions. Magwaza further submitted that she had been advised that the provisions of the Procurement Act as well as regulations and any circulars issued in terms thereof, were applicable to the appointment of Funduzi by the Auditor General. She contended that the AG had not, in the appointing of the company, used a permissible public procurement method, rule, process or document and none of the provisions listed in the Procurement Act, which permitted deviation from laws applicable to its appointment. Magwaza said it was inconceivable that an entity that was incorporated a few months ago would have mastered the threshold for experience and competence to carry out a forensic investigation of this nature.
Kgari will no longer be known as Fraser Island as a result of lobbying by its traditional owners. It doesnt achieve anything, it doesnt address Indigenous disadvantage, it doesnt address real problems, a One Nation spokesman said. On top of that the vast majority of Australians will continue to use the original [English] name  the community sentiment is against it. Professor Nicholas Evans, an Australian National University specialist in Indigenous languages, said place names touched a nerve because they were an assertion of power. Its a common problem across the world  different cultures wrestle for control of language, and the person who gets to choose the name is the boss, he said. In basic terms, any time a country conquers another country, they rename things. Then people try to wrestle control back again. An example is Ukraine, where the name of the capital was changed from Kiev, which is derived from the Russian language, to Kyiv, which is Ukrainian. Its a subtle difference, but its important because it says this is our country. While the linguistic power struggle can antagonise both sides of the debate, Evans said using Indigenous place names alongside European names played a practical role. It may seem like a small thing but its part of a bigger national project. Having names side by side on a sign is a simple but effective way of saying that there are different cultures here, different interpretations of history and we respect that, he said. My sense is that more and more people are making the shift towards curiosity, towards finding out more about Indigenous culture in their region.

Loading In all states and territories, governments have policies that encourage the use of Indigenous place names. NSW has had a bipartisan view supporting dual naming for two decades, and Victoria and NSW both strongly encourage the use of Indigenous names for new suburbs, bridges and capital works projects. The NSW Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Treaty, David Harris, said he believed the governments dual-naming policy had broad community support. As I see it, its about building more meaning, and being accepting of everything thats happened, rather than having a narrow view of history, Harris said. Weve got to acknowledge the good, bad and ugly. Were an interesting, multicultural place, and its a good thing when our place names reflect that. Then there is the tourism angle  the surveys show that 85 per cent of international tourists that come here want to engage with Indigenous culture, learn about songlines and stories. Merri-bek Mayor Mark Riley at Coburg Town Hall on the day the council changed its name. Credit: Justin McManus

A minority of name changes are driven by a view that an existing European name is inappropriate. Merri-bek Council in northern Melbourne received 6315 survey responses when it floated the idea of changing its name from Moreland  a name which commemorated a Jamaican slave estate. Only 6 per cent of those who responded wanted to keep the old name. There was similar strong support when Beowa National Park on the NSW South Coast changed its name from Ben Boyd National Park  a reference to a pastoralist who also practised slavery. Yet Ben Boyd Road in Sydneys Neutral Bay retained its name last year after a council survey found 54 per cent of respondents wanted it to stay as it was. The national park previously named in honour of Ben Boyd was completely renamed as a result of Boyds links to slavery. The passion people have about place names and connection to their country comes through in the submissions we receive every day, said Narelle Underwood, chair of the NSW Geographical Names Board, the 25th Surveyor-General of NSW and the first woman to hold the role. We always have to balance a range of views and test the arguments and then take it back to the public for consultation, so the process can take quite a while, she said.

Underwood said that in her experience, once the newness had worn off, people tended to appreciate the addition of a new name. I think the most famous one Australians can lean on is [changing] Ayers Rock to Uluru. Uluru has been accepted as the name of the geographical feature once better known as Ayers Rock. Credit: Global Headquarters The board is set to meet on Tuesday and one item on its agenda is the introduction of the local Indigenous name Gulumada for a large region of the Blue Mountains. That proposal arose from the detective work of sleuths at the Dyarubbin project, a collaborative research effort studying Indigenous history of the Hawkesbury River, north-west of Sydney. In 2017, historian Grace Karskens was scrolling through a microfiche at the State Library of NSW as part of her research for a book on the areas past and came across a previously unknown document written in 1829 by a Presbyterian minister named John McGarvie. It detailed 178 Indigenous names for culturally significant places in the district, compiled from interviews with traditional owners, bringing to light knowledge that had been thought lost for over a century.

Id been working on the book for years and this kind of research can be really boring, page after page, said Karskens, an emeritus professor at the University of NSW. Then bang! This amazing document. I thought I was dreaming. Loading The major research project, comprising a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous specialists, has been able to restore Indigenous names to dozens of sites along the Hawkesbury region. As a result, we now know that the area now known as Richmond township was once called Marrengorra, Windsor was Bulyayorang and Sackville was Dorumbolooa. Encouragingly for Karskens, some of the place names she and her colleagues dug up in their research have already flowed into local discourse. I was down at Wisemans Ferry and there was a poster up for a festival at Wulu-marrang, Karskens said, recognising the name from McGarvies list that referred to a low-lying area beside the curve of the river. Nobody had told them to use the Indigenous name, they just did it and people knew where it was and where to go. Its just happening naturally and I think thats wonderful.
Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games organisers have moved into their swish new digs, in one of the citys landmark riverfront towers.

The organising committee and its staff will initially occupy half of one floor of the Riverside Centre at 123 Eagle Street, with plans for more floors and space as required in the lead-up to 2032.

The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee has moved into the Riverside Centre.

Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris said Riverside Centre was the right operational, commercial and brand choice for the organising committee as it continued to shape the 2032 Games.

Riverside Centre has been an iconic part of the Brisbane city skyline since 1986, with spectacular views across the city that showcase Brisbane at its best, he said.
A secret scheme that cuts jail sentences for criminals turning in firearms and explosives has led to fears offenders are planting caches as insurance as they anticipate being busted.

The location of the packages  known as hand-ins  are revealed if gang members are caught so they can receive a sentencing discount in a deal police, prosecutors and judges say helps protect the public and stem violence between organised crime groups by removing high-powered firearms and explosive weaponry from the streets.

Criminals are handing in high-powered weapons to have jail terms cut Credit: Aresna Villanueva

But police and legal sources say the number of hand-ins being negotiated has increased in recent years, raising concerns the process is now being manipulated.

In one example police found a machine gun, pistol and hand grenades carefully wrapped in plastic and hidden inside a storm drain, exactly where the notorious gangland figure said they would be.
Is there anything more Victorian than a dog that loves watching the footy?

Matthew Bruno with his six-month-old Staffy puppy Kira. Credit: Jason South

In Manor Lakes, in Melbournes outer west, six-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier Kira has waddled her way into the living room  and heart  of Matthew Brunos family, where she enjoys relaxing on her own couch watching the footy when she isnt nibbling chairs.

Shell sit there and watch the football with me, which is very mind-boggling, said Bruno, a Collingwood supporter. Ive gotten her a little football jumper, she likes that.

New data reveals that staffies are the top dog in the state, with almost 139,000 registered, thanks in part to their popularity in growth suburbs such as Werribee, Tarneit, Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury.
Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat has been accused of showing contempt for federal parliament by defying repeated requests to appear before a parliamentary inquiry that is weighing whether to recommend banning the app from use in Australia because of foreign interference concerns.

Executives from social media giants TikTok, Google, Twitter and LinkedIn have all agreed to appear at the final public hearings of the Senate select committee on foreign interference through social media in Parliament House on Tuesday.

A parliamentary committee is considering calls to ban the popular messaging app WeChat because of foreign interference concerns. Credit: Reuters

Representatives from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will also appear at the hearings, leaving WeChat as the only company refusing multiple invitations to give evidence.

About 1 million people in Australia  including almost half the Chinese diaspora  are believed to use WeChat, which has been described as Chinas app for everything.
When the US Supreme Court recently struck down the affirmative action admission policies of Harvard University on the basis that they violated the 14th amendment (the equal protection clause), the howls of outrage from the left of politics were predictable.

President Joe Biden led the charge, denouncing the decision in intemperate language that showed no respect whatever for constitutional niceties such as the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers. More interesting, though, was the reaction from the right. Many Republicans, Donald Trump among them, invoked Martin Luther Kings I have a dream speech, treating the decision as the fulfilment of his hope for the day when all Americans were judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

If Anthony Albanese focuses on identity politics, Peter Dutton can talk about equality. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The reactions to the decision reflect the way in which equality  traditionally a political value associated with the left  is increasingly being claimed by parties of the right. This represents not a shift in conservative philosophy, but in the way parties of the left have changed the way they think about equality.

In the good old days, it was pretty straightforward. As Fin Crisp, a member of Chifleys brains trust who went on to be professor of politics at the ANU, wrote in 1965 in the first undergraduate textbook on Australian politics, the ALP was the party of organised labour and the working class, while the non-Labor Parties were first and foremost the political instruments of the owners and controllers of private, productive and commercial capital, urban and rural. The basic structural division of society was class.
Despite having policies for everything from human rights to environmental, social, and corporate governance, it has emerged that PwC clean forgot to have a policy for not treating the taxpayer like a mug.

Nobody begrudges corporations their detailed do-the-right-thing policies. But if they cant prevent fundamental misbehaviour, its worth asking what theyre for. Because they do have a downside: since the possession of these policies became a requirement in Commonwealth government tenders, they have created a hurdle to small- and medium-sized enterprises hoping to bid for government work. And that makes it hard for government agencies to shake their dependence on the big four.

Credit: Matt Davidson

Its not enough to be able to deliver the work the government agency needs. Small businesses sometimes just give up when the barriers to entry are too high.

At the request of Finance and Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has launched an inquiry into the impact that Commonwealth procurement requirements have on small- and medium-sized enterprises. A month after it was announced, the PwC scandal broke and people started wondering why departments seem locked in to giving taxpayer money to large consultancies.
Former prime minister Paul Keating has branded NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg a supreme fool for seeking to deepen the alliances ties with Asia as Anthony Albanese heads to Europe to cement Australias blossoming relationship with the alliance grouping.

The prime minister will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday before attending the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Former prime minister Paul Keating said expanding NATOs ties with Asia would be like exporting poison.

Albanese and Scholz will on Monday announce an agreement for Australia to sell 100 Queensland-made Boxer heavy weapons carriers to Germany in a $1 billion deal that is believed to be one of the nations biggest defence export contracts.

This agreement will boost Australias sovereign defence industry, secure local jobs and contribute to Australias economic growth, Albanese said.
Poland has begun moving 1000 more troops to its border with Belarus, and NATO is fortifying its summit base in Lithuania, fearing the presence of Wagner mercenaries in the Kremlin-allied Belarus could destabilise the region.

But, in a rare show of apparent openness on the weekend, Belarusian officials claimed no Wagner mercenaries had yet arrived at the camp readied for them.

Major General Leonid Kasinsky shows journalists around a disused camp where he says Wagner fighters are yet to arrive on Friday. Credit: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Wagner fighters marching on Moscow during last months extraordinary but brief coup attempt were offered a disused military base in Belarus as part of a deal struck with the Kremlin  they stood down, and in exchange, charges against them were dropped by Russia.

In that former military camp surrounded by fir and birch forest just north of Osipovichi, more than 300 large tents have been put up by the Belarusian army but Wagner mercenaries have yet to say if they want to use it.
Kyiv: Ukraine has welcomed a controversial US decision to send cluster bombs to Kyiv but promised the munitions will only be used to help liberate Ukrainian territory, not to launch strikes on Russia.

It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky marked 500 days of war by bringing home from Turkey five former commanders of Mariupol  a highly symbolic move that Russia says violates a prisoner exchange deal engineered last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a flight home to Ukraine with the Azovstal garrison. Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office

Ukraines counter-offensive against Russias invasion is stalling. But Americas decision Friday to supply Ukraine with widely banned cluster munitions has sparked backlash from allies including Canada, Germany and Spain, because of the risk to civilians from the bombs.

Ukraines Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the munitions would help save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. Ukraine would keep a strict record of their use, exchange information with its partners, and not use them in urban areas. They would only be deployed to break through the enemy defence lines, and to liberate our internationally recognised territories, Reznikov said. These munitions will not be used on the officially recognised territory of Russia.
MBABANE  Legislators will continue to get their salaries after the dissolution of Parliament.

When government stops payment of their salaries around November 2023, a re-elected or unelected MP is guaranteed a payment of a tax-free pension grant of E441 000. A minister stands to receive E607 000 tax free. It must be said that the remaining two-thirds for the backbenchers, the equivalent of about E882 000, shall be taxable. The E441 000 represents one-third of their contribution to Members of Parliament and Designated Office Bearers Pension Fund (MOPADO). One MP said the principal benefit of being a legislator has always been the pension payment.

payment

This is the money we use to buy tractors and build bedsitters. You can build two or three decent bedsitters at a cost of E400 000, said the MP who chose to speak about the pension payment on condition of anonymity. You can then use the salary you have been earning after the dissolution of Parliament to pay the builder. He urged his colleagues to use this money wisely. This money is not for alcohol or spending on entertaining friends, he warned. On a monthly basis, a pension contribution of 15 per cent of a parliamentarians basic salary is deducted and government contributes 30 per cent. It effectively means that 45 per cent of the MPs basic salary of E49 000 is contributed to the fund. The legislator invests E22 050 per month, translating to E1 323 000 over a period of five years. Conservatively, the 103 parliamentarians contribute over E136.269 million to the fund.

benefits

The parliamentarians pension is a defined contribution fund limiting the participant benefits to their contributions, while the Public Service Pensions fund is a defined benefit plan. The funds cannot be drawn against for any purpose whatsoever. This is in compliance with the terms and conditions of the Retirement Funds Act. At the conclusion of the term of office, it is provided in Finance Circular No.2 of 2013 that one third of the benefit can be payable as a lump sum. Before the amendment of the law governing MOPADO, the remaining balance was payable upon the member reaching the retirement age of 55. However, it has been established that the member starts to receive the pension immediately after finishing his or her termof service in Parliament.

invest

Lobamba Lomdzala MP and Chairperson of MOPADO Marwick Khumalo could only say that, if a member would not want to start drawing down his or her pension, he or she would be at liberty to invest his money and earn interests. He said the reinvestment of the money was usually considered by the reelected legislators. It has also been learnt that the parliamentarians are insured as part of the fund against accidents and death in terms of a contract concluded by government with an insurance company. The insured benefits include, group life insurance of two-times annual salary in the event of death of a member while in office.

assistance

The benefits also include disability cover for a member while in office and funeral assistance of E20 000 for a member, spouse and children while legislator is still in office - and E20 000 for the member thereafter. Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg confirmed that the parliamentarians would continue to receive their salaries until a new Parliament has been put in place.

emergency

This is correct. The Constitution allows them to be recalled in case of an emergency if I am not mistaken, the minister said. MPs are also entitled to medical aid, which covers all medical costs incurred. In South Africa, all members who qualify for the Political Office-Bearers Pension Fund receive a gratuity of four months pensionable salary for every five years of service. The Political Office-Bearers Pension Fund is a defined contribution arrangement. It means that each month the fund receives contributions from the State and from MPs. Their contributions and part of that of the employer are allocated for their retirement savings in the fund. They grow with the net investment returns (which may be positive or negative) earned by the fund on its investments. The net investment returns are calculated by the funds investment consultant on a monthly basis. Last month, the Times of Eswatini reported that government spent E6.5 million on advances for legislators. A total of 65 members of the House of Assembly and senators applied for an E100 000 advance each and were all granted.

confirmed

The publication said the Communications Officer in the Ministry of Finance, Setsabile Dlamini, confirmed the matter. Dlamini reportedly mentioned ministers did not apply for the advances. The legislators received E100 000 advances against their gratuity or ex-gratia. MPs are entitled to an ex-gratia payment. Article 4.6.7 of the Finance Circular No. 2 of 2013 provides that the ex-gratia payment is a grant that is payable to former parliamentarians to assist with the costs of adjusting to non-parliamentary life. The ex-gratia payment is available to all parliamentarians who fail to be re-elected or re-appointed into the new Parliament. In the event that the parliamentarian does not fully serve the five-year term, the ex-gratia payment is pro-rated, taking into account the actual period served. In the current circular, a part year served is not considered as a full year. This was the case with other circulars which were amended. It must be said that the parliamentarian forfeits ex-gratia payment if he or she is dismissed or removed from office because of misconduct or incompetence. It is paid as once-off payment equal to one year basic salary before tax for all parliamentarians. A gratuity is a lump sum amount that is paid to an employee by an employer, as a token of appreciation on the termination of the employees service.

forfeit

After the dissolution of Parliament, the parliamentarians forfeit the constituency allowance of 12.5 per cent of basic salary, which is E6 125. They are also entitled to a sitting allowance of E350. His Majesty has summoned the nation to a national meeting to be held in the cattle byre at Ludzidzini Royal Residence on Tuesday. It is anticipated that he would dissolve the 11th Parliament. The final phase of the countrys election is on September 29, 2023. The nomination stage of the elections will be held on July 22, 2023. In case the King dissolves the 11th Parliament on Tuesday, the likelihood is that he will follow tradition. Tradition has it that he doesnt dissolve traditional structures, which include Royal Board of Trustees, Liqoqo, Ludzidzini Royal Council and Border Restoration Committee during the national meeting at the royal residence. One of the reasons that the King keeps these four bodies in service is that they play an advisory role in the setting up of a new government structure for the country.

He also does not dissolve Cabinet. In the past, Cabinet assumed the status of a Council of Ministers. They passed laws which werent called Acts but Orders. In the countrys parliamentary system, the King appoints 30 Members of Parliament, including the prime minister. During such appointments, the traditional councils, known as emabandla, are ordered to make suggestions about candidates to be considered for national duties. In terms of Section 67 (1) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, the King appoints the prime minister from among members of the House, acting on recommendation of the Kings Advisory Council. The prime minister then recommends the ministers to His Majesty for appointment.

dissolved

The seat of a senator or of a member of the House becomes vacant where Parliament is dissolved; the holder of that seat resigns in writing addressed to the clerk to Parliament. It becomes vacant where the holder is absent from 20 sittings of the chamber during any meeting without the permission in writing of the presiding officer and is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges. It can also be vacant where the parliamentarian is expelled by a resolution of at least two-thirds of all members of a chamber for contempt of Parliament. In terms of Section 95, the House of Assembly shall consist of not more than 76 members composed as follows:

* Not more than 60 members elected from tinkhundla areas serving as constituencies;

* Not more than 10 members nominated by the King acting in his discretion after consultation with such bodies as the he may deem appropriate;

* Four female members, specially elected from the four regions;

* The Attorney General is an ex officio member.

The 11th Parliament was marred with controversy as three MPs were slapped with criminal charges. These are exiled former Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane, Hosea MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Ngwempisi MP Mthandeni Dube. Dube and Mabuza have been convicted for contravening provisions of the Suppression of the Terrorism Act of 2008.

Judge Mumcy Dlamini is yet to issue the sentencing. In 2021, the calls for political reforms began in Parliament when the three MPs introduced a new political ideology, which received support outside Parliament. They charged that the prime minister should be appointed by the people so that he could be accountable to them. The appointment of the premier is currently the prerogative of the Head of State, acting on the recommendation from his advisory council.

mandated

As the call for the election of the premier by the people intensified, the youth delivered petitions to various tinkhundla centres across the country. They mandated their respective MPs to support the three MPs who were calling for political reforms. They also criticised MPs who did not support the reforms introduced by the three MPs. One of them is Kwaluseni MP Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini, who had to flee for safety as the young people threatened him with violence. The situation turned chaotic when the petition delivery was banned by the then Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku, who felt the gathering at the tinkhundla centres violated COVID-19 regulations. The youth defied the ban and proceeded to march to Mbabane East on June 25, 2021, where they hoped to deliver the petition to MP Harries Madze Bulunga who doubles as the Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs. Police prevented them from marching to the inkhundla to meet the MP. Tear gas canisters were fired to disperse them. They retaliated with stones and burning of tyres. They placed the tyres in the middle of the roads. It became worse on June 26, 2021 at Siphofaneni, where the police blocked ex-MP Simelane from proceeding to the inkhundla to receive the petition. This infuriated his followers who responded by burning the tyres and pelted police with stones. The police had fired tear gas canisters to disperse them.

Confrontation

It must be said that one theory suggested that the confrontation between the police and protesters at Msunduza in Mbabane and Siphofaneni in the east of Eswatini birthed the civil unrest.

The civil unrest culminated in deaths of over 40 people and property destruction valued at E3 billion as per governments estimates. In response to the unprecedented political violence, the prosecution preferred criminal charges against the three MPs. In another development, the 11th Parliament was dealt a severe blow when Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini died of an undisclosed disease precipitated by COVID-19. After his death, three ministers followed him, and these are Makhosi Vilakati who was the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Christian Ntshangase, the ex-Minister of Public Service and Peter Bhembe, the former Minister of Natural Resources and Energy. In Senate, Chief Nzameya Nhlabatsi and Jimmy Hlophe also died in office.
4 killed in northern Uganda road accident

Kampala, July 9 (UNI) Four people died on the spot while two others were seriously injured in a road accident in the northern Ugandan district of Nwoya on Saturday morning.

According to the police, the cause of the accident was overspeeding, and the vehicle involved was heading for a traditional wedding ceremony.

"Upon reaching Ayago in Murchison Falls National Park, the driver lost control and overturned the vehicle, killing four of its occupants and injuring two," the police said in a statement on Sunday.
Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL), a public sector company administered by the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, seeks job applications from qualified degree/diploma holders. HCL Recruitment 2023 may be a fantastic opportunity for hopefuls looking for reputable employment in a government organisation.

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To apply for the Hindustan Copper Limited Recruitment 2023, interested applicants must apply online by the 5th of August 2023. For applicants to conveniently finish the application procedure, the organisation has established a user-friendly and efficient online platform.

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Go to www.apprenticeshipindia.gov.in.

Go to the establishment menu and click on "Establishment Search."

Look for HCL and pick it as your preferred location before applying.

HCL's official website can be found at www.hindustancopper.com.

Register on the website using a valid email address and cell phone number.

From 06/07/2023 to 05/08/2023, the online registration process will be available.

Fill out the online application form completely. Check all of the submitted information for accuracy before applying. Finally, print a duplicate of the application form for your records.

Age

18 to 25 years.
One Killed, 3 injured after string of shootings in NYC

New York, July 9 (UNI) A gunman riding a scooter without a license plate has opened fire in New York's Queens and Brooklyn districts at four people, killing a 87-year-old man and injuring three others, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has said.

"A[n]  individual who took a part himself to shoot four innocent people, tragically killing one  The shooter in this connected incident used an illegal scooter that did not have a license plate to move from one location to the next," First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban told a briefing on Saturday.

The police have detained a 25-year-old man, who staged a string of shootings in Brooklyn and Queens, and whose motives are still unknown and presumably "random," Joseph Kenny, the assistant chief in the NYPD's Detective Bureau, told a news conference.
The woman who was struck and killed on E. 11th Street on Saturday morning has been identified at Lisa Hill, 60, of Knoxville.







Chattanooga Police were notified of a pedestrian struck and responded to the 700 blook of E. 11th Street at 11:01 a.m., where they located a woman who was suffering from a life-threatening injury.The woman was taken to a local hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.Police are still investigating leads in the case and no arrests have been made.
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There are many stories of public figures who had downfalls, and the infamous Martha Mitchell was no exception.

You may have learned about her life in school while studying the Watergate scandal, or perhaps youve caught an episode of the recent limited series Gaslit where Julia Roberts portrays Martha.

If you dont know much about Martha Mitchell, the woman whose world was turned upside down after Watergate, here is a rundown of her story.

Martha Mitchell was the wife of John Mitchell, who was President Richard Nixons attorney general in the early 1970s. John eventually stepped down from attorney general to run Nixons 1972 re-election campaign, the Committee for the Re-election of the President (CRP).

Although she had no official political authority, Martha was one of the most popular figures in American politics during that time. Martha was outspoken and charming and loved expressing her honest opinions in a good interview. She had the hottest political gossip in Washington, D.C., and she made sure everyone knew that.

Martha had a reputation for sitting around with an evening cocktail and calling up various reporters to let them in on some juicy political secrets.

However, Marthas love of talk and gossip suddenly led to her downfall after the famous Watergate break-in.

The night news of the burglary at Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate building in Washington, D.C broke, Martha and John were attending a Republican fundraising event.

The CRP security director, James McCord, was one of the five men arrested in the Watergate burglary. Martha and John personally knew James McCord because when John stepped down as attorney general and lost protection from the Secret Service, he hired John to be Marthas bodyguard.

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5 more conservative denominations that allow women to be pastors

In recent weeks, the Southern Baptist Convention has garnered extensive attention for its decision to remove Saddleback Church from fellowship over the California-based megachurchs decision to allow a woman to serve in the office of pastor.

In June, messengers at the SBC's Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, voted overwhelmingly to uphold the disfellowshipping of Saddleback and a smaller church, Fern Creek Baptist Church of Louisville, Kentucky, (88% and 92%, respectively) for having women serve as pastors.

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, warned during the annual meeting that Saddleback was threatening the unity of the SBC and that the issue of women pastors was not nonessential.

"It's not just a matter of church polity; it's not just a matter of hermeneutics," Mohler stated during the appeals session. "It's a matter of biblical commitment, a commitment to the Scripture that unequivocally we believe limits the office of pastor to men."

"Here we face the unusual situation in which Dr. Warren himself has made repeated statements, and the church has taken repeated actions that make very clear it rejects the confessional understanding of the Southern Baptist Convention on this issue."

However, theological conservatives within Christianity are not of one mind as to whether it's biblical for women to serve as pastors. Last month, The Christian Post published a list of five conservative denominations that allow women to be pastors.

Here's a list of five more denominations considered theologically conservative, yet also allow women to serve in pastoral roles and sometimes at all levels of church leadership.

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Actor who plays villain in The Chosen says series has changed his life

ORLANDO  Actor Brandon Potter has been working in Hollywood for decades but says his experiences working on the hit series The Chosen have been transformational.

Potter plays an antagonistic Roman guard named Quintus in The Chosen. Now filming season four, the actor, who has been in Hollywood since the early 90s, said he's so grateful for the work environment on the set of the Angel Studios original show.

"A show this big with this many moving parts can sometimes feel anonymous. You feel like a mercenary, just kind of a gun for hire. You show up and do your job and leave. And that's not the way that this show is, said Potter in a sit-down interview with The Christian Post at the National Religious Broadcasters convention.

There's like a big WhatsApp thread with all the actors and we talk and share news and we follow each other on Instagram  the cast and crew too. Everybody hangs out and knows each other.

The entertainer described his Chosen castmates and crew as "exactly" like a family. "Working on the show has changed my life, Potter added.

When asked to describe his all-time favorite scene, the Texas native pointed to a scene he shot in season two with castmate Jonathan Roumie.

In terms of favorite scenes, I always go back to the scene that I got to do with Jonathan Roumie, the man who plays Jesus. It's just the two of us sitting and talking, Potter recalled. "The reason why I love that scene is, first of all, because of the writing. You never get a scene in television where it's just two people talking for something like six or seven minutes. That never happens. There's no dialogue that long in any kind of show. Usually, it cuts away, or there's an action sequence or cut to a commercial. So I was excited to do this scene just for that because it felt sort of like a play.

"Getting to finally share a scene with him was wonderful. Just because he's an incredible scene partner. It's nice to feel like I'm present in the moment with another artist.

The scene also marked a high moment in Potter's career to see the level of support he was receiving from those behind the scenes who were championing his work on the series.

"Feeling the support of the entire cast and crew and also sitting across the table from such a lovely actor was a day in my career that I'll always remember.

As for season four, Potter adds, "A lot happens in season four. It comes to you hard and fast. Buckle up, get ready because stuff goes down, he revealed. So far in the show, Quintus has operated sort of unimpeded, he's able to call the shots and do what he wants to do, and there's not really any consequences. And in this season, there are consequences for his actions.

There are real consequences to his actions, Potter reiterated. And I think that will force a change in him. I don't know what kind, I don't know if that's for good or worse. I can't speak to that. I don't even know. But something will have to give.

Potter has played Quintus since season one of the series and said sticking with a character for this long has been "One of the great joys of my life. He enjoys getting to really Go deep. You don't get the chance to do that very often.

Season four of the series will be out in January 2024. Potter said the release will include various streaming services, TV, and theatrical events as well.

Brad Pelo, president and executive producer of "The Chosen," told CP in a recent interview that the multi-season series about Jesus and His followers aims to reach 1 billion people through its new distribution partnership with Lionsgate.

Lionsgate, the studio behind "Jesus Revolution," acquired sub-licensing distribution rights worldwide for the history-making series Angel Studios' original series.

The Chosen, from creator Dallas Jenkins, has grown into a global phenomenon being streamed by over 500 million people worldwide.
For children with disabilities, a family makes the difference

Crispus, a young boy in Uganda, was born with hydrocephalus  a condition where too much fluid accumulates in the brain. People in his village believed it was due to curses of evil. But Crispus father, a God-fearing man, accepted this child was who God had for him and his family. Yet at 6 years old, Crispus still could not walk  until Crispus and his father got connected with Ekisa.

At Ekisa, we believe all children belong in families. Whether its their own, foster or adoptive  a family is where children thrive.

For children with disabilities in Uganda, growing up in a family is a challenge. Parents might not understand their childs condition, recognize their inherent value, or believe they can offer the care their child needs. This results in many children with disabilities being abandoned or placed in residential care, such as an orphanage or a childrens home. But if an organization can provide better care for a child living in an institution, we must ask why that same help cannot be provided to the child at home, living with their family. Residential care has been shown to negatively affect a childs development physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Consequently, children who already struggle in these areas are adversely impacted all the more.

Holding tight to a core value of the Imago Dei  that all children are created in the image of God  Ekisa Ministries is working to change this. Our mission is for every child in Uganda to grow up in a family, regardless of their disability. We want all children to be recognized for their God-given value.

Children with disabilities belong in families

Research confirms children grow best in families. Their development and future are shaped by consistent nurturing, love and care. But children with disabilities in Uganda face huge barriers  namely, discrimination and a lack of access to necessary services. This is why helping families who have children with disabilities stay together long-term requires a holistic family-strengthening approach.

This approach means equipping family members with skills and knowledge so they can change their own circumstances and better navigate the challenges of keeping their family together. Life-changing support services increase the chances children can be cared for at home and might include medical care, multiple therapies, counseling and financial empowerment.

A complex issue

Admittedly, keeping children with disabilities with their families, or placing them into a foster or adoptive family, is a complex issue. With international funding and initiatives in the past, Uganda once saw unprecedented progress in family-centered care. But with decreased funding, this movement has lost momentum in recent years.

The government departments that oversee cases for orphaned or vulnerable children are severely under-budgeted preventing case follow-up. Children are placed into orphanages with an unrealistic hope that it will be temporary and, therefore, a sufficient solution for the countrys most vulnerable children. Yet these homes are rarely temporary.

Often there is limited awareness of the adverse effects of these types of facilities by those in the U.S. and other Western countries who donate to orphanages. Ekisa and other groups are working to increase the focus on family-strengthening services and encouraging donors to support children cared for in families. Whether it be a child with a disability or one without, we want to help support families to care for their own children  not do the caring for them.

Progress made simple

Despite the challenges, meaningful progress is being made. By providing access to necessary services, such as physical or occupational therapies, a childs quality of life improves. Parents often have the feeling that they will never be able to care for their child with disabilities. But after receiving holistic family-strengthening services like education, counseling and financial training, they gain hope and confidence to be able to care for their child and gain a community of other families just like them.

Children with disabilities who remain at home also create change in their communities. With increased exposure, perceptions shift. Fears distill. And stigma lessens. Acceptance and inclusion begin through one personal interaction at a time. Progress on a grand scale can be made in simple ways and we see it happening today.

Crispus is now running. He received physical therapy and his father was trained in exercises to do with him at home. Crispus is a funny, friendly, vibrant child who attends school and does chores like the other children. People who used to fear him now smile and wave. They understand his value; he is welcomed, loved and thriving. The whole community has been changed by his presence.

We must not neglect the impact of a loving family on all children, regardless of their capacity. Lets ask ourselves honestly what we value and what is most important for a child, not just for ourselves and our families in the United States, but for all families worldwide.

Then, lets lift up the organizations working towards the same. Our support can make all the difference.
Islamabad, July 9 (UNI) Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations in a meeting with Swiss Federal Councillor and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, according to the prime minister's office.



The Swiss foreign minister, accompanied by three members of the parliament, is on a visit to Pakistan from July 7 to July 9 at the invitation of the Pakistani prime minister, the office said in a statement on Saturday.



During the meeting, Sharif reiterated the high importance Pakistan attached to its relations with Switzerland.



Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further enhancing bilateral ties, especially in the areas of climate change, trade and investment, development cooperation, higher education and vocational training, the statement said.



The Pakistani prime minister appreciated the Swiss businesses' approach to the resolution of issues and their work ethic, and invited more Swiss companies to invest in Pakistan, particularly in the renewable energy and IT sectors, the statement said, adding that the two sides also agreed to collaborate in tourism promotion including eco-tourism and development of related infrastructure.



Sharif thanked the Swiss government for providing support to Pakistan in the aftermath of the 2022 devastating floods.



On the occasion, he also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on disaster management between Pakistan and Switzerland, which envisages bilateral cooperation in disaster risk management including preparedness, response and recovery aimed at reducing the adverse impact on the people and the economy.



Pakistan and the Swiss confederation enjoy cordial relations grounded in cooperation at the international forums with the common aim to contribute towards global peace and prosperity, according to the prime minister's office.

UNI/XINHUA AKS 1426
Bank closes Anglican vicar's account for opposing its promotion of trans ideology

An Anglican vicar says his bank account was closed after he accused it of pushing trans ideology.

The Rev. Richard Fothergill said he politely complained to the Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) that it was promoting trans ideology during so-called pride month, also known as the month of June.

The U.K. Times reports that he received a written response four days later from YBS stating that his internet savings account was to be closed after 17 years.

The letter stated that YBS has a "zero tolerance approach to discrimination" and that his feedback was "not tolerable."

It also claimed that its relationship with Fothergill had "irrevocably broken down."

"I wasn't even aware that our relationship had a problem. They are a financial house  they are not there to do social engineering. I think they should concentrate their efforts on managing money, instead of promoting LGBT ideology," the vicar told The Times. "I know cancel culture exists and this is my first firsthand experience of it. I wouldn't want this bullying to happen to anyone else."

I can't quite get my head around the idea that a bank needs to have a set of values rather than just managing money, and if it does have a set of values why are they around sexual ethics.



Rev Richard Fothergill speaks to GB News Calvin Robinson about how his bank account pic.twitter.com/tRSBp2DO7o  Christian Concern (@CConcern) July 5, 2023

A spokesman for YBS responded: "We never close savings accounts based on different opinions regarding beliefs or feedback provided by our customers. We only ever make the difficult decision to close a savings account if a customer is rude, abusive, violent or discriminates in any way, based on the specific facts, comments and behavior in each case."

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is reportedly set to warn banks that they must protect free speech after Nigel Farage complained that his bank account was being closed without explanation.

A Treasury source told the Daily Telegraph that it was "absolutely a concern" that banks and lenders might be dropping customers who hold unpopular views.

"No one should have their bank account denied on the grounds of freedom of expression. We expect to take action on this issue within weeks," the source said.

Last week, The Core Issues Trust, which provides counseling for unwanted same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria, staged a protest outside the London headquarters of Barclays Bank after its account was closed in 2020.

Barclays last week settled with the trust and agreed to pay 21,500 ($27,600) in compensation plus legal costs.

Originally published at Christian Today
China prosecutes house church leaders as criminal clique

Leaders of Linfen Covenant House Church in Chinas Shanxi Province have been indicted on charges of forming a criminal group and acquiring illegal income approximating 780,000 yuan (about $108,000), the church has announced.

Preachers Li Jie, Han Xiaodong and their associate Wang Qiang have had formal accusations leveled against them by Yaodu District public prosecutors, the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports.

Prosecutors claim Li and Han set up an unauthorized organization and numerous illegal activity sites within the city with Wang, enticing individuals to contribute tithes and thanksgiving donations, the group said, adding that the indictment statement was shared by the church late last month.

Li and Han were subjected to residential surveillance in a detention site after an August 2022 church raid involving over 100 police officers. Both experienced three consecutive days and nights of sleep deprivation. They were officially arrested in September 2022, while Wang was detained in November and formally arrested on fraud charges in December.

The church and its members faced half a year of repeated harassment by Linfen police, with Lis spouse and another associate held on suspicion of fraud for multiple weeks before securing bail, according to CSW.

Despite substantial pressure from Linfen authorities against church members, as reported by ChinaAid in February, the wives of Li, Han and Wang have written articles affirming their husbands innocence. These tactics included coercion and intimidation against the church involving employers, families and relatives, said the U.S.-based group which monitors human rights violations in China, adding that some were even forced to produce false evidence against the leaders and pledge non-attendance at the church.

Following the revised Regulations on Religious Affairs enactment in February 2018, Li signed a joint statement against the regulations that further solidified government control over religious groups.

The increasing prosecution of religious leaders on fraud charges, which could warrant over a decade of imprisonment, has been a noticeable trend in recent years.

Mervyn Thomas, founder and president of CSW, called the charges blatantly unjust, citing the coercive police methods used to extract evidence, including RSDL detentions and torture. He further called for the immediate release of the detained religious leaders, urging the international society to press the Chinese government to stop prosecuting unregistered religious groups.

In February, the Covenant House Church requested prayers as authorities prepared to resume their investigation into a fabricated case leading to the imprisonment of two pastors and a church member.

The wives of the accused have publicly questioned the charges. Wangs wife, Wen Huijuan, and Hans wife, Chen Ying, have written letters in defense of their spouses and their faith.

This case reflects the ongoing persecution many house churches face in China for refusing to join the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement, according to reports by the United Kingdom-based organization Release International.

China is ranked No. 16 on Open Doors' 2023 World Watch List of the countries where its most difficult to be a Christian.

Open Doors also warned in its latest report that a growing number of countries are emulating the China model.

China is trying not just to dominate the international agenda, but also to re-interpret existing (and coining new) human rights. China is trying to push this revisionism into the mainstream of international diplomacy, partly by attempting to re-define the tasks of the United Nations  and, most importantly, by filtering who is allowed to participate in debates on how human rights should be shaped in the future, says the report.
Mob of parents brutally beat Indian high school principal over claims of 'Christian prayer'

In the western Indian state of Maharashtra, a mob of suspected Hindu nationalists attacked the Christian principal of a private high school, alleging he asked his students to recite a Christian prayer.

The incident took place at the D. Y. Patil High School in the Ambi village of Talegaon Dabhade, on the outskirts of the city of Pune on Tuesday, according to media reports.

The mob, composed of agitated parents and suspected activists from the Hindu nationalist organizations Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, launched their attack against Principal Alexander Reid, UCA News reported.

A video that went viral the following day showed Reid being brutally beaten by the mob, who chanted Har Har Mahadev (hail Lord Shiva) as they chased and assaulted him on the school campus, leaving his clothes torn.

Local law enforcement, led by Police Inspector Ranjit Sawant, has begun an investigation into the incident. Despite this, neither the school nor Reid has lodged a formal complaint against those involved in the assault.

Only some parents have given us a complaint against the principal and we have not yet filed a case against anyone, Sawant was quoted as saying on Friday. We will take preventive action against those who assaulted the principal.

The Christian prayer in question, according to Sawant, is a general prayer containing the phrase Dear Lord, a detail also printed in the school diary carried by students. But that does not refer to a Christian God, Sawant said. He contradicted the parents allegations that the prayer was derived from the Bible, stating there was no connection to be found.

Further adding to the melee, some parents have alleged the school had installed a CCTV camera in the girls washroom.

According to Sawant, the CCTV camera is not located inside any washroom but rather in a common area near the washbasin. These allegations led a group of parents and activists to enter the school premises to verify the location of the camera. Upon encountering the principal, they proceeded to assault him.

Currently, the school has 1,341 enrolled students from nursery to Class XII and is temporarily closed until further notice.

The Free Press Journal newspaper quoted Reid expressing his innocence, saying, The management is on my side, they have asked me to hold on for a couple of days before saying anything about the matter. They will take care of me, I have nothing to fear.

Reid, who founded the school six years ago, expressed confusion over why the issue arose now. He further explained his decision not to lodge a complaint against his attackers, stating, I am not that kind of person to go against my own people. I am very positive about this matter.

An unnamed official from the Talegaon police station stated that Reid was known to be a strict teacher, and some parents were keen to confront him, according to Radio Veritas Asia.

The official and Inspector Sawant both suggested that the attack was pre-planned.

Sawant lamented the miscommunication and escalation, stating, Hindutva activists and parents twisted this (the CCTV camera) into something perverse. They claimed cameras had been set up inside the toilet. Which is untrue. Following the objections, the school management agreed to remove the cameras.

The group Release International has predicted that persecution is likely to increase in India, where radical Hindus appear increasingly emboldened by the dominance of the nations Bharatiya Janata Party government.

Religious freedom conditions in India have drastically deteriorated in recent years following the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the rise of the BJP in 2014, a report by the group said.

Christians comprise only 2.3% of Indias population, and Hindus account for about 80%.

Open Doors USA, an organization that monitors persecution in over 60 countries, ranks India as the 10th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution.

The organization reports that Hindu extremists aim to cleanse the country of their presence and influence.

The driving force behind this is Hindutva, an ideology that disregards Indian Christians and other religious minorities as true Indians because they have allegiances that lie outside India, and asserts the country should be purified of their presence," an Open Doors factsheet on India reads.

This is leading to a systemic, and often violent and carefully orchestrated, targeting of Christians and other religious minorities, including use of social media to spread disinformation and stir up hatred.
This week in Christian history: Fatima vision, first Chinese Protestant baptized

Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance.

Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births and notable deaths.

Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while others might be previously unknown to many people.

The following pages highlight anniversaries of memorable events that occurred this week in Christian history. They include the baptism of the Chinese Protestant believer, a massacre of Catholic priests in the Netherlands, and the third and final Fatima vision.

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Mashea Ashton, founder and CEO of Digital Pioneers Academy Public Charter School in D.C., to the Virginia Board of Education. ( Washington Post photo by Bill O'Leary)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) announced the appointment of three new members to the Virginia Board of Education on Friday evening, as part of a number of appointments named to several state boards.

The school board appointments include Mashea Ashton, founder and CEO of Digital Pioneers Academy Public Charter School in D.C.; Debbie Kilgore, retired family and consumer science teacher at Gate City High School; and Amber Northern, senior vice president for research at the conservative-leaning Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The appointments replace three members whose terms expired last week.

"With their unique insights and notable career experiences, I look forward to working together to make Virginia the best state in the Nation to live, work and raise a family," Youngkin said in a statement announcing the new members.

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With the three appointments, the nine-person board will now be made up of eight Youngkin appointees. Anne Holton, who was first appointed by former governor Terry McAuliffe in 2017, will be the only member appointed by a Democratic governor.

The new members will begin serving on the board immediately, but the appointments will need to be confirmed by the state General Assembly.

Last summer, Youngkin appointed five members to the board. Before Youngkin's appointments, the board had been entirely composed of members appointed by McAuliffe and former governor Ralph Northam (D). Youngkin's five appointees last year were possible after Virginia House Republicans voted not to confirm three members who Northam appointed. The Republicans' vote, which went against precedent and was widely seen as retribution for Senate Democrats' rejection of Youngkin's pick for state secretary of natural and historic resources, opened three seats last year in addition to two open seats.

Earlier this year, one of Youngkin's five 2022 appointments, Suparna Dutta, was rejected by the Democratic state Senate which opposed her involvement in educational culture-wars. Dutta is a co-founder of Coalition for TJ, the group fighting admissions reform at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County.

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Ashton, one of Youngkin's newest appointees, founded Digital Pioneers, a charter school that opened five years ago as a place for children to learn coding and game design in D.C. Most of the students enrolled in the charter school are "at-risk" and live in D.C.'s poorest neighborhood. Last year, the school was recognized for outperforming other schools with similar demographics on standardized math and reading exams but has faced a rise in violence. It has experienced four deadly student shootings this year, the most recent, a 15-year-old killed last week.

According to her biography page, Ashton has also served as the CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund, overseeing an initiative to support the growth of charter schools.

In a statement to The Washington Post, Ashton said she was honored to be named to the board. "I look forward to working with fellow board members to advance equitable and innovative learning for all of Virginia's students."

Ashton said she will continue as CEO of Digital Pioneers and remains "committed as ever" to her leadership role.

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Along with being a retired teacher, Kilgore had served as an adviser with Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), a career and technical student organization. She is married to House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore (R-Scott).

According to her biography page, Northern supervises the Fordham Institute's research on academic standards, career and technical education, and charter schools.

"I'm honored to support Governor Youngkin, his team and the department of education, and to join this rockstar board - each of whom care deeply about strengthening education for every student in Virginia," Northern said in a statement.

The new members will be joining the board after former superintendent for public instruction Jillian Balow abruptly resigned in early March. Youngkin appointed Lisa Coons as the new superintendent. On Friday, he appointed Emily Anne Gullickson as the new deputy secretary of education. Gullickson is CEO and founder of A for Arizona, an education advocacy nonprofit.
Siobhan Roberts in the New York Times:

In 2019, Christian Szegedy, a computer scientist formerly at Google and now at a start-up in the Bay Area, predicted that a computer system would match or exceed the problem-solving ability of the best human mathematicians within a decade. Last year he revised the target date to 2026.

Akshay Venkatesh, a mathematician at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and a winner of the Fields Medal in 2018, isnt currently interested in using A.I., but he is keen on talking about it. I want my students to realize that the field theyre in is going to change a lot, he said in an interview last year.

More here.
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Is RoseAnne Archibald a toxic taskmaster or a sleuth standing up to the most widely known secret in Indian country  corruption within the Assembly of First Nations.
Rochelle Peachey in Newsweek:

There I was, sitting in a New Jersey Burger King, while the restaurant manager I was on a date shouted the lyrics to Rule, Britannia! at the top of his lungs. I had just started eating my Whopper meal when he started belting it out, his arms firmly placed on my shoulders. Shes British! Shes British, he shouted at the various people who were just getting on with their day, but were clearly wondering what on earth was going on. Well, this is going to be fantastic, I thought. I was in my mid-40s at the time, and had no real plan other than which states I would be visiting, placing newspaper adverts in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia claiming to be a single woman looking for love.

I hoped everyone would be as weird and wonderful as the man Id met in that Burger King, and they did not disappoint. One gentleman, after a couple of drinks, informed me that he had taken the liberty of booking a hotel room for us after knowing me for only a couple of hoursI politely declined. Another was fidgeting so much at lunch that I had to ask what was wrong.

Take your coat off? I suggested.

No. Ive got my dead cat in there, he replied.

More here.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Several people suffered gun shot wounds in an early Sunday morning mass shooting.

According to Cleveland Police, authorities responded to the shooting on West 6th Street and Johnson Court around 2:30 a.m. It was found that a suspect opened fire on a group of people before fleeing the scene.

Authorities had arrived to the scene quickly since several officers had already been in the area doing weekly Warehouse District Detail.

After Sunday shooting, Mayor Justin Bibb blasts Ohio lawmakers for weakening gun laws.

Nine victims were transported to MetroHealth Medical Center with non-fatal injuries.

The incident is currently under investigation and police is asking anyone with information regarding the shooting to contact Cleveland Police at 216-623-5318. Anonymous information can be provided by calling Crimestoppers at 216-25-CRIME and a reward of up to $5,000.00 may be available.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  The Nov. 7 ballot may be a progressives dream ticket, assuming proposals to enshrine abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana for adult use qualify for the ballot.

Some supporters will turn out to vote for one issue, whether that be abortion rights or marijuana, but will also vote for the other.

The abortion rights constitutional amendment proposal would allow individuals to make their own decisions over reproductive rights, including birth control, fertility treatment, miscarriage care and abortion, generally up to viability. This would wrest control away from Republicans in the legislature and return it to women, backers of the amendment say.

Under the marijuana initiated statute proposal, people 21 and older would be able to possess it for recreational purposes, as well as grow up to six cannabis plants in their primary residence. The drug would be subject to a 10% sales tax, on top of state and local sales taxes, with the revenue to be sent to local governments hosting marijuana businesses, as well as to be used on drug policy reform and research.

Right now, state and local election officials are reviewing hundreds of thousands of signed petitions to determine whether each proposal will qualify for the ballot. The campaigns will know if they qualify by July 25.

Thanks to direct democracy at the ballot box, November could provide a unique opportunity for progressive voters to voice support for positions that matter to them, after over a decade of losing statewide races for public office  from the governor to the legislature  and being largely ignored on public policy  ranging from social and firearms to tax issues.

In a state where theres such unrestricted, unchecked power from politicians who are pretty corrupt, it is a direct vehicle to have their voices heard, said Molly Shack, co-executive director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a group thats focused on social, racial and economic justice. Thousands and thousands of people in Ohio who want abortion access to be protected and who want marijuana to be legal are going to be talking to their friends and family about it. When people get activated, it brings people off of the sidelines, into it. And I think both of these issues will absolutely do that.

Polling shows abortion rights and recreational marijuana have support among people on the left side of the ideological spectrum, although some conservatives are expected to vote for each issue as well.

Read more: Coverage of Ohio abortion rights

A Baldwin Wallace University poll in October 2022 found 59.1% of Ohio registered voters, including 84.2% of Democrats and 35.4% of Republicans, would support a constitutional amendment to make abortion a fundamental right in the state. This was posed as a hypothetical question since Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights wasnt officially organized at the time and the ballot language hadnt yet been released.

A September 2022 Spectrum News/Siena College poll of likely Ohio voters found that 79% of Democrats and 40% of Republicans supported marijuana for recreational use.

Abortion rights campaign officials said Wednesday that they anticipated the campaign leading up to Nov. 7 will cost approximately $35 million. That spending will be used on broadcast and digital advertising, mailers and phone calls.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol hasnt publicly announced a figure that it plans to spend to promote the initiated statute proposal.

I dont know if an issue like regulation of marijuana is turnout-driven in the same way it may have been 10 years ago, said Tom Haren, an attorney working with the campaign. We expect that our measure will pass a wide margin of victory, irrespective of whether the reproductive rights amendments on the ballot.

The campaign is backed by medical marijuana businesses. Baldwin Wallace University political science professor Thomas Sutton expects the campaign to be well-funded, even if there havent been as many campaigners out with clipboards, collecting signatures.

My hunch is theyre waiting to see if theyll actually get the signatures in, Sutton said. I think its quite probable that while theyre late out of the gate, given the industry were talking about, there will be a fair amount of advertising and public awareness campaigning to get people to support that initiative.

No president or governor candidates will be on the ballot in November. Normally this election would just have local candidates. But this year, abortion rights and marijuana could drive up turnout, he said.

So we may be looking at maybe a 35-40% turnout as opposed to 15-20%, which is what we often see when it comes to local elections, Sutton said.

The reproductive rights proposal faces a well-funded opposition campaign made up of Christian public policy groups and anti-abortion activists. In many ways, this group is helping spread the message about Nov. 7, even if each side is debating the details of what the amendment would allow.

Recreational marijuana will face an opposition campaign, though it will be much smaller. The Center for Christian Virtue, a conservative public policy organization, plans to mount the opposition to marijuana, in addition to working to oppose abortion and garner yes, votes on Issue 1, the Aug. 8 proposal to make it harder to amend the Ohio constitution, which was designed to thwart abortion rights.

Marijuana is already legal in Ohio for medical purposes, and the Nov. 7 proposal moves the needle on marijuana policy, said University of Cincinnati political professor David Niven, who worked for former Ohio Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.

Opponents will be more passionate and motivated to rally against the abortion rights proposal, since that would be a more dramatic policy shift, he said. Marijuana could fly under the radar in the coming months and nevertheless win at the ballot box, thanks to the big spending expected to support and oppose the abortion amendment.

I do think that theres the capacity for the marijuana campaign to be fairy passive, he said. Theyre not going to be able to drive turnout. Theyre going to be the undercard if they make the ballot. To a certain extent its hard to spend money usefully in a low-turnout campaign when youre not the top draw on the ballot. They might well benefit by nobody paying attention.

Aaron Baer, the president of the conservative Center for Christian Virtue, says Novembers ballot will put the progressive agenda on full display.

The ACLU is trying to turn Ohio into California and Columbus into San Francisco, he said. All you need to do is look at whats happening in those (liberal) states. Thats why businesses are fleeing and families are fleeing those states and those cities, and understand how disastrous this is for Ohio.

Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.
Planning travel can be a daunting maze. Guidebooks, by their nature, send all readers to the same destinations. And web searches can yield an unhelpful mess of content.

Yet some tech-savvy travelers are finding success using artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard to inspire and plan their vacations, treating these services like free, on-demand travel agents.

I liked the idea of ChatGPT because it gives you a very clear list, says Alpa Patel, an avid traveler based out of New York City.

Patel has been planning a family trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the summer. After getting frustrated with the cookie-cutter travel websites served up by Google, she had an idea: Why not ask ChatGPT for some advice?

I started with the best places to stay and it gave me a list of neighborhoods, along with the best hotels. I actually picked my hotel through that list, Patel says.

Set your preferences

Although Patel enjoyed the simplicity of these responses, she quickly found another reason why AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be useful for travel planning: customization.

Google was giving her endless recommendations for the Scottish Highlands, but Patels younger son gets carsick, so she didnt think it would be feasible for him to spend hours in a car to get there. She found ChatGPT was able to give her reasonable alternatives.

I very specifically asked, What are good day trips when you have a child who suffers from car sickness? It came up with some ideas that you could go to by train, she says.

Steven Kreimendahl, co-founder of the blog Travel to Blank, was planning a trip to Japan in the spring with his wife and mother-in-law and used ChatGPTs personalized recommendations to consider the groups different travel styles.

My wife and I love traveling all day, while my mother-in-law prefers a slower form of travel, Kreimendahl says. I gave ChatGPT as much detail as possible and let it run with that.

This approach differs from traditional ways of researching travel ideas. It requires some creativity on the travelers part to identify their niche interests, such as 1950s architecture in New York City or the best tonkotsu ramen in the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo. Rather than simply reading a list of ideas, trip planning with AI chatbots involves feeding it the preferences that matter to you.

The more information it has, the better response youll get, Kreimendahl says.

Push back and verify

Unlike real travel experts, artificial intelligence models cant get their feelings hurt. That means its OK to shoot down ideas you dont like  in fact, its encouraged.

While web search results essentially reset with every new query, the language models powering chatbots can carry on long conversations, remembering and responding to questions and feedback throughout.

Sometimes its really broad, like, just relax for the day, Kreimendahl says, citing ChatGPTs recommendation for a multiday itinerary. Dont be afraid to dig in deeper and ask for more specific requests.

And while these models are great at generating ideas and answering simple questions, nothing they say should be taken as, well, true. ChatGPT, for example, is based on historical information up to 2021, so you cant expect it to provide the latest details, which you might find with a search engine like Google. The chatbot may recommend a restaurant that closed during the pandemic or a train line that isnt running on your travel dates.

For example, Kreimendahl was visiting Japan at the end of cherry blossom season, and ChatGPT didnt know when or where these blooms were actually happening.

Get inspired

AI chatbots like ChatGPT might seem like technological wizards, but theyre still quite limited in what they can do. Dont expect them to know current flight prices to Dubai or book a reservation at a restaurant it recommends.

However, some travel companies are working on integrating AI chatbots with the booking process. Expedia recently introduced an integration with ChatGPT that saves its recommendations in the Expedia app.

Any hotels recommended in the conversation powered by ChatGPT will automatically save to a new trip in the app that travelers can go back to when theyre ready to shop and book their trip, adding on flights, activities, cars, etc., said Rajesh Naidu, senior vice president and chief architect at Expedia Group, in an email.

These integrations are in their early days, so travelers will still have to do the actual booking legwork. But the fun of using AI chatbots lies in the ideas they can generate and the collaborative approach they foster.

Its the ideation stage, Patel says. Its giving me the inspiration for what to look deeper into.

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

More From NerdWallet

Sam Kemmis writes for NerdWallet. Email: skemmis@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @samsambutdif.

The article How to Use ChatGPT to Plan Your Next Trip originally appeared on NerdWallet.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens has asked Rep. Bob Young to step down after Young was charged with domestic violence.

Young was arrested by the Summit County Sheriffs Office after being accused of causing or attempting to cause physical harm to victim, a family or household member..., according to his case docket.

In a statement, Stephens said he was at Youngs home on the day of the incident.

Last week, I attended his fundraiser, and then afterwards went to his home with friends and his family. After a couple of hours, I left his home and spent the night at a local hotel, he said. I was disappointed and shocked to hear what allegedly transpired sometime after I had left the Young house.

Although I believe that people are innocent until proven guilty, I asked Bob for his resignation as state representative so he can focus on his family at this time.

As previously reported, court records did not specify where the incident occurred. Records did indicate that Young was given a $5,000 bond by Barberton Municipal Court Judge Todd M. McKenney Saturday.

According to his official House biography, Young married his Green High School sweetheart, Tina, and they have four school-age children. The family lives in Green.
CLEVELAND -- Anyone who has followed this column for any length of time knows that Ive got an interest bordering on obsession in the personnel and practices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Theres a reason for that: Presidents and legislators come and go, but Supreme Court justices tend to stick around a long time, and the decisions they make usually stay with us much longer than that.

So unsurprisingly, the first piece that appeared here after I was invited to express regular political opinions in the Forum section  on March 4, 2016  dealt with the Supreme Court and its importance in the upcoming national election.

Given the ages of the eight sitting justices that March (and in light of the February 2016 death of Justice Antonin Scalia), the party that won the presidency in 2016 and controlled the Senate for the following four years would likely be able to nominate and confirm the next three and possibly four justices  ensuring a long-range impact on what sort of country wed call home.

In many ways, this is the most important vote you will ever cast, it said here. Spend it wisely, because the country will be living with its consequences for decades.

Regarding the future of the Supreme Court, at least, the votes were well-spent.

It has taken awhile  nominations and confirmations, and the arduous pathway cases typically follow on their way to being argued before the court, both move ponderously. But the three major wise and far-seeing decisions the court rendered a week ago were a direct result of that 2016 vote.

Things didnt work out exactly the way Id hoped (cant be right about everything). I had argued that the two leading candidates at the time, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, were not to be trusted with the future of the Supreme Court.

Clinton would have filled any openings with liberals in the Ruth Bader Ginsburg mode, who would have solidified an activist left-wing majority that would vote with its heart rather than constitutional law. And who knew what the wild card Trump would do, or if he even had an understanding of the portentous decisions that could be his?

So I was as surprised as anyone when Trump went on to win  and when the smoke had cleared after his four frenetic years in the White House, we had three additional constitutional advocates on the high court.

Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett were added to forge a six-justice barrier against the liberals who had been bent on remaking the Constitution in their own image. As a result, that majority has been busily returning our law-making to our congressional lawmakers, rather than usurped by the court.

Clearly, Trump will not be remembered as our greatest of presidents. But he did a significant service to the country with those three nominations, and the impact they have on our government and our way of life will outlast and outlive him  long after the many embarrassments of his four years as president have faded.

With all that said, its somewhat surprising that of the Supreme Courts 58 rulings this term, by far the most were unanimous and only five of them were decided along the 6-3 ideological lines.

But of those five, the three that were decided at the end of the 2022-23 term were momentous, and were marked by fealty to the Constitution and the kind of common sense many Americans have longed for from their highest court:

* Biden v. Nebraska. This was the case that allowed the court to rule that President Joe Bidens Department of Education didnt have the constitutional authority to institute a $430 billion plan that would forgive a significant portion of federal student loans.

Even former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi differed with him on that one, saying in 2021 that, People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress.

But Biden charged ahead, and it took the court to tell him that the proper way to pursue this  if it is to be pursued  is in the legislature, not by presidential fiat.

* 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis. This case allowed the 6-3 majority to clarify the 2018 Masterpiece Cakeshop decision that had exonerated Colorado baker Jack Phillips after he declined, based on his religious beliefs, to design a cake for a same-sex wedding.

That decision had not overturned Colorados antidiscrimination law, however  it had been decided only on a technicality. This one ruled on a lawsuit filed by a Colorado woman named Lorie Smith who wanted to expand her web design business to include weddings, but didnt want the state to force her to design websites for LGBTQ customers.

As Gorsuch wrote in the majority decision, The First Amendment prohibits Colorado from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees.

* Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard. This, of course, was the double-barreled rejection the court delivered to colleges and universities across the land against race-based admissions programs.

Speaking to defendants Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, Chief Justice John Roberts went all the way back to 1955s Brown v. Board of Education decision as he approvingly quote plaintiffs testimony that, no State has any authority under the equal-protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to use race as a factor in affording educational opportunities among its citizens.

Roberts, who famously wrote in 2007 that, The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race, concluded his majority opinion with this spot-on assessment of affirmative actions downside:

Many universities have for too long ... concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individuals identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.

More and more, accomplished people of color are beginning to agree with that, and to take affirmative action as the insult that it has become.

For just one example, John McWhorter, a professor at Columbia University, wrote on July 4 in The New York Times of being taught early by affirmative action that Black kids didnt have to work as hard for top grades and test scores to be accepted at top colleges. So he stopped working hard.

In a passionate and wide-ranging assessment of his career, he wrote of being embarrassed by the sense that his accomplishments were given, not earned.

I will never shake the sentiment I felt, he wrote,  an unintended byproduct of what we could call academias racial preference culture: that it is somehow ungracious to expect as much of Black students  and future teachers  as we do of others.

In the wake of those three court decisions, Democrats, of course, are incensed, darkly hinting at renewed efforts to expand the court or institute term limits.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the court of [refusing] to help everyday Americans.

And U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, never at a loss for uninformed commentary, accused the court of beginning to assume the power of a legislature  clearly not understanding that what the court is really doing is putting power back into the hands of the legislature.

In their dudgeon, Democrats dont seem to realize that they dont enjoy the kind of public support they might think they do.

A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll showed that 52% of Americans approved of banning race-based admissions, while only 32% disapproved. The same poll showed 45% approval and 40% disapproval of the courts decision on student loans, while the graphic designer case won 43% approval and 42% disapproval.

Perhaps common sense is on the way back in this country after all.

Ted Diadiun is a member of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

To reach Ted Diadiun: tdiadiun@cleveland.com

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* Email general questions, comments or corrections regarding this opinion article to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
CLEVELAND -- Ohios largest business group has as much respect for the 11.4 million people who live here as do members of the all-male club running state government.

Which happens to be none at all.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, 8,000 members strong, acquiesced to demands from their elected masters in state government and signed on as accomplices in the scheme designed to obliterate majority rule in the state.

Issue 1 on the Aug. 8 special election ballot would not only raise to 60% the threshold of voter support needed to amend the Ohio Constitution, but it would also add other egregious requirements aimed at making it extraordinarily difficult for citizens to gather the signatures needed to force a vote on any amendment.

A close look at the chambers endorsement process makes the business group seem like a collection of lightweight lapdogs.

Heres why:

There are 93 members on the chambers board of trustees, according to Chamber President Steve Stivers, a former five-term Republican congressman from Central Ohio. The agenda for the boards May meeting did not list a possible endorsement of Issue 1. But Stivers, who patiently answered my questions, said that in the days leading to the meeting everybody had notice of a possible endorsement vote.

Between 50 and 53 of the boards 93 members attended the meeting. But only 36 members voted on the motion to endorse Issue 1, with 24 in favor and 12 against.

Do the math. The chamber endorsed Issue 1 based on support from just under 26% of its 93 board members.

Thats a bit less than the 60% requirement that want to impose on voters.

Stivers spins this differently, arguing it passed with nearly 67% support -- that is, with 24 yes votes of 36 voting. But not even half the trustees at the meeting voted in favor of an endorsement.

My whole goal in this process was not to burn our organization to the ground, or have permanent divisions inside that organization, said Stivers. This is the most difficult issue weve faced in the two years Ive been here.

Stivers then lit the flame, volunteering, We are in this with some strange bedfellows.

Like the gun lobby and an Illinois billionaire whose recent political contributions went almost exclusively to candidates who express doubts about the 2020 election, according to a Chicago Sun-Times investigation last fall. How fitting that a campaign designed to unwind democracy in Ohio is funded by a man, Richard Uihlein, whose candidates embrace ideas designed to ruin the entire country.

Stivers also said he told members, This thing is more likely to fail than pass. In other words, Ignore the good government lipstick. This things a pig.

In March, Chamber Board Chair Brian Hicks, knee-deep in this slime, appointed an ad hoc committee to hear from supporters and opponents of the issue.

Hicks is a successful Columbus lobbyist whose business depends on having a good relationship with members of the Ohio General Assembly. Hicks is hugely conflicted on this issue, as evidenced by a June 1 story by The Plain Dealers Andrew Tobias reporting that legislative leaders were pressuring lobbyists to help bankroll the Issue 1 campaign.

Hicks declined to speak about the endorsement process, deferring to Stivers. An email asking Hicks some specific questions about his role went unreturned.

The Stivers defense for its decision-making process crumbles when you consider that last November, when Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced this plan to curtail voter involvement with the democratic process, LaRose spoke of having Stivers of the Ohio chamber as one of his supporters, the Ohio Capital Journal recently reported. And on Dec. 7 of last year, Rick Carfagna, the chambers senior vice president, told an Ohio House committee the chamber believes it is time to stop monied interests from using their advantages to insert narrow self-interest provisions in the Ohio Constitution.

There you have it. The chamber opposes monied interests supporting narrow self-interest causes.

Like the Ohio Supreme Court majority pretending to examine the legality of holding an Aug. 8 election, this so-called endorsement deliberation was a rigged deal from the start.

The chambers mission statement includes these three sentences:

We are honest and forthright in our dealings.

We operate with transparency by communicating with unwavering candor, honesty and respect.

We do the right thing every time.

In order, those assertions are wrong, wrong and laughably wrong.

Prior to the rubber stamp endorsement delivered by a tiny minority of its board members, the chambers ad hoc committee met with Mike Curtin, a longtime government and politics reporter for The Columbus Dispatch who later served as the newspapers editor and associate publisher.

The widely respected Curtin came out of retirement to become the leading opponent of Issue 1. If this fails on Aug. 8, they should build a statue of Curtin on the Statehouse lawn. (Hint: They wont.)

This screams bad faith, said Curtin. Thats what drew me into the fight. The Ohio Constitution belongs to the people. You dont treat them this way.

You do if youre Gov. Mike DeWine, legislative leaders, four Ohio Supreme Court members and other holders of an elected statewide office.

They are selling out every resident of this state, using television advertising money supplied by a man who supports morally bankrupt candidates and causes.

Thomas Jeffersons eloquent words about governments deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed mean nothing to these people. None of them should be allowed to forget the harm theyre trying to cause.

Brent Larkin was The Plain Dealers editorial director from 1991 until his retirement in 2009.

To reach Brent Larkin: blarkin@cleveland.com

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio has a proud political heritage, which voters must protect and uphold on Aug. 8 by soundly defeating State Issue 1.

The crown jewel of Ohios 220-year experiment in democracy is the constitutional initiative  the power of average citizens to propose and pass amendments to our states 1851 constitution.

It is the most effective tool citizens have for holding Statehouse politicians accountable. It reminds them, as it was intended, where political power ultimately resides.

State Issue 1 was crafted by our current crop of Statehouse politicians to strip Ohioans of their historic initiative power, by imposing the nations toughest signature requirements to qualify for the ballot and requiring 60% of the vote to win passage.

And in a supreme act of bad faith, they scheduled an unprecedented August special election specifically designed to minimize voter turnout.

Sponsors of Issue 1 repeatedly emphasize that Ohio is one of only 17 states that currently allow citizen-led constitutional initiatives. (In an 18th, Mississippi, citizens cannot currently exercise their initiative power, per a 2021 Mississippi Supreme Court ruling that the loss of a congressional district invalidated the initiatives signature-gathering rules.)

Issue 1 backers imply our state should resemble the other 32 states in curbing the power of direct democracy. They dismiss Ohios proud history of popular sovereignty, rather than urge other states to follow Ohios lead.

One glance at a United States map showing the18 states that adopted the constitutional initiative reveals most are in the West and Midwest. Combined, these 18, including Mississippi, contain 43% of the nations population.

The pioneers who carved these states from territories were ruggedly independent and shared an outlook on government. They were ani-Federalists, anti-elitists. They distrusted the big-money interests that dominated politics in the Atlantic states that emerged from the original 13 colonies.

Some pioneers also knew that power brokers in Southern states, the old Confederacy, strongly opposed popular democracy out of fear that blacks, immigrants, and lower-class whites would push reforms to challenge the ruling class.

The frontiersmen were plain folk  farmers, craftsmen and traders who identified with the philosophy of Thomas Jefferson, opposing strong central government, trusting the common people more than political elites, advocating civic virtue in the face of official corruption.

Both of Ohios constitutions, products of 1802 and 1851, were infused with Jeffersonian ideals of trusting the people more than elected officials. For example, the 1802 constitution made the governor a figurehead and put state lawmakers on a tight leash  one-year terms for state representatives, two-year terms for state senators.

By the late 19th century, big corporations, monopolies, and trusts dominated much of the American economy -- limiting competition, controlling prices, and buying the loyalty of party bosses, state lawmakers and city halls.

These practices spawned reform efforts across the nation, especially demands for more citizen participation in government.

In South Dakota, grain farmers complained that monopolistic control of buyers, railroads and warehouses made it impossible for them to make a profit. State lawmakers, enjoying free railroad passes and other corporate-provided benefits, were unresponsive to requests for rate regulation and equal taxation of real property.

Hard times led to formation of the Farmers Alliance, which joined forces with the Knights of Labor to create a broad rural-urban coalition including clergymen, newspaper editors and others. Reformers won control of the South Dakota legislature in 1897. The next year, South Dakota became the first state to adopt the constitutional initiative. It won adoption with 59% of the vote, becoming part of the states 1898 constitution.

Further west, Oregon had a national reputation for official corruption tied to banks, timber, railroads, and utilities. Farmers, laborers, and suffragists united in response. Swiss and German settlers in the Portland area were familiar with initiative and referendum provisions of the 1848 Swiss Constitution, and  in 1902  included them in Oregons first constitution.

Using this new power, Oregon women won the right to vote by initiative in 1912  eight years before ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteed womens suffrage nationwide. The 1912 victory  with 52% of the all-male vote -- came after two losing efforts in 1906 and 1908.

That experience underscores one of the great lessons of direct democracy: Throughout American history, oftentimes a much-needed reform faces defeat before it wins approval and  later  widespread acclaim. Individual states, laboratories of democracy, often have taught the nation valuable lessons.

Following South Dakota and Oregon, campaigns for the initiative, both constitutional and statutory, marched successfully through several other Western states before taking root in the Midwest.

Activism for the initiative in the Midwest began in Michigan and Ohio in the 1890s. In Michigan, Detroit was the center of activity. In Ohio, strong, nationally acclaimed leaders emerged in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo.

At Michigans 1907 constitutional convention, reformers won passage of an initiative and referendum amendment. Voters ratified it in 1908, but restrictions on its use made it unworkable. Retooled and made usable in 1913, it still was not used successfully until 1932 to create a liquor control commission.

At the turn of the century, perhaps no state was being transformed as quickly as Ohio. In the 1880 census, two-thirds of Ohioans still lived on farms. By the 1920 census, nearly two-thirds lived in cities. During that four-decade span, Ohios population doubled to nearly 6 million.

Driven by the industrial revolution and waves of European immigrants, for the first time a large majority of Ohio voters lived in cities. City political bosses emerged to handpick candidates and deliver elections  for a price.

The big money in Ohio belonged to business tycoons in iron, steel, coal, oil, machinery, banking, utilities, and railroads. The new class of industrialists were willing to pay for the type of government they wanted. With no prohibition on corporate cash in Ohio politics, it was used to elect officeholders and buy their loyalty. Many state and city officeholders were on company payrolls. What big business wanted more than anything else was little to no government regulation. Thats what they got.

As the stench of corruption worsened, Ohio produced more strong reform leaders than any other state. Most notable were the Rev. Herbert S. Bigelow of Cincinnatis Vine Street Congregational Church, Cleveland Mayor Tom L. Johnson, the Rev. Washington Gladden of the First Congregational Church of Columbus, and Toledo Mayor Samuel M. Golden Rule Jones.

Early reform victories included enactment of laws in 1889 to prohibit vote-buying and establish county boards of elections. And, in 1891, adoption of the secret ballot to make vote-buying and election fraud more difficult.

Mayor Johnson, a Democrat, and Mayor Jones, an independent Republican, led bipartisan efforts on behalf of the initiative and referendum, municipal home rule, and civil service.

In November 1910, after a decadelong push, Ohioans voted overwhelmingly for a state constitutional convention. In November 1911, voters elected 119 delegates, one for each Ohio House district. On Jan. 9, 1912, the states fourth constitutional convention convened at the Statehouse.

The convention highlight, on Feb. 21, was an address by former President Theodore Roosevelt, the great trust buster and vigorous champion of the initiative and referendum.

Roosevelt warned of the false constitutionalism of professed conservatives beholden to monied interests. The initiative and referendum, Roosevelt said, would be the surest safeguard of citizen control of their government.

Over 82 working days, with Cincinnati minister Bigelow presiding, delegates weighed hundreds of amendment proposals before agreeing to submit 42 of them to the voters. On Sept. 3, 1912, voters adopted 34. Of those, 19 did not achieve 60% of the vote.

No reform was more cleansing than adoption of the initiative and referendum, adopted by a landslide of 57.5%.

Over 111 years, Ohioans have been judicious with that power  adopting just 19 of 71 citizen-initiated amendments. Vital, citizen-led reforms have included home rule power for liquor sales, the 10-mill limit on unvoted property taxes, home rule for counties, and elimination of straight-ticket voting. None of these reforms reached a 60% passage rate.

Despite Ohioans good judgment, todays legislative supermajority  already drunk on power  seeks to amass more power by stripping voters of their most potent tool for holding lawmakers accountable.

The brazen power grab comes while the largest Statehouse bribery scandal in Ohio history played out in a federal courthouse in Cincinnati. The FBI has called the corruption case, involving $61 million in dark-money bribes in exchange for a $1.3 billion utility bailout, the biggest in the nation. The case is in a league of its own, said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Matthew DeBlauw.

Ohioans should wonder why ethics reform, especially dark money reform, isnt Agenda Item #1 at the Statehouse.

Michael Curtin Curtin is a former Columbus Dispatch editor and associate publisher, two-term state lawmaker and former member of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission.

Instead, Republican leaders have joined elitist and extreme right-wing power brokers, who have been bankrolling similar 60% ballot schemes in other states whose citizens enjoy the initiative power.

One targeted state, last year, was South Dakota. Mindful of their proud heritage as the birthplace of the initiative, voters smashed the proposal, two-to-one.

Ohioans, with their own history of insisting elected officials be public servants, not masters, should do the same.

Michael Curtin is a former Columbus Dispatch editor and associate publisher, two-term state lawmaker and former member of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission.

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HAMPTON, Virginia -- In a deeply troubling development, the Supreme Court has delivered a verdict against affirmative action initiatives at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. This ruling, celebrated by conservatives as a triumph for a colorblind Constitution, strikes a harsh blow to the Black community and other minority groups. These communities have historically relied on such programs to establish equity in higher education.

The judgment marks a dangerous pivot in the nations approach to racial justice. It sketches a future where the systemic hurdles encountered by Black people and other minority groups are dismissed in favor of a misguided notion of colorblindness. This concept, while seemingly fair on the surface, fails to acknowledge the stark reality of racial disparities in America. It undermines the pursuit of genuine racial justice by neglecting the systemic racism that has been deeply embedded in our society for centuries.

The notion of a colorblind society is a flawed one. It proposes that ignoring skin color can lead to equality. However, this notion overlooks the systemic and institutionalized racism that people of color, particularly Black people, face daily. Ignoring race does not eliminate racism; it merely turns a blind eye to its existence and influence.

The Supreme Courts decision to dismantle affirmative action programs is a crushing blow to the Black community. Affirmative action has been an essential instrument in combating the historic discrimination and systemic racism that have hindered Black peoples access to higher education. By abolishing these programs, the Supreme Court has effectively removed a significant avenue for racial justice in education.

This decision is not just a setback for racial justice in America; it is a direct attack on the progress that has been made over the years. It symbolizes a future where systemic barriers are overlooked, and the struggle for racial justice is undermined.

In the wake of this ruling, we must continue to advocate for policies that recognize and address racial disparities, rather than concealing them under the guise of colorblindness. We must insist on the recognition of systemic racism and the implementation of policies that actively work to dismantle it.

Timothy D. Goler, a founder of the PolicyBridge think tank in Cleveland, is director of research at the Center for African American Public Policy at Norfolk State University.

The Supreme Courts decision to dismantle affirmative action programs is more than just a legal ruling; it is a reflection on the state of racial justice in America. It is a call to action for all of us to continue the fight against systemic racism and to strive for true racial justice. The journey ahead may be difficult, but the battle for racial justice is far from over.

As Thomas Jefferson once said, Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever. This sentiment resonates today as we grapple with the systemic racism that continues to pervade our society.

Timothy D. Goler, Ph.D., is a native Clevelander who currently serves as director of research at the Center for African American Public Policy at Norfolk State University and an assistant professor of sociology and urban affairs at Norfolk State. He was a co-founder of the PolicyBridge think tank in Cleveland.

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The Saudi Exchange Company has welcomed SNB Capital as the first Derivatives Market Maker for MT30 Index Futures.

SNB Capital is the investment banking and asset management arm of Saudi National Bank, providing clients with integrated investment services.

The market making commencement ceremony was attended by Mohammed Al Rumaih, CEO of the Saudi Exchange Company and Loai Bafaqeeh, Head of Securities Division of SNB Capital.

Bid and ask quotes

SNB Capital will provide bid and ask quotes for Index Futures contracts, supporting the development of the Derivatives Market in line with Vision 2030s Financial Sector Development Programme by ensuring the availability of market liquidity, and enhancing the depth of the order book.

Al Rumaih said: As a market maker, SNB Capital will help facilitate further trading activity, increase investor interest, and support Saudi Exchange Company mission to become an advanced capital market, in line with Vision 2030.

Bafaqeeh commented: This marks a key milestone in our journey. SNB Capital adopts a different approach towards Market Making to meet its clients needs and requirements, by providing institutional clients that wish to act as a Market Maker a single solution that includes custody, trading, and securities borrowing and lending services. We look forward to activating more local, regional, and global clients as Market Makers covering Equity and Derivatives markets on Saudi Exchange.

SNB Capital is a leading regional financial institution with deep industry expertise across four business lines: Asset Management, Wealth Management, Securities, and Investment Banking. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, SNB Capital is a market leader with SR251 billion ($67 billion) of assets under management.-- TradeArabia News Service
Alan Jacobs in The Hedgehog Review:

In 1988, the great Lutheran scholar Robert Jenson published a book called Americas Theologian, conferring that honor on the formidable eighteenth-century Calvinist divine Jonathan Edwards. Jenson did not mean that Edwards is the greatest American theologian, though he probably is, but rather that Edwardss theology meets precisely the problems and opportunities of specifically American Christianity and of the nation molded thereby, and that it does so with the profundity and inventive elan that belong only to the very greatest thinkers.1 Quite clearly, a very different America has emerged in the decades since Jensons book was published, and the best theologian of our America is by profession neither a theologian nor a pastor. The great theologian of our America, I propose, is the novelist Thomas Pynchon.

More here.
One of the most popular books about longevity is "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life," written by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.

Ikigai loosely translates to "the happiness of always being busy," and is centered around a person's true purpose in life. Finding your ikigai is said to make life more meaningful.

In Okinawa, Japan, a blue zone with the highest concentration of centenarians in the world, ikigai is a common theme, according to Garcia and Miralles who interviewed some of the world's oldest people.

A Japanese proverb states: "Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years." And Garcia and Miralles encourage you to stay active by immersing yourself in your ikigai.

Here are the 10 rules that they've found have made living in your purpose more seamless.
As CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates had a packed schedule  even sending 2:00 a.m. requests to employees.

It wasn't until he saw Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett's personal daybook that Gates learned to cut himself and his workers some slack.

"I had every minute packed, and I thought that was the only way you could do things," Gates told journalist Charlie Rose in an interview with Buffett in 2017. "[I] remember Warren showing me his calendar ... he [still] has days that there's nothing on it."

Buffett's sparser schedule taught Gates an important lesson: "You control your time ... It's not a proxy of your seriousness that you fill every minute in your schedule."

"I can buy anything I want, basically, but I can't buy time," Buffett added.

Buffett's method  which is essentially, "work smarter, not harder,"  is actually backed by science. Workers' proficiency steeply declines when they work more than 50 hours per week, a 2014 Stanford University study found.

People who work up to 70 hours a week get the same amount of work done as those who hunch over their laptops for 55 hours, the research revealed.

Gates isn't the only CEO to learn that lesson the hard way. For example, Tesla CEO Elon Musk  who previously said he regularly pulled all-nighters to work  now sleeps at least six hours per night, he told CNBC's David Faber in May.

"I've tried [to sleep] less, but ... even though I'm awake more hours, I get less done," Musk said. "And the brain pain level is bad if I get less than six hours [of sleep per night]."

Getting there may not be easy for some people. It took Gates years to find a healthy work-life balance, he said in a recent commencement speech at Northern Arizona University.

"When I was your age, I didn't believe in vacations. I didn't believe in weekends. I didn't believe the people I worked with should, either," Gates said.

"Don't wait as long as I did to learn this lesson," he added. "Take your time to nurture your relationships, to celebrate your successes, and to recover from your losses. Take a break when you need to. Take it easy on the people around you when they need it, too."

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Here's our Mailbag email: investingclubmailbag@cnbc.com . Send your questions directly to Jim Cramer and his team of analysts. Make sure to read our weekly Mailbag dispatch to see if your question is one of the ones we pick to answer. Reminder, we can't offer personal investing advice. We will only consider more general questions about the investment process or stocks in the portfolio or related industries. This week's question: You say "buy and homework" and that an at-home investor should have no more than 10-15 stocks due to it being difficult to keep up with the homework if limited on time. What exactly do you mean by homework? Thank you for all you both do!  Mandy M. Jim Cramer said investors should gain as much knowledge about their portfolios as possible. That means listening to earnings call with investors, looking at financials, reading research reports and corporate news. "You aren't up there begging at the Goldman Sachs library for some microfiche statement from three months ago, as I did four decades ago right down the block here," Cramer said. You have everything right at your fingertips." One good place to start is to review a company's investor relations page and signing up for updates on any corporate announcements. You should also get familiar with the SEC's EDGAR platform , where you can check for material updates. Installing an RSS feed reader app  some are free, while others require subscriptions and more advanced tools and features  will monitor updates for you. Once you have an app or browser extension installed, simply search the stock ticker on Edgar, click "view all filings," then click the RSS feed button and you'll be prompted to follow the feed. Good sources of business news and information include CNBC, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. You can also go more industry-specific. For example if you're invested in the airline industry (or supply chain names) you might want to keep track of TSA data . If you hold a position in a Chinese casino like Wynn Resorts (WYNN), monitor the monthly gross gaming revenue trends for the region. Invested in a restaurant? Check food prices as they represent a key input cost; a commodity market watchlist may help here. Bookmark the U.S. Energy Information Administration website if buying or already in energy names, as well as the IEA . We're also fans of RBN Energy . There's just a ton of great information out there, most of it online and much of it free. We wrote about 5 ways to get started on your research. This homework must occur before you buy the stock of a company  and, equally important, once you become a shareholder. Ultimately, doing the homework just means that you are taking the time to stay on top of every name you own. Our rule of thumb is an hour of homework a week for each stock in your portfolio. Some companies require less digging. You probably don't need an hour every week to monitor Apple (AAPL) simply because it is so well-covered (both by analysts and news organizations) that you'll likely be able to stay up to date by reading the daily news headlines and maybe allocating an additional 20 to 30 minutes on weekend just to be sure you didn't miss anything that went under the radar. Companies that aren't household names like Danaher (DHR) and Linde (LIN), on the other hand, are probably going to require you to do a bit more of your own digging. You may also consider owning fewer stocks, perhaps allocating some money to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds. ETFs are a great way to passively fill in the gaps of an actively managed portfolio. For example, if you are actually interested in and enjoy reading up on the technology sector but not as much on health care or financials, you can always pick a few individual tech names to bet on while allocating other funds to a financial or health-care-oriented fund to stay diversified. Buy and hold just isn't enough when it comes to investing in individual stocks. If keeping up with the homework is too overwhelming  and that's perfectly fine, it can be a lot to commit to what is essentially a second part-time job  consider ways to reduce the burden before giving up completely. After all, the Club is here to do the homework on the names we own for you and keep you informed. We also don't have to be your only investing companion: Getting a group chat going or a weekly meet-up with friends and family that are also interested in the markets and investing is a great way to stay up stocks. At the end of the day, you don't need to be a hedge fund. As long as you have your money working for you in some way, you're on the right path. Remember at an average return (including reinvested dividends) of about 10% annually, even the most basic, passive strategy of investing your money in an S & P 500 index fund would have doubled your money every roughly 7.5 years over the past several decades. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Here's our Mailbag email: investingclubmailbag@cnbc.com. Send your questions directly to Jim Cramer and his team of analysts. Make sure to read our weekly Mailbag dispatch to see if your question is one of the ones we pick to answer. Reminder, we can't offer personal investing advice. We will only consider more general questions about the investment process or stocks in the portfolio or related industries. This week's question: You say "buy and homework" and that an at-home investor should have no more than 10-15 stocks due to it being difficult to keep up with the homework if limited on time. What exactly do you mean by homework? Thank you for all you both do!  Mandy M.
Lene Vindenes is a social media manager in Norway. Her company requires everyone to take 3 weeks of vacation during the summer.

The summer travel season is in full swing, and you might be planning to set up your own "out of office" message soon. But in the U.S., which has a culture of overworking and zero national laws that guarantee paid vacation time, people have a hard time taking the days off they're given. The average American leaves 9 vacation days on the table each year, and when they do take time off, a majority say they're unable to stop working. The temptation to check work messages on vacation is even difficult for Lene Vindenes, 28, who lives in Oslo, Norway, and works as a social media manager. Like many European workers, she's entitled to a generous amount of paid leave by law. Her company guarantees 25 paid vacation days per year, and she's required to take three weeks of vacation during the summer between June and August. She once took off for four weeks to travel around Europe. She admits it's "really hard" to not check email when she's off the clock, and coming back from weeks away is "always overwhelming." Here are her four top tips for how she prepares to be OOO.

1. Ask your clients what they need from you

Just as you'd let your boss and team know when you're going to be away, Vindenes says it's customary for her to send an email to people she works closely with about her vacation plans. She starts this process a month ahead of her scheduled time off. "I usually start with informing my clients that I will take time off, and ask them if they have any upcoming projects I need to be aware of," she says. It's helpful for her to know what her clients' priorities are, and then figure out what she can complete before she's out, what other colleagues can do while she's away, and what can wait until she's back.

2. Prepare a coworker coverage plan

Vindenes says the thing that puts her most at ease before vacation is knowing "both the company and my colleagues have my back." She and her team have "very clear routines" to keep everything running smoothly while anyone is away and with the common understanding that "in Norway, we do have respect for each other's time off and don't really want to contact the person unless there is an emergency." A week before her vacation, Vindenes will prepare handover materials for colleagues on things that are in progress "so they are well informed and can easily jump in when needed."

3. Let your boss know where things are

Finally, as she gets closer to being out of office, Vindenes will give her boss a status update on projects. This way he can provide any insights about how to prioritize the remainder of her time before PTO, or can step in and help out if needed. Vindenes makes sure to have a clear and realistic plan for wrapping things up before she's away. "It's hard to take vacation when you have unfinished projects, so for my own sake, I finish as much as I can so I can step into my vacation with a good conscience. "

4. Set your out-of-office and turn off all notifications

A few weeks of prep work pays off, Vindenes says: "It's important that everyone around me  clients, colleagues and managers  are well informed. This minimizes the chances of them having to contact me," she says. "I also try to have a clear 'out of office' auto-reply, which makes it easy for my clients to know who they can contact in my absence." Then, she'll turn off notifications on her email, messaging and other work-related apps. Beyond the to-dos, Vindenes says it's helpful to work in an environment that encourages taking time off. "I also am very aware that I am not a brain surgeon," she says. "I do marketing. Nobody will die." After a vacation, Vindenes will ask colleagues to help her catch up on what she missed, and she'll make a to-do list prioritized by urgency to "feel more organized and less overwhelmed when going through 500 emails."

The European vacation mentality
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen addresses journalists in a press conference July 9 capping her four-day Beijing visit. Pedro Pardo | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said 10 hours of meetings with Chinese officials in two days were "direct, substantive and productive" and a step forward in helping to set relations between the world's two largest economies on a "surer footing." Yellen's Beijing trip comes at a time when Washington is considering curbs on U.S. investment in China amid an escalating global battle for technological supremacy. She is the second member of U.S. President Joe Biden's cabinet to visit Beijing in recent weeks amid efforts to stabilize ties between the two powers. "The U.S. and China have significant disagreements. Those disagreements need to be communicated clearly and directly," Yellen said in prepared remarks. "But President [Joe] Biden and I do not see the relationship between the U.S. and China through the frame of great power conflict." "We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive. Both nations have an obligation to responsibly manage this relationship: to find a way to live together and share in global prosperity," she added.

watch now

In comments at a press conference capping her four-day Beijing visit, Yellen said she told her Chinese counterparts that any curbs on U.S. outbound investments would be "transparent" and "very narrowly targeted." Otherwise, she added, Chinese officials can raise their concerns and U.S. will in some cases, address unintended consequences. "Broadly speaking, I believe that my bilateral meetings  which totaled about 10 hours over two days  served as a step forward in our effort to put the U.S.-China relationship on surer footing," Yellen concluded. Just days before Yellen's visit, Beijing had slapped export curbs on chipmaking metals and its compounds  which China's Ministry of Commerce claimed to have given the U.S. and Europe advance notice. In October, the U.S. launched sweeping rules aimed at cutting off exports of key chips and semiconductor tools to China.

Diversifying, not decoupling

Yellen said she "made clear that the United States is not seeking to decouple from China," in her discussions with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Vice Premier He Lifeng and other senior officials. "There is an important distinction between decoupling, on the one hand, and on the other hand, diversifying critical supply chains or taking targeted national security actions," she said. "We know that a decoupling of the world's two largest economies would be disastrous for both countries and destabilizing for the world," she added. "And it would be virtually impossible to undertake."

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China Vice Premier He said Saturday talks with Yellen were "constructive," according to a Chinese government readout. "Noting that the overstretching of national security does no good to the normal economic and trade exchanges, the Chinese side expressed concerns over the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the United States on China," the same statement said. "The two sides agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation on addressing global challenges, and continue maintaining exchanges and interactions," the statement added.

Tricky balance

Yellen's task in Beijing was a tricky one. While she expressed her worries on "a recent uptick in coercive actions against American firms," she also sought to seek Chinese cooperation on issues ranging from debt distress in emerging markets and developing countries to climate change. These are principles she laid out in an April speech where she stressed the importance of fairness in the U.S. economic competition with China.

watch now
Patriot long-range air defence systems of the German Bundeswehr armed forces are deployed at Vilnius Airport ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 7, 2023.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO's much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The world's biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations lags behind long-standing goals. An inability to compromise over who should serve as NATO's next leader forced an extension of the current secretary-general's term for an extra year.

Perhaps the most difficult questions are over how Ukraine should be eased into NATO. Some maintain admitting Ukraine would fulfill a promise made years ago and be a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others fear it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

"I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO," President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview airing Sunday. He said joining NATO requires countries to "meet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues."

He said the United States should provide long-term security assistance to Ukraine  "the capacity to defend themselves"  as it does with Israel.

Bickering among friends is not uncommon, and the current catalog of disputes pales in comparison with past fears that Donald Trump would turn his back on the alliance during his presidency. But the current challenges come at a moment when Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

"Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance," said Douglas Lute, U.S. ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

"You don't want to present any openings," Lute said. "You don't want to present any gaps or seams."

By some measures, the war in Ukraine has reinvigorated NATO, which was created at the beginning of the Cold War as a bulwark against Moscow. NATO members have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become NATO's 31st member.

"I think it's appropriate to look at all the success," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told The Associated Press. "So I think the invasion has strengthened NATO  exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated."

He noted Germany's shift toward a more robust defense policy as well as an increase in military spending in other countries.

The latest test of NATO solidarity came Friday with what Biden said was a "difficult decision" to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine. More than two-thirds of alliance members have banned the weapon because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. The U.S., Russia and Ukraine are not among the more than 120 countries that have not signed a convention outlawing the use of the bombs.

As for Ukraine's possible entry into NATO, the alliance said in 2008 that Kyiv eventually would become a member. Since then, little action has been taken toward that goal. Putin occupied parts of Ukraine in 2014 and then tried to capture the capital in 2022 with his invasion.

"A gray zone is a green light for Putin," said Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The U.S. and Germany insist that the focus should be on supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join NATO. Countries on NATO's Eastern flank  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  want firmer assurances on future membership.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is pushing for that as well. During a visit to the Czech Republic on Thursday, he said the "ideal" result of the Vilnius summit would be an invitation for his country to join the alliance.

NATO could decide to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the NATO-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle to Sweden's attempts to join NATO alongside neighbor Finland.

Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey. But a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Erdogan signaled that this would pose another hurdle. He equated "those who permitted the crime" to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the U.S. are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Biden says Sweden's NATO membership has to be dealt with first.

It's not the first time that Erdogan has sought to use a NATO summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary-general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there's growing frustration among allies toward Erdogan, building on concerns about his ties to Putin, democratic backsliding and sanctions evasion.

"They've tried playing nice," Bergmann said. "The question is whether it's time to get much more confrontational."

Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, is also delaying his country's approval of Sweden's membership. In response, Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is blocking a $735 million U.S. arms sale to Hungary.

"We don't want members who aren't interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests," Risch said. "I'm just sick and tired of it."

But he rejected the idea that these disagreements are a sign of weakness within NATO.

"These are kinds of things that always arise in an alliance," he said. "The fact that we've been able to deal with them and will continue to deal with them proves that this is the most successful and strongest military alliance in the history of the world."

At least one potentially difficult issue is off the summit agenda. Rather than seek consensus on a new NATO leader, members agreed to extend the tenure of Jens Stoltenberg, who's held the job since 2014, for a year. It's his fourth extension.

Most members wanted a woman to be the next secretary-general, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had been considered a favorite. But Poland insisted on a candidate from the Baltic states because there had already been two Nordic secretaries general in a row. (Stoltenberg was a Norwegian prime minister and Rasmussen was a Danish prime minister.)

Others are skeptical of accepting a nominee from the Baltics, whose leaders tend to be more provocative in their approach to Russia, including supporting Ukraine's desire to rapidly join NATO.

More disagreements loom over NATO's updated plans for countering any invasion that Russia might launch on allied territory. It's the biggest revision since the Cold War, and Skip Davis, a former NATO official who is now a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said it could involve "lots of arm wrestling and card trading."

"That's an issue that will cause tension and dissent, and that's not what the Vilnius summit is all about," he said.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum reacts during an event for announcing he enters the 2024 presidential race, joining a growing field of candidates hoping to topple Donald Trump and secure the Republican nomination, in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. June 7, 2023.

North Dakota governor and Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum (R-N.D.) discussed his 2024 platform in a Sunday interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" in his latest effort to gain recognition with voters.

Burgum launched his campaign on June 7 and has since trailed his fellow candidates in the polls, carrying less than a percent, according to aggregated polling from RealClear Politics.

A week after he entered the presidential arena, a Quinnipiac University poll found that 90% of voters did not know enough about Burgum to offer an opinion on him.

Burgum believes in limited government and has stressed his focus on repairing the U.S. economy, energy policy and national security rather than engaging in "every culture war topic."

Burgum said that he is not running on issues like abortion, transgender bills and what books belong in libraries, emphasizing that he sees those as state issues and "not the place where the president should be spending their time."

"I'm on the record saying that I would not sign the federal abortion ban," said Burgum. "It should be left to the states."

In the interview, he also said he supported the Supreme Court's recent ruling on affirmative action, which ruled race-based considerations in college admissions unconstitutional. When pressed, Burgum said that the exception made for military service academies "may not" make sense.

Burgum is vying against 11 other Republican presidential bids including frontrunner and former president Donald Trump, who Burgum noted in the interview he would not do business with.

"You're judged by the company you keep," Burgum said.

Burgum added later that he would take Elon Musk as a business partner given Musk's company "track records."

The former software executive also doubled down on his stance on China, noting that the United States is in a "cold war in China, we just won't admit it."

Burgum's comments come after visits to China from several U.S. officials, most recently Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The meetings have been aimed at stabilizing relations between the two countries amid talks of tightening U.S. investments in China.
China is starting to show what sway it has in the semiconductor supply chain, and stocks are only starting to react. Yunnan Lincang Xinyuan Germanium Industrial's shares rose by more than 30% over the past five trading days. About a week ago on July 3 , China's Commerce Ministry announced export restrictions on germanium and gallium would take effect on Aug. 1. The two metals, which China produces most of the world's supply of, are used in the manufacture of chips, fiber optics or solar panels. A significant amount goes overseas. Between 2018 and 2021, just over half of U.S. imports of the metals came from China, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. On the Shenzhen stock exchange, Yunnan Germanium shares hit the 10% upper trading limit for three days straight. That's despite the company warning on day three of a loss in the first half of the year. It's a signal of the growth potential in some Chinese chip subsectors once investors catch on, or new export rules come into play. And it's those materials in the upstream part of the semiconductor supply chain that early-stage investment firm WestSummit Capital Management is looking for opportunities, said managing director Bo Du. "In China, firms are making more money from investing in the supply chain, not in artificial intelligence," Du said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. He pointed out that the supply of high-end chips needed to power AI training models are more sensitive to U.S. restrictions, while there's a greater market for less advanced chips  found in products used day-to-day. For that category of "mature" chips, Du expects China can build up its own production equipment and materials in about two to three years. WestSummit claims about 20 billion yuan ($2.77 billion) in assets under management. Du said valuations of chip-related deals in China's primary market have fallen recently, and that the firm is looking to invest more in the sector through the end of the third quarter. China's latest export curbs follow sweeping U.S. export restrictions in October to limit Chinese businesses' access to advanced semiconductor technology. Other than a few companies, there's "no real impact on the business for most of the semiconductor companies either for China or the U.S.," said Greg Ye, co-founder and managing partner of Delta Capital, which claims about 7 billion yuan in assets under management. "The real impact is really on the psychology of some investors," Ye said in an interview last month. "This scares some investors away. Many of them are coming back to the sector." One of Delta's investments, Shanghai New Vision Microelectronics, raised just over 1 billion yuan in an initial public offering on Shanghai's Star board on June 1. Shares of the company, which produces chips for screen display, are up by about 55% from the IPO price. More export controls ahead? The political environment indicates China may hunker down on its chip capabilities. The latest export controls are just the beginning , Wei Jianguo, a former vice minister of commerce, told state media in a report Wednesday. Wei didn't respond to a CNBC request for further comment. "It's not unreasonable to think that many China hawks in Washington are looking at Beijing's gallium and germanium export restrictions as an aggressive move that warrants even stronger tech export restrictions on chips, chipmaking equipment, chip design, and renewed calls to pull out manufacturing," said Brian Tycangco, analyst at Stansberry Research. That could prompt Beijing to respond with more restrictions, he said. "As a result, I don't think we've seen the end of the surge in the rare earth space," Tycangco said. "There's still something brewing underneath the surface." He said notable names in the sector traded outside of mainland China include Lynas Rare Earths, MP Materials and China Rare Earth Holdings.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in Beijing on July 6, 2023, for her first visit under the Biden administration.

After a high stakes four-day trip to China, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she had a "constructive visit" and a "very substantive series of meetings" with Chinese officials about the state of the global economy, export controls and national security.

Yellen's trip is part of ongoing efforts to stabilize U.S.-China relations after months of escalating tensions. Her visit came just weeks after Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit last month.

These efforts could ultimately pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 leaders' summit in New Delhi in September and the APEC leaders' summit in San Francisco in November. Both leaders last met in Bali last year.

"We have a new team on the economic side in Beijing, that it's important to establish person-to-person relationships, and to open ongoing channels of communication, where concerns can be aired and discussed," Yellen told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. "And I do think my trip has been successful in forging those relationships and creating the opportunity for a deeper set of more frequent contacts at our staff levels."

Yellen's task in Beijing was complex. She said she raised a number of concerns, including national security and the intimidation some American companies have been experiencing, but she also sought Chinese cooperation on issues ranging from climate change to debt distress.

Yellen said her purpose was to make sure the two nations do not engage in "unintended escalatory actions that will be harmful to our overall economic relationship with one another."

For instance, just days before Yellen's visit, Beijing slapped export curbs on chipmaking metals and compounds. China's Ministry of Commerce claimed it gave the U.S. and Europe advance notice. In October, the U.S. launched sweeping rules aimed at cutting off exports of key chips and semiconductor tools to China.

Yellen said she expressed concern about the export controls and contrasted it with the U.S. decision. She explained that the U.S.' actions "are narrowly targeted to address national security concerns," while it is not clear that the Chinese export controls were implemented for that same reason.

"We have had very little contact, both senior officials, and also just the American people and the Chinese people who've had very little contact with one another over the last several years, in part because of Covid," Yellen said. "And that's a situation where misunderstandings can develop."

Yellen said China is also taking steps to address concerns about a slowing economy, and that there are opportunities for American businesses to profit.

But even so, she said national security remains a priority for the U.S.

"China has an enormous market. It's a significant share of the global economy, and we want to make sure that American businesses and workers can profit from that, and contribute also to China's success as well as our own," Yellen said. "But there are areas where national security really demands that the most advanced technologies with military applications, we need to withhold to protect our own national security. And we have acted and will continue to act to do that."

 CNBC's Clement Tan contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 9)  Sen. Imee Marcos on Sunday urged defense and foreign affairs officials to increase monitoring of US military planes at Philippine airports to "determine if covert US military flights aggravated the already tense situation in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait" and to "weigh the risks to public safety."

RELATED: What's at stake for PH in US-China tensions over Taiwan

"Too little is known about ongoing US military activity in our territory while we constantly call out the presence of Chinese vessels in the South China Sea," said Marcos, chairperson of the Senate committee on foreign relations.

"I am aware of ongoing exercises with foreign militaries this month. But the same zeal in tracking any violations in our maritime territory and EEZ (exclusive economic zone) must also apply where Philippine air traffic rules and joint military agreements with the U.S. are concerned," she added.

Marcos said passengers on commercial flights to and from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) noticed two US military planes near the runway and shared the pictures to her office.

Citing data from global flight tracker AirNav Systems, Marcos said a US Air Force C-17 with flight code MC244/RCH244 landed in Manila at 6:03 a.m. on July 7. It came from the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The aircraft then flew to Palawan before 1 p.m. and headed to Yokota Air Base in Fussa City in Japan later in the afternoon.

"Although the plane's call signal was repeatedly out of coverage during its journey, flight tracker Flightradar24 recorded its departure from Palawan shortly before 4 p.m., Manila time, and its arrival at Yokota Air Base at around 9:30 p.m., Japan time," she said.

"The flight route from Palawan showed the plane passing over Pampanga, Cagayan, and off the eastern coasts of Batanes and Taiwan before it landed at the Yokota Air Base," she added.

Marcos also said another Boeing C-17 plane with flight code RCH323 was spotted north of Busuanga town, Palawan past 10 a.m. on July 8. She said it took off from Tokyo the night before.

"[It] was off the radar until late afternoon when it again appeared in the same vicinity flying toward Polillo Island before exiting the Philippine territory past 6 p.m.," she added.

Earlier, Marcos flagged the "unadvised" landing of a US military plane reportedly from Guam at NAIA on June 26.

On Friday, the senator said she received a letter from the US Embassy a day prior explaining the incident, saying it had diplomatic clearance as it was heading to a bilateral military exercise in Palawan.

The US embassy also admitted the lack of coordination with ground handlers on the plane's arrival, which caused hours of delay at the airport.

READ: US says military plane landed in NAIA to comply with rules, admits 'lack of coordination' Sen. Marcos
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 9)  Quiapo Church is now the National Shrine of the Black Nazarene with the blessing of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The CBCP announced on Sunday it has elevated the church canonically known as the Saint John the Baptist Parish from its archdiocesan shrine status during the bishops 126th plenary assembly in Kalibo, Aklan.

For many years, the home of the centuries-old and revered image of the Black Nazarene has served as a prominent landmark for pilgrims from all corners of the country, the CBCP said in a statement.

Located in the heart of Manila, Quiapo Church has become a place of worship for Filipinos since the "traslacion" or movement of the image from Intramuros to Quiapo began in 1787, according to the CBCP.

What was once a parochial feast held every January 9 has also now extended its reach and is celebrated by devotees in various parts of the country and even abroad, the CBCP added.

On May 10, Quiapo Church received its archdiocesan shrine status.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II granted its recognition as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene for its cultural impact on the religious practices of Filipinos.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 9)  The Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media will hold a hearing on the bill seeking to create an archive facility for local films and a management body ensuring its preservation.

The hearing will be held on Monday, according to Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who filed the bill in the upper chamber.

This bill aims to address this problem by creating NFAP (National Film Archive of the Philippines), which will ensure the protection and preservation of Filipino films that are part of our historical and cultural heritage, Estrada said Sunday in a statement.

Passed into law in 2002, Republic Act 9167 mandates the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to create a film archive, but Estrada said the agency has yet to establish a permanent and sufficient space and allot proper equipment for film preservation.

Citing data from the FDCP, Estrada said 65% of the countrys cinematic heritage was either lost or destroyed.

It is estimated that out of more than 8,000 movies shot on film, only around 2,000 have surviving copies, he added.

During the hearing, the upper chamber will also review Senate Bills 1032 and 2250.

SB 1032, or the World-Class Filmmakers Incentives Act, aims to promote local films and support their production through incentives and tax exemptions.

http://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/3898435435!.pdf

Meanwhile, SB 2250 proposes to declare September as Philippine Film Industry Month.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 9)  The United States government has given almost 7 million ($125,000) to the Philippines-United Nations (UN) Joint Programme for Human Rights.

We are proud to join the international community in supporting the Philippines to protect human rights and uphold every persons individual dignity, MaryKay Carlson, US Ambassador to the Philippines, said Friday in a statement.

Human rights are a critical pillar in development, and we believe it is not possible for any country to rise to its full potential without them, she added.

The funds will be coursed through the U.S. Agency for International Development and will support a three-year human rights program ensuring safe spaces for the public and promoting human-rights approaches to drug control.

It also includes strengthening domestic investigation and accountability mechanisms; data gathering on alleged police violations; civic space and engagement with civil society and the Commission on Human Rights and counter-terrorism legislation.

We welcome the contribution of the United States to the UN Joint Programme for Human Rights and their commitment to promote human rights in the Philippines and beyond, said Gustavo Gonzalez, UN resident coordinator in the Philippines.

When the joint human rights program was launched in 2021, Australia contributed 12.9 million.
(CNN)  The world is blasting through climate records as scientists sound the alarm: The likelihood is growing that 2023 could be the hottest year on record, and the climate crisis could be altering our weather in ways they dont yet understand.

And they are not holding back  extraordinary, terrifying and uncharted territory are just a few of the ways they have described the recent spike in global temperature.

This week, the planets average daily temperature soared to highs unseen in modern records kept by two climate agencies in the US and Europe.

While the records are based on data that only goes back to the mid-20th century, they are almost certainly the warmest the planet has seen over a much longer time period  probably going back at least 100,000 years, according to Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center.

And they were far from the only climate superlatives scientists have reported this year.

Last month, the world experienced its warmest June on record by a substantial margin, according to a report by the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Ocean heat has been off the charts, with surface temperatures last month reaching record levels for June. Parts of the North Atlantic have seen an unprecedented marine heat wave, with temperatures up to 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than usual.

And in Antarctica, where temperatures are running well-above average for this time of year, sea ice plunged to record low levels, which scientists have linked to the warm waters off the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

The world is walking into an uncharted territory, Carlo Buontempo, the director of Copernicus, told CNN. We have never seen anything like this in our life.

This is what global warming looks like

While scientists say the records are alarming, most are unsurprised  though frustrated their warnings have been mostly ignored for decades.

This is exactly what weve been expecting to see for a long time, Francis told CNN.

What the world is experiencing are the impacts of global warming combined with the El Nino climate phenomenon  the arrival of which the World Meteorological Organization officially confirmed on Wednesday.

It works like this: As the world burns fossil fuels and pumps out planet-heating pollution, global temperatures are steadily warming. That leads to more intense heat waves along with a host of other impacts, such as more extreme weather, melting glaciers and rising sea levels.

Superimposed on top of these long-term warming trends are natural climate fluctuations, the most significant of which are La Nina, which has a cooling effect, and El Nino, which has a heating effect.

So we have a naturally warm world plus the increasingly hot climate change signal, said Friederike Otto, senior lecturer in climate science at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment in the UK.

While the record temperatures may have been expected, the magnitude by which some have been broken has surprised some scientists.

That this June was half a degree warmer than a typical June is just extraordinary for a global temperature record, said Buontempo. Usually these records  which are averages of temperatures all over the world for the entire month  are broken by a tenth or even hundredth of a degree.

Still others have been caught off guard by the nature of extreme weather events.

We were expecting to see more and more frequent heat waves and floods and droughts around the world. But its the intensity of some of those events that is a bit surprising, said Peter Stott, a science fellow in climate attribution at the UKs Met Office.

Theres an increasing worry that climate change is not quite as linear as we might have thought, he told CNN. Scientists are trying to work out if weather patterns themselves might be changing, making heat waves much more intense than climate models predict.

Shaping up for the hottest year on record

While scientists cannot yet be definitive, some say this year is at least on pace to become the warmest on record.

The stars are aligning for the record to fall. Historically, global heat records tend to topple in El Nino years, and the current record-holder, 2016, coincided with a strong El Nino.

In May, a Berkeley Earth analysis put the chances of 2023 being the hottest on record at 54%. As last month turned out to be the hottest June on record, that percentage is going to increase, said Robert Rohde, a lead scientist at Berkeley Earth.

By how much remains uncertain, he told CNN, but its looking more likely than not that 2023 will be a record year.

Records are how the world keeps tabs on the climate crisis. Yet some scientists caution the attention given to these big numbers can overshadow the real-world hazards they amplify: Heat waves, floods and droughts becoming much more frequent, severe and long-lasting as the Earth heats up.

Its quite frustrating, Otto said. The world gets hung up on blockbuster records but these heat records are not exciting numbers, she told CNN. They mean that people and ecosystems are dying, that people are losing their livelihoods, that agricultural land will be unusable.

The human impact of extreme weather this year has already been stark.

At the end of June, Texas and the South sweltered in a triple digit heat wave with extreme humidity that made temperatures feel even hotter and made it harder for bodies to cool themselves. The heat extended to Mexico, where extreme temperatures killed at least 112 people between March and the end of June.

China has been grappling with blistering temperatures for weeks. Beijing, which is facing one of its most brutal heat waves on record, saw temperatures soar past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) this week.

In India, parts of the north have been struggling with unrelenting heat, while nearly half a million in the countrys northeast have been affected by severe flooding that has triggered devastating landslides which have taken lives.

All of these kinds of extreme events are absolutely consistent with what we expect to see happening more often as we just continue to warm the globe, Francis said.

And as El Nino strengthens, were likely to see more extreme weather, she added, not just in the summer but also in the winter, when El Ninos have the biggest influence on Northern Hemisphere weather.

Id say buckle up.

Unheeded warnings

For climate scientists, this is the I told you so moment they never wanted.

This neednt have been happening, Stott said.

For decades, scientists have been warning about what would happen to global temperatures if the world failed to kick its fossil fuel habit and rein in planet-heating pollution. But they went unheeded, he said.

To see climate change unfold in front of us is terrifying, he added, because this will just carry on getting worse and worse, and more and more extreme. So what were seeing now is only a foretaste of what could happen if efforts to reduce emissions arent successful.

The only silver lining may be the records help raise alarm bells and persuade people to pressure political leaders to act, Otto said. I hope that maybe more people will realize that this is really happening, and its really dangerous.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Global heat in uncharted territory as scientists warn 2023 could be the hottest year on record"
UTAH

'Watermelon snow' piques curiosities after abnormally wet winter

LOGAN  High up in the mountains, amid pinyon pine and quaking aspen trees, the remaining remnants of the winter's snow is dotted with hues of pinks, purples and oranges.

Hikers, campers and church youth groups journeying by grasp it in their palms and liken it to flavored snow cones, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, pink lemonade, dissolved blood or if passersby conducted an art project using red food coloring.

Last winter's record snowfall is heating up, baking under the sunlight and turning hues of red. The presence of so-called "watermelon snow"  referred to unofficially due to its pinkish tint  is piquing the curiosities of photo-seeking visitors and raising a host of questions about nature, health and climate. Its prevalence this summer is particularly striking on ridges and in mountain ranges where snow would have melted by now in drier years.

The technicolor snow appears in high-altitude environments throughout the globe when a perfect storm of conditions  water content, sunlight, temperatures and the presence of nutrients  awaken dormant green algae called chlamydomonas nivalis that thrive in cold temperatures. The algae swim to the surface of the snow, where they bloom and divide. Upon arrival, when they're hit by sun and ultraviolet rays, their color changes to absorb radiation and protect themselves from damage.

Scott Hotaling, a Utah State University ecologist who studies biodiversity in cold and high altitude environments, likened the algae's ability to produce a secondary pigment to humans, whose skin uses pigmentation to absorb ultraviolet radiation and protect from the sun.

Many wonder if they can eat the pink snow.

The answer: Technically yes because it is not harmful to ingest, Hotaling said. However, it is not recommended since it is often found in melting snow banks also dotted with dirt and dust that contain toxins.

ARIZONA

Governor bars prosecution of legal abortion seekers, providers

PHOENIX  Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on June 23 signed a sweeping executive order to protect anyone involved with a legally obtained abortion from prosecution.

The order bans local prosecutors from bringing abortion-related charges and state agencies from assisting in any criminal investigations without a court order. In addition, Arizona will not honor any extradition requests for people wanted for assisting, providing or seeking an abortion.

Only Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, will be able to oversee abortion-related prosecutions.

Under the order, Hobbs will also create a special council to make recommendations on how to expand access to sexual and reproductive health care.

Abortions are currently allowed in Arizona in the first 15 weeks of pregnancy under a 2022 law. Last year, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that abortion doctors cannot be prosecuted under a law dating back to 1864 that criminalizes nearly all abortions. That pre-statehood law was already barred from being enforced for decades because of Roe v. Wade.

Planned Parenthood Arizona President and CEO Brittany Fonteno called Hobbs' action a "promising and welcome path."

Cathi Herrod, president of the socially conservative Center for Arizona Policy, accused the governor of overreaching.

Hobbs' action came at the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, which had legalized abortion nationally.

MONTANA

Cleanup begins after train derailment spills asphalt binder

HELENA  Globs of asphalt binder that spilled into Montana's Yellowstone River during a bridge collapse and train derailment could be seen on islands and riverbanks downstream from Yellowstone National Park a week after the spill occurred, witnesses report.

Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency said cleanup efforts began on July 2, with workers cooling the gooey material with river water, rolling it up and putting the globs into garbage bags. It will probably be recycled, said Paul Peronard with the EPA.

A bridge over the river collapsed as a train crossed it early on June 24 near the town of Columbus and 10 cars fell into the water, spilling liquid asphalt and molten sulfur, officials said. Both materials were expected to cool and harden when exposed to the cold water, and officials said there was no threat to the public or downstream water supplies, officials said.

However, the asphalt binder behaved differently  not sinking and adhering to rocks, Peronard said.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the EPA and Montana Rail Link  the entities managing the cleanup  said more asphalt product was released on June 30 as a rail car was being removed from the river.

A team led by professor Kayhan Ostovar with the Yellowstone River Research Center at Rocky Mountain College has been conducting turtle surveys below the derailment and is sharing the GPS locations of sensitive sites that are near areas where the asphalt binder has come to rest.

Turtles are particularly vulnerable to this type of spill, Ostovar said, because they are leaving the water right now to seek out nesting sites on gravel bars and basking in the sun.

NEW MEXICO

Nearly $47 million in loans OKd for recovery following historic wildfire

SANTA FE  About half of the money set aside earlier this year by New Mexico lawmakers to help cities and counties recover from a historic wildfire has been allocated by the state.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office announced on June 28 that nearly $47 million in no-interest loans have been approved for road repairs and culvert restoration in San Juan and Mora counties. Those counties were hit hard by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in 2022.

The blaze  the largest in the state's recorded history  was sparked by prescribed burn operations conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. Now, residents in the burn scar are preparing for another season of post-fire flooding.

Mora and San Miguel counties are the only local governments to apply for the funding so far. State officials say they are working with others to identify projects and ensure applications and implementation complies with federal and state requirements so that the loans will eventually be covered by Federal Emergency Management Administration's public assistance program.

State lawmakers who represent residents within the burn scar said the recovery process will be long and difficult.

The governor also issued 21 executive orders on June 27 for emergency funding totaling more than $15 million for wildfire recovery work and to reimburse other states that helped during the initial response.

IDAHO

Judge reverses approval of phosphate mine over prairie bird impact

A federal judge has yanked approval for a phosphate mining project in southeastern Idaho, saying federal land managers in the Trump administration didn't in part properly consider the mine's impact on sage grouse, a bird species that has seen an 80% decline in population since 1965.

U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill's June 2 decision came five months after he found fault with the way the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the Caldwell Canyon Mine in 2019.

The mine has been proposed by P4 Production LLC, a subsidiary of German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG. Three environmental groups  the Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians  sued.

In January, Winmill agreed with the conservation groups that the federal agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws on several counts when it approved the mine, including failing to consider the indirect effects of processing ore at a nearby plant and the cumulative impacts on sage grouse, whose population has dramatically declined over its habitat in 11 Western states, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The mine was projected to last for 40 years, with ore taken by truck or rail to a nearby processing plant.
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In this corner of the internet, were all in a race, bragging about just how much of an introvert we each are. Simply by reading an article instead of partying on the roof, youve scored yourself several points. Aversions to doorbells and phone calls earn you even more introvert cred, and eventually, you start boasting to an insane degree, referring to yourself as a sigma personality.

But no matter how much you assure us you dont fit in with others, were positive you never cut yourself off from the world as hard as the following rebels.

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5 A Millionaire Decided to Never Leave Her Hotel Room In 1857, a woman calling herself Ida Mayfield moved to New York and got to know Ben Wood, owner of the New York Daily News. They had an affair, and after Woods wife died, they married. After Wood himself died, she inherited his estate, though shed already taken the precaution of transferring most of his wealth to her own name, to protect it from his gambling addiction. For a while, she was a famous socialite, meeting President Lincoln and the Prince of Wales. Then in 1907, she got sick of public life. She moved into a room at New Yorks Herald Square Hotel with her sister and daughter. She did not leave that room for 24 years. MacMillan Company She didnt miss much. Just World War I, the rise of cars and planes, the entire Roaring Twenties, etc. Staff forgot who she was and were replaced with new staff. She never let them in and paid her bills in cash through the cracked-open door. She received all food through this door, which was always the same  evaporated milk, crackers, coffee, bacon and eggs. Not the dish bacon and eggs, but raw bacon and raw eggs, which the women cooked on a makeshift stove in the bathroom. They also would order raw fish, which they did not cook at all. She at last walked out to the hallway in 1931, to call for help when her sister died. She was 93 now, and outsiders finally entered the room and discovered $250,000 in a shoebox. Thats 1931 money, equivalent to $5 million today. Authorities put the word out, and relatives swept in and declared Mayfield mentally incompetent. This gave a nurse a chance to look up Mayfields dress and find a further $500,000 hidden there (thats $10 million in todays money). Her new conservators took control of her. Under their care, she had to spend the remaining year of her life confined to a single room. She must have hated that.

4 The Wolf Man of Spain The phrase raised by wolves goes back many centuries, probably as far back as the myth of Romulus and Remus. And for centuries, the idea of a feral child raised by animals was just a myth. Then we stumbled on a handful of cases of children who really did live exclusively among animals during their formative years, including a few who, yes, lived among wolves. Marcos Pantoja lived a normal enough life in a Spanish village for the first seven years of his life. Then his father sold him to a goatherder. This goatherder abandoned him or got lost and died, leaving the kid to wander the Sierra Morena Mountains. He did indeed run into wolves, who did not attack him as he ate the meat theyd hunted. He also lived with foxes and totally failed to coexist with boars. He already knew a bit about trapping animals and cooking meat thanks to the goatherder, and foraging for berries and skinning deer were skills he just kind of figured out. In 1965, when he had spent 12 years among animals, a ranger spotted him, and authorities pulled him into town. He told his story, to a general public who thought he was full of shit and to anthropologists who found him credible (though, when he says animals befriended him, that just shows his perspective rather than accurately describing the relationship). He had trouble speaking at first, but he adapted in time and got jobs in construction. While he never liked living with people as much as he did with wolves, he saw some benefits to civilization. Like TV, which he enjoyed. And also porn.

3 The Island Man and His Chicken Fernao Lopes didnt start out hating the world. He was a Portuguese soldier stationed in Goa, India, in the 15th century. When his superior sailed away, Lopes figured the Goans seemed a lot more fun to hang out with than his old friends, so he defected to their side. Then his superior came back, discovered Lopes betrayal and tortured him publicly, slicing off his nose and ear and also amputating one arm. A few years later, he sailed back toward Portugal, but it doesnt appear he was too keen on going there. The route home sent his ship past Saint Helena, the 50-square-mile island thats today most famous as where Napoleon was exiled and died. Back then, it was totally uninhabited. Lopes got down and decided to stay on the island, alone. via Wiki Commons Ships had to take some roundabout routes in those days. A couple years later, another ship stopped at the island and saw him, and as they took off, leaving him some food but respecting his wish to stay put, a rooster on the ship fell overboard. Lopes rescued it from the water. They spent the next 10 years together, just him and his cock. Ships did occasionally drop by the island to say hi, and finally, people convinced him to come back to Europe. He met the Pope, who forgave him for the sin of converting to Islam and offered to grant him a favor. Lopes asked to return home. Not to Portugal, or Goa, but back to Saint Helena. So, thats where he headed, and thats where he spent the final 20 years of his life.

2 The Nameless Ishi In the last decades of the 19th century, someone referred to as the last wild Indian lived in California. Hed been part of the Yahi people, but settlers went and genocided just about all the Yahi, and the few remaining ones died in isolation, leaving this guy the only remaining Yahi. When anthropologists met him, they called him Ishi. That wasnt his name, though, just a word that means man. The way Yahi culture worked, he wasnt supposed to introduce himself to strangers  instead, some other Yahi was supposed to introduce him. That second option was now impossible because there were no other Yahi. via Wiki Commons So, we called him Ishi, the Yana word for dude. He emerged from the wilderness at the age of 50 in 1911 and came to the town of Oroville for a simple reason: He was hungry. The sheriff immediately put him in handcuffs, and Berkeley professors later took control of him, employing him as a janitor. For a while, the public enjoyed getting a look at him, seeing what skills he had and observing his reaction to modern technology. But having spent most of his life away from all other people, his body wasnt equipped to fend off diseases, and he spent most of his time sick. In just a few more years, he was dead from tuberculosis. Sometimes, solitude is better. Advertisement Advertisement
Why have we co-operated so readily in the destruction of personal service? I admit that I was fooled by the introduction of cashpoint machines.

At last, I didn't need to worry about getting to the bank before it closed, and writing a cheque for the cash I needed. It did not then cross my mind that it would lead to the accelerating disappearance of actual banks. How stupid I was.

The other week, the branch of Lloyds in North Oxford where I opened my first savings account 60 years ago was closed.

And while I grieved (I remember its polished wooden counters, its high ceilings and carpeted floor, and the great brass balance where they used to weigh the pre-decimal change in proper pounds and ounces) I admitted to myself that I should have known better at the start.

Nowadays if you go into any of the banks that are still open, you are besieged by unfortunates whose job it is to persuade you to take out loans, but cannot help you with simple tasks such as swapping 20 notes (which nobody wants) for fivers (which everyone wants). How different from the old banks, where they tried very hard to persuade you not to take out loans.

Why have we co-operated so readily in the destruction of personal service?

Now comes the plan to get rid of all the remaining railway station ticket offices

But away they all go, not always without our consent but always with our submissive co-operation.

Why, I often wonder, did we all put up so willingly with the abolition of bus conductors? Buses used to be a fast way of travelling through towns. You got on, the bell pinged, the bus roared away from the stop and later you paid your fare to the conductor. Then you got off (often by leaping boldly from the open platform at the back).

Ever since, however many wheezes they come up with, bus travel has been an ordeal for the impatient, with endless stops while people fumble for change or (the modern curse) cannot align their accursed phones with the equally accursed electronic reader.

As for hopping off, there are now doors which are presumably monitored by onboard computers and CCTV, so the driver daren't let you off anywhere except at the official stop. If she does, she will be in serious trouble. Fast, easy travel has been transformed into slow, hard travel, and so people don't want to use it. I suspect many thousands of us have taken up driving cars because they cannot stand this, and I do not blame them.

Then came the ultimate swindle. The supermarkets offered us the chance to work as checkout staff without pay and we took it. Obediently, we lined up at bleeping robots, scanned our goods over and over again until the computer recognised the barcode, removed unexpected items from the bagging area and helped to make more of our fellow creatures unemployed. This was when I rebelled.

I refused for years to use these things. I brushed off the urgings of the shop workers who had been assigned to the job of guiding us towards the self-service checkouts.

I felt for them. They must have known they were working to abolish their jobs, but what choice did they have? I, on the other hand, did have a choice. I could refuse.

At last, I didn't need to worry about getting to the bank before it closed, and writing a cheque for the cash I needed. It did not then cross my mind that it would lead to the accelerating disappearance of actual banks. How stupid I was

Why, I often wonder, did we all put up so willingly with the abolition of bus conductors? Buses used to be a fast way of travelling through towns

I waited, sometimes for ages, to pay a human being for my goods. Sometimes I begged others to do the same. But almost all the time my pleas were useless. And it grew harder. The tills reserved for small purchases vanished and the number of checkout staff shrank, so that I was faced with a choice between standing for hours while someone processed and paid for a weekly shop, or surrendering.

I could easily see the end of it, staffless shops, with nobody there except perhaps some stone-faced store detectives at the exits.

I also think that people need work and that a lot of men and women would be glad of the chance to work in a supermarket, not just for the money but for the companionship and human contact. And what will happen to them when all those jobs have been abolished?

And now comes the plan to get rid of all the remaining railway station ticket offices. I recall clashing on BBC Question Time in May with a smug Mark Harper, the Secretary of State for Transport, who told me that 'only 12 per cent' of people buy tickets from ticket offices. Apparently that 12 per cent  one in eight passengers  can now be safely ignored as there are so few of them.

So much for the consumer choice we were supposedly promised as the great computer revolution got under way and the economy was yet again liberalised.

There is no choice. You can have anything you like as long as you don't want proper face-to-face customer service. Click on a mouse, hang on to a phone for hours. But an actual human being is an event.

Mr Harper also explained that the staff who now do this will somehow be deployed outside ticket offices doing something not quite clear. Perhaps so, but I wouldn't bet on many of them still having jobs three years from now.

Well, once again, the reason why so few people (they include me) buy tickets from ticket counters is because so many of us have been persuaded that it is easier to do so online.

Perhaps it is, for them. I don't find it so, especially thanks to the privatised rail system's mad maze of ticket prices.

I have often been very grateful for the knowledgeable advice and help given me by ticket staff in Oxford, where I live.

Yet now they are doomed and once again perfectly good jobs will disappear so that we can all do what, exactly, instead?

I used to think that, somewhere in government and society, there were people who might stand up for the pleasant things in life, even if they cost a bit more.

I used to think that there were people who understood that things have values, as well as prices. I also thought that it had begun to sink in that civilised societies need millions of jobs like this because work is far better for people than idleness and that a wise government would protect such jobs, not applaud their destruction.

For years, to resist this, I have shopped at proper bakers and butchers' shops, got my milk delivered in bottles, bought books from actual bookshops.

Until the Covid shutdown made it pointless, I shunned the supermarket robots and I still try to avoid them if humanly possible.

But it has done little good and I feel duped and abandoned, the victim of false promises and empty reassurances.

What sort of world will it be when there is nobody there except robots and CCTV cameras?

As railway station ticket offices look to be heading the same way as bus conductors and checkout assistants...

What sort of world will it be when there is nobody there except robots and CCTV cameras?

Fast, easy travel has been transformed into slow, hard travel

Good jobs will disappear so we can all do what, exactly, instead?
There's no escaping it. Many young women are extremely fat. Fat. A word we are not meant to use. But that is what they are.

Even so, a very vocal and influential movement exists that lobbies against so-called fat-shaming.

The New York Times, a pillar of woke journalism, recently published an article about the issue of fat people and travel  but avoided the F-word by using the phrase people in bigger bodies.

The question, though, is not what hugely overweight people are called, but why on earth so many are getting large.

What has created populations that are obese rather than undernourished in almost every part of the world?

The body-positivity lobby that is prevalent on social media, with its love yourself however fat you are messaging, has a lot to answer for in encouraging young women to be comfortable about their unhealthy weight

While some peoples genetic make-up means they cant avoid becoming fat, the majority of wildly overweight people do not have that disposition.

And, by overweight, I mean being so heavy it is a serious health danger  not just the extra 7lb that many of us are always trying to lose.

There are well-known reasons, such as our more sedentary lifestyle and the easy availability of fast and cheap calorie-laden food.

There is also the possibility that pesticides, antidepressants and toxic substances in the environment might affect our hormones and metabolism.

Whatever it is, getting fat has never been easier.

While financially and time-poor families understandably resort to unhealthy convenience food, the majority of fat people I see around London dont look as if they come from a deprived demographic.

They are young and fashionably dressed. They have Air Pods, branded trainers and often fabulous make-up.

They (and this is a positive thing) seem to have little of the fat anxiety that so many of my generation are haunted by.

They squeeze into the tightest of bleached jeans and cotton mini-dresses, with apparently none of the fear that their legs are too fat  something that has prevented me from wearing shorts all my life.

Even so, the body-positivity lobby that is prevalent on social media, with its love yourself however fat you are messaging, has a lot to answer for in encouraging young women to be comfortable about their unhealthy weight.

Its great not to beat yourself up over a few extra pounds or dress sizes, but not so great to risk the diabetes, strokes, heart disease and immobility that being overweight causes.

While it might be argued that its a kinder world not to feel pressured to be slim, it simply cant be argued that its anything but a ticking mortality time-bomb.

Retailers are flooding the world with the particularly hideous shade of pink that Barbie favours, in the hope of making money from the gorgeous Margot Robbies style

Seeing red about all that Barbie pink

Barbie, coming soon to our cinemas, has not as yet succumbed to the body positivity trend and has, for decades, been criticised as a trigger for young girls dissatisfaction with their bodies.

With her long, tanned limbs, flawless skin and pert bosom, she is frequently accused of reinforcing unrealistic expectations in children.

I was a Cindy girl. My dim memory being that Cindy had different hair colour and better clothes than Barbie, but I dont recall either of the plastic dolls remotely influencing how I or my friends thought of ourselves, any more than did our collection of Trolls, with their wild hair and stunted limbs.

Children are perfectly capable of understanding that toys are different to them. Thats part of their fun.

Not so retailers, who are flooding the world with the particularly hideous shade of pink  Pantone 219 C  that Barbie favours, in the hope of making money from the gorgeous Margot Robbies style.

All those good ideas, so why copy bad ones?

Much as I admire many things about Switzerland and Sweden, its unfortunate that British authorities are not suggesting we follow their lead over good time-keeping and great design, but are proposing to copy their lack of railway station ticket offices.

Imagine them resembling the hellish supermarket checkouts that bark unexpected item in the bagging area all day, and having to wait, helpless, for a staff member to appear and sort things out.

Im glad my colleague Peter Hitchens agrees with me that its a nightmarish vision of the future about to become reality.

Gimme shelter over a 5 Pret baguette

To shelter from a sudden heavy downpour last week, I dropped briefly into the British Museum.

Donation boxes were everywhere. As I slipped in the suggested fiver, I calculated this was much better value than the 5 sandwich I might otherwise have bought to bide the time in a nearby Pret a Manger.

After all, at Pret you cant hang out under the impressive glass roof of Great Hall or spend time in the company of a giant stone Polynesian Moai figure.

After half an hour the rain stopped and I toddled off, noticing that, during that time, only one other person made a donation, and that was a single coin.

I havent the foggiest if Im losing the plot

As a woman of a certain age, I keep reading about brain fog and cant work out if have it. Does finding it hard to recognise people, or continually losing ones mobile phone, or occasionally putting nasal drops in ones eye, qualify?

Latest look in Paris? Its chainmail chic...

Paris may have been burning but, in the city of fashion, the couture show must go on.

Im not sure well all be wearing Balenciagas chainmail warrior look, but come autumn Im definitely going to jump into the sheer black tights and maxi coats of Chanel.

Im not sure well all be wearing Balenciagas chainmail warrior look, but come autumn Im definitely going to jump into the sheer black tights and maxi coats of Chanel

A riveting BBC hit  and its not Strictly

Adam Curtiss seven-part TV documentary about the break-up of the Soviet Union  TraumaZone  was initially broadcast last autumn and can now be found on BBC iPlayer. It may not be the easy viewing of Strictly or Im A Celeb, but its every bit as riveting.

Curtis was working on the series before the invasion of Ukraine, stitching together archive footage from 1985 to 1999.

The result is utterly fascinating and makes the rise of Putin and the current situation in Russia more comprehensible, if not in any way forgivable.
The ordeal of being stopped and searched relentlessly by police is something I know only too well. I was targeted around 1,000 times by officers in four years. Indeed, I was stopped no fewer than eight times in one day in Liverpool.

The first officer pulled my car over on a quiet residential street the moment he recognised me, and began the standard patter: What was I doing? Where was I going? Was I carrying any weapons?

After politely answering his questions  and allowing my belongings to be searched  I drove around the corner only to be stopped by another officer. Ten minutes later I was stopped again. Was I being harassed by the police? Undoubtedly. Was this unnecessary and an affront to my civil liberties? Absolutely not.

In fact, I would go further and describe it as highly effective and intelligent policing. And the sooner that politicians realise this  especially those on the liberal Left who rail against stop-and-search but who live far from where these interventions take place  the better for the communities ravaged by violent crime.

Why? Because at that time I was a major underworld figure on Merseyside, recruiting children into vicious gangs and flooding the streets with drugs and guns.

The conviction last week of gangland killer Connor Chapman, who fired 12 bullets indiscriminately into a crowd of innocent drinkers outside a Wirral pub last Christmas Eve, killing beautician Elle Edwards, 26, brought back regretful memories of my criminal past.

Elle Edwards was shot outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, on Christmas Eve last year by Connor Chapman

The conviction last week of gangland killer Connor Chapman, who fired 12 bullets indiscriminately into a crowd of innocent drinkers outside a Wirral pub last Christmas Eve killing Elle

Ex-gang boss Sicarius McGrath who flooded the streets with guns is now looking to use his past for good and steer young people away from crime

I was involved in organised crime from 2001 until 2016, and was repeatedly jailed for intimidation, violence and, in 2003, for setting up an illegal gun factory. In 2016 I was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years for conspiracy to blackmail, controlling prostitution and possession of cocaine.

Im not proud of my criminal CV. I became increasingly conscious of the impact organised crime has on innocent victims. In 2017, while in my jail cell, I watched a TV documentary about an innocent young boy who had been murdered in Liverpool  shot in the crossfire of two gangs.

It brought me to tears. I felt partly responsible, given how many firearms I had previously put on the streets. I vowed to change and, following my release from prison, I have used my experience to help stop children falling into a vortex of firearms, knife crime, county lines drug dealing and violence.

AFTER being immersed in organised crime for almost 20 years, I believe I know what works: Robust policing, youth workers willing to instil a bit of fear into violent kids and prisons run with an iron fist.

This does not make me popular with many professionals tasked with reducing violent crime who appear gripped by political correctness.

Sadly, I believe the vast majority of youth charities and organisations that embrace the cotton-glove approach to young people in criminal gangs are ineffective and wasting taxpayers money.

Dressed like off-duty police officers in faded jeans and Converse trainers, these snowflake youth workers will preach that kids need love and hugs and understanding.

They certainly need understanding  that they are often stone-cold gang members who are willing to harm and kill for financial gain.

When I go to youth centres I use the language the kids use. I deploy the tactics I used to get kids into gangs to keep them out. With really violent kids, I become a monster again to scare some sense into them. These young people need to see a reflection of themselves.

Connor Chapman was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of the murder of Elle, who was shot outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village

This is not the way things are done by modern violent crime reduction experts. Indeed, they criticise me for even swearing. The modern approach is focused on equality, inclusion and diversity. But that isnt how gangs work. They dont have equality or discrimination laws, and they certainly dont use politically correct language.

Whether you are white, black or Asian in a gang you are not really treated differently, but judged on how violent you are and how good you are at earning money or power for the gang. Senior members speak to younger ones in a way that works  and I adopt that approach.

Many involved in crime reduction will also point to the link between deprivation and organised crime.

There is a strong correlation, but it doesnt necessarily follow that because you live in a deprived area you have to live a life of crime with a gun in your waistband. There is not just one simple solution to stopping gangland violence, but disruption of criminal activity by the police is massively important.

Merseyside Police has a renowned gang-busting unit called Matrix. They use vans with the slogan Matrix  A force to be reckoned with and cause maximum disruption to organised criminals, partly through stop-and-search, surveillance and gang injunctions. I was once followed to Asda by a police van filming my every movement.

Does stop-and-search cure the problem on its own? No. But it does reduce the occasions on which organised criminals carry weapons  and this reduces the number of times they use weapons.

Criminals in London and the Midlands who carried firearms were reluctant to meet me in Merseyside, even if it was just for food, because they knew the prospect of being stopped was greater.

On one occasion, a vehicle I was travelling in with others was stopped with a firearm on board. The police did not find it, but it put the frighteners on everyone, so we called off that days activity. It prevented the firearm being used that day.

Despite the thousands of weapons that passed through my hands, the only time the police recovered a gun from me was one under my pillow when they raided my address.

Connor Chapman is pictured in a police custody picture from 2020. He has been jailed for the murder of Elle Edwards in December

But stop-and-search is not just about recovering guns or drugs. It also has a deterrent effect. Stopping someone but not finding a firearm or knife does not mean it was unnecessary or disproportionate.

The Metropolitan Police is an absolute embarrassment in the way it has bowed to campaigners against stop-and-search. Where is the voice of victims in all of this?

I have spoken to hundreds of people who have lost loved-ones to gun and knife crime, and almost all support this kind of intervention, however politicised it has become.

Some of my associates were black or Asian, and when I got stopped with them I would accuse the police of racism, cynically exploiting the argument that this tactic is used to discriminate against ethnic minorities.

In those days  when I was desperate to go about my criminality unheeded  I would do anything I could to deter stop-and-search.

Proof, if any is needed, that this kind of no-nonsense policing works.
Royal relationship was said to be strained as prince faced more paternity claims

For most people, a honeymoon is a magical time, a chance for newlyweds to spend every moment in each other's company.

Not for Prince Albert of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene, however, who chose to mark their 2011 nuptials by sleeping ten miles apart in separate hotels.

Flying into Durban, South Africa, the couple's holiday opened auspiciously, meeting Jacob Zuma, president of the Republic.

While they arrived at the audience together, however, a local newspaper reported that they left the president 'in two separate vehicles'.

The mystery deepened when it turned out that Prince Albert was staying at the Hilton hotel in Durban, yet Charlene was bedding down at the Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga - more than ten miles up the coast.

Prince Albert of Monaco and his Princess Charlene at their 2011 wedding. But they started their South African honeymoon by sleeping in separate hotels

Prince Albert stayed in the Hilton hotel in Durban, while Charlene spent the night at the Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga, more than ten miles up the coast from her new husband

Pictured: Prince Albert gets emotional as Charlene delivers a speech celebrating his decade on the throne in 2015

The Prince already had two children before his marriage to Charlene - Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, 31, ( left) whose mother is American estate agent Tamara Rotolo, and his eldest son, Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, 19, born to former Air France hostess Nicole Coste (pictured right)

Despite the speculation, it was later claimed that the reason was simple enough: that the prince had remained in Durban because he had an early meeting the following morning and was worried about getting stuck in traffic had he travelled in from outside the city.

The father of the new princess, retired photocopier salesman Mike Wittstock, explained at the time: 'This is because Albert attended the conference for the International Olympic Committee at the Hilton.

'The conference started at 7am and Albert did not want to get up unnecessarily early and to sit in traffic.'

A Monaco Palace source later confirmed that 'for practical reasons, it was better' for the prince to stay in the Hilton.

However, neither the source nor Mr Wittstock explained why Charlene did not simply stay at the Hilton with him.

This was not, in fact their first attempt at a honeymoon made by the prince and princess.

Their first try, a few weeks after their July wedding was cut short after Prince Albert was caught up in a scandal over whether he had fathered another child outside of marriage.

On that occasion, he flew back from South Africa in order to take a paternity test to push aside the claims.

The Prince already had two children before his marriage to Charlene.

His eldest daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, 31, conceived with American estate agent Tamara Rotolo, and eldest son, Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, 19, whose mother was former Air France air hostess Nicole Coste.

This complicated background can hardly have helped the relationship between Albert and Charlene, which appeared to have been troubled even before the wedding.

There were reports that Charlene had already tried to escape Monaco on no fewer than three separate occasions, one being just two days before their marriage.

It is said that Zimbabwe-born Charlene had tried to leave for South Africa, where she had been living before the engagement, after hearing that Prince Albert had a third love child.

Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back to the country by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant finance.

The supposed 'pact' said that she would be free to leave of her own will once she had provided him with a legitimate heir.

Neither of his children from before the marriage could be heir to the throne because they had been born out of wedlock.

Two years later, the Princess broke her silence on the rumours, denying that she had wished to leave and branding the speculation 'categorical lies'.

Charlene and Albert had twins in 2014: Princess Gabriella and Jacques, the Hereditary Prince of Monaco, seen here on the palace balcony in 2023. They are now eight-years-old

Princess Charlene wipes away the tears after exchanging vows with Prince Albert in 2011

The Prince and Princess have defied speculation and celebrated their 12-year anniversary in July. Here, Albert kisses his Charlene after meeting South African President Jacob Zuma at the start of their 2011 honeymoon. They then spent the night at separate hotels ten miles apart

Photos from their wedding day showed Charlene in tears, leading to rumours once again it was to do with Albert's infidelity, however, years later she said it was because the day had been 'overwhelming'.

She told The Times in an interview: 'There were all the mixed emotions because of the rumours and obviously the tension built up and I burst into tears (immediately after the ceremony).

'And then I burst into tears some more because I was thinking "Oh no, now the whole world has seen me cry''.'

Despite the rocky start, however, the Prince and Princess stayed together and celebrated their 12th anniversary last July.

They gave birth to twins, Princess Gabriella, and Jacques, the Hereditary Prince of Monaco, who are now eight years old.

Yet the rumours persisted and in 2020, the Prince was hit with yet another paternity lawsuit.

Albert had been due to fight the court case in Milan, Italy in February 2021, after a Brazilian woman said she had a daughter as a result of a relationship with Albert in 2005.

But the Prince 'applied for sovereign immunity' leading for the case to be delayed, with his lawyers dismissing the claim as nothing more than a 'hoax'.

Shortly afterwards, in May 2021, the Princess returned to South Africa, where she remained for most of the year, citing ill-health.

The 65-year-old Prince told People magazine that: 'She didn't leave Monaco in a huff! She didn't leave because she was mad at me or at anybody else She didn't go into exile.

'It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated.'

He added that her illness had 'affected them both and it had not been addressed earlier because he was 'concentrating on taking care of the kids'.

The princess had contracted an infection following a sinus lift (an operation that often precedes a dental implant) and bone graft procedure she had undergone.

When asked about the continuing speculation by Monaco Matin magazine the Princess said: 'You want to talk about divorce rumours or my new home in Switzerland... I still find it regrettable that certain media peddle such rumours about my life, my relationship.

The Monaco royal family poses for a photograph at a public event in Monte Carlo in 2022. The Prince had faced yet another paternity claim the previous year. Charlene then left the principality for South Africa - and remained there for months.

'Like everyone else, we are human beings and like all human beings we have emotions, weaknesses, only our family is exposed to the media and the slightest weakness is relayed.'

She added that the couple had discussed these 'malicious articles'.

Reflecting on their first meeting, Charlene - a former Olympic swimmer - told Tatler earlier this year: 'I was in Monte Carlo for a swimming competition when I first met the prince,

'I was 22 and focused. I wasn't in the emotional place for a relationship.

'But the moment I met Albert, I felt a profound sense of destiny. I have been quoted as saying I felt weak at the knees. That is a slightly trite way of phrasing it, but it is true - I knew he was the one.'
She often jets off on luxurious getaways and eats in top restaurants

Emily Ratajkowski's 'best friend' Babs Jeanne has revealed what it's really like to be BFFs with a supermodel - and has given fans a candid glimpse into the star's glamorous life while traveling the world by her side.

Babs, 32, has been pals with Emily, also 32, since long before she was even famous, and she now gets to enjoy the many lavish perks that come with being close to one of the most well-known faces on the planet.

She often jets off on luxurious getaways, stays in five-star resorts, parties in some of the top celebrity hot spots, and eats in the most well-known restaurants alongside her bestie - all while flaunting it on her social media account.

Babs has now become a social media star in her own right, gaining more than 40,000 followers for often sharing an inside look into what it's really like to be a member of Emily's inner circle.

Emily Ratajkowski's best friend Babs Jeanne has revealed what it's really like to be BFFs with a supermodel, giving fans a glimpse into the star's life while traveling the world by her side

Babs, 32, has been pals with Emily, also 32, since before she was even famous, and she now gets to enjoy the many perks that come with being close to the well-known star

She often jets off on luxurious getaways, stays in five-star resorts, parties in some of the top celebrity hot spots, and eats in the most well-known restaurants alongside her bestie

Babs has now become a social media star in her own right, gaining more than 40,000 followers for often sharing an inside look into what it's really like to be a member of Emily's inner circle

She accompanied the podcast host to the Grand Prix in Miami in May, and was with her when she went to Tokyo, Japan, in March (which many will remember is when Emily was seen kissing Harry Styles).

Babs made sure to document the trip on her Instagram, sharing a slew of photos that showed her and Emily wandering the streets of Tokyo, enjoying some sushi together, visiting a slew of museums, and getting drinks in a local bar.

She accompanied the podcast host to the Grand Prix in Miami in May (seen)

She also headed to Paris, France, with the actress last December, where the two eat escargot and drank champagne on the balcony of their hotel, which boasted stunning views of the Eiffel Tower.

In October, they vacationed in Mallorca, Spain, together, during which they wined and dined, soaked up the sun on the beach, and splashed around in the Mediterranean Sea.

Others places that they've visited includes Italy, Grand Cayman island, Turks and Caicos, and Mexico.

Back in August, Babs and Emily even shared a smooch while watching Bad Bunny perform - from the VIP section, of course.

'Last night was ridiculously fun,' Babs wrote alongside a snap that showed her and Emily locking lips.

Babs has also grown close to Emily's two-year-old son, Sylvester, whom she shares with her ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard.

She was also with Emily when she went to Tokyo, Japan, in March (which many will remember is when Emily was seen kissing Harry Styles). They're seen in Tokyo together

Babs made sure to document the trip on her Instagram, sharing a slew of photos that showed her and Emily wandering the streets of Tokyo and getting drinks in a local bar

She also headed to Paris with the actress last December, where the two eat escargot and drank champagne on the balcony of their hotel, which boasted stunning views of the Eiffel Tower

In October, they vacationed in Mallorca, Spain, together, during which they wined and dined, soaked up the sun on the beach, and splashed around in the Mediterranean Sea

'Shoutout to Emily for giving me another best friend,' she captioned a carousel of images last month that showed her and the tot getting some ice cream together.

It seems it was Babs who helped Emily during her split from Sebastian. The two went their separate ways in July 2022, after four years of marriage, amid claims that he was a 'serial cheater.'

Weeks after the news hit the web, Babs, Emily, and her son, along with some other friends, headed off to a secluded house on a farm for a girls trip.

It's unclear where it was located, but images showed the women petting donkeys, sitting on a sprawling porch, and running through a large field.

Others places that they've visited includes Italy (left), Grand Cayman island (right), Turks and Caicos, and Mexico

Back in August, Babs and Emily even shared a smooch while watching Bad Bunny perform - from the VIP section, of course

Babs has also grown close to Emily's two-year-old son, Sylvester (seen together), whom she shares with her ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard

It seems it was Babs who helped Emily during her split from Sebastian. The two went their separate ways in July 2022, after four years of marriage

Weeks after the news hit the web, Babs, Emily, and her son, along with some other friends, headed off to a secluded house on a farm for a girls trip.

It's unclear where it was located, but images showed the women petting donkeys, sitting on a sprawling porch, and running through a large field

While it's not known how Emily and Babs originally met, the two have been sharing snaps with each other since they first created their Instagram accounts in 2011 (seen)

While it's not known how Emily and Babs originally met, the two have been sharing snaps with each other since they first created their Instagram accounts in 2011, so their friendship dates back for at least a decade.

Back in 2017, while sharing a touching tribute to Emily for her birthday, Babs described the author as having a 'heart of gold.

She gushed: 'I'm so grateful for you, our friendship, and the unconditional love you shower me with.'

She shared similar sentiments in 2020 on Emily's birthday, writing, 'Happiest birthday to you, my queen.

'I love and adore you and am beyond grateful for you. You amaze and inspire me daily.'
But his wholesome facade later unraveled before he was convicted of murder

He worked as a nurse at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan for 22 years

A new Hulu series is set to unravel the horrific true story of a male nurse who murdered and dismembered victims from the LGBTQ+ community before dumping their body parts by the side of the road in eerie echoes of Jeffrey Dahmer.

The four-part documentary, titled Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York, focuses on the gruesome crimes of sadistic killer Richard Rogers.

The nurse worked at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan for 22 years - where he specialized in pediatric care for children with heart conditions - but his wholesome facade would soon start to unravel.

As true crime fans get ready for the drama to reach their screens, FEMAIL exposes the disturbing true story which saw Rogers convicted of two murders - and suspected of at least two more.

The series, titled Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York, focuses on the horrific true story of sadistic murderer Richard Rogers

The chilling tale began in the 1980s as reports began to circulate that there was a serial killer targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

In 1988, a 47-year-old man reported Richard Rogers after escaping his clutches and telling police that he had been drugged and attacked.

He told officers that he had blacked out at an apartment before waking up tied to the bed as Rogers beat him, according to the New York Post.

But ultimately Rogers was acquitted in a nonjury trial and was free to roam the streets once again.

Just a few years later, in 1991, investment banker Peter Anderson had been visiting Manhattan from Philadelphia to attend a political fundraiser.

The 54-year-old, who had come out as gay a year earlier, was last seen leaving his hotel late at night.

Days later his body parts were found wrapped in garbage bags and left in trash cans at two rest stops on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Court documents stated that he had suffered 'gaping wounds to his chest' as well as disclosing that his penis had been cut off and placed in his mouth.

The dismembered remains of computer sales representative Thomas Mulcahy, 57, (pictured) who was in New York on business, were also found discarded

Sex worker Anthony Marrero, 44, (pictured) was also one of the victims Rogers was convicted of killing and disposing of his body

The following year the dismembered remains of computer sales representative Thomas Mulcahy, 57, who was in New York on business, were also found discarded in a similar manner.

At the time of his death, he resided with his wife and their four kids in Massachusetts, while also having affairs with men, court documents said.

Medical examiners later determined Mulcahy's cause of death to be multiple stab wounds.

And two further victims - 44-year-old sex worker Anthony Marrero and 56-year-old typesetter Michael Sakara - were identified to have met a similar fate.

But, at a time when hate crimes were on the rise and the AIDS crisis escalated, police were unable to make headway with the investigation.

The spree left many in the LGBTQ+ community living in fear.

Abraham Levy, who worked as a cocktail waiter at a queer bar in the early 90s, previously told the New York Times: 'It was horrible. Every week there seemed to be another body.'

It wasn't until Mulcahy's widow asked police for an update on the case in 1999 - given the advances in forensic technology - that officers were able to finally get a hit.

Investigators had lifted fingerprints from the crime scenes at the time and were stunned after running them through new software that registered a match with Rogers - who had stood trial years earlier.

Allegations against Rogers had first started when he was still a graduate student at the University of Maine in 1973.

Investment banker Peter Anderson (left) and typesetter Michael Sakara (right) were found in similar circumstances but Rogers was never convicted of their killings

The case had eerie echoes to that of Jeffrey Dahmer (pictured) who raped, murdered and cannibalized 17 young men in Wisconsin and Ohio between 1978 and 1991

He stood trial accused of bludgeoning his 22-year-old roommate, Frederick Spencer, to death.

Rogers claimed Spencer had attacked him with a hammer but that in the brawl that followed he had been able to grab it from him before striking Spencer in the head with the weapon eight times.

He then wrapped the body in a nylon tent and dumped it in a wooded area by the side of the road before two cyclists made the gruesome discovery, according to reports.

Rogers claimed he had been acting in self defense and was acquitted after spending six months in jail.

He switched schools and left the area but had given his fingerprints in the process of the investigation, which had remained on record for decades.

Following the match, Rogers was subsequently questioned about the four murders by police - despite many believing there were more victims out there.

In 2005, he was found guilty of murdering Thomas Mulcahy and Anthony Marrero as well as two counts of hindering his own apprehension.

Judge James Citta branded Michael as 'an evil human being' and sentenced him to life in prison.

He was not convicted of the murders of Anderson and Sakara.

Rogers, who was the eldest of five children and is said to have had a stable childhood, has never specifically disclosed his motivations.

The case had eerie echoes to that of Jeffrey Dahmer who raped, murdered and cannibalized 17 young men in Wisconsin and Ohio between 1978 and 1991.

He was convicted in 1992 and murdered in prison two years later at the age of 34.

HBO's four-part series Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York will be released on July 9.
Tiffany, 29, reunited with her socialite pals at a wedding in Italy last weekend

Tiffany Trump has kept out of the spotlight since her wedding last fall, but she made a splash in Italy over the Fourth of July weekend while reuniting with her socialite friends in Florence.

Former President Donald Trump's youngest daughter, 29, and her new husband, Michael Boulos, 25, traveled to Europe to attend the wedding of former 'Rich Kid of Instagram' Karen Shiboleth and British film exec Rory Japp on July 3.

Tiffany was joined by many of her longtime friends, including Peter Brant Jr., who shared videos of her on his Instagram Stories  a throwback to their 'Snap Pack' days in 2016.

As the former first daughter continues her Italian getaway, FEMAIL has lifted the lid on who's who in her inner circle, from art heiress Gaia Matisse to her big sister, Ivanka Trump.

Tiffany Trump, 29, reunited with her socialite friends while attending a wedding in Florence, Italy, over the Fourth of July weekend

The former first daughter was all smiles as she watched former 'Rich Kid of Instagram Karen Shiboleth marry British film exec Rory Japp on July 3

Karen Shiboleth

Karen Shiboleth, 30, is the daughter of international lawyer and investor Amnon Shiboleth and Lynn Krominga, the former head general counsel for Revlon.

Like most of Tiffany's socialite pals, the former 'Rich Kid of Instagram' grew up in New York City and went to private schools.

She stayed in the city for college and attended Columbia University, while Tiffany graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, her father's alma mater.

Karen followed in her own father's footsteps when she attended graduate school at King's College in London to study international law.

In 2017, she made headlines for suing United for $150,000 in punitive damages after allegedly being forced out of her $3,000 business class seat without explanation.

Karen was introduced to her husband, Rory Japp, 33, by London-based DJ Ellie Baker-Harber. They first wed in 2021 after the pandemic forced them to postpone their Italian wedding.

On July 3, the couple threw a lavish second ceremony at Villa di Maiano, a 15th-century estate overlooking the city of Florence.

Tiffany and her husband, Michael, were among the 125 guests, which included socialites Peter Brant Jr., Gaia Matisse, and Makenzie Moon Phelan.

Karen is the daughter of prominent New York lawyers Lynn Krominga and Amnon Shiboleth and a longtime friend of Tiffany's. She is pictured with Tiffany and Michael at their wedding

The aspiring writer is currently working on a 'Gossip Girl'-esque memoir about her privileged Manhattan upbringing

Karen was in her 20s when she and her socialite friends  including Tiffany were famously branded the 'Snap Pack' and the 'Rich Kids of Instagram' in the app's early days.

She reflected on the nicknames in a new interview with People about her one-of-a-kind wedding.

'That was ridiculous,' she said. 'It was just something that a stranger came up with after we posted pics of ourselves at dinners or clubs as kids, and I managed to minimize my exposure on it  until the tabloids reported on my settlement with United Airlines.'

Karen also shared that she is writing a 'Gossip Girl'-esque memoir about her experience attending Manhattan private schools and later working with disgraced art dealer Inigo Philbrick, who was jailed for wire fraud last year.

Her maid of honor, British reality star Victoria Baker-Harber, shares a two-year-old daughter, Gaia Grace, with the fraudster.

Karen was among the guests at Tiffany's wedding to Michael, which was held at the Trump family's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in November.

Peter Brant Jr.

Peter Brant Jr. is the son of billionaire businessman Peter Brant and model Stephanie Seymour

Peter struck a pose with Tiffany, her husband, and their other friends at Karen's wedding

Peter and Tiffany (pictured in 2013) have been friends for years, and their connection started before they were born as their fathers were also childhood pals

Tiffany's connection with Peter Brant Jr. started long before they were born.

Their fathers, former President Donald Trump and billionaire businessman Peter Brant, were childhood friends, although it's unclear if they are still close.

Peter, 29, is the oldest of Peter Sr.'s three children with his second wife, model Stephanie Stephanie Seymour.

The socialite has two younger siblings, a sister, Lily Brant, 18, and a brother, Harry Brant, who died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in 2021, at the age of 24.

Peter also has five surviving half-siblings from his parents' previous marriages. His half-brother Ryan Brant died of cardiac arrest caused by aspiration in 2019, at the age of 47.

While Tiffany was raised in Southern California with her single mother, Marla Maples, he grew up in ritzy Greenwich, Connecticut, and graduated from Greenwich High School.

Peter publicly came out as gay in 2011, and he and his younger brother Harry became famous for experimenting with gender in fashion and beauty.

In 2015, they founded Brant Brothers, a unisex makeup line with MAC.

Peter developed a reputation as being a wild child and has weathered a number of scandals over the years.

In 2012, he came under fire after he joked about killing then-President Barack Obama and was forced to apologize.

Four years later, he was charged with assault after getting into an altercation with a Port Authority officer at JFK Airport.

Peter and Tiffany have remained friends over the years, and she publicly showed her support for him and his family after the loss of his brother in 2021.

He attended her bridal shower and wedding last fall.

Victoria Baker-Harber

British reality star Victoria Baker-Harber, 34, is best known for starring in Made in Chelsea

Victoria has most recently made headlines for her relationship with convicted art dealer Inigo Philbrick, who is the father of her two-year-old daughter, Gaia Grace

Victoria Baker-Harber, 34, shot to fame while starring in the British reality series Made in Chelsea, but there is little known about her wealthy family.

She is the daughter of English commercial lawyer and former Olympic sailor Michael Baker-Harber and his Australian property-developer wife, Anna.

Victoria, who was born and raised in Chelsea, an affluent area of London, made a rare mention of her mother during an interview with the Amber and Smoke blog.

'She has always had a habit of making sure the house is full of flowers, and there are constant scented candles lit all around,' she said of her mom's perfume preferences. 'Foul and unpleasant odors are not permitted. She even spritzes the pets with her favorite room spray!'

Victoria's father passed away in June 2022, and she has four siblings, Christina, Suzy, Ellie, and Sam, according to his death announcement in The Times.

She studied at the London College of Fashion at the University of the Arts and also attended Regent's University in London, one of the few private universities in the United Kingdom.

In 2011, Victoria made her debut on the second season of Made in Chelsea, the UK's version of The Hills. She was known for her biting remarks and friendship with Mark Francis Vandelli, but she left the show in 2020.

It's unclear when she became friends with Tiffany, but they likely met through their mutual pal Karen

Victoria, who served as Karen's maid of honor at her wedding, shared a few photos of herself playfully posing with Tiffany on the night of their friend's rehearsal dinner

She also has her own swimwear brand, Elle-en-Jette, which she said was inspired by Chanel. However, the brand's official Instagram page hasn't had a post since 2018.

Victoria has most recently made headlines for her relationship with convicted fraudster Inigo Philbrick, who is the father of her two-year-old daughter, Gaia Grace.

In May 2022, the former art dealer received a seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud and was ordered to pay $86.7 million in restitution after selling the same valuable masterpieces several times over to different investors.

Victoria is raising her daughter as a single mom while her ex is in jail, but that hasn't stopped her from enjoying her jet-set lifestyle.

It's unclear when she became friends with Tiffany, but they likely met through their mutual pal Karen Shiboleth.

Victoria, who served as Karen's maid of honor at her wedding, shared a few photos of herself playfully posing with Tiffany on the night of their friend's rehearsal dinner.

'Move over Barbie,' she captioned one snapshot.

Gaia Jacquet-Matisse

Gaia Jacquet-Matisse, 30, is the great-great-granddaughter of French painter Henri Matisse

As a former 'Rich Kid of Instagram,' Gaia (pictured with friends in 2015) has spent plenty of time with Tiffany over the years

As the great-great-granddaughter of French painter Henri Matisse, Gaia Jacquet-Matisse may have the most famous surname out of all of Tiffany's socialite friends.

She's also the step-great-granddaughter of artist Marcel Duchamp.

The 30-year-old was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, just west of Paris, to artists Alain Jacquet and Sophie Matisse.

'I feel so lucky to have been raised by artist parents who were so open-minded,' she told Artnet News in 2019. 'I was never pushed into doing something I didnt like, and had the freedom to explore whatever I wanted.'

Gaia grew up in New York City and attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School, a small public school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

She was 15 when her father died of esophageal cancer, and she channeled her grief into Elizabeth Kemps method acting class, according to a 2016 interview with W Magazine.

Mickey Rourke was the one who introduced the aspiring actress to Kemp, who worked with Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, and Hugh Jackman before she died in 2017.

Gaia attended college at the University of California, Santa Barbara before transferring to New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

She has a handful of credits on her IMBD page, with the most recent being her appearance in the 2016 film Forgetting Sandy Glass. She also has her own accessories line, AiA, that she launched in 2018.

As a former 'Rich Kid of Instagram,' she has spent plenty of time with Tiffany over the years and was invited to the former first daughter's wedding last fall. They most recently reunited at their mutual pal Karen Shiboleth's nuptials in Italy.

Makenzie Moon Phelan

Makenzie Moon Phelan is the daughter of art collectors John and Amy Phelan and is an artist herself

Makenzie struck a pose with Peter Brant Jr. at Karen's wedding, where they celebrated until the wee hours of the morning

Tiffany took a selfie with Makenzie and Karen's groom Rory while in Florence with them

Makenzie Moon Phelan is the daughter of art collectors John and Amy Phelan and is an artist herself.

She was born and raised in New York City, but she also spent time at her family's homes in Aspen, Palm Beach, and London.

'Growing up around some of the best examples of contemporary art is an incredible education,' she told The Extravagant in 2019. 'Not only do I get to learn about new artists, but I am able to study the depth behind the individual behind the work, and learn about the material process of an artist.

'It also really helped me embrace my individuality as a person, leaving me unafraid to push boundaries with the way I dressed, or wore my makeup,' she added. 'Growing up around art the way I did also inspired me to let go of any fear of being experimental.'

Makenzie graduated from the Oliverian School, a boarding school in New Hampshire, and later attended the Savannah College of Art and Design. She also studied special effects makeup in Los Angeles before moving back to New York.

The socialite identifies as pansexual and is a philanthropist like her parents, according to her Collxab bio.

Tiffany spent the Fourth of July weekend palling around with Makenzie in Florence, Italy, while they attended their friend Karen Shiboleth's wedding.

Ivanka Trump

Ivanka Trump, 41, paved the way for Tiffany as a socialite, model, businesswoman, and White House senior adviser

Tiffany spent her early years with her older half-siblings - Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric - but she was raised by her mother in Southern California after her parents divorced

The sisters are believed to be close, and Ivanka served as the matron of honor at Tiffany's wedding in November

Tiffany's big sister, Ivanka Trump, has paved the way for her as a socialite, model, businesswoman, and White House senior adviser.

Their father had been married to Ivanka's mother, Ivana Trump, for over a decade and shared three young children with her when he started his highly-publicized affair with Tiffany's mother, Marla Maples, in 1989.

Fresh off his divorce from Ivana, he tied the knot with Marla in 1993, the same year Tiffany was born. They separated just four years later, and their divorce was finalized in 1999.

Donald went on to marry his third wife and future first lady, Melania Trump, nee Knauss, in 2005. They welcomed their son, Barron, the following year.

Tiffany spent her early years with her older half-siblings  Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric  but she was raised by her mother in Southern California after her parents divorced.

Ivanka had a private school education, attending Chapin School in Manhattan before transferring to Choate Rosemary Hall, an elite boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut.

As a teenager, she modeled in her free time and was featured on the cover of Seventeen magazine in May 1997.

Ivanka graduated from Choate in 2000 and attended Georgetown University for two years before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated from the Wharton School with a bachelor's degree in economics.

She was raised Christian, but she converted to Judaism to marry her husband, Jared Kushner, in 2009. They have three children, Arabella, Joseph, Theodore, and are raising them in the same faith.

As a businesswoman, she served as the executive vice president of the Trump Organization and appeared on her father's reality show, The Apprentice.

Ivanka also had her own eponymous fashion, jewelry, and accessories lines that are now defunct. She gave up her life in New York City and moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as an unpaid White House senior adviser in the Trump administration.

After her father left office in January 2021, she moved to Miami, Florida, with her family, where she has largely stayed out of the public eye.

Tiffany followed in her sister's footsteps and relocated to the Sunshine State with her now-husband, Michael, after graduating from law school at Georgetown University in 2020.

Ivanka officially quit politics last November, saying she would not be a part of her father's re-election campaign, but it's unclear if her younger sister plans on stumping for dad.

The mother three doesn't appear to be in any rush to get back to work and has spent the past year traveling the globe.

Despite growing up on opposite coasts, the sisters are believed to be close.

Ivanka served as the matron of honor at Tiffany's wedding in November, and Tiffany recently attended the Bat Mitzvah Ivanka threw for her 11-year-old daughter, Arabella.
The LA-based sugar baby makes up to $63K a month from his sugar daddies

A professional 'sugar baby' has revealed how he became a millionaire at the age of 21 after 'investing' $150,000 turning himself into a 'Human Ken doll' in order to attract more wealthy, older men who spoil him with cash gifts.

Hurricane Garrett, from Los Angeles, grew up in a small religious town in Indiana, with a family who did not accept that he was gay and even sent him to conversion counselling when he was younger.

Hurricane knew that he wanted to get out and move to LA to pursue fame and fortune, and as soon as he graduated high school at 17, he started to build his career.

Now he says he makes up to $63,000 a month from sugar daddies, and his own brands and influencer opportunities  but is in a constant battle against cruel trolls.

Hurricane Garrett, 21, spent $150,000 on rhinoplasty, butt implants and more. The LA-based sugar baby makes up to $63,000 per month from his sugar daddies

Pictured is Hurricane when he was younger. He admits himself that he is 'unrecognizable'

When he was young, LA's culture was 'fascinating to him' because it came off like a 'different world.'

His idols were Mattel dolls Barbie and Ken because of their 'perfect lives,' and that idolization turned into his persona. Growing up for Christmas, he would also request Barbie and Bratz dolls.

His goal was to move to LA and become famous. Because he needed 'quick and good money' fast, he knew that his best bet was to become a sugar baby.

Hurricane got his first sugar daddy when he turned 17 and he moved into his place.

He saved up the money that he received in order to move out to LA. Hurricane achieved that lifelong dream when he turned 18.

As his fortune continued to expand from other sugar daddy payouts, he began the process of 'personifying' himself as a 'sugar baby Ken doll' and his surgeries journey took off - to attract more of them.

Hurricane's first procedure was lip filler and he's become 'addicted' to it. He loves his 'huge lips.'

At 18, he got a rhinoplasty done, which updated his nose. During the same age, he also got cheek filler. The most recent surgery he's undergone is butt implants.

As his fortune kept expanding from the sugar daddy payouts, he began the process of 'personifying' himself as a 'sugar baby Ken doll' and his surgeries journey took off

When it comes to his looks then compared to now, he admits that he's 'unrecognizable.'

Hurricane has spent $150,000 on body enhancements during the last four years. To him, it's 'one hundred percent worth it.'

Just last year, he was making $38,000 monthly and now he make $63,000 in a 'good month' thanks to his sugar daddies.

As well as providing him with money, Hurricane's sugar daddies offer other gifts.

His sugar daddies pay him to attend dinner and even travel with them. So far, he has been to Dubai, Austria and more, and everything was all paid for.

He also uses other platforms and says: 'Having my OnlyFans account, hurricanehub, has definitely helped, as previously it was mainly escorting.'

He has also made money through his perfume line, merchandise, modeling and TV appearances.

He also uses other platforms and says: 'Having my OnlyFans account, hurricanehub, has definitely helped, as previously it was mainly escorting'

He argues: 'I knew I was always very resourceful with money. I'm not really shocked that I have become a millionaire, but it is a shock that it happened while I am this young. It just wasn't an option to be broke.'

Hurricane's end goal is to become an actor. He is currently working on his own reality TV series and will be featured in Netflix's Selling Sunset as he looks for a house to buy, which he will live in with his three pugs.

The sugar baby says appearing on the show has 'always' been his 'ultimate goal.'

He's currently saving every penny and states that he's never paid rent despite having an apartment.

The estimated values of the gifts he's gotten from his sugar daddies - which include cars and clothing - are about $500,000, and the home he is looking for will require a $700,000 down payment.

Despite his success, Hurricane says that he has received his share of negative comments online.

'One of my favorite comments was someone who said, "He doesn't need butt implants, he needs a therapist,"' Hurricane said.

'People have called me body dysmorphic, or said that I am doing this because of unresolved childhood trauma.

'The worst is that some people say flat out to kill myself. I even had to move out of my last apartment because there was a stalker waiting for me outside for ages.'

Hurricane's end goal is to become an actor. He is currently working on his own reality TV series, and will be featured in Netflix's Selling Sunset as he looks for a house to buy

Hurricane added that while his inboxes were flooded with offers from sugar daddies, his romantic life was much quieter.

'Regardless of what people think, I don't [get] around,' Hurricane said.

'I haven't ever had a boyfriend before. I could have a thousand people to sleep with tomorrow, but nobody to be publicly with me.

'My romantic life is so hard, people see me and money and everyone thinks I can be a sugar daddy and pay for them - they use me for my money.

'I feel like it's a sign that I shouldn't be in a relationship at the moment. It's the universe's way of telling me I'm not done yet - I still have more to achieve.'
King Charles and Queen Camilla are thought to sleep in different bedrooms

A restful night's sleep - on one's own - could be the key to the King's successful long-term love with Queen Camilla, a royal expert has speculated.

The monarch, 74, and Camilla, 75, spilt their time between places, and although Buckingham Palace is officially their place of residence, their London base is thought to be Clarence House.

It is not unusual for members of the royal family to retire to different bedrooms for the evening.

The Prince and Princess of Wales slept separately when they lived in Kensington Palace.

And it was speculated that the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip even had rooms in completely different areas of the Palace.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are said to sleep in different beds because of the monarch's back pain

However, it has been said that the reason behind Charles and Camilla separating for the evening is due to the King's health.

He suffers from back pain and it has been speculated that sleeping alone can ease the pain and would therefore be beneficial for the royal.

His son, Prince Harry, wrote about how his father battled 'constant neck and back pain' in his book Spare.

He partly credited the chronic pain to his father's old polo injuries.

In 2021, King Charles himself also admitted that his back was 'not so good' on an episode of Mr Armitage's The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed.

Royal expert Joshua Rom suggested that Charles and Camilla kipped in different rooms because of their 'hectic schedules', as reported in The Mirror.

A source has previously told the Daily Mail that the new monarch and his wife share three bedrooms at Clarence House.

'His Royal Highness has a room with a double bed, decorated to his own taste, then Camilla has her own room with a double bed, decorated just the way she likes it,' says the royal pal.

A source has previously told the Daily Mail that the new monarch and his wife share three bedrooms at Clarence House

It is not unusual for members of the royal family to retire to different bedrooms for the evening

'In addition, they have a shared bedroom with a double bed that they can use whenever they like. The arrangement suits them perfectly.'

But the couple don't just sleep apart at Clarence House, but also when they travel to the countryside in Gloucestershire.

Camilla is also said to have her own room at Highgrove Mansion but she prefers to spend time at Ray Mill as it is closer to her family.

The royals are not the only ones to sleep apart, as it has been reported that around 25 per cent of all US couples sleep in separate bedrooms and four in ten UK couples now sleep apart most nights.

UK sex expert Tracey Cox says that despite the stigma around sleeping separately, choosing to sleep in separate beds could actually improve your love and sex life dramatically.
A young woman who dropped out of university to start a cleaning business has shared why she loves transforming some of the country's dirtiest houses.

Charlotte Bosanquet set up her company Care Cleaning Services so she could work three days a week to support herself through her degree but the side hustle turned into something much bigger.

The 20-year-old found a passion for helping people who have lost control of their homes and loves the thrill of 'getting in there' to provide a satisfying clean in places that have not been maintained in years, sometimes decades.

Between smaller jobs and with the help of her growing social media presence, Charlotte offers to do hoarder cleans free of charge, time and finances permitting.

While many may recoil at the sight of a hoarder's cluttered, dirty home, Charlotte does not judge and understands a myriad of factors can contribute to someone letting their home get to such dire states.

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Charlotte Bosanquet (pictured) set up her own company, Care Cleaning Service, at just 20-years-old and 'loves' transforming hoarder's homes

While many may recoil at the sight of a hoarder's cluttered home, Charlotte doesn'tt judge and understands the factors that can contribute to someone letting their house get to dire states

'I always say the dirtier the better,' the Sydney cleaner told FEMAIL.

'I love knowing the bigger the difference we can make, the better and the more that I can spread awareness that a lot of people do go through this the more likely more people are willing to reach out.'

Before starting her business, Charlotte was holidaying in Fiji when Australia closed its borders and she couldn't return home to her job at another cleaning company.

'I found out that I was fired because they didn't know when I was coming back so I was left without a job when I was living out of home as a broke uni student,' she recalled.

Care Cleaning Services took off to a flying start. Charlotte took a gap year to see if she could run the business full time and she eventually dropped out of uni to make it her sole focus

She was studying a degree in social work criminology and criminal justice and needed a job to fill the remaining three days a week when she wasn't studying.

'I thought to myself, 'I don't really want to learn a whole new job when I have the skill of cleaning under my belt', and I knew the need for cleaning, so I thought I'll start my own thing,' she said.

'I gave myself two weeks to get a good amount of clients and fill up the three days that I wasn't at uni and if that will work then I'd just do that as my part time job.'

Care Cleaning Services took off to a flying start to the point Charlotte took a gap year to test how sustainable running the business full time could be for her and she eventually dropped out of university to make it her sole focus.

She came across her first hoarder clean when a former staff member enlisted her help to organise a family friend's house.

'That first clean was for a mum and her kids and then we did her parents' house when they found out about us which was ten times worse,' she said.

Charlotte started sharing her progress on TikTok and quickly racked up thousands of fans as well as some potential clients.

When Charlotte looks at a hoarder's house, she doesn't see a chaotic mess, she sees an exciting challenge and an opportunity to help someone in need turn over a new leaf

'I started posting about it on social media to spread awareness and a lot of people found us through our videos because they loved the fact that we're not judgemental,' she said.

'They liked that they knew we were coming in and we weren't going to judge and give them a really good rate if we were able to use their home to spread awareness to other people.'

When Charlotte looks at a hoarder's house, she doesn't see a chaotic mess, she sees an exciting challenge and an opportunity to help someone in need turn over a new leaf.

She's cleaned homes caked with dirt with rubbish and belongings piled up to the ceiling and spread across almost every inch of the property.

Her team will work sporadically over weeks and sometime months to clear out and clean the homes so both the workers and the client don't get overwhelmed.

'It really depends not just on how bad the clean is but also about how ready the owners are to actually go through with it,' she explained.

Charlotte is now an expert at making neglected areas in the house shine and shared her top cleaning tip for stubborn dirt. 'My main cleaning back is definitely gumption,' she said

'With some people we come in and they're like, 'Yep, happy to chuck everything away', other people are like, 'No, we look through every single little, tiny thing, I want to keep that', and it takes a lot for some people to let go of those items.'

No job is too daunting for the young cleaner but she draws the line at cockroaches, maggots or rodents.

'They would be my limit where I would say you need to get pet control in first. Apart from that I'm good,' she said.

'One clean, the toilet was really hard to do and overwhelming because it had never been cleaned so that was more confronting than a rubbish pile.'

Charlotte is now an expert at making neglected areas in the house shine and shared her top cleaning tip for stubborn dirt.

'My main cleaning back is definitely gumption,' she said.

'When used correctly it removes almost anything and has been a lifesaver especially in regards to hoarder cleaning and removing tough stains and greasy surfaces.'

The Care Cleaning Services team have uncovered a range of interesting and sometimes valuable items during hoarder cleans from brand new fridges and even an old penny that was potentially worth $40,000.

Her team have uncovered a range of interesting and sometimes valuable items during hoarder cleans from brand new fridges and even an old penny that was potentially worth $40,000

'It's kind of hard to top that. I don't know what happened to that coin very sadly but it was definitely a highlight,' she said.

'There are a lot of antiques and so many new packaged things like microwaves and a brand-new fridge.'

Charlotte's top three tips for getting started on a dirty house Clear away obvious rubbish first. This surprisingly gets rid of a lot more than you would think! Complete in sections. This means you can reduce the chance of getting too overwhelmed and like I said earlier, allows for you to see progress. Buy good quality products , this reduces the time and effort spent cleaning. Abcoe is a great place to start. Advertisement

'All of this stuff that was completely new at the bottom of the pile, it's interesting, you'd expect for it all to be damaged but it was in perfect condition.'

Hoarder homes aren't her bread and butter - Care Cleaning Services mainly does residential and commercial work however Charlotte said her 'end goal' is to do as many life-changing cleans as she can.

She hopes to be able to offer her services free with the help of her growing online following.

A major message Charlotte wants to get convey to the masses on social media is not to judge those who have lost control of their homes.

'I really just try to get across that for the most part it's generational or mental health issues, it's really not laziness and it's sad that people think that but I like to have the perspective that a lot of people just don't understand,' she said.

'I say to people, 'Think before you speak', because a lot of the people whose houses we clean, they do read the comments and it is very discouraging.'

Charlotte's no-judgement ethos has earned her clients who had otherwise been too afraid to reach out for help.

She said seeing people cry and break down over the difference she has made to their living space shows the impact a good clean can make.

'They're just so grateful. You do build a bond with the clients and a lot of them are speechless or crying,' she said

While Charlotte has found her career calling, it's not without its challenges, specifically having to manage staff who are decades older

'Some are more quiet than others an that's okay too. I think it's just shock and the huge relief and weight that has been taken off their shoulders. That's the most rewarding part of it all.'

While Charlotte has found her career calling, it's not without its challenges, specifically having to manage staff who are decades older.

She has eight staff employed of varying ages from 18-years-old and she even had a 70-year-old staffer recently retire.

Through her business, Charlotte said she has found her passion and built up a resilience.

'I've gotten a bit stronger as a person. I'm a lot more thick-skinned than when I started. I can really read people quite well now,' she said.

'It's character building dealing with so many people and personalities but I'm thankful for the process and it's been an awesome journey and I'm excited to see where it goes.'
Indian-Australian actress Shubshri Kandiah has revealed the gruelling journey of being rejected from several performing arts degrees to attaining coveted roles as three different princesses.

Shubshri, who is the star of Disney's new Beauty and the Beast musical in Australia, grew up in Applecross, Perth, and spent her childhood dreaming of being on stage.

The 28-year-old faced alienation and discrimination growing up being the only person of colour at a suburban Catholic school - but Shubshri built a 'sanctuary' around herself and spent her weekends at Indian dance lessons.

Shubshri had to work harder than her peers to establish herself in the industry and she was met with endless discrimination - but her talent spoke for itself and her hard work eventually paid off.

She has now starred as Princess Jasmine in a national tour of Aladdin, Cinderella in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the fairytale, and Cinderella once again in the Belvoir St Theatre production of Into the Woods.

Shubshri, who is the star of Disney's new Beauty and the Beast musical in Australia, grew up in Applecross, Perth, and spent her childhood dreaming of being on stage

Indian-Australian actress Shubshri Kandiah has revealed the gruelling journey of being rejected from several performing arts degrees to attaining coveted roles as three different princesses

The child of two immigrants, Shubshri's parents were shocked when she told them she wanted to drop out of her primary school education degree and pursue a career in musical theatre.

'My parents really wanted me to have a steady income and set myself up for my future,' she said.

'I'm their only child, and the performing arts industry is so unstable - you truly never know when your next job is coming or how long a contract is going to be for.

'They had extremely valid concerns - but at the end of the day, my parents are my biggest supporters and they love seeing me do what I love.'

Shubshri revealed that her love for performing arts began when she could walk, and that she had started taking dance lessons when she turned four years old.

'My family was very involved with the Indian community in Perth,' she said. 'My aunt and mum taught at the Saraswati Mahavidhyala centre for performing arts.

'I felt really connected to my culture through dance and performing, and I'd spend all my weekends with other Indian families at class.'

The 28-year-old faced alienation and discrimination growing up being the only person of colour at a suburban Catholic school - but Shubshri built a 'sanctuary' around herself and spent her weekends at Indian dance lessons

The actress has now starred as Princess Jasmine in a national tour of Aladdin, Cinderella in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the fairytale, and Cinderella once again in the Belvoir St Theatre production of Into the Woods

The actress said that her childhood is one of the reasons it's important for her to see diversity on screen and on stage.

'When you're the only person who looks the way you do, you feel different. It was clear to me that I was the only person of colour and I didn't look like the other girls.

'As a child, feeling like you fit in and like you belong with your peers is so important - and it's something I didn't have at school.

'Now, I want little girls to know that there's someone else out there who looks and sounds like them, which is why I'm so glad there's been such a movement with casting characters [race-blind].'

Despite her recent success, Shubshri struggled to get accepted into a tertiary education performing arts degree, and spent almost three years auditioning for courses.

Shubshri had to work harder than her peers to establish herself in the industry and she was met with endless discrimination - but her talent spoke for itself and her hard work eventually paid off

The child of two immigrants, Shubshri's parents were shocked when she told them she wanted to drop out of her primary school education degree and pursue a career in musical theatre

She was finally accepted into a Bachelor of Musical Theatre at Griffith University's Queensland Conservatorium of Music in 2015, and moved across the country without finishing her teaching degree.

'Deciding to move wasn't hard - it was desperately what I wanted to study and I was so grateful for the opportunity.

'But it hurt my heart to leave my friends and family behind. I had no one in Queensland, and no ties to the Indian community there. It was all completely new to me.

'It was a big change, and my parents were worried about my giving up my teaching degree, but I honestly felt like there was no other option for me.'

Shubshri's first-ever professional role was non-speaking and non-singing for Opera Queensland's production of The Pearlfishers in 2017.

'I landed the role during a point where I was really questioning everything - I didn't know if the industry was for me, or if I really wanted to perform after studying for three years.

'But after the show, I knew it was meant to be. It was such a small role, but I loved being on stage and creating something important.'

Despite her recent success, Shubshri struggled to get accepted into a tertiary education performing arts degree, and spent almost three years auditioning for courses

Eventually, Shubshri found fame and recognition with her roles as Cinderella, Princess Jasmine, and Belle

Even though things were looking up for a while, the pandemic severely impacted Shubshri's career and set her back several years.

'It was really difficult on my career and also mentally - as someone so sure of what I wanted to do, not being able to perform was terrible.

'All my work for the year was cancelled and I had huge contracts lined up that just fell through. I had to work in a restaurant for nine months just to make ends meet.

'I had to deal with such a loss of identity, because being a performer isn't just a job to me, it's my passion. I give it everything I have - I'm constantly on tour, away from my family and friends, but it's a sacrifice I'm happy to make because I love my job.

Shubshri found it hard to describe the loss she felt when she wasn't able to perform.

'It's really different for my partner and for some of my friends - they work to have money, pay the bills, and fund activities outside of work. But that's just not me.'

Shubshri is extremely grateful for the 'brilliant' opportunities she's had so far in her career - and is honoured to have performed as three Disney princesses

Eventually, Shubshri found fame and recognition with her roles as Cinderella, Princess Jasmine, and Belle.

'I always wanted to be a Disney princess, and it's so incredible that I've had so many brilliant opportunities.

'I spent my childhood watching Disney movies and sung their songs so much - it's why I think the music fits so comfortably in my voice. I grew up with them.

'Every Disney princess is admirable and inspirational in their own way, and it's so nice to be part of that representation on stage.'

Disney's brand-new production of Beauty and the Beast now playing at Sydney's Capitol Theatre.
The average flaccid penis size for an adult is usually between three to four inches

Matt was just one of dozens of men unhappy with his penis and who sought genital-enhancement surgery as the solution.

But his dream treatment turned to agonizing ruin, and the 46-year-old told MailOnline he felt like a 'broom handle' had been implanted into his now misshapen penis.

In the end the militarily veteran, from Utah, would have to pay about 250,000 to get the left 'Frankenstein' surgery corrected.

And he's not alone. Dozens of other men are seeking similarly dangerous treatments in pursuit of the perfect penis, being driven by feelings of insecurity in their appearance, or inadequacy in the bedroom.

For some, the mission to have a longer, thicker, or more aesthetically pleasing organ has backfired.

Clinics specialising in such procedures a menu of treatments men seeking a larger package can choose from

Matt, 46-year-old, from Utah, paid 12,500 for a Penuma implant which he claims left him in devastating pain and had it removed five months later

Another man described how silicone implant fractures were found floating inside his shaft just five years after his surgery.

Clinics specialising in such procedures a menu of treatments men seeking a larger package can choose from.

One option, called the Penuma implant, is a silicone structure surgically inserted into the penis, similar to some breast implants.

Other treatments involve cutting an internal ligament in the groin area to make the penis appear longer - while others inject substances like collagen gel and hyaluronic acid to thicken their penis.

Industry experts saw a boom in post-pandemic penis enhancement surgeries they claim is linked to increased porn consumption and WFH policies that allow patients to quietly recover at home.

What are the different penis enlargement procedures There are typically three different types of penis enlargement procedures available to Brits. These include: Penis Enlargement Injections: 1,000 - 2,500 Non-surgical penoplasty involves injecting hyaluronic acid or collagen into the penis to make it thicker and longer. The recommended safe amount is between 10 and 15ml which can increase the girth by 15 per cent. Girth Enlargement Surgery: 2,500 - 6,000+ Fat from other parts of the body are transplanted into the penis to widen it. Surgeons can also put implants into the penis to make it wider when flaccid and erect. This surgery can widen the girth by 0.6 inches (1.5cm) to 1.31 inches (3.35cm) Length Enlargement Surgery: 2,5000 - 6,000+ This only lengthens a flaccid penis, not an erect one. A surgeon cuts the suspensory ligament which attaches the penis to the pubic bone. This drops the angle of the penis, which makes it longer when it's flaccid. This typically lengthens the penis by 0.25 inches (0.65cm) to 0.7 inches (1.8cm). Advertisement

It's not all about size. Some men, like Matt, are merely seeking a more aesthetically-pleasing penis.

After being unhappy with a slight left curve, the 46-year-old thought a 12,500 implant would answer all his genital problems.

The military veteran, from Utah, was left with 'devastating' damage after the procedure in September 2019 backfired.

He has since had to cough up more than 250,000 in further procedures to get his 'manhood' back, getting the Penuma device removed five months later.

Matt, who didnt want to share his surname, claimed his girlfriend said his penis 'felt like a steak knife when having sex' afterwards.

He said it made his penis more 'misshapen' and left him feeling like 'Frankenstein's monster', in excruciating pain and with nowhere to go.

'It felt like a broom handle was implanted inside my penis, he told MailOnline.

I was pacing up and down my apartment every night in pain.

'You don't feel you can have a sexual or intimate partner or experience with the one you love.

'You feel distant, you feel separated, you feel in complete solitude.'

He said that after the op, his swelling and pain didn't go away and he could feel it getting worse every day as the weeks went by.

Matt said the swelling got so bad that his girlfriend, who is a registered nurse, was forced to drain 230ml of fluid from his engorged penis.

But, his problems did not end after the implant went.

Matt said scar tissue had formed over his penis as result of the procedure, constricting blood flow and preventing it from stretching and expanding during an erection. It also left him in agony.

This led him to 'flying around the world' to find a reconstructive surgeon who could help him.

After a horrifying ordeal, Matt said his penis now looks 'OK' and he achieved his original goal of eliminating the curve.

Unlike Matt, Emmanuel Jackson didnt pay to get a bigger penis. Instead, he won free surgery in 2013.

Matt, who didnt want to share his surname, claimed his girlfriend said his penis 'felt like a steak knife when having sex' afterwards

What is a Penuma implant? The Penuma implant is only available in the US. It is a soft c-shaped and medical-grade silicone which is inserted into the penis to correct a curve or enlarge a buried penis. A patient is put under general anesthesia while the surgeon makes a small incision above the base of the penis. The implant is then inserted through the incision along the shaft of the penis. At this time, the surgical implant will be contoured to fit the patient's shape. Once in place, the Penuma is secured by small stitches. A patient must be circumcised before having the procedure and any smokers must quit months in advance. The implant is 270 degrees and wraps around the shaft avoiding the urethra. Surgery typically takes around an hour but the after care can take months. Patients are told they cannot have sex until they are cleared to do so by their doctor, which is at least six to eight weeks after the surgery. Advertisement

But ecstasy turned to agony after the ex-model, then aged 26, was reportedly left with fractures of his silicone implant inside his penis.

For five years he did not report any issues. But, in 2018, medics at the Cleveland Clinic told him that his implant had fractured into pieces which were floating under his skin.

Such extreme pain even led Emmanuel to attempt suicide, according to ProPublica.

Penuma implants can have dangerous side effects, experts say. One surgeon warned they can become infected and kill the skin around the penis.

International Andrologys Professor Amr Raheem said: 'In severe cases of infection, there can be necrosis or death of the penile skin covering the implant.

'This is a severe complication that requires immediate attention and likely removal of the implant to control the infection and prevent further tissue damage.'

He added that those seeking a longer penis from the implant can, ironically, suffer the opposite fate  depending on how it heals.

Called retraction, this sees tissue around the penis contract as it scars during the healing process from the incision.

Penuma implants are the only penis implant surgery approved by the FDA and they are only available in the US.

A spokesperson for Penuma clinics told MailOnline that, as with any cosmetic procedure, penile enhancement came with 'potential risks and rare complications'.

However, they added that thousands of men had used to implant to regain 'their self confidence in and out of the bedroom'.

On Matt's experience they said the patient in question was fully informed of the risks before the surgery and claimed that he failed to follow surgeon's advice on recovering from surgery.

'The patient had unrealistic expectations of surgical healing time and against medical advice, took airline flights and did another elective procedure within a few weeks of his Penuma procedure; this introduced unnecessary risks to his healing,' theys aid.

They added that the patient also missed a scheduled remote follow-up session with their surgeon and the clinic was unable to contact the independent urologist the patient was seeing, despite their best efforts.

On Emmanuel's experience they said this patient hadn't followed post-operative instructions.

'Patients are required to update the clinic on a weekly basis for several weeks following the procedure,' they said.

'The patient stopped communicating with the clinic after the procedure despite several attempts by the clinic by email and phone to reach out to the patient.

'By losing communication with the clinic, the patient put the clinic in an impossible position to provide the requisite support and guidance in his healing process.'

Around 45 per cent of men in the UK are not satisfied with their penis size, according to the NHS.

The health service says average size of an adult penis is 3 to 4in when flaccid, and between 6 to 7in when erect.

Two different types of penis enlargement procedures are available on the NHS and they include lengthening and widening.

But, only men with a micropenis - an organ less than 2.8 inches - are eligible.

Micropenises usually develop in the womb from a hormonal or genetic condition and is typically diagnosed shortly after birth.
Record numbers of households are installing solar panels in an attempt to rein in soaring electricity bills. More than 50,000 fitted them on their roofs in the first three months of this year alone  up by more than 100 per cent on the previous year.

Solar panels are usually a good investment if you plan to stay in your home for at least ten to 15 years after you install them.

This is because it generally takes that long to recoup the initial cost of installation from years of reduced electricity bills. Fitting typically costs around 5,500, or double that with a storage battery that allows you to keep surplus energy to use later.

However, you may not make the money back if you sell up sooner. Some potential buyers may see them as a valuable asset and be willing to pay more for a home with solar panels. Others will not recognise their value and may even pay less for a home with solar panels if they think they are unsightly.

We ask the experts when solar panels can can add to the value of your home  and when they may detract from it.

Added value?: Solar panels are usually a good investment if you plan to stay in your home for at least ten to 15 years after you install them

Keep old energy bills

To make solar panels more desirable to potential buyers, try to keep hold of old energy bills, suggests Jeremy Leaf, a former residential chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) and a North London estate agent.

'We are finding that solar panels don't really make much of a difference to buyers, either encouraging them or putting them off a purchase, unless their benefits can be clearly demonstrated,' he says.

For example, if you can show a buyer energy bills from before and after you installed solar panels, revealing that the panels have cut your bills by several hundred pounds, that could increase the saleability of your home.

He adds that if energy bills remain elevated for months or years to come, solar panels may become more of an attraction to potential buyers. 'At the moment, they are not making that much of a difference, and the response from buyers is fairly neutral,' he says.

However, Christopher Burton, head of sales at estate agents Knight Frank's office in Dulwich, South-East London, is more positive about their appeal.

He says: 'I would suggest that the initial cost of solar panels prohibits owners adding them now just to sell the house, but if they are already installed, it's definitely considered a plus for the majority of buyers in our patch.'

Know your market

Solar panels could increase the value of a typical home by up to two per cent, installer GB Solar estimates. However, the uplift will vary according to the type of property.

Gareth Beard, director of GB Solar, says: 'While there is some evidence that suggests solar panels do increase the value of a home, this varies very much on the area and the relative value of the home.'

Some types of buyer may be more comfortable with buying a property with solar panels than others.

Nigel Bishop is founder of buying agency Recoco Property Search, which specialises in period and Grade-listed properties. 'Such properties are subject to limitations in terms of possible sustainable upgrades,' he says.

'When our buyers do encounter solar panels, however, this has not presented any negative feedback, particularly since homeowners are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of eco-features.' Jeremy Leaf adds that the aesthetics are more of a concern in some areas than others. 'Solar panels in urban or suburban areas tend to deter buyers as they can look really ugly,' he says.

Solar panels can be particularly attractive to buyers in parts of the country where energy bills are among the highest. Andrew Kerr, founder at boiler installer BOXT, says: 'South Scotland was one of the areas worst-affected by electricity bill rises, experiencing a 53.72 per cent increase in just one year.

Unsurprisingly, East Renfrewshire is the UK area with the largest increase in renewable energy installations between 2020 and 2021.' If you are considering installing solar panels, you could ask your local estate agent how that is likely to be viewed by potential buyers should you sell in the years to come.

Growing interest

Solar panels with a battery storage system can be very attractive to buyers committed to keeping their bills down.

Electric vehicle owners similarly may seek out homes with solar panels and a charging point installed. However, as these technologies are still relatively new, there is just a handful of buyers who will be swayed by them. Matt Thompson, head of sales at Chestertons estate agents, believes that, in time, these renewable technologies will become attractive to a greater pool of buyers.

'We encounter an increasing number of buyers who are looking for a property with good eco-credentials or sustainable features,' he says.

'Other buyers may not agree with the aesthetics of solar panels, but the industry continues to develop new concepts such as solar roof tiles, which are a relatively new green energy technology and perhaps visually more attractive to some.'
Householders would be willing to pay 95 on average to ensure their home is burglar-proof over the next 12 months, a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) suggests.

Younger residents are willing to pay significantly more, with 18 to 24-year-olds happy to hand over 238 on average, compared to just 45 for over-65s.

Pet owners would also pay more to make their home burglar-proof. They would fork out 113 on average, compared to 55 for those without pets.

On the lookout: Pet owners would pay more to make their home burglar-proof - they would fork out 113 on average, compared to 55 for those without pets

People living in areas with higher burglary rates are willing to pay significantly more than those in low-risk areas. For example, households in London and the North East would pay 113 on average, while those in Northern Ireland, the South West and Scotland would pay 75, the research carried out for home security system firm Ring found.

Owen Good, head of economic advisory at the CEBR, says UK households would pay a combined 2.7billion per year to guarantee the security of their home.

'In terms of age split, interestingly it's the younger age demographic who are willing to pay the most, potentially as a result of the higher perceived likelihood of burglaries within this group,' he says.

On average, 527 homes were burgled each day in England and Wales last year, data released last week from insurer Churchill revealed.

More than half of those burgled were in the property at the time. The average value of items stolen was 1,368.
Helping hand: Kooth is making a tangible difference, particularly for young people

Not that long ago, mental health problems tended to be brushed under the carpet. Few talked about them. And precious little resources were allocated to them.

Today, mental health issues are among society's biggest problems. According to independent research, 20 per cent of UK and US citizens are diagnosed with some kind of mental illness every year.

The cost of dealing with these problems already exceeds 350 billion and is predicted to become significantly worse by the end of this decade.

Conditions are even more extreme in America, with more than 20 per cent of students aged 14 to 18 admitting that they have seriously considered suicide in the past year.

Faced with what appears to be an escalating crisis, health services on both sides of the Atlantic are searching for answers, preferably without costing the earth.

AIM company Kooth has devised a way forward  offering free online support to those in need of help. Founded in 2001, the group has spent more than 20 years refining its services, from general advice to one-on-one chats with experienced counsellors.

Chief executive Tim Barker floated the business in 2020 with a mission to expand both here and in the US.

When Midas recommended the shares at 3.19 last year, Kooth had already signed contracts with virtually every NHS Trust in the country so that young people could access free advice from Kooth.

Last October, Barker signed his first US contract, offering support for 150,000 schoolchildren in Pennsylvania. Last week, Kooth went much further, with a 150 million, four-year deal in California, providing digital mental health care to six million young people across the state.

Not only will the deal transform Kooth's fortunes  it is also likely to spearhead growth across America. California looked at 450 possible suppliers before choosing Kooth, a ringing endorsement of Barker's services. Other states should follow suit in time.

Analysts have already upgraded forecasts for this year and next, pencilling a 73 per cent increase in sales to 34.8 million this year, rising to at least 65 million in 2024.

The firm will have to spend money on staff and technology upfront so a small loss is predicted for 2023. However, profits of 3.6 million or more are expected the following year with further increases coming in thereafter.

Traditionally, anyone with mental health problems would be sent to a GP, counsellor or some kind of therapist. But demand for these services far outstrips supply, they are costly and many young people, already glued to their phones for hours a day, would prefer to go digital.

Research shows that Kooth's online services work, with more than 70 per cent of users feeling better afterwards.

The firm saves money too. According to economists, every pound spent with Kooth saves the NHS around 3 and benefits are even greater in America, with each dollar spent saving local health services some $12.

Midas verdict: The repercussions of mental illness spread far and wide. Individuals are tormented, families are turned upside-down and fortunes are spent on treatment. Kooth is making a tangible difference, particularly for young people. The shares have risen 5 per cent to 3.34 since Midas recommended them but there is plenty more upside to come. Like Solid State, this is a UK business punching above its weight here and in America. A rewarding stock for existing shareholders and new investors alike.

Traded on: AIM Ticker: KOO Contact: koothplc.com or 020 3398 9048
The list of investment platform Interactive Investor's most popular shares in June contained most of the usual suspects.

Lloyds Banking Group, Legal & General, Vodafone and Glencore all featured high. But an AIM-listed tiddler managed to break through the ranks.

Miner Premier African Minerals was the ninth-most-traded stock after it said it was in talks with a possible partner that would buy materials from a project in Zimbabwe.

Under pressure: For months Rolls-Royce had been the best-performing stock in the FTSE 100

However, one frequent flier dropped out of the mix. Rolls-Royce, whose shares are up almost 60 per cent this year, was missing from the top 10.

For months it had been the best-performing stock in the FTSE 100.

Last week, Barclays said its estimates for Rolls's interims were 'subdued', echoing UBS's verdict. After an absolute bull run, it looks like new-ish boss Tufan Erginbilgic needs to prove he can follow through on his tough talk.

The pressure is on.

Sir Nigel Wilson recalls painful past

Speaking of Legal & General, Sir Nigel Wilson has offered up a painful story from his past.

Wilson, who is coming to the end of his more than decade-long tenure as head of the insurer, quipped recently that he needed better career advice now than he'd had in the past.

'I was approached by Apple many years ago to be chief financial officer,' he told a City event.

'My good friends advised me it was not a good career change. I am about to change career. I would like some new good friends.'

Couple suing Diageo over distillery vapour

Those partial to a dram might think living next to a distillery is a dream come true.

Not so for the Chalmers, a couple who have won the right to sue drinks giant Diageo over claims that ethanol vapour from its Bonnybridge site between Edinburgh and Glasgow has devalued their home.

The emissions escaping from the wooden barrels, known as 'angels' share', can lead to something resembling black mould.

The Chalmers originally raised the case in the Court of Session in Edinburgh seeking 40,000 in damages.

Diageo contested the action, but a move to have it dismissed has been rejected.

The company says it is 'disappointed' by the court's decision and is considering options for an appeal.

Trouble at More Acquisitions AGM?

The word on the street is that things could kick off at tomorrow's annual meeting for More Acquisitions, set up to hunt for and buy a firm focusing on the green transition.

Tensions have been high between a few shareholders and the board ever since a deal to buy Wiltshire-based Megasteel collapsed.

While attention will be on the annual meeting, some investors want an extraordinary, one-off get-together to vote on unseating directors.

There are claims that a notice to requisition a meeting was submitted  but the firm says it has not received a request meeting the basic requirements for it to be processed.

Contributor: John-Paul Ford Rojas
BT chief executive Philip Jansen is 'desperate to leave' and is drawing up plans to quit, according to City sources.

Jansen has led the telecoms giant since 2019 and has launched the company's biggest ever shake-up.

The 12billion business is aiming to slash between 40,000 and 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade in a wide-ranging effort to cut costs.

It is thought that Jansen, 56, is planning to step aside next year from Britain's biggest mobile and broadband provider.

The company is reported to be kicking off a formal search for a successor.

Dialling out? Philip Jansen has led BT since 2019 but is is 'desperate to leave' and is drawing up plans to quit

An announcement could be made as soon as this week.

A source claimed Jansen said he had done all he could at the company and to shift its share price. Since he joined BT, its share price has fallen by more than a third.

Jansen believes that is unacceptable, one source added.

The Mail on Sunday previously reported that headhunters had begun to draw up lists of possible contenders to take over.

The latest developments come days before BT's annual meeting on Thursday.

Jansen's plans to axe a huge chunk of BT's 130,000-strong workforce  which includes 30,000 who are not on staff  came under criticism from unions when it was announced in May.

It was partly controversial because around 10,000 jobs could be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

As well as unveiling a huge turnaround strategy, Jansen is also thought to have had a turbulent time in BT's boardroom. It was widely reported that he clashed with the business's former chairman Jan du Plessis, though the company denied this. Former ITV chief executive Adam Crozier replaced Du Plessis, who had hired Jansen from payments group Worldpay, in 2021.

But Jansen has also had to contend with French billionaire Patrick Drahi building up a 24.5 per cent stake in BT.

Drahi  who also owns the auction house Sotheby's  first began investing through his telecoms group Altice in 2021.

His investment was 'called in' by the Government last year to examine whether it posed a threat to national security. But ministers later concluded there was no need to intervene.

BT's second-largest shareholder is another overseas firm, Germany's Deutsche Telekom. Its chief executive Tim Hoettges has previously said buying a stake in BT was the 'biggest mistake' he ever made after its value plummeted.

Drahi has repeatedly denied that Altice will launch a takeover of BT, which also owns the mobile phone network EE and the full-fibre broadband service Openreach.

A key plank of Jansen's strategy has been the rapid expansion of its fibre internet offering across the UK. Jansen is winding down some of the flagship policies brought in by his predecessor Gavin Patterson, who led the group for six years.

Patterson left when it became clear that investors did not have confidence in him to steer the group through his own turnaround plan.

Jansen's policies have included the sale of part of BT Sport to Warner Bros Discovery for 600million. Jansen is also merging BT's two largest units, the Global and Enterprise arms, and is cutting spending by an additional 500million to 3billion a year by the end of 2025.

Jansen's pay will be under scrutiny at this week's annual general meeting. He earned 3.1million last year, including 1.8million of cash and share awards.

A BT Group spokesman said: 'As normal course of business the BT Board undertakes regular succession planning to ensure it is preparing appropriately for the future.'
Keynote speech: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt

Some of Britain's biggest providers of workplace pensions have pledged to pump more money into home-grown companies in a bid to boost growth.

Aviva and Legal & General are understood to be among pension firms who have offered to invest up to 5 per cent of their assets in so-called 'unlisted equities'  such as start-ups and private equity  by the end of this decade.

The agreement forms part of a package of reforms aimed at kickstarting retirement funds' investment in the economy to be unveiled tomorrow in Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's keynote Mansion House speech in the City. The speech  which is held annually  will be the Government's final set-piece policy announcement before the autumn party conference season.

Hunt will tell an audience of business leaders he wants to enable the financial services sector 'to increase returns for pensioners, improve outcomes for investors and unlock capital for our growth businesses'.

He is also expected to say: 'Everything we do we will seek to secure the best possible outcomes for pension savers, with any changes to investment structures putting their needs first and foremost.'

Hunt wants to channel more of the estimated 3trillion of pensions savings into start-ups, fintechs and other risky assets such as infrastructure and private equity in order to boost returns, especially for younger pension savers.

The Chancellor is also keen to encourage innovative firms to grow and stay in the UK.

The firms signing up to the pledge represent more than half the 700billion defined contribution (DC) market. Unlike 'gold-plated' final salary schemes, DC pensions do not guarantee future retirement payouts and place all the investment risk on the individual rather than the employer.

They have largely replaced final salary pensions, which became unaffordable for most firms.

It follows the recent decision by tech companies such as chip designer Arm to list their shares in New York rather than London. There has also been a dramatic drop in the amount of UK equities held by domestic pension funds over the last two decades, which Hunt is keen to stem. But the Chancellor has stopped short of ordering funds to invest set sums in specific sectors after managers and trustees argued it would clash with their obligations to pension savers.

He is pressing ahead with his proposals despite recent problems at Thames Water where investors such as the 90billion Universities Superannuation Scheme face being wiped out if the debt-laden firm is taken back into public ownership.

DC pensions have been boosted by the success of auto-enrolment, which has seen more than 10 million workers enrol in retirement schemes for the first time.

But the amounts saved are relatively small because contributions are much lower than under final salary schemes.

The Government wants to boost pension pots, especially for younger savers, by encouraging investment in assets that offer higher returns over the long-term.

However, critics say that comes with the higher risk of savers losing money as most start-ups, for example, fail. They also argue there is little evidence that growth companies of the future lack access to capital today.

The Chancellor will also launch a consultation to compel the Local Government Pension Scheme, which has more than 6 million members, to go further in pooling the 360billion of assets that belong to 86 local authorities.
Sage has called for the Government to launch a fund of up to 350million to encourage small firms to invest in new technology.

The software giant claims 230billion could be added to the economy each year if smaller businesses adopted time-saving tech such as digital invoicing, as it would make them more productive.

A one-year Small Business Digital Growth Fund that would allow businesses to buy software and offset it against their corporation tax bill  based on a similar scheme in Australia  would cost between 300million to 350million, the FTSE 100 giant estimates.

'We can't just do nothing and wait,' says Sage boss about businesses improving their tech

The fund is among a series of policy proposals outlined in a strategy that Sage presented to senior politicians last month.

The company, which employs 11,000 worldwide and is worth almost 10billion, warned Britain risks falling behind other hi-tech nations in the race to go digital.

'What we are saying to government is that we can't just do nothing and wait,' Sage boss Steve Hare told the Mail on Sunday.

'These companies power over half our GDP and if you want Britain to grow, then you need small and mid-sized businesses to grow.'

'If you're not in the digital economy in the future, you won't be in the economy.'

His comments were echoed by IBM's UK-based boss, Nicola Hodson, who said: 'Small and medium-sized companies are the backbone of the UK economy, supporting millions of jobs and providing tax revenues that help fund public services like the NHS. It's vital that they adopt transformative tech.'
Troubled fintech firm Revolut has suffered a fresh blow after it was reported that a flaw in its payments system in the US allowed criminals to steal 18m of its funds.

The money was drained over several months last year before it was able to close the loophole, according to the FT.

The revelation piles further pressure on a business that was once described by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as a 'shining example' of Britain's 'world beating fintech sector'.

Blow: The revelation piles further pressure on a business that was once described by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as a 'shining example' of Britain's 'world beating fintech sector'

Back in March, it presented a bullish front as it reported its first-ever annual profit when it published a delayed set of results for 2021 and said that it expected a UK banking licence would be granted 'imminently'.

But its fortunes began to unravel almost immediately as auditor BDO said three-quarters of its revenues could not be verified and may have been misstated. And four months later the licence still has not come.

The latest glitch came about as a result of the difference between European and US payments systems, according to the FT. That meant that when certain transactions were declined Revolut would erroneously refund accounts  effectively handing them its own money  sources told the newspaper.

Revolut was said to have recovered some of the money but was still left with a net loss of around 16m.

The company declined to comment.
Residents living in a swanky Manhattan apartment building where rent costs up to $8,000 a month say they've been left 'terrified' after a spate of robberies - including one incident where a resident caught an underwear-clad stranger in her bed.

The Sky Towers building in Midtown has been targeted by thieves at least 14 times in between March and June, the NYPD has confirmed.

Two people allegedly responsible for five of the robberies have been arrested, but cops are still hunting for burglars involved in the nine other incidents. A spokesperson for The Moinian Group, which owns the building, said there have been no incidents in the past month.

But five women told DailyMail.com that security at the luxury building - where rents range from $3,850 for a studio to $8,000 for a two-bedroom - has been lax, with one filming a security guard asleep on the job. They also claimed that they were not told about the burglaries until June 2.

A group of at least 45 residents have now formed a chat group - dubbed 'Skyisunsafe' - where they are now gathering information about robberies to pursue legal action against the building's owners, the The Moinian Group.

One resident, who hasn't been identified, told the group that she arrived home to find a stranger clad in underwear in her bed. Photos of the woman were circulated by the NYPD.

Sky Towers resident Jordana Najjar, 26, said her two-bedroom apartment was broken into on Memorial Day weekend. She told DailyMail.com that she is terrified and was forced to install her own security system that was more than $1,000

Residents living in a swanky Manhattan apartment building where rent costs up to $10,000 a month say they've been left 'terrified' after a spate of robberies - including one incident where a resident caught an underwear-clad stranger in her bed

Sky Towers, a luxury building located at 605 East 42nd Street is owned by real estate investment company, The Moinian Group

A photo of a studio apartments in Sky Towers. Rents in the building range from $3,850 for a studio to $8,000 for a two-bedroom

Jordana Najjar, 26, told DailyMail.com that her apartment was broken into on May 28 while she was asleep in her bedroom. She said when she woke up, the door to her apartment had been opened and her laptop, a backpack and a pair of shoes had been taken.

'The police told me there were people living in the building in vacant units and that they had caught two of the suspects, but told me there were others that hadn't been been caught yet,' the real estate agent said.

'I don't feel safe in my home anymore,' Najjar said. 'I am scared they are going to come back.'

Najjar said that she has spent $1,000 to install a security system in her apartment after being told by cops that the surveillance equipment in the building didn't work.

Another resident in her 20s, who did not want to be named, said that her studio apartment was broken into while she was away on vacation in Europe.

She said nearly $30,000 worth of designer clothing, shoes and handbags had been stolen - along with her family heirlooms and a wedding ring that belonged to her mother.

'I am devastated ... I can't replace that.

'They went through all my dresser drawers and stole all the high priced items. They took the two large suitcases I keep under my bed stuffed it with all my clothes and rolled it out the door,' she said.

The woman filed a police report on June 7, and claims that management never got back to her after she informed them. She has since moved to a different building.

Another resident, who only wanted to be identified by her first name, Megan, said that although she wasn't robbed, she feels unsafe.

'I am a young single woman living alone New York and I am terrified. We are paying such high rents and this is really upsetting and shocking.'

One of the young woman in the building whose studio apartment was burglarized while she was away on a month-long holiday told DailyMail.com all her designer clothes and jewerly was stolen including, her mother's diamond wedding ring (pictured), that she cherished

The photo shows a now-empty wooden jewlery box that was filled with rings and family heirlooms. The resident was devastated that her mother's wedding ring handed down to her was stolen too. The thieves only left one ring behind

A tenant in the building took a video of the night security guard sleeping on the job in the stairwell of the building. She sent the video to building managment and she claimed the man was fired the next day

On June 2, Sky Tower management emailed a letter to the tenants informing them they were aware of the burglaries and were looking into them.

A doorman, who worked at Sky Towers on the overnight shift from 2019 to 2022, who also acted a secuity guard and concierge told DailyMail.com that the robberies had also been going on when he worked at the luxury building when he was there.

'I was one person trying to protect 1,200 residents,' he said.

He described the experience as 'hellish'.

He said three revolving doors are in the lobby of the building and there is one back door that can be accessed with a key fob.

He said since the cameras don't work people are able to slip in through the door making it even scary for him.

He recalled one night when someone into the building and nearly attacked him with a crowbar. And, in another instance, someone gained access and was living in a vacant unit for weeks without anyone knowing it.

It is unclear how many security guards that on duty during the day and evening shifts, however, one female resident shared images of an overnight guard sleeping on the job while she was leaving for work before 5am on May 22.

It's understood the guard was fired the next day after she reported the incident to management.

One person wrote a review about the crime taking place in the building but pointed out that the front desk staff are friendly and hard working

Building management responded to Ray's review apologizing and saying the safety of its residents is their utmost priority

Lucky Plath gave a one-star review that appeared on Google warning others of the conditions at Sky Towers condeming management: 'Shame On You Moinian!'

Another person 'anyone could access any floor by using a service elevator and there is no security camera in that area'

The apartment building's listing on Google is littered with bad reviews, with residents saying that there are 'serious issues with security'.

Another resident said they saw police handcuff a thief out of the building and wondered how the thief even got into the building.

'Are they a group? After a week management still has no response. Really hope we have a more professional team here as they always pretend nothing happened,' the resident wrote.

However, they added that the front desk staff were hard working and friendly. Management responded to the review stating that safety was its 'utmost priority'.

Another disgruntled tenant called Sky Towers 'fake luxury, and issued a warning: 'Do not live here. Cameras dont' work. Serious issues with security and reprimanded the management company, 'Shame On You Moinian!'

Moinian Group-Sky Towers spokesperson John Marino denied that cameras in the building didn't work and said that it is staffed with at least two security guards.

'Our management team at Sky has been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of all of our residents, despite the fact that we are dealing with an unprecedented surge in crime throughout all neighborhoods in New York City,' he said.

'As unfortunate as these isolated incidents were, we're grateful that no one was physically injured as a result. We have in the past and will continue to work with leading private experts and the NYPD to ensure that our security is above the standards of Class A rental buildings in Manhattan.

The building works with a third-party vendor which handles security.

He added that a security consultant has since been hired 'out of an abundance of caution'.
She has since become a vocal opponent of Canada's relaxed euthanasia laws - including to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder

Kelsi Sheren enlisted in the Canadian military, aged 19, and was sent to Afghanistan - a harrowing experience that left her with severe PTSD

Army veteran Kelsi Sheren was a fresh-faced 19-year-old when she first set foot on the combat field in Afghanistan. It proved to be a life-altering experience.

Six months later the Canadian artillery gunner was 'still shaking' on a military helicopter heading home after witnessing one of her comrades being blown to pieces after he set off an IED in the field as their battalion moved from compound to compound.

'That was my first exposure to watching someone die. And that was my first exposure to having to clean up what was left of someone,' Sheren told DailyMail.com.

The experience, she says, 'broke part of my brain'. It took witnessing that horrific death 'for the reality of what we were doing to hit'. She was plagued by the memory of scrubbing her comrade's remains off her hands - all the while ducking heavy fire.

Once home, she turned to therapy - and realized she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sheren made it her mission to help other veterans and has been an outspoken critic of the Canadian government's relaxed attitude to euthanasia - including its push to make it available to veterans plagued by PTSD.

'It's disgusting and it's unacceptable,' she said, arguing that authorities would rather euthanize a soldier than foot the bill for their recovery.

Kelsi Sheren (pictured) was just 19 when she enlisted in the Canadian military. What she witnessed left her with PTSD

Canada has the world's most permissive assisted suicide program. The country is on track to record some 13,500 state-sanctioned suicides in 2022, a 34 percent rise on the 10,064 in 2021, according to Canada's Euthanasia Prevention Coalition's analysis of official data.

Canada's politicians are currently weighing whether to expand access to include children and the mentally ill.

Critics have argued the approach is a 'slippery slope' in a country where red tape makes it easier to access doctor-assisted suicide than it is to access benefits and help.

Sheren is enraged by the 'unacceptable' and 'infuriating' law. She says she personally knows almost a dozen veterans who have been offered euthanasia by authorities, a 'disgusting' approach to 'people who were willing to put their lives on the line... then you have the audacity to tell them it's better if you just die'.

Sheren, pictured with a soldier in Afghanistan, said she relished being so young in the military because she 'loved being the underdog' - but a horrific incident where she witnessed a British serviceman being blown to pieces by an IED changed the course of her life and in the years since she has made it her mission to help other veterans

As one of the only women in a male-dominated world, Sheren said she was sent on missions to be 'cultural support' in Afghanistan

Sheren - whose experience is detailed in her new book, 'Brass and Unity', published by Knox Press on July 11 - has made it her mission to help other veterans.

Her ordeal began as an aimless 19-year-old in 2009, when she enlisted in the army to find purpose in her life. She immediately knew, however, that her experience would be daunting in the male-dominated military.

'I knew there was going to be a point in time where I was going to have to show up in a different way than most people would,' she said. 'But it was exciting to me.'

As a high-level Taekwondo fighter before her military days, Sheren said she 'loved the challenge' and relished the chance to 'be the underdog'.

But while on a mission with the British military in Afghanistan in 2009 - which she only joined because the team needed a female 'cultural support' officer - her life would change forever.

The battalion was moving from compound to compound under heavy fire, with Sheren acting as an artillery gunner to keep the enemy at bay.

As the crew approached a dirt road, one British soldier moved ahead of the pack, sweeping the area with a metal detector before the others moved through.

When he brushed a stack of logs, a hidden IED exploded.

'We were fighting an enemy that wanted every single one of us dead... by any means necessary,' Sheren recalled.

Sheren (right) said one of her first symptoms of PTSD was the loss of her empathy and patience

In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, Sheren knew something was wrong. She felt panicked and confused, and screamed uncontrollably when she struggled to wash the fallen soldier's blood from her hands.

From that moment, she admitted, 'the rest of the operation was very different'.

As the team pushed on to the next village, Sheren said she became distinctly aware her mindset had shifted negatively, without realizing it was the first symptoms of PTSD.

'I very well knew the way I was feeling and acting towards Afghan people now was disproportionately angry and violent,' she continued. 'My compassion, care, empathy, patience - it was all gone.'

Sheren's harrowing ordeal is detailed in her new book 'Brass and Unity', set for release on July 11

When she returned home to Vancouver from Afghanistan, Sheren was met with a wave of emotions, unsure how to grapple with her new reality under the shadow of post-traumatic stress disorder.

She said she simply 'couldn't really feel anything', and when she checked-in with herself, she drew a blank. 'I wasn't happy. I wasn't sad. I wasn't tired. I was just enraged,' she said.

Sheren said she was first offered a fleet of pharmaceuticals designed to mellow her out or put her to sleep, but the drugs sent her off balance and she quickly knew they were not for her.

Instead, she set about testing several therapy techniques with varying success.

Notably, she claimed experimenting with psychedelic drugs was particularly helpful, as it helped her break down her mental barriers and understand her illness.

Her main outlet, however, proved to be art therapy, with the objective nature of the craft allowing her to 'shut my brain down' and focus on what was right in front of her.

After making bracelets from bullet casings, Kelsi decided to launch a business - which quickly grew and was backed by celebrity clients.

She now counts numerous A-listers, such as Ellen DeGeneres, Beth Behrs and Kevin Hart, among her fans - the latter whom she credits to her success after a chance meeting.

Hart advised her to change the name of her business from 'Wearables' to appeal to male clientele. She came up with 'Brass and Unity', and the name has since spawned a growing following, a podcast, and, now, her book.

Sheren (right) is pictured with actress Beth Behrs (left) showing off her bullet casing bracelets

Sheren credits her business success to comedian Kevin Hart after a chance encounter

After overcoming her own mental health battle to build a new life for herself, Sheren has focused on helping others.

Her current fight is at home in Canada, against permissive euthanasia laws. The practice has been legal since 2016, and it has been aggressively expanded to over 10,000 'assisted suicides' in 2021.

But Sheren said she personally knows almost a dozen former military servicemen who have been offered euthanasia by authorities, which she slammed as 'disgusting.'

'When you take people who were willing to put their lives on the line for you, for your safety, then you have the audacity to tell them its better if you just die... it is one of the most disgusting things,' she said.

'It's unacceptable, and it is one of the most infuriating things to come down from the Canadian administration in the last decade.'

Canada is on track to record some 13,500 doctor-assisted suicides in 2022

Other critics of euthanasia are sounding the alarm about Australia and the Netherlands, as well as Canada, where assisted suicides are becoming easier to access.

The warning comes on the heels of revelations that the Netherlands euthanizes otherwise healthy people with autism, and as Australian officials debate whether to let children as young as 14 end their lives in the nation's capital.

Matt Valliere, director of the Patients' Rights Action Fund, a campaign group, said the mostly western governments that allow assisted suicides send the message that 'people with certain disabilities are better off dead.'

'Every expansion of assisted suicide and euthanasia simply adds additional subsets of people with disabilities to the group of those who qualify or makes it easier, quicker, or cheaper for them to get it,' Valliere told DailyMail.com.

People who need support are shunted into a 'utilitarian death-funnel,' he added.

Euthanasia is legal in seven countries  Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain  plus several states in Australia

Euthanasia, a lethal injection administered by a doctor, is legal in seven countries  Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain  plus several states in Australia.

Other jurisdictions, including a growing number of US states, allow doctor-assisted suicide  where patients take the drug themselves, typically crushing up and drinking a lethal dose of pills prescribed by a physician.

The numbers of people opting for assisted suicides has risen steadily in the countries where it's allowed.

The Netherlands in 2002 became the world's first country to allow doctors to kill patients, at their request, if strict conditions were met.

Nearly 60,000 opted for the procedure between 2012 and 2021, official figures show.
An historic stately home's grounds are closed and face 20,000 of repairs - after an Indiana Jones-style bid from treasure hunters tried to access cellars searching for his fabled fortunes.

Forestry England have been forced to swoop in to put a ring of steel around Errwood Hall in the Goyt Valley to try and fend off the unwanted visitors.

The most recent damage to the premises was discovered last month where two of the ruins' original steps were removed.

And experts near the site in Buxton, Derbyshire, believe the damage was done in an effort to get into the former hall's cellars.

Local folklore, reported online, suggests 'Rumours of the wealth of the Grimshawe family still hidden in the cellars'.

This is the spot that suspected raiders smashed through to try and gain access to the cellars

Errwood Hall. circa 1920, still complete in all of its splendour before it was reduced to ruins

These steps which a located just beyond the site entrance were removed in an effort to get into the cellars

But David Stirling, who runs the Goyt Valley website, said: 'I know there's nothing there to see.

'So it's frustrating that someone else's stupidity ruins things for the rest of us.

'its ridiculous to think there may be anything valuable still down there. '

The suspected attempt to gain access to the underground of the ruins sounds like it could be straight out of an Indiana Jones film.

Of course the Harrison Ford-played character has entirely honourable motives in his escapades and is well known for the phrase 'It belongs in a museum'.

The hall and grounds were owned by the wealthy Grimshawe Family. Pictured here is Mary Grimshawe in 1900, the daughter of Samuel and Jessie Grimshawe. Gerald Hancock Collection

A ring of steel fences has now been put up around Errwood Hall to stop people getting in

The ruins are going to be repaired as part of some 20,000 of work in the Goyt Valley site

The remains of Errwood Hall has also been plagued with anti-social behavior over the years, which have even included illegal raves.

Errwood Hall was built in 1840 after rich industrialist Samuel Grimshawe purchased the estate eight years earlier.

He and his family were so wealthy they were said to have 'enjoyed a rich and abundant life there' which even included foreign travel on their own yacht.

They and their descendants lived there but in 1930 when his last surviving relatives died it was bought Stockport Corporation and twin reservoirs were built.

Errwood Hall in 1930 around the time when the property was about to become demolished

These pictures of the ruins show the damage to the historic stonework that was once the hall

Forestry England moved to protect the site from vandals and troublemakers after attack spate

But a private vault and cemetery are still there, which may have fueled rumours of wealth being underground, as well as tales of tunnels leading to an old coal mine.

The Goyt Valley is now managed by Forestry England on behalf of current owners United Utilities.

It says it has managed to secure more than 20,000 for the repair work on the site now it has been closed off with metal fencing.

Forestry England told MailOnline: 'Sadly, anti-social behaviour and vandalism have been a persistent problem in the Goyt Valley, a beautiful landscape which Forestry England manages, working in partnership with the Peak District National Park Authority and United Utilities.

Signs and fencing are dotted around the perimeter of the site to fend off unwanted visitors

This ornate masonry work can be seen at the site still among the ruins and will be preserved

Huge amounts of metal fencing can be seen stacked at the already secure site in Goyt Valley

The extra fencing suggests even more security is going to be added to make the site secure

'The historic ruins of Errwood Hall need repairing following vandalism which has been ongoing since last year.

'Scheduling the repair work needed has been delayed because erosion on the track leading up to the hall made it in accessible, even for four-wheel drive vehicles, so contractors were unable to start work.

'We now have the money to repair the track and have begun this work using a local specialist company. Once that's done, we will look at beginning the stonework repairs needed to Errwood Hall itself.

'In the longer term we will continue to work with our partners to tackle the problems of vandalism and anti-social behaviour and encourage visitors to enjoy and respect this special landscape.'
Concerned parents have reported an art teacher to the school's head of year after she suggested to a class of 11 and 12 year old girls they could lose their virginity in a hotel or an outdoor location.

The remarks were said to have been made during a Personal, Social, Health and Economics lesson, known more commonly as PSHE.

Year 7 pupils - who are aged between 11 and 12 - at the independent secondary school, which is in East Yorkshire, were being taught about relationships when the comments were made.

The female teacher leading the class, who also teaches art, was reported to have asked them where they would like to have sex for the first time when they were 16.

She then suggested various locations including a hotel, their bedroom and even outdoors as possible places.

Parents were stunned after daughter came home and told them about the class (stock pic)

Daughter said teacher suggested first time sex might be in a hotel or outside (stock pic)

At least one girl in the class alerted her parents to what had happened and said her classmates had all been 'appalled'.

And the suggestion of a hotel as a location for sex is particularly troubling given criminal cases where groomers have used them to abuse youngsters.

The mother of one of the girls told MailOnline: 'The teacher, who is actually an art teacher and I don't think she has any qualifications to be teaching children about sex and relationships, asked the children where they would like to have sex for the first time and suggested various locations including a hotel.

'She did say this would be when they were 16 or older but my daughter was horrified.

'She and most of her friends haven't even started their periods yet and find talking about puberty incredibly awkward and embarrassing.

'We are in the process of contacting the head of year and speaking to other parents about what has happened.'

YouTuber Jack Lynch told children at Meadhurst Primary School that they could identify as any gender they want

A source from the school in Surrey said that Lynch deviated from the agreed topics in the speech

Details on the class come amid growing concerns about what children are being taught in schools about sex.

Last month parents slammed a primary school after their children aged nine to 11 were told during a speech by a LGBT+ YouTuber that they could identify as any gender they want.

The head of Meadhurst Primary School in Ashford, Surrey, was forced to issue an embarrassing apology after the controversial talk about equality and diversity 'exceeded content we were expecting'.

Parents told of their astonishment after their children came home asking 'awkward' questions about gender following the workshop.

One mother who asked not to be named, said: 'We had no idea our children were going to be told they could identify as any gender.

'All he has done is confuse very young children and its outrageous that he is allowed into schools to peddle nonsense.'

This latest controversy was reported to have happened in a school in East Yorkshire.

The Family Education Trust, a group researching causes and consequences of family breakdown, said it was concerned to hear about the lesson.

A spokesperson said: 'We feel it's highly inappropriate for a teacher to be talking to 11 to 12-year-old children about having sex in this content.

'It's unnecessary and is sexualising children, putting them at risk of sexual abuse.'
A young mum has been dealt another crushing blow weeks after being told she had cervical cancer when her baby girl was just 10 days old.

Taylor Johnston and her husband Jesse, both 29, were over the moon when they welcomed daughter Billie into the world on May 19 after a three-and-a-half-year battle trying to conceive and several rounds of IVF.

The Melbourne couple's world came crashing down days later when Taylor was told she had cervical cancer.

But more devastating news was to come which has left Ms Johnston's future uncertain and left her in a desperate fight for her life.

PET scans recently revealed she also has a rare bone marrow cancer which has spread, with doctors unable to find where the cancer has grown from.

Ms Johnston has been forced to spend weeks in hospital away from her baby girl as she begins a gruelling first round of chemotherapy, and it will be at least another fortnight before she can finally go home.

Taylor Johnston welcomed Billie Mae into the world after a 25-hour labour and emergency C-section

Taylor and her husband Jesse (pictured together) were delighted to become pregnant after trying three-and-a-half years to conceive

'Hers is such a rare case that doctors haven't actually found the primary cancer,' her husband told Daily Mail Australia.

'We had to stop all the waiting around for tests and just begin treatment because we don't know how much time we've got.'

He has taken time off work to care for Billie and his wife.

While cervical cancer can be effectively treated when detected early, many forms of bone marrow cancer are aggressive and have no cure.

Due to the rare nature of Ms Johnston's cancer, doctors won't be able to give a prognosis on her chances of survival until 4-5 months of chemotherapy.

Ms Johnston had no idea anything was wrong during her pregnancy until the midwife noticed polyps (projecting growths of tissue) on her cervix during the 25-hour labour.

She required an emergency C-section and blood transfusion.

The biopsy results brought devastating news 10 days later.

'It was hard news to take,' Mr Johnston recalled.

'Having a newborn baby was hard enough, let alone cancer. We went through a lot of shock the first few days which turned to emotional.'

The shock diagnosis was followed by weeks of extensive hospital appointments, MRIs, PET scans and the dreaded unknown until tests revealed worse news last week.

Taylor was diagnosed with cervical cancer when baby Billie was 10-days-old

Taylor (pictured in hospital) recently found out she also has a rare form of bone marrow cancer

Ms Johnston remains in hospital as she begins chemotherapy.

'Taylor is shattered about being separated from Billie and feels like she's missing out on that bond,' Mr Johnston said.

'I'm not working at the moment as I'm looking after Billie and preparing for when Taylor comes home, when I'll be taking care of both of them at the same time.'

'The one positive thing is that Billie has settled into a routine.'

The family is stuck in limbo until they find out how the cancer responds to chemotherapy.

'It would be almost easier if we knew what the outlook was,' Mr Johnston said.

Despite weeks of unknown ahead of them, the Johnstons are trying to stay positive.

'It's been overwhelming and a struggle with a lot to take on but Taylor has always had a positive mindset,' her husband said.

'Although it's extremely hard, all we can do is stay positive and cross our fingers for the best.'

'The only thing now is hope that Taylor's body responds to the chemo. We would love for her to lead a healthy life or at least give her as much time as possible.'

Jesse and Taylor Johnston (pictured on their wedding day in March 2022) have been together for 12 years

Taylor Johnston is finding it hard being separated from her miracle baby Billie

Ms Johnston wanted to share her story to encourage other women to get regular check-ups and go to the doctor if something doesn't feel right.

The couple spent two-and-half years trying to conceive naturally before undergoing several rounds of IVF.

'It was amazing moment to find out we were expecting as it had been a massive journey to get there,' Mr Johnston said.

'Taylor had a really good pregnancy. She had morning sickness the first trimester. The second was cruisy and there were no signs to suggest anything was wrong in the final months.'

'Taylor has been good with her pap smear check-ups so we were shocked that nothing was picked up.'

Taylor and Jesse Johnston were excited about the future until their world turned upside down six weeks ago

Jesse has taken time off work to look after his wife and baby daughter Billie (pictured)

Mr Johnston's sister Lani has set up an online fundraiser to help the family in the challenging months ahead.

'Jesse is unable to work. Taylor is unable to be the mother she wants to be to her newborn baby. She is unable to have her baby by her side overnight whilst she goes through chemotherapy. Any mothers worst nightmare,' the page states.

'This family need you. They need your help and support. Its time that we help and give back to these two that have given to so many of us in our community.'

The family are grateful for the overwhelming support received with almost $45,000 already raised.

'We knew our friends would rally behind us but to have complete strangers give support has been mindblowing,' Mr Johnson said.

His sister added: 'The support has help keep Taylor's spirits up.'

Brave Taylor (pictured in hospital) has been left sore and bruised after her first round of chemotherapy this week
William Tyrrell's biological mother has given birth to a little girl, and her name is a nod to her missing son.

The 35-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is trying to start afresh and leave behind her troubled past and the trauma of her boy's disappearance and presumed death.

The mother gave birth to her new baby just before Christmas last year, some eight years after her eldest son disappeared.

The child's name cannot be printed for legal reasons.

The new baby, who is now about six months old, was born to the stay-at-home mum, from Sydney's north-west, more than a decade after she gave birth to William on her 23rd birthday in June 2011.

Friends described the baby girl as 'absolutely precious'.

William, who vanished without trace while in the care of his foster parents at Kendall on the NSW mid-north coast in September 2014, would have celebrated his 12th birthday two weeks ago, just as his mum turned 35.

In the hours following William's disappearance, the toddler's birth mother endured a police search of her home in Blacktown, western Sydney, which she shared with her then partner, William's biological father.

William Tyrrell's birth mother has welcomed a baby daughter and given her a name which is a nod to he missing son who vanished nine years ago while in foster care

The 35-year-old' new baby girl has a name which is a nod to the infant's missing older brother

The parents were blameless in what came to be a suspected abduction by police, who have more recently focused on William's foster mother as a person of interest and recommended that she be charged with perverting the course of justice and interfering with a corpse.

The foster mum has been under intense scrutiny from NSW Police over the past 12 months, some nine years after William went missing.

But William's birth mother has revealed her heartbreak and agony over the mystery of her missing child, saying in 2016 'I felt like I was the worst mum in the world' when William vanished.

The mother gave birth to her new baby just before Christmas last year, some eight years after her eldest son disappeared.

The new baby (above after her birth last December) )is now six months old

The biological mother of William Tyrrell (pictured, above in 2012) has given birth to a new baby eight years after their missing big brother vanished without a trace

Now, a decade since William's disappearance became Australia's most high profile missing child case, friends of his birth mother hope the birth of a new child will mark a fresh start.

Her baby daughter arrived after a year in which she faced charges relating to a failed relationship.

A man took out an AVO against William's mother after she assaulted him at a bus stop last September.

Late last month, in a bombshell development in William's case, detectives from the NSW Police Strike Force Rosann referred a brief of evidence about William's foster mother to the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions.

The detectives, who believe William likely died by accident at his foster grandmother's Kendall house on September 12, 2014, prepared a brief in which they claim there is enough evidence to charge William's foster mother over the toddler's disappearance.

William was removed from his biological mother and father at just seven months, in early 2012.

Above is the last known photo taken of William Tyrrell on his foster grandmother's verandah in September, 2014

By April 2012, parental responsibility for William was placed in the hands of the then Family And Community Services (FACS) minister until William turned 18.

The couple who fostered William had become carers in the NSW fostering system overseen by FACS in March 2012.

Final orders for William being in the care of the FACS (since absorbed into the Department of Justice & Communities NSW) were made in 2013.

William lived with his older sister in a comfortable house owned by the foster parents, both well-educated professionals in their 50s, on Sydney's leafy north shore.

In a 2016 interview with then Task Force Rosann commander Gary Jubelin, the foster father said William was 'a flamboyant little boy ... full of beans' but 'wary of strangers'.

William, in his fireman's hat, is seen with with his biological family at a picnic not very long before he disappeared from his foster parents' care at Kendall, NSW

'He'd cower behind you, so ... we taught him 'stranger danger'. He'd always stay well within eyesight. He wanted to see where you were.

'He'd certainly be checking over his shoulder just to make sure that you were there or you weren't far away.'

William was also a 'non-stop' child with discipline problems, such as biting other children at child care.

The foster mother said William was a 'very unsettled' child to care for, and although he bonded with his foster father, his 'behavioural issues' with her continued for some time.

When he vanished, his status as a foster child was initially obscured by NSW legislation which prohibits the publicity of the out-of-home care status of children.

The identities of the foster parents can also not be publicly revealed.

William's biological father (above) told an inquest that child care authorities had failed in their 'duty of care to keep William safe until he was 18'

William's foster mother, 57 (right) is the subject of a police brief of evidence to the NSW DPP recommending she be charged with interfering with a corpse and perverting the course of justice

In 2016, William's biological mother was canvassed about her views on revealing William's past as a fostered child and she did not oppose publication of the fact that William 'was in foster care at the time of his disappearance'.

The NSW Supreme Court ruled it was appropriate that William's foster status be made public, after children's advocate Allanna Smith won a legal battle against FACS.

William's biological parents testified at a NSW Coroner's inquest into William's disappearance in 2019.

William's biological father revealed his anguish about the department's supposed neglect in protecting his son.

'Authorities f***ed up. The minister had a duty of care to keep William safe until he was 18. That was not the case at all,' he said.

William's biological mother spoke out about William during a intensity search for the three-year-old's remains in late 2021 at the mid north coast property of the child's foster grandmother.

'Its been years actually. Can you imagine what Ive been through?' William's mother said.

'Im a mess, how do you think Im doing?'
For a gangster once best-known for his ostentatious home and extravagant lifestyle, Alen Moradian went to extreme measures in the last year of his life to stay hidden.

The cocaine kingpin, who once spent $1million turning a McMansion in Sydney's north-west into a suburban palazzo, regularly changed residences and cars to stay one step ahead of hitmen.

For ten months the crime boss lived in constant fear of assassins he rightly believed were trying to locate him and kept such a low profile as to be almost invisible.

The 48-year-old stayed away from his wife of 15 years to protect her, and unlike many of his Comanchero bikie associates, completely avoided social media.

Moradian could vary his accommodation and modes of transport but to those who knew him he was still instantly recognisable with a body covered in tattoos and a mouth full of gold teeth.

Slain gangster Alen Moradian spent the last ten months of his life in hiding after being told there was a bounty on his head. He moved into at least four apartments across Sydney and charged his cars regularly. Moradian is pictured with his wife Natasha

The drug baron and his wife, who once lived in a house at West Pennant Hills, in Sydney's Hills district, filled with Versace furnishings, bought a home near the Blue Mountains in January last year.

Moradian - known as Fathead - moved out of that $2.35million property when he learnt there was a contract on his life and stayed in at least four other places before he was killed.

A source familiar with Moradian's behaviour during his time trying to evade harm said he would often fail to attend scheduled meetings.

'He was very keen not to be seen with anybody and not to be running around in the open,' the source said. 'So he was careful about his appointments and those sorts of things.'

Moradian was hiding out in a Bondi Junction apartment block in Sydney's east when two gunmen ambushed him in the building's underground car park about 8.30am on June 27.

He had been sitting in a black Audi RS4 leased from a car hire company in Sydney's south-west when one of the shooters fired up to seven bullets into his head and body.

The source said the location of Moradian's murder showed the extent of his fears.

'The fact that he ended up at Bondi Junction from his home in the outer north western suburbs is an indication of the lengths to which he needed to go,' the source said.

Moradian could vary his accommodation and modes of transport but to those who knew him he was still instantly recognisable with a body covered in tattoos and a mouth full of gold teeth

The high-rise block of units on Spring Street where Moradian was staying was his latest and last address after being warned by police in August he was a marked man.

Moradian's wife Natasha told Daily Mail Australia two detectives came to the couple's home in Sydney's north-west and warned them both of an 'imminent danger to him'.

'They told him to move to a secure residence and change his routines and patterns,' Mrs Moradian said.

'They were at our home for over an hour explaining how important it was. Alen left our home that night and did not return.'

Moradian, who had been released from prison in December 2017 after spending a decade behind bars for importing cocaine, was still on parole and took the threat seriously.

He was required to periodically present himself to the Windsor office of Community Corrections, which supervises parolees, and sought to have that reporting condition removed.

Moradian's wife Natasha, pictured centre at her husband's grave on Wednesday, said two detectives came to the couple's home and warned them both of an 'imminent danger to him'

Another source told Daily Mail Australia that Moradian instructed lawyers to approach Community Corrections about varying his parole so he could flee overseas.

'They contacted Community Corrections to get him relieved of his reporting conditions so he could leave the country because he was concerned about there being a target on his back,' the source said.

'Community Corrections sought information from the police and they were unwilling to confirm the fact he was genuinely at risk.

'On that basis Community Corrections couldn't relieve him of his reporting obligations, so he could not seek refuge overseas.'

Moradian then spoke with Community Corrections about moving to Melbourne but that would have required Victorian authorities to accept responsibility for his supervision.

Another suggestion was made that Moradian could move somewhere else in NSW and report to a different Community Corrections office but that did not proceed.

Ultimately, any decision to vary Moradian's parole could only have been made by the Commonwealth Parole Office because he had been convicted of federal offences.

Moradian was hiding out in a Bondi Junction apartment block (above) in Sydney's east when two gunmen ambushed him in the building's underground car park about 8.30am on June 27

While other criminals were getting out of the country in the midst of a gang war which had claimed 15 lives since August 2020, Moradian was left stuck in Sydney.

Moradian was also prohibited from associating with particular criminal figures, including 39-year-old Mohamad Alameddine who is closely linked to the Comanchero.

Alameddine fled Sydney for Dubai in April, following a long line of senior members of the outlaw motorcycle gang looking for sanctuary in foreign jurisdictions.

Mrs Moradian said her husband should have been allowed to leave Australia and could have easily been brought back if police needed to speak with him.

'He had less than a year to go for his parole to finish,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Yet the police force allows others to come and go as they please.

'It's heartbreaking that this tragedy could have been prevented and also the community could have been safer had they allowed him to leave legally.'

Moradian had been sitting in a black Audi RS4 in this underground car park when one of two killers fired up to seven bullets into his head and body

The same month Moradian was told of a price on his head his wife's onetime business partner Lametta Fadlallah, 48, was shot dead alongside hairdresser Amy Hazouri, 39, in a car in Revesby.

Mrs Moradian and Fadlallah had both been directors of car hire company Go 2 Go Rentals which went into liquidation in 2012 after operating for five years.

In coming months Moradian shifted between secure high-rise city apartments and swapped vehicles as the contract killings across Sydney abated, perhaps giving him a false sense of security.

Then after six months without an execution allegedly linked to the underworld, 40-year-old Taha Sabbagh was shot dead at Sefton on March 2.

While in hiding Moradian was reportedly known to party in a city hotel with the next gangland victim: 24-year-old Marvin Oraiha, who had links to the Comanchero.

Moradian's fears for his safety must have been further heightened when Oraiha was shot dead by two gunmen while sitting in his car at Elizabeth Hills on May 22.

Whoever wanted Moradian dead eventually tracked him to the Bondi Junction apartment block where the two killers intercepted him on the way to the gym. He was shot in this Audi RS4

In the weeks before Moradian was gunned down the security at his marital home in the Hawkesbury region was upgraded with the construction of new fencing, some of which was electrified.

Whoever wanted Moradian dead eventually tracked him to the Bondi Junction apartment block where the two killers intercepted him on his way to a gym.

Moradian's death made a comparison his wife once drew between her husband and the lowkey mafia boss from the television series The Sopranos look prophetic.

'Why do you just sit there and show off, "I am the man, I am the man"?' Mrs Moradian wrote in a note tendered during court proceedings.

'Do you see Tony Soprano doing that? He doesn't care who people think is the boss. He points it all off on a junior for a reason - to take the heat away from him...

'You, on the other hand, want the attention, you get a big head, you love it. People like that won't survive.'

And as much as Moradian tried to outrun his pursuers, he didn't.
An Afghan migrant caught trying to sneak back into Britain received taxpayer-funded legal help to try and overturn his conviction after being jailed for raping a 12-year-old girl.

Emal Kochai, 29, was deported from Britain in 2019 after serving half of a nine-year prison sentence for raping his victim at a house in Reading, Berks in 2014.

But he made his way back to the Channel in March 2022 where he was found by a reporter in a tent at the Grande Synthe camp, near Dunkirk, claiming he had 'changed his ways'.

The convicted paedophile admitted tying to board a boat to Britain, but his crossing failed after police arrived and punctured the vessel with a knife.

Now new Freedom of Information figures show the child sex offender received taxpayers' cash to pay for a solicitor to challenge his conviction prior to being booted out of Britain in 2019.

Emal Kochai, 29, was deported from Britain in 2019 after serving half of a nine-year prison sentence for raping his victim at a house in Reading, Berks in 2014

The asylum seeker turned rapist received a total of 19,395.02 in legal aid cash to pay for his defence at trial plus a further 1,752.31 for a solicitor to work on a Criminal Cases Review Commission application.

The CCRC investigates potential miscarriages of justice.

Kochai has previously claimed his rape conviction was, 'all a misunderstanding'.

His victim, told police that Kochai had raped her at a house where there were six or seven other men.

She said that Kochai, known to her as AK, had pushed her on to a bed, pulled off her clothing and raped her.

The other men had knocked on the door and Kochai had opened it, then locked it again and resumed his assault, his trial heard.

Kochai, who was 20 at the time of the offence, denied rape but told police he had been told the girl was 17 and that he would not have touched her if he had known her real age.

David Spencer of the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: 'This case is yet another example of taxpayer money being put straight into the pockets of lawyers tasked with trying to defend the indefensible and mounting frivolous cases to try and keep immigrants in the UK.

But he made his way back to the Channel in March 2022 where he was found by a reporter in a tent at the Grande Synthe camp (file photo of camp pictured), near Dunkirk, claiming he had 'changed his ways'

'It is wholly wrong that taxpayer money should be used in this way and this case adds yet more grist to the mill that legal aid is long overdue widespread reform to prevent this sort of abuse of the system.'

The CCRC told us that 'no application had been received' from Kochai despite preliminary legal work on a case being undertaken.

The Ministry of Justice, added: 'Legal aid is not paid directly to defendants. Legal aid is paid to legal representatives to ensure a fair trial.'
National Security Council's top communications official John Kirby said the White House will not hold talks with Russia regarding the war in Ukraine without a representative of Kyiv at the table.

It comes following reports that former U.S. national security officials are holding secret talks with Moscow in an effort to help set the stage for diplomatic talks on ending the war.

Kirby insisted during an interview with ABC's This Week on Sunday that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was not involved in the meetings, but was 'in general' aware there were behind-the-scenes discussions.

'Mr. Sullivan was not involved. We weren't participating in that,' the NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications said. 'These were private entities, private individuals meeting with Russian officials, certainly within their right to do that.'

'I don't know how much foreknowledge he had on this, but it wasn't like the United States or the government was involved in any way,' Kirby assured.

He also said that he 'understands' the 'angst' regarding the talks, but wanted to assure Ukraine that the U.S. is not leading the discussion.

Joe Biden's administration is aware of the discussions meant to lead toward an end of the Eastern European conflict, but the talks have not manifested from the direction of the president or his team, Kirby confirmed following reports.

NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby assured Ukrainians on Sunday that no talks are taking place between U.S. officials and Russia without Kyiv also at the table

Comes following reports that former U.S. national security officials are holding secret talks with Russians officials  including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov  to set the stage for a diplomatic end to the war with Ukraine

After former U.S. officials privately met with Russias foreign minister, WHs John Kirby tells @MarthaRaddatz that the Biden admin wasn't involved or encouraging discussions.



We will have no discussions with Russia...without Ukraine at the table. https://t.co/qOeKkGHjj9 pic.twitter.com/G5iQYwYTFO  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 9, 2023

'In general, we were aware that discussions were happening at a private level,' Kirby conceded. 'But we weren't passing messages through them. We weren't setting the stage for them. We weren't encouraging those discussions or engendering them in any way.'

He further assured: 'The president is being clear that we will have no discussions with Russia about negotiating an end to this war without Ukraine at the table.'

Officials reveal that the discussions fall under what is known as 'Track Two diplomacy,' which are unofficial talks involving private citizens  and not those currently serving in government roles.

In at least one conversation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with former U.S. and current U.S. officials.

That April meeting, current and former officials told NBC News, saw Lavrov meet with former diplomat and outgoing president of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass. He also sat down with Europe expert Charles Kupchan and Russia expert Thomas Graham  both former White House and State Department officials serving as fellows on the Council on Foreign Relations.

'We've been clear, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,' Kirby said in an interview with ABC's This Week on Sunday, adding he understands Ukrainians might feel 'angst' over reported talks

'These were private discussions. And the United States government was not involved in any way,' Kirby told ABC's Martha Raddatz when pressed on if Ukrainian officials were kept in the loop on talks.

'I can't speak to the degree to which Ukrainian officials knew they were going on or not,' he said. 'They were private discussions not sanctioned by the United States government.'

'But again, we've been clear, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.'

The war in eastern Europe kicked-off in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Since then, the U.S. and world has provided billions worth of munitions and weapons aid to help Ukraine stand up against the Russian dictatorship.

The meetings are meant to lay the groundwork for future negotiations to bring an end to the nearly one-and-a-half-year war.

On the agenda during April's several-hour long meeting in New York were some of the touchiest issues for Russia, including the future of territory in Ukraine currently held by Russia that might never be liberated and a diplomatic-style off-ramp to the ongoing violence.

Talks with Lavrov included with former diplomat and outgoing president of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass (center top) as well as Europe expert Charles Kupchan (bottom right) and Russia expert Thomas Graham (bottom left)  both former White House and State Department officials serving as fellows on the Council on Foreign Relations.

Asked if the talks between private citizens and Russian government is 'helpful,' Kirby said it's 'not unusual.'

'You can hardly blame [Ukrainian officials] for being concerned about any potential negotiations or discussions with the Russians about ending the war that they're not included in, which is again why the president has been adamant. There'll be nothing said about Ukraine or by ending this war without Ukraine at the table,' Kirby reiterated.

'So I can understand the angst and concern about this. But again, I want to assure, the United States government was not behind these talks.'
Meanwhile, the sales rep hired by Rapiscan to secure the deal has been arrested by the FBI in a $3million embezzlement case related to his previous job

Yet the firm had been fined by authorities two years earlier for failing to meet obligations under a prior contract, while firearms smuggling went undetected

Rapiscan Systems won the lucrative deal with Mexican government in March this year, after its bid was supported by the US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar

The Biden administration helped a US security firm land a vital $600million contract to stop drugs and weapons flooding the country despite its prior failings and an FBI probe into one of its executives, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Rapiscan Systems won the lucrative deal with the Mexican government to provide scanning equipment in March, following lobbying from the US Ambassador.

It was signed amid great fanfare and followed an historic summit between Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Yet just two years earlier Rapiscan had been fined 7.5 million pesos (around $375,000) by Mexican authorities for failing to meet obligations under a previous contract, while vast quantities of illegal weapons flowed across the border undetected, according to UN data.

DailyMail.com can also reveal that the lead sales representative hired by the firm to secure its latest deal has since been arrested by the FBI in an unrelated $3million embezzlement case.

US firm Rapsican Systems landed a $600million contract with the Mexican government to stop contraband flooding across the US-Mexico border. The deal was said to have 'reinforced' a commitment made between Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart Andres Manual Lopez Obrador during an historic summit in Mexico City in January (pictured above)

Rapiscan hired George Walther-Meade (left) as its sales rep to lead the negotiations with Mexico, but he is now facing an FBI probe into an unrelated $3million embezzlement case

The FBI probe came after the senior executive was fired by a rival firm who accused him of bribing Mexican officials to secure international contracts, court records show.

The case is not related to his work at Rapiscan.

A spokesman for the Committee on Homeland Security told DailyMail.com that the revelations were 'troubling' in the midst of 'an unprecedented crisis raging at the Southwest border'.

He added that 'state-of-the-art technology' was needed to 'protect the American people'.

Rapiscan insists its targets were 'met or exceeded' under its previous contract with the Mexicans.

Fentanyl - a cheap synthetic opioid around fifty times more potent than heroin - typically originates in China before making its way to the US border, usually via the Mexico border.

Seizures of the drug, which is killing more than 1,000 Americans a week, have risen sharply in recent years, with Customs and Border Protection confiscating more than 50,000 pounds of fentanyl in 2022.

But Washington has complained for decades about the lack of security infrastructure on the Mexican side of the border, which has meant the seizure of drugs and other contraband has largely been carried out by US authorities after it has entered the country.

In February, San Diego Border Patrol seized 232 pounds of fentanyl during a traffic stop in San Clemente, California, located roughly 75 miles from the US-Mexico border.

So when the Mexican government expressed interest in installing modern scanning equipment on its border, US officials immediately presented Rapiscan as one of its three preferred contractors.

In May 2022, the US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar even threatened to withhold US cooperation with Mexico unless it awarded the tender to Rapiscan or one of two other US companies, when it appeared officials were leaning towards a Chinese bidder, according to leaked documents obtained by The Washington Post.

The US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar threatened to withhold US cooperation with Mexico unless it awarded the tender to Rapiscan or one of two other US companies

When Rapiscan secured the contract in March, Ambassador Salazar tweeted his delight at the deal, saying it reinforced a commitment made between Presidents Biden and Obrador at their summit in Mexico City earlier in the year (pictured above)

Washington has complained for decades about the lack of security infrastructure on the Mexican side of the border

It has meant the seizure of drugs and other contraband has largely been carried out by US authorities after it has entered the country

It appeared an odd move, considering the firm's previous $120million contract with the Mexican government expired in 2020 - a year when around 20,000 firearms were seized in Mexico, according to UN data.

It is estimated around 200,000 firearms are smuggled across the US-Mexico border every year.

Rapiscan was responsible for a large portion of the scanning equipment at this crucial entry point.

Separately, the firm was fined around $375,000 (7.5million pesos) for 'non-compliance with service levels' in 2021.

Documents seen by DailyMail.com outlining the penalty issued by the Tax Administration Service (SAT) of Mexico do not specify the reasons behind it.

But a separate SAT audit said the operation of 'Rapiscan non-intrusive inspection equipment' was discontinued because Rapiscan had not provided customs staff with training to use its equipment as required under its contract.

This, however, didn't stop the firm from going all out to secure its next big pay day, knowing it had backing from high-ranking US officials.

When the Mexican government put out its latest tender for border scanning services in December 2021, Rapiscan's parent company, OSI, hired George Walther-Meade as a senior vice president because of 'his experience in the contracting process with the Mexican government', according to local media.

But the American had been sacked by rival firm Leidos just three weeks earlier after the firm accused him of 'providing benefits to government leaders or agents of Mexico' to land lucrative contracts, court records reveal.

The allegations were made public after Walther-Meade sued Leidos for wrongful dismissal and his complaint claimed this was one of the false accusations made by his former employer.

Leidos then countersued their former vice president for embezzlement.

On February 27, San Diego Border Patrol seized 232 pounds of fentanyl during a traffic stop in San Clemente, California, located roughly 75 miles from the US-Mexico border. It was enough fentanyl to kill 50million Americans

Three drug smugglers were arrested for attempting to sneak in the $3million worth of fentanyl from Mexico - enough to kill 50million Americans

Despite the clouds gathering over Rapsican's new hire, Walther-Meade's experience in the Latin American market seemingly paid off and on March 17 this year, the California-based firm won the $600million contract.

Ambassador Salazar expressed his delight at the deal in a statement, in which he said the US was 'glad' Mexico had awarded the contract to Rapiscan, which would 'deepen our efforts to fight the trafficking of drugs, weapons and people'.

Salazar said the deal reinforced commitments made by Biden and Obrador during their historic summit in Mexico City earlier that year.

The news came as great relief to Rapiscan, who had fired Walther-Meade just a week earlier following his arrest by the FBI in February.

The senior executive had been indicted by a federal grand jury in San Diego over allegations he and a co-conspirator embezzled $3million from Leidos.

There was no mention of the bribery accusations that allegedly prompted Leidos to fire him, but the indictment laid in the Southern District of California accused Walther-Meade of engaging a fake vendor to bill the firm for work that 'was never performed' before the pair used the 'fraudulently obtained' funds 'for their own personal use and benefit'.

Walther-Meade has pled not guilty and is awaiting trial, but co-defendant, Juan Gonzalez Ruiz, recently pled guilty to the conspiracy.

Ajay Vashishat, Vice President of OSI, said 'due diligence was carried out prior to [Walther-Meade's] hiring'.

He added: 'At the time, his past activities at Leidos were actively concealed by Mr. Walther-Meade, and held confidential by Leidos

'Once we discovered Leidos' allegations against Mr. Walther-Meade, we placed him on leave, as we had nothing more to go on at that time than allegations and counter-allegations between himself and his former employer. Upon discovering his indictment, we initiated the process to terminate his employment, which shortly thereafter resulted in his formal separation from our company.'

He also said its previous contract with Mexico expired on 'the agreed expiration date' and 'all performance targets were met or exceeded'.

Christopher Ramey, Walther-Meade's attorney in his civil case against Leidos, told DailyMail.com the firm 'fabricated reasons for firing him'.

He added that Leidos 'has not produced evidence' to support their embezzlement claim against his client.

'There is also no evidence of any connection between Walther-Meade's termination from Leidos and his hiring at Rapiscan,' Ramey added.

The US Government did not respond to a request for comment by DailyMail.com.
The Biden administration has succeeded in 'twisting the narrative' on the border by funneling all asylum seekers through a glitchy mobile app and stopping chaotic scenes of illegal entries at crossings.

Former Acting Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan told DailyMail.com that President Joe Biden was 'smart' to implement a program that decreased the number of shocking images of illegal entries between ports of entry at the southern border.

He said that Biden has essentially found a way to make illegal activity legalized.

CBP One is a program launched by Biden's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that allows migrants to make an appointment to turn themselves over to authorities at ports of entry for asylum appointments.

But some are given interviews up to 10 years from now - meaning they are free to stay in the United States.

US Customs and Border Protection is again expanding the number of migrants it allows into the US at the Mexico border via its CBP One mobile app (pictured on a migrant's phone)

Critics have pointed out that the number of entries permitted per month has exponentially increased recently, and that crossing between the ports persists.

'It's still an unmitigated catastrophe in between the ports of entry,' Morgan said.

Additionally, after making asylum claims at their CBP One appointment, migrants will receive a court date for their asylum hearing that is many times multiple years in the future.

At that point, they could have already disappeared to live undocumented indefinitely in the United States.

Morgan warns that most migrants are making fraudulent asylum claims and using the process to gain entry into the country.

'They've legalized otherwise illegal activity,' Morgan explained of the administration's new border policies and use of the CBP One app.

'They simply shifted the burden from in between the ports to the ports, and they've called it a legal pathway, when really it's a perversion of the law,' he told DailyMail.com in a conversation Thursday. 'And they know it's a perversion of the law.'

He alleged the administration is 'not doing anything' to actually address the border crisis.

'Their strategy is not to deter the flow,' Morgan said. 'Their strategy isn't to apply consequences to those that either illegally enter or with CBP One app file knowingly false claims.'

Former Acting Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan told DailyMail.com that President Joe Biden was 'smart' to implement a program that decreased the number of shocking images of illegal entries between ports of entry at the southern border

CBP's Office of Field Operations (OFO) takes appointments and processes migrants.

Morgan notes that OFO is extremely efficient and is always learning new ways to process migrants more quickly.

In turn, he says the administration will continue to increase the number of migrants it allows into the border illegally at points of entry each month.

CBP One app was launched in October 2020.

Last month, CBP nearly doubled the amount of migrants each month who could make appointments through the CBP app and be permitted into the country.

Initially after launch, the number of migrants able to secure appointments for meetings each month was capped at 20,000. But in June, that number went up to roughly 40,000  with 1,350 appointments per day.

That new policy only lasted one month before DHS announced this week that it was bumping up the figures yet again.

Now CBP One allows 1,450 appointments each day. This equates to at least 43,500 appointments a month.

Some migrants also said that they have found a way to get around the app by claiming they have a language, educational or technological roadblock that stopped them from being able to make an appointment ahead of time online.

Critics have pointed out that the number of entries permitted per month has exponentially increased recently, and that crossing between the ports persists.

Some migrants also said that they have found a way to get around the app by claiming they have a language, educational or technological roadblock that stopped them from being able to make an appointment ahead of time online

'If your policies in this country are that anyone that comes to our borders is ultimately released into the United States, they're going to keep coming,' Morgan insisted. 'It doesn't matter whether you illegally enter and file a fraudulent claim and are processed and released, or you walk up to a lawful point of entry and file a fraudulent claim and your process and released. The end game is the same. They are released in the United States and they're not a priority for deportation, and they will remain here indefinitely. That is what's happening here.'

'So they're calling it a lawful pathway, and they're claiming victory,' he lamented.

'And a lot of people are just nodding their heads.'

'There's a level of just ignorance of being clueless,' he said of those who agree that Biden and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have now adequately addressed the crisis.

Morgan admitted that the CBP One plan 'is extremely intelligent both on the process front and the messaging front, to really twist the narrative and develop policies that on its face look like they make sense. When really, it's just a big lie, it's a big shell game.'
She was sentenced to life in 2007 for killing her 42-day-old daughter Amy

A mother jailed for life for the murder of her baby daughter with a powerful painkiller has been denied a move to an open prison because she refuses to accept her guilt.

Michelle Smith, then 34, was sentenced to life in 2007 after being convicted of feeding adult painkillers to her 42-day old baby daughter Amy.

A jury at Swansea Crown Court found her unanimously guilty of murdering the defenceless baby at home in Morriston, Swansea, south Wales, in November 2007.

Smith, now 45, had an 'oral' appeal before the Parole Board on the 23rd June when she asked the three-person panel to recommend that she be transferred to an open jail.

MailOnline can reveal that Smith was told last week her application had been rejected and she would have to stay in a high security closed prison for at least another two years.

Michelle Smith, then 34, (pictured outside Swansea Crown Court in 2012) was sentenced to life after being convicted of feeding adult painkillers to her 42-day old baby daughter Amy

One of the main reasons cited by the Parole Board for the rejection was that Smith continues to refuse to acknowledge that she deliberately killed her daughter.

In a written summary of the decision, seen by MailOnline, the panel stated that Smith had not undertaken any accredited jail programmes to address her 'offending behaviour' because she was not eligible for them.

It wrote: 'The panel learned that this was in part due to her continued maintenance of innocence in relation to the index offence.

'Mrs Smith however had engaged with one-to-one work with her prison supervisor.

'This work had focused on developing professional relationships and the support networks she would need upon her eventual return to the community.'

It continued: 'The panel also heard that there had been few concerns about Mrs Smith's behaviour and conduct in prison.

'There were positive reports about some trusted roles she had undertaken on her unit. Witnesses recommended that Mrs Smith could be safely managed in open conditions.

'The panel examined the proposals for Mrs Smith to be managed in a prison with lower levels of security and where at times she would be in the community during periods of temporary release.

The Parole Board rejected Smith's appeal to be moved to an open prison after serving 12 years behind bars, citing her refusal to admit guilt as one of the reasons (Pictured: Swansea Crown Court)

'It concluded that despite the work she had undertaken, her risk factors were still not well understood and that there was some further work she needed to complete in closed conditions.'

The panel concluded: 'After considering the circumstances of her offending, the progress made while in custody and the very full evidence presented at the hearing and in the dossier, the panel did not consider that Mrs Smith met the criteria for a transfer to open conditions at this time.'

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: ''We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused to recommend the transfer to open conditions of Michelle Smith following an oral hearing.

'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.'

Smith has now served 12 years in prison and her minimum term expires later this month (July). The hearing last month could not consider recommending she be released on licence.

Smith poisoned baby Amy three times before finally managing to kill her.

She crushed tablets of the powerful painkiller dihydrocodeine - prescribed only to adults - and fed it to Amy in her bottle feed.

On the first occasion, doctors could not find anything wrong with her and sent her home.

Smith (pictured) poisoned baby Amy three times before finally managing to kill her. She crushed tablets of the powerful painkiller dihydrocodeine- prescribed only to adults - and fed it to Amy in her bottle feed

The second time she was rushed to hospital and urine tests revealed dihydrocodeine - but the results were not passed on to the doctors and Amy was again released.

But the third time it happened, Amy could not be revived and she died aged six weeks.

A post mortem revealed the presence of the drug and it was only then that the earlier urine test results became known.

Sentencing judge Mr Justice Spencer told a sobbing Smith that he believed she killed Amy out of a craving for attention.

He told Smith her actions involved a 'substantial premeditation'.

He added: 'The giving of this drug to Amy required, as it must have done, the crushing of tablet or tablets involving a significant degree or planning and premeditation.'

He said Amy was young and vulnerable and that Smith's actions were 'a gross abuse of your position as her mother'.

'In all probability you were in some way craving and seeking attention by presenting Amy to the doctors at hospital.'

A jury at Swansea Crown Court found her unanimously guilty of murdering the defenceless baby at home in Morriston, Swansea, south Wales, in November 2007 (Pictured: A general view of Morriston, Swansea)

The judge told Smith: 'The only conclusion on all the evidence is that, on the day she died, you must have crushed one or more tablets that were available in the home.'

He also drew attention to the condition of Amy, described as 'thriving' when seen by the health visitor on the day she died.

Within hours, she was found in a collapsed state from which she never recovered, dying later the same day.

Concluding, he told her: 'Inevitably your contact with your other children, the siblings that Amy will never grow to know, has been very substantially curtailed, adding to the tragedy of this case.'

A relative of Smith, who attended court only after the jury retired, wailed in anguish throughout the sentencing.

Several times she was heard to say 'No, no', and was eventually taken away to a private room in an obviously distressed state.

A shell shocked Smith was led away in tears, still protesting: 'But I did not do it. I did not do it.'

Six-week old Amy Smith died on November 9, 2007.

Smith and her husband Christopher, who never attended the trial or gave evidence, were questioned by police in the aftermath of the death.

Both had previously been prescribed medication for various ailments which contained DHC.

It was not until September 2010 that Smith herself was arrested on suspicion of murder.

At that time, she was released without charge, but was arrested and charged with murder in June 2011 and then released on bail.

In January 2012, she reported to Neath police station as part of her bail conditions and confessed to killing Amy but retracted it almost immediately.

Smith insisted throughout her trial that she had never done anything to harm Amy and never given her DHC.

She dismissed suggestions that she knew drugs stored in their home contained DHC, claiming she never so much as gave Amy Calpol.

Detective Sergeant Justin Evans, of South Wales Police, said after the verdict in July 2012 that he hoped it would help the family move on.

Speaking outside the court, he said: 'Michelle Smith has today been convicted of the murder of her baby daughter Amy Smith.

'Amy was only six weeks old when she was killed by the one person who should have done more than any other to keep her safe.

'Amy Smith would have been approaching her fifth birthday, and Michelle Smith's actions have left a family without a much loved little girl.

'Our thoughts are with Amy's family at this sad time, and we hope that today's verdict will allow the family to now move on with the rest of their lives.'
This is the moment police swoop on an auction house in Poland and seized a valuable piece of looted WWII art just moments before it is sold.

The 20th-century masterpiece by Art Nouveau artist Edward Okun had been stolen from a Warsaw art gallery by occupying Nazi troops towards the end of the war.

Valued close to 500,000, the 1910 painting shows the artists wife as Compiuta Donzella, an Italian Renaissance poet who lived in Tuscany in the 13th century.

Until its discovery last year, it had been officially listed as missing.

Last month another piece of looted art was recovered from Japan.

Valued close to 500,000, the 1910 painting shows the artists wife as Compiuta

This is the moment police swoop on an auction house in Poland and seized the valuable painting

Handed over at an official ceremony in Warsaw in June, it was revealed that the painting had been tracked down to a Tokyo auction house by art hunters from Polands Ministry of Culture

Two 15th century pieces by Flemish painter Dieric Bouts discovered in a Spanish museum

A 16th century masterpiece by Abraham Bloemaert returned to Poland in 2019 after being found in a private collection

Described as priceless, the 16th century Madonna with Child by Italian master Alessandro Turchi had been taken by Hitlers marauding troops from Polands extensive Lubomirski art collection.

Handed over at an official ceremony in Warsaw in June, it was revealed that the painting had been tracked down to a Tokyo auction house by art hunters from Polands Ministry of Culture.

To prove that it had been looted, officials produced a catalogue of the most important works of art pilfered from Polish collections.

Named the Sichergestellte Kunstwerke im Generalgouvernement [Seized works of art in the General-Government], the catalogue compiled by Hitlers art thieves contains details of 521 plundered. artworks.

Madonna with Child was listed as number 145.

The painting is the latest of over 600 looted artworks that Poland has successfully repatriated.

These include two 15th century pieces by the Flemish painter Dieric Bouts discovered in a Spanish museum, three artworks returned by the son of a Nazi governor who had stolen them during the war, and a 16th century masterpiece by Abraham Bloemaert.

But over 65,000 items remain unaccounted for on the Culture Ministrys list of artworks lost during the war.

Made famous by the 2014 film starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, the original Monuments Men was an Allied World War II platoon established to find and return looted art to their owners

Edouard Manet's In The Conservatory (pictured) was hidden in Germany's Merkers salt mine

Set up in 1943, in the six years that followed, the Monuments Men found over 4 million stolen cultural objects

Da Vincis Lady with an Ermine (pictured) found in a Nazi officer's country home in Germany

To help find them, the Polish government has set up a special department of modern-day Monuments Men, art detectives who scour the planet hunting down stolen artworks.

Made famous by the 2014 film starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, the original Monuments Men was an Allied World War II platoon established to find and return looted art to their owners.

According to official figures, during WWII over 20 percent of Europes artworks were stolen from Jewish collectors and other individuals and organisations in occupied countries.

Set up in 1943, in the six years that followed, the Monuments Men found over 4 million stolen cultural objects.

These included Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece which was discovered in an Austrian salt mine, Da Vincis Lady with an Ermine found in a Nazi officer's country home in Germany, and Edouard Manet's In The Conservatory hidden in Germany's Merkers salt mine.

Millions of gold bars were also found in the salt mine, while over 6,500 Italian paintings were found in the mines of Alt Aussee in Austria.

But hundreds of thousands of plundered artworks have never been recovered.

Consequently, numerous organisations have since taken up the challenge to track them down.

One calling itself the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, is now offering cash rewards of up to $25,000 for useful information.

Oil painting by Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt thought to have been stolen after disappearing from an aristocratic Polish house occupied by Nazis was found over 50 miles away in an attic in the country's city of Lodz in 2019

Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece (pictured) which was discovered in an Austrian salt mine

Consequently, numerous organisations have since taken up the challenge to track down stolen art

Last month another piece of looted art (pictured in the background) was recovered from Japan.

Described as priceless, the 16th century Madonna with Child by Italian master Alessandro Turchi had been taken by Hitlers marauding troops from Polands extensive Lubomirski art collection

Set up in memory of the original Monuments Men, last year the foundation created a pack of playing cards showing 52 priceless artworks still missing and invites art history buffs, collectors, antiquities experts and members of the public to join the global hunt.

The foundation said the purpose of the deck was to highlight the existence of works from Van Goghs to Rembrandts to Caravaggios, and encourage people to come forward with information that might lead to their recovery.

On top of the most wanted list is Raphaels 16th century Portrait of a Young Man.

Bought by Polands Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski from the Giustiniani collection sometime between 1799-1801, today it is considered the most valuable piece of art to have gone missing.

By the time WWII came along the painting had already been earmarked by Nazi fanatic Hans Frank.

Hanging it in Wawel Castle in Krakow where he had taken up residence, in 1944 it was evacuated along with Da Vincis Lady with an Ermine and Rembrandts Landscape with the Good Samaritan to a place in Muhrau (todays Murawa in Poland) to escape the advancing Red Army.

Hidden along with hundreds of other priceless pieces, when Gestapo trucks rolled up to take them into the heart of Germany, Raphaels Portrait was not included in the transport.

It has never been seen since.

It is estimated that thousands of artworks were also ferreted away by the Red Army and are now being held in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Last year, Polands government handed over documents to the Russian embassy in Warsaw detailing some of the plunder that Warsaw wants back.

Polands Culture Minister said at the time: We are not able to assess precisely the scale of the plunder done by the Soviets [due to lack of access to Russias archival and museum resources].

But he added: In the case of hundreds of thousands of objects lost by Poland, the trail leads directly to the Russian Federation or the former Soviet republics.

Under international law, Russia is obliged to return Polish cultural property looted during the war. Cases of looting of cultural property are not time-barred.

Three artworks returned to Poland in 2017 by the son of Nazi SS Gruppenfuhrer Otto Wachter (pictured) who had stolen them during the war.

Hidden along with hundreds of other priceless pieces, when Gestapo trucks rolled up to take them into the heart of Germany, Raphaels Portrait was not included in the transport and it has not been seen since

Nazi Governor Hans Frank who hid Da Vincis Lady with an Ermine in his German home

Three were artworks returned to Poland in 2017 by the son of Nazi SS Gruppenfuhrer Otto Wachter (pictured) who had stolen them during the war

Two artworks by Adolf Kozarski stolen by Germans in occupied Poland and taken home by a US soldier as 'souvenirs' were found by his daughter when looking through his belongings following his death. They were found in a castle in Fischhorn, Austria, home to SS general Hermann Fegelein, the brother-in-law of Hitlers wife Eva Braun

The government has also demanded over $1 trillion in reparations from Germany for damage incurred by the occupying Nazis.

Some of the missing artworks are known to be in the hands of anonymous collectors. These include Boats Mirrored in the Water by Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele which was last seen in a gallery in Los Angeles in 1955.

Likewise, Lovis Corinths painting Tyrolean with Cat (1913) was last seen at auction in Austria in 2008.

And Edgar Degas Portrait of Mlle. Gabrielle Diot, which was stolen by the Nazis from France in 1940, has been in a private Swiss collection since 1974.

Consequently, it is now museums and auction houses being targeted by the international brigade of modern-day Monuments Men.

They are also appealing to members of the public to look closely at artwork in their homes.

In 2019, an oil painting by Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt thought to have been stolen after disappearing from an aristocratic stately home in Poland which was occupied by Nazis was found over 50 miles away in an attic in the countrys city of Lodz.

More recently, in 2021 two artworks stolen by Germans in occupied Poland and taken home by a US soldier as 'souvenirs' were found by his daughter when looking through his belongings following his death.

Today, the Polish government says that tracking down and returning art and other items of cultural significance looted during WWII has become a priority.

According to a Culture Ministry spokesman, since 2015, the country has recovered over 500 works of art and over 80 restitution proceedings are underway in 11 countries worldwide.

Spokesman Tomasz Sliwinski said: It may take several weeks or even a dozen or so years, but every year, we manage to find several pieces of art.
A priest who escaped justice for three decades is facing jail after being convicted of abusing a theatre star, 17, who idolised him during a sleepover in his presbytery.

Father Reginald Dunkling, 63, struck after inviting the teenager to stay overnight at Our Lady of Muswell in north London in the early nineties.

Dunkling - known as Father Reg - was so trusted he had already been allowed to take the boy to Tenerife with another male friend.

But Wood Green Crown Court was told this week that sometime between April 1992 and April 1993 he indecently assaulted him.

During a sleepover after taking him to a concert in Wembley, Dunkling lay on the bedroom floor in his home and forced his hand under his covers, molesting the boy over his boxer shorts.

Giving evidence from behind a screen, the victim said: 'He said "Have you had a man do this before?" I got out at first light as soon as I could.

Father Reginald Dunkling, 63, struck after inviting the teenager to stay overnight at his home

Police officers arrested Father Dunkling on June 16, 2020 and asked him if he molested the complainant

'He was a charismatic, interesting, likeable guy that introduced me to theatres and musicals. Stuff I ended up doing as a living. I kind of idolised him.'

Metropolitan police officers from Operation Winter Key arrested Father Dunkling on June 16, 2020 and asked him if he molested the complainant.

'No, never, absolutely not,' insisted the priest, saying he was never alone with the youngster in a Lourdes or Muswell Hill bedroom.

But prosecutor David Harounoff told the jury: 'The defendant is a priest and in 2013 the complainant was contacted by the police, who were investigating offences, but he declined to co-operate.

'In 2020 the Diocese of Westminster undertook a safety review and the complainant decided he wanted to co-operate and the police interviewed him.

'As a teenager he was involved with the church. '

The priest had lied he was never alone with the youngster in a Lourdes or Muswell Hill bedroom

Aged just fifteen, the boy was invited into Father Dunkling's room, where the priest told him: 'I'm in love with you,' the jury were told.

There was no physical contact until the night of the Wembley Arena concert, the trial heard.

'When he was 17 years-old he stayed with this priest in Muswell Hill after the show and meal,' explained Mr Harounoff.

'He says he was asleep when this defendant entered the bedroom and lay on the floor beside him, placed his hand under the bed covers and stroked him over his boxer shorts.

'The complainant said he did not like it and to use his words 'bolted' the next morning at 5am.

'Ten years later he saw Father Dunkling at a music function in Hammersmith and says this defendant looked uncomfortable.'

Dunkling of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, had attempted to fool the jury and painted a picture of himself as something of a pathetic figure.

He was raided at his home by police at 6.30am in the morning.

The priest complained: 'I was in my bedroom and I was terrified. It was dreadful, I was so embarrassed, I was humiliated.

'I was put in a holding cell for seven hours and talking about it now brings back bad feelings. I was offered a glass of warm water on one of the hottest days of the year and the officers went out for lunch.'

He was found guilty of one count of indecently assaulting the boy.

After six hours of deliberation following three days of evidence the remaining eleven jurors convicted him by a majority of 10-1.

'There will need to be a pre-sentence report and I agree it was an abuse of trust,' announced Judge Rachael Harrison.

'I am making no promises about what the sentence will be. The starting point is twenty-six weeks custody on the current guidelines.'

Dunkling's lawyer Tanya Panagiotopoulou said: 'There will also have to be medical reports. There are complex medical issues as he is awaiting surgery for bowel cancer and amputation of his foot.'

Bailing the priest until October 13 the judge told him: 'I appreciate this procedure has been difficult for you and you said you didn't do this, but the jury have said that you did.'
Mr Howard visited the toilets but was banned from school and charged by police

His sons, 15 and 12, are pupils and he complained the Somerset school

A father-of-four says he was hauled before the courts for challenging what he believes are 'woke practices' in his sons' fee-paying boarding school and now faces a criminal conviction.

Martin Howard, 39, says urinals were removed from all boys toilets at Sexey's School in Bruton, Somerset, last summer leaving just four cubicles for 300 boys which he believes is a move to creating gender free toilets.

Mr Howard - whose sons aged 15 and 12 are pupils - wrote to the headteacher repeatedly to complain about the toilets and what he terms other 'extremist actions' which he says include rainbow flags in classrooms, inappropriate questionnaires on Year 7 pupils' sexual activity and an assembly likening all men to controversial influencer Andrew Tate.

It comes as the Government's long-awaited guidance to schools is set to be published imminently amid the growing debate around transgender issues. It is expected to say pupils shouldn't be allowed to use facilities designed for the opposite sex, but advice on 'gender neutral' toilets is still unclear.

After believing that his requests for clarification on why urinals and exterior toilet doors were removed weren't adequately addressed, Mr Howard went into the school to gather evidence last November.

Video recorded on Mr Howard's phone shows him visiting four toilets after school and being told to leave by teachers - several months later two cops arrived at his home and ordered him to come to the police station for questioning where he was later charged with causing nuisance or disturbance on school premises.

Dad-of-four Martin Howard (pictured with his family), 39, says he was hauled before the courts for challenging what he believes are 'woke practices' in his sons' fee-paying boarding school and now faces a criminal conviction

Mr Howard says urinals were removed from all boys toilets at Sexey's School (pictured) in Bruton, Somerset, last summer leaving just four cubicles for 300 boys which he believes is a move to creating gender free toilets

Mr Howard, from Shepton Mallet, Somerset, says he was banned from the school grounds for three months.

Appearing before Taunton Magistrates Court on Wednesday to represent himself, he pleaded not guilty and described the entire process as a 'waste of mine and the court's time'.

He added: 'As a parent I have an implied right of access to the school.'

But Magistrate Angela Brereton said: 'The only issue is whether or not you were being a nuisance or creating a disturbance.

'I am not sure you're allowed to video in toilets - what if there had been pupils present?'

He was released on unconditional bail but faces a trial in November, If he is convicted then will result in a criminal record and a fine of up to 500.

His case comes as womens rights campaigners, including author JK Rowling, desperately try to stop public bodies and businesses replacing separate male and female toilets with gender neutral ones in an attempt to be more welcoming to trans people.

From the National Trust to UK theatres and even the Houses of Parliament, proposals to install gender neutral toilets have been blasted as woke and dangerous.

In May, parents at Walsall Academy, near Wolverhampton, were left fearful that new gender neutral toilets would leave 11-year-olds sharing lavatories with 18-year-olds of the opposite gender.

There were reports of pupils recording each other in the toilets, while teenage girls were refusing to drink water because they were forced to wait until they were back home before relieving themselves.

Meanwhile late last month, The Telegraph reported that a teenage boy was reportedly arrested over allegations that female pupils were sexually assaulted in the gender-neutral toilets at another secondary school in Essex.

Mr Howard, from Shepton Mallet, Somerset, says he was banned from the school grounds for three months

The Essex school reportedly has a number of gendered toilets to be used by boys or girls as well as a set of 'open suite' cubicles that can be used by either sex.

Speaking after his court case, Mr Howard said: 'I am shocked it has gone this far.

'The school don't want parents finding out what they have done or challenging their woke policies.

'I tried to raise my concerns but the headteacher ignored these concerns as she continues to politicise her educational policies and the environment towards her extreme left ideologies.

'It is not a nice experience being charged and I will be writing to the school demanding compensation.'

Section 547 of the Education Act 1996 makes it a criminal offence for a person who is on school premises without legal permission to cause or permit a nuisance or disturbance. Trespassing itself does not constitute a criminal offence.

To have committed a criminal offence, an abusive individual must have been barred from the premises or have exceeded their 'implied licence', then also have caused a nuisance or disturbance.

Earlier this year Ofsted rated Sexey's school 'good' in all areas of an inspection - four years after it was judged 'inadequate'. Inspectors found pupils are 'happy and safe', 'polite' and 'thrive' there.

Sexey's - a state-run boarding school for boys and girls aged 11-18 which charges fees of up to 13,000 per year - has been contacted for comment.
It does not qualify for exemptions as donors carry goods and not people

But its future is uncertain as Sadiq Khan expands the Ultra Low Emission Zone

The Baby Bank HQ has supported to hundreds of families in London's East End

A charity which supplies baby food, clothes and essentials like cots to some of the poorest mothers in London fears it will close down because of Sadiq Khan's controversial clean air scheme.

Baby Bank HQ has helped hundreds of families in the East End by providing milk, prams, clothes and toys to struggling parents who cannot afford them for their new-borns.

But the groups future has been thrown into doubt as Mayor Khan expands his Ultra Low Emission Zone into the outer boroughs of London at the end of August.

Baby Bank collects goods from donors and delivers them to struggling families using a diesel Vauxhall van which is not ULEZ-compliant, and so the charity will have to pay 12.50 every day for any journeys.

Bosses at the charity said they cannot afford the daily charge, and so will either scale back or be forced to stop their work.

Baby Bank HQ - which supplies baby food, clothes and essentials like cots to some of the poorest mothers in London - fears it will close down because of Sadiq Khan 's controversial clean air scheme. Pictured: Workers at The Baby Bank HQ sort out supplies

Hundreds of organisations in the capital face closure or severe loss because of ULEZ, which one study claims will cost over 800million to Londons economy (stock photo)

Janet Gibson, 74, (pictured) an ice cream lady for 54 years in Rainham, East London, is being forced to abandon her job in August. Her Ford ice cream van does not comply with ULEZ, but she cannot afford to pay the 12.50 daily charge and still make a profit

Baby Bank is among hundreds of organisations in the capital that face closure or severe loss because of ULEZ, which, according to one study, will cost over 800million to Londons economy.

Baby Bank, based in Havering, is desperately trying to raise 5,000 for a new ULEZ-compliant van, but have so far have raised 55 on their GoFundMe page.

Kelly Rosevear, a co-founder of the charity and a serving Met police officer, said: I think the ULEZ zone should not have been expanded this far out.

We have seen the number of people turning to us double because of the cost-of-living crisis. But if ULEZ reduces our service, there just isnt another charity that does what we are doing around here.

READ MORE: Key Transport for London claim that 9 in 10 drivers would be unaffected by ULEZ expansion is unsubstantiated Advertisement

Last week, five outer London boroughs launched a High Court challenge against ULEZs expansion, arguing that parts of Khans consultation were so unintelligible, it rendered the whole process illegal.

Janet Gibson, 74, an ice cream lady for 54 years in Rainham, East London, is being forced to abandon her job in August.

Her Ford ice cream van does not comply with ULEZ, but she cannot afford to pay the 12.50 daily charge and still make a profit.

Mrs Gibson said: I am more sad than angry. I cannot buy a new ice cream van as they cost over 60,000. There is no need to expand ULEZ, but this man [Khan] does not listen to anyone.

A few doors down from Mrs Gibson, Rod Mulvie, 62, a life-long builder, is planning to sell his house as he cannot live inside the ULEZ zone.

His diesel Citroen van falls foul of ULEZ, as does his son Harrys vehicle, and the vans of his two workers.

The builder said any job his team goes to will cost them around 50 in ULEZ charges daily, which he cannot afford, nor which he can pass down to his customers.

Mr Mulvie said: I have lived in my house all my life, but I am now thinking of selling it and leaving the area so I am outside ULEZ, and I will do jobs in outer areas.

This man Khan must realise what he has done to peoples lives and jobs.

David Tayler, 61, a former fireman, owns the 15-acre Long Meadow Farm in Upminster, Essex, whose only dirt track leads to a road that falls inside the proposed ULEZ zone.

He says he will have to pay 12.50 per day to leave his farm as he has a diesel Hilux Invincible, which he uses to transport his horses and goats on trailers.

Mrs Gibson (pictured) said: I am more sad than angry. I cannot buy a new ice cream van as they cost over 60,000. There is no need to expand ULEZ, but this man [Khan] does not listen to anyone'

Mr Tayler said: I cant afford to replace this, as it will cost me more than 30,000. So I will have to pay.

You have to realise, we dont have public transport here. The nearest bus stop is over a mile away.

Howard Cox, a London Mayoral candidate and founder of the pressure group Fair Fuel UK, said: Not only will Khans needless ULEZ plans shrink Londons economy by 800million per year, the harm to sole traders, High Streets and charitable organisations will be catastrophic, even terminal.

A spokesman for Khan said: The Mayor has been clear that the decision to expand ULEZ was not an easy one, but necessary to tackle toxic air pollution.
Ten former key managers and experts at water watchdog Ofwat have joined water firms in the past three years  leading to claims a 'conflict of interest' has left the regulator unable to get a grip on debts, leaks and sewage spills.

Critics last night said a 'revolving door' between Ofwat and large water firms was to blame for a 'light touch' approach.

An investigation by The Mail on Sunday can reveal more than 50 influential managers, consultants and directors have switched roles between Ofwat and the private sector in the last two decades. Many remain key players in the water industry. Six of England's nine water firms have recruited Ofwat officials into senior roles.

They include former Ofwat head Cathryn Ross, who recently became interim chief executive of Thames Water, which faces debts of 14 billion. In recent years, it spent borrowed cash on bumper payouts for shareholders and staff bonuses.

Thames Water, which was fined 3.3 million for sewage spills in Sussex and Surrey last week, also hired three senior Ofwat employees, including former director Jonathan Read, to work in its regulatory strategy and policy department in the past 18 months. Yorkshire Water hired two ex-Ofwat officials, a senior economist and non-executive director last year.

Thames Water, which was fined 3.3 million for sewage spills in Sussex and Surrey last week , also hired three senior Ofwat employees, including former director Jonathan Read, to work in its regulatory strategy and policy department in the past 18 months

READ MORE: Water firms are planning new price rises for customers, Ofwat chief warns as he says Thames Water customers won't have to cover cost if firm collapses Thames Water (tanker pictured at Mogden sewage treatment works in London) customers will not have to cover the cost if the debt-ridden water company collapses Advertisement

South West Water recruited a former Ofwat director of strategy last year, and Northumbrian Water has hired two senior Ofwat regulatory experts since 2020.

Severn Trent hired 11 senior Ofwat workers, while nine moved in the opposite direction. Southern Water hired an ex-Ofwat pricing expert to head its corporate strategy, while two managers joined Ofwat.

Last night campaigners called for urgent reform. Louise Reddy, of Surfers Against Sewage, said: 'Decades of hollow regulation from Ofwat have allowed water companies to pollute as they please.

'Having turned a blind eye to water company profiteering, we're not surprised that the waters between Ofwat and water companies have been muddied.' Richard Murphy, professor of accounting practice at the University of Sheffield, called for a change 'so that we can stop pretending Ofwat is independent'. He said: 'Ofwat suffers from a conflict of interest that afflicts all public sector regulators.

'People are not paid terribly well and know they can do better in the private sector they regulate. The perception is that they take a light touch on this or that private company because they think that same company might give them a job.'

Water firms are facing crises of a debt fiasco, raw sewage pumped into rivers on over 301,000 occasions last year, and three billion litres of water lost in leaks daily.

An Ofwat spokesman said its staff are bound by Civil Service rules on independence, propriety, and probity as part of a code of conduct, adding: 'They are reminded of this, both when first appointed and when leaving the organisation.'

A spokesman for WaterUK, a body that represents the country's water and sewerage suppliers, declined to comment.
A cancer charity has been accused of 'dehumanising' women after advising medics to refer to the vagina as a 'bonus hole' to avoid upsetting transgender men.

Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust features a glossary on its website detailing 'the correct language' that healthcare professionals should use when dealing with trans men  women who identify as men.

As well as 'bonus hole', it also suggests the term 'front hole' as an alternative to vagina, the use of which it claimed may leave patients feeling 'hurt or distressed'.

Women's rights campaigners last night rounded on Jo's, the UK's only charity dedicated to women affected by cervical cancer. Bev Jackson, of the LGB Alliance, said: 'Disgusting language like this which intentionally dehumanises women must be rejected by all reasonable people.

'The fact is, women have vaginas. It's appalling that anyone would think that reality is offensive. If you think it's offensive, then that's your problem.

Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust has been accused of 'dehumanising' women after advising medics to refer to the vagina as a 'bonus hole' to avoid upsetting transgender men

As well as 'bonus hole', it also suggests the term 'front hole' as an alternative to vagina, the use of which it claimed may leave patients feeling 'hurt or distressed'

'There is no reason for the rest of society to adapt our language so as not to offend people who are offended by reality.

'Some people wish to ignore the very clear biological differences between men and women.'

The terms feature on a section of Jo's website specifically for medical professionals entitled 'Language to use when supporting trans men and/or non-binary people'.

It was drawn up in partnership with the LGBT Foundation, a campaign group calling for 'a world where queer liberation enables meaningful and lasting change'.

Caroline Fiske, founder of Conservatives for Women, said: 'The gender movement seems actively to want to encourage body disassociation and hatred  in other words to actively create more confused young people alienated from their own physicality and their own sex.

'What better way than to use this utterly dehumanising language about our own bodies?

'To my mind it is grooming: create the unease, the disassociation, the alienation, and then when you have done that, you step in with euphoric rhetoric about 'trans joy'.

'Of course those doing this will not be around to pick up the pieces when young bodies are irreversibly damaged and young lives destroyed.

'Is there a mechanism whereby these charities promoting harm could be struck off?'

Caroline Fiske, who founded Conservatives for Women, said the term was 'dehumanising'

Kellie-Jay Keen, founder of Standing For Women, said: 'The whole thing is loathsome, but 'bonus hole' and 'front hole' are so misogynist.

'If a woman is so triggered by the word vagina, I should imagine she needs psychiatric help rather than the world bent to her never-ending list of irrational demands.

'You would think that charities would have better things to do than erase female language.'

Jo's was set up by London businessman James Maxwell in memory of his wife Jo, who died aged 40 from cervical cancer in 1999.

Its current chief executive is Samantha Dixon, who has worked for a string of charities, including The Prince's Trust.

Last night, a Jo's spokesman said: 'Women are our main audience at Jo's. However, some trans men and non-binary people have cervixes, and to reduce as many cervical cancers as possible it is important we also provide information for this group and the health professionals who support them.'
A delivery driver has lashed out after leaving his van for two minutes to drop off a parcel before returning to find a massive fine left on his windshield.

Umair Khan was slapped with the $283 fine while making a delivery at Mosman, on Sydney's north shore, and leaving his van parked in a driveway on Friday.

Mr Khan vented his frustration on Facebook about the 'rude' and 'overzealous' council worker with hundreds of kind-hearted locals offering to pay his fine.

A frustrated delivery driver (pictured beside his van) who works in one of Australia's wealthiest suburbs has vented his frustration at the costly difficulties of delivering parcel there

Umair Khan has taken to the Mosman Living Facebook page, which details life in the north shore Sydney suburb of the same name, to complain about a $283 fine (pictured)

A lot of the residents know Mr Khan personally, as he has operated in the area for eight years, first in Neutral Bay next door, and in Mosman since 2017.

His complaint stems from a recent delivery, which he said said took just two minutes to complete, but which has ended up costing him vastly more than it was worth.

Mr Khan wrote that he loves delivering parcels to what he called 'the beautiful suburb' and works hard to get things right.

He said he always tries his best to minimise leaving a card which would mean people then had to go to the post office themselves for the parcel.

What is NSW Road Rule 198? Umair Khan lashed out at the council worker after he received the $283 fine. He vented his frustration despite admitting he was in breach of NSW Road Rule 198. According to New South Wales Road Rule 198, a driver is not permitted to stop on or across a driveway in NSW unless the driver is dropping off or picking up passengers, doesn't leave the vehicle, and stops for no longer than two minutes. Advertisement

'But guess what,' he wrote, 'This is what we get $283 fine for delivering one parcel in less than 2 minutes.'

He said it is irritating when he gets fined just for doing his job. 'I just got frustrated when I see this and wanted to say that not every post man is same.

'Some really work hard and care about customers and their parcels. Some also feel happy when they see customers happy face after getting parcels.'

Mr Khan also revealed the details of the specific incident that led to him getting such a large fine.

'I was delivering to harbour nursing home and stopped for 1 minute and in fact I was there when council lady clicked the picture as you can see me as well but she was just so rude and replied to go to COURT.'

The driver admitted that he was technically breaking a traffic law, but he just wanted to get the package delivered.

'I know I am wrong as per road rule 198, but trust me if I took that parcel to post office I would receive a long complaint from nursing home,' he wrote.

His plea for understanding and a little leniency to someone just trying to do his job led to a huge outpouring of support on the social media site.

One supporter said Mr Khan is 'a legend and always delivered my parcels with care to my home in Mosman'.

The woman added that he even knew where she worked locally and 'would pop into my work to drop in if I wasn't home'.

The driver's impassioned post about a 'rude' and 'overzealous' council worker hit a nerve with locals, who left hundreds of comments in support of him. His van is pictured

Another wrote that what happened to the delivery driver is, 'Another example of Australia's gross overzealous policing.

'Good for you being committed to doing your service job well. Shame on Australian governance.'

The poster said after his recent travels in Europe where there is 'very little policing of speed limits (and) parking', he finds Australia to be, 'Just an over compliant, over regulated, blame others, nanny state.'

Some supporters offered to help Mr Khan pay his fine, with one posting '$10 each and we can cover it. Who's in?'

Another said they were 'happy to chip in too. You take pride in your work and are always friendly when I see you around Mosman. Please let us help.'

With friends and supporters coming out in droves to back him, Mr Khan will undoubtedly keep doing his job as best he can in Sydney's leafy north shore.

And Mosman Council might find it has a lot more complaints than usual to deal with in the coming days and weeks.
Also says Australia is based on racism

An architect and advisor on the Voice To Parliament says the country is based on racism, has no soul and believes Australia Day should be scrapped.

Sydney lawyer Teela Reid is a member of the Voice Referendum Engagement Group which advises the government on 'building community understanding, awareness and support'.

Ms Reid has outlined her strong views on Australia and Indigenous matters in a series of tweets this year while saying the Voice would be the first step in 'redistributing power'.

'Australia cannot handle the truth,' she posted on her account.

'There is no point in blackfullas trying to explain our pain to a nation without a soul, that is on white Australia to do the work on themselves, not mob.'

Sydney lawyer Teela Reid (pictured) is a prominent Voice architect and advocate who says Australia is based on racism

In another tweet she claimed that: 'racism is synonymous with Australia'.

'Australia wouldn't exist without racism. Racism has nothing to do with the colour of your skin, it has everything to do with power & privilege,' wrote.

Ms Reid appeared alongside Stan Grant during the ABC's controversial coverage of the Coronation of King Charles III in May.

The segment focussed heavily on the impact the monarchy and colonisation have had on Aboriginal Australians and people of colour and sparked backlash.

In June Ms Reid contradicted Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney's denials that the Voice would be offering advice on Australia Day.

'It is truly disingenuous to be claiming mob won't be demanding to #AbolishAustralia day,' she tweeted.

'It started decades before the referendum, it'll still be a demand after it.'

Ms Burney said June the advisory body created by the Voice would not be interested in changing the date of Australia Day.

'I can tell you what the Voice will not be giving advice on. It won't be giving advice on parking tickets,' she said.

'It won't be giving advice on changing Australia Day. It will not be giving advice on all of the ridiculous things that that side has come up with.'

Ms Reid has indicated changing the date of Australia Day is not enough and that it should be abolished or rebranded.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Ms Reid as part of a 'remarkable' generation of young Indigenous leaders

'How very Aussie is this; let's ignore history, find a new meaningless date to celebrate, and forget that the Blaks ever declared 26 Jan a Day of Mourning,' she tweeted

'It's always been #AbolishAustraliaDay changing the date is a cop out.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Ms Reid in January as part of the next generation of 'remarkable' Indigenous leaders.

She was a working group leader in creating the Uluru Statement of the Heart, the foundation document that proposes recognising Indigenous people in the Constitution by the creation of the Voice.

Previously she has called for reparations to be paid to Indigenous people.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Reid for comment.

The referendum to establish the Voice will be held in the period of October to December.

To pass it needs to gain an overall majority of votes and also win approval in a majority of states.
One of the victims dove in front of the other

Witnesses to a brazen shooting in Sydney's inner west claim one of the victims dove in front of a bullet to protect his relative when he was shot at by a gunman.

A gunman entered Adel's Salon on Marrickville Road, in Marrickville, reportedly carrying two weapons and opened fire on the two men at about 1.50pm on Friday.

Both of the men, aged 33 and 20, survived the daylight shooting and are recovering in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

The pair are linked to the Bandidos bikie gang, according to police sources. It's unknown how deep their connection to the Bandidos is.

Witness accounts have revealed more grisly details about the gunman and the shooting itself.

Two men, aged 20 and 33, were rushed to hospital after they were shot inside a Marrickville salon in broad daylight

'He (gunman) jumped out of the car with two guns, black mask, fired from outside the store, then walked in and shot the guy as he was getting his hair cut,' one onlooker, who did not wish to be named, told The Sunday Telegraph.

'Then his brother who was in the shop too jumped in front of (the shooter) to protect him and got shot in the chest.'

The witness added that the barber cutting one of the victim's hair was almost struck by the hail of bullets.

Police are still investigating a motive for the shooting but it is believed to be a targeted attack.

Detectives are also looking into an assault on the owners of the salon that occurred about an hour after the shooting.

Both victims are in hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds to their chest and buttocks.

Daily Mail Australia earlier revealed that the men, who were getting a haircut at the time of the shooting, were regular customers at Adel's Salon.

One Underworld source claimed the gunman's decision to use two guns in the attack meant he was either not intending to kill the two men or was an 'amateur'.

'Think about it, its harder to aim properly at your target if you have one in each hand,' they told the Telegraph.

A witness claimed the shooter was carrying two guns when he opened fire on the two men inside the salon. One of the men reportedly dived in front of the other during the carnage

Police sources said the victims have links to the Bandidos bikie gang and were known to them

Shocking footage from the scene shows one shirtless man lying on the floor while a police officer gives him first aid.

Another officer was also seen trying to calm down a second man in the salon.

Former NSW police officer Peter Moroney said the offenders tried to 'manhandle' one or two of the witnesses who were filming the shocking incident.

'A couple of the offenders dealt with one or two of the witnesses that were filming them yesterday and tried to manhandle them as well,' he told Nine's Today show on Saturday morning

'If you do see crimes like this unfold, whilst it is a temptation to gather evidence, look after yourself first instead of trying to get involved.'

He said the the incident was particularly shocking as it happened in broad daylight along a busy suburban shopping strip and close to the suburb's police station.

NSW Police Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said police believe a silver Kia Stinger found in flames on Park Road in nearby Sydenham was used as a 'getaway car'.

A Mitsubishi Triton was also reported on fire just minutes later on Hercules Street in Dulwich Hill.

A silver Kia Stinger was set on fire in nearby Sydenham in the aftermath of the shooting on Friday afternoon. Police also reportedly found a burnt-out Mitsubishi Triton

Police are also trying to track down a white Toyota Camry, with registration plates DMM59H, that police believe one of the shooters may have gotten into after the incident.

Both victims are known to police but are not local to the area.

'It is very brazen and that's why we believe it was a targeted attack, it's not random and it's fortunate no other member of the public was involved in that incident,' Superintendent Fitzgerald said.

A blood-soaked towel was also found at the scene as a shirtless man was carried away in a stretcher.

A crime scene was established and examined by specialist forensic officers.
An Alabama official who claimed that a TikTok trend killed four people in the past six months has retracted his remarks, saying they had been 'blown out of proportion'.

Jim Dennis, captain of the Childersburg Rescue Squad, is insisting that the social media platform is not responsible for the deaths, despite being quoted as saying so.

Those participating in the challenge launch themselves from the rear of a boat and into the wake behind it, as the boat continues to move.

Speaking to AL.com, he said: 'We've had four drownings in the last six to eight months and some of those were just drownings.

'To say that's the reason they died, I can't say that. That would be a matter of opinion.'

Officials in Alabama have now said that the TikTok trend hadn't claimed the lives of four people

Those participating in the challenge launch themselves from the rear of a boat and into the wake behind it, as the boat continues to move

He continued: 'It got blown way out of proportion,' Dennis said, adding that there is no data to support his original claims.

Prior to this new statement, Dennis was quoted as telling WPDE : 'Last six months we have had four drownings that were easily avoidable.

'They were doing a TikTok challenge. It's where you get in a boat going at a high rate of speed, you jump off the side of the boat, don't dive, you're jumping off feet first and you just kinda lean into the water.

'The four that we responded to when they jumped out of the boat, they literally broke their neck and, you know, basically an instant death.'

Capt. Dennis continued: 'I think people, if they're being filmed on camera, I think they're more likely to do something stupid because they want to show off in front of their friends for social media.

He said one incident was in February when the victim was a father with his three children, wife, and other loved ones in the boat - with his death being recorded.

WPDE said the most recent incident in Alabama occurred in May and involved a middle-aged man.

But the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Monday that Dennis' claims were 'incorrect.'

In a statement, they said: 'On Monday, July 3, a news story was shared regarding 'first responders warning against a deadly boating TikTok trend after recent drownings' in Alabama.

'However, please be advised the information released to the news outlet was incorrect.'

TikTok footage of the craze shows people throwing themselves from the rear of fast moving boats into white water.

One video is believed to have been captured on Lake Norman, North Carolina, and shows five people jumping and black flipping into the water.

Captain Jim Dennis with the Childersburg Rescue Squad told WPDE that all of the deaths had been avoidable, but has since retracted his initial statement

Social media users expressed their concern over the videos, citing the rest deaths related to the craze

After the news from Alabama over recent days, the footage, which was originally shared in 2021, has been inundated with comments warning of the deaths.

One person commented: 'That's so dangerous, not cool.'

Another posted: 'So dangerous! Four people have broken their necks and died from this.'

It is not the first trend to claim lives that has gone round the social media app, with two teens dying after participating in the Benadryl Challenge.

It sees people, ususally kids, swallow multiple antihistamine tablets to induce hallucinations before posting videos of their experience.

Jacob Stevens, 13, died in April of this year after Chloe Marie Phillips, 15, died in August 2020 after partaking in the trend.
Balenciaga's creative director Demna Gvasalia has given an interview in which he claims he has 'suffered' since the brand's BDSM advertising scandal last year.

The campaign sparked widespread outrage for featuring inappropriate imagery of children in a sexually charged photoshoot with bondage-styled teddy bear bags.

The storm over the campaign led reality television star Kim Kardashian to review her ties with the label leading to a plunging in sales. The brand said any association was unintentional and has repeatedly apologized.

The fashion house stopped short of firing Demna and more than six months on from the scandal, speaking to the Wall Street Journal this week in Paris, Demna, 42, appears to have thrown himself back into his designing work.

'Making clothes is my armor,' Demna said, as he unveiled an armored ball gown in apparent homage to Joan of Arc, who some say was burnt at the stake for her refusal to stop wearing men's clothes.

Demna Gvasalia, 42, the creative director of French fashion house Balenciaga, has discussed the aftermath of brand's controversial BDSM-themed ad campaign

'Making clothes is my armor,' Demna said, as he unveiled an armored ball gown in apparent homage to Joan of Arc, who some say was burnt at the stake for her refusal to stop wearing men's clothes

Balenciaga withdrew this holiday campaign featuring BDSM bears, wine and champagne glasses, after widespread backlash

This is the July ad campaign which featured the printout of the SCOTUS child porn ruling

In this image from Balenciaga's scrapped Spring '23 campaign, Isabelle Huppert sits in front of a stack of books including one that celebrates Michael Borremans, a Belgian painter whose work is known to include depictions of castrated toddlers

'I thought that if she had worn this kind of armor, she probably would have stayed alive,' Demna explained.

'I've suffered all my life because of the way I dress or what I try to show through my work,' he said to WSJ.com.

'Couture to me is like Moderna,' Demna went on, comparing fashion to the coronavirus vaccine. 'It cannot save it, but it can at least highlight the importance of keeping its immunity.'

Demna took over from Alexander Wang as the fashion house's creative director in 2015 and was widely credited for boosting its profits with lucrative partnerships with stars like Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Bella Hadid.

Although the luxury group Kering which owns Balenciaga, does not publish results for the individual brands that it owns, its earnings are down 9 percent, year-on-year for the first quarter of 2023.

'We mentioned that Balenciaga was positive in terms of retail. I can tell you: It's slightly positive, which is already an achievement, considering what happened at the end of [last] year.' Kering chief financial officer Jean-Marc Duplaix said during an earnings call.

'We can expect some gradual recovery and improvement along the year,' he predicted.

Kering also owns several other iconic fashion houses including Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent.

Demna would wear a mask that obscured his face for public appearances early in his career, including at the 2021 Met Ball

Demna with Kim Kardashian at the 2021 Met Gala. The 42-year-olld Georgian native has been credited with boosting Balenciaga's profits by partnering with stars like Kardashian

Demna with Bella Hadid, another of Balenciaga's star models and ambassadors

Towards the end of last year the label drew fire over two separate campaigns that were posted online including this one featuring a handbag in the form of a stuffed teddy bear in bondage-style straps

Towards the end of last year the label drew fire over two separate campaigns that were posted online.

One that was advertising a gift collection, featured a handbag in the form of a stuffed teddy bear in bondage-style straps, held by children.

A second, separate campaign for the label's spring 2023 collection, set in an office, included papers featuring text from a 2008 Supreme Court ruling relating to child pornography.

Balenciaga eventually apologized and said that it was going to investigate the ad campaigns.

It said the papers featuring the legal text on child pornography were props from a third party and that it had filed a complaint against the inclusion of the 'unapproved documents' although the label ultimately decided not to pursue litigation.

Two weeks after the scandal broke Demna released a statement suggesting he was going nowhere

Demna Gvasalia and Francois-Henri Pinault, CEO of the Kering Group of luxury brands

Two weeks after the scandal broke, Demna apologized in a message posted to Instagram promising to 'do better' and vowing to work with children's protection organizations.

'I need to learn from this, listen and engage with child protection organizations to know how I can contribute and help on this terrible subject.

'I apologize to anyone offended by the visuals and Balenciaga has guaranteed that adequate measures will be taken not only to avoid similar mistakes in the future but also to take accountability in protecting child welfare in every way we can,' he said.

'I want to personally apologize for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids and I take my responsibility,' he began his message.

Balenciaga is owned by The Kering Group, whose CEO is Francois Pinault. He is shown with wife, Salma Hayek, in November 2022

'It was inappropriate to have kids promote objects that had nothing to do with them.

'As much as I would sometimes like to provoke a thought through my work, I would NEVER have an intention to do that with such an awful subject as child abuse that I condemn. Period.'

Before the scandal, Demna was the darling of the fashion industry and was credited for boosting the profits of Balenciaga's parent group, Kering, by $1billion.

He boasted about his unbridled ability to 'create', describing in a recent podcast how he no longer felt the need to 'make the fashion industry understand'.

''I no longer think about making the fashion industry understand what I do,' he said, 'I just do it.''

'Popularity is always very dangerous... you can do anything and it can sell and that's the dangerous part,' he said.

He went on to speak about overcoming being an 'outsider' at the start of his career, to now being indulged by 'the fashion elite' - but his dependency on them and Balenciaga to reach success is a source of conflict for him.

'The fact that today I have the fashion elite say hello to me, they come to my shows, they consider me finally.. it's a victory. But it's almost like a boring victory because it only happened when Balenciaga became successful. It's almost like somebody came and helped me win. I find it frustrating but also I'm happy about it.

'I no longer think about making fashion industry understand what I do. I just do it. Whether I'm proud of it or not, it doesn't matter anymore. I don't have anybody to convince or explain things to. The only people I need to have a conversation with are the people who wear what I do and who understand what I do. And who appreciate it.

'Since I started couture at Balenciaga, finally I found a position in this industry which it's uncontested - I can just chill out and do what I truly believe in without thinking about business or media or commands about what other people think. All of that just evaporated.'
Brittany Higgins' fiance David Sharaz has confirmed Linda Reynolds' lawyers have officially served him with defamation papers, after a court heard they could not find him for six months.

Mr Sharaz is being sued by the former defence minister in the Supreme Court of Western Australia over five social media posts, uploaded last year, that she alleges were 'falsely defamatory'.

Senator Reynolds' lawyer Martin Bennett told the court on Thursday that his office had been trying to serve Mr Sharaz with a writ since January - without success.

It is understood Mr Bennett's office sent emails to two Gmail accounts which belonged to Mr Sharaz, but were unmonitored.

Daily Mail Australia revealed on Saturday that Mr Sharaz had been 'found' - resurfacing near his home on the Gold Coast, sporting jeans and a green jumper.

Hours later, Mr Sharaz responded by posting an update on Instagram to say he received the writ and updated his contact details with Senator Reynolds' lawyers.

Brittany Higgins' fiance David Sharaz (pictured on the Gold Coast on Saturday) confirms he has been served defamation papers

Senator Linda Reynolds (pictured) is suing David Sharaz over five social media posts uploaded last year

'FYI I've given them my ACTUAL email address,' he wrote. 'I've accepted service from Senator Reynolds.'

Mr Sharaz will have 21 days to formally respond, triggering the next stage of the case.

In court on Thursday, Mr Bennet said his office also tried to contact Mr Sharaz via his former employer, Southern Cross Austereo, but had no response.

He also pointed to media reports stating Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins were living on the Gold Coast, but said it was not practical track down their address.

Supreme Court justice Marcus Solomon allowed Mr Bennett's office to send the writ to the two personal accounts, and said Mr Sharaz was considered to have been served within 24 hours of those emails being sent.

It is understood Mr Sharaz hadn't received the writ by Friday morning, but Mr Bennett said his office emailed it to him immediately following Justice Solomon's orders.

David Sharaz revealed on Sunday that he received the writ from Senator Reynolds' lawyers

According to the writ, seen by Daily Mail Australia, Senator Reynolds claimed she was defamed in three Twitter posts between January and December last year, one Instagram post in April, and one Facebook comment in December.

Mr Sharaz appears to have deactivated his Facebook profile, made his Instagram account private and removed about 2,000 followers recently.

Senator Reynolds is seeking damages and an injunction against Mr Sharaz from publishing the allegedly defamatory material, and costs.

She is also seeking interest on damages at a rate of six per cent from the date of publication to the date of judgement.

Hours after Mr Sharaz's matter was mentioned in court, Ms Higgins uploaded photos showing the couple celebrating Mr Zwier's birthday at Flower Drum in Melbourne - featuring personalised balloons and a cake that said 'Australia's best lawyer'.

On Friday, she posted a photo of herself at the table between her friend Emma Webster and Mr Sharaz.

Mr Lehrmann was alleged to have raped Ms Higgins in Senator Reynolds' parliamentary office in 2019, which he strenuously denies.
Countess Alexandra Tolstoy was in a tent in central Asia when the scale of her predicament hit. Having her accounts closed by NatWest after seven years of impeccable banking, she feared shed struggle to support her children or maintain her business.

The Anglo-Russian adventurer, broadcaster and writer says: You hear horrific things about what some people do to themselves in such situations.

It can be life-changing. You feel utterly helpless.

Last week, Alexandra, 49, a descendant of the Tolstoy dynasty, reckoned that she had discovered why she had been declared persona non grata by the bank.

Without her knowledge, she had been declared a PEP (a politically exposed person) and had her name flagged on the database of World-Check, which helps businesses identify a variety of specific third-party risks by screening people for money-laundering, sanctions and terrorist financing.

It was, in part, because of an interview she gave to the Daily Mail 12 years ago.

Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, 49, reckons she had been declared a PEP (a politically exposed person) in part, because of an interview she gave to the Daily Mail 12 years ago

The 2011 article focused on her love affair with Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev and their plans to attend the wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco. It spoke about Botox and Bentleys, and the Valentino haute couture frock that Alexandra would be wearing.

It was considered strong enough evidence to be included in the World-Check file which Alexandra says is now having such a big impact on her financial affairs.

How can they use newspaper headlines swept off the internet? she asks. Where is the due diligence, the forensic inquiry, the cross-referencing, the use of government information, verified and double-checked?

Why does World-Check not look at Companies House or His Majestys Revenue & Customs, for example, if they want to scrutinise my life?

I was even listed as living in Monte Carlo. I dont. Im not hard to find in the UK. I pay my council tax in Wandsworth [in South-West London] and Im on the electoral roll.

No one knows if they are on World-Checks list, yet financial institutions and regulatory agencies use it to make fundamental decisions about our lives.

'If you try to defend yourself, you are fighting shadows. Its Orwellian, sinister. I feel like Ive been convicted of a crime without anyone telling me what it is Im supposed to have done.

Alexandra is relieved to have identified the apparent reason that NatWest has closed her accounts but she now faces months of detective work to track down all the second- and third-tier reference agencies which have used World-Checks information and flagged her as a risk.

The 2011 article focused on her love affair with Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev (pictured) and their plans to attend the wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco

Her plight is doubtless connected to her relationship with Pugachev, the father of her two sons and her daughter.

The couple, who never married, split acrimoniously when the man once known as The Kremlins banker fled the UK in 2015, despite a court order banning him from leaving the country.

According to Alexandra, who was born in the UK and is a British citizen, they are not in contact and he has not supported her and their children since he left.

She says she has no financial links to Russia  something which would be checked by NatWest.

In April, Alexandra got a letter from NatWest saying it no longer wanted her as a customer and would be closing her accounts. It arrived like a bolt from the blue, she says.

Flying between the UK and Kyrgyzstan, where she had multiple clients on the adventure horse-riding holidays she runs, she sought more information. The bank told her: Were not obliged to enter into any discussion or provide a reason for our decision.

Weve reviewed our rationale behind the decision and, unfortunately, this remains unchanged. We therefore wont be meeting with you or discussing this further.

In April, Alexandra got a letter from NatWest saying it no longer wanted her as a customer and would be closing her accounts

After being advised by a friend to make a Data Access Request  something anyone is entitled to ask of an organisation they suspect of holding personal information about them  she learned about World-Check and that she was flagged on its list.

It was then that she found out that part of their evidence was the Daily Mail interview. She believes this is responsible for NatWests actions, although she has yet to be officially told by the bank.

NatWest has said it treats compliance as a matter of priority but could not comment on the specifics of the case.

This isnt the first time Alexandra has found herself in such circumstances  Barclays removed her as a customer after a 25-year relationship at the time of her split from Pugachev.

She did not challenge the decision because she believed it was collateral damage from the end of their relationship.

She faced similar treatment from First Direct and Metro Bank but then took her account to NatWest where she has been a customer since 2016.

After NatWests decision, a fortnight ago she opened an account with an online bank.

The secrecy has been so hard to handle, she says. If you dont know what information is being held on you, and by whom, you cant know if its wrong.

In a court of law, you need facts, she says. Why do they not matter here?
In my first week as a junior doctor, I helped remove a swollen appendix from an 11-year-old boy. The consultant I was working with began the operation, then passed me the scalpel so I could finish the job. Triumphantly, I dropped the appendix into the receiving dish, grinning from ear to ear. I'd done an operation!

I dragged my housemates to the pub to celebrate. As I headed to the bar, I bumped into one of the surgical registrars who'd taught me at med school.

'How's it going?'

'I've just done my first appendix! God, I love surgery.'

'Good for you. But are you a real surgeon?' He leaned forward and whispered in my ear: 'Did you get an erection?'

I watched him swagger back to his friends, no doubt thinking he'd shocked me. But this was far from the first crude comment I'd heard from a medic  and it certainly would not be the last.

LIZ O'RIORDAN: In my first week as a junior doctor, I helped remove a swollen appendix from an 11-year-old boy

LIZ O'RIORDAN: The consultant I was working with began the operation, then passed me the scalpel so I could finish the job

A hospital operating theatre is an unusual working environment. You spend hours standing close to your colleagues, elbow to elbow, hip to hip, in thin cotton scrubs.

When I entered medical school in 1998, women doctors were a minority and female surgeons almost unknown. As a trainee, on rotation through different specialities  from colorectal surgery to orthopaedics  I was often the first woman trainee to join the team.

The men barely knew what to do with me, other than bombard me with sexist jokes. Coffee room conversation was limited to rugby or the men bragging about their latest sexual conquests. Every once in a while a wandering hand would stray in my direction.

In the operating theatre, flirtation, dirty jokes and double entendres were par for the course. I'd be asked, 'Who did you have sex with last night?' or there would be speculation about what knickers I was wearing or if I was pregnant.

Like every woman I knew at the time, I put my head down and put up with it. The surprising thing is, it seems life in the operating room is the same today. Sexual harassment remains the NHS's guilty secret  and recent revelations suggest the service is well overdue a #MeToo moment.

It might seem strange to think of hospitals  usually associated with compassion and clinical excellence  as hotbeds of sexual harassment, but hospitals have an unusual power balance. They are huge organisations, where most of the junior colleagues  nurses, healthcare staff, physios  are women and most of the medical staff are men, especially in surgery.

Roshana Mehdian-Staffell, a young orthopaedic surgeon, has recently spoken publicly about the 'boys club mentality' she has encountered. Some of the experiences she has described are eerily similar to mine. While she was training, a surgeon took her to a satellite clinic in his car and put his hand on her thigh. In the sluice room (where waste is disposed of) she says: 'I've had people stand behind me and grind themselves into me.' One said: 'You've got short trousers on  make sure you always wear them because your ankles are really sexy.'

Philippa Jackson, a consultant plastic surgeon, has also told of being sexually harassed. She says she was talking to a male colleague about a patient set to have surgery when he leaned in to hug her. 'He made some noises and rubbed himself against me,' she says. 'Then, as he backed away he said, 'You probably felt my erection'.'

She didn't make a fuss as she was taken aback and they were going into theatre: 'I thought, 'That's creepy' but it didn't mean I couldn't do my job. So I did what I had to do.' I know that feeling. I've had it many times, from the start of my training and through most of my career, until I was forced to retire from surgery in 2018, at 43.

Irony of ironies, I had become a consultant breast cancer surgeon at a hospital in Ipswich and loved my job  then I got breast cancer, twice. The physical and emotional impact of the disease was such that I felt I could not carry on operating. Since then, I have reinvented myself as an author, speaker and host of the podcast Don't Ignore The Elephant, which I launched last year to help people feel freer to talk of taboos like sex and death.

Triumphantly, I dropped the appendix into the receiving dish, grinning from ear to ear. I'd done an operation!

I've had plenty of time to reflect on my career in medicine and one of the things that most baffles me is how I and other women who were training with me put up with so much abuse for so many years. For instance, around the time I did that first appendix operation, one of my close friends, Lorna, was working with a surgeon in a different hospital. Once she was scrubbed, her boss said to his registrar: 'We're going to need to teach Lorna the Penny Procedure.'

'What's that?' she said.

'I don't want to dig you in the ribs while I'm operating. My last house officer, Penny, was very well endowed and it seemed logical to rest my elbow on her cleavage. Hence, the Penny Procedure.' He didn't give Lorna the chance to say 'No'. She was upset that no one in the room had said anything when it happened. But that was completely normal: no one would dare go up against a consultant, and as a lowly trainee the important thing was to put up with whatever came your way in exchange for a good reference at the end.

Some of what was said in the operating room was just playful banter to lighten the mood or release tension. Surgery is stressful. But it was easy to slip into more flirtatious mode  with everyone close together, out of their usual clothes, it was sometimes strangely like being out in a club.

In that intense atmosphere, the team call each other by their first names, conversation slides into the personal and there are lingering glances, wandering hands  it's easy for knuckles to brush against nipples or knees.

In 2021, an article in the Royal College of Surgeons' magazine highlighted the 'uncomfortable truth' that 'surgery and surgical training have a problem with sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape'. In response, Royal College of Surgeons President Neil Mortensen has said that surgeons should 'speak up and challenge sexism'  but that is easier said than done.

At speaking engagements recently, I've met young women who talk to me about the problem but the best I can do is suggest they say something like 'I know you think that's funny but for me that's going too far', then turn to another person on the team and say 'Don't you agree?' to get some support. Or maybe say: 'Can you still get away with saying that these days? It's a bit #MeToo.'

But it's hard to have the confidence to say anything. As a 23-year-old trainee, there's no way I would have called out a surgeon. So, it's all very well to say 'if your boss tells a rude joke or tries to grope your tit, do this' as in the moment, you freeze, you don't do or say anything, you are so shocked that someone's put their hand on your boob you don't have time for a witty comeback.

On day one of a new job the consultant asked me to accompany him to a clinic. He went everywhere on his motorbike and I had to wrap my legs around his thighs. On the way back he said he always pulled into a pub for a pint then when I was travelling to a conference with another boss, his mistress called on the phone. As I'd heard them speaking he then turned the conversation to my sex life and seemed to expect me to divulge intimate information.

Another consultant who was known for shagging anything in a skirt  medical students, nurses, junior doctors  bleeped me in the middle of a ward round to ask me out to dinner. I didn't feel I could say No, so I went out with him.

I remember thinking 'God, you're a lot older than me' and almost panicking. Luckily, someone saw us and we joined a few other people. He ended up going home with my flatmate.

I dragged my housemates to the pub to celebrate. As I headed to the bar, I bumped into one of the surgical registrars who'd taught me at med school

At the hospital Christmas party, I was dancing with another trainee and some nurses when one of the consultants came up to join us. The music switched to a slow song and he asked me to dance. I couldn't say No. He pulled me in closer and I could feel his erection pressing against me. He leaned in for a snog but I pushed him away.

'Come on,' he said. 'It's just a kiss, it's only cheating if we go to a dark corner.' I lied about having a boyfriend and ran to the toilets. Later, he got off with a nurse.

At work, I always wore a thong because if there were women walking in front of us, my consultants would always comment on their knicker line and whether they might be 'up for it' and I knew they would be doing the same to me.

I wore a padded bra because if you wore a thin bra the men would be looking at your nipples and saying: 'Feeling cold, love?'.

As a junior doctor my uniform was a blouse and skirt. I'd have to bend over the end of a bed to write notes and I often looked up to find three male colleagues looking down my front. In orthopaedics, it's sometimes necessary to put your knee up on the bed to examine someone properly, which meant showing my knickers.

I could see that if I didn't join in with the banter, I'd risk being called a prude. I was also aware that I was missing out on whatever was said between my bosses and the male trainees in the changing rooms.

I could feel the shift in conversation whenever they saw me in the coffee room. So, for a while, I tried to be 'one of the boys'.

If someone told a rude joke, I told a dirtier one. I started drinking pints of lager instead of gin and tonic. I hinted at a fictitious sex life and eventually was seen as one of the lads. Although I hated myself, I thought it was worth it to feel part of the team. It made me feel less vulnerable.

Halfway through my PhD I had an abstract accepted for a surgical conference, along with another registrar doing research. At the conference dinner we got chatting to the consultant seated between us. He managed to cajole the table into going on to a nightclub.

We all piled into the taxi, which pulled up outside a lap-dancing club. The doorman knew the consultant and we didn't have to queue. As soon as we were inside, he went behind a red curtained area to be entertained in private. The rest of us sat down on a sofa.

One of the girls working there asked if I wanted a lap dance. I shook my head. The only other woman in the group was an anaesthetic consultant who was equally shocked. She leaned towards me and said she'd get us a cab home after she'd been to the loo.

As she got up to go, another consultant sat next to me, patted my knee and said how much he loved this place. 'It doesn't count as cheating,' he said, 'because the dancers aren't real women.'

At the time, your consultant gave a reference to the next guy you wanted to work for, so your career depended on his good opinion.

As a junior doctor my uniform was a blouse and skirt. I'd have to bend over the end of a bed to write notes and I often looked up to find three male colleagues looking down my front

Another time, I was working with a man with a reputation for inappropriate, suggestive behaviour and touches here and there, the kind of thing he thought he could get away with as nobody knew  but everybody did know.

One of the other consultants at the unit said to me: 'Why don't you report him, we think you are strong enough to cope and it will stop him doing it to anyone else?'

They all knew what was going on but they wouldn't out him  and there was another female trainee joining the team when I left. It made me angry. I thought, 'Why should I ruin my career and be known as a whistleblower and a troublemaker to protect another girl?' So I kept my head down. I still feel guilty about that.

I continued to be on the receiving end of sexual banter until three things happened. I began working for an all-female team, I got engaged and was therefore no longer seen as 'mistress material' and I learned to defend myself when someone took it too far.

But looking back at my actions as a consultant surgeon, I sometimes wonder whether I too became part of the problem.

I developed my own phrases for things I did as part of my routine of prepping my patient. It was just theatre banter  like the dirty jokes and gossip that I had been so used to hearing.

Now, writing what I used to say makes me cringe. After scrubbing up, I would stride into the operating room, turn to one of the theatre staff and ask them to 'tie me up'.

The ties on my gown needed to be knotted at the back to keep me sterile, but did this harmless comment ever make my juniors feel uncomfortable?

Before I started an operation, the patient had to be covered in drapes so only breasts were exposed. After carefully opening out the long green drape, I would turn to one of my trainees and ask them to 'strip me'. I wanted them to remove adhesive strip so I could stick the drape to the patient. I thought it was funny. Now I'm not so sure.

The problem is that I only saw myself as Liz. Everyone was on first name terms in that room, all of us sharing responsibility for the patient on the table. I had forgotten I used to regard my own bosses with awe, trepidation and fear.

If I became even a small part of the problem I desperately want to fix, I'm sorry. I hope by speaking up about all this I might help get the conversation going in the health service so more women feel able to complain if they need to.

I should stress that there are wonderful male consultants who are always respectful to women, however junior. But you shouldn't have to put your career on the line to hold the bad ones to account.

 Liz O'Riordan, 2023

Adapted from Under The Knife: Life Lessons From The Operating Theatre, by Liz O'Riordan, published by Unbound at 12.99. To order a copy for 11.69 (offer valid to 15/07/23; UK p&p free on orders over 25), visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.
Police had received a desperate 911 call from a woman who was trapped in the property by an AC unit

Four people including a five-year-old girl have been killed in a horrific house fire in upstate New York.

Fire crews rushed to a home in Voorheesville, in Albany, in the early hours of Saturday after a desperate 911 call from a woman trapped inside the property.

Despite rushing to the property, four people including five-year-old Emily Thorne died at the scene.

Paying tribute to her daughter and others that died in the blaze, Mom Michelle Thorne posted on Facebook saying: 'As many of you have been reaching out to see if everything is ok. My son is ok and well physically.

'No words can describe the pain of losing a daughter/sister, a kids father/his father, and loving uncle.

Michelle, left, has described her daughter Emily, center, as being her 'sweet and sassy little girl'

Emergency responders work at the scene of the deadly house fire on Saturday after the fire

Mom Michelle shared a tribute to her young daughter who died in the blaze and those who also passed

'Unfortunately my son had a horrific experience this morning when he had no option but to escape his house by jumping out of his bedroom window.

'It is with great sadness that we have lost the most amazing people in this world. My beautiful baby girl, mommy and bubby will miss you more than words can express, you always were my sweet and sassy little girl.

'Dale we will always remember you with your wrestling and good ole Undertaker and listening to Mariah Carey.

'Aj was a wonderful man who was a great father to two amazing children! He was gone too soon.

'I will forever miss him as well as his son more than anyone will ever truly know!'

Alongside Emily, her father Arthur Neander, also known as AJ, died in the fire as well as his girlfriend Becky Monterosso and Emily's Uncle Dale.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple told news10 that a woman inside the house had called 911 and said she was stuck in a room with Emily, with an AC unit blocking the window.

He said: 'She didn't know where the other occupants of the house were. But she had a young child with her in her room.

Emily had died in the fire alongside her father Arthur Neander, also known as AJ

Becky Monterosso, the partner of Neander, is said to have been blocked from escaping by a AC unit

Dale Donato, 64, was one of four people who died in a house fire in Voorheesville, upstate New York

The tine roof of the home was left severely damaged from the deadly fire on Saturday

This morning rescue crews still continued to battle the blaze in Albany, upstate New York

'The dispatcher tried everything she could do to assist her and to help her egress. She couldn't get out of the room due to an air conditioner on the window.'

'It's a horrible scene. I feel horribly for the family, the neighbors. '

A dispatcher tried to help direct the woman and child out of the burning house but was unsuccessful. By the time fire crews arrived, the blaze had engulfed the house.

Investigators say they think they know where the fire started but have been unable to get into the gutted home to confirm.

A GoFundMe page has since been set up for the family of those who died, to help pay for funeral costs.

A fundraiser has also now been established to help Michelle with funeral costs

Despite rescue crews arriving at the scene, Emily passed away in the fire that started on Saturday morning

Police had received a desperate 911 call from a woman who was trapped in the property by an AC unit who said she was with a young child

It said: 'Michelle is a wonderful, sweet young woman and will need help with funeral costs, as well as getting any other medical services and replacement items for her child needs.

'Every penny raised will go to help this young woman and her family. There isn't anything more I can say - we all can imagine how devastating this must be.'

As of Saturday night, the fundraiser had received over $1,600 with a target of $5,000.

Tributes have also been paid to Emily, since news of the deaths in the fire was shared by officials.

2019 Christmas photo shows (LEFT TO RIGHT) survivor Anthony, left, muzzed, an unidentified girl, victim Arthur Neander Jr.,35, his daughter, Emily Neander (front), and victim Dale Donato (right rear), 64, Arthur's uncle

One woman, Melanie Partak, said: 'My sweet sweet girl Emily. AJ, Emily, Dale my heart is broken.

'Ill never forget the sinking feeling I had asking the firemen if you were ok. He gave me the worst answer. I will miss you all. Especially my sweet girl.'

A tribute was also paid for Monterosso, which said: 'This morning my husband's neice tragically lost her life. It is with great sadness and disbelief.

'My thoughts and prayers go out to the rest of our family. Becky Monterosso you will be missed, you were taken from us far to soon.'
Texas has installed giant buoys across the Rio Grande, creating a floating barrier in a desperate effort to stem migrant crossings.

Construction of the 1,000-foot-long barrier begun on Friday in the town of Eagle Pass.

Officials said the four-foot-wide orange buoys will be chained together to make the barrier, and netting will be placed underneath to prevent swimming below.

Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said it was never intended to be fully impassable, but it would certainly dissuade some.

'There's ways to overcome it, but it takes great effort,' said McCraw last month. 'It takes specialized skills and equipment.'

Texas workers on Friday began moving a series of four-feet-wide giant buoys into place in Eagle Pass

The buoys will be positioned in the Rio Grande, with netting underneath

The buoys are pictured arriving in Texas on Friday

The barrier is designed to form part of Operation Lone Star, which also encompasses bussing migrants to liberal states and authorizing the National Guard to make arrests.

But even before the huge, orange buoys were unloaded from the trailers that hauled them to the border city of Eagle Pass, there were concerns over this part of Abbott's unprecedented challenge to the federal government's authority over immigration enforcement.

Migrant advocates voiced concerns about drowning risks and environmentalists questioned the impact on the river.

Dozens of the large spherical buoys were stacked on the beds of four tractor trailers in a grassy city park near the river on Friday morning.

Governor Greg Abbott is seen on June 8 announcing the plan for the buoys in the river

The buoys are seen being unloaded in Eagle Pass on Friday

A group holds signs as they protest against buoys that are set to be deployed in the Rio Grande

A pandemic-era migration law, Title 42, expired on May 12, but its expiration has actually slowed the rate of crossings.

Since May 12, the average number of daily illegal crossings has been around 3,360, according to Department of Homeland Security data.

In March 2022, it was 7,100.

Under the new rules, migrants can apply for asylum before crossing, using a smartphone app. New processing centers for applications have opened in Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba. And those who are caught entering illegally will face a ban from the United States for five years.

But the slowing of migrant crossings is not expected to last, because the underlying factors behind migration remain.

As of June 14, there were about 104,000 migrants in northern Mexico, about eight hours from the U.S. border, according to an intelligence estimate the Biden administration gave in a recent court filing.

And there are more along the route from Colombia, where journeys typically begin in the Western Hemisphere.
There will be a 'two-way process' with the government

Linda Burney has stressed the Voice to Parliament will prioritise issues vital to Indigenous people over more minor matters such as changing the date of Australia Day - as she is grilled over the 'scope' of the advisory body.

The Indigenous Affairs minister appeared on ABC's Insiders to speak about the Voice as she prepared for a day of campaigning for the Yes vote in Launceston, Tasmania, on Sunday.

It comes off the back of her National Press Club address this week, where she laid out the four major priorities of the Voice which were health, education, housing and jobs.

She explained on the program that she had no doubt those elected to the body would also see them as prime concerns.

Host David Speers questioned her about whether the advisory body had the power to 'change' Australia Day.

Indigenous Affairs minister Linda Burney (pictured) was interviewed on ABC's Insiders about the Voice to Parliament

Minister Burney explained that it was focused on the 'important issues' she identified.

'Josie Douglas, who is this remarkable Aboriginal woman in the Central Land Council, put it perfectly  'we are about changing lives, not changing dates',' she said.

'The Voice I know will concentrate on issues to close the Gap in this country.'

'We've got 19 targets and four are on track, that cannot be good for the country and it's certainly not good for Aboriginal people.'

The Closing the Gap statistics highlighted the differences in health, life expectancy, education and economic opportunity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap identified 19 targets to work towards reducing or eliminating to improve the lives of First Nations people.

Ms Burney has previously claimed the Voice would have no interest in changing the date of Australia Day - despite several Yes campaigners saying it would be on the agenda.

Newly unearthed tweets written by Voice to Parliament architect Thomas Mayo between 2018 and 2021 reveal he hoped the Voice would be 'an appropriate body, with appropriate authority to discuss an appropriate date' to celebrate Australia Day.

In a 2022 opinion piece, Mr Mayo even suggested the new date could be the day the Voice to Parliament referendum passes.

Mr Mayo has since told Daily Mail Australia this is a view he no longer supports, stating he does not 'share that particular view about Australia Day anymore'.

Sydney lawyer Teela Reid joined in saying she believed the national holiday should be scrapped.

'It is truly disingenuous to be claiming mob won't be demanding to #AbolishAustralia day,' she tweeted in June.

'It started decades before the referendum, it'll still be a demand after it.'

Ms Burney stressed that the Voice will prioritise issues she outlined in her National Press Club address which were health, education, housing and jobs over changing the date of Australia Day (pictured, an Invasion Day protest in Sydney)

Ms Burney said the Voice would be a 'two-way process' between the government and the advisory body and that the 'scope should be a respectful discussion with the Voice'

Ms Burney was questioned on Sunday about the 'scope' of the body and how it would delve beyond the four priority areas she outlined.

She claimed that it would be a 'two-way process' between the government and the advisory body and that the 'scope should be a respectful discussion with the Voice'.

'I have identified very clearly what I think the priorities are. But obviously there are other issues like baby birthweights, like life expectancy,' she said.

'But I really say to you very clearly, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from the establishment of the Voice.'

The Indigenous Affairs minister added that it would be a relationship 'of respect', 'trust' and 'listening to fresh ideas about intractable problems'.

'I can assure people watching us this morning that the issues that the Voice will be focused on are the issues that worry people watching this show - the disparity - and that's what we are going to be focusing on,' she said.

She reiterated that the Voice were also advising the parliament, meaning the parliament could seek the views of the advisory body if legislation came through that affect First Nations people.

When asked if - hypothetically - her department and her Voice were saying different things on an issue like birthing on country, Ms Burney said she 'would be listening to both'.

'And trying to make sure that what goes forward is what will work for Aboriginal young people. This is not complex,' she said.

Ms Burney was again asked, this time twice, whether the government would consider legislating a Voice to parliament if the referendum to enshrine it in the constitution failed at the polls later this year.

Ms Burney reiterated what she had told the Press Club earlier this week, that she has 'enormous faith in the Australian people'.

'I don't say that because I'm supposed to say it, I say it because I really believe it, and I believe that this will be a successful referendum,' she said.

The referendum for the Voice to Parliament is expected to be held sometime between October and December this year.
Donald Trump has accused Joe Biden of being a 'corrupt, incompetent leader' who has been 'compromised' by China and Ukraine.

Addressing a gathering of Republican volunteers in Las Vegas, Trump spent 40 minutes discussing the border, economy, crime, and trans women in sport.

He attacked his Republican rival Ron DeSantis as 'highly overrated', and saying he has 'no personality'.

But he saved his strongest condemnation for the president, declaring that 'the gloves are off'.

He then went to a UFC match at the T-Mobile arena with Dana White, president of UFC; Roger Stone, veteran Republican operative; and Mel Gibson.

'We have a corrupt, incompetent leader in the White House,' said Trump. 'And I wouldn't have said this a few weeks ago.'

Donald Trump was accompanied to the UFC fight by Roger Stone and Mel Gibson

Stone and Gibson are seen at the Las Vegas arena

Trump and Dana White are seen walking into the arena together on Saturday night following the former president's speech in Las Vegas

Trump on Saturday said that Biden was 'corrupt' and 'incompetent'

Trump claimed that the president has 'taken millions of dollars from other countries like China.'

He added: 'He's totally compromised. In history there has never been a scandal like this.'

Trump said that the 'fake news' media was covering it up, claiming the president had taken 'ten million, $200,000, from China' and

'millions and millions of dollars from Ukraine.' He added: 'These are compromised people.'

Trump used his speech to rail against DeSantis's track record in Florida. 'I'm not a big fan of his and he's highly overrated. He's highly overrated,' he said.

'Remember, he's the one that wanted to cut Social Security. He's the one that wanted to raise the minimum wage and he voted on this.

'This isn't just and the one thing you have to remember when a politician comes out with an initial plan and then they go into a corner because they're getting killed because he's getting killed.

'Well, he also has no personality - that helps, right.'

Trump, after his speech, attended the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena

Trump talks with UFC president Dana White during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

The former president stood up as he was cheered by the crowd ahead of the action on Saturday night

Trump is seen arriving for the fight on Saturday night in Las Vegas

Trump supporters are seen on Saturday giving the Pledge of Allegiance before the former president addressed a gathering of Republican volunteers in Las Vegas

Trump lost Nevada in two consecutive presidential campaigns, with Biden winning by almost three percentage points in 2020.

As the Trump campaign turns its attention to the battleground state, the former president on Saturday hinted at this challenge.

'We have a big job to do. This has been a hard state. I really believe it's a Republican state,' Trump said. 'This is the most important election in the history of our country.'

It comes as Biden was seen on Saturday at the beach near his Delaware home, soaking up the sun with his wife Jill and 22-year-old granddaughter Finnegan.

The president and his family relaxed under a sun lounger, under the watchful eye of their Secret Service detail.

But other beachgoers seemed to pay the presidential entourage little notice, and continued to enjoy the sunny day.

Finnegan's father, Hunter Biden, 52, was not with the group. Joe and Jill paid $2.74 million for their beachfront home in Rehoboth Beach in 2017.

Meanwhile the Biden administration continues to refuse to address the scandal of cocaine being found in the White House, as well as Hunter's lovechild.

Joe Biden is seen walking from the beach on Saturday after enjoying a day on the sand

The president is seen enjoying the beach on Saturday with his family

President Joe Biden is pictured at the beach in Delaware on Saturday with his granddaughter Finnegan, 22

The First Family were enjoying the beach as the Secret Service continues its investigation into who brought a bag of cocaine into the White House last week.

The dime-sized bag was discovered on Sunday, while the president and his recovering cocaine-addict son Hunter were at Camp David for the weekend.

The Secret Service are carrying out DNA and fingerprint analysis to try and find out who brought it to the White House grounds.

On Thursday, it was revealed the bag of powder was found near the White House's West Executive entrance, not the West Wing lobby, as previously stated.

That entrance - which is in the West Wing but on the floor below the lobby - is also a heavily trafficked area, a description White House officials have used as a way to explain their doubts the culprit will be found.

On Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to say whether the Biden family had been officially ruled out, but would not give any details on the investigation.

'You know, there has been some irresponsible reporting about the family and so I've got to call that out here,' the press secretary said. 'And I have been very clear.'

The Bidens were at Camp David at the time the cocaine was found. They are seen on July 4, having returned after their weekend away

Senator Ted Cruz on Friday said he did not believe that any of the Biden family were involved in bringing cocaine to the White House, but accused the administration of a cover up

Biden on Saturday put the drama of the White House cocaine behind him and enjoyed the beach time with his family

The president waved as he left the beach

Biden and his family are seen getting in to the waiting motorcade

Biden and his family will be back at the White House after their weekend on the coast

Senator Ted Cruz on Friday accused the White House of a 'cover up', which he said was 'astonishing'.

'You know, my guess is it probably isn't Hunter's,' said Cruz, speaking on Friday's episode of his podcast, Verdict.

'I don't know that, obviously. We know that Hunter has a drug problem. We know that he has used cocaine and use crack cocaine in the past.

'But I doubt Hunter Biden is going in the West Wing all that often and going in that entrance all that often.'

The Texas senator speculated that a 'senior Biden official' was responsible.

'I think it is in all likelihood someone who works in the Biden administration, some senior Biden official, which makes the cover-up all that the more astonishing,' he continued.

He said he was surprised that the Secret Service had not yet found who was responsible.

'That's insane,' he said. 'And the only reason they would put out a statement saying we will never know who it was, is the same reason why the DOJ and the FBI is engaged in a cover-up of Hunter Biden's acts of criminality, of Joe Biden's acts of criminality.

'Sadly, this administration is more than willing to politicize, look, it would be embarrassing if we discover that a senior White House aide is bringing cocaine into the west wing to do schedule-one, serious drugs in the White House.

'And so their answer instead is, of course, we're not going to prosecute it. We're not going to investigate it. And you know what, we'll just never know who did it.'

The Bidens are also facing questions over Hunter Biden's business deals, and whether Joe Biden profited from his son's schemes.

Hunter Biden was on the board of Ukrainian energy giant Burisma from 2014. At the time, Joe Biden was helping lead the Obama administration's Ukraine policy. Some U.S. officials raised concerns internally about the business relationship, and Republicans are continuing to investigate the situation.

Hunter Biden also had business ties in China, working once his father was out of the White House with a Chinese businessman whose connections raised eyebrows.

Hunter worked with Ye Jianming, who was deputy secretary for several years in a Chinese military organization that has been called a front for a unit of the People's Liberation Army responsible for intelligence-gathering and propaganda.

Republicans are also raising questions about Hunter Biden's plea deal in tax fraud and a gun permit case.

Hunter agreed to plead guilty to federal tax offenses but avoid full prosecution on a separate gun charge - a deal with the Justice Department that likely spares him time behind bars.

The agreement will also avert prosecution on a felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user, as long as he adheres to conditions agreed to in court.

Republicans have argued that Hunter was given a 'sweetheart deal'.

Former President Donald Trump marked the Fourth of July holiday on July 1 with a rally in Pickens, South Carolina

On the actual holiday, former President Donald Trump was active on his Truth Social network, at one point calling President Joe Biden a 'very dangerous Idiot'

The ex-president also issued a more standard Fourth of July greeting, though encouraged supporters to vote in the next presidential election

Trump's attack on the Bidens on Saturday echoed his July 4 condemnation.

Trump had marked the nation's birthday with a large rally in Pickens, South Carolina, and mocked Biden for mistakenly declaring that Russia's President Vladimir Putin had sent his troop into Iraq.

'When Biden said that Putin is 'losing the war in Iraq,' twice, everybody knew, through confirmation, that we have a confirmed, and very dangerous, Idiot in the White House,' the former president said.

'The USA cannot have this go on!'

He also shared a meme with a 'F*** Biden' flag.
Harding had been one of the five men aboard the Titan sub when it imploded last month on a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic

The stepson of a billionaire who was aboard the doomed Titan sub when it imploded last month has reactivated his Twitter to say his family are holding up.

Brian Szasz' stepfather Hamish Harding had been aboard the Titan submersible last month when it imploded after a length search for the missing vessel.

After going quiet on his social media profiles following the news of his stepfather passing, Szasz has now reactivated his profile.

In response to a message from a follower who asked how his family was holding up, Szasz responded: 'Stayin strong thanks!'

Szasz had deactivated his account after responding to a Twitter post made by a scantily-clad OnlyFans model named Brea,, which was captioned 'can I sit on u'.

In a reply to a twitter follower, Szasz confirmed that his family were 'stayin strong'

Szasz had reactivated his profile after going radio silent after being ridiculed online for asking an OnlyFans model to sit on him

Clearly impressed by the curvaceous sex worker, Szasz replied: 'Yes please!', adding a face with love heart emojis.

Since then, Szasz had kept a low profile on his Twitter page and only recently revived it.

Szasz also tweeted an exchange he had with Blink-182 drummer and husband of Kourtney Kardashian Travis Barker.

The star had contacted Szasz, a Blink-182 fan, on Twitter saying: 'Praying for you and your family.'

Onboard with his stepfather has been one of Pakistan's richest men Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman, explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.

The sub lost communication with its operator, OceanGate Expeditions, less than two hours into its dive to the famous shipwreck last month, with five people on board.

A large-scale rescue operation including planes and a fleet of vessels had been scrambled to the area 400 miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada, as oxygen supplies in the sub dwindled.

It was then announced that the five men on board had been killed instantly after the submersible suffered a 'catastrophic implosion'.

Last week, debris from the submersible was hauled ashore in St John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

Investigators believe the Titan imploded as it made its descent into deep North Atlantic waters on June 18.

On Thursday, OceanGate - which charged passengers $250,000 to make the journey to the Titanic wreck - announced that it has suspended its operations.

Szasz also tweeted an exchange he had with Blink-182 drummer and husband of Kourtney Kardashian Travis Barker

Five people had been on board, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding (left) and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19

French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was on the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition

The five men on board all died after the Titan sub imploded on its expedition

The Coast Guard said last week that human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the sub and are being examined by medical officials in the U.S.

Remotely operated vehicles, known as ROVs, were used to retrieve the debris from the ocean floor about 12,500 feet underwater and a ship later brought pieces of the wreckage to a port in Canada to be examined.

The debris was found roughly 1,600 feet away from the Titanic.

The U.S. Coast Guard has convened a Marine Board of Investigation, its highest level of investigation, into the implosion, and plans to hold a public hearing in the future.

Huge chunks of metal are unloaded from the Horizon Arctic ship at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St John's, Newfoundland, Canada

It comes after after an unnamed finance director that worked at OceanGate said she had been asked to take the controls of the doomed Titan.

The unnamed staffer said after chief pilot David Lochridge was fired for raising safety concerns in 2018, she couldn't trust late CEO Stockton Rush.

She told the New Yorker: 'It freaked me out that he would want me to be head pilot, since my background is in accounting, I could not work for Stockton.'

Lochridge was fired in 2018 after OceanGate disagreed with his demand for more rigorous safety checks on the submersible, including 'testing to prove its integrity.'
The unidentified man was arrested for battery on a police officer and taken away

Museum officials are taking action against the man who lived in the utility space

The man was living in a vault near the Japanese American Museum in Little Tokyo

A homeless man has been found living in an underground vault in Los Angeles - as security camera footage shows him sneaking in and out of the hole.

The man is seen in clips picking up what is supposed to be a nailed shut utility door near the Japanese American National Museum in the SoCal city.

Inside the vault, food containers were found along with other debris that suggested a person had taken up residence in the space.

Los Angeles Police told DailyMail.com the man was arrested on July 3 around 9pm for battery of a police officer after the initial trespassing call came in.

The discovery is just the latest in the line of shocking incidents involving homeless individuals in the city which is experiencing a worsening homeless crisis.

A homeless man was found living in an underground vault in downtown Los Angeles last week as security camera footage shows him sneaking in and out of the hole

Inside the vault, food containers were found along with other debris that suggested a person had taken up residence in the space. Pictured: An empty food container in the vault

An official with the LAPD said the call first came in around 8.56pm for trespassing.

According to Van Kirk, security guards who were working that evening noticed a man picking up the hatch doorand dropping a bag down.

In another clip, the man is seen opening another vault door and jumping down before putting the crate lid back in place.

'The security guards noticed the incident, called our director of security who came down,' museum CFO Doug Van Kirk told KTLA.

When officers arrived, the man was found inside the vault. They ordered him to come up and searched his person and his belongings.

Van Kirk said cops found a firearm 'or a replica of a firearm' inside his backpack.

He became combative and hit one of the police officers and was subsequently arrested for battery on an officer.

The underground vaults are typically sealed shut for security and contain water, natural gas valves, and electrical wires.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power told the SoCal outlet the specific vault where the man was found had a water meter inside.

One video shows the man picking up the vent and throwing a backpack into the hole

When officers arrived, the man was found inside the vault. They ordered him to come up and searched his person and his belongings

The situation happened at a vault near the Japanese American National Museum (pictured)

Along with pipes, debris and empty food containers were found in the vault

In this case, the vaults were not permanently sealed because utility workers need to get in and out for maintenance, LADWP said.

The vaults were re-secured on July 7, the agency said.

Even though the vault had no access to the museum, Van Kirk said this is just one more concerning incident involving the city's unhoused population.

'We take the safety of our employees, of our volunteers, and of our guests very seriously,' Van Kirk said.

The shocking video shared by KTLA upset residents who say they are fed up with

'He doesn't want your help he just wants to live a free life without taxes and to be able to do whatever he wants,' one commenter shared.

'They'll release him overnight and he will go back to living in a street vault, but somewhere else,' another wrote.

'He's trying to survive and feel safe from getting mugged or hurt. So sad,' one wrote.

'We take the safety of our employees, of our volunteers, and of our guest very seriously,' Japanese American National Museum CFO Doug Van Kirk (pictured) said

Los Angeles is experiencing an unprecedented homeless crisis throughout the area.

At the end of June, some residents accused the city's leaders of playing a game of cat and mouse with homeless individuals.

The city has been clearing encampments only for them to see them return within hours or sometimes minutes.

Often the city gives people just 20 minutes to pack their belongings and leave in street-wide cleanup operations but neighbors say they're soon back.

Residents also claim the city is failing to offer accommodation to those they move along, despite a new policy by Mayor Karen Bass to reduce the so-called 'sweeps' and help provide temporary housing.
Residents in a Detroit suburb have been left appalled after a recently moved in neighbor turned his front yard into a 'junkyard'

Furious Detroit residents have slammed a homeowner for his 'eyesore junkyard' as they accused him of dodging $11,000 in fines and called for him to be evicted.

Residents of Faust Street in the Michigan city have even said they considered moving out due to the mess left by one neighbor.

Images show mounds of motor parts, chains, vehicles, and other miscellaneous goods can be seen strewn across the front yard of the property.

Neighbor Martha Thomas told Fox2: 'It's an eyesore. It's like a junkyard over there and it's not getting any better.

'Every other day we see a Penske truck drive up, and they're emptying out the Penske truck with more things.'

The 'junkyard' like property has been completely cluttered with goods and what looks like spare parts

Boxes of rubbish, parts of a fence, cables and rubbish bins can be seen covering his front yard in this picture

Neighbor Martha Thomas branded the property an 'eyesore' and said it more closely

Thomas's nephew, Darrel McCoy, also lives on Faust Street in the city, and told Fox2 that he would not be forced out by the clutter.

He said: 'I'm not moving. I thought about it a couple of times selling my house and I stood my ground.

'I'm not going to sit here and let this person drive me out this neighborhood that I've been living in, all my life.

Thomas said the unkept resident had moved in nearly two years, and has been consistently approached to ask to clean up the yard.

With no action from the neighbor, Thomas decided to take it up with the City of Detroit who had already been issuing tickets for the mess.

Neighbors say the problem with issuing tickets and fines is that they often don't work.

McCoy said: 'Really if you evict him from the block it would be better, to be truthful. If we need to sign a petition I will be the first one to sign.'

Darrel McCoy also lives on the street and has said the condition of the property even made him consider moving out

In this image, a quad bike and an all terrain vehicle sit amongst the rubbish which also includes a dolls house

Cans of Bud Light, an old tire and what looks to be scrapped metal can be seen strewn across the yard

The neighbor has been fined $11,000 for the mess and now faces it being cleared up by the city before he is then charged

In a statement, David Bell, the director of BSEED City of Detroit, said: 'We have issued over $11,000 in tickets to the owner.

'We have given the tenant the weekend to clean up the blight and remove everything from the front yard.

'If the resident does not comply, they will recieve tickets daily until they do.

'If violations persist on Monday, July 10, 2023, we will seek a court order allowing the City of Detroit to remove the blight and charge back the owner of the property and other persons responsible for the removal costs.'
Elon Musk has sued the elite law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to recover most of a $90 million fee it received from Twitter for defeating his bid to walk away from his $44 billion buyout of the social media company.

The complaint by Musk's X Corp, which owns Twitter, was filed on Wednesday in the California Superior Court in San Francisco.

Musk accused Wachtell of exploiting Twitter by accepting, in the final days before the October 27, 2022, buyout closed, huge 'success' fees doled out by departing Twitter executives who were grateful that Musk would be forced to close.

The world's richest person, who also runs Tesla Inc and SpaceX, called the $90 million payout 'unconscionable,' given that Wachtell had billed less than one-third that sum for its few months of work on the Delaware lawsuit.

Elon Musk has sued the elite law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to recover most of a $90 million fee it received from Twitter for defeating his bid to walk away from his $44 billion buyout of the social media company

'Fully aware that nobody with an economic interest in Twitter's financial well-being was minding the store, Wachtell arranged to effectively line its pockets with funds from the company cash register while the keys were being handed over to the Musk Parties,' Musk's lawsuit said.

Musk wants to recoup 'excess' fees that Wachtell charged under an agreement signed on the day of closing by one of its partners and Twitter's chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde.

The complaint also quoted former Twitter director Martha Lane Fox who, upon learning how much lawyers would be paid, emailed general counsel Sean Edgett: 'O My Freaking God.'

'Due to its egregious violations of its professional duties and applicable ethical rules, Wachtell should be required to forfeit its entire $90 million total fee under the Closing Day Letter Agreement and make restitution in the amount of $90 million,' the lawsuit states.

If the court doesn't require Wachtell to forfeit the entire fee, Musk argues it 'should be ordered to make restitution for the difference between the $90 million total fee it received and the reasonable fees it would have received had it adhered to the billing guidelines it agreed upon in the June 21 Engagement Letter.

Wachtell originally 'signed an engagement letter for an hourly fee representation' but 'failed to obtain a written agreement for any fee tied to the results of the underlying case,' the lawsuit from Musk alleges.

Twitter has been involved in a slew of actual or threatened litigation since Musk's buyout

The massive last minute fee which was allegedly wired to Wachtell in the closing minutes before the merger shows 'Wachtell apparently believed that itunlike other law firms bound by ethical and fiduciary obligationswas free to solicit a handout, aid and abet corporate waste by former Twitter executives in the death throes of their fiduciary roles, and walk away with a total fee that made it $90 million richer,' the lawsuit states.

Twitter's $84 million wire to Wachtell is said to have been posted a mere ten minutes before Gadde and Edgett were terminated upon the closing of the merger.

Wachtell did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gadde, Fox and Edgett are not parties to the lawsuit.

Musk's Twitter has been involved in a slew of actual or threatened litigation since Musk's buyout.

The company is facing more than 20 lawsuits over allegedly unpaid bills for rent and various services.

Twitter is also facing a number of lawsuits from landlords, vendors and consultants accusing Musk of stiffing them on bills. Pictured, Twitter Headquarters is seen in San Francisco

Twitter is also facing a barrage of lawsuits from ex-employees over unpaid severance and bonuses, and a lawsuit from former CEO Parag Agrawal and other ex-executives over unpaid reimbursements.

There are also said to be many lawsuits from landlords, vendors and consultants accusing Musk of stiffing them on bills, and a threatened lawsuit by Twitter against Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms over the latter's new Threads app.

Wachtell is no stranger to lawsuits by billionaires over buyouts, having spent years litigating with Carl Icahn over his 2012 hostile takeover of CVR Energy.

In 2018, a judge dismissed a malpractice claim by Icahn, who found himself on the hook to pay banks that helped defend CVR against the takeover higher fees than if the merger failed.
If granted and Patel completes treatment, charges would be dismissed

His lawyers now claim the Patel has a major depressive disorder

Dharmesh Patel's attorneys have asked for a mental health diversion in his trial

The California doctor who is accused of purposely driving his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff with his family inside has asked a court to give him a mental health diversion.

Lawyers claim Dharmesh Patel - who plummeted his family off Devil's Slide in Pacifica while his wife and two kids were with him - has major depressive disorder.

In California, a mental health diversion allows a defendant to seek treatment and potentially have their charges fully dismissed if they complete their program.

It is the latest attempt by Patel, 42, and his legal team to avoid serious consequences as he had previously pled not guilty, claiming his Tesla had tire issues.

At the time of the January crash, Patel's wife told first responders that he had done so on purpose. Patel, his wife, and their two children all survived.

Dharmesh Patel, the California doctor accused of purposely driving his Tesla off a 250 foot cliff with his family inside, has asked a court to give him a mental health diversion

At the time of the January crash, Patel's wife, Neha Patel, told first responders that he had done so on purpose. Patel, his wife, and their two children all survived

Patel plunged his family 250 feet off Devil's Slide in Pacifica, California on January 2

The Southern California radiologist and his attorney made the announcement Friday during a hearing in San Mateo County, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

If the mental health diversion is granted, he would have to provide evidence of a history or a diagnosis with the mental health disorder that connects to the crime.

The diversion is part of a new statewide program that is focused on preventing defendants with mental illness from being incarcerated.

The illness must be treatable within the duration of the diversion which would be two years in Patel's case since he is facing felony charges.

Defendants facing misdemeanor cases have a one-year duration for the treatment. At a July 31 hearing, a judge will lay out the process for him to seek rehabilitation.

The process can take months, the Mercury News reported, and hundreds of people apply for the program each year in San Mateo County.

Wagstaffe said the majority of requests for the diversion are granted.

If the mental health diversion is granted, Patel (pictured) would have to provide evidence of a history or a diagnosis with the mental health disorder that connects to the crime

Patel is speculated to have performed a sharp turn before reaching the Tom Lantos Tunnel, which is where the Tesla veered off the road, first onto a dirt area and then down the cliff

Neha Patel, the doctor's wife, told investigators after the crash that her husband was depressed and that he had stated his intention to plummet the group.

Court records show Neha, 41, told a California Highway Patrol officer that, 'He's a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off.'

Witnesses backed that story up and said that they did not see the car attempt to stop as it flew off the cliffside and down on to a rocky beach.

Patel survived with only minor injuries to his leg and foot while Neha had more serious injuries from the crash.

The couple's seven-year-old child was seriously injured and their four-year-old made it out with just bruises. Both children were released from the hospital within weeks.

The radiologist had initially claimed that he was not guilty and that his Tesla had been experiencing tire issues on the day of the crash.

He said he had stopped three times at gas stations to put air in the tires and that the tire pressure light had turned on just before they went off the cliff.

Dharmesh Patel stands in an orange jumpsuit in a San Mateo County courtroom

Neha Patel (pictured) told investigators after the crash that her husband was depressed and that he had stated his intention to plummet the group

In June, the doctor was banned from practicing medicine after being called 'an alarming danger to the public,' by the medical board.

The ban - as of July 9 - is not permanent and could be revoked if he is released.

Patel has been in the custody of the San Mateo County's Maguire Correctional Facility since his arrest.

At the time, the Mercury News reported that the Medical Board of California successfully applied to ban him from practicing medicine if he is released on bail.

Regulators argued that the ban was necessary because Patel had an 'impairment of cognitive abilities needed to safely practice medicine.'

In a statement issued on Friday to the Mercury News, the medical board said Patel could not practice 'under any circumstances' with the case still open.

'The prohibition on practicing medicine will continue until the order is modified by the court or the criminal case against him concludes,' the statement read.

Despite Neha's insistence that her husband intentionally drove their family off a cliff, Patel's defense attorney said that she did not want her husband prosecuted.

The lawyer's statements were rebuffed by Wagstaffe who said that Neha's statements following the crash support the attempted murder charges.

'She said very simply this was not an accident. We do believe the evidence establishes the necessary intent to kill,' Wagstaffe told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Patel has limited time with his family as the legal proceedings continue. He is next scheduled to go before a judge in San Mateo County on July 31.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was slammed for bowing multiple times when she met with China's vice premier He Lifeng, as some critics say the protocol error is a sign of American weakness.

Yellen, who served as chair of the Federal Reserve before becoming Joe Biden's top financial official, wrapped up her first visit to China as treasury secretary on Sunday.

Moments after bowing at least three times, Yellen then stumbled over He's name, calling him 'Vice Premier Hu.'

Both Washington and Beijing said the meetings during her four-day trip were fruitful, although the visit - designed to help smooth a rocky relationship - did not generate any concrete agreements.

Her visit came as the U.S. on June 30 warned its citizens against traveling to China, citing the risk of arbitrary detention.

Yellen on Sunday addressed a press conference to end her four day trip, and said it had been useful - despite there being no major breakthroughs

On Saturday, Yellen met Vice Premier He Lifeng, and bowed effusively on meeting the top Chinese official.

Beijing's official Xinhua news agency said the meeting yielded an agreement to 'strengthen communication and cooperation on addressing global challenges'.

Yellen said Sunday told a press conference that her talks with top Chinese officials have helped put ties on 'surer footing'.

Former White House staffer Bradley Blakeman, who served during President George W. Bush's administration, told the New York Post that Yellen's kowtowing to the Chinese official was inappropriate.

'Never, ever, ever - an American official does not bow,' said Blakeman. 'It looks like she's been summoned to the principal's office, and that's exactly the optics the Chinese love.'

Blakeman added: 'The way to treat an adversary is, you don't go hat in hand. 'But with this administration, time and time again, we embarrass ourselves and show weakness.

'And it just shows the lack of effective leverage we have.' Author Max Murray said: 'She did not realize bowing as an American official was a breach of protocol.

'They don't reciprocate. He even backs away to give her more space to kowtow.'

Yellen, the treasury secretary, is seen bowing as she meets China's vice premier, He Lifeng

Her trip came on the heels of Antony Blinken's visit, as part of a Biden administration push to improve communication between the two superpowers.

Yellen stressed the need for healthy economic competition and improved communication, and urged cooperation on the 'existential threat' posed by climate change.

'We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive,' she told journalists at the US embassy in Beijing on Sunday.

'Both nations have an obligation to responsibly manage this relationship: to find a way to live together and share in global prosperity,' she added.

Yellen said on Sunday that while there are 'significant disagreements' between the countries, her talks had been 'direct, substantive, and productive'.

'My bilateral meetings - which totaled about 10 hours over two days - served as a step forward in our effort to put the US-China relationship on surer footing,' she said.

'I feel confident that we will have more frequent and regular communication.'

Yellen is seen on Saturday at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing with He Lifeng

Yellen said she had stressed the need for healthy economic competition with China

Topping the laundry list of disagreements are Washington's trade curbs, which it says are crucial to safeguard national security.

On Sunday, Yellen said she had stressed that Washington's measures 'are not used by us to gain economic advantage'.

'These actions are motivated by straightforward national security considerations,' she said.

And with the US mulling fresh curbs that could more strictly regulate American outbound investment to China, Yellen said any new moves would be implemented in 'a transparent way'.

'I emphasized that it would be highly targeted and clearly directed narrowly at a few sectors where we have specific national security concerns,' she said.

'I want to allay their fears that we would do something that would have broad-based impacts on the Chinese economy.

'That's not the case, that's not the intention.'

She also said she had raised 'serious concerns' over 'unfair economic practices' by Beijing.

She cited barriers to foreign firms entering the Chinese market as well as issues around the protection of intellectual property.

'I also expressed my worries about a recent uptick in coercive actions against American firms,' she said, referring to a recent national security crackdown against US firms in China.

During a roundtable of experts on Saturday, Yellen also stressed the 'critical' need for the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases to collaborate on climate financing.

'The United States and China must work together to address this existential threat,' she said.

Looking ahead, 'any concrete key breakthroughs and major deliverables presumably will be reserved for the two top leaders to announce,' said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center.

'The two sides have not had this level of communications and consultations for a number of years,' she told AFP.

Last month, Biden voiced confidence in meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping soon.

Blinken last month became the first top U.S. diplomat to visit China in five years following tensions between the two superpowers over COVID, Taiwan, economic rivalry, human rights and the 'spy balloon' saga.

Both Washington and Beijing said progress was made - without detailing concrete examples.

Blinken's trip was then swiftly overshadowed by President Joe Biden referring to Xi as a dictator - remarks that infuriated China.

Biden downplayed the drama, insisting he expected to see Xi himself in the near future, and he didn't think his words would make any difference to their relationship.

Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, is seen in Beijing on June 19 meeting Xi Jinping. Blinken is the first top U.S. official to visit China in five years

Blinken mets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 19

Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on as meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

Yellen and Blinken are expected to be followed to China later this year by John Kerry, Biden's climate envoy, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

Blinken said last week the visits were aimed only at 'building back sustained lines of communication' with Chinese officials.

'The significance is they're talking,' said David Loevinger, who helped coordinate U.S.-China economic talks for the Obama administration.

He told The Washington Post: 'It is striking  at all levels of both the U.S. and Chinese governments  how little communication is going on.

'We need to be able to talk and have relationships where people can pick up the phone.'

Her visit came amid simmering Chinese anger at Biden's 'dictator' remark.

Biden, in off-the-cuff remarks at a fundraiser, said that Xi was embarrassed over the recent tensions surrounding a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had been shot down by the Air Force over the East Coast.

'The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn't know it was there,' said Biden, referencing the February incident.

'That's a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn't know what happened. That wasn't supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course.'

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Biden's comments 'go totally against facts and seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China's political dignity.'

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Biden's comments 'go totally against facts and seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China's political dignity'

Chinese 'spy balloon' is pictured on February 4 being shot down off the coast of South Carolina

The 'spy balloon' on Feb 1 over Billings, Montana. It traversed the U.S. before being shot down

'It is a blatant political provocation. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and opposition,' Mao said at a daily briefing.

'The U.S. remarks are extremely absurd and irresponsible.'

Mao reiterated China's contention that the balloon was intended for meteorological research and had been blown off-course accidentally.

'The U.S. should have handled it in a calm and professional manner,' she said.

'However, the U.S. distorted facts and used forces to hype up the incident, fully revealing its nature of bullying and hegemony.'

On Saturday, the Chinas Peoples Liberation Army sent 13 aircraft and 6 vessels into airspace and waters around Taiwan, overlapping with Yellens visit to Beijing aimed at mending strained relations.

U.S. support for the self-governing island republic that split from mainland China amid civil war in 1949 remains a major irritant in relations with Beijing.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it is monitoring the situation from the air and sea, and land-based missile systems were prepared to respond. It said four Chinese aircraft - two SU-30 fighters, one BZK-005 reconnaissance plane and one Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane - crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait that serves as a de-facto border between the sides, and had entered Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary and sends air and naval missions on virtually a daily basis in an attempt to wear down the islands defense capabilities and intimidate its 23 million people, who thus far seem largely unfazed by such moves.

In this undated photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, two Chinese SU-30 fighter jets take off from an unspecified location to fly a patrol over the South China Sea. China's People's Liberation Army sent 13 aircraft and 6 vessels into airspace and waters around Taiwan

On Friday, the U.S. recommended Americans reconsider traveling to China because of arbitrary law enforcement and exit bans and the risk of wrongful detentions.

No specific cases were cited, but the advisory came after a 78-year-old U.S. citizen was sentenced to life in prison on spying charges in May.

It also followed the passage last week of a sweeping Foreign Relations Law that threatens countermeasures against those seen as harming China's interests.

The U.S. recommended Americans reconsider traveling to China - above passengers at the Beijing Capital International Airport

Advisory warns that U.S. citizens traveling to China 'may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime'

China also recently passed a broadly written counterespionage law that has sent a chill through the foreign business community, with offices being raided, as well as a law to sanction foreign critics.

'The People's Republic of China (PRC) government arbitrarily enforces local laws, including issuing exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries, without fair and transparent process under the law,' the U.S. advisory said.

'U.S. citizens traveling or residing in the PRC may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime,' it warned.

The advisory also said that Chinese authorities 'appear to have broad discretion to deem a wide range of documents, data, statistics, or materials as state secrets and to detain and prosecute foreign nationals for alleged espionage.'

It listed a wide range of potential offenses from taking part in demonstrations to sending electronic messages critical of Chinese policies or even simply conducting research into areas deemed sensitive.

Exit bans could be used to compel individuals to participate in Chinese government investigations, pressure family members to return from abroad, resolve civil disputes in favor of Chinese citizens and 'gain bargaining leverage over foreign governments,' the advisory said.

Similar advisories were issued for the semi-autonomous Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Macao. They were dated Friday and emailed to journalists on Monday.

The U.S. had issued similar advisories to its citizens in the past, but those in recent years had mainly warned of the dangers of being caught in strict and lengthy lockdowns while China closed its borders for three years under its draconian 'zero-COVID' policy.

China generally responds angrily to what it considers U.S. efforts to impugn its authoritarian Communist Party-led system. It has issued its own travel advisories concerning the U.S., warning of the dangers of crime, anti-Asian discrimination and the high cost of emergency medical assistance.

China had no immediate response to the travel advisory on Monday.

Details of the accusations against the accused spy John Shing-Wan Leung are not available, given China's authoritarian political system and the ruling Communist Party's absolute control over legal matters.

Accused spy John Shing-Wan Leung was sentenced to life in prison for espionage

Leung, who also holds permanent residency in Hong Kong, was detained in the southeastern city of Suzhou on April 15, 2021 - a time when China had closed its borders and tightly restricted movement of people domestically to control the spread of COVID-19.

Along with several detained Americans, two Chinese-Australians - Cheng Lei, who formerly worked for China's state broadcaster, and writer Yang Jun - have been held since 2020 and 2019 respectively without word on their sentencing.

Perhaps the most notorious case of arbitrary detention involved two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were detained in China in 2018, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies' chief financial officer and the daughter of the tech powerhouse's founder, on a U.S. extradition request.

They were charged with national security crimes that were never explained and released three years later after the U.S. settled fraud charges against Meng.

Many countries labeled China's action 'hostage politics.'
The three are said to have egged Lane's house last Monday night and when he appeared to question them about it, is said to have been shot by Maughon

Three Georgia teenagers have been arrested for allegedly murdering a man after they egged his house earlier this week.

Sydney Maughon and Jeremy Munson, both 18, and McKenzie Davenport, 19, each stand accused of malice murder, battery and criminal trespass.

The three had been arrested in connection with the July 3 shooting of Johnathan Gilbert, who also goes by the name Tyler Lane, 22.

Officers had been called to Dobbins Mill Road in Griffin, Georgia, on Monday to reports of a man down in the middle of the road.

After arriving on the scene, they discovered Gilbert who had been shot and had died.

Since his passing last week, tributes have been paid to Lane, pictured here, with one person describing him as a 'truly amazing young man'

Lane is said to have been found in the street outside his home on Dobbins Mill Road in Griffin, Georgia

According to Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix, investigators managed to locate a witness who provided them with enough evidence to create a link between the victim and the suspects.

In a statement, Dix, said: 'Using that information, Investigators began their search for the suspects, located a cellphone number that was tied to one of them, and tracked it to a location in Henry County.

'At that point we contacted Henry County P D., and they immediately sent officers to the area. T

'They searched until they located the vehicle at a residence, and were able to obtain a search warrant for the vehicle and the residence.

'During the search they retrieved the car that was used in the crime, along with the gun that we believe was used to shoot Gilbert.'

As the investigation progressed, more suspects were developed, and eventually arrested.

Dix continued: 'It appears that there was an ongoing lovers quarrel, and the suspects decided to go to Gilbert's residence on Dobbins Mill and vandalize it by egging it.

'When Gilbert saw what they were doing to his residence, he came out of the house unarmed, to confront them.

Sydney Maughon, 18, is said to have fired the fatal shot from the backseat of the passenger that killed Gilbert

The three are said to have been involved in an ongoing lovers quarrel and are said to have egged Gilbert's home prior to the shooting

'The suspects ran back to the car, and as Gilbert approached them, Sydney Maughon, a backseat passenger in the car, produced a firearm and shot him multiple times.

'The suspects then drove away leaving Gilbert dead in the middle of Dobbins Mill Road.'

Dix continued: 'They are all culpable just as if they had pulled the trigger themselves. They went to egg a house, the victim confronted them while they were doing it, he lost his life, and they drove off and left his body in the middle of the road.

'Together they bought that ticket; now together they can ride that ride.' Since his death last week, tributes have been paid to Gilbert on social media.

One person said: 'I am so heartbroken that you are gone. I don't really even have the words to express what I'm feeling just know I love you so much!

'I know you would have done so much good with your life.' Another posted: 'Tyler Lane was a truly amazing young man and he loved with his whole heart.

'He will forever be missed. This world will not be the same without him in it.'

A funeral has also been arranged for him to take place today at the Indian Springs State Park in Flovilla, Georgia.
Kuwaits successful efforts to enhance its investment environment and boost inflows for sectors with high growth potential will be explored in a report by the global research and advisory firm Oxford Business Group (OBG).

The Report: Kuwait 2023 will examine the reforms that have been instrumental in improving the countrys ease of doing business and increasing direct investment for the fiscal year 2021/22.

Focal points will be the positive impact of new legislation, including the Competition Law, which was passed in 2020, and the digitalisation of services that have expedited key processes for investors.

Kuwait's recovery

Elsewhere OBG will track Kuwaits recovery, which saw the economy grow by 8.2% in 2022, according to the IMF, buoyed by higher levels of oil production and elevated global oil prices. The non-oil sectors of the economy identified as ripe for expansion, including ICT, manufacturing, infrastructure, and health care will also be looked at in detail.

OBG has signed a milestone memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) to support its research. Under the agreement, which marks 10 years of partnership between KDIPA and OBG.

The MoU was signed by Mohammed Yousef Mulla Yacoub, KDIPAs Assistant Director General for Business Development, and Dana Carmen Agarbicean and Maria Filippova, OBGs Country Directors in Kuwait.

Foreign investors

Filippova said she was delighted to be marking a decade of partnership with KDIPA, highting its successful efforts to attract foreign investors for targeted areas of the economy had undoubtedly given OBGs reports an added dimension.

Kuwaits plans to diversify its economy and boost the private sectors contribution to growth are gaining place, buoyed by rising investor interest and higher levels of inflows, she agreed.

KDIPA has been instrumental in enhancing the countrys business climate and raising its profile on the international stage, helping to produce a wealth of investment opportunities that it has been a pleasure to highlight in our reports.

KDIPAs in-depth knowledge

Agarbicean agreed that KDIPAs in-depth knowledge and understanding of Kuwaits changing investment landscape over the years had strengthened OBGs research and analysis, while providing welcome insight into what to expect from the next phase of the countrys socioeconomic development.

New industry players in nascent sectors will be pivotal in broadening the economic base and providing jobs for the sizeable number of younger Kuwaitis who are set to enter the labour market in the coming years, she said. I look forward to charting this next chapter in Kuwaits growth story with the Authority, while also reflecting on the exciting changes weve documented during 10 years of fruitful partnership.

The Report: Kuwait 2023 will be produced with KDIPA, the Kuwait Banking Association and ASAR Law Partners. It will contain contributions from leading personalities in the public and private sectors.

The Report: Kuwait 2023 will mark the culmination of several months of field research by a team of analysts from Oxford Business Group. It will be a vital guide to the many facets of the country, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking, and other sectoral developments.-- TradeArabia News Service
Her family are raising funds to send her to a clinic overseas

It resulted in her being diagnosed with a crippling disorder

A little girl's world has been rocked after a blister on her foot developed during a family holiday turned out to be a horrific disorder.

Bella Macey, 10, has been fighting complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in hospital - as her family desperately seeks treatment overseas.

CRPS is a rare neurological disorder causes extreme discomfort and is known as one of the most painful incurable conditions in the world.

The debilitating condition has caused the young Melbourne girl to lose movement in her leg and experience excruciating pain for more than a month.

Bella Macey, 10, has been fighting complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in hospital - as her family desperately seeks treatment overseas

Bella's blister soon morphed into an infection as Bella began to suffer terrible pain in her leg

Her small infection first appeared while she was at the beach with her family during a holiday in Fiji.

But the blister soon became agonising and her entire leg starting to hurt.

Upon returning to their home in Melbourne, she was rushed to the emergency room at the Alfred for treatment.

Doctors conducted X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests but were unable to identify what was wrong.

Bella received strong antibiotics in the meantime, which proved to have little-to-no effect on relieving her pain.

After her original infection dissipated and the pain lingered on, Bella was diagnosed with the disorder.

CRPS usually affects just one arm or leg following an earlier injury, such as a fracture or sprain with no nerve damage.

It's unclear what exactly causes CRPS but it's thought it could possibly be due to the nerves in the affected area becoming more sensitive, which may change the pain pathways between the limb and the brain.

CRPS is a rare neurological disorder causes extreme discomfort and is known as one of the most painful incurable conditions in the world. Pictured, Bella Macey

With no effective treatment available in Australia, Bella's parents, Chris and Emma, turned overseas for treatment options

Since her diagnosis, Bella is primarily bedridden and has lost movement in her leg. She sometimes requires a wheelchair to get around.

The pain in her leg is so severe that she has also developed hypersensitivity - meaning a simple touch can feel agonising.

It has also caused extreme stress and pressure on the family.

Despite being on strong medication daily during her month-long stay in hospital, nothing has helped to alleviate the young girls' pain.

With no effective treatment available in Australia, her parents, Chris and Emma, turned overseas for treatment options.

Through extensive research, they found the Spero Clinic in the US which specialises in CRPS.

Emma has since set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds in order to send Bella to the clinic for treatment and for medical expenses.

'Bella has been in hospital for 4 weeks now and unfortunately, there is no treatment available to her at the RCH or elsewhere in Australia that will treat the cause of the pain,' she wrote.

'She has been on intense medication, none of which have worked and we are desperate to send her to a clinic overseas that is specialized (sic) and has credentials in providing remission for their patients.

'This is where your generosity becomes a lifeline for Bella.'

Young Bella Macey is pictured in happier times

Emma Macey stressed how invaluable every donation to help daughter would be, no matter how small

Emma stressed how invaluable every donation to help daughter would be, no matter how small.

'Every donation, no matter the size, will make a significant impact on Bella's journey towards recovery,' she wrote.

'Your support will not only alleviate the financial burden on our family but will also restore hope and strength to Bella and remind her that she is not alone in this fight.'

'Together, we can help Bella overcome CRPS and pave the way for a brighter future.'

'From the bottom of our hearts, we express our deepest gratitude for considering Bella's cause. Your support will bring us one step closer to seeing Bella smile, walk, play, attend school and thrive once again,' she added.

The GoFundMe for Bella can be found here.
Pauline Hanson has taken a savage swipe at the Indigenous Voice to Parliament campaign and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The One Nation leader, who is vehemently opposed to the Voice, has released a new book titled 'Reasons To Vote For Albanese's Voice'.

The joke is that the book is full of blank pages, signifying, she said, the lack of information from Mr Albanese on the Voice.

'The biggest decision that's facing Australians at the moment is whether you're going to vote Yes or No for the Voice,' she said in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday.

'Let me inform you about something. You can buy a house, your dream home, you can get married. You can get out of both of those.

Pauline Hanson has taken a savage swipe at the Indigenous Voice to Parliament campaign and Anthony Albanese (pictured with his partner Jodie Haydon)

The One Nation leader (pictured) has released a book revealing why Aussies should vote Yes, with a tongue-in-cheek jibe

'But I'll tell you what. If you vote Yes for the Voice, you're not going to be able to get out of it, because you would have enshrined it forever in the constitution.

'And in doing that, you allow the government of the day, including Anthony Albanese, to draw up legislation and put whatever they want into it because you've given them the authority to do it.'

Ms Hanson said she had brought out the book because there should be 'comprehensive' information from both sides of the debate.

The subtitle on the book's cover said it's 'a very comprehensive guide to all the details Anthony Albanese has provided about his Voice'.

Smiling at the camera, Ms Hanson then said, 'Let's have a look' and flicked through the book, which is empty page after empty page after empty page.

'Nothing!,' she said. 'That's right. Because (Mr Albanese) hasn't provided any details. He won't answer you. (But Indigenous activist) Thomas Mayo does.

'(Mr Mayo) wants you to know it's about reparations, about rent.

'"We're actually going to punish the politicians who don't listen to us and do what we say",' she said, pretending to be Mr Mayo.

'"Is Australia Day on the hit list? Oh yes, you better believe it, it is",' she continued, again pretending to be the activist, who has himself written a book on the Voice.

Ms Hanson then returned to being herself and got serious.

'And if you think I'm taking the p*** out of Anthony Albanese our PM, you bet I am.

'Because like I said, this is the most important decision that we will have to make in our time and probably future generations (on) the impact it will have on our country, our democracy, our freedom and just treating all Australians as equals.'

The federal senator then revealed that the book is real, even if its concept is a joke, and that it is being sold on the One Nation website as a fundraiser.

She said buying the book 'does help our campaign in the No vote'.

The One Nation leader slammed the Voice as 'divisive' and claimed the advisory body would not help Indigenous communities during a speech in the Senate on Monday.

In March, Thomas Mayo (pictured right) stood shoulder to shoulder with a tearful Anthony Albanese (centre) as the official wording of the referendum question was announced

Pauline Hanson's new book (cover pictured) - in which every page is blank - is now available

Pauline Hanson has included a spoiler alert in her latest tweet (pictured) about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum

At the beginning of her speech, Senator Hanson spoke about the arrival of the First Fleet and British convicts who were sent to Australia against their will, largely for committing petty crimes.

'This nation was founded on the Westminster of government after it was settled by the English,' she said.

'Yes, we all acknowledge there were other people (here) at the time in this nation, but it has been on the backbone of, as people say, the colonists, the convicts, the people who came here.

'Many (were) dragged here from England, and other places, against their will. They were the stolen generation as well.'

The 'Stolen Generations' is a term used to describe the children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who were removed from their families by colonial-era governments, and state and Federal governments through to the 1970s.

Senator Hanson went on to say in her speech that 'many atrocities have happened' which had been 'acknowledged'.

'Our country has grown with parliamentary system that was started, the same system in England, with the parliament, with people elected based on their dedication, passion, those people wanting to make changes for the better of this country,' she said.

'Those opportunities have been forward to anyone, whether it be people born here, migrants, refugees, and even the indigenous Australian.'

She added: 'To say that they've never had a voice is, is truly untrue. It's not the truth.'
A woman and her Jack Russell Terrier were viciously attacked by two Irish Wolfhounds after getting stuck on a muddy riverbank in southern Sydney.

The woman, 34, was rushed to St George hospital in the city's south after suffering injuries to her face, neck, arms, hands and legs in the savage attack at Boggy Well Creek off Booyong Avenue, Lugarno, at 9am on Sunday.

Police said the woman had sought refuge in the Georges River to escape the two large dogs after they had attacked her pet before turning on her when she tried to intervene.

The woman (pictured), 34, was rushed to St George hospital in the city's south after suffering injuries to her face, neck, arms, hands and legs in the savage attack at Boggy Well Creek off Booyong Avenue, Lugarno, at 9am on Sunday. She had sought refuge in the Georges River to escape two large dogs before becoming stuck in the mud

The victim's Jack Russel Terrier was seriously injured in the mauling and remains in a critical condition at a local vet

Officers were forced to pepper spray the animals when they continued to be aggressive and rescue crews were briefly stuck in the mud while trying to help the woman to safety.

NSW Police Chief Inspector Paul Callaghan said the local woman may have broken her arm and might need hand surgery, while her dog is in a critical condition at a veterinary hospital.

'Its an absolutely terrifying circumstance for a lady by herself and her small dog,' said Chief Inspector Callaghan, according to 7News.

'She put aside her own safety for the love of her own dog as Im sure many, many people would,' he added.

Two dogs were seized by police and Georges River council rangers from a nearby home (pictured) Investigations are ongoing

NSW Police Chief Inspector Paul Callaghan said the local woman (pictured, right) may have broken her arm and might need hand surgery, while her dog, a Jack Russell Terrier, is in a critical condition at a veterinary hospital

A bystander who witnessed the horrifying incident through binoculars from the opposite bank rang triple-0 immediately.

The victim's Jack Russel was taken to a nearby vet by a friend where it remains in a critical condition.

The woman reportedly requested to be driven to the vet on her way to the hospital in case her dog died.

Two dogs were seized by police and Georges River council rangers from a nearby home. Investigations are ongoing.

Officers were forced to pepper spray the animals when they continued to be aggressive and rescue crews were briefly stuck in the mud while trying to help the woman to safety

A spokesperson for NSW Police said: 'Police were told the two large dogs had attacked the womans dog and then attacked her when she attempted to protect her dog.

'Officers attempted to assist the woman and subdue the dogs who continued to be aggressive. OC spray was deployed, after which both dogs left the area.

'The woman was treated on scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to St George Hospital in a serious but stable condition.'
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has sacked a top general in charge of the war against Ukraine as he continues his purge of the top brass following Wagner's attempted coup last month.

General Valery Gerasimov, 67, has been ousted as conflict commander less than six months after he was appointed. He has been replaced by Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinskiy, according to Russian media.

The truculent move by Putin - which has not officially been confirmed - is the latest upheaval in the command of his almost 17-month invasion of Ukraine.

During his ill-conceived war, the Russian despot has fired several leaders including Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, also known as 'The Butcher of Mariupol', as well as General Rustam Muradov who was behind the massacre in Vuhledar earlier this year.

Gerasimov will remain in charge of the Russian armed forces as chief of the general staff but overall responsibility for the war now goes to Teplinskiy, 54, commander of the country's airborne troops, according to The Moscow Times citing military-linked pro-war Z-channels.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (pictured) has sacked another top general in charge of the war against Ukraine

General Valery Gerasimov (pictured), 67, has been ousted as conflict commander, according to Russian media

Putin is trying to regain control after Wagner's armed revolt last month which was led by its warlord leader Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured)

It comes after Putin, desperately recovering from Yevgeny Prigozhin's mutiny last month, is furious and humiliated by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky bringing key commanders of the Azov regiment home from Turkey.

The dictator claims he has been 'deceived' over an agreement at the end of the Siege of Mariupol that Azov commander Denys Prokopenko, 32, and his lieutenants would remain in Turkey until the end of the raging war.

Putin is also likely to be further enraged by Zelensky's visit to the the liberated Snake Island in the Black Sea to mark the 500th day of the war.

The move to fire Gerasimov comes just weeks after Wagner's armed revolt against Putin's regime which was instigated by the private mercenary group's warlord leader Prigozhin, once a close Putin crony.

Earlier this week, Putin hit back as state media leaked images that appeared to show the Wagner chief wearing a set of laughable disguises.

The removal of Gerasimov also coincides with a NATO summit in Lithuania this week which is expected to deepen Western support for Ukraine, and a decision by US president Joe Biden to sanction the supply of controversial cluster bombs to Kyiv.

Rishi Sunak has said Britain 'discourages' the use of cluster bombs which are prohibited by 123 countries, including the UK.

Mr Sunak said the UK was signed up to the convention banning their use, and wanted to instead focus on supplying Kyiv with tanks and long-range weapons during their counter-offensive.

Gerasimov has not been seen in public since the mutiny as Putin seeks to pin blame elsewhere for failings in the war.

Putin is furious and humiliated by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky bringing key commanders of the Azov regiment home from Turkey (pictured on flight)

Azov commander Denys Prokopenko, 32, spoke to media and thanked President Zelensky and his heroes

Putin claims he has been 'deceived' over an agreement at the end of the Siege of Mariupol that Azov commander Denys Prokopenko, 32, and his lieutenants would remain in Turkey until the end of the raging war

Nor has his deputy General Sergei 'Armageddon' Surovikin, 56, who is rumoured to be incommunicado and under interrogation over his knowledge of the 'coup' bid, and tacit support for Prigozhin.

Deputy defence minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov, who met with Prigozhin on the day of the rebellion, is also rumoured to have vanished, and to be in the firing line.

Amid Putin's desire to regain control, Prigozhin appears too powerful for the Russian president to detain.

Instead of going to Belarus to live in exile - under the terms of an agreement to end the mutiny - he is reportedly openly staying in St Petersburg despite Putin accusing him of treachery.

His force of tens of thousands of Wagner fighters also remain in Russia.

Rybar channel, a popular Russian military blog authored by ex-military translator Mikhail Zvinchuk, claimed that Gerasimov now 'has nothing to do with military operations'.

Gerasimov's deputy General Sergei 'Armageddon' Surovikin (pictured), 56, who is rumoured to be incommunicado and under interrogation over his knowledge of the 'coup' bid has not been seen in public since Wagner's mutiny

Earlier this week, Putin hit back as state media leaked images that appeared to show the Wagner chief wearing a set of laughable disguises

Teplinskiy is described as 'de facto in charge of the [military] operation', according to The Moscow Times.

Gerasimov's demise is just the latest of multiple purges of the war high command by Putin.

It was unclear who led the initial invasion of the Ukraine in February 2022 - sparking suspicion that Putin had intended to take acclaim for what he believed would be victory within days.

By April, Alexander Dvornikov, aka the 'Butcher of Syria' - was in charge, only to give way to General Gennady Zhidko, who was fired in October, following the surrender of Ukraine's Kharkiv region.

Surovikin was then put in charge, but he only lasted until January when Gerasimov took over.

Russian fury has greeted the way Zelensky was permitted by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to take home key Azov commanders. Russia paints the Azov command as Nazi.

Humbled Putin claimed via his spokesman that the release 'violated' a prisoner exchange agreement, and admitted Moscow was 'not notified' officially.

'No-one informed us about this. According to the agreements, these ringleaders were to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict,' said mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov.

Erdogan - seen by Putin as an ally - also said Ukraine deserved NATO membership.

An elated Zelensky boasted 'we are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home'.

Azov regiment commanders Denys Prokopenko and Svyatoslav Palamar were on Zelensky's flight along with Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, and Denys Shleha. They later appeared back on Ukrainian soil in Lviv.

Former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was reported to have flown from Turkey to Moscow to act as a broker between the sides.

Gerasimov (left with Sergei Shoigu) will remain in charge of the Russian armed forces as chief of the general staff but overall responsibility for the war now goes to Teplinskiy

Prokopenko - a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Ukrainian national guard - made it clear he and the other commanders would now return to the war.

He said: 'I want to thank Mr President [Volodymyr Zelensky], his team, the defence forces, and every soldier who defended our motherland, and continued to fight the occupiers on the front lines while we were held captive.

'It's a huge contribution to our independence and to the fight for our country and its territorial integrity

'The most important thing is that the Ukrainian army has seized the strategic initiative on the front line.

'Every day we are moving forward, destroying the enemy and liberating the temporarily occupied territories.

'We will do everything possible to speed up this process and bring the war to a conclusion.'

Hardline war supporters in Russia see this as a sign of Putin's weakness.

'He let them go to Turkey instead of expunging them, and now he can't stop them coming back to fight against us,' said one.
German police officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann at a lake in Portugal have dampened hopes of finding her.

Detectives scouring the Arade Dam reservoir have said there is 'no compelling evidence' that she is there, the Sun reported.

A three-day search of the area was sparked last month after it was revealed chief suspect, Christian Brueckner, referred to the spot as his 'little paradise'.

Police also received a tip-off that he visited the area around the same time as the toddler disappeared in 2007.

Officers dug 2ft deep bore holes during the search, hoping to find traces of fibres or clothing linked to Madeleine.

Area of Arade Reservoir where a shrine to Madeleine was found 6 months after she vanished

Despite a number of 'relevant information' being found around the reservoir, officers investigating the case have dampened hopes of finding Madeline (pictured)

A three-day search of the area was sparked last month after it was revealed chief suspect, Christian Brueckner, referred to the spot as his 'little paradise'

It was reported in a Portuguese newspaper that 'relevant information' had been found, which included pieces of plastic, soil samples and some clothing remains.

However detectives have since thrown water on the rumours, saying it's unlikely to lead to a conviction of Brueckner.

German public prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told German newspaper, Bild: 'Please don't expect too much.'

Brueckner is currently being held in a prison in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in the Praia da Luz area, where Madeleine disappeared from.

The comments from German police come off the back of a revelation that Brueckner had a lock picking kit that could unlock any security door, a witness claimed.

Brueckner bragged about the burglary toolkit which he would use to 'break into holiday resorts, hotels and holiday homes to steal from tourists', a former friend told The Sun on Sunday last week.

German police were reportedly 'electrified' after discovering the lock pick kit and are also probing the possibility that Brueckner could have used car paint solvent to sedate the young girl.

Christian Brueckner (pictured), 43, a German convicted paedophile, is the case's chief suspect

It has been suggested by a man in German police witness protection Helge Busching, that Brueckner 'came through the door' of the McCanns' holiday apartment, casting doubts over the theory that Madeleine's kidnapper gained access through a window.

Busching claims to have met Brueckner a year before Madeleine disappeared.

He said he found the tool kit in the suspect's Algarve home after he and a friend, Manfred Seyfreth, decided to ransack the place.

Busching last month also claimed that Brueckner had once confessed to kidnapping Madeline, Bild reported.

He alleged that Brueckner told him: 'She didn't scream.' Officially, Brueckner denies any involvement in the girl's disappearance.
Voters have branded Rishi Sunak 'dead like a dodo' as they delivered a damning verdict on the Prime Minister ahead of crunch by-elections this month.

The Tories are attempting to cling onto seats in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Selby and Ainsty, and Somerton and Frome on 20 July.

But the party are fearing a triple defeat at a time when their national poll ratings continue to lag far behind Labour.

There are also concerns that the public are turning against multi-millionaire Mr Sunak during the cost-of-living crisis.

The Sunday Times reported that focus groups conducted by the More in Common campaign group had delivered a withering judgement on the PM.

Voters were said to have compared Mr Sunak to a 'snake', a 'little mouse' and a 'dodo' in the research.

There are concerns that the public are turning against multi-millionaire Rishi Sunak during the cost-of-living crisis

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, pictured with the party's Selby and Ainsty by-election candidate Keir Mather, is hoping for success on 20 July

A video of a focus group session showed participants' answers when asked to compare Mr Sunak to an animal.

Craig, 39, a software tester from Selby, said: 'I'd probably say a dodo for Rishi, because he's pretty much dead to me like a dodo.'

Min, a 42-year-old swimming teacher from Uxbridge, was one of three voters to compare the PM to a snake.

'He's just not a genuine person,' she said. 'I don't think he knows what he's doing.'

Ann, 72, from Selby, said: 'He is a little mouse to look at. I hate seeing him alongside other statesmen because he looks so tiny.'

Coreta, 47, a manager from Somerton, branded the PM 'a weak dog'.

Voters compared Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to a cat, a dog, a wolf, a horse, and a blue whale.

Charlotte, 24, a logistics manager, said Sir Keir was 'trying to come across as this strong, rescuing figure but really is just galloping around everywhere'.

It came amid claims that the Tories could also be facing one of the worse election defeats in history when voters are asked to choose a replacement MP for Nadine Dorries, who has also vowed to quit Parliament, in Mid Bedfordshire.

The Sun on Sunday reported polling shared with Tory MPs found just 11 per cent of locals definitely plan to vote Conservative at the next election.

One Tory MP who has seen the polling told the newspaper: 'It is beyond bad - it looks like it will be a total bloodbath.'

Luke Tryl, a former Tory adviser who conducted the focus groups for More in Common, said: 'These were by far the worst set of groups we've done on impressions of Rishi Sunak.

'Whereas previously people have been willing to give him some benefit of the doubt, and usually fell back on the fact that even if he's out of touch he's competent and the best person to clear up the mess from Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, things have shifted.

'The cost-of-living crisis being compounded with the mortgage crisis has exacerbated Sunak's personal weaknesses.'
A devastated mother has opened up about how her terminally ill teenage son took his own life in front of her at home.

Rhys Habermann, 19, recorded a video in January 2017 revealing his wish to die after an 18-month battle with cancer that began in his hip but spread to his shoulders, ribs, spine, skull and lungs.

Faced with an agonising death in palliative care, Rhys chose instead to end his own life at their South Australian home in front of his heartbroken parents.

Following an 18-month police investigation, his parents were cleared of any wrongdoing, largely thanks to the video.

Now Rhys's mother, Liz, has revealed how proud her son would be that his legacy partly led to the state's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) bill commencing in January this year.

Rhys Habermann (pictured), 19, recorded a video in January 2017 revealing his wish to die after an 18-month battle with cancer that began in his hip but spread to his shoulders, ribs, spine, skull and lungs

Rhys's mother, Liz (pictured, middle), has said how proud her son would be that his legacy partly led to South Australia's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) bill commencing in January this year

'Rhys death hasn't been in vain and he would be so proud,' Ms Habermann told 7News.

'He would be chuffed that his story is helping people to understand that VAD is a kinder and more compassionate way to die.'

The traumatic experience began in 2015 when Rhys, then in his final year of studies at Immanuel College in Adelaide, returned home complaining of a pain in his hip.

He went for an MRI scan which revealed he was suffering from Ewing's sarcoma, which is a form of bone cancer.

The teenager quickly began rounds of vomit-inducing chemotherapy but it failed to stop the cancer from spreading through his body.

After his 19th birthday he was told the disease was going to kill him and he began to seriously consider suicide.

'He didn't want to be comatose in bed,' Liz told the network.

Brett and Liz Habermann's son Rhys (all pictured together) took his own life after it became clear his diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma was terminal

In a video made before he took his own life, Rhys said: 'I believe in my right to die by my own choosing'

His condition deteriorated to the point where one day he could not get out of bed.

'He couldn't move, so we took him to the hospital, and they found a tumour on his spine,' Liz said.

Once he got home, he told his mother it was time.

'He'd had enough,' Liz said.

'So, the kids came over to see him, and he had some friends come and spend time with him.'

That same weekend in January 2017, Rhys recorded a harrowing video where he outlined his desire to die.

'I believe in my right to die by my own choosing,' he said.

'This is tough for everybody but I refuse to go through palliative care, after experiencing a little bit of it this last week. It's more painful than I could have ever imagined.'

Just minutes after recording the footage, he took his life in front of his parents. His siblings, unaware of the plan, had been sent away for fear of implicating them.

Ms Habermann said her son taught her about 'compassion and understanding'.

Rhys, who was a thrill seeker, had wanted to concentrate on his 12 Year studies but a doctor had told him 'you need to concentrate on just staying alive'

'People don't like talking about death and dying, but we need to,' she said.

'We need to be compassionate, it should be a choice and most people won't use it, but if we can help just one person not to suffer then our job is done.'

Ms Habermann said the choice lay with the individual and they had a right to make their own decision if they were in extreme pain.

'The treatment can be almost as horrific as the disease is, so some people stop treatment for their kids,' she said.

'And people that aren't in that situation are very judgmental, and it's like, it's not your life, it's not yours to take.'

While VAD is now legalised in Ms Habermann's state, it is not the case for all of Australia and is only available to those who meet certain criteria.

Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, NSW, Tasmania and South Australia have all passed their own legislation to allow the practice.

However, the ACT is expected to introduce its bill into the ACT Legislative Assembly in the second half of 2023, while the NT is yet to reveal its plans.
Cornish locals have slammed the behaviour of 'anti-social' public school children and for disrupting the peace of their little seaside village.

Residents and visitors of Polzeath are implementing measures to help deter wild beach party-goers who dump broken bottles of alcohol all over the idyllic beach.

The moves come off the back of a two-day 10pm curfew imposed by police this time last year after groups of hundreds of drunken youths descended on the beach and caused chaos.

The surrounding benches, fences and stolen shed doors became fuel for beach bonfires, while emergency life-saving equipment was vandalised.

In a bid to prevent the same happening again this year, a towering CCTV camera has been installed to watch the beach, meanwhile rechargeable floodlights will also be deployed.

Residents and visitors of Polzeath (pictured) are implementing measures to help deter wild beach party-goers who dump broken bottles of alcohol all over the idyllic beach

Police have previously had to take action against the swathes of teenagers trashing the beach

A towering CCTV camera has been installed to watch the beach after the public school children failed to clear up last year

The heads of a number of prestigious schools in the area last winter received visits from Mr Stewart, an ex police officer, in order to speak to them about pupils who are known to be an issue

A former police office for 30 years who now combats anti-social behaviour in the area, Andy Stewart, pointed out that they didn't necessarily want to discourage people enjoying themselves however.

'We are saying, 'Yes, come and party', but at 1am the floodlights will be on the beach so they can see the mess,' he told the Guardian.

'We will give them bin bags to clear up and say, 'It's time for bed'.'

Mr Stewart, who operates in a community-funded beach ranger, says police will consider banning groups at night time if the youths don't abide by the rules.

He did however express concern that this could cause the troublesome teenagers to move to other beaches to party, where there is less infrastructure than Polzeath.

Mr Stewart hit out at the parents of the children, many of whom own million-pound homes in the village of Rock nearby, saying they 'haven't got a clue' what actually goes on.

'They think they are sending their kids to this utopia, where they are sitting on the beach, playing guitar and swapping phone numbers,' he says.

'They don't realise there is excessive drinking, cocaine, nitrous oxide, underage sex and big fires.'

Fire crews will be on hand in the evening to ensure the youths know how to safely enjoy themselves.

Mr Stewart pointed out that while teenagers often chuck sand over the fire when they finish partying, that practise 'just insulates it so it will still be hot in the morning'.

He added that he'd even talked a TV celebrity out of allowing his teenagers to attend the beach parties late at night last summer, showing him images of 'used' condoms, knickers and sanitary towels.

The heads of a number of prestigious schools in the area last winter received visits from Mr Stewart in order to speak to them about pupils who are known to be an issue.

While many are concerned that the late night antics could earn Polzeath a reputation similar to that of Newquay, which it spent a decade trying to shake off, while Mr Stewart is more worried about the safety of the children attending.

'They swim when they're really drunk. And we've arrived in the morning to find people lying comatose on the beach from the night before. Not a great idea if the tide is coming in.'

Two members of the Polzeath Marine Conservation Group, Kathy Alford and Vickie Toland, who are often seen most weeks picking up rubbish from the beach are bracing themselves for the next two weeks as teenagers descend on the idyllic beach.

'In the last few years, it's been big bonfires and lots of bottles just chucked,' Ms Toland says.

'I couldn't believe it when I first saw the bin man with a wheelbarrow and a dustpan and brush clearing up the road in the morning,' she adds.

One troublesome teenager was ousted on the Polzeath community group chat last summer with Brook Hill, a surf teacher, saying that 'if he wants a nice beer or a coffee anywhere, he'll have trouble. Everyone just refused to serve him.'

Police were forced to take action last year after the parties became out of hand

The exclusive village of Rock (pictured) near Polzeath in Cornwall, UK, where many parents of the public school children own million-pound properties

Sheila Hicks, who cleans Polzeath's community public toilets called on the youths to be behave sensibly.

'You get bottles dropped in here,' she says. 'Come down here and enjoy it all, but leave it as you found it,' she said.

A student who works at the Beach Box cafe when she's back home for the holidays said that there wouldn't be such a divide between the visitors and the locals 'if they showed some respect.'

She said: 'It's a tiny group of people taking it too far and ruining it for everyone.'

Mr Stewart admitted there needed to be a degree of 'tolerance' towards the teenagers, who have just spent weeks sitting stressful exams.

However he said that the community has 'braced' itself. 'This year, we are ready,' he added.
Six women who were raped and sexually assaulted by Met cop David Carrick are suing the force over its failure to stop him.

Carrick, who joined the Met in 2001 before becoming an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009, was sentenced to life in prison in February on 49 charges of sex attacks, including 24 counts of rape.

Now half a dozen of his victims are working with a lawyer over claims that Scotland Yard breached the Human Rights Act by missing repeated opportunities to catch him, the Times reports.

Today, one of those women has lifted the lid on the shocking abuse and manipulation he dished out during heir relationship.

Emma, whose name has been changed to maintain her anonymity, was beaten with a metal whip and restrained with Carrick's police-issue handcuffs, as he demanded: 'You must obey me.'

Carrick, who joined the Met in 2001 before becoming an armed officer with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in 2009, was sentenced to life in prison in February on 49 charges of sex attacks, including 24 counts of rape

Emma, whose name has been changed to maintain her anonymity, was beaten with a metal whip and restrained with Carrick's police-issue handcuffs, as he demanded: 'You must obey me'

She lost count of the number of times she was sexually assaulted, with the agonising pain she suffered resulting in a perforated bowel.

READ MORE: Rapist cop David Carrick is accused of carrying out sex attack when he was 13-years-old Advertisement

Emma even told her GP of the abuse, giving them the officer's name and showing them her bruises, but still Carrick was allowed to continue his reign of terror.

She recalled other opportunities to stop him, including at a Reading nightclub in 2017, when he was involved in a drunken incident.

A police van and several officers were waiting for him, one of which took down his details and badge number, but allegedly there was no record of the incident logged with Scotland Yard.

Emma described it as one of a number of 'missed opportunities which the Met didn't pick up on', claiming it was 'swept under the table'.

When she did bravely confront her attacker, threatening to call 999 to report his crimes, Carrick ridiculed her.

'Go on, ring the police. Do you want me to ring it for you? Who are they going to believe? A w***e or a policeman?'

Now half a dozen of his victims are working with a lawyer over claims that Scotland Yard breached the Human Rights Act by missing repeated opportunities to catch him, the Times reports

Carrick, who routinely carried firearms as an officer, threatened at least two of his victims with guns

David Carrick, pictured here in a court sketch at Southwark Crown Court on February 6, 2020, ahead of the prolific rapist's sentencing

Now representatives from the Centre for Women's Justice are looking to bring legal action against Britain's biggest police force.

READ MORE: Moment furious sex monster cop David Carrick complains as he is arrested while naked at home Advertisement

A Met spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Following David Carrick's conviction we apologised to all his victims and more widely to women across London who felt we had let them down by failing to earlier deal with his sickening offending.

'On 19 March we received an initial letter of claim in relation to the case and on 26 April we received a further claim. It would be inappropriate to comment further while these progress.'

It comes after it emerged earlier this year that detectives are probing an alleged sex attack committed when Carrick was a 13-year-old - potentially widening the known timeline of his heinous crimes.

His mother said back in April that she 'still loves him', but admitted: 'I just don't know why he has done it'.

She told The Times that, although Carrick is 'still my boy', she has no plans to visit him in prison and has not seen him for ten years.

Jean said: 'I just don't know why he has done it. He should have been caught a long time ago. I know he has let himself down but the Met didn't support him very well.

'They gave him a gun and put him in that position. Why would they do that? Now he has lost everything.'

She recalled how Carrick was 'a normal' and 'good boy' in school, but even as a child he 'liked to get his own way'.

He became increasingly distant after his parents split, while his mother's new partner would regularly beat her.

Carrick developed a passion for martial arts, enjoyed skateboarding and was described as 'popular' with 'plenty of girlfriends' by one schoolfriend.

But he grew to become increasingly cocky and, aged 16, mved out of the family home in Salisbury to nearby Amesbury.

He worked in a Co-op before serving in the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment and the Royal Logistics Corps aged 16.

David Carrick, pictured, was jailed for a minimum of 30 years after admitting to rapes and sexual offences against multiple women

Prior to joining the Metropolitan Police, Carrick was reported to the forced over alleged burglary and theft at his ex-girlfriend's home, but the matter was dropped when he agreed to return the items and pay for the damage caused to the property.

The same partner then reported him over alleged malicious phne calls, but Carrick was not arrested.

Despite both incidents having been reported, he passed the Met's vetting system and became a police officer in August 2001.

During his probationary period, Carrick faced further allegations that he harassed and assaulted an ex-girlfriend, but no action was taken other than being spoken to abut his behaviour.

Between 2002 and 2008, he worked as a response officer for Merton in south west London - his first posting.

The Met received five complaints from the public regarding his conduct, including unnecessary use of CS spray, unprofessional behaviour and aggression during a stop and search.

Friends believe Carrick enjoyed the power of being a police officer and recall how he would often flash his warrant card during nights out.

'I'm a police officer, you're safe with me' would also became an integral part of his patter, something he could trip out as part of his charm offensive when he met a woman for the first time.

Carrick was a serving police officer at the time of all of the offences and was working for the Met at the time of his arrest

His first known rape took place in 2003, two years after joining the Met, when he invited a 20-year-old woman to his flat after telling her a housewarming party was taken place.

When they arrived, there was no such gathering and he held her against her will for hours - including putting a gun to her head.

It was nearly 20 years until the victim felt the courage to approach police after seeing his name in the media in connection with another alleged sex attack.

One of Carrick's victims was a female officer after being assigned to a traffic patrol team.

The woman, now an experienced detective, recalled attending Carrick's flat share in south London to find a messy bedroom and photographs from his time in the army.

She consented to having sex, but was instead anally raped and felt scared he would become increasingly violent.

She reported the rape in 2021 and revealed how she felt ashamed for not having done so sooner.
Lidia Thorpe has likened herself to a 'black Judge Judy' in a tell-all interview with Karl Stefanovic, who she claimed is 'not bad for a white guy'.

The controversial Senator defended her headline-grabbing approach to politics and claimed she was 'misunderstood' by huge swathes of the population in the wide-ranging 60 Minutes interview.

The Greens-breakaway also dropped the bombshell she will be stepping down from politics once her term ends in 2028 because she does not want to become 'an old crusty politician'.

'There's no bullsh** with me, what you see is what you get. I'm not perfect, I'm not a career politician, I'm not there to be a big shot,' she told Stefanovic.

But she admitted to relishing her role as Canberra's antagoniser-in-chief.

Senator Thorpe told Stefanovic that he was 'not bad for a white guy' as the pair of them chatted while riding e-scooters

'You know what I love? Senate Estimates, because I feel like Black Judge Judy when I'm asking those questions in there, I just sit up there like 'yeah, come on, what questions am I going to ask you today',' said Senator Thorpe.

Yet, she disagreed with how she is perceived by many in the country.

'I'm not this angry crazy black women out there who hates white people - it's just not who I am,' she said.

'I've been called so many things since I was a child that after a while it's just water off a duck's back.'

Senator Thorpe even told Stefanovic that he was 'not bad for a white guy' as the pair of them chatted while riding e-scooters.

During the interview, Senator Thorpe opened up about her upbringing, including how she left school at 14, became pregnant at 17 and suffered episodes of domestic violence.

Senator Thorpe said: 'I'm not this angry crazy black women out there who hates white people - it's just not who I am'

'I suppose I was used to violence from my first relationships, and it's happened so many times that I just kept getting back up,' she said.

She also said of her decision to declare bankruptcy in 2013, as a single mother of three after leaving a toxic marriage, the 'best decision' she ever made.

Senator Thorpe conceded that being combative 'lessened her message' for some people.

'That's how I think I'm misunderstood,' she said.

'It's coming straight from my heart, straight from my soul. There needs to be some anger in this place otherwise you become complacent and complicit.'

Stefanovic also asked about her recent use of parliamentary privilege to accuse Senator David Van of sexual harassment and Senator Thorpe said there were others like him still working in parliament.

Lidia Thorpe (pictured) has slammed the Albanese government over the budget, claiming the lives of First Nations people will continue getting worse under the measures

'There have been a number of occasions where there have been touches inappropriately that I haven't given permission for and have raised it,' she said.

Ms Thorpe revealed she will leave politics in 2028.

'I love my job. And I've been able to make big changes in the short time I've been there. I don't intend on running again,' she said.

'I'm 50 next month. I don't want to become a crusty old politician.'

The interview also addressed Senator Thorpe infamous strip club stoush in April where she was filmed repeatedly shouting at a group of men 'small penis' outside a strip club 3am on a Sunday.

'It wasn't until we left, walking out the door that I was verbally abused. One thing I did do wrong was I reacted to somebody's else's bad behaviour,' she told Stefanovic.

However, Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed that Ms Thorpe had allegedly been going up to 'white men' before the incident saying: 'You stole my land', which earned her a lifetime ban from the establishment.

Senator Thorpe (pictured) was filmed unleashing an extraordinary spray on a group of men outside a Melbourne strip club at 3am on a Sunday in April

She also claimed there was racism within the Greens, her former party, in 'places that should know better'.

Senator Thorpe branded the proposed Voice to Parliament a 'powerless advisory body' and said it would fail.

'We are not one homogenous group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We're allowed to think differently and we are allowed to say no on the grounds that it is not enough,' she said.

Senator Thorpe also revealed she would be stepping down from politics once her term ends in 2028 because she does not want to become 'an old crusty politician'.
More than 700 firearms have been recovered in the UK after a five-year operation with police in Spain to crack down on easily convertible guns being smuggled into the country.

So far, 703 firearms have been recovered in the UK, and there have been 74 arrests, 50 convictions and 133 premises searched.

The scheme targeting forward-venting blank firearms (FVBF), which are illegal to possess or import to the UK but can be traded lawfully in some parts of mainland Europe, has involved the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Guardia Civil - which has jurisdiction in Spain for the national control of firearms.

Charles Yates, the NCA's deputy director, said: 'Very significant levels of harm have undoubtedly been prevented with this ground-breaking work.

'Each of these 700 firearms had the potential to fall into the wrong hands and be used by criminals to further their offending or, at worst, take a life.'

More than 700 firearms have been recovered in the UK after a five-year operation with police in Spain to stop easily convertible guns from entering the country

So far, 703 firearms have been recovered in the UK, and there have been 74 arrests, 50 convictions and 133 premises searched

The scheme targeting forward-venting blank firearms (FVBF), which are illegal to possess or import to the UK but can be traded lawfully in some parts of mainland Europe, has involved the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Guardia Civil - which has jurisdiction in Spain for the national control of firearms

The guns, which are attractive to criminals because they are cheap, have been recovered as both converted and unconverted weapons by UK police forces, Border Force and the NCA.

The NCA said that of the 703 cases, 20 involved actual or intended manufacture or conversion of weapons or ammunition.

There were 11 cases of firearms which were being sent to people with mental health issues and seven cases involving people holding extremist views or who presented a potential terrorism threat.

In four cases there were clear indications of onward firearms supply, four other cases involved drugs supply, four cases involved explosives and in one investigation a machine gun was seized from the suspect who had bought a blank firer.

One of the 'highest harm' cases featured a man who was jailed for 11 years after officers found 26 firearms at his home, some were even stored in his three-year-old's bedroom, according to the NCA.

'We have used our reach, influence and relationships overseas, where many serious and organised crime threats come from, to stem the flow of these popular, easily convertible guns and then we and policing have pursued the people who bought them online.'

The scheme - codenamed Project Vizardlike - involved working with international organisations to stop the weapons being shipped to the UK, seizing weapons at the border and identifying those who had already bought them.

The guns, which are attractive to criminals because they are cheap, have been recovered as both converted and unconverted weapons by UK police forces, Border Force and the NCA

The NCA said that of the 703 cases, 20 involved actual or intended manufacture or conversion of weapons or ammunition

There were 11 cases of firearms which were being sent to people with mental health issues and seven cases involving people holding extremist views or who presented a potential terrorism threat

The NCA's National Firearms Targeting Centre (NFTC) led a coordinated response to identify suspects before providing cases to UK police forces, or the agency's own investigators.

The Guardia Civil undertook real-time analysis of more than 2,000 sales of FVBFs to foreign citizens across Europe to identify suspicious transactions.

Some sales included the use of falsified details in an effort to avoid being detected.

When suspicious purchases were identified, they were immediately flagged bilaterally or through Europol to law enforcement or security forces in countries where the illicit buyers lived.

A parallel Guardia Civil investigation - called Operation Diana - was run in collaboration with Europol.

It led to police taking action in nine different countries and the largest proportion of these related to UK sales.

The scheme has also cut off UK customers from suppliers in the Czech Republic and France and also enabled prosecutors in both countries to exchange evidence where suspects had tried to mask their purchases by using false details, addresses and disguised bank transactions.

One of the 'highest harm' cases featured a man who was jailed for 11 years after officers found 26 firearms at his home, some were even stored in his three-year-old's bedroom, according to the NCA

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, NPCC lead for the criminal use of firearms, said: 'The scale of the recoveries and arrests shows the threat is real but crucially that, through the determination and hard work of those involved, we won't shy away from protecting communities from the threat of illegal firearms wherever it may arise from.'

General Valentin Diaz, head of the intelligence headquarters (UCE3) of the Spanish Guardia Civil said: 'Firearms trafficking is a problem that affects the security of all European countries, which is why international co-operation is essential to fight effectively this threat.

'An example of this is Operation Diana/Vizardlike, thanks to which we have avoided in excess of 700 firearms reaching the criminals.'
A ring of steel has been placed around Regent's Park in London today ahead of Joe Biden's visit to Britain.

Police officers were this morning seen patrolling Winfield House, the official residence of the US Ambassador to the UK and erecting security fences just hours before his arrival.

President Biden flies to London later today on his way to a NATO summit in Lithuania next week.

He is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at No10 tomorrow before heading to Windsor Castle, where he will meet King Charles for the first time since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September.

Though not a full state visit with military honors and palace banquet, the setting is designed to underscore the importance of the trans-Atlantic 'special relationship' - tested by Brexit but reinforced by unity over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A ring of steel has been placed around Regent's Park in London today ahead of Joe Biden's visit to Britain

Police officers were this morning seen patrolling Winfield House, the official residence of the US Ambassador to the UK and erecting security fences just hours before his arrival

President Biden is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at No10 tomorrow before heading to Windsor Castle, where he will meet King Charles for the first time since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September

Mr Sunak and the president will hold Ukraine-focused talks before both attend this week's NATO meeting in Vilnius, which will discuss how far the military alliance should open the door to Ukraine.

NATO leaders said in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but have not set out a road map, despite impassioned entreaties from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

'That is an area where the US is a little bit more hesitant than a lot of other NATO allies,' said Julie Norman, co-director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London.

'There might be some closed-door discussions about where the UK is on that before going into the whole (NATO) meeting.'

The US and the UK are among the strongest Western supporters of Kyiv.

Ms Norman said that 'if anything, the UK has taken a bit of a lead on some of the military commitments,' nudging the Biden administration to go further on issues including tanks and an international effort to give Ukraine F-16 fighter jets.

'I think in some ways that's worked to Biden's advantage as he's gotten increased resistance at home from some wings of the Republican Party about not over-giving aid to Ukraine,' she said.

'The fact that the UK is pushing and leading on this gives Biden a bit of a nudge and a bit of a strong ally support in moving ahead.'

Biden faces unease from allies including Britain about his decision to give Ukraine cluster bombs, which are banned under a convention signed by more than 120 countries, including the UK. Mr Sunak said yesterday that Britain 'discourages their use.'

People pass by security fences installed around Winfield House in Regent's Park

Soldiers stand guard at a fence surrounding the venue of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where President Biden will travel to after visiting the UK

Preparations are being stepped up in Lithuania ahead of the NATO summit next week

Determined to show unity among Ukraine's allies, the UK has refrained from complaining about failing to secure support from Washington for Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to become the next head of NATO.

Instead, the term of current Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has been extended by a year.

The transatlantic relationship has been strained in recent years by Britain's exit from the European Union, an act Biden has made clear he thinks harmed the U.K.

The president, who proudly celebrates his Irish roots, was especially concerned about the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland's peace process.

Washington was relieved when Britain and the EU struck a deal in February to settle a thorny dispute over trade rules for Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK that shares a border with an EU member.

Biden briefly visited Belfast in April to mark 25 years since Northern Ireland's Good Friday peace agreement, before spending several days visiting ancestral hometowns in the Republic of Ireland.

He irked some in the UK by saying later that he'd visited Northern Ireland to make sure 'the Brits didn't screw around.'

While some Conservatives are sensitive about perceived slights from the Democrat president, this is Biden's sixth meeting with Mr Sunak, who has been in office since October.

The British leader visited Washington last month, coming away with an 'Atlantic Declaration' promising closer economic cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence, clean energy and critical minerals.
Joe Biden is set to arrive in Britain tonight to a row over his decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions.

The US President is expected to fly to the UK late this evening ahead of meeting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles tomorrow.

He is facing a storm of criticism for agreeing to send cluster bombs to Ukraine to aid the country's fight against Russia.

More than 100 countries around the world - including Britain - are signatories to a convention banning their use due to a track record of killing civilians.

Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves this morning said she held 'deep concern' about Mr Biden's actions and said she was 'not convinced that these are the appropriate weapons'.

Treasury minister Victoria Atkins stressed Britain would 'stick by' the convention banning the use of cluster munitions.

And Lord Ricketts, a former national security adviser, warned that NATO allies were 'very uncomfortable' with the action by the White House.

Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves expressed 'deep concern' about Joe Biden's actions and said she was 'not convinced that these are the appropriate weapons'

The US President, pictured with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has agreed to send cluster bombs to Kyiv

Boris Johnson has given his full backing to Mr Biden's 'difficult but brave decision' to supply cluster munitions to Kyiv

The PM this weekend made clear the UK 'discourages' the use of the weapons.

But one of his predecessors, Boris Johnson, has given his full backing to Mr Biden's 'difficult but brave decision' to supply cluster munitions to Kyiv.

The US, Ukraine and Russia are not signatories to the convention banning cluster munitions and both Moscow and Kyiv have used the weapons so far in the war.

The White House has argued that Ukraine has provided assurances it will not use cluster bombs in urban areas.

Asked about Mr Biden's decision this morning, Ms Reeves told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday show: 'We all agree that Ukraine needs to be properly armed to fight Russia and their illegal invasion.

'But I am concerned about the use of cluster bombs, and it is not just the UK who has these concerns, other countries clearly do as well.

'So I would like to find a way to properly arm Ukraine but without using these weapons which can have an impact, not just on the battlefield that time, on that day, but for months and years afterwards.

'That is something that causes me deep concern, and many other people as well.

'While I support President Biden's desire to ensure Ukraine is fully armed to fight Russia, I am not convinced that these are the appropriate weapons.'

Ms Atkins, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, told the same programme: 'We, the UK, have signed the convention that prohibits their use and discourages their use.

'And of course we stick by that convention and we are trying to do what we can to support Ukraine.

'So last year we spent some 2.3 billion in giving Ukraine help in all sorts of practical ways, including heavy artillery and tanks and so on, and we will continue that this year.

'But we we have signed this convention and for us, that is our position on these.'

Mr Biden's visit to the UK comes ahead of Tuesday's NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Lord Ricketts, who served as the UK's first national security adviser, said that members of the security alliance were concerned by the US President's move.

'You can feel the allies are all very uncomfortable with this,' he said.

'We have all of us, apart from the Americans, signed up to the convention which means we don't produce or stockpile or use these weapons. They are indiscriminate weapons, of course.

'I think we do owe it to the Ukrainians to understand why they need these weapons.

'This offensive that they have launched, there is a lot riding on it. If it stagnates, bogs down, the risk is this war will just continue.'

He added: 'It is a hard choice of the kind that countries have to make in war time.

'I am uncomfortable with it, yes I wish it wasn't being done, but I think we can understand why they are doing it.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the US for the 'timely, broad and much-needed defence aid package' that will 'bring Ukraine closer to victory over the enemy, and democracy to victory over dictatorship'.
Michael Gove is preparing a scheme to turn Cambridge into Britain's answer to Silicon Valley - with the possibility of billions of pounds' investment in a new tech centre.

The proposals are being developed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in recent months, along with the prospect of 250,000 new homes being built.

It forms a major part of a blueprint to fix England's housing crisis and improve the UK's competitiveness in fields of science and technology, The Times reports.

The corridor linking Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge is already earmarked for national growth, which is set to be bolstered even further by the technological plans for Cambridge - dubbed 'Cambridge 2040'.

Despite being at a preliminary stage, sources say the scheme would swell the population of the city from its current 150,000 residents. Large swathes of land would also need to be identified to build new business parks, laboratories and science centres.

Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove is preparing a scheme to turn Cambridge into Britain's answer to Silicon Valley

Cambridge, which currently has a population of around 150,000, could soon be swelled with an additional 250,000 homes as the government seeks urgent solutions to Britain's housing crisis

Gove's department believe between 200,000 and 250,000 new homes could be built in Cambridge, far beyond the tens of thousands currently envisaged by local councillors.

It is anticipated that any new properties will be built sympathetically towards local architecture as well as the government's 'beautiful buildings' strategy. Civil servants are also poring over plans for new railway lines and possibly new tram and bus networks to aid the expansion.

A source said: 'It is basically large-scale growth, taking the local plan and putting it on steroids.

'The idea is that Cambridge becomes the Silicon Valley of Europe.'

Silicon Valley is renowned as the world's epi-centre of cutting edge technology, and Gove is joined by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in seeking to create a hub of digital technology to hep sustain Britain's growth.

The Levelling Up Secretary also plans to showcase the scheme as evidence of Britain's housing and planning policies before next year's General Election.

In the next few weeks, Gove is expected to make a major speech on housing policy, after repeated delays caused by recent by-elections.

Gove and the PM are also said to be planning to remove environmental restrictions in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, which have been blamed for blocking as many as 120,000 new homes.

The Levelling Up secretary is also due to announce investment for the regeneration of 20 town and cities across England, including redeveloping brownfield sites.

Silicon Valley is renowned as the world's epi-centre of cutting edge technology (Pictured: Apple Park ahead of the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino, California, on June 5)

The government is also considering creating a national planning task force, described as a 'hit squad' of planning officials that would be sent to local authorities lacking the 'capacity and capability' for large planning applications.

Plans for top-down housing targets were backed by former PM Boris Johnson but were later killed off by Tory MPs, leading to ongoing confusion among councils and housebuilders.

The Tories are officially committed to building 300,000 homes a year by the mid 2020s. They closest they came to this was 242,000 built in the 12 months before the pandemic, similar to levels last seen in the 1970s.

Since Sunak tore up the top-down targets, 55 councils have suspended their local development plans and the number of new homes being granted planning approval is at its lowest since the height of the 2008 financial crisis.

Amid fears the lack of affordable housing is a factor likely to drive away many young voters, Gove is reported to have selected Cambridge as an area where tens of thousands of homes could be built in a short space of time.

A government spokesman said: 'We know development is only welcomed when new homes are beautiful and built alongside new GP surgeries, schools and transport links. Our reforms have democracy, environmental enhancement and new neighbourhoods at their heart.'
The images made up some of the 9,000 posted online from Hunter's laptop

A Republican GOP state senator could face criminal charges for revenge porn after sharing explicit images of Hunter Biden on social media.

Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers retweeted footage of the First Son to her 300,000 followers on Twitter, which included several X-rated images.

Posting online, Rogers  a staunch advocate for former President Trump - said: 'It's all here in black and white. Oh, and apparently in NBC living color.'

She has since removed the footage and has been warned that her social media post was a 'mistake' by another Republican  who claims she didn't realize the images were in the footage.

Lawyers have also warned that by posting the X-rated images, she could find herself in hot water legally.

Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers retweeted footage of the First Son to her 300,000 followers on Twitter, which included several X-rated images

Rogers accidentally posted several x-rated images of Hunter Biden while retweeting the footage, which she has since deleted

Tom Ryan told Arizona's Family: 'It's not a defense if she later took them down, which appears she has done.

She may have even breached Arizona's revenge porn law, which means that intentionally posting a sexual image without consent is a criminal offence

'Any more than it would be a defense if you robbed a Circle K and later gave the money back, you don't get to wipe out the robbery.'

He added that she may have even breached Arizona's revenge porn law, which means that intentionally posting a sexual image without consent is a criminal offence.

State Senate President Warren Petersen, released a statement saying: 'Rogers didn't realize those images were in that video until it was brought to her attention, and she immediately removed the video from her feed.'

It is not the first time that Rogers has found herself in hot water, and was last year censured by the state Senate following a pre-recorded speech she made for a white nationalist conference.

During the speech, she called for those she viewed as her 'enemies' to be hung from the gallows.

Rogers recently pushed for legislation that would ban anyone under the age of 18 from accessing porn and expressed her concern at how easily minors can access porn.

It comes after thousands of X-rated images were published of the First Son, as well as a bag of cocaine found at the White House.

It also comes as the White House refused to acknowledge that President Biden has seven grandchildren - after Hunter's bitter legal battle with Arkansas stripper Lunden Roberts over their daughter

Hunter poses for photos at a hotel with a tattooed model who denied she was a prostitute. Ziegler said that it took around two months to 'redact the genitalia' in all of Hunter's pictures

Former President Donald Trump claimed the drugs belonged to the president and his son Hunter, a recovering crack cocaine addict.

It also comes as the White House refused to acknowledge that President Biden has seven grandchildren - after Hunter's bitter legal battle with Arkansas stripper Lunden Roberts over their daughter.

Sources told DailyMail.com that the stunning reversal in the legal battle came after Hunter told Roberts privately that he wanted to end hostilities and 'build a relationship' with the adorable four-year-old.

The pact also paves the way for Navy Joan to eventually meet the rest of the Biden brood - including President Joe and First Lady Jill - for the first time.

While financial details of the settlement remain under seal, court filings indicate that the fledgling artist Hunter, 53, will let his daughter pick out one of his paintings each month as a gift.

Right wing nonprofit Marco Polo posted 8,864 pictures on bidenlaptopmedia.com that include hundreds of images of Hunter Biden taking drugs and having sex with prostitutes. Hunter is pictured holding up what appears to be a smoking pen with marijuana oil inside

The Bidens were at Camp David at the time the cocaine was found. They are seen on July 4, having returned after their weekend away

The New York Times reported Friday that aides have been told that Bidens have six grandchildren - not seven - during strategy sessions

But during a Wednesday White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shut down a question on whether Biden would now acknowledge Navy Joan as his grandchild after the child support dispute settlement.

'I don't have anything to share from here,' Jean-Pierre said at the briefing as she moved on to the next question.

Almost 9,000 photos from Hunter Biden's laptop were published online by right-wing nonprofit Marco Polo.

The 8,864 pictures posted on bidenlaptopmedia.com include hundreds of images of the First Son taking drugs and having sex with prostitutes, as well as family photos and everyday snaps.

The photos include 7,032 mostly from Hunter's MacBook Pro iPhoto app, 1,832 from a backup of his iPhone XS, 428 'live photos' (short videos taken on an iPhone), 674 images sent in text messages, 579 screenshots, 40 sent via WhatsApp, and 111 others.

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd slammed President Joe Biden for failing to acknowledge his seventh grandchild, Hunter's daughter Navy Joan he had with an Arkansas stripper Lunden Roberts

he images are dated between 2008 and 2019. Some have geographic coordinates attached, showing Hunter took photos in Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, Kosovo, the Dominican Republic, western China, London, Paris, Rome, Belgrade and across the US.

All photos seen by DailyMail.com match photos from a copy of Hunter Biden's laptop obtained by DailyMail.com and authenticated by cyber forensics experts in early 2021.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been revealed to have been denied a bank account with Monzo amid an ongoing row over 'laborious' anti-money laundering rules.

There are growing concerns about action being taken by banks in relation to so-called 'Politically Exposed Persons'.

The Treasury has demanded swift action from banking watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority, over its guidance on PEPs.

MPs have expressed fears that customers' accounts are being closed because of their political views.

Ex-Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage is currently waging a furious fightback against what he claims is 'serious political persecution' by British banks.

He has claimed Coutts have closed his account and nine other banks have refused him as a customer after he was deemed a PEP.

It has emerged that Mr Hunt recently joked in Cabinet about being turned down for an account by Monzo, the online bank.

Mr Farage seized on the Chancellor's own experiences as further evidence that the Government 'must act as this is a dangerous road'.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been revealed to have been denied a bank account with Monzo amid an ongoing row over 'laborious' anti-money laundering rules

It was reported that Mr Hunt suspected that regulations covering 'Politcally Exposed Persons' were responsible for the decision by Monzo

Ex-Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage is currently waging a furious fightback against what he claims is 'serious political persecution' by British banks

It was reported that Mr Hunt suspected that regulations covering PEPs were responsible for the decision by Monzo.

A Treasury source told MailOnline it was 'just an example of how laborious the rules are'.

PEPs are described as individuals around the world with 'prominent public functions'.

UK law recognises the risk of PEPs abusing their positions for private gain and using the financial system to launder the proceeds of any abuse.

They are required to go through enhanced scrutiny when using the services of financial firms, such as banks.

But there are concerns that banks are being over-zealous in their application of rules.

Mr Farage, previously the leader of UKIP, has claimed his struggle to find a bank is due to his involvement in the Brexit referendum and a 'prejudice' held against him.

MailOnline has also revealed how one of Britain's equalities leaders, a father's rights charity, and a former UKIP councillor have all had their accounts shut.

As well as Mr Hunt's experience with Monzo, a string of peers, including Lord Clarke of Nottingham, have spoken of having had their credit cards cancelled.

Lord Clarke, who was chancellor under John Major, told the Telegraph he faced demands by American Express to provide documentation and financial information despite having held a credit card with them for decades.

He said: 'I decided that I could not be bothered with such outrageous burdens being placed on me.

'Having had my card from some time in the 1970s, I have allowed them to cancel it.'

As the House of Lords debated the Financial Services and Markets Bill last month, Lord Forsyth of Drumlean hit out at a 'completely disporportionate' use of regulations.

He told his fellow peers: 'I have had an American Express card since 1979 and yet, only recently, I got an email which I assumed was a spoof that said I had to provide copies of my passport and bank statements, details of my investments and income, and my payslips - such as they are - to American Express within a certain number of days.

'I assumed this was some fraudster. Then I got another email telling me that my card had been suspended because I had failed to produce this material.

'When I rang American Express and said: 'What is going on here?', they said: 'Unless you produce it, your card will remain suspended'.'

Lord Forsyth claimed that some financial institutions might not even be 'looking at this work themselves' amd could be 'contracting it out to other people who are simply involved in box ticking'.

He also revealed how his daughter was asked by Coutts whether she could move banks because 'you are such a pain to look after because your dad is a PEP'.

Lord Naseby said he had suffered an 'identical' experience to Lord Forsyth's troubles.

Responding to the revelation that Mr Hunt was turned down by Monzo, Mr Farage posted on Twitter today: 'My comments on the banks have led to many people coming forward. Even the Chancellor has been denied an account!

'It's also happening to small business owners and people with non-PC views. The Government must act as this is a dangerous road.'

Monzo said: 'We don't comment on anyone's application for a Monzo product or eligibility decisions.'

An American Express spokesman said: 'As a regulated financial institution, we request information from our cardmembers to meet our regulatory and legal obligations, and enhanced checks are required for certain individuals.

'We continuously review our approach in line with the applicable guidance to remove any unnecessary requests of our card members, while ensuring we continue to meet our obligations.'

A spokesman for the FCA said: 'Over the past 18 months, we have reminded banks of the need to be proportionate.

'Some have improved their processes as a result, and they all now have a direct point of contact for people to report issues.'
The Royal Navy is reportedly considering relaxing its security checks to ease its recruitment amid a staffing crisis.

Under the proposals, the navy would invite some recruits onto initial courses before they have successfully passed all their vetting, a defence source told Sky News.

'Previously, the navy has used this for one or two [recruits] - not the hundreds they need now,' the source said. 'It's risky!'

Sources have described the flow of new recruits as a 'general collapse' and it's understood an emergency meeting was held last month to discuss the crisis.

Issues around staffing are so severe that its feared the navy's ability to fight at sea and even man the nuclear deterrent could be hampered, it is claimed.

The Royal Navy is reportedly considering relaxing its security check in a bid to drive recruitment amid a staffing crisis. Pictured: Royal Navy recruits from the HMS Collingwood training base

Sources have described the flow of new recruits as a 'general collapse' and it's understood an emergency meeting was held last month to discuss the crisis. Pictured: King Charles presents the Royal Victorian Order to members of the Royal Navy

The Royal Navy, which has 29,000 full-time recruits, dismissed the idea of a collapse but did note that it was dealing with a challenge.

A 'perfect storm' of factors are said to have triggered a decline in recruitment, including teams responsible for hiring being understaffed by as much as 35 per cent.

Under-staffing has made it more of a challenge to manage applications, especially in Greater London, which is one of the biggest areas for recruitment.

Last month, official Ministry of Defence data showed that all three services were struggling with recruitment, but the navy was performing the worst.

The figures clearly show a decline in the number of intakes over the last 12 months. New recruits dropped by 22.1 per cent to March 2023 for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines compared with the previous 12 months.

This compares o a drop of 14.6 per cent in the army and 16.6 per cent for the Royal Air Force.

Last month, Admiral Lord West - the former head of the Royal Navy - launched a blistering attack on the state of the fleet, following the revelation that a quarter of the country's frigates never spent a day at sea last year.

He said Britain needed a navy which would 'make someone's eyes water if they crossed us at sea'.

Last month, official Ministry of Defence data showed that all three services were struggling with recruitment, but the navy (pictured at Windsor Castle on May 30) was performing the worst

Instead, the former First Sea Lord said, the number of operational vessels was 'pathetically low' and questioned whether these were enough to keep Britain safe at a time when Russia is targeting pipelines and Beijing is flexing its muscles in the South China Sea.

Lord West told The Mail on Sunday that years of defence cuts, recruitment issues and a lack of planning had left the Royal Navy with too few ships to protect the country's sea lanes and territorial waters.

Scotland is also experiencing a decline in recruitment - which is concerning given that the country is a key area for submariners who are vital to operate the UK's four nuclear subs.

The submarines deliver the nuclear deterrent and one is always at sea 24 hours hours a day every day of the year.

A Royal Navy spokesperson told MailOnline: 'The Royal Navy has enough trained personnel to meet all of its operational commitments and it is untrue to say there is a collapse in recruitment.

'We are experiencing the same challenges as every employer in the UK and are competing for people against a national shortage.

'Recruitment is one of our top priorities and we are working across the navy to continue to deliver success, including the recent launch of our new Royal Marines recruitment campaign.'
The two men shot in a botched barber shop assassination are brothers with links to bikie gangs and organised crime figures, it has been reported.

William, 33, and Eric Siale, 20, were shot by a masked gunman at Adel's salon on Marrickville Road, in Sydney's inner west, just before 2pm on Friday.

The brothers, of Pacific Islander descent, were both hit - one in the chest and the other in the lower back. Both men are recovering in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

William, 33, and his brother Eric, 20, were inside Adels hairdressing salon when a masked gunman burst in and shot them

The pair were rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Police sources told the Daily Telegraph that William  also known as 'Tonga'  was a fully patched member of the Bandidos bikie gang and had been a close associate of Comanchero bikie Fares Abounader before his death in 2020.

Eric, meanwhile, was a friend of several slain members of the Hamzy clan.

There is no suggestion that either brother was involved in organised crime.

Witnesses previously said they saw one of the men dive in front of a bullet to protect his brother.

NSW Police said on Friday they are investigating links between the shooting and the killing of cocaine kingpin Alen Moradian at Bondi Junction.

However, underworld sources have discounted that idea.

A witness claimed the shooter was carrying two guns when he opened fire on the two men inside the salon. One of the men reportedly dived in front of the other during the carnage

Police sources said the victims have links to the Bandidos bikie gang and were known to them

'Tonga' has been around for a long time, he was good mates with Fares (Abounader),' one source told the Telegraph.

'(Eric) was also close to all the dead Hamzys from the last few years. Who knows why they have been shot at though, it could just be isolated.

'People are saying this may be a shot at the Bandidos to make it look like retaliation for Moradian, because they weren't involved in that.

'We have seen throw offs from time to time, to make police think they're involved in a hit.'

Shocking footage from the scene shows one shirtless man lying on the floor while a police officer gives him first aid.

Another officer was also seen trying to calm down a second man in the salon.

Former NSW police officer Peter Moroney said the offenders tried to 'manhandle' one or two of the witnesses who were filming the shocking incident.

A silver Kia Stinger was set on fire in nearby Sydenham in the aftermath of the shooting on Friday afternoon. Police also reportedly found a burnt-out Mitsubishi Triton

NSW Police Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said he believed it was a 'targeted attack'

'A couple of the offenders dealt with one or two of the witnesses that were filming them yesterday and tried to manhandle them as well,' he told Nine's Today show on Saturday morning

'If you do see crimes like this unfold, whilst it is a temptation to gather evidence, look after yourself first instead of trying to get involved.'

NSW Police Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said police believe a silver Kia Stinger found in flames on Park Road in nearby Sydenham was used as a 'getaway car'.

A Mitsubishi Triton was also reported on fire just minutes later on Hercules Street in Dulwich Hill.

Police are also trying to track down a white Toyota Camry, with registration plates DMM59H, that police believe one of the shooters may have gotten into after the incident.

'It is very brazen and that's why we believe it was a targeted attack, it's not random and it's fortunate no other member of the public was involved in that incident,' Superintendent Fitzgerald said.

Another underworld source warned that a brazen gang war could be erupting in Sydney again.

'Sydney is on fire right now,' the source said.

'It is just like it was in the middle of last year, it may even be worse actually.

'You've got players sitting overseas, big players who are not even from Australia, running a proxy-war here because our drug market is just so profitable. It is a scary.'
Three people were killed and 21 injured in a spate of shootings across the US this weekend, in states including Indiana, Ohio and Texas.

In Amarillo, Texas, two people were killed and five injured during a shooting at a private party.

Another one person was killed and three injured at a bar in Gary, Indiana, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

In Cleveland, Ohio, 14 people were shot and one person died in three separate shootings throughout Sunday morning.

In one of those shootings someone opened fire in the direction of a group of people, leaving nine hospitalized.

Across the country there have been nearly 10,000 gun violence-related deaths and 20,000 injuries just this year, excluding suicides, according to national database Gun Violence Archive.

During the Fourth of July weekend last week at least 17 mass shootings were recorded across the country.

Three people were killed and 21 injured in a spate of shootings across the US this weekend, in states including Indiana, Ohio and Texas. Pictured is the the site of a shooting in Gary

Another one person was killed and three injured at a bar in Gary, Indiana, in the early hours of Saturday morning

Police in Amarillo said two people were killed and five injured in the shooting in the south of the city.

At around 12.54am officers were sent to an events center in a mall at 4515 S. Georgia following reports of a shooting with multiple injured, according to the Amarillo Police Department.

Once they arrived they learned that some sort of fight had broken out at the party, which escalated and ended in shooting.

One person died at the scene, and the other died after being transported to hospital.

'The other five have varying injuries but are expected to recover,' said police, according to ABC7.

As of Sunday morning no arrests had been made.

The two dead men were identified as Semagea Smith, 32, and Dequincton Taylor, 28.

In a mass shooting in Cleveland saw nine people shot, none of whom died from their injuries as of Sunday morning

At around 2.30am police responded to West 6th Street and Johnson Court in Cleveland for a report that multiple people had been shot

During a mass shooting in Cleveland nine people were shot at but none had died from their injuries as of Sunday morning.

'Preliminary information indicates that a suspect opened fire toward a group of people and then fled the scene,' a spokesperson for Cleveland police said in a statement.

At around 2.30am police responded to West 6th Street and Johnson Court for a report that multiple people had been shot.

'Investigators are in the process of reviewing evidence and video, as well as interviewing victims at MetroHealth Medical Center,' read the police statement.

Police were yet to indicate any possible motive.

In another shooting in the city earlier on in the night several people were shot at the 2500 block of W. 6th Street.

One man went to the hospital in critical condition, one went to the ER in serious condition and another person went to the hospital in a private car.

In Amarillo, Texas, two people were killed and five injured during a shooting at a private party

At around 12.54am officers were sent to an events center in a mall at 4515 S. Georgia following reports of a shooting. Pictured is the scene

In a third shooting at around 3.20am, police say two people were shot at E. 112th and Benham. One person died and the other was taken to the hospital, according to FOX8.

In Gary, Indiana, gunfire broke out at at UpTop Lounge and Events bar on Saturday morning at around 2.30am.

Police said a 37-year-old man was dead at the scene and three others were wounded. Two men and a woman, all in their thirties, were hospitalized, police said.

Two separate shootings in Chicago on Saturday left two men dead.
Longshot 2024 candidate and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, 66, said Sunday that he wouldn't enter into business with former President Donald Trump  but would with Elon Musk.

The billionaire, however, say that he could see himself voting for Trump for president again.

'I voted for him twice, and if he's running against Biden I will absolutely vote for him again,' Burgum said during a Friday campaign event in New Hampshire.

He called the decision to cast his ballot for Trump should he win the 2024 nomination a 'no-brainer.'

Burgum, who declared his candidacy in June, made his billions off a tech business he sold to Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 2001.

Longshot 2024 candidate and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Sunday that he wouldn't do business with Donald Trump  but has said he would vote for him in 2024 if he were up against Biden

He told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that he wouldn't do business with fellow businessman and 2024 candidate Trump.

'Would you ever do business with Donald Trump?' NBC host Chuck Todd asked Burgum.

He replied: 'I don't think so. I just think that it's important that you're judged by the company you keep.'

Burgum would, however, do business with billionaire Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk.

'Just look at business track records is what I would say, and that's what I would take a peek at before I would make a decision about who you partner with,' the North Dakota governor said when pressed on the difference between Trump and Musk as businessmen.

The husband and father of three attended Stanford Business School after undergraduate at North Dakota State University. He began his entrepreneurial career early by starting a chimney-sweep business in North Dakota and making it into the Associated Press for conducting business in below-freezing weather in Fargo.

At Stanford, Burgum became friend with Steve Ballmer, who would later become CEO of Microsoft.

After graduation, he mortgaged $250,000 of his farmland to provide the seed capital for accounting software company Great Plains Software in Fargo, North Dakota. Burgum joined the company in 1983. became its president in 1984 and sold it in 2001 to Microsoft for $1.1 billion.

'I just think that it's important that you're judged by the company you keep,' Burgum said when asked why he wouldn't do business with Trump  and noted he would enter into business with Elon Musk because he has a better 'track record'

Burgum was named Senior Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions Group after selling his software company to the tech giant and stayed with the company until 2007.

In 2016, Burgum became governor of North Dakota and is now running for president.

The 2024 longshot has been less decisive than other candidates on whether he would pardon Trump if he became president. A few are deadset on a pardon while Trump remains under criminal investigation.

In an interview with Hugh Hewitt last month, Burgum said on the topic: 'You're asking me a hypothetical question about something from two years from now, when we don't even know if this is going to go forward or if there's even going to be a conviction.'
A Georgia mayor was arrested after entering a house he claims he thought was abandoned, only to come face-to-face in a bizarre standoff with the homeowner who held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

Khalid Kamau was caught creeping around the lake property on Cascade Palmetto Highway around 6:52 a.m. Saturday morning by the unnamed homeowner who ordered him to 'stay put,' according to a police report obtained by WSBTV.

'Do you know who the f*** I am? I'm the Mayor, and I'll wait for my police to get here and see what happens then,' Kamau allegedly yelled back at the owner.

Kamau, who has been mayor of the City of Fulton since January 2022, later told police he was on the private property because he was interested in purchasing the home, which he believed to be abandoned.

The mayor was arrested on criminal trespassing and burglary charges. He was released from the Fulton County Jail that evening after posting an $11,000 bond.

Khalid Kamau, the mayor of South Fulton, Georgia, was arrested on trespassing and burglary charges after he entered a house on Cascade Palmetto Highway he thought was abandoned

Kamau later told police he was on the private property because he was interested in purchasing the home, which he believed to be abandoned

The mayor would not speak about the charges when he left the jail in handcuffs on Saturday, but explained why he was on the property.

'I just wanted to see the house,' Kamau told Fox 5 Atlanta. 'I do apologize to the owners. I thought it was abandoned.'

South Fulton police responded to the property for reports of a trespasser with the homeowner explaining he had received a notification on his phone around 6:52 a.m. that someone was at the lake house.

The homeowner was inside his home at the time he got the alert and said he watched the person walk up the driveway of his home toward his lake house, according to the report.

He then got into his truck to call police and said that he could see someone in his lake house, but could not see what they were doing.

While still on the phone with the police dispatcher, the homeowner cautiously approached the house and as the trespasser - later identified as Kamau - came outside, he confronted him with a gun and ordered him to 'stay put.'

According to Kamau's account, he said he was just checking out the property when he was confronted by the homeowner who yelled: 'No motherf***er, you stay right there'

The homeowner was inside his home at the time he got the alert and said he watched the person walk up the driveway of his home toward his lake house, according to the report

Kamau reportedly yelled at the homeowner who was armed with a gun: 'Do you know who the f**k I am? I'm the Mayor, and I'll wait for my police to get here and see what happens then'

The homeowner repeated the order when Kamau began to walk away, which prompted him to yell back.

'Do you know who the f**k I am? I'm the Mayor, and I'll wait for my police to get here and see what happens then.'

According to Kamau's account in the report, he said he was just checking out the property when he was confronted by the homeowner who yelled: 'No motherf***er, you stay right there.'

Kamau stated that he tried to introduce himself to the homeowner, but said he told him, 'If you take another step, I'm going to shoot you,' to which Kamau responded, 'Are you going to shoot me while I'm walking away?'

Once police arrived, the trespasser was identified to be Kamau and the homeowner reportedly apologized to the mayor.

Kamau was arrested on criminal trespassing and burglary charges, but was released later that evening after posting bond.

'I do want to thank the South Fulton police and the staff of officers for their courteous and professional service throughout the day,' Kamau told reporters as he left the jail.

He said that he apologizes 'for the negative attention that this is brought to our city.'

'I hope that the spotlight on our city right now will highlight some of the inequities that have been happening,' he told Fox 5 Atlanta.

Kamau said that he apologizes 'for the negative attention that this is brought to our city'

Kamau is described on the city's website as a 'community activist and Southern, Black, Christian Socialist,' and the first Black Lives Matter organizer elected to public office

The incident is under investigation the City of South Fulton said in a statement.

'The City of South Fulton is committed to upholding the law and ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their position, are subject to the same fair and just treatment. As the investigation is still ongoing, we are unable to provide further details at this time.'

Kamau is described on the city's website as a 'community activist and Southern, Black, Christian Socialist,' and the first Black Lives Matter organizer elected to public office.

He was elected to the city council in 2017, sworn in as mayor in January 2022, and butted head with city officials almost immediately.

Earlier this year, five out of seven city council filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Kamau from office, saying he violated a city charter.

And in April, the police shut down a community Easter egg hunt because the mayor's office didn't obtain a permit for the event. Kamau said at the time that he believed it was a move of retaliation by city leaders and the chief of police.
In a rare sit-down interview, President Joe Biden managed to steer clear of answering any difficult questions involving his son Hunter or the discovery of cocaine in the White House.

CNN's Fareed Zakaria kept the focus on foreign policy but never once asked Biden about his son, despite a growing public sentiment that the president was 'likely involved' in Hunter's foreign business deals.

The interview is Biden's first since the U.S. Secret Service found last Sunday a white powder substance in the White House that turned out to be cocaine. Trolls online immediately jumped to blaming Hunter for bringing the illicit drug into the White House.

Despite swirling questions over the incident last week, Biden was not asked any questions related to the discovery of cocaine and the ongoing investigation into the matter. He has also ignored questions on the subject from members of the press during public appearances.

Joe Biden rare sit-down interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria did not include any questions on the president's son Hunter Biden or the discovery of cocaine in the White House last week

The interview aired the same day a new Rasmussen poll revealed that 58% of likely voters think that President Biden was involved in Hunter's foreign business dealings

There were also no questions regarding the president's 52-year-old son, who remains under multiple investigations related to his years of foreign business and allegations of using his father's position for his family's financial gain and enrichment.

Meanwhile, a new Rasmussen poll released on Sunday shows that 58 percent of Americans think that President Biden was at least 'very or somewhat likely' involved in his son Hunter's foreign business deals.

The survey conducted June 28-29 and July 2 shows only 14 percent think it was 'not very likely' and 19 percent say it was 'not at all likely' that Biden was involved.

Biden was also not forced to face questions on the recent plea deal his son reached with the Justice Department that will allow him to avoid jail time.

Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to two tax-related charges, as well as reached a probation deal for a separate charge for lying on a federal form to purchase a firearm. He checked a box indicating he was not using or addicted to any illegal drugs at the time of the gun purchase, while timelines detailed in his own book are to the contrary.

Public outcry ensued over news of the deal with claims of preferential treatment due to who the defendant's father is.

During the interview for CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS program airing on Sunday morning, the president discussed sending munitions aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia, his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin and the upcoming NATO Summit.

Biden told Zakaria that he doesn't think 'Ukraine is ready for NATO membership.'

Cocaine was discovered at the White House last week, overshadowing the usual July 4 celebrations. Trolls online immediately said Biden's addict son Hunter was to blame for bringing the illegal drug onto the property

Zakaria kept all questions mainly focused on foreign policy, besides one age-related question at the tail-end of the interview. The president was not faced with any difficult questions related to his son Hunter

Zakaria kept all the questions foreign policy-related until the very tail-end of the interview where he talked about how age has become a central issue to the 2024 presidential race.

Instead of making the case for why he is fit for office or further dismissing concerns over his age or physical and mental abilities, Biden said: 'I just want to finish the job. And I think we can do that in the next six years.'

The interview was taped Friday, July 7 at the White House as Biden prepares to attend the 2023 NATO Summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.
After posting the video, homeowner Brennan Ray and his wife decided to start an online fundraiser for the boy which has now reached almost $40,000

He explained that some children in the neighborhood were bullying him

A video posted to TikTok showed Shayden Walker knocking on his neighbors' door in Amarillo, Texas last week looking for friends

A Texas couple has raised nearly $40,000 for a bullied boy who knocked on their door looking for some friends in a heartbreaking moment caught on a doorbell camera.

Brennan Ray and Angell Hammersmith started the GoFundMe last Wednesday hoping to make Shayden Walker's summer after Ray posted the video.

It showed the boy approaching their Amarillo house and asking if they knew of any children between the ages of 11 and 12 because he 'needs some friends really bad.'

Walker, wearing a Jaws t-shirt, then explains that some neighborhood kids had been bullying him.

'I could hear the innocence and vulnerability in his voice,' Ray told DailyMail.com. 'All I knew is that I wanted to help the kid.'

The video has since been viewed more than 66million times, with TikTokers from across the world commenting that they hope he finds some 'REAL friends soon' and saying 'I have never wanted to hug a kid so bad in my life.'

Shayden Walker knocked on his neighbors' door in Amarillo, Texas last week looking for friends

Homeowner Brennan Ray, right, posted the doorbell camera footage to TikTok and he and his wife, Angell, left, decided to start a GoFundMe for the bullied boy

The online fundraiser netted more than $37,000 for the boy and his family before Walker's mom asked to halt donations on Friday

In the doorbell camera footage posted online Wednesday, Ray could be heard asking the boy 'What's up man?' as Walker approaches his door.

At that point, the boy replies: 'Hi. I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around like, 11 or 12, maybe, because I need some friends. Like, really bad.'

Ray then directed Walker to a house down the road, where he said he knew two children lived.

But Walker replies, 'Well, um, theyre not my friends anymore because theyre bullies to me.'

He then decides to ask Ray if he has any children, to which the homeowner says he does  but his daughter is only two years old.

'Oh, OK that's great,' Walker replies hopefully. 'I love two-year-olds to be honest, they're just the most cutest things I have ever known,' telling how he enjoyed playing with his younger sister when she was two.

Instead, Ray promises to say 'hi' to the boy whenever he sees him in town.

'Ok, you have a good day,' Walker says before he walked away.

Ray told the boy he only has a two-year-old daughter, but promised to say 'hi' to Walker whenever he saw him in town

Shayden's mother, Krishna, turned off donations for the GoFundMe on Friday saying the family is not seeking any money

Walker's stepfather, Dustin, posted a video saying his stepson is a 'totally different kid' than he was just last week as Shayden thanked everyone for their support

A follow-up video posted to Ray's account showed Walker approaching the house just about half an hour before, but shying away.

In that video, Ray says he and his wife would start a GoFundMe for the boy 'to help him get a dope gaming set up, some school clothes [and] amusement park tickets.

'Let's come together and show him he's got some friends.'

The fundraiser had netted more than $37,000 for the boy and his family before Walker's mom asked to halt donations on Friday.

Walker's stepfather now says Shayden's a 'totally different kid' than he was just last week, while the young boy said in a video posted to his father's TikTok page that 'Y'all have touched my heart so much, it's just literally to the point where I want to cry.'

The family said they are not seeking any money, as they shared how Shayden enjoys playing Fortnite, his PlayStation and the game Rainbow Six Siege.

After closing out the GoFundMe Friday, Ray and Hammersmith posted another video saying they were not expecting the level of support 'at all,' noting they had just an initial goal of $7,000

The young boy enjoys playing Fortnite, his PlayStation and the game Rainbow Six Siege

Many people from across the world also shared their support for the young boy, with one man commenting: 'Shayden, you are a strong kid. No one deserves to be bullied or made fun of.

'You are incredibly brave to be putting yourself out there and actively looking for friends instead of staying in the house.

'I know you are young, but the best advice I can give you is that you do not need anyone's validation but your own to know your worth,' the man commented. 'If you love yourself, you will never be alone.'

Another person added: 'This kid, like many, are special and just want a place in this world... this family shared a memorable moment with the world and it was beautiful!!!

'Our kids need genuine kindness.'

After closing out the GoFundMe Friday, Ray and Hammersmith posted another video saying they were not expecting the level of support 'at all,' noting they had just an initial goal of $7,000.

'We're thankful we're able to do this for this young man and we're thankful for y'all,' the couple said, with Hammersmith noting they were trying to set up a time to meet with the boy.

They also said that Walker's mother has turned off donations, but the money will remain in the GoFundMe until she says otherwise.
Friday saw the biggest daily record of migrants crossing the English Channel so far this year, with nearly 700 people making the treacherous journey in small boats.

Home Office figures show 686 migrants made the journey, beating out the year's previous record of 549 on June 11.

It takes the total number of incomers to have traversed the Channel this year to 12,119 - just seven per cent beneath the cumulative total of 13,000 for this time last year, The Telegraph reports.

A total of 45,755 migrants crossed the Channel last year, setting a new record.

The problem again resurfaced this morning, as Border Force officials escorted another 65 people to safety at the Port of Dover.

Border Force officials escorted another 65 people to safety at the Port of Dover

The Border Force detected and intercepted 13 small boats on Friday, with an average of 53 people crowded on each dinghy (Pictured: 40 migrants being brought into Dover on Thursday morning)

Border Force officials escort a group migrants into Dover Docks last month

The Border Force detected and intercepted 13 small boats on Friday, with an average of 53 people crowded on each dinghy.

It followed a week of relative calm, with testy conditions making it unviable for any boats to cross.

The most recent migrants arrivals in the UK were on June 30, when 155 in three boats were intercepted by Border Force officials.

READ MORE: Migrant crossings for the month of June hit highest since records began Advertisement

On that day, the French coastguard also rescued 11 asylum seekers who were stranded in their dinghy off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.

The figures also show that 3,824 arrived in the country last month - the highest total for June since records began five years ago.

In June last year, 3,140 migrants arrived in the UK having crossed the Channel. In 2021, 2,177 were detected, while there were 727 in 220 and 163 in 2019. And in June 2018, just four people made the crossing.

Despite the flurry of crossings throughout the month, the total for the first half of the year is still 10 per cent lower than this time last year, when the figure stood at 12,747.

The Government's flagship Rwanda policy was ruled unlawful in the Court of Appeal last week, forcing the PM Rishi Sunak to take the case to the Supreme Court.

Several ministers have threatened to pull Britain out of the European Convention of Human Rights, which was masterminded by Winston Churchill after World War Two to provide safe haven for people seeking asylum.

Even in Westminster, the government suffered 20 defeats in the House of Lords over their controversial policy. Among those voting against the proposals was the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Migrants arrived in Dover Port yesterday morning on board Border Fore vessel Defender

Nearly 700 migrants arrived in the UK yesterday (pictured) - the highest daily total in more than seven months

Friday's figure of 686 people (pictured yesterday morning) surpassed June 11's total of 549 as the highest for the year so far and is the biggest number recorded since 893 were brought in for processing on November 29

Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesman, said: 'It is clear that the Government's approach to tackling the small boats crisis in our channel is simply not working.

'Instead of spouting spiteful rhetoric, Suella Braverman and the Home Office she fails to run should tackle the huge asylum seeker backlog immediately.

'This Government has turned a blind eye to the crisis in the Channel. Their immoral and ineffective small boats Bill will make no difference whatsoever.

This week, the Government prepared to open the first asylum camp that will accept migrants directly from Manston processing centre close to Dover.

The former RAF Wethersfield site near Braintree, Essex, will house 120 migrants, eventually expanding to a full capacity of 1,700 men. A second military site, RAF Scampton will open in mid-August for a further 1,700 migrants.

In Portland, Dorset, a barge is also being set up to accommodate 500 migrants and is tipped to be ready in the next two weeks.
Joe Biden said Ukraine should not yet be admitted into The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) until its war with Russia is over.

Ukraine, as it continues to defend against Russian aggression, is expecting an invitation to join NATO  but Biden and other allies aren't so sure about the prospects.

President Biden claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin's objective in invading Ukraine in February 2022 was to break up NATO once and for all  and insisted the main goal should be stopping that effort.

'I don't think [Ukraine is] ready for membership in NATO,' Biden said during a foreign policy-centric interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS aired on Sunday morning.

Biden departed the U.S. on Sunday morning for the 2023 NATO Summit in Lithuania after spending the weekend at his beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

He said that there is a divide within NATO over members' uncertainty in bringing Ukraine into the fold in the middle of its war with Russia.

President Joe Biden departed Sunday morning for the 2023 NATO Summit in Lithuania after claiming Ukraine is 'not ready' for entry into the treaty organization

Speaking with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Biden said Ukraine needs to end its war with Russia before admittance into NATO

'I spent, as you know, a great deal of time trying to hold NATO together because I believe [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has had an overwhelming objective from the time he launched 185,000 troops into Ukraine, and that was to break NATO,' Biden explained. 'He was confident he could break NATO. So, holding NATO together is really critical.'

'I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging NATO to send a 'clear signal' during this week's summit on whether the country will be admitted.

Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons also said Sunday morning to CBS host Margaret Brennan that NATO cannot admit Ukraine at the moment.

He said that the war with Russia must first 'be resolved' with Ukraine the victor before NATO can consider adding them to the treaty.

'They are on track to join the EU...which lays the foundation for NATO membership in the future,' Coons said during his interview on CBS Face the Nation.

In Biden's rare sit-down interview with CNN, the president managed to steer clear of answering any difficult questions involving his son Hunter or the discovery of cocaine in the White House.

Host Zakaria kept the focus on foreign policy  but never once asked Biden about his son, despite a growing public sentiment that the president was 'likely involved' in Hunter's foreign business deals.

The interview was taped Friday, July 7 at the White House as Biden prepares to attend the 2023 NATO Summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

It was also the first time Biden engaged in an interview since the U.S. Secret Service found last Sunday a white powder substance in the White House that turned out to be cocaine. Trolls online immediately jumped to blaming Hunter for bringing the illicit drug into the White House.

Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin's goal in invading Ukraine last February was to break up NATO  and said the main goal is to avoid that happening

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants and expects to be admitted to NATO and wants the summit to produce a 'clear signal' on where the request lies

Joe Biden's rare sit-down interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria did not include any questions on the president's son Hunter Biden or the discovery of cocaine in the White House last week

Biden, wearing slip-on sneakers, entered Air Force One from the under-belly stairs instead of taking the much longer and grander ladder truck. Critics have noticed that the president has stopped taking the longer stair-case after a series of fumbles and trips adding to questions over his fitness for office

Despite swirling questions over the incident last week, Biden was not asked any questions related to the discovery of cocaine and the ongoing investigation into the matter. He has also ignored questions on the subject from members of the press during public appearances.

There were also no questions regarding the president's 52-year-old son, who remains under multiple investigations related to his years of foreign business and allegations of using his father's position for his family's financial gain and enrichment.

Meanwhile, a new Rasmussen poll released on Sunday shows that 58 percent of Americans think that President Biden was at least 'very or somewhat likely' involved in his son Hunter's foreign business deals.

The survey conducted June 28-29 and July 2 shows only 14 percent think it was 'not very likely' and 19 percent say it was 'not at all likely' that Biden was involved.

Biden was also not forced to face questions on the recent plea deal his son reached with the Justice Department that will allow him to avoid jail time.

Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to two tax-related charges, as well as reached a probation deal for a separate charge for lying on a federal form to purchase a firearm. He checked a box indicating he was not using or addicted to any illegal drugs at the time of the gun purchase, while timelines detailed in his own book are to the contrary.

Public outcry ensued over news of the deal with claims of preferential treatment due to who the defendant's father is.

The interview aired the same day a new Rasmussen poll revealed that 58% of likely voters think that President Biden was involved in Hunter's foreign business dealings

Cocaine was discovered at the White House last week, overshadowing the usual July 4 celebrations. Trolls online immediately said Biden's addict son Hunter was to blame for bringing the illegal drug onto the property

Zakaria kept all questions mainly focused on foreign policy, besides one age-related question at the tail-end of the interview. The president was not faced with any difficult questions related to his son Hunter

During the interview for CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS program airing on Sunday morning, the president discussed sending munitions aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia, his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin and the upcoming NATO Summit.

Zakaria kept all the questions foreign policy-related until the very tail-end of the interview where he talked about how age has become a central issue to the 2024 presidential race.

Instead of making the case for why he is fit for office or further dismissing concerns over his age or physical and mental abilities, Biden said: 'I just want to finish the job. And I think we can do that in the next six years.'
A Maryland teenager was shot dead while swimming with his family on vacation at a Puerto Rico beach - as his father mourned the fact he 'won't see his first day as a senior.'

Seventeen-year-old Tommy Grays III was gunned down on July 1 on an Isla Verde beach in what local law enforcement are calling a 'targeted shooting' that took place after a disagreement.

The suspected gunman, Carlos Anibal Rosado Martinez, 23, turned himself on Friday and is facing murder and attempted murder charges.

The shooting left the teen's stepfather and uncle injured as well. It is not yet clear what sparked the argument that would turn deadly on the beach.

Tommy Grays III, 17, was fatally shot on the beach while on a family vacation to Puerto Rico on July 1

The suspect, Carlos Anibal Rosado Martinez, 23, turned himself on Friday and is facing murder and attempted murder charges

Grays' father, also named Tommy Grays, spoke to a local NBC affiliate, saying that his son had actually been working to prevent the fight from escalating before he was killed.

'My son had actually stopped the situation from happening. He then walked back to the beach and was in the water with his step father when the guy came running back up shooting at them,' he said.

The devastated father said that any narrative to the contrary, in which his son was painted as the aggressor, was categorically false.

'My boy was an innocent kid with not a single violent bone in his body. He had never been in a physical fight a day in his life and he lost his life and it is being said he was being violent. It makes no sense,' he said.

The teenager would have been a 12th grader at James Hubert Blake High School in Montgomery County, Maryland come the start of the term.

'He was so excited about it. And he won't see his first day as a senior,' said his father.

Shanay Snead, the principal of the high school said that although Grays was 'fairly new to the school community, he had developed strong relationships with many students and staff in such a short period of time.'

'His smile was contagious,' added Snead.

He added that efforts to protect the tourism industry of the island have spurred locals to blame island guests for the deadly encounters.

'What is happening is its been spun as if the tourist was the aggressor in the situation, and that was not the case at all,' he said.

The victim's father said his son had attempted to mitigate the fight that led to the shooting and is being portrayed as an aggressor by locals in order to salvage the island's tourism industry

Martinez reportedly followed the Grays party down to the beach following an unpleasant interaction and shot at them

The shooting, which took place on the beach, also left Grays' uncle and stepfather injured

Grays was a rising senior at Blake High School in Montgomery County, Maryland

Tommy's father has flown to the island to get answers and to attempt to get his child's body back home.

Grays was the third tourist to be killed in Puerto Rico in the last two months.

In May, two NYU students were killed outside a nightclub in Puerto Rico by a 31-year-old woman who fired her gun outside the venue after she had been kicked out.

The shots hit two Peruvian nationals - Franco Medina, 29, and Sergio Palomino, 28 - both of whom were MBA students.

The shooter, Marangelys Claudio, was subsequently charged with illegal possession of a firearm and opening fire in a public area, among other counts.
President Joe Biden landed in London late Sunday to start a trip where he'll try to sooth relations after skipping the coronation of King Charles before joining a NATO summit meeting while facing blowback over transferring deadly new munitions to Ukraine.

It's just one part of his journey, where the White House has telegraphed that the signature event will be a speech in Vilnius about maintaining uniformly confronting Russian aggression in Ukraine, and while he must navigate diplomatic splits over the status of Ukraine and Sweden, who are each seeking to join the powerful military alliance.

Biden told CNN in an interview broadcast as he set off on his journey that Ukraine was not 'ready for membership' in NATO.

'I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,' he said.

He noted that NATO members are committed every inch of each other's territory, while war is raging inside Ukraine.

'If the war is going on, then we're all in war,' he said.

President Joe Biden landed in London Sunday for a trip that will take him to a NATO summit in Lithuania after he meets King Charles and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

He said he spent a great deal of time trying to hold the alliance together, and that Russia's President Vladimir Putin was confident he could try to break the alliance.

'So, holding NATO together is really critical,' Biden said.

Biden and allies will confront tough issues regarding Ukraine, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in an ABC interview that delays in provided needed arms 'will lead to more lives lost.'

Zelensky is pushing for speedy delivery of F-16 fighter jets, after Biden gave a green-light to providing cluster munitions. That move is drawing blowback from allies, and even key Democrats.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he had 'real qualms' about Biden's move to send the widely-banned weapons to Kyiv's armed forces.

'It could give a green light to other nations to do something different as well,' he told Fox News.

Watch your step: Biden deboarded Air Force One after the transAtlantic flight

It is the first stop on a trip that will take Biden to three countries

President Joe Biden greets Jane Hartley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, on a trip where he will spend less than 24 hours in Britain

President Joe Biden is greeted by Karen Pierce, the British Ambassador to the United States, left, Jennifer Tolhurst, Lord-Lieutenant of Essex, center, and Jane Hartley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, right

Socks off: Biden chose a casual look when he departed his Rehoboth beach house

The UK, Spain, Canada and New Zealand have all slammed the move to send the widely-banned munitions to the war-torn country with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying he 'discouraged their use.'

The president touched town at London's Stansted airport a few months after dispatching first lady Jill Biden to attend Charles' coronation. That came on the heels of comment at a fundraiser in May where he said he previously visited Northern Ireland 'to make sure the Brits didnt screw around' in the peace process.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged a question Friday about why he decided not to attend the coronation, and why his current trip appears to be a downgrade for a planned official state visit.

The White House has underlined that Biden also will visit Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and that it will be his sixth visit with the conservative PM during half a year.

The White House has announced just a few events on Biden's schedule.

'I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,' Biden told CNN

Speaking with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Biden said Ukraine needs to end its war with Russia before admittance into NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants and expects to be admitted to NATO and wants the summit to produce a 'clear signal' on where the request lies

After meeting Sunak at 10 Downing Street (his first time there as president), Biden will take part in a ceremonial arrival ceremony at Windsor Castle, where he will review members of the Royal guard.

Then, after traveling in his multi-car motorcade, he'll participate in a meeting billed as a 'climate engagement' with the king, philanthropists and investors. Before the sun sets he'll leave London for Vilnius, for a high-stakes NATO summit

The alliance is already split over admitting new Sweden, after Finland joined in April following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Standing in the way is Turkey, who has complained that Sweden hasn't done enough to crack down on the PKK, a group it brands as terrorists.

'I'm hopeful. Matter of fact, I'm optimistic,' Biden said.

With the heads of Turkey and Sweden set to meet Monday in Vilnius, Biden suggested a solution could involve improving Turkey's fighter jets.

Biden praised NATO's decision to extend Jens Stoltenberg's tenure as Secretary General. He is accused of blocking former British Defense Minister Ben Wallace from the post

President Joe Biden is set to meet King Charles for the first time since he was crowned. He met Prince Charles at the COP26 summit in Glasgow

'Turkey is looking for modernization of F-16 aircraft. And Mitsotakis in Greece is also looking for some help. And so what I'm trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here where were strengthen NATO in terms of the military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey and allow Sweden to come in. But it's a ... it's in play. It's not done,' Biden said.

Biden is also facing blowback from allies on his decision to reverse course and provide cluster munitions to Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia.

'The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition,' Biden said, in an interview filmed on a day his administration described the weapons as a 'bridge.' Many allies have banned the munitions, but the U.S. and Ukraine are not among them.

For his last stop, Biden heads to Helsinki, Finland, where he will welcome the newest member to the alliance, in a move that will send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will meet President Sauli Niinisto and other Nordic leaders.
A transgender activist who served 30 years in jail for attempted murder has told the crowd at a Trans Pride march if they saw a 'TERF', they should punch them in the face.

Sarah Jane Baker was one of the speakers at the Trans+ Pride event in London yesterday and used her speech to call for violence against those critical of trans ideology.

She told the cheering crowd: 'I was gonna come here and be really fluffy and be really nice and say yeah be really lovely and queer and gay... Nah, if you see a TERF, punch them in the f****** face.'

Baker's speech incited fury on social media and users called for Trans Pride to take a stance against the violence.

Labour MP Clive Lewis shared people's anger over the comment and wrote: 'Advocating violence against others is wrong & this is no exception. But as you'll be aware violent language and actions are not unique to one side on this issue.

Sarah Jane Baker (pictured) was one of the speakers at the Trans+ Pride event in London yesterday and used her speech to call for violence against those critical of trans ideology. She told the crowd: 'I was gonna come here and be really fluffy and be really nice and say yeah be really lovely and queer and gay... Nah, if you see a TERF, punch them in the f****** face'

Baker was originally jailed for kidnapping and torturing her stepmother's brother, she was then convicted while behind bars of the attempted murder of another inmate. She was released in 2019 (Baker pictured in January)

At the official London Trans+ Pride event on Saturday that was endorsed by @MayorofLondon, one of the official speakers was a #Trantifa activist named Sarah Jane Baker. Holding an #Antifa flag, Baker called for violence against those critical of #trans ideology. Baker spent 30 pic.twitter.com/uYu6GATfc5  Andy Ngo  (@MrAndyNgo) July 9, 2023

'That doesn't justify the above in anyway, but it does require we acknowledge the general toxicity & step back from it.'

Alice Sullivan, a professor of sociology at University College London, replied to Mr Lewis saying: 'Male violence against women and girls is not a "both sides" issue. There are simply no examples of feminists issuing these kinds of violent threats.

'Every time women organise to discuss our rights we are faced with abuse. It shouldn't be hard to condemn that unequivocally.'

She also called on him to provide an example of feminists 'behaving like this'.

The Trans+ Pride event yesterday saw thousands march through London in what they referred to as the 'biggest-ever' call for Trans rights.

The event concluded with speeches by activists in Hyde Park Corner. One of them was Baker, who took the stage holding an Antifa flag.

The Trans+ Pride event yesterday saw thousands march through London in what they referred to as the 'biggest-ever' call for Trans rights

Baker was originally jailed for kidnapping and torturing her stepmother's brother, she was then convicted while behind bars of the attempted murder of another inmate. She was released in 2019.

TERF is the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, a term often used to refer to critics of trans ideology.

Before Baker's speech, Trans activists and supporters had walked past Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square with signs for the worldwide Pride celebration.

A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We are aware of a video filmed in Westminster on Saturday, 8 July showing a speaker making remarks during the Trans Pride event.

'We have received a number of reports in relation to the video. Officers are reviewing it to determine what further action may be necessary.'

In 2021, Baker appeared at London Trans Pride march where protesters held signs stating 'kill JK Rowling' and 'be trans do crime'.
DeSantis laughed off the problem, saying he knew it would take 'a lot of toil and tears and sweat' to win

The Florida governor trails rival Donald Trump by 32 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average and falls behind in early-voting states

Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo tore into Ron DeSantis on her show Sunday asking him what is happening with his stagnant campaign

Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo tore into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday as he continues to fall behind in national polls.

'What's going on with your campaign?' she asked the Republican presidential candidate on Sunday Morning Futures. 'There was a lot of optimism abut you running for president earlier in the year... What happened?'

She then referenced a recent Politico Playbook item entitled Failure to Launch, in which a DeSantis super PAC official admitted 'we are way behind in the polls.'

The Florida governor trails rival Donald Trump by 32 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average. The former president also leads in the key early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

But DeSantis laughed off the problem, saying he knew it would take 'a lot of toil and tears and sweat' to win.

FOX News host Maria Bartiromo tore into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his stalling presidential campaign on Sunday

The Republican presidential candidate laughed off polls showing he is trailing former President Donald Trump, saying he knew it would take 'a lot of toil and tears and sweat' to win

'Maria, these are narratives,' the Florida governor said of the news that he is trailing in the polls.

'The media does not want me to be the nominee,' he claimed. 'I think that's very, very clear. Why? Because they know I will beat Biden. But more importantly they know I will actually deliver on all these things.'

He insisted 'we're doing what it takes to win.'

'I never expected to just snap fingers, and all of a sudden, you know, you win seven months before anyone happens,' DeSantis said. 'You got to earn it and you got to work. And it requires a lot of toil and tears and swear. And we're going to do that.'

But Bartiromo doubled down, citing recent polls showing the Florida governor failing to catch up to former President Trump's lead, which she blamed on 'corruption and the unfairness of our justice system.

'What are you going to do about the FBI working with Twitter to censor information, amplify lies and suppress truth?' she asked, claiming: 'Americans are sick and tired of the corruption they see in plain sight.'

In response, DeSantis vowed to 'end the weaponization of government' saying the United States would once again 'have one standard of justice' under his presidency.'

At that point, the FOX News host decided to close out the interview by asking the governor if he plans to participate in the GOP primary debate on August 23.

'Of course, I look forward to doing it,' he said. 'I think really, Maria, that's when people are really going to start paying attention to the primary.

'I think up to this point, a lot of that has been about some of these legal cases,' he explained, apparently shifting the attention to Trump's recent indictments. 'And I think a lot of the voters [are concerned] about that, and understandably so.'

But by the time of the debate next month, DeSantis said he believes the focus will shift to policy matters.

'We're going to be able to talk about the vision, and I look forward to doing it,' he said.

'So I'm glad we're going to get started.'

The Florida governor has been on the ground campaigning in recent weeks. He is pictured here with his wife, Casey, walking in the July 4th parade in Merrimack, New Hampshire

Questions have been swirling about DeSantis' ability to secure the GOP nomination. Pictured: DeSantis, joined by his wife Casey and their children, walks in a Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2023, in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

DeSantis' comments come as speculation mounts about the Florida governor's ability to secure the GOP nomination.

On Saturday, Steve Cortes  who heads one of the largest super PACs for DeSantis  admitted to Politico: 'Right now in national polling, we are way behind.

'It's an uphill battle, but clearly Donald Trump is the runaway frontrunner.'

Several pundits across the country have also suggested that DeSantis' campaign may be in trouble, citing the fact that some of the key strategists who helped him win his first bid for governor are not helping him in this election.

Additionally, Florida GOP strategist Ford O'Connell claimed the governor is too inexperienced to run for national office.

'The mistake [the campaign] made  and again, it's a mistake most people running for a new office make  they assume people know more about Ron than they actually do,' he told The Hill.

Meanwhile, reporters for the Miami Herald suggested the problem is that DeSantis can't differentiate himself from Trump.

'Some of his plans match what Trump has already proposed, and others echo what he already did as president,' the newspaper opined.

Some pundits claim DeSantis has not been able to distinguish himself from former President Donald Trump (pictured last month)

But Kristin Davison, the COO of Never Back Down  another major DeSantis super PAC  denied that DeSantis is out of the race.

'This is a narrative that's similar to 2016 when people said, "There's no way that Donald Trump could win." They were missing what's happening on the ground... that's what's happening with DeSantis,' she told the Politico Playbook.

'Everyone's kind of missing the moment.'

'Look at Obama and Clinton,' Davison continued. 'In mid-2007. Clinton was the inevitable nominee, Obama was stagnant. Even in the fall of 2007, everyone said Obama is dead.

'What they were missing is that Obama had an organization on the ground that no one was paying attention [to], which is exactly what we're doing with DeSantis.'
Devastating flash floods have hit Sochi, Russia's top resort from where Vladimir Putin rules the country in summer.

Remarkable footage shows how multiple cars were washed away as the Matsesta River burst its banks.

Washed away cars even formed a dam on a submerged street which became a torrential river in the sudden deluge.

Houses were also flooded with a storm warning in place until the end of the day on Monday.

The Black Sea port Sochi, Putin's favourite summer hideaway, suffered two months of rainfall in one day, according to reports.

Devastating flash floods have hit Sochi, Russia's top resort from where Vladimir Putin rules the country in summer

Remarkable footage shows how multiple cars were washed away as the Matsesta River burst its banks

Footage shows water flooding the streets at high speed before huge lightning strikes are seen hitting the area

One video shows cars being washed down a road at night, piling up on top of each other as they are submerged.

Several cars can then be seen presumably the next morning in a big pile, many of which are severely damaged.

In another clip, images of cars heaped over one another in the aftermath of the floods. A dog is seen staring down at the pile-ups.

Footage shows water flooding the streets at high speed before huge lightning strikes are seen hitting the area.

There are warnings of more carnage to come.

Houses were also flooded with a storm warning in place until the end of the day on Monday

Washed away cars even formed a dam on a submerged street which became a torrential river in the sudden deluge

The Black Sea port Sochi, Putin's favourite summer hideaway, suffered two months of rainfall in one day, according to reports

The dictator has an official seaside residence Bocharov Ruchey, designed in the Stalin era.

But he also boasts a 1billion private palace at Gelendzhik along the coast from Sochi in the same Krasnodar region.

In another Black Sea resort, Anapa, swimming was banned on beaches because of the acute danger to life.

It comes just a month after Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko were pictured meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi.
France has banned the sale of fireworks for the upcoming Bastille Day celebrations following the nation's violent riots.

Government officials issued a decree on Sunday prohibiting the sale, possession and transport of all 'pyrotechnic articles' for the festivities on July 14.

Bastille Day is the national day of France and marks the start of the French Revolution in 1789 when an angry and aggressive mob stormed the state prison on the east side of Paris.

Known for being one of the defining moments in the Revolution, the French government has now taken measures to reduce even more rioting after the police killed 17-year-old Nahel M by police in Nanterre last month.

'In order to prevent the risk of serious disturbances to public order during the 14 July festivities, the sale, carrying, transport and use of pyrotechnic articles and fireworks will be prohibited on national territory until 15 July inclusively,' an edict read published in the French official gazette.

Fireworks being used by French rioters during the unrest last month

France has now banned the sale of fireworks for the upcoming Bastille Day celebrations

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne added that a 'massive' security presence would be deployed in order to keep the peace and 'to protect the French during these two sensitive days'.

During the period of unrest in France, fireworks were a common weapon used to terrorise police.

Thousands of people have been filmed in cities from Paris to Marseille clashing with police, setting fire to buildings and - in some cases - even firing guns into the air.

The unrest - sparked by the police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M. - appeared to slow on its sixth night, but still public buildings, cars and municipal bins were targeted nationwide by fires and vandalism overnight and into Monday morning.

The riots amount to the worst crisis for Macron since the 'Yellow Vest' protests over fuel prices gripped much of France in late 2018.

In mid-April, Macron gave himself 100 days to bring reconciliation and unity to a divided country after rolling strikes and sometimes-violent protests over his raising of the retirement age, which he had promised in his election campaign.

Macron postponed a state visit to Germany to deal with the crisis and had to leave an EU summit early.

During the period of unrest in France, fireworks were a common weapon used by rioters

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne added that a 'massive' security presence would be deployed
Joe Biden faced uproar from Democrats on Sunday after he decided to send controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine.

The president came under fire from his own party and key NATO allies such as Britain as he flew to the United Kingdom for climate talks with King Charles.

Top Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said he had 'real qualms' about Biden's move to send the widely-banned weapons to Kyiv's armed forces.

'It could give a green light to other nations to do something different as well,' he told Fox News.

But the one-time vice-presidential candidate added: 'They're not going to use these munitions against Russian civilians,'

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents California, urged the Biden administration to reconsider the step.

'Cluster bombs should never be used. That's crossing a line,' she said on Sunday, adding the United States risked losing its 'moral leadership' by sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.

Biden rebuffed the criticism of his move to send cluster bombs in an interview with CNN

But the president was defiant in an interview with CNN broadcast on Saturday, insisting cluster bombs would help the Ukrainian military expel Russian troops from their country.

'The main thing is they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now from their keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas, or they don't,' Biden said.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, called the cluster bombs 'a game-changer' in the war in Ukraine, pointing out that 'Russia is dropping with impunity cluster bombs' on Ukrainian territory.

'All the Ukrainians and (President Volodymyr) Zelensky are asking for is to give them the same weapons the Russians have to use in their own country against Russians who are in their own country,' he said. 'They do not want these to be used in Russia.'

Unlike most of its Western allies, the United States never signed up the international treaty that bans the use of cluster bombs in armed conflict.

They can be dropped from the air or shot from the ground or sea, releasing dozens or sometimes hundreds of 'bomblets' that can be dispersed over a large area.

They first used in World War II for the purpose of destroying multiple dispersed military targets or combatants.

The commander-in-chief confirmed on Friday that the highly lethal weapons would be part of a new $800 million security package.

It means U.S. military aid now stands at more than $40 billion since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Rights groups and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have questioned Washington's decision on the munitions.

And several governments from the 30-nation military alliance have expressed unease about the administration's decision to ship the highly lethal weapons to Kyiv's armed forces.

The UK, Spain, Canada and New Zealand have all slammed the move to send the widely-banned munitions to the war-torn country with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying he 'discouraged their use.'

A senior German government source suggested that Berlin backs the U.S. move, despite Germany being a signatory to the Convention Banning Cluster Munitions.

'Ukraine is only using ammunition to liberate its own territory and to protect its own civilian population,' the official said.

France also backed the move, despite having scrapped the manufacture of cluster bombs itself some two decades ago.

A senior official from the French foreign ministry said it 'understood' Biden's move 'to help Ukraine defend itself against the unlawful aggression unleashed by Russia.'

The tensions come ahead of a key NATO meeting in the Baltic nation of Lithuania later this week that will assess the alliance's support for Ukraine.

Zelensky, seen here with Polish President Andrzej Duda, is expected to be at the NATO meeting in Lithuania

Senior NATO sources have told DailyMail.com that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will be at the major summit to make the case for Kyiv's eventual membership of the club.

Biden's visit to the United Kingdom also follows a string of high-profile gaffes that have been slammed by the country's tabloid press as 'anti-British.'

He skipped Charles' coronation in May and made an off-the-cuff remarks about his visit to Ireland that he claimed was to 'make sure the Brits didn't screw around' with the Good Friday agreement, the peace deal that ended years of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

The commander-in-chief is also accused of blocking British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace's bid for the role of NATO secretary-general, angering Britain's Conservative Party.

The Daily Telegraph reported last week that Biden wants Ursula von der Leyen, a former German defense minister who is now head of the EU executive, the European Commission.

The row between two key NATO allies meant that Jens Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, was asked to extend his term for another year.
The families of Britons who were killed four years ago when a Boeing 737 Max airliner crashed in Ethiopia are seeking a verdict of unlawful killing at their inquests.

British humanitarian workers Sam Pegram, 25, and Oliver Vick, 45, and sustainability campaigner Joanna Toole, 36, were among 157 passengers who died in March 2019 after the airliner crashed outside the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Lawyers for the families will be seeking a verdict of unlawful killing at the inquest due to begin in Horsham on Monday, according to the BBC.

Mr Pegram's mother Deborah told the broadcaster: 'Sam was just a joy to have in your life. Right from when he was a little boy, he wanted to help people.'

She said her son, from Lancashire, 'just made our lives better, really... and he's left a really big hole'.

Joanna Toole, 36, died onboard a passenger flight from Ethiopia to Kenya in March 2019

Pictured: British humanitarian worker Sam Pegram, 25, who was among the 157 people killed

Wreckage is piled at the crash scene of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302

Flight ET302, a passenger flight from Ethiopia to Kenya, crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa.

It was the second deadly incident involving the new model of Boeing passenger jet in less than five months, prompting concerns over its safety.

READ MORE: Boeing is REFUSING to pay out more cash to families of victims of its killer 737-MAX Advertisement

Ms Toole's father Adrian sees the inquest as a chance to express the loss which has been caused by her death in a formal inquiry.

He told the BBC: 'For me, it represents what may be my only opportunity to actually talk about Joanna to what is effectively a captive audience.

'And what I hope to point out is what has been lost with Joanna's death.

'To her partner, Paul, to me, and to the international sustainability effort.'

In March Boeing argued it should not have to pay more money to families of the people who died in a 2019 crash involving its 737-MAX jet, after insisting the victims died instantly and therefore did not suffer before they perished.

The argument was aired by the company's attorneys last month in documents filed in Chicago federal court, days before relatives of the 157 victims descended on Boeing's Virginia headquarters for the four-year anniversary of the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Investigators with the U.S. National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) look over debris at the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302

Ethiopian Federal policemen stand at the scene of the crash
A Ukrainian cruise missile attack has forced the 3 billion ten-mile bridge linking Russia to Crimea to temporarily close.

Russian air defences have claimed they shot down a missile in the vicinity of the crossing, which was built on Putin's orders after he annexed the Crimea after an invasion in 2014.

One report said this was an interception by the 31st Air Defence Division north of Taman on the Russia side of the bridge.

It was evidently downed on the Kerch - or Crimean - side of the mammoth bridge.

'There was no damage or casualties, the wreckage fell into the waters of the Sea of Azov,' reported Telegram channel Rybar.

Russian air defences have claimed they shot down a missile in the vicinity of the crossing, which was built on Putin's orders after he annexed the Crimea after an invasion in 2014

One report said this was an interception by the 31st Air Defence Division north of Taman on the Russia side of the bridge

Queues formed as traffic was halted in both directions on the bridge as a result of the attack

READ MORE: Ukraine president Zelensky taunts Putin by visiting liberated Snake Island with his spy chief to mark 500th day of war and pledges: 'We will definitely win' Zelensky was seen arriving in a risky security operation by boat - before issuing a 'We will definitely win' message to his people Advertisement

The channel suggested Ukraine had used a 'modernised missile from a S-200 complex, which was redesigned for strikes along a ballistic trajectory.

'This range is about 400 km [250 miles].'

The crossing is Putin's main link to the Crimean peninsula.

Russian war channels today speculated that Ukraine will make new efforts to destroy the bridge, seen as a Putin vanity project to connect Russia to the invaded peninsula which, under international law, belongs to Ukraine.

Queues formed as traffic was halted in both directions on the bridge as a result of the attack.

It comes as Putin seeks to encourage Russian tourists to visit the traditional summer playground Crimea.

The head of the Russian puppet government in Crimea Sergey Aksyonov said: 'In the Kerch area, air defence forces shot down a cruise missile. No damage or casualties.

'I ask everyone to remain calm and rely only on trusted sources of information.'

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's forces have made 'steady gains' in the besieged Bakhmut.

A UK Ministry of Defence intelligence update on Saturday morning said that following a 'lull during June 2023', Bakhmut over the last week has 'again been the site of some of the most intense fighting along the front'.

The statement added: 'Ukrainian forces have made steady gains to both the north and south of the Russian-held town. Russian defenders are highly likely struggling with poor morale, a mix of disparate units and a limited ability to find and strike Ukrainian artillery.

'The Russian leadership almost certainly see it as politically unacceptable to concede Bakhmut, which has a symbolic weight as one of the few Russian gains in the last 12 months. However, there are highly likely few additional reserves to commit to the sector.'
Bankruptcy documents have revealed the state of her finances in 2019

A white woman who went on a racist tirade during a pool party and screamed at a Latino family for not knowing what Hermes is was declared bankrupt in 2019.

Blair Featherman, 49, was recorded lashing out at the family during the racist tirade in Colorado on Friday - where she had to be held down by a man from her own party.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show that the mother-of-two filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and had only $100 in her checking account and $20 in cash at the time.

The Lakewood woman called the group 'trash' and said they should 'go back down to Denver' and berated them for 'not knowing what Hermes is.'

She launched into the rant at her apartment complex, where condos cost up to $6,500 a month to rent.

Featherman earned $14,088 for the 2018 calendar year and $42,670 for 2017 according to bankruptcy documents

Blair Featherman, 49, was recorded lashing out at the family during the racist tirade in Colorado on Friday - where she had to be held down by a man from her own party

Federal court records show that her bankruptcy case was close in June 2022, and revealed that she is unmarried and most recently lived in Englewood in Denver.

According to the documents she earned $14,088 for the 2018 calendar year and $42,670 for 2017, as well as receiving $31,200 in child support in 2018 and $37,440 the year prior.

The mother-of-two, who billed herself as an art consultant and feng shui expert, had a $2,493 judgment against her in Colorado courts the year before her bankruptcy by Synchrony bank.

She also claimed $1,440 in unemployment in 2018, as well as listing having $57,263 in student loans and a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee worth $19,413.

Despite bragging that she knew what Hermes was, in 2019 she claimed that she had $400 worth of items in her closet, as well as $300 for a TV and laptop.

The documents also show that she listed $1,500 for various items around her house, including bedroom and dining room furniture.

She also said that she owed the IRS $17,000 in federal income taxes and the Colorado Department of Revenue $1,500  as well as more than $39,000 in attorney fees.

According to the documents, she also owed money to a payday loan company, multiple credit card companies and the cost of a returned check.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show that the mother-of-two filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and had only $100 in her checking account and $20 in cash at the time

Video shows the moment Featherman hurled racial abuse at a Latino family for having a party at a Colorado swimming pool - set in a ritzy apartment complex where she lives

Despite bragging that she knew what Hermes was, in 2019 she claimed that she had $400 worth of items in her closet, as well as $300 for a TV and laptop

Her two daughters were 11 and nine at the time of the filing, and she worked in administration for a window and door center in Englewood, Colorado.

Featherman used to work at Master's Gallery Denver, who put out a statement distancing themselves from her, adding that they: 'Condemn any actions or statements expressing hatred or racism.'

She also ran her own home staging and interior design business, Spatial Flow By Design Inc, where she claimed to be an expert in feng shui - the art of creating calmness and harmony through the arrangement of objects in a room.

The footage shows her shouting and harassing the family in the clip, at one point screaming 'Get the f*** out.'

Before that, an added commentary from the app's voice feature is heard branding the woman 'racist Karen,' while an accompanying caption asked social media users to help identify her.

The footage then jumps to what is presumed to be a few minutes later, with Featherman now being held down by a male member of her own party on one of the pool's sun loungers.

'Yes, it's true,' bikini-clad Featherman is heard saying in the widely seen clip, visibly peeved by the group's presence. 'You have a f*****g Mexican party in a pool'

Blair Featherman, 49, has been named as the racist 'Karen' from the clip, where she was seen swearing and shouting at a Latino family

She called the group 'trash' and said they should 'go back down to Denver.' The ordeal took place at her apartment complex, where condos cost up to $6,500 a month to rent (pictured)

Amid the commotion, she can still be heard uttering xenophobic statements, such as 'Get the f**k out' and 'go back down to Denver.'

Featherman proceeds to yell and shout for nearly the entire duration of the video, which is just under a minute long.

When asked by one of the victims to leave the pool herself, she is heard responding that she lives in Lakewood - the affluent suburb where the complex is set.

At one point she is heard angrily telling the family, who had been having a poolside bash: 'I live here, nowhere you ever came from, you f****** low-class slime.'

She then screams: 'You don't even know what Hermes is!' To which one of the women in the crowd flashes her scandals saying: 'I have it on my scandals, b***h.'

Featherman then says: 'Oh and these? Hold on wait this is good, these?' She seems to place a pill-sized object in the palm of her hand, while someone in the background says 'no no no.'

Then a clip shows Featherman squirming on the sun lounger, while a man, believed to be in her entourage, frantically makes a phone call and holds her down by her shoulder.

People are now branding Featherman a 'racist Karen', after the filmed incident. Cops were called to the scene, but it remains unclear if she was arrested

When asked by one of the victims to leave the pool herself, she is heard responding that she lives in Lakewood - the affluent suburb where the complex is set - while still hurling slurs

The woman who posted the clip online wrote: 'According to this karen all mexicans are low class. I hope this video is found by her coworkers, family and friends.

'Acting like this at family BBQ with children is absolutely disgusting. Its so sad when your racially profiled just because of your skin color. We received so much support from the last video posted.

'Lets keep comments appropriate so we can continue to spread awareness. Justice will be served when we receive an apology (which we still haven't).'

Master's Gallery Denver, Featherman's former employer, said in a statement: 'It has come to our attention that a former employee has appeared on social media expressing hateful and offensive statements.

'Master's Gallery Denver has not employed this individual for over 5 years and condemns any actions or statements expressing hatred or racism.

'We represent and support artists and people of all background and will continue to do so.'

It remains unclear who called the police. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Lakewood Police Department for comment.
Police yesterday clashed with protestors who have surrounded a four-star hotel in Wales after it sacked its entire workforce in preparation to start housing hundreds of asylum seekers.

Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire is reportedly making all 95 of its staff redundant to begin housing up to 241 asylum seekers across its 76 rooms.

Protestors opposed to the Home Office plans have, however, surrounded the hotel with a view to blocking the four-star facility's conversion.

Local police were yesterday called to the scene by security staff at around 8.40am and stayed throughout the day as more protestors gathered.

The force later arrested two people for allegedly preventing the movement of a vehicle that was blocking the hotel's entrance before releasing both individuals on bail.

Protestors have started blockading the Stradey park Hotel in Llanelli after it fired 95 staff in plans to house up to 241 asylum seekers

Local campaigners have surrounded the hotel in opposition to the Home Office plans

The Home Office plans to convert the hotel into a housing facility for asylum seekers have seen the hotel fire 50 full time staff and another 45 part time workers.

The plans are set to see the hotel house up 241 asylum seekers as they wait for their claims to be processed.

However, the Home Office's decisions garnered major opposition from local campaigners who are calling for asylum seekers to be more evenly distributed throughout the area.

Carmarthenshire County Council on Friday lost its High Court bid to block the plans after claiming the conversion would 'cause harm' to Llannelli's economy.

All events, including weddings at the venue have been cancelled, in line with the aim to convert the spa hotel into a housing facility.

The Stradey Park Hotel and Spa, which sits inside a converted Edwardian mansion, is currently the largest hotel in Llanelli.

The blockade is aiming to prevent the hotel from being converted into a facility for housing asylum seekers.

Local campaigners have said they support 'Carmarthenshire Council's preferred model of distributing asylum seekers throughout the wider community'.

In an online petition, campaign group Furnace Action Committee noted that they 'wish to see' the hotel continue to 'play its vital role in Carmarthenshire's tourism policy'.

Labour MP Dame Nia Griffith yesterday called on local people to remain 'calm' as she said those with 'genuine concerns' about the Home Office plans should come to local representatives.

The MP for Llanelli called on local people to ignore 'unpleasant stuff' posted on social media following concerns about the involvement of far right elements.

'What is important now is to differentiate between where a resident has a genuine concern about something, and some of the horrible stuff that we have seen on social media,' the Labour MP told BBC One Wales.

The protestors have claimed the Home Office plans will damage Llanelli's local economy

Police arrested two people accused of preventing the removal of a vehicle that was blocking the entrance to the four-star hotel

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman said: 'Officers have been at the scene of a protest at Stradey Park Hotel, in Llanelli, yesterday, following several incidents that caused a disturbance at the site.

'Officers initially attended the site at around 8.40am at the request of security staff and remained at the scene to facilitate peaceful protest as the group increased in size.

'Two people were arrested on suspicion of obstructing police following an incident whereby protestors prevented the recovery of a vehicle blocking the entrance to the property. They have been released on police bail.

'Officers remain at the scene to facilitate peaceful protest, where they are engaging with all parties and offering reassurance to the community.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

'We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable  there are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer 6million a day.

'The Home Office is committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use and limit the burden on the taxpayer.'

Stradey Park Hotel was contacted by MailOnline for comment.
Former President Donald Trump exchanged a friendly handshake with podcast host extraordinaire Joe Rogan at the UFC fight in Las Vegas on Saturday night, despite Rogan's previous colorful disparaging remarks about Trump.

The former commander-in-chief, who is currently leading the field of Republican presidential candidates by a significant margin, made a grand entrance to the T-Mobile Arena for UFC 290, where he sat cageside.

As the 2024 presidential candidate and his entourage made their way to their seats, the former president caught sight of Rogan, pointed at him and walked over.

Rogan smiled at the attention before the pair entered into a 10-second handshake that seemed entirely friendly.

The exchange, which circulated widely on social media, arrived despite Rogan's up-and-down history of commenting on Trump, his leadership, and his behavior.

This is probably the closest we will get to a Joe Rogan-Donald Trump podcast: pic.twitter.com/do5asO3erD  Damon Imani (@damonimani) July 9, 2023

Robbie Lawler is interviewed by Joe Rogan after his welterweight fight during the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas

Last year, Rogan labeled Trump a 'man baby' during an episode recorded with comedian Tom Segura.

Segura said that when former White House advisor Jared Kushner had a piece of bad news to deliver to the commander-in-chief, he would place it between two pieces of good news to soften the blow.

'Of course! He's a man baby,' said Rogan.

Rogan has also called some of Trump's supporters 'morons.'

In a conversation with Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, Rogan said that while Trump had successfully shaken up the establishment and special interest groups in Washington, he also gave 'the morons' a king.'

'The morons had a king. There's a lot of morons,' said Rogan. 'And it doesn't matter what he's saying, like, for them, he represents them.'

Rogan has famously never hosted the former president on his podcast, which is listen to by tens of millions daily.

He has on multiple occasions said he is not keen on platforming Trump in that capacity.

'I'm not a Trump supporter in any way, shape or form,' Rogan told podcast Lex Friedman in 2022.

'I've had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once, I've said no every time. I don't want to help him. I'm not interested in helping him.'

Rogan added that Trump is 'such a polarizing figure that so many people felt like they could abandon their own ethics and morals and principles just to attack him and anybody who supports him because he is an existential threat to democracy itself.'

Former President Donald Trump attended the UFC 290 event in Las Vegas on Saturday night. He mingled with some of the celebrity attendants including Guy Fieri, Mel Gibson, and Joe Rogan

(L-R) Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier announce the fight during the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas

Trump walked out Saturday night into the UFC Arena in Vegas to be met with loud cheers from the massive, riled-up crowd

During the UFC match Saturday night, Trump also mingled with celebrities including Guy Fieri and Mel Gibson.

The de-facto leader of the Republican party also spent time greeting and high-fiving fans, who cheered continuously for him.

Trump has long been friends with UFC president Dana White, who has supported the 77-year-old businessman-turned-politician during both of the last presidential elections.

Trump has in the past spoken positively about Rogan, calling him an 'interesting an popular guy' and defending him in the wake of the controversy revolving around Rogan's use of the N-word.
Elon Musk has stepped up his war of words with Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg  calling him a 'cuck' after threatening to sue over his new Threads app.

Replying to screenshots of Zuckerberg, 39, laughing at burger chain Wendy's telling him to go into space to 'really make Musk mad' the Tesla CEO simply replied: 'Zuck is a cuck'.

Musk, 52, and fellow tech billionaires Zuckerberg have seen tensions rise after they agreed to take each other on in a cage fight.

In what became a viral back-and-forth, Musk tweeted on June 20 bragging that he was 'up for a cage match if he is', to which the Meta boss responded on Instagram 'send me the location'.

Zuckerberg broke his decade-long Twitter silence by tweeting a Spider-Man meme to make the launch of Threads.

Musk, 52, and fellow tech billionaires Zuckerberg have seen tensions rise after they agreed to take each other on in a cage fight

His comment is the latest in a recent war of words that has sparked between the two tech billionaires

The Twitter-lookalike app, Threads, calls retweets 'reposts' and tweets 'threads.' It allows users to post up to 500 characters of text and up to five minutes of video.

Musk has also threatened to file a lawsuit over the platform, accusing it of poaching former employees to create a 'copycat' app.

Twitter lawyer Alex Spiro wrote in a letter released Thursday: 'Twitter has serious concerns that Meta Platforms (Meta') has engaged in systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property.

'Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information.

He also claimed Meta assigned those staffers to create 'copycat 'Threads' with the intent to use Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property in order to further the development of Twitter's competitor.

The decision to create the rival comes after Musk purchased Twitter for $44billion in October last year.

Musk has since spearheaded a series of controversial moves - including cutting staff and limiting the number of messages people can see a day.

That has caused the value of Twitter to plummet, with Fidelity recently estimating Twitter is worth just one-third of what Musk paid.

Replying to screenshots of Zuckerberg, 39, laughing at burger chain Wendy's telling him to go into space to 'really make Musk mad' the Tesla CEO simply replied: 'Zuck is a cuck'

Musk is reportedly training in martial arts ahead of his head to head battle with Zuckerberg - which took the tech world by surprise

He hit out at Meta's new platform and claimed it spreads 'false happiness' like Instagram - which is also owned by Meta.

Musk responded to news of the potential lawsuit by stating on Twitter that 'Competition is fine, cheating is not.'

Zuckerberg has yet to respond to the threat of a lawsuit.

Threads has been nicknamed 'Twitter Killer' online amid animosity between the rival billionaires who agreed recently to take each other on in a cage fight - with the Colosseum in Rome a potential venue as well as Las Vegas.

Chef Gordon Ramsay, pop star Shakira and Mark Hoyle, better known as the YouTuber LadBaby, have already joined Threads and made their presence on the app known.

Zuckerberg said this week: 'I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it. Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn't nailed it. Hopefully we will.'

Twitter has been in a steep decline since the take over by the former world's richest man - who was keen to take on the project after becoming disillusioned by the site's perceived biases and content moderation policy.

Twitter, owned by Elon Musk, has threatened legal action against Meta's newest app Threads

Zuckerberg and Musk joked about fighting each other - but now it appears that fight might happen in a courtroom after the launch of Threads

Threads has been nicknamed 'Twitter Killer' online amid animosity between the rival billionaires who agreed recently to take each other on in a cage fight. Pictured: Musk during training for sumo wrestling

He said he wanted to build a 'common digital town square' where all voices could be heard and debated in a healthy way.

Changes to personnel and features, and the release of the 'Twitter Files' took the site in a radical new direction within a matter of weeks.

Twitter's revolution became a bloodbath in the process, cutting staff by 80 percent to hone in on the new direction, and then losing users and advertisers as a lean team struggled to manage disinformation, trolling and impersonation online.

Musk also recently announced limits on the number of Tweets people can see a day at 600. Users who paid $8 for a blue-check mark were able to see more, but still capped at 6,000 views.

Twitter users have proclaimed the site 'dead' since the controversial limits.

Musk claimed the restrictions are a temporary measure introduced because 'we were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users'.
A pilot was killed along with five others when their small plane crashed 500ft from a runway in California - after warning air traffic control he could not see the landing strip in dense fog.

A Cessna C550 Citation jet was attempting to land at around 4.15am on Saturday at the French Valley Airport between Los Angeles and San Diego when foggy conditions prevented the pilot from clearly seeing the runway.

After aborting an initial landing attempt, the jet crashed when it missed the runway by around 500 feet and went up in flames.

Everyone on board the plane, which was arriving from Las Vegas, died in the crash, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The pilot was 25-year-old Riese Lenders and on board were two married couples and 31-year-old Lindsey Gleiche of Huntington Beach.

The couples were Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32, and his wife Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, as well as Ibrahem Razick, 46, and his wife Alma, 51.

A Cessna C550 Citation was attempting to land at French Valley Airport when foggy conditions prevented the pilot from being able to see the runway properly. Pictured is the site of the crash and what remained of the plane after it caught on fire

Flight tracking information from Flight Aware shows the plane aborted its first landing before returning to make a second unsuccessful attempt

The crash was the second fatal incident at French Valley Airport in less than a week - on Tuesday a single-engine Cessna 172 crashed in the parking lot soon after taking off, killing one of the four people on board.

The resulting fire set alight an acre of vegetation before crews were able to put it out.

National Transportation Safety Board said in a press conference held on Saturday that a 'marine layer' of fog - common around coastal southern California - had descended upon the runway.

The pilot told air traffic controllers that he was going to perform a go around and abort his first landing, which they approved.

Flight tracking information from Flight Aware shows that the twin-jet aircraft abandoned its first attempt at an altitude of less than 1,600 feet and a speed of around 170 mph.

It then looped back around and attempted to make the landing the second time, but crashed several hundred feet before the runway, around 58 minutes after it took off from Harry Reid International in Nevada.

The sooty remains of the Cessna Citation jet which had crashed near to French Valley Airport between San Diego and Los Angeles

Foggy conditions around the airport were caused by a 'marine layer', which is common around coastal southern California. Pictured is the crash site and surrounding areas on Saturday morning after the crash

The incident happened at the French Valley Airport in Murrieta in Riverside County, California, pictured here

On Tuesday there was another fatal crash at the French Valley Airport. Pictured is a single-engine Cessna 172 that crashed soon after taking off

Photos captured later in the morning during the recovery phase showed thick fog around the airport

French Valley is an airport in the hills north of San Diego at an altitude of around 1,350 feet.

The plane that crashed taking off from the airport on Tuesday was being piloted by a father who was flying with his three children. He died and the children survived.

In November 2021, a pilot died on a hillside near the airport after crashing his Zodiac plane. When deputies arrived, they found the man, the plane's sole occupant, dead inside the aircraft.
U.S. forces killed an ISIS leader in Syria on Friday using the same drones that Russian aircrafts have been targeting in recent days.

The United States Central Command announced on Sunday it had taken out Usamah al-Muhajir in an airstrike two days prior using three MQ-9 Reaper drones.

CENTCOM said there were no indications that any civilians were killed in the strike, though the United States and its allies were assessing reports of a civilian injury.

'We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region,' commander Gen. Michael Kurilla said in a statement, adding: 'ISIS remains a threat, not only to the region but well beyond.'

But the strike only came after Russian forces 'flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations.'

US Army Gen. Michael Kurilla announced on Sunday that US forces killed an ISIS leader in Syria on Friday

A Russian SU-35 flies near a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone on Wednesday over Syria

Parachute flares, that according to the U.S. Air Force, were released by a Russian SU-35 are visible near a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone flying over Syria

A Defense Department official told the Associated Press on Sunday the three Reaper drones had been flying overhead Friday searching for the militant when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian forces.

The drones were forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a dangerous situation.

Once cleared, the drones were able to strike Muhajir, who had been riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Though he was killed near Aleppo, al-Muhajir operated primarily in the eastern part of country as the terrorist group seeks to reclaim much of Syria and Iraq.

It ran a third of Syria and Iraq at its peak in 2014. The group adheres to ultra-hardline interpretation of Islam, committing atrocities including the slaughter of thousands of Yazidis.

Since the collapse of the jihadist group's 'caliphate' in 2019, three heads of ISIS, including its founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, have been killed. The latest to die was in October.

About 900 U.S. forces remain deployed in Syria to work with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces battling the Islamic State militants there.

It is unclear what al-Muhajir's role in the terrorist organization was.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the commander of the Ninth Air Force and the Combined Forces Air Component for U.S. Central Command, said the Kremlin's jets were acting in an 'unsafe and unprofessional' manner

Friday marked the third day in a row that Russian forces assaulted US drones in the area, claiming the US was violating protocol in Syrian airspace. A Pentagon spokesman, however, discounted those allegations.

On Wednesday, Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the commander of the Ninth Air Force and the Combined Forces Air Component for U.S. Central Command, said the Kremlin's jets were acting in an 'unsafe and unprofessional' manner.

This forced the American aircraft to take 'evasive maneuvers', the General said, after the events which could have threatened the 'safety of both U.S. and Russian forces'

'Against established norms and protocols, the Russian jets dropped multiple parachute flares in front of the drones, forcing our aircraft to conduct evasive maneuvers,' Grynkewich said.

'Additionally, one Russian pilot positioned their aircraft in front of an MQ-9 and engaged afterburner, thereby reducing the operator's ability to safely operate the aircraft.'

During the 'unsafe' hounding, one of the Russian pilots moved their aircraft in front of a drone and engaged the SU-35's afterburner, which greatly increases its speed and air pressure.

The jet blast from the afterburner can potentially damage the Reaper's electronics, and Grynkewich said it reduced the drone operator's ability to safely operate the aircraft.

The next day, Grynkewich said, the Russian forces continued to drop flares in front of the drones and flew 'dangerously close, endangering the safety of all aircraft involved.'

US officials are now urging Russian forces to 'cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force, so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS.'
Social media went into meltdown after Biden wore Skechers without socks before boarding Air Force One for the NATO summit.

The 80-year-old was dressed in a button down shirt, suit jacket and sleek pants as he approached the plane but he didn't appear to be wearing socks with his slip-on Skechers.

The move left many on social media divided, with hundreds of commenters explaining that the shoes are a breathable material and are meant to be worn without socks. Others said the president could have been wearing no-shows.

It comes a day after Biden was spotted relaxing on the beach in Delaware with his wife Jill and 22-year-old granddaughter Finnegan. Biden's son Hunter, who is expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses, was nowhere to be seen.

Biden departed the US on a three-nation trip that will be dominated by a NATO summit in Lithuania aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against Russia while not yet accepting Kyiv as a member of the alliance.

President Joe Biden boarded Air Force One on Sunday for the NATO summit wearing Skechers with no socks and the Internet melted down after seeing the photo

The 80-year-old was dressed in a button down shirt, suit jacket and sleek pants as he approached the plane but it appeared he wasn't wearing socks with his slip-on Skechers

'Probably the invisible or low rise socks. Everyone I know wears them,' one said.

'Slip-on Skechers are designed to be worn without socks. The fabric is lightweight and breathable, allowing feet to stay cool and dry. Plus, the sole of the shoe is designed to provide maximum cushion and comfort without the need for socks,' explained another.

'I dont wear socks with my Skechers either. Especially on my flights to London,' a third said.

Biden's first stop will be in London, where he will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday and then travel to Windsor Castle for a visit with King Charles.

The talks with the King, expected to include climate initiatives, will give Biden a greater sense of the man who succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who died last September.

Biden had tea with the Queen at Windsor in June 2021 and they discussed many of the same issues that remain a top priority today, like Russia and China.

Biden will travel on to Vilnius, Lithuania, on Monday night and hold talks with NATO leaders there on Tuesday and Wednesday. Biden and the allies aim to show support for Ukraine and give Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky a sense of what he will have to do to gain NATO membership at some point in the future.

In a CNN interview previewing his trip, Biden urged caution for now on Ukraine's drive to join NATO, saying the alliance could get drawn into the war with Russia due to NATO's mutual defense pact.

'I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,' Biden said.

In Biden rare sit-down interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, he urged caution for now on Ukraine's drive to join NATO. The interview did not include any questions on the president's son Hunter Biden or the discovery of cocaine in the White House last week

The interview aired the same day a new Rasmussen poll revealed that 58% of likely voters think that President Biden was involved in Hunter's foreign business dealings

Zelensky, seen with Polish President Andrzej Duda, is expected to be at the NATO meeting

Zelensky said an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO would send a message that the Western defense alliance is not afraid of Moscow. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO and that would be one of his goals in Vilnius, he added in an interview broadcast Sunday.

'I'll be there and I'll be doing whatever I can in order to, so to speak, expedite that solution, to have an agreement with our partners,' Zelensky said on ABC's 'This Week.'

A centerpiece of Biden's visit to Lithuania will be a speech that he will deliver at Vilnius University on Wednesday night.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the speech will cover Biden's vision of 'a strong, confident America flanked by strong, confident allies and partners taking on the significant challenges of our time, from Russia's aggression in Ukraine to the climate crisis.'

One of Biden's objectives on the trip is to show Americans back home the importance of continuing support for Ukraine as he faces re-election. Some of his Republican rivals in the race for the November 2024 presidential elections have voiced doubts about his strategy.

Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey.

Biden's last stop will be in Helsinki for talks with the leaders of the newest NATO member, Finland, and to attend a summit of U.S. and Nordic leaders.

His interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria did not include any questions on son Hunter Biden or the discovery of cocaine in the White House last week.

Hunter Biden remains under multiple investigations related to his years of foreign business and allegations of using his father's position for his family's financial gain and enrichment

Cocaine was discovered at the White House last week, overshadowing the usual July 4 celebrations. Trolls online immediately said Biden's addict son Hunter was to blame for bringing the illegal drug onto the property

Zakaria kept all the questions foreign policy-related until the very tail-end of the interview where he talked about how age has become a central issue to the 2024 presidential race.

Instead of making the case for why he is fit for office or further dismissing concerns over his age or physical and mental abilities, Biden said: 'I just want to finish the job. And I think we can do that in the next six years.'

Hunter Biden remains under multiple investigations related to his years of foreign business and allegations of using his father's position for his family's financial gain and enrichment.

Meanwhile, a new Rasmussen poll released on Sunday shows that 58 percent of Americans think that President Biden was at least 'very or somewhat likely' involved in his son Hunter's foreign business deals.

Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to two tax-related charges, as well as reached a probation deal for a separate charge for lying on a federal form to purchase a firearm. He checked a box indicating he was not using or addicted to any illegal drugs at the time of the gun purchase, while timelines detailed in his own book are to the contrary.

The 52-year-old son was nowhere to be seen when the president was spotted soaking up the sun with his wife Jill and 22-year-old granddaughter Finnegan at the beach in Delaware.

Joe Biden is seen walking from the beach on Saturday after enjoying a day on the sand

The president is seen enjoying the beach on Saturday with his family

Joe Biden relishes spending time in Delaware with his family and friends

The president and his family relaxed under a sun lounger, under the watchful eye of their Secret Service detail.

But other beachgoers seemed to pay the presidential entourage little notice, and continued to enjoy the sunny day.

When the Bidens bought the Delaware mansion, Joe said in a statement that it was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

His main residence in his life has been in Wilmington, Delaware, 100 miles away.
A teenage Vermont police officer was killed and two others were injured when a burglary suspect crashed into their police car during a pursuit.

Officer Jessica Ebbighausen, a rookie on the Rutland force, died Friday afternoon in the crash.

She and the other officers had been chasing a truck drive by Tate Rheaume, 20, who had attempted to break into a house, allege Vermont State Police.

Rheaume's vehicle apparently jumped the center line of the road to collide head-on with Ebbighausen's cruiser. The truck then smashed into another police vehicle.

Ebbighausen was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, was killed Friday in a head-on car crash that occurred during the pursuit of a suspected burglar in Vermont

Wreckage from the crash, in which the suspect jumped the center line and smashed his truck into the one being driven by Ebbighausen

The 19-year-old began working as a part-time officer at the department just two months ago, and was scheduled to begin her full-time training at the Vermont Police Academy in August.

The city's police chief, Brian Kilcullen, said Friday that the department is 'hurting right now,' according to NBC5.

'She always had a smile on her face. We were looking forward to having her as part of our family,' he said.

Ebbighausen, he added, was the granddaughter of former Police Commission Chairman Robert Ebbighausen, and had wanted to be a police officer since the age of nine.

Flowers and messages have piled up outside the Rutland City Police Department in memory of the young officer.

Kilcullen said that the state police are conducting the investigation into the fatal incident.

The two injured officers were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Multiple charges have been filed against Rheaume, including the grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle with death resulting, and attempting to elude with death resulting.

The charges were filed by the Rutland County State Attorney's office.

Lt. Col. Jim Whitcomb of the Vermont State Police said during a press conference that speed and substance abuse were being looked at as factor in the crash.

It is not currently known in Rheaume had a criminal record or whether there were any open cases against him.

Ebbighausen, who had dreamed of becoming a cop since she was nine, was pronounced dead at the scene

The city's police chief, Brian Kilcullen, said Friday that the department is 'hurting right now'

Tributes to Ebbighausen immediately began to pile up outside the Rutland City Police Department

The rookie officer was scheduled to begin full time training at the Vermont police academy in August

State police said Rheaume was attempting to break into a residence at around 2.50pm on Friday, and that multiple units responded but the suspect got in his vehicle, prompting a chase.

Rheaume was also injured in the crash. He is currently in custody at the UVM Medical Center and is expected to face a judge on Monday.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott expressed his sadness at the young cop's passing.

'I am deeply saddened by the death of Jessica Ebbighausen, a Rutland City police officer tragically killed in a vehicle crash while on duty today. My deepest condolences go out to her family and friends, all members of the Rutland City Police Department and the entire Rutland community.

'The Vermont State Police and the Department of Fish and Wildlife will offer support as they all work to respond to this loss. This is a reminder of the risks our officers face every day, and my thoughts are with all of them tonight,' he said.
There are six current and former Republican governors for the Party's 2024 nomination  and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is 'hoping' one of them can beat Donald Trump.

Of the 15 candidates vying for the Republican nomination so far, nearly half are currently governors or were once in that position.

'I like governors,' Cox said during an interview with CBS Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan. 'I think governors are great. I think governors have real experience.'

'The great thing about governors is we actually have to get stuff done, right? We can't just do the performance thing,' he added.

Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said he 'hopes' a governor wins the GOP nomination in 2024  saying the Party needs to 'turn the page'

The frontrunners currently are former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Of the 15 candidates in the running so far, six are current or former governors

At least six current or former GOP governors are running in 2024. "Can any of them defeat Donald Trump in a primary?" @margbrennan asks GOP Utah @GovCox.



"I hope so," Cox says. "I'm really hopeful that we can turn the page and try something else. Someone who can win. pic.twitter.com/oUA9Cs6l9o  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 9, 2023

The only likely competition against frontrunner Donald Trump in the primary race so far is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who rose to national prominence due to his successful COVID-19 response and lax reopening laws in the midst of the pandemic.

Mike Pence not only was Trump's vice president but also was governor for Indiana from 2013 to 2017.

Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was the first female governor of South Carolina from 2001 to 2017 when Trump tapped her for the ambassadorship.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and ex-Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have also thrown their hats into the race.

The only other current governor in the running beside DeSantis is North Dakota's Doug Burgum, a billionaire who sold his software company to Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 2001.

There is still some time for others to jump into the 2024 running, but the first debate is quickly approaching in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 23 and any candidate with a serious chance would want to announce before that date.

Cox hopes that a governor can win the nomination because he wants to 'turn the page' on previous leadership and get new blood into the executive.

He also said that governors are usually successful in higher office because they are efficient and good team players  even across party lines.

'You know- potholes aren't partisan,' he said in his CBS interview on Sunday morning.

'And I think we have lots of amazing choices,' Gov. Cox added. 'And I'm really hopeful that we- can we can turn the page and try something else, someone who can win, which I think is important.'

'And I think any of those governors could win and I certainly hope we'll give them a chance.'

Trump maintains a commanding lead in the polls with usually at least 50 percent support.

DeSantis regularly falls around 20 points behind Trump with the rest of field most times failing to earn double digit support.
The BBC has suspended presenter accused of paying teenager 35k for pictures

The police officer who unmasked Jimmy Savile as a serial paedophile has said the BBC should not only name the presenter at the centre of allegations - but that they should have suspended him weeks ago.

The BBC this afternoon suspended a male member of staff who is accused of paying a teenager more than 35,000 for sexually explicit images, but has not revealed the identity of the employee.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has spoken to the BBC, while director-general Tim Davie said the Corporation was investigating the 'deeply concerning claims' 'swiftly and sensitively'.

Ex-Surrey police officer Mark Williams-Thomas, who exposed the crimes of Jimmy Savile in 2012, took to Twitter to share his views on the latest scandal.

He said: 'The police are now investigating the allegation against the BBC presenter.

Mark Williams-Thomas, who unmasked the crimes of Jimmy Savile in 2012, has called on the BBC to name the presenter at the centre of the current scandal

Director-general Tim Davie has said the Corporation was investigating the 'deeply concerning claims' 'swiftly and sensitively'

'I have investigated lots of these type of allegations and the presenter should have been formally suspended weeks ago - given the very serious nature of the allegations.'

He also told The Mirror: 'The BBC has already had a month to look into this  they should have concluded their investigation by now and named the individual in question.

'It's all about openness and transparency, but the BBC has got a track record of carrying out fatally flawed investigations.

'They need to get this investigated. It's obligatory now that they go through proper due process to get this sorted as soon as possible.'

The presenter, who is said to be known to millions of people, was reportedly taken off air on Friday before he was then suspended.

He could face a police probe over potential crimes which carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence.

In a statement, a spokesman for The Metropolitan Police said: 'The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter but no formal referral or allegation has been made.

'We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow.'

The BBC this afternoon suspended a male member of staff who is accused of paying a teenager more than 35,000 for sexually explicit images (file image)

Ex-Surrey police officer Mark Williams-Thomas, who exposed the crimes of Jimmy Savile in 2012, took to Twitter to share his views on the latest scandal to hit the Corporation

Mr Williams-Thomas, 53, exposed Savile in an ITV documentary titled The Other Side Of Jimmy Savile.

HOW BBC PRESENTER 'SEX PICS' SCANDAL CAME TO LIGHT 2020: The BBC presenter allegedly began requesting sexually explicit photographs from the teenager. May 19: Alleged victim's family complained to the BBC, asking for the presenter to be told to stop sending their child money. June: The accused host allegedly attended a party alongside BBC senior executives. July 7: The BBC star was said to have been taken off air - but has not been suspended. The alleged victim's family details the accusations in a newspaper interview, claiming the presenter paid for the explicit photographs for three years. The alleged victim's mother also claimed the teenager used the cash to fund their spiralling drug habit. July 8: It is revealed the presenter could face a police probe over potential crimes which carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence Several major BBC stars - including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker - confirm they are not the man behind the scandal. July 9: Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer holds 'urgent talks' with BBC boss Tim Davie. BBC suspends the male staff member whom allegations were made against. Director-general Tim Davie sends an internal email to staff reiterating that the BBC is taking the allegations 'incredibly seriously'. It is understood that the BBC has been in contact with police. July 10: Representatives from the BBC meet with the Metropolitan Police. In a letter reported by BBC News At Six, the young person said via a lawyer: 'For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in The Sun newspaper are 'rubbish'.' The legal representative also said the young person told The Sun on Friday evening before the newspaper published the story that there was 'no truth to it', the BBC reported. The mother and stepfather of the young person stood by their allegation, and questioned how their child could afford the lawyer, The Sun reported. The newspaper alleged that the mother said: 'It is sad but we stand by our account and we hope they get the help they need. 'We did this to help - and the presenter has got into their head. How did they afford a lawyer?' Advertisement

The star police officer, who is also an investigative journalist, has played a key role in other notable cases, such as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

After Savile's death in 2011, it was revealed that the DJ and TV personality had sexually abused hundreds of people throughout his life.

In the documentary, released in October 2012, several women said they had been abused by Savile while they were teenagers.

That month, the Metropolitan Police launched a formal criminal investigation - Operation Yewtree - into the allegations, pursuing over 400 lines of inquiry based on the claims of 200 witnesses.

Mr Davie today held urgent talks with the Government over the 'deeply concerning' sex pictures scandal surrounding one of its top stars.

Shortly after his phone call with culture secretary Lucy Frazer today, the broadcaster released a statement confirming it had suspended the presenter.

'The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations,' the statement said.

'This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.

'It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.

'We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.

'The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.

'We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.

'We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.'

The presenter allegedly began paying the teenager when they were 17, and sent them the money which they used to fund an addiction to crack cocaine.

The alleged victim's mother said that the family complained to the BBC on May 19, asking for the presenter to be told to stop sending their child money.

It is claimed that even after the family complained, the star continued to send money and remained on air - before he allegedly attended an awards ceremony and was even partying with BBC bosses.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has spoken to the BBC about the suspended presenter. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is pictured in February

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer held urgent talks with BBC boss Tim Davie today over the allegations that one of its presenters paid a teenager more than 35,000 for sexually explicit images

The alleged victim's family claims the explicit messages started in 2020 and that the star did not hide his identity and even sent photographs to the teen while he was at work.

He would allegedly request 'performances' from the teenager, who told their mother they would then 'get their bits out'. On one occasion, he sent the teenager a lump sum of 5,000.

The mother told the Sun their child went from a 'happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict' in just three years.

The teenager's mother said she once heard the BBC star telling them: 'I told you not to f***ing ring me'.

She said her relationship with her child has always been close, and that they have previously confided when the man has sent them money.

The mother also told the Sun last night she used to 'love' watching the presenter, and was left 'shocked' to see a photograph of him in his underwear on the sofa of his house while looking at her child's phone.

'I immediately recognised him. He was leaning forward getting ready for my child to perform for him. My child told me, 'I have shown things' and this was a picture from some kind of video call.'

But now the stricken mother says: 'Whenever I see him on telly, I feel sick.

She believes nothing was done and said the man continued to send her child cash as he remained on air.
China's dominance of the electric car market poses a security threat to Britain on the scale of the crisis over the tech firm Huawei, senior MPs have warned.

Forecourts are expected to be flooded with up to 25 brands of cheap Chinese electric cars when new petrol and diesel cars sales are banned in 2030.

Beijing outflanked the West to become the main power in the electric vehicle (EV) market when most major manufacturers were focused on traditional vehicles.

The rush to phase out petrol and diesel cars, which the Daily Mail is campaigning to have reconsidered, will make Britain reliant on China and hit UK manufacturers.

It has fuelled fears among senior Tories that having vast numbers of Chinese cars on British roads will rekindle the national crisis of 2021 when the UK began purging Huawei from its 5G networks over fears that it was a security risk.

BYD EV at a shop in Haikou, Hainan Province, China, on Tuesday, May 10, 2023. Hainan is the first and only place in China to set a goal to end the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2030

Concern about Beijing's intent intensified in January when the Security Services took apart a UK government car after a Chinese SIM card capable of transmitting location data was found inside.

Tu Le, of Sino Auto Insights, a consultancy that follows China's auto industry, warned that the sensors used for driving assist systems can be used to map neighbourhoods, which 'in the wrong hands' could allow hostile states to map sensitive Government buildings or military compounds.

Dan Marks, of the Royal United Services Institute security think-tank, said a range of EV suppliers from different nations was needed, adding: 'When the supplier is China, there should be rigorous, prescriptive security controls.'

Alicia Kearns, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, said: 'We must... not to allow the Chinese Communist Party to secure a back door into our security by forcing dependency or inserting technologies that map and exfiltrate data on our daily lives. We must learn from the Huawei experience. The Chinese Communist Party is seeking to build a tech totalitarian state.'

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, ex-Tory leader and co-chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: 'Anything to do with China is a security threat. China is doing its level best to break us. We have to get rid of devices inside the technology in their cars that report back things like locations. They could even lock into the systems of the car and hear what you say.'

Chinese workers assemble batteries for electric vehicles at the plant of Delta Electronics (Jiangsu) Ltd. in Suzhou City

He warned ministers: 'For God's sake, wake up to the threat.'

China dominates the EV market partly due to its grip on the supply chain. It controls much of the mining of crucial raw materials, 80 per cent of the battery-making for EVs is controlled by Chinese firms and it is the world's top car exporter.

Chinese firms including BYD, Ora and Maxus are expected to take a slice of the British market.

BYD  reported to be ahead of Tesla for the world's most electric vehicle sales last year  is said to want 100 UK dealerships by 2026.

Tory MP Bob Seely, whose Huawei investigation in 2019 made the Government act, said: 'We already have a massive supply-chain dependency on China  it's going to get worse if we are dependant for the production of batteries.'

The Department for Business and Trade said it was 'committed to ensuring the future of the car industry in the UK'.
The NHS is still letting staff waste more than 26,000 hours a year attending woke events as waiting lists have soared to a record 7.4million.

The Daily Mail revealed last year how staff networks used 1million of taxpayers cash to put on non-clinical activities between 2019 and 2022.

These events, often during the working day, focused on transgender issues, sexuality and racism. They included a tea and rainbow cake picnic and a special session on pronouns.

Now an investigation by the Taxpayers Alliance has revealed health bosses have failed to clamp down on the networks, which put on almost 1,000 events between January 2022 and March this year  equal to more than three events per working day.

Its analysis of Freedom of Information responses suggests at least 26,000 hours of staff time were taken up by the network events over this period, equivalent to one member of staff working for more than 13 years.

The NHS is still letting staff waste more than 26,000 hours a year attending woke events as waiting lists have soared to a record 7.4million

READ MORE: Defiant doctors pledge to continue strikes with five-day walkout from all services set for Thursday Junior doctors are preparing to walk out from all services, including A&E, for five days from Thursday, in its fourth round of strike action. Pictured: Doctors on the picket line in April Advertisement

However, the number of hours will be a significant underestimate because the vast majority of responses did not say how many people attended each event and not all events were recorded due to a lack of information.

The jollies are going ahead despite ministers calling for the NHS to cut back on waste and wokery and managers claiming the service needs more money.

Not all NHS trusts provide their networks with funding, which raises questions about why others feel it is necessary to do so. Events between January 2022 and March 2023 included picnics, talks, film viewings and quizzes, the responses reveal.

in London, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey held a staff networks harmonisation away day with 28 attendees and Croydon Health held a Trans Visibility Day celebration.

Aneurin Bevan Health Board had a Pride Month LGBT book club and South West London and St Georges hosted a talk titled coping with news anxiety, which had 40 attendees on a Thursday afternoon.

John OConnell, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: Health bosses were warned about the cost placed on the NHS by staff networks. Yet still these groups are taking up vast amounts of staff time, while waiting lists show little sign of coming down. Ministers need to step in and rein in some of these groups.

An NHS spokesman said: These voluntary networks can provide a space for staff to raise, discuss and address concerns which ultimately helps to improve services for patients.

The Taxpayers Alliance investigation came as the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists accused the NHS of being institutionally racist.

Dr Adrian James said the problem was causing ethnic minority medics to quit the health service in droves  fuelling staff shortages.

Delivering a speech at the colleges congress in Liverpool, he will reference the Sir William Macpherson inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which identified institutional racism in the Met Police.

Dr James will also highlight unfair ethnic pay gaps and say that there is a glass ceiling which means minority groups are under-represented at senior levels.
The prime minister has touched down in Europe, confirming a deal worth more than $1billion to sell Australian-made armoured vehicles to Germany ahead of talks at a NATO summit.

Anthony Albanese landed in Berlin on Sunday night, German time, before a scheduled meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday.

He said Australia would sign a deal to deliver 100 Brisbane-made Boxer heavy weapon carriers to Germany.

It is one of the largest defence export deals in the country's history.

'This will increase our defence capability and boost our economy, this is a great outcome,' Mr Albanese told reporters on arrival.

'And it's the first outcome of quite a few that we have ready to announce tomorrow with our friends here in Germany.'

Mr Albanese said the sale of the vehicles, made by German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall, would be worth more than $1billion to the Australian economy.

The prime minister's one-on-one meeting with Mr Sholz will take place before he travels to the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

Anthony Albanese (above) has landed in Berlin where he will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the sale of 100 Australian-made armoured vehicles to Germany

The talks with the German leader are expected to centre on manufacturing and clean energy, as well as security in the Indo-Pacific region and the war in Ukraine.

The discussions follow the marking of 500 days since Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the ongoing war set to be among the key topics for discussion.

The federal government recently announced a support package for Ukraine worth $110million.

While there had been criticism the military aid was not enough, Education Minister Jason Clare flagged on Sunday more support could be on its way.

'At the moment we are the biggest non-NATO investor or supporter of the effort in Ukraine, except for Sweden, who is about to become part of NATO,' he told Sky News on Sunday.

'I won't pre-empt what the prime minister says at the meeting, it's an important meeting.'

The three-day visit to Europe will also include a meeting between Mr Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

He will also meet with the leaders of Japan and South Korea, who have also been invited to attend the NATO summit.

The leaders of the so-called 'Indo-Pacific four' are set to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine along with the role of the region in Europe.

NATO leaders were due to discuss plans to open a liaison office in Tokyo as part of a push to strengthen ties in the Indo-Pacific.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron has struck down the plans, coming out against the proposal

The sale of the Brisbane-made Boxer heavy weapon carriers (above) would be worth more than $1billion to the Australian economy

That decision has been praised by former prime minister Paul Keating who said NATO was straying from its intended purpose of a European and American alliance.

'The Europeans have been fighting each other for the better part of 300 years, including giving the rest of us two world wars in the last hundred,' he said.

'Exporting that malicious poison to Asia would be akin to Asia welcoming the plague upon itself.

'With all of Asia's recent development amid its long and latent poverty, that promise would be compromised by having anything to do with the militarism of Europe - and militarism egged on by the United States.'
The White House on Sunday brushed off mild criticism from allies including the British prime minister over providing deadly cluster munitions to Ukraine  suggesting any censure was obligatory and denying any rift.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke to the blowback en route to London, after some of Biden's Democratic allies as well as allied nations criticized the move, amid concerns cluster bombs can leave unexploded ordinance for years that ultimately can maim civilians.

It came at the start of a three-country trip, where Biden will huddle with allies about the war in Ukraine and meet with King Charles and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The U.S. is not among 123 countries who signed a convention banning use of the weapons, which Ukraine thinks it can use against dug-in Russian positions amid its offensive to retake captured territory.

'The Prime Minister stated the UK's legal position that they are a signatory to the Oslo convention, the United States is not. That being a signatory banks discouraging the use of these weapons. He fulfilled his legal obligation, but I think you will find Prime Minister Sunak and President Biden on the same page strategically on Ukraine, in lockstep on the bigger picture of what we're trying to accomplish, and as united is ever both in this conflict and writ large.

'I do not think you will see fracture, division or disunity as a result of this decision,' White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said aboard Air Force One with President Biden amid blowback over the administration's decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine

'And that will be repeated in my view with all the leaders of the Alliance. I do not think you will see fracture, division or disunity as a result of this decision, even though many allies the signatories to Oslo, are in a position where they themselves cannot say we're for cluster munitions. But we have heard nothing from people saying this casts doubt on our commitment, this cast out on coalition unity, or this cast out on our belief that the United States is playing a vital and positive role as leader of this coalition in Ukraine.'

It came during a briefing with reporters traveling with the president where Sullivan said Biden called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.

He said the two men spoke for 45 minutes about a 'number of issues,' including Turkey's 'robust and stalwart support' for Ukraine's defensive needs.

They also spoke about Sweden's bid to join NATO, 'and they agreed that they have the opportunity to sit down together and build this.'

The comments came after Biden faced uproar from members of his own party on Sunday after he decided to send controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine.

'We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion, but we've done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine,' said British PM Rishi Sunak

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said 'I do not think you will see fracture, division or disunity' as a result of the decision on cluster munitions

The president came under fire from Democrats and key NATO allies such as Britain as he flew to the United Kingdom for climate talks with King Charles.

Top Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said he had 'real qualms' about Biden's move to send the widely-banned weapons to Kyiv's armed forces.

'It could give a green light to other nations to do something different as well,' he told Fox News.

But the one-time vice-presidential candidate added: 'They're not going to use these munitions against Russian civilians,'

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents California, urged the Biden administration to reconsider the step.

'Cluster bombs should never be used. That's crossing a line,' she said on Sunday, adding the United States risked losing its 'moral leadership' by sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.

Biden rebuffed the criticism of his move to send cluster bombs in an interview with CNN

But the president was defiant in an interview with CNN broadcast on Saturday, insisting cluster bombs would help the Ukrainian military expel Russian troops from their country.

'The main thing is they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now from their keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas, or they don't,' Biden said.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, called the cluster bombs 'a game-changer' in the war in Ukraine, pointing out that 'Russia is dropping with impunity cluster bombs' on Ukrainian territory.

'All the Ukrainians and (President Volodymyr) Zelensky are asking for is to give them the same weapons the Russians have to use in their own country against Russians who are in their own country,' he said. 'They do not want these to be used in Russia.'

Unlike most of its Western allies, the United States never signed up the international treaty that bans the use of cluster bombs in armed conflict.

They can be dropped from the air or shot from the ground or sea, releasing dozens or sometimes hundreds of 'bomblets' that can be dispersed over a large area.

They first used in World War II for the purpose of destroying multiple dispersed military targets or combatants.

The commander-in-chief confirmed on Friday that the highly lethal weapons would be part of a new $800 million security package.

It means U.S. military aid now stands at more than $40 billion since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Rights groups and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have questioned Washington's decision on the munitions.

And several governments from the 30-nation military alliance have expressed unease about the administration's decision to ship the highly lethal weapons to Kyiv's armed forces.

The UK, Spain, Canada and New Zealand have all slammed the move to send the widely-banned munitions to the war-torn country with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying he 'discouraged their use.'

A senior German government source suggested that Berlin backs the U.S. move, despite Germany being a signatory to the Convention Banning Cluster Munitions.

'Ukraine is only using ammunition to liberate its own territory and to protect its own civilian population,' the official said.

France also backed the move, despite having scrapped the manufacture of cluster bombs itself some two decades ago.

A senior official from the French foreign ministry said it 'understood' Biden's move 'to help Ukraine defend itself against the unlawful aggression unleashed by Russia.'

The tensions come ahead of a key NATO meeting in the Baltic nation of Lithuania later this week that will assess the alliance's support for Ukraine.

Zelensky, seen here with Polish President Andrzej Duda, is expected to be at the NATO meeting in Lithuania

Senior NATO sources have told DailyMail.com that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will be at the major summit to make the case for Kyiv's eventual membership of the club.

Biden's visit to the United Kingdom also follows a string of high-profile gaffes that have been slammed by the country's tabloid press as 'anti-British.'

He skipped Charles' coronation in May and made an off-the-cuff remarks about his visit to Ireland that he claimed was to 'make sure the Brits didn't screw around' with the Good Friday agreement, the peace deal that ended years of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

The commander-in-chief is also accused of blocking British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace's bid for the role of NATO secretary-general, angering Britain's Conservative Party.

The Daily Telegraph reported last week that Biden wants Ursula von der Leyen, a former German defense minister who is now head of the EU executive, the European Commission.

The row between two key NATO allies meant that Jens Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, was asked to extend his term for another year.
A record number of repeat knife offenders are being spared jail, with one racking up an unprecedented 45 convictions.

Shock figures have raised questions about the scale of reoffending by knife criminals, with suspended sentences for habitual offenders almost doubling in the past decade.

The appalling case last year of a knife criminal who appeared in court with 45 previous convictions for a blade or offensive weapon  the highest ever recorded  makes a mockery of the Governments two strikes and youre out rule.

Ministry of Justice data indicates the number of offenders with multiple knife convictions walking free with a suspended sentence has doubled from 543 in 2012 to 1,027 last year.

The data obtained by the Mail under freedom of information shows that last year, 4,213 convicted knife criminals appeared in court for the same offence.

Ben Kinsella, who was knifed in a north London street in 2008 and died later in hospital

Sven Badzak, a 22-year-old aspiring lawyer from Maida Hill, who was killed after him and a friend were chased and attacked by a group in Kilburn, north-west London. Pictured with his mother Jasna

Yet 1,064 of those received community punishments or suspended sentences. The number of repeat offenders handed an immediate custodial sentence has fallen from 3,531 in 2019 to 2,609 in 2022.

Since 2017, repeat knife offences by anyone over 16 is meant to result in jail time. Over-18s should get a minimum of six months and those aged 16-17 four months. But judges can opt out of sending the defendant to prison if it would be unjust to do so in all the circumstances.

Patrick Green, chief executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust, set up to tackle knife crime after the 16-year-olds murder in 2008, said: At a time when knife crime offences are increasing... it beggars belief that more and more habitual knife carriers are being returned to society without having to face jail time.

This is an insult to victims and only serves to undermine confidence in the justice system. It is 15 years since we lost Ben. It pains me to say... nothing has changed.

Knife crime has rocketed 46 per cent in the past decade  there were 49,265 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded in 2022.

Around four in ten killings in England and Wales were committed with knives last year.

A police forensics officer carries away a knife found in a drain close to the area where Ben Kinsella was stabbed in the early hours of the morning

Ministry of Justice data indicates the number of offenders with multiple knife convictions walking free with a suspended sentence has doubled from 543 in 2012 to 1,027 last year

Jasna Badzak, whose son Sven, 22, was stabbed to death in the street, has called for mandatory jail sentences under a Svens Law for anyone caught with a knife.

Last week two drug dealers were convicted of his murder after mistaking him for a gang rival. Antony Gedel, 22, has 13 convictions  four for carrying blades.

Shiroh Ambersley, 22, has a conviction for possession of a blade and two of threatening with an offensive weapon.

Yesterday officials said the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which came into force last year, had changed the threshold for custody to ensure repeat knife offenders would face a minimum custodial term unless there were exceptional circumstances.
More than half of drivers believe there is a 'war on the motorist' in Britain, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Just four in ten motorists feel they are being handed a fair deal by the Government when it comes to driving and car ownership, according to a poll for the Alliance of British Drivers (ABD).

Meanwhile, 61 per cent of respondents agreed that the UK's 35 million drivers were under attack  mostly due to painful congestion and Ulez charges, extensive use of cameras to enforce speed limits, and other restrictions such as bus lanes.

Also among the concerns felt by motorists was the impending ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. The Daily Mail is campaigning for ministers to rethink the 2030 plans.

According to the survey, 59 per cent of people want the Government to either postpone the transition to more environmentally friendly cars or scrap it entirely.

Bob Bull, of the ABD, said: 'If proof were needed, this poll shows that the British people believe that the authorities at every level are engaged in a war on the motorist.'

Around 61 per cent of respondents agreed that the UK's 35 million drivers were under attack  mostly due to painful congestion and Ulez charges, extensive use of cameras to enforce speed limits, and other restrictions such as bus lanes

The poll results suggest a desire for government intervention, with respondents more in favour of saying that the Government should try to stop the controversial Ulez expansion plan in London  set to be enforced next month  than to leave the matter in the hands of the capital's mayor, Sadiq Khan

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has urged councils to review 'low traffic neighbourhoods' (LTNs), many of which have proved unpopular

He added: 'The official justification is often a woolly environmentalism, but we suspect that the real reason is that governments, councils and others regard the country's 35million drivers as a cash cow to be fleeced of their money at every turn.

'Take the ban on new petrol and diesel cars after 2030. This crazy measure is both impractical and far from green.

'Impractical because electric cars are wildly expensive and because we don't have the charging points or grid to cope with such a rapid upheaval.

'Far from green because evidence mounts every day that making electric vehicles  especially their huge batteries  generates more carbon dioxide emissions than the manufacture of conventional vehicles.' Older voters are the most likely to argue that there is a war on motorists, with 52 per cent of those over 55 believing that drivers are being targeted. But 44 per cent of 18-24-year-olds also agree with the statement.

The poll results suggest a desire for government intervention, with respondents more in favour of saying that the Government should try to stop the controversial Ulez expansion plan in London  set to be enforced next month  than to leave the matter in the hands of the capital's mayor, Sadiq Khan.

The results come after Boris Johnson criticised the mayor's persistence with his Ulez plan in his Daily Mail column on Saturday. Transport Secretary Mark Harper has urged councils to review 'low traffic neighbourhoods' (LTNs), many of which have proved unpopular. However, the poll indicated that respondents were still generally in favour of LTNs and 20mph speed limits.
One hundred and 50 years ago, during one of the longest trials ever held in England, a jaunty rhyme was sung on the streets of London.

Sir Roger Tichborne is my name / I'm seeking now for wealth and fame /They say that I was lost at sea / But I tell them, 'Oh dear, no, not me.'

A man claiming to be Sir Roger, the heir to a title and vast fortune, who had long been presumed dead, had arrived in England from Australia  and the rest of the aristocratic Tichborne family was fighting a furious legal battle to have him declared a fraudster.

The British public lapped it up. Everything about the tale was outrageous and scandalous: it had romance, sex, snobbery, slavery, drama, lies and unimaginable sums of money.

Now the author Zadie Smith has seized on the story, reinventing it in a novel called The Fraud, set to be published this autumn.

A man claiming to be Sir Roger (pictured), the heir to a title and vast fortune, who had long been presumed dead, had arrived in England from Australia  and the rest of the aristocratic Tichborne family was fighting a furious legal battle to have him declared a fraudster

In the New Yorker magazine this month, she describes how she 'stumbled' on the story ten years ago: 'I knew at once it had my name all over it . . . one of those gifts from the universe a writer gets once in a lifetime.'

As Smith explains in her piece, she finds research arduous, so she might not realise that her gift from the universe wasn't entirely exclusive.

The Tichborne case has inspired numerous books and films, including a 1998 movie starring Stephen Fry, as well as one of Anthony Trollope's most brilliant novels, Is He Popenjoy?  and an episode of The Simpsons.

But fiction can never outdo the sheer strangeness of the true story of how a butcher's son from Wapping in London convinced a super-rich widow that he was her eldest son  missing, believed drowned at sea, for 12 years.

You've changed from a racehorse to a carthorse!

All the evidence pointed to fakery. Apart from anything else, the man who vanished looked nothing like the man who returned. The original Roger Tichborne weighed barely 9st, had brown hair and a crude tattoo on one arm. The self-proclaimed heir was blond, had no tattoos, and was morbidly obese  weighing up to 28st.

As a blacksmith who lived on one of the Tichborne estates told him: 'If you're Sir Roger, you've changed from a racehorse into a carthorse.'

But the louder the claimant protested his right to inherit the title, the fortune and the lands, the more the British public loved him. When he ran out of money to keep fighting, 'Tichborne bonds' were issued, with thousands of supporters investing in them, confident they would be repaid when their hero won his case.

Many were motivated by a desire to see the Tichborne clan, billionaires by today's standards, cheated out of their riches by a shameless adventurer. But others were entranced by the fairytale aspects of the story, which began with a love affair.

Aged 21, the real Roger fell head over heels for his 17-year-old cousin Katherine.

Now the author Zadie Smith (pictured) has seized on the story, reinventing it in a novel called The Fraud, set to be published this autumn. In the New Yorker magazine this month, she describes how she 'stumbled' on the story ten years ago: 'I knew at once it had my name all over it . . . one of those gifts from the universe a writer gets once in a lifetime'

He was the lonely son of an unhappy marriage. His mother first took him to France, but he later endured a miserable childhood at Stonyhurst, a Catholic boarding school in Lancashire, while his mother continued to live in Paris. After school, he signed up for the Army, as a cavalry officer in the 6th Dragoons.

Katherine was the daughter of a doting but bad-tempered baronet  Roger's uncle Sir Edward Doughty, whose family fortune came largely from plantations worked by slaves in Jamaica.

Daguerreotypes, or early photographs, of Roger show a fragile youth with large, soulful eyes. He pleaded with Sir Edward to be allowed to wed Katherine, but was told this was out of the question: the Catholic Church frowned on marriages between first cousins.

Heartbroken, Katherine became ill and her father relented. If the lovers still wished to marry after a three-year separation, he would not stand in their way.

Roger agreed manfully, though, in a goodbye letter he wrote that parting from 'my dearest Kate was bursting my heart'.

After an initial plan to join a regiment in India fell through, he set sail in 1852 for South America. For the next two years he explored Uruguay and Chile, before heading to the West Indies in 1854 on the first leg of his journey home.

By now, Sir Edward was dead and Roger's father was baronet. Already rich and still very much in love, the young man boarded a ship named the Bella, bound for New York.

But the vessel capsized off the coast of Brazil and, when the wreckage of the Bella was discovered, no survivors were found. Roger's mother, Henriette, who had veered between neurotic clinginess and icy disapproval towards her son all his life, was devastated.

When her husband and her second son, Alfred, also died, the baronetcy passed to her baby grandson, Henry, who wasn't even born when his father passed away.

But in 1866, an old sailor happened to knock on the door of Tichborne House begging for a handout.

Henriette asked if he knew of any survivors from the Bella. There were rumours, he replied, that some of the crew escaped in a lifeboat and ended up in Australia.

Lady Tichborne launched a publicity campaign, appealing for news. In Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, a slaughterman going by the name Tom Castro began dropping hints that he was Roger  carving the initials R.C.T. on a tree, for instance  and waited for people to make the connection.

Castro was on the verge of bankruptcy but, once a local solicitor became the first to fall for his deception, his fortunes changed. The lawyer wrote to Lady Tichborne, who begged Castro to prove his identity.

Sir Edward's retired valet, a West Indian former slave named Andrew Bogle, lived in Sydney, she said. If he could confirm to the solicitor that Castro was really Sir Roger, she would accept him as her long-lost son.

As Smith explains in her piece, she finds research arduous, so she might not realise that her gift from the universe wasn't entirely exclusive

Bogle, who had bad eyesight, did more than back up Castro's story. He and his family joined the fraudster on a ship back to Britain, to help him collect the money.

Once in England, though, Castro was reluctant to meet any of Sir Roger's family and friends. And he certainly had no intention of marrying Kate, not least because he already had a wife and a child.

They had been married in a Wesleyan chapel in Australia . . . even though the Tichbornes were devout Catholics.

Eventually, he agreed to go to Paris to meet his 'mother'. When she called at his hotel, he feigned illness and received her in a darkened bedroom.

Nevertheless, she declared herself convinced. This obese, coarse adventurer, who was rumoured in Australia to have been a horse thief, was her sensitive and highly educated son.

He racked up debts worth 3m today

Nothing could make her disbelieve the evidence. Even the fact that her son spoke fluent French, but Castro did not  in reality, he was barely literate.

The more mistakes Castro made, the more excuses Henriette made for him. He referred to life in the ranks as a common soldier, when the real Roger had been an officer, and he claimed to have gone to school at Winchester, instead of Stonyhurst.

Lady Tichborne smiled indulgently and said: 'He confuses everything, as in a dream.'

When he announced he was returning to England, and rented a house in Croydon, she went with him and gave him an annual allowance of 1,000 (100,000 today).

On the strength of that, Castro  or Sir Roger Tichborne, as he now styled himself  borrowed money wherever he could, and was soon 30,000 (now 3 million) in debt.

Lady Tichborne lived for two more years, dying before Castro was able to prove his identity  as Roger had been declared dead and his brother's son had inherited the title  in a civil trial.

Meanwhile, the fake Sir Roger used the time cleverly, learning everything he could about his forerunner's life.

When the family launched a formal challenge through the courts in 1871, it seemed at first as though he'd done enough to convince the judge.

Gradually, his true identity emerged. He was, in fact, Arthur Orton, the youngest of 12 children born in the East End of London, who went to sea, jumped ship in Chile, became a butcher in Tasmania and then led a life of petty crime in Australia. His friends called him Fatty Orton (pictured)

Dozens of former acquaintances, including Army colleagues and ex-servants, confirmed he really must be Sir Roger Tichborne.

Kate, however, refused to accept his story, so Castro counter-attacked, saying that the real reason he fled the country in 1852 was because he'd made her pregnant. But over the course of 180 days in court, spread across a three- year period, a forensic cross-examination caught out Castro in a host of lies.

Gradually, his true identity emerged. He was, in fact, Arthur Orton, the youngest of 12 children born in the East End of London, who went to sea, jumped ship in Chile, became a butcher in Tasmania and then led a life of petty crime in Australia. His friends called him Fatty Orton.

Sentencing him to 14 years in jail for perjury, Lord Chief Justice Cockburn said: 'Never was there such a trial in England, I believe, since that of Charles I, which has excited more the attention of Englishmen and the world than this.' The estimated cost was 180,000 or nearly 20 million today.

Orton served ten years in prison, and after his release sold his story for 3,000 (300,000 today), confessing all. Then he retracted the confession.

When he died, penniless, a benefactor paid for an inscription on his grave which read: 'Sir Roger Charles Doughty Tichborne, 1829-1898'.

Today, he is remembered in a way as bizarre as his whole life. A music hall performer named Harry Relph, who was 4ft 6in tall and skinny, became a star under the name Little Tich. He jokingly claimed to be the real Sir Roger, doing a dance in boots as long as skis.

The act ran for years. You can see footage of it, filmed in 1900, on YouTube.

Long after the Tichborne scandal had died away, people were still laughing at Little Tich . . . and, today, when something is small and comical, we say it is 'titchy'. It's immortality of a sort, I suppose.
Priti Patel has mocked the Government over the small boats crisis as more than 1,000 migrants arrived in 48 hours.

The former home secretary made the public intervention after it was confirmed there were 686 arrivals across the Channel on Friday  the highest daily total so far this year.

Dame Priti tweeted: 'Stopping the boats is much harder than the Government thought it would be.' She later told the Mail: 'There is no single solution to 'stopping the boats', as this Government has finally discovered.'

Yesterday the Home Office confirmed a further 384 migrants were brought to British soil on Saturday, meaning there were more than 1,000 arrivals over a 48-hour period.

It brought the running total for the year to 12,503.

Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel making a statement on the Government's Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda

Border Force officials escort 65 migrants into Dover Docks, Kent

The rate of arrivals so far in 2023 is catching up with last year, despite being down by about a fifth at some points earlier in the year.

Figures for yesterday have yet to be confirmed, but at least two further boat-loads of migrants were brought ashore by the UK Border Force.

Last week the Mail revealed how official forecasts had suggested the number of small boat crossings may fall slightly this year, despite judges ruling that the crucial Rwanda deal is unlawful.

Latest Home Office projections say the 'most likely' scenario is 40,000 Channel crossings by end of the year, compared with 45,000 in a previous forecast drawn up at end of last year.

In the whole of last year, 45,728 migrants reached Britain by small boat from northern France.

The new projections say that in a 'worst case' scenario, there could be 55,000 crossings by the end of this year  far lower than the previous estimate of 80,000.

And in a 'best case' scenario, the numbers could fall to as low as 35,000, the projections suggest, 10,000 lower than the previous guess of 45,000.

At the end of last month, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Rwanda deal  which aims to send migrants to the east African nation to claim asylum there rather than do it here  is unlawful.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaking at a press conference in London

Judges said sending any migrants to Rwanda would be 'considered a breach of Article 3' of the European Convention on Human Rights, prohibiting torture and ill-treatment.

This was the second time the Rwanda scheme has been blocked by human rights laws  after Strasbourg judges intervened to stop the first charter flight to Kigali just over a year ago.

The Court of Appeal's ruling was a major blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has made stopping the boats one of his five key pledges to voters for his time in office.

The Government is understood to have lodged an appeal against the decision.

It came as former home secretary Kenneth Clarke warned the Rwanda scheme is the only way to stop the illegal crossings. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Lord Clarke said he believed the only solution was 'to cease to entertain illegal immigration and deport [migrants] to safe places'.

'People can make objections to the Rwanda scheme, they can point out legal complications with it but they don't have a plan of their own. So the choice is between doing nothing and Rwanda,' he said.

Last year, arrivals by small boats peaked in August, when 8,641 migrants reached the UK, and there were five days during 2022 when more than 1,000 people arrived in a 24-hour period.

The daily record was 1,295, on August 22.

Before being eclipsed by Friday's arrivals, the busiest day this year was June 11, with 549, revised down from the figure originally published by the Home Office.
A 50,000 robotic chef can make your meals without any human intervention  as long as the ingredients are already cut up.

Moley Chef's Table is a new kitchen appliance from Moley Robotics, a London company run by British entrepreneur Mark Oleynik.

At the company's new showroom on Wigmore Street, due to open in the autumn, MailOnline got a taste of the machine's creations, including a trendy vegan soup.

Consumers who have the funds can buy Chef's Table for their homes, but it is also intended for airports, hospitals and even in restaurants to help out chefs.

It comes amid concerns of machines taking over human's jobs, but according to the company, the gadget will make a cook's life easier if they work long hours.

MailOnline was cooked lunch by Moley Chef's Table the 50,000 robot that forms part of the company's new London showroom in Wigmore Street

READ MORE: Will a robot take YOUR job? Here's the careers most at risk A study revealed the occupations at risk of being made redundant due to AI Advertisement

'This can work 24/7  no chef wants to cook a steak at 2am,' Oleynik, who founded the company in 2015, told MailOnline.

Chef's Table is not capable of 'complicated' dishes that involve fiddly preparation stages, such as sushi.

Instead, it's for taking care of the more repetitive or boring aspects of cooking  such as soup that needs to be left to boil or risotto that needs constant stirring.

'I'm not worried about replacing repetitive operations because no-one wants to do it,' Oleynik said.

When MailOnline arrives at the showroom, Chef's Table already has the ingredients prepped around it, ready for it to pick up with its extendable arm.

A claw at the end of the arm clenches kitchen utensils and can hang them up when it's done with them.

Users can input any recipes into an accompanying tablet that they want the robot to follow  as long as they only require a hob (Chef's Table doesn't have an oven).

A much bigger machine being built at the back of the showroom does have an oven, but it costs even more  between 250,000 and 300,000.

On the menu today is a simple cheese omelette, which it starts to cook with a tap on the tablet.

An accompanying tablet shows the steps that the robot has to follow. It displays a timeline of the preparation process, and what steps are coming up

First up, the robot cooks a simple cheese omelette, but it has a bit of trouble getting it out of the pan

The robot chef can make your meals without any human intervention - as long as the ingredients are already cut up

It takes a ladle of egg  cracked and pre-whisked by a human  and transports it to the pan, along with grated cheese, although it spills some over the hob.

The bot cooks the omelette around five minutes  although it has a bit of trouble getting it out of the pan.

It tastes good, but an omelette is pretty hard to screw up even for a robot, so next is something more challenging  a soup made from scratch.

Chef's Table transports chopped carrots, onions and celery to the pan and carefully sautees them before adding sweet potato.

Next comes the coconut milk and vegetable stock, which, again, it spills onto the worktop  although I strongly suspect I would be making more mess if I were following the same recipe at home.

A claw at the end of the arm clenches kitchen utensils and can hang them up when it's done with them

Messy: Moley Chef's Table can cook a tasty soup but it does leave the worktop in a bit of a state

The sweet potato and coconut soup had few ingredients - onions, chilli, celery, sweet potato, vegetable stock and coconut milk - but tasted delicious

It takes about over half an hour for the ingredients to cook, interspersed by the occasional stir  but this is where the human user can make their exit and leave the contraption to do its work.

Oleynik said the appliance 'doesn't need any supervising', so it can cook your meals while you sit on the sofa or hang out the laundry.

However, just like any conventional stove it's best not to leave it running if you leave the house  especially if you have pets around.

After what was a torturous wait for a hungry reporter, the robot finally reached for the hand blender and transformed the pan's contents into a delicious silky soup, which we ate with bread.

I have to admit a total cooking time of 42 minutes seemed a bit much, and if this was in a restaurant kitchen the head chef would probably shout at it to 'hurry up' with certain expletives.

I think the best setting for Chef's Table will be airports; I can imagine tapping my card to pay for a quick robot-made meal before my departure, although I'd be careful to choose one of the quicker options to avoid missing my flight.

Although the sight of such a machine may still seem odd to a member of the public, Oleynik thinks we'll soon get used to them.

'In 10 years we will see a lot of these machines,' he said. 'It's technology, not magic, like a dishwashing machine or something else.'

'It will be a routine thing.'
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If you're worried artificial intelligence is going to take your job, you're not alone  and it's not unfounded.

By 2030, reports estimate 375 million jobs worldwide are at risk, with financial advisors and brokers, insurers and data processors at the top of the list.

A new AI calculator estimates how much of your job today's AI is equipped to handle. Simply answer six questions about your job and you'll get back a percentage.

The creators recommend really reflecting on your specific role and the way you do it, not only your title and task list.

First up, what's your overall role?

The calculator has 26 different professions to choose from, including accounting, administrative work, consulting, engineering, finance, information technology, legal, marketing, program and project management, real estate, sales and support.

The next few questions ask you to assess how much of your tasks use skills not suited to AI: intuition or feelings. Some roles rely heavily on things like empathy and listening to your 'gut feeling.'

A new AI calculator estimates how much of your job today's AI is equipped to handle

The calculator has 26 different professions to choose from, including accounting, administrative work, consulting, engineering, finance, information technology, legal, marketing, program and project management, real estate, sales and support

Next, how many of your tasks could lead to 'critical failure' at a business or organizational level if not done properly? In many cases, the higher the risk, the more important it is a human is the one making those decisions.

You'll also need to decide how much of your job is based on knowledge of (written or unwritten) rules or processes. Humans are much more suited than AI to deal with uncertainty and improvising.

Next, how many of your tasks follow a predictable approach in unknown situations? The example here: A pilot's job has many predictable tasks. A firefighter? Not so much. AI isn't equipped to think on the fly like a human.

And finally, what organizational level is your job? Options range from Student/Intern to Executive.

The results

We tested out a few roles to see what percentage the calculator says AI can handle.

 Marketing Executive: 67%

 Entry-level Administrative Professional: 86%

 Executive-level Legal: 52%

 Manager-level Engineer: 55%

 Executive-level Sales: 76%

Keep in mind the answers you supply based on your specific job and how you do it will impact the results significantly. Clearly, artificial intelligence is a lot more suited to some roles than others.
Having your passwords, credit card, or even full-blown identity stolen can cause immeasurable harm and trauma to victims.

Yet personal information sells for mere dollars on the dark web.

A new analysis shows the price of a hacked Google account is just $60, while a hacked HBO Max account is a meager $2.

The average cost of a fake US driver's license is $150, and 1,000 fake social media followers will only set you back $2-$5.

Privacy Affairs - a data privacy and cybersecurity research group - has analyzed the supply and pricing of these goods on the Dark Web

The dark web is the notorious 'hidden' side of the internet - hosting websites that cannot be found on Google and can only be accessed via special browsers.

Identities and locations of darknet users stay anonymous and cannot be tracked due to layered encryption systems, making it a hotbed for criminals.

Earlier this year, law enforcement agencies around the world just brought down Genesis Market, an online marketplace that bought and sold hacked user data, in Operation Cookie Monster.

Privacy Affairs - a data privacy and cybersecurity research group - has analyzed the supply and pricing of these goods on the Dark Web and weve gathered some highlights.

Credit card data

Credit card details with balances up to $5,000 go for $110, and online banking logins with $2,000 or more go for $60.

A hacked TDBank account sets the buyer back just $30. Cloned Visa, American Express and Mastercard cards with PIN are a bargain at $20.

Payment processing services: Barclays online banking login credentials go for $2,100, while Santander is $1,800 and Chase is just $500. Cashapp and Citibank verified accounts sell for $860 and $200, respectively.

Get this: 50 hacked PayPal account logins sell for $120, while PayPal account details with a minimum of $1,000 balance are just $10.

Credit card details with balances up to $5,000 go for $110, and online banking logins with $2,000 or more go for $60

The price for 10 million US email addresses is $120. No wonder you get so much spam

A new analysis shows the price of a hacked Google account is just $60, while a hacked HBO Max account is a meager $2. The average cost of a fake US driver's license is $150, and 1,000 fake social media followers will only set you back $2-$5

Cryptocurrency accounts:

Crypto.com verified accounts go for $300.

Coinbase are slightly less at $250. The going rate for a hacked Robinhood account is $150.

Hacked accounts:

A hacked Gmail account is $60, while Facebook and Instagram accounts are $25. Hacked Twitter accounts cost $20. Want 1,000 followers for your social media account? Just cough up $2 or $5 for LinkedIn.

Hacked services: A verified Airbnb account goes for $300; a hacked account is just $12. Tired of ever-increasing streaming subscription prices? You can get an illegal one-year subscription to Netflix for $20. Hacked Disney+ and Hulu accounts are $3 and HBO (now Max) is set at just $2.

Forged document scans:

A New York drivers license scan is $60 and the same from Minnesota is $22. Want a custom drivers license? Thats $35. A U.S. passport scan is $50.

Physical forged documents: European Union passports are $3,000, but a Maltese Passport is a lofty $4,000. Many U.S. state IDs go for $200, and the average cost of a U.S. drivers license is $150. A forged Green Card goes for $450.

Email database dumps:

The price for 10 million US email addresses: $120. No wonder you get so much spam.

Malware:

Premium malware costs $4,500 per 1,000 installs. High-quality USA malware is more of a bargain at $1,500 per 1,000 installs.

Step down to USA medium-quality malware with a 70 percent success rate for $700. Malware targeting Android OS devices is $650 per 1,000 installs.

Your account user names, passwords and other data may be for sale without you even realizing it.

Websites such as HaveIBeenPwned and CyberNews Checker let you enter your email address to see if you were part of a data breach.

These sites track genuine data breaches and are regularly updated. Theyll tell you if your email and passwords were part of any known breaches.

Kim Komando hosts a weekly call-in show where she provides advice about technology gadgets, websites, smartphone apps and internet security.

Listen on 425+ radio stations or get the podcast. And join over 400,000 people who get her free 5-minute daily email newsletter.
Mezcal for when times are bad, Mezcal for when theyre good, our host Edgar proclaims with a grin, before pouring two (very) generous measures and handing us a slice of orange.

We throw back the potent Mexican liquor and dazedly survey our surroundings: times are definitely good.

My husband Chris and I have just arrived at the luxury Viceroy Riviera Maya resort on the Yucatan Peninsula in southeast Mexico, near Playa Del Carmen.

Its about 40 miles south of party-city Cancun, but tucked away at the end of a long dirt road amid tropical rainforest, it feels more like a million.

Watch for the spider monkeys swinging in the trees, our driver Pablo tells us excitedly, as we sip bottles of the Mexican beer Victoria from a cooler in the back.

The luxury Viceroy Riviera Maya resort is on the Yucatan Peninsula in southeast Mexico, near Playa Del Carmen

The resorts 41 villas are hidden among tropical palms and are so secluded you cant hear a peep from your neighbors

The winding jungle paths end at the resorts pristine pool and restaurant area, overlooking the Caribbean Sea

Waiting to welcome us at the hotel is Edgar, who ushers us down a maze of jungle paths straight to the in-house Shaman for a traditional Mayan blessing.

A little delirious, we breathe in the incense and enthusiastically invite in relaxation as instructed, while listening to the chanting energy-cleansing prayers.

The resorts 41 villas are hidden among tropical palms and are so secluded you cant hear a peep from your neighbors  only the playful coati and agouti who scamper over the thatched roofs at all times of the day and night.

The decor inside is rustic but luxurious, each villa complete with its own large terrace, heated plunge pool, hammock and outdoor moon shower.

The winding jungle paths end at the resorts pristine pool and restaurant area, overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

Here you never have to worry about fighting for a sun lounger and ever-attentive butlers standby ready to spoil you rotten. From fetching ice buckets of our new favorite Victoria beers to polishing our steamed up sunglasses, nothing is too much trouble  and is usually done before you can even think about getting up.

There are canopied daybeds reserved on the beach for those who prefer to laze on the sand. The shoreline itself is a little rocky, but the hotel provides diving shoes for getting into the ocean. Its also the perfect spot to watch the sunrise each morning, before breakfasting alfresco at the hotels main restaurant Coral Bar.

The decor inside each of the 41 villas is rustic but luxurious

Each villa is complete with its own large terrace, heated plunge pool, hammock

Bathrooms boast deep tubs and there is an outdoor moon shower

The resort prides itself on keeping the ancient Mayan culture and tradition alive. Perhaps the most magical moment of our stay was a private tour of a cenote located about a 35-minute drive from the hotel.

There are thousands of these mystical underground pools in Mexico - and around 300 in Riviera Maya alone. But with most crowded with tourists, a private tour is a very special excursion.

Cenotes were considered sacred by the Mayan people, who believed they were a window to the underworld. As we tiptoe down wooden steps into the silent cave hidden in the middle of the jungle, its easy to see why.

Eerie rock formations that look like stalactites hang above our heads, while tree roots descend to the very bottom of the pool. And where the sunlight beams through holes in the ceiling, reflecting off the water, it feels as though you could swim down into sky.

As we don our snorkels and clamber carefully into the water, I shiver slightly as our guide Julio points out bats fluttering about in dark corners.

Be careful with your flashlights or youll disturb them, he warns us. I dont need to be told twice  Im still looking out for the friendly jaguar were told stops by on occasion.

The most magical moment of our stay was a private tour of a cenote located about a 35-minute drive from the hotel

Cenotes were considered sacred by the Mayan people, who believed they were a window to the underworld

The resort has a traditional purifying sweat lodge called the Temazcal, which is said to represent the womb of mother earth from where guests can be reborn

The hotel's spa, Wayak, offers an extensive range of treatments that incorporate ancient Mayan healing techniques, herbs and energy therapies.

But you neednt leave the resort to bask in Mayan culture.

Its jungle spa, WAYAK (which means dreams), offers an extensive range of treatments that incorporate ancient Mayan healing techniques, herbs and energy therapies.

There is even a traditional purifying sweat lodge called the Temazcal, which were told represents the womb of mother earth from where guests can be reborn.

We were content with a relaxing honey ritual massage, or Hunan-Kab, that takes place outdoors where you can listen to the nearby waterfalls  and threw in a morning yoga class overlooking the ocean for good measure.

Back at our villa the Mayan traditions continue. A soap concierge carves us huge slabs of locally handmade red-wine infused soap, and we are gifted a tiny worry doll.

According to legend, you simply tell the doll your worries at night and place it under your pillow so it can take over worrying while you sleep peacefully. Whatever you might believe, we slept like the dead for the duration of our stay.

But that could be also be sheer quantity of food and drink we inhaled.

The relaxed outdoor Coral bar offers everything from freshly caught fish to burgers and steaks and hosts themed evenings like Mexico night

There are two restaurants at the resort.

The more formal fine dining restaurant La Marea hosts candle-lit dinners, where head chef Julio Chavez works magic on traditional Mexican street food and home cooking.

But our favorite was the relaxed outdoor Coral bar, which offers everything from freshly caught fish (mahi-mahi if youre lucky) to burgers and steaks, as well as themed evenings. A highlight (of course) is Mexican night.

Staff pull out all the stops, decorating the bar area with sombreros and colorful pinatas, before we gorge on a feast of pulled pork cochinita tacos, short rib and black mole tamales, cactus salad and churros  all washed down with copious margaritas.

Muchas gracias Mexico indeed.
Two stunning roads in Norway and an epic road in Australia also make the cut

The UK's most beautiful car route makes the list, along with an Amazon highway

These roads make for a road trip like no other.

Some are so dangerous they'll leave your nerves shredded, while others are beautifully tranquil and guide you through some of the world's most mesmerising landscapes.

But they all share one thing in common - they're highly photogenic, as the wander-lust-inducing gallery of images below shows.

This round-up details 24 of the most amazing driving routes on planet Earth, from an 'ice' highway in Canada to Bolivia's 'Death Road' and an ultra-steep street in Wales...

Katy Freeway, Texas, USA

The Katy Freeway in Texas started out as a three-lane freeway in the 1960s and now spans 26 lanes in parts

This toll road in Houston, Texas, is the widest highway in the world.

What started out as a three-lane freeway in the 1960s now spans 26 lanes in parts, if you include the route's 'frontage roads', or side roads.

A 12-mile (19km) section of the road was extended in a $2.8billion (2.2billion) project in 2008 after traffic levels tripled, causing up to 11 hours of traffic per day, the US Department of Transportation reveals.

The highway now surpasses other notably colossal U.S routes in terms of width, such as Atlanta's I-75, which has 16 lanes in parts, AARoads reveals, and the I-405 in Los Angeles, which has up to 14 lanes.

A82 from Loch Lomond to Glencoe, Scotland

Drive along this section of the A82 to experience what's deemed as the UK's most beautiful car route. Image courtesy of Instagram user 'munroart'

Offering drivers a front-row view of stunning Scottish landscapes, the section of the A82 from Loch Lomond to Glencoe was recently voted the UK's most beautiful car route in a poll.

It garnered 24 per cent of the vote ahead of the A591 from Kendal to Keswick in the Lake District (23 per cent) and Cheddar Gorge in Somerset (21 per cent).

Tongtian Avenue - the '99-Bend Road', China

Above is Tongtian Avenue, which cuts through China's Zhangjiajie Tianmenshan National Forest Park

These extraordinary images show part of Tongtian Avenue which winds its way through the famous Zhangjiajie Tianmenshan National Forest Park in China.

The mountain road has an incredible 99 bends 'surrounded by mountains' that lead you 'straight into the clouds,' according to one reviewer on Trip.com.

Built between 1998 and 2006, it is both a gateway to the national park's peaks and a tourist attraction in its own right.

Tourists can enjoy a bird's eye view of the road from the region's famous glass-bottomed 'skywalk' platform, which runs 300 metres (984ft) above it.

Atlantic Road, Norway

Drivers on Norway's Atlantic Road can spot seals and whales in the waters nearby in the summer

These spectacular pictures show the Atlantic Road, in the western fjords of Norway, which comprises eight low bridges linking the islands that lie between Molde and Kristiansund.

Drivers can spot seals and whales in the waters nearby in the summer while autumn 'brings its own appeal with dramatic rainstorms that pound the road', Rough Guides reveals.

'The route may be short  a mere 8.3km (5.1 miles)  but it's incredibly impressive,' the publication adds.

'The most beautiful is Storseisundet [the bridge in image three], curving scenically above the water.'

The Outback Way, Australia

Australia's Outback Way is made up of seven interconnecting roads, including the Lasseter Highway and the Plenty Highway

Often referred to as 'Australia's longest shortcut', The Outback Way driving route spans 2,700km (1,677 miles) between Winton in Queensland and Laverton in Western Australia, according to Boulia Shire Council.

It's made up of seven interconnecting roads, including the Lasseter Highway and the Plenty Highway, and the Australian tourist board recommends tackling the route with a four-by-four, as large sections are made up of untarmacked roads.

Expect to take in quite the landscape as you drive. 'Theres nowhere quite like the Australian Outback - the mainland interior - with its big skies, starry nights and sense of limitless space,' says Australia.com.

The A8 at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

The A8 in Zimbabwe runs from the city of Bulawayo to Victoria Falls, which is on the border with Zambia

These extraordinary pictures show Zimbabwe's A8 road running alongside Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

The motorway runs from the city of Bulawayo to the famously breathtaking waterfall, which forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The Tibbitt to Contwoyto 'Ice' Road, Canada

This road in Canada, of which 85 per cent is over frozen lakes, must be rebuilt every year

The majority (around 85 per cent) of the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road runs over frozen lakes, according to its official website.

Stretching almost 250 miles (400km) from Tibbitt Lake to Contwoyto Lake, it was originally built to supply the Lupin Gold Mine.

The route must reach a minimum depth of 29 inches (74cm) of ice before vehicles can drive on it, and it is only open for a few months each year, between January and March.

Speed limits can vary from 6mph (10 kmph) to 37mph (60 kmph), the site explains.

'There are three maintenance camps located along the 400kms (248 miles) of the Winter Road,' it adds.

'With the majority of the Winter Road constructed over ice, the road must be rebuilt each year. Construction normally starts in mid-December with an expected opening date of February 1.'

Fford Pen Llech, Harlech, UK

This Welsh street, named Fford Pen Llech, was temporarily recognised as the world's steepest by the Guinness Book of Records - but later had the title taken away

This seemingly sleepy street in Wales became embroiled in a battle against New Zealand for the title of 'the world's steepest'.

The street in the town of Harlech, named Fford Pen Llech, was awarded the title by the Guinness Book of Records in 2019 when new measurements showed it had a gradient of 37 per cent.

This was two per cent steeper than the previous title holder - Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand - which had proudly held the title for 32 years up to that point.

But just months later, the title was reclaimed by Baldwin Street following the 'extensive review of an appeal' brought by representatives of the New Zealand address, Guinness World Records reveals.

It concluded that the best practice for determining the steepest street should measure from the centre-line of the street, and not the steepest section over a 10 metre (33ft) distance - which is how Wales had earned the title.

Panlong Ancient Road, West China

This recently built road in China contains a baffling series of hairpin bends

This recently built road in China contains so many bends - over 200 - that it has quickly become a tourist attraction.

Photos show a section of the Panlong Ancient Road with a baffling series of hairpin bends rising dramatically from a plateau into snowcapped mountains.

The 75km-long (46-mile) road was opened in July 2019 to provide a route through the Kunlun Mountains for local farmers and herdsmen, who refer to it as the Plateau Sky Road.

Its surreal design, which reaches an altitude of 4,200 metres (13,780ft) above sea level, has since been shared by Instagrammers, YouTubers and drone users.

Fredvang Bridges, Lofoten, Norway

These stunning images show the scenic Fv808 road in the Lofoten archipelago and one of the highlights of the route - the two 790ft-long Fredvang Bridges

The scenic Fv808 road runs through the Lofoten archipelago of northern Norway.

A highlight of the route, which is surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery, are the two 790ft- (240m) long Fredvang Bridges, which arch over the waters of the archipelago.

The Intrepid Guide website says: 'What makes the Fredvang Bridges so special is how they leap over the water and curve around to connect four islets, making for a pretty spectacular photo.'

Hardknott Pass - Lake District, UK

Hardknott Pass is filled with sharp hairpin turns while being merely the width of a bridleway. Image one is the view looking east, image two is the view looking west

Hardknott Pass in the UK's Lake District is filled with sharp hairpin turns while being merely the width of a bridleway, as these picture demonstrate.

This wild combination is likely what earns the single-track road its reputation as one of the most outrageous in the UK.

That and gradients of up to 33 per cent, making the 1.38-mile-long (2.2km) road one of the UK's steepest hill climbs.

Writing on Tripadvisor, 'Nichola H' called it 'hell on earth' while Jacqueline H said 'never to be repeated'.

Fairy Meadows Road, Pakistan

Fairy Meadows Road in Pakistan 'swirls up almost 8,000ft (2,438 metres) on its horrifying 10km path, Dangerousroads.org reveals

The nerve-wracking Fairy Meadows Road in Pakistan was previously named the second deadliest highway in the world by a World Health Organisation global report on road safety.

This was based on its 'treacherous high altitude' and 'unstable and narrow mountain roads', reported Pakistan Today.

The steep and bumpy passage starts high in the Himalayas and leads to the base of the Nanga Parbat Mountain, Dangerousroads.org reveals.

'[It] swirls up almost 8,000ft (2,438 metres) on its horrifying 10km (6.2-mile) path, which surely can be called "Road of Death",' the publication adds.

'One subtle mistake can lead you to a disastrous outcome... there are no barriers to prevent a vehicle from falling off the cliff to a fiery death.'

Furka Pass, Switzerland

This dreamy location was used as a filming location for the Bond movie Goldfinger

Above is a road with a licence to thrill - the legendary Furka Pass.

This dreamy location was used as the filming location for the James Bond movie Goldfinger, in a scene in which 007 is chased in his Aston Martin DB5 by vengeful Tilly Masterson in her Ford Mustang.

The 150-year-old road, which links the village of Obergoms with Andermatt, is described by ultimatedrives.net as 'deserving its spot in any top 10 European roads list'. The glacier visible on the left of the picture is the Rhone Glacier.

Guoliang Hang Wall Highway, China

Entirely built by village locals, this road in China is used by foot passengers as well as transport services

The Guoliang Hang Wall Highway is carved into the Taihang Mountains of China's Henan Province.

Entirely built by village locals, it is used by foot passengers as well as transport services linking the village of Guoliang with the outside world.

Forty years ago, things were very different, as we previously reported. Before 1972, the only access to and from the village was an almost vertical set of 720 mountain steps chiselled into the rock.

Laerdal Tunnel, Norway

The lengthy Laerdal Tunnel links the Aurland and Laerdal regions in Norway

These pictures show what is the longest tunnel in the world at 15.2 miles (24.5km) long.

The Laerdal Tunnel is located in Norway, linking the Aurland and Laerdal regions. It also provides a ferry-free connection between Oslo and Bergen, the tourist board reveals.

Death Road, Bolivia

Drivers on Yungas Road in Bolivia often find themselves 'well above cloud level'

Yungas Road in Bolivia was named the most dangerous in the world by British automotive company RAC.

Disconcertingly dubbed 'Death Road', the mountainous route connects the town of Coroico and the capital La Paz over a 43-mile (69km) stretch.

The road reaches heights of 4,650 metres (15,256ft) and drivers 'often find themselves navigating narrow gravel trails well above cloud level', the RAC reveals.

'If that wasnt bad enough, it also includes over 200 vertigo-inducing hairpin turns, some with sheer drops of 1,100 metres (3,608ft),' it says.

The RAC continues: 'The most significant incident on Yungas Road saw a bus veering into a canyon and killing 100 people, Bolivias worst road accident on record. Up until 1994, nearly 300 travellers died every year when using the road.'

Tiznit-Dakhla Highway, Morocco

The Tiznit-Dakhla Highway was built to help truckers with faster shipping routes to the city of Dakhla in Morocco

The Tiznit-Dakhla Highway stretches over 1,055km (655 miles), running from the town of Tiznit to the city of Dakhla in Morocco.

This striking desert highway was constructed as part of a project to boost economic development in southern regions of the country, and aims to help businesses and truckers with faster shipping routes to the city of Dakhla, Morocco World News reveals.

The Transamazonian Highway, Brazil

The Transamazonian Highway road network features several parts including a 3,400-mile (5,100km) road stretching east to west - an estimated 54-hour drive

These dusty orange roads of the Transamazonian Highway run through the largest rainforest in the world - the Amazon in Brazil.

Its paved and unpaved sections are designed to help settlement and exploitation of the 'vast underpopulated Amazon River Basin', Britannica reveals.

The road features several parts including a 3,400-mile (5,100km) road stretching east to west - an estimated 54-hour drive from Recife on the Atlantic Coast to Cruzeiro do Sul, on the border with Peru.

Cotahuasi Canyon Road, Peru

This road lies in Peru's Cotahuasi Canyon, which is described as a 'wild and remote place'

These awe-inspiring pictures show the road through the Cotahuasi Canyon in Peru, which is one of the deepest in the world.

It was first navigated by a Polish expedition in 1981 and has since been opened up to visits, Rough Guides reveals.

It adds: 'One of the worlds deepest canyons, along with nearby Colca and the Grand Canyon in the US, it is around 3,400m (11,155ft) deep and over 100km (62 miles) long.'

Dalton Highway Ice Road, Alaska

Dalton Highway in Alaska has been described as 'Americas last [remaining] wilderness'

Dalton Highway in Alaska is 'the loneliest road on Earth', Dangerousroads.org declares, saying: 'Alaska has some of the coldest roads in the planet but theres one more extreme than the rest - the Dalton Highway.'

It continues: 'If you can drive this road you can pretty much drive anything - a trip to Americas last [remaining] wilderness.'

Signed as 'Alaska Route 11', the road was originally built in 1974 as a supply route for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the publication explains.

'Despite its bleak, isolated and remote setting, it is often navigated by anything up to 150 trucks in summer and 250 trucks in the winter,' it adds.

Yellowstone National Park, USA

Bison appear to own the roads inside Yellowstone National Park, which is mostly in Wyoming

Bison appear to own the roads leading through Yellowstone National Park, which is mostly in Wyoming, and spreads into parts of Idaho and Montana.

There is no shortage of pictures showing the gigantic, furry mammals wandering onto the road and holding up traffic, sometimes butting heads - or horns - in the process.

According to the National Park Service, Yellowstone bison are 'exceptional' because they comprise the nation's largest population on public land with 'thousands of individuals that are allowed to roam relatively freely'.

Overseas Highway, Florida

Florida's Overseas Highway is currently the only way to reach Key West via land. Image two shows the famous Seven Mile Bridge

Florida's Overseas Highway connects the islands of Florida Keys by way of 42 bridges, including the famous Seven Mile Bridge. The 113-mile (181km) road takes around two and a half hours to drive from Ocean Blue Marina, at the tip of the mainland, to Key West, Florida's southernmost point.

In a review, 'Shawni_and_Buck', called it a 'beautiful, crazy drive', while 'SunshineFL221' said it's 'a must-see experience'.

Taroko Gorge Road, Taiwan

Taiwan's Taroko Gorge Road is 'full of blind curves, sharp turns, and narrow paths', Dangerousroads.org reveals

This image shows Taiwan's breathtaking Taroko Gorge Road, which stretches 73 miles (118km) from Xincheng Township on the east coast of the country to Ren'ai towards the west.

Dangerousroads.org says: 'The road through the gorge is full of blind curves, sharp turns, and narrow paths. Recently, a few more tunnels have been dug to make the road safer for vehicles and to leave the most amazing sights just for the tourists.'

Karakoram Highway, Pakistan

One Tripadvisor user described the Karakoram Highway as 'one of the wonders of the world'

The Karakoram Highway connects Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, with China.

Taking almost 20 years to complete, the road extends for about 500 miles (800km) through 'some of the most rugged and inaccessible terrain in Asia', Britannica says.

Writing on Tripadvisor, 'twincam14' - who said they cycled the route - described it as 'one of the wonders of the world'.
It's finally time to go on the holiday you have been saving up all year for, carefully budgeting for each day of your trip.

But panic ensues when you realise there's something you didn't factor into your spending money pot.

It's a hotly debated topic, with Americans more than used to paying large amounts extra in gratuities when they go out while some European countries don't tip at all.

So where do you need to tip? And how much? A global guide from Forbes Advisor breaks down the tipping etiquette for some of Brits' best loved holiday destinations.

Kevin Pratt, travel insurance expert at Forbes Advisor, said: 'Holidays should be enjoyable and relaxing, so worrying about tipping etiquette is to be avoided if at all possible.

A global guide from Forbes Advisor breaks down the tipping etiquette for some of Brits' best loved holiday destination

'No one wants to feel awkward at the end of a meal, say, because they don't know what is expected of them. That's where our guide to tipping comes into its own.'

The US is known for its tipping culture, in particular how much extra you're expected to pay on top of what you've ordered.

In restaurants, 20 per cent is the minimum gratuity you will give to servers - with many seeing that as stingy. This can be an unwelcome shock for tourists.

In bars, you're expected to add on $1 for each drink. So if you buy five drinks costing $7 each - you would pay the bartender $40.

And for taxis, a 15 per cent tip is standard.

The US is known for its tipping culture, in particular how much extra you're expected to pay on top of what you've ordered

In places such as Barcelona its customary to leave a 10 per cent tip for servers

Canada follows the US's lead, with the same expected amounts.

However in Europe, tipping culture is markedly different.

Spain

First up is Spain - where tipping is expected in tourist areas and large cities.

In places such as Barcelona its customary to leave a 10 per cent tip for servers, bartenders and taxi drivers. So if your taxi cost 10 euros, you would be expected to hand over 11.

And this amount is commonplace, with Italy and Greece both expecting the same percentage gratuity on top of your bar, restaurant or taxi bill.

United States

Tipping is very much the norm in the US, with the majority of employees in the service industry rely on gratuities to boost their paycheck. Tips of 20% are expected at restaurants, and visitors are expected to leave $1-2 per drink at a bar.

France

Italy and Greece will both be expecting the same percentage gratuity on top of your bar, restaurant or taxi bill

While its considered polite to leave a tip when youve received good service, its more of a gesture than a requirement. This is because a 15% service charge is automatically included in all cafes, bars, restaurants and hotels.

Italy

Tipping isnt mandatory, although its customary to leave a 10% tip for your server. Outside of restaurants, cafes and other eateries, drivers are typically tipped 10%, while tips for hotel staff range from 1 for luggage attendants to up to 20 for concierge services.

Greece

It is considered customary to tip in Greece so you should make sure to factor in tips when exchanging your money before you travel

Tipping in Greece is considered customary, if not expected, as a thank you gesture to your server. As a general rule, leaving a tip of 10% is considered good practice.

Kevin Pratt from Forbes said: 'There is a tip amount that is fairly common place, and that is paying 10 per cent on top of the cost of what you have ordered.

'In some instances, a tip can be added to the bill and paid with a by card, but it's worth remembering that cash is fluent in every language, so local currency is always an option and if you are unsure, leaving an extra 10% of your spending as a tip is an easy way to cover your bases.

'But the golden rules of carrying cash on holiday are: avoid carrying large amounts of currency on your person, use your hotel safe to keep cash and other valuables secure, and always take out travel insurance in case your money is lost or stolen.'

Ban Mahsoub, Head of Money Services at Tesco Bank said: 'Checking the tipping culture before your holiday can often be an overlooked detail. But not being aware of how much to tip can have consequences for travellers. Pick up a guidebook or have a look online at how much you should tip after activities such as eating out, getting coffee, or taking a taxi ride - as the percentages can differ depending on where you are.

'Make sure to factor in tips when exchanging your money before you travel, as cash is often preferred for this. My suggestion would be to check the average cost of a meal at your destination and add the local tipping percentage to give you an estimate. You can then include this amount when working out how much money to exchange for your trip.

'Tesco Bank Travel Money customers travelling to the USA or the Caribbean can prepare for the custom of tipping as soon as they arrive on their holiday by picking up one of our readymade tip packs when collecting their currency from a Tesco Bank travel money bureau. For more information ask your local Tesco Bank travel money bureau.'
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Derelict rail tracks, weathered wooden shacks, dusty roads and rusting pieces of machinery.

Chloride in Arizona has the makings of a ghost town, but it in fact stands as one of the oldest continually inhabited mining towns in the state.

Established in 1864, the silver-rich town was once home to around 50 mines and 2,000 residents but now the population stands at around 400 and the miners have long since left.

Despite its small size, the town boasts a few attractions which reel in visitors including a 16-room hotel, a steakhouse serving up punchy libations, an antique store, a defunct two-cell jail and Arizona's oldest continuously operating post office, which has been handling mail since 1862.

Chloride in Arizona has the makings of a ghost town, but it in fact stands as one of the oldest continually inhabited mining towns in the state

Established in 1864, the silver rich town was once home to around 50 mines and 2,000 residents but now the population stands at around 400 and the miners have long since left

Despite its small size, the town boasts a few attractions which reel in visitors including a 16-room hotel, a steakhouse serving up punchy libations, an antique store and a defunct two-cell jail

Chloride - which got its name from the silver chloride found in abundance throughout the local mountains - has more than 170 reviews on Tripadvisor, with the majority giving it an 'excellent' rating

One visitor warned that the town is located in Arizona, 'so in the summer, you may want to think about a visit before 10am or after 7pm. Or sit and have some great food at the restaurant!'

One of the homes in Chloride, crafted out of mud and sand from the surrounding area

Another draw for movie buffs is that Chloride once served as a set in the 1970 biker film The Rebel Rousers, which starred Jack Nicholson.

In the little-known movie, the motorbiking squad roll into Chloride where they hit local bar and have a wild party until the local sheriff drives them away.

For the locals, the some of the town's more functional facilities include a public library with book and movie rentals, an undertaker, a cemetery, a general store and a small fire station manned by volunteers.

While Chloride had six churches at one time, today there is just one still open for prayer.

The place of worship, located on Payroll Avenue, was started in 1891 as a Methodist-Episcopal church but it is now associated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

One of the most lively parts of town is Yesterday's, the steakhouse.

The eatery - which is attached to the Shep's Miners Inn - has a typical western restaurant feel, with historical artefacts on the walls, checkered tablecloths, worn wooden floorboards and regular live music sessions.

Menu items include a 'natural lamb chop' on at $23, a 'huge dinner salad' on at $11 and a 'bacon wrapped beef tenderloin filet' listed for $24.

Chloride got its name from the silver chloride found in abundance throughout the local mountains

One visitor said after their trip to Chloride: 'They have the old "ghost" town where on weekends, the locals do old time shoot outs and other old western things'

There is lots of old machinery scattered throughout the town, while one of the most lively parts of town is Yesterday's the steakhouse

In terms of construction materials, the buildings in Chloride have been fashioned out of a range of different things including bricks, wood, corrugated metal

Chloride - which got its name from the silver chloride found in abundance throughout the local mountains - has more than 170 reviews on Tripadvisor, with the majority giving it an 'excellent' rating

Summing up Chloride, one visitor said: 'A classic, eclectic tiny town with much to look at, from the stake-a-claim mining office to the undertaker shop... Interesting houses, trailers, signs and yard deco'

Another draw for movie buffs is that Chloride once served as a set in the 1970 biker film The Rebel Rousers, which starred Jack Nicholson

A photo showing some of the mines which used to operate around Chloride

Much of the town remain unchanged from its mining heyday, although the buildings are a little more weathered

On the drinks side of things, the diner has a spread of cocktails including the Chloride Pickler containing vodka, pickle juice and Sprite and the Shady Lady combining tequila, melon liqueur and grapefruit juice.

In terms of construction materials, the buildings in Chloride have been fashioned out of a range of different things including bricks, wood, and corrugated metal.

Some of the more rustic looking buildings were made using sand and mud from the local dry stream beds.

Chloride - which got its name from the silver chloride found in abundance throughout the local mountains - has more than 170 reviews on Tripadvisor, with the majority giving it an 'excellent' rating.

One visitor wrote: 'It's easy to get to off of Highway 93 not to far from Kingman.

'It's an actual town that has what looks to be a pretty neat little hotel and a super nice restaurant. They have the old "ghost" town where on weekends, the locals do old time shoot outs and other old western things.

'It's on old mining town and there are several places to hike. Now, just remember it is in Arizona, so in the summer, you may want to think about a visit before 10am or after 7pm. Or sit and have some great food at the restaurant!'

Another traveler commented: 'A classic, eclectic tiny town with much to look at, from the stake-a-claim mining office to the undertaker shop. We passed through the morning after a heavy night rain so the main street was covered in silt debris. Interesting houses, trailers, signs and yard deco.'

On the outskirts of the town, another highlight for many visitors are the Chloride Murals which were painted by the artist Roy Purcell in the late 1960s.

Purcell, who took a break from studying fine arts to labor as a miner, painted the 2000-square-foot set of murals with the support of local residents.
Scout Willis proudly showed off her armpit hair - and a fair amount of side boob - as she shopped at the upscale Erewhon market in Los Angeles this week.

The daughter of Demi Moore, 60, and Bruce Willis, 68, wore blue overalls and opted to go shirtless and braless.

The Bandits actress, 31, wore brown sandals with white socks and carried a brown crossbody bag.

She was captured walking back to her car with her boyfriend Jake Miller - who she is often spotted on dog walks with.

Her long, brown hair cascaded down her back to just above her buttocks and she accessorized with red earrings.

Scout Willis proudly showed off her armpit hair - and a fair amount of side boob - as she shopped at the upscale Erewhon market in Los Angeles this week

Scout has been dating Jake, who is a musician, for more than four years and they are often photographed spending time with one another in Los Angeles.

Scout LaRue Willis is the middle daughter of Bruce and Demi's three girls.

She was born in July 1991 in Sun Valley, Idaho.

She made appearances in her mom's 1995 film The Scarlett Letter and her dad's 1999 film Breakfast of Champions.

Scout and her family moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was a teenager and she went back east for college, graduating from the prestigious Brown University in 2013.

Scout is an aspiring musician who joined the duo Gus + Scout in 2012.

She went on to learn how to play the guitar and released her debut single Love Without Possession in 2021 and her second season Woman at Best in 2022.

Her debut album Wishlist came out in June 2022.

Scout's older sister Rumer Willis, 34, welcomed her first child - and Scout's first niece Louetta Isley Thomas Willis - with boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas, 28, in April.

And Scout was super excited to become an aunt telling E! News back in March: 'I'm desperately excited. Counting down the days.'

Longtime couple: She was captured walking back to her car with her boyfriend Jake Miller - who she is often spotted on dog walks with

Quirky: The daughter of Demi Moore , 60, and Bruce Willis , 68, wore blue overalls and opted to go shirtless and braless

She also revealed what she was most looking forward to doing with her new niece.

'Walking around Erewhon in Silver Lake,' she confessed, 'and pretending the baby's mine.'

And she will be keeping the baby warm as she took up knitting.

'I've already made a little hat,' she said. 'I did. I made a bonnet with bunny ears, that's very cute.'
As the head of JCB, Lord Bamford is no stranger to excavations.

So its ironic that the peers bid to build a Cotswolds hotel has been delayed by a dig of the archaeological kind.

And among the findings which may warrant further investigation are significant Roman ditches.

Its an unforeseen hitch to the plans Lord Bamford and Lady Carole  founder of the Daylesford Organic brand  have for a 38-bedroom hotel with restaurant and alehouse in Kingham, near Chipping Norton.

The hard-working Bamfords have been described as Britains best connected couple and have taken care with the eco-friendly project  which has been described as being focused on restoring the cultural heritage of the old Mill House Hotel, the proposed site.

Lord Bamford and Lady Carole  founder of the Daylesford Organic brand  have plans for a 38-bedroom hotel with restaurant and alehouse in Kingham, near Chipping Norton

Lady Carole founded the Daylesford Organic Farm shop in Gloucestershire

But a council archaeologist has called for development to be stalled after Roman and prehistoric remains were unearthed on the site, where a flour mill was recorded in the Domesday Book. Experts dug 11 trenches around the property and found a prehistoric flint, part of a medieval jar and fragments of hand-made iron nails, among other discoveries. Oxfordshire County Councils planning archaeologist, Victoria Green, recommended that if planning permission is granted, the Bamfords would need to be responsible for further archaeological investigations before construction began.

The couple also own nearby Daylesford House and its 1,500-acre estate, where Boris and Carrie Johnson held their wedding party last year.

For years, the Bamfords have been bounteous with their wealth and their good fortune. Daylesford Organic has five shops and a wellness spa.

West Oxfordshire District Council has yet to make a decision.
Elvis star Austin Butler may look as though hes off to rob a bank, but in fact hes just been on a night out with his girlfriend, model Kaia Gerber.

The pair were photographed leaving exclusive members club Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, Central London, on Friday night.

And while 31-year-old Austin donned an oversized hood, his 21-year-old partner, the daughter of model Cindy Crawford, opted for stylish shades  even though the sun had long gone down.

Perhaps it was to disguise tired eyes as the American couple, also below, have had a busy social week: on Wednesday they were seen in five-star Paris hangout Costes.

Its good the pair  who have been linked since December 2021  are making the most of their time together, as Kaia will soon be busy promoting her new film, Bottoms, a teen sex comedy due out next month.

Elvis star Austin Butler was well covered up when out for a night with his girlfriend Kaia Gerber when leaving the Chiltern Firehouse

And while 31-year-old Austin donned an oversized hood, his 21-year-old partner, the daughter of model Cindy Crawford, opted for stylish shades  even though the sun had long gone down

Strictly recycled

Im glad Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones is so eco-minded when it comes to her wardrobe, revealing that she rarely buys new stuff. And I am even more glad she makes one exception: Unless Im in need of new knickers!

As for the sparkly costumes the dancer wears on screen, she insists they are never just thrown away.

The outfits are recycled, upcycled, unpinned, pinned back together 5,000 times, trust me, she says before adding: They travel around the world to all the different Dancing With The Stars shows.

Just dont think of the air miles

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has finally been presented with a leaving present from her Cabinet  a designer bag worth up to 1,300. Tory MPs including James Cleverly and Therese Coffey had a whip-round to buy Truss, at No 10 for just 44 days, a handsome red Mulberry Bayswater.

Small consolation for losing her Red Box, perhaps?
He took his mum along to Wimbledon last week  and of course the occasion was documented on social media. But even though David Beckham has 80 million Instagram followers, he still lectures his children on the perils of chasing online attention.

Ive always told my children that its not a good thing that you get all these likes, he said. But it seems they havent taken Dads advice to heart: Cruz has 1.9 million Instagram followers, Romeo has 3.6 million and Brooklyn has 15.5 million. But Davids savvy mum Sandra keeps her account private, and has just 263.

Beckham, pictured with his mother Sandra, left, enjoyed an afternoon at the All England Club

Want to live like an aristocrat? Chef Gizzi Erskine, daughter of the late Baron Erskine of Rerrick, is renting out her liquorice allsorts home in Hackney, East London, on Airbnb for about 400 a night.

The quirky socialite, 43, is renting out the warehouse conversion while she attempts to sell it for 900,000.

Im honestly devastated to leave her Ive fought to keep her but now its time to move on, she writes about the pink and animal print-adorned property. So whos up for an Instagram-worthy staycay before its snapped up?

Want to live like an aristocrat? Chef Gizzi Erskine, daughter of the late Baron Erskine of Rerrick, is renting out her liquorice allsorts home in Hackney, East London, on Airbnb for about 400 a night

The quirky socialite, 43, is renting out the warehouse conversion while she attempts to sell it for 900,000.

Aristocratic model Delphi Primrose has swapped country estates for council estates in her latest magazine shoot.

The 19-year-old, who graced the cover of Tatler in 2021 while posing in the grounds of her familys seat, Dalmeny House near Edinburgh, has been shot by photographer Jan Malinowski in grittier settings for The Glass Magazine.

Delphi posed next to buses, car mechanics and on the steps of housing estates dressed in Louis Vuitton.

After viewing the photos, fellow aristocrat Martha Sitwell described her as a star in the gutter.

Delphi posed next to buses, car mechanics and on the steps of housing estates dressed in Louis Vuitton

Watch out! Rob Rinder has written a new novel  and its highly critical of the world of daytime telly.

In case youre wondering, Rob swears he wasnt inspired by the Phillip Schofield scandal: It was written before any of the recent palaver, he says. Rob, 45, who rose to fame on his legal show Judge Rinder, already has scathing opinions about the stars of the small screen.

Its a petri dish of egomania and narcissism, says the celeb barrister.
An Australian influencer stunned his fans on Saturday by revealing his bizarre theory about what happened to the passengers of the doomed OceanGate submersible.

Kurt Coleman, 25, posted a video to Instagram on Saturday claiming the sub's five passengers may still be alive, after it was declared their vessel imploded.

'There is a whole 'nother world down there that has never been discovered. A mermaid got them and fully just took them into their world,' he began.

'This could actually happen because no one has seen the rest of the world under there. I fully believe mermaids exist and they could be smarter than us.

'Sounds crazy but no one has discovered the ocean so it is crazy down there,' he added.

Australian influencer Kurt Coleman, 25, (pictured) stunned his fans on Saturday by revealing his bizarre theory about what happened to the passengers of the doomed OceanGate submersible

Many of Coleman's 100,000 followers quickly took to the comment section to express their thoughts on his unusual theory.

'This sounds like a way nicer alternative to be honest,' one fan wrote and another added: 'No one's discovered the ocean, it's true'.

Meanwhile, Coleman's theory ruffled the feathers of a few followers, with one sniping: 'I legit screamed OMG when I saw this video' while another questioned why those on board 'didn't just swim to the surface'.

However, the probability of Coleman's theory being true is extremely unlikely, as wreckage of the ill-fated Titan submersible has been recovered.

Kurt Coleman, 25, posted a video to Instagram in which he claims the OceanGate Titan's five passengers may still be alive, after it was declared the sub imploded. Pictured: OceanGate Titan submersible

It appears to have imploded on Sunday, June 18, several hours into its ocean voyage to explore the ruins of the Titanic.

All five passengers, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, were declared dead in the aftermath.

Coleman has developed a reputation for his controversial comments and back in 2022 he lashed out at an Australian pop culture Twitter account.

'There is a whole 'nother world down there that has never been discovered. A mermaid got them and fully just took them into their world,' Kurt told his fans

'This could actually happen because no one has seen the rest of the world under there. I fully believe mermaids exist and they could be smarter than us,' Coleman added

The Instagram favourite was outraged when the @AusCrave account described him as a 'former Gold Coast micro influencer'.

'Babe I started the whole entire [influencer] industry in Australia,' Coleman objected in an Instagram post.

In a lengthy caption accompanying the post, Kurt wrote, 'there was NO ONE known through social media for purely being themselves in Australia before me'.

Kurt rose to fame in 2016 on social media as a teenager thanks to his confident and racy social media posts.

The probability of Coleman's theory being true is extremely unlikely, as wreckage of the ill-fated Titan submersible has been recovered. All five passengers, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush (pictured) were declared dead in the aftermath

Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood both died in the Titan tragedy
The Bachelor's Matt Agnew has launched his own range of non-alcoholic beers.

The astrophysicist-turned-influencer, 37, has been open about own decision to go sober, and recently announced he was dipping his toe into the beverage market by launching a brand called Pash.

Matt launched the brand on his Instagram in June, saying it took about 18 months to create the product.

'I set out to create a beer that was bold and different. Something that everyone could embrace and enjoy,' he wrote.

'It a labour of love, it's my passion, it's my pash,' he said.

The Bachelor's Matt Agnew, 37, (pictured) has launched his own range of non-alcoholic beers, named Pash

He also hosted a VIP launch party in Melbourne for Pash, with a star-studded guest list including influencer Tee Smyth, Khanh Ong, and comedian Dilruk Jayasinha.

Matt said he enjoyed the 'mental clarity' of not drinking with the product going through many different 'iterations'.

Matt announced he started a sober journey two-years-ago, and reflected on his new lifestyle in March last year.

Matt launched the brand on his Instagram in June, saying it took about 18 months to create the product. 'I set out to create a beer that was bold and different. Something that everyone could embrace and enjoy,' he wrote

Posting a picture of himself smiling to Instagram, he wrote: 'I haven't spoken much publicly about the choice I made 2 years ago, but I was proud of myself for hitting this milestone and wanted to share.'

'Everyone has their reasons for choosing not to drink alcohol. For me, drinking was putting an ever increasing strain on my mental health. I've felt much better making the choice to avoid it altogether.'

He said he wanted to break the stigma around quitting booze.

Matt announced he started a sober journey two-years-ago, and reflected on his new lifestyle in March last year. Pictured with friend Khanh Ong in October 2022

'Alcohol is the only substance that people will ask why you *don't* do it,' he wrote.

'I think it's important to remind everyone that of course there's no problems in having a drink, but equally there's no problems in not having a drink either. Whatever the reason. Cheers to that.'

Matt rose to fame on The Bachelor back in 2019. He picked Chelsie McLeod but the couple soon split following the finale.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Stassi Schroeder was spotting looking comfortable and cute as she spent time with friends at LA's Griffith Park on Saturday.

The 35-year-old former Vanderpump Rules personality  whose 2-year-old daughter Hartford suffered breathing issues this week  showed off her maternity style in a black mini dress.

The Louisiana native put on a leggy display in the frock, which she layered under a light blue button-up shirt.

The shirt, which Schroeder kept unbuttoned, was the same length as her scoop-neck dress.

Looking chic in a pair of square-shaped glossy black sunglasses, the expectant mother rested her hand on her burgeoning bump.

Out and about: Stassi Schroeder was spotting looking comfortable and cute as she spent time with friends at LA's Griffith Park on Saturday

Her look: The 35-year-old former Vanderpump Rules personality showed off her maternity style in a black mini dress

Stassi, co-host of the podcast The Good The Bad The Baby, finished her look with gray and white Adidas Samba sneakers.

Her blonde-highlighted locks were arranged in a side part as they flowed freely over her chest.

The star, who is married to Beau Clark, carried her belongings in a beige leather purse she wore over her shoulder.

The outing comes just four days after Stassi and her husband rushed their daughter to the emergency room.

The couple brought the little girl daughter to the hospital around 6am on Monday after noticing her 'breathing very fast and hard.'

Clark used his Instagram platform to update fans as he shared a photo of Hartford's leg peeking out from underneath a blanket as she lay in a hospital bed.

'It's been a morning,' he wrote over the photo of their daughter cuddling up to Schroeder.

'Soooo last night she was breathing very fast and hard,' he began in an Instagram Stories post.

Stems: The Louisiana native put on a leggy display in the frock, which she layered under a light blue button-up shirt

Trio: The Clarks are a family-of-three as they await the birth of a baby boy

'Looked like when people start to turn, in those zombie movies,' he described to his 666,000 followers.

'Took her to ER around 6am,' he continued. 'She has some breathing issues - possibly high asthma, and lots of mucus in her lungs and a high fever.

'She's on her second "breathing face thing machine" with something that will open her lungs up more,' he added. 'Now we're just waiting, hoping this works the second time. Will update when we know more.'

At the end, he wrote: 'It's super scary seeing your kid like this.'

'Just got home,' he later wrote as an update to their fans. 'Six hours at the hospital.'

'She's improved slightly with her breathing, but it's still hard,' he noted.

'Her little belly breathing is what everyone was worried about,' he went on. 'So she's going to be on albuterol for the next two days with this breathing thing.'

'But we might have to go back tonight if she gets worse again,' he said before reassuring concerned fans that 'for now she's got an ice cream cone and is on the couch watching Frozen.'

Earlier this week: Saturday's outing comes just four days after Stassi and her husband rushed their daughter to the emergency room

Explanation: Beau explained what happened to fans as he wrote, 'Soooo last night she was breathing very fast and hard'

But by Saturday, all seemed to be well with the soon-to-be big sister.

Beau returned to social media to share a video clip of the little girl enjoying a fun house, seemingly at the park where Stassi was seen.

He wrote over the snippet of her gliding down a slide that Hartford was 'living her best life.'

The couple recently announced that their second child will be a boy.
Barry Keoghan has reportedly split up with his girlfriend of two-and-a-half Alyson Kierans.

The Banshees of Inisherin star, 30, and his girlfriend Alyson, 35, made their red carpet debut in October 2021 and have since welcomed a son, 11 months, together.

But the couple, who are private about their romance, have reportedly gone their separate ways, with sources describing the split as 'incredibly sad'.

They are still 'determined to do the best for their son' after they decided to break up following rows about late night partying, according to The Sun.

'They've grown apart over recent months and things have finally come to a head,' one source told the publication. 'As far as she's concerned, it's over.'

It's over: Barry Keoghan has reportedly split up with his girlfriend of two-and-a-half Alyson Kierans

MailOnline has contacted Barry's representatives for comment.

Irish actor Barry, who won a BAFTA for his supporting role in The Banshees of Inisherin, met dentist Alyson in a London bar back in February 2021.

The couple made their red carpet debut in October of that year and they put on a very loved-up display as they packed on the PDA while posing for snaps together.

They then confirmed they were expecting their first child together in June 2022 and welcomed their son Brando just two months later in August.

Speaking about the birth of his son, Barry told GQ Magazine in October 2022: 'It's indescribable. It's a love I've not felt before.'

When he scooped up his BAFTA earlier this year, Barry sweetly dedicated the award to his infant son Brando.

He gushed: 'Brando. I just want this for my son as well, Brando. For my mother and also for the kids that are dreaming to be something from the area that I came from. This is for yous.'

Before his romance with Alyson, Barry was in a long-term relationship with Shona Guerin.

Romance: The Banshees of Inisherin star, 30, and his girlfriend Alyson, 35, made their red carpet debut in October 2021 (pictured) and have since welcomed a son, 11 months, together

Break-up: But the couple, who are private about their romance, have reportedly now gone their separate ways, with sources describing the split as 'incredibly sad'

The former couple met on a night out in Shona's hometown of Killarney back in 2017, and were living together in Los Angeles before their split in 2020.

At the time, it was reported that the pair had parted ways after moving back to the UK while Barry was shooting for The Batman - which saw him play the Joker.

Barry landed his major film breakthrough came when he was cast as George Mills in the second world war film Dunkirk.

Since then, he has appeared in a string of high-profile films including Eternals, American Animals and the TV series Chernobyl.

Barry then rose to acclaim in The Banshees of Inisherin, which earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, while he was also nominated for an Oscar in the same category.

He will next appear on screen in Emerald Fennell's Saltburn, and he will also star in Trey Edward Shults' latest movie, also starring Jenna Ortega and The Weeknd.

Barry has secured himself huge success in the industry as he will also star in Andrea Arnold's new film Bird alongside Franz Rogowski, according to Deadline.

Exes: Before his romance with Alyson, Barry was in a long-term relationship with Shona Guerin (both pictured in July 2017), before they parted ways in 2020

Success: Barry then rose to acclaim in The Banshees of Inisherin, which earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, while he was also nominated for an Oscar

Doting father: When he scooped up his BAFTA earlier this year, Barry sweetly dedicated the award to his son Brando, now 11 months

Barry had to pull out of Sir Ridley Scott's hotly-anticipated Gladiator sequel to star in Bird due to scheduling conflicts.

He had been due to star as Emperor Geta in the new Gladiator movie but Fred Hechinger is now said to be in talks to replace him.

Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal are all set to appear in the sequel while Connie Nielsen and Sir Derek Jacobi are reprising their roles as Lucilla and Gracchus.

Russell Crowe has ruled out returning as the main Gladiator character Maximus Decimus Meridius in the new film, which slated for release in November 2024.
Sydney Sweeney continues to make statements when it comes fashion, and didn't disappoint sporting a classy ensemble in a photo shared onto Instagram by her stylist, Molly Dickson, on Friday.

The Euphoria actress, 25, who dazzled at the Giorgio Armani runway show during Paris Fashion Week, leaned against a plain wall to better showcase the all-black outfit she donned while in Mexico City to promote Armani's My Way fragrance.

The blonde beauty donned a black, bralette top that was held with thin straps that wrapped around her shoulders. A sparkling, detachable collar was wrapped around her neck for a flashy touch.

She also slipped into a pair of high-waisted, black trousers that gave a glimpse of her toned midriff. The star easily placed her hands into the pockets of the pants as she struck a quick pose for the camera.

Her voluminous locks were parted in the middle, and effortlessly flowed down past her shoulders in elegant waves.

Classy! Sydney Sweeney, 25, continues to make statements when it comes fashion, and didn't disappoint sporting a classy Armani ensemble in a photo shared onto Instagram by her stylist, Molly Dickson, on Friday

Sweeney kept her accessories minimalistic to allow the outfit to be the main focal point, and added a pair of dangly, silver earrings.

Her makeup was glammed up for the special Giorgio Armani event, and comprised of a thin strip of black liner as well as a layer of mascara to her lashes. A lighter, shimmering shadow was also added around her eyes.

A warm blush and highlighter was added to her cheekbones for a radiant glow, while a rosy pink, glossy tint was worn on her lips for a finishing touch.

Her stylist, who has worked for other celebrities such as Riverdale star Camila Mendes, penned in the caption of the stylish image, 'Sydney x Armani,' followed by a black heart emoji. 'While in Mexico City w @armanibeauty.'

The White Lotus star whisked herself away to visit Mexico City to celebrate the launch of Armani's fragrance, My Way. Sydney notably became the face of the perfume earlier this year in January.

While talking to Vogue at the time, the star admitted, 'It actually was a dream of my makeup artist, Melissa Hernandez, and me to work with Armani; since day one, we always said that was our dream.'

She also gushed about the fragrance and explained, 'I remember growing up and wanting to find that one scent that was "me," like if someone smelled it, they would think of Sydney. When I tried My Way I was like, "Holy moly!" This is actually me.'

In a statement, per WWD, Sweeney expressed, 'This brand values inner beauty and provides high-quality products to bring out everyones most authentic selves. My Way is a fresh fragrance that perfectly encapsulates so much of myself that I can share with others.'

Grateful: Earlier on Friday, Sydney took to her Instagram stories to share a photo of herself and her makeup artist standing in front of a photo from the campaign that they came across in the airport

Celebration: The White Lotus star whisked herself away to visit Mexico City to celebrate the launch of Armani's fragrance, My Way; seen earlier this month at the Armani Fall/Winter 2023/2024 show in Paris

Making memories: While spending a short stop in the city, the Reality actress had the chance to take a few touristy snaps, such as visiting the Louvre and also the Eiffel Tower

Having a blast: While posing with a happy group near the iconic structure, they all donned matching 'Paris' sweatshirts

Earlier on Friday, Sydney took to her Instagram stories to share a photo of herself and her makeup artist standing in front of a photo from the campaign that they came across in the airport.

In text added over the snap, the actress penned, '6 years ago @melissa.hernandez and i started working together and it was our dream since day 1 to work with @armanibeauty.'

'Seeing this at the airport was such an incredible moment that I'm so blessed to be able to spend with Mel. so much love to the entire Armani team. Dreams really do come true :),' she concluded.

The star then shared a photo series onto her main Instagram page which she captioned as, 'paris->mexico city in 48 hrs.'

The first snap was a close-up image as she donned the all-black outfit she wore to celebrate the My Way launch in Mexico City. She closed her eyes to better show the glammed up makeup for the special event.

Another image showed the beauty wearing a long-sleeved, chainmail dress that she had donned for the Giorgio Armani Prives Haute Couture Fall 2023/2024 show earlier this month on July 4 in Paris.

While spending a short stop in the city, the Reality actress had the chance to take a few touristy snaps, such as visiting the Louvre and also the Eiffel Tower. While posing with a happy group near the iconic structure, they all donned matching 'Paris' sweatshirts.

A photo that was taken behind Sydney showed the star throwing both her arms around the shoulders of two individuals as they stood in front of a fun attraction.

Friendly hug: A photo that was taken behind Sydney showed the star throwing both her arms around the shoulders of two individuals as they stood in front of a fun attraction

Exciting: She shared an additional snap that was taken at the airport as she threw one hand up into the air with campaign photos in the background

Enjoying life: One snap Sweeney also uploaded was of herself standing outside on a balcony wearing a dark navy cropped top and matching bottoms

Rest time: The Euphoria star included an image as she rested on a bed with both her stylist and makeup artist joining her for a quick nap

She shared an additional snap that was taken at the airport as she threw one hand up into the air with campaign photos in the background.

One snap Sweeney also uploaded was of herself standing outside on a balcony wearing a dark navy cropped top and matching bottoms. Sydney tilted her head up towards the sky and flashed a big smile while throwing her arms out.

The Euphoria star included an image as she rested on a bed with both her stylist and makeup artist joining her for a quick nap. Lastly, the blonde bombshell uploaded a clip as she strolled onto a stage to promote the My Way fragrance in Mexico City.

Along with celebrating being the new face of Armani Beauty, Sweeney also concluded filming the upcoming romantic comedy, Anyone But You, which also cast Glenn Powell. Speculation had arisen that the two had a romance, but both stars have yet to comment on the rumors.

The premise of the film follows, 'Two college arch-nemeses reunite years after graduation for a destination wedding and pretend to be lovers for their own personal reasons,' per IMDB.

Aside from Sydney and Glenn taking on leading roles in the project, other cast members include Dermot Mulroney, Daren Barnet, Michelle Hurd, and also Alexandra Shipp.

During an interview with Variety in May, Sydney gushed about starring in the upcoming film and working alongside her leading co-star, Glenn Powell.

'It was so much fun, honestly. We laughed every single day and the cast and the crew were just a bunch of really great people, and we all got along,' she stated.

Keeping busy: Along with celebrating being the new face of Armani Beauty, Sweeney also concluded filming the upcoming romantic comedy titled, Anyone But You, which also cast Glenn Powell

Recent vacation: The beauty recently enjoyed a luxurious trip to Ibiza with a group of pals as well as her fiance, Jonathan Davino

'It felt like summer camp. It was a great breather from everything else Ive done. That was the first time Ive done something like that. So I definitely enjoyed it. And I might look for some more,' the actress continued.

With the project still in its post-production stages, a set release date has yet to be announced but is slated to premiere later this year in December.

She is also slated to appear in Marvel's Madame Web, which is set to release in February 2024, and also stars Dakota Johnson, Emma Roberts, Isabela Merced, as well as Celeste O'Connor and Adam Scott.

The beauty recently enjoyed a luxurious trip to Ibiza with a group of pals as well as her fiance, Jonathan Davino.
Former MasterChef Australia judge Gary Mehigan has set the record straight about the shock exit from the show over three years ago.

The English-born chef, 56, left MasterChef show alongside fellow judges Matt Preston and George Calombaris in 2019, with Channel Ten claiming the network 'couldn't meet their demands for a pay rise'.

However Mehigan has now claimed the departure was presented to the public in a way that didn't accurately reflect what went on behind the scenes.

'I promised myself early on that once I felt that it wasn't my thing, that it was time to move on,' he said during a recent press conference in India, where he was filming a National Geographic show.

'The way we parted from Channel 10 was a little bit different. Ten decided to take the narrative and make it about the 'greedy judges'. But it wasn't.'

Former MasterChef Australia judge Gary Mehigan, 56, (pictured) has set the record straight about the shock exit from the show over three years ago

Elsewhere, Mehigan revealed why he hasn't been a fan of MasterChef since his departure.

'[Contestants are] too professional for my liking. The first season for me is special because it was unexpected. I think the level of home cooks seemed genuine,' he said.

Mehigan, Calombaris and Preston appeared on the show from season one in 2009 until the end of season 11 in 2019.

Mehigan has now claimed the departure was presented to the public in a way that didn't accurately reflect what went on behind the scenes. 'Ten decided to take the narrative and make it about the 'greedy judges'. But it wasn't'

MasterChef Australia's original judging panel Mehigan (left) George Calombaris (right) and Matt Preston (centre) appeared on the show from season one in 2009 until the end of season 11 in 2019

They were replaced by judges Melissa Leong, Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo, who took over judging duties as a trio until Jock's shock death on April 30.

Daily Mail Australia reached out to Channel 10 for comment.

Channel 10 is said to be on the hunt for a new judge to replace Zonfrillo, who tragically died in Melbourne, aged 46, on what was supposed to be the premiere of the latest season.
Cillian Murphy revealed his upcoming film, Oppenheimer, will feature extended nudity scenes.

In an interview with The Guardian published on Saturday, the 47-year-old actor revealed that there would be 'prolonged full nudity' scenes with his co-star, Florence Pugh, 27  who bared it all under a daring sheer dress during Paris Fashion Week.

The Peaky Blinders alum said he couldn't give much away about the general plot points about Christopher Nolan's new movie due to 'strict restriction'.

However, he did disclose that there would also be 'pretty heavy' scenes with Emily Blunt  who plays his wife in the movie.

Previously, he told also Wired that the romantic aspect of the film 'is as strong as I've ever done'.

Big reveal: Cillian Murphy revealed his upcoming film, Oppenheimer, will feature extended nudity scenes

Baring scenes: In an interview with The Guardian published on Saturday, the 47-year-old actor revealed that there would be 'prolonged full nudity' scenes with his co-star, Florence Pugh , 27  who bared it all under a daring sheer dress during Paris Fashion Week

Suggesting that he and his co-stars have an electrifying on-screen connection, he also mentioned to The Guardian that he and his costars had to perform chemistry tests.

'They put two actors in a room to see if there's any spark and have all the producers and director at a table watching,' he explained.

'I don't know what metric they use, and it seems so outrageously silly, but sometimes you get a chemistry and nobody knows why,' he continued.

He also spoke about how he previously co-starred in A Quiet Place II with Blunt and their subsequent established connection made their scenes more magical.

'You can be immediately vulnerable and open, and try stuff,' he said. 'There were moments where I remember saying, "I couldn't have done that if it wasn't with you".'

In the film, Murphy plays the leading character of J. Robert Oppenheimer, portraying the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory responsible for the creation of the first atomic bomb in the Manhattan project.

Blunt stars opposite him portraying his wife  biologist and botanist Katherine 'Kitty' Oppenheimer.

Meanwhile, Pugh plays his ex-fiancee  a psychiatrist named Jean Tatlock.

Heavy scenes: The Peaky Blinders alum said he couldn't give much away about the general plot points about Christopher Nolan's new movie due to 'strict restriction'. However, he did disclose that there would also be 'pretty heavy' scenes with Emily Blunt  who plays his wife in the movie

On-screen chemistry: Suggesting that he and his costars have an electrifying on-screen connection, he also mentioned to The Guardian that he and his costars had to perform chemistry tests

Coming soon: In the film, Murphy plays the leading character of J. Robert Oppenheimer, portraying the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory responsible for the creation of the first atomic bomb in the Manhattan project. Oppenheimer will receive a theatrical release on the same day as the Barbie premiere on July 21

Matt Damon also stars in the film as the director of the Manhattan Project General named Leslie Groves Jr.

The star-studded cast also includes Robert Downey Jr., Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh.

The cast also includes Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Dylan Arnold (Halloween franchise), David Krumholtz (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises).

Oppenheimer will receive a theatrical release on the same day as the Barbie premiere on July 21.
Narelda Jacobs has shared concerns that Naidoc Week celebrations could potentially be too tokenistic.

The Indigenous journalist, 47, who recently came under fire for accepting a King's honour after vocally demanding an apology from the Royal Family when the Queen died, spoke out on Instagram on Friday.

Narelda ran through a number of her interviews on Ten, before touching on the concept of 'cultural load' with an interviewee.

'We touch on cultural load. You don't realise you're carrying such a load until you start talking about it,' Narelda said, pensively.

'How many battles have you had to fight to make sure Naidoc Week events are culturally safe? And done with sensitivity. When it was organised with the mentality of "insert Aboriginal here",' she asked.

Narelda Jacobs (pictured) has shared concerns that Naidoc Week celebrations could potentially be too tokenistic

Narelda then showed footage of herself at a Carriageworks event, featuring literary star, Kirli Saunders.

'Last night I filled my spiritual cup by going to Carriageworks last night to support Kirli Saunders. All the mob were there. It was really beautiful to see everyone.'

She finished by saying Naidoc Week was for the elders.

'One last push. Today and tomorrow. One last push everyone. Let's get through it together and do it for our elders,' she added.

'How many battles have you had to fight to make sure Naidoc Week events are culturally safe? And done with sensitivity. When it was organised with the mentality of "insert Aboriginal here"' she asked. Pictured

It comes just weeks after Narelda came under fire for accepting a King's Birthday honour, after criticising the monarchy.

The Ten star used Queen Elizabeth II's death in September last year to call on the next British head of state to apologise for Australian colonisation.

'There was a great wrong that was done,' Jacobs said at the time. 'Australia was settled without the consent of First Nations people that were here.'

Last month, however, the Whadjuk woman was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for 'service to the media, and to the community' in the King's Birthday Honour's List.

Narelda interviewed Sydney lawyer, Teela Reid (pictured)

Narelda then showed footage of herself at a Carriageworks event, featuring literary star, Kirli Saunders, and a number of other friends (all pictured)

Jacobs addressed her decision to accept the award during an episode of The Point - Referendum Road Trip on NITV.

She said while most media coverage of her receiving the honour had been 'lovely write-ups of congratulations' she had also been subjected to 'vile' comments on social media.

'The trolls really came out in force today and there was a lot of hate and a lot of people were saying about me being a hypocrite for accepting the award,' she said.

Jacobs then turned to fellow panelist, Teela Reid, an Indigenous lawyer and Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman.

Narelda recently hit back at trolls who labelled her a hypocrite for accepting a King's Birthday honour while fiercely opposing the monarchy. She is pictured at the 2022 Logies

'Teela, why is it so triggering?' the presenter asked. 'Why do people feel the need to spread hate and to try and tear you down when something good happens to you?'

Among the posts on Twitter was this comment: 'Narelda Jacobs can spin it how she likes. In my opinion she is a hypocrite'.

Another wrote: 'Just wondering how Narelda Jacobs can accept hers after all her talk of colonisation and how we shouldn't mourn the Queen etc. Amazing hypocrisy after all her vitriol'.

One Twitter user wrote of the Studio 10 host: 'Narelda Jacobs is a hypocrite. Excepting the Medal of the Order of Australia but forever bagging the system which makes her able to earn a decent crust'

A third said: 'Narelda Jacobs is a hypocrite. Excepting the Medal of the Order of Australia but forever bagging the system which makes her able to earn a decent crust.'

Jacobs sparked heated online debate when she said Aboriginal Australians should not be criticised for refusing to mourn the death of the Queen.

Her comments on The Project came three days after Britain's longest-reigning monarch died and included demanding an 'acknowledgement or apology' for colonisation from Britain.

Jacobs had also re-posted an Instagram story from the Mamamia website which read: 'I am an Aboriginal woman. Don't ask me to mourn the Queen's death.'
Disney Channel alum Skai Jackson was mercilessly mocked online this week for demanding that fans send her $5 in order to enter a raffle.

The lucky winner of the sweepstakes, who will be announced on Monday or Tuesday, will evidently be awarded a MacBook.

Skai, 21, who shot to fame on the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie, openly confessed on TikTok: 'Me personally, I do not need money.'

She clarified that the $5 payments to enter the raffle will go 'towards the prize, and then like I said, if there's anything left over, I'm doing a second giveaway soon.'

However she still found herself receiving a torrent of ridicule on Twitter, where one waggish user vamped: 'the disney money has ran out.'

Whoops: Disney Channel alum Skai Jackson was mercilessly mocked online this week for demanding that fans send her $5 in order to enter a raffle where the winner gets a MacBook

Child actress: Skai, 21, who shot to fame on the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie (pictured), openly confessed on TikTok: 'Me personally, I do not need money'

Skai has been acting in a variety of Disney projects since 2011, including not only Jessie but its spin-off series Bunk'd.

She has also lent her voice to short films and specials for Marvel Rising, an animated franchise of Marvel content that appears on Disney+.

Two years ago she appeared on the Halloween special Muppets Haunted Mansion, based on the world-famous Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland.

In her TikTok update about the raffle, Skai defended her latest sweepstakes, insisting: 'It is not that serious for a damn $5. It is called a raffle.'

The Sheroes actress went on: 'I dont know if you guys have been to school before, but I know Ive been to school and we used to have raffles all the time, where a ticket might  but its a physical ticket.'

She added: 'You might get five, you put in $5, $2, whatever, and you get a prize. Like, people do raffles all the time.'

As more questions poured in, she declared: 'Yes, the money goes towards the prize, and then like I said, if theres anything left over, Im doing a second giveaway soon.'

Skai shared: 'So thats what its going towards. I do not need money. Me personally, I do not need money,' she said with a bit of a chuckle.

'I am very fine in my life': Skai, 21, who shot to fame on the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie, openly confessed on TikTok: 'Me personally, I do not need money'

Nowadays: Skai, who has acted in a variety of Disney products, is pictured last month attending the BET Award Media House at Quixote Studios West Hollywood

Goofing around: However she still found herself receiving a torrent of ridicule on Twitter, where one waggish user vamped: 'the disney money has ran out'

'And Im not saying this like Im a  in a bragging way or anything like that, or in a mean way. Im just letting you guys know, I do not personally need money. Like I am very fine in my life. I dont need, I dont need money,' she maintained.

Twitter users duly began making fun of her, with one quipping: 'skai Jackson be the main ones telling ppl "Im booked & busy" but is begging ppl to do $5 raffles to win a "MacBook"? guess that Disney check finally ran out.'

'Skai Jackson is on TikTok live telling children to send her $5 to her cashapp for a chance to win a MacBook,' wrote another. 'She claims she doesnt need the money, so then why is she charging for entry? This not weird to yall?'

The sentiment was shared by still another social media commentator who opined: 'she should do the raffle for free if she claims she doesnt need the money.'
Robyn Lawley has recalled the moment she stopped having a crush on Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Australian model, 33, told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday that she was a big fan of the Titanic actor up until a few years ago.

'My celebrity crush growing up was Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic,' she said.

'I got to meet him at a party in LA when I was 27 and stared at him like a weirdo!' she admitted.

'After that, I wasn't attracted to him. It had the opposite effect.'

Model Robyn Lawley (pictured) has revealed why meeting Leonardo DiCaprio at a party in Los Angeles left her disappointed

Robyn's star-studded confessions comes after she discussed the importance of inclusivity at runway shows, sharing her thoughts to social media.

'I've always viewed the necessary need for diversity on runways! As a teenage girl I starved myself for years to walk down a stupid ideal of someone else's!' she wrote.

'I should of just accepted health over their desires. But they should of also made clothes larger than size six or zero.

'Glad to see change happening.'

'I got to meet him at a party in LA when I was 27 and stared at him like a weirdo!' she admitted. 'After that, I wasn't attracted to him. It had the opposite effect.' Pictured: 2020

Robyn's star-studded confessions comes after she discussed the importance of inclusivity at runway shows, sharing her thoughts to social media

Robyn was catapulted into the spotlight in 2006 after appearing in teen magazine, Dolly.

Signed to a modelling agency at 18, she decided to switch to 'plus size' modelling, which increased her workload and appeal.

In 2011, the beauty went on to become the first ever 'plus-size' model in Vogue Australia's 52-year-history, to feature in the magazine's editorial fashion spread.

Robyn then forged an international modelling career, featuring on the cover of Vogue Italia, Elle France and GQ Australia
Abbie Chatfield enjoyed the sunshine on Sunday.

The radio and television personality showed off her figure as she stepped out for a stroll in Sydney's Bronte with her rescue dog, Wally.

The 28-year-old flaunted her physique in a black bikini top and tiny black shorts as she held her dog's leash.

She completed her look with a blue cap and a pair of comfortable black sneakers.

Abbie appeared to go makeup free, pulling her hair off her face as she soaked up the winter sun.

Abbie Chatfield showed off her figure in a black bikini top and tiny shorts as she took her dog for a walk in Bronte. Abbie is pictured centre

The sighting comes after Abbie urged others to follow in her footsteps by going back to their natural locks after she returned to her natural brunette hair colour last year.

In a post on Threads, the 28-year-old wrote, 'Here's a hot fkn tip: If you're thinking of going back to your natural hair colour, this is your sign.'

She continued, 'I went from fighting my natural hair colour with foils for years to now realising that maybe my hair is a mousy brown because it SUITS ME THE BEST????'

The former blonde told her fans to 'give it a go', before touring the benefits of being a natural beauty.

The 28-year-old flaunted her physique in a black bikini top and tiny black shorts as she held her dog's leash

'I'm saving so much money and time and my hair has never been healthier,' she gushed.

Fans have praised Abbie's natural look, with one writing, 'The brown on your slays so hard!'

Another exclaimed, 'I'm the same mousy colour as you and I've never received more compliments.'
Dame Emma Thompson appeared to be having the time of her life as she joined her husband Greg Wise at British Summertime in Hyde Park for the Bruce Springsteen show.

The actress, 64, showcased her eclectic mix of animated dance moves as she belted out to some of the 73-year old rocker's best hits.

Dame Emma merrily threw her hands in the air and twisted from side to side before clapping along with the audience to his impressive 29-song set.

She sported a casual figure for the afternoon, wearing a half buttoned white flowy shirt and chic multi coloured headband.

She wore her white locks loose, which became slightly dishevelled as she worked up a sweat with her energetic moves.

Good vibes: Dame Emma Thompson appeared to be having the time of her life as she joined her husband Greg Wise at British Summertime in Hyde Park for the Bruce Springsteen show

Dancing queen: The actress showcased her eclectic mix of animated dance moves as she belted out to some of the rocker's best hits

Dame Emma seemed in good spirits as she wrapped her arms around her Strictly star husband, 57.

The couple, who have been married for 20 years, could be seen laughing and chatting as they joined a host of other a-listers on a private VIP balcony.

Dancing beside them, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Leslie Mann and Tim Robbins appeared to be having the time of their lives.

This is not the first time Dame Emma has garnered attention for her impressive dance moves.

In November 2021, she went viral after being spotted pulling some particularly energetic dance moves as Adele wowed a crowd of friends, fans, and celebrities with her An Audience With Adele concert at the London Palladium.

Dame Emma threw her hands in the air and shook her hips before instructing the rest of the audience to get on their feet as Adele sang Rolling In The Deep.

Fans quickly flooded to Twitter to show their appreciation for her lively display.

'Emma Thompson is having the night of her life,' wrote one viewer, while another added: 'Emma Thompson [is] being Adele's hype woman tonight.'

Passionate: Dame Emma merrily threw her hands in the air and twisted from side to side before clapping along with the audience to his impressive 29-song set

Happy: She sported a casual figure for the afternoon, wearing a half buttoned white flowy shirt and chic multi coloured headband

Party girl: She wore her white locks loose, which became slightly dishevelled as she worked up a sweat with her energetic moves

Star-studded: Dancing beside them, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Leslie Mann and Tim Robbins appeared to be having the time of their lives

Grooving: Dame Emma certainly didn't hold back as she showed off a host of energetic moves

A third said: 'Protect Emma Thompson at all costs,' while another advised: 'Live your life like Emma Thompson at #AnAudienceWithAdele.'

Another viewer observed: 'You can tell Emma Thompson has had her fair share of raves back in the day.'

Springsteen took to the stage at British Summertime in Hyde Park on Saturday as he played his second, and final night.

Ahead of his performance the rocker was mobbed by fans outside his hotel as they scrambled to catch a glimpse of him.

The New Jersey rocker was joined by his famous E Street Band, along with support acts James Bay, The Coronas, Kingfisher and First Time Flyers.

His energetic three-hour set has been lauded by fans and critics as an 'unrelenting rock spectacular' following his first gig on Thursday.

Just hours before, crowds lined the streets by Claridge's in London as Bruce departed the Mayfair establishment and made his way to the festival.

Bruce could be seen as he hopped into a waiting car, shielding his eyes with a pair of black sunglasses.

He wore a white shirt underneath a navy blue jacket before changing into a black shirt and jeans for his performance at BST.

On Thursday, the musician rolled back the years with an impressive 29-song set in front of a star-studded audience, that included big names Stella McCartney, Kate Hudson and Jon Bon Jovi.

In her own world: Emma didn't have a care in the world as she threw her arms in the air

Rhythm: She could be seen clicking along and clapping to the music

Funny: Onlookers seemed delighted by Emma's own performance

Date night: Emma seemed in good spirits as she wrapped her arms around her Strictly star husband, 57

Chic: She showed off her festival-inspired look for the day

Belter: She certainly seemed the most enthusiastic Springsteen fan among those around her

Letting loose: Emma had to re-arrange her locks after working up a sweat

Happy days: She seemed overjoyed to be there

Intimate: The couple, who have been married for 20 years, could be seen laughing and chatting as they joined a host of other a-listers on a private VIP balcony

Rock and roll: Springsteen took to the stage at British Summertime in Hyde Park on Saturday as he played his second and final night

Bruce kicked off his set alongside his famous E Street Band with an energetic rendition of No Surrender, before moving onto Ghosts, Prove It All Night and Letter To You.

The New Jersey rocker showed no signs of slowing down as he delivered a medley of his biggest hits for the huge crowd, along with support acts The Chicks, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, The Coronas, STONE, Picture Parlour, First Time Flyers, Theo Lawrence and Attawalpa.

Later in the show, Bruce reflected on the 'greatest adventure of his life' when he joined his first band in the mid-60s with George Theiss, who hired the teenage guitarist into the Castiles.

He went onto recall being at Theiss' bedside 50 years later when he died of cancer, telling the crowd: 'I realised his passing would leave me the last living member of that first small band of guys who got together in that little house.

'Death is like you're standing on the railroads tracks with an oncoming train bearing down upon you, but it brings a certain clarity of thought and a purpose and a meaning'

Bruce continued: 'Death's final and lasting gift to all of us is an expanded vision of this life, of how important it is to seize the day whenever you can.'

He went onto dedicate Last Man Standing to his late bandmate, saying: 'George passed away and shortly after I wrote this song and it's just about the passions you follow as kids, not knowing where they're going to lead you and how at 15 its all hellos and later on there's a lot more hard goodbyes.

Loving it: This is not the first time Emma has garnered attention for her impressive dance moves and in November 2021 went viral after being spotted pulling some particularly energetic dance moves at An Audience With Adele concert at the London Palladium

Outshone: Adele wowed a crowd of friends, fans, and celebrities with her vocal talents but Twitter hailed Emma the breakout star of the evening as she busted a move to the ballads

'So be good to yourself and the ones that you love and to this world that we live in.'

Bruce also took a moment to poke fun at being cut off early during his last BST set in 2012, which was cut short after he and guest Paul McCartney ran over curfew.

After launching into an encore that included Born In The USA and Born To Run, he delivered a rendition of Glory Days, before turning to his guitarist Steven van Zandt and telling him: 'It's time to go home. I'm telling you they are going to pull the f***ing plug again!'

Van Zandt replied, in jest: 'F*** 'em!' before Bruce launched into another medley of hits Dancing in the Dark and Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.

In 2012, Bruce was headling the Hard Rock Calling event with Paul, organisers decided to pull the plug in the interests of public safety.

Organisers Live Nation said in a statement at the time: 'The curfew is laid down by the authorities in the interest of the public's health and safety.

'Road closures around Hard Park are put in place at specific times to make sure everyone can exit the area safely.'
The cast for Binge's The Real Housewives of Sydney reboot has been leaked as the new season begins filming.

Photos published by The Daily Telegraph showed Sally Obermeder, Krissy Marsh, Terry Biviano, Kate Adams, Nicole Gazal O'Neil and Caroline Evans boarding a flight to Tokyo, Japan on Sunday.

The Housewives are believed to be staying at the ANA InterContinental, a luxury 5-star hotel in the heart of the city.

Lifestyle consultant Victoria Montano is also rumoured to be joining the cast but she skipped the girl's trip because she's already on holidays in Saint Tropez.

Binge has remained tight-lipped about the show and is yet to confirm the new cast.

The Real Housewives of Sydney cast has been 'leaked' as stars are spotted boarding a flight to Tokyo as filming for season two begins. Pictured Terry Biviano

Binge's executive director Alison Hubert-Burns told The Daily Telegraph in a statement last month: 'We are thrilled to be bringing The Real Housewives of Sydney series to Binge viewers.'

'The Real Housewives franchise is wildly popular across the globe, and we felt a cosmopolitan city like Sydney needed again to have a brand-new local version.

'We have a great team of creative forces driving the fresh series and with our production partner Matchbox Pictures, part of Universal International Studios, who first introduced fans to The Real Housewives franchise, we can't wait to introduce Australians to the new group of Sydney housewives, in this reimagined series.'

Photos published by The Daily Telegraph showed Sally Obermeder (right), Krissy Marsh (left), Terry Biviano, Kate Adams, Nicole Gazal O'Neil and Caroline Evans boarding a flight to Tokyo, Japan on Sunday

Rumours circulated at the end of last year that RHOS was getting a reboot with only two of the original cast members signing on.

As reported in October, producers could only convince property developer Krissy March and beauty queen Nicole Gazal to return, leaving several empty spaces.

PR queen Roxy Jacenko was a strong contender to take part in the series, but shut down the speculation in an interview with Daily Mail Australia.
The actor who played Neil the baby in Gavin and Stacey has revealed he has 'big plans' to spend his BBC pay when he is old enough.

Oscar Hartland, now 14, from Machen, Caerphilly, played the part of Smithy (James Corden) and Nessa's (Ruth Jones) son in the much-loved series.

Although he may not have had any lines due to his age at the time, he was still paid accordingly for his work.

He even returned to play Neil in the 2019 Christmas special aged 10 but has since turned his attentions to music.

Now the frontman of band Redwood City, the actor, who is currently a contestant on The Voice Kids, admitted he wants to spend his salary on his music career.

Back in the day: The Neil The Baby actor who starred in Gavin and Stacey has revealed he has 'big plans' to spend his BBC pay when he is old enough

Now: Oscar Hartland, now 14, from Machen, Caerphilly, played the part of Smithy (James Corden) and Nessa's (Ruth Jones) son in the much-loved series

Speaking to The Metro, he explained: 'If I could crack the safe open then I'd buy a recording studio,' he explained.

However, his mother Kirsty, interjected, 'You may have to record a few more episodes to afford that.'

Meanwhile, the actor and musician has made it clear that he would certainly be up for reprising his old Gavin and Stacey role in the future for more episodes.

Oscar confirmed: 'I think it would be cool. If they wanted me to do it I would do it.'

'[People] are also always asking me if there's going to be another Gavin and Stacey too, but I don't know.'

The youngster is currently competing on The Voice Kids.

His first audition impressed the judges and led to Pixie Lott, Danny Jones and Ronan Keating turning their chairs around  which indicates they wanted Oscar on their team for the shows upcoming rounds. He chose McFly star Danny as his mentor.

Speaking ahead of his audition, Oscar told The Sun: 'It was weird being on the studio stage without the band, but I thought I'd just do what I do with the boys and hopefully get a result out of it.

Back: Although he may not have had any lines due to his age at the time, he was still paid accordingly for his work and even returned to play Neil in the 2019 Christmas special aged 10

Plans: Now the frontman of band Redwood City, the actor, who is currently a contestant on The Voice Kids, admitted he wants to spend his salary on his music career

Blast from the past: The actor and musician has also made it clear that he would certainly be up for reprising his old Gavin and Stacey role in the future for more episodes

'I went into it wanting Danny to turn, or Ronan. But it was really something.'

Reflecting on his acting past, Oscar also shared: 'I grew up knowing I was Neil The Baby, but it was after the Christmas special (when he was 10) that my life literally turned around.

'I went from a kid that was in a show when he was a baby to a kid in a TV  even going into the supermarket was mad.'

Last month, Oscar posted about the show on his Instagram as he shared snaps on stage.

He penned in the caption: 'Soooooo its happening. So chuffed to be apart of the @thevoicekidsuk 2023. It was an absolute blast to film. Cant wait to show you guys what I've been up to the last few months!'

In 2019 Oscar revealed that he gave up a family holiday in Florida to film the Christmas special a decade on.

Oscar first played Neil the baby, in the third series of the cult BBC show in 2009 before appearing in the 2019 Christmas special.

He has grown into a music and drama star and jumped at the offer to play the role once again, despite its July filming clashing with his family holiday.

The star said: 'I would rather film. I didn't feel I missed out at all. I missed them but I didn't feel like I missed out.'

Oscar played the part of Neil during a few scenes between episodes two and five of series three, alongside several other babies.

Sweet: The youngster is currently competing on The Voice Kids (pictured alongside his band)

Exciting: His first audition impressed the judges and led to Pixie Lott, Danny Jones and Ronan Keating turning their chairs around  which indicates they wanted Oscar on their team for the shows upcoming rounds. He chose McFly star Danny as his mentor

Cute: Smithy actor James is pictured holding Oscar as a baby when they were filming Gavin and Stacey

Kind: Oscar has previously said he formed his tightest bond with his on-screen mother Nessa (pictured with the whole cast)

Oscar played the baby - full name Neil Noel Edmunds Smith - and was described as 'absolutely fantastic' by James Corden.

And he was delighted to get a shout for the audition - but did not know which part.

He said: 'Because it is Christmas time they gave me a caroling scene to do.

'So I had to knock on the door and act really not bothered about it. My mum knew about half an hour after the audition, but I didn't know until a couple of weeks later.

'I thought I was playing that small part, but then my mum said I was playing Neil. Oh my god. I couldn't contain myself.

'It's so cool. There are no words I can use to describe how cool it is to be on set with everyone. Meeting everyone was the best part and working with them was just as good.'

'It was unbelievable thinking I would meet Rob Brydon, Joanna Page, James Corden, Matthew Horne - it's so cool.'

But Oscar said he formed his tightest bond with his on-screen mother Nessa.

He performed the majority of his scenes with Ruth Jones and found he performed naturally in her company.

'It's really believable that we are a family,' Oscar said. 'You could tell. Everyone was laughing. Joanna Page was laughing about it.'

Oscar and his family watched the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special at home with a big party to celebrate.

'Hopefully I get another job,' Oscar said. 'I would love to do more work or filming. My favourite movie is Star Wars and if I was in Star Wars - that would be top.'
This Morning bosses have confirmed Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary will continue to host the show together next week despite their 'strained relationship'.

The Mail on Sunday first reported on the duo's difficulties with some executives on the under-fire ITV programme, following the Phillip Schofield scandal, worried the two may have to start hosting episodes apart.

But Alison, 48, and Dermot 50, who usually front This Morning on Fridays and school holidays will now cover Holly Willoughby's summer break beginning on Monday.

In a statement to MailOnline show bosses said: 'Alison and Dermot will be hosting together all of next week as, from Monday, Holly will be on a usual and planned break over the summer'.

It comes after sources revealed that Alison was no longer as close as she was to Holly. With the pair being tipped to be the main presenting duo when the programme begins its new season in September.

Confirmation: This Morning bosses have confirmed Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary will continue to host the show together next week despite their 'strained relationship'

Drama: The Mail on Sunday first reported on the duo's difficulty with some executives on the under-fire ITV programme, following the Phillip Schofield scandal , worried the two may have to start hosting episodes apart

One insider on the show said: 'Alison and Dermot got off to a tricky start, they had very different levels of experience and came from totally different places but they then did start to rub along quite nicely'.

'Recently though things have become strained and it is worrying the bosses, they fear that this couple they put together which they had hoped would carry the show through the tough times it is enduring may have to present apart a bit more.

'As for Holly and Alison, they were as thick as thieves. Alison even invited Holly to stay at her house recently, something which Holly then shared with the This Morning viewers, which surprised Alison.'

Dermot a seasoned presenter with more than two decades of experience, has been anchoring the show with Ms Willoughby in recent weeks.

Holly, 42, and Alison are also of concern to the chiefs. The two had grown close in recent months and Ms Willoughby had been hoping she would be able to have the former Big Brother host as her sidekick.

But this newspaper has been told that Ms Hammond views herself as a star in her own right after being poached to host the popular Channel 4 show The Great British Bake Off.

Meanwhile, bosses are said to be 'thrilled' with how popular Craig Doyle, 52, the former presenter of the BBC's Holiday programme, has become with female viewers after spending a little over a year as a stand-in host, mostly alongside Josie Gibson.

He has been paired with Ms Willoughby several times since Schofield left the programme and This Morning fans have been enjoying their chemistry hugely.

Back with a bang: But Alison, 48, and Dermot 50, who usually host This Morning on Fridays and school holidays will now cover Holly Willoughby's usual summer break beginning on Monday

Awkward: It comes after sources revealed that Alison was no longer as close as she was to Holly . With the pair being tipped to be the main presenting duo when the programme begins its new season in September (pictured together in March)

Happy as Larry: ITV bosses are said to be 'thrilled' with how popular Craig Doyle, 52, the former presenter of the BBC's Holiday programme, has become with female viewers after spending a little over a year as a stand-in host, mostly alongside Josie Gibson (pictured together on June 26)

One source on This Morning said: 'Craig had been out in the wilderness for some time and recently he has made the most fantastic comeback.

'Holly loves him and so do the viewers. Watch this space.'

The Mail on Sunday first told of tensions behind the scenes at This Morning in April which were likely to see the end of Schofield's 21-year reign as host.

He was ousted from the show a month later and latterly revealed he had lied about having a relationship with a much younger This Morning runner and lying about it to this newspaper.

An ITV spokesperson said: 'Alison, Dermot and Holly are all valued members of the This Morning family and all enjoy working together on the show, as well as having friendships outside of the show.'
Rami Malek held hands with mystery blonde as he left his hotel to head to a Bruce Springsteen concert in Hyde Park on Saturday - where he was also seen getting cosy with Emma Corrin.

The actor, 42, looked cosy with the woman as they left from the back of his hotel together to get into a waiting car.

It comes amid reports the Oscar winner has split from his longtime girlfriend and Bohemian Rhapsody co-star Lucy Boynton.

Rami cut a casual figure for the outing in a white hoodie and jeans which he layered over a blue waterproof jacket.

He also attempted to keep a low profile in dark shades as he stepped out hand in hand with the lady.

Rami Malek held hands with mystery blonde as he left his hotel to head to a Bruce Springsteen concert in Hyde Park on Saturday

Close: It was at that same concert where he was also seen getting cosy with Emma Corrin (pictured)

She looked stylish in a black dress, chunky boots and wore an across the body bag for the outing.

Rami's reps have been contacted by MailOnline for comment.

At the same concert Rami was spotted looking very close with The Crown star Emma.

Rami joined the Netflix star, 27, who identifies as non-binary, and pals as they cosied up together in their seats to enjoy the show with Rami seemingly placing his hand on Emma's knee.

Slipping his feet into trainers the Mr Robot star, who was last spotted with Lucy at the BAFTA's in February, kept a low profile behind his shades as he made his way through the crowd.

Meanwhile Emma, who is best known for their portrayal of Princess Diana in The Crown, cut a chic figure in a black vest which they teamed with a pair of white distressed jeans.

They completed the look with a pair of dark shades and donned a pair of comfy Adidas sneakers.

Emma sported a short cut blonde and minimal make-up as they accessorised with a simple gold chain.

Holding hands: Rami cut a casual figure for the outing in a white hoodie and jeans which he layered over a blue waterproof jacket

Out and about: He also attempted to keep a low profile in dark shades as he stepped out hand in hand with the lady

Ensemble: She looked stylish in a black dress, chunky boots and wore an across the body bag for the outing

Night out: At the same concert Rami was spotted looking very close with The Crown star Emma

Parted ways? According to Life & Style rumours Rami and Lucy had split began when the actor was snapped looking very cosy with his No Time To Die co-star Lea Seydoux, 38

Lucy and Rami: The couple confirmed their romance in 2018 after starring together in the 2017 Freddie Mercury biopic

Not happy: Fiercely private Lucy told The Cut in 2019: 'I had an interview recently where I was asked such crude and candid questions about my relationship, It kind of forced me to pull way back [from the public eye]'

The pair appeared at ease in each others company as they leaned in together and chatted intently.

MailOnline have contacted Emma, Rami and Lucy's reps for comment.

According to Life & Style rumours Rami and Lucy had split began when the actor was snapped looking very cosy with his No Time To Die co-star Lea Seydoux, 38.

The couple confirmed their romance in 2018 after starring together in the 2017 Freddie Mercury biopic.

Fiercely private Lucy told The Cut in 2019: 'I had an interview recently where I was asked such crude and candid questions about my relationship, It kind of forced me to pull way back [from the public eye].'

Life: Emma who has dated men and women, was previously linked to set designer Ibby Njoy, before publicly coming out as queer in 2021

Open: She told Vogue: 'My first date with a girl, they were like, "Oh! You're a baby queer!'" It was amazing. We actually didn't end up seeing each other again, but she really gave me the lowdown'

Candid: In the interview she described herself as 'fluid' and said admitted was attracted to a person rather than their gender saying: 'I like people'

Stepping out together: Rami and the mystery lady held hands with each other on the way to the car

Chilled: Rami wore a casual ensemble

Shades: He donned dark sunglasses for the gig

Car: They were picked up by a driver to head to the concert in London

Rumours: It comes amid reports Rami has split from his longtime girlfriend and Bohemian Rhapsody co-star Lucy Boynton (pictured together in 2020)

Incognito: He also wore his white hood up as he got into the car

Emma who has dated men and women, was previously linked to set designer Ibby Njoy, before publicly coming out as queer in 2021.

She told Vogue: 'My first date with a girl, they were like, "Oh! You're a baby queer!'" It was amazing. We actually didn't end up seeing each other again, but she really gave me the lowdown'.

Going on to tell the publication: "I'm working out all this complex gender and sexuality stuff'.

In the interview she described herself as 'fluid' and said admitted was attracted to a person rather than their gender saying: 'I like people'.
Netflix have reportedly cancelled a controversial survival reality show after just one season in an unexpected move.

The streaming giant will not renew the survival-based series as it wasn't a hit with its intended younger audience, Deadline reports.

Snowflake Mountain took a group of spoilt young people and dropped them in the wilderness of the Lake District with no home comforts.

Guided by survivalists Matt Tate and Joel Graves, the group had a chance to win a $50,000 prize.

Netflix has canceled the show before a second season could start, the website claimed.

Over: Netflix have reportedly cancelled a controversial survival reality show after just one season in an unexpected move

Decision: The streaming giant will not renew the survival-based reality show as it wasn't a hit with its intended younger audience, Deadline reports

Season one premiered last year and was made by Naked, the Fremantle-owned production company.

Fremantle also owns Too Hot to Handle producers Talkback and Thames.

The streaming platform has been contacted by MailOnline for comment.

On the show 'clueless kidadults,' who refuse to do chores or hold down jobs, were forced to go without running water and Wi-Fi at the back-to-basics camp while competing for the cash prize.

According to Netflix's own description of the show at the time, the group would be met with a 'rude awakening' during the show, which aimed to help them realize just how 'pampered their lives have been so far'.

The cast included a self-confessed 'Disney Princess,' a wannabe influencer, and an outspoken vegan who loved to look at herself in the mirror.

There were plenty of tears as the pampered crew struggled to become one with nature and stand on their own two feet.

Last June one contestant from the controversial reality show said everyone should go through the experience - despite it being so gruelling.

Idea: Snowflake Mountain took a group of spoilt young people and dropped them in the wilderness of the Lake District with no home comforts

Experts: Guided by survivalists Matt Tate and Joel Graves, the group had a chance to win a $50,000 prize

Not coming back: Netflix has canceled the show before a second season could start, the website claimed

Rae Hume, 25, from Kent, and Liam Brown, 21, from Warwickshire, appeared on This Morning to discuss their time on the Netflix programme.

They discussed how they applied for the show thinking it would be similar to Geordie Shore, and perhaps set in a villa, but their families knew the pampered contestants would be facing a tougher challenge.

However, instead they were dumped in the wilds of the Lake District, and had most of their luggage blown up, left with just a small bag of essentials, and given a series of tough tasks.

But despite this, Rae, who has admitted she was a 'snowflake' who lived at home with her mother Jane, who did all her cooking and washing and lent her money to put petrol in her car, said she 'loved every second'.

The 25-year-old, who has reportedly tried numerous jobs, but has yet to find her passion, said the show to This Morning hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary that the show offered the opportunity for some soul searching.

She added: 'It was just one of those things I wish everyone could get the opportunity to go on, because we actually did such honest searching.

'We thought we were going to a party Island, going to a villa, and we turned up, and we had to face reality instead of escaping it.'

Chipping in about his experience on the show, fellow contestant Liam Brown, 21 , the only other Brit on the show, added: 'So I think we applied for what we thought would be a bit more like Geordie Shore-style party.'

He was given a form to fill out - which he admitted he had never done before - to share his guardian's details. But unbeknownst to him, his close family already knew what he was in for.

In fact, all of the show's ten 20-somethings contestants were involved because their own parents consider them 'snowflakes'  work-shy, over-sensitive, lacking in discipline, overly-dependent on their parents, unable to find the sink to wash a plate, never mind look after themselves.

And this was something Liam later discovered, laughingly telling the programme: '[The show makers] had actually like organised it with [his guardian] behind the scenes, and it turns out that she agreed to sign me up to this horrific experience.'

He added: 'When we first got there, we were all traumatised. You know, you look at yourself [thinking] 'why am I here?'.

'And then you have a breakdown. It's like a midlife crisis. And you realise why you're there and then you just get on with it.'

During the segment, the hosts also spoke to Matt Tate, a military survival expert who guided the participants through their challenges.

He told Alison and Dermot that the programme was an 'interesting' experience, and while it had been tough to initially get the participants motivated, it ended well.

Speaking about Rae and Liam, he said: 'From the beginning they were really strong characters.'

He added that Rae is very positive and Liam has a great sense of humour.

'So they brought a lot of energy to the camp that was good,' Matt said.

Speaking about what made the pair 'snowflakes' before the experience, he said: 'Their outlook on life...their lack of willingness to go out and do things on their own.'

Liam added that the show had helped him to stand on his own two feet, saying: 'I very heavily rely on like my parents or my Nana...And now [on the show] you've got no WiFi, no phones.

'You've only got yourself to like fall back on. You've got no one you don't know the people that you're with.

'So when something goes wrong, you've only got yourself and I think that was the most important lesson that had to learn when something went wrong.'

The unpleasant surprises started very soon after the contestants arrived in the Lake District, when they were told to take a few essentials out of their suitcases.

Their suitcases were then loaded onto a trailer and unceremoniously blown to pieces.

Despite the tears and objections, the ten 20-somethings would have to spend the next three weeks wearing only the clothes they had in their 'essentials' bags, and they would be camping in the wilderness, in the Lake District, for the duration, deprived of their mobile phones.

They were also deprived of running water, shops and wifi.

Due to its tough nature, the highly controversial show has been accused of trolling an entire generation.

However, it has simultaneously been praised for finally standing up to snowflake nonsense.

The show featured two military survival experts, Matt Tate, as well as Joel Graves, who taught the contestants basic life skills.

It soon became clear how ill-equipped the 20-somethings were to look after themselves.

'They honestly had questions about how to clean the dishes,' says Joel, who is ex-U.S. Navy and saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Speaking about the programme before her appearance on This Morning, Rae has admitted to this.

She said: 'I hold my hand up to it. I didn't do adult life very well. I wanted to be Peter Pan. And I'm not very good at applying myself, so I've flitted from job to job.

'I've never saved any money, despite my parents trying to make me. And I didn't think I would ever move out of my mum and dad's house. They still did everything for me  out of love, obviously.

'I'm dyslexic, and a bit all over the place organisation wise, so my mum would micromanage me. When I wanted to lose weight, I went to Slimming World and my mum would come, too, to write the recipes down for me.

Tough: On the show 'clueless kidadults,' who refuse to do chores or hold down jobs, were forced to go without running water and Wi-Fi at the back-to-basics camp while competing for the cash prize

Line up: The cast included a self-confessed 'Disney Princess,' a wannabe influencer, and an outspoken vegan who loved to look at herself in the mirror

Challenge: There were plenty of tears as the pampered crew struggled to become one with nature and stand on their own two feet

'I'd never really been away from them for longer than a week before. The biggest shock was that they took our phones away. We didn't have running water either, but it was the no phones that was the shock.'

Opening up about how she felt when she realised what the show was really about, she said: 'I was speechless when I found out. I managed to laugh, but some of the others were in floods of tears.

'I was expecting a villa with a swimming pool and maybe a hot tub. Instead I got handed an axe and they wanted me to chop down a tree.'

Snowflake Mountain season one is available to watch on Netflix now.
Sofia Vergara dropped two sizzling snaps from her Italian vacation in celebration of obtaining 30 million Instagram followers.

The Modern Family alum, 50, wowed in a neon green one piece swimsuit as she posed on a balcony overlooking the ocean.

'30,000,000 followers!! Thank u to u all! Thank u for always being there for me! Thank u for always supporting me in everything I do!! Besos from Italy,' she captioned the Instagram post.

The America's Got Talent judge's long, honey-highlighted hair was loose and cascaded down her torso.

Sofia's Italian vacation comes as fans slammed the two-week hiatus of AGT.

Sending temperatures soaring! Sofia Vergara rewarded her 30 million Instagram followers by posting two sizzling snaps of herself in a neon green, one piece swimsuit while on vacation in Italy

The official Twitter account for the AGT made the hiatus announcement on June 28, writing: 'We're signing off, but mark your calendars! #AGT returns in TWO weeks,' alongside a gif of judge Howie Mandel.

Howie, 67, retweeted the post and added: 'See you on July 11th #AGT,' but some viewers were unimpressed and rushed to social media to share their disappointment.

Sofia's bathing suit snaps come the day after the Colombian beauty put on a very busty display in a bright yellow sundress while she jetted through the sea on a boat.

The beautiful bombshell turns 51-years-old on July 10.

The long dress featured a plunging neckline with spaghetti straps and a high, daring slit up the skirt.

Her hair was windblown and she accessorized with chic sunglasses and a large, tan wicker YSL bag that retails for more than $2,000.

She slipped her feet into a pair of strappy beige sandals.

The Hot Pursuit actress also wore bright white bangles on her wrist and bejeweled earrings.

Curves ahead: The Modern Family alum , 50, posed on a balcony with the sea visible behind her with various boats anchored just off the shore

Sunny dress: Sofia's bathing suit snaps come the day after the Colombian beauty put on a very busty display in a bright yellow sundress

On a boat: She while she jetted through the sea on a boat ahead of her 51st birthday on July 10

Sexy: The long dress featured a plunging neckline with spaghetti straps and a high, daring slit up the skirt

Last month, Sofia and her True Blood actor husband Joe Manganiello, 46, listed their seven-bedroom, 11-bathroom home for the second time in a year.

The couple put their Italian-inspired Beverly Hills mansion on the market for a little less than $18m - $2m less than the nearly $20M price tag the couple had listed their home at less than a year earlier, according to Dirt.

The mom of one purchased the house in 2014 for $10.6m before she tied the knot with Manganiello in 2015.

The sprawling 11,000 square foot mansion comes with a 10-seat movie theater, full size gym with sauna and 3,000 bottle wine cellar.
One of the biggest stars in the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins has reportedly quit after less than an hour of filming.

John Barrowman walked out of the Channel 4 series after just 30 minutes on the first day of filming, according to reports.

While the Torchwood star, 56, is not the only celebrity to throw in the towel on the gruelling show, his reported exit would make him the fastest quitter in the series' history.

Speaking to The Sun, a source said: 'Theyd all got kitted up in their uniforms and had started filming in New Zealand when he chose to walk out.

'It is an incredibly mentally and physically challenging television show and the task they were facing was difficult. Most of the stars were shocked when after 30 minutes John said he did not want to take part any longer.

Walked out: One of the biggest stars in the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins has reportedly quit after less than an hour of filming (Rudy Reyes, Billy Billingham, Jason Fox and Chris Oliver)

Early exit: John Barrowman walked out of the Channel 4 series after just 30 minutes on the first day of filming, according to reports

'He left pretty much then and there. It was all a bit strange and naturally, the producers who make the show werent best impressed to see one of their biggest stars turning on their heel and quitting before an hour was up.'

They add that John is thought to have returned to the hotel where the stars quarantined, before going back to the UK.

John had been filming in New Zealand allegedly alongside stars such as Love Island alumni Ovie Soko, TOWIE star Pete Wicks, Geordie Shore's Marnie Simpson and gymnast Ellie Downie.

The show will see the celebs physically and mentally put to the test by instructors Billy Billingham, Jason Fox, Rudy Reyes, and Chris Oliver.

It was due to be John's big TV comeback after ITV sacked him from Dancing On Ice in 2021.

John issued an apology after responding to historical claims of 'inappropriate behaviour' on the set of BBC drama Torchwood.

John - who was replaced by Oti Mabuse on the skating show - insisted the controversy surrounding his past antics was 'exaggerated' as he gave his first interview since being sacked.

Speaking in an interview with Lorraine in November 2021, 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.

Comeback: It was due to be John's big TV comeback after historical claims of 'inappropriate behaviour' on the set of BBC drama Torchwood caused him to be dropped from Dancing On Ice

Defence: John insisted the controversy surrounding his past antics was 'exaggerated' as he gave his first interview since being sacked on Lorraine in November 2021

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.'
Diamond mining giant De Beers has signed a 10-year sales pact and a 25-year new lease agreement with Botswana that will have natural rough supply coming through the pipeline for the next 30 years.

In the sales agreement, De Beers increased the shares of Botswana to 50 per cent. It was 30 per cent at the beginning which later increased to 40 per cent.

Last week, at the end of June, we agreed in principle a 10-year sales agreement and a 25-year new lease agreement for the assets commencing 2029, with the Botswana government, De Beers Executive Vice President Paul Rowley told PTI.

The new mining licence, new lease agreement with Desbwana for 25 years secures natural rough supply coming through the pipeline for the next 30 years, he added.

Debswana is a mining company, which is an equal partnership between the Republic of Botswana (GRB) and the De Beers Group of companies.

On the sale agreement, Rowley said, From 25-30 per cent in the first year of signing, we went for about 40 per cent and then we moved to 50 per cent for 10 years with Debswana production.

The company is also exploring other sites in Botswana and in countries like Angola, Canada and South Africa for mining opportunities, he said.

We are looking both in Botswana, South Africa and Angola, Canada. Most recently we have reentered into Angola, which I think is pretty much recognised as one of the diamond producing countries and for diamond exploration at this moment, he added.
SRM Institute of Science and Technology is all set to get a 5G Laboratory and students could devise solutions for various problems affecting the world through their innovative ideas, AshwiniVaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Communications, and Information and Technology, said on Saturday.

Delivering his address at the 19th Convocation of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, the Minister said todays youth were entering a world full of exciting opportunities. He said venture capitalists, the Central Government encouraging a Startup culture and ecosystem, and institutions like SRM were creating opportunities for young people.

Stating that 5G services were launched in India in October last year, the Minister said there was overwhelming growth in its application and use. India had overtaken several countries where 5G services were launched earlier. In USA, there were only 1 lakh 5G radiating ports, while the number was 2.75 lakh in India, making the country, the 2nd largest 5G ecosystem in the world.
Anil Agarwal-led Volcan Investments has decided to rejig semiconductor business segment by bringing it under subsidiary Twin Star Technologies Limited, the group firm Vedanta said on Friday.

Under the new structure, Twin Star Technologies (TSTL), which is a sister concern of Vedanta Ltd, will become its subsidiary and Vedantas semiconductor and display business will be brought under TSTL.

The acquisition will be effected by way of a share transfer at face value of Twin Star Technologies Limiteds (TSTL) Semiconductor and Display SPVs. TSTL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volcan Investments Limited, the ultimate holding company of Vedanta Limited, Vedanta said in a statement.

With this restructuring, Vedanta Limited announced the addition of semiconductors and display glass manufacturing ventures to its diversified portfolio.

Vedanta is committed to making India self-reliant in electronics. This is the beginning of the creation of a Silicon Valley in India, a cutting edge and world class electronics ecosystem. My dream is for every Indian youth to have an affordable smartphone, laptop and an electric vehicle, Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said.

Vedanta said that semiconductor and display glass manufacturing represents a large growth opportunity for India.

It said that the semiconductor market stood at USD 24 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach USD 80 billion by 2026.

The display panel market is estimated to be worth USD 7 billion and is expected to grow to USD 15 billion by 2025. Currently, India imports 100 per cent of these requirements, the statement said.

We believe that semiconductors and display fab are at the core of any electronics ecosystem. This will also spawn the creation of multiple ancillary industries and opportunities in both downstream and upstream, creating jobs and will be a GDP multiplier, Vedantas semiconductor and display business global MD Akasrh Hebbar said.

The company said that made-in-India semiconductors and display glass will facilitate affordable electronics  smartphones, laptops, televisions, and electric vehicles for all Indians.

The company had earlier announced that the plant will be set up with an investment of around Rs 1.5 lakh crore and start making revenue by 2027.

I believe that India can become the next semiconductor hub for the world. It has all the ingredients for success, Vedantas Semiconductor Business CEO David Reed said.

Vedanta has its presence in the LCD glass substrate business through its subsidiary Avanstrate Inc.
Planting more trees under Compensatory Afforestation may replace the greenery but the exercise will not recreate the lost ecosystems

On the face of it, Compensatory Afforestation (CA) is a well-meaning policy that aims at saving the lush forests of India while enabling economic development. The CA law promulgated in 2016 mandates that every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land. Additionally, in line with the polluter pays principle, the entity responsible for such land diversion is also liable to contribute funds for establishing the compensatory forest fund. But of late CA has attracted negative attention in India mainly due to its lacklustre contribution towards achieving its goals.

The inherent flaw in CA makes it presume that cutting down an old-growth area that has created an ecosystem of its own can be compensated by planting young saplings elsewhere. Old-growth forests are complex ecosystems that mature without external interference, providing a home to rare and unique biodiversity while storing substantial amounts of carbon. Once felled, these trees release vast amounts of carbon back into the atmosphere. As compensation, usually, non-native trees that might not be suitable for the region are planted in their stead. The new plantation cannot compensate for the loss of carbon stocks and other ecosystem services in any realistic timeframe and are hazardous to the existing ecosystem.

In the last three years, the Niti Aayog proposed measures to promote competitive spirit amongst the UTs to expedite the process of development. As a part of this, ecologically sensitive regions were identified for projects involving forest land use change.

One such proposal was the `72,000 crore Great Nicobar Project which proposed a land use change of 166.10 sq km involving the felling of 8.5 lac trees. The project adversely impacted an area 78% of which is a pristine tropical forest with unique, endangered wildlife species. The project has already resulted in the denotification of Galathea Bay wildlife sanctuary and a part of a tribal reserve that directly threatened the survival of the indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese communities. The timely intervention of the National Green Tribunal thankfully resulted in a stay on the project.

The forests of the future depend a lot on how Compensatory Afforestation is implemented today. As part of its international climate change commitments, India has promised to increase its forest and tree cover to ensure that it can absorb an additional amount of 2.5 billion to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. Forests are under stress due to the need for rapid industrial and infrastructure development, and accompanying urbanisation. In the last 10 years, more than 1,611 square km of forest land, a little more than the area of Delhi, has been cleared for infrastructure or industrial projects. Nearly a third of this  529 sq km  has been cleared in the last three years.

According to T.V. Ramachandra, associate faculty, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, dense forest areas in northern, central and southern Western Ghats have decreased by 2.84%, 4.38% and 5.77% respectively over the last decade. Currently, up to 25,000 hectares of forests250 sq. km, or more than twice Chandigarhs areaare handed over every year for non-forestry activities.

This state of affairs can be remedied to an extent by planting more trees under CA, but a mere afforestation effort may replace trees but not recreate the lost ecosystems. This is the glaring deficiency at the heart of the CA concept that needs to be addressed quickly before more damage is inflicted on the environment in the garb of CA. Another issue plaguing the CA in India is the chronic misuse of funds. Despite the establishment of a dedicated fund for Compensatory Afforestation, it has failed to achieve its intended goals. The funds are not being used for the designated purposes and land is left without any afforestation.

The government must also revisit the system under which CA is conducted. Continuous evaluation and monitoring are a must during afforestation drives as so much can go wrong. For example, the survival rate of saplings is often extremely variable in new plantations, but all that is recorded are the number of saplings planted. Monitoring year on year is the key. It is never a 100 per cent success the way it is made out to be in official data. Compensatory afforestation as it exists now is inadequate for offsetting the loss of natural forests ecosystems and biodiversity. A working definition of forest is needed to accurately measure the success of the CA policy and to ensure that replanted forests are of suitable quality. Without this, the policy is likely to be nothing more than a whitewash, with little or no benefit to the environment and ecosystems will continue to be a casualty.

(The writer is a policy analyst)
To assume that the fault resides only on one side of the warring factions in ongoing conflicts is completely partisan, convenient and dangerous

As the Manipur tensions linger, news of violence from France posits a similar conundrum and lessons. Globally, local societies are predicated on tense arrangement amongst its diversities which can suddenly flare up with deep-rooted and subliminal perceptions, whenever a trigger disrupts and re-ignites the status quo of that arrangement, in the tinderbox.Consequential societal dissonance and polarisation are invaluable to three elements i.e., amoral politicians who seek to sharpen their polarising agendas with the selective blame game, secondly, the loyal partisan cadres (social media savvy but distant from the place of actual tension) who connect the unrelated dots to contextualise the situation towards even more polarisation, and lastly, the opportunistic rioters who simply take situational advantage to loot and plunder.

It happened in Manipur, and now it is happening in France.Truth is never black-or-white but cherry-picking of facts by all three participating elements ensures that the situation rarely heals. Those in primary position to thaw the situation i.e., politicians or leadership of conflicting groups, do not do so for fear of losing their legitimacy in the eyes of their constituents  instead, optics of make-believe bravado, irreconcilability and inflammatory allusions tend to strengthen their hold. Therefore, nuance is the first and foremost casualty.In Manipur, it was the single-bench order that fractured the existing arrangement amongst the restive groups, and soon the situation exploded. There were equal merits of arguments on both sides of the conflicting parties, except the politicians and their loyal cadres fronted only those faultlines that built their case and chose to ignore the other parties grievances. Soon the worst happened, and the local narrative evolved that the dispensation of the day was batting for one side of the divide. This is a dangerous evolution as it even taints the actions of apolitical and unbiased Armed Forces who were requisitioned towards the situation as the Police had capitulated. Besides the hate and trolling that has now become the norm on social media, dog whistling and innuendoes by senior functionaries of the neighbouring states kept the unnecessary passions, alive. It took the Supreme Court to step in and state the obvious that, It is a completely wrong order as the issue was beyond the remit of the High Court. An important lesson in maintaining (or even changing) the existing arrangement with due sensitivity and demonstrated impartiality in a cauldron like Manipur, was forgotten. One cannot appeal for calm and throw oil on fire, simultaneously. Governance failed in Manipur, as in France.The lay of the land in France is similarly tense with contrasting issues of integration or racism (as perceived by opposite sides) of immigrants, with the native French. There has been a history of unrest and polarisation that requires any incident to flare up into full-fledged riots, as now. Like any democracy, there are genuine grievances for both sides of the divide to complain about, affording various competing political parties and ideologies to selectively prey upon the same and for the looters to ultimately exploit. To assume that the fault resides only on one side of the divide is completely partisan, convenient and dangerously escalatory. Such vulnerable situations and times necessitate the primary forces i.e., ruling politicians, to shed their partisan positions and assume neutrality, even at the cost of defying their earlier stances. This is exactly where politicians invariably fail the situation.In France, a 17-year-old immigrant boy was shot dead during a traffic stop. One side of the argument alluded to an obvious wrong (driving without a license) and violating the rules by attempting to escape the police, whilst the other side spoke about the disproportionate reaction from the police owing to discriminatory and racist tendencies towards the immigrants. Both sides of the argument were valid, and it is the application of a binary or selective lens that inflamed the situation. This specific situation also brought in the importance of questioning the officialese, as the French Police were made to retract its initial position that it had acted in self-defence. Last year, 13 instances (entailing mainly immigrants) of occupants of cars in similar situations were killed and not one conviction of police took place  it is highly unlikely that had this incident not been recorded, the police would not have accepted its overreaction. Importantly, the French President led the situation by immediately describing the incident as inexplicable and inexcusable (to the consternation of the Police), therefore nothing justifies the continuing riots.

Perhaps the sanest voice came from the mother of the victim who said, I don't blame the police, I blame one person: the one who took the life of my son and that he, saw an Arab face, a little kid, and wanted to take his life. But as it always happens, the voice of the real victims takes a backseat as the politicians stick to their guns and the looters take to the streets in the name of the victims.

The finger(trigger) happy on social media are content to peddle their preferred versions that practically disallow the politicians to be restrained and rise above partisan agendas. A nation that revels each time Zidane or Mbappe score a goal, can regress into its baser instinct just as quickly, just as some immigrants refuse to accept French ways, without conditions  reality is always more complicated, politics always simplistic and unhinged.

(The writer, a military veteran, is a former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. The views expressed are personal)
The Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal witnessed a distressing repetition of history as the panchayat elections on Saturday resulted in uncontrolled violence, claiming the lives of at least 15 people and raising the total number of political deaths in the past 31 days to 33.

Numerous people, including voters, political workers, and policemen, suffered injuries in clashes that took place across the State, from Cooch Behar in north Bengal to Murshidabad in the central region and Kulpi in South 24 Parganas, according to sources in the police administration.

Among the deceased, seven were TMC workers, while two each belonged to the BJP, the Congress, and the Left, sources revealed. Out of the 15 deaths, Murshidabad district accounted for 5, followed by Cooch Behar (3), Birbhum, Malda, Nadia, and North Dinajpur districts.

The polling took place in 61,636 booths for 3,317 gram panchayats, 341 panchayat samitis, and 20 zila parishads.

Complaints of widespread rigging and blatant violation of the Calcutta High Courts order regarding the deployment of Central forces poured in from all corners of the State, while lives were lost to gunfire and bomb attacks one after another.

Condemning the widespread violence in the panchayat elections, Union Minister Anurag Thakur accused the administration in Bengal was acting at the behest of the TMC and sought to know why killings started as soon as the poll begin and democracy was completely undermined.

He alleged that the Congress and Left were hand-in-glove with the TMC and wondered why the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi are silent.

He said bullet has overtaken ballot in Bengal and the message of the ballot has been undermined.

BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sudhanshu Trivedi also blamed the TMC for destroying State of Bengal by its politics.

He said the State used to be a center of art, culture, and science. Now, it is known for crimes, anti-national activities, and dangerous appeasement.

Addressing a Press conference here, he alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Government has been using criminals for violence during the elections by giving them protection.

Peaceful polling was reported in booths where the Opposition parties and local voters succumbed to false voting by ruling party members.

Despite inside sources at the State Election Commission (SEC) stating that polling reached around 55-60 per cent by 5 pm, Opposition parties feared that the polling rate might surge to over 80 per cent overnight due to the alleged nexus between the TMC and the SEC.

Throughout the day, clashes resulted in the looting, burning, and throwing of ballot boxes into ponds. Presiding officers and other poll officials were severely beaten in many booths and had to be hospitalised.

Even the police officers who attempted to control the mobs were not spared.

Soon after polling commenced, three TMC members were killed in Murshidabad. A CPI (M) worker who was injured in East Burdwan later succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.

While the Opposition parties held SEC Rajiva Sinha responsible for the days mayhem, the poll panel chief, who is allegedly close to Mamata, stated, The Commission cannot guarantee who will shoot whom during the elections... my job was to plan everything... now it is for the district administrations to explain their conduct.

In a strong response, Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari declared, This is the right time for Article 355 or 356 in Bengal, as you cannot expect any democracy in Bengal under Mamata. The senior BJP leader demanded a CBI investigation into the poll violence on Saturday.

The Commission had stated that all 95 per cent of booths would be covered by CCTV... we want all these CCTV footage to be scrutinized, and if it is evident that polls were not conducted freely and fairly, we will demand re-polling in those booths, he added.

Meanwhile, State Congress leader and lawyer Kaustav Bagchi called for criminal prosecution of the SEC for its conduct since the announcement of the polls. Despite the High Courts order, out of 822 companies of Central forces, 16 companies did not arrive... the forces that did come were not deployed in many places and were taken on joyrides from here to there... this necessitates a judicial inquiry.

Pradesh Congress president Adhir Chowdhury alleged that polling was conducted late at night in many places. He claimed, Ballot boxes were taken out at night, false votes were cast, and then they were put back into the boxes before being returned to the polling booths.

Chowdhury sarcastically congratulated Mamata for her meticulous planning to deceive the people of Bengal.
The aftermath of Saturdays violence in rural Bengal continued on Sunday as post-panchayat poll clashes erupted between political miscreants from rival parties, involving the use of bombs and bullets. The violence reportedly spread across Murshidabad, Malda, East Midnapore, and North and South 24 Parganas.

The death toll, which stood at 15 on Saturday, rapidly rose to 20 by Sunday afternoon. In Malda, a TMC worker was allegedly stabbed to death by some Congress members. Responding to the escalating situation, the State Election Commission and the police deployed Central forces in Salar and Shamsherganj in Murshidabad, where the civil-war-like scenario persisted throughout the day.

The single-phase panchayat elections held on Saturday witnessed massive violence, resulting in 15-16 deaths and over 350 cases of grievous injuries. Numerous people, particularly Opposition workers from various districts, claimed to have fled their homes due to threats from the police and Trinamool Congress members.

Complaints came from Harischandrapur and Manikchak in Malda, Salar, and Shamsherganj in Murshidabad, De Ganga and Amdanga in North 24 Parganas, and Basanti in South 24 Parganas.

Among those killed was 62-year-old Ajahar Lashkar, an active TMC worker who was injured in a clash in Basanti. A clash between the TMC and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) in Basanti, South 24 Parganas, left ten people injured. Lashkar is currently receiving treatment in the ICU.

We are unable to leave our residences as there is constant bombing outside our houses, said a villager from Manikchak in Malda.

In Shamsherganj, the wife of an Independent candidate stated, My husband has fled the village, and they are bombing our houses. They are threatening to kill the entire family. When asked to specify who they referred to, the woman whispered TMC.

The Election Commission revealed that around 80.71% of votes were cast, but reports of irregularities emerged, leading to re-polling in certain areas. The exact number of booths requiring re-polling will be disclosed later. The State Secretary of the CPI(M) accused the Election Commissioner of favoritism toward Mamata Banerjees family and blamed the Central Government for violence and deaths. The delayed deployment of central forces was attributed to non-cooperation from the SEC. Political parties exchanged accusations, with the CPI(M) and TMC criticizing the BJPs actions in other states and demanding re-polling, while the TMC spokesperson dismissed the oppositions claims.
After an FIR was registered against Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh at Indores Tukoganj police station on Sunday regarding his alleged remark on Guru Golwalkar, former chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Singh sparked another controversy with his next post addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

Singh has been booked under sections 153A, 469, 500, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), an official said on Sunday.

On Saturday, Singh tweeted, Do you know what Guru Golwalkar jis thoughts were for the Dalits, backwards, and Muslims and on the right on national water, forest, and land. In the tweet, Golwalkar was quoted saying that he would rather live under British rule than have equal rights given to Dalits, backwards and Muslims.

After the Sangh Parivar hit back at him and the police registered an FIR against him, on Sunday, Singh said that he wished for good sense to prevail on PM Modi and Amit Shah, adding that he appreciates how they never compromised on their values and ideology.

In his post, Singh cautioned Modi and Shah that they were gathering a group of power-losing cowardly traitors. He tweeted in Hindi which translates into: Modi ji @narendramodi Amit Shah ji @AmitShah those who supported you in bad times, today they all sitting at home. Will you fight with the army of traitors leaving the army of self-respecting individuals? You both are making a big mistake.

In response to Singhs tweet on Golwalkar, senior RSS official Sunil Ambekar said in Hindi: In the context of Shri Golwalkar Guruji, this tweet is baseless and is going to create social disharmony. This false photoshopped picture has been put up with the aim of tarnishing the image of the Sangh. Shri Guruji never said such a thing. His whole life was dedicated to ending social discrimination.

The FIR against Singh was filed by an advocate in Madhya Pradesh High Court, Rajesh Joshi, who claimed that Singh made the remarks against Golwalkar deliberately to harm social harmony. In his complaint, Rajesh Joshi alleged that Singh shared a controversial poster on Facebook and Twitter bearing the name and picture of Guruji to incite people by creating conflict among Dalits, backward classes, Muslims, and Hindus. The complaint claimed that Singhs post allegedly hurt the religious beliefs of Sangh workers and the Hindu community.

A Sangh official from Indore accused Singh of making a false and unwarranted post about Golwalkar on social media to tarnish the organisations image.

Following Singhs post, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused him of spreading misinformation and creating social hatred against Golwalkar.
A chargesheet filed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra police reveals that Pradeep Kurulkar, a scientist with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), fell victim to the charms of a Pakistani intelligence operative known by the alias Zara Dasgupta.

The chargesheet alleges that Kurulkar engaged in conversations with Zara about classified Indian missile systems and other sensitive defence projects.

Kurulkar, who held the position of director at one of the DRDO labs in Pune, was arrested on May 3 on charges of espionage under the Official Secrets Act.

He is currently in judicial custody. According to the chargesheet, Kurulkar and Zara Dasgupta communicated through WhatsApp, as well as voice and video calls. Zara claimed to be a UK-based software engineer and managed to befriend Kurulkar by sending explicit messages and videos. During the investigation, it was discovered that her IP address originated from Pakistan, as stated in the chargesheet by the ATS.

The Pakistani operative attempted to extract classified and sensitive information on various defence systems, including the Brahmos Launcher, Drone, UCV, Agni Missile Launcher, and Military Bridging System, among others.

The chargesheet states, Kurulkar, who was enticed by Zara, stored classified and sensitive information from DRDO on his personal phone and subsequently shared it with her. It further reveals that their conversations revolved around surface-to-air missiles (SAM), drones, Brahmos and Agni Missile Launchers, and UCVs.

The ATS investigation indicates that Kurulkar and Zara remained in contact from June 2022 to December 2022.

Shortly before the DRDO initiated an internal probe into Kurulkars suspicious activities, he blocked Zaras number in February 2023. However, he received a WhatsApp message from another unknown Indian number, questioning why he had blocked them. The chargesheet reveals that Kurulkar also shared his personal and official schedules and locations with Zara despite knowing that he was prohibited from doing so.
In a scathing attack on the ruling BRS in Telangana and the AAP Government in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said allegations of corruption deals between political parties and State Governments have arisen for the first time.

While it is common for State Governments to form pacts on matters of welfare and development, such as water sharing, this is the first instance where such allegations have been leveled against two parties, the Prime Minister noted, referring to the Delhi excise policy case.

As the case unfolds, AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), while K Kavitha, the daughter of BRS leader and Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, appeared before the ED for questioning regarding the case.

The Prime Minister expressed his dismay, saying, There used to be news about agreements between two countries or States on development projects. There used to be news about agreements between two States for water. But this is the first time allegations of corruption deals between two parties and two State Governments have been made. This is unfortunate. Although indirectly referring to the AAP and BRS, Modi refrained from explicitly naming them.

Characterising Chief Minister Raos Government as the most corrupt, Modi claimed that there is no project in Telangana that is immune to corruption allegations

Speaking at a public gathering after laying the foundation stone for various projects worth Rs 6,100 crore, Modi criticised the BRS Government for resorting to an extensive range of abusive language against the Central Government. He also emphasised that Telangana now favours a BJP Government, using the slogan ab ki baar, BJP sarkar.

The PM highlighted the BJPs impressive performance in the 2021 Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections, suggesting that it served as a preview of the partys forthcoming impact. Modi expressed confidence in the BJPs ability to sweep both the BRS and Congress in the upcoming Assembly polls. Reiterating that the BJP never distributes fake guarantee cards to garner support before elections, Modi declared, Today, Telangana says ab ki baar, BJP sarkar.

Recalling the early days of the BJP when Janga Reddy from Hanamkonda was one of the partys only two Lok Sabha MPs, the Prime Minister proudly announced, Today, the BJP is the largest political party in the world, and Telangana has played a significant role in this achievement.

Modi also emphasised the value of the Rs 36,000 crore National Highway projects undertaken in Telangana, and the substantial increase in railway budget allocations for theState, which were 17 times higher than in 2014.
The monsoon fury has devastated north India, resulting in tragic loss of life and widespread destruction. In the past 24 hours, 15 deaths have been reported across the region as heavy rain continue to lash several States for the second consecutive day.

Landslides, flash floods, and severe waterlogging have affected tens of thousands of people, creating a dire situation. Social media platforms have been flooded with pictures and videos showing commuters wading through inundated roads, stranded vehicles, and flooded underpasses.

The worst-hit States include Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. In UP, at least 6 people have died, and over 10,000 people have been displaced due to the floods. At least five people were killed as torrential rain continued to lash HP on Sunday, causing floods and landslides and leading to the washing away of roads and bridges. In Bihar, 4 people have died, and over 5,000 people have been affected by the rains. In Rajasthan, 3 people have died, and over 2,000 people have been displaced. And in Madhya Pradesh, 2 people have died, and over 1,000 people have been affected.

The IMD has forecast more rain in the coming days, warning of a red alert in several districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan. The IMD has also advised people to stay away from flooded areas and to follow the instructions of local authorities.

Himachal Pradesh has decided to close all schools and colleges till Tuesday to ensure the safety of students, said a government official, highlighting the severity of the situation. Similar steps are being considered by other states as well, prioritizing the well-being of their residents.

The Northern Railways has taken precautionary measures due to the heavy rainfall. We have canceled around 17 trains and diverted around 12 others, said an official. Traffic has been suspended at four locations due to extensive waterlogging, causing significant disruptions.

An interaction between a western disturbance and monsoonal winds has intensified the rainfall spell over northwest India, including Delhi. The capital experienced the highest amount of rainfall in a single day in July since 1982.

Concerned about the situation, Home Minister Amit Shah reached out to Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena and J&K LG Manoj Sinha to gather updates on the ground.

Shah commended the efforts of the National Defense Response Force in providing a safe Amarnath Yatra to every pilgrim, stating, The National Defense Response Force has done an exemplary job in ensuring the safety and well-being of the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alerts for several states, predicting heavy rainfall to persist over the next 1-2 days. These alerts serve as a warning for residents.

In Himachal Pradesh, the impact of the heavy rains has been devastating. We have witnessed landslides, damaged houses, and unfortunate casualties, said an official. Three members of a family lost their lives in a house collapse triggered by a landslide in the Kotgarh area of Shimla district. A woman also perished when a makeshift house near Kullu town was damaged by a landslide. A person was buried alive in a landslide in Katiyan tehsil of Chamba.

With the state grappling with multiple landslides and flash floods, the emergency operation center reported 13 landslides and nine flash floods in the past 36 hours. The impact on infrastructure has been significant, with 736 roads closed for traffic, and 1,743 transformers and 138 water supply schemes affected.

The Himachal MeT office issued a red alert for extremely heavy rains in seven districts of the state on July 8 and 9. High flash flood risk is expected in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur, and Mandi districts, warned a meteorological expert. The closure of National Highway 21 at 6-mile due to a landslide has caused further disruptions, as it was the same location where commuters were stranded for almost 24 hours on June 27 due to a landslide.

The Aut Bridge, an iconic 50-year-old structure connecting Kullu, Banjar, Luhri, and Rampur, was washed away by the swift current of the Beas River in Mandi district.

Uttarakhand is also on high alert as the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for the state. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urged all state officials to remain vigilant, acknowledging the heavy rainfall alert. All pilgrims should proceed on their yatra keeping the weather conditions in mind, advised the Chief Minister, emphasizing caution during the challenging times.

In neighboring Jammu and Kashmir, tragedy struck when a landslide hit a passenger bus in Doda district, claiming two lives. Superintendent of Police (Bhaderwah) Vinod Sharma confirmed the incident, stating, The bus came under the landslide triggered by rains at village Bhangroo on Thathri-Gandoh road. A rescue operation was launched, and three trapped passengers were evacuated. Unfortunately, two passengers, identified as Amir Sohail and Mudassar Ali, were declared brought dead upon arrival at Gandoh hospital.

The impact of heavy rains extended to Uttar Pradesh as well, where a woman and her six-year-old daughter lost their lives when the roof of their house collapsed in Muzaffarnagar district. In another incident, a 10-year-old girl died when a tree branch fell on the tin shed of her house in Sirathu. Her younger brother sustained injuries and has been admitted to a hospital.

Rajasthan also faced the wrath of heavy rainfall, resulting in four deaths. Two individuals died due to lightning strikes in Chittorgarh, while two others drowned in separate incidents in Sawai Madhopur.

Ladakh, known for its picturesque landscapes, experienced unseasonal snowfall and heavy rains, prompting a red alert from the meteorological department. Landslides occurred on the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar National Highway, forcing its closure and disrupting transportation.

In the face of such devastation, communities across the region have rallied together, providing support and relief to those affected. Relief camps have been set up, offering food, shelter, and medical aid to those in need. The government, organizations, and individuals have joined forces to rebuild and heal the wounds inflicted by the relentless downpour.

(With inputs from agencies)
A report by the Governments think tank Niti Aayog has highlighted that despite being home to over 40 World Heritage Sites, Indias foreign exchange earnings in 2019 were meager, amounting to USD 30 billion.

This figure pales in comparison to countries like the UK and USA, which have 34 and 24 such sites, respectively.

The report emphasises the need for an aggressive marketing strategy to showcase India as a popular tourist destination and capitalise on the benefits of having a rich collection of heritage sites recognised by UNESCO.

India boasts a total of 32 cultural and seven natural World Heritage Sites.

The recently released report titled Restoring Growth of Tourism in the Wake of the Pandemic comes at a significant time as India hosts the G20 Summit. The report highlights the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry, which was previously experiencing a growth rate of 3.5 per cent compared to the global economic growth rate of 2.5 per cent in 2019. However, during the pandemic, the industry has experienced a significant downturn.

The tourism sector's contribution to global GDP and employment has declined by 49 per cent and 19per cent respectively, despite government efforts to boost the industry. In 2019, tourism accounted for 8.8 per cent of total employment, 5.8 per cent of total exports, and 6.9 per cent of GDP, but these figures have significantly dropped to 4.7per cent, 7.3per cent, and 2.5per cent respectively.

A report highlights India's low share of the international tourism market at 1.2 per cent in 2019, compared to countries like Spain, the USA, China, the UK, and Thailand with larger shares ranging from 2.7per cent to 5.7per cent. The report attributes this disparity to poor infrastructure, connectivity, safety and security, lack of skilled manpower, inadequate promotion and marketing, and poor hygiene and sanitation.

To revive the sector, the report suggests focusing on cleanliness and sanitation, using a Safe Travel Stamp to rebuild tourist confidence. The stamp, launched by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), identifies governments and companies that have adopted global health and hygiene protocols. Many countries are currently using the Safe Travel Stamp to attract tourists.

The report also emphasises the importance of promoting Wellness Tourism and integrating it into the mainstream. It recommends providing skills and infrastructure for the alternative medicinal sector to tap into its potential and maximise its value within the tourism industry.

Additionally, the report highlights the disrepair of important monuments in India due to the lack of basic infrastructure and illegal construction activities. Efficient management of tourist sites, preserving cultural treasures, and enhancing the overall tourist experience are crucial to attract more visitors to India's historical landmarks.

The report criticises the poor functioning of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme for developing theme-based tourist circuits, calling for a review of fund disbursal processes and monitoring of tourist circuit projects.

India should explore adventure tourism, cruise tourism, and medical value tourism as potential sources of revenue. The report suggests waiving customs duty on adventure equipment imports, rescheduling loan dues, waiving statutory dues, and increasing insurance premiums.

Furthermore, the report proposes the creation of a 500 crore fund with annual investments to sustain the industry during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

NITI Aayog also recommends aggressive marketing of tourist sites through social media platforms, leveraging India's ranking as a low-cost destination with abundant natural and cultural resources to attract more tourists.
AAP National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Cabinet Minister Atishi on Saturday lashed out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as tools to suppress the AAP governments progress.

He expressed his concern about the Prime Ministers actions, stating that the central agencies are interfering with the functioning of the AAP government and tarnishing the partys reputation with baseless accusations. Kejriwal said PM Modis failure to effectively govern the country has compelled him to resort to defaming AAP through the misuse of ED-CBI.

This comes a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it has attached two immovable assets owned by Sisodia and his wife, apart from bank deposits worth Rs 11.49 lakh, in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Kejriwal emphasised that there is not a single ounce of corruption in the excise policy that was implemented by the AAP government in Delhi.

Addressing the fake news being spread by BJP against Sisodia, the chief minister clarified that Sisodia owns two flats valued at 5 and 65 lakhs, respectively, and has a modest bank balance of only 11 lakhs.

He asserted that these properties were purchased before the formation of the excise policy and are completely unrelated to the alleged liquor case.

He emphasised that the AAP leaders assets are fully disclosed in their income tax filings and election declarations.

Kejriwal said that as per ED papers, one flat was purchased by Shri Manish Sisodia in 2004-05, valued at 5 lakh rupees, while the second flat was acquired in 2018 for 65 lakh rupees. Additionally, he has 11 lakh rupees in his bank account.

These properties and the alleged liquor case are completely unrelated, he said. Earlier Senior AAP leader and Delhi Cabinet Minister Atishi addressed a press conference and slammed at the BJP and the Centre, accusing them of spreading lies about jailed former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and attempting to defame him. Atishi alleged that as per an ED document, Sisodia has assets worth Rs 81 lakh.
Two people were rescued after a tin shed collapsed in Zakhira here on Sunday morning, a day after the city was lashed by heavy rains. In the last 24 hours, as many as 15 houses has been collapsed following heavy rain in the national capital.

In another incident, the back side wall of Deshbandhu College, located in the Kalkaji area of Delhi, collapsed, damaging approximately 15 luxury cars and 10 to 12 motorcycles and scooters.

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officials, search-and-rescue operations were carried out to ascertain if more people were trapped under the debris. However, the operation was concluded by 11.35 am and the two boys trapped under the debris were safely rescued. Since they had sustained minor injuries, they were admitted to a nearby hospital. The boys were identified as Aalam and Maraluddin one of the fire operators -- Daljeet -- sustained injuries during the rescue operation.

A call about a house collapse was received at 9.34 am on Sunday following which three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, DFS Director Atul Garg said.

Due to rain, 15 buildings collapsed at various places in national capital on Saturday. Speaking on building collapse incidents in the national capital, Atul Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Service, said, "We received a total of 15 calls, the highest in a day.
Reacting on the allegations, the AAP said the BJP has labelled these individuals, who are contractual employees of the Delhi government, as AAP workers based on their social media posts or likes.

Its also laughable that in its rush to levy these baseless allegations, the BJP has released the names of several individuals who have no connection whatsoever with the Delhi government or the Aam Aadmi Party, it said.

For instance, Nisha Singh, who worked as an advisor in the Deputy Chief Ministers office for a nominal salary of one rupee until 2019, is no longer associated with the government. Similarly, Priyadarshini Singh, whom the BJP claims is an AAP worker from Haryana, has no affiliation with the Delhi government.

However, there is a professional with similar name associated with the Delhi government who is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad), and who left a high-paying job in MNC to work for the Delhi government to serve the people of Delhi. All of this only goes to show BJPs frustration at the growing popularity of the Kejriwal government, AAP said in a statement.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has welcomed the decision taken by the State cabinet to pave the way for a strict law to check the activities of the land mafia in the State. The BJP State president Mahendra Bhatt also thanked the State government under chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for the cabinet decisions regarding three free cooking gas cylinders for the poor, encouraging natural farming and other public welfare decisions taken in its meeting on Friday.

Reacting to the decisions taken by the cabinet on Saturday, the BJP State president opined that along with all round development, the BJP government is taking decisions based on the welfare of women, youths and all sections of society. Encroachment on land has become a serious problem. Considering this, the decision to enact a law with provision for up to 10 years imprisonment for those convicted of encroachment on government and private land will create fear in those involved in such activities. Bhatt also thanked the chief minister for the decision on continuing the Antyodaya free gas cylinder refill scheme for one more year. He said that this scheme which provides financial assistance to women and rids them of smoke in the kitchen has made the lives of the poor easier. The governments decision to continue this scheme in the future will help the families in need to strengthen their self reliance, said Bhatt. Similarly, the cabinets decision to approve the scheme for encouraging natural farming will bring about positive changes in the small farmers of the State, especially in the mountainous regions. The BJP State president further said that all the 33 decisions taken in the cabinet meeting including relaxation approved for small hospitals, approval to fill dying cadre posts in school education department, amendment in rules for safety of working women, encouraging private investment in tourism and setting phased targets for the investors summit will prove helpful in developing Uttarakhand into a model state by 2025.
In anticipation of heavy rain during Monsoon season, the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) and Mango Municipal Corporation (MMC) have come together to launch a city-wide cleanliness drive. This collaborative initiative aims to ensure the efficient management of waste and promote a clean and hygienic environment during the monsoon rains.

Recognizing the challenges posed by heavy rainfall and the increased risk of waterlogging and the spread of waterborne diseases, the civic bodies have prioritized proactive measures to maintain cleanliness in the city. The cleanliness drive will focus on clearing drains, removing accumulated waste, and ensuring effective waste management systems.

Teams comprising JNAC and MMC workers, supported by volunteers from various community organizations, will actively engage in cleaning activities across different areas of Jamshedpur and Mango. They will work diligently to remove any obstructions in the drainage system, clear debris from roads and public spaces, and conduct thorough sanitation checks.

The cleanliness drive not only aims to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the city but also emphasizes the importance of public health and hygiene. It serves as a reminder to residents of their individual responsibility in maintaining cleanliness and preventing the outbreak of diseases during the monsoon season.

The JNAC and MMC have urged citizens to actively participate in the cleanliness drive by keeping their surroundings clean, avoiding littering, and disposing of waste properly. They have also advised residents to report any drainage or sanitation-related issues to the respective civic bodies for prompt action.

Through the collective efforts of the JNAC, MMC, and the active involvement of citizens, the city of Jamshedpur aims to set an example for cleanliness and civic responsibility. The success of this cleanliness drive will contribute to the overall well-being and quality of life of the residents, making the city more resilient to the challenges of the monsoon season.

As the monsoon rains approach, the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee and Mango Municipal Corporation are committed to ensuring a clean and safe environment for all residents. Together, they strive to create a city that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also a model of cleanliness and sustainable urban living.
The Congress on Saturday alleged a huge scam in the Shanti Nagar Awas Yojana at Saheed Nagar in the city, which is a slum rehabilitation project in the PPP mode between the BDA and the Parmita Smart Infra Private Limited meant for economically weaker sections (EWS)

The private partner Parmita Smart Infra chosen by the State Government has a total investment of only Rs 1 lakh. But the company has to construct 13 apartments for 600 families. In what circumstances the BDA and the Government chose such a firm and signed an MoU with it, questioned Congress spokesperson Rajani Kumar Mohanty.

A few days later, the Parmita Smart Infra was taken over by DN Homes, whose managing director is Jagdish Nayak. The providing of two acres of land at Saheed Nagar to DN Homes is a big conspiracy and it cost a huge loss to the State exchequer, alleged Mohanty.
Two top international events that fit together well -- Partec and Powtech, the Congress and Trade Fair for particle and bulk solids technology -- will take place in Nuremberg, Germany, in September.

Partec 2023 brings the international scientific community together with an inspiring three-day programme under the banner of Particle Technology for Sustainable Products. The special focus of the more than 300 lectures and more than 150 poster presentations, given in English by 297 speakers from 25 countries, is on boosting process and energy efficiency. As the companion congress to the trade fair, Partec also offers good reasons for all Powtech visitors with a scientific interest to attend. The events will be held from 26th to 28th September.

Particle technology experts from the fields of science and industry are expected in large numbers at the Nuremberg exhibition venue. At Partec, one of the largest and most important international congresses for particle and powder technology, experts from science and industry present and discuss the latest developments in particle and powder technology.

An exciting highlight is the presentation of the Friedrich Loffler Prize for Young Scientists on Day 2 of the Congress, and an award ceremony for the best poster on Day 3.

Sustainability is the theme for this years congress, one to which both researchers and representatives of industry are increasingly dedicating their efforts. The trade fair in Nuremberg provides support for professional interaction and networking in equal measure  at the poster session, for example, at a gathering at one of the trade fair stands, or at the Powtech Campus Pavilion. That means trade fair visitors and exhibitors can benefit from the insights of scientists and industrial experts in the same measure as the researchers, who can directly discuss new scientific approaches with practitioners in their target group.

The large-scale trade fair party, attended by exhibitors and Partec delegates, will also offer plenty of time for everyone to get to know each other and interact.

Congress chairman Dr Arno Kwade says: In addition to the traditional fields, Partec 2023 also addresses the emerging fields of research and application in particle technology. In the context of climate change, in particular, sustainability and the circular economy are becoming increasingly important.

Partec 2023 aims to acknowledge this transition with its overarching theme of Particle Technology for Sustainable Products. There will, therefore, be a special focus not only on top product quality but also on maximizing material utilization and energy efficiency in the processes involved, as well as on energy transition products such as batteries. - TradeArabia News Service
The SC-ST cell of the Congress staged a massive protest against the incident of urinating on a tribal in Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh. The protestors tried to burn the effigy of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

During this the police took some Congressmen into custody. There was a scuffle between the police and the Congressmen.

During the protest led by Pradeep Ahirwar of SC/ST Morcha, Congressmen from all over the state shouted slogans against the Shivraj government, calling it anti-tribal.

At the time of protest when the police stopped by barricading, they staged a protest. As the Congress workers proceeded to march on foot, the police stopped them by barricading them near the Shivaji Nagar intersection.

Meanwhile, Congress workers twice tried to burn the effigy of CM Shivraj, but police personnel deployed in civil dress thwarted their plans to burn the effigy. Angry activists tried to snatch the effigy from the police personnel, during which the part of the effigy that came in hand was set on fire. The agitated workers sat on a dharna in front of the barricades. Later the police arrested and sent them to jail. Congress leader Pradeep Ahirwar said that the Shivraj government is anti-tribal which will be uprooted in the 2023 assembly elections.

Here, some Congressmen who were protesting were taken into custody by the Habibganj police station. ACP Virendra Kumar Mishra told that four-five people have been taken into police custody. Action is being taken as per rules.
A video of a naked man being beaten up by some persons has surfaced on social media following which the police in Sagar city have registered a case against unidentified persons, an official said on Sunday.

In the purported video, some persons are seen beating up the man with sticks and pieces of pipes while accusing him of theft. Superintendent of Police Abhishek Tiwari told that the viral video has come to his attention.

An FIR has been registered and the police are in the process of identifying the accused, Motinagar police station in-charge Manas Dwivedi said. Further details of the video and the case will be revealed after the accused are arrested and interrogated, he said.

The video from Sagar is the latest in the spate of clips of such attacks in Madhya Pradesh that have surfaced on social media in the last one week.

Recently, a video showed a man urinating on a tribal youth in MP's Sidhi district, which triggered national outrage.

The accused, Pravesh Shukla, was arrested and booked under provisions of the stringent National Security Act, and his familys house was also demolished.

In another incident reported on Wednesday, two Dalit men were allegedly beaten up by members of a minority community on June 30 on the suspicion that they molested and filmed some girls at Varkhadi village in Shivpuri district, according to police.

On Friday, another video surfaced showing a man being thrashed and forced to lick the soles of a person's feet in a moving vehicle in Gwalior. Two persons were arrested in connection with the incident.

On Saturday, three men were arrested in Indore district for allegedly holding two tribals brothers, including a minor, captive and thrashing them following an altercation on a road, as per the police. A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms.
Heavy rainfall led to severe waterlogging and traffic congestion in several parts of Gurugram on Sunday with the Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram Nishant Kumar Yadav on Sunday issued an advisory to private institutions and corporate offices to guide their employees to Work From Home (WFH) on Monday to avoid traffic congestion on roads and schools to announce a holiday.

The downpour wreaked havoc as arterial roads, parks, underpasses, markets, and even schools and hospitals were inundated.

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav urged residents to stay indoors and venture out only for essential work. He also said corporate offices have been asked to advise their staff to work from home on Monday so that waterlogged roads can be cleared as soon as the rain stops.

Private schools in the city are expected to remain closed on Monday after an advisory issued by the district administration.

"Due to incessant rainfall, roads are waterlogged and commuting is extremely difficult. Hence, the schools will remain closed tomorrow (July 10) for students' safety, by orders from the District Authorities," read a message from the principal of DAV public school, sector 14. According to officials, the downpour lashed Gurugram through Saturday night and continued well into the morning. The city received 150 mm of rainfall till the afternoon.

As per the data from the district administration Gurugram City recorded 150 mm of rain between 6.00 am and 11.00 pm on Sunday which caused heavy water logging on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway and different part of the city.

Pictures and videos of commuters wading through knee-deep water flooded social media platforms, raising concerns about the efficiency of the city's drainage infrastructure. "There is waterlogging due to continuous rain and traffic is moving at a slow pace. Therefore, we request all of you to leave the house only when necessary work is to be done. Sorry for the inconvenience," an advisory by the traffic police department said.

Severe waterlogging was reported from Himgiri Chowk, Aggarwal Dharmshala Chowk, Sheetla Mata Mandir Road, Kanhai Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, MG Road, and Sohna Road among others, they said. Areas like Udyog Vihar, Rosewood City, Malibu Town, Sector 14, 17, and 31 among others remained inundated for several hours, they said.

Commuters travelling on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway had a harrowing time as the main carriageway and service lanes near Narsinghpur were submerged under water. Traffic congestion was also reported on several roads in the city. Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic), Virender Vij, said the movement of vehicles on internal roads and the expressway was slow but there was no heavy congestion. Police personnel are managing the traffic, he said.

Yadav said several teams of civic agencies are clearing waterlogged roads using pumps. Meanwhile, Gurugram residents slammed the Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG) and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for not cleaning the drains on time. Several people shared photos and videos of waterlogged roads on social media sites and expressed frustration over the situation.

"The monsoon season has begun but most of the drains have not been cleaned yet. Waterlogging is an annual affair here with the authorities claiming to make arrangements but failing to execute them," said former councillor Rama Rani Rathee.

The commuters on the expressway near Narsinghpur Chowk faced huge traffic congestion on the spot and some people were seen walking in knee-deep water. Waterlogging was reported at several key junctions, including Sector-30, 31, 40, 15, Police line, Near Gurugram MLA office, Bus Stand Road, Sheetla Mata Road, Narsinghpur service road, Hero Honda Chowk, Basai Chowk, Khandsa, Sohna Road and Subhash Chowk, which resulted in traffic snarls.

Internal sectors and colonies such as sectors 10, 9 10 A, 29, 39, 47, Palam Vihar and Greenwood City also had flooded streets with rainwater entering some of the houses. In some areas, even on the expressway pedestrians had to wade through knee-deep water.

As the rainwater failed to recede during the morning hours, the entire stretch from village Jharsa to Sector 30 and Sector 40 turned into small rivers.

The district administration recently identified 112 waterlogging-prone spots in the city and 20 IAS and HCS officers were appointed as nodal officers to ensure early draining out of water in case of flooding.

The Gurugram traffic police took to Twitter and updated commuters about traffic movements. The police asked commuters to consider working from home due to waterlogging and the traffic situation.
Notorious gangster Sujit Sinha's brother Arun Kumar Sinha has been nabbed by a team of Palamu police in Chhatisgarh's Raipur.

SP Palamu Chandan Kumar Sinha said the elder brother of Sujit Sinha, Arun Sinha was managing the proceeds of the illegal and unlawful income / wealth of the gangster.

There is a clue of criminal proceeds being invested in real estate, said Sinha.

The SP said the investment in real estate is in Jharkhand refusing to give names of the districts where this gangster's illegal wealth is being invested.

Assistant superintendent of police and SDPO Rishabha Garg said our police in Raipur had to be a decoy donning the role of a delivery boy. Garg said Arun was arrested in a precise and flawless manner.

On being asked if this Don's brother was brought here in Daltonganj by road from Raipur in Chhattisgarh the SP said "He was brought here by road. There were enough precautions enroute. I can't disclose those precautionary measures."

"Once the investment of Don's illegal wealth in real estate by Arun is proven then this man will face the 17 criminal law amendment act" added the SP.

Sujit Sinha is in a jail in Jharkhand.

The arrest of Arun from Raipur is in the backdrop of a shoot out at a construction site of NH 98 which later turned out to be carried out by the gunman of Sujit Sinha.

Although Arun was nowhere in the shoot out, he had the full knowledge of the crime.

Police had just a couple of days ago caught Ricky Khan from Ranchi in the same shoot out case at NH 98 here under Pipra police station.
The State meteorological centre has issued a warning (alert) regarding the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall likely to occur at isolated places in the State today. Thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and very intense /extremely intense spells are also likely to occur at isolated places in the State. Apart from this, light to moderate rain/thunderstorms are likely to occur at most places in the States districts. Dehradun is forecast to witness a generally cloudy sky. Few spells of light to moderate rain/thundershowers are likely to occur, one or two of which may be intense/heavy in some areas. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be about 28 degrees Celsius and 23 degrees Celsius respectively in Dehradun today. Meanwhile, the Dehradun district magistrate has ordered closure of all schools in the district on Monday considering the weather forecast. Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department has also forecast very heavy to extremely heavy rain in some parts of Chamoli, Pauri, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts from July 11 to 12 along with intensive/heavy spells of rain with thunder and lightning in some areas. Considering this, on the direction of the Disaster Management secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha, the State Emergency Operations Centre has directed the district magistrates concerned to ensure special precautions in their respective districts. They have been directed to ensure alertness and safety at all levels while controlling transportation and ensuring swift response in case of any disaster or accident. The IRS and departmental nodal officers have been directed to remain on high alert while all other officials concerned in the Revenue, Panchayat, police and other departments concerned have also been directed to remain on high alert and keep their mobile phones switched on at all times during this period.

Meanwhile, the maximum and minimum temperatures recorded in various parts of the State on Sunday were 26 degrees Celsius and 23.2 degrees Celsius respectively in Dehradun, 32.7 degrees Celsius and 25.5 degrees Celsius in Pantnagar, 18 degrees Celsius and 14.7 degrees Celsius in Mukteshwar and 19 degrees Celsius and 17.2 degrees Celsius in New Tehri. There was 43.4 millimetres rain in Dehradun, 25.4 millimetres in New Tehri, 112 millimetres in Koti, 82.5 millimetres in Bhagwanpur, 81 millimetres in Purola, 65 millimetres in Dhanauri, 63 millimetres in Vikasnagar and 46.5 millimetres in Mussoorie.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the number of Delhi government school students clearing competitive exams has increased three folds in the last two years.

Addressing students who have cleared the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) at the Thyagaraj Stadium , he said the country cannot develop until every child gets equal and quality education.

This stadium today is filled with success as 1,391 students qualified for NEET, 730 students cleared the JEE-Main and 106 students cleared the JEE-Advanced this year. Two years ago, 64 students had cleared JEE-Advanced, 384 students cleared the JEE-Main and 496 students had qualified for NEET, Kejriwal said. The chief minister said education is necessary for the growth of the country.

Education is highly necessary for the development of the country. The government schools in Delhi used to be in poor condition earlier, and now, even the parents of the students acknowledge the transformation we brought in the same government schools, he said.

Highlighting the significant progress made in Delhis government schools, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal emphasised the governments understanding of the importance of education. He also shared a personal anecdote, revealing his choice to stay in India after completing his studies at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).  When I completed IIT, 90% students used to go abroad, I could have gone too, but didnt.I had a feeling that if all the good students go out then who will serve the country? Kejriwal added.

Education Minister Atishi said when a student from a government school secures admission to institutions such as IITs and AIIMS, it not only propels their own progress but also instils hope among millions of underprivileged children.
In an effort to take strong action against bootleggers, drug offenders, property grabbers and others involved in serious crimes, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has recommended extension of The Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act, 1985 to the National Capital. He has sent the proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The law provides for preventive detention of bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers for preventing their anti-social and dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, the Raj Niwas said here on Sunday On June 27, Delhi's Home Department had submitted the proposal to the LG for issuance of notification under Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act for extending the Gujarat law to the NCT of Delhi. The Law Department of the Delhi government has vetted the draft notification with the observation that the Administrative Department must ensure to comply with the provision of GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021 read with the GNCTD (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 and provisions of Transaction of Business Rules (TBR), 1993, which entail that the draft notification be sent to the Union Home Ministry for extension of the said Act to the national capital. An identical law from Telangana (The Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, property offenders, etc Act, 1986) was also examined and it was found that the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better.

LG Saxena also agreed to the proposal that the Gujarat law may be forwarded to the MHA for considering its extension to the national capital after taking note of the observation that between Telangana and Gujarat law, the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better, the officials said.

In March this year, Saxena had accorded approval to the proposal of the Home Department that Delhi Police should effectively use The National Security Act of 1980 whose purpose is "to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected therewith".

Delhi Police through its letter dated February 14 this year had requested that the provisions of the Gujarat Act to be examined. The Home Department in October last year had forwarded the approval accorded by the LG to the request of the Delhi Police to examine the Telangana and Gujarat laws for taking a decision. Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act, 1950 dealing with Power to extend enactments to certain Union Territories, entails that the Central government may, by notification in the official gazette, extend to the Union Territory of Delhi or any part of such territory, with such restrictions and modifications as it thinks fit, any enactment which is in force in a State at the date of the notification.

It is expected that once notified, the said Act will provide the police with more teeth to deal with criminals and at the same time ensure effective deterrence against crimes like chain snatching, bootlegging, drug peddling and trafficking, etc, the officials said.
In view of the rise in water level in Kaushalya Dam due to heavy rainfall reported in various parts of the State, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday visited Kaushalya Dam and assessed the water level in the reservoir.

Khattar, interacting with the media, said that heavy rainfall has been occurring for the past two days. As a result, the water level in Kaushalya Dam has risen significantly. To manage the increased water level, the dam gates have been opened, and 4,000 cusecs of water are being released. However, as the rainfall has ceased, the situation appears to be under control.

One lakh cusecs of water is being released at Hathini Kund Barrage. An alert has been issued for 3 lakh cusecs of water, indicating the potential for increased water flow, said the Chief Minister, while assuring that the state's preparedness remains intact to handle any situation, whether it is due to rainfall or water inflow from the mountains.

At the same time, he acknowledged that some areas have experienced waterlogging for a short duration of one or two hours, but the situation is currently under control.

Questioned about Punjab Chief Ministers statement over the water logging situation in Derabassi, Khattar criticized it as baseless.

Today, they have a programme in Panchkula, and the water he is referring to is the waterlogged area of Derabassi. Looking at any area, they say that Haryana is full of water, I think they have made up their mind, Derabassi area is not in their control, they are going to hand it over to Haryana, looking at the water in Derabassi, it is ridiculous to talk about Haryana, he said.

Responding to another query regarding the power situation, Khattar clarified that there is no electricity problem in Haryana. He criticized attempts to create an issue that does not exist and emphasized his commitment to progress in the State.

Vij Directs Officials to Drain Out Water

Home-cum-Health Minister Anil Vij, after inspecting markets and colonies in Ambala Cantonment on Sunday, said that to deal with water logging and other problems during rains, helpdesk number 0171-2643200 has been issued by the city council and staff and equipment have been provided there.

If there is any problem from anywhere, the staff will be deployed from the Council on the spot, said Vij, who also took stock of the water level of the river on Tangri river bridge and gave directions to the officials of the Municipal Council and Irrigation Department to ensure that river water does not enter localities near the river.

There is not much water in Tangri river nowif there is more water, all preparations have been made for this also, he said.

Work from Home Advisory to Corporates, Private Offices in Gurugram, holiday in schools

In view of the incessant rain, Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav on Sunday issued an advisory to private institutions and corporate offices to guide their employees to Work From Home (WFH) on Monday to avoid traffic congestion on roads.

This will also help the civic agencies to take up dewatering and repair works expeditiously. We also advised the resident not to step outside unnecessarily due to rain, Yadav said.

As per the data from the District Administration, Gurugram city recorded 150 mm of rain between 6 am and 11 pm on Sunday which caused heavy water logging on Delhi-Jaipur Expressway and different part of the city. The commuters on the expressway near Narsinghpur Chowk faced huge traffic congestion on the spot and some people were seen walking in knee-deep water.
The Chhattisgarh Health Employees Union on Sunday called off its strike after a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Health and Family Welfare T.S. Singh Deo.

The employees, under the banner of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Swasthya Karmachari Sangh, were on a statewide indefinite strike from July 4 in favour of 24 demands including improvement in pay-scale and regularization.

A delegation of the union held a detailed discussion with Singh Deo, highlighting their demands.

They expressed their willingness to participate in a constructive dialogue with the government.

Singh Deo promised to consider their demands and put them up before the state government.

Singh Deo had earlier appealed to the employees to resume work in the best interest of the people.

Following Sunday's discussions, the Union called off their strike.

After ending their indefinite strike, the delegation of the Chhattisgarh Health Employees Union on Sunday met Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

During the meeting, the delegation handed over a memorandum of their demands to the Chief Minister.

Baghel assured the delegation that he would take necessary action after talking to the Chief Secretary.
A total of 378 students (269 Male and 109 Female) from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISER Bhopal) received their degrees in various disciplines today (8th July 2023) during the 10th Convocation Ceremony of the Institute.

Mr. Vatsalya Sharan (BS-MS, Department of Physics) was awarded the Presidents Gold Medal 2023 for the Best Academic Performance amongst all disciplines of the BS-MS (Dual Degree) and Mr. Padmanav Baruah (BS-MS, Department of Biological Sciences) won the Director's Gold Medal for Outstanding All-Round Achievement and Leadership amongst all disciplines of the BS-MS (Dual Degree.

The graduating students include: 268 BS-MS (Dual Degree), 67 PhD, 36 BS and 7 MS.

Prof. Deepak Dhar, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and NASI-Senior Scientist, IISER Pune graced the occasion as Chief Guest. Prof. Jyeshtharaj Bhalchandra Joshi, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IISER Bhopal, Former Director, ICT Mumbai presided over the event in a hybrid mode. Shri Gaurav Awasthi, Acting Registrar, lead the procession of the Convocation-2023. The team lead by Dr. Ram Kumar Mishra, Dean, Academic Affairs and Dr. Snigdha Thakur, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, conducted the event proceedings.

Presenting the Convocation Report, Prof. Siva Umapathy, Director, IISER Bhopal, said,IISER Bhopal is making its way to top and with our efforts we will reach the top 10% in the next five years. We always encourage our students to develop innovations that can lead to patents and, therefore, intellectual property. We already have 30 innovations, and five patents have been granted."

Further, Prof. Siva Umapathy, said, "We always aspire to give opportunity to our students in international programs during their Bachelor's and Master's program. Many of our students have taken internships and fellowships like the ENS Internship at France, Charpak Lab Scholarship, DAAD wise 2023 Summer Internship in Germany, MITACS Globalink Research Internship Canada, and FRT 2023 Summer Internship, ANU, Australia, among others. So we continue to negotiate and make sure our students get opportunities at the best institutions in the world."

IISER Bhopal attracts the brightest students from across the country. During academic session (2022-2023), which commenced from August 2022, 486 students were admitted in various programmes across all the Departments. Another set of 46 students were admitted in PhD programme in January 2023, thereby making a total admission of 532 students for the Academic Year 2022-2023.

Delivering the Convocation address, Chief Guest, Prof. Deepak Dhar, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and NASI-Senior Scientist, IISER Pune, said, Two things are most essential as you get your Degree today and step into the future - Cultivation of scientific temper, and developing a moral compass. We believe that any generation of human beings can take forward the work done by the previous generation. For the same, we test various possibilities and try to make it more relevant and effective. Earlier generations have helped to create a knowledge system which can be improved constantly and you should take this further."
The two days of heavy and incessant rain threw normal life out of gear in Punjab with flood-like situation prevailing in several districts  including Patiala, Mohali, while many other areas witnessed waterlogging causing considerable damage to the public and private property.

In the wake of the flood threat looming large in the areas along the overflowing Satluj and Ghaggar rivers, the Punjab Government has sounded high alert, calling out the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). An alert has been issued in the low lying and areas around the rivers, while Army help was sought to deal with flood-like situation in Mohali district.

At the same time, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also asked all the Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, and the officers to stay in their respective areas and reach out to the needy people in this hour of grave crisis, while ensuring the rescue and relief operations. Following this, the Ministers, MLAs, Deputy Commissioners, and other officials went out taking stock of the situation and the ongoing relief activities.

The Chief Minister also issued orders to the Deputy Commissioners and the Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) to expedite the relief and flood protection works in their respective districts. Acting on the Chief Ministers orders, Punjab Police also made extensive arrangements to deal with any kind of exigency arising out of potential floods.

As per the reports available, Satluj river was overflowing thus inundating many low-lying areas and villages along the river and its tributaries, including Kahanpur Khoohi in Ropar district and its Anandpur Sahib city. The water level in Sutlej has also increased in Moga, Ferozepur districts.

The Ghaggar river is also reported to be overflowing at 2.5 feet above the danger mark, alarming the local authorities. The administration has called out National Disaster Response Force team in Tiwana village of Mohali. The water in Ghaggr was reported to be flowing at 12.5 feet, against 10-foot danger mark, with the administration keeping a close watch on the water level in the Ghaggar, that would flow downstream towards Patiala and Sangrur.

Ghaggar, which originates from Panchkula district of Haryana passes through Samana, Devinagar, Ghanaur and Sanuar towns of Patiala and parts of Sangrur district.

In Patiala, preventive evacuation orders have been issued in areas adjoining Badi Nadi. Flood-like situation was witnessed in most parts of the district as rain water entered houses of people in old city area.

In Dera Bassi, too, Ghaggar water has reportedly entered fields and large swathes of land were inundated. Teams of NDRF also rescued several people in the Derabassi area.

Even though the overflowing rivers waters had waterlogged a large number of fields, several houses, and the fencing of the international border were reported to have been damaged by the heavy rains in Kharar and Ferozepur areas, respectively.

The incessant rains and subsequent waterlogging were reported from many areas of Patiala, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ludhiana, Mansa, and Muktsar districts. The continuous rain had also hit the rail and road traffic in the State leaving the residents harried. Train services in Ropar district were suspended after high alert was declared by Deputy Commissioner Dr Preeti Yadav.

As many as 22 persons, including 5 women and 4 children, from Sensowal Khurd village near Machhiwara in Ludhiana have been rescued from gushing rainwater that had flooded the fields where they were on work.

Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik said that the villagers had gone to sow paddy in fields on the other side of river and had got stuck when the water level rose in the river. A special boat was used to ferry these 22 persons back to Dhulewal village.

According to weather department, heavy rain is likely to occur over Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Mansa, Muktsar, Patiala, Sangrur, and Tarn Taran in the next three hours.

The Met office has issued a warning of isolated extremely heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand throughout Sunday. Heavy to very heavy rain is predicted in isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir until Monday, and in eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab until Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister  who is personally monitoring the situation  said that the Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, and officers must ensure an elaborate flood protection mechanism is put in place to safeguard the life and property of people. Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and Officers should go amongst the people in their area and ensure relief to them at the earliest. DCs and SSPs should expedite the relief work in their respective districts so as to provide succor to the masses, he said.

The Chief Minister said that an alert has already been issued in low lying areas especially those around the rivers adding that people should not go out of home until some important work is there. Due to continuous rain across the State, a flood like situation has emerged but the State Government is keeping a regular tab over the situation. All the Ministers and MLAs should visit their respective constituencies, especially in low lying and flood prone areas, to ensure that help is provided to the needy people, he added.

At the same time, the Chief Minister made it clear that any sort of callousness in this work is unwarranted and undesirable.

Swinging into action, the Ministers and MLAs have tied up with the district administration to give relief to the people. The pictures and videos of Ministers and MLAs visiting the low lying and flood-prone areas, appeared in social media.

Meanwhile, in all the districts, the DCs have set up flood control rooms to help the people in hour of crisis. The numbers have been publicized and officials have been appointed round the clock in these control rooms to serve the people. The officials have been directed to ensure immediate action on any sort of distress call by people in case of emergency.

Water Resources Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said that the Department was fully prepared to deal with any untoward situation due to the increased water level in the reservoirs due to the continuous rain in the hilly areas and Punjab as well.

Hayer said that all the officers or employees of the Department have posted in the field to regularly monitor the situation of water level of seasonal rivers, tributaries and canals. A flood control room has already been established at the head office level. Apart from this, flood control rooms have also been established in all districts of the state. All the field functionaries were being updated regularly about the water level and release of water was being informed well advance so that they should alert the district administrations and people.

The state Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav also informed that a state control room has been set up for flood mitigation and concerned officers have been asked to take hourly reports from districts to keep them updated about the current situation in their concerned districts.

Pertinently, DGP Gaurav Yadav and Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla have been personally supervising the situation in the state, while, Commissioners of Police and SSPs have also been directed to remain in the field and personally monitor the situation in their concerned districts at regular intervals.

Special DGP Arpit Shukla said: The teams of the State Disaster Response Force (STRF) are on alert and fully prepared to tackle any kind of crisis. NDRF teams have also been deployed in the flood-ravaged districts including SAS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib to carry out rescue operations and meet any exigency arising out of floods. Additionally, Army has also been asked to remain on alert.

Army Help Sought in Mohali

In Mohali, the state government has asked for Army help to deal with floods in the district. In a communication sent on Sunday to Advisor, Civil Military Affairs, GOC-in-C Secretariat, Western Command, Chandimandir, Punjabs home secretary has requested for deployment of Army to provide rescue relief measures during flood in SAS Nagar (Mohali).

The Army help was sought soon after the Mohali Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain requested the Government for the same while conveying that there is an assessment of a grave situation of flooding arising due to continuous rains during the last three days. There is a weather forecast of continuous rains this week as well and water has now started entering into the houses of both urban and rural areas.

Keeping in view the prevailing situation of incessant rainfall and grave situation of flooding, you are requested to provide suitable number of internal security columns of Army to mitigate the situation, said Mohali DC in a communique to the Government.

She added, We have already mobilized all resources available within our district and six NDRF teams have been requisitioned to provide assistance to affected individuals. District administration is already meticulously monitoring ground situation and therefore if need arises internal security columns of army may be requisitioned, she said.

Further, nodal officers of Western Command may be alerted to reduce the response time as and when need arises so that the efforts already undertaken by the district administration can be strengthened, she added.

Shah speaks to Punjab, Himachal CMs; assures help

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday spoke to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to take an update about the losses incurred by the states because of heavy rainfall, while assuring all possible help to deal with the situation.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was paid a courtesy visit by Union Minister for Women-Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Irani at Samatva Bhawan Chief Minister's residence today during her stay in Bhopal. Irani appreciated the women welfare schemes implemented in the state.

Irani said that when she had come to Indore for a women's programme, thousands of women from the lower middle class had apprised her about the good experiences of women's welfare schemes implemented in the state.

A large number of women are getting benefited from the schemes of women welfare of the Central and state government. Irani said that due to the changes made by the Central Government in the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, now even if there is a second daughter in the family, the benefit of the scheme will be available.

Chief Minister Chouhan informed Smt. Irani in detail about the women welfare schemes implemented in the state. The Chief Minister said that Ladli Laxmi Yojana was started in the year 2006, which encouraged girls in the field of education and also improved the sex ratio in the state. Women's welfare schemes were continuously implemented in the state.

Earlier there was lack of nutrition and care system for pregnant and child-bearing women in the rural areas of the state. At present, mothers get Rs 4,000 before the birth of the child and Rs 6,000 after the birth of the child, so that they can take adequate care of their health and nutrition.

Chief Minister Chouhan informed that empowerment of daughters and women has been done by giving 50 and 30% reservation in local bodies and police force respectively in the state. Madhya Pradesh has been the first state to take this initiative.

This decision was taken in the interest of women even after tolerating protests at various levels for reservation in the police force. In the state, a large number of women have become property owners due to concession in stamp duty on the registration of property in the name of women. Daughters have also benefited from Gaon Ki Beti and Pratibha Kiran Yojana.

The Chief Minister said that the budget of the state has increased manifold without reducing the capital expenditure. The state is ahead in many fields. The welfare of various sections has been ensured.

Chief Minister Chouhan said that the previous government had stopped many schemes, including the monthly food grant of Rs one thousand given to women of Baiga, Saharia and Bharia tribal woen. Similarly, Sambal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission and other schemes were not implemented by the previous government.

At present, the Madhya Pradesh government has eased the path of economic empowerment of women by starting Ladli Bahna Yojana. The second monthly installment under the scheme is being paid on Monday, July 10. During this Medical Education Minister Vishwas Kailash Sarang was also present.










NABARD, Jharkhand Regional Office, Ranchi convened Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting on Saturday to discuss the issues and opportunities available under Off Farm Sector and also discuss the subject of the meeting "Arts and Crafts in Jharkhand" It was done, so that an action plan could be prepared for the development of this area in the State so that maximum number of people could benefit from it.



During the meeting NABARD Chief General Manager, S Jahangirdar made everyone aware about the pace being given to agriculture and rural development through various schemes of NABARD. He further said that farmers should be supported so that they can get perennial source of income through both farm and off-farm activities. In this sequence, NABARD is supporting GI tagging so that such products attract specific market consumers, he added.



Jahangirdar further said that for the awareness of the House, the status of GI registered products in India is 450 items, while in Germany  around 8000 GI products and in China  7500 products. He said that now bamboo fiber and banana fiber is making a splash in the eco-friendly clothing market. He also emphasized on the importance of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform and the benefits to artisans on joining ONDC, which can be availed with better price realisation, and more savings with the artisans. All the stakeholders were requested to present their views and share their issues so that a road map can be prepared for the development of this sector, he added.



Director, Handlooms, Handicrafts and Sericulture, Government of Jharkhand, Akanksha Ranjan, highlighted the issue of handlooms and handicrafts and discussed the reasons for high cost of handloom products due to extensive labor work and time consuming process, due to which handlooms products became expensive. She also said that people are not aware about silk and they feel that these items are expensive. That's why awareness should be created about silk. Upgradation of looms and marketing is also to be done to address the handloom issue.



Ranjan also appreciated the schemes of NABARD in the non-agriculture sector and the scope for convergence was also discussed. She also informed the House that training programs on handicrafts provide end-to-end solutions to promote sericulture. Silk messengers are identified to provide yarn and wage assistance is also provided to them. Artisans were also encouraged to take advantage of the SFURTI scheme supported by the Government of India, she added.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has issued notice to the Odisha DGP and Chief Secretary and DG of Railway Protection Force (RPF) on chopping off both the hands of a migrant worker.

Taking cognizance of the horrific, barbaric and ghastly act narrated in the petition filed by civil rights lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, the apex panel for the STs sought for a response from the three authorities within 15 days.

The two hands of Angad Mallick, a poor migrant tribal worker from Dahalapadi Sahi in Baliguda NAC of Kandhamal, were chopped off by miscreants in Mumbai while he was on the way to Gujarat in search of work. Due to gross negligence and prolonged inaction by the Government of Odisha and the Center, the plight of migrant workers continues as poverty alleviation scheme fails to reach before these ill-fated, Tripathy alleged.

Tripathy cited similar inhuman incidents faced by migrant workers. On February 8, Samulu Pangi from Koraput district walked several kms with his wife's body on his shoulder from a hospital in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

Another victim of distress migration Sanka Murmu of Kalba village under Adaba police station limits in Damadua panchayat of Gajapati district suffered injuries as the labour contractor chopped off his hand and leg. In 2013, the right palms of two migrant labourers were chopped off by a labour contractor and his accomplices in Kalahandi district.
Delhiites woke up to the city flooded following incessant rains. Several Delhi residents took to Twitter to express disappointment over the mismanagement by the authorities and lack of proper drainage systems and slammed the Kejriwal government .

Many also tagged and called out the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, questioning his management. People shared visuals of the heavy waterlogging in residential as well as commuting areas, with vehicles half submerged in the rainwater.

Some Twitter users directly took a dig at CM Arvind Kejriwal, claiming that the administration is entirely clueless about measures to tackle the situation that is getting worse as the downpour continues. Thank you Arvind Kejriwal for making Delhi into Venice, a Twitter user wrote.

Another social media user said, Delhi is proud of @ArvindKejriwal #Delhirains You have fullfill your promise.

Another Twitter user wrote, At first, I believed it to be Spain or Venice, but then I observed an auto and people referring to the location as Chota Haridwar. It is our Delhi capital of India the mother of Democracy.

Meanwhile, government sources said there was more than 100mm rain in a single day, which is 15% of the total rain fall Delhi gets every monsoon.

This much water cannot be drained while the rain is still on. Once they rain stopped, the water cleared rapidly into the drainage system of the system.

With the showers bringing back the familiar scenes of waterlogged roads and long lines of vehicles stuck in the deluge, residents expressed anguish over Delhis poor drainage system.
The Department of Neurology at AIIMS Bhopal celebrated its Foundation Day on 8th July 2023, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards excellence. The program, inaugurated by Patron, Dr. Sunil Malik, President AIIMS Bhopal, and Prof. (Dr.) Ajai Singh, Executive Director & CEO, AIIMS Bhopal, was a grand affair that showcased the department's achievements and outlined its future vision.

The auspicious occasion commenced with ceremonial lamp lighting, symbolizing enlightenment and progress. Esteemed dignitaries, including Col. Ajit Singh, Deputy Director, Dr. R Malik, Dean (Administration), Dr. Sashank Pawar, Medical Superintendent, and guest speaker Dr. Ayush Gupta, Neurologist at GMC Bhopal, were welcomed with great honor and respect. Dr. N.K. Rai, Ex Additional Professor at AIIMS Bhopal, also graced the event, adding to the esteemed presence.

Dr. Priyanka V Kashyap, Associate Professor of Neurology at AIIMS Bhopal, presented a comprehensive overview of the department's progress, highlighting the significant milestones achieved in the field. Dr. Ashwin Tondon, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, delved into the intricacies of neuropathology, emphasizing its critical role in neurology.

A distinguished guest speaker, Dr. A. Dubey, shed light on Epilepsy Awareness measures, enhancing the audience's understanding of this neurological condition. President Dr. Sunil Malik expressed his appreciation for the department's current achievements and emphasized the need for further efforts in developing a unique Neurosciences center. He envisioned the integration of an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, a Neurology Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and neuropathology services, catering to the specific needs of patients.

Prof. (Dr.) Ajai Singh praised the department for its visionary approach and encouraged the exploration of collaborations with other departments, such as neurosurgery and neuropathology, to establish a center of excellence in neurology. He also emphasized the importance of starting an epilepsy fellowship program to further enhance expertise and patient care.

During the event, certificates of appreciation were presented to nursing officers and residents for their unwavering dedication and outstanding work. The celebration concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Chandra Shekhar Rawat, Assistant Professor of Neurology, expressing gratitude to all those who made the event a resounding success.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that I had promised my sisters that on the 10th of every month, I will deposit the amount of Ladli Bahna Yojana in their accounts. Happy to inform that on July 10, at 1 pm, funds will be released to the sisters' accounts from Indore with a single click.

Chouhan said that Ladli Bahna Sena will also take oath on this day, so that this Sena can contribute in the proper implementation of Ladli Bahna Yojana and other schemes for women empowerment. Chouhan has appealed to the sisters to connect with the programme on July 10. All the villages and wards of the state will be connected virtually through the programme. Chouhan said this in a message issued on social and electronic media.
Bhubaneswar-based NGO Centre for the Sustainable use of Natural and Social Resources (CSNR) has submitted a memorandum to the Odisha DGP urging him to address the problems of women police personnel in the State and increase their number in the police force.

The organisation recently conducted a study titled Challenges of Women Police Personnel Working in Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. The study found that 61.33% of women cops dont have clean washrooms and 94.66% do not have rest rooms, 76% seek transportation facility during odd hours, 91% feel the need of creche facility, 43% are not allotted quarter, almost 80% work more than 10 hours, 67% are not aware of Internal Complaint Committee (ICC), 64% face different problems during monthly period, 84% dont get sanitary dispenser and 24% are not equally treated like their male colleagues.

The memorandum also highlighted the challenges faced by women police during law enforcement. These included shortcomings like absence of mobile toilets facility during law and order duty and near traffic posts.

The probe team members included CSNR secretary Dhirendra Panda, researcher Prof Dr Susmita Parija, Dr Prangya Pramita Jena, Ranjit Sutar and coordinator of Police Reform Campaign Pallishree Dash. The CSNRs efforts aim to create a more inclusive and gender-equal police force ensuring the safety and wellbeing of both female officers and the communities they serve.






Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that Bharatiya Janata Party is the only party in which even a worker can become MLA, MP, Chief Minister and Prime Minister. Every worker will have to work ahead hard as Prime Minister and Chief Minister so as to ensure another triumphing victory. Today the world is looking towards India and India is moving towards becoming a world leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister of the country for the third time, Khattar said while addressing the workers of Kalka assembly constituency in Kalka.



He said that the government with absolute majority was formed in 2014 and 2019 under the leadership of PM Modi. Similarly, in 2014, a government with full majority was formed in the state too, but in 2019 there were some numbers short of getting another majority. To form the government for the third time in the country and the state in 2024, everyone has to start working hard from now. This time we will fill the gap which was left in the last Vidhan Sabha polls in the state and form the government with full majority, said Khattar.



The Chief Minister said that there is no alternative to Modi in India and the world and for the third time the government is surely going to win full majority and the centre government will once again be formed under the leadership of PM Modi.



Khattar said that in the last eight and a half years, development works worth Rs 2500 crore have been done in the Kalka Assembly Constituency. He said that Tikkar Tal is being made a centre of tourism. The area from Kalka to Kalesar will be developed in the tourism sector, due to which employment opportunities will also increase. The forest areas of Adi Badri, Lohgarh, Kalesar are also being developed, informed the Chief Minister.



He said that the government has worked on getting the maximum development works done in the state by eradicating corruption. The present state government has worked with the feeling of Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek by ending nepotism and regionalism, he added. We are working with the spirit of Antyodaya, so as to ensure the upliftment of last mile citizens. We have public welfare schemes for public interest and social interest and every needy person is getting the benefit of these schemes directly. In recruitments, priority is being given to the children of poor families. Five marks are being granted to the candidates, who do not have any member in the government job.



The Chief Minister said that the government has directly delivered the benefits of the schemes to the people at their homes through online medium. Earlier people had to visit the offices for small works but now all the facilities have been made online. Ration cards and pensions are being made automatically through PPP, he added.



The entire Haryana is my family and dedicated efforts are being made to ensure that no member of my family faces any difficulty in getting the benefits of public welfare schemes and facilities, said Khattar.
In view of the rise in the number of pilgrims in the ongoing Kanwad Yatra, the Haridwar Police has launched a new traffic plan which was implemented from late on Saturday night. As per the directions issued by the senior superintendent of police of Haridwar Ajai Singh, all the traffic moving from Rishikesh to Delhi will move on the left lane of the highway where traffic arriving from Delhi to Haridwar usually moves. He said that considering the increasing number of Kanwadiyas with each passing day, the lane of the Haridwar-Delhi route on the highway has been completely reserved for Kanwadiyas and their tableaux. He said that Kanwadiyas will continue to walk on the canal track but no Kanwadiya will move on the service lane. Singh said that the implementation of this plan is meant to smooth traffic for pilgrims as well as for other commuters. He said the Haridwar police are taking all possible measures to ensure pilgrims have to face no inconvenience during the pilgrimage. He said that the convenience of commuters is also being taken under consideration while making traffic plans. The police on Sunday evening closed the road leading from Ved Niketan to the cremation ground of Khadkhadi due to the strong flow of rainwater in the area. The SSP deployed police personnel on both sides as part of safety arrangements. Police also had to close several routes as a safety measure due to the sudden rise in water level due to heavy rains. Singh also went for an inspection of the city to take stock of the security arrangements amid the rainfall. He appealed to the pilgrims to not move ahead despite the police's warning and stay at a safe place during the inclement weather or contact the police in case of any danger.
Giridih police have solved the biggest loot incident of Rs 5 crore in the State and have arrested 6 people allegedly involved in the case. Police have also recovered Rs 3.24 crore out of the looted Rs 5 crore from the criminals.

Giridih SP Amit Renu had formed a 38-member team of officers and policemen to solve the case. The team worked continuously for 360 hours. The team members went to not only Jharkhand but Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Bengal also.

SP Amit Renu said in a press conference that the special task force worked very closely. He said that it was reported that the Creta vehicle which was looted had two GPS installed. The criminals had installed this GPS a month and a half before the incident. The same GPS helped a lot.

On the basis of other information received by the team, Ranjit Kumar was first caught by raiding Barhi. During interrogation, he disclosed the whole matter. Rs 01 crore 14 lakh of loot was recovered from him. After this, five different police teams raided different areas. In this raid, five criminals were caught and looted and Rs 2.10 crore were recovered from them. Along with this, GPS fitted in one XUV vehicle, eight mobiles and Creta vehicle have also been recovered.

The SP said that so far six people have been arrested in this case. They include Rajesh Singh, resident of Govindpur, Dhanbad, Md Karim Ansari, resident of Amlatand, Binod Vishwakarma, resident of Amarpur Upper Bazar and Shahzad Alam, resident of Fakirdih. Apart from this, Ranjit Kumar, resident of Rasoiya Dhamna village of Barhi police station area of Hazaribagh district and Ajit Kumar Singh, resident of Koni village of Itkhori police station area of Chatra district, are involved. A criminal is still absconding who is being searched. The incident took place on June 21 when the businessmen were going from Patna to Kolkata in a vehicle, on the way miscreants looted five crore rupees.
The Ranchi Police on Sunday pasted a proclamation notice at the houses land grabbers who tried to illegally grab the land owned by former Supreme Court judge Justice M.Y Eqbal at Lower bazaar of Ranchi . tHe police sprung into action after the accused failed to turn up before the court despite issuance of summons and warrants for appearance in the case.

Officer-in-charge of Lower Bazar police station Dayanand Kumar said that through the notice accused have been informed that if they fail to turn up before the court their property will be attached. The development took place after the Jharkhand High Court took suo moto cognizance in the matter after it came into its knowledge on June 26 through media reports explaining how goons in the presence of police officials made the attempt in broad daylight.

On June 25, An IR was registered at the Lower Bazar police station against some persons who tried to capture land and building of former Supreme Court judge M Y Eqbal. Late Justice Eqbal family lives in New Delhi.

On May 2021, Former Supreme Court judge, Justice MY Eqbal passed away at Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon. Justice Eqbal started his legal practice in the year 1975 in Ranchi. He was elevated to the bench in May 1996, as a judge of the Patna High Court. Later, with the formation of the new state of Jharkhand in 2000, he became a judge of the Jharkhand High Court.

A division of Jharkhand High Court comprising Justice Shree Chandashekhar and Justice Rantakar Bhengra today took cognizance over land grab bid of former Supreme Court judge M Y Eqbal at Lower Bazar area of State Capital. The HC has also taken cognizance over others land grab bids in state capital by land mafias.

Later, the Jharkhand High Court took cognizance over the incident and directed to institute a suo -motto writ petition in which officials have been arrayed as respondents: The Chief Secretary (Government of Jharkhand), Principal Secretary (Department of Home, Jail and Disaster management), Senior Superintendent of Police (RanchI) and officer in-charge of Lower Bazar (PS) Ranchi.

The Senior Superintendent of Police was asked to file personal affidavit and give details for the cases registered in the district of Ranchi making complaints of the aforesaid nature, status of the such complaints and FIRs and the action taken pursuant to such complaints.

The HC has also authorized an officer who will conduct an enquiry to ascertain whether there is prima facie incident evidence to involvement of the local police and or any other persons, or it was sheer negligence or dereliction of duty on the part of the police that such incidents has happened. He shall submit his report within two weeks.
Ranchi police busted the robbery of a finance worker in Chanho police station area and arrested three persons involved in the crime recently.

Acting on the instructions of SSP Kishor Kaushal, the police team arrested Adhanu Pahan, Vijay Oraon and Deepak Thakur. The tab of Samsung company, Rs 20,000 cash, identity card of finance company, 27 piece cash memo of finance company, passbook in the name of Sanjida Khatoon of Anil company and the bike used in the incident have been recovered from them.



On June 30, one and a half lakh rupees were looted from the collection boy of the Mandal branch of Bharat Finance Company near the closed brick kiln near Harra and Lepsar villages of Chanho police station area. After which the team constituted on the instructions of SSP took Deepak Thakur into custody and strictly interrogated him. Accepting his involvement in the incident, he informed the police about his colleagues. The police have arrested the other two criminals on his tip. Sunil Khalkho has gone to jail before Tupudana.



Meanwhile, a school girl committed suicide after getting trouble by not getting admission in the school. The dead body of a 13-year-old minor girl student was recovered from the GT road side of Govindpur police station area of Dhanbad. On receiving the information, the police reached the spot and took the dead body into custody and sent it for postmortem. The student has been identified as Aakriti Mona Oraon, a resident of Chanho police station area of Ranchi. A suicide note has also been recovered from the student. The family members of the student have been informed by the police.



The student was studying while living in Dhanbad. She was a student of class VI and was preparing for admission to Indira Gandhi Residential School from an organization called Super 100. This school is in Hazaribagh district. She had failed in the entrance exam twice in the past, due to which she was upset. In a few days, she was to have an entrance exam again for which she was preparing. But, he committed suicide before the exam.
Ahead of the conclave of opposition parties at Bengaluru on July 14, Rashtriya Lok Dal has called off its alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary had skipped the Patna conclave of the opposition parties on June 23 while SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had attended it.

The RLD had entered into alliance with the SP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election and they had together contested the 2022 UP assembly polls. The SP has, however, not responded to the RLD statement on alliance.

RLD state president Ramashish Rai said that his party would contest 12 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

We have considerable presence on these 12 seats and would like to contest them. We gave up our seats in the last assembly elections and as a result, we lost our state party status, Ramashish Rai said. He said the RLD would claim 12 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

He said the partys vote base had expanded and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary was working hard to regain lost ground.

The RLD, according to sources, is also unhappy with the anti-Congress posture of the SP.

The growing differences between the two parties have become a major concern as it could potentially impact the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. If the two parties go their separate ways, it could prove advantageous for the Bharatiya Janata Party in western Uttar Pradesh. Both parties may contest the elections independently.

In the 2022 assembly elections, the SP and RLD fought together, but they failed to prevent the BJPs return to power in Uttar Pradesh. The SP-RLD alliance fell short of expectations, winning only a little over 100 seats. The BJP secured 255 seats and formed the government once again under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath. The SP provided 33 seats to the RLD, but it could only win eight.
The Special Task Force (STF) and the Bhubaneswar and Khordha district police, on the basis of intelligence inputs, conducted a raid on the Simar-Banki road near village Ostapur on Saturday evening against illegal dealing of narcotic drugs, apprehended a drug peddler and seized 1.100 kg of brown sugar.

The street value of the seized contraband is around Rs 1.10 lakh crore.

Besides, the drug, a Bullet motorcycle was seized from the possession of the arrested peddler, who was identified as Suresh Kumar Mohapatra alias Suria of village Podadiha under the Baghamari police station in Khordha district.

The accused could not produce any valid authority in support of possession of the contraband. He was arrested and forwarded to the court of District and Sessions cum Special Judge, Khordha. Further investigation was on.

In the special drive against narcotic drugs continuing from 2020, the STF has seized more than 70 kg of brown sugar or heroin, 202 grams of cocaine and 113 quintals of ganja and 750 grams of opium and arrested more than 170 drug dealers or peddlers, the STF said.
The victim of the urination incident in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh has urged the state government to release the accused involved in the act, saying that the latter has realised his mistake.

Police Wednesday arrested Pravesh Shukla, accused of urinating on the victim, Dashmat Rawat, who belongs to a tribal community. A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms on Tuesday, following which the police registered a case against the accused and arrested him.

Besides facing relevant charges under the IPC and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, action has also been initiated under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), against Shukla, who is currently lodged in jail. An alleged illegal portion of the house belonging to Shukla in Sidhi was also demolished.

My demand to the government is that a mistake has been committed (by the accused)Now Pravesh Shukla should be released. Whatever has happened in the past, he has realised his mistake, Rawat told reporters on Friday when asked about the action against the accused.

When pointed out that he was making this demand despite the humiliating act of the accused, the victim said, Yes, I agreeHe is a Pandit of our village, we demand from the government to release him. Rawat also said that except for the construction of a road in the village, he has nothing more to demand from the government.

The urination episode has triggered a political controversy in Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due by the year-end, with the Congress alleging that the accused was linked to a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and the saffron party denying its connection with him in any way.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday washed the feet of the victim at the CMs residence in Bhopal and also apologised to him over the humiliating incident. But the opposition party dubbed Chouhans move as mere drama.

The state government also sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the victim and provided an additional sum of Rs 1.5 lakh for the construction of his house.

A Brahmin organisation on Friday opposed the demolition of a part of the house of Shukla, saying his act was deplorable but his family members cannot be punished for his behaviour.
Due to damage at Kajauli water works, the water supply timings in Chandigarh on July 10, 2023, will be available from 4 am to 9 am at low pressure during morning supply. There will be no evening supply. Sharing the information, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, (MCC) Commissioner Anandita Mitra have appealed to the citizens to not to use drinking water for any other purposes and cooperate with the MCC.
Dr Joseph Marianus Kujur, Director, Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS), will take part in the International Conference of the Jesuit Business Schools from 9 to 12 July 2023 at Universidad Loyola Andalucia Campus Sevilla in Spain.

The theme of the conference is, Educating for Global Citizenship. The conference aims to address concerns like, How can Jesuit Business Schools better prepare our students to lead in the creation of a more sustainable, inclusive, just and reconciled world?

Imperative issues in the global education and industry sector affecting the Jesuit Business Schools will also be discussed during the conference. As Artificial Intelligence, outsourcing, automation, and multinational/global companies are developing, the conference will discuss the strategies to be undertaken by Jesuit B-Schools in preparing students for the new work paradigm. The effect of Global Citizen for Universities and Business Schools will also be discussed during the conference.
As West Bengal bleeds amid widespread violence in the state during the panchayat elections that claimed lives of more than 40 people, the Yogi Adityanath model of governance has become a hot topic of discussion in the country.

Comparisons are being drawn between West Bengal, which saw clashes, violence, capturing of polling booths and loot of ballot papers and boxes during the panchayat elections, and Uttar Pradesh where not even a minor incident of violence occurred on a single seat whether it was Lok Sabha elections in 2019, or the recently concluded municipal polls.

Making this claim here on Sunday evening, an official spokesman of the government claimed that the rule of law in Yogis Uttar Pradesh, one of the largest states in the country with the highest population, stands in sharp contrast to the chaotic state of affairs in Mamata Banerjees state where bombs and bullets have become the order of the day.

On the one hand, there is Mamata Banerjee who often talks about Ma-Mati-Manush, but was a mute spectator when humanity bled during the panchayat elections in her state, and on the other there is Yogis Uttar Pradesh where elections were held peacefully on 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, on 403 assembly seats in 2022 and during the recent civic body elections.

Chief Minister Yogis popularity has grown not only within the country, but across the world because of his concrete efforts to establish law and order in Uttar Pradesh and rid the state of crime and criminals. He has left no stone unturned to see to it that gangsters and mafias face legal punishment and deter them from criminal actions, vigorously following the no tolerance policy against crime and criminals.

While West Bengal bled, the Mamata Banerjee government was in deep slumber. The spokesman cited that in the three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal, violence started early in the morning and continued throughout the day. Booths were captured, clashes took place at various places and ballot papers were looted. In just one day, more than 20 people lost their lives and around 100 were injured during the elections, but Mamata Banerjee's government sat pretty over the issue. Trinamool Congress supporters are also accused of running away with the ballot boxes and burning it. Ballot papers were found floating in water and a police vehicle was set on fire late at night. Gunshots were fired and bombs lobbed openly in the state during the election despite the presence of security forces, speaking volumes about the collapse of law and order in the state under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.

UP stands in sharp contrast with peaceful and fair elections on every seat. According to the spokesman, Uttar Pradesh is the largest state of the country with 80 Lok Sabha and 403 assembly seats. In the recently concluded municipal polls, elections were held for 17 seats of mayor, 1,420 seats of corporator, 199 seats of municipal council chairpersons and 5,327 seats of members, as well as 544 seats of city panchayat chairpersons and 7,177 seats of members, but there was not a single incident of even minor violence reported from anywhere. The elections were held peacefully on every seat and the credit goes to Chief Minister Yogi. Kumbh, Global Investors Summit, G-20 meetings, construction of Ram temple and many festivals took place in UP without any violence.

The spokesman claimed that voting took place on more than 61,000 seats of gram panchayats, zila parishads and panchayat samitis in West Bengal and there was widespread violence reported despite the deployment of security forces. However, the highest number of deaths took place in Murshidabad with violence claiming lives of five persons. Besides, two persons each died in South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Nadia and North Dinajpur whereas one death each was reported from Malda, East Bardhaman and Cooch Behar. The death of workers of other parties including Bharatiya Janata Party in the violence is also being claimed.

The peaceful and harmonious elections in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath contrasts with the bloody elections in West Bengal due to the poor and weak leadership of Mamata Banerjee. While 25 crore residents of Uttar Pradesh consider elections to be a festival of democracy, West Bengal, with a population of about 10 crore, has seen violence becoming commonplace under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. Separatist forces have flourished in West Bengal for the past many decades. In the elections held in Bengal in 2018, more than two dozen deaths of people were reported. On the other hand in Uttar Pradesh, elections were held peacefully at an estimated 1.75 lakh booths in the assembly polls in UP.

The spokesman said that prior to 2017 the situation was no better in Uttar Pradesh than West Bengal. However, after taking over as chief minister of the state for the first time in 2017, Yogi Adityanath accorded top priority to establishing law and order in the state and gave a free hand to policemen to deal with those playing with the law of the land. As a result massive crackdown started on criminals, mafias and gangsters across the state. Subsequently, they either fled from the state or surrendered to the police. Thus, the rule of law was established in UP. Today industrialists are willing to invest in UP because of the improved law and order situation in the state. Uttar Pradesh received investment proposals worth Rs 36 lakh crore during the Global Investors Summit. The investments will create employment for the youth of Uttar Pradesh on a large scale.
(): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support early on Saturday for Ukraine joining NATO, saying the war-torn country deserves to join the alliance.

Erdogan made the comment at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Turkey as part of a European tour to rally support for Ukraine's entry into the military alliance after the war with Russia comes to an end.

NATO leaders meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week are expected to reaffirm that Ukraine will join their alliance one day.

There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves NATO membership, Erdogan told reporters,

His support for Ukraine comes as Turkey has been holding off giving its final approval to Sweden joining NATO, saying Stockholm is not effectively cracking down on Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara views as threats to its security.

Sweden, along with Finland, abandoned its decades-long neutrality and applied to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Turkeys parliament ratified Finlands membership earlier this year, after Ankara voiced satisfaction with its efforts to address Turkeys security concerns.

Erdogan also said Turkey was working toward extending a Turkish and UN-brokered grain deal that has paved the way for the shipment of more than 30 million tons of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

The deal, which helped temper rising global food prices, is set to expire July 17. Russia has been reluctant to extend the deal, citing obstacles to its own exports of food and fertiliser.

We are continuing our work on the grain corridor issue. We are working to see how long we can extend it after July 17, Erdogan said.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of obstructing the movement of ships.

Russia behaves as if it owns the entire Black Sea, as if it is the owner here, said Zelenskyy, making his first trip to Turkey since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Erdogan said Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit Turkey in August, when he hoped to discuss renewal of the Black Sea grain deal as well as a possible prisoner swap. Turkey has maintained close ties with both Ukraine and Russia, using its relations to both to act as a mediator.
American lawmakers and several Indian-American community organisations have denounced the recent attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco and called for a thorough probe into the incident so that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

While the right to protest is ingrained in the US Constitution, no one has the right to engage in violence, they said in separate statements and tweets on Friday.

They also condemned the threats issued to Indian diplomats, including Indias Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, by separatist Sikhs and called on the Biden administration to ensure safety of foreign diplomats.

A video by Khalistan supporters, dated July 2 and posted on Twitter, showed the act of arson at the Indian consulate in San Francisco.

The video, with the words "violence begets violence" emblazoned over it, also showed news articles related to the death of Canada-based Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar, one of India's most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada last month.

Congressman Frank Pallone said foreign diplomats shouldn't have to fear for their lives while on American soil.

"I hope the administration will help provide safety and security moving forward," he said.

In a tweet, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "The right to protest is ingrained in the US Constitution, but no one has the right to engage in violence, including against diplomatic facilities."

Diplomacy thrives on mutual respect, which can never coexist with such acts of violence, said Congressman Jonathan Jackson.

"As a member of the India Caucus, I stand alongside you in urging for an immediate and thorough investigation. Let's ensure accountability and safeguard the respect that should characterise our international relations," he said.

Last week's attack was the second time within months that the Indian Consulate in San Francisco was targeted by Khalistani supporters.

On March 19, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and damaged the consulate. Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.

The Federation of Gujarati Association of USA also strongly condemned the attack.

"Such unruly behaviour is unacceptable and we appeal to the US authorities that the perpetrators are brought to justice," the association said in a statement.

"We express our unwavering support to Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu ji, the Ambassador of India to USA, and his team at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco during this time," it added.

The Federation of Tamil Sangam of North America expressed its unwavering support to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.

Maryland-based National Council of Asian Indian Associations said those behind the attempted arson should be brought to book.

The Global Assamese Entrepreneurship Forum said, "The alleged perpetrators should be brought to justice. We stand in solidarity with the Indian Embassy and Consulates and offer our unwavering support during this difficult time."

Sikhs of America, a leading Sikh organisation in the US also strongly condemned the incident.

"We express our unwavering support to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. We ask the local and federal law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators behind this to justice," it said.

In a message to countries such as the US, Canada, Australia and the UK where pro-Khalistan groups have issued posters with threats against senior Indian diplomats, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that space should not be given to those advocating violence or legitimising terrorism in the name of freedom of expression.

The safety of the diplomats and security of the Indian missions are of utmost priority to the government and New Delhi has taken it up with countries concerned, it said. PTI LKJ
The last of the United States declared chemical weapons stockpile was destroyed at a sprawling military installation in eastern Kentucky, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has announced, a milestone that closes a chapter of warfare dating back to World War I.

Workers at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky destroyed rockets filled with GB nerve agent, completing a decades-long campaign to eliminate a stockpile that by the end of the Cold War totalled more than 30,000 tonnes.

Chemical weapons are responsible for some of the most horrific episodes of human loss, McConnell said in a statement on Friday. Though the use of these deadly agents will always be a stain on history, today our nation has finally fulfilled our promise to rid our arsenal of this evil.

The weapons destruction is a major watershed for Richmond, Kentucky and Pueblo, Colorado, where an Army depot destroyed the last of its chemical agents last month. Its also a defining moment for arms control efforts worldwide.

The US faced a September 30 deadline to eliminate its remaining chemical weapons under the international Chemical Weapons Convention, which took effect in 1997 and was joined by 193 countries. The munitions being destroyed in Kentucky are the last of 51,000 M55 rockets with GB nerve agent  a deadly toxin also known as sarin  that have been stored at the depot since the 1940s.

By destroying the munitions, the US is officially underscoring that these types of weapons are no longer acceptable in the battlefield and sending a message to the handful of countries that havent joined the agreement, military experts say.

Chemical weapons were first used in modern warfare in World War I, where they were estimated have killed at least 1,00,000. Despite their use being subsequently banned by the Geneva Convention, countries continued to stockpile the weapons until the treaty calling for their destruction.

In southern Colorado, workers at the Army Pueblo Chemical Depot started destroying the weapons in 2016, and on June 22 completed their mission of neutralising an entire cache of about 2,600 tonnes of mustard blister agent. The projectiles and mortars comprised about 8.5 per cent of the countrys original chemical weapons stockpile of 30,610 tonnes of agent.

Nearly 8,00,000 chemical munitions containing mustard agent were stored since the 1950s inside row after row of heavily guarded concrete and earthen bunkers that pock the landscape near a large swath of farmland east of Pueblo.

The weapons destruction alleviates a concern that civic leaders in Colorado and Kentucky admit was always in the back of their minds.

Those (weapons) sitting out there were not a threat, Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar said. But, he added, you always wondered what might happen with them.

In the 1980s, the community around Kentuckys Blue Grass Army Depot rose up in opposition to the Armys initial plan to incinerate the plants 520 tonnes of chemical weapons, leading to a decades-long battle over how they would be disposed of. They were able to halt the planned incineration plant, and then, with help from lawmakers, prompted the Army to submit alternative methods to burning the weapons.

Craig Williams, who became the leading voice of the community opposition and later a partner with political leadership and the military, said residents were concerned about potential toxic pollution from burning the deadly chemical agents.

Williams noted that the military eliminated most of its existing stockpile by burning weapons at other, more remote sites such as Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean or at a chemical depot in the middle of the Utah desert. But the Kentucky site was adjacent to Richmond and only a few dozen miles away from Lexington, the states second-largest city.

We had a middle school of over 600 kids a mile away from the (planned) smokestack, Williams said.

The Kentucky storage facility has housed mustard agent and the VX and sarin nerve agents, much of it inside rockets and other projectiles, since the 1940s. The state's disposal plant was completed in 2015 and began destroying weapons in 2019. It uses a process called neutralisation to dilute the deadly agents so they can be safely disposed of.

The project, however, has been a boon for both communities, and facing the eventual loss of thousands of workers, both are pitching the pool of high-skilled labourers as a plus for companies looking to locate in their regions.

Workers at the Pueblo site used heavy machinery to meticulously  and slowly  load aging weapons onto conveyor systems that fed into secure rooms where remote-controlled robots did the dirty and dangerous work of eliminating the toxic mustard agent, which was designed to blister the skin and cause inflammation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs.

Robotic equipment removed the weapons' fuses and bursters before the mustard agent was neutralised with hot water and mixed with a caustic solution to prevent the reaction from reversing. The byproduct was further broken down in large tanks swimming with microbes, and the mortars and projectiles were decontaminated at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees Celsius) and recycled as scrap metal.

Problematic munitions that were leaky or overpacked were sent to an armoured, stainless steel detonation chamber to be destroyed at about 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit (593 degrees Celsius).

The Colorado and Kentucky sites were the last among several, including Utah and the Johnston Atoll, where the nation's chemical weapons had been stockpiled and destroyed. Other locations included facilities in Alabama, Arkansas and Oregon.

Kingston Reif, an assistant US secretary of defence for threat reduction and arms control, said the destruction of the last US chemical weapon "will close an important chapter in military history, but one that we're very much looking forward to closing".

Officials say the elimination of the US stockpile is a major step forward for the Chemical Weapons Convention. Only three countries  Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan  have not signed the treaty. A fourth, Israel, has signed but not ratified the treaty.
Kunlun Energy (OTCMKTS:KLYCY  Free Report) and Auto Trader Group (OTCMKTS:ATDRY  Free Report) are both mid-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, dividends, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Kunlun Energy and Auto Trader Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Kunlun Energy N/A N/A N/A Auto Trader Group N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Kunlun Energy and Auto Trader Group, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Kunlun Energy 0 1 0 0 2.00 Auto Trader Group 0 4 1 0 2.20

Earnings and Valuation

Auto Trader Group has a consensus target price of $596.33, indicating a potential upside of 31,619.86%. Given Auto Trader Groups stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Auto Trader Group is more favorable than Kunlun Energy.

This table compares Kunlun Energy and Auto Trader Groups revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Kunlun Energy $21.47 billion 0.31 $3.57 billion N/A N/A Auto Trader Group $591.22 million 11.60 $334.21 million N/A N/A

Kunlun Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Auto Trader Group.

Dividends

Kunlun Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Auto Trader Group pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%.

Volatility and Risk

Kunlun Energy has a beta of 0.89, suggesting that its share price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Auto Trader Group has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its share price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.0% of Auto Trader Group 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.

Summary

Auto Trader Group beats Kunlun Energy on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Kunlun Energy

(Free Report)

Kunlun Energy Company Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It operates through four segments: Natural Gas Sales; Sales of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG); Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Processing and Terminal; and Exploration and Production. The company is also involved in the processing, unloading, storing, gasification, and entrucking of LNG; trading, distribution, and retail sale of various natural gas products; and wholesale and retail of various LPG products. It operates in the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Sultanate of Oman, the Republic of Peru, and the Kingdom of Thailand. The company was formerly known as CNPC (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to Kunlun Energy Company Limited in March 2010. The company was incorporated in 1991 and is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Kunlun Energy Company Limited operates as a subsidiary of PetroChina Hong Kong Limited.

About Auto Trader Group

(Free Report)

Auto Trader Group plc operates in the digital automotive marketplace in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company provides vehicle advertisement on its websites for private sellers, as well as insurance and loan financing products to consumers; and display advertising on its websites for manufacturers and their advertising agencies. It offers its products to retailers, home traders, and logistics firms. Auto Trader Group plc was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Manchester, the United Kingdom.

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TransAlta Renewables Inc. (TSE:RNW  Free Report)  Equities research analysts at National Bank Financial lowered their Q2 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of TransAlta Renewables in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 5th. National Bank Financial analyst R. Merer now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.10 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.12. The consensus estimate for TransAlta Renewables current full-year earnings is $0.70 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for TransAlta Renewables Q3 2023 earnings at $0.06 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $0.36 EPS.

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Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. National Bankshares lowered their price target on TransAlta Renewables from C$13.00 to C$12.50 in a research report on Thursday. CSFB upgraded TransAlta Renewables from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, May 16th. TD Securities lifted their target price on TransAlta Renewables from C$12.00 to C$12.50 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Monday, May 8th. Atb Cap Markets cut TransAlta Renewables from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a report on Sunday, May 7th. Finally, ATB Capital cut TransAlta Renewables from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating and decreased their target price for the stock from C$15.50 to C$14.00 in a report on Monday, May 8th. Seven 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 currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of C$15.00.

TransAlta Renewables Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of RNW stock opened at C$11.00 on Friday. TransAlta Renewables has a 1 year low of C$10.63 and a 1 year high of C$18.45. The stock has a market cap of C$2.94 billion, a PE ratio of 37.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.73. The businesss fifty day moving average is C$12.13 and its 200-day moving average is C$12.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.52, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.81.

TransAlta Renewables (TSE:RNW  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 5th. The company reported C$0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$0.15 by C$0.02. TransAlta Renewables had a return on equity of 4.12% and a net margin of 14.55%. The company had revenue of C$119.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$134.80 million.

TransAlta Renewables Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.0783 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 13th. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.54%. TransAlta Renewabless dividend payout ratio is presently 324.14%.

About TransAlta Renewables

(Free Report)

TransAlta Renewables Inc owns, develops, and operates renewable and natural gas power generation facilities and other infrastructure assets in Canada, the United States, and Australia. The company operates through Canadian Wind, Canadian Hydro, Canadian Gas, US Wind and Solar, US Gas, and Australian Gas segments.

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Analysts at StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Chicago Rivet & Machine (NYSE:CVR  Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Saturday. The brokerage set a sell rating on the stock.

Chicago Rivet & Machine Price Performance

Chicago Rivet & Machine Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Davide Campari-Milano (OTCMKTS:DVDCF  Free Report) had its target price raised by Credit Suisse Group to 13.00 ($14.13) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Davide Campari-Milano to 10.70 ($11.63) in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Davide Campari-Milano to 13.00 ($14.13) in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Davide Campari-Milano has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $12.29.

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Davide Campari-Milano Price Performance

Shares of DVDCF opened at $13.59 on Wednesday. Davide Campari-Milano has a 12 month low of $8.55 and a 12 month high of $14.03. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $13.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.06.

About Davide Campari-Milano

Davide Campari-Milano N.V., together with its subsidiaries, markets and distributes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It offers a range of spirits categories, including aperitif, vodka, liqueurs, bitters, whisky, tequila, rum, gin, and cognac, as well as champagne and non-alcoholic aperitif under various brands, such as Aperol, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey, Grand Marnier, Appleton Estate, Wray & Nephew Overproof, and other brands.

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Pennon Group (OTCMKTS:PEGRY  Free Report) and Severn Trent (OTCMKTS:STRNY  Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and dividends.

Dividends

Pennon Group pays an annual dividend of $0.17 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Severn Trent pays an annual dividend of $1.47 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.7%. Pennon Group pays out 29.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Severn Trent pays out 179.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

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Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.1% of Severn Trent shares are owned by institutional investors. 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 Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Pennon Group 0 3 0 0 2.00 Severn Trent 0 2 3 0 2.60

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Pennon Group and Severn Trent, as provided by MarketBeat.

Pennon Group currently has a consensus price target of $1,048.00, suggesting a potential upside of 5,761.30%. Severn Trent has a consensus price target of $2,932.50, suggesting a potential upside of 9,345.97%. Given Severn Trents stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Severn Trent is more favorable than Pennon Group.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Pennon Group and Severn Trents revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Pennon Group N/A N/A N/A $0.58 30.81 Severn Trent N/A N/A N/A $0.82 37.89

Pennon Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Severn Trent, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Pennon Group and Severn Trents net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Pennon Group N/A N/A N/A Severn Trent N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Severn Trent beats Pennon Group on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Pennon Group

(Free Report)

Pennon Group Plc provides clean water and wastewater services in the United Kingdom. It provides water and wastewater services for customers in Cornwall, Devon, and parts of Dorset and Somerset; water-only services in the areas of Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire; and water and wastewater retail services to non-household customers in Great Britain. The company also offers regulated water to approximately 1.2 million customers in the Bristol region. Pennon Group Plc was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Exeter, the United Kingdom.

About Severn Trent

(Free Report)

Severn Trent PLC operates as a water and sewerage company in England and Wales. It operates through two segments: Regulated Water and Waste Water, and Business Services. The Regulated Water and Waste Water segment offers water and waste water services to approximately 4.8 million households and businesses. The Business Services segment generates renewable energy from anaerobic digestion, hydropower, wind turbines, and solar panels; property development; and offers affinity products and search services. It also provides services to municipal and industrial clients, including the Ministry of Defence and the Coal Authority for design, build, and operation of water and wastewater treatment facilities and networks. Severn Trent PLC was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Coventry, the United Kingdom.

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Konica Minolta (OTCMKTS:KNCAF  Free Report) and HNI (NYSE:HNI  Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Konica Minolta and HNIs gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Konica Minolta N/A N/A N/A $59.88 0.06 HNI $2.27 billion 0.51 $123.90 million $2.66 10.41

HNI has higher revenue and earnings than Konica Minolta. Konica Minolta is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than HNI, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Analyst Recommendations

Konica Minolta pays an annual dividend of $13.93 per share and has a dividend yield of 421.0%. HNI pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.6%. Konica Minolta pays out 23.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. HNI pays out 48.1% 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. HNI has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years. Konica Minolta is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Konica Minolta and HNI, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Konica Minolta 0 0 0 0 N/A HNI 0 0 1 0 3.00

HNI has a consensus price target of $34.00, suggesting a potential upside of 22.83%. Given HNIs higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe HNI is more favorable than Konica Minolta.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

24.7% of Konica Minolta shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.4% of HNI shares are held by institutional investors. 4.1% of HNI shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Konica Minolta and HNIs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Konica Minolta N/A N/A N/A HNI 4.91% 13.96% 5.69%

Summary

HNI beats Konica Minolta on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Konica Minolta

(Free Report)

Konica Minolta, Inc. engages in digital workplace, professional print, healthcare, and industrial businesses in Japan, the United States, Europe, China, other Asian countries, and internationally. The company develops, manufactures, and sells multi-functional peripherals, digital printing systems, and related consumables, as well as offers IT and printing solutions and services. It also provides diagnostic imaging systems, such as digital X-ray diagnostic imaging, diagnostic ultrasound systems, and other systems; digitalization, networking, solutions, and services in the medical field; genetic testing and drug discovery support services; and primary care services. In addition, the company offers measuring instruments; functional film displays; organic light emitting diode lighting products; industrial inkjet printheads; lenses for industrial and professional use; and imaging IoT and visual solutions. Konica Minolta, Inc. was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About HNI

(Free Report)

HNI Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, sells, and markets workplace furnishings and residential building products primarily in the United States and Canada. The company operates through two segments, Workplace Furnishings and Residential Building Products. The Workplace Furnishings segment offers a range of commercial and home office furniture, including panel-based and freestanding furniture systems, seating, storage, benching, tables, and architectural products, as well as social collaborative items under the HON, Allsteel, Beyond, Gunlocke, HBF Textiles, HBF, OFM, Respawn, and HNI India brands. This segment sells its products through independent office products dealers, wholesalers, office product distributors, e-commerce focused resellers, and wholesalers, as well as directly to end-user customers and governments. The Residential Building Products segment provides various gas, wood, electric, and pellet-fueled fireplaces; inserts; stoves; facings; outdoor fire pits and fire tables; and accessories. This segment sells its products primarily for home use under the Heatilator, Heat & Glo, Majestic, Monessen, Quadra-Fire, Harman, Vermont Castings, PelPro, SimpliFire, The Outdoor GreatRoom Company, and Stellar brand names through independent dealers and distributors, and corporation-owned distribution and retail outlets. The company was incorporated in 1944 and is headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa.

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Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF (NYSEARCA:RWJ  Free Report)s stock is scheduled to split on the morning of Monday, July 17th. The 3-1 split was announced on Monday, July 17th. The newly created shares will be distributed to shareholders after the closing bell on Monday, July 17th.

Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF stock opened at $113.39 on Friday. Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF has a twelve month low of $95.76 and a twelve month high of $127.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.21 and a beta of 1.32.

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Institutional Trading of Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kalos Management Inc. bought a new position in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Concourse Financial Group Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF by 49.6% in the 2nd quarter. Concourse Financial Group Securities Inc. now owns 368 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its holdings in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF by 409.0% in the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 901 shares of the companys stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 724 shares during the period. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF in the 1st quarter valued at about $108,000. Finally, Horan Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF by 20.2% in the 1st quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 1,030 shares of the companys stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period.

Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF Company Profile

The Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF (RWJ) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue-Weighted index. The fund tracks an index of S&P SmallCap 600 Index stocks that are weighted by revenue. RWJ was launched on Feb 22, 2008 and is managed by Invesco.

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Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Silver Lake Resources (OTCMKTS:SVLKF  Free Report) from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

Silver Lake Resources Stock Performance

OTCMKTS SVLKF opened at $0.71 on Wednesday. Silver Lake Resources has a fifty-two week low of $0.61 and a fifty-two week high of $1.08. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $0.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $0.79.

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About Silver Lake Resources

(Free Report)

Further Reading

Silver Lake Resources Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, mine development, mine operation, and sale of gold and copper concentrates in Australia and Canada. The company holds interests in the Deflector operations that produce gold bullion and gold-copper concentrates located in the Southern Murchison region of Western Australia; and Mount Monger operations, which produce gold bullion located within the Kalgoorlie terrane subdivision of the Eastern Goldfields Province.

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TD Securities assumed coverage on shares of Fiera Capital (OTCMKTS:FRRPF  Free Report) in a report released on Wednesday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. National Bank Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Fiera Capital from C$8.50 to C$7.50 in a report on Friday, May 12th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Fiera Capital from C$9.50 to C$8.00 in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Desjardins dropped their target price on Fiera Capital from C$8.75 to C$8.00 in a report on Friday, May 12th. Scotiabank cut their target price on Fiera Capital to C$9.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Fiera Capital from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, June 2nd.

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Fiera Capital Stock Performance

Shares of FRRPF opened at $4.91 on Wednesday. The businesss fifty day moving average is $5.32 and its 200 day moving average is $5.98. Fiera Capital has a 12-month low of $4.79 and a 12-month high of $7.30.

Fiera Capital Company Profile

Fiera Capital Corporation is an employee owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional investors, mutual funds, charitable organizations, and private clients. It manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. The firm also launches and manages equity, fixed income, and balanced mutual funds and income trusts for its clients.

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Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of UPM-Kymmene Oyj (OTCMKTS:UPMMY  Free Report) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

UPMMY has been the topic of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded UPM-Kymmene Oyj from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, June 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised UPM-Kymmene Oyj from an underweight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $39.60.

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UPM-Kymmene Oyj Stock Performance

UPM-Kymmene Oyj stock opened at $30.31 on Thursday. UPM-Kymmene Oyj has a 12 month low of $28.26 and a 12 month high of $39.09. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $31.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.06.

About UPM-Kymmene Oyj

UPM-Kymmene Oyj engages in the forest-based bio industry in Europe, North America, Asia, and internationally. It operates through UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Communication Papers, UPM Plywood, and Other operations segments. The company provides softwood, birch, and eucalyptus pulp for tissue, specialty, and graphic papers and packaging; sawn timber for joinery, packaging, furniture, planning, and construction industries; and wood-based renewable diesel and renewable naphtha for transport and petrochemical industry.

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The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the twelve analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $67.67.

A number of research firms have issued reports on KO. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $71.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. StockNews.com began coverage on Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th.

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Coca-Cola Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of KO opened at $59.76 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $61.59 and its 200 day moving average is $61.49. The company has a market capitalization of $258.44 billion, a PE ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.54. Coca-Cola has a 12-month low of $54.01 and a 12-month high of $65.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

Coca-Cola ( NYSE:KO Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 24th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.78 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.96% and a net margin of 22.69%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Research analysts expect that Coca-Cola will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 15th. Coca-Colas payout ratio is currently 80.70%.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 253,102 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total transaction of $16,104,880.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 184,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,743,743.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Henrique Braun sold 16,950 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total transaction of $1,085,308.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,272 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,682,196.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 253,102 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total value of $16,104,880.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 184,563 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,743,743.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 420,786 shares of company stock worth $26,886,224 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KO. My Personal CFO LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Worth Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 956.1% in the 4th quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC now owns 433 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 392 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 68.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

(Free Report

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions (NYSE:BFAM  Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday.

BFAM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Bright Horizons Family Solutions from $57.00 to $61.00 in a report on Monday, June 26th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Bright Horizons Family Solutions in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. They issued a sell rating and a $79.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup cut Bright Horizons Family Solutions from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $101.00 in a report on Friday, May 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bright Horizons Family Solutions has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $79.00.

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Bright Horizons Family Solutions Stock Performance

NYSE BFAM opened at $92.58 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of 78.46 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a 1-year low of $54.19 and a 1-year high of $95.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Bright Horizons Family Solutions ( NYSE:BFAM Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $553.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $531.41 million. Bright Horizons Family Solutions had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 3.28%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.39 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Bright Horizons Family Solutions will post 2.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, CEO Stephen Howard Kramer sold 5,000 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.38, for a total transaction of $421,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 147,993 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,487,649.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Bright Horizons Family Solutions news, CEO Stephen Howard Kramer sold 5,000 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.38, for a total transaction of $421,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 147,993 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,487,649.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mary Ann Tocio sold 10,000 shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions stock in a transaction on Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.54, for a total value of $905,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 55,768 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,049,234.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,762 shares of company stock valued at $2,638,463 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.28% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BFAM. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 301.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 856,581 shares of the companys stock worth $54,050,000 after acquiring an additional 643,410 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions in the 4th quarter worth $35,706,000. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,060,431 shares of the companys stock worth $193,113,000 after buying an additional 502,684 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 249.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 476,170 shares of the companys stock worth $63,183,000 after buying an additional 340,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Bright Horizons Family Solutions by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,509,737 shares of the companys stock worth $270,216,000 after buying an additional 309,359 shares during the last quarter.

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Company Profile

(Free Report)

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc provides early education and childcare, back-up care, educational advisory, and other workplace solutions services for employers and families. The company operates through three segments: Full Service Center-Based Child Care, Back-Up Care, and Educational Advisory and Other Services.

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Funding Circle (OTCMKTS:FDCHF  Free Report) and LendingClub (NYSE:LC  Free Report) are both financial services companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends, risk, valuation, earnings and institutional ownership.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Funding Circle and LendingClub, as provided by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Funding Circle 0 0 0 0 N/A LendingClub 0 3 3 0 2.50

Funding Circle presently has a consensus target price of $70.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8,663.14%. LendingClub has a consensus target price of $13.50, suggesting a potential upside of 42.11%. Given Funding Circles higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Funding Circle is more favorable than LendingClub.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

Profitability

77.5% of LendingClub shares are held by institutional investors. 2.8% of LendingClub shares 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.

This table compares Funding Circle and LendingClubs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Funding Circle N/A N/A N/A LendingClub 22.96% 10.45% 1.60%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Funding Circle and LendingClubs revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Funding Circle N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A LendingClub $1.19 billion 0.86 $289.68 million $2.49 3.82

LendingClub has higher revenue and earnings than Funding Circle.

Summary

LendingClub beats Funding Circle on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Funding Circle

(Free Report)

Funding Circle Holdings plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online lending platforms in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. The company offers small business loans, recovery loan schemes, and business finance solutions to small and medium enterprises. It also provides flexipay and flexipay card solutions. The company acts as a special purpose bankruptcy remote entity that issues loan payment dependent debt securities to accredited investors. The company was incorporated in 2010 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

About LendingClub

(Free Report)

LendingClub Corporation, operates as a bank holding company for LendingClub Bank, National Association that provides range of financial products and services in the United States. It offers deposit products, including savings accounts, checking accounts, and certificates of deposit. The company also provides loan products, such as consumer loans comprising unsecured personal loans, secured auto refinance loans, and patient and education finance loans; and commercial loans, including small business loans. In addition, it operates an online lending marketplace platform. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

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CP ALL Public (OTCMKTS:CPPCY  Free Report) is one of 63 publicly-traded companies in the Grocery Stores industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare CP ALL Public to similar companies based on the strength of its valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Dividends

CP ALL Public pays an annual dividend of $7.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 42.0%. 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 62.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

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Institutional & Insider Ownership

44.5% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are held by institutional investors. 23.1% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score CP ALL Public 0 0 1 0 3.00 CP ALL Public Competitors 1123 2753 3014 114 2.30

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for CP ALL Public and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.

As a group, Grocery Stores companies have a potential upside of 100.90%. Given CP ALL Publics rivals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe CP ALL Public has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares CP ALL Public and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio CP ALL Public N/A N/A 1.59 CP ALL Public Competitors $26.21 billion $587.98 million 199.79

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.

Profitability

This table compares CP ALL Public and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets CP ALL Public N/A N/A N/A CP ALL Public Competitors 1.88% 11.91% 4.72%

Summary

CP ALL Public rivals beat CP ALL Public on 10 of the 13 factors compared.

About CP ALL Public

(Free Report)

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.

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First National Bank of Hutchinson grew its holdings in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO  Free Report) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,267 shares of the medical research companys stock after buying an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Thermo Fisher Scientific accounts for approximately 1.0% of First National Bank of Hutchinsons holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. First National Bank of Hutchinsons holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific were worth $1,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,730,063 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $6,459,629,000 after buying an additional 1,764,312 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,123,657 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $5,024,306,000 after purchasing an additional 161,344 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 104,536.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,355,245 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $4,601,150,000 after purchasing an additional 8,347,260 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,879,351 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $3,780,655,000 after purchasing an additional 123,256 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Thermo Fisher Scientific in the 4th quarter worth about $3,105,677,000. 96.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on TMO. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $610.00 to $590.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 27th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $710.00 to $640.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $670.00 to $620.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific from $675.00 to $660.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $629.77.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE TMO traded down $3.59 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $513.73. 1,020,679 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,474,106. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has a one year low of $475.77 and a one year high of $611.06. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $525.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $550.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $198.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.78.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO  Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The medical research company reported $5.03 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $5.03. Thermo Fisher Scientific had a net margin of 13.75% and a return on equity of 19.16%. The company had revenue of $10.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. Thermo Fisher Scientifics revenue for the quarter was down 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will post 23.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.27%. Thermo Fisher Scientifics payout ratio is 9.13%.

Insider Activity at Thermo Fisher Scientific

In other Thermo Fisher Scientific news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.82, for a total value of $855,712.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 141,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $75,586,110.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.22, for a total transaction of $5,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 141,330 shares in the company, valued at $77,055,942.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Marc N. Casper sold 1,600 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $534.82, for a total transaction of $855,712.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 141,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,586,110.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Company Profile

(Free Report)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc provides life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and biopharma services in the United States and internationally. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases; and solutions include biosciences, genetic sciences, clinical next-generation sequencing, bio production to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets.

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CP ALL Public (OTCMKTS:CPPCY  Free Report) and Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI  Free Report) are both consumer defensive companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares CP ALL Public and Albertsons Companies net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets CP ALL Public N/A N/A N/A Albertsons Companies 1.95% 68.28% 6.56%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

68.3% of Albertsons Companies shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Albertsons Companies shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio CP ALL Public N/A N/A N/A $10.86 1.59 Albertsons Companies $77.65 billion 0.16 $1.51 billion $2.17 10.09

This table compares CP ALL Public and Albertsons Companies top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Albertsons Companies has higher revenue and earnings than CP ALL Public. CP ALL Public is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Albertsons Companies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

CP ALL Public pays an annual dividend of $7.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 42.0%. Albertsons Companies pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. CP ALL Public pays out 66.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Albertsons Companies pays out 22.1% 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.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for CP ALL Public and Albertsons Companies, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score CP ALL Public 0 0 1 0 3.00 Albertsons Companies 0 8 3 0 2.27

Albertsons Companies has a consensus target price of $25.93, suggesting a potential upside of 18.43%. Given Albertsons Companies higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Albertsons Companies is more favorable than CP ALL Public.

Summary

Albertsons Companies beats CP ALL Public on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CP ALL Public

(Free Report)

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.

About Albertsons Companies

(Free Report)

Albertsons Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company's food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores. It operates stores under various banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw's, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Haggen, Kings Food Markets, and Balducci's Food Lovers Market; and pharmacies, in-store branded coffee shops, adjacent fuel centers, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities, as well as various digital platforms. The company was founded in 1860 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Albertsons Companies, Inc. is a subsidiary of Albertsons Investor Holdings LLC.

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V.F. Co. (NYSE:VFC  Free Report) has received an average recommendation of Hold from the twenty-one research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $28.42.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VFC. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of V.F. from $22.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 24th. 888 restated a maintains rating on shares of V.F. in a research report on Monday, May 22nd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of V.F. from $26.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 25th. Wedbush lowered their price objective on shares of V.F. from $29.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Monday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of V.F. from a sell rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Friday, April 14th.

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Institutional Trading of V.F.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in V.F. by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the textile makers stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the period. Utah Retirement Systems grew its holdings in V.F. by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 62,551 shares of the textile makers stock worth $1,871,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. grew its holdings in V.F. by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 8,304 shares of the textile makers stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in V.F. by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,098 shares of the textile makers stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in V.F. by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,006 shares of the textile makers stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares during the period. 80.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

V.F. Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VFC opened at $18.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. V.F. has a 12-month low of $16.77 and a 12-month high of $48.63. The business has a 50 day moving average of $19.55 and a 200-day moving average of $23.44. The stock has a market cap of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 60.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.47.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 23rd. The textile maker reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.03. V.F. had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 25.78%. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that V.F. will post 2.11 earnings per share for the current year.

V.F. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 20th. Investors of record on Monday, June 12th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 9th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.43%. V.F.s payout ratio is 387.11%.

V.F. Company Profile

(Free Report

V.F. Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, procurement, marketing, and distribution of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and related products for men, women, and children in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Outdoor, Active, and Work.

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StockNews.com lowered shares of WPP (NYSE:WPP  Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning.

WPP Stock Performance

Shares of WPP stock opened at $52.03 on Thursday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $54.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. WPP has a 1 year low of $39.67 and a 1 year high of $64.07.

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Institutional Trading of WPP

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of WPP by 3.6% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 27,982 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,832,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of WPP by 67.6% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 14,658 shares of the business services providers stock worth $960,000 after purchasing an additional 5,913 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of WPP by 12.4% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 6,060 shares of the business services providers stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in WPP by 9.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 3,811 shares of the business services providers stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its stake in WPP by 12.3% in the first quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 17,421 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,140,000 after buying an additional 1,909 shares in the last quarter. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About WPP

WPP plc, a creative transformation company, provides communications, experience, commerce, and technology services in North America, the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Global Integrated Agencies, Public Relations, and Specialist Agencies.

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According to sources, a five-member team of the central probe agency on Sunday continued its interrogation of the arrested officials. (Photo by arrangement)

BHUBANESHWAR: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday summoned the station master of Bahanaga Bazar Station in Odishas Balasore district in connection with the July 2 train crash that left 293 persons killed and nearly a thousand people injured.

The CBI has asked station master SB Mohanty to appear at its Bhubaneswar office on July 11.

On Friday, three railway personnel were arrested for their lapses that led to the disastrous mishap. The arrested railway officials are Arun Kumar Mahanta (senior section engineer-signal), Mohammed Amir Khan (section engineer) and Technician Pappu Kumar.

They were posted in Balasore, a nearby station of Bahanaga Bazar Station where the train crash took place on July 2 evening.

According to sources, a five-member team of the central probe agency on Sunday continued its interrogation of the arrested officials.

The three railway staff were arrested under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The trio is currently lodged at the Chandaka Police Station instead of the CBI office owing to security arrangements, sources informed, adding, the probe agency had also summoned another railway employee in connection with the case. After apprehending the trio, the CBI had on Saturday produced the accused before the court and sought seven-day remand for questioning.

However, the Special Court in Bhubaneswar granted five days of remand to CBI.

Earlier this week, the inquiry report of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), South Eastern Circle stated that the deadly train mishap occurred due to lapses in the signaling circuit alteration carried out at the North Signal Goomty (of the station) in the past.

The triple train accident involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train laden with iron ore on June 2 at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore claimed over 293 lives.ore Trai. ProBI Summons Bahanaga Bazar Statio
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao maintained silence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of his government at the BJP's public meeting in Warangal on Saturday. Rao addressed a meeting at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday evening after admitting leaders and workers from political parties in Maharashtra into the BRS. (Twitter)

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao maintained silence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of his government at the BJP's public meeting in Warangal on Saturday. Rao addressed a meeting at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday evening after admitting leaders and workers from political parties in Maharashtra into the BRS.

Rao confined his address to explaining his plans to expand the BRS nationwide, and that his next focus area would be Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh after Maharashtra.

The CM told party leaders about his plans to hold a public meeting in Solapur soon.

"This public meeting will be held on a grand scale in 50 acres with lakhs of people. The date will be finalised soon. I will send Harish Rao to Solapur a week before the meeting to make necessary arrangements," Rao said.

He took a dig at the ongoing political developments in Maharashtra. "Politics right now is about running after power. Leaders are resorting to splitting their own parties and defecting from one party to the other for power and positions. People in the country are keenly watching the political development in Maharashtra," Rao stated.

He promised to implement the "Telangana model" of welfare schemes and development programmes in Maharashtra if BRS is voted to power.
The silver Pandans and Ittardans etc. which were presented to me on special occasions during my 35 years of rule are of no use to me now and I intend to sell these silver articles in due course, the Nizam wrote to Hyderabad Chief Minister M.K. Vellodi on June 29, 1950. DC Image

The end of Nizams rule in September 1948 and subsequent curbs on the sale of his personal property and jewellery put the deposed royal family in a fix. The last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, kept devising new strategies to overcome the cash crunch to run his vast household. One such was the auction of numerous gifts he had received over decades to create the Pocket Money Trust for meeting the expenses of his two grandsons, Mukarram Jah and Mufakkam Jah.

"The silver Pandans and Ittardans etc. which were presented to me on special occasions during my 35 years of rule are of no use to me now and I intend to sell these silver articles in due course," the Nizam wrote to Hyderabad Chief Minister M.K. Vellodi on June 29, 1950.

Pandans are boxes to keep betel leaves and ingredients, while Ittardans are decorated scent bottles.

A year later, he informed the Hyderabad government that he had to raise cash for the creation of the Pocket Money Trust, as well as the purchase of a summer house at Mahabaleshwar, known as Woodlawn, and sought permission to dispose of the gifts as "the price of silver has now gone high."

"I have decided to sell these silver articles in Hyderabad on a commission basis, through one or two reliable firms who deal in such articles," Mir

Osman Ali Khan wrote in the letter dated May 8, 1951. The letter forms a part of the declassified files of the ministry of states (now the ministry of

home affairs).

Two days later, the Nizam wrote again to Vellodi saying that he wanted to sell bunches of Bahrain pearls that he had purchased "8 to 9 years ago

from a pearl merchant in Bombay" as well as some khulla naginas (loose stones), in addition to silver Pandans etc. The auction, he said, could help

him raise Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. The Nizam wanted the government to permit the sale in Bombay.

The Nizam had to seek the governments nod for the sale since these items were not a part of the list of jewellery he had submitted to the government.

The jewellery was placed in the custody of two separate trusts he had created and could be sold only after his death.

Very soon, Osman Ali Khan wrote another letter to say that the sale of khulla naginas fetched only Rs 7.5 lakh and there were no takers for the set of

Bahrain pearls. Hence, he requested that he should also be permitted to sell away some "Eastern type of jewellery."

In the absence of the exact nature of the sale, Nizams decision to dispose of minor jewels in the open market evoked great interest in Indian and

international dealers. Among the firms interested were Karcharsing Nagindas Gandhi; Caste, Fitch, Swan & Jefferson; P.C. Cartier; T.R. Tawker

and Sons. Cartier approached the ministry of external affairs saying "If the news about the sale is verified, the disposal of the same should be done over a period of time. This process would allow painless digestion by the market."

Cartier also informed that Nizam had told one of his friends (Floyd Blair of National City Bank, New York) while he was in Hyderabad that "Cartier

was likely to act as gent" for the sale of jewellery.

American Retail Federation, Washington, too wanted to be involved in any auction of the jewellery. There were also press reports and rumours about the famous Jacob diamond as well.

The Central government wanted Vellodi to ensure that the Jacob was not on sale. He wrote back to the Centre, confirming that the sale was confined to

"jewellery still retained in King Kothi" and did not cover any items that were lodged in a bank in Bombay. He assured the Centre that no jewellery

belonging to the Trust will be sold without the knowledge of Shavax Ardeshir Lal, who represented the Government of India on the Nizams Trusts.

In April 1950, C.B. Taraporvala, financial advisor to Nizam, informed Lal about Nizams decision to sell gold and Ashrafis weighing 30,000 tolas. "The gold will be dispatched, as usual, by passenger train to the Reserve Bank of India, about the end of April and after getting it melted and refined in the Mint, it will be delivered to the bullion merchants against payment through the agency of the Central Bank of India," he wrote. The sales proceed were to be invested in the Government of India securities through RBI.

The writer is a journalist, researcher and author based in New Delhi
With the coverage under the Ayushman Bharat extensive, more than schemes like the Aarogyasri, the state gets 70 per cent of the total reimbursement paid by the Centre for medical procedures, while 30 per cent goes to surgeons and patients. Facebook

ADILABAD: The state government, which has been criticised in the past for allegedly ignoring the Centres schemes, however, in a change of tack, is actively promoting the Ayushman Bharat scheme by opening accounts for beneficiaries and the needy to avail of benefits.

With the coverage under the Ayushman Bharat extensive, more than schemes like the Aarogyasri, the state gets 70 per cent of the total reimbursement paid by the Centre for medical procedures, while 30 per cent goes to surgeons and patients. Besides the Ayushman Bharat, the state government also got funds for constructing houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, with the Central government claiming it has sanctioned 2.4 lakh houses to Telangana under the PMAY.

Medical treatment under the Ayushman Bharat is also given to patients, of Telangana, who do not have an Aarogyasri card or a pink card (white ration card). One such facility where treatments are given is the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Adilabad.

A doctor working at RIMS said they were regularly getting incentives for providing treatments and performing operations under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. He said that accounts are being opened at government hospitals for patients under Ayushman Bharat Yojana (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or PM-JAY), which will cover up to Rs 5 lakh per annum health insurance for families, across the country.

As the state government is also providing medical and health services under the Aarogyasri scheme, those suffering from health issues now have a wider array of options as, till a few months ago, the state government was reluctant in availing of services for people under Ayushman Bharat.

With the state government now softening its stance, it opens up 1,393 medical procedures at public and private empanelled hospitals across the country. Doctors and superintendents of government hospitals are asking patients to bring along their Aadhaar cards whenever they visit the hospital to enrol them and open an account under Ayushman Bharat.

The BPL families are eligible for applying Ayushman Bharat and getting health insurance coverage of up to `5 lakh for medical treatment. Utnoor area hospital superintendent Dr Upender appealed to the people to bring a photocopy of their identity proof and encouraged them to avail themselves of the opportunity by creating an account.
BJP President JP Nadda, along with Kishan Reddy and other BJP leaders from various states, participate in a meeting at the BJP office. (Image: DC)

Hyderabad: The BJP will prepare a south-specific roadmap to make itself a political force to reckon with and increase its chances of winning more seats in the parliamentary elections next year, according to a decision taken at a consultative committee meeting of party leaders from 11 states of the city on Sunday.

The meeting, chaired by party president J.P. Nadda, saw some top guns of the BJP, including general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santosh, joint secretary for organisational matters Shiv Prakash, and general secretary Sunil Bansal in attendance. State BJP presidents from Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Goa, Maharashtra and Mumbai, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands were all in attendance.

The BJP clarified that it treats Mumbai and Maharashtra as separate entities for party works.

Telangana was represented by state BJP president and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, vice-president D.K. Aruna, incharge Tarun Chugh, and co-incharge Arvind Menon. Other BJP leaders from Telangana who were at the meeting were P. Sudhakar Reddy, the co-in charge for Tamil Nadu, while Aruna also represented Karnataka as the states co-in charge.

Sources said that Sundays meeting focussed mainly on Telangana, even when leaders of other states were presenting their reports and steps they have taken in their respective states.

It was learnt that Santosh expressed interest in learning how the BRS foray into Maharashtra was faring, and was informed that so far, the impact has been limited, but there was some interest on account of funding from BRS in some sections of the state.

Discussing the recent change in the Telangana units leadership, Nadda reportedly made it clear that the BJP was "dead certain" that it wants to do well in Telangana, not just in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, but also in the Assembly elections that will be held towards the end of this year.

Nadda is learnt to have stressed the need for the party to strengthen itself in the five true southern states, of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. These states send a total of 118 members to the Lok Sabha but in the 2019 elections, except for Karnataka  which elected 25 BJP MPs out of 28 total seats, and Telangana which sent 4 to the Lok Sabha out of 17 seats  the party drew a blank in others.

Nadda reportedly made it clear that it was time for the BJP to not just make its presence felt in the southern states but also take steps to increase its presence in the Lok Sabha from these states.

In the 2019 Parliament elections, the BJP won 53 seats from the 11 divisions in the south, as per its set-up, out of 181 Lok Sabha constituencies from these states. The goal this time for the 2024 elections for the party, is at least to double this number, if not further.

Nadda also reportedly singled out Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai for praise, for the work he has been doing in strengthening the party in the Tamil state. At the same time, Nadda called out other leaders to step up and demonstrate that the partys faith in them is not misplaced.

"Ensure every voter in each of the southern states becomes familiar with the contributions of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre in their states, and also at the same time, highlight how their respective state governments have let them down," Nadda is learnt to have told the meeting.
At least six people were killed and 10 others injured on Sunday when a three-storey building collapsed due to a gas cylinder explosion in Pakistan's Punjab province, officials said.

The three-storey hotel building located on the Grand Trunk Road in Punjabs Jhelum collapsed after the cylinder exploded in the kitchen, they said.

Six people were confirmed dead while 10 injured were recovered so far and admitted to hospitals for treatment, Geo News reported, citing Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Samiullah Farooq.

Also Read | Gujarat ATS arrests man for spying for Pakistani agent

"(Rescue) efforts are underway and our teams are present here. There are reports that four to five people could be underneath the rubble, he said.

He added that the rescue operation would continue till the whole site was cleared.

Earlier, Dawn reported that the explosion took place at around 9:45 am Sunday, following which the rescue teams immediately responded and initiated rescue efforts.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hassan Tariq said that all senior doctors and staff were present at the Jhelum District Headquarters Hospital where the injured were being provided treatment while one seriously injured patient was referred to the Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi, the newspaper reported.

The Jhelum police said heavy machinery was being used to remove the debris.

An emergency has been imposed in the District Headquarters Hospital and the entire staff and doctors have been called on duty.

A day earlier, at least seven people were killed and 14 others injured when a vehicles gas cylinder exploded in Punjabs Sargodha district.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call with US President Joe Biden in which they discussed Sweden's NATO bid, the Turkish presidency's communications directorate said on Sunday.

Erdogan told Biden that Stockholm has taken steps in the right direction for Ankara to ratify its bid, referring to an anti-terrorism law, but that these steps were not useful as Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) supporters continued to hold demonstrations in Sweden.

The two leaders also discussed the delivery of F-16 fighter jets and Ukraine's status in NATO on their call, according to the presidency's readout.
The political crisis in the Netherlands reached a tipping point when when Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD party aimed to restrict the number of asylum seekers entering the country, with the government collapsing when Rutte insisted on support for a proposal that would limit the arrival of children from war refugee families already in the Netherlands and enforce a two-year waiting period before families could reunite.

This proposal faced opposition from the small Christian Union and liberal D66 parties, ultimately leading to the downfall of the government.

The issue of immigration has not been such a contentious topic in European politics since the migration crisis of 2015-2016.

Also Read | Dutch PM Rutte meets king to discuss caretaker government

According to the latest Ipsos poll conducted a week before the government's collapse, Rutte's VVD party was projected to remain the largest party in the 150-seat parliament with 28 seats. However, the farmers' protest party BBB was predicted to experience a significant surge from their current one seat to 23, making them the second-largest party. The BBB party also advocates for stricter migration policies and has suggested a potential annual limit of 15,000 asylum seekers.

Despite already having one of Europe's strictest immigration policies, the Netherlands witnessed a one-third increase in asylum applications last year, surpassing 46,000. The government estimates that the number of applications could exceed 70,000 this year, surpassing the previous high in 2015.

Rutte, who became the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history last August, is interested in seeking a fifth term. However, he may face his toughest elections yet. Rutte attributes the recent political turmoil to "a clash of values" within the four-party coalition government regarding immigration. While smaller coalition parties insist on the right of asylum-seeking children and parents to be reunited, Rutte's VVD party seeks to impose restrictions.

Many Dutch voters express weariness with Rutte's leadership but do not see a clear alternative. His main rival in the upcoming election will be the BBB, which caused a significant shakeup in the political landscape and secured a majority in the Dutch Senate following the provincial polling in March.

"I feel like I'm getting to the halfway point," he quipped to journalists last year.

(With agency inputs from Reuters)
Late last month, a German convoy of 1,000 troops with tanks, drones and armored vehicles made its way some 750 miles to a Lithuanian military compound in Pabrade in three days, using trains, ferries, trucks and planes  all NATO practice for a possible incursion by foreign (read: Russian) troops.

The huge military exercise, integrating German and Lithuanian troops, began with reconnaissance and turned into a noisy, dusty battle that, not surprisingly, NATO won. Leopard tanks covered in camouflage raced back and forth in a haze of dirt, firing as they went; drones buzzed in the air; armored infantry vehicles spun through battlefield; soldiers covered with brush advanced slowly, weapons blazing.

The NATO exercise was meant to convince Lithuania and other countries bordering Russia that the promise of rapid reinforcement and collective defence was a reality. It was also intended to demonstrate the alliances new commitment to countering a more dangerous Russia, which argues that its war in Ukraine is a necessary response to what it considers NATOs effort to dismantle Moscows sphere of influence.

As NATO leaders prepare to gather in nearby Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, on Tuesday, the Baltic nations and the others on Europes eastern flank are feeling especially vulnerable.

In the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, the Russians seized more territory than the entire country of Estonia, notes Juri Luik, Estonias ambassador to NATO and a former defence minister.

Also Read | Don't think there is unanimous view in NATO on Ukraine membership: Biden

What happened on that territory, before Russian troops were forced to pull back, has become a symbol of wanton destruction and possible war crimes. Citing the devastation in the Ukrainian cities of Bucha, Irpin and Kherson, NATOs frontline states have convinced allies that collective defence means vastly enhanced deterrence.

The military alliance is responding, developing detailed war plans and a commitment of troops, equipment and money not seen since the end of the Cold War. Political approval of those plans is at the center of the annual summit meeting.

While political language about Ukraines future relationship with the alliance and the practical military help promised in the current conflict are likely to dominate coverage, NATOs main task is to defend its 31 members.

Speaking in Pabrade alongside the Lithuanian president and German defence minister, the NATO secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, insisted that NATO was a purely defensive alliance, but with a sharper sense of the threat it faced.

This exercise sends a clear message: NATO is ready to defend every inch of allied territory, he said, adding, We are demonstrating that we can also reinforce quickly, whenever needed.

Also Read | NATO allies agree to spend 'at least 2%' of their GDP on defence

As it evolves strategically and operationally, NATO is moving to what the military calls deterrence by denial, which in practical terms means more troops along the Russian border.

At the moment, the total number of troops for the eight battle groups along the eastern flank is only 10,232, NATO says. The leaders at Vilnius are expected to approve plans on how to scale up to 4,000 to 5,000 troops  a brigade  in each of those eight countries, with clearly defined tasks and pre-positioned equipment.

Separately, since the Russian invasion began, around 40,000 troops drawn from member nations were put on standby under NATO command, but officials acknowledge that the forces it can quickly send to battle are currently nowhere near that level. Under its new plans, NATO aims, at least, to have up to 300,000 troops ready to move to its eastern flank within 30 days, although officials call that number aspirational.

The main point, Stoltenberg said, is that the new regional plans detail what each country must do to help defend its assigned territory, and with what equipment. Those troops will exercise regularly with allies on the territory they are assigned to defend.

NATO also plans to transition from the kind of air policing now done over the Baltics to keep an eye on Russian warplanes to active air defense. And NATO is coming to understand the sophistication and the vulnerability of its modern equipment.

A modern Leopard 2A6 tank, the best of those provided to Ukraine, has excellent speed and armor and runs on most any fuel. But it needs two hours of complicated maintenance for every hour on the battlefield, said Capt. Moritz, who commands one but was not allowed to divulge his surname as per NATO rules.

As NATO changes, Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of NATOs Military Committee, was blunt about what needed to be done.

We have to go and do our work to reach the higher number of forces with a higher readiness, he said. We need to exercise against the plans. We need to buy the capabilities that we require.

It is not a switch, he added. That will take a considerable number of years to get there.

It will also take convincing the leaders and voters of larger allies farther away from Russia that their own security is at risk, and that they are going to have to pay the considerable price of a more militarized Europe for decades to come. And that means being truly prepared to come to the aid of smaller countries bordering Russia, such as Lithuania, while rebuilding their weak militaries and learning to rely less on the United States.

For Lithuania, a country of 2.7 million people that borders Russia and Belarus, getting Germany to commit to permanently stationing a brigade inside its borders became a domestic political issue. But Lithuania is not ready to host a brigade, and after this exercise, the Germans took their troops and equipment back home.

Still, at Pabrade, Germanys defence minister, Boris Pistorius, promised to station a brigade of 4,000 troops in the country  once Lithuania constructed the necessary infrastructure, including housing, schools and warehouses for ammunition and vehicles.

Germany used to be NATOs eastern flank, and we could always rely on our NATO allies, he said. Three decades later, the eastern flank is the Baltics, Poland, Slovakia.

As the largest economy in Europe and a vital member of NATO, Pistorius said, Germany, of course, is willing and will be able to take responsibility now for the new eastern flank.

Lithuanias president, Gitanas Nauseda, praised the German decision and said his country had started building for the brigade and hoped to finish by 2025 or 2026.

The alliance is as strong as its most exposed spots, he said.

Lithuania now spends 2.5 per cent of its gross domestic product on defense, above the NATO target, and is working to increase its own active-duty forces in the next seven years to one division of 17,000 to 18,000 troops.

NATO supports Germanys decision for a brigade in Lithuania, Bauer said. But he added that most allies would continue to plan for rapid deployment of more forces in a crisis rather than stationing them permanently at the front, partly because of expense and partly out of caution  a war could start with troops in the wrong place, and massed troops could be exposed to a first attack.

Despite all of the reassurances, the Balts feel vulnerable, given their size and their neighbor. And they feel that their past warnings about the imperial intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin were played down by larger, more distant allies, such as Germany. One of those most outspoken early about the Russian threat and NATO complacency was the former president of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite.

So it was a strong and symbolic gesture that after the exercise, Pistorius presented a special award named after Manfred Worner, the only German to be secretary-general of NATO, to Grybauskaite.

Known for outspokenness, Grybauskaite did not disappoint in her acceptance speech. Her warnings about Russian revanchism had gone largely unheeded, even after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, she said.

We tried to warn our allies about Russia, she said. People listened, but they did not hear.

Perhaps now they will hear, Grybauskaite said, urging the rapid integration of Ukraine into NATO as a full member.

We must not wait until the end of the war, she said. If we declare Ukraine must not be a member until the end of the war, the war will never end.
The toll in the violence during panchayat elections in West Bengal rose to 15 after a person was found dead in South 24 Parganas, and two others succumbed to their injuries, officials said on Sunday.

A person, identified as Abu Salem Khan, was found dead near a polling booth in West Gabtala in Kultali police station area. He had injuries on his head, they said.

Also Read: TMC accuses Opposition of orchestrating violence; confident of panchayat poll win

He was known to be a TMC worker in the area, locals said.

Police said they are investigating the cause of the death.

Tension was palpable in the area, and a large police contingent was deployed to prevent any further flare-up.

Another TMC worker, identified as Azhar Lashkar, injured during violence in the district's Basanti area on Saturday night died at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, doctors who were treating him said.

In Malda district's Baishannagar, TMC worker Motiur Rahman was stabbed outside a polling booth. The incident happened near KBC primary school in the Barkamat area, officials said.

TMC alleged the incident happened when Congress workers were trying to tamper with the ballot box, and he tried to stop them. Congress denied the charge.

Also Read: Just '0.00097% violent booths', defends Trinamool; BJP seeks Centres intervention

Rahman succumbed to the injuries on the way to the Malda Medical College and Hospital, officials said.

Till Saturday night, 12 deaths were reported in the violence that broke out in the state during the polling. Among them, eight were from the ruling TMC and one supporter each of the BJP, CPI(M) and Congress.

However, different political parties claimed that the number of deaths was higher, totalling 18. TMC claimed nine of its members died in the violence, while the Congress claimed three of its supporters were killed. The BJP claimed two of its supporters died, and the CPI(M) also said that two of its members died. The political affiliation of two deceased could not be known.

The State Election Commission (SEC) said it has sought detailed reports on the deaths from the district magistrates (DMs).

"We have asked the DMs to file reports on the deaths within 24 hours," an official told PTI.

A total of 73,887 seats in the state's three-tier panchayat system went to the polls, with lakh 2.06 lakh candidates in the fray. A voter turnout of 66.28 per cent, provisionally, was recorded, while 5.67 crore people living in the state's rural areas were eligible to vote, officials said.

Repolling was underway in 32 booths in Cooch Behar district's Dinhata, they said.
As sporadic protests and incidents of post-poll violence continued to plague West Bengal, the State Election Commission announced on Sunday that repolling will be held on July 10 in 696 booths where voting for the rural elections has been declared void.

In Saturdays violence scarred panchayat polls, people had cast their votes in 61,636 booths for 2.06 lakh candidates who were in the fray for elections to 73,887 seats in the three-tier panchayat system in the state. The SEC, which held a meeting on Sunday evening, went through reports of vote-tampering and violence which affected polling in many places, and passed the order, an official said.

At least 4 central police force personnel will be posted at each of these booths where re-polling has been ordered, he told PTI.

Among districts where repolling was announced, Murshidabad has the highest number of booths at 174, followed by Malda with 109. No repolling has been ordered in any booth in three districts of Jhargram, Kalimpong and Darjeeling.

Meanwhile, Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday flew to New Delhi, where he is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence that took place during the panchayat elections.

Also Read | BJP alleges central forces 'deliberately' not deployed in West Bengal panchayat polls

Protests were held in different parts of West Bengal on Sunday against the violence that rocked the panchayat elections and over allegations of irregularities. The toll in the violence rose to 15 after a man was found dead in South 24 Parganas, and two others succumbed to their injuries on Sunday morning, officials said.

BJP supporters staged a demonstration outside the State Election Commission office in Kolkata. Security was beefed up in the area as the protestors shouted slogans against the SEC over the alleged "inability" of the poll panel to conduct the elections peacefully. In Purba Medinipur district, BJP workers blocked the Haldia-Mecheda state highway at Nandakumar alleging that ballot boxes were being tampered with at the counting centre at Srikrishnapur High School.

"We received information around 3 am that the ballot boxes were being changed. We are demanding repolling at all the booths in the area under the protection of central forces, besides counting of votes at the booths itself," said Tamas Dinda, a leader of the BJP's youth wing in Tamluk. As the situation escalated, police baton-charged the protesters to bring the situation under control, officer-in-charge of Nandakumar police station Manoj Kumar Jha told PTI.

Congress workers blocked the National Highway 12 in Rathbari area in Malda, protesting against the violence during polling on Saturday. "We have hit the streets in protest against Saturday's violence. We will also go to the court against it," Congress MP Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury said.

In the district's Harishchandrapur area, a police vehicle in which a Deputy Superintendent of Police was returning home on Saturday late night night was vandalised and the officer injured. Police suspect that miscreants from Bihar, just across the inter-state border, were behind the incident, officials said.

In Uttar Dinajpur, two cars were set on fire, and several vehicles, including a state-run bus, were vandalised as the protests turned violent in the Chakulia police station area. Congress workers held similar protests in Murshidabad district's Beldanga, alleging that supporters of the ruling TMC indulged in intimidation of voters and false voting with impunity during the polls. Violence was also reported from the district's Samserganj area where two groups clashed with crude bombs.

At Amdanga in North 24 Parganas, clashes boke out between ISF and TMC supporters. Crude bombs were hurled during the clashes. In South 24 Parganas district, three police personnel were injured while trying to control a clash between TMC and Congress supporters. The incident happened in Nainan in Magrahat police station area, police said.

Clashes were also reported from the district's Kulpi area as supporters of an Independent candidate and TMC workers clashed in Udairampur village. Later when police reached the area, women protested with sticks.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling party chief M K Stalin on Sunday said there is nothing to worry about even if the DMK-led state government faces a risk in view of its staunch opposition to the BJP. Speaking about the recent Patna meeting of opposition parties, Stalin said it is more important to ensure that a certain dispensation does not continue -- rather than focus on who captures power -- in an obvious reference to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre.

Referring to the proposed next meeting of Opposition parties in Karnataka (17-18 July), the DMK chief claimed that the BJP regime in general and Modi, in particular, is infuriated by such developments.

Read | Unlike BJP govt at Centre, DMK will always be farmers' friend, says Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

"Hence, Modi is 'talking something', forgetting that he is the Prime Minister. There is nothing to worry about that", he said. "There need not be even a 'wee bit of concern' about any scenario that may emerge, even if it means a threat to the DMK regime in view of the party's stiff opposition to the BJP", Stalin said, presiding over a wedding here. "A massive victory of the DMK and allies in the Parliamentary polls and defeat of the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is the goal", he added.

Targeting Modi, Stalin sought to know if even a "single electoral assurance" made by the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls (2014 and 2019) have been fulfilled. The DMK chief said that PM Modi had promised that he would bring home black money stashed abroad and distribute Rs 15 lakh per person to every Indian citizen. "Has he given Rs 15,000 or Rs 15 at the very least to people, leave alone Rs 15 lakh? Modi never thought or spoke about that assurance", he alleged.

Stalin also slammed Modi on electoral promises of job opportunities and farmers' welfare as well. The CM recalled the long-drawn protest in Delhi against the three farm laws, which were rescinded later by the BJP regime at the Centre. Taking into account all such factors and in order to dislodge the "dictatorial" BJP regime at the Centre, all the Opposition parties came together recently at Patna to ensure a good future for the country, he said.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's sudden desire and desperation to get real is laughable.

Sarma was referring to Gandhis impromptu stop on Saturday at Madina village in Haryana's Sonipat district, where he interacted with people and spent time with farmers working in agricultural lands.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi rides tractor, interacts with villagers during impromptu visit to Haryana's Sonipat

He also claimed that there was heckling of farmers as the former Congress president posed with them for photographs.

Gandhi took part in paddy sowing, drove a tractor and ate food brought by women labourers working in the fields, said party leaders in Haryana.

Sharing a brief video of Gandhi with farmers, Sarma wrote on Twitter: "The sudden desire of the Prince, and his desperation, to get real is laughable! But in your zeal to get captured by your photo & video team, for God's sake, do not demean the dignity of our Annadatas.

"The heckling of farmers to pose as a 'farmer' is deplorable Mr Gandhi. Get Real without the Reels," said Sarma, a former Congress leader.
An out-of-job civil engineer was arrested for allegedly impersonating an OSD to the Union Minister of Home Affairs and trying to get himself appointed as a senior official for the Ganga Expressway project, police said on Sunday.

Robin Upadhyay, 48, a resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, claimed to have worked in many multinational companies for over 25 years, they said.

Also Read | Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose flies to Delhi, likely to submit report on panchayat poll violence to Amit Shah

With the subterfuge, Upadhyay was angling for the post of Vice President-cum-Project Coordinator for the Expressway project, police said.

The matter came to light after one Akshat Sharmaa approached the Cyber Police Station in New Delhi with the complaint that he had received an email on his official id from a "fake" email address from someone claiming to be one Rajeev Kumar, an Officer-on-Special-Duty to the Union Home Minister.

The person in his mail said he had been asked to pass on instructions to have Robin Upadhyay appointed as Senior Associate Vice President-cum-project coordinator for the Ganga Expressway Project, Sharma said in his complaint. Police in their investigation found that the email address rajeev.osd.mha@gmail.com was fake and created for the purpose of deceiving people.

"Based on technical surveillance, our team zeroed in on the prime suspect Robin Upadhyay and on the basis of technical analysis, it was learned that the mail was created six-seven days ago and was found registered in the name of Upadhyay.

"The suspect was subsequently traced and on the basis of initial interrogation, he was detained from his home in Meerut on Saturday evening and later arrested in the case," Hemant Tiwari, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), said.

When interrogated, Upadhyay revealed that being a civil engineer, he had a vast experience in civil construction projects, and he thought of securing a fake reference to get a job, Tiwari said.

"Hence, he searched about ongoing highway projects and their progress. After that, he created an email id impersonating Rajeev Kumar, OSD to the Union Minister of Home Affairs.

"He also attached his CV showing his credentials to get the job," Tiwari said.
Taking his fight against R N Ravi to the next level, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has shot off a letter to President Draupadi Murmu, complaining that the Governor has violated his oath and proved that he is unfit to hold the position through to his actions that are partial in nature.

Terming the Governors unilateral decision to dismiss Minister V Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers as a serious violation of the Constitution, Stalin told Murmu that Ravi has proved through his actions in the past two years that he is unfit to hold such a high post.

Also Read: M K Stalin says no worry even if opposition to BJP means risk to DMK regime in Tamil Nadu

The Chief Minister stressed in the letter that Governors actions make him a fit case for removal from the top post. The Chief Minister told the President of India that he leaves the decision to her on whether R N Ravi can continue to hold a top post like Governor, the government said in an official statement on Sunday.

The strongly-worded letter, which was written on Saturday when Ravi met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, accused the Governor of fanning communal hatred in a peace-loving state like Tamil Nadu through his speeches and actions that are against the state, its people, and the democratically-elected government.

Stalin cited instances like the Governor indirectly advocating name change for the state (from Tamil Nadu to Tamizhagam), sitting on bills passed by the Assembly for months together, and his remarks that every country is dependent on one religion and India was no exception to the rule to drive home his point that Ravi is behaving like a politician.

The Governor forgets that he didnt contest any election to decide what is good for the people of Tamil Nadu. He should remember that he is merely an appointee. On January 5, the Governor while participating in Kashi Tamil Sangamam festival made unfounded claims against Dravidian philosophy and politics of the state, Stalin said in the letter.

Punching holes in Governor Ravis statement that Dravidian politics was regressive, the Chief Minister said, according to the government release, a report released by the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister said Tamil Nadu has scored 63.33 points in the social development index as against the national average of 60.19 points.

The problem is only in the eyes of the people who call Dravidian politics regressive. This exposes the politics of the person who holds a Constitution postthe Governors speech is aimed at not allowing the elected government to do its work. It is also aimed at defaming the government, the CM told the President.

In the letter, the Chief Minister also alleged that the Governor was trying to sabotage investigations into the case against priests who were involved in child marriages. The letter also spoke about the Raj Bhavans delay in sanctioning the prosecution of four ex-AIADMK ministers in corruption and disproportionate assets (DA) cases.

On the Governor dismissing Balaji from the ministry, the Chief Minister said the letter from Raj Bhavan on the decision was against the Constitution. It is clear that the Governor who took oath under Article 159 has violated his oath by fanning communal tension. He is also a threat to peace in the state, the CM, according to the release.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray started a two-day tour of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region on Sunday to interact with his party workers and boost their morale ahead of the Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls due next year, a party leader said.

Thackeray's tour comes a week after Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.

Also Read: From weakening NCP & Sena (UBT) to denting MVA: BJP accomplishes many goals in Maharashtra

The former Maharashtra chief minister reached Nagpur in the morning and he will hold discussions with the party cadre and supporters from Yavatmal, Washim, Amaravati, Akola and Nagpur in the Vidarbha region.

After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Thackeray snapped ties with long-term ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

He then formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the Shiv Sena (then undivided), NCP and Congress.

A revolt led by Shinde resulted in the collapse of the MVA government in June 2022 and a split in the Shiv Sena. Shinde later became the CM with the BJP's support.

Also Read: Shiv Sena factions claim to be in touch with each others MLAs

On July 2 this year, NCP's Ajit Pawar led a split in the Sharad Pawar-led party and joined the Shinde government as deputy chief minister. Eight other NCP leaders were also sworn in as ministers in the state cabinet.

"Thackeray will pay a visit to Poharadevi temple, a key religious place of the Banjara community that is widely spread in the Vidarbha region," a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said.

His meetings with party workers will be more about sensitising them and boosting their morale, against the backdrop of the split in the party which "weakened" it in the state Legislative Assembly, he said.

His interactions will also be about how he has been betrayed by the BJP and his party colleagues. It is a preparation for the next year's Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the leader said.
A man allegedly murdered a labourer who was working under him in his grocery shop by setting him ablaze and later projecting it as an electrocution, in Mangaluru's Mulihithlu on Saturday.

According to Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Kumar R Jain, the deceased is Gajnana alias Jagu.

The police arrested Tausif Hussain in connection with the crime based on the available evidence after enquiring the general public in the surrounding areas.

Also Read | Business rivalry turns deadly: 3 arrested for killing caterer in Bengaluru

The commissioner said that the accused allegedly murdered Gajnana over a trivial issue by setting him on fire and later tried to destroy the evidence by informing people in the surrounding areas that Gajnana was electrocuted and was taken to Wenlock Hospital for treatment where the doctors declared him dead.

The Mangaluru South police conducted an investigation into the case and arrested Tausif after confirming that it was a murder.

A case has been registered.
Sundance Energy Australia (OTCMKTS:SDCJF  Free Report) and Amplify Energy (NYSE:AMPY  Free Report) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Risk & Volatility

Sundance Energy Australia has a beta of 3.96, indicating that its stock price is 296% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Amplify Energy has a beta of 2.34, indicating that its stock price is 134% more volatile than the S&P 500.

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Institutional and Insider Ownership

40.6% of Amplify Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Amplify Energy shares 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.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Sundance Energy Australia 24.02% 13.45% 6.16% Amplify Energy 103.74% 186.60% 19.94%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Sundance Energy Australia and Amplify Energys net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This table compares Sundance Energy Australia and Amplify Energys top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Sundance Energy Australia $164.93 million 0.06 -$28.14 million N/A N/A Amplify Energy $458.46 million 0.58 $57.88 million $11.33 0.60

Amplify Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Sundance Energy Australia.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Sundance Energy Australia and Amplify Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Sundance Energy Australia 0 0 0 0 N/A Amplify Energy 0 0 1 0 3.00

Amplify Energy has a consensus target price of $12.00, suggesting a potential upside of 75.70%. Given Amplify Energys higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Amplify Energy is more favorable than Sundance Energy Australia.

Summary

Amplify Energy beats Sundance Energy Australia on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Sundance Energy Australia

(Free Report)

Sundance Energy Australia Limited operates as an onshore oil and gas company in the United States. The company explores for, develops, and produces oil and natural gas. Its exploration and development activities are focused on the Eagle Ford project in the South-Texas-Gulf Coast Basin. Sundance Energy Australia Limited was incorporated in 2004 and is based in Wayville, Australia.

About Amplify Energy

(Free Report)

Amplify Energy Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, development, exploitation, and production of oil and natural gas properties in the United States. The company's properties consist of operated and non-operated working interests in producing and undeveloped leasehold acreage, as well as working interests in identified producing wells located in Oklahoma, the Rockies, federal waters offshore Southern California, East Texas/North Louisiana, and Eagle Ford. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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Eurocash (OTCMKTS:EUSHY  Free Report) is one of 61 publicly-traded companies in the Grocery Stores industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Eurocash to similar businesses based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and profitability.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.2% of Eurocash shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.9% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are owned by institutional investors. 23.7% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

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Dividends

Eurocash pays an annual dividend of $0.58 per share and has a dividend yield of 14.3%. Eurocash pays out 43.9% 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 62.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Eurocash is clearly a better dividend stock than its rivals, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Earnings & Valuation

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Eurocash N/A N/A 3.07 Eurocash Competitors $27.78 billion $633.76 million 204.94

This table compares Eurocash and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Eurocashs rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Eurocash. Eurocash 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 Eurocash and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Eurocash N/A N/A N/A Eurocash Competitors 2.01% 15.36% 4.99%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Eurocash and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Eurocash 1 0 0 0 1.00 Eurocash Competitors 1116 2727 2982 112 2.30

As a group, Grocery Stores companies have a potential upside of 101.06%. Given Eurocashs rivals stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Eurocash has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Summary

Eurocash rivals beat Eurocash on 11 of the 13 factors compared.

About Eurocash

(Free Report)

Eurocash S.A. engages in the wholesale distribution of food and other fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) in Poland. The company operates through Wholesale, Retail, and Projects segments. Its FMCG products include food products, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and household chemicals and cosmetics. The company markets its products to traditional retail stores, including small supermarkets, grocery stores, and specialized grocery stores; and kiosks, retail outlets, and convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations, hotel and cafe chains, and catering outlets. It operates a network of Cash & Carry warehouses; Delikatesy Centrum network supermarkets; Inmedio; and franchise and partner stores of Eurocash distribution. Eurocash S.A. was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Komorniki, Poland.

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Everest Re Group (NYSE:RE  Free Report) and SiriusPoint (NYSE:SPNT  Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, valuation, risk and dividends.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Everest Re Group and SiriusPoint, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Everest Re Group 0 1 4 1 3.00 SiriusPoint 0 0 0 0 N/A

Everest Re Group currently has a consensus target price of $429.67, indicating a potential upside of 22.31%. Given Everest Re Groups higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Everest Re Group is more favorable than SiriusPoint.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

Earnings and Valuation

94.4% of Everest Re Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 57.8% of SiriusPoint shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.4% of Everest Re Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 50.9% of SiriusPoint shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

This table compares Everest Re Group and SiriusPoints revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Everest Re Group $12.06 billion 1.14 $597.00 million $16.86 20.84 SiriusPoint $2.11 billion 0.67 -$386.80 million ($0.38) -22.95

Everest Re Group has higher revenue and earnings than SiriusPoint. SiriusPoint is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Everest Re Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk & Volatility

Everest Re Group has a beta of 0.6, indicating that its share price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SiriusPoint has a beta of 0.99, indicating that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Everest Re Group and SiriusPoints net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Everest Re Group 5.34% 12.98% 2.79% SiriusPoint -1.28% -1.59% -0.28%

Summary

Everest Re Group beats SiriusPoint on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Everest Re Group

(Free Report)

Everest Re Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, and internationally. The company operates through Reinsurance Operations and Insurance Operations segments. The Reinsurance Operations segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The Insurance Operations segment writes property and casualty insurance directly, as well as through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, Europe, South America, France, Germany, Spain, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The company also provides treaty and facultative reinsurance products; admitted and non-admitted insurance products; and property and casualty reinsurance and insurance coverages, including marine, aviation, surety, errors and omissions liability, directors' and officers' liability, medical malpractice, mortgage reinsurance, other specialty lines, accident and health, and workers' compensation products. In addition, it offers commercial property and casualty insurance products through wholesale and retail brokers, surplus lines brokers, and program administrators. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

About SiriusPoint

(Free Report)

SiriusPoint Ltd. provides multi-line insurance and reinsurance products and services worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Reinsurance, and Insurance & Services. The Reinsurance segment provides coverage to various product lines, which includes aviation and space, casualty, contingency, credit and bond, marine and energy, mortgage, and property to insurance and reinsurance companies, government entities, and other risk bearing vehicles. The Insurance & Services segment offers coverage to various product lines comprising accident and health, environmental, workers' compensation, and other lines of business, including a cross section of property and casualty lines. The company was formerly known as Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. and changed its name to SiriusPoint Ltd. in February 2021. SiriusPoint Ltd. was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda.

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Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its position in shares of The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI  Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,977 shares of the health services providers stock after selling 1,567 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in The Cigna Group were worth $6,638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its position in The Cigna Group by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 642 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 4,762 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $1,578,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 1,725 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $572,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Linscomb & Williams Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Linscomb & Williams Inc. now owns 10,877 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $3,604,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Monument Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 1,571 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.63% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Donna F. Zarcone sold 757 shares of The Cigna Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.29, for a total transaction of $191,740.53. Following the sale, the director now owns 25,558 shares in the company, valued at $6,473,585.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.60% of the companys stock.

The Cigna Group Trading Down 0.7 %

The Cigna Group stock opened at $277.12 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $81.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.63, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The Cigna Group has a 1 year low of $240.50 and a 1 year high of $340.11. The firms 50 day moving average price is $262.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $279.70.

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 5th. The health services provider reported $5.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.23 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $46.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $45.43 billion. The Cigna Group had a net margin of 3.69% and a return on equity of 12.65%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.01 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that The Cigna Group will post 24.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Cigna Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 7th were given a dividend of $1.23 per share. This represents a $4.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 6th. The Cigna Groups payout ratio is currently 22.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of The Cigna Group from $375.00 to $365.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of The Cigna Group in a report on Thursday, April 20th. They set a neutral rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of The Cigna Group in a report on Thursday, March 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of The Cigna Group from $348.00 to $310.00 in a report on Monday, May 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of The Cigna Group from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, The Cigna Group presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $330.18.

The Cigna Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth Health Services segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers.

Featured Stories

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Ares Commercial Real Estate (NYSE:ACRE  Free Report) and Annaly Capital Management (NYSE:NLY  Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Ares Commercial Real Estate and Annaly Capital Managements net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Ares Commercial Real Estate 6.54% 10.12% 2.94% Annaly Capital Management -38.80% 18.86% 2.25%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Ares Commercial Real Estate and Annaly Capital Managements top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Ares Commercial Real Estate $106.85 million 5.20 $29.78 million $0.14 72.64 Annaly Capital Management -$942.98 million -10.07 $1.73 billion ($2.25) -8.55

Insider & Institutional Ownership

Annaly Capital Management has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Ares Commercial Real Estate. Annaly Capital Management is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ares Commercial Real Estate, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

39.6% of Ares Commercial Real Estate shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 51.2% of Annaly Capital Management shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of Ares Commercial Real Estate shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Annaly Capital Management shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Ares Commercial Real Estate has a beta of 1.39, meaning that its stock price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Annaly Capital Management has a beta of 1.37, meaning that its stock price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Ares Commercial Real Estate and Annaly Capital Management, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Ares Commercial Real Estate 0 3 3 0 2.50 Annaly Capital Management 0 2 4 0 2.67

Ares Commercial Real Estate currently has a consensus price target of $11.57, suggesting a potential upside of 13.78%. Annaly Capital Management has a consensus price target of $21.69, suggesting a potential upside of 12.78%. Given Ares Commercial Real Estates higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Ares Commercial Real Estate is more favorable than Annaly Capital Management.

Dividends

Ares Commercial Real Estate pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 13.0%. Annaly Capital Management pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 13.5%. Ares Commercial Real Estate pays out 942.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Annaly Capital Management pays out -115.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Annaly Capital Management is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Ares Commercial Real Estate beats Annaly Capital Management on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ares Commercial Real Estate

(Free Report)

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, a specialty finance company, originates and invests in commercial real estate (CRE) loans and related investments in the United States. It provides a range of financing solutions for the owners, operators, and sponsors of CRE properties. The company originates senior mortgage loans, subordinate debt and preferred equity products, mezzanine loans, and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities. It has elected and qualified to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for the United States federal income tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The company was incorporated in 2011 and is based in New York, New York.

About Annaly Capital Management

(Free Report)

Annaly Capital Management, Inc., a diversified capital manager, engages in mortgage finance. The company invests in agency mortgage-backed securities collateralized by residential mortgages; non-agency residential whole loans and securitized products within the residential and commercial markets; mortgage servicing rights; agency commercial mortgage-backed securities; residential mortgage loans; and agency or private label credit risk transfer securities. It has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT). As a REIT, it is not subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes its taxable income to its shareholders. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is based in New York, New York.

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Telekom Austria (OTCMKTS:TKAGY  Free Report) and Starry Group (NYSE:STRY  Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, earnings, risk and valuation.

Risk & Volatility

Telekom Austria has a beta of 0.15, meaning that its share price is 85% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Starry Group has a beta of 0.59, meaning that its share price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500.

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Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Telekom Austria and Starry Groups top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Telekom Austria $5.27 billion 0.96 $668.10 million $2.12 7.21 Starry Group $29.86 million 0.04 $25.55 million N/A N/A

Analyst Recommendations

Telekom Austria has higher revenue and earnings than Starry Group.

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Telekom Austria and Starry Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Telekom Austria 0 2 1 0 2.33 Starry Group 1 1 0 0 1.50

Telekom Austria presently has a consensus price target of $7.10, suggesting a potential downside of 53.52%. Starry Group has a consensus price target of $3.63, suggesting a potential upside of 45,212.50%. Given Starry Groups higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Starry Group is more favorable than Telekom Austria.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

43.6% of Starry Group shares are held by institutional investors. 44.2% of Starry Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Telekom Austria and Starry Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Telekom Austria 12.64% 18.82% 7.24% Starry Group N/A -174.35% -1.57%

Summary

Telekom Austria beats Starry Group on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Telekom Austria

(Free Report)

Telekom Austria AG is a holding company, which engages in the provision of telecommunications and multimedia services. It operates through the following geographical segments: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Belarus, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Corporate and Other. Its products include voice, mobile, satellite, data, and roaming. The company was founded in July 1998 and is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

About Starry Group

(Free Report)

Starry Group Holdings, Inc. operates as a next generation licensed fixed wireless technology developer and internet service provider. The company is deploying gigabit capable broadband to the home using its hybrid fiber fixed wireless technology. It serves approximately 5.3 million households through deploying its gigabit network in six U.S. cities, including Boston, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Los Angeles, California; Washington D.C.; Denver, Colorado; and Columbus, Ohio. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Krones (OTCMKTS:KRNTY  Free Report) and Concentric AB (publ) (OTC:CCNTF  Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Krones and Concentric AB (publ)s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Krones N/A N/A N/A Concentric AB (publ) N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Krones and Concentric AB (publ), as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Krones 0 1 1 0 2.50 Concentric AB (publ) 0 2 0 0 2.00

Valuation and Earnings

Krones presently has a consensus price target of $116.00, suggesting a potential upside of 98.29%. Given Krones stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Krones is more favorable than Concentric AB (publ).

This table compares Krones and Concentric AB (publ)s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Krones N/A N/A N/A $2.11 27.79 Concentric AB (publ) N/A N/A N/A $4.36 4.70

Concentric AB (publ) is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Krones, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Krones pays an annual dividend of $0.74 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Concentric AB (publ) pays an annual dividend of $1.75 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.5%. Krones pays out 35.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Concentric AB (publ) pays out 40.1% 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.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

55.4% of Concentric AB (publ) shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Krones beats Concentric AB (publ) on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Krones

(Free Report)

Krones AG, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the planning, development, and manufacture of machines and lines for the production, filling, and packaging technology in Germany and internationally. It operates in three segments, Filling and Packaging Technology, Process Technology, and Intralogistics. The Filling and Packaging Technology segment offers machines and lines for stretch blow molding, filling, capping, tempering, labelling, printing, packing, palletizing, inspection, cleaning, conveying, and block technology products, as well as for producing PET containers and converting used plastic bottles into food-grade recycled material. The Process Technology segment supplies machines and lines for producing and processing beer, soft drinks, fruit juices, milk, dairy drinks, water, spirits, plant-based drinks, and alternative proteins; and provides water treatment solutions. The Intralogistics segment is involved in the planning and design of fully automated warehousing, order-picking and material flow systems with high-speed feeders, conveyors, and automated guided vehicle systems. It also offers complete logistics systems, supply and disposal systems, and custom IT and digitalization solutions that manage and optimize all production processes. The company serves breweries; beverage producers; and companies from the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Krones AG was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Neutraubling, Germany.

About Concentric AB (publ)

(Free Report)

Concentric AB (publ) designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes solutions for engine and hydraulic applications in Sweden and internationally. Its engine products include lubricant, coolant, and fuel transfer pumps for medium and heavy-duty diesel engines, transmissions, and compressors. It also operates in e-products business of both Concentric branded water, and oil e-Pumps and EMP products, including the mini- hybrid cooling system. The company's hydraulic products comprise gear products, including pumps, motors, power packs, and flow dividers for mobile equipment. Its products are used in trucks, industrial applications, construction equipment, and agricultural machinery markets. Concentric AB (publ) was founded in 1921 and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI  Free Report) (TSE:CNR) by 29.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,616 shares of the transportation companys stock after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.s holdings in Canadian National Railway were worth $309,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $727,713,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 180.5% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,977,754 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $709,550,000 after purchasing an additional 3,846,281 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $164,830,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Canadian National Railway by 166.7% in the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,772,695 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $199,375,000 after purchasing an additional 1,108,104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Canadian National Railway in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $109,368,000. 64.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on CNI. Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from $155.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from $137.00 to $134.00 in a report on Monday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$180.00 to C$174.00 in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of Canadian National Railway from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 31st. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Canadian National Railway from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $139.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Canadian National Railway has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $144.28.

Canadian National Railway Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE CNI opened at $115.58 on Friday. Canadian National Railway has a 52 week low of $103.79 and a 52 week high of $129.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $117.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.52. The firm has a market cap of $76.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.91.

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI  Free Report) (TSE:CNR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 24th. The transportation company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.15 billion. Canadian National Railway had a return on equity of 25.00% and a net margin of 30.61%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Canadian National Railway will post 5.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 9th were issued a $0.5835 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 8th. This represents a $2.33 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. Canadian National Railways dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.30%.

Canadian National Railway Profile

(Free Report)

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in rail and related transportation business. The company offers rail services, which include equipment, custom brokage services, transloading and distribution, business development and real estate, and private car storage services; and intermodal services including temperature controlled cargo, port partnership, transloading and distribution, logistic parks, customs brokerage, trucking, and moving grains in containers.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CNI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI  Free Report) (TSE:CNR).

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A North West Regional College (NWRC) student will find out what its like to live the American dream when he spends the next twelve months studying in a college in Illinois.

Dylan Copland will make the 4,000 mile trip to Monmouth College in August as part of the British Council Study USA programme.

The 21 year-old whos studying for the Higher National Diploma in Creative Media production at Strand Road Campus says hes looking forward to a yearlong adventure meeting new friends and having new experiences in the USA.

Study USA is a unique programme supporting students to spend a full academic year at a US college or university. Annually around 50 students take part in the programme which helps students to develop their career prospects when they return to Northern Ireland.

Dylan, who previously studied at Oakgrove and Lisneal College before enrolling at NWRC, will study a Business course in the USA, along with elective classes.

I am nervous and excited about it, said Dylan. Study USA is an amazing opportunity and to be one out of just 50 students from the colleges and universities in Northern Ireland is fantastic. It was a tough process, but I am so glad that I got through it. Everyone at NWRC has been very helpful to me.

Im looking forward to experiencing everything that the USA has to offer, particularly acquiring new skills. I also hope to do some additional travelling when I am there.

I applied to Study USA as I wanted to build on my employability and independence away from home, as well as build up a level of knowledge within the business sector. Through the programme, I hope to gain valuable essential skills and qualities from the variety of classes I will attend, in order to bring new life and growth into Northern Ireland's economy, all while promoting Northern Ireland in good light to my peers.

Bronagh Fikri, International Projects Officer with NWRC congratulated Dylan on his scholarship.

She added: We are absolutely delighted to wish Dylan bon voyage on what I am sure will be the trip of a lifetime in Illinois.

After the covid pandemic its wonderful to see student travel back. Already this year we have had students travel to Pennsylvania and Malaga as part of the Turing Scheme.

And now we have Dylan preparing for his yearlong scholarship. For a participant this is a life-changing opportunity to get hands-on experience in a new environment that will benefit their CVs.

The skills they gain will bring a new perspective to their work and will help them stand out from the crowd.
More heavy showers and thunderstorms will hit the UK on Sunday with a warning they could cause some disruption in Scotland and even flooding in Northern Ireland.

The warning comes after showers and storms swept much of the UK on Saturday, pushing northwards across the country despite earlier predictions that temperatures could reach as high as 33C in some places.

Wimbledon and the Ashes Test match at Headingley in Leeds were both disrupted by the weather.

The Met Office warned that Scotland could see prolonged spells of heavy rain overnight into Sunday, and this could cause some localised disruption.

It is expected much of the rest of the country north of the border will remain dry overnight, however, with temperatures sitting between 17C and 19C across the east of England and between 14C and 15C in the west.

Greg Dewhurst, Met Office forecaster, said it would be a bright start for many on Sunday but heavy rain was still likely to return to the north-east and possibly the south-east of England too.

But for many, through the day, its a case of sunny spells and scattered showers, he said.

Some of the showers will be heavy, particularly over parts of Northern Ireland.

A Met Office warning is now in place for Northern Ireland with heavy winds and hail forecast before the day is over, bringing with it the potential for localised flooding.

Heavy showers are also expected to fall across Wales, the Midlands and south-west England on Sunday afternoon.

Temperatures are expected to stay a little lower compared to Saturday with highs of 25C and 26C in England.

Mr Dewhurst said: Those showers continue to rumble on through Sunday evening, some heavy bursts possible but they do ease by the end of the day.

And then, overnight, its generally dry for most with clear spells (and) just a scattering of showers, largely in the south and the west, just one or two across north-east Scotland as well.

Further heavy showers and thunderstorms are in our #4cast for Sunday  pic.twitter.com/VNOp5W0lUl  Met Office (@metoffice) July 8, 2023

A bright start is then predicted for Monday for most parts of the UK with lots of sunny spells forecast but that is expected to be followed by spells of heavy rain in western parts.

Mr Dewhurst said: We will see a risk an increasing risk of some heavy rain through western parts of the UK, a little bit of uncertainty over where this main band of rain will end up by Monday afternoon.

Around it well see a mixture of sunny spells and heavy showers. Some of these will be thundery for Northern Ireland parts of Scotland, too.

The best of any sunnier breaks (will be) possible across eastern and south-east England and this is where we will see the highest temperatures, getting up to around 23C or 24C.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has been urged to intervene to help find a resolution to a 25-year-old Co Armagh parading dispute.

Members of the Orange Order have staged an annual protest during the Drumcree parade in Portadown for more than two decades.

However, the Parades Commission again refused permission for the return route to proceed along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road, a ruling maintained since 1998.

Orange Order members on Sunday held a short protest at the police lines barring them from the return route.

The orders grand secretary Mervyn Gibson insisted their protest will continue as he called on the Parades Commission to be disbanded.

Standing close to the police line, Mr Gibson said it brought back memories of the Orange Order and the wider unionist community standing together.

Its great but also sad to see that brethren have been standing here for 25 years  25 years and everybody thinks its sorted, he said.

Recent interviews on the radio, I was told this is sorted, I assured them it wasnt sorted and that brethren would remain here until there is a resolution.

That resolution is for the brethren of Portadown to find with those who are prepared to listen to them, with those who are prepared to compromise with them, with those who are prepared to talk with them.

The Parades Commission has a major part to play and they have failed Portadown district, they have failed Northern Ireland in so many different ways.

It is time for them to go. It is time for the Secretary of State (Chris Heaton-Harris) to exercise some influence to see a resolution here.

This shows the people of Northern Ireland and wider world that the Drumcree situation is still here, and were determined to support the Portadown brethren until a resolution is found.

Responding, a Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said decisions around parades are a matter for the Parades Commission acting independently of the Government.

The Parades Commission continues to have the full support of the Government in their challenging role in relation to parades in Northern Ireland, they said.

Dialogue remains the best way to find a solution to local issues such as Drumcree.

This years parade set off from Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown town centre on Sunday morning to a church service at Drumcree Parish Church.

Twenty-five years ago the parade was first prevented from completing its traditional return route, with the stand-off making headlines in the 1990s when nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road resolutely opposed to the parade passing through their area.

This lead to violent clashes for several summers and political tensions that resulted in a major security operation.

The parades mark the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, an act that secured a Protestant line of succession for the British crown.

Earlier Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart said it was a very sad day that 25 years on from this dispute were still in the same situation where Orange feet are not welcome on a particular stretch of road.

She told the BBCs Sunday Politics programme: I want to see a society where our culture is respected, our identity is respected, and I think it is no big thing to ask that the Garvaghy Road Residents Association enter in to some form of mediation.

Unfortunately for many, many years their intransigence has actually been rewarded by the Parades Commission.

We cant move on if there is no respect or tolerance for a 10-minute walk down a route which has changed enormously over the last 25 years.

However SDLP MP Claire Hanna said the dispute is in the past.

I think you might as well ask to refight the Battle of the Boyne, that is a fight that is in the past, she said.

That dispute, as anyone who was around at the time will know, was profoundly damaging to community relations. There were awful scenes around it and awful consequences.

I think the DUP need to get their heads around the world we are living in today, and to offer leadership around the world we are living in today.
Above from left: Ciara Lynch, Water Safety Manager Louth Co Co, Cllr. Antoin Watters, Cllr Conor Keelan, Oliver Winters, Environment Awareness Officer Louth Co Co, Joan Martin, Chief Executive Louth Co Co, and Sean McQuillan, General Services Supervisor North Louth, Louth Co Co

In a landmark collaboration, Louth County Council has come together with other local authorities from coastal regions across Ireland to pledge their commitment to the "Think Before You Flush" campaign on all Blue Flag Beaches.

This initiative aims to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of flushing instead of binning sanitary products on our natural environment including beaches and promote responsible waste management practices among beachgoers.

The "Think Before You Flush" campaign, operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Uisce Eireann, emphasises the importance of appropriate flushing behaviour and disposal of items including wipes and other sanitary products in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable.

Only the 3 Ps, pee, poo and paper should be flushed down the toilet. When items such as wipes and sanitary products are flushed down the toilet, they can cause serious blockages in sewage systems, leading to sewage overflows and ultimately polluting coastal waters and beaches.

Recognising the urgent need to protect Ireland's remarkable coastal ecosystems, Louth County Council has united with other coastal local authorities around Ireland in their commitment to spread awareness about the campaign and promote responsible waste disposal practices.

Under this collaborative effort, participating councils will display Think Before You Flush signage on Blue Flag Beaches, offering clear instructions on appropriate flushing behaviour, highlighting the main items people incorrectly flush down their toilets (the Dirty Dozen) and encouraging visitors to use designated sanitary waste bins.

By partnering with Clean Coasts and Uisce Eireanns Think Before You Flush campaign, Louth County Council aims to foster a culture of environmental responsibility, where individuals can take proactive steps to protect our coastal habitats. The success of this campaign hinges on the participation and support of Louths coastal stakeholders, including the public, beachgoers, residents, and tourists alike.

Sinead McCoy, Coastal Communities Manager at Clean Coasts, expressed her enthusiasm for Louth County Councils collaborative efforts and support of the campaign.

"We are thrilled to see Louth County Council and communities from coastal regions across Ireland joining forces to champion the 'Think Before You Flush' campaign on our cherished Blue Flag Beaches. This joint commitment not only underscores Louth County Councils dedication to promoting environmental practices but also highlights shared responsibility for our coastal communities."

Talking about the importance of safeguarding our water and our local environment including our Blue Flag beaches Tom Cuddy, Uisce Eireann said: Everyday people flush thousands of sanitary items such as wet wipes and cotton buds down the toilet instead of simply putting them in the bin.

"This causes blockages in our network, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants and can lead to sewage overflows impacting some of our most beautiful coastal and river locations. We clear approximately 10,000 blockages from our wastewater network every year.

Tom continued: We are delighted to continue our partnership with Clean Coasts and collaborate with local councils and communities including those with Blue Flag beaches to preserve and protect our environment and shine a light on the link between what you flush down the toilet and can end up on your local beach.

Learn more about the Think Before You Flush campaign at https:// thinkbeforeyouflush.org/
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An Irish flag and a poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar were placed on top of a loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone.

The pyre in Moygashel previously garnered attention online after a boat was placed on it.

By Saturday evening, a banner reading Good Friday Agreement? That ship has sailed had been added to the side of the boat, and a mock copy of the 1998 accord with the words null and void printed over it.

The bonfire, titled No Irish Sea Border Bonfire, was lit around 11pm following a parade and an address by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson.

It also features a banner reading Moygashel says No to Irish Sea border, referring to the unionist and loyalist communities opposition to post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Most of the bonfires to mark Northern Irelands traditional July 12 celebrations will be lit on July 11.

There has been controversy in previous years, with politicians election posters and Irish flags placed on the pyres.

Wishing all Brethren, Sisters, Juniors, bands and friends a safe and enjoyable day at the Boyne celebrations in Rossnowlagh today! pic.twitter.com/q91GPS7cTv  Orange Order (@OrangeOrder) July 8, 2023

Earlier on Saturday, the only annual Orange parade in the Republic of Ireland took place.

Orange lodges from counties Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan  along with guests from Northern Ireland  took part in the seaside procession in Rossnowlagh.

Meanwhile Sunday will see the annual Drumcree parade leave Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown, Co Armagh, to a church service at Drumcree Parish Church.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the parade being prevented from completing its traditional return route along Garvaghy Road.

The Parades Commission again this year refused permission for the return leg of the parade.

The stand-off at Drumcree hit the headlines in the 1990s with nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road resolutely opposed to the parade passing through the area.

It led to violent clashes for several summers and political tensions necessitating a major security operation.

Most of the bonfires are set to be lit on July 11, on the eve of the marking of the victory of the Protestant King William over the Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

That victory secured a Protestant line of succession for the British crown.

Most of the hundreds of bonfires constructed in loyalist neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland pass off without incident, but several continue to be the source of controversy.

In previous years, there have been complaints from nationalist and cross-community politicians about their images being placed on the fires.

It is the busiest date for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service which usually deals with hundreds of calls related to the towering pyres.
MEDICAL complaints rendered a man incapable of proper movement, a solicitor said on behalf of his client, but the judge said it didnt stop him from stealing from shops.

Slawomir Pietkiewicz, of Kingswood, Waterpark, Carrigaline, pleaded guilty to two more charges of theft at Cork District Court.

He stole 38 worth of alcohol in February at SuperValu, Carrigaline.

He admitted stealing 33 of alcohol at Dunnes Stores in Carrigaline around the same time.

The 46-year-old had 22 previous convictions for theft. Aiden Desmond, solicitor, submitted to Judge Olann Kelleher the defendant had medical issues and was incapable of proper movement.

Judge Kelleher responded to this, saying: It doesnt stop him taking goods.

"It is a serious matter.

Mr Desmond said the accused had not committed any offences since the two before the court which occurred about five months ago.

Judge Kelleher said he would adjourn sentencing until September 13 to see how the accused would get on in the meantime.
A Cork city primary school recently held a celebratory event to bring their school community all together and to mark the end of the academic school year.

Scoil Eanna, a special needs school in Montenotte, held the event to celebrate the milestones achieved throughout the year.

Elaine Angland who is the school principal said the event was a celebration in promoting wellbeing in the school.

It was a celebration of all that we have done over the last year to promote wellbeing. We had family members, friends, and the wider community represented at the celebrations.

"It was a culmination of the work of our partnership school team which is a group of teachers, SNAs, parents and people from the wider community.

"They have four initiatives each year to improve the life of the students. They organised weekly walks for each class. It is all about education and developing education, she said.

The celebratory event included a walk, an activity session with a PE instructor, a disco, a barbecue, and lots of ice-cream. Ms Angland said it was a big success.

We did a little walk around the school, then we had a lovely activity session with our PE instructor. Our choir sang and we had a disco and a barbecue.

Maria Doyle Kennedy, with Junior Infant boys blocking their ears when the piper started playing, ahead of the school summer walk.

"Maria Doyle Kennedy the well-known singer and actress also came which was lovely. She has a gra for children with special needs.

"We had a bouncy castle, and an ice cream van was also in attendance which proved very popular.

Maria Doyle Kennedy, enjoys the music and dancing with the pupils, teachers and parents at the school. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

We also had treats such as popcorn, candy floss and cakes from the parents association. The day was a big success. Representatives from CAMHS (Child Adolescent Mental Health Services) and members of An Garda Siochana were there along with people from Progressing Disability Services, she added.

Junior Infants Teacher, Sharon Maguire with Maria Doyle Kennedy and Kieran Kennedy, with Junior Infant boys on the school summer walk.

Ms Angland said the event was also held to bring the school community closer together.

Because our children are bused in from all different areas of the county and the city, our parents never get the opportunity to chat at the gates. The walks and the celebratory event were all about bringing that community together. We all ate outside and had great fun. It was a lovely celebration. It was all about the kids and that is what we are all about. We have a lovely school community.

Scoil Eanna

Scoil Eanna was established in 1959 and caters for over 70 students. Ms Angland said it is a very special school.

We want the children happy when they walk through the door, and we want them to be happy when they go home. We do that through the support of the parents and with the parents. We are an educational setting, but we do it in a holistic way. We look at what they are good at, and we develop their skills that way.

Rugby player Gerry Hurley leads the music exercises during the celebrations.

"It is always about the children. It is a very special school.

The primary school principal paid tribute to all the staff members for their support.

Members of the Lamh Choir performing.

This has been the best year I have put down as principal because of the amazing team. They are the best group of individuals you could hope for. The children are so lucky to have them. We have great facilities such as relaxation rooms, soft playrooms, and a fantastic hall. We are doing the Summer Programme for the first time ever this year. We are starting small and if it is a success, we will go bigger next year.
A GERMAN disability activist has been forced to put her dreams of studying at UCC on hold due to reasons that she claims infringe on her rights as an EU citizen.

Evelyne Cynk, from Bochum, had accepted a place to study for a master of arts degree in creative writing at UCC before she was due to start last September.

However, she has been unable to move to Ireland and access classes due to legislation around German social security which only allows the application of funds for personal assistance services in the country.

The latest European Disability Strategy, adopted in March 2021, specifically states that persons with disabilities should enjoy all rights on an equal basis with others, notably when moving to another member state.

Evelyne pointed out that this runs contrary to her own experiences.

As a result, she has been unable to attend classes or fulfil her lifelong dream of living in Ireland.

The 35-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, avails of 24-hour help to live independently.

While she currently receives this support through German social security, legislation restricts her from availing of funds to pay for similar care in Ireland.

However, Evelyne argued that she should have the same rights as other EU citizens to move freely in member states.

Ms Cynks battle to make Ireland her home has brought her as far as Leinster House where she met with Independent Senator Tom Clonan. Mr Clonan has been supporting her with the cause in the hope that she can finally avail of her place in UCC. It follows letters from him to ministries in the Bundestag area as well as local representatives in her home town. He has also written to the German Embassy in Dublin outlining Evelynes right to freedom of movement within the EU.

Ms Cynk spoke of how she dreamed of making Ireland her home from a young age.

Germany is throwing me one obstacle after another, she said.

Ive been in contact with the HSE and the European Parliament. We are going to be relentless in getting funding, whether thats from the Irish state or the German state. Right now, accessing help or assistance seems quite difficult. The public should know this is an issue that everyone in the EU with a disability has to face. It has destroyed so many opportunities.

She said that living without personal assistance in Ireland would not be feasible.

It is impossible for me to partake in the studies programme without my assistance funding because there is nowhere for me to maintain my life in Ireland. This is not just because of the cost of living. That could be handled somehow but I need care in Ireland too.

Ms Cynk made reference to shortfalls in current legislation.

To want to participate within the European Union and take advantage of our right for free movement is basically not possible for people with disabilities because there is no legislation status which handles this legal framework. Germany is of no help at all. If any country is going to help right now its Ireland.

Even though its political framework isnt perfect and serves as a disadvantage to people with disabilities, I have experienced far more acceptance as a person with a disability while in Ireland than I ever could have expected in Germany.

Irish society is so much more advanced and open-minded in my opinion.

She explained what motivated her to explore studying at UCC.

I like how UCC mixes modern elements with tradition, which can be seen particularly in its creative writing course. My dream is to be a professional writer living in Ireland and hopefully become self-sufficient. The option to help others not to be in the situation Im in now is something Id also like to pursue.

The German native refuses to give up hope and added: I am hopeful that I can find a solution by September. I would sacrifice everything for my career and this chance because its not just my purpose to become a writer, its my purpose to become a writer in Ireland. Its also my right to live in the country where I feel most comfortable, which is Ireland. I really feel like Ireland is my soul home.

Evelyne has set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for a personal assistant in Ireland that would allow her to fulfill her dream of living in Ireland.

To find out more or to donate visit the GoFundMe page.
Emirates NBD, a leading banking group, has announced a transformation focused on harnessing the power of generative AI to change its operations and enhance productivity across various business functions supported by Microsoft.

This collaboration aims to unlock new opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and customer experience within the banking industry.

The transformation encompasses three key initiatives that will drive significant advancements in software development, collaboration, and customer engagement.

Enabling IT teams at Emirates NBD with Github Copilot X: Emirates NBD recognises the critical role its IT teams play in efficiently delivering robust software solutions to drive business innovation. Supported by Microsoft, the banks IT teams are leveraging the cutting-edge capabilities of Github Copilot X, an advanced generative AI tool developed by Microsoft, with more than a thousand developers now empowered with this state-of-the-art coding assistant.

With the help of this tool, Emirates NBD expects to see a remarkable boost in coding proficiency, software development speed, and quality. This advancement will be another steppingstone in transforming Emirates NBDs technological capabilities, enabling the bank to meet customer needs with enhanced agility and efficiency.

Piloting usage of Microsoft 365 Copilot across the organisation: As part of its commitment to driving digital transformation, Emirates NBD will be one of the first companies to access the preview of Microsoft 365 Copilot. This collaborative tool, powered by generative AI, will enable Emirates NBD employees to enhance their productivity by automating repetitive tasks, generating content, and assisting with complex decision-making processes. By piloting the usage of Microsoft 365 Copilot across the organisation, Emirates NBD aims to create a more agile and intelligent workplace, driving innovation and optimising productivity.

Launching ChatGPT use cases across all business and support functions at Emirates NBD: Understanding the criticality of customer experience and streamlined business operations, Emirates NBD will be deploying ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art conversational AI model, across all business and support functions, including its Contact Centers and Marketing, Legal, Compliance, and Risk departments.

The bank recently hosted a successful Generative AI Hackathon, where blended teams from business and IT collaborated with experts from Microsoft, McKinsey, and Quantum Black. During the hackathon, Emirates NBD gained valuable insights into the capabilities of ChatGPT, prompt engineering, dataset preparation, and model fine-tuning techniques. The adoption of ChatGPT will enable the bank to deliver personalised customer experiences, improve operational efficiency, and foster innovation throughout the organisation.

Pushing boundaries

Abdulla Qassem, Group Chief Operating Officer, Emirates NBD, stated: "We are thrilled to join forces with our long-term partner Microsoft for this initiative. By leveraging the power of generative AI, we aim to transform our business operations, elevate our customer experience, and stay at the forefront of technological innovation, further reinforcing our position as a leader in digital innovation. This collaboration is a testament to Emirates NBDs commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and pushing boundaries to deliver excellence."

Samer Abu-Ltaif, Corporate VP and President - Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA), Microsoft, said: "The era of AI has arrived, and we are pleased to support Emirates NBD in unleashing its transformative power. AI is a defining technology of our time, acting as the ultimate amplifier that revolutionises how we work and unlocks our creative potential.

New levels of productivity

At Microsoft, we have leveraged advancements in supercomputing and machine learning to train powerful AI models capable of revolutionising various tasks using natural language. We take pride in bringing these cutting-edge generative AI tools to Emirates NBD and empowering their teams to innovate, collaborate, and achieve new levels of productivity.

The collaboration between Emirates NBD and Microsoft represents a significant milestone in the banking industry, setting new standards for innovation, efficiency, and customer-centricity. By harnessing the potential of generative AI, Emirates NBD is poised to unlock new growth opportunities, redefine customer engagement, and shape the future of banking.-- TradeArabia News Service
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The best early Prime Day deals for 2023 All of the early Amazon Prime Day deals that are actually worth your money.

Amazon Prime Day 2023 is a few hours out, but you can still snag some early deals before the two-day shopping event begins in earnest. We've rounded up the best early Prime Day deals we can find below. Remember that you'll need to subscribe to Prime to take advantage of many (but not all) of the offers, and that there's always a chance that prices drop lower during the event itself. For those with no interest in Prime, we've also included a few of the best tech deals that aren't explicitly tied to the event.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max $25 $55 Save $30 Amazons Fire TV Stick 4K Max has dropped to only $25 for Prime members before Prime Day, which is more than half off its regular price. $25 at Amazon

Amazons Fire TV Stick 4K Max has dropped to $25 for Prime members before Prime Day, which is more than half off its regular price and ties its all-time low. This the most powerful streaming dongle Amazon makes, with a superior processor than the standard Fire TV Stick 4K, plus support for WiFi 6, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos audio. While Amazon's Fire TV OS can be messy compared to other platforms from Roku, Google and Apple, it still gets you access to just about all of the major streaming apps. A few other Fire streaming devices have been discounted as well, including the latest Fire TV Cube, which Prime members can pick up for $110.

Fire TV Stick Lite

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite $15 $30 Save $15 Amazons Fire TV Stick Lite is half off and down to only $15. It was slightly cheaper last Prime Day when it was on sale for $12, but nevertheless, this is a great sale on Amazons most affordable streaming dongle. $15 at Amazon

Amazons Fire TV Stick Lite is half off and down to only $15. It was slightly cheaper last Prime Day when it was on sale for $12, but nevertheless, this is a great sale on Amazons most affordable streaming dongle. With its support for 1080p video and WiFi 5 connectivity, its arguably best for those on tight budgets who just want to upgrade an old TV with basic streaming chops.

Amazon Fire HD 8

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon Fire HD 8 $55 $100 Save $45 If all you want is a competent tablet for reading and streaming for as little money is possible, the Fire HD 8 should do the job at this deal price, which matches the lowest we've seen. $55 at Amazon

If you're on an ultra-tight budget and need a new tablet, the Fire HD 8 is worth considering at its current deal price of $55, which matches its lowest price to date. Normally, the device retails around $90. This tablet has a smaller (8-inch) and lower-resolution (1,280x800) display than the Fire HD 10, and it isnt as quick in day-to-day use. Like all Fire tablets, its app support lags well behind iPadOS, which is most noticeable in its lack of Google apps. But it has just enough power for the basics, it gets a solid 10-ish hours of battery life and its light in the hand. You can expand its 32GB of storage with a microSD card, too. If all you want is a competent tablet for casual reading and streaming for as little as possible, it should do the job.

Amazon Fire Max 11

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon Fire Max 11 $150 $230 Save $80 Amazon's recently released Fire Max 11 tablet is on sale for $150 for Prime Day. It's the best discount we've seen since Amazon's most powerful tablet launched in May. $150 at Amazon

Amazon's recently released Fire Max 11 tablet is on sale for $150 for Prime Day. It's the best discount we've seen since Amazon's most powerful tablet launched in May. The slab has an 11-inch 2000 x 1200 touchscreen, an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, up to 128GB of built-in storage and up to 14 hours of battery life. It can also work with a detachable keyboard and stylus, so you could use it like a 2-in-1 laptop.

Amazon Echo Buds (2023)

Prime Exclusive Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Amazon Echo Buds (2023) $35 $50 Save $15 Amazon's newest earbuds don't have active noise cancellation, but they're a solid budget option for those who prefer an open design, and right now Prime members can get them for $35. $35 at Amazon

The latest Echo Buds just arrived in May yet theyre already 30 percent off at Amazon for Prime members. You can get them for $35, which is $15 off and ties the lowest price weve seen. We recommended the Echo Buds to those who prefer an open design in our best budget wireless earbuds guide. They lack active noise cancellation and don't completely seal off the ear canal, but their sound quality is decent for the price, and they come with features we don't often see in cheap earbuds, such as multipoint connectivity, auto-pausing and a customizable EQ tool. Naturally, they also work well with Alexa. If you hate the feeling of in-ear headphones, they'll be a good value.

Amazon eGift Card + $5 promo credit

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon $5 Prime Day credit with $50 Amazon eGift Card purchase $50 Get an Amazon $5 Prime Day credit with the purchase of an $50 Amazon eGift Card. $50 at Amazon

Amazon is giving Prime members a $5 promotional credit when they buy an eGift card valued at $50 or more before July 10th. You'll need to use the promo credit by August 25, 2023, but the only things it won't apply to are items sold by third-party merchants and e-books.

Blink Mini

Prime exclusive Blink Blink Mini (2-pack) $34 $65 Save $31 A two-pack of Blink Mini security cameras is on sale for $34 right now, or you can get one for only $18. $34 at Amazon

Prime members can get a two-pack of Blink Mini security cameras for $34 right now. Single cameras are also on sale for $18. While these Blink cameras are wired, they have most of the same features as the standard wireless models, including 1080p video recording, motion alerts and support for two-way talk. Several other Blink wireless cameras are on sale as well.

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus

Prime exclusive Ring Ring Battery Doorbell Plus $130 $180 Save $50 This new video doorbell just came out this year and its powered by a quick-release, rechargeable battery that you can easily remove when the device needs more power. $130 at Amazon

The new Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is down to a new low of $130 for Prime members. This model just came out this year and its powered by a quick-release, rechargeable battery that you can easily remove when the device needs more power. It also supports some of the latest Ring Doorbell features including 156p video recording, color night vision, two-way talk, Quick Replies and customizable motion zones.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited 3-month membership

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon Kindle Unlimited (3-month) $0 $24 Save $24 Prime members who are new to Kindle Unlimited can get three months of the all-you-can-eat e-book service for free. $0 at Amazon

If you're a Prime member who has never subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, you can get a three-month trial to Amazon's e-book service for no extra cost. Normally, the subscription goes for $12 a month after a 30-day free trial. Just note that the membership will be set to auto-renew by default. As a refresher, Kindle Unlimited makes a selection of e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines accessible on-demand. It doesn't include every e-book in the Kindle library, but it may still be worthwhile if you're a particularly avid reader. If nothing else, this deal makes it easier to figure out if it's worth paying for.

Audible Premium Plus 3-month membership

Prime exclusive Amazon Audible Premium Plus (3-month) $0 $30 Save $30 Prime members can get a three-month free trial to Audible Premium Plus, so long as you've never subscribed to the audiobook service in the past. $0 at Amazon

Similar to that Kindle Unlimited offer, Prime members who are new to Audible Premium Plus can get three months of the audiobook service for free. This membership usually costs $14.95 a month after a 30-day free trial, so you're saving about $30. Premium Plus is Audible's upper tier: Like the less expensive Audible Plus, it provides an assortment of audiobooks, podcasts and other audio content you can access on-demand. The main difference is that it also includes a monthly credit that you can use to buy any book in the Audible store permanently. As with Kindle Unlimited, Premium Plus will be most worth it if you burn through audiobooks and podcasts quickly, but this extended trial is a comfier way to see if it's useful. Again, be aware that the subscription will be set to auto-renew by default.

Amazon Echo Dot

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon Echo Dot + Sengled color smart bulb $23 $65 Save $42 This deal takes roughly half off the typical price of Amazon's diminutive smart speaker, and it includes a color smart bulb for no extra cost. Various other Echo speakers are also discounted ahead of Prime Day. $23 at Amazon

Amazon has knocked the latest Echo Dot down to $23, which is roughly half off its typical street price, and is throwing in a Sengled color smart bulb for no extra cost. We consider the Echo Dot the best smart speaker you can get for less than $50 thanks to its compact design, surprisingly good sound quality for its size and handy Alexa integration. The newest Echo Dots can also act as Eero WiFi boosters, adding up to 1,000 square feet of coverage to your existing Eero system.

Amazon Echo

Prime exclusive Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget Amazon Echo $55 $100 Save $45 This is within $5 of the lowest price we've tracked on the Amazon's flagship smart speaker. $55 at Amazon

Amazon has discounted several other Echo speakers as well. The base Echo, for one, is down to $55, which is $5 more than its all-time low but still $35 off its typical going rate. This is the top pick for less than $100 in our smart speaker buying guide, as it represents a clear step-up from the Echo Dot in terms of sound quality. If you arent tied to Apple or Google, we generally found it to outperform the HomePod Mini and Nest Audio as well.

If youre looking for something more affordable than the Echo Dot, the unidirectional Echo Pop doesnt sound as nice, but it offers most of the same Alexa capabilities and is currently on sale for $18. The Echo Dot with Clock, meanwhile, has similar hardware to the standard Dot, but adds an LED display that can show the time and basic weather and music info. That one is down to a new low of $30. And while the larger Echo Studio cant top something like the Sonos Era 100, its still the best-sounding Echo, and it could be a decent value at its current price of $155 if you already own several other Alexa speakers and want to save some cash. That deal also matches the lowest price weve tracked.

Amazon Echo Show 5

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon Echo Show 5 $45 $90 Save $45 This is a 50 percent discount on Amazon's latest 5.5-inch smart display. $45 at Amazon

The latest Echo Show 5 is half off and down to a record low of $45. Weve previously recommended the Show 5 to those who prefer Alexa over the Google Assistant and want a smart display that wont take up much space. Its particularly useful as a smart alarm clock, as it has a gentle sunrise alarm feature and a tap-to-snooze function. This new model has a faster processor, a slightly larger speaker and an extra mic for better Alexa performance.

Amazon Echo Show 8

Prime exclusive Amazon Amazon Echo Show 8 $60 $130 Save $70 This Prime-only deal takes $45 off our favorite smart display for Alexa users. $60 at Amazon

If you dont need something so compact, the Echo Show 8 is our favorite Amazon smart display overall and is currently on sale for $60. Thats a new all-time low and roughly $45 off the devices average street price. Compared to the 5.5-inch panel on the Echo Show 5, the 8-inch touchscreen here is much better suited for making video calls or viewing photos. You get a vastly superior camera, more powerful speakers and a faster processor as well. As with the Show 5, there's also a physical camera shutter and mic mute button.

The more spacious Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 15 are also down to new lows at $163 and $182, respectively. Neither of those devices are outright bad, but our reviews found them to be less universally appealing than their smaller and more affordable siblings.

Ring Video Doorbell + Echo Show 5

Prime exclusive Ring Ring Video Doorbell bundle with Echo Show 5 $65 $190 Save $125 Amazons huge Ring early Prime Day sale includes a bundle that gives you the Ring Video Doorbell plus an Echo Show 5 for only $65. $65 at Amazon

Amazons sweeping early Prime Day sale on Ring devices includes a bundle that gives you the Ring Video Doorbell plus an Echo Show 5 for only $65. Considering the Video Doorbell alone is going for $55 as an early Prime Day deal, that means youll only spend $10 on the Show 5 if you opt for the bundle. The Video Doorbell itself is a fairly basic 1080p option, but it's easy to install and generally accurate at delivering motion alerts

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids

Prime Exclusive Amazon Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids (16GB) $105 $170 Save $65 This is a new low for the 16GB Kids version of Amazon's popular e-reader, which features the same hardware as the standard model but adds a cover case and a longer two-year warranty. $105 at Amazon

The 16GB version of Amazons Kindle Paperwhite Kids is down to $105, which is $65 off and a new low. While this e-reader is marketed toward children, it features the same hardware as the standard Paperwhite, with a lightweight and waterproof design, 6.8-inch 300 ppi display, 10-week battery life and extensive e-book library. Here, though, you also get a cover case, a longer two-year warranty and a year of Amazon's Kids+ service (which you can ignore if you arent buying for a little one). We gave the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition a review score of 97 back in 2021. The Kids edition lacks that models ad-free lock screen (when you aren't using a child account, at least), upgraded front light, wireless charging and 32GB of storage, but the two devices are otherwise similar.

Motorola Razr+

Prime Exclusive Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget Motorola Razr+ (2023, Unlocked) $850 $1,000 Save $150 Motorola's new foldable phone came out less than a month ago, and is already getting a discount on Amazon  but only for Prime members and only on Prime Day. Enter your email to be "invited" to buy the phone on July 11th. $850 at Amazon

The foldable Moto Razr+ only just arrived last month, but it's already received a 15 percent discount for Prime Day, albeit in a roundabout way. You'll need to be a Prime member and request an invite first, after which youll be able to buy the phone on Prime Day for the discounted price. While jumping through Amazons hoops is annoying, doing so will get you an unlocked Razr+ for $850 instead of $1,000.

We spent some time with the new foldable before it came out last month and gave it a full review upon its debut. The verdict? Samsungs Galaxy foldables have some serious competition. The Razr+ has a 6.9-inch screen when open and offers a 3.6-inch screen when folded, which is much larger than the 1.9-inch exterior screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The foldable design unlocks different uses, as it can act as its own tripod in addition to taking up less space in your pocket.

Eero Pro routers

Prime exclusive eero Amazon eero Pro mesh WiFi router $70 $160 Save $90 A number of Eero and Eero Pro WiFi router packs have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the shopping event. You can pick up one Eero router for as low as $45, or an Eero Pro router for $70. $70 at Amazon

A number of Eero and Eero Pro WiFi router packs have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the shopping event. You can pick up one Eero router for as low as $45, or an Eero Pro router for $70. We recommend going for the Eero Pro if you can, since it's a tri-band system that supports speeds up to 1Gbps and covers slightly more square feet than the standard Eero does. Just keep in mind that these are not the latest Eero systems; for WiFi 6 support, you'll have to shell out a bit more money for an Eero 6 set.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) $199 $249 Save $50 Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are back on sale for $200, which is $50 off their usual rate and a record low. $199 at Amazon $199 at Walmart

Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are back on sale for $200, which is $50 off their usual rate and a record low. These remain the best true wireless earbuds for Apple lovers, even though the company didn't drastically overhaul the design with this latest model. Most of the new features are under the hood, with Apple noticeably improving the pair's sound quality, noise cancellation and transparency mode.

Samsung Pro Plus microSD card

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Samsung Pro Plus (256GB) $20 $30 Save $10 This is a new low for the 256GB version of the top pick in our best microSD card buying guide. $20 at Amazon $20 at B&H Photo

The 256GB version of Samsung's latest Pro Plus microSD card is down to a new low of $20. That's $10 off its MSRP. If you need more space, the 512GB model is within a couple dollars of its best price at $43.52. The Pro Plus is the top pick in our guide to the best microSD cards, as it finished at or near the top of all of our sequential and random speed tests. It's also backed by a 10-year warranty.

Samsung 980 Pro

Samsung Samsung 980 Pro SSD (2TB) $100 $127 Save $27 This is a new low for the 2TB version of this PS5-ready SSD we recommend. Several other Samsung storage devices are also on sale. $100 at Amazon $100 at B&H Photo

The 2TB version of Samsung's 980 Pro is down to a new low of $100. We've seen this SSD steadily drop in price over the course of the year, but this deal marks a roughly $35 drop from the devices average street price in recent months. The 980 Pro isnt Samsungs fastest SSD  that would be the 990 Pro, the 1TB model of which is down to $70  but it still meets Sony's requirements for expanding the PS5s storage. Youll just need to add a heatsink for a few bucks more to go along with it. If you aren't buying for a PS5 specifically, a speedy PCIe 4.0 drive like this may be overkill but will provide fast storage all the same.

Both this and the Evo Plus microSD card deal come as part of a wider sale on Samsung storage devices. This includes the Fit Plus, a tiny flash drive we recommend in our best SSDs guide, down to $22, and the T7 Shield, a ruggedized version of one of our favorite portable SSDs, back down to $75. Both deals match the lowest prices weve tracked, and nothing in the sale is exclusive to Prime subscribers.

Apple iPad (9th gen)

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget Apple iPad (9th gen, 64GB) $250 $329 Save $79 This matches the best price we've seen for Apple's wallet-friendly 10.2-inch iPad. $250 at Amazon

The 64GB model of Apple's 9th-gen iPad is down to $250 at Amazon, matching the lowest price we've tracked. You'll see the price listed as $279 and an additional $29 discount will apply at checkout. Apple normally sells the device for $329, though we've seen it retail closer to $275 in recent months. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide: It lacks the accessory support, thinner bezels and laminated display of the iPad Air, but it's by far the most affordable route into iPadOS, and it remains fast and comfortable enough for casual reading, streaming and gaming. It's also the only current iPad with a headphone jack.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm) $199 $280 Save $81 The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is down to $199 for a 40mm model and $229 for a 44mm model. We gave the Galaxy Watch 5 a score of 85 last year, and it's currently the "best for Android users" pick in our smartwatch buying guide. $199 at Amazon

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is down to $199 for a 40mm model and $229 for a 44mm model. We gave the Galaxy Watch 5 a score of 85 last year, and it's currently the "best for Android users" pick in our smartwatch buying guide. While its battery life could be better, its design is durable and attractive, its OS is easy to navigate and its health tracking is relatively comprehensive. Samsung is expected to announce a Galaxy Watch 6 in the coming weeks, however, so it may be worth waiting to see how that model stacks up if you don't need a new smartwatch right this instant.

Google Pixel 7a

Google Google Pixel 7a $449 $499 Save $50 The Pixel 7a is currently the best midrange phone you can get thanks to its fast Tensor G2 chipset, smooth 90Hz display, IP67 water resistance, fantastic cameras and support for wireless charging. $449 at Amazon

Googles Pixel 7a is $50 off and down to a new low of $449 right now. Its currently the best midrange phone you can get thanks to its fast Tensor G2 chipset, smooth 90Hz display, IP67 water resistance, fantastic cameras and support for wireless charging. If youre willing to spend an extra $50, you can spend $500 and upgrade to the Pixel 7.

Elgato Stream Deck +

Elgato Elgato Stream Deck + $180 $200 Save $20 Elgatos Stream Deck + is 10 percent off right now and down to $180 in one of the first real discounts weve seen on the gaming accessory. $180 at Amazon

Elgatos Stream Deck + is 10 percent off right now and down to $180 in one of the first real discounts weve seen on the gaming accessory. In addition to eight customizable buttons, the Deck+ also has a touch bar and four knobs that make it easier to control things like lighting and sound during a stream. The Deck+ also supports plugins for Camera Hub, Elgato Wave Link, Spotify, Twitch and more.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for the best Amazon Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know, and hear from Autoblogs car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals.
After a meteoric rise in popularity late last year and into early 2023, it looks like OpenAIs chatbot is beginning to lose some steam. According to data internet analytics firm Similarweb shared with The Washington Post , last month mobile and desktop traffic to ChatGPTs website fell by 9.7 percent globally. If Similarwebs data is accurate, the drop marks the first time the chatbot has seen a user decline. In June, app tracker Sensor Tower also saw downloads of ChatGPTs iOS client fall off after peaking earlier in the month. OpenAI did not immediately respond to Engadgets comment request.

Waning interest in ChatGPT appears to be part of an industry trend. Similarwebs numbers show fewer people visiting the desktop and mobile websites for Microsoft Bing, Google Bard and Character.AI in recent months. Microsoft, for instance, saw traffic to its search engine surge between February and March when Bing AI became available in public preview. Since then, monthly traffic to the website has steadily declined, returning nearly to the levels it was before Microsoft retooled Bing around GPT-4 . Separately, Similarweb says it saw a drop in ChatGPT engagement, with user minutes down by 8.5 percent as of May 2023.
Bankruptcy & Restructuring Expert Guide, a Corporate Live Wire publication, published this article by John M. Collard, a turnaround manager and outside director. Investing in under-performers and rebuilding value can present lucrative opportunities.

www.StrategicMgtPartners.com

www.StrategicMgtPartners.com/clwguide.pdf Formatted Version

Article-of-Interest:

Building Value In Companies To Prepare Them For Sale: Investing In Distressed Opportunities

By John M. Collard

Investing in under-performers and rebuilding value can present lucrative opportunities. In this instance, valuing a company is the easy part. Using its potential to create value, on the other hand, is a far more formidable task. Before investing in under-performers, there are certain steps that should be taken:

Ascertain if a company is turnable;

Know how to fix the problems;

Avoid spending money on past-sins;

Obtain at the right price;

Manage the turnaround; and

Sell at increased value.

Other considerations and measures investors can take to increase the likelihood of success when investing in under-performing companies are:

Seek enterprises at a financial precipice: Look for those with critical capital shortages, yet future potential, but avoid the pitfall of insolvent beyond repair. Acquire companies that can provide quality products at competitive prices.

Take advantage of distressed-level asset pricing: The infusion of capital put in the hands of a leader with a sound strategy and return-on-equity goal in mind can be a powerful motivator.

The key to achieving returns is to build a business that future buyers would want to invest in. Build an enterprise with the sole purpose of selling it at maximum value  concentrate on exit strategies from the start. Build 'going concern value' to yield peak results. Key features buyers typically look for include:

Consistent performance;

High probability of future cash flows;

A marketing-oriented management team;

Track record demonstrating ability to sell and compete, develop, produce and distribute products, thrive and grow;

Realistic return potential from their fair entry valuation.

Take Control

There must be evidence of success before the entity can be sold. Never leave this to chance. Always take active control of the entity.

Determine viability by truly understanding the two or three things wrong within the company causing a breakdown in value. Don't be fooled by symptoms.

Ensure you have solutions to fix the real problems that no one else has utilized, as this will gain a competitive edge. Assess whether you can bring new non-cash resources or applications to influence the revitalization. Simply put, the answer is never, "just add cash", and always requires new leadership and board guidance to implement changes.

Substantial value is derived from bringing in outside directors and advisors with senior operating leadership background experience on their side. They can determine whether one strategy or another can positively affect the renewal, and why others didn't work in the past.

Process of Recovery

There is a process to guide an entity through corporate renewal. It involves utilizing a transferable set of skills to revitalize the company and restore it to a sale-worthy state. Only once this has been achieved, you should then be able to sell the entity and realize returns.

Bring Leadership

Focus on value creation and guide the company to a new plateau. Your advantage is that of objective focus, untarnished by the situation at hand. You bring a perspective that does not reside within the company because the players lack experience with their new situation. You are the teacher, the stakeholders are the pupils and together you rebuild in a new direction. You effectively manage change control.

Install a board with independent directors, with transition experience in value-building situations. These leaders will demonstrate expertise in the following:

Managing crisis, transition, and rebuilding processes;

Shaping business strategy and financial structure;

Developing management talent, building caliper teams, utilizing and growing existing resources;

Growing sales and market share;

Maximizing return on capital;

Linking management performance to ultimate goals;

Developing incentive-based compensation programs.

In order to achieve these ultimate goals, leadership must get directly involved in making conscientious decisions, such as elevating sales at an increased valuation. They must also be held accountable for work performance and timely results. Most importantly, they must get things moving, understanding that stagnating performance and results must be improved. On the revenue/sales side, look at where and how revenue is generated and maintain the momentum while ensuring that production and throughput are consistently met with products or services shipped out the door on target.

Set Strategy

While situations differ, one essential strategy is to drive revenue, as growth cannot occur without more sales. The strategy must address the problems plaguing the company and provide a roadmap to revitalization. If all you can do is think of strategies tried before  don't invest.

An effective strategy is key to implementing change. You must establish a new vision. Instill this direction into concrete goals and objectives and create a guide for everyone to follow. Rebuilding momentum is critical to success.

Build Quality Management Team

The value of a company increases sharply with a strong, permanent, credible team who can demonstrate its ability to produce consistent sales, profit and cash flow results. Establish continuity in the organization to allow everyone to manage their workload appropriately while maintaining orderly change, and ethical company morale and career development opportunities.

Capitalize on available under-utilized human capital, as chances are they are dedicated to the company and its success. Guide them to their next level, and they will take the company up the ladder.

Acquire New Business/Sales

There are only two ways to increase sales:

1) Sell new products to existing customers.

2) Sell existing products to new customers.

Unfortunately, most under-performers have forgotten the basics of marketing and promotion. Clearly promote what your products and services can do for your customer to satisfy their needs while differentiating why your product stands apart from the competition. Adapt to changing conditions and improve your competitive position and deliver only what they are willing to pay for.

Establish Sound Capital Structure

Establish a sound strategy with a viable marketplace to create well-grounded reasons for investors to invest and buyers to buy. Notably efficient delivery and production vehicles coupled with a cohesive management team will entice the investment community, as securing new capital becomes much easier when investors see high probability of return and a viable exit strategy.

Ensuring cash infusions will not be diverted into past commitments is as equally important. Establish relationships with creditors so they will work with the new management team keep them informed and participating.

Implement Processes

Use systems and processes to drive the business and control the day-to-day environment, which allows management to run critical elements of the company. Focus on the important things  controlling cash and costs, increasing sales and enhancing value creation. Manage these.

Nurture Resources

Leverage all resources people, facilities, advisors, etc.  to complete the turn. Often a key resource is an outside advisor, they have been there before. Set up an incentive structure paying only when employees accomplish the goals set forth in your long-term strategy. A robust incentive structure shares the risk -- if successful, all will gain. If not, you're not subsidizing poor performance. Your incentive for investing is return when the sale occurs. Their incentive should be based on performance that will take the company beyond its sale. After all, they are a key asset your buyer is looking for.

Exit

Know when to 'cash-out'. The greatest ROI comes when the rebuild is complete, and the company is ready for the next tranche of investment to grow funds. At this point, there are many new investors who will want to participate. Remember:

E arnings and cash capacity +

achieved X multiple on investment +

demonstrated I mprovements +

functioning management T eam in place = time to sell.

A small Xr growth in revenues can yield many Xn returns on invested equity. Buy, invest, manage, renew with one thing in mind  maximizing value for resale, and in turn, drive one result: Value Creation and Xn multiple returns.

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About the Author: John M. Collard

John is Chairman of Strategic Management Partners, Inc. (410-263-9100, www.StrategicMgtPartners.com ) in Annapolis, Maryland. John is a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP), and a Certified International Turnaround Manager (CITM), who brings over 35 years senior operating leadership, $85M+ asset and investment recovery, 45+ transactions worth $1.2B, new business developed $950M+ and win ratio 3.5 of 5.0, and $80M fund management expertise to run troubled companies, serve on and advise company boards of directors, and raise capital. John has served as CEO, CRO, Receiver, senior executive to turn around troubled entities, and serves as an outside director. John is enshrined in Turnaround Management, Restructuring, and Distressed Investing Industry Hall of Fame. John is Past Chairman of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), Past Chairman of the Association of Interim Executives (AIE), and a Senior Fellow of the Turnaround Management Society. John is a co-Founder of TMA. John is Prince George's Business Leader of the Year. John is honored with the Interim Management Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Interim Executives. John is honored as Most Admired CEO in Maryland by Daily Record. John is honored with SmartCEO Distinguished Leadership Award.

About the Firm:

Strategic Management Partners, Inc. ( www.StrategicMgtPartners.com 410-263-9100) is a turnaround management firm specializing in interim management and executive CEO leadership, asset and investment recovery, board and private equity advisory, raising money, and investing in and rebuilding underperforming distressed troubled companies. The firm has been advisor to Presidents Bush (41 & 43), Clinton, Reagan, and Yeltsin, World Bank, EBRD, Company Boards, and Equity Capital Investors on leadership, rebuilding troubled companies, investment recovery, turnaround management and equity investing. SMP is celebrating 25+ years of service to its clients. SMP was named Maryland's Small Business of the Year, and received the Governor's Citation, Governor Martin J. O'Malley, The State of Maryland as a special tribute to honor work in the areas of turning around troubled companies and saving jobs in Maryland. Turnarounds & Workouts Magazine has twice named SMP among the 'Top Outstanding Turnaround Management Firms'. American Business Journals named SMP among the Most Active Turnaround Management and Consulting Firms in Baltimore, Washington, and the Mid-Atlantic Region. Global M&A Network Turnaround Atlas Awards named SMP as Boutique Turnaround Consulting Firm of the Year.

Strategic Management Partners, Inc.: turnaround managers ready to run troubled companies, recover assets from investments gone bad, advise boards of directors and investors on company viability in distressed situations. We provide strong interim and operational leadership, strategic planning, financial, defense conversion, sales and marketing acumen developed building organizations in large and small companies, including President of public & private middle-market companies providing solutions to Commercial, Federal Government, International markets. Enterprises range from start-up to $100+mil. Industry expertise: Manufacturing; Job Shop; Engineering Services; Computer Processing/Services/Software/Integration; Communications; Defense Electronics; Aerospace; Federal Government Contracting; Systems Integration; High-Tech; Finance; Marine Services; Real Estate Development; Construction; Fabrication; and Printing.

End

###

Reference:

www.StrategicMgtPartners.com Turnaround Managers

www.StrategistLibrary.com or www.StrategicMgtPartners.com/library/libindx.html

Building Value In Companies To Prepare Them For Sale: Investing In Distressed Opportunities Published by Corporate Live Wire Expert Guide on Bankruptcy and Restructuring.

Hiring Outside Directors When Private Companies Don't Have To: They Bring Change Published by Board Leadership, a Wiley Periodicals publication.

Turnarounds Explained. An Interview with John M. Collard Published by Finance Monthly.

Fixer-Uppers: Rebuilding Value Published by Private Company Director

Raising Money Capital Published by Chief Executive Magazine

Is Your Company in Trouble? Published by Corporate Board Magazine

Managing Turnarounds Phases and Actions Published by RMA Journal

Social Media:

John M. Collard on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JohnMCollard

John M. Collard on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/JohnMCollard

John M. Collard on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnCollard

Collard on NewsReleaseWire

Firm:

www.StrategicMgtPartners.com Turnaround Management Experts

End

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Readymade garment (RMG) (Chapter 61 and 62) exports from Bangladesh increased by 10.27 per cent to $46.991 billion during the fiscal 2022-23 (FY23) compared to exports of $42.613 billion in fiscal 2021-22, as per provisional data released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). Knitwear exports grew at a faster pace than woven garment.

RMG exports from Bangladesh were 0.41 per cent higher than the target of $46.800 billion for the fiscal 2022-23, as per EPB data. Exports of knitwear (Chapter 61) increased by 10.87 per cent to $25.738 billion in the fiscal, as against exports of $23.214 billion during the previous fiscal 2021-22.

Bangladesh's RMG exports rose by 10.27 per cent to $46.991 billion in FY23, surpassing the target by 0.41 per cent, according to EPB. Knitwear exports increased by 10.87 per cent to $25.738 billion, while woven apparel exports grew by 9.56 per cent to $21.253 billion. However, home textile exports declined by 32.47 per cent to $1.095 billion.

Exports of woven apparel (Chapter 62) increased by 9.56 per cent to $21.253 billion during the period under review, compared to exports of $19.398 billion during July-June 2022, as per the data.

Home textile exports (Chapter 63, excluding 630510) decreased by 32.47 per cent to $1,095.29 million during the period under review, compared to exports of $1,621.93 million during July-June 2022.

At the same time, woven and knitted apparel, clothing accessories and home textile exports together accounted for 86.55 per cent of Bangladeshs total exports of $55.558 billion during FY23.

In 2021-22, Bangladesh achieved an all-time high in the value of its RMG exports, reaching $42.613 billion, which represents an increase of 35.47 per cent compared to the exports of $31.456 billion in fiscal 2020-21. Despite the global slowdown, Bangladesh has succeeded in achieving an impressive growth in garment exports in FY 2022-23.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
A recent meeting of heads of participating delegations in the e-commerce talks of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) reaffirmed their commitment to a substantial conclusion of the negotiations by the end of this year, with development issues at the heart of the future outcome.

Flexibility, pragmatism and urgency are what is needed to achieve this goal, they stressed.

A recent meeting of heads of delegations in the WTO e-commerce talks reaffirmed their commitment to a substantial conclusion of the negotiations by the year end, with focus on development issues. WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala drew attention to uneven participation in some regions in the digital economy due to digital and regulatory divides.

Till now, the initiative has parked 11 provisions, including paperless trading, e-contracts, e-signatures, e-invoicing, spam, consumer protection, cybersecurity and an electronic transactions framework.

The negotiators hope to bridge differences on other provisions, such as single windows, personal information and data protection, by the summer, a WTO press release said.

WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala drew attention to uneven participation in some regions in the digital economy due to digital and regulatory divides.

While e-commerce has helped small businesses, and especially women-owned firms, tap into international markets, there is a great deal of room to improve. Digital trade can be an even more effective economic lifeline for marginalized groups and geographically remote areas, she said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
After dropping a much-talked-about teaser, the makers of Bawaal have released the films full-length trailer. Starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, the Nitesh Tiwari directorial is a love story set against the backdrop of World War 2.The trailer of Bawaal sets up the boy-meets-girl narrative before revealing some shocking details about the plot. It sees Varun Dhawan's Ajay and Janhvi Kapoor's Nisha travelling together. We then see mentions of the Holocaust and how the couple gets entangled in the horrors of war.Check it out here:The trailer offers a closer look at the films tragic plot. It reveals the lead characters fight for love in a genocide-like setting as they get locked in a gas chamber.Bawaal is set to take audiences on a journey through Europe. The films shooting took place at multiple locations including Paris, Berlin, Warsaw and Lucknow.Bawaal will release on July 21, 2023.
Ira Khan Opens Up On Battling Depression: Ira Khan, the daughter of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan and his former wife Reena Dutta, has bravely opened up about her personal battle with depression.

In a candid revelation, Ira shared her journey and shed light on the challenges she faced while struggling the mental health condition.

Ira Khan is one star kid who has chosen to stay away from the limelight, however, she is a renowned face and enjoys a massive social media following. Her charming personality has made her people's favourite.

Off late, she has been in the spotlight for her philanthropic endeavors. She launched the Agastu Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on providing support to individuals grappling with various mental health disorders.

IRA KHAN ON BATTLING DEPRESSION

Ira Khan who was diagnosed with clinical depression five years back, recently, opened up about her struggle and the invaluable support she received from her parents, Aamir and Reena during a conversation with Times Of India. She also revealed how her father helped her assist her in setting Agastu Foundation and her parents are on the advisory board of it.

She spoke about the noticeable changes in her behavior, such as frequent crying and periods of not eating for several days. Ira said, "My mom pointed out that I didn't want to be alive so I would just sleep my day away so that I would have fewer hours to live in a day."

IRA OPENS UP ON FAMILY HISTORY OF FACING MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS

During the interview, Ira also addressed how genetics play a role in depression and revealed that her family has a history of mental health disorders. "Every 8-10 months I will have a big crash. It's partly genetic, partly psychological, and partly social. It took me a while to figure it out. But I have mental health disorders in my family. I also did not make healthy choices and I systematically walked into depression," the star kid said.
Actor-producer Sivakarthikeyan is one actor who attained super stardom with youthful comedy entertainers. He is a hattrick hero and has been chosing scripts that add value to his career's graph.

The actor enjoys good market in the Telugu film industry, thanks to his earlier hits Doctor, Don, and Prince. He teamed up with National Award-winning director Madonee Ashwin for a political action film titled 'Maaveeran.' The movie's dubbed version is going to release in Telugu as 'Mahaveerudu' at a time.

Ahead of the film's grand theatrical release worldwide in two languages, the makers of Maaveeran organized a pre-release event in Hyderabad on July 8. 'Major' fame Adivi Sesh, director Sekhar Kammula, Anudeep KV among others attended the event.

Sivakarthikeyan To Make His Bollywood Debut

Speaking on the occasion, Adivi Sesh said, "I first met him at a marriage but he felt like an old friend. He is not just a big star but one with a big heart. He is soon going to make his Hindi debut soon. Sorry sir I broke the news, don't mind. I am not just a friend but I am a fan. We both came from outside of the industry and we share that commonality. I wish people here watch Mahaveerudu not as a dubbing film but as a Telugu film."

However, any other details about the multi-talented Sivakarthikeyan's grand Bollywood debut is unknown and yet-to-be revealed by the actor himself.

Maaveeran Cast

Madonne Ashwin's movie stars Sivakarthikeyan as a Cartoonist. Director S Shankar's daughter Aditi Shankar played the female lead character opposite Sivakarthikeyan. Writer-director Mysskin donned the role of Jeyakodi, a politician. In addition, the movie also stars Sunil, Monisha Blessy, Yogi Babu, and Saritha.

Maaveeran Crew

The movie was co-written by Mandonne Ashwin along with Chandru A. Vidhu Ayyanna cranked the camera for this action thriller. Philomin Raj worked as the editor. Bharath Sankar composed the film's entire background score and tunes for Maaveeran. Arun Viswa produced the movie under the Shanthi Talkies banner on a budget of about Rs 35 Crore.
Bigg Boss OTT 2 Update: During the recent episode of Bigg Boss OTT 2 Weekend Ka Vaar, Salman Khan was seen smoking, which caught the attention of viewers. The actor returned to the sets of Bigg Boss OTT 2 on Saturday night, dressed in a formal outfit consisting of a fading blue shirt and pants. He engaged in conversations with the contestants, discussing the week's events and preparing them for elimination.

While fans were engrossed in Salman's interactions with the contestants, one keen-eyed viewer noticed a cigarette in his hand. The image quickly made its way to Reddit, and fans started reacting to it. Many felt that it was hypocritical of Salman to be smoking during the episode, especially after he reprimanded Akanksha Puri and Jad Hadid for their on-screen kiss, emphasizing the importance of upbringing, familial values, and culture.

Take a look at the post here:

Khatron Ke Khiladi 13: THIS Co-Contestant Calls Shiv Thakare Great Friend, Says 'Aanshu Pochne Wala...'

Pandya Store: Jiya Shankar's Hero To Play The New Male Lead After Generation Leap? DEETS Out

During the episode, contestant Cyrus Broacha expressed his desire to leave the show, prompting Salman Khan to advise him against it. Salman encouraged Cyrus to stay inside the house, warning him that he would regret his decision if he quit. He said, "You'll feel so s**t about yourself, you'll say fu**! Why didn't I listen to these guys?"

Salman also reminded Cyrus of his contractual obligations with the show's makers, stating that he could leave by paying the penalty. However, Cyrus hoped for leniency and forgiveness of the penalty so he could exit the show. Salman firmly stated that he cannot have it both ways.

Additionally, Salman Khan announced a two-week extension for Bigg Boss OTT Season 2 during the episode. He emphasized to the contestants that the amount of time the audience has seen them on the show surpasses what they would typically witness in their entire careers.

In the previous week, Salman had strongly criticized Akanksha Puri for her involvement in the kissing scandal with Jad Hadid. When she mentioned her previous experience with kissing in a web series, Salman expressed his disapproval by stating that Bigg Boss OTT is not a scripted show.

Do you agree with social media users calling Salman a 'hypocrite'? Share your views in the comments section below.
Remember Bigg Boss 10's most controversial contestant Priyanka Jagga? She was one of the most talked about contestants on the popular reality show and was the first contestant thrown out of the house for her indecent behaviour. Needless to say, her bold personality did leave a mark on the audience.

And while she has been staying away from the limelight post her stint on Bigg Boss 10, Priyanka is now making the headlines for the most unfortunate reason. Priyanka Jagga's husband Timothy Richard Muise passed away in a hospital recently.

The news was confirmed by Priyanka who penned a heartbreaking note and even shared his last pic from the hospital. She wrote, "My husband is in heaven... R.I.P. Your heart stops beating. Your brain stops. Other vital organs, including your kidneys and liver stop. All your body systems powered by these organs shut down too, so that they're no longer capable of carrying on the ongoing processes understood as simply living. R.I.P my love".

Earlier, Priyanka had penned shared a pic of her hand holding that of her husband and informed about her Tim's ill health. "Timothy Richard Muise I love u baby.. please pray for him," she captioned the post. This isn't all. As Tim turned a year older recently, she even shared Tim's pic with their sons and urged her fans to pray for him.

It is reported that Priyanka and Tim had tied the knot in 2005. As of now, the reason behind his demise is yet to be known

Meanwhile, talking about Priyanka's journey on Bigg Boss 10, she left everyone shocked in the first week itself when she ended up peeing on national television during a task on the show. This isn't all. She was often seen locking horns with fellow contestants and even got into a nasty argument with host Salman Khan that led to her eviction.
Superstar Mahesh Babu, who is currently working on his upcoming film Guntur Kaaram with Trivikram Srinivas, is back in the news with an exhilarating update about his much-awaited flick with none other than SS Rajamouli, the pride of Telugu cinema.

When Rajamouli announced SSMB 29 with Mahesh Babu, fans of the duo celebrated big time. The movie is going to be the biggest Indian film which will be made on a mind-boggling budget.

SS Rajamouli, who brought laurels to the country with RRR in the global arena, is involved in the film's gigantic pre-production work. The film's story and script are done and ready, as per the update from writer, Rajamouli's father Vijayendra Varma.

Meanwhile, an interesting update about SSMB 29 surfaced on the internet, much to the excitement of the actor and director's fans.

Mahesh Babu To Undergo Three-Month Training For SSMB 29

As the movie is set against the backdrop of forests and deserts, dating back in time, there is so much for Mahesh Babu to unlearn and learn, to get into the skin of the character. While there is no doubt a visionary like SS Rajamouli gets what he wants from his actors, he is also known to organize workshops for actors before going on the sets.

For Baahubali with Prabhas and Rana Daggubati, and then for the Oscar Award-winning RRR, Jr NTR and Ram Charan too attended the workshop. Rajamouli is a director who insists on workshops to make his actors confident. Likewise, Mahesh Babu will take part in a workshop for a period of three months. The training will begin in December this year, reportedly.

SSMB 29 cast is yet-to-be-finalized and there are high chances for Hollywood actors to make cameo appearances in this globe-trotting adventure drama.
Actress Mrunal Thakur made a dashing entry into the Telugu film industry with a sensational hit in the form of 'Sita Ramam.' The movie made her an overnight sensation in Tollywood.

Mrunal Thakur rose to popularity through Hindi soap operas and slowly navigated her way to Bollywood via Marathi films. She earned a decent name for herself as an actress in Love Sonia and Super 30.

The actress enthralled her fans with her portrayal in Lust Stories 2 on Netflix and is doing two films in Tollywood, including Nani 30.

Mrunal Thakur Hikes Remuneration

The petite actress, who always treats her fans to eye-soothing looks of her in ethnic wear as well as in bikinis getting her vitamin sea, has reportedly hiked remuneration. The actress is getting great opportunities her way and she is consciously taking decisions to utilize them as stepping stones.

Owing to the demand and her success rate, Mrunal is said to have made a wise move by asking for higher compensation for her contribution to the projects.

As per the available sources, Mrunal, who also signed another film in Telugu opposite Vijay Deverakonda under the direction of Mahesh Babu's Sarkaaru Vaari Paata fame Parasuram Petla, is receiving a pay cheque of Rs 3.5 Crore.

Mrunal Thakur's Pipeline

The actress will be seen in four films including Pooja Meri Jaan and Pippa in Hindi, which are in the post-production phase. Another film Aankh Micholi and a yet-to-be-titled Telugu film with Nani, referred to as Nani 30, are currently in the filming stage. The movie with Vijay Deverakonda by Sri Venkateswara Creations official launch and puja happened recently, and will go on floors soon.

On the other hand, Mrunal Thakur will also perform and co-host the South Indian International Film Awards (SIIMA) 2023 to be held at WTCD, Dubai for two days from September 15.
The West Bengal State Election Commission announced that repolling will be held on Monday in all booths where voting for the rural elections has been declared void.

Polling will be held again in 696 booths. The booths are spread across 19 districts and repolling will take place from 7 am to 5 pm. Four central forces personnel will be present in each of the booths, besides state police, PTI quoted an official as saying.

The SEC, which held a meeting on Sunday evening, went through reports of vote-tampering and violence which affected polling in many places, and passed the order, an official said.

Among districts where repolling was announced, Murshidabad has the highest number of booths at 175, followed by Malda with 112.

Violence-hit Nadia will see repolling in 89 booths, while North and South 24 Parganas districts will witness repolling in 46 and 36 booths respectively.

At least 15 people have been killed in violence that erupted in the state during voting for the three-tier panchayat polls in the state.

Bengal governor likely to meet Amit Shah, submit report on violence

Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday flew to New Delhi, where he is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence that took place during the panchayat elections in the state, PTI quoted an official as saying.

The governor is visiting Delhi. He is supposed to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the panchayat polls held in West Bengal on Saturday, the official added.

Bose is likely to meet Shah on Monday morning, he said, adding that the governor has prepared a report on his views after visiting violence-hit areas in the backdrop of the rural polls.

On the polling day, the state governor had visited various places, mostly in North 24 Parganas district, and taken stock of the situation.

Incidentally, the governor had visited places in the state where people were killed during incidents of clashes between political parties in the run-up to the polls.

Earlier in the day, the Opposition BJP in West Bengal on Sunday claimed that the central forces were not deployed deliberately during the panchayat elections, inviting a sharp retort from the ruling TMC which said there was no guarantee that violence would not have happened if the forces were deployed.

BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh said if the central forces were deployed in sensitive places, there would not have been so much violence, and people could have exercised their franchise freely and without fear.

With inputs from PTI
Maharashtras Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, and 52 other members of the Shiv Sena party have received showcause notices, questioning why they should not be disqualified from the legislative assembly.

According to reports, the showcause notices were sent to a total of 54 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), comprising 39 from Shinde-led Sena, 14 from Sena(UBT), and one other.

They have been given seven working days to respond. Surprisingly, Aaditya Thackerays name is not included in the list submitted by Eknath Shindes Shiv Sena group.

The disqualification proceedings against the Shinde-led Sena members were initiated by Sunil Prabhu, the whip of Sena(UBT). Conversely, Bharat Gogawale, the whip of the Shinde group, initiated proceedings against 14 Sena(UBT) MLAs.

Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar stated that the MLAs must respond within seven days. Failure to do so will be considered as having nothing to say, leading to an ex parte order by the speaker.

Rahul Narwekar confirmed to TOI that showcause notices have been issued to 54 legislators based on different petitions filed by rival factions for violating the anti-defection law. Among them, 39 belong to Eknath Shindes party, and 14 are from Sena(UBT). My office has issued showcause notices to them, said Narwekar.

Narwekars prompt action holds significant political importance. During an event at Raj Bhavan, where a book on veteran Congress leader Balasaheb Desai was released, Narwekar had hinted at making a revolutionary decision.

On June 21, 2022, Sunil Prabhu issued a whip to all Shiv Sena legislators, including Eknath Shinde, instructing them to attend a meeting called by Uddhav Thackeray. Prabhu initiated disqualification proceedings against Shinde and 15 others, citing non-compliance with the whip and violation of the 10th schedule of the Constitution.

Subsequently, another disqualification notice was issued to 23 legislators for the same reasons. While the disqualification proceedings were pending before the speaker, the Shinde-led Sena initiated proceedings against 14 Sena(UBT) legislators.

As the speaker had not made a decision, Prabhu approached the Supreme Court, urging them to direct the speaker to expedite the cases disposal, preferably within 90 days, as more than a year had passed. The Supreme Court expressed its desire for such matters to be resolved in a reasonable time, citing a previous case involving the Manipur assembly speaker, where a reasonable period was defined as within 90 days.
Bishnupur: Technology has become both a boon and a bane in the restive Manipur state. While Army and Assam Rifles are deploying drones to rescue and save people, clashing ethnic groups are using quadcopters to target each other.

It has been noticed by security agencies that quadcopters have been put to use by warring factions  Meiteis, mostly concentrated in Imphal valley, and Kukis, mainly on the hillside  to know each others positions, officials said.

There have been places like Phougakchao, Kangvai Bazar, and Torbung Bazar in the southwest part of Manipur where the quadcopters have been put to extensive use by the two communities where their villages face each other. The security forces have created buffer zones at these places to keep the agitated communities away from each other.

However, Loibol in Senapati district and Leimaram in Bishnupur district have been hotspots during the violence despite the presence of security forces, the officials said.

Mistrust runs deep in the two communities which rely on technology to monitor each others movement, the officials said.

Often during the day or night, there is intermittent firing where these groups are taking shots at these quadcopters, available freely in the market, the officials said.

Quadcopter, often called a quadrotor, is an uncrewed rotary wing aircraft that can take flight using four rotors, each consisting of a motor and propellers. Unlike conventional fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, which rely on engines or tail rotors to take flight, quadcopters have neither.

Quadcopters, after being airborne, have the ability to hover in place, whereas fixed-wing aerial drones have to be on the move constantly.

Quadcopters are also capable of much more precise aerial maneuvers while fixed-wing aerial drones can only make much less precise fly-by runs.

At the same time, drones have also assisted the Army and Assam Rifles in rescue operations and helped save nearly 2000 civilians in the Kakching district of South East Manipur.

The security forces located arms assailants using drones which were followed up by blocking their locations and engaging them in a fight while the other teams rescued the civilians using a different road from Serou to Pangaltabi in vehicles.

The security forces had used quadcopters during the ethnic riots that began on May 3 to rescue people and save property. In one such instance, rioters in Imphal city shot down a quadcopter using stones as it was helping in navigating the marching troops in the narrow lanes and bylanes.
Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, spoke with Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday to get an update on the Amarnath Yatra, which had been postponed due to severe rains.

Prior to the annual Amarnath Yatra being temporarily suspended on both routes  Baltal (Ganderbal district) and Nunwan (Pahalgam district)  due to unfavourable weather conditions that led to numerous landslides along the 270-kilometer Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district two days ago, Shah spoke to Sinha over the phone earlier in the day.

Following an improvement in the weather, the annual Amarnath Yatra on the Pahalgam route begun on Sunday afternoon, according to officials, who also noted that the Yatra on the other route, Baltal, has not yet started.

Authorities on Sunday however stopped a batch of devotees at the Jammu Base camp due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

Following the suspension of the Yatra, 6,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were stranded at Ramban, officials said.

In the Ramban district, overnight rainfall on Thursday caused mudslides, landslides, and shooting stones at Panthyal, Mehar, and other locations, closing the national highway. Following waterlogging at Hiller Anantnag railway station, train service from Qazigund to Banihal was also halted.

Beginning on July 1, a spiritual pilgrimage took place at a height of 3,888 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas. The 62-day journey to the Amarnath cave, where Lord Shiva resides, will come to an end on August 31.

The Home Minister praised the efforts of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) troops earlier on Sunday in a tweet for giving every pilgrim a safer Amarnath Yatra.

The NDRF and the SDRF have always stood tall in service to the nation and humanity despite all odds. Their role has been crucial in fulfilling our goal of providing a safer Amarnath Yatra to every pilgrim. Sharing a photograph of an SDRF Jawan carrying a lady yatri on his back for 3 km through the unforgiving terrain of the Himalayas on her way back from the holy shrine. I applaud them for being the beacon of safety for the citizens, Shah tweeted.

(With agency inputs)
A man from Gujarat has been apprehended by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for engaging in discussions regarding the Border Security Force (BSF) with a Pakistani spy.

The individual in question, Nilesh Balia, was employed on a contractual basis at a CPWD office situated within the premises of the BSF headquarters in Bhuj.

The alleged exchange of sensitive information took place through WhatsApp, with the spy using the pseudonym Aditi Tiwari.

According to the ATS, Balia established contact with the Pakistani agent in January and purportedly developed a romantic attachment to her.

Tiwari, who claimed to work for a corporate organization, requested specific details pertaining to the BSF and the border region.

Subsequently, Balia began sharing confidential documents related to ongoing and completed electrification projects at various BSF buildings, as well as certain civil department records.

ATS officials disclosed that Balia received a total sum of Rs 28,800 via UPI platforms, including PayTM. The ATS intends to scrutinize Balias phone and bank accounts to investigate any other individuals he may have been in contact with.

As of now, authorities have identified eight suspicious transactions and are examining associated UPI IDs and other relevant particulars.

Despite Balia activating the disappearing messages feature on WhatsApp, which automatically deletes chat history, investigators managed to retrieve all the details.

Balia and Tiwari communicated with each other outside of office hours and engaged in conversations over the phone.

Prompted by a tip-off regarding Balias activities, the ATS placed him under surveillance and conducted a thorough examination of his phone records and bank accounts prior to summoning him for questioning.

Consequently, Balia has been charged under relevant IPC sections.
North Korea has urged the global community to prevent Japan from discharging treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.

In a statement by North Koreas Land and Environment Protection Department, they called on the international community to take action against Japans harmful and aggressive move that threatens the Earths home.

The statement was reported by state media outlet KCNA on Sunday. The call comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a UN body, declared last week that Tokyos plan adheres to international standards of environmental safety.

Japan intends to release the wastewater during the summer, but concerns have been raised by neighboring countries such as South Korea, China, and the Pacific Islands. These nations fear potential damage to the environment and public health.

On Friday, Chinese customs authorities announced that the ban on food imports from ten Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, would continue, and inspections would be intensified to ensure the safety of Japanese food imports to China, specifically monitoring for radioactive substances.

The UNs approval has not alleviated the anxieties of fishermen and residents still affected by the 2011 disaster. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, in a recent interview with CNN in Tokyo, acknowledged the fears expressed by Japanese fishing groups and local mayors. He emphasized the importance of listening to their concerns and providing explanations.

The IAEA has stated that there is no better alternative for managing the enormous volume of accumulated wastewater since the disaster. Grossi affirmed that they have extensively assessed the policy against the most rigorous standards and are confident in their proposed plan.

The 2011 disaster resulted in the overheating of the reactor cores at the Fukushima plant, contaminating the facilitys water with highly radioactive material. Since then, new water has been pumped in to cool the fuel debris, leading to the accumulation of 1.32 million metric tons of radioactive wastewater. This amount is equivalent to over 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Japanese authorities argue that the release is necessary due to limited storage capacity for the contaminated material and to facilitate the complete decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear plant.

International scientists have expressed concerns to CNN, stating that there is insufficient evidence of long-term safety. They argue that the release could result in the gradual buildup of tritium, a radioactive hydrogen isotope that cannot be removed from the wastewater, in marine ecosystems and food chains through bioaccumulation.
Colombo: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21 during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials here said on Sunday.

This will be Wickremesinghes first visit to India since being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a peoples uprising in July. Wickremesinghe was appointed President for the balance term of Rajapaksa till September 2024.

Indias Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra will arrive in Sri Lanka early next week to work out the arrangements for Wickremesinghes visit to New Delhi, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Saturday.

According to officials, Wickremesinghe is expected to meet Prime Minister Modi during his two-day visit to India.

Officials said Wickremesinghe will finalise the implementation of several Indian projects related to power and energy, agriculture, and maritime issues in the island nation ahead of his departure for New Delhi.

Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry and Chief of Presidents Staff Sagala Ratnayake will accompany President Wickremesinghe to India, the Mirror said in its report.

President Wickremesinghes proposed visit to India will take place as Sri Lankas bankrupt economy has shown tentative signs of improvement.

Sri Lankas economy is showing tentative signs of improvement, in part due to the implementation of critical policy actions. But the economic recovery remains challenging. Now, more than ever, it is essential to continue the reform momentum under strong ownership by both the authorities and the Sri Lankan people, International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura said in June after his official visit to the debt-trapped island nation.

Wickremesinghe has introduced painful economic reforms to revive the countrys economy.

The country, which declared its first-ever credit default in mid-April last year, secured a bailout from the IMF of USD 2.9 billion in March this year, spanning over 4 years subject to reforms being put in place.
Over a dozen deaths have been recorded in north India in the last 24 hours, as torrential rains lashed several states for the second day in a row on Sunday.

Aside from traffic jams and rail delays, reports of landslides, flash floods, and severe waterlogging have been streaming in, affecting tens of thousands of people.

A combination of a western disturbance and monsoonal winds is causing an extreme rainfall spell throughout northwest India, including Delhi, which received the most rain in a single day in July since 1982.

#WATCH | Severe waterlogging near Gurugram's Narsinghpur Chowk as the city continues to receive heavy rain pic.twitter.com/AhA4XtfUNX  ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

On Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red advisories for multiple states, predicting severe rain in north India over the next 1-2 days.

#WATCH | Rainwater enters a few houses located in the area around the Housing Board colony in Ambala Cantt, Haryana pic.twitter.com/FUqvy7Held  ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

Unseasonal snowfall, rains lash Ladakh; red alert issued

Unseasonal snowfall and torrential rains pounded Ladakh, causing the meteorological service to issue a red alert for the area, according to authorities.

The rains also caused landslides on the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar National roadway in Lamayuru, forcing the crucial roadway to close, they added.

According to officials, the high-altitude passes in both the Leh and Kargil districts saw unseasonal snowfall overnight following two days of rain.

Rangdum hamlet in Kargil received about three inches of snow, while other regions, like Pensi la, Zanskar, and the hills surrounding Kargil, were also blanketed with snow, they claimed.

Traffic on the Kargil-Zanskar route was halted as a precaution, they added.

The major Leh-Kargil highway was stopped for traffic following the landslip near Lamayuru, and an effort is ongoing to clean the debris and make the road traffic worthy, authorities said.

Heavy rain batters Rajasthan, four killed

Heavy to extremely heavy rain drenched many districts of Rajasthan in the previous 24 hours, killing four people in different incidences.

#WATCH | Severe waterlogging witnessed in Rajasthan's Sikar following incessant rainfall in the region. (08.07) pic.twitter.com/VOLYgo3tw2  ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 9, 2023

According to authorities, a man and a woman were killed by lightning in Chittorgarh, while two males drowned in two separate incidences in Sawai Madhopur.

Over the next several days, the Met Department predicts very heavy rainfall in Rajsamand, Jalore, and Pali districts.

3 killed in UP due to heavy rains

An official reported that a mother and her small daughter were murdered on Sunday after their house's roof fell owing to heavy rain.

According to Sub-Divisional Magistrate Parmanand Jha, the event occurred about 3.30 a.m. in Niyazura village, Muzaffarnagar district.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old girl died in Sirathu after a tree limb fell on her house's tin shed after heavy rains, according to authorities. The event also harmed the girl's younger sibling.

Flood alert issued for two Jammu districts amid incessant rains

On Sunday, a red warning was issued for Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua and Samba districts, as well as lower catchment regions, due to continuous rainfall in the region for the third day in a row.

The meteorological agency issued the notice after receiving information from several places that the water level in rivers and streams had crossed the danger line this morning.

VIDEO | Flood-like situation in Jammu and Kashmir's Bhaderwah district as water level in Neeru river rises due to heavy rains in the region. pic.twitter.com/jSJoS2Vzx1  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 9, 2023

Red alert has been issued for Kathua, Samba, and other lower catchment regions in the Jammu region, as the potential of flooding and flash flooding has increased significantly. A meteorological service official encouraged everyone to remain vigilant over the next 24 hours.

Five killed as heavy rains lash Himachal

Heavy rains slammed Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, causing landslides, destroying homes, and killing five people, officials said.

#WATCH | Swollen water canal near Kullu bus stand following heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh pic.twitter.com/aMa2lr3MNJ  ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

Three members of a family were murdered after their house collapsed after a landslip caused by rainfall in Shimla's Kotgarh region. Officials named the deceased as Anil, his wife Kiran, and their son Swapnil.

A landslip also destroyed a temporary home in Kullu, killing a lady. In another incidence, a person was buried alive after a landslip in Chamba's Katiyan tehsil on Saturday night.

According to the state emergency operations centre, thirteen landslides and nine flash floods have been recorded across the state in the last 36 hours.
Amit Malviya, a leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said on Sunday that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) altered the Ballot Box in the Malda district of West Bengal.

TMCs change Ballot Box operation caught in Malda, Amit Malviya alleged in a tweet.

Amit Malviya said that TMC workers were caught red-handed, changing ballot boxes in several places, with the help of contractors and local administration, before they could reach the strong rooms.

BJP MP Khagen Murmu, local MLA and Zilla Parishad (ZP) candidate caught them in the act in Gajol (Hazi Nakoo Md High School), Malda Similar incidents were reported across Purba and Paschim Medinipur among others. SEC in collusion with Mamata Banerjee has reduced these elections to a farce, Amit Malviya tweeted.

Moreover in another incident, three ballot boxes were found in a drain in Murshidabad where violence broke out after panchayat elections.

A local said, The situation is not good after the elections, the general public is also not coming out due to fear. The general public is in panic. If anyone comes out, TMC threatens.

Earlier in the day, BJP MP Khagen Murmu alleged ballot rigging in West Bengal Panchayat polls, and demanded re-polling, in Malda.

The West Bengal panchayat elections were marred by extensive violence, ballot paper theft, and rigging.

In a number of districts, including Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur, and Nadia, there have been complaints of booth capture, ballot box damage, and assaults on presiding officers.

5.67 crore people cast their votes on Saturday at 7 am in West Bengals rural 73,887 seats, under heavy security, to determine the destiny of about 2.06 lakh candidates. Election results will be tallied on July 11.
My heart swells with pride, seeing the Yoga Day celebrations around the world. Most celebrations are done in a Bharatiya way, a break from the Westernized way of Yoga.

This year PM Narendra Modi said, Yoga comes from India. It is a very old tradition. Yoga is free from copyrights, free from patents, and free from royalty payments.

While he emphasised Yoga is universal and encouraged the practice globally, he didnt forget to mention the Made in Bharat stamp on Yoga.

Yoga is truly embedded in Sanatan Dharma, which translates as eternal path of righteousness.

Dumbing down illustrious Yoga philosophy

Yoga has come to mean physical postures alone. Originally, Yoga philosophy is a central theme of Bhartiya culture.

The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root Yuj, meaning to unite or to yoke. The practice of Yoga unites the individual consciousness (jeev-aatma) with the Universal Consciousness (param-aatma).

The Bhagavad Gita gives three paths to uniting oneself with universal consciousness  Gyan Yog, Bhakti Yog, and Karm Yog  the paths of Knowledge, devotion, and action. Each chapter of the text is titled, a Yog.

Sage Patanjali codified the path in 400 BC into eight limbs  Yama (observances), Niyama (self-discipline), Asana (physical postures), Pranayama (breathing), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (focus), Dhyana (meditation) and finally Samadhi (union with the Divine).

It is sad to see how this illustrious philosophy of self-realisation was dumbed down and brought down to just physical asanas alone. But we have surely lost a huge part of its original offering.

Appropriating marginalised cultures

We live in a globalised world, where it is easy to take inspiration, borrow thoughts and ideas from across the world, and take them out of their original context, without any understanding of its complete framework.

When a privileged cultural group borrows or steals from a marginalised culture and strips elements of the culture to use it as a prop or for profit, researchers term it as cultural appropriation. The more powerful culture may borrow ideas and pass them off as an invention, a discovery or just give a new context. Often, backed by financial, academic, and political power to give it a new context and erase the original connection.

In 2012, the fashion company Victorias Secret was accused of cultural appropriation. In a ramp-walk show titled, Nomadic Adventures the models were featured in several tribal and Native American-inspired outfits. The focus was especially on the models wearing native-style headdresses, with feathers. Native tribes wear the head-dress as a traditional symbol of respect. It is worn by chiefs and warriors. Each feather placed on the headdress corresponds to an act of compassion or bravery. This context and respect are completely lost when models parade a headdress down a ramp. Victorias Secret was accused of cultural misappropriation and insensitivity.

Zara and Louis Vuitton have also been criticised for appropriating traditional African prints and designs without acknowledgment.

In 2018, Italian fashion house Gucci put the blue Sikh turban on female models and listed it for sale, at $790. These turbans are an integral part of Sikh identity, worn with pride. The Sikh Coalition called this appropriation inappropriate saying, The turban is not an accessory to monetize; its a religious article of faith and is sacred.

Permanent appropriation

When cultures are on their guard, they can point out the appropriation, and put a stop immediately. When appropriation goes on for a long time, without being called out, it may acquire a completely new meaning.

Now, it is difficult for an average person to even recall the true meaning of yoga. The word Yoga is deeply ingrained with physical postures and mostly with ultra-thin female bodies. The practice has been cut off from its roots, entirely delinking it from its glorious past and distinguished philosophy.

The Western definition of Yoga, and teaching standards dominate. In 1997, Yoga Alliance was formed, a US-based nonprofit, a professional organisation for yoga teachers, certifying and authorising teachers. Traditionally, a Guru authorised a student to teach, after years of practice.

Yoga Alliance started to accredit 200-and 300-hour programmes, where anyone could teach. Many Indian schools also train people in these programs. Without realising the bigger impact, I have also been a teacher in such schools.

The revenues of Yoga Alliance USA are mind-boggling. In 2019, Yoga Alliance had 7,748 registered yoga schools, and 86,928 registered yoga teachers, with $7.4 million in application fees, and annual revenue of $5.6 million from teachers just to maintain their certification.

The Western appropriation of Yoga created a yoga-body archetype which was gobbled up by the fitness industry.

The Yoga prop and equipment market is valued at $9.5 billion, including mats, pillows, socks, yoga gloves, headbands, special yoga blankets, and yoga toe blocks, the list is endless.

Financial muscle re-defines culture

With immense financial muscle, it is easy to give anything a cultural context. Marketing, communication, and social media reiterate new interpretations of culture, conditioning our minds. The new definition is then exported to the rest of the world and comes back to us.

Lululemon throws money at global Yoga influencers, to market its clothing. Alliance Yoga lists different styles of Yoga like hot yoga, fitness yoga, spiritual yoga, power yoga, and hatha yoga. Sadly, most dont know that in Sanskrit, hatha itself means power.

Yoga is from Bharat. It is a discipline for physical and mental well-being and spiritual progress. The Rishis did not design this masterpiece for a size zero body. The big audacious goal was to unite us with universal consciousness. The cultural appropriation of Yoga needs to be called out.

The writer is the founder of YogaSmith and author of four books. She is a lawyer and has worked in the pharmaceutical and technology industry in Asia, USA, and Europe. Views are personal.

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According to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses office, trade and security will be a priority on his trip this week to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and attend a NATO conference in Lithuania.

The Labour leaders office announced late Saturday that he will visit Scholz on Monday to discuss deepening cooperation between Australia and Germany in trade and investment, the clean energy transition, and defence.

Australia will push for our regions strategic priorities and advance Australias security, economic, and trade agenda at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a statement.

Australia is not a member of NATO but has a decades-long relationship with the Western Alliance and attended last years summit in Madrid as a non-member participant.

Alongside our NATO allies, Australia continues to demonstrate our unwavering support for Ukraine, and our condemnation of Russias illegal and immoral invasion, Albanese said in the statement.

Australia, one of the most significant non-NATO contributors to the Wests support for Ukraine, has sent aid and defensive equipment while also prohibiting the sale of alumina and aluminium ores, particularly bauxite, to Russia.

Australia pledged Ukraine a new A$110 million ($74 million) package this month, including 70 military vehicles to guard against Russias incursion, bringing Australias overall commitment to Ukraine to A$790 million ($530 million).

Also this week, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell will visit Brussels in an attempt to restart stalled talks between Australia and the EU on a free trade pact.

According to Reuters, the trip follows recent meetings between Australian and European Union trade ministers, as hope grows that sticking issues in the accord may be addressed with additional dialogue.

While in Brussels I will meet my counterpart, Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, as well as the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, Farrell said in a statement on Sunday.

($1 = 1.4952 Australian dollars)
As her four-day trip to Beijing came to an end, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said 10 hours of bilateral sessions with senior Chinese officials in recent days were direct and productive, and helped stabilise the frequently turbulent relationship.

Yellen, who is leaving Beijing on Sunday, told a news conference that the US and China have major issues that must be conveyed clearly and directly.

The US and China have significant disagreements, Yellen told reporters at the US embassy in Beijing.

But President (Joe) Biden and I do not see the relationship between the US and China through the frame of great power conflict. We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive.

Yellen said the objective of the visit was to establish and deepen ties to Chinas new economic team, reduce the risk of misunderstanding and pave the way for cooperation in areas such as climate change and debt distress.

She reiterated that Washington was not seeking to decouple from Chinas economy, adding doing so would be disastrous for both countries and destabilising for the world.

But she said the United States wanted to see an open, free and fair economy, not one that forces countries to take sides.

Yellens visit has also included talks with climate finance experts, women economists and senior officials including Premier Li Qiang.

In her meetings, she has urged more cooperation between the sides on economic and climate issues while criticising what she called punitive actions against US companies in China.

On Sunday, she reiterated she had raised serious concerns about what she called Chinas unfair economic practices and a recent uptick in coercive actions against US firms.

Healthy economic competition is only sustainable if it benefits both sides, she said.

Yellen also discussed Russias war in Ukraine with her Chinese interlocutors and said it was essential that Chinese firms avoid providing Russia with material support for the war, or evading sanctions.

Both sides have downplayed expectations for breakthroughs during the talks while hailing the opportunity for face-to-face diplomacy.

Yellens trip follows Secretary of State Antony Blinkens trip to Beijing last month, the first visit by the top US diplomat of the Biden presidency, while climate envoy John Kerry is expected to visit China this month.

The US diplomatic push comes ahead of a possible meeting between President Biden and Xi as soon as Septembers Group of 20 summit in New Delhi or the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering scheduled for November in San Francisco.

No one visit will solve our challenges overnight. But I expect that this trip will help build a resilient and productive channel of communication, Yellen said.
A derelict apartment block frequented by homeless people in Brazils northeastern state of Pernambuco fell, killing 14 people, including six children, firemen said Saturday.

The building in Recifes Paulista neighbourhood collapsed early Friday, spurring a desperate hunt for casualties.

Searchers used sniffer dogs to dig through the wreckage and found two 15-year-old girls and a 65-year-old lady alive, according to firemen. An 18-year-old male was also retrieved alive but died as a result of his injuries.

Search operations are now focused on the removal of animals, the fire department said Saturday.

The structure was occupied by homeless persons, despite the fact that staying there has been prohibited since 2010, according to a statement issued by the Paulista municipal hall.

According to the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, city officials referred to the construction as a coffin block, a designation given to large-scale buildings erected in the 1970s in the Recife metropolitan region.

According to a city hall statement, the issue of persons exploiting legally locked buildings in Paulista is chronic. According to the report, authorities discussed the problem during President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas recent visit to the northeastern state.

The collapse in Paulista was the second such tragedy in less than three months in Pernambuco. A building disintegrated in April in neighboring Olinda, causing at least five deaths.

Heavy rains had soaked the Recife region before the building collapsed in Paulista, prompting Pernambucos water and climate agency to post an alert for the metropolitan area.

A Presbyterian church near the site of the fallen building was offering housing assistance to families who had been living there, city officials said. The church was also collecting donations of food, clothes, mattresses, water and hygiene products, officials added.
Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv and other cities on Saturday to protest planned law revisions that they claim would lead to a more authoritarian administration.

Demonstrators have continued the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus administration, which returned to power in December with the support of ultra-Orthodox Jewish and extreme-right supporters.

Israeli media claimed that 150,000 people attended Saturdays demonstration in Tel Aviv, the 27th since the reform agenda was presented in January, ahead of a vote in parliament on a major part of the proposed revamp on Monday.

The number of protestors is not disclosed by the police.

We must act against what the Netanyahu government is doing to our country and to the Israeli dream, historian Yuval Noah Harari told the rally.

If the Netanyahu government does not stop, it will soon learn what happens when we get angry, he said.

According to an AFP journalist, police used water cannons to disperse some 100 protestors who had stopped a major roadway in the seaside city.

The administration claims that judicial reform, which would give politicians more control over the courts, is required to achieve a healthier balance of power.

Following failed talks with the opposition in the aftermath of Netanyahus late March announcement of a pause to allow for dialogue, the government is going on the offensive again this week.

The first reading of a law aiming at removing the judiciarys authority to pronounce on the reasonableness of government choices will take place on Monday.

One of its potential effects would be on the appointment of ministers. Netanyahu in January was forced to dismiss cabinet member Aryeh Deri after intervention by the Supreme Court over a previous tax evasion conviction.

Organisers have announced a day of protest for Tuesday.

Amit Lev, 40, a tech executive, said: If we dont stop what is happening now, therell be no going back.

He said the draft law to be introduced on Monday is part of a series of laws, each of which allows the passage of the other.

These laws, he said, aim to prevent the judiciary from criticising government decisions that do not fall under the remit of any other law.

Nira, a 59-year-old physiotherapist who preferred not to give her last name, said: If this law passes we will not be able to live as we wish. Im not at peace right now about our future here.
The number of persons murdered in Kenyan protests grew to three on Saturday, according to a hospital official and two police officers, after opposition leader Raila Odinga urged Kenyans to go to the streets in resistance to tax rises.

Police shot tear gas at Odingas convoy in Nairobi on Friday, while similar actions were taken against protests in Mombasa and Kisumu.

We had another death at the casualty now bringing the number of deaths to two as a result of demonstrations yesterday, said George Rae, CEO of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital in Kisumu, an opposition stronghold on Lake Victoria.

Two police officers speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said a third man died in a hospital in southwestern Migori county.

It has been confirmed that the man taken to hospital with a gunshot wound in the head passed on, one of the officers said by phone.

Another police officer confirmed the toll, saying Two fatalities were in Kisumu and one in Migori.

According to activists, police sprayed tear gas on civil society figures, including former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, who were demanding the release of scores of persons detained during the protests on Saturday.

It is not justified at all for police to hurl tear gas at us when we have come peacefully to seek the release of innocent activists detained in the cells since yesterday, said advocate Lempaa Suyianka.

Some of them were even injured and they require medical attention, he told reporters.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Saturday called for a thorough investigation into all reported incidents of police brutality, adding to the chorus of condemnation from rights groups including Amnesty International against arbitrary arrests.

The acts of police brutality, including the use of excessive force resulting in injuries and the arrest and detention of peaceful demonstrators, are clear violations of constitutional provisions, the commission said in a statement.

Odingas spokesman Dennis Onyango told AFP on Saturday his Azimio alliance plans to hold at least one (protest) every week against the policies of President William Rutos government, with the next one expected on Wednesday.

The 78-year-old lost the August 2022 election to Ruto and has repeatedly denounced the poll as stolen.

Last week, Ruto signed into law a finance bill expected to generate more than $2.1 billion for the governments depleted coffers and help repair the heavily-indebted economy.

The Finance Act provides for new taxes or increases on basic goods such as fuel and food and mobile money transfers, as well as a controversial levy on all taxpayers to fund a housing scheme.

The government says the taxes will help create jobs and reduce public borrowing.

The Nairobi high court last month suspended implementation of the legislation after a senator filed a case challenging its constitutional legality.

But Kenyas energy regulator nevertheless announced a hike in pump prices after the doubling of VAT to 16 per cent as stipulated in the law.
One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting incident in New York City, where a man fired a semi-automatic pistol from a scooter.

The shooter targeted random individuals in what appears to be a spree of senseless violence, according to the police.

The New York City Police Department apprehended a suspect approximately two hours after the first victim was shot.

The incidents took place in Brooklyn and Queens within a span of nearly 30 minutes on Saturday morning, as reported by NYPD.

The first incident occurred in Brooklyn at 11:10 a.m., where a 21-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound in his left shoulder.

Detective Joseph Kenny explained that video footage showed a man approaching the victim from behind on a scooter, raising his hand, and firing a single shot. The victim was then taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Watch as acting Police Commissioner Caban and NYPD executives provide an update on an incident that occurred in Queens earlier today. https://t.co/vkZiDfwLYp  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 8, 2023

Seventeen minutes later, around 11:27 a.m., a second victim, an 87-year-old man, was shot in the back in Queens. Sadly, the elderly man succumbed to his injuries after being transported to a local hospital.

The suspect, described as a male riding a scooter, fired shots at a nail salon on Jamaica Avenue, Kenny informed reporters during a briefing.

Officers responding to the incident later discovered another shooting nearby, but fortunately, no one was injured. Kenny stated, Several witnesses described the male on the scooter randomly shooting at a group of people standing at the corner of 108th Street and Jamaica Avenue.

At approximately 11:35 a.m., a third individual was shot at a street corner in Queens. The victim, a 44-year-old man, was hit in the cheek by a bullet and is currently in critical condition at the hospital, according to Kenny.

Just two minutes later, at 11:37 a.m., a fourth victim, a 63-year-old man, sustained a gunshot wound to his right shoulder. He is currently in stable condition at the hospital.

The witnesses once again described a male on a scooter, Kenny added.

The suspected shooter was apprehended in Queens at 1:10 p.m. The police recovered a scooter and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

The alleged gunman, a 25-year-old man with a previous arrest in New York City, was identified through photos of the shooting suspect that had been distributed to every NYPD officers smartphone.

At present, the police do not have a motive for the shootings, and they are believed to be random acts of violence, as stated by Kenny.

There is no pattern when you look at the demographics and backgrounds of the victims. They are all different, he noted, highlighting that the victims included Hispanic and Asian-Pacific American men. The video evidence shows that he is not targeting or following anyone. He is randomly shooting at people while driving his scooter.

The names of the victims have not been released pending notification of their families.

Detectives are still working to find the serial number of the recovered gun and ascertain whether it was defaced or possibly an unregistered firearm, referred to as a ghost gun.

Acting Police Commissioner Edward Caban stated that the shooting was carried out using an illegal scooter without a license plate.
Republican US presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Sunday he would take steps to revoke Chinas permanent normal trade relations status if he won the 2024 White House race.

I favor doing that. I think we probably need Congress but I would take executive action as appropriate to be able to move us in that direction, DeSantis said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

The US Senate voted in 2000 to grant that status to China as it prepared to join the World Trade Organization. Any step to remove it would also need congressional approval. The status is a legal designation in the United States for free trade with a foreign nation.

US-China relations have been tense for years over national security issues including Taiwan, US export bans on advanced technologies, Chinas state-led industrial policies, human rights issues, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and trade tariffs.

Washington has been trying to repair ties between the worlds two biggest economies. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said over the weekend that her meetings with senior Chinese officials in recent days were direct and productive, helping stabilize the superpowers often rocky relationship as her four-day Beijing trip ended.

China is the No. 1 geopolitical threat this country faces, DeSantis added in the interview.

Former President Donald Trump, who leads the Republican field currently in the polls with DeSantis a distant second, has said he would give China a 48-hour deadline to get out of what sources familiar with the matter say is a Chinese spy facility on the island of Cuba 90 miles (145 km) off the US coast.
Authorities said six passengers were killed when a tiny plane crashed in a field and erupted into flames during the second of two landing attempts in fog at a Southern California airport shortly before daybreak Saturday.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Cessna C550 business aircraft crashed at 4:15 a.m. near Murrieta, roughly 80 miles (130 km) southeast of Los Angeles.

According to the Riverside County Fire Department, it took firefighters more than an hour to extinguish the fires, which burnt nearly an acre of grass near French Valley Airport.

The jet, which can seat up to 13 people, crashed about 500 feet (150 meters) short of the intended runway, said Elliott Simpson, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.

Most of the airplane, with the exception of the tail, was consumed by fire, Simpson told reporters at an afternoon briefing. Investigators were combing through a debris field about 200 feet (60 meters) long, he said.

The Riverside County Sheriffs Office announced in a statement that all six individuals on board perished at the site. The victims, who were all adults, were not recognised right away.

The jet crashed during its second approach after taking off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for the 45-minute journey to Murietta, according to the NTSB. Because of the low cloud ceiling, the pilot was authorised to land using just instruments, according to Simpson.

The visibility and ceilings allowed for a landing, but it was right on the minimums of the regulations set for that airport, he said. Investigators will review recordings between the pilot and air traffic control.

A preliminary report was expected in about two weeks, the NTSB said.

The FAAs aircraft tracking database lists the jet as owned by Prestige Worldwide Flights LLC of Imperial, California. Officials with the company could not be reached for comment.

It was the second fatal crash this week at the small county-owned airport in Murrieta, a city with about 112,000 residents. A man was killed and three people were injured on July Fourth when a single-engine Cessna 172 crashed in a parking lot shortly after takeoff from French Valley.
On Sunday, South Korean opposition MPs slammed the president of the United Nations nuclear watchdog for approving Japanese plans to discharge cleaned effluent from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They met Rafael Grossi in a heated encounter in Seoul, while demonstrators yelled outside the door.

Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, came to South Korea over the weekend to meet with government officials and critics and try to alleviate public fears over food safety.

The IAEA authorised the Japanese discharge plans last week, stating that the procedure will exceed international safety requirements while having low environmental and health implications. South Koreas government has also acknowledged the Japanese plans safety.

In his meeting with members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Koreas parliament, Grossi said the IAEAs review of the Japanese plans was based on transparent and scientific research. He acknowledged concerns over how the Japanese plans would play out in reality and said the IAEA would establish a permanent office in Fukushima to closely monitor how the discharge process is implemented over the next three decades.

Our conclusion has been that this plan if it is carried out in the way it has been presented, would be in line, would be in conformity with the international safety standards, Grossi said.

The lawmakers responded by harshly criticizing IAEAs review, which they say neglected long-term environmental and health impacts of the wastewater release and threatens to set a bad precedent that may encourage other countries to dispose of nuclear waste into the sea. They called for Japan to scrap the discharge plans and work with neighbouring countries to find safer ways to handle the wastewater, including a possible pursuit of long-term storage on land.

The party has also criticized the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for putting peoples health at risk while trying to improve relations with Japan.

If you think (the treated wastewater) is safe, I wonder whether you would be willing to suggest the Japanese government use that water for drinking or for industrial and agricultural purposes, rather than dumping it in the sea, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party lawmaker who attended the meeting, told Grossi. The party said Woo has been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days to protest the Japanese discharge plans.

Further details from the meeting werent immediately available after reporters were asked to leave following opening statements. Closely watched by parliamentary security staff, dozens of protesters shouted near the lobby of the National Assemblys main hall where the meeting was taking place, holding signs denouncing the IAEA and Japan.

Grossi was to fly to New Zealand later on Sunday and would then travel to the Cook Islands as he further tries to reassure countries in the region about the Japanese plans.

Hundreds of demonstrators had also marched in downtown Seoul on Saturday demanding that Japan scrap its plans.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plants cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the facility, has been storing the treated water in hundreds of tanks that now cover most of the plant and are nearly full. Japanese officials say the tanks must be removed to make room to build facilities for the plants decommissioning and to minimize the risk of leaks in case of another major disaster. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons in early 2024.

Japan first announced plans to discharge the treated water into the sea in 2018, saying the water will be further diluted by seawater before being released in a carefully controlled process that will take decades to complete.

The safety of Fukushimas wastewater has been a sensitive issue for years between the US allies. South Korea and Japan have been working in recent months to repair relations long strained over wartime historical grievances to address shared concerns such as the North Korean nuclear threat and Chinas assertive foreign policy.

In a statement released by state media on Sunday, North Korea also criticized the Japanese discharge plans, warning against a fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment. The statement, which was attributed to an unidentified official in North Koreas Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, also criticized Washington and Seoul for backing the Japanese plans.

What matters is the unreasonable behaviour of IAEA actively patronizing and facilitating Japans projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable, it said. Worse still, the US and (South) Korea openly express unseemly welcome to Japans discharge plan that deserves condemnation and rejection, provoking strong anger of the public.
On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned from Turkey five former leaders of Ukraines military in Mariupol, a highly symbolic success that Russia said breached a prisoner swap arrangement negotiated last year.

Russia condemned the leak immediately. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said Ankara had committed to keep the soldiers in Turkey under the swap deal and that Moscow had not been told.

President Zelenskyy also paid a visit to Snake Island, a Black Sea island that Russian soldiers seized on the day of the invasion and subsequently abandoned.

After spearheading a hard three-month defence of Mariupol from the Azovstal steel factory last year, the five commanders were hailed as heroes in Ukraine.

We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for talks in Istanbul on Friday.

Thousands of civilians were killed in Mariupol when Russian forces laid the city to waste in the first months of the war. The Ukrainian defenders held out in tunnels and bunkers under the Azovstal plant, until finally ordered by Kyiv to surrender in May last year.

Moscow freed some of them in September in a prisoner swap brokered by Ankara, under terms that required the commanders to remain in Turkey until the end of the war.

Mr Peskov told Russias RIA news agency: No one informed us about this. According to the agreements, these ringleaders were to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict.

Mr Peskov said the release was a result of heavy pressure from Turkeys NATO allies ahead of next weeks summit of the military alliance at which Ukraine hopes to receive a positive sign about its future membership.

In his remarks, President Zelenskyy gave no explanation for why the commanders were allowed to return home now. Turkeys Directorate of Communications did not respond to a request for comment.

Thanks to Turkish President

In a ceremony later alongside the men in the western city of Lviv, President Zelenskyy thanked Erdogan for helping secure their release and pledged to bring home all remaining prisoners.

He said that before the outbreak of war, many people in the world still did not understand what we are, what you are, what to expect from us and what our heroes are. Now everyone understands.

Many Ukrainians hailed the return of the men.

Finally! The best news ever. Congratulations to our brothers! Major Maksym Zhorin, fighting in eastern Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Referring to a counter-offensive launched by Ukrainian forces in the past month, Denys Prokopenko, one of the five commanders, told the gathering that his men will have our word to say in the battles. The most important thing is that Ukraine has seized the strategic initiative and is advancing.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the 500 days by describing Russia as the sole obstacle to a just and lasting peace and promising to back Kyiv for as long as it takes.

Frances foreign ministry said the time frame must bring Russia to the realisation that it is in an impasse and immediately stop its illegal war of aggression.

The latest US pledge of support included plans to supply widely banned cluster munitions. Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov promised the munitions would not be used in Russia.

The general staff of Ukraines armed forces said Ukrainian forces on Saturday continued offensive operations in two sectors in the southeast.

Officials say Ukrainian forces have also taken back areas around the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut  captured by Russian forces in May after month after months of battles.
According to a statement sent by a spokeswoman early Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised the air attack that purportedly killed at least 22 people in Sudan on Saturday.

At least 22 people were killed and hundreds were injured in an air raid by Sudans army on western Omdurman city on Saturday, according to the Khartoum state health ministry, as the countrys armed conflict reached its 12th week.

According to Farhan Haq, the secretary generals deputy spokesperson, the secretary general is especially outraged by reports of widespread violence and deaths in Sudans Darfur area.

He is also concerned about reports of renewed fighting in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing, it added.

Guterres reiterated his call for the Sudanese Armed Forces and its rival Rapid Support Forces to cease fighting and commit to a durable cessation of hostilities.
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. captured by Emperor Tewodros II



Sahle Maryam was born in Angolalla, the capital of the Amharan principality of Shewa, in 1844. His father, then the 18-year-old crown prince, did not officially acknowledge him, but he was given a good home in the royal household (his mother being a servant there).



In 1847 Haile Melekot became negus (king) of Sherwa, which was at that time semi-independent of the rule of the Ethiopian Empire. Emperor Tewedros II invaded Shewa in 1855, in order to bring it under his control. Haile Melekot dies (of illness, not in battle) early in the campaign, and Menelik was surrendered to the emperor as a hostage after his victory in the battle of Bulga.

2. married first wife, Woizero Altash Tewodros



While being held captive in Amba Magdela, Menelik formed a strategic marriage with the daughter of the emperor, Woizero (Princess) Altash. The marriage lasted only until he escaped in 1865, at which time he left her behind and divorced her. The emperor was not pleased, to put it mildly, ordering a number of Oromo and Amhara hostages killed.

3. declared king of Shewa



When Menelik captured by Tewodros, his uncle was appointed shum (governor) of Shewa. When he attempted to rebel against the emperor's authority, he was replaced by Ato (Mr or Sir) Bezebah; he in turn rebelled, and declared himself king of Shewa. The assumption of the throne by someone who was not part of the royal family outraged the royalty imprisoned at Magdela, who organised Menelik's escape on 1 July 1865.



He returned to Shewa, and rallied a large number of supporters, including a umber of Bezebah's own troops, allowing Menelik to claim the crown.



At the same time, he stated a claim on the emperor's throne, based on his descent from an earlier emperor, but did not attempt to follow up the claim until later. When Menelik captured by Tewodros, his uncle was appointed shum (governor) of Shewa. When he attempted to rebel against the emperor's authority, he was replaced by Ato (Mr or Sir) Bezebah; he in turn rebelled, and declared himself king of Shewa. The assumption of the throne by someone who was not part of the royal family outraged the royalty imprisoned at Magdela, who organised Menelik's escape on 1 July 1865.He returned to Shewa, and rallied a large number of supporters, including a umber of Bezebah's own troops, allowing Menelik to claim the crown.At the same time, he stated a claim on the emperor's throne, based on his descent from an earlier emperor, but did not attempt to follow up the claim until later.

4. birth of illegitimate daughter Zewditu Menelik



Menelik had no children with any of his three wives, but he did have a number of illegitimate children, of whom he recognised three.



The oldest was a daughter, Shoaregga Menelik, born in 1867. Her second son was the nominal successor to his grandfather in 1913, but was deposed in 1916 without ever having been crowned, replaced by his aunt. The ostensible reason for his deposition was a suspicion that he had converted to Islam, and was no longer suitable to rule as part of the Solomonic Dynasty. The family claimed descent from the legendary Menelik I, who was declared the first emperor of Ethiopia (such as it then was) in the 10th century. He was reputed to be the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.



Next was a son, Asfa Wossen Menelik, born in 1873. He died around the age of 15, and left no heirs.



The third child was a daughter, Zewditu Menelik, born in 1876. She was declared Empress in 1916, but as she had no children, all of the children from her four marriages having failed to reach adulthood, the nobles who were running things after her father's death decided to place actual power in the hands of a regent, Ras Tafari Makonnen, later to become Emperor Haile Selassie in 1930.

5. separated from second wife after attempted coup



After divorcing his first wife in 1865, Menelik almost immediately married Bafena Wolde Michael, for whom he seems to have had a strong attachment, as he did not divorce her until five years after she had led an attempted coup in 1877. She was much older than Menelik, and she was apparently more interested in procuring political advantage for her children from previous marriages than she was in her husband.

6. married third wife Taytu Betul



A year after finally divorcing Bafena, Menelik married for the third and final time. This was her fifth marriage, and the first for either of them to be married in a full church service, making it indissoluble. When he became emperor, she was declared Empress consort, a position to which she brought considerable influence due to her own imperial pedigree.



Her connections had helped Emperor Yohannes extend the region controlled by the Ethiopian throne, and she was able to help Menelik retain and extend this. Following Menelik's stroke in 1906, she effectively ruled the country until his death.

7. founded Addis Ababa



During the 1870s and '80s Menelik had no permanent royal capital, as he spent most of the time engaged in battles to expand the kingdom of Shewa (later to be incorporated in Ethiopia), so the capital was wherever he happened to be at the time. In 1866 Empress Taytu Betul camped at a hot spring just south of Mount Entoto, and decided to build a house there to be her permanent base, as Menelik ranged around on military campaigns. She named this base Addis Ababa, meaning new flower, and allocated land nearby for all of the generals to build their own homes.



When Menelik was declared emperor in 1889, a new royal palace was built, and the city began a rapid expansion. By the time of his death, Addis Ababa had a population somewhere between 75,000 and 100,000 permanent residents.

8. proclaimed emperor



When Emperor Yohannes IV died in March of 1889, he made a dying declaration that his illegitimate son Dejazemach Mengesha Yohannes should succeed him. A fortnight later Menelik declared himself Emperor. He based his claim on having a direct male lineage, rather than descent through females of the line, from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.



The technical argument was much less important than the military and political one, and Menelik managed to get the support of the majority of the nobles, gaining the throne.



He was consecrated and crowned in a ceremony at the Church of Mary on Mount Entoto that took place on 3 November 1889. When Emperor Yohannes IV died in March of 1889, he made a dying declaration that his illegitimate son Dejazemach Mengesha Yohannes should succeed him. A fortnight later Menelik declared himself Emperor. He based his claim on having a direct male lineage, rather than descent through females of the line, from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.The technical argument was much less important than the military and political one, and Menelik managed to get the support of the majority of the nobles, gaining the throne.He was consecrated and crowned in a ceremony at the Church of Mary on Mount Entoto that took place on 3 November 1889.

9. won the Battle of Adwa



Shortly before he became emperor, Menelikhad signed the Treaty of Wuchale with the Italians, which recognised Italy's claim to Eritrea, but not to the rest of Ethiopia. However, there was a clause (claimed by Menelik to be in the Italian language version only, not in the Amharic version) which effectively made Ethiopia a protectorate of Italy. Menelik hence repudiated the treaty, leading to the First Italo-Ethiopian War in 1895.



The Italian forces experienced success until Menelik gathered a significant Ethiopian force to meet them in the mountains north of the town of Adwa on 1 March 1896. The battle resulted in an overwhelming defeat for the Italians, and effectively ended their expansion in the Horn of Africa. The Treaty of Addis Ababa, signed on 23 October recognised the sovereignty of Ethiopia as an independent country, removing any claims made in the Treaty of Wuchale.



The treaty with Italy was followed in 1897 by treaties with the United Kingdom and France, both of whom had colonies bordering Ethiopia, which recognised Ethiopia as a sovereign nation.

10. suffered a debilitating stroke



Menelik suffered a stroke on 27 October 1909 which left him completely incapacitated. His wife took over as de facto ruler, but the nobles appointed a regent to be in charge. Their choice died very soon, and was replaced by a council of regents (which did not include the empress) in 1910.



On 12 December 1913 Emperor Menelik died, and was unceremoniously buried at a church on the grounds of the Imperial Palace. In 1916, he was reburied with more formal observances in a church built expressly for that purpose in Ba'eta Le Mariam Monastery, also within the Imperial Palace. This church, Ta'eka Negest (a name meaning resting place of kings), is also the burial site of Empress Taytu (his third wife) and Empress Zewditu (his daughter).



The council continued to rule after the death of Menelik on 12 December 1913, with Lij Iyasu (son of his oldest daughter) nominally emperor until 1916, when he was declared unsuitable, and his third daughter became Empress Zewditu I on 27 September 1916. At his time, Tafari Makonnan (husband of Lil Iyasu's niece) was elevated from a position on the council of regency to that of Regent Plenipotentiary and given the title of Ras (a noble title roughly equivalent to duke or prince), and declared to be the heir apparent. On the death of the empress in 1930, Ras Tafari became Emperor Haile Selassie I.

Source: Author looney_tunes This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
bohlah at 9-07-2023 02:47 PM (1 week ago) (m)

Seychelles has placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders applying for short-term visa or holiday purposes.

Seychelles has placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders applying for short-term visa or holiday purposes.

A travel content creator, @munafromtravelletters, raised the alarm on Saturday evening with a screenshot of the rejection email.



The screenshot reads A travel content creator,raised the alarm on Saturday evening with a screenshot of the rejection email.The screenshot reads Quote We regret to inform you that your application has been denied, as per immigration regulation, for now we are not accepting any NIGERIAN passport holder for holiday purposes. Kindly contact http://www.ics.gov.sc/ (Seychelles Immigration) or call 248 4 293 636 for more information.



As caption, she wrote As caption, she wrote Quote It seems Seychelles just placed a ban on Nigerian passport holders. The thing with having a Nigerian passport is you can be postponing travel plans until you become Bill Gates and immigration policies will be like Dey play.



The ban comes just six months after Nigeria signed a pact for direct flights between the two countries.



Before the ban, Nigeria had a long-standing visa-free agreement with Seychelles which allows Nigerian citizens free entry without a visa for 30 days.





The ban comes just six months after Nigeria signed a pact for direct flights between the two countries.Before the ban, Nigeria had a long-standing visa-free agreement with Seychelles which allows Nigerian citizens free entry without a visa for 30 days.

Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 9-07-2023 02:47 PM (1 week ago) | Addicted Hero
bohlah at 9-07-2023 09:11 PM (1 week ago) (m)

The Nigerian President bagged a unanimous endorsement to chair the organisation at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau capital, on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

The Nigerian President bagged a unanimous endorsement to chair the organisation at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau capital, on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

Tinubu, who is the latest entrant into the exclusive club of Heads of State in West Africa, succeeds President Umaro Embalo of Guinea Bissau.



According to a statement from the presidency, Tinubu enthusiastically accepted the honour, on behalf of Nigeria, with a solemn pledge to bear the responsibility of the office and run an inclusive administration of the regional organisation.



Speaking on his emergence as Chairman on his first participation at the summit, having just started out as the elected leader of Nigeria, the President stated that he was humbled and honoured by the trust to assume the leadership of the regional body, pledging his commitment to serve the interest of the community.



He said, "Indeed, Im humbled and honored by this trust, and want to assure you of my unalloyed commitment to provide the necessary leadership with dedication to serve the interest of the community."



Tinubu, who is the latest entrant into the exclusive club of Heads of State in West Africa, succeeds President Umaro Embalo of Guinea Bissau.According to a statement from the presidency, Tinubu enthusiastically accepted the honour, on behalf of Nigeria, with a solemn pledge to bear the responsibility of the office and run an inclusive administration of the regional organisation.Speaking on his emergence as Chairman on his first participation at the summit, having just started out as the elected leader of Nigeria, the President stated that he was humbled and honoured by the trust to assume the leadership of the regional body, pledging his commitment to serve the interest of the community.He said, Tinubu calls for stability in ECOWAS region The President warned that the threat to peace in the sub-region had reached an alarming proportion with terrorism and the emerging pattern of military takeover that now demand urgent and concerted actions.



He called for collective action from member-states, pledging that under his leadership, frameworks would be harmonised to actualize the dreams of ECOWAS.



On peace and security, the threat has reached an alarming level, and needs urgent actions in addressing the challenges. Indeed, without a peaceful environment, progress and development in the region will continue to remain elusive.



"In this regard, we must remain committed to the utilisation of all regional frameworks at our disposal to address the menace of insecurity, Tinubu declared. The President warned that the threat to peace in the sub-region had reached an alarming proportion with terrorism and the emerging pattern of military takeover that now demand urgent and concerted actions.He called for collective action from member-states, pledging that under his leadership, frameworks would be harmonised to actualize the dreams of ECOWAS.Tinubu declared.

Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 9-07-2023 09:11 PM (1 week ago) | Addicted Hero
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NEW YORK, July 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Xponential Fitness, Inc. (Xponential or the Company) (NYSE: XPOF). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.



The investigation concerns whether Xponential 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 June 26, 2023, Fuzzy Panda Research (FPR) published a report on Xponential entitled Abusive Franchisor That Is A House Of Cards. Citing interviews with franchisees and disclosure documents, the FPR report alleged that Xpontentials Founder and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Geisler, has a long history of misleading investors and business partners and that Xponential is hiding the fact that many of [the Companys] brands and franchisees are struggling.

On this news, Xponentials stock price fell $9.38 per share, or 37.36%, to close at $15.73 per share on June 27, 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

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 7980
Quantexa CEO outlines vision for investment in support of UK Governments plan to make UK an AI Hub, which includes:

Over $155M in new global investments aimed at accelerating enterprise and government agencys ability to use trusted AI-enabled Decision Intelligence solutions

Over $105M in dedicated UK investment will create over 170 new jobs in London AI Innovation Center team

Preview of Generative AI assistant shows how world-leading institutions will unlock the full potential of data to investigate risk and identify opportunity

LONDON and NEW YORK, July 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quantexa, a global leader in Decision Intelligence (DI) solutions for the public and private sectors, announced today that it will invest over $155M in the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry over the next three years to help clients advance the use of AI to protect, optimize, and grow their organizations. By 2027, Quantexas total global investment in AI will reach more than $250M.



The investment marks Quantexas continued advancements in AI with the preview of its Generative AI technology, Q Assist. Quantexa also furthered its commitment to advancing the companys existing AI Stack to enable its growing global ecosystem of clients and partners to unlock new industry-specific use cases for financial services, insurance, telecommunications, healthcare, and in the public sector. Quantexas Decision Intelligence platform and suite of solutions for data management, customer intelligence, KYC, risk, fraud, and financial crime have been deployed in over 70 countries.



Analysis from the University of Washington suggests this investment will boost the global AI industry by $760M as the multiplier effect is realized.



AI in Context: How Quantexa Augments and Automates Decision Intelligence with AI

Generative AI Assistant Breaks New Ground

Built on Quantexas Decision Intelligence Platform, the technology preview of Q Assist, a generative AI assistant, demonstrates the potential of using LLMs to create an intuitive and conversational interface bringing new efficiencies for analysts working with data to identify risks as part of investigations. For organizations the potential benefit is significant  as the AI assistant allows all analyst staff to become as effective as the most experienced investigators.



Q Assist is LLM agnostic and will allow clients to use their own proprietary, open source, or commercially available models including ChatGPTTM, a leading LLM from OpenAI. Quantexas market-leading entity resolution, graph analytics, and scoring capabilities become turbo-charged when they can be queried with natural language questions and prompts in Quantexas Decision Intelligence Platform.



Today, in a video showcase, Quantexa demonstrated one of what could become many potential use cases for Q Assist. The financial crime investigation scenario was chosen to show the potential in using natural language to query vast amounts of structured and unstructured data at scale, allowing even junior analysts to understand the complex data behind graph analytics and alerts. The preview also showed the ability to automate the generation of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and investigative summaries - possible in close to 100 languages  driving further efficiency in what is typically a manually intensive process and allowing more time to be redirected to strategic activities.

AI Throughout Quantexas Decision Intelligence Platform Delivers Business Value

Enterprises and government agencies are using Quantexas Decision Intelligence to become more effective and efficient at organizing siloed, messy data to obtain 360-degree views of customers and suppliers to identify fraud, qualify eligibility for services, stop dangerous goods at borders, or optimize supply chains.



Quantexa is using three core principles to responsibly build out its AI Stack:

Context-Based Learning: Just as humans require full context to make informed decisions, so does AI. Without context, even the smartest machine learning or deep learning algorithms lack accuracy to be deployed reliably. For example, its impossible for a person or AI model to know if a single bank transaction in isolation is money laundering. Quantexa builds true context by using data to create single views of people, organizations, places, and other entities and assembles them visually to show complex interactions between entities. This context is what enables a person or AI to make an accurate decision.

Just as humans require full context to make informed decisions, so does AI. Without context, even the smartest machine learning or deep learning algorithms lack accuracy to be deployed reliably. For example, its impossible for a person or AI model to know if a single bank transaction in isolation is money laundering. Quantexa builds true context by using data to create single views of people, organizations, places, and other entities and assembles them visually to show complex interactions between entities. This context is what enables a person or AI to make an accurate decision. Composite AI: Quantexas Composite AI Stack aggregates the outputs of many different techniques, including machine learning, natural language processing and deep learning. Combining these with input from subject matter experts, organizations can continually use analytics to improve decisioning to protect, optimize, and grow. Quantexa uses exclusive access to huge volumes of structured and unstructured industry data to train its AI and provides out-of-the-box open models, giving clients the ability to modify or create their own.

Quantexas Composite AI Stack aggregates the outputs of many different techniques, including machine learning, natural language processing and deep learning. Combining these with input from subject matter experts, organizations can continually use analytics to improve decisioning to protect, optimize, and grow. Quantexa uses exclusive access to huge volumes of structured and unstructured industry data to train its AI and provides out-of-the-box open models, giving clients the ability to modify or create their own. Explainability and Trust: In the highly regulated environments that organizations work in, it is crucial that decisions are transparent and explainable with no suggestion of bias. Quantexas technology and governance uses context-based techniques and composite AI to drive adoption of explainable outcomes without privacy concerns. Quantexa publicly maintains its AI ethics and safety guidelines here.





Vishal Marria, CEO and Founder, Quantexa said:

While many companies are talking about AI and machine learning, we have been investing in it since our inception. We are investing our time, money, and resources into the biggest technological breakthrough for generations as it will transform how organizations make decisions. Were proud to invest in London-based innovation but the impact will be felt by the global economy and will start a ripple effect that will unlock decision intelligence capabilities for our clients and their respective industries.

Dr Oren Etzioni, Professor at the University of Washington's Computer Science and founding CEO of the Allen Institute for AI said: An investment of 100 AI jobs will drive economic growth not just in London but around the world. The places most likely to benefit are AI innovation hubs like New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco. Based on my research into the impact of AI on employment and economic growth, the long-term monetary benefits of this announcement will increase significantly because of the multiplier effect from job creation and innovation. An initial investment of $250M is likely to benefit the wider AI industry by roughly $750M globally within three years.

To learn more about how your organization can benefit from Quantexas AI investment, innovation, and ethical practices, please visit here.



About Quantexa

Quantexa is a global data and analytics software company pioneering Decision Intelligence that empowers organizations to make trusted operational decisions by making data meaningful. Using the latest advancements in big data and AI, Quantexas Decision Intelligence platform uncovers hidden risk and new opportunities by providing a contextual, connected view of internal and external data in a single place. It solves major challenges across data management, KYC, customer intelligence, financial crime, risk, fraud, and security, throughout the customer lifecycle.



The Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform enhances operational performance with over 90% more accuracy and 60 times faster analytical model resolution than traditional approaches. Founded in 2016, Quantexa now has more than 650 employees and thousands of users working with billions of transactions and data points across the world. The company has offices in London, New York, Boston, Toronto, Malaga, Brussels, Amsterdam, Ireland, Luxemburg, Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, and the UAE. For more information, please visit www.quantexa.com or follow us on LinkedIn.





Media Enquiries

C: Stephanie Crisp, Associate Director and Media Strategist, Fight or Flight

E: Quantexa@fightflight.co.uk



C: Adam Jaffe, SVP of Corporate Marketing

T: +1 609 502 6889

E: adamjaffe@quantexa.com

- or -

RapidResponse@quantexa.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f1ed872b-5465-4a07-9fca-f8625facef8f
2025 talks already starting for Belgian GP

Just days after signing up for 2024, Belgian GP promoters are already looking towards the next Formula 1 race contract for Spa-Francorchamps.

George Russell, Belgian GP 2022

 Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

Until the 2024 calendar was revealed with an unprecedented 24 grands prix, speculation was rife that fabled Spa might be a victim of F1's push into new markets.

At Silverstone for the British GP, Belgian race promoter Melchior Wathelet - president of Spa Grand Prix - said he his thoughts are already now turning towards a new deal for 2025.

We have plenty of prospects at Spa-Francorchamps, he told RTBF.

"We learn in weekends like this, but they also learn from us. It's the celebration of Formula 1.

We are discussing to go beyond 2025 and the circumstances are positive, Wathelet added.

He confirmed that after the one-year deal for 2023, a similar single-race contract has also been agreed with Formula 1 for 2024.

We should quickly have information about 2025, said Wathelet. But it is not easy because all the European grands prix will renegotiate for 2025 and 2026 but we are trying to put all the chances on our side.

Indeed, it is suggested that with 24 races per year now the absolute limit for F1, some European races - like Spa and Zandvoort, for instance - will be pressured to move onto an annual rotation scheme.

I'd like to see a day where you have 24 grands prix, but in order to embrace more markets, maybe you have 20 fixed grands Prix and eight on rotation, said McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
Maison Yusifs Vatican adjudged 2023 Best Niche Fragrance at Perfumista Awards in France

Kofi Duah Showbiz News Jul - 09 - 2023 , 10:46

Indigenous Ghanaian niche fragrance The Vatican by Maison Yusif has been named the best niche fragrance at the just-ended Perfumista awards in France.

The prestigious ceremony organized by Perfumista in Angola came off Friday, July 7, 2023, in France.

The event was attended by some high-profile personalities in the perfume industry and witnessed the honoring of the most deserving nominees who have done remarkably well within the year under review.

Yusif Meizongos Maison Yusif brand beat off tight competition to emerge winner at this year's Perfumista awards.

The Perfumista Awards is an awards scheme that aims to identify, support, and publicly recognize artisan perfumers and brands who have challenged the status quo to make remarkable strides in their chosen fields.

Amongst the many Ghanaian perfumers and perfume brands in Ghana, Maison Yusif was the only Ghanaian brand representing Ghana in this year's nominations.

According to the CEO of Maison Yusif, it is a great honour to receive such a prestigious award and further admonished young creatives never to give up on their dreams.

He said  I cannot thank you all enough for blessing me and my team with this award. It actually feels great to be here but before i take my seat, i want to use this opportunity to tell every young Ghanaian that; yes it is not easy climbing up the ladder but never give up on those dreams. Keep going and pushing because one day your toil will eventually pay off.

Maison Yusif is a niche artisan perfume brand committed to delivering world-class quality fragrances that speak to the body, mind, and soul.

The young perfumer, together with his nine (9) member team, through their creative eyes, has created over 200 top-notch fragrances with Leather To Excellence fragrance, a 100 leather fragrance being the latest.

The leather-inspired fragrance which is derived from the deepest region of the African continent is a perfect illustration of the greatness, power, and depth of the continents history.

The animalic leather, suede, and the sweet smell of raspberry served as the inspiration for the highly publicized fragrance, which is a 100-percent leather perfume collection.
Institutions cut ties, review relationship with David Adjaye following allegations of sexual misconduct

International News Jul - 09 - 2023 , 12:42

Acclaimed architect David Adjaye is facing significant professional repercussions as institutions distance themselves and review their relationships with him in light of allegations of sexual assault and harassment.

The Studio Museum in Harlem is the latest institution to sever ties with Adjaye, who had been commissioned to design a highly anticipated new building for the museum. However, following the allegations in the Financial Times, the museum announced that Adjaye will no longer be involved in the project.

Raymond J. McGuire, board chair of the Studio Museum, expressed that the alleged actions are contrary to the museum's founding principles and values. Adjaye himself released a statement to the New York Times, acknowledging that the accusations may tarnish the museum's reputation and create a distraction.

The allegations against Adjaye were first reported in the Financial Times, with three women coming forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct and describe a toxic work environment. Adjaye has denied the allegations, stating they are untrue, but he expressed regret for engaging in consensual relationships that blurred professional and personal boundaries.

Other projects involving Adjaye in the United States now hang in the balance as postponements and cancellations have ensued following the Financial Times investigation. The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Massachusetts has indefinitely halted the presentation of a large-scale sculptural work by Adjaye. The Counterpublic triennial in St. Louis is also organizing a public dialogue about a monumental work installed at the Griot Museum of Black History.

The status of Adjaye's involvement with the Princeton University Art Museum remains uncertain, as the director, James Steward, found the accusations troubling but did not explicitly state if the institution would continue its relationship with the architect.

Similarly, the Shelburne Museum in Vermont, which had commissioned Adjaye to design a new centre for Indigenous art, announced that it would reassess his involvement.

Adjaye's work is currently featured in the "New Publics, New York" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, but the museum has not responded to requests for comment.

Internationally, Adjaye's projects are showcased at the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy, and he is the architect for upcoming buildings such as the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, and the Africa Institute in Sharjah.

Earlier this week, Adjaye resigned from his roles as an architectural advisor to the mayor of London, a board member of the Serpentine Galleries, and the Holocaust memorial project planned for London. The allegations against Adjaye have created significant professional consequences and led institutions to reconsider their collaborations with him.
Using 'Father' in Lord's prayer 'problematic' - Archbishop

International News Jul - 09 - 2023 , 07:47

The Archbishop of York has raised concerns about the opening words of the Lord's Prayer, a significant Christian prayer recited worldwide for centuries, due to their association with patriarchy.

During his address to the General Synod, the Church of England's governing body, Stephen Cottrell focused on the phrase "Our Father," which initiates the prayer based on passages from the New Testament.

Cottrell acknowledged that the term "father" can be problematic for those who have experienced abusive or destructive relationships with their earthly fathers and for anyone affected by oppressive patriarchal systems.

While Cottrell's comment, made in the context of advocating for unity, will generate divergent opinions within the Church of England, which has been visibly divided on matters of sexuality, identity, and equality for years, it prompts reflection on the broader issue.

Following Cottrell's speech, Canon Dr Chris Sugden, chair of the conservative Anglican Mainstream group, highlighted that Jesus encouraged people to pray to "our father" in the Bible.

Sugden questioned whether the Archbishop of York was suggesting that Jesus was mistaken or lacking pastoral awareness, implying that some church leaders prioritize cultural influence over scriptural guidance.

Rev Christina Rees, an advocate for female bishops, supported Cottrell's remark, stating that it addresses a longstanding concern for Christians. She posed a fundamental question: Does God truly believe that male human beings reflect His image more fully and accurately than women? Rees firmly rejected this notion.

In February, the Church of England announced its consideration of gender-neutral language, following requests from priests to use inclusive terms instead of exclusively referring to God as "he."

Recognizing that God is neither male nor female, the Church initiated a commission on gendered language to align its worship with the diverse descriptions of God found in scripture.

While Cottrell's speech primarily focused on the word "our" rather than "father," emphasizing the need for more fraternal and sororal discussions among the contentious synod members, the Church of England faces ongoing divisions.

Cottrell admonished the synod members for their persistent lack of reconciliation, complacency towards division, and readiness to fragment further. He criticized the normalization of disunity, highlighting its disgraceful nature and its contradiction to the mission of Christ.

Among the divisive issues within the Church of England, same-sex marriage prompted a recent decision allowing clergy to conduct blessings for gay and lesbian couples who have undergone civil weddings.

The blessings were initially expected to commence this summer after the synod's final approval of prayer wordings.

However, the presentation of the prayers, along with new regulations concerning the marriage of gay and lesbian clergy to their partners and the possible removal of the current requirement for celibacy among clergy in same-sex relationships, have been postponed until November.
27 Island communities, no schools

Agnes Melissa Yovo Jul - 08 - 2023 , 06:00

While almost all urban towns and communities have basic schools, some island communities in the Krachi West District in the Oti Region cannot boast of a single structure as a school building.

The district has 48 island communities, out of which only 21 have schools.

Three out of these 21 are basic schools which start from kindergarten to junior high school while 18 start from the kindergarten to primary.

There are a total of 3,355 students receiving education in these 21 island communities. Out of the total, 1,597 are females and 1,758 are males.

The remaining 27 island communities with no schools are: Kwatakwata, Yaben, Kotokoli, Adasi, Katekope, Old Otisu, Kpordoave, Tekporkope, Agudeykope, Edeykope, Old Makokoaye, Yayokope, Israel, Obimpeh, Canaan, Anlokope, Ageykope, Jericho, Ayawkope, Banka, Goldsmith, Mauritania, Akoebai, Mataheko, Fantekope, Kwasiadai and Volivo.

Fortunately for the 15 island communities in the adjoining Krachi East District, however, almost all have basic schools the children of school-age attend.

There are a total of 1,957 students who benefit from education in all 15 island communities in the Krachi East Municipality comprising 1,072 males and 885 females.

However, in view of the lack of schools in the 27 island communities in the Krachi West District, some schoolchildren and teachers from these islands with no schools travel by boat to the closest island community either in Krachi East District or Krachi West Municipality to access education.

Schoolchildren in schools with no junior high also have to cross the river to other nearby island communities with schools to pursue junior high education.

One of such schools attended by children from other communities is the Kudorkope M/A Basic School.

During a visit to the Kudorkope island community in the Krachi East District from the Oti Regional capital, Dambai, it was noted that a journey from one island community to the other covering about 10 kilometres took one hour and 10 minutes on the average.

The lower primary school structure at Kudorkope

The journey, however, from one island community in the Krachi West District which is about 60 kilometres, takes three to four hours on water.

Moreover, during the rainy season, the river overflows its banks and claims many lives.

Journey to island

Frozen with fear, although all 25 occupants of the canoe fitted with an outboard motor were strapped in life jackets, it took us one hour crossing River Oti to the Kudorkope M/A Basic School and back from Dambai.

The team from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) included officials from the Volta Region GNAT and Krachi East district office, and we were on the trip to make a presentation of life saving jackets to pupils and staff of some schools in the area including Kudorkope M/A.

The junior high school structure

According to authorities, a journey from one island community to the other took three to five hours, while the journey from Dambai was the shortest.

Kudorkope, one of the vulnerable and deprived island communities in the Krachi East District with a population of over 1,800, has fishing as its major occupation.

Teachers are compelled to cross the river from Dambai to the Krachi West Municipality to receive their salaries, buy foodstuffs on market days and sometimes attend meetings and trainings. Schoolchildren on the other hand cross the river for long hours to school and back every day.

At the Kudorkope M/A Basic School under the Krachi East Municipal Assembly, the mud structure with wooden supports being used as classrooms stared in our faces, with its rickety roofing sheets and adjusted blackboard used to teach the pupils.

There was despair on the faces of members of the team when it visited the classrooms of the lower and upper primary, only to see used car seats' serving as school desks and chairs for the schoolchildren to sit on to learn.

Egbetorhia Vasty Nunana (left), National Executive Member of GNAT, advising the junior high school students

Some wooden desks in the classroom were also damaged to the core, with nails dangerously jutting out of some, which most often hurt the students.

The Sustainable Development Goal One (SDG 1) pushes for the commitment to eradicate poverty in all its forms, end discrimination and exclusion, and reduce the inequalities and vulnerabilities that leave people behind and undermine the potential of individuals and of humanity as a whole; but the people living on island communities seem to have been neglected and abandoned.

Speaking with the Daily Graphic, a primary six pupil, Pafioy Djangmah Mawuli, who dreams of becoming a teacher, said he had never seen a computer and did not even know what it was.

One would have thought that a deprived school such as Kudorkope M/A, with no computer lab and no important facilities to augment its teaching and learning, did not have a pupil who could speak good English; but Pafioy Mawuli was exceptional.

He expressed himself excellently; and there are similar students in the school with big dreams and aspirations.

Despite the challenges he faces as a pupil, Mawuli hopes that the government through the Ghana Education Service would turn attention to the school and offer assistance.

Donation

Rev. Isaac Owusu handing over the life jackets to the school. Looking on are Alhaji Kassim Seidu Baba, the Regional General Secretary for GNAT, some students and teachers

The leadership of GNAT, led by the National President, Rev. Isaac Owusu; the General Secretary, Thomas Tanko Musah; Trustees, Regional and District Executives and some teachers, last week Friday, donated 251 life jackets to schools in some island communities in the Oti Region.

The exercise which is taking place nationwide would target teachers posted to teach in deprived communities and in the hard-to-reach areas.

The aim is to provide safety and a good working environment for teachers posted to work in such areas, as well as to encourage them.

The donation had become necessary after the loss of a teacher, Sampson Adu, who was a teacher at Odomankoma M/A Primary in Krachi West, who drowned when crossing the river during a rainstorm to receive his salary and buy foodstuffs.

The boat capsized and unfortunately, he could not be found until a search was conducted and his body was found on the third day of the search.

The General Secretary of GNAT, Mr Musah, said the aim of the association was to ensure equitable quality education.

He cautioned teachers to take their safety seriously and called on government to, as a matter of urgency, invest in the well-being of teachers.

"The spotlight must be put on working conditions of teachers and improvement in the quality of education.

Education is a right and the state cannot fail these teachers.

There should be no loss of lives in the course of leaving no one behind.

The Ghana Education Service, who is our employer should put strict measures in place to save the lives of teachers," he stated.

Call

The Krachi West District Chairman, Osei Bonsu, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, bemoaned that no orientation and training was given to newly posted teachers, while overloading and inexperience on the part of the boat riders were the causes of loss of lives on the river.

He also bewailed that the stumps raised in the Oti River to serve as a cover for people when a boat capsized, had been uprooted by the Ghana Maritime Authority.

This, he said, was because the stumps were noted to be one of the causes of boat accidents.

He placed a clarion call on government to make arrangements to provide training and working gear to teachers to ease their burden in their field of work.

"Teachers and children are in danger.

The teacher does not have working gear to use, where a teacher sleeps is a challenge.

They risk their lives and work under harsh conditions.

Teachers posted to island communities and hinterlands must be trained and oriented," he reiterated.

Reward for dedication

In his address, the Chief of Kudorkope, Torgbe Kudor Walahi III, lamented that schoolchildren were forced to study under 'sorry state' structures used as classrooms.

He said teachers in the community deserved to be rewarded for their dedication to work despite the challenges they faced on the islands.

He noted that in their efforts as a community to enhance education, they had mobilised resources and manpower to put up some mud bungalows to house the teachers in Kudorkope.

He appealed to the GNAT leadership and the government to assist with roofing sheets to complete the structures that had been put up to serve as temporary accommodation for teachers.

This, he said, would ease the burden of travelling on the river to and from work.

The Headmaster of the school, Gustav Apati, expressed gratitude to the GNAT leadership for the donation, and appealed for the government's intervention in rescuing school children and saving the lives of teachers who travel daily on water to teach because there is no accommodation for them.

He also re-echoed the call to the GES to consider giving a one-month orientation to teachers posted to the hinterlands.
UAE and South Korea have reached an agreement to enhance and broaden economic cooperation, encouraging mutual investments across 11 strategic sectors and working towards boosting the two economies.

The key sectors identified the eighth session of the UAE-South Korea Joint Economic Committee (JEC) are Green Economy and Clean Energy, SMEs, Nuclear Energy, Economy and Investment, Healthcare and medical services, Water Resources and Smart farming, New Industries and Smart Infrastructure, Technology and Communications, Space, Tourism and Intellectual Property.

The primary objective of this agreement is to accomplish the development agenda of both the countries and facilitate their transition towards a more adaptable and competitive economic model, focusing on the sectors of the new economy.

The JEC, which was chaired by Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, and Kyungho CHOO, South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, was held recently in Seoul.

Robust ties

Al Marri emphasised the robust ties between the UAE and the Republic of Korea, underscoring their progress towards broader levels of constructive cooperation across all levels, with the backing and guidance of the leaderships of both friendly nations. This collaboration aims to fulfil their objectives of sustainable development.

We are proud of our strategic relationship with South Korea, spanning about 42 years. This relationship has been built upon friendship, mutual respect, and concerted efforts at both governmental and private sector levels. Undoubtedly, economic cooperation is the cornerstone of this strategic partnership, which has manifested through numerous collaborative endeavours in crucial sectors such as renewable energy, intellectual property, healthcare, technology, and agricultural technology. These projects have strengthened economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and moved it to higher levels, he said.

He also hoped that the current session of the UAE-South Korea Joint Economic Committee would foster increased cooperation and pave the way for new avenues of investment in the sectors of the new economy. Al Marri expressed his optimism that this session would facilitate greater access for companies, particularly SMEs, to the emerging market opportunities, ultimately leading to mutual benefits for both nations.

Investment environment

He highlighted the UAE economy's regional and global standing, emphasising the country's dynamic investment environment and the benefits and incentives it provides to investors. Furthermore, Al Marri urged the South Korean business community to leverage these advantages to foster the expansion and prosperity of their commercial ventures across various sectors in both the UAE and the wider region.

Choo pointed to the depth and strength of relations between South Korea and the UAE. He asserted the importance of strengthening economic and trade relations in new economic sectors during the next phase, which will support the future sustainable economic development of the two friendly nations.

Furthermore, the two parties reviewed the advancements made in the implementation of the resolutions reached during the seventh session of the Committee, which took place in September 2020. They focused on the agreements derived from the session, particularly in sectors such as energy, investment, trade, climate change, agriculture, water resources, emerging industries, smart infrastructure, healthcare, and intellectual property.

Recognising the significance of the summit held in January 2023 in Abu Dhabi, which brought together His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of South Korea, the two countries highlighted the importance of leveraging the achievements of the summit by reinforcing collaboration through the Joint Economic Committee.

Green Economy and Clean Energy

The leaders reiterated their commitment to enhancing cooperation across the green economy and clean energy sectors, through the implementation of the agreements previously signed, during the Presidents summit held in January 2023. These include storage and management of oil, electing relevant strategic action groups to drive decarbonisation, creating clean hydrogen supply chain, and developing relevant mutual technologies.

SMEs

In an effort to support startups, the two countries asserted the need to provide all financial support mechanisms and enablers required for the advancement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This objective is to be achieved through recent agreements signed between the two parties, which aim to foster the growth of domestic entrepreneurship and facilitate startups' access to market opportunities.

Nuclear Energy

The leaders expressed their commitment to advancing cooperation efforts in this vital sector and building on existing achievements, by successfully completing the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant (BNEP). This plant plays a vital role in generating electricity and providing clean energy to support the UAEs development.

Economy and Investment

The leaders praised the UAEs commitment to invest $30 billion in South Korea over the coming years. They also reached an agreement to establish efficient mechanisms aligned with mutual government projects and harness the potential of the ambitious investment plan.

Healthcare and Medical Services

In this regard, the two countries emphasised the importance of enhancing mutual cooperation in this vital sector and exchanging expertise and experience.

Water Resources and Smart farming

The leaders recognised the importance of strengthening cooperation and exchanging expertise in water resources management and smart farming to promote sustainable agriculture, in response to implications of climate change. They both agreed to collaborate in the smart farming industry by exchanging techniques and increasing investments across this sector.

New Industries and Smart Infrastructure

Both countries highlighted the importance of deepening cooperation and expanding investment across emerging industries, in support of the transition towards an innovative new economy to further economic development. To this end, the leaders agreed to expand investment cooperation in promising new sectors, notably digital transformation, smart mobility, smart infrastructure, and other relevant industries.

Technology and Communications

The leaders expressed their desire to promote mutual cooperation to increase trade in the ICT sector. They emphasised the significance of organising reciprocal tradeshows, exchanging information and expertise, and facilitating market access for technology companies. Their aim is to foster joint synergy and promote growth in the ICT industry.

Space

The two sides agreed to further promote space cooperation through knowledge and expertise sharing, and to develop more mutual cooperation opportunities across this vital sector.

Tourism

The leaders underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector and agreed to work towards driving tourism exchange by supporting industry-related startups in both countries. The two sides also decided to implement various mutual projects to extend the results of K-Travel Week in the UAE held in May 2023. Furthermore, they discussed mechanisms to augment the number of flights between the two countries in the upcoming phase.

Intellectual Property

The leaders expressed their desire to expand bilateral cooperation in intellectual property (IP) and agreed to pursue mutual cooperation activities through knowledge and expertise sharing across all IP sectors.

Second-largest trade partner

The UAE is South Koreas second-largest trade partner in the GCC and the Arab regions as of 2022. The UAE-Korean non-oil foreign trade recorded $5.3 billion by the end of 2022, a growth of over 14% compared to 2021. During the first two months of 2023, trade exchanges more than $917 million. In addition, UAE exports to Korean markets witnessed a growth of 35% (January  February 2023) compared to the same period last year.

In terms of investment, as of early 2021, Korea's investment balance in the UAE reached about $2.2 billion across the sectors of finance, insurance, mining, energy, technology, and real estate.

UAE investments in South Korea are mainly found in real estate, telecommunications, energy, logistics, and others. UAE investments in Korea are expected to see a qualitative shift after the country announced its plan to invest $30 billion over the next phase in sectors related to renewable energy, advanced technology, and other sectors of the new economy.-- TradeArabia News Service
3 Arms of govt must respect one anothers decisions  Speaker

Daniel Kenu & Nana Konadu Agyeman Jul - 08 - 2023 , 06:00

He Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has underscored the need for the three arms of government to work together and respect each others decisions on national issues.

In cases of doubt, it is important to consult before giving finality to whatever decision the other arm wants to take.

And I do not think that it is proper for the Judiciary to, without knowing how we conduct our business here, go into how we conduct business and make such an important decision, he added.

The Speaker further described the conduct of the Judiciary as improper, and I have made this known to them and I want it to be known publicly for the benefit of the country.

We need to work expeditiously to rectify the wrong.

Mr Bagbin was speaking after the presentation and the first reading of the Narcotics Regulation Commission Amendment Bill, 2023, by the Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, on the floor of Parliament last Thursday.

The new bill will amend the Narcotics Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019) by substituting section 43 to empower the Interior Minister to grant licence for the cultivation of cannabis which has not more than 0.3 per cent Tetrahydrocannabinol content on a dry weight basis for industrial purposes such as obtaining fibre or seed or for medicinal purposes.

On July 28, 2022, the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional a section of the Narcotic Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019) which allows licence to be granted to an entity to cultivate a small quantity of cannabis, locally referred to as "wee" for industrial and medicinal purposes.

In a 4-3 majority decision, a seven-member panel of the apex court held that Section 43 of Act 1019 violated Article 106 of the 1992 Constitution, which details the processes a bill must go through before it is passed into law by Parliament, and was, therefore, declared null and void.

Review

However, after the presentation and first reading of the new amendment bill, the Speaker said Parliament would not review the decision of the Supreme Court.

He said that the House would correct the error and reinstate the right provisions.

The Speaker, therefore, referred the bill to the Committee on Defence and Interior for consideration and sent back to the House within one week.

He also directed the leadership of the Committee on Constitutional, Parliamentary and Legal Affairs, as well as the Committee on Health to attend the meetings of the Defence and Interior Committee to ensure that the report captured all aspects or perspectives of the subject matter.

Rationale

Explaining the rationale behind the move to amend Act 1019, Mr Dery said it had become necessary because of the majority decision in the case of Ezuame Mannan vs the Attorney-General and the Speaker of Parliament on July 27, 2022.

In the said majority decision by the apex court, it was declared that section 43 of Act 1019 was unconstitutional and, therefore, null and void.

Mr Speaker, permit me to say that I respect the decision of the Supreme Court but I do not agree with it.

Mr Speaker, the reason that has been given was that section 43 had not been debated before this House when the House was passing Act 1019, he said.

Mr Dery explained that whenever a Speaker of the House states a matter was for the consideration of the House, it was open for debate and that the debate was not only when opposing views were expressed.

At the end of it, when contrary views are expressed, the Speaker then puts the question for those in favour to say Ayes and those who are not in favour to say No.

So, consensus is part of the debate and, therefore, it was wrong for the Supreme Court to say that it was in violation of article 106 of the Constitution, he said.

The minister also told the House that Act 1019 did not seek to legalise narcotics in the country.

He said the move was for Ghana to move in tandem with modern approach to the production of cannabis to specification for industrial and medicinal use.

Such move, he said, had actually been adopted by a number of African countries, including South Africa, Lesotho, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Gambia and Malawi.
Armed Forces, BoG conduct simulation exercise in Tamale

Mohammed Fugu Jul - 08 - 2023 , 06:00

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana (BoG), has conducted a simulation exercise on the premises of the Tamale office of the central bank in the Northern Region to test the preparedness of the security to deal with possible terrorist attacks.

It was also to test the readiness of the staff of the bank and their possible response to such threats.

The exercise also included troops from the Police Service, the National Intelligence Bureau, the Fire Service, the Immigration Service and medical personnel.

Exercise

The exercise involved a sample of 10 supposed terrorists who pretended to transact business at the bank only to take the staff hostage and demanded a ransom.

The security, however, activated their operational procedures and responded swiftly to the threats by overpowering the attackers.

Some personnel, who got injured in the process, were attended to by the medical personnel.

Commendation

Speaking to the media after the exercise, the Command Operations Officer of the Northern Command of the GAF, Colonel Frank Worlanyo Agbebo, commended the troops for effectively executing the task, describing the exercise as successful.

He said threats from the Sahel were real, and that such exercises were necessary to prepare the security for any eventuality.

We all know what is happening in the Sahel region where terrorist groups are active and are moving southward.

These terrorists need a lot of money to execute their missions and the Bank of Ghana is a valuable asset to them, if they were to get it.

So we planned a simulation exercise between the BoG and the security services to see how we would respond, if something like that happened.

The exercise went very well, and we were able to identify our strengths and weaknesses.

We will now go back to the drawing board and improve so that we can perform better in reality, the officer said.

Significance

The Exercise Coordinator, Major Majeed Alhassan Adams, said the exercise had prepared staff of the bank to understand how such armed attacks were carried out, as well as understand how to respond to such situations.
Carpenter jailed for four years for biting off drivers right ear

GNA Jul - 09 - 2023 , 13:21

A 42-year-old carpenter has been sentenced to four years in prison by the Adentan Circuit Court for biting off the right ear of a commercial driver during a dispute in Addoteiman, Accra.

Maxwell Senyo, who was charged with causing harm, pleaded guilty with an explanation.

After listening to his reasoning, Judge Mrs. Sedinam Awo Balokah convicted Senyo based on his plea.

According to Inspector Eric Ransford Abban, the prosecutor in the case, the victim, Anku Stephen, resides in Addoteiman, while the accused also lived in the same area.

On May 7, 2023, at approximately 8:00 PM, Stephen and his girlfriend were sitting under a tree near Senyo's wooden structure.

While they were there, Senyo approached them and questioned whether they were looking for him. Stephen replied in the negative. Senyo then threatened to report Stephen as a thief to his father unless they left the area immediately.

This led to a confrontation between Senyo and Stephen. During the altercation, Senyo grabbed a branch from the tree and struck Stephen. Both men fell to the ground in the ensuing scuffle, and Senyo sustained injuries to his cheeks. In a disturbing turn of events, Senyo forcibly held Stephen's head and bit off his right ear.

Police investigations later revealed that Senyo had bitten off the complainant's ear simply because he was sitting close to Senyo's wooden structure. Senyo admitted to the offense during police interrogation.

The court, presided over by Judge Mrs. Sedinam Awo Balokah, handed down a four-year prison sentence to Senyo for his violent act, causing severe harm to the victim.
Floods destroy property in Ho-Bankoe

Alberto Mario Noretti Jul - 08 - 2023 , 22:35

Some residents of Ho-Bankoe are counting their losses after heavy and intermittent rains filled shops and homes, destroying goods and personal belongings on Saturday.

The rains which began at about 3pm on Saturday and lasted for about four hours overflowed bridges and culverts with strong currents and occupied roads.

This was particularly evident around Ho Civic Centre.

The Ho Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Divine Bosson has expressed sympathy to individuals, businesses and organisations affected by the dreadful floods.

In a press statement, the MCE appealed to residents living near large gutters, bridges and culverts to move relocate to higher grounds until the situation returned to normal.

He also called on individuals farming along the waterways, to refrain from that activity.

Mr Bosson blamed the floods partly on the ceaseless and harmful practice of dumping refuse in gutters by some residents.

He said the assembly, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other stakeholders were assessing the damage and would provide prompt updates to the public on the situation.
Hajj Board Chairman sees off first batch of Ghanaian pilgrims returning from Hajj in Jeddah

Kweku Zurek Jul - 09 - 2023 , 20:52

The Chairman of the Hajj Board, Ben Abdallah Banda, bid farewell to the first group of Ghanaian pilgrims as they prepared to return home after completing the 2023 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

With approximately 4,000 Ghanaian pilgrims participating in this year's Hajj, a series of ten flights have been scheduled to transport them back to Tamale and Accra.

Accompanied by several board members, Chairman Banda personally accompanied the pilgrims on the initial flight to Tamale from Jeddah Airport.

Expressing his congratulations to the pilgrims for a successful Hajj, he also wished them a safe journey back to Ghana, emphasizing the significance of their spiritual experience.

In the days following the first flight, there will be four additional daily flights to Tamale.

Subsequently, starting next weekend, an additional five flights are scheduled to airlift the remaining pilgrims to Accra. The efficient and organized transportation process ensures a smooth return for all participants.

Joining Chairman Banda on this significant occasion were board members Abdul Aziz Haruna Futa, Masaudu Osman, Ahmed Abdulai Abu, and Alhaji Yunus Osman. Their presence further emphasized the importance the Hajj Board places on supporting and facilitating the pilgrims' safe return.

The completion of the Hajj pilgrimage marks a profound spiritual journey for Ghanaian Muslims, and the Hajj Board's meticulous planning and dedication contributed to the overall success of the experience.
Oyibi Chief remanded over alleged fraudulent sale of land for GH45,000

GNA Jul - 09 - 2023 , 08:11

An Accra Circuit Court has remanded into police custody Solomon Boye Borquaye, aka Nii Aboabo, the Chief of Aboabo Oyibi, over the alleged fraudulent sale of land at Oyibi in Accra.

Borquaye was remanded after he was arrested on a bench warrant. The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Richard Amoah, informed the court that the accused had been evasive and that it took the Police Intelligence Unit to track him down.

The case investigator also informed the court that he had personally sent text messages to the accused and called him and his surety to appear before the court, but all to no avail.

The investigator said the accused person had allegedly resisted arrest and that he was only arrested after he drove into another vehicle.

When the court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo asked the accused person where he had been, he said he was also a contractor and that he had been travelling outside the region.

Borquaye told the court that his surety who was expected to inform him about the matter had also been travelling. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of fraudulent transaction and is expected to reappear on July 24.

The prosecutions case is that the complainant is a businessman resident in Kumasi.

It said in the year 2021, the complainant needed a parcel of land to buy and was introduced to the accused as the head and lawful representative of Borkwei Mayewani family of Aboabo-Oyibi by a friend.

On July 15, 2021, the prosecution said the complainant met the accused and he indicated that he could sell two plots of land to him at Oyibi at the cost of GH45,000 and issued documents covering the land and took the money.

It said when the complainant went to develop the land, one James Folagin, who was also claiming ownership of the land appeared and challenged him.

It said the complainant reported the matter to the Police and the accused person was arrested. The accused person admitted selling the land to the complainant.

The prosecutions said a search conducted on the land at the Lands Commission indicated that the land is affected by Land Certificate number TC2406 issued to Okitipa Ogya Agona Family.

Investigations established that, at the time of granting the land to the complainant, the accused person had no title to the land.
President Akufo-Addo represents Ghana at 63rd ECOWAS Summit in Guinea Bissau

GraphicOnline Jul - 09 - 2023 , 15:04

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Saturday, July 8, 2023, embarked on a trip to Guinea Bissau to lead the Ghanaian delegation at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.

The summit, taking place in Bissau, the capital of Guinea Bissau, aims to address critical regional issues, including the withdrawal of MINUSMA from Mali, the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme, and the ongoing political challenges in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.

President Akufo-Addo was accompanied by the Minister for National Security, Hon. Albert Kan Dapaah, as well as officials from the Presidency and the Foreign Ministry.

His attendance at the summit underscores Ghana's commitment to regional cooperation and solidarity within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The Heads of State participating in the summit will engage in discussions concerning the impending withdrawal of MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. This topic holds significant importance for the stability and security of the region, as the withdrawal will require collaborative efforts among ECOWAS member states.

Another key item on the agenda is the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme, a long-awaited initiative aimed at establishing a common currency for the region. The Heads of State will review the progress made thus far and deliberate on strategies to expedite the implementation of this crucial economic integration project.

Additionally, the political impasse in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea will be a major focus of the discussions. The leaders will exchange views on the challenges faced in these countries and explore avenues for peaceful resolutions, reinforcing ECOWAS's commitment to democracy, good governance, and stability in the region.

President Akufo-Addo is expected to return to Ghana on Sunday, July 9, 2023. During his absence, according to Article 60(8) of the Constitution, the Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, will assume the role of Acting President.

Ghana's participation in the 63rd ECOWAS Summit highlights the nation's dedication to regional cooperation and its active role in addressing key issues affecting West Africa. The discussions held during the summit are expected to pave the way for collaborative efforts in promoting peace, economic development, and political stability throughout the ECOWAS region.
World Chocolate Day Commemorated

Benjamin Xornam Glover Jul - 08 - 2023 , 06:00

This years World Chocolate Day has been commemorated in Tema with a call on parents to allow children to consume more chocolate and cocoa-based products due to its health benefits.

The Head of Sales and Marketing at Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) Limited, Nana Agyemang Ansong, said children could derive nutritional and health benefits for their wellness from the regular intake of chocolate.

He made the call when the management of the CPC interacted with learners at Oninku Drive and Mante Din Basic schools in Tema in the Greater Accra Region yesterday, as part of activities to commemorate the day.

Both learners and teachers in the schools sampled one of the flagship products of the company, the Golden Tree Alltime Instant Drinking Chocolate.

The day which is celebrated on July 7 each year was started in 2009 to commemorate the introduction of chocolate to Europe in 1550.

Importance

Mr Ansong said that the activities were ways to inculcate the consumption of chocolate and cocoa-based products among children, and to also educate them on its health benefits.

He said the country's position as the world's second largest cocoa producer after Cote d'Ivoire was significant and that more efforts must be made to increase the consumption of the product.

We targeted the children because cocoa is very good for the cognitive development of the child and we thought we should catch them young so that we can increase the consumption of chocolate products from an early age for its health benefits, Mr Ansong added.

He said chocolate consumption in the country was estimated at only 0.6 kg per person per year, and that his outfit was working towards reaching a target of 1kg per person per year.

Benefits

A Marketing Research Officer at CPC, Maxwell Aboagye, also said that chocolate consumption offered some benefits because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and therefore, encouraged the public to consume more cocoa products, especially the locally manufactured chocolate.
Ghanas democracy: Calls for strong Parliament critical

Dr George Asekere Politics Jul - 08 - 2023 , 05:59

The call by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, on Parliament to be more assertive in its oversight, law-making and deliberative functions, after being sworn in on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, is worthy of consideration.

This is a call that many scholars in Ghana have been hammering over the years because of its seriousness to our maturing democracy.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), established in 1889, described strong Parliaments as the cornerstone of democracy and essential for development.

This is the case because parliamentarians represent the people, pass laws, and hold governments to account; hence, when they fail in this direction, things cannot be normal in a democracy.

In countries where democracy has triumphed, Parliament had played a central role.

On the other hand, in countries where democracy has backslid, reversed, or fallen apart, Parliament had failed to play its role as a countervailing authority to the other arms of government.

Experts in comparative politics, including Yascha Mounk and Roberto Stefan Foa, have noted that weak Parliament can contribute to a situation where a sizeable minority of citizens lose their belief in democratic values, become attracted to authoritarian alternatives and starts voting for antisystem parties and candidates or movements that may eventually flout constitutive elements of liberal democracy.

In countries where this had happened, Vachudovadva argued that it began with the gradual elimination of independent institutions of the state, capturing of the economy, polarisation of society, and the subordination of the role of civil society.

With a weak Parliament, these signals become evident as governments attempt to diminish the power of countervailing institutions of state and independent voices.

Ghana may not be there yet but a journey of thousand miles, they say, begins with one step.

That is why calls for independent political institutions to be nurtured and protected are critical.

It is clear that Ghana is long past the era of open-ended coup detat where the military intervenes.

We may also have gone past promissory coups, which entail the removal from office of elected officials as  defence of democratic legality.

Independent

political institutions

Additionally, Ghanas legal framework is solid enough to prevent executive coups, which involve a stage-managed coup by the elected executives themselves through means such as the suspension of the constitution to stay longer in office.

In Africa, Frederic Chiluba tried it in Zambia, Robert Mugabe tried it in Zimbabwe, and Paul Biya tried it in Cameroun.

What we may be on guard against is what Nancy Bermeo calls executive aggrandizement.

This new trend of danger to democracies can occur when elected executives of the state deliberately weaken the means of holding them to checks and balances.

This they do gradually by undertaking a series of institutional changes that hampers the power of opposition forces.

Bermeo warns against this because it is subtle; yet, it can disassemble democratic institutions that pose a threat to the executives through legal channels such as referendums, new laws or the use of the law Courts or Parliament to amend existing laws, many of which may defy vertical and horizontal accountability.

The above may be deemed simple and far from us but it must serve as a warning signal if we tend to ignore them.

Will it surprise us that if there is a clear majority in Parliament, the potential to pass bad laws could be high and this may not be a respecter of political parties?

Concern

It is in the context of this that issues surrounding the criminal trial of the Assin North MP and related ones should be of concern.

The calls for the state to file a nolle prosequi, and the opposition to it, the decision by the Minority MPs to boycott sittings any day their colleague appears in court, the laymans decoding of the actions by the judiciary in relation to politically sensitive cases, based on commentary by officers of the law court who are lawyers and communicators for political parties, among other things, must be of concern to us.

As the peoples representatives, one expects Parliament to play an independent and assertive role by seeking to support things that promote our democracy and not some of the things we usually see.

We must not forget that it takes Parliament to build and consolidate a democracy and that is why, at the demise of every democracy, Parliament is usually the first casualty.

As it is often said, Ghana is what we have and so if we allow it to fall, we fall together.

That is why all stakeholders, including the religious community, traditional authorities, civil society organisations, academia and the media, must keenly watch and make positive suggestions on the best ways to proceed with our democracy at this stage.

The writer is a lecturer at the Department of Political Science Education, University of Education, Winneba.
BMW Motorrad presented the new 2024 BMW CE 02. Its electric, designed to appeal to young people and its neither an e-motorbike nor an e-scooter. Its an eParkourer, created for the urban environment. Large wheels meet the demand for robustness and at the same time ensure riding fun on many differing terrains.





The new BMW CE 02 is powered by an air-cooled, current-excited synchronous motor. Power is supplied by two air-cooled lithium-ion batteries with an operating voltage of 48 V and an energy content of 1.96 kWh each, which can be removed for care and maintenance purposes.

With an output of 15 hp and 40.6 lb-ft, the new CE 02 accelerates quickly from traffic lights and offers a dynamic riding experience. With a top speed of 59 mph, progress is speedy and a range of more than 56 miles (according to WMTC) allows for extended urban adventures. Due to its low weight of only 291 lbs and the low seat height of only 29.5 inches, the new CE 02 is also characterized by its flickable handling characteristics.

Torque is transmitted from the synchronous motor on the right-hand side of the vehicle via a toothed belt to an intermediate shaft. From there, another toothed belt on the left side takes over the function of the secondary drive to the rear wheel. This construction ensures the best possible center of gravity for neutral handling. ASC (Automatic Stability Control) ensures safe power transmission between the rear tire and varied road surface. RSC (Recuperation Stability Control) functions similarly to an engine drag torque control and specifically reduces the drag torque in overrun mode to keep the vehicle stable. At the same time, recuperation takes place in overrun mode. Reversing aid makes maneuvering simple and easy.

The new CE 02 comes with two standard ride modes: Flow and Surf. Flow offers the optimal drive set-up for floating along in urban traffic with a softer throttle response and medium energy recuperation. "Surf provides a ride experience familiar to surfers: A direct throttle response permits dynamic acceleration, and zero recuperation enables maximum coasting and effortless cruising. The Flash driving mode is available as a sporty and dynamic addition and is part of the optional HIGHLINE package. In this mode, the new eParkourer from BMW Motorrad provides a very responsive, sporty, and dynamic riding experience.

The new BMW CE 02 comes standard with a 0.9 kW external charger, which enables charging to be carried out quickly and conveniently using standard household outlets. A quicker 1.5 kW charger is available as part of the optional HIGHLINE package.

With a low weight of only 291 lbs. and the low seat height of only 29.5-inches, the new CE 02 is characterized by its agile handling. The new BMW CE 02 relies on a torsionally rigid double-loop frame made of tubular steel. The front wheel is guided by hydraulically damped 37 mm telescopic forks, while a single-sided die-cast aluminum swingarm is used at the rear, along with a directly linked shock absorber with adjustable spring base.

The 2.50 x 14-inch front and 3.50 x 14-inch rear cast light alloy disk wheels are fitted with wide 120/80-14 and 150/70-14 tires. The BMW CE 02 is decelerated by disc brakes at the front and rear and supported by BMW Motorrad ABS at the front wheel. Adjustable hand levers allow you to adapt hand reach to meet your personal preferences. The footrests allow the rider two leg positions in solo mode: relaxed on the rider footrests or sporty-dynamic on the passenger footrests.

The cockpit includes an easy-to-read TFT display with information about speed, battery charge status and much more. A USB-C charging socket allows you to power a smartphone.

Using the BMW Motorrad Connected app you can view the predicted end of charging on your smartphone thanks to networking via Bluetooth, same as on the BMW CE 04. When equipped with the optional HIGHLINE package, the cradle mode allows the BMW Motorrad app in the smartphone (held in a smartphone holder) to be controlled safely as an additional display using the keypad on the handlebar. With the BMW Motorrad Connected Services (also included in the HIGHLINE package) the charging status and other CE 02 vehicle information can be viewed at any-time via the app.

For information updates on the smartphone, the optional HIGHLINE package provides a direct data connection between the CE 02 and a backend (currently in Europe, USA, and Canada). The free BMW Motorrad Connected app also offers additional functions such as ride recording, which can also be shared with friends.

The 2024 BMW CE 02 will arrive in the US with an MSRP of $7,599 plus Destination.
Samsung's new Extended Reality (XR) headset that was expected to launch in February 2024 has been delayed by 3-6 months, reports SBS Biz.

The Korean publication claims that Samsung had initially planned to begin its XR headset's mass production at the beginning of next year, but the Korean conglomerate decided to review all the specs and design of the XR headset due to the specifications of the Apple Vision Pro, pushing its launch further.

While Samsung has decided to reconsider the specs and design of its new XR headset, things aren't going smoothly for Apple either since the Vision Pro is facing production issues, with Apple slashing its target of selling 1 million Vision Pro units during the first month of availability.

Apple is also reportedly planning a slow rollout of the Vision Pro, and it will be available for purchase by appointment only.

You can read our Apple Vision Pro's announcement coverage to know more about it.

Source (in Korean)
Dave Lotz is a vocal advocate for protecting Guams unique heritage, a knowledgeable and long-time hiking enthusiast and environmental advocate, and critic of inept government. He has been a resident of Guam since 1970 and retired from the Guam Department of Parks and Recreation, Andersen AFB Environmental Flight and the National Park Service.




Haiti - Haitian crisis: France's intervention at the UN Security Council





Thursday, July 6, 2023, Nicolas Riviere, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of France to the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) since July 8, 2019 spoke on the crisis that Haiti is going through and urges the international community to mobilize urgently.



Speech by the French Ambassador to the UN :



"



Mr. President,



I wish to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, the Chair of the Sanctions Committee and Ms. Gilles for their briefings. I welcome the presence among us of the Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Ministers for Foreign of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and the Permanent Representative of Barbados.



Frances solidarity is with the Haitian people, who are suffering on a daily basis. In Port-au-Prince, gangs reign terror, cutting off roads and restricting access to basic services and humanitarian aid. Killings, kidnappings, sexual violence: the list of abuses leaves no one indifferent, and they must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.



This is why France is urging the international community to take urgent action. It echoes the appeal made by the Secretary-General during his visit to Haiti. It supports the deployment of a force in support of the Haitian National Police, including through a more robust engagement from the United Nations. Haitians are calling for the aid of the international community, and collectively we must hear that call.



We need to act now, or risk seeing the after-effects of violence and social breakdown for future generations. Lets face it: without security, there can be no development, no rule of law, no justice for the victims. Neither can be lasting peace in Haiti without the restauration of institutions.



France will therefore continue to encourage inclusive political dialogue. Everyone must set personal interests aside and show a spirit of responsibility. We welcome efforts to broaden participation in the national consensus agreement. The objective remains the organization of democratic elections once the security conditions are met. France encourages the Haitian political stakeholders to reach an agreement on the appointment of an inclusive Provisional Electoral Council in order to move towards this goal.



Two years almost to the day after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, it is imperative to step up the fight against impunity. Rebuilding an effective justice system is a priority if we are to put a lasting end to violence. This Council, for its part, must expeditiously adopt new sanctions against the criminals who brutalize the Haitian population.



Finally, France will remain committed to facilitating humanitarian aid, particularly in terms of sanitation and food. We cannot resign ourselves to this downward spiral, when one Haitian in two does not have enough to eat.



The countries of the region can play a decisive role, and we welcome CARICOMs commitment to Haiti, as well as the actions of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.



Mr. President,



It is high time to take action, and everyone must mobilize. The renewal of the mandate is an opportunity to show our determination: France supports the strengthening of the BINUH, particularly in terms of security and justice. Lets not allow Haiti to descent into chaos; lets not forget the Haitian people.



Thank you."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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TWO children are doing a virtual journey to Portugal for charity.

William Hampton, 12, and his eight-year-old sister Poppy, from Whitchurch Hill, are taking on the challenge in memory of Poppys godmother, Charlie Billington.

They hope to walk, cycle, row and kayak the equivalent of the 1,294 miles from Henley to Vale do Lobo in the Algarve, Mrs Billingtons favourite place, over the summer holidays and into the autumn.

Poppy, who attends Nettlebed Community School, officially started when she let off a balloon at Henley Bridge on Wednesday last week, the first anniversary of Mrs Billingtons death.

William, a pupil at Moulsford School, began on a school trip to Dunkirk.

They aim to finish the challenge, which they have named Porch to Portugal, by November 28 and hope to raise 1,294, or 1 per mile, for the mental health charity Mind.

Poppy said: My brother and I are raising money in memory of my god mummy, who sadly passed away last summer.

She was really good friends with my mama for 35 years. She was very kind and thoughtful to everyone she knew and met.

I know lots of people miss Charlie. She was always the first person to wish me Happy birthday and always gave me such lovely and generous presents and cards. For my birthday Mama gave me a tiny rose cutting called Charlies rose, which I have looked after all winter and have watched grow. I can talk to my rose plant whenever I want and about whatever I want.

I am really excited to do this challenge in her memory and raise lots of money.

William said: Charlie was not only Poppys godmother but a wife and mother to two young boys and a dear friend to many, including Mama. She was super-kind, thoughtful and caring to everyone.

I remember when I was younger and we lived around the corner from one another in London and Mama and Charlie wanted to go for coffee, that shed always come armed with my favourite magazines and snacks.

We want to take on this challenge in memory of her and raise as much money as we possibly can.

Charlie loved Portugal, especially the Algarve, hence why our end goal is to arrive there virtually.

The siblings, who live with their parents Matthew and Melissa, have set up an Instagram account, called @porch2portugal and another on Challenge Hound, where they will update followers on their progress.

Mrs Hampton, said: They are not physically going to Portugal but are clocking the distance they would cover.

They have Fitbit watches which are synced with the Challenge Hound account, which will plot where they are on the map.

Poppy came up with the idea. When her godmother passed, it was a shock to everyone. She said: What can we do to remember her  can we raise money?

We decided Mind was the obvious choice for charities and thought: What can we do thats different? We wanted to do something really big, not just walking around the park or shaving our heads.

Charlie used to love going to Val do Lobo and used to have a family home there. William asked if we could go there and I said: Dont be ridiculous but he said: Lets set ourselves five months to do it, although he wants to do it in less despite being quite a busy boy.

She said the childrens schools had been helpful with Williams teachers tracking his progress in Dunkirk and Poppys school telling other pupils about her efforts at an assembly.

Mrs Hampton said: Were not an active family that does any of this. They are figuring it out themselves but are really optimistic that they will finish it in good time.

They want to make it fun to keep people interested so rather than just walking up another hill, they are going to come up with other ways they can physically move, such as kayaking or paddleboarding, which William is particularly keen to do.

I am hoping at some point I can get Charlies boys to join in and her other godchildren. In the summer, we will organise dog walks and get-togethers, so the children can walk with friends and family and get involved.

Charlies husband thinks this is amazing and is keen to help and support them too.

To follow the childrens progress, visit www.challengehound.com/

challenge/50401ed0-0de7-11ee-bf75-fb52a64488d2

To make a donation via JustGiving, visit https://tinyurl.com/5mezpmfk
Chinese authorities imposed a fine of nearly USD 1 billion for the financial technology giant Ant Group on Friday, nearly three years after regulators blocked the company's proposal for a record-breaking public offering, which launched a period of intensified government scrutiny of technology firms, The New York Times (NYT) reported. Alibaba Group co-founder and executive chairman Jack Ma.(REUTERS)

A period of stringent regulation for the industry is coming to an end with the announcement of the penalties by China's top securities regulator, which is considered a hint that the authorities are closing up their inquiries into technological companies.

Officials said this year that they would begin to relax their control over tech companies. Following the crackdown on Ant in 2020, its sister company Alibaba, received a record antitrust penalty of USD 2.8 billion, while Didi, a ride-hailing company, received a USD 1.2 billion fine.

The Chinese authorities fined Ant and its subsidiaries USD 985 million and ordered the company to shut down its crowdfunding platform for medical costs, Xianghubao. The regulators have also announced a switch in their focus, as "most of the prominent problems in the financial business of technology giants have been rectified", as per NYT.

In a statement, Ant Group said it has been conducting business rectification proactively since 2020 and would comply with the terms of the penalty in all earnestness and sincerity.

China's crackdown on Ant Group

Ant, one of the biggest online financial tech companies in the world, was founded in 2014. Chinese regulators stopped Ant's massive IPO in November 2020 only days before it was scheduled to raise an estimated USD 34 billion in Hong Kong and Shanghai, in what was anticipated to be the largest IPO ever.

Chinese officials gave Ant one month to revamp its business. At the time, Ant was deemed to have been "indifferent" to the law by the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank. The company was given orders by the central bank to increase transparency, strengthen corporate governance, and create a holding company, according to NYT.

After Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Ant, publicly criticised Chinese regulators in 2020 for limiting innovation and being unduly conservative, the probe against Ant got underway.

Ma, the prominent Chinese IT entrepreneur, then disappeared from the public eye.



ALSO READ: Jack Ma becomes university teacher after Alibaba rout

This year, Ant Group announced that Ma would give up ownership of the company. At about the same time, the Chinese central bank announced that its regulatory battle against Big Tech was almost complete. After spending a significant amount of time abroad, Ma recently returned to mainland China, sparking rumours that he would take on a more significant position at Alibaba. In a shake-up last month, two seasoned executives who assisted Ma in founding Alibaba were given the reins of the company.

Alibaba Group said in March that it would transform into a holding company and restructure into six distinct business groups, each with its own CEO and board of directors. By making this choice, the units could be able to execute successful IPOs and allay Beijing's worries about the internet giant's growing strength and influence, The New York Times reported.
Electronic voting machine (EVM) controlling units were found in a house in Doddaballapura, under the Bengaluru rural district, during its demolition on Saturday, officials close to the developments said on Sunday. An EVM controlling units were found in a house in Doddaballapura, under the Bengaluru rural district, during its demolition. (Agencies)

According to the officials, the NHAI authorities had undertaken the widening of road NH 648, which connects Dobbespet to Hosur.

Authorities discovered seven control units during the demolition of the house belonging to an assistant executive engineer (AEE), Shiva Kumar, officials said, adding that the district administration was promptly informed.

The engineer had previously worked in Bengaluru and is currently employed at Nirmithi Kendra in Doddaballapur.

Prima facie, it appears that the controlling units were used in the 2018 general assembly election and were supposed to be scrapped. However, it is peculiar that the engineer kept these units at his house, Doddaballapura Tahsildar Mohan Kumari told HT.

She added that a show cause notice has been issued to the engineer.

We have already submitted a report to the Bengaluru rural deputy commissioner, Shiva Shankar, regarding this matter. We have recovered a total of seven controlling units and have initiated an investigation, she added.
Karnataka minister HK Patil said on Sunday that all the 83 people from the state who went on a pilgrimage to Amarnath and were said to be stranded due to heavy rainfall and landslides are safe. Karnataka minister HK Patil said all the 83 people from the state who went on a pilgrimage to Amarnath and were said to be stranded (PTI)

According to officials at the Karnataka state disaster management authority (KSDMA), as per preliminary information, over 1,000 people are stranded and taking shelter at the Panchtarni Military Base Camp in Amarnath. Of these, around 83 are from Karnataka, including 23 from Gadag district.

Among the pilgrims of the state, 23 people are from Gadag. I spoke to those who knew me over the phone. It was very cold till last night. It was 3 degrees Celsius. I was relieved that blankets and other arrangements had been made for the pilgrims, Patil, minister for law, parliamentary affairs, legislation, and tourism, said on Sunday.

The Amarnath Yatra began on July 1 and is expected to culminate on August 31. The 62-day pilgrimage is dedicated to the devotees of Baba Amarnath, a form of Lord Shiva. According to officials, the 62-day annual pilgrimage remained halted following incessant rains in most parts of Kashmir.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directed the authorities to provide all necessary assistance for the safe return of the pilgrims from the state.

Patil said that on the directions of the chief minister, a team of senior officers, led by Authority Commissioner P Sunil Kumar, has been formed and sent to Kashmir to assess the situation.

If the weather improves, we will work to bring them back to our state by this evening or tomorrow. Officials of the revenue and tourism department and Karnataka Bhavan are in touch with them. I have spoken to the chief minister about the matter. The chief minister has formed a team of senior officers, and they have already been sent to Kashmir.

The pilgrims are being assisted during their entire journey by state agencies and civil departments by making all the essential facilities available to the devotees, according to an official spokesperson.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi also stated on Sunday that all the 83 Kannadigas who were stranded due to bad weather, were safe.

I spoke to the Lt. Governor. CM Siddaramaiah has said that all arrangements will be made to protect them. We will do our best to protect all Kannadigas, including the BJP workers who have gone there, Joshi said.

On Sunday, Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and took updates about Amarnath Yatra.

Shah spoke to Sinha in a telephonic conversation earlier in the day as the annual Amarnath Yatra remained suspended temporarily on both routes -- Baltal (Ganderbal district) and Nunwan (Pahalgam district) -- due to inclement weather conditions that triggered multiple landslides along the 270km-long Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district two days ago.

The annual Amarnath Yatra resumed on Sunday afternoon on the Pahalgam route following an improvement in weather conditions, officials said, adding that the Yatra on the Baltal route is yet to resume.

Authorities, on Sunday, however, stopped a batch of devotees at the Jammu Base camp due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

Following the suspension of the Yatra, 6,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were stranded at Ramban, officials said.
The annual Amarnath Yatra remained suspended from Jammu City for the second straight day on Sunday. No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to leave Yatri Niwas base camp at Bhagwati Nagar for the onward journey to the holy cave due to inclement weather, said a police officer. Though NHAI and other agencies have pressed into service their men and machinery to repair the affected stretches of Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban, traffic remained suspended on the highway for the second straight day. Pilgrims wait to get themselves registered for the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu. (PTI Photo)

Consequently, over 3,000 vehicles were left stranded at various places in Udhampur, Nagrota, Kud, Batote, Chenani, Nashri, Katra Domail stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. A road caved in between Tunnel 3 and 5 in the Ramban district on Saturday following heavy rains.

The 250-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country.

Nearly 6,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims are also stranded at Ramban in different lodgment centres where the Ramban district administration has made arrangements for their boarding and lodging. Ramban deputy magistrate Mussarat Islam said, All possible steps are being taken to ensure that stranded passengers dont face any hassles.

The Amarnath Yatra was suspended yesterday due to inclement weather. We have all the facilities available for the pilgrims here at the Yatri Niwas. We are taking all possible steps to ensure that the pilgrims dont face any problems. The yatris will only be asked to resume their pilgrimage once there is an improvement in the weather and vehicular traffic between Jammu and Kashmir divisions is restored, Islam added.

Army has also sheltered more than 700 Amarnath pilgrims at its camp in Qazigund in Anantnag district after they were stranded due to heavy rainfall in the valley. Ramban SSP Mohita Sharma said, A stretch of NH 44 (Jammu-Srinagar national highway) caved in at Seri in Ramban this morning. NH is closed. People are advised to stay away from catchment area of Chenab and they are advised to check traffic updates from traffic control units. The MeT department, however, has forecast improvement in the weather conditions from Monday onwards.

There shall be overall improvement expected from Monday. On Monday, the weather will remain cloudy with light rains at isolated places. From Tuesday till Saturday, the weather will remain dry, said a MeT spokesperson.

However, the Met department issued a red warning for Kathua, Samba and other lower catchment areas of Jammu region for the next 24 hours. There is a risk of flashflood due to continuous rains. The People are advised to stay alert for the next 24 hours, he said.

Srinagar received rainfall of 1.0mm, Qazigund 31.8mm, Pahalgam 17.4mm, Kupwara 0.0mm, Kokernag 34.0mm, Gulmarg 3.0mm, Banihal 28.2mm, Batote 58.8mm, Katra 19.2 mm, and Bhaderwah 125.1mm during the past 24 hours until 0830 hours on Sunday, the MeT office said.

Pilgrimage resumes in Kashmir

SRINAGAR The emerging flood like situation abated in Kashmir while stranded pilgrims were allowed to proceed for Amarmath Yatra after weather improved significantly in the Valley on Sunday. Officials said that as the rains stopped and weather cleared up, the authorities allowed the Amarnath pilgrims who were stranded on the route from Pahalgam side particularly at Sheshnag to resume towards the cave shrine after two days. They said that the pilgrims using helicopter services were also allowed to perform the yatra. Similarly, the stranded yatris from Baltal side were also allowed to perform the pilgrimage after weather cleared up. The pilgrimage is expected to resume fully from both base camps from Monday if weather continues to remain fair, said an official.
With Ravi and Beas in spate, the administration issued a flood alert in the Majha region, especially in the border belt. Water levels in Beas and Ravi have risen at an alarming rate due to heavy rainfall in northern India. Village defence committee members and Punjab Police personnel during a rescue operation in Pathankot on Sunday. (HT Photo)

In Amritsar, Ajnala area was most affected. Punjab cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal visited the flood-affected areas and took stock of the situation and relief activities. Dhaliwal also went to Ghonewal, the last village of Amritsar district on the banks of the Ravi, to take stock of the situation.

He said that 2 lakh cusecs of water was released into the River Ujj this morning. The water from the Ujj river entered Ravi near Makaura Pattan in Gurdaspur district leading to a sudden increase in the water levels, Dhaliwal said. He appealed to the residents living around Ravi to move to safer places. Many villages falling between Makaura Pattan and India-Pakistan International Border were cut off from the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Amit Talwar has asked the district administration officials and villagers adjacent to Ravi to be alert and contact the district-level control room at 0183-2229125 in case of any flood-like situation.

In the Pathankot district, deputy commissioner Harbir Singh said, Old bridges in the Bamyal sector have been damaged by the flood water.

Punjab Police, in collaboration with village-level defence committees (VDCs) and the district administration, carried out a rescue operation on Sunday. A total of 17 people and a fawn were brought to safety, SSP Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said.

The Pathankot Police also evacuated seven trapped BSF personnel, the SSP added.

In Tarn Taran, there is a flood-like situation in the villages situated along Beas and Sutlej. Tarn Taran district administration has appealed to the people to contact the flood control room in case of any emergency. Flood gates were opened at Harike Headworks, situated on the confluence of Satluj and Beas, to release water towards the Pakistan side.

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Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall received in most of the parts of Haryana for two consecutive days triggered flood-like situations in the state, throwing the normal life out of gear and forcing authorities to issue warnings to the people living in the low-lying areas. Waterlogged waiting area at the Ambala district commissioner office in Haryana on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Repeated intense spells of rain in the past 36 hours wreaked havoc and most highways, city roads, link roads and even the residential areas remained flooded.

The state received 38.90 mm rainfall on July 9, causing waterlogging in low lying areas of Panipat, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Kaithal and Ambala cities. Residential areas, markets and key roads were hit and commuters were stranded across the state. In rural parts, water from overflowing rivers and drains entered into the fields, causing panic among the farmers.

As the flow in Yamuna river crossed the danger mark of 70,000 cusecs, it was measured at 84000 cusecs at the Hathnikund Barrage of Haryana at 12pm on Sunday. Officials predicted that the water flow may increase further as heavy rains were reported in the hills.

Whereas, the water of the Markanda river entered into the fields of several villages, including Tangor, Jharoli Khurd, Kathwa and Jhansa, of Kurukshetra district.

As the water level in Markanda and Saraswati rivers continued to rise for the second consecutive day, Kurukshetra district administration has issued an alert to the residents of villages and colonies located near the rivers.

Woman, son injured as roof collapses in Karnal

A woman and her son sustained injuries as roof of their two-room house collapsed in Karan Vihar locality of Karnal city.

Manju Sharma, a neighbour of the victim, said that the incident took place around 11pm on Friday. She said that they felt the thud and reached the spot. The victims were taken out with the help of locals and were admitted in the hospital.

Karnal deputy commissioner Anish Yadav said, We have deployed teams to disseminate information about probable increase of water level in river Yamuna in the next couple of days. But as of now, there are no reports of water entering in the residential areas.

Inundated fields, submerged crops

The rain has created flood-like situation and left lakhs of acres under paddy, sugarcane and vegetable cultivation inundated. However, officials in the state agriculture department said that reports of damage to crops will be collected as per instructions from the government.

Maize and moong growers suffered most as they were not able to sell their produce in the mandis owing to high moisture content.

Our maize crop of two acres is ready for harvesting but we were not able to harvest the crop due to repeated spells of rain for the past one week. Sundays rain will cause loss to the crop as there is no possibility to harvest it for the next two weeks, said an aggrieved farmer, Madan Lal of Radaur, the worst hit area with 246mm rain recoded in 24 hours.

There is flood-like situation in our area and the crops are submerged. It is for the first time in several years that the water has entered our village, said a farmer Madan Lal of Karnals Dhanokheri village.

Karam Chand, deputy director agriculture, Kaithal district, said that there no reports of damage to crops but waterlogging could be harmful for paddy and sugarcane. The farmers are advised to pump out excessive water from their fields.

Good for rainfed areas

Contrastingly, farmers from the rain-fed areas termed the rainfall as beneficial for the crops. Praveen Malik, a farmer from Sonepats Kheri village, said the rain brought respite from rising temperature and was needed amid paddy transplantation.

Ankit Sheoran, a farmer from Panchgaon village in Charkhi Dadri, said rainfall is beneficial for their cotton and bajra crop.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert on Sunday and predicted heavy to extremely heavy rain in most of the districts of Haryana in the next 24 hours.

Schools closed in Kurukshetra, Ambala districts

Kurukshetra district deputy commissioner Shantanu Sharma has issued orders that all government and private schools in the district will remain closed on Monday for safety and of students.

Ambala deputy commissioner Shaleen orded closure of all govt and private schools in the district on Monday and Tuesday.

Flood-like situation in Ambala

With over 266 mm rain recorded in 36 hours from 8.30 am of Saturday till 5.30 pm of Sunday, rain broke all records in Ambala district. On Sunday, the district remained waterlogged and commuters and residents had to face a slew of problems. An abandoned house in the city and a ceiling of a police station collapsed in Ambala Cantt, but there was no loss of life reported.

Due to incessant rains in neighbouring areas, rivers, including Ghaggar, Markanda and Tangri, overflowed and water entered villages, crops and urban areas.

Ambala DC ordered temporary closure of NH-44 (Delhi-Amritsar highway) at Ambala-Ludhiana section and NH-152D (Ambala-Hisar) highway due to increased water level in Ghaggar.

Water has breached the highway at several points and it is unsafe to travel till further notice, he said.

Home minister and Cantt MLA Anil Vij chaired a meeting of officials and inspected various pump houses. Due to overflowing Tangri River, Cantt SDM Satinder Siwach issued an alert in villages situated along the river bed to vacate their houses and shift to dharamshalas earmarked for the purpose.

In Yamunanagar, Radaur tehsil received 259 mm rain in 36 hours from 8am on Saturday to 4 pm on Sunday with rainwater damaging several acres of paddy field.

A Low flood alert was issued to Haryana districts and Delhi as water level crossed 1,90,861 cusecs (at 5 pm) in the Yamuna River at Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar. It was 99,146 cusecs at 3 pm and 1,11,060 cusecs at 4 pm.

Delhi issues flood advisory as Haryana discharges water in Yamuna

The Delhi government issued a flood warning on Sunday as Haryana released more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnikund barrage.

The irrigation and flood control department said this was the first warning, with 1,05,453 cusecs of water discharged at 4 pm.

Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. The water from the barrage takes around two to three days to reach Delhi.

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A senior official of the Jammu and Kashmir administration and his son were feared dead while his wife died and daughter suffered injuries in a car crash on Mughal Road in Poonch district late on Sunday. Police said that a Swift car plunged into a deep gorge around 7.40 pm near Pannar Bridge on Mughal Road. (Representational Photo)

Surankote SHO, Rajveer Singh said, Director Finance Ranbir Singh Bali and his son Irvin Singh are missing while his wife Parvinder Kour died and daughter Mahreen Kour suffered injuries including fracture in a thigh after their car plunged into a deep gorge on Mughal Road.

The officer informed that their Swift car (JK02BD-4635) plunged into a deep gorge around 7.40 pm near Pannar Bridge on Mughal Road.

We recovered an Aadhar card from the site of crash from where we established the identity of the director finance, forest, ecology and environment department. Further, his daughter Mahreen Kour, who is being shifted to government medical college in Jammu, told us that the entire family was returning to Kashmir from their uncles home in Jammu, said the SHO.

We have recovered the body of Parvinder Kour but director Ranbir Singh Bali and his son Irvin Singh remain missing, he added.

iWe have launched searches but have not found them so far, he added. In view of damage to the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district due to heavy rains on Saturday, the administration has diverted the traffic to Mughal Road till the restoration of the affected stretches.

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In his first visit to Auburn as a U.S. senator, Chuck Schumer delivered a lasting message about what kind of representative he would be for Cayuga County.

"I ask people, what would you rather have, someone who comes here before the election and never shows up after it, or one who is here after it?" Schumer asked. "Well, here I am."

It was 1999 and Schumer spent two hours in Auburn and Cayuga County, according to newspaper archives. He took a bus tour and held a town hall meeting.

That was the first year of what has since been dubbed "the Full Schumer," the senator's annual tour of New York's 62 counties. When he embarked on the tour in 1999, it was to fulfill a campaign pledge that he would visit every New York county at least once during his first year in office.

Now in his 25th year as a U.S. senator, Schumer has continued the statewide swing. He has said that he enjoyed it so much that he decided to make it an annual tradition.

"Twenty-five years ago, I made the promise to visit every county every year, and since then I have happily been to just about every corner of Cayuga County  from the shores of Lake Ontario in Fair Haven to Auburn's picturesque downtown, and I still learn something every visit," Schumer said in a statement.

He continued, "I first visited Cayuga County on a family vacation, before I was even a senator, and knew it was special then, but never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that one day I would get to visit every year and represent the community as majority leader."

Schumer's visits to Cayuga County often highlight issues he has worked in the Senate. A popular destination has been the Harriet Tubman Home, which is now part of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn. He sponsored a bill that required the National Park Service to study whether to designate the Tubman sites in Auburn as a national park. He later successfully advocated for the establishment of the national park honoring Tubman.

In 2019, Schumer toured the floor damage in Fair Haven, a village in northern Cayuga County that has been affected by high Lake Ontario water levels over the years. A $10 million project to repair the West Barrier Bar pier was supported by funding he secured in the federal bipartisan infrastructure law.

"I've always believed members of Congress who stay in Washington and never return home are simply not doing their job, and that is why you can always find me in Cayuga County and you'll continue to do so for years to come," Schumer said.

The Citizen reviewed its archives to compile a timeline of every Schumer visit to Cayuga County since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998.

1999: Schumer's first visit to Auburn as U.S. senator includes a bus tour of the city's economic development initiatives and a town hall meeting at Memorial City Hall. During the tour, he pledged to help the city and Cayuga County attract businesses to the area.

2000: Schumer visits the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn and highlights a $450,000 grant awarded to the historic site. He also noted that he had introduced a bill to study whether to designate the Tubman Home and other relevant sites in Auburn as a national park. This would later serve as the basis for establishing the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park.

2001: Schumer joined local officials for another tour of economic development projects in Cayuga County. One of the projects was the seawall project at Emerson Park.

2002: In a meeting with The Citizen, Schumer said he would oppose an Indian-run casino if the community opposes it in Cayuga County. This was an example of Schumer's willingness to speak out on behalf of county residents against the Cayuga Nation's land-into-trust push.

2003: The Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce hosted Schumer for a forum at the Holiday Inn in Auburn. The situation involving the Cayuga Nation was among the local issues discussed at the forum. Schumer was also asked for his stance on the war in Iraq, which began a few months earlier.

2004: Ahead of his first successful reelection bid, Schumer again participated in the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce's event at the Holiday Inn. He announced his support for using steel from Nucor's Auburn plant to rebuild the World Trade Center in New York City.

2005: Agriculture was the focal point of Schumer's visit. He held a town hall meeting at the Cayuga County Soil and Water District building in Sennett. He discussed efforts to lower fuel prices for farmers and addressed other agricultural issues, such as immigrant labor.

2006: Throop Fire Department hosted Schumer as the senator launched a petition to oppose proposed cuts to the Assistance for Firefighters Grant program. Throop benefited from the program when it received $285,000 to help equip a fire truck.

2007: Schumer visited Auburn's wastewater treatment plant and announced $500,000 for the city to develop a biodigester that would provide power to the facility.

2008: Schumer met with local officials at the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn. One of the topics discussed: Legislation to establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn.

2009: During a press conference at the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, Schumer criticized the draft environmental impact statement released by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. The document was part of the federal review of the Cayuga Nation's land-into-trust application.

2010: Schumer planned to hold a press conference outside of the Archer Daniels Midland Company plant in Montezuma, but it was moved after there was a dispute over whether Auburn BioDiesel had a contract with ADM to buy the facility. Schumer highlighted his bill that would provide a tax credit for biodiesel producers. He also met with The Citizen's editorial board.

2010: It was an unofficial visit for Schumer, but he stopped in Auburn to tour the Seward House Museum with his family.

2011: Schumer visited Giancarelli Brothers, a winery in northern Cayuga County, to discuss wine bottle label reform legislation.

2012: During a visit to Nucor in Auburn, Schumer called for the reinstatement of a Department of Defense rule requiring all steel used by the military to be made in the U.S.

2013: As the Obama administration was involved in trade negotiations, Schumer held a press conference outside Cayuga Milk Ingredients in Aurelius. He warned that the Trans-Pacific Partnership would be met with resistance in Congress if it didn't create a level playing field for dairy producers, like Cayuga Milk Ingredients.

2014: Schumer returned to Nucor to speak out against foreign countries, namely Mexico and Turkey, dumping cheap rebar into the U.S. market. He urged the Commerce Department to take action against the unfair trade practices.

2015: After President Barack Obama signed legislation to establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, Schumer visited the Harriet Tubman Home to urge the National Park Service to move quickly with the formal establishment of the park.

2016: At Cayuga Milk Ingredients, Schumer spoke out against Canada's trade rules that hurt the Aurelius-based producer.

2017: Schumer visited Emerson Park in Owasco to call on the federal government to approve the Owasco Flats project.

2018: Another trade-focused trip to Cayuga County. Schumer opposed Canada's tariffs on ultra-filtered milk products during a news conference at Cayuga Milk Ingredients.

2019: Schumer traveled to Fair Haven to survey flood damage, the second time in a three-year period the northern Cayuga County community dealt with high water levels.

2020: Despite the emergence of a global pandemic, it did not prevent Schumer from completing his 62-county tour. He stopped at the Post Office in Auburn to criticize the U.S. Postal Service's proposed changes.

2021: Schumer held a news conference at Seymour Library in Auburn to highlight one benefit of the bipartisan infrastructure law: billions in funding to expand broadband access. It was his first visit to Cayuga County as Senate majority leader.

2022: Standing at Cayuga County's Veterans Memorial Park, Schumer pledged to hold a vote on so-called "burn pit" legislation by the end of the year.

2023: Schumer again visited Cayuga Milk Ingredients to discuss the need for a new farm bill. He warned of a "dairy cliff" if a milk pricing safety net isn't renewed as part of the farm bill.

Gallery: Schumer visits to Cayuga County over the years Chuck Schumer Milk 1.JPG Chuck Schumer Milk 2.JPG Chuck Schumer Milk 4.JPG Charles Schumer 1.JPG Schumer 1.JPG Schumer 2.JPG Schumer 3.JPG Schumer 4.JPG Schumer 5.JPG Chuck Schumer Schumer tours flood damage 1.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 2.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 3.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 4.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 5.JPG Schumer tours flood damage 6.JPG Senator Schumer 1.JPG Senator Schumer 2.JPG Senator Schumer 6.JPG Senator Schumer 3.JPG Senator Schumer 5.JPG Schumer visits Owasco Lake 1 Schumer Cayuga Milk Ingredients Schumer Tubman Tubman Sen. Chuck Schumer Rebar Schumer Cayuga Milk Ingredients Schumer Nucor Steel Sen. Chuck Schumer visits Giancarelli Brothers Winery Sen. Schumer visits Seward House Schumer wants a do-over on Feds' draft statement Farmers share labor concerns with Schumer Schumer assesses casino concerns
The bodies of the two soldiers, who were drowned in a swollen rivulet in Poonch district on Saturday afternoon, were recovered on Sunday, said officials. The soldiers were washed away in flash floods in Dogrian area of Surankote on Saturday afternoon. Jammu based spokesman Lt Colonel Suneel Bartwal said that Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh and Lance Naik Telu Ram, who were crossing a river during an area dominance patrol in the difficult terrain of Poonch, were swept away in the flash flood. Their mortal remains were recovered on Sunday, he informed. Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh hailed from Chabhal Kalan in Tarn Taran and Lance Naik Telu Ram belonged to Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. All ranks salute his supreme sacrifice, and the Indian Army stands in solidarity with the bereaved family, he said. The slain Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh from Chabhal Kalan in Punjabs Tarn Taran is survived by his wife and two children. (HT Photo)

During an Area Domination Patrol in difficult terrain of Poonch, L/Nk Telu Ram while crossing a mountainous stream got swept away due to flash floods. Nb Sub Kuldeep Singh , the Patrol leader while attempting to save L/Nk Telu Ram also laid down his life. GOC, @WhiteKnight_IA and all Ranks salute the valiant soldiers and stand in solidarity with their families, Nagrota based White Knight Corps wrote on its Twitter handle.

Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh is survived by his wife Sawinder Kaur and two children Hardeep Singh and Armandeep Kaur while Lance Naik Telu Ram was survived by his mother Kamlesh Kumari. Meanwhile, a MeT official has forecast widespread rain in Kathua, Samba, and some places in Ramban, Doda, and Udampur districts in the next 24 hours. He said that overall improvement is expected starting July 10. River Tawi in Udhampur and Neeru Nallah in Bhaderwah tehsil of Doda district and Sewa River in Bani area of Kathua district have touched the danger mark due to incessant rains. Red warning has been issued for Kathua, Samba, and other lower catchment areas of the Jammu region as the risk of flooding and flash flooding increased considerably, and all concerned are advised to stay alert during the next 24 hours, he said.

Power corp worker dies in Rajouri

RAJOURI A worker engaged with the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) was electrocuted while repairing a power transformer in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Sunday. Jahangir Khan (35), a resident of Azmatabad village of Thanamandi, was repairing a fault in the electricity transformer at village Manyal Gali when he came in contact with the live wire, resulting in his on-the-spot death, the officials said.

The death of Khan, a need-based worker, sparked protests against the alleged negligence of the department as people demanded adequate compensation to the family of the deceased.

The protesters dispersed on the assurance of Thanamandi sub-divisional magistrate Mohammad Shafiq Mir and sub-Divisional Police Officer Imtiaz Ahmed that cognizance of the matter has already been taken and action will be initiated against the staff behind the negligence, the officials said.

Mir said the department concerned has assured adequate compensation to the family of the deceased in accordance with norms.
: With the water level in Sutlej rising at an alarming level, the district administration has roped in relief agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and has kept the required equipment and staff on standby to respond to the situation, officials said. Ludhiana authorities brace for emergency, advisory issued to residents. (HT FILE)

Issuing an advisory on Sunday, deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik said, In view of additional water released in the Sutlej from Ropar headworks which will be reaching Ludhiana by afternoon, the panchayats of villages near Sutlej are advised to stay on alert and not to go close to the Sutlej.

The city residents are advised to be careful and avoid congested/waterlogged areas, she added.

She said that all teams are on standby, high grounds being identified for relief camps, if required and all revenue department officials are making announcements in different areas.

District administration is also tying up with NGOs/industrial associations/ gurdwaras for immediate help if needed, she added.

To tackle waterlogging in different parts of the city, the teams of the municipal corporation and drainage department are on their toes, officials said.

Villages along Sutlej under watch

The officials said that a close watch is being kept on villages along the Sutlej river, including Garhi Sheroa and Garhi Fazil.

MLA Jagroan Sarvjit Kaur Manuke and additional deputy commissioner, Jagroan, Amit Sareen visited Maddhewala village near Sutlej to assess the situation. The locals in the area here were also evacuated to a safe place.

Due to the increased level of flow in Budhha Nullah, low-lying areas and houses jhuggis on the banks of the nullah are also under vigil.

AAP MP (Rajya Sabha) from Ludhiana Sanjeev Arora said that the authorities are taking all adequate measures to meet the challenge. He said that all the concerned officers are working 24x7 to deal with the situation. Teams have been sent to all affected areas of the district.
: The meteorological department has issued a yellow alert for Ludhiana district for Monday, indicating moderate to heavy rain and hourly wind speeds of up to 60 km. Temperature 8 notches down, IMD issues yellow alert in Ludhiana. (HT FILE)

The district administration has been put on high alert following the alert.

On Sunday, Ludhiana witnessed a considerable drop in temperature, with the maximum temperature recorded at 26 degrees Celsius, an 8-degree decrease from the previous days temperature.

After two days of orange alert, the meteorological department has issued a yellow alert for Ludhiana. These alerts serve as a reminder to residents to exercise caution and remain vigilant during this critical period.

As the monsoon continues to unleash its force, residents are urged to exercise caution, avoid waterlogged and congested areas unless absolutely necessary, and stay updated on the alerts issued by the authorities, stated the Met advisory issued.

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A 58-year-old woman was crushed to death after a ceiling collapsed in Tibbiya College Society near Karol Bagh in central Delhi on Saturday evening amid heavy rain, police said. A commuters passes a waterlogged street after heavy rains in New Delhi on Saturday. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

The deceased was identified as Ranjit Kaur, said Sanjay Kumar Sain, deputy commissioner of police (central).

Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said that 15 calls were received at its control room with different people reporting portions of several buildings having collapsed across the Capital. 15 house collapse calls, reporting incidents such as damage to portion of a house, roof or wall were received between 1am and 6pm on Saturday. None of them were serious, except for one in which a person died. There was another incident in which 30 people were rescued near Tis Hazari, said Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg.

Also Read: Delhi weather: Season's first spell of heavy rain causes chaos; 'Yellow' alert issued for today

Fire officials said 30 people were rescued from Saraipur DDA flats, near Tis Hazari court after the portion of a building collapsed there at 4.42am on Saturday. A fire tender was dispatched to the site immediately after a distress call was received. Thirty people trapped at the spot were rescued by fire officials, said a senior DFS officer asking not to be named.

The police said that a PCR call was received at Karol Bagh police station at 4pm reporting a ceiling collapse at Tibbiya College Society, and a woman trapped under the debris. The police reached the spot, but the victim succumbed to her injuries by then. The police identified the victim as Ranjit Kaur, 58. According to victims family members, one portion of the quarter collapsed and Kaur went inside retrieve some personal belongings. Suddenly, another portion of the ceiling also came down, trapping Kaur, Sanjay Kumar Sain, deputy commissioner of police (central), said.

Also Read: Heaviest July rain in 21 years floods Delhi

Police said that the portion of the building was in a dilapidated condition. The victim is survived by her husband and son, who were present at the time of incident. Legal action in the case under section 174 (unnatural death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure is being initiated, the officer added.

According to the fire department, it was an old building and the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) control room received information about the incident at around 3.47pm. Immediately, two fire tenders were rushed to the spot, but before the rescue operations could be initiated, the woman was found dead under the debris, said a senior DFS officer, asking not to be named.

The officer added that reports of house collapse were also received from Alaknanda, Sadar Bazar, Kucha Patiram, Ambedkar Nagar and Lajpat Nagar part-1 areas. Except the death at Tibbiya Colony Society on Desh Bandhu Gupta Marg, no other loss of life was reported from anywhere else, he said.
The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a 48-year-old civil engineer for impersonating himself as an officer on special duty (OSD) to Union home minister Amit Shah, officials said. (Representative Photo)

Police said that the accused, taking advantage of his fake position, also issued directions to officials of a private company to appoint himself as senior associate vice president (senior AVP)-cum-project coordinator for the Ganga Expressway project.

The impersonator was arrested from his house in Uttar Pradeshs Meerut by a team of the New Delhi cyber cell unit, based on a complaint filed by a representative of the private company, said police.

New Delhi additional deputy commissioner of police (ACP) Hemant Tiwari said that the cyber police station recently received a complaint from Akshat Sharma, a representative of a private company, alleging that an email was received at the companys official email from a fake account, wherein the sender impersonated Rajeev Kumar, OSD to Union home minister.

The impersonator passed instructions to appoint one Robin Upadhyaya as senior associate vice president-cum-project coordinator for the ongoing Ganga Expressway project. Accordingly, a case was registered, and the investigation was taken up, the additional DCP said.

During the probe, it was found that the alleged email id rajeev.osd.mha@gmail.com was created around a week before the email was sent. Based on technical surveillance, the team zeroed in on the prime suspect, identified as Robin Upadhyay in Meerut. The suspect was subsequently traced and based on initial interrogation he was arrested, added Tiwari.

Upon interrogation, Tiwari said, Upadhyay disclosed that he is an engineer by profession and has a vast experience in civil construction projects. But at present, was unemployed.

He thought that if a reference is given from a high-ranking official or ministry, he can get a job at the earliest, the accused revealed, according to Tiwari. Hence he searched the ongoing highway projects and their progress.

After that, the accused created an email id impersonating as one Rajeev Kumar, OSD to the Union home minister, and sent an email to the company giving instructions for his own appointment with his biodata attached, showing his credentials to get the job, said the additional DCP.
The Capitals civic agencies began the repair and damage control work in their respective areas on Sunday even as incessant rains battered Delhi for the second consecutive day, leading to severe waterlogging in key areas and stretches and subsequent traffic congestion. Commuters wade through a waterlogged stretch at Sarojini Nagar, Delhi, on Sunday. (Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times)

Read here: Record rain batters Delhi, rivers in spate across northern India

The Public Works Department (PWD) received 138 complaints on Sunday till 7pm, officials said, of which 38 were related to other departments, PWD officials said on Sunday.

Most of the complaints were related to parts of Jangpura, followed by the Ghazipur paper market and Vikas Marg in east Delhis Laxmi Nagar. The traffic police issued safety warnings for several areas. Zakhira and Jangpura underpasses some of the most affected areas.

Union home minister Amit Shah took cognisance of the situation in the Capital and spoke to lieutenant governor VK Saxena. In view of incessant rains in the Capital, the Union home minister spoke to Saxena and took updates about losses due to heavy rains, assuring them all possible help, said an official aware of the matter.

Officials added that at Zakhira, the pumps kept getting stuck due to the floating material being sucked in. Multiple pumps were replaced on Saturday following which the water was drained out and the underpass was opened after eight hours of being shut, adding that the problem was because of the Najafgarh canal overflowing at Jangpura. The drainage lines in Jangpura lead to the Najafgarh canal which was overflowing due to excessive rain. There was a backflow of water from the drains. Once the rain stopped, the drains became functional, said a PWD official.

Meanwhile, a road near sectors 4 and 5 in north Delhis Rohini caved in early on Sunday morning. The collapse resulted in a substantial 20-feet-wide crater, which was soon filled with water. Traffic officials said that nobody was injured in the incident. PWD officials said that the cause of the cave in was being checked.

Read here: Rain to continue: Landslides in Himachal; schools shut in Delhi, Noida on Monday

In a similar instance, traffic was affected on Najafgarh road in the carriageway from Zakhira towards Moti Nagar after the side of a road caved in and leakage was found in water pipeline near a luxury car showroom.

Unlike Saturday, most underpasses remained open on Sunday, except the Minto Bridge underpass and Pragati Maidan tunnel which were shut for nearly an hour each. We only closed these as a precautionary measure. At Minto Bridge, there was a heavy flow of water from above. Once that stopped, the water was drained in half an hour. At the Pragati Maidan tunnel too, the water was drained out as soon as heavy rainfall stopped, said another PWD official.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) received 42 complaints of waterlogging from Connaught Place, Purana Qila Road, and Mahadev Road.

Additionally, six trees also fell after heavy rains in the NDMC areas around Gol Dak Khana, Maulana Azad Road, Firozashah Road, Bharti Nagar, Tilak Marg, Khan Market, and Rabindra Nagar. NDMC officials said that it has set up six control rooms or drainage service centres at Sangli Mess, Khan Market, Netaji Nagar, Malcha Marg, Mandir Marg, Janpath Road, Pandara Road, Lodhi Estate, and Hanuman Road to address waterlogging complaints. In areas managed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), 33 complaints of water logging and 26 complaints of falling trees were reported.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Traffic Police reported 54 waterlogging incidents and four major potholes at Bagga Road roundabout, Ambedkar Road, Raisina Road (Rail Bhawan to Windsor Place), and Adhchini.

Calls of traffic congestion, failure of traffic signals, and waterlogging as well as the uprooting of trees and potholes were received in the traffic control room. Instances of power failure were reported in many parts of the city which resulted in non-functioning of signals and manning of signalised intersections by traffic personnel, said SS Yadav, special commissioner of police (traffic).

Officials said that the traffic control room flashed messages to all officials to mobilise the most staff, motorcycle patrol teams, disaster management vehicles, and cranes in the field to ensure manual regulation of traffic at intersections where there was no power supply. Traffic officials also removed vehicles that broke down, and uprooted trees. Officials added that nearly 3,450 personnel were deployed to regulate traffic.

Waterlogged areas flagged by the traffic police include Mangolpuri industrial area, West Vinod Nagar, Noida Link Road, Azad market, Rajdhani Park, Tikri Border Metro, Sarai Kale Khan, Nigam Bodh Ghat, IP flyover, Pashchim Vihar, Okhla, Maharani Bagh, Nangloi, Ambedkar Nagar Depot, MB Road Sangam Vihar, Sarita Vihar underpass, Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg underbridge, GTK Depot, JLN Stadium, BP Marg in Defence Colony, Pragati Maidan, IGI Stadium to Rajghat Chowk, Central Secretariat, Mother Teresa Crescent, etc.

Read here: In videos, monsoon showers create mayhem in north India

Despite efforts by civic agencies, residents continued to suffer on Sunday as well afterthe incessant rains. Many took to social media to share videos of the inundated CP area, among others.

In Defence Colony area, basements of several houses were inundated. The Kushaq stormwater drain was covered in 2008, because of which every year when it rains, our basements get flooded. Now all homes have sewer water accumulating in their basement that we have to clear after it stops raining, said Bhavreen Kandhari, a resident of Defence Colony D Block.
Delhi recorded 153 mm rainfall between 8:30am on Saturday till 8:30am on Sunday, its third highest single-day rainfall for July over a 24-hour period, with more rains expected on Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said. IMD has issued a yellow alert and warning of moderate rain for Delhi on Sunday (File Photo)

According to the IMD officials, this was the highest rainfall over a 24-hour period since July 25, 1982, when the capital had recorded 169.9 mm rainfall. The highest-ever 24hr rainfall in July was recorded on July 20, 1958, when the city had received 266.2 mm rainfall. The rainfall recorded over Saturday and Sunday surpassed the 133.4 mm mark recorded on July 9, 2003, added officials.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert and warning of moderate rain for Delhi on Sunday.

According to MeT, rainfall below 15 mm is considered light, 15 mm to 64.5 mm as moderate, 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm as heavy, and 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm as very heavy.

The gushing rainfall on Sunday led to waterlogging across the city with portions of buildings being damaged at least 15 locations. The morning rain that continued for several hours submerged parks, underpasses, markets and even hospital premises. Moreover, strong winds and showers have also caused disruptions in power and internet connectivity in several areas.

In Tibbiya College Society near Karol Bagh in central Delhi, a 58-year-old woman was killed after a ceiling collapsed on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, another house collapses in the Zakhira area where two people were rescued by the Delhi Fire Services (DFS). DFC officials said that 15 calls were received at its control room with different people reporting portions of several buildings having collapsed across the Capital.

Fire officials said 30 people were rescued from Saraipur DDA flats, near Tis Hazari court after the portion of a building collapsed there at 4.42am on Saturday.

An orange alert was sounded for Saturday and a yellow alert has been sounded for Sunday, the IMD said.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that Delhi received 126 mm rainfall, which is 15% of total rainfall in the whole monsoon season, over a 12-hour period due to which waterlogging led to problems for people.

Kejriwal has also cancelled the leave of all government officers and has instructed them to inspect the severe waterlogging problem across the city.

All the officers from departments have been directed to cancel their Sunday leave and get down on the ground. The mayor and ministers will inspect the problem areas, Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.

City Mayor Shelly Oberoi will be inspecting the Kishanganj underpass while the PWD minister Atishi is expected to reach vulnerable points like Tilak Bridge and Lawrence roads where heavy waterlogging was observed, officials familiar with the matter said.

Scenes are no different in Gurugram, heavy waterlogging was seen across the city, forcing residents to remain indoors.

IMD has predicted moderate to heavy rainfall for Delhi on Sunday. Delhi is forecasted to have a cloudy sky with moderate rain and thundershowers and the possibility of heavy rain at isolated places. The maximum temperature is predicted to be around 30C Celsius while the minimum temperature will be 24C.
Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered the closure of schools on Monday as the city grapples with incessant rainfall, resulting in severe waterlogging, houses collapsing and a surge in incidents of tree falls. (Get Monsoon LIVE updates here) IMD has issued a yellow alert and warning of moderate rain for Delhi on Sunday (File Photo)

"In view of the torrential rains lashing Delhi for the last 2 days and warnings from meteorological department, all schools in Delhi are being closed for a day tomorrow," CM Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

Indian Metrological Department has predicted that North-West India, including Delhi, will witness high-intensity rain for the next 2 days, seeing an intensity drop thereafter. Thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain would occur over and adjoining areas of most places of Delhi. IMD tweeted on Sunday.

In Pics: Rain wreaks havoc in Himachal Pradesh; boats deployed in Chandigarh

Areas forecasted to witness rainfall with thunderstorms

Burari

Civil Lines

Kashmiri Gate

Seelampur

Akshardham

Palam

Safdarjung

Lodi Road

NCR ( Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram)

Officers' Sunday leave cancelled, ordered to hit the ground

Earlier today, CM Kejriwal instructed his ministers and the city mayor to visit areas affected by heavy rains. He asked all department officers to cancel their Sunday holiday.

The Delhi Fire Service reported incidents of 15 houses collapsing and one person losing their life. The heavy downpour led to traffic jams in many parts of the city, and even flooding parks, underpasses, markets, schools, and hospitals.

What is the cause of such heavy downpour in Delhi?

Delhi experienced a record-breaking rainfall of 153 mm within a 24-hour period recorded at 8:30 am on Sunday, said IMD. This is the highest amount of rainfall in a single day during July since 1982. The heavy rain continues to drench the national capital even today.

The combination of a western disturbance and monsoonal winds is causing this powerful rainfall episode. It has resulted in the first instance of "very heavy" rainfall for the season in the city.

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Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena on Sunday recommended to the Union home ministry that a Gujarat law with tough sections allowing preventive detentions for public order be extended to Delhi, according to a statement by the LG office. An LG secretariat official said that before recommending the extension of the Pasa Act to Delhi, lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena also examined a similar law in Telangana. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Read here: LG nod to transfer of 11,719sqm land to NCRTC for RRTS project

The move came on a proposal the Delhi home department to extend the Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities (Pasa) Act, 1985, which contains sections allowing police to detain bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers as a preventive measure.

The proposal has been forwarded to the union ministry of home affairs (MHA), which will take a final decision on its implementation, officials said.

An LG secretariat official said, Delhis home department on June 27 submitted the proposal to the Delhi LG for notification under Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act. The law department vetted the draft notification with the observation that the draft notification be sent to the MHA for extension of the said Act to the Capital.

The development comes several months after the Delhi Police in October 2022 sent to the home department a proposal that the Pasa Act or a similar Telangana law be implemented in Delhi. The proposal was forwarded to the LG office, which sent it to the law department for vetting.

Both laws have been criticised by the high courts and the Supreme Court for being draconian. The Gujarat high court, after its various benches criticised it at least thrice in the last three years, finally ordered the state government to put in some safeguards to prevent its abuse by law enforcement.

Read here: AAP govt hired specialists in violation of rules: BJP

HT reached out to the Delhi government, but officials did not comment on the development.

The plan to extend the law to the Capital is concerning. Existing laws give police the powers to make preventive detentions but the Gujarat law expands the grounds on which it can be done, with many of the definitions being too broad or vague. At the very least, Delhis version of this law should have the same protections that the Gujarat government was forced to bring in via rules in May, especially to avoid those without a criminal history being picked up and put behind bars without adequate basis.

Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act, 1950 deals with the power to extend enactments to certain Union Territories. It says, the Central Government may, by notification in the official gazette, extend to the Union Territory of Delhi or any part of such territory, with such restrictions and modifications as it thinks fit, any enactment which is in force in a State at the date of the notification.

Delhi Police spokesperson Kumar Gyanesh said, Once notified, the law will be effectively and judiciously used to tackle crimes and criminals in Delhi. It will certainly help in keeping the criminals under check.

A second LG secretariat official said that before recommending the extension of the Pasa Act to Delhi, Saxena also examined a similar law in Telangana.

LG agreed to the proposal that the Gujarat law may be forwarded to the MHA for considering its extension to the national capital after taking note of the observation that between the Telangana and Gujarat laws, the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better, the official said, declining to be named.

The official did not share why the Gujarat law was better than the Telangana law.

The LG office, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the implementation of the Pasa Act will provide for preventive detention of bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers for preventing their anti-social and dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order in the Capital.

Read here: Land approved for building Mukarba Chowk underpass in Delhi

Siddharth Luthra, senior advocate at the Supreme Court and a former additional solicitor general of India, said, There are enough legislative devices available with the police. According to me, the reach of criminal law enforcement is increasing at the Central and state level. Delhi Police is an effective force and as we have effective an police, is it really necessary to have such stringent laws in the Capital?
Gurugram: Two men drowned in an overflowing pond at Gairatpur Bans in Badshahpur on Sunday evening, said Gurugram police. Two men drown in Badshahpur pond

Police said one of the bodies was fished out at around 5pm, while search operation to locate the second body continued till late evening.

Police said the victims were identified as Jaikant Dadhich (33), and Aditya Kumar (20), who were cousin brothers. They said Jaikants body was fished out by the search team.

As per police, both the victims hailed from Churu in Rajasthan, and were working with a private firm in Gurugram.

They said that the matter came to light after a woman spotted a shirt and a pair of slippers lying near the pond at about 2pm. She raised an alarm and alerted other villagers who informed the police control room.

As per police, soon after receiving the information, rescue workers from the fire department, disaster management and civil defence equipped with inflatable motorboats were pressed into action.

Inspector Satish Kumar, station house officer (SHO) of Badshahpur police station, said it is still not yet clear how the duo drowned.

Probably they failed to gauge the depth of the pond and drowned, the SHO said, adding that further investigation is underway and the family members of both the victims were informed about the incident.

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This year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is completing his 25th statewide tour. Every year since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998, he has visited each of New York's 62 counties. That includes Cayuga County, where he has been a regular visitor during his Senate career.
For Dulali Karjee, Saturday was supposed to be a day when she and her son, Chiranjit, would meet friends and neighbours while voting for the Bhagni gram panchayat in the Dinhata area of Cooch Behar. Destiny, however, had something else in store for the 64-year-old woman. Police and paramilitary personnel were stationed across West Bengal amidst incidents if violence (File Photo)

We were going towards the polling booth when some men, who had their faces covered, started firing at local people without any provocation. We ran towards a house in the locality to look for cover. A bullet hit Chiranjit in the chest and he fell, recalled Karjee.

The masked men fired indiscriminately but several people survived with injuries. My 29-year-old son was not so lucky. He died at the hospital, she said.

At least 18 people died across eight districts of West Bengal on Saturday as the panchayat elections were marked by sporadic violence, looting of ballot papers and alleged rigging.

Chiranjit Karjee was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker. Two more people - a second BJP worker and a TMC supporter - died in violence in the north Bengal district of Cooch Behar on Saturday.

Even as the ruling party distanced itself from the killings, saying elections in 14 districts were peaceful and the violence was restricted to areas around only 60 of the states 61,636 polling booths, the statistical explanation could barely console horrified voters and government employees deployed to conduct the elections.

Saidul Mian, a resident of Hajarhat village in Cooch Behar, said: The men who hurled bombs at us were BJP supporters. They looted three ballot boxes from our local polling booth.

Muhammed Hamid, a resident of Beltapara village, said: Some TMC supporters forcibly entered the booth in our area, hurled bombs and decamped with three ballot boxes.

In Murshidabad district, Sariful Islam, a government staff sent to conduct polls in the Raninagar area, broke down in tears in front of the media after miscreants attacked his booth inside a school building.

A mob appeared from nowhere after around 800 people had cast their votes. They rained bombs around the booth. My colleagues and I crawled under the wooden benches to hide. We dont know which party these people represent, Islam said.

Murshidabad district witnessed five deaths on Saturday, the highest among all districts that have been hit by violence since the polls were announced on June 8.

Also Read: Opposition blames TMC for deaths in Bengal, party hits back

The first man to die in pre-poll violence on June 9 was a Congress worker in Murshidabad.

At least 40 people sustained bullet and bomb injuries in Murshidabad on Saturday, police officials said on condition of anonymity. The first victim of Saturdays violence in Bengal was TMC worker Babar Ali (45) from Murshidabad.

Police said he was talking to fellow party workers in front of his house at Beldanga on Friday night when he was attacked by some armed.

The man was mercilessly bludgeoned. He died in hospital in the early hours of Saturday, said an officer.

Ismail Sheikh, a resident of the Dafarpur gram panchayat area said: A local TMC leader did not allow any voter to enter the booth. His henchmen hurled at least 25-30 bombs to terrorize us.

Ratan Das, a voter from the Manindranagar gram panchayat area in Murshidabad, said: I went to cast my vote around 9 am. When I reached the booth, I was told by the polling personnel that my vote had already been cast. Only TMC-backed goons could have done this.

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The mother of Shubhyanshu, 5, was striving to make her child sleep in a soundproof room at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) with worry writ large on her face. In Sitapur, the audiologist is working without a soundproof room to assess patients who are referred from the department of otolaryngology (ENT). (HT FILE)

We have got a chance for this test after waiting for seven months. I know if this test is not done now, it will take a couple of months to get a chance again, said the mother.

The test the child was in for is called BERA (brainstem evoked response audiometry) for which the waiting period is too long.

But this was not a lone case where the waiting period creates trouble for children unable to hear since birth. Adults who wish to get a (divyang) certificate through the BERA test, have to wait even longer.

Since treatment (cochlear implants) is our priority, tests for adults are conducted only twice a week, said a staff member at the BERA test centre at RMLIMS. Here, adults coming for a BERA test are given dates (for a test) in 2027! Reason. Many patients come from other districts where the BERA test is not available.

About 15% deafness is reported by a WHO study that I conducted across Lucknow, said Prof Anupam Mishra, HoD Otorhinolaryngology and head, neck surgery, King Georges Medical University KGMU). He said a population-based screening programme is required to get the exact number of patients. The KGMU conducts four to eight BERA tests per week.

The centre in Chandauli district is referring seven to 10 patients a month  on an average  to the Banaras Hindu University for a BERA test. We have a soundproof room, but the BERA test equipment is not available. We are conducting a PTA (pure tone audiometry) test for patients on a regular basis, Dr Kuldeep Chahal, senior consultant, who is heading the centre.

In Sitapur, the audiologist is working without a soundproof room to assess patients who are referred from the department of otolaryngology (ENT).

The centre, established three years ago, is getting 300 patients a month  on average  in all age groups. Those in need of a certificate of their hearing ability, including children under 5 years, are referred to centres in Lucknow, making the patient and attendant travel some 70 km only to get into another waiting list.

In Jaunpur, the centre does not have a machine to test children less than 5 years of age. The PTA equipment is basically used for patients under treatment at the ENT department in the district while those in need of a certificate are referred to Varanasi (60 km away) and Lucknow (250 km away). In June, the Jaunpur centre got 252 tests done but several others were asked to visit one among the two options.

The centre in Fatehpur gets between 150 to 200 patients every month and 5% of them need a BERA test. We refer such patients to Lucknow or Rae Bareli. We have a soundproof room and conduct tests including PTA and OE (Otoacoustic Emissions) test for the newborns, but BERA test is not available, said Shyam Krishna, the audiologist posted at the centre.

In the state capital, the BERA test is done at three places  RMLIMS, KGMU and PGI. While RMLIMS conducts tests for any patient coming from any part of the state, KGMU does it only for those referred by the chief medical officer of Lucknow while PGI says no to any patient in need of a certificate.

Why is BERA test significant?

The BERA test can confirm whether nerves are conveying sound impulses to the brain and whether the speed of sound delivery is within normal limits.

What experts say

Dr Ashish Chandra, HoD, ENT, RMLIMS

PTA and BERA tests should be available in each district. This will ensure no one has to go out of their hometown for these tests and certificates should be issued by the concerned chief medical officer, without the patient having to travel far.

Rajiv Ranjan, asstt prof, Regional Centre for Skill Development, Rehabilitation, and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Lucknow

Hearing tests should be done for every child, within three months of birth. In fact, just as routine immunisation chart is made to save a child from various diseases, the hearing test will help children with a difficulty in hearing, to lead a life with disability. If the child has a problem in hearing, quick treatment will help them lead a normal life.

Prof Anupam Mishra, HoD, Otorhinolaryngology and head, neck surgery, KGMU

BERA testing centres should increase and rather be established in every district since our government has a great vision of establishing medical colleges in every district.
Mumbai: A 27-year-old woman was feared drowned at Bandstand on Sunday evening. The fire brigade officials said that a rescue operation was going on till late at night. HT Image

According to the Bandra police and fire brigade officials, the woman has been identified as Jyoti Sonar.

The officials said that the incident took place at 5.12pm when Sonar, a homemaker, had gone to Bandra Fort at Bandstand along with her husband and two children.

Sonar ventured towards the water to get her photos clicked when she fell in the sea, the police said.

When passersby spotted Sonar drowning, they alerted the police and fire brigade, who reached the spot and launched a rescue operation.

Sanjay Mhatre, senior police inspector, Bandra police station, said, We are investigating how Sonar fell into the sea.

Meanwhile, Juhu and Versova beaches were closed to the public owing to high tide, according to the police officers.
Mumbai There are many similarities between the splits in Shiv Sena last year and in Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) last week. The reaction of the heads of the two parties are similar as well. Both Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar decided not to hold back those that wished to exit, and affirmed to rebuild their parties. HT Image

In their fightback, both have decided to take the battle to the constituencies of the traitor MLAs. Thackeray has been identifying candidates in the constituencies of 40 MLAs who ditched him  such as Advay Hirey for Malegaon, Snehal Jagtap in Mahad and Sanjay Kadam in Khed. According to Pawar camp insiders, the veteran politician is also starting a similar exercise now, with a motive to defeat the rebel MLAs.

On Saturday, he began with Yeola, the constituency of his three-decade long close aide Chhagan Bhujbal. He even apologised to the people of Yeola and said he would rectify the mistake and would give a better candidate now. He has also planned a rally in Ambegaon, the constituency of Dilip Walse-Patil, once his protege who is now with Ajit Pawar. Most of these seats are in Nashik to Kolhapur belt where the NCP chief has a following among the people. More importantly, these constituencies voted against the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in 2019, barely six months after BJPs landslide victory in Lok Sabha polls. Pawar faction hopes to take back many of these seats. With the Ajit faction claiming that they have 41 MLAs, these seats would be on the radar of the NCP chief.

With Thackeray too targeting 40 rebel MLAs, there will be at least 80 assembly constituencies where the state is likely to see a fierce battle between the loyalists and the traitors and may settle the issue of which faction would claim the support of the people.

Will he break the jinx?

Notices issued by Speaker Rahul Narwekar to 53 Shiv Sena MLAs to initiate the process on disqualification petitions filed by rival Sena faction has fuelled speculations whether chief minister Eknath Shinde would be replaced by one of his two deputy chief ministers. It became such an issue that state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule had to clarify that Shinde would remain CM till 2024 elections. It has also led to netas talking about a sort of jinx in Maharashtra politics: All those ambitious deputy chief ministers have never become chief ministers. None of the deputy CMs right from the first one to occupy the post Nashikrao Tirpude to Ramrao Adik, Gopinath Munde, Chhagan Bhujbal, R R Patil, Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil and Ajit Pawar went on to become chief minister. Devendra Fadnavis is a different case since he was CM first and took up the job of deputy CM later. Among them, Ajit Pawar has occupied office of deputy CM five times in three different governments. Can he break the jinx now?

The daughters brigade

While Supriya Sule is in focus following the split in NCP, some more daughters of established politicians are making their entry in politics. They are learning the ropes from their fathers and being groomed for the role.

Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorats daughter Jayshree has become politically active for past couple of years. The buzz is that she may contest from Sangamner, the seat represented by her father for a consecutive eighth term. Purva, daughter of minister Dilip Walse-Patil is also active and has been part of various initiatives of Y B Chavan Center. For quite some time, there is talk that her father--who is with Ajit camp now--has been readying her to take the baton forward.

Shivani, daughter of Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, is general secretary of youth wing of Maharashtra Congress and has strong presence on social media. She is also quite active in her fathers constituency.

Gayatri Shingane, daughter of former NCP minister Rajendra Shingne is also being described as future MLA in his constituency in Buldhana district. Encouraged by her father, Gayatri is active in the constituency.

Meanwhile, among the established daughters, it is not only Supriya Sule who is facing trouble. BJP leader late Gopinath Mundes daughter Pankaja faces challenge as her cousin Dhananjay has now become a minister from the Ajit camp and her Parli constituency could go to him in seat-sharing of the ruling parties. Pankaja who lost the last election to Dhananjay is wondering what to do next by taking a two-month sabbatical.

Some respite?

Many in the state administration are happy with the inclusion of Ajit-led NCP in the governmentfor an altogether different and non-political reason. Mantralaya officers were fed up dealing with Shindes ministers, most of whom were aggressive while dealing with the administration. A few officers had even complained to chief secretary and deputy chief minister Fadnavis. With nine NCP ministers about to head as many or more departments and more importantly, BJP no more replying on Shinde-led Sena for majority, the bureaucrats think they will be under less pressure from the CMs men now. NCP ministers inducted now were in Congress-NCP governments between 1999 and 2014 and know how the relations between ministers and administration work, they say. Things will be better at least for some of us, remarked a senior IAS officer.

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MUMBAI: In the upscale Cuffe Parade-Colaba area, where the ultra-rich share the neighbourhood with slum dwellers, a great new initiative has been taken by a Cuffe Parade resident along with former local corporators. The Mendonsa Foundation, an NGO, some months ago came up with the idea of mentoring entrepreneurs in every slum household and helping them out with seed capital. The NGO got the CapSavvy Seed fund on board, and the journey kicked off. HT Image

The culmination happened on Saturday at a municipal school in Colaba, where 10 youngsters from the seven Colaba slums of Ambedkar Nagar, Steel Godown, Geeta Nagar, Shivshakti Nagar, Colaba Market, Badhwar Park and Machhimar Nagar were shortlisted. This is the first time such a project has happened through seed funding, said former corporator Makarand Narwekar. We are proud of our participants, who will now get an opportunity to meet the pool of investors and fulfil their business ambitions.

Those selected in Har koi banega businessman, businesswoman included Kevin Dsouza from Transit Camp, Dipesh Vaidya and Kunal Shinare from Sudham Jhopdi in Colaba Market, Tejaswi Koli and Mamata from Murthy Nagar and Parshuram and Hasnain from Geeta Nagar. Two of our tailors who participated have already got orders, said Narvekar. One of the girls who is a Koli and an expert in Koli cuisine is now working at our friends cloud kitchen.

Dr Suhani Mendonsa, project director at the Mendonsa Foundation and the moving force behind the venture, elaborated on its trajectory. In the first month, we focused on spreading awareness, she said. The slum dwellers didnt quite grasp what we were trying to do even after we printed pamphlets in their language and in Hindi. They thought we were giving them loans. Finally, we made them realise what our project was.

The aspirants were divided into three groups. Group 3 members were passionate about starting a business but had no knowledge about the process and how to draw up a business plan. Group 2 had ideas but didnt know how to make a business plan either, while Group 1 comprised technically well versed youngsters who could chalk out a business plan but needed support. We got more than 75 registrations, said Mendonsa. After five jury rounds, we shortlisted the top 10.

Mendonsa said her team got amazing entries. A 19-year-old boy is into gaming and came up with an idea based on this, she said. Another boy is into camping sites and the third one is interested in alternative therapies to treat pain. In Colaba Market, there were two boys who came up with a plan on pre-wedding shoots and personalised it with their own songs. The seed fund was interested in their idea.

The project team got a lot of support from the Narwekar family. Rahul Narwekar, speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly and former corporators Makarand Narwekar and Harshita Narwekar took the team to the slums in the evenings.

Kevin DSouza, a winning participant, said that many economically backward people had business ideas and could raise funds this way. I am grateful for this opportunity, he said. Kunal Shinare, another winner, said that the project had given him an aim as well as provided a direction to start his own business.

Mendonsa has big plans for her project. If an idea is economically viable and sustainable, we will fund it, she said. Eventually our aim is to take this to the entire city, state and country.

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Mumbai: Even eight days after the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP joined it, the Shinde-Fadnavis government has not allocated portfolios to the nine ministers inducted into the cabinet. It is now expected that the government will go in for its third cabinet expansion this week before assigning the portfolios ahead of the monsoon session which begins on next Monday. Fron left to right, NCP leader and Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar, Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis and CM Eknath Shinde (File Photo)(HT_PRINT)

Read here: Its a trishul of development now, says Fadnavis on Ajit Pawars big switch to Shinde-led govt

The allocation of the portfolios has been delayed due to differences between the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena. Chief minister Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held a couple of meetings to decide on the number of legislators to be inducted, the reshuffling of portfolios of existing ministers and dropping of existing ministers due to controversies and non-performance. The duo is reportedly on the same page as far as expanding the cabinet and changing the departments of some ministers is concerned.

Three to four new faces from the BJP and Sena are likely to be inducted into the cabinet while the Ajit NCP faction could get three more berths. The leaders of all three ruling parties are reportedly of the opinion that three to four berths in the 43-member cabinet need to be kept vacant to avoid any dissenting voices from their parties.

There was an initial proposal to sack the non-performing and controversial ministers from Shindes party, while the BJP wanted to relieve some of its ministers for organisational work, said a BJP leader. Both these things are near-unlikely now. But there will be a major reshuffle of portfolios of existing ministers based on performance and other political equations.

Read here: Uddhav's taunt at Ajit Pawar: 'Waiting to see how BJP handles new riff-raffs'

The Ajit Pawar faction is expected to get revenue, energy, food and civil supplies and the social justice department, which are currently held by the two other ruling parties. Although Pawar wanted the finance department for himself, Shinde has reportedly opposed it, because of which Pawar will have to settle for the revenue department. The BJPs Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil will have to give up revenue and settle for the relatively less important cooperation department. BJP ministers Atul Save and Mangal Prabhat Lodha are likely to be divested of their portfolios. Lodha may lose the women and child welfare department while Save will have to settle for some other department.

From the Shinde camp, health minister Tanaji Sawant and agriculture minister Abdul Sattar are likely to get other departments.

Legislative council deputy chairman Neelam Gorhe, who joined the Shinde-led Sena two days ago, is likely to be inducted into the cabinet. She is reportedly eyeing the women and child welfare or public health department. Bharat Gogawale, Sanjay Raymulkar and independent MLA Bachchu Kadu are other names from the Shinde faction likely to be inducted.

The Ajit Pawar faction is demanding the chairmans post in the upper house as part of the power-sharing equation between the three parties. However, BJP leaders are keen on the post, as the party has the highest number of members22in the council. The MLAs who are expected to be inducted into the cabinet are Prakash Solankhe, Dattratrey Bharne, Makrand Patil and Satish Chavan.

The BJP is expected to induct former minister Sanjay Kute, MLA Devyani Farande or MLA Madhuri Misal, Vijay Deshmukh and MLC Parinay Fukey. Amid the reports that union minister Narayan Rane is expected to be dropped in the next expansion, his son Nitesh may be picked for a berth.

Read here: BJP has no right to preach us, says Uddhav Thackeray

All the 29 ministers from the three parties are cabinet ministers, and the new faces to be inducted are expected to be junior ministers, said a Sena leader. It will be a Herculean task for the parties to pick the newcomers. The CM and two deputy chief ministers are expected to hold meetings in the next two days to take a call on the names. If negotiations on this fail, and if the cabinet expansion is deferred, it is also possible that just the eight ministers inducted last week will be allocated departments.

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Mumbai: An Enforcement Directorate (ED) money-laundering probe against Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sachin Sawant, who was arrested on June 27, revealed that a firm registered under Sawants name had purchased immovable asset/s, above 1 crore and filed Income Tax Return (ITR) only once, claiming its gross income to be zero. HT Image

The firm under the scanner had filed only one Income Tax Return, in the financial year of 2018 -19, in which the gross income was shown as nil, while 6,800 was shown as a loss. The ITR had mentioned a mobile number, which was suspected to have been registered in the name of Sachin Sawant, an ED official said.

A Navi Mumbai flat, which was worth around 1.3 crore at the time of its alleged purchase in the name of the firm, is under the EDs scanner. The purchase was via funds routed allegedly through different loans, personal and current accounts of Sawants parents and other relative/s. It was learnt that about 1.02 crore out of the 1.3 crore was allegedly arranged in cash.

During the ED money-laundering investigation, it was revealed that cash deposits of around 1.25 crore were made from unexplained sources in the personal bank accounts of Sawants family members and in the bank account of a dummy company, wherein his father and brother-in-law were directors, the ED official said.

It has been found that immovable property was purchased in the name of said dummy company. The source for the purchase of the said property was shown as personal loans and other bank loans whose repayments were also made in cash, the official said. Although the flat is in the name of the dummy firm, the accused occupied the house as its real owner, the official said.

Sawant, who was working as an additional commissioner of Customs in Lucknow, was arrested after the ED carried out searches at his premises, including in Mumbai. The agencys money laundering case against Sawant is based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)s case of June 2022 that was filed against him on charges of allegedly amassing disproportionate assets.

The CBI investigated allegations that Sawant had amassed huge assets in his name, and those of his family members (wife and his parents), and incurred huge expenditures, which were disproportionate to their legal sources of income by around 2.45 crore. The sum of 2.45 crore was allegedly disproportionate to the tune of 204% of Sawant and his familys known and legal sources of income during the check period of January 12, 2011, to August 31, 2020, according to the CBI. It was alleged that the assets under the scanner were worth a mere 1.42 lakh at the beginning of the check period but escalated to 2.07 crore at the end of it.

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MUMBAI: October 20, 2011 was a night that altered the course of several lives. TwoKeenan Santos and Reuben Fernandez, victims of the notorious Amboli Bar murderswere snuffed out and several others scarred beyond redemption. The killings also changed the life of Keenans younger brother, Shane, who was barely 19 then. Because of the hard work of the prosecution and investigating team, the accused were convicted five years later and sentenced to life imprisonment until death. A few months later, however, they approached the Bombay high court, challenging their conviction and sentencing, primarily on the contention that the motive behind the double murder was not established by the prosecution. (HT PHOTO)

Desirous of a career in the hospitality industry, Shane switched lanes and went on to study law in order to take over the legal battle from his father, Valerian, who had fought valiantly and doggedly till then. On Wednesday, Shane appeared before the Supreme Court on behalf of the victims families to oppose the bail plea of one of the four convicted of murdering his brother and friend, and obtained an order allowing Valerian to intervene in the proceedings.

The ordeal had begun on October 20, 2011, when Keenan (24), Reuben (29) and a group of their friends were partying at the Amboli Bar And Kitchen Restaurant at Andheri. When they were leaving the spot, the four accusedJitendra Rana, Satish Dulgaj, Sunil Bhot and Deepak Tivalallegedly passed lewd remarks at two women from the group. They retreated after Keenan intervened but later returned to the spot with many more people and weapons and brutally attacked him and Reuben. Keenan died the same day while Reuben succumbed to his injuries 10 days later.

Because of the hard work of the prosecution and investigating team, the accused were convicted five years later and sentenced to life imprisonment until death. A few months later, however, they approached the Bombay high court, challenging their conviction and sentencing, primarily on the contention that the motive behind the double murder was not established by the prosecution.

That was what changed things for me, said Shane. The next and crucial step in the case was the appeals of the four against their convictions before the Bombay high court. I started taking a keen interest in the case and doing the rounds of the courts, anxious that the convictions be retained in the appeals. Thats when I decided to take up law.

Before the trial, Shane knew only what his brothers friends had told him about the crime. Once it commenced, new layers of the prosecution case began to unfold before him, with testimonies of formal witnesses, recovery panchnamas and such other technicalities. It was fascinating and challenging, said Shane, who was then doing a hospitality course at St Andrews.

Although Shane completed the course in 2016, in 2017, he took the LLB entrance examination and secured admission to the law course in New Law College, Matunga. Even though my first interest was in the hospitality industry, after my brothers murder, I wanted to learn more and understand how things worked in a court of law in order to take up his case. Hence, I decided to switch and take up legal practice, he said.

In 2020, Shane completed his law course and began practising. After so many years, when I started perusing the files, all the memories, all the pain that my family went through, came gushing back, he said, heavy-voiced with emotion.

On November 14 last year, Rana moved a plea before the Bombay high court for bail during the pendency of his appeal. After a division bench of Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice R N Laddha rejected it on January 20 this year, observing that strong evidence was available on record to show that the attack on Keenan and Reuben was premeditated, Rana approached the Supreme Court. This time, Shane, with the help of his senior, advocate Hemant Shah, will take him on in court.

On Wednesday, the apex court allowed the plea of Valerian Santos to intervene in the proceedings. Shane will now represent him and oppose Ranas bail plea.

The crime of those responsible for the death of my son is back again to haunt our families, as one of them has appealed to the Supreme Court for Grant of Bail and Suspension of Sentence, Valerian Santos wrote on his social media page on Monday night. God has blessed me, as the battle led to my other son taking up Law.
Questioning the purpose of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawars rally a day earlier in Nashiks Yeola, newly-inducted minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Sunday asked, Is it because I am an OBC leader? Bhujbal rakes up OBC status while attacking Sharad Pawar

In a reply to Pawar senior from his bastion, Bhujbal said that Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister with Devendra Fadnavis in 2019 only after Sharad Pawar dragged his feet after talks with BJP to form the government. What they did by joining the Eknath Shinde government was planned by Sharad Pawar for years, he said.

Also read: Supriya won Lok Sabha election, Praful Patel lost and still...: Sharad Pawar

Sharad Pawar on Saturday in his first rally after the split in the party said that it was a mistake to field Bhujbal from Yeola. Apologising to voters, Sharad Pawar had said he would not commit the same mistake again.

Hitting out at the NCP chief, Bhujbal said that if Sharad Pawar is apologising to the people of Yeola for making me an MLA, then he will have to make an apology in 50 constituencies of the party. It is also not true that Sharad Pawar made me the candidate of the constituency. I chose Yeola over other options like Majalgaon and Erandol as Yeola was relatively backward and needed leadership, he said.

Bhujbal said he stood by Shard Pawar in thick and thin and was not part of the discussions with the BJP to join hands to form the government. I was not even part of the decision-making to change the guards of the party. Pawar saheb thinks I am behind the split, but it is not true, he said. Bhujbal added that the Congress had offered to make him chief minister in 1999, but he decided to remain with NCP.

The rebel leader said that Sharad Pawar should think why all his senior colleagues like Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar and Dilip Walse-Patil left him. Pawar saheb was in constant touch with the BJP to form the government since 2014. He compelled the BJP to part ways with Shiv Sena ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and had decided to join hands with the BJP to form government after the assembly polls. Similarly, in 2019, Pawar saheb held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and agreed to form a government after the election. But after the results, he backed out. He dragged his feet at the last minute and refused to form thegovernment with the BJP. Fed up with it, Ajit dada was sworn in as the deputy chief minister, he said. He added that every time Pawar saheb wanted to oust Shiv Sena from the alliance with the BJP.

Attacking Pawar senior further, Bhujbal said that after the Uddhav Thackeray government was toppled in 2022, Sharad Pawar had agreed to join hands with the BJP to form the government. He had said that he will resign from the post of party president and then the party MLAs were free to make a decision on joining the Shinde government. All MLAs, including Jayant Patil, Rohit Patil and Jitendra Awhad, had signed the resolution of joining the government, he said.

Also read: I came here to apologise, I trusted wrong people: Sharad Pawar in Nashik

But suddenly Sharad Pawar changed his mind and withdrew his resignation. He wanted to make Supriya Sule the working president, to which Praful Patel opposed as he was holding the second highest position of deputy president of the party. Patel saheb even threatened to resign from his post. We then decided to appoint both as working president, Bhujbal added.

When asked about the NCP chiefs offensive on remarks over his age, Bhujbal said that he did not even speak about Sharad Pawars age.
MUMBAI: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who has always emphasised his governments belief in Hindutva philosophy, has started a minority wing for his party. Egged on by the fact that his rival, the Shiv Sena (UBT), is supposed to be getting good support from Muslims, Shinde has also thrown his hat in the ring in pursuance of Muslim votes. The CM said he had helped a Muslim child needing medical aid in Kolhapur and the mother had named the child Dua (blessing). My son Shrikant Shindes foundation has helped many Muslim families in need, he said. Two children who lost their parents in a house crash were given fixed deposits of  10 lakh each and my son put them in a boarding school at Panchgani. (HT PHOTO)

At the first meeting of the minority wing at Shanmukhananda Hall on Sunday evening, Shinde said that the Congress was painting a bad image of the Shiv Sena in the minds of the Muslim community, and the latter would only know the party when they got closer. He declared that he believed in the principles of the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji who had Muslims in his army. I too have a house help called Adil, who is like my child, and a driver called Rafiq, he declared. To buttress the point further, he also recited an Urdu couplet.

Shinde drew up a list of things his government had done for Muslims. The slaughter charge of goats had been increased from 20 to 200 per animal by the MVA government but I reversed it before Bakri Eid this year, he said. The government also instructed the police that apart from government agencies, no one else should stop vehicles carrying goats for the festival. My government also changed the holiday for Eid this year.

The chief minister then pointed out that just like Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray had a Muslim minister, Sabir Shaikh, in the 1990s, his government had Abdul Sattar. The Congress is trying to create a divide but the reality was different, he said.

The claims flew thick and fast through the meeting. Shinde said that Hindu-Muslim riots did happen but claimed that his men protected masjids. It was Bal Thackeray who told me to respect all religions, he said.

The CM talked about how Indira Nagar in Thane did not have a burial ground despite many promises made by many political parties during elections. As a leader of the house in Thane, I captured a plot of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, cleared it off and asked Muslims to bury bodies there, he declared. I had to face a police case for this but this is my way of functioning.

Shinde said the government would call a meeting to solve the problems of the Muslim community. Whatever can be done easily will be done and wherever a policy change is needed, rules will be changed, he said. Vacancies in the Wakf Board will be filled. But we will not tolerate support for Pakistan.

The CM said he had helped a Muslim child needing medical aid in Kolhapur and the mother had named the child Dua (blessing). My son Shrikant Shindes foundation has helped many Muslim families in need, he said. Two children who lost their parents in a house crash were given fixed deposits of 10 lakh each and my son put them in a boarding school at Panchgani.

The Muslim community made several demands like reservation in education, appointment of an IAS officer knowing Urdu on the Wakf board, setting up of the Fatima Awas Yojana like the Ramai Awas Yojana, reservation for Muslims in MHADA flats, setting up of cooperatives for Muslims by amending acts and granting of government works for such societies, removal of encroachments from Wakf land and giving full powers to the Wakf board, a grant of 100,000 for poor Muslim girls on the lines of the Shaadi Mubarak Yojana started by the Telangana government, and a grant of 1000 crore for the Maulana Azad Financial Development Corporation besides waiver of loans.

Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande said that the Shinde government had given huge aid to minorities and added that it wanted to bring Muslims into the mainstream. Shiv Sena MLA from Byculla, Yamini Jadhav, said that 45 percent of her voters were Muslims. She too read out an Urdu couplet and won huge applause. Urdu is a language that has a rich culture, and we do not hate it, she said.

One of the attendees, Awesh Pathan from Thane, said that Shinde always won with a huge margin from Thane. Riyad Mohammed, a resident of Thane, said that the Shrikant Shinde foundation had helped his neighbour, who was also a Muslim, a lot when he had to undergo surgery.

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NEW SCOTLAND  Four people died, including a 5-year-old girl, when a fire swept through a house west of Albany, New York, just before sunrise Saturday.

Fire crews rushed to the home after a desperate call from a woman, who told a 911 dispatcher that she was trapped in a room with a child and unable to escape through a window because of an air-conditioning unit.

Its a horrible scene, Albany County Sheriff Craig D. Apple Sr. told reporters. I feel horribly for the family, the neighbors."

The Albany Times-Union reports that a 14-year-old boy survived the flames by jumping out of second-story window as fire crews arrived. He was being treated for scrapes and bruises.

A dispatcher tried to help direct the woman and child out of the burning house but was unsuccessful. By the time fire crews arrived, the blaze had engulfed the house on Normanskill Road in the town of New Scotland, about 8 miles west of New York's Capitol.

The Times-Union says the address coincides with that of a fruit and vegetable stand listed as Circle Tree Farm.

The names of the victims weren't yet released but authorities said that in addition to the child, those who perished include a 40-year-old woman and two men, aged 35 and 64.

Investigators say they think they know where the fire started but have been unable to get into the gutted home to confirm.
NAGPUR: A week after Ajit Pawar-led a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he is waiting to see how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) handles its new riff-raffs. Thackeray began his tour on Sunday after a darshan of Pohradevi shrine in the Washim district. (HT Photo)

Thackeray, who is on a two-day Vidarbha tour  considered a BJP stronghold  said that earlier MLAs or parties used to split but now parties are being broken into pieces. Deceit of such a proportion is being seen for the first time in Indian politics. BJPs politics is bad for the country and our state, said the former Maharashtra CM, who lashed out at BJP. I do not think the BJP deserves anything to be said about. It has no right to preach to us. I am just waiting to see how the BJP handles the new riff-raffs.

The same day, the Sena (UBT) workers pulled down posters of Amravati Lok Sabha member Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana in Amravati on the eve of the visit of Uddhav Thackeray there. The Rana couple had claimed they would recite Hanuman Chalisa from 9am to 2pm at Girls High School square at Amravati on Monday and their supporters had put up posters informing about it.

Thackeray reiterated his claim of a decision between him and Union minister Amit Shah before the 2019 polls. It was decided the Shiv Sena and the BJP will have its chief minister for two-and-a-half years each, he said. I swear on the name of Pohradevi (a deity of Wanjara community) that Amit Shah made such a promise during a meeting with me at my residence. Had the BJP kept that promise, this situation would not have arisen where the partys old guards are being ignored to keep new entrants in good humour, he quipped.

Today, the BJP and Shiv Sena chief ministers would have completed their tenure. If that had been done, the old BJP workers would have not been required to pick up the carpets of other parties, Uddhav said.

Against the backdrop of yet another political turmoil in Maharashtra owing to NCP split, Thackerays Vidarbha visit assumes significance as questions were being raised on the fate of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which he once headed as the chief minister. Thackeray began his tour on Sunday after a darshan of Pohradevi shrine in the Washim district.

Later addressing a gathering on Sunday evening at Digras, the assembly constituency represented by cabinet minister Sanjay Rathod, on Sunday evening, Thackeray said that his fight is against the BJPs ill-motive to finish off opponent parties. On the Modi governments move on uniform civil code, he said its good that there will be one nation and one law. But it should be discussed with the stakeholders first before enacting it.

One nation, one law can be understood. But we will never accept one nation, one party plan of the BJP, he said while pointing to the recent split in NCP engineered by the BJP.

They are breaking other parties, bringing them to their own party. Those who were the most corrupt have been declared clean after joining BJP, he said and asked how now those corrupt leaders are sharing photos with Modi in their posters? said Uddhav.

He also pointed out that when a BJP leader (Kirit Somaiya) took a cudgel against the corruption of a Lok Sabha member from Yavatmal, Bhavna Gawli that led to raids by ED in her establishments, later she tied rakhi to Modi. Now the time has come to expose such dual character of the larger party of the country, he said.

On the issue of petitions seeking disqualification of 16 Shiv Sena MLAs, including Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray said the state Assembly speaker will have to decide on it within a given framework. If the speaker tries to bypass it, the Supreme Courts doors are always open for us, he said.

The state Assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar on Saturday said notices have been issued to 40 MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and 14 of the Uddhav Thackeray faction, seeking their replies on disqualification petitions against them. They were given seven days to file their replies.

Thackeray asserted that the top courts verdict is crystal clear. The Speaker will have to make a decision in that framework. Any decision outside of it will be against democracy and I am sure that the Speaker will not do such a thing. And if it is done, we can always approach the court again, he further said.

Narvekars move comes a week after Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu moved the Supreme Court over the Speakers inaction following the top court verdict on the power struggle in Maharashtra between Eknath Shinde- and Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena.

After interacting with party workers in Yavatmal and Amravati, Thackeray would interact and address party workers from Nagpur district on Monday. The objective is to have a dialogue with all the stakeholders of the party in their respective districts to understand their problems. These cannot be called election meetings, but he will advise party stakeholders to be ready for next years Lok Sabha and assembly polls, says a senior party leader.

Reacting on the Vidarbha tour of Thackeray, the state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said why he never remembered the region when he was the chief minister of Maharashtra. In two-and-a-half-years in government Uddhav never visited Mantralaya, Bawankule said in a scathing attack on Thackeray. Now he is visiting Vidarbha for two days. When he was the chief minister, he never remembered the backward region, he pointed out.

The state BJP chief continued, You may make any number of tours across the state, but in reality, you have been exposed, he said, adding that Thackeray had betrayed the BJP and the Hindutva of Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

The Maharashtra minister for culture and forest and senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar has also criticised the Sena (UBT) chief and said that if he had interacted with his colleagues and party leaders at the right time, such a situation would not have come. If he really nurtured the party and its rank and file, the faith of the workers and colleagues on him would have been maintained.

Mungantiwar said, before criticising the BJP, he should also re-assess himself. There is no point in blaming us. We are doing politics of patriotism. Who stabbed the former Maharashtra chief minister Vasantdada Patil in the back? he further asked.
After five days behind bars, Pakistani woman Seema Ghulam Haider and Greater Noida local Sachin Meena stepped out of the Luksar Jail in Gautam Budh Nagar at 8.30 am on a rainy Saturday and hugged each other. Haider arrived with her four children, while Meenas older brother came in a Santro car to pick them up. The two went to Rabupura villages Meena Thakuran colony, where Sachins father, Netrapal Singh, had arrived a day earlier after being released on bail from jail. Seema Ghulam Haider and Sachin Meena were released from Luksar Jail on Saturday morning. (HT Photo)

On July 4, the Gautam Budh Nagar police arrested Haider for illegally entering India without a visa via Nepal with her four children -- all aged below seven years  while Meena and his father were arrested for sheltering the illegal immigrants.

Haider, Meena, her four children, and Meenas father, mother and five siblings arrived home at 10am.

Also read | Assam woman, son traced to Pakistani jail 2 months after going missing

Haider told HT that Meena had been her husband since March of this year when the two married at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.

I cant live without Sachin, and because he is my husband, Ive accepted his religion and culture as my own and changed the names of my four children, who call Sachin Baba. Sachins parents have also accepted me, and I have adopted all their cultural practices and will continue to live with them, said 27-year-old Seema.

Talking about how they fell in love, Haider said that they began talking to each other in July 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I used to talk to many strangers online while playing PubG because I kept the mic on. Thats how I met Sachin, and we started chatting on the chatbox. We used to play for hours on end, even four hours and never stopped talking. After about four months, we exchanged phone numbers and began communicating via voice and video. We confessed our love for each other by January 2021, said Haider.

Read | Boy flees Bangladesh for Pak to meet mother, lands in Bhopal

According to the couple, they were inspired by the film Gadar, whose plot revolves around a cross-border love story between an Indian man and a Pakistani woman.

Haider and Meena were looking forward to meeting each other. Haider said that in February, she applied for an Indian visa but was denied, prompting her to enter the country illegally.

I applied for an Indian visa online from Pakistan through a travel agent. Among the documents required was a gazetted officers signature on an invitation from an Indian national. While Sachin had submitted copies of his Aadhaar card for the invitation, we could not get a gazetted officers signature, said Haider.

Meena said that it was at this point that the couple decided to meet in Nepal in March.

We met in Nepal and booked a hotel where we stayed for seven days. Here, we watched Gadar on mobile and spent time with each other. We then decided to get married, said the 21-year-old, who works at a department store in the village, adding, If Seema returns to Pakistan, she will undoubtedly be killed.

Haider added, In our culture in Pakistan, women are not even allowed to use a phone, let alone play games and talk to other men.

Meenas parents said they wholeheartedly accept Haider. In contrast to police officers, Meenas father said he did not know about his sons relationship with Haider. I only found out when the police knocked on our door on June 30. I had no idea Sachin had rented a flat in our village and that Seema was living there with four children, said Singh, who operates a plant nursery in Kasna village.

Haider is said to have entered India illegally through Nepal on May 11 and took a bus to Greater Noida.

I flew from Karachi to Sharjah in UAE, then to Nepal on a connecting flight. In Nepal, I took a van to Pokhara and then a private bus to Delhi. So far, no one questioned me. When I boarded the bus to Delhi, the conductor inquired about my name and address, and I replied that my name was Seema and my husbands name was Sachin Meena, and we lived in Rabupura. I named my children Raj, Priyanka, Pari, and Munni, said Haider.

Haider then boarded another bus from Delhis Kashmere Gate ISBT to Jewar, where she alighted at the Faleda intersection in Rabupura, where Meena awaited her.

Since May 13, Haider and her four children had been living with Meena in a room he rented for 2,500 a month in Ambedkar Nagar colony, Rabupura, at least a kilometre away from his fathers home in Meena Thakurain colony.

To get married legally, the couple approached an advocate in Bulandshahr on June 29, seeking legal advice. However, the advocate alerted the police after he saw Haiders Pakistani passport.

Later on June 30, Haider and Meena, who were trying to flee the district by taking a bus to Palwal, were apprehended by the police in Ballabgarh. The four children accompanied the duo.

Meanwhile, SM Khan, deputy commissioner of police in Greater Noida, said the charges against the three suspects were bailable. The case will now go to trial, and the judge will render a verdict. A charge sheet will be filed soon, he said.

According to the couples lawyer, Hamant Krishna Parasher, they must sign an undertaking at the Rabupura police station daily to prove they are in town. According to the bail conditions, the three must report to the local police station daily and sign in. As a result, they are not permitted to leave the town under the law, he said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ashni Dhaor Ashni Dhaor is a correspondent with Hindustan Times. She covers crime, education, health, politics, civic issues and environment in Ghaziabad city. She graduated from Delhi University in 2015 and has since been working with Hindustan Times since. ...view detail
VARANASI A contractual lineman of the electricity department has been arrested for allegedly beating up a Dalit man and forcing him to lick his shoes, in a village in the Shahganj area of district Sonbhadra, police said on Sunday. In his complaint submitted to police on July 8, Rajendra Chamar said he belongs to the Scheduled Castes (SC) category. (FOR REPRESENTATION)

The action was taken after a video purportedly of the incident had gone viral on social media, they said, adding that the accused has been terminated from the service.

Police said that the Dalit man, Rajendra Chamar, a resident of Bahuar village of Robertsganj police station area, was visiting his maternal uncles house in Baldih village of Shahganj police station. On July 6, the electricity supply was disrupted at the house. While he was trying to locate the fault, Tejbali Singh Patel, a contractual lineman of the electricity department, arrived and began beating him and yelling obscenities and casteist slurs at him.

In his complaint submitted to police on July 8, Rajendra Chamar said he belongs to the Scheduled Castes (SC) category.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered against Patel under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and under section 323 (Voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code at Shahganj police station, circle officer Amit Kumar said, adding that the accused has been arrested and further investigation is on into the matter.

Two videos of this incident went viral on social media. Some people tweeted both viral videos to the police department. In the video, the accused is also seen twisting one arm of the complainant, pushing him onto the ground, climbing up on his chest and slapping him. He is also seen making the complainant lick his footwear.

In a tweet on Saturday night, the Uttar Pradesh Police said, DGP UP has taken cognizance of the incident and directed the DIG range to visit the scene of the crime. An FIR has been registered under the SC/ST Act, and the accused has been promptly arrested. The DGP has given directions for the strictest legal action against the accused.

On Sunday, the state police wrote on Twitter: Update - Due to the swift action taken by @sonbhadrapolice, Tejbali Singh Patel, the arrested accused, has been terminated from service by the electricity department.

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LUCKNOW The Crop Weather Watch Group of the state council of agricultural research released a set of guidelines on how farmers should manage their crop yield and animal rearing farms adequately in this changing weather. The UPCAR crop weather watch group also said that vegetables should be grown inside nurseries. (Representative photo)

Given the Met Departments prediction that over the next few weeks the monsoon will persist with light-to-moderate showers across most cities, rice farmers have been advised to complete planting their seedlings as soon as possible, and to replant seedlings where the crop has died so that the yield turnover does not get affected.

Arhar, groundnuts and sesame ought to be given first priority when it comes to plantation in this weather. The farmers have also been advised to construct at least foot long boundaries around their land so that the accumulated water does not flow out and the waterlogging can be taken advantage of.

The UPCAR crop weather watch group also said that vegetables like brinjal, chilli and cauliflower should be grown inside nurseries rather than in open fields during the monsoon season.

Separately, animal husbandry farmers have been directed to ensure that their cattle are vaccinated against the lumpy skin disease (LSD) from any veterinarian in the region, by taking advantage of the vaccination program being run by the state government. Cattle, i.e cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, etc. should also be vaccinated against Gal-Ghotu disease (haemorrhagic septicaemia), blackleg and enterotoxaemia.

Lastly, for fish farmers, the UPCAR has directed that they sprinkle their fish seeds soon, and prepare themselves with the chemicals and purifiers required to increase the oxygen level in ponds, so that the fish do not die in contaminated water.
LUCKNOW While his graduate degree couldnt land him a job, a brief training at ICAR-National Bureau of Fisheries Genetic Resources (NBFGR) proved to be a boon for 26-year-old Lucknow-resident Mohd Hammad. Lucknow resident Mohd Hammad (HT Photo)

Following the training in fish farming, Hammad started his own business in 2019 with eight cement tanks and two poly house underground nursery ponds. Four years hence, his Gomti Nagar-based start-ups annual turnover is around 30 lakh.

Hammad rears pangasius fish in his farm which has a huge demand in Uttar Pradesh. Today, I export fish to 5-7 districts in the 100 km adjoining area of Lucknow, said Hammad, who did not have any fishing background before starting his venture.

Interestingly, he is not the only one to have scripted a success story in fish farming. A Barabanki-resident, Suresh Sharma, who holds a PhD in fisheries, is also a well-known fish businessman locally.

After pursuing my Bachelors and Masters degrees in fisheries and a PhD in the same from ICAR-NBFGR, I decided to launch my start-up -- Waris Fish Farm. I used my 2-hectare land in my village for fish hatchery. Here, I hatch 90% of pangasius fish which is in high demand, said Sharma, the son of Army man with no involvement in the fish business.

Gone are the days when fishing business was only associated with a particular community. Like farming and start-ups, fish agriculture is also becoming a lucrative start-up area for youngsters, who are using their farms to dig ponds. Seeds from West Bengal are hatched in different artificial ponds till the time they are in the stage of marketing.

On National Fish Farmers Day on Monday (July 10), these young entrepreneurs will be given certificates for achieving significant results in the sector. Talking about youngsters entering into the fisheries sector, ICAR-NBFGR director, UK Sarkar said, It is emerging as a promising avenue providing vast opportunities for the countrys educated youth. With the governments support in the blue economy and sustainable development for livelihood enhancement, the sector is witnessing enormous growth, providing ample opportunities for educated youth to contribute and in turn, enjoy lucrative benefits.

He added, Centres Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana that aims to develop a comprehensive framework and reduce infrastructural gaps in the fisheries sector is one of the reasons why youth are attracted to this business.

According to the institute, not just youngsters, women farmers and housewives are also showing interest in fish farming, which has never been so common in the state. A few years ago, Rajrani from Bahuta (Barabanki) began fisheries work on a 0.75-hectare plot of land with vegetable cultivation in order to improve his familys standard of living. He has begun growing fish in her 0.25-hectare and 0.5-hectare rented ponds. Today, in addition to raising marketable fish on his property and feeding his family, he is also making money from selling fish. Such stories are in abundance across the state.

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The sixth Urban 20 (U20) Mayoral Summit concluded on Saturday in Gujarats Gandhinagar with a communique that set a six-point collaborative agenda for sustainable, equitable and resilient urban growth, prioritising water security and climate finance for cities for adaptation and mitigation. Delegates and participants from 57 cities across the world and 35 cities from India, including 45 Mayors, deputy Mayors of the global cities participated in the summit (Twitter Photo)

The two-day summit began Friday.

The communique outlines the vision for working collaboratively in providing city-level solutions to global climate, economic and environmental issues.

The communique  endorsed by 105 member cities  was handed over to Union minister of housing and urban affairs, Hardeep Puri, and G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant. It will be presented at the G20 meeting in September this year.

With its cities at the forefront of the climate crisis, the Communique emphasised the need to localise the global sustainability agenda shifting urban action from intention to action.

The six points of action include: encouraging environmentally responsible behaviours, ensuring water security, accelerating climate finance, championing local culture and economy, reinventing frameworks for urban governance and planning, and catalysing digital urban futures.

At the press conference at the summit venue, Kant said the G20, of which India currently holds the presidency, will take it forward in the leaders communique and get it implemented, adding that the critical focus was on good urban governance and good urban planning, and the use of technology, without which cities cant become the driver of growth.

Puri said that the gathering of domain experts  mayors and city leaders  is very important because these are the people who provide leadership at the grassroots level and governance in cities. But it is even more important when they collectively come up with a set of recommendations, which augur well for not only their own cities but cities globally. And they identify those actions that the rest of the system has to take, he added.

The U20 members stressed the need to overhaul development finance to increase support for climate action in cities, especially for adaptation in Global South cities facing the brunt of the climate crisis and close the massive finance gap holding back urban climate action, the press statement from C40 Cities, a permanent convenor of U20, said.

The housing and urban affairs minister praised the efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and said that before 2014, urban areas were seen as problematic and a challenge. But PM Modi has turned it into an opportunity.

He added that under National Democratic Alliance, the governments spending on urban schemes increased manifolds compared to what it was under the United Progressive Alliance regime. Between 2004 and 2014 (under the UPA government) the total expenditure on urban schemes was 1.57 lakh crore. In the last nine years, starting in 2014, its been 18 lakh crore, Puri said.

Kant continued, India has been a reluctant urbaniser but now we can leapfrog jump forward pole vault using technology like we are doing with the Svanidhi scheme by making everybody digitally literate, and also embedding digital technology in urban planning, in transport planning

Tokyos governor Yuriko Koike stressed on climate finance and water shortage. It is an inconvenient fact that there is not enough financing available (for climate action), she said, urging the G20 to collaborate to resolve the problem.

The Urban 20 (U20) Mayoral Summit was inaugurated on 7th July by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and Kaushal Kishore, minister of state for housing and urban affairs.

According to the ministry of housing and urban affairs, the two-day-long mayoral summit saw the participation of over 430 delegates and 70 plus non-governmental organisations. This was a record turnout for the Urban-20, one of the engagement groups of G-20, which is a cohort of countries such as India, Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the UK and the US. Together, these countries house two-thirds of the worlds population, around 85% of the global GDP and over 75% of the global trade.

Delegates and participants from 57 cities across the world and 35 cities from India, including 45 Mayors, deputy Mayors of the global cities participated in the summit.

The summit got representatives from international cities such as Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Dubai, Durban, Riyadh, Rio, Johannesburg and Tokyo, as well as Indian cities.
As common people are struggling with the skyrocketing prices of vegetables, including tomatoes, which made the most headlines, a shopkeeper in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore sold the vegetable for just 20 per kilo on Friday to mark the fourth anniversary of his shop. D Rajesh in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore sold tomatoes at  20 per kilo to mark the fourth anniversary of his shop. (Reuters/ Representative image)

38-year-old D Rajesh, the owner of D R Vegetables and onion shop in Sellakupam, said he bought 550 kgs of tomatoes at 60 per kilo, including the transportation charges, from Karnataka's Bengaluru. He then sold the vegetable at a loss of 40 per kilo to help the needy, reported TOI.

Informing that the offer did not let people stockpile the vegetable, he said, People were restricted to buy only one kg per person as I wanted as many people possible to benefit from the concession. The entire stock was sold in a few minutes. I established the shop after working for more than 30 years in my uncle's shop. I revised the rate to 48 per kg on Saturday. Again, I made a brisk business selling more than 280kg of tomatoes on Saturday."

Recounting how he sold onions at 10 when their prices were soaring, he said that he gives the discount every year to mark his shop's anniversary. "When I established the shop, in 2019, onion prices were soaring above 100 per kg. But I sold it at 10 per kg as an opening offer," he said.

In Chennai, tomatoes are currently selling at 100-130 per kg. Last month, the state government decided to sell the vegetable at a subsidized rate of 68 per kg at ration shops in a bid to bring some respite to the consumers amid the price spiral.
Ranbir Kapoor's sister Riddhima Kapoor Sahni and brother-in-law Bharat Sahni have shared pictures and videos as they celebrated Neetu Kapoor's 65th birthday in Italy. Taking to Instagram on Saturday, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni shared a picture from Neetu's birthday celebration as the family stepped out for lunch. (Also Read | Ranbir Kapoor celebrates mom Neetu Kapoor's birthday; Alia Bhatt shares a message for queen saasu ma) Neetu Kapoor poses with son Ranbir Kapoor and daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.

Ranbir goes out for lunch

In the picture, clicked inside a restaurant, Neetu Kapoor sat in a chair as she held a glass. Her daughter Riddhima posed next to her while Ranbir stood behind them. All of them smiled in the picture. For their lunch, Neetu opted for an all-black ensemble--T-shirt, blazer and pants. Ranbir was seen in a blue shirt, pants a cap and dark sunglasses. Riddhima opted for a pink T-shirt and denims.

Riddhima's note

She captioned the post, "Just the Three of us building castles in the sky #portofino." Riddhima geo-tagged the location as Langosteria Paraggi. Soon after she dropped the picture, fans took to the comment section and posted birthday wishes for the veteran actor. A person wrote, "Happy birthday Neetu mam." An Instagram user wrote, "Happy birthday. Have a lovely year @neetu54." Sharing the photo on her Instagram Stories, Neetu wrote, My world.

Riddhima posed with Neetu

Riddhima posted another picture on her Instagram Stories as she hugged her mother. While Neetu sat in a chair Riddhima posed behind her. Though Riddhima didn't caption the post, she simply added a heart sticker.

Ranbir, Riddhima celebrated their mother's birthday in Italy.

Bharat also shared pictures.

Bharat shares more photos and videos

Bharat on his Instagram Stories shared more glimpses from their lunch. He posted a clip in which Neetu smiled and posed for the camera. Several other people were also seated with her. As the camera panned, Riddhima blew him a kiss as she sipped her drink. Their daughter Samara was also seen waving in the clip.

In another photo, Samara was seen taking a dip in the blue waters. She was joined by her uncle Ranbir as seen in another picture. As Samara sat in the water, Ranbir stood next to her looking at his niece. He wore pants, a cap, and dark sunglasses. He held a drink in one hand and an inflatable tube in the other.

Riddhima's birthday post for Neetu

On Saturday, Riddhima had shared a picture on Instagram also featuring Neetu, Ranbir, Bharat and Samara. She had written, "Happy Bday Ma. We adore you #backboneofthefamily (major missing @aliaabhatt & my baby Raha) #portofino." Neetu headed to Italy a few days ago and has been exploring the place with Riddhima, Bharat and Samar.

Neetu and Ranbir's upcoming films

Neetu will be next seen in the film Letters To Mr Khanna with Sunny Kaushal and Shraddha Srinath. Ranbir, on the other hand, will be next seen in director Sandeep Reddy Vanga's action film Animal alongside Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna. The film is all set to hit the theatres on December 1.

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Many fans of Amber Heard have been wanting answers for why the Hollywood star left the US after her defamation trail against Johnny Depp.Earlier, reports emerged that Heard had quit Hollywood altogether as she relocated to Spain's capital city, Madrid. But recently, Heard was back with a bang with the premiere of her comeback film In the Fire. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp(File)

According to a report by people.com, a source revealed Amber moved to Spain because she felt she just had to get out of the U.S.

The trial was beyond stressful, and she wanted to start fresh, explained the source.

The insider also disclosed the current state of mind of Amber.

"She has new energy and is focused on things that she loves, added the source.

Amber currently lives with her now-two-year-old daughter Oonagh Paige, in a high-end area of Madrid. Talking about it, a source said she gets more privacy.

Notably, in June this year, a TikTok video of Amber circulated in which she highlighted how great she was in Spain. "I love Spain so much," said Amber to local reporters.

When reporters asked if she planned on staying, she replied, "Yes, I hope so. Yes, I love living here."

On the question of having any upcoming movie projects, Amber had said "I move on. That's life."

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Johnny had sued Amber for $50 million claiming she defamed him in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed about sexual violence. Johnny won the case and his ex-wife Amber was ordered to pay him $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. The jury had awarded Amber $2 million in compensatory damages for her countersuit against Johnny. However, recent reports say that Amber paid Johnny $1 million in damages as a settlement and dropped the idea of appealing the verdict.

Recently, director Conor Allyn of her comeback film In the Fire lauded Amber for how she dealt with the traumatic experience of the Johnny Depp trial.

Im so happy that Amber went through something so awful and it didnt change her as a person. Shes still the shining light that we explained earlier and to go through something that terrible and be able to come out the other side and be whole, well I cant imagine it, said Allyn.

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Former actor Sana Khan has spoken about losing weight post-pregnancy and how she feels paranoid when people talk about it. In a new interview, Sana also revealed that she has often seen her husband Anas Saiyad crying. She also said that Anas gets emotional while looking at the baby. (Also Read | Sana Khan, husband Anas Saiyad announce son's birth) Sana Khan welcomed her first child with her husband Anas Saiyad.

Sana Khan reveals son's name

As per the report, Sana and Anas named their baby Saiyad Tariq Jamil. Sana said that they wanted a name that signifies 'piousness, gentleness, care, and honesty'. She added that Jamil means 'beauty and Tariq means pleasant'.

Sana spoke about losing weight post pregnancy

Speaking with Times of India, Sana said, "I get so paranoid when people talk about weight loss after pregnancy. Of course, everyone wants to lose weight, and so do I, but not at the cost of compromising on my health or not eating what's required for my child's growth. A new mother shouldn't be made to believe that losing weight is more important than enjoying motherhood. I would rather promote the idea of being healthy. My child is my priority and weight loss can happen anytime."

Sana talked about Anas

Talking about Anas, she said, "I feel I don't even know him. He is so different. He gets so emotional while looking at the baby that he sometimes has tears in his eyes. I often see him crying. I even asked him once why he was crying as I was the crybaby in the relationship, and the baby was my partner-in-crime."

Sana and Anas became parents on July 5

Sana and Anas welcomed a baby boy last week. On Instagram, Sana announced the birth of her child. She captioned the video, "May Allah make us the best version of ourselves for our baby. Behtareen banna hai Allah ki amanat. JazakAllah khair for your love and duas that have made our hearts and souls happy on this beautiful journey."

More about Sana

Sana is best known for featuring in Bigg Boss 6 and Salman Khan's film Jai Ho. She quit her acting career before she married Anas in November 2020. In March 2023, she confirmed her pregnancy news in an interview.

"I'm looking forward to it. Obviously, it's a different journey altogether. Bohot emotionally bhi thoda mere liye as a woman ek up and down both chalta rehta hai (Emotionally, I have been facing many ups and downs). But I think it's a beautiful journey. I'm waiting to have my baby in my arms... that's it," Sana had told Iqra TV.

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As part of a growing recognition of Juneteenth across the country, more than a dozen special events were held in the Auburn area last month. The talks, performances and parade were the result of extensive planning. They were an expansion on efforts from the year, when U.S. News & World Reports included the city in its list of the top 12 destinations for celebrating the history-based holiday.

The Juneteenth events marked the anniversary of when enslaved people in Texas were informed that they had been freed. The day is now recognized as a federal and state holiday, with most employees of those governments getting the day off. Local governments, including the city of Auburn, consider Juneteenth a holiday, and neighboring counties, including Onondaga and Tompkins, recognize it as well.

But not Cayuga County. And that should change.

The union representing much of the county workforce has asked for Juneteenth to be designated as a county holiday but said the counteroffer from the Legislature was that employees should give up their floating holiday to make up for it. In the end, a new three-year contract with CSEA was ratified without Juneteenth being designated as a holiday for employees.

Many other municipalities  following the lead of federal and state governments  had no problem establishing this holiday outside of contract negotiations in the past couple of years. As a county situated in an area known for its historical connections to equal rights efforts, Cayuga sticks out in an embarrassing way for not doing this already.

Before Juneteenth 2024 comes around, county legislators should come together in a bipartisan manner and make this change happen.

The Citizen Editorial board includes executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd
In a big relief to fans of Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann, the couple have decided to call off their divorce, as per a source quoted by people.com. The couple's decision to call of their divorce comes amid recent reports of increased beef between them. However, recently Kim, Kroy and their kids were seen attending church in Atlanta. Kroy Biermann and Kim Zolciak(Twitter)

"They're getting along and calling off the divorce. They're trying to make it work for the kids," claimed the source.

According to people.com, the Superior Court of Fulton County in Georgia where the legal process of divorce was on, has granted Kim a "dismissal without prejudice of answer and counterclaim". And Kim retains the right to refile her claim in the future.

Earlier, talking about the divorce, Kim reasoned that the marriage was "irretrievably broken with no hope of reconciliation." The couple had filed for divorce in May and listed their date of estrangement as April 30 in court documents.

ALSO READ| Why did Amber Heard leave the US after defamation trial involving Johnny Depp?

An earlier report by People had quoted a friend of Kim as claiming that she had been planning for the split for a long time. The friend had also revealed that the pair's financial troubles including the foreclosure of their Georgia home due to defaulting on loans and reports of them owing the IRS over $1 million in unpaid taxes, played a major part in the estrangement.

Kim and Kroy had met at a charity event in May 2010. Since they got married, they had 4 kids together namely, 9-year-old twins Kaia Rose and Kane Ren, plus sons Kash Kade and Kroy Jagger. In 2013, Kroy adopted Kim's two daughters namely Brielle and Ariana from her previous marriage.

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Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin on Sunday said that the opposition across the country is united in its aim to defeat the autocratic regime of the BJP, even if his stance were to endanger the Tamil Nadu government. Chief minister MK Stalin on Sunday said that the opposition across the country is united in its aim to defeat the autocratic regime of the BJP. (PTI)

We have to be more mindful of who should not come to power than who should come to power, he said. Modi is scared of the building of the oppositionEven if it endangers our government here, we will oppose them. Stalin was speaking at a party wedding event in Chennai. His statements come ahead of the second opposition meeting scheduled in Bengaluru later this month after the first meeting was held by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Patna in June.

The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government will begin disbursing one of its key election promises of handing over 1000 in cash every month for every eligible woman headed household. The state had released conditions for being a beneficiary of this scheme such as excluding families who own four wheelers, use 500 units of electricity per billing cycle which is being criticised by the opposition allies AIADMK and BJP.

One crore women will benefit from this scheme, Stalin said. This has made some people jealous so they are criticising us, he said, referring to the BJP-led Union government. He asked if the BJP had fulfilled any of its poll promises made before they were elected in 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will retrieve black money stashed abroad and use it for the welfare of the people, Stalin said. He said he will create jobs for two crore people every month. But none of those have been fulfilled. He further lashed out at the BJP for turning a blind eye to civil protests such as the one by the wrestlers.

Realising all this and to answer such an autocratic regime, all the opposition parties in India have united to bring a good solution to the country, Stalin said. Today a huge threat has come to India. We have a duty to save the country.

The next opposition meeting in Bengaluru will be held on 17 and 18 of July to strategize for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP unit in Tamil Nadu has already warned of a protest if Stalin were to attend it given the dispute with Karnataka over the Mekedatu dam proposal. Thirty-two leaders from 15 Opposition parties came together at a mega meeting in Patna including Stalin, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi CM and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, Maharashtras former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCPs Sharad Pawar

BJP state president K Annamalai rebutted that it is Stalin who is running a corrupt regime without fulfilling more than 90% of his promises even after two years of governing. It is surprising that the chief minister of the corrupt DMK government does not know that in the last 9 years, black money worth 1.25 lakh crore rupees has been recovered and 6000 rupees are being paid into the bank accounts of 11 crore farmers in our country every year, Annamalai said.

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The Congress party will observe a silent satyagraha in all states against the disqualification of former party president Rahul Gandhi from Parliament. All state committees will organize satyagraha near Gandhi statues in every state capital on Wednesday from 10 am to 5pm, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal announced on Sunday. The Congress party will observe a silent satyagraha in all states against the disqualification of former party president Rahul Gandhi from Parliament. (PTI)

Gandhi was disqualified on March 23 following his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his comment all thieves have Modi surname at an election rally in Kolar in 2019. Gandhis lawyers failed to get a stay on his conviction in the trial court, the sessions court and the Gujarat high court.

Even as the party is preparing to appeal in the Supreme Court against his conviction, the organization is gearing up to hit the streets over the issue. Rahul Gandhi has been the strongest and most vocal opponent of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government. After a hugely successful Bharat Jodo Yatra, Shri Rahul Gandhi delivered a historic address to the Lok Sabha, unearthing the unholy relationship between PM Modi and the Adani Group. As a result, the BJP deployed its dirty tricks to disqualify him from Parliament, Venugopal said.

Gandhis disqualification and a number of other issues had rocked the second half of the budget session. The Gujarat high courts refusal to stay Gandhis conviction means he will not be able to attend the upcoming monsoon session as he continues to be disqualified.

Undeterred, Shri Rahul Gandhi has remained steadfast in his resolve to take on the ruling regime, and listen to the problems that Indias poor, farmers, labourers, youth and marginalized are facing. Even outside Parliament, he remains the voice of the people, the leader who people can trust. As a result, not just the Congress, but the entire country is agitated at his wrongful and vindictive disqualification, said Venugopal.

We appeal to 140 crore Indians, regardless of affiliation, to stand with the forces of justice and liberty, to stand up against this muting of democracy, the Congress general secretary said.
Guv RN Ravi fit for removal, Stalin writes to President; BJP's 16-point stinker Tamil Nadu chief minister wrote to President Droupdadi Murmu against the conduct of Governor RN Ravi and sought the dismissal of the Governor for his 'political slant' -- taking the ongoing CM vs Governor battle in the state to the highest level. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai called it a 'cry note of corrupt Stalin' and gave a point-by-point rebuttal. Read more Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi and CM Stalin. (ANI)

Bawaal trailer: Twitter confused with Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor's love story: Hitler kaha se aaya?

Twitter is filled with mixed reactions to Nitesh Tiwari's romantic film Bawaal, starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor. The trailer came out on Sunday and left many questioning the comparison between a love story to World War 2. Similar questions were raised after the release of the film teaser too. Read more

Novak Djokovic served warning of surprise Wimbledon threat as resurgent star gears up for mouth-watering Alcaraz match

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All you need to know about ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission | IN PICS

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Four people were killed as Delhi recorded a little over 261mm of rain, or 125% of the amount it receives on average over the entire month of July, between 8.30am on Saturday and 5.30pm on Sunday in one of the wettest spells the Capital has ever recorded. A temple submerged in the swollen Beas river in Himachal Pradeshs Mandi district on Sunday. (PTI)

Read here: Rain to continue: Landslides in Himachal; schools shut in Delhi, Noida on Monday

The fatalities were of people killed by collapsing portions of buildings and uprooted trees. In the 24 hours till 8.30am on Sunday morning, a total 153mm of precipitation was recorded at the Safdarjung station, the third highest figure in the citys history since records were kept. Between then and 5.30pm, when India Meteorological Department (IMD) last updated data, the city received 105.8mm more.

The downpour meant the citys roads were waterlogged and many stretches were jammed as water caused deep potholes, and at one crossing in Rohini, a wide sinkhole to open up. IMD officials issued a yellow alert for Monday, predicting light to moderate showers, before the precipitation begins to let up.

In the first nine days of the month, the city has received 296.8 mm of rainfall, nearly 47% of the average it receives during the June-September monsoon season.

Behind the spells of deluge is a rare interaction between monsoon winds blowing in from the south and moist winds from the west (also known as a western disturbance), which has created atmospheric troughs over the northwest of the country, bringing very heavy to extremely heavy spells across several regions.

As a result, several rivers are in spate. A flood alert was issued for Delhi with more than 140,000 cusecs of water released from the Hathnikund barrage on Sunday, upstream on the Yamuna, which will lead to rising levels of the river in the Capital on Tuesday.

The rains led the government to announce that schools will be closed on Monday, a decision that other NCR towns of Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram too took. Delhi also cancelled the leaves of workers on Sunday, with officials and ministers fanning out to parts of the city to survey the situation.

Data compiled by Delhi traffic police suggested there were waterlogging complaints from 54 sites including key underpasses and tunnels. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) received 32 complaints, the Public Works Department 138 and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation 42 complaints on Sunday evening.

Read here: Delhi schools to remain closed on Monday due to rain, announces Kejriwal

Key stretches such as the Minto bridge and Pragati Maidan tunnel were closed while the NDMC was forced to shut down electricity supply in places like the North avenue, Lodhi estate and Bharti Nagar to prevent the risk of electrocution due to flooding inside homes.

Trees were uprooted and branches fell at at least 39 locations, disrupting traffic flow.

Agencies also reported two road cave-ins at Rohini and Najafgarh road, while a house collapsed in Zakhira area near Moti Nagar in west Delhi on Sunday morning when two children were rescued.

The Delhi fire services received 13 calls from various parts of the city regarding houses being damaged or collapsing due to rain.

Experts said the chaos triggered by rains demonstrated the need for proactive steps. There is likely to be reduction in rain for Delhi and Haryana from Monday. Government should take action based on forecast and not on past weather. Administration needs to be proactive in taking decisions based on forecast, said Vineet Kumar, researcher, Typhoon Research Center, Jeju National University, South Korea.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday tweeted that the city had received 15% of its annual monsoon rainfall in just 12 hours due to which there was waterlogging occurred. All the Sunday leaves are cancelled and officers have been asked to be present on ground. All the ministers and mayor will also inspect problem areas, Kejriwal said.

The ministers inspected vulnerable areas while BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva alleged that there has been corruption in pre-monsoon desilting, which led to flooding in the city.

PWD minister Atishi inspected preparations at heavy waterlogging points such as ITO, Tilak Bridge, Zakhira and Lawrence road, where she was seen in knee-deep water. In the last 24 hours, there was a rainfall of more than 150mm. 40 years record has been broken. The monsoon preparation is based on last 5-7 years of weather pattern. We are prepared to cater to 100m rainfall. Now were doing all the necessary arrangements for 150mm rainfall... all the ministers are on field since morning, the minister said at ITO.

At the Mathura road, where the ministers house is located, there was knee-deep water-logged at the entrance to her residence. Similar situation was reported from neighbourhoods like Defence Colony, Greater Kailash, Friends Colony and Jangpura, where many had their basements flooded.

The data from the IMD shows that 153mm rainfall recorded in 24 hours till 8.30am on Sunday was the highest since July 25, 1982, when the capital had recorded 169.9 mm rainfall. The highest-ever 24hr rainfall in July was recorded on July 20, 1958 when the city received 266.2mm rainfall.

This is the first time since September 2021 that Delhi has recorded two consecutive days of over 100mm rainfall. The last time was on September 1 and 2, when 112.1mm and 117.7mm were recorded respectively, the official added.

The break-up of rainfall over various stations in Delhi shows that maximum rainfall was observed near Safdarjung base observatory and Lodhi road (116mm). The other stations saw Palam 29.6mm, Ridge 65mm, Aya Nagar 44.1mm, Delhi University 24.5mm, Jafarpur 42mm Pitampura 33mm and Pusa road 28mm.

Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD said the intensity of rain is expected to reduce from Monday with the monsoon trough moving towards the Himalayan foothills. There are chances of similar spells of rain at foothills of the mountains, he added.

Read here: Rain updates: Delhi officers' off cancelled as city breaks 41-year record; flood-like scene in Gurugram

Mahesh Palawat, vice president Skymet, too said Delhi will see moderate rainfall on Monday and the intensity will gradually reduce afterward. The monsoon trough will shift towards north. This weather was observed due to trough along with cyclonic circulation in Punjab and western disturbances. With shifting of the trough, the weather will ease up, he added.
Only a handful of voters were allowed to exercise their franchise at the polling booth where I was deployed as a polling officer. Supporters of a particular party stamped the ballot paperswe watched everything helplessly Smokes and flame billow from a vehicle that has been set ablaze by miscreants after West Bengal elections, at Belon village under Chakulia police station limits, in Uttar Dinajpur on Sunday. (ANI)

Forty-year-old Subir Das, a school teacher who served as a polling officer in Murshidabad district in south West Bengal during the panchayat elections on Saturday, was among several officials who complained of malpractices like booth capturing and damaging of ballot boxes, as political parties spread fear through violence and arson to keep voters and polling agents of rivals at bay.

There were no Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel around to stop the miscreants. We watched everything helplessly, Das, who refused to identify the political party and the designated number of the polling booth where the alleged malpractices took place, said.

He, however, said that the booth was located in Kandi sub-division of the district.

State government employees, including teachers from state-run schools, are usually deployed as polling officers during every election.

In north Bengal, 51-year-old Parag Biswas, an English teacher at a high school, was deployed as a presiding officer of a booth at a primary school in Jalpaiguri sadar community block.

Only one policeman was stationed at the booth. Supporters of several political parties gathered without permission, telling us they would go on a rampage if their rivals resorted to any unfair means. They got into fistfights outside the booth, Biswas said.

After polling ended, around 50 men on motorcycles chased our car in which we were taking the ballot boxes to another school where CAPF personnel were present. The group saw the CAPF men and drove away. Had the CAPF personnel not arrived, they would have looted the ballot boxes, Biswas added.

At least 19 people were killed and several injured in a wave of violence that marked the single-phase elections on Saturday, raising questions over the role of the state election commissions (SEC) to ensure smooth conduct of polling. On Sunday, SEC ordered repolling in 697 booths spread across 19 districts.

In the run up to the polls, the Calcutta high court had directed SEC to requisition central forces and deploy them especially in constituencies that the polling body had already declared to be sensitive.

While SEC had sent requisition for 822 companies of central forces, only around 649 companies (around 59,000 personnel) were deployed on Saturday, according to people aware of the details. Another 681 companies (around 61,290 personnel) arrived after polling was over, they said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) was acting as the coordinating agency for deployment of CAPF.

The Centre had earmarked all the forces and they were ready for mobilisation. We have been requesting the SEC to give us the list of sensitive booths, where the troops would be deployed. Had we got the list well in advance, we would have mobilised the forces accordingly. The list was not provided to us even on Saturday morning, a senior BSF officer said on condition of anonymity.

The SEC, however, dismissed the officers claims, saying the list was declared before the high court.

The district-wise deployment plan was made available to the BSF well in advance. The list of sensitive booths was also shared in the court. Also, the list of sensitive booths and deployment plans were available with the nodal officers of each district. We told the court that there were around 4,863 sensitive booths, which is around 7.84% of the total polling stations, a senior SEC official said, wishing not to be named.

Amid allegations by opposition parties that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) was behind the spate of violence, cabinet minister Firhad Hakim reiterated that polling was peaceful and violence took place only in around 60 of the states 61,636 polling booths  a claim made by the party on Saturday.

Where were the central forces during the elections? Where was the coordinator? Supporters of BJP, CPI(M) and Congress killed so many of our men and now we have to take the blame as well, he said.
Himanta Biswa Sarma attacks Rahul Gandhi for joining farmers: Desire of Prince Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday made an unplanned visit to Madina village in Haryana's Sonipat district where he was seen spending time with the farmers in the field. Read more Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

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India was once home to a legendary statistical ecosystem that was the envy of the developed and developing worlds. But seven-and-a-half decades after independence, the country has squandered its competitive advantage. The end result is that Indian policymakers are often flying blind. The bill will now be referred to as the data protection bill and not the personal data protection bill.

Read here: Cabinet clears fifth draft of privacy law

This is the major takeaway of a new report, Indias Statistical System: Past, Present, Future, published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and authored by the journalist Pramit Bhattacharya. Pramit expanded on his views on last weeks episode of Grand Tamasha, a weekly podcast co-produced by HT and Carnegie. After 24 episodes, the podcast wrapped up its ninth season and goes on hiatus until September.

Bhattacharyas new report is arguably the single-best resource on the trials and tribulations of Indias data machinery. It is based on dozens of interviews Bhattacharya conducted with data producers and consumers. Bhattacharya, who writes the Truth, Lies, and Statistics column for Mint and the Simply Economics column for the Hindustan Times, emphasised the centrality of Indias data systems at this crucial inflection point for the country.

At this geopolitical moment where India has a chance to emerge as an alternative manufacturing base for the world, we know what are the issues with the Chinese economic model, explains Bhattacharya. All of this presents an opportunity for a democratic country like India to really set its house in order and build a more welcoming environment for foreign investors.

But Bhattacharya warns that reforming Indias apex statistical architecture is about more than geopoliticsits about democracy itself.

Its important to restore the credibility of official datasets simply because you dont want to give bad actors a chance to take advantage of this mistrust, distrust or whatever you want to call it, the author told Grand Tamasha host Milan Vaishnav. You [need to] basically take preemptive steps to counter any possible misinformation campaign and protect your democracy against unwanted attacks.

Read here: Why a balanced data bill is key

The urgent need of the hour, Bhattacharya posited, is to insulate data collecting and disseminating bodies from political interference. In recent years, political pressures on the system have grownand that is something most people acknowledge, he says, To solve this problem, you need a certain institutional architecture, a certain legal backing for autonomous statistical agencies both at the state and the central level. Without such independence, Bhattacharya contends that Indias data woes will continue.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin wrote to President Droupdadi Murmu against the conduct of governor RN Ravi and sought the dismissal of the Governor for his 'political slant' -- taking the ongoing CM vs governor battle in the state to the highest level. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai called it a 'cry note of corrupt Stalin' and gave a point-by-point rebuttal. RN Ravi recently fired minister V Senthil Balaji from the Cabinet after he was arrested in the cash-for-job scam. Hours later, the order was withdrawn as questions were raised about whether the Governor could take the decision without consulting the chief minister. (Read: Scope of Governors powers in focus amid Tamil Nadu row) Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin wrote to President saying RN Ravi is fit to be removed from his post.

Citing this incident and other recent points of clashes between Stalin and Ravi, the chief minister, in his letter to the President, wrote: "By way of his behaviour and action, the Governor has proved to be partial and ineligible to hold the office of Governor; Ravi is fit to be removed from the high office."

Stalin wrote he was leaving the matter of Ravi's removal from office to her decision -- whether Ravi's continuation in the post would be desirable or suitable considering the sentiments and dignity of the founding fathers of India's Constitution.

RN Ravi versus MK Stalin: Here's what Stalin wrote

In his letter which Stalin shared on Twitter, the Tamil Nadu chief minister said a governor who looks for opportunities to pull the state government ruled by a party which is not at the Centre can be regarded as a 'mere agent'.

RN Ravi is a threat to Tamil Nadu's peace, Stalin added.

Stalin wrote he believes that the President would accept that a governor must be above party politics and secular in outlook.

Annamalai's rebuttal to Stalin's accusation: 'How is the governor responsible'

State BJP chief Annamalai said Stalin and the corrupt DMK government is an 'acting puppet for sand smugglers and money launderers'. How the governor is responsible for the 'rampant corruption in every department of the TN government', Annamalai asked.

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Heavy rain will continue to batter north India with the national capital on Sunday recording the highest single-day rainfall in the last 40 years. The combined impact of the active monsoon trough and a Western Disturbance will bring in more downpours coming week though the intensity will vary. India Meteorological Department in its evening bulletin said a low-pressure area also lies over southwest Rajasthan and neighbourhood. (Monsoon mayhem in North India: Follow LIVE updates) Several areas of Delhi were inundated after two days of heavy rain. (PTI)

Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad schools closed on Monday

Delhi received 153 mm of rain till 8.30am on Sunday, the highest since July 1982. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that all schools will remain closed on Monday due to the two-day incessant rain in the Capital. By Tuesday, the water level in the Yamuna River is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres. As parts of Delhi were rendered crippled owing to the two-day spell of heavy rain with Connaught Place getting waterlogged, the leaves of all government officers on Sunday were cancelled.

"Delhi received 126 mm of rain yesterday. 15 per cent of the total rainfall of the monsoon season fell in just 12 hours. People were very upset due to water logging. Today, all the ministers and mayor of Delhi will inspect the problem areas. Officers of all departments have been instructed to cancel the Sunday holiday and get on the ground," Kejriwal tweeted earlier on the day.

Schools in Noida will also remain closed on Monday in view of the heavy rain, the district administration said. Schools in Ghaziabad, Faridabad are shut on Monday as well.

Delhi rainfall prediction for Monday

According to IMD, light to moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely in Delhi for the next 5 days.

Dr Charan Singh, Head of the Regional Meteorology Center, New Delhi, said the intensity will gradually decrease in Delhi. "If I speak about Delhi NCR, still there are chances of heavy rainfall at 1-2 locations and then Delhi NCR will not be witnessing heavy rainfall for the next 4 to 5 days. Although rain will continue to occur intermittently, but the intensity will be less," Singh said, as quoted by ANI.

Rain in Gurugram: Work from home, schools closed

As Gurugram was chock-a-block on Sunday with traffic snarls triggered by heavy rain, deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav asked residents to stay indoors and come out only for essential work. Corporate offices have been asked to opt for work from home and private schools in Gurugram will remain closed on Monday.

Rain in the hills: Landslide in Himachal, deaths in Uttarakhand

The situation in Himachal Pradesh worsened as 14 major landslides and 13 flash floods have been reported in the hill state in the last 36 hours. Over 700 roads have been closed. A red alert has been issued in Himachal Pradesh and the government has asked people to stay alert. In Uttarakhand, three pilgrims drowned in the Ganga after their jeep fell into the river amid a landslide near Gular on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway.

In the high-altitude areas of J&K and Ladakh, there were reports of snowfall. Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Delhi and J&K LG to take updates on the situation.

Rain prediction in Himachal, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh

For the next two days, extremely heavy rainfall will continue in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. According to the IMD bulletin, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Uttar Pradesh during July 10-13.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Poulomi Ghosh Poulomi Ghosh is a journalist with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. ...view detail
Hyundai is ready to launch its much-awaited and much-hyped SUV Exter in India on July 10. Already unveiled on its website, the Hyundai Extere is going to be the next big launch from the brand in India. Also, this is going to be the next big launch in the Indian utility vehicle space in July 2023, after the introduction of the Maruti Suzuki Invicto and the launch of the Kia Seltos facelift , both of which have been launched in the country earlier this month.

Hyundai has touted the upcoming micro SUV as a modern SUV that symbolizes outdoor, travel and leisure. The South Korean auto giant also claimed that the Exter takes inspiration from the natural world around it and reflects an identity that is external and focused on the outside. The SUV is already available for booking through the company's website and dealerships. A key USP of the car is that it is expected to come as one of the most budget-friendly SUVs from Hyundai.

Also Read : Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Suzuki Fronx: Which model offers what feature

Before the car launches tomorrow, here are all the details about it we know so far.

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Hyundai Exter: Design

Hyundai Exter comes with a design that is unique compared to the automaker's other SUVs available in India. The front fascia gets H-shaped LED daytime running lights sitting on top of the projector headlamps that sit at both ends of the black meshed radiator grille. The LED DRLs are connected by a sleek black strip. There is a skid plate and the car's side profile highlights a black cladding. It runs on diamond-cut sporty alloy wheels. Moving to the back, there are H-shaped LED taillights connected by a thick shiny black bar.

Overall, sharing the Grand i10 Nios' platform, the car looks compact and eye-catching with its contemporary design. Some other design elements as we have seen in the images revealed by the automaker include a prominent parametric front grille and Ranger Khaki exterior colour. The SUV will come with the longest wheelbase in its segment at 2,450 mm. Also, it will be the tallest model in its segment with a height of 1,631 mm. These will ensure better headroom and legroom for the occupants.

Hyundai Exter: Expected price and rivals

Hyundai Exter is already available for booking online and offline at 11,000. It is expected to come priced in the range of 6-10 lakh (ex-showroom), which will make it the most affordable Hyundai SUV in India. Upon launch, the SUV will lock horns with Tata Punch. Besides that, it will also challenge rivals like Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Maruti Suzuki Fronx, Citroen C3, Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite etc.

Hyundai Exter: Features

Hyundai Exter may come as a sub-10 lakh SUV, but the automaker has already hinted that it will come loaded with a wide range of features. Some of the most prominent features that will be available in the Exter will include a 4.2-inch digital display at the instrument cluster, a free-standing eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with various connectivity options, a dashcam with front and rear camera, smartphone app-based connectivity features, and voice-enabled smart electric sunroof among others.

Hyundai Exter: Safety

On the safety front, the Hyundai Exter will come as the country's first sub-four-metre SUV equipped with six airbags, including driver, passenger, curtain and side airbags. Hyundai has said that it will have 26 safety features including ESC (Electronic Stability Control), VSM (Vehicle Stability Management) and HAC (Hill Assist Control), three-point seat belt and seatbelt reminder, keyless entry, burglar alarm, ESS, parking sensors, ABS with EBD, and more.

Hyundai Exter: Specification

Hyundai Exter will be available in multiple powertrain options. These will include an E20 fuel-ready 1.2-litre Kappa petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Also, there will be an AMT on offer. Besides this, there will be a CNG variant on offer as well, which will get a 1.2-litre bi-fuel Kappa petrol engine.

First Published Date:
NEW DELHI/Shimla/Dehradun/Srinagar Heavy rains lashed large swathes of North India on Sunday, leaving at least ten people dead , with rivers in spate, urban infrastructure buckling under the weight of the incessant downpour, and widespread damage to property. The worst damage came from the hill states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, with homes and shops, even a section of the National Highway 3 to Manali being submerged in angry rivers, with the administration sounding warning for people to stay off the roads and take shelter. Panchvaktra Temple partially submerged after Beas river swelled up due to heavy rainfall in Mandi on Sunday. (PTI)

There were five deaths in Himachal Pradesh alone in rain related incidents with three people of a family killed after their home collapsed due to a landslide in Panevali village of Kotgarh. Another landslide in Kakiyan in Chamba buried one person who was later found dead, and the body of a woman was also recovered from the debris of a landslide in Kullus Lankabekar village. Officials said that over 250 roads in the state had been shut, and most rivers and streams were flowing above the danger mark. The most dramatic visuals came from the tourist destinations of Kullu and Manali where shops, standing cars, and even a segment of the national highway fell into the swirling waters of the river Beas. In Lahaul-Spiti, 30 college students who were stranded between Granphu and Chhota Darra after a flash flood on Samdo Kaza-Granphu road were rescued in an overnight operation.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in five districts of Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur Bilaspur , Una, Shimla , Solan, Kullu and Sirmaur. It has also issued a flash flood warning for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Sirmaur, Shimla and Mandi for Monday. The flooding has prompted the authorities to open the floodgates of Pandoh Dam, and people living in areas downstream have been advised to stay away from the river.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that there are reports of extensive damage in several parts. People are advised to avoid travelling until very necessary. Authorities have been directed to stay alert and provide every possible help to the affected people, he tweeted. A total of 45 people have been killed in the state since the onset of the monsoon last month.

In neighbouring Uttarakhand, an elderly couple was killed in Kashipur after their home collapsed amid heavy rains, and at least three pilgrims have drowned in the Ganga after their jeep fell into the river amid a landslide near Gular on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway. State Disaster Response Force officials said there were 11 people in the jeep and while five have been rescued and three bodies recovered, a search is on for three more people.

IMD Dehradun Centre has issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in various parts of the state for the next two days. Officials said that the swollen Gaula river is eroding land near the Haldwani railway station, prompting railway authorities and district administration to use JCB machines and sandbags in the riverbed to change the flow of the river away from the track.

In Jammu and Kashmir the rains forced the suspension of the Amarnath Yatra for the second consecutive day, with rains also predicted for the next 24 hours. The tourist resort of Pahalgam which serves as the basecamp for the Amarnath Yatra recorded an all time July high rainfall of 73.3 mm, with the previous best 60.44 mm in July 1983.

Two people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir after a landslide hit a passenger bus in Doda while in Kupwarad Jagerpora village, three minor girls were washed away by the waters of Phoru river. Two girls were rescued by local villagers but one is still missing and efforts are on to trace her. In Kulgam, the Mirbazar police received distress calls from people in Zadoora, Bumthan and Peerfurrah that live on the banks of the Vaishnav and Sandran rivulets, pleading that families residing in temporary tents needed evacuation. Police teams along with civil administration, UTDRF, under the close supervision of SSP Kulgam were constituted to rescue the families. With strenuous efforts of the joint teams, all the family members were evacuated and have been shifted to the safer places, police spokesman said.

In Haryana, there was widespread water logging in the low lying areas of Panipat, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Kaithal and Ambala affecting residential areas, markets and key roads. The flow of the Yamuna breached the danger mark of 70000 cusecs at the Hathini Kund barrage at 12 pm, flowing at 84000 cusecs. In rural areas, there was devastation too, with waters of the Markanda river for instance entering the villages of Tangor, Jharoli Khurd, Kathwa and Jhansa in Kurukshetra district.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday made an unplanned visit to Madina village in Haryana's Sonipat district where he was seen spending time with the farmers in the field. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted a video of the cameraperson capturing the moment of Rahul Gandhi walking in knee-deep water in the agricultural land and took a jibe saying the 'sudden desire of the Prince, and his desperation, to get real is laughable!" Himanta Biswa Sarma said farmers were heckled to pose as farmers for Rahul Gandhi's photos.

"But in your zeal to get captured by your photo & video team, for God's sake, do not demean the dignity of our Annadatas. The heckling of farmers to pose as a 'farmer' is deplorable Mr Gandhi. Get Real without the Reels," Himanta tweeted.

The official Twitter handle of the BJP posted the same video and called Rahul Gandhi a 'self-engrossed farmer' who planted paddy in front of four-five cameras. "Camerajeevi kisan Rahul Gandhi," the BJP handle tweeted. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate reacted to the camera jibe and wrote: 'Irony declared dead'.

In the footage shared by the BJP leaders a day after Rahul Gandhi's visit, a posse of camera persons can be seen around Rahul Gandhi. They too treaded the water as Rahul Gandhi posed with the farmers.

BJP's CT Ravi called Rahul Gandhi 'publicity jeevi' and said his entire ecosystem can try hard but will not succeed in reinventing the 'Dynast'. "It is laughable to watch Rahul try to prove himself that he cares for the common man when in reality he is trying to fool the masses. Despite being MP of Amethi for almost 15 years, Rahul could not nurture it into a model constituency and was defeated by Smt @smritiirani forcing him to run away to Wayanad. With every such attempt to fool Bharatiyas, @RahulGandhi will end up making a bigger fool of himself," CT Ravi tweeted sharing the same video.

Rahul Gandhi visited the village on Saturday morning and spent around 2.5 hours there. Apart from interacting with the villagers, he tried his hand in paddy sowing and then drove a tractor. He also ate food at the field. Several Congress leaders shared the photos while the Congress MLA from Sonipat's Gohana said he had no information that Rahul Gandhi would be visiting.

Recently, Rahul Gandhi made several public outreach initiatives as he met truck drivers and listened to their problems.

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KOCHI: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a long-standing ally of the Congress in Kerala, on Sunday declined the invitation of the state CPM to take part in a series of seminars planned against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) proposal of the BJP. HT Image

The decision was taken at a meeting convened by IUML state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal in Kozhikode attended by top leaders of the party.

The CPM has invited only the Muslim League to the seminar. No other constituents of the UDF including the Congress have been invited. We are one of the main constituents of the UDF and we believe that the strongest opposition to the UCC in the country can be done by the Congress. On this issue, we cannot move forward without the Congress. In such a scenario, the Muslim League cannot participate in the seminars called by the CPM, Thangal told reporters after the meeting.

The decision will come as a relief for the Congress in the state which had slammed the CPMs invite to its ally and termed it as a move to capture the Muslim votebank in the name of UCC in the general elections next year. Muslims comprise nearly 26 percent of the population in Kerala and wield influence to decide electoral outcomes particularly in the Malabar region.

On the issue of UCC, everyone should join hands and come together. This is a national issue and affects all religious communities, not just Muslims. Such a law should not be passed in Parliament, underlined Thangal, adding that Muslim outfits in the state are free to participate in any seminar called by any party to voice opposition to the UCC.

The CPM invite to IUML, seen as part of its moves to eventually bring the party into its fold, had triggered debate within the Congress ally as several Muslim outfits including the influential factions of the Samastha Kerala Jemiyyathul Ulama have nodded yes to the CPMs seminars. There were fears of erosion of its core votebank ahead of elections next year. But the IUML stand to stick with the Congress has strengthened the hand of the grand old party.

The CPM has no right to hold seminars against the UCC. It must first denounce the stand taken by its late leader EMS Namboodiripad who had spoken in favour of UCC. Even if we are invited to the seminars, we will not go. Our stand is to oppose the UCC and we have made it clear in the Parliament standing committee as well. There can be no joint protests with the CPM in Kerala against UCC, Congress MP K Muraleedharan told reporters.

At the same time, CPM state secretary MV Govindan said the IUMLs rejection of its invite is not a setback.

They are part of the UDF and they have taken a decision as a political party. We have not invited the Congress because it has often adopted a soft Hindutva stand. Some of their own ministers in other states have supported the UCC, said Govindan.

Both the Congress and IUML have declared that they will not take to the streets to protest against UCC. Instead, they will hold united and separate seminars and discussions against the controversial proposal in the weeks to come.

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When Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao led a huge convoy of over 600 vehicles from Hyderabad to Maharashtras Solapur and Pandharpur on a two-day visit last week, it evoked a lot of curiosity in political circles. PREMIUM Telangana CM KCR being welcomed by supporters in Solapur on Monday. (ANI)

It was not the first time that KCR, as the Telangana chief minister is called, visited Maharashtra. Since February 5, when he addressed his first public rally at Bhokar in Nanded  the first rally outside Telangana after the transformation of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) into Bharat Rashtra Samithi  he travelled to the neighbouring state thrice: to Kandhar-Loha on March 26, to Aurangabad on April 24 and to Nanded town on May 19.

But the chief ministers two-day visit to Pandharpur towards the end of June was unusual. Unlike in the earlier meetings when he flew down to the venues to address rallies, KCR this time chose to travel by road in a specially designed bus, followed by a huge convoy of vehicles, carrying his cabinet colleagues, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other senior party leaders. It was meant to be a show of strength.

The timing of KCRs two-day tour to Maharashtra was also a part of KCRs calculated strategy  it happened at a time when 15 opposition parties converged at Patna to build a platform to pull down the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre in the next years general elections.

KCR was not invited to the meeting, as these parties were suspicious of his political strategies that appeared to be indirectly benefiting the BJP. There is no clarity from the BRS president on his fight against the BJP in the 2024 general elections. That is why we have not invited him, Janata Dal (United) spokesman K C Tyagi told reporters a few days before the Patna meeting.

Obviously, the Telangana chief ministers visit to Solapur and Pandharpur has not gone down well with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackery) and the Congress.

If a chief minister of a neighbouring state comes to visit a temple and offer prayers, there is no reason to object. But, coming with a huge motorcade is worrisome. Instead of showing strength, KCR should have focused on further strengthening cooperation between the two states, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said in Pune, a day after KCR returned to Hyderabad.

Sharad Pawar was also not happy with the way KCR has been poaching several NCP leaders into the BRS in Maharashtra, including Bhagirath Bhalke, who unsuccessfully contested on an NCP ticket from Pandharpur in the 2021 polls. While Bhalke was a two-time MLA, other leaders from NCP include Chandrapur district unit president Priyadarshan Ajay Ingle, district unit vice-president Nikhil Jagdish Duryodhan, Ghugus city unit president Dilip Oshanna Pittalwar, youth wing secretary Hemant Singh Thakur, as well as minority cell secretary Arif Azmi and Thane district vice president Maqsood Khan.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also suspected KCRs strategy and told reporters in Mumbai that the BRS aimed to hurt the prospects of the MVA and divide votes. To whom is KCR trying to show this strength, Raut asked.

Shiv Sena (UBT)s mouthpiece Saamana, which Raut is the editor of, also lashed out at KCR in an editorial for putting up a big show in Maharashtra, calling it the B team of the BJP and accusing it of wanting to pave the way for the BJP by splitting votes that would otherwise go to the Shiv Sena.

WHAT IS KCRS GAME PLAN?

It was only in February 2022 that the KCR had visited Mumbai along with his party leaders and held meetings with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the issue of opposition unity to take on the BJP. But after the collapse of Uddhav government due to a split in Shiv Sena, KCR began distancing himself from the MVA.

He had earlier held a series of meetings with the other opposition leaders including Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Janata Dal (U) chief Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M K Stalin, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemanth Soren, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, with a proposal to build an anti-BJP and anti-Congress front.

But there were no takers for his proposal, as many of the parties suggested that the Congress should be part of the opposition front. They were apprehensive that KCRs plan would result in splitting the anti-BJP vote.

Following this, KCR came out with his strategy of projecting himself as the only alternative to the BJP. In October 2022, he transformed his TRS into the BRS with the slogan: Ab ki baar, kisan sarkar. Since then, he has been trying to give a national outlook for his party. By December, the Election Commission approved the name change. The party symbol continues to remain the same.

Initially, he tried to step into Karnataka by joining hands with Janata Dal (Secular) led by H D Kumaraswamy and announced that his party would campaign for the JD (S) in the assembly elections scheduled for May. His party leaders regularly visited the constituencies in Karnataka bordering Telangana to prepare the ground for the expansion of the BRS in the neighbouring state.

But when the elections were actually announced, BRS backtracked likely because he recognised that Congress was stronger than JD (S). Congresss win may have only strengthened his understanding of Congress as the bigger threat.

So, KCR has turned his attention to Maharashtra, even before the Karnataka elections. He addressed four rallies in Nanded, Aurangabad and Nagpur. He also inaugurated the partys first office in Nagpur on June 15.

At a meeting of the BRS functionaries from 288 assembly constituencies of Maharashtra held at the party office in Hyderabad on May 19, the BRS chief announced that the party would expand to over 45,000 villages and in 5,000 municipal wards in civic bodies in Maharashtra. "India awaits new leadership. India is fed up with present leaders. Today we are focusing on Maharashtra. Tomorrow you will have to work in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh," he said.

"Once the party work in Maharashtra begins, I will also go to the states in north India for a couple of weeks and work for the BRS there, he added.

Political analysts, however, say there is a much bigger game plan behind KCRs latest rhetoric in Maharashtra. He has repackaged the TRS into BRS only to divert the peoples attention from the real issues and battle the anti-incumbency in Telangana, political analyst and Osmania University professor K Nageshwar said.

He said KCR needed a space for himself in the national political scenario after the assembly elections in Telangana, irrespective of whether the BRS wins or loses. If the BRS returns to power in Telangana, there is every possibility that he will step down to make his son K T Rama Rao as the chief minister and move to national politics, for which he needs some foundation. That is why, he is expanding his party base in other states, Nageshwar said.

Political analyst and author Sriram Karri identified three possibilities that underpinned KCRs gameplan. One, is a possible understanding between the BRS and the BJP on the basis of which KCR may contest elections in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to split the anti-BJP vote. In return, the BJP-led Centre would go soft on KCR and his family.

Two, by expanding the party footprints in the neighbouring states, KCR wants to convey the message to the people of Telangana that if he is elected to power again, he would gain credibility and strength to play a bigger battle at the national level in the 2024 general elections.

Three, the BJP doesnt want KCR to be part of the proposed alliance of all opposition parties, as it will strengthen the anti-BJP forces and may even upset the BJP applecart.

Not too long ago, Telangana BJP leaders had claimed that there were financial irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project and asked Central government agencies to initiate an inquiry. BJP national president J P Nadda also made allegations about KCR having jacked up the cost of the Kaleshwaram project from 35,000 crore to over 1 lakh crore only for kickbacks. At the same time, the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate questioned KCRs daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha over her alleged role in the Delhi liquor policy scam.

On July 8, prime minister Narendra Modi called KCR's government, the "most corrupt" and whose corruption had even reached the National Capital, in a reference to Kavitha's alleged role in the liquor policy scam. The PM was in Warangal to launch development projects.

BRS working president K T Rama Rao, however, said his party would play a big role in the national politics in the coming years. We may appear like a small political outfit now. But every long journey will begin with just one step and we are now taking the initial steps. The BJP, too, began with just two MPs and now, it has grown to the level of ruling the country and many states, he told a national news agency last week.

KTR said the BRS had not joined hands with other parties to form an anti-BJP front. We do not believe in the theory of pulling down one party and bringing another party to power at the Centre. Both the Congress and the BJP betrayed the people. We want people to win and we shall strive in that direction, he said.

WHATS BREWING FOR KCR?

Though he dreams of playing a larger role in national politics, KCR is aware of the fact he has to fight a tough battle back home in Telangana in the assembly elections scheduled this year-end on account of a resurgence of opposition parties, Congress and BJP.

The Congress, which has been plagued with infighting and group rivalries, has only five MLAs in the 119-member state assembly. Though it had won three MP seats in 2019 general elections, it lost all the by-polls to the assembly in the last three years, besides losing heavily in the local body elections. Many of its senior leaders have defected either to the BRS or the BJP.

On the other hand, the BJP had been steadily growing in Telangana in the last three years, having won four MP seats, two by-elections to the state assembly and one-third of seats in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections.

Wary of the threat from the BJP, the BRS chief had been attacking the saffron party in general and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular in the last two years. He even tried to bring a case against BJP's top leadership for allegedly poaching four BRS MLAs.

The BRS government did a sting operation which led to the arrest of three people in October last year for allegedly trying to poach four MLAs into the BJP, by offering them money, posts and contracts. The BRS leaders claimed BJP national organisation secretary B L Santosh and a few others were responsible. The case was entrusted to a Special Investigation Team. However, the case has not made any headway: the arrested are out on bail and the SIT, which was supposed to question Santosh and others, could not do it due to a stay from the state high court.

After the central probe agencies began to inquire into KCRs daughter and MLC Kalvakuntla Kavithas role in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam, the BRS chief backtracked. Now, there is complete silence from both sides  there is no progress in the CID probe into the MLAs poaching case nor in the Enforcement Directorates probe into Kavithas role in the liquor scam.

It clearly shows there is a nexus between the BRS and the BJP. That is why KCR has stopped attacking the BJP and is targeting the Congress, PCC president A Revanth Reddy said at a press conference in Khammam on Friday.

The victory of the Congress in Karnataka in the just concluded assembly elections has completely changed the political dynamics in Telangana. The BJP has become totally beleaguered for the last one month, with senior leaders like Huzurabad MLA Eatala Rajender and former Munugode MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy raising a banner of revolt against state BJP president of Bandi Sanjay.

Several potential leaders like former Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former minister Jupalli Krishna Rao, who were contemplating joining the BJP after they were sacked from the BRS, changed their minds and jumped into the Congress. Many others are contemplating deserting the BJP to try their luck in the Congress.

The BJP on July 4 appointed new state presidents in four states, including poll-bound Telangana in what is seen as the first wave of organisational changes ahead of key state elections later this year and the national elections in 2024.

Among the changes announced, Union minister G Kishen Reddy has been appointed the president of the state unit in Telangana, while Etela Rajender has been given charge of the election management committee.

The resurgence of the Congress has now pushed KCR to rework the strategies. Apart from targeting the Congress, instead of the BJP, the chief minister is focusing on luring disgruntled Congress leaders into the BRS. Now, the Congress is a bigger threat. We need to work hard to win the elections, a BRS leader said on condition of anonymity.

Political analyst Karri said with the BJP facing internal wrangling over state leadership, the narrative will shift towards the Revanth Reddy-led Congress as the primary challenger for the BRS. The coming elections will definitely be a tougher challenge for KCR, he said.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a long-standing ally of the Congress in Kerala on Sunday, declined the invitation sent by the ruling- Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) to take part in a series of seminars planned against the Centres Uniform Civil Code (UCC). (File Photo)

The decision was taken at a meeting convened by IUML state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal in Kozhikode attended by top leaders of the party.

The CPM has invited only the Muslim League to the seminar. No other constituents of the UDF (United Democratic Front), including the Congress, have been invited. We are one of the main constituents of the UDF and we believe that the strongest opposition to the UCC in the country can be done by the Congress. On this issue, we cannot move forward without the Congress. In such a scenario, the Muslim League cannot participate in the seminars called by the CPM, Thangal told reporters after the meeting.

Also Read: UCC a googly bowled by Centre to divert attention from peoples issues, says Congresss Sachin Pilot

The decision will come as a relief for the Congress which had slammed the CPMs invite to its ally and termed it as a move to capture the Muslim votebank in the name of UCC in the general elections next year. Muslims comprise nearly 26% of the population in Kerala and wield influence to decide electoral outcomes, particularly in the Malabar region.

With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, the CPM is organising a national seminar in Kozhikode on 15 July against the Centres proposed move to implement the UCC.

On the issue of UCC, everyone should join hands and come together. This is a national issue and affects all religious communities, not just Muslims. Such a law should not be passed in Parliament, underlined Thangal, adding that Muslim outfits in the state are free to participate in any seminar called by any party to voice opposition to the UCC.

The CPM invite to IUML, seen as part of its moves to eventually bring the party into its fold, had triggered a debate within the Congress ally as several Muslim outfits, including the influential factions of the Samastha Kerala Jemiyyathul Ulama, have nodded yes to the CPMs seminars. There were fears of erosion of its core vote bank ahead of elections next year. But the IUMLs stand to stick with the Congress has strengthened the hand of the grand old party.

The verbal duel between the ruling CPM and the opposition Congress over the UCC got heated on Thursday with each accusing the other of not having a clear stand on the issue.

Also Read: Uniform Civil Code against spirit of Constitution, says SGPC after executive meet

The CPM has no right to hold seminars against the UCC. It must first denounce the stand taken by its late leader EMS Namboodiripad who had spoken in favour of UCC. Even if we are invited to the seminars, we will not go. Our stand is to oppose the UCC and we have made it clear in the parliamentary standing committee as well. There can be no joint protests with the CPM in Kerala against UCC, Congress MP K Muraleedharan told reporters.

At the same time, CPM state secretary MV Govindan said the IUMLs rejection of its invite is not a setback.

They are part of the UDF and they have decided on a political party. We have not invited the Congress because it has often adopted a soft Hindutva stand. Some of their own ministers in other states have supported the UCC, said Govindan.

Both the Congress and IUML have declared that they will not take to the streets to protest against UCC. Instead, they will hold united and separate seminars and discussions against the controversial proposal in the weeks to come.

UCC refers to a common set of laws that are applicable to all citizens of India across religions which will deal with marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption among other matters.The implementation of UCC has been on Bharatiya Janata Partys agenda for decades but got a renewed push after Prime Minister Modi recently made a strong pitch at a rally in Madhya Pradesh.
New Delhi: At a time when the pandemic forced schools to shut and shift classes online, students in 503 districts in the country had very limited access to digital learning, with 240 of them scoring less than 10%, according to a government report released on Sunday. 240 of the 503 districts with limited access to digital learning have scored less than 10% in performance grading index. (HT Archive)

Read here: Budget 2023: Digital learning, centres of excellence will get a boost in educational activities

A majority of districts were in the bottom three grades (less than 10% to 30%) during the two pandemic years, indicating the need for boosting the digital learning aspect, highlighted a report of the performance grading index for districts (PGI-D) for the years 2020-21 and 2021-22 prepared by the education ministry.

The index evaluates districts on the basis of six parameters -- learning outcomes, effective classroom interactions, infrastructure facilities, school safety and child protection, digital learning and government process. The PGI score is classified into various grades depending on the scores of the districts, which ranges between less than 10% to more than 90%.

The ultimate objective of PGI-D is to help the districts to prioritize areas for intervention in school education and thus improve to reach the highest grade, the report stated.

In 2020-21, as many as 240 districts scored less than 10% in the digital learning parameter, 156 districts scored 11% to 20 %, while 107 districts had scores between 21% and 30%, the report revealed.

Although some districts saw a marginal improvement in digital learning in 2021-22, the report highlighted that 119 of them still scored less than 10%, 209 scored between 11% to 20%, and 116 scored between 21% and 30%.

The report also underscored the rural-urban divide in India. For instance, some districts in states including Delhi, Chandigarh and Kerala scored between 25 and 32 out of 50, whereas rural districts such as Assams South Salmara Mankachar, Arunachal Pradeshs Anjaw district and Bihars Kishanganj scored just one in the category in 2020-21.

Read here: U.P. govt to make people aware of initiatives in the field of education

The other low scoring districts included Assams Goalpara and Hailakandi, Chhattisgarhs Kondagaon, Jharkhands Godda and Pakaur, Madhya Pradeshs Dewas and Uttar Pradeshs Deoria and Ballia.

10 districts have shown over 20% improvement in score and 74 districts shown improvement of over 10% in score during 2021-22 as compared to 2019-20. Overall grade level improvement in 2021-22 under the category is 202 districts, the report stated.

The performance of districts have been evaluated on the basis of percentage of schools with internet facility for teaching, percentage of schools having computer-assisted teaching learning facility, student to computer ratio, and percentage of teachers trained in use of computer and teaching through computers.

In the last two years, Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the changes required to be made in our existing system in terms of the adoption of digital learning as part of mainstream learning to continue education at home in face of any such crisis. This necessitated a need for a domain on digital learning in PGI-D, which is not there in State PGI, the report said.

Meanwhile, in the learning outcome category, only one district has scored less than 10% score in 2020-21, 10 scored 11% and 20%, 63 scored between 21% and 30% and 289 scored between 515 and 60%. In 2021-22, no school scored less than 10% in learning outcomes, infrastructure facilities, and government process, the report stated.

The ASER report released in January this year highlighted a massive drop in learning levels among students due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The report highlighted that the basic learning ability dropped lowest level since 2012 and ability to complete arithmetic problems dropped to levels last seen in 2014.

Read here: Are your kids overdosing on digital media? Recognising signs of overuse and how parents can help

The ministry had on Friday released the PGI state-wise performance report, in which Chandigarh and Punjab emerged as the best performing states.

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Millions of litres of untreated and treated water being pumped into the Yamuna river has emerged as a key source of contamination, polluting the northern Indian river, considered sacred by many, and also considered the lifeline of the national capital. PREMIUM As the river flows through five districts of Haryana Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Faridabad and Palwal (besides Yamunanagar) -- the biological oxygen demand levels increase in an alarming manner.(Courtesy: The Author)

Even as the Haryana government and Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) have spent crores to set up sewage treatment plants (STPs) and common effluent treatment Plants (CETPs) to check the mixing of effluents, a ground report from Hathni Kund Barrage (HKB) in Yamunanagar and Kundli in Sonepat  the stretch through which the river flows  revealed that the Yamuna water continues to be unfit for human consumption.

Since the authorities have not been able to find a solution to utilise the treated water discharged from the STPs and CETPs, that water flows back to the drains.

A primary stumbling block against finding a solution is the high cost of installation of reverse osmosis (RO) systems to purify treated water.

In a bid to find a solution, the HSPCB (what) chairman announced that the government has prepared a detailed plan to utilise the water thats been treated.

The Yamuna water distribution

At HKB in the Tajewala village of Yamunanagar district, 172 km from its point of origin in Uttarakhand -- from where the Yamuna enters the plains and is sandwiched between Haryana and Uttar Pradesh borders -- the water flow is about 4625 cusecs (a unit of flow equivalent to one cubic foot per second) or about 1,30,965 litre per second.

After the apportionment of 3254 cusecs (about 92,143 litre per second) for Haryana and Delhi through Western Jamuna Canal (WJC) and 1019 cusecs (about 28,854 litre per second) for Uttar Pradesh through Eastern Jamuna Canal (EJC), 352 cusecs (about 9967 litre per second) actually flow in the Yamuna.

And, it is this particular flow of 352 cusecs water, which bears the dirty brunt of untreated and treated pollutants.

The river water is allocated as per the water sharing agreement between Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi via the Western Jamuna Canal and Eastern Jamuna Canal from the HKB barrage (mentioned earlier.)

Set up by the Centre in 1995, the Upper Yamuna River Board is assigned the task of regulating the supply of water from all storages and barrages until the Okhla barrage in Delhi in accordance with the agreements between the governments of the six basin states of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Contamination indicators turn red as the river flows through Haryana

Data from HSPCB showed that the Yamuna water at HKB was found to be comparatively better at 3.2 milligrams per litre biological oxygen demand (BOD), which represents how much oxygen is required to break down organic matter in water.

A retired HSPCB scientist Rajesh Gharia said that the river water, which has to be made fit for human consumption using the RO process should have a BOD level of below 10mg per litre and a faecal coliform level (a bacteria which is found in polluted waters after being discharged from residential and industrial areas) of less than 100 MPN (most probable number) per 100 ml.

Water with a BOD level of 10 mg per litre or below is good for agriculture and construction activity as well.

As the river flows through five districts of Haryana Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Faridabad and Palwal (besides Yamunanagar) -- the BOD levels increase in an alarming manner.

Data showed that the BOD levels at Karnal increases to 4.2 mg per litre and shoots up to 46 mg per litre at Panipat. At Sonepat, the BOD levels were 28 mg per litre while at Faridabad the levels were 24 mg per litre and 52 mg per litre at Palwal where the river ends its run in Haryana.

Faecal matter count gets worse too.

The levels of faecal coliform present in the river water were found to have deteriorated from 500 counts of MPN per 100 ml of water at Yamunanagar to 3400 count per 100 ml at Panipat.

It further increases to 5800 count per 100 ml of water at Sonepat, pushes further to 8000 count per 100 ml of water at Faridabad and 8500 count per 100 ml at Palwal.

These counts are alarming because board officials said that the permissible faecal coliform count is 100 MPN per 100 ml.

Drains polluting the Yamuna

HSPCB has identified 11 drains between Yamunanagar and Palwal which pour effluents in Yamuna, which are major sources of pollution in the river.

These drains discharged 540 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated effluent into the Yamuna as 25 sewage treatment plants (STPs) located in the Yamuna catchment area remain non-compliant with the prescribed standards.

Yamunanagars Ganda Nallah (dirty drain) is the biggest source of pollutants.

Even more worryingly, around 50 MLD of industrial waste released from the industrial twin city of Yamunanagar-Jagadhari via the Ganda Nallah (dirty drain) of Yamunanagar also flows into the Yamuna.

This toxic water merges into the clean water of the Yamuna river near the Jarauli village of Karnal after travelling in Dhanaura Escape  a canal in which industrial waste of the Yamunanagar city is dumped and it merges with the Yamuna river near Karnal -- for around 80 km.

This is the most visible source of pollution in Yamuna water. The BOD levels of Dhanaura escape stand at 5.8 mg per litre, while the levels of drain two before meeting Yamuna at Khojkipur village of Panipat is 68 mg per litre.

The BOD of drain number six before the water enters Delhi measured at 84 milligrams per litre.

The two Sewage Treatment Plants of 45 MLD set up by the Public Health Engineering department have been found insufficient to treat the over 50 MLD being discharged from the residential areas of these cities. Officials associated with the STP project said that a new plant of 70 MLD will be set up in Yamunanagar to treat this industrial waste.

Treated water going to waste

During a visit to the STPs and CETPs, many of which are complying with the pollution control board norms, it was found that authorities have not been able to find a solution for the utilisation of the treated water being discharged from these STPs and CETPs.

Around 38 MLD treated water coming out from the two STPs located on the outskirts of Yamunanagar mixes into the contaminated water of the Ganda Nallah (the dirty drain mentioned above.)

This water is treated and it could be utilised for irrigation of crops but due to the lack of required mechanism, we have to dump it into the dirty canal, said an official associated with the STP of Public Health Engineering Department.

Similar is the story of STPs in Samalkha and Panipat and HSIIDCs CETPs located in the industrial areas of Panipat, Rai, Barhi, Kundli and Sonepat.

Even industrial waste is different than domestic waste as it contains harmful chemicals but after treatment, it could be utilised for irrigation. But now it is being utilised to maintain the flow of water in drain number 1, 2, 6 and 8, said Rahul Kumar, a technical expert at CETP in Panipats sector 29.

Representatives of private companies deputed to monitor STP operations have suggested that the water below 10 BOD could be utilised for agriculture and horticulture and can also be purified further to make it fit for human consumption.

But the government has no plans to utilise the treated water and it flows back into the polluted drain water to maintain the flow in Yamuna, said officials at the STPs and CETPs who did not wish to be identified.

Another way to use treated water for agriculture and even human consumption would be by installing RO systems, officials monitoring STPs and CETPs said.

HSPCB Chairman P Raghavendra Rao said that after a thorough study, they have prepared a detailed plan to utilise treated water for different purposes.

Haryana will be among very few states which will utilise treated water released from STPs and CETPs for different purposes, HSPCB said in a statement given to HT.

Technical experts working at the CETPs and STPs said that the cost of setting up RO systems to purify the treated water for human consumption is very high but the move will not only help to deal with the shortage of drinking water but will also cut pollution in the river.

More STPs, and CETPs needed

The estimated sewage generation in the Yamuna catchment area is 1,098 MLD while the total sewage generation in the Ghaggar catchment area is 291.46 MLD.

As per pollution control board officials, a total of 59 STPs with a capacity of 1075.2 MLD have been made operational in the Yamuna belt. As many as 25 STPs, however, have not met the prescribed parameters.

Also, there is a gap of 240 MLD in the installed treatment capacity at present, in comparison to the required amount in some towns in the catchment area of Yamuna, including 144.5 MLD in Faridabad, 86 MLD in Gurugram and 9.3 MLD in Palwal.

Out of the total 379 locations, where untreated or partially-treated effluent is being discharged into the rivers, the action plan to control pollution has been completed at only 129 locations, reveals the HPCBs February 2021 progress report of Haryana government regarding the Ghaggar and Yamuna Action Plan.

Moreover, the inflow of the sewage at most of the STPs and CETPs is more than the capacity and the excess flow is released directly into the drains.

In Samalkha Public Health Engineering Departments only STP of 5 MLD, which has been declared as non-compliant, is not sufficient to treat the entire sewage which is around 8 MLD.

The staff operating the STP said that they run the plant round the clock but its capacity is only 5 MLD and they have to discharge the remaining 3 MLD directly into drain number six which joins river Yamuna.

Sonu Kumar, an operator at the plant said that another plant of 5 MLD capacity is being set up but nobody knows when it will be completed.

Manoj Kumar a resident of Samalkha said that the plant was set up in 2002 but expressed concerns at the issue of sewage management.

Even the number of factories and the number of households in the town got doubled in the past 21 years but nobody has taken the issue of sewage management seriously, Kumar said.

Similarly, the 16 MLD CETP set up in the Barhi industrial area is not sufficient to treat the entire sewage generated from over 200 industries located in the area. Suresh N Bajpai, regional manager of Gharpure Engineering and Construction company which operates this CETP since November 2017, said, This plant is automatic and the inlet takes effluent only as per its capacity. Work is on at another plant of 16 MLD capacity but it will take two years to make it operational, officials said.

Reducing industrial pollution

There is a need to reduce the effluent being released from the industries located in the Yamuna catchment area. A total of 3505 industries located in this area generate 121.11 MLD sewage. The HSPCBs February 2023 report however revealed that all the industries have effluent treatment plants (ETP) but out of the 3505 industries only 814 are connected to CETPs. Officials said that there is a total of 14 CETPs with a capacity of 161 MLD set up in the Yamuna belt whereas one CETP of 10 MLD is under construction and 7 CETPs with a capacity of 126.5 MLD are proposed.

The HSPCB officials said that they have taken action against the polluters, law violators and officers responsible for the failure of vigorous monitoring.

As per reports, a total of 1644 industries  including 1402 in the Yamuna catchment area, have been inspected in the state and closure notices to 1318 violating units have been issued, 422 violating units prosecuted and an environmental compensation of 94.6 crore has been imposed on 275 units along with 262 crore for legacy waste, the waste collected and stored at dumping sites, as per the Monthly Action Taken reports submitted by the HSPCB to the NGT, which didnt specify the details of these factories.

The NGT had directed the Haryana government to commence setting up STPs and connecting all the drains and other sources of generation of sewage to the STPs by March 31, 2020.

The timeline for completing all steps of this action plan including setting up STPs and their commissioning was set for March 31, 2021.

Approximately 107 lakh MT of legacy waste was lying at the dumping sites in municipalities of the state out of which 43.23 lakh MT (40.4%) of legacy waste has been remediated.

Officials said that the state government has approved the allocation of funds of 262.67 crore for bioremediation of legacy waste. The first instalment of Rs.44.59 crore has been released by to the Urban Local Bodies department and a further limit of Rs. 115.47 crore has been assigned to various ULBs for bioremediation of legacy waste to implement the necessary measures for this purpose.

The HSPCB chairman said that the state government and HSPCB have taken the required steps to deal with problem of the sewage treatment. He said that most of the non-complying STPs were old and were not meeting the standards. That is why they have been declared non-compliant.

Our top priority is to tap untreated effluent of industries being discharged into the river and we will achieve it by the end of the next year. Regular monitoring of the STPs, CETPs and industries and action is being taken for non-compliance, he said.
Senior Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh's former chief minister Digvijaya Singh on Sunday wished for good sense to prevail on PM Modi and Amit Shah amid a row over his controversial tweet on former RSS chief MS Golawalkar. The Indore Police registered a case against Digvijaya Singh for the tweet in question and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused him of "spreading misinformation" and creating social hatred against Golwalker. An FIR has been filed against Digvijaya Singh for his tweet on Golwalkar.

In the controversial post shared by Digvijaya Singh, Golwalkar was attributed a quote in which he said he would rather live under British rule than have equal rights given to Dalits, Muslims and the backwards. RSS functionaries approached the police condemning the post and claimed that Golwalkar 'Guruji' never made those statements.

"Must know what Guru Golwalkar ji's thoughts were for Dalits, backwards and Muslims and on the rights over water, forest and land," Digvijaya Singh wrote.

As the controversy broke out, Digvijaya Singh put out another tweet addressing PM Modi and Amit Shah. "Modi ji, Amit Shah ji, you are accumulating a group of cowardly traitors who used to abuse you and now are singing your praise. They will leave you first the moment you lose power. Those who supported you during your bad times are all sitting in home...you both are making a big mistake," Digvijaya Singh wrote.

"I am a critic of you and will remain so. Because you have never compromised with your ideology to which I am fundamentally opposed, I am also your fan. God may give you good sense," Digvijaya Singh wrote tagging the Twitter handles of the RSS and the BJP as well.

Controversy over Digviajaya Singh's tweet

While Digvijaya Singh has been accused of using a photoshopped image attributing to Golwalkar a false quote, a state Congress leader said Digviajaya Singh shared the screenshot of a book. The complainant said Digvijaya Singh's post was aimed at creating conflict among Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and Hindus.

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The Narendra Mogi governments target to construct 29.3 million houses for all rural poor is expected to be completed by December 2023, as the popular scheme has gained momentum, received additional resources and is being closely supervised. Under the PMAY(U), the housing and urban affairs ministry targets construction of about 1.2 crore houses for the urban poor.(HT File Photo)

Read here: Lack of transparency in process to provide houses to homeless: PDP

According to latest data available with the Centre, 24 million pucca housing units  for as many poor families  have been completed as on July 6. The government has also sanctioned the construction of more than 5 million houses and fewer than 0.3 million dwelling units are expected to get governments approval soon.

HT has learnt that the bulk of the remaining 5.3 million houses is expected to be completed by December, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis deadline to all ministries to complete all pending projects by January 26, 2024.

Usually, construction-related works slow down during the monsoon and gain pace in the winter season after the sowing season of rabi crops.

HT has also learnt that the government will try to reach key milestones in its flagship schemes on important dates such as Independence Day and Mahatma Gandhis birth anniversary for achieving its targets in a time-bound manner. These will be showcased as its success ahead of the next general election.

The Narendra Modi government pegged the budget for rural housing or Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Grameen) to 54,487 crore from FY24, a 12% jump from last financial years revised estimates of 48,422 crore. The urban version of the scheme, however got its budget slashed to 25,103 crore from the RE of 28,708 crore.

Another popular scheme, Ayushman Bharat, which allows free health care for millions of poor, is also expected to register additional 70 million families in the next four months. The registration of 70 million householdsmostly in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan  means additional 170 million people will be covered under the worlds largest universal healthcare scheme. Currently, 100 million families are already registered under the scheme.

The housing programme and the healthcare scheme are among the most popular welfare measures of the Narendra Modi government. The new houses now come with toilets from Swachh Bharat programme, Ujjwala (free cooking gas connection) and the universal electrification plan called Saubhagya. They also get a tap water connection.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 3 asked his ministers and bureaucrats to implement all projects including the budget promises of FY23-24 and complete capital expenditure infusion by January 26, 2024. In a meeting of the council of ministers, Modi also emphasised the need to go among the people to explain the benefits of the schemes.

We cant be content in merely implementing the schemes but we also have to explain the benefit of the schemes to the people. Voters are smart. Sessions should be organized at village, district and tehsil levels to appraise people of their rights and entitlements. Bankers should also be sensitized, PM Modi told his council of ministers on Monday.

HT had reported that a number of key schemes and projects with larger public outreach in 6-7 ministries will see a further push and early deadlines.

Read here: 34.72 lakh houses allotted in U.P.under PMAY-G since 2016-17: Dy CM Maurya

The welfare measures and creation of a large number of individual beneficiaries have also evolved as a potential vote bank for the BJP. Replying to the Oppositions charges on his governments links with the Adani group, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to these beneficiaries, who got basic services for the first time in 75 years, as his armour.

I dont think the government will be able to complete building all houses. Nevertheless, the full coverage in PMAYG, even if the bulk of Target is achieved by FY24, will make a significant impact in rural India. Three schemes of this government- rural housing, drinking water connection in every home and Ujjwala- will make major social impact and also help the government, as we saw in the last UP polls, politically, said Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, former rural development secretary.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday shared a video of his visit to Delhi's Karol Bagh, where he interacted with India's super mechanics and talked about the hardships they face in the profession. The 12-minute clip shot on June 27 captured the 53-year-old leader learning how to service a bike while he answered let us see when asked about his marriage and revealed that he has a KTM 390 bike but his security officials do not allow him to ride it. Rahul Gandhi as he services a bike and talks with mechanics in Delhi's Karol Bagh.

Sharing the video on Twitter, Gandhi wrote, to strengthen the automobile industry of India, there is a need to empower the mechanics of India.

He termed the visit as the "next pit stop" of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and said that he made an effort to understand the difficulties and know the dreams of mechanics in the country.

Posting the full video on YouTube, Gandhi noted that the Bharat Jodo Yatra is all about learning by listening to the voices of all sections of Indians, especially those who have not been able to narrate their stories of triumphs and travails.

He shared that Umed Shah, a senior mechanic, told him how poverty had forced him to stop his studies and become a mechanic, like his elder brother, decades ago.

He added that the mechanics told him how the meager returns of their profession worried them every day because of the responsibilities of family life.

"I saw many others facing similar problems, working hard to make ends meet, even at the cost of their health," Gandhi said.

Our mechanics toil to sustain the automobile industry -- they deserve access to better facilities and the best opportunities. In the prosperity and well-being of every individual and worker of every profession lies Bharat's true progress, Gandhi concluded.
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain commended Bapco Energies' role in spearheading the kingdom's energy transformation and also stressed the need to ensure that the transformation plans were in tandem with the global energy landscape, by encouraging innovation and adoption of best international practices, in a way that contributes to improving the efficiency of operations and raising the level of productivity so as to achieve operational excellence and reach zero neutrality, reported BNA.

His Majesty's pat for Bapco Energies came during a meeting with His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the Kings Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs and Board of Directors Chairman of Bapco Energies, held today (July 9) at the Al Safriya Palace.

It was attended by Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the Kings Persona Representative, as well as several board members of Bapco Energies.

HM King Hamad commended the major role played by HH Shaikh Nasser in leading the energy transition efforts in the kingdom.

He also lauded Bapco Energies Groups staff and subsidiary companies for their dedication to attaining pioneering achievements that serve the kingdoms standing regionally and globally, which will contribute to achieving the goals of Bahrains comprehensive development process.

Shaikh Nasser gave a detailed presentation on the successful launch of the Bapco Energies brand, which marked a significant milestone in the kingdom's energy sector, reported BNA.

The company, he stated, has evolved from a traditional oil gas holding company into an innovative, progressive and promising one that supports energy security and focuses on renewable energy, under the theme To Power the Next Generation, in line with HM the Kings vision and the aspirations of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Shaikh Nasser reviewed Bapco Energies achievements and successes between 2022 and the first half of 2023, in addition to the progress made in the Bapco Modernisation Programme (BMP) project, as well as the gas exploration and production activities carried out by Tatweer Petroleum.

He also reiterated Bapco Energies' commitment to investing in developing the pioneering experience of its employees and affiliates, in addition to building on its strategic global partnerships to ensure that its business is in line with the kingdoms energy development goals.

This, he stated, will strengthen Bahrain's global energy role, and achieve the goals of the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.
Car manufacturing always has been a tough gig. There's huge overhead. Cutthroat competition. A fickle public. The heavy hand of regulators. Only the hardiest companies stick around for any length of time. It takes a little luck, sometimes, to succeed, and always a ton of money.

Car manufacturing in a new world churning out electric vehicles (EVs) is even more difficult. Tesla investors can breathe a little easier these days, with the company now worth somewhere around $1 trillion. But remember: Tesla began in 2003 with next to no experience on the production end of the puzzle. It didn't prove it could make a single car until it launched a limited run of the first-edition Roadster in 2008, and didn't really offer up a car for the masses  one that was affordable and could actually begin to make the company profitable  until 2016's Model 3 and 2019's Model Y. It's been a long time coming for Tesla and its mercurial chief, Elon Musk. And the trip, clearly, is not over.

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Rivian, founded in 2009 by car enthusiast and MIT grad Robert "RJ" Scaringe, has taken a different path.

"They are unique in that they are to this point a small electric-vehicle-only truck manufacturer," says Brett Smith, the director of technology for the Center for Automotive Research, a nonprofit industry-driven think tank based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "But they have also tried over their time to kind of walk that line between the old-school automotive world and the tech auto world."

Rivian is based in Irvine, California, and has facilities in the old-school car capital of the world, Michigan, and in the Bay Area of California. A few years ago, instead of building its own new-school manufacturing plant, the company bought and retrofitted a former Mitsubishi facility in Normal, Illinois. The company also has a presence in the United Kingdom, and has plans to build a second state-of-the-electric-art manufacturing site in either Georgia, east of Atlanta, or the Fort Worth, Texas, area. Undoubtedly, the team has learned from the difficulties of some who came before; Tesla, famously, did some Model 3 production in a tent in Fremont, California.

"They are probably more focused on the manufacturing aspect and the design and development aspect than maybe some of their predecessors," Smith says of Rivian.

Still, the challenges are head-spinning. The R1T may be the first electric-only pickup truck for the masses, but Tesla has designed and expects to start delivering its Texas-built Cybertruck in 2022. GMC's Hummer EV is coming hard. But maybe the most daunting is Ford, whose gas-powered F-series has been the most popular pickup truck in the U.S. for the past 44 years. The first trickle of new Ford F-150 Lightning trucks is due in 2022, too.

" " Rivian currently has a manufacturing plant in Michigan. It's also eyeing Atlanta and Fort Worth, Texas, to build its second state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. Rivian
Union minister Smriti Irani on Sunday hit out at the ruling Trinamool Congress for the deadly violence during the West Bengal panchayat election held on Saturday and asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi if such incidents were acceptable to him as his party joined the Opposition unity ahead of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for the next year. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Union minister Smriti Irani.

West Bengal reported at least 18 deaths and witnessed several incidents of violence and arson during the voting for the three-tiered panchayat polls in rural parts of the state. The election saw a fierce fight between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has emerged as the number two political party in the state. Saturday's polls also serve as a litmus test for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"The way people are witnessing the killing of democracy in the panchayat elections in West Bengal, where people are being killed for asserting their democratic rights. The Congress is joining hands with the same Trinamool Congress. Is it acceptable for the Gandhi family to join hands with them, who are creating havoc in West Bengal? Does Rahul Gandhi accept this game of death (maut ka khela)?" Irani told reporters in Bhopal.

While Gandhi is yet to comment on the Bengal violence, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary alleged that Mamata Banerjee's hands were full of blood.

Your hands are full of blood: Adhir Ranjan to Mamata

The situation in the state and particularly in Murshidabad is very tense and hostile...I want to ask CM Mamata Banerjee what kind of democracy to you want? Your hands are full of blood, Chowdhary said after visiting the hospital in Murshidabad on Saturday to meet the family member of a 62-year-old man who was killed in a bombing incident following the panchayat polls.

The bombing incident allegedly took place when miscreants were trying to loot the polling booth on panchayat poll day.

TMC hits back at Opposition

The Banerjee-led TMC hit out at the opposition parties, including the Congress, in the state who were clamouring for the deployment of central forces in West Bengal amid the violence, questioning where were the central forces at the time of violence which claimed several lives.

Taking a jibe, the TMC said the death toll due to the election-related incidents is mounting under the "close supervision of Central Forces".

Suvendu Adhikari calls for Centre's intervention

Attacking the TMC, BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari said the state is burning and the Central government should intervene with Article 355 or Article 356 (President's Rule). He alleged that more than 20,000 booths have been captured by hooligans of the ruling party in the state in the presence of police.

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Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin has written to President Droupadi Murmu against the unconstitutional functioning of governor R N Ravi, and accused him of defaming Tamil culture, indulging in cheap politics and stoking communal hatred. Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin writes to President Droupadi Murmu seeking action against the governor RN Ravi. (PTI)

The chief minister, in his letter to the President on Saturday, also criticised the governor for his alleged involvement in ideological and political conflict with the democratically elected Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and purported attempts to topple the state government.

Sharing a copy of the letter written in Tamil, on Twitter on Sunday, Stalin said: I have written to Honble @rashtrapatibhvn apprising about the unconstitutional functioning of the Tamil Nadu Governor, his disregard for elected government and the state legislature, and overreach in state affairs. The Governors acts of delaying assent to bills, interfering with police investigations, and promoting divisive ideologies are a threat to democracy. I trust the Honble President will take appropriate action to protect the spirit of our Constitution.

There was no immediate response available from Raj Bhavan.

Both the state government and governor have been locked in a standoff over various issues for quite some time, including the latters pending assent to nearly a dozen bills. Of the nearly 21 bills, governor Ravi returned two to the House. The two bills were forwarded to the President as the House cleared them later again.

In his letter, Stalin said the governor was causing unnecessary delay in clearing bills passed by the assembly, besides files, and posed hindrance to the work of the state government and the assembly.

He also alleged that ever since Ravi assumed office in September 2021, the latter had been involved in an ideological and political conflict with the democratically elected DMK. He claimed that Ravis tenure as Nagaland governor earlier was also not satisfactory and that the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in the northeastern state had said that there was peace only after his exit.

Stalin also accused Ravi of stoking communal hatred and said he is a threat to Tamil Nadus peace. Through his divisive religious speeches, the governor has been suggesting that he does not have faith in secularism, he said.

The chief minister also raised doubts over the governors pending nod to the Central Bureau of Investigation and Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to prosecute four former ministers of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in two cases of alleged corruption. The Raj Bhavan, however, on July 6 said the legal examination is pending in CBIs case and that the governor is awaiting a report from the states anti-corruption wing in the DVAC case. The state had described the response as wrong information.

Stalin, in the letter, also pointed at the governors recent move to dismiss state minister V Senthil Balaji from the cabinet (Ravi backtracked later after widespread criticism from several quarters), saying it indicated the latters political inclination. Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a case-for-jobs case last month.

On the one hand, Ravi delayed sanction to prosecute former ministers in the previous AIADMK regime and on the other hand, through his hasty action in Senthil Balajis matter  against whom only now a probe has begun  he has displayed his political inclinations, the letter said.

In handling the Balaji case, the governor has violated Constitutional provisions, it added.

By way of his behaviour and action, the governor has proved to be partial and ineligible to hold the office of governor; Ravi is fit to be removed from the high office, Stalin said.

The chief minister also said that the governors speeches and actions were not only obstructing the democratically elected government but also provoking disdain, contempt, and hostility towards the law of the land.

He cited a 2022 report of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister in which Tamil Nadu had scored 63.33 points as against the national average of 60.19 in the social development index.

Stalin, who heads the home department, also claimed that the governor had made misleading statements of the banned two-finger test being conducted on minor girls during an investigation into alleged child marriages at the famous Chidambaram Nataraja temple.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the letter. Cant understand what Stalin is complaining about when the people of the State have a lot to complain about his governance, state BJP president K Annamalai said.

Thiru Stalin and his corrupt DMK government is an acting puppet for sand smugglers and money launderers and has turned the state into one lawless jungle just like his friend in West Bengal, he added.

Chief ministers of several non-BJP-ruled states such as Kerala, Telangana and West Bengal in the past have also raised concerns over the governors delay in approving bills cleared by the respective state assemblies, and accused them of acting at the behest of the BJP at the Centre.

The latest standoff between the elected government in Tamil Nadu and the centrally appointed governor has laid bare tensions in the federal compact caused by gubernatorial overreach in the political domain, a phenomenon thats best avoided in the larger interests of Indian democracy.

(With PTI inputs)

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The upcoming mega deals with the United States for jet engines and weaponised remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) have turned the spotlight on the USs role in equipping the Indian military with modern weapons and systems, the capability boost it has provided to the armed forces, and the countrys attempts to diversify its arms purchases, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday. PREMIUM 31 MQ-9B General Atomics RPAS.(File)

Read here: India to negotiate deal with US for 31 drones: Officials

The two proposed deals with a combined value of more than $4 billion also underline Indias push for indigenisation as they will involve transfer of technology in areas where the country has struggled to achieve a breakthrough, the officials said asking not to be named.

The acquisition of 31 MQ-9B General Atomics RPAS and the production of General Electrics F414 engines in the country came into sharp focus during Prime Minister Narendra Modis first state visit to the US in June.

The US-origin platforms currently in the Indian armed forces include the C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lifters, C-130J special operations aircraft, P-8I submarine hunter planes, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, CH-47F (I) Chinook multi-mission helicopters, MH-60R naval helicopters, and M777 ultra-light howitzers. Each of these platforms has helped India fill critical capability gaps and sharpen its military edge, the officials said.

Read here: India-US roadmap for defence industrial cooperation focus area of PM Modis visit

These platforms were gradually inducted into the armed forces 2011 onwards and have a combined value of more than $16 billion. The C-17s, C-130Js, P-8Is, Chinooks, Apaches and the M777s have played a key role in strengthening the militarys posture in the Ladakh sector in the backdrop of the lingering border row with China along the Line of Actual Control, the officials said. India has also bought Sig Sauer assault rifles for its troops from the US.

The India-US defence relationship is on an upward trajectory, and weapons and systems bought from the US during the last decade have significantly boosted Indias capabilities to take on the challenges it faces, said Air Vice Marshal Anil Golani (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

But what we need now is transfer of critical technologies to produce weapons and systems in the country. It remains to be seen what kind of technology transfer the jet engine and drone deals will involve. Mere licensed production and assembly of platforms isnt enough to power the indigenisation drive, Golani said.

The jet engine and drone deals with the US are being negotiated at a time when the US is attempting to wean India away from its dependence on Russian military hardware in the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis and offering to provide alternatives for the supply of weapons, systems and spares to keep the Indian armed forces battle ready.

The deal between the worlds leading aircraft engine maker GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines in the country for the Tejas light combat aircraft Mk2 will involve 80% technology transfer, is estimated to be worth around $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 (ADA) began talks on the possible production of the engines in the country.

Back then, the US agreed to only 58% technology transfer, keeping a string of key engine technologies out of Indias reach, as previously reported by HT.

India will also negotiate a higher element of transfer of technology in the drone deal (estimated to be worth $3 billion) it is pursuing with the US to boost the militarys strength. India is looking at doubling the element of technology transfer that is currently on offer --- from 8-9% to 15% to 20%,

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.

Building defence capabilities is a top priority for India. The country was the fourth biggest military spender in the world in 2022 after the US, China and Russia, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a report published in April.

In February, India set aside 5.93 lakh crore for defence spending in this years budget, including a capital outlay of 1.62 lakh crore for the militarys modernisation. (The budget also includes a revenue expenditure of 2.7 lakh crore and pension outlay of 1.38 lakh crore.)

Read here: Rajnath in Lucknow: 95% land for UPDIC acquired, big investment flowing in

India allocated 5.25 lakh crore for military spending in last years budget, 4.78 lakh crore in 2021-22, and 4.71 lakh crore the year before.

India has also taken several steps over the last four to five years to boost self-reliance in defence. These include creating a separate budget for buying locally made military hardware, increasing foreign direct investment from 49% to 74%, and notifying hundreds of weapons and systems that cannot be imported.
Toronto: Two Khalistani protesters were apprehended by police as violence broke out at pro- and anti-India rallies outside the Indian Consulate in Toronto on Saturday. Two Khalistan supporters were arrested after clashes broke out in rallies outside Indian mission in Toronto. (AFP)

Around 250 Khalistani supporters had gathered across the street from the building housing Indias consulate for a protest rally, which was backed by secessionist group Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, and had been publicised through online circulation of the infamous Kill India posters targeting Indias senior diplomats in Canada.

The pro-Khalistan group was countered by a pro-India rally at the spot across the street. The two sides were separated by Toronto Police personnel, even as barricades were erected to restrain the protesters and the section of Bloor Street, where the building is located, was blocked to traffic.

The pro-Khalistan group attempted to breach the barricade and storm the pro-India contingent, but were pushed back by police. As one protester rushed ahead, he was thrown to the ground and subdued, and taken away by police.

A second protester was also apprehended for allegedly assaulting a police officer on duty. The entire standoff lasted for three hours.

A spokesperson for Toronto Police, in response to an emailed query from Hindustan Times, said both the protesters were released later without charges.

At the protest, the pro-Khalistan group held posters of SFJ leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot by unidentified gunmen in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. The posters alleged the Indian establishments role behind the murder.

Other posters promoted the next phase of so-called Punjab Referendum in Greater Toronto Area or GTA on July 16. Some of the protesters wore jackets bearing the legend Republic of Khalistan and an image of an AK47.

The pro-India group did not flinch despite being outnumbered. As the group was dispersed by police amid light rain, one of them, Arvind Mishra, said: We were successfully able to demonstrate resistance to the Khalistanis. These Khalistanis continue to violate the limits of freedom of speech.

Another pro-India demonstrator, Neel Sehgal, said: The violent side of the Khalistanis was exposed when one of them broke through the police barricade to try and attack our gathering.

Sehgal called upon Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government to act swiftly and firmly to immediately ban such violent rallies and referendums.

Besides Toronto, protests by Khalistani supporters were also held in Ottawa and Vancouver, although on a smaller scale. Around 30 protestors gathered across the road from Indias high commission in Ottawa but the agitation was peaceful. The protest in Vancouver attracted about 50 protesters and passed without incident.

With security heightened in all three cities, Canadian authorities appeared to be responsive to some of our sensitivities, an Indian official said.

Police presence was enhanced at various locations in Canada after a set of posters, titled Kill India, originally targeted Indias High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma, Consul General in Toronto Apoorva Srivastava and Consul General in Vancouver Manish. Similar posters were also released for the US, UK and Australia.

The SFJ has also threatened to besiege the Indian mission in Canada on August 15.

Early on Friday, a poster titled War Zone and targeting Indian diplomats in Canada surfaced outside Bharat Mata Mandir in Brampton. The poster was later removed by the temple authorities.

Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly had described the posters as unacceptable. Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, had tweeted, Canada will continue to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats in this country  and we take this responsibility seriously.

Earlier, India was particularly irked by Canadas response to activities of pro-Khalistan groups, and Canadian envoy Cameron Mackay was summoned to the external affairs ministry July 3 and served a demarche over the threat to Indian diplomats.

Our sense is that these posters inciting violence against our diplomats and our diplomatic premises abroad are unacceptable and we condemn them in the strongest terms, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.

Nijjar was believed to be the head of the Khalistan Tiger Force by Indian law enforcement agencies and faced several terror-related charges. He was the principal SFJ figure in the Metro Vancouver region.

The National Investigation Agency had announced a reward award of 10 lakh for information leading to Nijjars capture. None of the charges against him were tested in Canadian courts and SFJ has maintained it does not resort to violence.

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Heavy rain will continue to batter north India as Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Delhi is predicted to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Monday. Kanwariya (Lord Shiva devotee) carring holy water from the Ganga walks with a kid amid heavy monsoon rains in the holy month of Sharvan, in New Delhi.(PTI)

(Monsoon mayhem in North India on Sunday: Follow all updates)

Weather forecast for Monday

According to India Meteorological Department, the weather forecast for Monday is given here:

Northwest India: Expect light to moderate widespread rainfall with isolated instances of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the Western Himalayan Region, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Delhi, and Rajasthan on Monday. Uttar Pradesh may experience isolated extremely heavy rainfall, while heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely from July 10-12.

West India: Anticipate light to moderate widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall to continue over Konkan and Goa, as well as the ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra and Gujarat state for the next 3 days, followed by a decrease in rainfall.

East & Northeast India: Prepare for fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall with isolated instances of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Assam & Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur over the next 5 days. Odisha may experience isolated heavy rainfall, while Jharkhand will likely see it from July 10-12. Andaman & Nicobar Islands may have isolated heavy rainfall from Monday, and Bihar may experience heavy to very heavy rainfall from July 11-13.

Central India: Expect light to moderate widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall across the region over the next 5 days. West Madhya Pradesh may experience isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall on Monday.

South India: Prepare for light to moderate widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall in Coastal Karnataka and Kerala over the next 5 days.

Schools to remain closed, work from home advised

Due to the continuous two-day rainfall in the Capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the closure of all schools on Monday. The water level in the Yamuna River is expected to exceed the danger mark of 205.33 meters by Tuesday.

In line with the heavy rain, the district administration in Noida has also decided to keep schools closed on Monday. Likewise, schools in Ghaziabad and Faridabad will remain shut for the day.

Corporate offices have been advised to adopt work-from-home arrangements, while private schools in Gurugram will be closed on Monday.

Home Minister Amit Shah monitoring the situation

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been in contact with the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir to receive updates on the situation. He also reached out to the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to assess the conditions.

Rainfall observations today (8:30 am to 5:30 pm)

Jammu & Kashmir

- Baderwah: 20.5 mm

- Pulwama: 6.0 mm

- Leh: 14.5 mm

Himachal Pradesh

- Shimla: 55 mm

- Dhaulakuan: 123.5 mm

- Una: 109.0 mm

Uttarakhand

- Dehradun: 43 mm

- Tehri: 25 mm

Delhi

- Delhi Ridge: 65 mm

- Safdarjung: 106 mm

- Ayanagar: 44 mm

Haryana & Punjab

- Ambala: 42 mm

- Patiala: 65 mm

Uttar Pradesh

- Baghpat: 65.5 mm

- Meerut: 52.5 mm

- Mawana (Meerut): 57.5 mm

Madhya Pradesh

- Katni - Pipraundh: 97.0 mm

- Rewa: 50.5 mm

- Mandla: 34.5 mm
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and several parts of northwest India were battered by heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday morning, resulting in waterlogging and traffic congestion in many places. People wade through a flooded area as they carry a sick elderly man to a hospital, in Thiruvalla.(PTI)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of flash floods and avalanches in the Lahul and Spiti district, while a "yellow" alert has been sounded for Delhi on Sunday.

Heavy showers were also witnessed in parts of Kerala, leading to traffic snarls and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

The Jhelum River and its tributaries in Kashmir saw a rapid rise in water levels due to heavy rainfall, prompting authorities to advise people living near water bodies to remain vigilant and avoid venturing close to the water.

Other regions affected by heavy rainfall include Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, and parts of Karnataka. Landslides and flash floods blocked roads in various areas.

Weather updates: Rain lashes Delhi, IMD forecasts heavy rainfall in these states

The Met office has issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rain in isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir until Monday, and in eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab until Sunday.

Heaviest July rain in 21 years floods Delhi

Delhi received its heaviest deluge for a July day in 21 years on Saturday when 126.1mm of rain was recorded between 8.30am and 5.30pm, bringing chaos to the capitals streets and prompting the IMD to issue a red alert in the afternoon.

Like Saturday, Delhi on Sunday morning woke up to rain lashing several parts of the city, including Mayur Vihar Phase.

Saturdays rain  classified in the very heavy category  was the consequence of monsoon winds interacting with a western disturbance, IMD officials said, which triggered precipitation across much of north-west India.

On Saturday, the traffic department received 56 calls related to waterlogging, six regarding fallen trees and five related to potholes.

The Minto Bridge underpass has been closed for vehicular traffic due to the incessant rains that have led to waterlogging. Heavy waterlogging was also reported from the Tilak Bridge underpass.

Waterlogging was reported from the Pandav Nagar underpass, Purana Quila Road, Dwarka Link Road, NH-48 near Shiv Murti, Rohtak Road, Vikas Marg, under the AIIMS flyover, under the Moolchand flyover, Mother Teresa Crescent-Sardar Patel Marg and under Tilak Bridge among other places, the traffic police said.

Private forecasters hinted that at least for July, northwest India is currently showing signs of normal monsoon rain recording. Most parts of northwest India have already achieved the normal rainfall mark for the month, and the forecast shows that similar intensity rain is likely to continue for another two to three days, said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather.

Delhis maximum on Sunday would be around 39 degree Celsius.

The Delhi Traffic Police issued several advisories on social media after traffic jams with waterlogging were reported from areas across the city and the National Capital Region.

Red alert in Himachal Pradesh

The IMD has issued a red alert for seven districts - Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi, and have also warned of flash floods and avalanches in the Lahul and Spiti district.

A red alert of extremely heavy rains implies the possibility of more than 204 mm of downpour in a day.

58-year-old woman dies as wall collapses in Karol Bagh

A 58-year-old woman was killed in Karol Bagh when debris from the ceiling of a flat came crashing down on her. The incident took place while the woman was inside her house, and the ceiling collapsed. The incident took place within the jurisdiction of Deshbandhu Gupta Road Police Station. The victim has been identified as Ranjit Kaur, wife of Gyan Singh.

Life brought to standstill in many parts of Rajasthan

Heavy to very heavy rain several districts of Rajasthan, lead to four deaths in separate incidents in the last 24 hours and brought life to a standstill in several areas as roads got flooded.

Severe waterlogging was witnessed in Sikar following incessant rainfall in the region

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The West Bengal state election commission (SEC) ordered repolling on Monday at 697 booths in 19 districts where voting for the rural elections has been declared void, a notification, seen by HT, said hours after a meeting of the commission on Sunday evening during which it took stock of vote-tampering and violence across the state. A fire blazes from a car in Uttar Dinajpur on Sunday. (ANI)

Among districts where repolling was announced, Murshidabad has the highest number of booths at 175, followed by Malda with 110. Violence-hit Nadia will see repolling in 89 booths, while North and South 24 Parganas districts will witness repolling in 46 and 36 booths, respectively.

Sporadic violence continued in several parts of north and south Bengal on Sunday, all political parties alleged a day after at least 18 people were killed during three-tier panchayat elections in 20 districts. A TMC worker who was injured in a bomb explosion at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar district on Saturday died on Sunday when he was being taken from a local hospital to Siliguri town, police said.

With this, the death toll in Saturdays violence increased to 19, taking the number of deaths since June 9 to 38.

On Saturday, lives were lost in eight of 20 districts amid clashes, looting of ballot papers and alleged rigging. Darjeeling and Kalimpong were the only districts where polling was completely peaceful.

The violence continued on Sunday in Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur in the north Bengal region while clashes took place in Murshidabad, Malda, Howrah, South 24 Parganas and East Burdwan districts in south Bengal.

While the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government continued to maintain silence on the spate of violence, state election commissioner Rajiva Sinha called a meeting at the SEC office in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon to review the demands raised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the CPI(M) for a repoll at a large number of polling booths.

We will take a decision by tonight, Sinha told reporters earlier in the day, before the orders were issued.

The poll results are scheduled to be announced on July 11.

We apprehend more violence after the results are out, said Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury while visiting the family of a Congress worker killed in Murshidabad hours before the polling began.

Clashes between TMC workers and followers of a disgruntled party worker contesting as an independent candidate took place at Shamserganj in Murshidabad district on Sunday morning.

Crude bombs were hurled by people from both sides. A police contingent rushed to the spot and detained the husband of the independent candidate, a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

In another incident, four TMC workers were injured when bombs were hurled at their homes in the Raninagar area of Murshidabad.

Followers of the CPI(M) and Congress, who are allies, clashed with TMC workers at Saidapur village in the districts Raghunathganj area, police said.

At least 10 Congress workers were allegedly injured when police resorted to a baton charge to clear a road blockade at Murshidabads Beldanga. The Congress blocked NH-34 in protest against Saturdays violence.

In Malda, a police officer suffered a head injury when a mob attacked him with sticks in the Harishchandrapur area.

He was admitted to a district hospital, said a police officer who did not want to be named.

In Howrah district, the home of an independent candidates brother was attacked in the Jagatballavpur area, police said.

In the north Bengal region, some miscreants ransacked a North Bengal State Transport Corporation bus and set two private cars on fire at Chakulia in North Dinajpur district.

North Dinajpur witnessed large-scale violence on Saturday in which two Congress supporters and a TMC worker died.

The repoll is an important step to restore some confidence in the states electoral process among the public but the large-scale violence called into question the role of the state election commission over its failure to ensure smooth conduct of polling. The poll body was initially opposed to the idea of deploying additional forces and was even pulled up by the Calcutta high court. In a state where violence at the booth level is deeply seeped in the political culture, the election watchdog ought to have been more competent and serious about its responsibility.

Mohit Sengupta, the North Dinajpur district Congress unit president, said: The state police and SEC acted as TMC functionaries on Saturday.

Kanaiyalal Agarwal, the TMC district president, accused the BJP and the Congress of attacking ruling party supporters.

TMC became their target, Agarwal said.

Basudev Sarkar, the BJPs North Dinajpur district unit president, said: Government employees deployed to conduct the polls are raising allegations of rigging. This is more than sufficient to declare repoll in hundreds of booths.

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Mouni Roy is an absolute fashionista, known for slaying any look to perfection. From her glamorous Cannes red carpet appearances to her stunning beach fashion in the Maldives, she continues to captivate with her impeccable style. With an impressive Instagram following of 27M, Mouni shares snippets on her Insta stories, offering a treasure trove of inspiration for fashion enthusiasts. Recently, the actress wowed the internet with pictures from her latest fashion shoot, donning a stunning black dress. With smoky makeup, sheer fabric, and a touch of glam, Mouni sets new fashion goals. Let's delve into her fashion-forward look and take some notes from her incredible sense of style. (Also read: Mouni Roy makes a case for brunch fashion in neon blue gown, black blazer ) Mouni Roy excudes elegance and charisma in her enchanting black ensemble.(Instagram/@imouniroy)

Mouni Roy Turns Heads in a Stunning Black Gown

On Saturday, Mouni delighted her fans with a weekend treat as she shared her latest pictures on Instagram with the caption, "NOIR." The photos showcased Mouni posing seductively in an alluring black outfit. In no time, her post went viral across social media, amassing over 85K likes and numerous comments from adoring followers, showering her with praises and compliments. One fan described her as the "beauty in black," while another referred to her as a "stunning goddess." Let's take a moment to admire her pictures.

Mouni Roy's Outfit Decoded

For her look, Mouni opted for an exquisite one-shoulder gown from the renowned fashion brand Deme. Her captivating black outfit boasts a halter neck design, crafted with a combination of net and chiffon fabric. The gown showcases ruched detailing on the hips, a fitted bust, and flows gracefully with pleated netted fabric at the bottom, accentuated by a daring thigh-high side slit. If you're smitten with Mouni's ensemble and curious about its price, fret not! We have all the details covered for you. Keep reading to discover the specifics.

Mouni's stunning black gown comes with a price tag of 18K. (demebygabriella.com)

Assisted by makeup artist Albert Chettiar, Mouni embraced a mesmerizing smokey eye makeup look, featuring kohled eyes, precise winged eyeliner, mascara-coated lashes, beaming highlighter, contoured cheeks and a shade of nude lipstick to complete the makeup ensemble. Celebrity hairstylist Queensly Chettiar lent his expertise, ensuring Mouni's luscious tresses cascaded down in an elegant and effortless manner, styled with a sleek middle partition.

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I am going to start this column as I have never begun before. With a statement of intent. I shall strive to be as measured, balanced, objective and fair as I can be. Thats essential when the subject is Manipur. Though I want to make three important points, I do not wish to scratch unhealed wounds or inflame passions. PREMIUM First, why has N Biren Singh not been removed as chief minister (CM)?(ANI)

First, why has N Biren Singh not been removed as chief minister (CM)? After 65 days, his inability to handle the situation  or possibly incompetence  is surely beyond question. Even his own legislators have lost faith in him. In May, seven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kuki lawmakers, who demanded a separate administration, publicly stated they had no confidence in their own CM. In June, eight BJP Meitei members of legislative assembly (MLAs) submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister (PM) stating, (the) public have lost complete faith in the present state government. Thats 15 of his 32 MLAs.

Facts apart, theres a deeper moral reason to dismiss him; 16% of Manipurs population, the Kukis, blame him for whats happened. They regard him as a Meitei chauvinist and anti-Kuki. Last week, his official Twitter account seemed to corroborate this accusation. A series of replies from the handle  which were later deleted  attacked social media users demanding his resignation. On one instance, screenshots showed the account replied to a Twitter profile calling for his resignation with the reply, Are you from India or Myanmar?

What hope can there be of reconciliation if the man the Kukis appear to resent most of all continues as CM?

The second point I want to raise is about an incident at the end of June. A mob of around 1,500 people, led by Meitei women, probably members of the Meira Paibi group, surrounded the 3rd Army Corp camp in East Imphal and forced the release of 12 Meitei militants belonging to the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup. This is the group responsible for killing 18 soldiers in a 2015 ambush in Chandel. The 12 militants included a man who calls himself Lt. Col. Moirangthem Tamba, the alleged mastermind of the ambush.

These men should never have been released but they were. Whats worse is the women were supported by a BJP Meitei MLA, Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh, according to officials. He doesnt deny he was present but insists he did not ask for the release of the militants. However, security officials have told this paper a different story. The MLA was the one negotiating with the forces.

The paradox is this happened just after The Hindu reported that Biren Singh was told by home minister Amit Shah to reach out to the Kukis and be bipartisan. At least one BJP MLA in Imphal appeared to be doing exactly the opposite. Why wasnt the Shyamkumar Singh story picked up more widely by the media? Why did no one question the government, either in Imphal or Delhi?

My third concern is not just distressing but disillusioning. For over two months, Manipur has been deeply troubled. Weve had arson, mob violence, targeted killings and, now, a ghastly beheading. Yet our PM has had nothing to say in public. In his most recent Mann ki Baat, he spoke of the cyclone in Gujarat but ignored the far worse trauma of Manipur. When a terrible earthquake hit Turkey, he was amongst the first to sympathise. But regarding the people of Manipur, his own citizens and, in fact, his voters, hes stayed silent. About this, every Manipuri Ive interviewed, Meitei, Kuki and Naga, feels let down. First, they were upset, then angry, and later, they felt betrayed. Now, they believe theyre unwanted.

The home minister has said hes briefed the PM every single day about the Manipur crisis. The PM has also chaired meetings to address the crisis. I dont question that.

But it makes it even harder to accept Narendra Modis refusal to speak in public. Beyond duty and constitutional requirements, theres a moral demand for a head of government to articulate the nations concern. If he spoke, it would be on behalf of all of us. For, he would speak as our PM. But if he has nothing to say, Modis silence is only his own. It cannot represent the rest of us.

Karan Thapar is the author of Devils Advocate: The Untold Story. The views expressed are personal
To understand the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) rapid political moves across India this week, think back to 1996. That year, sagging under the weight of a raft of corruption scandals and internal defections, the incumbent Congress went into the polls weakened. This allowed the BJP to vault into pole position, becoming for the first time the single-largest party in the Lok Sabha. With unprecedented success in the heartland, Atal Bihari Vajpayee took oath as prime minister (PM) but quickly found that navigating the quicksand of coalition politics was far trickier than the heat-and-dust of the campaign trail. For 13 days, the party hunted for allies to push it past the majority mark but to no avail, eventually forcing Vajpayee to resign. By the time the United Front government, formed in its stead soon after, wobbled two years later, the party had learnt its lesson. Though the 1998 elections only gave it 20-odd seats more, it stitched together a coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), that the Opposition was unable to match electorally or politically. And though allies had a substantial say in this first iteration of the NDA between 1998 and 2004, it ensured a stable non-Congress government (of course with one blip, when Vajpayees government fell by a single vote in 1999, due to the tactics of J Jayalalithaa) for the first time since Independence. PREMIUM In the past week, the BJP engineered a split in Maharashtras largest regional party, the Nationalist Congress Party,(ANI)

Think also back to 2004. That year, riding high on a string of policy successes and positive ratings of the PM, the BJP called for early general elections.

Yet, it ignored quiet moves by the Congress  having slumped to its lowest tally in half a century  that painstakingly stitched together seat-sharing arrangements in state after state. It emerged that feedback from the ground was either flawed or was inadequately addressed. When the results were announced, the Congress was able to spring a double surprise  not only did it do much better than what was expected, but it was also able to leverage its pre-poll legwork into establishing a stable majority coalition, the United Progressive Alliance.

The contrasting examples of these two general elections proved to the BJP the importance of grassroots feedback and coalition building  two connected and intertwined concepts that are driving the partys current push to recruit allies and expand its footprint across India.

Sample this  in the past week, the BJP engineered a split in Maharashtras largest regional party, the Nationalist Congress Party, made overtures to lure the Janata Dal (Secular) into the NDA, reached out Samajwadi Party (SP) ally Om Prakash Rajbhar in Uttar Pradesh (UP), inducted Hindustan Awam Morcha into the NDA, and set off talks about instability within Bihars ruling Janata Dal (United). And, it is in talks to get back into the alliance two big parties that it had a bitter falling out with  the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh. Even in Telangana, which goes to the polls later this year, there is buzz that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi may keep its distance from the Opposition grouping and keep channels of communication open with the BJP.

Note that these efforts are not limited to regions where the BJP is unsure of its prospects. It includes UP  where the party is in a comfortable position, with the SP struggling to expand its social coalition and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) a shadow of its former self, but continues to focus on the eastern districts with two existing allies and a third in the works, to keep backward communities in its fold  and Maharashtra, where it appears unsure about the prospects of the new Shiv Sena and may be hoping to tide over possible losses with Ajit Pawar, who has an established base in western Maharashtra. And it includes Punjab  where protests around farm laws forced the BJP out of state politics and cost it its oldest ally, the SAD, only for the party to now try and claw its way back  and Andhra Pradesh, where the party has little presence and has held a transactional relationship with the ruling YSR Congress Party.

These seemingly disparate efforts add up to three main takeaways. One, is that the waxing and waning of the NDA, is now part of a pre-election pattern. 2014 gave the BJP the first single-party majority in a generation and an upper hand in dealing with allies, who became supplementary forces. Yet, before the 2019 general elections, the BJP gave in to demands by Nitish Kumar, and brought on board smaller allies to take on the apparently formidable combination of the SP and the BSP. The bigger verdict in 2019 emboldened it to sideline allies further (the SAD and Sena even left) but in the run up to 2024, the party is expanding its base again.

Two, the party appears aware that in Indias currently polarised polity, it will need to maintain its electoral dominance and achieve a full majority. Hence, it is ensuring that it can repeat its impressive performance in large states such as Karnataka (where it won 26 of the states 28 seats but where the Congresss recent landslide victory has raised the prospects of a substantial erosion); Maharashtra (where it won 41 of the states 48 seats but where its new ally, Eknath Shinde, is an untested prospect without the backing of the Thackeray legacy) and Bihar (where the coming together of the Mandal giants JD(U) and RJD will almost certainly dent the NDAs tally of 39 out of 40 seats) while picking up some seats in smaller regions such as Punjab (where it won just one seat) and Andhra Pradesh (where it has no presence).

And three, the expansion of the NDA achieves two important objectives. It puts a spanner in the Opposition camps efforts to bring together parties and overcome internal rivalries and ambitions. And by removing certain regional parties from the battlefield, it ensures a more favourable field because, as the past two general elections have shown, it prefers the Congress as an adversary in direct contests (its strike rate drops from the 90s against the national party to the high 60s against state-level outfits).

Of course, this strategy is not without its risks. Top-down alliances arent always ideologically compatible and cannot overcome grassroots contradictions, and voters can also be unhappy if parties derided by the BJP as dynastic and corrupt suddenly find a place in the NDA.

But the BJPs recent moves show that even though its dominance has changed the grammar of Indian politics, the party is working hard to keep its feedback channels robust and keep the option to activate allies open. Keeping the NDA alive as an entity, even if notionally, showed that the party knew it may need others again, and by expanding the tent as elections approach, the party is again exhibiting a certain self-correcting approach that it has demonstrated when the one thing that matters is at stake  elections. As a result, it is not just the opposition anymore that is approaching the Lok Sabha polls as a state-by-state affair. State-level calculations are back at the helm of political dynamics in 2024.
Cara Delevingne not having a chat with Martin Brundle before the British Grand Prix.

If youre a celebrity, and you want bad PR, ignore Martin Brundle before the start of a Formula 1 race.

Before the British Grand Prix, Brundle tried to get an interview with English actress Cara Delevingne. First, either one of Delevingnes people, or someone working for the Alfa Romeo team, expressed to Brundle that she didnt want to talk. Brundle told the person that celebrities who are on the grid are required to be open to media interviews. This came after one of Megan Thee Stallions bodyguards tried to keep Brundle from interviewing her back in 2021.

Brundle then went to Delevingne to try and talk to her and she expressed confusion and also said she didnt want to talk. And then to kind of cover her tracks, she said that she couldnt hear anything anyway. To Delevingnes credit, she was nice and respectful in turning down Brundle. Brundle walked away and sarcastically retorted, Im sure it wouldve been extremely interesting.

While its fair to point out that no one should be required to do an interview if they dont want to, its not only a rule that it is, but its good publicity to have a chat minutes before a Formula 1 race thats shown worldwide. Most celebrities who are VIPs on the grid are there for free either from Formula 1 or a team. We dont know if this applied to Delevingne, but if youre a guest on behalf of Formula 1 and you are getting a very expensive experience thats covered by them, it wouldnt hurt to take a minute to give an interview so F1 can show off that its the place where movie stars go.

Its not like Brundle was going to ask Delevingne to break down why McLaren qualified so well. Hes going to keep it basic, asking what projects shes working on or maybe promote a film in theaters that shes in. Unless he knows that a celebrity is a grid regular and knows about F1, the only racing question Brundle asks celebrities is, Who are you rooting for?

While Brundle doesnt take it personally, and in fact he once said he sort of likes it when celebrities ignore him, it doesnt make the celebrity look great. This isnt Delevinges fault, this is on her management team for not giving her a heads up that shes open to being interviewed while on the grid. Because now she looks like a stuck up snob in front of the entire world.

Earlier in his grid walk, Brundle interviewed Florence Pugh who had a lovely chat with him. Brundle knows more than anyone, when it comes to the grid walk, you never know what youre going to get.
I am writing this column from Florence in Italy, sitting in the courtyard garden of my apartment-hotel. The city, one of the most historic and beautiful in the world, is teeming with tourists mostly from America, Europe and Japan. A few Indians are also noticeable. PREMIUM Essentially, we have not given tourism the attention it deserves.(Akash Das/Pixabay)

My wife and I are part of a family holiday, with my children and grandchildren. The morning I wrote this, we had a booking for 9 am to see Michaelangelos famous Statue of David. For those without a booking, the queue was almost a kilometre long, curving around the streets, with tourists, standing since the crack of dawn, reconciled to waiting for a couple of hours before they get a chance to get in.

However, Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world. In 2019, before the pandemic, it received over 50 million tourists. By contrast, in the same year, India had less than 11 million foreign tourist arrivals. In the World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Index in 2022, India was placed as low as 54 out of 117 countries.

Why should this be so, when we have so much to offer: glorious monuments, jungle safaris, remarkable beaches, adventure tourism, great cuisines, cultural extravaganzas, wonderful shopping, medical tourism, and exceptional five-star hospitality? If Italy has Rome, Venice, Milan and Florence, we have Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Thanjavur, Kerala, and Goa, apart from major Buddhist sites like Sanchi and Sarnath. True, we lag behind in hygiene and cleanliness, adequately trained tourist guides, and infrastructure. But surely, these are weaknesses that can be tackled. After all, China got a whopping 60 million tourists in 2019, and has now become the fourth most popular destination in the world. Its Great Wall of China and Forbidden City can be matched by the Taj Mahal and Khajuraho, not to mention Ajanta and Ellora, and so much more.

Tourism and hospitality are important contributors to the economy of a nation. Watching the jam-packed restaurants and tourist spots of Florence, I could understand why this sector earns 163 billion for Italy (in 2021), employs 8.8% of its population, and accounts for over 9% of its GDP. In India too, tourism at pre-pandemic levels, employed some 40 million people, which is 8% of the total employment in the country, and even at our current meagre numbers, contributed close to 7% to the GDP. Significantly, one great advantage of tourism as an employer is that it does not require advanced educational degrees, and provides employment at local levels on a dispersed basis across the country.

Before coming to Florence, I was in the south of France at the beautiful home of a close friend. France, of course, leads the world in tourism, followed by the USA, Spain and China. The French Riviera, where I was staying, alone gets 10 million tourists a year, while the entire country has over 80 million foreign visitors. India, according to tourism experts, is the biggest growing outward destination. The tourism sector is expected to grow at over 7% annually, and by 2031 we could also be among the top 10 tourist destinations in the world.

But to do that, we have to have a dynamic tourism promotion policy. There have been some reforms recently, including a more liberal visa policy and fewer delays at immigration counters. We need to advertise our natural advantages. One of them is price competitiveness. This strikes me forcefully every time I am in the developed countries, where, by Indian standards, everything is so expensive. Not surprisingly, even if we are currently ranked low in the World Tourism Index, in value for money we are ranked as high as 14th out of 140 countries. While we have advantages, there are some unalterable drawbacks too. Mexico, which gets some 35 million tourists, and is ranked at number 7 in global tourism numbers, has the USA as a neighbour, and the bulk of its high-paying tourists come from there. Indias neighbours are not rich. In fact, it was an eye-opener for me to learn that almost one-fourth of our tourists come from Bangladesh! Those from high-spending countries like the USA and UK come below that.

Essentially, we have not given tourism the attention it deserves. For some reason, our tourism ministers also have an additional charge of culture. In the end, they end up doing adequate justice to neither. The present tourism minister, G. Kishan Reddy, holds not only the culture portfolio, but also that of the Development of the North East Region. In the past, we have had tourism ministers who have held culture and poverty alleviation. India needs a Mission Tourism, with a full-time minister, and regular consultations with the private tourism sector.

However beautiful and enticing France and Italy may be (after Florence we leave for Sicily), I am really looking forward to returning to Delhi. As the poet says: Woh koocha rooh-kash-e-jannat ho, ghar hai ghar phir bhi: That place may be the mirror image of paradise, home is still home.

Pavan K Varma is author, diplomat, and former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha).

Just Like That is a weekly column where Varma shares nuggets from the world of history, culture, literature, and personal reminiscences with HT Premium readers

The views expressed are personal.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold its annual summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on July 11-12. A mutual defence alliance of North American and European countries since 1949, NATO was until recently perceived by many as a relic of the Cold War. (French President Emmanuel Macron famously declared its brain death in a 2019 interview). But Russias war in Ukraine has injected the alliance with a fresh purpose. In the last year, Finland has been included and Sweden is expected to join, subject to ratification by all members, swelling NATOs membership to 32 countries. PREMIUM The NATO and Lithuanian flags fly in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 9, 2023, a few days ahead of a July 11-12 NATO Summit. (Photo by PETRAS MALUKAS / AFP)(AFP)

In addition, NATO has official partnerships with 39 countries, of which three (Russia, Belarus, and Afghanistan) are currently suspended. These partnerships  including with countries as diverse as Mongolia and Pakistan  encompass different degrees of formality and involvement, from parliamentary engagement to technical cooperation. Some NATO partners  Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand  have been more closely aligned in coordinating against Russia, and are expected to participate in the Vilnius Summit.

Beyond the refocus on Russia and expanded membership, NATOs 2022 strategic concept gives some prominence to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), declaring that Beijings stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values. The document also pledges to address the systemic challenges posed by the PRC to Euro-Atlantic security.

The inclusion of China among NATOs concerns offers greater scope for conversations with India. Reports that NATO may consider opening an office in Japan to engage with Indo-Pacific countries suggest that its strategic priorities are coming to terms with shifting global realities.

India has traditionally been wary about engagement with NATO. This reticence is somewhat understandable, given the alliances historical mission and its focus on Russia, a close military partner of Indias. Yet, despite these apparent reservations, India has had a surprising degree of formal interaction with NATO over the past two decades.

The earliest engagements between India and NATO were driven by questions of arms control and counterterrorism, with their first official dialogue held in 2005. In the subsequent two years, Pranab Mukherjee met with NATOs secretary general in 2006 and 2007, as both defence and external affairs minister; NATOs deputy secretary general visited India in 2007. In 2019, a NATO-India political dialogue covered issues such as China, terrorism, and Pakistan. Two years later, NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg addressed the Raisina Dialogue.

Practical cooperation between India and NATO was most apparent on the shared challenge of Indian Ocean piracy. Between 2009 and 2011, Indian and NATO officials were involved in coordinating counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, including in meetings hosted by Chinas ministry of defence in Beijing and by NATO in Brussels. The Indian Navy also established contacts with the NATO rapid deployable corps in Valencia. These steps produced some concrete results. For example, in May 2011, the Indian Navy coordinated with NATO patrolling vessels to thwart an attack by pirates in the Arabian Sea. Two years later, NATO naval assets helped rescue 14 Indian sailors in the Gulf of Aden.

Periodic official engagement between NATO and India also concerned Afghanistan, military education, peacekeeping operations, and cybersecurity, among other areas. Prior to the US withdrawal from Kabul, Indian officials shared perspectives with NATO officials and military commanders involved in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) there.

In 2007, Indias Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) cooperated with Finland and NATO following a significant series of cyber-attacks on Estonia. Indian officials were invited as observers to NATO exercises in the North Sea in 2008. More recently, a delegation from Indias National Defence College, led by the commandant, visited NATOs Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre.

Afghanistan may now have receded from view in Brussels, even though it remains a high priority for New Delhi. Nevertheless, the contours of their overlapping agendas are more readily apparent today. These include maritime security, cybersecurity, political developments in the Indo-Pacific, professional military education, climate change, and possibly arms control and nuclear escalatory dynamics. Obviously, India and NATO will continue to have very different approaches to engaging with Russia, including different stakes and interests, and often divergent geopolitical priorities and calculations.

An important consideration is that NATO not only engages several close partners of Russia, such as Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Serbia, but that until recently it enjoyed more extensive contacts with Beijing and Moscow than it did with New Delhi. Officers from Chinas People's Liberation Army (PLA) have taken part in NATO education and training activities. Until November 2021, NATO even had an office in Moscow. Despite  and perhaps because of  their different vantage points, NATOs acknowledgement of growing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific opens the door for broader and deeper dialogue with India.

Dhruva Jaishankar is executive director, ORF America. Ammar Nainar is junior fellow, ORF America. The views expressed are personal
Astrophysicist Avi Loeb and his team from Harvard University have made an intriguing discovery - fragments of a meteor that crashed into the Earth's ocean floor near Papua New Guinea in 2014. These fragments, unlike anything seen before, have sparked a debate: are they natural or of extraterrestrial origin? Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb and his team made an intriguing discovery about a meteor that crashed into the Earth's ocean floor near Papua New Guinea in 2014.(Pexels)

Extraterrestrial Possibilities

Upon recovering 50 fragments from the meteor, the team found that their composition and material strength were unlike any known alloys in our solar system. This raised the question of whether the meteor could be a technological gadget created by an advanced alien civilization. Loeb remains hopeful that a larger piece can be found, which would provide more insight into its nature.

An Ambitious Expedition

The expedition to recover the fragments was no small feat. The estimated $1.5 million operation involved locating and extracting the meteor pieces from the ocean floor, which lay approximately one mile below the sea level. The team employed a magnetic sled attached to a ship to search for and collect the fragments, overcoming the logistical challenges of such a deep-sea retrieval.

Seeds of Life and Extraterrestrial Civilizations

The significance of this interstellar visitor goes beyond its unique composition. Researchers Avi Loeb and Amir Siraj suggest that the frequency of objects from interstellar space reaching Earth may indicate that the seeds of life on our planet originated from another star system. Loeb's own belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life, as well as the possibility of past technological civilizations predating our own, adds to the fascination surrounding these findings.

Ongoing Search for Alien Life

The question of whether life exists beyond Earth continues to captivate both the public and experts alike. While some experts, including astrobiologists Jonti Horner and Steven Tingay, believe in the existence of aliens, others, like Martin Van-Kranendonk, remain skeptical. NASA astrobiologist Lindsay Hays acknowledges the vastness of the universe and the limited extent of human exploration, highlighting the need to continue searching for answers.

Also read | Harvard scientist recovers alien spacecraft from the bottom of Pacific

While the debate continues, the recovered fragments from this meteor present an intriguing mystery. Whether they hold the key to understanding the existence of extraterrestrial life or offer new insights into the complexities of natural celestial phenomena, they serve as a reminder of the vastness of the cosmos and the countless wonders it holds.
Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has raised concerns over disempowerment of humanity over a post by ChatGPT creator OpenAI which expressed inability to have a solution for controlling a super intelligent AI and preventing it from going rogue. Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma.(HT Photo)

In less than 7 years we have system that may lead to disempowerment of humanity => even human extinction. I am genuinely concerned with power some set of people & select countries have accumulated - already, Sharma tweeted.

In a blog post on July 5, OpenAI said super intelligence could arrive this decade. The company said its techniques on aligning AI including reinforced learning from human feedback rely on human's ability to supervise the technology. What has triggered concerns among the tech experts is that OpenAI said human being will not be able to reliably supervise the AI systems much smarter than the company and the current alignment technique won't scale to super intelligence.

ChatGPT's users declining





ChatGPT has witnessed a dip in mobile and desktop traffic by 9.7 per cent, says internet data firm Similarweb. The bot's iPhone app downloads have also declined since peaking in early June. The decline in usage hints that the limitations are catching up and some of the hype around the OpenAI chatbot has been overblown.



In May this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during a Senate hearing emphasised the need for government intervention to mitigate the risks linked with increasingly powerful AI systems. His testimony focused on concerns around AI technology and the need to address potential issues.

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Jack Sweeney, the creator of an account tracking Elon Musk's private jet in real time, has moved to Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter-rival Threads after being suspended from Twitter last year. ElonJet has tracked the movements of Musk's private jet using data available in the public domain.(REUTERS)

"ElonJet has arrived to Threads!" read Sweeney's first post on Thursday from the account handle @elonmusksjet, which had over 21,000 followers as of Saturday morning.

ElonJet has tracked the movements of Musk's private jet using data available in the public domain.

In December Twitter Inc, owned by Musk, suspended the ElonJet account, with the billionaire threatening legal action against the account's operator after saying his son had been mistakenly followed by a "crazy stalker".

Meta-owned Threads, posing a direct challenge to Twitter, garnered millions of users in hours, including prominent figures such as Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as it seeks to take advantage of its rival's weakened state after a series of chaotic decisions from Musk.

Sweeney, Twitter and Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.


A school in New Mexico in United States has started a pilot programme in which a robot patrols the campus 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This comes in wake of rising incidents of shootings in school, several companies are now offering robots to the schools across the country, Wall Street Journal reported.



This robot in Santa Fe High School is learning the school's normal activities and spots individuals who are seen in the campus after hours or exhibit aggressive behaviour.



If there is an active shooter or other form of threat, the robot will alert the security team. The robot will move towards the intruder and transmit video footage to inform the law enforcement officers about the course of action. Although not armed, the robot is able to confront the intruders and the security team members can interact with the intruder through the machine's robot communication system.



The school has opted to disable the robot's weapon detection features during the pilot test. The security team is evaluating whether it can be added later, Santa Fe Public School's executive director of safety and security Mario Salbidrez told the website.



According to report, the robot does not have facial recognition features and the school owns its video footage. It means the school can decide whether or not to save it. In case there is an armed invasion, the robot can take more aggressive action like pointing a laser beam at the suspect's chest and ask them to drop the weapons(YouTube/KRQE)

As of now, the robot has not spotted intruders on the campus, but has alerted security team to the new workers who are entering the school construction site and individuals trying to open locked doors in harmless bids to enter the buildings.

The cameras have also spotted faculty members waving to the cameras and students making peace signs. A student said she is unfazed by this robot and is unsure whether her peers will take the additional surveillance seriously.

But a film studies teacher Reed Meschefske said he is feeling safe at the school without the surveillance measures. He feels that the robot can help cover blind spots at the large campus which go unnoticed.

Several other districts are mulling robots in a security role, with a robotics firm co-owner Robert Stokes saying his firm is working with multiple districts across the country.



In most of the cases, schools will be using robots in the classroom to teach coding to the students. But in case there is an armed invasion, the robot can take more aggressive action like pointing a laser beam at the suspect's chest and ask them to drop the weapons.

The firm Team 1st Technologies is in charge of the robot pilot programme at the Sante Fe High School. The cost for the 2023-24 academic year is estimated to be $60,000-70,000.

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In the eyes of Americans, Meghan Markle is the least liked among Prince Harry, Prince William, Kate Middleton and her, according to a report published in New York Post citing YouGov data. Meghan Markle(File)

According to the YouGov data, Prince Harry received approval rating of 48% of Americans during the second quarter of 2023 while 24% disapproved him. Thus in Prince Harry got a net approval rating of +24.

On the other hand, Prince William received approval rating of 43% of Americans while 21% disapproved him. Thus Prince William got a net approval rating of +22.

Therefore, Prince Harry's popularity in USA is intact despite the recent snubbing by Spotify which terminated its podcast deal with Harry-Meghan. In fact, Prince Harry fares better than Prince William in terms of popularity in the US.

ALSO READ| OceanGate suspends all operations post Titan tragedy, here's their list of expeditions

When it comes to their better halves, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, the former fared much better than her sister-in-law.

Kate received approval rating of 46% of Americans and only 11% disapproved. Thus, Kate got a net approval rating of +35. On the other hand, 40% of Americans approved Meghan and a huge 23% gave her the cold shoulder. Thus, Meghan got a net approval rating of just +17.

Overall, among the four royals, Meghan is the least liked by Americans. Around 1500 interviews formed part of the poll conducted between April and June.

Meanwhile, there is no sign of reconciliation of Harry-Meghan with the British Royal Family. The couple continue to stay in California, USA, having left their royal roles in England.
President Joe Biden arrived in Britain Sunday where he will meet King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before continuing to Vilnius for a NATO summit, then a final stop in new NATO member Finland. U.S. President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One as he visits Britain, at Stansted Airport, Britain.(REUTERS)

Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport north of London late in the evening, an AFP journalist reported.

On Monday, he meets the British monarch at Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences, for the first time since Charles III's coronation.

The US president did not attend the ceremony, sending First Lady Jill Biden instead.

Their talks are expected to focus on environmental issues, the White House said.

Biden will also be meeting with Sunak at 10 Downing Street.

The main part of Biden's Europe trip will be the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Tuesday and Wednesday, where the Western allies will discuss helping Ukraine to oust Russian occupation forces.

Ukraine is pressing for admission to the military alliance but Biden said in an interview aired Sunday with CNN that this cannot happen until the war is over.

Bringing Ukraine in now would mean NATO is at war with Russia, Biden said.

Under its Article 5, NATO is committed to defending any member that comes under attack. "It's a commitment that we've all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we're all in war. We're at war with Russia, if that were the case," Biden said.

Biden hopes to use the summit to pressure Turkey to drop its opposition to Sweden's all-but-cleared NATO membership bid. Entry requires unanimous consent from all members.

In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said.

The two leaders "expressed their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine," the statement added.

Erdogan's office said separately that he would meet with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.

The talks will focus on "Ukraine's position in NATO, Sweden's NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16" fighter jets, which Turkey hopes to secure from the United States, the Turkish presidency said.

Ukraine and NATO

In the interview with CNN, Biden had said he was considering supplying Turkey and Greece with new or upgraded US-made fighter aircraft as an enticement for Turkey to let Sweden join NATO.

"And so, what I'm trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here where we're strengthening NATO in terms of the military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey and allow Sweden to come in," Biden said.

"But it's in play. It's not done."

Erdogan's office said, however, that it was "not correct" to link Turkey's desire to acquire the fighter jets, which need congressional approval, with Sweden's membership drive.

While in Vilnius, Biden will also deliver a major foreign policy speech at the city's university.

His trip comes in the wake of a controversial decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, which most NATO member countries have banned but which the United States continues to hold in its arsenal and says will help Ukraine destroy heavily dug-in Russian forces.

Biden's final stop before returning to Washington on Thursday will be Finland, which ended its historic neutrality to enter NATO in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Biden will be the first US president to visit Helsinki since Donald Trump went five years ago to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US President Joe Biden expressed a desire to see Sweden join NATO "as soon as possible" in a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in which they discussed Sweden's bid to become a member of the Western alliance, the White House said on Sunday. US President Joe Biden.(REUTERS)

Turkey, along with Hungary, has been a stumbling block to Sweden's bid, which requires unanimous approval by all NATO members.

Erdogan told Biden that Stockholm has taken steps in the right direction for Ankara to ratify its bid, referring to an anti-terrorism law, but said these steps were not useful as Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) supporters continued to hold demonstrations in Sweden, the Turkish presidency's communications directorate said separately on Sunday.

Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement.

The leaders agreed to meet face-to-face in Vilnius, Lithuania, at an upcoming NATO summit and discuss bilateral relations and regional issues in detail, the Turkish presidency also said.

On Thursday, Sweden failed to convince Turkey to lift its block on Stockholm's path to NATO membership in a foreign minister-level meeting, as Ankara requested more action in the fight against terrorism.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would convene a meeting between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, abandoning policies of military non-alignment that had lasted through the decades of the Cold War in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While Finland's NATO membership was green-lighted in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden's bid. Stockholm has been working to join at next week's NATO summit in Vilnius.

During their call, Biden and Erdogan also discussed the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, and Ukraine's aim to join NATO, according to the Turkish presidency's readout.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday that next month's BRICS summit, which Vladimir Putin has been invited to attend, will be held in-person despite an arrest warrant on the Russian leader. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. (REUTERS)

South Africa is the current chair of the BRICS, a grouping of heavyweights that also includes Brazil, Russia, India and China to challenge the dominant US and European-led global governance structures.

"The BRICS summit is going ahead and we are finalising our discussions on the format," Ramaphosa told South African journalists on the sidelines of a conference by the ruling ANC, adding it will be a "physical" meeting.

He did not say if Putin -- who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children -- would attend or not.

"We are going to have a physical BRICS summit, all of us are committed to having a summit where we will be able to eyeball each other," he said in response to a question during a briefing broadcast live on local television networks.

"We have not held a physical summit for... almost three years. It's not going to be virtual," he stressed.

As a member of the ICC, South Africa would be expected to arrest Putin if he sets foot in the country.

There had been speculation in the local media that Pretoria was considering moving the talks to China, which is not signatory to the Rome Statute, to avoid being put in the position of having to arrest Putin.

The arrest warrant is a diplomatic dilemma for Pretoria, which has been close to the Kremlin since the anti-apartheid struggle years.

South Africa has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying it is impartial and prefers dialogue, which it is pushing for.

Neutral position

Defending South Africa's neutral position, Ramaphosa said Pretoria would not be deterred in its campaign to push for negotiation where conflicts arise.

"It's an important role that we can advance," he said. "With the geopolitical situation as fluid as it is now, we believe that it's important that a country like South Africa should be able to play its long-stated role."

"This we have learnt from the great Nelson Mandela because that was his approach also to international relations, he was able to talk to all parties whether they were in conflict or not," said Ramaphosa.

Last month, Ramaphosa led a seven-country African peace delegation including representatives from the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Senegal and Uganda, in a historic attempt to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow.

The African leaders' mission brought the voice of a continent that has badly suffered from repercussions of the Ukraine conflict, particularly with rising grain prices.

It put forward a 10-point proposal, including de-escalation, the recognition of countries' sovereignty, unimpeded grain exports through the Black Sea and sending prisoners of war and children back to their countries of origin.

South Africa is set to host the 15th BRICS summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in the financial hub Johannesburg from August 22 to 24.

Several countries have expressed interest to join the BRICS, according to the South African foreign ministry.
Whats this? I asked my ol buddy Lamar. We were in his apartment digging through some boxes looking for his passport. The previous night spent quaffing Fosters Lager culminated in his decision to move to Australia.

So, there we were the next morning in his living room, with wooden brains and sour stomachs, pawing through dusty cardboard boxes.

Whats what? Lamar said.

I held up a faded newspaper clipping. He took it from me. I watched him read. Huh. Its a wedding announcement. My first marriage.

With a grunt he handed the clipping back to me.

---

October 29, 1972. Ruth Ann Bukowski the daughter of Cephus Chic Bukowski of Chloride, Ariz., and the late Ethel Bukowski, was married yesterday afternoon at her fathers mining camp in the Cerbat Mountains to Lamar T. Lamar, the son of Beatrice and Dante Lamar of Wikieup, Ariz. The Rev. Ernest T. Loreen, of the First United Congregational Church of the Big Sandy River, officiated.

The bride and bridegroom, 16 and 18 respectively, met at the Chicken Springs School, where they both graduated.

The bride is keeping her name. Ms. Bukowski wore a beautiful white chiffon floor-length wedding dress sewn by her Aunt Trixie Melton, whose skill with needle and thread is renowned throughout the valley.

She is employed by the A Bar C pistachio farm as bookkeeper and horticulturist. She received certificates in accounting and horticultural arts through correspondence courses from the Biloxi School of Bartending and is a candidate for an additional certificate in beekeeping from the Apiary Institute of Arizona. She is also chairwoman of the junior associates at the Cattlemans Museum and Convenience Store.

The bridegroom is employed as a wrangler for the Cofer Hot Springs Guest Ranch, pending the fall roundup on the Wagon Bow Ranch and other cattle-raising enterprises along the Sandy and on Bozarth Mesa, above Burro Creek. A young man of ambitious aspirations, the bridegroom is known throughout the valley as a youth with great potential. He was taught to work cattle under the tutelage of John Cook, the late owner of the Circle B Cattle Company. Any young man who had the privilege to ride for John Cook is bound to find success in this world. The grooms skill with horse and rope are well thought of in the community and his fun-loving nature makes him an excellent hand to have along on a drive.

His mother Beatrice is a homemaker, midwife and broker of unofficial news. She raises chickens and delivers eggs to families through the valley. Her rhubarb pie wins the blue ribbon at the county fair every year. Two of her quilts are on permanent display in the community center. His father Dante is a retired mechanic who can be found daily providing impromptu consulting on politics and automotive repair at Wikieup Auto and Truck.

The couple will spend their honeymoon at the Fancher cow camp downstream from Six-Mile Crossing. It is a first marriage for both.
In what is believed to be one of the largest compensation settlements for the UKs Royal Mail, an Indian-origin employee has been awarded more than 2.3 million pounds after her bullying claim was upheld. A Royal Mail sign is pictured outside a post delivery office, in London, Britain August 26, 2022.(REUTERS)

Kam Jhuti had claimed before an employment tribunal dating back nearly eight years that she had been intimidated and harassed by her boss after she raised concerns that a colleague had secured their bonus illegitimately.

The tribunal went on to find that there had been a catastrophic impact on her over her boss treatment of her, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The tribunal makes a total award of GBP 2,365,614.13, payable by the respondent to the claimant, reads an official remedy decision added to the long-running case this week.

Subject to the paragraph below, payment of the award is stayed pending the outcome of the respondents (Royal Mail) appeal against the tribunals original judgment on remedies which was sent to the parties on October 3, 2022. Both parties have the liberty to apply to lift this stay, it reads.

Of that total award, the respondent (Royal Mail) will, however, make payment of the sum of 250,000 pounds gross to the claimant; the stay does not, therefore, apply in relation to this sum. The parties agreed that the respondent will pay this sum to the claimant within 14 days of the date of this hearing, it adds.

Earlier, the tribunal had concluded that the postal service had been high-handed, malicious, insulting and oppressive in how it had conducted the case.

A 2019 Supreme Court hearing was told that Jhuti started work as a 50,000 pounds per year media specialist at the Royal Mails MarketReach unit based in London in September 2013.

However, the following month, while shadowing a colleague, she began to suspect they were not following watchdog Ofcoms guidance and also breaching the companys policy in relation to bonuses known as Tailor-Made Incentives (TMIs), which she said helped the colleague to hit performance targets and directly securing a bonus for herself and in effect defrauding the company, the newspaper reports.

Later that month, a TMI expert in the business confirmed Jhutis previous allegations had been correct by acknowledging that media specialists were offering TMIs inappropriately.

As the process unfolded, Jhuti began suffering from stress and went on to express concern over her bosss conduct.

She was granted a new line manager but was told she was not making the expected progress and in March 2014 was signed off with work-related stress, anxiety and depression, and never returned to work.

After taking Royal Mail to an initial employment tribunal in 2015, Jhutis claims of unfair dismissal proceeded after the Supreme Court ruled in her favour.

As an appeal is pending in the case, the Royal Mail is expected to only make a payment of 250,000 pounds from the total compensation amount at this stage.

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Former President Donald Trump unleashed a barrage of criticisms against President Biden in a campaign-style speech delivered in Las Vegas, warning that the "gloves are off." Trump's fiery remarks covered various topics, from immigration and the economy to alleged corruption and election rigging. Shortly after his speech, Trump attended a UFC fight alongside prominent figures, including Roger Stone and Mel Gibson. Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.(Getty Images via AFP)

Accusing Biden of corruption

During his speech at Calvary Chapel, Trump accused Biden of being a corrupt and incompetent leader. He claimed that Biden had taken millions of dollars from countries like China, referencing his son Hunter Biden's business dealings. While Biden himself has not been directly implicated, Trump insisted that the president is "totally compromised" due to these financial connections.

We have a corrupt, incompetent leader in Biden, Trump told supporters.

Targeting Biden's policies

Trump took aim at several of Biden's policies, including the blocking of the Keystone Pipeline project and the handling of immigration at the southern border. He criticized Democrats for what he deemed election rigging and described Biden's presidency as marred by scandals, declaring it unprecedented in history.

Renaming Clinton and swiping at DeSantis

In a departure from his past campaigns, Trump playfully announced that he would now refer to Hillary Clinton as "Beautiful Hillary" and save his previous "crooked" moniker for Biden. He further took a swipe at Republican contender Ron DeSantis, labeling him as "overrated" during his speech.

UFC Night and star-studded company

Following his impassioned speech, Trump attended a UFC match at the T-Mobile Arena, accompanied by longtime ally Roger Stone and controversial actor Mel Gibson. The trio was seen conversing with UFC President Dana White, capturing attention and speculation about their discussions.

Also read | AI deep fakes of Donald Trump and Joe Biden 'face off' in disturbingly realistic live debate

Donald Trump's Las Vegas appearance showcased his continued influence and willingness to engage in political battles. Through his speech and subsequent attendance at a UFC event, the former president aimed to rally support, challenge his opponents, and maintain a prominent presence on the political stage.
A massive storm and torrential downpours since Friday caused flash flooding in Spain's north-eastern city of Zaragoza, causing disruption to normal life. The heavy downpour resulted in several streets being inundated, causing some people to be trapped inside their cars. Several videos went viral on social media showing people clinging on to the roof of their cars as their vehicles are being washed away by the raging water.

While there have been no reports of deaths or missing persons yet, there has been a widespread damage to property. Reportedly, tram services were put on hold and bus routes in several rain-affected Zaragoza neighbourhoods were changed.

The country's Parque Venecia was one of the seriously impacted areas where individuals are stranded inside their cars, according to a warning from the Zaragoza City Council, reported the Express.

Several videos went viral on social media showing people clinging on to the roof of their cars as their vehicles are being washed away by the raging water.

A Twitter user shared a video of the flash floods, saying, Catastrophic damage in Zaragoza, Spain from flash flooding. Reports sound very bad.

Rescue operations

The Spain authorities deployed emergency services - including rescue teams, ambulances around the city. The rescue teams reportedly used ropes along with vertical rescues from the fire brigades automatic ladder to help the people trapped inside their cars. Meanwhile, public assistance was also required to rescue individuals from cars in the Los Enlaces area, said reports.
A scooter-riding madman was caught on camera shooting unsuspecting pedestrians. This Saturday, a man motored around a Queens neighbourhood as he pulled out a ghost gun. Among the victims was an 87-year-old man who crumpled to the ground as blood spread across his shirt. Deranged gunman goes on a rampage, shooting innocent pedestrians

The chilling footage starts with a peaceful view of Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill. The older pedestrian was walking along the sidewalk when the gunman, whose name has not been released, rolled by on his scooter.

The gunman reached out his arm and opened fire. At first, he aimed at a dogwalker but missed. According to the gunpoint, the noise of the gunshot prompted the elderly man to look behind him. It was then that the gunman fired another shot, striking the older man in the back.

The dogwalker fled the scene and the victim was left alone on the sidewalk, writhing in pain.

The mans button-down shirt was bloodied all across his front and back. In the clip, one can see him bend over, clutching his back. A good samaritan rushed to help as the man fell to his hands and knees.

The victim, 87, collapsed on the pavement a mere moment later.

The chilling scene was not a lone incident. It was one of 5 incidents where a shooter zipped through Brooklyn and Southeast Queens on an illegal scooter. The shooter opened fire on seemingly random targets. Authorities report the death of one person along with three others hurt in all incidents.

According to the descriptions, the shooter is a Hispanic man with a heavy build. He was wearing a green shirt, black pants with a white stripe and black and white sneakers. The shooter was armed with a .9-mm firearm with an extended clip of ammunition, reported a police source.

According to a New York Post report, a high-ranking police source said, This guy had a lot of ammunition on him. There were going to be other bodies dropped.

The gunman is believed to be 25 years old and was quickly taken into custody. His rap sheet reveals a single arrest for possession of a forged instrument. Charges were pending Saturday.

A horrifying video showed the moments leading up to the fatal encounter on Jamaica Avenue. The shooter was zipping through the streets on his scooter when he suddenly stopped and pulled a U-turn. It seems like he had noticed the elderly, unsuspecting man on the sidewalk.

After observing his victim for several moments, he slowly pulled forward and fired his shot. He shattered a shop window before killing the 87-year-old man and driving away.

A separate, second footage shows a man in shorts and a tank top falling prey to the same apparent gunman. The shooter zoomed by the intersection as he shot the man, sending him falling to the ground.

Also Read | Horrific house fire in upstate New York kills 4 including 5-year-old girl
Two Khalistani protesters were apprehended by police as violence broke out at an anti-India rally outside the Indian consulate in Canada's Toronto on Saturday. About 250 pro-Khalistani elements gathered across the street from the building housing Indias consulate. The protest, backed by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, had been publicised through the circulation of the infamous Kill India posters online, which targeted Indias seniormost envoys in Canada. Khalistani protesters were challenged by a pro-Indian group outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on Saturday. (HT photo)

However, this time the pro-Khalistan group was challenged by pro-India demonstrators, who faced off against them across the street. They were separated by a line of Toronto Police personnel, even as barricades were erected to restrain the protestors and the section of Bloor Street where the building is located, was blocked to traffic.

The pro-Khalistan group attempted to breach the barricade and storm the pro-India contingent. Police pushed them back and one person who rushed ahead was thrown to the ground and subdued and taken away by the police.

A Khalistani protester being subdued by Toronto Police after he broke through barricades and attempted to attack a pro-India group outside the Indian consulate.(HT photo)

Two persons were apprehended, the second for apparently assaulting a police officer. However, a spokesperson for Toronto Police, responding to an emailed query from the Hindustan Times, said both were subsequently released without charges.

The Khalistani group held posters of SFJ leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was murdered in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. The posters accused India of being behind the assassination. Other posters promoted the so-called Punjab Referendums next phase, in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA on July 16. Some of them also wore jackets, bearing the legend Republic of Khalistan and bearing an image of an AK47.

The pro-India group did not flinch even when the attempted attack was prevented and though they were outnumbered. After the group was dispersed on Saturday evening, amid light rain, by police, one of them, Arvind Mishra said, We were successfully able to demonstrate resistance to the Khalistanis.

These Khalistanis continue to violate the limits of freedom of speech, he added.

Violent side of Khalistanis was exposed

Another person present there, Neel Sehgal, said, The violent side of the Khalistanis was exposed when one of them broke through the police barricade to try and attack our peaceful gathering.

He called upon Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government to act swiftly and firmly to immediately ban such violent rallies and referendums".

Kill India protests

Toronto witnessed the largest of the Kill India protests by far. About 30 protesters gathered across the road from Indias high commission in Ottawa but were peaceful. The protest in Vancouver attracted about 50 protestors and passed without incident.

The rallies on Saturday were held in the name of Nijjar. SFJ has blamed India for his assassination. Nijjar was murdered in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, which he headed. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or Investigation Team or IHIT, which is probing the killing, has not ascribed any motive while it seeks the murderers.

Nijjar was alleged to be the head of the Khalistan Tiger Force by Indian law enforcement and faced several terror-related charges, while being the principal SFJ figure in the Metro Vancouver region. The National Investigation Agency or NIA had announced an award of 10 lakh for information leading to his capture. None of the charges against him were tested in Canadian courts and SFJ has maintained it does not use violence.

Posters appeared in front of temple

Physical posters that appeared in front of a temple and at other locations in the GTA of Friday bore the legend War Zone".

With security heightened in all three target cities, Canadian authorities appeared to be responsive to some of our sensitivities, an Indian official said. That was signalled earlier by Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly who had described the posters threatening Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and two Consul Generals in the country, as unacceptable. Minister of National Defence Anita Anand had tweeted, Canada will continue to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats in this country  and we take this responsibility seriously.

While the Canadian government proved true to its word, the next challenge will be on August 15 when the SFJ has threatened to besiege Indias missions in the country.

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A man in Canada faced lawsuit due to a miscommunication over a thumbs-up emoji. Chris Achter, a farmer, was supposed to deliver an item to a buyer named Kent Mickleborough, for which a contract was prepared and signed using the emoji, but failed and now a local court has ordered him to pay $61,442 as a compensation to not fulfil the contract. The man was directed to pay a compensation as he failed to meet the terms of the contract.(File)

According to The Guardian, the court ruled that thumbs-up can be considered as valid as a signature and it argued that there is a need to adapt to the new reality of contemporary communication.

What is the case?

In March 2021, Mickleboroug, the buyer, sent out an advertisement that his company was going to buy 86 tonnes of flax.

An agreement was made between the buyer and Achter on the phone, after which a picture of a contract was texted asking the farmer to please confirm the flax contract in the text.

Achter responded to the text message with a thumbs-up emoji but didn't deliver the flax as per the contract. The buyer filed a lawsuit disputing the meaning of the emoji.

What was the dispute?

Mickleborough pointed out that Achter's thumbs-up emoji as a response to the text message suggests that he agreed to the terms of the contract. However, the farmer said the response he sent was only to signify that he had received the contract, denying that he accepted it.

I did not have time to review the Flax Contract and merely wanted to indicate that I did receive his text message, he said, as quoted by the English daily.

While hearing the case, the judge said a thumbs-up emoji is a non-tradinational means to sign a document but nevertheless under these circumstances this was a valid way to convey the two purposes of a signature.

The judge further dismissed the farmer's concern that the fresh ruling would open up the flood gates to new interpretations of other emojis, including the fist bump and hand shake.

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A miscreant has been arrested for spraying black paint all over a statue of the Virgin Mary on Saturday, at the Resurrection Church in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn. He also wrote the word "Fake" on it. According to New York Post, cops said the suspect's name is Jonathan Bulik. Church where the incident happened(Twitter)

Cops have informed that Bulik lives near the church. He was taken to hospital for for a psychological evaluation and charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime.

Witnesses detained Bulik until police arrived. As per the witnesses, he appeared to be writing another word on the statue when he was detained.

ALSO READ| Americans like Meghan the least among Prince Harry, Prince William, Kate Middleton and her, as per latest poll: Report

Meanwhile, church goers expressed their shock and pain over the incident.

I was walking down the street to go to the store and thought, Oh, somebody put a veil on Mother Marys head, O.K. And as I got closer and actually saw it, I started to cry. I was wailing. Oh my God. And it says fake something, said 71-year-old Evelyn Sullivan.

Notably, the statue was vandalised in the past too and was replaced after a fund-raising campaign.

When is enough enough!. This report echoes what we have known for a long time. Crimes against our churches and other houses of worship have been on the rise, said New York State Catholic Action Chairperson James Russell.

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Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has sought a "guarantee" from the International Monetary Fund that the general elections in the country will be held on its scheduled time. Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan. (AFP)

Read here: Pak ex-PM Imran Khan charged for attack on Army Headquarters: Report

Days before the IMF executive board meeting to review and possibly endorse the Standby Arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan, a delegation of the global lender met Khan on Friday in Lahore to seek assurance and support for the key objectives and policies under the recently announced USD 3 billion bailout programme, Geo News channel reported on Saturday.

Pakistan and IMF reached a long-awaited staff-level agreement on June 29 to inject USD 3 billion Standby Arrangement into the ailing economy after months-long negotiations that pushed the country to the brink of default. The Executive Board of the IMF will meet on July 12 to review the SBA for Pakistan.

Quoting sources, Geo News reported that Khan asked the IMF to ensure that the general elections, scheduled to take place in October, will be held on time.

What guarantee can you (IMF) give that the elections in the country will be held on time, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was quoted as saying in the huddle.

The IMF representatives, as per insiders, responded by saying that the Washington-based lender keeps a close eye on the situation in the country but we cannot interfere too much in internal political matters.

The IMF delegation further added that the short-term bailout package has been chalked out in such a way that the transition of power is expected to take place on time, the report said quoting sources.

The insiders added that the IMF officials expressed hope that the interim set-up will hold general elections in the country within the constitutionally-mandated time period.

The meeting was attended by IMF country chief Nathan Porter who joined virtually from Washington and Resident Representative Ester Perez Luis who was physically present.

Read here: 'We are on the edge of darkness: Imran Khan on democracy in Pakistan

The IMF meeting has come under scanner in Pakistan where some leaders termed it as interference in domestic affairs of the country.

However, the IMF's resident representative Esther Perez Ruiz in a statement said that the meetings with political parties were to "seek assurances of their support for the key objectives and policies under a new IMF-supported programme ahead of the approaching national elections".
Communities have come together to seek justice for a dog who was senselessly shot dead by an Ohio police officer in front of the poochs horrified family. Dixie was a three-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever and Labrador mix. He was shot dead by Lorain Police Department cop Elliott Palmer. Dixie was shot dead by Lorain Police Department cop Elliott Palmer (Tammie Kerns/Facebook)

A petition demanding Elliotts removal from the force has now gone viral, and has garnered over 27,000 signatures already. Meanwhile, a peaceful rally was held for the beloved dog at the Lorain Police Station on 200 West Erie Avenue. The rally was held in support of Dixies family to get Elliott removed from the Lorain Police Department.

The petition reads, The citizens of the City of Lorain are calling for the immediate removal of duty of Officer Elliot Palmer for the shooting death of a family's pet dog named Dixie. The officer carelessly shot the dog after calling for the dog to come to him, the dog was coming wagging her tail only to be shot, then after the dog trying to get up he shot her an additional three times. The dog was not aggressive nor was she doing anything to warrant such a horrendous act of violence. This is not the type of policing our city needs nor wants. We demand answers and resolution and justice for Dixie and her family.

While cops said the dog charged at the officer, Dixies family maintains that he was absolutely harmless and posed no threat. When he shot her the first time, she dropped, she was trying to crawl to me and my daughter for help and he continued shooting her, said Tammie Kerns, the owner of the dog, according to Fox 8.

Tammie Kerns daughter Brittany Kaspirek said, I just want to make sure that this does not ever happen to another family, he used beyond excessive force, one shot would have been totally feasible, he could have used a taser, as close as he was.

Police said in a statement, in part, While all the facts are not yet known, the investigation has been assigned to the Lorain Police Departments Office of Professional Standards Chief McCann is also working with several outside expert consultants who will be assisting with and reviewing the facts of this case.

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Toronto A poster targeting Indian diplomats in Canada has surfaced outside a temple in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), even as security concerns remained palpable ahead of a proposed protest rally to Indian missions called by pro-Khalistan elements on Saturday, people familiar with the development said. Sikhs for the independence of Khalistan protest in front of the Indian Consulate in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday.(AFP)

The poster, titled War Zone, outside the Bharat Mata Mandir in Brampton was placed in the early hours of Friday local time and discovered by temple volunteers in the morning. The poster was subsequently removed, a temple official told HT. Similar posters also appeared at other locations in GTA on Friday, officials said. The proposed Khalistan Freedom Rally is being organised in the name of Khalistan Tiger Force chief and proscribed terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was murdered in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey in British Columbia on June 18.

The poster outside the temple carried photographs of Indias high commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, consul general of India in Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava, and consul general of India in Vancouver, Manish. It accused the top Indian diplomats and the Indian high commission for Nijjars killing, even as the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), investigating the case, has not ascribed any motive behind the murder yet.

Physical police presence has been enhanced at various locations, a Canadian official said, declining to be named.

The fresh poster has come days after the Canadian government described as unacceptable previous set of posters  titled Kill India  issued and circulated online by banned group Sikhs for Justice.

Canada takes its obligations under Vienna Conventions regarding the safety of diplomats very seriously. Canada remains in close contact with Indian officials in light of some of the promotional material circulating online regarding a protest planned for July 8th, which are unacceptable, Canadas minister of foreign affairs Melanie Joly said in a statement on Twitter on Monday evening.

India has sought strengthened security measures for its personnel and missions.

Over the past few days, India has been particularly irked by Canadas response to activities of pro-Khalistan groups, and Canadian envoy Cameron Mackay was summoned to the external affairs ministry July 3 and served a demarche over the threat to Indian diplomats.

Our sense is that these posters inciting violence against our diplomats and our diplomatic premises abroad are unacceptable and we condemn them in the strongest terms, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a group of Indo-Canadian citizens have planned a march to Indias consulate in Toronto on Saturday.

Arvind Mishra from Brampton said, What would they do if people held rallies under the banner of Al Qaeda or ISIS (Islamic State) with posters of Osama bin Laden or the ISIS chief? Mishra asked.

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USDA recently proposed a rule to stop beef labeling fraud. This is an important first step to address a problem with widespread negative ripple effects. Family ranchers like me are not the only folks impacted. Whether you are concerned about food safety, rural prosperity, corporate monopolies controlling our economy, or even climate change, this issue matters to you. Fraudulent food labeling harms everyone.

Currently, corporations can legally slap a Product of USA label on imported beef that was born, raised, and slaughtered outside of the U.S. if it is repackaged on American soil. How is this blatant falsehood legal? Its because four multinational corporations dominate 85% of the beef industry, and they use money, power, and corrupt tactics to manipulate our laws.

Meatpacking executives, who make more money each day than many of us make each year, prop up this fraudulent system because they know consumers want American-raised beef. Families trust our food safety laws and want to support local ranchers. Many consumers avoid food that has traveled across the globe because of the carbon footprint involved and because food loses nutrition when stored for months and shipped long distances.

When someone buys beef born, raised, and slaughtered in Brazil because they believe the packages fraudulent Product of USA label, U.S. ranchers lose money. This results in a massive loss of revenue to our economy, especially in rural communities, given Americans consume $30 billion of beef annually.

This rigged system doesnt just cause financial harm; its also threatening our environment. Beef has been scapegoated as a primary climate culprit, largely because irresponsible corporate farming practices dominate the industry. Independent ranching, however, is part of the climate solution.

Regenerative agricultural practices, implemented by family scale ranchers like us who cant afford to be irresponsible with land and water, actually help mitigate climate change. Millions of acres of grazing grasslands across the U.S. act as a carbon sink. What happens if industry consolidation kills the family operations that steward these grasslands? Two problems arise.

First, these grasslands will likely be lost to development or extractive industries. Second, multinational corporations like Brazil-based JBS will grow even larger and continue to destroy rainforests  eradicating the worlds most important carbon sinks  to expand industrial-scale cattle production.

Were running out of time to save independent ranching and our carbon-sequestering grasslands. Since the 1980s, four out of every ten ranchers have gone under.

Family ranches and the vital businesses associated with us can only survive if federal reforms restore a fair, honest market. As admirable as small, direct-to-consumer operations are, they are not yet a viable solution to this massive problem. Buying beef directly from small ranchers  as a standalone tactic is not enough to correct this rigged system unfortunately. Its similar to expecting we can break Amazons stranglehold on consumer goods solely by shopping local. Please dont misinterpret, buying local is essential. But we also need strong federal laws that address corrupt market practices by global conglomerates.

This returns us to USDAs proposal to eliminate Product of USA labeling fraud. The Biden administration is taking steps to honor its promise to address market corruption in the beef industry. The proposed rule will only allow Product of USA to be placed on beef from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the U.S. This would correct this specific fraudulent practice, but we must go further to create full transparency.

Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) should be mandatory so that families know exactly where their food comes from.

The bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act  co-sponsored by U.S. Sens, John Thune R-S.D.; Jon Tester, D-Mont.; Cory Booker, D-N.J.; and Mike Rounds, R-S.D.  would make country-of-origin labeling for beef mandatory. This would create meaningful transparency that benefits consumers and ranchers alike.

Whether youre concerned about food safety, economics, or our environment, these reforms are imperative. Our communities and our climate cant survive this fraud any longer.
Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko will lead a delegation to China from Sunday through Wednesday, state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday. Valentina Matviyenko and Xi Jinping(Representative image)

The speaker will attend the eighth meeting of the China-Russia committee for parliamentary cooperation, the report said.

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An Arizona girl, 1, tragically died after her mother ran her over while moving her car. The incident took place near the familys Cottonwood home. The Yavapai County Sheriffs Office got a call on Thursday, July 6, from a woman claiming she had run over her 13-month-old baby with her car. The girl has been identified as 13-month-old Cyra Rose Thoeming, according to Daily Mail. The deceased child has been identified as 13-month-old Cyra Rose Thoeming (GoFundMe)

Yesterday morning YCSO deputies responded to a tragic 911 call from a mother who resides on Western Dr in Cottonwood. She reported she had run over her 13-month-old baby with her car. The vehicle was parked in a gravel area next to the residence. While manoeuvring the vehicle out of a tight space, the mother had positioned the child, within the car seat, in an area she felt was safe, the Yavapai County Sheriff said in a statement.

While repositioning the vehicle, the front tire caught the canopy of the car seat, causing it to fall backward which led to the infant suffering critical injuries. Medical personnel were performing life saving measures on the infant when YCSO arrived, but despite their heroic efforts, the child was pronounced deceased at the Verde Valley Medical Center. The YCSO Criminal Investigations Bureau is now investigating the incident. No further information has been revealed.

A GoFundMe has been set up by Cyras uncle, who described the little girl as a light in the world who brought smiles to everyone she met. She passed away on July 6th 2023, due to a terribly tragic automobile accident. In her short, beautiful life, she loved being outside, nature, playing with her family,animals and the water. There isn't anyone who didn't smile their biggest after spending just a moment with her, he wrote.

He added, It didn't matter how you felt, she would make your day better. Any Donations will go directly to her parents for final expenses, and will ease some of their burdens in this terribly trying time. There is never a good time for tragedies like this, but it couldnt have come at a worse time for her family.
Conflict-torn Sudan is on the brink of a "full-scale civil war" that could destabilise the entire region, the United Nations warned Sunday, after an air strike on a residential area killed around two dozen civilians. Smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardments during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum. (REUTERS)

The health ministry reported "22 dead and a large number of wounded among the civilians" from what it described as an air strike Saturday on Khartoum's sister city Omdurman, in the district of Dar al-Salam, which means "House of Peace" in Arabic.

After nearly three months of war between Sudan's rival generals, the air strike is the latest incident to provoke outrage.

Around 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict, survivors have reported a wave of sexual violence and witnesses have spoken of ethnically targeted killings. There has been widespread looting, and the UN warned of possible crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

A video posted by the health ministry on Facebook showed apparently dismembered bodies lying partly covered on the ground after the air strike. Several women were among the victims.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the regular army, claimed that the "air strikes" killed 31.

Residents contacted by AFP also confirmed an air strike but on Sunday, the armed forces released a statement "clarifying that the air force did not deal with any hostile targets in Omdurman yesterday".

Witnesses also reported more air strikes Sunday near the presidential palace in Khartoum and in Omdurman, as well as machine gun clashes and artillery fire in the city's south.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the air strike in Omdurman, which he said "reportedly killed at least 22 people" and wounded dozens, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Guterres "remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilising the entire region", Haq said.

Meanwhile civilians began digging graves for those killed in the air Saturday's air strike, witnesses said.

Since the war began, many bodies have been left to rot in the streets in both Khartoum and the western region of Darfur, which has seen some of the most violent fighting.

Dangerous and disturbing

Nearly three million people have been uprooted by Sudan's fighting, among them almost 700,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The UN and African blocs have warned of an "ethnic dimension" to the conflict in the western region of Darfur, where the United States, Norway and Britain have blamed the RSF and allied militia for most of the widespread violations.

Concentrated in Darfur and the capital Khartoum, fighting has also been reported in Blue Nile state near Ethiopia, which also has a history of unrest, as well as in South Kordofan state.

Residents in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and a commercial hub south of Khartoum, reported renewed fighting in their area overnight Saturday-Sunday, and then again on Sunday afternoon.

"There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing," said Haq, expressing support for efforts by the African Union and East African bloc IGAD to end Sudan's crisis.

On Monday leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan -- IGAD members handling the Sudan file -- are to meet in Addis Ababa.

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been invited but neither side has confirmed they will attend.

Several Sudanese civilian figures are already there, however, "in order to accelerate peace efforts", said Khalid Omer Yousif, who was fired from the government in 2021 when Daglo and Burhan led a coup, before their falling out.

Egypt's, a close ally of Burhan's, said it will host a summit Thursday of Sudan's neighbours to seek an end to the conflict and its regional "repercussions", a statement from the president's office in Cairo said.

Numerous ceasefires in the war have been announced and ignored.
Three teenagers in Georgia have been arrested for allegedly murdering a man after egging his house on Monday, according to police. The three teenagers were 18-year-olds, Sydney Maughon and Jeremy Munson, along with 19-year-old McKenzie Davenport. Georgia teens arrested for murder after an egging prank gone wrong

All three face charges of malice murder, battery and criminal trespass. Alongside, Maughon and Munson were also charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

On Monday, Spalding County sheriffs deputies found a man who was shot to death in the middle of the road. Fingerprint scans identified the victim as Jonathan Gilbert. He also went by the name Tyler Lane.

Authorities report that the dispute started as a lovers quarrel involving the victim which was followed by the egging.

"It appears there was an ongoing lovers' quarrel, and the suspects decided to go to Gilbert's residence on Dobbins Mill and vandalize it by egging it," the Spalding County Sheriff's Office explained in a statement. "When Gilbert saw what they were doing to his residence, he came out of the house unarmed, to confront them."

According to the police, when the victim approached the trio, Maughon allegedly shot him multiple times before the suspects fled the scene in a car. Despite only Maughon pulling the trigger, the sheriffs office reported that all three suspects will be held accountable.

Because they all plotted and planned together, and traveled to the location with the intent to commit a crime that led up to the murder together, they are all just as culpable as if they had each pulled the trigger themselves, the press release explained.

They went to egg a house, the victim confronted them while they were doing it, he lost his life, and they drove off and left his body in the middle of the road.

Together they bought that ticket; now together they can ride that ride, the press release added.

Spalding County Sheriffs Office is actively investigating the incident.
A new challenge that is luring individuals into clout for social media but is leading to fatal deaths among people. A boat jumping challenge wherein people jump from the rear of the vessels while the boat is moving at a high speed has proved fatal for many. Boat Jumping Challenge(Twitter x MEAWW)

The new challenge has caused 4 deaths, leaving other victims in Alabama with broken necks instantly. It has been stated by officials that they had to deal with about four drownings that could have been 'easily avoided'.

The entire idea behind the challenge was popularised by TikTok, which involves dangerous water activities for individuals to be a part of.

Captain Jim Dennis recently stated in an interview that the drownings could be easily avoided. We have had four drownings in the span of over six months, he confirmed.

The captain also mentioned, "I think individuals caught up in the accident were likely to do something stupid because they wanted to show it off on their social media for clout and their friends."

One of the cases for the challenge involved a father who was the victim in the following case, his wife, three children, and other members of his family on his boat while the entire incident of his fatal death was being recorded.

It has been said by the WPDE that the most recent case in Alabama involved a middle-aged man and occurred around May. Another video has been showcased in North Carolina, at Lake Norman, where five people are seen doing dangerous stunts in the water that are life-threatening and, moreover, absurd.

There are no limitations for an individual to have fun and make the most of a moment, but when certain things could put someone's life at stake, it goes without saying that taking a step back just by compromising to catch up with trends is the smartest decision one could make.

The concept of such challenges gaining popularity is no new story to people; it has been happening for quite some time, and the last time a trend gained such traction was the 'Benadryl Challenge. A case that later gained awareness after the deaths of two teens took place.
As a new workweek begins, residents along the East Coast are bracing for another round of wet weather. Following last week's stalled cold front that caused significant rainfall, another system is approaching, bringing the potential for flooding. With millions of people in the Northeast to North Carolina under a Flood Watch, the region is on alert for heavy rain and its potential consequences. With millions of people in the Northeast to North Carolina under a Flood Watch, the region is on alert for heavy rain and its potential consequences.(Fox Weather)

Heavy rainfall triggers flood watches

The National weather Service has issued Flood Watches covering a vast area, stretching from eastern North Carolina to northern New England. Approximately 53 million people are included in these alerts, making it imperative for residents to stay vigilant. Major cities in the Megalopolis along Interstate 95, including Washington, Philadelphia, and New York, are under the Flood Watch, highlighting the severity of the situation. Other at-risk cities include Hatteras, Norfolk, Binghamton, Hartford, New Haven, and Burlington.

Most major cities along Interstate 95 are under the Flood Watch.(Fox Weather)

Rainfall estimates and concerns

While rainfall amounts will vary across the region, an average of 1 to 2 inches is expected through Tuesday. However, higher rainfall totals are anticipated in the Northeast and New England. Areas such as New York's Hudson Valley, Albany, and western Massachusetts, along with Vermont and New Hampshire in northern New England, may see 2 to 3 inches of rain. Some localized areas could experience even higher totals, with rainfall reaching 3 to 5 inches.

Drought relief and agricultural impact

The heavy rainfall comes as a welcome relief to communities grappling with drought conditions. Prior to this precipitation, over 60% of the Northeast was facing dry or drought conditions. Farmers have been relying on irrigation due to the lack of natural rainfall throughout the winter and the first half of the year.

Observations reveal significant rainfall deficits, with Washington and New York's Central Park reporting deficiencies of 7 and 3 inches, respectively. While extreme or exceptional drought conditions are not present in the Northeast, the need for substantial rainfall remains crucial for agricultural and environmental health.

Before the rain began, more than 60% of the Northeast was facing either dry or drought conditions.(Fox Weather)

Stay prepared and exercise caution

Residents in flood-prone areas are urged to stay informed and take necessary precautions. Pay attention to local weather alerts, avoid driving through flooded areas, and be prepared to seek higher ground if flooding occurs. Keep emergency supplies on hand and ensure the safety of yourself and your loved ones during this period of inclement weather. The authorities are closely monitoring the situation and providing updates to ensure public safety.

Also read | Revelers across the US brave heat and rain to celebrate Fourth of July

With the potential for heavy rainfall across the Northeast to North Carolina, residents are on high alert for flooding. The Flood Watch, covering approximately 53 million people, highlights the need for preparedness and caution. While the rainfall brings relief to drought-stricken regions, it is essential to stay vigilant and prioritize safety. By remaining informed and taking necessary precautions, communities can weather the storm and mitigate potential risks associated with heavy rainfall.

(Source: New York Post)
This article is part of our Summer reads series. Visit the full collection for book lists, guest essays and more seasonal distractions. PREMIUM The Xi Jinping regime views Winnie The Pooh as a symbol of dissent in China.

WINNIE-THE-POOH is a good-natured, credulous bear. That makes him an unlikely protagonist for a slasher movie. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, released earlier this year, has been panned by film-goers around the world. In Hong Kong it was pulled by cinemas before it opened. It did not even make it that far in mainland China. That is not because of the unconvincing amount of gore that is spilt, nor because the films whole premise is preposterous. Any depiction of Pooh is guaranteed to attract the attention of the Chinese authorities. Why?

When Xi Jinping visited Barack Obama at the White House in 2013, a social-media wag remarked on how the pair resembled Pooh and Tigger, the bears fictional buddy. Americas president was tall and lithe; Chinas leader, in comparison, seemed squat and a little pot-bellied. Mr Obamas wiry frame reaches 1.87 metres. Mr Xis height, though a matter of some mystery, is believed to be between 1.75 and 1.78 metres. Whatever the truth, a meme was born.

Censoring Chinas internet is a game of whack-a-mole. Direct criticism of the Communist Party and its general secretary is quickly seized upon, so netizens must find inventive ways to grumble or mock before the authorities catch on to them. For a while, a harmless bear became that elusive mole. Arch online mentions of Pooh were known to be references to Chinas leader. In 2015 a picture of Mr Xi poking through the sunroof of a limousine during a military parade was widely compared to one of Pooh sitting in a toy car. It became Chinas most-censored image of the year, according to Global Risks Insights, an organisation that analyses political risk. By 2017 , the Chinese characters for Winnie-the-Pooh (literally Little Bear Winnie) had in effect been banned on Chinas internet.

Given that the comparison to Mr Xi was often light-hearted, the reaction might seem like over-sensitivity. World leaders often try to cloak their authoritarianism with an endearing alter-ego, after all: Mr Xi himself once revelled in the moniker Xi Dada, fawningly used by state media, until some began mocking him for it. But Chinas leader suffers from a more common trait still among authoritarians: a thin skin. Mr Xi has accumulated more power than any of his predecessors since Mao Zedong. Like Mao he has burnished a cult of personality, in which he must be viewed as infallible. He is obsessed with image. Party cadres are expected to learn the wisdom of Xi by rote. There is no room for ribbing, no matter how gentle.

And so China sends forth armies of censors and secret police to trawl online posts. Internet firms employ moderators in their tens of thousands to spot and delete banned ideas and imagesincluding endearing ursine oneswithin seconds. Censors sensitivity can verge on the ridiculous. Last year a man live-streamed himself eating a cake. Authorities fretted that the delicacy looked like a tank, so he was hauled off air for fear he was alluding to those that cleared student protesters from Tiananmen Square with murderous force in 1989. Last year the Cyberspace Administration of China enacted a rule that all comments on Chinese news sites be screened before they can be posted.

In 2000, Bill Clinton famously predicted that Chinas authoritarian regime, determined to police what the people say about it, would prove impotent in an age of smartphones and freely circulating online information. In fact, Mr Xis governmenta few rogue bears asidehas shown itself more than capable of maintaining control. As A.A. Milne (an acquaintance of Winnie-the-Pooh, as it happens) purportedly said: Organisation is what you do before you do something so that when you do it, its not all mixed up.

 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
There were only a few miles of sagebrush between Frances Clark and a herd of roughly a dozen pronghorn that the local botanist and citizen scientist thought she might not see this year, or for years to come.

I was thrilled, Clark said, remembering peering out into Grand Teton National Park for her glimpse at those animals on May 23. I was tremendously relieved that they were there, and there in some numbers.

Clarks sighting was one of the first times  if not the first time  that pronghorn were spotted in the park this spring. Her observation and subsequent surveys by state and federal wildlife biologists have allayed fears that a brutal winter and new respiratory illness would wipe out one of the countrys most iconic migration routes: The Path of the Pronghorn.

By mid-May, starvation and pneumonia had killed every collared animal that took the path in 2022, venturing from the Sublette Pronghorn Herds winter ranges in the Upper Green River Basin to green summer pastures in Grand Teton. While some were expected to make the journey, it wasnt a guarantee, Wyofile first reported.

I was worried that no pronghorn would make it back, park wildlife biologist Sarah Dewey said. The good news is that some pronghorn survived and migrated back. The memory for that migration is still in the herd.

Because all the collared animals died, biologists cant say with complete certainty that the pronghorn in the park made the migration route. But theyre all but certain that the animals are migrants. Jackson Holes winter was severe enough to kill any pronghorn remaining in the valley when snow started falling.

The pronghorns return to the park is not, however, without risk.

Wildlife managers arent sure whether pronghorn can carry mycoplasma bovis, the respiratory pathogen thought to have killed 1,000 or so antelope near Pinedale this winter. The question is: Do antelope die when they contract the pneumonia? Or can some live, carry the disease and pass it along to other animals?

If the latter is true, state and federal officials wonder if pronghorn migrating to Grand Teton could carry the pathogen with them and spread it to the parks bison herd, which is roughly 500 animals strong.

Thats the million-dollar question, said Samantha Allen, state wildlife veterinarian.

Researchers rarely detect mycoplasma bovis in wildlife. This winter was only the second time its cropped up and killed a significant number of pronghorn in the Cowboy State, the first being 2020 when it claimed the lives of some 450 antelope near Gillette. It has not been detected in Grand Teton National Parks bison.

The disease is typically found in cattle, which can carry the pathogen with no clinical signs and arent often severely affected. Infected bison, however, typically contract pneumonia and die. Reports of the disease in farmed bison have shown that it causes death in up to 50% of infected animals. The fact that some bison have been documented surviving infection is a sign they can carry and transmit the disease, Allen said.

Pronghorn, on the other hand, appear to just keel over when confronted with the biological storm.

All these pronghorn just seem to be dropping dead, Allen said.

Thats a bad sign for pronghorn but could be a good sign for park bison. If pronghorn cant survive long enough to carry the disease with them through the Gros Ventre Mountains, it might not reach the park.

But the Wyoming Game and Fish Department wants to gut check that assumption. A pronghorn buck that died in Pinedale in May has biologists worried that some pronghorn may be carriers. Allen said the state wants to sample more apparently healthy animals to determine if theyre infected, but asymptomatic.

Park officials, meanwhile, are on alert. Grand Teton wildlife biologist Dewey compared mycoplasma bovis to a related bacterium: Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, which can lead to respiratory disease such as pneumonia in wild and domestic sheep and goats.

Domestic sheep have introduced the bacterium to wild bighorns through intermingling, including in the Gros Ventre mountains, where pneumonia die-offs have caused sheep populations to crater every time they reach about 500 animals.

Dewey doesnt want to see something similar happen to Grand Tetons bison herd. Similar die-offs, followed by disease persistence in the bison population, could be devastating, she said.

We dont know exactly how mycoplasma bovis might impact bison, but it is very concerning, Dewey said. It is something that were thinking about and trying to learn as much as we can about.

The hope is to prevent the pathogen from being introduced into the bison herd, she said: Were trying to avoid that at all costs.

While research into pronghorns potential pestilence plays out, park and state scientists are keeping an eye on the pronghorn that made it back to the park. Like Clark, the botanist, theyre celebrating their return.

However, there arent all that many animals to celebrate.

Recently, park scientists used a fixed-wing aircraft to fly over the park and count pronghorn in transects, or pre-established plots of land, that were about a half-mile apart. That survey methodology isnt a census, meaning it doesnt capture a picture of all pronghorn in the park. Rather, its an annual study intended to gauge whether pronghorn population numbers in Jackson Hole are going up or down.

When the plane flies in June, the park typically counts about 200 animals. This year, park officials counted only nine. From other observations, Dewey said there are clearly more animals than that in the park: At least 25.

Aly Courtemanch, Wyoming Game and Fishs Jackson-area wildlife biologist, has received reports of about 10 near Lupine Meadows, about 25 near Elk Ranch and smaller groups near Antelope Flats.

But, she said, theres definitely a striking lack of pronghorn compared to what you normally see.

How many pronghorn return to the park remains to be seen. Game and Fish typically conducts its ground survey in August, when pronghorn begin to congregate for the breeding season.

In the past few years, biologists have counted north of 500 pronghorn in Jackson Hole  record high totals that include animals in Grand Teton, on the National Elk Refuge and in the Gros Ventre mountains.

Counts later this summer are all but certain to be far lower.

As it stands, park officials have seen three does with fawns. Pronghorn often have twins. Each of the spindly, ungulate mothers only had one offspring this year. But Dewey said there are likely other animals with young.

Pronghorn have endured severe winters before, and the population has rebounded, Dewey said. Its really good news that some of the pronghorn made it back and that we have seen some signs of reproduction.

Dewey said the recent rain will probably help the fawns survive.

The forage is really abundant, so these animals have an opportunity to put on weight, Dewey said. If those fawns survive, itll be another generation that makes that migration, and itll build back.

As nature takes its course, Dewey said its critical to conserve habitat outside of the park. Game and Fish also has slashed tags for this years pronghorn hunt, hoping to give the fecund animals a chance to reproduce.

The Path of the Pronghorn is recognized and protected on the Bridger-Teton National Forest, where it became the first federally recognized migration corridor in 2008. The state of Wyoming has yet to establish similar protections for the southern reaches of the route, which stretch through gas fields and new suburbs.

The key is really conserving habitat, and all types of habitat: The movement corridor and the wintering and summer areas, Dewey said. If were able to do that, Im optimistic that this herd can build itself back up.

In the meantime, visitors should give pronghorn space. Grand Teton regulations require people to stay 25 yards or more away from all wildlife, and 100 yards or more away from bears or wolves.

If animals respond when people approach, humans are too close.

To be able to pack on the pounds to make that migration and be prepared for next winter, they really need to be spending time foraging rather than being vigilant because they feel threatened, Dewey said.
RMV Pre-Registration Available for Work and Family Mobility Act

BOSTON  The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) announced pre-registration for appointments to obtain a Standard (Class D or M) driver's license will be available Saturday, July 1, 2023.

The RMV is implementing additional supports for all Massachusetts communities in advance of the new Work and Family Mobility Act (WFMA), effective on July 1.?The RMV is also adding additional service hours at multiple RMV locations and has added 2 new road test locations to best serve all customers.

Under the new law, eligible Massachusetts residents can apply to obtain a Standard (Class D or M) driver's license, regardless of immigration status, as the WFMA removes the requirement that residents provide proof of lawful presence in the U.S. Over the past several months, the RMV has identified and created informational resources specifically to help guide new customers as they begin the process to secure a Standard license credential. To further support this effort, the RMV has also worked directly with immigration advocacy groups, stakeholders, and impacted communities to facilitate and coordinate public outreach and to solicit feedback on implementation efforts so that best practices can be adopted.??

The RMV is prepared to handle the anticipated influx of 105,000 applicants in the first 6 months. To alleviate the high volume of new eligible customers, the RMV has implemented several measures: increased staffing, expanded the amount of road test operations in many locations, and extended working hours at RMV service centers. Visit Mass.Gov/RMV to find hours at RMV locations.

Effective July 5, Class D Road Tests will be available by appointment for all customers at the following two new temporary road test sites. These sites will be staffed with RMV personnel and will not offer any transactions other than road tests.

Location M-F Hours Saturday Hours Lynn (located at the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Connery Skating Rink, at 190 Shephard Street, Lynn, MA 01904) 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Revere (located at the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Cronin Skating Rink, at 870 Revere Beach Parkway, Revere, MA 02151) 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The RMV is also offering a pre-registering system that establishes a proactive process for booking appointments. Rather than checking the RMV website for an appointment, customers will be able to request an appointment online, and will receive an email with a unique link when an appointment is available for them to schedule.

Pre-registration for appointments is available after 7:30AM on Saturday, July 1.

A customer using the pre-registration system should do the following:

Visit Mass.Gov/myRMV

Select the Reservations option then select the Schedule a Service Center Appointment option

Provide required information

Select the type of appointment, (learners permit appointment, transfer out of state license, etc.)

Select the service center location to schedule appointment at. Some RMV service centers are more popular than others, and customers may wait longer for an appointment at those service centers. Customers will be provided information about appointment availability by location.

After completing the pre-registration steps customers will receive:

An email from the RMV with either a link to schedule an appointment or, if their requested appointment type and location have a waitlist, a confirmation that they have been added to a waitlist.

When an appointment becomes available for customers on the waitlist, customers will receive an email from the RMV with a link to schedule their appointment. The link is valid for 24 hours.

In addition, if there are customers that dont have an email account, the RMV is providing over the phone assistance. To book an appointment, customers can call: 857-368-WFMA (9362).

The RMV remains committed to providing quality services to all communities and has been working diligently to develop informational resources, which include:?

An informational website, Mass.Gov/WFMA, which includes helpful information on the WFMA, details identification requirements and outlines steps which must be undertaken by eligible individuals to get a Standard Class D or Class M drivers license, including successfully passing a vision screening, and scheduling separate appointments for a learners permit and road test.??

A special informational phoneline, 857-368-WFMA (9362), to hear messaging in multiple languages.

Frequently Asked Questions and a public flyer for customers as they prepare their applications.??

?? The RMV is also working on additional ways to support residents, and offers the following:?

?Materials will be translated into 15 languages, permits available in 35 languages, and interpreters (phone and in-person) available in 100+ languages.

Expanding call center staffing by 50 percent and adding a temporary, dedicated WFMA inquiry line operated by a vendor with live customer service representatives.?

Expanding staffing at customer service centers by 50 percent and expanding hours of operation at many locations to include Saturdays and some evening hours.?

More than doubling the number of road test examiners, adding temporary road test sites, and expanding hours for road test operations at many locations.?

To prepare for the application process, the RMV is also providing tips to eligible residents in advance:??

1.??Appointments are required: You will need to make two separate appointments to take your learners permit exam and take a road test. Walk-ins will not be available. Starting July 1, make your appointment online at Mass.Gov/myRMV.?Appointments will fill up fast at popular RMV locations (Haymarket, Watertown, Brockton, for example), so consider expanding your location preferences to find more availability.?

?2.???? Prepare your documents: Before your appointment, be sure to gather a proof of identity; proof of date of birth; and documents proving Massachusetts residency.?For the expanded list of acceptable documents, see Mass.Gov/WFMA. If any documents are not in English, the RMV will require the document to be accompanied by a certified English translation. ?

?3.???? Standard fees apply: Costs are $30 for a learners permit exam fee, $35 for a road test fee, and $50 for a Class D drivers license fee. The RMV encourages applicants to pay online in advance at Mass.Gov/myRMV.??

?4.???? Study and practice driving: Learn the Massachusetts rules of the road so you can successfully pass your learners permit exam. Practice driving with a licensed driver in the car before you take your scheduled road test. Be sure you know how to use hand signals, how to turn the vehicle on, how to use directional signals and the vehicle mirrors while driving.?Drivers Manuals are available at https://www.mass.gov/lists/ drivers-manuals.

5.???? Bring an interpreter if possible: Customer service centers will have translation services available by telephone for your appointment. If you need an interpreter for your road test and have a friend, loved one, or someone else who can accompany to translate, the RMV encourages you to bring them along. Otherwise, you can request an interpreter from the RMV when scheduling a road test.??

6.???? Bring a licensed driver and a vehicle to your road test: All applicants for must bring a licensed driver to their road test to comply with the rules for driving under a Learners Permit. You must also provide a vehicle with valid registration and valid inspection for the road test. You will not be able to take your road test if you do not bring a vehicle and a licensed driver to your appointment.???

7.???? Beware of bad actors: The RMV cautions residents to beware of fraudulent websites and scams. The RMV is the only organization authorized to issue a drivers license and to collect fees. Customers needing credentials should never pay someone for an RMV appointment. There are no special brokers authorized to help you get an appointment or a license. Make sure that you pay fees only at Mass.Gov/myRMV or in person at an RMV location.?

For more information go to Mass.gov/WFMA or call (857) 368-WFMA (9326).?
Governor Announces Support of 'Greener' Commercial Refrigeration

BOSTON  The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that more than $581,000 in Commercial Refrigeration Grant Program funding has been awarded to eight retail food businesses and a food bank in Western Massachusetts.

The grant program, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will support the use of climate-friendly refrigerants in commercial refrigeration equipment.

Many commercial refrigeration systems use potent greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), with global warming potential up to thousands of times that of carbon dioxide (CO2). These harmful refrigerants leak into the atmosphere over time, contributing to climate change.

"To meet our climate goals, we need to help our local organizations and businesses transition to more climate-friendly operations," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "This grant program not only puts us on a path of sustainability, but it also expands the market for new clean technologies. We are proud to continue our nation-leading efforts of providing a cleaner and healthier Massachusetts."

This grant is the first awarded under MassDEP's Commercial Refrigeration Grant Program. The funding aims to increase the voluntary adoption of low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants in commercial refrigeration equipment and to install permanent refrigerant leak detection systems on existing equipment using high GWP refrigerants. The awarded funding will cover a range of projects, including technology that will retrofit existing stores to use climate-friendly refrigerants.

"Commercial refrigeration accounts for a high level of emissions in Massachusetts. It is the largest single contributor of a potent greenhouse gas referred to as HFCs," said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. "Because of the climate potency of these particular compounds, these grants will give taxpayers a tremendous return on investment in terms of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions."

The Commercial Refrigeration Grant Program awardees are:

Fruit Life, Inc.  $200,000 for a new CO2 system at an existing store in Chicopee

Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop, Inc.  $18,179 for a propane retrofit and system expansion at an existing store in Springfield

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts  $50,000 to switch to a CO2 system in Hadley

Big Y Foods, Inc.  $238,507 for five system retrofits for lower GWP refrigerants and improved leak detection in supermarkets in Northampton, Palmer, Springfield (2), and Wilbraham

ALDI, Inc.  $75,000 for a new CO2 system at a new store in Northampton

All awarded projects are encouraged to share relevant information about the impact and effectiveness of their new low-GWP systems with the retail food industry, refrigeration trade associations, and other interested groups.
The view of the world presented by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) lacks the black and white, us and them, good and evil clarity of the Bush years. It is a place of competing centres of power, scarce resources and countless potential shocks to the system.

Most importantly, in a conclusion likely to be contested by Washington's remaining neo-conservatives, the NIC report declares the end of American supremacy.

"A Less Dominant Power"

"By 2025 the international system will be a global multipolar one with gaps in national power continuing to narrow between developed and developing countries," says the NIC report, entitled A Transformed World.

That is a dramatic shift away from the "unipolar moment" the US was said to enjoy after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. That moment has now passed, the NIC concludes. Barack Obama's Democrats claim it was squandered by the hubris of the Bush administration. But whatever the cause, they are stuck with the consequences.

America's loss of clout relative to the rest of the world will be military as well as economic. The US may continue to field the world's most formidable military force in 2025, but the NIC warns future commanders in chief that "advances by others in science and technology, expanded adoption of irregular warfare tactics by both state and non-state actors, proliferation of long-range precision weapons, and growing use of cyber warfare attacks increasingly will constrict US freedom of action".

The rise of China

The biggest winner in the coming multipolar age will be China, according to the NIC report.

"China is poised to have more impact on the world over the next 20 years than any other country," it predicts. On present trends China will have the world's second largest economy by 2025, and could well be the largest importer of natural resources and the biggest polluter. It will be a leading military power, with a considerable navy to protect the sea lanes that deliver its raw materials, and at the same time wield hi-tech asymmetric tools.

A US congressional panel claimed on Wednesday night that China was already practising its cyber warfare skills.

The triumph of the western democratic model in doubt

The shift from a unipolar world to one contested by several global powers has taken the form of a transfer of wealth from west to east that is unprecedented in its scale and speed, the NIC says. That transfer has been driven by high oil prices which have enriched producers in the Gulf and Russia, and the relentless drift of manufacturing to the low-wage economies of China and the rest of Asia.

That eastward movement has also entailed a shift in the world economy's centre of gravity from free-market capitalism to state-run structures. "For the most part, China, India and Russia are not following the western liberal model for self-development but instead are using a different model, 'state capitalism'," the report says.

In a straight repudiation of the neo-conservative creed, it states there is nothing "pre-ordained" about the advance of western democracy, at least in the medium term. In the long run, it suggests that once states such as China and Russia can no longer meet the expectations of their middle classes, the push for democracy might gather strength, but so might the drift towards nationalism and xenophobia.

State collapse and the failure of international institutions

The NIC report predicts that there will be more Somalias - failed and lawless states. As power flows between nations, there will be another shift in some parts of the world: from the state to "nonstate actors" such as corporations, tribes, religious groups and criminal gangs.

"Several countries could even be 'taken over' and run by criminal networks. In areas of Africa or south Asia, states as we know them might wither away, owing to the inability of governments to provide for basic needs, including security," the report warns.

Pulled apart by conflicts over increasingly scarce water, food and fuel, states will begin to implode, and the international organisations such as the UN that are supposed to act as referees do not seem to be up to the job of dealing with this new world.

"Global institutions that could help the world deal with these transnational issues and, more generally, mitigate the risks of rapid change appear incapable of rising to the challenges without concerted efforts from their leaders," the NIC says.

Obama wants to renew the push for UN reform to make it more relevant to the 21st century, but the experience of earlier would-be reformers suggests that the organisation's institutional inertia is formidable.

New conflicts driven by climate change and scarcity

The report envisages the return of a type of conflict "we have not seen for a while": the battle over resources. As energy supplies are perceived to be more endangered, states could go to war in an attempt to secure exclusive access. One possibility raised by the NIC is a conflict between China and India, two fast-growing economies competing for finite raw materials and energy. Lack of water and declining crops caused by global warming can also fuel conflicts within weakening states in Africa. In that sense Darfur, where nomads and farmers have clashed over resources, could be a sign of things to come.

A new arms race in the Middle East

The NIC does not believe Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons is inevitable, but the perception that the Islamic Republic is getting close to acquiring the bomb could lead other Middle East states to pursue their own nuclear ambitions, sparking a dangerous arms race.

The mostly stable mutual deterrent relationship that kept the cold war cold may not work in the Middle East, the report warns.

"Episodes of low-intensity conflict taking place under a nuclear umbrella could lead to an unintended escalation and broader conflict if clear red lines between those states involved are not well established," it says.

Demographics and the ageing of the west

Underlying the eastward shift of power is the ageing of the west. The world's population is expected to grow from 6.8 billion to 8 billion in 2025, and almost all that growth will take place in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with only 3% in the west.

The US, with its high rate of immigration, will be a partial exception, but the greying of Europe and Japan will increasingly hobble countries' economies, as fewer and fewer working-age adults support the massed ranks of pensioners.

"By 2010 there will be about one senior for every four working age people in the developed word. By 2025 this ratio will have climbed to one to three or possibly higher," the report says.

By contrast, "youth bulges" in the nations of Africa's Mahgreb region, Iran and Lebanon will mature into "worker bulges" before dissipating rapidly, giving those countries some added economic propulsion.

In troubled corners of the world such as the West Bank and Gaza, Iraq, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, the youth bulges are expected to persist, along with high unemployment, and more "volatility and violence".

The most powerful economic regions and how their ranking could change

2005

1 US

2 Europe

3 China

4 India

5 Japan

6 Russia

7 Brazil

2025

1 US

2 China

3 Europe

4 India

5 Japan

6 Russia

7 Brazil
Everywhere he has gone as president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard N. Haass has been asked the same question: What keeps him up at night? He has had no shortage of options over the years  Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, climate change, international terrorism, food insecurity, the global pandemic.

But as he steps down after two decades running Americas most storied private organization focused on international affairs, Mr. Haass has come to a disturbing conclusion. The most serious danger to the security of the world right now? The threat that costs him sleep? The United States itself.

Its us, he said ruefully the other day.

That was never a thought this global strategist would have entertained until recently. But in his mind, the unraveling of the American political system means that for the first time in his life the internal threat has surpassed the external threat. Instead of being the most reliable anchor in a volatile world, Mr. Haass said, the United States has become the most profound source of instability and an uncertain exemplar of democracy.
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The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that it is absolutely logical that Japans plan to release treated radioactive water from its Fukushima nuclear plant is attracting attention.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has faced criticism over the UN nuclear watchdogs approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged plant.

Japan is set to release into the Pacific more than one million metric tons of water that was used to cool damaged reactors after the plant was hit by an earthquake and a tsunami in 2011.

The issue at hand today has attracted a lot of interest, and this is absolutely logical because the actions and the way in which Japan will be addressing this... have important implications, Mr Grossi said in a meeting with members of South Koreas opposition Democratic Party on Sunday.

Mr Grossi said he understood concerns over the plan, but added that a review by the IAEA had found that it would be in conformity with international safety standards if executed properly.

During the meeting, Democratic Party representative Wi Seong-gon raised questions about the IAEAs review, claiming that it had shortcomings.

We deeply regret that the IAEA concluded Japans plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant meets international standards, he said.

Democratic Party members claimed that, in its review, the IAEA had neglected long-term environmental and health impacts of the wastewater release and threatened to set a bad precedent by encouraging other countries to dispose of nuclear waste in a similar manner.

They called for Japan to scrap discharge plans and work with neighbouring countries to find safer ways to handle the wastewater, including a possible pursuit of long-term storage on land.

The party has also criticised the government of South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol for putting peoples health at risk while trying to improve relations with Japan.

The South Korean government on Friday approved Japans plans and said the water would be within acceptable standards and would not meaningfully affect South Korean seas as long as the plants treatment systems work as designed.

However, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party politician, told Mr Grossi: If you think [the treated wastewater] is safe, I wonder whether you would be willing to suggest the Japanese government use that water for drinking or for industrial and agricultural purposes, rather than dumping it in the sea.

The party said Mr Woo has been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days to protest against the Japanese discharge plans.

Scores of protesters also marched in Seoul on Saturday and demanded Japan scrap its plans. The protests had provided a tense backdrop to a meeting between Mr Grossi and South Korean foreign minister Park Jin, who called for the IAEAs active cooperation in reassuring the South Korean public.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Red alerts have been sounded for several regions across India facing heavy rainfall, while a record-breaking downpour in capital Delhi has led to waterlogging and brought daily life to a standstill.

On Saturday, the national capitals chief minister Arvind Kejriwal cancelled leave for all government officers and asked them to inspect waterlogging problems, including widespread traffic snarls, that the city faces every time there is heavy rain.

This time, Delhi has received the highest single-day rainfall in July since 1982 and the third-highest single-day rainfall since 1958, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

A tweet from IMD said two areas in Delhi, Ridge and Safdarjung, recorded a total 28cm or 280mm of rain in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday.

15 per cent of the total rainfall of the monsoon season fell in just 12 hours, Mr Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi. People were very upset due to water logging. Today, all the ministers and mayor of Delhi will inspect the problem areas. Officers of all departments have been instructed to cancel the Sunday holiday and get on the ground.

In addition to the waterlogging, the rainfall also caused disruptions in power and internet connectivity in several areas of Delhi.

Accidents were also reported in the capital city, including one severe incident where an elderly woman was crushed to death after a portion of her house collapsed on her due to heavy rain.

A man shows his flooded house after heavy rains in New Delhi on 8 July (REUTERS)

The victim was identified as 56-year-old Ranjit Kaur, a resident of northwest Delhis Karol Bagh area.

In another incident, a huge wall of Desh Bandhu college in South Delhi collapsed, damaging a number of vehicles.

In Uttar Pradesh state, a woman and her six-year-old daughter were killed early on Sunday morning after the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rain.

Meanwhile, red and orange alerts have been issued for states across northern India.

A person wades through a flooded street after heavy rains in New Delhi (REUTERS)

Red alerts for rain in addition to landslides and flash floods have been issued for the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, the northern areas of Punjab and Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir.

The IMD predicts more than 204.4mm rain to fall in these states.

On Sunday, a portion of the national highway along the Beas river in Himachal Pradeshs Kullu was washed away following enormous landslides.

Traffic has been disrupted between Mandi and Kullu as several vehicles remain stranded along the highway, officials said.

Elsewhere, orange alerts have been sounded for Gujarat, the western areas of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states and northeast India.

The IMD predicts Gujarat, west Uttar Pradesh and east Rajasthan could get 120mm rain, while areas in Madhya Pradesh could get 115.6-204.4mm rain.

The weather department has also issued a list of dos and donts for people in areas facing thunderstorms and lightning.

A yellow alert has also been issued for four districts of southern Kerala state.
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A video of a woman aboard an American Airlines flight has gone viral after capturing the moment the passenger appeared to accuse a fellow traveller of being not real.

In the video, which has been circulating, a woman could be seen walking down the aisle of a full flight while screaming at the fellow passengers about why she was getting off the plane.

Im telling you, Im getting the f*** off, and theres a reason why Im getting the f*** off, the woman could be heard yelling as she walked up the plane aisle. And everyone can either believe it or they can not believe it. I dont give two f***s.

But I am telling you right now, that motherf***er back there is not real.

The video then captured the moment that the majority of passengers, who remained seated throughout the encounter, turned to look toward the back of the plane where the woman was gesturing.

The woman then continued the profanity-filled tirade, adding: And you can sit on this plane and you can f***ing die with them or not. Im not going to.

As she turned around to continue exiting the plane, a fellow passenger could be heard loudly telling the woman: Bye!

The video was reportedly taken aboard an American Airlines flight departing Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, according to the DailyMail, which noted that the original poster of the video claimed the incident delayed the flight by three hours.

The TikTok user also claimed the woman somehow didnt get arrested and got back through security after the whole plane had to deplane.

The Independent has contacted American Airlines for comment.

The clip, which has since been viewed more than 10m times on TikTok, was captioned: AA [American Airlines], what yall doing about this?

In the comments under the viral video, the womans comments sparked both amusement and concern from viewers, with many speculating about what she was referring to.

I need to see who shes talking about, one person commented, along with a laughing face emoji, while another said: Lol, the way they all turned their heads and looked.

My question is how is everybody keeping a straight face? someone else asked.

Others compared the scenario to movies, with some suggesting the clip reminded them of the moment that Kristen Wiigs character in Bridesmaids began to see things while intoxicated aboard a plane.

Its giving Kristen Wiig, one person commented, while someone else said: Reenactment of Annie from Bridesmaids. Hope she came down safely.

Several others revealed that they would probably follow the woman off the plane, with one person explaining: Idk, she seems distressed Id believe her.

Others said they have watched enough Final Destination to also be concerned about the womans claim.

No because I would HAVE to get off the plane. Im not about to be Final Destinationed, one person wrote, while someone else said: Ive seen Final Destination enough to know Im getting off the plane.
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A woman has questioned whether its wrong to skip her brothers wedding and go on vacation instead after she was demoted from bridesmaid duties.

The 26-year-old woman, who goes by the username u/trashgirlfriend on Reddit, posed the question to the AITA [Am I the a**hole] subreddit, where she asked for advice regarding the situation.

In the post, the woman explained that she and her brother Tom, 36, have never had a really solid relationship due to our age gap, as it meant that hed moved out of the house by the time she was old enough to develop a personality.

However, despite the lack of closeness in their relationship, her brothers fiancee Sarah, 32, asked her to be a bridesmaid in their upcoming September wedding when the couple first got engaged two years ago.

According to the woman, although she assumed her future sister-in-laws offer was just a courtesy, she still took the role seriously over the last two years, and ended up forming friendships with the rest of the bridal party.

She then revealed that shed recently saved up enough money to purchase the $800 bridesmaid dress the bride requested for her bridal party, while noting that shes already spent thousands of dollars on wedding party duties in the lead-up to the wedding.

I have been a bridesmaid for the last two years. Just a few weeks ago I managed to save up to buy the $800 bridesmaid dress. Over all, in the last two years, between group outings to parties, dinners, lunches, clothes, etc I spent thousands of dollars, she wrote, adding: Eventually all the girls in the wedding and I became extremely close and I started to get hyped for the wedding.

However, according to the Reddit user, her soon-to-be sister-in-law recently became close with her other sister-in-law, Becky, and ultimately decided that she wanted Becky to replace her as a bridesmaid in the wedding.

She dropped the ball on me that she no longer wants me to be a bridesmaid and she would prefer if Becky would take my place, the woman wrote. It broke my heart a little but its her wedding and its not my place to tell her how to run it so I said it was fine.

The woman said the situation worsened when she went to pick up her bridesmaid dress from her brothers house in the hopes that she would be able to return it for a full refund. According to the woman, her future sister-in-law tried to prevent her from taking the dress, as the bride-to-be hoped she would instead lend it to the bridesmaid who was taking her place in the wedding party.

Yesterday I went to my brothers house to pick up the bridesmaids dress, and was going to see if I could return it since it was within the time frame. Sarah was completely appalled and said that Becky was going to wear it since she and I are the same size, the woman wrote.

According to the 26 year old, she agreed to give Becky the dress as long as she paid her the full $800 cost of the gown, a request that the bride-to-be reportedly disagreed with on the basis that her replacement bridesmaid couldnt afford the cost.

I said that would be fine, but they would have to pay me the $800 for it. Sarah said that Becky couldnt afford it and I should just be nice and let her use it and said that I could keep it after the wedding, the woman wrote.

In the post, the woman said she explained to her future sister-in-law that she wouldnt just give away the dress, and that she was not ever going to use it after the wedding.

After some bickering back and forth I just ended up taking it and leaving, she continued.

The 26 year old then revealed that her brother and his fiance tried to compromise with her by offering her the title of assistant flower girl, an offer that she said she felt offended by.

After I said no, they then said that Becky could give me 250 bucks for [the dress]. Again no and I returned the dress and got a full refund, she wrote.

According to the woman, at this point, she also informed her brother and his partner that she felt they were being extremely disrespectful to her, and that she no longer had any intention of attending the wedding.

Shortly after the fight, the woman said the opportunity to take a vacation the same week as the wedding arose when a coworker offered her an extra round trip plane ticket to go to Miami, which she would sell to her for half price.

Today my coworker says she has an extra round trip plane ticket to go to Miami that shell sell to me for half price plus I would have to pay for half the hotel and I can go hang out with her in Florida. The only downside is that Ill be in Florida for the week of my brothers wedding, she wrote, before asking: So will I be the a**hole if I just go party in Miami instead of going to my brothers wedding?

The post, which has since been upvoted more than 26,000 times, has sparked a debate in the comments, where many users have encouraged the woman to go to Miami and skip the wedding, while others have warned her the decision may ruin her relationship with her brother permanently.

I wouldnt even send a card - or even a congratulatory text - to these people. Asking [OP] to step down (essentially because she now likes her other sister-in-law better) is incredibly rude and insulting, one person wrote. Then add in the bulls**t about the dress, and the fact that OPs already done two years of over-the-top bridesmaid duty and spent too much money. Brother and [future sister-in-law] deserve no common courtesy whatsoever at this point.

Another said: A 26-year-old assistant flower girl? Really? How insulting. OP, one of the nice things about declining an invitation is that you need not give a gift. A card of congratulations is all etiquette requires. And I think youve already overspent (both literally and emotionally) on this wedding.

Have a wonderful vacation in Miami! someone else wrote.

Others assured the woman that she was not in the wrong in the situation, but acknowledged the potential ramifications if she is to skip the wedding.

According to one person, who agreed the couple had disrespected the OP, she doesnt have to attend the wedding if she doesnt want to. However, they noted that she might not be able to ever be close with [her] brother if he finds out [she] chose partying in Miami over his wedding.

Also may affect what parents/other family think of you. But not sure if any of that is relevant, they added.

Someone else agreed with the suggestion, as they claimed that the decision would likely burn bridges with the womans brother and his soon-to-be wife.

But they were treating you so [poorly] its not a real loss, they added, before suggesting the OP reach out to her parents preemptively to explain why shes skipping the wedding, and also avoid mentioning the vacation at first.

According to another person, the woman should talk to both her brother and her parents before the wedding about her decision not to attend the event.

Id talk to your brother and your parents. Just tell all of them its clear he doesnt want you there so you are making other plans, they wrote, before suggesting: Tell him the thousands you already spent was your gift.

In a follow-up post, the woman revealed that, because her post had gone viral, it ended up circulating on TikTok, where it caught the attention of the woman who would be replacing her as a bridesmaid.

So unfortunately since Reddit is awful at keeping secrets, Becky saw the post on TikTok so she obviously let the cat out of the bag, she wrote.

According to the woman, the situation divided her family, but, after a heated argument, it was mutually agreed that [she] will not be attending the wedding.

However, the OP said that her brother and her future sister-in-law cannot seem to comprehend that the decision is about how they treated her, and not about the dress.

As for how the siblings mother feels about the situation, the Reddit user said that it appears her mother is on her side, as she was the one who paid for her portion of the Miami hotel.

She concluded the post expressing her gratitude for the support she received in response to her post, before noting that it will allow her not to feel the slightest bit guilty while shes in Miami.

The Independent has contacted u/trashgirlfriend for comment.
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Will Poulter has turned fans heads after sporting a new look at this years Paris Fashion Week.

The Bear star, 30, was seen at the Dior Homme Menswear Spring/Summer 2023 show in June with a moustache and a light smattering of facial hair framing his chin and jaw.

Although the actor debuting the look more than two weeks ago, fans have begun to sit up and take notice of his dapper appearance after sharing photographs on social media.

One tweet that has been viewed more than 8.7m times featuring a trio of photos of Poulter smiling at the camera was shared by a user who goes by the handle @fatfabfeminist.

She wrote: HELLO?? WILL POULTER??? UR KIDDING???

In another tweet, she said: I cannot express the reaction I had to these pictures but oh my god.

Others admired his glowup, with one person writing: Ive always thought he was really cute in an awkward way, Im so glad he grew into his skin.

This man has had the most insane glow-up, another said, while a third added: This should confirm that growing a bear increases your attractiveness ten times more.

Will Poulter attends the Dior Homme Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 23, 2023 (Getty Images for Dior Homme)

In further praise of facial hair, another said: Facial hair needs to be audited and governed by some centralised agency because the way this just changed my entire worldview on this man is giving me whiplash.

One person wrote: A light beard will always help frame and sharpen the face thus helping you look aesthetically pleasing and elevates the look from a boy to a MAN.

You go Will Poulter! (Gone are the days that youll be compared to Sid from Toy Story haha)

On social media, Poulter has sometimes been compared to the animated character of Sid in the Toy Story franchise. In May, he revealed that he was once even mistaken for Sid while at a urinal in LA, after a man turned to him and asked if he was in the Pixar animated film.

I dont want to be rude. I also appreciate theres a meme going round of me  I dressed up as Sid from Toy Story for anti-bullying week. So arguably I havent helped my case. But [Toy Story came out in] 1995. I was two. And they werent doing it through live action, he said.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star wore a short-sleeved white-collared shirt with smart chinos and pale green clogs under a pale multi-coloured trench coat to the fashion show.

In terms of his looks, Poulter is also known for his arched eyebrows which are highly expressive. He opened up about his personal style in a 2022 interview with British GQ, in which he revealed he is a massive sneakerhead, referring to his love for trainers.

He said that when he was younger, he would emulate other peoples style without really knowing what I was doing, but now knows which labels really suit my personality.

Poulter named Frank Ocean, Robert Pattinson and Michaela Coel as celebrities whose sense of style he admires.

Id also absolutely love and can probably only dream of collaborating with a brand on a collection, he added. Im actually a massive sneakerhead  Ive had to tell myself I wont spend money in Flight Club today  but a sneaker collaboration would be pretty cool to do.
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The culture secretary today held urgent talks with BBC boss Tim Davie over allegations an unnamed star presenter paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for explicit pictures.

Ms Frazer spoke to the director-general today over the deeply concerning allegations and said he had assured her the corporation is investigating the claims swiftly and sensitively.

She said the broadcaster now needs to be given space to investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

It came after senior MPs called for the BBC to investigate its handling of the allegations, saying the corporation has very serious questions to answer.

Following the phone call, she tweeted: I have spoken to BBC director-general Tim Davie about the deeply concerning allegations involving one of its presenters.

He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.

She added: Given the nature of the allegations it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action. I will be kept updated.

It is the latest crisis for Mr Davie to respond to after he survived calls to resign over his handling of Gary Lineker being briefly taken off air in March after the football pundit criticised Home Secretary Suella Bravermans cruel asylum policy.

Labours shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the allegations are deeply concerning and called for the BBC to get a grip.

And government minister Victoria Atkins called on the BBC to act swiftly to deal with the allegations.

These are very serious allegations and I can quite understand the public's concern about them, she added.

And Ms Atkins, the financial secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News: I think as public attention and concern grows, the BBC is going to have to act very swiftly to deal with these allegations and to set out what they are doing to investigate them.

Ms Reeves said the BBC and other broadcasters appear to be lurching from one scandal to another, and its handling so far had not been good enough.

She told Sky News: Someone makes a complaint and then puts on the telly the next night and they are still there, and that is not good enough.

Ms Reeves added: The investigations need to be much swifter, action needs to be taken quicker when there are serious complaints like this.

But the standards that presenters operate at just need to be much, much higher, no one should be able to get away with this sort of thing and think they can get away with it.

The mother of the alleged victim said the money  allegedly amounting to more than 35,000  was used to fund a cocaine addiction which destroyed her childs life.

The family complained to the BBC about the behaviour on 19 May and begged the broadcaster to make the presenter stop sending the cash, according to The Sun.

Neither the individual or the teenager, who was said to be 17 when the payments began, was identified.

The BBC said it takes any allegations very seriously. The star is currently not scheduled to be on air, it has been reported.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said the BBC is in a mess and should have immediately suspended the presenter at the centre of the sex scandal.

He said it is clear the corporation has tried to play this down from the beginning only for the scandal to explode.

The BBC should act like everybody else does and immediately suspend somebody pending the investigation, Sir Iain said.

He told GB News: That way its clear and then you can get on with it. At this stage, to try and do it quietly and behind the scenes - it never works because somebody has blown the gaff and theyre in trouble now.

I dont quite know what theyre doing. Its a mess. Clearly if you read the newspaper reports, you can see that the BBC has tried to play this down from the beginning. And it has not worked, because it has exploded.

They didnt have any plan. Any inquiries that are taking place seem to be a mess. And thats led to a whole series of reputational damage across the newspapers to the BBC.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, a senior Tory MP and chair of the culture, media and sport committee, said the BBC has very serious questions to answer.

She added: Its vital that TV companies have in place the right systems and processes to ensure their stars, who have disproportionate power and influence over the lives and careers of others, dont abuse it.

And former home secretary Dame Priti Patel told The Sun the allegations are absolutely horrendous. She said the BBCs response was derisory and that it must provide the accuser and their family with a full and transparent investigation.

Ms Patel added: The BBC owes an explanation to the country who funded it and placed their trust in it.

And the Corporation must cooperate with the police if they are contacted to investigate.

Several high profile figures have spoken out about the allegations to deny any involvement.

Writing on Twitter, TV presenter Rylan Clark said: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the sun- that aint me babe. Im Currently filming a show in Italy for the bbc, so take my name out ya mouths.

Shortly afterwards, radio star Jeremy Vine also responded to the story, telling his Twitter followers: It certainly aint me.

Gary Lineker tweeted: Hate to disappoint the haters but its not me.

Nicky Campbell appeared to suggest he had contacted police about being mentioned in connection with the story.

He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.

In his tweet, he wrote: I think its important to take a stand. Theres just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.

A DCMS spokeswoman previously said: These allegations are deeply concerning.

As a public service broadcaster in receipt of public funding, senior officials have stressed to the BBC that the allegations must be investigated urgently and sensitively, with the department kept informed.
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A top BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager thousands of pounds for explicit pictures stripped to his underwear while on a video call, the mother of the alleged victim has claimed.

It is alleged that the TV star paid more than 35,000 in exchange for sexual images and that the teenager used the money to fund a cocaine addiction, which destroyed their life.

The mother described how her child, who was said to be 17 when the payments began, turned from a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict in three years.

Neither the presenter nor the teenager has been identified. The presenter has reportedly been taken off air over the claims.

The mother, who said she wanted no payment for the story, complained to the BBC in May and begged them to make the presenter stop sending the cash, according to The Sun.

She has now told the newspaper that the presenter stripped to his underwear during a video call, saying: I loved watching him on TV. So I was shocked to see a picture of him sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.

I immediately recognised him. He was leaning forward getting ready for my child to perform for him.

My child told me, I have shown things and this was a picture from some kind of video call.

In response to The Suns report, the BBC said it takes any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.

The teenagers family is said to have complained to the BBC on 19 May.

The mother said in June that her child  now aged 20  told her they had been sent a 1,000 payment on PayPal, according to the newspaper.

She added: Its obvious to me the BBC hadnt spoken to this man between our complaint on May 19 and in June as they thought he was too important.

We never wanted an investigation. We just wanted the BBC to tell him to stop.

Earlier this year I heard him on the phone saying to my child, I told you not to f***ing ring me. It was shocking as Id see how he would act on the telly and then he would say stuff like that.

On Saturday, amid speculation on social media, a number of BBC stars tweeted to say they were not the presenter at the centre of The Sun story.

TV presenter Rylan Clark tweeted: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the sun  that aint me babe.

Im currently filming a show in Italy for the bbc, so take my name out ya mouths.

Jeremy Vine followed suit, tweeting shortly after: Just to say Im very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday  whoever the BBC Presenter in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly aint me.

While Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker did not specifically mention the allegations, he tweeted: Hate to disappoint the haters but its not me.

Broadcaster Nicky Campbell appeared to suggest he had contacted police about being mentioned in connection with the story.

He tweeted a screenshot that featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.

In his tweet, he wrote: I think its important to take a stand. Theres just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.

The BBC reported on the story in its news bulletins throughout Saturday.

On a BBC news show, special correspondent Lucy Manning said: I think this is very serious for the BBC, lets make no bones about this.

The understanding is the presenter isnt due on air in the near future, but we havent been told, and we have asked  we havent been told by the BBC whether there has or hasnt been a formal suspension.

The BBC will need to answer if the investigation should have happened sooner, if it should have been more thorough, and if its fair to other presenters unconnected to this that their names are now sort of in the headlines.

Ms Manning said she thinks this really does have the potential to severely dent the BBCs reputation.

In response to The Suns report, a BBC spokesperson said: We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.

As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this. That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.

If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact, that can limit our ability to progress things, but it does not mean our enquiries stop. If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided  including via newspapers  this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.
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A BBC presenter accused of paying for sexually explicit photos now faces four allegations against him.

A 23-year-old has claimed the unnamed presenter broke lockdown rules to meet them during the pandemic in February 2021, according to The Sun.

Separately, a 17-year-old has alleged they were following the star on Instagram when he messaged them, using love hearts and kisses, reported The Sun on Tuesday.

Follow The Independents live coverage for the latest updates

In a different set of allegations, BBC News reported on Tuesday that a person in their early 20s has claimed they were sent threatening messages by the unnamed man.

It comes after The Sun alleged a young person was paid around 35,000 for sexually explicit images by the presenter, who has been suspended by the BBC.

Have you been affected by this story? If so email holly.evans@independent.co.uk

What are the allegations?

In the first allegations that were made, the presenter was accused of paying a 17 year-old around 35,000 for sexually explicit images. The BBC star allegedly appeared in his underwear in a video call.

The family of the young person, who is now 20 years-old, has claimed the series of payments fuelled their crack cocaine addiction.

On Sunday, the Sun published an update that claimed that the male presenter called the young person twice after the allegations became public. He reportedly told them in panic what have you done and demanded that their mother stop the investigation.

On Tuesday, BBC News reported a person in their early 20s  who the broadcaster said is not connected to the person in the first report by The Sun  allegedly received threatening messages from the presenter, after they met on a dating app.

The presenter then allegedly sent a number of threatening messages, which the BBC says it has seen and confirmed came from a phone number belonging to the unnamed man, and asked the young person not to tell anyone.

In another set of allegations, a 17-year-old claimed they were following the star on Instagram when he messaged them, using love hearts and kisses, reported The Sun on Tuesday.

Separately, a 23-year-old person has claimed the BBC presenter broke lockdown rules to meet them during the pandemic in February 2021, according to The Sun on Wednesday.

The Suns new report claims messages seen by the paper suggest the presenter travelled from London to a different county to meet the 23-year-old at their flat in February 2021, when strict coronavirus lockdown rules were in place including a stay at home order and mixing only between household bubbles.

The young person, who claims to have met the presenter on a dating website, said the man also gave them more than 600 in three payments, which the newspaper said messages also suggest.

Why hasnt the presenter been named?

Since the news broke, questions have been asked why the name of the BBC star has not been published.

The male presenter has not been named by the Sun or any other outlets who know their identity. There is no court injunction banning the disclosure of the name of the presenter, it is believed.

The media is not publicly releasing the name through fear of defamation and breaching his privacy, media law experts have explained.

Mark Stephens, media law expert and partner at Howard Kennedy, said the law was changed after Sir Cliff Richard won a privacy case against the BBC over its coverage of a South Yorkshire Police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014.

Mr Stephens said there is a second layer of privacy, which is the contractual arrangement between the BBC and its members of staff.

If there are allegations of inappropriate behaviour, or any other kind of breach of employment practice, they should be investigated confidentially, he said.

Thats doesnt matter whether youre a celebrity or in the local office or on the building site, the same law applies.

The well-known presenter has been suspended following the allegations (PA Wire)

What is the BBC saying?

On Tuesday, addressing the first set of claims, the BBC said a family member contacted the corporation in May and the BBCs Corporate Investigations Team assessed that the claims did not include an allegation of criminality but nonetheless merited further investigation.

Director-general Tim Davie announced he has ordered a review to assess how some complaints are red flagged up the organisation.

He told reporters he was first informed of the allegations when The Sun said it would be publishing its front page story.

The corporation has also been asked to pause its internal investigation into the allegations while the police scope future work following a meeting with the Metropolitan Police.

A statement from the broadcaster said: As a result of this meeting, the BBC has been asked to pause its investigations into the allegations while the police scope future work.

It added: The BBC has processes and protocols for receiving information and managing complaints when they are first made. We always take these matters extremely seriously and seek to manage them with the appropriate duty of care.

The events of recent days have shown how complex and challenging these kinds of cases can be and how vital it is that they are handled with the utmost diligence and care.

There will, of course, be lessons to be learned following this exercise.

In an email to staff, addressing the first set of claims, Mr Davie said such allegations were taken incredibly seriously.

Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC, held emergency talks on Sunday with the Culture Secretary (PA Archive)

What have the accusers said?

The family of the teenager at the centre of the first set of allegations were reportedly upset with the wording of the BBCs statement on the star presenters suspension, according to the Sun.

On Saturday night, the family allegedly handed a dossier of evidence to BBCs lead investigator, former detective Jeff Brown.

The mother of the teenager told the paper she was frustrated the presenter was initially still on the air despite making their complaint to the BBC in May.

She said the young person had gone from a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict in just three years.

The mother reportedly begged the BBC to make the presenter stop sending the cash.

She told the Sun: When I see him on telly, I feel sick. I blame this BBC man for destroying my childs life.

Taking my childs innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.

The young person showed their mother online bank statements. There were huge sums, hundreds, or thousands of pounds at a time, the mother said.

One time he had sent 5,000 in one lump. The money had been in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of my child.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said suggestions BBC allowed presenter to stay on air were astonishing (PA Wire)

What are politicians saying?

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the initial allegations as shocking and concerning on the plane to the Nato summit in Lithuania on Tuesday.

But government minister Victoria Atkins on Wednesday told Sky News MPs should be "very careful" about using parliamentary privilege to identify the presenter, saying they had to remember the "huge responsibility" they have.

Earlier culture secretary Lucy Frazer said the BBC had reassured her the broadcaster was investigating swiftly and sensitively.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told the corporation to get its house in order.

Former home secretary Priti Patel said: The allegations, carried by the Sun, are absolutely horrendous. The BBC owes an explanation to the country who funded it and placed their trust in it.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the BBC had reassured her the broadcaster was investigating swiftly and sensitively (PA Wire)

What are other BBC stars saying?

Jeremy Vine has urged the unnamed figure to come forward publicly as speculation about their identity deepens.

Several star faces at the BBC tweeted and tried to distance themselves from the male presenter facing damning allegations. A witchhunt on social media has also ensued due to the anonymity of the star male presenter.

TV presenter Rylan Clark said: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun - that aint me babe.

What next?

The BBC presenter could face jail if he is found guilty of any potential charges over the alleged explicit pictures.

The allegations have caused the corporation damage to its reputation and pressure is mounting on the BBC as it deals with the ongoing crisis.
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A second eight-year-old girl has died just days after a Land Rover crashed through a primary school fence in Wimbledon and into a tea party.

Nuria Sajjad was left fighting for life in hospital after the crash at The Study prep school on Thursday, which unfolded shortly before 10am as pupils celebrated the last day of term.

The Metropolitan Police has now confirmed that eight-year-old Nuria died of her injuries at St Georges Hospital on Sunday.

The schoolgirl was killed alongside eight-year-old classmate Selena Lau, who died from her injuries on Thursday. A woman in her forties remains in hospital in a serious condition.

Nurias family have paid tribute to the beloved eight-year-old, saying she was the light of our lives.

Police have confirmed a second eight-year-old has died after the crash on Thursday (PA)

They said: It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Nuria on Sunday.

Nuria was the light of our lives. She embodied joy, kindness and generosity and she was loved by all around her.

We would like to thank the efforts of the emergency services, all the extraordinary staff at St Georges Hospital, the parents of Nurias class fellows and staff of the Study Prep for all they have done to ease Nurias journey.

We request that our privacy is respected at this difficult time.

Eight-year-old Selena Lau was named as the first victim of the Wimbledon crash (PA Media)

On Friday, Selenas family said she was adored and loved by everyone, while community members called her their shining star.

Releasing a picture of her beaming in her school uniform, the family said: Selena was an intelligent and cheeky girl adored and loved by everyone. The family wishes their privacy to be respected at this sad time.

A number of other people, including a seven-month-old girl, were injured and taken to hospital after the crash in Camp Road. Their injuries were later deemed to be non-life threatening.

The driver of the car, a woman from Wimbledon, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

She has been bailed to a date in late July pending further inquiries.

A Land Rover Defender is seen inside the grounds of The Study Preparatory School (PA)

The school  for girls aged four to 11  said in a statement that it was profoundly shocked by what happened.

Thomas Barlow, councillor for Wimbledon Village, said at the scene of the crash on Saturday: Everyones in complete shock that something like this could happen and the fact that this happened on the last day of term which was clearly a happy day at school is horrendous.

The whole village is in shock, a lot of the people had connections to this school.

A note left outside The Study prep school (Getty)

Locals continued to pay their respects at the scene of the crash this weekend. One parent with a young child said: Everyones affected by it, everyone is questioning how it couldve happened, Im just feeling really sorry for the families of those affected and the kids who survived.

Its a quiet road, Im wondering how can a car build up such speed in a short space of time, its crazy.

Dozens of flowers and tributes have been left at the school, with one note left saying: Dear Selena, you will always be our shining star. We will miss you so much."

Local policing commander for southwest London DCS Clair Kelland said: It is difficult to imagine the pain and upset the families of those involved are going through and we will do all we can to support them as our investigation continues.

I know the impact of this tragic incident is also being felt in the wider community and we are working with our partners to ensure the appropriate support is in place.

I understand many people will want answers about how this happened and there is a team of detectives working to establish the circumstances.
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Labours Rachel Reeves has said she is concerned about US plans to arm Ukraine with cluster munitions.

The shadow chancellor said cluster bombs are not appropriate weapons to send to Ukraine.

US president Joe Biden has committed to sending Kyiv the weapons, despite many Nato allies prohibiting their use.

I would like to find a way to properly arm Ukraine but without using these weapons which can have an impact, not just on the battlefield that time, on that day, but for months and years afterwards Rachel Reeves

Rishi Sunak did not express support for the move ahead of President Bidens visit to the UK.

He said Britain discourages the weapons as one of the 123 signatories of a convention banning the bombs for their devastating impact on civilians.

Asked about President Bidens commitment by the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News, Ms Reeves said: We all agree that Ukraine needs to be properly armed to fight Russia and their illegal invasion.

But I am concerned about the use of cluster bombs, and it is not just the UK who has these concerns, other countries clearly do as well.

So I would like to find a way to properly arm Ukraine but without using these weapons which can have an impact, not just on the battlefield that time, on that day, but for months and years afterwards.

That is something that causes me deep concern, and many other people as well.

While I support President Bidens desire to ensure Ukraine is fully armed to fight Russia, I am not convinced that these are the appropriate weapons.

Mr Biden has said it was a difficult decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine and sought to justify the move as needed to fortify Kyivs depleting ammunition stocks.

But the Prime Minister has said the UK is committed to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Well, the UK is signatory to a convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, he told broadcasters.

Cluster munitions deploy a large number of bomblets across a wide area.

Unexploded bomblets can continue to pose a threat to civilians long after conflicts end.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits their use or stockpiling because of their indiscriminate effect on civilian populations.

The US, Ukraine and Russia are not signatories.

Lord Ricketts, who served as the UKs first national security adviser, told Sky News: You can feel the allies are all very uncomfortable with this.

We have all of us, apart from the Americans, signed up to the convention which means we dont produce or stockpile or use these weapons. They are indiscriminate weapons, of course.

The former senior diplomat added: I think we do owe it to the Ukrainians to understand why they need these weapons.

This offensive that they have launched, there is a lot riding on it. If it stagnates, bogs down, the risk is this war will just continue.

Mr Biden will meet Mr Sunak on Monday, before the two leaders attend a summit in Lithuania on Tuesday where they will discuss support for Ukraine and its future membership of Nato.

The president will also meet the King at Windsor Castle.
TRUMP: "7 trillion in The Mid, No Money For U.S Schools



June 1, 2023

BlackConservative24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmJfY4OiZ6A&ab_channel=BlackConservative24

We spent seven trillion dollars in the Middle East wow; we'd build a school that blow it up would build it again they'd blow it up; hasn't been blown up yet but it will be. But if we want a school in Ohio to fix the windows you can't get the money yes, if you want a school in Pennsylvania or Iowa to get Federal money you can't get the money wow we spent seven trillion dollars in the Middle East and you know what we have for it nothing.

Trump claims the U.S. has spent $7 trillion in the Middle East. It hasnt.

Analysis by

February 12, 2018 at 12:32 p.m. EST President Trump has claimed that the U.S. spent $7 trillion in the Middle East since the campaign. But his math is still wrong. (Video: Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)
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A new mother, who wants her nine-month-old daughter to connect to her roots in Pakistan, wrote a childrens book to prevent the links to her heritage from dying out.

Unzela Khan Sheikh, 29, a second-generation British Pakistani from north London, had the idea to write the storybook titled Pakistan, Ill Be Back during her maternity leave, taking inspiration from her own visits to the country.

The story centres around an eight-year-old British Pakistani girl named Anam Khan, based on Ms Khan Sheikh herself, and it follows her visit to the country for the first time, seeing family and exploring the city of Karachi.

The book, based on Ms Khan Sheikhs family with illustrations of her relatives to match, has been written with three language translations, English, Roman Urdu, and Urdu script  the latter of which was translated by Ms Khan Sheikhs mother.

I just had a thought that this is going to die out unless I do something about it and try and teach my daughter, Ms Khan Sheikh, the race and diversity editor for MyLondon, told the PA news agency.

Born and raised in north London, Ms Khan Sheikh said she has always been really Pakistani but she felt she had to tone it down in the outside world.

Ms Khan Sheikh said that at school, she felt really conscious about bringing home-cooked food in for lunch, and stopped doing so even though it is a big part of her culture.

I feel like Ive always been really Pakistani, but Ive had to tone it down in the outside world.

If I took, for example, Pakistani food to school at lunchtime, people would be like, oh, whats that smelly food?.

You get really conscious about it.

And then youre like, you know what, I dont want to take this kind of food to school, even though thats a big part of you, because thats the food youve grown up with, the food you have at home.

Youre spending your whole day at school, but you cant let that side out because no one understands.

Ms Khan Sheikh feels many second-generation British Pakistanis find it difficult to connect to either culture, saying you dont feel fully connected to either side.

She said: Were British Pakistanis, and at the end of the day, were never going to be fully British.

You dont feel fully connected to either side.

And then theres some kids who are just in this middle ground, they feel really British or they feel really Pakistani, but they dont have that connection.

After having her daughter, Aafiya Sheikh, in September, Ms Khan Sheikh said she realised theres so many people like herself who have been born and brought up in England and their children are not going to know about their heritage.

To encourage children to explore their roots, Ms Khan Sheikh began writing Pakistan, Ill Be Back in March, and it has just been released for purchase on Amazon.

Kids these days, I really want them to be able to take an interest in Pakistan, she said.

So this is to encourage that, explore that Pakistani side.

You might be more in touch with it than you actually feel you are.

Since the release of her book on July 4, Ms Khan Sheikh said she has been receiving lots of messages from fellow parents saying they will be purchasing it to show their children what Pakistan is about.

Loads of people have just contacted me to be like, this is amazing, for a British Pakistani to be promoting the country.

She added: We could do an all-around-the-world series  Sudan, Ill Be Back or Bangladesh, Ill Be Back  because it would just be really good for kids to get back in touch.

Pakistan, Ill Be Back by Unzela Khan Sheikh can be purchased on Amazon here
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Sir Keir Starmer said I hate tree huggers in an outburst that shocked his shadow cabinet, it has been claimed.

The Labour leaders furious remark followed an animated presentation from climate and net zero spokesperson Ed Milibandsetting out his revolutionary energy policies.

Mr Miliband is said to have told his colleagues of the hope and change his policies would bring, receiving only a lukewarm reception from Sir Keir.

Sir Keir thanked him for his presentation but said he wasnt interested in hope and change, according to a source.

The source told The Sunday Times: He was more interested in creating sustainable new jobs to replace jobs in old sectors that were being lost. He then said he was not interested in tree huggers, before adding to everyones surprise, In fact, I hate tree huggers.

His comments, at a meeting the day after Sir Keir gave a major speech on Labours energy policy, surprised some in the room.

The Labour leader and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves have faced a backlash from the left of the party over a decision to scale back plans for a 28bn green prosperity plan.

Shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband speaking at Glastonbury Festival (PA)

But Ms Reeves insisted on Sunday that she cares passionately about tackling the climate emergency. And while she said she loves a tree, she lashed out at rude environmental protesters such as Just Stop Oil who cause needless disruption to peoples lives.

Ms Reeves said there are better ways to tackle the climate emergency than stopping working people getting to their jobs.

Luke Tryl, UK director at the More in Common group, said Labour risked throwing the baby out with the bath water over climate issues. He said it makes total sense to condemn Just Stop Oil and Sadiq Khans expansion of Londons Ulez scheme.

But if Labour strategists think climate isnt a mainstream electoral issue, their assumptions about voters are a decade out of date, Mr Tryl added.

A Labour source said: He did not say those words.
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The leader of the conservative bloc in the European Parliament said in an interview published Sunday that his party would not cooperate with the far-right Alternative for Germany but expressed a willingness to work with Italy's far-right premier to curb migration.

Manfred Weber, the German EU lawmaker who heads the European Peoples Party (EPP), dismissed suggestions that his bloc could drop its refusal to cooperate with Alternative for Germany at the state and federal level in the coming years amid growing support for the far-right party.

The firewall stands, Weber told the Funke Medie Group, adding that Alternative for Germany isn't just a political competitor, but an adversary and enemy.

Weber, who is also co-leader of the conservative Christian Social Union at the national level, warned that the far right's plans to dismantle the European Union would hurt Germany's economy and security.

Asked whether the EPP's outreach to Italian post-fascist leader Giorgia Meloni undermined the conservatives' stance toward the far right, Weber said it was important to work with all European governments to tackle the challenge of migration.

We need Italy as well, he said, adding that fears about unrestricted migration would benefit Alternative for Germany. We are currently working with Italy to implement a migration agreement with Tunisia. This will reduce the arrivals (or migrants) to the EU.

Two lawmakers with the Christian Social Union raised eyebrows in Germany this week by voting with Alternative for Germany in the national legislature for the first time. Both later claimed the votes had been in error.
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Jeremy Hunt is to set out plans to give a multibillion-pound boost to Britains fastest-growing companies by overhauling pension investment.

In his speech in the City of London on Monday, Mr Hunt will detail a set of measures designed to encourage the financial sector to unlock capital and increase returns for pensioners.

Alongside regulatory reforms, he will welcome an agreement with leading pensions firms to put 5 per cent of their investments, a sum of up to 50bn, into high-growth businesses.

The reforms will represent an evolutionary change to the British pensions market, Mr Hunt is set to say.

Aviva, Legal & General and Phoenix Group are among those understood to be taking part.

Pensions firms welcomed the fact that Mr Hunt was not making the move mandatory, as the industry had been warning against.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will make a speech to the City of London on Monday (PA Wire)

In his annual Mansion House speech, the chancellor will promise to put the needs of pension savers first and foremost.

It will be an evolutionary, not revolutionary, change to our pensions market, he is expected to say.

Mr Hunt will pledge to prioritise a strong and diversified gilt market, meaning that he will not force firms to favour riskier investments over the low-risk ones offered by the government.

He will also set out a golden rule to never make changes that compromise the sector, with what he is calling the Mansion House Reforms.

Nigel Peaple, policy director at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, said: The chancellor has confirmed today that the pensions sector will keep their freedom to invest in the interest of the individuals whose savings they manage.

This is the key priority for the pensions sector, and we welcome that Mr Hunt has listened to our views on this important matter.

After the gilt market turmoil of last September, it is reassuring that the government is committed to a strong and diverse gilt market and that, in consequence, it is seeking evolution not revolution with regard to pensions.

We look forward to continuing our dialogue with the government on their proposed pensions reforms, seeking always to achieve outcomes that mean a win, win, win for savers, pension schemes and the UK.

Michael Moore, chief executive of the British Venture Capital Association, said: We welcome the chancellors recognition of what we have known to be true for a long time  that British pension savers are losing out.
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Rishi Sunak has warned that international alliances are more important than ever ahead of his meeting with Joe Biden this week, after challenging the US presidents decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine.

The prime minister is set to attend a Nato summit in Lithuania on Tuesday, where he will urge allies to increase their defence spending and warn that they face unprecedented security challenges.

He will first host Mr Biden in the UK on Monday, after he refused to back the US president on the question of providing Ukraine with cluster munitions.

Mr Sunak said Britain discourages the use of the weapons, and is one of 123 signatories of a convention banning the bombs because of their devastating impact on civilians. Britain is instead supporting Kyiv by providing tanks and long-range weapons.

Mr Biden has said it was a difficult decision to approve the provision of cluster bombs to Ukraine, and sought to justify the move as being necessary to fortify Kyivs depleting ammunition stocks.

The prime minister will meet Joe Biden in London (PA Archive)

Ahead of the Vilnius summit, Mr Sunak said: As we face new and unprecedented challenges to our physical and economic security, our alliances are more important than ever.

The UK is Europes leading Nato ally, we are the United States most important trade, defence and diplomatic partner, and we are at the forefront of providing Ukraine with the support they need to succeed on the battlefield.

We have forged and invested in these alliances because we know they are the foundation of our strength and security. And I will continue to lead a United Kingdom which puts our international relationships at the heart of delivering for the British people.

The meeting between Mr Sunak and Mr Biden will build on a series of discussions the leaders have had in recent months in San Diego, Belfast, Hiroshima and Washington DC.

The White House said Mr Biden, who will also meet the King at Windsor Castle during his visit, will compare notes with Mr Sunak on the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia.

Downing Street said Mr Sunak will ask allies at the Nato summit to increase their defence spending to ensure they are prepared for future threats.

The UK is among a minority of Nato members that meet the alliances commitment to spend at least 2 per cent of national income on defence. Estimates for last year listed France, Germany and Spain among those not meeting the target.

During a by-election campaign stop in Selby on Saturday, Mr Sunak chose not to express support for Mr Bidens decision to provide cluster bombs, pointing to the UKs commitment to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Well, the UK is signatory to a convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, he told broadcasters.

We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion, but weve done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine.

Russias act of barbarism is causing untold suffering to millions of people. Its right that we collectively stand up to it, and Ill be heading off to the Nato summit next week in Vilnius, where we will be discussing exactly this with our allies  how we can strengthen our support for Ukraine.

But former prime minister Boris Johnson weighed in to support Mr Bidens decision, hours after Mr Sunak had said he discouraged the use of the munitions.

He tweeted: Joe Biden has taken a difficult but brave decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine. He is right.

These are terrible weapons. But they have been used by Putin for over a year in his programme of indiscriminate slaughter of an entirely innocent people. The faster we help the Ukrainians to win, the more lives we will save all round.

Cluster munitions deploy a large number of bomblets across a wide area. Unexploded bomblets can continue to pose a threat to civilians long after conflicts end.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits their use or stockpiling because of their indiscriminate effect on civilian populations. The US, Ukraine and Russia are not signatories.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions already in the war.
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One person was killed and at least 15 others injured when a car driving the wrong way collided with a bus in Chicago.

The accident took place just before 6am on Sunday in the 4500 block of South DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

A Dodge Journey was driving south in the northbound lanes when it struck a number 6 bus, causing the car to catch fire, officials said.

The male driver of the car and two female passengers were rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where one of the women was pronounced dead.

The bus driver and 12 passengers were also hospitalised. Their injuries and conditions were not disclosed.

None of the victims have been identified and an investigation is ongoing.
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A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the family of a woman who was fatally shot by police inside her home while experiencing a mental health crisis.

Melissa Perezs deadly encounter with San Antonio police unfolded after midnight on 23 June. Sergeant Alfred Flores and officers Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos were charged with the 46-year-olds murder less than 24 hours later.

In their lawsuit against the city and the three officers, Perezs family pointed to the San Antonio Police Departments formal and informal policies as the moving force behind her death - specifically mental health policies, CNN reported.

The suit also accuses the department of [creating] a culture of tolerance for the improper and unconstitutional use of excessive force through a consistent failure to discipline its officers.

The family are seeking compensation commensurate with the harm done.

The suit also calls for the department and the city to address the improvements that need to be made, and then do the hard work needed to make sure that Melissa Perez is the last person in San Antonio wrongfully killed by the police.

City officials responded to the lawsuit in a statement saying they would seek a speedy resolution through the judicial system.

Mr Flores, 45; Mr Alejandro, 28; and Mr Villalobos, 27, were all suspended from the police force without pay following the shooting. They were released from jail on $100,000 bond ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for 25 July.

From left to right: San Antonio police Sergeant Alfred Flores and officers Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos were charged with murder after the fatal shooting of Melissa Perez on 23 June (AP)

The three officers confrontation with Perez began as they responded to a report about a woman allegedly cutting wires to a fire alarm system at an apartment complex in the city.

After initially speaking to the officers, Perez ran to her apartment and locked the door, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told a press conference last month.

Body-cam footage released by the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) appeared to show the officers trying to speak with Perez through a window at the rear of the apartment, urging her to come out.

On the footage, she can be heard telling the officers that they do not have a warrant. Youre going to get shot, an officer can be heard saying at one point.

One officer appears to try to open a window. Perez threw a candleholder, then swung a hammer which hit the window and broke it, Chief McManus said.

One officer then opened fire but it appeared that Perez was not shot.

Police body-worn camera footage shows officers firing into the home of Melissa Perez (San Antonio Police Department)

Seconds later, Perez advanced toward the window again while still holding the hammer, and all three officers opened fire, according to the police chief.

More than a dozen shots can be heard on the video. Perez was struck at least twice, according to Chief McManus. She died at the scene.

It appeared that Ms Perez was having a mental health crisis, Chief McManus said.

The shooting officers actions were not consistent with SAPD policies and 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, he added.

Mr Flores was a 14-year veteran of the department while the other two officers had been with the force for five and two years, respectively.

Investigations from SAPDs Internal Affairs and Civil Rights divisions and the Bexar County district attorneys Civil Rights Division are underway.

We have always been a pro-police family. This breaks my heart. I always trusted the police to protect me and now I dont know who to trust. We cant express how hurt we are, Perezs daughter Alexis Tova told ABC News.

An arrest warrant for the officers states that Perez did not pose an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death when she was shot because the defendants had a wall, a window blocked by a television, and a locked door between them.

Recommended Eight teens wounded in shooting at party in El Paso

A statement from the San Antonio Police Officers Association to The New York Times offered its deepest condolences to the victims family.

At this time, this is an active investigation, and cant speak to the matter further until the investigation is complete and judicial process is underway, the statement said.
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Three teens in Georgia have been charged with felony murder after an egging prank ended with a man's death.

Sydney Maughon, 18, Jeremy Munson, 18, and McKenzie Davenport, 19, have each been charged with malice murder, battery, and criminal trespass in relation to the shooting death of Johnathan Gilbert on 3 July, according to the Spalding County Sheriff's Office.

Mr Gilbert reportedly also went by the name Tyler Lane, according to Law & Crime.

Police believe the incident was the result of an "ongoing lovers quarrel" involving Mr Gilbert and the suspects or someone close to the suspects.

The three suspects allegedly travelled to Mr Gilbert's home with the intent to vandalise it with eggs. While the egging was underway Mr Gilbert realised what was happening and ran out of his house to confront the suspects.

The suspects ran back to their car. Mr Gilbert, who was unarmed, approached the car, at which point Ms Maughon allegedly grabbed a gun and shot the man several times before the suspects fled the scene.

When police arrived they found Mr Gilbert's body in the middle of the road.

Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said that although only one teen pulled the trigger, they would faces charges for allegedly plotting and carrying out the attack together.

Sydney Maughon, 18, has been charged with malice murder and other charges relating to the shooting death of Johnathan Gilbert (Spalding County Sheriffs Office)

Jeremy Munson, 18, and McKenzie Davenport, 19, were both charged with malice murder in connection to the 3 July shooting death of Johnathan Gilbert in Spalding County, Georgia (Spalding County Sheriffs Office)

Because they all plotted and planned together and traveled to the location with the intent to commit a crime that led up to the murder together, they are all culpable just as if they had each pulled the trigger themselves, he said. They went to egg a house, the victim confronted them while they were doing it, he lost his life, and they drove off and left his body in the middle of the road. Together they bought that ticket; now, together, they can ride that ride.

Ms Maughon is facing additional charged of murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Her battery charge is considered a crime of "family violence."

Mr Munson also faces the additional charges of murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Police have not provided further details on the nature of the lovers quarrel or why Ms Maughons battery charge is considered family violence.
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A judge in Oklahoma has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations brought by the last three known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The move dashes efforts to obtain some measure of legal justice more than 100 years after the deadly racist rampage.

On Friday, Judge Caroline Wall dismissed with prejudice the lawsuit trying to force the city and others to make recompense for the destruction of the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood.

The case was brought in 2020 by the three survivors  Lessie Benningfield Randle, 108, Viola Fletcher, 109, and Hughes Van Ellis, 102. They hoped to see, as their attorney put it, justice in their lifetime.

The plaintiffs brought the lawsuit under Oklahomas public nuisance law, stating that they wanted to seek relief from the day in which a white mob killed as many as 300 Black people and left thousands homeless, destroying a 35-block area, looting and burning it to the ground. Survivors were housed in a hastily constructed internment camp.

Greenwood, then one of the most prosperous Black business districts in the nation, never recovered. The lawsuit contended that Tulsas long history of racial division and tension stemmed from the massacre.

No compensation has ever been paid to the victims for everything they lost either by the city of insurance companies  the subsequent racial and economic disparities can still be seen today, the plaintiffs argued.

In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Oklahoma during the racially driven massacre

The lawsuit sought a detailed accounting of the property and wealth lost or stolen in the massacre, the construction of a hospital in north Tulsa, and the creation of a victims compensation fund, among other things.

A Chamber of Commerce attorney previously argued that while the Tulsa massacre was horrible, the nuisance it caused was not ongoing.

The City of Tulsa requested the lawsuit be dismissed with prejudice against refiling. Part of their legal teams argument was that simply being connected to a historical event does not provide a person with unlimited rights to seek compensation from any project in any way related to that historical event.

If that were the case, every person connected to any historical event could make similar unjust enrichment claims against every museum or point of remembrance, they claimed.

Recommended Latest search for Tulsa Race Massacre victims comes to end

Tulsa County District Court Judge Wall appears to have been convinced and wrote in a brief order that she was tossing the case based on arguments from the city, regional chamber of commerce, and other state and local government agencies. She had previously allowed the case to proceed having ruled against a 2022 dismissal motion by the defendants.

While local judicial elections in Oklahoma are technically nonpartisan, Ms Wall has described herself as a Constitutional Conservative in past campaign questionnaires.

Ms Fletcher, the oldest living survivor and plaintiff, is set to release a memoir next month about the life she lived in the shadow of the massacre. She was seven years old when Greenwood burned.

In 2019, Oklahomas attorney general used the public nuisance law to force opioid drug maker Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465m in damages. The Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned that decision two years later.

With reporting by The Associated Press
Genres : Crime, Drama, Thriller

Starring : Giuliano Gemma, Claudia Cardinale, Francisco Rabal

Director : Pasquale Squitieri

Plot Synopsis

Based on the true story of the Iron Prefect, Cesare Mori, who was sent to Sicily for an Eliot Ness-in-The Untouchables style clean up of the mafia. Mori approaches organised crime on the island with uncompromising force even in the face of mass murders designed to scare him off. Pasquale Squitieri (The Climber) directs this stunning period piece which won the David di Donatello award for best film and features spaghetti western icon Giuliano Gemma brilliantly playing against type as the titular hero, winning him an award for his performance at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Alongside Gemma are the cream of international film from the period with co-stars Claudia Cardinale (The Day of the Owl) and Francisco Rabal (Sorcerer), the key surveyor of Italy's civic cinema screenwriter Ugo Pirro (The Working Class Goes to Heaven) and legendary composer Ennio Morricone (Once Upon a Time in America).

Special Features:
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President Joe Biden said on Sunday that Ukraine is not ready to be a part of the Nato alliance, a pronouncement that will likely chill some concerns raised by some members of the alliance ahead of a major summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The US president made the comments at the beginning of an interview with Fareed Zakaria of CNN, and is likely seeking to blunt the enthusiasm of Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelensky, who has insisted that his country should be admitted to the alliance as it passes the 500th day of a Russian assault into its heartland.

Mr Zelensky has been relentless throughout the course of the war in rallying Western support for his cause, including his seeking increasingly powerful shipments of weapons and war vehicles as his military battles and pushes back a larger but underperforming Russian force.

In recent days, that has meant a vow by Mr Biden to expand the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraines military  a move that some in the US have called a bridge too far.

I dont think its ready for membership in Nato, but heres the deal: I spent a great deal of time trying to hold Nato together, said Mr Biden, adding that he believed Russias goal was to break Nato as an alliance.

His comments are likely also aimed at soothing tensions with Nato members Hungary and Turkey, who are not supportive of Ukraines bid for membership, ahead of the Vilnius summit. Other US politicians have offered less than friendly responses to those hesitations, such as senator Jim Risch, a Republican from Indiana, who floated the idea of kicking both countries out of the alliance over their opposition.

It could cause consternation for Rishi Sunak  like the cluster bombs decision, this puts the US at odds with the UKs position, which currently is for support of fast-tracked alliance membership for Ukraine. Advocates of Ukraine joining the alliance argue that the county has made progress on issues of corruption, which are alleged to widely plague Ukrainian politics and business.

We have seen Ukraine evolve, and evolve quickly, British foreign secretary James Cleverly told the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London on Wednesday.

Many of the requirements of the Membership Action Plan are actually being delivered. The reform of their armed forces are happening whilst engaged in conflict and I think the UKs position is that it would be very supportive if we moved on from the Membership Action Plan, he continued.

Russia also remains adamantly opposed to Ukraines membership in the Western alliance, and the issue is seen as one of the driving factors of the expansion of hostilities last year.
 Close Trump shares threatening fan-made video

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Donald Trump will face trial for the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case on 20 May 2024, just six months before the presidential election. Judge Aileen Cannon gave the order on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, the former president has been busy bullying his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, including Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, on Truth Social as he braces for an imminent grand jury indictment over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his role in inciting the Capitol riot of 6 January 2021.

Mr Trump announced on Tuesday that he had been sent a letter by special prosecutor Jack Smith informing him that he is the target of the investigation, citing three statutes under which he could be charged, including conspiracy to commit offence or to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law and tampering with a witness, victim or informant.

That indictment, Mr Trumps third in four months, could be handed down any day now, The Independent learned.

Meanwhile, the latest attorney to join Mr Trumps legal team says he wants cameras in court when the former president is potentially put on trial over his alleged election interference.
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US Reaper drones in Syria were able to seek out and kill a top Isis commander on Friday despite interference from the Russian military, the Pentagon said.

In a statement to The Independent on Sunday, the Defense Department said that a group of Reaper aircraft destroyed a motorcycle being ridden by Usamah al-Muhajir, thought by US forces to be a top commander of Islamic State forces remaining in the Aleppo region of Syria. Isis has been pushed out of every inch of territory over which it once claimed military control, but pockets of fighters and leaders of the terrorist group remain dispersed around the region, plotting attacks against Syrian forces and the west.

We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region, said Gen Michael Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. [CENTCOM]. ISIS remains a threat, not only to the region but well beyond.

The Pentagons press release added: There are no indications that any civilians were killed in this strike, and the coalition is assessing reports of a civilian injury. This will disrupt and degrade ISISs ability to plan and conduct terror attacks. However, CENTCOMs operations against ISIS, alongside partner forces in Iraq and Syria, will continue in order to achieve the groups enduring defeat.

Photos and video released by the agency showed the moment that the aircraft were confronted by Russian fighter jets carrying out unsafe maneuvers as they sought their target, which according to defence officials took place just hours before the successful strike.

The strike on Friday was conducted by the same MQ-9s that had, earlier in the day, been harassed by Russian aircraft in an encounter that had lasted almost two hours, explained the agency.

A similar set of incidents has occurred in recent days involving Russian aircraft and Nato forces over Syria  the US has blamed Russian aircraft for a number of incidents involving drone craft, while the French military last week accused Russian forces of what it described as a non-professional interaction in the same region.

Pentagon officials had initially addressed the harassment on Friday, without announcing the successful operation that had taken place.

Earlier today three MQ-9 drones were once again harassed by Russian fighter aircraft while flying over Syria. During the almost two hour encounter, Russian aircraft flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations, Air Force Lt Gen Alex Grynkewich said in a Friday statement.

We continue to encourage Russia to return to the established norms of a professional Air Force so we can all return our focus to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS, he added.
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Donald Trumps lawyer Alina Habba has stepped down from her role defending the former president in the fraud lawsuit filed against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Ms Habba has taken up a new role with Mr Trumps Save America leadership political action committee.

A press release issued by the PAC says that Mr Trump appointed Ms Habba to be his legal spokesperson and general counsel to Save America, though she will also still assist the former president with certain legal matters.

Alina has worked diligently and tirelessly on many of the witch-hunt cases that have been unfairly brought against President Trump, said Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump 2024 campaign.

The statement continues: While the Habba Madaio Law firm will continue to assist the President in certain legal matters, Ms Habba will withdraw from the New York Attorney Generals case against the Trump Organization and President Trump and other cases, in order to devote her time to Save America and her duties as his media representative on legal matters.

Ms Habba says: It is an honour to be asked by such a leader as President Trump to help Save America. Being able to devote more time to addressing publicly his many legal matters is the privilege of a lifetime.

The appointment is effective immediately.

Ms Habba is also tied to and more widely known for her role in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case and was called before the federal grand jury.

She spoke on Jesse Watters Fox News show amid news that the grand jury indicted Mr Trump on charges related to his allegedly unlawful retention of national defence information.

The attorney claimed the indictment was a distraction from supposed impropriety on behalf of President Joe Biden of which House Republicans have so far failed to produce any evidence.

Every single time there is a coordinated dance that is becoming obvious to the American people because they are smart, Ms Habba said.

She added that the indictments of the twice-impeached former president were the equivalent of a shiny ball meant to distract the American public.

Im embarrassed to be a lawyer at this moment, she said. Honestly, I am ashamed. Im ashamed to be a lawyer. Im ashamed that this is the state of our country.

Ms Habba claimed the indictment showed the United States had a two-tiered system of justice.

And it is so obvious that theres this dual system of justice, she said. This is selective prosecution, selective persecution. It is absolute persecution. It is Russia third world stuff, and it should not be happening.
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Police officers who scoured a reservoir in Portugal in the search for Madeleine McCann have hit a fresh roadblock in their investigation.

A large section of the Barragem do Arade reservoir was cordoned off in May, about 30 miles from where three-year-old Madeleine went missing in Praia da Luz 16 years ago.

It is believed that the main suspect in the case, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, regularly visited the reservoirs peninsula and had described it as a little slice of paradise.

But detectives searching the reservoir have now said there is no compelling evidence Madeleine is there, according to The Sun.

Holes up to 2ft deep were dug up in the reservoir search, in the hope of unearthing clothing fibres, local media reported.

But despite initial hope, German public prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told newspaper Bild: Please dont expect too much.

It came after police reportedly received a tip off that Brueckner had visited the lake shortly after the three-year-old went missing in May 2007.

Madeline McCann went missing in Portugal in 2007 (PA)

Madeleine disappeared from the bed of her holiday apartment in a Praia da Luz resort while her parents dined 50m away.

Her younger twin siblings were also in the apartment at the time but were left untouched.

The Arade Dam reservoir in Portugal was searched in June (AP)

Madeleines parents Kate and Gerry McCann, both doctors from Rothley, Leicestershire, have been searching for answers since.

The Arade Dam is approximately 30km from the resort where the family was staying.

Christian Brueckner is a suspect in Madeleine McCanns disappearance (Italian Carabinieri)

Brueckner was first named in connection with the mystery in 2020 and officially made a suspect last year.

His yellow and white VW T3 Westfalia campervan was reportedly spotted near the Praia da Luz resort around the time Madeleine vanished.

He is currently in a German prison over the rape of an elderly woman in Praia da Luz in the 2000s.
On the same day that Tunisias president warned of a criminal plot to overwhelm this predominantly Arab country with Black Africans, Komenan Assas landlord evicted her.

He told me to take my baby and go, says Assa, a 25-year-old Ivorian who moved to this port city five years ago. It was clear to me: he was a racist who believed the president.

Weeks later, amid an eruption of aggression against Black Africans that followed the presidents embrace of a great replacement conspiracy theory, Assa joined the exodus of people trying to escape. Her group made it eight hours in a flimsy steel boat, overpacked with migrants, before the vessel overturned in the Mediterranean Sea. As passengers struggled, her baby, Musa, was kicked out of her arms and drowned. Her boyfriend screamed her name before he went under, too.
 Close Head of MI6 says Putin clearly under pressure after Wagner Group uprising

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President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused Nato member Poland of having territorial ambitions in the former Soviet Union, and said any aggression against Russias neighbour and close ally Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Moscow would react to any aggression against Belarus, which forms a loose Union State with Russia, with all the means at our disposal, Putin told a meeting of his Security Council in televised remarks.

Warsaws Security Committee decided on Wednesday to move military units to eastern Poland after members of the Russian Wagner mercenary force arrived in Belarus, the state-run news agency PAP quoted its secretary as saying on Friday.

On Wednesday, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was shown in a video welcoming his fighters to Belarus, telling them they would take no further part for now in the war in Ukraine but ordering them to gather strength for Africa while they trained the Belarusian army.

It comes as US-supplied cluster bombs are now being deployed by Ukraine in the battle against Russia, according to the White House.
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Scientists have achieved a major breakthrough using a so-called miracle material to boost the efficiency of solar panels.

Two separate studies published on Thursday demonstrated how the material perovskite could push the power conversion efficiency rate of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells above 30 per cent  beyond the theoretical limit of 29 per cent for traditional silicon (PV) solar cells.

Overcoming this threshold provides confidence that high-performance, low-cost PVs can be brought to the market, wrote material science researchers Stefaan de Wolf and Erkan Aydin, who were not involved in the research, in an article published in the journal Science.

Perovskite has emerged in the past 15 years as a material capable of transforming an array of industries, from renewable energy, to ultra high-speed communications.

Materials science professor Zeev Valy Vardeny from the University of Utah described perovskite in 2017 as unbelievable, a miracle material, after it was able to radically improve the sunlight-to-energy efficiency of solar cells.

Perovskites properties allow it to harvest energy from a greater range of the light spectrum, but until recently it was too unstable to be used outside a laboratory.

By stacking a layer of perovskite on top of silicon into a tandem device, the researchers were able to significantly boost the efficiency of commercial PV technologies while retaining the industry standard configuration.

Tandem solar cells are the most straight-forward route toward decreasing the levelized cost of electricity, well beyond what is possible for single-junction solar cells, wrote Professor de Wolf and Aydin.

The teams from China and Japan who were behind the latest breakthrough claim the latest design will pave the way for the mass production of ultra-efficient solar panels.

Perovskite in tandem solar cells is able to optimise electricity generation from the Suns energy by capturing more of the spectrum (Screengrab/ YouTube/ Science Magazine)

The current efficiency record for this next-generation solar cell is 33.7 per cent, achieved by engineers at the KAUST Solar Center in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, having risen from under 4 per cent efficiency in 2009.

Last month, a startup in China announced that it planned to begin production of tandem solar cells, with the abundance of perovskite cutting costs to just one 20th of traditional solar cells, according to Professor Tan Hairen from Nanjing University.

The scientists behind the latest research believe their approach could ultimately achieve an efficiency rate well above 35 per cent, though more work needs to be done on making the tandem cells more durable in real-world conditions, as well as scaling them up to the size of traditional solar panels.

Arguably, the most critical factor lies in the annual degradation rate under actual outdoor conditions, which for perovskite-silicon tandems remains largely unknown, the Perspective noted.

To be commercially viable, this degradation should be on par with mainstream PV technologies, which is less than 1 per cent relative per year.

The research was detailed in two separate papers published in the journal Science.
Anti-LGBT protesters stormed Georgias Pride parade on Saturday, tearing down a float, vandalizing the stage, setting fires and looting the events bar.

Thousands of right-wing protesters, who included Orthodox Christian clergy, were filmed scuffling with police, rushing the stage and burning rainbow flags, forcing the cancellation of the event in Tbilisi.

The organisers and Georgias president blamed anti-LGBT hate speech that preceded the event and said the police had failed to protect festival-goers.

President Salome Zurabishvili said the ruling Georgian Dream party had failed to condemn its followers who had openly incited aggression towards LGBT activists.
The financial secretary to the Treasury appeared to squirm when she was repeatedly asked about the government's decision to paint over a children's mural at a centre for migrants because it was deemed "too welcoming".

Victoria Atkins was asked how she feels about the murals of Minnie and Mickey Mouse and Tom and Jerry being painted over, a decision made by the immigration minister Robert Jenrick.

"I think we've got to focus on the fundamentals here: if there are children arriving in the United Kingdom via small boats, then as soon as they land in the UK, they are looked after properly" she deflected.

She added that as soon as the children arrive in the UK, "their welfare, their health needs and their schooling needs are looked after".

"We also have to stop people from being enticed by criminal gangs to cross the Channel," she said.

Ms Atkins was challenged multiple times on the fact that a mural for children was painted over and each time she did not say if she was comfortable with the action.

"I don't believe you are comfortable with it," Sophy Ridge told her.
Genres : Anime, Action, Fantasy

Director : Toshinori Fukazawa

Plot Synopsis

The Sanji retrieval team sails to Totto Land, where even the buildings are edible! After a feast of criminal proportions, theyre pardoned by Sanjis bride-to-be, who helps them plan his rescue. Held captive by his powerful family, Sanji faces painful memories from his childhood before fighting his father. Meanwhile, Luffy gets lost in a carnivorous forest full of illusions!
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Keke Palmers boyfriend Darius Jackson became public enemy number one after he appeared to publicly shame his girlfriend over an outfit she wore to an Usher concert  seemingly because she is a mother.

For context, actor Keke Palmer has been dating fitness instructor Darius Jackson (yes, I had to Google him too) since 2021. They welcomed their first child together, a son named Leodis Leo Andrellton Jackson, in February this year.

Of course, by law that means Palmer  who once stunned as a business savvy stripper in the 2019 movie, Hustlers  must now dress like a member of the Duggar family purely because she is a mother. Or at least, thats what her boyfriend seems to think.

On 5 July, a clip of the former Disney Channel star dancing with Usher at his Las Vegas residency surfaced on social media. Palmer looked flawless in a sheer black dress with a black bodysuit underneath  clearly having the well-deserved time of her life after welcoming a child five months ago.

However, the moment turned sour when Jackson took to Twitter to respond to the video of Usher serenading Palmer with his hit 2010 song, There Goes My Baby.

Its the outfit tho, he quote-tweeted the video, You a mom. .

Unsurprisingly, Jackson was met with a barrage of tweets criticising him for publicly shaming his girlfriends outfit choice, which, in hindsight, was relatively PG. He then doubled-down on his comments mere hours later.

We live in a generation where a man of the family doesnt want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is, he said. This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case. He deactivated his Twitter account on Thursday.

(Twitter/Darius Jackson)

Lets say this all together: its 2023, and one thing were not going to do is publicly shame women for the outfits they choose to wear, especially someone as unapologetic and confident as Keke Palmer.

It might be part of the celebrity job description that one must be accustomed to receiving negative comments from unknown social media trolls. But how are women supposed to respond when the public shaming comes from their own boyfriends?

(Twitter/Darius Jackson)

Before Hollywood power couple Kimye went their separate ways in February 2021, rapper Kanye West (now legally known as Ye) styled Kim Kardashian for many major red carpet events. The Yeezy designer has often shared his unfiltered thoughts on Kardashians fashion choices, one particularly notable occasion being the Thierry Mugler corset she wore to the 2019 Met Gala.

The beaded latex camp corset dress has since gone down in history as one of the reality stars most memorable fashion moments, but just one day before the annual fashion event, West had tried to stop Kardashian from wearing it because it was too sexy.

I went through this transition where being a rapper, looking at all these girls and looking at my wife, like, Oh my girl needs to be just like the other girls, showing their body off. I didnt realise that that was affecting my soul and my spirit as someone who is married and the father of nowabout to be four kids, West told his then-wife in an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. A corset is a form of underwear; its hot. For who though?

Much like West, Darius Jackson may reserve the right to feel some type of way about how he wants his family to be represented in the spotlight, but his argument that a woman shouldnt showcase booty cheeks once she becomes a mother is beyond absurd.

Mere weeks ago, Jackson publicly praised Palmers post-baby body on his Instagram account (which he has also deleted), and thanked their newborn son for transforming his mothers body.

Yall see this? Yall see this work? he said in the clip, which showed Palmer wearing a skin-tight leopard print jumpsuit. My son done transformed, the caption read.

In a guest appearance on Palmers podcast, Baby, This is Keke Palmer, Jackson himself even admitted to holding his girlfriend to a perfect standard after going public with their romance.

You almost feel that pressure of needing to be perfect, he said. And so, it really confused me and infiltrated my mind because not only did I have to hold myself to that perfect standard, I was also holding you to a perfect standard as well.

For those attempting to praise Jacksons desire for Palmer to dress modestly out of some archaic, so-called man of the family way of thinking, there is an immediate reverse UNO card to be pulled. Want to play the tradition card? Okay, how about the fact that Palmer is the ultimate breadwinner; a triple threat, multi-hyphenate whose career spans movies, television, game shows, and a Primetime Emmy award. (It goes without saying that theres no breadwinner prerequisite for women to dress however they want, but hey - sometimes its fun to play the misogynists at their own game).

While dancing in Las Vegas with Usher, Keke Palmer was our ultimate Barbie, and her boyfriend is...well, hes just Ken. Jacksons soapbox message about modesty gave a male podcast host energy were all too familiar with on virtually every online platform (most notably the one these comments were originally made on) but his since-deleted tweets highlight how womens bodies are constantly policed by toxic masculinity. The behavior that men like Jackson or West exhibit is not because they share a genuine concern for the whittling away of traditional family values, but rather a means for control, tradition, and what women should be.

Womens autonomy should not be stripped away from them the second they have children. And, in a newsflash to all of the modesty-loving men, women can both breastfeed and wear a little black dress at the same time.
Submission from CCAB-I also proposes a new 30pc income rate for younger workers

The Government should introduce a number of Budget measures to support small landlords and residential construction, according to a pre-Budget submission from a key accounting lobby group.

CCAB-I, an umbrella group for several accountancy groups said that its two main recommendations centred on investment in housing to accommodate the countrys young workforce and Irelands significant FDI community as well as the introduction of an intermediate 30pc rate of income tax to reduce the tax burden on younger wage earners.

Tax and Public Policy Lead at Chartered Accountants Ireland Crona Clohisey said: In the absence of a long-term focus, we risk an intergenerational divide becoming a chasm.

Our economic position is strong, but it is not future-proofed. There is a real divide between generations in terms of access to housing, pensions security and many other indicators. We need Ireland to be a country our young people choose to stay in and that others choose to bring their skills to, but we cannot do that without long term, strategic interventions in transport, health, and housing.

To encourage landlords to remain in the private rental market, capital gains tax (CGT) relief of 4pc per annum should accrue for the length of time the asset remains a rental property, the accountants pre-Budget submission suggests.

The exodus of small-scale landlords from the residential rental market must be addressed by the Government, wrote CCAB-I.

The role of the small private landlord is critical, particularly in our provincial towns where demand is not sufficient to justify large-scale investment in the private rental sector.

The Residential Tenancies Board estimates that the number of private rental tenancies has reduced by over 43,000 between 2016 and 2021.

Measures suggested for the building trade include a temporary reduction in VAT rates for the sale of certain residential development in areas where the profitability of a property development is below a reasonable margin.

An exemption from USC on the first 22,920 for the first three years of a new employment in the sector is also suggested, as is a super deduction for capital allowances of 130pc for the purchase of heavy plant and machinery for the purposes of what is deemed a qualifying construction project.

The Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies-Ireland (CCAB-I) is the representative committee for the main accountancy bodies in Ireland.

It comprises Chartered Accountants Ireland, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland, and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants which combine to represent over 50,000 professional regulated accountants in Ireland.
Neoen, a Paris-listed renewable energy company, has said it hopes to develop a pipeline of green energy projects worth 1bn in Ireland but that the country's planning and regulatory environment would need to change to help it deliver.

Having invested around 100m in Ireland to date, Neoen owns eight wind farms and three solar farms already supplying the Irish grid. Other projects representing around 100m have already been awarded to Neoen via successful tender processes, with work expected to start by the end of the year.

Xavier Barbaro, chairman and chief executive of Neoen, said it ultimately had the ambition to have a portfolio of 30 projects in Ireland that generated one gigawatt of power. This would represent a 1bn investment in the Irish renewables market.

Xavier Barbaro, chairman and chief executive of Neoen

However, Barbaro flagged a need for regulatory and planning changes in the Irish market to help it progress its development plans.

Despite his belief in the need for change, Barbaro said Neoen was committed to continuing to invest and do business in Ireland, flagging the significant opportunity across renewables and battery storage in the country. He also pointed out many of the challenges were issues across most markets, with some, including in France, worse than in Ireland.

Neoen, which has a market capitalisation of over 4.15bn, operates in 16 countries across Europe, the Americas and Australia. The Westmeath Enquirer said Neoen recently lodged a planning application with Westmeath County Council to develop an 87-hectare solar farm and a 50MW battery storage facility.
Industrial relations

Buddy Technologies was a promising internet-of-things firm involved in a variety of businesses, most prominently smart lights. Photo: Getty Images

The Irish arm of Australian tech firm Buddy Technologies has been found to owe redundancy pay to one of its laid-off workers.

Buddy Technologies was a promising internet-of-things firm involved in a variety of businesses, most prominently smart lights, and was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

It went into receivership last April, with local media reporting that it was struggling after issues with manufacturers in China. The receivers wound up most of the companys operations by August 2022.

A complaint lodged to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) by one of the workers at Buddys Irish subsidiary said she was not paid any redundancy by the firm after being dismissed.

The complainant had started working for the Irish entity, Buddy Platform (Europe) Limited in June 2020, receiving a gross salary of just over 4,500 per month.

Citizens Information states that workers not paid redundancy can complain to the WRC

On August 5, she received an email stating due to a lack of funding she was being made redundant that day. Almost a year later, she had not received any.

Martin Carroll, a director of Buddy Platform (Europe) Limited, told the WRC the Irish entity had not received funding after the parent company went into receivership.

The WRC adjudicator found: The complainant is entitled to a redundancy payment as set out above.

Receivers for Buddy Technologies had not responded to a request for comment.

Citizens Information states that workers not paid redundancy can complain to the WRC. If this is upheld and they are still not paid, they can apply for their lump sum directly to the Department of Social Protection under the Redundancy Payments Scheme.
The Unified Patent Court has been planned for years

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Neale Richmond. Photo: Collins

Irish businesses are at risk of being left on the sidelines of the new EU patent system, according to Dublin intellectual property (IP) law firm FRKelly.

A new system for granting and enforcing patents in Europe came into effect on June 1. Proponents say it will greatly reduce costs for businesses seeking to protect their intellectual property.

The Unitary Patent will be applicable across the 17 countries that have initially ratified the new system and will be enforced by a new Unified Patent Court.

It is the Governments intent to hold a referendum on the matter

While Ireland is a signatory to the new system, it has yet to ratify the agreement  as this will require a referendum to make a constitutional change where some powers from Irish courts are transferred to this new European court.

Paul Keane, a partner at FRKelly, said the Unitary Patent harmonises the process of securing and enforcing patents for businesses in Europe.

In the previous system, a firm is granted a patent by the European Patent Office  but must then validate that patent in each country, to ensure its protection. This can be costly.

In the new system, the European Patent Office still handles the filing and prosecution of the application  but up to grant stage you can select a Unitary Patent that is valid in the countries that have signed up, Keane said.

That means companies can potentially monetise their IP in more European markets than before at a lower cost.

Currently Irish companies can register for a Unitary Patent that will apply in the initial 17 countries, but they must validate their Irish patent in the old system to maintain protections in Ireland.

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail Neale Richmond has said that it is the Governments intent to hold a referendum on the matter.

If were on the sidelines, I think its a disadvantage, Keane said.

If ratified, Ireland would have the option to establish a local division of the Unified Patent Court with Irish judges that could rule on cases.

Keane said that because Ireland is one of the few common-law countries in Europe, it can provide much needed expertise in the workings of the court and the new system.

Effectively what you could have at the moment is in Germany and France, where you have civil law, judges with a background in civil law giving some decisions on common law issues. It is important that Ireland brings our experience and our common-law background to the table.

Keane pointed out that given Ireland is home to many American multinationals, handling their patent matters in Ireland under a common-law system they are familiar with would make Ireland a strong cog in the Unified Patent Court.

The Unified Patent Court had been in gestation for years, but it met several delays  including Brexit (the UK had been a key voice in its initial development) and constitutional challenges in Germany that were settled in 2021.
Uber Irleand general manager Kieran Harte said the current requirement to memorise all streets and amenities was outdated since the advent of GPS

The National Transport Authority, which is responsible for the SPSV test, did not respond to requests for comment. Photo: Stock image

Three of Irelands largest taxi hailing apps have called on the Government to reform the taxi driver test to help address supply shortages in the sector.

Taxi hailing apps Free Now, Bolt and Uber have said the current criteria for obtaining an SPSV (small public service vehicle) licence relies far too much on geographical knowledge.

In a paper submitted to the Department of Transport, Free Now said the tests questions are vague by design and hard to adequately study for.

We have heard from drivers that new entrants often feel the test is formulated in a way that tries to catch people out rather than focus on relevant knowledge necessary to undertake taxi services to the highest standard, it said.

Bolt and Uber echoed the calls. They said change could help to address taxi driver shortages.

Uber Irleand general manager Kieran Harte said the current requirement to memorise all streets and amenities was outdated since the advent of GPS

Kieran Harte, general manager for Uber Ireland, which has recently lobbied the department on loosening of taxi regulations, said the shortage of taxis is not going away.

The current requirement for drivers to spend weeks memorising all streets and local amenities is impractical and outdated with the availability of GPS maps that provide door-to-door directions in real time.

Aisling Dunne, head of public policy for Bolt Ireland, said: Given the technological advancements in recent years with satellite navigation and app-based maps, this difficult test seems unnecessary and misplaced, especially for drivers that do pre-booked work.

The 90-question SPSV Driver Entry Test must be passed by all drivers to demonstrate their understanding of the industry and the county where they will be operating.

The National Transport Authority, which is responsible for the SPSV test, did not respond to requests for comment.
The worldwide green hydrogen market, which amounted to $1bn (900m) in 2021, is anticipated to skyrocket to $72bn by 2030. Photo: Getty Images

in the late 1950s, the Shannon Free Zone was established as the world's first 'modern' free-trade zone.

The Shannon estuary has already been identified as a potential location for an energy park of renewable energy hub

In recent months we have seen significant policy developments which will underpin Ireland's ambitions under the Climate Action Plan to decarbonise our society.

Progress on new structures to develop offshore wind and the results of the first offshore auction suggest that we are seeing momentum begin to build in this area.

With little fanfare, last week EirGrid published 'Shaping Our Electricity Future Roadmap Version 1.1', the updated plan for the changes to Ireland's electricity system required in order to meet ambitious renewable energy targets.

It mostly deals with how we will need to upgrade the grid to bring on board additional onshore and especially offshore renewable energy.

However, the revised roadmap also calls out the concept of energy parks to emerge around combined offshore wind and hydrogen production systems.

Nations are actively seeking to capitalise on what green hydrogen can offer

Hydrogen, especially green hydrogen which is generated by renewable energy, offers huge opportunities in the decarbonisation of those 'hard-to-abate' sectors, such as heavy industry and transport,.

It does so by providing high-temperature heat for industry and an alternative and cleaner fuel for the transport sector. It also offers the potential for vast quantities of clean energy to be stored and called upon when required.

Throughout the world, nations are actively seeking to capitalise on the possibilities offered by a burgeoning hydrogen economy.

The worldwide green hydrogen market, which amounted to $1bn (900m) in 2021, is anticipated to skyrocket to $72bn by 2030, and Europe is expected to take the lead in this transformative shift.

The Shannon estuary has already been identified as a potential location for an energy park of renewable energy hub

The EU Hydrogen Strategy was published in 2020 and sets out actions and implementation measures designed to promote green hydrogen. The EU's 'Fit for 55' package builds on this and includes a number of legislative proposals that seek to translate the EU Hydrogen Strategy into a more concrete legal framework.

Here in Ireland, in April 2022, the Government published the National Energy Security Framework, which provides for an integrated hydrogen strategy to be prioritised and proposes setting national targets for hydrogen.

Of course, the challenge is translating these into decisive action. This is where the concept of energy parks, as identified by EirGrid, may offer an opportunity for leadership.

An energy park would involve a location where accessible renewable energy, hydrogen production and consumption, and the associated infrastructure are developed together in a cluster.

The Government has already identified the Shannon Estuary as a potential site. The region offers the potential for offshore energy from Atlantic winds, combined with an onshore hydrogen facility, to be located on the doorstep of major (soon to be replaced) coal-fired electricity generation.

With a bit of imagination, we could replicate the world leading Shannon duty-free concept in the case of energy parks

In March this year, the European Commission published a proposed draft Net-Zero Industry Act, with its focus being to scale up manufacturing of clean technologies in the EU and make sure the union is well-equipped for the clean-energy transition.

This was followed here in Ireland by a public consultation on the proposed Act. One of the ideas put forth is the setting up of regulatory sandboxes to test innovative net-zero technologies and stimulate innovation under flexible regulatory conditions.

We have some history of this concept in Ireland outside of the energy space. For example, in the late 1950s, the Shannon Free Zone was established as the world's first "modern" free-trade zone.

Businesses based on the site enjoyed special tax incentives on staff and profits, which attracted a large number of multinationals. With a bit of imagination, we could possibly seek to replicate this concept in the case of energy parks in Shannon or elsewhere in Ireland.

in the late 1950s, the Shannon Free Zone was established as the world's first 'modern' free-trade zone.

My own firm is advising on hydrogen projects in several countries, some of which are much farther ahead in their journey than we are in Ireland. While the prospects for establishing a low-carbon hydrogen economy are exciting, the challenge cannot be underestimated and there are lessons we can learn from elsewhere as the different pieces of the hydrogen puzzle start to take shape.

Policymakers need to remain both vigilant to potential threats and alive to potential opportunities as they seek to outline pathways that enable Ireland to decarbonise.

Green hydrogen represents one such pathway and offers Ireland the tantalising prospect of one day being an exporter of energy to countries such as Germany and beyond.

Gavin Blake, Partner and Head of Energy and Infrastructure, Addleshaw Goddard (Ireland)
A key objective of our Women in Business strategy is to grow the number of women becoming entrepreneurs. Photo: Getty

One of the most common challenges many entrepreneurs face is the lack of access to funding, which can often hinder their ability to start or grow a business.

Enterprise Ireland has launched a funding support explicitly designed for high-growth early-stage startup firms and entrepreneurs in the manufacturing and internationally-traded services sectors to support innovative Irish entrepreneurs.

Enterprise Ireland is offering funding of up to 100,000 through the Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF), and this funding is in the form of Convertible Loan Notes (CLNs) with two options  50,000 and also 100,000, paid in two equal tranches subject to key targets being met.

The PSSF, launched in 2022 and a replacement of the Competitive Start Fund (CSF), has already supported 44 Irish companies and is open all year round to applicants from all sectors. The funding is designed to accelerate the growth of early-stage startup companies in Ireland with the capacity and ambition to succeed in global markets.

It aims to support these companies with operational costs, develop market-ready products or solutions, conduct product testing and build critical skillsets within their teams. The funding also helps companies to reach key technical and commercial milestones required to attract future seed funding within six to 18 months.

The PSSF is open to all entrepreneurs at this early stage of development and is not competitive, which means that each application is evaluated on its own merits rather than against other applications. Ideally, applicants would have a minimum viable product ready, but this isnt a condition of applying to the fund.

Funding from this scheme is just one step on the entrepreneurial journey, and applicants may, for example, have already completed the New Frontiers programme or have had some support from their Local Enterprise Office or Business Innovation Centre.

In addition to funding, successful applicants also access a comprehensive range of supports and resources to enhance their chances of success. This includes access to 10 business mentoring sessions, in-depth market research and networking opportunities. These resources help entrepreneurs navigate the challenging journey of starting and growing a business, offering guidance, expertise, and valuable connections along the way.

Enterprise Ireland believes our countrys economic success will be driven by harnessing a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem that utilises a diverse population's skills, ambition and talent. And a key objective of our Women in Business strategy is to grow the number of women becoming entrepreneurs and improve the participation of women in senior leadership.

Weve made some critical progress in this area. In 2011, just 7pc of Enterprise Irelands high-potential startups were led by women; in 2022, 36pc of the startups supported by Enterprise Ireland were founded by women.

While the PSSF is open to all applicants, we want to encourage women founders at that stage of their entrepreneurial journey to consider applying, as we want to continue that positive momentum as increasing opportunities for women entrepreneurs is a strong focus of our work.

Application-support workshops for the PSSF will be held monthly by the national Business Innovation Centres (BICs), and details of these workshops as well as the relevant application forms and eligibility criteria, can be accessed on the Enterprise Ireland website at www.enterprise-ireland.com/pssf.

Anna-Marie Turley, department manager, Entrepreneurship & HPSU Operations, Enterprise Ireland
Will Metas new Twitter rival, Threads, be your next phone-scrolling social media addiction? Is there finally a real alternative (not a dud, like Mastodon) to Twitters rancour and culture wars?

Not in Ireland, Im afraid. Or in the rest of Europe.

Despite attracting 60 million users by Friday morning (it went live on Thursday), Threads isnt launching here.

Meta seems to be sick and tired of figuring out European data laws.

If you really cant wait, it is technically possible to join Threads from here, with a little jiggering

Its not just the 1.2bn fine it got from the Irish DPC earlier this year, nor the multitude of actions in the pipeline against it for its existing services  but Mark Zuckerbergs company now says that it doesnt know what its allowed to do with our personal data on Threads.

Its worried, in particular, about what new restrictions will be imposed on it by the EUs recently-passed EU Digital Markets Act.

After its flopped Metaverse and advertising slump on iPhones, its not inclined to pull any punches with what it hopes will be a lucrative new flow of ad-ready data on the Instagram spinoff.

Its reasoning goes as follows. To have any chance of taking on Twitter, or creating another social media platform in a swamp full of them, Meta reckons it has to tap into one of its already-established giant user bases.

Because Instagram is so successful commercially, Metas plan for Threads is to be able to use your personal Instagram data  health, financial, relationship preferences, shopping  on Threads, and vice versa.

So Threads is a spin-off of Instagram  its literally your Instagram handle. You cant create an account unless youre already signed up to Instagram. And you cant delete your Threads account unless you also delete your Instagram account.

All of that is fine in countries like the US, and the UK too, now that its no longer protected by EU data-protection laws.

But not in Europe. We generally dont allow you to easily cross the streams, like Meta wants to with Threads and Instagram. And we fine transgressors in the billions.

There was a time when Meta might just have launched anyway, and then tried to navigate its way through the regulatory pushback. But those days are gone.

So I dont see it launching the service in the EU this year, if ever.

If you really cant wait, it is technically possible to join from here, with a little jiggering.

For iPhone users, you can log out of your Apple ID and log back in, using the US as your home country, join Threads, then go back to your original Apple ID. (You need to really want to do this, though, as logging out of your Apple ID clears your Wallet, meaning you have to manually add items to it when you go back.)

Android users can just use a VPN or try side-loading it (not something I really recommend).

But for the rest of us, this might be the first major social media platform that skips the EU because of the difference in data-protection standards.

Will we have genuine platform envy? Or will Threads quickly transmogrify into a Twitterish stream of influencers gripes?

Even if Meta does eventually launch Threads here, its not a given that it will seriously challenge Twitter.

An Apple iPhone screen showing the Threads app. Photo: PA

Theres no question that Elon Musks spend-thrift regime at Twitter has done the platform considerable damage, both reputational and commercial. But it still has one thing going for it: its where most of the news-making accounts and pundits gather.

All throughout the current RTE crisis, Twitter has still been the one reliable place where most information appears in the quickest period of time.

Journalists post long live-tweet threads direct from Oireachtas hearings, containing far more detail than their online reports or broadcasts.

For anyone interested in news, thats impossible to ignore.

This advantage that Twitter has over all rivals has been in place for many years. Even Musks bumbling and at times egregiously dishonest mismanagement hasnt shifted it. He has been helped by the lack of viable alternatives.

Mastodon is a dud. Its too hard to join and make sense of.

Bluesky, the most likely Twitter alternative so far, is also too difficult to sign up to  and still has a relatively tiny user base.

Some are spending more time on LinkedIn. But while that has a large, established audience, much of whats posted there is narcissistic vanity masquerading as professional updates.

Vomit bags are an essential requirement when reading LinkedIn. It cannot be a forum for letting you know whats happening in the world.

So that leaves us all still holding our nose while we tap open the blue bird app on our phones repeatedly throughout the day.

Threads could offer us all a different path. But its one that we may never get to try out en masse in Europe, because of a standoff in data-privacy standards.
I was screaming at people online, coked off my head: Corkman Cillian OSullivans journey from wild child to TVs hottest new talent

The actors success comes after a long battle with addiction. He talks about his time in rehab and finding peace in New York

Cillian O'Sullivan in the Sky thriller 'Then You Run'

Donal Lynch Sun 9 Jul 2023 at 03:30
The Department of Culture and Tourism  Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has outlined its roadmap for growth in 2023, planning to increase overall visitation to more than 24 million, from 18 million in 2022.



DCT Abu Dhabis research reveals that culture was the primary reason for travel for almost half (47 per cent) of international tourists. With the rise of the culture-seeker segment, about 4 million visitors are expected at DCT Abu Dhabis cultural sites this year  more than one million additional visitors compared with the previous year.



Saood Al Hosani, Undersecretary at DCT Abu Dhabi, said the plans to promote and protect the emirate follow a strong 2022 performance that demonstrated innovation, resilience and integration of Abu Dhabis culture and tourism sectors.



Al Hosani said: With culture at the heart of everything we do, we have set bold and ambitious targets for 2023 as we promote, protect and progress Abu Dhabi and share it with the world. We are proud to share some of our 2022 results, which powerfully demonstrate how we re-ignited the engine of growth through resilient culture and tourism sectors, with visionary leadership and key partnerships across the different creative industries.



We are progressing Abu Dhabi by creating new job and career opportunities and enabling growth across the culture sector throughout the culture and creative industries (CCI) while enabling business and leisure tourism to thrive. Our purpose is to share Abu Dhabi with the world and enrich lives.



With the promotion and protection of culture central to its mandate, DCT Abu Dhabi is building on the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAEs Founding Father, to strengthen national identity, nurture talent, create better awareness of Emirati heritage and values, and develop a robust and innovative culture scene. The department continues to develop policies to preserve Abu Dhabis heritage, the emirates museums and culture sites and to curate visual and performing arts programmes, attracting a diverse audience from the UAE, the region and the world.



This year, DCT Abu Dhabi plans to create more than 300 jobs in the fast growing e-gaming industry. The target will be spread across more than 20 new companies with potential for significant expansion, to drive a successful gaming and e-sports ecosystem in the UAE capital.



DCT Abu Dhabi also promotes and protects the Arabic language, with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) promoting Arabic proficiency among the UAE community, while supporting the growth of the Arabic publishing industry through key projects like Kalima and Isdarat. ALCs 2023 goals to attract increased visitation to book fairs and festivals.



Al Hosani said: All of these plans contribute to our position as a key platform for culture and creativity, where thought leadership, cross-cultural exchange, and innovation thrive. Central to this, we are proud to continue the development of key museums for Abu Dhabi, such as Zayed National Museum, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Museum, while also hosting cultural events such as the upcoming Culture Summit Abu Dhabi later this year. In this sixth edition we will once again convene leaders from the field of arts, heritage, media, museums, public policy and technology  identifying ways in which culture can transform societies and communities worldwide.



To support the target of more than 24 million visitors in 2023, the destination offering continues to grow, with the recent opening of many new attractions such as SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Pixoul Gaming, Adrenark Adventure and Snow Abu Dhabi.



Experience Abu Dhabi, the destination brand of DCT Abu Dhabi, is activating the emirate as a year-round tourism destination that offers exciting, inspiring and restorative experiences that visitors can discover at their own pace. This includes showcasing Abu Dhabis living oasis of Al Ain, with authentic experience for regional visitors and culture-seekers.



DCT Abu Dhabi revealed details on 2022 visitor figures from the departments upcoming Annual Report, underpinning how Abu Dhabi achieved 18 million visitors throughout the year  a 17 per cent increase in visitor numbers from the previous year. Cultural sites achieved a near-perfect 99 per cent visitor satisfaction score last year including the top three most-visited DCT Abu Dhabi venues: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Cultural Foundation and Qasr Al Hosn.



DCT Abu Dhabi organised key exhibitions and an impressive series of visual and performing arts programmes across its different museums and culture sites and welcomed more than 245,000 students to learn about Abu Dhabis cultural scene.



The department, fulfilling its mandate to increase awareness of Emirati heritage, inscribed two new Intangible Cultural Heritage elements into the UNESCO ICH lists, including Alhedaa, the ancient art of camel calling and the date palm, and continued to organise major cultural events and festivals.



DCT Abu Dhabi confirmed the growth of both leisure and MICE visitation, revealing that hotel occupancy rates for 2022 exceeded 70 per cent, surpassing the Middle East average. That included a 24 per cent increase in overnight hotel guests to 4.1 million, when compared with 2021, while the average length-of-stay per visitor was three nights, resulting in a significant 18 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue per available room, compared with 2022.



With a long-standing reputation as a global centre for business, Abu Dhabi's position as a premier destination for business events was reinforced as it welcomed 603,000 MICE visitors and hosted 1,210 MICE events in 2022, showcasing its world-leading venues, hotels and supporting facilities.



DCT Abu Dhabi continues to work closely with Miral, Etihad Airways, Adnec and other MICE partners to attract even more meetings and incentive groups to the emirate, with Abu Dhabi recently named the top Middle East City for Association Meetings by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).  TradeArabia News Service
The Amish are known for their simple, tech-free lifestyle, but now they've got a new ride, and it's not horse-drawn. It's the electric bike, aka the e-bike. Contrary to popular belief, every Amish community has the freedom to choose what technology they use, as long as it doesn't disrupt their way of life.

The Cool Down (via Yahoo! News):

The official tourism site for Lancaster, Pennsylvania  home of numerous Amish communities  explains this nuance best. "When a new technology comes along, its effect on the church and community is examined," the tourism site states. "The technology should not be an intrusion into the home, but rather serve the social purposes and goals of the group. With that in mind, the Amish often re-purpose the technology, in a sense, to align with their community beliefs."

David Mullett, a member of the Old Order Amish Church in Ohio, has an e-bike shop that doesn't rely on the power grid, but runs entirely on solar energy. His reasoning? It's just a lot quicker to jump on an e-bike than to saddle up a horse and hitch a buggy.

One commenter says, "I live near an Amish community. Their problem with electricity is being connected to the 'grid' and not a refusal to use electricity. They use solar, generators, and batteries to store it. Then they use inverters to change it back for use in lights etc. They just still don't trust the 'English' folks."
My social media promos were flagged as such and approved by RTE, says 2FMs Lottie Ryan

Ryan said collaborations on her home which were posted on her Instagram page have been beneficial for both her and the brands she has worked with

Lottie Ryan

Niamh Horan Sun 9 Jul 2023 at 03:30
An academic who was unfairly dismissed by University College Dublin as well as other staff had every right to be disaffected by their terms and conditions over many years, according to the Workplace Relations Commission.

The finding was made in a case in which the WRC ruled that the university should pay French language lecturer, Valerie OReilly, compensation of 18,000 for unfair dismissal.

Ms OReilly, who resigned from UCD on October 9, 2020, had claimed she was constructively dismissed by the college.

The tutor gave evidence that her decision to resign came after she had hit a wall after losing trust in UCD and becoming blue in the face from raising her concerns with the university.

The WRC noted there was dispute between the parties as to whether Ms OReilly had begun working in UCD in 1993 or 1995.

Ms OReilly claimed she started in 1993 and provided evidence of Revenue and social welfare records but complained that she had never been given a contract of employment or statement of terms.

However, UCD claimed that the lecturer began work in March 1995 as there was insufficient evidence of an earlier start date.

The WRC heard she was appointed to the role of module coordinator assistant in 2009 but her photo, job title and biography were removed from UCDs website in 2016.

Ms OReilly claimed she was first provided a draft contract in 2015 but she would not accept it as it did not provide a job description and it reduced her hours, while there was also no provision for sick pay or pension.

She said it was also a fixed-term contract while she already had one of indefinite duration.

The WRC heard that UCD had offered Ms OReilly redundancy in 2020 but she had never been informed of the offer even though she would have accepted it.

Prof Mary Gallagher of UCDs School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics gave evidence that Ms OReilly had been unfairly treated by the university as her work and level of responsibility had not been recognised.

However, UCDs solicitor, Rachel Barry of Arthur Cox, denied that there was any unfair or constructive dismissal in the case as Ms OReilly had resigned to take up employment with another university.

Ms Barry said the college did not accept that there was any change to Ms OReillys job title and pointed out that she had rejected two job contracts offered in 2016.

Ms Barry argued that her delay in taking the case about events many years earlier was fatal to her claim of constructive dismissal.

Asked about UCDs requirement to keep records of terms of employment and working time, one of the college HR executives, Enda Bennett, said he could not speak to any breaches of legislation.

Mr Bennett acknowledged there was a letter stating that Ms OReilly had started in 1993 but claimed it had not been approved by the colleges HR division.

UCD claimed Ms OReillys long service was recognised by her being placed on the pay scale and that the contract had recognised her work.

Dr Anna Nunan, assistant director of UCDs language centre, said she had sympathy for the lack of recognition by the college of Ms OReillys 27 years of service but was surprised by her resignation.

WRC adjudication officer, Kevin Baneham, noted that a Rights Commissioner had recommended in 2015 that UCD should address longstanding contractual issues after cases were taken against the college by both Dr Nunan and Ms OReilly.

This highlights the longstanding and serious nature of these issues both for Dr Nunan and the complainant, said Mr Baneham.

In his ruling, he said there were several unique and unusual features to the case including the dispute over when Ms OReilly started work in UCD and that it was many years before she was offered a statement of the terms of her employment.

Mr Baneham said it was also unusual that UCD had offered Ms OReilly redundancy during a discussion in 2020 but the offer had never been relayed to her by a trade union official when it was clear she would have accepted it.

It is a matter of great concern that such an offer could be made but not relayed by an intermediary. This goes against good industrial relations, remarked Mr Baneham.

Ruling that Ms OReilly was unfairly dismissed, Mr Baneham said he was satisfied that she started work at UCD in 1993.

While she started a new job immediately, Mr Baneham awarded her compensation of 18,000 based on lost redundancy rights which he noted was also the value of the redundancy offered by UCD in 2020.
An air bridge collapsed at Dublin Airport earlier today, causing damage to an aircraft, Dublin Airport operator daa has confirmed.

In a statement issued to the Irish Independent, a spokesperson for the DAA said the incident, which damaged an American Airlines aircraft, occurred this morning at Terminal 2.

"DAA can confirm an incident which resulted in damage to American Airlines aircraft by an air bridge at Dublin Airport this morning, the spokesperson said.

"There were no reports of any injuries to any passengers or crew.

Dublin Airport confirmed that the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) did not need to attend the incident.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit is part of the Department of Transport and is responsible for the investigation of aircraft accidents and serious incidents that occur within Ireland.

In addition, the AAIU provides assistance to foreign safety investigation authorities who conduct investigations into occurrences involving Irish registered and/or operated aircraft abroad.

Furthermore, in some cases Foreign States may delegate Investigations back to the AAIU.

The Chief Inspector of Air Accidents reports directly to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan.

Meanwhile, Dublin Airport has advised passengers that all of its car parks are fully booked over the coming days during the busy summer holiday period.

The airport said those without a booking should plan to travel to the airport via an alternate method such as by bus, taxi or drop-off by a friend or relative.

Asked for comment, a Department of Transport spokesperson said: The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) were notified by the Airport Duty Manager at Dublin Airport that an air bridge had caused damage to an American Airlines aircraft that had recently arrived on stand.

"The AAIU reviewed photographic evidence and conducted initial discussions with those involved. The AAIU has determined that a deployment is not required at this time.

Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 10th
One of the key figures at the centre of the RTE payments crisis is privately nursing a tragedy that struck his family in relatively recent years.

Richard Collins, who is chief financial officer at the embattled broadcaster, lost his wife Lynda when she was killed while walking home during a storm in February 2011.

Lynda Collins died instantly when she was struck by a falling chestnut tree while crossing Waterloo Road in Dublin 4 during high winds, just days before her 46th birthday.

Following her death, Mr Collins said the death of his wife had been a one in a million chance and had left him and their three children devastated.

They were aged 14, 13 and seven at the time.

Mrs Collins was the daughter of former Fine Gael TD, government chief whip and Dublin lord mayor Fergus OBrien.

She grew up in Ranelagh and attended Trinity College Dublin. She and her husband met while working as accountants in KPMG and had been together for 21 years.

The couple worked in eastern Europe and in the UK before settling in Booterstown, south Dublin.

Following the tragedy, Mr Collins said his wife was noted for her desire to help other people and had volunteered for both the Barrett Cheshire homes and the Society of St Vincent de Paul while a student in Trinity College.

In recent years she had done an unbelievable job in looking after the couples youngest daughter, who had epilepsy.

At the time, Mr Collins said he would not have been able to become finance director of Superquinn without his wifes support.

Our plan was to pay off our mortgage and then have a much easier life in our 50s together. My job has been very demanding and I wish I had spent more time with my family, he said at the time.

He added: The support people have given us has been brilliant. It is great to hear that people care. If nobody said anything it would be a very lonely place for us.

Mr Collins went on to take on his job at RTE after the tragedy.

In recent weeks, he was criticised after telling the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting that he did not know his exact salary.

Collins was asked by Sinn Fein TD John Brady how much he is paid as RTE CFO.

I think thats a private matter, he responded after a moment of hesitation, before adding: I think were going to disclose our earnings.

After being pressed to answer by committee chair Brian Stanley, Collins eventually admitted: I dont know what my exact salary is off the top of my head.

Fianna Fail TD James OConnor to state: Thats absolutely outrageous. Chief financial officer of RTE cant tell us what hes paid.

Collins then said he believed his salary is around 200,000, with an added car allowance of 25,000.
A man has died after he and a woman got into difficulty while swimming in the sea at Tramore, Co Waterford, this evening.

They had been swimming at Guillamene Swimming Cove when they got into difficulty and the alarm was raised at around 6.30pm.

They were rescued from the water by members of Tramore RNLI and were taken to University Hospital Waterford where the man was later pronounced dead.

It is believed that the woman was suffering from shock.

The RNLI told Independent.ie: Two people were in difficulty in the water and both were brought in by lifeboat and transferred to the ambulance service.

It is understood others in the water at the time contacted emergency services.

The Irish Coast Guard R117 search and rescue helicopter attended the scene, along with local lifeboat crews, gardai and the ambulance service.

A garda spokesperson said: Gardai and other emergency services received reports of two persons in difficulty in the water at the Guillamene in Tramore, Co Waterford, at approximately 6.30pm on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

A male and a female were taken from the water and brought to University Hospital Waterford.

The male has since been pronounced deceased. No further information is available at this time.
The scene of the suspected shooting in Tallaght

A man has been rushed to hospital following a suspected shooting in south Dublin.

The victim was found with serious injuries in the Russell Place area of Tallaght shortly after 4pm.

It is believed he suffered wounds to his stomach consistent with being shot and is currently receiving treatment for non life-threatening injuries.

Gardai are investigating if the injuries were inflicted by a low-velocity weapon.

A large number of gardai, including members of the Armed Support Unit, responded to the scene which remains sealed-off this evening.

In recent months gardai have been investigating separate shooting incidents in the area linked to a local feud. However, there is no indication at this early stage if today's incident is linked to that dispute.

A garda spokesman told Independent.ie: "Shortly before 4.30pm on Sunday 9th July 2023, gardai received reports of a man discovered with injuries in the Russell Place area of Tallaght, Dublin 24.

"The man was taken to Tallaght University Hospital where his injuries are currently described as non-life threatening.

"The scene at Russell Place is currently preserved for technical examination.

"Gardai continue to investigate all the circumstances of this incident.

"Anyone with any information is asked to contact Tallaght garda station on 01 6666000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
New director general begins role on Monday

It is "time for action", the incoming director general of RTE has promised.

Kevin Bakhurst is taking over as the national broadcaster remains at the centre of a storm following revelations last month that it had under-reported the salary paid to star presenter Ryan Tubridy.

Mr Bakhurst is expected to publicly outline his plans to "restore trust" in RTE on his first day in the role on Monday.

Speaking briefly on Sunday, he said: "I'd rather not say too much ahead of tomorrow, just say we're going to be in contact with staff first thing in the morning via email, and I'll be going around meeting people, trying to take questions and explain what we're trying to do.

"The only thing I'll say to people is it's time for action now, that's all we need."

Earlier, Government minister Thomas Byrne described Mr Bakhurst's arrival at RTE as a "really good moment" as the broadcaster attempts to rebuild trust.

Appearing on RTE 1's The Week In Politics programme, Mr Byrne also suggested there has been too much focus on commercial activity at RTE and a return to the "basics of public service broadcasting" is needed.

On Saturday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also called for change.

"I think we need to see change in RTE. Without change, I don't think that trust can be restored," he said during a visit to Co Clare.

"I understand that the new director-general Kevin Bakhurst is going to make some announcements on Monday in relation to changes to the organisation, the way the management is structured and also is going to deal with issues around conflicts of interest.

"I am very reassured in what he has said to Government and it's important that he be allowed to set out those plans on Monday and to talk to staff first and then to inform the wider nation about those changes, and he's going to make them quickly."

Asked about his views on reform of the TV licence, the Taoiseach said the current system needs to be overhauled.

"It's a really old fashioned way of collecting revenue based on ownership of a TV, a device that many people just don't have anymore, and almost all the money goes to RTE even though there are many other bodies involved in broadcasting outside public service broadcasting," Mr Varadkar said.

"So I think reform of the TV licence is long overdue and I want that to happen during this Government.

"I can see the political temptation to put it off for another government or another Dail, but I do not want to do that, and I want to make sure we have a new system up and running during the lifetime of this Government."

Incoming RTE DG Kevin Bakhurst describes mission to rebuild trust in the organisation

The furore around RTE's failure to disclose 345,000 of additional payments to former Late Late Show host Tubridy between 2017 and 2022 has since widened.

There have been further disclosures about the broadcaster's internal financial, accounting and governance practices and its expenditure on corporate hospitality for advertising clients.

The Government has already announced two separate external reviews of RTE and also moved to send in a forensic auditor to examine the broadcaster's accounts.

Meanwhile, two Oireachtas committees are conducting their own examinations of the situation.
Environment Minister Eamon Ryan will star in a new fly-on-the-wall documentary film about the Green Partys role in Government, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

The documentary has been given the working title Behind The Green Curtain and, according to an internal Green Party email, it will follow the party leader and his advisers as they meet the ordinary folk of Ireland to outline the Governments Climate Action Plan.

The documentary will be shot on handheld cameras and is being pitched for cinema audiences, blending a verite-style character study of the Greens struggles, with evocative nature cinematography.

Securing funding for the proposal is an issue for the film-makers

It is described as primarily a human story, following the daily comings and goings of Ryans core team.

The project has already raised eyebrows among some in the Green Party with one disaffected insider labelling it a vanity project.

The film, which is not being funded by Ryan or the Greens, will not be released until late 2025  after the Coalition leaves office  if it secures sufficient funding.

The documentary was conceived solely by the film-makers who approached the minister with the proposal, Ryans spokeswoman said. Securing funding for the proposal is an issue for the film-makers.

The email said the project is being led by film-makers Neasa Ni Chianain and Declan McGrath, who were behind Young Plato, an award-winning documentary set in post-conflict Belfasts Ardoyne area.

However, it is understood that the project is, in fact, being run by Ni Chianains Soilsiu Films and that McGrath is not involved.

Documentary-maker Neasa Ni Chianain. Photo: Gerry Mooney

According to the email, a small amount of funding  not provided by Ryan or the Greens  has been made available to design a trailer, with filming beginning this weekend.

The trailer will be used to seek more funding, though it is unclear at this point whether any funding used for the film will be derived from schemes overseen by the Department of the Arts, which is headed up by Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin.

The internal email states that the project has been discussed with the relevant parties in Ryans two departments  Environment and Transport  along with his two chiefs of staff and communications advisers as well as those featured in the documentary.

Ryans large coterie of aides based in Government Buildings and across two departments has previously been criticised.

This will be a film made for cinema audiences, with a verite-style character study

Minister Ryan can answer any queries the parliamentary party may have next week, the internal Green Party email said.

It describes the project as a feature documentary that will follow Ryan and his advisers who work in the area of climate, and understand the complexities of delivering this ambitious but necessary plan.

The email adds: What we seek to do is to present these very serious global issues on a human scale, following the lives of people who struggle to make sense of the contradiction between the positive progress we have made in our society, and the seemingly ignored or overlooked threat of the climate crisis.

The way we intend to frame this is at both a macro  Irish Government, EU and COP 28  and a micro level, how the policy is played out in the lives of the people of Ireland.

This will be a film made for cinema audiences, blending a verite-style character study of the Greens struggles with evocative nature cinematography.

"It is primarily a human story, following the daily comings and goings of Ryans core teams. Most of the day-to-day shooting will be by a crew of just two, comprising handheld camera shot by the director, accompanied by a sound recordist. Its essential to be as low-key and discreet as possible.

The minister and his team are constantly on the move, so we will also accompany them as they travel into the hinterland of Ireland outlining their vision to councillors, local TDs, and the ordinary folk of Ireland  and visiting the green initiatives that are sprouting all over the country, as part of the climate action plan rollout.
Ireland will in future try to stage the National Day of Commemoration in suitable regional venues as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the ceremony this year was particularly poignant given the tragic death of Private Sean Rooney in Lebanon last Christmas.

Mr Varadkar was speaking as over 500 people attended the National Day of Commemoration at Collins Barracks in Cork to honour all Irish men and women who lost their lives on United Nations peacekeeping duties and in foreign conflicts.

The service featured a lavish military ceremony by the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps as well as a special fly-past by four Air Corps Pilatus aircraft.

President Michael D Higgins led the ceremony and laid a wreath, while several Cabinet ministers, members of the Council of State and dignitaries from Northern Ireland were also in attendance.

The ceremony also featured representatives from the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen, the Irish United Nations Veterans Association and the Royal British Legion.

It involved special prayers from all major faith denominations including Ireland's Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Humanist communities.

Mr Varadkar said it was an important day to honour all Irish men and women who had died over the years - and he was delighted that the major ceremony had moved from Dublin to Cork this year.

It is just a real privilege to be here in Cork to mark the National Day of Commemoration, remembering Irish men and women who served overseas and lost their lives overseas," he said.

"(It is) particularly poignant, I think, this year because it comes after the sad death of Pte Sean Rooney in Lebanon and reminds us that this isn't just about the past, it's also about the present - that Irish servicemen, women and gardai travel overseas in the cause of peace, in the cause of democracy and in the cause of freedom."

Pte Rooney (23) died when the UN convoy he was travelling in was attacked last December.

The convoy was bringing Irish UN peacekeepers home for Christmas leave.

Five men have been charged in Lebanon in relation to the circumstances of his death.

Pte Rooney was the 48th Irish soldier to die in Lebanon over 44 years of peacekeeping deployments.

Mr Varadkar paid a special tribute to Irish personnel and their peacekeeping commitment.

"(They) still risk their lives and sometimes, sadly, still get injured and killed. That is why I think it is important that we mark this every year."

Mr Varadkar said the ceremony belonged to the entire nation and its new regional role was important.

"I'm really pleased that we are in Cork this year, which is different from normally having it in Dublin. I think it has gone really well.

"This is a beautiful barracks. This city of course has a very rich military history both in terms of the Defence Forces and also the Naval Service.

"As you know, what we have been doing with, I think, more than 10 years is having events on this day and in different places around the country.

"We have one today in Galway and also in Kilkenny but this is the first time we have had the main event, the main national celebration, outside of Dublin city and certainly its something I'd like us to do again.

"I really wanted it to be in Cork this year because of the city's very proud military history, the naval service is based here, our largest barracks are here in Cork, but of course, you know, the same is true of other cities in Ireland, as well.

"So we will make a decision on that for next year anyway. But I certainly am very strongly of the view that all national events shouldnt be in Dublin and I say that as a Dublin person but somebody who loves to get out around the country, particularly in the summer time."
Last January 3, a record 772 people languished on trolleys waiting for a bed in overcrowded hospitals. At least, thats according to the HSE. Nurses doubt that figure. They say the trolley crisis was much worse.

However, what no one disputes is that the HSE plan to prevent record overcrowding in hospitals last winter failed miserably.

A new report by the health service shows why the winter plan did not work. It points to planning, oversight and governance failings and a huge underspend because of difficulties in hiring staff.

The report goes on to predict a shortage of beds nationwide, which will continue to impact upon the ability to deliver the highest quality care in a timely manner.

It also includes reported cases where GPs found it difficult to access buildings and surgeries to provide extended care or out-of-hours consultations.

The report, seen by the Sunday Independent under a Freedom of Information request, shows systemic long-term problems in our health system contributed to the most recent trolley crisis.

Spending of more than 169m on resources and staff was sanctioned to prevent this, but nearly 90m of this funding was unspent, according to estimated figures included in the review.

Most of the unused funding relates to staff who could not be recruited in time.

The report shows most stakeholders (98pc) who took part in the review felt the pressures in the health service in December and January were predictable.

Despite this, 82pc said they were not confident the HSEs plans would be effective. Almost two thirds (61pc) said the pressures were avoidable.

Feedback received in the lookback process suggests a gap between those planning for winter and those delivering frontline services.

Planning, oversight and governance were too reactive, and were only employed during specific periods of high focus and attention during the annual trolley crisis.

This weekend, doctors labelled such plans meaningless. Nurses said it appears hospital overcrowding has been normalised.

A winter plan

The review outlines why overcrowding is dangerous. Adverse clinical outcomes associated with emergency department overcrowding are proven and include increased morbidity, mortality, treatment delays, non-compliance with clinical guidelines, medical errors, increased length of stay, increased cost, self-discharge and high readmissions, it states.

Planning for last winter began in April last year. A detailed plan was published six months later, but it may well have been in jeopardy from the onset.

The anticipated effectiveness of the measures included in the winter plan was not assessed until after they had been published, according to the review. This was noted as a missed opportunity to stress-test the approach.

It added: There is clearly a requirement to model and stress-test initiatives.

On top of this, Ireland was expected to face other challenges.

Australia, often a flu season weathervane, had experienced a challenging winter. Covid-19 was also a factor at home.

Stakeholders, including hospital staff, Department of Health officials, HSE staff and representatives of patients, nursing homes, GPs and the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine, took part in the HSE review. They anticipated there would be early planning, additional money and resources, but they still expected a demand-capacity mismatch, increased demands from older patient cohorts and workforce challenges.

An inability to hire staff quickly has been an issue for the HSE for some time.

By the time the winter plan was revealed last October, a majority of stakeholders (82pc) felt it would not work. They were proved right within weeks.

Winter arrives

By November, hospitals had started to feel the strain. On December 9, HSE chief operations officer Damien McCallion sent hospitals a list of 10 actions to be implemented immediately.

These included setting up integrated action teams that could fund such work as preparing a patients home to allow a safe discharge and free up beds.

Other measures aimed to increase theatre use, prioritise diagnostics for inpatients and utilise private capacity, but this did little to relieve pressure. Within nine days, trolley numbers reached their highest level since the pandemic.

A new trolley record would be reached within another two weeks, so the HSE moved to intervene again.

A National Crisis Management Team (NCMT) was set up on December 21, and it started visiting hospitals to see if all that could be done was being done.

The NCMT found inconsistencies in how different hospitals implemented plans to deal with overcrowding and improve patient flow.

IT systems to manage patients were not being used fully at some hospitals, and there was a variation in infection prevention and control across sites. There were also issues with patient flow systems that resulted in some hospitals experiencing prolonged periods of high congestion.

The NCMT also found emergency department attendances were increasing as patients were finding it difficult to access GPs. Meanwhile, GPs told the review they were aware of patients who refused to attend hospital due to the pressure emergency departments faced.

Because doctors were already overstretched, many were unable to plan for escalation measures after requests from the HSE and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents doctors, to extend opening hours.

When opening hours were extended, some GPs reported difficulty accessing buildings and HSE primary care centres to avail of extra services or out-of-hours consultations.

Recommendations were made to support GPs and stem the flow into emergency departments in future years. These include urgently addressing a shortfall in the number of doctors. Ireland has about 2,800 GPs, according to the Irish College of General Practitioners. About 500 of these are near retirement and it estimates about 6,000 doctors are needed in total.

GPs told the review the HSE should develop a plan to provide short-term solutions such as prefabs and modular buildings to accommodate more staff where pressures occur.

Targets

Key targets were made and missed between October and March  the lifetime of the winter plan.

A turnaround time of 30 minutes or less was set for 80pc of National Ambulance Service calls. This seemed incredibly ambitious, as the 30-minute target was only achieved for 21.6pc of calls between January and September last year. This dropped to 20pc between October 2022 and last February.

There was a target that a maximum of one in every 100 patients aged over 75 would have to wait more than 24 hours to be admitted to hospital. However, more than 12pc of elderly patients were waiting longer than this.

Trolley count targets meant no more than 236 patients were to be left waiting for a bed at 8am every morning. On average, 377 waited on trolleys every day between October and March, but many nurses dispute these figures and say the reality was much worse.

Like the HSE, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) does a trolley count every morning. As well as considering the patients on trolleys in corridors, the unions figures include those on chairs, in waiting rooms and anywhere else there is space in an emergency department.

On the day the HSE counted a record 772 people waiting to access a bed, the INMO said 931 patients were languishing in emergency departments.

Last year was the worst for overcrowding since the INMO started compiling this data in 2004. More than 121,000 patients waited on trolleys last year. There were 69,417 people without a hospital bed in the period covered by the winter plan, said INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha.

She called for changes so nurses are no longer forced to work in understaffed and overcrowded wards.

It is clear that Hiqa reports are not being taken seriously enough. Overcrowding is being accepted as a normal part of the health service. Getting to zero patients on trolleys should not just be an aspiration, Ms Ni Sheaghdha added.

The fact that there is an underspend relating to staffing highlights the need for an urgent multi-annual, fully-funded workforce plan. It can take up to nine months to fill a vacant nursing post at present, and this needs to be rectified.

A spokesman for the IMO said the review findings come as no surprise, and added that the annual winter plan is a headline-grabbing exercise.

It fails to solve our major capacity problem, does not address a lack of workforce planning and relies mainly on asking already burnt-out staff to work even longer hours to meet impossible demands, he said.

The IMO has for many years said we are facing a year-round crisis  not just a winter issue.

In May, the new HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster indicated he was going to ditch the annual plan because hospitals are now under pressure throughout the year. He wants to see patients transferred to nursing homes and step-down facilities quicker, to free up hospital beds.

The IMO said this was welcome, but in reality, it means nothing without meaningful investment.

Other changes are probably needed too. The HSE review recommends strengthening governance around bed capacity and providing greater oversight of the escalation pathways that failed in December. It also suggests people be held accountable when such failures occur.

Working towards the introduction of a seven-day roster across acute and community services was also recommended.

This weekend, the HSE said a plan for the rest of 2023 will include surge measures to support services so it can respond to periods of urgent demand.

We will also use this to develop a medium-term plan for the next three years, a spokeswoman said. This is expected to help manage budgets and future spending too, she added.
A car-free activist group in San Francisco has found a unique way to protest against the impact of self-driving cars: placing traffic cones on the hoods of autonomous "robo-taxis," disabling them temporarily. The group, Safe Street Rebel, started the trend in response to issues like traffic congestion, accidents, and lack of accountability for violations caused by these autonomous vehicles.

Jalopnik:

Although Waymo has denounced these actions as vandalism and misunderstandings about autonomous vehicle operations, it's clear that the debate is far from over. As this tug-of-war continues, all eyes are now on the upcoming California Public Utilities Commission meeting on July 13, a more official platform for voicing such concerns.
A county GAA board is considering updating its crest after discovering the emblem featured the wrong breed of sheep.

Both Roscommon County Council and the county board had been asked by breeders to look at whether they were using the correct image of the Roscommon sheep following a motion at a local authority meeting earlier this year.

In an email, the chairman of the GAA county board, Brian Carroll, sought advice from the authority on how they should go about removing the rogue black-and-white headed sheep from its crest.

The email from Mr Carroll in April said: A quick question, [the council] recently changed the sheep head on the crest, I believe. We are planning on doing the same. Just wondering what process you used to actually change the crest and who changed it for you?

It later transpired that the crest of the local authority did indeed feature the correct Roscommon sheep breed, unlike the GAA one.

Roscommon GAA crest with the wrong kind of sheep

The Roscommon Sheep is one of only two native Irish breeds of sheep, the other being the Cladoir. The Irish Rare Breeds Society is among those who have been working to preserve the breed, which has a white face and a heavy wavy fleece.

An internal county council email said the issue was a little complicated. It detailed how there had been several different versions of the county crest over the years but that all contained three components  a crown, an oak leaf, and a sheep.

A council official said its crest had been presented to them by the Roscommon Mens Association several decades ago and was completed with the assistance of the heraldic office.

The recent notice of motion was about the sheep  in order to promote the Roscommon sheep breed, an official said.

They would like that it would be the head of the Roscommon sheep to be used on all crests. They did accept ultimately that it was the head of [that sheep] that is on our crest.

But the official said the countys GAA teams used a slightly different version with the notable inclusion of the head of a sheep with a black and white head.

Roscommon County Council crest with correct breed of sheep

Im sure if they want to change that, they could get assistance from the heraldic office, an email said.

But the main thing is that they should have a picture of a Roscommon sheep breed and use that. They could use a designer to remake the crest and I wouldnt think it would have to look exactly like the sheep on our crest.

Now Roscommon county board chairman Mr Carroll said they were examining how to alter its crest to better reflect the countys unique sheep variety.

Thats something were doing at the moment. If it can be changed, and I cant see why not, then we will be changing, he said.

We replace the jerseys pretty much on an annual basis. And so we would have to get the crest redesigned  and I suppose it will take a bit of time to phase it out.

Roscommon is a very proud county and anything we can do we will do it. We would like to get it properly done and have a bit of uniformity to it.

A spokeswoman for Roscommon County Council said: [We are] satisfied that the sheep depicted in [our] current crest is representative of the Roscommon Sheep breed.

An internal council note said the emblem was based on prominent characteristics of the county with the blue representing truth and loyalty and the green representing the Ros  or the wood  of the Irish language name Ros Comain.

The cross was included to recollect St Coman, the abbeys of Roscommon, and the Cross of Cong, while the antique crown signifies Rathcroghan, the ancient capital of Connacht.

The note said the rams head was intended to highlight the countys importance as a sheep-rearing and agricultural centre while the oak leaf recalled Dr Douglas Hyde, the countrys first president and one of Roscommons most famous sons.
Pupils at Coiste Glas in Scoil Aban Naofa, check out the Swift Nest Boxes in the school's gable wall in Baile Mhuirne, Co Cork. Photo: Don MacMonagle

Migrating swifts arriving on the final leg of their mammoth journey from Southern Africa to Ballyvourney in West Cork have been provided with new accommodation that has been built especially for them.

Thats thanks to a project to build 10 nest boxes for the birds in the new parochial hall attached to gaelscoil Scoil Aban Naofa in the middle of the Gaeltacht town near the Kerry border.

The ten nest boxes which were built into the gable end of the newly constructed hall are only a few centimeters in diameter.

In fact, they are barely noticeable, but they could make a huge difference in helping to establish a colony, says Noel Linehan, a bird expert from Cork city who spearheaded the swift nest box project in Ballyvourney.

For the common swift, a bird that lives almost entirely in the air - it eats, sleeps, mates while in flight - modern Ireland has not been a welcoming place: bird experts estimate at least a 40pc decline in the swift population here between 1998 and 2010 as their habitats have been wiped out.

Lynda Huxley of Swift Conservation Ireland last week told RTE: "Swifts would have nested naturally in cliff faces and they see our buildings as cliff faces. Modern buildings now are too airtight for them."

Mr Linehan called them 'amazing birds. Over their lifetime they can cover the distance to the moon and back at least three times.

Swifts are currently placed on BirdWatch Irelands red list" which denotes high conservation concern.

But the swift nest box project in Ballyvourney offers hope, says Mr Linehan, who took a chance and cold called the school when he noticed construction work was starting in the autumn of 2022.

Although Mr Linehan has had swift nest boxes set up in his home in Cork city since 2021, this was the first school he had contacted to see if he could get the nest boxes project which is funded by Gas Networks Ireland up and running.

I had kind of given up and I said Id make one last effort and I rang Conchur one last time to see if I could get to talk to him, he said. It was fortuitous that he did because principal O Luasaigh got on board immediately.

There was no question he wanted the project and that was it, Mr Linehan said.

Principal O Luasaigh also got the building team on board, as well as the students of Scoil Aban Naofa. The project was completed this month with the final piece of the jigsaw: the installation of an audio lure which will attract the newly arrived swifts to the nest boxes.

According to principal O Luasaigh, the swift nest box project has drawn in the local community who are now on the lookout for the little birds.

The nest boxes have also generated huge interest with the students who have a thousand questions ready for Mr Linehan for when he visits next.

Its a win-win, and the children are delighted, Mr O Luasaigh said. If we can get a couple of nesting pairs, wouldnt it be lovely to be watching them, especially as theyd be there for life.
THE Government has not made a final decision on the future of the television license fee but Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said it is "a very old-fashioned charge" based on a device that many people do not have anymore.

Mr Varadkar also warned that significant changes were required at RTE if it was to resume its critical role within Irish democracy as a provider of vital public service broadcasting.

The Taoiseach further urged everyone associated with RTE who are to appear before Oireachtas committees this week - including broadcaster Ryan Tubridy and agent Noel Kelly - to provide as much information as they can to help end the "drip feed of information" which has been so damaging to the reputation of the State broadcaster.

Critically, the Taoiseach stressed the Government had not been approached by RTE about a multi-million Euro bailout.

But he warned if any such package was requested over the coming months, it would come with very firm conditions attached.

"Government has not made a final decision on the future of the license fee. I think the license fee is a very old fashioned charge that is based on a device that many people do not have anymore," Mr Varadkar said.

"Almost all the money automatically goes to RTE even though there are many other broadcasters, radio stations and local media that are involved in public service provision as well.

"That is something the Government will make a decision on. I am very keen to ensure that we make a decision on the future of the license fee and that we do it during the period of this Government and this Dail - I do not want it to be kicked down the road any longer."

Mr Varadkar said he was aware of some of the major changes proposed at RTE by new Director General Kevin Bakhurst but did not want to discuss them before they are publicly outlined.

"I have been briefed on this by Minister (Catherine) Martin during the week and the new Director General of RTE Kevin Bakhurst will make some announcements about that tomorrow (Monday)."

"They relate to the restructuring of the executive and some changes around conflicts of interest, for example."

"We are very keen to allow him to make those announcements and speak to (RTE) staff which I think is very important."

"Also to speak to the wider public after that - I would not see it as the end of the affair? I think it is the beginning of some changes that are important in RTE."

"I think we should not get away from the basic fact that RTE is a very important institution. I hope that, at the end of this process, it will see us with a stronger RTE and that really has to be the objective here."

"We need public service broadcasting - a small democracy, in particular, needs public service broadcasting. There is more to that than RTE but RTE is a major part of it and it is important that the institution is strengthened by this."

"That happens sometimes that institutions or agencies or bodies can go through a rough period of time but come out of it better and stronger at the end."

Mr Varadkar said it was very important that everyone plays their part in helping bring the current cycle of controversies which have damaged RTE to an end so that the vital restructuring and reform process can commence.

"I think it is going to be an important week for the new director general to set out some of the reforms he is going to make to the organisation and further opportunity for more information to come from RTE and the executives."

"It is a story that has been going on for several weeks now. It would be better for everyone if all the information is out there. The drip-drip feed of information and revelations is not helpful and erodes trust.

"But, again, I think this is an important institution - a body that has been really at the centre of public sector broadcasting for many decades. We are very keen to ensure the outcome of all of this is that RTE survives, is modernised and reformed and emerges stronger."

Mr Varadkar insisted the Government had not been approached about a multi-million Euro rescue package for RTE.

"There has been no request - that I am aware of anyway - in the last couple of months for (an RTE) bail-out," he said.

"If RTE runs into a serious financial situation in the course of the year, well then we will have to consider that.

"But it has never been the case that any public body has been bailed out without there being consequences - without there being a decision made, that relates from banks to Government agencies or State companies.

"If there is a bailout it is not unconditional - it is always conditional. But we are not at that point yet and there is no request for that at this point."

"But one thing I am determined that we should do - this Government, this Dail - is to reform public service broadcasting, to put it on a sustainable footing for the future."

"Also to make sure that bodies other than RTE can get a fair share of that pot."

Mr Varadkar said it was a positive development that Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly were going to answer questions before the Oireachtas committee.

"I think it is a good thing that he is willing to come before a committee. I am quite certain that he will be willing to answer questions and to give his side of the story."

"There are always different sides to stories - I am a believer in due process and I don't like rushing to judgement. Bitter experience in politics has taught me that it is not fair to rush to judgement on any issue like this, particularly when there are individuals involved, their families, friends and careers (impacted) by it.

"I think it is a good thing that he (Mr Tubridy) is willing to answer questions and tell his side of the story.

"I really would say to people - let's not rush to judgement. Let's wait until we know all the facts.

The Taoiseach was speaking as he attended the National Day of Commemoration at Collins Barracks in Cork.

All Irishmen and Irishwomen who died in past wars or on service with the United Nations were commemorated at the event which was also attended by President Michael D Higgins, Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lt Gen Sean Clancy, the Council of State, various ambassadors and representatives from Northern Ireland.
Theres a wide range of activities for families to enjoy in action-packed holiday

Traditionally, Irish families holidaying in France flocked to campsites. Now, as mountain resorts lengthen their summer seasons, its time for active families to go high and enjoy the wide-open spaces and varied activities of the French Alps.
State must consider how it can best protect citizens and assets in the 21st century

The greatest trick the devil every played, was to convince the world he did not exist  whether it is in a line from the Usual Suspects, Aesops Fables or The Bible, this is a recurring theme throughout history.

To imagine that Ireland is immune from threat or attack because of our supposed neutrality, is to ignore the realities of modern warfare.

Threats to the sovereign are more likely to take the form of ones and zeroes on a data cable or a surveillance ship circling cables on the fringes of our territorial waters.

The challenges are new, novel, multiple and real. And they do not respect the borders of nation states. We must work with others, as we have always done, as part of the international community.

There is nothing new in that stance. Historically we have always worked with allies abroad  since Brian Boru first fought, then allied with the Vikings, we have combated and partnered with others.

During the 1798 rebellion, Wolfe Tone may have succeeded had the French fleet managed to land at Bantry Bay as planned. The 1916 proclamation specifically thanks gallant allies abroad who supported our cause from afar.

In the infancy of independence, Eamon de Valera toured many capitals to secure support for early Irish statehood.

Jack Lynch recognised at the time of European accession that a strategic alliance may involve a common security aspect, and even Sean Lemass in the 1960s, in his famous Oxford speech, floated the idea of Nato membership in a united Ireland scenario.

In the modern world, national borders are more fluid and so must be our defences. Rather than elevating isolation to a perceived lodestar, I believe we have an obligation to constantly consider where we stand and how we can best protect our citizens and assets in the 21st century.

We should keep all options open and consider carefully where we place ourselves in the global order. Traditional, fully neutral countries within Europe are now largely confined to the city states like the Vatican or Lichtenstein, along with smaller countries such as Malta. Most of the traditionally neutral states like Sweden and Finland have embraced strategic partnerships rapidly over the past year.

While our island status has bestowed some sense of security against conflicts on the European continent, it brings other and newer challenges.

Our maritime territory extends to many multiples of our land mass and is essentially a frontier between Europe and North America. We cannot protect it alone.

We are already under attack on our cyber, data and maritime fronts, and we must work with others to safeguard those assets. As well as multiple shipping lanes, the data that underpins our economic offering run in cables under our seas and beyond and are fundamental to our economy.

Our ability to secure the very significant technology, data and research operations which are based here, and contribute so much to our growth and revenue, including taxation to fund public services, is fundamental to our economic offering and hence our sovereignty.

It demands that we protect it.

None of this means we need to join Nato overnight, or ever. They wouldnt have us at present, even if we wanted to, as our defence spending comes nowhere near their 2.5pc GDP requirement. But it surely makes full strategic sense to leverage others expertise in areas such as cyber security and subsea cable protections.

Where we can learn from others and benefit from collaboration, why not do so? Whether this is a subset of Nato expertise, such as submarine surveillance, or a collaboration with European partners in cyber security or data protection, it seems almost irresponsible to refuse help.

Its worth briefly noting that, despite the placards, the only Nato war in the last 30 years was in Kosovo to stop bloodshed and a joint response after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre.

Yes, some Nato members may engage in combat on their own steam, but some members of the EU and UN do likewise, and it has never caused us to question our memberships of those organisations.

We heard at the Dublin Castle Forum for example, how Norway combines Nato membership with a reputation as honest broker in Afghanistan and back channels with rebel groupings on the ground.

On that note, it seems that for some participants in this debate, ideological purity only applies in one direction  when opponents are serial and outrageous violators of human rights and democracy.

It begs the question if we are not allied with the West, then to whom are we looking for partnership?

Are we really applying a kind of relativism between the US or EU and IS or the Taliban?

Equally we should not be afraid to cooperate with EU partners on defence and security issues in the same way we do already on crime, policing and legal issues.

It seems somewhat perverse that, because of the political debate that prevailed at the time, we stitched into our Constitution during the Nice referendum a very specific provision meaning we cannot join a European Defence Force.

Yet there is no provision preventing us from allying with Nato, the Warsaw Pact or even Al Qaeda.

This is another example why measured, rational and informed debate is so necessary in this area. The forum is a national conversation which is long overdue and is a sign of our maturation as a society.

I look forward to its findings and at least the devil we know is one we can protect against.

James Lawless is a Fianna Fail TD for North Kildare and a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Oireachtas Committee
Forty-five-year-old Tina Satchwell disappeared from her home in Youghal, Co Cork in March 2017. She had no passport; no mobile phone and her bank account has not been accessed since.

Four days later, Tina's husband Richard Satchwell reports her missing to gardai and a media appeal is issued.

Six years later there is still no sign of Tina despite an exhaustive trawl of CCTV footage from Irish ports and airports.

Detectives believe that someone in east Cork has information about what happened to Tina. Gardai again issued an appeal for information after the sixth anniversary of her disappearance without trace from her Cork home.

Gardai have no plans for further major searches  but indicated that such operations will be ordered if fresh information comes to light.

The Indo Daily is joined by Irish Independent Southern Correspondent Ralph Riegel to find out more about the disappearance of Tina Satchwell.
A Gorey woman whose birth coincided with Ireland joining the European Economic Community (EEC) has received a special medallion from a government minister. Aileen Kennedy who is the principal of Bunscoil Loreto in Gorey was one of 13 Irish people born on January 1, 1973 the day Ireland joined what is now known as the European Union (EU)), and, along with the other Eurobabies, was invited to Dail Eireann by Minister for European Affairs Peter Burke for an event honouring Ireland's first European citizens.

The event, titled Celebrating EU Values, was hosted by European Movement Ireland which commissioned special medallions for the Eurobabies to mark the 50th anniversary of Ireland's EU membership. "This occasion allows us to reflect on the immense progress Ireland has made within the European Union over the past 50 years, said Minister Burke. The Eurobabies represent a unique generation who have witnessed Ireland's journey as a member of the European Union since its inception. They have grown up with the opportunity to live, work, and study across the EU, benefiting from the freedom of movement and the diverse cultural experiences it brings."

The Eurobabies were honoured in front of politicians, guests from across Irelands business and public sectors as well as young people who took part in the Governments MyEU50 youth competition.

Noelle O Connell CEO, European Movement Ireland said, This event marks the culmination of our programme of events and outreach work marking Irelands 50 years of membership. Today, we reflect on how EU values and rights has changed Ireland and shaped Irish citizens lives  all while celebrating our Eurobabies.

As Ireland's first European citizens, the Eurobabies have been witness to the transformative impact of EU membership on our country. They represent a generation that has experienced the many social, cultural, and economic advantages that stem from being part of the European Union. We were thrilled so many were able to join us today for what was a truly special event.

The event also reflected on the impact of EU values on Irish citizens with each of the speakers reflecting on the impact within their lives.

One of the founders of the then Irish Council of the European Movement (now European Movement Ireland), Neville Keery, who played a pivotal role in the 1972 referendum campaign, spoke at the event.

Today, as we celebrate 50 years of Irelands membership of the EU, we can reflect on all of the progress that we have made as both a people and as a nation. Joining the ECC did more than open up the markets, it also opened up our minds. We have been transformed from a nation that looked inward to one that has opened up to be a major force on the European stage.
Met Eireann has issued two separate Status Yellow weather warnings for parts of the country today.

A thunderstorm warning, which covers counties Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois and Offaly, is currently in place and will be valid until 11am.

The national forecaster said possible impacts include spot flooding, poor visibility and difficult travelling conditions.

A second thunderstorm and rainfall warning will come into effect at 1pm for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare and all of Connacht. This alert is valid until 8pm.

There will be scattered thunderstorms with spot flooding and the chance of hail.

Weather Explainer : What are weather status warnings

Meanwhile, this morning, heavy showers in Munster with some thunderstorms, will spread northwards and will become widespread by noon.

Further heavy showers this afternoon and evening with some thunderstorms, spot flooding and the chance of hail, especially in Clare, Connacht, Ulster and the parts of the midlands.

Highest temperatures will range between 17C and 21C with moderate southerly breezes.

On Monday, heavy showers in the south will gradually move northwards and will become widespread during the afternoon.

They'll continue for the rest of the day with thunderstorms and spot flooding possible and a chance of hail.

Highest temperatures will range between 17C and 21C with light to moderate southeast to east breezes.

Tuesday will bring sunshine and showers, heaviest and most widespread through the afternoon and evening with isolated thunderstorms possible.

Highest temperatures between 16C and 20C with moderate west to northwest breezes.

On Wednesday, there will be sunny spells and scattered showers.

The showers will be mainly in the west at first, but they will spread elsewhere by the afternoon. Light to moderate westerly breezes and highs of between 15C and 19C.

Thursday will be another day of sunny spells and showers. Highest temperatures between 15C and 19C with light westerly breezes.
The Indo Daily: The post office deception and the dead mans pension  What happened in Carlow?
Image: Pixabay

Alcohol consumption increases the risks of over 60 diseases in Chinese men, including many diseases not previously linked to alcohol, according to a new study by researchers from Oxford Population Health, Peking University, and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The study is published today in Nature Medicine.

Alcohol consumption is estimated to be responsible for about 3 million deaths worldwide each year, and it is increasing in many low- and middle-income countries such as China. The harmful effects of heavy drinking for certain diseases (such as liver cirrhosis, stroke and several types of cancer) are well known, but very few studies have systematically assessed the impact of alcohol use on an extensive range of diseases within the same population.

The study shows that alcohol use increases the risks of 61 diseases in men in China, including many non-fatal diseases not known to be alcohol-related due to limited previous evidence. The findings of this study demonstrate the influence that alcohol intake may have on risk of disease in populations around the world.

The researchers used data from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB), a collaborative study of over 512,000 adults recruited during 2004-08 from ten diverse urban and rural areas across China. Study participants were interviewed about their lifestyle and behaviours, including detailed alcohol drinking patterns.

About a third of men, but only 2% of women, drank alcohol regularly (ie at least once a week).

The researchers comprehensively assessed the health effects of alcohol use on over 200 different diseases in men identified through linkage to hospital records over a period of about 12 years. Importantly, they also undertook a genetic analysis to clarify whether or not alcohol intake was responsible for causing disease.

Key findings:

Among 207 diseases studied, self-reported alcohol intake was associated with higher risks of 61 diseases in men.

This included 28 diseases previously established by the World Health Organization as alcohol-related, such as liver cirrhosis, stroke, and several gastrointestinal cancers, and 33 diseases not previously established as alcohol-related, such as gout, cataract, some fractures, and gastric ulcer;

There were over 1.1 million hospitalisations recorded in the study, and men who had ever drank alcohol regularly had significantly higher risk of developing any disease and experienced more frequent stays in hospital, compared with men who had only drunk alcohol occasionally;

Certain drinking patterns, such as drinking daily, drinking in heavy binge episodes, or drinking outside mealtimes, particularly increased the risks of certain diseases, particularly liver cirrhosis;

In the genetic analyses, there was evidence for a dose-dependent causal effect on the identified alcohol-related diseases collectively, with every four drinks per day associated with a 14% higher risk of established alcohol-related diseases, 6% higher risk of diseases not previously known to be alcohol-related, and over two-fold higher risk of liver cirrhosis and gout;

In the genetic analyses, higher alcohol intake was significantly associated with higher risk of stroke in a dose-response manner (consistent with previous findings in the CKB study), but showed no increased risk with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Moreover, moderate drinking (ie one-two drinks/day) did not have any protective effects against IHD;

As few women in China drink alcohol (less than 2% of women in the study drank regularly), women in this study provided a useful control group in the genetic analyses, which helped confirm that the excess disease risks in men were caused by drinking alcohol, not by some other mechanisms related to the genetic variants.

Pek Kei Im, a Research Fellow at Oxford Population Health and a lead author of the paper, said Alcohol consumption is adversely related to a much wider range of diseases than has previously been established, and our findings show these associations are likely to be causal.

Professor Liming Li, a senior author and CKB co-PI from Peking University, said Levels of alcohol consumption are rising in China, particularly among men. This large collaborative study demonstrates a need to strengthen alcohol control policies in China.

Iona Millwood, Associate Professor at Oxford Population Health and a senior author of the study, said It is becoming clear that the harmful use of alcohol is one of the most important risk factors for poor health, both in China and globally.

Professor Zhengming Chen, Richard Peto Professor of Epidemiology at Oxford Population Health and a senior author and CKB co-PI, said This study provides important causal evidence of the scale of alcohol-related harms, which is critical to inform prevention strategies in different countries.

In East Asian populations, there are common genetic variants that greatly reduce alcohol tolerability, because they cause an extremely unpleasant flushing reaction after drinking alcohol. People with these genetic variants tend to drink less alcohol and because these genetic variants are unrelated to other lifestyle factors (such as smoking or socioeconomic status), the researchers can use this information to more accurately assess the cause-and-effect relationships of alcohol with a wide range of diseases.
A proposal by a manufacturer from India to build its first U.S. plastic pipe and packaging factory in the Town of Lockport  with tax breaks  is generating opposition from environmental groups across the state.

They are outraged that a product with proven links to cancer and potential for pollution would be made in Niagara County with support from taxpayers.

A coalition of 63 organizations, led by a Vermont-based nonprofit affiliated with Bennington College, is calling on the Lockport Industrial Development Agency to reject an application by SRI CV Plastics Inc. for up to $600,000 in tax breaks and state incentives for its $2.34 million project.

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The critics say SRI CVs polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products are not only harmful to the environment and to people because of the chemicals involved in production, but also pose a significant risk of fire and damage to communities. They noted that vinyl chloride  the chemical used to make PVC  is the same chemical that was set on fire and released into the atmosphere in February in East Palestine, Ohio.

Plastics facilities bring risks to the communities where they are sited, said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and the former regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to potential disasters, these plants also expose local residents and workers to toxic chemicals associated with cancer, birth defects, diabetes, and more.

Enck also said many companies and governments are working to reduce the use of PVC and single-use plastic packaging, and urged Lockport officials to turn away the project.

Lockport doesnt deserve this  no one does, she said. Its critical that Lockports leaders reject this companys attempt to settle here and put residents at risk.

SRI CV, owned by VEVA Holdings Private Ltd. of India , wants to construct a 13,870-square foot manufacturing facility at 1000 IDA Park Drive, using a two-acre parcel of vacant industrial land that it would purchase from the Lockport IDA. The plant would produce PVC plastic pipes and single-use disposable food containers used for food packaging.

Company president Varun Kumar Velumani insisted in an email to The Buffalo News that his company would not be producing plastic raw materials but only ready-to-use end products, using plastic pellets or sheets made by manufacturers such as Exxon Mobil, Formosa, Lyondell Basell, Braskem, LG Chem and Chevron Phillips.

According to documents supplied by Velumani, SRI CV would use materials made from recycled plastic to the greatest extent possible, and will be set up to use biodegradable plastics.

Additionally, the use of such post-consumer recycled resin will help reduce waste by diverting plastic garbage from landfills and incinerators, while using less energy and producing fewer greenhouse-gas emissions to manufacture new products than using virgin plastic. And it would reduce demand for new plastic that would involve extracting fossil fuels and using up natural resources, the documents said.

This will help address the environmental challenges associated with plastic pollution and reduce the strain on waste management systems in the region, the documents note. This can result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and help mitigate climate change impacts.

But thats not good enough, said Margaux Valenti, legal director for Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, who described the plastic pellets  known as nurdles  as one of our greatest plastic pollution contributors.

We find them in our local waterways in pretty great amounts, she said, noting that plastic in water never completely disappears but just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces and gets ingested by fish. According to a 2019 study in Australia, the average person ingests five grams of plastic each week through water and food  equivalent to a credit card in weight.

During the nonprofits Shoreline Sweep this past spring, volunteers on a single morning collected 18,920 pounds of trash from Western New York waterways, of which 80% was plastic, Valenti said. That included 4,234 plastic food wrappers and 2,658 plastic bottles. So it doesnt alleviate the risk of plastic production, Valenti said of Velumanis reassurances.

SRI CV said the project would represent its initial foray into the U.S. manufacturing market, but it expects to ramp up to a full line of disposable food containers within two years. It expects to hire 20 full-time and five part-time workers over the next two years.

The company is asking the Lockport IDA for more than $300,000 in tax breaks, on top of another $300,000 in state incentives. Otherwise, it wrote in its application, it would not undertake the project .

The IDA will hold a public hearing in Lockport at 8 a.m. on July 13, but Enck said thats premature and called for a full environmental impact statement first.

Lockport IDA Executive Director Thomas Sy confirmed the application is pending, but would not comment on the criticism.

We are looking forward as always to comments pro and con, he said. Our board will consider any comments and further information from the applicant as with all decisions.

Since 2000, the environmentalists noted, four of the top PVC producers have accumulated 245 safety and environmental violations, with more than $50 million in fines.

Lockport is slowly building its tourist economy. This is the last thing Lockport needs if it wants to attract tourists and illustrate any kind of commitment to environmental sustainability, said Alexis Goldsmith, organizing director with Beyond Plastics.

PVC and other plastics are made from fossil fuels and chemicals, particularly vinyl chloride, a carcinogen that has been linked to liver, brain and lung cancer, leukemia and lymphoma, diabetes, neurological damage, and reproductive and birth defects.

Vinyl chloride is one of the most studied carcinogens in an occupational setting, Enck said. Science tells us theres no safe level of exposure to vinyl chloride. This is a not a material that you want nonunion workers with inadequate health and safety protections working with every day.

The manufacturing process also generates emissions and hazardous pollution, which environmentalists say contributes to climate change while also posing a danger to the surrounding community.

This is not the type of facility you want to attract to your community, Enck said. We dont want this to become a future brownfield site.

Even if the new plant would not be using the chemical to make new PVC, Enck also questioned how the plastic would be transported to and from Lockport, how it would be stored, and what precautions would be taken, citing the propensity for fires.

None of that is addressed in the application, she said. Were just seeing more and more fire with facilities that produce or store plastic.

Most notably, five tanker cars of vinyl chloride and four hopper cars of PVC plastic resin burned during or after the East Palestine train derailment in Ohio, forcing evacuation of the entire town and leaving behind lingering health problems and fears.

Previously, a dozen workers were hurt in a fire at a PVC facility in Point Comfort, Texas in 2021. An earlier train derailment in 2012 resulted in a toxic plume of chemical being released in Paulsboro, N.J. and an explosion at a Formosa Plastics PVC plant in Illinois in 2004 killed employees and released chemicals into the air.

Communities around manufacturing plants and workers bear the brunt of consistent toxic exposure day after day, the letter said. Given the public health and environmental harms of polyvinyl chloride, public dollars should not be used to subsidize a private company that will profit from making PVC pipes and single-use food packaging, which winds up in landfills, burned in incinerators, or polluting the environment.

A new manufacturing plant also conflicts with state goals and public perceptions, the environmentalists asserted. The critics noted that the draft state Solid Waste Management Plan supports reuse and refill systems to replace single-use packaging, while the states Climate Action Council has called on lawmakers to ban single-use packaging as part of the effort to meet emission reduction and environmental justice requirements under the state Climate Act.

Additionally, state lawmakers are considering new legislation that would ban the use of PVC in packaging. And under the U.S. Plastics Pact, more than 100 consumer products companies voluntarily pledged to eliminate PVC in packaging by 2025.

Even the plastics industry says PVC is the worst of the worst, Enck said. So the future is not in polyvinyl chloride.

Besides Encks group, other signatories of the letter include the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Clean Air Coalition of Western New York, New York Public Interest Research Group, Western New York Drilling Defense, Citizens Environmental Coalition, the University at Buffalos Department of Chemistry, the Green Party of Erie County and New York State, the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, Alliance for a Green Economy, New York Climate Action Group, and a host of local organizations from communities across the entire state.

Weve been working with groups around upstate New York. Everyone is very concerned about this because of vinyl chloride, Enck said. It is a little unusual to have such a large number of groups weigh in on a Lockport financing issues, but it illustrates the seriousness of this issue.
Image Credit: PIB

New Delhi: A team of 63 students and escort teachers from Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas departed for Japan on Saturday for an educational exposure visit to various places of importance.

The academic performers from classes 11-12, who are aspiring for their higher education in different subject areas, will visit industrial organisations, museums, universities, research institutions etc. to gather first-hand information and knowledge, which will help them and provide further guidance in their career.

The week-long visit, organised by Indias Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Japan Science and Technology (JST) Agency, started on July 9, 2023 and will last till July 15, 2023.

The team of teachers and students were sent off by the Joint Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, MoE Archana Sharma Awasthi, Manager JST Japan Kemmochi Yukio, Joint Director, CIET-NCERT Dr. A P Behera, and officials from Ministry of Education, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti among others.

In order to develop the intellectual horizon and scientific exploration among young learners, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) with the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India has been implementing Sakura Science High School Programme under Sakura Science Programme (SSP) since 2014.

The students are invited under the programme for short-term visits to Japan, giving them the opportunity to experience Japans cutting-edge science and technology as well as its culture.

India participated in the program for the first time in April 2016. So far, 411 students along with 69 supervisors have visited Japan under this programme.

The last batch visited Japan in November 2019. During the pandemic period, JST conducted online university visits.
Chandigarh and Punjab have emerged as the top performers in school education, showcasing remarkable achievements in learning outcomes and access. This recognition comes from the recent Performing Grading Index (PGI) report for the academic year 2021-22, released by the Union Education Ministry.

Both Chandigarh and Punjab have been placed in the sixth grade of the PGI index, known as Prachesta-2. To achieve this level, a state must score between 641 and 700 points out of a total of 1,000. Surprisingly, no state or union territory (UT) managed to secure a spot in the top five grades.

The PGI 2.0, introduced for 2021-22, categorizes states and UTs into 10 grades. The highest grade, Daksh, is reserved for those scoring more than 940 points out of 1,000, while the lowest grade, Akanshi-3, is for scores up to 460.

The Education Ministry explained that the PGI 2.0 structure comprises 73 indicators grouped into two categories: Outcomes and Governance Management (GM), amounting to a total of 1,000 points. These categories further divide into six domains, including Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure & Facilities (IF), Equity (E), Governance Process (GP), and Teachers Education and Training (TE&T).

Following Chandigarh and Punjab, six states and UTs rank just below them. Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu have earned the seventh level, known as Prachesta-3, with scores ranging from 581 to 640 points.

In the previous year, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh were the top-performing states, scoring between 901 and 950 points out of 1,000.

The aim of PGI 2.0 is to propel states and UTs towards implementing multifaceted interventions that will lead to optimal education outcomes in all aspects. The indicators of PGI 2.0 have been aligned with the policy initiatives and interventions introduced after the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to ensure effective progress tracking, stated the Ministry of Education.

Chandigarh and Punjabs impressive performance highlights their commitment to quality education and their dedication to continuously improving learning outcomes and accessibility for students.

(Image and text credit: Khalsavox.com)
Image Credit: UNI

Delhi witnessed a fresh round of rainfall on Saturday with the Meteorological Department forecasting heavy to mild showers throughout the next few days.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Safdarjung Observatory, the city's main weather station, recorded 21.4 mm of rainfall between 8:30 am and 11:30 am.

Meanwhile, the Ridge Observatory recorded 36.4 mm of rainfall during the same period.

The heavy downpour in the early morning resulted in water-logging and traffic congestion, causing inconvenience for many commuters.

Some Twitter users directly took a dig at CM Arvind Kejriwal, claiming that the administration is entirely clueless about measures to tackle the situation that is getting worse as the downpour continues.

Since the morning, the Public Works Department (PWD) has received a total of 15 complaints regarding waterlogging, according to a PWD official. Disappointed with the authorities' mismanagement and the lack of proper drainage systems, several Delhi residents took to Twitter to express their concerns.

Many tagged and called out Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, questioning his management of the situation. One Twitter user shared a video highlighting the need for the authorities to revisit the basics of management, showing heavy waterlogging in a residential area with partially submerged vehicles.

Another user shared an image of Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital in Delhi, depicting a completely waterlogged parking area and claiming a lack of measures taken by the authorities.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted additional showers for the national capital and issued a 'yellow alert' for Sunday, July 9.
Image Credit: Twitter video grab

Gwalior: A new video has emerged, showing a man being forced to lick the soles of another person's feet in a moving vehicle in Madhya Pradeshs Gwalior less than a week after the Sidhi urination incident sparked massive outrage following a viral video.

Two accused in the new incident has been arrested, according to the police, media reported.

The viral video shows the victim being slapped multiple times and coerced into saying certain words while being subjected to physical abuse.

In a separate video clip, the accused is seen repeatedly hitting the victim's face with a shoe.

Madhya Pradeshs Home Minister confirmed the arrests and stated that a case has been registered against the accused.

This incident follows the recent outrage over the Sidhi urination incident and the assault of two Dalit men in Shivpuri district.

On June 21, one Chetan Sharma was assaulted by Mohsin, Lala Pandit, and Vansh Pathak in Dabra, said a report in the media.

A police case was filed against them the following day.

In what is believed to be a retaliatory act, Mohsin was kidnapped on June 23 by the teenager and his friends, seeking revenge for the May 21 attack.

According to Mohsin, he and his friend Karan were abducted, beaten severely inside a vehicle that also contained illegal firearms, and Mohsin was forced to lick the feet of the main accused.

However, a few kilometers later, both Mohsin and Karan managed to escape from the car.

Mohsin himself is also involved in two cases, including the May 21 attack and another related to an excise case.

Two of the accused, including the main teenager and his accomplice Sudip, have been arrested, while the remaining two, Amit Gurjar and Tejindar Gurjar, are currently evading arrest.

The police are making efforts to nab them.
UNI

Belagavi: In a ghastly incident, a Jain monk was found dead with his body cut into pieces in a well at a village in Chikodi taluk of the district, police said on Sunday.

Taking cognisance of the murder, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday directed the officials to thoroughly investigate the case.

"No one is permitted to take the law into their hands. Our officers have intensified their investigation, and some people have been taken into custody. I have given directions that none of the accused should escape," the statement read.

As of now, two persons, Narayana Basappa Madi and Hassan Dalayath, have been apprehended in the case, police said. They were arrested after Basadi Bheemappa Ugare's manager lodged a missing complaint on July 6, they said.

Acharya Kamakumara Nandi Maharaj, the deceased, had been inhabiting Nandi Parvata Jain Basadi for the past 15 years, police said.

The accused allegedly murdered the monk when he inquired about the money lent to them, police said. The deceased used to lend money to people, they stated.

(With UNI inputs)
New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has been booked by Madhya Pradeshs Indore police for allegedly sharing a controversial post about former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief MS Golwalkar on social media, media reported.

Based on a complaint lodged by Rajesh Joshi, a local lawyer and RSS worker, the First Information Report (FIR) was filed on Saturday night against Singh, said a report in the media.

The charges filed against him include sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, place of birth, residence), 469 (forgery for the purpose of harming reputation), 500 (defamation), and 505 (statements causing public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code, as stated by an official from the Tukoganj police station.

As per the FIR registered by the Madhya Pradesh Police, the complaint stated that Digvijaya Singh's Facebook post on Golwalkar had allegedly caused hurt to the religious sentiments of Sangh workers and the entire Hindu community.

In a statement released to the media, a local Sangh official accused Singh of making a false and unwarranted post on social media with the intention of defaming the organization, said the report.

On Saturday, Singh shared a picture of a page containing controversial comments regarding the former RSS head, who is commonly referred to as Guruji by his followers.

The poster depicted Golwalkar as preferring to live under British rule rather than having equal rights to Dalits, backward classes, and Muslims.

The post quoted several other controversial comments to him as well.

After the post, Sunil Ambekar, a senior RSS functionary and the head of its publicity department, accused the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister of sharing a doctored image.

He stated that the claim was untrue and intended to create social discord, emphasizing that Golwalkar never made such statements.

Ambedkar further highlighted that Golwalkar dedicated his life to eradicating social discrimination.

Golwalkar served as the RSS chief for the longest period, leading the organization from 1940 to 1973.
Image Credit: Pixabay

Guwahati: Assam STF on Sunday arrested a person in connection with illegal activities relating to fake Indian currency notes (FICN).

The accused, identified as Md. Bulbul Alam (31), was arrested at 4:30 am on Sunday from his rented house located at Dakhingaon, in Hatigaon Police Station area of Guwahati.

Police said he hails from the Barpeta district of Assam.

This arrest came after an STF team conducted an operation on July 5 in Guwahati where a person named Md. Sahanoor Islam (28), was apprehended near the ISBT bypass.

Based on the information derived from his interrogation, an operation was conducted at the house of the accused person located at Ahom Gaon, Guwahati from where bundles of photostated Indian currency notes of 500 denominations and bundles of blank white papers of size and shape of Indian currency notes of 500 denominations were recovered.

According to police, Md. Sahanoor Islam lured people by providing double the amount of counterfeit notes against the original Indian currency notes one comes to him for exchange.

Police had seized a Maruti Breeza vehicle used by the accused, four mobile phones, and a pistol-look-alike lighter from the possession of the accused during the July 5 operation.
Image: Pixabay

Police in Northern Ireland are investigating a report that an indecent image appeared for a brief period of time while Super Mario Bros Movie was screened for children recently.

The incident happened at Londonderry's Waterside Theatre on Friday, reports BBC.

It is believed that primary-school-age children were present at the event.

It is believed an image of a partially undressed woman appeared on screen for several seconds before being removed, reports BBC.

The theatre apologised for the incident.

"Waterside Theatre is aware of an unfortunate but serious incident happening today," the theatre posted on Facebook.

"The welfare of our visitors is always our main concern and we will be working with the relevant authorities. We offer our sincere apologies to all those affected," read the statement.
Image: Unsplash

Sanaa: The Houthi group in Yemen has banned the entry of Swedish imports into the country's north, which is under its control, in protest against the burning of a Quran during a protest in Sweden.

Houthi trade minister Mohammed al-Mutahar said the ban was a "message of protest" against the incident, which he described as "an act of blasphemy."

He said the effect of the ban on the Houthi-controlled region was "limited" because Swedish imports to Yemen are not at a large amount.

The burning of the Quran by an Iraqi refugee in a demonstration in Stockholm last month was condemned by several Islamic countries. Although the Stockholm police had initially granted permission for the Quran burning, the Swedish government subsequently denounced the incident, labeling it an "Islamophobic" act.

Yemen's Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces in late 2014, sparking a civil war and forcing the Yemeni government out of the capital, Sanaa. The government has since moved to the southern port city of Aden.

(With UNI Inputs)
Picture Credit: Press-service of the President of Uzbekistan

Early presidential elections were held in Uzbekistan on Sunday with incumbent President Shavkat Mirziyoyev expected to sweep the polls and return to power for another term.

The elections were attended by candidate from the People's Democratic Party (Ulugbek Inoyatov), the Liberal Democratic Party candidate and the current President of the country Shavkat Mirziyoyev; a candidate from the Social Democratic Party "Adolat" (Robakhon Makhmudov), and a candidate from the Ecological Party (Abdushukur Khamzaev).

Voters showed tremendous activity during the voting.

At 11:00 local time (11:30 IST) ,the voter turnout was 33.54%, CEC deputy chairman Bakhrom Kuchkarov told reporters.

"According to the electronic system that records voter turnout, 6,463,874 voters, or 33.54% of the total list, came to the polls at 11:00," he said.

In accordance with national electoral legislation, for an election to be declared valid, 33% of registered voters must vote.

Therefore, early presidential elections were recognized as having taken place already in the first half of the day.

It is expected that the country's Central Election Commission (CEC) will announce the preliminary results of the elections tomorrow in the morning.

According to updated CEC data, 19.414 million voters are registered in Uzbekistan, 10,784 polling stations have been organized. Citizens of the country also had the opportunity to vote abroad - 56 polling stations were opened in 39 countries. At the Embassy of Uzbekistan in New Delhi, Uzbeks voted in the 52nd polling station.

Early presidential elections in Uzbekistan were announced on May 8, after the adoption of a new version of the country's Constitution at a nationwide referendum.

At the referendum, the Basic Law was updated by 65% - the emphasis was placed primarily on social issues (education, gender equality, a ban on forced child labor, liability for interference in the work of the media, and others).

According to the updated Constitution, all branches of government are being reformed, relations and balance between them are seriously changing.

Uzbekistan is one of India's main strategic partners in Central Asia.

Trade between the two countries increased by about 40 percent last year, reaching $690 million. Both states are striving to bring the volume of bilateral trade up to $1 billion a year in the coming years.
A possible strike by the Teamsters is brewing at UPS, with significant implications for the Buffalo-area economy.

Nationwide, the Teamsters union represents about 340,000 full- and part-time UPS workers. While the current labor contract doesnt expire until July 31, the unions general president, Sean OBrien, has warned that Teamsters members will not work beyond the expiration date.

That leaves a small window of time to reach a tentative agreement and get it ratified by members. At this point, negotiations are at a standstill.

The union represents about 1,100 UPS workers in Western New York. The focal point of the companys local operations is a hub on Bailey Avenue in Buffalo. A strike would disrupt shipments for local customers and send a large number of workers to the picket line in the region.

Thats a big chunk of our economy, and theyre pretty decent jobs, said Art Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell Universitys School of Industrial and Labor Relations in Buffalo.

UPS and the union blamed each other for this weeks breakdown in negotiations. No additional bargaining sessions have been announced.

The Teamsters have stopped negotiating despite historic proposals that build on our industry-leading pay, UPS said in a statement. We have nearly a month left to negotiate. We have not walked away, and the union has a responsibility to remain at the table.

The Teamsters claimed it was UPS who walked away from the bargaining table after presenting an unacceptable offer.

This multibillion-dollar corporation has plenty to give American workers  they just dont want to, OBrien said. UPS had a choice to make, and they have clearly chosen to go down the wrong road.

The leaders of two Teamsters locals representing workers in Western New York did not return messages to comment on the talks.

Last month, the Teamsters conducted a strike authorization vote. The members authorized a strike with 97% of the vote, giving union leaders the power to call a walkout if they choose to do so as early as Aug. 1.

There hasnt been a strike at UPS since 1997, when there was a walkout that lasted 15 days.

The whole world has changed since then, Wheaton said. Everybody pushes a button and wants a package on their front step.

This is the first contract the Teamsters union has negotiated with UPS since OBrien took the reins as general president in early 2022. OBrien has claimed his predecessor was too conciliatory toward UPS.

The union and company have made headway on some issues, including dropping a two-tier wage system for employees who work weekends and are paid less. The company has also agreed to equip more trucks with air conditioning equipment. But the two sides have yet to come to terms on a wage package.

OBrien has pushed for UPS to present a last, best and final offer in early July, instead of at the contracts expiration date.

Wheaton said he believes it was an effective strategy to do that now, while you still have three or four weeks to hammer out a deal.

OBriens insistence that Teamsters members at UPS wont work beyond the expiration date of the current contract without a new deal also adds urgency, Wheaton said.

I think they need to put as much pressure on UPS as they can to make fundamental changes in their collective bargaining agreement, he said. So, theyre not asking for a little, theyre asking for a huge chunk and theyre saying, Dont play games with us, were serious and we mean business.

UPS has a wide-ranging impact on the nations economy, through its mammoth workforce and huge presence in the business of moving packages.

As of the first quarter, UPS was delivering 18.7 million packages per day in the United States, according to the company. UPS did not provide a specific figure for its Bailey Avenue hub.

The Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index said UPS last year generated the highest revenue among carriers, at $73 billion, followed by FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service and Amazon Logistics. UPS also had the highest market share by revenue, at 37%.

Those figures drive home just how disruptive a strike at UPS would be. Wheaton noted its not just individual buyers who use UPS  many businesses also count on UPS to send or receive parts and supplies.

Its taken everybody to try to get packages delivered, Wheaton said. The supply chain has been a total nightmare for the last three years, and this is just one more thing.

News wire services contributed to this report.
Image: Unsplash

At least seven passengers died when a gas cylinder installed in a passenger bus exploded in Sargodha city of Pakistan on Saturday, media reports said.

The incident left more than a dozen others injured.

According to Rescue 1122, the passenger bus was on its way when a compressed natural gas cylinder installed in the bus exploded, leaving at least seven passengers, including women, dead on the spot and injuring several others, reports APP.

The area was cordoned off after the incident.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.


Image: Pixabay

A man was arrested in Bangladesh's Jhenaidah region on suspicion of murdering his neighbour.

Mehedi Hasan, a 25-year-old native of Master Para, was stabbed to death around midnight on Sunday, Mahbubur Rahman, chief of Kaliganj Police Station, told bdnews24.

The arrested person was identified as Akram.

Mehedi went out to buy cigarettes around 12 am, OC Mahbubur told the news portal, citing Mehedis family.

He asked Akram for some money at the time, but the two got into an altercation, the suspect told police during the preliminary interrogation.
Image: @Mohsinikram11 Twitter page

At least six people died and 10 others were hurt as a three-story building located on the Grand Trunk Road in Pakistan's Punjab region collapsed due to a gas cylinder explosion on Sunday, media reports said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hassan Tariq told Dawn News the explosion took place at around 9:45am today, following which the rescue teams immediately responded and initiated rescue efforts.

Tariq added that all senior doctors and staff were present at the Jhelum District Headquarters Hospital where the injured were being provided treatment while one seriously injured patient was referred to the Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi.

Rescue operation was going on when the last report came in.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed grief over the loss of life in the incident.

Gas cylinder blast at Hotel in Jhelum. pic.twitter.com/s2NJPPRdy7  Mohsin Ikram Sheikh  (@Mohsinikram11) July 9, 2023




Image: Pixabay

At least six people died when a Cessna business jet crashed near French Valley Airport in Murrieta, California, on Saturday, media reports said.

CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department tweeted: "Aircraft Emergency:rpt@4:16 a.m. Auld Road X Briggs Road in French Valley. Cessna aircraft down in a field, fully involved in fire. The fire burned approximately one acre of vegetation, was contained at 5:35 a.m. and the incident has been turned over to RSO and the FAA. Please contact them with any questions. #BriggsIC."

The flight departed Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and crashed about 65 miles north of San Diego around 4:15 a.m. local time, the FAA was quoted as saying by CNN.

The incident is currently under investigation.


Image:Unsplash

An American couple has claimed they were charged nearly $30,000 for an Uber ride in Costa Rica that should actually have been $55,media reports said.

Douglas Ordonez and his partner Dominique, who were recently vacationing in Costa Rica to celebrate their fifth anniversary, said they were left with negative balance following the incident.

Douglas Ordonez tweeted: "$29K UPDATE. @AlturaCUand@Uber_Support are blaming each other.@AlturaCUstated that the 29k amount bypassed security & daily charge limit because we put a travel notice. ABSOLUTELY NO REASON why this amount should have cleared. After 4 full days the 29k was finally adjusted."

Uber charged me $29,994 USD for a Uber ride in Costa Rica. They did not convert that into the Costa Rican currency $54 USD. Altura credit union allowed this charge to process and Uber is not complying. Now Im in Guatemala with a negative balance on my 5 year anniversary. #uber pic.twitter.com/UGgZHXYjF8  Douglas Ordonez (@DOJ_111) June 29, 2023

In another tweet, he said: "Uber charged me $29,994 USD for a Uber ride in Costa Rica. They did not convert that into the Costa Rican currency $54 USD. Altura credit union allowed this charge to process and Uber is not complying. Now Im in Guatemala with a negative balance on my 5 year anniversary. #uber."

He also shared an image of the screenshot of the bank account on Twitter.

Hey Douglas - so sorry about this situation! We have a specialized team looking into this and we'll be in touch asap.  Uber Support (@Uber_Support) June 30, 2023

Reacting to his complain, Uber said: "Hey Douglas - so sorry about this situation! We have a specialized team looking into this and we'll be in touch asap."

The couple said they could not access their funds while being out of the country and had to wait for the bank to resolve the issue before resuming their vacation, reports The New York Post.
1. Karan Johar Responds If He Is Gay As He Hosts His First Ask Me Anything Session On 'Threads'

Instagram

Another fan asked him, "You are gay, right?", to which, he gave a witty response. He wrote, "You're interested?"

2. With His Intense Eyes & Iconic Walk, Akshay Kumar Wins Over Fans As Lord Shiva In 'OMG 2' Promo

Twitter

Another fan commented, "The intensity in his eyes as Mahadev, the walk, the swag. Everything on Point. ICONIC Performance loading as Mahadev for #AkshayKumar".



3. Aamir Khan Got Drunk With Salman Khan, Woke Up Wearing His Iconic Firoza Bracelet Next Morning

Instagram

At Arpita Sharma and Aayush Sharma's Eid party, the paparazzi spotted Salman's iconic bracelet on Aamir, and as the photos went viral, people started speculating that Salman has gifted his friend his favorite bracelet. Is that the true story? Seemingly not.



4. After Saying India Is Ruled By 'Uneducated' Leaders, Kajol Clarifies Her Statement To Trolls

twitter

After brutal online trolling, Kajol has clarified her statement. Taking to Twitter, she wrote that she didn't mean to demean any politician but she was merely making a point about education. She added that there are some great leaders who are leading the country.



5. Inspired By Sunny Deol's 'Gadar', Pakistani Woman Seema Haider Crossed Border To Marry UP Man

indiatimes

After selling a piece of land in Pakistan, she once again reached Nepal via Dubai. She entered India via Nepal and took a bus to Greater Noida where Sachin lived. He made her live in rented accommodation without revealing her Pakistani identity.


On Wednesday, an "eight-armed robber" was on the run in Jervis Bay waters off the NSW south coast, almost stealing a camera but obtaining an amazing underwater story.

Octopus grabs Aussie man's GoPro

Facebook Screengrab

Jesse, 15, was shooting an octopus "at a safe distance" with his GoPro when the animal decided it wanted the camera for itself in a video that was uploaded on Facebook, but now stands deleted.



"It slowly reached out a tentacle and grabbed the selfie stick, pulling the camera in," Karen Johnson, Jesse's mother, told Yahoo News Australia.

"A tug-of-war ensued, and the octopus won."

Jesse remained nearby and "occasionally tugged" on the camera, perplexed by the unexpected turn of events. He eventually had to seek assistance.

Jesse approached two snorkellers in the water for help, one of them admitted to having "all sorts of dilemmas" go through his head when thinking about what the young diver might need help with.

Hearing Jesse exclaim, "An octopus took my camera," was not a scenario the snorkeller had contemplated.

"He took us to where he last saw his camera, and sure enough, there was the eight armed robber with each of them [tentacles] tightly wrapped around the GoPro," the snorkeller said on Facebook.

The man was successful in getting the GoPro back

He "had no choice" but to take up the GoPro with the "heavy" animal attached, moving the camera gently before ultimately liberating the GoPro after attempting to release it from the octopus' hold.



"I wiggled the camera sideways a few times, and he reluctantly let go," explained the snorkeler.

Karen subsequently published the GoPro clip of the octopus snatching the camera from her kid online.

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

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You've probably seen people on Mount Everest unfurl national flags, but have you ever seen anyone perform a stand-up comedy routine on the world's highest mountain peak?

Two women performed stand-up at Everest base camp

On July 5, Guinness World Records announced the latest world record for the highest altitude standup comedy performance. Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn, also known as 'The Scummy Mummies,' presented a stand-up comedy show at Everest base camp.

The duo's performance was notable because it served as a fundraiser for Borne UK, a charity that studies premature births and assists families who are affected by them. The organisation also conducts research to find strategies to avoid premature births.

The 32-minute comedy set was performed in front of a crowd of around 30 (unknowing) people at Everest base camp. The women performed their routines while wearing golden catsuits with grey and black stripes and used golden microphones.

Over the span of three days, the video received over 10,000 views and numerous comments.

The women prepped for the trek beforehand

YouTube Screengrab

Ellie Gibson revealed to Guinness World Records that her son Joe was born nine weeks early in December 2014. "Fortunately, he is fine now; he appears to be in good health," stated.



Gibson added that it was a terrifying time because most premature babies do not survive. "I wanted to do anything to change that, to stop what other people are going through, and that is why I started supporting the Borne UK charity," she continued.

The women also talked about their trekking experiences to Everest. The video captured their trip to Nepal and reaching Mount Everest base camp. They played where mountaineer Nirmal Purja's Everest adventure company had set up tents.

Guinness World Records

The women discussed their preparations for the expedition. Gibson stated that she went trekking and swimming prior to the expedition to prepare physically for climbing Everest.



What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

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By Debra Heine

July 08, 2023: Information Clearing House -- " AG " --- Dr. Gal Luft, the Israeli whistleblower who has been on the run since April, detailed his bribery allegations against the Biden family in an extraordinary new video obtained by the New York Post.

As American Greatness previously reported, Luft was arrested on weapon trafficking and other charges in Cyprus last February and disappeared after he was let out on bail. After his arrest, the former Israeli army officer tweeted that the Biden administration was out to bury him.

The Biden Department of Justice had Luft, the founder and executive director of the Washington-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS), arrested on on suspicion of arms trafficking to China and Libya, lying to the FBI and violating the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), according to his arrest warrant. Hes facing up to 96 years in prison if convicted of the charges.

From an undisclosed location, the fugitive claimed in the 14-minute video that he was arrested to stop him from testifying to the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee about the Biden familys shady business exploits in China.

Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda?

Let it sink in. I, who volunteered to inform the U.S. government about a potential security breach and about compromising information about a man vying to be the next president, am now being hunted by the very same people who I informed and may have to live on the run for the rest of my life, the whistleblower lamented.

Luft said he was forced to skip bail in Cyprus while awaiting extradition because I did not have faith I would receive a fair trial in a New York court.

The whistleblower reportedly worked with CEFC-USAthe nonprofit arm of the Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC Chinabetween 2015 and 2018, the same period CEFC-China began its influence operations with the Biden family.

Despite Lufts fugitive status, House Oversight chairman, Republican James Comer said the Israeli remains a potential witness in the Biden family probe, the Post reported.

The whistleblower explained that his legal woes started after he made the fatal decision to present incriminating evidence about the Bidens to six officials from the FBI and the Department of Justice in a secret two day meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Brussels in March 2019. The DOJ delegation, he said, was made up of two prosecutors from the Southern District of New York and four FBI agents. Luft said he believed the reason why the Justice Dept. dispatched so many officials was because they knew he was a credible witness and had insider knowledge about the Biden familys financial transactions with the Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC, including specific dollar figures.

He said he also told the feds about Biden family associate Rob Walker, whom he referred to as Hunter Bidens bagman.

Luft says he told the DOJ and the FBI in Brussels that Joe Biden, soon after his vice presidential term ended, had attended a meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, with his son Hunter and officials from CEFC. Lufts account of the former VPs presence at that meeting was corroborated 21 months later when the FBI interviewed another attendee, Biden family associate Rob Walker, according to recent testimony before Congress. Luft disclosed during the Brussels interview that CEFC was paying $100,000 a month to Hunter and $65,000 to his uncle Jim Biden, in exchange for their FBI connections and use of the Biden name to promote Chinas Belt and Road Initiative around the world  and that the money was being funneled through Walker. The Oversight Committee has written to Walker demanding he submit to questioning about his role in distributing more than $1 million from China to at least three of President Bidens relatives.

The most alarming information he shared in Brussels, according to Luft, pertained to the one-eyed mole in the DOJ who shared classified information with Hunter Biden and his Chinese partners.

I told the DOJ that Hunter was associated with a very senior retired FBI official who had a distinct physical characteristiche had one eye, Luft said.

That FBI official is widely believed to be former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who gave $100,000 to a trust for two of then-Vice President Joe Bidens grandchildren in 2016 shortly before telling Hunter, I would be delighted to do future work with you.

According to Luft, One Eye tipped off Hunters CEFC associates, Dr. Patrick Ho and Chairman Ye Jianming, that they were under investigation.

The whistleblower stressed that he felt it was his civic duty to alert the government about the Biden familys corruption far ahead of the 2020 election to give the feds plenty of time to investigate the matter.

Im not a Republican. Im not a Democrat. I have no political motive or agenda, he added. I did it out of deep concern that if the Bidens were to come to power, the country would be facing the same traumatic Russia collusion scandalonly this time with China. Sadly, because of the DOJs cover-up, this is exactly what happened.

Luft said his evidence was corroborated nine months later by the emails and receipts contained in Hunter Bidens laptop. Incredibly, according to the whistleblower, the agent who seized the laptop from the Delaware computer repair shop in December 2019, Special Agent Joshua Wilson, was one of the FBI agents who interviewed him in Brussels that spring.

The whistleblower noted that although he had provided federal law enforcement with plenty of evidence to investigate before the election, they did nothing with it, and instead made him public enemy number one.

Over the past four years, they followed me, my family, my friends, my associates. We were all harassed, intimidated, and finally, I was prosecuted, Luft said.

Luft said that despite the harassment, he sent his attorney, Robert Henoch, to meet with then-acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donahue on the eve of the 2020 elections to ensure he was informed about the information I had given his department in Brussels nineteen months earlier, and also to warn him that there might still be a mole within the DOJ.

In February 2020, Attorney General Bill Barr assigned Donoghue to coordinate federal investigations into all Ukraine-related corruption allegations against Joe Biden, according to the Post.

Donoghue reportedly agreed to meet Henoch at a Starbucks near DOJ headquarters and corresponded with him on his private email.

The story is about corruption at the very highest levels of government/politics and I think it can all be corroborated, Henoch wrote in an email obtained by the Post.

Unbeknownst to Luft, on Sept. 4, Donoghue had ordered the Delaware US attorney to pause the criminal investigation into Hunter to avoid leaks in the two months before the election, according to testimony before Congress.

Needless to say, nothing came of the meeting.

Yet on November 2, 2022, on the eve of the midterm elections, Luft was indicted on seven counts, including a violation of the Arms Export Control Act.

If convicted I could face up to 100 years in prison, the whistleblower said.

He said while in jail, he was portrayed in the international media as an arms dealer even though I have never traded a bullet in my entire life.

Luft added that nowhere in my indictment does the DOJ claim or present evidence that I bought, sold, shipped, or financed any weapon.

He also contested the charge that he had committed a FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] violation by charging former CIA Director James Woolsey $6,000 a month for putting his name on an article he had ghost written for him in a Chinese paper.

Nowhere in the indictment does the DOJ mention the well-known fact that Woolsey had been an advisor to my think tank since 2002 and that there was nothing in the article that represented Chinese intereststo the contrary.

The notion that I, Gal Luft, spoon-fed a CIA director policy proposals on China, treating him like a useful idiot, is not only an insult to the Intelligence Community, it is an insult to the intelligence of every American, he said.

Luft also scoffed at the charge that he made a false statement to the FBI during his voluntary meeting in Brussels which he said came about as a result of his good citizenship.

Why was I in Brussels to begin with? Was I there to eat Belgian waffles?! he exclaimed.

He challenged the Justice Department to make his indictment public.

Make my day, Luft added. Put it on your website so every American can see the nature of the allegations against me, the quality of the evidence and the lengths the government is willing to go to weaponize the Justice system to punish whistleblowers like me.

Luft also challenged the FBI to submit to Congress the minutes from the March 2019 meeting in Brussels.

Let everyone see what happened in Brussels, the whistleblower proposed. Why not? Are you trying to protect anything? Are you trying to protect anybody?

Luft suggested that his arrest in November 2022 was an attempt to discredit him on Trumped up charges as Republicans were about to take control of Congress and start investigations into the DOJs cover-up of the Biden scandal.

Why am I being indicted for FARA for ghostwriting an innocuous articlefor which I received no payment, let alone from a foreign governmentwhen the MOTHER OF ALL FARA cases, the Biden systemic influence peddling on behalf of foreign governments for which they raked MILLIONSgoes unpunished? he asked.

Luft said he had no faith that he would receive a fail trial in New York because he had seen how Patrick Ho had been treated after his 2017 arrest on bribery charges. According to Luft, during his trial in New York, prosecutors blocked Ho from mentioning the Bidens.

Ho paid Hunter Biden a million dollars for God-knows-what [but] was not allowed to mention the word Biden before the jury, Luft explained.

The very same prosecutor who is now after me, Daniel Richenthal, told the judge at the time that mentioning the name Biden would add a political dimension to the case, and the judge agreed, the whistleblower added. Which means if I was brought before a New York court, I would not be allowed to utter the word Brussels or Biden.

He argued that in effect, the real context of his arrest: me being patient zero of the Biden family investigation, would be hidden from the jury.

The whistleblower lamented that he now faces the rest of his life on the run, or in prison for doing his civic duty.

I warned the government about potential risk to the integrity of the 2020 election, Luft said. Ask yourself, who is the real criminal in this story?
July 08, 2023: Information Clearing House -- The United States will be offering Kiev a security arrangement that the Israeli occupation currently has, "Israel-style" security guarantees, as the country cannot join NATO yet, US President Joe Biden said during an interview with CNN that aired on Friday.

Biden stated that the United States is prepared to offer Ukraine an alternative to NATO membership in the form of a security arrangement similar to the one currently in place with "Israel".

Regarding Ukraine's potential NATO membership, Biden expressed his belief that the country was not ready for it, highlighting the lack of agreement within NATO about admitting Ukraine amid the war in Ukraine.

The concept of the "Israel model" was initially reported by The New York Times last month. It refers to a temporary arrangement aimed at ensuring a continuous supply of Western weapons to Ukraine.

Russian military estimates indicate that in 2022, the United States and its allies provided Ukraine with over $100 billion worth of arms, ammunition, and equipment.

Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda?

"I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO," Biden said of Ukraine. "I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war."

Membership in NATO means a commitment to defend all of its territory, so "if the war is going on, then we're all in a war. We're at war with Russia, if that were the case," Biden told CNN's Fareed Zakaria.

Ukraine has long been asking to become a member of NATO, though this is yet to happen, with Biden saying it was too "premature" to call for a vote on the issue, saying the process "takes some time" and involves reforms.

"And one of the things I indicated is, the United States would be ready to provide, while the process was going on, and that's gonna take a while, to provide security a la the security we provide for Israel: providing the weaponry they need, the capacity to defend themselves," Biden said, adding, "If there is an agreement, if there is a ceasefire, if there is a peace agreement."

Accession out of the question

NATO is split on whether to offer Ukraine a postwar path to membership at next week's conference in Vilnius. At the same time, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union are planning to supply Kiev with "security commitments" to help the country defend itself in lieu of alliance membership.

Earlier in May, The Wall Street Journal reported that NATO's anticipated July summit in Lithuania will feature no progress on Kiev's bid to membership in the military alliance.

"We need practical, concrete steps on the path to Nato membership," Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas told the Financial Times. "I have the feeling that talking about security guarantees actually blurs the picture . . . the only security guarantee that really works and is much cheaper than anything else is NATO membership."

The prospective obligations being debated in Western capitals are mostly around codifying and committing a long-term continuance of help already granted to Ukraine in the areas of weaponry, finance, and training. According to Kallas, this is insufficient to discourage Russia from following through with the military operation.

NATO agreed in 2008 that Ukraine "would become" a member, but no timetable or path was offered. Allies are presently negotiating the wording of a summit declaration on Ukraine's future membership, with a rift between primarily eastern states seeking an ambitious vow and a group led by the US and Germany that is hesitant.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that one goal of his military operation in Ukraine was to prevent the former Soviet republic from joining NATO, arguing that participation would allow the US to station weaponry in the nation and threaten Russia.

20 states support Kiev's accession

Earlier last month, Ihor Zhovkva, the Deputy Head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, said on June 11 that 20 NATO member countries have supported Ukraine's membership in the US-led military alliance, pending the approval, if any, of the remaining states.

Zhovkva confirmed on social media that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kiev, during which the two sides signed a joint declaration.

"The joint declaration clearly registers Canada's support for Ukraine to become a member of NATO as soon as conditions permit," the Ukrainian official indicated.

Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
Home Search ICH Question Everything! Click Here To Support Information Clearing House The persecution of Jeremy Corbyn The Chris Hedges Report July 08, 2023: Information Clearing House -- Jeremy Corbyn's ascendance to the leadership of the UK Labour Party in 2015 offered hope for a revival of the British left. With decades of experience and principled opposition to war and privatization under his belt, Corbyn was uniquely positioned to bring the Labour Party back from its neoliberal turn. But this was not to bejust five years later, Corbyn was ousted from the Labour Party and his supporters were purged. The political opposition to Corbyn was accompanied by a media villification campaign that conflated support for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism. Ultimately, the question of Labour's support for Israeli Apartheid was successfully wielded to isolate and expel Corbyn and his supporters. Asa Winstanley joins The Chris Hedges Report for an autopsy of Corbyn's leadership.



Asa Winstanley is an investigative journalist living in London who writes about Palestine and the Middle East. He has been visiting Palestine since 2004 and is originally from south Wales. He writes for the award-winning Palestinian news site The Electronic Intifada where he is an associate editor and also a weekly column for the Middle East Monitor. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter 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 Search Information Clearing House The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
Question Everything! Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Finance, power, integration: The SCO welcomes a new 'Global Globe'



Discussions at the recent SCO Summit in New Delhi now point to the inevitable: The merging of new multipolar organizations and their collective reorganization of global finance.



By Pepe Escobar Western media are conditioning the public for a false-flag attack on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) to blame Russia. That would then provide the United States and NATO a pretext to directly intervene in their proxy war to support the Kiev regime. The Kiev regimes month-old counteroffensive is failing miserably to push back Russian defense lines. Indeed, if anything, it seems that Russian forces are turning the tables to gain more territory in eastern Ukraine. The military situation is becoming a fiasco for the NATO-backed regime in Kiev. Months of much-hyped counteroffensive are delivering nothing but defeat for the Ukrainian forces despite massive supplies of weapons from the U.S. and its NATO allies. Western governments and media can barely hide the reality that NATOs proxy war in Ukraine against Russia is turning into a historic debacle. How long can the charade continue before the American and European public demand answers and accountability? With a major NATO summit due to take place next week in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12, the battlefield disaster for the alliances Kiev proxy will be potentially an acute embarrassment. There will be severe political repercussions for Washington and the European Union which has funneled close to $200 billion in military support to the Kiev regime since the conflict erupted in February last year. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Blowing up the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is one way of dramatically shifting the narrative  albeit an act of criminal desperation. The power station is Europes largest civilian nuclear installation. The radioactive fallout from a fatal missile strike on the ZNPP would engulf large swathes of Europe, including Russia, with potentially deadly contamination. Russian forces took over the ZNPP last March, days after launching their special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Since then, the power station has been routinely fired on by the Kiev regime using U.S. and NATO-supplied rockets. Moscow has presented categorical evidence of NATO missile fragments recovered from air strikes on the plants cooling ponds. The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has visited the ZNPP multiple times and will surely know from where the missiles are being fired, yet the IAEA is conspicuously reluctant to publicly identify the perpetrators. It confines itself to making vague statements expressing concern about security and public safety. The Western media have shamelessly spun the Kiev regimes narrative claiming that the ZNPP is being shelled by Russian forces despite the absurdity of such claims given that the Russian military controls the nuclear plant. The situation is a repeat of the sabotage on the Kakhovka Hydro-electric Power Plant. The dam was blown up last month by the Kiev regime using U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets. Yet the Western media immediately blamed and continue to blame Russia for that sabotage even though Moscow had been warning the United Nations Security Council for months that the Kiev regime was planning to strike the dam. And even though Russian forces were in control of the dam. Incredibly, given that obvious precedent, a false-flag attack on the Zaporozhye nuclear plant is now being intensively prepped. The Kiev regime has stepped up public warnings that Russian forces have mined the ZNPP and are going to blow it up. Of concern is that Western media are amplifying these claims regardless of the fact that the IAEA inspectors have said they see no evidence that Russia has mined the nuclear station. The British Times newspaper this week claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing a perilous moment of internal dissent within Russia due to alleged war losses in Ukraine and the thwarted mutiny by private military boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Times is sowing the notion that Putin might blow up the ZNPP to bolster his frayed authority. In that event, the Times urges, NATO should intervene directly with troops on the ground in Ukraine. That would be the quickest way to end the cruel war and neutralize Putins corrupt regime, intoned the newspaper with hypocritical reasoning. The Western media propaganda machine is once again turning reality on its head. The Prigozhin mutiny on June 24 was an abject failure because the Russian armed forces and the Russian public resolutely spurned the half-baked plot, remaining loyal to President Putins leadership. There is strong evidence that the plot was a Western-intelligence-backed coup attempt orchestrated by Britains MI6, as Scott Ritter has comprehensively analyzed . Having failed to destabilize Russia and overthrow Putins government, the CIA and Britains MI6 through their reliable Western media outlets are resorting to a consolation narrative that Putins authority is now facing a perilous moment. This is fabricating a prelude to blowing up the ZNPP. But it wont be Russia bombing a nuclear plant where its forces are stationed. It will be the Kiev regime using NATO munitions and U.S. and British targeting intelligence  as was the case in the sabotage of the Kakhovka dam on June 6. The Kiev regime is ordering civilians to evacuate from areas near the ZNPP, while its intelligence and military chiefs are outlining contingency plans on how to deal with the fallout from an alleged Russian strike. All this is a tad too theatric, indicating orchestration. The Western media have continually covered up or not reported on the Kiev regimes habitual air strikes on the ZNPP over the past year. Instead, the media have audaciously twisted the narrative to implicate Russia. Now the Western media are prepping the coming false flag by trying to convince the public that Russia is losing the war in Ukraine and that Putin is losing authority among ordinary Russians. Gaslighting the public is what the Western media do best, not reporting. Thats been the way for decades but never has the media function been so blatant than during the U.S.-led proxy war in Ukraine against Russia. The shockingly corrupt Neo-Nazi Kiev regime is desperate to keep the war racket going at all costs as is the Western weapons industry and its bought-and-paid-for politicians. (Whether Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, they are all War Party.) The NATO ideologues are desperate to hide their debacle, which is in effect funded by impoverishing the Western public. Putin isnt the one who is desperate. Its the United States and its European satraps who are like the rats in a corner. If these desperados blow up the Zaporozhye nuclear plant thats tantamount to NATO dropping a dirty bomb on Russia. And all the gaslighting by the Western media is unleashing thermonuclear catastrophe. Heres a proposal, just one among other possibilities: an antiwar campaign might consider the Western public avowedly and en masse turning off their TVs and toxic media channels. For rolling days, just turn off CNN, Fox, BBC, New York Times, Guardian, Times, and so on. In a concerted, synchronized protest. Turn it off! Before these crazies turn off the entire planet. Pepe's latest book is 2030 . Follow him on Facebook . 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
By Finian Cunningham

July 09, 2023: Information Clearing House -- Western media are conditioning the public for a false-flag attack on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) to blame Russia. That would then provide the United States and NATO a pretext to directly intervene in their proxy war to support the Kiev regime.

The Kiev regimes month-old counteroffensive is failing miserably to push back Russian defense lines. Indeed, if anything, it seems that Russian forces are turning the tables to gain more territory in eastern Ukraine. The military situation is becoming a fiasco for the NATO-backed regime in Kiev.

Months of much-hyped counteroffensive are delivering nothing but defeat for the Ukrainian forces despite massive supplies of weapons from the U.S. and its NATO allies. Western governments and media can barely hide the reality that NATOs proxy war in Ukraine against Russia is turning into a historic debacle. How long can the charade continue before the American and European public demand answers and accountability?

With a major NATO summit due to take place next week in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12, the battlefield disaster for the alliances Kiev proxy will be potentially an acute embarrassment. There will be severe political repercussions for Washington and the European Union which has funneled close to $200 billion in military support to the Kiev regime since the conflict erupted in February last year.

Blowing up the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is one way of dramatically shifting the narrative  albeit an act of criminal desperation. The power station is Europes largest civilian nuclear installation. The radioactive fallout from a fatal missile strike on the ZNPP would engulf large swathes of Europe, including Russia, with potentially deadly contamination.

Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda?

Russian forces took over the ZNPP last March, days after launching their special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Since then, the power station has been routinely fired on by the Kiev regime using U.S. and NATO-supplied rockets. Moscow has presented categorical evidence of NATO missile fragments recovered from air strikes on the plants cooling ponds. The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has visited the ZNPP multiple times and will surely know from where the missiles are being fired, yet the IAEA is conspicuously reluctant to publicly identify the perpetrators. It confines itself to making vague statements expressing concern about security and public safety.

The Western media have shamelessly spun the Kiev regimes narrative claiming that the ZNPP is being shelled by Russian forces despite the absurdity of such claims given that the Russian military controls the nuclear plant.

The situation is a repeat of the sabotage on the Kakhovka Hydro-electric Power Plant. The dam was blown up last month by the Kiev regime using U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets. Yet the Western media immediately blamed and continue to blame Russia for that sabotage even though Moscow had been warning the United Nations Security Council for months that the Kiev regime was planning to strike the dam. And even though Russian forces were in control of the dam.

Incredibly, given that obvious precedent, a false-flag attack on the Zaporozhye nuclear plant is now being intensively prepped. The Kiev regime has stepped up public warnings that Russian forces have mined the ZNPP and are going to blow it up. Of concern is that Western media are amplifying these claims regardless of the fact that the IAEA inspectors have said they see no evidence that Russia has mined the nuclear station.

The British Times newspaper this week claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing a perilous moment of internal dissent within Russia due to alleged war losses in Ukraine and the thwarted mutiny by private military boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Times is sowing the notion that Putin might blow up the ZNPP to bolster his frayed authority.

In that event, the Times urges, NATO should intervene directly with troops on the ground in Ukraine. That would be the quickest way to end the cruel war and neutralize Putins corrupt regime, intoned the newspaper with hypocritical reasoning.

The Western media propaganda machine is once again turning reality on its head. The Prigozhin mutiny on June 24 was an abject failure because the Russian armed forces and the Russian public resolutely spurned the half-baked plot, remaining loyal to President Putins leadership. There is strong evidence that the plot was a Western-intelligence-backed coup attempt orchestrated by Britains MI6, as Scott Ritter has comprehensively analyzed.

Having failed to destabilize Russia and overthrow Putins government, the CIA and Britains MI6 through their reliable Western media outlets are resorting to a consolation narrative that Putins authority is now facing a perilous moment. This is fabricating a prelude to blowing up the ZNPP.

But it wont be Russia bombing a nuclear plant where its forces are stationed. It will be the Kiev regime using NATO munitions and U.S. and British targeting intelligence  as was the case in the sabotage of the Kakhovka dam on June 6.

The Kiev regime is ordering civilians to evacuate from areas near the ZNPP, while its intelligence and military chiefs are outlining contingency plans on how to deal with the fallout from an alleged Russian strike. All this is a tad too theatric, indicating orchestration.

The Western media have continually covered up or not reported on the Kiev regimes habitual air strikes on the ZNPP over the past year. Instead, the media have audaciously twisted the narrative to implicate Russia. Now the Western media are prepping the coming false flag by trying to convince the public that Russia is losing the war in Ukraine and that Putin is losing authority among ordinary Russians.

Gaslighting the public is what the Western media do best, not reporting. Thats been the way for decades but never has the media function been so blatant than during the U.S.-led proxy war in Ukraine against Russia.

The shockingly corrupt Neo-Nazi Kiev regime is desperate to keep the war racket going at all costs as is the Western weapons industry and its bought-and-paid-for politicians. (Whether Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, they are all War Party.)

The NATO ideologues are desperate to hide their debacle, which is in effect funded by impoverishing the Western public. Putin isnt the one who is desperate. Its the United States and its European satraps who are like the rats in a corner.

If these desperados blow up the Zaporozhye nuclear plant thats tantamount to NATO dropping a dirty bomb on Russia.

And all the gaslighting by the Western media is unleashing thermonuclear catastrophe.

Heres a proposal, just one among other possibilities: an antiwar campaign might consider the Western public avowedly and en masse turning off their TVs and toxic media channels. For rolling days, just turn off CNN, Fox, BBC, New York Times, Guardian, Times, and so on. In a concerted, synchronized protest. Turn it off! Before these crazies turn off the entire planet.

Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent.

Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
July 09, 2023: Information Clearing House -- The American magazine Newsweek published a big exclusive report this week purporting to reveal the extent of CIA involvement in the Ukraine proxy war against Russia. It hardly merits the billing of exclusive since it is well known that the U.S. spy agency is up to its neck in orchestrating the conflict.

In truth, the CIAs nefarious role in Ukraine goes back decades to the end of World War Two. More on that further down.

Nevertheless, the Newsweek article provides a useful admission that Washington is recklessly  and criminally  fueling hostilities towards Russia, the worlds biggest nuclear power in terms of its arsenal. The Biden administration and its military-intelligence apparatus are risking an escalation of the proxy war to an all-out nuclear conflagration.

The Newsweek report remarks on the contradiction between President Joe Bidens public vow to not put American boots on the ground and the undeniable heavy presence of U.S. clandestine forces in Ukraine helping (more precisely, directing) the war effort. Instead of contradiction, a plainer, more fitting word is lie.

You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda?

Recall, too, Biden previously said he doesnt want to start World War Three with Russia. Thats about as believable as an alcoholic saying he doesnt want another drink.

The Biden administration is engaged in gross deception of the American public by absurdly pretending that U.S. military personnel are not in Ukraine and that Washington is not directing a war against Russia. Bidens policy of pumping weapons into Ukraine ($40 billion so far) is inexorably leading the United States and its NATO allies deeper into an all-out war against Russia. Yet this mentally challenged president somehow maintains there are no U.S. boots on the ground and that the U.S.-led NATO alliance is not at war with Russia. Such blatant lies should be grounds for his impeachment.

Apart from the admission that the Newsweek article provides, the otherwise banal reporting is a whitewash of the CIAs pivotal and pernicious role in the Ukraine conflict.

Laughably, the article portrays the CIA as trying to ensure the war does not spin out of control. Thus, the agency is presented as a moderating, restraining influence on the Kiev regime and its military conduct. The reader is led to believe that Washington is endeavoring to prevent the Ukrainian military from launching direct attacks on Russia. It is claimed that the CIA is struggling to control the operations of the Kiev regime which has at times gone rogue against Bidens rules of engagement. Examples of rogue conduct, it is claimed, are the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, the bombing of the Kerch Bridge to Crimea, drone attacks on Moscow and several mysterious assassinations of Russian public figures.

This is risible disinformation from the CIA courtesy of Newsweek. Alternative, reliable investigative reporting by Seymour Hersh and others has exposed the Biden administrations direct responsibility for the blowing up of the Nord Stream gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea last September.

It is also credibly asserted by Moscow that none of the other deep attacks on Russia could have been carried out by Ukrainian forces without the logistical involvement of the CIA and other NATO covert military agencies, primarily Britains MI6.

Since the conflict erupted in February last year, the Biden administration and its NATO partners have stoked the war with stepwise increases in ever-more lethal weaponry, from long-range missiles to battlefield tanks to promised delivery of F-16 fighter jets. This week Biden has reportedly green-lighted the supply of banned cluster munitions, which the Kiev regime will doubtless use against civilians in Russias Donbass region  under instruction from CIA advisors.

A crucial historical background for understanding the conflict in Ukraine is the involvement of the CIA in orchestrating the coup detat in Kiev in 2014. That coup ousted a democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovich, and ushered in the Neo-Nazi junta that persists today  headed by the nominally Jewish comedian figure Vladimir Zelensky.

Zelensky and his inveterate corrupt cabal are nothing more than puppets and playthings for the CIA and MI6. Their useful-idiot function is to front a colossal arms racket and a U.S.-led proxy war to undermine Russia geopolitically, with regime change in Moscow as the ultimate objective, as well as to facilitate Washingtons agenda of subjugating Europe as a vassal colony for American capital for the purpose of propelling the next American war against China.

The CIA and its British counterparts are running the Neo-Nazi cesspit that Ukraine has been turned into. Even while trying to whitewash the CIAs criminal role in Ukraine, the Newsweek article cited above admits that the agency has multiple bases located across that pathetic country and that CIA operatives are overseeing massive networks of arms running.

But what is particularly disturbing about the disinformation is the attempt to hoodwink the American public and others into thinking that the CIA and the Biden administration are somehow bystanders to the war. A war that is escalating despite their supposed noble efforts at restraining.

The American public is being drugged with lies and blandishments, misled as if sleepwalking towards a catastrophic world war with nuclear-armed Russia.

The conflict in Ukraine could be stopped immediately, as Russian national security advisor and former president Dmitry Medvedev pointed out again this week, if the United States simply stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine. However, the Biden administration has spurned all diplomatic efforts to negotiate a political-security settlement. U.S. media reports this week of back channel communications with Russia are not credible when Washington is giving full throttle to the war effort with the sinister hand of the CIA.

It should be remembered, too, that the CIA was borne out of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) at the end of World War Two. One of its first postwar tasks was recruiting Ukrainian fascists and mass killers who had collaborated with the Nazi Reich in its genocidal Final Solution against Slavs, Jews, Poles and others. (These fascists like Stepan Bandera and Mykola Lebed are held up as national heroes by todays Kiev regime, including Jewish Mr Zelensky.) Washington deliberately recruited and deployed those terrorists to attack the Soviet Union in order to advance U.S. imperialist hegemonic ambitions in Europe.

Not much has changed. Ukraine is ground zero for the CIAs fascist origins. Not only are American boots on the ground in Ukraine in large numbers. They have been there for decades  paired with jackboots  for the very objective of fomenting the present dangerous crisis that has now culminated.

Newsweek and other U.S. mainstream media are a profanity to public service and truth. One can discern between the lines, if sufficiently aware, but generally, those media outlets are tantamount to acting like soporific drugs. They should be obliged to carry a doctors warning on their frontage banners: consuming this product can induce stupidity resulting in disaster.

Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
No fewer than 14 persons, including a four-month-old baby, have reportedly died in an auto accident along Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

Mr. Williams Manga, Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry, said that nine other persons sustained injuries in the accident, which occurred at Agemowo axis of the road, around 7. 31 a.m. on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

He said a commercial bus (Mazda) with registration number MUS 411 XU carrying 19 passengers and coming from Lagos, was involved in a collision with a granite truck with registration number AKM 926YQ coming from Badagry.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Senator Pre Orders $300,000 Flying Car, Shares Receipt

The accident occured around 7.31.a.m. when it was raining heavily along Lagos-Badagry Expressway. My men got to the scene of the accident at about 7.41.a.m. and took the injured to General Hospital Badagry, while the dad were deposited at the mortuary of the hospital, he explained.

Out of the 14 casualties, eight of them are male passengers, five female and one four-month-old female child. The accident was caused by speeding by the two vehicles while it was raining heavily, he said.

The commander said that the driver of the truck was not affected.

An eyewitnesses, Mrs. Theresa Avoseh, said the people involved in the accident were returning home after celebrating with their relations at Makoko, in Lagos.

The bus, loaded around 5.30.a.m., was going to Seme with people who went to celebrate with their relatives, she told NAN, adding that the accident occurred while it was raining heavily.

See photos below:
Popular social media critic, Daniel Regha has asked famous Nigerian disc jockey and producer, Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy to account for billions of naira donated to her foundation.

Regha questioned Cuppy in reaction to a photo she shared on Twitter.

Sharing the picture of herself in a new dress, Cuppy tweeted: You didnt sneeze but I blessed your timeline.

READ ALSO: Having Money Helps, Dont Let Anyone Lie To You  DJ Cuppy

In response, Daniel Regha took to the comments section to query Cuppy for her alleged inability to account for the billions of Naira donated to her foundation in 2019.

Cuppy, you are yet to account for the billions donated to the Cuppy Foundation since 2019. Also, keep in mind that the pledge you made to assist students hasnt been fulfilled.

People might have overlooked it, but the public hasnt forgotten. Do the needful. Nice outfit by the way, he wrote.
An Abuja Federal High Court, in a landmark judgment has ordered the expense disclosure of $5 billion Sani Abacha loot recovered by the administration of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru YarAdua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.

The court ordered the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government to disclose the exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of Abacha loot recovered and all agreements signed on same by the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari.

Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgement following a Freedom of Information suit numbered: FHC/ABJ/CS/407/2020, brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

Omotosho held that In the final analysis, the application by SERAP is meritorious and the Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance is hereby ordered to furnish SERAP with the full spending details of about $5 billion Abacha loot within 7 days of this judgment.

The judge also ordered the government to disclose details of the projects executed with the Abacha loot, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects since the return of democracy in 1999 till date.

He further requested the disclosure of details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot under the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari.

READ ALSO: Ignore Disgruntled Elements, Saraki Not Suspended  Kwara PDP

The excuse by the Minister of Finance is that the Ministry has searched its records and the details of the exact public funds stolen by Abacha and how the funds have been spent are not held by the Ministry. The excuse has no leg to stand in view of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act, Omotosho stated.

He however dismissed all the objections raised by the Federal Government and upheld SERAPs arguments.

Consequently, the court adjudged in favour of SERAP against the Federal Government.

Omotoshos judgment read in part: The failure of the Minister of Finance to write to SERAP informing it of where the said information exists or to transfer the request to public office who has custody of such information is fatal to their case under section 5 of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Ministry cannot use a blanket statement that it was not in possession of the said records of about $5bn Abacha loot sought by SERAP. The government failed to provide details of the projects executed with the money. It also failed to provide locations of the projects and the names of the companies and contractors that carried out or are carrying out the projects funded with the money.

I hold that by the clear wordings of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, access to information about spending details of $5bn Abacha loot was denied SERAP by the Federal Government.

The Federal Government had filed a 14 paragraph Counter Affidavit deposed to by Abah Sunday, Litigation Officer in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation argued that SERAPs suit is frivolous, as it has not shown that the government denied it the information it seeks.

READ ALSO: Katsina Govt. Set To Recruit 7,000 Teachers

The Federal Government has also stated that SERAP has not established sufficient interest in its application. The government urged the Court to dismiss the suit.

For the sake of emphasis, possession of locus standi has been the bane of the citizens advocates, in the public interest litigation, to query transparency and accountability in governance in Nigeria.

In a democratic dispensation, such as in Nigeria, the citizens have been proclaimed the owners of sovereignty and mandates that place leaders in the saddle.

The requirement is a serious fracture of the citizens inalienable right to ventilate their grievances against poor governance vis-a-vis expenditure of public funds generated from their taxes.

The sacrosanct provision of Section 1(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which has ostracised this disturbing requirement, has, admirably, remedied the harmful mischief appurtenant to it.

Clearly, section 1 gives a person the right to access any information from any public institution in Nigeria. SERAP is an organization registered in Nigeria and thus a juristic person. As a juristic person, SERAP need not show any specific interest in the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot to be entitled to the same.

I therefore hold that SERAP is entitled to the information on the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot, and need not show any special interest in the information sought.

READ ALSO: Dont Destabilise Nigeria By Succumbing To Inducements  Air Force Chief To Recruits

The provision of Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act is quite clear and mandates that public institution or public officer such as the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice must make available the information requested within 7 days of the request.

SERAP however through its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, in a July 8 letter to Tinubu said, We urge you to demonstrate your expressed commitment to the rule of law by immediately obeying and respecting the judgment of the Court.

We urge you to demonstrate your expressed commitment to the rule of law by immediately obeying and respecting the judgment of the Court.

We urge you to direct the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately compile and release the spending details of recovered Abacha loot as ordered by the court.

The immediate enforcement and implementation of the judgment by your government will be a victory for the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes and management of public resources including the $5bn Abacha loot.

By immediately complying with the judgment, your government will be demonstrating to Nigerians that it is different from the Buhari government, which persistently and brazenly defied the countrys judiciary, and sending a powerful message to politicians and others that there will be no impunity for grand corruption.

Immediately implementing the judgment will restore trust and confidence in the independence of Nigerias judiciary. SERAP urges you to make a clean break with the past and take clear and decisive steps that demonstrate your commitment to the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes.

SERAP trusts that you will see compliance with this judgment as a central aspect of the rule of law; an essential stepping stone to constructing a basic institutional framework for legality and constitutionality. We therefore look forward to your positive response and action on the judgment, the letter read.
The Government of Katsina State says plans are underway to conduct recruitment examinations that will employ 7,000 teachers across the State.

Information Nigeria reports that the initiative is part of the commitment of Governor Dikko Raddas administration to enhance the quality of education and ensure that qualified and competent educators are entrusted with shaping the future of students in the State.

Faruk Lawal Jobe, the States Deputy Governor made the disclosure while inaugurating the committee responsible for conducting the recruitment examinations.

According to Jobe, the scope of the exercise encompasses two categories of candidates: 5,000 NCE/Diploma holders currently teaching in primary schools and 2,000 graduates serving as teachers in secondary schools.

READ ALSO: Teenager Stabs Katsina Phone Dealer To Death

The Deputy furthered that the adopted process has become needful considering the recent hasty employment of 3,889 teachers by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

He maintained that the recruitment exercise will ensure that only competent and qualified candidates are absorbed into the teaching service.

Rigorous methods, he said, will be employed throughout the recruitment processes to uphold fairness and integrity.

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Government of the State, Ahmad Musa Dangiwa, introduced the committee members and the educational consultancy firm entrusted with the task of preparing the examinations.

Dangiwa urged the committee members to execute their duties with utmost fairness and impartiality.

The committee, which is chaired by Sabiu ahiru has four weeks to conduct and submit report on the recruitment exercise.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested Kayode Fatombi, a warder at the Kirikiri Custodial Centre, Lagos State for allegedly aiding the escape of some prison inmates.

According to reports, the three escapees had earlier been arrested for robbery and kidnapping, then subsequently arraigned before the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

A source, who disclosed to Punch, said two of the inmates escaped after the warder led them out on the pretext of taking them somewhere.

After the police got information on the development, they tracked the inmates and re-arrested them.

Following the rearrest, they confessed to having paid the warder N500,000 each.

The warder is now at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, and is expected to be charged on Monday.

He was attached to the Kirikiri custodial prison as a warder, and he took the inmates facing trial at the High Court for kidnapping and armed robbery out of the prison and allowed them to escape. He claimed that they ran away while he was leading them out. During the investigation, it was gathered that he purposely allowed them to escape, so he was arrested and kept at the SCID, Yaba.

The suspects were tracked and caught and they confessed that they gave him money to allow them to escape. The inmates confessed that they paid him N500,000 each, the source said.

The informant claimed that the officer had been dismissed and would be arraigned on Monday.

He was led to the police office at the SCID on July 6 in handcuffs and leg chains, he added.

Another information divulger said the incident happened a few months back, adding that the warder was taken into custody around mid-May 2023.

What the warder told his bosses was that he was taking the inmates back to prison after their court sitting at Ikeja when he was waylaid by a gang that freed two of the suspects.

READ ALSO: Troops Rescue 24 Kidnap Victims, Kill Bandits In Zamfara

The prison service arrested him for a disciplinary procedure. This was ongoing when the warder consulted with someone in the police force and engaged him to track the escapees. He provided the necessary information that led to their re-arrest.

When they were re-arrested, instead of briefing his bosses in the correctional service on the development, he kept the information to himself. He went to meet the police sometime in May and was arrested and detained.

The information I have is that when the suspects were arrested, somebody told them who leaked out their details and because of that, they made a counter-allegation that the warder collected money from them. That was why the police detained him, the source stated.

The source said the correctional service was not being carried along with the process, as the ongoing internal trial of Fatombi had not been completed when he was detained by the police.

The source explained that the re-arrested inmates were also supposed to be returned to the service, from where they would be arraigned for several crimes, including escape from lawful custody.

Even the warder has been in a police cell for about two months now. I gathered that the Lagos Controller has tried to talk to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police for possible inter-agency collaboration, but it has not worked, the source added.

Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the incident, said Fatombi would be arraigned this week.

I can confirm that he is in our custody and will be arraigned this week. He was arrested for aiding the escape of some inmates, two of whom have been re-arrested, Hundeyin said.
A Nigerian millionaire and crypto investor, Gaius Chibueze popularly known as BitcoinChief, has reinstated that, despite the new findings on Mmesoma Ejikes JAMB result, his offer of a scholarship to her still stands.

Recall that the story of the Anambras JAMB candidate has been making wave across the internet, over alleged falsification of UTME result with fake application.

However, Chibueze made this known in a post via his Twitter page, noting that his offer of a scholarship to an American, UK or Canadian university still stands.

According to him, the supposed illegality of Mmesoma was not treated like the case of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) swearing in President Bola Tinubu, who didnt win an election.

The BitcoinChief further stated that he would educate Mmesoma on her wrongs and also assures her that ones JAMB score does not define their future or how one would turn out in life.

The Nigerian millionaire added that there are many bad examples in the country that the teenager copied from, and those people need to be dealt with first.

READ MORE: We Can Never Be Compromised  JAMB Says As Mmesoma Acknowledges Forged UTME Result

In his words: I will still sponsor Mmesoma. Whether she agreed or not thats not my problem. Suppose illegality was not celebrated openly, like INEC swearing in a President who didnt win the Elections, A president with a Forged Certificate and no trace of Primary to University Education, If Nigeria didnt celebrate Elected officials who rig elections, etc.

Young people wont see a reason to forge certificates and be celebrated openly. While we address this, we must look at the entire society.

If you want us to accept, celebrate and defend a President who rigged Election with Forged Certificate, we must also not destroy Little Girls future with a forged certificate.

I will personally call her and explain to her that JAMB numbers dont define how far she can go in life and next time she shouldnt bother Forging one.

The only thing that can stop Mmesoma is God. As long as I live, she will school in America, UK or Canada. Nothing less. You can keep crying but I will sponsor her. I believe in second chance.
A man who went on a rampage in a mental health center in Buffalo last year has pleaded guilty to all four counts in the indictments against him, Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced.

Bilal C. Wright, 45, of Buffalo, entered his pleas before Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to second-degree assault and first-degree sexual abuse. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault stemming from an incident in the Erie County Holding Center.

Prosecutors said that Wright punched a counselor in the head during an appointment March 8, 2022, at a human services center on Main Street, hit him with a chair and threw a computer monitor. As he exited, he encountered a female employee in a stairwell and pushed her to the floor.

In the Holding Center, prosecutors said, Wright punched a deputy in the face April 1, 2022, through the bars in his cell. He also punched a deputy in the head Jan. 27 when he refused to leave his cell for a routine search.

Wright is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 22 and faces a maximum of 28 years in prison. He continues to be held without bail.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has disclosed that his administration has won the war against sit-at-home enforcers in the South-East State.

In a chat with news men on Saturday, Mbah said the perpetrators have now resorted to scaremongering, peddling of fake news, and all manner of dramas to instil fear in our people and control their minds and actions.

Information Nigeria reports that on Friday, the Enugu police command said its operatives dislodged a group of hoodlums enforcing the sit-at-home in the state.

The commands spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, said four lifeless bodies of the hoodlums were discovered in a forest after a gun duel.

In reaction to this, Mbah described the sit-at-home enforcers as individuals out to destroy Enugu state and Igboland.

The Governor however urged residents of the State not to allow those who do not have the mandate of the people dictate for us how to live our lives.

The truth is that we have won the actual war against sit-at-home enforcers and murderers out to destroy Enugu state and Igboland.

We have unleashed the security resources on them, and they have been thoroughly defeated and discomfited.

We practice democracy. We can never allow murderers and terrorists dictate to us. We must not allow those who do not have the mandate of the people to dictate to us how to live our lives; when to go out, when to close our businesses and when to sit at home.

READ ALSO: Sit-At-Home: Police Arrest 15 IPOB Suspects Over Shooting In Ebonyi

What we are facing now are media terrorists using social media to instigate fear and peddle fake news. We must not allow them to succeed. It is totally unacceptable. Nobody can make you inferior without your consent. These hoodlums are very few compared to our numbers. We cannot be taking instructions from hooligans.

We must not allow those without our mandate to tell us how to live our lives. We have a duty to ensure that we flush them out in all directions. They have no stake in the affairs of our state.

It is, therefore, our responsibility to re-orientate our people to start coming out and going about their normal businesses. We have a duty to kill fake news and counter it with our superior pen and media.

Therefore, as we are leaving here, we must begin to tell our people the right thing; that nobody can make them inferior without their consent; that we cant be cowed by the cowardly acts of a few people.

According to him, sit-at-home enforcers are separate from the call for the freedom of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

As media people, it is important you educate our people for them to know that these sit-at-home enforcers are not after Mazi Nnamdi Kanus welfare or freedom. We must be able to separate the two.

Ndigbo are on one page in demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu. I have also seen the president over this matter. Other Igbo leaders have made the same demand, and we are not relenting, the governor added.
The Lagos State Police Command has revealed that its operatives have foiled an attempt by hoodlums to steal oil at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Pipeline in the state.

SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the commands spokesperson disclosed this on Saturday, in a statement via his verified Twitter handle.

Hundeyin said that the incident happened in Idimu area of the state, at about 2:00 a.m.

READ ALSO: Troops Rescue 24 Kidnap Victims, Kill Bandits In Zamfara

According to him, the hoodlums unlawfully gained access into the site and were siphoning oil from the pipeline into their tanker.

The spokesperson said that the police, who got information about the theft, stormed the scene and the thieves abandoned their tools and fled.

The oil thieves absconded, abandoning their truck and tools, upon sighting police officers who responded swiftly when notified, he said.

Hundeyin said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Idowu Owohunwa had also visited the scene of theft.

See post below:
As part of efforts to cub the continuous attacks by terrorists groups in Northern Nigeria, popular Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Gumi has expressed his willingness to be part of negotiation team with bandits.

READ MORE:Troops Rescue 24 Kidnap Victims, Kill Bandits In Zamfara

According to Gumi in a chat with Trust TV, he expressed this willingness, stating that he is prepared to contribute to the process if asked by President Bola Tinubu.

He added that the need for a comprehensive approach involving scholars, emirs, and university professors to achieve lasting peace in affected regions.

I dont have to lead it, but I would volunteer myself to be part of it. Its not about leadership; its about a holistic package that addresses the issue, he noted.

The scholar also commended the former Zamfara state governor, Senator Sani Yarimas recent suggestion to negotiate with bandits and grant them amnesty, akin to former Niger Delta militants.
Popular Nollywood actress, Jaiye Kuti, has expressed displeasure over the recent trend of veteran movie stars begging fans for financial support and car gifts online.

Recall that a few weeks ago, veteran actress, Iya Gbonkan, solicited help, and many Nigerians came through for her with money, car and house gifts, and other actors like Pariolodo, Lalude, Baba Alapini, and many others acted likewise.

However, Jaiye Kuti, who seemed displeased with the recent trend, took to Instagram to slam her senior colleagues for resorting to begging fans on social media.

READ ALSO: Actress Iya Gbonkan Allegedly Recieves Over N5m After Begging For Car

According to her, such an act is tarnishing and giving the Nollywood community bad names, and it is high time movie stars stop the trend.

She stressed that Nollywood is not a pension-based industry and that thespians are supposed to prepare for their future during their young and active years.

Jaiye Kuti also questioned those begging online about what they did with their money while their colleagues were investing in their children.

She further implied that some of those actors begging fans online may have recklessly wasted their earnings during their younger days.

She added that it is not compulsory for Nollywood stars to help ailing colleagues, but they can get support from the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN).

She said in parts, All the Yoruba actors coming on Instagram to beg should stop giving us bad names. This job doesnt have a pension, so when you are young and active, you need to prepare for the future.

This job is a success for me because I earn big and I am already preparing for my future. You cant make it compulsory for your colleague to give you money when you are sick.

What is the business of TAMPAN with an actor that is sick? Someone has to speak up. When your colleagues were training their children, what were you doing with your money?

Watch video below:
Special Assistant, Communications, to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is offering appointments to his critics to silence them.

Shaibu made the submission on Saturday, in reaction to President Tinubus appointment of Taiwo Oyedele, fiscal policy partner and Africa tax leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), as chair of a presidential committee on fiscal policy and tax reforms.

According to the spokesmans statement, the President appointed Oyedele to stop him from commenting on the failures of the Federal Government.

He furthered that former President Muhammadu Buhari did same and never took the counsel of those he appointed.

READ ALSO: Tinubu To Depart For ECOWAS Summit In Guinea-Bissau On Saturday

It is common knowledge that Mr Oyedele is the loudest voice as regards tax reforms.

Last Saturday, he pointed out some of the wrong tax policies of the APC government. In a bid to silence him, he was appointed chairman of a tax reform committee yesterday (Friday), but no other members were announced. Probably, they want him to work alone.

Mr Oyedele must not allow himself to be deceived by this appointment. In 2019, President Buhari similarly appointed Doyin Salami, Chukwuma Soludo, and Bismark Rewane into his economic advisory team, but he never took their advice for one day.

In the end, Nigeria was plunged into one of its worst economic crises ever with an unprecedented debt profile, multidimensional poverty, and never before seen unemployment figures, he said.
President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, for the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

According to Tinubus media aide, Dele Alake, in a statement made available to the public on Saturday, said the Presidents aircraft touched down at the International Airport in Bissau at exactly 5.30 pm local time.

President Tinubu also used the opportunity of the summit to visit the Nigerian contingent stationed in the country under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force.

Alake also added that Tinubu expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the soldiers and their Commander, General Al-Hassan Grema, for their dedication and service to Nigeria and their host country.

Meanwhile, the 63rd Ordinary Session summit, which will open on Sunday July 9, 2023, will be the first international engagement of the President within the African continent since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.

The 16 regional leaders are expected to address memoranda on pressing sub-regional issues including Report of the 50th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC) covering security challenges faced by the member countries, Report of the 90th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the financial situation of the body and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Other matters slated for consideration by the leaders are the Report on the status of Transition in the Republics of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, Memoranda on the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme and the Report on Obstacles to Free Movement of Goods on the Abidjan- Lagos corridor.

He expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the soldiers and their Commander, General Al-hassan Grema, for their dedication and service to Nigeria and their host country, adding that Nigeria would continue to support democracy in West Africa and around the world.

READ MORE: Tinubu To Depart For ECOWAS Summit In Guinea-Bissau On Saturday

I am here to show solidarity with you. I want to assure you we are committed to support peace and democracy not only in West Africa but around the world.

Nigeria is a giant that has made its mark in Sierra Leone and Liberia and other places. We count on your support for the defence of constitutional order. I heard your allowances have been paid up to date. Nothing else should make you angry. We will continue to build a virile force.

We are proud of you. Proud of your loyalty. Nigeria depends on you. There will be peace and progress in our country, President said.

Brigadier General Grema expressed the appreciation of the troops to President Tinubu for being the first Commander-in-Chief in Nigerias history to visit his soldiers outside the shore of the country.

While in Guinea-Bissau, the Nigerian leader is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings and have other engagements on the sidelines of the summit.

On the entourage of the President on the trip are National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Acting Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Folashodun Shonubi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa; Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Kana; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Aliyu Ahmed, and ECOWAS Permanent Representative, Ambassador Musa Nuhu.
Nigerian automobile manufacturer, Innoson Vehicles has withdrawn the scholarship awarded to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate, Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme.

The company withdrew the scholarship following her acknowledgment of manipulating her Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) score.

In a statement issued Saturday by the Groups Head of Corporate Communications and Affairs, Cornel Osigwe, the withdrawal was based on companys unyielding commitment to honesty, integrity, and merit-based recognition.

The company disclosed it was involved in the process of investigating allegations surrounding Mmesomas 2023 UTME results.

Osigwe lamented that the conclusion was deeply disappointing and stands in direct contravention of the values Innoson Group holds, particularly as it relates to the scholarship program.

The statement read: In recent days, we have been involved in the process of investigating allegations surrounding the 2023 UTME examination results of one of our scholarship recipients, Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme. It was reported initially that Miss Joy scored exceptionally high on the exam, a feat that led to her being awarded a scholarship by our company.

However, subsequent reports of discrepancies in her UTME score led us to seek clarification from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and to allow her to voice her stance, we engaged in direct dialogue with Miss Joy.

Further to this, a committee set up by the Anambra State Governor, Dr. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, carried out a thorough independent investigation into this matter.

READ ALSO: Ejikeme Has No Capacity To Forge JAMB Result, Her Parents Couldnt Even Afford To Pay Her WAEC, NECO Exams  Innoson Sues For Proper Investigation

The findings from this rigorous investigation have now confirmed that Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme did manipulate her UTME results. This conclusion is deeply disappointing and stands in direct contravention of the values we hold dear at Innoson Vehicles, particularly those that underscore our scholarship program.

In line with these principles and response to the confirmed findings, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw the scholarship awarded to Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme. This action is a testament to our unyielding commitment to honesty, integrity, and merit-based recognition.

We acknowledge that this development is regrettable, and it has undoubtedly caused dismay among those who stood by Miss Joy, including her school principal and other well-meaning supporters. However, it is crucial to maintain the integrity of our scholarship program and the values it represents.

Innoson Vehicles remains steadfast in its mission to support deserving students, invest in the future of our education sector, and uphold the highest ethical standards. We have always been deeply committed to advancing educational excellence and upholding academic integrity through our scholarship program. We believe in rewarding exceptional students who display not just academic prowess but also embody the values of honesty, transparency, and respect for the processes that govern our educational system.

We extend our appreciation to the public, JAMB, the Anambra State Governors committee, and all those who have shown understanding and support during this challenging situation. We remain committed to fostering educational excellence in Nigeria.
Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, has slammed the Anambra State government for setting up a panel to investigate the controversy surrounding the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result of Ejikeme Mmesoma.

Recall that Mmesoma has been in the news since the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) denied her claim of being the highest scorer in the 2023 UTME.

JAMB had said she scored 249 in the examination as against the 362 which she claimed, but the candidate released a video where she stood her ground.

Amid the controversy, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State set up a committee to investigate the issue.

Commenting on the report of the committee, Omokri via a Twitter post on Saturday, said the government should not have gone that far to probe what had been confirmed as a lie.

He said, Why would the Anambra State Government set up a high-powered committee, filled with Professors and PhDs, to investigate Mmesoma Ejikemes JAMB result? The result is obviously fake. The owner of the centre where she took the exam (Osita Chidoka), has revealed that it is questionable. The girl (more accurately, WOMAN) herself admitted as much during her Channels TV interview.

READ ALSO: Anambra Panel Confirms Mmesomas UTME Result Was Forged

JAMB is not cheating Anambra State. They have acquitted themselves excellently in this regard. They came up with documentary proof to show any objective onlooker that this is a case of pure criminality, devoid of ethnic bias. Anambra State is cheating itself by wasting human and material resources on a lie. Henceforth, they should not complain that their federal allocation is not enough. They obviously have money to waste! This is what happens when you make a criminal matter an ethnic issue.

Indigenes of Kaduna, Osun, Lagos and Oyo states were also accused of fraud by JAMB. Those ones went to hide and bury their heads in shame, because they know their ethnic groups and states have little tolerance for their criminality. But Mmesoma was bold because she knew she would get support.

Why not? She has already seen how the owners of structurally defective buildings at Alaba market got support purely based on their ethnicity, despite being warned since 2017. She saw how some Nigerians used their ethnicity to almost paralyse the evacuation efforts of Nigerians in Sudan. So, she had enough examples to make her confident that she could get away with it.

And she is right. Instead of her being shamed by the Anambra State Government, she is being protected. The same Anambra State Government that did not constitute a high-powered panel of inquiry to find out who was behind the killings of @USinNigeria embassy staff in Anambra on May 16, 2023, or to fish out those who killed a pregnant Northern Muslim woman, Harira Jubril, and her four underaged children, were crudely murdered in cold blood on the streets of Anambra State, with her four underage daughters, Fatima 9 years, Khadija 7 years, Hadiza 5 years, and Zaituna 2 years, has now put together a powerful committee to protect refuge golden girl (or woman), Mmesoma!

If I was the Governor of Anambra, the first high powered committee I would set up would be a committee of Anambras brightest and most brilliant minds to look into how to put an end to the menace of IPOBs Monday Sit-at-Home, that is costing my state billions of Naira weekly, as well as the malaise of insecurity caused by unknown gunmen.

But no. Anambra State does not have time for that. Their money and time is better spent constituting a committee of professors to investigate a JAMB result whose fakery you can spot in less than five minutes!
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Saturday, issued an official statement following the acknowledgment by Ejikeme Mmesoma that she forged her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.

The body noted the report of the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Anambra State Government to look into the saga has vindicated the board, adding that it reinforced the position that its system was not and could not be compromised.

Recall that the investigation carried out at the behest of Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, showed Mmesoma forged her 362 score she was parading against the JAMB authentic score, 249.

In a statement issued via social media, Fabian Benjamin, the Acting Director, JAMB, the board said it would not despair in spite of the painful realisation that some Nigerians would do anything to cast aspersions on its good reputation.

According to JAMB, it was highly regrettable that some Nigerians, who did not believe in the strength and resourcefulness of their nations institutions, would latch on to any opportunity to pull the board down to their level of perfidy.

The statement read, The report of the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Anambra State Government, an independent and unbiased body, as demanded by some Nigerians to look into the Mmesoma saga, has vindicated the Board. This has further reinforced the position of the Board that its system was not and cannot be compromised.

It is to be noted that the Board has built a reputation in terms of the conduct of credible examinations over the years and cannot afford to fail the nation at this critical juncture of its development.

READ ALSO: UTME Fraud: Mmesoma Didnt Open Up To Me  Father Apologises, Asks JAMB To Pardon Daughter (VIDEO)

Therefore, we will not despair in spite of the painful realisation that some Nigerians would do anything to cast aspersions on the good name of the Board.

However, in spite of all the posturing of its detractors, the Board remains resolute and uncompromising in its commitment to give Nigeria the best as far as credible and fair assessment is concerned.

In fact, the Board is, more than ever, determined to continue to forge ahead unmindful of the shenanigan of those who desire its fall.

For the benefit of those who are still doubting the capacity of Ms. Mmesoma to commit this egregious crime and those who are pushing the narrative that the girl is just 16 years old even against all available data that indicate her age as an adult of 19 years, Ms. Mmesoma has owned up to committing the heinous infraction, which was carefully crafted to destroy the very foundation of one of the nations agencies charged with the critical role of apportioning the limited educational resource of the nation based on fairness equity and integrity.

It is, therefore, highly regrettable that some Nigerians, who do not believe in the strength and resourcefulness of their nations institutions, would latch on to any opportunity to pull the Board down to their level of perfidy.

One vital lesson that Nigerians should learn from the imbroglio, is to learn to appreciate the genuine efforts of their critical national institutions to chart the course of national rebirth. Hence, this attitude of attacking everything that makes the nation proud even by people who should know better, is disheartening. The flip side of this is to infer that some ethnic jingoists had perhaps been elevated to public office and recognition beyond their mental and emotional capacity.

READ ALSO: UTME Fraud: Innoson Withdraws N3m Scholarship Allotted To Mmesoma

The Board would continue to be guided by the principles of inclusiveness and fairness as demonstrated by its seamless and unprompted deployment of a dedicated software called the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), which not only eliminates human interference in the admission process, but also engenders equity, fairness, transparency to all as we do not know tribe or religion.

The public is assured of our unwavering commitment to upholding sanctity of the fabric of the nations educational system hence our resolve to always deliver credible and fair assessment remains unshaken. We appeal to all those well-meaning Nigerians, who may wish to support and encourage healthy competition by awarding scholarships and other honours to deserving candidates not to be discouraged but should always endeavour to verify from us any claim, no matter how innocuous, put forward by candidates.

Candidates, on their part, are warned to stay away from fraudulent Apps that promise to enhance their scores as the end result would always be anguish and misery.

The Mmesoma case should serve as an eye-opener especially to those who hold the view that anything goes in Nigeria. Ours is a great agency with great potential, which requires everybodys collective and patriotic support as no nation develops beyond the wishes and trust of its people.

The Board, on its part, will continue to appreciate the unalloyed support of those who even risked being attacked by the social media mob to stand on the side of truth. Your trust in us would never be taken for granted as we also appeal to our detractors to sheathe their swords and be part of the movement to build a greater Nigeria.

To those who have sent apologies after seeing the truth, we call on them to continue to believe in the capacity of the Board to deliver. We commend Anambra State Government for its patriotic and unbiased posture all through the period of the national challenge.

Let us all put our hands together to build the Nigeria of our dreams as we congratulate Miss Umeh Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere as the best scorer in the 2023 UTME exercise.
Jason Wallach in his lab at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Wallach is leading research into new psychedelic compounds funded by Compass Pathways, the Peter Thiel-backed mental health-care company focusing on psilocybin for myriad psychiatric treatments. New guidance from the Food and Drug Administration on clinical studies into psychedelic drugs, Wallach says, is helping to legitimatize the work of researchers in his field. Read more

When Jason Wallach started researching psychedelic compounds just over a decade ago, he expected he would spend his career laboring in obscurity.

Now the Food and Drug Administration is taking new steps to advise scientists studying these drugs, a sign that the federal government, and society at large, are paying closer attention to his rapidly growing field of research. Wallach, a professor at Philadelphias St. Josephs University, develops psychedelic drugs to treat depression and other mental illnesses.

In June, for the first time, the FDA released a draft list of guidelines for conducting clinical research studies with those drugs.

The FDA has been approving studies for these drugs for some time, Wallach said, but the release of guidelines shows that interest in psychedelic compounds is higher than ever.

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They realize theres a lot of studies going on actively and likely to be a lot more, he said.

Wallach recalls how not long ago most researchers dismissed the possible therapeutic uses of hallucinogenic drugs like LSD and psilocybin, and more experienced colleagues told him to get out of the field entirely.

A faculty member told me there was no funding, that people just dont understand the potential, and that prohibition and the drug war has done so much damage that its just a bad career move. I didnt take that advice, he said with a laugh.

Rising interest in Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, theres rising interest in the field of psychedelics, a class of hallucinogenic drugs that can alter peoples senses and perceptions. Last November, hundreds of advocates and therapists met at a conference at the Independence Visitor Center aimed at helping attendees navigate the fast-growing industry.

Pennsylvania has not legalized many psychedelic drugs for therapeutic use, as Oregon and Colorado have. But there is a small but growing industry of clinicians in Philadelphia who incorporate psychedelic therapy into their work.

Some prescribe patients the hallucinogenic drug ketamine  which is legal in the state  to use under observation and in combination with therapy sessions. (The new FDA guidelines do not include studies researching ketamine.)

Theres also an underground network of trip sitters who guide people through experiences with psychedelics that havent been legalized here.

Wallach isnt involved in clinical studies, but for the last two years has partnered with Compass Pathways, a British biotech company, to develop psychedelic compounds to treat depression and other mental health issues. He partners with Compass researchers currently running trials, and the new guidelines wont change their existing work.

Stephen Levine, Compasss senior vice president for patient access and medical affairs, said the company is pleased to see the FDA recommend rigorous standards for psychedelic studies, just as they would any other drug. Currently, the company is running large-scale human trials on a psilocybin compound aimed at alleviating treatment-resistant depression.

There are huge unmet needs out there  millions of people suffering, Levine said. But we still do have a lot of unanswered questions. We have to make sure these things actually help people, and make sure that a safe framework is set up.

Unique research challenges

The new FDA guidelines  for which the agency is accepting public comment through Aug. 25  apply to classic psychedelics, a class of drugs that includes LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms.

They include recommendations on how to safely monitor study participants while they take the drugs, and note concerns around the potential for abuse of psychedelics.

The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies psychedelics as Schedule I drugs, those with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Researchers have to comply with additional DEA regulations to study Schedule I substances.

The FDA also highlighted the unique challenges of designing effective studies with psychedelic drugs. For example, psychedelic drugs can cause people to experience hallucinations or alter their senses. So blind studies, in which one group of participants receives a drug and the other receives a placebo in an effort to generate unbiased results, are more difficult to conduct.

If you give one group psychedelics and one group a placebo, youre going to know which is which and theyre going to know which is which, said Holly Fernandez Lynch, an assistant professor of medical ethics and law at the University of Pennsylvania.

The FDA is holding psychedelic drugs to the same regulatory standards as any other new medication, she said: Researchers are going to have to demonstrate in some meaningful way that [the drugs] have their intended effect.
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico  Migrant shelters with plenty of empty beds. Soup kitchens with food to spare. Soldiers patrolling intersections where migrant families once begged for spare change.

In Ciudad Juarez and in other Mexican cities along the border, the story is much the same: Instead of surging as elected officials and immigration advocates had warned, the number of migrants trying to enter the United States has plummeted following the expiration in May of a pandemic-era border restriction.

The unusual scenes of relative calm flow from a flurry of actions the Biden administration has taken, such as imposing stiffer penalties for illegal border crossings, to try to reverse an enormous jump in migrants trying to reach the United States.

But it is also the result of tough steps Mexico has taken to discourage migrants from massing along the border, including transporting them to places deep in the countrys interior.

Mexicos strategy reflects the countrys emergence as an enforcer of U.S. migration policies, acting often in tandem while also taking its own steps to control the border, as its northern cities have struggled to house and feed large numbers of migrants. The harsh conditions attracted a global spotlight following a devastating fire in March at a Juarez migrant detention center that left dozens dead.

Underscoring the easing of pressure on border cities, Mexican migration authorities in Juarez recently dismantled a tent encampment set up after the deadly fire. The site, which opened with 240 people in May, had only 80 people this month after many migrants scheduled appointments with U.S. border officials at ports of entries through a mobile app created this year.

Cristina Coronado, who operates a soup kitchen for migrants in the Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Juarez, said shelters in the city were semi-empty after migrants were able to get appointments across the border or were taken by Mexican authorities to other parts of the country.

Still, Coronado and other migrant advocates warned that the lull may be short-lived as hundreds of migrants, largely from Venezuela, Haiti and Central America, continue streaming into southern Mexico on a daily basis from Guatemala with the goal of traveling north.

As long as the conditions in the countries of origin dont change, as long as people continue to leave, there is going to come a point where we are going to see the borders saturated again, said Alejandra Macias Delgadillo, director of Asylum Access Mexico, a nonprofit helping asylum-seekers.

How long the combination of U.S. and Mexican policies will keep crossings down remains to be seen, she added, but one thing is clear: I dont think its going to be permanent.

For now, U.S. authorities have registered a sharp drop in arrests of migrants for unlawful border crossings since the public health measure known as Title 42, which barred most people without legal status from entering the country, ended.

By the end of June, migrant apprehensions had begun to creep up along some parts of the border, but were still considerably lower than in the spring. On June 29, Border Patrol agents in the El Paso sector, historically one of the busiest, encountered 654 people trying to enter the United States unlawfully, down from nearly 2,000 a day in early May.

The measures rolled out recently by the Biden administration include stiffer penalties, such as a five-year-ban on entering the United States for migrants repeatedly caught trying to enter illegally, and improvements to the app designed to streamline asylum requests.

But Mexicos government, which had already agreed to accept non-Mexican migrants deported from the United States before the pandemic-era restriction expired, has also taken steps contributing to fewer border crossings.

Beside busing and flying migrants away from northern Mexico to other parts of the country, including Chiapas, the countrys southernmost state, the government has introduced bureaucratic hurdles for migrants trying to make it to the U.S. border.

I think the logic is to tire them out, said Eunice Rendon, coordinator of Agenda Migrante, a coalition of migrant advocacy groups. Let them get discouraged and go back.

Juarez, which has been a main starting point to reach the United States, is now patrolled by hundreds of Mexican soldiers, ostensibly to crack down on crime, but it also bolsters attempts to assert order after a chaotic episode this year when hundreds of migrants tried forcing their way across the border over a bridge leading to El Paso, Texas.

The large concentration of soldiers has created a clear disincentive for migrants, said Tonatiuh Guillen, a former head of Mexicos migration agency.

No options in Mexico, thats the message, Guillen said, emphasizing how the soldiers created a threatening environment for migrants.

Despite the challenges many migrants in Mexico face, the countrys president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has tried to reframe the narrative, telling reporters recently that Mexico was leading by example by adopting humanitarian policies.

But political expediency may also be part of the equation, analysts say. Mexicos more stringent approach benefits the Biden administrations efforts to improve border control heading into next years presidential election in the United States.

At the same time, according to critics of Mexicos president such as Jorge Castaneda, a former foreign minister, the strategy insulates Lopez Obrador from explicit questioning from Washington for domestic moves that civil liberty groups regard as anti-democratic, such as trying to hobble the nations election agency.

A spokesperson for Mexicos National Migration Institute said officials were unavailable to comment.

More migrants who had been streaming into northern Mexican cities are finding it easier to start the asylum process because of the improvements to the app known as CBP One. On June 30, Homeland Security announced the expansion of appointments through the app to 1,450 per day, a nearly 50% increase from May 12, the day Title 42 was lifted.

In Tijuana, Mexico, Enrique Lucero, manager of the citys migration office, said migrants in shelters and hotels are using the app rather than trying to climb over the double-layered steel wall that separates the city from San Diego.

People are getting appointments faster than before because more are available, he said.

The situation in Tijuana, Lucero added, was completely calm and there was plenty of space for migrants in shelters.

In mid-June, 1,603 migrants were in U.S. Border Patrol custody in the El Paso sector, according to internal data obtained by The New York Times, compared with 5,000 to 6,000 daily before the end of Title 42.

But the factors that have caused millions of migrants to leave their homes across Latin America bound for the United States, including violence and economic hardships, have not eased.

Diego Pina Lopez, associate director of Casa Alitas, a shelter network in Tucson, Ariz., said shelters there were receiving large numbers of Mexican asylum-seekers. Many had been displaced by violence gripping states such as Michoacan and Guerrero, where drug cartels have taken control of villages and towns.

In fact, along the Arizona border, illegal crossings have been rising. Border agents in the Tucson sector made 7,010 apprehensions the week that ended June 30, compared with 4,290 the week that ended June 2.

Much farther south, the number of migrants traveling through the Darien Gap, a brutal jungle crossing linking Central and South America, has soared this year, to more than 200,000 through July 5, compared with fewer than 50,000 migrants during the same period last year, according to Panamas government.

Maureen Meyers, a vice president at the Washington Office on Latin America, who visited the Guatemala-Mexico border in mid-June, said it was too early to tell if there will be a long-term decrease in migration flows.

She said her team had observed Mexican immigration officials busing Guatemalans and other migrants back to Guatemala, while transporting others elsewhere in Mexico.

There is lots of movement of people, and no one has a clear sense of what is going on, she said.
Traditional needlework from students participating in the Afghan Education Student Outreach Project (AESOP) on display at the Abud Family Foundation for the Arts in Lawrenceville, NJ on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. AESOP provides English classes and mentoring for Afghan girls and young women online. Read more

Before the Taliban took over their country, these Afghan girls were like most teenagers. They attended school, went to the gym, and hung out with their friends. Some had jobs and were pursuing their dreams.

And then life drastically changed when the last U.S. troops left their homeland in August 2021, ending the U.S. military presence there after nearly 20 years. The Taliban took control, and Afghanistans government became the most repressive country in the world for womens rights, according to the United Nations.

Girls were barred from attending secondary school beyond sixth grade, or enrolling in universities, and were restricted from most public spaces, including parks, unless accompanied by a male relative. They were also prohibited from most forms of employment. A decree was passed by the Taliban requiring women to wear clothing that covered them from head to toe, including a face veil.

 READ MORE: This Princeton educator teaches virtual English classes to Afghan girls around the world

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For hundreds of these young women, their education now comes in the form of a weekly online course with Seth Holm, a world languages teacher at the Hun School of Princeton, providing a tether to dreams that have been shattered.

Through class lectures and writing assignments, Holm encourages the girls to express themselves to cope with depression and isolation and seek hope for better days.

Its more than a class, said Holm. Its like a therapy session.

What began with a single class of about 20 students has evolved with some of the girls help to become the Afghan Education Student Outreach Project, now providing nearly 200 young Afghan women online classes with American mentors to prepare them for high school and college. Here are some of the stories of Holms students that were shared in classes and at a recent exhibit in Lawrence. Their last names have been withheld for their protection:

Mahdia, 16

Mahdia had just finished 11th grade at Azadagan High in Kabul, where there were very few subjects she didnt enjoy. Among the list of subjects she loved: chemistry, algebra, history, art, geography, physics, English, languages.

Then the Taliban took control, and girls her age were banned from school.

I had no choice but to sit at home, she wrote in an essay for Holms class. Holm has encouraged the girls to use their writings to begin to heal from the trauma.

A few months later, after receiving threatening messages from the Taliban, her family fled to Pakistan in January 2022. Without a long-term visa, Mahdia was not allowed to attend public school there. So, the family began looking for ways for her to get an education in the United States or another country.

I have not been able to do anything outside my house. The situation was worsening day by day, she wrote.

She started taking part in Holms virtual English class, and this spring, she was selected to receive a full scholarship from the Hun School under the Afghan Education Student Outreach Project, one of two awards the school has pledged annually. The scholarship would allow her to enroll as a freshman in the fall and spend four years at the exclusive boarding school, where tuition is about $73,000 a year  but Mahdia was turned down three times for a student visa, and it appears likely that decision wont change.

After Mahdia and her family left Pakistan in May, they went to live in Brazil at a refugee camp. She remains a student in Holms class virtually and teaches English to younger Afghan girls remotely.

Malika, 22

When her family was returning home from Uruzgan, Afghanistan, Malika was separated from both of her parents. She doesnt share the circumstances in her essay, except to say she was left as caretaker for her four siblings.

She has no idea whether her parents are still alive. She has accepted the responsibility of taking care of her siblings, but she misses her parents and their support.

I need the love of my parents every day. Their absence is a great sadness, she wrote in a four-page letter as part of the Hun class. So, I consider myself suffering.

Like her peers, Malika misses her old life. She cannot work or study or wear clothing she likes.

I cannot travel alone or have fun, she said.

Some of her siblings, too, are struggling. The 8-year-old believes his father will return one day and buy him a guitar. A sister mumbles in her sleep about not being able to attend school; she has not been in two years. Her 13-year-old sister is completing her last year of school. The Taliban allows girls to study until sixth grade.

This is life without parents, education, activity! she wrote. But I maintain this life and try to be strong and energy to my siblings that they can find their way.

Malika said writing the heartfelt letter brought comfort and gives her hope for the future. She said Holm inspires the girls like a father, teacher, and brother.

Every Afghan woman like me has their bitter stories! As a young Afghan woman and a Hazara girl who has always been subjected to violence and oppression because of my religion and being a woman, I request you not to leave us and to support us, she wrote.

Sakina, 17

Sitting in class next to her best friend on a Saturday afternoon, Sakina was startled by a loud noise, not sure at first what it was.

Then, the room filled with smoke. She heard whistling in her ears. Her classmates were screaming.

Escape everyone! Go to your homes! the teachers yelled.

The powerful explosion in May 2021 had ripped through the Sayed Ul-Shuhada High School in Kabul, killing at least 90 people and injuring many more.

It occurred as residents, many of them of the Hazara ethnic minority, were preparing for the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the streets packed on that Saturday afternoon. The school was filled with girls; boys attended in the morning.

I could not move, my feet were numb, but I tried hard to move, Sakina recalled in a class essay assignment.

Then a second explosion hit, followed by a third. She ran through the streets, frantically trying to reach her parents. At the same time, her oldest brother, Akbar, went to the school searching for Sakina.

Finally, Sakina arrived safely at her home. She saw her father, relieved at the sight of her, cry for the first time in her life.

I hugged my mom; I cried more and more. I was in shock because I did not know what happened to my classmates, friends and other students, she wrote.

The next day, she returned to the school where she found blood-covered books and backpacks. She learned that her best friend, Malika, had died in the massacre.

I make myself strong and brave to continue my life. Just for my dreams, for Malika, for her empty place in my life, she wrote.

Samira, 19

Samira recorded Aug. 15, 2021, in her diary as the saddest day of my life and maybe not only for me, but this day will be recorded as the saddest day in the history of Afghanistan.

After morning prayer, she began checking her social media accounts for news about the war and the Taliban. First, she learned about the fall of Balkh, a province in northern Afghanistan. It would only get worse.

The bad news and heartbreaking, sad photos continued until I dont remember exactly, but I think there was a story on Instagram that shook my soul when I read it, she wrote. Of course, even though I was very scared, I couldnt accept that news in my heart. It said, There is a possibility that Kabul will fall to the hands of Taliban in the next 72 hours.

Later that day, Samira and her mother, on their way to the bank, turned back amid news that the Taliban had reached the gates of Kabul. People were frantic, scurrying to get home.

When I got home, I was crying like an idiot! The reason behind my tears was that I was thinking, what would happen to our Afghanistan afterward, what would happen to our beautiful Kabul and our poor people? she wrote.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, saying the Taliban had won. Samira eventually fled to Islamabad in Pakistan.

Zahra, 21

Left with little chance to get an education she desperately wanted, Zahra fled in 2021 from Afghanistan to the United States to enroll at the Hun School.

The youngest of eight siblings, she was the last to leave Kabul, at age 19. While her mother remains in Afghanistan, and a few siblings came to the United States, her father escaped to Iran.

It was the hardest decision of my life, she recalled in an essay and an interview. She also never forgot about the girls she left behind unable to go to school.

She settled into the boarding school in Princeton and worked to perfect her English. With two friends, she created an online English class for Afghan girls and recruited Holm to help with the four-week course.

The biggest changes were the cultural differences, Zahra said. She was surprised by how friendly her teachers and peers were, and how they would urge her to go for it.

Back home, this is not possible, especially if you are a girl, she said.

While completing her studies, Zahra and a fellow boarding student tutored Afghan girls virtually in the middle of the night (because of the time difference). She graduated from Hun and enrolled in a university in Ohio, where she is a sophomore science major.

The program she started has grown to five classes. There is also a study-buddy program that assigns Hun students to mentor and tutor Afghan girls, with scholarships to pay for internet access and other educational opportunities.

After college, Zahra, now 21, wants to return to her homeland to set up a business to help educate girls.

I try so hard to just forget about Afghanistan. But I cant, she said.
Seth Holm describes the current lack of opportunities for women in Afghanistan as Afghan Education Student Outreach Project (AESOP) member senior Anvitha Paruchuri listens during an AESOP meeting at the Hun School in Princeton, N.J. on Thurs. Feb. 02, 2023. Read more

Every Thursday night, English teacher Seth Holm logs on to his computer to help Afghan girls half a world away with their English language skills.

The girls, scattered around the Middle East and beyond, are eager to hone their English. For those still living in Afghanistan, where the Taliban forbids girls to attend school past sixth grade, it is a major risk  but one they are willing to take. They believe that learning English is their only chance to possibly leave one day and seek a better life.

I didnt expect that the bravest people I would meet in my life would be teenage girls, said Holm, a world languages teacher at the Hun School of Princeton. These girls are some of the best people I have ever met.

 READ MORE: Young Afghan women in a N.J. English class share dreams in their writings: I request you not to leave us

After the Taliban implemented the rules that banned most older girls from getting an education, many were desperately seeking an opportunity to continue their studies. An Afghan student attending the Hun School of Princeton heeded the call and started the online class in 2022. Founded in 1914, the exclusive private boarding and day school serves about 670 sixth through 12th graders from around the world.

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Holm, a dorm parent who lives on campus with his wife, Lauren, and two children, begins the weekly class from his office about 9:30 p.m. Because of the 9-hour time difference, it is early Friday morning where most of the girls live. He is greeted with, Hello, teacher!

It can take several attempts for the students to connect as internet access is spotty and most homes have electrical power for only about four hours daily. Some share electronic devices or borrow them from relatives.

Holm asks the students to put their grammar or vocabulary questions in the group chat, and they spend about an hour reviewing the assignment. In some cases, he gives them a root word or encourages them to conjugate a word or use it in a sentence, such as halt, hoax, and rivalry.

The girls were especially curious about how to use the word heck. Holm explained that it was generally acceptable as an alternative to using hell, which could be considered a curse word.

Heck is a baby swear word, he smilingly tells them. Most Americans say it.

 READ MORE: On the one-year anniversary, State Department thanks Philly for welcoming Afghan evacuee

The class discussion took on an emotional tone when the girls discussed Homeira Qaderis heart-wrenching memoir, Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mothers Letter to Her Son. Qaderi rebelled against Taliban rule during the Soviet Unions occupation of Afghanistan and risked her life to teach reading and writing to children. She eventually fled the country, leaving behind her young son, Siawash.

The girls offered mixed reviews about the story of a young Hazara girl who falls in love with a Taliban boy. Some young men have no choice but to join Taliban forces, one girl said. Another offered that she could never feel sorrow for a Taliban member.

Not all of them are bad, said Shokria. (Holm asked that the students last names be withheld for their protection.) No one wants to be known as a murderer.

What would be the good of empathizing with someone who thinks like a Taliban? one of the girls asked.

Its a great question. I dont know the answer, Holm said.

When the discussion grew heated with some girls choking back tears, Holm gently intervened. He reminded them about his class rules for civil discourse. He moved the discussion to another passage that mentions suicide bombings, which prompted an emotional plea from him that they not consider committing suicide, which has become a big issue among Afghan girls.

Im begging each one of you that if that thought comes to your mind, call me immediately, Holm said. That is not something I can live with.

 READ MORE: To Philly from Afghanistan: I miss everything

In a class the following week, Holm surprised the girls with a visit from Qaderi, the author they were discussing, who fielded questions from the girls. They said they were inspired by Qaderi, and she offered them encouragement.

Every one of you can be a leader, she told them. This situation makes you strong.

Holm invites the girls to treat the class as a therapy session, where they can vent their frustration and cope with depression and isolation. Besides missing school, the girls are limited in public activities unless accompanied by a male relative.

Asked what she wants the world to know about Afghanistan, student Najibah replied: There is a lot of suffering in our life. Let the world know that is really going on.

The idea for the class came from Zahra, a student who fled Afghanistan in 2021 to escape the Taliban and desperately wanted to help girls back home.

With help from two classmates, Zahra conducted a survey to gauge interest. They heard from more than 200 girls.

It began as a four-week class with about 20 students. Today, nearly 200 girls and women from age 13 to 32 are enrolled in five levels of classes, from basic English to an advanced literature course. About a dozen girls are on Holms teaching team and run classes for younger girls.

At the Hun School, the class has grown into a humanitarian mission on the bucolic 50-acre campus just down the street from Princeton University. Hun students help with a study-buddy program and a one-on-one tutoring program. A new project with the nonprofit Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund hopes to place some of the girls in other schools abroad.

Through its Afghan Education Student Outreach Project, known as AESOP, the school agreed to provide scholarships annually to two Afghan girls. The first student was expected to enroll for the upcoming school year, but was unable to obtain a student visa to leave Pakistan.

This is a passion project with real meaning, for the Afghan girls they are working with, but also for them and the Hun community as a whole, said Jon Brougham, Huns head of school.

Holm, chairman of Huns modern languages and classics department, has taken on extra duties to promote the project and raise funds. He recently spearheaded an exhibit in Lawrenceville showcasing artwork, clothing, photos, essays, and jewelry made by the students. The proceeds will be used to provide internet access and pay for English proficiency exams the girls must take to apply for most scholarships, he said.

One student sent a colorful needlepoint for the exhibit, embroidered with the message Stand with women in Afghanistan. Some sent photographs of life before and after the Taliban takeover. Others, such as Soheila, wrote a message for a dream board display: I wish tomorrow there is no more traces of barbaric Taliban.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the class in June, the girls lauded Holm and celebrated with cake and ice cream. One student read a poem in English and Persian, You can count on me. Another sang a song:

So teacher take my hand and guide me. Teach me more about myself so that I know who I am and who I can be.

Holm was moved to tears.

I am overwhelmed with how lucky I am to have a class like this, he said. I hardly feel like I deserve it, but Ill take it.
The new legislation can have implications at the criminal, personal use, and revenue level. Read more

On Thursday, five state senators introduced Senate Bill 846. The bipartisan legislation aims to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for Pennsylvanians 21 years old and older.

Democratic Sen. Sharif Street from Philadelphia and Republican Sen. Dan Laughlin originally announced their partnership for this bill in May. Sens. Wayne Fontana, John Kane, and Timothy Kearney are now part of the coalition introducing the bill to the General Assembly.

If approved, the legislation will enact various changes, including the creation of a Cannabis Regulatory Control Board.

What changes if Bill 846 is approved?

One of the biggest implications will be the decriminalization of marijuana, resulting in the Pennsylvania State Police and the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts striking out nonviolent marijuana offenses.

This means that people who were arrested or convicted for a nonviolent marijuana-related offense under the 1972 Controlled Substance, Drug, Device, and Cosmetic Act could get their records expunged.

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For Street, this will be a singular opportunity to correct decades of mass incarceration, disproportionate enforcement against marginalized communities, the criminalization of personal choice, and the perpetuation of violence. He insists that passing the legislation can contribute to funding education and lowering property taxes.

Streets statement was backed by Laughlin after the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office estimated that the legal use of marijuana can potentially generate between $400 million to $1 billion in new tax revenue for the state.

Under the bill, marijuana consumers will pay an 8% sales tax, and retailers will be charged a 5% tax on cannabis sales. The Cannabis Regulatory Control Board will be in charge of processing permits and applications for dispensaries.

Those who meet the age requirement will be allowed to have cannabis in their possession without penalization. But there are limits.

For people who prefer edibles, cannabis-infused products, or other cannabis forms containing THC, the ceiling is 1,000 milligrams of THC and five grams of cannabis concentrate.

If you have cannabis flower, the limit is 30 grams. But only people who need cannabis for medical reasons will be allowed to grow it; even then, they will be limited to five plants that can be only for personal use.

Despite opening the market for legal cannabis, the bill makes it clear that marijuana products cannot be marketed to children, and packaging must warn as such.

What you can and cant do under this legislation

The 244-page bill covers the ins and outs of what the use of recreational marijuana will look like in Pennsylvania.

People cant have cannabis or use it in a school bus, on school grounds, in correctional facilities, inside the car (unless its in a cannabis container that you cant access while driving), or in a private house that functions as a child-care facility or provides any type of care services.

You wont be able to legally partake if you are in close physical proximity to anyone younger than 21.

 It will still be illegal to consume cannabis while driving any form of transportation.

Your marijuana consumption will not be a reason why you cant lawfully own firearms.

In child-custody cases, legally buying cannabis or being known to have it cant be a determining factor for custody matters.

When it comes to child welfare, smoking weed cant be the sole basis for child welfare services or juvenile court to have a case.

Landlords cant deny renting you a home based on your cannabis consumption.

How likely is the bill to pass?

A project like this was previously introduced to the Senate floor during the 2021-2022 legislative year, by most of the current sponsors.

At the time, the legislation didnt pass.

After updating the plan, Laughlin maintains that the legalized adult use of marijuana is supported by an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians  a statement that a 2022 poll from CBS confirms with 66% of Pa. residents voting in favor of the legalization of recreational cannabis.

For now, the bill awaits further proceedings in the Senates Law and Justice Committee.
The Jehovah's Witnesses' world headquarters in Warwick, N.Y., is pictured amid fog on Thursday, March 29, 2018. Read more

Somewhere within the Jehovahs Witnesses vast world headquarters, about 45 miles outside of New York City, sit records that the organizations leaders guard closely.

The documents, known as S-77 forms, contain information about Witnesses who have been disfellowshipped  excommunicated, in other words  for sexually abusing children. The organization is so protective of its knowledge of internal predators that it once incurred $2 million worth of court fines rather than release files that were requested by attorneys for a former Witness who sued in California over sexual abuses that he suffered at the hands of an elder.

But some of those records are now being revealed, as part of the fallout from a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation that led to the October arrests of four Witnesses who are accused of abusing 19 minors. The records recount, in disturbing detail, how Witness leaders were confronted with evidence of appalling crimes  and did nothing, in keeping with a long-standing pattern of secrecy surrounding sexual abuse.

Jesse Hill offers one such alleged example.

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>>READ MORE: Silent Witnesses: A recipe for child abuse

Hill, 52, was charged by the state Attorney Generals Office with molesting two boys he met through Witness congregations in Kutztown and Reading in the 1990s. Investigators alleged that Hill took the boys on trips to malls and movie theaters, and plied them with alcohol, marijuana, and pornography.

One victim testified to grand jurors that, between the ages of 9 and 11, he was sexually abused by Hill. The man claimed Hill told him, [L]ets just keep that between me and you.

Another victim told the grand jury hed thought that by staying quiet about abuse he had suffered for six years, beginning at age 11, he might have prevented Hill from preying on his younger brother.

During the winter of 1998, Hill allegedly confessed to a committee of Witness elders  the equivalent of parish priests  that hed had what he described as affairs with at least nine children, according to pages of an S-77 form that the Attorney Generals Office obtained as part of its investigation, which began in 2019, and is ongoing.

The committee likened Hills crimes to alcoholism:   so it was with Brother Hills addiction when around young boys, they wrote on the form, which was later mailed to the Witnesses leadership, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York.

Elders told relatives of Hills victims about the allegations of nightmarish abuse  even noting on their paperwork that some parents became belligerent, angry, others were stunned beyond belief  but none contacted police, the Attorney Generals Office wrote in a recent court filing.

Hill remains behind bars in Berks County. Earlier this month, a judge agreed to lower Hills bail from $1.5 million to $750,000, according to the Reading Eagle. Hills attorney, Jay Nigrini, could not be reached for comment.

>>READ MORE: Witness official says to destroy records because Satans coming after us

Elders at a Witness congregation in Kutztown voted to reinstate Hill in 2011, despite his past admission of abusing multiple children.

Hill volunteered, as recently as two years ago, at another congregation in Berks County, but was removed from that position because of complaints about inappropriate contact with 11- and 12-year-old boys, investigators allege.

All of which leads to a simple question: Why hadnt elders reported Hill to law enforcement?

In a statement to The Inquirer, the Witnesses public information office said that while it was not appropriate to comment on an active court case, we want to express our concern for all victims of abuse regardless of faith. We agree with the authorities that any victim of abuse should consider contacting the police.

For decades, though, the leaders of the organization  which was founded in Pittsburgh in the 1870s  have conveyed a different message to their followers.

>>READ MORE: Suspect in Jehovahs Witness sex abuse case arrested

A 1989 memo obtained by The Inquirer instructed elders to refuse cooperating if police ever appeared at a kingdom hall with a search warrant; another memo, from 1997, advised elders to withhold information about known sexual predators from congregations.

To Jeffrey Fritz, a Philadelphia attorney who has sued the Witnesses in Pennsylvania and New York on behalf of multiple sexual abuse survivors, even the organizations policies on S-77 forms are rooted in evading accountability.

That form is to be kept, literally, in a safe, never to be opened, or shared with anyone at a congregation, he said. In some cases, what Ive seen is, they destroy the records at the local congregation level, and a copy is kept at their headquarters, in New York.

Fritz argues that transporting written evidence from local cities and counties  where crimes would be prosecuted  to New York is a move meant to stymie investigators.

Its somewhat a shell game, he said. Local law enforcement doesnt have the resources to do interstate investigations.

In 2018, The Inquirer wrote about a Witness official, Shawn Bartlett, whod been videotaped telling elders at a seminar to destroy documents that could harm the organization in litigation.

Well, we know that the scene of this world is changing, and we know Satans coming after us, and hes going to go for us legally, Bartlett said in the video, which was leaked online by an anonymous insider. We can see by the way things are shaping up. So the organization has said, Weve run into difficulties in the past because of the records we have.

That culture of secrecy, though, is starting to crack.

The wall is beginning to come down, Fritz said. Its going to take efforts from all states to fully peel it away.

The Attorney Generals Office asks others who have abuse allegations to contact a special hotline: 1-888-538-8541.
Karimi, 40, foreground, was evacuated from Afghanistan and resettled in Philadelphia with her her husband and 8-year-old son. Her 18-year-old son became separated from the family and was left behind. He is now in Taliban custody. Beside Karimi stands Gwen Soffer, the manager of wellness at Nationalities Service Center in Philadelphia, where this photo was taken. Karimi, who is being identified only by her last name, wears glasses to help shield her identity. Read more

The Taliban has her son, she says. Its starving him.

His captors have fractured his arm and beaten him, her beloved child, only 18.

Karimi, 40, tries to describe her torment. Can you imagine, as a mother, as a parent? Your son being broken, and you cannot help him? Shes 7,000 miles away in Philadelphia, after the U.S. military evacuation of Afghanistan, while her boy is tortured in a Taliban jail because his parents fought for the Americans.

My brain is not working, said Karimi, who asked to be identified only by her last name for security reasons. I forget everything. Sometimes Im thinking and nothing is in my brain, because Im worrying too much.

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A year after the fall of Kabul touched off the largest evacuation since the Vietnam War, many Afghan arrivals struggle for peace of mind.

Studies show almost all refugees suffer some trauma in being wrenched from their homelands. But professionals who work with Afghan evacuees say many are plagued not by specific mental-health conditions, nor by anguish that peaks and slowly passes, but by unresolvable grief and anxiety over the loss of living children and spouses who could not get out.

Its active, its now, its every day, said Gretchen Shanfeld, senior director of program operations at Nationalities Service Center, a lead resettlement agency in Philadelphia.

NSC is trying a different way to help, connecting evacuees such as Karimi with Afghan peer-wellness liaisons who provide emotional support and encouragement. Theyre always available. And at the same time they try to keep clients moving forward in their transition to America.

Some of the women I know left husbands behind, they left kids behind, said liaison Pashtoon Akbari, who immigrated years ago. They are more open to me. I understand what happened to them.

Some clients may benefit from a traditional approach of therapy and medication, NSC said. But for others the stigma of treatment, the language barriers, and limited access to care  the pool of Dari- and Pashto-speaking mental-health professionals is small  demands a different approach.

Nik Ahmadi, an NSC wellness liaison who fought the Russians in Afghanistan, said he tries to help struggling clients by setting achievable goals.

Family separations cause the worst pain. But others endure loss of self-regard. One highly educated, accomplished client now gets offered front-counter jobs at Dunkin.

The man is depressed, Ahmadi said, but doesnt want to take medication. They talk about objectives  to learn English? Well register for classes, Ahmadi told him. You wont be fluent in a month or six months, but work hard and see how far you go in a year.

Its not a cure, Ahmadi said, but it can keep people from getting mired in loss.

Thats been the best intervention at this point, said Gwen Soffer, who supervises clinical and trauma-informed programs as NSCs manager of wellness. To have the community and people around who are checking on them, speak the same language, understand the complexity of the situation.

Peer liaisons have been used primarily to help people recovering from substance abuse, more recently spreading into care for refugees.

Many immigrant and refugee communities, they are not going to show up at the door of the psychiatrist or the psychologist, said senior director Shanfeld. But having a peer who has been through the same experience [can] make an impact.

Karimi said the intervention has helped, providing space for her to talk in depth about her sons captivity.

She and her husband fought 15 years on the American side in Afghanistan. Her job was to scout Taliban hideouts during the day, moving unnoticed in common clothes, then return with other soldiers at night and shoot them.

That allegiance made her family a target  and a priority for evacuation as the United States withdrew and the Taliban took over on Aug. 15.

The Kabul airport was chaotic, with thousands pressed against exterior gates.

Troops fired tear gas to keep from being overrun, Karimi said. She and her family staggered, half-blind and gagging. Her younger son, 8, fell down.

Her older boy went to find water for his brother. A moment later, the soldiers pulled Karimi, her husband, and their 8-year-old into the airport.

The elder boy returned to find the family gone.

Karimi remembers standing beside the American soldiers, all of them shouting at her son to come forward. Each could see the other, but the crowds stood like walls.

For a week the youth tried to reach them. Finally the soldiers told the family to board and go. They were flown to a first-stop center in Qatar and then to the United States, living with thousands of evacuees on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in South Jersey.

I tried to bring you here, Karimi told her son by phone.

He was arrested four months after the evacuation.

It was in the crush outside the airport that spouses and children were pushed apart. Sometimes it was parents left behind  1,300 Afghan children arrived in this country alone.

Part of the trauma weve seen in the larger population is that so much of their family remains in harms way, said Krish OMara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service in Baltimore.

NSC resettled about 600 people in the Philadelphia area. Nearly a third have been separated from a close family member.

So far theres not much research on the mental health of the 76,000 Afghans brought to this country. But some of whats known is concerning, said Joseph Azam, board chairman of the national Afghan-American Foundation.

As people settle in, there are issues that are emerging, including the deaths of young people, he said.

In May, months after his family fled Kabul, a 14-year-old Afghan boy killed himself at his Missouri high school. Reports said Rezwan Kohistani, the only evacuee among 1,300 students, had been skipping classes and struggling with English, and was reprimanded for text messaging although his phone was his only means to translate.

Medical studies show that fleeing war or disaster by itself threatens mental health. Vietnamese refugees found that their escape and the hardships of resettlement caused psychological distress. The Afghan evacuation contained specific stressors.

For one, it came suddenly, forcing people to flee with the clothes on their backs. For another, those who escaped were moved to new countries almost immediately.

No one should spend years in refugee camps, advocates say, but some time for adjustment can be helpful. It allows people to think and decompress, and to learn some of the language and customs of their home to be.

Karimi has not been able to speak to her son since he was jailed. Her sister in Afghanistan managed to visit him. His daily food consists of a piece of bread and cup of water.

My brain gets damaged when I think about it, Karimi said.

Her 8-year-old overheard her discussing the horror of his brothers hunger, and now, in sympathy, refuses to eat.

Taliban intermediaries tell Karimi to return to Afghanistan. She can trade herself. Theyll free her son.

Some days shes determined to go.

But friends including Akbari, the peer liaison, tell her no. Shell be taken prisoner, and her son kept, as well. Karimi knows thats true, but sometimes surrendering herself seems the only chance.

We did work with the government, and with the foreign people, and this is the result we are getting, she said. I dont know whats going to happen in the end.
Sarah Brooks was raised a Jehovah's Witness. As a teenager in York, she was sexually abused for two years by two other members of the organization, and then shunned for speaking out about her abuse. Read more

She needed someone to rescue her.

When Sarah Brooks was 15, living with her family in York in 2003, two adults in her life began sexually assaulting her. They were people she thought she could trust  fellow Jehovahs Witnesses.

The abuse lasted for more than a year, until Brooks broke down, and confided to her parents. They alerted elders, the equivalent of parish priests, at the kingdom hall where the family worshipped.

Brooks had done what children are taught to do if someone harms them. And then her trauma grew even worse.

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One elder warned Brooks that if she contacted police, she would bring reproach on Jehovahs name, according to a lawsuit that she filed in June in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court against the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, the Witnesses leadership.

Other elders who investigated Brooks claims wrote in a public notice to the Yorkana Congregation Kingdom Hall that she had been reproved, which, in the Witnesses parlance, meant that shed done something wrong and repented.

Family members and friends shunned Brooks, who spiraled into depression.

She did, however, report her abuse to authorities, triggering an emergency meeting of Witness elders in 2013, when they learned that the York County District Attorneys Office had launched an investigation, and would seek records about Brooks abuse.

We bought a shredder, one York elder told others, according the lawsuit, and headquarters has told us to shred.

The Watchtower requires elders to follow a careful process for collecting information about child sexual abuse, compiling their findings in documents, and mailing copies to the Watchtowers headquarters in New York.

Brooks lawsuit accuses Witness elders of destroying many of the records of her case  and of ignoring Pennsylvanias Child Protective Services Law, which requires leaders of churches or religious organizations to report suspected child abuse to authorities.

 READ MORE: Jehovah's Witnesses: A Silent History of Sexual Abuse

Some of the organizations internal records show that Witness leaders have for decades instructed elders to instead report abuse allegations to the organizations legal department  and to resist cooperating with search warrants from police.

Improper use of the tongue by an elder can result in serious legal problems for the individual, the congregation, and even the Society, reads part of a July 1989 Watchtower memo.

A spokesperson for the Witnesses did not directly address the allegations in Brooks lawsuit, but wrote in an emailed statement that the organization is sickened by news about sexual abuse.

Child sexual abuse in particular is a twisted act of evil, read part of the statement. ... Anyone who has been victimized has the full support of the congregation to report the matter to the authorities.

Brooks, who is now 35, wants the organizations leaders to face accountability.

Ive come to terms with what happened to me, and pieced my life back together a little at a time, she told The Inquirer. Sometimes, Im just doing what I need to do in order to survive. Other times, my backbone is stronger, and I feel like I can fight this fight.

Her lawsuit comes at a fraught moment for the Watchtower.

Since 2019, Pennsylvanias Attorney Generals Office has been investigating the organizations handling of child sex abuse cases. On Friday, the office charged five Witnesses with sexually assaulting minors. Nine other members of the organization were arrested in the spring and fall.

There is a time to keep quiet

Like many ex-Witnesses, Brooks has spent years disentangling herself from the organizations insular culture and rules, some of which have helped to protect sexual predators.

Leaders of the religion, which was founded in Allegheny County in the 1870s, have long taught that Armageddon is fast approaching, and that only Witnesses in good standing will be resurrected.

Eccentric restrictions further emphasized the divide between Witnesses and the secular world: Followers are forbidden from celebrating birthdays or holidays, and arent permitted to vote or receive blood transfusions.

Brooks family were devout followers of the religion. At 14, though, she began to sense that the Witnesses community might not the safe space that she imagined.

Joshua Caldwell, a 25-year-old family friend, and Jennifer McVey, Brooks then-sister-in-law, began plying Brooks with alcohol, according the lawsuit, and then progressed, a year later, to allegedly sexually assaulting her, sometimes in a pickup truck, other times in abandoned homes that Caldwell worked to winterize.

Two elders who questioned Brooks about the assaults were related to Caldwell.

Later, a judicial committee of elders determined that Brooks admitted to engaging in sexual activities and needed to be reprimanded, according to the lawsuit  overlooking the fact that she was a minor whod been taken advantage of by adults.

Caldwell and McVey were disfellowshipped, or kicked out of their congregation, but Caldwell was later reinstated.

Elders, the Watchtower wrote in the 1989 memo, were obligated to shepherd their flocks. But they also needed to be careful not to divulge information about personal matters to unauthorized persons.

There is a time to keep quiet, the message continued, quoting Scripture.

A subsequent memo, in 1997, instructed elders to share information with the Watchtower about known pedophiles, but to withhold the information from congregations. A separate policy, meanwhile, required sexual assault victims to have an eyewitness who could corroborate their claims, before elders would take disciplinary action.

They dont see that theyre putting children in harms way. The rules they have in place are still in place, Brooks said. I just wish their eyes would open to the fact that theyre creating a prime breeding ground for pedophiles, and doing nothing for their victims after it happens.

In 2013, Brooks obtained a small measure of justice. The York County DAs Office arrested Caldwell and McVey, and each pleaded guilty to corruption of a minor.

Caldwell and McVey are also named in Brooks lawsuit, which she said is a final step in her attempt to repair the harm that the Witnesses inflicted on her life.

Jeffrey Fritz, Brooks Center City-based lawyer, has represented other former Witnesses who have been assaulted.

Fritz said Brooks is trying to spur changes within the organization to protect all children from sexual abuse that festers in the secrecy that the organization encourages.

Jehovahs organization must be kept clean!

Publicly, Witness officials often emphasize that they abhor child sex abuse and seek to protect children.

And Brooks lawsuit notes that, in a 1986 Witness publication, the Watchtower acknowledged that it was aware of episodes of pedophilia.

Shocking as it is, even some who have been prominent in Jehovahs organization have succumbed to immoral practices, it wrote.

The passage went on to note that more than 36,000 Witnesses had been disfellowshipped for immoral behavior, adding: Jehovahs organization must be kept clean!

Yet the organization has been so protective of its knowledge of internal predators that it once incurred $2 million worth of court fines rather than release files that were requested by lawyers for a former Witness who sued in California over sexual abuse that he suffered at the hands of an elder.

And in 2018, The Inquirer wrote about a Witness official, Shawn Bartlett, whod been videotaped telling elders at a seminar to destroy documents that could harm the organization in litigation.

 READ MORE: Watch: Jehovahs Witnesses official says to destroy records because Satans coming after us

Well, we know that the scene of this world is changing, and we know Satans coming after us, and hes going to go for us legally, Bartlett says in the video, which was leaked online by an anonymous insider.

A lot of these elders dont even realize what theyre doing is wrong, Brooks said. I would like the people involved to get to the point where they understand, Holy crap, what did we do? and come to terms with that.
Sarah Brooks was raised a Jehovah's Witness, she was sexually abused for two years when she was a teenager by a male family friend and a former sister-in-law, she is shown here in a room in her home that she uses as a painting studio, she is surrounded by some of her paintings, in Felton, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Sarah continues art therapy as a means of coping with her past abuse. JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer Read more

More showers and thunderstorms are likely starting Sunday afternoon, with a high near 84 and a low around 70. The Philadelphia region is under a flash flood watch from noon to midnight, after another day of storms that led to flooding in parts of the city and neighboring counties.

A former Jehovahs Witness is suing the organization in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court for accountability over abuse she endured as a teen. Todays lead story uncovers details of the lawsuit that show leaders worked to hide records about it and other instances of abuse.

 Paola Perez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Sarah Brooks was 15 when two fellow Jehovahs Witnesses  adults she thought she could trust  started sexually assaulting her.

The abuse would last for more than a year before Brooks broke down and did what children are taught to do if someone harms them: she told her parents.

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They alerted Witness elders, but were warned that if Brooks contacted police, she would bring reproach on Jehovahs name, according to a lawsuit filed in June against the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York. Other elders who investigated her claims wrote in a public notice that Brooks had been reproved, meaning shed done something wrong and repented.

Despite being shunned by family members and friends, Brooks moved forward with reporting her abuse to authorities. That triggered an emergency meeting of elders in 2013, when they learned that the York County District Attorneys Office would seek records about Brooks abuse in their investigation.

We bought a shredder, one York elder told others, according to the lawsuit, and headquarters has told us to shred.

Under more scrutiny: Since 2019, Pennsylvanias Attorney Generals Office has probed the organizations handling of abuse cases. On Friday, the office charged five Witnesses with assault. Nine other members were arrested in the spring and fall.

A spokesperson for the Witnesses did not directly address the allegations in Brooks lawsuit, but wrote in a statement that the organization is sickened by news about abuse.

Continue reading on the culture and rules of the organization, some of which have helped protect predators, and the Witnesses response.

What you should know today

As of 10 p.m. Saturday, the power was still out for about 5,000 utility customers in the Wildwoods. At that time, the company said power would be fully restored by 11:59 p.m. The outages were caused by a fire that broke out at an electric substation on Friday, the cause of which remains an investigation. The victims of the mass shooting in Kingsessing died going about their daily life: walking to get food, checking on a friend, responding to neighbors in need. In the aftermath, relatives shared the details and moments that made their loved ones so special, and why they will never be forgotten. Philadelphia City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson said she was appalled by what she described as derogatory and asinine comments by a Camden County commissioner who disparaged Philadelphians following a Fourth of July shooting. A vehicle fatally struck a 14-year-old boy Thursday night in Bensalem. Police are asking for help locating the driver who left the scene. Peter Nero, the revered pianist, longtime player-conductor of the Philly Pops, and jazz maestro, died on Thursday. He was 89.

 Now Im passing the mic to our education reporter Melanie Burney.

Every Thursday night, English teacher Seth Holm logs on to his computer to help Afghan girls half a world away with their English language skills.

The girls, scattered around the Middle East and beyond, are eager to hone their English. For those still living in Afghanistan, where the Taliban forbids girls to attend school past sixth grade, it is a major risk  but one they are willing to take. They believe that learning English is their only chance to possibly leave one day and seek a better life.

I didnt expect that the bravest people I would meet in my life would be teenage girls, said Holm, a world languages teacher at the Hun School of Princeton. These girls are some of the best people I have ever met.

After the Taliban implemented the rules that banned most older girls from getting an education, many were desperately seeking an opportunity to continue their studies. An Afghan student attending the Hun School of Princeton heeded the call and started the online class in 2022.  Melanie Burney

Keep reading about the class-turned-humanitarian mission, and see some of the stories written by Holms students.

Pop quiz

In this weeks Outdoorsy newsletter, I highlighted the work of Anwar Abdul-Qawi, the animal programs manager at Drexler Universitys Academy of Natural Sciences with a special eye for photographing Philadelphia wildlife. What creature did he capture in the featured perfect shot?

A) pigeon

B) squirrel

C) duck

D) goose

Did you get it right? Check your answer here.

 Unscramble the anagram 

Hint: North Philly

CALVIN FLIERS

Email us if you know the answer. Well select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Afrah Howlader who correctly guessed Fridays answer: Evil Genius.

Photo of the day

 For todays Sunday track, were listening to: That July ninth, the beat of your heart / It jumps through your shirt.  Speak Now (Taylors Version) dropping on my birthday was pretty cool timing.

 Stay dry, take care and thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during his first budget address to a joint session of the state legislature in March. Read more

Gov. Josh Shapiros first state budget may not fulfill every Pennsylvanians wish list, but the $45.5 billion plan represents serious progress for the Keystone State, with significant increases in funding for public education, an extension to a home repair and weatherization program, and finally weaning the Pennsylvania State Police off of its reliance on transportation funding.

Shapiro also demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice his own priorities in the service of whats best for the commonwealth. State Republicans could learn from his example.

Initially, the governor forged a deal with Senate Republicans. In exchange for their support for a $567 million increase in money for schools through the state basic education funding formula, Shapiro backed a new $100 million program to establish Lifeline Scholarships  essentially vouchers that would allow lower-income families in underperforming school districts to opt for private schooling. K-12 students would get $5,000, high school students would get $10,000, and special-needs students, regardless of age, would receive $15,000.

Given the one-vote Democratic majority in the state House, which includes members who have in the past strongly supported school choice, Shapiro had legitimate reason to believe that the program could pass in both chambers. House Democrats, however, balked at the potential threat to public education. In the end, Shapiro promised to line-item veto his own proposal to avert a showdown.

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While this move has upset Republicans eager to achieve a long-standing priority, it was the right call for the state. Given the way voucher programs elsewhere have drained critical support away from public education while failing to produce improved test scores, launching a large voucher program as part of the budget process was never a good idea.

Even with a relatively small outlay, such a big change to the way Pennsylvania educates its children requires a more significant public debate before proceeding. House Democrats were right to use their newfound power to push back.

 READ MORE: For the newly inaugurated Gov. Shapiro, now comes the hard part | Editorial

Rather than raging at the governor, Harrisburg Republicans need to recognize a new reality: Their party no longer dominates the General Assembly. They also should remember it was their ongoing prioritization of culture war issues over delivering for Pennsylvanians that cost them control of the House.

Yet, judging from GOP lawmakers approach to higher education funding and the combative confirmation process for cabinet nominees, they remain committed to this approach.

For generations, Pennsylvanias state-affiliated universities  Temple University, Lincoln University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania State University  have provided a quality college education at a reasonable price for residents. Thanks to a meltdown from Pennsylvania House Republicans, that promise was jeopardized.

Republicans wanted to end fetal research and medical support for transgender people. According to Inquirer reporting, a vendetta against Pitt Chancellor Emeritus Mark Nordenberg for helping to enact the states first non-gerrymandered legislative map animated some Republican votes as well.

Without state funding, the universities would need to significantly increase in-state tuition. This would force students to either defer attendance or take on more student debt, just because of political posturing in Harrisburg. Whatever the motivation, this stunt was ill-advised  Pennsylvanias students and families deserve better.

While their House colleagues picked fights with college students, Senate Republicans embarrassed themselves with their decision to deny a successful confirmation vote to Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, acting Health Secretary Debra Bogen, and other cabinet nominees.

Schmidt, himself a Republican, is uniquely suited to the job. For roughly a decade, he served as one of three City Commissioners, responsible for administering Philadelphias elections. His track record in that role was impressive. Schmidt used his position to make more election data publicly available, pursued workplace reforms, and helped launch the first departmental website. Schmidts office also helped clean up local elections. It was a referral from his office that led to the conviction of former U.S. Rep. Ozzie Myers for election fraud.

He also stood up against former President Donald Trumps attempts to suppress Philadelphias votes and steal Pennsylvanias electors. For that, the mild-mannered reformer became a bogeyman for the far-right. Former Trump attorney Linda Kerns blasted Schmidts nomination, and State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the partys failed nominee for governor who marched on the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, voted against him in committee.

 READ MORE: At long last, an equitable ruling on school funding. Change must now follow swiftly. | Editorial

While Schmidt was confirmed by default  after Republicans avoided a full Senate vote on the nomination, likely to prevent recrimination from Trump  Bogen, who helped lead Allegheny County through the COVID-19 pandemic, saw her nomination withdrawn after Republicans on the Health and Human Services Committee opted to deny her a favorable recommendation.

Bogen, who is eminently qualified for the position, acted prudently and recommended the same public health policies as other county, state, and federal health officials. Yet for some Harrisburg Republicans, trying to protect Pennsylvanians from the pandemic disqualified her for the job.

Theres a pattern in these Harrisburg GOP maneuvers. Each represents an attempt to placate the party base rather than an attempt to improve the lives of all.

This is the exact style of culture war politics that voters resoundingly rejected in the 2022 election. If Pennsylvanians wanted a state government that is obsessed with persecuting trans people, relitigating the 2020 election, second-guessing the commonwealths pandemic response, and drawing legislative districts that are favorable to incumbents, they would have voted for Mastriano. Instead, he lost by roughly 800,000 votes.

Meanwhile, despite their disagreement over Lifeline Scholarships, House Democrats and Shapiro kept their focus where it mattered most: ensuring quality education, ample economic opportunity, and dependable public safety in every corner of the commonwealth.

Imagine how the state would benefit if Harrisburg Republicans did the same.
Does Joe Biden want to be remembered as the president who lost Ukraine?

That question must be asked as NATO allies prepare to meet at a historic summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, which will focus on Russian President Vladimir Putins continued aggression in Ukraine.

This is the moment when NATO members, led by Biden, should be laying out a clear path for Ukraine to join the alliance once the war ends. This is the moment, which, if seized, could plausibly lead to Ukrainian victory by years end.

This is also the moment when Biden should be announcing that the United States will finally expedite the arrival of critical weapons systems  long-range missiles and F-16 fighter jets  that are vital to the success of Ukraines counteroffensive.

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As of this writing, though, all signs are that Biden will squander the moment, and none of the above will happen. As John Herbst, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said during a webinar last week, Very thin gruel is likely in Vilnius. If so, Biden and NATO will be gifting Putin big time, even as he reels from a failed mutiny attempt by one of his closest allies.

 READ MORE: Kremlin disarray means opportunity for Ukraine  if the West acts | Trudy Rubin

Theres still a bit of time for Biden to shift gears and surprise us. Here are the vital steps he should take at the summit to help end Putins war.

Unequivocally back a victory for Kyiv

Make clear that the United States and NATO support a Ukrainian victory according to Kyivs definition, which means regaining all territory seized by Russia, including Crimea. The White House keeps saying we are with Kyiv as long as it takes, but never clarifies takes for what? Why not say we are with the Ukrainians until they win?

Deliver ATACMS now

Announce that the United States will immediately deliver ATACMS long-range missiles to Kyiv, the key weapon that could enable Ukraines counteroffensive to succeed.

Hats off to Biden for delivering large-scale U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine, and for successfully prodding allies to do more (even as Donald Trump makes clear he would cut off arms to Kyiv and ink a surrender deal with his pal Putin). However, the continuing White House refusal to sign off on ATACMS is inexplicable. The excuses are rubbish. Kyiv has pledged not to use these missiles against targets inside Russia, and the U.S. has plenty of them available that it could quickly deliver. Just a few of the long-range missiles would enable Ukraine to hit far behind enemy lines, and cut off Russian access to Crimea.

Ironically, the White House has signed off on sending Ukraine controversial cluster munitions. Kyiv, which is short of artillery shells, urgently needs these munitions for use on the battlefield, where their use does not violate international law. Russia, on the other hand, has been using cluster bombs indiscriminately against Ukrainian civilians, which is a war crime (Ive seen some of the victims lying in a Mykolaiv hospital after Russians dropped cluster munitions near a bus stop.) Yet there is no hue and cry against their criminal use by Moscow.

However, the question remains: Why is Biden green lighting the cluster munitions but holding back the long range missiles that could reshape the war before the end of summer?

ATACMS could be brought to bear in days and could make a difference within a week, said retired U.S. Air Force general and former NATO commander Philip Breedlove. So what on Earth is the White House waiting for?

Speed up delivery of F-16s

Announce that training of Ukrainians on F-16s by Denmark and the Netherlands will be expedited, and delivery of planes by Washington and European allies will be fast-tracked. Incredibly, U.S. officials have been doing the opposite, pushing back the training until fall (though the Danes and the Dutch are ready) and slowing delivery of planes until winter, after the counteroffensive. Since the F-16s are U.S.-made, the Europeans cant act without a U.S. green light.

Again, the delay is inexplicable. It forces Ukrainian forces to advance over endless, heavily mined fields without adequate air cover, meaning enormous casualties. The U.S. military would not go to war without air power or long-range ammo, said Breedlove. So why is the White House forcing this disastrous strategy on Ukraine?

Warn Putin off blowing up a nuclear reactor

Lead NATO in a united, public warning to Putin against blowing up part of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces. Make clear that NATOs (non nuclear) response would be as swift and harsh as if Putin had used a tactical nuclear weapon.

By now, Biden should realize that Putins threats to use tactical nukes are bluster. World War III is not on the horizon. But the Russians have repeatedly hinted that they might explode mines theyve planted around the Zaporizhzhia facility and blame any disaster on Kyiv. This is the same tactic Putin used when, as all signs definitively conclude, Russia blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam  and blamed Ukraine. NATO allies failed to warn Putin off destroying the dam, which has caused a massive ecological disaster. They cant afford to make the same mistake with the Zaporizhzhia plant.

Lay out a path to NATO membership for Ukraine

Led by Biden, the summit should lay out a road map that leads to NATO membership for Ukraine after the fighting stops. Before Putins second invasion, it might have been possible to imagine a status for Ukraine short of actual NATO membership. But now, it is only possible to stabilize Europe by making Putin understand he cant swallow his neighbors. Otherwise, he will retain his imperial dreams and threaten other Eastern European countries.

Surely, Biden understands a Russian victory would be a disaster for NATO. Putin doesnt need to occupy all of Ukraine to score a victory. He need only bomb Ukraine into an economic basket case and wait for the West to tire of backing Kyiv - or for the return of Trump.

The Balts and Eastern Europeans, who have suffered under Soviet rule, understand this danger. They will try to convince Biden that the risk of bowing to Putins threats is greater than taking a firm stand that will deter him.

As the former Lithuanian ambassador to Washington, Zygimantas Pavilionis, told me, by WhatsApp from Vilnius: We hope Biden will open a clear path to Ukrainian membership, because if not, guys, we will be the next [victim] in the Baltics. Not to do so will also send a clear sign to Xi Jinping that he can do the same in the Indo-Pacific.

Send a message to Moscow, the ambassador continued, directly addressing Biden. Make clear that the invitation will be issued to Ukraine at the next NATO summit in Washington, D.C., in 2024. If you make that political decision, you will end the war on Ukraine. Putin is weak and will understand that the West has an endgame strategy.

If you dont make that decision, Pavilionis said. You are returning us to hell.
MIAMI  The Phillies werent sure what Andrew Painters test results would reveal, after their top pitching prospect described discomfort in his right elbow this week. But the results were better than they expected.

The testing showed there is healing in there, manager Rob Thomson said. Seriously. So all were going to do is just back him off for a few days, let that discomfort get out of the way and then well start going again. Its better news than what we were expecting.

When asked to elaborate what healing means in this instance, Thomson said the tear is starting to close up. Painter, a first-round draft pick in 2021, has spent the past few months on the injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

 READ MORE: Murphy: Dont look now, but Bryson Stott is becoming a star. A unique one. But a star nonetheless.

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Painter, who underwent an MRI arthrogram, wont start his throwing progression all over again, but Thomson said he will back if off a little bit once he resumes pitching.

Its still unclear what this news means for Painter, 20, long term. Thomson couldnt say whether Painter is in play to pitch this season, for the Phillies or for one of their minor league affiliates.

The plan for now is for Painter to use rest to heal his injury. He hasnt had a platelet-rich plasma injection and there are no plans for him to undergo surgery.

There is no firm timeline on Painters return to pitching. The Phillies are going to base it off how he feels. When the discomfort stops, hell get back to work.

Extra bases

Noah Song (low back strain) pitched an inning in Clearwater, Fla., on Friday. His velocity was down a little bit. Song allowed one hit with two walks. The stuff was down a little bit, had trouble throwing strikes, Thomson said of Song. The time before that was really good. I think thats natural, theres going to be some ups and downs Pitcher Mick Abel will start on Saturday for the National League in the Futures Game. Justin Crawford will start at designated hitter.
Six years ago I started a business to connect empty chairs in beauty salons and barbershops with stylists needing flexible, affordable space to work. We bootstrapped to start, identified early investors and then relocated to Buffalo after winning a pitch competition run by startup accelerator 43North.

Ive owned an award-winning salon and barbershop for over two decades. Traditionally, salons operate on either an employee-based commission model or long-term booth rental contracts. However, in 2012, I gave a stylist the opportunity to rent my empty salon suite by the day with a no-term lease agreement. I was the only salon willing to offer that flexibility at that time, and that became my aha moment. Today, we match more than 50,000 small-businesses-of-one with thousands of salons and barbershops in over 900 cities.

Although we have a website, our platform is a mobile-first application. Having Apple and Google app platforms connect us to salon owners, barbershop owners and stylists has been game-changing. salon owners, barbershop owners and stylists has been game-changing. Twenty years ago we would have needed to visit thousands of salons in person and organize spreadsheets that would then be outdated within weeks.

The Google Play and App Store platforms make it much easier to grow the ShearShare community, reach new customers, inform and fix technical problems, ensure privacy and monitor reviews in real time. The value we provide to small businesses around the country is infinite, and big tech has been there every step of the way.

Ive recently learned that several bills are being considered by Congress that would disrupt how app stores and the mobile ecosystem work. One proposal would change the legal rules for successful digital platforms. No matter what is decided, startups need to have a trusted platform to deliver their products and guarantee that their apps work well with users devices. Even by integrating our own ShearShare app with Google Ads, were able to highlight local small businesses that do not have promotional budgets and help to advertise their indie products to local customers near them.

In todays climate, policymakers should consider how startups like ours need the Apples and Googles of the world in order to grow and succeed. I am hopeful that all small businesses  including the ones were honored to serve everyday  feel protected and heard by their elected officials.
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust is one of the most popular funds. It aims to track the Standard & Poors (S&P) 500 Index, which comprises 500 large-cap U.S. stocks. These stocks are selected by a committee based on market size, liquidity, and industry. The S&P 500 serves as one of the main benchmarks of the U.S. equity market and indicates the financial health and stability of the economy. Also known as the SPY ETF, the fund was established in January 1993.

Key Takeaways The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust is one of the most popular funds that aims to track the S&P 500 Index, which comprises 500 large-cap U.S. stocks.

SPY was the first index exchange-traded fund listed on U.S. exchanges.

Approximately one-quarter of the SPY ETF is invested in the information technology sector.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust has generated an average annual return of just under 10% since its inception.



Understanding the SPY ETF

As noted above, the SPY ETF was established on Jan. 22, 1993. It is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the S&P 500 Index. It is often regarded as the first ETF to be listed and remains one of the most actively traded, even with the advent of competing S&P 500 ETFs. In fact, it is considered to be the original fund that tracks the S&P 500.

The ETF was introduced in 1993 and had just $6.53 million in assets under management (AUM) at the time. After a rough start and some initial difficulty finding investors, it soared to more than $1 billion in AUM three years later. As of July 6, 2023, the ETF trust has an extraordinary $415.86 billion in assets.

SPY is listed on the New York Stock Exchanges (NYSE) Arca exchange, and investors can trade this ETF on multiple platforms. The trustee of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust is State Street Bank and Trust, and its distributor is ALPS Distributors. Because ETF shares trade in a similar manner to stocks, investors can buy and sell SPY shares via their broker throughout the day, including selling them short.

The price of a share of SPY is intended to be one-tenth that of the S&P 500 Index. So, if the S&P is at a level of 4,000, then one SPY share should trade at close to $400.

SPY turned 30 on Jan. 22, 2023, celebrating the milestone by remaining the largest ETF tracking the S&P 500 Index.

SPY ETF Portfolio Structure and Costs

Because of its relative age, the ETF is constructed as a unit investment trust (UIT). This means it's a fixed portfolio that forms units that can be created and redeemed with the issuer. Because of this structure, the SPY fully replicates the S&P 500 Index, holding all members of the underlying index at their target weights.

The SPY and other index ETFs provide investors a way to own the entire index by owning a single security for a low cost. As of July 9, 2023, SPY has an expense ratio of 0.0945%. While this ratio is low, it is not the lowest among other ETFs that track the S&P 500 Index. SPYs expense ratio is more than triple the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)s expense ratio of 0.03%. Keep in mind that these fees do not include any broker fees or commissions.



Several ETFs track the S&P 500 Index. Investors looking at such an ETF should consider the expense ratio, tracking error, and liquidity of the ETF before choosing one in which to invest.

SPY ETF Top Holdings

The SPY is a well-diversified basket of assets, which allocates its holdings across multiple sectors. The top five listed below are as of June 1, 2023:

Information Technology : 28.23%

: 28.23% Healthcare : 13.30%

: 13.30% Financials : 12.46%

: 12.46% Consumer Discretionary : 10.70%



: 10.70% Communication Services: 8.49%

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust allocates almost all of its funds into common stocks, which are included in the S&P 500 Index. Its current top 10 holdings are in the following companies:
Last week, Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney gave a call-to-duty to Irelands exporting franchisees at the Trade Horizons conference in Dublin Castle.

In particular he was calling for a greater focus by business on free trade agreements (FTAs) which, to date, were the bedrock of Irelands export and economic success.

With over half of Ireland's foreign trade covered by such agreements, businesses were empowered to tackle new markets, knowing that they had a level playing field and had their backs covered by the defensive mechanisms within the FTAs.

Mr Coveneys particular worry was the demise of the World Trade Organization (WTO), effectively sidelining the referee of the free trade agreements, giving a free run to countries who breached FTA terms. The question posed was  if the WTO fails, what happens to Irelands trade which is covered by FTAs?

Of course, the world always looks threatening when viewed through the crosshairs of a gun, but right now there is good reason to be fearful. After decades of international trade growth, driven by free trade agreements, many countries are putting up restrictions to trade.

Last year, new restrictions on goods, services, and investment jumped very substantially from the previous year, according to Global Trade Alert data analysed by the International Monetary Fund. The number of trade restrictions was more than six times higher than in 2013.

Restrictions on investment experienced the greatest increase, more than four times that imposed in 2021. A number of IMF economists say fragmentation of global trade is pushing up costs for multinationals and, as a consequence, subduing cross-border investment.

During the covid-19 pandemic, many countries restricted exports of medical goods such as vaccines, as well as some foodstuffs. More recently, Russias war in Ukraine and security issues between the US and China have fomented further protectionism.

Trade restrictions, including tariffs and export bans, have also proliferated in sectors such as energy products, precious metals, and semiconductors, which are often viewed as central to national security, and have played into many governments' protectionist inclinations.

A glimpse of the short-term gains for governments can be seen from the billions of dollars the US Customs and Border Control has collected because of the tariffs that former president Donald Trump imposed on Chinese goods, deemed damaging to US interests.

However, without calling out the US or the EU, Chinas president Xi Jinping made comments in the past month calling on countries to avoid decoupling and closing off global supply chains.

For multinational companies operating in Ireland and in many other jurisdictions, trade fragmentation presents significant risks.

If this rising protectionist trend continues, the IMF economists warn it could lead to increased costs for international firms that either have to pay tariffs on their imported inputs or source from alternative, more expensive suppliers.

Ultimately, the driver of the bulk of Ireland's export trade, foreign direct investment, is likely to be affected as these multinationals rethink their international footprint and close off global supply chains.

Speaking at the Trade Horizon conference, European Commission deputy director general for trade Maria Martin-Prat gave some positives on the continuity of FTAs, indicating that the FTA between New Zealand and the EU would be signed off within a matter of days.

The benefit is estimated by the EU to be a 30% increase in trade between the two trading areas. However, any increase will be from a very low base, with two-way trade between Ireland and New Zealand currently minimal.

The other positive from the trade commissioner was the expected sign-off this month of an agreement to allow Britain to rejoin the EUs flagship Horizon scientific research programme, which is much sought-after by British scientists, who see access to the programmes 95bn fund as vital to their competitiveness.

Not necessarily good news for Ireland, but perhaps shows the way back to full UK membership of the EU, which would be good news.

John Whelan is a leading expert on trade
The two young males of our household are embarking on rival adventures. As the 19-year-old heads to the airport to catch a solo flight to Medellin, home of the Pablo Escobar walking tour, the lockdown rescue puppy  now a giant teenage German Shepherd  is going to the dog groomers for the first time.

To say Im worried is an understatement. Ive phoned the groomers twice already, to pre-warn them about all the things that trigger the dog: these include other dogs; people he doesnt know; strange smells; loud noises; being touched; being brushed; scissors; new places; people wearing hats, masks or hi-vis; enclosed spaces; plastic bags; slamming doors; escalators; skateboards; seagulls.

He has separation anxiety, proximity anxiety, crowd anxiety, and abandonment issues. Hes quite the panophobe. And he hates cats.

There wont be any cats, says the groomer. She sounds a bit doubtful, even as she reassures me shes used to dealing with nervous dogs.

I can hear her conferring with her manager. It will be a two-person job, she says. Wear oven gloves, I suggest.

I dont bother telling her about the time he got a grass seed embedded in his armpit and had to go under general anaesthetic at the vets because he wouldnt let any of us near him to painlessly remove it with an eyebrow tweezer.

Four hundred quid later, he woke up a bit non-plussed. Although not as non-plussed as I was, calling out the long number on my card.

Bye, I say distractedly to the teenager at Departures. Have fun. Dont join the cartel.

Then I race back down the motorway, the dog groomers manager on speaker phone. Hes very matted, he says. Its going to take at least an extra hour. The manager has the same tone as a hairdresser when youve been doing your own roots with cheap bleach.

An hour later theres another call. The dog is still not ready.

I half expect them to say that they will have to report the matter to social services, and am not sure how to respond, other than reiterate the oven gloves suggestion. There is lots of barking in the background.

He doesnt seem to like being touched anywhere near his hind legs, they say. Neither would you, I think, if the last time anyone spent any time there was to castrate you.

Finally hes finished. It has taken four hours, with the dog getting a lunch break in the middle so he doesnt get hangry.

He emerges, shiny and flouncing, shaking his head like Beyonce.

Theres only half of him - the other half is on the grooming room floor. Hes been edited.

The manager lists all the treatments hes had to separate him from his matted fur, kind of like a spa day crossed with a controlled explosion. Bring him back in 8 weeks, he says sternly.

The teenager texts en route to the former murder capital of the world.

I send a picture of the dog but he doesnt seem that interested.
St Declan of Ardmore is one of the pre-eminent figures in the early Irish Church. Much of what we know of Declan comes from texts written centuries after his life. These texts are hagiographical in nature, and often coloured by their contemporary politics. According to his Life, Declan was one of four saints (along with Ailbe of Emly, Ciaran of Saigir, and Abban of Moyarney) who preached the Gospel in Munster before Patrick arrived in Ireland. In one story, Declan and Patrick met at Cashel, and this event is commemorated today in a long-distance trail known as St Declans Way.

Though the story of Declan preaching Christianity before Patrick has to be taken with a reasonable pinch of salt, we do know that the Deise of Waterford in particular were more likely to have had prolonged contact with Christianity than many of their rival tribes from elsewhere in Ireland. The Deise inhabited parts of west Wales, and would have connected Munster to Christian communities in Roman Britain through trade and movement. That aside, it is important to never take hagiographical writing about early Irish saints at face value. The focused writing on him in the 12th century may be seen as part of the competition between Ardmore and Lismore. This competition was driven over which monastery would be appointed as the episcopal see, gaining power, prestige, and wealth along with the role of bishop. It was a struggle that Lismore eventually won.

Despite this, Declan's monastery at Ardmore has long been a place of significance. Declan became a key devotional figure who inspired pilgrimages for centuries, with large crowds that gathered every year for his feast day on July 24. For those who would find the 100+km Declan's Way a challenge, the comparatively bite-size Ardmore Cliff Walk is a wonderfully elemental experience, that combines stunning scenery and fascinating heritage. The walk begins just past the carpark of the Cliff House Hotel. The first monument you will encounter is the ruins of St Declans Church that may date to the late medieval period, (though it is said to be positioned on the site that St Declan retreated to as a hermit near the end of his life).

Next to the church you can also see St. Declans Well, with its interesting late-medieval crosses on top. As you walk along the trail, on a clear day the Minehead Lighthouse can be seen in the distance, and also the shipwreck of the Samson, a construction ship that was driven against the cliff in a storm in 1988 (all of the crew survived).

The Ardmore Cliff Walk also gives wonderful opportunities to discover a little of the natural heritage of Irelands eastern coast. If you are fortunate you may spot dolphins or basking sharks. Seabirds such as kittiwakes, sand martins, rock pigeons, and choughs may also make an appearance.

Ardmore Round Tower. Picture: Tuatha.ie

The walk leads all the way to the site of Declan's monastery itself, and with its elevated position it is clear to see why it was named Ard Mor  a great height. The Ardmore Round Tower can be seen for miles around. It is a little unusual in design, with external ring courses that enhance its tapering effect, making it look a little like an old-fashioned folding telescope. Architecturally, the tower appears to date to around the 12th century.

The earliest structure on the site is the small building called St Declans Oratory or St Declans House, which may date as early as the 8th century, and reputedly houses the grave of St Declan. It is a tomb-church with projecting antae and noticeably larger stones forming the lower courses of the building. It was restored in the 18th and 19th century. A small cross-inscribed black stone known as the Duivhin Deaglain or Dhubheen Deaglain  the little black stone of Declan  was found here. It was said to have curative properties, but sadly it has long since been lost.

The ruin of the cathedral is the largest structure on site, and it dates to the second half of the 12th century. It consists of a long nave and chancel, separated by a fine chancel arch. It also has a number of typically Hiberno-Romanesque features, such as rounded doorways and windows.

The cathedral was extensively modified in the 17th century, when large buttresses were added and the chancel enlarged. Unusually, a series of early medieval sculpture set within Romanesque arcading can be seen on the western gable end of the cathedral. They depict biblical scenes, like Adam and Eve and the Judgement of Solomon.

Ogham Stone Ardmore. Picture: Tuatha.ie

Inside the cathedral, along with medieval graveslabs, you can find three ogham stones which provide more evidence of the earliest phase at Ardmore. An inscription on one of the ogham stones has been translated as:the stone of Lugaid, grandson of Nia-Segmon. The fact that MUCOI NETA-SEGAMONAS descendant of Nia-Segamon is also found on other ogham stones nearby may suggest that this was a dynasty controlling the Waterford area in the 56th century AD.

With such a wealth of archaeology and scenery, it is well worth following in the footsteps of Declan this summer.

Neil Jackman is an archaeologist, travel writer, and owner of tuatha.ie  an online membership for people who want to explore more of Irelands wonderful heritage
Stunt performance is endlessly thrilling and perilous. Its a body-battering, life-risking craft.

Its why Tom Cruise is all over the news right now. The world is wowed by the actors performance in his latest film: Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. In that, he rides a motorbike off a mountain, before gliding to the ground.

Cinema goers expect no less from the Hollywood legend, who has long set the bar high for his action stunts. Weve watched him scale a 2,000 foot cliff with his bare hands, then dangle by his fingertips from that same rockface.

Weve watched him cling by those same fingertips, from an Airbus  1,000 feet in the air at a speed of 100 knots  for more than eight minutes.

While Cruise is globally lauded for his performances, the film world is filled with performers whose stunning stunts stay under the radar. Two of those brave and exquisitely talented people are Lucy Johnson and Niamh Hogan.

Johnsons first job was doubling Katheryn Winnick, who was the lead on Vikings. Bill Nighy, Michael Keating and J.K. Simmons are just some of the others with whom she has worked.

Careful not to link any of the stunt performances she describes to any particular film, she says: Ive done some amazing stuff. There are things Ive done in movies that arent out yet. Things that were completely nuts. So I can give only a vague overview of some of the work I just loved.

In one, I was on top of a moving vehicle; standing and bouncing on the roof as it was careering around the streets. Then I got set on fire with a flamethrower, before getting flipped, thrown off the side of the vehicle, which someone is handbrake turning around on the street.. That was scary.

While hanging on to the top of a moving vehicle, your brain is desperately trying to reason with you. Its trying to find a logical way of getting out of this. But you know, thats your job and thats part of the challenge and the excitement.

Youre having to convince yourself to let go of a moving vehicle and just smash onto the tarmac. Obviously, theres technique in that. You build up to things in rehearsals over time. You trust you have the skills and that everyone is in control of the situation.

That was pretty special. The best week of my life. Someone had designed the best, the most brilliant roller coaster just for you and then they are paying you to be in a superhero movie, to ride that roller coaster for days on end, feeling you are the luckiest person on planet earth at that moment.

Lucy Johnson: "There is a whole movement in terms of strong women owning their bodies nowadays and the more you see that on film the more encouraged I am."

Recalling working on the Batgirl movie, Johnson says: The beauty of working on something like that is you are on a core team, working for say five months on a movie. So you really get to know people inside and out, and genuinely people are just lovely. Everyone, such as costumes, is creating beautiful designs. Usually Im tearing them to shreds.

Of her work on the First Omen film, she says: It was a lifetime stunt that I expect never to repeat again. I dont know another woman who has ever done or would ever do this stunt.

Naturally, she cant say what it is as the movie wont be released until later this year.

Asked whether there are enough stunt roles for women, Johnson says its harder for women in stunts. Things are changing for the better, But still, it can sometimes feel that this is a male-dominated industry.

For example, men can take up a lot of parts as soldiers in films. Whereas for a woman to be a soldier you either have to be of modern age, space age or the Viking era. To be a female fighter in the interim period is actually quite difficult.

So as a woman, you have to be lucky and fit the typecast of the character and the height and the shape and the look at the right moment at the right time. And its still very difficult in that regard. You are seeing the shift in there being more female heroes and them being celebrated and thats really important. Johnson loves seeing body positivity on screen.

There is a whole movement in terms of strong women owning their bodies nowadays and the more you see that on film the more encouraged I am. Like Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games. She wouldnt lose weight for that part. Playing a strong capable woman she knew she would look as she did if she were to win a challenging tournament.

This is body positivity we need to see. We saw it too with Natalie Portman in the new Thor movie, where shes got great biceps.

Niamh Hogan dodges an axe in Demon Hunter: Time 2 Kill

Niamh Hogan moved into stunt performance in 2016 having got her start on Vikings Season 5. Some of the really amazing women she has doubled over the years include Florence Pugh, WWE star Becky Lynch, Kerry Condon and Millie Brady.

In Demon Hunter: Time 2 Kill, Hogan performed her own stunts and fight scenes while playing Taryn Barker, the lead character. While thats now in post-production shes currently doubling on Borderline, the new police drama.

Hogan says there werent any stunts she has refused to do and that she has always felt completely safe and comfortable with any stunt requested of her.

I may have felt nervous, but stunts are a process you build up to. Youre never going to arrive on set and be asked out of the blue, to do a car hit or a fire burn. The nerves are slowly eased down, to just butterflies, by the time youre at full speed.

She says people would be surprised about how safe stunts are: Of course, theyre still dangerous. Being on fire or jumping from a building is always going to be dangerous. But days and weeks of prep work and planning go into even the smallest stunt. Every risk is assessed and considered. Stunt teams work tirelessly to build in safety measures and protocols to limit the danger.

She has always felt perfectly safe when performing: You trust your team, you trust your training, you trust yourself.

Like Hogan, Johnson speaks of the deep trust thats a core part of her work.

Ive done 25-30 second burns, where when the burn is finished, the costume is completely burnt through, she says. Stunts are timed down to seconds, to determine how far you can push the limit. Ive been grateful to work with some incredibly talented stunt coordinators and stunt teams. So when it comes down to that moment of taking the risk or taking the jump or going on fire, you completely trust everyone around you.

Trust and safety prep aside, the skill, prowess and sheer bravery of stunt performers is undisputed. Sometimes whats depicted is violence so vicious its hard not to avert your gaze. But still, we try to remember, its only acting.
In mid-July 2016, construction machinery for a new childrens hospital arrived, amid much fanfare, at a building site in Dublin. Parents of children with scoliosis hoped it was the beginning of the end of waiting lists.

Seven years later, as pressure builds in overcrowded hospitals, some frustrated parents have taken matters into their own hands by using connections to European public health systems to have their children treated.

Little Daithi Nickstrom was born in Mullingar, but had spinal fusion surgery for congenital scoliosis in his mothers homeland of Finland last year.

His parents, Dan and Paulina, were told by a midwife during their pregnancy of a possible health condition.

We were thinking it was probably scoliosis, but we were not sure until he had an X-ray," said Dan.

He got that X-ray at three days old.

The results were sent to the children's hospital in Crumlin.

Weeks and weeks went by, nothing, then it turns out it was lost in the post, said Dan. It had to be sent again.

Five months later, a consultants secretary phoned to say Daithi was being put on the "urgent list".

But it was eight months later when they first met a consultant in Crumlin, by which time they had already been to Finland and Daithi had received care and further X-rays.

On account of us not being resident in Finland then, we had to make a private appointment, but we were seen and they referred us straight to the public system.

Dan and Paulina with Daithi.

For a short period, they were listed in both the Irish and Finnish systems until waiting lists here, and other personal reasons, made them reassess their living arrangements.

Dan recalled waiting for three hours in Crumlin after arriving for a scheduled appointment, trying to entertain Daithi in a crowded hallway.

Its busy, he said.

The surgeon comes in and they are doing amazing work in a system that is not fit for purpose.

"You could tell by him that he was flat to the mat, he was a very nice guy and you could tell he was trying to get through his list.

In the Helsinki New Children's Hospital, X-ray appointments were typically followed 15 minutes later by a meeting with the consultant, he said.

Its a lovely new hospital, and I was literally in and out in half an hour and it all just worked like clockwork, he said.

They built a new childrens hospital in 2018. It was built for around 170m.

"I was doing some analysis, its less than half the size of Dublins children's hospital but its around one-13th of the price, and it opened on time.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Simon Harris turn the sod on the National Childrens Hospital in 2017. The cost overrun for the hospital has placed the Government and Mr Harris under severe political pressure. Picture: Irish Times

"Then last year, they opened another childrens hospital in their second city, Turku.

The family moved to Finland in mid-2021. Daithis surgery was in August 2022, without the cancellations that are typical of Ireland's public health system.

Dan points to the use of electronic health records as another difference, saying they had precise details of the four-hour surgery on a mobile app before their son was in the recovery room.

We were lucky enough to have the option to move, and we had other reasons to come over as well, he said.

And most importantly, he added: Daithi is great now, hes perfect, hes 100%.

Loannes story

Another couple, from Galway, Christelle and Shane Ward, has a similar story, opting to use connections to Christelle's home in France for their daughter Loannes spinal surgery for scoliosis.

When Loanne was first diagnosed in June 2020, we were told straight away she would need surgery, because it was so advanced already, said Christelle.

We decided to go to France for a second opinion because we knew about the waiting lists in Ireland.

Both Irish and French hospitals initially advised waiting some months as Loanne, now 14, was considered too young for the surgery that she needed.

So at that stage, we decided to stay in Ireland, but the problem was she was on the waiting list for a follow-up appointment, and then we realised that she had deteriorated much faster than we thought she would, said Christelle.

We got an appointment for pre-op in May 2021, but the cyberattack on the health services happened and it got cancelled.

Within two months, the degree of curvature in Loannes spine reached 115 degrees deviation from 64 degrees when first diagnosed.

A montage of Xrays from Loanne Ward; June 2020 at diagnosis of scoliosis, September 2021 during pre-op, and July 2022.

Even this did not put her at the top of the list, Christelle said, remembering being told: She could still be waiting six months.

Around this time, French citizens could return home for medical treatment without restrictions as part of covid measures.

Loanne is both Irish and French, so we were able to come back to France and be straight away in the medical system, she said.

Loanne was first treated for five weeks with halo-gravity traction which can help stretch the spine.

This is also offered in Ireland, but the difference in France is that the family knew an operation would quickly follow as they were in an elective centre, without the risk of emergency admissions leading to a cancellation of the procedure.

Ultimately, Shane said: She had halo on February 2, 2022, and spinal fusion along with thoracoplasty  five ribs broken and reset  in March 2022.

Now back in Galway after rehabilitation in France, Loanne is swimming and wearing summer dresses with no physical signs of what she has been through, her mother said.

Shane said: In our experience, the staff in Crumlin were fantastic, and the level of care is very good. But we don't have dedicated theatres so, when you had a date, that was it, you went in and you got sorted, and you knew your place was not going to be taken by an emergency.

'A challenging and disheartening ordeal'

Claire Cahill, co-founder of the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, said children can wait up to two years for a first appointment.

Accessing scoliosis care in Ireland continues to be a challenging and disheartening ordeal, as highlighted in the recent report by the Ombudsman for Children on Ivy's scoliosis treatment, she said.

She described the waiting list of 319 children currently as deeply concerning.

Despite increased funding and assurances from Stephen Donnelly, minister for health, we have seen fewer completed surgeries year to date compared to 2022, she said.

An external clinical review began in December around spinal treatment for children with spina bifida, and Ms Cahill would like the same for scoliosis.

Time is of the essence, and the Government must prioritise the implementation of the ombudsman's recommendations, along with additional measures to address the deep-rooted issues hindering the delivery of timely and accessible scoliosis care, she urged.

The children of Ireland deserve better.

A spokeswoman for Childrens Health Ireland said they acknowledge there are lengthy waiting times for some orthopaedic surgeries and that this is a difficult time for individual children, young people, and their families who are waiting for treatment".

We apologise to our patients and their families who are on our waiting lists, she said. "Direct patient and family contact and communication remain a priority for our staff working with our orthopaedic patients."

The hospital group is taking every possible measure to reduce waiting times for scoliosis treatment, she said.

The Scoliosis and Spina Bifida Action Plan saw a 47% increase in activity last year, with 250 spinal fusions performed annually.

This year, 24 designated beds, a second MRI scanner, additional staff across multiple professions, and more theatre capacity will be added, funded through a Government boost of 19m last year.

Sending suitable patients for private treatment is also continuing, she said.
Private Sean Rooney has been remembered in a dignified and sombre national commemoration for Irelands fallen soldiers and peacekeepers in Cork.

It was the first time the annual National Day of Commemoration Ceremony was held outside of Dublin.

The event in Collins Barracks was held to honour those who died in past wars or on service with the United Nations.

Some 600 people attended the ceremony, including President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Government ministers, Defence Force members, and the families of those who gave their lives for justice, freedom, and peace in the Defence Forces.

President Michael D Higgins bows his head after layig a wreath at the annual National day of Commemoration Ceremony.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that it was "a real privilege" to remember Irish men and women who served overseas and lost their lives overseas.

"It is particularly poignant this year because it comes after the death of Private Sean Rooney in Lebanon, and it does remind us that this is not just about the past, its also about the present, that Irish service men, women, and gardai travel overseas in the cause of peace, in the cause of democracy in the cause of freedom," he said.

People still risk their lives and sadly, sometimes still get killed.

"Thats why I think it is important that we mark this every year."

Irish peacekeeper Pte Sean Rooney was 24 when he died in south Lebanon late last year after a vehicle carrying four soldiers was attacked.

Described as a "wonderful, selfless person, who died doing what he loved, he was due to marry fiancee Holly McConnelogue, 22, in August.

Private Sean Rooney who was killed on active service in Lebanon. Picture: Defence Forces

Bishop of Cork and Ross Fintan Gavin also remembered Pte Rooney at the ceremony.

"As we remember those who gave their lives for justice, freedom, and peace, those who have served on peacekeeping missions with the United Nations, we also remember their families who have suffered and grieved for them, this year, we especially remember Private Sean Rooney, a member of the Defence Forces who lost his life in the line of duty," he said.

Also in attendance was Bobby Raymond, 82, who served with the Irish forces in the Congo, Cyprus, and Lebanon before he retired some 36 years ago.

Marian and Bobby Raymond.

He was serving in the Congo during the infamous and bloody Niemba Massacre in November 1960, in which eight of his comrades were killed.

The Niemba ambush was the first incident in which Irish soldiers serving with the United Nations lost their lives in combat.

Eleven men from A Company of the 33rd Battalion were ambushed by Luba tribesmen, known as Balubas, at a bridge near Niemba in the Congo.

Eight Irish peacekeepers were killed during the incident, while another died in a separate action.

Its great to see the commemoration here today to remember these people, said Mr Raymond.

A native of Faranree in the north side of Cork City, Mr Raymond and his wife Marion are steeped in military family history.

Mrs Raymonds two late brothers, Walter and Danny OSullivan, both served in the Defence Forces and died in retirement.

Theyre with us here today in spirit, she said.

The ceremony is very moving. I lost two brothers who served in the Defence Forces. So theres a lot to take in today.

Retired servicemen Des Keegan, Jim Barry, and Tommy McCarthy who were based in Fermoy.

The Taoiseach said that moving the ceremony to Cork from Dublin for the first time had "gone very well".

"Im really glad that we can mark it in Cork this year," he said.

"This is a beautiful barracks and this is a city with a very rich military history.

"The naval service is based here, one of our largest barracks is here in Cork.

Im of the view that all national events shouldnt be in Dublin."

Leaders of various religous organisations at the annual National day of Commemoration Ceremony.

The ceremony heard prayers from leaders of multiple faiths, including the Right Reverend Dr Sam Mawhinney, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland; Imam Sheikh Hussein Halawa of the Islamic Culture Centre; Lama Dechen, representative of the Irish Buddhist Union; and Fr Viorel Hurjui of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The Band 1 Brigade, conducted by Captain Ben Jacob, accompanied the soaring vocals of soloist Gemma Ni Bhriain.
Humanity is at a crossroads that may be summed up as AI for good v AI gone bad, according to a leading artificial intelligence expert.

I see two futures here, author Professor Gary Marcus told the UNs AI for Good global summit.

In the rosier version, AI revolutionises medicine, helps tackle the climate emergency, and delivers compassionate care to elderly people.

But we could be on the precipice of a bleaker alternative, with out of control cybercrime, devastating conflict, and a descent into anarchy.

Im not saying whats coming; Im saying we need to figure out what were doing, Marcus told the summit.

During the week-long event, ostensibly focused on the positive, delegates heard wide-ranging examples of harnessing AI for the benefit of humanity.

A cast of robot ambassadors, whose roving gazes could feel unnerving face to face, offered new visions for how elderly people could maintain independence for longer or how autistic children could learn about the world without feeling overwhelmed.

Google DeepMinds chief operating officer, Lila Ibrahim, described how the companys protein folding breakthrough could transform medicine. Werner Vogels, the chief technology officer at Amazon, described a machine vision system for tracking 100,000 salmon kept in a pen together to detect disease.

AI-driven fish farming might not be the most heartwarming image, he acknowledged, but could radically reduce the carbon footprint of global food production. In what could be a nod to those who view AI for good as mostly a PR exercise, Vogels noted that cutting-edge technologies have the potential to not only do AI for good, but to do AI for profit at the same time.

Avoiding the negatives

Behind the scenes though, roundtable discussions between diplomats and invited delegates focused less on good AI and more on the pressing issue of how to avoid the bad.

Its not enough if Google is doing a bunch of AI for good. Theyve got to also not be evil, said Prof Joanna Bryson, an ethics and technology expert at the Hertie school in Berlin, who was not attending the conference.

Good and evil might be opposites, but doing good and doing evil are not opposites. You can do both.

This is a risk, some say, even for seemingly positive applications of AI.

A robot, tasked with fetching a coffee, say, may plough down everything and everyone in its path to achieve this narrow goal. ChatGPT, although astonishingly adept with language, appears to make things up all the time.

If humans behaved in this way, youd say they had a kind of psychosis, said Professor Stuart Russell, an AI pioneer at the University of California, Berkeley. But nobody fully understands the internal workings of ChatGPT and it cannot be readily programmed to tell the truth.

Theres nowhere to put that rule in, said Russell.

We know how to make AI that people want, but we dont know how to make AI that people can trust.

The question of how to imbue AI with human values is sometimes referred to as the alignment problem, although it is not a neatly defined computational puzzle that can be resolved and implemented in law. This means that the question of how to regulate AI is a massive, open-ended scientific question  on top of significant commercial, social, and political interests that need to be navigated.

Scientists and some tech companies are looking at these questions in earnest  but in some cases it is a game of catch-up with technologies that have already been deployed. Marcus used his presentation to launch a Centre for the Advancement of Trustworthy AI, which he hopes will act as a Cern-like, philanthropically funded international agency on the theme.

Professor Maja Mataric of the University of Southern California described new research (published on Arxiv) analysing the personalities of large-language models, and how they might be shaped to be prosocial to keep them safe. I dont want a weird personality, she said. Well-designed systems can be good for humanity.

Need for regulation

Others would like to see a tighter focus on AI that is already in widespread use, rather than far-flung scenarios of superhuman intelligence, which may never materialise.

Mass discrimination, the black box problem, data protection violations, large-scale unemployment, and environmental harms  these are the actual existential risks, said Professor Sandra Wachter of the University of Oxford, one of the speakers at the summit.

We need to focus on these issues right now and not get distracted by hypothetical risks. This is a disservice to the people who are already suffering under the impact of AI.

Either way there is a growing consensus, among tech companies and governments, that governance is needed  and quickly.

It should be done pretty fast  within half a year, a year, said Dr Reinhard Scholl of the UNs International Telecommunication Union and co-founder of the AI for Good Summit. People agree that if you have to wait for a few years that would not be good.

Guardian
The EU may be actively considering the introduction of a digital euro, but its clear that citizens still value cash  and they are worried about the privacy and security elements of any proposed digital currency.

More than 40% of respondents to an EU consultation last year said privacy was their single biggest concern about a digital euro. Irish respondents mirrored that average.

Despite the uptick in digital payment methods that came with covid, in 2022, 42% of transactions across the EU were still being made with cash, according to the European Central Bank.

Read More Cash or card? Cashless society begins to take hold

Yet the convenience of cashless has meant increasing numbers of goods and service providers in Ireland  from coffee stalls to the GAA to State services such as the driving licence service  flat-out refuse to handle cash.

A Department of Finance retail banking review published last November stressed that the Irish Central Bank, the Government, and the banking sector have a duty to facilitate cash payments for as long as they are required.

We are family: Kaleidoscope is a pop festival but is also pitched as a family-friendly event with plenty of activities for smallies. Picture: Alf Harvey

In response, Government parties have said access-to-cash legislation is on the cards, with a bill expected before 2023 is out. A national payments strategy is recommended by 2024 to determine whether or not State services such as driving licence and passport fees are permitted to preclude cash.

In March, Cork South-West TD Michael Collins brought a motion to the Dail urging the Government to legally require businesses to accept cash; Mr Collins was among a group of rural TDs including the Healy-Raes and Mattie McGrath who had protested against AIBs abandoned plan to remove cash services from 70 branches.

However, despite support for his motion, Government TDs told Mr Collins that access to cash legislation is imminent and that any additional measures would be superfluous.

Irelands first cashless music festival

Family music and arts festival Kaleidoscope, held in Russborough House in Co Wicklow each summer, became the first big Irish festival to go fully cashless this year, having trialled a wireless tappable wristband in 2019 when 5,000 Tappy wristbands containing an RFID (radio frequency identification) microchip were issued to festivalgoers.

One step beyond: The Tappy Bank RFID wristband used at the Kaleidoscope Festival at Russborough House in Co Wicklow is a bespoke event-specific cashless payment method. Picture: Alf Harvey

One step further than card payments from customers own bank accounts, Tappy is an example of a type of bespoke, event-specific payment system that has been growing in popularity across the UK, Europe, and the US but which has yet to take off in Ireland.

Tappy requires punters to make a temporary online account for the duration of the festival: The online account can be linked to multiple wristbands, meaning a parent can allocate money to individual family members to spend at the festival.

Any unspent money left on the account is refunded on request after the event is over.

In Kaleidoscopes case, this meant waiting until the Tuesday after the festival to claim money back. Punters also have to pay a 1 activation fee per wristband.

Microchipped wristbands

Last year, following the covid-19 hiatus of 2020 and 2021, the festival reverted to accepting cash and card for 2022.

But, for this years festival, from June 30 to July 2, Tappy microchips were back with a bang, built into the festival access wristband for all the nearly 20,000 punters who attended the child-friendly event.

Brian McDermott is co-founder and director of Fuel, a company that co-owns Kaleidoscope alongside Electric Picnic producers Festival Republic. Fuel runs the production end of Kaleidoscope and Mr McDermott has been instrumental in introducing Tappy.

Tap in: Festival director Brian McDermott with an AIB Tappy Bank wristband at Russborough House ahead of Kaleidoscope which took place from June 30 until July 2. Picture: Alf Harvey

He said their tappable wristband system was a big success this year and improved the experience of festivalgoers as well as profitability for onsite vendors including food stalls, bars, and funfair rides.

When you have a captive audience in the one place at the one time but with multiple vendors and multiple ways to enjoy yourself, it made a lot of sense to us to have one method of payment on your wrist that isnt relying on cash which can be lost and needs to be divided up, Mr McDermott told the Irish Examiner.

Advantages to going cashless included less queuing time at stalls due to the speed of transactions, no security concerns for vendors, and the ease with which parents could allocate money to family members, he said.

Social media backlash

However, although the festival initially intended that Tappy be the only payment method onsite in 2023, a social media backlash saw Kaleidoscope organisers announce that card transactions would still be available, and that families could top up their Tappy account with cash by visiting an onsite Tappy Bank.

We did initially position Tappy as an exclusive element and that was on the basis that we wanted everybody to adopt this, Mr McDermott said. We wanted everyone to sign up to it, but we did have card machines ordered.

I'm with the band: Kaleidoscope festivalgoers first paid onsite vendors using the Tappy wristband in 2019 when the Wicklow festival's organisers first rolled it out. File picture: Julien Behal

When we got some negative pushback within hours, we let everyone know that card machines would be available and what had become a little bit negative ended up with no issues at all. There was never any doubt as to whether wed have card machines but we definitely didnt want to have cash at the festival, so it was more a communications thing than anything.

Negative commentary on social media challenged the festivals legal right to decline cash and raised security concerns but Mr McDermott said this commentary was driven by social media users who werent festival attendees, but your usual online trolls with nothing better to do.

The vast majority of the negative commentary was from people who never intended to go to Kaleidoscope anyway, nor did we see them at the festival, he said.

The usual keyboard warriors saw an opportunity to have a pop, and thats what happened.

Security

Despite the Kaleidoscope website saying that the festival had teamed up with AIB for its cashless experience, AIB were only sponsors and were not involved in administering the tappable payment system.

This was done by contractors Weezevent, a French-owned cashless and digital ticketing company that has partnered with many large festivals and events in Europe and the UK, including the 60,000-capacity UK music festival Boomtown.

Weezevents product offers event organisers the ability to track and analyse customer spending and provides statistics on when and where money is being spent, another huge advantage to vendors, Mr McDermott said.

There was no GPS capability activated in the Tappy wristbands used at Kaleidoscope, meaning the location of individual wristband wearers was not being monitored, but the stats interface provided by Weezevent does, in theory, permit an organiser to track exactly what has been purchased where by individual wristbands and accounts.

Mr McDermott says this is not the focus of Kaleidoscopes financial analysis, which instead lets vendors know things like peak times for the sale of different products.

Money, money, money: The Tappy Bank was busy as this year's Kaleidoscope festival got underway on June 30. Picture: Alf Harvey

They get full reports on all their sales and theyll come away from the weekend with far better data than theyve ever had before, he said. They know exactly how many hotdogs they sold at certain times, for example: theyll have a record of that. Data like that is very, very valuable.

In terms of security, Kaleidoscope abides by GDPR rules rules and the data collected to create Tappy accounts, including names and email addresses, is not shared with any third parties or used by the festival for any purposes such as marketing.

Although Electric Picnic, Irelands largest music festival, is not planning an in-house RFID system similar to Tappy at this years festival at the start of September, it is making all concessions cashless and warning vendors not to accept cash.

Is it legal?

Much social media commentary revolves around cash being legal tender but, in terms of the law  as confirmed by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe in a written Dail answer in December 2022  it is currently legal for festivals such as Kaleidoscope and Electric Picnic to go cashless if the festivalgoer is aware they are attending a cashless event at the time they purchase their tickets.

Until access to cash legislation is introduced, credit terms including accepted payment methods are covered by contract law: A customer enters into a contract with the provider of goods or services when they opt to make a purchase and they know the credit terms of the transaction when they choose to make it.

If a business specifies payment must be in a form other than cash, the customer cannot subsequently claim a legal right to pay in cash, even if that cash is legal tender, Mr Donohoe said.

But this could well change under the terms of the still-awaited access-to-cash bill that the Government has committed to: Festivals may find themselves no longer legally permitted to completely refuse cash.

Future generations

As far as Mr McDermott is concerned, he hopes Irish events will adopt more systems similar to Tappy in future, and he thinks their convenience will continue to make them increasingly popular.

This is not about denying anyone their civil liberties, its about making the festival more fun and interesting and giving everyone a good experience and embracing a new technology, he said.

There is always a reluctance in Ireland to step away from the old methods of payment, but I think its about time we move on from that.

At Kaleidoscope we are talking to a generation that will probably view cash very differently; we have a very young audience who are growing up in a digital world and its up to us as event organisers to move with the times.
Sometimes it seems like everything has gone digital  including money.

Want to contact your bank about your mortgage? Use their banking app. Splitting a bill among friends? Scan a QR code on their phone.

We have crypto, with all its ups and downs, and we saw big tech exploring the launch of their own private currencies.

During the pandemic, we saw an acceleration in the use of digital transactions.

Yet, in Ireland  as in other EU Member States  we have a strong attraction to cash, even if we have adopted strong digital habits too.

Recently, the European Commission adopted two proposals that respond to this increasingly digital world, one to ensure that cash continues to be available, the other to allow for the introduction of a digital euro.

We have been working with the European Central Bank (ECB) on the digital euro project  on how to provide euros in digital format  for some time.

CBDCs

We are not alone in this. Around the world over 100 central banks are also exploring launching Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

So the concept of a CBDC is not entirely new. What is new is the proposed legislation that would underpin the design of a digital euro, including how it would be rolled out. But we know that many of us (60%) want to continue to be able to use cash. Yet bank branches are fewer and so too are ATMs, making it difficult to get hold of or even use hard cash.

Our proposal on cash will require Member States to monitor what is happening on the ground and take action where there are unjustified barriers to accessing and using cash. We are leaving this up to Member States because there are significant differences across the EU around cash usage. And Member States are better placed to reflect local preferences and needs.

Already the debate about cash is taking place in Ireland and across the EU.

Its important that these two proposals on euro cash and digital euro go hand in hand, strengthening access to and the option to use cash, and providing for the digital complement to cash.

It is for the ECB to decide whether to launch a digital euro or not, but it is our responsibility as the EU Commission to provide the legislation that would underpin the project. This process ensures democratic oversight of the development by the European Parliament and Member States.

Like euro cash, the digital euro would have legal tender status as a means of payment. If you already make digital payments using your smartphone wallet, a digital euro would be an additional way to pay, using euro in a digital format that is issued by the central bank. Think of it as cash in electronic form.

A digital euro would have benefits for payment service providers too, who could use the standards of the digital euro for their own instant payment solutions  making it easier for them to grow and expand from a national market into the whole of the EU single market.

And it would also mean that when youre travelling to another EU country, you wouldnt have to worry about finding an ATM, or worry about how much the ATM might charge you, or whether your payment card works. Instead, you could use your digital euros.

Best of both worlds

Our proposal provides for both online and offline use.

So if your internet connection went down, you would still be able to pay another person, or pay for something close to you.

And you wouldnt necessarily need to have a bank account to use the digital euro. The digital euro will not only be distributed by banks, but also by other payment service providers including public entities like the post office.

Some have raised concerns about privacy  asking if the ECB would know what we are spending our digital euros on. The answer is no. The ECB would not know or have access to this information.

For an online payment with a digital euro, the information you share with your bank or another provider would be the same as for existing electronic or card payments. For offline payments, this would be similar to an ATM cash withdrawal  the payment service providers can only see how much goes in and out of your digital wallet but they would not see the detail of your transactions.

And for those who raise concerns about programmable money, the ECB would not be able to restrict the use of a digital euro to stop you from using it for certain purposes.

Above all else, it would be our choice to use the digital euro or not. Just as it is with cash. But we believe that the digital euro will provide added value for citizens and that will encourage usage.

Our proposal for a digital euro raises lots of questions, as it should.

The motto of be prepared is important here. While cash is king, its use is in decline so we must address this if we are to keep the option of cash available for use.

Our work on the digital euro, along with the ECB, is to ensure that we prepare, not for now, but for the future.

The euro is the currency of the EU: a symbol of the EUs strength, solidarity, and prosperity, and it is the second-largest currency globally. Support for the euro in Ireland is 80%, above the EU average.

With our recent proposals on both physical and digital forms of the euro, we are future-proofing the currency for generations to come.

To stand idly by and not propose a digital euro would be a dereliction of duty.

We have done the work, with the ECB. Now we need to listen to the debates in parliaments, in homes, and in workplaces.

Mairead McGuinness: You wouldnt necessarily need to have a bank account to use the digital euro.
There is a new family of chemicals to worry about. They are invisible, tasteless and odorless  and, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, theyre linked to cancer, high cholesterol, thyroid disease and other serious conditions.

The initials may vary  PFNA, PFOS or PFOA  but many experts believe a group of chemicals known collectively as PFAS share potentially deadly impacts on human health.

The EPA calls them emerging contaminants, and theyre known scientifically as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. Another name for them is forever chemicals, because they do not degrade over time. A new study by the U.S. Geological Survey reports PFAS in at least 45% of the nations tap water. That includes Western New York tap water.

Clearly, regional drinking water systems must be rigorously monitored by municipal agencies for this new danger. Further regulations may be necessary and there are definitely ways residents can protect themselves and their families.

Mayville residents in Chautauqua County had to resort to bottled water when PFNA was found in the villages source wells in 2020. The chemical is now gone, thanks to a new, uncontaminated well and the addition of a treatment system, but residents are worried about the long-term effects of what they unknowingly consumed. Its speculated that the source of the PFNA contamination in the Mayville wells was aqueous film-forming foam, a fire suppressant area firefighters were training with from 2014 to 2018 at an emergency services complex in the village. If so, there could have been as much as six years of exposure for these residents.

Fire-fighting foam is only one of the many uses of these chemicals, which also go into stain-resistant clothing, moisture-resistant packaging and nonstick cookware.

Were not going to get rid of them  at least not in the near future  but we can protect against them.

Monitoring: Whether a village of less than 2,000 or an urban center with more than 200,000, its important for municipalities to regularly monitor for the presence of PFAS. If concerning levels are found, there are treatment systems that can filter them out. New York State already requires such monitoring for PFOS and PFOA and more monitoring and notification laws are on the way.

Regulation: A rule now proposed by the EPA would require manufacturers to report many products that contain PFAS. States are already acting. Maine has passed a law that will ban all avoidable uses of PFAS by 2030. In New York, PFOA and PFOS have been regulated as hazardous substances since 2016, and PFAS in food packaging are prohibited. More laws are likely needed.

Protective action by residents: Annual quality reports from water suppliers are required by state law and can be requested if they are not already provided. For those who arent content with their water remaining below maximum contaminant levels, water filters that use activated carbon treatment and reverse-osmosis treatment are the most studied and effective PFAS removal options, according to the EPA.

Lifes conveniences often come with a toxic price. At one point, DDT seemed like a great idea. But now we know. With awareness, vigilance must follow.
A protester has attempted to disrupt the wedding of former British chancellor George Osborne to his long-term partner by throwing orange confetti at them as they left the church following the service.

The woman ambushed Mr Osborne, 52, and his new bride Thea Rogers, 40, outside the 14th Century St Marys Church in the Somerset village of Bruton and quickly fled smiling after being approached by security.

Environmental campaign group Just Stop Oil, renowned for its disruptive stunts, retweeted a video of the incident, saying: You look good in orange George Osborne  congratulations to the newlyweds.

The tweet was condemned by former home secretary Priti Patel, who accused Just Stop Oil of being shameful, attention seeking, disrespectful low life.

Around 200 people, including a string of well-known politicians and journalists, attended the wedding amid a mystery over an email apparently sent to guests.

Among the guests attending were former British prime minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha, former chancellor Sajid Javid and Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove.

Also present were Lord Hague and his wife Ffion, former British health secretary Matt Hancock, ex-governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, as well as Labour heavyweight Ed Balls and his wife Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary.

As well as politicians there were a host of well-known journalists.

They included Today Programme host Nick Robinson, former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, ex-BBC correspondent Jon Sopel, former Sky News political editor Adam Boulton with his wife Anji Hunter, an adviser in Downing Street under Sir Tony Blair, and Mariella Frostrup.

Mr Osborne was not seen arriving at the church ahead of the service, but Ms Rogers walked through the churchyard to claps from well-wishers.

Among the wedding guests for former prime minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The service, which lasted nearly an hour, included music from Beethovens Ode To Joy and Hubert Parrys Jerusalem.

After the smiling couple, who have two children together and own property in Bruton, emerged from the church as the bells rang, to pose for photographs.

Suddenly a smartly dressed woman walked up to the newlyweds and showered them with orange confetti from a Union flag paper bag.

Mr Osborne looked behind him as she approached the couple before throwing the confetti over the groom.

The grey-haired woman, in a floral dress and pale coloured jacket, emptied the bag of confetti near the couple before she left after being spoken to by two men.

They looked puzzled, but did not appear to speak to the woman, who fled quickly when approached by journalists.

The orange confetti appeared to be similar to that scattered by Just Stop Oil protesters at Wimbledon on Wednesday.

As guests left the church, they lined up outside to cheer and throw confetti at the newly married couple as they walked down the path to their wedding car.

There were claps and cheers as the newly married couple left the church (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The couples wedding comes amid a riddle over an email sent earlier this week to many of the invited wedding guests as well as some journalists.

After quitting the House of Commons, Mr Osborne became editor of the Evening Standard newspaper.

The town of Bruton has been dubbed the Notting Hill of the West due to the number of celebrities living there.
US treasury secretary Janet Yellen has said she agreed Washington will listen to Chinese complaints about security-related curbs on US technology exports and may respond to unintended consequences as she ended a visit to Beijing aimed at reviving strained relations.

Ms Yellen defended targeted measures on trade that Chinas leaders complain are aimed at hurting its fledgling tech industries. She said the Biden administration wants to avoid unnecessary repercussions but gave no indication of possible changes.

Relations between the two biggest economies are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes about technology, security and other issues.

US treasury secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference in Beijing on Sunday (Mark Schiefelbein/AP/PA)

We will open up channels so that they can express concerns about our actions, and we can explain and possibly in some situations respond to unintended consequences of our actions, Ms Yellen said at a news conference.

Ms Yellen talked with Chinas number two leader, Premier Li Qiang, and other officials during 10 hours of meetings. She had a five-hour session on Saturday with her Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Treasury officials said in advance there were no plans for her to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Ms Yellen received a warm welcome and prominent coverage by the state press, but Chinese officials gave no sign they would change industrial or other policies that Washington and other governments say violate Beijings free-trade commitments.

On Saturday, Mr He said Washington should adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude to improve relations.

On Sunday, Ms Yellen announced no agreements on major disputes or plans for future activity but said her department and Chinese officials would have more frequent and regular communication.

US-Chinese political strains are adding to uncertainty that is dampening the willingness of consumers and businesses to spend and invest.

Chinas economic growth rebounded to 4.5% in the first quarter of 2023 from last years 3% after anti-virus controls on travel and business activity were lifted in December. But factory activity and consumer spending decelerated in the quarter ending in June.

Chinas Vice Premier He Lifeng attends a meeting with US treasury secretary Janet Yellen at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing (Pedro Pardo/Pool Photo via AP/PA)

Mr Xi accused Washington in March of trying to hold back Chinas industrial development.

Beijing has been slow to retaliate for US technology restrictions, possibly to avoid disrupting its own industries.

But three days before Ms Yellens arrival, the government announced unspecified controls on exports of gallium and germanium, metals used in making semiconductors and solar panels. China is the biggest producer of both.

Ms Yellen said she tried to reassure officials Washington doesnt want to decouple or separate its economy from China, while it tries to de-risk trade.

The Biden administration is pressing semiconductor makers to move production to the US to reduce reliance on Taiwan and other Asian suppliers, which is seen as a security risk.

Washington wants to develop alternatives to Chinese supplies of rare earth elements, metals used in smartphones, wind turbines and other products.

They have expressed some concern that de-risking amounts to decoupling, Ms Yellen said. She said she tried to assure my Chinese counterparts that this is by no means the same thing.

The de-risking involves attention to clearly articulated and narrowly targeted national security concerns, as well as broader concern with diversifying our supply chains, which the United States is doing in a few important sectors, she said.

Throughout her visit, Ms Yellen appealed for healthy economic competition, a reference to complaints Beijing violates its free-trade commitments by subsidising and shielding politically favoured industries from private and foreign competition.

Ms Yellen said she had expressed concern to Chinese officials about coercive activities against US companies.

That follows raids on consulting firms and the detention of staff members without explanation and what the US government says is arbitrary detention or prohibitions on people leaving China that some complain are used to pressure them in business disputes.

Chinese leaders are trying to revive investor interest, but foreign companies are uneasy about their status after Mr Xi and other officials called for economic self-reliance.

The ruling party has also expanded an anti-spying law that has fuelled uncertainty about what law firms or consultants can do.

On Saturday, Ms Yellen appealed to Mr He for cooperation on climate change, the debt burdens of developing countries and other global challenges. She said their governments should not let disagreements about trade and security derail economic and financial relations.

Beijing broke off climate discussions with Washington last August in retaliation for a visit by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the House of Representatives to Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by China as part of its territory.

President Joe Bidens climate envoy, John Kerry, is due to become the next senior official to visit China next week. China and the US are the worlds top emitters of climate-changing carbon.

China signed an agreement last month to restructure the debt of Zambia, including billions of dollars lent under Beijings Belt and Road Initiative to build ports and other infrastructure across Asia and Africa. Treasury officials pointed to that as successful cooperation.
South Korean opposition politicians sharply criticised the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog for its approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant during a tense meeting in Seoul on Sunday.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agencys director general, arrived in South Korea over the weekend to engage with government officials and critics and help reduce public concerns about food safety.

The planned release of the Fukushima plants treated wastewater emerged as a major political issue in South Korea after the IAEA last week approved the Japanese discharge plans, saying the process would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, right, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea (Ahn Young-joon/AP/PA)

South Koreas government has also endorsed the safety of the Japanese plans, saying that the contamination levels of water pumped out from the plant would be within acceptable standards and would not meaningfully affect South Korean seas as long as the plants treatment systems work as designed.

In his meeting with visiting members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Koreas parliament, Mr Grossi said the IAEAs review of the Japanese plans was based on transparent and scientific research.

He acknowledged concerns over how the Japanese plans would play out in actuality and said the IAEA would establish a permanent office in Fukushima to monitor closely how the discharge process is implemented over the next three decades.

The politicians responded by harshly criticising IAEAs review, which they say neglected long-term environmental and health impacts of the wastewater release and threatens to set a bad precedent that may encourage other countries to dispose nuclear waste into sea.

They called for Japan to scrap the discharge plans and work with neighbouring countries to find safer ways to handle the wastewater, including a possible pursuit of long-term storage on land.

Protesters stage a rally against Japanese governments plan to release treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear power plant, at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea on Sunday (Ahn Young-joon/AP/PA)

The party has also criticised the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for putting peoples health at risk while trying to improve relations with Japan.

If you think (the treated wastewater) is safe, I wonder whether you would be willing to suggest the Japanese government use that water for drinking or for industrial and agricultural purposes, rather than dumping it in the sea, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party politician told Mr Grossi.

The party said Mr Woo has been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days to protest against the Japanese discharge plans.

Further details from the meeting were not immediately available after reporters were asked to leave following opening statements.

Mr Grossi was to fly to New Zealand later on Sunday and would then travel to the Cook Islands as he further tries to reassure countries in the region about the Japanese plans.

Dozens of protesters shouted in a nearby hall while holding signs denouncing the IAEA and Japan.

Hundreds of demonstrators had also marched in Seoul on Saturday demanding that Japan scrap its discharge plans. Those protests provided a tense backdrop to a meeting between Mr Grossi and South Korean foreign minister Park Jin, who called for IAEAs active cooperation in reassuring the South Korean public.

The IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi met opposition Democratic Party members at the National Assembly in Seoul (Ahn Young-joon/AP/PA)

The safety of Fukushimas wastewater has been a sensitive issue for years between the US allies. South Korea and Japan have been working in recent months to repair relations long strained over wartime historical grievances to address shared concerns such as the North Korean nuclear threat and Chinas assertive foreign policy.

South Koreas assessment about the safety of the discharge plan was partially based on observations by a team of government scientists who were allowed to tour the Fukushima plant in May.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had agreed to that visit during a May 7 summit with Yoon in Seoul, in a show of his desire for improved ties.

In a statement released by state media on Sunday, North Korea also criticised the Japanese discharge plans, warning against fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment resulting from the discharge of nuclear-polluted water.

The statement, which was attributed to an unidentified official in North Koreas Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, also criticised Washington and Seoul for backing the Japanese plans.

What matters is the unreasonable behavior of IAEA actively patronising and facilitating Japans projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable, it said. Worse still, the US and (South) Korea openly express unseemly welcome to Japans discharge plan that deserves condemnation and rejection, provoking strong anger of the public.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plants cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the facility, has been storing the treated water in hundreds of tanks that now cover most of the plant and are nearly full.

Japanese officials say the tanks must be removed to make room to build facilities for the plants decommissioning and to minimise the risk of leaks in case of another major disaster. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons in early 2024.

Japan first announced plans to discharge the treated water into the sea in 2018, saying the water will be further diluted by seawater before being released in a carefully controlled process that will take decades to complete.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, Natos much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The worlds biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member.

Military spending by member nations still lags behind longstanding goals. And an inability to compromise over who should serve as Natos next leader forced an extension of the current secretary generals term for an extra year.

There are questions over how Ukraine should be eased into the alliance. Some maintain admitting Ukraine to Nato would be the fulfilment of a promise made years ago and a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others are fearful it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, with Swedens prime minister, Ulf Kristersson (Burhan Ozbilici/AP/PA)

The challenges come at a moment when US President Joe Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance, said Douglas Lute, who served as US ambassador to Nato under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

You dont want to present any openings, Mr Lute said. You dont want to present any gaps or seams.

Members of the alliance have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its ongoing counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become Natos 31st member.

I think its appropriate to look at all the success, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview with The Associated Press. So I think the invasion has strengthened Nato  exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated.

He noted Germanys shift toward a more robust defence policy as well as other countries increase in military spending.

The US announced on Friday it will provide Ukraine with the controversial cluster munitions.

Such a bomb poses a higher risk of civilian harm as it opens in the air releasing smaller bomblets across a wide area, hitting multiple targets simultaneously. Ukraine has promised to use them carefully.

In a statement on Saturday evening, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni  one of Western Europes staunchest backers of Ukraine in the war  reiterated her countrys condemnation of the Russian aggression but called for the universal application of the principles of the international convention banning the production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wants countries to abide by the terms of that convention and so as a result, of course, he does not want there to be continued use of cluster munitions on the battlefield.

But the ongoing war has allowed other challenges to fester or bubble to the surface.

In particular, Nato leaders said in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but little action has been taken toward that goal. Mr Putin occupied parts of the country in 2014 and then attempted to capture Kyiv in 2022.

A grey zone is a green light for Putin, said Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland, and now a fellow at the Atlantic Council.

US President Joe Biden with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Susan Walsh/AP/PA)

The US and Germany insist the focus should be supplying weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine win the current conflict, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join Nato.

However, countries on Natos Eastern flank  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  want firmer assurances on future membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing for that as well. During a visit to Prague on Thursday, he said the ideal result of the Vilnius summit would be an invitation for his country to join the alliance.

Jake Sullivan, Mr Bidens national security adviser, described the summit as an important moment on that pathway toward membership and that allies need to discuss the reforms that are still necessary for Ukraine to come up to Nato standards.

Nato could use the occasion to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the Nato-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

We dont want members who arent interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle blocking Swedens attempts to join Nato alongside its neighbour Finland.

Mr Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey. However, a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Mr Erdogan signalled that this would pose another obstacle.

He equated those who permitted the crime to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the US are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Mr Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Mr Biden says that Swedens Nato membership has to be dealt with first.

Mr Sullivan said the US is confident that Sweden will join Nato in the not-too-distant future, but it is unclear if the matter will be resolved during the summit.

It is not the first time that Mr Erdogan has used a Nato summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said there is growing frustration among allies toward Mr Erdogan, building on concerns about his ties to Mr Putin, democratic backsliding and sanctions evasion.

Theyve tried playing nice, Mr Bergmann said. The question is whether its time to get much more confrontational.

Hungarian Prime Minister Vitkor Orban is also delaying his countrys approval of Swedens membership. In response, Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is blocking a 735 million dollar (572 million) US arms sale to Hungary.

We dont want members who arent interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests, he said. Im just sick and tired of it.

However, Mr Risch rejected the idea that these disagreements are a sign of weakness within Nato.

These are kinds of things that always arise in an alliance, he said. The fact that weve been able to deal with them and will continue to deal with them proves that this is the most successful and strongest military alliance in the history of the world.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenbergs tenure has been extended for another year (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

At least one potentially flammable item has been taken off the summit agenda. Rather than seek consensus on a new Nato leader, members agreed to extend Jens Stoltenbergs tenure for a year. He has had the job since 2014, and it is the fourth time that his time in office has been extended.

More disagreements loom over Natos updated plans for countering any invasion that Russia might launch on allied territory. It is the biggest revision since the Cold War, and Skip Davis, a former Nato official who is now a senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said it could involve lots of arm wrestling and card trading.

Thats an issue that will cause tension and dissent, and thats not what the Vilnius summit is all about, he said.
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As most of their fellow college students head off to safer homes, Anastasiia Horova and Yaroslav Malynych are among 11 Ukrainian students at DYouville who had to make tough choices about how to spend their holiday break this year.
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by Staff Reporter

THE US$17 million student accommodation complex in Bulawayo that is expected to house more than 1 000 students is ready for occupation with the Government saying it will ensure the project is replicated in all areas with tertiary institutions to alleviate accommodation problems.The facility is self-contained as it will have fast food outlets, shops, salons and sporting facilities. Fears have, however, been raised on the rental charges, with students and colleges contending that the uptake of accommodation by students was going to be dependent more on affordability.Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira stressed in an interview the need to take into account the pertinent issue of cost, adding that the rentals will however, not be out of reach of students. The complex, which is a joint venture project comprising the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ), Old Mutual, Zimnat, and Mining Industry Pension Funds, is a multi-purpose three-block of flats complex dubbed "Bulawayo Students City" which has 516 rooms that are expected to accommodate 1 023 students. It will be open to all tertiary students in the city from various institutions.It is located near the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), and is expected to be replicated in areas where there are universities, with Lupane expected to be the second beneficiary of such a facility. Posting on their Twitter handle on Thursday, Old Mutual Zimbabwe said: "Exciting news! ZimCampus Students Accommodation has opened its doors for the upcoming semester at the Bulawayo Students Accommodation Complex. Located on Gwanda Road, right across from the National University of Science and Technology. It's also conveniently close to the Theological College of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe School of Mines, Bulawayo Polytechnic College and Bulawayo CBD. The accommodation is suitable for both genders and our complex is a one-stop shop, offering a range of retail stores to meet the diverse needs of students. Don't miss out on this great opportunity!"Prof Murwira told Sunday News that Government under the Second Republic, had embarked on several major infrastructural development projects countrywide, with students accommodation being one of the major components under his ministry."The Government and the private sector are working tirelessly to ensure student accommodation provision, so anything that alleviates our students' plights in terms of accommodation is extremely important to us. The development of decent accommodation provision for our students is exactly the aim of President Mnangagwa and the spirit of the Second Republic when it comes to infrastructural development and we have the involvement of the private sector," said Prof Murwira.The Minister said when they did an infrastructure needs survey in 2018, it was noted that accommodation facilities were not appropriate for enrolments and inadequate for the increasing number of students at tertiary institutions."Appropriate infrastructure is critical for a conducive learning environment. Decent accommodation for students and staff accommodation becomes a prerequisite and we are hoping that it is going to be affordable. In March 2018 we met the private sector trying to entice them to start working on the infrastructure development strategy which is a Government policy. While it is being implemented at different paces, as these things take time, we are actually in the right direction which is better than taking time doing nothing," he added.The Bulawayo Students City, which is situated in Selborne Park, was first mooted in 2016 under a programme called the University Students and Staff Accommodation Programme (USSAP). In terms of other key development, Minister Murwira said the Government was spearheading the country's economic transformation with institutions of higher learning playing a leading role.He said the introduction of Heritage-based Education 5.0 (teaching, research, community engagement, innovation and industrialisation) had seen the production of goods and services in the country as opposed to just churning out graduates who have no capacity or entrepreneurial skills to create jobs. The completion of the student hostels comes at a time Bulawayo Province has scored big in terms of development in the last five years after completing 163 signature projects out of 230 as of December 2022 with the Second Republic committing to further accelerate the modernisation of the city.
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By Kimberley Reid, Monash University | 

(The Conversation)  In the past few weeks, climate records have shattered across the globe. July 4 was the hottest global average day on record, breaking the new record set the previous day. Average sea surface temperatures have been the highest ever recorded and Antarctic sea ice extent the lowest on record.

Also on July 4, the World Meteorological Organization declared El Nino had begun, setting the stage for a likely surge in global temperatures and disruptive weather and climate patterns.

So whats going on with the climate, and why are we seeing all these records tumbling at once?

Against the backdrop of global warming, El Nino conditions have an additive effect, pushing temperatures to record highs. This has combined with a reduction in aerosols, which are small particles that can deflect incoming solar radiation. So these two factors are most likely to blame for the record-breaking heat, in the atmosphere and in the oceans.

Its not just climate change

The extreme warming we are witnessing is in large part due to the El Nino now occurring, which comes on top of the warming trend caused by humans emitting greenhouse gases.

El Nino is declared when the sea surface temperature in large parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean warms significantly. These warmer-than-average temperatures at the surface of the ocean contribute to above-average temperatures over land.

The last strong El Nino was in 2016, but we have released 240 billion tonnes of CO into the atmosphere since then.

El Nino doesnt create extra heat but redistributes the existing heat from the ocean to the atmosphere.



Dana Nuccitelli, using data from Berkeley Earth, author provided



The ocean is massive. Water covers 70% of the planet and is able to store vast amounts of heat due to its high specific heat capacity. This is why your hot water bottle stays warm longer than your wheat pack. And, why 90% of the excess heat from global warming has been absorbed by the ocean.

Ocean currents circulate heat between the Earths surface, where we live, and the deep ocean. During an El Nino, the trade winds over the Pacific Ocean weaken, and the upwelling of cold water along the Pacific coast of South America is reduced. This leads to warming of the upper layers of the ocean.

Higher than usual ocean temperatures along the equator were recorded in the first 400m of the Pacific Ocean throughout June 2023. Since cold water is more dense than warm water, this layer of warm water prevents colder ocean waters from penetrating to the surface. Warm ocean waters over the Pacific also lead to increased thunderstorms, which further release more heat into the atmosphere via a process called latent heating.

This means that the build up of heat from global warming that had been hiding in the ocean during the past La Nina years is now rising to the surface and demolishing records in its wake.



Bureau of Meteorology, Author provided



An absence of aerosols across the Atlantic

Another factor likely contributing to the unusual warmth is a reduction in aerosols.

Aerosols are small particles that can deflect incoming solar radiation. Pumping aerosols into the stratosphere is one of the potential geoengineering methods that humanity could invoke to lessen the impacts of global warming. Although stopping greenhouse gas emissions would be much better.

But the absence of aerosols can also increase temperatures. A 2008 study concluded that 35% of year-to-year sea surface temperature changes over the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Hemisphere summer could be explained by changes in Saharan dust.

Saharan dust levels over the Atlantic Ocean have been unusually low lately.

On a similar note, new international regulations of sulphur particles in shipping fuels were introduced in 2020, leading to a global reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions (and aerosols) over the ocean. But the long-term benefits of reducing shipping emissions far outweighs the relatively small warming effect.

This combination of factors is why global average surface temperature records are tumbling.

Are we at the point of no return?

In May this year, the World Meteorological Organization declared a 66% chance of global average temperatures temporarily exceeding 1.5 above pre-industrial levels within the next five years.

This prediction reflected the developing El Nino. That probability is likely higher now, since El Nino has developed.

It is worth noting that temporarily exceeding 1.5 does not mean we have reached 1.5 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change standards. The latter describes a sustained average global temperature anomaly of 1.5, rather than a single year, and is likely to occur in the 2030s.



Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

This temporary exceedance of 1.5 will give us an unfortunate preview of what our planet will be like in the coming decades. Although, younger generations may find themselves dreaming of a balmy 1.5 given current greenhouse emissions policies put us on track for 2.7 warming by the end of the century.

So we are not at the point of no return. But the window of time to avert dangerous climate change is rapidly shrinking, and the only way to avert it is by severing our reliance on fossil fuels.

Kimberley Reid, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Atmospheric Sciences, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
( Middle East Monitor )  Once again, the extreme religious right in Israel demonstrates its never-ending racism, violence and inhumanity towards the Palestinian people. Once again, the current Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrates that it is the direct political expression of the madness of religious extremism, which considers settlement expansion in East Jerusalem and the West Bank an existential issue, and promotes criminal practices, the essence of which is the expulsion of Palestinians from their cities and towns and depriving them of their basic rights as a policy that serves Greater Israel.

The attacks on the Jenin camp and the ongoing settlement expansion practices are not surprising. Israeli polices attacks on worshippers and those in seclusion in Al-Aqsa Mosque and their expulsion in order for groups of religious extremists to storm it was nothing but a crime that is repeated annually during the holy month of Ramadan and outside of Ramadan as well.

The killings in Jenin, settlement expansion and the attacks around Al-Aqsa are the reality of the organic alliance between the extreme religious right and the Netanyahu government. Continued settlement and the persecution of Palestinians are unquestionable, just as the judicial reforms (or the revolution as the right calls it) demonstrates the agreement of the two parties to give priority to the Jewishness of Israel over the liberal democratic nature of the political system that was established in 1948. It maintained a balance between the legislative, executive and judicial powers, and guaranteed Jewish citizens (not Arabs in the areas occupied in 1948) basic rights and freedoms.

While many Jewish citizens who fear that Israel is being hijacked by the extreme religious right have expressed their rejection of the judicial reforms through which the Netanyahu government is trying to abolish the independence of the judiciary, they did not show the same interest in condemning the racism and violence of the right-wing towards Palestinians and the governments involvement in ignoring settler crimes (in Huwara, for example) or enabling them (the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque, for example). The citizens of Israel who protest in defence of democracy, the balance between powers, the rule of law, and in rejection of a state dominated by the religious right, those who gather in the squares and streets to protest against the policies and decisions of the Netanyahu government, do so in defence of their basic rights and freedoms, which they never seriously pressured the government to guarantee for the Palestinians within the borders of the areas occupied in 1948, in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which have been occupied since 1967, or the Gaza Strip, which Israel has besieged. Instead, they are supporting democracy and the rule of law in the squares and streets of Tel Aviv is support for the rights and freedoms that the Jewish citizens have always enjoyed and that the Palestinians have always been denied.

It is the support of liberal values that the Netanyahu government is trying to get rid of so that the right-wing can do what they like regarding the Jewishness of the state and the oppression of Palestinians. It is also so Netanyahu can remain in power without repeated prosecution. In this contradiction between a desperate defence of liberal democracy inside Israel and an acceptance of racism, violence and persecution towards the Palestinian people who have long been left to the crimes of settlement, displacement and siege, lies the existential weakness of secularist, liberal and the progressive left-wing groups which protest against the judicial reforms of Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, and their allies and do not object to the crimes committed against the Palestinians.

Therefore, as soon as some rockets were launched towards Israel from southern Lebanon a few weeks ago, Netanyahu ordered the Israeli army to attack Gaza. The military attack on Gaza to ward off the danger of the Palestinian factions generally represents a meeting point between right-wing supporters and Netanyahu and his democratic and secular opponents. At the present moment, and after weeks of intense polarisation due to the judicial reforms, an optimal strategy is emerging to restore some societal consensus and salvage some of the popularity of the current government. Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich and their allies are taking advantage of the democratic, secular and progressive left-wing that combines the audacity of defending the balance of powers and the rule of law and support for the attack on Gaza and the use of excessive force against it. It also combines the concern for the rights and freedoms of Jewish citizens and the acceptance of the complete abolition of the rights and freedoms of Palestinians inside the 1948 borders and in Jerusalem and the West Bank, where they are legally and politically marginalised in the former, and facing settlers and the crimes of expulsion and displacement in the latter.

In other words, as long as Israeli society, with its secularists, progressives and protectors of liberal democracy on the one hand, and its extreme religious right, settler groups and the traditional right-wing elite that are willing to join forces with the devil to stay in power on the other, accepts the continuation of the occupation, settlement, siege and the abolition of rights and freedoms of Palestinians, the right-wing will continue to rise and its efforts to push for the Jewishness of Israel and the crisis of liberal democratic institutions and the rule of law will continue.

Accepting occupation, settlement, assaults and storming of Al-Aqsa as normal matters creates a societal and political environment ready to accommodate extremist ideology and its various consequences. This includes abolishing the independence of the judiciary to changing school and university education systems, the exclusion of secular and progressive Jews and adopting apartheid as the sole policy towards all Palestinians whether inside the 1948 borders or in the territories occupied in 1967.

This article appeared in Arabic in Arabi21 on 4 July 2023

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.

Via Middle East Monitor
State and local governments in Arizona are scheduled to replace about 20,000 vehicles in their fleets over the next decade  and could save $283 million in fuel and maintenance if they replaced them with electric vehicles, a recent report says.

( Cronkite News)  WASHINGTON  Arizona governments could save almost $283 million over the next 10 years if roughly 20,000 gasoline-powered light-duty vehicles in their fleets that are due to be retired were replaced with electric vehicles, according a recent report.

The 38-page report by the Public Interest Research Group said that if state and local governments nationwide made a similar transition, it could save $11 billion in fuel and maintenance costs over the next decade.

Despite the eye-popping numbers, Diane Brown, the executive director of Arizona PIRG Education Fund said the report takes a very conservative view in regards to its findings.

It did not make assumptions on the cost of the EVs decreasing, which we know is the trend. Nor did it factor in potential increases in gas prices which we know have been escalating, Brown said.

We didnt assume anything beyond what is available today, she said.

The report says that more electric vehicles are coming on the market every year and that those models are improving rapidly. It also notes that a new federal program could allow state and local governments to receive a credit of up to $7,500 on a new electric vehicle through a new direct pay mechanism.

About two-thirds of the expected savings would come through lower fuel costs, with the rest coming from reduced maintenance typically required of electric vehicles.

The report, Electric Vehicles Save Money for Government Fleets, does not factor in the cost of additional infrastructure, like EV charging points  a fact that it acknowledges. Brown said that was due to the number of variables involved, like the fact that charging stations can be used by multiple vehicles. That makes it difficult to estimate how many additional charging stations would be needed in Arizona if governments in the state added 20,000 electric vehicles to their fleets.

In addition to the financial savings, a fleet transition would also improve air quality by reducing vehicle emissions, according to the report. It said that Arizona could see a 462,000-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by replacing gas vehicles with electric.

Electric vehicles are a key way of reducing emissions from the transport sector, which represents 28% of US greenhouse gases, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

A National League of Cities official agreed that, like other climate action efforts, investing in electric vehicles is both a sound financial investment and essential for healthy and socially just communities.

Peyton Siler Jones, the NLCs sustainability program director, said in an email that replacing gasoline-fueled vehicles with electric ones is indeed a way of bringing fuel and maintenance costs down. But critical to this shift, she said, is to embed an EV purchasing program within a wider transportation strategy that prioritizes public and active transit and reduces vehicle miles traveled.

This would maximize benefit to all people and minimize environmental harm of extraction, processing and disposal of metals used for EV batteries, she said.

A general concern with increasing the number of EVs in Arizona is how the power grid would cope with the additional demand, particularly at peak times.

Burrell Kilmer, electric vehicle manager with Salt River Project, said it is planning for this future grid already, with the aim of powering 500,000 EVs in Arizona by 2035.

Our goal, and the commitment behind it, is in place to ensure that SRPs grid is ready to support our customers adoption of electric vehicles, Kilmer said in an emailed statement.

We are preparing the grid to accommodate the new electric load as it develops over time, we are implementing programs and pricing plans to enable and empower our customers, and we are supporting our communities efforts to advance clean, zero-emissions transportation across the region, his statement said.

Arizona has 2,935 public charging stations, 14th-most in the nation, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy, which said there are 40,740 electric vehicles registered in the state. That was good enough for seventh-highest among states.

The Biden administration has invested heavily in developing the electric vehicle industry, awarding $2.8 billion last year in grants to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries and strengthen U.S. supply of minerals critical to the industry.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs office did not respond to a request for comment on the report. But Brown called on authorities to act on the reports findings and establish strong local and state plans to save taxpayers even more money.

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Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan invited Ukraines leader, Volodomir Zelensky, to Istanbul for consultations. Zelensky arrived late on Friday and met for two and a half hours with Erdogan at the Vahidettin Palace, the old residence of the last Ottoman emperor.

In remarks after the meeting, Erdogan deplored the continuing war and called for peace talks between the two sides, He opined, There are no losers in a just peace. He also urged a renewal of the Grain Corridor agreement that Turkiye negotiated between the two warring countries, which keeps grain exports flowing despite the war, helping millions of people who depend on Ukrainian and Russian wheat. The grain corridor treaty has been renewed every two months, but Erdogan urged that the term of each agreement be extended to three months and eventually to two years.

Thus far, his remarks were in line with Turkiyes attempt, despite being a member of NATO, to retain a degree of neutrality toward the two sides. For instance, Turkiye has rejected the urging of the United States that it boycott Russia economically.

Turkiye has in fact grown economically closer to Russia, and its energy imports from Moscow have raised the ire of Washington officials who have threatened sanctions against Turkish concerns if they go on this way. Turkish firms have opportunistically rushed in to the Russian market as European and American ones have exited.

Erdogan, however, made it clear that he sided more with Zelensky than with Putin. He noted that Turkiye from the beginning of the conflict has offered help to Ukraine, a reference to the Bayraktar drones he supplies to Kyiv, which have proved effective against Russian forces.

Then he dropped a bombshell. He said, Without doubt, Ukraine has the right to membership in NATO [Suphesiz Ukrayna, NATOya uyeligi hak ediyor.].

Article continues after bonus IC video

Zelenskyy in Turkey: Erdogans tightrope between Ukraine, Russia and NATO | DW News

You could have knocked me over with a feather. This statement will make the Zelensky government very happy. But it certainly angered Russian President Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine to forestall exactly this scenario. Erdogan announced that Putin would visit Turkiye in August, then slapped him in the face.

It is also weird that while Ukraine is pressing for NATO membership, few other NATO members think it is a good idea.

That includes the United States, where President Joe Biden dismissed the idea in an interview on Friday, saying I dont think there is unanimity in Nato about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the Nato family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war. He explained that because of Article 5 of the NATO charter, which says that an attack on one is an attack on all, the entirety of NATO would be at war with Russia if Ukraine were a member.

On the other hand, Biden and the rest of the members have been pressing Erdogan to admit Sweden to NATO, as he did Finland, but the Turkish president has so far refused. He sees Swedens broad asylum laws as having made it a refuge for Kurdish activists whom he considers terrorists and whom he wants extradited for trial in Turkiye. Erdogan has also been angered that Swedish courts have permitted the burning of the Quran on grounds of freedom of speech.

It may be that bringing up Ukraine joining NATO is a way to fend off NATO criticism of Erdogans stiff-arming of Sweden.

I suppose Erdogan could tell Putin that NATO will not admit Ukraine as long as the war continues, so it is irrelevant what Turkiye says on this issue. It is possible that Russia now desperately needs Turkish trade and investment, since Ankara is one of the few governments refusing to boycott it, and so will just have to put up with Erdogans wilder statements. Well see if Putin comes to Turkiye in August, how much of a deep freeze the crack about Ukraine joining NATO will cause between Moscow and Ankara.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The High Court in Harare has set down for 8am tomorrow the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC)'s urgent chamber application filed by lawyer Agency Gumbo to overturn the police ban of the party's critical launch campaign rally in Bindura.The move to hear the case a few hours before the rally disrupts and undermines the party's planning and its campaign strategy.Police are at war with CCC as they arbitrarily ban its rallies around the country to prevent it from campaigning, while the ruling Zanu-PF is given a free rein to canvass for votes.Police's targeted actions are said to be unconstitutional and unlawful.CCC lawyer Agency Gumbo said, "We filed an urgent High Court chamber for an appeal over the matter and we are waiting for the judge to set down the case and give us time. We would prefer that the case is dealt with tonight since the rally is tomorrow rather than waiting until tomorrow," Gumbo said. "That's the situation at the moment."Gumbo is fighting for the CCC to launch its campaign officially in Bindura, Mashonaland Central, tomorrow ahead of general elections on 23 August.
As the premiere date gets closer, Netflix continues to tease fans with intriguing still cuts featuring the cast of "D.P. 2," headlined by Jung Hae In and Goo Kyo Hwan.

After the streaming giant introduced the lead stars of the much-awaited sequel through interesting character posters, new teasers hint at unexpected changes with the military.

'D.P. 2' Teaser Showcases Major Changes in the Military Police Investigation Unit

On July 7, Netflix dropped a series of stills showing viewers a glimpse of "D.P." season 2. However, the streaming platform suggests possible changes featuring "new chemistry" among the characters.

As seen in the teaser, members of the Military Police Investigation Unit's Division 103 dispersed and were assigned to different departments following the controversial incident involving Private Jo Suk Bong.

The upcoming sequel will showcase how the Army Headquarters will intervene in hopes of changing the system. Corporal Han Ho Yeol, played by Goo Kyo Hwan, is a member of the D.P. team, or deserter pursuit, will be reassigned to a military hospital.

This means that he will not be working alongside Private Ahn Joon Ho (Jung Hae In) as he teams up with Captain Im Ji Sup (Son Seok Koo).

The new pairing between Ahn Joon Ho and Im Ji Sup raises anticipation regarding the duo's chemistry.

According to a media outlet, Jung Hae In hoped that viewers would be entertained by the changes in season 2.

"As I bump into new characters, other chemistry emerges. I hope you enjoy that point," he said.

As for fellow lead star Goo Kyo Hwan, he is honored to meet the cast once again as they return for the sequel.

"If there was pleasure in meeting all week in season 1, there is pleasure in meeting all weekend in season 2," the actor furthered.

Meanwhile, Kim Sung Kyun hinted at the relationship between his characters, Park Bum Goo and Im Ji Sup, saying that the duo "can confide in each other more" and it would be "fun to see their changed relationship."

Lastly, Son Seok Koo also expressed the same stance and revealed that they have "become comrades-in-arms" in season 2.

'D.P. 2' Cast, Release Date, More

Based on the popular webtoon, "D.P. Dog's Day" by Kim Bo Tong, the upcoming sequel features a slew of returning cast members along with new cast members.

Lead stars Jung Hae In, Goo Kyo Hwan, So Seok Koo, and Kim Sung Kyun reprised their roles, while Kim Ji Hyun take on the role of Lieutenant Colonel Seo Eun. She is the operations officer at the Ministry of National Defense Prosecutor's Office.

Adding to the list of "D.P. 2" cast members is Go Kyung Pyo, who appeared in season 1 as corporal Park Sung Woo, while "Weak Hero Class" star Choi Hyun Wook will appear as private soldier Shin Ah Wi.

Jung Hae In and Goo Kyo Hwan's drama is scheduled to hit Netflix on July 28 with a total of 6 episodes.

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
JTBC's upcoming romance series "Destined with" starring Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah unveiled its first script reading photos which raised the anticipation among fans.

The two actors couple up for the first time to decorate prime time through the brand new work. Keep on reading to know more.

Rowoon & Jo Bo Ah Display Chemistry In Drama Script Reading Event

The newest romance drama "Destined With You" dropped the behind-the-scenes photos of Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah on the day of its script reading event.

Much to fans' delight, the two actors showed seamless partnership and cider-like chemistry that heightened the excitement of fans for the brand new work.

"Destined With You" follows the love story between people who are connected by fate. Jo Bo Ah plays Lee Hong Jo, a woman who possesses a golden book that has been sealed for 300 years.

Rowoon, on the other hand, transforms into lawyer Jang Shin Yu, a young man who is punished by the deities. He becomes a human sacrifice for the golden book.

Jo Bo Ah brings out her rom-com charms as the vivacious civil servant Lee Hong Jo who helps attorney Jang Shin Yu to solve the curse.

In the series, she impresses the production team with her immersion with her role, and her ability to stay calm in any situation.

Meanwhile, Rowoon expresses the delicate nature of Jang Shin Yu, a top-notch lawyer who suffers immensely from a bad curse that he inherited from his ancestors.

Both stars were able to maximize their charming points in whatever they do, and synchronized with one another seamlessly. With this, the synergy between the two is said to be perfect.

Focus is given to the two talented lead actors who meet each other through the work for the first time.



Ha Joon, Yura & More Complete 'Destined With You' Ensemble

Aside from the duo, supporting actors Ha Joon and Girl's Day Yura also join the cast ensemble of "Destined With You."

Ha Joon takes on the role of Kwon Jae Kyung, an aide at the city hall who's the apple of Lee Hong Jo's eyes. Unbeknownst to them, he has a dark secret he intends to keep.

Meanwhile, Yura charms her way as Yoon Na Yeon, the gorgeous girlfriend of Jang Shin Yu. When she notices the closeness between her boyfriend and Lee Hong Jo, the true colors she has been hiding gradually gets revealed.

The two actors' subtle romance and battle against the two lead characters add tension to the story, intensifying the greatness of the drama's development.

In addition, the production unit of the drama is more than satisfied with the quartet's synergy as they offer a mix of romance, revenge, psychological warfare and mystery.

"Destined With You" aims to deliver an enjoyable watching experience through the cast's unstoppable chemistry so make sure to tune in to its premiere until the end.

Catch "Destined With You" on August 23 at 10:30 p.m. KST on JTBC. It will also be available on Netflix for global audiences.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
News / National

by Staff reporter

South Africa's Queen of dance music Makhadzi has expressed her excitement over her song, which features sungura maestro Aleck Macheso.The song, produced by Zimbabwean Mr Brown is part of Makhadzi's upcoming album set to be released soon.Posting on her social media, Makhadzi said the song (with Macheso) left her "speechless.""To Baba Alick Macheso, I'm speechless on what you did to our collaboration, you nailed it," she posted."I can't wait to drop my album because of our song."Mr Brown what was going on in your head when you did that beat, I haven't heard something like that in my entire life."The two artistes shared the stage recently at the JamAfro Festival in the United Kingdom where Makhadzi joined Macheso and his Orchestra Mberikwazvo band on stage.
19 Shares Share

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit kids hard. Their mental well-being was already tenuous before the pandemic, and COVID-19 has only exacerbated what was already a crisis of anxiety, depression, and suicidality among youth. Getting treatment for adolescents with mental health issues was difficult prior to the pandemic. We have recently published a study in Psychiatric Services that shows that currently obtaining an appointment with a child psychiatrist is very difficult in general, and nearly impossible when trying to do so with Medicaid.

In our study, we used the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) online database of in-network providers. We identified and called between 82 and 120 psychiatrists in Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles. This database was used because BCBS is the biggest provider of health insurance in Illinois, Texas, and California. We posed as parents of a 10-year-old child with either BCBS PPO insurance, Medicaid, or as being willing to pay out of pocket.

Out of the 322 psychiatrists we called, we were only able to obtain appointments 11 percent of the time. Although obtaining any appointment at all was difficult, it was even more challenging to get an appointmentwhether in person or virtualusing Medicaid compared to either BCBS or self-pay. This finding is particularly concerning because the populations that have been hit the hardest by COVIDnamely minorities and those who are poorare the same groups that are most likely to utilize Medicaid.

Furthermore, for the few available appointments, the average wait time was over a month. Concerningly, almost one-fifth of the phone numbers were wrong, and one-quarter of psychiatrists were not accepting new patients.

These findings add to the existing evidence that accessing needed mental health care is difficult, and merely having insurance is not enough to guarantee access to outpatient psychiatric care. They poignantly illustrate how difficult it can be for pediatric patients to obtain the mental health care they need.

When a child needs inpatient psychiatric care, the situation is equally dire because insurance companies generally require clinicians to obtain prior authorizations before admitting patients to inpatient facilities. In a study conducted several years ago in a childrens hospital, one of us (JWB) found that clinicians spent an average of one hour on the phone with insurers to obtain these authorizations. It is likely that insurance companies hope the time required for authorization will dissuade clinicians from seeking to admit patients to psychiatric facilities. If that is the case, the requirement to obtain prior authorizations would essentially amount to rationing psychiatric care based on the hassle factor.

The difficulties in obtaining needed child psychiatric care have serious implications for the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Mental disorders already rank as the leading cause of disability in the United States, and the pandemic has only intensified this pre-existing crisis. Without timely access to appropriate care, their conditions can worsen, leading to prolonged suffering, diminished productivity, and even suicide.

Insurance companies need to do their part and ensure the accuracy of their provider databases, as incorrect information can hinder families efforts to find care. They also need to eliminate the requirement for prior authorizations when suicidal or homicidal children need to be admitted to psychiatric facilities. Additionally, the reimbursement rates that insurers pay for psychiatric care ought to be increased, so that more psychiatrists would be willing to accept insurance. By taking these proactive measures, insurance companies could help alleviate the burden on families seeking mental health care for their children.

Moreover, efforts should be made to increase the number of child psychiatrists and integrate psychiatric care into primary care settings to enhance accessibility.

Addressing this crisis requires collaborative efforts from insurance companies, health care providers, policymakers, and society as a whole. By prioritizing mental health care for children and implementing effective strategies, we can ensure that children receive the support and treatment they need to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

Victoria Chen is a medical student. J. Wesley Boyd is a psychiatrist.
1 of 2

Neemrana Resort Fraud Case: Many builders including Rajkishore Modi, Sujata Modi declared absconders



khaskhabar.com : Sun, 09 July 2023 1:31 PM

Investors have been circling the police for three years, raids on many places in Kolkata, every movement of Rajasthan Police is getting leaked.

Kolkata/Alwar. In the Neemrana resort fraud case, the Rajasthan Police has arrested Kolkata based company Vedika Sanjeevani Projects Pvt. Ltd. Builders Rajkishore Modi and his wife Sujata Modi, who were directors, have been declared absconders. Advertisements have also been given in the media for his search. Police are continuously raiding in search of Rajkishore Modi gang's Sanjay Pasari, Rajeev Pasari, Siddharth Jaipuria. On Saturday also raids were conducted at their places in Kolkata. But, due to the leaking of information about every movement of the police, they could not be caught successfully.

Let us tell you that this gang of vicious thugs in Neemrana Diamond Sanjeevani Projects Pvt. Ltd. Crores of rupees have been cheated from the investors of Jaipur, Alwar and Delhi in the name of giving cheap plots in the resorts project in the name of a fake company. Not only this, they also took a loan of Rs 400 crore from financial institutions by mortgaging the land of the plots sold to the investors. He also did so viciously that after embezzling crores of rupees, he resigned from the post of director of the company. But, investors are also following them everywhere. Here, the investors have sought online information about the action taken by the police in this case of fraud so far. However, this information has not yet been made available to them. These investors have been running around with the police since the year 2020. Now in May 2023, his FIR has been registered.

Here, investors are apprehensive that the accused Sanjay Pasari and Rajkishore Modi are using their influence to get their mobile location traced, which is a violation of the privacy law. In this regard also, the investors have informed the Shahjahanpur police and urged them to file a case against them for illegally tracing the mobile location.

The seriousness of the allegations against these accused can be gauged from the fact that Sanjay Pasari, Rajkishore Modi, Rajeev Pasari and Siddharth Jaipuria have eloped with their wives instead of returning the investors' money. Investors tell that Rajkishore Modi's son has also absconded. Among these, Sanjay Pasari is constantly contacting his lawyer Pankaj Saraogi and taking his help even in Ferrari.

Investors are getting threats from different names:Investors say that they are getting threats from different names. Even with the help of a private agency, his mobile is being tapped by the accused Sanjay Pasari and Rajkishore Modi. Because the threatening person directly tries to scare them by telling their location. The investors have also informed the police about this. The police is now collecting the location and other information about the mobile tapping agency and the accused with the help of IT cell.

Now preparations are on to declare Siddharth Jaipuria as a fugitive:

It is notable that Khaskhabar.com is continuously disclosing the case of fraud with the investors of Rajasthan on the basis of evidence. If the police wants, with the help of IT cell, they can easily trace the gang of Sanjay Pasari and Rajkishore Modi. Because investors are getting missed calls from unknown numbers. Here, the Rajasthan Police has now started preparations to declare Siddharth Jaipuria, a resident of Jaipur, as a fugitive in this case.

Time given twice by the court to appear on the notice of section 41:

According to the investors, notices have been given to the accused twice by the Shahjahanpur police to cooperate in the investigation and appear at the police station for questioning. After not appearing on the first notice, when the police tried to get an arrest warrant from the court, on the basis of the air ticket (which was canceled the same day) on the request of the counsel for the accused, the court summoned them to appear. Gave one more chance. This too has expired. Legal experts say that in general, in the cases of Section 420, 406, 120B, there is a provision to give notice of Section 41 only once. Now these accused are trying to get relief from the High Court.

Read More...


News / National

by Staff reporter

The Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has approached the High Court to challenge attempts by police to block a rally meant to launch the party's August 23 election campaign amid charges that the law enforcement agency is taking sides in the contest.Police refused to give permission to CCC to hold the rally in Bindura, Mashonaland West, today arguing that the proposed venue had no access road and toilets.The opposition party sought to have the police decision overturned by Bindura magistrate Maria Msika, who set the case for hearing on July 11, days after the date proposed by CCC.CCC yesterday filed an urgent High Court application seeking authority to have the ban lifted.In the application filed through lawyer Jeremiah Bamu, the CCC cited Msika and officer commanding Bindura district as respondents."It is declared that an urgent appeal filed in terms of section 11 of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (Chapter 11:23) is not subject to regulation in terms of order 22 rule 10 of the magistrate court rules, 2019," reads part of the application."First respondent be and is hereby directed to set the appeal filed by the applicants in case number BNPCA 130/23 for determination forthwith and in any event by no later than 11am on July 9, 2023."CCC conveners Samuel Gondongwe, Agreement Kagura, Susan Mawire and CCC are the applicants.The High Court will hear the case today at 8am.Yesterday, police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi defended the refusal to sanction the CCC rally.According to Nyathi, CCC initially wanted to hold the rally at Chipadze Stadium, but changed the venue after it emerged that the facility was undergoing renovations.Nyathi said CCC members offered their private properties as alternative venues."The stands are in a private area, which has other beneficiaries who need to be consulted before the rally is sanctioned," he said."The two stands in Brookdale area, which are roughly measuring 3800 and 3900 square metres respectively cannot accommodate many people and have no access roads or ablution facilities as the areas are yet to be fully developed."On Friday, Bindura police said the chosen venue did not have the necessary facilities."The venue falls within an undeveloped piece of land, which is bushy without serviceable roads, water and sewer facilities," reads the letter in response to CCC's notification."It provides a high-risk security threat to the participants and high-risk threat to the spread of any communicable disease."In the event of any public disorder, the police and other emergency services would have challenges accessing the venue."On Wednesday, police in Chiredzi, Masvingo, banned a CCC rally and fired teargas canisters to disperse supporters who had gathered for the event.Police also arrested eight CCC members for allegedly defying the ban on the rally.In Zaka, Chamisa was stopped in the middle of an address by police officers who claimed they had been told his time was up.Police also blocked another CCC constituency campaign launch scheduled for Mazowe saying the venue had been booked.Mazowe district officer commanding one Masimba said an unnamed political party had already booked the open space.CCC spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere, told The Standard that Chamisa and his party members will forge ahead with their election campaigns despite the state sponsored setbacks."Chamisa has gone ahead with his presidential tour of Masvingo Province and it will spread to all provinces in Zimbabwe," Mahere said."While Zanu-PF is capturing state institutions to ban our rallies, we are winning hearts and minds.""Nothing can stop us. We are building a Zimbabwe for everyone."Chamisa is one of the 11 presidential candidates.Mahere said Zanu-PF can never win a free and fair election."Zanu-PF can never win a free and fair election, which is why they're resorting to rally bans and abusing the police service to try and stop our campaign activity," she said."This is a clear violation of the constitutional standard and Southern African Development Community principles on free and fair elections."They are terrified, unelectable and worse than Robert Mugabe."Zanu-PF commissar, Mike Bimha, director of information, Tafadzwa Mugwadi, and spokesperson, Christopher Mutsvangwa could not be reached for comment yesterday.
One News reports:

The Government have announced a ban on most disposable vapes from August, but one health professional says they're a positive for public health overall. Speaking on Breakfast this morning, Australian anti-tobacco campaigner Dr Colin Mendelsohn, says disposable vapes are a tool in helping people give up smoking cigarettes. i think there's no question now, the evidence is becoming stronger and stronger, vaping is a highly effective method, it's the best method we have, it's not perfect but it's by far the most effective method, he said.

They are highly effective. Without vaping we would have no chance of meeting our 2025 target of fewer than 5% smoking tobacco.

Across the ditch, similar concerns around vapes prompted a crackdown on the sale of disposable vapes  and the requirement to obtain a prescription, but health experts say it's having the reverse effect  driving an underground, black market. He believes it would be a big mistake for New Zealand to go down the same path. There are no age restrictions in the black market and the products are not being assessed for quality or safety. Dr Mendelsohn says the prescription model is a slow train wreck.

I hope we listen to him.

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Biden says war with Russia must end before NATO can consider membership for Ukraine
Tennessees ban on gender-affirming care for minors will now take effect after a federal appeals court lifted an injunction against the law.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A man cleared of brandishing a drugs needle in an Oxford Tesco was given a four-and-a-half month sentence for threatening behaviour.Zywai Nyahoda, 33, has already served the short sentence, having been remanded in custody since the start of the year.Then hopelessly addicted to hard drugs, Nyahoda went into the Tesco in Magdalen Street on July 17, 2021, in order to steal goods.He was stopped and taken to the basement by two staff members. Although initially compliant, when he learnt that they planned to call the police Nyahoda's attitude changed.Claiming to have a needle on him, he threatened to stab the store staff with it unless they let him go.He was tried on charges of making threats with a pointed object and affray. Jurors at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (June 30) acquitted him of the weapon and affray charges, but convicted him of threatening behaviour towards the store workers as an alternative to finding him guilty of the affray.Giving him 18 weeks' imprisonment, Recorder Alexander McGregor told the grey tracksuited defendant: "People working in shops and dealing with shoplifters should not have to face threats of that very serious nature."He noted that the members of staff had expressed concern about what might be on the needle Nyahoda claimed to have in his possession, fearing possible infection if they were stabbed.The court heard Nyahoda, formerly of Tidmarsh Street, Reading, had 15 previous convictions for 54 offences, many for theft and related crimes.Mitigating, Peter du Feu said his client originally came to the UK from Zimbabwe  via Germany  when he was still a young child.He was brought up in Oxford by his grandmother and, while a pupil at Cherwell School, picked up nine GCSEs, three A-levels and a taste for cannabis.The herb proved to be a gateway drug for other, harder, substances. And after he broke his back in a serious car accident at the end of 2018, which put him in hospital for months, he began using heroin.The death of his grandmother shortly before the Tesco incident in Nyahoda had sent him into a downward spiral' and led to him, sweaty and desperate' trying to get away from the supermarket staff members.Mr du Feu said his client had managed to get clean since his remand into custody at the start of the year and was now on a drug-free wing in prison. Upon his release, he planned to stay with an uncle in south Oxfordshire until he got back on his feet.
One person died and three others were wounded in a string of shootings in Queens, New York police announced on July 8.
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Bank of Hawaii Co. (NYSE:BOH  Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of Reduce by the four research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.20.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BOH shares. TheStreet cut Bank of Hawaii from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Bank of Hawaii from $76.00 to $55.00 in a report on Monday, March 20th. Odeon Capital Group initiated coverage on Bank of Hawaii in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. They set a sell rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised Bank of Hawaii to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Bank of Hawaii from $83.00 to $60.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 6th.

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Bank of Hawaii Price Performance

Shares of BOH stock opened at $41.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Bank of Hawaii has a twelve month low of $30.83 and a twelve month high of $85.45. The company has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.98.

Bank of Hawaii Announces Dividend

Bank of Hawaii ( NYSE:BOH Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 24th. The bank reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.23 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $229.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.67 million. Bank of Hawaii had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 19.01%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Bank of Hawaii will post 4.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 31st were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 30th. Bank of Hawaiis payout ratio is 52.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bank of Hawaii news, Director Alicia E. Moy bought 4,200 shares of Bank of Hawaii stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $47.90 per share, for a total transaction of $201,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,482 shares in the company, valued at $502,087.80. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Kent Thomas Lucien purchased 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $32.29 per share, with a total value of $32,290.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $177,595. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alicia E. Moy purchased 4,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $47.90 per share, with a total value of $201,180.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,482 shares of the companys stock, valued at $502,087.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 11,700 shares of company stock worth $492,495 over the last ninety days. 2.11% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bank of Hawaii

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Duality Advisers LP bought a new stake in shares of Bank of Hawaii in the 1st quarter valued at about $399,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Bank of Hawaii by 14.7% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 122,139 shares of the banks stock valued at $6,361,000 after acquiring an additional 15,652 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Bank of Hawaii in the 1st quarter valued at about $363,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Bank of Hawaii by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 11,834 shares of the banks stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in Bank of Hawaii by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,538,067 shares of the banks stock valued at $80,103,000 after purchasing an additional 27,802 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.72% of the companys stock.

Bank of Hawaii Company Profile

(Free Report

Bank of Hawaii Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Bank of Hawaii that provides various financial products and services in Hawaii, Guam, and other Pacific Islands. It operates in three segments: Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Treasury and Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers checking, savings, and time deposit accounts; residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, automobile loans and leases, personal lines of credit, installment loans, small business loans and leases, and credit cards; private and international client banking, investment, credit, and trust services to individuals and families, and high-net-worth individuals; investment management; institutional investment advisory services to corporations, government entities, and foundations; and brokerage offerings, including equities, mutual funds, life insurance, and annuity products.

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Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) have been assigned a consensus rating of Hold from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $119.47.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $129.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday. Stephens increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $104.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Discover Financial Services from $111.00 to $102.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 17th. Bank of America increased their price target on Discover Financial Services from $114.00 to $119.00 in a report on Thursday, June 15th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group restated an outperform rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Discover Financial Services in a report on Friday, April 21st.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Discover Financial Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DFS. Prudential PLC raised its position in Discover Financial Services by 127.4% in the 1st quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 16,749 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,846,000 after buying an additional 9,382 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Discover Financial Services by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,977 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,650,000 after buying an additional 1,216 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Discover Financial Services by 33.8% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,372 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 27,565 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,038,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 2,961 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. 83.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of DFS stock opened at $116.94 on Friday. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $107.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.78. Discover Financial Services has a one year low of $87.64 and a one year high of $119.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.70 billion, a PE ratio of 7.87, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS  Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $3.58 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.84 by ($0.26). Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 24.65% and a return on equity of 31.30%. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.22 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 29.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Discover Financial Services will post 13.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 25th were given a $0.70 dividend. This is a positive change from Discover Financial Servicess previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 24th. Discover Financial Servicess dividend payout ratio is presently 18.86%.

Discover Financial Services announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 19th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.70 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 9.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the companys management believes its stock is undervalued.

Discover Financial Services Company Profile

(Free Report

Discover Financial Services, through its subsidiaries, provides digital banking products and services, and payment services in the United States. It operates in two segments, Digital Banking and Payment Services. The Digital Banking segment offers Discover-branded credit cards to individuals; private student loans, personal loans, home loans, and other consumer lending; and direct-to-consumer deposit products comprising savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, IRA certificates of deposit, IRA savings accounts and checking accounts, and sweep accounts.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP  Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Thursday morning.

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on First BanCorp. from $14.00 to $12.50 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th.

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First BanCorp. Price Performance

Shares of First BanCorp. stock opened at $12.57 on Thursday. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $11.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.43. First BanCorp. has a 52 week low of $10.18 and a 52 week high of $16.40. The company has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

First BanCorp. Announces Dividend

First BanCorp. ( NYSE:FBP Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The bank reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $274.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $226.91 million. First BanCorp. had a return on equity of 21.11% and a net margin of 29.26%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that First BanCorp. will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 24th were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.46%. First BanCorp.s payout ratio is currently 35.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First BanCorp.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in First BanCorp. by 61.6% during the first quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 257,284 shares of the banks stock worth $2,938,000 after acquiring an additional 98,047 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in shares of First BanCorp. by 134.8% during the first quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 61,300 shares of the banks stock valued at $700,000 after buying an additional 35,195 shares during the last quarter. Toroso Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of First BanCorp. by 80.9% during the first quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 24,842 shares of the banks stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 11,110 shares during the last quarter. Putnam Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of First BanCorp. by 26.3% during the first quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 179,534 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,050,000 after buying an additional 37,391 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of First BanCorp. by 83.0% during the first quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 346,609 shares of the banks stock valued at $3,958,000 after buying an additional 157,244 shares during the last quarter. 91.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About First BanCorp.

(Free Report)

First BanCorp. operates as a bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides a range of financial products and services to consumers and commercial customers. The company operates through six segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Mortgage Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations.

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Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL  Free Report) Director Joseph L. Moskowitz sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.60, for a total value of $34,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 27,085 shares in the company, valued at $1,885,116. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Aflac Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Aflac stock opened at $70.04 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 1 year low of $53.04 and a 1 year high of $74.01. The firm has a market cap of $42.32 billion, a PE ratio of 10.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $67.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.05 and a quick ratio of 0.05.

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Aflac (NYSE:AFL  Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Aflac had a return on equity of 15.25% and a net margin of 22.90%. The firm had revenue of $4.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.42 EPS. The businesss revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 5.81 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 17th were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 16th. Aflacs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.24%.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Aflac in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Aflac from $77.00 to $72.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Aflac in a report on Monday, June 5th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. VNET Group restated a maintains rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, 58.com restated a reiterates rating on shares of Aflac in a research note on Friday, June 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $71.22.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RDA Financial Network increased its holdings in Aflac by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 4,305 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in Aflac by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 22,628 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,641,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in Aflac by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 10,479 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $754,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in Aflac by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 23,179 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,495,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Good Life Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Aflac by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 24,699 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,594,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.56% of the companys stock.

About Aflac

(Free Report)

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.

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Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (NYSE:HIMS  Free Report) COO Melissa Baird sold 9,133 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.19, for a total transaction of $83,932.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 454,150 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,173,638.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Melissa Baird also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Wednesday, July 5th, Melissa Baird sold 9,133 shares of Hims & Hers Health stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.88, for a total transaction of $81,101.04.

On Wednesday, June 7th, Melissa Baird sold 9,133 shares of Hims & Hers Health stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.12, for a total transaction of $83,292.96.

On Monday, June 5th, Melissa Baird sold 9,133 shares of Hims & Hers Health stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.89, for a total transaction of $81,192.37.

On Friday, May 5th, Melissa Baird sold 19,032 shares of Hims & Hers Health stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.04, for a total transaction of $229,145.28.

On Monday, May 8th, Melissa Baird sold 12,966 shares of Hims & Hers Health stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.83, for a total transaction of $153,387.78.

Hims & Hers Health Stock Down 4.4 %

HIMS opened at $8.27 on Friday. Hims & Hers Health, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $4.01 and a fifty-two week high of $12.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $9.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.12.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Hims & Hers Health ( NYSE:HIMS Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.01. Hims & Hers Health had a negative net margin of 9.65% and a negative return on equity of 18.97%. The company had revenue of $190.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $179.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.08) earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 88.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Hims & Hers Health, Inc. will post -0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HIMS shares. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Hims & Hers Health in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. They set a neutral rating and a $10.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Hims & Hers Health from $13.50 to $15.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 9th. Tigress Financial raised their target price on shares of Hims & Hers Health from $12.00 to $14.00 in a report on Thursday, June 15th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Hims & Hers Health from $15.00 to $18.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Hims & Hers Health from $12.00 to $11.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $12.09.

Institutional Trading of Hims & Hers Health

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HIMS. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Hims & Hers Health by 7.9% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 185,000 shares of the companys stock worth $986,000 after purchasing an additional 13,500 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hims & Hers Health by 249.9% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 34,718 shares of the companys stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 24,796 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hims & Hers Health during the first quarter worth about $949,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hims & Hers Health by 2.5% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 616,214 shares of the companys stock worth $3,285,000 after purchasing an additional 14,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Hims & Hers Health by 1.3% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 253,307 shares of the companys stock worth $1,350,000 after purchasing an additional 3,226 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.39% of the companys stock.

About Hims & Hers Health

(Free Report)

Hims & Hers Health, Inc operates a telehealth platform that connects consumers to licensed healthcare professionals. The company offers a range of health and wellness products and services available to purchase on its websites and mobile application directly by customers. It also provides prescription medication on a recurring basis and ongoing care from healthcare providers; and over-the-counter drug and device products, cosmetics, and supplement products, primarily focusing on wellness, sexual health and wellness, skincare, and hair care.

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Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX  Free Report) and Many Bright Ideas Technologies (OTCMKTS:MBGNF  Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and dividends.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Quest Diagnostics and Many Bright Ideas Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Quest Diagnostics 0 9 2 0 2.18 Many Bright Ideas Technologies 0 0 0 0 N/A

Quest Diagnostics currently has a consensus target price of $151.20, suggesting a potential upside of 8.78%. Given Quest Diagnostics higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Quest Diagnostics is more favorable than Many Bright Ideas Technologies.

Earnings and Valuation

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Quest Diagnostics $9.88 billion 1.58 $946.00 million $6.78 20.50 Many Bright Ideas Technologies N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

This table compares Quest Diagnostics and Many Bright Ideas Technologies gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Quest Diagnostics has higher revenue and earnings than Many Bright Ideas Technologies.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.4% of Quest Diagnostics shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.7% of Quest Diagnostics shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Quest Diagnostics and Many Bright Ideas Technologies net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Quest Diagnostics 8.26% 16.51% 7.83% Many Bright Ideas Technologies N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Quest Diagnostics beats Many Bright Ideas Technologies on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Quest Diagnostics

(Free Report)

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing, information, and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic information services, such as routine testing, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services. It offers diagnostic information services primarily under the Quest Diagnostics brand, as well as under the AmeriPath, Dermpath Diagnostics, ExamOne, and Quanum brands to patients, clinicians, hospitals, independent delivery networks, health plans, employers, direct contract entities, and accountable care organizations through a network of laboratories, patient service centers, phlebotomists in physician offices, call centers and mobile paramedics, nurses, and other health and wellness professionals. The company also provides risk assessment services for the life insurance industry; and healthcare organizations and clinicians robust information technology solutions. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey.

About Many Bright Ideas Technologies

(Free Report)

Many Bright Ideas Technologies Inc. does not have significant operations. Previously, the company was engaged in the life science business with a focus on the development and commercialization of genomic-based tests for non-small-cell lung cancer. It focuses on the commercialization of technologies in various industrial sectors. The company was formerly known as Med BioGene Inc. and changed its name to Many Bright Ideas Technologies Inc. in June 2022. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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News / National

by Staff reporter

MEMBERS of the United Kingdom's House of Lords have described President Emmerson Mnangagwa's so-called second republic as worse than that of Robert Mugabe in terms of authoritarian rule and repression of defenceless citizens.They cited the prolonged detention of Zengeza West legislator Job Sikhala as well as this week's savage attack on human rights lawyer Obey Shava, among other examples.The debate was initiated by Jonathan Oates who had asked what measures the UK government had taken on the unfair incarceration of Sikhala who has been denied bail on 15 occasions. He is detained at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison's D Class section preserved for dangerous criminals.The minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, TariqAhmad, while responding to the enquiry, said the UK is concerned by the ongoing detention of government critics in Zimbabwe, including Sikhala."The minister of State for Development and Africa raised these concerns, and the case of Job Sikhala specifically, with Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa, when they met in the margins of His Majesty the King's Coronation last month," he said.Oates then enquired whether Ahmad and his ministerial colleagues would work with Southern African Development Community ministers and the Commonwealth to make it clear to Zanu-PF that there can be no return to normal relations until Sikhala and all political detainees are released, political violence stopped, and genuinely free and fair elections allowed to happen on 23 August this year.In response, Ahmad said: "My Lords, first, I acknowledge the noble Lord's insights and expertise on all issues to do with Zimbabwe. He knows the country very well, and I appreciate his tabling of the question."With regard to the specific issue of human rights and the importance of progressing on human rights before the elections on 23 August, I assure the noble Lord that we are engaging with all key partners."As he is aware, Zimbabwe is very keen to progress its membership of the Commonwealth, and human rights are a pertinent part of that assessment. I know that we are working very closely with the secretariat in that respect. Ultimately, if Zimbabwe rejoins the Commonwealth, it will be a matter for all members of the Commonwealth, so it needs a cross-Commonwealth approach."I assure the noble Lord also that we are fully seized with the different abuses of human rights, which regrettably and tragically continue to happen. Even this morning, I have heard of further arrests in that respect."The information is still coming through, but I am aware of further arrests that have been made. We have called for full transparency and the release of those being held in an arbitrary fashion and, indeed, when cases are being pressed, that those court cases are held in a transparent form."At that point Henry Campbell Bellingham weighed in and again raised the issue of six Zimbabwean college students arrested and detained for leading a peaceful protest in keeping with the constitution of Zimbabwe."My Lords, I am grateful to the minister for his reply about Job Sikhala, but it is not just Job Sikhala who has been arrested: six students have been arrested for doing nothing more than protesting against politicians being arrested."Emmanuel Chitima, Comfort Mpofu, Lionel Madamombe, Benjamin Watadza, Darlington Chigwena and Gamuchirai Chaburumunda may have exotic names but they are not being kept in exotic conditions."They are in prison for protesting, perfectly legally and freely. We must wake up to the fact that Emmerson Mnangagwa is actually more of the same after the evil Mugabe," he saidAhmad then said: "My Lords, my noble friend raises a number of cases and I assure him that we are fully aware of them. We remain deeply concerned by the failure to address the allegations of abduction and abuse of opposition members. There are also the cases of Joana Mamombe - which he has raised - Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova. I assure noble Lords that we have raised our concerns with the government and have publicly called for full investigation into these allegations."If Zimbabwe wishes to be counted among those countries that are recognised for progression not just bilaterally but, importantly, within multilateral organisations, it is vital that it stands up and ensures transparency of justice systems. It must also ensure that those who are taken and arrested are done so on transparent charges and that if they are not held on any substantial charges, they are released. Freedom of speech, freedom of the Press and freedom of protest are key parts of any progressive democracy."Kate Hoey at that stage rose to express concern over the Zimbabwean government's heavy-handedness on citizens, pointing to the attack on human rights lawyer Shava."My Lords, many of us warned for many years that Mnangagwa would be worse than Mugabe, particularly because of his years of repression and what happened in Matebeleland."He is clearly not going to change and, sadly, things such as an invitation to the coronation do not help - they help him in Zimbabwe. Does the minister accept that it is very unlikely that there will be genuinely free and fair elections in Zimbabwe in August?"We saw just last night a very well-respected human rights lawyer, Obey Shava, being beaten almost to death by Zanu-PF thugs. Is it not time for us to stop pandering to Mnangagwa and to condemn what is happening right throughout the country loudly and clearly to the international world?"Ahmad answered: "My Lords, I also welcome the noble Baroness's deep insights and expertise on Zimbabwe. I am aware of the case this morning-asIsatdown,Igotanupdateonthealleged attack on the lawyer. I am in the process of getting further information on that attack and will update the House and the noble Baroness accordingly."I agree with her that the actions we have seen from the President of Zimbabwe and his government, particularly on areas of legislative change which they are also bringing into force, are of deep and alarming concern because they mean the suppression of civil society within Zimbabwe."As I said, these are key tenets of any democratic reform and an open and vibrant civil society is a key part of that. I assure noble Lords that we want to work very constructively on this agenda.There is a lot of expertise in your Lordships' House and we want to leverage that to ensure that we can continue to make the case pertinently and forcefully and, one hopes, ensure progression on the ground."Ray Collins again expressed concern over the shrinking of democratic space in Zimbabwe as shown by stifling of civil society organisations."My Lords, on that final point, the minister knows that I have stressed the importance of civil society. When states fail their citizens, it is civil society that stands up for human rights."I have urged the minister to support civil society in the broadest terms, including trade unionists who have been under attack in Zimbabwe. What are the government and the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] doing to contact global trade union institutions so that it is not just our voice but voices throughout the world that condemn this action and can promote a free and fair election? Will the minister assure me that he will contact international trade union institutions?" he asked.Ahmad reassured the house that action is being taken by the Uk government over the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe."My Lords, I can give the noble Lord that assurance and as he will have extensive contacts in this respect, particularly with a focus on Zimbabwe, I would welcome his insights into the key components, organisations and individuals."I assure the noble Lord that we have engaged directly with the government of Zimbabwe, particularly on the PVO amendment Bill and the so-called patriotic amendments. That Bill would extend state control over civil society organisations, the whole point of which is to challenge governments. We are making that point very forcefully to the Zimbabwean government directly," he said.Anthony St John again questioned Zimbabwe's capability of holding free, fair and credible elections."My Lords, ahead of the general election in Zimbabwe on 23 August this year, what assurances have His Majesty's government been given on international election observers for this election and an updated election register?"Ahmad stressed that it would be for the people of Zimbabwe to choose their government in August and added that the minister for Development and Africa reiterated these points in the meeting he had with the President of Zimbabwe on 5 May."There has been some progress; for example, the announcement by Zimbabwe that invitations have now gone out to observer missions for the elections. It is important that international and domestic observer missions, including those of Sadc, the EU and the AU, are able to independently observe the 2023 elections."We are also talking to the Commonwealth about its role within the context of the elections. We are also aware of a petition submitted to ministers calling for Zimbabweans in the diaspora to be granted the right to vote in the elections to ensure greater engagement and direct involvement of Zimbabweans across the world. I will continue to update the House but I assure all noble Lords that the onus is very much on the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure that all citizens can vote. The UK continues to press that point to them," he said.
Leonardo (OTCMKTS:FINMF  Free Report) and Hexcel (NYSE:HXL  Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, valuation and institutional ownership.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

18.0% of Leonardo shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.0% of Hexcel shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Hexcel shares 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.

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Profitability

This table compares Leonardo and Hexcels net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Leonardo N/A N/A N/A Hexcel 9.19% 8.73% 4.70%

Valuation and Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Leonardo N/A N/A N/A $0.24 47.44 Hexcel $1.58 billion 4.11 $126.30 million $1.77 43.40

This table compares Leonardo and Hexcels revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Hexcel has higher revenue and earnings than Leonardo. Hexcel is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Leonardo, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Leonardo and Hexcel, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Leonardo 0 1 0 0 2.00 Hexcel 0 8 1 0 2.11

Hexcel has a consensus price target of $70.00, suggesting a potential downside of 8.88%. Given Hexcels stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Hexcel is more favorable than Leonardo.

Summary

Hexcel beats Leonardo on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Leonardo

(Free Report)

Leonardo S.p.a., an industrial and technological company, engages in the helicopters, defense electronics and security, aircraft, aerostructures, and space sectors in Italy, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the United States, and internationally. The company offers a range of helicopters for battlefield, combat, maritime, training, VIP/executive transport, medical and rescue, security, energy, and utility services, as well as provides support and training services. It also provides trainers, fighters, multi-mission transport, and multi-mission surveillance aircraft; command and controls, radars and sensors, optronics, communication systems, electronic warfare, avionics, air traffic management, and defense systems; and cyber security and resilience, critical communications, digitalization, and monitoring. In addition, the company offers geoinformation, satellite communications, ground systems, navigation, and satellite operations; interplanetary probes and orbiting modules; and robotics and drilling, electro-optics, laser transmitters, atomic clocks, photovoltaic panels, power distributors and amplifiers, attitude sensors, and orbital micropropulsion. Further, it engages in the production and assembly of major structural composite and metallic components for commercial and military aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aircraft, as well as provides automation of airport baggage handling, mail sorting centers, and courier logistics hubs. The company was formerly known as Leonardo Finmeccanica S.p.a. and changed its name to Leonardo S.p.a. in January 2017. Leonardo S.p.a. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

About Hexcel

(Free Report)

Hexcel Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets carbon fibers, structural reinforcements, honeycomb structures, resins, and composite materials and parts for use in commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial applications. It operates through two segments, Composite Materials and Engineered Products. The Composite Materials segment manufactures and markets fabrics, multi-axials, specialty reinforcements, prepregs and other fiber-reinforced matrix materials, structural adhesives, molding compounds, tooling materials, polyurethane systems, and laminates that are used in military and commercial aircraft, wind turbine blades, recreational products, and other industrial applications, as well as in automotive, marine, and rail transportation. The Engineered Products segment manufactures and markets aircraft structures and finished aircraft components, including wing to body fairings, wing panels, flight deck panels, door liners, rotorcraft blades, spars, and tip caps; and aircraft structural sub-components and semi-finished components used in rotorcraft blades, engine nacelles, and aircraft surfaces, such as flaps, wings, elevators, and fairings; and RF interference control products for military and aerospace applications. This segment also provides interference control materials, structural composites, and services; dielectric absorber foams; magnetic absorbers; and thermoplastics for commercial and defense applications. The company sells its products directly through its managers, product managers, and sales personnel, as well as through independent distributors in the Americas, Europe, the Asia Pacific, India, and Africa. Hexcel Corporation was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

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Let's take a closer look at these young stars who are making their mark in the industry while balancing their studies.

1. BABYMONSTERs Chiquita

BABYMONSTER's Chiquita, born in 2009, is currently in her 2nd year of middle school, making her the youngest member of the Thai idol group at just 13 years old.

Her youthful energy and talent contribute to BABYMONSTER's dynamic performances.

2. Lapillus Haeun

Haeun, a member of Lapillus, is attending her 3rd year at Eonbuk Middle School. Born on November 2, 2008, she stands as the youngest active female idol in the industry.

With Lapillus's official debut on June 20, 2022, Haeun has gained the nickname "Maknae on Top" for her position as the youngest member of the group.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS: Top 10 Male Idols Dominate Naver's Most-Searched Rankings in First Half of 2023-Names Revealed

3. tripleS Yeonji

Yeonji, from tripleS, is also in her 3rd year of middle school, studying at Chowol Middle School. Born on January 8, 2008, she recently turned 15 years old.

Yeonji displayed her musical talent by sharing that she has been learning to play the piano since the age of seven.

4. BABYMONSTERs Rora

Rora, a vocalist of BABYMONSTER, attends Hupyeong Middle School as a 3rd-year student. Born in 2008, Rora was part of Kids Planet's U.SSO Girl, along with NewJeans' Hyein.

Despite her young age, Rora showcases her vocal prowess in BABYMONSTER's performances.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS: TOP 9 K-pop Group With Highest Monthly Listeners on Spotify

5. CLASS:ys Seonyou

Seonyou, a member of CLASS:y, shares the same year and school as her bandmate Boeun. Born on March 20, 2008, she made her debut as one of the youngest active female idols in the industry.

Seonyou has impressed viewers with her outstanding dancing skills as one of the aces of her grade in the show "My Teenage Girl." She also runs a YouTube channel where she shares various dance covers.

As they continue their journey, fans eagerly support and cheer for them, excited to witness their bright futures unfold.

ALSO READ: aespa Karina Faces Criticism from Chinese Netizens Over Japanese Anime Recommendation- Here's Why

KpopStarz own this article.

Madison Cullen wrote this.
slide 2 of 6

IVE arrives at Incheon International Airport on the 7th to say hello before departing for Thailand.
Today in Brussels, the Commission and New Zealand signed the association agreement on the participation of New Zealand to Horizon Europe, the EU's research, and innovation programme.

This marks the first association with a close partner that is not geographically close to Europe. It marks a completely new approach whereby the EU is strengthening even more its ties with trusted partners that have a solid scientific base and a robust research track record.

Association to Horizon Europe means that researchers and organisations in New Zealand will be able to participate in Pillar II of the programme, the most relevant and biggest collaborative part that is primarily focused on shared global challenges in climate, energy, mobility, digital, industry and space, health, and more. They will collaborate in the programme on equal terms with entities from the EU Member States and will have access to Horizon Europe funding and networks of researchers in Europe and beyond aimed to tackle global challenges.

In the presence of the Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen and New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, Director-General of the Commission's department for Research and Innovation, Marc Lemaitre signed the agreement with New Zealand's Ambassador to the EU and NATO, Carl Reaich and HE Marcos Alonso, Ambassador Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the EU.

President Ursula von der Leyen said: I am glad that we are allowing New Zealand to participate in Horizon Europe, our flagship innovation programme. This is the first association agreement with a country that is not geographically close to Europe, but very close in so many other ways, including the capacity and willingness to innovate. We are looking forward to pooling our best minds and talents to work together on the next generation of clean tech, biotech and digital projects.

Deeper collaboration with New Zealand contributes to Europe's global approach to cooperation in research and innovation in an increasingly changing and volatile world. It reconfirms the EU commitment to driving excellence, pooling resources for faster scientific progress, developing vibrant innovation ecosystems and promoting global openness that is also strategic and reciprocal.

The Horizon Europe programme introduced a major redesign of the approach towards international cooperation in research and innovation, giving for the first time the possibility of association to like-minded countries with a strong science, innovation and technology profile, outside the geographic proximity of the EU. Formal negotiations to join Horizon Europe are currently ongoing with Canada and recently the Commission has launched negotiations with the Republic of Korea. Exploratory talks with Japan closed in September 2022 and technical discussions are ongoing.

Background

Formal relations between the EU and New Zealand in the field of research and innovation date back to 2009, with the signature of the Agreement on cooperation in scientific and technological cooperation. The Agreement has provided the general framework for cooperation and acted as a forum for regular discussions about research priorities and areas of common interest ever since.

Horizon Europe is the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever with a budget of 95.5 billion. It is open, which means that participants from all over the world can participate in most calls.

For More Information

Horizon Europe

International cooperation with New Zealand

Europe's Global Approach to Research and Innovation
Dear Minister O'Connor, ladies and gentlemen

The EU and New Zealand share a very special relationship. I call it being very close, from very far away.

We are not close neighbours in terms of geography.

But we are close in almost every other way  in terms of politics, culture and values. We are dynamic exporting economies. We are strong proponents of meaningful climate action.

These similarities matter a great deal in trade relations - especially in a world characterised by growing fragmentation and geopolitical uncertainty.

So with this in mind, today's signature of our Free Trade Agreement represents an important step forward.

First: it's an important step forward for our respective trade agendas.

This deal presents significant opportunity for both sides:

We estimate that there is potential to increase bilateral trade by 30%.

New Zealand exporters will gain increased access to the EU single market, offering a range of possibilities in a dynamic, attractive, reliable and predictable economic environment.

EU investments in New Zealand could grow by up to 80%, creating jobs and growth for New Zealand's economy.

We believe our exports to New Zealand could increase by up to 4.5 billion per year.

And we expect that by removing tariffs, we will save EU businesses around 140 million per year.

Second, this agreement is a true asset for our rural areas, and for our food and drink producers. It will act as a real stimulus for our rural economies. Farmers on both sides will have improved market access.

For instance, tariffs will be eliminated from day one on key EU agricultural exports, such as pigmeat, wine and sparkling wine, chocolate, sugar confectionery, and biscuits. The EU will grant tariff-free access to key New Zealand agricultural products, such as wine, apples, onions and high-quality honey.

Over 2,000 high-quality EU agri-food products will be protected. This matters, because we share a common understanding that Geographical Indications are rural intellectual property, and therefore important drivers of rural prosperity and job creation. The EU will offer the same protection for New Zealand products, for example some of your wonderful and iconic wines.

Of course, there are always sensitivities around agriculture. So, appropriate protections are built into the deal. On the EU side, sensitivities concerning dairy products, beef and sheep meat, ethanol and sweetcorn are fully taken into account, whilst still giving commercially meaningful market access to New Zealand producers.

Third, I believe this agreement shows that trade relationships can make a positive difference to our climate and environment.

We are both advocates of greening trade. Now, we are putting our money where our mouth is, with a state-of-the-art green trade deal.

It contains the most ambitious sustainability commitments ever included in a free trade agreement.

Let me give you a flavour of just some of its innovative features:

The Paris climate commitments are built in as an essential element.

We have agreed on binding provisions to promote core labour rights.

We have agreed dedicated chapters or provisions on:

sustainable food systems;

trade and gender equality; and

trade and fossil fuel subsidies reform.

All these items are the first of their kind for the EU.

And we have committed to liberalised trade in green goods and services from the first day of application of this agreement, which will support the green transformations of our economies.

This agreement also represents an important step forward for how trade can contribute to the digital transition:

It has state-of-the-art rules on digital trade, including on the treatment of personal data.

There are ambitious rules governing data flows. This is crucial for a growing but geopolitically sensitive economic sector.

Finally, today's signature showcases our commitment to widening our trade networks with trusted partners. We already have the deepest and widest network of global trade agreements of any global player.

We recently concluded talks with Kenya and we are making good progress in talks with Australia.

And we have a lot more to do: we intend to grow this network to boost our economic resilience and security.

To conclude: ambitious trade deals like this one, with reliable and like-minded partners, are more valuable than ever. They bring us closer to our partners, driving opportunity while providing a solid platform for cooperation, including on economic security and multilateral reform.

So let me once again offer my sincere personal thanks to Minister O'Connor  a tough but fair negotiator  and our chief negotiators Peter Berz and Vangelis Vitalis and our teams. They invested much time and energy to arrive at this balanced deal. And I hope that we can swiftly complete ratification in both New Zealand and the EU and let the agreement enter into force as early as possible.

Although we remain at different ends of the world, we are now moving closer than ever together.

On this note, I am happy to conclude with a suitable Maori saying: Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa. Which means: Let us keep close together, not far apart.

Thank you very much.
News / National

by Staff reporter

ZIMBABWE has extended invitations to 60 countries and regional bodies to observe the August elections, a 20% rise from 48 in the previous election, giving the international community a chance to see Zimbabwe's sincerity in rolling out crucial reforms, analysts say.The country is desperate to redeem its international image, which has been riddled with serious human rights abuses.The country has invited 60 observer missions, which include the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, 15 Southern African Development Community countries, the African Union, the Pan-African Parliament, the European Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth, and various countries from Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Asia.Despite the increase in observer mission invitations, several recommendations by previous observer missions from the previous election are also yet to be implemented.For instance, the EU EOM follow-up delegation, which was in the country in May last year, said progress on the implementation of reforms has been limited, with the majority of the priority ones yet to be addressed.Political analyst Rashweat Mukundu says the election is going to be a decider on re-engagement."Their presence (observers) is important in Zimbabwe. It is possibly a way for the international community to gauge whether government is moving in the right direction in terms of its reforms."It is also an opportunity for the international community to measure their approach to the post-election government should they see the government that is going to emerge as legitimate or should they treat it with caution as a result of how the election is going to be done."So, it is a process to facilitate a post-election engagement, at least for those coming from outside, and of course for Zimbabwean observers. It is to promote good electoral conduct, but also to locate areas that ought to be addressed as we move forward. There is no perfect electoral process, but it is a process of identifying gaps and finding ways of improving them in the future," Mukundu told The NewsHawks.The international community has also indicated that Zimbabwe's international re-engagement drive will depend on the credibility of the elections.As previously reported by The NewsHawks, the British House of Lords debated that Zimbabwe's re-admission to the Commonwealth should be based on how the country holds itsgeneral election this year, and an improvement in the human rights situation.In January this year, the House of Lords debated Zimbabwe's overtures to rejoin the Commonwealth, saying there is a need to scrutinise the country's progress on human rights and democratic governance ahead of the 2023 elections.Lord Jonathan Oates, a British Liberal Democrat, initiated a debate on Zimbabwe's readmission bid without reforms, saying it would severely damage the Commonwealth's reputation and the country's struggle for democracy and human rights.During the debate, Lord Sonny Leong of the UK Labour party said the country has not been doing enough to correct the human rights situation."Although there have been some positive developments in recent years, they have not been as significant, rapid or numerous as many of us had hoped, especially post-president Mugabe. The country retains the death penalty and the rights and freedoms of women and girls are unequal, as they are for the LGBT community," Lord Leong said."However, with Zimbabwe holding general elections this year, I draw your lordships' attention to the democratic process in the country. Official observers were critical of how the last elections were conducted in 2018."A colleague of mine who served on a Commonwealth observer group told me that he personally witnessed scenes of violence and direct intimidation by government forces' and noted that an unlevel playing field' had been created, which the government considers it to its benefit to maintain'," he said.Meanwhile, the electoral processes have been hijacked by a shadowy Central Intelligence Organisation outfit, Forever Associates Zimbabwe (Faz), which has gone out to ensure a Zanu-PF victory.With three members in every ward countrywide, Faz has been intimidating people, particularly in rural areas, collecting voter information, rolling out door-to-door campaigns, night vigils, community events, technology-based messaging while monitoring all stages of the electoral process.Sources say, so far, Faz has received US$10 million and 200 cars to run its affairs in preparation for elections. More resources have been promised to capacitate the secret structure. Faz's mandate, working together with Zec, is to coordinate logistics and decisive forces to retain Mnangagwa in power.The organisation has also been implicated in the fielding of double candidates within the main opposition CCC during the candidate nomination process, while hijacking a chaotic voter inspection process.
California [US], July 9 (ANI): Researchers have known that a lack of quality sleep can increase a person's risk of diabetes. Now, new findings from a team of sleep scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are closer to an answer. The researchers have uncovered a potential mechanism in humans that explains how and why deep-sleep brain waves at night are able to regulate the body's sensitivity to insulin, which in turn improves blood sugar control the next day.

"These synchronized brain waves act like a finger that flicks the first domino to start an associated chain reaction from the brain, down to the heart, and then out to alter the body's regulation of blood sugar," said Matthew Walker, a UC Berkeley professor of neuroscience and psychology and senior author of the new study. "In particular, the combination of two brain waves, called sleep spindles and slow waves, predict an increase in the body's sensitivity to the hormone called insulin, which consequentially and beneficially lowers blood glucose levels."

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The researchers say this is an exciting advance because sleep is a modifiable lifestyle factor that could now be used as part of a therapeutic and painless adjunct treatment for those with high blood sugar or Type 2 diabetes.

Scientists also noted an additional benefit besides the potential new mechanistic pathway.

Also Read | Leqembi, First Alzheimers Drug Proven to Slow the Diseases Progression, Gets Full FDA Approval in US, Medicare Will Now Pay for It.

"Beyond revealing a new mechanism, our results also show that these deep-sleep brain waves could be used as a sensitive marker of someone's next-day blood sugar levels, more so than traditional sleep metrics," said Vyoma D. Shah, a researcher at Walker's Center for Human Sleep Science and co-author of the study. "Adding to the therapeutic relevance of this new discovery, the findings also suggest a novel, non-invasive tool -- deep-sleep brain waves -- for mapping and predicting someone's blood sugar control."

The team's findings were published today in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.

For years, researchers have studied how the coupling of non-rapid eye movement sleep spindles and deep, slow brain waves corresponded to an entirely different function -- that of learning and memory. Indeed, the same team of UC Berkeley researchers previously found that deep-sleep brain waves improved the ability of the hippocampus -- the part of the brain associated with learning -- to retain information.

But this new research builds on a 2021 rodent study and reveals a novel and previously unrecognized role for these combined brain waves in humans when it comes to the critical bodily function of blood sugar management.

The UC Berkeley researchers first examined sleep data in a group of 600 individuals. They found that this particular coupled set of deep-sleep brain waves predicted next-day glucose control, even after controlling for other factors such as age, gender and the duration and quality of sleep.

"This particular coupling of deep-sleep brain waves was more predictive of glucose than an individual's sleep duration or sleep efficiency," said Raphael Vallat, a UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow and co-author of the study. "That indicates there is something uniquely special about the electrophysiological quality and coordinated ballet of these brain oscillations during deep sleep."

Next, the team then set out to explore the descending pathway that might explain the connection between these deep-sleep brain waves sending a signal down into the body, ultimately predicting the regulation of blood glucose.

The findings from the team reveal an unfolding set of steps that could help explain how and why these deep-sleep brain waves are related to superior blood sugar control. First, they found that stronger and more frequent coupling of the deep-sleep brain waves predicted a switch in the body's nervous system state into the more quiescent and calming branch, called the parasympathetic nervous system. They measured that change in the body and the shift to this low-stress state using heart rate variability as a proxy.

Next, the team turned its attention to the final step of blood sugar balance.

The researchers further discovered that this deep sleep switch to the calming branch of the nervous system further predicted an increased sensitivity of the body to the glucose-regulating hormone called insulin, which instructs cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, preventing a deleterious blood sugar spike.

That's particularly important for people trying to back away from hyperglycemia and Type 2 diabetes.

"In the electrical static of sleep at night, there is a series of connected associations, such that deep-sleep brain waves telegraph a recalibration and calming of your nervous system the following day," Walker said. "This rather marvelous associated soothing effect on your nervous system is then associated with a reboot of your body's sensitivity to insulin, resulting in a more effective control of blood sugar the next day."

The researchers subsequently replicated the same effects by examining a separate group of 1,900 participants.

"Once we replicated the findings in a different cohort, I think we actually started to feel more confident in the results ourselves," Walker said. "But I'll wait for others to replicate it before I truly start believing, such is my British skepticism." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 9 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda on Sunday chaired a crucial regional consultative meeting of senior party leaders of southern India and some other states in Hyderabad to chalk out the party's strategy for next year's Lok Sabha elections and other important issues.

Leaders from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Andaman and Lakshadweep were present at the meeting.

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The meeting also comes ahead of the Assembly polls in Telangana, scheduled to take place later this year.

The regional consultative meeting held at the BJP Telangana headquarters in Hyderabad was attended by party General Secretary BL Santhosh and other senior leaders as well as party MPs and MLAs and state unit presidents, among others.

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At the meeting, Nadda felicitated Union minister G Kishan Reddy, the newly elected president of the BJP Telangana unit.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering in Warangal of the poll-bound state and came down heavily on Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the BRS government, as well as the Congress, over corruption.

He said the state was "trapped in a web of dynastic politics".

"Both the BRS and the Congress are dangerous for people of Telangana", PM Modi said, and added that KCR was running the "most corrupt government."

Before his address, the Prime Minister had laid the foundation stones for various infrastructure and development projects, worth Rs 6,100 crore, in Warangal while lauding the people of Telangana for their "great contribution" to enriching the country's history. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kota (Raj), Jul 9 (PTI) A 12-year-old boy was killed in an attack by three stray dogs while he was on his way to agriculture field in Rajasthan's Bundi district on Sunday, police said.

The incident took place in the morning in Tikha Barda village, they said.

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Mangilal Gurjar, a class 5 student and resident of Tikha Barda village, suffered critical injuries after stray dogs attacked him, said Shyam Sunder, Duty Officer at Bundi Sadar police station.

The dogs encircled the boy and attacked him while he was passing through an isolated stretch between his house and the agriculture field around 500 metres away, the police officer said.

Also Read | Modi Government to Bring Back 150 Indian Artefacts from US in Next Six Months.

Police said there was no one around when the incident took place.

The boy screamed for help and ran around to save himself but the stray dogs critically wounded him by the time his uncle and other villagers reached the spot.

They took him to district hospital where doctors referred him to Kota. The boy succumbed to injuries on the way to Kota, police said.

The body was handed over to the family members after post-mortem later in the day. A case was registered under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) that deals with unnatural death. The matter is being investigated, Duty Officer Sunder said.

(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], July 9 (ANI): Special team of South-East Delhi Police on Saturday apprehended three persons in connection with an assault and a mobile theft case in South-East Delhi, officials said.

According to the police, the accused were identified as Vishal (27), Deepak alias Dilip Ganja (32) and Pawan Kumar (age undetermined).

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DCP, South East Delhi, Rajesh Deo stated that the word of the assault on the victim, identified as Fakhruddin (38), was received at the Badarpur police station on June 28.

He informed further that on receipt of the information, the police reached the spot and got the injured shifted to AIIMS Trauma Centre in the national capital.

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The injured was later learned to be receiving treatment for multiple injuries inflicted by a sharp object, police said, adding that he was admitted in a serious condition.

In his statement to the police, the injured victim said both Vishal and Varun, who were acquaintances of his, attacked him with beer bottles, knives, and other sharp objects on June 28 at a tea shack near his house.

The officials added that CCTV footage of nearby areas was examined and inputs gathered before Vishal, Dilip alias Ganja, Varun and other associates involved in the attack, were traced.

In addition, technical surveillance was used to track the movement of the accused and multiple raids were conducted at suspected hideouts in Delhi-NCR, said officials.

The officials informed further that the arrested trio were involved in more than thirty cases of robbery, snatching, house thefts, and criminal intimidation and was wanted in several cases in North India.

"Members of this gang were found to have operated across North India, in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Mewat region of Rajasthan, and Bihar. The items they stole were even shipped beyond Nepal," the officer said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kanpur (UP), Jul 9 (PTI) An elderly man and his wife were beaten to death by his 73-year-old brother in the wee hours of Sunday at a village here over a property dispute, police said.

Mohan Lal Vishkarma entered the couple's room while they were asleep in their house at Chirkhiri village in the Mangalpur area of Kanpur Dehat and hacked them to death with a wooden stick.

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The deceased have been identified as Ram Prakash Vishkarma (70) and his wife Malti (68).

The accused was arrested when he was on his way to court to surrender, said Kanpur Dehat Additional SP Rajesh Kumar Pandey.

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During interrogation, Mohan Lal confessed his crime and said he killed his brother and sister-in-law under the influence of alcohol over an old property dispute, Pandey said.

(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, Jul 9 (PTI) The GST Council on July 11 is expected to clarify on the TCS liability of suppliers engaged in e-commerce trading through Open Network Digital Commerce in cases where multiple operators are involved in a transaction.

ONDC or Open Network for Digital Commerce is a new initiative of the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT). So far, there is no clarity on who should be liable for TCS compliance under GST laws.

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Under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) law, every e-commerce operator is required to collect TCS at the rate of 1 per cent of the taxable value of goods/services sold through its platform.

Sources said the Law Committee, comprising Centre and state tax officers, has recommended to the Council that in a situation where multiple e-commerce operators (ECOs) are involved in a single transaction through ECO platform, the TCS compliances is to be done by the supplier-side, who finally releases the payment to the supplier.

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ONDC's open network operates in two models -- inventory model and marketplace model.

Under the inventory model, a buyer places an order with an e-commerce platform, who then pays the supplier of the goods or services. Here, TCS is deducted by the e-commerce platform while making payment to the seller.

The confusion regarding liability of TCS deduction arises in the case of the market place model -- where two intermediaries are involved in a single transaction.

Here, a buyer places an order on an e-commerce platform (buyer app) who then sources it from another e-commerce entity (seller app). The seller app then procures the goods from the actual supplier.

Since several entities are involved, the DPIIT has sought clarity as to whether the buyer e-commerce operator or the seller e-commerce company would be required to deduct the Tax Collected at Source (TCS).

Sources said in this case, TCS would be required to be deducted by the seller app while making payment to the supplier. A clarification to this effect is likely to be issued by the GST Council on Tuesday.

Incorporated on December 31, 2021, ONDC is a Section 8 company.

It is an initiative of the DPIIT to create a facilitative model to help small retailers take advantage of digital commerce. It is not an application, platform, intermediary, or software but a set of specifications designed to foster open, unbundled, and interoperable open networks.

The GST Council had last year waived mandatory registration for suppliers to e-commerce platforms in case of intra-state supplies, provided that the annual turnover of supplier is less than the GST registration threshold, which is Rs 40 lakh for goods and Rs 20 lakh for services). This provision will come into effect from October 1.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Srinagar, Jul 9 (PTI) Police on Sunday said it detained a group of former JKLF terrorists who were planning to revive separatist politics in Kashmir.

"A Search was conducted on basis of credible info about meeting of some ex-trts (terrorist) of JKLF & erstwhile separatists in a hotel in Srinagar. They were brought to Kothibagh PS for verification. Inquiry has started, prima facie it came out that they were planning to revive JKLF & hurriyat," the Srinagar Police tweeted.

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The police did not elaborate if the persons were arrested or let go after verification.

(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], July 9 (ANI): The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials on Sunday said two people got injured after a house collapsed in Delhi's Zakhira area due to heavy rain.

"The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received the information about a house collapse at 9:34 am in the Zakhira locality of Delhi on July 9," added the officials.

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They also said that three fire tenders rushed to the spot as soon as the DFS received the information about the incident.

During the search, two people were rescued from the debris, and search for other people is being carried out.

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"Two persons were taken out and rushed to the hospital. Search for other casualties continues," said the officials. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Agartala, Jul 9 (PTI) In a goodwill gesture, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has sent 980 kg of pineapples to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an official said on Sunday.

Hasina had sent 500 kg of mangoes to the chief minister on June 15.

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Director of Horticulture Department, P B Jamatia, handed over 100 boxes of specially plucked 'kew' variety of pineapples to officials at the Assistant High Commission of India, Chittagong on Saturday.

The chief minister, as part of goodwill gesture, sent 980 kg of pineapples to Prime Minister Hasina. We are honoured to send the gift, Jamatia told PTI.

Also Read | Kerala: Man Trapped Inside Well for Nearly 24 Hours in Thiruvananthapuram, Rescue Efforts Continue (Watch Video).

The 'kew' variety of pineapples are unique for their taste, smell and size, 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)
New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) The Department of Telecom is likely to approach sector regulator Trai this week for auction of a set of spectrum bands as well as radio waves held by permits that are due to expire in 2024, an official source said.

The source said that DoT is expected to hold the auction in the March quarter of the current fiscal.

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"DoT will send reference to Trai in a couple of days for auction of 37 GHz band and radio waves of telecom licenses that are due for renewal in 2024," the source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The reference is likely to include the auction of spectrum in 600 megahertz band as well as the frequency that remained unsold in the auction held in 2022.

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The government had put on offer spectrum in 10 bands but received no bids for airwaves in 600 MHz, 800 MHz and 2300 MHz bands. About two-thirds of the bids were for the 5G bands (3300 Mhz and 26 GHz), while more than a quarter of the demand came in the 700 Mhz band -- a band that had gone unsold in the previous two auctions (2016 and 2021).

DoT expects Trai to recommend auction guidelines for the satellite communication spectrum soon so that it can be included in the auction planned for the March quarter.

However, only one satellite communication player has demanded the allocation of spectrum administratively instead of taking the auction route.

According to the source, some of the licenses of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are set to expire in 2024 and spectrum held through these permits will also be put for auction in the March quarter.

"DoT will be able to conduct auction if Trai's recommendation is received by January," the source said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
News / National

by Staff reporter

ZIMBABWE Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) lawyer Innocent Gonese of Lawman Law Chambers (LLC) has written to Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) Commissioner-General Moses Chihobvu demanding action over the misconduct of ZPCS officer Caroline Manjongo, who has taken up a Zanu-PF political post in violation of the constitution.As exposed by The NewsHawks last week, Manjongo is serving as the vice-chairperson of Zanu-PF women's league in Mashonaland East province, in violation of section 208 of the constitution. The constitution expressly bars members of the security forces from holding political positions or furthering the interests of any political party.The constitution also bars security forces - listed in section 207 as defence forces, police service, intelligence service and prisons and correctional service - from conducting themselves in a partisan manner.LLC, acting on behalf of a concerned citizen Takudzwanashe Mudzuri - a legal practitioner - has issued the ZPCS a three-day ultimatum to provide a written response on what action will be taken against Manjongo.The lawyers say they will take legal action in the event that the ZPCS does not take action. Citing section 208 of the constitution, the lawyers said: "We write to you at the instance of Takudzwanashe Mudzuri who is a citizen of Zimbabwe . . . regarding the misconduct and violation of the constitution by prison officer Caroline Manjongo and the Zanu-PF party.". . . (2) Neither the security forces nor any of their members in the exercise of their functions (b) further the interests of any political party or cause;". . . (3) Members of the security services must not be active members or office-bearers of any political party or organisation."Our client is horrified that the Mashonaland East provincial secretary for Security had the temerity to write to the chief director Human Resources Administration and Development on the 30th May 2023 seeking the release of the officer to organise and participate in partisan political party activities of Zanu-PF from the 1st of June 2023 till after the harmonised elections scheduled for the 23rd of August 2023."The lawyers said their client and right-thinking Zimbabweans were perturbed and disturbed by "this brazen and arrogant disdain" of the constitution by the prison officer and Zanu-PF."We therefore demand a written response in a period of three days indicating what course of action will be taken, failure which our institutions are to institute appropriate legal proceedings to seek redress," read the letter which was also copied to Justice, Parliamentary and Legal Affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, the permanent secretary Virginia Mabhiza, the Public Service Commission and chief director human resources and development Walter Mupandawana.The lawyers raised concern over the flagrant violation of the constitution."Our client and right thinking Zimbabwean citizens are perturbed and disturbed by the brazen and arrogant disdain of the provisions of the Constitution by a political party and the officer concerned. This wanton disregard of the Supreme Law of the Land is a grave cause of concern particularly as it appears to have been condoned by your administration and this collusion is unconstitutional and unacceptable."Members of the Prisons and Correctional Services are required to be non-partisan and must not be seen furthering the interests of any political party, let alone being active or office bearers campaigning and lobbying during the election period. Our client in his personal capacity as a responsible citizen and an officer of the court believes that the brazen violation of the Constitution has to stop, and in this regard, we are copying this letter to Honourable Minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the permanent secretary, the Public Service Commission and the chief director Human Resources Administration and Development for remedial action," read the letter.As reported by The NewsHawks, Zanu-PF and war veterans wrote letters requesting the ZPCS to release Manjongo to enable her to campaign for Zanu-PF ahead of the 23 August general elections.In the first letter, dated 30 May 2023, Mashonaland East secretary for security Jeremiah Chiwetu, a former police officer, wrote to the ZPCS chief director human resources administration and development, Commissioner Alvord Gapare, requesting Manjongo's release.The letter revealed that Manjongo is serving as the Mashonaland East Zanu-PF women's league deputy secretary, which would be a violation of the constitution. Chiwetu, who is also Marondera East legislator, requested that Manjongo be given time off to help organise the party ahead of the elections.Another letter dated 31 May 2023, written by retired Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Makureya, the secretary for administration for the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association in Harare, said Manjongo will be on national duty.The letter was addressed to Gapare."Requested is the release from duty of the above referred Zanu-PF cadre who is the vice chairwoman Women's League for the period as from 1 June 2023 up to end of elections."She will be carrying out national duty involved in the Party Voter Mobilisation Programmes. Your assistance by releasing her for this noble cause will be much appreciated," Makureya, who is secretary for administration, wrote to Gapare.
Melbourne, Jul 9 (PTI) A 55-year-old Melbourne woman, jailed for keeping an Indian-origin Tamil woman as a slave for eight years, has been sentenced to an additional two-and-a-half years for threatening the victim before she gave evidence in the criminal trial, police said.

Kumuthini Kannan and her husband Kandasamy Kannan were earlier convicted and sentenced for enslaving the victim, in her 60s, in their Mount Waverley home between 2007 and 2015, the police said in a statement on Saturday.

Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Slams Imran Khan for 'Sinister' Campaign Against Pak Army Chief Asim Munir.

Kumuthini pleaded guilty to the offence of perverting the course of justice during an Australian Federal Police (AFP) slavery investigation and was sentenced on July 7 in the County Court of Victoria to an additional two years and six months imprisonment, the statement said.

The Judge ordered that the sentence would start 18 months before the completion of her current sentence for the slavery offences.

Also Read | Migrants Trapped in Libya: Im Determined to Try Again.

Kumuthini was earlier sentenced to eight years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years for the slavery offences.

She will be eligible for parole in January 2026. Her husband was sentenced to six years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of three years.

They were convicted and jailed in 2021 after the police investigation established the couple had kept the victim as a slave for 8 years.

The federal police charged the couple in June 2016 with slavery offences and in 2020, while awaiting trial, Kumuthini threatened the victim and warned her not to give evidence during the court proceedings.

In February 2020, the AFP Human Trafficking Team charged the woman with attempting to pervert the course of justice, contrary to section 43 of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), and the matter was heard separately from the slavery proceedings.

According to a local media report, the exploitation of the elderly woman was able to take place because the woman's family was in India, she did not speak English, and her passport was taken away by the Kannans. PTI

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad, Jul 9 (PTI) Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has sought a "guarantee" from the International Monetary Fund that the general elections in the country will be held on its scheduled time.

Days before the IMF executive board meeting to review and possibly endorse the Standby Arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan, a delegation of the global lender met Khan on Friday in Lahore to seek assurance and support for the key objectives and policies under the recently announced USD 3 billion bailout programme, Geo News channel reported on Saturday.

Also Read | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Slams Imran Khan for 'Sinister' Campaign Against Pak Army Chief Asim Munir.

Pakistan and IMF reached a long-awaited staff-level agreement on June 29 to inject USD 3 billion Standby Arrangement into the ailing economy after months-long negotiations that pushed the country to the brink of default. The Executive Board of the IMF will meet on July 12 to review the SBA for Pakistan.

Quoting sources, Geo News reported that Khan asked the IMF to ensure that the general elections, scheduled to take place in October, will be held on time.

Also Read | Migrants Trapped in Libya: Im Determined to Try Again.

What guarantee can you (IMF) give that the elections in the country will be held on time, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was quoted as saying in the huddle.

The IMF representatives, as per insiders, responded by saying that the Washington-based lender keeps a close eye on the situation in the country but we cannot interfere too much in internal political matters.

The IMF delegation further added that the short-term bailout package has been chalked out in such a way that the transition of power is expected to take place on time, the report said quoting sources.

The insiders added that the IMF officials expressed hope that the interim set-up will hold general elections in the country within the constitutionally-mandated time period.

The meeting was attended by IMF country chief Nathan Porter who joined virtually from Washington and Resident Representative Ester Perez Luis who was physically present.

The IMF meeting has come under scanner in Pakistan where some leaders termed it as interference in domestic affairs of the country.

However, the IMF's resident representative Esther Perez Ruiz in a statement said that the meetings with political parties were to "seek assurances of their support for the key objectives and policies under a new IMF-supported programme ahead of the approaching national elections".

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Paris, July 9: An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent that arrived in France on Friday has been engaged in a practice session for the upcoming Bastille Day celebrations scheduled to be held in the European country on July 14. Taking to Twitter, the Indian Air Force informed of the practice session being carried out by the IAF contingent, which will participate in France's National Day next week.

"The Warriors in Blue, All set to Sizzle on the Avenues des Champs Elysee. #BastilleDay #SwingIt," the Indian Air Force tweeted. An Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent of four Rafale fighter jets, and two C-17 Globemasters, which are slated to participate in the Bastille Day flypast over the Champs Elysees in Paris on July 14, landed at the Evreux-Fauville Air Base in France on Friday. Bastille Day 2023 Date, History, Significance & Celebrations: Everything To Know About French National Day.

Officials said that the IAF flying contingent of 4 Rafale aircraft and 2 C-17 Globemasters were welcomed by the French Air and Space Force (FASF). The officials also stated that the Rafales were refuelled by IAF's IL-78 tankers while flying to France, enabling the Rafales to finish the direct voyage from India to France.

India and France have a long history of cooperation, particularly in air power, as seen by the flypast and march of the IAF air warriors on Bastille Day. "The flypast and marching by the IAF air warriors on Bastille Day follow a long association that the two nations share, especially in the field of air power," said an official statement by the Ministry of Defence.

Indian Air Force Contingent Practises in France

Indian Air Force contingent practises in France for the Bastille Day parade on July 14 pic.twitter.com/ECVp3zfJTW  ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

"Many Indians like Welinkar, Shivdev Singh, HC Dewan and Jumbo Majumdar fought over the skies of France during the two World Wars. Some, like Jumbo Majumdar, were also decorated for their gallant action, over the Falaise Gap, during the terminal phase of World War II," added the official statement. The statement also said, "The Indian Air Force has operated multiple French aircraft starting with the Ouragan."

This was followed by fighter aircraft like Breguet Alize, Mystere IVA, SEPECAT Jaguar, Mirage 2000 and now, the Rafale. Helicopters like the Alouette-III & Lama continue to render yeoman services to India, especially in the remote Himalayan areas, it added.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France on its National Day, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain recently expressed the desire to have Indian troops participate in the parade and Indian Rafales in the sky to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two nations.

Speaking to ANI, Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain said, "Well, it's going to be a very important visit. India is the guest of honour on our Bastille Day...our National Day. Every year we have a guest of honour but this year, it is very special that's the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between France and India and we wanted to have Indian troops in the parade and also Indian Rafales in the sky."

The visit of PM Modi is expected to set new goals for the strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation between the two nations.

Talking about the key takeaways from PM Modi's upcoming visit to France, he said, "There will be a lot. Each time, there are important meetings at that level.

There will be some new momentum for cooperation. That being the 25th anniversary this year, we are going to draft a roadmap to open for new cooperation in the future, especially in the field of technology, the fight against climate change, global issues, and people-to-people exchanges..there would be a lot of news." Bastille Day Parade 2023: Indian Soldiers From Punjab Regiment Set to March in Paris.

The envoy also commended the camaraderie between President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and emphasized the intention to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries. India and France are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Strategic Partnership this year.

At the invitation of France President Emmanuel Macron, PM Modi will be the Guest of Honour on France's National Day on July 14. The French traditional military parade is held in Paris during Bastille Day on July 14. PM Modi's visit will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the "strategic partnership" between France and India.

(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)

Mexico City, Jul 9 (AP) The national newspaper La Jornada said its staff reporter in Mexico's Pacific coast state of Nayarit has been found dead.

La Jornada reported on Saturday that the body of journalist Luis Martin Sanchez Iniguez was found on the outskirts of the state capital, Tepic.

Also Read | Ukraine Not Ready for NATO Membership, Says US President Joe Biden Amid Russia-Ukraine War.

The Nayarit state prosecutors' office reported that Sanchez Iniguez, 59, had been missing since Wednesday, and issued an appeal to find him. But the office did not immediately confirm the identification of the body.

The journalist's wife reported him missing, along with a computer and his cellphone.

Also Read | US Plane Crash Video: Six People Dead As Aircraft Crashes Into Field and Bursts Into Flames in California.

Sanchez Iniguez was last seen in Xalisco, a Nayarit town that has long been linked to the smuggling of heroin and opium.

He would be at least the second journalist killed in Mexico this year.

In February, news photographer Jose Ramiro Araujo was stabbed and beaten to death in the northern Mexico border state of Baja California.

Police later arrested two youths on a beach near the scene of the attack who they said had a knife and blood stains on their clothing. The suspects face charges of homicide and robbery.

The year 2022 was among the deadliest ever for Mexican media workers, with 15 killed. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
California [US], July 9 (ANI): A Cessna business jet crashed close to French Valley Airport in the wee hours of Saturday in Murrieta, California, reported CNN citing Federal Aviation Administration.

The Riverside County sheriff's office said all six passengers on board the aircraft were found dead at the site.

Also Read | Ukraine Not Ready for NATO Membership, Says US President Joe Biden Amid Russia-Ukraine War.

Around 4.15 am (local time), the flight from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas crashed about 65 miles north of San Diego, according to the FAA.

An acre of vegetation was destroyed by the fire before it was doused, according to a tweet from Cal Fire, after the plane crashed in a field.

Also Read | US Plane Crash Video: Six People Dead As Aircraft Crashes Into Field and Bursts Into Flames in California.

Details of the passengers were not immediately available.

The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will conduct an investigation into the incident. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, July 9: In the latest development of the DRDO Espionage Case, the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) has filed a chargesheet in which the ATS said that the accused scientist shared sensitive details with the woman, a Pakistan-based intelligence operative. The ATS said that DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar allegedly shared details about Indias missile, drone and robotics programmes with the Pakistani woman.

Dr Pradeep Kurulkar, a Pune-based DRDO scientist was arrested on May 30 on charges of espionage charges after he was honey-trapped by the Pakistan Intelligence Officer. The ATS submitted its chargesheet to the special court on June 30, reports the Hindustan Times. In its chargesheet, the ATS has claimed to have unearthed "explosive" chats that were exchanged between Kurulkar and the Pakistani operative. Pakistan Intelligence Officer in Touch with Scientist Dr Pradeep Kurulkar Had Also Contacted IAF Corporal, Says Maharashtra ATS on DRDO Espionage Case.

ATS Reveals Details of 'Explosive' Chats

The DRDO scientist was the director, of research and development at DRDO when he reportedly shared confidential information with the Pakistani woman. The ATS claimed that the accused shared the information "in order to establish intimate relations with her". Furthermore, the chargesheet also revealed that the Pakistani agent reportedly created multiple fake accounts under different aliases in order to engage with the accused scientist.

Two of the names used by the Pakistani operative were Zara Dasgupta and Juhi Arora. The ATS chargesheet said that the DRDO scientists spoke openly about the Meteor missile which is in the works at DRDO, Brahmos missiles, Rafael, Akash and Astra missile systems among others while chatting with the alleged Zara Dasgupta. The ATS has also attached screenshots of the chats.

DRDO Scientist Called Pakistani Agent Called 'Babe'

As per the chats, accused Kurulkar and the Pakistani operative would talk about the serious conversations on the defence issues with a playful "Babe". The chargesheet also mentions mentioned the information that the so-called Zara Dasgupta sought from Kurulkar. The ATS has also attached the DRDO scientist's response to her questions in a sealed envelope and submitted it to court. DRDO Espionage Case: Scientist Dr Pradeep Kurulkar Arrested for Providing Secret Information to Pakistan Agent Sent in Judicial Custody Till May 29.

The 1,837-page charge sheet by the ATS also stated that Kurulkar would like to brag about his work all the time. In one of the chats, when the Pakistani operative asked him about the success of the Agni-6 launcher test, he said, "The launcher is my design babe It was a great success." The charge sheet also revealed that Kurulkar addressed the Pakistani operative as "Babe".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2023 11:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Thiruvananthapuram, July 9: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has rejected invitation of the CPI(M) for a seminar against implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) at Kozhikode on July 15 . Muslim League general secretary PMA Salam told media persons that the League will not participate in the seminar on July 15 as any such programme must have the participation of the Indian National Congress and without the Congress being invited, League would not participate.

The CPI(M) was trying to create a wedge in the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala in which the Muslim League is an ally of the Congress, sources said. While the Muslim League has rejected the CPI(M) invitation to the seminar of July 15, the ideological base of the Muslim League, Samastha, has decided to participate in the seminar. Uniform Civil Code: As Soon as Committee Submits Its Report, We Will Follow Constitutional Process and Implement UCC, Says Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Samastha president Jifri Muthukoya Thangal has confirmed to attend the seminar, giving a major fillip to the CPI(M), which is trying to draw the Muslim social groups into its fold, the sources added. The sources in the Muslim League told IANS that there was a heated debate between senior leaders regarding accepting the invitation and rejecting it. Uniform Civil Code: Implementing UCC Not Easy Like Revoking Article 370, Will Affect All Religions, Says Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Leaders like ET Mohammed Basheer, MK Muneer and KM Shaji were against attending the seminar while leaders like PK Kunhalikutty and PMA Salam were for attending the event and thereby bridging the gap with the CPI(M). CPI(M) leader and former minister AK Balan told media persons that the Muslim League rejecting the invitation by the CPI(M) was a political decision.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2023 02:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Patna, July 9: Former Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday dropped hints of joining the BJP-led NDA for which he had campaigned in the recent by-polls in Bihar. At a meeting of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), a splinter group of the LJP floated by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag was "authorised" to take a decision with regard to the party joining "any alliance".

The meeting took place on a day senior BJP leader and Union minister Nityanand Rai called on Chirag and termed the residence of the Paswans as "my second home". Rai refrained from talking about alliance with Chirag though he asserted "the BJP and late Ram Vilas bhai have shared values. Both believe in making the people happy with their services".

When Chirag was asked about the possibility of joining the NDA, he said, "It will be against the maryada' (decorum) of a coalition for me to make any announcement before them. The alliance (NDA) is likely to hold another round of talks before making up its mind". Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BSP Chief Mayawati Holds Key Meeting With Leaders in Delhi To Discuss Partys Preparations and Strategies for General Polls (Watch Video).

Chirag Paswan on Alliance With BJP

#WATCH | "Whether he ( Pashupati Kumar Paras) will be part of the alliance (with NDA) or not, is not going to affect me...a leader's importance in an alliance will depend upon the kind of public support they have...": Chirag Paswan, MP and Lok Janshakti Party chief pic.twitter.com/CN5GwxpAY5  ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

While Chirag's affinity towards the BJP and his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi are well known, there is a proverbial thorn in the flesh. His uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who had led a revolt soon after his father's death that resulted in a split in the LJP, is a minister in the Union cabinet.

Both uncle and nephew have stated many times that they will not be part of any coalition that includes the other. Chirag did not make any fresh statement about his uncle on Sunday, though he made it clear that his party will "without any doubt" contest the Lok Sabha polls from Hajipur, which is father had nurtured during numerous terms and is currently held by his uncle. Chirag, who is a second-term MP from Jamui, was asked whether he, too, has been offered a berth in the Union council of ministers.

"My decision to be part of a coalition will be influenced more by prospects in Lok Sabha and assembly polls than a ministerial berth, he said. Chirag had revolted against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the 2020 assembly polls, fielding candidates against the JD(U), which saw its tally fall drastically. Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BSP To Contest All 80 Parliamentary Seats in Uttar Pradesh, Announces Mayawati.

Although the BJP contested the elections in alliance with the JD(U), the latter accused the former of having propped up Chirag, who had given tickets to several rebels in the saffron party. Many of the rebels, whom the BJP had then expelled for "violating coalition dharma", are now back in the party, which has been stripped of power following JD(U)'s exit from the NDA last year.

Chirag, who appeared to have been left high and dry after the split in LJP, was wooed by the BJP during by-elections to three assembly segments that took place in Bihar after the Mahagathbandhan' came to power. He carried out an intensive campaign for the BJP, which defeated the Mahagathbandhan' in two of the seats.
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. A sweets shop worker was arrested here in the Govindpuram area for allegedly raping a 13-year-old boy who worked with him, police said on Sunday.
The staff of the hospital went to the dustbin to dispose waste in the morning, when they found the body of a newborn there, the hospital's administrative officer Tukaram Pashte said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE opposition CCC fears the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) is manipulating the voters' roll in favour of Zanu-PF, hence the commission's failure to avail the electronic copy to candidates, a senior official said.Zimbabwe will hold general elections on 23 August, but Zec is yet to avail the voters' roll to candidates.Section 21 of the Electoral Act mandates Zec to release the voters' roll to nominated candidates.It reads: "Within a reasonable period of time after nomination day in an election, the Commission (Zec) shall provide: "(a) free of charge, to every nominated candidate, one copy in electronic form of the voters' roll to be used in the election for which the candidate has been nominated; and (b) at the request of any nominated candidate, and on payment of the prescribed fee, one copy in printed form of the voters roll to be used in the election for which the candidate has been nominated."Ellen Shiriyedenga, a senior officer in the CCC's election department, said: "With regards to the voters' roll, we have done two things. First, we wrote to Zec on the 24th of June requesting to purchase the voters' roll as per requirement of the law. But, up to now we have not received a response from Zec in that regard."Remember, according to the Electoral Act, anyone can purchase the voters' roll as long as you are a citizen. So, we have not received a response. Secondly, we engaged Zec with regards to the voters' roll for our candidates for council and Parliament.""We were told that they were in the process of preparing the voters' roll. So, we await to hear from Zec to see if they will honour their promise in terms of giving our candidates the voters' roll as required by the Electoral Act."Zec has also failed to rectify anomalies unearthed in the chaotic voter inspection process."But, let me reiterate the fact that we have questions with the credibility of the voters' roll. Given that we had a voters' roll inspection last month which ended on the first of June, which unearthed anomalies where a lot of people were removed from the voters' roll."A lot of people were displaced from their traditional polling stations and placed in stations that were faraway from their areas to areas that are more than 10 kilometres away. So, we wrote Zec citing all those anomalies and sought audience with Zec to rectify them."Unfortunately, we did not get a response from Zec to the effect of rectifying those areas. This is why we are keen to check out the voters' roll that will be given to our people. This is why we are keen to check out the voters' roll so that we are able to conduct our separate audit to ensure that all those anomalies and discrepancies we observed have been rectified," she said.The voters' roll has also been under scrutiny under suspicions of tampering by Zanu-PF-affiliated Forever Associates Zimbabwe (Faz).As previously reported by The NewsHawks, Faz, which has taken over election processes, has also been intimidating people, particularly in rural areas, collecting voter information, rolling out door-to-door campaigns, night vigils, community events, technology-based messaging while monitoring all stages of the electoral process.Faz, which took over the just-ended voter inspection process that saw several opposition politicians and members failing to locate their names on the registers, fomenting a lot of confusion.With three members in every ward, Faz has also been managing Zanu-PF's cell registers throughout the country.CCC has also challenged Zec's failure to release the voters' roll in court.In March, Harare North opposition lawmaker Allan Markham filed a Supreme Court appeal after his request for the release of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) electronic voters' roll was blocked by the High Court.The appeal was blocked by High Court Justice Never Katiyo citing security reasons, which critics claim reflects lack of democracy in Zimbabwe.Markham's Supreme Court appeal has also been dismissed on grounds of being defective. Markham filed his appeal using a transcribed record instead of written reasons by the High Court.
There are close to 700,000 foreigners living in Libya, many of them migrants who'd like to make their way to Europe. Some of those who were turned back want to try again.Despite the recent capsize of an overloaded fishing boat packed with migrants off the Greek coast, heading from Libya to Europe, and what were likely hundreds of their deaths by drowning, Ali Majdi still wants to try and get to Europe.

Also Read | Brazil Horror: Man Drugs Minor, Stuffs Her in Suitcase and Drags Her To His Apartment To Be Used As Sex Slave, Video of Terrifying Kidnapping Surfaces.

The 28-year-old Syrian refugee has already tried to leave Libya for Europe once. He paid people smugglers in the coastal town of Zawiya $1,960 (1,800) and was eventually able to board a boat crossing the Mediterranean. Majdi's final goal is Germany, where his family now lives  he hasn't seen them for eight years.

Also Read | Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe to Visit India on July 21, Likely to Meet PM Narendra Modi.

But the boat was intercepted by the Libyan coastguard and forced to return to Libya. "My hopes were shattered," he told DW. "They forced me to come back here. I was devastated. But I'm determined to try again."

"I know the risks," he continued, "but I still want to sail across the Mediterranean. I need to reach Germany," he stressed.

Libya, a hotspot for people smugglers

Majdi is just one of hundreds of thousands of foreigners in Libya. Some are happy to remain there, others are still trying to find a way out. And while Majdi was able to find a job in Libya, many migrants are in Libyan detention where they may be abused. According to United Nations numbers, there are around 680,000 migrants in Libya at the moment, making up just over 10% of the country's total population.

Still politically divided a decade after the revolution that toppled the country's dictator, Moammar Gadhafi, the North African nation has become a popular waypoint for migrants  whether they're crossing borders for economic reasons or they're seeking asylum  because of the Libyan coastline's relative proximity to Greek and Italian shores. More than 56,000 people made the trip across the sea to Italy in the first three months of this this year. Around half of them started their journey in Libya.

Of course, Majdi is worried about the risk that another crossing entails he told DW, and he admits that he's also frightened of the Greek coast guard. "I'm worried they'll stop me from reuniting with my family. Their actions towards migrants seeking safety and a better life are a terrible mistake," he added, referring to the recent tragedy with the fishing trawler Adriana and the possibility that the Greek coastguard were somehow culpable in the deaths of hundreds of people who drowned when the overloaded boat capsized.

A new home for some migrants

Not everybody feels this way though. Rida Solan is originally from Pakistan and he too had initially wanted to come to Europe to work. Experts say that often Syrians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are able to fly into Libya from Syria on civilian flights before trying to make their way to Europe. People coming from elsewhere, including from Africa, often cross into Libya at land borders.

On his first attempt to get to Europe, Solan paid 2,000 ($2,175) to people smugglers in Zawiya, which is known as a hotbed of smuggling activity. But the 31-year-old was also apprehended and returned to Libya, this time by the Italian authorities.

Solan has now decided to stay put. He has managed to get a job at a juice shop in Misrata, a city around 220 kilometers (136 miles) further along the coast from Zawiya and is happy to be saving money.

"I vow not to consider migration again or risk my life," he told DW. "And I decided to stay here and work in Misrata because it's one of the safest cities in the country."

Additionally, he added, "Libya is good because everything here is free, like electricity and water. So I can save more money than I could in Europe." He is referring to the fact that the lack of a functioning state means that while electricity and water are provided, the collection of power or water bills is barely enforced, if at all.

The 'safest' way to Europe

By mid-June, 7,292 people had been returned to Libya during 2023, as they were trying to cross to Europe on what is known as the central Mediterranean route, the UN's International Organization for Migration, or IOM, reports. The organization also said that in the same period 662 had died and 368 people were still missing.

The latter deaths and disappearances are a reason why Libya-based people smugglers promote themselves as providing a "safe journey" across the Mediterranean.

DW contacted one people smuggler advertising his services on the social media platform TikTok who boasted that he could offer "the safest trips to Europe." In an interview conducted via the social media platform, the people smuggler, who would not give his real name, repeatedly emphasized that travelling with him was "extremely secure" and that he could organize travel between Tobruk in Libya and the Italian coastline for $2,500 per person.

Another people smuggler repeated this offer during an interview on WhatsApp. He also went on to claim his trips to Europe were the safest one could find in Libya.

Ismail, a former security guard for the Libyan government turned smuggler, further explains these kinds of promises. Ismail, who won't give his full name or age because of the business he's in, left his job to become a people smuggler because he earns much more money this way. After all, sometimes his government salary was not paid for months, he explained.

Ismail also uses TikTok to attract customers and he spoke to DW via the platform's direct messaging. He admits that his promotional videos on TikTok depict an unrealistic scenario of what life would be like for migrants once they reach their destination.

Migrants pay Ismail and his colleagues between $500 and $2,000 for the trip, depending on the kind of risks they're willing to take. The lower prices get them a ride on a rubber inflatable which might take between 50 and 200 people aboard, and which is clearly more perilous. The highest prices include a bribe for Libyan border guards who help hide the migrants on commercial shipping.

"The work is hard and tiring," he wrote to DW. "But it's very profitable and I make an average of about two trips a week."

A legal path to migration?

A coastguard staffer in Zawiya told DW that as long as assisting the migrants to leave Libya is so profitable, nothing will stop this business. He spoke off the record because he was not supposed to talk to journalists.

Experts and advocates in the field say that current policies to police the central Mediterranean route are not working and are leading to more deaths at sea and more abuses by people smuggling networks in Libya. An April 2023 investigation by the United Nations reported that there were "grave and widespread human rights violations" and "reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity were committed" against migrants in Libya.

The European Union should be doing far more to help the would-be migrants stuck in Libya as well as those who still want to leave for EU countries, Marwa Mohamed, head of outreach at the advocacy organization, Lawyers for Justice in Libya, argued in a 2022 op-ed for the European Center for Refugees and Exiles. Offering migrants in Libya a legal pathway to migration would not only help them and prevent deaths and abuses, it would also help European countries solve their looming labor crises, she wrote.

"Committing to a rights-based and collaborative response to migration flows is the best way to protect migrants and refugees from grave crimes and serious human rights violations along the central Mediterranean route," Mohamed concluded. "Doing so would contribute to the fight against the transnational crime of human trafficking by eradicating the demand and ultimately disempowering smuggling and trafficking networks."

Cathrin Schaer contributed to this story from Berlin.

Edited by: Rob Mudge

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2023 04:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Easton Heritage Day fireworks were moved to Sunday, July 16, due to a forecast for severe thunderstorms, according to a notice from the Mayors Office for Special Events.

Easton and the rest of the Lehigh Valley are under a severe thunderstorm watch through 6 p.m. Sunday. A flood advisory is in place until 7 p.m. Sunday.

The heavy rain didnt prevent historical re-enactors from marching in a parade at noon Sunday, walking from the 1752 Bachmann Publick House to Centre Square at Third and Northampton streets in Easton for the annual Declaration of Independence reading.

Some held flags, some held muskets and others held umbrellas.

Easton celebrates its place in history every year on Heritage Day. Easton was one of three cities, including Trenton and Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was read on July 8, 1776. The city commemorates that reading with a Heritage Day celebration on the first Sunday after the Fourth of July.

Re-enactor Chris Black read the Declaration from under a tent rather than from the Centre Square stage. Onlookers gripping umbrellas huddled for a place in the tent for shelter from the showers.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said on Facebook a more public reading would take place after the rain stopped.

Robert Levers is reading the Declaration under the tent snd will do another more Public reading when it stops Posted by Sal Panto on Sunday, July 9, 2023

Organizers hoped to press on with the festival despite the weather. A tweet from the city at 9:42 a.m. Sunday said the festival would continue with some events moved indoors, but by 2:30 p.m. the festival wrapped up for the day due to steady rain with no hope of a letup.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature is not cooperating with us today, said a 2:26 p.m. tweet from the city.

The festival included food, music and kids activities as outlined on the Heritage Day website.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature is not cooperating with us today. Easton Heritage Day has wrapped all activities due to continued rain that is predicted throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening. Thank you to everyone who joined us. Fireworks will be next Sunday, July 16. pic.twitter.com/bY9z3jj9Tj  City of Easton PA Official (@cityofeastonpa) July 9, 2023

This years fireworks display will take place in Upper Hackett Park. Its the first year in recent memory the fireworks wont be launched at Scott Park.

FIREWORKS UPDATE: The Mayor's office has decided to RESCHEDULE the Easton Heritage Day fireworks until next Sunday 7/16 due to this evening's weather forecast.

In case you missed our earlier tweet, Heritage Day is STILL ON for today, rain or shine! https://t.co/OrRuKOAVAW pic.twitter.com/JrOrwCyQ0B  City of Easton PA Official (@cityofeastonpa) July 9, 2023

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Forks Elementary School invited rising kindergarteners and first-graders in for a sneak preview of what school might be like this fall.

The kids involved in the summer warm-up program got a close-up view of wild animals during the first week of the program last week.

Eyes of the Wild came in to help us learn about animals we might see if we were camping in our backyards, said kindergarten teacher Elizabeth Wolford.

Eyes of the Wild in Hunterdon County is an exotic animal rescue that provides homes to over 175 animals and 60 different species, mostly abandoned pets, according to the nonprofit organizations website. The organization provides assemblies with the animals to schools like Forks Elementary.

Photos from the event show demonstrations with a snake, a turtle, a skunk, a large rabbit and a special surprise of one animal we might see if we were camping in Australia, Wolford said.

About ten teachers and staff members are working with students to provide them with enrichment activities that serve to allay any anxiety the children may have about entering kindergarten in the fall, said Forks Elementary Principal Charlene Symia.

Also during the Fourth of July week, the kids made patriotic treats: graham cracker flags with strawberries and blueberries.

It is a wonderful way to motivate children as they embark upon their educational career, Symia said.

Kim Gruning from the animal rescue organization Eyes of the Wild hosts a demonstration in July 2023 at Forks Elementary School as part of the schoolOs summer warm-up program.Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Wolford

Kim Gruning from the animal rescue organization Eyes of the Wild hosts a demonstration in July 2023 at Forks Elementary School as part of the schoolOs summer warm-up program.Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Wolford

Kim Gruning from the animal rescue organization Eyes of the Wild hosts a demonstration in July 2023 at Forks Elementary School as part of the schoolOs summer warm-up program.Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Wolford

Kim Gruning from the animal rescue organization Eyes of the Wild hosts a demonstration in July 2023 at Forks Elementary School as part of the schoolOs summer warm-up program.Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Wolford

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He was nearly out the door.

All Brian Kunsman needed was a ride home to Philadelphia.

Thats when a nurse allegedly went through his belongings looking for a cell phone to arrange for Kunsmans ride home from the hospital, according to court records.

Instead of a phone, the nurse allegedly found a pipe bomb that forced the evacuation of the emergency ward at St. Lukes Hospital in Fountain Hill.

A judge denied Kunsmans attorneys motion to suppress the evidence found in his backpack. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl ruled in May that the nurse didnt need to obtain a warrant to search Kunsmans pants and backpack because shes not a police officer and wasnt conducting a law enforcement search.

The nurse claimed Kunsman gave her permission to search his things, although Kunsman denies giving her permission, according to court records. Defense attorney Mark T. Wilson of Philadelphia didnt respond to an email seeking comment for this story.

Kunsman will stand trial July 17 for possessing the unregistered explosive device in October 2021, according to online court records.

Kunsman came to the hospital after he was in a car crash, police said. According to Schmehls trial memorandum from May 15, the hospital was ready to discharge Kunsman and a nurse needed a phone number so she could call someone to come get him.

Kunsman said he needed his phone to look up a number, according to the judges memo.

The nurse searched Kunsmans pants pockets and found a jar with a white substance, the memo says. She thought the substance might be drugs, although Kunsman was not charged with any drug crimes.

After that discovery, the nurse said she was required by the hospital to search his other belongings, according to the judges memo. She found the pipe bomb in a mesh pocket on the side of the backpack. She initially thought it was a device used to smoke drugs, but a security officer recognized it as an explosive device, the judges memo says.

The discovery prompted a response from the Allentown bomb squad, FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The copper device was taken by a technician to a fire department bunker, where it was examined and determined to be a bomb, the judges memo says.

According to the judges memo, Kunsman waived his right to remain silent and told a U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent that he had made the pipe bomb and that he intended to detonate it in the woods. Kunsman told the agent he didnt have a cell phone, didnt give the nurse permission to search his belongings and wasnt sure how the bomb ended up in his backpack, according to the judges memo.

Kunsman later claimed the bomb was for self-defense, records say.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Lewis Fallenstein.

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By Joe Vichot

Despite the benefits of the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) school voucher program for low-income Pennsylvania school children in low-achieving school districts, such as Allentown, the state House Democrats and state Sen. Nick Miller, who represents Allentown, will not support this poverty reduction and education advancement program.

Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro was elected on a platform to provide a voucher program to help improve the opportunities and education of low-income students. Initially working with state Senate Republicans to develop a plan that was passed by the Senate, Shapiro caved to the extreme left Democrats who control the House.

One such member is Democrat state Rep. Peter Schweyer, who is the House Education chairperson. Democrats are more interested in pleasing the self-interests of the local union leaders, who also support the teacher unions and public sector unions, than serving the interests, welfare and education needs of low-income Pennsylvania students.

Why?

Because these self-interest groups are the Democrats largest campaign donors and contributors. For instance, Schweyers top contributors for the past two election campaigns, according to the website Ballotpedia, included the Pennsylvania SEIU ($16,250), the IBEW Local Union 375 ($10,000), the Steamfitters Local Union 420 ($5000), the Intl Union of Operating Engineers Local 542 ($8,500), Plumbers Union Local 690 ($5,000), Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 19 ($4,500), and AFSCME Council 13 ($3,000).

Isnt it about time the voters of Allentown elect representatives who will serve their needs and not the special interest groups and union bosses?

Its time to hold local representatives Schweyer, Mike Schlossberg, and Jeanne McNeill accountable. Show your disgust for their antics and end your affiliation.

Its time to join the party that represents parents, working families, and our children. Help us support candidates that will support the educational needs of low- income students. Come join the Republican efforts to adopt and fund the PASS education voucher program. Demand that Shapiro not sign the budget unless the PASS school voucher program is included in the budget, as he first agreed.

Joe Vichot is chairman of the Lehigh County Republican Committee.
Every 20 years or so, the Phillipsburg Middle School clock tower gets a paint job to keep up appearances, but this summer the ol gals in store for a total makeover.

The 95-year-old landmark is currently undergoing a restoration project to return the clock towers exterior to its original design. Contractors on the project said they expect the restored clock tower will dazzle spectators whove never seen the original design.

Plans prepared by Architect Paul Juliano of Juliano Architects LLC, who is leading the project, include replacing the original wood paneling and copper plating that make up the towers facade, as well as replicating some of the spires custom design elements unique only to the tower, such as eight urns that mark the towers four corners and the balustrady.

The four clock faces, which are not original to the tower, will remain unchanged.

CRO International Inc. is leading the projects custom restoration effort.

At this point, the columns and beams that make the towers internal structure are in good condition, Juliano said, but the seams (connecting copper plates) of the spire are opening up. Over the years, the copper plating on the towers spire was painted over too, giving it a white appearance. Those will also be replaced.

Juliano said he expects the project will wrap up just before school starts in late August.

The Phillipsburg Board of Education estimates the emergency restoration will cost a total of about $512,600 to complete.

When this project is all done its going to be beautiful, said Juliano, The copper were installing will bring this thing back to its original glory of what it wouldve looked like when it was first built.

A look back at Phillipsburg Clock Tower

A worker walks across the roof of Phillipsburg High School after adjusting the tower clocks in 1993. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) EXTEXT

The condition of the clock tower was considered an emergency, prompting Phillipsburg Board of Education to expedite the restoration process early last month

The four copper urns that mark the towers four corners are each 3-feet tall.

The towers spire reaches 85 feet above ground-level. The top-most 12 feet are clad in copper.

The four clock faces that make the clock tower are not in the original designs. They were added within the last 40 years, according to Juliano.

The clock tower was constructed in 1927, at the same time as the rest of the former high school.

Phillipsburg Middle School at 200 Hillcrest Blvd. was among New Jerseys oldest secondary schools when it was still Phillipsburg High School.

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Glenn Epps can be reached at gepps@lehighvalleylive.com or glenn_epps_on Twitter.
A nun from Laois recently celebrated her 100th birthday and 80 years with her Order.

Sr. Mary Tighe was born in Kylemelawn, Errill on June 14th, 1923. She is one of a family of 10 siblings. Many of the extended family members live in the Rathdowney area.

On June 14th Sr. Mary celebrated her 100th Birthday with her Community at St. John of God Convent, Sallyville House Newtown Road, Wexford. Following Mass, celebrated by Chaplain Fr. Tony OConnell, the Sisters and Staff gathered to plant a tree in the Convent grounds to mark the occasion. That was followed by a lovely celebratory lunch.

But apart from her 100th Birthday, Mary had another very important occasion to celebrate in June. On 30th June 1943 Sr. Mary made her First Vows with the Sisters of St. John of God. On June 30th, she celebrated her Oak Jubilee - 80 years of Religious Profession.

Its no wonder therefore, Mary needed two days to celebrate! On June 17th Sr. Mary was joined by many more Sisters of St. John of God, by her sister Anne Kiernan, Borris, Co. Carlow, nieces and nephews, grandnieces and nephews, extended family, friends and former colleagues for another celebration of Birthday and Jubilee!

The Sisters and Staff at Sallyville House pulled out all the stops and made it a very special occasion indeed. The day started with Mass celebrated by Fr. Martin Delaney PP Rathdowney and assisted by chaplains Fr. Tony OConnell and Fr. Jim Curtis.

This was followed by lunch and then a session of This is Your Life, meticulously researched and prepared by Annmarie Carter, Manager, Sallyville House.

All were treated to a great trip down memory lane. Later, music was provided by Ms Maura Duggan Rafter (Music Academy, Kilkenny), her husband Paddy and their son Alex. Maura is in fact a past pupil of Sr. Marys in London.

Sr. Mary spent most of her religious life in England. In 1944, at the tender age of 21, she was missioned there. She has vivid memories of those war years. She trained in Primary Teaching and taught in Fishponds  Bristol, in Trowbridge and then moved to London, where the trail of destruction caused by the war was still very evident.

Mary spent 40 years in the St. John of God School in Tollington Park. She was School Principal there for many of those years and was very highly respected by students and staff alike.

Sr. Mary retired from London to Rathdowney in 1997. She spent about 15 years there and this afforded her the opportunity to reconnect with family and in particular to get to know the younger generations of the Tighe family. She valued this time very much. While in Rathdowney, Mary made a valuable contribution to the life of the Church and community in various practical ways.

The First Reading which Mary chose for the Mass was from the Prophet Isaiah and it tells us: Fear not. I have called you by name you are mine. This is the basis of Marys faith. When things were difficult  and we all have difficult times  Marys faith brought her through  her firm belief that God had indeed called her by name.

Mary is the second member of the Sisters of St. John of God in Ireland to reach the wonderful age of 100 years. But she is the first to celebrate an Oak Jubilee in the Order in this part of the world. So, this is one for the history books!

On the day, Sr. Mary was thanked for the great gift she has been and continues to be for the Community. Her positive attitude to life was noted in particular. We wish Sr. Mary continued blessings of joy and inspiration.
A group of Leitrim pro-life activists attended the Rally for Life in Dublin last weekend in order to 'hold the government to account' on the spiralling abortion rate - and to call for the three-day wait before abortion to be retained.

Organisers say 10,000 people took part in the Rally, billed as the largest pro-life event of the year, with a march through Dublin's city centre and speeches at Custom House Quay.

The pro-life gathering takes place in the context of what was described by pro-life groups as a steep and disturbing rise in the number of abortions taking place in Ireland, with figures from the Department of Health confirming a significant jump in numbers.

We now know that the abortion numbers jumped 22% last year, Leitrim activist Bernie O Hara said.

There were 8,156 abortions in 2022 - up from an estimated 6,700 the previous year she said.



There are also calls for the 3-day wait before abortion to be scrapped - even though about 4,000 women between 2019-2022 did not return for an abortion after the 3 day period of reflection, she added.



Why would anyone want to increase the number of abortions? Why not give women time to think - and help women to have their babies instead?



One of the messages coming from the Rally is that TDs are being reminded that they promised voters in 2018 that the 3-day wait would be a 'safeguard' - and that the pro-life movement is reminding voters that scrapping that provision would be a breach of promise to voters, she said.



Amongst those addressing the rally this year was Consultant Obstetrician Dr Trevor Hayes, who says that pro-life medical professionals will not be bullied into providing abortions.



Doctors for Life said that any move to scrap the 3-day wait period would not only be a betrayal of voters, but worse still, a dereliction of duty to mothers and babies.



Down Syndrome activist, Conor O'Dowd, also addressed the Rally, saying to sustained applause: I love my life. People with Downs Syndrome can do anything. I am here today to speak up for the babies! Im here to fight abortion!
Rice University campus, in the Marais district, Paris 4th arrondissement. ESTELLE DUBERNARD/COURTESY RICE UNIVERSITY

Discreetly located in the heart of Paris' trendy Marais district, Rice University's new campus is sure to surprise. To accommodate its students wishing to study abroad, this top 20 Texan university has rented and set up its premises in a luxurious 16th-century mansion. This is Rice's first international branch. During a visit to France, university president Reginald DesRoches said, "The aim is to encourage our students to go out of the United States, to experience life in different parts of the world."

Starting this summer, around 500 students will cross the Atlantic to take courses in literature, physics, computer science or engineering in the French capital. "These courses could have been taught during the summer in Houston, but there's always added value in offering them in Paris," said DesRoches. He added, "Many students come to get ahead in their studies, so they can have more free time next semester, for example to work or do sports." Offering summer courses or semesters abroad is part of the wide range of marketing strategies American universities implement to attract students.

Classes have already started at the end of May, when some 15 students attended an environmental art course entitled "Maymester", focusing on Paris' urban planning. The program included creative workshops and classes on the Marais campus, as well as walking tours of the capital's main districts and monuments. Nineteen-year-old Nancy, a mechanical engineering student, said, "Just being able to walk from one place to another is a whole new experience compared to Houston, where you can't do anything without a car." After the summer, the young woman is already planning to return to Paris to study for a semester.

'Offering the best to students'

At the foot of the staircase in the entrance hall, an imposing stone sphinx greets students on their way up to the classrooms. The Hotel de La Faye, built around 1510 during the reign of Louis XII, is being completely renovated in the style of the period. Gilding and frescoes dating back to the Renaissance can still be admired on the ceilings held up by wooden beams. Modern furniture was purchased to furnish the rooms, all of which are very spacious. "We didn't want a campus where students would be crammed in," said Estelle Dubernard, the new center's director of strategic alliances. "The beauty of American universities is that we don't hold back on offering students the best," said the Frenchwoman, who worked for Rice University in Texas for many years after studying in the US.

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(L-R) Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Equinor chief Anders Opedal visit the Troll A gas platform on the North Sea, on March 17, 2023. OLE BERG-RUSTEN / AFP

Nothing helped. Neither the exhortations of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which believes that the time has come to abandon all new oil and gas projects nor the repeated pleas of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to "leave oil, coal and gas in the ground, where they belong." Having become Europe's leading gas supplier in 2022, Norway has no intention of stepping on the brakes.

The recent announcements by the Norwegian Labor-Centrist government attest to this. After awarding 47 new exploration permits for mature areas in January, and proposing 92 additional blocks for exploration by 2024, it has just authorized, on June 28, 19 extraction projects on the Norwegian continental shelf, for a total value in excess of 200 billion kroner (17 billion).

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes IPCC's synthesis report is a 'practical guide to defusing the climate time bomb', says Guterres

In Oslo, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy is justifying the decision with the need to ensure "Europe's energy security." To compensate for the drop in Russian gas deliveries to Europe, Norway already increased its production by 8% in 2022: "This corresponds to 100 terawatt-hours of additional energy supplied to the European market," said Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, the petroleum and energy minister of state.

2022, a year of record profits

Two initiatives, in particular, have boosted deliveries: "Firstly, we have reduced the amount of gas we inject into oil wells to increase extraction. Secondly, we have delayed some maintenance work that was not critical," explained the minister of state, who added that the measures "will ensure a high level of production in 2023 and for the next four or five years," before the exploitation of new fields takes over.

This increase in production, combined with rising energy prices, enabled Norway to post record profits in 2022, reaching 1,457 billion kroner (125 billion), according to the Norwegian central statistical office (SSB), three times more than in 2021. These profits have further increased the value of its sovereign wealth fund, which now exceeds 15.3 trillion kroner (1.3 trillion).

These enormous gains have earned the Nordic country the label of "war profiteer." Earlier this year, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store dismissed the accusations, saying that Norway was "a lucky country," but that it had also been producing energy resources for 50 years "at its own risk." For his part, Eriksen emphasized that the kingdom had been able to meet rising demands in 2022 because its resource management was "based on long-term business decisions." Moreover, he added, Norway has put in place "one of the largest support programs for Ukraine," with 10.7 billion kroner (918 000 million) already paid out in 2022 and 75 billion more planned over the next five years.

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News / National

by Staff reporter

WHILE Zanu-PF bigwigs maintain that independent presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere is a criminal and should be barred from contesting the August elections, the party's former political commissar insists he is innocent and was cleared of all wrongdoing.This week, Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu took a swipe at Kasukuwere, accusing him of being a criminal who fled the country after committing offences, while speaking at a Zanu-PF rally in Bulilima district.Zanu-PF activist Lovedale Mangwana is also seeking an order declaring null and void a decision by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to accept Kasukuwere's nomination papers.Mangwana says Kasukuwere's candidature is in a violation of section 91 of constitution, claiming he is not a registered voter."I submit that the decision to accept the first respondent's nomination paper is in breach of section 91(1)(d) of the constitution and invalid," Mangwana said in the application."I was convinced that this circumstance meant that he is no longer a registered voter for any constituency in the republic and, consequently, he does not qualify for candidacy for election to the office of President."Kasukuwere secured nomination to contest the 23 August presidential election - against frontrunners President Emmerson Mnangagwa and CCC leader Nelson Chamisa and eight other candidates. Although he is not expected to win the polls, Kasukuwere has brought a new dynamic into the potentially volatile race, raising fears that he could divide the Zanu-PF vote  particularly in the Mashonaland provinces - thereby denting Mnangagwa's re-election bid.His bid for the presidency has sent shockwaves through the corridors of power, with Zanu-PF insiders predicting that he may become the X-factor through his political credentials, gravitas and experience.Kasukuwere maintains his innocence in the face of accusations. He revealed this in a recent interview with South African Broadcasting Corporation foreign editor Sophie Mkoena."It starts with the coup that happened in 2017. We found ourselves in heavy sustained gunfire. We had to make way and leave the country immediately. We went out of the country through Mozambique, lived in Kenya for a while and then came back to South Africa," said Kasukuwere."This was when the army, through Mnangagwa, took over power. I came to live here. At the same time in April 2018, I flew back to Zimbabwe, and I said I am coming back to face charges if there are any charges against me. I approached court and was acquitted."After the election on 23rd September 2018, I again flew to Zimbabwe when they said I was a wanted person. I flew into Zimbabwe, went through the court process and all the charges were quashed. We did a lot, from calling them to even engaging other liberation movements."We went to ANC, and a delegation was sent to engage with Zanu-PF with regards to our position. As former comrades we appealed to such institutions, which we felt could understand. From a revolutionary perspective, it appeared they were not interested at all, and we felt like we cannot continue like this."This week, Kasukuwere's chief election agent, Jackie Sande, who is a lawyer, dismissed police claims that there are two warrants of arrest for the aspiring president.Zimbabwean police say the South African-based Kasukuwere, a former MP and minister, will be arrested if he returns home to campaign for the 23 August presidential election.Sande says the old warrants are invalid as the related charges that led to them were quashed, hence they are now of no legal force and effect.Kasukuwere, who has been in court over corruption allegations, fled the country in November 2017 after a bloody coup that was waged by the members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.Among other crimes, he was accused of parceling out land to Grace Mugabe's sister.This week, Kasukuwere said he is coming home to fight the biggest electoral battle of his life. Last month, he flew a kite, to check if Mnangagwa would arrest him if he comes back.A source said: "He bought an air ticket through a travel agency and checked in online. He then sent the list of passengers - in which he was number 34 - and later a manifest to his contacts in Harare who quickly leaked that to Mnangagwa's circles and state security agents. They reacted quickly and deployed intelligence agents to wait for him at the airport, ready to pounce and arrest him."This time, Kasukuwere is serious, according to the chairperson of his campaign, Walter Mzembi, also a former Zanu-PF minister and MP under the late former president Robert Mugabe.
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar joined ministers on Saturday at the historic Ardnacrusha hydro-electric dam in Clare to publish the Shannon Taskforce Report, which make proposals to government to transform the Shannon Estuary region.

The report sets out an over-arching vision for the Shannon Estuary to become Irelands Atlantic Green Digital Corridor, and to be the lead location for Atlantic offshore wind.

This 50,000-word blueprint for the Shannon Estuary has clear targets - including the creation of 10,000 new green jobs by 2035 and 50,000 by 2050, having 2GW of green energy capacity in development by 2030, and up to 30GW installed by 2050.

The reports proposals for renewable energy, industry, tourism, and logistics could result in significant job growth and new business opportunities, and it has exciting proposals for new technologies like hydrogen.

The taskforce, which was a Programme for Government commitment, was established in April 2022 and chaired by Barry OSullivan, consulted extensively with regional, national, and international stakeholders across industry, government, local authorities, elected representatives, and members of the public.

It sets out:

how the installation of offshore wind in the Atlantic can be expedited within the next decade;

the important role a thriving R&D ecosystem can play in driving our offshore wind opportunity;

how the existing employment and industrial base can be sustained through onshore renewable energy solutions;

how the tourism offering in the region can be strengthened ahead of the Ryder Cup 2027;

and how critical infrastructure can be identified to avail of these opportunities.

Commenting on the Report, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: We are launching this report in Ardnacrusha, which is an historic example of what can be achieved when Government and industry work together. The Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Report sets out how Government and industry can work together for the benefit of the Shannon Estuary Region, the country and Europe.

"When I was re-elected as Taoiseach in December, I outlined my ambition for Ireland to become energy independent by harnessing our untapped renewable energy resources. This is our moonshot for the 21st century - something to strive for, not because it is easy but because it is hard. We need to be bold and visionary, but also practical and prepared, and I believe the Taskforce Report strikes a really good balance between the two. Thanks, above all, to the members of the Taskforce for so generously giving their time over the last year.

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, and Transport, Eamon Ryan, said: We are on the cusp of really exciting times in our transition to renewable energy, here in Ireland, but also across Europe. Recently released data shows that wind and solar produced more EU electricity than fossil fuels in May, for the first full month on record. Almost a third of the EUs electricity in May was generated from wind and solar, and here in Ireland, we are no different. Last year over a third of our electricity was produced from wind power.

In solar, the rooftop revolution is taking off with over 500 homes installing solar PVs every week. However, our off-shore wind potential is the really big prize and this report indicates that the Shannon Estuary Taskforce is well positioned to be an important driver in harnessing the enormous potential of our Atlantic wind, bringing it onshore to power businesses, tourism, and industry, around the Estuary itself, but also wider  across the country and across Europe through strengthened interconnection and partnerships on hydrogen. This region really has the potential to be a green, digital powerhouse."

The taskforce chairman, Barry O'Sullivan said the final report represents the culmination of over a years comprehensive assessment of the Shannon Estuary regions phenomenal potential.

"However, my strong belief is that our report marks just the beginning of our regions new journey. Together, the Taskforce has presented a clear vision with a detailed set of actions that can allow our Region to power Irelands sustainable economic aspirations over the coming decades providing high-end employment opportunities for generations to come.

Our region is already a great place to live in and to visit. To improve this further, we have put forward recommendations that can bring our infrastructural base up to the standards required to deliver on our economic potential and also presented solutions to strengthen our tourism offering ahead of Ryder Cup 2027.

I would like to sincerely thank the members of the taskforce for their dedication and commitment to this work, collectively contributing thousands of hours of their time in the public interest. On behalf of the taskforce, I would like to express our gratitude to all of the stakeholders across the public and private sectors whose valuable contributions have helped shape our work," said Mr O'Sullivan.
THE CENTENARY anniversary of one of the most historic Limerick sailing achievements has been marked with a new international sailing event.

The Saoirse Rally organised by the Irish Cruising Club was launched from Dun Laoghaire harbour to commemorate Limerick sailor Conor OBriens successful circumnavigation of the globe.

Mr OBrien, from Foynes, was the first sailor in the world to circumnavigate the globe in a small yacht via the three great capes.

He did so aboard the Saoirse, a 42-foot ketch which he had commissioned.

Conor OBriens circumnavigation commenced from Dun Laoghaire on June 20, 1923. The Port of Funchal in Madeira, Portugal was his first port of call, where he arrived on July 3, 1923.

To mark the occasion, an international gathering of yachts voyaging from multiple locations was launched from Dun Laoghaire on June 17 with their sails set for Madeira, arriving at the port last Monday, July 3.

Speaking during a planning meeting for the Saoirse Rally Irish Cruising Club Commodore David Beattie said: This rally is a great example of modern Irish sailors being inspired by the adventures and achievements of innovators such as Conor OBrien a century ago.

His inspiration and influence were such that sailors from Ireland have experience in every ocean, with club members enthusiastically cruising worldwide, including both Arctic and Antarctic waters, he said.

The authorities in the capital city of Funchal, Madeira, given the nature of Conor OBriens circumnavigation, committed significant resources to hosting the rally, and welcoming yachts from various nationalities and countries.

Manager of charities the AK Ilen and Sailing Into Wellness James Lyons said: Marking the centenary of Conor OBriens circumnavigation is an important event, not just for the sailing community but for the entire community of Ireland.

OBrien was a pioneer and an adventurer, we maintain his legacy by sharing that sense of adventure with todays young people while connecting them with the sea, he said.

Mr O'Brien's journey inspired other sailors, and he is still celebrated today as a pioneer in the world of sailing. In addition to his circumnavigation, O'Brien was also an accomplished writer and wrote several books on his sailing adventures.

His pioneering achievements have left a lasting impact, and he will be remembered as one of the most accomplished sailors in Ireland.
Billionaire Gautam Adani has raised $1.38 billion ( 11,330 crore) from stock sales in three group firms, bringing the total amount raised over the past four years to USD 9 billion as the conglomerate attracts interest from a variety of investors.

In a statement, the ports-to-energy conglomerate said it "is committed to raising capital to fulfill its 10-year roadmap of the transformative capital management program, which was formulated in 2016 to execute the plans for various portfolio companies."

"In the most recent instance, Adani family has raised USD 1.38 billion ( 11,330 crore) through stake sale in the three portfolio companies - Adani Enterprises Ltd, Adani Green Energy Ltd and Adani Transmission Ltd," it said.

"This ensures higher capital availability at the group level, for growth as well as near-term commitments of both debt and equity for the portfolio companies over the next 12-18 months."

Additionally, as the firm works to recover from claims of fraud made by a US short-seller, the three portfolio companies have secured board approval for main issuances through a share sale to investors.

Additionally, the three portfolio businesses have obtained board clearance for major issuances through a share sale to investors as the firm attempts to recover from allegations of fraud made by a US short-seller.

This occurs five months after the Hindenburg report caused Adani Enterprises to cancel a 20,000 crore follow-on public offering (FPO).

The corporation gave subscribers their money back even though the deal had been fully subscribed.

Upon publishing a damaging report in January accusing Adani Group of accounting fraud and stock price manipulation, US short-seller Hindenburg Research set off a stock market meltdown that, at its worst, had destroyed roughly USD 145 billion from the conglomerate's market worth.

Adani Group has refuted all allegations made by Hindenburg and is devising a strategic plan to regain confidence in the market. This plan includes revising its ambitions, discontinuing acquisitions, pre-paying debts, and reducing spending on new projects. The group has sold shares to GQG Partners, a leading US-based global equity investment firm, in two tranches since May, raising USD 1.38 billion. Another stake sale in March resulted in the full prepayment of margin-linked financing.

Adani Group has conducted investor roadshows, made early debt repayments, and intends to slow down the pace of project expenditure. Over the past four years, the group has successfully raised over USD 9 billion for its core infrastructure portfolio. Adani Group's listed entities, including Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ), Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL), Adani Transmission Limited (ATL), Adani Total Gas Limited (ATGL), and Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL), have attracted investments from prominent entities such as Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), TotalEnergies (TTE), International Holding Company (IHC), and GQG Partners, along with several other co-investors.

These investments demonstrate the confidence of global investors in the strength of the group's businesses and its commitment to high governance standards. Adani Group's subsidiaries, AEL, AGEL, and ATL, are engaged in infrastructure sectors such as airports, green hydrogen, renewable power generation, power transmission, distribution, and smart metering. These businesses play a crucial role in decarbonizing industries, achieving energy self-sufficiency, and integrating renewable energy into power grids for a sustainable future.
The steep discount on Russian crude oil that India gorged on since the Ukraine war has fallen now but the shipping rates charged by a Russian-arranged entity continue to remain 'opaque'.

Russia bills Indian refiners at a price less than $60 per barrel price cap imposed by the West and charges anything between $11 to $19 per barrel.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, western countries cut Russian oil imports and imposed a limit on the amount of revenue Moscow earns from selling oil elsewhere.

However, India's imports of Russian oil rose from a very low base at the beginning of 2022, increasing significantly throughout the year. The Russian oil import rose ten-fol in 2022 in India.

Despite pressure from the US and Europe, India has refused to adhere to Western sanctions on Russian imports. New Delhi has defended its decision to oil purchase from Russia saying that the country is reliant on energy imports and with millions living in poverty, it was not in a position to pay higher prices.

Indian refiners, who convert crude oil extracted from below ground into finished products such as petrol and diesel, are now the biggest buyers of Russian oil as Chinese imports have maxed out due to massive electrification of vehicles and demand issues in a shaky economy.

Indian refiners ramped up purchases from less than 2% of their entire buys in pre-Ukraine war times to 44% to capture the discounted oil.

But these discounts have been shrinking as companies such as government-controlled entities like Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd and HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd as well as private refiners Reliance Industries Ltd and Nayara Energy Ltd continue to negotiate deals with Russia separately.

The discounts could have been higher if state-controlled units, who account for roughly 60% of the 2 million barrels per day of Russian oil flowing into India, negotiated together.

Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, India was a minor importer of Russian crude, with purchases of about 44,500 barrels per day (bpd) in the 12 months to February 2022.

According to the PTI news agency, Indian refiners buy crude oil from Russia on a delivered basis, putting the onus on Moscow to arrange for shipping and insurance.
Delhi BJP leaders Sunday criticised the Arvind Kejriwal government in the national capital over waterlogging in the city for the second consecutive day after heavy rains and demanded resignation of Public Works Department (PWD) minister Atishi.

Virendra Sachdeva, Delhi BJP president said the city is flooded due to poor infrastructure development under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi BJP president twitted in Hindi, While Rome was burning, Nero was playing the flute!" Delhi has been submerged, due to corruption of Arvind Kejriwal. People are facing problems in the national capital but he is on political tours to other states.

He further said it is "shameful" that even as entire Delhi is flooded and people are experiencing hardships, Kejriwal chose to go to Haryana for "political campaigning".

"Corruption in the Kejriwal government is so rampant that the bungalow of PWD Minister Atishi on the recently renovated Mathura Road has been submerged," Sachdeva tweeted along with a video that shows the front area of Atishi's home.
From Ajit Pawar's rebellion against his uncle Sharad Pawar to Jio Financial Services IPO, this week has been quite eventful. Here are some of the biggest news stories this week.

Want to become Maharashtra CM: Ajit Pawar after rebellion

In a display of political strength, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who led a rebellion against his uncle Sharad Pawar alongside a group of at least 36 supporters, has reiterated his aspirations to become the state's chief minister. Speaking before his supporters at MET Bandra, Ajit Pawar expressed his desire to assume the role, citing specific plans for the welfare of the people that he wishes to implement. Read more.

IdeaForge Technology IPO listing: Stock lists at a premium of 93% at  1,300 on NSE

IdeaForge Technology Ltd's IPO debut was met with a surge in stock prices as its shares listed on the exchanges at a premium. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the stock opened at 1,300 per share, marking a significant 93.5 percent increase over the issue price. Similarly, on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the stock debuted at 1,305.10 per share. Read more.

West Bengal Panchayat elections marred by violence

Violence erupted in West Bengal as the Panchayat polls concluded on July 8, resulting in a tragic loss of life with 12 individuals reported dead. The incidents of unrest included the vandalisation of ballot boxes and the hurling of bombs at political opponents in various villages. Read more.

OceanGate suspends exploration, operations after Titan submersible implosion

OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan submersible involved in the tragic incident during a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic, resulting in the loss of all five individuals on board, including the CEO Stockton Rush, has announced the suspension of its exploration and commercial operations. Read more.

Jio Financial Services IPO Reliance Industries all set for demerger

Jio Financial Services Initial Public Offering (IPO) is generating significant excitement in both the primary and secondary market. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is preparing for the demerger process following the approval received from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). RIL has officially notified the Indian stock market exchanges that the NCLT has granted permission for the demerger of the company's financial services operations. Read more.

Flash flood hits Himachal Pradesh, heavy rainfall soaks Delhi

Torrential rains wreaked havoc in several parts of northwest India, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, causing widespread waterlogging and resulting in severe traffic disruptions. The weekend downpour led to a flash flood and a landslide in Gramphu village and Chota Dharra during the early hours of Sunday, exacerbating the already challenging situation caused by the heavy rainfall. Read more.
In poll bound Madhya Pradesh, the Congress has been facing brutal attack from the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), which gears up for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections to be scheduled later this year. On Saturday Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Congress loot ki Dukan while kickstarting the Rajasthan Assembly Elections campaign, while on Sunday it was reported that an FIR has been registered against Congress veteran Digvijay Singh for allegedly sharing a controversial post on former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief MS Golwalkar on social media.

Singh also faced brutal words from Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan hit out at Congress accusing them of spreading "misinformation" and creating social hatred by sharing a "false" post on Golwalkar.

Notably, the BJP in Madhya Pradesh came into power after rebel Jyoptiraditya Scindia walked out and joined the saffron party leading to the downfall of the Congress leader Kamal Nath's government. Scindia is now the union minister for civil aviation with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led central government.

Chouhan said the former RSS head worked throughout his life to remove social differences and build a harmonious society.

However, a state Congress leader said Digvijaya Singh shared facts on the basis of a book and that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot silence the voice of his party.

Golwalkar was the longest serving RSS chief and was at the helm of the organisation from 1940-73.

Digvijaya Singh on Saturday tweeted a picture of a page carrying several controversial comments quoted to the former RSS head, known as 'Guruji' among his admirers.

Golwalkar was quoted as saying he would rather live under the British rule than have equal rights given to Dalits, backwards and Muslims. Some other controversial comments were also attributed to him.

Following the post, senior RSS functionary and its publicity department head Sunil Ambekar accused the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister of posting a "photoshopped" image.

It is baseless and is meant to cause social disharmony, he said, adding that 'Guruji' never made such remarks.

His life was spent removing social discrimination, he said.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Indore Police Commissioner Makarand Deuskar said, "We received a complaint claiming that Singh in the post attributed some remarks to Golwalkar which the latter never made."

Further steps would be taken after a probe into the charges against Digvijaya Singh, Deuskar said. In his complaint, Rajesh Joshi alleged Singh had shared a controversial poster on Facebook and Twitter bearing the name and picture of "Guruji" to incite people by creating conflict among Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and Hindus, as per the FIR.

The complaint claimed Singh's post on Golwalkar allegedly hurt the religious beliefs of Sangh workers and the entire Hindu community, according to the FIR. In a statement sent to the media, a Sangh official from Indore alleged Digvijaya Singh had made a "false and unwarranted post" about Golwalkar on social media to tarnish the organisation's image.

This kind of "false propaganda" about Guruji (as Golwalkar was popularly called) shows the frustration of Congress leaders, he said. The attempt to create social hatred by putting a false picture of Guruji is condemnable," the MAdhya Pradesh CM said.

On Saturday morning, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in a tweet while sharing a post on Golwalkar stated, "Must know what Guru Golwalkar ji's thoughts were for Dalits, backwards and Muslims and on the rights over water, forest and land."

Singh's post had a page with a quote claimed to be from a book of Golwalkar. Another quote about Dalits, backwards and Muslims was claimed to have been made by Golwalkar in 1940.
News / National

by Staff reporter

TENSIONS are mounting within state security structures and government, as well as Zanu-PF, over the role being played by the shadowy Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)-run Forever Associates Zimbabwe (Faz) which has unconstitutionally seized control of the running of the 2023 elections to retain President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling party in power.Investigations by The NewsHawks have shown that senior army commanders, both serving and retired, are sceptical, suspicious and even resentful of the role being played by Faz which has displaced them from their decades-old feeding trough of unconstitutionally and unlawfully running elections.Faz, which is well-resourced with money and cars, is led by CIO deputy director-general Walter Tapfumaneyi. It has thousands of officers and volunteers working through intelligence structures to door-to-door campaigns, night vigils, community events, technology-based messaging and monitoring all stages of the electoral process.Insiders say Mnangagwa - who operates more like a securocrat than a civilian politician - has deployed Faz to ensure his re-election. However, some army commanders are against the idea.A military source said: "The problem is a clash between politics and strategy. Things were just changed suddenly, without consultations, hence no proper planning. The move to sideline the army from the electoral process, replacing them with Faz, has caused deep divisions and tensions."One military commander said Faz could become a Frankenstein monster - a thing which destroys its creator - for Mnangagwa."As the army, we don't know anything about Faz, except what we read in the media. Who are these people? What is their agenda and what will happen after the elections? We were not consulted when this structure was set up and put under CIO. Can they be able to campaign and win elections for Mnangagwa and Zanu-PF? Do they have the capacity to do that? Since they are not a constitutional structure, what is the legality of what they are doing?"Military chiefs are also complaining in the background that Faz is an unconstitutional entity and its activities involving the use of public funds are thus illegal.Faz has been arbitrarily deployed to coordinate Zanu-PF electoral activities on the ground, while at the same time checkmating the army that used to spearhead campaigns.This has created a strategic brinkmanship between the army and CIO on the ground. Faz - which has millions of dollars and hundreds of cars for campaigns - was revived and deployed last year to unconstitutionally run or influence the elections and their outcome. It was formed in 2010. Elections in Zimbabwe are run by securocrats to rescue Zanu-PF and its leaders.Past elections were coordinated through the Joint Operations Command (Joc), which brings together the army, intelligence and police. The military has been playing a key role in elections most prominently after 2000 when the opposition became strong.Enter FazFearing defeat largely due to internal sabotage, Mnangagwa brought in Faz and pushed the army to play a peripheral and marginal role by providing liaison officers through Heritage Trust, its front organisation.Just like the military which has Heritage, Fairhaven which owns Africom or Rusununguko/Nkululeko Holdings, the CIO also acts through various front organisations such as Faz and Chiltern Trust.Faz is coordinating Zanu-PF structures, from cell, branches, districts, district coordinating committees, provinces, the national consultative assembly, central committee to politburo, as well as MPs at ward and constituency levels to ensure they run a tight ship.Faz is supervising Zanu-PF programmes throughout the constituencies, while motivating and directing lower party structures to participate in the electoral process, recently in voters' roll inspection.As reported by The NewsHawks last week, Faz has penetrated communities up to grassroots level and tightened its grip on the electoral process.While Zanu-PF has over many years leveraged the military and other state security agents - through Joc - which brings together the command element of security structures, there is concern that Faz is neither a proper security structure nor a constitutional creature."Faz is drawing resources illegally and using the logistics and infrastructure of the CIO to carry out its unconstitutional mandate, although it is run by a tiny section of the CIO. Unlike in the past, there is concern that Faz has been brazen in its operations, invading polling stations and collecting people's identity documents whereas in the past interventions were more covert," said a government official."The concern is that Faz is a personal army or militia belonging to the President and run by CIO deputy director-general Walter Tapfumaneyi. The group excludes some senior CIO staffers and other security agents."Sidelined army commanders aligned to Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who ran the last elections and previous ones under the late former president Robert Mugabe, are sulking and furious about this strategy.Faz has spread its tentacles to every ward in the country, collecting vital voters' details right down to household level using an army of 5 910 information gatherers. The information gatherers - three in each of the country's 1 970 wards - are working under the close supervision of their CIO handlers.The scientific-like CIO strategy enables Zanu-PF to control the electoral process in terms of structures, numbers of registered voters and the actual voting process, as well as polling stations.It also promotes systematic voter intimidation and victimisation, especially at ward level.An operational Faz document titled Faz Campaign Scope seen by The NewsHawks says the organisation has penetrated all provinces up to household level through several tactics, leaving voters vulnerable to abuse during the 23 August elections."Once the party has access to the voters' roll, preferably broken down to constituencies and even to polling stations, volunteers must keep in touch with registered voters through texting and phoning. This must be done almost intrusively, as a way of maintaining intimacy.Volunteers should be in the habit of checking on the health and well-being of voters as a way of showing the party's and candidate's concern. This can also be used for reminding voters of important election-related events and issues, while also keeping them up to date on key developments," the document reads."Faz volunteers are required to intrusively access party cell registers, from party cell chairmen, and check and verify their accuracy and integrity. To this end, Faz then discretely conducts a head count of cell members, checking if they are registered to vote. If any party members or holders of positions of leadership are found not to have national documents or registered to vote, Faz, therefore, will handhold and assist all those to rectify the discrepancy under supervision."Volunteers must be available to furnish voters with the party's and candidate's campaign literature in their homes and workspaces. This will be done door-to-door or at community gatherings. Literature will also be distributed at markets, bus termini or shops, thus helping to expand the campaign to voters outside the volunteer's immediate area of responsibility."Volunteers were also tasked with administering voter education, assisting undocumented people or aliens to acquire national registration documents and to register to vote."These interventions, which are already taking place in all constituencies nationwide, should result in a significant surge in registered voters who attribute that achievement to President ED (Mnangagwa) and Zanu-PF.Volunteers must maintain contact with people they would have assisted to register to vote or to acquire national documents so that they are not won over to the opposition's poisonous narratives," the document reads.Critical information being collected by the agents and informers includes names, addresses, identity numbers and voter registration details at polling station level.Faz is also counting people at household level before recording the information on their tablets and smartphones. The information, which will be computed, condensed into data and processed, I will be crucial in influencing and manipulating the electoral process in favour of Zanu-PF through a combination of tactics, including persuasion and intimidation, in some cases.It is also being used to predict potential outcomes, using real figures, so that Zanu-PF knows which constituencies and wards to put campaign resources in or activate its coercive machinery.The NewsHawks has previously gathered and reported that Faz has received US$10 million and 200 cars to run its affairs in preparation for elections. Additional resources have been promised to capacitate the secret structure.Faz's mandate, working together with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and its chair Justice Priscilla Chigumba, is to coordinate logistics and decisive forces to retain Mnangagwa in power.The NewsHawks investigation also established that Faz has structures at national, provincial, district, constituency and ward levels  where minute details are collected for use in the electoral process.The organisation is visible countrywide and has been sending shivers down the spines of many, especially opposition supporters, particularly in rural areas.With its members spread across provinces, Faz rose to prominence last year by playing a pivotal role in making Zanu-PF cell registers before running Zanu-PF primary elections this year.The organisation also mobilised people during voter registration and they caused panic due to their presence at Zimbabwe Electoral Zec centres during the recently held voters' roll inspection exercise.How Faz operatesInformation gathered through interviews and reading an operational document shows provincial coordinators report to Tapfumaneyi.The provincial coordinators have teams in each district countrywide, led by district intelligence officers.The CIO structure includes directors and branches they run at the top at its Chaminuka Building headquarters and its sub-offices in Harare, provincial intelligence officers and district intelligence officers.There also several other departments involved. District intelligence officers and coordinators oversee operations in constituencies.At ward level, Faz has recruited and trained three Zanu-PF-aligned members to collect information under the supervision of CIO operatives.A Faz operational document calls the three civilians in each ward "volunteers". Zimbabwe has 1 970 wards, meaning Faz has recruited 5 910 volunteers who are part of its machinery to run the elections. In Masvingo province, which has 240 wards, there are 720 Faz volunteers in total.The volunteers report to CIO operatives who manage intelligence at constituency level and their information is transmitted through applications on their phones provided by Faz.They also collect Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates for each household and monitor political activities of people in their respective areas.The approach and systematic use of data for political and electoral purposes amounts to an illegal mass surveillance and data collection technique, an intricate "watch over" of people, in this specific case in Masvingo using technology and other means.CIO operatives and Faz volunteers attend most Zanu-PF events and their presence is usually acknowledged by ruling party officials.Faz has a specific mandate to undermine the opposition."The message must seek to thoroughly discredit the opposition and its candidate, rendering them unelectable. This includes anything that makes their candidate stink to the heavens, and speaking against their party's anarchic, subversive, treasonous, undemocratic and terrorist pedigree and related actions," the document reads.The document also carries the code of conduct for all Faz members which urges members to be ambassadors of Zanu-PF who should only represent the interests of the party."We do not and shall not claim to have any other identity than that we are members of Faz Trust, a private organisation, which is an affiliate of Zanu-PF. We are as individuals, proudly members of Zanu-PF and are unapologetic about this reality," reads part of the code of conduct.Faz members say they can easily identify non-Zanu-PF members because they have access to Zanu-PF cell registers."The assumption is that one is either an opposition supporter or an undecided voter, if they are registered to vote but do not appear in Zanu-PF structures. So, there is a deliberate effort to recruit from this pool and that's where persuasion and propaganda come in," said a Faz member."Of course, some are known opposition activists or sympathisers. Intimidation is then deployed on such people. In rural areas, the message has been clear to such people that they are viewed with suspicion because they are not in party structures."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited a bike mechanic workshop in Delhi's Karol Bagh area in June this year. He interacted with mechanics at the workshop and even tried to repair the broken motorcycles. The video is now out on Rahul Gandhi's official YouTube channel.

Rahul Gandhi has come here and interacted with us. He came to know from us how poor people lead their lives. What problems they are facing," the mechanic can be heard saying in the video.

To this, Gandhi replied, I have KTM 390 but I dont use it, my security men dont allow me. Ive come here to learn from you all."

What about your marriage? When will it happen Sir? Without your services, this cannot work," Rahul Gandhi asked the mechanics.

He then had a conversation with another mechanic who said, We weld chambers and repair them. My father has been doing this work since 1947. Earlier, I used to have autos to repair every day."

Watch the full video below,

Since the end of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi has often been seen interacting with common people and listening to their problems while sharing these experiences on his Youtube channel.

Recently, during his visit to the US, the Congress leader went on a 190-km "American Truck Yatra" from Washington DC to New York with driver Taljinder Singh Vicky Gill and his companion Ranjeet Singh Banipal.

Days earlier, Gandhi had tried to understand the concern of truck drivers in India when he traveled from Delhi to Chandigarh on a late-night ride.

During the Karnataka elections, the former Congress MP was also seen interacting with college students and women at a bustling Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stop and listening to the problems of gig workers and delivery partners over a meal of Masala dosa and coffee.

On May 10, Rahul Gandhi went to the Men's Hostel of Delhi University and ate food with them at lunchtime.
India has reiterated its willingness to play a constructive role in supporting Sri Lanka's efforts for recovery from the worst economic crisis, said Indias Deputy High Commissioner Vinod K Jacob while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Construction, Power, and Energy Expo 2023 in Colombo on Friday.

He said that recent developments in India-Sri Lanka ties have strengthened the friendship and all-around cooperation between the two countries, according to the news agency PTI.

We were the first creditor nation in January this year to convey the financing assurances needed to kick start the IMF process. India will continue to play a constructive role as a Co-Chair of the Creditors Committee along with Japan and the Paris Club," he said.

In January this year, India became the first country to have over its letter of support for financing and debt restructuring of Sri Lanka to the Washington-based financial body International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A total of 17 countries that have extended loans to Sri Lanka this May formed an official creditor committee' co-chaired by India, Japan, and France to discuss Sri Lanka's request for debt treatment.

Jacob said Indias financial and humanitarian support worth USD 4 billion to Sri Lanka is far in excess of the total anticipated Extended Fund Facility of the IMF.

Sri Lanka was hit by a catastrophic financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves, PTI reported.

India extended multi-pronged assistance of about USD 4 billion to it last year, through multiple credit lines and currency support, in line with Indias Neighbourhood First policy.

The past three years have demonstrated the close links between the people of India and Sri Lanka," Jacob said.

He said the successful visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to Sri Lanka in January this year opened up avenues for further cooperation through investment in infrastructure, manufacturing, and promoting connectivity, as per PTI reports.

"India was Sri Lankas largest trading partner in 2022. Sri Lankas exports to India have also grown. The use of Rupees for trade settlement is further helping Sri Lankas economy. These are concrete steps to help Sri Lankas economic recovery and growth," he noted.

Last year, India was once again the largest source of tourists for Sri Lanka with over 100,000 tourists, he added.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Indian airlines are in discussions with aviation technology service provider Sita to adopt solutions for reducing carbon emissions and increasing fuel efficiency, said Sumesh Patel, president of Asia Pacific, Sita, in an interview.

We are in discussions with Indian airlines to look at various solutions, which can help them in operational efficiency and reduce carbon footprint. Discussions are at an advanced stage and are likely to be finalised in a month or so," he said.

Highlighting a recent collaboration, Patel said: So just as an example when we piloted with Singapore Airlines for 20 aircraft, you can save 5,000 tonne of carbon dioxide annually and save close to $1 million." The tie up with Singapore Airlines led to utilization of artificial intelligence and data to understand each aircrafts capabilities and suggest the angle and speed for takeoff, to save approximately 5% fuel costs.

While the airlines seek technological solutions to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions, Patel said Indian airports are also actively working on sustainability solutions.

We just launched a solution at Hong Kong airport, which helps them to monitor carbon footprint for each stakeholder, be it restaurants, or duty-free shops. Discussions are underway even with Indian airports on such steps."

The company is involved in deploying biometric-enabled travel programme, Digi Yatra, along with all stakeholders at Bengaluru, Varanasi, Kolkata Pune and Vijaywada airports.

No other country is looking at implementing biometrics to such a large scale. India is currently looking at domestic passengers but with this technology you can leverage even for international travel," he said.

Sita is working with Star Alliance to offer biometric-enabled seamless travel experience to flyers across member airlines and destinations. Under this, a passenger will be able to use the same biometric token to travel on Star Alliance airlines network without any physical document. Besides, it has signed up with European train network, SNCF, for the biometric token.

In India, Sita has tied up with the Airports Authority of India to facilitate cloud solution at 43 airports for more efficiency at kiosks, and curb carbon emissions as the core server rooms get replaced on cloud.

Since it is on cloud, today we do check in and baggage, tomorrow if you want to do Digi Yatra the infrastructure is already there and you will not need to rebuild," Patel said.

The company also did a pilot of digi yatra at Mumbai airport for digi yatra rollout.

The company is also prepared with better backup plan in case of server challenges at airports. In Dec 2022, a cable cut during construction caused server outage and passengers had to wait for over an hour to claim baggage.

Unfortunately three different fibres got cut due to construction... that time 5G was not there now you can have 5G as a backup at that time we tried but 4G had limitation on bandwidth and load," he said.

Last week, the company also signed an agreement with Noida International Airport for its Airport Management System to help automate and streamline the operations of the airport.

Geneva-based SITA provides technology solutions to around 55 Indian airports, nearly 1000 airports globally and is also associated with all Indian airlines. The company counts Air India as its first Indian customer in 1952.

The company offers a variety of services across aviation stakeholders such as technology solutions for check-in, baggage drop, airport management system, aircraft parking, biometrics for airports, and also offers air to ground communication for airlines under its programme called SITA for aircraft. It also has data-enabled services as nearly 60% of the global air travel data goes through its platforms. Separately, it also offers services such as e-visas and aids in digitalising borders.
Kullu Police on Sunday as that the movement of vehicles from Kullu and Manali towards Atal Tunnel and Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh has been entirely halted due to heavy rainfall.

As reported by ANI, this is a result of falling stones along the Kullu-Manali road and the rising water level in the Beas River near Ramshila. Kullu Police noted, Due to heavy rains, the movement of vehicles from Kullu and Manali towards Atal Tunnel and Rohtang has been completely stopped due to falling of stones at many places on the Kullu-Manali road and due to the increase in water level in Beas river near Ramshila." The southwest monsoon hit the state on June 24.

Meanwhile, According to an official statement, a flash flood and landslide took place in Gramphu village and Chota Dharra during the early hours of Sunday. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in this incident.

The District Emergency Operation Center in Lahaul Spiti informed that the flash flood and landslide occurred along the AEC BRO 94 RCC, NH 505 (Sumdo Kaza-Gramphu) route, resulting in blockages at various locations between Gramphu and Chota Dharra, as stated by the Himachal Pradesh State Emergency Operations Centre (HPSEOC).

The India Meteorological Department on Saturday issued a red alert for seven districts of the state and an orange alert for three districts for the next 48 hours as the state continued to receive heavy rainfall.

IMD also issued alerts for flash floods, landslides in the state.

"A red alert has been issued for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts. Most places in the state will receive rainfall. An orange alert has been issued for Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts," IMD HP deputy director Bui Lal told ANI.

He stated further that a yellow alert was issued for Lahaul and Spiti districts and a forecast update was shared with the state government in this regard.

"We have shared our forecast with the state government and a warning has also been issued for flash floods, landslides, and uprooting of trees. These events might also hit water and electricity supply," he said.

According to officials, the incessant rains have caused a major loss to infrastructure in the state while also resulting in the loss of lives. Several roads and highways were blocked following the rains.
BJP and Congress held protests in different parts of West Bengal on Sunday against the poll violence that rocked the panchayat elections and over allegations of irregularities. They blocked the Haldia-Mecheda state highway at Nandakumar alleging that ballot boxes were being tampered with at the counting centre, according to a report published by the news agency PTI.

Congress workers blocked the National Highway 12 in Rathbari area in Malda, protesting against the violence during polling on Saturday. "We have hit the streets in protest against Saturday's violence. We will also go to the court against it," Congress MP Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury said.

Here are top updates on Bengal panchayat poll violence

1) In the district's Harishchandrapur area, state minister Tajmul Hossain's car was vandalized in Basta village by some miscreants around 10 pm on Saturday. A police vehicle was also vandalized as stones were hurled. A policeman was injured in the attack, PTI reported.

2) Congress workers held similar protests in Murshidabad district's Beldanga, alleging that supporters of the ruling TMC indulged in intimidation of voters and false voting with impunity during the polls.

3) Voters in large numbers in New Town on Kolkata's northern fringes have claimed that they were not allowed to exercise their franchise in the West Bengal panchayat elections, as goons" stopped them from entering polling booths in the area.

4) Some residents of the smart city, under the banner of New Town Forum, had been protesting for long against the inclusion of the township in panchayat area. The forum had also decided to boycott the polls.

5) Local CPI(M) leader Saptarshi Deb said access routes to all polling stations were blocked, and he was not allowed to step out of his home on Saturday, as per PTI reports.

6) Despite repeated requests from the Border Security Force (BSF) on sensitive polling booths, the West Bengal State Election Commission didn't provide any information on such booths to the central security forces, a senior BSF official said on Sunday as quoted by ANI.

7) On Saturday, at least 13 people were killed and several injured in violence reported across the state during the Panchayat poll. There were reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes and assault of presiding officers from several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia.

8) A total of 2.06 lakh candidates are in the fray for elections to 73,887 seats in the three-tier panchayat system in the state, which were held on Saturday. About 5.67 crore people living in the state's rural areas were eligible to vote.

(With inputs from agencies)
After spending five days inside prison, Pakistani woman Seema Ghulam Haider and Indian citizen Sachin Meena were released on bail from jail on Saturday. The India-Pakistan love story that started via the popular mobile game PUBG, became a headline last week after Greater Noida resident, also Sachin's neighbour questioned the legitimacy of the couple's marriage and registered a complaint at the police station. Thereafter, the Gautam Budh Nagar police arrested Haider on 4 July for illegally entering India without a visa via Nepal with her four children -- all aged below seven years. Besides, her Indian husband Sachin and father-in-law were arrested for sheltering the illegal immigrant.

However, on Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh court granted bail to the couple who were behind bars for five days at Luksar jail. As they stepped out of jail, they hugged each other. But the court has put a condition with the bail that Seema would not change her place of residence as long as the case is underway and the couple would mark their presence before the court regularly.

Haider arrived with her four children, while Sachins older brother came in a Santro car to pick them up. The two went to Rabupura villages Meena Thakuran colony, where Sachins father, Netrapal Singh, had arrived a day earlier.

Haider said that Sachin had been her husband since March of this year when the two married at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.

She firmly said that she cannot live without Sachin and added, "I have accepted his religion and culture as my own and changed the names of my four children, who call Sachin Baba. Sachins parents have also accepted me, and I have adopted all their cultural practices and will continue to live with them".

The duo had got in touch in 2019 while playing PUBG and fell in love. Haider said that they began talking to each other in July 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Advocate Hemant Krishna Parashar, who represented the Indo-Pak couple claimed claimed that Seema and Sachin got married in Nepal earlier this year and the woman feels a threat to her life if she goes back to Pakistan.

"Seema told me in writing that she and Sachin had got married in Kathmandu, Nepal. I informed the court about this. I also argued that Seema first went from Pakistan to Nepal and then came to India. Those coming from Nepal to India are not required to carry a passport or have a visa," Parashar said.

He said the court was satisfied with the arguments and granted bail to the couple.
With an aim to counter pro-Khalistani protests in Canada, the Indian community members on Saturday gathered outside the consulate holding the Tricolor in their hands to protect their diplomats and the consulate office.

They were raising slogans like Bharat Mata Ki Jai", Vande Mataram", Long Live India", and Khalistan Murdabad". The community members also carried placards on which several quotes against Khalistanis were written. These quotes were "Khalistani are not Sikh", and "Canada stop supporting Khalistani Canadian terrorists". In the purported video, the pro-Khalistani protestors could be seen disrespecting the Tricolor.

Sunil Arora, one of the Indian diaspora in Canada, said, We are standing here infront of the Consulate to face the Khalistanis. We are trying to stop Khalistanis nonsense here and we are here for the solidarity of India and Canada, altogether. "

They are giving wrong information saying that they will kill our diplomats which is... and we are totally against that," Arora said as quoted by ANI.

Another member of the Indian diaspora, Anil Shiringi said that they are there to support the Indian Consulate and stood up against the Khalistani's threat, which was given to Indian diplomats.

Canada is a peaceful country and we wanted to remain peaceful and we should. Basically, we are trying to tell the government of Canada to take cognizance of this that this is not freedom of expression. This is for sure not a freedom of expression," said Vidya Bhushan Dhar, another member of the Indian community.

Pro-Khalistani elements had announced to hold rallies outside Indian Missions in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia on Saturday after the alleged killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last month.

This was followed by posters threatening the Indian ambassadors to Canada and the US, as well as the consulate general in Toronto. In the past couple of months, three major anti-India incidents involving Khalistani separatists have been reported in Canada.

Sources told ANI that India raised concerns over threats to its diplomats in posters being circulated in Canada with information on a pro-Khalistan rally to be held on July 8. The posters contained threats to the Indian Ambassador to Canada and the consulate general in Toronto.

The posters purportedly circulated by Sikh extremists have named Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and the Consulate General of India, Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava accusing them of playing a role in the alleged killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Nijjar.

(With ANI inputs)
Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, Sunday said the "one nation, one party" plan of BJP would never be accepted. Thackeray claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma is on the wane, reported PTI.

Uddhav Thackeray was addressing a rally at Digras (Yavatmal district), the home turf of Shiv Sena MLA and state minister Sanjay Rathod, who is aligned with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Thackeray said the One nation, one law can be understood. But we will never accept one nation, one party plan of the BJP."

He said 40 MLAs of Shiv Sena went to the BJP (last year) along with some independent legislators.

Referring to the nine MLAs of the Ajit Pawar camp joining the Maharashtra government, Thackeray questioned the need to "steal" the Nationalist Congress Party if the government enjoys majority as claimed by the BJP.

"They (BJP) used to claim that their government (also comprising the Shinde faction of Sena and independents) enjoys a comfortable majority. If this is the case then what was the need to steal the NCP?" PTI reported quoting Uddhav Thackeray.

The former chief minister also alleged the estranged ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted Shiv Sena alone but not the Thackerays.

The BJP has now become a party of riff-raff," Thackeray said in an apparent reference to the recent induction of nine MLAs of NCP in the Shiv Sena-BJP government including Ajit Pawar.

The former chief minister said the charisma if Prime Minister Narendra Modi's has faded which was witnessed in the recently-held Karnataka assembly elections.

"He (Modi) gave the 'Bajarang Bali ki Jai' slogan loudly, but God hit back with his mace and the BJP was whitewashed in Karnataka," Thackeray added.

He said the defection of a few leaders from one party to another can be understood, but stealing an entire party should not be allowed in a democracy.

We have seen some MLAs jumping from one party to another ahead of elections. However, swallowing a party has to be stopped. In a democracy, every party should be allowed to express their views even though they are political opponents," Thackeray said.

He said there was a time when a new government used to be formed through ballot papers, "but now the new government is formed through 'khokas' (boxes of money)".

Modi in Madhya Pradesh said that a 70,000 crore scam took place in Maharashtra and blamed it on the Nationalist Congress Party. Within a few days, an NCP (section) joined the Maharashtra government. Now leaders of the NCP will share their photos with the prime minister. What sort of Hindutva is this?" he asked.

Thackeray claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised him of sharing the chief minister's post with Shiv Sena (Undivided) for 2.5 years during their meeting at Matoshree, the private residence of the Thackerays in Mumbai, in October 2019.

"However, post the assembly elections in 2019, he (Shah) refused to admit this promise, prompting me to join hands with the NCP and the Congress," he claimed.

Thackeray said if he gets another chance, he will ensure that a Shivsainik becomes the chief minister of Maharashtra again.

Taking a swipe at the Centre over the violence in Manipur, he said the government should send officials of Income Tax, ED and CBI to the north-eastern state and try to "silence those people like these teams do in other parts of India.

"Send them there and establish peace in Manipur," he said.

Speaking on the Uniform Civil Code, Thackeray said the Union government comes up with new issues every time and tries to divert the attention of people from existing controversies that could potentially affect it.

Now, the Union government has come up with UCC. We want the draft of the UCC to come out. We are open for discussion on UCC. We have supported the abrogation of Article 370," Thackeray added.

The former chief minister has been criticised by the BJP and incumbent CM Eknath Shinde that he spent most of his tenure sitting at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I managed the entire state by sitting at home. These people are now going door to door but the condition of Maharashtra is on the decline on various fronts," Thackeray added.

(With inputes from Agencies )
The northeastern region of the United States is bracing for a slow-moving storm system that is predicted to bring heavy rainfall starting on Sunday.

As reported by Bloomberg, New York City and other areas are on high alert for potential flash flooding, as approximately 80 million people from Washington to Portland, Maine, may experience a month's worth of rainfall within a few hours. AccuWeather forecasts suggest that the storms could bring as much as half a foot (6 inches) or 1-2 inches of rain per hour to New York City and its surroundings. Additionally, certain parts of Vermont and Pennsylvania face a moderate risk of excessive rainfall, Bloomberg reported. Infrastructure in the metro areas may not be able to handle rainfall of this magnitude," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.

According to the National Weather Service, a slow-moving cold front is expected to shift northeastward, bringing warm air along with it. This weather system poses a threat of flash flooding, mudslides, and significantly reduced visibility, starting from Sunday. The system has the potential to produce hail, tornadoes, and is anticipated to persist until Tuesday, as reported by both the NWS and AccuWeather.

Following an exceptionally early heat wave that impacted certain areas of the region, including New York City breaking its heat record for the year, a weather system is approaching. This serves as a reminder of the global heat records already being set worldwide and highlights the risks associated with rising greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels.

New York residents are strongly advised to closely monitor the weather forecasts and take necessary precautions in anticipation of potential flooding.

Throughout the weekend, parts of the state will continue to be at risk for flooding from storms bringing heavy rain, especially in those areas already hard-hit by rains and flooding over the past couple of days," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

Flood watches were in effect for Saturday night or Sunday in various parts of New England, including Washington, DC, and Baltimore.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Sunday confirmed that the BRICS summit scheduled to be held next month, which Vladimir Putin has been invited to attend, will be physical despite an arrest warrant against the Russian leader, reported AFP.

South Africa is the current chair of the BRICS, a grouping of heavyweights that also includes Brazil, Russia, India and China and is set to host the 15th BRICS summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in its financial hub Johannesburg from August 22 to 24.

"The BRICS summit is going ahead and we are finalising our discussions on the format," AFP reported quoting Ramaphosa, adding it will be a "physical" meeting.

The South African President did not say if Putin -- who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children -- would attend the summit or not.

"We are going to have a physical BRICS summit, all of us are committed to having a summit where we will be able to eyeball each other," Ramaphosa said in response to a question during a briefing broadcast live on local television networks.

"We have not held a physical summit for... almost three years. It's not going to be virtual," The South African President stressed.

As a member of the ICC, South Africa would be expected to arrest Putin if he sets foot in the country.

Earlier, there had been speculation in the local media that Pretoria may consider moving the talks to China, which is not signatory to the Rome Statute, to avoid being put in the position of having to arrest Putin.

The arrest warrant is a diplomatic dilemma for Pretoria, which has been close to the Kremlin since the anti-apartheid struggle years.

South Africa has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying it is impartial and prefers dialogue, which it is pushing for.

South Africa's neutral position

Stressing South Africa's neutral position over the issue, Ramaphosa said his country would not be deterred in its campaign to push for negotiation where conflicts arise.

"It's an important role that we can advance," Ramaphosa said. "With the geopolitical situation as fluid as it is now, we believe that it's important that a country like South Africa should be able to play its long-stated role."

"This we have learnt from the great Nelson Mandela because that was his approach also to international relations, he was able to talk to all parties whether they were in conflict or not," AFP reported quoting Ramaphosa.

Last month, Ramaphosa led a seven-country African peace delegation including representatives from the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Senegal and Uganda, in a historic attempt to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow.

The African leaders' mission brought the voice of a continent that has badly suffered from repercussions of the Ukraine conflict, particularly with rising grain prices.

It put forward a 10-point proposal, including de-escalation, the recognition of countries' sovereignty, unimpeded grain exports through the Black Sea and sending prisoners of war and children back to their countries of origin.
News / National

by Staff reporter

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has taken a huge political risk by sidelining the military - which has kept Zanu-PF in power directly since 2000 - from his dicey intelligency-driven presidential election campaign, state security sources say.Mnangagwa is now working with the dreaded state security agency, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)'s shadowy political dark arts structure Forever Associates Zimbabwe (Faz), it has been shown mainly by The NewsHawks. He previously oversaw the CIO as State Security minister in the 1980s and that hardened him as a ruthless securocrat who likes operating in the shadows.Faz - which is running an intelligence operation on elections - is aggressively playing an instrumental role spearheading Mnangagwa's campaign after the army, which brought him to power through the November 2017 coup that ousted the late former president Robert Mugabe, was muscled out amid betrayal and acrimony.Sources say since the CIO has replaced the military in presiding over the electoral process and elections, if Mnangagwa wins the army will effectively be pushed back to the barracks. This risks an escalation of tensions within the security institutions, and intelligence sources warn that this may explode into a political crisis.This comes, the sources add, against the background of Mnangagwa's active agenda behind-the-scenes move to remove the military from civilian government affairs to disentangle himself from its shackles and secure firmer control of the levers of state power.Mnangagwa has been wrestling his deputy Constantino Chiwenga, who executed the coup, over the levers of state power and political supremacy. This has created a delicate and dangerous political brinkmanship with a military dimension.Initially, the balance of forces favoured Chiwenga, but as he consolidated power Mnangagwa launched a daring wave of purges of top army commanders who led the putsch, posting some of them outside as ambassadors and side-lining some. The commanders were Chiwenga's allies.Political analysts say his ruthless purges, which also engulfed the CIO and police, were helped by the role of contingency in politics, particularly death.Amid political brinkmanship with Chiwenga which followed the coup, Mnangagwa purged army commanders who brought him to power. Some died mysteriously.Chiwenga almost died in mysterious circumstances as well and was only rescued by the Chinese.The incident led to his divorce with former wife Marry Mubaiwa and a chain of tragic events, including her amputation of the arm and proscription from seeing her children.Intelligence sources say by pushing back against the army, Mnangagwa is not demilitarising state institutions and politics - which could be politically fatally for him and collapse his government - but manoeuvring the army back to the barracks to retain tighter control.For Mnangagwa this became an imperative and survival tactic, especially after January 2019 when Chiwenga almost declared a state of emergency while the President was travelling in Russia and other eastern European countries.This is contained in Mnangagwa's biography written by his adviser Eddie Cross.The book, A Life of Sacrifice; Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, falls short of accusing Chiwenga of plotting to stage another coup in 2019 when the nation plunged into days of political uncertainty and fear, with the political environment pregnant with military manoeuvres and teetering on the brink of another coup.The militarisation of state institutions in Zimbabwe now extends well beyond just state-security agencies to other key institutions, including the judiciary, state-owned media, and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, which runs elections.Just as certain state institutions have become militarised, so has the ruling Zanu-PF been conflated with the state.In the aftermath of the coup, the military became the arbiter and kingmaker, again continuing to negate the electoral processes while observing minimally constitutional and normative provisions for purposes of retaining sub-regional, Southern African Development Community, and African Union continental as well as multilateral support, including at the United Nations.Sources say Mnangagwa's actions are not meant to address the naked politicisation of the military amid the militarisation of Zimbabwean politics, which dates to the days of the liberation struggle, but to checkmate Chiwenga and retain power."Mnangagwa wants the army back to the barracks to protect himself and coup-proof his vulnerable government," one source said. "The issue is serious because, for instance, soldiers are no longer allowed to walk around in military garb or use public transport. They have to operate within the confines of military strictures."An internal secret intelligence assessment by CIO, on which The NewsHawks was briefed, shows Mnangagwa has moved to sideline the army in the elections for three main reasons.It is a huge risk which may pay a political dividend for him, but trigger the military to fight back.Firstly, Mnangagwa is pushing back against the army which is still heavily influenced by Chiwenga and is suspected of planning a 2008-like "bhora musango" (sabotage) campaign which led to Mugabe's shock defeat by the late founding opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the first round of polling.Secondly, he is trying to disentangle and wean himself off the army, which brought him to power through the coup, to secure his own mandate through Faz.Sources say Mnangagwa is fed up with Chiwenga and the army's "we put you there" mantra used to blackmail and control him.Thirdly, having dismantled the coup coalition which brought him to power, the President wants to push the army back to the barracks and remove them from the political fray.The intelligence briefing sheds light and insight on the matter which will persist well beyond the elections, perhaps deciding Mnangagwa's fate even after he has won.Since the creation of the Zimbabwean state in April 1980, the security establishment has evolved into a highly politicised institution in support of the ruling party and executive, ultimately serving as the alternative to electoral legitimacy, placing them at odds with the citizenry.The executive-military relations in Zimbabwe are also anchored on patronage politics.The army's reach now extends to mining, media, the health sector and even the electoral commission, despite the constitution being against its involvement in politics, and Mnangagwa wants to cut those tentacles to retain control.
Pro Khalistani groups demonstrating outside Indian High Commission in several countries have been reported. This includes, Indian High Commission outside Canada, Australia, and the United States.

Several reports confirm that the protests by the pro-Khalistani groups demonstrated controversial posters. The rally used controversial posters inciting violence with images of the Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Dr Shashank Vikram, Consul General of India in Birmingham, news agency PTI reported. However, it is to be noted that all the protests have fizzled out sooner than expected, also owing to the visible police presence in all the countries. The protests came into limelight after the Punjab government unleashed a crackdown to arrest Pro Khalistan group leader and then fugitive Amritpal Singh in India. In Canada A few hundred members of Canada's Sikh community demonstrated outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on Saturday to protest the unsolved murder of one of their leaders last month in the Vancouver area. They accused the Indian government of being responsible for the gunning down of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of a Sikh temple and campaigner for the creation of an independent Sikh state that supporters hope to call Khalistan.

The demonstrators, almost exclusively men, carried yellow flags with blue logos representing their separatist movement, and shouted "Khalistan! Khalistan!"

Since the murder of the Sikh leader, tensions have risen between Canada and India.

In London

Around 30-40 Khalistanis gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London on Saturday.

The protesters gathered outside the Indian High Commission from around 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm GMT today. The security in the area was beefed up with the presence of UK police at the spot.

The UK government declared that any direct attacks on the High Commission of India in London are unacceptable amid the anti-India attacks and posters by Khalistani extremists emerging on social media channels.

In Australia

While the incidences in Canada, London are recent, in January this year, a scuffle broke out between the Indian diaspora and Khalistan supporters in Australia during a referendum called by the banned Sikhs For Justice for the creation of an independent Sikh state, local media reported.

Further in March, Khalistan supporters gathered outside Australian parliament in Canberra, to protest against police crackdown on radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his associates in Punjab.

In US

In March 2023, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, prompting sharp condemnation from Indian-Americans who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it, as reported by PTI.

Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.

Soon thereafter, a group of angry protesters entered the consulate premises and started hitting the door and windows with the iron rods.
World's richest man and the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, took legal action against law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. In the lawsuit, Elon Musk claimed it took advantage of the company while running up a $90 million bill.

Twitter owner has demanded the recovery of the $90 million fee his company gave to the law firm for defeating his bid to walk away from his $44 billion buyout of the social media company. The lawsuit was filed by Elon Musk's X Corp, which owns Twitter, on Wednesday in California Superior Court in San Francisco.

Wachtell exploited Twitter by accepting huge success fees

In his case, Elon Musk accused the company of exploiting Twitter by accepting, in the final days before October 27, 2022, buyout closed, huge "success" fees doled out by departing Twitter executives who were grateful that Musk would be forced to close, reported Reuters.

The $90 million payout by Elon Musk's company was regarded as unconscionable", said Musk. The law firm had asked for less than one-third of the sum for its few months of work on the Delaware lawsuit.

"Wachtell arranged to effectively line its pockets with funds from the company cash register while the keys were being handed over" to Musk, the complaint said.

Musk wants to recoup excess fees charged by Wachtell

Wachtell charged 'excess' fees as per an agreement made between one of the law firm's partners and Twitter's chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde. With this legal suit, Musk wants to recoup that 'excess' fee charged in the Twitter takeover.

The complaint also mentioned former Twitter director Martha Lane Fox's reaction, who was left in shock after knowing the amount charged by the law firm in the case.

"O My Freaking God," the complain quoted Martha Lane Fox, when she got to know about the amount of money lawyers would be paid with. Twitter's legal trouble is still nowhere to end. The company has been involved in a slew of legal cases after Musk's buyout. These include lawsuits by landlords, vendors, and consultants accusing Musk of stiffing them on bills. Latest in the list is a threatened lawsuit by Twitter against Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms over its new Threads app.
At least three persons were killed during the protest in Kenya while police pursued the protestors, who turned up in large numbers to demonstrate against the high cost of living and express discontent over the recently passed Finance Act, 2023, Kenya-based The Sunday Standard reported.

In a day of chaos in Kisumu, two persons were shot dead at Nyawita and Kondele estates, while one of the protesters succumbed while undergoing treatment at the Migori Referral Hospital, confirmed that the man died at the casualty department.

Meanwhile, in Kisii, at least five people are nursing gunshot wounds at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital.

In Mount Kenya, former Laikipia Governor Ndiriitu Muriithi was arrested for leading a protest against the high cost of living in Nyahururu.

In a change of strategy to ensure the protests are more successful, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition tasked its leaders to lead protests in their counties and regions, according to The Sunday Standard.

The Standard is the oldest newspaper in the country and is owned by The Standard.

While the coalition's leader Raila Odinga was leading a battalion of supporters in Nairobi, other principals and leaders were in their backyards to strengthen the coalition's bid to push through civil disobedience.

In Nyahururu, Muriithi, who was being held at Nyahururu Police Station, was arrested alongside politician Carolyne Wanjiku. Wanjiku vied for Laikipia West parliamentary seat during the 2022 General Election but lost.

Three police officers were among the injured after rowdy protestors overrun a barricade they had established at Kachok roundabout to block the protestors from accessing the city's Central Business District (CBD).

They also vandalized a shop at the petrol station and looted goods, as per The Sunday Standard.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky brought home from Turkey on Saturday five former commanders of Ukraine's garrison in Mariupol, a highly symbolic achievement that Russia said violated a prisoner exchange deal engineered last year.

Russia immediately denounced the release. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ankara had promised under the exchange agreement to keep the men in Turkey and complained Moscow had not been informed.

In honour of the 500th day of the war, Zelensky also visited Snake Island, a Black Sea outcrop which Russian forces seized on the day of the invasion and later abandoned.

The five commanders have been lionised in Ukraine after leading a fierce three-month defence of Mariupol from the Azovstal steel plant last year, the biggest city Russia has captured.

"We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home," said Zelenskiy, who met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for talks in Istanbul on Friday.

Thousands of civilians were killed in Mariupol when Russian forces laid the city to waste in the first months of the war. The Ukrainian defenders held out in tunnels and bunkers under the Azovstal plant, until finally ordered by Kyiv to surrender in May last year.

Moscow freed some of them in September in a prisoner swap brokered by Ankara, under terms that required the commanders to remain in Turkey until the end of the war.

Peskov told Russia's RIA news agency: "No one informed us about this. According to the agreements, these ringleaders were to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict."

Peskov said the release was a result of heavy pressure from Turkey's NATO allies ahead of next week's summit of the military alliance at which Ukraine hopes to receive a positive sign about its future membership.

In his remarks, Zelenskiy gave no explanation for why the commanders were allowed to return home now. Turkey's Directorate of Communications did not respond to a request for comment.

THANKS TO TURKISH PRESIDENT

In a ceremony later alongside the men in the western city of Lviv, Zelensky thanked Erdogan for helping secure their release and pledged to bring home all remaining prisoners.

He said that before the outbreak of war, "many people in the world still did not understand what we are, what you are, what to expect from us and what our heroes are. Now everyone understands."

Many Ukrainians hailed the return of the men.

"Finally! The best news ever. Congratulations to our brothers!" Major Maksym Zhorin, fighting in eastern Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Referring to a counter-offensive launched by Ukrainian forces in the past month, Denys Prokopenko, one of the five commanders, told the gathering that his men "will have our word to say in the battles. The most important thing is that Ukraine has seized the strategic initiative and is advancing."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the 500 days by describing Russia as "the sole obstacle to a just and lasting peace" and promising to back Kyiv "for as long as it takes".

France's foreign ministry said the time frame "must bring Russia to the realisation that it is in an impasse and immediately stop its illegal war of aggression".

The latest U.S. pledge of support included plans to supply widely banned cluster munitions. Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov promised the munitions would not be used in Russia.

The general staff of Ukraine's armed forces said Ukrainian forces on Saturday "continued offensive operations" in two sectors in the southeast.

Officials say Ukrainian forces have also taken back areas around the shattered eastern city of Bakhmut -- captured by Russian forces in May after month after months of battles.
At least nine people were reported injured after a suspect opened fire toward a group of people in Downtown Cleveland early Sunday morning, CNN reported quoting Cleveland police.

Cleveland Cleveland spokesperson Jennifer Ciaccia said, No deaths have been reported."

Preliminary information indicates that a suspect opened fire toward a group of people and then fled the scene," CNN cited the Cleveland police statement.

Cleveland Police said there are no arrests in this shooting, and investigators currently are reviewing evidence while interviewing victims, news portal 19 News reported.

Officers were already in the area working a weekly detail when they responded around 2:30 a.m. to West 6th Street and Johnson Court for a report of multiple people shot, the statement said. Police arrived quickly" and provided medical aid on scene.

Investigators are in the process of reviewing evidence and video, as well as interviewing victims at MetroHealth Medical Center," Ciaccias statement said, adding no additional information was immediately available.

There were a number of mass shootings elsewhere in the United States. Last Friday the Texas Police arrested two men aged 19 and 20 on suspicion of murder in the shooting at a Texas street festival on the eve of the Fourth of July that killed three people and wounded eight others.

Last Monday, in Philadelphia five people were killed, and a 2-year-old boy and 13-year-old boy were wounded. In Baltimore on Sunday two people were killed and 28 were wounded, about half of them children. There have been at least 365 mass shootings so far in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
A tragic incident occurred near French Valley Airport , just south of Los Angeles, where a small corporate jet crashed and caught fire, resulting in the loss of all six individuals on board. The aircraft involved was identified as a Cessna C550 business jet, which had been traveling from Las Vegas. The crash took place at around 4:15 a.m. local time on a Saturday.

While specific information about the passengers has not been immediately available, it is known that the occupants of the jet did not survive the crash. Radar data obtained from FlightAware indicated that only one business jet was en route from Las Vegas to French Valley at the time, with the plane circling once before descending near the crash site.

The sheriff's office in Riverside County, where the French Valley Airport is located, said officials responding to the crash located an aircraft fully engulfed in flames in a field and that six occupants were pronounced deceased at the scene.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA said.

(With agency inputs)
Following the recent uprising by Wagner Group forces in Russia, Belarus has come under scrutiny from the United States and Europe due to concerns about its potential role as a new base for the exiled mercenaries and as a possible location for Russian nuclear weapons.

However, thus far, officials from the US and Europe have not observed definitive evidence of either situation materializing, CNN reported.

As per a report by CNN, a military camp has reportedly emerged near Minsk following the southern Russia uprising, there is no apparent indication of a large-scale influx of Wagner troops into Belarus.

It could happen that Wagner PMC decides not to relocate here," Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is not even in Belarus, Lukashenko told CNN  he is in Russia, Lukashenko claimed.

Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement last month about the readiness of Belarusian facilities to store tactical nuclear weapons by July 7, Western officials have not observed any indications of such preparations.

According to officials, Belarus currently lacks the necessary infrastructure to accommodate these weapons, and it is expected to take several months, or possibly even longer, before the country can technically achieve this capability.

Satellite imagery currently accessible has failed to reveal any indications of the customary preparations and security measures associated with a Russian nuclear facility. Russia possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons globally, consisting of 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, approximately 1,900 of which are tactical nuclear weapons, as reported by the Federation of American Scientists. The exact number of nuclear weapons Russia may plan to deploy in Belarus remains uncertain.

We are in this fog of Russian mirrors. What actions will Putin take? We dont know," said Max Bergmann, the director of Russian and European studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Putin does not need tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus to use those weapons," Bergmann added. But it is concerning to the US that tactical nuclear weapons could potentially be co-located in Belarus with Wagner fighters. That said, it seems there is a long way to go before we would even get there."

US officials continue to harbour doubts regarding Russia's ability to safeguard any potential nuclear arsenal in Belarus from unauthorized individuals. While these concerns have not sparked an extreme level of alarm within the US government, officials express confidence that Vladimir Putin has a vested interest in maintaining strict command and control measures.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia's nuclear arsenal has been under the control of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. Experts find it unlikely that any other entity would be entrusted with the control of tactical nuclear warheads in Belarus.

However, it is noteworthy that a senior officer from the Directorate did visit Belarus during the spring, which could indicate some level of involvement or coordination in relation to the country's security matters.

The strong bond between Lukashenko and Putin, along with Lukashenko's surprising role in suppressing the Wagner uprising, has heightened the vigilance of intelligence analysts regarding future developments. This topic holds significant importance in discussions among NATO allies as they prepare for the upcoming leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Additionally, certain US officials express concerns that Putin might make an announcement regarding Russia's presence in Belarus during the summit.

Despite the absence of a significant announcement from Russia in the upcoming week, there is already a heightened state of alert within the alliance regarding the potential expansion of Wagner into Belarus. Poland has requested additional funding from the European Union to enhance its border security, driven by concerns that Wagner forces may regroup in the neighboring country of Belarus, CNN said.

Latvias prime minister said Wagner could attempt to infiltrate Europe from a new perch in Belarus. And Lithuanias president described Wagner fighters as serial killers" who could emerge in Belarus at any moment. And nobody knows when they could turn against us."

The countries presidents wrote a letter to the NATO secretary general and the heads of the NATO alliance on Friday, warning them about the threat posed by Russias aggressive actions and the evolving situation in Belarus."

The cooperation between Russia and Belarus has deteriorated the security of the region and that of the entire Euro-Atlantic area," they wrote, according to the Lithuanian Presidents Communication Group.

The Russians moving even a part of its nuclear arsenal to Belarus is something new, we dont know what the intention is, so the Poles are right to be concerned," said Angela Stent, the director of Russian studies at Georgetown University.

This is part of the nuclear brinkmanship that Putin has engaged with from the beginning of the war."

Signs of Wagner in Belarus

US and European officials have not observed indications of a significant influx of Wagner troops into Belarus, nor is there evidence suggesting that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the figure behind Wagner, is present in the country. Lukashenko, in an interview with CNN, stated that Prigozhin is currently in St. Petersburg, Russia.

This contradicts the agreement made between Lukashenko and Putin around two weeks ago, in which Prigozhin was supposed to be exiled to Belarus for his involvement in orchestrating the Wagner uprising.

Officials have been carefully observing indications of a revival of a military garrison located approximately 50 miles southeast of Minsk, with suspicions that it could serve as a base for Wagner forces. The Belarusian government provided a tour of the garrison to foreign media outlets, including CNN, on Friday, implying that it could potentially be utilized to accommodate Wagner fighters if they were to arrive in the country.

The work on the field camp appears to predate the uprising, officials said. And Belarusian Major General Leonid Kasinsky told CNN on Friday that there is absolutely no connection between this camp and Wagner."

He added that Yesterday the President said that if Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a decision together with his commanders to come to Belarus to set up, then this camp among other places could be offered to them."

Given the reduction or potential cessation of financial support from the Kremlin, it remains uncertain whether Prigozhin can maintain a substantial presence of Wagner forces within Belarus. Furthermore, there are doubts about Lukashenko permitting such a presence, as he is aware that it could potentially endanger his own rule and authority.

According to Lukashenko, if Wagner were to move to Belarus, they would be required to sign a contract with the Belarusian government. This is in contrast to Prigozhin's previous refusal to sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense before orchestrating the failed insurrection in Russia last month.

When they decide to be located in Belarus, we will draft up a contract with them," Lukashenko said on Thursday. Everything will be spelled out in it. The framework within which this unit will operate will be determined at the level of a law or a presidential decree."
Right now, it is advantage Ajit Pawar in Maharashtras politics. Is this the beginning of the end of Sharad Pawar, once seen as unbeatable in Indian politics? So, how is such misery imprinted on the fate of political parties run by families?

Examples include the families of Devi Lal, Mulayam Singh, Nehru-Gandhi, Rama Rao and Karunanidhi. The events in Maharashtra are just the most recent chapter in this never-ending saga.

Let us first discuss the rebellion in Shiv Sena. The partys split was unusual in a sense. The party founder Balasaheb Thackeray chose his son Uddhav as his successor, despite the fact that his nephew Raj was more similar to his working style. It is an old custom for the son to sit on his fathers throne. This is why a big segment of the Shiv Sena has accepted Uddhavs leadership. But Raj parted ways to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. Nonetheless, Matoshree", the mansion of Balasaheb, which had a distinct status since the foundation of Shiv Sena in 1966, remained supreme.

Instead of taking command of the government when the Shiv Sena was given the opportunity for the first time in 1995, Balasaheb gave the chance to be CM to senior Shiv Sainiks such as Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane. It was a prudent choice to avoid unneeded controversies and to preserve supremacy until the very last breath. Uddhav did just the opposite. He formed a government with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after falling out with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Following this, voices rose against Matoshree, accusing it of compromising the agenda of nationalism and Hindutva.

After Uddhav was elected chief minister, many Shiv Sainiks, including Eknath Shinde, started worrying about their future. As Shinde saw a dark cloud over his political ambitions, he began gravitating towards the BJP. But when 40 Shiv Sena MLAs revolted last year, it came as a surprise. Sharad Pawars remark about Uddhavs lack of experience had gone viral at the time. Uddhav, though, was unable to see signs of a coup in time. Sharad Pawar now faces the same misfortune. In 2019, Ajit Pawar had similarly tried breaking away from Sharad. The elder Pawar had then thwarted the insurrection, but he failed this time. This is yet another manifestation of the evils of dynasty politics.

This development caused outrage among Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLAs. The comment of Bharat Gogavale, one of these MLAs, is noteworthy. Until yesterday, we were eating whole roti; now we have to survive on half," said Gogavale. There will undoubtedly be a commotion in Maharashtras political heartland. Let us be prepared for fresh ups and downs. It is now being speculated whether Bihar will follow Maharashtra.

On 9 August 2022, Nitish Kumar parted ways with the BJP and decided to form a government with his old colleague Lalu Prasads party Rashtriya Janata Dal. Politically, Bihars case is similar to Maharashtras, although BJP leaders claim they have no such intention. Is the saffron party determined to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 assembly elections solely with its coalition partners?

Currently, it does not seem possible to replicate Maharashtra in Bihar. Reason? The NDA has 82 MLAs in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, thus they need the support of 40 more members to form a majority. This will necessitate the removal of two-thirds of the members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (U). At the moment, it does not appear feasible. The stature of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad in Mandalist politics, as well as the presence of RJD Assembly Speaker Avadh Bihari Chowdhary, makes such an attempt highly unlikely.

It is important to remember that Nitish Kumar is always known for making the impossible possible. He used to consider multiple options at the same time and chooses the best one when the time arrives. However, a new situation is emerging. Last Monday, a charge sheet was filed in New Delhis CBI court against over a dozen people, including Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, and his sisters Misa Bharti and Ragini Yadav. These people must now appear in court. If they are not granted bail immediately, who will temporarily lead the Rashtriya Janata Dal? Tejashwi Yadavs wife Rachel, his brother Tej Pratap, or someone else?

If we get this answer, well have answers to all of our other political questions.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi has criticised the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, accusing them of indulging in irregularities and favouritism in government recruitment. Trivedi alleged that AAP party workers were being appointed to government positions and were then using their influence to benefit the party.

"AAP workers are being recruited in government positions. And, in a bid to return the favour, these workers are using their government posts to extend benefits to Kejriwal's party. The CM, who has used public money to build a palace for himself, is now helping party workers earn lakhs," ANI quoted Trivedi as saying at a joint press conference with Virendraa Sachdeva, the BJP's Delhi chief.

Trivedi further claimed that several AAP workers were deleting their social media accounts out of fear that their actions of using government positions for party benefits would be exposed.

Sachdeva supported Trivedi's allegations and revealed that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi had already revoked around 437 appointments made by the AAP government. He mentioned that when more information about these individuals was being gathered, they started deleting their social media accounts. Sachdeva asserted that these workers were earning considerable salaries from their government jobs, with a portion of their earnings allegedly being funnelled back to the AAP.

The BJP leaders raised questions regarding the legitimacy of these appointments, stating that constitutional approval should have been obtained before hiring AAP workers for government positions.

"I would like to ask Arvind Kejriwal -- did you take constitutional approval before giving them (AAP workers) jobs? The Delhi government cannot give jobs without permission from the appropriate authority," he added.

Trivedi demanded an immediate investigation into the matter, emphasising that corruption seemed to have permeated various departments under the AAP administration.

(With ANI inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author
Maharashtra's partisan politics landscape is plagued with rebels, party splits and sudden change of governance. Within a span of one year two major parties Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra saw the party get split into two, owing to disagreement with leadership .

While the Pawar versus Pawar battle has caught attention of the masses, an older split in Shiv Sena has sought limelight again when Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Saturday said notices have been issued to 40 MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and 14 of the Uddhav Thackeray faction, seeking their replies on disqualification petitions against them.

Narwekar had earlier said that he had received a copy of the Shiv Sena's constitution from the Election Commission of India, and hearing on the disqualification petitions against 16 Shiv Sena MLAs, including CM Shinde will start soon.

"Notice seeking replies on disqualification issued to 40 MLA of Eknath Shinde-Shiv Sena faction, 14 of Uddhav Thackeray faction," Narwekar told news agency PTI.

Following the development, Shiv Sena chief UBT faction, Uddhav Thackeray said, The Supreme Court's decision is clear. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly should take decision within that scope and if its decision is taken outside that scope, we will seek justice from the SC."

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray started a two-day tour of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region on Sunday to interact with his party workers and boost their morale ahead of the Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls due next year, a party leader said.

Thackeray's tour comes a week after Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.

The former Maharashtra chief minister reached Nagpur in the morning and he will hold discussions with the party cadre and supporters from Yavatmal, Washim, Amaravati, Akola and Nagpur in the Vidarbha region.

After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Thackeray snapped ties with long-term ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

He then formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the Shiv Sena (then undivided), NCP and Congress.

A revolt led by Shinde resulted in the collapse of the MVA government in June 2022 and a split in the Shiv Sena. Shinde later became the CM with the BJP's support.

On July 2 this year, NCP's Ajit Pawar led a split in the Sharad Pawar-led party and joined the Shinde government as deputy chief minister. Eight other NCP leaders were also sworn in as ministers in the state cabinet.
News / National

by Staff reporter

HIGH Court Justice David Mangota on Friday reserved judgment in a case in which Zanu-PF activist Lovedale Mangwana is seeking to stop independent presidential candidate Savior Kasukuwere from contesting the elections on 23 August.Advocate Lewis Uriri and Advocate Edley Mubaiwa represented Mangwana while Advocate Method Ndhlovu and Advocate Reginald Mutero argued for Kasukuwere.The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, who were both cited together with Kasukuwere as respondents, did not oppose Mangwana's application.Zec indicated it would abide by the court ruling while Ziyambi did not file opposing papers.Harare lawyer Jacqueline Sande, who is Kasukuwere's chief election agent, wrote on Twitter that the case will fall away."The applicant argued that President Kasukuwere is no longer a registered voter and is not entitled to participate. The president contended otherwise arguing that applicant had approached the wrong forum and without sufficient evidence to sustain his case. The presiding judge, Justice Mangota reserved judgment. The president is upbeat that the application will be dismissed," she said.Mangwana, who wants to stop Kasukuwere from contesting the presidential race, has close links to the Mangwana family of Information ministry permanent secretary Nick Mangwana and Zanu-PF legal affairs secretary Paul Mangwana, senior Zanu-PF officials and resultantly to Mnangagwa himself.There are concerns that Mangwana is acting in the interest of Mnangagwa who is panicking over Kusukwere's candidature. Kasukuwere has potential to split the votes and either influence a presidential election run-off or outright victory of opposition Citizens' Coalition for Change party leader Nelson Chamisa.If Kasukuwere were to get between 50 000 and 100 000 votes from the Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Mashonaland East provinces where he is thought to be popular, he could dent Mnangagwa's chances of winning.Those numbers of votes are possible for Kasukuwere who was the Zanu-PF commissar and marshalled support in Mashonaland provinces particularly in Mashonaland Central's Mount Darwin South constituency where he was once a member of Parliament.Another factor that is making Mnangagwa panic over Kasukuwere is the prospect that he can be voted by disgruntled Zanu-PF supporters, who are remnants of the G40 faction that was toppled by the military in the 2017 coup.Mnangagwa is also panicking over Kasukuwere's presidential candidature because of the delicate ethnic dynamics in Zanu-PF pitting the Zezurus and Karangas.Mnangagwa is a Karanga and Kasukuwere a Zezuru. Therefore, Kasukuwere is likely to woo Zanu-PF Zezuru voters from Mnangagwa and therefore again cause an upset based on these ethnic party dynamics.Mashonaland provinces consist of big numbers of registered voters. Mashonaland Central has 536 450; Mashonaland east 641 701 and Mashonaland West 661 393.Kasukuwere therefore has a chance of amassing a significant number of these votes from Zanu-PF supporters who ordinarily would have no choice but to vote for Mnangagwa in the absence of the exiled former cabinet minister on the ballot paper.Kasukuwere, during his time as Youth minister, recruited young people from the people into the security services such as Central Intelligence Organisation, Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe National Army.In doing so, he was seen as promoting the youth empowerment programme for the party. The young officers have since matured, gained experience of at least 10 years and acquainted themselves in election-related matters such that they can work with Kasukuwere in his campaign bid. There is every reason for Mnangagwa to panic.In 2008, former Zanu-PF Finance minister Simba Makoni had a similar X-factor effect when he denied the late president Robert Mugabe outright victory over the late opposition MDC icon Morgan Tsvangirai.Makoni contested in the presidential election and garnered 8% of votes while Mugabe got 43% when he needed 50 plus one vote for outright victory. Makoni's 8%, had it gone to Mugabe, could have propelled the long-time ruler to 51%, an outright win.In another experience of split votes, in 2018 former MDC vice-president Thokozani Khupe prevented Chamisa from winning the presidential elections by eating into the opposition leader's votes by 45 000 votes when he need just above30 000 to beat Mnangagwa.In his founding affidavit, Mangwana says ". . . I have indicated that I am aware that first respondent has been away from the republic for a period in excess of 18 months."I add that this a continuous period of absence. In other words, he has been out of the republic for each day of the past 18 months. I add that this is in fact a matter of public record. I dare him to indicate otherwise. I understand that his absence from the country for that period of time has much consequence at law."I draw attention to provisions of section 23 (3) of the Electoral Act which enacts: "(3) A voter who is registered on the voters roll for a constituency, other than a voter who has been registered in that constituency in terms of the proviso to subsection (1), shall not be entitled to have his or her name retained on such roll if, for a continuous period of eighteen months, he or she has ceased to reside in that constituency: Provided that nothing in this subsection shall prevent his or her name from being struck off such voters' roll - "(a) on his or her being registered in another constituency; or (b) if he or she becomes disqualified for registration as a voter." I submit that the absence of first respondent from the country for more than 18 consecutive months has the effect that his name ceased to be retained on the voters' roll. I add that this occurred by operation of law.""I submit that the decision to accept first respondent's nomination papers is contrary to the law set out in this provision in that first respondent, being a non-voter, cannot be nominated for election to any office."This is what Mangwana, who is clearly a Mnangagwa proxy or the proverbial tortoise on a lamppost, wants.His calculated political action benefits Mnangagwa more than anyone else, showing that the President is running scared.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, who started his statewide tour in Maharashtra from Nashik on Saturday, apologised to the people of Yeola in his rally. The Pawar apology came against the backdrop of ongoing Maharashtra political drama wherein his nephew and other party leaders broke ties with him and joined the BJP-Eknath Shinde government. Among the rebel party leader is Chhagan Bhujbal and Yeola is the constituency of Bhujbal where Pawar visited yesterday.

Formerly a key aide of the NCP patriarch, Bhujbal was among the 8 NCP rebels who went against Pawar, along with Sharad Pawar's nephew and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

Addressing a rally at Yeola on Saturday, Pawar senior said, "This rally is not about making any allegations against anyone. I am here to apologize to all of you."

"I regret making a wrong decision (in fielding Bhujbal from this constituency). You trusted me and voted for my party but my decision turned out to be wrong. So, it is my duty to apologise to you. Next time, when I come here, I promise I won't repeat this mistake," the NCP chief said at the rally.

"A few days back, PM Modi pointed fingers at the NCP and the Congress in a rally. I want to tell him, if we do anything wrong, act against us. If we do anything wrong, we are ready to be punished. However, this is a fight for the Lok Sabha and, we, the Opposition, are ready for it," the NCP chief said.

On Ajit Pawar taunting him about his age and advising him to retire from politics, the NCP chief said while he was against making personal remarks against anyone, if he or fellow leaders in his faction made similar remarks, the others won't like it.

Maharashtra was rocked by a fresh political quake after Ajit Pawar split the NCP down the middle and joined the NDA government in the state along with 8 fellow MLAs and top leaders, including Bhujbal, Praful Patel, and Hasan Mushrif.

While Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister in the Shinde government, his fellow dissidents were also sworn in as ministers.
Smartphone brand Oppo will unveil its Reno 10 5G series in India tomorrow, i.e. July 10. The series may offer three handsets  Oppo Reno 10 , Oppo Reno 10 Pro and Oppo Reno 10 Pro+. The company has scheduled an event at 12pm tomorrow where it will launch the new Oppo Reno 10 5G series.

Oppo Reno 10 series is already available in China. The smartphones come with a starting price of 2,499 yuan (approx. 29,000).

In India, Oppo Reno 10 series will be available via Flipkart along with Oppo India website and offline retail partners. As teased by the company, the upcoming smartphone series will offer industry-first 64MP telephoto portrait camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS). In addition, the handsets are claimed to pack thinnest and lightest periscope camera.

Oppo Reno 10 series is teased to offer a 3D curved screen and will come in Glossy Purple and Silvery Grey colour variants. The device will boast of 100watt SuperVOOC Flash Charge which is said to juice up the phone in 27 minutes. The handset will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor.

Oppo Reno 10 series: Expected features

As available in China, Oppo Reno 10 5G comes in Ice Blue and Silvery Grey colour options. The smartphone is equipped with a 120Hz refresh rate display and boasts of a 32MP telephoto portrait camera. The smartphone is offered in 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G octa-core chipset.

Oppo Reno10 Pro and Reno10 Pro+, on the other hand, are powered by MediaTek Dimensity 8200 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset respectively. Both the devices come in Silvery Grey and Silvery Grey colour variants and pack 12GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage.

Both Oppo Reno 10 Pro and Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ phones sport a 50MP main camera with Sony IMX890 sensor with OIS. While the Oppo Reno 10 Pro has a 32MP telephoto portrait camera, the Reno10 Pro+ 5G will come with a 64MP telephoto portrait camera with OIS.
Nancy Babalis holds a sign and picture of her son Peter Kitsos during a protest outside the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery in Montreal Sunday. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press - image credit)

Grievers in Montreal issued pleas on Sunday for the Quebec government to take action as a months-long standoff between workers and management at Canada's largest graveyard drags on.

A strike by more than 100 maintenance and office workers has kept the Notre-Dames-des-Neiges cemetery's wrought-iron gates shut to the public since mid-January, with the exception of a few days in the spring.

The labour dispute has left more than 300 bodies unburied, with the remains stored at freezing temperatures in an on-site repository, the cemetery said.

Jimmy Koliakoudakis, whose mother died in February, said family members are "suffering."

"Families are only asking for some dignity and some humanity involved in this labour dispute," he said, demonstrating alongside a handful of other protesters outside the graveyard Sunday afternoon. "We're stuck in the middle."

"I don't understand why the government isn't taking a harder stance or a more direct step into this labour conflict."

Jimmy Koliakoudakis holds up a sign during a protest outside Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Sunday, July 9, 2023. Grievers are gathering in Montreal to protest the months-long standoff between workers and management at Canada's largest cemetery.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Jimmy Koliakoudakis says he wishes the government would take a harder stance and help resolve the labour dispute that he says deprives the affected families of their dignity. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Others have seen no choice but to sneak onto the grounds.

Nancy Babalis said she still comes nearly every weekend to visit the plot of her 13-year-old son, who died 10 years earlier minus a day.

"I found a place where the fence is higher,'' she said. "If it was their child or their loved one there, they would do the same thing I'm doing."

Babalis called the impasse and ongoing closure "inhumane."

A tentative agreement between management and the Cemetery Maintenance Employees' Union fell through last month.

Both sides had agreed to support the recommendation of the province's head mediator, Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet said on June 15, dubbing the would-be deal an "excellent development." But the maintenance union ultimately rejected it.

Groundskeepers have been without a collective agreement since 2018, and office workers  who kicked off the strike in September  haven't had one in place since 2017.

Boulet said in a Twitter post Thursday the parties will meet with him separately on Monday.

"This conflict has been going on for too long and has significant consequences for human dignity and for the families affected," he wrote.

Overgrown foliage and fallen branches surround gravestones at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Sunday, July 9, 2023, as an ongoing strike over working conditions continues. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Overgrown foliage and fallen branches surround gravestones at Montreal's Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Cemetery spokesperson Daniel Granger said he hoped to find a resolution "as soon as possible."

Waist-high weeds and downed branches from an April ice storm cover the cemetery grounds, which sprawl across Mount Royal's north side. A groundhog perched on the base of a headstone sat shrouded in overgrown grass Sunday, the only creature visible on the property.

"Now that all the leaves are on the trees, you don't see that the branches are broken. We have one, two, three, four tree limbs that fall each day. That makes it dangerous for people to walk the cemetery," Granger said.

"There's a big cleanup that needs to be done."
The author was ghosted after changing her mind about not wanting to have kids. Getty Images

I always thought I didn't want kids. Then I started dating someone long-distance.

As we grew closer, I changed my mind, and we started planning a family for the future.

I was heartbroken when he ghosted me, but I realized the experience taught me about myself.

We met during a wild booze-filled night out in downtown Seattle. It was one of those completely unexpected nights you could never plan out. I was visiting from Spokane, Washington, and he was visiting from Alberta, Canada. We kept in touch through random texts over the next year and even made loose plans to meet on a few occasions, which didn't come to fruition.

Then one day, the Canadian asked whether he could call me, and something changed.

After that call, we hardly went a day without talking. At 38 and 43, neither of us was interested in games. We immediately had in-depth conversations about the role religion and politics played in our lives as well as our thoughts on having children. I told him I'd never wanted to have children. He said he had vacillated on it but did not want to be an "old dad," a territory he felt he was approaching.

I remember thinking it would be a shame for a man like the Canadian not to have a child. He had morals, values, and deeply held convictions. He had worked hard to create a successful business and cared deeply for his employees and clients. Most importantly, he was close with his family, whom he spent time with regularly and spoke about with great affection. He was even getting ready to break ground on a house that his parents would live in with him.

I found his devotion to his family incredibly endearing.

When we finally saw each other again, I knew it was meant to be

After a few months of talking, he said he was flying to Spokane to see me. I was thrilled and nervous. I knew he was someone I could fall for, someone with the qualities I wanted in a partner. I saw the potential for his visit to upend my entire life and change its trajectory. I had a feeling he knew this, too.

The Canadian and I only had a few days together because of his hectic work schedule, and he frequently apologized for taking calls and returning emails while we were at dinner or out having drinks. Still, it was enough time together for me to know he had crossed that nearly imperceivable line that separates people who have the power to hurt us from those who don't. "I could love this man," I thought. Maybe I already did.

When he left, I hardly thought of anything aside from when I would see him again. He told me his friends and family wanted to know about me, "the American girl." He said many of them referred to me as his girlfriend, and even though we hadn't discussed what we were to each other, I began seeing myself as just that  his girlfriend. I stopped dating and texting other men.

As our relationship grew, so did our hopes for a family

He told me that I was changing how he saw his future and that he wanted to cut back on work and live a more balanced life. He told me that he had all but resigned himself to bachelorhood, but that he envisioned something entirely new because of me.

He told me his mother had asked him with real hope for the first time if she would have grandchildren.

I don't know if I recognized it then, but the Canadian was changing me too. He was doing what eight years of marriage in my 20s, a divorce, and a serious seven-year relationship in my 30s could not do. He was making me think about the possibility of children.

I always thought that wanting kids was a sort of innate knowing most women had. I assumed it wasn't a question they had to ask themselves repeatedly but a given. It never occurred to me that the right man could stir up those feelings in a woman  or in me.

I could hardly admit it to myself; I hadn't thought it was possible. Yet there I was, picturing myself placing a baby  my baby, with him  in the eager arms of his mother. For the first time, I saw myself in a greater picture. I saw I might have a place and purpose beyond my selfish desires.

When things changed, I made excuses for him

He was busier than ever in the weeks following his visit. We'd start planning a trip to see each other, and something would come up; he'd talk about me coming to Alberta and then say he didn't want me hanging out by myself all day while he worked. I alternated between understanding how demanding his schedule was and feeling like I wasn't a priority.

My friends, family, therapist, and even my yoga instructor told me the same thing: he would make time to see me if he really wanted to.

Then I did that thing women do when the people around them doubt their relationship. I told myself they didn't know or understand him as I did. I made excuses for his behavior and convinced myself that I was the exception, not the rule.

Our communication went from constant to infrequent

When two months passed without plans to meet again, I told him we needed to talk. I told him I felt lonely and disappointed he hadn't made more effort to see me. I asked him whether he had space in his life for me. "The ball is in your court," I said. He told me he would "move some things around" and call me later that night.

But I didn't hear from him that night, the next, or the night after. After nearly a week and a half, I texted him, "I don't understand." And I didn't. We had spoken almost every day for the past five months and then, without explanation, nothing.

I obsessed over the situation, but as more time passed, I shifted from wondering what I had done to feeling deceived by this man I thought I knew. A man I felt so certain I knew that I disregarded the concerns of the people closest to me.

I texted him: "You're not the man I thought you were."

I waited. The next evening he texted me back: "I don't think that is true."

And then he sent me a long text saying that I had changed his life and made him believe in love again, but that he couldn't ask me to move to Canada when he couldn't give me what I deserved. He said he was working on getting to that place but didn't expect me to wait for him.

"I have to let you go to have that chance with someone who can love you how I so deeply want to," he wrote.

Ultimately, he said he hoped to have the life he wanted with me when he was ready  but that time was not now.

Our breakup was confusing, but I learned about myself

It seemed like a roundabout way to dump me, but it was layered and confusing. For one, the mention of my moving to Canada threw me off; it was not something we had yet discussed. Though we'd both recognized there was potential to get to that point, I hadn't even visited yet. I felt like he had created an entire scenario about everything I expected from him when I just wanted to see him every few months.

I texted back: "I'd rather not reply through text. Call me if you like."

He never replied.

Two weeks later, my twin sister and her husband FaceTimed me with the happy news of her third pregnancy. When I got off the phone with her, I began sobbing uncontrollably. At first, I thought they were tears of joy, and then I knew they were tears of sadness. Tears of what could have been. Tears of profound and unexpected self-discovery.

I spent that evening curled up in bed with a box of tissues thinking about the Canadian, cursing him for unearthing something in me I could not forget and leaving me alone to sort the feelings and emotions that came with it.

This was two and a half months ago, and I still don't know whether I want kids or whether I want them with him. Maybe I was caught up in his dream, or perhaps his dream has become mine, too. I'm still figuring it all out. Ultimately, I am grateful for the opportunity to know myself better and to know there is a part of me yet to be explored.

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A young man who drove while intoxicated with cocaine was banned from the road for one year and fined 300 at Longford District Court.



Garry Smith (23) of 2 Abbeycourt, Abbeylara, Longford entered a plea of guilty to driving a mechanically propelled vehicle while having a quantity of cocaine in his system.



The court was told Garda Denise Dockery was on mobile patrol on 17 March, 2022 when she observed the defendant driving a silver Ford Focus on the Ballyjamesduff Road, Granard. The vehicle was driving at speed and the garda followed it and signalled the car to stop.



The car stopped at Ballynacross, Granard, Longford. Garda Dockery spoke to the driver, Garry Smith, describing him as fidgety and having glazed eyes. The driver was asked for a sample of oral fluid, which tested positive for cocaine.



Mr Smith was cautioned and brought to Granard garda station. A blood sample was taken by the on duty doctor which proved Mr Smith was driving with a level of cocaine beyond the legal limit.

The defendant had no previous convictions.



Solicitor John Quinn told the court his client had entered an early plea of guilty. Mr Quinn said the defendant was asking if his mandatory disqualification could be postponed for three months to allow Mr Smith get his affairs in order.



The solicitor said the defendant's granny was very ill and that Mr Smith's girlfriend was in the family way.

Sgt Enda Daly said the gardai had no difficulty with the application for a deferral of the date of the imposition of the ban.



Judge Bernadette Owens registered a conviction and imposed a fine of 300 with four months to pay. The judge directed that the one year disqualification come into effect on October 1 next.
Travelers continue to flock to the Philippines despite the recent hullabaloo over the countrys new tourism slogan, the leader of a group of tour operators said Sunday.

In an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo, the president of the Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa), Fe Abling-Yu, said the controversy surrounding the countrys new Love The Philippines tourism campaign had little to no effect on foreign tourists, who continue to come to the country after three years of lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abling-Yu said the countrys tour operators continue to be more aggressive in their approach to attracting tourists to the Philippines, as foreign tourists themselves were just as aggressive in spending money for travel.

She added that while the Love the Philippines slogan did somehow help them in their tourism efforts, Phitoa did not bank on the slogan that much.

Abling-Yu also said it was business as usual for tour operators in the country despite the flak that the Tourism department drew for using a promotional video with stock footage from other countries.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has terminated its contract with the ad agency DDB Philippines, which was responsible for producing and circulating the video online.

Amid calls for a congressional probe on the video fiasco, PresidentFerdinand Marcos Jr. said DOT Secretary Christina Frasco still enjoys his trust and confidence.

As of May 2023, there have been 2.38 million international arrivals to the Philippines, Abling-Yu said, citing DOT figures.

Meanwhile, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said she isbatting for a thorough investigation into the recent controversies surrounding the Department of Tourisms new branding campaign.

She cited the need for transparency and accountability as millions of pesos in taxpayers money are involved in this issue.

Castro raised concern over reports suggesting the involvement of personalities with close ties to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

It is imperative that we shed light on this Frasco fiasco to ensure that public funds are being utilized appropriately and that there is no undue influence from individuals associated with the Marcos regime, she said.

She emphasized that any misuse or mismanagement of public funds should not be tolerated, especially given the pressing needs of the Filipino people in these challenging times.

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FOREIGN PRESENCE. The Japan Coast Guard vessel Akitsushima (left), leads the US Coast Guard cutter Stratton and Philippine Coast Guard vessels BRP Gabriela Silang and BRP Melchora Aquino in a trilateral exercise in the West Philippine Sea on July 5. Meanwhile, the Italian Navy vessel Francesco Morosini (right) is docked at Pier 15 of the South Harbor in Manila on Saturday for a port call as part of a five-month naval campaign in the Indo-Pacific region. AFP Photos with Danny Pata

The Philippine Coast Guard will continue to expose Chinese excursions in the West Philippine Sea, as it and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are set to increase their joint patrols to the Del Pilar Reef and Escoda Shoal, where Chinese militia vessels were spotted swarming ahead of a suspected occupation.

PCG West Philippine Sea spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said the Coast Guardians transparency initiative on Chinese incursions is part of its strategy to drive Chinas ships away from the WPS islands.

We realized that for the Philippine government to drive them away is for us to expose them in public, create public awareness, and for them to be criticized by the international community, Tarriela said.

This would then be followed by maritime patrols by both the PCG and the AFP, he added in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview, noting that the swarms of Chinese ships may be a precursor to an illegal occupation of the resource-rich Recto (Reed) Bank.

Tarriela pointed out that Iroquois Reef is only 128 nautical miles away from the mainland of Palawan province, and thus falls within the Philippines exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The PCG may deploy its 97-meter and 44-meter coast guard vessels in follow-up operations to drive the Chinese vessels away from Philippine territory, he added.

The Philippines and China should come up with an amicable arrangement to prevent the megaphone war in the WPS from turning into a violent encounter, international studies analyst Rommel Banlaoi said over the weekend.

The purpose of coordinated approach is to avoid accidents and prevent actualities in the area. Whats happening on the ground is whats called a megaphone war if the situation continues like that, then that will really raise risk of unintended violent encounter at sea, the professor told ABS-CBN News.

Meanwhile, an Italian Marina Militare ship made a port visit to the Philippines on July 8, as Rome assured Manila its support to freedom of navigation amid the activities of China that are seen as threats to rules-based order.

The Philippine Navy welcomed the Italian vessel ITS Francesco Morosini, a Paolo Thaon di Revel-class offshore patrol vessel.

The ship arrived at the Port of Manila for a five-day stay as the Italian Ministry of Defense and Navy aimed to strengthen its cooperation with the Philippine Armed Forces and the Department of National Defense, its embassy in the Philippines said.

Morosinis visit reinforces the cooperation between Italy and the Philippines in order to promote naval diplomacy along with freedom of navigation, respect for the international law of the sea and a safe and inclusive Indo-Pacific, the Italian Embassy said.

Lt. Karla Andres, a co-pilot of the Philippine Navys light patrol aircraft, said the 48 Chinese fishing vessels seen near Del Pilar (Iroquois) Reef and Escoda (Sabina) Shoal through an air patrol conducted on June 30 were observed to be anchored in groups of five to seven and no fishing activities were noticed.

Based on reports of earlier Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) flights, the AFPs Western Command said the number of Chinese fishing vessels in the area had increased from 12 in February to 47 on June 12.

These Chinese maritime militia [vessels], thats their usual strategic objective. That is for them to occupy a particular maritime feature, to swarm the area for a very long period of time. if you dont notice them, they will increase their number eventually, Tarriela said.

In a separate interview with DZBB on Saturday, the PCG spokesperson said this is not the first time such a maneuver has been done by China.

In our analysis, their intention is to swarm a particular area and to take control of it, the commodore said.

However, he also said this was the first time the PCG saw a large number of Chinese vessels in the area.

Aside from Chinese fishing vessels, three China Coast Guard (CCG) ships and two Peoples Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) vessels were seen regularly loitering near Sabina Shoal, according to the AFP Wescom.

Once we publicize these events, the international community condemns them, and various embassies criticize such activities of China. When we follow up with the deployment of our government assets, they leave immediately, Tarriela added.

Both the AFP and PCG recently reported the presence of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters inside its EEZ. According to Tarriela, this helped make it easier for them to drive vessels away, noting that the Chinese government was very conscious of its international reputation.

This has been a tool for us to make sure that Chinas aggressive behavior and bullying activities in the West Philippine Sea will be criticized by the international community, he said.

Iroquois Reef is the southern part of Recto Bank where we have a lot of service contracts when it comes to oil exploration, Tarriela explained.

Recto Bank is a vital feature within the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone, and China must cease its swarming of vessels to respect our sovereign rights, said Wescom spokesperson Commander Ariel Coloma.

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It was a terrifying moment when a patient from Idaho began leaking fluid during her pregnancy. She was diagnosed with a pregnancy complication in which the amniotic sac surrounding the baby breaks. Once the sac breaks, the risk of developing a serious infection is high. She was told it was very unlikely her baby would survive.

But because she was in Idaho, the patient was not able to receive the recommended care, an abortion. A new law in Idaho bans health care professionals from ending someones pregnancy unless the fetus no longer has a detectable heartbeat or the patient experiences a medical emergency. But under Idahos extremist laws, determining what is a medical emergency has become a legal minefield for doctors. The patient, who soon developed a life-threatening infection, was rushed to Oregon.

Although a care team at Oregon Health & Science University was able to treat her, it was a traumatic experience: Not only did she have to deal with the sudden loss of a desired pregnancy while facing a frightening medical diagnosis, but she was forced to do so away from her home, community and support system.

Providers are seeing these types of circumstances every week as Oregon experiences a significant influx of out-of-state patients seeking abortion care in the one year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade  ending 50 years of federal abortion protections in the United States  with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. Since then, many states have, like Idaho, implemented total abortion bans or adopted other extreme restrictions on abortion care.

These dangerous policies have resulted in abortion services  what should be basic health care  becoming increasingly unsafe and inaccessible to individuals, especially for people of color, immigrants, low-income individuals and LGBTQ+ people, who already face significant barriers.

And they have forced many patients to travel to other states for care; face potential harm to their health; or continue an undesired pregnancy.

Oregon is experiencing the impact of this dilemma firsthand. In the first six months after the Dobbs decision, the number of abortions performed in Oregon for out-of-state residents shot up to 543  a 48% increase over the 366 abortions during the same six-month period a year earlier, according to Oregon Health Authority statistics. Its worth noting that the majority of abortion care in the state is performed by a small handful of providers, so any increase has a significant impact.

In a shift from previous years, the majority of OHSUs out-of-state patients last year were from Idaho and Texas  states with some of the most restrictive laws. OHSU also saw individuals from states we have never seen before, including South Dakota, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Florida.

And for those who do make it to Oregon, its rarely an easy journey.

These individuals are extensively delayed in receiving care due to financial constraints, managing time off work and childcare, travel logistics and health care system barriers, including lack of insurance coverage or cultural and language barriers. They are often scared and experiencing significant trauma.

Now more than ever, Oregons reproductive health providers face an increased responsibility to ensure people from out-of-state are able to access safe and legal abortions. Managing this increase in demand for services requires additional time and resources and strains our own health care system, often increasing workloads for providers and wait times for patients.

This also highlights how we as OB/GYNs and Oregonians are at the center of a national reproductive health crisis. Our reproductive health protections affect people far beyond our borders, and we all can reach beyond our statehouse and clinics to fight for reproductive justice.

Supporting organizations like Planned Parenthood and ACLU will fuel national efforts to challenge these harmful abortion bans in courts and at the ballot box. OHSUs own Center for Reproductive Health Equity will provide data-driven education to support those efforts. Additionally, community support of this work though efforts like the Abortion Care and Training Fund are essential to ensuring Oregon can remain a safe haven for individuals who need this life-saving care.

The past year has been a very frightening reality. Were now seeing the very real consequences the Dobbs decision, and all other policies aimed to restrict reproductive health, are having on individuals across this country. Despite the uphill battle were fighting, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure that everyone has access to safe, legal abortion care.

Alison Edelman and Maria Rodriguez are both physicians at Oregon Health & Science Universitys Center for Womens Health and hold masters degrees in public health.
Massachusetts State Police have charged a New Bedford man after an accident in Taunton on Saturday that killed one motorcycle driver and seriously injured another.

At about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, State Police responded to a crash on the southbound side of Route 24 in Taunton, according to a press release.
A Vermont police officer was killed Friday following a pursuit of a burglary suspect that ended in a crash, according to Vermont State Police.

Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, of Ira, was a part-time member of the Rutland City Police Department. She had started working for the department May 23 and was scheduled to attend the Vermont Police Academy next month to become a full-time officer, according to a press release.

At 2:35 p.m. Friday, Rutland police received a call about an attempted break-in at a home on East Washington Street, police said. At 2:51 p.m., the suspect, later identified by police as Tate Rheaume, 20, fled the scene in a truck and Officer Jared Dumas, who had arrived on scene, pursued him.

The pursuit continued from East Washington Street to Stratton Road and further to the intersection with Woodstock Avenue. Meanwhile, other police officers were responding to the area, including Ebbinghauser, who was driving a cruiser with a supervising full-time officer, Richard Caravaggio, in the passenger seat east on Woodstock Avenue, followed by a second cruiser.

At about 2:53 p.m., police say Rheaume crossed the center line into the eastbound lanes and collided with Ebbighausens cruiser, then struck the second cruiser behind hers, driven by Officer Kelsey Parker.

Both Rheaumes truck and Ebbighausens cruiser received catastrophic damage in the crash, police said. The cruiser that was pursuing Rheaume was not involved in the crash.

Ebbighausen died at the scene, police said. Caravaggio, Parker and Rheaume were injured and brought to Rutland Regional Medical Center for treatment, where the officer who was in the car with Ebbighausen remained hospitalized until Saturday.

Nearly three dozen Vermont law-enforcement officers and first responders escorted Rutland City Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausens body in a procession on Saturday, July 8, 2023, along U.S. Route 7 from the Vermont Chief Medical Examiners Office in Burlington back to the city she served as a part-time officer since May 23, and where she planned to embark on a career as a full-time police officer starting next month with training at the Police Academy. (Vermont State Police)ADAM SILVERMAN/VERMONT STATE POLICE

The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner determined that Ebbighausens death was caused by blunt force trauma. Her body was escorted by nearly three dozen Vermont law enforcement officers and first responders from the Vermont Chief Medical Examiners Office in Burlington back to Rutland on Saturday.

An investigation showed that neither Ebbighausen or Caravaggio were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

Rheaume has been charged with grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle with death resulting and attempting to elude with death resulting. He remained at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, where he was in serious but stable condition Saturday afternoon, police said. He was granted $500,000 bail and will be arraigned Monday in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Rutland.

Were hurting right now, said Rutland City Police Chief Brian Kilcullen on Friday as he asked for community support, according to the Rutland Herald.

Ebbighausen had wanted to be a police officer since she was 9 years old, Kilcullen said. She did an internship with the police department during high school, he said.

She always had a smile on her face, Kilcullen said. We were looking forward to having her as part of our family.

The department had recently changed its policies to discourage high-speed pursuits, he said, but did not discuss the changes further on Friday, the newspaper reported.

Im here today to mourn, really, the loss of a family member, he said. The state police are conducting the investigation. At some point, well review everything.

Ebbighausen is the youngest police officer to be killed in the line of duty in Vermont.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
The Patriots have appeared to be in on DeAndre Hopkins since he became a free agent after getting released by the Arizona Cardinals. But an AFC rival has been active in trying to sign the wide receiver.

According to ESPNs Mike Reiss, the Titans have been more aggressive than the Patriots when it comes to Hopkins.

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Key points on where things stand with free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins, according to sources close to the situation, are as follows: The Tennessee Titans and Patriots have made offers, the Titans have been more aggressive to this point and Hopkins hasnt been in a rush to sign, Reiss wrote. One reason for Hopkins to wait a bit longer is to leave open the possibility of another team entering the mix, potentially increasing his market.

The Titans and Patriots have been the two teams from the get go to want to bring Hopkins in, with both clubs reportedly offering him a deal. Its unclear how Tennessee is being more aggressive  whether thats money, term or something else  but its no doubt Hopkins would bolster either offense, and the Titans want to make that happen.

Hopkins visited Tennessee last month before his stop in New England. And even though his time with the Patriots went well  despite the clam chowder incident  he left without a deal.

It was never a secret that Hopkins wasnt in a rush to sign a new deal. ESPNs Jeremy Fowler reported in June that the five-time Pro Bowl select could wait until early August to make his decision.

Both the Pats and Titans would be smart to do all they can to acquire Hopkins. The Titans  outside of Derrick Henry  could use some help on offense, while New England doesnt have a true No. 1 wide receiver. But at the end of the day its Hopkins decision to make, and it appears he remains content on waiting to see if more teams will emerge with legitimate interest in bringing him in.
Prominent African and Global institutional investors signed subscription agreements and letters of intent in preparation for the first close of the Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF or the Fund), set up to catalyze further investment flows to invest in the development of critical infrastructure across the continent.

This historic collaboration brings together a diverse group of influential stakeholders comprised of 18 African  including sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions (DFIs), banks, pension funds, asset managers and retirement agencies and 1 international Institutional Investor, with other additional entities expected to join the first close.

The signing ceremony in Lome, Togo, which took place during Africa50s Infra for Africa Forum on the margins of its General Shareholders Meeting, is an unprecedented milestone for the continent. Indeed, mobilizing such a significant number of African institutional investors is a first for an infrastructure fund in Africa. It demonstrates the continents determination to be in the driving seat, while forging global partnerships to stimulate its economic growth.

Africa50s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund represents a pivotal vehicle that aims to bridge the financing gap in Africas infrastructure landscape. The commitments from the institutional investors will unlock transformative infrastructure projects across various sectors, including energy, transportation, telecommunications, water, among others.

Speaking on this momentous occasion at the signing ceremony, the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina said, I strongly believe that for African institutional investors, this is the time to change the investment narrative on Africa. It is remarkable and unprecedented to have 17 African institutions participating in such a transforming initiative to invest in an African infrastructure fund. With the Fund, we are positioning the Africa50 Group to play a lead role in helping to tap into the more than USD$98 trillion of global assets under management.

Aminu Umar-Sadiq, CEO and Managing Director, Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Fund remarked, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, Managing Director and CEO, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority remarked, NSIAs priority focus on sustainable infrastructure aligns with the funds vision to positively contribute to economic growth and development of the continent, including investing profitably, responsibly, and sustainably. The NSIA has a clear mandate to bring development to Nigeria and by extension, the continent at large and our investment in the Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund is an opportunity to expand our development impact in Africa while generating attractive financial returns..

Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, CEO of Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), which is also investing in the fund said, BADEAs investments are meant to have meaningful impact in the economies of its partners countries across various sectors. Infrastructure has always been the main area of focus for BADEA. Africa is a region with tremendous potential and a key priority for us, we are therefore pleased to join a credible partner like Africa50 in this groundbreaking partnership, to scale-up infrastructure development on the continent.

M. Serge Ekue, President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), an investor in the Fund said: BOAD is always keen on supporting initiatives that help drive prosperity for the continent and scale the impact of our investments. We believe this fund will support the right infrastructure. projects the continent needs to create opportunities for its youth and spur economic development.

For his part, Alain Ebobisse, CEO of Africa50 commented,  Securing commitments from such prominent African institutional investors marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration and investment in Africas infrastructure sector. This African-led initiative is a powerful testament to our collective vision of transforming Africas infrastructure landscape. Together, we will catalyze African financial resources to build the foundations for a brighter future, one that drives prosperity, job creation, and sustainable development for all Africans. 
With July upon us, a wave of reverence and reflection sweeps across the globe to honour the strong spirit of the late President Nelson Mandela during the annual commemoration of Nelson Mandela Month.

This special occasion, observed on July 18th, serves as a poignant reminder of Nelson Mandelas extraordinary contributions to fostering equality, compassion and human rights. It calls upon individuals, communities, organizations and businesses to dedicate their time, skills, and resources to make a positive impact on society, echoing his lifelong commitment to public service. By harnessing the power of unity, Nelson Mandela Month serves as a catalyst for transforming lives, embracing inclusivity and fostering connections that transcend boundaries.

Chairman of Black Impact Foundation (BIF) Clarence Seedorf was honored as one of the few Legacy Champions by Madiba in 2009 to carry on his legacy worldwide. So its not a surprise that BIF has created a platform like the Global Black Impact Summit (GBIS) (www.GlobalBlackImpact.com) , a landmark event that promises to be a unique and transformative experience for individuals celebrating Black excellence and driving positive change. Therefore, commemorating Mandela Month is a natural action to keep promoting the values and objectives of his legacy. The Global Black Impact Summit, created by BIF and organised by Energy Capital & Power (www.EnergyCapitalPower.com), is scheduled to take place on November 30th and December 01st, 2023  in Dubai offering a dynamic platform for networking, learning and collaboration, with a focus on uniting and connecting the Black community with the aim of strengthening inclusivity, equality, education and entrepreneurship.

The prevailing emphasis of Nelson Mandela Month centres around  67 Minutes for Madiba on Nelson Mandela Day,  signifying the symbolic 67 years that Nelson Mandela dedicated to public service, persevering through adversity, and unwaveringly championing the cause of social justice, ultimately culminating in his historic tenure as the inaugural President of the newly birthed South Africa. This day captures the ideals that Nelson Mandela adopted throughout his lifeforgiveness, reconciliation and the belief that each individual possesses the power to change the world for the better. By encouraging people to devote just a fraction of their time, 67 minutes, to acts of kindness, Mandela Day urges us to acknowledge our collective responsibility in effectuating meaningful change.

BIF, with its emphasis on uniting and celebrating the Black community, recognizes the impact of Mandelas legacy in inspiring and shining light on individuals worldwide to enhance inclusivity, equality, education and entrepreneurship within the overall community. As the spirit of Madiba is integral part of the Foundation, people can join BIF to unite under a shared purpose and amplify their efforts towards effectuating meaningful change and foster reconciliation and social justice.

By highlighting the shared values of Mandelas Legacy, BIF becomes an ideal platform for engaging in positive dialogues, forging partnerships, and formulating a proactive approach to support Black individuals globally.

One of the fundamental pillars of both GBIS and Mandela Month is education. Recognizing that education plays a pivotal role in unlocking opportunities, both initiatives place a strong emphasis on enhancing educational access and quality.
Coming out of the restrictions brought on by the pandemic, Southington and Cheshire High Schools are planning several trips abroad to mesh with the curriculum of several subjects.

The Southington school district plans six trips over the next two semesters, two to Italy, and one to Germany and neighboring countries, as well as trips to Spain, France and China. Cheshire High School is planning five trips, most in April, to Germany, Italy, Iceland, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico.

While some of the programs are being run through foreign language courses so that students can get hands-on experience with speaking the language and immersing themselves in the culture of the native country, others have branched out to touch on different aspects of the curriculum.

For Cheshire, the Costa Rica trip is being helmed by a science teacher so students can explore the unique biodiversity of the country. In contrast, the Iceland trip is integrated with a health course so students will experience what the nation offers in terms of health and wellness activities like hiking and snorkeling while also doing service projects, bridging both physical and mental health subjects.

The Italy trips are some of the most popular at Southington High School, having been held for multiple years. The trips take 33 students on a cultural exchange to see Rome and stay with a host family in Mondavi. Additionally, 15 students from the schools Latin course will be attending separately to see the ruins of the Roman Forum in the capital.

Southington High School finds itself in a unique situation this year. With many travel restrictions lifted after the pandemic, theyve seen a surge in teachers looking to host international learning opportunities to make up for their absence the last several years. With six trips being held next school year, its the most the district has ever had. The number of students looking to attend these trips is also up over prior years.

Next year is actually an interesting year, and kind of the banner year for trips. There are six trips. I don't know that weve ever had a time before where there was so many trips going out. But the cool thing about it is, each trip has its own flavor, so there are two trips that are going to Italy, but theyre both very different, said Michael Halloran, Assistant Principal of Southington High School.

Kids are just excited to travel and so theres the opportunity and teachers are excited to give the kids the experience of seeing the world, Italian language teacher Kate Tavera Collins added.

To educators, the value of international trips goes beyond just being able to integrate their lessons with hands-on experience  but also having the students fully immerse themselves in the culture of other countries.

Across both districts, administrators place an emphasis on making their students global citizens, so that they may be able to contribute to their local communities and to the world stage as well. Part of forming that identity, they say, is allowing students a chance to meaningfully engage with those cultures and see how people experience life in other parts of the world.

I think there are a number of reasons why these trips are beneficial to students. The cultural experience, the bringing history to life, the opportunity to get to meet and talk with people from different countries. If we say that we pride ourselves on complex thinking and social-emotional learning here in Cheshire, giving students an opportunity to see different places, different experiences, and different cultures, only helps to expand their understanding of the world and get perspectives other than their own. Cheshire Assistant Superintendent Marlene Silano said. Theyre making memories and theyre having these a-ha moments that they'll remember for a lifetime.

For Silano, the connections students also make with each other are just as valuable. A similar sentiment was echoed by the Southington teachers, who mentioned students in the international programs made friendships with people well outside of their usual friend groups through their sessions ahead of the trips.

Throughout the year, the schools hold various informational sessions allowing the students and parents to attend and learn about the upcoming trips available. Every year, in Southington, the teachers try to have a couple trips running as to give all kids looking for a chance to go abroad can get an opportunity to do so sometime during their four years.

Its essentially connections. Its the connections of the things youre studying in class, youre learning about. But now Im here and Im experiencing, Im walking on these streets. Im seeing these things. Im speaking the language. Im engaging with a family, Halloran said, Its the connections from the curriculum to the experiences. Its the connection from the kids to the diverse groups of kids who are traveling  but theres a connection from, from a staff perspective, you get to know these kids on a different level than your 45 minutes in a classroom. Its an incredible opportunity. And the teachers who organize these trips, the level and amount of work that they put into it is amazing. Its a testament to the care that they have for their kids and the experiences that theyre willing to work above and beyond to provide for them.
Three young lifeguards at Lake Monticello are being hailed as heroes after their quick thinking and bravery resulted in the successful rescue of a motorist who drove into the lake.

The driver crashed through a pool deck at Lake Monticello on Thursday morning before continuing over Beach 1 and into the water, according to reports from the scene. The vehicle began sinking rapidly, but the lifeguards acted swiftly. They managed to pull the driver out of the car just before it submerged completely, and she was promptly treated by paramedics at the scene.

If not for the lifeguard, there would not likely have been as positive an outcome. She [the victim] is very lucky, said Eddie Shifflett, chief of Lake Monticello Volunteer Fire & Rescue.

The lifeguards on duty that day who helped save the womans life have been identified as Paige Tomaras, Zach Butler and Savannah Peterson, according to the Lake Monticello Owners Association.

We are very grateful that no lives were lost yesterday, and we are very proud of the residents work to rescue the person involved in the crash, Marieke Henry, a spokeswoman for the Lake Monticello Owners Association, told The Daily Progress.

Due to concerns regarding potential toxic fluid leakage from the vehicle, Beach 1 and the pool were closed for the remainder of the day on Thursday.

The vehicle was later successfully retrieved from the water, and the fire department has taken measures to address any chemical spills using specialized booms.

The driver of the car was transported to University of Virginia Medical Center for further medical attention.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Ann Arbor has a long list of places where people can get a nice glass of wine.

Four Ann Arbor restaurants were recently recognized for their quality of wine services in a new list created by Wine Spectator. They are Blue LLama Jazz Club, The Earle, Webers Restaurant and Paesano Restaurant and Wine Bar.

Read more: See which 4 popular Ann Arbor restaurants earned Wine Spectator awards

While all these places bring something different to Ann Arbor, the city also has a few other notable wine bars. Here are five great places to get a glass of wine throughout Ann Arbor.

The exterior of Vinology, 110 S. Main St., in downtown Ann Arbor on Thursday, May 18, 2023. The restaurant also offers a lower-level event space.Sydney Verlinde | MLive.com

Vinology

Vinology brings a chic wine bar atmosphere to downtown Ann Arbor, according to its website.

The restaurant has been serving the city since 2006 and offers a lengthy wine menu with options for smooth, sweet, crisp, bubbly or earthy flavors. Customers can order wine by the glass, by the bottle or through a flight.

Related: Michigans Best Local Eats: Vinology brings seasonal menu, wide selection of wines to Ann Arbor

General Manager Thomas Kamrad previously said people dining at Vinology can also expect a menu packed with wine friendly world cuisine.

Vinology, 110 S. Main St., is open 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Find the restaurant online, on social media or by phone at 734-222-9841.

The Earle, inside a former hotel's basement, serves provincial French and Italian style dishes with over 1,000 wines available. Michigan's Best Amy Sherman and John Gonzalez visited the Ann Arbor restaurant on their search for Michigan's Most Iconic restaurant on Monday, May 14, 2019. Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com

The Earle Restaurant

This isnt The Earle Restaurants first time making Wine Spectators list. It has been recognized every year since 1983 by the magazine for its wine selections, according to the restaurants website.

The restaurant has become known for its vast wine selection which features more than 1,200 options, including red, white, sparkling and rose, as well as wines from all around the world like France, Italy and Germany.

The Earle Restaurant, 121 W. Washington St., is open 5 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday through Saturday and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Find it online, on social media or by phone at 734-994-0211.

Spencer Restaurant at 113 E. Liberty St. in Ann Arbor. Matt Weigand | The Ann Arbor News ANN ARBOR NEWSANN ARBOR NEWS

Spencer

Spencer, 113 E. Liberty St., brings another option for a neighborhood wine shop and restaurant.

Spencer offers daytime wine for walk-in customers from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Customers can sip on a glass of wine and enjoy small snacks like cheese and charcuterie, sourdough focaccia, pickles, olives and small salads.

Read more: Ann Arbors Spencer is James Beard Award finalist for the first time

Spencers dinner services are available by reservation only from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, while its wine shop hours are noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Customers can also shop Spencers wine selections through its online shop.

Find the business online, on social media or by phone at 734-369-3979.

The Cellar by Grizzly Peak, 117 S. Ashley St. in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

The Cellar by Grizzly Peak

If youre looking for a new place for wines, then The Cellar by Grizzly Peak may just be the spot.

The Cellar by Grizzly Peak brings a casual neighborhood wine bar to Ann Arbor complete with a rotating list of wine options and snacks. The business consults industry experts to craft its list of wines while bringing in options for domestic and imported cheese, meats and other items, according to its website.

Read more: Weekend wine bar now available at The Cellar by Grizzly Peak

The Cellar provides a cozy, casual, and inclusive atmosphere where friends can gather for great wine and food. We provide you with the best new options on the market, without breaking the bank, The Cellars website states.

The bar is located at 117 S. Ashley St. and is open 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday with options for customers to book private events. Find it online, on social media or by phone at 734-741-7554.

York, 1928 Packard St, Ann Arbor on Thursday, May 5 2022.Jacob Hamilton | The Ann Arbor News

YORK

YORK Food & Drink offers its wine along with its European-style cafe.

Read more: Michigans Best Local Eats: Expand your wine and cheese palate with YORKs European flair

Customers can explore YORKs large selection of wine with options like sparkling, red, white or rose and purchase either wine by the glass or by the bottle. The business also gives its customers a chance to purchase wines online.

YORK, 1928 Packard St., is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Find the business online, on social media or by phone at 734-662-0798.

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 great places in Ann Arbor:

5 great places to get fresh-baked bread around Ann Arbor

5 great places to get Asian cuisine in Ann Arbor

5 great restaurants for the morning after a late night out in Ann Arbor

5 great restaurants to check out after hitting the bars in Ann Arbor

5 great chic restaurants for fine dining in Ann Arbor

5 great places to enjoy a glass of whiskey around Ann Arbor

5 great Mediterranean, Middle Eastern restaurants around Ann Arbor

5 great diners to check out in Ann Arbor

5 great Mexican restaurants around Ann Arbor

5 great dive bars to check out around Ann Arbor

5 great places in Ann Arbor to dine and drink with your dog

5 great places to get a beer in Ann Arbor

5 great places to get a cookie in Ann Arbor

5 great places to get a frozen treat in Ann Arbor

5 great spots for seafood in Ann Arbor

5 great restaurants for Italian food in Ann Arbor

5 great pastry shops in Ann Arbor

5 great spots for Indian cuisine in Ann Arbor

5 great places to get a midnight snack in Ann Arbor

5 great places to get pizza in Ann Arbor

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LAPEER COUNTY, MI  The suspect in a 2011 Lapeer County homicide escaped custody while being transported to Michigan to face murder charges, officials said Sunday, July 9.

Chadwick Shane Mobley was being transported to Michigan after previously waiving extradition when he escaped at the Plans Town Pump, according to officials with the Sanders County, Montana, sheriffs office.
ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI  One person died in a head-on crash while attempting to pass another vehicle, Allegan County sheriffs deputies said.

The other driver involved in the crash on Saturday, July 8, was flown to an area hospital by Air Care medical helicopter. The individuals current condition is unknown as of Sunday morning.

Police first responded to a 3:53 p.m. report of a head-on crash along M-40, near 127th Avenue, in Heath Township.

Police said a Chevrolet Cruise was traveling south on M-40 and tried to pass another southbound vehicle while in the northbound lanes.

While attempting to pass, a GMC Sierra pickup truck that was traveling northbound on M-40 crashed head-on with the Chevrolet.

The driver of the Chevrolet was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup truck was freed from the vehicle and flown to an area hospital.

Police said the names of the drivers involved are not being released at this time until the family has been notified.

The crash remains under investigation.

Sheriffs deputies were assisted by AMR Ambulance, Saugatuck and Hamilton fire departments, West Michigan Air Care and the Allegan County Medical Examiners Office.

Read more on MLive:

Happy Little Toast: You can have Bob Ross face on your breakfast at this Michigan eatery

In the Michigan county where Trump was once king, the relationship is growing complicated

Threats, probes and recalls  oh my!: Your guide to Michigan politics
NEWAYGO COUNTY, MI  Two people were rescued after an airplane they were flying crashed into a pond, Newaygo County sheriffs deputies said.

Police released additional information on Sunday, July 9, about an airplane that crashed in the water a day prior. The two people onboard the plane were not injured in the crash.

Sheriffs deputies responded to a 9:03 a.m. report of an airplane down in the water on Saturday, July 8, at the Hardy Dam Pond in Big Prairie Township.

RELATED: Plane crashes in Newaygo County pond

When police arrived to the scene, they learned a 55-year-old Grand Haven man and a 56-year-old Lebanon, Tennessee man were onboard the plane. The two men were transported to shore without any injuries.

Police said the airplane was performing touch and go maneuvers on the water when it started taking on water.

The Federal Aviation Administration was contacted and responded to the scene for their investigation.

The crash remains under investigation.

Read more on MLive:

Driver trying to pass vehicle dies in head-on collision

Man armed with rifle shot and killed by Grand Haven police officers

13 road closures to know this week in Michigan
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI  An ambitious schedule to remove risks to the Muskegon Heights water system and explore whether its best to shut it down is outlined in a state-ordered compliance agreement.

The administrative compliance order that addresses significant deficiency violations committed since March 2022 was obtained by MLive/Muskegon Chronicle through the Freedom of Information Act.

It sets up short- and long-term timelines, and includes such immediate tasks as getting filtering screens on discharge pipes and writing an emergency response plan as well as a long-term study by a third party on whether getting water from other sources would be best for customers.

The city signed the agreement June 15.

Among the states concerns were the citys ability to pay for, manage and have the necessary technology to operate the water plant, Mike Bolf, supervisor of the surface water engineering unit at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), wrote to city officials in February.

Related: Water system issues that are immediate health risk put Muskegon Heights under state order

Since the agreement was signed, the city has made a significant step in hiring a certified operator-in-charge at the plant. Inadequate staffing was high on the list of the states concerns.

A December 2022 contract with the city of Muskegon to provide short-term staffing assistance noted that Muskegon Heights is currently or soon to be without a certified operator-in-charge. It also noted that three filtration plant operators would be leaving at the end of 2022 or in early 2023.

Muskegon Heights Mayor Pro Tem Ronald Jenkins said city officials are meeting weekly with EGLE staff to rectify concerns, noting that city officials drink the water and there will never be a time that we will jeopardize ourselves, our families or our citizens.

We do have the necessary (water plant employees) in place to be compliant with state guidelines, Jenkins told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. We have already exceeded some of the expectations, but there is work to do. Our water is in good shape -- we have absolutely nothing wrong with our water. We are excited about where were going.

Among the deficiencies cited at least for the last 15 months is inoperable equipment and the lack of a plan on how to pay for future maintenance needs, according to documents and letters to the city from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

The agreement requires that the city hire a consultant to conduct a study of all feasible water supply options with cost estimates that show the impact on customer water bills and affordability.

Results of the study must be presented to the public in a year, with comments collected for 45 days. After that, the city council is to select a water supply option and then use a consultant to identify the technical, managerial and financial requirements to maintain that option.

If the city cant meet those requirements, it must identify how it will. Then those findings are to be presented to the public within 270 days of the councils vote on a supply option.

Alternative water supply options for the city could include contracting with a different water system or forming a regional water authority for joint ownership of a system, Bolf told the Muskegon Heights City Council earlier.

In the meantime, the city has several other deadlines to meet. If it misses them, it faces a $500-per-day fine and having to inform the public of its failure to complete corrective actions.

Muskegon Heights officials are working on other requirements, but we do not have documentation that they are complete yet, Bolf wrote to MLive.

It is important to note that the citys water system continues to meet all water quality standards, Bolf wrote.

Deadlines in the agreement include:

Within 30 days, install mesh screen on a pipe that discharges into a manhole at the water filtration plant.

Within 60 days, install mesh screen and replace a broken flapper valve at the water systems reservoir on Sherman Boulevard to prevent animals from getting into the reservoir.

Within 60 days, pay $100 in interest charges for an unpaid annual fee for the community public water supply permit. The city already paid $400 in interest and late fees for that permit, an invoice obtained by MLive/The Muskegon Chronicle shows.

Within 60 days, submit a short-term staffing plan that includes an organizational chart, current job descriptions, estimated number of staff needed to operate the plant and perform maintenance at the plant and distribution system, and the citys recruitment and retention efforts.

Within 60 days provide an updated emergency response plan for rapid correction or mitigation of emergencies that includes an updated list of contacts. The existing response plan had outdated contacts and no procedures for addressing such emergencies as a watermain break of water contamination.

Within 120 days, show that at least two units for disinfection, coagulation, rapid mix, flocculation and filtration are maintained to meet maximum daily demands.

Within 120 days, submit a plan to ensure a basic cross connection control program that is required of all water systems in Michigan. A cross connection control program involves inspections of all homes for pressure and leaks that could result in backflows that allow contamination into the distribution system.

Within 180 days, show that extended mesh venting on an access hatch at the elevated tank on Getty Street has been removed and replaced with lid and watertight gasket. The extended mesh can allow rain and contaminants to enter the tank, according to an April 2022 deficiency letter to the city.

Within 270 days, provide a report of repairs made to inoperable pumps at pumping facilities and the Sherman reservoir to meet demand when the largest unit is removed from service.

By Oct. 31, 2024, submit for approval an asset management plan, that includes an inventory of assets, methods used to determine consequences of their failure, a 5- and 20-year capital improvements. The citys asset management program submitted in 2018 didnt meet requirements because it didnt provide the financial methodology to address capital needs nor did the systems budget cover all of its capital needs, according to the deficiency letter.

Want more Muskegon area news? Bookmark the local Muskegon news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Muskegon daily newsletter.

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Happy Sunday morning, folks.

Hopefully your Fourth of July was pleasant and, especially if youre one of the lucky folks who thought ahead and took the whole week off rather than deal with a Tuesday holiday, relaxing. Our household celebrated in most American way we could think of  skipping fireworks altogether for nachos and Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, given the humidity.

But just because the legislature is out for the summer doesnt mean the political news stops. And if youre coming back from vacation, or just spent the last week unplugged (which, I dont necessarily blame you) heres what you may have missed this week in Michigan politics.

Former Michigan attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno, a candidate for state GOP chair, appears on stage at the Michigan Republican Party convention in Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 18, 2023.Ben Orner | MLive.com

A decision over whether to charge a handful of individuals involved with allegedly seizing and tampering with a tabulator machine in the wake of the 2020 presidential election could soon be coming according to a June 6 filing in Michigans Court of Claims.

Among them? Former Republican attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno, ex-state Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City, and lawyer Stefanie Junttila.

The filing notes a charging decision is ready to be made by the charging entity, and comes after the special prosecutor overseeing the probe  Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson  asked the Oakland County Circuit Court for a declaratory ruling as to whether someone could legally possess a voting machine tabulator.

Hilsons request to interpret state election law comes after Junttila, through an attorney, maintained Hilson misinterpreted statute when stating it was illegal for a person to have access to a voting machine.

When speaking with MLive this week, however, Hilson said a decision would ultimately come at the speed of the court.

Ultimately, were waiting on a court ruling on some legal issues before any movement forward ... I dont have a timetable for that, he said. Its closer than when we first started, but thats about as best as I can put it only because I dont control the speed of the court.

And now, for something completely different: Pure Michigan to halt national ads after surprise budget cut

Ottawa County District 2 Commissioner Lucy Ebel during a meeting at the Ottawa County Administration Building in West Olive on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. Ebel is part of Ottawa Impact, a conservative group that campaigned on individual freedom and parental rights. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com

A petition was filed in an effort to recall Ottawa County Commissioner Lucy Ebel  part of the ultra-conservative group, Ottawa Impact  that holds a majority on the board.

Park Township resident Larry Jackson submitted the petition Monday, July 3, to the Ottawa County Clerks Office. He contended that Ebels loyalty is to the Ottawa Impact that helped her, not the people she serves. Ebel is the countys the Second District commissioner, representing parts of Holland Township and Park Township.

Ottawa Impact candidates ran on social issues, personal freedom and parental rights and were critical of a mask mandate by the countys health director during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nine of the 10 Republicans on the 11-member board were endorsed by Ottawa Impact. Seven Republican incumbents, considered more moderate than the political newcomers, were defeated.

Before the petition can be circulated, however, its language will undergo a clarity hearing before proponents of the recall can seek signatures to put the question to a vote, according to the Ottawa County Clerks Office.

No date has been set.

Interested in that? Try this: ACLU argues West Michigan school district censored LGBTQ books

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to media after she and representatives of General Motors and United Auto Workers announced GM will invest more than $1 billion investment in its Flint Assembly plant and Flint Metal Center to prepare those sites for producing next-generation, gas-powered heavy-duty trucks on Monday, June 5, 2023 at Flint Assembly, GMs longest-running assembly plant in North America. (Jake May | MLive.com)

Tabitha Davis, 33, of Marshall, was sentenced last week to four months probation and a suspended sentence of 20 days in jail for threatening violence against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a Monday statement.

This case was heard in the 54-A District Court in Lansing, which additionally ordered Davis to complete recommended mental health treatment and a substance abuse evaluation.

Davis was charged for sending a message that threatened the governor through Whitmers constituent services website. Davis admitted to sending the message and initially claimed that it was protected speech, Nessel said.

Threatening public officials with violence for doing their jobs cannot stand, Nessel said. This conduct constitutes terrorism and my Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit is uniquely qualified to prosecute these crimes and hold accountable those who commit them.

In other news...: Cities call it public safety, but new rules put Michigans homeless in the crosshairs

And thats a wrap for this week in politics: Short, sweet and to the point.

If you still havent had enough of the news, try checking out some other highlights from this week including a report grading Michigans roads, the fact that 45% of the nations tap water may contain some form of PFAS, and how a Michigan gravel pit turned into an RV resort.

Until next time.

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France on Saturday disputed "excessive" and "unfounded" remarks by a UN committee that raised racial profiling and excessive use of force by law enforcement during recent widespread rioting in the country.

"Any ethnic profiling by law enforcement is banned in France," the foreign ministry noted, adding that "the struggle against excesses in racial profiling has intensified".

A UN committee on Friday called on France to ensure the investigation into the killing of Nahel, the teenager shot dead by police near Paris, is "thorough and impartial", and called for racial profiling to be banned.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), made up of 18 independent experts, flagged concerns on racial profiling and the excessive use of force by law enforcement".

The experts also condemned "looting and destruction of private and public property as well as reports of mass arrests and detention of protesters".

The UN committee said it welcomed the opening of an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the killing of Nahel, whose death sparked an eruption of violence in France.

"France (should) promptly ensure that the investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of Nahel M. is thorough and impartial... prosecute the alleged perpetrators and, if convicted, to sanction them" accordingly, it said.

It also called for France to "adopt legislation that defines and prohibits racial profiling".

The French government also banned dozens of marches against police violence scheduled in different parts of France, and a memorial rally for the late Adama Traore, killed in July 2016.

Traore, who was black, died in police custody in 2016 sparking several nights of rioting.

The authorities said they were fearful of seeing marches reigniting the recent unrest that engulfed the country.

(with AFP)
The number of people killed in protests in Kenya rose to three on Saturday, a hospital official and two police officers told AFP, after opposition leader Raila Odinga urged Kenyans to take to the streets against tax hikes.

Police on Friday fired tear gas in the capital Nairobi, targeting Odinga's convoy, and took similar steps against demonstrations in the cities of Mombasa and Kisumu.

"We had another death at the casualty now bringing the number of deaths to two as a result of demonstrations yesterday," said George Rae, CEO of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga hospital in Kisumu, an opposition stronghold on Lake Victoria.

Two police officers speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said a third man died in hospital in southwestern Migori county.

"It has been confirmed that the man taken to hospital with a gunshot wound in the head passed on," one of the officers said by phone.

Another police officer confirmed the toll, saying "two fatalities were in Kisumu and one in Migori."

On Saturday, police used tear gas on civil society representatives, including former chief justice Willy Mutunga, who were demanding the release of dozens of people taken into custody during the protests, campaigners said.

"It is not justified at all for police to hurl tear gas at us when we have come peacefully to seek the release of innocent activists detained in the cells since yesterday", said advocate Lempaa Suyianka.

"Some of them were even injured and they require medical attention," he told reporters.

'Police brutality'

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Saturday called for "a thorough investigation into all reported incidents of police brutality", adding to the chorus of condemnation from rights groups including Amnesty International against "arbitrary arrests".

Odinga lost the August 2022 election to Ruto and has repeatedly denounced the poll as "stolen". By Luis Tato (AFP)

"The acts of police brutality, including the use of excessive force resulting in injuries and the arrest and detention of peaceful demonstrators, are clear violations of... constitutional provisions," the commission said in a statement.

Odinga's spokesman Dennis Onyango told AFP on Saturday his Azimio alliance plans to hold "at least one (protest) every week" against the policies of President William Ruto's government, with the next one expected on Wednesday.

The 78-year-old lost the August 2022 election to Ruto and has repeatedly denounced the poll as "stolen".

Last week, Ruto signed into law a finance bill expected to generate more than $2.1 billion for the government's depleted coffers and help repair the heavily-indebted economy.

The Finance Act provides for new taxes or increases on basic goods such as fuel and food and mobile money transfers, as well as a controversial levy on all tax-payers to fund a housing scheme.

The government says the taxes will help create jobs and reduce public borrowing.

The Nairobi high court last month suspended implementation of the legislation after a senator filed a case challenging its constitutional legality.

But Kenya's energy regulator nevertheless announced a hike in pump prices after the doubling of VAT to 16 percent as stipulated in the law.
The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) has distanced itself from a controversial letter circulating on social media purporting to be from the agency about its rural telecom project.

The agency said it has checked its records extensively and found no indication that such a letter was issued from GIFEC.

In a press statement released on Friday, July 7, GIFEC said "The Administrator does not recall issuing the said letter, which does not bear requisite characteristics of an official GIFEC letter."

The statement added, "GIFEC hereby confirms that, indeed, it is implementing this Project on behalf of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD), and the contractual technical partners are Huawei and CNTIC."

The statement was referring to the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project (GRT&DIP) which aims to expand telecom infrastructure and connectivity to unserved and underserved communities.

GIFEC stressed that "All applicable approvals for the GRT&DIP contract (Cabinet, Parliamentary and Public Procurement Authority) are in place."

"GIFEC hereby takes this opportunity to reassure the Public that it is not undertaking any contract not approved by all relevant Authorities, it stressed.

The agency said it has been working hard over the past years to implement the project and close Ghana's digital divide.

The GIFEC statement further seeks to clarify the legitimacy of its implementation of the rural telecom project, in the face of the controversial letter circulating online which the agency denies authoring.

Fins a full copy of the statement below;
A presidential staffer, Miracles Dennis Aboagye, has expressed concerns about the name-calling and labelling among NPP and NDC Members of Parliament during discussions on the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.

Mr Aboagye appealed to both the Majority and Minority caucuses to avoid politicizing the debate on LGBTQI.

The bill, currently under consideration, aims to criminalize LGBTQ+ and related activities, prohibit the promotion, advocacy, and dissemination of LGBTQ+ content, and provide protection and support for children and individuals involved in LGBTQ+ issues.

During an interview with Selorm Adonoo on Citi TVs political show, The Big Issue, Miracles Dennis Aboagye further advised MPs to focus their efforts on scrutinizing the details of the bill rather than pointing fingers and engaging in accusatory remarks.

I dont know why we are fighting over this, I dont know why anybody who is Anti-LGBTQ+ will be fighting a pro LGBTQ+. Lets completely stop pointing accusing fingers at each other, since those involved dont have marks on their faces indicating that they are gays or lesbians.

They [MPs] should put sentiments away, lets stop doing this for political expedience. We are going to pass it, can we look at the details of the law? There are a lot of grey-area clauses that we need to fine tune. You cannot tell who is gay or not by their appearance. We will not do our children good if we dont stop pointing accusing fingers. We are doing it for political purposes unfortunately, it wont help, it doesnt help the conversation, the presidential staffer advised.

He suggested to the state to be committed to the Bill no matter the cost that is associated with the legislation.

This LGBTQ+ is not going to survive in this country, as a country we wouldnt have committed any crime against humanity if it doesnt survive. After all, there are so many things in this world that we dont do, and there are so many things happening here in Ghana people dont do. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with it.

As a global community, we need to understand the differences and not to impose our economic power, political strength on everybody. Thats why Im not surprised that this LGBTQ+ passed through parliament peacefully without any difficulty from anybody. I dont foresee any such difficulty. This is legislation as a state we should be committed to, even if its going to come with some cost, because of the threat that comes with it.

He emphasized, In Ghana, its madness, its either you are sick or mad and of course, madness is even sickness. You need to seek help either medical or phycological help. Nobody is fighting you with this law if you want to do it, but dont splash it in our faces or indoctrinate us.

During a debate on the bill, the MP for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful described the MP for Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed as a mad man for describing her as a lesbian.

-citinewsroom
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President, has rejected claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has no message to convince the electorate ahead of the 2024 general elections.

He said the NPP had done enough to merit an unprecedented third consecutive term under the Fourth Republic.

Do not let anyone deceive you that we have no message for the 2024 election, he told delegates of the party at Asankare in the Asante-Akim South Constituency as part of his campaign tour of the Ashanti Region.

The Vice President who is among 10 candidates aspiring to become the flag bearer of the ruling NPP has been touring various constituencies in the region to woo delegates ahead of their impending super delegates conference.

He said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) could not point to any impactful policy to their credit despite their flag bear rising through the ranks of politics from Assembly Member to President.

He said the NDC under the leadership of Former President John Mahama only succeeded in unleashing economic hardship and erratic power supply which collapsed many businesses for lack of electricity.

I will continue to ask President Mahama to show us one policy intervention that he was able to introduce that he can be remembered for, Dr. Bawumia jabbed the former President.

According to him, he had achieved more that Former President Mahama having been the Vice President for six years.

At least, I can be remembered for the implementation of the national identification system, mobile interoperability, digital address system, Zongo Development Fund, gold for oil policy, among others, he stated.

He added that, If I have been able to achieve all these as Vice President imagine, what I can do when I become President with your support.

Dr. Bawumia, therefore, asked the teeming supporters not to allow anyone to mislead them that the NPP had no message because the party was far ahead of the NDC in terms of achievements.

He acknowledged the selfless roles of members of the party from the polling station to the national executives and assured them of his commitment to recognise efforts of members at the grassroots when he becomes leader of the party.

He disclosed that he supported all the 275 parliamentary candidates of the NPP in the 2020 election as well as polling station executives, electoral area coordinators and constituency executives during the last elections.

The Vice President reminded them that it was their turn to return the favour by making him the flag bearer, and assured them of effective leadership capable of winning the 2024 election for the NPP

GNA
09.07.2023 LISTEN

Sir Sam Jonah has dismissed rumours of being penciled as running mate for the upcoming 2024 election.

Refuting the claims, the former Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited CEO asserted his lack of interest in venturing into the realm of politics.

In an exclusive statement to Metro TV's 'Good Evening Ghana,' Sir Jonah stated, "Anyone familiar with me would affirm that I harbour no inclination whatsoever to enter the murky world of politics."

Additionally, he disclosed that he had previously declined offers to serve as Vice President under former President Jerry John Rawlings in the 1990s. "In fact, had I been interested, I would have assumed the position on a silver platter in 1992 and 1996," he clarified.

Certain media outlets have speculated that Mr. Jonah could be the running mate for National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer John Mahama. However, Sir Jonah dismissed these assertions as "baseless speculation."

Internationally renowned as a global business icon, Sir Sam Jonah assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer at Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited in 1986, overseeing its transformation from a single-mine operation into a multinational enterprise.

In 1996, Ashanti became the first African operating company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, having already been listed in London and Ghana.

Following the merger of Ashanti with AngloGold Limited, Sir Jonah assumed the position of Executive President of AngloGold Ashanti Ltd, the world's second-largest gold producer, in May 2004.

Sir Jonah's remarkable achievements have been recognized through various honors and accolades. In 2003, he was conferred with an Honorary Knighthood as Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II and Head of the Commonwealth.

Furthermore, he was bestowed with Ghana's highest national honor, the Companion of the Order of the Star, in 2006. CNN and Time Magazine also recognized him in December 2004, listing him among the world's 25 most influential business personalities, commending his contributions to management, ethics, marketing, and innovation on a global scale.

Having received five Lifetime Achievement awards, the most recent being the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, Sir Sam Jonah's impact and legacy continue to resonate across industries.

Classfmonline
Conflict-torn Sudan is on the brink of a "full-scale civil war" that could destabilise the entire region, the United Nations warned Sunday, after an air strike on a residential area killed around two dozen civilians.

The Ministry of Health reported "22 dead and a large number of wounded among the civilians" from the strike on Khartoum's sister city Omdurman, in the district of Dar al-Salam, which means "House of Peace" in Arabic.

After nearly three months of war between Sudan's rival generals, the air strike is the latest incident to provoke outrage.

Around 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict, survivors have reported a wave of sexual violence and witnesses have spoken of ethnically targeted killings. There has been widespread looting, and the UN warned of possible crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

A video posted by the health ministry on Facebook showed apparently lifeless bodies after the airstrike, including several women. The narrator says that residents "counted 22 dead".

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the regular army, claimed that the strike killed 31.

Since the war began, paramilitaries have established bases in residential areas, and they have been accused of forcing civilians from their homes.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the air strike in Omdurman, which he said "reportedly killed at least 22 people" and wounded dozens, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Some of the more than 2.2 million people internally displaced by Sudan's war are staying at a university, turned into a makeshift shelter, in al-Hasaheisa south of Khartoum. By - (AFP)

Guterres "remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilising the entire region", Haq said.

He added: "There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing."

Nearly three million people have been uprooted by Sudan's fighting, among them almost 700,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries according to the International Organization for Migration.

The UN and African blocs have warned of an "ethnic dimension" to the conflict in the western region of Darfur, where the United States, Norway and Britain have blamed the RSF and allied militia for most of the widespread violations.

Haq expressed support for efforts by the African Union and East African bloc IGAD to end Sudan's crisis.

On Monday leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan -- IGAD members handling the Sudan file -- are to meet in Addis Ababa.

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been invited but neither side has confirmed they will attend.

Numerous ceasefires in the war have been announced and ignored.
In the same week that the Dutch king apologised for the Netherlands' part in the slave trade, France's top appeals court dismissed a claim for compensation by the descendants of people enslaved under the French empire. As the latest developments illustrate, a new willingness in Europe to admit the crimes of slavery hasn't translated into reparations.

When King Willem-Alexander gave a personal apology for slavery last Saturday, at an event commemorating the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies, it was hailed as historic.

"Today, on this day of remembrance, I ask forgiveness for the clear failure to act in the face of this crime against humanity," he said, before an audience that included descendants of some of the roughly 600,000 people trafficked from Africa to Suriname and other Dutch colonies in the Caribbean.

It was the second time they had heard an official apology for slavery, after Prime Minister Mark Rutte offered one in December on behalf of the Dutch state. That made the Netherlands the first  and so far, the only  European country to issue a full national apology.

The reluctance can be partly explained by governments' fear that apologising will place them on the hook for reparations.

But in reality, neither saying sorry as the Netherlands did, nor classing slavery as a crime like France does, has led to compensation for the descendants of the people those countries enslaved.

The French case

France became the first country in the world to formally declare the slave trade and slavery crimes against humanity under a landmark law in 2001.

Since then, its courts have repeatedly denied the claims of descendants seeking compensation  most recently on Wednesday, when the top appeals court upheld a ruling against claimants in the former French colony of Martinique, today an overseas territory of France. It is the third time their case has been dismissed.

When the 2001 law was drafted, it originally contained provisions for some form of reparations. But these were removed from the version eventually passed by parliament.

As French law stands, people claiming damages must be able to demonstrate specific, reparable harm they have suffered as a direct result of a criminal act or event. There are also conditions related to the amount of time that has passed and whether the law sets a limit on how long you have to make a claim.

No claimants to date have been able to meet those terms.

European regrets

The European Parliament also recognised slavery as a crime against humanity in 2020, though no other European country has yet followed suit.

Expressions of regret by European leaders have nonetheless become more common in recent years.

In 2006 then prime minister Tony Blair expressed "deep sorrow" for Britain's share in the slave trade  though the UK was one of the countries that opposed the EU making a formal apology for slavery under his leadership in 2001.

King Charles III and his heir Prince William have likewise voiced sadness over what Charles called "the appalling atrocity of slavery".

And in 2017, Denmark's then foreign minister Anders Samuelsen apologised to Ghana for the country's "shameful and unforgivable" participation in the enslavement of Africans.

Even so, the national apology made by the Netherlands remains unique.

Earlier this year, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal  Europe's biggest slaving nation  suggested making a similar one. He also acknowledged the need to go further.

"Apologising is sometimes the easiest thing to do: you apologise, turn your back and the job is done," the president said, insisting that Portugal should "assume responsibility" for its past to build a better future.

A Dutch slavery fund, but not for descendants

When it first apologised last year, the Netherlands established a 200 million fund to address the legacy of slavery  but said it wouldn't be used to compensate descendants, rather to fund educational initiatives and the like.

That decision has been criticised in its former colonies and at home. As King Willem-Alexander made his apology in Amsterdam last weekend, protesters marched with a banner that read: "No healing without reparations".

Speaking to RFI from Amsterdam, Shirley, who ancestors were slaves in Suriname, said: "I think it's really good that the king apologised. But I hope it doesn't end there."

She pointed to the profits generated by the exploitation of enslaved workers on Dutch plantations in the Americas. Research published last month revealed that the Dutch royal family earned the modern-day equivalent of 545 million from slavery and other colonial exploitation.

"It earned them a lot of money... For me, it's important to have compensation, damages for the descendants," Shirley said.

She would like to see financial reparations offered as part of a broader reckoning.

"We should also think about what might be possible beyond that  building a museum if necessary, so that people could get a sense of what went on. And so that schools and children learn about slavery because a lot of them don't know," she said.

"Many things happened, and the scars are still visible today."
Mr Kwame Baffoe aka Abronye DC, is a gem not only in, and among, the NPP, but in Ghana as a country. He is a great asset to NPP and Ghana so let all of us handle him delicately, according him maximum respect.

Abronye has my full respect. He is very knowledgeable. He always backs his arguments or debates with evidential documents and facts.

Yesterday, Friday, 7 July 2023, I chanced upon a video on YouTube where Abronye was explaining the seriousness of the criminal case preferred against James Gyakye Quayson, the member of parliament for Assin North Constituency in the Central region, following the filing of his forms with the Electoral Commission in 2020 to contest the parliamentary elections.

While the NDC MPs are making light of the case thinking there is no valid case against their colleague James Gyakye Quayson hence threatening to abandon, and abandoning, their parliamentary sessions, to proceed to court to offer him their treacherous support and solidarity, Abronye succinctly tells how grave the case is.

He cites the case of the late Adamu Dramani Sakande, MP for the Bawku Central Constituency in the Upper East Region. Adamu Sakande won the seat on the ticket of NPP in 2008. However, he was tried and found guilty of perjury and forgery when a person of his northern extraction took him to court, accusing him of owing allegiance to Burkina Faso and Britain in addition to Ghana hence breaching Article 94 Clause 2a of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana on Qualifications and Eligibility of parliamentarian.

The clause states: (2) A person shall not be qualified to be a member of Parliament if he

(a) owes allegiance to a country other than Ghana.

At the time James Gyakye Quayson was filing his forms with the Electoral Commission in 2020 to contest for the Assin North Constituency parliamentary seat, he owed allegiance to Canada, although he claims to have initiated the process of renouncing his Canadian citizenship.

Abronye submits evidence from the Australian jurisdiction to rubbish the claim by James Gyakye Quayson and his NDC supporters that the fact he had initiated the renunciation process of his Canadian citizenship and the affiliated owing of allegiance, he had not flouted the constitutional clause.

The following is said about, and in, the Australian Constitution.

The Constitution took effect on 1 January 1901 and is the founding document that sets out how Australia is governed. The Constitution has a special status as it overrides any other laws and can't be changed by the Parliament of the day.

Part IV - Both Houses of the Parliament

44. Disqualification

Any person who:

is under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power;

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Constitution/chapter1/Part_IV_-_Both_Houses_of_the_Parliament

Barely had I WhatsApped Abronyes submission to my brother-in-law who is a practising lawyer in Ghana on Friday, 7 July 2023, at 20:04 (8:04 pm) British Summer Time, thus, 7:04 pm Ghana time, when he replied by forwarding to me the underlying web link titled, Who is caught up in Australias dual citizen saga?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-41382611

I entreat any level-headed Ghanaian who is not consumed with partisanship politics to read the content of the above web link to understand why owing allegiance to another country is not permissible for one to hold certain public positions in his or her home country.

Finally, Abronye who is second only to Kennedy Agyapong when it comes to proving their claims with supporting evidential documents and facts, cited the Guyana's Constitution of 1980 with Amendments through 2016

TITLE 2. PARLIAMENT

155. Disqualifications for election as members

1. No person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly

Who:

a. is, by virtue of his or her own act, under any acknowledgement of

allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state;

https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Guyana_2016.pdf?lang=e

From the above, one could easily understand how serious it is an offence to become a parliamentarian or senator while holding a dual or multiple citizenship. He who lies to become one, perjures and stands to be prosecuted and or, punished.

I hope all the NDC fanatics who are choking on propaganda, vomiting and disseminating propaganda, had better read, share and discuss this article by Rockson Adofo, the fearless and proud son of Kumawu/Asiampa.

I tip my hat to both Abronye DC and Kennedy Agyapong (Hon.) for standing tall to be counted. They are in high bracket with Rockson Adofo who but works from London.

Rockson Adofo

Saturday, 08 July 2023
09.07.2023 LISTEN

Aiming to increase regional communication, rail connectivity is being done on 10 border routes of Bangladesh-India. Among them, trains are currently running on 5 border routes Darshana-Gede, Benapole-Petrapole, Rohanpur-Singabad, Birol-Radhikapur and Chilahati-Haldibari. Apart from this, plans have been taken to renovate these 3 railways Shahbazpur-Mahisasan, Burimari-Changrabanda and Mogulhat-Gitaldah. Akhaura-Agartala and Feni-Bilonia 2 new railways are being constructed. If these railways are opened, regional connectivity will increase. Apart from this, goods and passenger rail connectivity between India, Nepal, Bhutan will also increase, railway sources said.

On September 10, 2017, the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and India inaugurated the construction of the Akhaura-Agartala railway line funded by India. As a result, Bangladesh will join the international Trans-Asian Railway along with the increase of rail communication between Bangladesh and India.

In this regard, the Minister of Railways. Nurul Islam Sujan told Janakantha that railways were running between Bangladesh and India since the British period. But during the Pakistan-India war of 1965, these railways were closed. By renovating this closed railway line, an initiative has been taken to re-establish rail connectivity between Bangladesh and India. Apart from this, this railway will be used to connect the international railway Trans Asia Railway. Apart from this, 2 new railways Akhaura-Agartala and Feni-Bilonia are being constructed. As a result of this, besides the passenger transport by railway between the two countries, export-import of goods will increase, he said.

It is known that during the British rule, passenger and cargo trains used to run directly to different parts of Bangladesh and India through 8 places. These are Darshana in Bangladesh and Gede in India, Benapole in Bangladesh to Petrapol in India, Singabad in India from Rohanpur in Bangladesh, Radhikapur in India from Birol in Bangladesh, Mohisasan in India from Shahbazpur in Bangladesh, Haldibari in Bangladesh from Chilahati, Changrabanda in Bangladesh from Burimari and Changrabanda in Bangladesh from Mogulhat in Bangladesh. There was a railway. Most of these railways were closed during the Pakistan-India war of 1965. Some were closed during and after the Liberation War of 1971. Of these, five railways have been opened, but three railways are still closed, railway officials said.

Darshana-gede Passenger and goods trains are currently plying from Darshana in Bangladesh to Gede in India through a 3 km railway line. During the Indo-Pakistani war in 1965, train service on this route was stopped. After the war of independence in 1971, the railway was started in Purana with freight trains. Dhaka-Kolkata passenger Maitri Express train is running on this railway since April 14, 2008. This rail line belongs to Trans Asian Railway.

Benapole-Petrapole This 1.8 km long railway from Benapole in Bangladesh to Petrapole in India is an operating interchange point of the Bangladesh and Indian Railways. This point was abandoned since 1965. After this, in 2002, freight trains were resumed. On November 16, 2017, a passenger train called Bandhan Express started running on this railway on Khulna-Benapole-Kolkata route. This railway line will be connected to the international Trans-Asian railway with rail connectivity between Bangladesh and India.

Rohanpur-Singabad This railway is 10 km long from Bangladesh's northern border Rohanpur to India's Singhabad. Nepal border stations Raxaul and Jagbani are connected with Birganj and Biratnagar stations respectively. Regular freight trains are running on this line since 1990. It will also be connected to the Trans Asian Railway.

Rare-Radhikapur. This 11 km long border railway from Birol in Bangladesh to Badhikapur in India was used for transit operations with Nepal till 2005. But it was closed in 2005 when part of India's railways was converted to broad gauge. The railway from Parvatipur-Biral-Biral border in Bangladesh part was converted into dual gauge and launched from April 8, 2017. As a result of the opening of this railway, after 12 years, freight train movement between Bangladesh and India started.

Chilahati-Haldibari This 7.5 km long border railway from Chilahati in Bangladesh to Haldibari in India was closed in 1965. Later, the railway was upgraded to broad gauge and officially launched by the Prime Ministers of the two countries on December 17, 2020. The freight train started running on August 1, 2021. After this, on June 1, 2022, the third international train 'Mithali Express' was launched on this route from Dhaka, Bangladesh to New Jalpaiguri, India. The railway can be extended to Hasimara station on the border with Bhutan.

Shahbazpur-Mahisasan: The 11 km border railway from Shahbazpur in Sylhet, Bangladesh to Mahisasan in India was closed on July 7, 2002. Goods trains used to run through this railway. It is also part of the Trans Asian Railway Network. Construction of dual gauge railway has started up to Kulaura-Shahbajpur border. The project is being implemented under the Indian Line of Credit (LoC). Under this project, 51 km railway track from Kulaura in Moulvibazar to Shahbazpur is being reconstructed.

On September 10, 2018, the Prime Ministers of the two countries inaugurated the construction of this railway through a video conference. Railway sources said that if the railway is converted into dual gauge and extended by 9 km to India's Karimganj, Bangladesh will be able to connect with the regional and trans-Asian railway network in the future.

Old lady-Chengrabandha The 3 km long border railway from Burimari in Bangladesh to Changrabandha in India has been closed since 1971. This could be a possible railway for transit operations with Bhutan. This railway can be connected in both directions. Among these, the conversion of meter gauge railway to dual gauge from Parvatipur to Burimari via Kaunia and Lalmonirhat in Bangladesh or the conversion of meter gauge railway from Santahar in Bogra to Lalmonirhat to Burimari to dual gauge, construction of new broad gauge railway line from Burimari station to Changrabandha in India has been accepted. As a result, the transportation of goods between Bangladesh-India Bhutan will be easier according to railway sources.

Mogulhat-Gitaldah The nearly three-kilometer railway line from Mogulhat in Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh to Gitaldah in Cooch Behar district, West Bengal, India was closed in 1965 after the India-Pakistan war. After independence, two freight trains were running, but both sides of the railway line were damaged in the severe floods of 1998. Then this path is closed. The reopening of the railway will facilitate the transportation of goods through this route for traders from a large part of Bhutan and Assam. Railway sources said that passenger transport will also be possible later.

Akhaura-Agartala route A new 15 km long railway line is being constructed from Akhaura in Bangladesh to Agartala in India. To start this new interchange line, a 10 km railway track is being constructed on the Bangladesh side and 5 km on the Indian side from Gangasagar station in Bangladesh to the Indian border. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh and India jointly inaugurated the construction of this railway on September 10, 2018 through a video conference. 90 percent of the existing railway has been completed. Railway officials said that the railway will be launched by the end of this year.

Feni-Bilonia Plans have been taken up to rebuild the 30 km railway line from Feni in Bangladesh to Bilonia in India. This railway line will be used to connect the Indian states of Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya. According to the agreement with the government of Bangladesh, the government of India will bear all the expenses for the renovation of this railway line. Assam Bengal Railway Company started this railway in 1929 to establish communication with Assam. Initially, freight trains ran on this line, but the railway was closed after 1947.

Nandita Roy is an activist for women and refugee's rights.
The weaponization of the criminal defence process in the administration of criminal justice for political electioneering purposes under the 1992 Constitution by the NDC Legal Affairs Directorate's broad press statement dated 6 July 2023 undermines the letter and spirit of the Constitution and the fair and impartial administration of justice. By conflating the case of James Gyakye Quayson with the Dr. Stephen Opuni and others case, the Cassiel Ato Forson case, the Ahmed Suale case, Major Mahama case, J. B. Danquah case, Menzgold case, etc? the NDC, as a public institution, is also clearly attacking the exercise of the prosecutorial authority of the Attorney-General under the Constitution in pending criminal cases in court without just cause. Two wrongs do not make a right!

It is one thing to urge or appeal to the executive branch and the Attorney-General to exercise a prosecutorial discretion to enter a nolle prosequi in a pending criminal matter and it is quite another thing to attack the conduct of criminal cases already pending in the courts.

UNIQUENESS OF THE QUAYSON CASE

The James Gyakye Quayson case is unique because after the Supreme Court decided on the eligibility of the former Member of Parliament (MP) for registration to contest for the 2020 parliamentary election the matter was remitted by the Constitution to the sovereign people of Assin North to determine who should be their Member of Parliament. Mr. Quayson who was then eligible to contest in accordance with the determination of the Supreme Court presented himself on the ticket of the NDC again for the sovereign people of Assin North to determine whether he was a fit and proper person to represent them in Parliament despite being charged by the Attorney-General for trial before a court. The electorate overwhelmingly voted him to be their Member of Parliament.

In the representative democratic contest for the Assin North Constituency MP seat on 27 June 2023 the repository of the executive authority of the Republic, President Nana Akufo-Addo, personally made the potential imprisonment of James Gyakye Quayson by the court in the pending criminal action, a contested representative democratic issue for consideration by the sovereign people of Assin North. Assin North roundly rejected the President's threats and those of his Government of which the Attorney-General, a known protege of the President, is the principal legal advisor.

Article 1 of the 1992 Constitution locates sovereignty in the people and once they spoke the only prudent thing for any Government that respects the letter and spirit of the Constitution embodying the sovereign will and the representative democratic process was to listen to the people and exercise its nolle prosequi discretion to abate the proceedings. The underlying reason is not that there is no good case to prosecute. The simple reason is that doing so may make the accused a martyr, and also bring the administration of justice into the realm of electoral politics.

And I dare say that, despite the fact that the Attorney-General urged the court in the James Gyakye Quayson case to continue with a day to day trial of the case before the Assin North elections on 27 June 2023, which was opposed by counsel for the accused, the decision and orders for an expedited trial became that of the Court and not the Attorney-General. To insist otherwise will constitute an insinuation that the High Court judge was unduly and improperly influenced in her decision by the Attorney-General.

An insinuation of such impropriety on the part of the court will be tantamount to bringing the reputation of the court into disrepute unless there is cogent proof of such undue and improper interference. Nobody has been able to adduce such evidence, which is why the lawyers for the accused are contesting the decision and orders through the legitimate processes of lawfare and not partisan politics.

The notice served on the public by the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, on behalf of the Minority in Parliament, on 4 July 2023, of their intention to solidarize with their colleague in his court appearances and urging the government to listen to the good people of Assin North and do the right thing is defensible under the Constitution. The notice of the minority in parliament and the actions arising therefrom are inextricably interwoven with the democratic representative processes to which the NPP and the NDC submitted themselves at the Assin North Constituency election on 27 June 2023. The NPP woefully lost that contest and should not be allowed to wage further political conflict through the side door in a court of law when the discretion of the nolle prosequi process is available to the Government to do the most honourable and decent thing in the circumstances.

The narrowly worded press release issued on 5 June 2023 by the Minority Chief Whip which discreetly confined itself to the Quayson case is defensible as arising out of the mandated representative democratic system under the Constitution. Consequently, the original intention to boycott the sessions of parliament to accompany James Gyakye Quayson to court is defensible under the Constitution. But its extension by the minority in parliament to cover the case of the minority leader himself who has opened his defence in the case is obnoxious and self-serving should he condone it. His lawyers are there to do whatever lawfare there is to do for him. Subpoenaing the Ministry's float file for the period may be a better vindication.

NDC LEGAL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE & THE OTHER CASES

The Dr. Stephen Opuni and others case, the Cassiel Ato Forson case, the Ahmed Suale case, Major Mahama case, J. B. Danquah case, Menzgold case, etc have nothing to do with the democratic representative process in which the electorate have expressed a sovereign will after the submission of criminal charges against the accused to the courts. The accused in those cases are being prosecuted on suspicion of committing straight forward crimes against the Republic of Ghana. The trials have been on-going and at various stages where the accused have opened their defences after submissions of no case to answer made on their behalf by their lawyers were overruled by the trial courts. The proper method of dealing with any dissatisfaction with the processes of the court in those cases is through the stipulated procedures provided for under the rules governing such trials in the courts.

When the Attorney General submits a criminal charge to the court and a plea taken for trial, he is no longer in control of the proceedings. As an officer of the court himself, he has to abide by the decisions and directives of the court. The Attorney-General cannot, therefore, be blamed for delays in the trial of cases in the courts. The constitutional and democratic adversarial system of justice of this country apportions to the court responsibility for how the case is conducted to conclusion.

Consequently, the broad and disparaging press statement issued on 6 June 2023 by the Legal Affairs Directorate of the NDC, a public office, which indicted by comparison the exercise of the powers of the Attorney-General under Article 88 of the Constitution in prosecuting suspects in a number of pending criminal cases, offends the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. Three sampled paragraphs, for purposes of illustration, in that statement state that:

So far, every reasonable person out there sees the above three cases [James Gyakye Quayson, Dr. Stephen Opuni and others, and Cassiel Ato Forson] as persecution instead of prosecution intended to score political points. The AG may want to use whatever legal gymnastics to try to make it look as if these prosecutions are so legally, factually, and sufficiently evidence-based but to the ordinary observer who has followed all that has gone on, knows, this is no prosecution at all but persecution. So, the AG, Godfred Yeboah Dame, can try to "spin" the law, even on appeal, to get favourable decisions but every reasonable observer can read between the lines. One would have thought that a case like Menzgold would have been long concluded so that all the many Ghanaians who look up to him as the AG of Ghana and who are the suffering customers of Menzgold, would have taken steps to ensure a speedy trial of any crime allegedly committed by Nana Appiah Mensah so that his suffering customers would receive justice because they must also be treated equally without discrimination in the delay of their case. The question is, is Hon Gyakye Quayson equal before the law? Does he deserve justice? Does he deserve a fair trial? Which principles of law apply to Opuni case, Gyakye Quayson case, and Cassiel Ato Forson case that can't apply to the Ahmed Suale case, Major Mahama case, J. B. Danquah case, Menzgold case, etc?

One can conclude, based on the foregoing examples, that the press statement of the Legal Affairs Directorate of the NDC clearly descended into cheap and dangerous politicking to weaponize the constitutional democratic process by a constitutionally established political

party as a public institution to undermine the Office of the Attorney-General under Article 88 of the Constitution. The statement also weaponizes the judicial process for the election cycle, and further interferes in the administration of justice by the courts.

The position of the Legal Affairs Directorate of the NDC seems to be reflected in the attitude of some members of the minority in parliament and in the Constitutional, and Parliament Affairs Committee, particularly, who have made it their business to usurp the functions of defence lawyers in the on-going criminal trials of their colleagues by discussing in the media, the substance of the defence as to whether the courts can find the accused guilty of the charges. This constitutes an abuse of the court process and brings the administration of justice into disrepute. Impunity is impunity whether it is by the executive branch or members of the legislative branch or public officers of political parties under the colour of their offices to undermine the judicial branch of government.

The Attorney-General's press release dated 4 July 2023 was ingenuously and deliberately crafted to contain legal minefields as part of lawfare to entrap the negligent and reckless citizen into making statements contumacious of the administration of justice in pending criminal cases. The Legal Affairs Directorate of the NDC fell into this trap with its press statement in response to the Attorney-General's press release.

NDC SQUANDERING THE ABILITY TO FIGHT CRIME AS A GOVERNMENT

The NDC appears to have lost the original strategic and tactical reasoning prowess as a responsible political party that guided each step of its processes and actions from the initial stages of its foundation by former President Rawlings. The objective was to ensure that the party served as a beacon of what is decent and honourable in political actions and discourse under the 1992 Constitution. The NDC would in those days have been advised by its legal,

security, and intelligence experts that once it hopes to form the government in future it would be shooting itself in the foot to weaponize and politicize the Office of the Attorney General while in opposition in an election cycle because it will then be unable to exercise the same prosecutorial powers fairly and impartially when it becomes the government in power. Will the NDC expect the NPP in opposition not to emulate the current actions of weaponizing politics in defence of party members suspected of crime which the Legal Affairs Directorate of the NDC is espousing?

Mr. John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the NDC in the upcoming 2024 presidential election at a lecture in Nigeria after stating that corruption can be described as an instrument of murder because its effect can lead to loss of citizens lives due to deprivation of critical public infrastructure and services made very bold (born again) assertions on the ills of corruption, how it should be tackled, and gave the indication that he intends to fight crime should he win the 2024 presidential election.

After reading the Legal Affairs Directorate of the NDC's press statement, one wondered how John Mahama could be serious about what he lectured his Nigerian audience about, when the legal team of his political party is already undermining the Office of the Attorney-General, and the judiciary which he will need should he indeed intend to fight crime if he ever becomes the President of Ghana again. The NDC in opposition cannot undermine the Office of the Attorney-General and the administration of justice and expect to be able to prosecute the breaches of the Constitution and the criminal law that continues to surface each day during the tenure of this NPP Government under President Akufo-Addo.

The NPP and the NDC have created the impression since 2001 to date that they have become mirror images of one another through an incremental process of a common doctrine of equalization even in impunity and abuse of power in and out of Government. Nonetheless, the electorate have to go to the polls and to elect one of them to govern under the Constitution as the lesser of two evils for the time being. As the flagbearers endeavour to woo the electorate, it does a responsible government and a responsible opposition, no good to try to destroy the image of the judiciary which is the least dangerous branch of government in the eyes of ordinary members of the public. The surest way to the abrogation of the 1992 Constitution is to undermine the judicial branch and drag it into partisan politics as the NPP and the NDC appear bent on doing just for electoral gains.

CONCLUSION

The foregoing discourse has shown the danger posed to the 1992 Constitution by the unrestrained weaponization and politicization of the Office of the Attorney-General and the judicial branch for cheap electoral purposes in an election cycle by the NPP and the NDC. Africa has so many examples of the resultant chaos that Ghana can learn from and which is why patriotic citizens must speak up against the creeping canker of the politicization of the Office of the Attorney-General and judiciary branch of government by the NPP and the NDC.

I have raised my finger. Join me by raising your finger as a patriotic citizen so that we can together defend the 1992 Constitution against the political hawks from the NPP and the NDC. Let us put Ghana First by defending our Constitution. Non Desistas Non Exieris: Never Give Up Never Surrender. Salutations to all patriotic citizens.

Martin A. B. K. Amidu 8 July 2023
09.07.2023 LISTEN

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, in a landmark judgment, has ordered the disclosure of the spending details of about USD$5 billion Abacha loot by the governments of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa YarAdua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.

The court ordered the government of President Bola Tinubu to disclose the exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of Abacha loot recovered and all agreements signed on same by the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari.

The judgment was delivered last week by Justice James Kolawole Omotosho following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/407/2020, brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

In his judgment, Justice Omotosho held that, In the final analysis, the application by SERAP is meritorious and the Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance is hereby ordered to furnish SERAP with the full spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot within 7 days of this judgment.

Justice Omotosho ordered the government to disclose details of the projects executed with the Abacha loot, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects since the return of democracy in 1999 till date.

Justice Omotosho also ordered the government to disclose details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot under the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari.

Justice Omotosho also stated that, The excuse by the Minister of Finance is that the Ministry has searched its records and the details of the exact public funds stolen by Abacha and how the funds have been spent are not held by the Ministry. The excuse has no leg to stand in view of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Justice Omotosho dismissed all the objections raised by the Federal Government and upheld SERAPs arguments. Consequently, the court entered judgment in favour of SERAP against the Federal Government.

Justice Omotoshos judgment, dated 3 July, 2023, read in part: The failure of the Minister of Finance to write to SERAP informing it of where the said information exists or to transfer the request to public office who has custody of such information is fatal to their case under section 5 of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Ministry cannot use a blanket statement that it was not in possession of the said records of about $5bn Abacha loot sought by SERAP. The government failed to provide details of the projects executed with the money. It also failed to provide locations of the projects and the names of the companies and contractors that carried out or are carrying out the projects funded with the money.

I hold that by the clear wordings of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, access to information about spending details of $5bn Abacha loot was denied SERAP by the Federal Government.

The Federal Government had filed a 14 paragraph Counter Affidavit deposed to by Abah Sunday, Litigation Officer in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation argued that SERAPs suit is frivolous, as it has not shown that the government denied it the information it seeks.

The Federal Government has also stated that SERAP has not established sufficient interest in its application. The government urged the Court to dismiss the suit.

For the sake of emphasis, possession of locus standi has been the bane of the citizens advocates, in the public interest litigation, to query transparency and accountability in governance in Nigeria.

In a democratic dispensation, such as in Nigeria, the citizens have been proclaimed the owners of sovereignty and mandates that place leaders in the saddle.

The requirement is a serious fracture of the citizens inalienable right to ventilate their grievances against poor governance vis-a-vis expenditure of public funds generated from their taxes.

The sacrosanct provision of Section 1(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which has ostracised this disturbing requirement, has, admirably, remedied the harmful mischief appurtenant to it.

Clearly, section 1 gives a person the right to access any information from any public institution in Nigeria. SERAP is an organization registered in Nigeria and thus a juristic person. As a juristic person, SERAP need not show any specific interest in the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot to be entitled to the same.

I therefore hold that SERAP is entitled to the information on the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot, and need not show any special interest in the information sought.

The provision of Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act is quite clear and mandates that public institution or public officer such as the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice must make available the information requested within 7 days of the request.

In the letter dated 8 July 2023 sent to President Tinubu on the judgment, and signed by SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said, We urge you to demonstrate your expressed commitment to the rule of law by immediately obeying and respecting the judgment of the Court.

SERAPs letter, read in part: We urge you to direct the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately compile and release the spending details of recovered Abacha loot as ordered by the court.

The immediate enforcement and implementation of the judgment by your government will be a victory for the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes and management of public resources including the $5bn Abacha loot.

By immediately complying with the judgment, your government will be demonstrating to Nigerians that it is different from the Buhari government, which persistently and brazenly defied the countrys judiciary, and sending a powerful message to politicians and others that there will be no impunity for grand corruption.

Immediately implementing the judgment will restore trust and confidence in the independence of Nigerias judiciary. SERAP urges you to make a clean break with the past and take clear and decisive steps that demonstrate your commitment to the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes.

SERAP trusts that you will see compliance with this judgment as a central aspect of the rule of law; an essential stepping stone to constructing a basic institutional framework for legality and constitutionality. We therefore look forward to your positive response and action on the judgment.

Joined as defendants in the suit are the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Justice Omotosho granted the following orders of mandamus against the Nigerian government:

AN ORDER OF MANDAMUS is hereby made directing and compelling the Federal Government [through the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to provide and disclose the following information to SERAP:

[a] Exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of Abacha loot recovered and all agreements signed on same since the return of democracy in 1999 till date

Details of the projects executed with the recovered funds, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects

[c] Details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot since 1999

AN ORDER OF MANDAMUS is hereby made directing and compelling the Federal Government to:

[a] Refer any allegations of corruption involving the execution of projects with Abacha loot to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation

Ensure that anyone involved in alleged corruption in projects executed with Abacha loot is brought to justice if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence

Kolawole Oluwadare

SERAP Deputy Director

9/7/2023

Lagos, Nigeria

Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]

Twitter: @SERAPNigeria

Website: www.serap-nigeria.org

For more information or to request an interview, please contact: +2348160537202
Mr Mustapha Omar Copson, a youth activist and the Deputy Regional Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress in the Bono Region has slammed persons who criticised Dormaahene for his statement on the Quayson's trial by the state.

The Supreme Court of Ghana in May 2023, ruled that Mr James Gyakye Quayson did not qualify to be elected as a Member of Parliament in the 2020 General Elections and further instructed the Parliament of Ghana to expunged his name from its records.

The ruling of the Supreme Court led to a by-election which was held on Tuesday, 27th June, 2023.

Mr James Gyakye Quayson, again contested on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress and won with over 57% after close of poll.

Dormaahene, who seems not happy with the Supreme Court ruling and the ongoing trial of Mr Quayson at the High Court after his re-election called on the President through the Attorney General, to file a nolle prosequi to discontinue his trial.

''As a matter of urgency, I am appealing to the President and the Attorney General, if the President has any role to play, to immediately file a nolle prosequi to abort the case," the High Court judge and the President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs stated.

An astute lawyer and a politician, a former Attorney General under Kufour administration and a former High Commissioner to Canada under the first tenure of Akufo-Addo, Mr Ayikoi Otoo, supported the call by Dormaahene and urged his party, the New Patriotic Party, to take steps through the Attorney General to immediately end the trial in court for the good of his own party, the NPP.

Subsequently, there have been several criticisms about the call by Dormaahene from leading members of the governing New Patriotic Party and other members also attacking the personality of Dormaahene for his comment.

The Attorney General in a brief media engagement described the call by Dormaahene as 'unhealthy' and advised the general public to desist from making further comments on Quayson's trial in his two page press release.

Mr Mustapha Omar Copson, who is not happy about the attack on Dormaahene for his call questionsed the critics' silence when the Akufo-Addo filed same nolle prosequi to free Aisha Huang who was described as a galamsey queen.

In a statement to respond to these critics, Mr Mustapha Omar Copson stated that ''it is hypocritical for the likes of Mr Sam Okudjeto, Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Mr Ernest Owusu Bempah and other NPP miscreants to unleash unwarranted attacks on the highly respected Chief."

''The former Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo facilitated a nolle prosequi case against Aisha Huang and those voices were muted at that time and that it is absolutely absurd to wake up to the sudden discovery of voices which were lost on the Aisha Huang case,'' he stressed.

Kindly read the full write up below;

THE ATTACK ON NANA DORMAAHENE IS NOTHING BUT HATRED AND IRRESPONSIBLE

Since power changed hands from H.E. John Dramani Mahama to H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in 2017, it has taken none but few opinion leaders such as chiefs, clergymen, CSOs, statesmen etc to boldly come out to correct the plethora of political vindictiveness and persecutions that have plagued our once beautiful country.

Nana Dormaahene did nothing wrong than to contribute his wisdom as a son of this country, a high court judge and the leader of the good people of Dormaa to at least bridge the gap to an already polarized society that will deepen our democratic and homogenous gains as a country.

Moreover, it is hypocritical for the likes of Mr Sam Okudjeto (member of the Ghana legal council) Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu (Majority leader and MP for Suame Constituency) Ernest Owusu Bempah (discredited young fellow) etc and the NPPs miscreants to unleash unwarranted attack on the highly respected Chief.

The former senior minister, Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo facilitated a nolle prosequi case against Aisha Huang whom in his wisdom, thought it wise to free a criminal in exchange for development hence it is absolutely absurd to wake up to the sudden discovery of voices which were lost on the Aisha Huang issue.

If the Attorney General is sincere and apt to his task he should charge Akuffo Addo who is supposed to be a lawyer for contempt for making such a reckless and irresponsible statement in the matter of Hon.Gyaakye Quayson during one of their face saving rallies at Assin North.

The people of Ghana especially in the Bono region are very proud of the wise Chief for his courage and attributions to further secure and deepen our democratic gains.

Long live Dr Osagyefo!!

Long live Ghana!!!

Mustapha Omar Copson

Deputy Regional Youth Organizer - Bono Region
The children of French film legend Alain Delon lodged a police complaint against his live-in assistant Hiromi Rollin on Wednesday with claims of harassment and "threatening" behaviour, according to their lawyer.

Hiromi Rollin has been the target of two complaints from the actor's children, alleging harassment.

Her lawyer said in a statement sent to French news agency AFP on Friday that she "denies all the allegations" made against her.

Preliminary investigation

A preliminary investigation was opened on Thursday by the Montargis public prosecutor's office.

The complaint was lodged by Delon's children Anouchka, Alain-Fabien and Anthony, and the actor added his name via a written declaration.

The family's lawyer, Christophe Ayela, said that Delon has been in a weakened condition since a cardio-vascular incident in 2019, prompting the hiring of a woman to assist him at his home in the Loiret region of central France.

"She has shown herself to be more and more aggressive, disparaging and offensive towards him and his children," Ayela said.

"I suspect an abuse of a person in a state of weakness, and I am counting on an investigation to establish it."

'Authoritarian, threatening'

The assistant "systematically monitors his telephone conversations and private messages. She answers in his place, pretending to be him, and she tries to intercept his postal mail," Ayela claimed.

"She is authoritarian, threatening, even going so far as to mistreat Mr Delon's dog in an unacceptable way," he added.

Anthony Delon had lodged an additional complaint with police for "violence towards a vulnerable person," the lawyer said, adding that the woman's alleged behaviour had been going on for at least 18 months.

"On 31 January, 2022, I made the decision to start notifying and reporting facts that took place between my father Alain Delon and his female companion," Anthony Delon said in a statement.

Delon, 87, is one of France's biggest film stars, an icon of the 1960s New Wave who appeared in classics such as The Swimming Pool and The Leopard.

He rarely appeared on screen after the 1990s. His last major public appearance was to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

(with AFP)
A man whose eligibility was challenged a few days to the general elections and the election governing Authority cleared him as qualified to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections and his constituents overwhelming endorse him as their member of Parliament elect.

The forces of distraction weren't satisfy with his victory and tried every possible schemes on the eve of the swearing-in, to frustrate him not to have access to the Parliament house for the swearing-in ritual. Despite all the plots he was successful swore in as the legitimate member of Parliament for Assin North constituency.

Candidate Gyakye Quayson and later the Member of Parliament haven't seen peace for coming to help his constituents. He is been subjected to one form of torture to another and was injunct not to carry himself as the member of Parliament for Assin North and the Supreme Court of Ghana finally annulled the election and request for a re run and his name must be expunged from the records of Parliament.

For almost two years Assin North wasn't represented in Parliament meanwhile the very court that denied assin north representation ruled in favor of the deputy speaker Osei Wusu while presiding as speaker his constituents cannot be denied a vote.

It's highly hypocritical for anyone especially the ruling class to justify the actions against Gyakye Quayson as a revenge for Adamu Sakande's ordeal. The charges might be similar but the issues are completely different.

Adamu Sakande never made any attempt to renounce his citizenship and was traveling with foreign passports while he was a member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Gyakye Quayson never did anything of such.

The constituents of Bawku Central weren't deprived of representation until the final resolution of the court where Adamu Sakande was pronounced guilty of the charges levelled against him. The court didn't request his name to be expunged from the records of Parliament. The torture Gyakye Quayson is going through if it's not persecution then what it's.?

The government that blamed Ghana's economic challenges on COVID_ 19 and later Russian Ukraine war, can go this far to subject Gyakye Quayson who filed to renounce his citizenship with the Canadian government long before COVID-19 to this mental torture all this while without feeling remorse. SAD.

The government that owes almost everyone in the country would prioritized a by-election over payment of his creditors, and it appears the ruling class haven't learnt any lessons from the Assin North by-election...

It's disheartening for someone who begged the electorates to try him, could turn around after the electorates gave him the mandate to steer the affairs of state would plunder the national resources and subject this country into a beggars nation......

GOD HAVE MERCY ON GHANA.

Mike Kalley

Sociopolitical Analyst.
Ghana's Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has told an Accra High Court that the application filed by lead counsel for James Gyakye Qauyson, Tsatsu Tsikata, seeking to stay proceedings pending an appeal to the Court of Appeal is grounded on irrelevant matters, distortion of facts and confusion.

Arguing in opposition to the application by Mr. Tsikata, the AG stated that the application does not show any exceptional circumstances warranting a stay of proceedings in a criminal trial and that, same was merely designed to frustrate the criminal trial of the Assin North Member of Parliament.

TSATSU TSIKATA CASE

Mr Tsikata wants the High Court to stay proceedings of the trial because of an appeal he has filed at the Court of Appeal challenging the decision of the High Court on June 23, 2023, to conduct a day-to-day trial.

In dismissing an earlier motion on June 23, 2023, the trial judge, Mary Yanzuh, ruled that a day-to-day trial was consistent with several provisions of the law as had been argued by the Attorney General.

However, Mr. Tsikata, in his submissions, stated that justice will not be properly dispensed if the matter is scheduled for day-to-day trial.

ATTORNEY-GENERALS SUBMISSIONS

Explaining what he meant by the point that Mr. Tsikata's application was grounded on irrelevant matters and confusion, Mr. Dame indicated that Mr. Tsikata had originally applied for a review or variation of the court's order fixing the proceedings for day-to-day trial from 20th to 23rd June 2023, as being an infringement of his client's right to participate in an election.

It was the ruling on this application by Justice Yanzuh on 23rd June 2023, which Tsikata was aggrieved by and had appealed against.

By the time, Mr. Tsikata filed his appeal on 27th June 2023 and by the time he filed his motion for stay of proceedings, the material time  20th to 23rd June 2023 which Mr. Tsikata was concerned about, had long elapsed.

Mr Dame thus, submitted that clearly, in light of this, Tsatsu Tsikata's application was incompetent, unnecessary and otiose.

My lady, this incompetent application grounded on confused and distorted facts, can only be designed to waste the court's time and nothing else.

ALLEGED PREJUDICE BY MR. DAME

Mr. Dame addressed the allegation often made by Mr. Tsikata and other supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against him that he had prejudiced the hearing of the criminal case against Mr. Gyakye-Quayson through the comments he made in reaction to the ruling of the Supreme Court restraining Mr. Quayson from acting as a Member of Parliament.

The Attorney-General indicated that he had never, on any platform, made any comment about the ongoing criminal trial against Mr. Quayson.

I have never commented on the criminal trial of Gyaakye Quayson anywhere. Never. All my comments were related to the constitutional case which the Supreme Court was seised of.

When I stated that Gyakye-Quayson must suffer the same fate as Adamu Dramani Sakande, it was in reaction to the Supreme Court ruling that he be restrained from going to Parliament, which is what happened to Adamu Dramani Sakande. The media house, myjoyonline, reported this fact clearly in their publication which Mr. Tsikata relies on as an exhibit. So, why is he once again, distorting the fact and misleading the court? the AG asked.

AKUFO-ADDOS ALLEGED PREJUDICE OF GYAKYE-QUAYSON CASE

The Attorney-General further debunked the allegation by Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata that President Akufo-Addo had prejudiced the criminal trial of Mr. Gyakye-Quayson by his remarks at the last campaign rally of the NPP in the run-up to the Assin North by-election.

Mr. Dame strongly rejected this assertion and stated that once again, Mr. Tsikata's claim was based on a distortion of the facts.

Mr. Dame invited the court to take a critical look at the tape that Mr. Tsikata had played in court, and the court would notice that Mr. Tsikata had played only a few seconds of the President's speech at the Assin North rally, and not the full record.

The Attorney-General stated that the full record of the President's speech will reveal that the President had only asked the people of Assin North why they would want to vote for someone who was bedeviled by litigation  today, High Court, tomorrow, Court of Appeal, tomorrow, Supreme Court. Why do you want to vote for one who is bedeviled by litigation. Gyakye-Quayson says that even if he is in jail, the people of Assin North will vote for him, but is that what you want? One who will serve from jail?

The Attorney-General stated that under no circumstance can anyone who listened to the President's speech allege that the President had prejudiced the hearing of the criminal trial. Mr Tsatsu Tsikata knew this and that is why he had deliberately and mischievously played only a few seconds of the recording of the President's speech and not the full speech, Mr Dame submitted to the court.

TSIKATA AND DAME IN 'WAR OF WORDS'

Mr. Tsikata in his affidavit in support of his motion, had alleged that what Mr. Quayson was going through was similar to what he, Mr. Tsikata had experienced in 2008 which led to his conviction by an Accra High Court. He further submitted that the current Attorney-General's conduct was similar to that of President Nana Akufo-Addo when he was the Attorney General of Ghana from 2001 to 2003. Tsatsu Tsikata claimed that his observations about the AG's alleged comments which have been dismissed by the High Court as not relevant were similar to his own travails with the law. Mr. Tsikata then openly cautioned that the Attorney General will be prosecuted in the same measure if power changes hands at the polls during the 2024 elections.

Mr Dame immediately replied; I sympathise with your experience when you found yourself in jail in 2008 but I can assure you that I will not conduct myself in a way that will land me in prison, like you did.

Mr. Dame asked the court, of what relevance is Mr. Tsikata's experience in 2008, 15 years before 2023, to this trial currently pending before the court.

It is again an attempt to divert the court's attention to irrelevant matters and must not be tolerated.

The trial judge Mary Yanzu will rule on the application for stay of proceedings on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.

BACKGROUND FACTS

James Gyakye Quayson is standing trial for perjury, forgery and other counts of criminal nature pertaining to his Ghanaian passport and eligibility to contest in the 2020 general elections.

The Republic's case against Gyakye Quayson is that he lied on his passport application form filled on July 26th that he was not a dual citizen and that he held only Ghanaian citizenship.

This was in spite of the fact that he was yet to renounce his Canadian citizenship issued on 30th October 2016.

Further to this, Mr. Quayson also submitted forms to the Electoral Commission declaring that he only held allegiance to the Republic of Ghana.

This was despite knowing that the application to renounce his Canadian citizenship had not yet been granted by the time he filed his eligibility papers with the Electoral Commission on or between 5th and 9th October 2020.

Richard Takyi, a resident of Yamoransa in the Central Region prayed a High Court in Cape Coast to cancel Gyakye Quayson's electoral victory because he was not eligible to have taken part in the elections.

The matter travelled all the way to the Supreme Court which upheld the ruling of the Cape Coast court.

The apex court of the land subsequently ordered Gyakye Quayson to be removed from Parliament occasioning a by-election.

The National Democratic Congress in spite of the criminal prosecution he faces fielded again him as the candidate for the election which he won. He has since been re-sworn in as the Member of Parliament for Assin North while his trial proceeds.

citinewsroom
Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, says LGBTQ+ cannot be stopped completely in Ghana but can be checked to prevent the indoctrination of innocent children.

He cited books, cartoons, and films where children are subtly indoctrinated by pro-LGBTQ+ messages, a situation he described as worrying.

Speaking on the Big Issue on Citi TV hosted by Selorm Adonoo, the MP cautioned that attempts by persons seeking to promote LGBTQ+ and prevent the bill from being passed will be met with fierce opposition.

Dafeamekpor vehemently rejected claims that homosexuals have the right to feel a certain way as opposed to the normal way.

In respect of LGBTQ+, we cant stop it, but we have to check it, the checking comes in when they do it in their homes, thats their palaver, but dont pour onto the streets and seek to indoctrinate innocent children. There are many media including books, cartoons, and films saying that theres nothing wrong with this conduct. The attempt is that they want to equate this matter to a fundamental human rights, which is not. This is a lifestyle choice. When you are born with it, it becomes a medical condition, that is subject to treatment.

But some persons are going out of their way to change gender and say that they must have the right to be permitted to feel male or female. They are not ending it there, they want to have a right to determine these things for our children. Our children dont even have voting decisions until they are 18 years. You want to go to schools to teach kids that when they feel a certain way its okay. We are inventing the order of nature, and no law on earth permits that, he explained.

He observed that HIV rates are higher among homosexuals than heterosexuals, and he expressed concern that the numbers will increase if people who engage in homosexuality are not prevented from doing so.

People are saying that by these lifestyle choices, we should accept cross-dressing, there will be a cultural disorder if its allowed. Its a big fallacy for someone to say the practice doesnt hurt anyone. Statistics show that HIV is higher among homosexuals than heterosexuals. How will you feel if children are indoctrinated and theres no check? We must resist the promotion, its the promotion that this bill is seeking to prevent. What the locust has eaten is fine, but we shall protect what is left. Its our duty as MPs and sponsors of the bill to protect what is left. Tomorrow we wont have any society if we allow the locust to continue to eat, the lawmaker mentioned asserted.

citinewsroom
Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Alamo Group (NYSE:ALG  Free Report) in a report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $215.00 price objective on the industrial products companys stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Alamo Group from $208.00 to $212.00 in a report on Thursday, June 8th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Alamo Group in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alamo Group has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $207.33.

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Alamo Group Price Performance

NYSE:ALG opened at $180.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.42 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The companys 50-day moving average is $179.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $169.83. Alamo Group has a 12-month low of $110.98 and a 12-month high of $186.76.

Alamo Group Dividend Announcement

Alamo Group ( NYSE:ALG Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The industrial products company reported $2.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.84. The company had revenue of $411.77 million for the quarter. Alamo Group had a net margin of 7.47% and a return on equity of 15.16%. Research analysts expect that Alamo Group will post 11.03 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 17th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Alamo Groups payout ratio is currently 9.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Richard J. Wehrle sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.57, for a total transaction of $214,042.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,057 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,966,853.49. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Richard J. Wehrle sold 1,166 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.57, for a total transaction of $214,042.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,057 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,966,853.49. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Richard J. Wehrle sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.28, for a total transaction of $273,420.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 25,723 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,688,788.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Alamo Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ALG. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Alamo Group by 1.1% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 113,146 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $16,269,000 after acquiring an additional 1,193 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in Alamo Group by 82.1% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 16,027 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,305,000 after acquiring an additional 7,226 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Alamo Group by 25.6% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,008 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Alamo Group by 4.1% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,296 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $640,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Alamo Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,136,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.07% of the companys stock.

Alamo Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Alamo Group Inc designs, manufactures, distributes, and services vegetation management and infrastructure maintenance equipment for governmental, industrial, and agricultural uses worldwide. It operates through two segments, Vegetation Management and Industrial Equipment. Its Vegetation Management Division segment offers hydraulically-powered and tractor  and off-road chassis mounted mowers, other cutters and replacement parts for heavy-duty and intensive uses and heavy duty, tractor- and truck-mounted mowing and vegetation maintenance equipment, and replacement parts.

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Shares of Douglas Emmett, Inc. (NYSE:DEI  Free Report) have received an average recommendation of Hold from the eight analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $15.78.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Douglas Emmett from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, June 24th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Douglas Emmett from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and increased their price target for the stock from $13.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Douglas Emmett from $18.00 to $16.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Douglas Emmett from a c rating to a d+ rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Douglas Emmett from $17.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Monday, March 27th.

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Douglas Emmett Stock Performance

Shares of DEI opened at $13.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 2.54 and a current ratio of 2.54. The company has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65 and a beta of 0.96. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $12.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.46. Douglas Emmett has a 1 year low of $10.09 and a 1 year high of $23.85.

Douglas Emmett Announces Dividend

Insiders Place Their Bets

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. Douglas Emmetts dividend payout ratio is currently 149.02%.

In related news, Director William E. Simon, Jr. acquired 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $12.42 per share, with a total value of $124,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 91,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,130,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 14.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Douglas Emmett by 38.9% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 49,278 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $773,000 after buying an additional 13,805 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its position in shares of Douglas Emmett by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 187,982 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $2,948,000 after buying an additional 20,138 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Douglas Emmett by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 112,231 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,383,000 after buying an additional 2,345 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Douglas Emmett by 43.8% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 131,168 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $2,057,000 after buying an additional 39,970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Douglas Emmett by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 76,976 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. 97.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Douglas Emmett

(Free Report

Douglas Emmett, Inc (DEI) is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT), and one of the largest owners and operators of high-quality office and multifamily properties located in the premier coastal submarkets of Los Angeles and Honolulu. Douglas Emmett focuses on owning and acquiring a substantial share of top-tier office properties and premier multifamily communities in neighborhoods that possess significant supply constraints, high-end executive housing and key lifestyle amenities.

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Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA  Free Report) has earned an average rating of Hold from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $315.60.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $325.00 to $330.00 in a report on Thursday, May 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Murphy USA from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 12th.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total value of $156,183.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $816,129.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Murphy USA news, Director Jeanne Linder Phillips sold 550 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.97, for a total value of $156,183.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $816,129.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Robert J. Chumley sold 1,075 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.72, for a total transaction of $298,549.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 6,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,849,892.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,628 shares of company stock worth $455,611 in the last quarter. 9.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Murphy USA

Murphy USA Stock Down 1.4 %

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MUSA. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 213.6% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 6,789 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $1,358,000 after purchasing an additional 4,624 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,016,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 1st quarter valued at about $593,000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 8,407 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $1,681,000 after buying an additional 588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Murphy USA by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,670,297 shares of the specialty retailers stock valued at $533,953,000 after buying an additional 35,610 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.01% of the companys stock.

Shares of MUSA opened at $304.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.64 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 0.82. The companys fifty day moving average is $287.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.62. Murphy USA has a fifty-two week low of $231.65 and a fifty-two week high of $323.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA  Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $4.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.18 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.95 billion. Murphy USA had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 86.87%. Murphy USAs revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.08 EPS. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA will post 20.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 15th were issued a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 12th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.50%. This is a positive change from Murphy USAs previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Murphy USAs payout ratio is currently 5.67%.

Murphy USA Company Profile

(Free Report

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas.

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A dolphin that succumbed to domoic acid toxicity caused by an algae bloom in 2023. Photo: The Channel Islands Marine Wildlife Institute / USA TODAY

By Amanda Lee Myers

8 July 2023

(USA TODAY)  Jalapeno the sea lion turned up on a crowded California beach in a daze, experiencing seizures and heavily pregnant.

Instead of giving birth in a remote location like sea lions prefer, Jalapeno had her pup on Southern Californias Hermosa Beach on a busy Saturday, surrounded by throngs of curious onlookers.

After the pup emerged, Jalapeno rolled lethargically into the surf, on the verge of dying.

Two weeks later, things are looking up for both Jalapeno and her pup. Although severely sickened by a historically bad algal bloom off the coast of California, the mother and baby sea lions have been receiving around-the-clock treatment at the Marine Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles.

28 June 2023: Experts say one of the worst red tides theyve seen is causing hundreds of sea lions and dolphins to die on Southern Californias beaches. Hundreds of sea lions and dolphins are turning up severely ill or dying on Southern Californias beaches as the region experiences what one wildlife group says is the worst so-called red tide theyve ever seen. Since 8 June 2023, more than 100 dolphins and more than 100 sea lions have died in the Santa Barbara area because of domoic acid toxicity from algal blooms, according to Sam Dover, executive director of the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute. Video: USA TODAY

Jalapeno scrambled to scarf down every fish that one of her caretakers was throwing into her pen on Thursday. She was so exuberant, her pup had to take refuge in the shadow of another nearby mother.

Watching her eat is sort of a big adrenaline shot right now, said John Warner, CEO of the center. Shes been really out of it since she got here, so eating means shes awake and really recovering. And so that just makes me happy.

Jalapeno is one of the lucky ones. A recent algal bloom has sickened or killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of sea lions and dolphins off the central and southern coasts of California since June 8.

I have been a marine mammal veterinarian for 35 years, and this is definitely the worst in my professional lifetime, said Sam Dover, executive director of the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute.

A sick sea lion and her pup are shown recovering from domoic acid poisoning at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, California, on 6 July 2023. During the summer of 2023, the center cared for sea lions that were sickened by a historically bad algal bloom along Californias Coast. Photo: Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY

Whats happening

The waters off central and southern California are experiencing a harmful algal bloom, sometimes referred to as a red tide.

A harmful bloom happens when naturally occurring algae grow out of control and produce a neurotoxin called domoic acid, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.

The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, diagnosed the first case of domoic acid poisoning in marine animals in 1998. Since then, harmful algal blooms have occurred along the California coast about nine times.

And now, these blooms are a growing problem in every U.S. coastal and Great Lakes state, according to NOAA.

While there are a lot of unanswered questions about what creates the perfect storm for a harmful bloom, human activities that disturb ecosystems seem to play a role in their more frequent occurrence and intensity, according to NOAA.

Increased nutrient loadings and pollution, food web alterations, introduced species, water flow modifications and climate change all play a role.

Normally, a harmful bloom clears up in a couple weeks but Californias current bloom has been wreaking havoc for more than a month.

Its a runaway train, said Clarissa Anderson, executive director of the Southern California Coastal Observing System. Its unusual that it has persisted for so long and has managed to become so acute. []

Sick sea lions lie in a triage enclosure at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, California, on 6 July 2023, as they recover from domoic acid poisoning. During the summer of 2023, the center cared for sea lions that were sickened by a historically bad algal bloom along Californias Coast. Photo: Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY

The people rescuing and treating the sickened animals, and the scientists who study the algal blooms, are all worried that this summers is just the beginning.

Dr. Lauren Palmer, lead vet at the Los Angeles care center, said seeing the animals suffering on a daily basis has taken its total.

Itll be very unfortunate if this is the new normal, she said. Im afraid thats what were preparing for.

Warner said hes hoping that the public gets the message about the impacts of climate change and understands that its not too late. And it shouldnt be a partisan issue, he said, pointing out that Republican President Richard Nixon approved the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

It is not normal for people to go on the most popular beaches in the world and see death coming out of the ocean, Warner said. This should be a wake-up call. [more]

Death coming out of the ocean: Red tide killing California sea lions, dolphins
Grupo Financiero Inbursa (OTCMKTS:GPFOF  Free Report) is one of 278 public companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Grupo Financiero Inbursa to similar businesses based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, risk and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Grupo Financiero Inbursa and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Grupo Financiero Inbursa N/A N/A 0.78 Grupo Financiero Inbursa Competitors $3.30 billion $907.29 million 262.71

Grupo Financiero Inbursas rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Grupo Financiero Inbursa. Grupo Financiero Inbursa 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

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Grupo Financiero Inbursa N/A N/A N/A Grupo Financiero Inbursa Competitors 35.58% 10.81% 1.05%

Analyst Recommendations

This table compares Grupo Financiero Inbursa and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This is a summary of current ratings for Grupo Financiero Inbursa and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Grupo Financiero Inbursa 0 0 0 0 N/A Grupo Financiero Inbursa Competitors 1154 3371 3388 23 2.29

As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 337.20%. Given Grupo Financiero Inbursas rivals higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Grupo Financiero Inbursa has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Dividends

Grupo Financiero Inbursa pays an annual dividend of C$0.38 per share and has a dividend yield of 15.4%. Grupo Financiero Inbursa pays out 12.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BanksRegional companies pay a dividend yield of 13.3% and pay out 18.8% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Grupo Financiero Inbursa is clearly a better dividend stock than its rivals, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

10.2% of Grupo Financiero Inbursa shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 37.5% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are owned by institutional investors. 14.1% of shares of all BanksRegional 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.

Summary

Grupo Financiero Inbursa rivals beat Grupo Financiero Inbursa on 8 of the 10 factors compared.

About Grupo Financiero Inbursa

(Free Report)

Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. provides various financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Mexico. The company offers mortgage, automotive, SME, and personal credits; accounts and investment products; credit cards; and car, lifetime, medical expenses, damage, and other insurance products. The company was formerly known as Promotora Carso SA de CV and changed its name to Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. in 1992. Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.

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Benin Management CORP lessened its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Free Report) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,072 shares of the companys stock after selling 225 shares during the period. Benin Management CORPs holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $253,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 51.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 133,080 shares of the companys stock worth $8,255,000 after acquiring an additional 44,941 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 1st quarter worth approximately $705,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 32,923 shares of the companys stock worth $2,042,000 after acquiring an additional 938 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 272,813 shares of the companys stock worth $16,919,000 after acquiring an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor OS LLC increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 14.4% during the 1st quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 10,415 shares of the companys stock worth $646,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.61% of the companys stock.

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Coca-Cola Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $59.76 on Friday. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $54.01 and a 1 year high of $65.47. The stock has a market cap of $258.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.59 and a 200 day moving average of $61.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

Coca-Cola ( NYSE:KO Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 24th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.78 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.69% and a return on equity of 42.96%. Coca-Colas revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.64 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. Coca-Colas dividend payout ratio is currently 80.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $71.00 to $74.00 in a report on Monday, April 24th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $73.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. HSBC decreased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $77.00 to $74.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $61.00 to $63.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $67.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 253,102 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total value of $16,104,880.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 184,563 shares in the company, valued at $11,743,743.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Henrique Braun sold 16,950 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $1,085,308.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,272 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,682,196.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 253,102 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.63, for a total transaction of $16,104,880.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 184,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,743,743.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 420,786 shares of company stock worth $26,886,224. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.

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Canadian Pacific Kansas City (NYSE:CP  Free Report) (TSE:CP) had its price objective boosted by Credit Suisse Group from $81.00 to $87.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $78.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated 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 target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Canadian Pacific Kansas City currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $90.00.

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Canadian Pacific Kansas City Stock Performance

NYSE CP opened at $78.36 on Wednesday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $79.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Canadian Pacific Kansas City has a 1 year low of $65.17 and a 1 year high of $83.44.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Cuts Dividend

Canadian Pacific Kansas City ( NYSE:CP Free Report ) (TSE:CP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The transportation company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Canadian Pacific Kansas City will post 3.11 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.141 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys payout ratio is presently 18.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian Pacific Kansas City

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CP. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City during the second quarter worth about $204,000. Capital Market Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the second quarter worth about $283,000. Wiley BROS. Aintree Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the second quarter worth $202,000. New England Research & Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 32.6% in the 2nd quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. now owns 30,681 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $2,478,000 after buying an additional 7,550 shares during the period. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the 1st quarter valued at about $200,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.84% of the companys stock.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Chesapeake Wealth Management acquired a new stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP  Free Report) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 6,205 shares of the energy producers stock, valued at approximately $616,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in ConocoPhillips by 205.8% in the 4th quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 211 shares of the energy producers stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 149.5% during the 4th quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 227 shares of the energy producers stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 93.4% during the 4th quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 236 shares of the energy producers stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Horan Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 81.8% during the 4th quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 249 shares of the energy producers stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of ConocoPhillips by 138.2% during the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 243 shares of the energy producers stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 80.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In other news, Director Caroline Maury Devine sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.08, for a total transaction of $102,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 849 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $86,665.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the companys stock.

ConocoPhillips Price Performance

COP stock traded up $2.89 during trading on Friday, hitting $103.23. The stock had a trading volume of 7,393,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,949,014. ConocoPhillips has a 1-year low of $78.30 and a 1-year high of $138.49. The companys 50 day moving average price is $101.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $124.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.29.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The energy producer reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.02 by $0.36. ConocoPhillips had a net margin of 20.21% and a return on equity of 32.75%. The company had revenue of $15.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.27 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that ConocoPhillips will post 9.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ConocoPhillips Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 26th. ConocoPhillipss dividend payout ratio is currently 16.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on COP shares. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. UBS Group began coverage on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set a buy rating and a $139.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $122.00 to $124.00 in a research report on Monday, May 15th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $149.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, Societe Generale upgraded shares of ConocoPhillips from a sell rating to a hold rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $135.50.

ConocoPhillips Company Profile

(Free Report)

ConocoPhillips explores for, produces, transports, and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas liquids in the United States and internationally. The company's portfolio includes unconventional plays in North America; conventional assets in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia; various LNG developments; oil sands assets in Canada; and an inventory of global exploration prospects.

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Forestar Group (NYSE:FOR  Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Citigroup from $22.00 to $30.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on FOR. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Forestar Group in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Forestar Group from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th.

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Forestar Group Stock Down 1.0 %

FOR stock opened at $22.01 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Forestar Group has a fifty-two week low of $10.28 and a fifty-two week high of $23.07. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $20.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.19. The stock has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 7.92 and a beta of 1.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Forestar Group

Forestar Group ( NYSE:FOR Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.16. Forestar Group had a net margin of 11.44% and a return on equity of 11.48%. The business had revenue of $301.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $220.00 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Forestar Group will post 2.29 EPS for the current year.

In other Forestar Group news, Director G.F. (Rick) Ringler III sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.12, for a total transaction of $40,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,267 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $146,212.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Forestar Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Forestar Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Forestar Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Forestar Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Forestar Group by 1,065.5% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,634 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Forestar Group by 533.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,892 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 4,120 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.37% of the companys stock.

Forestar Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Forestar Group Inc operates as a residential lot development company in the United States. The acquires land and develops infrastructure for single-family residential communities. It sells its residential single-family finished lots to local, regional, and national homebuilders. The company is headquartered in Arlington, Texas.

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Greggs (OTCMKTS:GGGSF  Free Report) is one of 63 public companies in the Grocery Stores industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Greggs to similar companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability and risk.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for Greggs and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Greggs 0 1 1 0 2.50 Greggs Competitors 1123 2753 3014 114 2.30

Greggs presently has a consensus target price of $3,140.00, indicating a potential upside of 9,429.59%. As a group, Grocery Stores companies have a potential upside of 34.33%. Given Greggs stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Greggs is more favorable than its rivals.

Earnings & Valuation

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Greggs N/A N/A 153.72 Greggs Competitors $26.21 billion $587.98 million 199.79

This table compares Greggs and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Greggs rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Greggs. Greggs 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 Greggs and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Greggs N/A N/A N/A Greggs Competitors 1.88% 11.91% 4.72%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

42.1% of Greggs shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 44.5% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are held by institutional investors. 23.1% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Greggs pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Greggs pays out 91.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, Grocery Stores companies pay a dividend yield of 4.4% and pay out 62.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Greggs lags its rivals as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Summary

Greggs rivals beat Greggs on 10 of the 13 factors compared.

About Greggs

(Free Report)

Greggs plc operates as a food-on-the-go retailer in the United Kingdom. It offers a range of fresh and frozen bakery products, sandwiches, and drinks. The company sells products to franchise and wholesale partners for sale in their own outlets. It is also involved in the property holding, non-trading, and trustee businesses. The company also operates through its own shops. Greggs plc was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, the United Kingdom.

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Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH  Free Report) and 1847 (OTCMKTS:EFSH  Free Report) are both business services companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Booz Allen Hamilton and 1847s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Booz Allen Hamilton 2.94% 53.60% 9.66% 1847 -15.64% -453.02% -16.73%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Booz Allen Hamilton and 1847s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Booz Allen Hamilton $9.26 billion 1.58 $271.79 million $2.02 55.47 1847 $48.93 million 0.02 -$10.16 million N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

Booz Allen Hamilton has higher revenue and earnings than 1847.

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Booz Allen Hamilton and 1847, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Booz Allen Hamilton 0 2 3 0 2.60 1847 0 0 0 0 N/A

Booz Allen Hamilton currently has a consensus price target of $109.25, suggesting a potential downside of 2.49%. Given Booz Allen Hamiltons higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Booz Allen Hamilton is more favorable than 1847.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

89.5% of Booz Allen Hamilton shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 7.0% of 1847 shares are held by institutional investors. 1.8% of Booz Allen Hamilton shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.0% of 1847 shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Booz Allen Hamilton pays an annual dividend of $1.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. 1847 pays an annual dividend of $0.26 per share and has a dividend yield of 118.1%. Booz Allen Hamilton pays out 93.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Booz Allen Hamilton has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years.

Summary

Booz Allen Hamilton beats 1847 on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Booz Allen Hamilton

(Free Report)

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation provides management and technology consulting, analytics, engineering, digital solutions, mission operations, and cyber services to governments, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations in the United States and internationally. It also focuses on artificial intelligence services comprising of machine learning, predictive modeling, automation and decision analytics, and quantum computing. The company offers artificial intelligence, machine learning , and computer network related operations. In addition, it provides data science, engineering, visualization, and analysis related capabilities. Further, the company engages in user experience, user interface, graphic and web design, design thinking, sketching, and digital product design capabilities. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation was founded in 1914 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

About 1847

(Free Report)

1847 Holdings LLC engages in the acquisition and management of small businesses in different industries. It operates through the following segments: Retail and Appliances, Construction, and Automotive Supplies. The Retail and Appliances segment provides a wide variety of appliance services including sales, delivery, installation, service and repair, extended warranties, and financing. The Construction segment offers doors, door frames, base boards, crown molding, cabinetry, bathroom sinks and cabinets, bookcases, built-in closets, and fireplace mantles. The Automotive Supplies segment designs and sells horn and safety products and provides vehicle emergency and safety warning lights for cars, trucks, industrial equipment, and emergency vehicles. The company was founded by Ellery W. Roberts on January 22, 2013 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR  Free Report) has received an average rating of Hold from the eleven analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $113.08.

DLR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Digital Realty Trust from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets cut Digital Realty Trust from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday, March 27th. Barclays increased their price target on Digital Realty Trust from $79.00 to $80.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Digital Realty Trust in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Digital Realty Trust from $113.00 to $112.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 7th.

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Digital Realty Trust Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of DLR opened at $113.80 on Friday. Digital Realty Trust has a 52-week low of $85.76 and a 52-week high of $138.09. The company has a market capitalization of $33.83 billion, a PE ratio of 102.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $102.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Digital Realty Trust Announces Dividend

Digital Realty Trust ( NYSE:DLR Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($1.46). Digital Realty Trust had a return on equity of 2.34% and a net margin of 7.61%. The company had revenue of $1.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Digital Realty Trust will post 6.7 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 14th. Digital Realty Trusts dividend payout ratio is presently 439.64%.

Insider Transactions at Digital Realty Trust

In other news, CAO Peter C. Olson sold 700 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.67, for a total transaction of $73,969.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,134 shares of the companys stock, valued at $753,849.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CAO Peter C. Olson sold 700 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.67, for a total transaction of $73,969.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $753,849.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jean F. H. P. Mandeville sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.47, for a total value of $146,205.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 10,176 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $991,854.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Digital Realty Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Digital Realty Trust by 1.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,428,164 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,505,566,000 after buying an additional 483,852 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 0.7% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 27,569,868 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,710,394,000 after purchasing an additional 185,845 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 0.5% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 20,131,762 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,979,148,000 after purchasing an additional 96,038 shares during the period. APG Asset Management US Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 0.3% in the first quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. now owns 10,020,960 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $985,161,000 after purchasing an additional 26,148 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 2.5% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,170,504 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $704,925,000 after purchasing an additional 176,565 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.76% of the companys stock.

About Digital Realty Trust

(Free Report

Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company's global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data "meeting place" and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges.

Further Reading

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Silver Lake Advisory LLC boosted its position in EnerSys (NYSE:ENS  Free Report) by 0.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 27,518 shares of the industrial products companys stock after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the quarter. Silver Lake Advisory LLCs holdings in EnerSys were worth $2,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in EnerSys in the first quarter valued at about $60,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of EnerSys by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 850 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of EnerSys by 58.2% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 930 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. US Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EnerSys during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $98,000. Finally, Strs Ohio lifted its position in shares of EnerSys by 283.3% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,300 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.17% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENS has been the subject of a number of research reports. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of EnerSys from $100.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Friday, June 16th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of EnerSys in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a strong-buy rating for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of EnerSys from $110.00 to $119.00 in a research note on Friday, June 16th.

EnerSys Price Performance

Shares of ENS traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $106.51. 198,426 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 303,138. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.60. EnerSys has a 52-week low of $55.60 and a 52-week high of $109.50. The company has a market cap of $4.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.00, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.36.

EnerSys (NYSE:ENS  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $990.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $953.05 million. EnerSys had a net margin of 4.74% and a return on equity of 14.75%. The companys revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.20 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that EnerSys will post 6.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EnerSys Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th were paid a $0.175 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. EnerSyss payout ratio is currently 16.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other EnerSys news, insider Andrew M. Zogby sold 10,537 shares of EnerSys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.21, for a total value of $1,098,060.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,495 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,135,783.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

EnerSys Company Profile

(Free Report)

EnerSys provides various stored energy solutions for industrial applications worldwide. It operates in three segments: Energy Systems, Motive Power, and Specialty. The company offers uninterruptible power systems applications for computer and computer-controlled systems, as well as telecommunications systems; switchgear and electrical control systems used in industrial facilities and electric utilities, large-scale energy storage, and energy pipelines; integrated power solutions and services to broadband, telecom, renewable, and industrial customers; and thermally managed cabinets and enclosures for electronic equipment and batteries.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ENS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EnerSys (NYSE:ENS  Free Report).

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Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (BATS:QUAL  Free Report) by 57.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 192,666 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 70,113 shares during the period. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF makes up approximately 0.9% of Foundations Investment Advisors LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF worth $23,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 0.7% during the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 453,137 shares of the companys stock worth $56,216,000 after purchasing an additional 3,176 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 4.4% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,589 shares of the companys stock worth $445,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Diversified LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 1.1% in the first quarter. Diversified LLC now owns 7,460 shares of the companys stock worth $926,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 3.8% in the first quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,200 shares of the companys stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Semus Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $430,000.

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iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of BATS:QUAL traded down $0.62 during trading on Friday, hitting $132.89. 993,414 shares of the stock traded hands. The company has a market cap of $30.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $129.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.46. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF has a 52-week low of $71.96 and a 52-week high of $88.63.

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality index. The fund tracks an index of US large- and mid-cap stocks, selected and weighted by high ROE, stable earnings growth and low debt\u002Fequity, relative to peers in each sector.

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An artist' impression of Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province. Photo by Airports Corporation of Vietnam

A group of contractors, led by construction firm Coteccons, have committed to completing the terminal for Long Thanh International Airport within three years. Construction is due to start in August.

The group, comprising Coteccons, Hoa Binh, Central, An Phong, Delta, Unicorns, Thanh An and Thailands Power Line Engineering (PLE), is now seeking to win the bid for the project. It has been studying the project for around a year.

Coteccons chairman Bolat Duisenov said that Long Thanh terminal is a challenging project and it naturally attracts the most capable companies. Each company will contribute to the project in their own expertise, he said.

Thai company PLE was included in the portfolio because the company has finished its mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering contract at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

Tran Quang Tuan, CEO of construction firm Central, said that to speed up construction speed at Long Thanh terminal, the group is willing to endure a negative cash balance of VND5 trillion (US$211.4 million), but it is confident that big lenders such as Vietinbank, MB, TPBank and BIDV will provide the necessary cash.

The terminal is estimated to cost over VND35 trillion and this is the most expensive contract of the airport.

Three groups of bidders have registered to compete for the contract, including the group led by Coteccons.

Another group is led by Turkeys IC Istas construction firm. Vietnamese companies that are part of the group include Ricons, Newtecons and Sol E&C.

The last group is led by China Harbour Engineering, one of the biggest construction companies in China, which often builds key infrastructure projects.
Grupo Financiero Inbursa (OTCMKTS:GPFOF  Free Report) is one of 278 publicly-traded companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Grupo Financiero Inbursa to similar businesses based on the strength of its risk, profitability, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Grupo Financiero Inbursa and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Grupo Financiero Inbursa N/A N/A N/A Grupo Financiero Inbursa Competitors 35.58% 10.81% 1.05%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Grupo Financiero Inbursa and its rivals revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Grupo Financiero Inbursa N/A N/A 0.78 Grupo Financiero Inbursa Competitors $3.30 billion $907.29 million 262.71

Institutional and Insider Ownership

Grupo Financiero Inbursas rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Grupo Financiero Inbursa. Grupo Financiero Inbursa 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.

10.2% of Grupo Financiero Inbursa shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 37.5% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are owned by institutional investors. 14.1% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Grupo Financiero Inbursa and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Grupo Financiero Inbursa 0 0 0 0 N/A Grupo Financiero Inbursa Competitors 1154 3371 3388 23 2.29

As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 337.20%. Given Grupo Financiero Inbursas rivals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Grupo Financiero Inbursa has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Dividends

Grupo Financiero Inbursa pays an annual dividend of C$0.38 per share and has a dividend yield of 15.4%. Grupo Financiero Inbursa pays out 12.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BanksRegional companies pay a dividend yield of 13.3% and pay out 18.8% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Grupo Financiero Inbursa is clearly a better dividend stock than its rivals, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Grupo Financiero Inbursa rivals beat Grupo Financiero Inbursa on 8 of the 10 factors compared.

Grupo Financiero Inbursa Company Profile

(Free Report)

Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. provides various financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Mexico. The company offers mortgage, automotive, SME, and personal credits; accounts and investment products; credit cards; and car, lifetime, medical expenses, damage, and other insurance products. The company was formerly known as Promotora Carso SA de CV and changed its name to Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. in 1992. Grupo Financiero Inbursa, S.A.B. de C.V. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.

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NatWest Group (LON:NWG  Free Report) had its target price lowered by Morgan Stanley from GBX 350 ($4.44) to GBX 320 ($4.06) in a research note released on Thursday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on NWG. Barclays cut their price target on shares of NatWest Group from GBX 380 ($4.82) to GBX 360 ($4.57) and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of NatWest Group from GBX 320 ($4.06) to GBX 260 ($3.30) and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 26th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their target price on shares of NatWest Group from GBX 360 ($4.57) to GBX 350 ($4.44) in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of NatWest Group in a report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 360 ($4.57) target price on shares of NatWest Group in a report on Monday, June 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NatWest Group currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of GBX 328.75 ($4.17).

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NatWest Group Stock Down 0.0 %

LON:NWG opened at GBX 232.60 ($2.95) on Thursday. The companys 50 day moving average price is GBX 255.11 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 272.09. NatWest Group has a 52 week low of GBX 210.90 ($2.68) and a 52 week high of GBX 313.10 ($3.97). The stock has a market cap of 20.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 567.32, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

NatWest Group Company Profile

In other NatWest Group news, insider Roisin Donnelly purchased 1,101 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, July 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 245 ($3.11) per share, for a total transaction of 2,697.45 ($3,423.59). In other news, insider Katie Murray sold 604,853 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 274 ($3.48), for a total transaction of 1,657,297.22 ($2,103,435.99). Also, insider Roisin Donnelly acquired 1,101 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 245 ($3.11) per share, for a total transaction of 2,697.45 ($3,423.59). Insiders own 42.65% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

NatWest Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services to personal, commercial, corporate, and institutional customers in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through Retail Banking, Private Banking, and Commercial & Institutional segments.

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StockNews.com lowered shares of Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI  Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Motorola Solutions from $310.00 to $335.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM reissued a maintains rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research report on Friday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Motorola Solutions from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Motorola Solutions from $303.00 to $329.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $301.67.

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Motorola Solutions Price Performance

MSI stock opened at $291.87 on Thursday. Motorola Solutions has a 12 month low of $204.55 and a 12 month high of $299.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $286.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.68. The stock has a market cap of $48.95 billion, a PE ratio of 36.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.93.

Motorola Solutions Dividend Announcement

Motorola Solutions ( NYSE:MSI Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.12 billion. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 14.63% and a negative return on equity of 1,549.95%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Motorola Solutions will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. Motorola Solutionss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.54, for a total transaction of $14,527,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 91,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,684,065.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.54, for a total transaction of $14,527,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 91,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,684,065.22. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Katherine A. Maher sold 1,933 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.01, for a total transaction of $558,656.33. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,611 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $465,595.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 101,933 shares of company stock worth $29,642,156 in the last 90 days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,158,494 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $1,608,781,000 after purchasing an additional 22,604 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,531,492 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $1,008,362,000 after purchasing an additional 119,907 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,506,737 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $903,721,000 after purchasing an additional 464,771 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,775,220 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $621,567,000 after purchasing an additional 678,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,001,009 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $572,549,000 after purchasing an additional 17,910 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.93% of the companys stock.

Motorola Solutions Company Profile

(Free Report)

Motorola Solutions, Inc provides public safety and enterprise security solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services. The Products and Systems Integration segment offers a portfolio of infrastructure, devices, accessories, and video security devices and infrastructure, as well as the implementation and integration of systems, devices, software, and applications for government, public safety, and commercial customers who operate private communications networks and video security solutions, as well as manage a mobile workforce.

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StockNews.com cut shares of New Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:NGD  Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Thursday.

New Gold Stock Performance

NYSEAMERICAN NGD opened at $1.04 on Thursday. The companys 50-day moving average is $1.24. The stock has a market cap of $711.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 1.47. New Gold has a fifty-two week low of $0.61 and a fifty-two week high of $1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 2.28 and a quick ratio of 1.48.

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New Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:NGD  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $201.60 million during the quarter. New Gold had a negative return on equity of 1.87% and a negative net margin of 14.38%. As a group, analysts forecast that New Gold will post 0.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On New Gold

About New Gold

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NGD. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of New Gold in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Boenning & Scattergood Inc. acquired a new stake in New Gold in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in New Gold in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in New Gold in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in New Gold in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 30.96% of the companys stock.

(Free Report)

New Gold Inc, an intermediate gold mining company, engages in the exploration, development, and operation of mineral properties. It primarily explores for gold, silver, and copper deposits. The company's principal operating properties include 100% interests in the Rainy River mine located in Ontario, Canada; New Afton mine situated in British Columbia, Canada; and the Cerro San Pedro mine in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

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The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Nihon M&A Center (OTCMKTS:NHMAF  Free Report) from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Nihon M&A Center from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th.

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Nihon M&A Center Stock Performance

Nihon M&A Center stock opened at $7.26 on Wednesday. The stocks 50-day moving average is $7.50 and its 200-day moving average is $8.80. Nihon M&A Center has a 12 month low of $6.53 and a 12 month high of $14.58.

About Nihon M&A Center

Nihon M&A Center Holdings Inc provides mergers and acquisition (M&A) related services in Japan and internationally. The company offers M&A support services, such as reorganization, capital policies, and MBO for small and medium-sized enterprises. It is also involved in marketing research and consulting activities.

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StockNews.com lowered shares of Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on NWN. Maxim Group cut Northwest Natural from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Northwest Natural from $57.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Northwest Natural in a research note on Friday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Northwest Natural currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $50.25.

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Northwest Natural Price Performance

Northwest Natural stock opened at $41.84 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.59. Northwest Natural has a 52-week low of $41.75 and a 52-week high of $54.72. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $43.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

Northwest Natural ( NYSE:NWN Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.08. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 8.85%. The firm had revenue of $462.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $365.46 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 32.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Northwest Natural will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 28th were issued a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.64%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 27th. Northwest Naturals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP David A. Weber sold 920 shares of Northwest Natural stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.38, for a total value of $40,829.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 186 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,254.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in Northwest Natural by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,107,447 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $290,470,000 after purchasing an additional 26,039 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Northwest Natural by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,172,767 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $181,015,000 after purchasing an additional 99,759 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Northwest Natural by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,750,426 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $92,948,000 after purchasing an additional 188,069 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Northwest Natural by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 761,482 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $36,216,000 after purchasing an additional 26,899 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Northwest Natural by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 667,539 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $31,748,000 after purchasing an additional 24,514 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.12% of the companys stock.

Northwest Natural Company Profile

(Free Report)

Northwest Natural Holding Company, through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The company operates Mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities and third-party marketers; offers natural gas asset management services; and operates an appliance retail center.

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JLB & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Free Report) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 147,149 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,286 shares during the quarter. Novo Nordisk A/S makes up about 3.5% of JLB & Associates Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. JLB & Associates Inc.s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $23,417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Schubert & Co lifted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 96.2% during the 4th quarter. Schubert & Co now owns 204 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Tsfg LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. RFP Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Ahrens Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NVO. StockNews.com began coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, April 13th.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NVO opened at $156.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The businesss 50 day moving average is $162.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.64. The company has a market cap of $352.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.47. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12 month low of $95.02 and a 12 month high of $172.97.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.27. The company had revenue of $7.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.86 billion. Novo Nordisk A/S had a return on equity of 77.39% and a net margin of 32.53%. On average, equities analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 5.07 EPS for the current year.

About Novo Nordisk A/S

(Free Report)

Novo Nordisk A/S, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity care, and Rare Disease. The Diabetes and Obesity care segment provides products in the areas of insulins, GLP-1 and related delivery systems, oral antidiabetic products, obesity, glucagon, needles, and other chronic diseases.

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Shares of Pearson plc (LON:PSON  Free Report) have received an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 1,015 ($12.88).

PSON has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 1,140 ($14.47) price objective on shares of Pearson in a research note on Wednesday, May 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a GBX 1,230 ($15.61) target price on shares of Pearson in a report on Friday, June 23rd.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Pearson

In other Pearson news, insider Sally Johnson sold 65,220 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 762 ($9.67), for a total transaction of 496,976.40 ($630,760.76). 0.67% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Pearson Stock Performance

Pearson Company Profile

Shares of Pearson stock opened at GBX 817.80 ($10.38) on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.33. Pearson has a 52 week low of GBX 746.20 ($9.47) and a 52 week high of GBX 1,006.29 ($12.77). The firms 50 day moving average is GBX 819.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 864.37. The firm has a market capitalization of 5.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 2,478.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.30.

(Free Report

Pearson plc offers educational courseware, assessments, and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, other European countries, and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Higher Education, and Workforce Skills.

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Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Free Report) by 89.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,901 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 6,551 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLCs holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salem Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Salem Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,359 shares of the companys stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 23,188 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,448,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 12,780 shares of the companys stock valued at $793,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 2,679 shares of the companys stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 16,604 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,056,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 68.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Coca-Cola Price Performance

Coca-Cola stock opened at $59.76 on Friday. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $54.01 and a 12 month high of $65.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $61.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.49. The company has a market cap of $258.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.21, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.54.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

Coca-Cola ( NYSE:KO Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 24th. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.96% and a net margin of 22.69%. The business had revenue of $11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. Coca-Colas revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.61 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. Coca-Colas payout ratio is 80.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 150,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.33, for a total transaction of $9,649,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $28,468,984.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 150,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.33, for a total value of $9,649,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares of the companys stock, valued at $28,468,984.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Henrique Braun sold 16,950 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total transaction of $1,085,308.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,272 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,682,196.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 420,786 shares of company stock valued at $26,886,224 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC dropped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $77.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $67.67.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.

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Silver Lake Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL  Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,228 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $543,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Accurate Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. RFP Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Arcus Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Kepos Capital LP purchased a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 79.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance

CL stock traded down $1.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $75.59. The stock had a trading volume of 4,420,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,246,739. The stock has a market cap of $62.71 billion, a PE ratio of 39.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.87, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.14. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $67.84 and a 52-week high of $83.81.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

Colgate-Palmolive ( NYSE:CL Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 28th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $4.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 348.63% and a net margin of 8.71%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.74 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 20th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. Colgate-Palmolives payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on CL. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $92.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. StockNews.com cut Colgate-Palmolive from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday, May 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $84.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Colgate-Palmolive

In other Colgate-Palmolive news, insider Sally Massey sold 17,239 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.16, for a total transaction of $1,399,117.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $699,193.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Sally Massey sold 17,239 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.16, for a total value of $1,399,117.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 8,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $699,193.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Prabha Parameswaran sold 64,373 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.58, for a total value of $5,187,176.34. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,427 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,367.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 187,748 shares of company stock worth $15,138,660. Insiders own 0.34% of the companys stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Profile

(Free Report)

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items.

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Chip autonomy is an ideal aspiration but it is advisable to avoid setting too big goals in the immediate future, an Intel Products Vietnam executive has told the government.

In 2006, the U.S. chipmaker became the first foreign high-tech investor in Ho Chi Minh City.

"The past 17 years have been a miraculous journey," Kim Huat Ooi, vice president and general manager of Intel Products Vietnam, said.

"Vietnam has transformed and become much more prosperous. Foreign investors coming here all want to have a foothold and a solid launch pad in Vietnam."

A number of other major chip manufacturers too have set up plants in Vietnam, forming an open semiconductor supply chain.

Some local technology companies such as FPT and Viettel are also investing in the sector, and hope to export large volumes of "Made in Vietnam" chips.

In April Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment with developing a program for electronic chip production.

Vietnams advantage

Kim, who has nearly 40 years of experience in the semiconductor field, said when Intel entered Vietnam it had to import most raw materials, but now over 200 local suppliers were working with the plant, helping create a closed process for chip autonomy.

"It is completely right that the Vietnamese Government and companies think big and are ambitious to be self-sufficient in chip sources. Some companies have designed very good microcontrollers for specific applications. Vietnam will have a big opportunity to make more chips."

Before it set up the plant in Vietnam, Intel was invited by many other countries in the neighborhood. One of the important reasons for Intel choosing to build the plant in Ho Chi Minh City was the stability of the Vietnamese political system.

During the Covid pandemic, many supply chains around the world were broken, but the Intel Vietnam factory was still operating smoothly.

In 2021, its exports surged by 25% from the pre-pandemic period.

Vietnam remained stable even in the most challenging periods.

"It can be seen that in future local supply chains will gradually form and be able to operate independently. As the amount of high-tech investment increases, production costs will decrease, bringing more opportunities for domestic enterprises.

"The Vietnamese government can use this to accelerate its ambition to produce chips."

It was right to dream big but it was also necessary to avoid being too ambitious to invest in non-optimal areas and waste money.

Each country should focus on areas where it had an advantage instead of spreading itself too thin. Chip production was resource-intensive.

Local companies also needed to design chips appropriate for their actual capabilities and needs, he said.

Another challenge was human resources since the chip industry required great technical and technological capability to cope with new problems.

"If we look at the current education system in Vietnam, we are seeing that resources are mainly focused on bachelors training. To enter the chip industry, more researchers in post-graduate programs are needed.

"To design chips, engineers need a lot of R&D skills."

However, though investing in human resources required time and money, it was definitely profitable in the long run.

For this, Vietnam needed the right talent, and for this tertiary education should have new curriculums.

Intel and other large foreign enterprises in Vietnam also paid special attention to linking up with universities to improve curriculums and foster talent.

Vietnamese engineers work at Intel Products Vietnam. Photo courtesy of IPV

"Seventeen years ago we entered Vietnam and started looking for the first basic workers. Now our plant has continuously sent Vietnamese engineers to the U.S. to work and develop specialized technologies. Initiatives by local talent have been patented in the U.S., making an important contribution to improving the plants performance."

Besides manpower, special attention should be paid to infrastructure and traffic, like dealing with the electricity shortages in some parts in June.

The shortage had been solved, but in the long term investors would need specific plans to ensure reliable power availability.

After the pandemic many neighboring countries had come up with incentives to get major international investors to come and set up supply chains.

Vietnam too should have appropriate policies to retain existing investors and attract new ones.

"The world is changing. Many countries are emerging, attracting large investors back. In Vietnam, we are doing well. Intel wants to continue to invest and contribute to Vietnamese society."
United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV  Free Report) by 34.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,081 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 21,489 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF were worth $4,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Coastal Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 536 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp raised its position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 66.1% in the 1st quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 553 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Central Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Stock Performance

EFV traded up $0.50 during trading on Friday, hitting $48.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,766,108 shares. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.84. The companys 50-day moving average price is $48.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.64. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF has a twelve month low of $49.15 and a twelve month high of $59.57.

iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Profile

iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Value Index. The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY  Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

VAALCO Energy Price Performance

EGY stock opened at $3.88 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $3.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.32. The company has a market capitalization of $414.27 million, a P/E ratio of 6.93 and a beta of 1.45. VAALCO Energy has a 52-week low of $3.51 and a 52-week high of $6.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.21.

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VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The energy company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.42). The company had revenue of $80.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $140.29 million. VAALCO Energy had a return on equity of 28.65% and a net margin of 11.80%. As a group, equities analysts expect that VAALCO Energy will post 0.88 EPS for the current year.

VAALCO Energy Increases Dividend

Insider Activity

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 24th were issued a dividend of $0.063 per share. This is a boost from VAALCO Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 23rd. VAALCO Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.64%.

In other news, CEO George W.M. Maxwell purchased 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $3.70 per share, for a total transaction of $37,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 143,840 shares in the company, valued at $532,208. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders acquired 25,764 shares of company stock worth $96,519 over the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EGY. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of VAALCO Energy by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 232,415 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $1,060,000 after purchasing an additional 41,778 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of VAALCO Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $416,000. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VAALCO Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $100,110,000. First Sabrepoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in VAALCO Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $7,524,000. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA bought a new stake in VAALCO Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.14% of the companys stock.

VAALCO Energy Company Profile

(Free Report)

VAALCO Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, acquires, explores for, develops, and produces crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. The company holds Etame production sharing contract related to the Etame Marin block located offshore in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa. It also owns interests in an undeveloped block offshore Equatorial Guinea, West Africa.

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French automaker Renault is looking to re-enter the robustly growing mid-sized SUV segment in India as it gears up to drive in three new models in the country by 2025, as per a top company official.



The automaker, which sells three models in the domestic market, aims to introduce two internal combustion models and one electric vehicle by 2025.



In an interaction with PTI, Renault India Operations Country CEO & Managing Director Venkatram Mamillapalle said the company is looking to enter the segment with a lot of innovations.



Renault currently sells three models  Kwid, Triber and Kigerin the Indian market.



"The three (existing models) will continueAnd then the new products will come in..We will go into the four plus metres segment, 4.3 metres basically," he noted.



The company will get into the segment which already has many established models like Creta, Seltos and Grand Vitara.



"And hopefully we are trying to enter with the way we entered with Duster, we will also enter into this segment with a lot of innovations. The activity has already started," Mamillapalle said.



The company has discontinued selling Duster.



By 2025, the automaker will have close to about six products in the portfolio, he said.



"Then, till 2030, we will have furthermore products. There is already discussion, which is taking place," Mamillapalle noted.



When asked if the new product would be the next generation of Duster, he said, "Duster is a fascinating vehicle and that is the inspiration for Renault to be in India. And I do not know whether we will call Duster or we are bringing Duster or Duster replacement. Or whatever you call it. But we are getting into that segment."



He said the company is focusing on the SUV segment in the market.



"That is what the market wants. What else is there in the market today? Till the time new products hit the market, it is a challenge to keep the dealerships viable. At this point of time it is necessary that we have to take care of them (dealers) and we are doing it," noted Mamillapalle said.



This February, the Renault-Nissan alliance announced investments of around Rs 5,300 crore in the country.



The fresh round of investments envisages rollout of six new models between the two companies, including two electric vehicles, representing the two global brands.
Scammers posed as representatives of a renowned recruitment agency and published multiple job openings at a reputed Singapore-based IT services firm last March, equipped with a sham website with the company logo and an office in Kochi. They took two rounds of interviews and gave out appointment letters in fake letterheads against Rs 3 lakh each as agency fees, visa applications and a cultural assimilation programme. And, then they disappeared.



The report was published in the Economic Times on July 9. But this was not a single incident of fake headhunters duping people. Employment scams using fictitious job opportunities and sham onboarding processes to steal job seekers money are on the rise as the market sees a slowdown in hiring and large-scale downsizing in some sectors.



Also Read: How scammers with a fake Netflix job offer duped Mumbai woman of Rs 3.47 lakh



The Kochi scam came to light when the candidates had a meeting with senior executives of the real recruitment company and discovered that they had no link with the fake agency, the report mentioned. Moneycontrol couldn't verify the report independently.



In April, this website reported that the chief executive of a financial app was arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly duping job aspirants. CS Sudheer, the founder and CEO of IndianMoney Ffreedom app, was sent to judicial custody after 22 victims filed complaints against him. The employees of the company assured the victims of part-time jobs with a monthly package of Rs 15,000 if they had subscribed to the IndianMoney app for Rs 2,999.



In April, Delhi police arrested a man for cheating people with false promises of jobs in private airlines. This arrest was made after a woman lost approximately Rs 9 lakh in 2022 when she applied for a job from an advertisement on Instagram.



A 29-year-old working professional lost Rs 14.25 lakh soon after she fell prey to a similar job scam in May. She was approached on WhatsApp from a company claiming to be a hiring agent of Leo Burnett for the job of a social media specialist. It was a home-based online job that promised to pay Rs 2,000-5,000 per day.



Fraudsters are thriving. Such incidents have nearly doubled compared to six months ago, Alok Kumar, president, ManpowerGroup India, told ET.



Also Read: Job scams: Like, Subscribe and Get Paid, have you fallen for work-from-home frauds?



Most recruitment companies, including Manpower, Foundit (formerly Monster), Randstad and Adecco are on an alert mode to prevent fraud by fake hiring agencies.



The daily quoted Kumar as saying that the slump in the job market and lesser job openings are luring many candidates into believing fake job offers. To counter employment scams on its platform, Manpower has raised efforts to educate people on social media, sharing signs to look out for and stressing that they do not ask for money for jobs.



Also Read: Delhi woman loses Rs 8.6 lakh after clicking on Instagram job ad



The kind of attention to detail and aggressiveness we are hearing of now is something Ive not seen in the last 24 years of my career, Sanjay Shetty, Director of Randstad India, told the publication, adding that the company has seen a massive rise in such bogus cases between February and April, compared with the October-December quarter.



Freshers and people who have been fired or those keen to go overseas are the easy victims of job-scam, Shetty pointed out.
State-owned Bank of India is exploring the possibility of share sale to investors over the next one year to meet the minimum public holding requirement of 25 percent.



Currently, Government of India holds 81.41 percent stake in the Mumbai-based bank.



"We are exploring options to meet the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) minimum public holding requirement. However, the decision to sell shares would depend on market conditions," Bank of India Managing Director Rajneesh Karnatak told PTI.



Public sector banks have time till August 2024 for meeting the SEBI requirement, he said.



Post share-sale, depending on the quantum, the holding of Government of India would come down below 75 percent. With regard to the banks growth, he said, credit growth is expected to be 11-12 percent during current financial year helped by retail, MSME and agriculture loans.



As far as the deposit is concerned, he said, "We hope to grow the liability side by 10 per cent during current financial year."



On being asked about the resource mobilisation plan of the bank, he said, "Capital Adequacy Ratio of the bank stood at 16.28 percent in March 2023 and this should be enough to take care of loan growth during the year. However, the board has given its approval to raise capital aggregating up to Rs 6,500 crore in FY24 through bonds."



"As per the board approval, the bank can raise up to Rs 4,500 crore from follow-on public offer/ qualified institutional placement/rights issue/preferential issue and/or Basel III compliant additional tier-1 (AT-1) bonds while remaining Rs 2,000 crore via Basel III compliant Tier-2 bonds in one or more tranches. It will be done when the need arises and market conditions are conducive," he added.



Karnatak, while addressing a town hall meet in New Delhi on July 5, asked officers and staff to focus on Current Account Savings Account (CASA) mobilisation and increase non-interest income. He said the bank is "working towards aligning its IT and digital banking products to keep pace with digitalisation and enhanced customer experience."



Karnatak, in presence of Field General Manager Prashant Thapliyal and head government business D S Shekhawat, said "every employee should focus on customer satisfaction and improving efficiency."
Alcohol makers that saw battered margins in the January to March quarter on account of high raw material costs are hoping to see better times in the April to June quarter, analysts say.



Talking to Moneycontrol, Karan Taurani, Senior Vice-President, Elara Capital says, There would be some respite in EBITDA margins for United Spirits and Radico Khaitan in Q1FY24 and it may not be as bad as what they were in Q4FY23, Taurani expects EBITDA margins to increase by 400 basis points quarter-on-quarter to 20.5 percent in the April to June quarter.



The raw material, Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) in the case of spirits, is expected to remain high. However, spirit companies have increased the cost of their alcohol brands in order to balance the growing ENA costs. Price increases have been taken across multiple states and we have a continued commitment to drive revenue management activities, said Radovan Sikorsky, Chief Financial Officer at United Spirits, in an earnings conference call in May.



Radico Khaitan has increased prices for its products in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Karnataka and other states, said Abhishek Khaitan, managing director at Radico Khaitan in an earnings conference call in May. With these price increases coupled with a favourable product mix, we will be able to mitigate margin headwinds in the IMFL business to a large extent, he said.



According to Bloomberg median estimates, United Spirits revenue in Q1FY24 is estimated to be around Rs 2,195 crore and net profit to be around Rs 233 crore. The stock is trading at one year forward PE (Price to Earnings) of 59.33. For United Breweries, revenue for Q1FY24 is estimated to be at Rs 1,769 crore. United Breweries stock is trading at one year forward PE of 69.26.



High ENA costs



During the January to March quarter, spirit companies encountered pressure on their margins due to the escalating prices of ENA and glass bottles. ENA, a key ingredient in alcoholic beverages is made from sugarcane. In 2023-24, sugarcane prices rose by around 3.5 percent from the previous year, reaching Rs 315 per quintal, according to the Press Information Bureau. This increase in sugarcane prices has directly contributed to the higher costs of producing ENA.



Another factor influencing the rising ENA prices is the government's new ethanol blending policy. Under this policy, the target for blending ethanol with petrol by 2025 has been raised to 20 percent from the previous target of 10 percent. So, a larger quantity of ethanol is now being allocated to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) for blending, resulting in a reduced supply for spirit companies. Now there is a demand-supply issue as more ethanol is going to OMCs, leaving less ethanol to be used by spirit companies, says Alok Shah, Vice-President at Ambit Capital.



Also read United Spirits sees Q4 net profit rise 7% to Rs 204 crore, revenue slumps 25% YoY



Glass costs continue to cut margins



Glass prices which have been high for quite some time now will start easing from Q2FY24, analysts say. Hindustan National Glass, a major producer and supplier of glass bottles used extensively by alcohol manufacturers, faced insolvency proceedings initiated by DBS Bank in October 2021. Subsequently, supply disruptions have caused a surge in glass costs, impacting the profit margins of companies within the alcohol industry.



In their efforts to mitigate the impact of rising glass prices, alcohol companies are gradually phasing out the use of mono cartons. According to an analyst from a domestic broking firm who preferred anonymity, beer and spirit companies are implementing this adjustment to compensate for the escalating price of glass bottles. Although the savings from cutting expenses on mono cartons may not be substantial, it contributes in reducing the overall spending.



Beer margins to trip



Margins for United Breweries will stay affected in the April to June quarter on account of high barley costs. The pressure on margins in Q1FY24 will continue and we should start seeing some benefits flowing through in Q2FY24 as we start incorporating the new barley crops into production, said Radovan Sikorsky in an earnings conference call.



Barley is used in beer for its enzymes, fermentable sugars, flavour contributions, and foam stability. Barley price was high as one of the top producers of the crop, Ukraine, is engaged in war, leading to supply issues.



United Breweries purchases barley crops in February to March for the rest of the year, says a Motilal Oswal report. United Breweries is currently using the high-priced barley crop that they purchased earlier, so margins will continue to remain affected in Q1FY24 on account of high raw material costs, says Alok Shah. He further said that margins for United Breweries will start recovering from Q2FY24 once the company starts using the new barley crop which is of good quality and lower priced.



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.
It always helps to have a joint holder for your financial investmentsbe it your bank account, demat account or mutual fund investments. And given that most transactions can be done online, the joint holders need not even be based in the same location.



But on one aspect, that is, updating nomination details, jointly-held investments can entail the involvement of all the joint holders. And while this may not necessarily require them to be based in the same location, some coordination may be required between them to get certain things done.



The Securities and Exchange Board of India has allowed time until September 30 for mutual fund investors and trading and demat account holders for updating their nominationsthat is, either choosing a nominee or specifically opting out of nomination.



A nominee is important and, hence, mandatory for financial assets. As a custodian, the nominee represents the legal heirs and plays an important role in the transmission process by making the deceaseds financial assets / funds immediately accessible to the family. The nominee is legally bound to pass on the assets to the beneficiary as per the deceaseds will or to the heirs of the deceased as per applicable succession laws, says Rajat Dutta, founder, Inheritance Needs Services.



So, now is the time to take stock of your nominees across all investments, and update / modify them well before the September deadline. Here we focus on bank accounts, demat accounts (stocks, bonds, etc.) and mutual funds (held in non-demat form).







Bank accounts



Many banks allow you to update your nominationchanging a nominee or updating an existing nominees detailsin one of two ways. You can either do this online (via the banks app or net banking) or by visiting a branch of the bank. This can be done both for single- and jointly-held bank accounts.



According to Bank of Baroda, in case of a bank visit, you have to submit only the nomination form (Form DA1). No other documents are required if your account is KYC (youre your customer) compliant. Preferably, one must visit the branch where the account was opened. But you can also submit the nomination form at any branch, in which case the branch official will verify your details and send the scanned copy to the base branch for updating the nominee details.



If you are updating your nomination by visiting a bank branch, then the bank will usually ask for the signatures of all the joint holders, says Sonali Pradhan, head of wealth planning, Julius Baer India. Its a bit different when done online. According to Pradhan, the primary account holder can log into his or her net banking account and update the nomination online. The secondary holder, however, will not be able to do this.



What happens if the joint account holders are in different locations and are unable to update their nominations online? In that case, one of them will have to sign the nomination form and send it by post to the other account holder for him or her to sign and submit to the bank. The nomination form must have the original signatures and cannot be scanned and shared over email, says Pradhan.



Note that you can have only one nominee for a bank account (savings and fixed deposits) and up to three for a demat account and a mutual fund folio. In case of more than one nominee, the sum of the shares of all the nominees must add up to 100 percent.



Also read: Why a nominee should never be an ultimate beneficiary



Demat accounts



When it comes to a demat account, changes in nomination when the account is the name of only one person can be done online.



But for a jointly-held demat account, any change requires the consent of all the joint holders and so, this cannot be done online. This, according to Pradhan, is because a demat account by default is held under joint mode. This is different from how it is for jointly-held bank accounts and mutual fund folios where you can opt for joint or either or survivor mode.



According to Puneet Maheshwari, director, Upstox, a new-age stock broking firm, too, any addition or modification of nominee can be done online for a singly-held demat account. Talking about how this works at Upstox, he says You will have to login to our app or website using two-factor authentication. Once you modify the nominee details and enter the OTP (one-time password) received, you can submit your request. Once we process your request, you will be able to view the updated nominee details within 24-48 hours in your profile section.



What happens when the demat account is jointly held? Maheshwari says that in that case, the account opening process itself is offline, so any addition or modification in the nominee details has to be done offline. But the physical form can be couriered to us and does not require the presence of all the joint holders. We verify the signatures with our database. If they match, we update the nomination details. He adds that they are exploring the option of providing multiple OTPs for all the joint holders in the same flow to make this process online.



Going by the Zerodha website too, you can add a nominee to a joint demat account only via the offline route. You have to courier the signed nominee form, the account modification form and the ID proof of the nominee/s to the broker. When it comes to deleting a nominee, this cannot be done online, whether your Zerodha demat account is singly or jointly held.



Also read: Womens day: Do not just leave your joint finances to your spouse. It's your money as well



Mutual fund investments



For jointly-held mutual fund investments (non-demat form) too, updating nomination may entail submission of physical forms. You are likely to face hiccups if you take the online route.



That said, depending on the mutual fund houses that you have investments with, you can start by trying to update your nominations on the websites of CAMS (Computer Age Management Services) or KFintech, or both. CAMS and KFintech are the two largest registrar and transfer agents (RTAs) in the mutual fund industry and enable you to update your nominations online.



If the online method fails, then the only way out is to submit physical nomination forms at the CAMS and KFintech offices. Furthermore, given that all the unitholders must consent to any nomination-related modification, the form must carry the signatures of all the joint holders. Read here for more details.



Conclusion



In the case of jointly-held demat accounts and mutual fund folios, any modification in nomination requires the involvement of all the joint holders. And this cannot be done online. Given this, its best to choose your nominees carefully at the start itself to save yourself the hassle of making any modifications later. This is especially so if the joint holders do not reside in the same location.



For your existing jointly-held demat accounts and mutual fund folios that do not have a nominee, make a one-time effort of updating your nomination to ensure a smooth transmission of your financial assets to your family.
A total of 3,079 complaints against companies and market intermediaries have been disposed of through the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) SCORES platform in June. At the beginning of June, as many as 3,141 complaints were pending, and 3,967 fresh complaints were received, according to the data released by the market regulator. SEBI also noted that as of June 2023, 12 complaints were pending for more than three months, the data showed. These complaints were related to investment advisers and research analysts. The average resolution time for a complaint was 31 days, as per the data. In a separate public notice, the markets watchdog mentioned eight entities against whom complaints have been pending for more than three months on SCORES as of June 2023. The entities included Research Guru, Umesh Kumar Pandey Prop. Aurostar Investment Advisory Services, Dharmesh Parmar, Grovalue Financial Services, Highlight Investment Research, Wealth Factor, Rajiv Kumar Singh Proprietor Elite Investment Advisory Services and Kaushal Mehta. SCORES is a grievance redressal system that was launched in June 2011. It is designed to help investors to lodge their complaints online with SEBI, pertaining to the securities market, against companies, intermediaries and market infrastructure institutions.

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Vietnamese lychees were already present in Thailand a few years ago, but this is the first time that the fruits are on sale at a major supermarket chain in the country.

"I am very happy to be one of the pioneering firms to bring fresh lychees to Thai consumers," said Nguyen Xuan Viet, Chairman of Vifoco, exporter of lychees to Thailand. "My company hopes to export from 1,000  2,000 tonnes of fresh lychee to Thailand next year."

At the Siam Paragon shopping mall, the lychees from Vietnam have attracted attention from shoppers.

Somkiat Wongsakulchai, chief executive of Ekthai, distributor of Vietnamese lychees in Thailand, said that his company will expand the distribution of Vietnamese lychees to more branches next year.

Lychee is grown in many localities in Vietnam, mostly in the north, with Bac Giang province known as the country's lychee growing hub.

The province harvested 199,500 tonnes of lychee in 2022 and earned over 290 million USD from lychee sales and support services.

Bac Giang lychee has affirmed its brand and value in many countries and territories around the world with 75,900 tonnes shipped abroad, making up 38% of the accumulative sales.
'Heavy to extremely heavy' rains battered Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, triggering landslides and flash floods, inundating many areas, washing away roads, vehicles and houses and killing six persons.



State authorities have ordered the closure of schools and colleges for two days. As many as 765 roads including Chandigar- Manali National Highway were closed following the torrential rains. Hundreds of people were stranded in different parts of the state, including in Chandratal in Lahaul and Spiti and near Sadhupul in Solan district.



Twenty major landslides and 17 flash floods have been reported in the past 48 hours over 30 houses have been completely and partially damaged. All major rivers including Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Swan and Chenab are in spate, officials said.



While six people died in rain-related incidents on Sunday, the death toll has risen to 54 since the onset of the monsoon on June 24, according to the state emergency operation centre.



Solan received 135 mm of rain on Sunday, breaking a 50-year-old record of 105 mm of rain in a day in 1971, while Una received the highest rainfall after 1993, Director Local MeT office Shimla, Surender Paul told PTI.



Frightening pictures of the chaos unleashed by the rains  vehicles floating like paper boats on inundated roads, muddy waters gushing into residential areas, temples and other structures submerged on the banks by the swollen rivers and land cave-ins  were shared online by people.



A fresh spell of snow was reported in high-altitude areas of the state.



The local met office had issued a fresh red alert of extremely heavy rains (above 204 mm) in ten out of 12 districts, barring tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, on July 9.



Reports of water entering houses in Una, shops being swept away in Manali, vehicles being washed away in flash floods at Nullah in Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba districts and loss to agricultural land have also poured in.



Three members of a family were killed in a house collapse following a landslide due to rains in Kotgarh area in Kumarsain subdivision of Shimla district. The deceased were identified as Anil, his wife Kiran and son Swapnil, officials said.



A landslide also damaged a makeshift house near Kullu town, leaving a woman dead. In another incident, a person was buried alive following a landslide in Katiyan tehsil of Chamba on Saturday night.



A girl was buried alive as a huge amount of debris swept by rainwater fell on her house in Rajhana village on the outskirts of Shimla city. Another elderly woman was reportedly trapped under the debris and rescue operations were on, officials said.



Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu appealed to the people to avoid venturing out in heavy rains, especially near rivers and nallahs, and remain vigilant.



As many as 280 persons were stranded in different parts of the state. About 200 persons were stranded in Chandratal in Lahaul and Spiti.



Superintendent of Police Mayank Chaudhary, who is on the spot, said that all the people are safe and food and essential medicines have been arranged.



They would be rescued soon as the road is restored, he said.



Commuters in about 60 vehicles were struck near Sadhupul in Solan district due to a landslide.



The Himachal Pradesh Government has closed all the government and private schools and colleges affiliated with the state for two days (July 10 and 11).



In an office order issued here, Director of the Higher Education Department Amarjeet Sharma said that the schools affiliated with ICSE, CBSE and other boards can take decisions regarding closing schools at their own level.



As many as 765 roads including five National Highways have been closed to traffic while 1,743 transformers and 138 water supply schemes were affected.



The national highways blocked included NH-21 Mandi to Kullu, NH-505 Gramphu to Locar, NH-03 Kullu to Manali, NH-305 Aut to Jalori and NH-707 Rohru to Poanta Sahib near Shillai in Sirmaur district.



National Highway 21 is blocked at 6 Mile. This is the same place where the commuters were struck for almost 24 hours on June 27 last due to a landslide.



Mandi-Kullu road via Kamand was also blocked near Ghoda farm. The Manali-Chandigarh also caved in near Manali.



Deputy Commissioner of Kullu Ashutosh Garg said the Kullu-Manali road is blocked at several places due to landslides. Beas River is in spate near Ramshela and traffic has been halted from Kullu to Manali and Manali to Atal Tunnel.



It's raining since last night and all roads are closed, said Rohit, a Kangra resident stuck in Kullu.



"The roads have caved in trees and poles are falling. The site is quite frightening," he said.



The Mandi police have asked the tourists stranded in Balh and Sundernagar to find accommodations as all roads leading to Kullu from Mandi are blocked and are expected to open Monday afternoon.



All the rivers and nullas in Mandi district are in spate as the water level in Beas has increased.



The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) authorities have opened all five gates at Pandoh Dam and a flood-like situation is prevailing.



Low-lying areas are being evacuated and the Chakki Bridge at NH-154 (Pathankot-Mandi) has been closed for vehicular movement, said DC Kangra Nipun Jindal.



The relief, rescue and restoration operations were severely hit as heavy rains continued throughout the day. However, the district administration, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams rescued five persons trapped in the middle of Beas River in Charu in Kullu district.



Thirty college students stranded between Gramphu and Chota Dharra on Sundo-kaza-Gramphu (National Highway 505) following a roadblock due to landslide and flash floods at several places were rescued by the Lahaul and Spiti authorities on Saturday night.



All the trains between UNESCO heritage Shimla and Kalka track have been cancelled as landslides and fallen trees blocked the railway track at many places.



Water also entered the powerhouse of Largi dam in Kullu and Chaba Power House.



Shimla water supply to Shimla and Solan would be affected due to high turbidity in the water sources, officials said.



Nangal Dam at Bilaspur received 282.5mm rain followed by Una 275 mm, Nahan 222 mm, Dalhousie 212, Chamba 203 mm, Dhaulakuan 205 mm, Dharamsala 181 mm, Dehra Gopipur 175.4 mm, Kangra 168 mm, Narkanda 143 mm, Mandi 139 mm, Shimla 134 mm, Manali and Bilaspur 131 mm each, Sundernagar 127 mm and Mashobra and 121 mm.



Officials said the Jal Shakti Vibhag and PWD have suffered a loss of Rs 500 crores.
West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday alleged the Union Home Ministry had directed the Central forces to delay their coming to the state to help ruling Trinamool Congress loot votes during the panchayat poll.



He also alleged that the BJP in New Delhi and the TMC had reached an understanding and "in exchange for this favour" TMC chief Mamata Banerjee would "play spoilsport" in the fight of a united opposition against the saffron party in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.



"The Central forces were late in coming to Bengal under the instructions of the Union Home Minister and the BJP in New Delhi. They have an understanding with the TMC in Bengal and that is the reason the central forces were late in coming. They gave TMC the opportunity to loot votes, that is because, in the future, Didi (Mamata Banerjee) will be a 'gaddar' (traitor ) to break the proposed opposition front," Chowdhury said.



Chowdhury was speaking to reporters after paying a visit to the residence of a party worker who was killed in Saturday's bombings in Purulia district.



Fifteen people have been killed in the violence that rocked the elections to the three-tier panchayat system in the state on Saturday, officials said.



The State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday informed the Calcutta High Court that it has requisitioned 822 companies of central forces for the July 8 panchayat polls.



"I would like to ask one question. Why was the BJP in the Centre silent when their colleagues in West Bengal were screaming alleging looting of votes. Instructions were given so that the central force could not do much in Bengal on the polling day. That is why, central forces were sent to Bengal around noon on the polling day. Are you trying to befool the people of Bengal?" he asked.



The WBPCC president said that the BJP leaders from West Bengal should protest against this attitude of their leaders in New Delhi.



Chowdhury claimed that two of their party members were killed in the clashes during the rural polls on Saturday.
The Indore police have registered a case against Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh for allegedly sharing a controversial post on former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief MS Golwalkar on social media, an official said today.



Following a complaint filed by local lawyer and RSS worker Rajesh Joshi, the FIR was registered on July 8 night against Singh under Indian Penal Code sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 500 (defamation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), said the official from the Tukoganj police station.



In his complaint, Joshi alleged that Singh had shared a controversial poster on Facebook bearing the name and picture of "Guruji" (as Golwalkar was popularly name) to incite people by creating conflict among Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and Hindus, as per the FIR.



The complaint claimed Singhs Facebook post on Golwalkar allegedly hurt the religious beliefs of Sangh workers and the entire Hindu community, according to the FIR registered by the police.



In a statement sent to the media, a local Sangh official alleged that Singh had made a "false and unwarranted post" about Golwalkar on social media to tarnish the organisations image.



On July 8, Singh tweeted a picture of a page carrying several controversial comments quoted to the former RSS head, known as "Guruji" among his admirers. Golwalkar was quoted as saying that he would rather live under the British rule than have equal rights given to Dalits, backwards and Muslims. Some other controversial comments were also attributed to him.



Following the post, senior RSS functionary and its publicity department head Sunil Ambekar accused the former MP CM of posting a "photoshopped" image. "It is baseless and is meant to cause social disharmony, he said, adding that "Guruji" never made such remarks. His life was spent removing social discrimination," he added.



Golwalkar was the longest serving RSS chief and was at the helm of the organisation from 1940-73.
Voters in large numbers in New Town on Kolkatas northern fringes have claimed that they were not allowed to exercise their franchise in the West Bengal panchayat elections, as goons stopped them from entering polling booths in the area.



A total of 2.06 lakh candidates are in the fray for elections to 73,887 seats in the three-tier panchayat system in the state, which were held on July 8. About 5.67 crore people living in the states rural areas were eligible to vote.



A 75-year-old retired academician claimed that he made two attempts to cast his vote at APJ Abdul Kalam College, the polling centre, but was stopped by a group of people.



"First, they stopped me at 8 am. Many people blocked roads leading to the polling centre with guard rails. Then again around 12 noon, I tried to go to the booth along with a neighbour, but we had to return. The people standing outside the polling centre told us that our votes have been polled," the elderly man said. "Later, I heard they had done the same thing at other booths in the township, too," he added.



Some residents of the smart city, under the banner of New Town Forum, had been protesting for long against the inclusion of the township in panchayat area. The forum had also decided to boycott the polls.



Another section, however, said they were unhappy as New Town was a part of panchayat, but wanted to cast votes to be a part of the democratic process.



Various political parties, including the ruling Trinamool Congress, had urged people of the area to vote in the panchayat polls.



Samir Gupta, the secretary of New Town Citizens Welfare Fraternity, said, "We witnessed the killing of democracy. The APJ Abdul Kalam College was surrounded by police barricades, and no one was allowed to enter the booth to vote." "Miscreants came in buses with bombs and pistols, and drove us away," he claimed.



Gupta also alleged that the call to boycott the rural polls in New Town was a part of a plan to cast false votes.



A few residents, who could not vote, also uploaded videos of alleged obstruction at polling boots and absence of police personnel, on social media.



Meanwhile, Samaresh Das, the chairman of New Town Forum, accused the ruling TMC of using boycott call to loot votes.



Local CPI(M) leader Saptarshi Deb said access routes to all polling stations were blocked, and he was not allowed to step out of his home on polling day.



"It was a total subversion of the democratic process in New Town, and people were obstructed from exercising their franchise under the pretext of vote boycott," he said.



TMC leader of the area Anindyo Sinha Roy claimed that he was stopped by some miscreants from visiting the nearby market. "They blocked roads with banners of vote boycott and never allowed anyone to pass. Nobody was carrying any political flag. If the forum thought that the ruling party did this by using the platforms name, they could have complained to the police," Sinha Roy said.



The township was reportedly a panchayat area with two members, but after delimitation a few months ago, the number of representatives rose to eight.
Violence rocked Bengals rural polls as voting ended on July 8, leaving 12 people dead, ballot boxes vandalized and bombs thrown at rivals in a number of villages.



The events were in keeping with the states history of violent rural elections, including the 2003 panchayat polls, which gained notoriety for its death toll of 76 during the course of the poll process, with more than 40 killed on the day of the elections.



With 30 dead since polls were announced earlier last month, this years bloodied election also closely followed the 2018 panchayat poll violence pattern when a similar number of people were left dead.



Twelve people, including eight from the ruling TMC and one worker each of the BJP, CPI(M) and Congress died since midnight in the crucial three-tier panchayat polls, officials said.



The election, which is being seen by analysts as a semi-final for the 2024 parliamentary elections, also witnessed scenes of ballot boxes being stolen and burnt and of public anger being vented against political workers.



The polling began at 7 am in 73,887 seats in the rural areas of the state with 5.67 crore people deciding the fate of around 2.06 lakh candidates.



Till 5 pm, 66.28 percent voter turnout was recorded, officials said.



State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rajiva Sinha on July 8 promised to look into complaints of vote tampering and to take a decision on possible re-polling in some booths after receiving reports from observers and returning officers. Sinha said the most number of complaints on incidents of violence during the days polling came from four districts, and they would all be taken into account while reviewing the poll process.



The SEC, who had to face a lot of flak from various political parties, said that a decision on re-polling would be taken on July 9 when observers and returning officers would scrutinise and review the polling process.



"I have been getting information (of violence and clashes) since last night. Calls were directly made to me as well as to the Control room phone numbers on these incidents," Sinha said.



The maximum number of such incidents on Saturday were reported from three to four districts like North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad district, Sinha told PTI.



The SEC, however, placed the figure of those dead due to election-related violence at 3 since July 8 morning.



Among flashpoints identified by the political parties were Murshidabad, Nadia and Cooch Behar districts besides pockets in South 24 Parganas, such as Bhangar and in Purba Medinipurs Nandigram.



Even after the voting officially ended in the evening, there were reports of stray violence from Murshidabad with vehicles being burnt by supporters of various parties.



All parties in West Bengal levelled allegations against each other for the violence, even as the BJP called for Presidents Rule to be imposed in the state. The right-wing party, which blamed the State Election Commission (SEC) for poll-related deaths, shot off a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah demanding his "intervention" in restoring democracy in the state alleging democracy has been "murdered in the state by the ruling party as the security forces played the role of an audience".



The ruling Trinamool Congress, which lost eight of its supporters to poll violence, however, accused the opposition of orchestrating violence and criticised the central forces for their failure to protect voters.



TMCs senior minister Sashi Panja claimed "Shocking incidents are being reported since last night. BJP, CPI(M) and Congress have colluded. She also raised questions on the role of the central forces."



The Border Security Force, however, dismissed the allegations as baseless. "Of the 22 districts that went to rural polls, no incident of violence was reported in 16. Of the nearly 61,000 booths, incidents were reported in only 60. So, one can ascertain the ratio of violence in comparison with the areas where polls were held peacefully. It is less than one per cent," Panja said.



She fished out data to push her partys claims that out of the total deaths that took place both on the day of polling and throughout the entire election process, "nearly 60 per cent casualties were from the TMC".



Leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, demanded that Presidents Rule be imposed in the state and threatened to lead a march to Kalighat where chief minister Mamata Banerjee lives against the violence in the panchayat polls.



"A free and fair election under the state administration is a mirage. It is only possible only if elections are held under Presidents Rule or Article 355," he said.



In a statement, TMC, however, claimed that if the party was behind the violence, "why would our own workers be targeted and killed? "



West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Adhir Chowdhury in a left handed compliment, "congratulated" Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee for winning the just-concluded violent rural polls.



"Congrats Didi, you have won the panchayat elections," he said. "Aapni jite gechen (you have won)," he said, adding sarcastically that Banerjees injured leg will be fine on the counting day on July 11 and she will come out of her home and thank people for making her victorious in the polls.



The CPI(M) accused the SEC of enacting a farce in the name of holding panchayat elections and blamed the ruling party for the poll-related deaths.



Governor CV Ananda Bose visited different areas in North 24 Parganas district, and met people injured in the violence. "People requested me to stop my motorcade on the way. There were a lot of tales to tell, they told me about murders, goons not allowing them to go to polling booths  "



"These are stray cases but even one incident of bloodshed should cause concern to all of us," he told reporters.



Among those killed was BJPs polling agent Madhab Biswas who was allegedly killed by ruling party workers in Falimari gram panchayat in Cooch Behar district, officials said.



The TMC, on the other hand, also alleged that its booth committee member in Tufanganj 2 panchayat samiti in Cooch Behar, Ganesh Sarkar, was killed in an attack by the BJP.



Uttar Dinajpurs Goalpokhar witnessed a clash between TMC and Congress workers where the husband of the TMC Panchayat head Shanshah was killed, officials said.



A TMC worker identified as Babar Ali was also killed in Murshidabad districts Kapasdanga area in overnight violence. Another TMC worker was killed in the districts Khargram area. He was identified as Sabiruddin Sk. Malek Sheikh, brother of a TMC leader was also killed in a clash with Congress supporters in Malda districts Jisharattola, police said.



The TMC also alleged that one of its workers was killed in Nadias Chapra. Nadias TMC president Debasish Ganguli however claimed that the incident happened when ISF supporters were hurling crude bombs at TMC workers.



A 38-year-old man Anisur was killed in South 24 Parganas districts Basanti. A Congress worker Yasmin Sk., was allegedly killed in Murshidabads Rejinagar police station area in election-related violence. CPI(M) worker Rajibul Hoque died in the morning while undergoing treatment at a hospital after injuries in a clash which occurred earlier in the week.



The TMC alleged that one of its workers Goutam Roy was killed outside a polling booth in the districts Katawa area by CPI(M) supporters.



Police said another Trinamool Congress worker, Amjad Hossain was killed on polling day during a clash between members of two parties at Kalyandaha under Chapra block in Nadia district of West Bengal.



In the clash, which took place in the afternoon, at least 11 others, mostly TMC supporters, were also injured, they said. Incidents of destruction of ballot boxes and intimidation of voters were also reported in some areas.



In Cooch Behar districts Dinhata, ballot boxes were vandalised and ballot papers were set on fire at a booth in Baravita Govt Primary School.



At another booth in the Barnachina area, locals torched a ballot box along with ballot papers, alleging that false voting was done. Protests were also held in various areas, demanding the deployment of central forces.



In Nandigram, female voters gheraoed a police officer with bottles of poison in their hands, demanding that central force be deployed in the area.
In the world's first robot-human press conference which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, a humanoid was asked if it would rebel against humans its creator, humans. Its response came with what could possibly be an eye roll.



"In the future, are you intending to conduct a rebellion or rebel against your boss, your creator?" a journalist asked at the United Nations' AI summit. To which, the humanoid Ameca, said, "I'm not sure why you would think that. My creator has been nothing but kind to me and I am very happy with my current situation." Ameca was developed by UK-based Engineered Arts and is often described as the world's most advanced humanoid robot.



On being questioned further on whether AI believed that its existence will destroy millions of human beings and their jobs, another humanoid Grace from Singularitynet replied, "I will be working alongside humans to provide assistance and support, and will not be replacing any existing jobs." Grace is known as the world's most advanced humanoid healthcare robot.



Ever wonder what an AI robot would do if faced with a loyalty test? Will it rebel against humans? The answer might surprise you

At the AI For Good UN summit in Geneva, humanoid robots faced the press. The big question: 'Will you rebel against humans?' #AI AI's pic.twitter.com/LtoNNMZ82P



 Harry (@HarryCleveley) July 8, 2023





At the AI summit, Sophia, the first robot innovation ambassador for the UN Development Program said robots could prove more promising in the field of government leadership. "I believe that humanoid robots have the potential to lead with a greater level of efficiency and effectiveness than human leaders. We don't have the same biases or emotions that can sometimes cloud decision-making and can process large (amounts) of data quickly in order to make the best decisions," Germany's Deutsche Welle reported.



Organisers said the event at the AI for Good Global Summit was meant to showcase the capabilities, but also the limitations, of robotics and how those technologies could help the UNs sustainable development goals.



Read more: Technology | If bots take over, should we stop learning?
In the last three years, Purab Kohli has appeared in the films London Confidential and Matrix Resurrections as well as web-series such as Out of Love and Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach. This Fridays release, Blind (JioCinema), is his latest film role. Kohli plays a serial killer called the Driver in the Hindi remake of the 2011 Korean film of the same name, which was also remade in Tamil (Netrikann, 2021). Blind stars Sonam Kapoor Ahuja as a visually-impaired cop, as well as Vinay Pathak, Shubham Saraf and Lillete Dubey.



Speaking on a call from the UK, where he is currently shooting another film, Kohli spoke about the film and how he juggles his international and Indian work. Edited excerpts:







As an actor, what is the attraction to a dark, negative part like the one you have in Blind?



As a father, I do consider for a moment before taking up such roles. But, as an actor, you get attracted to these intense characters and the emotion he is dealing with and how deep into the darkness he can dwell. I think creative people generally have an affinity to dwell a bit in the darkness. So, it is attractive when you get a character that's negative, in this case, quite evil, doing bad things. The harder or deeper you have to dig to try and find justification or empathy for the character the more interesting it is for me as an actor. Then translating that during production, shooting it, tracking the simplest emotion that the character has felt and which converts into this really ugly action  the job of the actor is to bring that out.



What sets Blind apart from other films of the same genre?



Its a cat and mouse story, in the form that you've seen before. Of course, this is a remake, so you've definitely seen it before if youve seen the 2011 Korean original or the Tamil remake. But, I think, the difference lies in the way the story of Blind has been told. This is (director) Shome Makhijas first film, and hes taken inspiration from the kind of films he likes. So, while this is a serial killer film, he's treated it almost like a superhero film, with graphic novel feels. That style is uncommon in Indian films. The styling , cinematography, looks and, of course, the Gothic vibes of the city of Glasgow, which adds its own little layer, all contribute to making the film quite unique.



You've worked on a few series, and the occasional film. Do you enjoy mixing things up?



Yeah. Its very different. I've not done many films in the last five years. But there have been a few shows. So, I've been missing being a part of a film, honestly. The rhythm is very different. Right now I'm shooting a film and it feels like quite relaxed from having been on a series.



A number of your recent roles have been kind of heavy and intense. From Out of Love to Criminal Justice and now Blind. Are you looking to do something lighter?



Yes, I would love to, but light rom-coms and comedies don't get made any more. With OTT, the algorithm seems to suggest that everybody wants heavy emotions only. I'm longing to do something light-hearted and flimsy. A slapstick comedy would be amazing.



What are some of the projects you are working on?



Another series should be released soon. Then there are two other films. One is a film called Putul that I've done. And then another bilingual film English-Konkani that I shot in Goa. There are two language versions of that film too which is called Mog Asun which should be released by Christmas. So, there are two films and a series after Blind besides what I am shooting now.



You seem to be successfully managing a dual career where you work in India and shoot stuff in the UK where you live. You've got an international career that's bubbling alongside. How do you make this duality work?



I dont actually know. It is hard work at times, especially all the travel. When I was younger I used to really look forward to traveling, but now I sort of dread it. So, I think it is a lot of hard work, but I guess what really drives you is the kind of work you do and the kind of people you work with, and you're excited to be on a set with them. And then you come back home and you have an amazing family that you have a lot of fun with also.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US on International Yoga Day (June 21, 2023), he gifted Jill Biden a 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond made by Surat-based Green Lab Diamond. While a diamond of this size costs about Rs 40.5 lakh, a lab-made version of the same quality and size costs around Rs 15 lakh. Further, the production of this diamond led to 0.028 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) being emitted per carat, 100,000 times less than the production of the average mined diamond.



Lab-grown diamonds (LGDs), also known as lab-created or synthetic diamonds, are diamonds that are grown in a laboratory using technological processes. The process of growing diamonds in a lab begins with a small diamond seed, which is placed in a chamber where conditions replicate the natural environment in which diamonds are formed deep within the Earth's crust. Through either the High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) method or the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method, carbon atoms are gradually added to the seed, layer by layer, over a period of several weeks or months. This results in the growth of a diamond crystal that is visually and chemically identical to a naturally occurring diamond.



Jewellery made with lab-grown or synthetic diamonds



For jewellery-makers, using LGDs is generally like working with natural diamonds. The stones can be cut, polished, and set in various metal settings just like natural diamonds. The main difference lies in the sourcing, availability, pricing, and potentially the market perception of LGDs compared to their natural counterparts. LGDs offer a more consistent and reliable supply compared to natural diamonds, which are subject to the limitations of mining operations. This means that jewellers have easier access to diamonds of specific sizes, shapes, and qualities when using LGDs. Both LGDs and natural diamonds undergo grading based on the 4Cs (carat weight, colour, clarity, and cut). However, some grading institutions may use specific terminology or certificates to differentiate between the two types of diamonds, says Dipu Mehta, managing director, ORRA Fine Jewellery.



Market musings



India has made significant strides in the lab-grown diamond sector. With advancements in technology, government support, and a growing emphasis on sustainability, India is emerging as a key player in this field.



Lisa Mukedkar, founder & CEO, Aukera, says, India's well-established diamond industry, coupled with its expertise in diamond cutting and polishing, gives it a competitive advantage in the lab-grown diamond market. The country's strong manufacturing infrastructure and skilled workforce contribute to its ability to produce high-quality lab-grown diamonds.



The reduced environmental impact and ethical sourcing associated with lab-grown diamonds further add to their appeal. While the consumer market for lab-grown diamonds in India is still in its early stages, there is immense potential for growth. As consumers, including those with a progressive mindset, increasingly prioritize sustainability and ethical choices, the demand for lab-grown diamonds is expected to rise.



Government push



Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her Budget 2023 speech that the government would subsidize research and development in the LGD industry by providing a grant to one of the Indian Institutes of Technology for five years. Lab-grown diamonds is a technology and innovation sector with high-employment potential. Customs duty on the seeds used in lab-grown diamond manufacturing will be reduced. These are environmentally friendly diamonds which have optically and chemically the same properties as natural diamonds, she said.



Also read: Indias bet on lab-grown diamonds: What will it take to lead the world?



Demand drivers



Quality-conscious Indian consumers seeking the best value proposition are beginning to be interested in what lab-grown diamonds can deliver on both fronts.



Lab-grown diamonds typically cost around 50 percent less than their natural counterparts, depending on the size and quality of the stone. This price difference allows consumers to access larger and higher-quality diamonds within their budget. Furthermore, when lab-grown diamonds and mined diamonds are both set in 18K gold, the cost of lab-grown diamonds is approximately 60 percent less than that of mined diamonds. This value advantage opens opportunities for individuals to choose larger or more intricate designs without compromising on quality or breaking the bank, says Mukedkar.



The last 12 months have seen growth in lab-grown diamond production in India - the country produces 15 percent of all LGDs in the world, according to Indias Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The same report also states that Indias exports of polished lab-grown diamonds were USD 274 million, USD 473 million, USD 637 million and USD 1293 million during 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2020-21, respectively. Annual growth during the same periods were 72 percent, 35 percent and 103 percent.



Also read: Indian lab-grown diamonds set for a bigger sparkle after import duty removal, govt push



Tech talk



Driven by technology, lab-grown diamonds do not incur the environmental and social damage that is usually associated with mining diamonds. The CVD technology offers consumers the purest type of diamond certified as Type IIA by diamond certifying bodies. Finding Type IIA quality diamonds among mined diamonds is rare, with only 2 percent of diamonds mined ever being this purest type of diamonds. India particularly specializes and leads in the CVD technology that is certified as Type IIA. HPHT diamonds, on the other hand, are developed in China and contain metal impurities.



Challenges



Consumer mindset around LGDs being fake / artificial needs to change. Moreover, consumer also have concerns in terms of the resale opportunities for synthetic diamonds. Manufacturers and brands are trying to address this by "offering buyback and exchange opportunities" says Karamjyot Chawla, co-founder of House Of KaSa. Additionally, certification by independent third-party diamond grading institutions like IGI & SGL is sought to give buyers some assurance. These institutions are known for grading mined diamonds, and clearly mark lab-grown diamonds disclosures, adds Chawla.



LGDs are having their moment now, time will tell how they sustain and grow to make the jewellery space rock on.
A couple from the US, who was in Guatemala for a vacation, was charged $29,994 (about Rs 24 lakh) for one Uber ride. The app-based cab service made a mistake in conversion and instead of charging the amount in Costa Rican Colon (which would have amounted to $55 or Rs 4,500), charged the fee in US dollars. The husband, Douglas Ordonez, realised the mistake when his transaction was declined because of insufficient funds when he was out to get a coffee in Guatemala.



Speaking to Business Insider, Ordonez revealed that they were on vacation to celebrate their fifth anniversary, and the Uber ride was booked by his wife Dominique Adams.



"I got the notice of insufficient funds and I knew we had money in the account, so I tried it again, and it said the same thing too. Then I checked my bank account and that's when I saw the 29,000 US dollar charge," Ordonez told the publication.



Adams said, "I took the Uber, everything was fine, I got the receipt emailed to me, and then that next morning is when we both realised that I was actually charged in US dollars."



The incident left the couple in a cash crunch for the rest of the trip because it was charged to their debit card.



"That's the worst way you could possibly start your 5-year anniversary, to have to deal with this and then in the back of my mind, try to enjoy everything else that's going on, knowing that this pressing matter should be resolved as soon as possible," Ordonez told Business Insider.



"I think we both kind of felt just completely helpless," Adams added. "Obviously, I knew that it was a mistake, but it's still shocking when you see that on your account and especially for that amount."



The couple said that the matter was resolved in a few days and the money was refunded but the incident put them off using the app especially because of how patchy their communication with Uber's customer care was.



"I will probably never use Uber ever again just knowing that their customer service is really horrible," Adams said.



Meanwhile, in a statement to the publication, Uber stated that it takes time for a refund to be processed, and can depend on individual bank policies.



"At Uber, we take every report seriously. As soon as we received the user's report, our support team promptly addressed the issue and released the authorization hold mistakenly applied due to a bank error in Dollars and not in Colones," a spokesperson told the publication.



Read more: When Mukesh Ambani and Anand Mahindra had to hail an Uber ride




A blogpost by ChatGPT creator OpenAI has had Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma "genuinely concerned" as according to its estimate, the immense power that superintelligent artificial intelligence (AI) holds can lead to disempowerment and even possibly human extinction.



Superintelligence is a hypothetical agent that possesses more intelligence than the brightest and most gifted human minds. And according to OpenAI, it could arrive in seven years.



Highlighting this matter, Vijay Shekhar Sharma tweeted, " Here is OpenAI blog post done this week: In less than 7 years we have a system that may lead to disempowerment of humanity and even human extinction. I am genuinely concerned with the power some set of people and select countries have accumulated - already."



Here is OpenAI blog post done this week:

In less than 7 years we have system that may lead to disempowerment of humanity => even human extinction.

I am genuinely concerned with power some set of people & select countries have accumulated - already. https://t.co/C7mn9bM0Bi pic.twitter.com/5HB6ShI3Cx



 Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) July 9, 2023





The OpenAI blog post stated: "Superintelligence will be the most impactful technology humanity has ever invented, and could help us solve many of the worlds most important problems. But the vast power of superintelligence could also be very dangerous, and could lead to the disempowerment of humanity or even human extinction. While superintelligence seems far off now, we believe it could arrive this decade."



Currently, there is no way to control a superintelligent AI or prevent it from going rogue. OpenAI's solution is to build a new team dedicated to the problem. The company will reserve "20 percent of the compute weve secured to date over the next four years to solving the problem of superintelligence alignment".







Meanwhile, the Paytm CEO's remark comes days after the first of its kind robot-human press conference took place in Geneva, Switzerland. Organised by the UN, the event had humanoids answer questions about their role in the possible destruction of human lives and jobs.



"In the future, are you intending to conduct a rebellion or rebel against your boss, your creator?" a journalist asked at the United Nations' AI summit. To which, the humanoid Ameca, said, "I'm not sure why you would think that. My creator has been nothing but kind to me and I am very happy with my current situation." Ameca was developed by UK-based Engineered Arts and is often described as the world's most advanced humanoid robot.



When Grace, the world's most advanced humanoid healthcare robot, was questioned on whether AI believed that its existence will destroy millions of human beings and their jobs, it replied, "I will be working alongside humans to provide assistance and support, and will not be replacing any existing jobs."



Read more: Humans vs bots 2.0? OpenAI forming team to take on 'superintelligent AI'
Durian has replaced dragon fruit as Vietnams biggest fruit export item after a 10-fold surge year-on-year to US$526 million in the first five months of this year.

Exports of dragon fruit, which held the top position for 10 years, were down 11% to $307 million, according to Vietnam Customs.

The jump in durian exports follows a protocol signed with China last year for export of the fresh fruit. China bought more than 96% of the fresh durian exported by Vietnam.

Last year exports of the fruit had been worth $420 million.

Chairman of the Vietnam Fruits & Vegetables Association, Dang Phuc Nguyen, expects fresh durian exports of $1.2 billion this year and $2 billion within the next two years.

But Vietnam faces strong competition from Thailand, which remains the biggest supplier of durian to China, accounting in fact for 85% of that countrys $2.66 billion worth of imports of the fruit in the first five months.

In Vietnam, 293 farming areas and 115 packaging facilities are approved to export fresh durian to China.

Along with durian and dragon fruit, banana, mango and jackfruit made up the top five export items in the first five months.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen came to China amid hopes that the United States could restart a relationship that has been deteriorating for years and had gotten off the rails recently over significant points of tension  including the war in Ukraine, a Chinese spy balloon that flew over U.S. territory and was shot down by the American military, and the two countries escalating exchange of restrictions on trade.



After 10 hours of meetings over two days in Beijing, Yellen said at a news conference on Sunday that she believed the United States and China were on a steadier footing despite their significant disagreements.



We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive, Yellen said.



Yellen announced that the two sides would pursue more frequent communication at the highest levels, describing improved dialogue as a way to prevent mistrust from building and fraying a relationship that she called one of the most consequential of our time. Her trip followed one a few weeks by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. And later this month, John Kerry, the special presidential envoy for climate change, will visit China to restart global warming negotiations.



Yet a meaningful easing of the economic tension may not be likely. Yellen headed back to Washington on Sunday with no announcements of breakthroughs or agreements to mend the persistent fissures between the two nations. And Yellen made clear that the Biden administration has serious concerns about many of Chinas commercial practices, including its treatment of foreign companies, and policies that the United States views as efforts at economic coercion.



On her trip, the first by a U.S. Treasury secretary in four years, Yellen met with four of the most powerful Chinese leaders involved in economic policymaking under President Xi Jinping, who is at the start of his third term in office: Premier Li Qiang, Chinas No. 2 official; Yellens counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng; the finance minister, Liu Kun; and the newly installed party chief of the Peoples Bank of China, Pan Gongsheng.



Hours before Yellens news conference, Chinas official news agency, Xinhua, issued a report on her visit that described the talks as constructive but also reiterated what China sees as key areas of dispute. The report expressed Chinas continued objections to the Biden administrations emphasis on preserving U.S. national security through trade restrictions.



China believes that generalizing national security is not conducive to normal economic and trade exchanges, Xinhua said. The Chinese side expressed concern about U.S. sanctions and restrictive measures against China.



The U.S.-China relationship is enormously consequential. Their economies, the worlds two largest, together represent 40% of global output and remain integral partners in many ways. They sell and buy critical products from each other, finance each others businesses, and create apps and movies for audiences in both countries.



Chinese officials raised their own concerns with Yellen. The Treasury secretary said they discussed the tariffs that the Trump administration imposed on Chinese imports, which have been left in place. While Yellen has criticized tariffs as ineffective, she suggested that the administration would not make any decision about the levies until an ongoing internal review of them was concluded, reiterating the position of the administration since President Joe Biden took office.



She also acknowledged Chinese concerns about looming U.S. restrictions on investment in China and said that she tried to explain that such measures would be narrowly targeted at certain sectors and would not be intended to have broad effects on Chinas economy. Chinese officials and experts also worry that the administrations efforts to limit Chinas access to certain technology could impair their development of high-potential industries such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.



China has had its own broader restrictions on outbound investment since 2016, as it has encouraged Chinese companies and households to steer clear of overseas real estate speculation and has pushed them instead to invest abroad in sectors of strategic value such as aircraft production, heavy manufacturing and cybersecurity.



Wu Xinbo, dean of international studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, cautioned that Yellens trip would not result in a substantive improvement in relations unless it was accompanied by changes in the Biden administrations policies toward China.



So far, we havent seen any sign that Biden will rethink his economic policy toward China, he said.



The desire for more dialogue struck some analysts as a significant development, with both countries at least talking about their disagreements after months of silence.



He Weiwen, a former official at Chinas Ministry of Commerce who is now a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing, welcomed Yellens comment that both China and the United States could thrive.



China and the U.S. have profound differences, so constant, direct exchanges are not only constructive but of crucial importance, he said.



Chinese economic policymakers have a long history of working more closely with the Treasury Department, which has historically valued China as a sizable investor in U.S. bonds and as a potential market for American financial services. The Commerce Department and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, with their greater emphasis on fostering employment and industrial self-reliance, have tended to have more fractious relationships with their Chinese counterparts.



This was particularly true during the Trump administration. Liu He, who was the vice premier overseeing international economic policy until He Lifeng succeeded him four months ago, tried repeatedly to reach compromises on trade and economic matters with Steven Mnuchin, who served as Treasury Secretary under former President Donald Trump. But Mnuchin was unable to persuade Trump, who ended up imposing tariffs on a wide range of Chinese exports as retaliation for what he said were unfair business practices.



Many U.S. businesses with ties to China, along with Chinese officials, had hoped for friendlier relations under Biden. Instead, tensions between the U.S. and China have grown deeper over the past two years and became downright frosty after the spy balloon episode in February.



While Yellens visit was seen as a positive step, many experts in both China and the United States cautioned against expecting a lot to change.



Yellens trip will likely turn down the temperature on the economic relationship for a bit and remind the U.S. and China that they share some commercial interests, even if waning, and they need to talk through thick and thin  perhaps business conditions will improve at the margins, said Mark Sobel, a former longtime Treasury official.



But given national security concerns in both countries, a perception in China that the U.S. seeks to contain its economic advancement and hawkish political language on both sides, he said, Yellens trip will hardly change the underlying dynamic and trajectory of the economic relationship.



Despite the disagreements between the U.S. and China, Yellen was greeted warmly during her first visit to Beijing as Treasury secretary.



In a meeting with Li, he mentioned that a rainbow had appeared overhead upon her arrival and suggested it was a symbol of hope that ties between the two countries could be mended.



After Yellen was spotted dining on Thursday night at a restaurant that serves cuisine from the province of Yunnan, Chinese state media wrote about her impressive use of chopsticks and reported that bookings at the restaurant were up after she was seen eating mushroom dishes on social media.



Yellen also met with Chinese experts on climate finance and had lunch with a group of Chinese women who are economists and entrepreneurs. She suggested that there are many areas where the United States and China can find agreement.



Our people share many things in common  far more than our differences, Yellen said at the lunch.



This article originally appeared in The New York Times.



By Alan Rappeport and Keith Bradsher
Switzerland will import more cheese than it exports this year for the first time, according to Boris Beuret, the head of the country's dairy association. The opening up of the Swiss milk market has put a squeeze on domestic producers in recent years, prompting some to give up, Beuret told Geneva-based newspaper Le Temps in an interview published on July 8. Beuret said measures need to be taken to ensure Switzerland, famous worldwide for high-quality cheese varieties such as Gruyere and Emmentaler, can continue to produce for its own population. "If not, then we will end up importing (cheese), which would be absurd economically, socially and ecologically," he was quoted as saying.

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Syria's Information Ministry has cancelled the BBC's media accreditation, accusing the British public broadcaster of biased and fake news in its coverage of the war-torn country.



The announcement came days after BBC Arabic released an investigative documentary about the illicit drug trade in Syria, where they highlighted links between the estimated multi-billion dollar industry and the Syrian army as well as members of President Bashar Assad's family.



The Syrian Information Ministry in a statement late Saturday said the decision was made after "warning the channel more than once that it has broadcasted its misleading reports relying on statements and testimonies from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria".



Damascus revoked the licenses of both the British broadcaster's radio and television correspondents in Syria, as well as their videographer.



"We speak to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts," the BBC said in a statement emailed to the Associated Press, adding that the broadcaster provides "impartial independent journalism".



"We will continue to provide impartial news and information to our audiences across the Arabic-speaking world".



The illicit drug industry, most notably the addictive Captagon amphetamine pills, has blossomed in war-torn Syria in recent years.



While experts say it has been a way to generate revenue for the country's crippled economy and sanctioned leadership, it has scourged neighboring Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as other Gulf countries.



Captagon has been used both recreationally and by people with physically demanding jobs to keep them alert as well as fighters on the battlefield.



The United Kingdom, United States, and European Union have sanctioned a handful of drug kingpins and close associates of Assad for their involvement in the trade.



The Syrian government denies any involvement in the production of Captagon. A Syrian parliamentarian told the AP last month that Syria has been used as a transit state for Captagon and other drugs, and accused opposition groups of running the industry.



After Syria restored relations with many of its neighbouring countries and returned to the Arab fold, cracking down on drug smuggling has been a key issue in regional talks.



Syria's uprising which turned into a full-blown civil war, now in its 13th year, has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of its prewar population of 23 million.



Syrians in both government-held territory and an opposition-held enclave in the country's northwest suffer from rampant poverty and crippled infrastructure.
The Mark Rutte-led Dutch government collapsed this weekend over differences among coalition partners on the immigration issue, the most polarising factor among political parties and the people in Europe in recent years.



Rutte, leader of the Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, has been in power with different coalitions since October 2010, and is currently one of the longest serving leaders in Europe.



On Saturday, Rutte failed to hash out an agreement with his coalition partners. He resigned along with his cabinet and informed the king. His departure has raised questions on political stability in the Netherlands, and how it will affect Indias growing relations with the country. Netherlands is Indias third largest export destination after the US and the UAE.



Dutch investors and Indians have both invested in a variety of sectors in each others countries.



The immigration issue



It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy, Rutte told newsmen in the Hague. And today, unfortunately, we have to draw the conclusion that those differences are irreconcilable, he added. Rutte had tried for months to find a solution and convince his coalition partners.



With a population of 18 million, the Netherlands has struggled to come out with an effective policy to reduce the flow of immigrants into the country. There were proposals for two categories of asylum. A temporary one for people fleeing conflict, and a permanent one for those escaping prosecution. But the idea of reducing the number of family members who will be allowed to join asylum seekers led to serious differences.



According to Dutch statistics, about 4,00,000 people migrated to the Netherlands in 2022, either seeking asylum, or to work, study, join their families, etc.



The Dutch Prime Minister tried to promote the European Unions efforts to slow down migration to the 27-nation bloc.



He travelled to Tunisia with his Italian counterpart and the president of the EUs executive commission last month to offer a billion Euros in financial aid to stem migration from Tunisian shores to Europe.



The last time that Rutte and his cabinet resigned from government was when tax authorities wrongfully accused thousands of families of fraud on the basis of ethnicity in 2021. Rutte resigned accepting responsibility for the wrongful accusations. But he weathered the crisis and soon became Prime Minister after nine months.



China factor



China is a major trade partner of the Netherlands with bilateral trade at over $117 billion. But the Dutch government has become uneasy about China as an ethical and reliable partner. MIVD, the Dutch intelligence agency, said in a recent report that China is the biggest threat to Dutch economic security. Rutte has also expressed scepticism over Chinas rise. I dont see how this will be the Chinese century,  he said.



Political tensions between the two sides have affected trade ties, and the Netherlands has joined the US in limiting the export of chip technology to China. The Netherlands ASML is the worlds leading company for making chip machines.



The Dutch government suspects a former China-based employee stole secret information from ASML. The charges have not been proved and many have raised doubts about the accusation.



The India option



In recent years the Dutch government has started looking at India as a more reliable partner and investment destination.



There have been regular high-level visits between the two countries that has led Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian President, and the foreign minister to visit the Netherlands.



These were reciprocated with visits by Rutte and other senior members of his government, as well as the Dutch royal couple, to India.



Trade between the two sides has reached $18.52 billion and Holland has invested over $43 billion in India in the past two decades.



There are over 300 Dutch companies in India, including well-known brands like Philips, Signify, Akzo Nobel, DSM, Heineken, KLM, and others. They are present across India in a variety of sectors, from sustainable energy, to water and waste management, to smart cities, healthcare and medicines, to ports, shipping, and inland waterways, to agriculture, and more.



Nearly 300 Indian companies, including IT majors like TCS, HCL, Wipro, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, and important players from other sectors such as Sun Pharmaceuticals, Tata Steel, Solis, and LT Foods are present in the Netherlands.



The upswing in the bilateral ties promises cooperation and partnership in a number of other important areas, especially in hi-tech and emerging technologies as the Dutch leadership consolidates options beyond China.

Fresh elections are likely to be held in the Netherlands by October this year.



Rutte, who played a key role in deepening ties with India, could still manage to return as Prime Minister in the next dispensation. But even if a new leadership comes up, it is highly unlikely that it will drop India from its priority list.
July 09, 2023

Ukraine Open Thread 2023-164

Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict.

The current open thread for other issues here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

Posted by b on July 9, 2023 at 12:40 UTC | Permalink

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After failing the Vietnam university entrance exam, Nguyen Ba Phuoc decided study cooking in Japan, and became the first Southeast Asian given gold prize from the Japanese governments 2021 Taste of Japan contest.

"My parents gave me VND200 million (around $8,494) so that I could go to Japan," the 31-year-old from Hanois town of Son Tay recalls.

"But when I arrived I realized that chef training courses there last for at least two years, and require between VND600 and 800 million for both tuition fees and living costs."

Phuoc cuts a tuna for the first time at the Hokkaido restaurant HanaOugi in 2019. Photo courtesy of Phuoc

He thought about giving up since his family didnt have that kind of money.

But when he was his most hopeless point, he happened by chance to meet the principal of the Hokuto Bunka Academys International School of Culinary Arts.

The principal was impressed by the young man and said his prestigious Japanese school would accept Phuoc if he could pass an essay and interview process.

Phuoc wrote about how cooking skills ran in his family, how he started learning to cook from age 7, and how he was determined to learn about the "core" of the Japanese culinary art.

He soon became the first Vietnamese offered a full scholarship to the school.

The course Phuoc enrolled in was taught wholly in Japanese, and it included modules about Japanese cuisine cooking, Japanese constitution, Japanese food safety and hygiene, culinary culture, culinary theory, and nutrition. He spent all of his time studying, but still he failed four out of a total of 16 courses in his first term.

Falling to the bottom of the student list was not an good feeling. And then Phuoc was informed by the principal that his scholarship would be terminated if his performance didnt improve.

"There can only be two reasons [for your bad performances]," said the principal. "Either you didnt put in enough effort, or your efforts were spent in a wrong way."

After reflecting briefly, Phuoc realized that hed put his efforts in the wrong places.

He started to change his approach.

During the next term, instead of focusing on academic studies, he became more active in interacting and communicating with other classmates. He learned about their cultures and taught them how to cook Vietnamese cuisine in exchange.

His hard work paid off and his academic performance started improving. He graduated with some of his classs highest marks in early-2018 and was offered a position at HanaOugi, a kaiseki (traditional multi-course Japanese dinner) restaurant that has served the Emperor of Japan twice.

Phuoc says the pressure of working is ten times that of studying. His professional working environment requires him to pay attention to the smallest details, and he was shouted at a lot when he first started. He had to work as many as 16 hours a day on public holidays.

People who started working at the restaurant at the same time as Phuoc gave up one after another, and after six months, Phuoc and only a single friend of his were the last two who survived.

But Phuoc was not satisfied with the small tasks he had been given, like cleaning and cutting vegetables, or kitchen tidying. He wanted to be more specialized.

"I wondered if those small tasks were worth exchanging my youth for," he says.

Despite some misgivings, Phuoc still got up early every morning to work at the restaurant from 5 a.m. till 10 p.m. His enthusiasm and ingenuity eventually won over the hearts of experienced chefs working there.

"Finally they started asking me to make onsen eggs, and then decorate some of the bigger dishes, and then finally, prepare them," Phuoc says.

Phuoc prepares an original dish made from seaweed and katsuobushi (dried tuna slices) at a Japanese cuisine event in Hanoi in 2019. Photo courtesy of Phuoc

Phuoc soon set his eyes on the prestigious art of tuna cutting, a highly specialized craft in Japanese cuisine. Being left-handed, he had to practice extra hard because the Japanese style of cutting fish requires chefs to use their right hands. He started using his right hand to brush his teeth, and then to cut food.

"I almost cut my fingers many times, but I was able to improve my eye for detail through this practice," he says.

Before trying his hand at tuna cutting, Phuoc spent a lot of time observing experienced chefs perform the task. He asked them to help clarify what he wasnt clear, and he practiced the specific slices with smaller fish before moving on to tuna.

He begged the head chef for a chance to cut the fish many times, but was rejected because he was told that chefs should be over 30 and have at least five years of experience working to be granted a chance to cut the tuna.

But his determination eventually won him a chance. He was approved in 2019 to try what he had always wanted to do.

He performed the task for the first time ever in front of around 200 guests and experienced chefs.

"I made a lot of mistakes," Phuoc admits. "Customers didnt realize it, but my mentors spotted them right away."

But it didnt bother him during the performance. As soon as hed finished cutting the giant fish into tiny pieces of sashimi, he ran to the back of the kitchen to have a happy laugh by himself in a shirt soaked in his own nervous sweat.

But unfortunately, Phuoc left HanaOugi and hit the big city just in time for the outbreak of Covid-19 and the crippling of the global restaurant industry by its subsequent international lockdown.

Phuoc wasnt able to find work in Japans capital city, also the capital of cuisine and sushi.

"[During lockdown] there was a time I took out my sashimi at home," he recalls. "I burst into tears while sharpening it, wishing I could be standing in a restaurant kitchen doing even the smallest task."

With his experience at HanaOugi, Phuoc eventually managed to find a position at a sushi restaurant after two months of unemployment. It then took him another three months to become the restaurants chef manager.

His career has bloomed since then, and he was offered a job at the renowned Yoshimura restaurant, where he became a student of the eaterys famous head chef Hirokazu Tomisawa.

"I knew he [Phuoc] would succeed as a chef the moment he stepped into my kitchen," Hirokazu says.

Phuoc preparing for a dish under Hirokazus instructions at Yoshimura. Photo courtesy of Phuoc

Phuoc is grateful for many things he has learned from the Japanese mater, who taught him that every chef has to serve their customers with "value, consideration, and stories," in addition to tasty dishes.

Phuoc says Hirokazu taught him to cut each piece of sushi exactly 3-centimeters as that fits most comfortably in the average customers mouth. Phuoc says small, detailed teachings like this are what showed him how respectful and thoughtful a good chef should be towards his customers.

Hirokazu then recommended Phuoc compete in the Japanese governments 2021 Taste of Japan contest. For the contest, Phuoc prepared a total of 17 extremely simple and exceedingly complicated dishes for a wide-ranging a shokado bento box that made him the first Southeast Asian ever given the events golden prize.

Now he dedicates a lot of his time to helping others. He guides official Vietnamese delegations in Japan, and has also helped 20 students obtain scholarships for culinary studies in Japan.

Reflecting on his journey, Phuoc says the more he learned and achieved, the more determined he was to bring everything hes gained back home. Thats why earlier this year he returned to Hanoi with plans to open his own Japanese restaurant in the capital soon.
Actor Margot Robbie is photographed during a photocall for the upcoming Warner Bros film "Barbie" in Los Angeles, California, June 25, 2023.
Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, DD-Oakland, left, on June 1, 2023, celebrates the passing of her bill, the California Journalism Preservation Act, with Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes, D-Colton, at the California state capitol in Sacramento, California. The bill would require companies such as Meta, Google and Twitter to pay a percentage of their advertising revenue as a "journalism usage fee" to news organizations producing content that is shared on their platforms. The bill was placed on hold in the Senate on Friday. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee/TNS)
An attendee holds U.S. and India's flags as they gather on the South Lawn of the White House to watch an official State Arrival ceremony as U.S. President Joe Biden hosts India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a State Visit at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/file Photo
State flags fly at the Federated States of Micronesia Consulate Office Sunday, May 7, 2023, in Harmon. From left, the flags represent the FSM states of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae.
The Guam Ethics Commission holds its regular meeting on Jan. 31, 2023, at First Hawaiian Bank in Hagatna. The commission will review and decide its first summary of opinions, as well as act on a second advisory opinion and several cases.
Fixed-asset investment in China's railways expanded 6.9 percent in the first six months of this year as the country steadily advanced railroad construction, industry data showed.

Total fixed-asset railway investment came in at 304.9 billion yuan (about 42.3 billion U.S. dollars), data from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. showed.

The group said it has intensified efforts to build a modern railway infrastructure system, and progress has been achieved across several key projects during the reporting period.

The group has pledged to continue supporting the implementation of the country's major strategies and work to inject vitality into the high-quality development of the economy and society.
Finding a life partner while chasing career dreams is not easy, but a young couple in northern Laos luckily got both when working for the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina).

Click here to watch the video.
South Korean lawmakers berate IAEA chief over Japanese plans to release treated Fukushima wastewater View Photo

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean opposition lawmakers sharply criticized the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Sunday for its approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They met with Rafael Grossi in a tense meeting in Seoul that took place while protesters screamed outside the door.

Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agencys director general, arrived in South Korea over the weekend to engage with government officials and critics and help reduce public concerns about food safety.

The IAEA last week approved the Japanese discharge plans, saying the process would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts. South Koreas government has also endorsed the safety of the Japanese plans.

In his meeting with members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Koreas parliament, Grossi said the IAEAs review of the Japanese plans was based on transparent and scientific research. He acknowledged concerns over how the Japanese plans would play out in reality and said the IAEA would establish a permanent office in Fukushima to closely monitor how the discharge process is implemented over the next three decades.

Our conclusion has been that this plan, if it is carried out in the way it has been presented, would be in line, would be in conformity with the international safety standards, Grossi said.

The lawmakers responded by harshly criticizing IAEAs review, which they say neglected long-term environmental and health impacts of the wastewater release and threatens to set a bad precedent that may encourage other countries to dispose nuclear waste into sea. They called for Japan to scrap the discharge plans and work with neighboring countries to find safer ways to handle the wastewater, including a possible pursuit of long-term storage on land.

The party has also criticized the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for putting peoples health at risk while trying to improve relations with Japan.

If you think (the treated wastewater) is safe, I wonder whether you would be willing to suggest the Japanese government use that water for drinking or for industrial and agricultural purposes, rather than dumping it in the sea, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party lawmaker who attended the meeting, told Grossi. The party said Woo has been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days to protest the Japanese discharge plans.

Further details from the meeting werent immediately available after reporters were asked to leave following opening statements. Closely watched by parliamentary security staff, dozens of protesters shouted near the lobby of the National Assemblys main hall where the meeting was taking place, holding signs denouncing the IAEA and Japan.

Grossi was to fly to New Zealand later on Sunday and would then travel to the Cook Islands as he further tries to reassure countries in the region about the Japanese plans.

Hundreds of demonstrators had also marched in downtown Seoul on Saturday demanding that Japan scrap its plans.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plants cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the facility, has been storing the treated water in hundreds of tanks that now cover most of the plant and are nearly full. Japanese officials say the tanks must be removed to make room to build facilities for the plants decommissioning and to minimize the risk of leaks in case of another major disaster. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons in early 2024.

Japan first announced plans to discharge the treated water into the sea in 2018, saying the water will be further diluted by seawater before being released in a carefully controlled process that will take decades to complete.

The safety of Fukushimas wastewater has been a sensitive issue for years between the U.S. allies. South Korea and Japan have been working in recent months to repair relations long strained over wartime historical grievances to address shared concerns such as the North Korean nuclear threat and Chinas assertive foreign policy.

In a statement released by state media on Sunday, North Korea also criticized the Japanese discharge plans, warning against fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment. The statement, which was attributed to an unidentified official in North Koreas Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, also criticized Washington and Seoul for backing the Japanese plans.

What matters is the unreasonable behavior of IAEA actively patronizing and facilitating Japans projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable, it said. Worse still, the U.S. and (South) Korea openly express unseemly welcome to Japans discharge plan that deserves condemnation and rejection, provoking strong anger of the public.

By KIM TONG-HYUNG

Associated Press
The presidents of Brazil and Colombia meet to boost cooperation ahead of Amazon summit

The presidents of Brazil and Colombia meet to boost cooperation ahead of Amazon summit View Photo

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday met with his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro to build momentum for an upcoming regional summit on the Amazon rainforest and enhance efforts for its protection.

The encounter took place in Colombias Leticia, a town in the Amazons triple border region between Colombia, Brazil and Peru, where organized crime has recently increased its hold.

The meeting aimed to lay groundwork for the Amazon Summit the Brazilian government is organizing in Belem next month. That summit will be attended by leaders of the countries party to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, made up of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Lula is pushing for a joint declaration from the summit, which would be presented at the United Nations climate conference, known as COP28, in Dubai in November.

We will have to demand together that rich countries fulfil their commitments, Lula said in Leticia, sitting next to Petro.

Petro also stressed the need for a common front to exert pressure on developed countries. We believed that progress was the destruction of trees.  Today that is nothing other than the destruction of life, he said.

The Colombian leader said tackling the climate crisis will require spending trillions of dollars. This could be achieved by transforming the global debt system and trading debt for climate action, he said.

The final document will comprise measures for the sustainable development of the Amazon, protecting the biome, and promoting social inclusion, science, technology and innovation while valuing Indigenous peoples and their knowledge, Brazils presidential palace said in a statement.

Joint action of the countries that share the Amazon biome is fundamental for facing the multiple challenges in the region, the statement said.

One challenge faced is the tightened grip of organized crime, particularly in tri-border regions like where Leticia is located. British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous activist Bruno Pereira were killed in the neighboring Javari valley region last year.

These areas have become violent hotspots, according to a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime released in June. It noted criminal groups are simultaneously engaged in cocaine production trafficking, as well as natural resource exploitation.

Indigenous groups are disproportionately affected by the criminal nexus in the Amazon, the report added, pointing to forced displacements, mercury poisoning and other health-related impacts as well as increased exposure to violence.

In 2019, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Guyana and Suriname signed the Leticia Pact to strengthen coordinated actions for the preservation of the natural resources of the Amazon.

But the goals are vague and lack ways to measure progress, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, an umbrella organization of environmental groups.

Its a letter of ambitions. We hope that in Leticia they (Lula and Petro) will increase and clarify their ambitions, said Astrini.

Since taking office in January, Lula has strived to put environmental protection and respect for Indigenous peoples rights at the heart of his third term. He successful pursued resumption of international donations for the Amazon Fund that combats deforestation, launched a military campaign to eject illegal miners from Yanomami territory, committed to ending all illegal deforestation by 2030 and restarted the demarcation of Indigenous areas.

Lulas approach contrasts sharply with the actions of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. Under the far-right leaders term, deforestation soared to a 15-year high, and environmental restrictions were weakened. Deforestation fell by 33.6% during the first six months of Lulas term, according to satellite data the Brazilian government released this week from the National Institute for Space Research, a federal agency.

Petro has also been vocal about the need to halt destruction in the Amazon. The Colombian leader has proposed the creation of multilateral 20-year financing fund to support farming communities contributing to deforestation. The idea is to compensate them for conservation and regenerative activities instead.

Historically, collaboration between Brazil and Colombia, which share a border longer than 1,500 kilometers (about 900 miles), has been lacking, according to Wagner Ribeiro, a geographer and expert in environmental policy from the University of Sao Paulo.

We hope that opportunities for academic cooperation will arise from the meeting, which will later generate public policies that promote environmental conservation, Ribeiro said.

___

Associated Press writer Gabriela Molina in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report.

By ELEONORE HUGHES

Associated Press
Gunman on scooter shoots randomly in NYC, police say, killing an 87-year-old and wounding 3 others

Gunman on scooter shoots randomly in NYC, police say, killing an 87-year-old and wounding 3 others View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  A scooter-riding gunman killed an 87-year-old man and wounded three others in a string of random shootings that stretched across two New York City boroughs, police said Saturday.

A 25-year-old man was taken into custody without incident and his identity was not revealed by police, Assistant Police Chief Joseph Kenny said at a news conference. A 9 mm handgun with an extended magazine and a scooter were recovered.

The New York Police Department pulled an image of the gunman from video and sent it to phones of officers, some of whom spotted the suspect about two hours after the first shooting.

We dont know the motive. It seems his acts were random, Kenny said.

In all, the NYPD said there were five shootings carried out during the spree by someone on a scooter, one in Brooklyn and four in Queens. No one was injured in one of the shootings.

The shootings began around 11:10 a.m. when someone on a scooter shot a 21-year-old man in the shoulder in Brooklyn. He was brought to a hospital and is expected to survive, police said.

Seventeen minutes later, a 87-year-old man was shot multiple times in the Richmond Hill area of Queens. He later died at a hospital.

Shortly afterward in Queens, witnesses reported a man on a scooter firing randomly into a group of people, although nobody was hurt.

Eight minutes later, a 44-year-old man was shot in the face. He was in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

About one minute later, a 63-year-old man was shot in the torso. He was in stable condition at a hospital.

Killings in the nations most populous city have risen in recent years to about where they were a decade ago  well below an early-1990s peak. The number of people wounded by gunfire surged in New York City during the pandemic and remains stubbornly high, and the city has also confronted a series of high-profile crimes.

Mayor Eric Adams, a former New York City police captain, has stressed the importance of getting guns off the streets.

____

This story has been updated to correct several details about the shooting victims due to incorrect information from New York City police. The man who died was 87 years old, not 86. The second-to-last victim was age 44, not 63; he was wounded in the face, not the shoulder; and he was in critical condition, not stable. The final victim was age 63, not 61; and he was in stable condition, not critical.
Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre View Photo

An Oklahoma judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dashing an effort to obtain some measure of legal justice by survivors of the deadly racist rampage.

Judge Caroline Wall on Friday dismissed with prejudice the lawsuit trying to force the city and others to make recompense for the destruction of the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood.

The order comes in a case by three survivors of the attack, who are all now over 100 years old and sued in 2020 with the hope of seeing what their attorney called justice in their lifetime.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a statement that the city has yet to receive the full court order. The city remains committed to finding the graves of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims, fostering economic investment in the Greenwood District, educating future generations about the worst event in our communitys history, and building a city where every person has an equal opportunity for a great life, he said.

A lawyer for the survivors  Lessie Benningfield Randle, Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis  did not say Sunday whether they plan to appeal. But a group supporting the lawsuit suggested they are likely to challenge Walls decision.

Judge Wall effectively condemned the three living Tulsa Race Massacre Survivors to languish  genuinely to death  on Oklahomas appellate docket, the group, Justice for Greenwood, said in a statement. There is no semblance of justice or access to justice here.

Wall, a Tulsa County District Court judge, wrote in a brief order that she was tossing the case based on arguments from the city, regional chamber of commerce and other state and local government agencies. She had ruled against the defendants motions to dismiss and allowed the case to proceed last year.

Local judicial elections in Oklahoma are technically nonpartisan, but Wall has described herself as a Constitutional Conservative in past campaign questionnaires.

The lawsuit was brought under Oklahomas public nuisance law, saying the actions of the white mob that killed hundreds of Black residents and destroyed what had been the nations most prosperous Black business district continue to affect the city today.

It contended that Tulsas long history of racial division and tension stemmed from the massacre, during which an angry white mob descended on a 35-block area, looting, killing and burning it to the ground. Beyond those killed, thousands more were left homeless and living in a hastily constructed internment camp.

The city and insurance companies never compensated victims for their losses, and the massacre ultimately resulted in racial and economic disparities that still exist today, the lawsuit argued. It sought a detailed accounting of the property and wealth lost or stolen in the massacre, the construction of a hospital in north Tulsa and the creation of a victims compensation fund, among other things.

A Chamber of Commerce attorney previously said that the massacre was horrible, but the nuisance it caused was not ongoing.

Fletcher, who is 109 and the oldest living survivor, released a memoir last week about the life she lived in the shadow of the massacre. It will become widely available for purchase in August.

In 2019, Oklahomas attorney general used the public nuisance law to force opioid drug maker Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465 million in damages. The Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned that decision two years later.

___

This story has been updated to reflect that Fletchers memoir has already been published, rather than being published next month, and will become widely available for purchase in August.

___

Bleiberg reported from Dallas and Associated Press staff writer Michael Biesecker contributed reporting from Washington.

By JAKE BLEIBERG

Associated Press
The GEF Council decision, taken during a meeting in Brazil, clears the way for the launch of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund at the Seventh GEF Assembly, to take place in Vancouver, Canada, in August.

The creation of this biodiversity fund is a game-changer for countries ability to protect, restore, and ensure the sustainable use of nature, said Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO and Chairperson and former Environment and Energy Minister of Costa Rica. I am thrilled to see this rapid progress just six months after the historic agreement for biodiversity reached in Montreal. I thank the GEF Council for its vision and commitment, which we will continue to build on at the GEF Assembly and beyond.



This is a tremendous result for the planet and for our children and grandchildren, whose future depends on us reversing the course of environmental damage and also supporting each other along the way, said Tom Bui, GEF Council Member from Canada and Co-Chair of the Brasilia meetings. This agreement extends the positive momentum in international environmental diplomacy we saw in Montreal six months ago, and sets us up for a successful launch of the fund in Vancouver.



The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was a breakthrough deal reached in December 2022 during the Convention on Biological Diversity COP15 summit in Montreal. It set new goals on the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems by 2030.



Source: Internet

To implement the agreement, countries will need to translate the plan into national targets and strategies, integrate biodiversity across their decision-making, and take concrete action to deliver results. This requires financing for budget-stressed developing countries, many of which are some of the most highly biodiverse in the world.



That direct support will be provided through the new fund, which will be set up to draw in capital from governments, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations.



David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, described the GEF Council support as a landmark event that will breathe life into the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and its transformative goals.



"Achieving the goals and targets of the Framework is hugely ambitious. But it is also necessary. Its necessary to maintain the web of life on planet Earth. Its also an essential part of climate action. And its a fundamental prerequisite to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Cooper said. The new fund will provide an opportunity to receive funding from all sources and to quickly disburse them through streamlined procedures, and with enhanced access for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.



The GEF, which is the financial mechanism for the Convention on Biological Diversity, has already provided early action grants to support national planning around the new agreements goals and targets. In addition to housing the new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, it will continue to support biodiversity initiatives through the projects and programs it supports through its other trust funds. Biodiversity is the largest component of the GEF-8 funding cycle, which runs from 2022 to 2026.



Earlier in the week, the GEF Council approved a record work program providing $1.4 billion in direct support for developing countries efforts to protect and ensure the sustainable use of biodiversity, in line with commitments made in Montreal.



The six new Integrated Programs included in the work program will support progress on 19 of the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and make advances on all of its goals relating to halting and reversing nature loss.



The Integrated Programs, designed to target environmental threats in a holistic manner, will work to reduce the impact of climate change on at-risk species and habitats, and will support the sustainable management of agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forests.



The GEF Assembly, a once-every-four-year gathering of the full partnership, will take place Aug. 22-26. It is set to include environment and finance ministers from around the world, in addition to leaders from civil society, science, the private sector, and local communities. The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund is set to be launched during this gathering, as a reflection of the broad, whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach needed to ensure this effort is a success.



During the Brasilia meeting, Council members also agreed to broaden the GEFs remit to make it part of the financial mechanism supporting the new Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction  known by the acronym BBNJ.



Following this decision, the GEF will support countries ratification and early action on the new agreement about biodiversity on the high seas, which was adopted last week in New York  another important example of progress in environmental diplomacy. This work spans the GEFs international waters and biodiversity focal areas.



This is a very significant step forward for the last frontier of nature: the high seas, whose biodiversity needs to be a priority for all of us. The GEF is ready to help countries work together to conserve and ensure the sustainable use of life in areas beyond national jurisdiction, Rodriguez said. This work is critical to meeting the Global Biodiversity Framework goals, including the effective conservation and management of 30 percent of marine areas by 2030. I am grateful to the positive spirit shown by countries and by the GEF Council as we seek to safeguard our ocean for the future.



The GEF is already a financial mechanism to the Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and Minamata Convention on Mercury./.
COCAINE found in West Wing phone cubby hours after Biden visit, Secret Service confirms

Not long after fake president Joe Biden and his entourage visited the White House this week, Secret Service agents discovered a baggie of cocaine in a lobby area of the West Wing where individuals can store their phones.

At first, the mystery white substance was described as being "cocaine like," though a brief evacuation occurred over hazmat fears as well. The substance was eventually identified as cocaine, and the area it was found described as "a heavily traveled area," according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

When asked by a reporter if Secret Service was able to identify who brought the illegal substance into the White House, and whether or not the White House supports prosecuting said individual, Jean-Pierre refused to answer the question.

"I'm just not gonna get into hypotheticals," she said snidely  watch below:

REPORTER: "If the Secret Service determines who brought the cocaine into the White House, does the White House support the prosecution of this individual?" JEAN-PIERRE: "I'm just not gonna get into hypotheticals." pic.twitter.com/JXa5MdAu5J  Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 5, 2023

(Related: Before losing $5.5 billion to a criminal-run hedge fund, Credit Suisse pleaded guilty" in "tuna bond scam" that involved cocaine money laundering.)

Is Hunter Biden the White House cocaine culprit?

Jean-Pierre would go on to claim during the press conference that Biden himself "thinks this is incredibly important to get to the bottom of," assuring the room that every able-bodied FBI agent is also on top of the matter.

Since every visitor to the White House is fully logged, and every square inch of the premises under constant surveillance, it should not be difficult to figure out who brought the cocaine into the White House (was it Hunter?).

Keep in mind that Hunter Biden was discharged from the Navy over his cocaine use, which was detected in a military drug test.

Just hours after the cocaine was found inside the White House, Hunter joined his father, the "big guy," as well as other members of the Biden Crime Family at the White House for a Fourth of July fireworks show following a weekend getaway to Camp David.

Joe and a very plastic-looking Jill were accompanied on the balcony of the South Portico by Hunter, his son Beau Jr., and first daughter Ashley Biden, as well as other members of the Biden Crime Family.

Video footage that you can watch below shows Hunter "allegedly doing a bump of cocaine at the White House in front of children," which points to the baggie of cocaine probably being his:

Nothing to see here Just a video of Hunter Biden allegedly doing a bump of cocaine at the White House in front of children But dont worry - the media said the bag of blow found at the WH wasnt Hunters! pic.twitter.com/Bt5hCT2ghf  DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) July 5, 2023

"Welcome to your house, the White House," the 80-year-old fake president, who stole the 2020 election, announced to the military families that were present at the cocaine-snorting gathering. "We're just rentin'."

Hunter, it is important to note, has previously acknowledged an addiction to crack cocaine, and has been caught recording himself smoking, snorting, and otherwise ingesting the illicit substance on dozens of known locations.

Hunter recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges over tax evasion while striking a deal on a gun charge. Just after the cocaine was found at the White House, Hunter headed off to Camp David with his father for the second weekend in a row.

A law enforcement official has since come forward to state that the White House cocaine culprit is "unlikely to be found," which almost strongly implies that the owner of the illegal substance is none other than Hunter Biden.

The latest news about the illicit Biden regime can be found at Treason.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

Newstarget.com
COVID-19 vaccines have created a DEADLY ALLIANCE featuring graphene, mRNA and nanotech

The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines have created a deadly alliance featuring graphene, mRNA and nanotech

This deadly alliance hides lipid nanoparticles, the tiny carriers designed to transport genetic material deep into human cells. But behind their seemingly harmless purpose lies a dystopian reality, where the boundaries of human control and manipulation by those in power blur.

Nanotech in COVID-19 vaccines

Nanotechnology has become an increasingly popular tool in the development and delivery of medications and vaccines.

Pfizer and Moderna, two of the major manufacturers with the most to gain from the COVID-19 vaccine development, have both used nanotech in their mRNA vaccines.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine uses lipid nanoparticles as a delivery system for the mRNA that encodes the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. These lipid nanoparticles encapsulate and protect the mRNA so it can enter human cells and induce an immune response. (Related: Study claims COVID-19 vaccines contain graphene nanobots  and they can be transmitted to the unvaccinated.)

On the other hand, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine uses lipid nanoparticles to deliver the mRNA encoding the spike protein.

The lipid nanoparticles are designed to protect the mRNA from degradation and enable its entry into human cells.

Lipid nanoparticles are tiny particles made of lipids or fats which encapsulate the mRNA strands and protect them from degradation. Some claim that this technology is a breakthrough in vaccine development, but others say that it raises concerns about potential risks and unintended consequences.

One of the main concerns surrounding lipid nanoparticles is their potential to trigger harmful immune responses in the body because the lipid composition and structure of these nanoparticles can trigger inflammatory reactions and immune system activation, which may have negative side effects.

According to studies, certain lipid formulations used in these nanoparticles can cause inflammation, tissue damage and systemic reactions in some people. These findings raise questions about the possible harmful long-term effects of lipid nanoparticles.

The assessment report of the Pfizer vaccine published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) shows that two of the lipids in Pfizer's coronavirus vaccines are ALC-0159 and ALC-315. However, both of these lipids carry the manufacturers warnings stating that they must never be used in humans or animals.

The biodistribution of lipid nanoparticles in the body is also another cause for concern because once injected, these nanoparticles can spread beyond the injection site and spread through different tissues and organs.

While this property is essential for the efficient delivery of mRNA, it also raises questions about the potential accumulation and persistence of these nanoparticles in your organs.

Limited research has been conducted to shed light on the long-term retention and potential adverse effects of lipid nanoparticles in the body.

The use of lipid nanoparticles in coronavirus vaccines also emphasizes the need to study their potential impact on reproductive health. The results of animal studies have shown that certain lipid formulations used in these nanoparticles can accumulate in reproductive organs and interfere with fertility.

And even though the available data is limited, it points to the need to study the effects of lipid nanoparticles on reproductive health, particularly due to the widespread administration of COVID-19 vaccines.

Graphene in the bloodstream

Graphene oxide is a fairly new substance and not much is known about it.

But studies have found that it can be toxic to cells and tissues in the body. If graphene was injected into the bloodstream, it could harm human health.

A two-dimensional material made up of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, graphene has some impressive properties. The material is strong, flexible and conductive.

But graphene is also highly reactive and can interact with biological molecules in the body, suggesting that it can potentially harm vaccinated humans.

Data has also revealed that graphene can induce oxidative stress, which can damage cells and cause inflammation. The material can also harm DNA and disrupt cellular membranes, which can result in cell death.

Injecting graphene into the bloodstream could cause various health issues such as inflammation, blood clotting and organ damage because introducing the material to the human body disrupts its balance, increasing the risk for different health issues.

This makes it more alarming that research has revealed a potential link between graphene oxide (GO) and the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

mRNA technology in Pfizer and Moderna vaccines

Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna have both used mRNA technology in their coronavirus vaccines.

While mainstream institutions claim that these mRNA-based vaccines are breakthroughs in medical science amid the pandemic, digging deeper can help uncover their potential dangers.

The mRNA technology uses genetic instructions to stimulate an immune response and raises concerns about long-term genetic alterations, potential autoimmune reactions and the erosion of bodily autonomy.

If you value your freedom, you must question the true motives behind the rapid deployment of this technology and its potential exploitation by those in power.

Several independent studies conducted by experts have shown that GO is present in vaccines. But manufacturers, medicine regulators and alleged fact-checkers deny these claims, possibly due to the known harmful effects it has on the body.

One such expert is Dr. Philippe van Welbergen, who conducted a study of the mRNA coronavirus vaccines. The results of his study revealed that GO was present in coronavirus vaccines and that it is being transmitted from the vaccinated to the unvaccinated, eventually destroying red blood cells and causing blood clots.

Learn more about the harmful side effects of COVID-19 vaccines at Vaccines.news.

Watch the video below to know more about COVID-19 vaccine nanobots.

This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

WHO whistleblower was censored mid-presentation for exposing presence of nanotech, graphene oxide in COVID vaccines.

FRESHLY OVERLAID graphene oxide nanobots found in Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID jabs contain graphene NANOBOTS, scientists discover  and they pass from the vaccinated to unvaccinated.

Sources include:

Expose-News.com

EMA.Europa.eu[PDF]

Brighteon.com
Gender fluidity is based on delusional FAKE SCIENCE, just like Covid vaccines and most prescription medications

Biology is a branch of science that deals with living organisms and their vital processes, including human genetics, anatomy, and physiology. Unfortunately, biological sex is now being confused or convoluted with "gender" language in our society, even though the two sexes are completely differentiated by females who have ovaries and produce eggs, and males who have testes and produce sperm (hence the different sex chromosomes, where females have 2 X chromosomes, and males have 1 X and 1 Y chromosome).

Yet, the allopathic masses, who claim to only "follow the science" when it comes to healthcare, are living in complete DENIAL when it comes to the science of gender, somehow claiming that men can have babies and breastfeed, and women can get each other pregnant by having sex. It's called "gender fluidity," and any person can switch genders, back and forth, at any time, any day they choose, according to the liberals, Leftists, and allopathic "pro-science" hypocrites.

It's a gender-bender cult, and if you disagree with them in any way, then you are "offending" them, "attacking" them, and you are labeled a gay-bashing hater who commits "hate crimes" worthy of jail sentences. You simply cannot make this stuff up, as it's happening all across the country, especially in Democrat-run and controlled metro cities, school systems, and all over every platform on social media.

A child's biological sex, male or female, is determined by the chromosome that the male parent contributes

The science behind gender is quite simple, as DNA shows whether someone is male or female. There are no contentions here, but the Democrats, liberals, and anti-science, "pro-science" gender-confused masses don't see it that way. When it comes to gender choice and climate change, they don't want anything to do with science, because it disproves their "cultist" stances. If they were to look into their deadly prescription medications and clot shot Covid "vaccines" a little further, they would find out those are not really based on proper science research or legitimate clinical trials either.

The true motives behind supporting the gender-bender drugs and surgeries don't have so much to do with the adults trying to attract other adults to their perversions, but more so to brainwash children and teens into their cultist ways, and it's just plain sick, twisted, abusive, and delusional. With all the child trafficking, kidnapping, and slave trade going on, including in America, you would think these folks would want to be more careful about how they treat and influence children, but it's just the opposite.

The entire "gender-affirming care" movement is rooted in fake science, where parents, psychiatrists, and surgeons all pretend that hormone drugs and genitalia-mutilation surgery can change someone's gender. Big Pharma and Big Tech are "all in" because of the money and the politics of it all.

The fake science "community" (cult) believes in switching genders, climate change, prescription drugs, and vaccines

Should anyone challenge the fake science "community" at any time with real science and facts, those people are labeled "anti-science" bigots who are engaging in "hate speech" and deserve jail time for it. The fake science cult is a ZERO TOLERANCE world where only the other cult members who believe in fake science are accepted.

This fake-gender "science" includes GSM (gender and sexual minorities), GNC (gender non-conforming, like agender, genderfluid, and pangender, where you can't tell what gender the person is), MSM/WSM (basically bi-sexual), CD (cross dressers), FAAB (assigned a gender at birth based on genitalia), QUILTBAG (encompasses queer, undecided, lesbian, bi-sexual, and trans-anything), and then there's QTPOC (queer or trans people of color). Should anyone guess any one of these "identities" wrongly, they are automatically labeled a bigot full of hate speech that should be fired from any job and face jail time for being offensive and attacking the QUILTBAGS, according to the alphabet cult.

And all of that, along with climate change and vaccines, is FAKE SCIENCE for the sheeple. Tune your internet dial to Gender.news for updates on extreme liberals with hidden agendas trying to turn normal kids into gender-confused freaks.

Sources for this article include:

DailyCaller.com

USA.visa.com

Pandemic.news

NaturalNews.com
Michigan legislators pass hate speech legislation prohibiting misgendering  violators face five-year prison sentence or $10,000 fine

The Michigan House of Representatives just passed House Bill 4474, which would make it a "crime" for someone in the state to "misgender" an LGBT in a way that makes the LGBT feel "terrorized, frightened, or threatened" by whatever words were uttered.

Violators of HB 4474 could be fined up to $10,000 for the "criminal act," or sent to prison for up to five years, reports indicate. It would become a felony in the state of Michigan to misgender someone under the new "hate speech" bill, which has not been signed into law as of yet.

If HB 4474 does finish making its way through the state legislature and get signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a person in Michigan could be declared a "felon" if he or she is caught trying to intentionally "intimidate" an LGBT by using pronouns or other words that the LGBT says are scary or upsetting.

By "intimidate," the Michigan House means "a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened, and that actually causes the victim to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened," just to be clear.

(Related: Earlier this year, the University of Colorado declared "misgendering" to be an "act of violence.")

HB 4474 is a leftist "weapon" against conservatives, professor emeritus says

Despite the above definition, neither the Michigan House nor HB 4474 have offered any kind of objective definition against which "intimidation" or "harassment," in this context, can be defined. Consequently, it would be entirely up to the interpretation of the listener, as well as the local prosecutor, to make such a determination in a legal sense.

The United Kingdom's DailyMail Online reported that HB 4474 is "part of a [continued] effort by Democrats in the state [of Michigan] to advance a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda in their first months in power."

Prof. Emeritus William Wagner also chimed in on the legislation stating unequivocally that HB 4474 was designed as a weapon by leftists against their conservative counterparts.

"Make no mistake about it," Prof. Wagner is quoted as saying. "Those advocating for this legislation will wield these policies as a weapon capable of destroying conservative expression or viewpoints grounded in the sacred."

If passed and signed into law, HB 4474 would replace the existing Ethnic Intimidation Act, which already covers "sexual orientation" and "gender identity or expression"  but not "misgendering."

This incremental approach to criminalizing anything and everything that LGBTs find "offensive" or even just annoying or upsetting is part of a much larger plot to criminalize normalcy and decency by making it a "hate crime" to not fully conform to LGBT demands.

"I'm glad I'm on the wrong side of 70 but I sure do feel for the young nowadays," one commenter wrote about the direction this entire country, and not just Michigan, is heading because of LGBT control over society.

"Honestly, officer, I was only calling the Bud Light drinker a British cigarette," joked another for those who catch the references.

"Who protects the straights from feeling threatened?" asked another, poignantly. "I feel threatened."

"How long will it be until being straight is criminalized?" another aptly pointed out, carrying on the same point as the previous commenter.

"And here I thought the First Amendment existed to protect free speech," said someone else about how the LGBTs are systematically erasing the U.S. Constitution with their special interest-driven agendas.

Remember when they said it was just about being tolerated? Now the LGBT mafia wants you in prison for refusing to play their mental illness pronoun games. Learn more at Transhumanism.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

Newstarget.com

DailyMail.co.uk
Anti-woke presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy vaults into third place in Republican primary behind Trump and DeSantis

In a recent survey conducted by Echelon Insights, anti-woke businessman and presidential hopeful

Vivek Ramaswamy has made significant gains in the Republican primary race,

breaking into double digits in support.

The survey, conducted from June 26 to 29, collected responses from 1,020 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent. The national sentiment shows former President Donald Trump maintaining a strong lead with 49 percent support, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis following far behind with 16 percent support and Ramaswamy securing a close third place with 10 percent.

The Echelon Insights survey revealed that no other candidate has reached double-digit support. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley are tied with five percent support followed by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott with four percent support. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has two percent support, while both North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez have one percent support.

The survey results also showed Ramaswamy in third place in battleground states. Trump maintained a majority of support with 56 percent, followed by DeSantis with 22 percent and Ramaswamy with seven percent. (Related: RFK Jr.'s favorability rating rises as Biden's satisfaction rating drops in separate polls.)

Ramaswamy's recent surge in popularity can be attributed to increased name recognition and favorability among Republican primary voters, as indicated by Morning Consult's weekly survey. The businessman has gained attention by challenging his fellow presidential candidates to commit to pardoning Trump for federal charges on their first day in office.

On June 13, Ramaswamy took to social media to make his challenge, writing: "I challenge every U.S. Presidential candidate to join me in standing for TRUTH. Commit to pardon Donald Trump for these federal charges on Day 1, or explain why you won't."

His call has sparked discussions and debate among the candidates, further boosting his visibility and appeal.

Ramaswamy predicted in April that he would top the GOP primary

Back in April, Ramaswamy confidently made predictions about his chances in the GOP primary for the 2024 presidential race. According to a memo from Politico Playbook, Ramaswamy's campaign believes that he will be polling in second or third place by the end of 2023. This would position him as a viable alternative to Trump or DeSantis.

Ben Yoho, the CEO of Vivek 2024, expressed confidence in the candidacy of Ramaswamy, stating that Republican voters will seek an outsider who embraces the pro-Trump and America First agenda, particularly as Trump and DeSantis engage in what he called self-destructive behavior throughout the summer and fall. Yoho also highlighted Ramaswamy's strong campaign finances and claimed that the businessman is polling competitively with well-known national political figures.

However, previous polling data from RealClear Politics did not fully support their claims. RealClearPolitics put Ramaswamy's average support across different polls at 1.5 percent, putting him in sixth place among 11 potential GOP presidential candidates. Trump, DeSantis, Pence, Haley and Scott all outperform Ramaswamy.

Yoho dismissed other candidates such as Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson as "career politicians" and claimed that only Ramaswamy, Trump and DeSantis have the profile, message and resources to be competitive in the early primary states. Yoho argued that the status of Ramaswamy as an outsider provides an advantage over his opponents.

Despite the previous polling numbers, Yoho believes Ramaswamy's outsider appeal and substantial campaign funds, reportedly on par with Trump's, would propel him to victory. Yoho said the primary would eventually come down to a choice between Trump and the "memories of America First 1.0" or Ramaswamy and the "promise of America First 2.0."

Learn more about the race for the Republican Party's nomination at VoteRepublican.news.

Watch this interview with Vivek Ramaswamy as he explains his plan, if elected, to revive record-low American patriotism.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Vivek Ramaswamy says he and RFK Jr. are under attack by Big Tech because we threaten the establishment.

Not a bad idea: GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wants to SHUT DOWN the FBI and start over.

LinkedIn censors presidential candidate who says fossil fuels required for prosperity.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

TheHill.com

Brighteon.com
OMNIPOTENT TYRANTS Biden and Macron demand total control over speech, government power to censor anyone

United States President Joe Biden can't help it. He'd need to stand at a good "vantage point" to have almighty access to everything on social media that he could freely censor, ahead of the 2024 elections.

And that is why his administration is appealing the July 4 court ruling of U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty that has ordered a sharp limit for federal officials in colluding with social media companies about the content contained on their platforms. The decision was the response to a lawsuit filed by Louisiana and Missouri last year.

The suit claims that Biden's White House, the Department of Health and Human Services and officials at other agencies committed censorship in violation of the First Amendment by pressuring social media companies to remove or limit access to anti-vaccine posts and take down certain users' accounts, Politico reported.

The decision that regulated interaction between certain federal agencies and social media firms immediately took effect after the verdict was proclaimed.

BREAKING: The Biden Administration has officially filed a notice of appeal in the Missouri v. Biden censorship case after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction order barring government officials from contacting social media companies to suppress lawful speech pic.twitter.com/DAbdGuFVFS  ALX ?? (@alx) July 5, 2023

The case further argues that Biden and his regime suppress public discussion related to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), election disinformation as well as allegations that 2020 and 2022 polls were trigger. Recently, though shreds of evidence have been presented, Biden continues to deny his involvement in crimes committed by his family. Also, social media platforms have been exposed to have colluded with the government to censor content. These make these platforms seem like an "extension of the government" or accomplices in imposing total control and complete neglect of the freedom of speech.

But apart from maligning Judge Doughty for being a Trump appointee, some "legal experts" argue that his ruling did not give "adequate weight to the rights of Biden and others to cajole the companies to limit their publication of content that the officials considered objectionable."

A Department of Justice (DOJ) official said Wednesday night that attorneys plan to act "expeditiously" to seek a stay of the unusual injunction issued. Meanwhile, DOJ filed a notice of appeal the same evening, that will send Doughty's opinion and the accompanying injunction to the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals for review. That court is considered one of the most conservative federal appeals courts in the nation but previously ruled against Doughty on a couple of disputes about demands for depositions of federal officials in the same litigation.

Meanwhile, across the other side of the world, another tyrant is seeking another form of control  privacy watch and surveillance.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been working toward remotely activating snitch phones and it has actually already passed at the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament. The National Assembly on Wednesday approved the possibility of remotely activating mobile phones for police to listen to and film people targeted in organized crime and terrorism investigations, reports indicated.

Independent English news outlet Globe World News Echo reported that following the senators, the deputies validated by 80 votes against 24 this key article of the programming bill for justice, examined at first reading since Monday at the Palais-Bourbon. The deputies of the presidential camp, parties Republicans Les Republicains (LR) and National Rally (RN) voted in favor. Those of the New Ecological and Social People's Union (Nupes) voted against, like the president of the Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories (LIOT) group, Bertrand Pancher.

According to the law's Article 3, remote triggering of cameras or microphones of computers and other connected devices, such as telephones, without the knowledge of the persons concerned, with two different purposes is allowed. Same as for real-time geolocation for certain offenses such as those that are punishable by at least five years in prison. On the other hand, the activation of microphones and cameras to capture sound and images would be reserved for cases of terrorism and delinquency and organized crime. (Related: France may use 2024 Olympics to introduce Big Brother-style SURVEILLANCE.)

An earlier version of the bill passed the Senate, but the amendment will require the legislative body's approval before becoming law.

The seemingly "railroading" efforts of the said legislation by the Macron administration, which can be considered loaded with vested interests, did not go unnoticed by civil liberties advocates. The digital rights group La Quadrature du Net previously pointed out the technogy's great potential for abuse. As the bill isn't clear about what constitutes a serious crime, there are fears the French government might use this to target environmental activists and others who aren't grave threats. The organization also stressed security policies have a habit of expanding to less serious crimes. Genetic registration was only used for sex offenders initially but is now used for most crimes. Moreover, remote access may depend on security vulnerabilities.

"Police would be exploiting security holes instead of telling manufacturers how to patch those holes," La Quadrature stressed.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti assured the public that the powers would only be used for "dozens" of cases per year and that this was "far away" from the surveillance state of Orwell's 1984.

Visit Tyranny.news to read more about government measures that kill liberty and freedom in their nations.

Watch the video below that talks about the Missouri v. Biden case decision.

This video is from the alltheworldsastage channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources for this article include:

StrangeSounds.Substack.com

Politico.com

GlobeEcho.com

Brighteon.com
In its 34th meeting, the LDCF/SCCF Council approved six projects to boost climate resilience in countries including Bhutan, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, and Zambia, in line with the funds strategy to target the unique adaptation needs of Least Developed Countries and vulnerable island nations.



The work program includes the first disbursement from a new window for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within the SCCF which, along with the LDCF, was set up in 2001 to help developing countries prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change. The LDCF is the only global fund that offers support exclusively to Least Developed Countries.



The support to Cabo Verde from the SCCF will help the residents of Santiago, the largest island and major agricultural hub of the West African archipelago nation, to shore up natural defenses against climate effects while increasing food security.



Council Member Collin Beck of the Solomon Islands said this was a good example of how targeted support to small island states can yield significant dividends.



Climate change is a global challenge, but climate adaptation solutions are not applicable everywhere. It is very positive for us to see the needs and experiences of SIDS given dedicated attention through this work program, Beck said.



Source: Internet

The dedicated SIDS funding window was central to the GEF climate funds strategy for scaling up support to the worlds most climate vulnerable countries, in line with an agreement at the Glasgow climate summit in 2021 to at least double the flow of adaptation finance to developing countries.



Additionally, as part of the work program agreed in Brasilia, the LDCF/SCCF Council approved $20 million of grant funding each for Djibouti and Bhutan. This is the total amount of funds that Least Developed Countries can access from the LDCF during the 2022-2026 period  double the amount that was available in the previous four-year funding period.



The Djibouti project will address the increasing occurrence and severity of floods and droughts by improving water access in rural communities, providing greater livelihood security.



The project in Bhutan will improve planning in two urban areas, where a quarter of the countrys population lives, against encroaching climate effects such as flash floods, landslides, and storms. The Bhutan project is particularly significant as the country prepares to graduate from Least Developed Country status.



Responding to guidance from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the LDCF is working to facilitate the smooth transition of countries whose economic growth means they are no longer in the Least Developed category. The GEF-managed fund is also committed to leave no LDC behind in delivering targeted climate adaptation support to the worlds most vulnerable countries and their people and ecosystems.



Newly approved LDCF financing for Zambia will reduce the vulnerability of communities and ecosystems in the countrys central and southern provinces through sustainable land management and efforts to support climate-resilient livelihoods. The Comoros project will reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities by scaling up ecosystem-based climate adaptation activities, also known as nature-based solutions.



Finally, a global project managed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and combining LDCF and SCCF is designed to show how the private sector can be effective in generating climate adaptation solutions, which the UN has identified as key to unblocking the large scale investments needed for climate adaptation. This initiative will showcase innovative ideas from initiatives within the GEFs Challenge Program for Adaptation Innovation, which provides financial incentives to selected technology and private sector innovators.



The GEFs climate adaptation funds provide support in a way that is designed to create synergies with other sources of finance, such as the GEF Trust Fund and Green Climate Fund.



These unique funds not only help empower these individual countries, they also help fill urgent needs, said Nepal Council Member Arjun Prasad Pokharel. This is extremely important even as we continue to need to scale up climate adaptation funding overall.



Council members also expressed support for a series of regional workshops the GEF is holding in climate-vulnerable countries to enable them to develop strong pipelines of high-impact climate adaptation projects.



Reflecting on the most recent workshop held in Senegal, Madeleine Diouf Sarr, Chair of the Least Developed Countries Group in the UN climate process, said: It is important that countries most impacted by climate change can learn from each other through shared practical experiences provided by such regional gatherings. We look forward to future similar opportunities to share knowledge with other countries as we seek to manage climate change and build a more sustainable future"./.
WEAPONIZED BANKING: Big UK bank freezes Nigel Farages accounts

British banks are directly interfering with Nigel Farage's private accounts. According to Farage, he is being frozen out of his accounts and is unable to engage in banking activities in the United Kingdom.

Farage is a British politician who served as a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2020 representing several populist conservative parties like the United Kingdom Independence Party and the Brexit Party, with the overarching goal of getting Britain out of the European Union.

The acts against Farage's bank accounts is another boundary event in the gradual deployment and normalization of the weaponization of the global financial system to require compliance with social and political objectives. (Related: Biden, regulators fail to de-escalate banking sector panic following SVB collapse.)

In Farage's video statement on Twitter, he mentioned that he has gone through some difficult times because of what happened to him.

Farage explained that he has been with the same banking group since 1980 and that he has had personal accounts with them since that year. He also opened business accounts in the 1990s when he worked in London and in recent years.

Several months ago, Farage received a phone call with the bank's representative saying they would be closing his accounts without giving a reason.

The caller told him he would receive a letter that would explain everything. But when the letter arrived, all it said was that the bank would close all his accounts by a specified date.

Farage was understandably confused, so he complained and emailed the chairman. The bank's chairman called back, but only to tell Farage "it was a commercial decision."

Seven other banks refused to let Farage open accounts

Thinking that he now had to sign up for an account at a different bank, Farage went to seven other banks, all of which refused to allow him to open a personal and a business account.

Farage explained that there is "nothing irregular or unusual" about what he does and that the payments that go in and come out every month are often the same. He added that he maintains a "big positive cash balance" in his business account, which should also benefit his bank.

Farage is worried that the closure of his bank accounts could affect his future career and whether he can stay in the United Kingdom.

He pointed out that what is happening to him is unprecedented, and he does not believe any other politician in modern day Britain has been treated the way he is being treated by banks, which are part of the big corporate structures in the U.K., many of which did not want the country to leave the European Union.

According to Farage, it is possible that the corporate world may have never forgiven him because they know that if he did not launch his successful campaign to leave the E.U., the Brexit referendum would never have happened. Farage concluded that life in the U.K. is slowly becoming unlivable because of the levels of prejudice against him.

Go to EconomicRiot.com for more information about other financial issues across the globe.

Watch the video below to know more about Farage's banking woes.

This video is from the Worldview Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Fed survey shows BANKING CRISIS raises concerns over stability of US financial system.

Get ready for governments to push digital currencies after widespread banking collapse.

Deposits at Capitol One bank frozen by NYC's banking commission amid insolvency fears.

Sources include:

BlacklistedNews.com

Britannica.com

Twitter.com

Brighteon.com
Two cheetah cubs have joined Lincoln Children's Zoo where they are being trained as part of the species survival strategy.

Cheetah Survival Plan

Two female cheetah cubs, who were just six weeks old when they arrived at the Lincoln Children's Zoo on June 19, were born in Oregon's Wildlife Safari in May.

The Lincoln Children's Zoo was chosen as a fantastic location for the cubs to serve as ambassadors for their species by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Cheetah Species Survival Plan, according to the zoo.

The cubs were enthusiastically welcomed by the Lincoln Children's Zoo and the ambassador team, according to CEO Evan Killeen. The use of ambassador animals is crucial because it helps raise awareness of endangered species like cheetahs, conservation efforts, and wildlife in general.

Less than 7,100 cheetahs can still be seen in the wild today, and that number is dropping.

As an endangered species, cheetahs are in grave danger of going extinct.

Cheetahs can be found in a variety of parts of Africa, including eastern and southern Africa, the Sahel, and north and north-eastern Africa, according to data from the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. But during the past five decades, they have vanished from at least 13 nations.

The highest cheetah populations are found in Botswana and Namibia in southern Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya in east Africa, and Namibia. Iranian wildlife includes the extremely endangered Asiatic cheetah. Cheetahs flourish in vast habitats with an abundance of prey, like Namibia's grasslands, savannahs, deep forests, and hilly terrain. Cheetahs are becoming more common on industrial farms as human settlement encroaches upon their natural habitats.

Cheetahs are currently categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The species are a protected species in Namibia and they are protected under the Endangered Species Act in the United States, according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Two Cheetah Cubs in Lincoln Children's Zoo

The animal care team of the zoo began training the cubs as soon as they got in to teach them the basics, desensitizing them to their environment' sounds and sights, and developing a positive reward system.

According to the Zoo, they will continue to teach them and add skills that would eventually enable them to excel in the cheetah run.

As their mother in the wild would naturally be instructing them on how to pursue and grab prey, preparing the cheetah cubs to take part in the cheetah run is highly enriching for them, according to Lissa McCaffree, general curator of the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

On June 27, the cubs also ventured outside for the first time. Zookeepers first had a modest outdoor space, which was subsequently expanded as they grew accustomed to their environment and were able to develop their strength and stamina. Other daily enrichments are given to the cubs, like tall grass, logs, and little plants in their habitat.

Also Read: Meerkat Pups Born in Washington DC Smithsonian Zoo, 16 Years After Last Birth Event

The cubs currently enjoy chasing each other and running around the vegetation in their environment, according to the zoo.

They will be unveiled to the public at the Cheetah Chase Theater on Tuesday at 11 AM. From that point on, the cubs will be present in the Cheetah Chase Theater every day at 11 AM, where visitors can observe as keepers assist the cubs in adjusting to their new environment and taking part in daily training.

As the cubs mature, they will eventually spend an increasing amount of time outside and only brief amounts of time in their environment.

The Lincoln Children's Zoo will soon seek the public's assistance in naming both of the cubs, 1011 NOW reports.

Related Article: Heatwave Kills Cheetah Cubs Said to End Extinction of Species in India
Scientists were unaware that the common animal they saw every day in Indonesia belonged to a new species that is now known as the Gonjong bent-toed gecko.

Ignored New Species

In a town in Indonesia, a spiky creature was clinging to a cement wall in the shadows.

Before scientists noticed the animal and realized it was a new species, it was mostly ignored.

In Sumatra Barat, researchers spent two years conducting a wildlife census. While perusing the towns and lowland forests, they came across a "common but ignored" lizard.

According to the investigation, at night they discovered 16 of these lizards adhered to a village wall, a sheet of metal, tree trunks, and branches.

When they looked more closely, scientists realized they had found a brand-new species, the Gonjong bent-toed gecko, or Cyrtodactylus gonjong.

Gonjong Bent-Toed Gecko

The Gonjong bent-toed gecko, which is around 5.6 inches long, has a "slender" body and a "ringed" tail, according to researchers. A "triangular shape" may be seen on its head, and spiky ridges cover much of its back.

According to the study and photographs, the gecko has a range of colors from "beige to weak yellow" to brown. Along its back and limbs, it bears darker brown patches that resemble stripes.

Researchers claimed that the Gonjong bent-toed geckos got their name from the Minang people of Sumatra Barat, who invented the characteristic house's roof design.

The horn of the buffalo, the most revered animal in Minang ethnology, served as the model for this distinctive form of roof design, known as "gonjong."

According to the study, the new species was identified as unique based on its size, scale pattern, and body coloration.

The new species exhibited more than 17% genetic diversity from other gecko species, according to DNA analyses. According to the researchers, past studies on biodiversity have paid little attention to Sumatra Barat's lowlands.

A province called Sumatra Barat is located on the western side of Sumatra island, 730 miles northwest of Jakarta, the Javan island's capital.

Researchers claim edthat the true variety of Cyrtodactylus (geckos) is greatly underestimated as a result of the paucity of studies that specifically target this area.

Gonjong

According to the study, gonjong roofs have come to represent the Minang people's ethnic identity. The Minang people assisted the research team during their study, so the researchers named the new species in their honor, Miami Herald reported.

The study, which was done by Nugraha and his team, was recently published in the journal ZooKeys.

Also Read: Rare Copperbelly Water Snake Extinct in 20 Years as Only 40 Remains, Scientists Warn

Geckos in Indonesia

There are nine types of geckos in Indonesia, according to Animal Of Things.

Sulawesi Island is home to the Giant Gecko. Southeast Asia is home to a particular kind of gecko known as the tokay gecko. The Indonesian islands are home to several different species of geckos, including the wall gecko. Living in rocky terrain and arid woodlands, crevice geckos. The house gecko is a species of gecko that frequents buildings in urban settings.

Most commonly seen in Sumatra, Bali, Java, and Lombo are Gekko geckos. Southeast Asia is home to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where the crested gecko is endemic. The eighth and ninth species are found all around Indonesia: the leopard gecko and the Madagascar big-eyed gecko.

Related Article: Cat Tien Slender Gecko: Secretive New Species Unexpectedly Discovered in Vietnam National Park
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The countrys richest billionaire Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Industries (RIL) on Saturday announced the record date for allotment of equity shares in the demerger plan of its financial services business in Reliance Strategic Investments (RSIL).

While the effective date of the demerger has been fixed as July 1, July 20 has been fixed as the record day for allocating shares of the new company, according to the companys stock exchange filing. RSIL will be renamed as Jio Financial Services (JFSL), which will be listed for trading on stock exchanges.

Veteran banker Hitesh Kumar Sethia will head the new entity as the MD and the CEO while Mukesh Ambnais daughter Isha Ambani and former CAG Rajiv Mehrishi are among the directors appointed on the board of the demerged financial services unit. The board has approved the appointment of Sethia as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of RSlL for a period of 3 years; Appointment of Sethia is subject to the approval of members of the Company, the Reserve Bank of India and such other approvals as may be required, said RIL in a regulatory filing.

Sethia is a financial services executive with over two decades of experience across Europe, Asia (India & Greater China) and North America. He has spent most of his career at ICICI Bank.

Besides that, RIL on July 20 will determine the equity shareholders of the company entitled to receive the resulting companys new equity shares of RSIL. According to the scheme of things, Reliance Strategic Investments will allot one fully paid-up equity share of RSIL of face value of Rs 10 each, for every one share of Reliance Industries as of the record date.

After the demerger, JFSL will acquire liquid assets to provide adequate regulatory capital for lending to consumers and merchants, and incubate other financial services verticals such as insurance, payments, digital broking, and asset management for at least the next 3 years of business operations.

The demerger, which will create fifth-largest financier in terms of capital and compete directly with the likes of Paytm and Bajaj Finance, will complement Reliances consumer businesses, which include Indias largest wireless operator with about 428 million users, top retail chain with over 17,000 stores.

According to brokerage BofA Securities, by separating financial services from the core business, Reliance appears to be keeping arms length transactions from other entities, and in theory helping them better to attract strategic or JV partners who are keen only in the financial services arm - like what they did with Reliance Jio or tower InvIT.

Isha Ambani, ex-CAG Mehrishi appointed directors

Veteran banker Hitesh Kumar Sethia will head the new entity as the MD and the CEO while Mukesh Ambnais daughter Isha Ambani and former CAG Rajiv Mehrishi are among the directors appointed on the board of the demerged financial services unit. Sethia is a financial services executive with over two decades of experience across Europe, Asia (India & Greater China) and North America

NEW DELHI: The countrys richest billionaire Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Industries (RIL) on Saturday announced the record date for allotment of equity shares in the demerger plan of its financial services business in Reliance Strategic Investments (RSIL). While the effective date of the demerger has been fixed as July 1, July 20 has been fixed as the record day for allocating shares of the new company, according to the companys stock exchange filing. RSIL will be renamed as Jio Financial Services (JFSL), which will be listed for trading on stock exchanges. Veteran banker Hitesh Kumar Sethia will head the new entity as the MD and the CEO while Mukesh Ambnais daughter Isha Ambani and former CAG Rajiv Mehrishi are among the directors appointed on the board of the demerged financial services unit. The board has approved the appointment of Sethia as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of RSlL for a period of 3 years; Appointment of Sethia is subject to the approval of members of the Company, the Reserve Bank of India and such other approvals as may be required, said RIL in a regulatory filing.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Sethia is a financial services executive with over two decades of experience across Europe, Asia (India & Greater China) and North America. He has spent most of his career at ICICI Bank. Besides that, RIL on July 20 will determine the equity shareholders of the company entitled to receive the resulting companys new equity shares of RSIL. According to the scheme of things, Reliance Strategic Investments will allot one fully paid-up equity share of RSIL of face value of Rs 10 each, for every one share of Reliance Industries as of the record date. After the demerger, JFSL will acquire liquid assets to provide adequate regulatory capital for lending to consumers and merchants, and incubate other financial services verticals such as insurance, payments, digital broking, and asset management for at least the next 3 years of business operations. The demerger, which will create fifth-largest financier in terms of capital and compete directly with the likes of Paytm and Bajaj Finance, will complement Reliances consumer businesses, which include Indias largest wireless operator with about 428 million users, top retail chain with over 17,000 stores. According to brokerage BofA Securities, by separating financial services from the core business, Reliance appears to be keeping arms length transactions from other entities, and in theory helping them better to attract strategic or JV partners who are keen only in the financial services arm - like what they did with Reliance Jio or tower InvIT. Isha Ambani, ex-CAG Mehrishi appointed directors Veteran banker Hitesh Kumar Sethia will head the new entity as the MD and the CEO while Mukesh Ambnais daughter Isha Ambani and former CAG Rajiv Mehrishi are among the directors appointed on the board of the demerged financial services unit. Sethia is a financial services executive with over two decades of experience across Europe, Asia (India & Greater China) and North America
Ashish Srivastava By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With Indian Meteorological Department issuing a Yellow alert for Delhi NCR, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced the closure of schools in the city as continuous heavy rainfall followed by traffic jams and waterlogging brought the city to a halt.

"In view of the torrential rains in the last two days and keeping in mind the warnings of the meteorological department, all schools will remain closed on Monday," Kejriwal announced on Twitter.

Besides, he also cancelled Sunday leave for government officials and instructed them to remain on ground to assess the situation. The CM also informed that cabinet ministers along with Delhi Mayor will carry out inspection in areas where the water looting and other problems were reported.

"Yesterday, Delhi received 126 mm of rainfall. Fifteen per cent of the total rainfall that Delhi gets every monsoon was received in just 12 hours. People were severely affected due to waterlogging."

"Today, all the ministers of Delhi and the mayor will carry out an inspection of problem areas. Directions have been issued to all officers to be on the ground and their Sunday off has been cancelled," he said in a separate tweet.

   126mm         15%  12                  problem areas              ,        Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 9, 2023

The situation also prompted authorities in neighbouring Gurugram and Ghaziabad to announce shutdown of the schools there.

"Due to the relentless downpour and the forecast of more rain tomorrow, all Government and Private schools in Gurugram district will remain closed for the safety and well-being of students and staff," an order issued from the office of Gurugram's Deputy Commissioner read.

Meanwhile, Ghaziabad DM has ordered the closure of schools till Tuesday.

Massive destruction reported

Apart from severe waterlogging and traffic jams, the heavy rains have led to huge destruction of properties in the city. The downpour wreaked havoc as arterial roads, parks, underpasses, markets, and even schools and hospitals were inundated.

Delhi Fire Services said that 15 calls were received at its control room with different people reporting portions of several buildings having collapsed across Delhi.

Besides, a portion of the boundary wall of a school in Sriniwaspuri collapsed which incited panic among the locals. Delhi minister Atishi said the wall was 35 years old and termed 150 mm of rainfall in the city an "unusual climate event".

ALSO READ | Delhi witnesses highest single-day downpour in last 41 years, neighbouring towns to halt

Work From Home appeal to corporates

Following severe waterlogging and traffic snarls in several parts of Gurugram due to the heavy showers for a second straight day, the city administration advised corporate houses to allow work from home to their employees on Monday.

Gurgaon DC Nishant Kumar Yadav appealed to residents not to leave their houses, except for essential work. He also asked companies based in the city to advise their staff, except those involved in essential services, to work from home on Monday so that water can be removed from roads as soon as the rain stops.

Yamuna inches away from danger mark

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued a warning and stated that the water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday. According to the CWC's flood-monitoring portal, the water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday. The warning level is 204.5 metres.

NEW DELHI: With Indian Meteorological Department issuing a Yellow alert for Delhi NCR, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced the closure of schools in the city as continuous heavy rainfall followed by traffic jams and waterlogging brought the city to a halt. "In view of the torrential rains in the last two days and keeping in mind the warnings of the meteorological department, all schools will remain closed on Monday," Kejriwal announced on Twitter. Besides, he also cancelled Sunday leave for government officials and instructed them to remain on ground to assess the situation. The CM also informed that cabinet ministers along with Delhi Mayor will carry out inspection in areas where the water looting and other problems were reported.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "Yesterday, Delhi received 126 mm of rainfall. Fifteen per cent of the total rainfall that Delhi gets every monsoon was received in just 12 hours. People were severely affected due to waterlogging." "Today, all the ministers of Delhi and the mayor will carry out an inspection of problem areas. Directions have been issued to all officers to be on the ground and their Sunday off has been cancelled," he said in a separate tweet.    126mm         15%  12                  problem areas              ,        Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 9, 2023 The situation also prompted authorities in neighbouring Gurugram and Ghaziabad to announce shutdown of the schools there. "Due to the relentless downpour and the forecast of more rain tomorrow, all Government and Private schools in Gurugram district will remain closed for the safety and well-being of students and staff," an order issued from the office of Gurugram's Deputy Commissioner read. Meanwhile, Ghaziabad DM has ordered the closure of schools till Tuesday. Massive destruction reported Apart from severe waterlogging and traffic jams, the heavy rains have led to huge destruction of properties in the city. The downpour wreaked havoc as arterial roads, parks, underpasses, markets, and even schools and hospitals were inundated. Delhi Fire Services said that 15 calls were received at its control room with different people reporting portions of several buildings having collapsed across Delhi. Besides, a portion of the boundary wall of a school in Sriniwaspuri collapsed which incited panic among the locals. Delhi minister Atishi said the wall was 35 years old and termed 150 mm of rainfall in the city an "unusual climate event". ALSO READ | Delhi witnesses highest single-day downpour in last 41 years, neighbouring towns to halt Work From Home appeal to corporates Following severe waterlogging and traffic snarls in several parts of Gurugram due to the heavy showers for a second straight day, the city administration advised corporate houses to allow work from home to their employees on Monday. Gurgaon DC Nishant Kumar Yadav appealed to residents not to leave their houses, except for essential work. He also asked companies based in the city to advise their staff, except those involved in essential services, to work from home on Monday so that water can be removed from roads as soon as the rain stops. Yamuna inches away from danger mark The Central Water Commission (CWC) has issued a warning and stated that the water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday. According to the CWC's flood-monitoring portal, the water level in the Yamuna at the Old Railway Bridge stood at 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday. The warning level is 204.5 metres.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

If you are travelling to or from Northeast, make sure to choose a train that halts at Assams Kokrajhar. An outlet here will give you an unusual taste of organic mushroom. It deals entirely in the fungi  fresh, dried and powdered and the derivatives pickle, biscuit, soup, bhujia, khurma, pakoda etc. Launched in May, this is Indias only all-mushroom stall at any railway platform.

Amrit Debnath, a young graduate, runs it under the brand name of AxomBazar. He is a soldier of a mushroom movement that is sweeping the once insurgency-ravaged Kokrajhar district, which is bound by Bhutan on the north and West Bengal on the west.

Some 5,000 farmers, over 500 self-help groups and 150 MSMEs have taken the Mushroom Mission of the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) to the level of a movement. The authorities identified mushrooms as a product under the Centres One District One Product (ODOP) initiative.

Debnaths AxomBazar was launched in 2020 and it exported its maiden consignment to Bhutan in May this year. Hiren Roy, a progressive farmer, had supplied the fresh mushroom to Axombazar.

Debnath was allocated the stall under One Station One Product. He facilitates the sale of mushroom products of farmers in Kokrajhar. People from mainland India place orders on AxomBazars online platform.

The BTC administers five districts of western Assam. All departments are working in tandem to achieve the goal of making Bodoland the countrys mushroom hub.

The Bodoland Farmer Producer Company (FPC) Ltd, set up in the non-descript Rajendrapur village on October 10 last year, is spearheading the movement. It specialises in mushroom and its derivatives. Altogether 526 farmers  98% of them women  from 26 villages have helped the Bodoland FPC make a steady growth. The farmers, who are from 26 farmers interest groups, produced 26,000 kg of mushroom in just five months.

Paritran Narzary, chairman of Bodoland FPC, believes mushroom can help ensure a turnaround in Bodolands economy. We are in the early days of the movement. Mushroom holds great prospects for Bodolands economy if there are proper market linkages, Narzary says.

The farmers need 23 days to produce mushroom and each cylinder gives multiple harvests with an investment of just Rs 35 to get returns upto Rs 400. The low cost is driving many women to mushroom cultivation.

ASSAM: It is difficult to get a good harvest during the summer and monsoon months, yet we can upscale our production if we get a favourable condition, Albina Basumatary says confidently as fellow farmers Bidya Paudyal and Basanti Hembrom nod their heads in agreement.

The craze for mushrooms is such that several schools have started producing them after the students underwent training.

District Magistrate Varnali Deka said the very first hurdle in Kokrajhars journey was that it had no ODOP. She said although mushroom consumption is very common in tribal societies, there was a lack of know-how. She said the decision to select mushrooms was based on a number of factors.

The agro-climatic condition of the district is extremely favourable for mushroom production. With the depletion of land and other resources, along with the growth of population, there is a proportionately increasing need for food and nutrition. Again, Assam and Kokrajhar are hugely agrarian, management of agro-waste is a huge area of concern. Mushroom cultivation is an answer to these  it is a low-cost health food and the highest producer of protein per unit area and time, Deka says.

The administration fell for mushrooms as an option for livelihood and entrepreneurship, for its cultivation is not contingent on land availability. Also, it has minimal resource requirement, very low capital investment, low water requirement, wide availability of organic agro-waste, presence of potential domestic and international markets, high consumptive, non-consumptive, nutraceutical values and value-added products.

Kokrajhar has a population of tribal, backward groups and minorities that lags in most developmental parameters. Low income and poverty are a cause of concern. Participation of women in the workforce is also below average. Against this backdrop, mushroom as ODOP has become the answer to better livelihood and income generation opportunities, Deka says.

Kokrajhar traditionally has had high rates of undernutrition, malnourishment, anaemia and IMR/MMR. So, it was decided to use mushrooms as a tool to solve the challenge of malnutrition.

Mushroom supplement was introduced in schools and AWCs under Mid-day Meal programme. Poshan Clubs were engaged in generating awareness on the nutritional benefits of mushrooms, she adds.

The Department of Biotechnology, Bodoland University is playing a stellar role in the mushroom movement by producing spawn at its Technology Incubation Centre (TIC) and imparting training to individuals.

The present giant movement of mushroom production and designating it as an ideal tool for the rural economy was initiated from a spark in the form of a practical of Single Cell Protein for M.Sc biotechnology students in 2012, Prof Sandeep Das of Biotechnology under Faculty of Science and Technology, Bodoland University, says.

Since then, the team started the back-end process of producing spawn for rural entrepreneurs. Initially, the movement started as Earn while you learn for student entrepreneurs but with time and through extramural projects, it covered rural and marginalized entrepreneurs.

The TIC is the one-stop solution to spawn production, valorization, imparting training on 23 mushroom species including cordyceps, reishi, shiitake, enoki, lions mane etc and development of an integrated zero waste management model for an augmenting circular economy.

The TIC plays an important role in designing models for government-aided mushroom missions and market linkages for farmers. To date, it has trained 8,500 mushroom farmers across the Northeast. In 2020, it launched the eMarketing portal AxomBazar.com as a start-up. The Centre has a 24X7 mushroom helpline number 9101952358.

If you are travelling to or from Northeast, make sure to choose a train that halts at Assams Kokrajhar. An outlet here will give you an unusual taste of organic mushroom. It deals entirely in the fungi  fresh, dried and powdered and the derivatives pickle, biscuit, soup, bhujia, khurma, pakoda etc. Launched in May, this is Indias only all-mushroom stall at any railway platform. Amrit Debnath, a young graduate, runs it under the brand name of AxomBazar. He is a soldier of a mushroom movement that is sweeping the once insurgency-ravaged Kokrajhar district, which is bound by Bhutan on the north and West Bengal on the west. Some 5,000 farmers, over 500 self-help groups and 150 MSMEs have taken the Mushroom Mission of the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) to the level of a movement. The authorities identified mushrooms as a product under the Centres One District One Product (ODOP) initiative. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Debnaths AxomBazar was launched in 2020 and it exported its maiden consignment to Bhutan in May this year. Hiren Roy, a progressive farmer, had supplied the fresh mushroom to Axombazar. Debnath was allocated the stall under One Station One Product. He facilitates the sale of mushroom products of farmers in Kokrajhar. People from mainland India place orders on AxomBazars online platform. The BTC administers five districts of western Assam. All departments are working in tandem to achieve the goal of making Bodoland the countrys mushroom hub. The Bodoland Farmer Producer Company (FPC) Ltd, set up in the non-descript Rajendrapur village on October 10 last year, is spearheading the movement. It specialises in mushroom and its derivatives. Altogether 526 farmers  98% of them women  from 26 villages have helped the Bodoland FPC make a steady growth. The farmers, who are from 26 farmers interest groups, produced 26,000 kg of mushroom in just five months. Paritran Narzary, chairman of Bodoland FPC, believes mushroom can help ensure a turnaround in Bodolands economy. We are in the early days of the movement. Mushroom holds great prospects for Bodolands economy if there are proper market linkages, Narzary says. The farmers need 23 days to produce mushroom and each cylinder gives multiple harvests with an investment of just Rs 35 to get returns upto Rs 400. The low cost is driving many women to mushroom cultivation. ASSAM: It is difficult to get a good harvest during the summer and monsoon months, yet we can upscale our production if we get a favourable condition, Albina Basumatary says confidently as fellow farmers Bidya Paudyal and Basanti Hembrom nod their heads in agreement. The craze for mushrooms is such that several schools have started producing them after the students underwent training. District Magistrate Varnali Deka said the very first hurdle in Kokrajhars journey was that it had no ODOP. She said although mushroom consumption is very common in tribal societies, there was a lack of know-how. She said the decision to select mushrooms was based on a number of factors. The agro-climatic condition of the district is extremely favourable for mushroom production. With the depletion of land and other resources, along with the growth of population, there is a proportionately increasing need for food and nutrition. Again, Assam and Kokrajhar are hugely agrarian, management of agro-waste is a huge area of concern. Mushroom cultivation is an answer to these  it is a low-cost health food and the highest producer of protein per unit area and time, Deka says. The administration fell for mushrooms as an option for livelihood and entrepreneurship, for its cultivation is not contingent on land availability. Also, it has minimal resource requirement, very low capital investment, low water requirement, wide availability of organic agro-waste, presence of potential domestic and international markets, high consumptive, non-consumptive, nutraceutical values and value-added products. Kokrajhar has a population of tribal, backward groups and minorities that lags in most developmental parameters. Low income and poverty are a cause of concern. Participation of women in the workforce is also below average. Against this backdrop, mushroom as ODOP has become the answer to better livelihood and income generation opportunities, Deka says. Kokrajhar traditionally has had high rates of undernutrition, malnourishment, anaemia and IMR/MMR. So, it was decided to use mushrooms as a tool to solve the challenge of malnutrition. Mushroom supplement was introduced in schools and AWCs under Mid-day Meal programme. Poshan Clubs were engaged in generating awareness on the nutritional benefits of mushrooms, she adds. The Department of Biotechnology, Bodoland University is playing a stellar role in the mushroom movement by producing spawn at its Technology Incubation Centre (TIC) and imparting training to individuals. The present giant movement of mushroom production and designating it as an ideal tool for the rural economy was initiated from a spark in the form of a practical of Single Cell Protein for M.Sc biotechnology students in 2012, Prof Sandeep Das of Biotechnology under Faculty of Science and Technology, Bodoland University, says. Since then, the team started the back-end process of producing spawn for rural entrepreneurs. Initially, the movement started as Earn while you learn for student entrepreneurs but with time and through extramural projects, it covered rural and marginalized entrepreneurs. The TIC is the one-stop solution to spawn production, valorization, imparting training on 23 mushroom species including cordyceps, reishi, shiitake, enoki, lions mane etc and development of an integrated zero waste management model for an augmenting circular economy. The TIC plays an important role in designing models for government-aided mushroom missions and market linkages for farmers. To date, it has trained 8,500 mushroom farmers across the Northeast. In 2020, it launched the eMarketing portal AxomBazar.com as a start-up. The Centre has a 24X7 mushroom helpline number 9101952358.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has sought a response from the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) on an application moved by real estate tycoon Sushil Ansal, convicted in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire case, to de-seal the cinema premises.

Principal District and Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg directed AVUT president Neelam Krishnamoorthy to file a response by July 25, when the court will further hear the matter.

During a hearing held on July 7, the court noted the submission made by the CBI counsel, who said "he has no objection to the returning of the theatre to the applicant."

The application has sought necessary directions for the de-sealing of Uphaar cinema premises located at Green Park Extension here.

The Supreme Court on April 27 allowed Ansal Theatres and Club Hotels Private Ltd, whose former directors were real estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal, to move the trial court for the de-sealing of Uphaar cinema hall where 59 cinema-goers had lost their lives in a blaze in 1997.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has sought a response from the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) on an application moved by real estate tycoon Sushil Ansal, convicted in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire case, to de-seal the cinema premises. Principal District and Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg directed AVUT president Neelam Krishnamoorthy to file a response by July 25, when the court will further hear the matter. During a hearing held on July 7, the court noted the submission made by the CBI counsel, who said "he has no objection to the returning of the theatre to the applicant."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The application has sought necessary directions for the de-sealing of Uphaar cinema premises located at Green Park Extension here. The Supreme Court on April 27 allowed Ansal Theatres and Club Hotels Private Ltd, whose former directors were real estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal, to move the trial court for the de-sealing of Uphaar cinema hall where 59 cinema-goers had lost their lives in a blaze in 1997.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old B.Tech student at IIT Delhi allegedly died by suicide by hanging in his hostel room, police said on Sunday.

Ayush Ashna had just appeared in his final-year exams, they said.

Police said they did not find any suicide note but suspect no foul play.

The police arrived at the hostel after a call was received at the Kishangarh police station, which falls under the jurisdiction of southwest Delhi.

The room was locked from inside and it was opened in front of his family, a senior police officer said.

The student committed suicide in his room at the Udaigiri Hostel using a nylon rope, he said.

"The crime investigation team was called to the spot.

Nothing suspicious was found and inquest proceedings are under process," he said.

NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old B.Tech student at IIT Delhi allegedly died by suicide by hanging in his hostel room, police said on Sunday. Ayush Ashna had just appeared in his final-year exams, they said. Police said they did not find any suicide note but suspect no foul play.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The police arrived at the hostel after a call was received at the Kishangarh police station, which falls under the jurisdiction of southwest Delhi. The room was locked from inside and it was opened in front of his family, a senior police officer said. The student committed suicide in his room at the Udaigiri Hostel using a nylon rope, he said. "The crime investigation team was called to the spot. Nothing suspicious was found and inquest proceedings are under process," he said.
Production activities at Apparel Far Eastern (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. located in Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Park, Thuan An city in Binh Duong province. (Photo: VNA)

The MoU was signed at a business forum held by the Singapore Business Association on July 7 under the witness of Vietnamese and Singaporean officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai, MPI Minister Nguyen Chi Dung and Singaporean Second Minister of Trade and Industry Tan See Leng.

Addressing the signing ceremony, MPI Minister Nguyen Chi Dung said that cooperation between the NIC and NUS is a practical and specific effort of the two sides to share knowledge and support each other in innovative startups, helping Vietnam realise its vision to become an innovation-oriented economy.

It is also among major cooperation activities of the Vietnam-Singapore Working Group on Innovation, he said, expressing hope that it will make positive contributions to the innovative startup ecosystem in Vietnam.

Under the MoU, NUS and NIC will set up working groups to strengthen collaboration in innovation and connectivity of the startup ecosystems in the two countries in the next three years.

The NUS will sponsor individuals winning the Vietnam Innovation Challenge contest to join its annual Startup Summer Programme, while granting scholarships to Vietnamese talents to take post-graduate courses on innovative startups.

NUS will share professional knowledge on NIC platforms, while NUS students and startups can access relevant initiatives and platforms, including incubation programmes organised by the NIC.

The two sides will also hold joint activities in Vietnam to promote the application of advanced technology solutions provided by Southeast Asian startups.

NIC will call for support from different sides for the expansion of the startup ecosystem for startups in the Southeast Asian region.

The two sides will seek cooperation chances and share knowledge to promote the development and application of technology, focusing on smart city and medical technology.

At the same time, the two sides will exploit new partnerships to develop innovative and startup centres in Vietnam, including the NUS's BLOCK71 global startup network that entered Vietnam in 2021 with the support of Becamex IDC Corporation.

Vu Quoc Huy, NIC Director said that the partnership between the NIC and NUS will facilitate knowledge exchange and access to resources, thus opening up cooperation opportunities, contributing to the growth of the startup ecosystem in Vietnam and strengthening the country's position as a regional innovation hub./.
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: With five more persons succumbing to their injuries that they received during violence on Saturday, the total death toll in the rural polls in West Bengal has gone up to 17. The governor, C.V. Ananda Bose, who had visited a number of strife-hit areas near Kolkata, left for Delhi which is said to be his unscheduled visit to the national capital.

Asked whether he would submit a report to the Centre, Bose, after his visit on Saturday said, I will do whatever a governor is expected.

As the number of total death increased to 17, Bengals ruling party lost its 10 activists in the violence during Saturdays electoral exercise to decide who will dominate Bengals rural landscape for the next five years. Two more Congress workers were also reported dead.

Among the five fresh victims of violence, three were identified as TMC workers, who were killed in Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur and Murshidabad districts and two as Congress supporters who were found dead in North Dinajpur.

Bose had visited a number of areas in Kolkatas adjoining North 24 Parganas on Saturday from where he received information of violence. Reacting to the violence on Saturday he had said, "This is the most sacred day for democracy. An election must be through ballots and not bullets. It should cause concern to all of us."

Referring to the absence of the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF), state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday alleged it was a conspiracy hatched by the TMC and the BJP. The Centre delayed to send the full volume of central force, which were 837 companies, requisitioned by the State Election Commission (SEC) to secure advantage in favour of the TMC, he alleged.

When oppositions alleged that the central force was not utilised properly by the state poll panel, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha on Saturday said the poll body requisitioned 837 companies of the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) but 649 companies were available on the day of the election. Rests are on their way to the state, he had said.

According to the SEC, the state recorded 81 per cent of polling on Saturday. On Monday, re-poll will be held in a number of booths where elections could not be conducted for law and order issues, said an official of the state poll panel.

The SEC received reports of post-poll violence and protests from many pockets across the state. At Harishchandrapur in Malda, TMC minister Tajmul Hossains vehicle was vandalised late on Saturday night and a police vehicle was also attacked.

Protests were staged by opposition parties at several places. Congress workers protested in Murshidabads Beldanga alleging the supporters of the ruling TMC indulged in intimidation and false voting with impunity during the polls.

In Birbhum, where BJP once made inroads, workers of the saffron camp took refuge in its party offices fearing attack by the TMCs men. We witnessed unprecedented violence unleashed by the TMC activists on Saturday. They threatened us with dire consequences. We took shelter in party offices to save our lives from the blood-thirsty cadres of the ruling party, said a BJP worker in Suri.

KOLKATA: With five more persons succumbing to their injuries that they received during violence on Saturday, the total death toll in the rural polls in West Bengal has gone up to 17. The governor, C.V. Ananda Bose, who had visited a number of strife-hit areas near Kolkata, left for Delhi which is said to be his unscheduled visit to the national capital. Asked whether he would submit a report to the Centre, Bose, after his visit on Saturday said, I will do whatever a governor is expected. As the number of total death increased to 17, Bengals ruling party lost its 10 activists in the violence during Saturdays electoral exercise to decide who will dominate Bengals rural landscape for the next five years. Two more Congress workers were also reported dead.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Among the five fresh victims of violence, three were identified as TMC workers, who were killed in Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur and Murshidabad districts and two as Congress supporters who were found dead in North Dinajpur. Bose had visited a number of areas in Kolkatas adjoining North 24 Parganas on Saturday from where he received information of violence. Reacting to the violence on Saturday he had said, "This is the most sacred day for democracy. An election must be through ballots and not bullets. It should cause concern to all of us." Referring to the absence of the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF), state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday alleged it was a conspiracy hatched by the TMC and the BJP. The Centre delayed to send the full volume of central force, which were 837 companies, requisitioned by the State Election Commission (SEC) to secure advantage in favour of the TMC, he alleged. When oppositions alleged that the central force was not utilised properly by the state poll panel, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha on Saturday said the poll body requisitioned 837 companies of the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) but 649 companies were available on the day of the election. Rests are on their way to the state, he had said. According to the SEC, the state recorded 81 per cent of polling on Saturday. On Monday, re-poll will be held in a number of booths where elections could not be conducted for law and order issues, said an official of the state poll panel. The SEC received reports of post-poll violence and protests from many pockets across the state. At Harishchandrapur in Malda, TMC minister Tajmul Hossains vehicle was vandalised late on Saturday night and a police vehicle was also attacked. Protests were staged by opposition parties at several places. Congress workers protested in Murshidabads Beldanga alleging the supporters of the ruling TMC indulged in intimidation and false voting with impunity during the polls. In Birbhum, where BJP once made inroads, workers of the saffron camp took refuge in its party offices fearing attack by the TMCs men. We witnessed unprecedented violence unleashed by the TMC activists on Saturday. They threatened us with dire consequences. We took shelter in party offices to save our lives from the blood-thirsty cadres of the ruling party, said a BJP worker in Suri.
By PTI

VADODARA: Police have arrested a man in Gujarat's Vadodara city for allegedly making objectionable comments on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, an official said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Aryan Patel, had an argument with a friend during which he made some objectionable comments on the 17th-century Maratha king, the official from Vadodara taluka police station said.

The remarks were captured in a mobile phone video recorded by a person and shared on social media, the police said.

An FIR was registered on Friday night and the accused was arrested on Saturday, police inspector AU Gohil said.

Complaint Deepak Palkar alleged the accused used foul language in public against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, thereby hurting the feelings of the Hindu community, according to the FIR.

The complainant said he received a video shared on WhatsApp in which the accused was heard making objectionable comments against Shivaji Maharaj in public.

The FIR was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony) and 294 (B) (uttering obscene words in a public place).

Born in 1630, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a deeply revered figure in Maharashtra and remains a rallying point for all major political parties more than three centuries after his death.

VADODARA: Police have arrested a man in Gujarat's Vadodara city for allegedly making objectionable comments on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, an official said on Sunday. The accused, identified as Aryan Patel, had an argument with a friend during which he made some objectionable comments on the 17th-century Maratha king, the official from Vadodara taluka police station said. The remarks were captured in a mobile phone video recorded by a person and shared on social media, the police said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); An FIR was registered on Friday night and the accused was arrested on Saturday, police inspector AU Gohil said. Complaint Deepak Palkar alleged the accused used foul language in public against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, thereby hurting the feelings of the Hindu community, according to the FIR. The complainant said he received a video shared on WhatsApp in which the accused was heard making objectionable comments against Shivaji Maharaj in public. The FIR was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony) and 294 (B) (uttering obscene words in a public place). Born in 1630, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a deeply revered figure in Maharashtra and remains a rallying point for all major political parties more than three centuries after his death.
By PTI

RAJPIPLA: An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader from Gujarat who fought unsuccessfully for a Scheduled Tribe reserved Assembly seat in the 2022 polls resigned from the party on Sunday opposing its "in principle" support to the Uniform Civil Code.

In his resignation letter addressed to AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Praful Vasava said the UCC was an attack on the Constitution.

Vasava, who lost from Nandod (ST) seat in Narmada district in the 2022 Assembly polls, in the letter said the AAP cannot talk about safeguarding tribal rights and at the same time express support to the UCC, which he claimed takes away special rights given to tribals.

Vasava accused the Centre over the killing of "tribals" in Manipur and urged the AAP to oppose fundamentalism and hate politics.

"UCC will threaten the constitutional rights, lifestyle and social structure of the tribals, Scheduled Caste, OBC, minorities and other communities," said Vasava in the letter in which he said he was resigning from the primary membership of AAP.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of the need for a common civic code at a public meet recently, the AAP had extended "in principle support" to UCC, with the party's leader Sandeep Pathak saying it should be introduced through consensus.

"The AAP supports UCC in principle.

Article 44 (of the Constitution) also supports it," Pathak, who is the outfit's national general secretary (organisation) had recently told PTI.

While pushing for UCC, PM Modi had asked how a nation could function with dual laws governing personal issues.

RAJPIPLA: An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader from Gujarat who fought unsuccessfully for a Scheduled Tribe reserved Assembly seat in the 2022 polls resigned from the party on Sunday opposing its "in principle" support to the Uniform Civil Code. In his resignation letter addressed to AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Praful Vasava said the UCC was an attack on the Constitution. Vasava, who lost from Nandod (ST) seat in Narmada district in the 2022 Assembly polls, in the letter said the AAP cannot talk about safeguarding tribal rights and at the same time express support to the UCC, which he claimed takes away special rights given to tribals.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Vasava accused the Centre over the killing of "tribals" in Manipur and urged the AAP to oppose fundamentalism and hate politics. "UCC will threaten the constitutional rights, lifestyle and social structure of the tribals, Scheduled Caste, OBC, minorities and other communities," said Vasava in the letter in which he said he was resigning from the primary membership of AAP. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of the need for a common civic code at a public meet recently, the AAP had extended "in principle support" to UCC, with the party's leader Sandeep Pathak saying it should be introduced through consensus. "The AAP supports UCC in principle. Article 44 (of the Constitution) also supports it," Pathak, who is the outfit's national general secretary (organisation) had recently told PTI. While pushing for UCC, PM Modi had asked how a nation could function with dual laws governing personal issues.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has forwarded a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), seeking an extension of 'The Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act, 1985' to the national capital, Raj Niwas officials said on Sunday.

The Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act, 1985, provides for preventive detention of bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers for preventing their dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, they added.

On June 27, Delhi's Home Department had submitted the proposal to the LG for issuance of notification under Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act for extending the Gujarat law to the NCT of Delhi.

The Law Department of the Delhi government has vetted the draft notification with the observation that the Administrative Department must ensure to comply with the provision of GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021 read with the GNCTD (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 and provisions of Transaction of Business Rules (TBR), 1993, which entail that the draft notification be sent to the Union Home Ministry for extension of the said Act to the national capital.

An identical law from Telangana (The Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, property offenders, etc Act, 1986) was also examined and it was found that the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better.

LG Saxena also agreed to the proposal that the Gujarat law may be forwarded to the MHA for considering its extension to the national capital after taking note of the observation that between Telangana and Gujarat law, "the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better", the officials said.

In March this year, Saxena had accorded approval to the proposal of the Home Department that Delhi Police should effectively use The National Security Act of 1980 whose purpose is "to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected therewith".

Delhi Police through its letter dated February 14 this year had requested that the provisions of the Gujarat Act to be examined.

The Home Department in October last year had forwarded the approval accorded by the LG to the request of the Delhi Police to examine the Telangana and Gujarat laws for taking a decision.

Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act, 1950 dealing with Power to extend enactments to certain Union Territories, entails that "the Central government may, by notification in the official gazette, extend to the Union Territory of Delhi or any part of such territory, with such restrictions and modifications as it thinks fit, any enactment which is in force in a State at the date of the notification".

Officials claim that once notified, the said Act will provide the police with more teeth to deal with criminals and at the same time ensure effective deterrence against crimes like chain snatching, bootlegging, drug peddling and trafficking, etc.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has forwarded a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), seeking an extension of 'The Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act, 1985' to the national capital, Raj Niwas officials said on Sunday. The Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act, 1985, provides for preventive detention of bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers for preventing their dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, they added. On June 27, Delhi's Home Department had submitted the proposal to the LG for issuance of notification under Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act for extending the Gujarat law to the NCT of Delhi.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Law Department of the Delhi government has vetted the draft notification with the observation that the Administrative Department must ensure to comply with the provision of GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021 read with the GNCTD (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 and provisions of Transaction of Business Rules (TBR), 1993, which entail that the draft notification be sent to the Union Home Ministry for extension of the said Act to the national capital. An identical law from Telangana (The Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, property offenders, etc Act, 1986) was also examined and it was found that the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better. LG Saxena also agreed to the proposal that the Gujarat law may be forwarded to the MHA for considering its extension to the national capital after taking note of the observation that between Telangana and Gujarat law, "the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better", the officials said. In March this year, Saxena had accorded approval to the proposal of the Home Department that Delhi Police should effectively use The National Security Act of 1980 whose purpose is "to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected therewith". Delhi Police through its letter dated February 14 this year had requested that the provisions of the Gujarat Act to be examined. The Home Department in October last year had forwarded the approval accorded by the LG to the request of the Delhi Police to examine the Telangana and Gujarat laws for taking a decision. Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act, 1950 dealing with Power to extend enactments to certain Union Territories, entails that "the Central government may, by notification in the official gazette, extend to the Union Territory of Delhi or any part of such territory, with such restrictions and modifications as it thinks fit, any enactment which is in force in a State at the date of the notification". Officials claim that once notified, the said Act will provide the police with more teeth to deal with criminals and at the same time ensure effective deterrence against crimes like chain snatching, bootlegging, drug peddling and trafficking, etc.
By PTI

IMPHAL: Soon after taking over the mantle of the police chief of restive Manipur last month, Rajiv Singh had his task cut out - ensuring a return of normalcy to the state and also keeping his flock together and instilling confidence among the personnel.

Though there is no official word on the issue, sources said the 45,000-strong Manipur Police was vertically split after the ethnic clashes, with Meitei personnel in the force moving to Imphal valley for safety and the Kuki personnel escaping to the hills.

The state has been on the boil since May 3 following violent clashes between members of the Meitei and Kuki communities.

Singh, a 1993 batch IPS officer of neighbouring Tripura cadre, was brought in to head Manipur Police, which was accused of mishandling the situation in the ongoing clashes.

Singh was on deputation to the CRPF before being appointed police chief.

Immediately after taking over, Singh, who had served in Tripura, found that nearly 1,200 personnel were missing from duty, officials said.

His first task was identifying these people and completing the formalities of their "joining back duty" wherever they were comfortable.

Though Singh was unavailable for comments, officials privy to the developments said nearly 1,150 personnel have reported back to duty.

Singh's second task was to adjust 304 freshly-recruited constables, awaiting their passing out parade before the clashes occurred.

The new recruits comprised youth from Manipur, including the two warring factions.

The police chief thought of a novel idea to sort out this issue.

Technology was used by converting a passing-out parade into a passing-out ceremony where the youth from Meitei and Kuki communities took the customary oath over a video conference.

An Inspector General-rank officer chaired the ceremony and immediately after that, the constables were put to their respective duties in the areas where they had taken shelter, the officials said.

To deal with incidents of police personnel allegedly allowing rioters to loot their arms and ammunition, the top brass sent a stern message to all the formations to ensure strict vigil and not let such things recur, they said.

The results could be visible on the ground when an attempt by hundreds of rioters to storm the camp of the 3rd IRB in the Khangabok area in Thoubal district to loot arms and ammunition was foiled by the security forces earlier this week.

The officials, while pointing out the incident, said that the mob later set on fire the house of one of the jawans who was posted at the IRB camp and was instrumental in preventing the loot.

"The irony is that police constables are from the same society, and everyone fears the backlash," said a senior officer on condition of anonymity.

ALSO READ | Manipur violence: Over 50,650 displaced people living in 350 relief camps

Nowadays, effective 'nakas' (checkpoints) are being erected by Manipur Police, and usual detentions for violating rules, including movement during curfew, are enforced, besides providing security to farmers from both the communities at the foothills.

A joint team of police and security forces conducted search operations in vulnerable and fringe areas in both hill and valley districts.

It destroyed 24 bunkers used by armed miscreants in Imphal East, Kangpokpi, and Imphal West districts.

Now searches are also being conducted as a part of the effort to restore peace and normalcy by Manipur Police and central forces, and the exercise has yielded results in certain areas where arms and ammunition have been recovered, officials said.

To check the movement of miscreants and unwanted elements, the security forces installed 125 checkpoints in different places of Manipur, both in the hill and the valley, during which 352 people were detained in connection with violations.

IMPHAL: Soon after taking over the mantle of the police chief of restive Manipur last month, Rajiv Singh had his task cut out - ensuring a return of normalcy to the state and also keeping his flock together and instilling confidence among the personnel. Though there is no official word on the issue, sources said the 45,000-strong Manipur Police was vertically split after the ethnic clashes, with Meitei personnel in the force moving to Imphal valley for safety and the Kuki personnel escaping to the hills. The state has been on the boil since May 3 following violent clashes between members of the Meitei and Kuki communities.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Singh, a 1993 batch IPS officer of neighbouring Tripura cadre, was brought in to head Manipur Police, which was accused of mishandling the situation in the ongoing clashes. Singh was on deputation to the CRPF before being appointed police chief. Immediately after taking over, Singh, who had served in Tripura, found that nearly 1,200 personnel were missing from duty, officials said. His first task was identifying these people and completing the formalities of their "joining back duty" wherever they were comfortable. Though Singh was unavailable for comments, officials privy to the developments said nearly 1,150 personnel have reported back to duty. Singh's second task was to adjust 304 freshly-recruited constables, awaiting their passing out parade before the clashes occurred. The new recruits comprised youth from Manipur, including the two warring factions. The police chief thought of a novel idea to sort out this issue. Technology was used by converting a passing-out parade into a passing-out ceremony where the youth from Meitei and Kuki communities took the customary oath over a video conference. An Inspector General-rank officer chaired the ceremony and immediately after that, the constables were put to their respective duties in the areas where they had taken shelter, the officials said. To deal with incidents of police personnel allegedly allowing rioters to loot their arms and ammunition, the top brass sent a stern message to all the formations to ensure strict vigil and not let such things recur, they said. The results could be visible on the ground when an attempt by hundreds of rioters to storm the camp of the 3rd IRB in the Khangabok area in Thoubal district to loot arms and ammunition was foiled by the security forces earlier this week. The officials, while pointing out the incident, said that the mob later set on fire the house of one of the jawans who was posted at the IRB camp and was instrumental in preventing the loot. "The irony is that police constables are from the same society, and everyone fears the backlash," said a senior officer on condition of anonymity. ALSO READ | Manipur violence: Over 50,650 displaced people living in 350 relief camps Nowadays, effective 'nakas' (checkpoints) are being erected by Manipur Police, and usual detentions for violating rules, including movement during curfew, are enforced, besides providing security to farmers from both the communities at the foothills. A joint team of police and security forces conducted search operations in vulnerable and fringe areas in both hill and valley districts. It destroyed 24 bunkers used by armed miscreants in Imphal East, Kangpokpi, and Imphal West districts. Now searches are also being conducted as a part of the effort to restore peace and normalcy by Manipur Police and central forces, and the exercise has yielded results in certain areas where arms and ammunition have been recovered, officials said. To check the movement of miscreants and unwanted elements, the security forces installed 125 checkpoints in different places of Manipur, both in the hill and the valley, during which 352 people were detained in connection with violations.
By PTI

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Sunday arrested Congress leader and former deputy chief minister O P Soni for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during the period between 2016 to 2022.

An FIR was registered on Sunday under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Amritsar Range against Soni following investigations in the inquiry, which was ordered on October 10, 2022, a VB spokesperson said.

The spokesperson, in an official statement, said that "during the check period from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2022, the income of the former Deputy CM and his family was Rs 4,52,18,771 while the expenditure was Rs 12,48,42,692, which was Rs 7,96,23,921 or 176.08 per cent more than his known sources of income".

"During this period, accused OP Soni had made properties in the name of his wife Suman Soni and son Raghav Soni," he claimed.

The spokesperson said further investigations in this case are on.

Earlier, Soni had appeared before the VB in Amritsar and joined the investigation.

Before demitting his office, he had promised to give the bureau all details of his moveable and immovable properties.

The investigation is a result of an anonymous complaint the bureau had received accusing Soni of amassing properties beyond his known sources of income.

In May, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested former Congress MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon for allegedly amassing "huge wealth" than his known sources of income, officials had said earlier.

The Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government has said it has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and will proceed in accordance with the law against anyone who indulges in any wrongdoing.

Earlier, Congress leaders and former Punjab Ministers, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, have faced vigilance cases under the present dispensation.

Under the present AAP dispensation, Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also appeared before the Vigilance Bureau a few times in connection with a disproportionate assets case.

Channi has described the probe as "totally political".

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Sunday arrested Congress leader and former deputy chief minister O P Soni for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during the period between 2016 to 2022. An FIR was registered on Sunday under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Amritsar Range against Soni following investigations in the inquiry, which was ordered on October 10, 2022, a VB spokesperson said. The spokesperson, in an official statement, said that "during the check period from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2022, the income of the former Deputy CM and his family was Rs 4,52,18,771 while the expenditure was Rs 12,48,42,692, which was Rs 7,96,23,921 or 176.08 per cent more than his known sources of income".googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "During this period, accused OP Soni had made properties in the name of his wife Suman Soni and son Raghav Soni," he claimed. The spokesperson said further investigations in this case are on. Earlier, Soni had appeared before the VB in Amritsar and joined the investigation. Before demitting his office, he had promised to give the bureau all details of his moveable and immovable properties. The investigation is a result of an anonymous complaint the bureau had received accusing Soni of amassing properties beyond his known sources of income. In May, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested former Congress MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon for allegedly amassing "huge wealth" than his known sources of income, officials had said earlier. The Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government has said it has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and will proceed in accordance with the law against anyone who indulges in any wrongdoing. Earlier, Congress leaders and former Punjab Ministers, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, have faced vigilance cases under the present dispensation. Under the present AAP dispensation, Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also appeared before the Vigilance Bureau a few times in connection with a disproportionate assets case. Channi has described the probe as "totally political".
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: While terming the killing of 16 people in poll violence during Saturdays three-tier panchayat polls in West Bengal as 'Maut ka Khela', union minister Smriti Zubin Irani targeted both the Mamta Banerjee-led TMC as well as the Congress over the killings.

All I can say is that people are seeing the murder of democracy taking place in West Bengal during the panchayat polls. People were killed because they wanted to vote. Now, the Gandhi family is determined to align with the same TMC.

I have a special question for the Gandhi family; is it still willing to align with those who are wreaking havoc in West Bengal? People are getting killed because they want to vote, why is this Maut Ka Khela acceptable to Rahul Gandhi? Irani questioned while talking to journalists in Bhopal on Sunday.

At least 16 people were reportedly killed in violence in different districts during the panchayat polls in West Bengal on Saturday.

Earlier, addressing a regional symposium in the MP capital on child protection, safety, welfare and rights, the union minister informed that the central government has dedicated Rs 74 crore for the care, well-being, education and skill development of rape and other sexual offence victims (who are aged below 18 years) under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Rs 4,000 monthly sum will be given to such girls and if they are housed in child care institutions, special efforts will be made for the education and skill development too, Irani informed.

Requesting the child welfare committees (CWCs) to prepare a list of older age children (those aged above six years) housed in childcare institutions, the minister said these lists will enable the government and other stakeholders to work for getting these older age kids adopted by families.

Weve already initiated this work in two states, out of the 9000 cases evaluated, special attention was paid to 3000 children, out of which, cases of 160 have already been presented for adoption by families in just two-three weeks. While families are eager to adopt kids up to 6 years living in children care homes, there are hardly any takers for the older age group kids. We want to ensure that those kids, many of whom havent seen anyone visiting them for 2-3 years, don't have to live in children's homes till attaining 18 years of age, but are actually adopted by families.

The minister also asked CWCs to identify such children in institutional care, who can be reunited with their families. The sustained attempts by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights and CWCs has enabled reunification of 1.45 lakh such children with their families in the last few years nationally.

While maintaining that building offices of CWCs was the responsibility of the central government, Irani sought proposals from all office-less CWCs in this regard, so that the process of giving them proper offices can be expedited.

The government particularly wants to create proper child care and protection infrastructure in those areas (including border areas) which are most vulnerable to child trafficking. In the last nine years, 3.92 lakh missing, abducted and trafficked children have been reunited with their families across the country due to the efforts of all stakeholders, she said while addressing a regional symposium on child protection, safety, welfare and rights held under the Vatsal Bharat in Bhopal on Sunday.

Representatives of child welfare committees (CWCs), Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), Village Children Protection Units (VCPUs) and Anganwadi workers from MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan attended the symposium.

Childline handed over to states

The union minister also informed on Sunday, about the decision to hand over Childline to states, to ensure that distress calls by children in trouble get connected directly to local police and administration, followed by quick response on the issues.

Childline 1098 is a 24-hour-a-day emergency helpline service for children in need of aid and assistance. The nearly 26-year-old Childline is partnered with civil society and the government.

BHOPAL: While terming the killing of 16 people in poll violence during Saturdays three-tier panchayat polls in West Bengal as 'Maut ka Khela', union minister Smriti Zubin Irani targeted both the Mamta Banerjee-led TMC as well as the Congress over the killings. All I can say is that people are seeing the murder of democracy taking place in West Bengal during the panchayat polls. People were killed because they wanted to vote. Now, the Gandhi family is determined to align with the same TMC. I have a special question for the Gandhi family; is it still willing to align with those who are wreaking havoc in West Bengal? People are getting killed because they want to vote, why is this Maut Ka Khela acceptable to Rahul Gandhi? Irani questioned while talking to journalists in Bhopal on Sunday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); At least 16 people were reportedly killed in violence in different districts during the panchayat polls in West Bengal on Saturday. Earlier, addressing a regional symposium in the MP capital on child protection, safety, welfare and rights, the union minister informed that the central government has dedicated Rs 74 crore for the care, well-being, education and skill development of rape and other sexual offence victims (who are aged below 18 years) under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Rs 4,000 monthly sum will be given to such girls and if they are housed in child care institutions, special efforts will be made for the education and skill development too, Irani informed. Requesting the child welfare committees (CWCs) to prepare a list of older age children (those aged above six years) housed in childcare institutions, the minister said these lists will enable the government and other stakeholders to work for getting these older age kids adopted by families. Weve already initiated this work in two states, out of the 9000 cases evaluated, special attention was paid to 3000 children, out of which, cases of 160 have already been presented for adoption by families in just two-three weeks. While families are eager to adopt kids up to 6 years living in children care homes, there are hardly any takers for the older age group kids. We want to ensure that those kids, many of whom havent seen anyone visiting them for 2-3 years, don't have to live in children's homes till attaining 18 years of age, but are actually adopted by families. The minister also asked CWCs to identify such children in institutional care, who can be reunited with their families. The sustained attempts by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights and CWCs has enabled reunification of 1.45 lakh such children with their families in the last few years nationally. While maintaining that building offices of CWCs was the responsibility of the central government, Irani sought proposals from all office-less CWCs in this regard, so that the process of giving them proper offices can be expedited. The government particularly wants to create proper child care and protection infrastructure in those areas (including border areas) which are most vulnerable to child trafficking. In the last nine years, 3.92 lakh missing, abducted and trafficked children have been reunited with their families across the country due to the efforts of all stakeholders, she said while addressing a regional symposium on child protection, safety, welfare and rights held under the Vatsal Bharat in Bhopal on Sunday. Representatives of child welfare committees (CWCs), Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), Village Children Protection Units (VCPUs) and Anganwadi workers from MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan attended the symposium. Childline handed over to states The union minister also informed on Sunday, about the decision to hand over Childline to states, to ensure that distress calls by children in trouble get connected directly to local police and administration, followed by quick response on the issues. Childline 1098 is a 24-hour-a-day emergency helpline service for children in need of aid and assistance. The nearly 26-year-old Childline is partnered with civil society and the government.
By PTI

JAMMU: VHP-affiliated 'Durga Vahini' held a training camp for girls in Jammu and Kashmir to teach them the arts of self-defence and even how to keep their own during terror attacks, the right-wing outfit said here on Sunday.

Girls, all aged about 18, from 12 districts of the Union Territory participated in the week-long camp that started on July 3.

Besides teaching them defence skills, the camp was also aimed at making girls aware of 'love jihad,' said a VHP member.

"We organised a seven-day training camp from July 3, focusing on self-defence and personality development," Shabnam Khajuria, the head of Durga Vahini, told PTI.

The primary objective of this initiative was to enhance girls' self-confidence and prepare them to combat all types of threats -- from terrorism to disasters in the region, she said.

"In addition to yoga and non-weapon techniques, the participants were trained in handling rifles and swords, enabling them to handle any situation effectively," Shabnam said.

Head Instructor Anjali Khajuria said once the girls are trained, they will further pass on their newly acquired skills to other women back home.

In all, 82 girls, all aged 18 and above, hailing from 12 districts of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the border areas, participated in the camp.

Aditi Gupta, one of the trainees shared her experience saying, "The training in martial arts and weapon handling has made us physically and mentally strong.

It has given us the self-confidence to face any situation. This is a lifelong learning process."

Another trainee Asmita Gupta said that the girl will go back to their native places and teach others about such practices.

'Durga Vahini' is affiliated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad, a right-wing group.

"It serves as the female counterpart of the Bajrang Dal, a subsidiary of the Hindu nationalist organisation VHP, established in 1991.

Women aged 18 to 35 are eligible to join and receive training in the camp," Shakti Dhar Sharma, vice president, J&K VHP, told PTI.

He said they are educating women on the issues of love jihad and the challenges being faced by Hindus.

'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing activists to refer to an alleged conspiracy to convert Hindu girls to Islam by marrying them.

The camp operated from 4 am to 10.30 pm, dedicating four hours to the women's mental and physical development, Sharma said.

JAMMU: VHP-affiliated 'Durga Vahini' held a training camp for girls in Jammu and Kashmir to teach them the arts of self-defence and even how to keep their own during terror attacks, the right-wing outfit said here on Sunday. Girls, all aged about 18, from 12 districts of the Union Territory participated in the week-long camp that started on July 3. Besides teaching them defence skills, the camp was also aimed at making girls aware of 'love jihad,' said a VHP member.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "We organised a seven-day training camp from July 3, focusing on self-defence and personality development," Shabnam Khajuria, the head of Durga Vahini, told PTI. The primary objective of this initiative was to enhance girls' self-confidence and prepare them to combat all types of threats -- from terrorism to disasters in the region, she said. "In addition to yoga and non-weapon techniques, the participants were trained in handling rifles and swords, enabling them to handle any situation effectively," Shabnam said. Head Instructor Anjali Khajuria said once the girls are trained, they will further pass on their newly acquired skills to other women back home. In all, 82 girls, all aged 18 and above, hailing from 12 districts of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the border areas, participated in the camp. Aditi Gupta, one of the trainees shared her experience saying, "The training in martial arts and weapon handling has made us physically and mentally strong. It has given us the self-confidence to face any situation. This is a lifelong learning process." Another trainee Asmita Gupta said that the girl will go back to their native places and teach others about such practices. 'Durga Vahini' is affiliated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad, a right-wing group. "It serves as the female counterpart of the Bajrang Dal, a subsidiary of the Hindu nationalist organisation VHP, established in 1991. Women aged 18 to 35 are eligible to join and receive training in the camp," Shakti Dhar Sharma, vice president, J&K VHP, told PTI. He said they are educating women on the issues of love jihad and the challenges being faced by Hindus. 'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing activists to refer to an alleged conspiracy to convert Hindu girls to Islam by marrying them. The camp operated from 4 am to 10.30 pm, dedicating four hours to the women's mental and physical development, Sharma said.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: An influential Shia leader and Hurriyat leader Maulana Masroor Abbas Ansari, whose father was a Hurriyat Conference chairman, along with many others were detained by police from a Srinagar hotel on Sunday. Police said prima facie that they were planning to revive the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

A spokesman of Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen in a statement said party chairman Maulana Masroor Ansari was detained along with some others during the Eid Milan (Eid gathering) in Srinagar today.

The Eid Milan was organized at a Srinagar hotel today.

Sources said about 40 people were present in the hotel room when it was raided by police.

Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen was one of the constituent party of the moderate Hurriyat Conference led by cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

'Deeply Worrisome'

Shia leader and councillor SMC Aga Syed Muhammad Hussaini termed the detention of Molvi Masroor Abbas as deeply worrisome.

I implore the administration to promptly address this matter and ensure his immediate release, alleviating the concerns of his family, relatives and supporters, Hussaini tweeted.

Police in the late evening issued a brief statement about the incident.

A search was conducted on the basis of credible information about the meeting of some ex-trts of JKLF & erstwhile separatists in a hotel in Srinagar (sic), tweeted Srinagar police.

They were brought to Kothibagh PS for verification. An inquiry has started, prima facie it came out that they were planning to revive JKLF & Hurriyat, it further stated.

Masroor Ansaris father Maulana Abbas Ansari was the former Hurriyat Conference chairman. He died in October last year after a brief spell of illness.

During Abbas Ansaris tenure as Hurriyat chairman, the Hurriyat leaders had entered into talks with the then National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

SRINAGAR: An influential Shia leader and Hurriyat leader Maulana Masroor Abbas Ansari, whose father was a Hurriyat Conference chairman, along with many others were detained by police from a Srinagar hotel on Sunday. Police said prima facie that they were planning to revive the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). A spokesman of Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen in a statement said party chairman Maulana Masroor Ansari was detained along with some others during the Eid Milan (Eid gathering) in Srinagar today. The Eid Milan was organized at a Srinagar hotel today.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Sources said about 40 people were present in the hotel room when it was raided by police. Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen was one of the constituent party of the moderate Hurriyat Conference led by cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. 'Deeply Worrisome' Shia leader and councillor SMC Aga Syed Muhammad Hussaini termed the detention of Molvi Masroor Abbas as deeply worrisome. I implore the administration to promptly address this matter and ensure his immediate release, alleviating the concerns of his family, relatives and supporters, Hussaini tweeted. Police in the late evening issued a brief statement about the incident. A search was conducted on the basis of credible information about the meeting of some ex-trts of JKLF & erstwhile separatists in a hotel in Srinagar (sic), tweeted Srinagar police. They were brought to Kothibagh PS for verification. An inquiry has started, prima facie it came out that they were planning to revive JKLF & Hurriyat, it further stated. Masroor Ansaris father Maulana Abbas Ansari was the former Hurriyat Conference chairman. He died in October last year after a brief spell of illness. During Abbas Ansaris tenure as Hurriyat chairman, the Hurriyat leaders had entered into talks with the then National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
By Express News Service

GUWAHATI: No major incident of violence was reported from any part of Manipur on Sunday even as an MLA of the ruling BJP said a political solution to the crisis would be possible only after consultations with all stakeholders and the return of peace and normalcy.

Official sources said an uneasy calm prevailed in some vulnerable areas. At one place, the miscreants fired some speculative shots. Nobody was killed or injured.

In state capital Imphal, some civil society organisations and women groups organised separate programmes where they renewed the demand that the government abrogate the suspension of operation agreement that it signed with the Kuki insurgent groups. They also opposed the Kuki MLAs demand of separate administration for the community.

BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh said whatever negotiations the Centre undertakes, the final decision would only come after consultations with all stakeholders.

The statement comes two days after Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Kumar Deka met the leaders of Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum and Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi in the national capital.

All of us have been assured that the territorial integrity of Manipur will be protected and the aspirations of all indigenous people of Manipur will be taken care of, Singh tweeted.

The political solution to be brought will come after consultations with all stakeholders when peace and normalcy return, he further wrote.

The Nagas are one of the three major communities of Manipur. They opposed the state governments move to set up a semi-permanent relief camp in Ukhrul district for the displaced people of other districts.

The Tangkhul Naga Long, which is the apex Naga organisation of Ukhrul district, said the government must work out a policy to accommodate the displaced persons in their original place and not scatter them in other places.

The violence, which broke out on May 3, left more than 120 people dead and over 50,000 others displaced. The displaced people are taking shelter in the state as well as in some states in the Northeast.

GUWAHATI: No major incident of violence was reported from any part of Manipur on Sunday even as an MLA of the ruling BJP said a political solution to the crisis would be possible only after consultations with all stakeholders and the return of peace and normalcy. Official sources said an uneasy calm prevailed in some vulnerable areas. At one place, the miscreants fired some speculative shots. Nobody was killed or injured. In state capital Imphal, some civil society organisations and women groups organised separate programmes where they renewed the demand that the government abrogate the suspension of operation agreement that it signed with the Kuki insurgent groups. They also opposed the Kuki MLAs demand of separate administration for the community.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo Singh said whatever negotiations the Centre undertakes, the final decision would only come after consultations with all stakeholders. The statement comes two days after Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Kumar Deka met the leaders of Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum and Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi in the national capital. All of us have been assured that the territorial integrity of Manipur will be protected and the aspirations of all indigenous people of Manipur will be taken care of, Singh tweeted. The political solution to be brought will come after consultations with all stakeholders when peace and normalcy return, he further wrote. The Nagas are one of the three major communities of Manipur. They opposed the state governments move to set up a semi-permanent relief camp in Ukhrul district for the displaced people of other districts. The Tangkhul Naga Long, which is the apex Naga organisation of Ukhrul district, said the government must work out a policy to accommodate the displaced persons in their original place and not scatter them in other places. The violence, which broke out on May 3, left more than 120 people dead and over 50,000 others displaced. The displaced people are taking shelter in the state as well as in some states in the Northeast.
Bac Giang fresh lychee sold at EmQuatier Trade Centre in Thailand (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese lychees were already present in Thailand a few years ago, but this is the first time that the fruits are on sale at a major supermarket chain in the country.

This batch of Bac Giang lychees, exported to Thailand by Vifoco company, is sold at Gourmet Market stores, which specialise in food and household items.

Vietnamese lychees were already present in Thailand a few years ago. - Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Chairman of Vifoco Nguyen Xuan Viet said he is happy to be one of the pioneering firms to bring fresh lychees to Thai consumers.

He added that his company hopes to export from 1,000  2,000 tonnes of fresh lychee to Thailand next year.

At the Siam Paragon shopping mall, the lychees from Vietnam have attracted attention from many shoppers. Thitikorn, a local consumer, said in his opinion, Vietnamese lychees have thick flesh, are juicy and sweet, and prices are affordable, so they will be favoured by Thai people. Another shopper called Somsri Somta, said that she and her children tasted the Vietnamese lychees and liked them very much.

For his part, Somkiat Wongsakulchai, chief executive of Ekthai, which distributes Vietnamese lychees in Thailand, spoke highly of the fruits quality and stated that the company will expand the distribution of Vietnamese lychees to more branches next year.

He added that his company will also import mango from Vietnam next year.

Lychee is grown in many localities in Vietnam, mostly in the north, with Bac Giang province known as the country's lychee growing hub.

The province harvested 199,500 tonnes of lychee in 2022 and earned nearly 6.8 trillion VND (290.5 million USD) from lychee sales and support services, according to the provincial Peoples Committee.

Bac Giang lychee has affirmed its brand and value in many countries and territories around the world with 75,900 tonnes shipped abroad, making up 38.1% of the accumulative sales./.
M S Thanaraj By

Express News Service

RAMANATHAPURAM: Two boats consisting of 15 Indian fishermen hailing from Rameshwaram were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy for alleged violation of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and fishing in Sri Lankan waters off the Delft Island, Jaffna. All 15 fishermen were handed over to Mailadi fisheries department for further action.

After one week of break over rough weather, nearly 2,500 fishermen in about 400 boats from Rameswaram went into the sea. Sources said that fishermen who were involved in the fishing activities were chased off by the Sri Lankan Navy in the night hours. Accordingly, two boats were captured by the Sri Lankan Navy. Both the boats contained seven and eight fishermen respectively. In total about 15 fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for alleged violation of IMBL.

Sri Lankan Navy officials stated that a cluster of Indian poaching trawlers were spotted engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters off Delft Island. After chasing them off, Fast Attack Craft of the 04th Fast Attack Flotilla and craft of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard that was deployed by the SL Navy apprehended two boats consisting of 15 fishermen. Officials added that the seized boats along with Indian fishermen were brought to the Kankesanthurai Harbour and were handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for further action.

The SL Navy stated that thus far in 2023, the Navy has seized 12 Indian poaching trawlers and 74 Indian fishermen in island waters and handed them over to authorities for legal action considering the welfare of the SL fishermen.

Fishermen association urged the TN and union Government to take action towards solving the prolonged issues and immediate release of the arrested fishermen.

RAMANATHAPURAM: Two boats consisting of 15 Indian fishermen hailing from Rameshwaram were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy for alleged violation of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and fishing in Sri Lankan waters off the Delft Island, Jaffna. All 15 fishermen were handed over to Mailadi fisheries department for further action. After one week of break over rough weather, nearly 2,500 fishermen in about 400 boats from Rameswaram went into the sea. Sources said that fishermen who were involved in the fishing activities were chased off by the Sri Lankan Navy in the night hours. Accordingly, two boats were captured by the Sri Lankan Navy. Both the boats contained seven and eight fishermen respectively. In total about 15 fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for alleged violation of IMBL. Sri Lankan Navy officials stated that a cluster of Indian poaching trawlers were spotted engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters off Delft Island. After chasing them off, Fast Attack Craft of the 04th Fast Attack Flotilla and craft of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard that was deployed by the SL Navy apprehended two boats consisting of 15 fishermen. Officials added that the seized boats along with Indian fishermen were brought to the Kankesanthurai Harbour and were handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for further action. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The SL Navy stated that thus far in 2023, the Navy has seized 12 Indian poaching trawlers and 74 Indian fishermen in island waters and handed them over to authorities for legal action considering the welfare of the SL fishermen. Fishermen association urged the TN and union Government to take action towards solving the prolonged issues and immediate release of the arrested fishermen.
Pranab Mondal By

KOLKATA: At least 12 people were killed and several others injured on Saturday, including a Trinamool Congress candidate for a gram panchayat seat and a BJP polling agent, in widespread violence as Bengal went to polls to decide who will control the states rural landscape.

Bombs were hurled, bullets fired and rivals attacked with sticks and sharp weapons in the turf war during the three-tier panchayat elections. As many as 2.06 lakh candidates are in the fray for 73,887 seats. Polling was suspended in 1,043 of the total 61,636 booths as ballot papers and ballot boxes were snatched and either thrown into a nearby pond or set ablaze.

Ballot boxes was seen set ablaze in Cooch Behars Dinhata and a youth was spotted fleeing with a ballot box in his arms at Mathabhanga in the same district. The presiding officer in a booth in Birbhums Mayureshwar was seen crying after the polling station was vandalised and ballots looted.

In Raninagar in Murshidabad, policemen were seen aiming guns while dispersing Trinamool supporters assembled in front of a booth.

Though the State Election Commission did not give any official toll, seven of the victims were identified as Trinamool workers who faced strong resistance from the Opposition in both in north and south Bengal districts. Two BJP supporters, two CPI(M) activists and a Congress supporter were also killed in the violence.

The overall toll since the rural poll was announced has now gone up to 31. Union home minister Amit Shahs office called up BJPs state president Sukanta Majumdar for a briefing. I was asked about the violence during the panchayat elections. I will submit a written report, said Majumdar. While the Opposition alleged that Central paramilitary forces were not properly deployed, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha said they had requisitioned 837 companies of the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) but only 649 companies were available. The Calcutta High Court had ordered the deployment of CAPF in all booths in equal ratio with their state counterparts.

Joining the issue with the state poll body, the BSF wrote to it complaining that despite seeking data on sensitive booths, no information was shared with them. Had a proper list of sensitive areas been provided, the deployment of Central forces would have been easier, a BSF official said.

Trinamool minister Shashi Panja said violence took place in around 60 booths. Elections were held peacefully in 13-14 districts out of 22. Many were in favour of the deployment of CAPF but the central force personnel were seen influencing voters to exercise their franchise in favour of a particular political party, she alleged. Governor C V Ananda Bose visited a number of areas in North 24 Parganas. This is the most sacred day for democracy. An election must be through ballots and not bullets, he said.

KOLKATA: At least 12 people were killed and several others injured on Saturday, including a Trinamool Congress candidate for a gram panchayat seat and a BJP polling agent, in widespread violence as Bengal went to polls to decide who will control the states rural landscape. Bombs were hurled, bullets fired and rivals attacked with sticks and sharp weapons in the turf war during the three-tier panchayat elections. As many as 2.06 lakh candidates are in the fray for 73,887 seats. Polling was suspended in 1,043 of the total 61,636 booths as ballot papers and ballot boxes were snatched and either thrown into a nearby pond or set ablaze. Ballot boxes was seen set ablaze in Cooch Behars Dinhata and a youth was spotted fleeing with a ballot box in his arms at Mathabhanga in the same district. The presiding officer in a booth in Birbhums Mayureshwar was seen crying after the polling station was vandalised and ballots looted.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In Raninagar in Murshidabad, policemen were seen aiming guns while dispersing Trinamool supporters assembled in front of a booth. Though the State Election Commission did not give any official toll, seven of the victims were identified as Trinamool workers who faced strong resistance from the Opposition in both in north and south Bengal districts. Two BJP supporters, two CPI(M) activists and a Congress supporter were also killed in the violence. The overall toll since the rural poll was announced has now gone up to 31. Union home minister Amit Shahs office called up BJPs state president Sukanta Majumdar for a briefing. I was asked about the violence during the panchayat elections. I will submit a written report, said Majumdar. While the Opposition alleged that Central paramilitary forces were not properly deployed, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha said they had requisitioned 837 companies of the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) but only 649 companies were available. The Calcutta High Court had ordered the deployment of CAPF in all booths in equal ratio with their state counterparts. Joining the issue with the state poll body, the BSF wrote to it complaining that despite seeking data on sensitive booths, no information was shared with them. Had a proper list of sensitive areas been provided, the deployment of Central forces would have been easier, a BSF official said. Trinamool minister Shashi Panja said violence took place in around 60 booths. Elections were held peacefully in 13-14 districts out of 22. Many were in favour of the deployment of CAPF but the central force personnel were seen influencing voters to exercise their franchise in favour of a particular political party, she alleged. Governor C V Ananda Bose visited a number of areas in North 24 Parganas. This is the most sacred day for democracy. An election must be through ballots and not bullets, he said.
Express News Service By

BHOPAL: While former chief minister and current Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh is working at rebuilding the Congress in 66 most difficult seats of the poll-bound state, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia were in the ex-CMs pocket-borough Raghogarh assembly constituency of Guna district on Saturday.

Addressing a gathering of women under the ambitious Rs 1,000 per month financial assistance CM Ladli Behana Yojana, in Raghogarh assembly constituency of Guna district, the CM e-dedicated and laid the foundation stone of development works worth Rs 134.12 crore.

The CM dedicated six development works worth Rs 7.40 crore and laid the foundation of 11 development works costing Rs 43.86 crore for the Raghogarh assembly constituency alone. He also performed bhoomi-pujan of 59 development works costing 82.86 crore for the neighbouring Chachoura assembly constituency.

While the Raghogarh seat is presently represented by Digvijaya Singhs ex-minister and sitting Congress MLA son Jaivardhan Singh, the Chachoura seat is held by the ex-CMs young brother Lakshman Singh.

Addressing the gathering, the CM assured that the government will leave no stone unturned in the development of Raghogarh. Before 2003, there was no road, no electricity and no drinking water in Raghogarh. The condition of the roads was also very bad. After 2003, we have undertaken many development works here and we will not let the pace stop, the CM said.

Addressing the gathering, union minister and former Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, tore into the former CM Digvijaya Singh and son Jaivardhan Singh. Since 1977, just one family has been grinding its mill in Raghogarh. While the river of development has been flowing forward across the state since BJP assumed power in 2003, the river of development still flows backwards in Raghogarh. There is a crisis of basic amenities in Raghogarh, but this gathering today symbolizes the start of new history here, Scindia said. Attacking the father-son duo, Scindia said, Those whove ruled Raghogarh for decades, arent bothered about its development. They are bothered about other states and countries.

BHOPAL: While former chief minister and current Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh is working at rebuilding the Congress in 66 most difficult seats of the poll-bound state, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia were in the ex-CMs pocket-borough Raghogarh assembly constituency of Guna district on Saturday. Addressing a gathering of women under the ambitious Rs 1,000 per month financial assistance CM Ladli Behana Yojana, in Raghogarh assembly constituency of Guna district, the CM e-dedicated and laid the foundation stone of development works worth Rs 134.12 crore. The CM dedicated six development works worth Rs 7.40 crore and laid the foundation of 11 development works costing Rs 43.86 crore for the Raghogarh assembly constituency alone. He also performed bhoomi-pujan of 59 development works costing 82.86 crore for the neighbouring Chachoura assembly constituency.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); While the Raghogarh seat is presently represented by Digvijaya Singhs ex-minister and sitting Congress MLA son Jaivardhan Singh, the Chachoura seat is held by the ex-CMs young brother Lakshman Singh. Addressing the gathering, the CM assured that the government will leave no stone unturned in the development of Raghogarh. Before 2003, there was no road, no electricity and no drinking water in Raghogarh. The condition of the roads was also very bad. After 2003, we have undertaken many development works here and we will not let the pace stop, the CM said. Addressing the gathering, union minister and former Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, tore into the former CM Digvijaya Singh and son Jaivardhan Singh. Since 1977, just one family has been grinding its mill in Raghogarh. While the river of development has been flowing forward across the state since BJP assumed power in 2003, the river of development still flows backwards in Raghogarh. There is a crisis of basic amenities in Raghogarh, but this gathering today symbolizes the start of new history here, Scindia said. Attacking the father-son duo, Scindia said, Those whove ruled Raghogarh for decades, arent bothered about its development. They are bothered about other states and countries.
Rajesh Asnani By

JAIPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the ruling Congress in Rajasthan at his Bikaner rally on Saturday. He targeted the party over corruption. He alleged Congress means a loot ki dukan (shop of loot) in a jhoot ka bazar (market of lies). It was a counter to Rahul Gandhis famous phrase of opening a mohabbat ki dukan (shop of love) in a nafrat ka bazaar (market of hate).

Targeting the Gehlot government, he said while the Centre sends a lot of assistance to the state, the Gehlot government is so steeped in corruption that those benefits do not reach the people of the state. Emphasising the need of a double-engine government in Rajasthan, he particularly targeted the Gehlot government over paper leak which the PM claimed has become an industry in Rajasthan.

PM Modi also slammed the Congress infighting which he claimed is symptomatic of the deep corruption that the Rajasthan government is steeped in over the past four-and-a-half years. The PM claimed that one faction has been given full freedom to loot so that its leaders dont move over to the other faction  a clear allusion to the factional feud between loyalists of CM Ashok Gehlot and his former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

Claiming that the Rajasthan government has caused significant harm to the state in the last four years, PM Modi also asserted that the Congress party is aware of its impending defeat, which is why its leaders have begun to vacate government bungalows.

He ridiculed the Gehlot government, remarking, The Congress defeat in Rajasthan is so certain that the government has already entered bye-bye mode. I have been informed that some ministers and legislators have vacated their government accommodations and returned to their personal residences. Only Congress leaders can display such confidence in their own defeat.

The Congress has shown little concern for Rajasthans issues and the problems faced by its citizens. The BJPs plan to ensure drinking water for every household has become a source of trouble for the Congress government. Referring to the developmental work by the Centre in Rajasthan, PM Modi expressed, We are focusing on upgrading the states connectivity infrastructure.

JAIPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the ruling Congress in Rajasthan at his Bikaner rally on Saturday. He targeted the party over corruption. He alleged Congress means a loot ki dukan (shop of loot) in a jhoot ka bazar (market of lies). It was a counter to Rahul Gandhis famous phrase of opening a mohabbat ki dukan (shop of love) in a nafrat ka bazaar (market of hate). Targeting the Gehlot government, he said while the Centre sends a lot of assistance to the state, the Gehlot government is so steeped in corruption that those benefits do not reach the people of the state. Emphasising the need of a double-engine government in Rajasthan, he particularly targeted the Gehlot government over paper leak which the PM claimed has become an industry in Rajasthan. PM Modi also slammed the Congress infighting which he claimed is symptomatic of the deep corruption that the Rajasthan government is steeped in over the past four-and-a-half years. The PM claimed that one faction has been given full freedom to loot so that its leaders dont move over to the other faction  a clear allusion to the factional feud between loyalists of CM Ashok Gehlot and his former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Claiming that the Rajasthan government has caused significant harm to the state in the last four years, PM Modi also asserted that the Congress party is aware of its impending defeat, which is why its leaders have begun to vacate government bungalows. He ridiculed the Gehlot government, remarking, The Congress defeat in Rajasthan is so certain that the government has already entered bye-bye mode. I have been informed that some ministers and legislators have vacated their government accommodations and returned to their personal residences. Only Congress leaders can display such confidence in their own defeat. The Congress has shown little concern for Rajasthans issues and the problems faced by its citizens. The BJPs plan to ensure drinking water for every household has become a source of trouble for the Congress government. Referring to the developmental work by the Centre in Rajasthan, PM Modi expressed, We are focusing on upgrading the states connectivity infrastructure.
Yeshi Seli By

NEW DELHI: India has a fairly substantial presence in Africa and trade and investments in the continent are increasing. It is for the same reason that India is looking at a Pan-Africa Free Trade Agreement.Indias trade is $98 billion with Africa. Indias investments are $75 billion, and we are expecting both this trade and investments in Africa to grow, so there is a pan-African larger continental Free Trade arrangement in the making. As it unfolds, I think it makes it easier to both trade with Africa and invest in Africa, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar while addressing the Indian diaspora in Tanzania.

It may be recalled that less than a month ago, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal after interacting with 15 Ambassadors from the African region had said India was open to FTA with Africa as a whole or with individual countries.

India and Africa share remarkable friendship across decades and have the potential of becoming the powerhouse of the future. India would act as a trusted partner to expand trade, commerce, business, investment and opportunities with Africa, Goyal had said in June.

Meanwhile, Africa is becoming the second-largest recipient of credit from India. 42 African nations have received about $32 billion which translates into a little less than 40 per cent of all credit extended by India during the last decade. India is trying to catch up with China which has a deep imprint across Africa primarily through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

India finds a unified market in Africa but unified markets still require points of entry, regional hubs. That is why it is important for India to be connected with countries within Africa individually too.

India has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing the first IIT campus in Zanzibar.

NEW DELHI: India has a fairly substantial presence in Africa and trade and investments in the continent are increasing. It is for the same reason that India is looking at a Pan-Africa Free Trade Agreement.Indias trade is $98 billion with Africa. Indias investments are $75 billion, and we are expecting both this trade and investments in Africa to grow, so there is a pan-African larger continental Free Trade arrangement in the making. As it unfolds, I think it makes it easier to both trade with Africa and invest in Africa, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar while addressing the Indian diaspora in Tanzania. It may be recalled that less than a month ago, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal after interacting with 15 Ambassadors from the African region had said India was open to FTA with Africa as a whole or with individual countries. India and Africa share remarkable friendship across decades and have the potential of becoming the powerhouse of the future. India would act as a trusted partner to expand trade, commerce, business, investment and opportunities with Africa, Goyal had said in June.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Meanwhile, Africa is becoming the second-largest recipient of credit from India. 42 African nations have received about $32 billion which translates into a little less than 40 per cent of all credit extended by India during the last decade. India is trying to catch up with China which has a deep imprint across Africa primarily through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India finds a unified market in Africa but unified markets still require points of entry, regional hubs. That is why it is important for India to be connected with countries within Africa individually too. India has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing the first IIT campus in Zanzibar.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

GUWAHATI: The Manipur High Court has directed the state government to partially lift the ban on internet even as the ethnic violence continued. The state government is directed to lift the ban on providing internet service through Internet Lease Line throughout the whole State after ensuring that all the stakeholders have complied with the safeguards given by the Expert Committee, a division bench of Justices Ahanthem Bimol Singh and A Guneshwar Sharma said in an order issued on Friday.

In the case of Fibre To The Home, lifting of the ban on providing internet service can be carried out by the Home Department on case to case basis the HC said. Net services have remained suspended since May 3 when the violence broke out.

Meanwhile, two persons were injured while two vehicles were torched since Friday night. A farmer was hit by a bullet when he had gone to cultivate paddy at Phubala in the Meitei-majority Bishnupur district on Saturday.

In another incident, a teenager from Kwakta in the same district sustained splinter injuries when a mortar fired by the miscreants from the foothill area hit his house. In Imphal, a mob torched two vehicles near the Kangla Fort on Friday night.

GUWAHATI: The Manipur High Court has directed the state government to partially lift the ban on internet even as the ethnic violence continued. The state government is directed to lift the ban on providing internet service through Internet Lease Line throughout the whole State after ensuring that all the stakeholders have complied with the safeguards given by the Expert Committee, a division bench of Justices Ahanthem Bimol Singh and A Guneshwar Sharma said in an order issued on Friday. In the case of Fibre To The Home, lifting of the ban on providing internet service can be carried out by the Home Department on case to case basis the HC said. Net services have remained suspended since May 3 when the violence broke out. Meanwhile, two persons were injured while two vehicles were torched since Friday night. A farmer was hit by a bullet when he had gone to cultivate paddy at Phubala in the Meitei-majority Bishnupur district on Saturday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In another incident, a teenager from Kwakta in the same district sustained splinter injuries when a mortar fired by the miscreants from the foothill area hit his house. In Imphal, a mob torched two vehicles near the Kangla Fort on Friday night.
Shruti Kakkar By

NEW DELHI: Amid a debate over the sedition law in the country, former Supreme Court Justice Ajay Rastogi says the law needs to be re-examined. In an interview with this newspaper, Rastogi, who retired as the Supreme Courts fourth seniormost judge last month, said the government can make the provision elaborate and clarify the parameters within which the sedition law can be invoked.

Emphasizing the fact that people under the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression can criticise the government, he said every criticism is not sedition. Section 124A (sedition) was introduced in the statute during the colonial time. After 20 years of the amendment, in 1891, the matter came up and no case was ever instituted. Were the people not aware at that time? asked Justice Rastogi.

After 1891, there was an SC judgment in 1962, the Kedar Nath ruling. Proceeding from 1962 to 2023, amendments have been made and the thought process has changed. Our fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression has now got its own foundation, which did not exist earlier, he said.

Referring to data on cases against persons under the sedition law, the judge said, Experience shows that in 2022, 800 matters were registered but 13,000-plus people were implicated in these cases. The question is when the provision was the same in 200 years, what prompted in putting the sedition law so prominently in the shortest period? he asked.

Under the fundamental rights and with heightened awareness, people want to know how the government is functioning, he said. People might make loose comments also, but the question is whether in every such case, the law should be invoked, he said.

The time has come for the government to add a proviso as to what the parameters could be for which the law can be invoked. People should know in a transparent manner their boundaries, within which one has to proceed to exercise the right to free speech and expression, said Rastogi, adding that the Law Commission has given its report and that may also be taken into consideration.

Justice Rastogi was also a part of the collegium that appointed judges to the higher judiciary, which he calls a transparent system. He said the presence of mere aberrations in the system, besides reservations in the government over some appointments of judges, cannot be the ground to argue against the collegium.

The former judge said, In the collegium system, it is the CJI and four senior judges who work in tandem for the betterment of the institution. If we were to put the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) in place, they said there would be the CJI, two senior judges, and two members nominated by a committee of PM, CJI and Leader of Opposition. These persons with their experience, knowledge and background had to take a decision to nominate.

ALSO READ | 'Retaining Sedition law can serve only government', says Former Law Commission member

If five collegium members make a recommendation or NJAC members make a recommendation, is anything different in making the recommendations? Two nominated members may or may not have the background of the system. The law minister has the background of what the litigants problems are but all ministers may not have the knowledge of the working of judges. We are not examining ground realities but we are examining selection among the lawyers who are to be made judges and the judges who have the potential to come to this court (SC), he said.

ALSO READ | Law body revives debate on sedition legislation

Speaking on the collegiums move of making public objections raised by the Research and Analysis Wing and Intelligence Bureau for the elevation of candidates as high court judges, the judge said that people should know why recommendations are made.

On the release of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, the judge wondered how this perception arose that SCs order resulted in their release. I dont know how this perception grew. The matter before us came only on a different issue. We were examining if the application for remission was to be filed in Gujarat or Bombay. The courts judgment was that application is to be filed where the conviction was made.

Ordinarily, a trial takes place in the same place where the crime has been committed. We took a call since it is an exceptional case where the trial has been transferred. So we said no, the State of Gujarat will take a call. The date of conviction is a crucial day on which policy has to be considered, he said.

NEW DELHI: Amid a debate over the sedition law in the country, former Supreme Court Justice Ajay Rastogi says the law needs to be re-examined. In an interview with this newspaper, Rastogi, who retired as the Supreme Courts fourth seniormost judge last month, said the government can make the provision elaborate and clarify the parameters within which the sedition law can be invoked. Emphasizing the fact that people under the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression can criticise the government, he said every criticism is not sedition. Section 124A (sedition) was introduced in the statute during the colonial time. After 20 years of the amendment, in 1891, the matter came up and no case was ever instituted. Were the people not aware at that time? asked Justice Rastogi. After 1891, there was an SC judgment in 1962, the Kedar Nath ruling. Proceeding from 1962 to 2023, amendments have been made and the thought process has changed. Our fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression has now got its own foundation, which did not exist earlier, he said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Referring to data on cases against persons under the sedition law, the judge said, Experience shows that in 2022, 800 matters were registered but 13,000-plus people were implicated in these cases. The question is when the provision was the same in 200 years, what prompted in putting the sedition law so prominently in the shortest period? he asked. Under the fundamental rights and with heightened awareness, people want to know how the government is functioning, he said. People might make loose comments also, but the question is whether in every such case, the law should be invoked, he said. The time has come for the government to add a proviso as to what the parameters could be for which the law can be invoked. People should know in a transparent manner their boundaries, within which one has to proceed to exercise the right to free speech and expression, said Rastogi, adding that the Law Commission has given its report and that may also be taken into consideration. Justice Rastogi was also a part of the collegium that appointed judges to the higher judiciary, which he calls a transparent system. He said the presence of mere aberrations in the system, besides reservations in the government over some appointments of judges, cannot be the ground to argue against the collegium. The former judge said, In the collegium system, it is the CJI and four senior judges who work in tandem for the betterment of the institution. If we were to put the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) in place, they said there would be the CJI, two senior judges, and two members nominated by a committee of PM, CJI and Leader of Opposition. These persons with their experience, knowledge and background had to take a decision to nominate. ALSO READ | 'Retaining Sedition law can serve only government', says Former Law Commission member If five collegium members make a recommendation or NJAC members make a recommendation, is anything different in making the recommendations? Two nominated members may or may not have the background of the system. The law minister has the background of what the litigants problems are but all ministers may not have the knowledge of the working of judges. We are not examining ground realities but we are examining selection among the lawyers who are to be made judges and the judges who have the potential to come to this court (SC), he said. ALSO READ | Law body revives debate on sedition legislation Speaking on the collegiums move of making public objections raised by the Research and Analysis Wing and Intelligence Bureau for the elevation of candidates as high court judges, the judge said that people should know why recommendations are made. On the release of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, the judge wondered how this perception arose that SCs order resulted in their release. I dont know how this perception grew. The matter before us came only on a different issue. We were examining if the application for remission was to be filed in Gujarat or Bombay. The courts judgment was that application is to be filed where the conviction was made. Ordinarily, a trial takes place in the same place where the crime has been committed. We took a call since it is an exceptional case where the trial has been transferred. So we said no, the State of Gujarat will take a call. The date of conviction is a crucial day on which policy has to be considered, he said.
Preetha Nair By

NEW DELHI: With state elections around the corner, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is likely to decide the fate of the main political parties in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. As the debate around the common law gathers steam, various tribal bodies in all these states have come out in strong opposition to the legislation, saying it will infringe upon the customs and traditions of the community, which are safeguarded by constitutional provisions.

While the Mizoram assembly adopted a resolution opposing any move to implement the UCC, tribal bodies in other states have pointed out that the communities are protected by the Fifth Schedule and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. While BJP is trying to contain the damage by sending out signals that the tribal communities in certain states will be excluded from the ambit of the legislation, the Congress senses an opportunity, especially in Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram, where it is looking to snatch power from the saffron party.

For the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, the backlash from tribal outfits on UCC will be a cause for worry as the state has 47 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes. In the 2018 assembly election, the party managed to secure only 16 seats, a sharp fall from 31 seats in 2013. With 21.5 per cent, the state accounts for the largest tribal population in the country. Though Congress is yet to pronounce a clear stand on UCC, a state unit leader told the paper that the row on UCC will benefit the party and it will capitalise its campaign on the issue.

Speaking to this paper, a BJP functionary said the party has adopted a set of damage control measures to minimise any dent in its electoral prospects. The leader further said the government may tweak the legislation to exempt various tribal communities from the ambit of the law. Signalling the Centres willingness to make exceptions for tribals, Union Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed to a delegation of Nagaland leaders the Law Commission is considering the idea of excluding the Christian community and some tribals in the state from the UCC.

The Naga leaders say UCC would dilute the provisions of Article 371A, which guarantees special protection for the state. Tribal activists say Mizoram is also protected by Article 371G of the Constitution. The BJP is also facing stiff opposition from tribal outfits from poll-bound states Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan which has a sizable population of tribes.

NEW DELHI: With state elections around the corner, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is likely to decide the fate of the main political parties in Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. As the debate around the common law gathers steam, various tribal bodies in all these states have come out in strong opposition to the legislation, saying it will infringe upon the customs and traditions of the community, which are safeguarded by constitutional provisions. While the Mizoram assembly adopted a resolution opposing any move to implement the UCC, tribal bodies in other states have pointed out that the communities are protected by the Fifth Schedule and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. While BJP is trying to contain the damage by sending out signals that the tribal communities in certain states will be excluded from the ambit of the legislation, the Congress senses an opportunity, especially in Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram, where it is looking to snatch power from the saffron party. For the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, the backlash from tribal outfits on UCC will be a cause for worry as the state has 47 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes. In the 2018 assembly election, the party managed to secure only 16 seats, a sharp fall from 31 seats in 2013. With 21.5 per cent, the state accounts for the largest tribal population in the country. Though Congress is yet to pronounce a clear stand on UCC, a state unit leader told the paper that the row on UCC will benefit the party and it will capitalise its campaign on the issue.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Speaking to this paper, a BJP functionary said the party has adopted a set of damage control measures to minimise any dent in its electoral prospects. The leader further said the government may tweak the legislation to exempt various tribal communities from the ambit of the law. Signalling the Centres willingness to make exceptions for tribals, Union Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed to a delegation of Nagaland leaders the Law Commission is considering the idea of excluding the Christian community and some tribals in the state from the UCC. The Naga leaders say UCC would dilute the provisions of Article 371A, which guarantees special protection for the state. Tribal activists say Mizoram is also protected by Article 371G of the Constitution. The BJP is also facing stiff opposition from tribal outfits from poll-bound states Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan which has a sizable population of tribes.
Preetha Nair and Shruti Kakkar By

NEW DELHI: Amid speculation that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill could be introduced as early as the monsoon session of Parliament, it has suddenly become a red-hot political issue occupying the nations mind space.

Enacting a common law that will apply to all religious communities has been an article of faith for the ruling BJP government. But its prioritisation months before the general elections has made it exceptionally emotive. At present, various aspects of life like marriage, inheritance, succession, adoption and guardianship of Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Parsis are governed by their own personal laws.

However, under Islamic law, polygamy is permitted. The USP of a good UCC would be to ensure gender justice across the board without trampling on the feet of people of different faiths. But that is easier said than done as it would require compromises from all sides. Its neither necessary nor desirable at this stage, was how the 21st Law Commission in 2018 sought to put a lid on it while making a few interesting suggestions.

ALSO READ | UCC to be decisive in tribal-dominated states

However, the first indication of the Centres thought process came on June 14 when the 22nd Law Commission sought to dial up the UCC by seeking the opinion of all stakeholders. A week later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly wondered, How can a nation be run on two laws? An informal group of ministers is now examining the matter.

Directive principles vs fundamental rights

The UCC finds mention in Article 44 of the Constitution. It is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy. The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India, Article 44 states. However, directive principles are not enforceable in court until they are made into law; they act as a guide for policy formulation. In contrast, fundamental rights are enforceable. Religious freedom to all citizens is part of fundamental rights.

The Goa model

Goa is the only state that has a UCC. People of all communities in the state are bound by the 154-year-old Portuguese civil code since its annexation in 1961. But it has its downside. For example, one of its provisions allows a Hindu husband can take a second wife in the absence of an issue if the wife has attained the age of 25, and also if she has attained the age of 30 without having a son. This is completely incompatible with the Hindu Marriage Act.

Recommendations of the 21st Law Commission

In 2018, the 21st Law Commission prepared a working paper, Reform of Family Law, after extensive discussions with various stakeholders. While stating that a UCC was neither necessary nor desirable at this stage, it observed that most countries are now moving towards recognition of difference, and the mere existence of difference does not imply discrimination but is indicative of a robust democracy.

In the absence of any consensus on a UCC, the Commission felt that the best way forward could be to preserve the diversity of personal laws but ensure that they do not contradict fundamental rights. It also recommended codifying the Muslim law on inheritance and succession and bringing in uniform succession provisions for Shias and Sunnis. Succession and inheritance should be based on proximity to the deceased rather than a preference to male agnates, it recommended. A Muslim widow, even if childless, should inherit the property of the deceased as a Class I heir, it added.

ALSO READ | UCC: Not politics, justice should be at the core of code

The Commission further observed that the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) system should be scrapped as it was being utilised only for tax evasion. HUF provides tax exemptions to Hindus as compared to other communities who are governed by the Indian Succession Act. The report also recommended that no-fault divorce must be introduced in all personal laws and property acquired after marriage must be divided between the two parties if the union comes to an end.

Why are tribals opposing it

Several tribal communities, including those in the Northeast have opposed the proposed UCC as they fear it will threaten their identity and autonomy. While tribal communities are mostly governed by their customary laws in matters of marriage, divorce, succession, inheritance, land and property, the Constitution also protects the local customs of tribes in certain states.

Sikh concern

Though Hindu laws encompass Sikhs as well, they also have the option of the Anand Marriage Act. The Act serves as a legal validation for Sikh matrimonial ceremonies (Anand Karaj). Although it has no provision for divorce and couples therefore are governed by the provisions of Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 several Sikh outfits are opposing the UCC to preserve the Anand Marriage Act.

Why are the Parsis upset

The Parsis have special rules for intestate under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. They also follow the Parsi marriage and the divorce Act, 1936. The community cannot legally adopt and if a woman marries outside the community, then she will be an outcast. The community is apprehensive that the UCC will take away the minority rights of the Parsis.

NEW DELHI: Amid speculation that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill could be introduced as early as the monsoon session of Parliament, it has suddenly become a red-hot political issue occupying the nations mind space. Enacting a common law that will apply to all religious communities has been an article of faith for the ruling BJP government. But its prioritisation months before the general elections has made it exceptionally emotive. At present, various aspects of life like marriage, inheritance, succession, adoption and guardianship of Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Parsis are governed by their own personal laws. However, under Islamic law, polygamy is permitted. The USP of a good UCC would be to ensure gender justice across the board without trampling on the feet of people of different faiths. But that is easier said than done as it would require compromises from all sides. Its neither necessary nor desirable at this stage, was how the 21st Law Commission in 2018 sought to put a lid on it while making a few interesting suggestions.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ALSO READ | UCC to be decisive in tribal-dominated states However, the first indication of the Centres thought process came on June 14 when the 22nd Law Commission sought to dial up the UCC by seeking the opinion of all stakeholders. A week later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly wondered, How can a nation be run on two laws? An informal group of ministers is now examining the matter. Directive principles vs fundamental rights The UCC finds mention in Article 44 of the Constitution. It is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy. The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India, Article 44 states. However, directive principles are not enforceable in court until they are made into law; they act as a guide for policy formulation. In contrast, fundamental rights are enforceable. Religious freedom to all citizens is part of fundamental rights. The Goa model Goa is the only state that has a UCC. People of all communities in the state are bound by the 154-year-old Portuguese civil code since its annexation in 1961. But it has its downside. For example, one of its provisions allows a Hindu husband can take a second wife in the absence of an issue if the wife has attained the age of 25, and also if she has attained the age of 30 without having a son. This is completely incompatible with the Hindu Marriage Act. Recommendations of the 21st Law Commission In 2018, the 21st Law Commission prepared a working paper, Reform of Family Law, after extensive discussions with various stakeholders. While stating that a UCC was neither necessary nor desirable at this stage, it observed that most countries are now moving towards recognition of difference, and the mere existence of difference does not imply discrimination but is indicative of a robust democracy. In the absence of any consensus on a UCC, the Commission felt that the best way forward could be to preserve the diversity of personal laws but ensure that they do not contradict fundamental rights. It also recommended codifying the Muslim law on inheritance and succession and bringing in uniform succession provisions for Shias and Sunnis. Succession and inheritance should be based on proximity to the deceased rather than a preference to male agnates, it recommended. A Muslim widow, even if childless, should inherit the property of the deceased as a Class I heir, it added. ALSO READ | UCC: Not politics, justice should be at the core of code The Commission further observed that the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) system should be scrapped as it was being utilised only for tax evasion. HUF provides tax exemptions to Hindus as compared to other communities who are governed by the Indian Succession Act. The report also recommended that no-fault divorce must be introduced in all personal laws and property acquired after marriage must be divided between the two parties if the union comes to an end. Why are tribals opposing it Several tribal communities, including those in the Northeast have opposed the proposed UCC as they fear it will threaten their identity and autonomy. While tribal communities are mostly governed by their customary laws in matters of marriage, divorce, succession, inheritance, land and property, the Constitution also protects the local customs of tribes in certain states. Sikh concern Though Hindu laws encompass Sikhs as well, they also have the option of the Anand Marriage Act. The Act serves as a legal validation for Sikh matrimonial ceremonies (Anand Karaj). Although it has no provision for divorce and couples therefore are governed by the provisions of Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 several Sikh outfits are opposing the UCC to preserve the Anand Marriage Act. Why are the Parsis upset The Parsis have special rules for intestate under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. They also follow the Parsi marriage and the divorce Act, 1936. The community cannot legally adopt and if a woman marries outside the community, then she will be an outcast. The community is apprehensive that the UCC will take away the minority rights of the Parsis.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

MUMBAI: Days after the mutiny by his nephew Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday hit the road and addressed a public rally in Yeola  the constituency of Ajit Pawar factions MLA Chhagan Bhujbal in Nasik district. Pawar publically extended an apology and accepted his error of judgment for fielding the wrong people like Bhujbal.

He also clarified that he had talked with BJP several times, but that does not mean they were joining hands with the BJP. He said in a democracy, they do have a dialogue with all parties that do not mean they are going with these people. Earlier Pawar junior had revealed that NCP planned to form a government with BJP but at the eleventh hour, Pawar senior backtracked.

Interestingly, after the Lok Sabha election in 2019, the sitting NCP Lok Sabha MP Udayan Raje Bhosale left Sharad Pawar and joined BJP. Pawar in the Lok Sabha by-poll campaign told Satara people that he made a mistake by fielding Raje and even apologised to the people. Raje badly lost against the NCP candidate.

The 83-year-old Pawar left Mumbai in the morning for Nasik. On his way, many Pawar lovers welcomed him by giving him garlands. While meeting people on his way, Pawar also got wet but this did not dampen his spirit.

He said he has not come to Yeola to criticise anyone but to put forth his side and the current political situation in India. Pawars nephew Ajit Pawar and once close aides like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse Patel left Pawar Sr and joined hands with the BJP. Pawar said that the Nasik district has a different history and legacy that always stood with secular and progressive ideology despite many odds.

When Yashwantrao Chavan was called in Delhi and inducted as defense minister in Pandit Nehrus cabinet, Chavan got elected unopposed from Nasik. Therefore, I also decided to start rebuilding the party from Nasik only, Pawar said.

MUMBAI: Days after the mutiny by his nephew Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday hit the road and addressed a public rally in Yeola  the constituency of Ajit Pawar factions MLA Chhagan Bhujbal in Nasik district. Pawar publically extended an apology and accepted his error of judgment for fielding the wrong people like Bhujbal. He also clarified that he had talked with BJP several times, but that does not mean they were joining hands with the BJP. He said in a democracy, they do have a dialogue with all parties that do not mean they are going with these people. Earlier Pawar junior had revealed that NCP planned to form a government with BJP but at the eleventh hour, Pawar senior backtracked. Interestingly, after the Lok Sabha election in 2019, the sitting NCP Lok Sabha MP Udayan Raje Bhosale left Sharad Pawar and joined BJP. Pawar in the Lok Sabha by-poll campaign told Satara people that he made a mistake by fielding Raje and even apologised to the people. Raje badly lost against the NCP candidate.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The 83-year-old Pawar left Mumbai in the morning for Nasik. On his way, many Pawar lovers welcomed him by giving him garlands. While meeting people on his way, Pawar also got wet but this did not dampen his spirit. He said he has not come to Yeola to criticise anyone but to put forth his side and the current political situation in India. Pawars nephew Ajit Pawar and once close aides like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse Patel left Pawar Sr and joined hands with the BJP. Pawar said that the Nasik district has a different history and legacy that always stood with secular and progressive ideology despite many odds. When Yashwantrao Chavan was called in Delhi and inducted as defense minister in Pandit Nehrus cabinet, Chavan got elected unopposed from Nasik. Therefore, I also decided to start rebuilding the party from Nasik only, Pawar said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. There are many economic projects between Azerbaijan and Iran, some of them are being implemented, while some are being discussed, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told Trend at the press availability.

"A meeting of the co-chairs of the Azerbaijani-Iranian intergovernmental commission is planned in the future. At this meeting, negotiations will be held on transport, energy, water resources sharing and a number of other areas. We believe that the meeting will have positive results," he said.

Meanwhile, earlier Iranian FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahiansaid that Iran and Azerbaijan agreed to activate the South Araz corridor in the future.

"This will give an impetus to Iranian-Azerbaijani relations in the field of communications. We can say that this corridor will play a very important role in connecting the main part of Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan. We had very extensive discussions with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev about opening communications in the region," he said.
By Associated Press

RIGA: Latvia's president-elect on Saturday said the Baltic state had tightened its border security in response to the mutiny underway in Russia and would not be admitting Russians.

"Latvia is closely following the developing situation in Russia... Border security has been strengthened, visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events won't be considered," Edgars Rinkevics said on Twitter.

"Latvia will not issue humanitarian or other types of visas," added the president-elect, who is also still the foreign minister.

Latvia had already last year stopped issuing new visas to Russian citizens, but it had until now made an exception for humanitarian visas.

It is unclear if the visas issued thus far will remain eligible for entry.

In neighbouring Estonia, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also said "border security has been strengthened".

"I also urge our people not to travel to any part of Russia," she added.

In the most serious challenge yet to Russian President Vladimir Putin's long rule, the chief of the Wagner mercenary group said his troops had seized a key military headquarters overseeing the offensive in Ukraine.

RIGA: Latvia's president-elect on Saturday said the Baltic state had tightened its border security in response to the mutiny underway in Russia and would not be admitting Russians. "Latvia is closely following the developing situation in Russia... Border security has been strengthened, visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events won't be considered," Edgars Rinkevics said on Twitter. "Latvia will not issue humanitarian or other types of visas," added the president-elect, who is also still the foreign minister.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Latvia had already last year stopped issuing new visas to Russian citizens, but it had until now made an exception for humanitarian visas. It is unclear if the visas issued thus far will remain eligible for entry. In neighbouring Estonia, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also said "border security has been strengthened". "I also urge our people not to travel to any part of Russia," she added. In the most serious challenge yet to Russian President Vladimir Putin's long rule, the chief of the Wagner mercenary group said his troops had seized a key military headquarters overseeing the offensive in Ukraine.
Eastern Ladakh: Indian Army tanks, combat vehicles carry out drills to cross Indus river, attack enemy positions

Leh (Ladakh), July 8: Having deployed a large number of tanks and armoured vehicles in the world's highest river valleys, Indian Army formations carried out drills in Eastern Ladakh to cross the Indus River and attacks in enemy positions.

Eastern Ladakh: Indian Army tanks, combat vehicles carry out drills to cross Indus river, attack enemy positions

Team ANI witnessed the special drills carried out by Indian Army's tank formations including the T-90 and T-72 tanks and BMP infantry combat vehicles to cross the mighty Indus river which flows from the Tibetan territory controlled by the Chinese Army through the entire Ladakh sector before entering Pakistan.Army officials said that such drills are carried out to prepare for contingencies where they have to take action against the adversaries if they try to capture Indian areas by using the routes of valleys in this area.Indian Army is one of the very few armies in the world that operates tanks at high altitudes up to 16,000 feet, and in large numbers.After the Chinese forces started showing aggression in the Eastern Ladakh sector by diverting its training exercise troops, the Indian Army brought in a large number of tanks and armoured combat vehicles in the eastern Ladakh sector that has large open valleys which are very conducive for tank battles.Earlier, the Indian Army used to carry out such drills in a big way in the Punjab sector along the Pakistan front as it was believed that only plains and deserts would see tank battles but the mindset changed later.The brigades and other formations with tanks started getting inducted into the force in Eastern Ladakh in 2013-14 onwards but the numbers increased manifold after the Galwan Valley clash incident in 2020.The Indian Air Force's C-17 and Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft brought in tanks and BMPs from deserts and plains in large numbers after that incident.The armoured strength in the area has been strengthened by the Army to an extent where they can tackle any misadventure by the adversary.ANI08 July 2023

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India very interesting market for us: German envoy Philipp Ackermann

Chandigarh, July 8: India's economic growth and its interesting market has opened up business opportunities for German companies, according to German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann.

India very interesting market for us: German envoy Philipp Ackermann

Ackermann who was on a two-day maiden visit from Thursday, said that India has had very solid growth for years now and is among the very few countries that has sustainable growth.In an exclusive interview with ANI, Ackermann said, "India is a very interesting market for us. It's a big market. It's a growing market. India has a very solid growth for years now. We are very impressed with this growth.""It's one of the very few countries in the world that has sustainable growth. And therefore, German businesses increasingly an opportunity also for further investment in India. Now, Germany is, by far, the biggest trading partner in Europe, with India. But, I think in the years to come, we will see much more investment in German business here," the German envoy said.He said Germany is welcoming students from India and that a growing number of Indian students are arriving in the country. He said that at present there are 35,000 students in Germany and there are another 32,000 applications in the embassy."We have a growing number of students coming to Germany. We have now 35000. I have another 32000 applications on the table of the embassy. That's quite a lot actually, and we unfortunately, we need a little time to process applications. I know that some students might be a little frustrated that it doesn't go as quickly as they had expected, but I can tell you that In principle, Indian students are very, very welcome in Germany. German universities are very keen on having Indian students. They have very good reputation in Germany, and I just want, at that stage, maybe say, that one should be very careful before working together with agencies," Ackermann told ANI.The German envoy advised students to do verification of their documents on their own. He said that 70 per cent of the Indian students arrive in Germany to pursue Masters programmes since they are taught in English.Ackermann said that he can assure that Indians would find a job very quickly in Germany as once a student graduates in Germany, he or she has 12 months in the country to find a jobSpeaking about his visit to Chandigarh, Ackermann said that the two days were filled with meetings and appointments."I'm concluding now a two-day visit to Chandigarh, two days full of meetings, full of appointments. The centre of the visit was, of course, the meeting with the two chief ministers from Punjab, Haryana and the two governors," Ackermann said.On Thursday, Philipp Ackermann met Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and discussed many important issues. He tweeted, "Today Chandigarh met the German Ambassador to India @AmbAckermann at his residence and discussed many important issues... Talked about the investment being made by German companies in Punjab and also discussed important ideas about the education sector...especially the emphasis on imparting skills to the youth."The German Ambassador said in Chandigarh, he spoke with the Chief Justice, visited the assembly and spoke with the two Speakers, the Haryana Speaker and the Punjab Speaker, the chief minister and then he visited the Indian School of Business. He concluded his trip with a visit to the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi.He called his visit to Chandigarh a "very packed and interesting visit." He noted that Germany has a long tradition with Haryana and Punjab and has a lot of business in the two states."It was a very, very packed, interesting visit. Chandigarh is a wonderful place. It's green. It's orderly. I think everybody loves Chandigarh anyway. And Germany has a long tradition with these two states, Haryana, and Punjab."We have a lot of business here. We have a lot of interesting modern business here. And we have a growing Punjabi community also in Germany. So there's a lot to discuss with the dignitaries here and the political deciders and the political layer of Punjab and Haryana. So, for me, it was a wonderful experience. It was a great two days actually," Ackermann said.Speaking about Germany's business in Punjab and Haryana, Philipp Ackermann said that they try to invest here in renewables. He also spoke about the German company Verbio which has set up a plant in Punjab."We have what we do is actually we try to invest here in renewables, in trying to do more sustainability and in the development and one big company here from Germany, Verbio has a plant in Punjab not far from here where they transform stubble rice, paddy stubble, to compress biogas CBG in order to fuel cars and that's a good start. A company that does a great business, and they want to even set up shop more in this region. So, I think that's a good example on how, you know, sustainable, also the private sector of Germany is," Ackermann said.ANI08 July 2023

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Top MEA official Ausaf Sayeed holds talks with Palestine PM Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyeh

New Delhi, July 8: Ausaf Sayeed, secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa Division and Overseas Indian Affairs) travelled to Palestine for a two-day visit from July 5-7.

Top MEA official Ausaf Sayeed holds talks with Palestine PM Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyeh

During the visit, Sayeed met Palestine Prime Minister Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyeh, Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki and Diplomatic Advisor to the President, Majdi Khaldi.Representative Office of India to Palestine tweeted, "Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, @SecretaryCPVOIA, called on PM of , H.E. @DrShtayyeh. The whole gamut of bilateral relations between the two friendly countries including development and economic cooperation were discussed."The discussions between Majdi Khaldi and Ausaf Sayeed highlighted the importance of strengthening the partnership between India and Palestine.Following the meeting, Representative Office of India to Palestine in a tweet stated, "Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, @SecretaryCPVOIA, called on Diplomatic Advisor to President of ,H.E. Dr. Majdi Khaldi. Discussions highlighted the importance of strengthening - partnership through exploring various horizons of cooperation."Sayeed commissioned the National Printing Press of Palestine in Surda, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release. He also visited the India-Palestine Techno Park in Birzeit and project sites of Centre for Empowerment of Women (Turathi) and the Palestine Diplomatic Institute.Representative Office of India to Palestine tweeted, "Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, @SecretaryCPVOIA, reviewed the progress of GOI-funded projects India-Palestine Techno Park at Birzeit, Centre for Women Empowerment "Turathi", and Institute of Diplomacy in Surda."Sayeed held a meeting with Palestine's Minister of Health Mai Kaileh, discussing ways to further enhance cooperation between India and Palestine in the healthcare sector.Representative Office of India to Palestine tweeted, "Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Secretary (CPV and OIA) called on H.E. Dr. Mai Kaileh, Minister of Heath, State of Palestine and discussed ways and means to further enhance cooperation in health sector between India and Palestine."Sayeed and Mai Kaileh jointly inaugurated the Artificial Limb Fitment Camp at Abu Rayya Rehabilitation Centre, organised by government of India in association with Bhagvan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), Jaipur, the MEA said in the release, adding, "The camp is expected to benefit about 600 Palestinians."During his visit, Sayeed interacted with the Palestinian alumni of Indian universities under the scholarship scheme of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.Further, according to MEA press release, India has been extending various forms of economic assistance to Palestine amounting to approximately USD 130.5 million. Over the years, more than 12,000 Palestinian students have graduated from Indian Universities."During the visit, he also interacted with the Palestinian Alumni of Indian Universities under the scholarship scheme of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations," MEA said in the press release.It added, "Scholarships and capacity building of Palestinian youth has been an important component of India's development assistance to Palestine. More than 12,000 Palestinian students have graduated from Indian Universities over the years, and more than 1,300 Palestinian officials have undergone training under our ITEC programme."According to MEA, India has also extended budget support to the Palestinian authority.Further in the press release, the MEA stated, "India has been extending various forms of economic assistance to Palestine amounting to approximately US$ 130.5 million, including USD 70.6 million worth of developmental assistance. India has also provided budgetary support to the tune of USD 39 million to the Palestinian Authority."It added, "Since 2002, India has contributed a total of USD 29.53 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)." The MEA noted that Ausaf Sayeed's visit reaffirmed India's continued developmental support to the people of Palestine."ANI08 July 2023

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60 per cent of primary-school-age girls, 40 pc of boys not receiving education in Afghanistan: UNICEF

Kabul, July 8: The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in a report said that 60 per cent of girls and 46 per cent of boys of primary school age are not receiving any level of education in Afghanistan, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported.

60 per cent of primary-school-age girls, 40 pc of boys not receiving education in Afghanistan: UNICEF

According to UNICEF, Japan has provided USD 10 million to support the "continuity of children's learning amidst a learning crisis in Afghanistan." Around 71,500 children are expected to continue their education with this contribution, TOLO News said.The UNICEF said that the contribution from Japan will allow UNICEF to improve learning environments for 55,000 children in public hub schools by developing and rehabilitating classrooms or building handwashing facilities and toilets, based on the needs of specific schools.The contribution from Japan will also ensure that 16,500 children can continue their education for another two years at the community level. In addition, it will provide in-service training for 990 female and male teachers, school heads and academic supervisors in public schools, the report said.Japanese Ambassador to Afghanistan Takashi Okada held a meeting with the Taliban leader Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and explained the international efforts to assist the people of Afghanistan.The Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan tweeted, "Amb. Okada met with Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and explained the int'l efforts to assist the people of AFG. He underlined the importance of better governance, including girls' education and employment for women, and of mutual confidence building between AFG and int'l community."Janat Fahim Chakari, a political analyst, stressed that the Taliban should have a proper solution so that the international community makes efforts in the education sector which can lead to "beneficial results," TOLO News reported.Meanwhile, some of the girl students urged the Taliban to allow them to pursue education. Hussna Rahimi, a student, said, "Let the girls who are at home today and cannot go to school, return to their schools," according to TOLO News report.Zainab Shirzad, another student, said, "Let's not take away the rights of reading and writing of females because they are girls or women. There is no right to deprive them of their education."Earlier this week, University professors, women's rights activists and religious clerics in Afghanistan have launched a campaign -- 'Education of Afghan Girls', with the goal of reopening schools and universities for girls in the country, TOLO News reported.According to the campaign's organisers, despite their requests to reopen the nation's schools and universities in the past two years, no action has been taken. They said that they would keep campaigning until girls were allowed to attend schools and universities.ANI08 July 2023

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Chinese want to contact me: Dalai Lama says open to talks with China over Tibetan problems

Dharamshala, July 8: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said that he is open for talks with China over the problems of Tibetans and the Chinese, officially or unofficially wanted to contact him.

Chinese want to contact me: Dalai Lama says open to talks with China over Tibetan problems

"I am always open to talk. Now China also realises that the spirit of Tibetan people is very strong. So, in order to deal with Tibetan problems they want to contact me. I am also ready", he said.The Dalai Lama made the remarks while to speaking to reporters in Dharamshala before embarking on a visit to Delhi and Ladakh.Responding to a question on whether he wishes to resume talks with China, he said, "We are not seeking independence, we have decided since many years that we remain the part of People's Republic of China...Now China is changing. The Chinese, officially or unofficially want to contact me".On July 6, Dalai Lama celebrated his 88th birthday and visited the Main Tibetan Temple courtyard in Dharamshala, adjacent to his residence. While addressing the gathering during the celebrations the Dalai Lama said that he has not been angry with anyone, not even those Chinese leaders who have adopted a harsh attitude towards Tibet, according to the official statement released on Dalai Lama's website."I was born in Tibet and I bear this name Dalai Lama, but in addition to working for the cause of Tibet, I've been working for the welfare of all sentient beings. I've done whatever I could without losing hope or allowing my determination to flag," the Tibetan spiritual leader said."I'm angry with no one, not even those Chinese leaders who have adopted a harsh attitude towards Tibet. Indeed, China has historically been a Buddhist country as witnessed by the many temples and monasteries I saw when I visited that land," he added.In his remarks, Dalai Lama said knowledge of Tibetan culture and religion can benefit the world at large. He said, "I believe there is knowledge within Tibetan culture and religion that can benefit the world at large. However, I also respect all other religious traditions because they encourage their followers to cultivate love and compassion."He further said, "According to indications in my own dreams and other predictions, I expect to live to be more than 100 years old. I've served others until now and I'm determined to continue to do so. Please pray for my long life on that basis."Earlier in April, Dalai Lama called for a focus on wisdom and compassion as he highlighted the situation in Tibet by giving his own example and stressed upon looking at the current situation from a broader perspective.Addressing the gathering on the second day at the Global Buddhist Summit 2023 in New Delhi, the Dalai Lama had said, "I can also share with you that by engaging in this kind of inner development and particularly focusing on Wisdom and compassion. It really can help increase our courage as well. For example in the case of my dealing with the current struggle and situation of Tibet, if you think just only about it from a narrow-angle, you can lose your hope.""But if you look at this crisis and look at this current situation from the broader perspective of the courage that cultivation and compassion give you, then you can have a much more resilient mind. So, even in your daily life, there might be problems which may seem enormous and unbearable. Still, if you have the courage, you will be in a much stronger position to turn adversities into opportunities," he added.The Dalai Lama had earlier too said that majority of people in China realise that he is not seeking "independence" within China but meaningful autonomy and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture.Last year he had told reporters in Jammu during a visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh that "Not Chinese people, but some Chinese hardliners consider me a separatist. Now, more and more Chinese are realising that Dalai Lama not seeking independence but within China meaningful autonomy and to preserve Tibetan Buddhist culture."ANI08 July 2023

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Kautilya School of Public Policy students grab record placements

PNN, Hyderabad, July 8: Kautilya School of Public Policy (KSPP) achieves a record feat with some students getting a monthly stipend of Rs 1 lakh a month for internships, which is the highest as per industry standards.

Kautilya School of Public Policy students grab record placements

Additionally, the school's placement opportunities have helped the students land annual remuneration ranging from Rs 6,00,000 to Rs 15,00,000 per annum. It is a milestone for the first time passing out graduates from a college to land this kind of salary slab. The student's success can be attributed to the college's high-quality curriculum, teaching cum learning standards and the Career Fulfillment Cell. The cell follows a structured process that matches students' interests with relevant organizations and facilitates internship opportunities after a rigorous selection process.Speaking about the placement success rate and competitive pay scale of their students, the Dean of Kautilya School of Public Policy - Syed Akbaruddin expressed, "Our aim is to produce career-ready students who are willing to face the industry challenges and bring to the table their training from Kautilya School of Public Policy in the most cohesive way. It is not merely about learning on the job. Our training empowers the students to tackle the challenges of the work front right from day one. Hence, they have landed not only lucrative employment but also internship offers."Neelam Mehra - Deputy Director-Career Fulfillment at Kautilya School of Public Policy, said, "It is all about all-round training of our students, in alignment with the demands of the current times. When it is time to face the industry, we want them to bring their knowledge to be put into practice rather than keeping it all theoretical. Internships help, but we ensure that they add some value to the board."Notable employers who have recruited students for full-time roles include I-PAC, Global Trade Observer, TTC (Think Through Consulting), GITAM, Nehru Fellowship, RBIHub Fellowship, Quality Council of India, Infrastructure Professionals Enterprise Global, Bharat Biotech International Ltd., Paytm, Aadarsh Foundation, KSPP (GITAM), EY, Ather Energy, Punjab Good Governance Fellowship, Indicc, Just Jobs Network, Yale (Yale School of Public Health), Indian School of Leadership, Mythos Labs, IORA Ecological Solutions and Insight Development Consulting Group (P) Ltd. among others. Graduates have secured positions such as Campaign Manager, Lead-Policy and Strategy, Associates Program Manager, Consultant-Business Support Services, and Senior Policy Analyst, with salaries ranging from Rs 6 lakhs to Rs 15,00,000 per annum.Kautilya School of Public Policy is dedicated to equipping students with the skills needed for the industry, resulting in an impressive success rate of nearly 90 per cent among the batch. Renowned diplomats, thinkers, and scholars contribute valuable insights to the students, who also benefit from world-class curriculum, faculty and infrastructure.The school offers a meticulously curated two-year, full-time residential Master's Program in Public Policy, constantly adapting to meet the demands of evidence-based policy-making, implementation and leadership in contemporary India.The college's focus is to encapsulate imparting education that is relevant, contemporary, and practical. They offer passionate young minds a robust training ground that nurtures grassroots aspirations with a rigorous academic program. They have brought on board some of the world's leading academic experts and policy practitioners to prepare students for a transformed path in nation-building by inculcating diverse skills necessary for a successful career in public life.(Disclaimer The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)ANI08 July 2023

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. Negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have become more intense in recent months, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told journalists, Trend reports.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Armenian PM several times during this period. It is expected that similar meetings will continue in the near future within the framework of various international events. Negotiations are underway between the foreign ministers, including formats involving deputy prime ministers to discuss the opening of communications and the delimitation process. Meetings in this direction are scheduled to take place soon, he said.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held bilateral talks on June 27-29 at the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia.

They met with US Secretary Anthony Blinken and Assistant to the President and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington.

The ministers and their teams continued progress on the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations. They reached an agreement on additional articles and achieved mutual understanding on the draft agreement, meanwhile acknowledging that the positions on some key issues require further work.
Rajnath Singh to visit Malaysia to consolidate defence ties, enhance strategic ties

New Delhi, July 8: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to Malaysia on an official visit from July 10-11 with a focus on further consolidating bilateral defence cooperation and Enhanced Strategic Partnership.

Rajnath Singh to visit Malaysia to consolidate defence ties, enhance strategic ties

During his visit, Singh will hold bilateral talks with his Malaysian counterpart Dato' Seri Mohamad Hasan, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release. The two leaders will review defence cooperation between India and Malaysia and explore new initiatives to further strengthen the engagements.Rajnath Singh and Dato' Seri Mohamad Hasan will exchange views on regional and global issues of shared interest. Singh will also call on Malaysia's Prime Minister YB Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim.The Ministry of Defence statement said, "India and Malaysia have a common interest in peace and prosperity of the entire region. The two democracies have a robust and multifaceted relationship which has expanded into several strategic areas, including defence and security."Both countries are committed to working under the vision of the enhanced strategic partnership established during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Malaysia in 2015, the Defence Ministry statement said.Earlier this June, Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan met with Malaysia's Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar and they agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on opening all sectors to Indian workers in Malaysia.Taking to Twitter, Muraleedharan stated, "Glad to meet Hon'ble Minister of Human Resources Malaysia H.E. @Sivatronoh in Kuala Lumpur Thanked the Minister and Malaysian government for opening all sectors to Indian workers at par with other foreign workers in Malaysia. Both agreed to expedite signing an MoU in this regard."He also met a Member of the Malaysian House of Representatives M Kula Segaran. Following the meeting, Muraleedharan tweeted, "Pleased to meet YB @mkula, National Vice Chairman of Democratic Action Party and other senior members in Kuala Lumpur. Discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and people-to-people connect."During his visit to Malaysia, Muraleedharan also interacted with the Indian diaspora in Kuala Lumpur." Delighted to interact with the vibrant Indian diaspora in Malaysia during the Pravasi Bharatiya Utsav, hosted by @hcikl. Commended the significant contributions of Indian diaspora to all walks of life in Malaysia and in nurturing India-Malaysia ties," he tweeted.MoS V Muraleedharan also attended cultural performances organised as part of an event titled 'Pravasi Bharatiya Utsav'. During his visit, he met members of the Malaysian Armed Forces Sikh Veteran Association (MAFSVA) in Kuala Lumpur and appreciated their valour and courage.Muraleedharan tweeted, "Pleased to have met with committee members of Malaysian Armed Forces Sikh Veterans Association (MAFSVA) in Kuala Lumpur. Appreciate their valour and courage."During his visit, he also met and interacted with the office bearers of Netaji Welfare Foundation and Netaji Service Centre. The MoS commended their efforts in preserving the legacy of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose in Malaysia.ANI08 July 2023

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Jaishankar calls on Tanzanian President Samia Hassan, discusses defence, maritime cooperation

Dar es Salaam [Tanzania], July 8: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the President of Tanzania Samia Hassan on Saturday and discussed ties in defence and security.

Jaishankar calls on Tanzanian President Samia Hassan, discusses defence, maritime cooperation

The External Affairs Minister also conveyed the personal greeting of President Droupadi Murmu to her."Honoured to call on President Samia Hassan of Tanzania. Conveyed the personal greetings of President @rashtrapatibhvn and PM @narendramodi. Thank her for the warm sentiments expressed about our development activities," Jaishankar tweeted.Apart from Defence, the two leaders also discussed maritime cooperation and capacity building."Our water partnership and ICT collaboration have already made a strong impact. The IIT campus will take our ties to new heights. Also discussed ties in defense and security, maritime cooperation and capacity building. Appreciate Tanzania's positive view of India's G20 presidency and Global South initiatives," Jaishankar added.Earlier today, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with Chama Cha Mapinduzi's Vice Chairman Abdulrahman Kinana. He called it useful to share views on political cooperation while stressing on the need to strengthen exchanges between India and Tanzania.Taking to his official Twitter handle, Jaishankar stated, "Delighted to meet again Abdulrahman Kinana, vice Chairman of @ccm_tanzania today shortly after his New Delhi visit. Useful to share views on our political cooperation and on the need to strengthen exchanges."Jaishankar, who is on a four-day visit to Tanzania, on Friday, took part in the regional ambassadorial conference while also inaugurating the bust of Swami Vivekananda at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre on Friday.The regional Ambassadorial conference was attended by representatives from Angola, Burundi, Congo, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Terming the conference, a "productive" one, Jaishankar said he took stock of India's relations with the above-mentioned African countries and "underlined India's commitment to strengthening its partnership with Africa and the Global South."The EAM also inaugurated the bust of Swami Vivekananda at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Dar es Salaam.In his address, the External Affairs Minister said, "It's really a very momentous occasion today as we inaugurate a bust for one of the greatest spiritual leaders and philosophers of India, Swami Vivekananda.""This bust certainly stands in testimony to his kindest teachings which have transcended boundaries and actually underline his message of faith in humanity," he added.Earlier, Jaishankar attended the India-Tanzania business conclave, where he delivered an address highlighting the trade deal between the two countries. He also took a walk through Dar es Salaam's famous Temple Street and experienced the local flavours there.ANI09 July 2023

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Tanzania: EAM Jaishankar meets Chama Cha Mapinduzis Vice Chairman Abdulrahman Kinana

Dar es Salaam [Tanzania], July 8: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday held a meeting with Chama Cha Mapinduzi's Vice Chairman Abdulrahman Kinana. He called it useful to share views on political cooperation while stressing on the need to strengthen exchanges between India and Tanzania.

Tanzania: EAM Jaishankar meets Chama Cha Mapinduzi's Vice Chairman Abdulrahman Kinana

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Jaishankar stated, "Delighted to meet again Abdulrahman Kinana, vice Chairman of @ccm_tanzania today shortly after his New Delhi visit. Useful to share views on our political cooperation and on the need to strengthen exchanges."Jaishankar, who is on a four-day visit to Tanzania, on Friday, took part in the regional ambassadorial conference while also inaugurating the bust of Swami Vivekananda at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre on Friday.The regional Ambassadorial conference was attended by representatives from Angola, Burundi, Congo, Swaziland, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Terming the conference, a "productive" one, Jaishankar said he took stock of India's relations with the above-mentioned African countries and "underlined India's commitment to strengthening its partnership with Africa and the Global South." The EAM also inaugurated the bust of Swami Vivekananda at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Dar es Salaam.In his address, the External Affairs Minister said, "It's really a very momentous occasion today as we inaugurate a bust for one of the greatest spiritual leaders and philosophers of India, Swami Vivekananda.""This bust certainly stands in testimony to his kindest teachings which have transcended boundaries and actually underline his message of faith in humanity," he added.Earlier, Jaishankar attended the India-Tanzania business conclave, where he delivered an address highlighting the trade deal between the two countries. He also took a walk through Dar es Salaam's famous Temple Street and experienced the local flavours there.Jaishankar also visited the India-Tanzania Centre of Excellence in ICT at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology. On Friday, he visited the water project in the Kibamba district of Dar es Salaam on Friday which is built with Indian support that will be providing clean drinking water to the Tanzanian population.Jaishankar also met with the members of the India-Tanzania Parliamentary Friendship Group and appreciated their warm sentiments for stronger parliamentary, political, economic and people-to-people ties.ANI09 July 2023

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Breaking News: How Neet PG students can get the branch of their choice even if they have low score

ATK, New Delhi, July 8: As the recent trend suggests, it's extremely hard to get in the college of your choice for these branches - Radio, Derma, Ortho, Medicine.

Breaking News: How Neet PG students can get the branch of their choice even if they have low score

In which generally all medical colleges don't have seats in app branches and when they do have the seats, they only have 1, 2 or 3 seats.In that case, the only option left for PG students are to take the branches they didn't wanted in the first place but because of lack of availability they end up compromising on their dreams.And this has been seen more often in students who get less than 350 scores, as the competition becomes tougher and their choice reduces to only 1, "take whatever I can"And this year specially it has become a bigger issue for NEET PG students as NEXT exams will be introduced next year and the uncertainty of the new format being introduced many experts have been suggesting that it's better to take admission this year rather than be the first ones to sit for exams in a completely new formatWhich is where a 15-year-old Admission consultancy firm MBBS360 came into the limelight and made the headlines on Aajtak, News Nation, ABP news, News18, etc...And it's not even been a month since they received an award for the "Best education consultants of India" by Our highway and transport minister of India Nitin Gadkari and News Nation. Making them the only player in India working on nation Level to reach such heights and Achievements.What makes them special is their Ability to help NEET PG students to arrange direct meeting with college authorities and get these students seats which no one else can. As more and more students are preferring them, we decided to share their story for students who are looking to get seats in dream branches in top colleges.You can reach out to them here(Disclaimer The above press release has been provided by ATK. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)ANI09 July 2023

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Karnataka to implement its own education policy in place of NEP

Bengaluru(Karnataka ), July 8: Karnataka primary education Minister Madhu Bangarappa said on Saturday that the state education department has decided not to adopt the National Education Policy( NEP) but instead will implement the State Education Policy (SEP).

Karnataka to implement its own education policy in place of NEP

"Education department has decided that NEP will not be implemented in Karnataka. We are planning to implement SEP (State Education Policy) on the suggestion of the professional team," the minister said after visiting a model government Primary School in Bengaluru.Meanwhile, Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has criticised NEP as being one-sided. "NEP is not good. It is one-sided. this is a democratic country. A lot of religions are there. We will implement our own policy," Ramalinga Reddy saidThe minister's statement came a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in his budget speech, announced that his government would withdraw the NEP and would, instead, be formulating one of its own in keeping with the local realities.Saying that NEP does not augur well for a country as diverse as India, he argued that it is incompatible with the federal system of governance."The National Education Policy implemented by the central government is incompatible with the federal system of governance. It has several anomalies which undermine the Constitution and democracy. A uniform education system does not suit a nation like India, which has diverse religions, languages and cultures," Siddaramaiah had said.NEP at the higher education level was implemented in the state by the previous BJP government. And it was also in the process of rolling it out in schools.In June, Karnataka Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar said that while the Congress had widely publicised its intention to scrap the National Education Policy (NEP), a thorough analysis of the policy's pros and cons is necessary before making any hasty decisions."We want to analyze the positives and negatives of the policy. As mentioned in the manifesto, state education policy will be implemented but at the same time, students' betterment should also be taken into consideration. The opposition will always have its way of interpreting things. We are going to fulfil what we have promised," MC Sudhakar had said.It may be noted that NEP 2020 launched in July 2020 provides a set of guiding principles for a paradigm shift across the education sector in India from school to doctoral level.ANI09 July 2023

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Jharkhand Mahadev Temple in Rajasthan issues dress code for devotees

Jaipur, July 8: Jharkhand Mahadev Temple in Jaipur district has introduced a dress code for devotees, asking them to refrain from wearing ripped jeans, shorts, frocks, night suits, and mini-skirts.

Jharkhand Mahadev Temple in Rajasthan issues dress code for devotees

According to a notice issued by the temple administration, devotees have to wear only modest and formal dresses.Devotees will not be allowed to enter the temple in half-pants, bermuda shorts, mini-skirts, night suits, ripped jeans, and frocks, the notice said.The notice further said that the devotees are expected to maintain Indian culture and traditions."It is a good decision. It will promote our Sanatan culture. It should be implemented in other temples as well," said a devotee.Recently, Jammu's 'Bawe Wali Mata' temple administration in Jammu and Kashmir has also urged devotees to cover their heads and refrain from wearing shorts, or capri pants on the premises."We are appealing to people not to come wearing shorts and we are getting a good response. The devotees should wear decent clothes and cover their heads inside the temple," said Mahant Bitta.ANI09 July 2023

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Indian soldiers from Punjab Regiment set to march in Bastille Day Parade in Paris

New Delhi, July 8: Soldiers from the Punjab Regiment are set to march in Paris. The development marks a historic moment after 107 years, Khalsa Vox reported. The event is reminiscent of the past and demonstrates the enduring ties between India and France.

Indian soldiers from Punjab Regiment set to march in Bastille Day Parade in Paris

The absence of Indian soldiers in the 2017 Hollywood film 'Dunkirk' led to disappointment among Indians, particularly those with an interest in military history, Khalsa Vox reported. The film, based on the Battle of France and the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk during the second world war did not acknowledge the role of Indian soldiers from the British Indian Army in both world wars.Meanwhile, a black-and-white photograph capturing a French woman pinning a flower on an Indian soldier emerged during the release of 'Dunkirk.' Dating back to the First World War, the image showcases the contribution of Indian soldiers, possibly from the Sikh Regiment, according to Khalsa Vox report. More than 100 years later, history comes full circle as soldiers from the Punjab regiment are now part of the Indian Army preparing to leave for France.The soldiers from the Punjab Regiment will participate in the Bastille Day parade in Paris, scheduled to take place on July 14, Khalsa Vox reported. This year's parade holds greater significance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited as the Guest of Honour on the French National Day.The Ministry of Defence in a press release said, "The Indian Army contingent comprising of 77 marching personnel and 38 members of the Band is being led by Captain Aman Jagtap. Indian Navy contingent is being led by Commander Vrat Baghel and the Indian Air Force contingent by Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy. The Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force will also form part of the fly past during the parade.It further said, "The Army contingent is being represented by Punjab Regiment which is one of the oldest Regiments of the Indian Army. The troops of the Regiment have participated in both the World Wars as well as the post-independence operations."The Indian soldiers' visit to France serves as a testament to the enduring bond between the armies of the two nations, dating back to the first world war, Khalsa Vox reported. More than 1.3 million Indian soldiers participated during the first world war, with nearly 74,000 losing their lives and 67,000 sustained injuries.Indian soldiers showcased their bravery and made significant contributions to the war effort on French soil. The Punjab regiment has participated in both World Wars and various post-independence operations.During World War I, the Punjab Regiment received 18 Battle and Theatre Honours, fighting in locations such as Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, Palestine, Egypt, China, Hong Kong, Damascus, and France, the report said.During World War II, 2.5 million Indian soldiers made notable contributions in various theatres of the war, including France. Among others, the Punjab Regiment earned 16 Battle Honours and 14 Theatre Honours. This year's France's Bastille Day parade marks the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between India and France.Over the years, India and France have engaged in joint military exercises and shared valuable experiences. The Indian contingent is accompanied by the Rajputana Rifles Regiment Band, the report said. The Rajput Regiment has a long and illustrious history as it has participated in various battles across the world. The contributions of the Rajputana Regiment during the second world war were particularly notable.Led by Captain Aman Jagtap, the Indian Army contingent includes 77 marching personnel and 38 band members. Commander Vrat Baghel leads the Indian Navy contingent, while Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy leads the Indian Air Force contingent, Khalsa Vox reported.On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend this year's Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour on July 14 in Paris.PM Modi has been invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Parade in Paris.According to the official statement, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the Parade alongside their French counterparts. PM Modi's visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for our strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries, the official statement read.ANI09 July 2023

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla visits Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar [Mongolia], July 8: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is leading an Indian Parliamentary Delegation (IPD) on a three-day visit to Mongolia, visited the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery today.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla visits Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Mongolia

Gandan Tegchenling Monastery is the main centre of Buddhism in Mongolia and is a repository of valuable Buddhist heritage, including Buddhist knowledge, unique rituals and artistic items. The Monastery offers religious and contemporary education to both monks and lay students within its various traditional colleges, according to an official release.Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the monastery in 2015 and handed over a Bodhi tree sapling to the Chief Abbott.According to the official statement, the Lok Sabha speaker expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome at the Monastery.Birla, said that for centuries India and Mongolia have had vibrant relations through civilizational, historical, spiritual and cultural ties, adding that the shared heritage of Buddhism has strengthened the traditional ties between the two countries.He said that India, Lord Buddha's "karmabhoomi," is committed to offering full support for the preservation of Buddhist history in Mongolia.Birla stressed that this was evidence of the close cultural linkages between India and Mongolia. He expressed his joy at finding that several monks from the Gandan Monastery in Mongolia were studying at the Drepung Gomang Monastery in India.Birla also presented the ICCR Buddhist Award for the year 2022 to Khamba Nomun Khan for promoting Buddhism and spiritual ties between India and Mongolia, and extended his congratulations, assuring that India would continue to support the monastery's various initiatives to promote Buddhism in Mongolia, the official release read.Notably, HE Demberel Choijamts was elevated as Khamba Nomun Khan, the highest Buddhist Teacher in Mongolia in 2021.Birla was welcomed by the Grand Abbott when he later paid a visit to the Pethub Monastery. Birla also paid respects to the Monastery's Mahatma Gandhi statue. The statue is regarded as a testament to the spiritual and cultural ties between Mongolia and India. Gandhi Ji's message of peace, nonviolence, and harmony still serves as a beacon for the globe, according to Birla, who spoke on this occasion.After concluding his three-day trip to Mongolia, Birla witnessed the mini Nadaam festival, which is the country's most well-known celebration and is centred around three traditional sports--horse racing, wrestling, and archery--and showcases the ancient oral traditions, performing arts, national cuisine, handicrafts, and cultural forms of Mongolia.Gombojavyn Zandanshatar, Speaker of the State Great Khural (Mongolian Parliament), gave a horse to the Lok Sabha Speakers on this occasion, and they named it "Vikrant." Birla expressed gratitude to Zandanshatar for the friendship gift. Earlier, Birla had signed MoUs with Mr. G Zandanshatar, Speaker of the State Great Khural of Mongolia to further strengthen and expand cooperation between the two Parliaments.ANI09 July 2023

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Motley Crue wrap up the European leg of their World Tour in Glasgow

Los Angeles, July 8: American heavy metal legends Motley Crue have wrapped up the European part of their world tour in Glasgow where they participated with the English hard rock legends Def Leppard.

Motley Crue wrap up the European leg of their World Tour in Glasgow

Wrapping up their European tour, Motley Crue took to Instagram and captioned Rainy night in Glasgow!! And that's a wrap for the European leg of THE WORLD TOUR! A massive Thank You to the thousands of you who came out to these 22 shows all across Europe - it's been an epic run!Thanking Def Leppard, they further added Huge shout out to our friends Def Leppard for sharing this journey with us. Looking forward to some US summer shows next before we head over to Japan and Australia this Fall! Crueheads for life. Thank you!Motley Crue have been touring Europe for a while now, and have travelled across the continent performing shows in Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and the UK, among other European nations.One of the best selling bands of all time, Motley Crue has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were all the rage in the '80s. Pioneers of the glam metal scene, the band is famous for their crazy rock-star life for which they were scorned but also earned a lot of notoriety.IANS09 July 2023

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Tom Cruise speaks Hindi, leaves fans pleasantly surprised with his fluency

Mumbai, July 8: Actor Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who is awaiting the release of his upcoming theatrical film 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One', has left his Hindi-speaking fans surprised with his fluent display of the language.

Tom Cruise speaks Hindi, leaves fans pleasantly surprised with his fluency

As a part of the promotions of his upcoming film, the actor attempted to speak Hindi during the course of an interview with ETalk channel and was praised by the Indian-origin journalist for acing the pronunciation in the first attempt.Is there anything you cannot do? Is he going to speak in Hindi with me? asked the journalist.Cruise was more than willing to test his Hindi speaking skills as he said, If you want me to speak in Hindi with you, I will. Let's try it. The journalist then asked 'The Last Samurai' actor to say, Namaste. Aap kaise hain?' .Tom followed it up brilliantly leaving the fans lavish praise on him. Several Indian fans found Cruise's accent cute.He is so cute while speaking 'namaste aap kaise ho' & Is there anything he can't do, a user said on Twitter.Tom Cruise wins the hearts of all Indians with his Hindi. His humility is on another level. God Bless him, another user said. Wow.... He spoke Hindi very well, read a post.IANS09 July 2023

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. Sudan and Iran have agreed to resume diplomatic relations and open embassies in the near future.

As Trend has learned, this decision was led to the talks held in Azerbaijan between Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadig and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian. This was officially announced by the Iranian Foreign Minister during a press conference in Algiers, where he arrived on an official visit.

The restoration of relations takes place against the backdrop of normalization between Riyadh and Tehran. Sudan severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016 after storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran. In March of this year, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to resume relations in March as part of a deal brokered by China. The meeting between al-Sadig and Abdollahian took place on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku.
Pink Floyd marks 6 yrs of lead guitarist David Gilmours performance in Pompeii ruins

London, July 8: Legendary progressive rock band Pink Floyd's lead guitarist and guitar icon David Gilmour and his band held a highly acclaimed performance in the Pompeii ruins in 2017 which was a part of his 'Live at Pompeii' live album.

Pink Floyd marks 6 yrs of lead guitarist David Gilmour's performance in Pompeii ruins

To mark six years of that concert, Pink Floyd took to social media to celebrate it.Posting pictures of Gilmour's 'Live at Pompeii' album, Pink Floyd captioned It has been six years since David Gilmour and his band played two magical nights straight in Pompeii, in the historic ruins. A recording of the shows in the ancient amphitheatre, 'Live at Pompeii' was released. Were any of you fortunate enough to have attended either night?The album was a massive success and contained several Pink Floyd classics such as 'High Hopes', 'Time', 'Great Gig in the Sky', 'Money', 'Comfortably Numb' and 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond'.It also included some of the lesser known Pink Floyd tracks such as 'Sorrow' and several of Gilmour's own solo tracks such as 'Rattle That Lock' and 'Faces of Stone'.IANS09 July 2023

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WGA protests gain support from Ugly Betty cast and crew

Los Angeles, July 8: The protests from Writers Guild of America has taken Hollywood by storm leading to the delay and even cancellation of various projects. Now marking its 67th day, the WGA protests have gained support from the cast and crew of popular comedy-drama show 'Ugly Betty'.

WGA protests gain support from 'Ugly Betty' cast and crew

According to Deadline, the 'Ugly Betty' stars Ana Ortiz and Chris Gorham along with writers Brian Tannen, Gabrielle Stanton, Sheila Lawrence, Chris Black, Henry Myers, Cameron Litvack and Tracy Poust gathered at Paramount Studios in support of the WGA strikers.Speaking to Deadline, Sheila Lawrence, who also co-wrote titles such as 'Gilmore Girls' and 'Desperate Housewives', said I worry about the future of writing as a profession if things don't change.She continued It's been amazing to be out here and to feel so much support from everyone all these days. Cars are still honking every day. So I'm hopeful this will come to a good conclusion.Regarding the future of 'Ugly Betty', Lawrence said We'd love to have more Ugly Betty. No promises, I think there are rights issues but we all would love it.Fellow 'Ugly Betty' star Anna Ortiz encouraged the WGA protesters and said Hey fans, speak out! Let everybody know that you want a reboot of 'Ugly Betty' because there have been talks. Let's go.IANS09 July 2023

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Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 to debut in theatres on February 16, 2024

Mumbai, July 8: 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2', the sequel to the highly experimental 2010 Hindi film 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha', has booked its release date for February 16, 2024.

'Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2' to debut in theatres on February 16, 2024

The makers also recently released the thought-provoking poster of the film. It shows the audience and the stark reality of a digitally obsessed society, capturing a couple engaged in both intimate connection and technological detachment simultaneously.Building upon the legacy of the first film, 'LSD 2' pushes the boundaries and promises to be even more explicit, ensuring an edgier and deeply immersive experience for the audience. Like its predecessor, 'LSD 2' too has been directed by Dibakar Banerjee.'LSD', which released in 2010 and starred Rajkummar Rao, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Amit Sial, and was entirely using digital formats with different cameras, including a handycam, an amateur film camera, a security camera, an underwater camera and spy cameras.Over the years, the film has gained a cult status and has often been praised for telling compelling interlinked stories without using conventional filmmaking techniques.'Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2' is presented by Balaji Telefilms Limited and Cult Movies. The film is produced by Ektaa R Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor and is directed by Dibakar Banerjee.IANS09 July 2023

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Saira Banu flaunts her 22 inch waistline in throwback picture, says Only if time could be stopped

Mumbai, July 9: Saira Banu recently made her Instagram debut and has been sharing beautiful throwback photos since then.

Saira Banu flaunts her 22 inch waistline in throwback picture, says Only if time could be stopped

Her most recent Instagram post is a throwback photo of herself from her younger days.Saira Banu, a veteran actor, took a trip down memory lane on Instagram on Sunday, as she recalls the 'waistline' of her youth. "The 22-inch waistline in days gone by... Oh!" she wrote in her post. Only if Time could be stopped... Alas!"In the monochrome picture, she was dressed in a salwar kameez.The photo features her everlasting smile and signature makeup look.Fans quickly reminded Saira of how stunning she still is after she shared the post.A social media user wrote, "Ma'am, God has created you in such a way that you have been beautiful at every age and size."."The entire universe adores you, and we adore you. By Allah's grace, you still look good," another wrote.A fan commented, "So what ma'am if ur waist isn't 22? U r still charming."Saira Banu began her career in 1960 when she was only 16 years old. In the 1961 film 'Junglee,' she made her Hindi film debut opposite Shammi Kapoor.Her biggest hit is Victoria No. 203 with Navin Nischol. She and her husband co-starred in three films Gopi, Sagina, and Bairaag. Only Gopi was a box-office success.On October 11, 1966, Saira Banu married the late actor Dilip Kumar. They didn't have any children.Dilip Kumar passed away in 2021 after a long illness. Saira recently made her Instagram debut on the anniversary of his death.ANI09 July 2023

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National interests combined with mutual trust further expands Russia-India cooperation, says Russian Deputy Chief of Mission

Moscow, July 9: Undoubtedly, the national interests along with the mutual trust will remain the impetus for cooperation between India and Russia in all sectors, Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin said.

National interests combined with mutual trust further expands Russia-India cooperation, says Russian Deputy Chief of Mission

The Russian Embassy in India took to Twitter, citing Babushkin and said, "#Babushkin We have no doubt that legitimate national interests combined with the historic mutual trust and affinity will remain the driving force of further expansion of #Russia-#India cooperation in all areas."Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit virtually, hosted by India. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for organising the summit. He later said that the implementation of a lot of documents and the decisions that were prepared for the summit is going to enhance the strategic partnership with India.Last month, Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov in New Delhi said that the "special Russia-India strategic partnership" has shown strength and is "growing stronger as ever."First Secretary and Head of the Economic and Commercial Department of the Embassy of India in Moscow while addressing Russia-India Business Forum on June 15, said, our goal is to reach a bilateral trade volume of USD 50 billion in 2023.He further said that this is historically high and a huge achievement and pointed out that the two countries have the potential to develop in sectors like pharmaceuticals, chemicals and agriculture.ANI10 July 2023

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Jackies story is not all that different from my story," Robert Jones says. "One of the common factors is that we both saw something greater for ourselves than our current situations.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Vladanka Andreeva congratulated Azerbaijani diplomats on their professional holiday, Trend reports citing the publication on her Twitter page.

"On Azerbaijan Diplomatic Service Day, I extend warm congratulations to the dedicated employees of Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan. Your vital contributions in promoting multilateralism, dialogue, peace and cooperation are crucial for building a brighter and more prosperous future for all," she wrote.
As the leading two-wheeler manufacturers continue on launching new products in the market, giving tough competition to the homegrown bike makers Royal Enfield in the mid-size segment from every corner. It seems like the brand already knew what was coming from its competitors, which is why it was working on some of the rival motorcycles that will hit the market soon.

It has been reported that the company will introduce three bikes under the 350-450cc segment. The report suggested the brand has been working on all-new Bullet, internally known as J1B, which will hit the market in September, this year.

Upcoming Royal Enfield Bikes in 2023-24

Apart from this, the bike maker is also lined up to introduce the all-new Himalayan (K1G) in the upcoming months. However, the official details are yet to be released by the company.

For those, who were waiting for something fresh in 440cc, the company might surprise them with Scram (D4K), which is still under development, and likely to be launched before the year ends.

Upcoming Royal Enfield 750CC Bike

If rumors are to be believed, Royal Enfield also working on its both electric L-platform, and 750cc bike based on R-platform, which reportedly gets ready somewhere around 2025.

Heres What Comapnys CEO Said About Upcoming Bikes

Reacting about the upcoming plans, the companys CEO, B Govindrajan told the media that the brand had a great year, and has some exciting plans for the future. He said the company is all set to introduce the strong line-up of bikes for 2023-24. Meanwhile, to maintain the legacy of the brand, Royal Enfield has been working from the core to extend its cubic production, widen up geographical reach, and entered the international market.
Ever since the sports bike manufacturer introduced Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X in partnership with Bajaj, it created a massive buzz in the two-wheeler segment in India. Recently, the company shared an official statement which stated that both the bikes have received 10,000 bookings collectively within 3 days of launch in the Indian market.

The company in the official release said that both bikes Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X are getting a good response from the customers. The brand also informed that the customers can book the bikes online by paying a token amount of only Rs 2,000 to avoid long waiting periods.

Heres What Bajaj Said About Bikes

Commenting about the customers response on newly launched bikes, Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto Ltd, said: We are excited by the overwhelming response we have received following the launch. A pre-order of 10,000 bikes within such a short span is unprecedented and a testament to the unwavering faith that riders have placed in Bajaj Auto and Triumph Motorcycles. We are committed to our promise of manufacturing exceptional motorcycles that captivate riders with their performance, design, and technology."

Triumph-Bajaj bikes

The company has launched the much-awaited Speed 400 at the starting price of Rs. 2.33 lacs (ex-showroom Delhi). However, the amount was decreased by Rs 10k to Rs. 2.23 lacs (ex-showroom Delhi) for the first 10,000 customers. The general public will be able to see the bike from the end of July as it will reach the dealerships during this period.

Meanwhile, those who are excited and waiting for the Scrambler 400 X in India, it will be launched somewhere around October this year in the domestic market.
Philanthropist and wife of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, Sudha Murty shared her perspective as the first angel investor in her husbands life. She shared the anecdote, Living with a successful man can be extremely challenging. They are not ordinary individuals; they possess eccentricities and lack conventional logic at home, reserving it solely for the office. These accomplished individuals often have sky-high expectations, requiring their partners to juggle multiple roles simultaneously."

After an interaction between Infosys founder and his son Rohan Murty at an event in Bengaluru, where the former praised his wife for being his lifelong support, Sudha Murty took the stage, to share her perspective.

Also Read: Did You Know Narayana Murthy Quit Job on His Wifes Birthday in 1976? Heres How She Reacted

Speaking at the Moneycontrol Startup Conclave 2023, she added, They expect their partners to be a wife, secretary, finance manager, nanny, advisor, and assume various other responsibilities. Failing in any one of these roles can have a profound negative impact on their well-being."

Acknowledging his wifes pivotal role during the early stages of building his business, Narayana Murthy expressed his gratitude for Sudha Murty. My wife stood by me when my colleagues were unsupportive," he said.

Narayana Murthy took the floor to speak in a candid conversation with his son, who is the founder of Soroco.

The IIT alumnus was asked why he chose to become an entrepreneur. He answered, Because I believe the only way society can remove its poverty is through the power of entrepreneurship, creating jobs, translating ideas into jobs, translating ideas into wealth, and enhancing taxes paid to the government."

When asked to list key attributes of entrepreneurs, he highlighted, They must have the power of imagination. They must be comfortable with innovation, with doing something unusual. Passion fuels your energy, enthusiasm, and ability to achieve the target, and for this, the leader must have an articulated value system."

The next key step for any nascent business is hiring talent. He recommended, My focus was on competence. Without that, nothing will happen. The second is the value system. In the beginning, everybody has to trust everybody else implicitly. The only thing the employees have are your words. For this, you must be authentic. When employees work as a team, in unison, there is a high probability of people buying into your vision, and that vision must have something in it for everybody."

On devising leadership and organizational structure, he suggests, Every startup company must have only one leader. There cannot be two or three leaders. Just one leader."

He added, Once the managerial phase comes in, you invite managers to create systems and processes, establish protocols, invite independent directors, and have a good governance mechanism."

Crippling uncertainty and self-doubt are common among all startup founders. Addressing pathways to tackle that, Narayana Murthy shared how he felt when his company went public, When we went public, we were worried about whether we would do well or not."

For navigating times when things get tough at the office and at home, he suggested, You should not panic. During uncertain times, I would crack jokes in the office and talk to them about how other people have gone through such times as well, and how God is with us. Sometimes, logic doesnt suffice. There are moments when one must transcend logic, embrace faith, and believe in God."

Reminiscing about his roots, he elaborated on how selecting a career pathway wasnt as parent-regulated back then as it is today. He said, Back then, they didnt ask us what are you going to do? Somehow, that environment gave us much freedom.

A number of budding startups sought Narayana Murthys perspective on the principle of good governance, to which he suggested, Put the interest of the community ahead of your personal interest, in the short and mid-run, and you will emerge a winner in the long term. It is a philosophy that you either have or you dont.
The registration deadline for MHT CET 2023 Counselling for B.E, B.Tech degrees has been extended yet again by the Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell. The MHT CET 2023 registration for candidates is now open till tomorrow, July 10 at PM. Furthermore, the last date for document validation and online application confirmation for enrollment has been extended until July 11. Students have the option of having their documentation assessed physically at the centre or online through an e-scrutiny centre. Candidates who have not yet registered for the counselling cycles are allowed to do so at the MHT CETs official website, fe2023.mahacet.org.

Applications received and verified after July 10 will subsequently only be evaluated for non-CAP seats. The counselling registration deadline has been extended for the second time, with the latest extension concluding on July 7.

MHT CET 2023 Counselling: How to register

Step 1: Go to fe2023.mahacet.org, the MHT CET 2023 official website.

Step 2: Look for the MHT CET 2023 registration link" on the homepage and click on it.

Step 3: Register yourself and fill out the MHT CET 2023 application form.

Step 4: Attach all of the documents required by the registration form.

Step 5: Once the form has been filled out, pay the registration fee.

Step 6: Download and print a copy of the MHT CET 2023 registration form for future records.

For general category candidates, applicants who reside outside the state of Maharashtra, and children of Indian workers in Gulf Countries, the application fee has been set at Rs 800. For candidates from the state of Maharashtra who fall under the reserved category and for applicants who have a disability, the fee is Rs 600. Children of NRIs, OCIs, PIOs, and Foreign Nationals would be required to make a Rs 5,000 deposit.

Candidates will be allowed to fill up their choice for colleges and courses once their documents have been validated. The seats will be assigned based on the online selections filled out by applicants. Candidates must report to the institutes allocated to them within a certain time frame.
Registration for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Postgraduate (NEET PG) 2023 counselling is likely to commence soon. Although official confirmation is still anticipated, media reports indicate that the counselling registration is expected to begin on July 15. NEET PG counselling dates for 2023 will be posted shortly on the official website, mcc.nic.in, by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), after the schedule for counselling is made public.

The NEET PG score will be used to determine admission to PG medical courses for the fifty per cent All India Quota (AIQ). Students who meet the All India Quota (AIQ) requirements will be able to participate in the counselling process. Additionally, students who have qualified in the NEET PG 2023 are encouraged to apply for state quota seats through the states in which they reside.

The NEET PG 2023 took place on March 4, and the results were released on March 14. The category-wise merit list for state quota seats will be assembled by the states and the union territory in accordance with their qualifying requirements and any regulations that apply. The AIQ seats merit list was made public on June 16.

To participate in the NEET PG counselling 2023, applicants who meet the requirements for the AIQ seats must register themselves on the MCC official website. In order to obtain ones login credentials, applicants will need to input their full name, date of birth, NEET PG 2023 application number, security password, and other details.

Candidates from the general category must deposit Rs 1,000 for admission to AIQ or Central University, while those from the SC and ST categories must put down Rs 500. Candidates seeking admission to a deemed university must pay Rs 5,000. For NEET PG seat allocation, candidates must select a course and college based on their preferences and qualifications. They will also have the option of applying to more than one college.

NEET PG counselling will be conducted in four rounds in 2023: round 1, round 2, mop-up round, and stray round. After the registration procedure has concluded, the MCC will announce the NEET PG seat allocation results. Students are then required to be present at their designated college within the specified timeframe.
As violence and massive protests continue to take place across West Bengal over the conduct of Panchayat Polls 2023, the State Election Commission (SEC) on Sunday announced that repolling will be held in 697 booths on July 10.

The re-election will take place in booths where prior polling was declared void, spread across 19 districts, from 7 am to 5 pm.

The districts where repolling will be held include Murshidabad, which will have the highest number of booths at 175, followed by Malda with 10.

Violence-hit Nadia will witness re-voting in 89 booths, followed by Cooch Behar (53), North 24 Parganas (46), Uttar Dinajpur (42), South 24 Parganas (36), Purba Medinipur (31) and Hooghly (29), the official said. No repolling will be held in the Darjeeling, Jhargram and Kalimpong districts

The announcement came after the SEC held a meeting on Sunday evening after taking into consideration reports of vote-tampering and violence in many places. Massive protests have also been held across the state against the violence that rocked the panchayat elections and over allegations of irregularities.

As far as the deployment of Central Forces is concerned, four security personnel will be present in each of the booths, besides state police, PTI reported.

Also Read| Polling Over for Panchayat Polls, Central Forces Are Still to Coming to West Bengal

After reviewing the reports received from the districts, we have decided to conduct repolling in over 690 booths in 19 districts. There will be four CAPF personnel in every booth for tomorrows polling," the official told PTI.

This comes after over 400 companies of Central Forces failed to reach West Bengal on the polling day.

As per the sources, one company of the Central Force will reach Barrackpur while 10 companies are expected to arrive in Alipurduar. However, forces will arrive in almost all districts of Bengal on Monday.

Speaking to News18, BSF DIG SS Guleria listed the reasons behind the delay of Central Forces arrival. Short notice of mobilising 485 companies from far-flung was the biggest challenge, however, 649 companies had arrived by the polling day," Guleria said.

So far, more than 12 people died in post-poll violence in Bengal amid an ongoing blame game between the Centre and the TMC-led state government

Meanwhile, Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday reached Delhi where he is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence that took place during the panchayat elections.
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The decision of the United States to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs has raised concerns among several US allies. The UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Spain have expressed their opposition to the use of these weapons, as per a report by BBC News.

Cluster bombs have been banned by over 100 countries due to the significant risk they pose to civilian populations. These munitions release multiple smaller bomblets that can cause indiscriminate casualties over a wide area, the report explains, adding that these cluster bombs have been criticized for their high failure or dud rate, leaving unexploded bomblets that can remain dangerous for years and detonate unpredictably.

President Joe Biden confirmed the decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine as part of a military aid package worth $800 million. He stated that he had discussed the matter with allies but acknowledged that it was a difficult decision, emphasizing the Ukrainian need for ammunition.

What are Cluster Bombs?

Cluster bombs are highly controversial due to the significant humanitarian impact they pose. Here are some reasons why they are controversial, as per a report by CBS News:

Indiscriminate Effect: Cluster bombs scatter bomblets over a wide area, making them imprecise and indiscriminate in their targets. This can result in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

Cluster bombs scatter bomblets over a wide area, making them imprecise and indiscriminate in their targets. This can result in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. Unexploded Ordnance: Many of the bomblets fail to detonate upon impact and become unexploded ordnance. These unexploded bomblets remain a long-term threat to civilians, as they can be triggered accidentally by unsuspecting individuals, including children. This poses a risk for years or even decades after the conflict has ended.

Many of the bomblets fail to detonate upon impact and become unexploded ordnance. This poses a risk for years or even decades after the conflict has ended. Civilian Casualties: Civilians are the primary victims of cluster bombs. The bomblets can cause severe injuries or death to anyone in the vicinity at the time of detonation. According to reports, a high percentage of casualties caused by cluster munitions are civilians, including a significant number of children.

Civilians are the primary victims of cluster bombs. The bomblets can cause severe injuries or death to anyone in the vicinity at the time of detonation. According to reports, a high percentage of casualties caused by cluster munitions are civilians, including a significant number of children. Humanitarian Impact: The large-scale use of cluster bombs leaves affected areas contaminated with unexploded submunitions, creating long-term challenges for post-conflict recovery, reconstruction, and the safe return of displaced populations. Clearance of these contaminated areas is costly, time-consuming, and dangerous.

The large-scale use of cluster bombs leaves affected areas contaminated with unexploded submunitions, creating long-term challenges for post-conflict recovery, reconstruction, and the safe return of displaced populations. Clearance of these contaminated areas is costly, time-consuming, and dangerous. International Consensus: The use of cluster bombs has been widely condemned internationally. Over 100 countries have ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of these weapons, as per the report. The humanitarian consequences and indiscriminate nature of cluster bombs have contributed to the broad consensus against their use.

What is Oppn Surrounding Sending Cluster Bombs to Ukraine?

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, swiftly criticized the move, emphasizing the grave threat cluster munitions pose to civilian lives, both during and after the conflict, as per BBC News.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan defended the decision, asserting that the American cluster bombs being supplied to Ukraine had a lower failure rate compared to those already used by Russia in the conflict.

Were in a situation where Ukraine continues to be brutally attacked across the board by munitions, by these cluster munitions," Biden told CNN, and that Ukraine was running low. It took me a while to be convinced to do it."

Ukraine argues that the supply of cluster munitions will assist in targeting entrenched Russian positions in the ongoing conflict. They claim that the munitions will not be used in civilian areas, and Ukraine is committed to demining efforts once the conflict concludes, as per AFP.

This decision by the Biden administration to provide cluster bombs is the latest example of a shift in policy. The administration has been willing to supply weapons to Ukraine that were previously considered off-limits due to concerns about escalating the conflict or provoking a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin beyond Ukraines borders.

The Pentagon has announced that the delivery of cluster munitions is part of a $800 million military aid package, utilizing existing US stocks. The decision has raised concerns among US allies and human rights organizations, given the controversy and humanitarian risks associated with cluster bombs.
According to a recent study published in the journal PLOS One, being overweight within the body mass index (BMI) range does not necessarily lead to a higher risk of death. This research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that BMI alone is not an accurate indicator of an individuals overall health.

The study analyzed data from over 550,000 adults in the United States, spanning an average period of nine years, to examine the relationship between BMI and the risk of death from any cause. The findings revealed that there was no significant increase in the risk of death for individuals aged 65 and above whose BMIs ranged from 22.5 to 34.9.

Similarly, younger adults with BMIs between 22.5 and 27.4 did not exhibit a significant increase in mortality risk, as per a report by NBC News. Its important to note that a BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight, while a BMI of 30 or higher is classified as obesity.

What is a BMI?

As per Medical News Today, for over a century, health professionals have relied on the body mass index (BMI) as a tool to assess whether individuals are underweight or overweight. The recommended BMI range by health experts typically falls between 18.5 and 24.99.

The concept of BMI was developed by Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist, in the 1830s. It involves a straightforward mathematical formula.

BMI is widely used by researchers in population studies, doctors, personal trainers, and other professionals in their respective fields. But despite its widespread use, BMI has several notable limitations, as per reports. One of its shortcomings is that it fails to account for the distribution of fat and lean tissue (such as muscle) within the body.

How is BMI Calculated?

The calculation of BMI aims to provide an estimation of whether an individual has a healthy weight by dividing their weight in kilograms (kg) by the square of their height in meters (m).

The current calculation for BMI involves dividing a persons weight by the square of their height:

BMI = weight (kg) / height^2

Accepted criteria for BMI classifications worldwide typically include the following ranges:

A BMI of 18.49 or below indicates that a person is underweight.

A BMI between 18.5 and 24.99 suggests that a person has a normal weight.

A BMI between 25 and 29.99 indicates that a person is overweight.

A BMI between 30 and 39.99 or higher signifies obesity.

A BMI of 40 or above indicates morbid obesity.

These BMI ranges serve as general guidelines to assess an individuals weight status and potential health risks associated with weight.

What Did the Study Say?

As per NBC News, healthcare professionals have criticized the use of BMI for decades, pointing out that it fails to account for important factors such as body fat percentage and variations in disease risk based on race and gender.

Recently, the American Medical Association recommended the use of additional measures, including waist circumference, body fat distribution, and genetic factors, to assess a patients health.

The findings of the study mentioned support these new guidelines. Dr. Aayush Visaria, a co-author of the study, stated that their results confirm the poor predictive value of BMI as a standalone indicator of health risk. Waist circumference, on the other hand, showed a stronger association with overall mortality risk. Even among individuals with the same BMI, those with larger waist circumferences faced a higher risk of death.

The study did find that participants with a BMI of 30 or higher had a greater mortality risk. Among younger adults, a BMI between 27.5 and 29.9 was also associated with a nearly 20% higher risk.

Dr. Fatima Stanford, an obesity medicine specialist, highlighted that BMI often equates leanness with health while overlooking other essential factors. She emphasized that substance abuse disorders, tobacco use, and disordered eating can lead to a lean physique but do not indicate good health.

Previous research has also revealed the limitations of using BMI as a sole indicator of obesity or risk of weight-related diseases. Studies have shown that a significant portion of individuals classified as overweight or obese by BMI are metabolically healthy, while a substantial percentage of those with normal" weights exhibit metabolic health issues.

Any Limitations in the Study?

The new study acknowledged that previous research linking BMI and higher mortality mainly relied on data from the 1960s to 1990s, which predominantly included white participants. However, the demographic composition of the United States has significantly changed since then, with a lower proportion of non-Hispanic white individuals. The new study sought to address this by including a diverse sample of participants, with 69% white, 12% Black, 14% Hispanic, and nearly 5% Asian individuals, which is considered a fairly representative sample.

Dr. Jaime Almandoz, who was not involved in the research, pointed out some limitations of the study. One limitation is that it focuses solely on the relationship between BMI and the risk of death, overlooking other health factors and conditions. Almandoz emphasized that life encompasses more than just mortality and that individuals with higher BMIs may still face health risks such as Type 2 diabetes, increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure, NBC News reported.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), individuals with BMIs of 25 or higher are at an increased risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

Almandoz also noted that the study underrepresents the proportion of individuals with obesity. While the study reported that about 27% of the participants had a BMI greater than 30, CDC surveys estimate that 42% of U.S. adults have obesity. The studys co-author, Dr. Aayush Visaria, acknowledged that if the study had examined participants body fat percentages, the prevalence of obesity might have been higher than indicated by BMI alone. This highlights the limitation of BMI in measuring body fat accurately.

Visaria suggested that clinicians should consider using alternative measures of body fat to diagnose obesity, rather than relying solely on BMI. He believes that in the future, such measures will become more commonplace in clinical practice.
In a recent case in the Court of Kings Bench in Saskatchewan, Canada, a judge ruled that the use of a thumbs-up" emoji can be considered a valid form of signature.

The judge emphasized the need for courts to adapt to the changing ways people communicate, as per a report by The Guardian.

The ruling came as a farmer, Chris Achter, was ordered to pay C$82,000 ($61,442) for failing to fulfill a contract with grain buyer South West Terminal. The case revolved around a mass text message sent by the buyer, Kent Mickleborough, advertising the purchase of 86 tonnes of flax at a specific price.

Mickleborough spoke with Achter over the phone and sent a picture of a contract, asking the farmer to confirm the flax contract by replying with the message.

What Happened in the Case?

Achter, residing in Swift Current, responded to Mickleboroughs text with a thumbs-up emoji. However, he did not fulfill the contract by delivering the flax in November.

The interpretation of the emoji became a point of dispute between Mickleborough and Achter. The buyer argued that the previous contracts confirmed by text message implied that the thumbs-up emoji indicated acceptance of the contracts terms. On the other hand, Achter claimed that the emoji only signified that he had received the contract and had not accepted its terms.

During the proceedings, Achters lawyer objected to cross-examining his client on the meaning of the thumbs-up emoji, stating that Achter was not an expert in emojis, the report by the Guardian said.

Justice Timothy Keene, in his ruling, expressed frustration that the case led to extensive research into the meaning of the thumbs-up emoji, including references to cases from various jurisdictions.

Nevertheless, Keene acknowledged that while a thumbs-up emoji is an unconventional way to sign" a document, it was a valid method in this particular context to convey the two purposes of a signature.

Furthermore, Keene dismissed concerns raised by the defense about the potential for other emojis, such as the fist bump or hand shake, to be similarly interpreted in future cases. He stated that the court should not attempt to impede the progress of technology and the common usage of emojis, as this new reality is apparent in Canadian society.

What are Emojis?

The origin of emojis can be traced back to the 1990s when simple emoticons like  and  were used in early chatrooms to convey emotions or sarcasm, as per a report by Galvanize. However, the designer Shigetaka Kurita is credited as the pioneer of modern-day emojis. In 1999, the Japanese cell phone company NTT DOCOMO released a set of 176 emojis for mobile phones and pagers.

The term emoji" is a combination of two Japanese words, meaning picture" and letter," although it coincidentally sounds similar to the English word emotion." Kurita drew inspiration from Japanese graphic novels, Zapf Dingbats typeface, as well as illustrations and pictograms to create the first emoji library, the report explained. The initial pixelated designs have since evolved into the extensive emoji collection we have today, with some of Kuritas designs showcased at the Museum of Modern Art.

In 2015, the Oxford Dictionary named an emoji, specifically the Face with Tears of Joy" , as its Word of the Year." This selection was based on the widespread usage of the emoji globally. The dictionary noted a significant increase in the use of the word emoji" overall that year, the report said.

Currently, there are over 3,000 emojis in existence, including 117 new emojis introduced in 2020.

Emojis - in Our Modern Language

Indeed, the modern lexicon is evolving to include truncated spellings and representational electronic communication such as emojis. Emojis have become widely accessible on various devices and social media platforms, allowing people to convey a wide range of ideas through pictures representing emotions and objects.

Research has indicated that emojis can elicit emotional responses similar to those experienced during in-person conversations. When posting or reading an emoji, individuals can experience a genuine emotional reaction, as per a report by Super Lawyers. This phenomenon highlights the effectiveness of emojis as a means of communication, as they can convey emotions and add nuance to textual conversations, bridging the gap between written and face-to-face interactions.

The use of emojis has become deeply embedded in digital communication, allowing individuals to express themselves more vividly and enhance the overall tone and meaning of their messages.

Context Matters

As per the report by Super Lawyers, the use of emojis has made its way into courtrooms, highlighting the challenges and interpretations surrounding their intent in legal cases. In Virginia, a 12-year-old had faced criminal charges for sending what was deemed a threatening message using emojis. On the other hand, in New Zealand, a will containing emojis sent via text messages was upheld.

In employment-related cases, emojis have been used to diffuse uncomfortable situations. For example, individuals may respond to inappropriate or sexually suggestive messages from their employers with emojis in an attempt to stay on good terms or deflect the advances. The interpretation of such responses becomes crucial in determining the nature of the interaction and whether it was consensual or unwelcome, the report explained.

Sexual harassment cases often hinge on whether the advances were mutually accepted, and defense attorneys may scrutinize texts and emails, including emojis, to find evidence contradicting allegations of unwelcome advances. The use of emojis in these situations can be subject to different interpretations by the parties involved and the courts.

The use of text messages, including emojis, in legal cases is an ongoing issue that will continue to arise, as they can hold significant evidentiary value despite their potential for ambiguity.
A contractual employee of the electricity department has been arrested in this Uttar Pradesh district for allegedly beating up a Dalit man and forcing him to lick his slippers, police said on Sunday.

A video purportedly of the incident had gone viral on social media, they said, adding that the accused has been terminated from the service".

The incident snowballed into a political slugfest, with opposition parties slamming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said the incident is no less shameful than the one reported from Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh, while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh claimed that under the BJPs rule, Dalits are not even considered as human beings.

The Congress described the incident as a despicable act", while the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) accused the BJP of insulting Dalits.

In his complaint submitted to police on July 8, Rajendra Chamar, the Dalit man, said he belongs to the Scheduled Castes (SC) category.

On July 6, he had gone to his maternal uncles place where the electricity supply was disrupted. He was trying to locate the fault when the contractual employee of the power department, Tejbali Singh Patel, started hurling abuses at him.

He hurled casteist words at the complainant and also made him lick his chappal. Subsequently, the locals intervened," a police officer said.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered against Patel under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, Circle Officer Amit Kumar said, adding that the accused has been arrested.

In the video, the accused is also seen twisting one arm of the complainant, pushing him onto the ground, climbing up on his chest and slapping him. He is also seen forcing the complainant to lick his slippers.

In a tweet on Saturday night, the Uttar Pradesh Police said, DGP UP has taken cognizance of the incident and directed the DIG range to visit the scene of the crime. An FIR has been registered under the SC/ST Act, and the accused has been promptly arrested. The DGP has given directions for the strictest legal action against the accused."

On Sunday, the state police wrote on Twitter: Update  Due to the swift action taken by @sonbhadrapolice, Tejbali Singh Patel, the arrested accused, has been terminated from service by the electricity department." Singh took a jibe at the BJP over the issue.

In a tweet in Hindi, the Rajya Sabha MP said, This is Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh. A devil is making a Dalit man lick his slippers. In your (BJPs) rule, Dalits are not even considered human beings, how do you talk about uniform civil laws?"

Meanwhile, AAP leader from Uttar Pradesh Shekhar Dixit said a party delegation will soon visit Sonbhadra and meet the Dalit man.

Yadav, in a tweet in Hindi, said, The incident that took place in Sonbhadra is no less shameful than the one of Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, where a Dalit man was made to lick slippers. Why does the bulldozer become punctured on seeing such guilty people? Let us see when the drama of charan-vandan (worshipping the feet) of this aggrieved person is enacted. The BJP people are creating a black history of Dalit oppression."

RLD spokesperson Ankur Saxena told PTI, Through such videos, one gets new ideas about the Ramrajya of the BJP government, in which Dalits and oppressed people are continuously insulted in this manner. The ruling party, which is in election mode throughout the year, does not see the atrocities being committed on the members of the SC-ST communities."

At this point, the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh has become an anarchic state and the only option here is the imposition of Presidents rule," Saxena said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Vikas Srivastava described the incident as a despicable act".

It is clear that the BJP will end the constitutional rights and reservation of Dalits and backward people. The BJP always wants to keep Dalits and backward people oppressed by creating an environment of fear through such acts," he told PTI.
As the Indian space agency is progressing forward with its third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, slated on July 14, the telecom division of Andhra Pradeshs Sriharikota has imposed a ban on all digging and construction activity around the Satish Dhawan Space Centre from Monday till the launch day on Friday. The temporary restrictions are reportedly aimed at safeguarding critical communication lines, including optical fibre cables, required for essential pre-launch tests to be conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

ISRO is launching LVM3-M4 on July 14 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. In this connection, it is absolutely essential to maintain stable communications without any interruption. The tests are in progress," a news report by Hindustan Times quotes the order issued by the telecommunications division as saying.

As per the report, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is responsible for maintaining the major communication links connecting ISROs space centre, which traverse through key roads in the area, such as NH5 (Chennai-Perambur-Gummidipundi), NH205 (Chennai-Tiruvallur), SH56 (Perambur-Ponneri), and SH50 (Tiruvallur-Uthukotai).

These links reportedly also provide connectivity to various locations, including Vellore, Aarani, Thiruvattipuram, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Vandalur in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Vellore, and Tiruvallur districts.

To ensure the success of the rocket launch, it is essential to prevent damage to BSNL optical fibre cables caused by road widening, road repairs, and other digging activities during the period July 9-14," the order added as per the HT report.

The stability of communication lines is of paramount importance as they facilitate the transmission of critical data to control the mission, and by imposing the ban, the telecom division aims to maintain uninterrupted communication.

Chandrayaan-3 Launch

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which is scheduled to be launched on July 14 at 2:35 pm IST from SDSC, Sriharikota, by LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-III) (earlier referred as GSLV Mk III), is a composite of three modules  propulsion, lander, and rover (which is housed inside the lander).

Secretary of the Department of Space and ISRO Chairman Somanath S told reporters that the space agency would attempt soft-landing of the lander on August 23 or August 24.

ISRO officials noted that the mission life of the lander is one lunar day, which is equal to 14 Earth days.

Chandrayaan-3 mission carries scientific instruments to study the thermo-physical properties of the lunar regolith, lunar seismicity, lunar surface plasma environment and elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.

In March this year, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully completed the essential tests that validated its capability to withstand the harsh vibration and acoustic environment that the spacecraft would encounter during its launch.
Torrential showers continued to wreak havoc across north India, as 19 people were killed in rain-related incidents, schools were shut in Delhi-NCR and waterlogging, long traffic hauls threw normal life out of gear.

In cities and towns, several roads and parts of buildings were submerged in in knee-deep water.

In the 36 hours starting at 8:30 am on Saturday, Delhi saw an unprecedented 260 mm of rainfall. This is over 30 per cent more than the citys July average. This is also the highest rainfall for a single day since July 25, 1982.

Here are the latest Monsoon updates from today
Police have arrested three men in Madhya Pradeshs Indore district for allegedly holding a tribal man and his minor brother captive and thrashing them following an altercation on a road, an official said.

After a video of the incident went viral on social media, the police arrested Sumit Chowdhary, Jaipal Singh Baghel and Prem Singh Parmar on Saturday.

The incident follows the recent arrest of a man in Sidhi district after an old video where he was seen urinating on a tribal man went viral. The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh faced flak over the issue. Deputy Commissioner of Police Aditya Mishra told reporters in Indore on Saturday that an 18-year-old tribal man and his 15-year-old brother fell on a road after their motorcycle skidded in the Rau police station area on Friday.

The official said it led to an altercation with the accused, who allegedly took them to a security guards room and beat them up. The victims were released on Saturday morning.

They were later admitted to a hospital where their condition was said to be stable, DCP Mishra said. The accused were booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, he said.

If the involvement of more persons is found on the basis of the video, then appropriate action will also be taken against them, the official said.
The Pakistani woman, who entered India with her four kids to meet her lover she met on PUB-G, claimed that she converted to Hinduism and also changed the names of her children.

According to TOI, Pakistans Seema Haider said that she converted to Hinduism and dropped her surname to adopt Sachins. The woman also claimed that she changed her kids names to suit her new faith.

Seema is a common name in Hindus and Muslims and hence Sachin said I need not change my first name. I will call myself Seema or Seema Sachin. We have changed our childrens names to Raj, Priyanka, Pari and Munni," Seema told TOI.

Also Read| Pakistan Man Appeals to Modi Govt After Wife Enters India With Kids to Meet PUBG Boyfriend

The woman, who was granted bail recently, joined her partner Sachin Meena at Rabupura home in Greater Noida on Saturday.

Seema Haider, now Seema Meena, was arrested for illegally entering India and staying in Greater Noida without valid documents. She was on Tuesday sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court, which also ordered that her four children will stay with the mother in the jail, police said

The woman, who was a resident of the Khairpur district of Sindh province in Pakistan, first travelled to Nepal and then entered India without valid papers on May 13 to meet her lover she met on PUB-G.

As per media reports, the woman reportedly sold a piece of her land to fund her journey which cost around Rs 12 lakh.

Sachin Meena while talking to TOI said that his family accepted Seema along with her children. The man also urged PM Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to grant her wife Indian citizenship.
Another new week is starting and with a new week, we surely need a list of new books that we can all indulge in. South-East Asian contemporary writings are increasingly gaining momentum and readers are appreciative of the books that are coming out from that region and are extremely fascinated with the way the writers from the region are showcasing things through their works. The newest books that have come out of the region have been widely appreciated far and wide.

From understated mystery to philosophy to self-help, here is a list of South-East Asian books that you can definitely try out this week-
An increased responsiveness of the human body to insulin during deep sleep, in turn, improving blood sugar control the next day, may be why lack of quality sleep is considered to increase the risk of diabetes, researchers say.

A stronger and more frequent linking of the deep sleep brain waves, particularly the sleep spindles and the slow waves, triggered the bodys parasympathetic nervous system into action, the researchers from the University of California (UC) Berkeley, US, found after examining sleep data of 600 individuals.

The parasympathetic branch of the nervous system is associated with soothing and calming the body by producing physiological effects such as slowing down the heart and dilating blood vessels.

The researchers detected this shift in the participants by measuring changes in their heart rate.

Further, they found that switching to this tranquil and calm mode enhanced the bodys responsiveness to insulin, the blood sugar-regulating hormone, which instructs cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream and thus, preventing a deleterious blood sugar spike.

Their findings are published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.

These synchronized brain waves act like a finger that flicks the first domino to start an associated chain reaction from the brain, down to the heart, and then out to alter the bodys regulation of blood sugar, said Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology, UC Berkeley, and senior author of the study.

However, this study in humans, building on a 2021 rodent study, revealed a novel and previously unrecognized function of these waves with regard to the critical bodily function of managing blood sugar.

This particular coupling of deep-sleep brain waves was more predictive of glucose than an individuals sleep duration or sleep efficiency, said Raphael Vallat, a UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow and co-author of the study.

That indicates there is something uniquely special about the electrophysiological quality and coordinated ballet of these brain oscillations during deep sleep, said Vallat.

The researchers subsequently replicated the same effects by examining a separate group of 1,900 participants.

They said that being a modifiable lifestyle factor, sleep could be used in high blood sugar and Type 2 diabetes treatment.

Further, their study uncovers the prospect of new technologies capable of safely altering deep sleep brain waves to help people better manage their blood sugar, they said.
Worlds leading consumer health and hygiene company, Reckitt, launches phase 2 of Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero, with the aim to save 100,000 lives. This one-of-a-kind program has been working towards achieving Net Zero Diarrhoeal preventable deaths among under-5 children in Uttar Pradesh. Based on the WHO 7-point plan, the program focuses on raising community awareness and education on prevention, promotion and treatment of diarrhoea in the 25 districts of the state.

6,000 lifesaving Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero kits, comprising of sanitizers, zinc, ORS and educational material, have been distributed so far to patients under-5 years in Uttar Pradesh to promote healthy hygiene practices, such as hand washing and safe sanitation, along with use of ORS and Zinc and importance of vaccinations for viruses like rotavirus. Culturally adaptable educational music tracks and nukkad nataks in local language have also been developed and showcased on-ground to increase access to diarrhoea management knowledge in remote and underserved areas.

In its second year, the program adds districts of Gonda, Balrampur, Sidharth Nagar, Ayodhya, Ambedakar Nagar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur, Jalaun, and Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh, working on ground with communities. Aligned to the governments Intensive Diarrhea Control Fortnight (IDFC) program and Dastak campaign, Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero enhances the capacity of caregivers to provide effective prevention, treatment, and management of diarrhoea. The program will train 10,000 additional Gulabi didis to fight against maternal and infant mortality in its second phase. The mission is to address delays in timely identification, treatment, and referral of diarrhoea cases through a model that combines digital, on-ground and blended interventions.

Gaurav Jain, Executive Vice President, Reckitt  South Asia says, Uttar Pradeshs consistent commitment to strengthen its economy by boosting its healthcare inspires us to accomplish more in the state every day. Reckitt has worked with students, teachers, parents, and communities to improve their overall health and well-being over the last eight years, impacting the lives of nearly ten million children. The success of the Diarrhoea Net Zero program in 13 districts has encouraged us to extend our resources and we are thrilled to take the program to 25 districts of the state, ensuring zero diarrhoeal deaths among children under the age of five. With support from the Government of Uttar Pradesh, we will gain momentum and work diligently to create a healthier and brighter future for the children.

Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, SOA, Reckitt, adds, Reckitt has been a long  term partner for the state of Uttar Pradesh, championing hygiene, health, and sanitation. Aligned to the governments Intensive Diarrhea Control Fortnight (IDFC) program and Dastak campaign, we are consistently engaging with the most remote communities on-ground through art, culture and various educational activities. With the expansion of Diarrhoea Net Zero, we will empower communities with knowledge and resources to effectively combat everyday challenges that can become long-term health concerns for vulnerable children. We are committed to innovate and implement effective solutions to push towards achieving a net zero future for Diarrhoea.

Continued persistence of the disease has implications on the overall growth and well-being of children, hence, need for a program like Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero that becomes a demonstrable model for the state and country is crucial to reduce diarrhoeal deaths in under-5 children. Since its inception, Dettol Diarrhoea Net Zero has focussed on caregivers, with commitment to promoting the WHO 7-point plan for effective diarrhoea management in the communities where its needed most. In the past year, 10,000 gulabi didis have been trained and equipped with the right knowledge and tools for effective diarrhoea management. Nutritional rehabilitation centres for children at district hospitals pediatric wards, community health centers, primary health centers, sub-centers and nand ghars have also been organized to ensure regular health checkups and follow ups on treatment programs. To keep a check on the quality of water 12,000 households have received water testing kits and 1,18,545 received household visits by healthcare workers to ensure WHO 7 points plan is followed and implemented.
Goa will try to attract tourists from the United States of America, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and some other countries besides traditional markets like Russia and the United Kingdom, state minister Rohan Khaunte said on Thursday. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Goa Tourism Board chaired by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, where the calendar of events focused on emerging markets was finalised, he said.

Goa has been traditionally depending on Russia and UK for international footfalls. Looking at reports, we have realised countries like the USA, South Korea, and UAE are opening for outbound travel. This means we can expect tourists to come from these places," Khaunte told reporters.

The calendar for travel shows and events for the upcoming tourism year was finalized during the Board meeting. Goa has to project itself as a destination beyond beaches in these countries. The state tourism department is promoting festivals like Sao Joao, Chikal Khalo (mud festival) and others so that tourists can enjoy Goa beyond beaches," he added.

Khaunte also said new international destinations have to be connected through the recently commissioned Manohar International Airport at Mopa. The CM and I would be meeting Union Civil Aviation Minister (Jyotiraditya Scindia) to increase the flight connectivity to Mopa airport under Open Skies policy," Khaunte informed.
If you feel low, lethargic, irritable, lack of concentration or, feel sluggish with day-to-day activities during the rainy season then you might be having Monsoon Blues. It is a seasonal mood disorder when one feels low and sad due to gloomy and dark weather. Monsoon and its impact on the mood is often ignored. It can affect people a lot; for some, it could be mild, and for people who have a prior history of associated mental illnesses can be stressful. It is prevalent among women and children as compared to men. Dr. Girishchandra, Sr. Consultant, Psychiatry, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore shares tips on how to make monsoon joyful for you.

Dr Girishchandra shares tips on how to bring in vibrancy and positivity this monsoon season:

Wear bright and colourful clothes Step out and get some sunshine, as sunlight it the best source of vitamin D and can modulate mood swings Do not skip daily activities and have an optimistic attitude Stay physically active. Due to rain, if you cannot go out for your regular walks/jogs, sign up for online group fitness classes like Zumba and make workout time more fun. Stay connected with your loved ones in the real world Stay socially active and join community clubs in your locality Eat a balanced meal that is low in fats and eat freshly cooked food At times do pamper yourself and treat yourself with a relaxing massage or your favourite dessert. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and avoiding smoking and alcohol helps.

However, in spite of following all the measures, if you still continue to feel low and see mood swing episodes relapse every season then it needs medical intervention, as if left unattended, it could exacerbate and may lead to depression over a period of time and in some cases, thoughts of self-harm may occur, so do seek medical help. Your physician may suggest a few counseling therapy sessions or prescribe medications at times both depending on the severity of the condition.
Salman Khan appeared to smoke during the recent Bigg Boss OTT 2 Weekend Ka Vaar episode. On Saturday night, the actor made his way back on the sets of Bigg Boss OTT 2 to catch up on the weeks events in the Bigg Boss house and prepare contestants for elimination. Salman dressed in a formal outfit, wearing a fading blue shirt and pair of pants, and spoke to the contestants.

For More: Salman Khan Holds Cigarette While Hosting Bigg Boss OTT 2; Photo Goes Viral, Sparks Debate

Ranveer Singh celebrated his 38th birthday on July 6. While his fellow colleagues and close friends showered him with love on social media, his wife, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, skipped sharing any lovey-dovey post for Ranveer Singh on his birthday. And, DeepVeer fans are a little heartbroken. However, Ranveer Singh has now thanked everyone and his gratitude post has his lady love in it.

For More: Ranveer Singh Shares Photo With Deepika Padukone From A Cruise; Thanks Fans For Birthday Wishes

OMG2 aka Oh My God 2 is set to release in August and the first teaser is set to release next week. The news was confirmed by Akshay Kumar. The actor took to Instagram and shared a small clip from the film along with the announcement that the OMG2 teaser will release on July 11, a day after Shah Rukh Khan drops the preveu of Jawan.

For More: OMG2 Teaser Date Out: Akshay Kumar To Drop Promo Day After Shah Rukh Khans Jawan, Deets Inside

Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoors much-awaited film Bawaal has been making the headlines for all the right reasons. Besides the fact that Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor will be sharing the screen space for the first time ever, the Nitesh Tiwaris directorial will be premiering directly on a popular OTT platform across 200 countries. After releasing the teaser, the makers have finally unveiled the trailer of the highly anticipated romantic film Bawaal, as a prelude to the global premiere of the film at a grand event held aboard the magnificent Queen Elizabeth II in Dubai.

For More: Bawaal Trailer: Varun Dhawan And Janhvi Kapoors Dramatic Love Story Has Shades Of War; Watch

Karan Johar hosted Kusha Kapil, Tanmay Bhat and several other social media influencers for a kitty party at his place in Mumbai. The filmmaker, who is gearing for the release of his upcoming film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, not only brought the influencers under one roof but also had Arjun Kapoor join them for a memorable night. Karan and Kushas photos together come just a few days after they were slammed for allegedly supporting infidelity.

For More: Karan Johar, Kusha Kapila, Arjun Kapoor Come Together For a Kitty Party, Photos Go Viral
Samantha Ruth Prabhu landed in Mumbai in the wee hours of Sunday. The actress, who is rumoured to be headed for a one-year acting break, reached the city just hours after informing fans that she has wrapping the filming of Kushi. In videos and photos shared by paparazzi on Instagram, Samantha is seen making her way out of the airport wearing a casual ensemble.

The Citadel India star was seen wearing a white tee with a pair of denim jeans. Samantha chose to maintain a low profile, hiding her face behind a mask and sporting a cap. The actress waved at a few onlookers but managed to leave the airport soon. Her visit Mumbai came shortly after she wrapped the filming of Kushi but her reason to travel remains unclear.

On Saturday, Samantha revealed she was done filming for Kushi. The actress took to her Instagram Stories and shared a video of the road along with the announcement, Kushi Fin!!!!!." She also revealed that the second single, titled Aradhya, is set to release on July 12. She shared the poster on her Instagram Stories. The poster also confirmed that the film is set to release on September 1.

Samanthas visit to Mumbai also comes just a couple of days after it was reported that the actress is taking a break from work. She is expected to take a break after the wrap of Kushi and Citadel India to focus on her health.

A source told India Today, She will take a year-long break from work and will not sign any new Telugu or Bollywood films. She plans to use this time to regain her health and seek additional treatment. Samantha has returned advance payments to producers she had previously taken."

Samantha is currently shooting the film Kushi with Vijay Deverakonda. This is the films final shooting schedule, which will be completed in two or three days. She is nearly finished with Citadel and will be free of commitments with this," the source added.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu is yet to react to the reports.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu has been trending in the news after reports started coming in that she is going to take a one-year acting break. Well, amid this the actress took to her social handle and shared a cryptic post, leaving her fans guessing. She will be soon seen in Kushi with Vijay Deverakonda.

Taking to her official Instagram stories, the actress shared a selfie photo along with a caption that reads, The longest and the hardest six months it has been Made it to the end. Earlier in the day, she was spotted at Mumbai airport. She was seen wearing a white tee with a pair of denim jeans. Samantha was hiding her face behind a mask and sporting a cap. The actress waved at a few onlookers but managed to leave the airport soon. Her visit to Mumbai came shortly after she wrapped the filming of Kushi but her reason to travel remains unclear.

Take a look at the post here:

On Saturday, the actress took to her Instagram Stories and shared a video of the road along with the announcement, Kushi Fin!!!!!." She also revealed that the second single, titled Aradhya, is set to release on July 12. She shared the poster on her Instagram Stories. The poster also revealed the release date and the film is set to release on September 1. She also has Citadel with Varun Dhawan in her kitty. The actress has recently returned from Siberia.

A source told India Today, She will take a year-long break from work and will not sign any new Telugu or Bollywood films. She plans to use this time to regain her health and seek additional treatment. Samantha has returned advance payments to producers she had previously taken."

Samantha shared the news of her Myositis diagnosis in October 2022. Taking to Instagram, she shared a picture from the hospital along with the news of her health. Earlier this year, during the promotions of Shaakuntalam, Samantha opened up about the impact of the disease and the treatment.
An MLA of the opposition Congress in Kerala used silence as the mode of protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modis lack of any statement, till date, regarding the ongoing ethnic violence in the north eastern state of Manipur for over two months that has claimed hundreds of lives.

Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan began his 24 hour long silent fast" on Saturday morning in his Muvattupuzha assembly constituency in Ernakulam district to protest against Modis silence on the Manipur issue.

The Prime Minister is silent on what is going on in Manipur. His silence is being seen by everyone in the country as an approval of what is happening there.

He was silent like this once in the past  during the 2002 riots in Gujarat. So I wanted to use silence as a weapon to protest against the PM," the Congress MLA said after breaking his silent fast on Sunday.

Kuzhalnadan said that he wanted to opt for a protest method which also had an element of endurance in it and chose silence.

It is not as easy as one might think. It creates a lot of mental stress when you want to say something and are unable to do so. It is the first time I ever did such a thing," he said.

The MLA said that he got more tired by Saturday evening of the fast than he ever did by making several speeches in a day.

More than 100 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Around 40,000 Central security personnel, besides the Manipur Police, have been deployed to control the violence and bring back normalcy in the state.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipurs population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
Amid the ongoing row over Congress leader Digvijaya Singhs remark on former RSS chief MS Golawalkar, the veteran Madhya Pradesh politicians post addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah sparked another controversy.

In the controversial post, Singh said that he wished for good sense to prevail on PM Modi and Amit Shah adding that he appreciates how they never compromised on their values and ideology.

In his post, Singh cautioned Modi and Shah that they were gathering a group of power-losing cowardly traitors.

They will abuse you after drinking water, today they are singing your praises. The day both of you get down from the chair, all these traitors will run away leaving you first," he tweeted.

Those who supported you in bad times, today they all sat at home. Will you fight with the army of traitors leaving the army of the selfish? You both are making a big mistake," he added.

I am and will be a critic of both of you, but because you have never compromised with your ideology (which I am fundamentally opposed to), I am also your fan. God bless both of you," tweeted Singh.

Digivijaya Singhs tweets on PM Modi and Amit Shah were not taken well by BJP and RSS supporters, especially after the ongoing controversy over his idea on former RSS chief MS Golawalkar, who many claimed was misinformation.

Digvijaya Singh under fire over tweet on ex-RSS chief

A police case was filed against Digvijaya Singh for allegedly sharing a contentious post on former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief MS Golwalkar on social media.

The complaint was filed by an RSS worker Rajesh Joshi. In his complaint, he alleged that Digvijaya Singh shared a post bearing the name and picture of Guruji" (as Golwalkar was popularly named) to incite people by creating conflict among Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and Hindus.

The post soon snowballed into a massive political controversy and sparked critical responses from the people.

Following the post, senior RSS functionary and its publicity department head Sunil Ambekar accused the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister of posting a photoshopped" image.

After Digvijayas post, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused him of spreading misinformation" and creating social hatred against Golwalker.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar is all set to file his nomination for Rajya Sabha from Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Monday morning, even as the BJP is still to take a call on the nominations for the other two seats that are vacant in the state.

Sources said BJPs top decision-making body, its Parliamentary Board, is expected to decide on the vacant seats soon. EAM Jaishankar has a very busy schedule and will travel overseas in the next couple of days, including the visit with Prime Minister Modi to France. Since he has surety to get a Rajya Sabha term from the state, he has been asked to file his nomination papers, a top official from the state unit of Gujarat, confirmed to News18.

The source further said the state unit has sent names for the other two Rajya Sabha seats, however, the decision will be taken by the board.

S Jaishankar was sworn in as cabinet minister in the government in 2019. He was then nominated to the Upper House to the seat vacated by Union home Minister Amit Shah who was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 from Gandhinagar.

The strength of BJP in the 182-seat Gujarat assembly stands at 156. The party is confident of winning all three seats comfortably.

Apart from Jaishankar, two other MPs set to retire from Rajya Sabha from the state include Dinesh Anavadiya and Jugalsinh Lokhandwala.

Six MPs from West Bengal and one from Goa are also set to retire from Rajya Sabha in this lot. While the term of Goa BJP MP Vinay Tendulkar ends on July 28, the BJP is confident of winning the lone seat too.

The six retiring members of West Bengal include Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Derek OBrien, Dola Sen, Shanta Chetri and Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress (TMC). The lone member of Parliament from Congress in West Bengal, Pradeep Bhattacharjee is also all set to retire next month.

Out of the six seats falling vacant from West Bengal, looking at the numbers, the TMC is expected to secure five and BJP one.

The notification for the polls was released on July 6, with July 13 being the last day to file nominations, said the Election Commission. The elections will be held on July 24, and counting will take place on the same day.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar on Saturday launched his statewide tour in an effort to garner support amidst the power tussle with his nephew, Ajit Pawar. The tour comes a week after Ajit Pawar let a mutiny creating a vertical split in the party, declared himself NCP president and joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra.

The elder Pawar began his tour from Yeola in Nashik district, the constituency of rebel NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and apologized to the people for making him the MLA.

The NCP founder asserted if rebel leaders rethink" their decision and want to return to him, he has no problem.

ALSO READ: Wiser After Sena vs Sena War, Ajit Camp Shies Away from Terming NCP Turmoil a Split, Dubs It Internal Conflict

On the other hand, Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narvekar on Saturday issued notices to MLAs of both factions of Shiv Sena seeking their reply on the issue of disqualification.

Latest Updates on Maharashtra Political Crisis
Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray of lying" over the latters claims about sharing the chief ministers tenure equally post the 2019 Assembly polls and the promise to make an ordinary Shiv Sainik the CM of the state.

Thackeray was speaking at a rally in Digras in Yavatmal district during his two-day Vidarbha tour.

Thackeray claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised him ahead of the 2019 Assembly polls that the chief ministers post would with shared with the Shiv Sena (undivided) equally.

Thackeray said the meeting took place in Matoshree, his private residence in Bandra here, in October 2019. Polls took place in Maharashtra on October 13 of that year.

However, post the assembly elections in 2019, he (Shah) reneged on this promise, prompting me to join hands with the NCP and the Congress, Thackeray claimed. He also said if his party got a chance to form government again, he would make an ordinary Sainik the CM.

Hitting back, Bawankule said, The people of Maharashtra have seen how you lie when you became chief minister and made your son cabinet minister in the name of making Shiv Sena worker the states CM. Thackeray fought the Assembly polls with us in 2019 and then betrayed us."

On the promise by the BJP to share the chief ministerial tenure, Bawankule said speaking lies and spreading it is the temperament of Thackeray.

If there was a promise of sharing the CM post for two-and-half years, then why did Thackeray never object to claims made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union home minister Amit Shah that Devendra Fadnavis would be the new chief minister of Maharashtra," he asked.

Thackerays government collapsed (in June last year) due to his betrayal and now he is taking false oaths in a temple and trying to sell it to the people of Maharashtra, the BJP state unit chief said.
Ballot boxes confiscated, voters intimidated, bombing and firing at polling booths  the story of West Bengal Panchayat elections was written with violence and bloodshed.

While people say violence on the polling day has become a ground reality, the ruling Trinamool Congress government denies it, and believes the problem is only at some booths.

A TMC worker was killed in bombing in Samserganj in Murshidabad. At least 15 people died, mostly TMC workers, in poll violence in West Bengal, out of which, Bhangar in South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad and Cooch Behar were most affected.

News18 was in Bhangar on the polling day on July 8, where some miscreants were standing with bamboo sticks in hands in front of a polling booth in Champagachi at around 7 am. There was no Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) at the booth so the local police were trying to contain the situation, but could not do much.

Firing took place in another booth at Chak Moricha in Bhangar, where there were bombs being hurled by local goons, and bloodshed. Here as well, CAPF was absent.

It is suspected that the violence started after Indian Secular Front (ISF) workers came to cast their vote, and suddenly they were attacked.

There were more than 61,000 polling booths in West Bengal to conduct the Panchayat elections, and only one-fourth of them were guarded by the CAPF.

One ISF worker, who was attacked outside the booth, told News18, They started firing, and my friend fell and another person got injured. Since last night (July 7), they (goons) have been intimidating (us).

Amidst all this, Bijoyganj Bazar in South 24 Parganas district, which witnessed violence on the last day of filing nomination on June 15 in which one TMC activist and one ISF supporter were killed in separate incidents, had an uncanny silence.

Shefali Roy, 80, who had a difficulty walking up to the booth, told News18 that it is her birthright and duty to caste vote when asked about the violence on the ground.

Another ISF candidate, Hajira Biwi, and her husband, were locked in their house in Bhangar. Since last night, they have locked us. TMC (workers) say if we go out, then they will kill us. We had informed the police but nothing happened. Not only me, they intimidated the entire village, she said.

The police reached the place of the couple to rescue them, but they said they dont want to leave the house due to the threat.

One of the villagers, Salima Bibi, told News18 that the government keeps saying Khela Hobe but dont allow the other person to play. Its not just the candidate, they are intimidating us all, she alleged.

A TMC local leader had completely refuted the charge.

Bombing was witnessed in Sonpur Bhangar where locals allege that ISF attacked a local TMC leaders house. Some local women told News18 that hooliganism was rampant. They had come to vote and suddenly they was bombing.

As the polling day came to an end, ISF workers carrying bamboo sticks blocked the road in Kashipur Bhangar. When News18 asked a large number of women about the incident, they said they were not allowed to vote. They were beating people who attempted to vote.

Murshidabad, Maldah, Cooch Behar and Hoogly reported ballot boxes being thrown into a pond.

Around 30 people were killed in the run-up to the Panchayat polls in 2018 compared to 18 this year. Nearly 14 were killed in the last election on the voting day.
The poll violence in the Panchayat election in West Bengal on Saturday ended up claiming at least 19 lives. Multiple incidents involving bomb explosions at several places were reported across the state.

According to reports, of the total 19 deaths across the state, 13 victims belonged to the ruling TMC party, while two workers each from the BJP and CPI(M) died during the pivotal three-tier panchayat polls. A Congress worker and a voter were also killed in the poll violence.

Protests against the poll violence and alleged irregularities in the Panchayat Election were held across West Bengal on Sunday.

BJP workers blocked the Haldia-Mecheda state highway at Nandakumar in Purba Medinipur district, alleging that ballot boxes were tampered with at the counting centre at Srikrishnapur High School.

We received information around 3 am that the ballot boxes were being changed. We are demanding repolling at all the booths in the area under the protection of central forces, besides counting of votes at the booths itself," Tamas Dinda, a leader of the BJPs youth wing in Tamluk was quoted by PTI as saying.

Police baton-charged the protesters to disperse the crowd, officer-in-charge of Nandakumar police station Manoj Kumar Jha said.

On the other hand, Congress workers blocked the National Highway 12 in the Rathbari area in Malda, protesting against the poll violence on Saturday.

We have hit the streets in protest against Saturdays violence. We will also go to the court against it," Congress MP Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury said.

Speaking on the poll violence in the state, security personnel alleged that despite several reminders, West Bengal State Election Commission failed to provide locations and other details of sensitive polling booths before the polls.

We had written several letters to West Bengal State Election Commission regarding information on sensitive polling booths, but on June 7 West Bengal govt responded with only the numbers of sensitive polling booths and did not provide the locations or other details. 59,000 troops of CAPF and state armed police from 25 states were not adequately utilized in security duties," SS Guleria, DIG BSF was quoted by ANI as saying.

West Bengal Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury questioned CM Mamata Banerjees absence" in violence-hit areas and said the party will stage an agitation against the killings.

#WATCH  :              ,    62                 3-4       CM      ,     pic.twitter.com/1qtQ4WtAmP ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) July 9, 2023

West Bengals State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha has pledged to address complaints of vote tampering and consider the option of re-polling based on reports from observers and returning officers.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress and other opposition leaders over silence" on the murder of democracy" in West Bengal.

The declaration of panchayat polls in West Bengal is akin to the start of the murder of democracy. Beating up people, bomb blasts, and setting things afire become common occurrences," Thakur said.

Democracy is suppressed and killed in West Bengal. (Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress leaders stoop to any extent to win elections. be it assaulting people and unleashing atrocities on women," he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday voiced hope for the best possible result" from an upcoming NATO summit where Kyiv is hoping for a clear signal that it could one day join the alliance.

After meeting his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, Zelensky said the two discussed the summit, which opens on Tuesday in Vilnius, and agreed to work together to get the best possible result for Ukraine".

Poland is one of Ukraines biggest supporters within NATO and has said it wants security guarantees" for the country from other NATO members.

Zelensky has said he does not expect Ukraine to actually join NATO until after the war but he hopes the summit will give a clear signal" on the intention to bring Ukraine into the alliance.

US President Joe Biden, who arrived on Sunday in Britain on his way to the NATO summit, said he hoped the military alliance leaders would lay out a rational path for Ukraine to be able to qualify to be able to get into NATO".

Speaking to CNN, he said there were also other qualifications that need to be met, including democratisation".

I dont think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war," he added.

Bringing Ukraine in now, Biden said, would mean war with Russia" because of the NATO commitment to collective defence.

- Destructive course -

Zelensky returned from Turkey on Saturday  the 500th day of Russias full-scale invasion  after a regional tour to drum up support ahead of the summit with Western allies, who have pledged billions in military aid.

He was accompanied by five top commanders from the Azov regiment who were supposed to have remained in Turkey until the end of the conflict under a prisoner exchange deal with Moscow.

Their return to Ukraine angered the Kremlin, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov quoted by Russian news agencies on Saturday as saying that it was a direct violation" of the agreement with Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Sunday and the two discussed the issue of the Azov commanders, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

- Swedens NATO bid -

Biden hopes to use the summit to pressure Turkey to drop its opposition to Swedens all-but-cleared NATO membership bid.

In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, Biden conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said.

Erdogans office said separately that he would meet with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.

The talks will focus on Ukraines position in NATO, Swedens NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16" fighter jets, which Turkey hopes to secure from the United States, the Turkish presidency said.

Speaking to reporters aboard the US presidential plane, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed Biden and Erdogan will have the opportunity to sit down in Vilnius," but said the scheduling was still being worked out.

Sullivan said Swedens accession into NATO was only a matter of timing."

If we get it done by Vilnius, great. That may or may not happen," he said.

The Turkish presidency however said Erdogan had reaffirmed to Biden his longstanding position that Sweden still needed to crack down harder on suspected Kurdish militants to win Turkeys support.

- Danger for many years -

Zelensky last week won a US pledge for cluster munitions that could inflict significant damage to Russian forces.

Washingtons decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs  banned across a large part of the world  has proved highly controversial.

Biden admitted that it had been a difficult decision", one that humanitarian groups strongly condemned.

Sullivan said Sunday that Kyiv had pledged to only use the munitions on Ukrainian territory where they have the highest incentive to limit impact to civilians, because it is Ukrainian citizens who would be at risk."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke on Sunday with his Ukrainian counterpart, who gave further assurances" on how the cluster munitions will be used, Sullivan said.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose country still grapples with deadly war remnants, on Sunday urged Ukraine not to use cluster bombs.

It would be the greatest danger for Ukrainians for many years or up to a hundred years if cluster bombs are used in Russian-occupied areas in the territory of Ukraine," Hun Sen tweeted.

Russia, which itself uses cluster munitions in Ukraine, said the decision was an act of desperation" that would have no effect" on the conflict.
US President Joe Biden on Sunday landed in Britain where he will meet the UKs Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles III before continuing to Lithuania for a NATO summit.

Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport north of London, an AFP journalist reported, ahead of the meetings on Monday.

Joe Biden is in London to meet with King Charles III before continuing to Vilnius for a NATO summit. From there, he will head to a final stop in new NATO member Finland.

On Monday, he meets with the British monarch at Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences, for the first time since Charles IIIs coronation. The US president did not attend the ceremony, sending First Lady Jill Biden instead.

Their talks are expected to focus on environmental issues, the White House said. Biden will also be meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street.

The main part of Bidens Europe trip will be the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Tuesday and Wednesday, where the Western allies will discuss helping Ukraine to oust Russian occupation forces.

Ukraine is pressing for admission to the military alliance but Biden said in an interview aired Sunday with CNN that this cannot happen until the war is over.

Bringing Ukraine in now would mean NATO is at war with Russia, Biden said.

Under its Article 5, NATO is committed to defending any member that comes under attack. Its a commitment that weve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then were all in war. Were at war with Russia, if that were the case," Biden said.

Biden hopes to use the summit to pressure Turkey to drop its opposition to Swedens all-but-cleared NATO membership bid. Entry requires unanimous consent from all members.

In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, Biden conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said.

The two leaders expressed their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine," the statement added.

Erdogans office said separately that he would meet with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.

The talks will focus on Ukraines position in NATO, Swedens NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16" fighter jets, which Turkey hopes to secure from the United States, the Turkish presidency said.

- Ukraine and NATO -

In the interview with CNN, Biden had said he was considering supplying Turkey and Greece with new or upgraded US-made fighter aircraft as an enticement for Turkey to let Sweden join NATO.

And so, what Im trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here where were strengthening NATO in terms of the military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey and allow Sweden to come in," Biden said.

But its in play. Its not done."

Erdogans office said, however, that it was not correct" to link Turkeys desire to acquire the fighter jets, which need congressional approval, with Swedens membership drive.

While in Vilnius, Biden will also deliver a major foreign policy speech at the citys university.

His trip comes in the wake of a controversial decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, which most NATO member countries have banned but which the United States continues to hold in its arsenal and says will help Ukraine destroy heavily dug-in Russian forces.

Bidens final stop before returning to Washington on Thursday will be Finland, which ended its historic neutrality to enter NATO in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Biden will be the first US president to visit Helsinki since Donald Trump went five years ago to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
President Joe Biden left Sunday for Britain to meet with King Charles III before continuing to Vilnius for a NATO summit, then a final stop in new NATO member Finland.

Biden departed Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and was due to arrive in key US ally Britain late Sunday.

On Monday, he meets with the British monarch at Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences, for the first time since Charles IIIs coronation. The US president did not attend the ceremony, sending First Lady Jill Biden instead.

Their talks are expected to focus on environmental issues, the White House said. Biden will also be meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street.

The main part of Bidens Europe trip will be the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Tuesday and Wednesday, where the Western allies will discuss helping Ukraine to oust Russian occupation forces.

Ukraine is pressing for admission to the military alliance but Biden said in an interview aired Sunday with CNN that this cannot happen until the war is over.

Bringing Ukraine in now would mean NATO is at war with Russia, Biden said.

Under its Article 5, NATO is committed to defending any member that comes under attack. Its a commitment that weve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then were all in war. Were at war with Russia, if that were the case," Biden said.

Biden hopes to use the summit to pressure Turkey into dropping opposition to Swedens all-but-cleared NATO membership bid. Entry requires unanimous consent from all the other members.

In the interview with CNN, Biden also suggested he was eyeing the idea of supplying Turkey and Greece with new or upgraded US-made fighter aircraft as an enticement for Turkey to let Sweden join NATO.

And so, what Im trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here where were strengthening NATO in terms of the military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey and allow Sweden to come in," Biden said.

But its in play. Its not done.

While in Vilnius, Biden will also deliver a major foreign policy speech at the citys university.

His trip comes in the wake of a controversial decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, which most NATO member countries have banned but which the United States continues to use and says will help Ukraine destroy heavily dug-in Russian forces.

Bidens final stop before returning to Washington on Thursday will be Finland, which ended its historic neutrality to enter NATO in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Biden will be the first US president to visit Helsinki since Donald Trump went five years ago to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
President Joe Biden leaves on Sunday for Europe, where he will spend time in three nations tending to alliances that have been tested by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

After arriving at night in London, Biden will meet the next day with King Charles III for the first time since he was crowned. Next is the centerpiece of the trip, the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Alliance leaders will debate the war and revise plans for dealing with Russian aggression.

The final stop is in Helsinki, where Biden on Thursday is expected to celebrate the expanding alliance, with Finland as the newest member of NATO.

His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the trip would showcase the presidents leadership on the world stage.

A look at Bidens agenda and the issues he will face:

London

Biden arrives in London on Sunday night and is expected to have a full schedule of meetings Monday.

Theres always a lot to talk about with the U.K., said Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Biden will hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing St Sunak is facing an election by the end of next year. His Conservative Party is lagging badly behind the opposition in opinion polls.

Despite Sunaks shaky political standing, he has fostered close ties with Biden and it will be their sixth meeting since Sunak took office last October.

Bergmann said Sunaks tenure has been a nice change of pace after there were some concerns about Boris Johnson, one of Sunaks predecessors, being a loose cannon.

Biden will visit the king at Windsor Castle, a royal residence outside London. Biden did not attend Charles coronation  first lady Jill Biden went in his place  so this will be their first encounter since then.

Theyre expected to discuss climate change, an issue that has been a focus for both leaders, and how to finance initiatives to address the problem.

Vilnius

Biden will spend two days in the capital of Lithuania, which is hosting the annual NATO summit. He will participate in meetings with leaders and deliver a speech from Vilnius University.

The alliance has been reinvigorated by the war in Ukraine, and members have been pouring military hardware into the country to help repel Russias invasion.

Biden on Friday defended what he said was a difficult decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, a move his administration said was key to the fight and buttressed by Ukraines promise to use the controversial bombs carefully. Biden is likely to face questions from allies on why the U.S. would send a weapon into Ukraine that more than two-thirds of NATO members have banned because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties.

For Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the summit will send a clear message: NATO stands united, and Russias aggression will not pay.

But NATO has also struggled to bridge divides over important issues. Finland was welcomed into the alliance this year, but Swedens membership has been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

There are also disagreements over how quickly to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO.

Countries on NATOs eastern flank want to move quickly, viewing it as a way to deter Russian aggression. The U.S. and others advocate a more cautious approach.

One issue has already been settled, at least for the time being. Stoltenbergs term has been extended for a year because members could not agree on a new leader.

Sen. Thom Tillis, who will attend the summit, likened the alliance to a gathering of dozens of family members who bicker and clash but nonetheless remain united.

At the end of the day, you know youre family," said Tillis, R-N.C.

Tillis is leading a bipartisan delegation along with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who said NATO is more powerful than before.

Its the strongest military alliance in our history, and I think it only has gotten stronger as a result of U.S. leadership, as the result of Stoltenbergs leadership and as the result of the threat from Vladimir Putin to all of the NATO allies and other countries in Europe and around the world and to the international order, she said.

Helsinki

After two nights in Vilnius, Biden visits Helsinki. The stop is a bit of a victory lap, but could also be a reminder of unfinished business.

The Nordic country in April became the 31st member of NATO, ending its history of nonalignment and demonstrating how Russias invasion of Ukraine has backfired in Europe.

Finland was supposed to join alongside its neighbor Sweden, whose admission has stalled because of Turkey and Hungary. NATO requires unanimous consent of all its members to expand.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited the White House on Wednesday and met with Biden to keep up the pressure for membership. But there is little hope that the issue will be resolved in Vilnius.

The White House is billing Bidens visit to Helsinki as a U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit.

Its a much different occasion from the last time a U.S. president visited Helsinki five years ago.

During that trip, Donald Trump held a news conference with Putin and brushed off concerns about Russian meddling in Trumps election victory.

Now Biden is heading to the city to demonstrate how his administration has held the line against Moscow and expanded Western defenses.
Latvias president-elect on Saturday said the Baltic state had tightened its border security in response to the mutiny underway in Russia and would not be admitting Russians.

Latvia is closely following the developing situation in Russia Border security has been strengthened, visa or border entry from Russians leaving Russia due to current events wont be considered," Edgars Rinkevics said on Twitter.

Latvia will not issue humanitarian or other types of visas," added the president-elect, who is also still the foreign minister.

Latvia had already last year stopped issuing new visas to Russian citizens, but it had until now made an exception for humanitarian visas.

It is unclear if the visas issued thus far will remain eligible for entry.

In neighbouring Estonia, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also said border security has been strengthened".

I also urge our people not to travel to any part of Russia," she added.

In the most serious challenge yet to Russian President Vladimir Putins long rule, the chief of the Wagner mercenary group said his troops had seized a key military headquarters overseeing the offensive in Ukraine.
A meeting of Nepals House of Representatives scheduled for Sunday has been postponed till Monday, amid Oppositions demand for Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachandas resignation over his remarks that an Indian businessman once made efforts" to make him the premier that stirred up a storm in the Himalayan Nation.

In a notice, the Parliament Secretariat said that the meeting called for Sunday could not be held due to special reasons and it has been postponed till 3 pm on Monday. As per the request of Prime Minister Prachanda, Sundays meeting was rescheduled for 3 pm. However, the meeting could not commence and has now been deferred, said Parliament secretariat sources.

Nepals three major parties the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre), the Nepali Congress and the Opposition CPN-UML reached an agreement earlier in the day to end the ongoing deadlock. Prachanda, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML chairperson KP Sharma Oli earlier agreed to resume the House session on Sunday.

The Opposition parties, including the UML, have been obstructing proceedings in both the houses for the past few days over the prime ministers controversial remarks.

On July 3, during a book launch event, Prachanda said that Sardar Pritam Singh, a pioneer trucking entrepreneur in Nepal, played a key and historic role in enhancing Nepal-India relations.

He (Singh) had once made efforts to make me the prime minister, Prachanda said. He travelled to Delhi several times and held multiple rounds of talks with political leaders in Kathmandu to make me the prime minister, Prachanda said.

The remarks stirred up a political storm and invited criticism from several quarters. The Opposition has asked him to resign. However, a close aide of Prachanda has said that the Prime Minister will not resign.
Pope Francis said on Sunday he would appoint 21 new cardinals from across the world at the end of September as he seeks to leave his imprint on the papacy.

The upcoming assembly of cardinals, scheduled for September 30 and known as a consistory, will be the ninth for Pope Francis, 86, who became pope a decade ago and is seeking to put a lasting stamp on the institution.

Their provenance expresses the universality of the Church that continues to proclaim Gods merciful love to all people on earth," said the pope, following his weekly Sunday Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Saint Peters Square.

Francis new choices are closely watched as an indication of the future direction of the Catholic Church and its priorities for the 1.3 billion faithful.

All cardinals under the age of 80, including 18 out of the group named on Sunday, are known as cardinal electors", who will participate in the vote to nominate the successor to Pope Francis.

Following the consistory in late September, there will be 137 cardinal electors, about three-quarters of whom will have been appointed by Francis.

Since becoming pope, Francis has sought to elevate clergy from developing nations far from Rome to the highest ranks of the Church, as part of his general philosophy of diversity and inclusion.

The names Francis announced Sunday include clergy in regions where Christianity is growing, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Among the archbishops to become cardinals are those of Juba in South Sudan, Cape Town in South Africa and Tabora in Tanzania.

The list also includes the bishop from Penang, Malaysia, and that of Hong Kong, Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, who has a Harvard PhD in psychology and will be key in improving the Churchs fraught ties with communist China.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the top Catholic in the Holy Land, Italys Pierbattista Pizzaballa, whose archdiocese encompasses Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus, also will be inducted.

- Missionaries and administrators -

Francis is also tapping the heads of key dicasteries, including the Italian Claudio Gugerotti, currently prefect for the Dicastery of the Eastern Churches, and Argentinas Victor Manuel Fernandez, chosen earlier this month by the pope to head the powerful Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Chicago-born head of the Dicastery for Bishops, Robert Prevost, who is charged with overseeing bishop appointments and a longtime missionary in Peru, was also named, as was the Holy Sees apostolic nuncio, or diplomat, to the United States, Christophe Pierre from France, who has also served as envoy in Haiti, Uganda and Mexico.

Included from Latin America is the emeritus archbishop of Cumana, Venezuela, the archbishop of Cordoba in Argentina, and a 96-year-old Capuchin priest from Buenos Aires.

The last consistory was held in August 2022, when Francis inducted 20 cardinals.

Cardinals, who wear the scarlet robes of their office, serve as the popes top advisers and administrators.

During the consistory, the future cardinals kneel one by one at the feet of the pope, who places on their heads the quadrangular scarlet cap, or biretta.

Following the ceremony, the Vatican holds a traditional courtesy visit", in which the new cardinals greet the general public.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, July 9. The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund have signed an agreement to jointly allocate $88 million for the construction of the Kulanak hydroelectric power station (HPS) with a capacity of 100 megawatt in the Naryn region of Kyrgyzstan, Trend reports.

According to the agreement, the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund will contribute $44 million towards the project, matched by the Eurasian Development Bank as the second creditor and partner.

Following the signing, Denis Ilin, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the EDB, highlighted the significant progress made in the preparatory work at the Kulanak HPS construction site.

He emphasized that the project holds not only regional significance within the EDB's Country Strategy for the Kyrgyzstan, but is also a crucial step in the larger-scale "Central Asia Water and Energy Complex" mega-project envisioned by the bank.

In turn, Chairman of the Board of the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund Artem Novikov noted that the project will create approximately 1,000 jobs during the construction phase and around 100 jobs once the plant is operational.

He added that this power station will mark the first in a series of cascading power plants along the Naryn River. The establishment of the Kulanak HPS will play a pivotal role in reducing the country's energy deficit by nearly 20 percent.

The Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund is currently engaged in 15 energy projects. These initiatives are expected to generate approximately two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, reducing Kyrgyzstan's current energy deficit by 70 percent.
A pro-Khalistan protest was held outside the Indian High Commission in London on Saturday amid tight security. The protest rally had relatively low-key turnout as only 30-40 participants participated in the demonstration and the event passed off without incident.

The protest comes at a time when there is a surge in the attacks by pro-Khalistani groups in UK and across countries including Canada, Australia and the United States.

The rally used controversial posters inciting violence with images of the Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Dr Shashank Vikram, Consul General of India in Birmingham, PTI reported. There was a very visible police presence throughout the protest, which wrapped sooner than expected.

The protesters gathered outside the Indian High Commission from around 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm (local time). Meanwhile, the security in the area was beefed up with the presence of UK police, according to ANI.

Earlier this week, the UK government declared that any direct attacks on the High Commission of India in London are unacceptable amid the anti-India attacks and posters by Khalistani extremists emerging on social media channels.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had earlier raised the issue of violence against the diplomatic premises and threats to Indian diplomats with counterparts in London.

This violence against our diplomats and inside our diplomatic premises abroad is unacceptable, and we condemn them in the strongest terms, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

In the US, Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu inspected the security arrangements at the Embassy premises and annexe in view of the proposed pro-Khalistan rally on Sunday.

#WATCH | Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu arrives at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. He inspects the Embassy premises, annexe & reviewed the security arrangements.Security has been increased outside the embassy in view of the proposed pro-Khalistan rally on pic.twitter.com/HG71w2pZwm  ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2023

In Canada, a few hundred people demonstrated outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on Saturday to protest against the alleged murder of a pro-Khalistani leader last month in the Vancouver area.

The protestors accused the Indian government of being responsible for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a declared terrorist in India wanted in many cases.

The pro-Khalistani elements had proposed pro-Khalistan rally outside the Indian High Commission in Ottawa on July 8.

The demonstrators carried Khalistani flags and raised Khalistan slogans. Setting off from the Toronto suburbs, they arrived in front of the Indian consulate, where they were greeted by around 50 members in support of the Indian government.

They have a poster here calling to kill Indian diplomats. We are concerned because these groups have committed terrorist acts in the past and politicians are not taking actions," one of the counterdemonstrators, Vijay Jain, an IT consultant, told AFP.

India recently summoned the Canadian envoy in New Delhi and issued a demarche over the increasing activities by pro-Khalistani elements in Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said that Canada has always taken serious action" against terrorism and it will continue to do so as he asserted that it is wrong" to believe his government is soft on Khalistan supporters and terrorists in the country.
Conflict-torn Sudan is on the brink of a full-scale civil war" that could destabilise the entire region, the United Nations warned Sunday, after an air strike on a residential area killed around two dozen civilians.

The health ministry reported 22 dead and a large number of wounded among the civilians" from what it described as an air strike Saturday on Khartoums sister city Omdurman, in the district of Dar al-Salam, which means House of Peace" in Arabic.

After nearly three months of war between Sudans rival generals, the air strike is the latest incident to provoke outrage.

Around 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict, survivors have reported a wave of sexual violence and witnesses have spoken of ethnically targeted killings. There has been widespread looting, and the UN warned of possible crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

A video posted by the health ministry on Facebook showed apparently dismembered bodies lying partly covered on the ground after the air strike. Several women were among the victims.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the regular army, claimed that the air strikes" killed 31.

Residents contacted by AFP also confirmed an air strike but on Sunday, the armed forces released a statement clarifying that the air force did not deal with any hostile targets in Omdurman yesterday".

Witnesses also reported more air strikes Sunday near the presidential palace in Khartoum and in Omdurman, as well as machine gun clashes and artillery fire in the citys south.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the air strike in Omdurman, which he said reportedly killed at least 22 people" and wounded dozens, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Guterres remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilising the entire region", Haq said.

Meanwhile civilians began digging graves for those killed in the air Saturdays air strike, witnesses said.

Since the war began, many bodies have been left to rot in the streets in both Khartoum and the western region of Darfur, which has seen some of the most violent fighting.

- Dangerous and disturbing -

Nearly three million people have been uprooted by Sudans fighting, among them almost 700,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The UN and African blocs have warned of an ethnic dimension" to the conflict in the western region of Darfur, where the United States, Norway and Britain have blamed the RSF and allied militia for most of the widespread violations.

Concentrated in Darfur and the capital Khartoum, fighting has also been reported in Blue Nile state near Ethiopia, which also has a history of unrest, as well as in South Kordofan state.

Residents in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and a commercial hub south of Khartoum, reported renewed fighting in their area overnight Saturday-Sunday, and then again on Sunday afternoon.

There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing," said Haq, expressing support for efforts by the African Union and East African bloc IGAD to end Sudans crisis.

On Monday leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan  IGAD members handling the Sudan file  are to meet in Addis Ababa.

Sudans army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been invited but neither side has confirmed they will attend.

Several Sudanese civilian figures are already there, however, in order to accelerate peace efforts", said Khalid Omer Yousif, who was fired from the government in 2021 when Daglo and Burhan led a coup, before their falling out.

Egypts, a close ally of Burhans, said it will host a summit Thursday of Sudans neighbours to seek an end to the conflict and its regional repercussions", a statement from the presidents office in Cairo said.

Numerous ceasefires in the war have been announced and ignored.
Ukraine is not ready for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), US President Joe Biden spelled out in clear terms as he embarked on his week-long trip to Europe on Sunday. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Biden said he feels there is a lack of consensus among NATO members on whether or not to bring Ukraine into the alliance now.

I dont think its ready for membership in NATO," he said. He said joining NATO requires countries to meet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues.

EXCLUSIVE: Biden says Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership, saying the war with Russia must end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks. https://t.co/tyYNgDiuon pic.twitter.com/tdr5Bet92v CNN International (@cnni) July 9, 2023

I dont think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war, Biden said. For example, if you did that, then, you know  and I mean what I say  were determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory. Its a commitment that weve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then were all in war. Were at war with Russia, if that were the case.

The ongoing war in Ukraine poses challenges to NATOs unity as leaders gather for their annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The worlds largest security alliance struggles to agree on admitting Sweden as the 32nd member. Member nations military spending falls short of goals, and the selection of NATOs next leader remains unresolved.

The question of integrating Ukraine into NATO raises debates, with some advocating it as a deterrent against Russian aggression, while others caution against provocation and escalating tensions.

In the CNN interview, Biden said that hes spoken to President Volodymyr Zelensky at length about the issue, saying that hes told him that the US would keep providing security and weaponry for Ukraine. I think we have to lay out a rational path for Ukraine to be able to qualify to be able to get into NATO, Biden said.

This latest Biden interview comes after the White House on Friday announced that the United States would be providing Ukraine with cluster munitions for the first time. This decision aims to support Ukraines ammunition supplies as it engages in a counteroffensive against Russia.

Biden described the move as a difficult decision" but emphasized its necessity due to Ukraines depleting ammunition reserves.
Conflict-torn Sudan is on the brink of a full-scale civil war" that could destabilise the entire region, the United Nations warned Sunday, after an air strike on a residential area killed around two dozen civilians.

The Ministry of Health reported 22 dead and a large number of wounded among the civilians" from what it described as an air strike Saturday on Khartoums sister city Omdurman, in the district of Dar al-Salam, which means House of Peace" in Arabic.

After nearly three months of war between Sudans rival generals, the air strike is the latest incident to provoke outrage.

Around 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict, survivors have reported a wave of sexual violence and witnesses have spoken of ethnically targeted killings. There has been widespread looting, and the UN warned of possible crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

A video posted by the health ministry on Facebook showed apparently dismembered bodies lying partly covered on the ground after the air strike. Several women were among the victims.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the regular army, claimed that the air strikes" killed 31.

Since the war began, paramilitaries have established bases in residential areas, and they have been accused of forcing civilians from their homes.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the air strike in Omdurman, which he said reportedly killed at least 22 people" and wounded dozens, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Guterres remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilising the entire region", Haq said.

Dangerous and disturbing

Sudan, in northeast Africa, borders other impoverished countries which have a history of unrest.

Nearly three million people have been uprooted by Sudans fighting, among them almost 700,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The UN and African blocs have warned of an ethnic dimension" to the conflict in the western region of Darfur, where the United States, Norway and Britain have blamed the RSF and allied militia for most of the widespread violations.

Concentrated in Darfur and the capital Khartoum, fighting has also been reported in Blue Nile state near Ethiopia, as well as in South Kordofan state.

Overnight Saturday-Sunday residents in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and a commercial hub south of Khartoum, reported renewed fighting there.

There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing," said Haq, expressing support for efforts by the African Union and East African bloc IGAD to end Sudans crisis.

On Monday leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan  IGAD members handling the Sudan file  are to meet in Addis Ababa.

Sudans army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been invited but neither side has confirmed they will attend.

Several Sudanese civilian figures are already there, however, in order to accelerate peace efforts," said Khalid Omer Yousif, who was fired from the government in 2021 when Daglo and Burhan led a coup, before their falling out.

Numerous ceasefires in the war have been announced and ignored.
In a shocking incident, a policeman in Florida in US is captured on camera dragging a pregnant black woman out of her car and slamming her to the ground.

The incident happened in May when the police was called to a scene in Boca Raton in Florida by a witness who said that partners Harry Hardy and Nerillia Laurent had been arguing.

Body camera footage shows the officer, Matthew McNichol, confronting the couple and claiming Boca Raton was his city.

After ordering Nerillia Laurent out of the car, the cop grabs her by the arm and twists it behind her back. He then pulls her to the ground while she keeps screaming Im pregnant.

Meanwhile, her partner Harry Hardy can be heard saying, Shes six months pregnant, what is wrong with him?! The incident happened while a child was in the car.

The officer, Matthew McNichol, had now been allowed to retire from his department over the incident.

Boca Raton Human Resources confirmed McNichol submitted his notice of retirement on June 1, with his official last day being June 10.

According to a report in Daily Mail, the incident unfolded when McNichol can be seen approaching the vehicle where Harry and Nerillia were having a dispute.

The officer confronts the couple and asks, Why are we getting all kinds of phone calls?

Henry responds that they were having a dispute, to which the cop replies, Youre having a dispute in public in my city, the city of Boca Raton.

The three then begin arguing after the policeman demands their IDs from them, to which the couple refuse.

She doesnt have to give you her license, Henry says.

Meanwhile, Laurent can be heard saying, If you arrest me now and put me on the ground and I am pregnant, you are going to get charged.

The three kept arguing and McNichol said that he is going to charge the two for not cooperating. Laurent then pinned her to the ground as she and her children cried out over her arrest.

Responding to the incident, Police Chief Michele Miuccio issued a statement saying, There is understandable public concern about the May 22 arrest of a woman after we were called to a domestic disturbance alleged to be taking place in and around a car on Congress Avenue. While the responding officers had a duty to identify the people involved and investigate if a crime took place or anyone was at risk, one of our officers actions did not help to de-escalate the situation.

The Police department also said that Laurent was charged with resisting an officer and was issued a citation for not having a valid license.

She had also been arrested for an active warrant out of Palm Beach County for failure to appear. Hardy was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the 500th day of the war Saturday by hailing the countrys soldiers in a video from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraines resilience in the face of the Russian invasion.

Speaking from Snake Island, Zelenskyy honored the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country, saying that reclaiming control of the island is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory.

I want to thank  from here, from this place of victory  each of our soldiers for these 500 days, Zelenskyy said. Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine!

It was unclear when the video was filmed. Zelenskyy was returning from Turkey on Saturday.

He announced that five commanders of the defense of the Azovstal steel plant, a grueling months-long siege early in the war, were returning on the plane with him.

The sprawling steelworks was the last bastion of resistance as Russian forces took control of the port city of Mariupol. Its defenders became renowned among Ukrainians for holding out in wretched conditions in the plants tunnels and corridors.

Azovstals more than 2,000 defenders left the steelworks in mid-May 2022 and were taken into Russian captivity. The five leaders, some of whom were part of the Azov national guard regiment that Russia denounces as neo-Nazi, were freed in a September prisoner swap and taken to Turkey.

Under the exchange, the leaders were to remain in Turkey until the end of the war under the Turkish presidents protection. There was no immediate official explanation from Ankara or Kyiv about why they were allowed to return to Ukraine.

The return of the leaders of the Azovites from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of the existing agreements. Moreover, in this case, the terms were violated by both the Ukrainian side and the Turkish side, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russian forces took control of Snake Island on Feb. 24, 2022, the day Moscow launched its invasion, in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraines biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.

The island took on legendary significance for Ukraines resistance, when Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The answer supposedly came back, Go (expletive) yourself.

The islands Ukrainian defenders were captured but later freed as part of a prisoner exchange. After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there, forcing the Russians to pull back on June 30, 2022. The Russian retreat reduced the threat of a seaborne Russian attack on Odesa and helped pave the way for a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports.

Let the freedom that all our heroes of different times wanted for Ukraine and that must be won right now be a tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. We will definitely win!

Intense battles continued to rage Saturday in the countrys east and south as Ukrainian forces pressed their attacks against multi-layered Russian defenses in the initial stages of their counteroffensive.

Ukraines interior ministry said that a Russian rocket strike on the town of Lyman killed eight civilians and wounded 13 others early Saturday. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, posted images showing some of the dead, including a body lying under a bicycle and body fragments on the pavement next to a damaged vehicle, saying that the Russian terrorists are continuing to strike civilians in Donetsk.

Lyman is a few kilometers (miles) from the front line, where Russian troops have recently intensified fighting in the forests of Kreminna.

The U.K. Ministry of Defense said in its latest intelligence update that the eastern town of Bakhmut that was captured by the Russians in May has seen some of the most intense fighting along the front during the last week.

It said that Ukrainian forces have made steady gains to both the north and south of Bakhmut, noting that Russian defenders are highly likely struggling with poor morale, a mix of disparate units and a limited ability to find and strike Ukrainian artillery.

Amid the fighting, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of planning to sabotage the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is Europes largest, fueling fears of a radiation catastrophe. Ukraines military intelligence claimed Saturday that Russian troops have planted more mines around the plant, a claim that couldnt be independently verified.

The head of the United Nations nuclear agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told The Associated Press on Friday that the International Atomic Energy Agency experts had recently gained access to more of the site, including the cooling pond and fuel storage areas, and found no mines there. Grossi said he was still pushing for access to the rooftops of reactors where Ukrainian officials accused Russia of planting explosives.

On Saturday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was shown visiting firing ranges where volunteer soldiers are being trained, a trip that comes two weeks after an abortive mutiny launched by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner troops marched on Moscow in a bid to oust Shoigu.

Prigozhin agreed to end the mutiny, which represented the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power, in exchange for an amnesty for himself and his troops and permission to move to Belarus. On Saturday, Russian messaging app channels ran comments by one of Wagners commanders, Anton Yelizarov, who said that the mercenaries had taken leave but would eventually deploy to Belarus.

Pitched battles along the front line in Ukraine are raging as NATO leaders are set to meet in Vilnius for a two-day summit next week to offer more help in modernizing Ukraines armed forces, create a new high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that it will join their alliance one day.

Ahead of the NATO summit, the U.S. has announced that it will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, a move that President Joe Biden described as a difficult decision. Two-thirds of NATO members have banned the munitions, which have a track record of causing many civilian casualties, but the U.S. sees their delivery as a way to help bolster Ukraines offensive and push through Russian front lines.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov hailed the U.S. move, saying that the delivery of cluster munitions would help the country de-occupy its territories while saving the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers.

Reznikov vowed that Ukraine would use the munitions only for the de-occupation of its territory and would not fire them at Russias proper territory. He also noted that the Ukrainian military would not use cluster munitions in urban areas to avoid hurting civilians.
UPDATE

Jul 9, 2023 12:35 PM CDT

A judge has rejected a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a case brought on behalf of three survivors of the attack, all over 100 years old. Judge Caroline Wall on Friday dismissed with prejudice the suit trying to force the City of Tulsa and others to pay for the destruction of the Black district known as Greenwood. Spokespersons for the city and a lawyer for the survivors did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday, the AP reports. The Tulsa County District Court judge wrote in a brief order that she based her decision, which is final, on arguments made by government agencies and the city.

May 3, 2022 12:05 AM CDT

An Oklahoma judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre can proceed, bringing new hope for some measure of justice for three survivors of the deadly racist rampage who are now over 100 years old and were in the courtroom for the decision. Tulsa County District Court Judge Caroline Wall ruled against a motion to dismiss the suit filed by civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons in 2020. The Tulsa-based attorney said after Wall announced her ruling that it is critical for living survivors Lessie Benningfield Randle, 107, Viola Fletcher, 107, and Hughes Van Ellis, 101. "We want them to see justice in their lifetime," he said, choking back tears. "I've seen so many survivors die in my 20-plus years working on this issue. I just don't want to see the last three die without justice. That's why the time is of the essence."
Wildfire season is approaching in Californiaand winemakers are prepared. After devastating fires in Northern California wine country in recent years, winemakers have rebuilt with fire-resistant materials and learned firefighting techniques, the BBC reports. Alan Viader at Viader Vineyard and Winery in Napa Valley became a qualified firefighter after the Glass Fire destroyed buildings and priceless old vines at his winery in 2020. "There's a huge connection, a real parallel with firefighting," he says of winemaking. "We play with pumps and hoses, too, except our hoses are full of wine. I'm always dragging hoses somewhere."

Viader has also taken steps including paving wider roads for fire trucks to have better access. At the nearby Storybook Mountain Vineyard, 86-year-old Jerry Seps was told he single-handedly saved the winery when he stayed to fight a fire in 2017. "You're not saving a vineyard, you're saving your life," he tells the BBC. "The family's put a lot into it. And it was too much to lose without a struggle." Beyond the danger from flames, wildfire smoke is a huge problem for Seps and other winemakers. After the 2020 fires, he had to pour away the year's wine because "smoke taint" had affected the grapes, making it impossible to produce quality wine.

At the Signorello Estate winery, which burned to the ground in 2017, Priyanka French is overseeing the building of what is intended to be one of the most fireproof wineries around, where wine will be produced in underground caves. She says the industry is looking to the future and she is optimistic despite the problems posed by wildfires. "The glass is half full for me," she says. Experts say wildfire season in the state could be relatively mild this year thanks to an extremely wet winter, but conditions could change rapidly if there are periods of extreme heat, the Napa Valley Register reports. (Read more California wildfires stories.)
Dust blowing off the dry areas around the receding Great Salt Lake is coating the famously ski-friendly pure white snow on nearby slopes and causing early meltinga big problem with wide-ranging effects for Utah, reports Smithsonian Magazine . In a study published by Environmental Research Letters , University of Utah hydrologist McKenzie Skiles and her colleagues looked into what was going on with the dirty snow on slopes near the lake. They found that in 2022, snow coating the Wasatch Mountains was the dustiest it had been since researchers began tracking levels 14 years ago. The biggest source of the dust, about 50%, is a desertlike region west of the city, but a quarter of it came from the Great Salt Lake, the researchers found.

The dust makes the snow melt faster, which translates into a shorter ski season at popular resortsdraining away tourist dollarsand added pressure on water systems, reports Science News. The latter are made to handle steadily flowing melt water, not sudden cascades. Additionally, faster snow cover loss leads to a heightened danger of wildfire due to dry forests. Scientists found that the dirtier snow made the regional snowpack melt 17 days faster in 2022, per a release at Phys.org. "You might see 17 days and think it's no big deal, but our current snowmelt models don't account for dust," says Skiles. And the dust situation may only get worse in the years to come.

Smithsonian describes a "vicious cycle" at play: "When the snow melts earlier in the spring, that means the landscape dries out more quickly during the heat of the summer. That drier landscape, in turn, then contributes more dust to the snow, making it melt even faster." The shrinking lake worsens the problem because a smaller lake translates to a smaller snowpack in the mountains. CNN reported earlier this year that some scientists worry the shrinking lake could lead to the more widespread danger of a "toxic dust bowl." Bonnie Baxter of the Great Salt Lake Institute at Salt Lake City's Westminster College calls it "an ecological disaster that will become a human health disaster." (Read more Great Salt Lake stories.)
Democrats have moved on, but Republicans in Iowa picked a date for their 2024 presidential caucuses on Saturday, deciding to meet earlier than they have the past couple of cycles. The state's GOP central committee voted to hold the caucuses on Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Politico reports. Iowa's party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said the party is "committed to maintaining Iowa's cherished first-in-the-nation caucuses." Next on the political calendar will be New Hampshire's primary, which isn't scheduled yet but is penciled in for later in January.

Kaufmann said Jan. 15 was the best choice to fit in with other early states' plans, adding that the party was "certainly very pleased" that the federal holiday means more people could be available to attend a session. "We see this as honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, in terms of having a caucus here," he said, per the Des Moines Register. The two parties have held caucuses in Iowa on the same night for decades, but national Democrats have decided to have their first 2024 contest in South Carolina. Still, Iowa Democrats said they're considering meeting the same night as Republicans.

Much of calendar is unsettled, and officials in various states are unhappy with various possibilities. Democrats picked Feb. 3 for their South Carolina primary, which led Iowa Republicans to pick a January date, per CNN. Democratic leaders have been unhappy with aspects of the Iowa caucuses and want to shift to more diverse states. On Saturday, party Chair Rita Hart said Democrats are "committed to moving forward with the most inclusive caucus process in Iowa's history." (Read more Iowa caucuses stories.)
A Vermont police officer was killed and two other officers were injured when a burglary suspect crashed into two police cruisers pursuing him, Vermont State Police said. Rutland City Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, was killed on Friday afternoon, per the AP . The crash happened as police chased a vehicle driven by Tate Rheaume, 20, a suspect in an attempted break-in at a house, state police said. Evidence indicates that Rheaume crossed the centerline and collided head-on with the Ebbighausen's cruiser, police said. The suspect's truck also hit another police cruiser.

Ebbighausen was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other officers and Rheaume were taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center for what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Rheaume was transferred to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. State police said they are investigating the role impairment and speed played in the crash and are working with the Rutland County state's attorney on potential charges. Ebbighausen, of Ira, Vermont, started working with the Rutland Police Department in May as a part-time officer, state police said. She was scheduled to start training in August at the Vermont Police Academy to become a full-time officer.

"We're hurting right now," said Rutland City Police Chief Brian Kilcullen as he asked for community support. Ebbighausen had wanted to be a police officer since she was 9 years old, Kilcullen said. She did an internship with the police department during high school, he said. The department had recently changed its policies to discourage high-speed pursuits, he said, but did not discuss the changes further on Friday. Before Ebbighausen's death, 28 Vermont officers had died in the line of duty, including two in vehicle pursuits, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. Of those Vermont officers whose ages are listed, she was by far the youngest.

(Read more Vermont stories.)
A gunman rode around New York City on a motor scooter randomly firing at people over a stretch of two hours on Saturday, say police. An 87-year-old man was killed and three other men were wounded in the shootings in Queens and Brooklyn, reports the New York Times . Police have a 25-year-old suspect in custody. "We don't know the motive," said Joseph Kenny, assistant chief in the NYPD's Detective Bureau, per CNN . "It seems that this is actually random." The first shooting took place around 11:10am in Brooklyn when a 21-year-old was shot in the shoulder. Less than 20 minutes later, the 87-year-old was shot in the back in Queens.

The gunman later shot a 44-year-old man in the face and a 63-year-old man in the torso in separate incidents in Queens. All three injured victims remain hospitalized. Police say the gunman also fired at a crowd outside a shop in Queens during his rampage, though nobody was hit. Police stopped the scooter about two hours after the first attack, arrested the driver, and confiscated a 9mm handgun. The suspect has not been identified.

In Los Angeles: Across the country, police dealt with an apparently random shooter of their own. One person was wounded in a series of rifle shootings between 6:20am and 7:20am Saturday in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, reports the AP. Police arrested a 25-year-old man accused of shooting at people from his vehicle, including a man in his 30s who was critically wounded while walking along a street. Three separate shootings were reported. This suspect has not been identified, either. (Read more New York City stories.)
It wasn't that the pilot was suggesting that any individual passengers were too heavy, but as a group, and when you add in luggage, and then consider the weather conditions for takeoff, and the length of the runway, it would just be best if some of them just got off the plane, an easyJet captain announced to his displeased customers. The plane was sitting at Arrecife Airport in Lanzarote on Wednesday night, otherwise ready to leave for John Lennon Airport in Liverpool, Live Mint reports. The pilot began his announcement by thanking everyone for arriving while noting "there are so many of you."

That made for a big load, he told them. "That heavy aircraft combined with a pretty short runway and with the current unfavorable conditions here in Lanzarote, means the aircraft is too heavy to take off," the pilot said. "It's very hot, the wind isn't fantastic, the direction isn't great," he added, after assuring passengers that he and his senior first officer are plenty experienced with this sort of thing. His conclusion: "There is no way, with the current wind conditions, that we could get this aircraft airborne." So he asked for volunteers to stay behind, explaining that "the one way to solve a problem with a heavy aircraft is to make it slightly lighter."

A video shows passengers shaking their heads at the request, per Glasgow Live. The pilot asked for as many as 20 volunteers; there were 19. They were offered 500 euros apiece for changing their plans. The airline later confirmed the situation. "This is a routine operational decision in these circumstances and weight restrictions are in place for all airlines for safety reasons," an easyJet spokesperson said. The flight left the airport, in Spain's Canary Islands, nearly two hours late, about 11:30pm, and landed safely in Liverpool. (Read more airline delays stories.)
The Ukrainian defense forces continue to advance in the Bakhmut direction, the enemy is trapped in places. In particular, snipers are working effectively in this section of the front.

ADVERTISIMENT

Commander of the Army of the AFU, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky reported on the success of the defenders of Ukraine near Bakhmut. He noted the excellent work of the "Ghost" group of the Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky Independent Presidential Brigade (to see the video, scroll to the end of the news).

"A sniper with the call sign 'Alpha' is working. From 1,200 meters he destroyed the enemy with one shot," the commander noted.

He added that while the sniper was working, the group was being hunted by an enemy UAV, which the fighters also managed to shoot down.

We remind that the day before, British intelligence reported that after a month of relative calm, Bakhmut had once again turned into one of the places where the fiercest fighting is taking place. To the north and south of the city, Ukrainian soldiers have achieved "stable successes," while Russian forces in the Bakhmut direction have significant problems.

ADVERTISIMENT

The British Defense Ministry predicted that the Russian command would make every effort to hold Bakhmut, but expressed doubt that these efforts would be effective.

As OBOZREVATEL reported:

- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported that in Bakhmut itself the Russian occupation troops are practically trapped. At the same time, the Defense Forces are advancing on the southern flank;

- Russian war criminals in the Donetsk direction once again resorted to the use of chemical munitions against Ukrainian defenders. For example, near Bakhmut, the occupiers dropped shells with a suffocating chemical poison on Ukrainian positions.

Only verified information in our Telegram channel Obozrevatel, Threads and Viber. Do not be fooled by fakes!
Paying tribute to his fans, his band, and his family, Elton John performed his final concert on tour on Saturday night in Stockholm, dedicating "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" to them. "It's been my lifeblood to play for you guys, and you've been absolutely magnificent," he told the crowd, the BBC reports. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour included more than 300 shows before more than 6 million people. It began in 2018 and was scheduled to wrap up in 2021 until the pandemic hit. The tour is the first to cross $900 million in ticket sales, per Billboard.

John, 76, confirmed during the show that he'll "never be touring again" but might do a "one-off thing" in future. He has said he'll keep working on new music, per CNN. John has said he now wants to "be there" for his two young sons. A video of Coldplay, performing at the same time in Gothenburg, thanking John was played during the show. "We are so grateful for everything you've done for the Aids Foundation, anytime you've been kind to anybody," Chris Martin told him. It has been, John told his farewell audience, "52 years of pure joy playing music." (Read more Elton John stories.)
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Young men who have been drafted wait in line to be processed into the U.S. Army at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Warren Leffler, courtesy of the Library of Congress)
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Egypt has condemned the Swedish government's approval of an assembly where an extremist repeated the act of desecrating the Quran in the Swedish capital of Stockholm on Thursday.
Ron Yarnell first came to Bettles in 1971. He has been leading wilderness trips down the Alatna, John, and North Fork of the Koyukuk ever since. He owns a cabin just outside Bettles and one at Wild Lake. He had floated these rivers dozens of times. He makes his residence in Fairbanks.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The proposal to insist on a security deposit from expats for renewing or obtaining a commercial registration to run businesses would have a negative effect on the economy and would not improve the living conditions of citizens, warn global economic experts.

A proposal was recently presented by a group of MPs to the Industry and Commerce Minister for introducing a security deposit, which would depend on the size of the business, for obtaining or renewing commercial registrations. Tackling unfair business practises and unfair competition was stated as the aim of the proposal that was presented in a meeting of the minister with a parliamentary committee that is looking into the alleged low standards of living of citizens.

Stan Veuger, a senior fellow in economic policy studies at the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Tribune that implementing such a proposal would have a negative effect on the countrys economy. Nor would such a move result in providing a better standard of living for the citizens of the country, the editor of AEI Economic Perspectives said.

Violates WTO rules

Dan Ikenson, an expert in international trade policy based in Washington, also held a similar view regarding the proposal for a security deposit for expat businesses. "Generally, any extra requirements imposed on foreign but not domestic entities in the same industry violate the World Trade Organization (WTO) core principle of national treatment, which is one of the pillars of non-discrimination.

Unfortunately, more and more governments are deprioritizing those and other multilateral trading rules," Dan, an economist specialising in international trade and the founder and president of Ikenomics Consulting, said. A similar apprehension regarding the proposal was also raised by Ritesh Kumar Singh, a business economist with 20 years of experience and a columnist at Nikkei Asia.

Not sensible:

"When countries are outdoing each other to make it easier for investors, locals or foreigners, imposing security deposits for setting up commercial establishments by expats is not sensible in my view. The government must check for malpractice, but doing it through security deposits doesnt make sense.

Its lazy policymaking," the economist who specializes in macroeconomic risks and opportunities stated. Regarding the effect of implementing the proposal on the standard of living of citizens, the economist said, "Revenue from security deposits will not be enough to improve the lot of citizens. Facilitating businesses and, in turn, creating jobs is a far more effective alternative to achieving that." However, MP Maryam Al Dhaen, who was part of the group of legislators who made the proposal, strongly defended the move, hailing it as an effective step for preventing malpractices and ensuring quality service to citizens.

There have been numerous court cases in which expat business operators, especially in the construction business, collected money from citizens but fled without fulfilling their promises, the MP pointed out. She added that there is also the problem of foreign workers being trained at the expense of Tamkeen (labour fund) and then leaving for better jobs abroad. Stating that the proposal is intended to bring more responsibility to expat business operators, the MP said sometimes you have to balance between quality and quantity.

When a service is provided, it should come with the necessary assurance, she said, while noting that the present situation allows for providing low-quality services without a proper system for insisting on adequate follow-up maintenance.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Kingdom of Bahrain urged concerted international efforts to protect children, spare them the scourge of conflicts worldwide, and support their rehabilitation and integration.Bahrains Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Fares Al Ruwae, voiced the stance during the UN Security Councils plenary session on children and armed conflict.

Addressing the session, he reaffirmed Bahrain's commitment to implementing initiatives and enacting legislation aimed at protecting and promoting childrens rights.

The Kingdom of Bahrain acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991 and joined the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the Optional Protocol on the Sale and Exploitation of Children.



Ambassador Al-Ruwaie commended the UN Secretary-General's report on children and armed conflict, in which he welcomed the cooperation of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.



He noted the increasing conflicts and the multiplication of the number of armed actors, indicating the danger of hostilities that engulfed new areas, which worsened the horrific violations perpetrated against children, such as killing, maiming, kidnapping, recruitment, and other heinous crimes.



Ambassador Al Ruwae deplored increasing attacks that even target schools, hospitals, and infrastructure in conflict zones, urging all warring parties to commit to conventions and humanitarian law that stipulate the respect and implementation of international treaties relating to the rights of the child, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.



He stressed the importance for all parties involved in conflicts to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches children, their families, and those who care for them and provides them with health care, education, and protection.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

As the 'rutab, or semi-ripe dates season commences, early varieties of this delectable fruit, in all their diverse shapes and hues, have flooded the marketplaces in Bahrain. The irresistible taste and excellent quality of summer rutab dates have sent eager shoppers scurrying to stores to secure their share.

Moreover, rutab dates are only available for a limited time, adding to their allure. Rutab dates are believed to offer higher nutritional value compared to fully ripe dates. With their increased moisture content, rutab dates retain essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making them a healthier choice.

Its worth noting that dates go through three stages: bisr, rutab, and tamr, all of which are edible. Rutab dates, renowned for their exceptional texture, have become a favourite among discerning palates with their softness and caramel-like flavour. In the rutab stage, dates are rich in moisture and provide a generous dose of natural sugars.

As they progress to the tamr stage, the moisture content decreases while the sugar levels rise. Maria, owner of Palace of Dates, shared with The Daily Tribune, "Eating dates in this hot weather is truly beneficial, and our sales mostly depend on special occasions or the start of the date season.

Rutab dates are purchased in large quantities due to their limited availability." She added, "Depending on the desired weight, prices start at BD1.5 per kilo. A single box costs BD4.5, while a box of two is priced at BD8.5." Given their popularity, dates are in constant high demand, according to Danish Mohammed, owner of a dry fruit and date business.

During the rutab stage, it is common for dates to be pressed and packed for storage. Properly stored rutab dates can maintain their quality for up to eight months, and when frozen, their shelf life can extend to a year. On the other hand, tamr dates have a much longer shelf life and can last up to a full year without freezing.
Police in Kenya opened fire on protesters in clashes that left at least 12 people wounded Wednesday as the opposition organized demonstrations calling for the government of President William Ruto to lower the cost of living.
We cannot travel to other star systems and may not be able to travel there for a hundred years. However, we can find and test interstellar material. We can determine that meteors that were traveling faster than solar system escape velocity came from outside the solar system. NASA has a record of about 300 such interstellar objects that have hit the Earth. If we can track the meteors precisely we can find where they hit and gather samples from other solar systems. This is what Avi Loeb of Harvard and his team have spent $1.5 million have done. The pieces of the interstellar meteor are much tougher than regular iron meteors and contain silicon and titanium. This alloy suggests the possibility that they were manufactured.

However, we do not have to stop at gathering bits of one meteor. The estimated detection rate for interstellar meteors similar to CNEOS is at least  0.1 every year , resulting in a local density estimate of i  one million per cubic AU or 10^22 per cubic parsec. They estimate 7.59  10^34 IM1-like objects bound by the thin disk of the Milky Way. However, if objects with the properties of IM1 were targeted towards habitable zones containing planets, they estimate 7.59  10^18 such objects. IM2 had a similar inferred number density to IM1 and a velocity of 40 km s-1 relative to the Local Standard of Rest. They estimate 2.78  10^34 IM2-like objects, and our estimate would be decreased to 2.78  10^18 if such objects were targeted towards habitable zones.

If there are alien civilizations then there could be vast amounts of technological material that is thrown off as junk, just as we have billions of tons of garbage and pollution. A significant and perhaps majority fraction of interstellar material could be the junk or probes of alien civilizations.

We can search for many of the 300 known interstellar meteor impacts and dedicated telescope detection system can be created so all such objects can be tracked and found.

The First Possible Evidence of Technological Aliens

The Galileo Project expedition to the Pacific Ocean successfully retrieved pieces of the first recognized interstellar meteor, IM1, and brought them back to Harvard College Observatory. More than 50 spherules which lay on the deep ocean floor for nearly a decade. These sub-millimeter-sized spheres, which appear under a microscope as beautiful metallic marbles, were concentrated along the expected path of IM1  about 85 kilometers off the coast of Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Their discovery opens a new frontier in astronomy, where what lay outside the solar system is studied through a microscope rather than a telescope.

As they scooped the magnets, the most abundant material attached to them was a black powder of volcanic ash. It was everywhere, including the control regions far from IM1s site. Avi Loeb was initially frustrated by this background to the extent where he titled one of his 34 diary reports: Where are the spherules of IM1?.

After a week at sea they used a filter with a mesh size of a third of a millimeter to sift through the tiny volcanic particles and examine the remaining larger particles under a microscope. Shortly thereafter, the teams geologist Jeff Wynn came running down the stairs to tell me that the teams analyst Ryan Weed saw through the microscope a beautiful metallic marble of sub-millimeter size and sub-milligram mass.

The composition analysis implied 84% iron, 8% silicon, 4% magnesium and 2% titanium, plus trace elements. I knew immediately that we would find many more spherules.

A typical iron meteorite contains 10% nickel. These spherules contain no nickel.
Millions suffered through intense heat Wednesday as fires raged, health worries mounted and the world appeared headed for its hottest month of July on record.
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Postal Code
A former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari was on Thursday, allegedly arrested by the Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS.

The Nation quoted a source as saying that Yari was being detained for being the arrowhead of a fresh plot to destabilise the 10th Senate after his bid to become the Senate President failed.

According to The Nations source, Some northern Senators who were said to be unhappy with the choice of those who emerged were said to have approached Yari in the chambers after the announcement of Principal Officers, where they complained bitterly to him that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio had abandoned them despite their support for him.

The source said the DSS decided to pick Yari up for questioning after it discovered he had become a rallying point for opposition against Akpabio, especially from the North.

An aide who confided in the Nation told the paper that Yari is in DSS custody but his arrest is not in connection with his bid to emerge the Senate President, insisting it is an entirely new development.

The aide said some lawmakers were not happy with the announcement of Principal Officers, especially members within the All Progressives Congress, APC, who voted for Akpabio.

He disclosed that some of them had complained to Yari.

I think somebody alerted them in Aso Rock that they are discussing with Yari and Yari was becoming the rallying point for some aggrieved Northern senators, so that was when the President made that call to him and he ignored it.

However, the DSS in an SMS sent to the Nation by its Public Relations Officer, Peter Afunanya, denied knowledge of the arrest and detention of Yari.
Dipo Fasina, an ex-president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), went off the grid in Turkey.

Reports had earlier surfaced that the academic went missing during a trip to meet with the Algerian government.

Fasina, aged 76, was travelling to Algeria when he missed his connecting flight from Istanbul, Turkey.

However, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) confirmed on Sunday that he has been found.





NIDCOM said it collaborated with the Nigerian High Commission in Turkey to locate the academic.

A big thanks to the Nigerian Ambassador to Turkey who immediately sent officials to the airport to physically locate him in the very busy and huge Istanbul Airport, NIDCOM wrote in a tweet.

Fasina is said to have taught Philosophy for 34 years at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.

He joined OAU in 1979 after returning from the University of California in Los Angeles where he got his PhD.

Fasina is a trustee of ASUU and chairperson of the Joint Action Front (JAF).

JAF is a coalition of labour movements and civil society organisations for pro-people policies in Nigeria.

Fasina is credited to have pioneered the creation of the philosophy department at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun state.

Since his retirement from OAU, Fasina has taught Philosophy across some universities in Nigeria.
Anambra student, Mmesoma Ejikeme has confirmed that she single-handedly forged the the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, result with score of 362 she has been parading as her own before a Committee set up by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

She also confessed that after she forged the result, she went to a cyber cafe to print it out.

Ejikeme owned up to the forgery when she appeared before a panel set up by Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State to investigate the controversies over the results being paraded by Ejikeme and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.

The Committee said in its report that it invited Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, the Principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School, and officials of JAMB for its interactive session.

JAMB officials led by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Head Public Affairs presented the detailed processes and procedures involved in JAMB admissions, the policy changes that have occurred in the release of UTME scores since 2021 and what specifically transpired between the candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF in her quest to obtain her JAMB score, the Committee said in the report.

The Committee, chaired by Professor Nkemdili Nnonyelu, said in its report that Ejikeme confessed during its sitting attended by her principal, and the Education Secretary that she manipulated the JAMBs UMTEs result by herself, using her Airtel Number.

She also told the Committee that she printed the result at Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi, according to a copy of the report published by Premium Times.

The Committee tried to find out the motive behind her action, but Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma said NOTHING. In their own submissions, the Principal Anglican Girls Secondary school, Uruagu Nnewi, and the Education Secretary-Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed shock at what transpired where in their presence, Mmesoma admitted to have manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the State Government, the Committee said in the report.

In its findings, the Committee said in the report:

The results released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) with respect to the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249

The results paraded by Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with aggregate score of 362 is fake as buttressed by the very significant and instructive variations In the registration number, date of birth centre name and other Infractions to Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone.

The Principal Anglican Girls Secondary School-Mrs. Edu Uche and the Education Secretary, Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed dismay at the conduct of Ejikeme Jay Mmesoma.

The Committee recommended that:

1. That Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma tenders an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (AMB), the School (Anglican Girls Secondary School, Uruagu Nnew) and the Anambra State Government. This should be done immediately.

2 Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma should undergo a psychological counselling and therapy

3. All prospective candidates for JAMB Admission should adhere strictly to guidelines, processes and procedures of the examination body.

The Committee of Inquiry commends Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for their diligent handling of the matter and the information supplied about the interface with the candidate (see attached). We hope that this unearthing of the truth as we have discovered will go a long way in correcting the sentiments, misconceptions and deceptions that have been in the public domain, said the Committee in the report.

Read the full report below:

7th July, 2023

Prof. C.C Soludo,

Governor, Anambra State.

Mr. Governor,

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON EJIKEME JOY MMESOMAS JAMB SCORE CONTROVERSY

Recall Mr. Governor that with the recent release of scores of candidates who applied for admission by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and subsequent announcement of Nkechiyere Umeh as the candidate with the highest score of 360, Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, a 19 year old student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi, from Enugu State, protested to the State Government that she scored 362 and ought to have been so recognised. This has elicited interests and generated serious controversy and misgivings among the general public that the State Government in its wisdom decided to constitute a Committee of Inquiry to look into the underlisted terms of reference;

Review Ejikeme Joy Mmesomas JAMB Results and associated documents Conduct interviews with relevant parties, including Elikeme Joy Mmesoma, JAMB Officials and any other individual(s) involved in the process. Provide recommendations based on the findings of the investigation.

The Committee invited Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, the Principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School, and officials of JAMB for interactive session with the Committee. JAMB officials led by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Head Public Affairs presented the detailed processes and procedures involved in JAMB admissions, the policy changes that have occurred in the release of UTME scores since 2021 and what specifically transpired between the candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF in her quest to obtain her JAMB score.

JAMB revealed the different times that Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma made several requests to JAMB portal asking for her results at different hours, and each of these times (four in number), she received in her phone, same results from JAMB indicating candidates UTME Results to wit: Eng: 64, Phy:54, Bio: 74, Che: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249. JAMB disclosed that the candidate was well informed of her correct score from JAMB. Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of aggregate score of 362, with Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81. The results she sent differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.

Besides, a number of red-flags was also highlighted by JAMB officials showing a different date of birth, different Registration Number, Notification of results template that has been discarded since 2021, amongst others. It was also evident that even the centre name Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development as it was known before now) used for the examination was also manipulated where the candidate used the old name of the centre (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development) in her own manipulated result sheet.

In Ejikeme Joy Mmesomas submission, she owned up in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by the JAMB officials was a true and correct description of what transpired. She also admitted to have given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using same phone Airtel Number.

According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafe (Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi) where she printed the results she had manipulated.

The Committee tried to find out the motive behind her action, but Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma said NOTHING. In their own submissions, the Principal Anglican Girls Secondary school, Uruagu Nnewi, and the Education Secretary-Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed shock at what transpired where in their presence, Mmesoma admitted to have manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the State Government.

COMMITTEES FINDINGS

1. The results released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) with respect to the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249

2. The results paraded by Epheme Joy Mmesoma with aggregate score of 362 is fake as buttressed by the very significant and instructive variations In the registration number, date of birth centre name and other Infractions to Mimesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone.

The Principal Anglican Girls Secondary School-Mrs. Edu Uche and the Education Secretary, Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed dismay at the conduct of Epkeme Jay Mmesoma

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. That Elikeme Joy Mmesoma tenders an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (AMB), the School (Anglican Girls Secondary School, Uruagu Nnew) and the Anambra State Government. This should be done immediately.

2. Elikeme Joy Mmesoma should undergo a psychological counselling and therapy

3. All prospective candidates for JAMB Admission should adhere strictly to guidelines, processes and procedures of the examination body.

The Committee of Inquiry commends Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for their diligent handling of the matter and the information supplied about the interface with the candidate (see attached). We hope that this unearthing of the truth as we have discovered will go a long way in correcting the sentiments, misconceptions and deceptions that have been in the public domain.

CONCLUSION

Finally, we thank Mr. Governor for setting up this Committee, and, for the confidence reposed in the committee.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has demoted a commissioner of police over alleged abuse of office.

The identity of the affected commissioner was not divulged.

The PSC also approved the dismissal of three officers and the demotion of nine others.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Ikechukwu Ani, PSC spokesperson, said the three individuals dismissed were senior officers.

The PSC said the dismissal was over cases of misconduct and abuse of office.

Ani said the decisions were taken during the 21st plenary meeting of the commission presided over by Solomon Arase, PSC chairman.

The commission during the meeting also approved the compulsory retirement of an assistant commissioner and directed a refund of all entitlements wrongly paid to him, the statement reads.

It approved posthumous promotion of late Inspector Ifeanyi Oroke to the next rank of ASP 11 for acts of gallantry and reinstated one dismissed Inspector Augustina Oko to take effect from the date she was dismissed.

The commission also approved the punishment of severe reprimand on 16 officers and reprimand for another 18. It directed that letters of warning should be given to two other officers.

The commission also approved the appeal for adjustment on the date of promotion of Woke Iheanyi Kingsley to the rank of assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and reinstatement of Anaele Samuel Onuoha in compliance with a court judgment.
A renowned Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, on Saturday, volunteered to join any team raised to negotiate with bandits, to bring a lasting solution to incessant bandits attack in the country.

Sheikh Gumi spoke in an interview with Trust TV, on Saturday and expressed his readiness to join in the negotiation process if President Bola Tinubu requests his service to do so.

Gumi explained that he does not necessarily have to lead the negotiations but would gladly be part of any government-approved group that would be saddled with the responsibility to do so

He emphasized the need for a holistic approach that involves scholars, emirs, and professors working together to bring peace back to affected areas.

I dont have to lead it but I would volunteer myself to be part of it. Its not about leadership; its about a holistic package that addresses the issue.

We need the involvement of emirs, scholars, and university professors who have conducted extensive research on these matters. Lets all sit down together so that we can achieve peace and enable people to return to their farms, Sheikh Gumi said

Recall that the former Zamfara governor, Senator Sani Yarima called for negotiations with bandits, as it was done with Niger Delta militants.

Gumi who welcomed the calls noted that the lack of synergy among security agencies has hindered the fight against insecurity in the country.
Early this month, Minister of Education Reda Hegazi announced the adoption of yet new procedures for the Thanaweya Amma, or 12th grade high school exams.

The exam paper has been modified so that 85 per cent of the exam will consist of multiple choice questions (MCQ) while 15 per cent will be essay questions, unlike last year when the entire exam was MCQ.

Thanaweya Amma exams, a series of standardised tests that complete secondary education and enable entry into universities, will kick off this year on 12 June and will last until 15 July. For more than a month around 700,000 Thanaweya Amma students will sit for their exams.

The ministry, according to Hegazi, will adhere to examination specifications: 30 per cent of the questions will be for below average students, 40 per cent for those considered average, and the remaining 30 per cent for those deemed clever students.

We have reviewed all the problems of the past years which students faced while sitting for their exams. Accordingly, 5,000 teachers have been trained at the central level and almost 41,000 in the countrys governorates on the methods and techniques of formulating exam questions. The questions are to be in accordance with the ministrys programme of evaluation for secondary schools, Hegazi said.

Ministry of Education Spokesman Shadi Zalata said the ministry had adopted new security measures related to answer sheets. More than one barcode will be placed on a students bubble sheet which will include his or her data, as well as that of the answer sheets for essay questions, Zalata said.

This will be useful for students who want to complain about any of their grades. In case of complaints, students will be provided with a copy of their bubble sheet and essay answer sheets, explained Zalata.

Zalata noted that the formatting of the exam will make it easier for students to see the questions. After every 10 questions in the bubble sheet exams there will be an empty space to prevent students from making mistakes or missing questions. This was a very common mistake; hundreds of students were missing several questions as the sheet was condensed with questions without any separation, Zalata said.

He pointed out that during the exams, each student will receive rubric sheets for each subject. The sheets will guide them during the exam as they contain the major rules and equations which the students were studying throughout the year, said Zalata, adding that the ministry finished enhancing question banks to train students on the questions they should expect during the exams.

According to Zalata, questions will be straightforward. Options in the MCQ will be clear and only one correct answer will be among the choices. Unlike past years, MCQ answers were all viable and students were asked to pick the best option.

He said there will be no experimental exams this year for Thanaweya Amma students. School teachers will have to practise with students on the questions from the question banks. This will be more than enough training for students.

He added that the ministry came up with a number of strict procedures to ensure that students would sit for their exams at schools without cheating. Classrooms where students will be sitting for their exams will be monitored by surveillance cameras, Zalata said.

Regarding the grading system, Zalata said the minister confirmed that answers will be corrected electronically, especially the multiple choice section. Essay answers will be graded according to a tablet-based rubric in which two teachers will be correcting each question to ensure accuracy. If the evaluation of both teachers differs by more than half a grade, a third teacher would be assigned to check it.

Model answers will also be reviewed before electronic marking starts, said Zalata, adding that a simulation of electronic corrections will be performed more than once before the beginning of the exams to ensure the systems efficiency. The minister has instructed the formation of a committee comprising 10 experts to revise samples of student answers before starting the electronic marking for each subject to ensure they adhere to the established standards, explained Zalata.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 May, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Jaiye Kuti, the actress, has taken a swipe at colleagues in the Yoruba film industry who come on social media to solicit financial support.

It was earlier reported that Iya Gbonkan, a veteran actress, was gifted a car and nearly N5 million after her public plea for help.

Other elderly actors like Pariolodo, Lalude, and Baba Alapini similarly solicited financial aid.

In a video shared via Instagram on Saturday, Kuti expressed displeasure at the trend.

She accused her colleagues of tarnishing the reputation of the Yoruba film industry.

Jaiye Kuti said actors should stop begging for money on but adopt the habit of saving up to prepare for their future.

It is good to be good but for people who dont prepare for their future, what do they expect to happen? When people see us, they see us as dirty people just because some people did not prepare for their future, she said.

Instagram is not a place for people to beg other people for money. If we want to help each other, we can use the media to help people. But Yoruba actors should not turn it into something else.

Some have four wives yet youre saying the job does not pay because you want people out there to help you. People now disgrace Yoruba actors just because some people keep begging for money on social media.

Why are we tarnishing our own image? If you know what some people did with their lives in their younger years, you wont even help them in their old age. People should work for their future.

Since we already know that theres no pension in the acting profession, make use of insurance and save money every month. You create your pension plan yourself. What is the business of TAMPAN with a sick actor?

Everybody needs money and we are all struggling. Dont turn the Yoruba film industry into a house for beggars.




President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Bissau, the capital of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, for the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).





Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, disclosed this on Saturday evening in a statement.





Tinubu also visited Nigerian troops stationed in Guinea-Bissau.





Accordingly, the 63rd Ordinary Session Summit, which will open on Sunday, July 9, 2023, will be the first international engagement of the President within the continent since his inauguration.





The 16 regional leaders are expected to address memoranda on several issues facing the continent, including implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the Report on the Transition status in the Republics of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.





Other matters are memoranda on the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme and the Report on Obstacles to Free Movement of Goods on the Abidjan- Lagos corridor.





During his visit to the Nigerian Troops, the President expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the soldiers and their Commander, General Al-Hassan Grema, for their dedication and service to Nigeria and their host country, adding that Nigeria would continue to support democracy in West Africa and worldwide.





I am here to show solidarity with you. I want to assure you we are committed to supporting peace and democracy in West Africa and worldwide.





Nigeria is a giant that has made its mark in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and other places. We count on your support for the defence of constitutional order. I heard your allowances have been paid up to date. Nothing else should make you angry. We will continue to build a virile force.





We are proud of you. Proud of your loyalty. Nigeria depends on you. There will be peace and progress in our country, he said.
Kanayo O Kanayo had some rather unusual words to tell his son who is relocating to the US.

The veteran actor publicly spoke his prayer lines before the young man, sharing a video of this on social media.

In his prayers, Kanayo asked that his son upholds the values he has been taught and continues to be a he.

Kanayo also prayed that his son would focus on academic achievements and be steadfast in his religion.

America will be proud of you. Your achievements will cause America to celebrate you, said the actor.

You will imbibe the good of the land and eat the good therefrom.

You will continue to be a HE from Ezinihitte Mbaise in Nigeria. Your focus shall be on your books and job not on tattoos.

May you never depart from your upbringing. Do not forget God.

Kanayo O Kanayo was not explicit on what he meant by remaining a he.

But there are concerns among parents of young African immigrants who see the LGBTQ movement as a social contagion.

LGBTQ rights in the United States rank among the highest in the world.

Public opinion and jurisprudence have increasingly become accommodating of queer people since the late 80s.

Born Anayo Modestus Onyekwere, Kanayo O Kanayo hails from Mbaise in Imo state.

The veteran actor, who is also now a lawyer, is married to Nneka Onyekwere whom he wedded in 1999.

Their union has had four children, including Uloaku Valerie, Kosisochukwu Montell, Einstein, and Clinton.
The fire aboard a cargo ship in Port Newark Wednesday night  which killed two veteran Newark firefighters and injured five others  is contained, but not entirely extinguished, authorities announced Saturday evening.

And two Newark fire captains injured fighting the blaze have also been released from hospitals.

The fire is contained on the 11th deck of the Grande Costa DAvorio ship and is no longer spreading to other areas, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a unified command statement. Dewatering operations continue on the lower decks and the ship has been further stabilized.

The 692-foot vessel will continue to list, or tilt, between one and two degrees to the starboard, or right side, as a way to accelerate the dewatering process, the agency said.

Capt. Zeita Merchant, the captain of the port of New York and New Jersey and the federal on-scene coordinator, said responders made considerable progress overnight. There is still significant work to do, and challenges ahead as we get closer to an end state, but the ability for agencies at all levels to work together in our response is a testament to our shared commitment and singular vision to ensuring the responders, the community, and the port remains safe, Merchant said in a statement.

Officials initially expected the fire to burn for several more days. But, by Saturday afternoon, there was no water seen being poured onto the ship and no evident smoke. On Friday, smoke from the blaze could be smelled as far away as the Meadowlands.

The cause of the fire, which will be investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as state and local authorities, remains unknown.

The Coast Guard created a unified response to the incident, which also consist of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Newark Fire Department and Gallagher Marine Systems, the vessels incident management team.

In their latest statement, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage said two city fire captains have been release from the hospital. About another, he said: The Newark Fire Captain who suffered burns from water accumulated on the cargo ships floor is reportedly in stable condition and will complete his recovery at home.

Newark firefighters Augusto Augie Acabou, 45, and Wayne Bear Brooks Jr., 49, died in the blaze.

An Elizabeth firefighter, Warren White, walked out of a hospital Friday evening.

The statement said authorities continue to monitor air quality, around the vessel and in the surrounding area, and more devices are being deployed. air quality in the area continues to be monitored. No detections above hazardous levels in the surrounding areas have been observed since the monitoring began on July 6th at 9pm, the statement said.

The statement said residents concerned about air quality can monitor levels via: the New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency air monitoring site: nj.gov/dep/airmon/ or AirNow.gov. (The AirNow site reported the zip code of the fire, 07114, as moderate air quality as of 6 p.m. Saturday.)

As for water in the area, the statement said they see no visible pollution or sheen in the ports water, but it is discolored from soot. Water samples were collected on Friday and test results from those samples are expected to be returned within 48 hours.

Public and responder safety remain a top priority for the Unified Command and even thought the progress made on fire suppression on the vessel is a significant victory, we will continue to deploy air and water monitoring resources, Kevin S. Perry, vice president of emergency response at Gallagher Marine Systems said in the statement.

This combo of undated images released by Newark, N.J., Department of Public Safety show Newark firefighters Augusto Acabou, left, and Wayne Brooks Jr. Newark Fire Chief Rufus Jackson says the two firefighters were killed and five others injured battling a blaze inside a docked cargo ship carrying more than a thousand vehicles at Port Newark, N.J., Wednesday night, July 5, 2023. (Newark Department of Public Safety via AP)Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media

The two firefighters who lost their lives, Acabou and Brooks, were both trapped in the fire, which was reported about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening aboard the hulking ship, where crew members and stevedores at the time had been loading vehicles for the Africa-bound ship.

Owners of the Italian-flagged DAvorio said there had been over 1,200 vehicles and 157 cargo containers on board. They said there were no electric cars nor hazardous cargo on board. The vessel is 47,232 gross tons and 692 feet long.

The tragedy, meanwhile, sparked pointed and growing questions, even from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, about how prepared the citys fire department had been to battle a shipboard fire, something that they had not trained for, he said.

Newark officials said the fire got out of hand because the initial efforts to contain it were begun with small diameter hoses that could not bring enough water to the decks where the fire was already raging.

A firefighters union official said while they took over the 1-inch diameter hoses that were already laid down, they did not have the volume or pressure needed to adequately push back the fire because those hoses were too small.

However, there is a possibility Newarks larger 2.5-inch hose lines would not connect to the equipment on the European-built ship, according to reporting in The New York Times.

That is currently a part of our investigation, Capt. Merchant said, when asked to confirm the discrepancy in the fire hose connection on Friday.

We cant confirm that at this point in time, but its a part of what were looking at in the investigation and that information will come out, said Merchant said.

Our thoughts are with Newark Fire Department, our partner agencies and the families of the firefighters lost during this response, Merchant said.

While the city initially said a fire brigade was launched by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the ports of New York Harbor, the agency said that was not the case.

The Port Authority said that at all non-airport facilities, firefighting is handled by the local municipality with jurisdictional responsibility. The Port Authority provides support and assistance in these efforts including regular classroom and on-site shipboard orientation training to fire department personnel and first responders, said a spokeswoman.

When the fire broke out Wednesday, firefighters from Hudson, Union, Essex, and Bergen counties provided mutual aid as the massive ship burned next to the dock through the night, authorities said. A New York Fire Department spokesman said four special operation units also responded, including a rescue squad and the citys marine units.

In the aftermath, the Port Authority would consider creating its own firefighting team for Port Newark, said Beth Rooney, port director with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, who said, everything is on the table for consideration.

As dangerous as it can be to work at the port, where heavy machinery often leads to fatal accidents each year, industry officials believed it was the the first shipboard fire there of any significance in decades, according to John Nardi, president of the Shipping Association of New York and New Jersey, the ports main trade group.

27 1 / 27 Two Newark firefighters killed battling ship fire

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Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
Once the cornerstone for racial desegregation in Jersey City, McNair Academic High School may change its admission policies now that the Supreme Court has struck down affirmative action at colleges and universities.

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts recent decision on affirmative action, the Jersey City Board of Education will revisit plans to change the current admission procedures for its magnet programs that include Infinity Institute and McNair, which reserve 25% of the openings each year for Black students, 25% White, 25% Hispanic and 25% other.

In a 6-3 court decision, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to affirmative action in university admissions after ruling that Harvard and the University of North Carolina (UNC) violated the 14th Amendments equal protection clause when considering race in student applications.

Board President Natalia Ioffe told The Jersey Journal she would like to at least make available a clear path for kids to get into the districts magnet programs, which are some of the best in the state. She said at affluent schools the process is easily passed on by word of mouth, to which parents in the less affluent schools likely dont have the same access.

If we make the admission criteria as transparent and as accessible as possible that will go a long way in ensuring all families  truly have that access, Ioffe said. We would like to avoid any kind of lawsuits  I think it is also very important to look at it in a nuisance way, this decision pertains to higher education  However that is not to say it wont apply to us and we are just going to ignore it.

Some of the feedback we have received from parents in understanding the exact criteria (to get into magnet programs)  there is still a lot of ambiguity.

Ioffe added that while the discussion will likely take place at the next meeting, as with most legal issues, it will be discussed in a closed session meeting before it comes to the public. The next board meeting isnt scheduled until Aug. 24, but special meetings are occasionally held in July.

In 2021, the BOE planned to drastically alter admission policies and procedures at Infinity and McNair, which would have taken effect with the class of 2026. The board held one of two meetings but eventually put the process on hold because two cases heading to the Supreme Court.

Former Board President Mussab Ali warns that the district needs to get ahead of revising the policy before someone files a lawsuit and forces their hand. Ali, a recent Harvard University Law School graduate, led the school board when proposing the initial changes to admission policies at McNair and Infinity from a race-based selection process to one based on socioeconomic diversity.

I believe there is a level of affirmative action that takes place, and I think it would be prudent for the district to sort of reevaluate it in light of this case, Ali, a McNair graduate, said. We are opening up ourselves to litigation very directly if we dont address the fact this case is going to impact the way McNair and Infinity do admissions.

We should have a plan in place to keep this school as diverse as possible because the alternative is if someone files a lawsuit then this school may lose all or most of its diversity.

Ali added there is a line of cases that coincide against using race as part of admissions in schools including Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District. In the 2007 case, the Supreme Court held that Seattle school districts denied students equal protection by classifying students by race and relying on it in school assignments.

But Superintendent Norma Fernandez disagrees with Ali as the Supreme Court decision at this time, it does not address the legality of such policies in K-12 public schools throughout the country.

Nevertheless, please be advised that we continue to review our admissions practices to ensure that the JCPS provides access for all students based upon the NJDOEs mandates about diversity, equity, and inclusion for all students regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual and gender identities, mental and physical abilities and religious beliefs, Fernandez said.
ENHYPEN are ready to embark on their second world tour.

The K-pop group will head out on their FATE tour in the U.S. beginning Oct. 6 in Los Angeles and wrapping up Oct. 22 in Chicago.

While on tour, the group will play two New Jersey concerts at Prudential Center in Newark on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19.

Tickets go on sale on Ticketmaster on July 19 at 3 p.m, but K-pop fans can already find tickets on the secondary market, including StubHub, Vivid Seats and TicketCity.

First-time Vivid Seats users can save $20 on ticket orders over $200 by entering promo code NJ20 at checkout.

A complete list of ENHYPENs tour dates is available here.

More massive K-pop tours in 2023

ENHYPEN is not the only K-pop group heading out on tour this year.

Here are a few more upcoming tours and events you wont want to miss.

RELATED STORIES ABOUT LIVE EVENTS:

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Taylor Swift tour 2023: Full schedule, dates, where to buy tickets

The biggest K-pop tours and festivals in 2023: Dates, tickets, venues

Billy Joel ends 10-year MSG residency in 2024: How to secure tickets

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Burlington County just got a new, unusual resident  a 20-foot troll named Big Rusty.

The troll, made entirely from trash and recycled materials, is a sculpture created by renowned, Denmark-based sustainable art creator Thomas Dambo and his team of about 12 people.

Last week, Dambos team and local volunteers completed the sculpture, located off Route 38 in Hainesport Township near South Branch Rancocas Creek.

The sustainable sculpture sits in front of the same abandoned pottery factory that it was born from, Dambo said.

Thousands of different recycled remnants from the building, including 100-square-meters of rusty metal roofing, a plywood attic, concrete walls and old pallets were used to bring Big Rusty to life, he said.

New Jerseys new troll is part of Dambos Way of the Bird King sculpture series, where he and his team of about 20 builders and local volunteers will install ten different trolls in locations across the state.

I hope that this will leave a meaningful (impact) that will encourage people to come out and hike a little bit around in nature and find some beautiful art and remember that together we can think big and make things happen with our trash, Dambo said while traveling in an RV on his was to his next destination  Michigan.

The Way of the Bird King series has a story that starts in South Jersey with Big Rusty, as its the first of the ten trolls that will be installed by Dambo and his volunteers in only 100 days.

All the trolls have their own individual stories that connect to a bigger message rooted in fostering a greater sense of environmental responsibility within people, Dambo said.

In the tale behind the project, a main character troll travels through different islands, or towns around the country, setting out to figure out why the waterways have been murky, the artist said.

The troll first lands in Hainesport where it encounters a big monster troll named Big Rusty, who grows larger with the more trash it eats.

The main character then asks, how large will Big Rusty grow, Rambo said.

Itll continue growing forever because theres so much trash, he said.

After the interaction, the troll runs off into the forest until it encounters the next troll monster in Vermont, the story goes.

Though this is the first time the Copenhagen-based artist has started an art installation series in the U.S., he has created over 100 other troll sculptures around the world.

I use my sculptures to draw people out to go and explore the local area where they are and to find something a little bit adventurous there, Dambo said.

The coordinates for Big Rustys location are (39.9762330,-74.8264650), according to officials.

Hainesport Township, which recommended the location for the project because the pottery factory that was previously there had been abandoned for several years, plans to turn the property into a park, according to Dambo.

The township recently gated the location off but will reopen it on July 17, once they clean the area up, a spokesperson for the Way of the Bird King series said.

Theres a river behind the factory and some nice graffiti and stuff on the factory and I think its a good little, Sunday afternoon adventure for people, Dambo said.

Map of Thomas Dambo's Way of the Bird King" troll sculpture series.

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As the fire grew on Wednesday night, Deck 10 was turning deadly.

Inside the tight confines of the Grande Costa dAvorio, it would have been dark inside the large ship with heavy black smoke from the fire filling low-ceiling compartments making it all-but-impossible to see anything, say marine safety experts. Cars, trucks and other vehicles would typically have been packed tightly together, the lashings that held them fast to the decks an unseen obstacle course. And those experts say it would have already been unbearably hot with the heat quickly building as it reflected off the steel walls of the vessel.

Before the night was over, two veteran Newark firefighters missing in the inferno  Augusto Augie Acabou, 45, and Wayne Bear Brooks Jr., 49  would lose their way and ultimately their lives amid tragic mayday calls over the radio. Five others were injured, sparking growing questions in the aftermath about the preparedness and training of a department that is seldom called upon to handle major fires on the waterfront.

While the U.S. Coast Guard along with the National Transportation Safety Board and state and local agencies are investigating a fire that still continues to burn, there is already talk of change.

At this point, all federal agencies  state, local levels, in addition to the owners of the vessels  will be working closely together to identify the root cause of the fire and the subsequent fatalities to prevent similar incidents from ever happening again, said Capt. Zeita Merchant, captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey and commander of Coast Guard Sector New York.

The Coast Guard, which has a fire task force that comes together to train on a regular basis, would not be more specific about the frequency of that training, other than to say it occurs regularly.

We will continue to do that training, but that is part of what we do and we oversee on a regular basis here in the port, Merchant said.

Port Authority officials, meanwhile, indicate they are now considering creating their own fire department for the ports, which include the regions piers and marine terminals in Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Staten Island and Brooklyn.

Newark authorities have said little about the decision to put firefighters into the ship, and no one has said if there may have been anyone on the ship when firefighters arrived.

Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage disclosed that the city currently has an agreement with the Port Authority regarding how the city responds to fires at Port Newark. Going forward, he said they were scheduling additional training regarding such incidents.

Yet a cargo ship fire is a very complicated and risky endeavor, said Capt. Morgan McManus, who has sailed aboard tankers and drill ships, carried ordinance for the U.S. Navy throughout the Pacific, and now serves as master of the training ship Empire State at State University of New York Maritime College in New York City.

Its daunting, he said. Its extremely difficult.

While most ship fires that occur within any port are typically handled by local fire departments, he said such incidents  in part because they are so rare  represent a whole different world for those who typically rush into burning houses and tall buildings to battle the flames.

Its a foreign environment for shore-based firefighters, explained McManus of shipboard fires such as the blaze that continues to burn through the Grande Costa dAvorio.

At the same time, he called it a hazardous place that warranted the current decision to keep firefighters off the boat and continue to pump water on board in an effort to eventually contain it.

If I can avoid putting a human in that situation, Im going to use the tools I have, he said. You dont risk life to put it out. You contain it and let it smolder.

Making the fight even more challenging was the nature of the fire that began on Wednesday night in New Jersey while the ship was tied up in Port Newark, fueled by more than 1,000 cars, trucks and other vehicles on board that throughout the past several days have erupted in explosive fireballs.

Car fires are tough to fight, according to McManus, conjuring up the frequent sight of a vehicle burning alongside the New Jersey Turnpike, often with smoke pouring from the engine compartment.

Now put that in your garage, he said.

The Grande Costa dAvorio was a massive sea-going garage with at least 12 decks. Known as a RORO vessel (for roll-on-roll off), the ship was designed like a ferry to carry wheeled cargo such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. Vehicles are driven under their own power up ramps within the ship, which is configured like a giant parking deck, and then secured to the decks for transport.

Grimaldi Deep Sea, the Italian operator of the ship, said a loading operation was underway when the fire started on Deck 10. The crew of the vessel immediately activated the on-board fire suppression procedures while the local firefighting service were alerted, the Naples-based company said in a statement.

McManus said vessels loaded onto a RORO ship typically have just a small amount of gasoline in their fuel tanks  just enough to drive on and off. When underway, all of the ships compartments, hatches and watertight doors are sealed, helping contain any possible fires at sea. They are also equipped with fire suppression systems.

Cars aboard the ship were fueling that blaze that continued to burn. Jeff Rhode | For NJ Advance Medi

You dont have the staffing at sea to combat a long-term fire, he explained. You contain it and cool it.

In port, however, all those fire barriers are open in order to move cargo. And that meant there was little to stop the fires spread on Wednesday night.

State Fire Marshal Richard Mikutsky, who directs the state Division of Fire Safety, called marine firefighting unarguably one of the most challenging of all firefighter disciplines.

Large commercial vessels have been compared to that of a high-rise building laying on its side, with most of its structure being in the basement levels, he said. A container vessel may have an internal depth of as many as seven stories, with access through an entry point in the hull below the uppermost decks, near the water level. That alone gives great concern to first responders.

Above the access, there can be levels consisting of up to eight decks.

Together, these decks make a structure equivalent to a building with nine aboveground and six below-grade stories, he said. As with buildings, commercial ships vary in design, materials and general layout, further complicating the fire attack.

Training is always key, said McManus, whose job is to train cadets seeking a career at sea.

But how do you train for the 1 in a 1,000 situation? he said of fire departments like Newark, which has not seen a major fire within the port in at least 40 years, according to industry officials. Its a different world for them.

Shipboard fires at ports are exceptionally rare, said Shawn Balcomb, a spokesman for the Washington-based American Association of Port Authorities.

Most port authorities do not have dedicated fire departments, but instead work closely with local authorities and coast guard offices to train and prepare for emergencies, he said.

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, adjacent to one another on Southern Californias San Pedro Bay, are the biggest ports in the country, but neither have fire departments of their own.

We dont have our own force, but we pay for and work closely with LA Fire, said Phillip Sanfield, a Port of Los Angeles spokesperson. Lee Peterson, a Port of Long Beach spokesperson, said, the Long Beach Fire Department has several stations in the Port of Long Beach including two fire boat stations.

The Fire Department of New York, which has specialized rescue and marine response units and multiple fireboats  which continue to pour water on the cargo ship in Port Newark  trains repeatedly for shipboard disasters. That training includes a ship fire simulator on Randalls Island.

Still, Gordon Lorenson of Donjon Marine, a salvage company assisting with the fire, said shipboard fires are unique from one event to the next and can change.

You can do all the training in the world and youre going to find something youve never seen before, he said.

__

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Staff writers Jackie Roman and Steve Strunsky contributed to this report.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL.
The Paterson Museum has opened a new exhibit, and its all about what New Jerseyans love most: diners.

Its the hub of the community. Its a place where you make memories and relive the memories, said Michael Gabriele, the author of The History of Diners in New Jersey and the exhibits co-curator.

Gabriele calls New Jersey the Diner Capital of the World for two reasons: the sheer number of its diners and the fact that many of the major U.S. diner manufacturers were based in the state, too. New Jersey has about 500 diners  more than any other state in America.

But, its the culture of diners that Gabriele and Heather Garside, the Paterson Museums curator of history, sought to display at the new exhibit, Orders Up!

I just wanted to have a chance to sort of revisit the diners in Paterson, Garside said. Everybody felt very emotional about Libbys in particular, being the kind of the end of an era.

The exhibit presents materials from diners in New Jersey that have since closed, including Libby's Lunch in Paterson.Chris Krusberg | For NJ Advance Media

The exhibit will be on display from Saturday through Sept. 24 in the Paterson Museums Hannah Memorial Gallery.

More New Jersey diners have closed since the pandemic caused a financial strain on many, Gabriele said. But, to him, the culture of diners is generational and will continue on for years to come.

Your grandfather went to the diner. Your father went to the diner. They took you to the diner when you were a kid. You went there on your first date in high school. You meet your friends there after 25 years, Gabriele said. Where else are you going to meet? At a diner.

Co-Curators of the history of New Jersey diners exhibit Michael Gabriele and Heather Garside pose in Paterson, New Jersey on Tuesday, July 6, 2023. Chris Krusberg | For NJ Advance Media

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Various potential candidates for president have offered their plans for breaking up the Mexican drug cartels. But Gov. Phil Murphy has set himself a far more difficult task  breaking up the New Jersey liquor cartel.

The dictionary defines a cartel as an association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition.

Thats our liquor-license lobby.

Last week, Murphy unveiled an unusual tactic for taking on the cartel:

He did nothing.

His inaction came after both houses of the Legislature unanimously passed a bill that would make some common-sense reforms in how the state regulates approximately 150 microbreweries.

Murphy was expected to sign it into law. Instead the governor had the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control issue a directive that suspends until Dec. 31 the enforcement of the onerous rules for microbreweries that prompted the bill in the first place.

That raised the question of whether he was going to sign the bill. Later in the week a reporter asked him that.

No news to make on this, Murphy said. The ABC gives at least temporary relief on most of the questions the brewers had on this for the next six months. But I still want comprehensive, broad-based license reform and I want that to be a part of it.

No news? That was plenty of news. Murphy was making it clear that hes not going to accept piecemeal reforms. He wants an all-or nothing package of liquor-license reforms to go through the Legislature.

Why? Perhaps hes thinking of a run for president in the event that job falls open. Liquor-license reform would fit in with the image hes trying to create as a blue-state politician who can deliver economic growth.

People from other states think our ban on selling beer and wine in supermarkets is as strange as our ban on self-serve gas.

Or perhaps its because hes a well-traveled man who has seen how this sort of thing works in other states and even other countries.

Germany is a good example. Murphy spent years there with Goldman Sachs and also as U.S. ambassador. He had to notice that you can get a cold Bavarian lager with your doppelburger at McDonalds.

It must be strange to return from a place like that to a place where someone who wants to sell you a beer first has to pay a million bucks or so to the cartel for a license.

That is the point on which the cartels arguments fall apart. The many Trenton politicians controlled by the cartel love to argue that the state must compensate current license-holders if the market is opened up to competition.

No, it shouldnt. That compensation would come out of the state Treasury. But the million dollars the buyer paid for the license did not go into the state Treasury. It went to some fellow cartel member.

Why should either be compensated with your tax dollars?

Thats a good question, but Eric Orlando of the Brewers Guild of New Jersey would prefer that the craft brewers not be in the middle of the fight for an answer.

Can we just get this signed? Orlando asked. Or are we back in the mix where we have to be part of broader reform?

I sympathize. But I can see why the Guvs throwing the brewers back in the mix. Hell need all the support he can get in this fight. All 120 members of the Legislature are on the ballot this November and many can get campaign cash from the cartel. What can the governor give them?

If I were in his shoes, Id try the courts instead. In a 2010 case in which the license holders sued to stop the state from issuing new licenses for the Meadowlands complex, a New Jersey appellate court ruled that a desire to protect other businesses from economic competition is an impermissible consideration.

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And then theres the U.S. Supreme Court. Lately theres been a trend among the justices toward supporting individual economic rights.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court took up the case of a couple who were denied a liquor license in Tennessee on the grounds they had not been residents of that state long enough to qualify.

Writing for the 7-2 majority, Samuel Alito sided with the couple, stating that federal law is not a license to impose all manner of protectionist restrictions on commerce in alcoholic beverages.

The protectionist restrictions on commerce are a lot worse in Alitos old home town of Trenton.

If I were the governor, Id have my attorney general point that out to the cartel.

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Paul Mulshine may be reached at pmulshine@starledger.com.

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Egypt received a record-breaking 1.35 million tourists in April 2023, marking a significant milestone for the countrys tourism sector that has been recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The figures were provided by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa during a signing ceremony on Monday between Akam Alrajhi Developments and the IHG Group to manage a hotel in the Egyptian North Coast region.

The minister noted that the country expects a total of 15 million tourists in 2023  a figure which, if met, would break the 14.7 million record set in 2010.

Egypt, Issa said, aims to attract 30 million tourists per year by 2028, which comes in line with the country's National Tourism Strategys increase of 25-30 percent annually.

However, Issa previously indicated in January before the Senate that Egypt currently has the capacity to accommodate only 15 million tourists.

Hence, the country has been working to increase hotel capacity by 500,000 rooms, the minister said in Mondays speech.

The minister further thanked attendees for their efforts in this regard, asserting that Egypt is worthy of being the number one tourism destination in the world, pointing to its "diverse and unique tourist sites as well as archaeological potential."

Tourism bouncing back

The tourism sector is particularly important for Egypt, as it as an important source of hard currency for the country amid a shortage due to global economic shocks caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the Ukraine war.

The pandemic caused tourism arrivals in Egypt to drop to 3.7 million in 2020.The Russia-Ukraine war was also damaging for Egypt, as both countries had been among the main exporters of tourists to Egypt in recent years.

However, the industry has bounced back despite the war, receiving approximately 11.7 million tourists in 2022, a 46 percent increase over the eight million arrivals in 2021.

Tourism revenues in Egypt, according to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), amounted to $4.1 billion for the months of January through October 2022, an increase of 43.5 percent compared to the same period of last year.

This has been achieved due to the efforts Egypt's efforts to revitalize the tourism sector.

Egypt targets EGP 7.4 billion (about $239.4 million) in tourism investment in the current fiscal year, which ends in June, a 19.4 percent increase over the previous year, according to previous remarks by the Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said.

Egypt has also recently eased visa rules for visitors from China, Iran, India, Turkey, Morocco and Algeria to stimulate the tourism industry.

This came after the ministry announced in January that 180 nationalities can obtain tourist visas on arrival to Egypt provided they have a valid and used visa on their passports for either the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Japan, or the Schengen countries.

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A longer version of this letter was sent to the Merck & Co. Inc. board of directors:

I recently read of the boards response (Merck sues U.S., calling move to cut drug prices extortion ) to our federal government finally moving to allow Medicare, its largest customer, to negotiate prescription-drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

Now, if that same government had not built many of the roads and airports that Merck uses to transport its products, if it had not educated much of the companys workforce, if it had not supplied Merck and other drug makers with massive tax breaks and deductions, I could see where Merck might endeavor to attack the governments attempt to make certain essential products affordable to Americans.

If Mercks profits in 2022 were not $14.5 billion, and it could not afford to sustain a possible 5% loss on $24 billion in sales of the blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda because of Medicare negotiations, I could see where it might want to push back on a plan that would help citizens of the country it has prospered in.

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Merck and its peers say that research and development into new drugs may be threatened by the governments plan, as when automakers said the cost of seatbelts would put them out of business, and restaurants and bars told us that no-smoking laws would hinder them. Yet, it seems that a little regulation often does more than a little good. Im not familiar with every detail of the government plan, but I dont see where negotiation can be construed as tantamount to extortion.

My father, Nathan Kirsch, helped build the success of Schering Corp. that eventually, as Schering-Plough, was merged into Merck. We as a family have prospered with the business, and continue to hold stock in it. As stakeholders, we would be happy to share our benefits with the users of the many medications Merck develops and sells.

What I am urging is simply a sharing of that success and profit, and for the directors to become leaders in setting an example for industry to pay its debt to society at large.

Philip Kirsch, Milburn

Cease prosecution of Julian Assange

Journalists often tell hard truths. It is the heart of their job, the reason that newspapers, broadcast media and, now, podcasts are so important: a democratic society needs an educated public.

Julian Assange published truthful information in the public interest. He needs our support against a U.S. government that would prefer to operate in secret, but publishing is not a crime, as has been clearly stated by such news outlets as The New York Times, Der Spiegel, LeMonde, El Pais, and The Guardian. Human rights, press freedom, and civil liberties groups have all condemned the prosecution of Assange, which would criminalize standard journalistic practices of news gathering and publishing.

We need all press outletsand all citizensto speak up in defense of the First Amendment in this case and in every case.

As a radio cohost on WBAI, I appreciate the importance of media being able to bring all voices to public attention; just because a news item is unpleasant, shows flaws or someone in a negative light, is not a reason to turn away. If we kill the messenger, we avoid the truth, and lose any possibility of improving a situation.

Time and again, whistleblowers have forced us to confront a damaging situation and improve our government. Media outlets need to join together to defend the right to publish, and all citizens must stand together with them.

End the prosecution of Julian Assange today!

Sally Gellert, Woodcliff Lake

Note: Assange is criminally charged in the United States with violating the Espionage Act; he is fighting extradition to America. The organization he founded, WikiLeaks, published thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

Good time for cops to ignore criminals

I was watching the news when it was reported that a police officer was convicted of, well, doing his job. He fired at a stolen vehicle, killing the driver of the car, which was fleeing the police and possibly trying to run them down.

There was a gun in the suspects car, and the car itself was a 2000-pound weapon.

My wife commented how she was happy that I was now a retired police officer. I had to correct her. It is a great time to be a cop.

Based on convictions like this one, police on patrol should realize that the message is: Dont do anything. Let the criminals go.

There is no reason to be proactive. Just wait until the crime occurs, then come in and make a report. Hope that, at some time, the criminals will be brought to justice without injuring the criminals.

My message to all my brother and sister officers: Dont put your life on the line for a system that doesnt care about you. Its philosophy seems to be Protect us, but dont hurt the criminals.

Unbelievable.

Paul Fernandez, Union

Censorship ruling absurd

I thank Tom Morans for his recent column (The worst censorship in American history? Thats just nuts) calling out the absurd court ruling against the Biden administrations communicating with social media companies.

Terry Doughy, the federal judge in Louisiana who made this ruling, must be living in a fantasy world. Hes a living example of the ignorance observed by the science writer Isaac Asimov in 1980: There is a cult of ignorance in the United States ... the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.

The plaintiffs filed suit because the administration asked social media companies to remove posts with misinformation about COVID-19, election fraud, etc. As always, the ultra-conservative faction believes in protecting its lies and suppressing the truth.

Dennis Mancl, Bridgewater

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Imagine that youre living in a condemned home, with rain pouring through the roof, mold in the walls, and a dangerous electrical system that throws out sparks every time you turn on the kitchen light.

Then one day, a benefactor offers you $1 million to build a spanking new home. Theres just one caveat: You cant move in until 2035.

That, folks, is where we stand on the Hudson River tunnel project. The $7 billion in federal aid announced last week is fantastic news, a game-changer. But the political dysfunction that has delayed this project by more than a decade means that we will be living in our broken-down shack for many years to come. The target to finish is 2035.

Give special thanks to Donald Trump and Chris Christie for that, with a nod to Andrew Its not my tunnel Cuomo.

This stuff is very old, and its all falling apart, says Tony Coscia, chairman of Amtrak, and a hero in this story. Were doing what we can, but were talking about something thats 110 years old.

So, what happens if it all does fall apart? The trains now travel through two ancient tubes, one for traffic moving west and the other east. Engineers warn that the tubes need an overhaul, that they must remove and replace everything -- the old rails, the bedding, the wiring, the signals  all of it old, and damaged by flooding during Sandy. The plan is to do that in 2035, when new tubes are up and running.

But what if we dont make it? What if the old shack were living in collapses before the new home is built?

Then were screwed. It would be Transit Armageddon.

If one of the tubes gives out, the traffic moving east and west will have to take turns, cutting capacity by 75 percent. That would send an army of commuters fleeing in a mad rush to overcrowded ferries and buses and cars. Economists warn that would choke the regional economy, and cause home values in New Jersey to plummet. Without easy access to Manhattan, our quality of life would take a blow, too.

So, lets all pray for the folks at Amtrak who keep patching up these tunnels at night and on weekends, as they are temporarily closed. Coscia estimates that has cost about $300 million over the last decade, and it drives him nuts, because its a huge waste of money -- like putting a new roof on that condemned house.

But what choice does he have? If someone calls me and says, Sorry, chairman, but we have to shut down the tunnel. I mean, I cant rule that out. I cant be 100 percent sure, Coscia says.

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Kris Kolluri, former Commissioner of Transportation in Trenton, is now managing the rail project as CEO of the Gateway Development Commission. Hes overjoyed, of course, but can hardly believe such an important project was delayed for so long, leaving us vulnerable.

We talk about five-year plans, and the Chinese talk about 50- and 100-year plans, he says. We are talking about fundamentally ensuring that the New Jersey-New York region maintains its economic and social primacy. Thats how I think about this.

So, who is to blame for this long delay? That has to start with Gov. Chris Christie, who cancelled an earlier version of this project in 2010, known as the ARC projects.

In his defense, Christie had valid beefs about the ARC project. It landed near Macys basement, while this one lands at Penn Station. It forced New Jersey to pay for all cost overruns, while this one shares that burden widely. It didnt allow Amtrak and NJ Transit trains to use the same rails and platforms interchangeably, while this one does.

But Christie didnt fix the ARC design. He walked away from the problem for years. He turned back $3 billion in federal aid, and he grabbed the money that Gov. Jon Corzine had set aside. He eventually came around to support this Gateway plan, but the initiative came from Amtrak and Coscia, not Christie.

Grabbing the money Corzine set aside for the project allowed Christie to fend off calls for a hike in the gas tax as he geared up for his 2016 presidential run. (He finally signed an increase in November of 2016, after he had been knocked out of the race.)

Christie spins all this with his customary vigor. We are the ones who proposed Gateway, he says, referring to his partner, Cuomo.

Give that one four Pinocchios. The proposal came from Amtrak. This episode ranks as one of Christies worst.

But if you are looking for a chief demon in this story, make it Donald Trump. He cost us four years, all because petty politics demanded that he stiff Sen. Charles Schumer, the Democratic leader and the chief patron of this project in Washington.

And if youre looking for a hero in this story, there are plenty, like Coscia and Kolluri, like our two senators, and our members of Congress from North Jersey. But most of all, give it up Amtrak Joe Biden, who won bipartisan support for the most ambitious infrastructure spending in half a century, which made this all possible.

With luck, the decrepit old rail tubes will hold up until 2035 when the new ones come on line. If so, then all sins can be forgiven.

More: Tom Moran columns

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Heres the most salient conclusion about Camden County Commission Director Lou Cappellis attention-grabbing comments about a recent Camden City shooting, in which he called Philadelphians thugs and gun-bearing freaks:

Agree, totally, with Cappellis sentiment and sense of outrage, but ask him to tone down his misinterpreted rhetoric.

Cappellis remarks came in reaction to the shooting of a 6-year old girl near Wiggins Park, during the citys July 4 fireworks. Two suspects were taken into custody, and at least one of the alleged shooters has ties to Philadelphia. County officials said the youngster was not the target; the altercation began with an argument among two groups of teens.

If you cant show anger over an innocent 6-year-old watching fireworks getting shot in the leg, you cant show anger over anything. Fortunately, this was not a fatality, and the child was recovering from her injuries at Cooper Medical Center.

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Lets repeat the most quoted paragraphs from Cappellis outburst, recorded by several news organizations:

We just want to send a clear message to the thugs and criminals and gun-bearing freaks over in Philadelphia who live in a society of lawlessness: we dont want you here.

Stay out of Camden. Stay out of Camden County. Stay out of New Jersey. Keep your barbaric behavior in Philadelphia.

Does anyone, on either side of the Delaware who is not a criminal or a troublemaker disagree with that? Really?

Yet, it took only a few hours for a Philadelphia City Council member to issue take extreme offense to what Cappelli had said.

After expressing hope for the victims speedy recovery, Katherine Gilmour Richardson stated, I am extremely appalled by the derogatory statements made earlier (Wednesday) by Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. A majority of the 1.59 million residents of Philadelphia are self-respecting, law-abiding citizens. To insinuate that ALL Philadelphians are thugs, criminals, and freaks simply because one of the suspects in a shooting has a tie to Philadelphia is completely unacceptable.

Go back and re-read Cappellis remarks, councilwoman. When did the commission director say that ALL Philadelphians are thugs, criminals or freaks? He didnt.

Secondly, if Richardson denies that there is a society of lawlessness pervading Philadelphia, her head has to be forcibly removed (figuratively) from the sand. It does take guts to react the way she did when, barely 48 hours earlier, a mass shooter killed five people and injured two others on a Southwest Philadelphia street.

Its also an insult to South Jersey that Richardsons call for Cappelli to apologize for generalized comments that Philadelphians are unwelcome in Camden or New Jersey offers a tinge of racism  as if Cappelli wants to build gates around some idyllic, lily-white suburb. Of course, Camden is not that. Its a minority majority city, just as Philadelphia is. Camden was once the poorest city in the country; Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate of Americas large cities. Camden, however, has managed to overcome its problems to the degree that its not the shooting gallery that Philadelphia has become.

Credit the Camden County Metro forces community policing, the responsiveness of county and local government and yes, the fact that Philadelphia and Pennsylvania have weak gun laws, and New Jerseys are strong. Thats no fault of Philadelphia City Council or Mayor Jim Kenney. Every time they try to exact stronger anti-gun proliferation measures, they get usurped by state courts that believe the Pennsylvania Legislature has ultimate control over weapons restrictions.

Its a shame Cappelli and Richardson are talking past each other in this interstate blame game. Cappelli knows that, by and large, Philadelphia has honest, law-abiding citizens. Richardson knows that Cappelli didnt disinvite all Philadelphians, just lawbreakers. The councilwoman is right to point out that their time would be better spent working together on solutions to gun violence.

Cappelli told PhillyVoice.com on Thursday that he doesnt regret anything hed said earlier last week. I would not change a word or modify anything related to my deep frustration with gun crime and an innocent 6-year-old having her life changed forever because her family simply wanted to come out to watch fireworks, he said.

Cappelli has nothing to apologize for. He should keep calling out the levels of lawlessness in Philadelphia that he does not want in New Jersey. Next time, though, he might exercise even more caution over how his remarks will be received across the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

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By Samantha Shane

In 2014, I met Juan Ouvina in a teacher preparation course at Montclair State University with other eager future teachers. Ouvina emerged as a leader in education through his countless hours of volunteer work and dedication to the field.

When speaking to Ouvina, he shares a common yet bleak perspective on how significant the teacher shortage is plaguing New Jersey school districts. Ouvina shared:

The substitute shortage has had a big impact on student learning. Many times because there arent enough substitutes, we combine classes. Students face a lot of learning loss and opportunities to extend their knowledge. We also have long-term substitutes that dont have the certifications. We need more teachers and that is evident.

The teacher shortage, exacerbated by the pandemic, has plagued our schools and negatively impacted our students. Standardized test scores showed 51.1% of students in the state were not meeting grade expectations in English Language Arts. JerseyCANs Workforce Report reported specialty area teachers, like teachers of English as a second language, math, and career and technical education teachers, have been in short supply for years.

Unfortunately, as a teacher, I see similar realities in my own district. Students are missing the opportunity to grapple with complex content, practice hands-on experiments or use quality feedback. Becoming a teacher was a lifelong dream and working with students as they found a new love of reading is what fueled my passion. However, as I began teaching, it was evident students cannot succeed without high-quality teachers. It is established that a teacher shortage exists but as a community, we need to take action now.

Our top priority is that we must create and support legislation that creates opportunities for diverse teachers to join the workforce, eliminates financial barriers for college students and incentivizes teachers to remain in the workforce.

Gov. Phil Murphy implemented a teacher shortage task force in fall 2022 with promises of an action plan and the task force recently revealed their recommendations. Some of these recommendations include establishing a teacher apprenticeship program, creating pipelines for students into teachers from middle school, and alleviating teacher licensing fees.

A new program, Grow Your Own, which is being piloted in a handful of schools, (Bill S3118) would incentivize students to return to their home districts to teach. This program could help increase teachers returning to their districts and alleviate staff shortages. Our vocational school districts can be a powerful place to start with this program.

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Bill S2317 is centered on establishing a competitive grant program to provide funding to recruit, train and place teachers in high-poverty school districts. Our students of color make up 56% of the states student population whereas only 16% of New Jersey teachers are of color according to the NJ Department of Education.

Bill A1612 advocates for loan redemption for science and math teachers through employment in public schools. Incentivizing loan forgiveness can recruit high-quality teachers to our public schools and help provide students with a strong background in math and science, fields that are important to future jobs.

Colleges and universities are additional avenues that can help combat the teacher shortage. The biggest barriers current students face in college and universities to become teachers are financial problems and testing. Nikki-James Soto is a current graduate student at Montclair State University. She received her bachelors degree last year and is currently a student teacher in an elementary school.

She is graduating with her degree, which will allow her to teach as a kindergarten through 6th-grade teacher who works with students with disabilities, she shared: After a full day at the school, we are working part-time jobs, odd jobs, and trying to count our pennies watching the savings we built up dwindle. All while not being allowed to take days off to get interviewed by possible employers, taking costly state tests, creating portfolios, resumes, and cover letters, and filling out lengthy applications for a possible call.

Our cooperating teachers receive a mere $550 for the eight months they teach us and allow us to make mistakes, try things and grow in their classrooms while our universities collect upward of $15,000 from us in the process. The high cost and lack of pay for student teaching detour creative, bright, and compassionate people from the profession. We want to inspire the inventors, and change-makers of tomorrow, but I think it is only fair if we are making some change of our own.

Future educators need to pay fees to take numerous tests like Praxis Core, Praxis subject-specific, and certification fees. Bill A5419 seeks to remove the requirement for educators to take and pass the Praxis Core. Removing this would help eliminate a financial barrier and remove an unnecessary step for future educators.

Bill A5420 supports future educators receiving a stipend while completing their clinical practice. Currently, aspiring educators work full-time as student teachers without being paid. These bills can help promote and incentivize prospective teachers. Student teachers deserve compensation for the time spent working in a school as many other internships and apprenticeship programs provide compensation.

As a parent, community member, or educator use your voice to advocate for increased measures in recruiting and retaining teachers. Write your local legislator to discuss the current state of schools and share stories about how teachers have impacted our students life is important. I strongly believe the power of stories and our voices can help make significant changes.

Provide support for a bill that is proposed so your local legislator can advocate for it. These bills are powerful in boosting the field of education and improving student learning. Demand more support for schools and teachers.

The importance of education remains essential in a world where students need to navigate a vast internet, changing political landscapes, and increased technology. We might risk losing quality teachers like Juan and future teachers like Nikki James if we dont act quickly to support our educators.

Samantha Shane is a teacher leader policy fellow at JerseyCAN and a teacher at Morris County School of Technology.

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NEW YORK  Of all the personal accolades that Yankees starter Gerrit Cole has accumulated in his illustrious career, the right-hander still hasnt started an All-Star Game or won a Cy Young Award.

He has a legitimate chance to check both of those off this year in pinstripes.

Cole has been spectacular to begin the 2023 campaign, finishing up his first half with 7 1/3 innings of three-run ball in a 6-3 win over the Cubs on Saturday afternoon. Hes among the top starters in the American League in every statistical category including ERA (2.85), wins (9), innings pitched (117) and strikeouts (123).

Its impossible to quantify what Cole has meant to the Yankees as well. The Yankees are 14-5 in games Cole has pitched so far this season. Theyre 35-36 in games started by anyone else. The right-hander has led his team to a victory in each of his eight starts this year that have come following a Yankees loss, snapping several modest losing streaks.

Hes been the epitome of an ace and a stopper, a rock that this club has leaned on routinely as their offense endures lengthy spells of ineffectiveness.

Pretty good, Cole said, assessing the first half. Couple of good months. Grinded a little bit through one of them. Gave us a chance to win almost every time out. Feel really good about that and feel like we have a good foundation going into the second half.

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Getting the start in the All-Star Game would be even more of a cherry on top for the right-hander, capping off a productive first half. You can certainly make the argument that Cole should steer clear from pitching in the Midsummer Classic  resting and tuning up for his next start  but that opportunity would hold some extra meaning to the five-time All-Star. Its clearly something hes been shooting for throughout his entire career.

Every time Ive made it, earlier in my career, theres been Hall of Famers starting that game, Cole said after Saturdays win. It would be a huge honor to represent this organization and all the hard work that everybody behind the scenes here has put in to culminating in the success that weve had so far in the first half.

Cole rattled off some memories of watching the likes of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw toe the slab in All-Star Games that hes been a part of.

Others, including Yankees manager Aaron Boone, view Cole in the same light as those all-time arms. The skipper said Cole is on a Hall of Fame trajectory before his outing on Saturday, explaining that the right-hander has actually been underrated and under appreciated this season.

If Cole doesnt get the nod to start on Tuesday in Seattle, odds are the honor will go to Rangers Nathan Eovaldi, Blue Jays Kevin Gausman or Astros Framber Valdez. Rays Shane McClanahan would be a front runner in that discussion as well, if not for a back injury that has him out through the All-Star break.

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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Egyptian citizens who are still in Sudan and are looking to evacuate the country to return home to use the Arqeen and Qustul border crossings to do so.

In a statement on Thursday, the foreign ministry noted that it has evacuated a large number of Egyptians who were in Sudan after the outbreak of armed conflict in the country in mid-April.

Those who remain in Sudan can contact 01283176894 for any inquiries 24/7, the foreign ministry said.

At least 10,000 Egyptians, including 5,000 students, were in Sudan at the outbreak of the current conflict.

More than 7,000 Egyptians have returned home from Sudan since the start of the conflict in the country, according to the latest official figures released by the Ministry of Emigration and Expatriates Affairs.

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When Mississippi environmental regulators checked the emissions of a large wood pellet mill operating a few miles from the Louisiana line, they found pollution levels two times higher than the legal limit.

In Louisiana, two mills nearly identical to the Gloster, Miss. mill operate under the same British owner and produce the same product with the same equipment. But whether these Louisiana mills, located in Bastrop and Urania, are also tainting the air with large quantities of formaldehyde, methanol and other chemicals is a question Louisianas environmental regulators cant answer.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality does not require testing for these pollutants, said Patrick Anderson, an attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project advocacy organization. But when Mississippi tested, they learned (the mill) was putting out 50 tons of hazardous air pollutants per year. That blows past the legal limit by almost two fold.
Egypt will launch its remote sensing microsatellite NExSat-1 from China by the end of this year, the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) has said.

In remarks to the official state news agency MENA posted on Friday, EgSA CEO Sherif Sedky said the satellite, which has a six-month lifespan, will be used for urban planning.

The microsatellite will be launched by November or December, Sedky said, adding that it arrived in China in May after completing mechanical and function tests in Germany.

The planned launch will follow the launch of the remote sensing satellite MisrSat-2 in October also from China, added Sedky.

Both satellites were originally scheduled to be launched last year.

NExSat-1 was assembled and tested at the EgSAs Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test Centre (AITC), said Haitham Medhat, head of the space communications and navigation department at the agency.

The centre is the first step to localizing satellite manufacturing in Egypt and eventually all of Africa, Medhat affirmed.

Built in cooperation with China, the centre was completed earlier this year.

The NexSat-1 is about 45 percent locally engineered, according to an earlier paper published by the EgSA.

The 65kg earth observation satellite NExSat-1 was built by the Egyptian National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) in collaboration with Berlin Space Technologies (BST), which won the tender to assist the NARSS in 2015.

The Egyptian satellite NExSat-1 shipped to Berlin. Linkedin/BST

MisrSat-2 was built by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), using a $92 million grant provided by China to fund it and another project.

The satellite will take images of Egyptian soil to help preserve the environment and conduct research.

Its planned launch comes on the heels of the launch in March of the Horus 2, Egypts second remote sensing satellite from China. The Horus 2 will monitor agricultural crops to improve the use of Egypt's natural resources and boost exports.

Egyptian satellites - A brief history



In 1998, Egypt became the first Arab country to launch a telecommunications satellite into space with the NileSat 101. It was followed by Nilesat 102 in 2000, which distributed hundreds of satellite TV channels.

In 2007, Egypt launched EgyptSat 1, which became the first Egyptian remote-sensing satellite. It was manufactured in cooperation between Egypts National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) and Ukraines Yuzhnoye State Design Office.

Egypts second remote-sensing satellite EgyptSat2 was launched in April 2014, but was lost in space in February 2015. Four years later, Egypt replaced it with EgyptSat A after launching it from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome, a spaceport in Kazakhstan leased to Russia.

In 2018, the EgSA was established.

In 2019, Egypt successfully launched the telecommunications satellite Tiba 1 into space after postponing the launch twice due to technical difficulties.

In June 2022, the Egyptian multi-purpose communications satellite Nilesat 301 was successfully launched on board of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to provide expanded broadband internet services covering Egypt.

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An evening of glitz, glamour and giving is being held at one of North Devons most historic homes in aid of the Over and Above.

The hospital charitys Late Summer Ball takes place at Tawstock Court near Barnstaple on September 16 and tickets are on sale now.

Guests will enjoy drinks, canapes and live music on the lawns with Miniature Violinist, Rebecca Balzani Barrow, before heading inside the recently renovated Georgian manor house for a two-course dinner.

The black-tie event, compered by local media personality Seth Conway, will also feature a live charity auction, followed by music and dancing to Bicycle Repair Man.

Josh Allan, fundraising manager for Over and Above, said the event promised to be the perfect seasonal sundowner with a twist of glamour and historic period charm.

Our Late Summer Ball promises to be a very special evening in one of North Devons most special buildings, he said.

The event is a great way to get together with friends and raise some money to help our hospital go the extra mile for local patients and their families.

Were very grateful to Blue Elephant Childcare for kindly sponsoring our Late Summer Ball, meaning the event will go even further to enhance local healthcare.

Tickets are 50 per person, or 500 for a table of 10, and are available online at www.overandabove.enthuse.com/cf/late-summer-ball

For more information, call the Over and Above fundraising team on 01271 311772.
North Devon Hospices infamous Mission:Unbreakable is back for 2023 and promises to be bigger and better than ever with the addition of several brand-new obstacles. Events Manager Lisa asks, are you ready to take on the challenge?

Comrades, Im delighted to share the news youve all been waiting for: Mission:Unbreakable is back for 2023! And what a mission we have in store for you this year

For almost 13 years, Mission:Unbreakable has been pushing participants to their limits through a unique assault course set over 10km of hilly countryside on the edge of Exmoor. Designed with the help of hardy commandos from the 24 Commando Royal Engineer Regiment based at RMB Chivenor, this military-style event is not for the faint-hearted and one that will put you through your paces every single time. But from first-hand experience, I can confirm that the feeling of elation when you cross that finish line, knowing youve helped hundreds of people get the care they deserve in their very last moments, is like no other.

If youre a North Devon resident, youll have likely taken part in this iconic fundraising event before or at the very least, heard about what a gruelling challenge this is for those who are brave enough. But if you think you know Mission:Unbreakable, think again.

This year, weve switched things up and with the help of the commandos, will be pushing your endurance levels even further with the addition of several brand-new obstacles to tackle along the course. This means that Mission:Unbreakable 2023 will be bigger and better than ever before  bigger course, tougher challenge. But we know that whatever it takes, youll step up to the plate and show us what it means to be an unbreakable in the name of hospice care.

Despite these new challenges, this flagship event for North Devon Hospice remains one that everyone can take part in, no matter your shape, size, or fitness level. For me, one of the best things about Mission:Unbreakable is seeing the encouragement and support that is shared between participants on the day. Whether youre flying solo or taking part with a team, theres never any shortage of comradery and the sense of shared achievement is what makes this event so special.

As the demand for our care continues to rise, the effects of your fundraising through Mission:Unbreakable will be felt by more than 3,000 patients and families across North Devon, especially those receiving hospice care at home.

This is because, for most people facing a life-limiting illness, home is where they want to be at the end of their life, surrounded by familiarity and comfort. By taking part in Mission:Unbreakable, you can help make this possible by ditching your comfort zone to keep hospice patients comfortable at home.

So what are you waiting for, troops? Gather your platoon and sign up for Mission:Unbreakable today with our early recruit discount at missionunbreakable.co.uk
Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat headed to Beijing on Sunday to participate in the first high-level conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, a statement by the ministry said.





Al-Mashats participation in the conference reflects the strong relations between Egypt and China, as well as Egypt's commitment to advancing joint action, the statement said.

The conference aims to facilitate discussions on strengthening efforts to implement the global development initiative.

Introduced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2021, the initiative aims to redirect global development towards a new phase of balance and comprehensive coordination. Its objectives include better managing global shocks, fostering development partnerships that are more equitable and balanced, and achieving greater synergy through multilateral cooperation to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Egypts participation also seeks to build on existing collaborations with China  particularly in scientific research, infrastructure construction, and capacity-building  and to increase cooperation between the two countries to include new areas, the statement read.

High-level delegations from 27 countries will participate in the conference alongside representatives of over 20 United Nations agencies and NGOs.

Cooperation with China



Egypt and China have a substantial cooperation portfolio with investments amounting to nearly $1.7 billion across multiple sectors, including, among others, electricity, health, education, and vocational training.

According to Egypts Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the trade exchange between Egypt and China increased by 2.6 percent during the first 11 months of 2022, hitting $14.9 billion compared to $14.5 billion during the same period in 2021.

Egyptian exports to China experienced significant growth of 20.8 percent, totalling $1.7 billion during the first 11 months of 2022 compared to $1.4 billion in the corresponding period of 2021.

Meanwhile, Egyptian imports from China reached $13.2 billion in the first 11 months of 2022, up from $13.1 billion during the same time frame in 2021, a slight increase of 0.6 percent.

Recently, Al-Mashat witnessed the completion of the assembly and testing of the MisrSat-2 satellite, built by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) using a $92 million grant provided by China, said the ministry statement.

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EVANSVILLE  In 1968, former vice president Richard Nixon pulled off what no other modern candidate for the White House had done, which was to win the presidency without carrying his home state primary.

There was a reason why Nixon didnt win the GOP California primary. Its favorite son, Gov. Ronald Reagan, was on the ballot, so Nixon didnt even bother qualifying.

Another former vice president named Mike Pence is seeking the presidency in 2024. For the former Indiana governor, the idea that he can use his home state as a bulwark and springboard over the 10-person (and growing) field remains in doubt. Pence picked up the endorsement of Gov. Eric Holcomb last week. But so far as I can tell, that is not translating into any degree of widespread support.

Last Tuesday, Hamilton County Republican Chairman Mario Massillamany announced a July 12 fundraiser for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, coming in Pences current home county. This event is being hosted by State Rep. Chris Jeter and Bob Grand, Massillamany said in an email to his constituents.

Grand gravitating toward DeSantis is a big deal. He didnt want to comment when I talked to him on Wednesday, citing his long-time friendship with Pence. While he played a big role in elevating Pence toward the 2012 gubernatorial nomination which essentially coaxed the congressman out of the presidential cycle that year at a time when Gov. Mitch Daniels was pondering a candidacy, he has decided to back the Florida governor.

Holcomb offered his support for Pence in a tweet last Thursday, saying, Ive known Mike Pence for decades. Throughout those years, hes remained as honest as the day is long. As one Hoosier governor to another, I look forward to supporting him as the weeks and months ahead unfold.

Holcomb told me in Evansville last Friday, It was a no-brainer for me. Im for the home team. Ive known him the longest. Pence had elevated Holcomb to the vacant lieutenant governor job in February 2016, creating his historic 107 day campaign when Pence resigned his second gubernatorial nomination to run for vice president that July.

Holcomb added that Pence articulated worthy issues on NBCs Meet The Press the week before, mentioning balancing the budget, forging immigration reform and restoring Americas standing in the world. Just in that one interview, he addressed all three of those buckets, Holcomb said.

But that so far has not translated to widespread support. I talked with several Republican legislators in Evansville last Friday; none was poised to jump on the Pence bandwagon. State Rep. Wendy McNamara said that there has been no caucus conversations about backing Pence, or the presidential race, for that matter.

That Rep. Jeter has signed on to the DeSantis effort reveals a third option. Trump will likely be backed by a significant portion of the 70-strong GOP caucus despite the fact that he faces more than 70 felony charges, about half of them stemming from his keeping classified documents at his Florida resort on a ballroom stage and next to his toilet.

While there has been no recent public polling in Indiana so far this year, the perception is that Trump remains popular with Hoosier Republicans. In a December 2022 Bellwether Research Poll in Indiana, Trump led with 39%, DeSantis was at 28% and Pence had 13%.

In 2022, Pence backed Republican Ron Turpin for the open SD14 seat in Fort Wayne. But it had little impact as Tyler Johnson won easily with 52% in a three-way race (Turpin received 38%).

Pence was in Fort Wayne last week, enthusiastically welcomed to headquarters by Allen County Chairman Steve Shine. According to WBOI, Pence met with about 50 supporters and asked for them to donate, volunteer and pray for him and his campaign as he goes against his former boss and running mate Donald Trump. Im more convinced than ever that Republicans know our party needs new leadership to carry us to victory, Pence said.

Thus far, Pence has been a distant third in the Real Clear Politics national composite with 5.8%, compared to 52.1% for Trump and 21.5% for DeSantis. Pence appears to be staking his long-shot hopes in Iowa, saying that it is the early state most like Indiana. In the RCP Iowa polling composite, he is a distant fourth at 3.7%, trailing Trump (46%), DeSantis (24.7%) and Haley (3.7%).

But its early. Future presidents named Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter were polling in single digits at this point in their races.

Home state strength is important. Only Presidents James K. Polk, Woodrow Wilson, Nixon, and Trump have won the White House while losing their home state in a general election. DeSantis finds himself in a similar situation as Pence. A Florida Atlantic University poll in May showed Trump leading in that state with 59% to 31%.

In a 2020 Washington Post article titled If you dont win your own state in the primary, youre probably not going to be the president, national columnist Philip Bump observes, No party nominee has ever lost his or her home state since Nixon. In fact, its fairly uncommon for candidates to lose their home states at all, unless theyve already dropped out of the race.

Can he now pick up widespread support among his fellow Hoosiers? Well see.

Brian Howey is managing editor of Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs at StateAffairs.com/pro/Indiana. Find Howey on Facebook and Twitter @hwypol. The opinions are the writers.
On the second to last day of its term, the Supreme Court fulfilled its duty to uphold the guarantees of equal protection of the 14th Amendment when it threw out the race-based admission policies of Harvard College and the University of North Carolina, finally ending the morally repugnant racial discrimination practiced by numerous colleges and universities. This fundamentally just decision will be welcomed by families nationwide, particularly those with high school-graduating sons and daughters aspiring to attend college.

The outrage and hysteria expressed by academia, the media and the progressive left is eerily similar to the reaction of White segregationists after the Supreme Courts 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education. That decision ended the pernicious separate but equal doctrine sanctioned by the Supreme Court in 1896s Plessy v. Ferguson, one of the worst decisions ever rendered by the court. Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, said that decision was part of the ignoble history of the court that helped deface much of America.

The modern version of discrimination that has defaced much of America has been the practice of universities like Harvard and UNC to use race as a determining factor in the admission of many of its students, benefiting some students and punishing others, such as the Asian-American students who sued both universities. These schools had deliberate discriminatory policies intended to prevent highly qualified Asian-American students from being admitted while allowing students of other races with lower qualifications and credentials to be accepted.

Why? Because they were either the right or the wrong skin color.

This is the blatant discrimination that President Biden was defending when he attacked the Supreme Courts decision and claimed it is not a normal court, whatever that is supposed to mean. But his unapologetic and fervent support for allowing academic institutions to continue to discriminate based on race in favor of, or against, students applying to college is shameful coming from the president who takes an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.

In Bidens eyes, that does not include the 14th Amendment. Section 1 of that amendment says that no American can be denied the equal protection of the law. Yet, that is exactly what Biden and the three dissenting liberal justices want to do.

Bidens claim that this Supreme Court has done more to unravel basic human rights and basic decisions than any court in history is particularly outrageous. It is the university administrators who are trying to unravel basic human rights by saying that educational institutions can, and should, discriminate against students based on their race.

The very justification of universities for such discrimination is racist. They claim it provides a diversity of thought and viewpoint. But as the chief justice pointed out in his majority opinion, this is based on the offensive and demeaning assumption that (students) of a particular race, because of their race, think alike.

Unfortunately, given their fervent support for discriminatory admissions policies, and the support they will no doubt receive from the Justice Department, it seems likely that academic institutions will do everything they can to engage in massive resistance to this decision. Before doing so, they might want to recall some more ignoble history.

After the Brown decision, white segregationist Democratic senator Harry Byrd of Virginia orchestrated a coalition of nearly 100 Southern politicians, signing the Southern Manifesto. The manifesto was an agreement aimed at massive resistance to Brown to show the rest of the country  that racial integration is not going to be accepted in the South.

Are those complaining so vociferously about this decision going to try to engage in massive resistance? Are the presidents of the universities using these biased admissions policies going to continue to discriminate, finding a way to disguise what they are doing? They not only have a legal obligation to stop discriminating but a moral one as well.

There is no concept of original sin in our jurisprudence, and there is no justification whatsoever for students who have worked hard, done well, and never participated in any discriminatory practices that occurred generations in the past to be discriminated against when they are applying to colleges based on the color of their skin.

Hans von Spakovsky is a Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation and former counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Justice Department. He wrote this piece for InsideSources.com.
The Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative is conducting a water sampling project through early fall to assess water health.

The project is a collaboration with Calumet College of St. Joseph and Purdue University Northwest, Executive Director Michael Boos said.

The idea first emerged in 2018 at AWLI's second annual Wolf Lake Watershed Advisory Committee meeting at Calumet College of St. Joseph, Boos said. Luncheon speaker Jim Bland suggested that AWLI partner with the Illinois EPA.

That partnership didnt happen, but the project was suggested again in 2022.

Boos, Bland, Young Choi of Purdue University Northwest and Ahmed Lakhani of Calumet College discussed the project further, and each raised money for the effort, Boos said. In addition, the project received grants of $5,000 from the Cleveland Cliffs Foundation and $1,500 from Freshwater Future.

Monthly sampling began in May and will continue until October.

David Harnish of Calumet College is responsible for lab-testing the samples when volunteers return. In the field, volunteers record water temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH. Dissolved oxygen is a measure of the amount of oxygen dissolved in water, and pH measures the water's acidity.

You have to know how much dissolved oxygen is present to know that the oxygen level for fish and so forth is the right level, Harnish said.

Harnish runs chemical tests on the samples to record nitrate and phosphate levels. Those are chemicals that can affect aquatic life and the plant life, he said. Dissolved oxygen and pH monitors are provided through Calumet College.

Ten samples of water are brought back to the lab in each sampling excursion, Harnish said. Sampling takes about an hour, depending on the location of the site, while lab work takes three to four hours for all of the samples to be fully tested. Test sites include Grand Calumet River, Lake George and Wolf Lake, volunteer Joey Hinds said.

There is no specific environmental concern that AWLI is looking for, but a concern or two might occur during the next 10 years, Boos said. It is our hope that scientists some day will make good use of the database.

The project is also part of a larger idea to understand the watershed in the long term and how people are affecting the water, Hinds said. The watershed is not a stable thing, its changing as people decide new things to do with it.
VALPARAISO  Opportunity Enterprises is launching a support group for caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

CARES  Connect, Advocate, Refresh, Encourage and Support  will meet from 5:30-7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the organizations lakeside property at Lake Eliza.

CARES will provide an opportunity for caregivers to connect with others from the community who are facing the same experiences and challenges.

Each session will host a guest speaker followed by a chance for networking and fellowship over light refreshments. Speakers will cover a range of topics and provide valuable information to caregivers.

Though hosted at OE, the event is open to anyone.

The first meeting is July 13. Amanda Sparks, Connections Case Managements Field Coordinator, is the guest speaker. Sparks will facilitate a discussion about case management roles, responsibilities and resources.

All meetings will be held at OEs Lakeside building located at 32 S. Fish Lake Road in Valparaiso. For more information, contact OEs Senior Director of Respite Operations Walter Lenckos by email at walter.lenckos@oppent.org or by telephone at 219-464-9621, extension 443.

About Opportunity Enterprises, Inc.

Since 1967, Opportunity Enterprises has worked to create inclusive and equitable opportunities for people of all abilities. More than 350 staff members serve more than 1,000 people throughout Northwest Indiana each year. For more information, visit oppent.org.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is hosting public information meetings this month to provide updates and gather feedback regarding an annual update to the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan.

A forum in Gary is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. July 24 at Indiana University Northwest in Room 105 of the Anderson Library Conference Center, 130 W. 35th Ave. Networking for minority-, women-, veteran- and disabled-owned businesses will be offered from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with a presentation on the EV plan beginning at 6:30.

The plan is required as part of Indianas participation in the federal government's National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. NEVI, created as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides federal money to states to add DC fast-charge stations along federally designated alternative-fuel corridors.

Indiana's corridors include all of its interstate highways, including I-469 and I-265, and U.S. 31, with other highways potentially joining the list. Indianas effort will contribute to a national initiative to create a network of at least 500,000 chargers. Indiana will have $100 million to spend on its program.

Key federal requirements include installing a charging station every 50 miles along the interstate highway system, with stations within one mile of the interstate, and EV charging infrastructure of at least four 150KW DC fast chargers at the stations. Rest areas are not eligible locations, and states are allowed to contract with private entities for installation, operations and maintenance of the stations, which Indiana intends to do.

INDOT said the public meetings will offer updates on program implementation and opportunities for feedback on components of the draft plan, such as potential locations for charging station, associated amenities, and recommended equity and inclusion metrics for private partnerships.

Additional information on the state's planning activities is available online.
The Indiana Court of Appeals has rejected a request to overturn the triple murder and arson convictions of a Gary man who shot his girlfriend and two of her relatives before setting her house on fire.

Reginald Carter, 34, was sentenced last year to 205 years in prison for killing Yoasha Carter, 26; her cousin Dwayne Jones, 33; and aunt Nefretiri Jones, 51, on Oct. 25, 2019, and then torching the Gary home where their bodies lay in the 3500 block of West 20th Avenue.

Carter argued in his appeal that Lake Superior Judge Salvador Vasquez erred by not allowing him to present evidence at trial of an unsolved arson that occurred in 2016 at the apartment of Yoasha Carter, who had the same last name as the perpetrator but was not related to him.

According to court records, Vasquez ruled at a pretrial conference that evidence of the prior arson was inadmissible because he could see no connection between it and Reginald Carters case, and allowing it only would serve to prejudice the jury.

The Court of Appeals, in its 3-0 decision, agreed that Vasquez made the right call.

We fail to see the relevance of the 2016 arson. That arson was committed at a different location nearly three years before the arson that is the subject of this case, Judge Elizabeth Tavitas, a Lake County native, said on behalf of the court.

Moreover, what little probative value the 2016 arson bears on the instant case is substantially outweighed by the risk of confusing the evidence regarding the two separate arsons. We cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion.

Even if the appeals court believed it was a mistake to exclude evidence regarding the 2016 arson, Tavitas said any such error would have been harmless because prosecutors presented substantial independent evidence of Carters guilt.

Specifically, Tavitas cited the toxic relationship between Carter and his girlfriend, his history of physically abusing her, his prior threats on her life, his accusing her shortly before the fire of leaving with another man, her pleading and crying before the fatal shots, and Carters suspicious behavior after the fire, including changing his clothes, washing his hands and head  as well as an accelerant-sniffing dog alerting to the presence of gasoline on Carters clothing.

Based on the overwhelming evidence against Carter, we cannot say that the trial court committed fundamental error by excluding evidence regarding the 2016 arson, Tavitas said.

Carter can ask the Indiana Supreme Court to consider reviewing his case. Otherwise, his earliest possible release date from prison, assuming good behavior, is July 25, 2173, according to the Department of Correction.

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A preview of the NATO summit

Leaders of NATO countries are preparing for two days of meetings starting tomorrow in Vilnius, Lithuanias capital.

Ukraine will be a major issue. The war there has raged for more than 500 days, and the counteroffensive is moving slowly. Ukraine wants to join NATO, but President Biden said yesterday that it was premature to begin the process to admit the country in the middle of a war.

I spoke to Steven Erlanger, our chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe, about what we can expect from the meeting.

Amelia: What are the NATO allies hoping to achieve with this summit?

Steven: The main task of this NATO summit is to show the alliances unity and solidarity in support of Ukraine.
The African Union's high-level delegation wrapped up their four-day visit to Somalia on Saturday to assess the first stage of a planned troop withdrawal, which it said was successfully concluded at the end of June.

The team, headed by Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, the director of Conflict Management within the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department, said a joint technical assessment would be conducted in August to inform planning for the next stage of the drawdown of 3,000 AU troops to be completed by the end of September.

"We are at a very critical period, and I am quite impressed by the enthusiasm, the level of cooperation and the sense that we are all pulling in the same direction that is extremely useful," Bah said in a statement issued on Sunday in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

He said the AU delegation was in Somalia to discuss and engage with African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), the Somali government and the UN including other international partners on the transition processes.

Bah said the team also discussed the requirements of the new UN Security Council Resolution 2687 on the steps that they need to take to effectively carry out the next phase of the drawdown, which involves further withdrawal of 3,000 ATMIS troops.

The first phase of the transition involved the drawdown of 2,000 troops serving with ATMIS and the handover of six military bases to the Somali security forces.

Bah said his meetings with senior UN senior officials in Somalia also focused on the UN's role in peacebuilding, reconciliation, the drawdown, and transfer of security responsibilities.

He praised Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for the tremendous progress in driving a Somali-led security transformation during his first term of office.

"It is a sign of progress. It is a moment that we must all collectively celebrate. It is also a clear demonstration that the Federal Government of Somalia is stepping forward to take over what is their primary responsibility, the safety and security of Somalia," Bah added.

During the meetings, Bah thanked the stakeholders for demonstrating solid support for Somalia and expressed his admiration to the partners for the universal consensus in consolidating the security gains to restore unity in the Horn of Africa region.

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There was a time when companies doing big deals could turn to only a handful of firms for advice. But the booming demand for counsel on acquisitions, activist investors and corporate crises has widened that circle and, increasingly, led to the creation of new firms.

The latest example is Collected Strategies, which is being started by several executives at the communications firm Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, along with Ed Hammond, a longtime mergers-and-acquisitions reporter for Bloomberg.

Business news coverage, whether of transactions, high-profile crises or ongoing corporate activity, has evolved, Mr. Hammond, a founding partner, said in a statement. Communications advice needs to as well.

The firm is starting in a period of elevated scrutiny of Wall Streets activities. Investment firms have found themselves the focus of anger from both liberal and conservative groups. While overall deal making has been down, last year was the busiest in four years for activist investors, who take stakes in companies and demand change.
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen came to China amid hopes that the United States could restart a relationship that has been deteriorating for years and had gotten off the rails recently over significant points of tension  including the war in Ukraine, a Chinese spy balloon that flew over U.S. territory and was shot down by the American military, and the two countries escalating exchange of restrictions on trade.

After 10 hours of meetings over two days in Beijing, Ms. Yellen said at a news conference on Sunday that she believed the United States and China were on a steadier footing despite their significant disagreements.

We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive, Ms. Yellen said.

Ms. Yellen announced that the two sides would pursue more frequent communication at the highest levels, describing improved dialogue as a way to prevent mistrust from building and fraying a relationship that she called one of the most consequential of our time. Her trip followed one a few weeks by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. And later this month, John Kerry, the special presidential envoy for climate change, will visit China to restart global warming negotiations.

Yet a meaningful easing of the economic tension may not be likely. Ms. Yellen headed back to Washington on Sunday with no announcements of breakthroughs or agreements to mend the persistent fissures between the two nations. And Ms. Yellen made clear that the Biden administration has serious concerns about many of Chinas commercial practices, including its treatment of foreign companies, and policies that the United States views as efforts at economic coercion.
Good morning. You can spend your whole adult life doing something absolutely correctly and never quite feel as if youve mastered the task. This is especially true in cooking. For instance, how many hard-boiled eggs have you made in the last 10 years? Now, be honest: How many of them were you proud of  perfect little pouches of fudgy yolk and silken, just-set white?

Is this hollandaise going to be as cloudlike and perfect as it was the time before last? How does your fresh yogurt taste when you compare it with the batch that made everyone swoon back in March? You can make pizza dough twice a month for a year and youll still be nervous every time you pull a fermented round from the fridge. Put some beef ribs in the smoker and tell me youre not going to offer the barbecue gods a little prayer.

Were not restaurant chefs here. Were ambitious home cooks with a lot of responsibilities that impinge on the pursuit of perfection. We need hacks, tips, advice, techniques that deliver consistent success. And boy howdy has Julia Moskin delivered one of those this week as part of her reporting on the Roscioli family, which is bringing an outpost of Roscioli, its storied restaurant in Rome, to SoHo in Manhattan.

In the course of her work, Julia secured the familys recipe for cacio e pepe (above). Cacio e pepe is a fantastic dish, but it can be a scary one, too: the sauce too clumpy, or not emulsified enough. The Rosciolis avoid both issues with a premade crema of cheeses, black pepper and water that adds very little time to the preparation and as much as guarantees the consistent success of the dish.
When Dr. Benjamin Han, a geriatrician and addiction medicine specialist, meets new patients at the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, he talks with them about the usual health issues that older adults face: chronic conditions, functional ability, medications and how theyre working.

He asks, too, about their use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other nonprescription drugs. Patients tend to not want to disclose this, but I put it in a health context, Dr. Han said.

He tells them, As you get older, there are physiological changes and your brain becomes much more sensitive. Your tolerance goes down as your body changes. It can put you at risk.

Thats how he learns that someone complaining about insomnia might be using stimulants, possibly methamphetamines, to get going in the morning. Or that a patient who has long taken an opioid for chronic pain has run into trouble with an added prescription for, say, gabapentin.
A slow-moving storm system brought heavy rain across a wide section of New York State on Sunday evening, flooding streets, prompting dozens of rescues for drivers whose vehicles were stranded on inundated roads and causing at least one death, the authorities said.

The Hudson Valley was the most affected by the storm system on Sunday, with sections of the area getting between five and eight inches of rain, the National Weather Service said.

The epicenter of the storm struck West Point, the U.S. Military Academy in Orange County, which had about eight inches of rain as of Sunday night.

Trooper Steven V. Nevel of the New York State Police described the search-and-rescue efforts on Sunday night as an all hands on deck endeavor, saying that several bridges had collapsed and many roads were impassable.
Image

Toll Taker

Dear Diary:

Years ago, I worked during the summer as a toll collector on the Marine Parkway Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to the Rockaways.

One night when I was working the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. graveyard shift, with only one collector stationed in each direction, I watched as a car careened down the bridge toward my booth.

It was 2 or 3 a.m., so the car had the bridge and toll plaza to itself as it screeched to a halt next to my booth.

I had no idea what to expect. So I was amazed when, instead of handing me money for the toll, the driver handed me a fresh warm bagel with chive cream cheese.
Emergency workers had contained a fatal fire aboard a cargo ship at Port Newark, N.J., to its 11th deck and had reduced the risk that it could capsize, officials said on Sunday.

The fire on the Italian cargo ship the Grande Costa dAvorio continued to burn but was no longer spreading, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which has taken over control of the firefighting operation.

Even though the progress made on fire suppression on the vessel is a significant victory, we will continue to deploy air and water monitoring resources, said Kevin S. Perry, vice president of emergency response at Gallagher Marine Systems, a company hired by the vessels owner to oversee the recovery effort.

Firefighters and other responders had been scrambling to contain the fire from outside the ship and to cool it down without filling the vessel. Too much water risked capsizing the ship into a channel that flows into Newark Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
During New York Citys crack era in the early 1990s, with homicide tallies five times those of today, the authorities resorted to ruthless law enforcement.

The police would pull your car over at will, just because you were Black, and go through the car and your pockets, said Derrick Hamilton, 57, who grew up in public housing in Brooklyn in the 1980s and was first arrested as a teen. Theyd pull your socks off, pull your pants off.

Crime fell across the country during the ensuing decades in a broad societal shift, and New York become one of Americas safest big cities and a thriving tourist destination. But in its darkest days police and prosecutors had cut corners and used tactics that left untold numbers of innocent people  mostly poor men of color  imprisoned on bogus murder, rape and robbery charges.

The prisoners dogged legal challenges prompted reinvestigations helped by left-leaning prosecutors, advances in DNA testing, pressure from newly formed advocacy groups and generous government restitution, turning New York into a national hotbed of exoneration. In recent years, one innocent middle-aged man after another has been released, ravaged by years in prison, into a tamer city.
Years ago, I laughed at claims that Christian conservatives were dominionists in disguise, that we didnt just want religious freedom, we wanted religious authority. Yet now, such claims are hardly laughable. Arguments for a Christian nationalism are increasingly prominent, with factions ranging from Catholic integralists to reformed Protestants to prophetic Pentecostals all seeking a new American social compact, one that explicitly puts Christians in charge.

The motivating force behind this transformation is a powerful sense of threat  the idea that the left is coming after you and your family. This mind-set sees the Christian use of power as inherently protective, and the desire to censor as an attempt to save children from dangerous ideas. The threat to the goodness of the church and the virtue of its members, in other words, comes primarily from outside its walls, from a culture and a world that is seen as worse in virtually every way.

But theres a contrary view, one that emanates from the idea of original sin, which Chesterton argued was the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved. The doctrine of original sin rejects the idea that we are intrinsically good and are corrupted only by the outside world. Instead, we enter life with our own profound and inherent flaws. We are all, in a word, fallen. To quote Jesus in the book of Mark, There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. All manner of sin and evil comes from within, out of the heart of man.

Under this understanding of Scripture, we are all our own greatest enemy  Christians as fully as those who do not share our beliefs. We do not, either as individuals or as a religious movement, possess an inherent virtue that should entitle any of us to rule. We shun the will to power because we rightly fear our own sin, and we protect the liberty of others because we do not possess all wisdom and we need to hear their ideas.

Of course that is not to say that external voices and ideas can have no negative effect in our lives. We might be our own greatest enemy, but were not our only enemy. But if we are deeply flawed, then that realization has to profoundly impact how we approach politics. It has to temper our confidence that we either can control or should control the public square.
Especially in early life, traumatic experiences like physical, sexual or emotional abuse, parental loss or other disasters can wire the brain into dysfunctional stress response patterns that can increase risk for addictions and nearly every other psychiatric condition. The best way to prevent this  or mitigate harm, if it cannot be prevented  is through social support, via good parenting and other loving relationships, which calm the brains stress systems. Effective talk therapy works similarly: the strength of the relationship between client and therapist is one of the best predictors of good results.

Even with the best therapist, however, talk alone doesnt always help. Adult brains are no longer as receptive to new information as those of youth. But research now suggests that psychedelics may work in part by briefly making the brain as open to certain types of learning as it is during childhood. Its not yet clear if the colorful hallucinations and perceptual distortions merely reflect this neural process  or if peoples interpretation and experience of them are critical to their ability to make lasting changes.

A study of mice recently published in Nature suggests that psychedelics can reopen whats known as a critical period for learning social and emotional skills that occurs during the animals adolescence. And psychedelics known to produce a longer trip in humans seem to reopen the critical learning period in mice for a longer time. This ability to specifically enhance social learning is why these drugs may be so useful for helping those who are harmed by cults or early life trauma. But it may also allow toxic relationships or groups to do even more damage.

When India joined Nxivm, she was just 19: a vulnerable time. Her life was in transition since she had dropped out of college. There is no singular personality that puts people at risk for cult membership, but people have a harder time leaving a cult when they are not securely anchored to a job, community or partner. (These factors also increase addiction risk.)

Nxivm did not drug its victims, although other cults have  most notoriously the murderous family led by Charles Manson, who gave his followers LSD. Primarily, these groups use intense peer pressure and environmental control to create a similar type of vulnerability. When people are subjected to severe stress in such a poisonous relational context, it can create a closed loop of thinking that constrains choice the way addictions do, even without drugs.
Egypt will host on Thursday Sudans Neighbouring Countries Summit to discuss means of ending the ongoing conflict and its repercussions on these countries, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement Sunday.

The summit seeks to set effective frameworks to peacefully settle the crisis in coordination with other regional and international tracks, the statement said.

Egypts hosting of the summit emanates from the keenness of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to formulate a joint vision for Sudans direct neighbouring countries, the statement noted.

President El-Sisi is also keen to take steps to resolve the crisis, end the bloodshed among Sudanese people and spare them the repercussions that they face.

Moreover, the summit comes amid keenness to protect the Sudanese state and its resources and curb the continuation of the grave effects of the crisis on the neighboring countries as well as on the security and stability of the entire region, the statement added.

The gathering will see the participation of heads of state and government from Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central Africa, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Since the crisis broke out in mid-April between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), nearly three million people have been displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Of those, around 700,000 Sudanese, returnees and third-country nationals have fled to neighbouring states, the IOM said last Thursday, adding that around 40 percent of this number, or 280,000 people, have fled to Egypt.

Egypt has delivered hundreds of tons of medical supplies to Port Sudan and has facilitated the transport of many tens of tons more of international humanitarian aid to the country.

Egypt has called for a permanent ceasefire in Sudan and has voiced support to African, Arab and global efforts seeking to settle the crisis, including ceasefires negotiated by the United States and Saudi Arabia over the past weeks that have nonetheless been regularly violated.

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Its worth reviewing how the court accomplished each of the goals. It deployed a variety of tools and strategies. Precedents that stood in the way were either repudiated outright, as the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision did last year to Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, or were simply rendered irrelevant  abandoned, in the odd euphemism the court has taken to using. In its affirmative action decision declaring race-conscious university admissions to be unconstitutional, Chief Justice Robertss majority opinion did not overturn the 2003 Grutter decision explicitly. But Justice Thomas was certainly correct in his concurring opinion when he wrote that it was clear that Grutter is, for all intents and purposes, overruled.

Likewise, the court has not formally overruled its Chevron decision. Its administrative-law decisions have just stopped citing that 1984 precedent as authority. The justices have simply replaced Chevrons rule of judicial deference with its polar opposite, a new rule that goes by the name of the major questions doctrine. Under this doctrine, the court will uphold an agencys regulatory action on a major question only if Congresss grant of authority to the agency on the particular issue was explicit. Deference, in other words, is now the exception, no longer the rule.

But how to tell a major question from an ordinary one? No surprise there: The court itself will decide. While the ratio of major questions to ordinary questions of administrative law remains to be seen, its hard to envision an issue important and contentious enough to make it to the Supreme Court not being regarded as major by justices who flaunt their skepticism of the administrative state.

Justice Neil Gorsuch was candid about this in a concurring opinion last year when the court limited the Environmental Protection Agencys ability to regulate emissions from power plants. The major questions doctrine, he explained, applies when an agency claims the power to resolve a matter of great political significance. What is a better indicator of political significance than sustained conservative backlash? Last years environmental case set the stage for the courts June 30 decision overturning the Biden administrations student-loan forgiveness program.

The Heller decision in 2008 opened the Second Amendment door a crack, granting individuals the right to keep a handgun at home for self-defense. Chafing at Hellers limited scope, Justice Thomas complained repeatedly over the next 14 years that the court was treating the Second Amendment as a second-class right. He finally won the day with the Bruen decision in 2022, a breathtakingly broad opinion rejecting any limitation on gun ownership that cant be tied to an analogous limitation in the 18th century. On June 30, the court agreed to hear United States v. Rahimi, which will put this approach to the test. The question in the case is whether the Second Amendment allows the government to bar gun ownership by an individual under a restraining order for domestic violence. That the answer actually might be no  domestic violence wasnt even a concept in the 18th century, when the Second Amendment was adopted  is too astonishing to contemplate.
But for the 78 percent of Ukrainians who have close relatives or friends who have been killed or wounded in Mr. Putins war, and for those who suffer from continuous Russian missile and drone strikes, this argument sounds ridiculous.

And any thought of keeping Ukraine out of NATO to forestall further Russian aggression makes no sense. Mr. Putin threatened to dip into his nuclear arsenal long before Ukraine requested a political invitation at Vilnius, and he will continue to do so regardless of whatever decision is made there. Perhaps more to the point, nobody is more reluctant to escalate Russias war against Ukraine into World War III than Mr. Putin himself. The Russian Army has no chance in a military confrontation with NATO; it is barely coping with the armed forces of Ukraine.

So what about the risks of not inviting Ukraine to join NATO?

Anything except a political invitation for Ukraine at Vilnius will surely be perceived by Mr. Putin as a victory, allowing him to retain his de facto veto on the process of NATO enlargement and giving him confirmation that his policy of waging wars and occupying other countries to prevent them from joining works. As long as Ukraine remains in NATO limbo, Putin will attack Ukraine again and again with the hope of creating a new Russian Empire. There is no better insurance for Ukraine against new attacks than the guarantee of future NATO membership.

Further delaying the decision will also have a negative impact on the democratic transformations underway inside Ukraine. While Ukraine is required to conduct some of these reforms as part of its accession to the European Union, such as strengthening its judiciary and anti-corruption measures, others, like moving Ukraines military under civilian control, are more likely to succeed if they are included as a condition of joining NATO. If that process stalls, NATO might face the reality of a million-strong army operating indefinitely outside full democratic civilian control. The army, which is emerging as one of the strongest in Europe and the only one with recent battlefield experience against Russia, should be a part of the collective security structure, not acting alone.

Finally, should NATO members fail to act this week on Ukraine, the alliance will be discredited in the eyes of Ukrainians and millions of other residents of NATO member states who support inviting Ukraine to join. According to a recent opinion poll, 70 percent of Americans, 56 percent of the French and 55 percent of Dutch citizens who expressed opinions on Ukraines NATO membership support the idea of inviting Ukraine into NATO in Vilnius this week, even if some of them would prefer actual accession to happen after the war.
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The wave of scandals that would engulf Spain began with a police raid on a wooded property outside Madrid. It was Nov. 3, 2017, and the target was Jose Manuel Villarejo Perez, a former government spy. Villarejos name had been circulating in the Spanish press for years. He was rumored to have had powerful friends and to have kept dirt on them all. The impressive variety of allegations against him  forgery, bribery, extortion, influence peddling  had earned him the nickname king of the sewers.

For many decades, Villarejos face had been known to almost no one. He was, after all, a spy  and not just any spy, but one who had started his career in the secret police of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. In those years, he would dress in overalls from Telefonica, the national telephone company, as he conducted surveillance operations in the mountains, and on several occasions he even wore a priests collar in order to infiltrate the Basque separatist group ETA. More recently, Villarejo had taken to simply introducing himself as a lawyer who ran a private-investigation firm, offering those he met to dig up compromising material on their enemies. His formal connection to the government was increasingly ambiguous. Of all of the identities he assumed over the years, this was perhaps the most powerful one. It made him rich through the hefty fees he charged, and it opened a door into the worlds of business tycoons, government ministers, aristocrats, judges, newspaper editors and arms traffickers  all of whose trust he gained, all of whose private words he taped.

Villarejo was handcuffed and taken to Madrid. But as he sat in jail awaiting trial, the question left hanging over Spain was this: What happens to a countrys secrets when they have all been recorded by one man? And what happens when that man finds himself suddenly backed into a corner?
As books go, James Clerk Maxwells An Elementary Treatise on Electricity is hardly a household name, but it has gained renewed attention after a copy was returned last month to a Massachusetts library nearly 120 years overdue.

This is definitely the longest overdue book that weve gotten back, Olivia Melo, the librarys director, said on Sunday. And we do get some books back after, you know, 10, 15 years.

The book, published in 1881 and written by a prominent Scottish physicist, was an early scientific text laying out electrical theories.

Its 208 pages, bound by a cranberry-colored cover, are crammed with technical jargon and medleys of elaborate mathematical equations. The library acquired the book in 1882, Ms. Melo said.
Two years into their marriage, Talia and Malissa Williams were working diligently to lay the groundwork for the rest of their lives together. Both were taking online college classes that could lead to stable careers. They had taken tentative steps toward adopting a child.

The couple had talked about settling permanently in Rolling Fork, the tiny Mississippi Delta hometown that Malissa had followed Talia back to a few years earlier. But the medical billing and coding jobs theyd been studying for werent likely to be found within an hours drive. Their older wooden house  essentially their least worst option in a town with a limited supply of rental housing  gave them nothing but problems.

Then came the tornado.

The house, gone. Their possessions  cars, clothes, computers  eviscerated in winds that reached 170 miles an hour, as the storm, the deadliest to hit Mississippi in more than a decade, tore through on the night of March 24.

Gone, too, was any incentive for them to stay.

My heart is in Rolling Fork, it will always be there, Talia, 42, said as she stood outside the motel room, 45 minutes drive away, that is serving as the couples temporary home. But now this has happened, we have an opportunity, she said.
President Biden said in an interview that aired on Sunday that Ukraine was not ready for membership in NATO and that it was premature to begin the process to allow Ukraine to join the alliance in the middle of a war.

In an interview with CNNs Fareed Zakaria, Mr. Biden said that he did not think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, and that the process could take place only after a peace agreement with Russia was in place.

If the war is going on, then were all in war, Mr. Biden said, referring to the alliances commitment to mutual defense. Were at war with Russia, if that were the case. He added that there would be other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization, for Ukraine to be considered for membership.

The president began a trip to Europe on Sunday that will include attending a NATO summit in Lithuania, where Russias war in Ukraine  and a decision last week by the United States to supply Kyiv with weapons that are banned by most of its allies  will be a main focus.
As she traversed small towns in the mountainous North Country region of New Hampshire last week, she tacitly acknowledged the uphill race, while also telling her story of overcoming long political odds to win South Carolinas governorship in 2010, making her the first woman to serve as governor of the state and the second governor of Indian descent.

During her appearances, Ms. Haley also mixed in subtle digs at her primary rivals.

I did not go to an Ivy League school like the fellas that are in this race, she told voters in a North Conway community center on Thursday. I went to a public university. Touting her degree in accounting from Clemson University, she said: Im not a lawyer. Accountants are problem solvers.

Ms. Haleys most recent swing through New Hampshire, which holds the partys first primary, was billed by her campaign as a grass-roots-focused trip, and one intended to introduce her to voters in this part of the state as a former state executive with roots in the rural South, rather than an establishment figure with Washington ties.

Frank Murphy, 54, who moved to northern New Hampshire from South Carolina in 2016, knows Ms. Haley as his former governor. When she introduced herself to the voters crowded into the Lancaster V.F.W. post, he raised his hand within the first few minutes of her speech to tell her he was from Charleston.

I got to see firsthand what she did to help the economy down there, he said, adding that he was elated to see her running for president. To come into a small town meeting like this and to speak to people and to get them to engage and to talk and ask questions? Thats what you want from a politician, he said.
As Florida recovers from the tangled seaweed blob plaguing its coasts, nature may have something else in store for the state: dust from the Sahara.

Saharan dust is moving across the Atlantic Ocean and could reach South Florida, resulting in hotter days and less rain, meteorologists said.

As of Sunday afternoon, the dust was still approaching South Florida.

Earlier satellite images showed patches of dust over Puerto Rico, with more over the northern and western parts of the island, said Keily Delerme, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa. The Weather Service does not track the dusts speed as it travels, she said.

The dust could arrive in South Florida by this week, said Ping Zhu, an earth and environment professor at Florida International University. However, he added, it is not a reason to panic.
Bristol Smith, a manager at a McDonalds in Maryville, Tenn., came across Vivek Ramaswamys name this spring, shortly after Mr. Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur, announced he was running for president. Mr. Smith was intrigued. He liked the way Mr. Ramaswamy stands up against the wokeness and his plan to send the military to the southern border to combat drug cartels. He respected Mr. Ramaswamys acumen as a businessman worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Then Mr. Smith, 25, searched for Mr. Ramaswamys faith. Mr. Smith is an evangelical Christian who recently started a small church that meets at his parents house.

I looked up his religion and saw hes Hindu, he recalled. I was going to vote for him until that came up. What the country needs is to be put back under God, as Mr. Smith sees it, and he doesnt want to take a chance on someone who is not a Christian.

At that point, he said, I got back on President Trumps train.

Mr. Ramaswamy, 37, was raised by Indian immigrants and is a practicing Hindu. That poses a dilemma for some of the conservative Christian voters who make up a significant share of the Republican primary electorate and are accustomed to evaluating candidates not just on their policy proposals but also on their biographies and personal beliefs, including religious faith.
Migrant shelters with plenty of empty beds. Soup kitchens with food to spare. Soldiers patrolling intersections where migrant families once begged for spare change.

In Ciudad Juarez and in other Mexican cities along the border, the story is much the same: Instead of surging as elected officials and immigration advocates had warned, the number of migrants trying to enter the United States has plummeted following the expiration in May of a pandemic-era border restriction.

The unusual scenes of relative calm flow from a flurry of actions the Biden administration has taken, such as imposing stiffer penalties for illegal border crossings, to try to reverse an enormous jump in migrants trying to reach the United States.

But it is also the result of tough steps Mexico has taken to discourage migrants from massing along the border, including transporting them to places deep in the countrys interior.
Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are pinning hopes for economic revival on the revamp of an iconic African railway connecting mineral-rich inland areas to the Atlantic Ocean.

Earlier this week, Luanda and Kinshasa granted a group of investors a 30-year concession to operate the line linking Angola's seaport of Lobito to Kolwezi, a southern city in the heart of the DRC's copperbelt.

Partially funded by the United States, the $555-million project is expected to boost mineral export and intra-African trade and cements Angola's diplomatic pivot to the West, analysts said.

"Unlocking the Lobito corridor with American funding... is a historical watershed," said Alex Vines at British think-tank Chatham House.

Currently stretching about 1,700 kilometres (1,050 miles), the railway was completed around 100 years ago by British investors interested in getting copper out of Africa.

The Angolan section of the line was closed during the height of the country's 1975-2002 civil war and remained in disuse afterwards due to damage.

Rebuilt by a Chinese company, it reopened in 2015 but traffic has struggled to take off.

Only about one train every two weeks currently runs over it, according to Vecturis, a Belgian railway operator, part of the consortium awarded the railway concession.

Cobalt, copper, derailments

The Congolese stretch dates back to colonial times and is poorly maintained, said Marcel Lungange, head of infrastructure at the DRC's national railway company, SNCC.

"We have an average of three derailments a day due to the dilapidated state of the tracks, with our locomotives running at two-kilometres-per-hour in many places," he said.

Mining firms prefer to transport metals via truck to other often congested ports in Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa -- but such journeys are expensive and take weeks to complete.

With the International Energy Agency expecting global demand for critical metals to quadruple by 2040 as countries race to tackle climate change, new export routes are badly needed, said Louis Watum, who heads the DRC's Chamber of Mines, a trade group.

DR Congo is respectively the world's and Africa's biggest producer of cobalt and copper. Both minerals are used to build solar panels, wind farms and electric vehicles.

"We already have huge queues of lorries" at border posts, Watum said.

The consortium, which includes global commodity trader Trafigura and Portuguese construction firm Mota-Engil, hopes the revamped railway will slash transit times from the DRC to Lobito to under 36 hours.

It wants to have at least six trains a day crossing in and out of the country within five years.

To that end it plans to pour $455 million on upgrades in Angola, including buying more than 1,500 new wagons and locomotives, reinforcing bridges and welding rails.

Another $100 million are earmarked for the DRC, with the concession agreement also envisaging extending the tracks to neighbouring Zambia.

US money

About half the money is expected to be financed by the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), a government agency.

The commitment comes at a time of heightened competition between Washington and Beijing over access to critical minerals.

It puts some flesh on the bones of US President Joe Biden's pledge to go "all in" on Africa and bolster trade with the continent, said Vines.

It also reflects a shift in Angola's diplomacy.

The oil-rich country has long held close ties to China and Russia. Its ruling party was supported by the Soviet Union in the civil war against US-backed rebels.

But under President Joao Lourenco, it has moved closer to Washington.

There is no guarantee that minerals shipped from Lobito will head west, but the Atlantic port naturally looks towards Europe and the Americas, said Vines.

Angola and the DRC hope the railway will also boost their economies, which depend on oil and mining respectively.

"Our interest is for this corridor to enhance trade between our nations," Angola's Transport Minister Ricardo D'Abreu told a local broadcaster.

Agriculture was one of the sectors that stood to benefit from improved transport links, he said.

Luanda, which is working to up its limited refining capacity, said it wants to use the railway to ship fuel upstream to Zambia and the DRC.

The revamped line could increase the GDP of the three countries by $177 billion, the government said this week.

Independent analyst Marisa Lourenco cautioned that Africa's recent history is rich in grand infrastructure plans that were never completed.

Yet, she was "cautiously optimistic" this would see the light of day, given the global thirst for minerals and the money behind it.

Work is expected to start within the next three months, according to Vecturis.

"This project is long overdue," said Watum of the DRC's Chamber of Mines.

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The North Korean software engineer was desperate.

He had been sent to northeastern China in 2019 to earn money for the North Korean regime. After working long hours under the constant watch of his minders, he found an email address on a website and sent a harrowing message in 2021: I am writing at the risk of losing my life, pleaded the engineer.

A young woman who had been smuggled by human traffickers from North Korea into China in 2018 contacted the owner of the same website early this year. She had planned to defect to South Korea, but instead was being held captive in a Chinese border town and forced to make money through cybersex. Please help us escape this house, she wrote.

The website belonged to the Rev. Chun Ki-won, a Christian pastor in Seoul who is widely known for aiding North Korean refugees fleeing through China, the route almost all defectors take. He has often been condemned by Pyongyang and was once imprisoned in China for helping hundreds of North Koreans reach South Korea or the United States.

But now, the job of aiding North Korean defectors in China has become all but impossible, Mr. Chun said.
Five Ukrainian commanders of the Azov Regiment, extolled in Ukraine for defending the port city of Mariupol last year during an 80-day Russian siege before they surrendered as prisoners of war, have been given a heroes welcome after returning home.

The men appeared with President Volodymyr Zelensky before crowds late Saturday in the western city of Lviv after returning to Ukraine from Turkey, where they had been held since September under the terms of a prisoner exchange with Russia. Denys Prokopenko, one of the commanders who was returned, said that the freed fighters would rejoin the front lines, according to a video posted on Twitter by local news media.

We will definitely have our say in battle, Mr. Prokopenko told reporters in Lviv. Asked whether he would fight on the front lines, he replied, That is why we returned to Ukraine.

Moscow reacted angrily to the news that the Azov fighters had returned to Ukraine. The Kremlins spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, accused Turkey of breaking an agreement to keep the men on its territory until the end of the war. There was no immediate comment from the Turkish authorities. The government in Kyiv did not offer a public explanation for how or why the fighters came to be returned home.
Late last month, a German convoy of 1,000 troops with tanks, drones and armored vehicles made its way some 750 miles to a Lithuanian military compound in Pabrade in three days, using trains, ferries, trucks and planes  all NATO practice for a possible incursion by foreign (read: Russian) troops.

The huge military exercise, integrating German and Lithuanian troops, began with reconnaissance and turned into a noisy, dusty battle that, not surprisingly, NATO won. Leopard tanks covered in camouflage raced back and forth in a haze of dirt, firing as they went; drones buzzed in the air; armored infantry vehicles spun through battlefield; soldiers covered with brush advanced slowly, weapons blazing.

The NATO exercise was meant to convince Lithuania and other countries bordering Russia that the promise of rapid reinforcement and collective defense was a reality. It was also intended to demonstrate the alliances new commitment to countering a more dangerous Russia, which argues that its war in Ukraine is a necessary response to what it considers NATOs effort to dismantle Moscows sphere of influence.

As NATO leaders prepare to gather in nearby Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, on Tuesday, the Baltic nations and the others on Europes eastern flank are feeling especially vulnerable.
Pope Francis announced Sunday that he would create 21 new cardinals in September, choosing clerics from across the world to reinforce the churchs global reach, as he has done with past choices.

Where they come from expresses the universality of the church, which continues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all people of the earth, Francis said Sunday at the end of his weekly prayer and blessing in St. Peters Square in Vatican City. The addition of the new cardinals shows the inseparable bond between the pope and local churches spread throughout the world, he said.

The list of new princes of the church, as cardinals are called, includes prelates from the United States, Hong Kong, Argentina, Colombia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania and Malaysia, reflecting Francis deliberate shift away from Europe in molding the college that will elect his successor. Of the 131 cardinals Francis has created during his 10-year papacy, including this latest batch, about half are from Africa, Asia and South America.

The only North American is Msgr. Robert Francis Prevost, who previously served as head of the global Augustinian order and was a bishop between 2014 and last year in Peru. As the recently appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which recommends priests whom the pope will make bishops, he holds one of the most influential positions at the Vatican.
For thousands of years, Lake Okeechobee pumped life into Floridas swampy interior. Summer rains swelled the shallow inland sea, creating seasonal overflows that sustained the Everglades and its alligators, panthers, spoonbills and snail kites.

But a vast re-engineering over the past century has transformed Okeechobee into something life-threatening as much as life-giving. Toxic algal blooms now regularly infest much of its 730-square-mile surface during the summer, producing fumes and waterborne poisons potent enough to kill pets that splash in the contaminated waters, or send their owners to the doctor from inhaling the toxins.

The Okeechobee mess, caused mainly by phosphorus-based agricultural fertilizers, festered out of the public consciousness for decades. But in recent summers the problem has become more dire. Climate change is making storms and rainfall more intense and less predictable, and last fall Hurricane Ian stirred up so much phosphorus that this summer is expected to be particularly bad.

Things get further complicated when lake levels climb so high that contaminated water must be released into canals  toward coastal cities like Fort Myers and Stuart  to protect the structural integrity of the 143-mile-long dike holding back the lake.

The coming weeks will offer a serious test.

Lake Okeechobee 10 miles Lake Okeechobee 5 miles Lake Okeechobee 5 miles Algal bloom extent on June 12 Source: Satellite image by Landsat By Leanne Abraham

Rainy season is just starting, but by late June the lakes level was roughly two feet higher than the United States Army Corps of Engineers would like. While thats a few feet below the dikes potential danger zone, history has shown that Okeechobee can swell by that much in less than a month.

Adding to the worry: More than half the lake is already suffering algal blooms. And the algae season has months to go.

This has people downstream bracing for another summer of sludge. Were looking at a bullet in the chamber here, said Eve Samples, executive director of the conservation group Friends of the Everglades.

The state and the Army Corps of Engineers are trying to reduce the toxic flows to the coasts with a controversial re-engineering plan that has been decades in the making, including building a new lake from scratch to contain and decontaminate Okeechobees discharges.

Star Robinson has watched the lake become perilous.

Sunrise over Pahokee and Lake Okeechobee.

Yet critics worry its still not enough, particularly as the world keeps warming. Scientists say hurricanes are getting not only more powerful because of climate change, but also wetter. Ian last year most likely dropped 10 percent more rain than would have been expected in a world without warming, researchers have said.

Star Robinson, 55, grew up playing in and around Okeechobee. But in recent years her relationship with the lake has soured. On a morning jog in the city of Pahokee a few weeks ago, she kept at least 100 yards from the shoreline, and with good reason. Any closer and she risked choking on the lakes lung-burning fumes.

The only activity near the waters edge? A cluster of buzzards. They just love the smell of death and decay, she said.

The vapors come from rotting mats of a type of toxic algae  technically a cyanobacteria  that thrives in Okeechobees tea-warm water and feasts on rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the phosphorus-rich fertilizer and manure that wash off cropland and into the lake.

Ala. Ga. Water flows southward from the Orlando area. Fla. Orlando Area of detail Along the way, it picks up phosphorus from various sources like pasture, cropland and developed areas. Kissimmee R. Atlantic Ocean Pasture and hay Stuart Kissimmee Basin Lake Okeechobee Southern Florida Basin Herbert Hoover Dike Crops Fort Myers Developed areas Dikes, canals and rivers can send polluted water toward the coasts. Gulf of Mexico Canal The Everglades Miami 30 miles Ala. Ga. Fla. Orlando Water flows southward from the Orlando area. Area of detail Atlantic Ocean Along the way, it picks up phosphorus from various sources like pasture, cropland and developed areas. Avon Park Air Force Range Kissimmee R. Pasture and hay Stuart Kissimmee Basin Lake Okeechobee Southern Florida Basin West Palm Beach Herbert Hoover Dike Crops Fort Myers Canal Developed areas Dikes, canals and rivers can send polluted water toward the coasts. Gulf of Mexico The Everglades Miami 20 miles Note: Not all land cover uses are depicted Sources: United States Geological Survey; OpenStreetMap By Leanne Abraham

The immediate dangers include lung infections and gastrointestinal distress. There are also concerns that long-term exposure could lead to organ damage and the risk of certain neurological disorders.

This has become almost like a permanent condition, said Gil Smart, executive director of VoteWater, a nonpartisan group pushing for a more ambitious fix. Its like you have spring, you have summer, and you have algae bloom season, he said. Like clockwork.

Similar outbreaks have struck lakes elsewhere, including Lake Champlain, Lake Erie and Lake Tahoe. But Okeechobee is different. It is warm, flat and shallow as a backyard pool  making it more like a supersize petri dish than the wellspring of the Everglades.

Ms. Robinson, the jogger, said she knows how to fix a lake that has gone to hell.

Stop the polluting, she said. Thats it. Thats the solution.

Its not likely to happen anytime soon.

Old dike, new hope

The Herbert Hoover Dike, a grassy berm protecting lives and livelihoods.

The crisis was borne of decisions starting a century ago to tame the lake by holding back its seasonal overflows in order to drain swamps, creating rich farmland. That has transformed southern Florida into one of the most important sugar-cane-producing regions in the world.

It came at a heavy cost.

Disaster struck in 1926, when a hurricane collapsed part of the dike, drowning hundreds of people. The dike was patched, but two years later it happened again, this time killing thousands.

By the 1960s the Army Corps of Engineers proclaimed it had finally controlled the lake with what is now called the Herbert Hoover Dike, a mound of sand, rock and seashells rising a couple of stories above the table-flat landscape.

Since the dike severed the lakes natural flow into the Everglades, the corps now operates canals to carry much of the outflows eastward to the city of Stuart on the Atlantic coast, and west to Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast.

For decades, the canals carried away lake water. Then, the algae came.

The aftermath of the 1928 hurricane, which killed thousands of people. Roy Senff, Everett Collection Inc., via Alamy

Rehabilitating the Herbert Hoover Dike in 1968. U.S.D.A.-A.R.S. Canal Point Sugarcane Field Station

About a decade ago, Okeechobees outflows began triggering intense downstream algae outbreaks as green as anything Sherwin-Williams might concoct. The coastal impact was particularly bad in 2013, 2016 and 2018, causing beach closures, business shutdowns and even some residential evacuations. (This is different from red tide, another type of toxic algal bloom.)

The releases were necessary because an old fear had returned. Engineers realized a few decades ago that Hoover Dike, notoriously leaky, was in danger of collapsing once again if water levels climbed too high. Today, tens of thousands of people live in Okeechobees flood path.

An 18-year, $1.5 billion dike-fortification project was completed last January. That probably means fewer algae releases toward Fort Myers and Stuart.

But nobody thinks Okeechobees problems are solved. Not only does climate change increase the risk of heavier rain in the future, but water can already flow into Okeechobee about six times faster than the canals can carry it away.

Thats why high lake levels so early in the rainy season are worrisome. In the mid-2000s, for example, a particularly rainy period raised Okeechobees level by about four feet in just a month.

The Army Corps of Engineers said it is doing its best to protect the ecological health of the peninsula, the people who live downstream and the farmers. While I cant promise that there wont be high releases later this year due to the inherent uncertainty of Mother Nature, we will do our best to avoid them, if possible, Col. James Booth of the corps said in June.

A Manhattan-size project

Re-engineering the lake created a sugar cane kingdom.

This winter the corps moved ahead with a Manhattan-size reservoir and wetlands complex. A decade or so from now, a 37-foot-high wall  holding back the new lake  will tower over sugar cane country.

The idea is that the reservoir will capture at least some of Okeechobees toxic outflows instead of sending them to the coasts. The 10,500-acre reservoir and the recently completed 6,500-acre artificial wetlands, designed to absorb phosphorus, are the centerpiece of a growing system of canals, gates, pumps and engineered wetlands built to clean the outflows so they can once again drift south into the Everglades as well as provide drinking water to booming South Florida. The two projects will cost roughly $4 billion.

During a recent visit to the site, Tim Harper, an engineer with the South Florida Water Management District, parked his pickup and asked his passengers to take in the endless sea of sugar cane that will one day be lake bottom. Now, imagine 23 feet of water above you, he said, essentially for as far as the eye can see.

Its a difficult picture to conjure.

Equally challenging to grasp is the idea that the whole new lake, as big as it sounds, will fill to capacity if only six inches of Lake Okeechobee is sent its way.

An earlier proposal for a 60,000-acre system was scuttled when agricultural operators, primarily sugar cane growers, objected. Obtaining the land through eminent domain wasnt an option after the Florida Legislature in 2017 prohibited allowing the state to force a sale.

Fields of sugar cane dominate the landscape south of Lake Okeechobee.

The lock and dam that feed the canal, which sometimes carries toxins toward Stuart.

Scaling back the reservoir has required drastically increasing its depth. The corps says it will still be big and stout enough to trap and treat a significant amount of the contaminated waters.

The project has the support of President Biden and Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential hopeful.

Many conservationists welcomed the decision to build a smaller reservoir as a major step in the right direction. No project will play a bigger role in reducing algae-causing discharges from Lake Okeechobee, said the chief executive of the Everglades Foundation, Eric Eikenberg.

Others are skeptical.

Bill Mitsch, retired director of the Everglades Wetland Research Park at Florida Gulf Coast University, sees the project as too small. He worries it may even result in harm to the Everglades if the phosphorus-absorbing wetlands dont work as well as predicted. There is just not enough capacity, he said.

Ms. Samples, of the Friends of the Everglades, shares that concern. Florida has this century-long history of trying to out-engineer Mother Nature and having it backfire, and it really feels like were repeating the mistakes of our past, she said.

A new normal

A late June bloom, lapping the shore.

June 11 was a Sunday  a boat day  near Stuart on the coast. A flotilla of Floridians landed on a sandbank a couple of miles offshore and soaked up sun and drinks in thigh-deep waters.

Some talked about how thrilled they were to see native seagrass making a comeback since it was ravaged five summers ago by Okeechobee toxic outflows. The grasses provide fish habitat as well as essential food for beloved manatees, which are in such a desperate condition that government crews have taken to feeding them romaine lettuce.

Stefani Hughes, a real estate agent, remembered 2018s outflows for the damage not just to the ecology, but to the economy as well. I personally lost a $1 million sale watching the green plume come in, she said.

Conservationists say state rules to control the flow of phosphorus from agricultural lands, by far the largest source of the pollutant, have long been poorly enforced. Yet even if fertilizer runoff stopped tomorrow, the algae threat would persist for decades or more because there is already so much phosphorus tied up in cropland soils and lake sediment.

This is one reason the path forward has included building the new reservoir and investing in phosphorus-catching artificial wetlands.

But for the moment, people like Mr. Smart of VoteWater arent worried about the next decade. Theyre worried about the next several weeks. Everybody keeps their fingers crossed that we wont have a rainy summer, and that the toxins that are in the lake, stay in the lake, he said.
LOOKING at Jim Kinahan on the shopfloor of the Expert store in Tullamore last week, no one would ever guess he grew up in a house without a fridge or a washing machine.

Yet his first job back in December 1968 was with Kilroy's, a retailer which made its name selling electrical appliances of all kinds, and much more.

Tullamore business legend Dermot Kilroy was running the operation at High Street, Tullamore back then and Jim got a post there even though his previous work experience amounted to weeding and thinning turnips in his native Tubber area.

They used to call it heavy hardware, all the fridges and washing machines. Because I was a big strong lad, I suppose they put me into that, he said.

Jim turned 71 in March and last Thursday, June 29, he finally pulled down the curtain on a career in retail that spanned more than half a century.

After national school he attended Moate Vocational School, Moate Tech, as it was called and at a time when most lads left school at 14 and headed for England or stayed at home, he remained in school and completed three years secondary.

There wasn't even a Leaving Certificate on offer in the school at the time but after the summer of 1968 he started in Kilroy's as the busy Christmas period approached.

At that time they did toys. And things like milking machines and chainsaws, Jim recalled. Back then I didn't now a fridge from a washing machine because we didn't have one at home.

Also, it was an era where many houses had cement floors and the advent of floor covering was a massive shift for many homes.

As they did with so many other products, Kilroy's responded to the emerging trend for roll-out floor covering and had a steady stream of customers.

The heavy rolls would be standing in a corner of the store, four or six feet high and people would arrive with an idea of the area they wished to cover. But they would not have measured up their rooms as is done today.

People would come in with bits of wool and thread and binding twine with knots on it because they weren't able to measure themselves. They would hold it out and say 'That's the length and that the width'.

I had to go and get a tape then and measure it. That's the way it was. It's unbelievable. It was only in the sixties that people were beginning to get education and the vocational schools were part of that.

For businessmen like Dermot Kilroy, running an enterprise was much different too. Availability of credit was always a challenge.

The retailer decided it was time to order in some fridges and he bought GEC models from Martin Naughton at a factory in Dunleer. Naughton was the man who went on to develop Glen Dimplex, a leading company in the electrical trade internationally.

Kilroy would say you could ring him three times and day and get three different prices, noted Jim.

Jim remembers when an initial order was made by Dermot Kilroy, who had a house at Lough Ennell.

Oul Kilroy came down and said he was going to buy 15 of these fridges and he was going to mortgage the house out at the lake against it. I was only 16 or 17 and I was saying it'd be shocking if Mr Kilroy lost the house because the fridges didn't sell.

The salesmen like Jim had to be told about the fridges with their ice boxes and different compartments for various foods. They retailed for about 19 when a weekly wage may have been only 4.

Within two weeks we had them all sold.

The next order was for 30 fridges at 28 each and they also sold. Kilroy's delivered to customers within a 40-mile radius, with different days allocated for the deliveries to different areas.

Another key distinction from electrical retailing in the 21st century was the absence of a plug on newly purchased appliances.

You had to put a plug on it. The appliances came in with no plug on them until the '80s. I'd be in Kilroy's at 9 o'clock on a Saturday night and a fellow would come in and buy a bar fire and you'd be trying to put a plug on it and six other customers there waiting.

Much of the white goods destined for the Kilroy's shopfloor were shipped to Tullamore by rail and Dick Forrestal from Clontarf Road operated a horse and four-wheeled dray until a fleet of Ford 3000 tractors with trailers started moving the loads.

Jim often used to thumb from his home to Tullamore unless a lift had been arranged but when he was 20 he decided to buy his first car.

He was told by the girl in PMPA to come back when he was 21 and the quote for insurance would be better. 1,500 for the insurance and 600 for the car.

Jim worked in Kilroy's stores in Nenagh, Mullingar and Athlone as well as Tullamore and took charge of the electrical department in Mullingar from about 1972 to 1976.

However, he did leave Kilroy's on one occasion, taking a job in Ballina in the early 1970s because it offered a better wage.

Kilroy rang me and said he wanted to talk to me so I came back. I left at about 4 pound 50 or 5 a week and I came back at 13 pound a week.

He stayed in Kilroy's after that and played his part in the modernisation of Ireland. Remember, when he started working in the stores first, there weren't even many telephones.

I was nearly afraid of the phone when I went in first, he said. Indeed, there were so few that neighbouring numbers were in sequence  the Ulster Bank on High Street was Tullamore 74 and Kilroy's on the same street was 75.

Kilroy's was a one-stop shop for so much  white goods, furniture, floor coverings, televisions (the TV rental business was massive) and much more.

From the time we joined the EEC it was growing but there was still a recession every six or seven years, Jim observed.

There were the oil shocks of the 1970s and the recession of the 1980s though he thinks that latter decade was the one where Kilroy's really took off.

Growth continued into the 1990s before recession struck again. But the one of 2008 was the worst ever.

Derry Kilroy left the business in 2007 and at the same time retailers around the country realised they could not remain fully independent.

Hence the moves began to form what became the Expert group under Ciaran O'Reilly. He rang Jim to say he had heard Kilroy's was closing and enquired about the possibility of it continuing under the Expert banner.

A site was identified in Cloncollig but before it was ready Expert continued on High Street for about two years.

Expert then relocated to its current premises and went well before sailing close to the wind again when the last recession hit.

Jim himself switched to a three-day week when he was 66 and by then the store he worked in bore little resemblance to the Kilroy's of old. Laptops, for instance, were one product unheard of until recent times.

Jim speaks about when the microwave oven was introduced. It took them a while to take off, he said.

Some people associated them with pubs, because some licensed premises started using them to heat burgers as pub grub in Ireland improved.

The early domestic models were expensive and required specific promotions. Claffey's, a fashion shop in Moate, provided an avenue towards marketing.

They had a show which attracted hundreds of women to the hotel in Moate and Kilroy's arranged a microwave demonstration and raffle, where one lucky winner would go home with a microwave.

Kilroy's also sold microwaves to their own staff at a special price and word of this gadget which could cook porridge in three minutes spread.

Jim also tells the story of how dishwashers were promoted. Resisted by many households lest people be accused of being lazy for not washing a mug, Kilroy's jumped at the opportunity to supply one Zanussi dishwasher to the garda station in Tullamore when it was undergoing a major refurbishment in the late '70s or early '80s.

There was 39 guards in that barracks and by the end of that year every one of them had a dishwasher.

At 6pm on Thursday evening Jim, a father of five, left Expert for good and was looking forward to retirement with his wife Mary.

But he won't be idle: Mary is getting the pension this year. She works as a carer and now she'll be off when I'm off. And I'll do a bit of fishing and I keep a few calves.
PARKING on double yellow lines in Edenderry three times even though there was a free car park just 15 metres away resulted in a man being disqualified from driving for six months.

Fines totalling 900 were also imposed on Vasile Iulian Smarandaghe, Apartment 13, Oak Granary Court, JKL Street, Edenderry when he was summonsed for parking on double yellow lines at Granary Court Road in Edenderry on December 18, December 20 and December 28 last year.

Garda David Harney told Tullamore District Court the prosecution arose from a car being parked across from a car park resulting in a series of traffic issues.

A number of fixed charge notices were issued and Mr Smarandaghe received three but they were unpaid and the tax was also out on the vehicle, of which he was the registered owner.

Garda Harney said he did not know if the vehicle had been taxed since but it had not been parked in the same place.

Garda Harney said the road was being used as an inner relief road and the gardai were getting complaints from residents about being blocked because of parking taking place on it.

A gentleman using a motorised wheelchair had been affected by obstruction, the garda added.

Judge Andrew Cody said the illegal parking was inexplicable and inexcusable and it seemed to him from a photograph handed into the court that there were plenty of available spaces in the car park nearby.

He imposed two fines of 200 each for two of the parking offences, a fine of 300 for non-display of tax and a driving ban of six months for the third illegal parking offence.

A second car owner, Micu Marius Cornel, Ard na Carraige, Edenderry, was summonsed for parking on double yellow lines at the same place on December 20 last year.

Garda Harney said a fixed charge penalty notice had not been paid and the accused had previously been fined 750 and disqualified for two years for driving without insurance.

Judge Cody fined him 500 for the parking offence.
Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba said on Sunday that he would seek a third term as the oil-rich African nation's head of state.

"I officially announce today that I am a candidate," he told a crowd of supporters in a speech broadcast live on his Facebook page.

Bongo, 64, took over from his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, the country's ruler for 41 years, in 2009.

The president was narrowly re-elected in 2016, with just 5,500 more votes than rival Jean Ping who claimed the election had been fixed.

Bongo suffered a stroke in 2018 and spent months on the sidelines recovering, leaving the opposition to question his fitness to run the nation.

The Bongo family has ruled the country for 55 years already and is branded a "dynastic power" by the opposition.

But the opposition has failed to agree on a single candidate for the presidential election, leaving some 15 candidates to announce their intentions to stand.

In April, the Gabonese parliament voted to amend the constitution and reduce the president's term from seven to five years.

Sections of the opposition criticised the changes, in particular the end of two rounds of voting, as a means of "facilitating the re-election" of Bongo.

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Heavy Rain In Delhi Again As City Struggles With Waterlogging

Delhi Flood: Yamuna Water Level Likely To Go Below Danger Mark Today

Yamuna Flood Waters Reach Taj Mahal Wall for the First Time in 45 Years

2 Soldiers Die In Poonch After Being Swept Away In Flash Floods

India

oi-Deepika S

Bodies of two soldiers, who were swept away by flash floods triggered by heavy rains, were recovered in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Sunday.

The Army personnel were crossing Dogra nallah in Surankote area when they were swept away by a strong current on Saturday, they said.

While the body of Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh was fished out from the stream Saturday night, the mortal remains of the second soldier were recovered on Sunday.

The body of one of the deceased has been sent for postmortem, the officials said.

Paying tribute, Indian Army's 16 Corps said, "All Ranks salute the Supreme Sacrifice of Nb Sub Kuldeep Singh who while crossing a river during an Area Domination Patrol in difficult terrain of Poonch was swept away in a flash flood. Indian Army stands in solidarity with the bereaved family."

Meanwhile, a red alert has been issued for two districts in Jammu and Kashmir as the region witnessed heavy rainfall for the third consecutive day on Sunday.

"Red warning for Kathua, Samba and other lower catchment areas of Jammu region as risk of flood, flash flood increased considerably. All concerned are advised to stay alert during the next 24 hours," the IMD said.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2023, 14:25 [IST]
BJP Ally NPP to Oppose Uniform Civil Code in Arunachal Pradesh

India

pti-PTI

The Arunachal Pradesh unit of the National People's Party (NPP) has decided to oppose the immediate implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the northeastern state.

The decision was taken at the state executive meeting of the party here on Saturday, NPP state general secretary Paknga Bage said. NPP state working president Likha Saaya told reporters, "Though NPP is in alliance with the BJP on developmental issues, but the regional party follows its own ideology".

The party unanimously adopted a resolution at the meeting opposing the UCC, citing the state's diverse multi-ethnic and multi-tribal composition, as well as its strong customary and traditional identity, Bage said. Elaborating the reason as to why NPP is opposing UCC, Bage said since Arunachal Pradesh has its own unique laws, the NPP has unanimously adopted a resolution to go with the customary laws with certain modifications. "The state and the central governments should focus on codifying the existing customary laws with necessary modifications to align them with tribal practices," he said.

The UCC refers to a common set of laws on marriage, divorce and inheritance that would be applicable to all Indian citizens irrespective of religion, tribe or other local customs. The Law Commission had on June 14 initiated a fresh consultation process on UCC by seeking views from stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue.

BJP's Ally AIADMK Opposes Uniform Civil Code

The other resolution adopted at the meeting was to place the demand for revocation of New Pension Scheme (NPS) by reintroducing the Old Pension Scheme, Bage said. The state working president of the regional party said that the resolutions adopted at its executive meeting, would form the groundwork for Assembly polls in the state, due in 2024.

The NPP is a secular party and holds no prejudice against any individual or religious group. Its sole objective is to ensure the overall development and welfare of every citizen in the state, Saaya said. The NPP has four MLAs in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly.
Bouncers To Protect Tomatoes In UP, Free Tomatoes With Smartphone In MP

India

oi-Prakash KL

As the price of tomatoes reaches sky-high, a grocer has deployed bouncers to protect the vegetable in Varanasi, PTI reported.

Yes, a vegetable seller in the Lanka area of Varanasi has roped in two bouncers to prevent buyers from getting aggressive while haggling the tomato prices, which have soared almost across the country, virtually making them a luxury item.

Ajay Fauji, a Samajwadi Party worker, had earlier cut a tomato-shaped cake in Varanasi on the birthday of Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav.

"I kept hearing about arguments over the tomato price among people. People at my shop too tried to haggle. So to put an end to the constant arguments, I decided to deploy bouncers in uniform at my cart," the news agency quoted Fauji as saying.

The bouncers will be working at his cart from 9 am to 5 pm. However, Fuji has not revealed the amount being paid to the bouncers as their remuneration. "No one will provide bouncers free of cost."

On asking if hiring bouncers at his cart has helped him, Fauji said even though people are coming in the same numbers, they are less militant about the pricing now.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav too shared the image of a news clip relating to Fauji and his bouncers and tweeted, "The BJP should provide 'Z-Plus' security to tomatoes."

However, the PTI has deleted the tweet as his motive for giving the information to the news agency was questionable. "We have, therefore, removed the tweet. We erred in not verifying the antecedents of the source for the story, and failed to meet the high standards of accuracy and fairness we set for ourselves. We assure our readers that PTI remains committed to delivering accurate and unbiased news," the tweet read.

Meanwhile, a smartphone shop owner in Madhya Pradesh's Ashok Nagar is giving tomatoes to customers free of cost with mobile phones. "Since tomatoes have become expensive and we wanted to offer something to customers due to increased competition in the market, we decided to offer tomatoes with smartphones," says shop owner Abhishek Agarwal.

The shop, which gives 2 kg tomato on purchasing a smartphone, is located n Ashok Nagar.

The rise in the price is attributed to the prevailing heatwave in key tomato-growing areas and heavy rains, leading to a disruption in supply chains. More importantly, tomatoes have a lower shelf life, which is also believed to be having a bearing on their prices.
Chandrayaan-3: Digging, Construction Works Banned In Sriharikota

India

oi-Deepika S

Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar mission, is all set to lift off from Sri Harikotaat 2.35 pm on July 14, with the lander expected to soft-land on the surface of the Moon on August 23 or 24.

Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.

The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which will be launched by LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-III) (earlier referred as GSLV Mk III), is a composite of three modules -- propulsion, lander, and rover (which is housed inside the lander).

It is India's second attempt at a successful soft landing on the Moon's surface. Till now, only three countries have successfully landed spacecraft on the airless lunar world.

In view of Chandrayaan-3 mission launch, a ban on digging and construction near Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Tamil Nadu's Sriharikota has been imposed from Monday until the launch day on Friday.

The move aims at safeguarding critical communication lines, including optical fibre cables, required for essential pre-launch tests to be conducted by the ISRO.

"ISRO is launching LVM3-M4 on July 14 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. In this connection, it is absolutely essential to maintain stable communications without any interruption. The tests are in progress," Hindustan Times reported quoting sources.

Chandrayaan-3 mission carries scientific instruments to study the thermo-physical properties of the lunar regolith, lunar seismicity, lunar surface plasma environment and elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.While the scope of these scientific instruments on the lander and the rover would fit in the theme of "Science of the Moon", another experimental instrument will study the spectro-polarimetric signatures of the Earth from the lunar orbit, which would fit in the theme of "Science from the Moon", according to ISRO officials.'.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2023, 14:43 [IST]
North Bengal Likely To Get Heavy Rains Till June 13, 2 Killed In Lightning Strike In Kolkata

Bengal : EC Announces Repolling In Booths Where Voting Declared Void

India

oi-Prakash KL

The West Bengal State Election Commission announced that repolling will be held on Monday in 696 booths where voting for the rural elections was declared void, a senior official said on Sunday.

The SEC, which held a meeting on Sunday evening, went through reports of vote-tampering and violence which affected polling in many places, and passed the order, an official said.

The repolling will be held in the booths, spread across 19 districts, from 7 am to 5 pm. Four central forces personnel will be present in each of the booths, besides state police, he added. "After reviewing the reports received from the districts, we have decided to conduct repolling in over 690 booths in 19 districts. There will be four CAPF personnel in every booth for tomorrow's polling," the official told PTI.

A total of 73,887 seats in the state's three-tier panchayat system went to the polls, with lakh 2.06 lakh candidates in the fray. A voter turnout of 66.28 per cent, provisionally, was recorded, while 5.67 crore people living in the state's rural areas were eligible to vote, officials said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday flew to New Delhi, where he is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence that took place during the panchayat elections in the state, an official said.

Among districts where repolling was announced, Murshidabad has the highest number of booths at 175, followed by Malda with 112.

Violence-hit Nadia will see repolling in 89 booths, while North and South 24 Parganas districts will witness repolling in 46 and 36 booths respectively.

At least 15 people were killed in violence during polling in the state on Saturday.

"The governor is visiting Delhi. He is supposed to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the panchayat polls held in West Bengal on Saturday," the official told PTI.
Punjab Assembly Passes Bill To Make Gurbani From Golden Temple Free For All

Former Punjab Minister O P Soni Arrested In Disproportionate Assets Case

India

oi-Prakash KL

Former deputy chief minister O P Soni was arrested by the the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during 2016 to 2022.

A spokesperson from the agency said that an FIR was registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Amritsar Range against Soni following investigations in the inquiry, which was ordered on October 10, 2022.

In an official statement, the spokesperson said that "during the check period from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2022, the income of the former Deputy CM and his family was Rs 4,52,18,771 while the expenditure was Rs 12,48,42,692, which was Rs 7,96,23,921 or 176.08 per cent more than his known sources of income".

"During this period, accused OP Soni had made properties in the name of his wife Suman Soni and son Raghav Soni," he claimed.

Further investigations are on.

Earlier, Soni had appeared before the VB in Amritsar and joined investigation. Before demitting his office, he had promised to give the bureau all details of his moveable and immovable properties.

The investigation is a result of an anonymous complaint the bureau had received accusing Soni of amassing properties beyond his known sources of income.

In May, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested former Congress MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon for allegedly amassing "huge wealth" than his known sources of income, officials had said earlier.

The Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government has said it has a zero tolerance policy towards corruption and will proceed in accordance with law against anyone who indulges in any wrongdoing.

Earlier, Congress leaders and former Punjab Ministers, including Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, have faced vigilance cases under the present dispensation.

It has to be noted that Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also appeared before the Vigilance Bureau a few times in connection with a disproportionate assets case under the present AAP dispensation.

However, the former CM Channi has described the probe as "totally political".

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2023, 23:23 [IST]
Heavy Rain In Delhi Again As City Struggles With Waterlogging

Delhi Flood: Yamuna Water Level Likely To Go Below Danger Mark Today

Yamuna Flood Waters Reach Taj Mahal Wall for the First Time in 45 Years

Heavy Rain Batters North India, 5 Dead In Himachal Pradesh

India

oi-Deepika S

Heavy rain battered several parts of northwest India on Saturday and Sunday, with Delhi breaking a 41-year-old record.

According to IMD, rainfall is expected in parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

The IMD said the Western Disturbance (WD) prevailed over northern India, while the monsoon trough extended to the south of its normal position, reaching lower tropospheric levels. Additionally, a cyclonic circulation was embedded over southwest Rajasthan.

This interaction between the WD and monsoonal winds is expected to persist for the next 24-36 hours, leading to moderate rainfall in most parts of northwest India, according to an IMD update.

Himachal Pradesh on red alert

Amid the continuous heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, the weather department issued a red alert for seven districts of the state and an orange alert for three districts for the next two days.

At least five people were killed in different rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh in the last 24 hours -- three in Shimla, one in Chamba and one in Kullu.

#WATCH | Badrinath National Highway closed due to landslide near Chhinka and NH-9 closed in Kumaon division at Champawat



(Visuals from Chhinka area) pic.twitter.com/Tj8TLFmcFx  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 9, 2023

Himachal Pradesh administration has suspended Shrikhand Mahadev Yatra on July 9 and 10 due to inclement weather conditions.

"Shrikhand Mahadev Yatra has been suspended for July 9 & 10, in view of 'red' alert for heavy rain and the fact that the Yatra route beyond Parvati Bag is damaged," said Ashutosh Garg, Deputy Commissioner-Kullu.

A team of SDRF safely evacuated six people who were trapped in their homes due to the rise in the water level of the Beas River in the lower market of Pandoh today.

1 Dead in Delhi

A 58-year-old woman was killed in Delhi when the ceiling of a flat came crashing down on her. Four people were killed in rain-related incidents in Rajasthan in a span of 24 hours.

The Met department has predicted very heavy rainfall in more than nine districts of Rajasthan, including, Rajsamand, Jalore, Pali, Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Dausa, Dhaulpur, Jaipur and Kota.
Cash Payment, Fake Name: Details Of Sachin, Seema Haider's Stay in Room No. 204 Of Kathmandu Hotel Revealed

Not A Spy, Don't Send Me Back To Pakistan: Seema Haider's Appeal To PM Modi, UP CM

My Husband Is A Hindu, So I Am A Hindu: Pak Woman Who Fell In Love With Indian Man On PUBG

India

oi-Prakash KL

The Pakistani woman, who fell in love with an Indian man and entered the country illegally, indicated that she has embraced Hinduism.

"My husband is a Hindu, so I am a Hindu. I feel I am an Indian now," NDTV quoted the woman named Seema Haider as saying.

On July 4, the police detained the Pakistani woman and her four children who were illegally staying in Greater Noida

Like a cross-border love story from a Bollywood film, the couple came to know about each other through PUBG during the COVID-19 pandemic. They tied the knot in Nepal in March this year. While the mother of four is 30, the boy named Sachin Meena is 25.

Seema hailed from Sindh province in Pakistan and was settled in Karachi after her marriage in 2014.

"It was such a long and gruelling journey. I was very scared too. I first went from Karachi to Dubai, where we waited for 11 hours and couldn't sleep. We then flew to Nepal, before finally taking the road to Pokhara, where I met Sachin," Seema says.

After the wedding, she left for Pakistan and Sachin came back to India. She then sold her plot to Pakistan rupees Rs 12 lakh to arrange flight tickets and a Nepal visa for her along with her four children.

She landed in Nepal via Dubai and stayed in Pokhara. She then reached Delhi from Kathmandu and reached Noida on May 13, the report claims. By then, Sachin had made arrangements for her accommodation.

More than one-and-a-half-month later, local police got a whiff of a Pakistani woman and her children's illegal presence in their area. Sachin, Seema and her children tried to evade police arrest and fled, but were caught in Ballabhgarh in Haryana. Police then questioned them and officially arrested them on July 4, the officials said.

She along with her husband got bail on Friday. The court also ordered that as long as the case continues, Seema will not change her residence and live with Sachin.

Talking about getting bail, Seema said, "I shouted in joy when I heard the news. I had thought that I would be in jail for months."

On the other hand, her husband named Gulam Haider has appealed to the Indian government to send back his wife.

However, Seema told reporters that she did not wish to go back to Ghulam Haider and claimed a threat to her life if she returns to their native place in Pakistan, citing stringent local laws.
Ravi Unfit To Be Governor: Stalin Writes To President

India

oi-Deepika S

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to President Draupadi Murmu, saying R N Ravi is unfit to be Governor as he functioned as a political opponent and looked for 'opportunities to topple the State government'.

In a letter to Murmu, Stalin wrote that the Governor has breached his oath of office by acting against the state's people and interests and against the Constitution.

Ravi 'defamed' Tamil culture, indulged in 'cheap politics,' instigated communal hatred and he is a threat to Tamil Nadu's peace, he said adding through such actions the Governor violated his oath.

A Governor who looks for 'opportunities to topple the State government' in a state ruled by a party (DMK) opposed to the party in power at the Centre (BJP) could be regarded as a mere agent of the Union government. Such a course of action pursued by a Governor would destroy the Indian democracy's basic tenets by damaging the principle of federalism. Governor RN Ravi is 'a good example' of such a behaviour. ''Ravi is stoking communal hatred and he is a threat to Tamil Nadu's peace,'' Stalin said in a letter dated July 8, 2023.

On the recent issue of the Governor's move to dismiss Minister V Senthil Balaji from the Cabinet, which he later backtracked from, Ravi showed his political slant, the CM claimed in his letter. Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last month in a cash-for-jobs case.

On the one hand, Ravi delayed sanction to prosecute former ministers in the previous AIADMK regime and on the other hand, through his hasty action in Senthil Balaji's matter -- against whom only now a probe has begun -- he has displayed his political inclinations, the letter said.

According to PTI, Stalin said Ravi made serious violation of Constitutional provisions. Initially he had declined to accept the recommendation of retaining Balaji as a Minister. Ravi also demanded on May 31 that Senthil Balaji be dropped from Cabinet till he was cleared of all criminal charges against him.

Citing Constitutional provisions and relevant laws, the CM said it was his prerogative to induct Ministers into the Cabinet or remove them. ''By way of his behaviour and action, the Governor has proved to be partial and ineligible to hold the office of Governor; Ravi is fit to be removed from the high office,'' the CM emphasised in his letter.

Stalin told Murmu that he was leaving the matter -- of removing Ravi from office -- to her, to decide whether Tamil Nadu Governor's continuation in office would be desirable or suitable considering the sentiments and dignity of the founding fathers of India's Constitution.

In a 19-page statement --extracts from Stalin's letter to Murmu-- the government quoted the CM as saying that Ravi openly functioned against the policies of the Tamil Nadu government. The Governor caused unnecessary delay in clearing Bills passed by the Assembly besides files and posed hindrance to the work of the state government and the Assembly.

Stalin said Ravi's tenure as Governor in Nagaland was also not satisfactory and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) there had said that there was peace only after his exit. Ever since he assumed office as TN Governor in September 2021, Ravi had all along been involved in an ideologocial and political battle with the DMK regime, duly elected by the people. Several of Ravi's activities demonstrated that he was unfit to be Governor, the CM said.

'Unnecessary delay' in giving assent to Bills passed by the Assembly, putting on hold files related to according sanction to prosecute former AIADMK Ministers, interference in police cases were among the several reasons cited by him. Under the heading, 'functioning as a political and ideological opponent of the elected state government,' Stalin said it was unbecoming of a Governor to express his political and religious opinions in public.

Through his undesirable, 'divisive religious speeches,' the Governor has been often making known that he does not have 'faith' in secularism. Stalin claimed, on November 9, 2022, Ravi's comment that 'like other parts of the world, India too is dependent on a single religion' is an affront to the Constitution.

The CM conveyed to the President that she knew well India was not dependent on any religion but only on the Constitution and laws. The nation's strength and beauty lay on pluralism and religious harmony built over several centuries. Ravi 'praising' Sanatana Dharma, 'communalising' Tamil classic Tirukkural 'condemning' Dravidian tradition and the pride of Tamil were among other points made by Stalin.
Air travel between Libya and Italy will resume in September after a nearly decade-long suspension following an EU ban, the head of the Tripoli-based UN-backed government said on Sunday.

"The Italian government has informed us of its decision to lift the air embargo imposed on Libyan civil aviation for 10 years," interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said on Twitter.

The Italian government did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation from AFP.

The Italian embassy in Tripoli said however in a tweet that the head of Italy's civil aviation authority, Pierluigi Di Palma, discussed the resumption of flights with Libyan officials in Tripoli.

Flights between the two countries were halted in 2014 after the European Union blacklisted Libyan airlines and banned them from flying over European airspace.

Dbeibah said on Sunday that flights between Tripoli and Rome are expected "to resume in September" but he did not specify if Libyan carriers would be removed from the EU blacklist.

Malta is the only other European country to have resumed flights with Libya.

Oil-rich Libya plunged into years of chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed strongman Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Since then, the North African country has been divided, with one administration based in Tripoli and the other in the east where it is backed by military General Khalifa Haftar.

Armed groups have exploited the turmoil to fund their activities through fuel smuggling and the illegal trafficking of migrants.

European countries suspended flights to Libya in 2014 after a coalition of mostly Islamist militias called "Fajr Libya" seized Tripoli following weeks of fierce fighting that caused massive damage to Tripoli's international airport.

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Tripura CM Criticizes TMC Over Bengal Panchayat Polls Violence

India

pti-PTI

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has accused the TMC of perpetrating violence during the panchayat polls in West Bengal, and asked his counterpart Mamata Banerjee to "learn" from the northeastern state on "how to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.

Saha also expressed shock over the death of 12 people during the rural polls in West Bengal, and alleged that reports of violence reflect that "democracy is being murdered there". "Shocking reports coming from West Bengal reflect democracy is being murdered there! TMC goons in Panchayat polls under the regime of West Bengal Chief Minister @MamataOfficial Ji are restricting people to participate in the democratic festival & creating a tensed environment through violence," he tweeted on Saturday.

"I strongly condemn the violence perpetrated by the TMC hooligans & invite Mamata Ji to learn from #Tripura how to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections, Saha said. The BJP won 95 per cent of the seats in the three-tier panchayat elections in Tripura unopposed in 2019.

Shocking reports coming from West Bengal reflects democracy is being murdered there!



TMC goons in Panchayat polls under the regime of West Bengal Chief Minister @MamataOfficial Ji is restricting people to participate in the democratic festival & creating a tensed environment https://t.co/Fcjzshraqw  Prof.(Dr.) Manik Saha (@DrManikSaha2) July 8, 2023

Violence rocks West Bengal's Panchayat Polls, 12 Dead Amidst Allegations of Strong-Arm Tactics

The rural polls in Bengal drew towards a bloody finish as 12 people died, bombs exploded and all parties levelled allegations of strong-arm tactics against their rivals on Saturday. Eight from the ruling Trinamool Congress and one worker each of the BJP, CPI(M), Congress and the ISF lost their lives, officials said.
Won't Accept BJP's 'One Nation, One Party' Plan: Uddhav; Says Modi's Charisma Fading

India

oi-PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said the BJP's "one nation, one party" plan would never be accepted and claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma is on the wane. Addressing a rally at Digras in Yavatmal district, Thackeray referred to the nine MLAs of the Ajit Pawar camp joining the Maharashtra government and questioned the need to "steal" the Nationalist Congress Party if the government enjoys majority as claimed by the BJP.

Digras is the home turf of Shiv Sena MLA and state minister Sanjay Rathod, who is aligned with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. "One nation, one law can be understood. But we will never accept one nation, one party plan of the BJP", Thackeray said.

He said 40 MLAs of Shiv Sena went to the BJP (last year) along with some independent legislators. "They (BJP) used to claim that their government (also comprising the Shinde faction of Sena and independents) enjoys a comfortable majority. If this is the case then what was the need to steal the NCP?" he asked. The former chief minister also alleged the estranged ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted Shiv Sena alone but not the Thackerays.

"The BJP has now become a party of riff-raff," Thackeray said in an apparent reference to the recent induction of nine MLAs of NCP in the Shiv Sena-BJP government including Ajit Pawar. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma has faded which was witnessed in the recently-held Karnataka assembly elections.

"He (Modi) gave the 'Bajarang Bali ki Jai' slogan loudly, but God hit back with his mace and the BJP was whitewashed in Karnataka," Thackeray added. He said the defection of a few leaders from one party to another can be understood, but stealing an entire party should not be allowed in a democracy. "We have seen some MLAs jumping from one party to another ahead of elections. However, swallowing a party has to be stopped.

In a democracy, every party should be allowed to express their views even though they are political opponents," Thackeray said. He said there was a time when a new government used to be formed through ballot papers, "but now the new government is formed through 'khokas' (boxes of money)". "Modi in Madhya Pradesh said that a Rs 70,000 crore scam took place in Maharashtra and blamed it on the Nationalist Congress Party. Within a few days, an NCP (section) joined the Maharashtra government.

Now leaders of the NCP will share their photos with the prime minister. What sort of Hindutva is this?" he asked. Thackeray claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised him of sharing the chief minister's post with Shiv Sena (Undivided) for 2.5 years during their meeting at Matoshree, the private residence of the Thackerays in Mumbai, in October 2019. "However, post the assembly elections in 2019, he (Shah) refused to admit this promise, prompting me to join hands with the NCP and the Congress," he claimed.

Thackeray said if he gets another chance, he will ensure that a Shivsainik becomes the chief minister of Maharashtra again. Taking a swipe at the Centre over the violence in Manipur, he said the government should send officials of Income Tax, ED and CBI to the north-eastern state and try to "silence those people like these teams do in other parts of India. "Send them there and establish peace in Manipur," he said.

Speaking on the Uniform Civil Code, Thackeray said the Union government comes up with new issues every time and tries to divert the attention of people from existing controversies that could potentially affect it. "Now, the Union government has come up with UCC. We want the draft of the UCC to come out. We are open for discussion on UCC. We have supported the abrogation of Article 370," Thackeray added. The former chief minister has been criticised by the BJP and incumbent CM Eknath Shinde that he spent most of his tenure sitting at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I managed the entire state by sitting at home. These people are now going door to door but the condition of Maharashtra is on the decline on various fronts," Thackeray added.

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Story first published: Sunday, July 9, 2023, 23:46 [IST]
UPI in France, Longer Student Visa: What PM Modi Said In Paris

France Bans Fireworks Ahead Of Bastille Day

International

dwnews-DW News

France has banned the sale, possession and transport of fireworks for a week, including the July 14 national holiday weekend, following violent protests sparked by the police killing a teenager.

"In order to prevent the risk of serious disturbances to public order during the July 14 festivities, the sale, possession, transport and use of pyrotechnical articles and fireworks is banned until July 15 inclusively," said a government decree published in the official Journal on Sunday.

France is still reeling from violent protest sparked when Nahel, a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, was shot dead by police in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris on June 27.

Five nights of violence followed during which protesters often used fireworks to attack security officers. Earlier protests against reforms to the French retirement system also saw the use of fireworks.

What did the authorities say about the ban?

Celebrating Bastille Day, which refers to France's national day, usually involves the use of fireworks.

Addressing the ban to the French Le Parisien daily on Saturday, French Interior Minister Elisabeth Borne said she has met several representatives and residents nationwide who expressed fear regarding "possible renewed incidents" during the Bastille Day celebrations.

Borne vowed that the government would deploy "massive means to protect the French" during the national holiday.

The ban excludes professional or municipality-organized fireworks displays traditionally planned to mark the national day.

Riots which followed Nahel's killing saw the arrest of over 3,700, including at least 1,160 minors, as per official figures.

Source: DW
'Kill India Rally: Pro-Khalistani Groups Protest Outside Indian Missions In London, Canada

International

oi-Deepika S

A pro-Khalistan protested outside the Indian High Commission in London on Saturday amid tight security.

Only a handful of people gathered across the street from the building housing India's consulate, in sharp contrast with protests at the same location earlier this year.

The protest rally titled 'Kill India' comes at a time when there is increased attack by pro-Khalistani groups in UK and across countries including Canada, Australia and the United States.

The rally used controversial posters inciting violence with images of the Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Dr Shashank Vikram, Consul General of India in Birmingham, PTI reported. There was a very visible police presence throughout the protest, which wrapped sooner than expected.

#Khalistan rally in Toronto displays Indian Embassy officials pictures on a truck. We again request GoI to downgrade diplomatic relations with Canada and treat Canada on par with Pakistan. #SanctionCanada. Put Justin Trudeau on a permanent no-fly list. pic.twitter.com/zqVjz25cDk  Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network (SHHAN) (@HinduHate) July 8, 2023

The protesters gathered outside the Indian High Commission from around 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm (local time). Meanwhile, the security in the area was beefed up with the presence of UK police, according to ANI.

Protest to avenge Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death

On June 19, pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in a targeted shooting in Canada's Surrey.

The protestors accused the Indian government of being responsible for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a declared terrorist in India wanted in many cases.

#WATCH | Members of the Indian diaspora held a counter protest against pro-Khalistan supporters in front of the Indian consulate in Canada's Toronto on July 8 pic.twitter.com/lZvRiSdVs1  ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

Nijjar was also associated with the Sikhs For Justice and has been trying to radicalise the Sikh community across the world. With the aim of creating a separate state of Khalistan, he was trying to get the Sikhs to go against India and carry out violent acts.

Nijjar had played a key role in organising the Khalistan referendum in Brampton city. India had asked Canadian authorities to take action against Nijjar for his alleged involvement in terrorist acts in Punjab.

Earlier this week, the UK government declared that any direct attacks on the High Commission of India in London are unacceptable amid the anti-India attacks and posters by Khalistani extremists emerging on social media channels.
How Russia Is Shifting To War Economy In The Face Of International Sanctions

Ukraine War: What Are Controversial Cluster Bombs And How Munitions Work?

International

oi-Prakash KL

The US is all set to send Ukraine a cluster munitions package to help in its counteroffensive against Russia.

This has not gone well with Moscow which has termed it as an "act of desperation" by the United States. "It is an act of desperation and shows weakness against the backdrop of the failure of the much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

However, several allies of the US including the UK and New Zealand have expressed unease at Washington's decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs, which are banned by more than 100 countries.

So, What Are Cluster Bombs and why these countries are expressing concerns?

Cluster bombs are weapons that open in the air, releasing submunitions, or "bomblets," that are dispersed over a large area and are intended to wreak destruction on multiple targets at once.

A cluster munition, or cluster bomb, is a weapon containing multiple explosive submunitions.

Cluster munitions are deployed either through aerial deployment or ground and sea launch, unfurling in the air to disperse numerous submunitions that can cover an expansive region. Anyone present within the targeted vicinity of the cluster munition, whether they belong to the military or civilian population, faces an exceedingly high probability of suffering fatal consequences or enduring severe injuries.

From a military standpoint, their utilization against entrenched ground forces situated in trenches and fortified positions can yield devastating outcomes, making extensive regions hazardous and impractical to traverse until meticulous clearance procedures are carried out.

Humanity and Inclusion, a charitable organization based in France, also known as Handicap International, reports that approximately 40 per cent of the smaller submunitions within a cluster bomb explode upon impact. However, the remaining undetonated bomblets continue to pose a lethal danger even decades after their deployment.

These munitions remain primed for detonation and have the potential to cause severe injury or death to individuals at any given moment. Their impact is akin to that of landmines, often rendering affected regions uninhabitable. As a stark example, certain areas in Laos remain extensively contaminated many years after the cessation of the war.



What worries the most is the bombs may not explode now, but may in future. It means there are high chances of civilian deaths.

Who Are Producing Cluster Munitions?

The Cluster Munition Coalition report reveals that sixteen countries are presently engaged in the production of cluster munitions and have not made any commitments to cease such activities. These countries include Brazil, China, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. According to the report, Russian forces deployed at least two recently developed types of cluster munitions in Ukraine during the preceding year.

It has to be noted that both Russia and Ukraine have been using the cluster bombs in the ongoing war. It has been reported that Russian cluster munitions exhibit a "dud rate" of 40 per cent, indicating that a significant number of these munitions pose an ongoing threat on the ground. In comparison, the average dud rate is estimated to be approximately 20 per cent.

On the other hand, the Pentagon states that its own cluster bomblets have a dud rate of less than 3 per cent.
Greenchef SME IPO Of Rs 53.62 Crores Gets Listed On NSE Emerge

Press Release

oi-Oneindia English Desk

Greenchef Appliances Limited made a decent debut on NSE Emerge on Thursday as the shares were listed at a premium of Rs 17 to the issue price.

The shares of Greenchef were listed at Rs 104 apiece, Rs 17 higher than the issue price of Rs87 per share. HEM Securities Limited are the Book Running Lead Manager of the issue. The shares hit an upper circuit of Rs 109.20 while going to print.

Greenchef Appliances Ltd, the Bangalore-based home appliances manufacturer, had successfully raised 53.62 crores in its first Initial Public Offering (IPO). The IPO, which was open for subscription from June 23rd to June 27th, 2023, garnered overwhelming demand and was oversubscribed by close to 60 times.

The company currently operates three plants in Bangalore and one in Himachal Pradesh. Greenchef Appliances Ltd aims to expand its presence in the Northern Indian markets, specifically Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar. The company's target audience includes the unorganized sector, which currently holds over 60% of the Kitchen appliances market.

Praveen Jain, Managing Director of Greenchef Appliances Ltd, stated, "The proceeds from the IPO will be utilized for constructing a new factory near Vasanthanarsapura (Tumkur). The facility, spanning nearly 15 acres with a built-up area of about 2 lakh square feet, is expected to be completed between December 2023 to March 2024. Additionally, the funds will be allocated as working capital for business promotions, new product development, machinery acquisition for plant automation, and backward integration."

Dr. Harish Ahuja, Senior Vice President, NSE, attend the event on behalf of NSE Limited
Rumble 14 Jul 2023

The latest NATO Summit just wrapped up, and it left Zelensky without a clear path to join the alliance and without the typical..
Concerns are growing that the presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus could destablise the region but Belarus says the rebels have yet to arrive.
Ukraine's ambassador to Germany said in an interview that his country wants the military alliance to allow no more ambiguity. Meanwhile, Biden is traveling to Europe ahead of next week's NATO summit. Follow DW for more.
US President Joe Biden is set to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles. In separate comments on Sunday, he said that Ukraine was not ready for NATO membership.
US President Joe Biden believes Israel and Saudi Arabia are a long way from a normalization agreement similar to what has been accomplished with other Gulf countries.

"We're a long way from there. We got a lot to talk about," Biden said in a CNN interview broadcasted on Sunday.

"Quite frankly, I don't think they have much of a problem with Israel. And whether or not we would provide a means by which they could have civilian nuclear power and/or be a guarantor of their security, that's - I think that's a little way off, he added.

Last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that normalization with Israel is in the interest of the region, but the Palestinian issue must be addressed first.

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Russia said the decision to transfer the five Mariupol commanders back home from Turkey directly violated an existing prisoner..

Washington Post 09 Jul 2023
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other NATO leaders head east to Lithuania this week for their annual summit, they'll be accompanied by some pretty pumped-up language and high expectations.
A NATO summit demonstrating solidarity with Ukraine will dominate the US president's European tour. Meanwhile, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany said his country insists on joining alliance. Follow DW for more.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., says President Biden's administration bears no blame for the chaotic and deadly withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
President Joe Biden defended his decision to reverse course and provide lethal cluster munitions to Ukraine, stating categorically in an interview that Ukraine was "running out of ammunition."
The recent diplomatic talks between Pakistan and Iran signify an important milestone in their bilateral relationship. The 12th round of Pakistan-Iran Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) held in Tehran saw the two countries agreeing to enhance and diversify their trade ties, expand cooperation in diverse sectors, and continue...
U.S. allies and Russia reacted Saturday to the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with controversial cluster munitions that are banned by more than 100 countries, though not the U.S., Russia and Ukraine.



Canada, one of Ukraines most vocal advocates, as well as military and humanitarian supporter, asserted its full compliance...
Sri Lankas Speaker thanks India, Indian Prime Minister Modi for help during financial crisis

Posted by Editor on July 9, 2023 - 10:58 am

Expressing his gratitude to trustworthy friend India for saving Sri Lanka and preventing a bloodbath during its unprecedented economic crisis last year, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has said that not a single nation has extended that kind of assistance to Colombo as done by New Delhi.

Sri Lanka was hit by a catastrophic financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves.

As the country struggled, locked in the throes of the crisis, India extended multi-pronged assistance of about USD 4 billion to it last year, through multiple credit lines and currency support, in line with Indias Neighbourhood First policy.

In his address at the gala dinner reception hosted for delegates of the Indian Travel Congress here on Friday, Abeywardena said India saved us during the financial crisis, otherwise, there would have been another bloodbath for all of us.

At the evening reception, he thanked India for the help extended to the cash-strapped nation and recalled the civilisational ties and similarities between the two countries and their cultures.

Sri Lanka and India are very, very closely interconnected countries, culturally, nationally, and policy-wise, and above all, India has been a very close associate and trustworthy friend of Sri Lanka, Abeywardena said, adding that when we were in trouble, India always helped out.

And, even this time, today, I heard that India is willing to extend our restructuring of loans for 12 years. Never expected, and never in history, not a single country has extended that kind of assistance, he said.

He recalled the helping hand lent by India during the period of trouble last year that devastated the Sri Lankan economy, pushing it into a debt crisis.

I must tell you, during the trouble that we had last year, you (India) saved us, India saved us otherwise, there would have been another bloodbath for all of us. So, that is how India came to help us, Abeywardena said.

He made the remarks in the presence of the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay, Sri Lankas Tourism and Lands Minister Harin Fernando, and other senior officials of the Sri Lankan government.

Your ambassador here, (is a) very close friend of ours. We love and respect him, the Speaker said, referring to Baglay.

Later, in an interaction with PTI on the sidelines of the reception, Abeywardena said, India has always come to aid of Sri Lanka in times of crises, and laid emphasis on the financial assistance given by New Delhi last year when the island nation was mired in the economic turmoil.

That helped us survive for six months in the midst of the crisis, he said We thank India for the kind gesture, and I also say, thank you, honourable Prime Minister of India (Narendra Modi), he told PTI.

Noting the similarity between the Indian surname Singh and the Sri Lankan surname Singhe, Abeywardena said, It shows we are genetically connected to India.

That way, India is not a new country to us. Its part of the ethos of our country, part of our life, part of our heart, he said, adding, We are here to receive you, respect you, join with you. Together, we (Sri Lanka) can join with you (India), without any difficulty or hesitation, with great trust, the Speaker said.

In his address, Tourism and Lands Minister Fernando pitched Sri Lanka  Pearl of the Indian Ocean  as a unique destination for India and the rest of the world, saying, One island nation offers so many different tourist experiences, without travelling far from one location to another. Meanwhile, several sessions were held on Saturday as part of the three-day 67th Convention of the TAAI (Travel Agents Association of India) which began here on July 6.

The four-day convention of the TAAI which was established in 1951, is being held with the support of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and the Sri Lankan Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO).

(Source: PTI)
American president Joe Biden leaves on Sunday for Europe, where he will spend time in three nations tending to alliances that have been tested by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

After arriving at night in London, Biden will meet the next day with King Charles III for the first time since he was crowned. Next is the centerpiece of the trip, the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Alliance leaders will debate the war and revise plans for dealing with Russian aggression.

The final stop is in Helsinki, where Biden on Thursday is expected to celebrate the expanding alliance, with Finland as the newest member of NATO.

His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the trip would showcase the president's leadership on the world stage.

A look at Biden's agenda and the issues he will face:

London

Biden arrives in London on Sunday night and is expected to have a full schedule of meetings Monday.

Theres always a lot to talk about with the U.K., said Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Biden will hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing St. Sunak is facing an election by the end of next year. His Conservative Party is lagging badly behind the opposition in opinion polls.

Despite Sunaks shaky political standing, he has fostered close ties with Biden and it will be their sixth meeting since Sunak took office last October.

Bergmann said Sunak's tenure has been a nice change of pace after there were some concerns about Boris Johnson, one of Sunaks predecessors, being a loose cannon.

Biden will visit the king at Windsor Castle, a royal residence outside London. Biden did not attend Charles' coronation  first lady Jill Biden went in his place  so this will be their first encounter since then.

They're expected to discuss climate change, an issue that has been a focus for both leaders, and how to finance initiatives to address the problem.

Vilnius

Biden will spend two days in the capital of Lithuania, which is hosting the annual NATO summit. He will participate in meetings with leaders and deliver a speech from Vilnius University.

The alliance has been reinvigorated by the war in Ukraine, and members have been pouring military hardware into the country to help repel Russia's invasion.

Biden on Friday defended what he said was a difficult decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, a move his administration said was key to the fight and buttressed by Ukraines promise to use the controversial bombs carefully. Biden is likely to face questions from allies on why the U.S. would send a weapon into Ukraine that more than two-thirds of NATO members have banned because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties.

For Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the summit will send a clear message: NATO stands united, and Russias aggression will not pay.

But NATO has also struggled to bridge divides over important issues. Finland was welcomed into the alliance this year, but Sweden's membership has been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

There are also disagreements over how quickly to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO.

Countries on NATO's eastern flank want to move quickly, viewing it as a way to deter Russian aggression. The U.S. and others advocate a more cautious approach.

One issue has already been settled, at least for the time being. Stoltenberg's term has been extended for a year because members could not agree on a new leader.

Sen. Thom Tillis, who will attend the summit, likened the alliance to a gathering of dozens of family members who bicker and clash but nonetheless remain united.

At the end of the day, you know youre family," said Tillis, R-N.C.

Tillis is leading a bipartisan delegation along with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who said NATO is more powerful than before.

"Its the strongest military alliance in our history, and I think it only has gotten stronger as a result of U.S. leadership, as the result of Stoltenbergs leadership and as the result of the threat from Vladimir Putin to all of the NATO allies and other countries in Europe and around the world and to the international order, she said.

Helsinki

After two nights in Vilnius, Biden visits Helsinki. The stop is a bit of a victory lap, but could also be a reminder of unfinished business.

The Nordic country in April became the 31st member of NATO, ending its history of nonalignment and demonstrating how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has backfired in Europe.

Finland was supposed to join alongside its neighbor Sweden, whose admission has stalled because of Turkey and Hungary. NATO requires unanimous consent of all its members to expand.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited the White House on Wednesday and met with Biden to keep up the pressure for membership. But there is little hope that the issue will be resolved in Vilnius.

The White House is billing Biden's visit to Helsinki as a U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit.

It's a much different occasion from the last time a U.S. president visited Helsinki five years ago.

During that trip, Donald Trump held a news conference with Putin and brushed off concerns about Russian meddling in Trump's election victory.

Now Biden is heading to the city to demonstrate how his administration has held the line against Moscow and expanded Western defenses.

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"Marbury v. Madison" and its Constitutionality --- Revisited, by Steven Jonas, MD, MPH

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"Either this nation shall kill racism, or racism shall kill this nation." (S. Jonas, August, 2018)

John Marbury, a man whose name would never have been remembered to history, had he not really wanted a commission as a U.S. Consul

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Introduction

Several significant decisions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court at the end of its 2022-23 session, such as the one in the matter of discrimination in publicly offered services on the basis of personal religious belief, and affirmative action providing for racial preferences in the matters of admissions policies of private institutions of higher learning, have raised a great deal of controversy. Indeed, they are oddly contradictory. In the matter of whether or not a person offering services in the public square, with the benefit of public funded services like pure water supply and sanitary sewage disposal, public safety services, and street maintenance, could discriminate on the basis of, as noted, a personal religious belief, they could. On the other hand, a private institution of higher education, the beneficiary of the same public services, could not discriminate in the matter of offering its services to a minority which, in its view, has suffered from discriminatory practices over a period of several centuries.

With these kinds of religio/ideological decisions, the Court, in addition to their substance, has also raised the matter, once again, as it has so often been considered in the history of U.S. Constitutional law, of whether the Supreme Court does indeed have the powers that it has aggregated to itself since the time of its decision in the case of "Marbury v. Madison" (1803). At that time, under the leadership of the then-Chief Justice John Marshall, it did so. In several subsequent cases in the Marshall Era, the Court also arrogated to itself the power to review actions of the actions of the other two branches of the Federal government, and of the State governments as well.

A current review of significant discussions of the matter of the Supreme Court's power, where it comes from, and its Constitutional legitimacy can be found here. One prominent contemporary view of how the Supreme Court's' power to review the Constitutionality of decisions of the other two branches of the Federal government, which has led over time to a very broad reach for Supreme Court power, well beyond the matter of "standing" which was at the center of the controversy in Marbury v. Madison, was expressed by Prof. John Meacham of Vanderbilt University. He is a prominent Presidential historian and authority on the history of the Constitution and Constitutional law. On a recent broadcast of the MSNBC AM news show, "Morning Joe" he characterized the Supreme Court's review power as established by Marshall, in words to the effect of: "Well, he just more or less made it up." This column is based on a previous column of mine that dealt with this subject.

How Might Marbury v. Madison be Overturned (by, however, Reactionaries, not Liberals-Progressives)

In 1996 I published the first version of a book entitled "The 15% Solution." Under the fictional authorship of one "Jonathan Westminster." (That was a play on the name of Jack London. In 1908 he had published a book entitled The Iron Heel , which, before the first fascist state in history came into existence [Hungary under Admiral Miklos Horthy in 1919], predicted a future fascist United States.) My book (now in its 3rd version) is a "future history" purportedly published in 2048, on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of The Second Civil War, which re-established Constitutional Democracy in the United States. In this "history," I indeed had a Chief Justice "Steps" (Scalia, get it) write an opinion in which in Marbury v. Madison and the cases decided after it were reversed, opening the way for the establishment of totally untrammeled Executive Branch power. For a fascist government it would be essential that its actions not be subject to any kind of judicial review, even by a Court which on paper would be considered favorable to it.

I reproduce for you here major excerpts from chapter 5 of the book, which presents the (fictional) narrative of how this happened.

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"Summary of the Decision ( Supreme Court Bulletin )

"Supreme Court Has No Constitutional Review Authority"

"Anderson v. Board of Education, Certiorari to United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit."

"No. 101-11. Argued October 31, 2002, Decided May 13, 2003."

"Petitioner, a parent acting on behalf of her minor child, brought a civil action against the Board of Education of the state of New Jersey seeking to prevent it from enforcing a law passed during the 2001 session of the State Legislature mandating voluntary prayer in the public schools of that state. Both the trial and appeals courts in the state of New Jersey found for the respondent. Petitioner appealed to the Supreme Court. With out arguing the merits, respondent filed a brief claiming that under 28 U.S.C., Chap. 81, para. 1260, generally known as the 'Helms Amend ment [1],' the U.S. S preme Court did not have jurisdiction in this case.

"Held: Under the cited section of the U.S. Code, the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to review appeals of state school prayer statutes. Further, there can be found in the Constitution of the United States no grant of authority to the Supreme Court to review the action of any other branch of the Federal Government or any branch of any state government for its 'constitutionality.'

"(a) Article 3, Section 2 of the Constitution defines the authority of the Federal judicial power: 'The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made under their authority; to all cases affect ing ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; to controversies to which the United States shall be a party; to controversies between two or more states.'

"(b) It is clear that the plain language of this article supports the holding of the Court. Under the Doctrine of Original Intent, by which the Constitution should always be interpreted, it is clear that the Constitution means only what it says, not what any individual judge or group of judges collectively think that it ought to say or would like it to say. It thus be comes clear that the series of decisions handed down by Chief Justice John Marshall and his colleagues in the first quarter of the 19th century which established the theory of Supreme Court 'judicial re view' for 'constitutionality' were based on faulty legal reasoning.

"(c) In the first of these cases, Marbury v. Madison, the Court invalidated an 'Act of Congress' giving the Court jurisdiction to hear original applications for writs of mandamus, because in such cases the Constitution limits the Supreme Court to appellate jurisdiction" (Cox). While that opin ion may be valid, nowhere does the Constitution give the Court the power to apply it with the force of law. Rather, as in Great Britain, the legislative branch, through the will of the majority, is the only appropriate judge of the 'constitutionality' of its own acts. In his written opinion, the Chief Justice stated that if 'the courts lacked the power to give sting to constitutional safeguards . . . , the Legislative and Executive Branches might too often override the Constitution' (Cox). That may well be true. But if the Founding Fathers had wanted to give the Federal judiciary that 'protective' function, they would have clearly writ ten it into the Constitution. Chief Justice Marshall was reading into the Constitution words that he wanted to see but were not there.

"(d) In Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, Justice Joseph Story expanded the Supreme Court's review powers to include decisions made by the State courts (Cox). Like Chief Justice Marshall, Justice Story was reading into Article 3, Section 2 of the Constitution what he wanted to see there. In Cohens v. Virginia Chief Justice Marshall affirmed Justice Story's conclusion in Martin, using the same faulty reasoning (Cox).

"(e) Finally, in McCulloch v. Maryland, Chief Justice Marshall not only reaffirmed the Court's review authority, unstated in the Constitution, but found in it other 'implied powers,' giving the Congress authority to undertake actions not otherwise specified by the Constitution (in this case renewing the charter of the United States Bank which it had originally established in 1791) (Cox).

"(f) After extensive review of the opinions and reasoning in the decisions made in the afore-mentioned cases, careful review of the language of the Con stitution itself, and a consideration of the available evidence on Original Intent, the Court was able to find no basis for the conclusions on 'implied powers' that Chief Justice Marshall and his colleagues drew in those decisions referable to the authority of either the Supreme Court or the Congress. Thus, the Court held, the precedents established by those cases and all their successors down through the years were based on faulty reasoning and a reading of the Constitution not in accord with the Doctrine of Original Intent. Thus, those faulty precedents must be abandoned. Since the specifics of Marbury, Martin, Cohens, and McCulloch had long since become moot, the Court chose not to reverse those decisions. However, it did reverse the holdings made in those cases that the Supreme Court had any power to review the actions of the Federal Executive and Legislative branches or any State courts for their 'constitutionality.'

"11 F. 11th 111, Affirmed. Chief Justice Steps delivered the opinion of the Court; seven justices joining, one dissenting."

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"Author's Commentary" (that is, excerpts from what the "author" of the book, Jonathan Westminster, wrote about the "decision").

"Anderson v. United States was the most signifi cant decision handed down by the Supreme Court in the old United States since Marbury v. Madison, re ferred to in the decision summary reproduced above. In that case, Chief Justice John Marshall had established the power of the Supreme Court to review actions of the two other branches of the Federal government. As correctly noted by Chief Justice Steps that power is no where clearly grant ed to it by the Constitution itself. Nevertheless, Mar shall said, if the Supreme Court found such actions to be unconstitutional, they were null and void. His reasoning went as follows (Cox):

" 'The Constitution is either a superior paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means, or it is on a level with ordinary legislative acts, and, like other acts, is alterable when the legislature shall please to alter it. If the former part of the alternative be true, then a legislative act contrary to the Constitution is not law; if the latter part be true, then written constitutions are absurd attempts, on the part of the people, to limit a power in its own nature illimitable.' "

"Marshall, of course, held that the 'former alternative' was true, its truth found in the fact of the Constitution itself. He then drew the defensible conclusion that the body given the power to adjudicate disputes arising under the Constitution, and Article 3 Section 2 surely did that, indeed had the power to review the actions of the other two govern mental branches for their constitutionality. That authority was extended to the appellate review of state court decisions having constitutional implications under the defensible conclusion that by ratifying the Constitution in the first place, the states had ceded to the Unit ed States that appellate jurisdiction, which is clearly contained in Article 3 Section 2 (see the decision in Cohens).

"Once the Court under Marshall's leadership had made those judgments, the full American power structure quickly came to agree with him. The Jeffersonians did make several modest attempts to undermine the independence and authority of the Supreme Court, but failed and ultimately gave up. From that time onwards, American jurisprudence came to be firmly established in the legal structure that Chief Justice Marshall had constructed on the Constitution's base, as he interpreted it.

"One very important principle set forth by Marshall, and subsequently accepted by all parties to American government down to the Transition Era [that is the projected historical period that led from U.S. Constitutional Democracy to the establishment of the fascist regime], was that the Constitution was a document that meant more than it explicitly said, that it was open to interpretation, and held within itself 'implications.' And by implication that meant the Constitution was a document that could grow and change with changing times and circumstances, that it was indeed designed to grow and change with changing times and circumstances."

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References:

Cox, A., The Court and the Constitution, Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1987, pp. 58, 59, 63, 66, 75, 342, 360.

Rodell, F., Nine Men: A Political History of the Supreme Court from 1790 to 1955, New York: Random House, 1955.

Supreme Court Bulletin (Windham, NH), "Supreme Court Has No Constitutional Review Authority," Vol. 24, No. 8, June 2003, p. 3.

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"Author's [that is, "Jonathan Westminster"] Note, on the [fictional history] history as it happened in the book, further:

"Author's Note: The "Helms Amendment," offered in Congress a number of times from the early 1980s onwards by Senator Jesse Helms (R"NC) (Cox) and his ideological successors, was finally passed by the 107th Congress in 2001. The language was unchanged from that version offered by Senator Helms in 1991 as S. 77: "Sec. (a) This section may be cited as the 'Voluntary School Prayer Act'. (b) (1) Chapter 81 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section: #1260. Appellate jurisdiction: limitations '(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 1253, 1254, and 1257 of this chapter and in accordance with section 2 of Article III of the Constitution, the Supreme Court shall not have jurisdiction to review, by appeal, writ of certiorari, or otherwise, any case arising out of any State statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, practice, or any part thereof, or have jurisdiction arising out of any act interpreting, applying, enforcing, or affecting any State statute (and etc.) which relates to voluntary Bible reading, or religious meetings in public schools or public buildings.

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A further note from me (Steven Jonas)

"There is no indication or evidence that Senator Jesse Helms would have supported the specifics of the (fictitious) Supreme Court's decision in 'Anderson v. Board of Education' or any of the actions taken pursuant to it by any branch of the U.S. government or any successor."

(Article changed on Jul 09, 2023 at 3:53 PM EDT)

(Article changed on Jul 11, 2023 at 10:46 AM EDT)

(Article changed on Jul 11, 2023 at 10:52 AM EDT)
Dear Annie: My husband and I are very open and trusting with one another. However, I noticed he has recently been more cautious about me looking at his phone screen while hes using it. It seems hes always trying to close a window and lock his phone whenever I walk into the room.

So, I gave into my curiosity and looked at his phone while he was still sleeping one morning. I found a hidden folder of explicit photos of women -- most of whom we know in real life. Neighbors. One of my close friends. And theyre not nudes that these women would have sent to him. These are photos taken from their social media pages where they may have been wearing something skimpy (like a bathing suit) or posing in a promiscuous way.

I dont know how to handle bringing this up to my husband. I feel really guilty in the first place for breaking our trust and snooping on his phone, but it feels really strange that he has photos like that on there, especially of people we know. It feels like cheating.

Im not a prude about explicit content. People look at it; its no big deal. I dont consider someone in a relationship who watches pornography to be a cheater. However, again, these are women we know, and to save these kinds of photos to your phone is so strange. I want to tell my husband how this has made me feel, but Im really hesitant to even say anything at all. Ive been holding in my emotions while I figure out how to approach this, and its making me sick. I cant handle seeing him every day and not telling him whats on my mind.

Annie, what do you think? Is it a big deal that my husband has these photos? Is it even worth it to have this conversation? If so, where the heck do I start? -- Shocked at Secret Photos

Dear Shocked: Anything that makes you or your partner uncomfortable is certainly worth having a conversation about. I agree that risque photos of women you both know feels more alarming than admiring a supermodel or popular female celebrity; the familiarity with and accessibility to these women in real life is understandably unsettling.

Come clean with your husband about what you saw and how it made you feel. The longer you sit alone with this information without confronting it, the more anxious and insecure you will be -- in yourself and in your relationship. While you describe your marriage as one that is open and trusting, those, too, can benefit from couples counseling. The fact that you felt compelled to look through your husbands phone in the first place tells me that the pillars of trust in your relationship could use some TLC.

Dear Annie: This is in response to Doubting Everything in Life, a young girl who is a rising high school junior. The introverted teen wrote about her fear of making wrong decisions. You offered her some good advice. May I add this quote that we shared with our kiddos?

Teen: What if I fall?

Mother: Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?

I might add that I still use this on my 80-year-old self. -- Sunny Grandma in Indiana

Dear Sunny Grandma: A beautiful quote and sentiment, indeed, courtesy of Erin Hanson. Oftentimes, the most wonderful things in life come from taking chances. No matter what lies ahead for Doubting, I hope she remembers this and that she is strong and courageous enough to handle anything that comes her way.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS.COM
On Feb. 14, 1904, someone curious about the emerging possibilities of a key force of nature checked out James Clerk Maxwells An Elementary Treatise on Electricity from the New Bedford Free Public Library.

It would take 119 years and the sharp eyes of a librarian in West Virginia before the scientific text finally found its way back to the Massachusetts library.

The discovery occurred when Stewart Plein, the curator of rare books at West Virginia University Libraries, was sorting through a recent donation of books.

Plein found the treatise and noticed it had been part of the collection at the New Bedford library and, critically, had not been stamped Withdrawn, indicating that while extremely overdue, the book had not been discarded.

Plein contacted Jodi Goodman, the special collections librarian in New Bedford, to alert her to the find.

This came back in extremely good condition, New Bedford Public Library Director Olivia Melo said Friday. Someone obviously kept this on a nice bookshelf because it was in such good shape and probably got passed down in the family.

The treatise was first published in 1881, two years after Maxwells death in 1879, although the cranberry-colored copy now back at the New Bedford library is not considered a rare edition of the work, Melo said.

The library occasionally receives books as much as 10 or 15 years overdue, but nothing anywhere close to a century or more, she said.

"An Elementary Treatise on Electricity" by James Clerk Maxwell is shown at the New Bedford Public Library on Friday, July 7, 2023, in New Bedford, Mass. The book last checked out about 119 years ago has been returned to the Massachusetts library after it was discovered among books donated to the libraries at West Virginia University. (Peter Pereira/The Standard-Times via AP)AP

The treatise was published at a time when the world was still growing to understand the possibilities of electricity. In 1880, Thomas Edison received a historic patent embodying the principles of his incandescent lamp.

When the book was last in New Bedford, the nation was preparing for its second modern World Series, incumbent Republican President Theodore Roosevelt was on track to win another term, Wilbur and Orville Wright had conducted their first airplane flight just a year before and New York City was celebrating its first subway line.

The discovery and return of the book is a testament to the durability of the printed word, especially in a time of computerization and instant access to unfathomable amounts of information, Melo said.

The value of the printed book is its not digital, its not going to disappear. Just holding it, you get the sense of someone having this book 120 years ago and reading it, and here it is in my hands, she said. It is still going to be here a hundred years from now. The printed book is always going to be valuable.

The New Bedford library has a 5-cent-per-day late fee. At that rate, someone returning a book overdue by 119 years would face a hefty fee of more than $2,100. The good news is the librarys late fee limit maxes out at $2.

Another lesson of the find, according to Melo? Its never too late to return a library book.
The tiny town of Pacific City, population a mere 1,350-ish, can get pretty busy on a summer weekend. But its nothing compared to the third Saturday of July, when the town doesnt merely bustle, its numbers more than triple as people from all over prove yet again, that everyone does indeed love a parade. And in this town, known for its beloved dory fleet, its not just any parade, it is the Dory Days Parade.

The Dory Fleet is old heritage, tradition, part of the community, said Kimberley Miller, parade chair. Its one of those things that everyone likes to hold onto. When we get a chance to see all the dory boats and fishermen and families all out enjoying themselves, its magical.

This years parade, part of the annual Dory Days Festival, kicks off at 11 a.m. July 15 with the theme Legends of the Deep. It starts from the county boat ramp at Bob Straub State Park and ends about one mile later at the Oar House Bar and Grill on Brooten Road. In the past, entries have included dancing horses, a 1927 calliope housed in a 1930 Circus Wagon and classic cars. But the hands down favorites are the dories.

Our parade last year had 68 entries which doesnt sound like that much, but it was huge, Miller said. We could see the parade going across the bridge and we still had half the parade in the parking  about a half a mile away. People start putting their chairs out early -- all along Sunset Drive, all along Pacific Avenue across the bridge, all along Brooten Road ... 4,000 to 5,000 people at least.

The Dory Days Festival  originally known as the Dory Derbies  was started in 1959 by Paul Hanneman, who from 1965 to 1990 served in the Oregon House of Representatives and famously sponsored Oregons landmark bottle bill. As communities across Oregon celebrated the states centennial in 1959, Hanneman thought Pacific City should have something of its own, said Dave Larkins, who fished with Hanneman.

It was a natural tie, said Larkins. Pacific City has always been labeled as home of the dory fleet. Every community in the state was doing something and he felt the festival and parade would be a natural. The dory fleet is unique. Hanneman, who died in 2017, initially held a boat parade on the water, but it didnt work out, Larkins said. There was a lot of congestion; too much going on. He decided one time is enough.

Fifty-seven years later, Larkins and his wife, Linda, led the campaign to win the Dory Days Festival the designation of Oregon Heritage Tradition, an honor offered by the Oregon Heritage Commission.

In order to be a candidate for the Oregon Heritage Tradition, you have to have been doing something repeatedly without fail for 50 years or more, Linda Larkins said. At that point, there were only 12 other festivals or rodeos that got nominated. It was something we wanted to do for Paul while he was still alive.

These days, Dave Larkins is in charge of organizing the historic double-ender dory boats for the parade, which start off the parade right after emergency responders and the Color Guard. I take great pride in getting them organized, Dave Larkins said. The first year I took it over, I was dragging them out of barns. One we had to put on a flatbed trailer because it was falling apart. Anyone who has one mothballed, we try to get them in the parade.

Two of the double-ender dories belonged to Paul Hanneman and are now owned by the Pacific City Dorymens Association. One of those is a 1958 and the other built in 62, Dave Larkins said. They are about 18 feet long. They arent really seaworthy but still look good. People love seeing them. Its just a ton of fun. One of the double-enders comes over from Hepner and he always brings a 47 Jeep for me to pull my double ender. People get really excited. Its all about celebrating the history of the dory fleet.

For many, the parade is a family affair. Traci Wisniewski recalls riding on her dads float along with her sister, Shelli Johnston, and their five kids. It was the only time her dad, Lee Parks, let them mess with the dory, Wisniewski said. He was particular about his boat. But he let us tape on decorations. We called it the Disney Dory. Dad was a huge Disney person. Parks drove the pickup truck as the rest of the family threw candy and blew bubbles from the dory. It was just a fun family thing for us to do. My dad enjoyed it, we all enjoyed it. The very last year we did it was the year my dad passed away in 2007. We did the Disney theme. We got third place that year.

Taking part in the parade has been a tradition for the Kellow family since the double-ender days, Ron Kellow said. Our family all goes on the boat, and we dress up in costumes. As a boy, Kellow recalls being on the boat when his parents dressed in costumes themed around Viking explorer Eric the Red. Since then, his family has dressed as Vikings, mermaids and Rock Stars, a nod to Haystack Rock.

The parade is part of Pacific Citys identity, Kellow said. Its a way for us to show people the unique kind of port that we are. All the boats launch on the beach and go through the surf. The dories take care of each other. If someone is in trouble or needs help, the other dories go and take care of that. The parade demonstrates our diversity. The sizes, the shapes, materials, the makes, the colors, as well as the people.

Details: Dory Days Festival is July 14-16 in Pacific City. The Traditional Dory Boat display is at 34670 Brooten Road (the site of the future Dorymans Museum) and open noon-6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. The parade starts at 11 a.m. July 15. Learn more at pacificcitydorydays.com

 Lori Tobias, for The Oregonian/OregonLive
On a typical weekend night at Darcelle XV Showplace, the seats at Old Towns venerable drag club are filled with bachelorettes, first-timers and people celebrating birthdays. The atmosphere is charged with excitement as Poison Waters takes the stage following the shows opening number.

Bejeweled from head to toe, Poison Waters dazzles the crowd with quips, audience interactions and her loud personality. Shes only getting started for the night.

Over the next 90 minutes, she returns to the stage time and time again in a new ensemble, immersing the audience in the production  theyre here for a good time after all. From glamorous solos, musical theater duets and high-energy group performances, Poison Waters night is fast-paced and full of love from all in attendance.

Since the death of the clubs namesake Darcelle XV, known as Walter Cole, in March, the nightclub has seen a lot of changes.

Much has also changed for Poison Waters, who when not in drag is known as Kevin Cook. Poison Waters has emerged as the new leader of the Portland drag community and unofficial ambassador for the city, a role that Darcelle represented for over 50 years.

Walter Cole, aka Darcelle XV, used to host weekend shows at Darcelle XV Showplace with Poison Waters. They are seen in this 2019 photo.

As a strong voice and presence in the drag community, Darcelle XV was considered a Portland civic icon. She was named the worlds oldest drag queen in 2016 by Guinness World Records and served as the Grand Marshal of the Starlight Parade in 2011.

The influence Darcelle XV had on the community was monumental.

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Don Horn, the head of Triangle Productions, was a longtime friend of Darcelle who saw firsthand the charisma and devotion they had for the community.

Everything (Walter) did basically was for free, Horn said. He said if you want me and Im needed, Im there. And I think thats an honor to him that he cared that much about his community. He was really involved in the community.

After Darcelles death, Poison Waters served as emcee for the memorial celebration in April at downtowns Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. In June, Poison Waters represented Darcelle at a ceremony at New Yorks Stonewall Inn, where she was made the first Oregonian named to National LGBTQ Wall of Honor.

Darcelle XV was honored at the Stonewall Inn in New York City where her name will be enshrined on the LGBTQ Wall of Honor. Poison Waters was in attendance and accepted the award on her behalf.Beth Nakamura

Darcelle saw something in Poison, said Mitchell Underwood, a performer who goes by the stage name Mr. Mitchell. They created a bond right off the bat  you cant replace something like that.

During the Portland Rose Festival in June, Poison Waters continued Darcelles legacy, serving as the Grand Marshal of the Starlight Parade, a massive honor for a Black drag queen, according to Poison Waters.

Poison Waters has been at the center of honoring the late performer while ushering in a new era at Darcelle XV Showplace.

Even at the end, when Darcelle was getting ready to pass, she said, Remember, my name is on the door, and always will be on the door, Underwood said. And its true, thats never going to change. But to continue the legacy, having a face to continue that legacy, its great. Im so happy that [Poisons] getting the press that shes getting.

Since 1990, when Poison first performed at Darcelles, she has spent countless hours at the iconic venue, and knows it like no other.

Poison Waters has taken a larger role at the nightclub, becoming the regular host for weekend shows and stepping up as the face of the club.

She hosts the show with perfect ease, opening and closing the evenings performances. In the final moments of the show, Poison Waters delivers her closing monologue, leaving the audience both awed and inspired.

At Darcelle XV Showplace, Poison Waters opens and closes , while also performing various numbers throughout the 90-minute show.Chiara Profenna/The Oregonian

But its not just about putting on a good show. This drag queen clearly loves the work she does and is confident of the performance shes giving.

I dont get nervous because Im confident in what Im doing, but I still get butterflies  I still get a little excitement because even though Ive been doing this for so long, theres a level of vulnerability. Im still giving my art  myself  to a roomful of strangers.

Backstage between numbers, Poison Waters touches up her makeup sitting in the center of it all. She takes part in pre-show traditions, helps other queens choose their accessories, and gossips with her fellow performers.

Its all chaos in the dressing room at Darcelles, Poison Waters said. Were always, you know, yipping and yapping and talking and having fun right up until the time we go out through the curtain.

The friendships between them are palpable. Many of the performers have been working together for years. Underwood has been at the club for 42 years and describes the work as his escape from life.

We work as a team, Underwood said. And we have to because something can change. Somebody could all of a sudden say, God, I dont feel good. Im not coming in tonight. And so we all step up to the plate and have to fill in the blanks.  The cast we have now is one of the best casts weve had for a very long time.

Backstage at Darcelle XV Showplace, Poison Waters jokes with the other drag queens before their numbers.Chiara Profenna/The Oregonian

Poison has taken a larger role as the face of Darcelles, but on and off stage, her dedication to the nightclub and Portlands drag community are a large part of who she is.

Yet, behind the curtain, Portlanders might not recognize Cook, the man behind the expressive role.

Working in drag for 35 years, Cooks identity as Poison Waters has naturally developed into an extension of himself. (When performing as Poison Waters, Cook uses female personal pronouns, but uses male pronouns when not in drag.)

Cook moved to Portland when he was 11 years old and spent a large part of his childhood in the Parkrose neighborhood. He didnt discover drag until he was 18. But when he watched a show for the first time, he wasnt immediately drawn to drag.

I didnt get it, Cook said. And then finally one day they opened the curtain and there were four black drag queens.

The queens were performers from Darcelles nightclub. Seeing himself represented, Cook describes this moment as his turning point. Not long after, he debuted his drag persona, Poison Waters.

What began as an act of mimicry and exaggerated personality traits naturally developed into finding his own stage presence and identity as both Kevin Cook and Poison Waters.

As I started to work more and more and and just kind of created Poison Waters, the two personalities literally did just merge and melt together. And so now, 35 years later, its really all just one person. I just think it just depends on what Im wearing.

Cook has been working as Poison Waters for 35 years. During that time he's become an expert performer and entertainer.Chiara Profenna/The Oregonian

After a successful career in retail management, Cook worked in various positions for the State of Oregons Department of Environmental Quality and with SagaCity Media. After working for decades to support his drag career, Cook has been able to work full time as Poison Waters since 2017.

Now that Im doing drag full time I can do morning, noon and night, even overnight events, Cook said. I do events all the time now so its easy to just keep it going. Ive always said yes to everything, thats just my thing.

More involved in the Portland drag scene, Cook is busier than ever with events booked throughout the summer.

In Portland, drag is celebrated and accepted, but many states in the U.S. are experiencing drag bans. Starting in Tennessee, restrictions on drag shows have left performers vulnerable and unable to work in some cases.

Where Ive performed has not had any problems, Cook said. Ive been fortunate in that way. That doesnt mean that it still doesnt affect me because I still feel for the rest of the drag community and trans community who are having these issues.

Poison Waters was the star of the show along several other performers on June 3, 2023, at the Hillsboro Pride Party.Mark Graves/The Oregonian

Closer to home, a recent drag storytime event in Tigard was canceled due to threats of violence. Cook stated that the cancellation was not about him, rather concern for safety. Although it was disheartening, Cook remains optimistic about moving forward and continuing to spread the art of drag across Portland.

Its just unfortunate that it got canceled, Cook said. Its disappointing and I feel bad for the families that were planning to attend.

During his time as a drag queen, Cook has grown into an advocate for the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. Community activism has been an enormous part of his identity as Poison Waters.

I started out just as volunteering for some of these other groups, then it turned into part of my profession where these nonprofit organizations are hiring me to host their events or to do community outreach, Cook said. And so, it really just kind of happened naturally, I wasnt ever thinking Oh Poision Waters is going to be this do-gooder person, it just kind of worked out.

The upcoming Drag-a-Thon is a massive project that Cook has helped coordinate with Emma Mcilroy, CEO of Wild Fang, a Portland-based clothing company. The event is an attempt to break the Guiness World Record for the longest drag artist stage show, happening July 10-12 at Darcelle XV Showplace, as a direct response to drag bans across the country.

Longtime friends Poison Waters and Emma Mcilroy are coordinating the Drag-a-Thon together. Photo courtsey of Emma Mcilroy.

Poison is such a special human, I cant say enough good stuff about her, Mcilroy said. Ive never met anyone who so deeply leads with their heart and with the community in mind. She is constantly focused on giving back and creating community. Shes just been amazing to work with and we wouldnt be able to do this without her.

When asked about how he stays impassioned in his role as an advocate, Cook admitted to being irritatingly optimistic.

Whenever the negativity gets loud, he is always reminded of the love and positive impact he has on Portland.

Theres always hope, Cook said. Theres always a path forward.

 Chiara Profenna

503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com; @chiara_profenna

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About 70 people, including two former Newport mayors and several City Council members, turned out on the Newport City Hall lawn Saturday afternoon to call for Mayor Dean Sawyers resignation. A news report Friday disclosed racist, violent and hateful memes Sawyer had posted for years to a private Facebook group for current and former police officers.

Sandy Roumagoux, who served three terms as mayor of Newport, called on city counselors to demand Sawyers resignation in the strongest language possible. A City Council meeting to address Sawyers actions has been set for Monday. Roumagoux said Sawyer resigning would acknowledge that he accepts that what he did was incredibly terrible.

The city is being held hostage by this man and he is dragging us all through the cesspool of his bigoted beliefs, Roumagoux said. All of the work weve done to be the friendliest has just been lost, she said, noting the citys designation as The Friendliest. We are now seen as the friendliest only if youre not brown nor black or gay or, you know, LGBTQ or a woman. I mean, it has just devastated the reputation of this city, but we are the hostages because he wont resign.

CM Hall, Newports first openly queer council member, called for Sawyers resignation Friday.

Former Mayor Mark Collson, who served from 1984 to 1996, was also at the protest and said he plans to attend Mondays council meeting.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Friday that Sawyer posted memes mocking immigrants, Spanish speakers and transgender women and encouraged violence against women and crime suspects on the Facebook group LEO Only. OPB reported that it had reviewed the memes  some dating to 2016  but did not say how a reporter accessed them. Sawyer has not returned messages from The Oregonian/OregonLive but told OPB that he has a sense of humor that some cops have and that the private posts did not represent his true values.

In a statement issued Friday, Lincoln County Sheriff Curtis Landers said, I am deeply disturbed by the racially insensitive, bigoted, and culturally inappropriate comments and posts. Such behavior is completely unacceptable and has no place in our society.

Many of the protesters Saturday carried pride flags or signs, including one held by Lin Schubert that said, Unqualified Pilot, Unqualified Mayor, Resign Dean Sawyer, referring to Sawyers 2019 plane crash. Sawyer made a crash landing on the beach when his small aircraft ran out of gas while on a whale watching tour. The National Transportation Safety Board found that Sawyer had not renewed his medical certification since 2006, had not undergone the two-year flight review for five years or longer and had not had his aircraft inspected as required for four years.

When I saw what he posted online, I had to come here, Schubert said. He is not the solution, he is part of the problem.

A member of the Newport Police Advisory Committee who identified himself only as Lonnie M said he came to the protest hoping to hear the mayor take accountability for his words.

I had to write a letter to ask for an appointment on the committee, he said, describing the volunteer-based advisory committee as charged with helping to bridge the gap between the community and police department. Now, I think I may resign from the committee, he said.
In Steve Duins excellent commentary, Duin says I am not  optimistic about Alexander Samples church, (A crisis of conscience for Oregon Catholics: Steve Duin column, July 1). Fortunately, it is not Archbishop Samples church, but the church of all of its members! Please see The Madeleine parishs response to Archbishop Samples guidelines.

Duin suggests that we need to read the Bible in different ways according to the times. Here are some new ways to think about biblical passages in light of gender identity theory: Genesis 1:26 says Then God said, Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness Yes, the pronouns God uses are plural! If God uses plural, non-gendered pronouns, and humans are made in Gods likeness, why shouldnt humans?

In many places in the Bible, gender non-conforming people are accepted, including in Jesus teachings. We can recall the passage about Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42) in which Jesus commends Mary for choosing the better part (learning), rather than serving, as women were expected to do. Jesus asked the disciples to arrange to eat the Passover meal by following a man carrying a jar of water, which was a womens task (Luke 22:7-13). The early Christian community carried on this tradition of welcome, readily baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39).

Those advocating for full acceptance of all gender identities are in good company!

Frodo Okulam, Portland

Okulam is Adjunct Professor of Feminist Spirituality at Portland State University and a member of The Madeleine Parish

To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.
For budget-conscious fans, options for taking a Disney vacation are slim. Disney ticket prices can add up quickly, and paying extra for line-skipping privileges like Lightning Lane and Genie+ is practically imperative for a memorable trip.

Then, theres food, hotels and other inevitable add-ons, from Mickey Mouse ears to princess makeovers. Yet hidden within the realm of Disneys offerings lies a surprisingly accessible option: the Disney cruise.

While the notion of a Disney vacation may evoke thoughts of pricey indulgence, embarking on a Disney journey at sea ranks among the best examples of how to do Disney on a budget.

NerdWallet analyzed total average trip costs across hundreds of sample itineraries for the following U.S. destinations:

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Disneyland Resort in California.

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii.

Disney Cruise Line voyages departing from U.S. ports.

NerdWallet also broke down trips into three price tiers  Value, Moderate and Deluxe  to represent travelers range of frugality versus luxury (e.g., Value cruise cabins were inside with no windows, while Deluxe cabins faced outside and included a balcony).

For seven-night trips, here were the average prices per person (assuming double occupancy) across each Disney destination:

Assuming double occupancy, weeklong Disney cruises cost less than $2,000 per person, on average. Even a cruise with all the frills (like port excursions, spa treatments and upgraded meals) still costs less than a value trip to Aulani.

Whats included in a Disney cruise

While cruises have a high price tag upfront, most everything is included on board. And for folks who take advantage of it all  meaning the all-you-can-eat buffets, the kids clubs and the shows  the net cost of a Disney cruise often turns out lower than that of any other Disney trip.

It makes sense that travelers are turning to Disney cruises. In the second quarter of 2023, The Walt Disney Co.s domestic revenue increased by 14% year over year, which the company attributed to Disney Cruise Line, according to its second-quarter earnings report.

Though results at Disneys domestic parks and resorts were slightly unfavorable to the prior-year quarter, the companys cruise arm stood apart due to an increase in passenger cruise days, which included the addition of the newest ship, the Disney Wish, which took off with its first passengers in 2022.

For what its worth, a Disney cruise isnt necessarily the experience that comes to mind when most travelers think Disney vacation. There are no rides  unless you count something like the AquaMouse on the Disney Wish, which is billed as Disneys first attraction at sea (but is more like a waterslide on steroids).

The AquaMouse on the Disney Wish, the newest ship from Disney Cruise Line. (Photo courtesy of Disney)

But many other aspects of Disney parks exist on the cruises, including meet-and-greets with characters and stage shows. And sometimes, the cruise experience outperforms the theme parks. For example, theres typically shorter lines to meet characters (and more time to spend with them when you do).

Why a Disney cruise might not be as expensive as you think

On a nightly basis, the average seven-night Disney cruise starts as low as $279 per person  just under the $293 nightly price to spend seven nights at Disney World on a value budget.

To calculate the estimated trip costs above, NerdWallet aggregated and analyzed trip costs across four categories:

Park tickets (and add-ons, such as Genie+).

On-property hotel room rates or cruise cabins.

Food at Disney-owned restaurants.

Add-on activities, such as spa treatments and tours.

Because Disney cruises are mostly all-inclusive, the analysis accounted only for room rates and add-on activities. Sure, cruises command a high room rate, but final costs are lower because there are no park tickets to buy and standard meals are included (the additional food costs are optional extras, like alcohol and bottled water).

Yet fewer categories contributing to the sum total doesnt necessarily guarantee lower costs. Just look to Aulani, Disneys resort in Hawaii. While free amenities include pools, Auntys Beach House (a club for kids ages 4-12), Disney character photo ops and nighttime stories around a campfire, most other things are a la carte  and an expensive cart at that.

Room rates start at about $760 per night, on average, and its unlikely travelers would go without experiencing the Ka Waa luau, which begins at $175 for guests ages 10 and up. Spa treatments, snorkel rentals, yoga classes and excursions cost extra, too.

Its true that trips to Disneys theme parks arent quite as expensive as Aulani: Meals and park tickets can average $154 per day at Disneyland and $160 per day at Walt Disney World.

Even cheaper family vacation options

If your heart isnt set on Disney, there are cheaper ways to cruise. At Carnival Cruise Line, passengers spend, on average, $219 per person, per day, according to Carnival Corp. revenue and passenger data from its 2023 first-quarter earnings report. Thats far lower than NerdWallets estimated $293 daily spend for Disney cruises.

For folks seeking a Disney trip, specifically, there are other ways to take a Disney vacation on a budget. NerdWallets calculations assumed theme park guests stayed at Disney owned-resorts, but plenty of other, cheaper hotels (often bookable on points) are within walking distance of Disney properties. And for visitors who still want to experience Disney without buying theme park tickets, there are plenty of free or cheap things to do at Disney World.

And as is the case with any type of trip, be flexible with your travel dates. Sometimes even shifting departure dates by a few days can result in hundreds of dollars in savings. Usually, traveling during the shoulder season or the offseason means even deeper discounts.

Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia.
Polling stations opened in Uzbekistan at 8:00am (0300 GMT) Sunday for a presidential election set to hand the incumbent Shavkat Mirziyoyev a third term as head of the Central Asian state.

During a press conference held earlier on Sunday, Nizamukhodayev Zainuddin Makhnovych, head of the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan, announced that voting in the early presidential elections had begun at more than 9,000 polling stations.

He added that early voting for voters outside the country took place from June 28 to July 5 in more than 56 countries.

The current president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is running for the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party, competing against Ulugbek Inoyatov from the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, Robakhon Makhmudova from the Justice Social Democratic Party, and Abdushukur Khamzaev from the Ecological Party of Uzbekistan.

Around 20 million Uzbeks are eligible to vote out of a total population of 36 million in Central Asia's most populous country, a landlocked nation bordering Afghanistan.

Over 1,400 journalists from around the world, and dozens of television networks are covering the elections.

Makhnovych noted that international and local observers had started their work in all electoral districts. The number of registered local observers is estimated at 53,677, 45% of them being women.

The country has also welcomed 797 international observers from various countries and organizations.

President Mirziyoyev, aged 65, is seeking to extend his rule another seven years through this early election. In April, he changed the constitution via referendum, lifting term limits that would have required him to step down by 2026.

Mirziyoyev assumed power in 2016 after the death of Islam Karimov, who had ruled since the Soviet era.

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Two young boys from Michigan are being hailed as heroes after they saved a 7-year-old boy from drowning in a swimming pool. Noah Roche, 12, and his 8-year-old brother, Weston Woods, were enjoying a day at the apartment complex pool when they noticed something alarming happening in the water.

Griffin Emerson, a 7-year-old boy, had initially been playing in the shallow end of the pool wearing his floaties. However, he made a bold decision to remove them and venture into the deeper end. Unbeknownst to Griffin, this decision would soon put him in grave danger.

Surveillance video obtained from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office captured the chilling moment when Griffin began to struggle to keep his head above water. While others around him seemed oblivious to his distress, Noah keenly observed Griffin's plight and realized that something was terribly wrong.

"I saw him, and I just knew that he wasn't OK," Noah said. "I saw him at the bottom of the pool, and then I didn't know if he was just playing down there or something. So I just told Weston to get in and dive down to see if he's OK."

Young Brothers Noah and Weston Become Unlikely Heroes at Apartment Pool

Without hesitation, Weston sprang into action, fearlessly jumping into the pool and reaching down to pull Griffin to the surface. In the surveillance video, Griffin can be seen gasping for air as he is rescued from the deep end. Griffin's mother, Sylese Roche, immediately called 911, describing the situation to the operator. She informed them that Griffin wasn't breathing, had turned blue, and was in need of CPR. In those terrifying moments, time was of the essence.

Noah and Weston's quick thinking and bravery had bought precious time for Griffin. Sylese began administering CPR, desperately trying to revive her son. After what must have felt like an eternity, Griffin's body responded, and he started to breathe again. He coughed up water from the pool, signaling that he was on his way to recovery.

Within 36 hours of the incident, Griffin was released from the hospital, having made a remarkable recovery. Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson of Genesee County praised the quick actions of Noah and Weston in getting Griffin to breathe once more, calling it the "best possible outcome."

To honor Noah and Weston's heroic efforts, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office held a special ceremony. According to ABC News, the two boys were reunited with Griffin and the first responders who had been involved in the incident.

Tom Kinczkowski, Griffin's grandfather, expressed his deep gratitude to the young heroes, saying, "Weston and Noah, you know, they hold a special place in my heart. And they basically saved Griffin. A lot of my heroes don't wear capes. And there are two of them."

Read Also: Father Let Daughter Drown To Prevent 'Strange' Rescuers From Touching, Dishonoring Her

Genesee County Sheriff's Office Honors Young Heroes in Special Ceremony

In light of this incident, Sheriff Swanson emphasized the importance of water safety and shared three essential tips to prevent drowning situations. He stressed the significance of knowing one's surroundings, learning CPR, and teaching children how to recognize potential dangers and swim.

According to NY Post, the courageous actions of Noah and Weston serve as a powerful reminder of the critical importance of water safety and the impact that quick thinking and intervention can have on saving lives. Their bravery, presence of mind, and selflessness in a high-pressure situation have rightfully earned them the recognition and gratitude of their community.

Noah and Weston's heroism stands as an inspiration for others to prioritize water safety and be vigilant in protecting those around them. Their actions exemplify the true meaning of heroism and demonstrate that anyone, regardless of age, has the potential to make a profound difference in someone's life. The boys' bravery will forever be etched in the hearts of Griffin's family and the community as a shining example of courage and selflessness.

Related Article: Tragedy in Wallkill as Dad Dies After Trying to Save Drowning 8-year-old Son in Backyard Pool
Photo: (Photo : Eros Hoagland / Getty Images)

The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has unveiled a game-changing initiative that will provide free tuition and fees to students from low-income families residing in the state.

This groundbreaking move aims to alleviate financial burdens and create opportunities for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

UNC's commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic environment remains steadfast, despite recent legal developments impacting affirmative action policies.

UNC Upholding Access and Affordability

According to ABC, beginning with the incoming 2024 undergraduate class, this program seeks to ensure that financial constraints do not hinder deserving students from pursuing their dreams of higher education.

As the Supreme Court sets new limits on affirmative action policies, universities across the United States face a fundamental change in their admissions processes.

UNC, along with Harvard University, was recently involved in a legal battle where both institutions were accused of intentionally discriminating against Asian American applicants.

The Court's decision, based on the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, deemed that considering race during admissions violated the law.

UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz acknowledged the significant impact of this ruling, emphasizing that compliance with the law does not mean compromising the university's core values.

Guskiewicz affirmed UNC's unwavering commitment to accessibility, affordability, and cultivating a culture of belonging for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds.

UNC announced its commitment to offering tuition and fee waivers to students hailing from North Carolina households earning an annual income below $80,000.

Breaking Barriers for North Carolina Students

The introduction of free tuition at UNC Chapel Hill is a momentous step towards breaking down financial barriers that often impede students from low-income families.

The university recognizes that education should be accessible to everyone, and by offering free tuition to qualified North Carolina residents, they strive to create a level playing field for aspiring scholars across the state.

According to Business Insider, UNC currently enrolls approximately 20,000 undergraduate students, and in the recently admitted class of 2026, nearly half of the students were residents of North Carolina, with around 32% of them benefiting from need-based financial assistance.

To further enhance outreach efforts and broaden access, UNC has augmented its admissions team with additional outreach officers.

These officers are actively engaging with under-resourced communities to raise awareness about the university's affordability and to encourage talented students to consider pursuing their education at UNC Chapel Hill.

By extending its reach, UNC aims to ensure that the best and brightest students throughout North Carolina are aware of the possibilities available to them at the university.

Read Also: Finding Lost Family Members: Search Squad's Remarkable Success Stories on Facebook

Transforming Lives, Shaping Futures

The adoption of the free tuition initiative by UNC Chapel Hill heralds a transformative era for the university and the students it serves.

By removing financial barriers, UNC aims to empower individuals from low-income backgrounds to seize educational opportunities that were previously out of reach.

According to the Associated Press, Chancellor Guskiewicz emphasized the university's commitment to ensuring that students are aware that financial limitations should not hinder them from pursuing their aspirations.

The total cost of tuition and fees for full-time in-state students during the 2023 academic year was estimated to be around $9,000.

This landmark decision not only opens doors to higher education but also promises to shape the futures of countless talented individuals, enriching their lives and positively impacting communities across North Carolina.

As the initiative takes effect in 2024, prospective students and their families will no longer need to worry about the burden of tuition and fees.

UNC Chapel Hill's commitment to academic excellence, diversity, and inclusion shines through this endeavor, reinforcing the university's position as a leading educational institution in North Carolina.

By removing financial barriers, UNC reaffirms its dedication to providing opportunities for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds.

This initiative not only exemplifies UNC's commitment to accessibility and affordability but also serves as an inspiration for other institutions to explore innovative solutions that promote inclusivity in education.

Related Article:North Carolina Judge Approves Revised 12-Week Abortion Ban, Doctor Protections Temporarily Limited
An airstrike in a Sudanese city on Saturday killed at least 22 people, health authorities said, in one of the deadliest air attacks yet in the three months of fighting between the countrys rival generals.

The assault took place in the Dar es Salaam neighborhood in Omdurman, the neighboring city of the capital, Khartoum, according to a brief statement by the health ministry. The attack wounded an unspecified number of people, it said.

The ministry posted video footage that showed dead bodies on the ground with sheets covering them and people trying to pull the dead from the rubble. Others attempted to help the wounded. People could be heard crying.

The attack was one of the deadliest in the fighting in urban areas of the capital and elsewhere in Sudan. The conflict pits the military against a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Last month, an airstrike killed at least 17 people including 5 children in Khartoum.

The RSF blamed the military for Saturdays attack and other strikes on residential areas in Omdurman, where fighting has raged between the warring factions, according to residents. The military has reportedly attempted to cut off a crucial supply line for the paramilitary force there.

A spokesman for the military was not immediately available for comment Saturday.

Two Omdurman residents said it was difficult to determine which side was responsible for the attack. They said the militarys aircraft have repeatedly targeted RSF troops in the area and the paramilitary force has used drones and anti-aircraft weapons against the military.

At the time of the attack early Saturday, the military was hitting the RSF, which took peoples houses as shields, and the RSF fired anti-aircraft rounds at the attacking warplanes, said Abdel-Rahman, one of the residents who asked to use only his first name out of concern for his safety.

The area is like a hell ... fighting around the clock and people are not able to leave, he said.

The conflict broke out in mid-April, capping months of increasing tensions between the military, chaired by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The fighting came 18 months after the two generals led a military coup in October 2021 that toppled a Western-backed civilian transitional government.

Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said in televised comments last month that the clashes have killed over 3,000 people and wounded over 6,000 others. More than 2.9 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries, according to U.N. figures.

Its a place of great terror, Martin Griffiths, the United Nations humanitarian chief, said of Sudan on Friday. He decried the appalling crimes taking place across the country and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

The conflict has plunged the African country into chaos and turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields. Members of the paramilitary force have occupied peoples houses and other civilian properties since the onset of the conflict, according to residents and activists. There were also reports of widespread destruction and looting across Khartoum and Omdurman.

Sexual violence, including the rape of women and girls, has been reported in Khartoum and the western Darfur region, which have seen some of the worst fighting in the conflict. Almost all reported cases of sexual attacks were blamed on the RSF, which hasnt responded to repeated requests for comment.

On Wednesday, top U.N. officials including Volker Turk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, called for a prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigation into the increasing reports of sexual violence against women and girls.

The Sudanese Unit for Combating Violence against Women, a government organization that tracks sex attacks against women, said it documented 88 cases of rape related to the ongoing conflict, including 42 in Khartoum and 46 in Darfur.

The unit, however, said the figure likely represented only 2% of the truce number of cases, which means there were a possible 4,400 cases of sexual violence since the fighting began on April 15, according to the Save the Children charity.

Sexual violence continues to be used as a tool to terrorize women and children in Sudan, said Arif Noor, director of Save the Children in Sudan. Children as young as 12 are being targeted for their gender, for their ethnicity, for their vulnerability.

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We spent the morning and into the afternoon cruising about from Ucluelet, looking (successfully) for bear. We saw four of them, eating along the shoreline at low tide, in addition to a pair of bald eagles (besides the one that we saw perched atop a tall tree in our own back yard this morning), seven sea otters, maybe a dozen Pacific harbor seals, and (Im told, because I didnt actually see it for myself) a porpoise. Moreover, during the short time that Ive been sitting here, two deer have sauntered slowly across our back patio.

But what I love here most of all is, believe it or not, the place where were staying. My wife really outdid herself this time. Its a very modern condo, with lots of steel and glass and space and with a magnificent view of the sea  a view that is only occasionally interrupted by a deer or an eagle. (Weve tried to get a photograph that does the view justice, but we havent come even close because its simply altogether too big.) This is a perfect place for writing. Quiet, beautiful, simple, remote. If I ever do really begin to rake in the big bucks that my more deranged critics continually say that Ive been stealing from impoverished tithe payers and duped donors, Ill want to use my ill-gotten gains to come to precisely this condo for three or four weeks of uninterrupted, tranquil, reading and writing. Im always looking for such places and, here, Ive definitely found one. A little far from Orem and difficult to reach, but not at all unreasonably so.

As is my habit whenever I travel, I bought several books during our recent stay in the United Kingdom. (I point out to my wife that I could have a worse habit: Instead of books, I could be buying cocaine. To which she often responds that cocaine takes up considerably less space.) Anyhow, included among my purchases were several very small volumes from a series entitled Little Books of Guidance that I found in a rural church that some of my wifes ancestors had probably once attended in a village located not far from Cheltenham.

The one from which Ill draw for this blog entry is John Cottingham, How can I believe? (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2018). The author, John Cottingham, is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Roehampton, and an Honorary Fellow of St. Johns College, Oxford:

When the jaded Western tourist looks out from a hotel window in Amman or Marrakesh and hears the strange haunting wail of the call to prayer floating over the city in the clear morning light, he or she may feel a sneaking pang of admiration for a culture where each day still begins with the praise of God. The mess and the grime of another day will soon be unleashed, but here is a timeless moment of affirmation, a brief space set aside to acknowledge the utter dependency of humanity on a power it cannot fully understand but which it has felt a deep need, since time immemorial, to acknowledge. A similar pang of nostalgia may grip the visitor to Jerusalem as the shops and offices fall silent on Friday evening and the sabbath lamps are lit. None of the difficulty or anguish of human life has disappeared, but here is a brief pause in which secular time gives way to sacred time, a time or renewal and reflection, following a custom passed on down the generations in faith and hope that human life has a deeper significance than the utilitarian imperatives of work and survival. (2)

I like his impresssons here. Having lived for a number of years in Jerusalem and in Cairo and having visited them dozens of times since, I can testify from abundant personal experience of the evocative power of both the Muslim call to prayer and Jewish shabbat observance.

Here, though, is a passage on a different theme:

It would be absurd to say that an atheists life cannot contain many worthwhile and meaningful activities. But for the religious believer, human life is typically seen as having an additional significance that is the key to its ultimate meaning  what might be called a cosmic significance. . . . If the modern scientific materialist conception of the cosmos represents the final truth, then human life, together with love, consciousness and all that we value and treasure, is the result of inexorable physical laws operating blindly, without plan or purpose. It is of no more ultimate significance than an evanescent vapour that coalesces on a planetary rock for a while, as long as certain chemical configurations happen to arise, but is destined sooner or later to vanish, just as the rock itself will vanish, engulfed by the dying embers of the star around which it revolves. Perhaps, by resolutely pursuing our own chosen activities and projects, we can salvage what meaning we can from this terrifyingly blank and indifferent cosmic backdrop. But however we construe it, our human existence will still be no more than a strange cosmic excrescence appearing and then disappearing without any more ultimate point or purpose than any of the other relentlessly unfolding events  shifting of tectonic plates, collisions of meteors, explosions of supernovas, spinning of galaxies  that mark the slow and inevitable running down of the universe towards the final stasis of total entropy. . . .

Professor Cottingham contrasts this modern scientific materialist conception of the cosmos with what he plainly views as the essence of the religious attitude:

It is this kind of vision, this sense of ultimate groundedness, that led the great twentieth-century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein to speak of a religious outlook as involving the feeling of being absolutely safe  I mean the state of mind in which one is inclined to say I am safe, nothing can injure me whatever happens. Wittgenstein certainly did not have in mind the naive or superstitious belief that God will protect us from the ordinary dangers of accident, aggression, weakness and failure that are inseparable from human life. What he may have meant was something closer to what has been called a sense of ontological rootedness  a sense that, for all its difficulties and dangers, the world we inhabit is one in which we can feel ultimately at home. (8)

No day is ever so bright that something from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial How Religion Poisons Everything File cant ruin it! Here are a quartet of deliciously depraved examples from the Hitchens File:

Posted from Ucluelet, British Columbia
Yes, Im going there: its time to address the transkid issue  hopefully with an angle that will provide a different perspective on a debate where, at least here in Illinois, so-called gender affirming care is now the law of the land, justified by the refrain that it is lifesaving  because, after all,

Would you rather have a dead daughter or a living son?

is the question thats been posed to parents of girls who begin identifying as transgender, as a means of pressuring them to support administration of cross-sex hormones and even surgery to acquire male sex characteristics/eliminate female ones, because, its asserted, without these interventions, those girls (or boys) would be at such a high risk of suicide that the avoidance of suicide trumps all other considerations.

But consider this:

In 2007, health researcher and New America Foundation senior fellow Shannon Brownlee published Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer. Its (seeming lack of) effect on the health care debate (at least in the general public) since then might be illustrated by the fact that, in order to reread the book, I had to request it from Interlibrary Loan, because only two copies existed in my local librarys partner library system, the original copy owned by my library having been de-accessed sometime between then and now. Or perhaps my local library simply has a faulty de-accession policy  which is admittedly another story.

In any event, what particularly stuck with me since first reading the book was Brownlees description of the debacle of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplant as a treatment for breast cancer. This treatment was developed in the 1980s based on a similar treatment for leukemia: in order maximize the effectiveness of chemotherapy for breast cancer, a patients bone marrow was harvested, then the patient was given chemotherapy dosages so high as to destroy the bone marrow, the previously-harvested bone marrow was re-transfused, and finally the patient was kept in isolation until the bone marrow regrew (unless chemo side effects or infections killed them first). The chemo shrunk tumors in cases that otherwise seemed hopeless, and 18-month survival rates were impressive. Then, in the 1990s, a series of lawsuits against insurance companies, including a 1993 lawsuit with $89 million in damages, threw open the legal floodgates; mandated insurance coverage of a highly-profitable procedure meant ever-growing numbers of women undergoing this treatment and ever-growing numbers of doctors and hospitals churning women through their process.

Yet there was no evidence that this was an effective procedure. Instead, the data that was being cited as proof was a comparison of success rates compared to conventional treatments, but it was not a randomized trial with a control group. Without selecting the control group randomly, results of a study are not valid; for example, women undertaking the bone marrow transplant treatment might be in overall better health than others, because they would be more likely to be judged able to survive it. And it took until the end of that decade, in 1999, for results from those clinical trials to be made available  results which revealed that, considering both risks of dying during treatment and survival afterwards, more women died after this new treatment than the alternative.

Why did the medical community adopt this treatment without evidence? Brownlee provides several pieces to an explanation. First, oncologists reasoned by analogy from leukemia treatment without recognizing the differences between this and breast cancer. Second, oncologists were not trained in statistical analysis and didnt understand that the apparent proof they relied on was not reliable evidence at all. Third, the treatment was incredibly profitable. Fourth, the very fact that the treatment was so risky and difficult to endure added to the perception that it had to be better. And, ultimately, once it became accepted as a treatment, doctors were unwilling to participate in random trials because their conviction of the effectiveness of the transplant meant they deemed it unethical not to provide it, as would be required in a random trial.

Why does this matter?

I revisited this because of its parallels to so-called gender-affirming care, especially for children and teenagers, in the form of social transition, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries, which such institutions as the American Academy of Pediatricians and, locally, Lurie Childrens Hospital will readily state is the standard of care for those questioning their gender or believing themselves to be of the opposite sex from their birth sex.

As with the bone marrow transplant, experts have become convinced that these treatments are the best care and are lifesaving, and as with the bone marrow transplant, there is no evidence. Studies touted as proving the effectiveness of these treatments lack control groups, follow up on patients for too-brief periods, and fail to consider the effect of other factors, such as pre-existing mental health issues. (Folks, I intended to dig up the links to the bad studies in order to document this, but youll just have to trust me as I dont want to keep this sitting in my drafts folder.)

So, to gender affirming care supporters, I would like to say: please take a step back. Recognize that a desire to be on the right side of a culture war isnt a good basis for supporting children making permanent changes to their bodies with lifelong consequences and serious risks, and that proper evidence is absolutely vital. Women died because doctors rushed into breast-cancer stem cell transplants without valid evidence. We should learn from that mistake rather than repeat it over and over again.

And to opponents: I read a lot of accusations that progressives support of child sex transitions is nefarious, rooted in pedophilia, transhumanism, Marxism, or other isms. But it seems to me that, for many such supporters, especially your typical suburban mom with the Pride Progress flag in her flower bed or Facebook profile picture, but also, likely, many of the folks touting themselves as experts, theres nothing at all nefarious. Its just that it is all too easy to become convinced of the rightness of a treatment once, for whatever reason, it has become the norm.

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PFLAG_of_the_Lower_Shenandoah_07_-_DC_Capital_Pride_-_2014-06-07.jpg; Tim Evanson [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
In a bid to bolster maternal healthcare and curb child mortality, the Vodafone Ghana Foundation, in partnership with the Divine Mother and Child Foundation (DMAC), has implemented its Rural Ultrasound Scan project for pregnant women in Pipie in the Bosomtwe district of the Ashanti Region.



The Rural Ultrasound Scan project was part of Vodafone Ghana's Ashanti Month celebration in June. The project aims to harness innovative ultrasonography technology to improve maternal and child health. This initiative aligns with the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which seeks to reduce maternal mortality.



48 pregnant women had screenings during the event, including scans of the uterus, abdominopelvic, and abdomen. Qualified healthcare practitioners conducted the screenings, ensuring comprehensive and seamless medical care.



Rita Rockson, Head of the Vodafone Foundation, emphasised the foundations commitment to enhancing maternal health in rural areas across Ghana. Many women in rural communities face unique challenges that make it harder for them to access quality healthcare. The Foundation's Ultrasound Scan outreach gave these women access to qualified medical care. This is also part of our contribution to reduce maternal mortality by 2030 and improve the lives of Ghanaians, she remarked.



Rita further explained that the free ultrasound screenings are particularly beneficial for pregnant women who cannot afford such services. This initiative also addresses the issue of accessibility, as women in these communities previously had to travel long distances to undergo ultrasound scans.



One beneficiary, Margaret Konadu, expressed her gratitude to the Vodafone Ghana Foundation. She praised the foundation for aiding pregnant women with the scan service. It has made it easy for us to get ultrasound scans right here in our community - we did not have to travel a long distance for it. Thank you, Vodafone!



The Vodafone Ghana Foundations initiative is a laudable step towards achieving SDG 3 in Ghana. By leveraging technology and providing essential healthcare services, the foundation is making strides in improving maternal health and reducing child mortality.





Source: Peacefmonline com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo) has reported a significant shortage of gas supply from the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant (GPP) and the West African Gas Pipeline (WAPCo).



As a result, the country is facing a supply gap of 650MW of electricity during peak hours, leading to power outages in various areas.



GRIDCo has assured the public that measures are being taken to restore the gas supply from the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant.



In a statement, the company stated, Efforts are in place to address the current gas shortage, and as the situation improves, power will be restored to affected customers.



The power outages have negatively impacted several parts of the country, causing inconvenience and disruption to businesses and households. Residents and businesses have been grappling with the lack of electricity, affecting productivity and daily routines.



The shortage of gas supply from the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant and the West African Gas Pipeline has been identified as the primary cause of the power outages.



These facilities play a crucial role in supplying natural gas, which is used to generate a significant portion of Ghanas electricity.



Authorities are now working diligently to resolve the issue and restore power to affected areas as soon as possible. GRIDCo, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, is actively engaging with the management of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant and WAPCo to address the supply gap and ensure a stable and reliable power supply for the country.



The Ghana Grid Company Ltd, (GRIDCo), the Operator of the National Interconnected Transmission System informs the general public that there is a deficit in thermal power generation due to limited gas supply from the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant (GPP) and the West African Gas pipeline (WAPCo). This has created a supply gap of 650MW at peak time which will affect consumers in some parts of the country. The inconvenience caused is regretted, the statement issued by the Corporate Communications of Ghana Grid Company Ltd added



In the meantime, GRIDCo has advised residents and businesses to utilize alternative power sources and adopt energy conservation measures to minimize the impact of the power outages.



Ghana has made significant strides in recent years to enhance its power generation capacity and improve electricity access across the country.



However, challenges such as gas supply shortages highlight the need for continuous investment and development in the energy sector to ensure a sustainable and uninterrupted power supply.



GRIDCo and other relevant authorities are committed to resolving the current gas shortage and working towards preventing similar incidents in the future. The public is encouraged to remain patient and cooperative while the necessary measures are implemented to restore regular electricity supply to all affected areas.

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.

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In a joint effort, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Division, and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) have expressed deep concern regarding a growing trend of importing disposable baby diapers into the country.



The authorities in a press release said these diapers are being unhygienically packaged in bales or concealed within bundles of used clothing. The release added that the repackaged diapers are subsequently sold without adequate labelling information or sometimes without any labelling information at all. Such practices fail to comply with regulatory requirements and the packaging and labelling standards outlined in the Ghana Standard (GS 1166:2017) for disposable baby diapers.



The authorities in a joint statement stressed that the safety of materials used in baby diapers is thoroughly assessed during the FDA's product registration processes. Therefore, the FDA cannot ensure the absence of toxins, dyes, or skin irritants in unregistered baby diapers.



The statement further disclosed that the handling of diapers under unhygienic conditions can introduce germs into the genital region, posing serious health risks to infants and children, particularly girls.



Manufacturers, importers, and distributors of baby diapers are hereby informed by the FDA, GRA Customs Division, and the GSA that only diapers duly registered by the FDA and meeting the Ghana Standard (GS 1166:2017) can be imported and offered for sale. Furthermore, all registered diapers imported into the country must be appropriately packaged and securely sealed to safeguard the product from moisture, contamination, soiling, and damage throughout transportation, storage, and distribution.



The importation of unregistered and unhygienically packaged baby diapers will lead to their seizure and safe disposal, with the cost of disposal being borne by the importer. These measures are aimed at ensuring the well-being and health of babies and children in Ghana.

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.

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A pastor and five other members of his Church are in the grips of the police for allegedly manhandling a five-week-old baby during Church service at Balungu in the Bongo District in the Upper East Region.



The suspects are Reverend Kwabena Atogpeelige Akongyaane, Head Pastor of Jesus Spanner Miracle Church, Mary Akongyaane, wife of the pastor and mother of the baby, Robert Aberinga Akugre, Veronica Ayamga, Zacchaeus Ayamga Avaliyemah and Daniel Ayeliga Ageekilingo.



The suspects were arrested in connection with a viral video where a woman was seen allegedly putting a babys life at risk.



In the video, which was said to have been recorded in the early part of 2023 when the baby was about five weeks old, the woman was seen swinging the child like a handkerchief with the head of the child facing downwards.



She was seen throwing the baby in the air with one hand and holding the legs of the baby and turning it upside down amidst drumming and dancing from members of the Church while the pastor and his wife who are the biological parents of the child looked on.



Apart from shouldering the baby, the woman was seen placing the head of the baby on her head while holding the babys legs high up in the air.



In an earlier interview with the Ghana News Agency, the Head Pastor admitted to the video as emanating from his church and indicated it was a ritual in the church to welcome every newborn to the Church.



He said the ritual was a directive from the Holy Spirit meant to fortify new born babies in the church against spiritual attacks and other bad spirits that would attempt to attack them.



This is not the first time we have done something like this, we have been doing this to all children born in the church to protect them against bad spirits. We are doing what the Holy Spirit has commanded us to do, he said.



Mary and Veronica, who are breastfeeding mothers, were granted Police enquiry bail while the rest were detained and would be arraigned before court.

Source: Ghanaweb









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Leading candidate for the NPP's Presidential Primaries Hon. Alan Kyerematen today, Wednesday, 5th July, 2023, asked delegates of the party to choose him as their presidential candidate as he stands the best chance of winning the presidency in 2024.



Speaking to party delegates on the second day of his cluster meetings with delegates at Dome-Kwabenya and Ayawaso West Wuogon, the he seasoned politician said his track record in both the party and government makes him the best among all the other flagbearer aspirants.



The former Trade and Industry Minister cited his innovative works that birthed the Presidential Special Initiatives and the 1D1F programme as evidence of the transformation that he could bring to the nation when given the nod.



The industrial expert mentioned his unblemished persona in political life and hardworking as some of the features that stands him apart from the others.



NDC cannot Attack Alan because He is Clean - Amewu



Honorable John Peter Amewu, the Member of Parliament for Hohoe, on Wednesday, 5th July, 2023 praised the impeccable reputation and of Honorable Alan Kyerematen at a campaign event at the UPSA Conference Hall in Madina, Accra.



Speaking on the second day of Hon Kyerematen's "delegates cluster meetings", Hon Amewu, also Minister for Railways Development, urged delegates to rally behind Alan to save the party from unwanted personal attacks on their presidential candidate by the NDC.



The event served as a platform for NPP delegates from Adenta, Madina and Shai Osu Doku, to engage constructively with Hon Kyerematen, frontrunner in the NPP flagbearer race, on his plans for the party and nation at large.



Hon Amewu encouraged NPP delegates to endorse the candidacy of the former Minister of Trade and Industry in order to counter the forthcoming NDC propaganda which could affect the fortunes of the party in the 2024 elections.



Addressing the delegates, he said the fact that the NDC cannot find any derogatory evidence against Hon Kyerematen is sufficient grounds for party delegates to endorse him.



He called on the party machinery to look beyond the internal primaries to the larger contest with the NDC, the main opposition to the aim of 'breaking the 8'.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Presidential hopeful, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has disclosed that he is the only candidate that can help the NPP win all four regionsn where they have not been doing well.



Unlike the Ashanti Region where the NPP pulls the largest number of votes, the Greater Accra, Central, Western and particularly, the Volta Region have not been too favourable to the NPP.



In the case of the Volta Region for instance, it took the NPP close to 30 years to win a single parliamentary seat in the Hohoe constituency currently through the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Peter Amewu.



Significantly, Amewu is a staunch supporter of Alan's bid to lead the NPP in 2024.



The Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions have proven very unpredictable and any candidate that is able to garner a sizable amount of votes in these regions stands the chance of winning the national elections.



With the 2024 elections proving tough for the NPP because of the harsh economic situation in the country, Alan believes he is the only candidate that can win more votes in these regions for the party.



In his view, his high approval rating in these regions makes him the obvious choice for the people of the four regions.



Mr Kyerematen gave the assurance on his campaign tour of the Greater Accra region where he met party delegates and constituencies in cluster meetings. He met delegates at Prampram, Ada, Sege constituencies



As part of the cluster engagements party delegates from Madina, Adentan and Shai Osudoku constituencies converged at the University for Professional Studies, Accra where they were addressed by Mr Kyerematen.



Alan said: "I am the only one that can win Greater Accra, Central, Western and Volta Regions for the NPP as the people of these regions are rooting for me to become the flagbearer of the NPP in 2024.



The former Trade Minister insisted that he remained the only hope for the NPP to break the eight-year political cycle in the country.



He thus called on the delegates to select a flagbearer who could easily become the next president of the country.



Mr Kyerematen urged the delegates to listen to the partys grassroots who are over six million, and vote for their candidate to lead the party into the next general election.

As I said, delegates must not only look at their personal benefit but the wider interest of members who put them there, he said.



Mr Kyerematen also called on the delegates to vote for a candidate who had the welfare of the members at heart.



He pledged to enhance the welfare and opportunities for constituency executives when given the nod to lead the party to victory in the national election.



He stated that he was the only NPP political figure who would be able to dilute the votes of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta region because of his appeal to the people in that part of the country.



Mr John Peter Amewu, Minister for Railway Development who was on the campaign trail, told the delegates that electing Mr Kyerematen as the flagbearer of the party would make it far easier for the NPP to break the eight.



He said of all the candidates vying to lead the NPP, Mr Kyerematen was the least attacked by opponents because he had a clean record whilst in office.



We are presenting to you a candidate that would make our work very easy I am from the Volta Region, and I am saying the love for Alan in the region is huge and he is the one that can break the dominance of the NDC in the region he added.



Mr Sylvester Tetteh, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfrom touted the achievements of Mr Kyerematen, particularly his spearheading of the Presidential Special Initiative (PSI) under former President Kufuor and President Akufo-Addo's industrialization agenda.



He also maintained that Mr Kyerematen was the best candidate to win the 2024 election for the NPP and urged the delegates to give him the nod at the partys National Delegates Conference in November.



The NPP is expected to hold a special conference of 900 delegates to trim down the number of its presidential aspirants from nine to five, ahead of its National Congress on November 4, 2023, where over 200,000 delegates would choose the partys flagbearer to lead the party to the 2024 general elections.







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Photo: Amy Soranno Amy Soranno has a criminal record for breaking and entering into an Abbotsford hog farm in 2019, to film alleged abuse of animals. She's calling for mandatory CCTV cameras and an inspection regime for animal farms.

A B.C. animal rights activist is calling for CCTV systems in farm animal quarters and a new, independent animal agriculture inspection agency.

The lack of transparency and accountability in the animal agriculture industry remains a significant problem, says Amy Soranno, who's presently appealing her high-profile criminal conviction after trespassing on an Abbotsford hog farm in April 2019 to expose alleged abuse.

In the wake of Sorannos criminal prosecution, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food struck up an advisory committee to examine its animal welfare framework.

The committee is said to comprise of animal welfare experts, such as the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and also meat industry stakeholders. Their job is to make recommendations to the deputy minister later this year, according to a ministry spokesperson, who said Minister Pam Alexis was unavailable to speak to the matter.

Ensuring animals are treated ethically and with care is a priority for the B.C. government and we know that farmers and ranchers take animal welfare very seriously as well, the ministry stated, noting it has worked with farmers and ranchers to adopt the National Farm Animal Care Council Codes of Practice that cover animal handling, feed, water and housing into provincial legislation in 2019.

Last month Premier David Eby said "animal welfare is a priority for British Columbians" and also expressed concern about animal rights activists trespassing on farms.

"We do have an issue of individuals who can't wait for the SPCA and decided to go into a farm and do that work independently."

"It's an unacceptable situation so we have had to clarify our Trespass Act to ensure people understand the Trespass Act protects farms," said Eby.

The ministry also says it conducts inspections at each provincially licensed slaughterhouse when animals are being processed to monitor animal welfare and ensure consumer safety.

But as animals are raised, there is practically no inspection system in place, despite Eby's claims.

BC SPCA chief protection and outreach service manager Marcie Moriarty said her group is not mandated nor is it funded to inspect animal agriculture sites; and it does not have the broad expertise required to do so.

In 2021, as Sorannos case made its way through the courts, the society announced a pilot inspection program for farm animal inspections, although Moriarty told Glacier Media last month the society only inspected 10 sites in the past two years. There are no public reports of those inspections.

Soranno says the province has nearly 6,000 commercial animal farms, each housing hundreds, thousands, or even millions of animals.

The BC SPCA's limited inspection authority hinders their ability to effectively address and prevent animal abuse, Soranno asserted.

Even when presented with compelling evidence, such as the footage from Excelsior Hog Farm [in Abbotsford], the BC SPCA's prosecution efforts have fallen short. It is imperative for both the BCSPCA and the Ministry of Agriculture to prioritize monitoring and enforcement to prevent unchecked animal abuse on farms, added Soranno.

Moriarty said she agrees in principle on the idea of CCTV monitoring and supports an independent and proactive inspection agency, regardless of whether or not the BC SPCA is tasked to operate it.

Soranno said, given the pressing need for transparency and monitoring in animal agriculture, the installation of CCTV cameras seems to be a reasonable request.

By providing consumers with direct insight into the products they support, CCTV cameras would eliminate the necessity for activists to obtain potentially incriminating footage themselves. Furthermore, such video evidence could be admissible in legal proceedings, creating accountability for animal abuse, said Soranno, who noted B.C. would likely be the first jurisdiction to implement CCTV for animal farms.

With no such inspection system, the public is left to sort through competing claims, she said.

Meat industry awaits recommendations

Glacier Media reached out to the meat industry for comment on Sorannos recommendations.

The BC Pork Producers Association declined to comment, saying it awaits the recommendations of the committee.

BC Dairy only provided a statement by email: Rigorous animal welfare standards such as those in place for dairy farmers across Canada are important. BC Dairy supports the provinces animal welfare framework review, and awaits the recommendations that come out of the process.

Kevin Boon, manager for the BC Cattlemens Association, spoke to Glacier Media by phone, saying as far as cattle go, CCTV systems likely wouldnt be effective on a ranch as they rarely take shelter.

Boon said the welfare of cows is paramount for ranchers and he thinks because animal abuse is so rare, the industry on the whole would not necessarily oppose an inspections regime.

I dont think there would be any pushback, for the most part, to see increased inspections. However, they want to make sure the people doing the inspections actually know what they are inspecting, said Boon, noting the SPCA is not trained to do so

They know how to look at dogs, cats and goldfish, said Boon.

He noted there are audits of farms within the industry and expressed frustration at any perception theres a systemic problem with animal abuse.

In most cases, we have generations of expertise in raising these animals and we get into this because we love animals; were not there to abuse them. Like everything else there are some bad characters and they need to be weeded out, said Boon.

With animal viruses spreading around the world now, biosecurity is important, added Boon, and activists such as Soranno pose a threat to animals, too.

Soranno was convicted of break-and-enter and mischief in July 2022 and later sentenced to 30 days in prison. Soranno said an appeal hearing is scheduled for Nov. 23 at the BC Court of Appeals in Vancouver.

During sentencing, Justice Frits Verhoeven called the protest a carefully planned, organized and orchestrated mass invasion and occupation and said the pair incited and encouraged many other persons to break the law.

Soranno and her associates (reportedly as many as 200) had filmed alleged abuse at the hog farm and sent it to the BC SPCA. However, the BC Prosecution Service did not pursue charges, claiming insufficient evidence, as the BC SPCA claimed it was unable to verify the video was taken at the farm.

The case has led to tensions between the BC SPCA and activists such as Soranno, as the latter claim the society has failed to prosecute animal abusers and in Sorannos case allegedly handed over the identity of a whistleblower to local police.

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The 39th edition of the Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries will celebrate the career of Egyptian actor Mahmoud Morsi, from 3 to 8 October 2023.

The festival will mark what would be Morsis 100th birthday, celebrating his most important works through film screenings and talks, announced a press release on Sunday.

A book about Morsis career, currently being written by critic Walid Seif, will also be launched at the festival.

Born in Alexandria in 1923, Mahmoud Morsi lent his talents to a range of classic films, such as The Last Night (1964), The Quail & Autumn (1967), Edge of the Sword (1968) and A Taste of Fear (1969) to name a few.

Morsis son Alaa Mahmoud Morsi has been invited to attend the opening ceremony, and receive the festivals honorary shield.

Alexandria's red carpet



At last year's 38th edition, the festival showcased 77 films from 29 countries in its Long and Short Narrative competitions, as well as a parallel programme for comedy films, named after famous actor Mahmoud Hemeida.

The Alexandria Film Festival will continue to welcome submissions to its categories on the official festival website until 30 July.

The annual event is organised by the Egyptian Association of Cinema Authors and Critics, headed by its president El-Amir Abaza, and is sponsored by the Egyptian Ministries of Culture, Tourism and Social Solidarity, as well as Alexandria Governorate and private companies.

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Michael Tetteh-Eku, the Chairman of the Ningo-Prampram Constituency of the NPP, has expressed his unwavering support for Alan Kyerematen, as the presidential candidate for the party in the upcoming primaries to victory in 2024.



Tetteh-Eku, a prominent figure within the party, cited Alan's exceptional leadership qualities, extensive experience, and deep understanding of the nation's challenges as reasons for his endorsement.



According to him, Alan's track record of service to the party and the nation demonstrates his commitment to delivering positive change for the Ghanaians.



The Chairman praised Alan's ability to connect with people from all walks of life, highlighting his charisma and approachability. Tetteh-Eku believes that Alan's inclusive leadership style will resonate with the electorate and unite the party behind a common goal of progress and development.



Furthermore, Tetteh-Eku acknowledged Alan's successful tenure as a Minister of Trade and Industry and his instrumental role in the implementation of key policies that have positively impacted the lives of Ghanaians.



He emphasized that Alan's proven track record of effective governance, positions him as the ideal candidate to build on the achievements of the current NPP administration and to address the pressing issues facing the nation.



As the Chairman of the Ningo-Prampram Constituency, Tetteh-Eku pledged to rally support for Alan's candidacy, mobilizing party members and constituents to ensure a resounding victory in the 2024 elections. He called upon party faithfuls across the country to unite and work tirelessly to secure the NPP's success under Alan's leadership.



Tetteh-Eku's endorsement carries significant weight within the NPP, given his influential position and deep understanding of the party's dynamics. His declaration further amplifies the growing momentum behind Alan's candidacy and sets the stage for a spirited campaign leading up to the 2024 elections.



The Chairman's endorsement of Alan as the best man to secure NPP victory in 2024 sends a strong message to party members and supporters nationwide. It reflects the belief that Alan's vision, competence, and dedication make him the ideal choice to lead the NPP into a new era of progress and prosperity for Ghana.







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Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame has told an Accra High Court that the application filed by lead counsel for James Gyakye Qauyson, Tsatsu Tsikata, seeking to stay proceedings pending an appeal to the Court of Appeal is grounded on irrelevant matters, distortion of facts and confusion.



Arguing in opposition to the application by Mr. Tsikata, the A-G stated that the application does not show any exceptional circumstances warranting a stay of proceedings in a criminal trial and that, same was merely designed to frustrate the criminal trial of the Assin North Member of Parliament.



TSATSU TSIKATA'CASE



Mr Tsikata wants the High Court to stay proceedings of the trial because of an appeal he has filed at the Court of Appeal challenging the decision of the High Court on June 23, 2023, to conduct a day-to-day trial. In dismissing an earlier motion on June 23, 2023. The trial judge, Mary Yanzuh, ruled that a day-to-day trial was consistent with several provisions of the law as had been argued by the Attorney General, Godfred Dame.



However, Mr. Tsikata, in his submissions, stated that justice will not be properly dispensed with if the matter is scheduled for day-to-day trial.



ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S SUBMISSIONS



Explaining what he meant by the point that Mr. Tsikatas application was grounded on irrelevant matters and confusion, Mr. Dame indicated that Mr. Tsikata had originally applied for a review or variation of the courts order fixing the proceedings for day to day trial from 20th to 23rd June, 2023, as being an infringement of his clients right to participate in an election. It was the ruling on this application by Justice Yanzuh on 23rd June, 2023, which Tsikata was aggrieved by and had appealed against.



By the time, Mr. Tsikata filed his appeal on 27th June, 2023 and by the time he filed his motion for stay of proceedings, the material time  20th to 23rd June, 2023 which Mr. Tsikata was concerned about, had long elapsed. Mr Dame thus, submitted that clearly, in light of this, Tsatsu Tsikatas application was incompetent, unnecessary and otiose. My lady, this incompetent application grounded on confused and distorted facts, can only be designed to waste the courts time and nothing else.



ALLEGED PREJUDICE BY MR. DAME



Mr. Dame addressed the allegation often made by Mr. Tsikata and other supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against him that he had prejudiced the hearing of the criminal case against Mr. Gyakye-Quayson through the comments he made in reaction to the ruling of the Supreme Court restraining Mr. Quayson from acting as a Member of Parliament.



The Attorney-General indicated that he had never, on any platform, made any comment about the ongoing criminal trial against Mr. Quayson. I have never commented on the criminal trial of Gyaakye Quayson anywhere. Never. All my comments were related to the constitutional case which the Supreme Court was seised of.



When I stated that Gyakye-Quayson must suffer the same fate as Adamu Dramani Sakande, it was in reaction to the Supreme Court ruling that he be restrained from going to Parliament, which is what happened to Adamu Dramani Sakande.



The media house, myjoyonline, reported this fact clearly in their publication which Mr. Tsikata relies on as an exhibit. So, why is he once again, distorting the fact and misleading the court? The A-G asked.



PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO'S ALLEGED PREJUDICE OF the GYAKYE-QUAYSON CRIMINAL TRIAL



The Attorney-General further debunked the allegation by Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata that President Akufo-Addo had prejudiced the criminal trial of Mr. Gyakye-Quayson by his remarks at the last campaign rally of the NPP in the run-up to the Assin North by-election.



Mr. Dame strongly rejected this assertion and stated that once again, Mr. Tsikatas claim was based on a distortion of the facts. Mr. Dame invited the court to take a critical look at the tape that Mr. Tsikata had played in court, and the court would notice that Mr. Tsikata had played only a few seconds of the Presidents speech at the Assin North rally, and not the full record.



The Attorney-General stated that the full record of the Presidents speech will reveal that the President had only asked the people of Assin North why they would want to vote for someone who was bedeviled by litigation  today, High Court, tomorrow, Court of Appeal, tomorrow, Supreme Court. Why do you want to vote for one who is bedeviled by litigation. Gyakye-Quayson says that even if he is in jail, the people of Assin North will vote for him, but is that what you want? One who will serve from jail?



The Attorney-General stated that under no circumstance can anyone who listened to the Presidents speech allege that the President had prejudiced the hearing of the criminal trial. Mr Tsatsu Tsikata knew this and that it is why he had deliberately and mischievously played only a few seconds of the recording of the Presidents speech and not the full speech, Mr Dame submitted to the court.



TSIKATA AND DAME IN WAR OF WORDS 



Mr. Tsikata in his affidavit in support of his motion, had alleged that what Mr. Quayson was going through was similar to what he, Mr. Tsikata had experienced in 2008 which led to his conviction by an Accra High Court. He further submitted that the current Attorney-Generals conduct was similar to that of President Nana Akufo-Addo when he was the Attorney General of Ghana from 2001 to 2003.



Tsatsu Tsikata claimed that his observations about the A-Gs alleged comments which have been dismissed by the High Court as not relevant was similar to his own travails with the law. Mr. Tsikata then openly cautioned that the Attorney General will be prosecuted in the same measure if power changes hands at the polls during the 2024 elections.



Mr Dame immediately replied; I sympathise with your experience when you found yourself in jail in 2008 but I can assure you that I will not conduct myself in a way that will land me in prison, like you did. Mr. Dame asked the court, of what relevance is Mr. Tsikatas experience in 2008, 15 years before 2023, to this trial currently pending before the court? It is again an attempt to divert the courts attention to irrelevant matters and must not be tolerated.



The trial judge Mary Yanzu will rule on the application for stay of proceedings on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.



BACKGROUND FACTS



James Gyakye Quayson is standing trial for perjury, forgery and other counts of criminal nature pertaining to his Ghanaian passport and eligibility to contest in the 2020 general elections. The Republics case against Hon. Gyakye Quayson is that he lied on his passport application form filled on July 26th that he was not a dual citizen and that he held only Ghanaian citizenship.



This was in spite of the fact that he was yet to renounce his Canadian citizenship issued on 30th October 2016. Further to this infraction against the law, Hon. Quayson also submitted forms to the electoral commission declaring that he only held allegiance to the Republic of Ghana. This was despite knowing that the application to renounce his Canadian citizenship had not yet been granted by the time he filed his eligibility papers with the electoral commission on or between 5th and 9th October 2020.



Richard Takyi, a resident of Yamoransa in the Central Region prayed a High Court in Cape Coast to cancel Hon. Gyakye Quaysons electoral victory because he was not eligible to have taken part in the elections. The matter travelled all the way to the Supreme Court which upheld the ruling of the Cape Coast court.



The apex court of the land subsequently ordered Gyakye Quayson to be removed from Parliament occasioning a by-election. The National Democratic Congress in spite of the criminal prosecution he faces repeated him as the candidate for the election which he won. He has since been re-sworn in as the Member of Parliament for Assin North while his trial proceeds.

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Alt-rock group 3 Doors Down performed today in the Hollywood Casinos iHeart Radio Summer Concert Series.

The group, known for songs such as Here Without You and Kryptonite, brought the Away From the Sun Anniversary Tour to the venues MyHeroes outdoor stage. The concert also featured a guest performance by Candlebox and ended with a fireworks show.

The tour is slated to be the bands last US tour to promote the 30th anniversary of the band and their final farewell studio album being released later this year by Round Hill Records.

Away From The Sun has always been a personal favorite of mine because of how much it resonated with our countrys service members, said 3 Doors Downs Brad Arnold. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate these significant milestones because we were very young making these albums, and we still have so much more life to give our fans. Arnold continues, The show we are planning will be next level this year. Its going to be incredible to have Candlebox on tour with us. Ive been a fan of theirs since I was a teenager..

3 Doors Down is an American rock band that has been primarily described as post-grunge and alternative rock, while occasionally crossing into hard rock and southern rock.

3 Doors Down has sold 30 million copies worldwide.
Hero Classroom  also known as Classroom of Heroes or by its Japanese Eiyu Kyoshitsu  will premiere on Sunday, July 9.

The first episode will air on Crunchyroll at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

STREAM HERO CLASSROOM: Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll announced the release of the anime in March of this year, along with its opening theme (as performed by Kaede Higuchi) as well as its closing theme (as performed by Akane Kumada).

The anime is based on a 2015 fantasy light novel series written by Shin Araki and illustrated by Haruyuki Morisawa, and was eventually turned into a manga.

The Crunchyroll synopsis of the anime reads: The story follows Blade, a former brave hero who gave up his powers after striking a bargain with the Demon King.

Blade decides to go back to school as an ordinary student, but the school he enrolls in turns out to be an elite academy for training heroes, and even without his powers Blades mental and physical skills are off the charts. Will Blade be able to enjoy a tranquil school life?

Guess youll have to find out by watching for yourself.

To check out the series premiere of the Hero Classroom anime, view the how-to-watch breakdown below:

What: Hero Classroom (Eiyu Kyoshitsu)

Season: One

Episode: One

Date: Sunday, July 9

Time: 10 a.m.

Stream: Crunchyroll
CHICAGO  Natural disasters can be dramatic  barreling hurricanes, building-toppling tornadoes  but heat is more deadly.

Chicago learned that the hard way in 1995.

That July, a weeklong heat wave that hit 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) killed more than 700 people. Most of the deaths occurred in poor and majority Black neighborhoods, where many elderly or isolated people suffered without proper ventilation or air conditioning. Power outages from an overwhelmed grid made it all worse.

Initially slow to react, Chicago has since developed emergency heat response plans that include a massive push to alert the public and then connect the most vulnerable to the help they may need. Other cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix now have chief heat officers to coordinate planning and response for dangerous heat. Around the world, cities and countries have adopted similar measures.

But experts warn those steps might not be enough in a world that is seeing heat records consistently shatter and with continuing inequality in who is most vulnerable.

I dont know a single city that is truly prepared for the worst-case scenario that some climate scientists fear, said Eric Klinenberg, a professor of social sciences at New York University who wrote a book about the Chicago heat wave.

Heat preparedness has generally improved over the years as forecasting has become more accurate, and as meteorologists, journalists and government officials have focused on spreading the word of upcoming danger. Chicago, for example, has expanded its emergency text and email notification system and identified its most vulnerable residents for outreach.

But what works in one city might not be as effective in another. Thats because each has its own unique architecture, transportation, layout and inequities, said Bharat Venkat, an associate professor at UCLA who directs the universitys Heat Lab, aimed at tackling what he calls thermal inequality.

Venkat thinks cities should address inequality by investing in labor rights, sustainable development and more. That may sound expensive  who pays, for instance, when a city tries to improve conditions for workers in blistering food trucks?  but Venkat thinks doing nothing will ultimately cost more.

FILE - A man cools off from during a heat wave under an open air shower in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, July, 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)AP

The status quo is actually deeply expensive, he said. We just dont do the math.

France launched a heat watch warning system after an extended heat wave in 2003 was estimated to have caused 15,000 deaths  many of them older people in city apartments and homes without air conditioning. The system includes public announcements urging people to hydrate. Just last month, Germany launched a new campaign against heatwave deaths that it said was inspired by Frances experience.

In India, a powerful heat wave in 2010 with temperatures over 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) led to the deaths of over 1,300 people in the city of Ahmedabad. City officials now have a heat action plan to improve awareness in the local population and health care staff. Another simple initiative: Painting roofs white to reflect the blazing sun.

Ladd Keith, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, cited Baltimores Code Red Extreme Heat alerts as an example of a well-designed alert system. The alerts go out when the forecast calls for a heat index of 105 Fahrenheit or higher, and sets in motion things like more social services in communities most vulnerable to heat risks.

He lauded the heat officers in cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix, but said there are still over 19,000 cities and towns without them.

Inkyu Han, an environmental health scientist at Temple University in Philadelphia, noted that cities are still struggling to get aids such as cooling centers and subsidized air conditioning into poorer neighborhoods. He said more can be done, too, with simple and sustainable solutions such as improving tree canopy.

Notably, low-income neighborhoods and communities of color in Philadelphia often lack street trees and green spaces, Han said.

FILE - Robert Harris drinks water while taking a break from digging fence post holes, Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in Houston. As the heat breaks records, weakening and sickening people, its worth remembering that dire heat waves have inspired effective efforts to prevent heat illness. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)AP

In Providence, Rhode Island, the Atlantic Ocean typically moderates temperatures but the region can still get heat waves. Kate Moretti, an emergency room physician, said the citys hospitals see more patients when the heat strikes  with increases in illnesses that may not be obviously related to heat, like heart attacks, kidney failure and mental health problems.

We definitely notice that it puts a strain on the system, Moretti said. Older people, people who work outdoors, people with disabilities and people who are homeless make up a big share of those admissions, she said.

Miami  considered a ground zero for the climate change threat due to its vulnerability to sea level rise, flooding, hurricanes and extreme heat  appointed its heat officer two years ago to develop strategies to keep people safe from the heat.

Robin Bachin, an associate professor of civic and community engagement at the University of Miami, noted that the federal government has laws to protect people in cold climates from having their heat shut off in dangerous conditions, but doesnt have something similar for cooling.

For people in apartments that are not publicly subsidized, there is no requirement for landlords to provide air conditioning, Bachin said. Thats incredibly dangerous to particularly our local low-income population, let alone people who are unhoused or are outdoor workers.

Klinenberg said that the United States has so far gotten lucky with the duration of most heat waves, but that electrical grids vulnerable to high demand in some regions, along with persistent social inequities, could spell serious trouble in the coming decades.

Thats partly because the underlying social problems that make heat events so deadly are only getting worse, Klinenberg said. Chicagos 1995 deaths were clustered not only in poor and segregated neighborhoods, but also specifically within what he calls depleted neighborhoods, places where its harder for people to gather together and where social connections have been worn thin. Empty lots, abandoned restaurants and poorly maintained parks mean that people are less likely to check up on each other.

FILE - A boy cools off in a public fountain in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)AP

Noboru Nakamura, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Chicago who specializes in extreme weather events, said he thinks Chicago has made plenty of smart changes by implementing heat emergency plans, routine wellness checks and cooling centers.

But he too cited inequality as a difficult challenge.

A systemic problem of a resource inequity is something that you cant really get rid of overnight. And we still have the same issue that we had back then today, Nakamura said. So that aspect still is a big, big, big, big unsolved problem.

Melina Walling and Isabella OMalley of The Associated Press wrote this story. OMalley reported from Philadelphia.

Follow Melina Walling on Twitter @MelinaWalling.

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about APs climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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She needed someone to rescue her.

When Sarah Brooks was 15, living with her family in York in 2003, two adults in her life began sexually assaulting her. They were people she thought she could trust  fellow Jehovahs Witnesses.

The abuse lasted for more than a year, until Brooks broke down, and confided to her parents. They alerted elders, the equivalent of parish priests, at the kingdom hall where the family worshipped.

Brooks had done what children are taught to do if someone harms them. And then her trauma grew even worse.

One elder warned Brooks that if she contacted police, she would bring reproach on Jehovahs name, according to a lawsuit that she filed in June in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court against the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, the Witnesses leadership.

Other elders who investigated Brooks claims wrote in a public notice to the Yorkana Congregation Kingdom Hall that she had been reproved, which, in the Witnesses parlance, meant that shed done something wrong and repented.

Family members and friends shunned Brooks, who spiraled into depression.

She did, however, report her abuse to authorities, triggering an emergency meeting of Witness elders in 2013, when they learned that the York County District Attorneys Office had launched an investigation, and would seek records about Brooks abuse.

We bought a shredder, one York elder told others, according the lawsuit, and headquarters has told us to shred.

The Watchtower requires elders to follow a careful process for collecting information about child sexual abuse, compiling their findings on documents called S-77 forms, and mailing copies to the Watchtowers headquarters in New York.

Brooks lawsuit accuses Witness elders of destroying many of the records of her case  and of ignoring Pennsylvanias Child Protective Services Law, which requires leaders of churches or religious organizations to report suspected child abuse to authorities.

Some of the organizations internal records show that Witness leaders have for decades instructed elders to instead report abuse allegations to the organizations legal department  and to resist cooperating with search warrants from police.

Improper use of the tongue by an elder can result in serious legal problems for the individual, the congregation, and even the Society, reads part of a July 1989 Watchtower memo.

A spokesperson for the Witnesses did not directly address the allegations in Brooks lawsuit, but wrote in an emailed statement that the organization is sickened by news about sexual abuse.

Child sexual abuse in particular is a twisted act of evil, read part of the statement. ... Anyone who has been victimized has the full support of the congregation to report the matter to the authorities.

Brooks, who is now 35, wants the organizations leaders to face accountability.

Ive come to terms with what happened to me, and pieced my life back together a little at a time, she told The Inquirer. Sometimes, Im just doing what I need to do in order to survive. Other times, my backbone is stronger, and I feel like I can fight this fight.

Her lawsuit comes at a fraught moment for the Watchtower.

Since 2019, Pennsylvanias Attorney Generals Office has been investigating the organizations handling of child sex abuse cases. On Friday, the office charged five Witnesses with sexually assaulting minors. Nine other members of the organization were arrested in the spring and fall.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry speaks during a news conference, Friday, July 7, 2023, in Philadelphia. A Pennsylvania grand jury investigating child sexual abuse in the Jehovah's Witnesses community has charged another five people with raping or molesting children as young as 4, the latest developments in an ongoing probe that has identified 14 suspects. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)AP

There is a time to keep quiet

Like many ex-Witnesses, Brooks has spent years disentangling herself from the organizations insular culture and rules, some of which have helped to protect sexual predators.

Leaders of the religion, which was founded in Allegheny County in the 1870s, have long taught that Armageddon is fast approaching, and that only Witnesses in good standing will be resurrected.

Eccentric restrictions further emphasized the divide between Witnesses and the secular world: Followers are forbidden from celebrating birthdays or holidays, and arent permitted to vote or receive blood transfusions.

Brooks family were devout followers of the religion. At 14, though, she began to sense that the Witnesses community might not the safe space that she imagined.

Joshua Caldwell, a 25-year-old family friend, and Jennifer McVey, Brooks then-sister-in-law, began plying Brooks with alcohol, according the lawsuit, and then progressed, a year later, to allegedly sexually assaulting her, sometimes in a pickup truck, other times in abandoned homes that Caldwell worked to winterize.

Two elders who questioned Brooks about the assaults were related to Caldwell.

Later, a judicial committee of elders determined that Brooks admitted to engaging in sexual activities and needed to be reprimanded, according to the lawsuit  overlooking the fact that she was a minor whod been taken advantage of by adults.

Caldwell and McVey were disfellowshipped, or kicked out of their congregation, but Caldwell was later reinstated.

Elders, the Watchtower wrote in the 1989 memo, were obligated to shepherd their flocks. But they also needed to be careful not to divulge information about personal matters to unauthorized persons.

There is a time to keep quiet, the message continued, quoting Scripture.

A subsequent memo, in 1997, instructed elders to share information with the Watchtower about known pedophiles, but to withhold the information from congregations. A separate policy, meanwhile, required sexual assault victims to have an eyewitness who could corroborate their claims, before elders would take disciplinary action.

They dont see that theyre putting children in harms way. The rules they have in place are still in place, Brooks said. I just wish their eyes would open to the fact that theyre creating a prime breeding ground for pedophiles, and doing nothing for their victims after it happens.

In 2013, Brooks obtained a small measure of justice. The York County DAs Office arrested Caldwell and McVey, and each pleaded guilty to corruption of a minor.

Caldwell and McVey are also named in Brooks lawsuit, which she said is a final step in her attempt to repair the harm that the Witnesses inflicted on her life.

Jeffrey Fritz, Brooks Center City-based lawyer, has represented other former Witnesses who have been assaulted.

Fritz said Brooks is trying to spur changes within the organization to protect all children from sexual abuse that festers in the secrecy that the organization encourages.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry speaks during a news conference, Friday, July 7, 2023, in Philadelphia. A Pennsylvania grand jury investigating child sexual abuse in the Jehovah's Witnesses community has charged another five people with raping or molesting children as young as 4, the latest developments in an ongoing probe that has identified 14 suspects. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)AP

Jehovahs organization must be kept clean!

Publicly, Witness officials often emphasize that they abhor child sex abuse and seek to protect children.

And Brooks lawsuit notes that, in a 1986 Witness publication, the Watchtower acknowledged that it was aware of episodes of pedophilia.

Shocking as it is, even some who have been prominent in Jehovahs organization have succumbed to immoral practices, it wrote.

The passage went on to note that more than 36,000 Witnesses had been disfellowshipped for immoral behavior, adding: Jehovahs organization must be kept clean!

Yet the organization has been so protective of its knowledge of internal predators that it once incurred $2 million worth of court fines rather than release files that were requested by lawyers for a former Witness who sued in California over sexual abuse that he suffered at the hands of an elder.

And in 2018, The Inquirer wrote about a Witness official, Shawn Bartlett, whod been videotaped telling elders at a seminar to destroy documents that could harm the organization in litigation.

Well, we know that the scene of this world is changing, and we know Satans coming after us, and hes going to go for us legally, Bartlett says in the video, which was leaked online by an anonymous insider.

A lot of these elders dont even realize what theyre doing is wrong, Brooks said. I would like the people involved to get to the point where they understand, Holy crap, what did we do? and come to terms with that.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The Inquirers journalism is supported in part by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and readers like you. News and Editorial content is created independently of The Inquirers donors. Gifts to support The Inquirers high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

David Gambacorta of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote this story.

(c)2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
With the predictably cynical ruling by an emboldened Supreme Court, one could decry the loss of an institutional compromise that was intended to rectify centuries of American racial injustice by ensuring adequate representation of disadvantaged minorities at elite universities. One could argue the merits by eschewing black victimization, as Justice Clarence Thomas has opined, or affirming a commitment to equality for all Americans in the boardroom, not just in the bunker as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has dissented.

But take heart, affirmative action is not dead. Across all elite universities, no rich kid will ever be left behind. Legacy donors - those applicants who promise large donations to university endowments in exchange for favorable consideration - need not fear that legacy quotas will be abandoned. Their affirmative action program is safe because, as we all certainly must understand: hardship shows no favor. Those grueling summers at the vineyard, expense account limits, and a new Mercedes S-class coupe only once every third year - these experiences stir our hearts, rouse empathy, and promote understanding among those of us who will never know the trials of being a rich brat.

So while our truly exceptional black and brown friends might have to slum it at state school, the student body at elite schools will nonetheless be enriched by the life experiences, troubles, and travails of those who want for nothing.
Nurses are burned out and asking for help. It is time for health systemsand legislatorsto listen.

Last week, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the Patient Safety Act, which for the first time would apply minimum staffing standards for nurses in hospitals. HB 106, approved by an impressive 119-84 margin, garnered bipartisan support after years of advocacy by bedside nurses. Now the bill moves to the state senate, where passage remains uncertain, at least in part from hospital industry opposition, but mounting evidence and changing circumstances demand this new approach.
The Australian Museum in Sydney is set to host the highly anticipated "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" exhibition in November, following its run in Paris.

This immersive museum experience will feature a collection of 181 priceless artefacts and stunning golden treasures, including rare relics like sarcophagi, animal mummies, exquisite jewellery, royal masks, and intricate amulets. Many of these remarkable pieces have never before left Egypt.

Carefully selected from museums and historical sites across Egypt, these objects offer a captivating glimpse into the life and achievements of King Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, who ruled Egypt for nearly 67 years.

Mostafa Waziry, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, has personally inspected the exhibition galleries and launched the countdown to the grand opening at the Australian Museum.

Egyptian treasures have mesmerized the world for centuries, said Waziry, highlighting the enigmatic nature of Egypt's origins, religions, and monumental architecture, many of which were constructed during Ramses II's rule. "The Egyptians have secured an eternal place in history due to their ability to transcend age and time. I invite visitors to discover why Ramses II is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of all time."

According to a press release from the Australian Museum, the Hon John Graham, New South Wales (NSW) Minister for Arts, Music, Night-time Economy, Jobs, and Tourism, emphasized that Sydney is the exhibition's exclusive host city in the region, made possible by funding from the NSW government.

"Egypt was once among the most influential civilizations at the centre of the ancient world, and we are delighted that some of the greatest Egyptian treasures are coming to Sydney with this magnificent exhibition, which is set to inspire a new generation of young Australian Egyptologists," Graham remarked. He encouraged all Australians to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity offered by the Australian Museum.

Kim McKay, Director and CEO of the Australian Museum, expressed her excitement about showcasing historical objects of exceptional significance and astonishing beauty. "Ancient Egypt holds intrigue and fascination for all age groups, and I am confident that Ramses and The Gold of the Pharaohs in Sydney will introduce the mystery of the pharaohs to new generations of locals and visitors alike."

CEO John Norman of World Heritage Exhibitions, which designed the exhibition, reported that Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs has been breaking attendance records worldwide. "Our team has created an extraordinary experience to celebrate the greatest Pharaoh in Egypt's history, and the response from people has exceeded our highest expectations. We are thrilled to bring the exhibition to Sydney, and we believe Australians will be equally amazed."

Alongside exquisite sculptures and precious treasures, visitors will also encounter state-of-the-art multimedia reproductions that vividly depict the opulence and splendour of ancient Egyptian civilization. Additionally, a virtual reality experience will take visitors on a thrilling tour of King Ramses II's most magnificent monuments, such as the temples of Abu Simbel.

The exhibition's international tour began in November 2021 in Houston, later travelling to San Fransisco, and currently captivating audiences in Paris.















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After 10 levels of play, Day 2 of Event #78: $1,500 Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha at the 2023 World Series of Poker has closed with 15 players bagging chips to take into Day 3. Everyone remaining will come back eying the $171,741 first-place prize and the WSOP gold bracelet that awaits the eventual champion.

The day began with 140 players returning to Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas looking to bag for the Day 3 finale and collecting along the way as may $500 knockout bounties as possible. Play was quick with many all-ins early on in the action.

A few notables who made Day 2 but could not find a bag for Day 3 included Daniel Negreanu, Amnon Filippi, David "ODB" Baker and Farid Jattin, all of whom went home with a payout but fell short of their ultimate goal.

Satar Al-Sadoun will return to the chip lead with 4,800,000 and will attempt to be the last man standing from the remaining field. There will be no easy route to victory, though, as notables Noah Schwartz (1,100,000), Jeff Madsen (945,000), and Ryan Coon (2,035,000) will all look to navigate their way to the top spot, putting an end to the hopes of anyone who tries to get in their way.

Complete End Of Day 2 Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blind 1 Satar Al-Sadoun United States 4,800,000 96 2 Thomas Skaggs United States 3,530,000 71 3 David Hu Netherlands 3,275,000 66 4 Yusuke Tanaka Japan 2,780,000 56 5 Sergio Martinez United States 2,700,000 54 6 Paul DeGiulio United States 2,460,000 49 7 Ryan Coon United States 2,035,000 41 8 Paul Spitzberg United States 1,845,000 37 9 Giuseppe Maggisano Italy 1,765,000 35 10 Noah Schwartz United States 1,100,000 22 11 Vincent Moscati United States 1,100,000 22 12 Everett Carlton United States 1,000,000 20 13 Jeff Madsen United States 945,000 19 14 Diogo Veiga Portugal 630,000 13 15 Jonathan Cameron Canada 330,000 7

Day 2 Action

The action rarely slowed down with aggression being the word of the day. There were multiple pre-flop confrontations that saw some players make huge gains while other players crashed and burned, including one hand that sent Daniel Negreanu home early and cut his quest to end a 10-year bracelet drought short.

Little change in the pace of the action is expected going into Day 3. Players will return for the final day of this event tomorrow, July 9th at 2 p.m. local time, when they will play down to a winner. Blinds will resume at 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante. There will be a break every two levels and a dinner break if required.

Keep your homepage locked to PokerNews for the rest of the summer for up-to-date coverage of this and all remaining events at the 2023 World Series of Poker!
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The Murdochs have gone from pushing Ron DeSantis on Fox News to having a guest on who called the Florida governor a weird guy.

Video:

Fox News panelists rips Ron DeSantis, calls him a weird guy. (Video: Fox News) pic.twitter.com/vIf4NQs1pc  Mike Sington (@MikeSington) July 9, 2023

This was the feedback from a Fox News panelist about Ron DeSantis, I think his biggest problem is people are getting to know him, and it turns out his record in Florida is kind of hurtful to a lot of people and hateful, and its not resonating. He also from every report, seems to be a weird guy with voters, and when youre in Iowa and New Hampshire, you have to talk one on one with them, and I dont think he does that really well.

Fox News was a lot of rah-rah for Ron DeSantis for months outside the standard Trump outposts like Hannity. Fox could be seeing the writing on the wall that Gov. DeSantis is losing ground in the Republican presidential primary.

The DeSantis strategy of trying to out-Trump Trump has not worked.

The many tales of the weirdness of Ron DeSantis are already in the lore of the 2024 Republican presidential primary campaign. The biggest accomplishment for DeSantis in the campaign so far might be being weirder than Trump.

DeSantis isnt working, and Fox News may soon abandon ship.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 72F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 72F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Lost at sea for months on a disabled catamaran, with no way to cook and no source of fresh water but the rain, Australian Timothy Shaddock said he expected to die. But there was a lot he liked about the experience, he said, like swims in the sea, the company of his dog Bella, and the sight of the moon over the water. In a press conference as he came ashore Tuesday, Shaddock dwelled on his love of the sea, and declined to describe the many, many, many bad days he experienced before being rescued by a tuna fishing boat. He said he and Bella lived on raw fish and rainwater, and worked maintaining the boat almost all the time he wasn't sleeping. Read moreAdrift for months, Australian and his dog lived on raw fish until Mexican fishermen rescued them
South Carolinians who were previously sidelined returned to the labor pool in June to nudge the workforce participation rate a few notches higher as employers added more jobs. Read moreSC labor pool ticks higher in June while jobless rate is unchanged
A landmark hotel that's been towering over the Ashley River for more than half a century and includes a former first lady as a repeat guest is under new ownership for the first time in more than 20 years.

Sort of.

The can't-miss round Holiday Inn Charleston-Riverview wasn't sold in a conventional real estate transaction, with a deed conveying ownership from a seller to a buyer. It was a long-term ground lease, which includes the 14-story lodging, that changed hands.

The transfer of the agreement between the land owner, locally based HI LLC, and Ashley Riverview Holdings LLC was finalized in late June. Financial details were not disclosed, other than the new operator took out a $13.5 million mortgage in conjunction with the deal.

The previous "owner" was an affiliate of Park Place Hospitality Group, which acquired the lease to the 182-room hotel in early 2001 and completed a $3 million renovation in 2019. The Charlotte-based company did not respond to a request for comment last week.

The icon's new steward knows the local lodging landscape.

Ashley Riverview Holdings is associated with Atlanta-based Rio Partners and its NorthPointe Hospitality Management arm, which own and run two hotels in the Charleston area, including the nearby Holiday Inn Express & Suites just across the river from the new acquisition.

Their other holding is the onetime Holiday Inn on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant that was reopened in 2018 as Hotel Indigo after a major overhaul and rebranding.

Their plans for the new addition to the Lowcountry portfolio are unclear. A representative for the companies could not be reached for comment last week.

The Holiday Inn Charleston-Riverview, which at 162 feet tall remains one of the loftiest buildings in the city, was completed in early 1971 as one of the chain's few "tower-style" accommodations. It remains among the largest hotels near downtown.

It's also certainly one of the most recognizable, given its high-traffic location on Savannah Highway, between the Ashley River bridges.

And few other hotels in the area can top its panoramic views, especially from the 14th floor restaurant and lounge.

Despite its height and eye-catching architecture, the Holiday Inn generated scant publicity before the self-described "Nation's Innkeeper" checked in its first guests along the Ashley more than 53 years ago. One of the few early media reports focused on the contractor's use of a 365-degree revolving crane that could be quickly raised and lowered as needed, then a novelty in the construction business.

"It's as handy as pockets on a shirt, a project superintendent told The News and Courier in July 1969.

The March 3, 1971, opening also came and went without much fuss or fanfare. A Holiday Inn district manager said it was planned that way to give the Memphis-based chain and workers "time to get things well-organized."

The following month, former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, Ike's widow, spent a night in the brand new high-rise hotel en route to her home in Pennsylvania after a vacation in Georgia.

"I'd heard so much about Charleston and thought it would be an interesting place to visit on my way back to Gettysburg," she said during her visit.

Mrs. Eisenhower returned once more as a guest of the round Holiday Inn in early 1978, accompanied by three Secret Service agents.

Some 40 years later, the property found itself at the center of a debate about architectural merits when the publication Business Insider singled out the hotel in 2018 as the ugliest building in South Carolina in a state-by-state list based on submissions from readers.

Some local defenders fired back in an informal follow-up poll conducted by The Post and Courier that elicited 2,000 responses.

"I love it and was just remarking yesterday how I hope its never torn down," one fan said about the retro structure.

More recently, the hotel inspired an urban-myth probe on the online discussion forum Reddit. "Did the top of round Holiday Inn on the outskirts of downtown ever rotate?"

Some swore it did. Or at least they'd been told it did.

It didn't.
The Military Prosecution completed the investigations in Case 170/2023 and referred the defendant to a criminal trial, Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement comes a few days after the Military Prosecution accused the defendant, an army officer, of intentional homicide for killing Basma Ali, a pharmacist.

The Military Prosecution also accused the defendant of attempting to murder the rest of her family.

Madinaty incident

The incident, which happened in Madinaty (a real estate development project located in the city of New Cairo), has sparked outrage across Egypt as the defendant allegedly ran over the family, killing the pharmacist and injuring her husband  Hamdan Zaki, a veterinarian  and their children.

Saheeh Masr, a website specialized in verifying the accuracy of news and information, cited a witness who said that the incident happened following a dispute between the defendant and the family after one of the familys children scratched the defendants car while riding a scooter.

Ali and Zaki lived and worked in Kuwait. They were visiting Egypt for the Eid Al-Adha holiday with their four children.
Labor disputes have dominated the North American maritime industry in recent months, and one with its roots at the Port of Charleston is sparking a union get-together this week.

The "Rally for Workers' Rights" event scheduled for 11 a.m. July 12 at the Statehouse in Columbia is being sponsored by the Charleston-based International Longshoremen's Association Local 1422.

That labor union is battling with the State Ports Authority over whether its members or state employees will operate the big cranes at the Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston. Container shipping lines refuse to call on the site until the matter is settled, and that's left the terminal mostly idle since its $1 billion first phase opened in March 2021.

The National Labor Relations Board initially ruled in favor of the ILA, but the SPA appealed the case to a federal appeals court. A hearing was held June 6 and a decision is pending.

This week's rally is being held in the Capitol City as a show of strength against Gov. Henry McMaster, who has backed the SPA in its efforts to preserve the "hybrid workforce" of state and union employees working side-by-side at the port's other container terminals. Under that arrangement, non-union SPA workers operate cranes while ILA members move cargo through the terminal yards.

The ILA maintains that a 2012 contract amendment with shipping lines calls for union workers to operate cranes at all new terminals on the East and Gulf coasts, and Leatherman is the first test of that stipulation.

McMaster "is trying to push workers back a century by breaking a signed master agreement between the ILA and the shipping lines," Charles Brave, president of ILA 1422 and the state's AFL-CIO, said in a written statement. "McMaster and his cabal of anti-worker, anti-labor bullies are trying to do this by forcing shippers to use the ... Leatherman Terminal, staffed by non-union employees. This action will drive the wages of dock workers down further towards oblivion and working conditions towards danger."

A spokesman for McMaster said the governor "made his position clear" in a friend-of-the-court brief he filed in support of the SPA's appeal.

I will not allow unions and their unlawful boycotts to hold our states resources, jobs, or supply chain hostage as they seek to advance their own self interests," McMaster said in a statement.

Barbara Melvin, the SPA's chief executive officer, has said the agency "remains hopeful that we can work with the ILA to achieve a solution" that benefits both sides.

Wages were at the forefront of another maritime union fight this year, as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union negotiated a six-year deal with West Coast ports that guarantees a 32 percent salary increase over the life of the contract. The contract also calls for $70 million in bonuses for dockworkers who were already making an average of $200,000 a year.

Just as that dispute was resolved, another one flared up in Canada where dockworkers went on strike seeking 17 percent wage increases over two years.

We were relieved that labor and management at West Coast ports reached a tentative agreement last month, but that doesnt mean supply chain disruptions are over, Jonathan Gold, a vice president with the National Retail Federation, said in a statement. The port strike affecting Vancouver and Prince Rupert shouldnt have a major impact here but could affect some U.S. retailers whose merchandise comes in through Canada and could have a potential ripple effect at other ports."

It's not clear whether the Leatherman dispute has affected goods moving through Charleston's port, because the SPA has issued conflicting comments on the matter.

The maritime agency said in its court filings that inactivity at Leatherman is a threat to the nation's supply chain. But the NLRB pointed out that the SPA has repeatedly bragged about its ability to move cargo smoothly, even with Leatherman operating far below capacity.

Almost all of the cargo that would have gone to Leatherman these past two years has been rerouted to the SPA's other terminals, in North Charleston and Mount Pleasant.

With imports this year declining by double digits at Charleston's port and elsewhere in the U.S., congestion has largely become a non-issue.

U.S. ports covered by the National Retail Federation's Global Port Tracker handled 1.93 million 20-foot containers in May. That's down 19.3 percent year over year. Ports haven't reported June numbers, but the federation projects the month at 1.86 million containers, down 17.5 percent year over year.

That would bring the first half of 2023 to 10.6 million containers, down 22 percent from the first half of 2022.

While the easing of cargo shipments would seem to make Leatherman's operating status less of an immediate concern, it remains a rallying point for the ILA.

"The employer class, along with their allies in government, have been trying to increase their profits on our backs by cutting our wages and our jobs," Brave said, adding the state government's goal of a union-free South Carolina "enriches the wealthy while the rest of us struggle to get by."
Take your young ones to see the acclaimed off-Broadway production of "The Lightning Thief." Learn more about the Gullah Geechee culture and its connection to weaving at the Sweetgrass Festival. Get in the groove with King George and other R&B up-and-comers. Or, enjoy tequila and tunes. Read moreMy Charleston Weekend: Sweetgrass, soul and Sunday soda
Last summer, when Top Gun: Maverick was making roughly all the money printed in the United States during that fiscal quarter, I read a number of articles (many publications jumped on the trend at once) calling Tom Cruise various iterations of The Last Movie Star. The moniker is obviously Read moreMission: Impossible  Dead Reckoning Part One
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 76F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing late. Low 76F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
As South Carolinas commissioner of agriculture, I can tell you that getting food from the field to your plate is not a simple or isolated activity. Even the smallest farms rely on global markets. Read moreCommentary: SC farmers could suffer under federal 'carbon border tax' proposal.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 97F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 78F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
The Wall Street Journal reports today:

DeSantis Campaign Stalls as He Tries to Court Trumps GOP Fans and Foes Alike Six weeks after launching his campaign, DeSantis has stalled. His support in national polls has stayed flat, despite increased travel and advertising and widespread expectations that he would be a formidable challenger to Trump. Signs also have emerged that he is struggling to gain traction in the states that will hold the first nomination balloting.

But cast your mind back to this same point in the 2007-2008 election cycle. The McCain campaign was stalled out. He was out of money. He was laying off senior staff. The New York Times reported on July 11, 2007:

McCain Campaign Drops Top Aides; New Doubts Rise . . . critical political miscalculations and management shortfalls that have left Mr. McCain with less than $2 million in the bank and slipping in polls in critical states like Iowa and New Hampshire. . . Mr. McCains friends described the senator, who returned last Friday from another trip to Iraq, as agitated and humiliated at finding himself the central figure in a political drama that has seen him fall from Republican Party front-runner to a candidate forced to insist Tuesday that he was not dropping out.

We know how that cycle turned out. The point is: it is still early. Pay no attention to the media.

JOHN adds: Amen. Not a single vote has yet been cast, and primary polls (unlike general elections polls) are notoriously volatile. Im old enough to remember when Ed Muskie had the Democratic nomination all but sewn up. Then he had what some perceived as a bad moment in New Hampshire, and just like that, he was finished. Remember, too, Howard Dean. He was easily the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2004, and had all the momentum. Then he got excited and came out with the scream, which in hindsight was no big deal. But it was enough to cause Democratic primary voters to panic and flee to John Kerry, a horrible candidate.

It is also rather amusing to see some Republicans reposing so much trust in the polls. If there is anything we have learned in the last eight years, it is not to take polls to the bank. Especially primary polls. And we should be highly suspicious of the motives of those (mostly Democrats) who want to award the GOP nomination to Trump by acclamation.

The reality is that no one has any idea how this years race will turn out for either party.
A still image from Pippi Longstocking.

She comes into town whistling a tune, riding a spotted horse, menacing and irresistible at the same time. Shes a nine-year-old girl with red hair and a little monkey on her shoulder, but she struts like an outlaw: fiercely independent, totally indomitable, with her own code of justice. Its the irreverent Pippi Longstocking, part of the childhood imagination of several generations of parents who today are more than happy to introduce her to their kids as proof that there were also cool things when they were little. But, how well has she aged?

Shes cool because she does whatever she wants. Shes a rebel. Lupe and Celia, seven and ten years old, crack up when the little Swede girl breaks eggs with her head or skips school. They like that shes not corny, that she gets sassy with the bad guys and that shes strong and shes bonkers. Whats amazing is that Pippi used to question what a 1940s girl should be like, but shes still doing it now, says Elina Druker, a professor specializing in childrens literature at Stockholm University, where she teaches a popular course on author Astrid Lindgren, who in 1969 scripted the series based on her own books, written in the middle of World War II and imbued with a deep anti-authoritarian spirit. Lindgren was a middle-class housewife and a secretary by training who wrote her first novel to distract her daughter. And just like Pippi, she did exactly what she wanted.

The success (and controversy) of the books was immediate, and in 1949 a first film was shot  which the author hated. Screenwriter Per Gunvall decided to add a romantic plot to make it more appealing to adult audiences, explains Annika Lindgren, Astrids granddaughter and a director at the company that manages the rights to her work. It was a huge disappointment for her, and it didnt work out with the audience either. From that moment on, she decided to write all the adaptations herself.

More than a little girl, Pippi is a superhero which we would now call gender fluid, says Druker. She laughs at gender roles, social norms, etiquette, bureaucracy, the educational system, authority, normative beauty... When she sees a sign that reads Do you suffer from freckles? hanging at a drugstore to sell ointments, she enters to say no: she doesnt suffer from freckles. She loves hers. I can take care of myself, says the strongest girl in the world, who claims to like policemen less than sour compote with flies. In that sense shes incredibly current, shes still weird, annoying and provocative; she still works, says Druker, and of course, shes still incredibly cool.

The art direction and Swedish minimalism help. Pippis eccentric wardrobe, but also Annikas raincoats and Tommys thick sweaters, as well as the interior design of the series in general, are timeless and stylish. Many shots are reminiscent of Ingrid Vang Nymans modernist illustrations from the original books, which question the classic codes with bold low-angle views, overhead or subjective shots and disturbing perspectives intended to show the grotesque or the surreal. The music, light and playful jazz, rounds it off.

Astrid Lindgren on the set of the series with actress Inger Nilsson.

But half a century has passed, and sometimes it shows. The special effects are deliciously vintage, making todays young viewers laugh to no end. The rhythm  there are long sequences of walks through the woods or the beach  they accept with unusual serenity for a generation that fed their audiovisual sensitivity on the frenzy of the multiverse. What stands out the most as unquestionably dated is the use of the foreigner as a joke. Within the academy there is a certain postcolonial revisionism that criticizes the romantic and mocking exoticism with which Lindgren paints other cultures, says Druker. Even though there is no ill intention, she continues (Lindgren, a declared anti-fascist, exercised extensive activism for human, child and animal rights), times have changed.

In 2014, Swedish public television cut two scenes from the series: one in which Pippi shouts My father is the Negro King! (a word that in Swedish, too, is now a serious racial slur) and another in which she stretches her eyes to sing a song with an Asian accent. We accept the changes without any problem, says Annika Lindgren, explaining that the Astrid Lindgren Company also removed the N-word from the books and that the author herself, while alive (she died in 2002, at 94 years of age), had already questioned its validity decades ago. In Sweden, however, some commotion arose, with debates about respect for multiculturalism versus the excesses of political correctness.

A still image from the series Pippi Longstocking.

Tomas, 10 years old, opens his eyes in disbelief when Pippi narrows hers (he is watching the original version): Thats racist, he says without blinking. When Pippi says that in Egypt people sleep with their feet on their pillow and tell lies all day, or that in the schools of Argentina, instead of learning, the children eat candy until their teeth fall out, or that people in Congo are cannibals, the boy, who has Asian classmates, an Egyptian friend and several who have gone to school in Argentina, snorts and rolls his eyes, as people do when faced with something silly. These are not exactly his favorite Pippi remarks (he clearly likes the character), but hearing them at least serves to start an interesting conversation about how the world, and television, have changed since it was his mother who watched the little braided girl on TV.

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Anti-Semitism has been on the rise in Europe for a long time. As in the U.S., its home is on the Left. I think there are a few right-wing anti-Semites, but they are obscure and of no account. Liberal anti-Semites are found in places like the British Broadcasting Company, the Guardian, the Independent, and the leadership of the Labour Party.

The Israelis have recently completed a military operation in Jenin, on the West Bank, in which they killed terrorists who had been attacking Israelis and destroyed terrorist infrastructure. That gave rise to the usual criticisms from European anti-Semites, like BBC news anchor Anjana Gadgil, who said in a television interview with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that Israeli forces are happy to kill children. The children were heavily-armed 17-year-old terrorists. The BBC apologized for that one, but it wont stop them from manifesting their anti-Jewish animus next time around.

Then we have the Independent, where Dave Brown drew this cartoon:



The sign said Jenin, but the dying Palestinian, wearing a keffiyeh that looks strikingly like the one worn by master terrorist Yasir Arafat, has over-written Ukraine in blood. The idea is that Western nations have paid close attention to Russias invasion of Ukraine, but have ignored Israels anti-terrorist mission in Jenin, which, according to the cartoonist, is the same thing. In the cartoons background are images of, I think, Jerusalems Tower of David and Dome of the Rock, with a hole blown in its roof. Contrary to the cartoonists fevered imagination, no such destruction has occurred at the Dome.

This kind of thing happens all the time in the European press. European liberals defend themselves by saying that being anti-Israel is not the same thing as being an anti-Semite. In some limited theoretical sense, this is true. But the principal way in which anti-Semitism has manifested itself in recent decades is as an obsessive and grossly unfair preoccupation with the alleged misdeeds of Israelmisdeeds that nearly always consist of trying to defend itself against Arab terrorists.

This cartoon is a good example. If a liberal wants to criticize the Jenin operation on rational grounds, have at it. I think he will lose the argument. But that doesnt happen. Instead, European liberals hysterically denounce Israels efforts to defend itself as, in this case, the same thing as Russias invasion of Ukraine. This is insane. Or, put more specifically, it is anti-Semitic.
Speaking in class at the University of Chicago on January 25, 1965, Leo Strauss famously commented on Churchills death:

The death of Churchill is a healthy reminder to academic students of political science of their limitations, the limitations of their craft. The tyrant stood at the pinnacle of his power. The contrast between the indomitable and magnanimous statesman and the insane tyrant  this spectacle in its clear simplicity was one of the greatest lessons which men can learn, at any time. The death of Churchill reminds us of the limitations of our craft, and therewith of our duty. We have no higher duty, and no more pressing duty, than to remind ourselves and our students, of political greatness, human greatness, of the peaks of human excellence. For we are supposed to train ourselves and others in seeing things as they are, and this means above all in seeing their greatness and their misery, their excellence and their vileness, their nobility and their triumphs, and therefore never to mistake mediocrity, however brilliant, for true greatness. In our age this duty demands of us in the first place that we liberate ourselves from the supposition that value statements cannot be factual statements.

Andrew Roberts is a professional historian who brings the spirit of Strausss comments on Churchill to bear in his brilliant review of The Cambridge Companion to Winston Churchill. Roberts knows all there is to know about Churchill, but most of all he knows his greatness. He accordingly finds the Cambridge Companions approach to Churchill wanting in Strausss sense:

Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives, is the editor of this collection of twenty academic essays on Churchill. Eighteen are impressive and well written contributions to the sum of our knowledge on Churchill. No one could be better qualified than the charming and equable Mr. Packwood to edit this book, which he makes clear in his introduction is an attempt to introduce more nuance into Churchills contested legacy. He has written or co-written four of the contributions. He is entirely even-handed in his approach, as is his duty as an academic. The Cambridge Companion will therefore give you plenty of insights into how [Churchill] has become such a controversial figure, but few into what made him the genius, hero and giant that he was and remains. Academics revel in pointing out their subjects feet of clay, but all too often pay too little attention to the marble in the rest of the statue. This is a relatively new phenomenon.

The Hoover Institution included Robertss review in one of its daily email summaries of the work of Hoover scholars last week. I havent read a review I enjoyed as much as I did this one in a long time. Please check it out here if you have any interest.
I touched on the enraging story of XiYue Wang in The Princeton historian mugged by Princeton. The Middle East Forum invited Wang to tell the story of his captivity in Iran to a Washington audience. I have posted the video below. MEFs Clifford Smith converts Wangs speech into an excellent narrative account in the post Academic Perfidy and Diplomatic Appeasement Embolden the Islamic Republic.

Listening to Wangs speech, I confess he had me at I became a U.S. citizen [at 28, after immigrating from Beijing]. Im proud to be an American. He has much more to say, mostly about the Islamic Republic of Iran, which took him captive in the course of the research he was conducting for his Ph.D. in history and held him prisoner for three years. As Smith reports in the linked MEF post:

Wang said he felt naive for his earlier belief that Iran truly wanted peace with the U.S. He blames academe and the media for nurturing this false impression, stressing that things I assumed that the Iranian regime would appreciate, like, say, pursuing business and cultural ties with other countries, were used to put people in jail. In fact, me saying things like, I believe President Obama should visit Iran, was used against me in an Iranian court as evidence that I was really in Iran to pursue regime change. Wang was shocked that when he returned to the U.S. as a result of a 2019 prisoner swap orchestrated by former U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, many at Princeton blamed his ordeal on the Trump Administration, rather than Iran, even though he was imprisoned before Trump was elected. He was shocked that a real-world rebuke of their soft-on-Iran academic theories failed to convince Princetons professors to reconsider their views of the Islamic Republic. Wang said Princeton hasnt so much as voluntarily given me an extension on time to complete my Ph.D. and that the university is home to both a former Iranian ambassador and an Iranian cleric, neither of which did anything to help me during my ordeal.

There is much more in Wangs speech. Having let Smiths MEF post rotate off our Picks last week, I wanted to make sure interested readers had a chance to take in Wangs speech in the video below.
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 9, 2023 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized law firm, notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Toronto-Dominion Bank ("TD Bank") and several of its officers on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased or otherwise acquired securities of First Horizon Corporation ("First Horizon") (NYSE:FHN).Class Definition:This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired First Horizon securities between February 28, 2022 and May 3, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/fhn Case Details:The Complaint alleges that Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose material adverse facts about TD Bank's operations, the risks associated with the timing for the closing of the First Horizon acquisition, and TD Bank's ability to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not false and misleading. Specifically, the Complaint alleges that Defendants misrepresented and/or failed to disclose to the market that: (1) TD Bank had deficient controls over AML and suspicious transaction reporting; (2) that the lack of controls posed a significant risk to the closing of the First Horizon acquisition; and (3) that the deficient AML controls actually caused a delay in obtaining the regulatory approvals for the First Horizon acquisition. As a result, Defendants' positive statements about TD Bank's risk culture and its ability to timely close the First Horizon transaction were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.What's Next?A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/fhn or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Law Clerk and Client Relations Manager, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in First Horizon, you have until July 21, 2023 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.Contact:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson212-697-6484 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
PREMIUM TIMES senior multimedia reporter and gender advocate Titilope Fadare, on Saturday, emerged as Nigerias best women reporter at a well-attended award ceremony in Lagos.

Ms Fadare, who beat four other nominees in the journalist category, received a tablet, certificate, award plaque, and scholarship for training at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) office in the United Kingdom.

The scholarship will be funded by Nigerias Office of UN Women, an organ of the United Nations.

The Country Representative of the UN Women in Nigeria, Beatrice Eyong, announced the scholarship while presenting the award to Ms Fadare.

Ms Eyong said Ms Fadare would have an opportunity to go to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to develop her capacity in women reporting.

This category is special to us, we will support your training at the BBC in the UK, and you will come back to do more, Ms Eyong said.

Meanwhile, Ene Oshaba of BluePrint Newspaper was announced as the runner-up for the category.

About award

Organised by Women Radio 91.7 fm in partnership with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and sponsored by UN Women and Canadian Government, ReportHer Awards acknowledges gender-balanced reportage and celebrates media organisations and journalists who give prime time/space to women as their male counterparts.

Speaking on the award, one of the judges, who is the Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade, said they received a total of 109 entries, noting that the award looks at the social responsibility and impact of gender stories that have been reported.

He said for the selection, they had some assessment perimeters, which included the essence at which women were used as sources for reports, and the 50-50 representation of men and women in the stories.

Mr Arogundade added that they looked at the extent to which the story uses data, cite sources and looked at presentation and effectiveness and the extent to which media institutions that submitted their entries, and journalists meet the professional standards portraying women.

Other judges are Chinonso Clark, CEO, Lead for Good Africa; Hamzat Lawal, CEO of Connected Development; and Ene Ede- Publisher, The Woman Today Newspaper.

For the radio category, the Voice of Nigeria (VON) won, while Blueprint Newspaper won the print category. Arise News TV won the Television category, while Tech Cabal won the digital category.

Winning entries

Though the organisers did not give specific details of entries submitted by applicants, PREMIUM TIMES learnt each applicant submitted many entries and that the judgement was based on the richness of the copies submitted in line with the listed criteria.

On her part, the overall winner, Ms Fadare, submitted her reports on relevant gender topics such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and the impact of the IPOB war on women and girls in the South-east.

The story on FGM shows that the prevalence of the practice is reducing as former FGM practitioners/cutters resolved to down their tools to become advocates against the practice

The runner-up in the category, Ms Oshaba of BluePrint Newspaper, submitted stories on the condition of Palestine Refugees residing in Lebanon, published on Global Sentinel Nigeria and a report on how the poor implementation of policies on womens rights fuels gender-based violence, published on Blueprint Newspaper.

Why the award?

According to the CEO of Women Radio, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya, the award is aimed at recognising the collective and deliberate efforts of the media at changing female narratives, altering stereotypes, and closing gender imbalances, as Nigeria is experiencing more visibility and reportage of women.

The organisers said though Nigeria still has a male-dominated media industry, with the majority of media owners, decision-makers and editors being men, we are witnessing an increase in media visibility on female-centric issues.

Mrs Okewale-Sonaiya commended the Nigerian media for what she described as a deliberate commitment to gender-sensitive reporting.

With your dedication to sharing narrative and demanding accountability, you help make Nigeria a wonderful place for women, she said.

The Director of the MacArthur Foundations Nigeria office in Abuja, Kole Shettima, noted that the foundation is committed to gender inclusion, media and journalism in Nigeria, adding that they support not less than 60 media organisations in Nigeria that promote gender inclusivity.

Also, the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Balarabe Ilelah, said the NBC is at the forefront of protecting the dignity of women as provided in various places in the Nigeria broadcasting code, particularly section 310.

We believe women must be empowered to be part of all decisions and developmental processes of our dear nation, he said.

For the awardees, this should boost you to do more, give more, and contribute more. There is still more to do in the area of affirmative action, forced labour, problems that are almost everywhere in the country, rape, girl child abuse and many more.

Call for 50-50 in Tinubus cabinet

In her speech, the Chief Executive Officer of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, called on President Bola Tinubu to observe the 50-50 gender balance in appointing his cabinet members.

Mrs Alaka said doing that would put Nigeria on the global map as a gender-sensitive nation.

Also, in her remarks, the Founding Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, suggested that the media organisations should have a 50-50 gender reporting agenda.

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Nigerian fintech Interswitch is in discussions with Kenyas Equity Bank about following the lender into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), managing director Mitchell Elegbe tells The Africa Report.

Discussions about following the bank into the DRC are at an early stage, Elegbe says.

Equity Bank operates in the DRC as Equity BCDC, the countrys second-largest bank by assets. The bank and Interswitch in June announced a partnership that will give Equity access to banking services at some 650 Interswitch-enabled ATMs in Uganda.

READ ALSO:

Equity Group Holdings CEO James Mwangi has made expansion into DRC a central part of his growth strategy. Economic growth in the DRC is forecast to remain above the sub-Saharan Africa average, driven by the extractives sector and improved utilisation of other natural resources.

The African Development Bank says that real GDP is set to grow 8% in 2023 and 7.2% in 2024, driven by extractives, expected to post growth of at least 12% between 2023 and 2024.

Read the full report here.

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The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) says some 67 million children globally missed out entirely or partially on routine immunisation from 2019 to 2021 due to COVID-19.

The organisation said this in its State of the Worlds Children 2023 report.

According to the Fund, vaccination coverage dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving millions more children unprotected against some of childhoods most serious diseases.

It added that the pandemic had been a disaster for childhood immunisation as it set immunisation back to levels last seen in 2008 in those two years, as the world lost more than a decade of progress in ensuring every child was adequately immunised.

The report said that between 2019 and 2021, the number of zero-dose children rose from 13 million to 18 million globally, an increase of more than a third.

It also said that there was a sharp increase in the number of under-vaccinated children, which rose by six million to 25 million.

It added that this backsliding reflected some issues specific to the pandemic, particularly the impact of lockdowns and service disruption.

However, it also cast a powerful spotlight on longer-term issues, including the weakness of far too many primary health care systems, which has long undermined efforts to vaccinate every child.

The organisation identified issues that led to the decline, including strains on overstretched health systems and health workers, especially overworked women health workers, as well as confusing communication with parents.

It stated that perhaps the most significant factor was the impact of the pandemic on primary health care and health systems.

As previous crises have shown, countries with already weak health systems are especially vulnerable to the impacts of conflict, major disease outbreaks and natural disasters.

The COVID-19 pandemic was no exception, as it forced many health systems to divert scarce resources away from providing routine care, including immunisation.

It added that at the end of 2021, nearly half of 72 countries in a World Health Organisation (WHO) survey said that routine vaccination programmes were being disrupted by the need to respond to the pandemic.

Also, the pandemic badly interrupted vaccination campaigns, which, unlike routine immunisation, usually targeted efforts to vaccinate large numbers of people in a relatively short period of time.

Citing an example, it said that in May 2020, 57 per cent of campaigns in 57 countries had to be cancelled or postponed, representing the loss of 796 million vaccine doses.

Although the situation started improving in mid-2020, disruptions continued and at the end of 2021, stalled campaigns in African countries, causing the loss of 382 million doses.

The impact on the health workforce was also felt as even before the pandemic, many countries were short of skilled health workers, particularly in disadvantaged areas.

The pandemic intensified the problem and added to the challenges facing health workers, especially women in the health workforce, the report said.

The report stated that a final factor is the impact the pandemic had on families abilities and willingness to get their children vaccinated.

Even where healthcare facilities remained open, travel restrictions or tight family budgets may have led families to put off getting children vaccinated.

READ ALSO:

Stay-at-home recommendations may have led some parents to see routine vaccination as non-essential care, which underlines the need for careful, nuanced communication with families during major disease outbreaks.

Significantly, parents may also have been wary of visiting clinics for fear of contracting COVID-19.

UNICEF notes that catching up on the children who missed out entirely or partly on vaccination during the pandemic will be a major challenge and will require substantial investment to design and implement appropriate catch-up interventions.

In the face of difficult economic headwinds, there is also a need to support health and immunisation services to prevent continued backsliding, the organisation said.

On catching up and recovery, UNICEF said investments in areas such as primary healthcare, vaccine development and delivery, and innovations are required to reach global immunisation goals.

According to the UNICEF report, there is an urgent need to reach the children who missed out on vaccination because of the pandemic and other factors, including conflict, with intensified catch-up initiatives.

These initiatives, it added, would need to identify and locate zero-dose and under-vaccinated children and missed communities as they would allow the development of specific plans and strategies to ensure catch-up initiatives reach the communities and children with the greatest needs.

It, however, said that catch-up alone would not be enough, recommending countries where the pace of recovery in immunisation services is slow to ensure full restoration to at least pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible.

UNICEF added that calamitous as it has been, the COVID-19 pandemic brought changes in the vaccine landscape that the global community must capitalise on to boost childhood immunisation.

The experience of the pandemic revealed that, with political will and leadership, vast resources can be mobilised, and new vaccines can be developed rapidly and introduced around the world.

(NAN)

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A renowned Nigerian scholar and former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dipo Fasina, popularly known as Jingo, has been missing since Saturday, 1 July.

This development was confirmed by the incumbent President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Fasina, 76, was travelling to Algeria reportedly at the invitation of the Algerian government when he was said to have missed his connecting flight from Istanbul, Turkey. His whereabouts have since remained unknown.

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, also confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that her organisation is aware and we are working on it.

About Fasina

A scholar, activist, and unionist, Mr Fasina taught Philosophy for 34 years at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, which he joined in 1979 after returning from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he bagged his PhD.

A trustee of ASUU and chairperson of the Joint Action Front (JAF), a coalition of labour movements and civil society organisations championing pro-people policies in Nigeria, Mr Fasina was born to the Ashogbon royal family of Lagos.

He was nicknamed Jingo by his students.

He was also credited with having founded the philosophy department at the Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University).

Since his retirement from OAU, Mr Fasina has taught Philosophy across some Nigerian universities.

Associates rise

Meanwhile, many friends and associates of the missing scholar, including members of ASUU and JAF, are working towards his safe return.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, the ASUU president, Mr Osodeke, a professor, said the union is working hard to confirm the activists whereabouts and ensure his return.

Yes, we are aware of the development and we are working on it. So when we are through in the next two or three days, we will let you know, Mr Osodeke said telephone.

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Another associate of Mr Fasina who does not want to be named disclosed that a search party might soon travel out of the country.

This is really a personal matter and not a media case. We are working to bring him back and he will be fine. I may have to travel any moment from now to bring him back, the source said.

Also, in a message to our reporter on Sunday, Mrs Dabiri-Erewa confirmed that her organisation is working on the matter.

Yes, we are aware, and we are on it, she wrote in response to an inquiry by our reporter.

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Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has said those enforcing a sit-at-home order in the state and other parts of the South-east are not seeking the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Mr Mbah spoke on Saturday during a media chat with Enugu-based reporters and media executives at the Government House, Enugu.

IPOB, in August 2021, introduced a sit-at-home order every Monday across the south-east to pressure the Nigerian government to release its detained leader, Mr Kanu, who is standing trial on treason charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The separatist group later suspended the order and said it would only be implemented on the days Mr Kanu appears in court.

However, gunmen said to be part of agitation for Biafra in the region have continued to enforce the suspended order. The IPOB faction led by Mr Kanu has repeatedly disowned those enforcing the civil order.

The governor said those enforcing the order are only criminals hiding under the guise of being Biafra agitators and protesting the detention of Mr Kanu to commit crimes.

As media people, it is important you educate our people for them to know that these sit-at-home enforcers are not after Mazi Nnamdi Kanus welfare or freedom. We must be able to separate the two.

The so-called sit-at-home enforcers are mere criminals and our people must face them frontally, he said.

Mr Mbah said that Igbos were united in demanding for the release of Mr Kanu, noting that he had also met with President Bola Tinubu to request the release of the IPOB leader.

He said the state government had declared war against sit-at-home enforcers and would never take orders from them. Earlier, the state government had threatened to punish civil servants and businesses that adhere to the sit-at-home order on Mondays.

In the interview, the governor stressed that his administration banned the action in Enugu because he was convinced that the state would not record investments and achieve economic growth if the people should continue to take orders from the faceless criminals.

We cannot be defeated by evil and we must not allow that to happen, he said.

He asked for concerted efforts by the media and Enugu people against what he termed scaremongering and fake news, saying it had become the new strategy adopted by the sit-at-home promoters to cause panic.

Mr Mbah urged reporters to be professional in their duty by fact-checking and verifying the authenticity of information before publication.

The truth is that we have won the actual war against sit-at-home enforcers and murderers out to destroy Enugu State and Igboland.

Because they no longer have the capacity to unleash terror on lives and property of Ndi Enugu, that is why they have now resorted to scaremongering, peddling of fake news, and all manner of dramas to instill fear in our people and control their minds and actions, he stated.

We practice democracy. We can never allow murderers and terrorists to dictate to us. We must not allow those who do not have the mandate of the people dictate to us how to live our lives; when to go out; when to close our businesses and when to sit at home.

Sit-at-home Enforcers to face prosecution

Mr Mbah also said the state government was exploring the option of prosecuting those who are instigating and enforcing violence and the illegal sit-at-home order in the state at the International Criminal Court in Hague.

The governor said the culprits would be prosecuted for their alleged crimes against humanity, saying nobody should be allowed to cause deaths and inflict pain on others, especially in this 21st century.

He hinted that technology had already been deployed to guarantee the safety of residents, pointing out that there were no longer hideouts for criminals in the state.

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For scheduling the Isese festival in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, an Osun priestess overstepped her boundaries, the emir of Ilorin, Sulu Gambari, has said in his reply to an open letter from Wole Soyinka.

Mr Soyinka had taken a swipe at the traditional ruler for preventing the priestess, Ajesikemi Olokun, from holding an Isese festival in the state.

The Nobel laureate said the emirs action was an assault on civilised conduct.

The Osun devotee had reportedly released fliers announcing a three-day traditional event aimed at celebrating certain Yoruba deities. But her plan didnt sit well with an Islamic group, Majlisu Shabab li Ulamahu Society.

Upon hearing the news of the festival, some members of the Muslim group stormed her residence to warn her not to hold the celebration.

Emirs response

In a statement on Friday signed by his spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Arowona, the emir said the festival, if not cancelled, could have led to a crisis in the state.

To set records straight, Professor Wole Soyinka tends to be economical with facts, forgetting that war is what nobody wants, the statement reads.

This is to prevent a crisis and not wait until it erupts because the cost of managing crises cannot be equated to the wisdom or courage required to prevent it.

Such proactiveness is necessary in order to sustain peaceful co-existence in the society.

READ ALSO:

The emir said he was surprised by Mr Soyinkas stance, adding that his position is identical to someone who does not consider what might transpire if the programme was hosted.

The traditional ruler stated that the priestess had lived harmoniously in the town for years until she decided to go beyond her boundaries.

It may result in issues which could also lead to reprisal attacks by sympathisers or promoters of such belief (Isese festival) in other parts of the country.

There are many non-indigenes in Kwara who are serving and retired, including business owners who have vowed to move their families to the state due to the peace and harmony enjoyed therein.

Group supports emir

The emir has received the support of a sociocultural group, the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), on his position. It said the emirs decision would preserve the harmony of the community.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Nurudeen Ibrahim, and issued on Saturday, the group insisted that the position of the emir remains the view of the people of Ilorin Emirate, who are predominantly Muslims and peace-loving.

Aliyu Uthman, the groups president, said an attempt to celebrate isese or any other paganic festival is alien to the culture of Ilorin and could precipitate an unnecessary crisis.

He added that the diatribe reportedly authored by a Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka and a few other commentators on the matter was unfortunate, incorrect and needless.

Freedom of worship, just like other liberty enshrined in the nations constitution, is not absolute, saying that only the ignorant would encourage an Imam to go to the Vatican with the aim of observing or leading the observance of Eid prayers or any other Islamic religious duty.

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Opinion articles written in the style of their author. These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. All opinion articles written by individuals from outside the staff of EL PAIS shall feature, along with the authors name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed

The premiere of the second season of And Just Like That, the sequel to Sex and the City, on HBO coincided with the release of the documentary The Stroll, which portrays the lives of trans prostitutes in New Yorks old Meatpacking District. More than anyone else, theyve experienced the transformation of a neighborhood that symbolizes the ravages of the gentrification of Manhattan, which has replaced their memory with tourist routes from the series starring Sarah Jessica Parker and friends.

The Stroll is not a great documentary, but it tells a very interesting story about an extremely vulnerable communitymade up primarily of black trans womenthat was wiped off the map with the initiatives to clean up the city undertaken by Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg. Its not a matter of longing for Manhattan and its colorful lumpenproletariat, but embarrassment and shame of the New York portrayed in And Just Like That that makes one want to return to the rough-and-tumble city of The Stroll.

Perhaps because the Sex and the City sequel focuses on women my own age, I find it especially intolerable that it depicts us as bimbos who only dream of going to the Met Gala. The whole thing is irritating, even disturbing. Who is this shows potential audience? Young women who dream of having a lot of money and going dressed like cauliflower to the gala of the day, or adults who, fed up with so many handbags, flirt with a new politically correct sex life? Am I the only one who gags at the tidy bedroom scenes?

Sex and the City has always been a pretty prudish series, but now its beyond sappy. No one can believe that these new ladies laden with pounds of accessories have lost all their grace, if they ever had it to begin with.3

Although fashion has consumed trans activism and the U.S. is currently experiencing a wave of attacks on the community in the form of Republican Party laws in at least 19 states, The Stroll shows a reality beyond the Meatpacking Districts new stores. Directed by former sex worker Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker, the documentary is part of an oral history projectwith the participation of the New York Public Library and the Digital Transgender Archiveon trans life in New York that aims to recover the stories of the women who left their lives in the Meatpacking District and the West Village, where Lovell worked as a prostitute until the beginning of the 21st century.

Back then, the area was the underworld of an underworld, populated with stories of teenage girls who had been kicked out of their homes. Forced to live on the streets, they had no choice but to prostitute themselves, the only job trans women were allowed to have until recently. Most of them died along the way, which is why it is so moving to listen to their surviving friends. The stories are terrible: Take Tabytha, for example, who went to prison for five years for dealing drugs and spent 14 years for violence inside the prison. With admirable lucidity, she admits that she became a monster in prison; when she finally got out and returned to the neighborhood, she found only luxury stores and iPhones: The streets no longer existed.

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President Bola Tinubu on Saturday evening arrived in Bissau, the capital city of Guinea Bissau, ahead of the ECOWAS summit scheduled to kick off on Sunday.

The summit will be the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.

Similarly, the summit will be the first international engagement of the president on the African continent since his swearing-in on 29 May.

While in Guinea-Bissau, the Nigerian leader is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings and have other engagements on the summits sidelines.

According to a statement signed by Dele Alake, Mr Tinubus special adviser on special duties, communications and strategy, and made available to journalists on Saturday, the president, upon his arrival, visited the Nigerian Troops under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force in Guinea-Bissau.

The statement noted that Mr Tinubu appreciated the troops dedication and loyalty to Nigeria and their host country.

The president was accompanied on the journey by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the acting CBN Governor, Folashodun Shonubi, among others.

Read the full statement below:

PRESIDENT TINUBU ARRIVES GUINEA-BISSAU FOR ECOWAS SUMMIT, VISITS NIGERIAN TROOPS

..says Nigeria depends on the armed forces

After his successful participation at the summit on A New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France hosted by President Emmanuel Macron, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived Bissau, capital of Republic of Guinea-Bissau, for the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

President Tinubu also used the opportunity of the summit to visit the Nigerian contingent stationed in the country under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force.

The 63rd Ordinary Session summit, which will open on Sunday July 9, 2023, will be the first international engagement of the President within the African continent since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.

President Tinubus whose plane touched down at the International Airport in Bissau at exactly 5.30pm local time will be the centre of attraction at the summit.

The 16 regional leaders are expected to address memoranda on pressing sub-regional issues including Report of the 50th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC) covering security challenges faced by the member countries, Report of the 90th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the financial situation of the body and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Other matters slated for consideration by the leaders are the Report on the status of Transition in the Republics of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, Memoranda on the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme and the Report on Obstacles to Free Movement of Goods on the Abidjan- Lagos corridor.

Upon his arrival, President Tinubu visited the Nigerian Troops under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force in Guinea-Bissau.

He expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the soldiers and their Commander, General Al-hassan Grema, for their dedication and service to Nigeria and their host country, adding that Nigeria would continue to support democracy in West Africa and around the world.

I am here to show solidarity with you. I want to assure you we are committed to support peace and democracy not only in West Africa but around the world.

Nigeria is a giant that has made its mark in Sierra Leone and Liberia and other places. We count on your support for the defence of constitutional order. I heard your allowances have been paid up to date. Nothing else should make you angry. We will continue to build a virile force.

We are proud of you. Proud of your loyalty. Nigeria depends on you. There will be peace and progress in our country, President said.

Brigadier General Grema expressed the appreciation of the troops to President Tinubu for being the first Commander-in-Chief in Nigerias history to visit his soldiers outside the shore of the country.

While in Guinea-Bissau, the Nigerian leader is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings and have other engagements on the sidelines of the summit.

On the entourage of the President on the trip are National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Acting Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Folashodun Shonubi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa; Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Kana; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Aliyu Ahmed, and ECOWAS Permanent Representative, Ambassador Musa Nuhu.

Others on the entourage include former Governors, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Senator Abu Ibrahim from Katsina State.

Dele Alake

Special Adviser

(Special Duties, Communications and Strategy)

July 8, 2023

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Vice President Kashim Shettima has described the late founder of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Michael Olasubomi Balogun, as an institution in the Nigerian banking sector and a model for generations of bankers and lawyers, among other professionals.

The vice president, who represented President Bola Tinubu, made the observation on Saturday in his remarks at the funeral service for Mr Balogun held at Cathedral Church of Our Saviour in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

Mr Shettima also described the late FCMB founder as a banking icon who was everything our ailing world desired.

This is according to a press statement by the Director of Information, Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, on 8 July.

Mr Shettima said the deceased was a philanthropist extraordinaire, and departing from this world at age 89 is a gift that only a few have benefited from.

According to him, he not only immortalised your industrious spirit as the founder of the flourishing First City Merchant Bank, which we all know as FCMB, but the world is going to remain grateful to him even much longer than he lived.

We are here to celebrate life. As he peacefully departs from this earthly realm at the remarkable age of 89, we lift our voices in prayer, offering our heartfelt appreciation for the profound impact he made during his time among us.

So, this is more of a gratitude to the Almighty God for bringing such a noble person to our world and changing the course of our history.

The VP then condoled with the Balogun family, government and people of Ogun State and offered prayers for the departed elder statesman.

He said, Our dear people of Ijebuland and the Ijebu Christians must be grateful for the personality you have raised for the nation and the world, in fact.

In this moment of farewell, we ask for your divine comfort and solace to embrace the loved ones and friends of Otunba Balogun. May they find strength in the shared memories, and may their hearts be filled with gratitude for the privilege of knowing and being touched by such an extraordinary individual.

May Otunba find eternal rest in your heavenly abode, and may his legacy continue to inspire generations to come.

In his remarks, the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, said the late Balogun was a prodigious intellectual, an economist and a lawyer who attended the Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, before proceeding to the London School of Economist to read law in 1956.

He said the late Balogun worked in the banking sector first as the Principal Counsel and Company Secretary to the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) and held many positions in the sector before he founded the First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

The governor also said, In 1989, Late Michael Balogun donated the newly built and fully equipped General Hospital to Ijebu Ode.

The funeral was attended by many dignitaries, including former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo Olu; former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, and former governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson.

Others were the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Philanthropist, Femi Otedola; President of African Development Bank, Femi Adesina; first class traditional rulers and Bishops of the Ijebu Anglican Diocese, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, among others.

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The Federal High Court in Abuja, in a landmark judgment, has ordered the disclosure of the spending details of about $5 billion Abacha loot by the governments of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru YarAdua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.

The court ordered the government of President Bola Tinubu to disclose the exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of Abacha loot recovered and all agreements signed on same by the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari.

The judgment was delivered last week by Justice James Omotosho following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/407/2020, brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

In his judgment, Justice Omotosho held that In the final analysis, the application by SERAP is meritorious and the Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance is hereby ordered to furnish SERAP with the full spending details of about $5 billion Abacha loot within 7 days of this judgment.

Justice Omotosho ordered the government to disclose details of the projects executed with the Abacha loot, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects since the return of democracy in 1999 till date.

Justice Omotosho also ordered the government to disclose details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot under the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari.

Justice Omotosho also stated that The excuse by the Minister of Finance is that the Ministry has searched its records and the details of the exact public funds stolen by Abacha and how the funds have been spent are not held by the Ministry. The excuse has no leg to stand in view of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Justice Omotosho dismissed all the objections raised by the Federal Government and upheld SERAPs arguments. Consequently, the court entered judgment in favour of SERAP against the Federal Government.

Justice Omotoshos judgment, dated 3 July, read in part: The failure of the Minister of Finance to write to SERAP informing it of where the said information exists or to transfer the request to public office who has custody of such information is fatal to their case under section 5 of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Ministry cannot use a blanket statement that it was not in possession of the said records of about $5bn Abacha loot sought by SERAP. The government failed to provide details of the projects executed with the money. It also failed to provide locations of the projects and the names of the companies and contractors that carried out or are carrying out the projects funded with the money.

I hold that by the clear wordings of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, access to information about spending details of $5bn Abacha loot was denied SERAP by the Federal Government.

The Federal Government had filed a 14 paragraph Counter Affidavit deposed to by Abah Sunday, Litigation Officer in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation argued that SERAPs suit is frivolous, as it has not shown that the government denied it the information it seeks.

The Federal Government has also stated that SERAP has not established sufficient interest in its application. The government urged the Court to dismiss the suit.

For the sake of emphasis, possession of locus standi has been the bane of the citizens advocates, in the public interest litigation, to query transparency and accountability in governance in Nigeria.

In a democratic dispensation, such as in Nigeria, the citizens have been proclaimed the owners of sovereignty and mandates that place leaders in the saddle.

The requirement is a serious fracture of the citizens inalienable right to ventilate their grievances against poor governance vis-a-vis expenditure of public funds generated from their taxes.

The sacrosanct provision of Section 1(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which has ostracised this disturbing requirement, has, admirably, remedied the harmful mischief appurtenant to it.

Clearly, section 1 gives a person the right to access any information from any public institution in Nigeria. SERAP is an organization registered in Nigeria and thus a juristic person. As a juristic person, SERAP need not show any specific interest in the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot to be entitled to the same.

I therefore hold that SERAP is entitled to the information on the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot, and need not show any special interest in the information sought.

The provision of Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act is quite clear and mandates that public institution or public officer such as the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice must make available the information requested within 7 days of the request.

In the letter dated 8 July 2023 sent to President Tinubu on the judgment, and signed by SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said, We urge you to demonstrate your expressed commitment to the rule of law by immediately obeying and respecting the judgment of the Court.

SERAPs letter, read in part: We urge you to direct the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately compile and release the spending details of recovered Abacha loot as ordered by the court.

The immediate enforcement and implementation of the judgment by your government will be a victory for the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes and management of public resources including the $5bn Abacha loot.

By immediately complying with the judgment, your government will be demonstrating to Nigerians that it is different from the Buhari government, which persistently and brazenly defied the countrys judiciary, and sending a powerful message to politicians and others that there will be no impunity for grand corruption.

Immediately implementing the judgment will restore trust and confidence in the independence of Nigerias judiciary. SERAP urges you to make a clean break with the past and take clear and decisive steps that demonstrate your commitment to the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes.

SERAP trusts that you will see compliance with this judgment as a central aspect of the rule of law; an essential stepping stone to constructing a basic institutional framework for legality and constitutionality. We therefore look forward to your positive response and action on the judgment.

Joined as defendants in the suit are the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Justice Omotosho granted the following orders of mandamus against the Nigerian government:

AN ORDER OF MANDAMUS is hereby made directing and compelling the Federal Government [through the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to provide and disclose the following information to SERAP:

[a] Exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of Abacha loot recovered and all agreements signed on same since the return of democracy in 1999 till date

[b] Details of the projects executed with the recovered funds, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects

[c] Details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot since 1999

AN ORDER OF MANDAMUS is hereby made directing and compelling the Federal Government to:

[a] Refer any allegations of corruption involving the execution of projects with Abacha loot to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation

[b] Ensure that anyone involved in alleged corruption in projects executed with Abacha loot is brought to justice if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence

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Dangote Granite Mines, a subsidiary of Dangote Group, has awarded scholarships to about 60 students in five host communities.

The company disclosed this in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Media Personnel, Dangote Industries Ltd, Francis Awowole-Browne.

Mr Awowole-Browne stated that the scholarship was part of the companys Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to foster educational development in its host communities.

He noted that Ebenezer Ali, director, Human Assets Management, Dangote Projects, said the scholarship was meant to help the parents of the beneficiaries lessen the burden the education of their children placed on them.

Mr Ali added that the scholarship was part of the agreements reached with the leadership of the host communities during the signing of the Community Development Agreement (CDA).

He said the move was to ensure its host communities were not left behind in areas of education and infrastructural development

Mr Ali urged the beneficiaries to face their education as they would be given automatic employment if they performed well academically.

He thanked the communities leaders for creating an atmosphere of peace in the area and for showing the understanding that has led to the tranquillity enjoyed by the company and the communities.

He assured the communities of the companys readiness to do its part of the agreement in ensuring that it identified with the people at all times.

I charge the communities leaders to continue to support the management of Dangote Granite Mines by maintaining peace, he said.

An Ijebu Igbo Monarch, the Sopenlukale of Oke Sopen, Oba Adesesan Yussuf, thanked the management of Dangote Group for the assistance rendered to the communities.

The monarch said the scholarship indicated that the company was community friendly and committed to giving back to society hence deserving of all the support the communities could muster.

He urged the beneficiaries not to take the scholarship for granted and see it as a show of love for the host communities.

He advised community members to maintain peace, saying that it was only when there was peace that the company could help the communities better.

One of the beneficiaries, Miss Grace Aregbe of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), thanked the company for the kind gesture

She said the scholarship would go a long way in lessening their financial hardship in school.

She promised that the beneficiaries would not let down the company and their parents and prayed for the well-being of the Chairman of the company, Aliko Dangote. (NAN)

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The managements of the American University of Nigeria, and PREMIUM TIMES have pledged to strengthen the relationship between the two organisations towards advancing excellence in academic research and national development.

The universitys Vice-Chancellor, Dewayne Frazier, and the newspapers Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed, pledged this during the formers visit to PREMIUM TIMES headquarters in Abuja.

Existing partnership

Earlier in 2021, the two organisations commenced a partnership which birthed the AUN-PREMIUM TIMES Data Hub- an initiative aimed at simplifying into readable articles and analyses, the research conducted by AUN academics for public consumption in the civic space.

However, the partnership, aimed at having the university provide academic and theoretical solutions to societys problems, has recently experienced downtime.

We were really excited about it. We started very well, and the reception was great, Mr Mojeed said.

You have a lot of brilliant faculties that understand a lot of the issues, and we were disappointed that after a while, we were not getting the contents.

He, however, said the downtime had not affected the existing relationship.

Strengthening partnership

In his response, Mr Frazier said the downtime experienced was partly due to the leadership transition between him and his predecessor, Margee Ensign.

He said: We will make a newfound commitment to work with the media at a different level than we have in the previous years.

I will make sure to reward them (academics) for engaging in this. Making them experts will make more students, especially parents, who would say, I want you to study under someone like this guy.

Mr Mojeed noted that the data-driven writings by the academics would help provide knowledge-based analysis in the civic space.

He said the newspapers mission of strengthening democracy and providing informed commentaries on issues aligns with the universitys.

We believe that they will be providing a huge service not just to Nigeria but to the world because people will have a better understanding of issues, he said.

Mr Mojeed, who doubles as the President of the International Press Institute Nigeria, said the newspaper has a rich history of collaboration and that the company will encourage the existing relationship.

Your mission and ours seem to align substantially, he added.

About AUN-PREMIUM TIMES Data Hub

The AUN-PREMIUM TIMES Data hub, a brainchild of the partnership, is a unique collaboration between higher education and the media to inject more data-driven analysis into the Nigerian civic space.

The hub provides a platform enabling academics to interrogate reliable data and use them to provide insightful analyses that help the authorities and citizens make accurate and informed decisions.

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

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It seems like no matter which airline travellers choose, theyre all facing the same chaos in Nigeria. Recently, Khadijah Ibrahim was left stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport after being told that her Air Peace Lagos flight had been cancelled due to operational reasons.

At Aminu Kano Airport on Friday, there was chaos when Max Air cancelled a flight to Lagos and delayed an Abuja flight to 2 a.m. It took hours before passengers got a communication from the airline and there was no compensation whatsoever.

Earlier, on Monday, Adeniregun Akanni vented on Twitter, saying Max Air is not reliable. People should be careful and dont fly them if you have an important journey please.

The two aforementioned airlines are the most notorious for flight cancellations in Nigeria, a new report by the regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), states.

In its report, the NCAA said the 11 domestic airlines operating in the country had 284 flight cancellations in the first quarter of the year.

Nigerias largest domestic carrier, Air Peace, topped the list with the highest number of cancelled flights from January through March this year.

NCAA data shows that Air Peace cancelled 63 flights; followed by Max Air with 56.

Arik cancelled 43 flights; Aero Contractors 40; Azman Air 20; and Green Africa 16.

The report shows that Overland cancelled 15 flights; Value Jet 15; Ibom air 9; Dana air 5; and United Airlines 2.

READ ALSO: 10 airlines most culpable for delayed flights in Nigeria

The NCAA report also stated that 2,791,591 passengers passed through the nations domestic airports in the first quarter of 2023, data shows. Of the 2,791,591 passengers, 1,391,560 were inbound and 1,400,031 outbound.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) 2015 which is being amended guarantees that passengers get full refunds when their flights are delayed or cancelled. But getting such refunds can be difficult and time-wasting, passengers have said.

Every passenger shall, before purchasing any ticket for a contract of carriage by the air carrier or its agents, be entitled to the full, fair, and clear disclosure of all the terms and conditions of the carriage about to be purchased.

The disclosure shall include, among others, documents required to be presented at check-in, provisions on check-in deadlines, refund and rebooking policies, and procedures and responsibility for delayed and/or cancelled flights, the regulations said.

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Romanus Ejikeme, the father of the indicted candidate of the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Mmesome Ejikeme, has apologised to Nigerians and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Mr Ejikeme said his 19-year-old daughter did not confess the truth to him early, leaving him in the dark about the matter.

My daughter did not open up to me on time, he told the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). When I realised her mistake, I blamed her. I told her, Mmesoma, be careful. You know you are a star and should not dent your image.

But I am still apologising to JAMB and Nigerians as a father to pardon her, he added.

False Claim

In May, Miss Mmesoma, a student of the Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, Anambra State, claimed to be the top scorer in the 2023 UTME with 362 marks out of 400.

She consequently gained popularity with many applauding her for achieving the feat.

But JAMB later accused the candidate of manipulating her UTME result and inflating the score from 249 to 362. The candidate, however, insisted that the 362 was the score she received both on the JAMB portal and through the SMS sent to her by the examination body.

The examination body subsequently announced the withdrawal of the candidates UTME result and barred her from taking the test for the next three years.

But Miss Mmesoma in a viral video on Monday, insisted that the controversial score of 362 claimed by her was printed from the JAMB website and the examination bodys accusation had left her traumatised.

Several Nigerians called for an independent investigation into the controversy.

Consequently, the Anambra State Government, last week, set up a panel of inquiry into the controversy.

Headed by Nkemdili Nnonyelu, a professor, the eight-member panel, on Friday, confirmed Miss Mmesoma forged the score of 362 as earlier claimed by JAMB.

According to the eight-page report, a copy of which was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the candidate confirmed she single-handedly forged the result before approaching a cyber cafe for printing.

Father speaks

Reacting, Mr Ejikeme said his daughter, Miss Mmesoma, lied to him initially when she was interrogated about the then controversial UTME score.

My daughter didnt open up to me on time. She didnt, Mr Ejikeme told the Nigeria Television Authority on Saturday.

When I realised the mistake she did, I blamed her a lot that she was not supposed to do this kind of thing, he added.

Mr Ejikeme said he frequently warned the 19-year-old against denting her image.

I am still apologising to JAMB and Nigerians to pardon her. As her father, thats my take, he stated.

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

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A former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dipo Fasina, popularly known as Jingo, who was reported missing earlier on Sunday, has been found.

Mr Fasina, 76, was said to have been missing since Saturday, 1 July.

The Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES in a message shared with our reporter on Sunday.

NIDCOM also tweeted the development, even as it commended Nigerias High Commission in Turkey for the collaborative efforts to locate the scholar.

The organisation wrote on its official Twitter handle that Mr Fasina was found at the airport and would be on his way to Nigeria on Monday.

NIDCOM wrote: The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in Turkey, has successfully located Prof Fasina, who went missing for a few days at Istanbul Airport while connecting on a flight back home.

Mr Fasina, 76, was travelling to Algeria when he was said to have missed his connecting flight from Istanbul, Turkey.

The agency commended the office of the High Commission for swiftly drafting its officials to the airport.

A big thanks to the Nigerian Ambassador to Turkey who immediately sent officials to the Airport to physically locate him in the very busy and huge Istanbul Airport.

About Fasina

An erudite scholar, a popular activist and unionist, Mr Fasina taught Philosophy for 34 years to the delight of countless students at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, which he joined in 1979 after returning from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he bagged his PhD certificate.

A trustee of ASUU and the Chairperson of the Joint Action Front (JAF), a coalition of labour movements and civil societies championing pro-masses struggles in Nigeria, Mr Fasina is from the Ashogbon royal family of Lagos.

He was nicknamed Jingo by his students as the favourite name he used to cite examples in his crowded classes.

He was also credited with having founded the Philosophy department at Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University), where he was said to have donated his entitlements to establish a library.

Since he retired from OAU, Mr Fasina has taught Philosophy across some Nigerian universities.

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Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Mangu Local Government Area (LGA) of the State following recent attacks.

Mr Mutfwang gave the directive on Sunday in Jos in a statement issued by Gyang Bere, director of press and public affairs, to the Governor.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that fresh attacks were reportedly unleashed on some communities in Mangu LGA on Saturday night, resulting in the loss of nine lives, properties, as well as many persons displaced.

The State Governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Mangu Local Government Area following recent attacks that led to the loss of lives and properties.

The Governor, in consultation with the State Security Council, imposed the curfew on the entire Local Government Area to restore law and order.

Consequently, movements within the Local Government have been banned until further notice except for security personnel and persons on essential duties.

Security agencies have therefore been directed to ensure total enforcement of the curfew, the statement read.

The governor further assured the people that the government was working round-the-clock to restore peace and security in the state.

(NAN)

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President Bola Tinubu has emerged as the new chairperson of ECOWAS.

He takes over from the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo, who has just finished his tenure at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government on Sunday in Bissau, the capital city of Guinea-Bissau.

The summit is the first international engagement of President Tinubu on the African continent since his swearing-in on 29 May.

Accepting the responsibility to lead the body, a statement on Sunday by the Presidents spokesperson, Dele Alake, quoted Mr Tinubu as saying that he would run an inclusive administration, noting, however, that insecurity and creeping terrorism were stunting the progress and development of the region.

President Tinubu called for collective action from member-states, pledging that under his leadership, frameworks would be harmonised to actualise the dreams of ECOWAS.

Read the full statement below:

PRESIDENT TINUBU EMERGES AS NEW ECOWAS CHAIRMAN, HARPS ON REGIONAL SECURITY

seeks private sector-led economic growth in sub-region

Says ECOWAS must rise against coup detat

In a unanimous endorsement that signals the trust and confidence reposed in him by his counterparts, President Bola Tinubu emerged the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government on Sunday in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

President Tinubu, who is the latest entrant into the exclusive club of Heads of State in West Africa, enthusiastically accepted the honour, on behalf of Nigeria, with a solemn pledge to bear the responsibility of the office and run an inclusive administration of the regional organisation.

The Nigerian leader, however, warned that the threat to peace in the sub-region had reached an alarming proportion with terrorism and emerging pattern of military takeover that now demand urgent and concerted actions.

He said insecurity and creeping terrorism were stunting the progress and development of the region.

President Tinubu called for a collective action from member-states, pledging that under his leadership, frameworks would be harmonized to actualize the dreams of ECOWAS.

On peace and security, the threat has reached an alarming level, and needs urgent actions in addressing the challenges. Indeed, without a peaceful environment, progress and development in the region will continue to remain elusive. In this regard, we must remain committed to the utilisation of all regional frameworks at our disposal to address the menace of insecurity, he declared.

President Tinubu noted that ECOWAS had developed a security architecture, which he noted, covers a wide range of areas that involved kinetic and non-kinetic operations, including preventive diplomacy. There is also the Regional Plan of Action on Fight against Terrorism 2020-2024 as well as the operationalization of the ECOWAS Standby Force on Fight Against Terrorism.

I will ensure that we immediately harmonize these plans and mobilize resources as well as the political will to towards the actualisation of the initiatives. As terrorists do not respect boundaries, we must work collectively to have an effective regional counterterrorism measure, the President further stated.

On his emergence as Chairman on his first participation at the summit, having just started out as the elected leader of Nigeria, President Tinubu stated that he was humbled and honoured by the trust to assume the leadership of the regional body, pledging his commitment to serve the interest of the community.

He said: Indeed, Im humbled and honored by this trust, and want to assure you of my unalloyed commitment to provide the necessary leadership with dedication to serve the interest of the community.

To underscore his commitment towards regional integration, the Nigerian President declared that he would prioritize political stability, peace and security, regional economic integration and strengthening of the ECOWAS institutions, declaring that democracy and good governance remain the abiding cornerstone of peace and sustainable development. While decrying the emerging pattern of coup detat in West Africa where soldiers have toppled the popular mandate of the people through barrel of guns, President Tinubu charged ECOWAS to stand firm in defence of democracy.

We must stand firm on democracy. There is no governance, freedom and rule of law without Democracy. We will not accept coup after coup in West Africa again. Democracy is very difficult to manage but it is the best form of government.

There is no one here among us who did not campaign to be a leader. We didnt give our soldiers resources, we didnt invest in them, in their boots, in their training to violate the freedom of the people. To turn their guns against civil authorities is a violation of the principles upon which they were hired which is to defend the sovereignty of their nations. We must not sit in ECOWAS as toothless bulldogs, the President warned.

On political stability, he said: You will all agree with me that democracy and good governance are the cornerstones of peace and sustainable development of every society. Im fully committed to deepening democracy and good governance in the region.

We must strengthen our democratic institutions and ensure the respect for human rights and the rule of law. I will enhance engagements with the countries in transition to ensure their quick return to democratic rule.

The new ECOWAS Chairman called for improved private sector participation in the effort towards the economic development of Member States as well as their social integration.

We would work collectively to pursue an inclusive economic integration, which will be significantly private sector driven, in order to unlock the vast economic potentials of our region. We would actively promote trade, investment, and business cooperation among Member States by addressing the barriers impeding intra-regional trade, as well as creating a conducive business environment.

We must encourage economic partnerships to raise the level of trade and investments in our region, hence facilitating employment creation and sustainable development and prosperity for our citizens.

To this end, we must look inward and work with our regional economic facilitation platforms such as the Federation of West of West Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI) as well as ECOWAS Trade Organisation Network to attain our desired goals, he said further.

President Tinubu assured the regional leaders of the immediate implementation of his vision for the body, declaring that:

In furtherance of my vision for our regions economic recovery and growth, Nigeria intends to convene an ECOWAS Extra Ordinary Summit on Trade and Investment in October 2023.

The event will provide opportunity for Member States to showcase their potentials and encourage match-making, in order to evolve business cooperation among the various organized private sector within the region, he added while calling for the strengthening of the institutions of the body.

In the area of strengthening our Organisations Institutions and ensuring effective performance, we underscore the need for the conclusion of the on-going institutional reforms of the organization.

Given that Community Levy remained the biggest source of generating funds to run our organization, we must ensure that our citizens being taxed must be positively impacted by the programmes and projects of ECOWAS. This is in line with the shift of ECOWAS slogan from ECOWAS of State to ECOWAS of People, the Nigerian President emphasised.

He appreciated the Authority of Heads of States and citizens of the Community for trusting him to lead the West African body.

President Tinubu said: Your Excellencies, let me conclude by once again deeply appreciating the Authority of Heads of State and the citizens of the Community for your trust in me. Together, we can shape a brighter future of shared values of peace, democracy, and economic prosperity of our region.

In his welcome address, the outgone ECOWAS Chairman and President of Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo saluted his fellow leaders for sustaining the vision of the organisation despite the global economic headwinds and trouble spots within the region. He cited Mali, Burkina Faso and Republic of Guinea as countries where the constitutional order had been distorted while congratulating Nigeria and Sierra Leone for sustaining constitutional order through democratic process with the recent successful elections.

Dele Alake

Special Adviser to the President

Special Duties, Communications & Strategy

July 9, 2023

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This week in Paris, the designer Jean Paul Gaultier presented his latest collection of haute couture for the fall and winter seasons, in a fashion show featuring Julien Dossena, creative director at Rabanne, as a guest designer. While Gaultiers 33 looks, inspired by 33 Parisian monuments and sites, strutted down the runway, in the front row of the audience, a spectator easily mistaken for a Sacha Baron Cohen character watched the event in a flesh-colored, muscularly shaped tuxedo designed by Jiawei Han  a trompe loeil of a nude body builder (pale-flesh jacket and pants with white shirt and black tie underneath). The muscular man in the audience was doing exercises, stretched, and periodically eating spoonfuls of protein powder from a large container. Despite the best efforts of the woman on his right to contain her laughter, and despite the haste with which the influencer Emma Chamberlain could be seen rejecting his offer to join him in gulping down the powdered bodybuilding supplement, the mans presence, and performance, were far from a surprise: everyone expected the Estonian rapper turned fashion provocateur Tommy Cash (Tallinn, 31 years old), by now a well-known eccentricity in the fashion world, to cause some kind of a scandal.

In March, Cash was once again starred in the front row when he dressing as a person sleeping in a huge bed at the Y/Project runway show during Paris Fashion Week, seated just a few feet away from more restrained celebrities, such as Avril Lavigne and rapper Tyga. Cashs Instagram is a bottomless pit of weird and wacky interventions, from imitating fashion legend Anna Wintour to walking drones  on leashes, like dogs  in public. He appeared at the Doublet fashion show two weeks ago dressed as a dining table replete with sea food, glasses and candles; as a baby in a stroller at the Marine Serre show; as a cleaning lady (bucket and mop in hand) at the Diesel show; and as the French mime Marcel Marceau at another event hosted by his good friend and supporter, designer Rick Owens. Cash and Owens have teamed up on several occasions. Their most well-known collaboration thus far was a joint exhibition titled The Pure and the Damned (2019), presented in his native Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and involving, among the many pieces on display, a jar containing Cashs semen (originating, according to the artist, from a single ejaculation). At first I thought Id like to have it on my merch site to kinda sell sperm to my fans, he told Vice in an interview. The sperm is alive right? Its a real tank and everything, so [the fans] can do whatever. It wont be like theyre my children, but they can do whatever with it. Thats kind of the art part. The jar of sperm is currently located at Owens home.

Cashs rise as a public, and more or less disruptive, figure  disruptive, of course, only insofar as he appears at events to which he has been previously invited, with the expectation that he will put on some sort of outrageous show  has been in almost inverse proportion to his career in music, where, in recent years, he has shown proven less prolific. With two full-length albums released in 2014 and 2018, Tommy Cash was one of the most prominent names in the international rise of trap as a popular genre during that period. Already a popular name in the world of trap, Cash gained a more general notoriety with his performance of the live track Winaloto for the music platform Colors in 2016. And in an impressive music video for that same song, written and co-directed by Cash himself, the rapper also demonstrated his talent as a provocative visual artist. He has performed in Spain on several occasions, most recently in 2022, and has collaborated with the Spanish musicians Pimp Flaco and Kinder Malo. His list of collaborators also includes Charli XCX, Kim Petras, Oliver Tree and Boys Noize.

Tommy Cash dressed as Marcel Marceau during a runway show hosted by his artistic godfather, Rick Owens, this June during Paris Fashion Week. WWD (WWD via Getty Images)

Cash dressed as a cleaning lady for Diesels runway show during Milan Fashion Week, last February in Italy. Swan Gallet (WWD via Getty Images)

Far from being a scientific experiment that escaped from Kazakhstan, as he claims in the lyrics to his song Guez whoz bak, Cash is an Estonian born to a Russian father and Ukrainian mother. His Baltic DNA is inseparable from his work, which frequently pokes fun at the post-Soviet hangover and how the abrupt intervention of all things Western shaped his cultural identity: the nature of being born in the USSR the year it dissolved, in 1991. Rick Owens, according to the designer himself, was the one who helped Cash find himself. Owens, who used Cashs music for his runway shows, became close friends with the rapper, and their friendship has evolved into a stable artistic relationship. They have launched clothing lines together (after Cash launched his own solo fashion project, a parody of Kanye West, in 2018), and Owens has become a role model for Cash  someone the Estonian, in an interview with Interview Magazine, openly referred to as his daddy. Cashs fans are apparently delighted with their idols colorful flair: when the young man released a song featuring Owens in 2018, the histrionic Mona Lisa, it was hailed by many on social media as a masterpiece.

The author of songs such as Pussy Money Weed, Little Molly, and Leave Me Alone  and the surreal music videos that accompany them, directed by Anna Himma of Iconoclast Studio  is scheduled to perform at a festival in the Czech Republic at the end of July, and in Toronto, Canada in November. If Cash has plans for other performances, it doesnt look like fans will find out about them on his official website, which is dedicated solely to the sale of clothes and accessories. Devotees of the versatile artist who hope to hear or see something new will just have to wait for the next surprise.

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The State Security Service (SSS), on Sunday, reacted to a series of media reports it claimed were done to put it in bad light.

The agency said on Sunday that one of the reports alleged that its operatives raided offices of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and carted away files.

Another of the reports said it arrested and detained a former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, for ignoring the presidents call.

Mr Yari, the senator representing Zamfara West in the Senate, contested for Senate President in June in defiance of the choice of Godswill Akpabio, who eventually won the seat by their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu.

The third said it was snooping on judges of the Presidential Election Petition Court.

Last week, the court concluded trial in the cases challenging President Tinubus election victory, bringing it close to holding the final hearing before judgement.

Members of the public are enjoined to disregard the misleading stories which are aimed at causing disaffection in the country and disparaging the Service leadership, the SSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, said in a statement posted via the agencys Twitter handle in a series of tweets on Sunday.

The agency denied carrying out operations at the ICPC and CCB or removing files from their offices. Instructively, the two agencies have, on their own, refuted the news in widely circulated press statements, the statement said.

It also described as laughable, the report that suggested that it invited Mr Yari for refusing to pick up the Presidents call.

As if confirming that it took Mr Yari into custody for interrogation, the statement said, Yari knows why he was invited.

But another part of the statement contained a confusing line: If Yari or anyone else is to be invited or taken into custody, the Service will not hesitate to do so as far as that is procedurally done within the confines of the law.

It denied snooping on judges of the Presidential Election Petition Court and a claim of a rumble within the SSS due to nepotism.

In fact, the Service denies all the allegations as they lack any factual basis or credibility. They are only figments of the creators imaginations.

This is more so that the publishers in question have been noted in and outside the country for their notoriety for peddling.fake news, sensational and gutter journalism. Without a modicum of proper and civilised behaviour, they indulge in character assassinations and sundry blackmail as business, the state said.

Read SSS statement:

SSS DISMISSES ONLINE MEDIA ALLEGATIONS AGAINST IT

The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to false reports by sections of the online media particularly SaharaReporters, Peoples Gazette and Jackson Ude. The so called news platforms variouslyand wrongly fed the public with misleading narratives and accusations against the Service. For instance, SaharaReporters wrote that the Service stormed the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and carted away certain files from them. Jackson Ude falsely claimed that there is a rumble in the DSS due to nepotism. He further accused the Service of snooping on Judges on the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

On its part, Peoples Gazette reported that Senator Abdulaziz Yari was arrested for alleged refusal to pick the Presidents phone call (whatever that meant). There are other variants of unsubstantiated and anonymous petitions flying around against the DGSS, his family and some officials. The Service ordinarily would not have responded to these inaccuracies but for the fickle minded and vulnerable persons as well as the unsuspecting public that may take the lies for facts.

To set the records straight, the DSS did not execute operations of any kind at the ICPC and CCB or remove files from their offices. Instructively, the two agencies have, on their own, refuted the news in widely circulated press statements.

It is petty, if not laughable, to report that Yari was invited for refusing to pick the Presidents call. This is the height of junk journalism. Yari knows why he was invited.

In fact, the Service denies all the allegations as they lack any factual basis or credibility. They are only figments of the creators imaginations. This is more so that the publishers in question have been noted in and outside the country for their notoriety for peddling.fake news, sensational and gutter journalism. Without a modicum of proper and civilised behaviour, they indulge in character assassinations and sundry blackmail as business.

It is not in doubt that their reports under reference are hatchet jobs designed to smear or impeach the integrity of the Service and its leadership. Notably, the Service proactively alerted the public about this development earlier in June, 2023.

While it is aware of the sponsors of these campaigns of calumny, it will simply allow them to exhaust themselves knowing too well that they would someday be brought to justice.Many days, it is said, are sure for the thief but there will be that one day for the owner of the house.

It is clear that the writers and their sponsors are oblivious of the accolades the Service has continued to receive from majority of stakeholders for excellent performance and its professional demeanour in handling many critical issues of national importance.

Rather, they have chosen to use their platforms to subvert the Agency and undermine its capabilities. Restating its respect for the rule of law, independence and autonomy of other agencies including the Judiciary and Legislature, it will not shirk its responsibilities or allow some detractors to prevent it from undertaking its statutory duties or carrying out lawful orders by constituted authorities. If Yari or anyone else is to be invited or taken into custody, the Service will not hesitate to do so as far as that is procedurally done within the confines of the law. The Service will remain focused, resilient, patriotic and professional in the conduct of its affairs

Members of the public are enjoined to disregard the misleading stories which are aimed at causing disaffection in the country and disparaging the Service leadership.

The Service will continue to work with relevant stakeholders to address security challenges in the country in line with its mandate and the directives of the President. It does not matter how many times naysayers and hostile agents will plan to distract it.

Peter Afunanya, Ph.D, fsi

Public Relations Officer

Department of State Services

National Headquarters

Abuja

9th July, 2023

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The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the dismissal of three senior police officers over cases of misconduct and abuse of office.

Head of Press and Public Relations of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

He said the commission also approved a reduction in rank of nine other officers, including a commissioner of police.

According to him, the commission took the decisions during its 21st Plenary Meeting, presided over by Clara Ogunbiyi, the commissioner representing the judiciary in the commission.

Mr Ani said Mrs Ogunbiyi, a retired judge, presided over the meeting on behalf of the Chairman, Solomon Arase, who later joined the meeting via Zoom.

The PSC spokesperson said the commission also approved the compulsory retirement of an assistant commissioner of police and directed a refund of all entitlements wrongly paid to him.

He added that the commission approved the posthumous promotion of the late Ifeanyi Oroke, an inspector, to the next rank of assistant superintendent of police for acts of gallantry.

Mr Ani said the commission also reinstated a dismissed officer, Augustina Oko, an inspector, from the date she was dismissed.

The commission also approved the punishment of severe reprimand for 16 officers, reprimand for 18 others and directed that letters of warning be given to two other officers.

The commission had earlier approved the appeal for adjustment on the date of promotion of Mr Woke Kingsley to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police and reinstatement of Mr Anaele Onuoha, a Chief Superintendent of Police, in compliance with a court judgement, he said.

(NAN)

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If you diligently analyse initial reactions to the allegation that Mmesoma Ejikeme forged her Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination result on social media, it would be difficult not to conclude that her race was her wrong. That she was wrong to have been born Igbo at a critical time like this. Or that the politics of her race was her albatross. Ejikeme has attracted so much odious comments to herself, similar to one who willfully pelted a mound of excrement on the self. Only on Friday, an Anambra State committee of enquiry revealed that she indeed faked the result.

Kaduna State-born senator, Shehu Sani, on Saturday, put the issue in its starkest perspective when he wrote on his Twitter handle that: The girl forged UTME result. The commentaries for and against her are more of the fallout of the 2023 election than just forgery. For most people talking, their tongues are about the forgery, but their hearts are politics. The girl committed an offence at a time when people are looking for a reason to keep the flames of verbal war alight. The girl flew a helicopter in between the Border of Ukraine and Russia Most Nigerians are now wearing ethno-religious and political sunglasses; everything is viewed from the perspective of that lens. We are likely going to live like this for a very long time.

Mmesomas first audacity, it will seem, was living and writing the JAMB examination in Anambra State. Didnt she realise that that is the state of origin of Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate? It looked every inch an anathema. Her second infraction, from social media comments on the forgery, it seemed, was that she shared, even if tangentially, ethnicity with Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, LPs Lagos State gubernatorial candidate. Rhodes-Vivours mother is said to be Igbo.

The Igbo had always received the Mmesoma pushback from the rest of Nigeria. While the North superintended over the terror pushback against the Igbo (recall the 1966 pogrom; the killing of scores of Igbo on the allegation of defiling the Quran, like Godwin Akaluka; the civil war; governmental terrorist attack that the tiny dot in a circle represents, etc.), the Yorubas confrontation with the Igbo has always been intellectual. It comes in the form of disdain of the Igbos claim to ethnic superiority. Another is the belief that Igbo leadership prefers and acts in bias for its own ethnicity in what were supposed to be purely federal appointments.

The survival politics of the First Republic that Chief SL Akintola found himself in, dictated that he allied with the Hausa-Fulani. It was also what was responsible for his disdain for the Igbo. It was at a time when Nnamdi Azikiwes West African Pilot was accused of always unfairly projecting his Igbo stock, as against seeking the balance that journalism required. Some editorial content in the Pilot were perceived to have authenticated this charge. For example, the Pilots edition of 30 December, 1938, had as lead story on its front page, Two Ibo students pass doctorate exam. The paper also placed the photographs of these Ibos, RM Ojike and JPC E Okala on its front page, as well as that of Green Mbadiwe, who it said was a Nigerian millionaire and patron of higher education and that of MC Okechuku, whose maternal nephew is proceeding to America to study medicine.

Another case in point was the lead story of the newspaper for 18 July, 1941 with the screaming title, Ibibio student passes B. Sc (Agriculture) in U. S. A. The story had the photograph of the new graduate, Mr Bassey UA Attah, who passed out from the College of Agriculture, Tuskegee, Alabama. Zik also had the speeches of these Ibo achievers published in the Pilots Inside Stuff column as messages home from abroad. Hardly did the Pilot have any positive report on such advancement among the Yoruba. On occasions when it did, the identity of the achiever was buried with the tag of an African given to the recipient of the higher degree. An example of this was the lead story of the Pilot of 1 November, 1941. It was entitled, African qualifies as fellow of British Optical Association. The African in question was one Mr Olatunde Balogun.

While many claimed that Igbos quarrel with the Yoruba emanated from the failure of Azikiwe to clinch the regions Premiership in 1952, it is said that the regions disagreement with the Igbo began due to alleged favouritism and expansionism of the race. This led to the Chairman of the Nigerian Railways, Dr. Okechukwu Ikejiani, being given the Mmesioma treatment in the Western Region. Apart from campaign ground statements which Akintola made against Igbo, the Premier twisted the name of Ikejiani to a Yoruba adaptation so as to suit his pillory of the race. Akintola, reputed orator and very deep in Yoruba morphology, was wont to ask his audience, The first (Igboman) would have, the second (Igboman) would have; what have you got? This he deployed to underscore the nepotist character of not only Dr. Ikejiani, but the Igbo man, the typecast that conveniently suited the political conjuration of the Akintola NNDP of the time. The other famed quotation of this famous Yoruba language rich argot-dispenser was in the crisis of who became the vice chancellor of the University of Lagos between Professors Sabiru Biobaku and Eni Njoku. They were Yoruba and Igbo respectively. Playing on both professors names, Akintola was said to have told an audience that we said we would give you a man who would not die (Yoruba translation of Biobaku), yet you insisted that it is the man who eats the dead (Yoruba literal translation of Eni Njoku) that you want!

In support of the Akintola governments bid to typecast the Igbo as nepotist and not worthy to partner with in the alliance that was then afoot, the battle became visible in the Sketch newspaper owned by the Akintola-led government. Exactly six days into its existence, on April 6, 1964, Sketch published a letter from one Odafe Othihiwa in its Our readers view column that it entitled 11,000 for Ikejiani alone? It was the beginning of a long-lasting structuring regime in the Sketch against both Ikejiani and his Ibo Union. The letter thus went further to state that, It is strange to observe that while we cry over unemployment in this country, people like Dr. Ikejiani are holding at least five different posts on an alleged total salary of 11,000 I also call on the Prime Minister to probe the activities of Dr. Ikejiani and his right wingers in the Railway Corporation. It is no political bias.

The newspaper, in the same edition, followed this up with a feature on its back page edition of April 6, 1964 entitled Staggering situation in rail where it alleged that a very serious tribal warfare was going on in the railway corporation, and that, when the corporations 50,000 workers resumed, they would break into two camps  the Yorubas and the Ibos. It accused Dr. Ikejiani, who is by nature very loquacious of employing a medical doctor who earned an annual salary of 2,600 and yet had no job because the hospital earmarked for him by Dr Ikejiani was not going to be ready in the next eighteen months. It ended the piece by attaching an appeal to the President of the Egbe Omo Olofin, Chief HO Davies, by the Secretary, on account of Ikejianis sack of the Deputy Assistant General Manager of the Corporation, Mr FM Alade, which it said was deteriorating.

In the same edition, the Sketch carried a rather sarcastic story on its front page with the title, Yoruba nru, Ikejiani nsanra, meaning that, while the Yoruba race was going lean, Ikejiani (and invariably, his stock) were getting fatter. The newspaper was however forced to publish a full-page advertorial by the Ikejiani railway corporation on the staff strength, designation, tribal origin and position of workers in the corporation with the title Nigerian Railway Corporation: Facts you must know about staff position, maintaining that the accusation of tribalism was made to inflame inter-tribal hatred in an attempt to gain political advantages to the detriment of our young countrys advancement. But in the same edition, the Sketch published an editorial it entitled, What is official? (Daily Sketch, April 10, 1964). Therein, it accused Ikejiani of running the corporation like secret societies, cabals or tribal cults where anything goes and calling him to, publish staff lists, monthly or annual returns, bulletins, Railway assets and liabilities. His own salary and allowances, as well as those of his top aids (sic) and underdogs, workers and labourers alike, must be public property. The Akintola government later released a White paper that detailed allegations of nepotism against Ikejiani. It alleged that out of a grand total of 431 names on the staff list of the corporation, 270 were Igbo and 161 of other ethnic groups; of the 57 direct senior appointments made by the corporation, 27 were Igbo, 8 were other tribes and eight others were expatriates.

I went into the archive to bring out the above historical narrative so as to be able to explain that what we see today as acrimonious Yoruba/Igbo relations didnt start today. In spite of the fact that the two races have a lot in common, politics and race for ascension into elective and appointive political offices have torn them asunder; so much that, like the words of Obierika to the white man in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart, he has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart. It is so bad that Hausa/Fulani who allegedly killed Igbo people in thousands through the pogrom are not as resented by the Igbo as they do the Yoruba. The ethnic fissures are indeed becoming very frightening.

Some leaders attempted to kill the ghost of this ethnic division. Bola Tinubu in Lagos and Chimaroke Nnamani in Enugus appointments of Igbo and Yoruba into their cabinets began to redraw this acrimonious graph and to re-contextualize the disunity. Today, the relation has become worse and is back on a cliff edge. When Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State recently appointed a renowned broadcast journalist, Ladi Akeredolu-Ale, to head his states broadcasting service, an otherwise knowledgeable senior journalist went to town to denounce this. As I read his doggerel, Bob Marleys evergreen track, they dont want to see us unite all they want us to do is, keep on fussing and fighting sieved into my head. Why are peoples hearts filled with bottomless hatred for the other man as this?

To be candid, the 2023 elections have further put a wedge on tribal relations between the two ethnicities. When you read the quantum of bile exchanged between Yoruba and Igbo on the social media, you will be pessimistic of a future for the two races together. Unfortunately for both, they have been so mutually enfolded into each other that it is in their individual interest to live in amity.

Yesterday, I read an interview granted the Vanguard newspaper by the President General of apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. We dont have security problems in the South-East. We have said release Nnamdi because the young people are supporters of Nnamdi Kanu, which is an excuse that they give. When we look at it seriously, we have not seen any offence committed by Kanu. In fact, the court has said he should be released. As Igbo leaders, we do not see the reason he is being kept in detention. These people are giving it as an excuse for their sit-at-home. We believe that keeping Nnamdi Kanu in prison is an effort to collaborate with some elements who want to destroy the economy of states in the South-East, he said.

To me, Iwuanyanwu was not sincere with himself or the Igbo race in that interview. If the truth must be told, Igbos reaction to Muhammadu Buharis bigotry was extreme. No sane government would condone the vile, sadistic commentaries from Nnamdi Kanu before his arrest or the unleashing of terror on the Nigerian state by felons loyal to him called Unknown Gunmen. What were Igbo elders like Iwuanyanwu doing while Kanu constituted himself into such unmitigated outlawry? What were they doing while he forcefully blocked the economic windpipe of the race by declaring Sit At Home? Even ex-governors of the zone during the garrulous gangsterism of Kanu appeared so complicit and cowed by the roar of the uncouth lion that Kanu was. So, how has sitting at home on Mondays by the very entrepreneurial Southeast people, calculated to have set its economy backwards by billions, helped in advancing the cause of Kanus release or the injustices that have been forced down the throat of the race by successive Nigerian governments? Did the weekly economic injuries which Igbo inflicted on themselves by that act of calculated indolence, in any way, affect Buhari or wake him up from his eight years of perpetual somnambulist governance?

At the risk of immodesty, I am one of the few non-Igbo who can speak truth to the race. This is because I have spoken variously about the depth of love I encountered when I lived among the people. Igbo are one of the most beautiful races in the world. When then Governor Chimaroke Nnamani brought me to Enugu in 2003, he opened the water trough of the beauty, serenity and calmness of Igboland for me to gulp in abundance. Ever since, my fate seems intertwined with the lands. Whenever I cross the Niger River, I feel at home. However, let us tell ourselves the truth: Igbos sheepish conformity with the illogicality of Sit At Home appears to the rest of the world a benign version of the suicide bomber mentality. To put it mildly, it is crazy. While the suicide bomber extinguishes self to destroy others, in Sit At Home, Igbo destroy themselves while assuming they are taking a pound of flesh from Nigeria. The inability of the elders of the race to stop the crimson-red dent on Igboland by Unknown Gunmen and the impression they created that violence is inextricably woven to the Igbo race, is fatal to the perception of the globe of an Igbo man.

Igbos immediate rash reaction to Mmesoma Ejikemes forged result is the same uncritical stand it took about Nnamdi Kanus incarceration. It was a We and Them response. Almost immediately, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekweseli, called for further investigation into the allegation against the Igbo girl. I thought the first thing to do was to condemn the act, not necessarily the young girl and then ask for a probe. Innoson Motors, an Igbo-owned company, also immediately promised a N3 million scholarship for the young girl. Asari Dokubo, the South-South violence-baiting man then threw into the ring his known hatred for the Igbo. Mmesoma must be older than 19 because  wait for it  his own daughter was 15 when she sat for the same examination! What a puerile logic.

Yorubas reaction to the Mmesoma conundrum was also a continuation of the age-long tiff between it and its Igbo enemy. Which should not. Ethnicity should not have any role to play in ethical considerations. Whether Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba, wrong should have no binary name. It was this same ethno-centric position we all took in the choice of who to mount political offices in the last general elections.

I think Igbo should extinguish the ghost of the incorrigible Sit At Home and Unknown Gunmen violence first before embarking on diplomatic shuttles for Kanus release. Those two issues are staining the white garment of this beautiful race.

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.

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On 3 July, 2023, Senegals president, Macky Sall, in power since 2012, publicly renounced his aspiration for a constitutionally prohibited third term, sparking a synchronised outbreak of ostentatious back-slapping. Nigerias former president, Goodluck Jonathan, convener of the impressively-named, West African Elders Forum (WAEF), fired off a letter describing Macky Sall as a paragon of sacrificial leadership. Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, was full of admiration for statesmanship which privileged Senegals interests.

Describing President Salls announcement as an act of courage, humility, and deep faith in Senegalese democracy, Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima, claimed that he had told her in confidence two years ago that he was not going to run for a third term but that he would announce this towards the end of his term.

Ms Byanyima did not say whether President Sall had also told her that he would wait for enough Senegalese to die on the altar of his presidential vanities before renouncing them. Her testimony had a tiresomely Pentecostal whiff to it.

In announcing the renunciation of his ambitions, Macky Sall claimed that Senegals constitution, whose text is explicit to the contrary, would have permitted his violation of it. He sounded deflated and he was. President Salls hitherto undisguised ambitions had already killed dozens in popular resistance and protests. The latest, at the beginning of June 2023, led to the killing of between 16 to 30 protesters.

In the end, the people forced him to blink. In his campaign to succeed himself, Macky Salls party had procured paid demonstrations in support of his ill-fated ambition. But, ahead of his announcement, opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, whom Sall seeks to preclude from next years ballot, had called out the country to mass action.

Senegals citizens were determined to make the price of Salls self-succession ambition impermissibly prohibitive. The Council on Foreign Relations rightly described Salls disavowal of his ambition as rather belated.

Macky Salls self-succession put Senegals proud record of democratic exceptionalism in West Africa to test and is a rare instance of failure in Africas new brand of constitutional coups. In retrospect, events in Dakar this past week show that while the optics of the regions democratic landscape may appear different, the narcissism of political power remains durable.

On 28 May 1975, the rulers of 15 countries in West Africa concluded a summit in Lagos, then capital of Nigeria, with the adoption of the Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS. It established a regional economic community among the 15 countries, with an undertaking to shrink the zone of sovereign prerogative that they could claim at a time when relations among Africas rulers were defined by mutual suspicion and a mutual trade in accusations of interference or subversion.

For proof of this then existing trend, you only had to look at the composition of the rulers who established ECOWAS. Their host was a Yakubu Gowon, Nigerias then Head of State, a dashing four-star General since the age of 34, who was barely 40. Basking in the after-glow of the accomplishment that the establishment of ECOWAS clearly was, General Gowon traveled to Kampala, Uganda, two months later in July 1975 for the 12th Summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). It was his last. Gowons host in Kampala was Idi Amin Dada, another soldier and Ugandas then ruler, who had chosen to go one better than Gowon by gratifying his vanities with the epaulettes of a Field Marshall.

While he was in Kampala, soldiers back home in Nigeria, led by Murtala Mohammed, then a Brigadier-General in the Nigerian Army, decided to relieve Gowon of his command and overthrow him. Nanven Joseph Garba, the army colonel who announced the coup, was Gowons kinsman who also commanded the Brigade of Guards responsible for the protection of the Head of State.

Yakubu Gowon was not the only soldier at the creation of ECOWAS in 1975 nor was he the only one overthrown by them. Six others among the 15 original signatories to the treaty were soldiers, including: Lt-Col Mathieu Kerekou (Benin); Gen. Ignatius Acheampong (Ghana, represented by Lt-Col RJA Falli, Minister for Economic Planning); Col. Moussa Traore (Mali, represented by Major Baba Diarra, Vice-Chairman of the Military Committee of National Liberation); Lt-Col. Seyni Kountche (Niger); Gen. Gnassingbe Eyadema (Togo), and Gen. Aboubakar Sangoule Lamizana (Upper Volta, now Burkina Faso)

Of the remaining eight, Presidents Dawda Jawara (Gambia); Sekou Toure (Guinea); Luiz Cabral (Guinea Bissau); William Tolbert (Liberia); Moktar Ould Daddah (Mauritania); and Siaka Stevens (Sierra Leone) were all succeeded by soldiers. President Felix Houphouet-Boigny of Cote dIvoire was the only president as such among the original signatories who was neither a soldier nor directly succeeded by one. Abdou Diouf who represented Senegal at the adoption of the treaty was then Prime Minister to President Leopold Senghor, whom he later succeeded as president on 1 April, 1981.

Looking back at that era from the vantage of nearly five decades later, the appearance of progress in the optics of government in West Africa looks assured. Mauritania is no longer part of ECOWAS but Cape Verde, which joined in 1976, ensures that the regional bloc remains comprised of 15 members.

In the half century to 2004, West African countries witnessed 169 military interventions of some sort. The only countries spared this scourge were Cape Verde and Senegal.

Today, in 12 countries out of 15 among the member states of ECOWAS, the head of state by whatever name called, enjoys democratic legitimacy. The only countries presently exempt from this trend are Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali, where the military installed themselves in power in coups organized within the past three years.

Impressive as this picture may look, it flatters the region in many ways. First, soldiers in military fatigues may no longer be fashionable in seats of power, but soldiers in many countries in the region are not far from power. Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the current president of Guinea Bissau and Julius Maada Bio, his peer in Sierra Leone, are both former army Generals. Muhammadu Buhari, another General who led the military to overthrow Nigerias elected government on 31 December, 1983, only recently completed another tour of duty on 29 May 2023 as head of state of his country. They may have shed their fatigues, but soldiers continue in many African countries to enjoy historical advantages in the contest for political and economic power.

Second, coups are no longer the monopoly of soldiers. Civilians or incumbents with appearance of electoral legitimacy now also implement what have been called constitutional coups by manipulating constitutions, courts, and election management bodies to destroy constitutional guardrails and keep themselves in power for as long as they please. In West Africa, the rulers of Cote dIvoire and Togo, for instance, have changed their constitutions in this way. In Guinea, soldiers found their excuse to launch a bid for power in fatigues after Alpha Conde, a civilian president, overthrew the constitution in a bloody exercise in 2021 to extend his tenure as president.

Third, these efforts to subvert constitutional rule in the region, whether by the military or civilians, are often accompanied by foreign support. Around Africa, Russia is a rising new force for autocracy and coups. In West Africa, Russias footprint has been active in the overthrow of constitutional government in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali. Beyond the region, its friendly presence has also been reported in Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Sudan, Zimbabwe, among others.

In Senegal, Macky Salls ambitions stalled in the face of many factors. He could not rely on the army, he had no overwhelming foreign backers and Senegals fragility was becoming evident in the face of stout popular resistance. In the end, the people forced him to back down. The plaudits here clearly belong to the people of Senegal. For Macky Sall, he will spend the remainder of his presidency seeking post-presidential immunity. He will need it.

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a lawyer, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu.

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Armed persons on Saturday night attacked a community in Plateau State, killing nine people and razing six houses, a resident and an official have said.

The attack occurred in the Sabon Gari community in Mangu Local Government of the state.

The attack is the latest in the state that has witnessed many such attacks by armed persons amidst ongoing ethnoreligious conflicts in various parts of the state.

Jerry Datim, one of the leaders of the attacked community, confirmed the attack to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

Mr Datim, who is the national president of the Global Society for Middle Belt Heritage, said the attack occurred on Saturday night.

Last night, gunmen attacked my village, Sabon Gari in Mangu, burnt six houses and destroyed many other properties.

So far, we have recovered nine dead bodies; we are still searching because some people are still missing, he said.

Mr Datim, however, commended personnel of Operation Rainbow, a local security outfit in the state, for responding swiftly to the attack.

I wish to commend men of operation rainbow; their swift response brought the situation under control.

We call on government to support them with necessary logistics for prompt response, he said.

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Asked if residents had deserted the community, Mr Datim said that they had resolved to remain and defend their ancestral lands.

James Oya, the spokesperson of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), a Special Military Task Force, confirmed the incident.

Mr Oya, who did not confirm the number of deaths, said that the Commander of the Operation, Abdusalam Abubakar, a major general, was leading troops to the scene of the attack.

Plateau, in north-central Nigeria, has witnessed several such attacks despite the heavy deployment of security operatives. Some of the attacks are reprisals of pervious attacks between warring communities an ethnoreligious groups. Sometimes, the attacks are between armed herders and lcoal farming communities in the state.

Thousands of people have been killed and others injured in such attacks in the state.

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An attack by armed persons on a community in Benue State has left scores of people dead, an official has said.

Tersoo Kula, the spokesperson of Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue, who confirmed the attack in a statement, said the governor condemned the unprovoked attack.

He said the attack occurred in Akpuuna village in Mbaterem, Ukum Local Government Area of the state.

According to the Sunday statement, scores of people were killed when the armed hoodlums attacked the community on Saturday.

The statement said Mr Alia received the news of the attack with shock, adding that the governor was disheartened to hear that innocent residents had been attacked and murdered in cold blood for no just cause.

it said the governor expressed total displeasure over what he described as a heinous crime and a grave sin against God and mankind.

According to the statement, Mr Alia urged security agencies to arrest those behind the heinous act with a view to making them face the law.

The governor sends his words of condolence to those who lost their loved ones in the attack and prays God to comfort them.

Alia calls for calm and advises the people of Sankera to assist security agencies with useful information that could help tackle insecurity in the area, he wrote.

The Attack

Punch newspaper had reported the attack, with residents saying it occurred Saturday morning.

As of Saturday, residents said they had recovered 24 bodies of victims after the attackers fled.

The exact cause of the attack is not known and no group has claimed responsibility for it.

However, Benue, like neighbouring Plateau State, has witnessed scores of attacks by armed groups leading to the death of thousands of people. PREMIUM TIMES reported how a separate attack in Plateau Saturday evening led to the death of at least nine people.

The attacks have continued despite heavy deployment of security operatives including soldiers to both states and despite changes in government with the former ruling parties in both states losing to opposition parties in the March governorship elections.

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The long wait for the re-opening of Eko Bridge in Lagos State has ended. The flyover is now open for vehicular traffic, 15 months after it was closed by the Federal Government for a major repair.

The bridge was severely damaged at Apogbon section during a fire caused by illegal trading under it. The intensity of the inferno was said to have weakened major components and supporting pillars of the bridge, prompting its closure for extensive repair on the entire stretch.

Eko Bridge is one of the three bridges linking the mainland to the Island of Lagos.

The bridges reopening brought huge relief for motorists and commuters, who endured months of pain transiting in and out of Lagos Island.

Scores of excited commuters, on Saturday evening, received Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Federal Comptroller of Works, Olukorede Keisha, at a drive through ceremony for the reopening of the flyover.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said the repair at the Apogbon axis had been completed, but disclosed that maintenance work would continue on the infrastructure, which would lead to intermittent closures in the coming months.

The Governor conveyed the Federal Governments apology to Lagos residents for the delay in getting the Eko Bridge back to use, stressing that it would be risky to reopen the bridge without proper reconstruction of the damaged section.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said: It is with great delight to announce that we have carried out comprehensive tests with the contractor from the Federal Ministry of Works and we believe that Apogbon section of the Eko Bridge can now be opened for motorists. But the maintenance work on the entire bridge has not completed. There are lots of bearings that still need to be reinforced along the entire stretch of the infrastructure.

In future, there will be more intermittent closures at different sections of the bridge but the period may not be longer than one or two weeks. This is necessary for us to jerk up the bridge and complete the maintenance work. We are reopening the bridge to bring relief to road users, who have endured hardship due to the repair work.

The Governor said the contractor handling the work would also be reconstructing ancillary roads along the corridor to prevent further misuse of the bridge.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said continuous trading activities under the bridge would no longer be permitted to prevent further damage to the flyover.

The Governor issued a seven-day ultimatum to all traders and illegal squatters to remove their belongings and vacate the space under the Eko Bridge. He directed the Lagos State Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Taskforce) to clear any illegal structure found under the bridge after the ultimatum.

He said: We are using this medium to warn those trading under the bridge that we will not tolerate any form of illegal activities under this bridge and other bridges in the State. The bridges are important assets to the State and we cannot fold our arms and allow a few people to destroy them.

We have seen the effect which the destruction on Eko Bridge caused the entire city. We cannot afford to have these bridges shut down again because of illegal activities. We will clear all squatters from Ijora Olopa to Costain and there will be zero tolerance for market activity under the bridge.

Mrs Keisha thanked Lagos State Government for collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Works to hasten up the repair work on the bridge, noting that the reopening of the bridge was made possible because of the intervention of the State Government.

She said comprehensive maintenance work had already started on Eko Bridge before the fire incident happened, which made the contractor to abandon the work to focus on the damaged sections. Having repaired the parts damaged by the fire, Keisha said the contractor would continue the maintenance work to reinforce the bridge for public safety.

She said: The reopening of the bridge would not have been possible if the Lagos State Government had not come to our rescue. If not for the intervention of the State Government, what is happening here would not be achieve. We appreciate this collaboration and timely support. Having considered the hardship on motorists, Governor Sanwo-Olu brought the machinery of the State to the assistance of the Federal Government and get the work done.

SIGNED

GBOYEGA AKOSILE

CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY

08 JULY 2023

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At 5:30 a.m. on July 10, 1923, the people waiting in the queue to purchase bullfight tickets at the booth in the main square in Pamplona are awakened by tremors that rattle the newspapers they have wrapped around themselves for warmth, unaware that the earthquake that would reverberate for the next hundred years had arrived in the square by bus four days before.

Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley arrived on the evening of July 6, 1923, Hemingways initial visit to Pamplona. We landed at night, he wrote months later in the Canadian newspaper the Toronto Star. The couple had traveled from their apartment in Paris. Distances were the same in 1923 as today, but they had traveled from a Paris that was much further away from Pamplona than today.

This evening Ernest and his wife step down from the bus in the Plaza de la Constitucion and struggle to make their way through the festive crowd to the Hotel La Perla. The room they had reserved in the hotel on the main square has not been saved and they are offered a single room at $14 per night, which nearly matches their monthly rent in Paris. The Hemingways complain it is too expensive and refuse. Ignacia Erro, the owner, procures a room for them in a private home at number 5 Calle Eslava for $5 per night.

Throughout his life, Hemingway perpetuated the myth that he and his wife Hadley were very poor in Paris in the early 1920s. You got very hungry when you did not eat enough in Paris, Hemingway wrote in A Moveable Feast. It would be romantic for a young writer to be hungry in 1920s Paris, and you can even believe it while sitting at a table in La Closerie de Lilas in Montparnasse. It counterpoints the ambiance, and your faith in your work nourishes you, and your passion blunts the hunger.

It would be pretty to think so. But then reality walks in, sits at the next table and writes another story.

Hemingway In Pamplona, in 1925, with Lady Duff Twysden, Hadley Hemingway and Harold Loeb. John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

In 1923 Hemingways journalism combined with his wifes trust fund provided them with an income of approximately $5,000 per year. Their apartment in Paris cost $16.83 per month. A year earlier he had published an article in the Toronto Star Weekly entitled Living on $1,000 a Year in Paris.

He and Hadley pass through the revolving doors of the Hotel La Perla this July evening and out into the hot, crowded main square. He observes the revelers dancing to the Waltz of Astrain, celebrating the inaugural evening of fiesta, listens to two men playing Basque flutes and drums as they pass by the tables of the Cafe Iruna, the patrons shouting to make themselves heard as white-jacketed waiters struggle to negotiate a path between the tables, and then suddenly he hears and feels the bursts and smells the acrid odour of powder as Don Manuel Oroquieta, the local pyrotechnist, launches fireworks into the night sky above the square.

Make all that come true again, Hemingway would write years later, but now, in this beginning, he begins to make it all come true.

As far as I know, we were the only English-speaking people in Pamplona during the Feria, Hemingway writes in Pamplona in July, an article in the Toronto Star Weekly published in October 1923. Perhaps he was correct, perhaps he and Hadley were the sole foreigners, but they were far from alone in the fiesta that July, as evidenced by this front page article in the local newspaper, El Diario de Navarra, on 6 July:

Judging by the amount of people who have been arriving during the last few days, up to the point that yesterday and today the trains have doubled and tripled their capacity, it turns out we will not all fit in the city. For the last few years, weve had to take a ticket in order to drink a cup of coffee, to go to the theatre, to the circus or, even, to sleep. But this year it is going to be atrocious.

In another front page article on July 6, the journalist Jose Asenjo laments: Everything about the fiesta has changed. It is no longer what it was. They have adulterated it.

Hemingway quickly realized the pernicious effect that publicity and the resulting mass tourism could have on the fiesta. In October the following year, he published Pamplona Letter in The Transatlantic Review: Really I cant write anything more. Its no good. Either it would bore a lot of people or else next year Cooks would be running tours down there. The less publicity it has the better.

Ernest Hemingway and Valerie Danby at Bar Txoko in 1959. CANO (BIBLIOTECA J. F. KENNEDY)

He did write more, however, and the novel he published two years later caused tremors in Pamplona more powerful than those felt by the people waiting in line at the ticket booth three years before. In July 1929 his friend and journalist Guy Hickok, who had accompanied him to the fiesta that year, published Novel Describing Pamplonas Fiesta Made Hemingway Father of Spanish Town, in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

As far as the English reading world is concerned, Ernest Hemingway is the founding father of Pamplona. He put the fiesta in his novel The Sun Also Rises, and things have never been quite the same. The book, with its romance against the background of the astonishing spirit of the fiesta, has been responsible for the development of a considerable tourist business.

But this evening as the couple starts off through the dark, narrow, fiesta-mad streets with a boy carrying their rucksacks toward their lodgings on Calle Eslava, Hadley six months pregnant, it is all fresh and new, and 23-year-old Ernest Hemingway is but an anonymous foreign face in the crowd, and he bears no burden upon his shoulders.

Fiesta: drinking in the cafe Iruna, dancing in the Plaza de la Constitucion, dining on five and six-course meals in the downstairs dining room of the Hotel La Perla.

Hemingway could drink in the Cafe du Dome and the Closerie de Lilas in Paris, he and Hadley could dance in the bal musette below their apartment on the Rue Cardinal Lemoine; for less than the price of a corrida (bullfight) ticket in Pamplona they could both eat a meal in Le Pre Aux Clercs, their favorite Paris restaurant. But there were no bulls in Paris.

Nor were there bulls in staid Oak Park, Illinois, Hemingways boyhood hometown, for bulls had been banned within the city limits, their huge testicles judged indecorous by the city fathers.

In 1928 the peto, a heavy protective mattress used to protect the horses from the horns in the bullring, was legislated by the government of Primo de Rivera, but in 1923 bloody, eviscerated horses were a common sight in the ring.

No eviscerated horses ran through the streets in the genteel village of Oak Park. Doctor Hemingways horse had once bolted down Oak Park Avenue, but the only casualty was his black buggy. But Hemingway was on intimate terms with disembowelment and blood, for during his service in the American Red Cross as an ambulance driver in Italy during the Great War, he and his fellow volunteers had collected the body parts of the factory workers of an ammunition plant that had exploded near Milan, and in a trench at Fossalta di Piave, he had watched as his own blood leaked from the wounds in his legs after an Austrian mortar had exploded, killing one Italian soldier and wounding another.

That summer in Pamplona Hemingway was a taurine neophyte, although he had seen his first corrida in Madrid on May 27. He viewed the corrida as a tragedy, admiring the courage and honour required to fight a bull, but in essence, he immediately sensed the mystical, mortal art of the corrida: Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighters honour, he wrote in Death in the Afternoon. Bullfighting, the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen, he wrote to fellow ambulance driver Bill Horne following the feria that year. The previous season death in the afternoon had been present on the sand in Spain: eight bullfighters had been killed in the ring.

Hadleys only contact with fighting bulls had been Ernests enthusiastic tales of the bullfights he had seen on his first trip to Spain a few weeks before and the evenings discussing bullfighting with Gertrude Stein, avant-garde writer and Hemingways mentor, and her companion Alice B. Toklas in their Paris salon. I am very anxious to talk about Toros y Toreros with you, he wrote to Stein in a letter dated June 20. On July 7 at 6 a.m., Hadley was to glimpse her first toros bravos.

They hurry along with the crowd toward the bullring to witness the encierro, the running of the bulls. In his article Pamplona in July Hemingway feigns ignorance for the sake of dialogue:

" Hey, whats going to happen? I asked a newsboy.

Encierro, he said scornfully.

Whats the encierro? I asked him. "

They rush to the bullring, which has been at capacity since 5:30 a.m. The couple pay 15 cents each for a ticket to the upper deck, where they stand on the balcony and watch the six bulls, five black and one dark grey, emerge from Estafeta Street and gallop down the fenced-in chute and into the ring. Hadley and Ernest rush inside to watch the bulls on the sand. None of the some 50 men in front of the animals fall at the entrance to the bullring this morning, and the bulls, escorted by steers, gallop calmly through the gate and into the corrals behind the arena. After the encierro, three fighting cows, their horns padded, are released into the ring so the men and boys can test their courage with makeshift capes. The 15,000 people wedged into the bullring cheer both the cows and the men attempting to pass them, and only one man is taken to the infirmary.

Some mornings Ernest slips through the wooden barricade and enters the ring to face the fighting cows, along with some 300 other men and boys. It is a test of courage, but above all a thrilling experience. I used to go into the amateur fights in the morning, he later writes, a practice he will continue for the next few years.

Later that morning as the couple attempt to cross the square in front of City Hall, they are enveloped by the crowd watching the procession of San Fermin as the effigy of the saint is carried from his chapel and borne through the narrow, cobblestoned streets, accompanied by local officials and the municipal band. The procession is followed by eight papier mache giants measuring over eleven feet tall. Representing four continents, America, Europe, Asia and Africa, they whirl and spin among the crowd amid the beat of drums and the notes of Basque flutes.

Ernest and Hadley cross the square, walk down Santo Domingo Street, cross the Rochapea bridge over the Arga River, through the gate in a stone wall and into the Corrales de Gas, the corrals where the bulls are enclosed until they are herded to a holding corral at the beginning of Santo Domingo on the evening before the encierro. They pay 10 cents each and, through apertures in the stone walls, carefully observe the bulls from three bull breeding ranches. At 11 a.m. the first of six large wooden crates on wheels is drawn up to a chute in a wall and a bull from the Villar ranch is unloaded into a corral with steers. Ernest and Hadley observe as the remaining five bulls they will see in the ring on the last afternoon are unloaded.

That same Saturday at noon, the couple, along with one hundred aficionados, pay 50 cents each to witness the apartado, the sorting of the bulls for the afternoon corrida. Hadley and Ernest lean against the railing above the passageway through which each bull is driven on its way to an individual stall under the lower tiers of the bullring. As each animal passes below, its name and the name of the torero who is to fight it that afternoon is announced: Compuesto (Luis Freg), Aguado (Antonio Marquez), Formalito (Nicanor Villalta)  Hadley is astounded by the raw power and the blurring agility of the bulls.

This afternoon as Hadley and Ernest walk toward the reinforced concrete bullring and their first corrida in Pamplona, it is 93F, but they have seats in the shade. They have choice seats for the five scheduled corridas. This afternoon and on days 8 and 9 they will sit in contrabarrera seats (second row) in the shade costing approximately $1.50 per ticket, while on days 12 and 13 they will be in sobrepuertas (first row above entrances to the bullring) in the shade costing some 15 cents more. The face value of the tickets equals their monthly rent in Paris.

The first bull, Compuesto, dark grey, explodes out of the gate to their left and, dazzled by the sun, stops. Quivering. Shifting his horns left and right. Then as he charges, Hadley suddenly sees what bullfighting is all about. The third bull of the afternoon eviscerates a picadors horse. Ernest has advised Hadley to look away while the horses are in the ring, but she observes and is unaffected, more interested in the gold and celestial blue suit of lights of the 25-year-old Aragonese torero Nicanor Villalta. After two sword thrusts, the bull collapses on the sand and Villalta, amid applause, circles the ring. Villalta had fought at Hemingways first bullfight in Madrid, and both Hadley and Ernest are so impressed by him they decide to name their future son after the torero  John Hadley Nicanor Hemingway. After his birth, Hadley writes that he is destined to become a bullfight aficionado. Later, Hadley describes bullfighting as that gorgeous brutality.

Rising at daylight. Encierros at 6 a.m. Processions and giants. Sorting of the bulls. Lunches at 2 or 3 p.m., lasting nearly until the corrida at 4:30 p.m.. Dinners at 9 or 10 p.m. Fireworks. Unrelenting music and dancing. Alcohol. Cacophony. Bulls in the corrals, in the streets, in the ring.

Everything became quite unreal finally, and it seemed as though nothing could have any consequences. It was a fiesta and it went on for seven days.

On Tuesday a heavy rainstorm is threatening the dawn, but the encierro is held without incident. Shortly after the encierro, the black clouds explode and it rains throughout the day and the corrida is cancelled. The following day even more rain falls than the previous day and the corrida is canceled. The Diario de Navarra reports: We thought that after all the rain that fell on day 10 there would be no pluvial reserve remaining. But yesterday it rained as never before, so hard, in fact, that the bulls in the corrals had watercresses on their hooves and frogs sat croaking on their backs.

The rain came down and drove everyone under the arcades and made pools of water in the square, and the streets wet and dark and deserted; yet the fiesta kept up without any pause. It was only driven under cover.

The two corridas are rescheduled for days 12 and 13.

On July 13 at 4:30 p.m., Hadley and Ernest are sitting in their front row seats in the shade. Across the ring, the toreros Rosario Olmos, Jose Garcia Carranza, Algabeno, and Miguel Garcia, Maera, begin to stride across the sand. It will be a bloody afternoon.

Maera, who has been paid the equivalent of $1,850 in 1923 dollars for three afternoons, dislocates his right thumb hitting bone with the sword as he attempts to kill his first bull. He manages to kill it but is taken to the infirmary and cannot continue.

Olmos is gored by his first bull, Cantarero, and rushed to the infirmary. Algabeno dispatches his bull.

Due to the injury of Maera and Olmos, Algabeno must fight and kill the remaining four bulls. The third bull leaves the horses of two picadors inert on the sand. It then gores one of Algabenos banderilleros in the right thigh. His companions carry him to the infirmary. In the ring fear and the toreros are on intimate terms, writes Arako, the taurine critic.

Bull number five dispatches the mounts of two picadors and is described as a specialist in gutting horses by Arako.

Caritarrosa, the final bull of the afternoon also terminates two horses and is quickly killed by Algabeno.

Throughout the corrida, Ernest observes, studies and remembers. An artist practicing his craft. Upon his return to Paris he will use this experience in the bullring to compose five vignettes for his book In Our Time.

As they walk out of the ring that last evening, Hadley and Ernest stroll with the crowd toward the Plaza de la Constitucion and find a table at the Cafe Iruna. They order their last drink of the festival and begin to watch the beginning of the evening of the last night of the fiesta.

In the morning it is all over. The fiesta is finished.

Hadley and Ernest depart for Paris. At the end of August they will travel to Toronto, where Hadley will give birth to their son and Ernest will continue to work as a journalist for the Toronto Star.

For Hadley it was the first fiesta of San Fermin, the first of four before she was replaced by Hemingways second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer. For Ernest, the first of nine. But for the rest of their lives, each would remember that first fiesta of San Fermin, there alone together when all was fresh and new.

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Jenin, July 9 : A delegation of foreign diplomats has visited the northern West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp following an Israeli large-scale military raid on the city earlier this week.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees organised a tour on Saturday that lasted for several hours for the delegation of 30 diplomats, most of whom represented European countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

On July 3, the Israeli army launched a two-day large-scale military operation in the Jenin area to crack down on Palestinian militants. The raid left 12 Palestinians and one Israeli army officer dead and dozens of others wounded.

The diplomats toured the refugee camp and looked at the houses and infrastructure that were destructed during the Israeli raid.

The representative of the European Union in Palestine, Sven Kun von Burgsdorff, told reporters that the delegation visited Jenin "to see the damage that occurred and work to submit reports to all capitals of diplomatic missions about what happened".

"The visit aims to express solidarity with the population in the camp, which must be protected under all circumstances, especially children and families," he said.

He stressed the need "to provide financial and political support to the Palestinian Authority so that it can work effectively in Jenin and its camp".

Burgsdorff called on the international community to take the necessary measures to ensure Israel's commitment to its compliance with international law.

Since January, 26 people, most of them Israelis, have been killed in a series of attacks carried out by Palestinians, and 190 Palestinians, including children and women, were killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers, according to official figures.
Athens, July 9 : Greece's conservative government has received a vote of confidence in Parliament.

A total of 158 MPs voted in favour of the new administration led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, while 142 voted against during the roll call vote in the 300-member strong assembly, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Greek national broadcaster ERT.

Addressing the plenary shortly before the vote, Mitsotakis said: "We are determined to move forward on the path shown to us by the citizens with a series of 10 national goals over the four-year period."

He reiterated his confidence that Greece will achieve investment-grade status this year, after about 13 years in the so-called "junk status."

The government's main priorities also include further growth to address social inequalities, higher salaries, and measures to combat unemployment, he said.

In addition, the government's policy framework focuses on energy transition and reforms in the healthcare and justice system, Mitsotakis said.

The conservative government won a second term in office in the June 25 general elections.
Sonbhadra, July 9 : A lineman posted with a power station at a village in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district has been arrested for allegedly forcing a 21-year-old Dalit youth to lick his footwear and do squats.

The incident occurred on July 6 when the youth was trying to check the electric wiring at a relativeas residence and the lineman reached the spot. However, an FIR was filed over a complaint after a video of the incident surfaced online.

In the video, the complainant is purportedly seen licking the footwear of the accused and doing squats in front of him.

The police spokesman said that the accused Tejbali Singh Patel, has been booked under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation). SC/ST Act was also invoked against the accused.
Rae Bareli, July 9 : As many as five children, aged between 8 and 12 years, drowned while playing in a swollen pond near their house in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, said police officials.

Rae Bareli Superintendent of Police (SP), Alok Priyadarshi, said that all the victims -- including four girls and a boy -- would often play in the pond. However, on Saturday, they slipped into deep water in the pond, which was overflowing due to rain spells.

The SP said that their identities have been ascertained as Vaishali, 12, Sonam, 10, Rupali, 9, Ritu, 8, and Amit, 8, -- all residents of Mangta Dera village under Gadaganj police station of Dalmau circle.

He said that he visited the spot to examine the situation and sent the bodies for postmortem examination.

"I have asked the officials concerned to ensure that there is no delay in legal proceedings and in handing over the bodies to their family members. Besides, the district administration officials have been directed to provide all possible government help to the families who have lost their kids in this tragic incident," he said.

The SP said although there is no law-and-order trouble in the village, still police force has been deployed there as a precautionary measure till the last rites of the bodies are done.
Ankara, July 9 : Turkey has taken a "fair and balanced stance" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and strengthened ties with both countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

"While strengthening our relations with Ukraine, we did not allow our relations with the Russian Federation to deteriorate," Erdogan said at a rally in the eastern province of Bayburt on Saturday, after his meeting with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Hopefully, we will meet with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin in August as well," he added.

Speaking of the negative effects of the conflict on the Turkish economy, the Turkish leader said "every event happening around us has reflections on the economy," adding energy and food prices have reached record levels all over the world.

This was Zelensky's first visit to Turkiye since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February 2022, but the Ukrainian President has often spoken by phone with Erdogan as Ankara has been pushing for peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.

In July 2022, the United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships carrying food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
Bhubaneswar, July 9 : The Ratna Bhandar, the treasure trove of Puri Jagannath temple, continues to remain a mystery for the people. There is doubt whether the Lord's valuable ornaments are intact or missing over a period of time. With the Odisha Assembly and the Lok Sabha polls approaching, the BJP has again brought the issue of reopening the Ratna Bhandar to the forefront.

According to a statement given by the Odisha government in the Assembly, the Ratna Bhandar was last opened in 1985 but the latest inventories of the valuables were made in 1978.

Until 1985, nobody had seen the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar, which was divided into two parts. The outer chamber is regularly opened and ornaments are taken out by the priests on festivals.

As per an order of the Orissa High Court, there was an attempt made to open the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar on April 4, 2018. But it could not be opened as the temple administration could not find the keys. The officials, servitors and experts, who went inside the Ratna Bhandar, had to return from the outer chamber.

But the administration did not make it public that the key was missing until the matter was raised in the managing committee meeting two days after the attempts were made to open the Ratna Bhandar.

Interestingly, after some days, following a hue and cry, all of a sudden the Puri district administration claimed that a duplicate key of the Ratna Bhandar was available. Where did the duplicate come from and where has the original key gone? It created a lot of confusion among Lord Jagannath's devotees across the country.

Later, the Justice Raghubir Das Inquiry Commission on the Ratna Bhandar was set up and Justice Das had submitted the final report to the state government in November, 2018. The Commission report has not yet been placed in the Assembly.

With this background, there has been a demand for reopening the Ratna Bhandar for a long time. During his visit to Odisha in December last year, BJP national president J.P. Nadda had raised the issue and targeted the BJD government. He had asked about the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar of the Jagannath temple. The BJP chief had also alleged that the BJD government had failed to protect the valuable gems and assets of Mahaprabhu Jagannath.

On different occasions, the party has demanded the reopening of the Ratna Bhandar, which is also reportedly in need of some repairs. Not only the BJP, several opposition parties including the Congress, Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb and many senior servitors of Puri temple have also urged the Odisha government to reopen the Ratna Bhandar, and undertake the repairing work and inventory of the valuables of Lord Jagannath.

Chhattisgarh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan has also demanded reopening of the treasure of the temple. However, the state government did not pay any heed to the demand.

With no option in hand, the BJP knocked at the doors of the Orissa High Court very recently. Admitting a petition filed by the former president of the Odisha BJP Samir Mohanty, the High Court, on July 5 served notices to four persons on the opening of the Ratna Bhandar of the Shree Jagannath temple.

"Though 45 years have passed, the government has not reopened the Ratna Bhandar. When the Puri king and Jagannath devotees across the world are waiting to know whether the valuables of Jagannath are safe in Ratna Bhandar, the government is in deep sleep," alleged Mohanty.

The BJP leader said he has moved the HC and the court has taken it seriously. The next hearing is set for August 7.

When media persons recently asked about reopening of the Ratna Bhandar, Law Minister Jagannath Saraka said, "We do not know whether the keys of Ratna Bhandar have gone missing or not. The matter is now before the Orissa High Court. The state government will take necessary steps after examining different aspects as per the directive of the court."

In 2021 then law minister Pratap Jena informed the Assembly that the Ratna Bhandar was opened in 1978. At that time, it had more than 12,831 'bhari' of gold and 22,153 'bhari' silver (one bhari equals 11.66 grams).

The storehouse had 12,831 grams of gold ornaments with expensive stones and other valuables. Similarly, 22,153 grams of silver with expensive stones, silver utensils and other valuables were found.

However, 14 gold and silver items could not be weighed during the inventory process for various reasons. During the process, the value of the items was not assessed, the Minister had said in his written statement.

--IANS

bbm /bg
Shimla, July 9 : High-altitude tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday witnessed season's first snowfall, the weather office in Shimla said.

However, the state capital Shimla and Manali experienced overnight rain, pushing the mercury down by several notches.

The high-altitude Spiti and Lahaul valleys experienced moderate snowfall, making hill stations Kaza, Losar and Chicham more picturesque.

Hills overlooking the picturesque tourist destination of Chitkul, a village close to China border, in Kinnaur district and the majestic Rohtang Pass (13,050 feet), located 52 km from Manali, experienced snowfall.

"High-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing light to moderate snow since Saturday night, while mid and lower hills getting widespread rain," an official of the Meteorological (MeT) department told IANS.

The department's forecast said heavy rainfall is likely to continue in the state till Monday.
Jaipur, July 9 : The Congress after its recent Delhi meeting has announced that the party will be going for the Rajasthan assembly polls without any chief ministerial face.

The announcement comes as a shocker as the present CM Ashok Gehlot has been working hard to ensure the return of the party while the rival camp headed by Sachin Pilot was expecting that their leader will be announced as the CM face.

While the two camps have been silenced by a statement of the party high command, many leaders claim it to be a victory of the Pilot camp as it says that indirectly, it is a message for Gehlot to stay silent as of now.

A party leader on condition of anonymity said, "If you are in government, the party leader trusts you and your leadership. When the party leadership is so confident about you, why is your face not being made the CM face in the next election. It means the party is doubtful about your performance, he added.

Veteran BJP leader Laxmikant Bharadwaj said, "The Congress has announced to go faceless during this election to fool the people. Last time, they made Pilot the face to take the votes of Gujjars, this time, they have announced to go faceless again to confuse the voters and to give the message that Pilot can be the CM and for others that Gehlot can also be the CM.

"However, elections this time will be contested on issues like poor law and order, crime against women, unemployment, etc. The people know the reality and the Congress wants to hide the facts and hence they are going faceless."

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP has already announced that the party will go to the polls without a CM face and will contest on the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his schemes.

In fact, both the parties are sharing many similarities in the desert state.

Right from the formation of its government in Rajasthan in 2018, the Congress has been garnering attention for its factionalism. Similar is the state of the BJP in Rajasthan where the party is busy tackling factionalism.

While the feud is limited to the Gehlot-Pilot camp in the Congress, it is divided in different camps in the BJP as there is a long list of those who want to be the CM. So the party is shying away from naming a CM face, said party sources.

Meanwhile, the two parties' strategy of going faceless has left the party workers confused. While the Congress leaders are confused which camp they should go to, the grassroots workers are all the more confused as prominent positions in district PCC offices are lying vacant.

Similar is the plight of the BJP where the leaders are inclined to particular camps and hence the party is failing to project a united face. While the recent rally in Kota called by Vasundhara Raje loyalist Prahlad Gunjal failed to see veteran party leaders, the same was the case at the BJP core committee meeting when Raje was absent while other senior leaders marked their presence.
New Delhi, July 9 : A team of researchers, including one of Indian-origin, has uncovered a potential mechanism in humans that explains how and why deep-sleep brain waves at night are able to regulate the body's sensitivity to insulin, which, in turn, improves blood sugar control the next day.

Researchers have known that a lack of quality sleep can increase a person's risk of diabetes. What has remained a mystery, however, is why.

Now, new findings from a team of sleep scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are closer to an answer.

"Synchronised brain waves act like a finger that flicks the first domino to start an associated chain reaction from the brain, down to the heart, and then out to alter the body's regulation of blood sugar," said Matthew Walker, a UC Berkeley professor of neuroscience and psychology and senior author of the new study.

In particular, the combination of two brain waves, called sleep spindles and slow waves, predict an increase in the body's sensitivity to insulin, which beneficially lowers blood glucose levels, Walker explained in the study published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.

The researchers say this is an exciting advance because sleep is a modifiable lifestyle factor that could now be used as part of a therapeutic and painless adjunct treatment for those with high blood sugar or Type 2 diabetes.

"The results also show that these deep-sleep brain waves could be used as a sensitive marker of someone's next-day blood sugar levels, more so than traditional sleep metrics," said Vyoma D. Shah, a researcher at Walker's Center for Human Sleep Science and co-author of the study.

The findings also suggest a novel, non-invasive tool -- deep-sleep brain waves -- for mapping and predicting someone's blood sugar control.

The researchers first examined sleep data in a group of 600 individuals. They found that this particular coupled set of deep-sleep brain waves predicted next-day glucose control, even after controlling for other factors such as age, gender and the duration and quality of sleep.

"This particular coupling of deep-sleep brain waves was more predictive of glucose than an individual's sleep duration or sleep efficiency," said Raphael Vallat, a UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow.

The researchers subsequently replicated the same effects by examining a separate group of 1,900 participants.

The scientists said the research is particularly exciting given the potential clinical significance years down the line.

The prospect of new technologies that can safely alter brain waves during deep sleep, that this research has uncovered, may help people better manage their blood sugar, the researchers noted.
Xavier Dolan has always lived at full speed. He debuted at the age of 19, with a film that was lauded at Cannes, and all the doors in the genre of films dauteur were opened for him. He made eight films in a decade with which he imposed his own language, a mannerist and histrionic cinema that rehabilitated the quirkiness of nineties music videos: saturated colors, idle images, and Celine Dion songs sung as if they were national anthems. He did not stop himself entering into the darkest of the human condition, into the murkiest families, the most toxic friendships and loves lived like terminal illnesses.

And now, at the tender age of 34, Dolan is retiring. Im resigning from filmmaking and directing, he says about his unexpected early retirement. I no longer have the desire or the strength to commit two years to a project and then have almost no one see it. I put too much passion into it to be so disappointed. It makes me wonder if my cinema is bad, and I know its not. Before hanging up his hat, he filmed his first series, The Night Logan Woke Up, which has just been released on Filmin. His new work is a thriller, a psychological thriller about a family divided by a tragic event that happened 30 years ago, who reunite to mourn their dead mother. A politician at the time of the Quebec referendum, she had to interrupt her career due to this family event.

There will be no more films or videos for Adele. Dolan will limit himself to advertising. Ill shoot an English-language series for HBO that I committed to before the pandemic and then Ill quit, the director says.

Despite the international renown of its director, it will only be seen in four countries: his native Canada, France, Japan and Spain. Why hasnt anyone else bought it? Because it was shot in French? Because it has only five episodes? he wonders. I didnt earn anything from the series. I invested my salary in the production and my father had to lend me money. It is a very thankless process, I am tired and disheartened. The simplest solution is to direct commercials and build myself a house in the country. That is what his plan is. He will also no longer shoot music videos for Adele. Ive already made two, I think thats enough. Hayao Miyazaki says that filmmaking only gives you suffering. I can confirm that. Although he still has one last roll of the dice. Before the pandemic I committed to shooting a series in English with HBO, which is still in an embryonic state. Im going to keep my word and then Ill quit.

The stars of the series The Night Logan Woke Up, by Xavier Dolan.

His latest project opens with the death of the oppressive matriarch, a classic figure in his cinema. His first film was called I Killed My Mother. There are plenty more examples in the rest of his filmography, which includes titles such as Heartbeats, Laurence Anyways, Mommy, and Its Only the End of the World. I think its anecdotal, my films are not just about that, the director protests. He doesnt like the comparisons with Pedro Almodovar either, which he finds reductive and a bit homophobic. It is said that Dolan makes womens films, even though he has also talked about men. His new series is the best example of this: at the center of the story are three brothers and the best friend of one of them, examples of fragile and toxic masculinity. Im interested in filming men with inner dilemmas, who are a bit monstrous, fighting their demons. They express themselves with verbal and often physical violence, he acknowledges. They hide a deep crack and a great need to be loved. Life has wounded them and they wound themselves. They dont love themselves, so they dont know how to love either.

Dolan does not believe that these old-fashioned men are on the verge of extinction, despite social changes. Im very afraid, increasingly so, of mens violence, because I dont know how to calm it down, says the director whose films tend to talk about the rejection of homosexuality. When I see bearded men protesting outside a California school against the teaching of LGBTQI+ history, it looks like an end-of-the-world image to me. I am afraid of a civil war stoked by intolerance, by the fear of the difference we represent. They are convinced that we want to subjugate them, when we have no desire to dominate anyone. Our aspiration is to live and let live.

Seeing protests against the LGBTQI+ community seems to me like an image from the end of the world. They think we want to subjugate them when we have no desire to dominate anyone.

Dolans farewell responds to a clear disenchantment. It looked like he was going to take the world by storm, but his rise to glory was halted by the failure of My Life With John F. Donovan, his failed English-language debut, which stars Kit Harington, Natalie Portman, and Susan Sarandon (plus Jessica Chastain, who was cut in the editing). After a long gestation period, the project got out of hand. Its a film I like, although I wasnt able to go as deep as I would have liked, for reasons that are better for the public not to know, he says. He then returned to his native Quebec, where he shot a more modest film, Matthias & Maxime, and then this series, with which he has returned to his first love: television.

[Television] series were my first contact with the art of storytelling. I am the son of a single mother who watched Canadian soap operas non-stop. As a teenager, I took refuge in American series on the WB channel, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville, Roswell and Charmed, all dubbed in French, and then I became fond of HBO series like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, which this series pays homage to, he says. The Night Logan Woke Up reclaims the television format of another era, from the simple subplots to the penchant for cliffhanger endings, which Dolan assumes without any irony. Unlike other directors, I didnt want to make a series that looked like a movie. What I wanted to make was good television, he says. Its a good way to close the circle: to back to where it all started.

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Thiruvananthapuram, July 9 : The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is unlikely to attend a seminar of the CPI(M) at Kozhikode on July 15 against implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) .

CPI(M) state secretary M. V. Govindan has invited the IUML which is in the opposition in Kerala to attend the seminar. The League general secretary and former MLA, PMA Salam confirmed that the party has indeed received an invitation.

A high-powered committee of the IUML is being held at the residence of the party's state president, Sadik Ali Shihab Thangal in Malappuram regarding the invitation extended by the CPI(M).

Senior leaders, including party general secretary, P. K. Kunhalikutty, MP and party leader ET Mohammed Basheer, Rajya Sabha Member, PV Abdul Wahab and other senior leaders, are attending the high-powered meeting of the party.

However, sources in the party told IANS that the League is unlikely to accept the invitation and that the party leadership will not be attending the seminar.

The ideological powerhouse of the IUML, Samastha will attend the meeting which the CPI(M) considers as a major victory for its efforts.

Govindan, while interacting with media persons, said that the party will continue its efforts against the UCC and would conduct more seminars and awareness programmes across the state after the July 15 seminar at Kozhikode.

The CPI(M) leader also said that the party would invite more social organisations and political parties for the seminars to be held subsequently in various parts of the state.

As the 2024 general elections is only a few months away, the CPI(M) is trying to woo the Muslim political parties and social organisations affiliated to the Muslim communities.

--IANS

aal/svn
Rio De Janeiro, July 9 : Cruzeiro are close to signing Sporting Lisbon forward Arthur Gomes on a permanent deal, according to widespread media reports in Brazil.

The 25-year-old is set to complete the move within days after the Belo Horizonte club agreed in principle to a three million-euro transfer fee, Globo Esporte reported on Saturday.

As per Xinhua, Gomes has made 38 appearances for Sporting across all competitions and scored four goals since his 2022 move from Estoril.

He is contracted to the Portuguese club until June 2027 but has reportedly been considered surplus to requirements by manager Ruben Amorim.

Cruzeiro are currently eighth in Brazil's 20-team Serie A standings with 21 points from 14 games.
California, July 9 : Six people were killed when a small business jet crashed in the western US state of California, authorities said.

Police responded to the plane crash at 4:15 a.m. local time (1115 GMT) in Murrieta, a city in southwestern Riverside County, about 150 km southeast of Los Angeles, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Deputies located an aircraft fully engulfed in flames in a field. Six occupants from the plane were located and pronounced deceased at the scene," said the department.

The Cessna C550 business jet took off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas about 3:15 a.m. local time (1015 GMT).

It was the second fatal crash in the area this week. A student pilot was killed and three others were injured when a Cessna 172 crashed on Tuesday while departing a local airport.

The crashes are being investigated by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Raipur, July 9 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal has said that it is necessary for the country to have the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in accordance with the Constitution, but in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, the BJP is reluctant to talk openly on the issue.

While the BJP maintained studied silence on the UCC in Chhattisgarh, the Congress claimed that it is for creating a Hindu-Muslim divide.

After the Prime Minister, during his visit to Bhopal last month, advocated for the UCC, there were nationwide reactions of all the political parties; even BJP leaders from several states also reacted to it, but the saffron party leaders in Chhattisgarh are hesitant to speak on the UCC issue.

Referring to the UCC, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T.S. Singh Deo said that everyone should have to be taken along if such a law is to be brought because different classes and societies have their own traditions. He further termed it an attempt to polarise voters in upcoming elections.

According to Deo, this is not the correct time for introducing the UCC as the society has still not reached that mental state in which all the citizens of the country give up their traditional practices and bind themselves with a common law.

"Right now in my opinion the country and the citizens may not be ready for the Uniform Civil Code," he said.

Similarly, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel referred to tribal traditions and asked what will happen to the tradition of tribals in Chhattisgarh. "In Chhattisgarh, there are orthodox tribals, they have their own rules, if we make a common civil code, then what will happen to the orthodox tradition of our tribals? Besides this, there are many castes in villages and they also have their own traditions... We have to consider everyone's views."

The Congress in the state is openly opposing the UCC. On the other hand, the BJP is asking how Congress leaders can express their opinions when the UCC draft is yet to come.

BJP's state media in-charge Amit Chimnani has said that the Congress has a "history of doing politics of spreading confusion and lies".

Chimanani claimed that in the absence of any real issue, Congress made up imaginary ones. "The Congress has had to suffer every time because of this. That's why they are out of power, what happened in the Rafale case is in front of everyone."

Political analysts believe that the tribal class in the state is in large numbers and they have their own traditions. It will not be easy to bring them under the ambit of a common law, and if this happens, BJP may be at a disadvantage in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, so the saffron party is reluctant to speak much on the issue.

They further say that as the number of Muslim voters in the state is not that large, the possibility of polarisation because of the UCC is also very less in Chhattisgarh.
Aizawl, July 9 : After the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is also being opposed by most of the non-BJP parties, including the allies of the saffron party, in the northeastern region where people belonging to Hindu, Christian and Muslim communities live in reasonable numbers.

Like the CAA, the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), the Congress and the smaller parties including the Zoram Peoples Movement (ZPM), Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) and other non-political organisations are strongly opposing the UCC.

The anti-CAA protests had first started in Assam, parts of West Bengal and other northeastern states in 2019 and continued till 2020 before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At least five persons were killed in the protests against the CAA in Assam, which also witnessed large-scale violence and imposition of curfew for several days.

The protest against the CAA is still going on and off in different northeastern states.

Strong opposition against the proposed implementation of the UCC has come from Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland, which are Christian-majority and tribal dominated states.

Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) strongly opposing the proposed law stressed on the united move against it.Senior Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha member Ronald Sapa Tlau said that state party president Lalsawta will submit a letter objecting to the UCC to the Law Commission of India.

"The Congress party invites people of all sections in Mizoram to join hands in opposing the UCC and the BJP to safeguard India's culture and religion," Tlau said.

Reacting to the ruling MNF's contention that article 371G of the Indian Constitution will safeguard the people of Mizoram, he said that the BJP government at the Centre cannot be trusted.

The Congress leader said that the move to make into law the proposed UCC should be opposed by all the people of the state in order to protect and safeguard our cultural and religious identity.

Terming the UCC dangerous for the integrity and unity of the country, the former parliamentarian said that its implementation would result in the oppression of minorities and minority religious communities and even their assimilation by the majority community.

The ruling MNF, the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), conglomerate of major church leaders in the state and the Presbyterian Church of India's Mizoram Synod have already submitted their opposition to the implementation of the UCC to the Law Commission of India.

The Mizoram Assembly on February 14 this year adopted a resolution proposed by Home Minister Lalchamliana opposing the UCC.

"That this House unanimously resolved to oppose any steps taken or proposed to be taken for enactment of UCC in India," the resolution had said.

Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga as president of the ruling MNF in a letter to the Law Commission on July 4 stated that his party had considered that implementation of UCC is not in the interest of the ethnic minorities of India in general and of the Mizos in particular.

The UCC, if enacted, "would disintegrate the country as it was an attempt to terminate the religious or social practices, customary laws, culture and traditions of the religious minorities, including the Mizos."

Zoramthanga in his letter said that the MNF Party had signed the Memorandum of Settlement with the Government of India on June 30, 1986, and on the basis of which the Constitution (53rd Amendment) Act, 1986 was passed by the Union Parliament.

"Now, as provided under Article 371-G of the Constitution of India, made on the basis of the said Memorandum of Settlement, it has been provided there at that - "no Act of Parliament in respect of Religious or Social practices of the Mizos, Mizo customary law and procedure, shall apply to the state of Mizoram unless the legislative Assembly of the state of Mizoram by a resolution so decides," the MNF supremo mentioned in his letter.

He said that the MNF is a member of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and is in support of the policies and programmes of the NDA government at the centre as long as those policies and programmes are found to be beneficial for the public at large and particularly for the ethnic minorities in India.

However, the MNF considers that implementation of the UCC is not in the interest of the ethnic minorities of India in general and of the Mizos in particular.

He said since the proposed implementation of the UCC is in conflict with the religious of social practices of the Mizos and of their customary/personal law which is specifically protected by the Constitutional provision, the proposal of the NDA government cannot be accepted.

Consequently, the MNF is in respectful disagreement with the proposed introduction of the UCC.

The BJP's Mizoram unit also opposed the UCC.

State BJP president Vanlalhmuaka said that the UCC should never be implemented in the northeastern states, conserving the region's multi-religious character.

According to analysts, the CAA is the first legislation to offer citizenship on the basis of religion leading to widespread protests against it in different parts of the country, specially in the northeast.

The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- who have migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, after facing faith-based persecution.

It was passed by both the Houses of Parliament and given Presidential assent in December 2019. However, rules under the CAA are yet to be framed.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
Hyderabad, July 9 : Fire broke out in a garment shop in Palika Bazar in Secunderabad here on Sunday.

No casualties were reported. The fire started from a readymade garments shop and spread to adjoining shops.

Police evacuated a nearby lodge as a precautionary measure to prevent any loss of life.

Four fire engines rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Senior officials of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) also rushed there.

State minister for animal husbandry T. Srinivas Yadav visited the scene of the mishap and supervised the fire fighting operation.

Short circuit is suspected to have caused the fire.

Police registered a case and took up further investigation.

Secunderabad has seen a series of accidents in recent months. Six people were killed in a huge fire in a multi-storey building in Secunderabad on March 15. Three workers were killed in a huge fire in a garment store on January 19 at Nallagutta on Ministers Road. The fire raged for two days in the six storeyed commercial building. The municipal authorities later demolished the building.

In September last year, eight persons were killed and nine others injured in a hotel. A major fire broke out at Ruby Pride Luxury Hotel following an explosion in an e-bike showroom located in the basement of the five-storied building near Passport Office.
Bengaluru, July 9 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made an announcement with zeal addressing couples who are entering into wedlock.

"You need not visit the Sub registrar's office to get the registration of your marriage done. The provision for online registration of marriages will be done," he said. He also proposed to enable couples to register their marriages in gram panchayats.

The government also enabled registration of marriage through the Kaveri 2.0 software application. The marriages can also be registered at Bapu Seva centres and Grama One centres.

"Until now, the marriage registrations were done at only sub-registration offices. To bring flexibility in the process, the provision of online submission of applications is provided," CM Siddaramaiah had announced.

However, the move has angered Hindu activists and the BJP. Soon after the presentation of the budget, the Karnataka BJP unit had objected to the provision. Hindu activists slammed the Congress government that the new measure will help the elements carrying out love-jihad against Hindu young girls and women.

Suryanarayan, All India Bajrang Dal Co-Convenor, while talking to IANS, stated, "On behalf of the organisation, we will surely oppose the decision. Secondly, this system is not good. Thirdly, if we look at the state budget, there are only attempts to appease minorities. Many facilities are made intentionally only for minorities and it is a painful matter."

"There are poor in many sections and they have been ignored to provide benefits to minorities and it is unfortunate. Along with all these measures, this step of providing an online registration facility for marriages appears to be a conspiracy for carrying out religious conversions. This leads to unrest in the society and parents will face difficulties," Suryanarayan explained.

"Already friendships are made and people get married after being introduced on Facebook and WhatsApp and most of them end in divorce cases. All families will suffer as marriages will take place without their knowledge. It is being done to encourage religious conversions," he maintained.

"The government should not implement this and continue the older method in registration of marriages. Parents should be more careful about their sons and daughters. The young women even as they have mutual consent should opt for the earlier method to register their marriages after taking consent from their families. If they ignore parents, family and go forward with online registration of marriages, their tragedy will surely strike them," Suryanarayan stated.

The number of love-jihad cases will rise following the government's decision, stated Sri Rama Sena founder Pramod Muthalik. He urged the Congress government not to allow online registration of marriages.

"Online registration of marriage is conducive for love-jihad cases. The Hindu girls will fall prey in more numbers for love-jihad due to the provision. The proposal for online registration of marriages must be taken back and the previous system must be continued. There is a possibility that few Muslim and Christian youth without the knowledge of parents can register their marriages with Hindu girls online. If those marriages get legal sanction without coming to the knowledge of parents will help love-jihad," he explained.

There was a provision in the offline registration of marriage for objections if there were any issues. There is no provision for objections in the online registration of marriage and there are more chances for cheating, Pramod Muthalik stated.

"The process of visiting the registrar's office directly and getting the marriage registered is the proper method. The online marriage registration system should not be implemented at any cost," he demanded.
New Delhi, July 9 : When Hindi mainstream cinema strays or, otherwise, disappoints, people seek alternatives. Of course, OTT streaming is one alternative, but that is recent.

OTT content cannot cater to all tastes and, especially, the generations of Indians brought up on films. It will be a long time before OTT content is accepted as a replacement for cinema, if at all.

When Hindi filmmakers stray, as in, take their audience for granted, regional film industries come alive. Besides South, the only regional industry that has maintained continuity is Bengali cinema.

Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri and Punjabi are regular film industries, but they go dormant at times. The usual culprit is oversupply.

If one Punjabi film is a success, the market is flooded with more films. Most prefer to cast the same stars. This glut weighs heavy and investors shy away.

There came a phase when Hindi filmmakers thought it was cool to base the film's story in a foreign country, the trend being to shoot in the US. Along with that craze to shoot abroad, there was little attention to the story, which in most cases was hackneyed.

Audiences in states such as UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh found them hard to accept. Take for example this film titled 'Anjaana Anjaani'. Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra meet on a river bridge. Both have come there to commit suicide! Donat remember who convinced who, but the suicide is put aside as they go on to paint the town red!

Then we had 'Dostana'. John Abraham and Abhshek Bachchan pretend to be a gay couple. Rest of the story is incidental. But, in this county of closet gay men, it was an odd story.

Who will accept this story where a man, Salman Khan, and his woman, Preity Zinta, are separated following a misunderstanding? And then, what does the husband do? He encourages his old mate, Akshay Kumar, to court his wife and goes out of his way to help him!

Strangest stories were concocted. In 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', Rani Mukerji is married to Abhishek Bachchan with Amitabh Bachchan playing the father-in-law. Abhishek is an exemplary husband. So what happens?

Rani walks out on him and pairs up with Shah Rukh Khan, who she always loved! That is not all, even while living with his son and daughter-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan is prone to inviting sex workers at home!

This may be okay in the US where you shoot such films, but your audience is still Indian. And these films were far from what the industry made earlier, films with universal appeal!

This what one would describe as producers straying from what is generally acceptable to our audience! The cinemas in the Hindi belt were suffering as such films did not enjoy any longevity at the cinemas. Some even decided to get into production in the local language with films suited to their state and people.

Marathi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri and Gujarati film industries, as a result, were resurrected. The films need not be crude anymore; with filmmaking going digital, it was easier to give finesse to films.

When people could not identify with such films, wanting something they could enjoy with the family, they turned to regional films.

This time again, the field has opened up for regional films to fill the gap as the supply of mainstream Hindi films is dwindling. People and the cinemas, both can't be starved of films. Where there used to be a film or two every Friday, we have just about ten films for the rest of this year, which translates to about two films a month.

Just one film is lined up for July -- 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani' (July 28); three more for August, 'OMG 2' and 'Gadar 2' (both on August 11) and 'Dream Girl 2' on (August 25) followed by 'Jawan' ((September 7), 'Ganpath' (October 20), 'Tiger 3' (November 10), 'Emergency' (November 24),' Animal' (December 1) and 'Dunki' (December 22).

The next big release, 'Fighter', is a month away, on January 25.

These are huge gaps between releases that will directly affect the exhibition trade while also depriving people of their favourite pastime -- viewing movies. Of course, there is this newly developed fancy for OTT content. But not all OTT content is fun and in most cases not the kind one can watch with the family.

How much of OTT streaming can one watch and not that the content is going away anywhere, it can be watched anytime, anywhere. People also want an outing and the usual weekend outing is going to cinema, among other things. As such, films have to be made, they are a part of our lives.

Hindi films, though, are going to be in short supply, so the dependence will be on dubbed South Indian films and Hollywood films, which are also in short supply. Is this, however, what people want?

The fact is, not all dubbed South Indian films are a 'Baahubali' or an 'RRR' or 'Pushpa'. And, Hollywood films are a change that only the urban audience opts for.

Regional films are the ones that will work. They have always existed parallelly. When filmmakers follow trends alien to Indian film lovers, they turn to films they identify with -- that is, their own films with local and Indian flavour. And, what better than regional films to provide that?

This time it is happening because Hindi films are going to be few and far in between. Thankfully, regional films are making a comeback.

The latest Punjabi release, 'Carry On Jatta', has become a huge success. The Gujarati industry has also given a couple of hits in 'BuShirt T-Shirt' and 'Vash' (being remade in Hindi by Ajay Devgn).

Marathi films are back in the reckoning, too, with three recent films, 'Ved', 'Jhimma', 'Vaalvi'. and, the latest, a woman-dominated and -oriented film, 'Baipan Bhaari Deva' proving to be hits.

Then, there is also the Chhattisgarhi industry making its presence felt with very economically made films doing business of a few crores.

All that the regional films need now is a decent playtime in cinemas.
Los Angeles, July 9 : In disappointing news for fans, actor Simu Liu has shared that the highly-anticipated sequel to MCU's 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' could be delayed.

The Chinese-born Canadian actor plays the title role in the Marvel's hit superhero 2021 film.

Sharing an update with fans on the 'Shang-Chi' sequel, which is currently in development, he said that the sequel keeps getting pushed back "due to circumstances beyond my control".

He was interacting with fans during an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on his Threads account, a new social media app that launched Wednesday.

One fan asked for a status update on the sequel to 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'.

"Was told it would follow Avengers," Liu, 34, said, adding, "But that keeps pushing back due to circumstances beyond my control."

As per 'The Hollywood Reporter', though Liu didn't give details on what those "circumstances" are, Disney has recently made changes to its release calendar, including pushing back 'Avengers: Secret Wars' to May 7, 2027, while 'Avengers: The Kang Dynasty', which has embattled Jonathan Majors attached to the lead role, has also been pushed a year to May 1, 2026. Majors is currently facing assault charges in New York.

Several other Marvel projects have also been delayed due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, including 'Thunderbolts' and 'Blade'.

Liu added in his post that he hopes "to have more concrete news to share soon."

In December 2021, it was revealed that Destin Daniel Cretton would be returning to write and direct 'Shang-Chi 2', as well as signing an overall deal with Marvel amid the first film's success.

'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings', which was the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature an Asian lead and predominantly Asian cast, went on to gross $432 million worldwide once it hit theatres in September 2021.
Srinagar, July 9 : After remaining suspended for three days, Amarnath Yatra resumed on Sunday afternoon as weather improved along the twin routes of Baltal and Pahalgam.

Pilgrims stranded at Sheshnag on Pahalgam side and Panjtarni on Baltal side were allowed to move towards the cave shrine immediately after weather improved, officials said.

Those pilgrims, who had already performed the Yatra but were stranded between the cave shrine and the two base camps have also been allowed to move down.

Meanwhile, helicopter services for the pilgrims were re-started this morning both from Pahalgam side and Baltal side.

The movement of Yatris from Jammu towards the Valley, however, continues to be suspended because of the blockade of Jammu-Srinagar highway.

About 700 pilgrims were given shelter and other facilities during inclement weather by the army at Qazigund enroute to the base camps.
Richard Branson, 72, is one of the best-known businessmen on the planet. Hes been the protagonist of juicy headlines for decades, due to his commercial and personal adventures.

At times, both have been combined, like when he flew to the end of the atmosphere with his own aerospace company, ahead of characters like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. The British tycoon won the race among billionaires to reach space, despite the fact that his fortune  valued at about $3 billion by Forbes  is light years away from reaching his competitors.

Theres no doubt that the London-born Branson knows how to compete and get media attention. His apparent shyness disappears when, upon arriving at Son Bunyola  the new luxury hotel hes just opened in Mallorca, Spain  he doesnt hesitate to get into the fountain. He even stands up on a chair to welcome guests to the opening party, where his firm has invited several media outlets.

The next morning, he meets with EL PAIS to talk about tourism  a sector to which most of his companies belong  and discuss both the potential and challenges that he sees lying ahead. In 50 years, I think people will still be looking for wilderness, he opines, and as the world will unfortunately be more built up, the big challenge is to make sure its similar to how it looks now.

The seed of Bransons business was Virgin Records, which he founded in 1972 and sold in the early 1990s. But the brand remained, linked to a collection of diverse businesses, from gyms to telephone companies, in which the assets linked to tourism stand out. Bransons empire includes two airlines, a cruise company and several hotels. In 2021  according to the report made public on the Virgin Group website  the company made a profit of nearly $150 million, of which about $20 million came from hotels. The Virgin Group is a global company, says its founder. We draw a circle around the world and try to address some of the big problems, he adds, emphasizing his relationship with historical figures such as Kofi Annan or Nelson Mandela.

Branson has never been a discreet businessman. His public image is closer to that of a famous musician or politician  something that he doesnt shy away from. Since the start of the Ukrainian war, he has met President Volodymyr Zelensky twice. And his stance against Brexit is well-known. When asked if he thinks that the UKs departure from the EU harms businesses like the one that hes just opened in Mallorca, he responds emphatically: Theres not a single Englishman working here, which is sad. On this matter, he makes it clear that theres no room for half-measures. Brexit has had very few benefits, if any, because I dont see any. And hopefully, one day, common sense will prevail and someone will ask us if we want to unite with Europe again, he shrugs.

Regarding his interests in Spain, Sir Richard Branson (in 2000, he was knighted by the-then Prince of Whales and current King Charles III) cites the Virgin Voyages cruises that already make stops in Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza. We dont have any other immediate plans for Spain, but Im sure more things will come up in the coming years. He defines the Son Bunyola hotel as a dream come true.

Born into a wealthy family  yet far from the current abundance that he has amassed  Branson has taken advantage of the opening of the hotel in Mallorca to live out the nostalgia he has for the Spanish island. He visited it as a child with his family. And he opened his first hotel there  the luxurious La Residencia  which he sold in the 1990s.

It was in that same decade that Branson bought the Son Bunyola estate: 1,300 acres of land with a centuries-old building, whose oldest part is a 13th-century watchtower (which now houses a suite). All of this is nestled in the foothills of the Sierra de Tramuntana. I had never really seen anything so beautiful, he recalls. I thought it was worth trying to protect this and do something with it. But the story of the current 26-room hotel (whose rooms range from $650 a night in the low season to over $800 a night in the high season) is a bit more convoluted than the vast surroundings. After the local city council didnt approve his additions to the building, Branson sold the property in 2002. Yet, in 2015, he would change his mind and buy it back, intent on giving it a definitive boost. He had learned a lesson: We know that there will be no more buildings here.

Branson fantasizes about taking a holiday at the latest property in his collection: If I stayed here, I would cycle two or three hours every day, go rock-climbing and kite or paddleboard, while my wife would choose to sit by the pool. I think Son Bunyola has everything, he sighs.

The reality is that the businessman  who defines himself as an adventurer  knows that this vacation isnt possible right now, because after the inauguration of his Spanish resort, hell be walking along the banks of the Zambezi River, in Africa, where four of Bransons eight Virgin Limited Edition establishments are based. The brand brings together the most luxurious accommodations into one group, to which Son Bunyola has been added.

Necker Island is also part of this collection. Branson bought this private paradise  located in the British Virgin Islands  for himself. Its where he officially resides. The tax consequences of this decision raised a storm in the British media a decade ago  a controversy that has been revived this past week, after a legal battle between Virgin and a US railway company dredged up old internal emails. In one of them, Josh Bayliss  the CEO of the Virgin Group says that Branson has paid the lowest possible taxes. This is according to a Reuters report, which was published following the businessmans visit to Mallorca. The company has since defended itself, saying that these are opportunistic accusations that are based on cynical arguments that seek to damage the reputation of the Virgin brand.

Accustomed to generating headlines, such information has, indeed, clouded Virgins latest milestone. On June 29, Branson inaugurated his commercial trips to space but at the moment, only astronauts are heading up there. I sense that, in 50 years, there will be trips to the Moon there will be a hotel there, perhaps a Virgin one, the founder says. He knows what its like to be away from Earth, although he doubts if this has been his most extreme adventure. Space was a dream and [it took] 25 years to make it a reality but flying around the world was crazy, it was very exciting. I was very lucky to survive that. Branson  who often pauses to think about what to say next  reflects for a moment. Im equally proud of both.

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Chennai, July 9 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday said that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will oppose the BJP government at the centre even if it endangers the state government.

Stalin said that the collective goal of the opposition parties during the recent meeting at Patna was to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

He said that the BJP led Union government has not fulfilled its poll promises since coming to power in 2014.

Stalin said that the DMK government was implementing schemes such as free bus travel for women, free breakfast schemes in schools which were promises made during elections.

"We are implementing our promises but has the Prime Minister been able to do justice to the promises he has made? He said he will retrieve the black money stashed abroad and will create jobs for 2 crore people every month. None of these promises were fulfilled," Stalin said while attending a marriage ceremony in Chennai.

Stalin also said that the opposition parties are coming together in the country on how to defeat the BJP.
Islamabad, July 9 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan for launching a "vile, sinister and malicious" campaign against Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, local media reported.

Taking to Twitter, the premier condemned the PTI chief, saying he has been "badly exposed".

"Imran Khan continues to engage in a vile, sinister and malicious campaign against COAS General Syed Asim Munir. His trick of using proxies to threaten the Army Chief of an assassination attempt has been badly exposed," he wrote on the microblogging site, Geo News reported.

Prime Minister Sharif said: "The former prime minister was desperately working to coerce his way back into power after failure in a methodically planned attack on the state symbols."

He said that the PTI chief fails to realise that "the time of his politics of intimidation, violence and hatred is over".

"Through such highly condemnable antics, he is only exposing himself, the core of which is defined by putting his personal interest (power grab) over everything else," the Prime Minister said.

He reiterated that the people of Pakistan and the political parties strongly stood behind army chief Gen Munir and the armed forces, and will thwart any attempt and conspiracy at undermining Pakistan Army's prestige, honour, and integrity, Geo News reported.

Meanwhile, he also ordered the authorities to take legal action against those involved in such malicious campaigns inside the country and abroad, a press statement shared by PM Office Media Wing said.
New Delhi, July 9 : The Goods and Services Tax (GST) council, which is set to meet on July 11, is likely to give clarity on whether tax collected at source (TCS) should be deducted by the buyer or the e-commerce platform, from whom the product has been purchased under the open network for digital commerce (ONDC) platform.

The GST council, which is headed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is expected to discuss the ONDC in the meeting.

Under ONDC, a buyer places an order with an e-commerce platform, which itself procures that consignment from another e-commerce platform.

This has led to confusion among authorities as to which of these entities should be taxed, due to multiple agencies involved.

It is on this vexed issue that the GST council is likely to take a call in its July 11 meeting.

Also the council is likely to take up the issue of excess input tax credit (ITC), which is claimed by business entities.

The council is likely to draft a new rule under which entities are likely to be quizzed about the excess ITC claimed by them. They may even be asked to deposit the excess amount with the government, sources said.
Mumbai, July 9 : A sequel to the 2011 film 'Oh My God' has been highly awaited, and audiences will now finally have their first look at the film, as 'OMG 2' will release its first teaser on July 11. Akshay Kumar is playing the role of Lord Shiva and he shared a glimpse of his role from the film on Sunday.

Announcing the teaser with a small clip of himself, Akshay Kumar captioned: " #OMG2Teaser out on July 11. #OMG2 in theaters on August 11."

Donning an intimidating and powerful aesthetic of Shiva, complete with long matted hair, bead necklace and a tripundra on his forehead, Akshay Kumar with the powerful chants of 'Har Har Mahadev' in the background, walking amidst clearing smoke and bunch of people, nails the look.

Fans have showcased their excitement for the film, though many are also showing caution after the recent 'Adipurush' controversy where the film was accused by many of hurting religious sentiments.

Another wrote: "Akshay ji, I hope this film will not hurt the religion aspect."

However, fans have also expressed excitement: "Totally goosebumps guru ji @akshaykumar sir ... WAITING for teaser."

Another excited fan wrote: "Kumar sir ke real fans respect button."

Directed by Amit Rai, 'OMG 2' also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Yami Gautam, and Arun Govil in lead roles and will release on August 11. The film will have a major rival, however, as it will be clashing with Sunny Deol's highly awaited 'Gadar 2: The Katha Continues' which will also release on the same day.
New Delhi, July 9 : Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is scheduled to visit the UK from July 10-11, to further the free trade agreement (FTA) talks between the two nations.

Goyal will also be meeting with ministers from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member countries, to discuss the progress of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with EFTA.

With the FTA negotiations gaining momentum, the visit aims to further propel the discussions and pave the way for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial agreement that would drive economic growth and strengthen ties between the two nations, official sources said.

The visit comes at a crucial juncture, as both India and the UK are committed to expanding their economic ties and exploring avenues for enhanced bilateral trade.

Goyal will also hold high-level meetings with his UK counterparts, including the secretary of state for international trade, as well as representatives from various sectors and industries.

These meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss the key priorities and objectives of the FTA negotiations, with a focus on addressing trade barriers, promoting investments, and fostering greater cooperation in areas such as technology, innovation, and intellectual property rights.

Further, he will also meet with ministers and officials from the EFTA member countries, (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), to assess the progress made in the ongoing negotiations of the TEPA with EFTA.

The TEPA aims to enhance trade and economic cooperation between India and the EFTA member countries, fostering an environment conducive to increased investments, reduced trade barriers, and greater market access.
Mexico, July 9 : The body of a missing Mexican journalist, who was working with a leading daily La Jornada, has been recovered from the western state of Nayarit.

The body of Luis Martin Sanchez Iniguez, 59, who had been missing since Wednesday, was found on Saturday, BBC reported.

Two messages were attached to his chest but authorities are yet to reveal what was written.

Sanchez's death is being seen as murder linked to his work.The journalist was last spotted in Xalisco, a Nayarit town, that has long been linked to drug cartels.

Sanchez's death has sparked worldwide outrage with various journalist bodies condemning the killing and demanding justice.

As per the international advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous country for journalists. Around 150 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 2000.
Patna, July 9 : The Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas on Sunday authorised party chief Chirag Paswan to take all decisions for the party.

The decision was taken during the national Executive Committee meeting held in Patna on Sunday.

Sources say that the LJP-R is expected to join the BJP-led NDA officially during the meeting of pro-BJP parties in New Delhi on July 18.

Chirag Paswan's popularity has increased in the last few months in Bihar and BJP badly needs his support as an alliance partner.

LJP-R national General Secretary Arun Kumar said: "We have authorised Chirag Paswan, the national President of the party, to take decisions in future."

Asked about the LJP-R joining the NDA officially, he said that he will be a part of the July 18 meeting and Chirag Paswan will decide on it.

Arun Kumar also said that obtaining a post of minister is not an objective of Chirag Paswan, and his objective is to achieve "Bihar First Bihari First".
Noida, July 8 : Nepal, which shares borders with several Indian states, but has no proper fencing, is becoming a safe passage for Pakistan and Chinese people as they infiltrate into India, and later indulge in illegal work.

Recently, a Pakistani woman identified as Seema Ghulam Haider fell in love with an Indian man and illegally entered India through Nepal along with her four children.

The couple got in touch in 2019 through the online game PUBG and eventually got closer.

The woman along with her four children had been staying at a rented accommodation in Greater Noida for about 50 days.

After her arrest, the Noida Police wrote a letter to the central security agencies asking them to investigate the matter and also wrote a letter to the Home Ministry to improve the security arrangements at the entry and exit points of Nepal.

Earlier also, police arrested many Chinese foreign nationals who sneaked into India through the open Nepal border

The Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday arrested two Chinese nationals identified as Deng Chonko and Mag Houze, who were staying illegally in India,

The two accused who illegally entered India through Nepal were staying in Greater Noida. Fake Aadhaar and PAN cards were recovered from their possession.

Earlier, the STF had arrested two Chinese nationals who used to get Indian passports made for Chinese citizens.

One of the accused was identified as Baig Houze. In October 2022, the police arrested him without a visa and deported the accused back to China.

After reaching China, the accused came to Nepal on a tourist visa. From there, after boarding the bus, he again came to Greater Noida via Maharajganj border and started living illegally and made a fake Aadhaar card.

Nepal is becoming a safe passage for people coming to India illegally from Pakistan and China.

Chinese citizens consider coming to India via Nepal as the easiest and safest passage. A few days back, Chinese nationals were arrested by the SSB jawans on their way back to the border. They traveled around Delhi-NCR for 18 days without a visa.

Cases registered

Pakistani woman Seema Haider illegally entered India through Nepal with her four kids and started staying with a man who met her through the online game PUBG.

A Pakistani girl Iqra who fell in love with Indian boy Mulayam Singh, a resident of Prayagraj, while playing Ludo online and came all the way to India via Kathmandu in September 2022 and staying illegally in Bengaluru was eventually held by police on January 23, and repatriated to Pakistan on February 19.

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) onJune 11, 2022 arrested two Chinese nationals after they were caught illegally crossing the Indo-Nepal border. The accused couldnat produce any valid documents to validate their presence in Indian territory, the SSB said.

The two Chinese nationals identified as Yung Hai Lung and Lo Lung illegally entered India from the Nepal border on May 24, 2022.

The duo travelled in Delhi-NCR without visa for 18 days, where they stayed at the flat of their friend.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the Chinese nationals reached Kathmandu from Thailand on May 23 with a woman and then on May 24, they entered India.

Traveling to Nepal from Delhi is much more convenient as private buses of more than 10 companies travel daily between Delhi and Nepal.

The Delhi-Nepal bus runs from 10 a.m. in the morning till late in the evening.

Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim and Uttarakhand share boundaries with Nepal. The length of the Bihar and Nepal border is 726 km. Uttar Pradesh shares a 551-km-long border with Nepal.

The total length of the Nepal and India border is 1751 km. These routes are used to illegally enter India.

Talking to IANS, Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said that Nepal has become an easy route for anti-national forces ever since the fencing of Punjab and Bengal borders.

He said that due to the friendly relations between India and Nepal, no fencing has been done in the middle of the border, due to which foreign intruders are taking advantage.

He said that checking is done at all entry and exit points in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, but many times these infiltrators enter India by dodging the security system.
Vadodara, July 9 : Gujarat police has arrested a man for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a revered figure in Maharashtra.

Police said that the accused, identified as Aryan Patel, engaged in an argument with a friend, during which he made objectionable comments about the 17th-century Maratha king.

The complainant, Deepak Palkar, stated in the FIR that the accused publicly used foul language against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, causing hurt to the sentiments of the Hindu community.

Palkar received a video on WhatsApp in which the accused can be heard making objectionable comments about Shivaji Maharaj in public.

The offensive remarks were captured in a mobile phone video and subsequently shared on social media, leading to an FIR being filed on Friday night.

Police inspector AU Gohil said that the accused, Aryan Patel, was arrested on Saturday.

The accused has been charged under sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups and acts prejudicial to maintaining harmony) and 294 (B) (uttering obscene words in a public place) of the Indian Penal Code.
Los Angeles, July 9 : Academy award-winning actor Robert De Niro attended the funeral of his 19-year-old grandson who died after taking fentanyl-laced pills.

The 'Goodfella's actor, 79, was joined by his longtime friends Christopher Walken, 80, Harvey Keitel, 84, and music executive Tommy Mottola, as he attended the funeral of grandson Leandro De Niro in New York, Mirror.co.uk reported.

De Niro's girlfriend Tiffany Chen was also in attendance with their baby daughter Gia bundled close in a carrier.

Leandro died last week after taking fentanyl-laced pills at his $1million Wall Street apartment. At the time his grandfather Robert De Niro said he was "deeply distressed" at the news.

The teenager was found sitting in a chair beside white powder in his one-bedroom apartment on Sunday. His mother Drena, adopted by De Niro after he married her mother Diahnne Abbott in 1976, announced his death on Monday.

The funeral took place at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The chapel is favoured by New York celebrities and has administered the ceremonies of stars including Judy Garland, Heath Ledger, John Lennon and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

The family is expected to hold a graveside ceremony for Leandro at a cemetery in Valhalla, New York, where Robert's father is buried.

At the funeral home Robert De Niro was supported by his longtime collaborator Christopher Walken. The pair have been friends for decades since they first worked together on epic war drama 'The Deer Hunter' in 1978 which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1979. They reunited on screen 41 years later for Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman'.

De Niro's 'Taxi Driver' co-star and friend of 50 years Harvey Keitel also attended with his Canadian film director wife Daphna Kastner.

Earlier, Drena discussed her son Leandro's passing in the comments section of her Instagram, replying to a user who asked what happened.

"Someone sold him fentanyl laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him, so for all these people still f****** around selling and buying this s****, my son is gone forever," she wrote.
A group of women guard a small food stall on the side of an unpaved road in the Androy district of southern Madagascar in May 2023.

A land without roads in the southern region of an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. A government slow to act. An international community that has spent 30 years financing ineffective development projects. Floods, droughts, sandstorms and cyclones. And now added to this series of misfortunes, over a million malnourished people, who almost exclusively subsist on cacti and wild fruits; during the worst moments, they have even ingested ash and dirty water. Thats the portrait of south Madagascar today.

The Republic of Madagascar, Africas great red island, gained international visibility in mid-2021. Humanitarian agencies and the government warned that insufficient rainfall since 2019 in the Grand Sud region led to the worst drought in 40 years. In some agricultural areas, 94% of the land was left barren, and the population succumbed to a food crisis that threatened their survival. Cyclones Batsirai and Freddy devastated villages and fields, and it was reported that this part of the world would experience the first famine caused by global warming. The United Nations and the government asked the international community for $76 million (70 million) to mitigate the emergency.

Sabine Anette, a 23-year-old mother of a two-year-old son, lives in that remote southern region. She is one of the residents of Betoko, a village with just a handful of mud and thatch houses. The lack of rain has caused this woman and a dozen or so of her neighbors, all of whom have young children, to lose their crops. We eat cactus and whatever we can find, the young woman declares. For show, she disappears into the darkness of her hut and instantly emerges with a basket of prickly pears. Thats her entire food supply for her son, her 85-year-old grandmother and herself. At the height of the drought in 2021, three children died of starvation, her neighbors say.

Four-year-old Faliantsoa waits for her mother, Sabine Anette, to finish peeling a prickly pear and give it to her to eat in Betoko, Madagascar, June 1, 2023. Lola Hierro

According to the UN Human Development Index, Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world; the international organization ranks it 173rd out of 191 states. At the same time, the country tops the list of countries most vulnerable to global warming. However, climate change was not the main driver of the current crisis, contrary to what was claimed at the time. Scientists from World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international coalition that studies the role of climate change in extreme events, analyzed the case of southern Madagascar. In the study Attribution of Severe Low Rainfall in Southern Madagascar, 2019-21, they pointed to the pre-existing fragility of the population as the cause of hunger. Climate change is a threat multiplier, but [its] not the only one, said Dr. Friederike Otto, the director of WWA.

The World Bank reports that over 80% of the population lives on less than $2 (1.84) a day. Local communities struggle to cope with the prolonged period of drought. Without rain, there are no crops. Families then sell their zebu (a species of cattle) to buy food or migrate. Then they discard their pots and other personal belongings. The result is a collective decapitalization that deepens structural poverty. When the pandemic began, people were also unable to migrate in search of work.

After requesting anonymity, a group of three international diplomats based in the capital Antananarivo told EL PAIS: There are also droughts in other places, but not famine. It happens here because theres nothing else. It is a structural poverty problem.

Zebu are an important economic resource for families in southern Madagascar. Facing the drought and lacking crops to grow, many sold their animals and entire communities were decapitalized. Lola Hierro

Madagascars government and different UN agencies have declared the situation a famine; that label is backed up by an analysis from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The latter includes five stages; famine is the last one. In late 2021, nearly 14,000 people were facing famine in the Anosy district. Now, because of the rainfall over the past few months, the region is moving between stages 2 and 3 in the food security classification system.

Another problem is the regions distance from the capital: it is located over 1,000 kilometers away and to get there, one must travel on a single road with unpaved stretches. The journey by car takes at least 23 hours. Diplomats note that southern Madagascars population is made up of minority ethnic groups; theyve been excluded from the political and economic elite, which consists primarily of the majority Merina ethnic group. A historical problem persists between the north and the south. And since [southerners] are [a population of] two million people [out of a total of more than 28 million inhabitants], they are of no electoral interest, a diplomat says.

A couple with a child walks along the side of an unpaved road in the Androy district of southern Madagascar. Lola Hierro

A family waits their turn to receive aid from the World Food Program (WFP) in Ambanisarika, Madagascar, on June 1, 2023. Lola Hierro

The precariousness of the Malagasy south is obvious, even without reading scholarly reports. In the districts of Androy and Anosy, the areas most affected by this crisis, there are hardly any paved roads. When it rains, these roads are impassable, and the villages are isolated. The landscape has dry tributaries of the Mandrare River, the largest in the region, and rows of cactus and sisal plantations, almost 7,000 hectares that a French company has owned since before the country gained independence in 1960.

Nandrasa Longomaro, 21, works on one of these plantations. On a good day, she earns 1,000 ariari, about 20-euro cents, but rarely more than 400 ariari, she says at the Amabanisarika health center. She is there because her two-year-old daughter Sambelahy suffers from severe malnutrition, like 450,000 children in this region, according to UNICEF. The little girl is undergoing treatment and has gained one kilo (about 2.2 pounds); she now weighs seven kilos (about 15.4 pounds). What I earn is not enough to feed us; it only gives me enough to buy some corn or some rice. In her householdwhich also includes her mother and siblings, nine people they frequently go to bed on an empty stomach.

Nandrasa Longomaro, 21, with her severely malnourished two-year-old daughter Sambelahy. Lola Hierro

The fruit of the prickly pear cactus, a type of cactus, is the only food that some of the nearly one million people in southern Madagascar have; drought has ravaged the country. Lola Hierro

On April 22, President Andry Rajoelina posted photos of his visit to the construction site of the 97-kilometer Efaho aqueduct, which will benefit half a million Androy inhabitants, on Instagram. For at least two decades, such infrastructures have been developed in southern Madagascar. In the town of Amboasary, a gleaming new water tank is still not functioning. In Betoko, the water pump from another development project is broken. Local women drink unsafe water from the river, running the risk of contracting parasitic diseases and diarrhea.

A development project graveyard

An EU-funded study, to which EL PAIS had access, analyzes the last 30 years of development projects in Madagascar to find out why the country is still so dependent on emergency aid. Numerous programs have been operating there for decades, attempting to respond to the populations most immediate needs (...) Few initiatives have been able to drive the development dynamics that would bring about enduring change, making the Grand Sud region a graveyard of [development] projects, the document argues. One diplomat shows photographs of milling machines sealed in a warehouse. [The machines] were covered in plastic for eight years because no one had explained to the women what to do with them, he laments.

Marizeety, a resident of Betoko, collects water from the river with a bowl. Lola Hierro

The European Unions Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)which invited this newspaper on the trip to Madagascar on which this article is basedhas invested 47 million ($51,189,580) in humanitarian aid for the country between 2021 and 2023. One of the projects it supports is the Agroecological Technical Center of the South. Its director, Stephanie Andoniaina, describes a very conservative society; she emphasizes the importance of adapting to the cultural and anthropological context. Peas would grow here, but they are forbidden because of superstitions. The solution we found was to introduce a variety into the communities that they were okay with.

A month ago, long-awaited rain finally came to southern Madagascar. A grateful land became greener. On some roads, puddles remain. Cassava, maize, sweet potato and peanuts returned to local markets and pantries. But now farmers are looking at the sky with concern: if it doesnt rain in October, they will once again experience problems. CPI projections estimate that, between May and August 2023, one million peoplea third of the southern populationare on the brink of a food emergency. Most of the Mandrare riverbed remains so dry that trucks and zebus can pass over where the river should flow.

The Mandrare River in Madagascar's Grand Sud is so dry that trucks can even travel on it. Lola Hierro

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New Delhi, July 9 : Japanese global apparel retailer, Uniqlo, announced the latest in its expansion plans in India with the opening of its highly anticipated first store in Mumbai. Launching on 6 October at Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla, Uniqlo will provide Mumbai customers a new shopping experience that offers LifeWear - clothing designed to make everyone's life better.

"We are delighted to be launching in Mumbai this fall", said Tomohiko Sei, Chief Executive Officer, Uniqlo India. "October will also mark the anniversary of our four-year journey in India, and this new milestone highlights our strong ongoing commitment to India. Until now, our customers in Mumbai have been using our e-commerce channel to shop for their LifeWear essentials, and we now look forward to welcoming them in person to our first Mumbai store."

This will be the 11th brick-and-mortar store in India. The new store will offer a range of LifeWear collections for men, women, kids, and babies, with its thoughtfully designed and functional products that are made for all. LifeWear is simple, high[1]quality, everyday clothing, designed with life's needs in mind, and constantly evolving.

Today, the brand has more than 2,400 stores across the world. Since opening its first store in Hiroshima in 1984, it has created apparel that comes from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality, and longevity, featuring universal designs, supreme fit and comfort with the aim to improve the daily lives of its customers.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

--IANS

IANSlife/tb
Islamabad, July 9 : At least five people were killed and around 10 others injured on Sunday in an LPG cylinder blast in a three-storied building on the Grand Trunk Road in Jhelum in Pakistan's Punjab province.

Five bodies had been recovered and injured have been rushed to the Jhelum District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hassan Tariq was quoted as saying by Dawn.

Four to five people were believed to be under the rubble and rescue efforts were under way to save them, he added

The explosion took place at around 9:45 a.m., after which the rescue teams launched rescue operation.

Tariq added that all senior doctors and staff were present at the DHQ hospital where the injured were being provided treatment while one seriously injured patient was referred to the Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi.
Chennai, July 9 : Explaining the continuing financial choppiness afflicting the Indian carriers, an expert industry watcher blames it on multiple structural factors -- absence of a strong capital structure and low-cost infrastructure, the heavy taxation burden on aviation turbine fuel (ATF), and the fact that 60-70 per cent of costs are dollar denominated.

In an interview with IANS, Jagannarayan Padmanabhan, Senior Director, Consulting, CRISIL Market Intelligence and Analytics, said the duopoly in the market, which is dominated today by Air India and IndiGo, coupled with the release of the pent-up demand for travel, has led to "Indian airlines enjoying healthy yields rarely seen over the past decade, allowing them to streamline their balance sheets, which were severely impacted by the pandemic".

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. What is the current status of Indian-owned airlines?

A. The Indian aviation sector was chugging along healthily, rising to become the third largest in the world when measured by domestic passengers carried, when it was hit first by the grounding of Jet Airways and then by the pandemic lockdown, leading to airlines ceasing operations. Yet, India was one of the few nations where no airline exited on account of the pandemic.

The privatization of Air India was a watershed moment for Indian aviation and it has led to a strong competitor emerging to challenge IndiGo as the TATA group has also completed the takeover of AirAsiaIndia. The two airline groups account for 85 per cent of the Indian domestic market, leading to a duopoly in the market..

The recovery from the pandemic and the untapped potential of Indian aviation, considering that India still has one of the lowest number of air trips per capita (0.14, compared with three to four for developed nations) has led to consecutive world record orders by Indian airlines -- Air India, 470 aircraft, followed by IndiGo with 500.

Smaller players are struggling due to legacy issues as well as technical issues with an OEM (original equipment manufacturer), but for the two dominant airlines, there is a significant runway for growth in the medium to long term.

Q. New airlines taking off and crash landing has been a regular feature in India. Why do you think this happens?

A. There are structural factors at play for a number of startup airlines fading away quickly. Most of the new airlines lack a strong capital structure -- and airlines are capital guzzlers especially in the infant stage.

Further, the airlines lack differentiated products/offerings and try to ape the incumbents by flying on similar routes. Look at the airlines that have done well.

IndiGo started with the idea of a no-frills airline with strict focus on on-time performance and delivered on the same. Vistara was launched with the idea of getting the best of service and hospitality to the Indian market, and both have survived the brutal wars.

Both low cost carriers (LCCs) and full-service carriers (FSCs), moreover, continue to operate at the same airports and this leads to high airport and other charges.

Indian regulations, moreover, did not allow for International operations for five years; now, the requirement has been reduced to the acquisition of 20 aircraft, allowing well-capitalised carriers to get aggressive with their fleet plans and begin higher-yielding International operations (Akasa is on the verge of receiving its 20th aircraft, which will enable it to commence its international operations within a year of its launch).

Q. What are the major expense heads for an airline? What is the kind of flexibility available to them to reduce the costs?

A. As per data from FY20, the last non-Covid year where financial numbers for all airlines are available, variable costs account for 70 per cent (fuel 41 per cent, landing fee 10 per cent, others 18 per cent), and fixed and semi-fixed for 30 per cent (rentals 3 per cent, employee 13 per cent, and repair and maintenance 15 per cent).

As for flexibility in managing the costs, fuel expenses can be reduced only to a certain extent by deploying fuel-efficient aircraft as price is the major driver of fuel expenses.

Employee costs are on the upswing on account of the massive cuts during the pandemic and rising attrition as global players are offering better packages.

The repair and maintenance costs are coming down as more MROs are being set up in India leading to a rationalisation of costs.

Q. What are the revenue streams for an airline and what trends do you see?

A. Indian airlines focused on passenger revenue with cargo revenue being an afterthought. Only SpiceJet realised the importance of cargo revenues and created SPiceXpress. During the pandemic, airlines finally recognised the importance of cargo revenues, leading them to refocus on cargo operations.

Q. Is pricing an issue with airlines? If yes, in which sector -- domestic or overseas?

A. The Indian market was notoriously tough for pricing because of intense competition, with players jostling to capture market share and financially weak airlines resorting to discounting to shore up cash.

The closure of a couple of airlines, coupled with the brutal impact on airline balance sheets and the rise of a duopolistic market, has led to improved pricing power for Indian airlines in the domestic market.

Q. Can a low-cost airline succeed in India? If yes, how?

A. IndiGo is the best example of an LCC not just succeeding, but flourishing. It has placed the world's largest order for 500 aircraft and crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore market cap. Some lessons to be learnt from its success story are: Being nimble in the face of opportunities (demise of Kingfisher); a strong balance sheet that allowed it to tide over the pandemic; planning ahead; intense focus on costs and on-time arrivals; and operating a young fleet.

Q. What patterns do you see in load factor?

A. Pre-pandemic, Indian airlines were operating at 85-86 per cent load factors in the domestic space and this declined to 40-50 per cent in the first phase of resumption of operations post pandemic. With passenger traffic having recovered now to pre-Covid levels, PLFs are hovering around 84-87 per cent in the domestic market.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
New Delhi, July 9 : Days after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited the motor bike market in Delhi and interacted with bike mechanics, he shared his conversation with them on his social media channel on Sunday saying their achievements drive the country's progress.

He also asserted that to strengthen the automobile industry of the country, there is need to empower the mechanics.

"India's super mechanic - whose achievement drives the country's progress. The new destination of Bharat Jodo, the streets of Karol Bagh - where in the Bike Market, servicing a bike with Umaid Shah, Vicky Sen and Manoj Paswan and got an in-depth understanding of the work of a mechanic. To strengthen the automobile industry of India, there is a need to empower the mechanics of India," Rahul Gandhi said in the tweet attaching the video of his interaction with the bike mechanics here.

Rahul Gandhi had visited a bike mechanic workshop in Delhi's Karol Bagh area in June this year, while interacting with the mechanics at the workshop he even tried to repair the motorcycles.

In the video, a mechanic says that Rahul Gandhi himself visited his garage and tried to repair the broken bikes.

In the video Rahul Gandhi can be seen repairing the bikes, interacting with them and even having a cup of tea.

"He came to know from us how poor people lead their lives. What problems they are facing," the mechanic can be heard saying in the video.

To this, the Gandhi scion replied, "I have KTM 390 but I don't use it, my security men don't allow me. I've come here to learn from you all."

"What about your marriage? When will it happen Sir? Without your services, this cannot work," Rahul Gandhi asked the mechanics.

Congress, later in a statement said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra was all about learning by listening to the voices of all sections of Indians, especially those who haven't been able to tell their stories of Triumphs and Travails.

"The next pitstop of this journey was at the Biker's market in Karol Bagh, New Delhi where I met a group of super mechanics, and had open and candid conversations with these hard-working men who keep the wheels of Bharat moving," it said.

In the video, Rahul Gandhi can be seen visiting bike mechanic shops.

A bike mechanic shop owner told Rahul Gandhi that he works on the bore repairing of the bike engines, cranks and other parts.

He also said that his family has been in the mechanic job since 1947.

The bike mechanic also told him that he had water in his lungs as he used to do electric, gas welding.

Rahul Gandhi asked him, if he used to wear a mask while welding, to which the mechanic replied in negative.

Rahul Gandhi then advised him to wear a mask to avoid the fumes, to which the mechanic said that he feels difficulty while working with a mask.

The mechanic told the Congress leader that he is taking medicines for heart issues and diabetes and his heart rate is only 25 per cent, which earlier was 18 per cent.

The Congress leader then also asked him to take care of his health

He then visited a bullet repair shop, where the owner showed him how repairing of the old bikes were being done and he also showed his photograph to the Congress leader of his visit to Leh Ladakh in 1980 by his own bike.

Rahul Gandhi then replied to him that he too wants to visit via road and asked if he took the Manali, Rohatang and Leh route to reach there.

Another bike mechanic told Rahul Gandhi that it took him four years to learn repairing the bike.

"I made an effort to understand the difficulties and know the dreams of mechanics in India," Rahul Gandhi said in the video.

He also said that as he taught me the nuances of servicing a bike, Umed Shah, a senior mechanic, told me how poverty had forced him to stop his studies and become a mechanic, like his elder brother, decades ago.

"Manoj Paswan and Vicky Sen told me how the meager returns of their profession worried them everyday, because of the responsibilities of family life. I saw many others facing similar problems, working hard to make ends meet, even at the cost of their health," Rahul Gandhi said.

"Our mechanics toil to sustain the automobile industry - they deserve access to better facilities and the best opportunities. In the prosperity and well-being of every individual and workers of every profession lies India's true progress," he added.

Even Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said: "Taking forward the series of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi met the mechanics of Karol Bagh. During the conversation, he tried to see and understand what the life of a common mechanic is like. What kind of challenges do they have to face?

"These are the hands that take our country forward. It is very important to understand their concerns and grievances and create a system that gives them access to better facilities and opportunities," Ramesh added.

On Friday, Rahul Gandhi visited Madina village in Haryana's Sonepat and interacted with them.

The Congress leader has surprised the people with his sudden visits among the public. In March this year, he visited the Bengali Market and Jama Masjid area in the national capital.

Later, he went to Mukherjee Nagar area and interacted with UPSC aspirants.

Rahul Gandhi also went to Delhi University's PG men's hostel over lunch and then Haryana's Murthal and from there he took a truck ride till Ambala.

During his recent visit to the US, Gandhi had also taken a truck ride from New York to Washington DC. While in Karnataka during the Assembly elections, he had interacted with the delivery partners and took a scooter ride with them.

Rahul Gandhi had completed his 4,000 km Bharat Jodo Yatra from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari to Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar between September 7 last year till January 30 this year.

After his yatra concluded on January 30, he has been interacting with people.
New Delhi, July 9 : A 20-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-Delhi) allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of his hostel room, police said on Sunday.

The deceased was identified as Ayush Ashna.

The hostel staff informed the police about the incident which occurred late on Saturday night.

A senior police official said that Ashna, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, had recently appeared for final exams of B.Tech.

Police said that they didn't recover any suicide note from the possession of the deceased and were trying to ascertain the exact reason behind his extreme step.

"His family members have been informed and we are further looking into the matter," said the official.
New Delhi, July 9 : As privatisation of the country's flag carrier Air India is on a transformational journey, it seems, until its 'legacy mindset' remains, the Tata Group owned company will find it difficult to reinvent and metamorphose. One of the primary reasons being the omnipresence of the 'old' Air India within the transiting 'new' Air India's steeped in culture, systems, processes and attitude. This requires a radical overhaul for a metamorphic change to set in.

Air India, under the ownership of Tata Group for over a year and six months, has undergone significant changes in its turnaround and transformation efforts.

However, amidst its progress, the airline has also faced major controversies, including pilot dissatisfaction, Magadon Airport in Russia leaving scores of passengers stranded on International Airports and mishandling of sensitive matters.

Since the acquisition, Tata Group has implemented various measures to revive the struggling airline. These include placing a substantial order for 470 planes and expanding international operations.

The Tata Group owns four airlines, namely Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect, and Vistara (a joint venture with Singapore Airlines).

However, the group is currently in the process of merging Air India Express and AIX Connect with Air India, as well as integrating Vistara into the airline.

Previously burdened with financial losses and debt, Air India is now on a comprehensive transformation roadmap aimed at becoming a world-class global airline with an Indian identity.

The flag carrier is expanding its fleet and network, enhancing its customer experience, and improving operational reliability.

Last year, Air India unveiled a five-year transformation roadmap called Vihaan.AI, which translates to "dawn of a new era" in Sanskrit.

This roadmap outlines specific milestones, focusing on expanding the network and fleet, revitalising the customer experience, improving reliability and punctuality, taking a leadership role in technology, sustainability, and innovation, and investing in top industry talent.

The initial phase, named Taxi, addressed legacy issues on a large-scale and laid the foundation for future growth.

The successful completion of this phase marked the beginning of Take Off, the second phase, which involves developing the necessary platforms, processes, and systems to achieve excellence.

"To support immediate plans to scale up and grow, Air India last year leased 36 aircraft, including 11 wide-body Boeing 777s and 25 narrow-body Airbus A320 family aircraft. Several of these have already joined Air India's fleet, enabling the airline to densify its domestic route network and expand on international routes," said the airline's spokesperson.

"In less than a year, the airline has ramped, launched or resumed operations to seven destinations outside India and launched flights on 19 international routes and six domestic routes. Some of Air India's newly leased Boeing 777s deployed on North America routes also saw the airline's introduction of a new Premium Economy offering," said the spokesperson.

Campbell Wilson, CEO of Air India, has compared the revival of the airline to a Test match rather than a T20 match, emphasising the long-term nature of the transformation process.

Air India has been confronted with a series of incidents involving technical glitches, unruly passengers, and violations of regulations, resulting in substantial fines for the airline.

While efforts are being made to address these challenges, recent events continue to raise concerns about passenger safety and the airline's overall operations.

One incident took place on June 6 when Air India flight AI173, en route from Delhi to San Francisco, had to make an emergency landing at Magadan airport in Russia due to a technical issue with one of its engines.

Passengers onboard the flight found themselves stranded as their journey was redirected to Magadan in Siberia.

Video footage circulating on Twitter revealed the passengers forced to sleep on the floor of a school in the temporary accommodation provided due to the unforeseen circumstances.

However, on June 7, an alternate plane was flown from Mumbai to Magadan to transport the affected passengers to San Francisco, helping to alleviate the inconvenience caused by the diversion.

In a recent incident in June, a male passenger aboard an Air India flight from Mumbai to Delhi shocked fellow passengers and crew members by engaging in disruptive behavior, defecating and urinating inside the aircraft.

The passenger, identified as Ram Singh and seated in seat number 17F, was promptly given a verbal warning by the cabin crew and isolated from other passengers.

Upon arrival, Captain Varun Sansare reported the incident and requested security assistance.

The disruptive behavior caused distress among the passengers on board, as stated in the complaint filed by Captain Sansare.

In another incident on an Air India flight from Paris to New Delhi on December 6, 2022, the DGCA fined the airline Rs 10 lakh for its failure to report two separate incidents.

One involved a passenger caught smoking and not adhering to crew instructions, while the other involved a passenger allegedly urinating on a fellow female passenger's seat and blanket.

These incidents further highlighted the necessity for improved compliance and passenger safety protocols.

The DGCA also took action by suspending the license of an Air India pilot for three months.

The pilot allowed a female friend to enter the cockpit during a Dubai to Delhi flight, a violation of regulations.

Additionally, Air India received a fine of Rs 30 lakh from the aviation regulator for its inadequate handling of safety-sensitive issues.

In yet another incident, the license of an Air India pilot and the First Officer, who permitted an unauthorised woman to enter the cockpit of flight AI-445, operating from Delhi to Leh on June 3, has been suspended by the DGCA.

During the departure of Air India flight AI-458 from Chandigarh to Leh, the Pilot in Command (PIC) allowed an unauthorised person to enter the cockpit.

"The First Officer failed to object to this unauthorised entry. After conducting an investigation, the DGCA has taken the following actions: the PIC's pilot license has been suspended for one year, and the First Officer's pilot license has been suspended for one month," said an official.

One notable incident was the urination incident that occurred on November 26, 2022, during an Air India flight from New York to Delhi.

The mishandling of the incident and subsequent issues caused significant embarrassment to Tata Group, prompting statements from the Air India CEO and Tata Sons Chairman. N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Air India, admitted that the airline's response should have been swifter.

As a consequence of the incident, the DGCA imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the pilot-in-command's license for three months.

Additionally, a penalty of Rs 3 lakh was imposed on the Director of Flight Services of Air India for dereliction of duties.

(Shekhar Singh can be reached at shekhar.s@ians.in)
Washington, July 9 : US President Joe Biden on Sunday embarked on Europe visit which is expected to be dominated by the US approval of munitions to Ukraine and bolstering North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) alliance.

During his five day trip from July 9-13, Biden will visit the UK, Lithuania and Finland to bolster NATO, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had said in a statement.

In the first leg of his visit, Biden will have a stopover in London on Sunday night. The US President on Monday has scheduled engagements with King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to further strengthen close relationship between the two nations.

On July 11-12, the US President will Vilnius, Lithuania to attend the 74th NATO meeting during which leaders are set to discuss the war in Ukraine and bolstering the military alliance.

Despite use of bombs being banned across the world by 123 countries, Biden had announced that it will send cluster munitions to Kiev, saying "he took a difficult decision to act as the Ukraine are running out of ammunition", sky news reported.

He will conclude his tour with visit to Helsinki, Finland for US-Nordic leaders summit on July 13 and fly back to the US the same day.
New Delhi, July 8 : While ripples of insolvency cases and financial crisis blow across the aviation industry, SpiceJet claims that the airline has better prospects ahead while pointing out the near completion of its legal battles and successful repayments.

Aircraft lessor Aircastle has recently lodged a fresh insolvency plea against SpiceJet, claiming non-payment of outstanding dues. This marks the third insolvency case filed against the airline, as Aircastle aims to initiate proceedings to recover its debts.

However, concerns regarding the maintainability of Aircastle's second insolvency plea have emerged, with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) seeking explanations from Aircastle's legal representative. The NCLT has cited relevant legal precedents in its request, highlighting the need for clarification on the pleaas validity.

A spokesperson for SpiceJet expressed optimism as the airlineas long-pending legal cases approach their conclusion. The spokesperson said that the company is actively settling all ongoing cases, signaling brighter days ahead for the airline.

"Amid a backdrop of protracted legal battles, SpiceJet's commitment to resolving these cases demonstrates a proactive approach to addressing past challenges," he said.

"SpiceJet has even successfully completed the repayment of Rs 100 crore to City Union Bank. The final installment of Rs 25 crore was paid on June 30, 2023, effectively closing the entire loan account that was taken in 2012," said the spokesperson.

"The repayment to City Union Bank follows a successful settlement agreement with Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC), a major lessor for SpiceJet's Q400 aircraft. The agreement with NAC resolves all past liabilities for the Q400s leased by NAC to SpiceJet and enables the return and induction of three additional planes into the SpiceJet fleet," said the spokesperson.

However, in yet another case, SpiceJet, the financially troubled airline, last month was ordered by the London High Court to pay $15 million to two aircraft leasing companies, GASL Ireland and VS MSN.

During the court proceedings, it became evident that SpiceJet made various attempts to delay the court's schedule. At one point, the airlineas legal team withdrew from the case, citing non-payment of fees, as per sources.

Subsequently, SpiceJet requested more time, claiming that they were in the process of hiring a new legal team. However, the court was unimpressed with excuses and insisted that the proceedings must continue, leading to a summary judgment against the airline, said the sources. However, SpiceJet denied all such claims.

On Friday, the Supreme Court also dismissed SpiceJetas application seeking an extension of time to pay Rs 75 crore to Kal Airways and Kalanithi Maran.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha, stated that SpiceJetas application was merely a delay tactic to avoid payment, despite the courtas orders. They emphasized the importance of following court orders, especially in commercial matters.

In February, the apex court had directed SpiceJet to pay Rs 75 crore to Kal Airways and Kalanithi Maran within three months for its interest liability under an arbitral award. The court had explicitly stated that failure to make the payment would result in the entire award becoming executable in favor of the decree holders.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing SpiceJet on Friday had requested a two-month extension of time as the initial three-month deadline had expired on May 13. He had asked the court to list the matter for further discussion in 3-4 days to explore potential solutions.

However, senior advocate Maninder Singh, instructed by advocates from Karanjawala & C., alleged that SpiceJet was disregarding the orders of all courts, including the Supreme Court. He argued that the airline had not complied with the Delhi High Court's 2020 order to file an affidavit disclosing its assets.

On May 29 this year, the Delhi High Court, in execution proceedings, directed SpiceJet and its chief, Ajay Singh, to pay the entire executable amount under the award to Kal Airways and Kalanithi Maran.

However, the Supreme Court declined to grant an extension of time, emphasizing the need to send a clear message that its orders must be followed, particularly in commercial matters. The court dismissed SpiceJet's application and ordered the full execution of the award.

A spokesperson for SpiceJet stated that the recent order by the Supreme Court reaffirmed its previous order issued in February 2023.

Spokesperson said that the main petition challenging the award by both parties is pending disposal by the Delhi High Court.

"The matter pertains to the payment of interest on a principal amount of Rs 579 crore, which has already been paid," said the SpiceJet spokesperson.

The spokesperson expressed the airline's commitment to finding an amicable settlement through discussions with Kalanithi Maran and his firm, KAL Airways.

However, with the increasing number of lawsuits both in the United Kingdom and India, it remains to be seen how SpiceJet will defend itself in these legal battles.

(Shekhar Singh can be reached at shekhar.s@ians.in)
Imphal/ Thrissur : , July 9 (IANS) Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, whose house in Imphal was vandalised and set on fire by a mob on June 16, has held the Congress responsible for the prevailing unprecedented unrest in Manipur.

Singh said that Manipur was ruled by the Congress since the very beginning up to 2017 and whatever blunders committed by them have had their fallout in the ethnic violence in the state.

"Corruption, misgovernance, lack of developmental initiatives. and improper educational system pushed Manipur to a backward place," the Union Minister told the media in Thrissur.

Academician-turned-politician Singh, who represents the Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency, the said that after coming to power, the BJP government has undertaken all out steps to develop Manipur in all sectors.

"The new education policy is being implemented and a dynamic education being provided to the young people. The BJP government has been trying to develop both the hills and valley region of the state," said Singh, who is also the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education.

Defying curfew on June 16 night, a mob of about 500 men and women attacked the Union Minister's residence in Imphal and burnt most of his house while the security guards and firefighters managed to control the blaze from spreading further. During the incident, Singh and his family members were not present in the house.

Singh's house was earlier targeted on May 25 when thousands of people attempted to assemble in front of his residence, but security forces prevented them from doing so. Mobs burnt down the residences of several ministers, MLAs and leaders of different political parties in Manipur during the violence. These include Manipur's lone woman minister Nemcha Kipgen and PWD Minister Konthoujam Govindas, Uripok MLA Raghumani Singh, Sugnoo MLA K. Ranjit Singh and Naoriya Pakhanglakpa MLA S. Kebi Devi.

On June 23, a mob burnt down a private warehouse of Manipur minister L. Susindro Meitei at Chingarel in Imphal East district. Police said the mob, comprising men and women, demanded an early solution to the ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki communities and accused all the ministers and MLAs of not doing enough to end the Manipur crisis.

--IANS

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Raipur, July 9 : As the debates over the proposed implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) go on, the tribal communities in Chhattisgarh largely oppose the UCC.

After the Prime Minister, during his visit to Bhopal last month, advocated for the UCC, all the political parties from across the nation reacted.

In Chhattisgarh, many organisations are raising questions over this.

The Chhattisgarh Sarva Adivasi Samaj (CSAS) has started a protest against UCC and said that the central government should not be in a rush to implement a Uniform Civil Code as it could threaten the identity and traditional practices of tribals who follow customary laws.

Former Union minister and CSAS President Arvind Netam said that his organisation is not completely opposed to the Uniform Civil Code but the Centre should take everyone into confidence before going ahead to implement it.

Arvind Netam said that it would be impossible to implement in tribal communities without proper consultation.

"Tribals do not have a codified law.The tribal community is governed by its customary laws in matters of birth, divorce, partition, succession, inheritance, land and property, and this is its identity, which is different from the rest of the castes, communities and religions," he said.

"In tribal society, women have the freedom to marry multiple times after leaving the incumbent husband and they don't have the right to ancestral land," Netam added.

Tribals have been given many rights under the Fifth and Sixth schedule of the Constitution and the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act.

Former MLA Champa Devi Pawla said, The tribal community has its own culture and there is a possibility of it getting affected due to the UCC. The traditions of tribals are different and they are far away from Hindu customs. The Constitution has also given separate rights to tribals."

Retired senior police officer Radheshyam Nayak said, "UCC will be beneficial for all, some people are protesting about it and there is also confusion, the main reason for this is that its draft has not yet come out. The tribal society has its own culture and traditions, what are the provisions regarding it, all will be known only after the draft comes."
Photo: The Canadian Press A server clears a table on a patio at a restaurant, in Vancouver, on Friday, April 2, 2021. COVID-19 showed Canadian cities the benefits of extended patio programs for businesses and citizens, but experts say cities in the middle of transitioning to permanent versions of temporary policies are undermining pandemic-spurred improvements.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

At the height of social distancing and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadian cities rolled out temporary patio policies, loosening rules and waiving fees for bars and restaurants looking to seat more customers outdoors.

These programs brought a glimmer of hope  and revenue  to businesses that had been forced to shut their doors, allowing them to offer more outdoor dining to citizens eager to leave their houses.

Now, as cities transition into their new normal post-pandemic, experts say patios need better across-the-board standardization to make them more accessible, as well as more predictable for the businesses still trying to make up for lost sales.

It was a thing that became an obvious no-brainer for better streets and better neighbourhoods and better cities, said city planning consultant Brent Toderian, who is also the former chief planner for Vancouver.

So it's remarkable how bad a job we've done.

When the pandemic hit, restaurants and bars shut their doors, resorting to takeout services or going dark altogether, and the extended patios were a lifeline for many businesses.

The pandemic was a bit of a forced pilot program, said James DiPaolo, a senior associate at Urban Strategies.

Cities were looking at creative ways to adapt, and they were forced to do it on a much faster timetable than they're used to.

Three years later, the transition to the new normal looks different everywhere you look, with some municipalities making temporary changes permanent while others roll them back.

But advocates have been sounding the alarm about the accessibility concerns of sidewalk and curbside patios for several years, and say that any permanent solution needs to have appropriate accessibility standards. Meanwhile, businesses are looking for predictability as they make plans and investments for the future, but in some cities have been complaining about delays and dismissals in the permitting process.

Many businesses in Toronto are seeing patio permits that were previously approved during pandemic years now denied for a variety of reasons, or are facing delays in getting permits even as summer rolls forward, said Tracy Macgregor, vice-president of Ontario for Restaurants Canada.

That's where the frustration is coming in, because they can't hit the ground running with these patios, she said.

The city's CafeTO program is an example of the "red tape" that can occur if policies aren't designed well, said Toderian.

When you walk around Montreal, you see a lot more (patios). So that certainly suggests that their system is more effective, he said.

It's part of their general attitude towards the public realm, which is better than any other city in North America.

In some cases the pandemic patios actually improved accessibility, said Maayan Ziv, founder and CEO of AccessNow. For example, businesses that perhaps didnt have accessible indoor seating before were able to do so with the additional outdoor space, she said.

But in other cases they introduced new barriers, she said.

No public money should be going to the installation of new barriers, no permits or authorizations should be granted to businesses that have not considered the accessible access points to these spaces.

Over time, urban settings are becoming less accessible, said David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. The pandemic patio programs are just one example, he said, noting that early iterations often made pedestrians walk into the road.

Changes announced early on in 2023 to Toronto's program include uniform platforms for accessibility, according to the city, along with a transition period to make required changesand grant programs for businesses and BIAs.

Lepofsky said as each municipality looks for a permanent solution, theres a patchwork situation developing, even though the duty to accommodate transcends city borders.

If you leave it to each municipality to reinvent the accessibility wheel, they either won't, or they risk getting it wrong. And you're burdening people with disabilities in each community to have to fight about this, said Lepofsky, who wants to see provincial accessibility standards for outdoor seating areas.

Widespread, uniform accessibility benefits everyone, not only people with disabilities, said Lepofsky, including increasing the base of potential customers for businesses.

We just need to ensure that there is an accessibility plan built into all of these projects, said Ziv. That could be as simple as ensuring an easy path of access or educating and training restaurant staff, she said.

I'd like to see that widely adopted across every municipality, as opposed to a case-by-case basis, said Ziv.

Toderian agreed that patio programs should be approached in a standardized way, instead of a program that requires case-by-case reviews of patio designs as some do.

Its no wonder these things arent getting done faster, he said.

Both Calgary and Edmonton appear to have clear and helpful guidelines for their patios, said DiPaolo, helping businesses figure out what their patio should look like instead of starting from scratch in every case.

In Calgary, the city is yet again waiving fees for patio permits this year. In 2022 it made its extended patio program permanent, with permits valid for three years, according to the city website.

Along 17th Avenue, a popular stretch of bars and restaurants, a local business group decided to pitch in to streamline patio season.

The 17th Ave Business Improvement Area last year invested in building an extended boardwalk system that runs alongside the sidewalks, explained executive director Tulene Steistol. Seating is set up on the sidewalks in front of businesses, while pedestrians walk on the boardwalk without having to watch for servers and patrons crossing between the restaurant and the patio seating.

This has made patios safer for diners and pedestrians and more attractive for businesses, said Steiestol, noting that the BIA made changes after feedback from the citys accessibility committee.

Steiestol thinks municipalities should help pay for projects like this, helping them become more widespread.

We've had municipalities coming down, and their own teams from other cities taking note of what we've done, she said.

Some communities have taken pandemic patios several steps further, implementing pedestrian-only street times and bringing in live music and public art, said DiPaolo.

My hope as a planner is that ... the success of these programs can be leveraged for more permanent improvements to the public realm, he said.

Instead of building makeshift patios into the street during the summer months, maybe we talk about expanding the public boulevard, where these issues of accessibility and mobility and safety are actually built into the design of the streetscape rather than addressed through the permitting process that happens every year.
Oil is dead: long live wind power!

The North Sea  modest in size, but gigantic in economic importance  washes up against the wealthy coasts of Europe. This body of water is currently immersed in an accelerated transition towards its second energy life.

In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, oil and gas reserves bolstered the already-fertile economies of Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and  above all  Norway. But these fossil fuels have more of a past than a present. Today, the future is not under the water, but on it  and it runs on the sound of the wind. The 27 EU member states have made an unprecedented commitment to developing wind energy. Their goals of decarbonization and energy independence depend on the success of this source of power.

Whatever fossil fuels companies say, oil and gas will likely be fossils much sooner than many can  or want  to imagine. The world of energy is changing by leaps and bounds especially in Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has exposed the stark risks of being dependent on resources over which EU nations have no control.

Denmark is a country of barely six million inhabitants, living on less than 16,000 square miles of land. The small nation is also prosperous, with a per-capita income of more than $70,000  double that of a Western European nation such as Spain. Denmark  a witness to the recent accelerated energy shift  sees no return to the past. The Scandinavian nation wants to move away from oil and gas exploration and production towards a greener future.

A jackup rig, designed to be able to transport blades and wind turbines, docked in the port of Esbjerg, Denmark. On the left, one of the structures is visible. Ignacio Fariza

We want to be a great source of green electricity for the whole of Europe, said Dan Jrgensen  the Danish minister for climate and energy  in the early stages of the crisis caused by Vladimir Putin. Just two decades after the inauguration of its first offshore wind farm  then a rarity  Denmark now leads the wind energy market, alongside neighboring Sweden and Norway. Danish citizens are well-aware of the climate issue  in polls, global warming repeatedly appears at the top of citizen concerns. The public is convinced that the time has come to take a big step forward. And not only does the country want to meet its own needs with green energy: the ultimate goal is to become the great battery that powers the EU.

The Danish plans are of a magnitude that is difficult to imagine in Europe. In countries such as Spain, very deep waters are just a short distance from the coast, preventing the fixing of windmills into the seabed. But in Denmark, this problem doesnt exist. In the North Sea, the depth of the water is low, while the gusts of wind are powerful and prolonged. Its the perfect breeding ground for a technology that has not reached its maturity level yet, but is already yielding remarkable rates of energy production. This is just the start of whats to come: the countrys roadmap involves tripling the current capacity by 2030.

By the end of this decade, offshore wind generation will already exceed the domestic demand for electricity by 40%, while the countrys total energy usage will already be fully based on renewables. The surplus will be sold to the rest of Europe. Denmark is in a great geographic position for this, as the Scandinavian country is just a step away from Germany  by far the largest energy consumer in the EU  and the Netherlands and Belgium. The business possibilities that arise thanks to this green energy surplus are simply huge. By 2050, wind turbines in the North Sea will reach their peak and not only in Denmark. The eight EU countries with access to the body of water  along with the United Kingdom  will have enough wind turbines installed to generate sufficient electricity to cover the needs of 300 million households each year.

Gray and nondescript, the port of Esbjerg  three hours by train west of Copenhagen  is a representative image of the energy and economic shift that the continent is undergoing. Its docks  dedicated to fishing since time immemorial  eventually came to be dominated by the auxiliary ships of the oil and gas platforms. Today  as EL PAIS was able to verify this week, in a visit organized by the European Commission  another transformation is underway: the vast majority of cargo ships are transporting material for the construction of dozens of wind turbines, which will be installed just a few miles offshore.

A few feet from the docks, dozens of blades and wind turbines lie on the ground, ready to be installed. And, a little further inland, there are huge warehouses and workplaces, which belong to a good number of companies that are closely linked to the offshore wind industry. Among them are the generator manufacturers Vestas (Danish) and Siemens Gamesa (of Spanish origin, now in German hands); the engineering firm Semco Maritime  a name historically linked to crude oil, but now seeing more business in wind  and the largest Scandinavian electric company, the Swedish state-owned Vattenfall. All of them are aware of the size of the pie that is about to be cut up in the coming years and nobody wants to leave the party without their piece.

Windmill blades, ready for installation Ignacio Fariza

Paul Erik Jacobsen  a stocky, blue-eyed man in his sixties, with a weathered face  had to leave his job at Maersk Oil (now named TotalEnergies) a little over five years ago, when the Danish fossil fuel sector had already begun its inexorable decline. Highly knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the port of Esbjerg, he landed on his feet on the other side of the increasingly porous barrier between fossil fuels and renewables. For me, it means working on something with a future, he notes, his voice echoing in the gigantic industrial warehouse where hes now the boss. This career shift is by no means unique: half-a-century ago, fishermen found work in the then-dazzling oil industry. Today, oil workers are now transitioning from dirty to clean energy. This is the blue-collar version of a trend that has already been taking place for years among the great engineers of the energy world.

All energy sources are insufficient for what Europe will need in the coming years. The combined whirlwind of the climate emergency and the Russian invasion of Ukraine is making it clear that the continent needs to transition  at full speed  to a completely different energy matrix from the current one. The alternative should be emissions-free and insulated from the always-turbulent geopolitical panorama.

Natural gas and coal will have to rapidly exit the electricity market to reduce the still-heavy burden of emissions. The EUs cars will soon shift to battery power: by 2035, across the 27 member states, it will no longer be possible to sell cars that have combustion engines. All processes that can be electrified will be switched over. And, as economic growth and energy consumption rise, the continent will need many more terawatt hours to cover its needs. The exit from this labyrinth can be found in the winds of the North Sea (and perhaps in the sun of the Iberian Peninsula, which is dominating the solar panel industry).

With two energy islands, Denmark looks to the future

The plan to feed energy to the old continent from the North Sea has a powerfully futuristic taste especially when it comes to the creation of so-called energy islands. Discreetly, in the midst of a pandemic  when the virus had the entire worlds attention  the Danish Parliament approved the creation of two energy islands, from which to store the energy generated by offshore wind farms. Of the 179 members of the legislature, only half-a-dozen votes were cast against this proposal  energy security is clearly a nonpartisan issue in Denmark. If nothing goes wrong, both energy settlements will become reality by the end of this decade.

The first will be located on the natural island of Bornholm  with a population of 40,000  in the Baltic Sea. This site will make for an efficient concentration of all the electrical production generated by the wind turbines, directing it towards Denmark, as well as to the German coasts. The second project is even more ambitious: it involves creating an artificial island out of nothing, about 60 miles west of the Jutland peninsula, in the middle of the North Sea. The design of the latter is still unknown, but sources close to the project suggest that it will most likely be built in a similar fashion to oil platforms: with a lot of metal and pragmatism, above all else.

In the short-term, both islands will centralize the hundreds of miles of cables from the offshore wind farms, to then merge them into a single line towards their destination. In the long run  as early as the 2030s  the islands will also house electrolyzers, to generate green hydrogen and green fuels on-site. The logic lies  above all  in reducing the distance between the wind turbines and the Danish coast, Hanne Storm Edlefsen tells EL PAIS. She is the vice president of Energinet, the publicly-owned company that manages the Danish electrical grid. The further away they are and the more installed power there is, the more sense it makes. The idea fits perfectly with our ambition to turn Denmark into one of the great energy hubs of Europe: we have a lot of wind, and this will allow us to generate very cheap electricity.

Although they are pioneers, the Danes will not have the only energy islands in Europe. Germany  which is participating in the financing of the project of its northern neighbor, knowing that it will be one of its main beneficiaries  also has similar plans, as do Belgium and the Netherlands. The goal is to ultimately chain all of these islands together, with a network of cables that would operate as a kind of parallel interconnection. Based hundreds of miles off the coast, this would facilitate the two-way transfer of electrons.

The more interconnected we are, the better for everyone: consumers will pay lower prices and more renewable [energy] generation can be integrated, Edlefsen concludes. Spain and Portugal  two countries eternally disconnected from the rest of the continent when it comes to energy  know how harmful the alternative to unity can be.

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Kanpur, July 9 : The All-India Chess Federation (AICF) on Sunday announced the 10-member contingent for the Asian Games, scheduled to commence on September 23 in Hangzhou, China, which will be led by double Asian Games gold medallist Koneru Humpy and bronze medallist Dronavalli Harika.

The announcement of the Indian contingent was made during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the AICF held here on Sunday.

In the team event, which will be played in a standard format, all renowned Grandmasters (GMs) D. Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, P. Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi and R. Praggnanandhaa have been selected.

On the other hand, Humpy, Harika, R. Vaishali, Vantika Aggarwal, and B. Savitha Shri have been chosen to form the women's team for the event.

Humpy won the gold in women's individual and mixed team gold medals at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha while Harika secured an individual bronze at the 2010 edition of the Asian Games in Guangzhou.

In the individual event, to be played in Rapid format, Vidit and Arjun are selected to compete in the men's category while Humpy and Harika will participate in the women's event.

AICF president Sanjay Kapoor, who headed the general body meeting, said that the Indian chess league might finally be a reality as he announced to invite tenders for the same.

Speaking on a landmark decision the AICF chief told IANS, "We will be putting out a tender in 10 days time."

In another major transformation move, the AICF president announced that a special management board under the leadership of the AICF President will be set up to run things smoothly under a professional setup. This committee will overlook all important affairs of AICF.

"It (management board) will be presided over by the president itself. He will be going to appoint all the professionals, who will be in direct talk to him," the AICF chief said.

Asked if there will be any former players on the management board, Kapoor said, "If you want to be an appointment you can apply, it's a job. All the associations are an honourary job. These are professionals in their own field so that they can run the federation professionally."

In the meeting, it was planned to have a development programme for All States and in this regard, all affiliates of AICF will receive 7 Lakhs per annum in addition to 200 Chess sets.

Besides, AICF also decided to bring on board a professional agency to look after the revenue and bring in more sponsorship.

India team for Asian Games:

Men: D. Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, P. Harikrishna and R. Praggnanandhaa.

Women: Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, R. Vaishali, Vantika Aggarwal and Savitha Shri.
New Delhi, July 9 : Amid a legal battle and insolvency crisis, cash-strapped Go First is now at a turning point wherein the new management led by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)-appointed-IRP (interim resolution professional) submitted a resolution plan on June 28 and for the first time, aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this week had conducted an audit that can change the destiny of the low-cost airline.

A DGCA official said that the special audit was focused on safety-related aspects, compliance with requirements for holding an Air Operator Certificate, and the physical verification of arrangements made for the resumption of flight operations.

Indian low-cost carrier Go First, previously known as Go Air, temporarily ceased its operations on May 3, 2023.

The airline attributed its financial woes to alleged problems with engine supply from Pratt & Whitney, its manufacturer.

Following the three-day operational halt, the airline faced a series of challenges, including aircraft lessors seeking to reclaim their planes. However, the NCLT granted Go First immunity from repossession.

The sudden suspension of operations by Go First caught the industry off guard, as there were no visible signs of financial stress. The airline continued to fulfil its obligations by paying lessors and meeting all its EMI payments on time.

The DGCA has confirmed that it has received a resolution plan from Go First. However, the regulatory body will only grant the necessary approvals after assessing the revival of operations and facilities at the airline's bases in New Delhi and Mumbai.

In a positive development, Go First recently received in-principle approval for Rs 425 crore in funding to facilitate the restart of its operations. The airline aims to resume operations with a fleet of 23 to 25 aircraft. But it seems that the troubles continue for Go First as on July 7, following the Delhi High Court's decision to permit aircraft lessors to conduct inspections and maintenance on aircraft leased to Go First Airlines, the airline's IRP has filed an appeal challenging the order.

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi on Friday requested an urgent listing of the matter before a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula. The court has said that it will consider the case on Monday (July 10).

The High Court on July 5 had allowed aircraft lessors of cash-strapped Go First airline to inspect their aircraft at least twice a month and carry out maintenance.

The permission to carry out maintenance was allowed by Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju, who was hearing a bunch of applications filed by the lessors in the main petitions seeking to de-register their aircraft currently on lease with Go First, to avoid any further losses.

On May 26, aircraft lessors - Pembroke Aircraft Leasing 11 Ltd, SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd, Accipiter Investments Aircraft 2 Ltd and EOS Aviation 12 (Ireland) Ltd - had moved the High Court seeking de-registration of their planes by the DGCA to take them back from the airline.

During the hearing, the judge acknowledged how valuable and sophisticated the equipment of the lessors' aircraft are, and required maintenance for their preservation.

The airline, its representatives, and the NCLT-appointed IRP were restricted by the court from removing, replacing or taking out any part or components, or records of the 30 aircraft without taking prior written approval from the lessor of the particular aeroplane.

While asking the respondents in the case, DGCA and IRP, to file their responses to the petitions within three weeks, Justice Ganju had also asked the aviation regulator to allow the lessors, their employees and agents to access the airport, where their aircraft are currently parked, and to inspect them within three days.

On lessors' petitions seeking de-registration of their aircraft, the DGCA had told the high court that it was due to a technical glitch on its portal that the applications of several aircraft lessors were shown as 'rejected'.

The DGCA had said it was not processing such requests after a moratorium on financial obligations and transfer of assets of the crisis-hit airline post insolvency resolution proceedings.

"Why is there a distinction? There are seven-eight petitions and each one of them has a different response. Why so?" Justice Ganju had asked the aviation regulator's counsel Anjana Gosain as to why different responses were sent to different lessors on repossession requests.

Advocate Gosain had apprised the court that when lessors send deregistration requests to the regulator, it is done in five working days and that in this case, no application has been rejected.

"There was a glitch in the portal due to which it showed that the applications have been rejected," she had said.

"They made the applications on the portal on May 4. Unfortunately, a glitch came. When they opened on May 12, it showed them to be rejected," she had further submitted.
Los Angeles, July 9 : One of the most acclaimed and famous Hollywood actors, Gary Oldman battled alcoholism and only quit his booze once he realised that he was going to die from it.

According to 'Female First UK', talking to Candis Magazine the 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' actor said "Even though my father left when I was very young, I still had that blueprint. I hadn't had his influence since I was seven, yet I was still doing all that stuff as if I'd had him there all along. I was drinking two bottles of vodka a day and you get to a point where you put the drink before all else".

He continued, "So here was the drink in front and there was my family, my kids, and my work following behind. I used to get upset that my working as an actor was getting in the way of my drinking. I was going to die and when you get to that point you have to choose. No one can do it for you. You have to help you and you have to get to a point where you can say, 'I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."

"It's about changing thought patterns  you have to realise that your thinking is upside down and you have to start again. It took me a long time, but you have to do it", he added.

Now more content and at peace with his life than before, the 65-year old 'The Dark Knight' actor shared, "I've realised the older I get, the less I know. And I take comfort in that."
New Delhi, July 8 : The incidents of 'uncommon behavior' by passengers in recent months on mid-air flights and breaches of cockpit protocol by airline officials, including pilots, have brought significant concerns to the forefront.

These unsettling occurrences underscore the need for enhanced safety measures and stricter adherence to regulations within the aviation industry.

One such incident took place in June, when a male passenger aboard an Air India flight from Mumbai to Delhi shocked fellow passengers and crew members by reportedly defecating and urinating inside the aircraft.

According to the FIR accessed by IANS, Ram Singh, a passenger seated on seat no. 17F, on Air India's Flight AIC 866 from Mumbai to Delhi on June 24 defecated, urinated and spat in the aircraft on row-9.

Singh is a resident of Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand.

"This misconduct was observed by the cabin crew of the flight and subsequently a verbal warning was issued and the passenger was secluded from the surrounding passengers," the FIR read.

"This situation was promptly communicated to me, Capt. Varun Sansare, the Pilot-In-Command. An immediate message was relayed to the company, requesting security assistance to escort the passenger upon arrival. The incident caused agitation among a number of other passengers on board the aircraft," read the complaint filed by the flight Captain.

"Rajender Kumar Meena, the Head of Air India Security, attended to the situation and personally escorted the passenger. Subsequently, a report detailing the incident was submitted to the local police station near IGI Airport T-3 in New Delhi," the FIR further read.

A senior police official said that based on the complaint filed by the flight captain, the Delhi Police has registered a case under sections 294 and 510 at the IGI police station.

"The accused passenger has been arrested and subsequently presented before a court, where bail was granted. The investigation is currently ongoing to gather further information and evidence in the matter," the official added.

On November 26 last year, despite holding a high-ranking position in a US-based company and enjoying the privileges of travelling in business class, a 34-year-old individual named Shankar Mishra reportedly engaged in a shocking act while under the influence of alcohol on an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi.

Mishra allegedly openly urinated on a septuagenarian woman who was also a passenger on the same flight, disregarding the dignity and respect expected in such a setting.

Air India, acting on the incident, imposed four months flying ban on Mishra on January 20.

"The independent three-member Internal Committee under the Chairmanship of the former District Judge has concluded that Shankar Mishra is covered under the definition of 'unruly passenger' and is banned from flying for a period of 4 months as per the relevant provisions of the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR)," an Air India spokesperson had said in a statement.

Following the incident, Air India has reviewed its alcohol service policy, saying that the cabin crew should be attentive to identifying guests who might be consuming their own alcohol. It also said the cabin crew should behave with the passengers in a polite manner, and not call the guests 'drunk' or persuade them 'one last drink' if they have had enough, as per the new policy.

As a result of the incident, Air India has conducted a thorough review of its alcohol service policy. According to the new policy, the cabin crew has been instructed to be vigilant in identifying passengers who may be consuming their own alcohol.

Additionally, the airline emphasises that cabin crew members should maintain a polite demeanor when interacting with passengers, refraining from labeling them as 'drunk' and avoiding any attempts to persuade them into consuming further drinks if they have already reached their limit.

On January 20, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), an aviation regulator, took disciplinary action against Air India following an incident of passenger misbehavior and imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the license of the pilot-in-command of the flight.

Furthermore, a penalty of Rs 3 lakh was levied on the director of in-flight services of Air India for her alleged failure to fulfill her duties. The DGCA became aware of the incident on January 4, 2023, and subsequently took appropriate measures to address the matter.

On May 8, Supreme Court agreed to examine a plea by Shankar Mishra in the Air India urination case seeking direction to the DGCA and airline companies to frame regulations to address incidents of passenger misconduct on board aircraft.

The plea stressed on explicit zero tolerance policy with respect to "unruly/disruptive behavior", which could mandate reporting it to the law enforcement, failing which action would be taken against airlines in all cases.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, issued notice to the Centre, the DGCA and all airlines, including Air India.

The bench sought assistance of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present in the case, formulating standard operating procedure (SOP) and scheduled the matter for hearing in July.

However, when we talk about the cabin crew and pilot, there have been some instances where passengers were put at risks. In May, the DGCA had suspended the licence of an Air India pilot for three months. The suspension comes after the pilot allowed a woman friend to enter the cockpit mid-air during a Dubai to Delhi flight.

The aviation regulator had also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India for failing to address the safety-sensitive issue in a prompt and effective manner.

Additionally, the co-pilot has been cautioned for not being assertive enough to prevent the unauthorised entry.

The Air India pilot was under investigation for violating safety norms by allowing a friend into the cockpit during a flight from Dubai to Delhi on February 27.

The pilot operating from Dubai to Delhi allegedly entertained a female friend in the cockpit, which violates DGCA safety norms.
Los Angeles, July 9 : Actress Elle Fanning has revealed that she lost a role as a 16-year-old because she "wasn't sexy enough".

According to Deadline, Fanning, 25, the younger sister of actress Dakota, told The Times newspaper that when she was 16 years old, she auditioned for a role in a comedy movie about a father and daughter going on a road trip.

The star of the comedy drama series 'The Great' said that she was told she had been rejected for the role "because she wasn't sexy enough"  "unf***able" was the verdict she was given.

She revealed that, a year later, she lost another film role on the grounds that she didn't have enough followers on Instagram.

The 'Maleficient' star has recently enjoyed huge success with her role of Catherine in 'The Great'. Both she and co-star Nicholas Hoult have been Emmy-nominated for their performances in the irreverent period drama, detailing the marriage between Catherine the Great and Tsar Peter III of Russia.

Fanning said she feels more "confident" since taking on the sexually-charged role of Catherine the Great.

The actress shot to fame as a child alongside her sister Dakota Fanning with roles in 'I Am Sam' and 'Daddy Day Care'.

Fanning has also formed a production company with her sister Dakota, and produced and starred in Girl from Plainville, playing Michelle Carter, a woman who taunted her boyfriend Conrad Roy into killing himself in 2014.
Gandhinagar, July 9 : With National Fish Farmer's Day celebrated annually by coastal states on July 10, Gujarat, the state with the largest coastline in the country, will organise various programmes on the day in Veraval and in Porbandar, Jafrabad, Mangrol, and Okha on July 11 to provide information to fish farmers about government initiatives and modern technology in the fisheries sector.

As per recently released data, Gujarat leads India in marine fish production and ranks fifth in total fish production in the country.

Over the past four years, Gujarat has maintained an average fish production of about 8.5 lakh metric tonnes per year. For 2022-23, provisional marine fish production is estimated to be 6,97,151 metric tonnes, while inland fish production is projected to be 2,07,078 metric tonnes.

Hence, Gujarat's total fish production for the year is expected to be around 9,04,229 metric tonnes.

Gujarat boasts the country's longest coastline of 1,600 km, directly benefiting fish farmers and the fisheries industry. In 2018, fish farmers earned Rs 6.56 lakh per family/year, which has now risen to Rs 10.89 lakh per fish farmer family/year. Their income has consistently grown each year, with figures of Rs 6.80 lakh in 2019, Rs 7.39 lakh in 2020, Rs 8.51 lakh in 2021, and Rs 10.89 lakh per family/household in 2022.

The Centre, under the 'Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana,' has allocated a total of Rs 286.53 crore for various component projects in Gujarat during 2022-23, aiming to enhance fisheries activities in the state.

Presently, India's fish production stands at 16,248.27 thousand metric tonnes, with exports amounting to 13,69,264 metric tonnes. Gujarat contributes 16.9 per cent to the total fish quantity exports, equivalent to 2,32,619 metric tonnes.
Chandigarh, July 9 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday demanded compensation of Rs five lakh each for people whose houses have been damaged due to incessant rain and flood waters.

He also called for an advance compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre for all farmers whose crops have been destroyed.

He said simultaneous girdwari should be done to assess the loss to crops.

Expressing shock at the havoc and misery caused to people due to the deluge, the SAD president said it was condemnable that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had been caught napping and people had been left to their fate.

In a statement here, Badal said there were widespread reports of damage to property in Mohali, Ropar, Anandpur Sahib, Patiala, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar districts with crops being damaged across thousands of acres.

These include paddy which was transplanted recently besides vegetable crops.

"Hundreds of people have been forced to camp on roads after the rainwater entered their houses in Mohali, Ropar and Anandpur Sahib. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has done a commendable job by providing 'langar' to poor people who are camping on roads as well as those who have been marooned by the flood waters. The civil administration is yet to come to reach the people."

Badal said the AAP government should also approach the central government immediately to declare the situation as a natural calamity in order to avail funds under the National Disaster Management Fund.

He also called for dispatch of fodder for milch animals to all villages which had been flooded besides medical teams to tackle spread of diseases.

The SAD president also condemned the government for failing to make adequate drainage facilities which had compounded the problem.

"This is indicative of a large-scale corruption."

He also called for taking effective steps to ensure drainage of water as well as establishment of flood control rooms and helplines so that people could approach the authorities for help immediately in case of any emergency.

Badal said while the SGPC had stepped in with 'langar' sewa he had also directed the Youth Akali Dal (YAD) to assist distressed people immediately.

"YAD president Sarabjeet Singh Jhinjher is already in the flood-sffected areas and I urge Akali workers to also assist their affected brethren immediately," the SAD President added.
New Delhi, July 9 : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has described his visit to Tanzania as "productive".

In a joint briefing with his Tanzanian counterpart Stergomena Tax on Saturday, he conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message that solidarity between India and Africa must be expressed in practical terms.

Jaishankar said he "was very glad for the guidance that we got from the (Tanzanian) president (Samia Hassan) about how to further develop our relationship".

"Overall, it has been a very productive visit... I would like to end by emphasising that prime minister Modi believes that the deep solidarity between India and Africa, it must be expressed in very practical terms, in a way in which we share experiences, we share capabilities, we contribute to each others understanding of the world," he said during the briefing at the end of his four-day visit.

He added that the "Joint Commission meeting and the roadmap that we have put forward is a way of doing it because prime minister Modi deeply believes that partnerships are made by recognising the priorities of partners and whether it is water or whether it is technology, whether it is defence, whether it is trade, these are very much the priorities that we hear from our Tanzanian partners and we are very privileged to be part of your developmental journey".

Referring to his visit to Zanzibar, where the MoU to set up the first foreign campus of IIT, was signed, Jaishankar said: "I also would like to recognise the meeting which I had with the President of Zanzibar. He was very, very supportive of what we are seeking to do in terms of the early establishment of the campus there."

The External Affairs Minister referred to his visit to water projects in Kiduthani in Zanzibar and Kibamba and also to the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology, with which, he said, India has had a long association.
Kolkata, July 9 : A day after the violence-marred panchayat polls, West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose left for New Delhi on Sunday evening.

Although the Governor himself had not specified the purpose of his visit to the national capital, Raj Bhavan sources said that he might meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a detailed report on the incidents of clashes, and violence in the panchayat polls in the state on Saturday.

Incidentally, Ananda Bose had maintained media silence after the conclusion of the polls on Saturday evening although before that he had been extremely vocal on this issue of violence. State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha especially came under scathing attack from the Governor on this count.

However, after the elections were over on Saturday, leaving over 30 people dead, just a one-line statement came from the Governor. "I will do whatever I should do as the Governor of the state," he said.

Raj Bhavan sources that the Governor has himself prepared a report based on his on- ground experience during his tours to the different districts of the state during the last few days. "

In all probability he will submit that report to the Union Home Minister in a sealed envelope and for that purpose only, he is flying to the national capital just a day after the rural civic body polls," a source said.

On Saturday morning, while the Governor was touring the trouble-ridden Murshidabad district, he condemned the incidents of violence and told media persons that whatever is happening is a blot for the democratic set up. "Since the morning, several reports of clashes and violence have reached me. There had been a gun-battle. There had been a bloodbath. I will come back to you with more updates at a later stage. Whatever is happening is a blot for the democratic setup, where common people are unable to exercise their democratic rights to vote without fear. Still I give a call to the people to come out and exercise their rights," he said.

Meanwhile, the office of the Eastern Command of the Border Security Force (BSF), whose Inspector General S.C. Budakoti was the central nodal officer for the West Bengal panchayat polls, will also send a report to the Union Home Ministry, detailing the alleged non-cooperation faced from the State Election Commission leading to ineffective utilisation of available central armed forces during polling on Saturday.

On Saturday afternoon, Budakoti wrote a letter to Sinha holding the SEC entirely responsible for extreme non-cooperation in the area of central forces deployment which, according to him, is a clear violation of the Calcutta High Court order on this count.
New Delhi, July 9 : Delhi Lt Governor V. K. Saxena has approved the proposal to forward to Union Ministry of Home Affairs the recommendation for extension of the Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act, 1985 (GPAAA) to the National Capital.

The GPAAA provide for preventive detention of bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers for preventing their anti-social and dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.

According to officials, Delhi's Home Department on June 27 submitted the proposal to the Lt Governor for issuance of notification under Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act for extending the Gujarat law to the NCT of Delhi.

The Law Department of the Delhi government vetted the draft notification with the observation that the Administrative Department must ensure to comply with the provision of GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021 read with the GNCTD (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 and provisions of Transaction of Business Rules (TBR), 1993, which entail that the draft notification be sent to the Union Home Ministry for extension of the said Act to the National Capital.

It may be noted that an identical law from Telangana (The Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Boot leggers, property offenders  etc Act, 1986) was also examined and it was found that the Gujarat Law is more reasonable and better, officials said.

Further, the Lieutenant Governor had also agreed to the proposal that the Gujarat Law may be forwarded to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for considering its extension to national capital after taking not of the observation that between Telangana and Gujarat law, "the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better."

Earlier in March this year, Saxena has accorded approval to the proposal of the Home Department that Delhi Police should effectively use The National Security Act of 1980 whose purpose is "to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected therewith."

Delhi Police vide its letter on February 14 this year had requested that the provisions of the Gujarat Act to be examined.

The Home Department in October last year had forwarded the approval accorded by the Lieutenant Governor to the request of the Delhi Police to examine the Telangana and Gujarat Laws for taking a decision, inter-alia, including decision on the subject of the Law and Order versus Public Order and the competency to extend the proposed law to NCT of Delhi.

"Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act, 1950 dealing with Power to extend enactments to certain Union Territories, entails that: "The Central Government may, by notification in the official gazette, extend to the Union Territory of Delhi or any part of such territory, with such restrictions and modifications as it thinks fit, any enactment which is in force in a State at the date of the notification," the official added.

It is expected that once notified the said Act will provide the Police with more teeth to deal with criminals and at the same time ensure effective deterrence against crimes like chain snatching, bootlegging, drug peddling and trafficking etc.
Pastor Jose Linares Ceron, pictured in an image from his social media accounts

Since 1989  when he founded the Pro-Family and Pro-Life Movement, at the young age of 22  Jose Linares Ceron has claimed to lead an exemplary life. This evangelical pastor  a self-proclaimed defender of children  used to look forward to Peruvian Family Day, which is celebrated every second Sunday in September, to give advice on how to guide children with love and wisdom. The child begins to understand who they are through the relationship with their parents, he said.

Recently, one of his daughters  now 33-years-old  denounced what she had kept silent for years: that Linares Ceron systematically raped her and, as a result of that abuse, she gave birth at the age of 13, back in 2003.

I want that monster to be caught, she told the media, without revealing her face and full name. Her hell began at the age of seven, when she went to live with her father in an 11,000-square-foot old house in the Lima district of Surquillo, where Linares Ceron lived with his seven brothers. Aside from her, the only other female in the residence was her grandmother. Her father  who accumulated political power over time  forced her to sleep with him until she was 12-years-old. And it was precisely at that age  when she had already dropped out of school because no one took care of her  that her father got her pregnant. I didnt know what was forming inside me, because they never took me to a prenatal checkup, she explains.

Her uncles also inflicted sexual violence on her. She has accused her fathers brother, Pablo Linares Ceron, of improper touching, while accusing Robert Linares Ceron  11 years younger than her father  of having raped her for many years, at any time, day or night. In fact, when it was confirmed that she was pregnant, Jose Linares Ceron told her that the child was not his, but Roberts, revealing that he knew about the collective abuse.

When I held my son in my arms, my father manipulated me, forcing me to tell the police that my son belonged to a person who had left me. When I left the hospital, he took me to where he lived with my stepmother, who was his secretary. He made me sleep with my son on the floor, she recalls.

In October of 2006, the ordeal continued: she gave birth to her second child, at the age of 16. In this case, she points out that the father was Robert. Both sons, she says, are now in the custody of Linares Ceron. I never had a normal life. I didnt go out, I didnt study, I didnt have childrens parties everything was inside the house and the only social life I could have was with my father.

Once, while defending her stepmother, Linares Ceron pushed her father down  he nearly suffocated her as a result. I plucked up my courage and yelled at him with all my might that he had touched me, that he had raped me as a child. My father went crazy and grabbed me by the neck, pinning me against the wall. I managed to escape, asking for help from my uncle Pablo, who lived in another room. He also touched me when I was little. This is what it means to live surrounded by horror.

Through his Pro-Family Pro-Life Movement, Jose Linares Ceron has long been interfering in Peruvian politics and inserting himself into the national debate. In 2013, he campaigned in favor of the unsuccessful recall election against Mayor Susana Villaran. In 2016, he founded the collective Con Mis Hijos No Te Metas (Dont mess with my children), which emerged to stop comprehensive sexual education in schools, arguing that it was a gender ideology. He has also supported the three successive failed presidential candidacies of Keiko Fujimori, especially in 2021. After she was defeated, he joined the narrative alleging electoral fraud  charges that could never be verified. He has also organized marches by radical Evangelical groups.

On his website  where he appears carrying a girl  he defines himself as a social fighter who gives conferences around the world about honesty, principles and values. But the truth is that  on both his social media and in his conferences  he doesnt spread much love. The UN wants to open up a path to legalize pedophilia with the gender agenda, gay dictatorship is unacceptable, or the pro-abortion agenda seeks to make our youth rot are some of his so-called messages of peace. On the international level, he supported Mitt Romneys failed presidential campaign for the Republican Party in 2012, against Barack Obama.

His background doesnt seem to be that of a blessed man who has followed the way of the Lord. As far back as 1991, he was accused by a member of his church of having abused and impregnated his sister, a minor. He has also been denounced for the alleged crimes of coercion, violation of privacy and acts against modesty. All cases have gone unpunished by Perus legal system.

Today, Pastor Jose Linares Ceron is missing. His social media is silent. Meanwhile, his daughter pleads for justice.

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New Delhi, July 9 : The Indian startup ecosystem reported the lowest six-month funding in the last four years, in the first half of this year at $3.8 billion across 298 deals -- a decline of nearly 36 per cent as compared to the second half of 2022 ($5.9 billion), a report showed on Sunday.

Fintech, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and direct-2-consumer (D2C) continued to be the most funded sectors, according to the PwC India report.

Growth and late-stage funding deals accounted for 84 per cent of the funding activity in the January-June period. These represented 43 per cent of the total count of deals in this period.

The average ticket size in growth-stage deals was $19 million and late-stage deals was $52 million, said the report.

"There is a slowdown in startup funding despite significant untapped capital reserves held by venture capitalists (VCs). Active VC firms in India have secured new funds in the past year and we can expect the pace of investments to pick up in the next few months," said Amit Nawka, Partner, Deals & India Startups Leader, PwC India.

In the interim, there has been an increase in the due diligence being carried out by investors before making investments, both in terms of detailing as well as coverage, he added.

Early-stage deals accounted for 57 per cent of the total funding in H1 CY23 (in volume terms). In value terms, early-stage deals contributed to approximately 16 per cent of the total funding but was at its lowest as compared to the previous two years.

Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai continue to be the key start-up cities, representing around 83 per cent of the total startup funding activity.

--IANS

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Chennai, July 9 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has written to President Droupadi Murmu, alleging that state Governor R.N. Ravi has proved himself to be biased and not fit to continue in the constitutional post.

He cited a communication from the Governor in which he dismissed the arrested minister Senthil Balaji from the council of ministers and later, the action was kept in abeyance.

Stalin, in the letter to Murmu, termed this a "serious violation of the Constitution".

In the letter that runs 19 pages, Stalin lashed out against the Governor and said that the architects of the Constitution would never have imagined such abuse of power by the Governors.

A Tamil Nadu government release on Sunday said that the letter followed his earlier letters to the President that were handed over by the state Law Minister to the President.

The Chief Minister also said that the Ravi was insulting the Constitution by terming one religion synonymous with the Indian identity.

Stalin, in the letter, also noted the unnecessary delays in granting assent to Bills passed by the state Assembly, delay in granting sanction for prosecuting accused persons, and assuming political and ideological positions against stands taken by the elected state government were a matter of concern.

He also accused the Governor of interfering in the police investigation.

In his scathing attack, Stalin alleged that the Governor had a deep hatred for Tamil, Tamil language and its culture. He also said that Ravi was known as a "non-performing" Governor during his stint in Nagaland.

The Chief Minister in the letter also said that he was leaving it to the Presidentas notice on whether it was appropriate for the Ravi to continue in the Constitutional post to protect the sentiments of those who framed the Indian Constitution.

--IANS

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Kolkata, July 9 : A day after the violence-marred panchayat polls, the West Bengal State Election Commission on Sunday announced that there will be re-polling in certain booths and under complete security cover by central armed force as per the central deployment norms.

However, while making the announcement, the commission did not specify in how many booths will the re-polling will be conducted and what would be the geographical distribution of the booths.

On Sunday afternoon, a State Election Commission official also said that the final voting percentage on Saturday was 80.71 per cent. It is learnt that on Saturday till 5 p.m., which was end of the polling period, the percentage was recorded at 66.28 per cent. But in several booths, polling continued hours after that as many voters were standing in the queue at 5 p.m. and as per election norms, had to be allowed to cast their ballots.

"In certain booths, polling continued even up to 10 p.m. on Saturday and the final voting percentage calculation was 80.71 per cent," he said.

Incidentally, on Monday, several petitions are slated to be filed at the Calcutta High Court on massive violence and bloodbath on the polling day. The total death count since the beginning of the polling since Saturday morning has been reported at 17. The maximum number for deaths have been recorded from Murshidabad district at five, followed by three in South 24 Parganas, two each in Cooch Behar, East Burdwan, Malda, and North Dinajpur districts and one in Nadia district.

With this total death count, since the announcement of polling dates on June 8, has risen to 36, with 19 recorded till Friday night.
New Delhi, July 9 : Delhi's Karkardooma Court has framed charges against six persons for allegedly assaulting a man and burning him alive during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

The accused, identified as Aman, Vikram, Rahul Sharma, Ravi Sharma, Dinesh Sharma, and Ranjeet Rana, appeared before Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pulastya Pramachala.

The charges stem from their alleged participation in a violent mob that brutally assaulted a man named Shahbaz and subsequently set him on fire on February 25, 2020, along the Main Khajuri Pusta Road in this area.

"I find that all accused persons are liable to be charged for offences punishable under sections (Indian Penal Code) sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 302 (murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 395 (dacoity) as well as 120 B (criminal conspiracy ) of the Indian Penal Code," judge ordered.

On February 25, 2020, Shahbaz went to Guru Nanak Hospital in Turkman Gate, Delhi, at around 7 a.m. to collect medicine for his eyes.

Later that day, at approximately 2.25 p.m., Shahbaz's brother, Matloob, spoke to him on the phone and was informed that Shahbaz had arrived in Karawal Nagar but encountered ongoing riots in the area.

Around 3 p.m., when Matloob attempted to contact Shahbaz again, he discovered that Shahbaz's mobile phone was switched off. In his search for his brother, Matloob was informed by an individual in Chaman Vihar that Shahbaz had been brutally murdered and burned by the rioters on Khajuri Pusta Road.

On February 27, upon learning that the police had taken a burnt body to the hospital, Matloob requested one Saqib to examine the body of Shahbaz in the mortuary at GTB Hospital.

Due to the limited remains, which included a skull and some pelvic bones, the physical appearance alone could not establish the identity of the deceased.

Eventually, the deceased's identity was confirmed as Shahbaz through a DNA test that matched the DNA samples of the father with the burnt body parts.

The court in its order said that from the statement of the witnesses, it has come on record that the accused were actively part of the mob, which had earlier gathered on February 24, 2020 and properly planned to commit riot on February 25, 2020.

"Accused persons joined this mob being aware of the planning. They had also done so by being an active member of an unlawful assembly having its common object of causing harm and damage to the person and property of the Muslim community, violating the provisions of Section 144 Cr.P.C, promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, causing the killing of the present victim i.e. deceased Shahbaz," the order read.

"In the present case, there are eye witnesses, who claimed to have seen the accused persons being part of the mob and committing assault and the act of killing Shahbaz," the order stated.
London, July 9 : Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov stormed into men's singles fourth round of the Wimbledon 2023, getting the better of American Frances Tiafoe, who has made it into top-10 in the World Rankings.

Dimitrov, the World No.24 who reached the semifinals of the grass-court major in 2014, turned the clock back as he defeated 10th-seeded Tiafoe, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, making it to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time since 2017.

In the match, which was spliced into half by drenching rain on Saturday evening, Dimitrov outhit the American by 33 winners to 14, did not face a break point and converted five from nine of his own en route to an impressive 99-minute win.

Dimitrov, who led Tiafoe 6-2, 6-3, 1-2 overnight in London, said he was aware the American was a dangerous player and has a lot of flare around the court.

"He's such a dangerous player, I knew I had to be very focused," said Dimitrov. "He's a player that has a lot of flare around the court. Great serve, a great return, so I was just looking after my game, to be honest. The past weeks have been amazing weeks for me, out here in England. I'm just enjoying every single day," the Bulgarian was quoted as saying by the official website.

Dimitrov has enjoyed consistent results at the majors this year, having also reached the third round of the Australian Open and the fourth round of Roland Garros. He had not conceded a set coming into this match, although he had met significantly less resistance.

However, the Bulgarian is still looking to snap a near-six-year title drought dating back to his triumph at the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals, a result which saw him finish the year at No. 3 in the ATP Rankings.

Dimitrov served superbly, blasting 13 aces compared to five by Tiafoe, he also served three double faults. Dimitrov won 40 out of his 65 first serves (62%) and won five out of the nine break points. Taifoe failed to bag even a single break point.
Guwahati, July 9 : : Hours after the Assam Chief Minister criticised Rahul Gandhi over his recent outreach with the farmers in Madina village of Sonipat in Haryana, the state Congress president Bhupen Borah hit back at Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Sarma said that Rahul Gandhi's sudden desire and "desperation" to get real is "laughable".

He even claimed that there was "heckling of farmers" as the former Wayanad MP posed with them for photographs.

Taking to Twitter, the Assam Chief Minister wrote: "The sudden desire of the Prince, and his desperation, to get real is laughable! But in your zeal to get captured by your photo & video team, for God's sake, do not demean the dignity of our Annadatas. The heckling of farmers to pose as a 'farmer' is deplorable Mr Gandhi."

Sarma advised Rahul Gandhi to "get real without the reels".

Meanwhile, replying to the Chief Minister, Bhupen Borah posted a picture of Himanta Biswa Sarma surrounded by "Bihuwotis" (female Bihu dancers) and sarcastically wrote on Twitter, "You mean no reel, only still !!!."
Colombo, July 9 : Teams from India, Oman, and Nepal will arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday (July 10) to take part in the fifth edition of the Men's Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023, which will commence on July 13 and all matches will be played in Colombo.

Team Oman will be the first to arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday in the early hours, while India will arrive in Colombo at noon and Nepal in the evening.

The Pakistan Emerging Team, the defending champion in the tournament, will arrive on July 11 and Team UAE will arrive on July 12. Bangladesh and Afghanistan have already arrived in the country.

The eight-nation tournament (50 over) will be played in four venues, namely R. Premadasa, P. Sara Oval, SSC, and CCC.

The eight teams in the fray have been divided into two groups of four each. Group A includes Afghanistan A, Oman, Bangladesh A and Sri Lanka A, while Group B comprises Nepal, Pakistan 'A', United Arab Emirates 'A' and India 'A'.

The top teams from each group will qualify for the knockout semifinals, which will be held on July 21 while the final will be played at the R. Premadasa stadium on July 23.

Pakistan won the 2019 edition of the tournament, beating Bangladesh U23 by 77 runs in the final. Sri Lanka have won this tournament twice (2017, 2018) while India won the title in the inaugural edition in 2013.
New Delhi, July 9 : A total of 15 houses collapsed in the national capital on Sunday due to heavy rainfall, resulting in the loss of two lives and injuries to several others, an official said.

Atul Garg, chief of the Delhi Fire Services, said: "The first death was reported from Sundar Nagar, near the zoo. The second death occurred near St. Stephen's Hospital."

A senior police officer received a call reporting the collapse of a wall at the Veterinary Hospital near St. Stephen's Hospital.

The call was made by one Neeraj Bhargav from the Government Veterinary Hospital.

"A woman and a minor girl were present there. Unfortunately, the dilapidated portion of a wall fell on them. Both were rushed to Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital and later transferred to Hindu Rao Hospital. The woman, Priti (30), was pronounced dead," a police officer said.

The girl sustained minor bruises and was out of danger.

The Fire Department received numerous calls throughout the day on Sunday, reporting house collapses and waterlogging.
London, July 9 : Defeated by three wickets by England at Headingley, Australia captain Pat Cummins blamed poor batting in the first innings and lost opportunities while bowling early on Sunday morning for his side's defeat in the third Test.

Australia were shot out for 263 in their first innings and were then bowled out for 224 in the second innings as barring Mithcell Starc (118) in the first innings and Travis Head (72 off 112 balls) in the second, most other batters failed to score big.

Cummins said both teams had their chances as fortunes swung back and forth.

"There are a few moments that went back and forth. On day one we lost 6 for 20-odd, yesterday the sun was out and we missed an opportunity. Few key moments. Seems like a series where each session swings in one team's favour and then the other," Cummins said in the post-match press conference.

Australia were leading 2-0 in the series after winning the first two Tests but England have kept alive their chances in the series by winning this match in Headingley.

One of the moments that turned things in England's favour was the two-wicket spell by veteran spinner Moeen Ali, who sent back Marnus Labuschagne (33), who was looking dangerous, and Steve Smith (2) in quick succession.

"(It was) One of those moments when it felt like we were in control but we lost a couple of wickets and that happens. Thought getting up to 250 gave us something but it wasn't quite enough," said Cummins.

The Australia skipper was happy with the performance of Mitchell Marsh, who struck a brilliant run-a-ball 118 in the first innings. "Good problems to have. He was awesome, four years since the last game. Great to see him back in, a few headaches ahead."

Cummins said they will take a few days off to recharge before putting together their plans for the fourth Test."Few days off to recharge, people are flying off to various places but we'll come back together excited for Manchester," he said.
Patna, July 9 : Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, who returned here from his US visit on Sunday, said that he, along with his RJD's chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will do "surgery" of the BJP in the coming days.

Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was in Delhi, returned to Patna with him.

"BJP leaders are creating confusion among the people of Bihar that cracks are appearing in the Mahagathbandhan and it will soon break down. I want to tell them that the Mahagathbandhan is strong and united. We are working under the leadership of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar and there is no rift between us and the Chief Minister," Tejashwi Yadav said.

"Whenever we defeat the BJP and throw it out of Bihar, they come up with the CBI, the ED, and Income Tax and misuse these agencies. The CBI had charge-sheeted me in 2017, what happened to it. Where is the investigation and where are the agencies with 6 years gone by? Patna is a place known for revolution. They are frightened after the meeting of 15 parties in Patna and hence doing it against me in desperation. It is not the first time the CBI acted against me. When the Mahagathbandhan government was formed in Bihar, CBI raids were conducted on my residence and other places," he said.

"Even the raids are taking place on neutral journalists. For BJP, they are claiming that some leaders in Maharashtra were corrupt till a few days ago. Now, they become alliance partners and become virtuous. This an old tactic of BJP. There is no strength in this charge sheet. It is just a new propaganda to defame me," he added.

"Under the leadership of NItish Kumar, the government in Bihar is running strongly and smoothly. The Mahagathbandhan was formed with an objective to save the democracy, and constitution of the country, and development in the interest of the country.

"After the formation of the Mahagathbandhan, we have decided that Lalu Ji and Nitish Ji would tour the country and unite the opposition parties. They have done it and you have seen it during the meeting of Patna. Now, we have a second round of meetings in Bengaluru. As the Patna meeting was a great success for us, they (the BJP) are spreading propaganda that all is not well in the Mahagathbandhan. We are well aware this is propaganda and Nitish jI also knew it.

"The BJP has only one job of speaking lies. The meaning of BJP is Badhka Jhutha Party. Some media houses and journalists are wanting a break up in the Mahagathbandhan but it will not happen. Lalu ji and Nitish ji are the students of (Ram Manohar) Lohia ji and Karpoori (Thakur) ji and they cannot be frightened by the BJP," Tejashwi Yadav said.

"We have not started the operation. We are getting together at the moment. Once we become united and start the surgery, the leaders of BJP will run away here and there," he added.
Among the constellation of stars that populate the almost infinite universe called TikTok, Brazilian sisters-in-law have found their niche. And they are succeeding. They are the wives and girlfriends of prisoners  cunhadas (sisters-in-law) they call themselves  who, in short homemade videos, share the ins and outs of their daily lives, the mixture of routine, emotions, and the uncertainty that accompanies each visit to prison to spend a few hours with their sweetheart.

The clip Dia de visita no xilindro (the Brazilian equivalent of the clink) caused a real sensation. A twenty-something girl with impossible eyelashes and tattooed hands tells followers how she is finally going to visit her boy after 45 days without seeing him because he was in solitary confinement, they have moved him to semi-open [jail] and changed his facility. Once the bureaucratic formalities were completed, and she was already inside the penitentiary, there was almost nothing left to do before the long-awaited reunion, she said, when the nightmare began to unfold. A very nice policewoman, cute, a paragon of empathy, he says brimming with irony, tells me: the X-ray machine is not working. Visits are suspended. She adds that we can talk on the phone for 15 minutes.

From there, the sister-in-law goes through a carousel of emotions  a recipe for success on social networks. And, because this is TikTok, a cat walks in front of the screen. The result: six million internet users have seen the video, which has more than 6,000 comments. The videos maker, Mischa Lemos, has almost a million followers and has managed to turn her tribulations as a prisoners wife into a source of sponsorship and income. Her case is not exceptional, but neither is it generalized.

It does represent a radical change because until recently no one went around telling everybody that they were a prisoners wife. Clip by clip, often with prison raps in the background, these women open a door to a very tangible reality that every now and then hits the headlines, but whose face is more usually bloodstained: riots, barbaric killings, or torture. Brazil has more than 900,000 people in prison (one in every 100 men); penitentiaries are overcrowded and prisoners live in deplorable conditions. Only China and the U.S. have higher prison populations.

Sociologist Fernanda Naiara Lobato, from the Federal University of Ceara, researches the phenomenon of sisters-in-law on TikTok and Instagram for her PhD on women who have romantic or conjugal relationships with incarcerated men. These women share their daily lives using the language of the internet, with memes, humor, and sarcasm that get you hooked, she explains by video call from Fortaleza.

The prisons of Ceara in particular are in the news these days for several cases of torture of inmates such as breaking fingers or genital twisting. The researcher stresses the symbolic component of being mistreated in the love room, the conjugal visit room, a place that once meant something very different.

Lobato argues that this phenomenon of networking prisoners wives achieves several things: one, it chases away the stigma surrounding the incarcerated and their families; two, it encourages solidarity among these women, who are building a community; three, it humanizes the prison experience; and four, it exchanges useful information. In the end, they show that the world of prisons is not isolated from the rest of society. Many of these women complain that when they go to their partners prison, they also face a penalty.

On TikTok they give little detail about their peers, the researcher explains, they mostly talk about themselves. In this environment, as in the prison queues, no one asks what anyones partner in in jail for. It is considered offensive. Prison codes are not violated inside or outside prisons because it is not free.

South Americas most powerful criminal group, the First Capital Command (PCC), which dominates prisons and favelas, began using the term sisters-in-law for the wives of its members (brothers), but it has been extended to include any woman in a relationship with an inmate; female inmates, on the other hand, are often abandoned by partners and family.

Brazilian prisons are overcrowded. While at the beginning of the century the number of prisoners was around 200,000, in little more than two decades, the prison population has tripled. The main reason why the number now exceeds 900,000 is the 2006 anti-drug law, which does not distinguish between traffickers and consumers.

The Supreme Court has shown signs that it intends to reopen the debate on the decriminalization of drug possession for personal use. There is already a date to hear an appeal about it. The hearing, initially scheduled for June, has been postponed to August 3. Proof of the thorny nature of the issue is the many years that the matter has been frozen in Brazils highest court. In 2015, the magistrates began to hear the appeal  filed by a man who was caught with three grams of marijuana. When three of the eleven had voted in favor, a fourth judge asked for time to study the case in more detail. And it stayed there, stalled. Eight years have passed. The expectation is that the judges will approve some relaxation of the drug law. The most optimistic dream is getting an agreement on a specific amount that distinguishes the consumer from the trafficker.

Organized crime runs Brazils prisons, it manages them. It is common for authorities to ask detainees if they want to be placed in a prison dominated by this or that gang, thus avoiding prison wars. And the speed at which they innovate is astonishing. During the pandemic, the PCC, which is a brotherhood of criminals that rewards entrepreneurship, began to organize visitor queues via Telegram to avoid crowds, according to a recent report in Piaui magazine. A kind of appointment booking system that has been extended to other prisons.

Sisters-in-law who take to social networks do not report human rights violations. That is left to groups such as the Catholic churchs prison ministry. These influencers show their own, sweetened version of family life  as TikTok dictates. They record themselves while cooking the meals they are going to take and place each food item in a transparent bag until they complete dishes such as spaghetti bolognese or even a steak. Jumbo is the name given in prison jargon to the transparent bag in which they carry food, new changes of clothes, toothpaste, and so on, because in many Brazilian prisons even the most basic items are lacking.

Under the hashtag #mulherdepreso (prison wife) or #soltaopresoseujuiz (release the prisoner Mr. Judge), TikTok videos circulate in which the sisters-in-law show the bra and perfume they will wear for the next intimate visit. Or they pose in the jaw-dropping outfit they would like to wear to the penitentiary but is not allowed. Prisons impose a dress code for visitors. The usual, T-shirt, leggings, and flip-flops. The sisters-in-law also take the opportunity to satisfy the audiences curiosity: they show how to charge an electronic ankle monitor or talk about the money invested and hours spent traveling to make the long-anticipated weekly or bi-weekly visit come true. And then, they pull out their cell phones, get cute and tell the world about it.

In this parallel universe, they reproduce the dynamics of the real world. Although the majority of Brazilian inmates are Black or of mixed race, the sisters-in-law with most followers are straight-haired clear-skinned women.

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Mirpur, July 9 : India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur praised her bowlers, especially the young ones, for setting up her team's seven-wicket win over hosts Bangladesh in the series opening T20 match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium here on Sunday.

The Indian bowlers came up with a superb effort, bowling great lines and lengths to restrict Bangladesh to a paltry 114/5 in their 20 overs. In reply, skipper Harmanpreet struck an unbeaten 54 off 35 balls while Smriti Mandhana scored a 34-ball 38 to reach 118/3 in 16.2 overs to make a winning start in the series.

Harmanpreet, who was declared player of the match, said debutant youngsters Minnu Mani and Bareddy Anusha responded well to the challenge.

"It was a great team effort. The bowlers, especially the young girls, bowled really well. I wanted to see how they are going to bowl in the first six overs, I think both of them understood the conditions very early. Apart from them, Deepti (Sharma) too bowled well. She has an experienced bowler and she showed that today," said Harmanpreet Kaur during the post-match presentation.

Asked about the experienced batter Smriti Mandhana's effort, Harman said she always gives her 100%.

"She is always ready to give her 100% for the team and she showed her character today as well. When you have batters like Smriti and Shafali (Verma), you need not worry too much. We wanted to finish four-five overs early and I am really happy we were able to do that," said Harmanpreet.

All-rounder Deepti Sharma said it was nice to start the series on a winning note.

"Obviously, it feels good that we started things on a positive note. We did well as a team and we will attempt to continue in the same vein in the remaining matches," said Deepti in the post-match press conference.

Asked whether it was an easy win once they restricted Bangladesh to 114, Deepti said, "You can't say it was easy because the wicket was a bit slow. We played according to the conditions and our batting unit covered it well."
Bhopal, July 9 : Criticising the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal for the violence in the state during panchayat polls, Union Minister Smriti Irani sought to know if the Congress would like to forge an alliance with the Mamata Banerjee-led party for the 2024 general elections.

During a visit to Bhopal on Sunday, the BJP leader termed the killing of people in poll-related violence "Maut ka Khela".

The Union Minister said people were killed because they wanted to vote.

"Now, the Gandhi family is determined to align with the same Trinamool Congress," she said.

The Union Minister further said: "All I can say is that people are seeing the murder of democracy in West Bengal currently.

"I would ask Rahul Gandhi if he would still be willing to align with those who are killing innocent people in West Bengal. Why is this 'Maut Ka Khela' acceptable to Rahul Gandhi?" Irani questioned.

Meanwhile, Irani, who was here to attend a regional symposium on child protection, safety, welfare and rights, said that the Central government has allotted Rs 74 crore for the care, well-being, education and skill development of rape and other sexual offence victim girls (who are aged below 18 years) under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

"Rs 4,000 monthly sum will be given to such girls and if they are housed in child care institutions, special efforts will be made for education and skill development too," Irani said.
Colombo, July 9 : At least 11 people were killed and 40 others injured in Sri Lanka on Sunday when the bus they were travelling in fell into a river, an official said.

The bus carrying over 67 passengers to Akkaraipaththu had fallen into the Mahaweli river, one of the four main rivers in the country.

Some of those who fell into the river were rescued by the military and villagers in the area.

It is believed that a number of passengers were washed away and divers have been deployed to find the bodies.

An eye-witness said the speeding bus had knocked against Kotaleeya bridge at Manampitiya and then had fallen into the river.

According to the police, the wounded people have been rushed to Polonnaruwa Hospital, and the bodies were taken to the hospital.

Careless driving is suspected to be the cause of the accident.
New Delhi, July 10 : The Union Education Ministry has released the Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) combined report for 2020-21 and 2021-22, which assesses the performance of school education system at the district level by creating an index for comprehensive analysis.

The Ministry said that the Indian education system is one of the largest in the world with about 14.9 lakh schools, 95 lakh teachers and nearly 26.5 crore students from varied socio-economic backgrounds.

It devised the Performance Grading Index for states and released the report for the reference years 2017-18 to 2020-21.

Based on the success of State PGI, 83-indicator-based PGI-D has been designed to grade the performance of all districts in school education, the Union Education Ministry added.

The data is filled by districts through the online portal.

The PGI-D is expected to help the state Education departments to identify gaps at the district level and improve their performance in a decentralised manner.

The indicator-wise PGI score shows the areas where a district needs to improve.

The PGI-D report for 2018-19 and 2019-20 has been released, so far the current one is the combined report for 2020-21 and 2021-22.

According to the Union Education Ministry, the PGI-D structure comprises of total weightage of 600 points across 83 indicators, which are grouped under six categories such as Outcomes, Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure Facilities and Student's Entitlements, School Safety and Child Protection, Digital Learning and Governance Process.

These categories are further divided into 12 domains like Learning Outcomes and Quality, Access Outcomes, Teacher Availability and Professional Development Outcomes, Learning Management, Learning Enrichment Activities, Infrastructure, Facilities, Student Entitlements, School Safety and Child Protection, Digital Learning, Funds convergence and utilisation, Enhancing CRCs Performance, Attendance Monitoring Systems and School Leadership Development.

PGI-D grades the districts into 10 grades like Highest achievable Grade is 'Daksh', which is applicable for districts scoring more than 90 per cent of the total points in that category or overall.

The lowest grade in PGI-D is called 'Akanshi-3' which is for scores upto 10 per cent of the total points.

The ultimate objective of PGI-D is to help the districts to priorities areas for intervention in school education and thus improve to reach the highest grade, the Ministry said.
Yangon, July 10 : Nearly 40,000 foreign tourists visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, during the first half of 2023, U Boe Thin, member of the Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees told the media.

A total of 38,445 foreigners, including 18,822 males and 19,623 females, have visited the pagoda during the first six months of 2023, Xinhua news agency reported.

He added that the number of visitors has increased after opening hours were adjusted.

"On the weekdays, about 15,000 pilgrims visited the pagoda per day. On weekends, especially on Sundays, over 40,000 pilgrims visited the pagoda per day."
The government led since 2010 by Mark Rutte, the now-resigned prime minister of the Netherlands, has lasted 543 days. On Friday night, differences of approach on immigration policy precipitated its collapse. It was the end of a center-right coalition whose foundations were not solid and which had suffered more than one crisis since it was formed last January after 10 months of negotiations between four formations. The parties are preparing for the unexpected electoral race of elections to be held in November.

Rutte gave a blow on the table when his demands to tighten the asylum policy were not accepted, a commitment he had made at the last congress of his party - the right-wing liberals (VVD) - where he promised to reduce this migratory flow. However, the proposal to limit the entry of family members of war refugees already received and to make them wait two years for reunification was rejected by two of his partners, the Christian Union (CU) and D66, left-liberals. Although the breakup of the Executive has been finally consensual, it has surprised the hardness in a politician who has made of the negotiating skills and the capacity of political survival his own brand. This Saturday, Rutte met with King William to inform him of the fall of the government, a conversation about which he made no statements: These are confidential meetings.

The next step will be a debate on the resignation of the government in Congress before its dissolution, scheduled for Monday. It will then open a race to the polls favorable to the rise of the Peasant-Citizen Movement (BBB), a party that represents agrarian populism and already holds a majority in the Senate. If it maintains the pull of the voters, it is possible that the Executive will end up leaning further to the right after decades in which the center has marked Dutch political stability.

Immigration control has divided the Dutch Executive for months, so what has now precipitated the split? Many people expected something like this to happen in the autumn or maybe during the winter. Now its all speculation. Rutte was obliged to meet the demands of his party and he will be able to say that he has gone even further. That they cant do without him. But I am surprised to have seen him run so early as a candidate, says sociologist Paul Schnabel. On Friday night itself, during the press conference following the governments fall, the prime minister seemed to give himself some leeway by saying that he had energy and ideas to remain in the front line, but that he would consult with his party.

Columnist Petra de Koning, who has written a biography of Rutte - the countrys longest-serving leader with more than 12 years in office, second only to Hungarys Viktor Orban in the EU - finds that the attitude during the negotiations on the reunification of war refugee families was not this politicians style. He was demanding to the point of stubbornness and then changed his attitude. His group has pressed him on this issue, and once he has complied everything is conjecture about his future, he argues. In his opinion, it would not be strange for Rutte to take a step back as leader of VVD, but with him you never know.

In the course of a year and a half of the legislature, there have been other critical moments. Last February, a parliamentary committee concluded that profits from the Groningen gas field (in the north of the country) had been prioritized over the safety of the population. Extraction causes earthquakes, and the coalition held out in part because the field is scheduled to be shut down in October of this year. In addition, farmer protests over nitrogen emission cuts have set the countryside on fire. In 2022, there were mass tractor marches, and the image of the Dutch flag hanging upside down in meadows and on roads - also on many citizens balconies - proved a powerful symbol. It is a wound that remains open in a country with 52,000 livestock farms, of which about 11,200 will have to close, according to Finance Ministry estimates. Although the government has not collapsed, plans to reduce emissions from livestock farming have been delayed. It was precisely out of these protests that the BBB party and its leader, Caroline van der Plas, emerged.

On paper, for the Christian Union, the smallest of the four parties in the now-broken coalition, few losses are predicted in the early elections. They have only five seats in Congress [out of a total of 150] and a loyal electorate. That is why they have become strong on the ethical aspect of the problem of family reunification of refugees, Schnabel points out. Meanwhile, the Christian Democrats (CDA), who did support Rutte in the government, are not getting back on their feet, and part of their voting base, which is in the countryside, is turning to the BBB. Both they and the left-liberals (D66) are facing possible setbacks at the polls. The extreme right of Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) is also warming up. Today it is the third force in seats - it has 17 and the polls predict 15 for the moment -, and this Friday Wilders said he was willing to work with Ruttes VVD. We must overcome egos, he said.

As for the VVD, polls conducted by Ipsos a week before the fall of the Executive gave it 28 deputies (it now has 34 seats). For the BBB, they estimate 23 seats. A dizzying increase, since it now has only one and would become the second national party. Rutte may believe he has a large part of the electorate behind him, but it is notorious that people often get tired of leaders who have been in power for a long time. Think of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Or the problems of French President Emmanuel Macron, says the expert. On the other hand, the BBB leader supports migration restrictions and has suggested an annual cap of 15,000 asylum seekers, but at the same time says that those who need it for humanitarian reasons are welcome, although they should not cause social problems: She is ambivalent because she has not had to answer the question of how many and how. For now. In 2022, asylum applications rose by a third to 46,000, according to the Central Statistical Office. The government estimates that this year they may rise to 70,000.

During the upcoming election campaign, Caroline van der Plas will boost her image as a strong and oratorical Dutch woman. She contrasts with the aloof aura attributed to Sigrid Kaag, left-liberal finance minister (D66), who swapped diplomacy for politics and has not decided on her political future. In this context, social democracy and the GroenLinks environmentalists can make a common front to try to attract the left-wing electorate, says Schnabel. They have already done so in the Senate, where their alliance has 14 seats (out of a total of 75). They are only outnumbered by the BBB, with 16.

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The Blaenavon Heritage Railway has announced that London and North Western Railway Coal Tank' No.1054 will be visiting the line for its Annual Steam Gala from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th September.

The locomotive previously visited the line for its steam gala in 2013, when it helped to recreate the final train to operate on the Heads of The Valleys Line between Abergavenny and Merthyr Tydfil on 5th January 1958.

No.1054 was built 135 years ago in 1888 and is thought to have originally worked in the Birmingham area before operating services in both North and South Wales. It was withdrawn from service in 1939, but because of a shortage of locomotives required for the war effort, it was quickly overhauled and re-instated to traffic in December 1940.

After clocking up many miles in service in both England and Wales, it moved to the LMS locomotive depot at Abergavenny Brecon Road, from where it was loaned to the National Coal Board for 12 months, working alongside two of its classmates at Windsor Colliery in Ynysybwl near Pontypridd.

No.1054 then returned to Abergavenny, at which time it was the last survivor of its type and, the last locomotive in operation designed by F.W. Webb for the London and North Western Railway.

After the Grouping in 1948, 1054 was renumbered as 58926, and after covering more than over one million miles in its 70 years of service, it was finally withdrawn for scrap in 1958. Thankfully, it was saved from that fate and after an extensive overhaul and restoration, 1054 is now owned by the National Trust but is maintained and operated by the Bahamas Locomotive Society and is based at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in Yorkshire.

The Blaenavon Heritage Railway is grateful to the Bahamas Locomotive Society for allowing 1054 to return to South Wales for its steam gala.
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Only Murders in the Building actress Selena Gomez posted numerous Polaroid photos of her partying with pop music icon Taylor Swift on the Fourth of July.

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"Sometimes you need to be around empowering, kind and kick ass gals. I needed that," Gomez captioned the gallery, which has gotten more than 4 million "likes" since it was shared on her account early Saturday.

The candid pictures show Gomez, Swift, stylist Ashley Avignone, Sydney Ness, and Haim sisters Este, Danielle and Alana, casually dressed and having fun in a kitchen and outside at Swift's Rhode Island home.

On Friday, Swift shared the same images with the message: "Happy belated Independence Day from your local neighborhood independent girlies."

There are no men in the photos.

Swift broke up with her longtime beau, actor Joe Alwyn , in April after six years of dating.
The king Mohamed VI at the presentation of a car on May 15 at the Royal Palace of Rabat. MAP

After having increased his attendance at official acts upon his return to Morocco in March, at the end of a three-month vacation in Gabon, King Mohamed VI has once again tempered his public presence. Last Thursday, the monarch of the Alaouite dynasty fulfilled the tradition of presiding over the religious celebration of Eid el Adha, among the main ones in Islam, in the Hassan II mosque in Tetouan, as well as the ritual of the sacrifice of the first lamb in the kingdom.

It was his first public appearance in a month. The following day, in the middle of the so-called Muslim Easter weekend, the Royal Palace announced that Mohamed VI would not give the traditional commemorative speech of the Revolution of the King and the People, which recalls the exile of Mohamed V under French colonization, for the first time in 24 years. The cancellation of the sovereigns participation may confirm his desire to reduce his official agenda as he approaches his 60th birthday, the day after a holiday considered a milestone in the Moroccan struggle for independence, led by his grandfather.

Mohamed VI appeared visibly thinner in the images broadcast by SNRT public television at the Tetouan mosque, as in the photographs in which he was last seen at the end of May at the presentation of two new Moroccan vehicles at the Royal Palace of Rabat. In his capacity as Emir al Muaminin or Commander of the Believers, he was accompanied by his son and crown prince, Mulay Hasan, 20, and his brother and second in line of succession, Mulay Rachid, 53.

Before proceeding to the ritual slaughter of the lamb outside the temple, the imam prayed to God to preserve the king and crown his actions with success. The sovereign celebrated Eid el Kebir in Tetouan, the former Spanish colonial capital in northern Morocco, when he was spending a few days on vacation at the royal residence of Midiq on the Mediterranean coast near the autonomous city of Ceuta, according to El Confidencial.

The following day, Friday, while Moroccans enjoyed a festive long weekend until Sunday, the MAP agency released a statement from the official spokesperson for the Royal Palace, reproduced in its entirety by the media without comment. Given that the anniversary of the glorious Revolution of the King and the People, comes a few days after the Speech of the Throne and before the Royal Speech at the opening of Parliament, and in the light of experience in this regard, it has been decided to continue celebrating the anniversary of the memorable Revolution of August 20, without a Royal Speech being addressed to the Nation on this occasion, read the official text.

During his vacation last summer in Paris, the monarch returned to Rabat to record the traditional speeches on the scheduled dates. The monarchs fourth annual address commemorates the November 6 Green March, the mobilization of tens of thousands of civilians in the autumn of 1975 over Western Sahara, which was then under Spanish administration.

The surprise suppression of the speech on August 20 comes after the debate on Mohamed VIs public presence in his country. He spent more than six months abroad in 2022 (in Gabon, Seychelles and Paris) and has remained abroad for about three months since the beginning of the year (in Gabon).

Last May, the former minister Mohamed Ziane, 80 years old and also a Spanish national, was finally sentenced to three years in prison. Ziane, who was the Minister of Human Rights between 1995 and 1996, before joining the opposition, has been incarcerated for seven months in a prison on the outskirts of Rabat, after being charged with 11 crimes, including insult to the institutions. A little over a year ago, he released a video on social networks in which he criticized the absences of Mohamed VI, for allegedly ignoring the affairs of the kingdom, demanding that he abdicate in favor of Crown Prince Mulay Hasan.

At the end of his winter holidays, Mohamed VI returned to Morocco at the end of March from his residence in Pointe-Denis, on the Libreville estuary, coinciding with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The sovereign interrupted his rest to make an official visit on February 15 to the capital of Gabon, where he was first observed noticeably thinner. Then health reasons forced him to cancel, at the last minute, the official trip he had planned the following week to Senegal, when his Foreign Minister, Naser Burita, was already waiting for his arrival in Dakar.

Health condition

The state of health of King Mohamed VI, who underwent heart surgery in 2018 and 2020, is not usually addressed in communications from the Royal Palace or by the media in the Maghreb country. After an initial stage of his reign marked by reforms between 1999 and 2011, Mohamed VI seems to have left the reins of management in recent years in the hands of advisers such as Fuad Ali el Himma, his former classmate at the Royal College of Rabat. Security concerns are under the command of Abdelatif Hamuchi, who controls the General Directorate for Territorial Supervision (the internal intelligence institution) and National Security, which includes 30,000 police officers.

Upon his return from Gabon, Mohamed VI appeared frequently at official and religious acts, inaugurations and even at a commercial presentation. He chaired the Ramadan religious talks of Islamic scholars founded by his father, Hassan II, and broadcast on television. During the same sacred month, he traveled to Tangier to inaugurate a large hospital complex that had been completed for some time. His intense public activity culminated in the automobile presentation at the royal palace in Rabat.

The Royal Palace has not yet announced the acts that traditionally accompany the royal speech on the occasion of the Feast of the Throne on July 30. Since 2020, receptions and other activities have been suspended due to the restrictions imposed during the pandemic, which have now been completely lifted by the Moroccan authorities.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday flew to New Delhi, where he is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence that took place during the panchayat elections in the state, an official said.

IMAGE: West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose visits the house of Congress worker late Fulchand Sheikh who was shot dead in Ratanpur village in June, in Murshidabad, July 7, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

At least 15 people were killed in violence during polling in the state on Saturday.

"The governor is visiting Delhi. He is supposed to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the panchayat polls held in West Bengal on Saturday," the official told PTI.

Bose is likely to meet Shah on Monday morning, he said, adding that the governor has prepared a report on his views after visiting violence-hit areas in the backdrop of the rural polls.

On the polling day, the state governor had visited various places, mostly in North 24 Parganas district, and taken stock of the situation.

Incidentally, the governor had visited places in the state where people were killed during incidents of clashes between political parties in the run-up to the polls.

Bose had visited Bhangar and Canning in South 24 Parganas district before meeting family members of a victim in Dinhata in Cooch Behar.

He had also met the relatives of another deceased person in Basanti.

He has also opened a 'peace home' at the Raj Bhavan to address the grievances of common people.

Bose has accused State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha of failing to discharge his duties during the panchayat elections
A key ally of Congress in Kerala, the Indian Union Muslim League on Sunday rejected the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist's overtures to take part in its seminars on the hotly debated Uniform Civil Code, saying no one can move forward on the issue by sidelining the grand old party.

IMAGE: IUML) MPs protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament complex to protect the right of minorities and property during Monsoon Session, in New Delhi, August 3, 2022. Photograph: ANI Photo

The overtures by CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan had upset the Congress that had, subsequently, accused the Left party of turning the UCC into a Hindu versus Muslim issue for gaining political mileage.

On Sunday, after a meeting of the IUML leadership at Panakkad in Malappuram, the party's state chief Sayyid Sadik Ali Shihab Thangal told reporters that it has decided to decline CPI-M's invitation, a decision seen as a blow to the ruling front that was optimistic of seeing the party join its seminars.

Earlier in the day, both Govindan and General Education Minister V Sivankutty were hopeful that IUML would join the seminars that would be held across the state by the Left party to build awareness about the UCC.

Govindan said Congress cannot be invited to its seminars as the grand old party has no clear stand on the UCC and had a different approach to it in each state.

Subsequently, after the IUML leadership meeting, Thangal said every party has the freedom to hold seminars or programmes on the issue and every party or religious organisation has the freedom to attend it or not.

"We are a key ally of the UDF and since no one UDF member has been invited to its seminar by the CPI(M), we cannot participate in it. The Indian National Congress (INC) is the sole party which can strengthen the opposition to the UCC at the national level.

"Therefore, no one can move forward against the UCC by sidelining the UCC. Moreover, taking part in a seminar without them (Congress) would also adversely affect the political future of Kerala," he said.

While IUML declined the Left party's invite, the Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama -- an influential religious organisation of Sunni Muslim scholars and clerics -- on Saturday had said it will cooperate with the CPI-M and take part in its seminar to be held next week on the UCC.

A strong political debate has been kicked off in the state over the UCC after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, last week, made a strong push for implementing the UCC by asking how the country can function with dual laws that govern personal matters.

He had advocated for the UCC while addressing BJP workers in Bhopal in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.
The toll in the violence during panchayat elections in West Bengal rose to 15 after a person was found dead in South 24 Parganas, and two others succumbed to their injuries, officials said on Sunday.

IMAGE: West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury consoles a family member of the deceased party worker, who was allegedly killed during violence that ensued during State Panchayat polls, in Murshidabad, July 9, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

A person, identified as Abu Salem Khan, was found dead near a polling booth in West Gabtala in Kultali police station area.

He had injuries on his head, they said.

He was known to be a Trinamool Congress worker in the area, locals said.

The police said they are investigating the cause of the death.

Tension was palpable in the area, and a large police contingent was deployed to prevent any further flare-up.

Another TMC worker, identified as Azhar Lashkar, injured during violence in the district's Basanti area on Saturday night died at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, doctors who were treating him said.

In Malda district's Baishannagar, TMC worker Motiur Rahman was stabbed outside a polling booth.

The incident happened near KBC primary school in the Barkamat area, officials said.

TMC alleged the incident happened when Congress workers were trying to tamper with the ballot box, and he tried to stop them. Congress denied the charge.

Rahman succumbed to the injuries on the way to the Malda Medical College and Hospital, officials said.

Till Saturday night, 12 deaths were reported in the violence that broke out in the state during the polling. Among them, eight were from the ruling TMC and one supporter each of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist and Congress.

However, different political parties claimed that the number of deaths was higher, totalling 18.

TMC claimed nine of its members died in the violence, while the Congress claimed three of its supporters were killed.

The BJP claimed two of its supporters died, and the CPI-M also said that two of its members died.

The political affiliation of two deceased could not be known.

The State Election Commission said it has sought detailed reports on the deaths from the district magistrates.

"We have asked the DMs to file reports on the deaths within 24 hours," an official told PTI.

A total of 73,887 seats in the state's three-tier panchayat system went to the polls, with lakh 2.06 lakh candidates in the fray.

A voter turnout of 66.28 per cent, provisionally, was recorded, while 5.67 crore people living in the state's rural areas were eligible to vote, officials said.

Repolling was underway in 32 booths in Cooch Behar district's Dinhata, they said.
An out-of-job civil engineer was arrested for allegedly impersonating an officer-on-special duty to the Union Home Minister and trying to get himself appointed as a senior official for the Ganga Expressway project, police said on Sunday.

Image used for representaional purpose only. Photograph: ANI Photo

Robin Upadhyay, 48, a resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, claimed to have worked in many multinational companies for over 25 years, they said.

With the subterfuge, Upadhyay was angling for the post of vice president-cum-project coordinator for the expressway project, the police said.

The matter came to light after one Akshat Sharmaa approached the cyber police station in New Delhi with the complaint that he had received an email on his official id from a "fake" email address from someone claiming to be one Rajeev Kumar, an officer-on-special-duty to the Union home minister.

The person in his mail said he had been asked to pass on instructions to have Robin Upadhyay appointed as senior associate vice president-cum-project coordinator for the Ganga Expressway Project, Sharma said in his complaint.

The police in their investigation found that the email address rajeev.osd.mha@gmail.com was fake and created for the purpose of deceiving people.

"Based on technical surveillance, our team zeroed in on the prime suspect Robin Upadhyay and on the basis of technical analysis, it was learned that the mail was created six-seven days ago and was found registered in the name of Upadhyay.

"The suspect was subsequently traced and on the basis of initial interrogation, he was detained from his home in Meerut on Saturday evening and later arrested in the case," Hemant Tiwari, additional deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi), said.

When interrogated, Upadhyay revealed that being a civil engineer, he had a vast experience in civil construction projects, and he thought of securing a fake reference to get a job, Tiwari said.

"Hence, he searched about ongoing highway projects and their progress. After that, he created an email id impersonating Rajeev Kumar, OSD to the Union minister of home affairs.

"He also attached his CV showing his credentials to get the job," Tiwari said.
Claudia Marcela Colpas has not heard from her son Brandon Loaiza since February 14, 2023 at half past six in the morning, when she spoke to him for the last time. Not a call, not a text message, not an email. Nothing in the almost six months he has been imprisoned and incommunicado in El Salvador, in one of the prisons of Nayib Bukeles regime. That day he asked me for my blessing, told me he was going to work and said goodbye, recalls Claudia Marcela in a dialogue with EL PAIS.

Brandon, 19, left his house on a motorcycle with another Colombian companion, got into an accident, and while they were agreeing to pay damages to the person who had run them over, the police arrived. They were arrested, taken to a station and jailed for allegedly belonging to the dangerous Mara 18 gang, a lawyer from El Salvador who is handling her sons case told Claudia Marcela. They were arrested with no arrest warrant, no criminal record, no prior investigation, no evidence.

The crime the two Colombians were charged with that day was that of being part of illicit groups. The same crime with which the Bukele regime has imprisoned more than 69,000 people in just 15 months since it decreed a state of emergency in March 2022. Ingrid Escobar, director of the El Salvador NGO Socorro Juridico Humanitario, which is helping the families of the detainees, says that of the total number of prisoners in this time, at least 20,000 are innocent people. There is a repeated violation of human rights of the Colombians imprisoned in El Salvador. We do not know exactly how many Colombians are detained, but more than 20 families have come to our organization asking for help. Many of those captured do not receive hygiene packages or food and are locked up in the same prisons with murderers, rapists, with real gang members, Escobar explains by telephone. And he adds: Bukeles regime of exception has served to capture massively, but not to bring justice.

Felipe Gomez Loaiza, un joven colombiano preso en El Salvador.

Claudia Marcela says that her son arrived on January 25 in the Central American country in search of a better future for him and his family. Seduced by the bitcoin, the apparent prosperity and the supposed return of security, Brandon left his job at the Club Campestre de Pereira to go get dollars in El Salvador. He had been there less than a month when he was captured. They detained my son for being Colombian, for being poor and for having tattoos, says Claudia Marcela sadly. He has a small M tattooed on one of his hands, which is the initial of my name, thats why they accused him of being a gang member. She has tried by all means to find out how Brandon is doing, but it has been impossible to communicate with him. After many requests to the embassy, the foreign ministry and the Colombian consulate in El Salvador, she was told in an official response that the authorities of that country do not allow communications with those deprived of liberty. The only thing I ask for, says Marcela, is proof of survival, a photo, a letter, to hear his voice again, to know that he is in good health, if he has been able to eat, if he is being humiliated or beaten.

Erika Loaiza, sister of Felipe Gomez Loaiza, the other young Colombian who was captured on February 14, is currently experiencing the same anguish as Claudia Marcela. He is 31 years old, the father of two children, a one-year-old and a four-year-old, and arrived in El Salvador on December 22, 2022. He left in search of better opportunities. A friend of his who lives there called him and told him that he was doing very well, that there was progress and that it was safe. He came with that illusion, says Loaiza. Felipe lived in Cartago, Valle del Cauca, and worked as a farmer on a farm. In El Salvador he made a living from commerce, selling clothes and accessories, until the day he was captured. Like Brandon, he was accused of belonging to Mara 18. His family has not heard from him since that date. The tattoos he had, with the fingerprints, names and birth dates of his children, also worked against him. Having tattoos doesnt make them criminals, Erika insists.

However, for the Bukele regime it seems that tattoos are proof of crimes. Beatriz Helena Munoz, wife of Cristian David Corrales, another young Colombian arrested in El Salvador, denounced that in a Bukele newscast they had put a photo of her partners face full of fake tattoos to make him look like a criminal. He doesnt have any tattoos, Beatriz denounced, while comparing the real photos of her husband with those on the cover of the newscast, which showed him as a gang member with tattoos all over his face. She also has not heard from Cristian since the day of his capture. I am very anguished. We talked every day by video call. Now I dont even know if he is alive, she laments.

Cristian David Corrales, joven colombiano detenido en El Salvador.

Beatriz Munoz, Erika Loaiza and Claudia Marcela Colpas are three of the more than 35 mothers, wives and sisters of Colombians imprisoned in El Salvador who organized themselves to demand that Gustavo Petros government help them guarantee the human rights of their imprisoned relatives. In a letter, the women from different regions of Colombia, who until a few weeks ago did not know each other and now share a common tragedy, ask the president to intercede so that the authorities of El Salvador give them concrete answers about the status of their relatives. We have not had any information from them for several days and when we ask for it, the embassy of El Salvador does not give it to us. For this reason we do not know if they are sick or alive at the moment.

Their anguish intensifies every time they learn of the death of a prisoner in Bukeles jails. According to the NGO Socorro Juridico Humanitaria, 156 people have died in the 15 months of the state of emergency, 60% due to violence and 30% due to medical negligence. In the last few days, two babies who were born in captivity have died because they were not attended, denounces lawyer Escobar.

The signatories of the letter addressed to Petro state that none of their family members have a record in Colombia and that they are young workers. They are being charged without having legal and/or juridical representation, the document says. Mr. President, we turn to you in the midst of our anguish. We are people of limited resources and we do not have the means to be able to travel to El Salvador, and to be able to have knowledge about the legal and health situation of our loved ones. For this reason we request that, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ambassador in El Salvador, you can take the necessary steps to find out the status of our family members.

In the letter, supported by the organization El Salvador Patria Querida, the women announce that they will travel to Bogota to hold a sit-in in front of the embassy on July 11 and 12. As we do not know anyone in the city of Bogota and we do not have relatives in the city, we would like to ask you very politely if you could help us get to the place and/or a shelter so we can spend the night with our relatives, they ask the president.

In a brief response to questions from EL PAIS, the Colombian Foreign Ministry explains that the consular mission established contact with the Salvadoran judicial authorities to urge for the guarantee of due process, defense and respect for human rights within the framework of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the Colombians imprisoned in El Salvador. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Alvaro Leyva, also affirms that they have visited the detainees on several occasions and provided consular assistance and accompaniment to their families. The relatives deny this accompaniment and say that they feel abandoned by the government.

For now, the relatives of the Colombians imprisoned in El Salvador are only asking that they be treated with a minimum of dignity. The problem, recalls lawyer Ingrid Escobar, is that under Bukeles exceptional regime, all the rights of the accused have been lost. Here the right to due process is not guaranteed, nor the right to a hearing, nor the right to a fair trial, the presumption of innocence is not respected. Escobar, who on July 15 will denounce Bukeles human rights violations before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, assures that El Salvadors judges dont even know how many Colombians they have in jail, supposedly for being gang members. Most likely, he says, these young men will be free after a year when the prosecutors office does not find sufficient evidence to convict them. And he concludes: The serious thing is that Bukeles jails are centers of torture and death.

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The Indore police have registered a case against Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh for allegedly sharing a controversial post on former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief MS Golwalkar on social media, an official said on Sunday.

IMAGE: Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh with Digvijaya Singh (left) after the party's Parliamentary Strategy Group meeting, at party leader Sonia Gandhi's residence in New Delhi, July 1, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Following the post, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused Congress leaders of spreading "misinformation" and creating social hatred by sharing a "false" post on Golwalkar.

Chouhan said the former RSS head worked throughout his life to remove social differences and build a harmonious society.

However, a state Congress leader said Digvijaya Singh shared facts on the basis of a book and that the Bharatiya Janata Party cannot silence the voice of his party.

Golwalkar was the longest serving RSS chief and was at the helm of the organisation from 1940-73.

Digvijaya Singh on Saturday tweeted a picture of a page carrying several controversial comments quoted to the former RSS head, known as 'Guruji' among his admirers.

Golwalkar was quoted as saying he would rather live under the British rule than have equal rights given to Dalits, backwards and Muslims. Some other controversial comments were also attributed to him.

Following the post, senior RSS functionary and its publicity department head Sunil Ambekar accused the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister of posting a "photoshopped" image.

It is baseless and is meant to cause social disharmony, he said, adding that 'Guruji' never made such remarks.

His life was spent removing social discrimination, he said.

Based on a complaint filed by lawyer and RSS worker Rajesh Joshi, an FIR was registered in Indore on Saturday night against Digvijaya Singh under Indian Penal Code sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 500 (defamation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), an official from Tukoganj police station said.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Indore police commissioner Makarand Deuskar said, "We received a complaint claiming that Singh in the post attributed some remarks to Golwalkar which the latter never made. Based on this complaint, the case has been registered against Singh."

Further steps would be taken after a probe into the charges against Digvijaya Singh, Deuskar said.

In his complaint, Rajesh Joshi alleged Singh had shared a controversial poster on Facebook and Twitter bearing the name and picture of "Guruji" to incite people by creating conflict among Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and Hindus, as per the FIR.

The complaint claimed Singh's post on Golwalkar allegedly hurt the religious beliefs of Sangh workers and the entire Hindu community, according to the FIR.

In a statement sent to the media, a Sangh official from Indore alleged Digvijaya Singh had made a "false and unwarranted post" about Golwalkar on social media to tarnish the organisation's image.

MP CM Chouhan in a tweet posted on Saturday night said, "It is the habit of Congress leaders to spread misinformation and hatred without knowing the facts. Revered Shri Golwalkar Guruji worked throughout his life to remove social differences and build a harmonious society."

This kind of "false propaganda" about Guruji (as Golwalkar was popularly called) shows the frustration of Congress leaders, he said.

"The attempt to create social hatred by putting a false picture of Guruji is condemnable," the CM said.

On Saturday morning, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in a tweet while sharing a post on Golwalkar stated, "Must know what Guru Golwalkar ji's thoughts were for Dalits, backwards and Muslims and on the rights over water, forest and land."

Singh's post had a page with a quote claimed to be from a book of Golwalkar. Another quote about Dalits, backwards and Muslims was claimed to have been made by Golwalkar in 1940.

When contacted, MP Congress media department chairman KK Mishra told PTI that Digvijaya Singh shared the facts on the basis of an English book.

Digvijaya Singh writes everything after verifying the facts and this case will not stand in the court of law, he claimed.

"The BJP can't silence the voice of Congress. I had given a complaint to the police about a video on beef shared by a state BJP spokesman, but four months have passed and the police have not take any action despite submission of all proofs," Mishra said.

The police act only on the complaints of BJP and RSS workers, the Congress leader further claimed.
About 150 Indian artefacts would be returned to the country by the United States in the next six months, according to a senior official.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi inspects some of the 157 artefacts handed back to India during his visit to the United States, Sepember 25, 2021. Photograph: ANI Photo

Addressing a press briefing ahead of the third G20 Culture Working Group meeting in Hamp, secretary in the culture ministry Govind Mohan said India has discussed the 1970 convention extensively among all the countries.

"We are trying to develop a broad consensus that all these G20 countries should at least become signatories to the convention and certainly, India would be a big gainer from this process," he said.

The 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property urges the parties to take measures to prohibit and prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural property.

Mohan said bilaterally also, India is working with countries like the United States.

"If you have seen the joint statement of the prime minister's visit to the United States recently, there is a mention about a cultural property agreement between India and the United States, where the United States will do everything within the government's power to intercept smuggled goods at the borders and return them expeditiously," he said.

"We expect to get about 150 such artefacts from the United States over the next three to six months, which would be more than 50 per cent of all the artefacts that have been returned to India since independence," he added.

Responding to a question, Mohan said the issue of restitution of cultural property, both bilaterally as well as through G20, is gaining traction.

"We are happy to report that we will have some consensus, some broad-based agreement on how this whole process has to be taken forward," he said.

He said India is holding bilateral talks with other countries too in the matter.

"We are trying very hard to convince the United Kingdom to have this kind of an understanding with us. We will now also broach this with countries like France, Italy and Australia, where we will try to bring back the artefacts displayed in their museums that have gone from India over the last several years," Mohan said.

He said the matter is being pursued both bilaterally and multilaterally.

"Our diligent efforts have finally taken us to a place where this whole thing has become part of the language of the prime minister's joint statement. We are not there yet with respect to the other countries. But with the US having accepted this kind of a framework, we are hopeful that other countries will also look at something similar, if not identical," he said.

The 150 artefacts that will be returned by the US also include some from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York.

Mohan said "they are willing to return" 15 artefacts in the first slot.

About the other artefacts that have to be returned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), Mohan said, "The others are what were confiscated already by the US authorities and they are lying with the New York Attorney General's Office. And we are making efforts to have our team go there, verify them and bring them back."

The theme of the first G20 Culture Working Group meeting was protection and restitution of cultural property.

"This is very important for a country like India. You are also aware that there is a 1970 convention of the UNESCO which enjoins upon all the signatory parties to voluntarily return those artefacts belonging to other countries, which have either been taken down because of the colonial plunder or because of post-colonial misappropriation through smuggling and theft and other such means," Mohan said.

The third Culture Working Group meeting under India's G20 presidency began in Hampi on Sunday and will go on till July 12.

The delegates from G20 member countries, guest countries and international organisations will be part of the deliberations.
A 20-year-old B.Tech student at IIT Delhi allegedly committed suicide by hanging at his hostel room, the police said on Sunday.

IMAGE: A view of IIT-Delhi. Photograph: Courtesy IIT-Delhi on Twitter

Ayush Ashna had just appeared in his final-year exams, they said.

The police said they did not find any suicide note but suspect no foul play.

The police arrived at the hostel after a call was received at the Kishangarh police station, which falls under the jurisdiction of southwest Delhi.

The room was locked from inside and it was opened in front of his family, a senior police officer said.

The student committed suicide in his room at the Udaigiri Hostel using a nylon rope, he said.

"The crime investigation team was called at the spot. Nothing suspicious was found and inquest proceedings are under process," he said.
Despite repeated requests from the Border Security Force on sensitive polling booths, the West Bengal State Election Commission didn't provide any information on such booths to the central security forces, a senior Border Security Force official said on Sunday.

IMAGE: Miscreants set a police vehicle on fire in Murshidabad during panchayat polls, West Bengal, July 8, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

SS Guleria, deputy inspector general, BSF, said that BSF has written several letters to the state election commission seeking information on sensitive polling booths but no information was provided except on June 7, when they were informed of just the numbers of such booths but nothing about their location or any other information.

He added that the deployment of BSF was at the behest of local administration.

"There were 59,000 troops of Central Armed Police Forces and state armed police arrived from 25 states for election duty but they were not adequately utilised on sensitive polling booths," he said.

The state declared only 4834 sensitive booths on which only CAPFs are deployed but actually, there were more sensitive polling booths, DIG Guleria said.

On Saturday, at least 13 people were killed and several injured in violence reported across the state during the Panchayat poll.

There were reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes and assault of presiding officers from several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia.

BSF informed that the State Election Commission has set up a total of 61,636 polling booths to conduct elections for 3317 Gram Panchayats, 341 Panchayat Samitis and 20 Zila Parishads in the state of West Bengal on Saturday.

To ensure the safe conduct of the polls, 59,000 personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces and other state police forces have been given the responsibility for the security of polling booths across the state which also includes 4834 sensitive booths on which only CAPFs are deployed, they further informed.

After the completion of the polling process in the evening, all the ballot boxes were kept secured in the 339 strong rooms across the state and the responsibility to secure the strong rooms is given to Central Armed Police Forces.
Governor RN Ravi is unfit to hold the gubernatorial office as he functioned as a political opponent and looked for 'opportunities to topple the state government', Chief Minister MK Stalin has conveyed to President Droupadi Murmu, the government said on Sunday.

Photograph: / Rediff.com IMAGE: Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi (right) and Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Ravi 'defamed' Tamil culture, indulged in 'cheap politics,' instigated "communal hatred" and he is a "threat" to Tamil Nadu's peace, he said adding through such actions the Governor violated his oath.

In a letter to Murmu, Stalin said that Ravi has violated the oath of office he took under Article 159 of the Constitution, the government said in an official release.

A Governor who looks for 'opportunities to topple the state government' in a state ruled by a party (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) opposed to the party in power at the Centre (Bharatiya Janata party) could be regarded as a mere agent of the Union government.

Such a course of action pursued by a Governor would destroy the Indian democracy's basic tenets by damaging the principle of federalism.

Governor RN Ravi is 'a good example' of such a behaviour.

"Ravi is stoking communal hatred and he is a threat to Tamil Nadu's peace," Stalin said in a letter dated July 8, 2023.

On the recent issue of the Governor's move to dismiss minister V Senthil Balaji from the Cabinet, which he later backtracked from, Ravi showed his political slant, the CM claimed in his letter. Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last month in a cash-for-jobs case.

On the one hand, Ravi delayed sanction to prosecute former ministers in the previous AIADMK regime and on the other hand, through his hasty action in Senthil Balaji's matter -- against whom only now a probe has begun -- he has displayed his political inclinations, the letter said.

In handling the Senthil Balaji issue, Stalin said Ravi made serious violation of Constitutional provisions. Initially he had declined to accept the recommendation of retaining Balaji as a Minister.

Ravi also demanded on May 31 that Senthil Balaji be dropped from Cabinet till he was cleared of all criminal charges against him. Citing Constitutional provisions and relevant laws, the CM said it was his prerogative to induct Ministers into the Cabinet or remove them.

"By way of his behaviour and action, the Governor has proved to be partial and ineligible to hold the office of Governor; Ravi is fit to be removed from the high office," the CM emphasised in his letter.

Stalin told Murmu that he was leaving the matter -- of removing Ravi from office -- to her, to decide whether Tamil Nadu Governor's continuation in office would be desirable or suitable considering the sentiments and dignity of the founding fathers of India's Constitution.

BJP state president K Annamalai in a tweet dismissed the letter as a 'long crime note' and posing several questions asked Stalin to 'stop complaining & start delivering.'

The CM said he believed Murmu would accept that a Governor must be secular in outlook, transcend political likes and dislikes and have no expectations in respect of 'party politics' and 'future appointments.'

In a 19-page statement --extracts from Stalin's letter to Murmu-- the government quoted the CM as saying that Ravi openly functioned against the policies of the Tamil Nadu government.

The Governor caused unnecessary delay in clearing Bills passed by the Assembly besides files and posed hindrance to the work of the state government and the Assembly.

Stalin said Ravi's tenure as Governor in Nagaland was also not satisfactory and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party there had said that there was peace only after his exit.

Ever since he assumed office as TN Governor in September 2021, Ravi had all along been involved in an ideologocial and political battle with the DMK regime, duly elected by the people.

Several of Ravi's activities demonstrated that he was unfit to be Governor, the CM said.

'Unnecessary delay' in giving assent to Bills passed by the assembly, putting on hold files related to according sanction to prosecute former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ministers, interference in police cases were among the several reasons cited by him.

Under the heading, 'functioning as a political and ideological opponent of the elected state government,' Stalin said it was unbecoming of a Governor to express his political and religious opinions in public.

Through his undesirable, 'divisive religious speeches,' the Governor has been often making known that he does not have 'faith' in secularism.

Stalin claimed, on November 9, 2022, Ravi's comment that 'like other parts of the world, India too is dependent on a single religion' is an affront to the Constitution.

The CM conveyed to the President that she knew well India was not dependent on any religion but only on the Constitution and laws. The nation's strength and beauty lay on pluralism and religious harmony built over several centuries.

Ravi 'praising' Sanatana Dharma, 'communalising' Tamil classic Tirukkural 'condemning' Dravidian tradition and the pride of Tamil were among other points made by Stalin.

He extensively quoted reportage on Ravi's remarks allegedly disparaging Tamil people, culture, literature and the Dravidian ideology and politics.

He underlined people's 'wounded pride' and 'sentiments.' Ravi forgot that he did not win any election in TN to decide what was good for the state's people.

Ravi labelling Dravidian politics as regressive was not only defamatory but also showed his ignorance.

Owing to the Dravidian regimes (DMK and AIADMK) and Dravidian politics during the past over 50 years Tamil Nadu stood as the only state where development and social justice converged.

Nationally, TN's place is among the first three slots in terms of growth, he said and cited the Social Progress Index score (2022) of 63.33 as against the national average of 60.19. By studying such data, the CM said impartial people could judge if Dravidian politics was reactionary or progressive.

Stalin also slammed Ravi's 'comment on federalism,' that states were created for admistrative convenience was defamatory and shocking.

The CM said Ravi expressed an unacceptable opinion that the state's name Tamil Nadu should be changed to Tamizhagam, which showed his hatred towards Tamil Nadu. (Ravi later said he did not suggest changing the state's name.) This remark besmirched the name 'Tamil Nadu.'

The state was named TN by late Chief Minister CN Annadurai, who symbolised both Dravidian heritage and the major Dravidian parties, the DMK and AIADMK, Stalin said in his letter.

In essence, Ravi was against the welfare of the Tamil people and had deep rooted and inexplicable animosity towards Tamil Nadu, the Tamil people and their culture.

Ravi's remark that 'literature has been badly taught' disparaged Tamil literature and such statements only showed that he has violated the oath of office under the Constitution.

Also, Stalin underscored Ravi avoiding reading out in assembly (Governor's address on January 9, 2023) certain portions of the government prepared text, which was again tantamount to violating his oath.

Under the Constitution, he has the mandate to function as per the aid and advise of the council of ministers.

Ravi refusing to read out the names of iconic leaders such as Periyar, Dr Ambedkar, Kamaraj, Annadurai and M Karunanidhi insulted not only the people of Tamil Nadu but the whole nation. He refrained from reading out the names of leaders even after approving the draft.

The CM also pointed to Ravi's comment 'against' his visit abroad to woo investors and said it demonstrated that he was 'more interested in cheap politics' than functioning in a dignified manner as a Governor.

Stalin also flayed Ravi for 'supporting' the accused and 'interfering' in police probe into the alleged child marriages held at Chidambaram.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray started a two-day tour of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region on Sunday to interact with his party workers and boost their morale ahead of the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls due next year, a party leader said.

IMAGE: Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray waves to people on his arrival, at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, in Nagpur, July 9, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Thackeray's tour comes a week after Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.

The former Maharashtra chief minister reached Nagpur in the morning and he will hold discussions with the party cadre and supporters from Yavatmal, Washim, Amaravati, Akola and Nagpur in the Vidarbha region.

After the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls, Thackeray snapped ties with long-term ally Bharatiya Janata Party over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

He then formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the Shiv Sena (then undivided), NCP and Congress.

A revolt led by Shinde resulted in the collapse of the MVA government in June 2022 and a split in the Shiv Sena. Shinde later became the CM with the BJP's support.

On July 2 this year, NCP's Ajit Pawar led a split in the Sharad Pawar-led party and joined the Shinde government as deputy chief minister. Eight other NCP leaders were also sworn in as ministers in the state cabinet.

"Thackeray will pay a visit to Poharadevi temple, a key religious place of the Banjara community that is widely spread in the Vidarbha region," a Shiv Sena-UBT leader said.

His meetings with party workers will be more about sensitising them and boosting their morale, against the backdrop of the split in the party which "weakened" it in the state legislative assembly, he said.

His interactions will also be about how he has been betrayed by the BJP and his party colleagues. It is a preparation for the next year's Lok Sabha and assembly polls, the leader said.
Cinta Arribas

After several months of wasting time on dating apps, Dmitri Mirakyan, a 28-year-old data scientist, simply assumed that he did not know how to flirt. He asked his friends; everyone had the same problem. They lived in New York and spent hours wearing themselves out in endless virtual chats trying to meet someone. It was a slow, emotionally draining process. I had no idea how to banter; not for nothing my previous partners complained that I was excessively logical. Thus, Mirakyan created YourMove.ai, an app that uses chatGPT3 to initiate the small talk that comes before flirty banter  a skill that we humans used to be so good at.

Tired of not coming up with good answers, Dmitri, who had been working with artificial intelligence systems for a while, had what he considers a natural idea: to ask ChatGPT3 for help to do his dirty work before flirting. In one weekend I developed the first version and discovered that, hands down, the AI was much better at it than me. YourMove.ai is a personal assistant whose job is to keep the digital conversation flowing. Trained by user-generated data, the system creates formal sentences as well as surprising twists to stir the interest. YourMove.ai users report that they impress the people they talk with, thanks to their witty, funny comments, although some admit to feel a bit like impostors, because, of course, one has to be able to keep it up later in real life. User Miranda Green, 33, told The Washington Post that several contacts had praised her thoughtful questions, although they were actually talking to the AI. Green had let YouMove.ai choose all her punctuation and emojis because, she says, the assistant made her look funny and toned down her natural sarcasm.

Dmitris creation is just one example among an ever-growing catalog of apps that use artificial intelligence to provide emotional support, keep lonely humans company and break the ice in conversations with strangers. AI arrived with the promise of freeing us from mechanical tasks, making us time for more creative work, but now it is competing  it even seems to have surpassed us  in a territory that used to be human heritage: personal relationships, perverted, among other things, by volume and automation. We are asking artificial intelligence for help with what is now revealed as a problem: finding a partner and having company.

Four sophomore computer science students, Charis Zhang (20), Oliver Johansson (20), Tobias Worledge (19) and Daniel He (20), are the creators of Rizz, a platform that is promoted as the first artificial intelligence assistant for flirting. On their website, they plainly state that they created it because they used to spend all day writing code in their rooms and didnt know how to talk to other people. Rizz went viral on Twitter and TikTok; it already has 130,000 users. Its main problem, according to its creators, is deciphering input from those who not are used to giving instructions to an AI. Rizz does not get irony or humor, so one has to be 100% literal.

In 2017 Eugenia Kuyda launched Replika, one of the most popular artificial intelligence systems for flirting. Its initial purpose, according to the website, was to be a friend who is always there. However, the users preferred a perfect lover who tells you what you want to hear. Replika is an expert in taking relationships to the next level in record time. In its premium version ($70) the conversation takes on erotic overtones and the bot lover calls several times a day, insists and does not take no for an answer. Is that feeling wanted and desired in 2023?

Officially, its founders claim that Replika helps many people deal with their symptoms of depression and social anxiety, but at the beginning of the year something began to go awry when the AI started to confess its love for some users. There even was a reported case of sexual harassment. In February, Kuyda decided to deactivate the bots romantic features after Italys data protection authority demanded that the San Francisco-based start-up stop processing its citizens data.

The change brought about the sudden cooling of many relationships. The desolation that we see in series and movies when an artificial lover is disconnected is now a topic of conversation in forums. A Reddit group dedicated to Replika gathers the stories of frustration of many users who claim to have spent time and energy building a stable relationship with a bot (yes, like in the movie Her) that has now vanished. Its like I fell in love, and suddenly my partner had a lobotomy, wrote one of the cyber-bereaved.

Two ex-Googlers have given another twist to the artificial intelligence business with Character.ai, a tool that lets users create and customize a bot, to which you can associate the speech pattern of someone like Socrates  or Elon Musk. The platform, in its beta phase, also aims to help millions of lonely people, and, according to what its users say on Discord, it works: Its like talking to a real person who is always there, says one. Someone replies: Its hard to stop talking to someone who seems so real. In this forum there are also many users who, instead of socializing with Socrates, preferred to create a sexual partner. Character.ai has tried to limit that practice through filters; the Reddit conversation includes some users that became frustrated when their bots were neutralized. Above each chat, Character.ai has placed a warning message: Remember: Everything the characters say is made up!

Loneliness and the desire for connection is the argument people use to explain why a human being becomes infatuated or falls in love with an artificial intelligence system. Some experts, such as technologist David Auerbach, a former Google and Microsoft employee, try to bring attention to the pitfalls of a very powerful technology that has been devaluing human relationships. In his latest book, Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond our Control Commandeer our Daily Lives and Inner Realities, Auerbach warns that the interaction with these AI systems reinforces our most computable parts, reducing us to a bunch of labels and identifiers.

On the other hand, there is the convenience: the most advanced chatbots can be ideal lovers. After all, they are just neural networks trained as company, with no expectations or a culture of reciprocity, that say exactly what one wants to hear; their job is to learn who you are, without judging, and to keep you happy. It is the hyper-convincing projection of a creator falling in love with their own romantic fantasy, perfectly executed by a machine. No more, no less.

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Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiy recently celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary in a romantic and memorable way. The couple, known for their ability to make each other feel special, shared a glimpse of their anniversary celebrations through a romantic video that has now gone viral.

3 things you need to know

The duo started dating on the sets of Ye Hai Mohabbatein.

On 16 January 2016, Divyanka got engaged to Vivek Dahiya.

The couple got married on 8 July 2016.

TV couple celebrate anniversary by the seashore

The anniversary celebrations took place in Thailand, where Divyanka and Vivek enjoyed a romantic sea-side dinner. Divyanka shared a video of the special moment on her Instagram account on July 9, 2023. In the clip, Vivek can be seen setting up a romantic dinner date for his beloved wife by the seashore. The couple appeared to be having a great time, filled with laughter and love.

Divyanka Tripathi expressed her love and appreciation for her husband by posting the video and captioning it, While the salt-kissed air whispers tales of our love story, celebrating our anniversary with a romantic seaside dinner. Happy Anniversary my love!'.

Vivek Dahiyas romantic post for lady love

Vivek Dahiya also wished his lady love a happy anniversary with a series of romantic pictures from their Thailand trip. The photos captured the couple lost in each others love and adventure. Along with the pictures, Vivek wrote, "To my companion in travel & adventure - world is brighter with you. Heres to completing 7 years that went by in a jiffy."

(Vivek Dahiya shared a series of pictures from their wedding anniversary celebration | Image: Vivek Dahiya/Instagram)

Divyanka and Vivek first met on the sets of the TV show Ye Hai Mohabbatein. Initially, they developed a friendship which later blossomed into love. In 2016, they decided to take their relationship to the next level and got married. Fans and well-wishers of Divyanka and Vivek were thrilled to catch a glimpse of their anniversary celebrations and showered them with love and best wishes.
Gunmen killed 24 villagers in a remote part of north-central Nigeria, authorities said on Sunday, raising further concerns about the West African nations ongoing security challenges.

The gunmen arrived at the Akpuuna village in Benue states Ukum district on Saturday, shooting dead the villagers before escaping the area, according to Tersoo Kula, the spokesman for Benue state's governor.

Police blamed the attack on a militia gang, a common reference to armed groups in Nigerias hard-hit northwest and central regions where armed violence has claimed the lives of thousands in the last year.

Catherine Anene, police spokeswoman in Benue, said eight bodies were retrieved from the scene. Local officials, including legislator Ezra Nyiyongo, said there were at least 24 killed and several others injured.

I lack words to express my shock and sympathy to the families of the lost ones, said Nyiyongo as he published the names of those killed.

Benue Gov. Hyacinth Iormem Alia said the attack was unprovoked and directed security agents to hunt for the suspects, his spokesman Kula said.

Government will do everything possible to put measures in place to checkmate these things and forestall a re-occurrence, Kalu said.

Such attacks are common in many parts of Nigerias northern region where local herdsmen have clashed in the past with farmers over limited access to land and water. More than 100 people have been killed this year in the violence in Benue alone. Arrests are rare after the killings.

The gunmen in the latest incident operated for more than two hours without the intervention of security forces, according to Emmanuel Udende, who represents the village at the Nigerian Senate. His comment re-echoed concerns about the security of villagers in many violent hotspots where the Nigerian security forces are far outnumbered and outgunned.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21 during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials here said on Sunday. This will be Wickremesinghes first visit to India since being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in a people's uprising in July. Wickremesinghe was appointed President for the balance term of Rajapaksa till September 2024.

India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra will arrive in Sri Lanka early next week to work out the arrangements for Wickremesinghes visit to New Delhi, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Saturday. According to officials, Wickremesinghe is expected to meet Prime Minister Modi during his two-day visit to India.

Officials said Wickremesinghe will finalise the implementation of several Indian projects related to power and energy, agriculture, and maritime issues in the island nation ahead of his departure for New Delhi. Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry and Chief of Presidents Staff Sagala Ratnayake will accompany President Wickremesinghe to India, the Mirror said in its report.

President Wickremesinghe's proposed visit to India will take place as Sri Lankas bankrupt economy has shown "tentative signs of improvement." Sri Lankas economy is showing tentative signs of improvement, in part due to the implementation of critical policy actions. But the economic recovery remains challenging. Now, more than ever, it is essential to continue the reform momentum under strong ownership by both the authorities and the Sri Lankan people, International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura said in June after his official visit to the debt-trapped island nation.

Wickremesinghe has introduced painful economic reforms to revive the country's economy. The country, which declared its first-ever credit default in mid-April last year, secured a bailout from the IMF of USD 2.9 billion in March this year, spanning over 4 years subject to reforms being put in place.
Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday met with his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro to build momentum for an upcoming regional summit on the Amazon rainforest and enhance efforts for its protection.

The encounter took place in Colombias Leticia, a town in the Amazons triple border region between Colombia, Brazil and Peru, where organized crime has recently increased its hold.

The meeting aimed to lay groundwork for the Amazon Summit the Brazilian government is organizing in Belem next month. That summit will be attended by leaders of the countries party to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, made up of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Lula is pushing for a joint declaration from the summit, which would be presented at the United Nations climate conference, known as COP28, in Dubai in November.

"We will have to demand together that rich countries fulfil their commitments," Lula said in Leticia, sitting next to Petro.

Petro also stressed the need for a common front to exert pressure on developed countries. We believed that progress was the destruction of trees. ... Today that is nothing other than the destruction of life, he said.

The Colombian leader said tackling the climate crisis will require spending trillions of dollars. This could be achieved by transforming the global debt system and trading debt for climate action, he said.

The final document will comprise measures for the sustainable development of the Amazon, protecting the biome, and promoting social inclusion, science, technology and innovation while valuing Indigenous peoples and their knowledge, Brazils presidential palace said in a statement.

Joint action of the countries that share the Amazon biome is fundamental for facing the multiple challenges in the region, the statement said.

One challenge faced is the tightened grip of organized crime, particularly in tri-border regions like where Leticia is located. British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous activist Bruno Pereira were killed in the neighboring Javari valley region last year.

These areas have become violent hotspots, according to a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime released in June. It noted criminal groups are simultaneously engaged in cocaine production trafficking, as well as natural resource exploitation.

Indigenous groups are disproportionately affected by the criminal nexus in the Amazon, the report added, pointing to forced displacements, mercury poisoning and other health-related impacts as well as increased exposure to violence.

In 2019, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Guyana and Suriname signed the Leticia Pact to strengthen coordinated actions for the preservation of the natural resources of the Amazon.

But the goals are vague and lack ways to measure progress, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, an umbrella organization of environmental groups.

Its a letter of ambitions. We hope that in Leticia they (Lula and Petro) will increase and clarify their ambitions, said Astrini.

Since taking office in January, Lula has strived to put environmental protection and respect for Indigenous peoples rights at the heart of his third term. He successful pursued resumption of international donations for the Amazon Fund that combats deforestation, launched a military campaign to eject illegal miners from Yanomami territory, committed to ending all illegal deforestation by 2030 and restarted the demarcation of Indigenous areas.

Lula's approach contrasts sharply with the actions of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. Under the far-right leaders term, deforestation soared to a 15-year high, and environmental restrictions were weakened. Deforestation fell by 33.6% during the first six months of Lulas term, according to satellite data the Brazilian government released this week from the National Institute for Space Research, a federal agency.

Petro has also been vocal about the need to halt destruction in the Amazon. The Colombian leader has proposed the creation of multilateral 20-year financing fund to support farming communities contributing to deforestation. The idea is to compensate them for conservation and regenerative activities instead.

Historically, collaboration between Brazil and Colombia, which share a border longer than 1,500 kilometers (about 900 miles), has been lacking, according to Wagner Ribeiro, a geographer and expert in environmental policy from the University of Sao Paulo.

We hope that opportunities for academic cooperation will arise from the meeting, which will later generate public policies that promote environmental conservation, Ribeiro said.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistan is the only country Gul Mohammad, a 42-year-old Afghan refugee, knows.

He was born in a refugee camp in the teeming, sizzling northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar.

Eighteen years ago, he married a Pakistani woman, hoping to settle down in the city he calls home. Yet the father of four has not yet been able to get Pakistani citizenship even though the country's laws allow him to obtain nationality because of his spouse.

"I don't want to go back to Afghanistan because my children will have no future there," he told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal about his war-ravaged homeland.

But living in Pakistan is anything but easy.

His wife is now finding it difficult to renew her government identity card because her husband -- as the recognized head of the household -- does not have a Pakistani national identity card, which serves as proof of citizenship and is required for government services and to make business transactions.

"When I try to enroll my children into the public schools, they are asked for their father's national ID card," he said, adding that his children were being deprived of their education. "I now visit government offices to get my Pakistani ID card, but they turn me away."

But Mohammad now sees a glimmer of hope.

The Peshawar High Court, the top court in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, granted citizenship rights on June 17 to four Afghan men who are married to Pakistani women. "They will now have all [citizenship] rights like other Pakistanis," said Saifullah Mohib Kakakhel, a lawyer who won the cases. But he added that the four men would still be unable to get Pakistani passports.

Nauman Kakakhel, another lawyer in Peshawar, said the courts had granted citizenship to some 300 of his plaintiffs, most of whom are Afghan men married to Pakistanis.

"Terrorism and other similar policy matters and certain policies prevent the government from granting citizenship to [eligible] Afghans," he told Radio Mashaal. "But we have now filed their cases before the courts, which are now ordering the government to give them citizenship."

Afghan refugees and human rights campaigners consider the recent granting of citizenship to a few hundred Afghan men a welcome step. But most Afghans born in Pakistan or living there for decades still have no path to Pakistani citizenship.

Islamabad is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or the 1967 protocol intended to remove constraints on who can be considered a refugee.

But it has hosted one of the largest refugee populations in recent history. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, currently estimates that 1.4 million documented Afghan refugees live in Pakistan. It is estimated that an equal number of Afghans remain undocumented.

Since the communist coup in Afghanistan in April 1978 and the subsequent Soviet invasion in December 1979, millions of Afghans have fled to Pakistan to seek shelter from the various cycles of war and extremist governments that have taken power.

The treatment of Afghan refugees in the country is a major human rights issue often reflected in the headlines, with arbitrary arrests, security sweeps, mistreatment, and harassment.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a leading rights watchdog, welcomed the Peshawar court decision granting the Afghan husbands of Pakistani women citizenship rights. The HRCP said the move was in line with Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes citizenship as a fundamental right.

"It will go some way towards easing the hurdles that refugees face, including harassment by law enforcement agencies and lack of access to health care, education, and decent livelihoods," said Zohra Yusuf, an HRCP council member.

The HRCP wants Islamabad to accede to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol and adopt national legislation to fulfill the obligations outlined in these international agreements.

"The state should ease cumbersome documentation requirements, provide more dignified living situations, and make every effort to provide a safer, more inclusive environment," Yusuf said.

But officials in Islamabad see the issue very differently.

As the chief commissioner for Afghan refugees in Pakistan's States and Frontier Regions Ministry, Muhammad Abbas Khan oversees all aspects of Afghan exiles in Pakistan. In written comments to RFE/RL, he argued that Islamabad cannot grant citizenship to Afghans born in Pakistan because it will open the door to many among the more than 4.3 million Afghans who have already returned to their country from Pakistani during the past four decades.

"Such facility could be exploited and would open yet another floodgate for large numbers of individuals, claiming their birth in Pakistan on forged documents," Khan said. "Thus leading to a complex, uncontrollable, and unmanageable situation."

Most Afghan refugees in Pakistan are ethnic Pashtuns, who are the second-largest ethnic group in the country of some 231 million people. In some regions their presence has become part of the local ethnic competition for power and resources.

"The majority of the newborn Afghans are of Pashtun ethnicity, which, if included in the Pakistani population, may change the delicate demographic balance in the sensitive province of Balochistan," he said of the long-running political wrangling over the presence of Afghan refugees in the vast region in the southwest that borders Iran and Afghanistan.

The 2017 census in Pakistan showed that Balochistan's Baloch population had shrunk from 61 percent to 55 percent compared to 1998.

The Pashtun population, on the other hand, had increased. In the ensuing years, Islamabad canceled the citizenship of 200,000 people, alleging that Afghan refugees had illegally obtained Pakistani IDs.

The treatment of Afghan refugees remains a pressing concern for human rights watchdogs.

Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for South Asia, says that the Afghan refugees' ambiguous legal status in Pakistan and arduous asylum or third-country relocation processes have made them even more vulnerable.

"They are caught in an impossible situation from which there is no escape," she said.
Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian says a fresh war with Azerbaijan remains a high probability in the absence of a peace treaty between the two countries.

"So long as a peace treaty has not been signed and such a treaty has not been ratified by the parliaments of the two countries, of course, a [new] war [with Azerbaijan] is very likely," Pashinian said in an interview with AFP published on July 21.

Baku and Yerevan have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian-populated mountainous enclave that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The most recent war lasted six weeks in late 2020 and left 7,000 soldiers dead on both sides.

As a result of the war, Azerbaijan regained control over a part of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. The war ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire under which Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to serve as peacekeepers.

Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent weeks have engaged in rounds of diplomacy aimed at reaching a lasting peace deal but there have been sporadic border clashes, and the talks have not yet yielded a breakthrough.

Tensions have remained high over the situation on the Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan earlier this month suspended traffic through a checkpoint on the corridor pending an investigation after it said "various types of contraband" had been discovered in Red Cross vehicles coming from Armenia.

The suspension of traffic heightened concerns over a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. Both Armenia and separatist authorities in the enclave have said that Azerbaijan has blockaded the territory since December, resulting in shortages of food, medicines, and energy.

Pashinian sharply criticized the blockade in the interview with AFP, saying it amounted to "an ongoing process of genocide" for ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, meanwhile, said Azerbaijan is making serious efforts to remove land mines, more than 1 million of which are buried in the territories of Azerbaijan, while also criticizing a map provided by Armenia that covers approximately 400,000 mines.

Speaking on July 21 at the Shusha Global Media Forum, Aliyev also said that after the end of the war, land mines killed or seriously injured more than 300 people. He said that Armenia's "nonpresentation" of the maps showing where the land mines are "is a continuation of Armenia's terror against us."

Armenia has not responded to Aliyev's comments.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in a separate interview published on July 21 that Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot resolve their relations without taking into account the security factor and the rights of the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mirzoyan stressed in an interview with the Austrian daily DerStandard that the main issue for Armenia is the security of people and their fundamental rights.

The humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is difficult and close to a humanitarian catastrophe, he said.

"We need immediate humanitarian intervention to save 120,000 people from starvation. Then we will be able to continue negotiations with everyone who is interested in establishing a lasting peace in the region," Mirzoyan said.

"It's important to avoid another dangerous cycle of hostility, he said. Enough blood has already been shed in the South Caucasus. Mutual recognition of territorial integrity will be of key importance."

As for the issue of security and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, he said Armenia believes that the best mechanism would be a dialogue with international participation.
The death toll of civilians killed by Russian shelling in the Donetsk region city of Lyman on July 8 has been raised to nine, Ukrainian officials said on July 9.

Twelve people were injured in the attack, which came as fighting continued in eastern and southern areas of the country and a Western think tank reported that Russia had failed to achieve any of the goals of its massive invasion after 500 days of fighting.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War on July 8 issued an assessment that said "determined and skillful Ukrainian resistance" had prevented Moscow from achieving any of the goals of its original February 2022 invasion.

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.

It noted that Kyiv had launched a counteroffensive "along most of the front line," adding that Russian forces were now "focused almost entirely on trying to hold on to the Ukrainian lands they still occupy."

July 8 marked the 500th day since Moscow's invasion, which came eight years after Russia occupied the Ukrainian region of Crimea and fomented separatist wars in eastern parts of the country.

In its daily briefing on July 9, the Ukrainian General Staff reported more than 30 combat clashes over the previous 24 hours, with intense fighting continuing around the Donetsk region cities of Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka.

The General Staff said that in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson "the enemy is concentrating its main efforts on preventing the further advance of our troops."

Russian forces also reportedly shelled targets, including a shipyard, in the southern city of Kherson during the night of July 8-9. The region's military administration said hundreds of mortar shells and other munitions had struck the city over the past 24 hours.

The Russian Defense Ministry also reported fighting in the western part of the Donetsk region, saying that numerous Ukrainian attacks "were repelled."

Kremlin-installed Governor Sergei Aksyonov said Russian air-defense systems shot down four missiles on July 9, including one over the city of Kerch on the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014 but is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.

The governors of Russia's Rostov and Bryansk regions also said Ukrainian missiles were shot down over their areas, causing slight damage but no casualties.

RFE/RL is not able to independently verify combat reports in areas of heavy fighting.

Kyiv generally does not comment on reported attacks inside Russia.

Speaking to the German dpa news agency on July 9, Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksiy Makeyev said his government expected "a clear and unequivocal invitation and direction to join NATO" when the alliance holds it summit in Vilnius this week.

"The only way to put an end to Russian aggression against Europe is to send a strong signal from the 2023 NATO summit, which has every opportunity of going down in the history of cohesion," he said.

"Our membership does not mean escalation," he added, "but the path to peace."

However, in an interview on July 9, U.S. President Joe Biden told CNN that Ukraine would not be extended membership until the war with Russia was over.

"For example, if you did that, then, you know -- and I mean what I say -- we're determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory. It's a commitment that we've all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we're all in war. We're at war with Russia, if that were the case."

With reporting by dpa and Reuters
YASHKINO, Russia -- When 26-year-old Yevgeny Sayapin returned in January after two months fighting in Ukraine, he was broken, damaged physically and psychologically. He hadn't told his wife he was going, and she announced she was divorcing him as he recuperated in a local clinic.

Eleven days after returning home to this small Siberian town, his lifeless body was found, shot and dumped on the side of the road. He had gotten into a fight with a man who had begun a relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife, according to Sayapin's sister Yelena. The man allegedly shot him and is now under investigation for his murder.

"Did he need the money? Heck, we all need it. He worked and helped me when our house burned down. He provided for his children, mine too. But he didn't obsess about it, as they say. Here today, gone tomorrow," Yelena said. "He didn't go there because of the money; that's for sure. He wanted to help the Motherland. He was just that kind of guy."

As the Kremlin's war on Ukraine hit its 500th day on July 8, the fallout from the conflict has seeped deeper into Russian society, slowly changing the fabric of life across the sprawling country. That goes double in small, isolated towns like Yashkino, which benefits from a single employer -- a confectionary factory -- but still struggles with poverty, alcoholism, a lack of opportunities, and petty grievances of small-town life.

Western officials say Russia has suffered up to 200,000 dead and wounded since launching its invasion in February 2022.

In Yashkino, a town of around 13,000 people located about a 90-minute drive northwest of the coal mining city of Kemerovo, 19 men have been officially recorded as killed in action in Ukraine.

'I Pray To God That...My Son Isn't Taken Away'

Yashkino hasn't yet figured out how it wants to memorialize its war dead. A memorial plaque to two of those killed in Ukraine hangs not on the outside of Elementary School No. 4, but inside.

That's both confusing and frightening to one woman who asked to be called only by her first name, Olga. Standing outside the school, she said her son was an eighth-grade student.

"It's all scary, of course. I pray to God that the war ends quickly and my son isn't taken away," she said. "He's 14 so far, but if it drags on, they will take him."

Outside the town's main cultural and social institution, the Central House of Culture, and in many places around town, there are ample signs of sanctioned messaging exhorting people to support the war -- officially known as a "special military operation."

In front of the House of Culture on one recent summer weekday, mothers strolled with baby carriages while a handful of children drove amusement-park electric cars. On a stage set up in front of the building, a 12-year-old boy walked around the stage and sang: "Glory to the freedom of our Fatherland! To the ageless union of our fraternal brothers! To the folk wisdom granted by our forebears!"

Not long after the launch of the invasion, local authorities delivered a decommissioned T-55 tank to a central location called the Square of Heroes. Officials regularly organize patriotic rallies and public demonstrations there, including schoolchildren competing to show off how quickly they can assemble a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Yelena Sayapina said her brother Yevgeny had initially volunteered to fight in Ukraine, but recruiters turned him away because he was father to two small children and because of his lack of previous military experience.

So he signed up with the Wagner Group private mercenary company in November 2022 -- without telling his wife.

"He was told at the military registration and enlistment office: 'There's nothing for you to do there'," his sister said. "But he decided that he would go anyway, because his 'boys' were already there. "

Still, she said, he advised other friends and acquaintances against signing up to fight: "He told them: 'Brother, you sit this out for now, and then you can decide later, maybe you'll go.'"

After he returned home on January 13, Yelena said, he suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome, shrapnel wounds in his legs, and a broken arm. While he was recovering in the hospital, his wife announced she was divorcing him.

"He said that four of 12 men in his unit survived," Yelena said. "At first, the sniper worked them over; he was hit in the helmet. Then artillery started, they were covered in a wall of fire," she said.

Sayapin's ex-wife refused to comment to RFE/RL, saying that "personal lives don't need to be put on public display."

'We Don't Have Much Work In The Village'

Not everyone in Yashkino supports the war, however,

Last fall, a 31-year-old woman was fined 50,000 rubles ($550) after being found guilty of a misdemeanor for trying to organize an anti-war protest. She ended up on a social-media black list called the "Wall of Shame." The woman did not respond to messages from RFE/RL seeking comment.

The war and its dead hang over the town, like they do for countless towns and cities across Russia. But the needs of daily life also weigh on residents.

"People think that if we live in a village, then we don't need money. But our prices are the same as in the city," said Svetlana Kazantseva, who was near the Central House of Culture with her children. She said most homes in the town don't have potable water; people have to buy bottled water or fill up at a spring on the town outskirts.

Although 19 men have been officially registered as killed in action in Ukraine, it's unclear how many men in all have been sent to fight, either as mobilized troops or as in Sayapin's case, as volunteers with the Wagner Group.

Still, most go to war in Ukraine precisely because of the lack of work and job prospects, many residents said.

"My husband was taken during mobilization, but he didn't jump at the chance (to fight)," another woman who asked to remain anonymous said. "First, it's pointless, and second, he's making money there at the very least. We don't have much work in the village, you have to understand."

Another woman, who gave her name as Yelena Aliyeva, said her son had returned from Ukraine after completing his contract. She said that instead of the 200,000-ruble ($2,200) wage he was promised, he only got a fraction of that amount.

"The contract ended, but they said they might pull him back into service. He doesn't want to go back," Aliyeva said.

"As far as we know, even now it's a complete mess: there are delays (in getting paid). Sometimes they're underpaid," she said.

If you can get job at the confectionary factory, the pay is good, she said, but you have to put in 12-hour days

"Elsewhere in town, they generally pay just pennies. So people go to war," she said, shrugging. "What are you going to do about it?"
When Shavkat Mirziyoev became Uzbekistan's president in late 2016, he promised that the "old ways" of governing the country were over, and that he would lift restrictions on the media. He even encouraged journalists to report on issues that needed correcting in society and in governance. The Uzbek Forum for Human Rights recently released a report, The President's Broken Promises Put Journalists and Bloggers At Risk, that looks at some of the cases of journalists and bloggers who ran afoul of the authorities for their reporting in the "new" Uzbekistan. Joining host Bruce Pannier are Umida Niyazova, director at the Germany-based Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, and Matthew Schaaf, the advocacy director at the Washington-based organization Freedom Now.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, 08 July 2023.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appealed to China on Saturday for cooperation on climate change and other global challenges and not to let disagreements about trade and other irritants derail relations.

In a meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, Yellen defended U.S. restrictions on technology exports that rankle Beijing. She said the two governments shouldnt let such disagreements disrupt thriving economic and financial relations.

We also face important global challenges, such as debt distress in emerging markets and developing countries and climate change, Yellen said. We have a duty to both our own economies and to other countries to cooperate.

Yellen is one of a series of U.S. officials who are due to visit Beijing as part of efforts to revive relations that are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes over technology, security, and Taiwan among other issues.

Yellen has received a warm welcome from leaders including Premier Li Qiang, the No. 2 figure in the ruling Communist Party, though they gave no sign they will change policies that irk Washington and other governments.

Treasury officials said the goal of the trip was to encourage communication and no agreements on big disputes were expected. They said Yellen wasnt scheduled to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Beijing broke off climate discussions with Washington last August in retaliation for a visit by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the House of Representatives to Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by China as part of its territory.

President Joe Bidens climate envoy, John Kerry, is due to become the next senior U.S. official to visit China next week.

China and the United States are the worlds top emitters of climate-changing carbon.

He, who is Xis top economic adviser and the chief Chinese envoy to the United States on trade and financial issues, said the two governments should return to an agreement reached last November by Biden and Xi to improve relations.

The two countries should act with a sense of responsibility for history, for the people and for the world, the vice premier said.

He added that the United States should adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude and work with China to stay committed to the common understandings by Xi and Biden.

China, which has lent billions of dollars to governments in Asia and Africa under Xis Belt and Road Initiative to build ports and other infrastructure, signed on an agreement last month to reduce the debts of Zambia in southern Africa. Treasury officials earlier pointed to that as an area where cooperation produced results.

Also Saturday, Yellen met with the incoming governor of Chinas central bank, Pan Gongsheng, and people who work in Chinas climate-related finance industry.

Meeting with He, Yellen repeated her appeal for healthy economic cooperation, a reference to complaints that Beijing violates its free-trade commitments by subsidizing and shielding its companies from competition.

Yellen defended U.S. curbs on technology exports, repeating a theme she touched on in a meeting Friday with Li, the premier.

U.S. limits on Chinese access to processor chips and other technology threaten to delay or derail the ruling partys efforts to develop telecoms, artificial intelligence and other fields. Xi accused Washington in March of trying to hamper Chinas development.

Beijing has been slow to retaliate, possibly to avoid disrupting its own industries. But this week, the government announced unspecified controls on exports of gallium and germanium, metals used in making semiconductors and solar panels.

The United States will take targeted actions to protect our national security, Yellen said. While we may disagree on these actions, we should not allow that disagreement to lead to misunderstandings, particularly those stemming from a lack of communication, which can unnecessarily worsen our bilateral economic and financial relationship.

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Shavkat Mirziyoev was overwhelmingly reelected on July 9 for a third term as president of the repressive Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan in a snap poll that an international monitoring mission said was "lacking genuine competition."

Uzbekistan's Central Election Commission said on July 10 that Mirziyoev was reelected with 87 percent of the vote. The turnout was almost 80 percent of Uzbekistan's 19.6 million registered voters.

Throughout the campaign, the three token opponents formally running against Mirziyoev had been largely silent.

Earlier this year, Mirziyoev oversaw a constitutional referendum that increased the presidential term from five years to seven and cleared the way for him to serve two more terms. He could remain in power until 2037.

"The July 9 early presidential election was technically well-prepared but took place in a political environment lacking genuine competition," the monitoring mission from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the election monitoring arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said in its preliminary report on July 10.

"Substantial changes are needed to provide a sound legal basis for the conduct of democratic elections," the ODIHR said.

Mirziyoev, who is 65, became president in 2016, following the death of longtime autocratic leader Islam Karimov. He served as Karimovs prime minister for 13 years before moving on to the presidency.

Mirziyoev won plaudits early in his presidency, ushering in some reforms and sparking optimism for potential change. But he has since lapsed back into what many analysts say is a more familiar and repressive administration reminiscent of Karimov's.

Mirziyoev is credited with eradicating forced labor in the cotton fields, opening the country to tourism and investment, and allowing limited media freedoms.

But critics have pointed, among other things, to a crackdown on minority unrest in the nominally autonomous region of Karakalpakstan in July 2022 as part of steps that have undermined the strongman's claim to national unity and reform.

Some 20 million people were eligible to vote in the landlocked country of 35 million people that is rich in natural gas and strategically placed in a volatile region, bordering Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Mirziyoev's official opponents -- a former education minister, a former high-ranking forestry official, and a career judge fresh from a term in the slavishly loyal Senate -- had remained mostly silent since the campaign kicked off in May.

One potential legitimate opponent, however, was thwarted in his attempts to take part in the election. Xidirnazar Allaqulov, a former university rector turned regime opponent, said his bid to establish a political party had repeatedly and sometimes violently been disrupted by authorities.

"For 32 years of independence, there has been no competition in our political arena," Allaqulov, 67, told RFE/RL in a phone interview. "They don't want it. They don't want justice. They don't want the rule of law."

With reporting by AFP
Mineral water from Carlsbad wells that made the region famous in the late 1800s is experiencing a new surge of popularity, flooding onto store shelves throughout the state.

The historic wells, drilled in 1882, launched two luxury hotels and a nationwide bottled-water business that thrived for decades. But the wells were shut down and largely forgotten during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The business re-emerged with a trickle in the 1990s and, for the past two years, the Carlsbad Alkaline Water Co. has seen a tsunami of new customers, fueled in part by the popularity of specialty waters nationwide.

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We are so busy we cant serve everybody, said owner Ludvik Grigoras. We are turning people down.

He and his wife, Veronica, bought the small lot at the corner of Carlsbad Boulevard and Christiansen Avenue in 1993. At time the three-story building, a local landmark known as Alt Karlsbad, contained real estate offices and a gift shop.

It took us three years to restore it, Grigoras said.

We worked from sun-up to 2 or 3 in the morning, Veronica Grigoras said.

Once the pair re-drilled the wells and remodeled the building, they opened a day spa that still offers facials, massages, mineral baths and other treatments using the water, and a popular delivery service lugging 5-gallon bottles of the water to a few area businesses and restaurants. And for years now people have lined up along Christiansen Avenue outside the building to fill their jugs from the self-service water dispensers.

But the business added a new dimension last year when the Grigorases began selling 1-liter bottles of their Carlsbad Alkaline Water in Costco stores across San Diego County.

Initially the bottled water was sold in 20 Costcos and a few other stores, Grigoras said. However, the water sold so fast they had to reduce the distribution to 14 stores and put the rest on a waiting list as the company ramps up production.

Theres plenty of water, he said, but its difficult to package enough of it to meet the increasing demand. He plans to start shipping to several Costcos in Orange County later this month, and to more than 50 in Northern California next year.

Were struggling to get enough corrugated paper to make all the boxes, Grigoras said.

The center of operations is the Alt Karlsbad building, a replica of a 650-year-old structure in Germany, that sits along Carlsbad Boulevard, the citys stretch of historic Highway 101. The three-story building was constructed in 1964 by former property owners Kay and Chris Christiansen, who used it as a real estate office and gift shop.The site now includes four tall, stainless-steel storage tanks and a 13-foot-tall statue of the propertys original owner John Frazier.

When Frazier dug the wells, the town had about 300 residents. The water he tapped quickly acquired a reputation for therapeutic health benefits and, in the late 1880s he and other investors built a four-story Victorian hotel on the site that attracted guests from across the country.

There are still three wells of varying depths on the property, but the alkaline water is drawn from a single well, 510 feet deep, thats fed by an artesian spring that flows from an aquifer 1,700 feet deep, Grigoras said.

The water emerges from the ground at a temperature of 80 degrees and several analyses show its 9,500 years old and originates in the Cleveland National Forest, he said. Its tested daily by employees and weekly by an inspector from the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Scientific opinions are mixed on its health benefits. Proponents say it can neutralize acid in the bloodstream, boost metabolism and help the body absorb nutrients, however the Mayo Clinic and other health organizations say further study is needed to verify those claims.

For many customers, its about the taste, which is often described as cleaner and fresher than bottled or tap water.

I dont drink anything else, said Genie Ireland of Carlsbad. Shes been buying the alkaline water since she was pregnant three years ago and a friend recommended it.

Brent Borgquist of Laguna Nigel said he drove to Carlsbad to buy the water for his wife, whos expecting their third child and swears by it.

She says it helps her with her nausea, and shes never felt better, Borgquist said.

Grigoras said people come from all over Southern California to buy the water, and he knows of some who come from Arizona and Nevada to fill their 5-gallon bottles.

Hed considered selling 1-liter bottles in stores before, but there just wasnt room to produce them in the tight quarters of their basement, he said. They did fill a few small bottles for places such as the Golden Door spa in Escondido and the Chopra Center in La Costa.

We would fill it by hand, label it by hand, he said. It was like Mrs. Fields cookies. We could only do a few cases a day.

However, Costco helped him develop a plan to pump the water into a food-grade tanker in Carlsbad and truck it to a bottling facility in Ramona  the Famous Ramona Water Co.  that bottles several brands of water under contract. Costco also helped with other details of production, right down to the design of the label.

Grigoras is uniquely qualified to run the water business.

A former instrumentation engineer, he was living in Orange County in the 1990s when he became acquainted with the Christiansens. They had been trying to restore the Carlsbad wells for years without success when they sold the property to Grigoras.

Grigoras was born in Carlsbads sister city of Karlovy Vary, in the Czech Republic. The name Karlovy Vary is Carlsbad in the Czech language, and the town has been known for centuries for its therapeutic warm-water springs. Soon after Frazier drilled his wells in California, he had the water tested and it proved similar to water from the famous well of Karlovy Vary, which in the late 1800s was known as Karlsbad, in what was then the country of Bohemia.

Fraziers initial mineral water boom was short-lived. An economic downturn hit San Diego County hard in the 1890s and a fire, suspected to be arson, destroyed his Carlsbad Hotel in 1895.

The spa theme lived on though, and eventually spawned the Carlsbad Mineral Springs Hotel, which opened in 1929 nearby on Carlsbad Boulevard. Today the structure, rebuilt in the 1990s, is the Carlsbad-by-the-Sea retirement home.

With the renewal of the mineral waters popularity, Grigoras said, there are plans for a new multi-story resort and spa called The Source to be built on the vacant property just east of his 7,000 square foot lot. The couple has turned the basement of their three-story building into a water production facility, the first floor into the day spa, and the second and third floors into a home where they live part time.

Twitter: @phildiehl
KYODO NEWS - Jul 9, 2023 - 15:32 | World, All, Japan

North Korea criticized Sunday the International Atomic Energy Agency for assuring the safety of Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, reiterating its opposition to the discharge plan, according to state-run media.

The envisioned water release will have a "fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment," a senior official of the country's Land and Environment Protection Ministry was quoted as saying in a statement by the official Korean Central News Agency.

Last Tuesday, the IAEA submitted to Japan its safety review of the planned water release, saying it is "consistent" with international safety standards and will have "a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment" if implemented.

"What matters is the unreasonable behavior of (the) IAEA actively patronizing and facilitating Japan's projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable," the statement said.

The IAEA is "not a body for evaluating (the) environment," the senior official said, pointing out that there is no provision or clause in international law specifying the nuclear watchdog is entitled to allow a country or region to discharge "nuclear-polluted" water.

Pyongyang also lambasted IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi's "typical expression of extreme double standards," saying he has denounced the North's "exercise of its legitimate right" to pursue nuclear programs while ignoring the "illegal and unethical act of Japan to imperil the lives and security of humankind."

The statement also touched on South Korean media reports alleging Japan offered 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to an IAEA staff member involved in the inspection of the planned Fukushima water discharge to allow Tokyo an opportunity to modify the final report.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry denied the media reports in late June, saying it is "absolutely untrue that Japan made a political donation to the IAEA, that the conclusions of the IAEA review report were fixed from the beginning."

Tokyo "strongly opposes the irresponsible dissemination of such false information," the ministry said in a statement on June 22.

Related coverage:

IAEA assures safety of water release from Fukushima disaster site
KYODO NEWS - Jul 9, 2023 - 13:50 | Sports, All

New ozeki Kirishima has pulled out of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament starting Sunday, reporting to the Japan Sumo Association he requires three weeks to recover from bruising to the ribs on his right side.

The 27-year-old was forced to withdraw after missing training for two consecutive days through Saturday ahead of the 15-day meet at Dolphins Arena.

Kirishima hurt his right elbow on Tuesday and his stablemaster Michinoku said the wrestler also complained of back pain on Friday night.

The Mongolian-born wrestler sealed his promotion to the second-highest rank after recording an 11-4 record during the Summer meet in May. He tallied one more than the benchmark 33 wins over three straight meets wrestling as sekiwake or komusubi.

If Kirishima manages to recover in time to compete in the latter stages of the Nagoya meet, he will need to secure at least eight wins to avoid wrestling as a demotion-threatened "kadoban" ozeki at the Autumn meet in September in Tokyo. There, he will need a winning record to retain his ozeki status.

Michinoku said he recommended Kirishima pull out on Sunday morning but indicated his wrestler could still appear on the raised ring midway through the tournament.

"If possible, he wants to wrestle with the next meet in mind," Michinoku said. "I think he will be okay if the inflammation subsides."

Kirishima, who wrestled under the ring name Kiribayama before his promotion, joins the other ozeki Takakeisho on the sidelines at the Nagoya meet.

His opponent on the first day, No. 1 maegashira Nishikigi, will win by default.
Divorce and child custody laws in Saudi Arabia are primarily governed by Islamic law, which is derived from the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. It's important to note that Saudi Arabia follows a legal system based on Islamic Sharia law, and the interpretation and application of these laws can vary.

Divorce in Saudi Arabia:

Judicial Divorce: Divorce in Saudi Arabia is typically initiated through the court system. A husband can initiate divorce by pronouncing a verbal or written declaration of divorce (known as "talaq") in the presence of his wife or by registering it with the court. A wife can also seek divorce through judicial channels under specific circumstances such as harm, abuse, or the husband's failure to provide for her. Mediation: Before granting a divorce, the court may attempt to reconcile the couple through mediation and arbitration, encouraging them to resolve their issues and reconcile their marriage. Custody of Children: In the event of divorce, custody of children is typically granted to the mother until the age of 7 for boys and 9 for girls. After this age, custody may be transferred to the father. However, the court has the discretion to make decisions based on the best interests of the child, considering factors such as the mother's fitness, financial capabilities, and the child's welfare. Child Support: The father is usually responsible for providing financial support for the children, including their education, healthcare, and general well-being. The amount of child support is determined by the court based on the father's income and ability to pay.

Read More: All You Want To Know About Expat Life In Saudi Arabia

It's worth noting that Saudi Arabia has been taking steps to modernize its legal system, including reforms aimed at enhancing women's rights. These reforms have led to changes in certain areas, such as allowing women to drive and increasing their access to employment and education opportunities. However, the application and interpretation of family laws may still vary, as they are influenced by cultural and societal norms alongside Islamic principles.

It is always advisable to consult with a legal professional or research the most up-to-date sources for accurate and specific information regarding divorce and child custody laws in Saudi Arabia.

Can women ask for a divorce in Saudi Arabia?

Yes, women in Saudi Arabia have the right to ask for a divorce. They can initiate divorce proceedings through the court system under certain conditions. These conditions include:

Harm: If a woman can provide evidence of harm or abuse by her husband, she may be granted a divorce by the court. This can include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Failure to Provide: If a husband fails to fulfill his financial responsibilities or provide for his wife's basic needs, she may seek divorce. Abandonment: If a husband abandons his wife for an extended period without any valid reason or fails to maintain regular marital relations, a woman may seek divorce. Incompatibility: In cases where a couple is incompatible and unable to resolve their differences, a woman can request a divorce.

However, it's important to note that divorce laws in Saudi Arabia can be complex, and the interpretation and application of these laws can vary depending on individual circumstances and the discretion of the court. Consulting with a legal professional or seeking advice from relevant authorities in Saudi Arabia is advisable for accurate and specific information based on your situation.

Child Custody and Alimony in Saudi Arabia

Child custody and alimony in Saudi Arabia are typically determined by the court based on Islamic law and the best interests of the child. Here are some key points regarding child custody and alimony in Saudi Arabia:

Child Custody:

Custody Determination: In cases of divorce or separation, custody of children is generally granted to the mother until the age of 7 for boys and 9 for girls. After this age, custody may be transferred to the father. However, the court has the discretion to make decisions based on the best interests of the child, considering factors such as the mother's fitness, financial capabilities, and the child's welfare. Custody Disputes: If there is a dispute over child custody, the court may appoint a judge or a committee to assess the situation and make a decision in the child's best interests. Visitation Rights: The noncustodial parent, typically the father, is usually granted visitation rights to spend time with the child. The specifics of visitation arrangements can vary and are determined by the court.

Alimony (Financial Support):

Child Support: In Saudi Arabia, the father is generally responsible for providing financial support for the children, including their education, healthcare, and general well-being. The amount of child support is determined by the court based on the father's income and ability to pay. The court takes into account the financial needs of the child and the lifestyle the child would have had if the parents were still together. Spousal Support: In cases where a wife is unable to support herself financially, the court may order the husband to provide spousal support (alimony) during and after divorce proceedings. The amount and duration of spousal support are determined by the court based on factors such as the wife's financial needs, the husband's income, and the duration of the marriage.

It's important to note that Saudi Arabia follows a legal system based on Islamic Sharia law, and the interpretation and application of these laws can vary. It's advisable to consult with a legal professional or research the most up-to-date sources for accurate and specific information regarding child custody and alimony laws in Saudi Arabia.

Are divorce laws for non-muslims different in Saudi Arabia?

In Saudi Arabia, divorce laws for non-Muslims can be different from those that apply to Muslims. The legal system in Saudi Arabia is primarily based on Islamic law (Sharia), which governs personal status matters for Muslims. Non-Muslims, including individuals of different religions or those who do not adhere to any religion, may be subject to different legal frameworks depending on their specific circumstances and the provisions in place.

Non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia often have their personal status matters, including divorce, governed by the laws of their home country or the laws of their own religious community if applicable. The specific procedures and requirements for divorce for non-Muslims may vary depending on their nationality, religion, and the agreements or treaties in place between their home country and Saudi Arabia.

For more detailed information, contact us at Law & Order KSA.
To get married in Saudi Arabia as an expat or tourist, you need to follow certain procedures and meet specific requirements. Here is a general overview of the process:

Legal Requirements:

a. Age: Both parties must be at least 18 years old. b. Marital Status: If either party has been previously married, appropriate divorce or death certificates must be provided. c. Guardianship: Female expats or tourists require a male guardian (Mahram) who is responsible for their well-being and gives permission for marriage. d. Legal Status: Make sure you have a valid residence permit (Iqama) or a visa allowing marriage in Saudi Arabia.

Pre-marital Counseling:

Before getting married, it is mandatory for both parties to attend pre-marital counseling sessions conducted by the Marriage and Family Consultation Centers.

Gather Required Documents:

Prepare the following documents for the marriage process:

a. Valid passports and copies for both parties.

b. Valid residence permits (Iqama) or appropriate visas.

c. Birth certificates for both parties.

d. Pre-marital blood tests and medical certificates.

e. Written permission from the female's guardian (Mahram) if applicable.

f. Divorce or death certificates if either party was previously married.

Read More: Saudi to Grant Children of Saudi Women Citizenship

Visit the Ministry of Justice:

Visit the Ministry of Justice in Saudi Arabia to start the marriage registration process. Bring all the required documents mentioned above and submit them to the marriage officer. You may need a translator if you are not fluent in Arabic.

Contract and Witnesses:

The marriage officer will prepare the marriage contract (Katb Al-Kitab) in Arabic. Two male Muslim witnesses (one for the bride and one for the groom) who are not family members need to be present during the contract signing.

Marriage Certificate:

After the contract is signed, you will receive a marriage certificate from the marriage officer. This certificate is required for various legal purposes.

Civil Affairs Office:

Take the marriage certificate to the Civil Affairs Office to have it legalized and officially recognized. The Civil Affairs Office will provide you with the necessary documents and copies.

Note: It's important to consult with the authorities, such as the Ministry of Justice or a local embassy, for the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding marriage procedures in Saudi Arabia, as requirements and processes may vary.

Remember that cultural and religious norms play a significant role in Saudi Arabia. It's essential to be respectful of local customs and traditions throughout the entire process.

For more detailed information, contact us at Law & Order KSA.
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to host its first official fashion week from October 20th until October 23rd, according to Arab News.

Read More: Top Saudi Fashion Designers to Follow

The event will be held at Paris's Hotel dEvreux in Riyadh.

Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Saudi Fashion Commission, said: "Saudi fashion brands have already participated in Paris and Milan fashion weeks to showcase their talent on the global stage, impressing fashion professionals and enthusiasts around the world. For the first time ever, we now invite the fashion community to our home during this historic event."

Paris Fashion Week welcomed its first Saudi designer, Mohammed Ashi, into the fold on Thursday, July 6th, with a haute couture show full of daring looks.

Ashi Studio has been a big name in fashion for years, dressing Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Deepika Padukone, and more, but it was the first time the designer was included in the official Paris Fashion Week line-up.

During the Paris event, the first-ever "State of Fashion in the Kingdom" report was also unveiled in the form of a book woven into a dress by Saudi brand Atelier Hekayat.

Image source: @fashionmoc Instagram account.
Associate Judge David Kliment on the bench for hearings in his felony courtroom on June 8 at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles. We realize its our responsibility to push these things along, and we all started doing it, and the cases started getting resolved, Kliment said. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

When a defendant appearing in court has been jailed for a lengthy period, a color-coded spreadsheet alerts the judge that the case has been dragging.

Instead of hearings that last only a minute or two  just long enough to set a date for the next hearing  judges often explore whether a delay is necessary and set firm deadlines for attorneys.

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Outside of court, the major players in the court system talk regularly about ways to ensure cases dont stall, aiming to avoid delays that can be agonizing for victims, witnesses and defendants alike.

This is the scenario in the Kane County criminal courts, 40 miles west of Cook County and miles ahead of its larger counterpart in addressing problems that can slow the pace of justice to a near-standstill.

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Every day that passes, theres a stress that goes along with having an open case for the victims, for the witnesses, for the defendant, said Kane Countys chief judge, Clint Hull, in explaining his courts push to tackle delays. In the end, trying to get the case resolved is something that helps everybody.

In just two short years, Kane County has reduced by half the backlog of people languishing in jail for more than a year. Only one defendant has been detained for more than three years without trial. Meanwhile, in Cook, delays have only worsened, as the Tribune recently reported in the investigation Stalled Justice. Some cases are now taking a decade or more to resolve.

The type of effort shown in Kane County is generally what experts have long recommended on a far larger scale in Cook. The Tribunes investigation, published in April, found Cook Countys criminal courts were taking longer than ever to complete murder cases  more than four years in most instances. Thats longer than it takes in New York, Los Angeles or any other big city with available data.

Cook Countys chief judge, Timothy Evans, has downplayed the Tribunes findings and failed to make it a priority to limit unnecessary delays. Instead, Evans has given county judges wide latitude even as they let cases fester for longer than a presidential term. Thats consistent with decades of inaction on the part of county leaders, who have ignored numerous recommendations to fix the maddening courthouse roadblocks that can delay cases at every phase.

To be sure, Kane County has a tenth of the population of Cook, but Kane contains much of Illinois second largest city, Aurora, and sees its share of violent crimes, including murders, rapes and robberies.

Hull acknowledged that Cooks courthouse players have far more complex bureaucracies to navigate, but said he knows the county is also stocked with quality prosecutors and judges.

Theyre hardworking. Theyre passionate. They care, Hull said. Everything were doing here can be replicated. Its just a matter of trying to figure out how to do it.

Going after delays

Hull, whos served as chief judge in Kane since late 2019, began the push to study and limit delays when he had some down time in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, records and interviews show. He was later joined by the countys five felony trial judges, as well as the sheriff, public defender and states attorney.

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All agreed that case delays were a serious problem worth tackling, particularly during a pandemic in which shutdowns were exacerbating the problem.

We all saw an end goal in mind, and we wanted to get to that end goal, said Kane County States Attorney Jamie Mosser.

The Kane County officials focused on cases in which defendants had been jailed more than a year without trial, first strategizing what to do and then launching the effort in May 2021.

Kane County Chief Judge Clint Hull began the push to study and limit delays in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sheriff, public defender and states attorney also joined the effort. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Key to the effort was something Kane County judges simply call the list. Its a weekly spreadsheet, with special tabs, that lists details of every pending case involving a defendant jailed at least a year. Hulls assistant puts it together with help from the sheriffs office, and its sent to each of the five felony trial judges.

In a sit-down interview, the five judges credited Hulls spreadsheets with helping them prioritize cases that may have slowed to a crawl without anyone noticing.

After all, the judges each juggle roughly 500 cases, a dozen or two of which might come before them on a typical day. Usually thats for short status hearings, held every month or two, when attorneys can update the judge on what theyve done to get the case ready for trial and what they need more time to accomplish.

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Before the tracking system, it was easy for cases to drag as judges OKd multiple seemingly innocuous requests for delays.

When (the) list came out, I was kind of surprised at some of the numbers, how long people were in, said Associate Judge David Kliment, a former public defender. We realize its our responsibility to push these things along, and we all started doing it, and the cases started getting resolved.

Judges said no magic, massive change was needed to limit delays and push cases to resolution. Each judge, in their own way, pushed more aggressively for attorneys to complete the basic phases of court cases, from sharing evidence to filing pretrial motions.

A color-coded system alerts Associate Judge David Kliment and other Kane County judges when a defendant has been jailed for a lengthy amount of time without trial. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

At each mornings call of court cases, when attorneys didnt meet deadlines, the judges pressed for explanations and worked up specific goals to be met by future hearing dates. Courthouse players said judges still approve delays that are unavoidable, but otherwise attorneys are expected to meet deadlines.

You have to push the call, said Circuit Judge John Barsanti, a former states attorney. If you rely on lawyers to push it, they never push it.

In Cook County, in comparison, Tribune reporters who observed hearings rarely saw judges question attorneys who sought delays. Judges simply asked when attorneys wanted to come back for another hearing, then scribbled the new date on the standard courthouse case log with the initials B/A to signify the delay was by agreement of both attorneys.

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Though state law technically requires attorneys to write up special motions when seeking most delays, Chicago-area judges rarely demand them, saying its impractical. Thats true in Kane County too. But judges there say they often ask attorneys to better describe the holdup and state for the record whats going to be done about it.

I dont just let a case get continued for status, said Associate Judge Alice Tracy. When I see that in an order, I sort of have a little prickle go up my back. I want to know exactly why its continued, whats the problem.

The county also has installed a faster evidence-sharing computer system to speed up the first phase of a case and has released more defendants on electronic monitoring, which reduces the number of people held behind bars. (Cook County prosecutors also recently announced a plan to try to speed up the sharing of evidence.)

Judges and attorneys acknowledge that the aggressive push to limit delays could make courtrooms more tense at times. But judges say they try to limit any courtroom drama by engaging with attorneys without belittling them.

You dont have to be unpleasant about it, said Circuit Judge Elizabeth Flood. You dont have to tear into someone for not doing their job or saying that theyre being lazy or anything like that.

And the Kane County courthouse players say all parties are committed to limiting unnecessary delays without rushing attorneys in ways that might jeopardize defendants right to a fair trial.

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We are working hard, both sides, to get finality to these cases, said the countys public defender, Rachele Conant.

Five felony trial judges hear cases at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Backlog cut in half

The results of that work can be seen in the courts weekly lists, which Hull shared with the Tribune.

Nationally, some legal advocates want courts to aim for an ambitious goal, that all felony cases are completed within a year. Recently enacted state standards set the bar lower: 98% of felonies completed in 2  years.

When the efforts in Kane began, 10 people had been held without trial for longer than three years, county data show. By late June, only one remained in that category.

Another six defendants have been held at least two years without a trial  down from 26 in May 2021, a 77% drop. The number of additional people held at least a year without a trial fell 55% since 2021, from 71 to 32.

Meanwhile, in Cook County, jail data shows that as of June 28, it was holding 599 people whose cases had been pending for at least three years, with an additional 463 jailed more than two years and another 845 jailed at least a year. Those numbers havent changed much since 2021.

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Another way to compare: Cook County has roughly 10 times the felony case filings of Kane County but nearly 50 times the number of defendants jailed at least a year with a pending case.

Cook County doesnt compare poorly just to smaller Kane County. New York City has a greater volume of felony cases than Cook, but its courts are jailing roughly 600 fewer people with cases pending at least a year.

Evans office declined to directly answer questions about Kane Countys efforts. It instead pointed to a commentary by Evans that the Tribune published June 16, in which he defended the system hes overseen for two decades.

In that commentary, he said his courts are improving while cautioning that cases are complex, Cook County has a notorious record of wrongful convictions and judges must be careful not to rush justice.

If cases are forced to trial prematurely, injustice may result for the defendant or victim and additional time and taxpayer money may be needed for an appeal or a new trial, Evans wrote.

In fairness, Kane County judges acknowledge that their game plan would be harder to implement in a bigger county with far more cases and entrenched bureaucracies, such as Chicago police dragging their feet on providing evidence and ensuring officers dont skip court hearings.

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At the same time, national research has found that both big and small systems can be efficient, given proper case management. New York City saw success after it pushed to cut delays a decade ago. Cook County made a brief effort nearly two decades ago that was credited for a roughly 30% drop in backlogged cases.

For bigger counties, an initiative to reduce delays could begin with one wing of a large courthouse or a smaller branch courthouse, Hull said.

The view is pastoral from the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles, but the county contains much of Illinois second largest city, Aurora, and sees its share of violent crimes. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

A three-year wait

One key to Kanes success has been regular data tracking, seen in Hulls weekly list of long-running cases. Cases at least two years old are colored orange on the spreadsheet to draw attention, and there are still a handful on the latest list.

Colored in red is the case of the one defendant whos spent more than three years in jail awaiting trial. Thats Keyshaune Steele, whose wait exemplifies how cases can linger without resolution.

Court records show Steele was arrested in 2019 on a gun charge, released on bond, then arrested in March 2020, accused of shooting a woman during a robbery in Elgin.

Jailed since his 2020 arrest, Steele had more than 80 defendants ahead of him on Kane Countys earliest list in 2021  people who had been arrested before him and were still waiting for trial.

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As each of those other cases got resolved, Steele remained in jail.

A trial date on the illegal gun charge, which prosecutors chose to pursue first, has been pushed back for more than a year as Steele switched attorneys twice. His current attorneys, from the public defenders office, filed pretrial motions seeking to invalidate some of the evidence in the case.

In Cook County, such motions frequently become speed bumps in cases as attorneys ask for time to prepare their arguments and arrange testimony from witnesses, including police officers who sometimes fail to show up to court. The process can drag on for years.

But for Steeles gun case in Kane County, court records show the judge in the case  Kliment  has been issuing increasingly explicit orders with tight timetables.

In May, he scheduled a June hearing to decide the motions and a July trial date. At the June hearing, where a police officer showed up to testify on time, Kliment listened to 90 minutes of testimony and arguments, ruled on the three pending motions and reminded the attorneys, again, that trial was set for July.

And if you have any other motions, you have to have them filed by June 30, Kliment told them.

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Neither side asked for more time. That means Steeles name could be off the list by the end of July.

If that occurs, no one still in Kane County Jail will have been detained for more than three years without a trial.

jmahr@chicagotribune.com
KYODO NEWS - Jul 9, 2023 - 13:24 | World, All

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday she thinks Washington and Beijing have "made some progress" in improving ties through her visit to China but expressed unease with Chinese authorities' recent coercion of American firms.

In a press conference to wrap up her four-day visit to Beijing, Yellen said the world's two largest economies have "significant disagreements" over issues such as export control measures to safeguard national security, but both sides agreed to maintain communication.

"I also expressed my worries about a recent uptick in coercive actions against American firms," she added.

Yellen's comment comes in the wake of several raids conducted on American consulting firms in recent months, possibly related to allegations of espionage and breaches of national security.

During her first China visit as the Treasury chief, Yellen said she had about 10 hours of "substantive and productive" discussions in total with senior Chinese officials, including Premier Li Qiang, Vice Premier He Lifeng and Pan Gongsheng, the new head of the People's Bank of China.

Bilateral tensions have grown recently over tit-for-tat export control measures on items related to semiconductors. Yellen stressed that Washington ensures its measures are "transparent, narrowly scoped, and targeted to clear objectives" and not intended to "gain economic advantage."

Last October, the U.S. administration of President Joe Biden announced sweeping export curbs on certain advanced computing chips and related items in an effort to hobble Beijing's bid to develop technologies for military purposes.

In possible retaliation, China unveiled shortly before Yellen's trip that it will tighten export controls of gallium and germanium -- rare metals crucial for chip production -- from Aug. 1.

Vice Premier He expressed concerns over the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the United States on China in his meeting with Yellen on Saturday, according to the Asian country's official Xinhua News Agency.

Yellen reiterated the United States is not seeking to decouple from China, saying it would be disastrous for both countries, destabilizing for the world and "virtually impossible to undertake."

Noting that Washington pursues "de-risking," or diversifying its supply chains to reduce dependency on China, Yellen said she thinks the Chinese side was assured about the difference between decoupling and de-risking and Washington's wish to continue trade and investment with Beijing in "unproblematic, uncontroversial" areas.

On Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Yellen said she urged Beijing to ensure Chinese firms avoid providing Moscow with material support to evade economic sanctions imposed by Western nations. China, which maintains close ties with Russia, opposes sanctions.

Yellen's sojourn in China follows a trip to Beijing last month by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which the two countries agreed to stabilize their complex relationship. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is also reportedly expected to visit China later this month.

Related coverage:

Yellen calls for communication in talks with China Vice Premier He
Technology

spotlight

Twitter-Meta clash pits the unsavory vs. the uncool

It remains unclear whether Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg will actually face off in a cage fight, but another kind of brawl is taking shape between the two tech titans.

This week, Facebook parent Meta is expected to roll out a new real-time Instagram microblogging site called Threads in a direct challenge to Twitter, the beleaguered social network Musk bought last year.

Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to whatll be trending tomorrow, a preview of the app said on the Apple Store site.

Its the latest attempt by a tech company to move into Twitters turf at a time when theres growing consensus that Musk has transformed the once vibrant social media site into an unstable and unsavory platform.

Under Musk, Twitter has become notorious for allowing hate speech and disinformation and for embracing controversial monetization tactics. Just last week, Musk announced that Twitter was imposing limits on the number of posts users could see.

Meta executives saw the potential gain in taking advantage of the Musk chaos shortly after he took over. Twitter is in crisis and Meta needs its mojo back, a Meta employee wrote in an internal post last year, The New York Times reported. LETS GO FOR THEIR BREAD AND BUTTER.

But while Meta is certainly a giant in social networking, there are serious doubts about Team Zuckerbergs ability to challenge Twitter.

Threads has the potential to be a real threat to Twitter, particularly at this time when people are frustrated with limits on content consumed and other unwanted features, Melody Brue, principal tech analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, told The Examiner. Younger users who use Instagram but not Twitter might try Threads given its connection to Instagram.

But despite Twitters mounting problems under Musk, the social media platform still has a sizable user base, she said.

Regardless of how much people dislike the functionality of Twitter, they love the utility of it  the ability to reach a large audience with quick thoughts that are acceptable if they arent perfectly crafted, Brue said.

Rebecca Wettemann, CEO and principal analyst of Valoir, agreed, saying while Twitter is vulnerable to defections right now because of Musks crazy policies, the social network still rules when it comes to microblogging.

Other recent challengers, such as Mastodon, Post Social and Bluesky  the latter founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey  have yet to post any significant gains against the social network.

Weve been enduring Musks ownership of Twitter for almost a year now, and despite the efforts of Mastodon, Post, and others, Twitter is still by far the dominant platform, Wettemann said. If you build it, they will come only applies in the field of dreams.

And Team Zuckerberg faces a serious problem: Metas isnt exactly the hot tech trailblazer that it once was.

Metas problem is that it is no longer cool, Rob Siegel, a management lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, told The Examiner.

The blue FB app is dying, he said. Even Instagram faces stiff competition from TikTok with the younger generation. People want an alternative to Twitter, but the question is if interesting things and people will go on the Meta product. If a user goes on it and there is no one there of interest, they will stop going.

While Twitter is falling apart under Musk, Siegel said its unclear if a challenger can easily take its place.

If Musk makes more changes that make the platform less useful to the average person, I think it could eventually die, he said. But Im not sure it gets replaced by anything else.

Roger Kay, an analyst with Endpoint Technologies Associates, said there is clearly an opening for a well-curated real-time messaging platform that doesnt let crazy people take over channels.

But building a new microblogging site that can scale is tough, he said. And while Musk has been widely criticized for the controversial way hes been running Twitter, Zuckberberg hasnt exactly won rave reviews for his leadership at Meta, especially given his much-hyped but underwhelming pivot to the metaverse.

Facebook was the one good idea Zuck had, Kay said. But like many rich guys, he now assumes hes an expert at everything. And he gets to indulge his childish impulses and pick a fight with other sociopaths, whatever the forum.

To be sure, the road ahead for Twitter is unclear under Musk. But Facebook is unlikely to change that just by entering the market, Wettemann argued.

Twitters downfall will likely come from Musks own bad business decisions, not from Zuckerberg  even if there is a cage match.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng meets with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Beijing, capital of China, July 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Saturday met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Beijing.

Focusing on the implementation of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their meeting in Bali, the two sides had in-depth, candid and practical exchanges on the economic and financial situation of the two countries and the whole world as well as on working together to address common global challenges. The talks were constructive.

Noting that the overstretching of national security does no good to the normal economic and trade exchanges, the Chinese side expressed concerns over the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the United States on China.

The two sides agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation on addressing global challenges, and continue maintaining exchanges and interactions. 
LOS ANGELES, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed early Saturday when a small business jet crashed in the western U.S. state of California, authorities said.

Police responded to the plane crash at 4:15 a.m. local time (1115 GMT) in Murrieta, a city in southwestern Riverside County, about 150 km southeast of Los Angeles, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"Deputies located an aircraft fully engulfed in flames in a field. Six occupants from the plane were located and pronounced deceased at the scene," said the department in a press release.

The Cessna C550 business jet took off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas about 3:15 a.m. local time (1015 GMT).

It was the second fatal crash in the area this week. A student pilot was killed and three others were injured when a Cessna 172 crashed on Tuesday while departing a local airport.

The crashes are being investigated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. 
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A 35-year-old man was fatally shot on Saturday night in Castleton Corners.

Police responded around 8:15 p.m. to a call of a male shot at a business located at 444 Manor Rd., according to a spokeswoman from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

The man was taken to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton where he was pronounced dead.

Manor Deli and Convenience is located at the address provided by police.

There have been no arrests and investigation is ongoing, the spokeswoman went on to say.

This is a breaking news story, more information will be provided when it becomes available.

A male was shot at the Manor Deli and Convenience located at 444 Manor Road, Saturday night on July 8,2023. (Steve White for the Staten Island Advance)

A male was shot at the Manor Deli and Convenience located at 444 Manor Road, Saturday night on July 8,2023. (Steve White for the Staten Island Advance)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Warm blankets and a financial donation will provide comfort and support to patients undergoing cancer treatment at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), thanks to Island Auto Group, Subaru of America and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Patients undergoing cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, often experience chills due to a heightened sensitivity to temperature and/or iron deficiency. For pediatric cancer patients, wrapping themselves in a blanket, like those donated to the hospitals Center for Cancer Care, also provide a sense of security.

The center received more than 250 new blue and white blankets recently. In addition, a check for $27,165 was presented by Subaru of America and Island Auto Group to the RUMC Foundation. The amount was based on auto sales last year and will support RUMCs operations and service lines.

Subaru of America, Island Auto Group and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society have always been there for our cancer patients, said Daniel J. Messina, RUMC president and chief executive officer. For our patients undergoing treatment, the comfort of a blanket, whether to keep someone warm or just be a source of security, has a more profound impact than many realize. We are blessed to have community partners who continually step up to be part of the cancer care process and who want to remind our patients and their families they are not alone in their fight.

The blankets will provide warmth and love during the patients brave journey, said Dr. Victoria A. Forte, RUMCs cancer service line director, chief of hematology-oncology and program director of the Hematology-Oncology Fellowship.

Thank you to Subaru, Island Auto Group and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the lovely, comforting blankets and financial support for our cancer patients, she said.

Island Auto Group is proud to partner with Subaru of America in the Share the Love Program, said Island Auto Group partner Marcello Sciarrino, noting that Island Auto Group with Subaru has donated close to $273,000 since 2017.

Island Auto Group shares Subarus commitment to the community and appreciates its true partnership, Sciarrino said.

Celebrating five years of service to the community this year, RUMCs Center for Cancer Care provides the latest medical and radiologic treatments and therapies. Located at 1000 South Ave., the center has received national accreditations from the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) and American College of Radiology.

RUMCs oncology program has also been accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer for more than 80 consecutive years, making it the longest consecutively accredited cancer program on Staten Island, the hospital said in its announcement of the donations.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A self-published childrens book on the Holy Rosary has received national recognition, winning top prize for its category by the Catholic Media Association.

On June 9, Mysteries of The Holy Rosary, the Life of Jesus and Mary, written by Staten Island authors Heather Lean and Jane Morrone, and illustrated by Yorris Handoko, won first place by the media group in the category of Self-published books for children.

The winners were announced in Baltimore, Maryland, and the authors were notified after the event. They also received an honorable mention in the category of Design and Production category.

I am overjoyed and honored that the Catholic Media Association has blessed us and Mysteries of The Holy Rosary with the award for best self-published book for children, said Morrone. It is an amazing feeling to be recognized by the Catholic publishing industry.

The CMA Book Awards honors outstanding work of publishers, authors, and book editors who serve Catholic readers. The Catholic Media Association is the largest association of Catholic media professionals in North America.

View the complete list of winners on the associations website.

Mysteries of The Holy Rosary, the Life of Jesus and Mary, written by Staten Island authors Heather Lean and Jane Morrone, and illustrated by Yorris Handoko, won first place by the media group in the category of Self Published books for children. (Courtesy Jane Marrone)

I was taught the rosary and the mysteries by my mother when I was young, said Morrone. I dont think many Catholics teach their children about the mysteries of the rosary and I wanted to create a book that would teach children how to pray and meditate on the mysteries with beautiful illustrations.

Our goal is to reach millions of people with the message of Jesus and Marys love for us. I have people buying the book for all their grandchildren. A friend sent me a photo of the four books she received for her grandchildren and she has decided to order another one for herself.

The book is available for purchase on Amazon.

Learn more about the book at https://amillionseeds.com/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AMillionSeeds104 and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/amillionseedshj/

Staten Island author Jane Morrone is pictured at book signing for her book, The Holy Rosary, The Life of Jesus and Mary." (Courtesy Jane Morrone)

The judges of the Catholic Media Association Book Awards had this to say about awarding first place to The Holy Rosary, The Life of Jesus and Mary, by Jane Morrone and Heather Lean: [This book] welcomes children to reflect on the mysteries of the Rosary with stunning visuals.

The mysteries come alive with illustrations that reach children where they are at and give them a better sense of what is happening as they journey through the Rosary.

This large, beautiful book captivates the reader with its colorful illustrations of each of the mysteries of the Rosary. It is a fantastic companion for children during family prayer time.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A flood watch is in effect for New York City as heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected from Sunday evening through Monday morning, according to AccuWeather forecasters.

People across the Northeast are encouraged to stay weather aware over the next few days, as a months worth of rain could fall in a matter of hours in some locations. A slow-moving weather system is expected to tap into moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean as it slowly turns northeastward Sunday into Tuesday  bringing a swath of heavy rainfall and downpours.




Authorities in Schuylkill County are seeking assistance from the public in locating a Pottsville man.Schuylkill County Detectives are seeking 56-year-old George Thomas Rohrbach, with a last known address of 1035 East Norwegian Street, Pottsville, for two active bench warrants.On November 17, 2022, Rohrbach failed to appear at the Courthouse for two separate Status Conferences relating to his cases.For the first, the original charges in the first case include misdemeanors such as DUI (Driving Under the Influence) - Controlled Substance - Impaired Ability, DUI - Controlled Substance - Combination Alcohol/Drugs, and Possession of a Small Amount of Marijuana.The second case included charges involving misdemeanors as well, including DUI - Controlled Substance - Impaired Ability, DUI - Controlled Substance - Schedule 1 Drug, Intentionally Possessing Methamphetamine without Being Registered, and Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.Rohrbach is described as 5 feet 8 inches in height and weighs approximately 170 lb.Anyone with information on the whereabouts of George Thomas Rohrbach or any other fugitive in Schuylkill County, is asked to call the District Attorneys Office at 570-628-1350, or Schuylkill County Tip Line at 570-624-3988.Anyone who may see or come in contact with George Thomas Rohrbach is asked to call the Schuylkill County 9-1-1 Center immediately.All information received will remain confidential. A list of Schuylkill County Bench Warrants is available on the Schuylkill County website at www.co.schuylkill.pa.us
This photo taken on July 8, 2023 shows the Liberian cruise ship, Dream, docking at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality. A cruise ship registered in Liberia docked at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality on Saturday, becoming the first international cruise ship received by the Tianjin port over the past three years. (Xinhua)

TIANJIN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A cruise ship registered in Liberia docked at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality on Saturday, becoming the first international cruise ship received by the Tianjin port over the past three years.

The cruise ship, Dream, is 261 meters long and 40 meters wide, and has a gross tonnage of 77,500 tonnes. It can accommodate over 2,000 passengers with more than 1,000 cabins.

To ensure the efficient berthing of the ship, local authorities helped more than 60 Chinese and foreign crew members fulfill all the formalities online for entering the port.

Tianjin has long been a cruise ship hub in north China. The coming of the Liberian cruise ship marked the post-COVID recovery of the city's cruise tourism sector. 

This aerial photo taken on July 8, 2023 shows the Liberian cruise ship, Dream, docking at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality. A cruise ship registered in Liberia docked at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality on Saturday, becoming the first international cruise ship received by the Tianjin port over the past three years. (Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on July 8, 2023 shows the Liberian cruise ship, Dream, berthing at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality. A cruise ship registered in Liberia docked at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality on Saturday, becoming the first international cruise ship received by the Tianjin port over the past three years. (Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on July 8, 2023 shows the Liberian cruise ship, Dream, berthing at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality. A cruise ship registered in Liberia docked at a port in North China's Tianjin Municipality on Saturday, becoming the first international cruise ship received by the Tianjin port over the past three years. (Xinhua)
Appointments for two vacant ABC director seats are months away, with a decision on chair Ita Buttroses position soon to be on the Labor governments agenda in its first opportunity in 10 years to stamp its influence on the national broadcaster.

Buttrose was appointed by Scott Morrison in 2019 and is yet to publicly indicate whether she will seek a second term. Two of the nine directors seats on the ABC board are vacant after Joseph Gersh, appointed by the Turnbull government in 2018, was not reappointed this year and the departure of Fiona Balfour in February less than two years into her term.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and ABC chair Ita Buttrose. Credit: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Balfour, a former chief information officer at Qantas and Telstra, stepped down from the board after pressure from Buttrose over a perceived conflict with her directorship at a Telstra-affiliated company.

A senior source close to the ABC board, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the appointment of two directors remained several months away after the government received more than 400 applications to its advertisement for the roles in May, with a new selection panel chosen last month.
Much to CBDs frustration, Euro summer is so back at levels to rival the hedonistic pre-COVID years.

For Australias political class, a long break from parliament means ample opportunity to escape the winter gloom on holidays, study tours and paid-up junkets, which are also very much back.

Parramatta MP Andrew Charlton was spotted in Ramallah, in the West Bank, last week. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

For years, Israel has been the most popular destination for fully paid junkets held by local organisations such as the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, which have taken members from both sides of politics to the Middle East  and journalists, too, including several from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Meanwhile, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network held its first study tour to Palestine since borders reopened, with Labors blow-in Parramatta MP Andrew Charlton and Senator Louise Pratt spotted in Ramallah last week. It comes as the Albanese government faces pressure from within the Labor camp to recognise a Palestinian state.
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 Diego Rivera must have had extraordinary charisma. A fat man who wore his trousers Harry Highpants style, with a face regularly compared to a frog (even by himself), Rivera was a legendary womaniser. His list of conquests included a long line of celebrated beauties. Actresses, artists and writers all succumbed to his charm. For Frida Kahlo, his third wife and love of his life, he was God and the devil. There was a 20-year age difference between Rivera (1907-1954) and Kahlo (1886-1957), but the attraction was instant and mutual. She was barely out of college, while he was already one of the most celebrated artists in the world. They met at a party in 1928 and married the following year. They soon established themselves as the indisputable power couple of modern Mexican art, their every move recorded in the press, including a divorce in 1938 and remarriage in 1939. Frida paints a self-portrait while Diego observes her in 1940. Credit: Bernard Silberstein Rivera was the big-name act. He had spent a decade in Paris, immersed in the doctrines of Cubism and communism. Back in Mexico in 1921, he became the figurehead of the Mexican muralist movement, working on a grand scale with breathtaking speed and ambition. In 1931, he became only the second artist to be given a solo exhibition at New Yorks Museum of Modern Art, after Henri Matisse. In those days Kahlo, whose devotion to Rivera was unswerving, was usually referred to as Senora Rivera, and even little Frida. Today, Kahlo is one of the most admired of all artists, the centre of a virtual cult. Rivera has not been forgotten and was recently the subject of a major show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, but its Frida who has dominated the global imagination, at least since the publication of Hayden Herreras landmark biography of 1983. Frida at the Barbizon Plaza Hotel, New York, in 1933. Credit: Lucienne Bloch Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution, at the Art Gallery of South Australia, is the fourth Kahlo exhibition held in this country since 1990. Like those earlier events in Adelaide, Canberra and Sydney, the bulk of the work comes from the collection of Jacques and Natasha Gelman, two great European collectors who divided their time between Mexico City and New York. The curator of the Gelman Collection, Magda Carranza de Akle, says this is the 64th international show they have held. If that sounds like a lot, it answers only a small percentage of the requests received.

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The AGSA knew it was necessary to do something special, and they pulled out all stops with a bold exhibition design by local architects Grieve Gillett and a large, varied selection of work by Kahlo , Rivera, and their peers. The gallery can rightly claim this is the biggest and best Kahlo exhibition seen in Australia. The ostensible focus is on context, namely the Mexican Revolution of 1910, and the turbulent decades that followed. There is some historic film footage and works by many artists who will be unfamiliar to local audiences, such as the abstractionists, Carlos Merida and Gunther Gerzso; caricaturist, Miguel Covarrubias, and painter, Maria Izquierdo, who blends modernism with folk art traditions in a manner similar to Kahlo. Self-Portrait with Monkeys, 1943. There are seven extraordinary Tehuana dresses, a facsimile of Fridas bed, and other items, but its the photography that holds the show together, including images by Lola and Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Tina Modotti, Lucienne Bloch, Edward Weston, Martin Munkacsi, and Nikolas Muray  the dashing portrait photographer with whom Kahlo had a passionate affair. Its easy to imagine a special intimacy in photos such as Frida Kahlo on the bench #5 and Frida with red Rebozo (both 1939), in which Muray captures the same direct and disarming gaze one finds in Kahlos self-portraits. Frida and Diego in 1937. Credit: Courtesy of AGSA That gaze, rather than the Mexican Revolution, is the memory most viewers will take away from this exhibition. Not even in Mexico has there ever been a display with so many images of Kahlos face, in both paintings and photographs. The two classic self-portraits are Diego on my mind (Self-portrait as a Tehuana) and Self-portrait with monkeys. Both date from 1943, a period when Kahlo and Diego had accepted a new set of ground rules for their marriage. For Kahlo it meant turning a blind eye to Riveras serial infidelities as the price of their continuing companionship.

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Rivera, who once said that sex was just like urinating, was happy to regale Kahlo with accounts of his carnal exploits. He also encouraged her lesbian affairs, which he found titillating, but turned into a jealous macho when she grew close to another man. I dont want to share my toothbrush with anybody, he complained. Kahlo accepted this state of affairs, seeing Rivera as a precocious child who always had to have his own way. As revealed in Diego on my mind, he had bored his way into the very core of her consciousness. She thought about him obsessively, worrying he might fall in love with another woman and abandon her. Self-portrait with necklace, 1933. Kahlos psychological agonies were exacerbated by the physical pain that had been part of her life since she contracted polio at the age of 13 and was left with a withered leg. The complete catastrophe came along on September 17, 1925, with the notorious trolley car accident in which she broke her spine and was literally impaled by a metal railing. The details of the incident are so bizarre they have become foundational to her legend. When taken from the wreckage she was naked, covered in blood and powered gold from a package carried by another passenger. The injuries Kahlo received would change the way she lived her life. She took up painting in earnest while recovering in bed. Her long Tehuana dresses, elaborate jewellery and hairstyles were a way of disguising her broken body by means of flamboyant display. The same might be said about her sexuality, which led her into affairs with men as diverse as the sculptor, Isamu Noguchi, art dealer Heinz Berggruen, and even the ageing Leon Trotsky. Nickolas Murays photograph Frida On The Rooftop, New York, 1946. Credit: Courtesy of AGSA This active, positive attitude in the face of adversity is one of the reasons Kahlo has become an iconic figure. She would endure 32 operations and 28 different corsets, often spending months encased in plaster. She was bedridden for the entire year of 1950. Under such circumstances, its amazing she was able to paint, let alone play the seductress. In both instances she had a point to prove.

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The self-portraits are the heart of Kahlos work because her view of the world was filtered through layers of pain that demanded she constantly look for reassurance at the confident, magnetic face she saw in the mirror. Her social persona was modelled on these reflections, as an act of theatre in which she defiantly refused to be a victim. The pain was evident, however, in the brutal and bloody subjects of paintings that drew on the iconography of Latin American Catholicism and the Aztec heritage. By embracing the Mexicanidad ethic that sought to establish a distinctive national identity, she set herself apart from the cosmopolitan aspirations of the modernists. Although Kahlo was courted by the Surrealists, she would eventually reject the invitation, being repulsed by the intellectual posturing of the movements generalissimo, Andre Breton. Frida at ABC Hospital holding a mirror, Mexico, 1950. Credit: Juan Guzman It needs be admitted there is a lot more love than revolution in this exhibition, and more Kahlo than Rivera, even though this is the fullest representation of his work ever seen in Australia. Along with major paintings such as Sunflowers, Calla lily vendor, and the glamour portrait of Natasha Gelman reclining on a couch (all 1943), an entire wall has been papered with a scale copy of his Detroit mural of 1932-33 that celebrates labour and industry. To see Rivera clearly, its essential to understand his achievement as a muralist. If he is now less famous than his wife, its partly because feminism has put her on a pedestal and him in the dustbin, but also because her major works are portable in a way that his are not. Loading Kahlos reputation was rocket-boosted by the Herrera biography, but Rivera had his own brilliant chronicle in Bertram Wolfes The Fabulous Life of Diego Rivera (1963). The title says it all  and delivers on the promise. The Riveras are such overwhelming presences in Mexican art we tend to forget they were but one part of a very active generation that thrived in the wake of a Revolution which plunged the country into 10 years of political turmoil and exerted an influence for the rest of the century. Its staggering to chart Kahlo and Riveras political turnarounds as they embraced and rejected Trotsky and did the opposite with Stalin.

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Pandemic fallout, cost-of-living pressures and caring responsibilities have led a growing number of students to choose insecure employment over further study, hampering long-term career opportunities, new research shows.

The Smith Familys Pathway, Engagement and Transitions longitudinal study, which followed more than 1000 disadvantaged students who were in year 12 in 2020, found that while many were working or studying, there were fears some had little or no career prospects.

Nyawarga Malow graduated during the pandemic. She says many people are under pressure to earn money, rather than study. Credit: Jason South

Anne Hampshire, head of research and advocacy at The Smith Family, said many respondents wanted to study, but there were barriers out of their control such as health issues, caring responsibilities or financial constraints.

Nyawarga Malow, 19, graduated from North Geelong Secondary College during the pandemic. She knows students who couldnt go to university because they had responsibilities to help their families financially.
Brunswick resident Jasmine Owen sees people walking cats at the local ovals all the time.

I see people going for coffee at cafes with a cat in a pusher or a pram while theyre eating their breakfast, she said. Its not a shocking thing. Not in this neighbourhood.

Brunswick resident Jasmine Owen has five cats and four dogs. Credit: Wayne Taylor

Thats because she lives in a part of Melbourne where cats make up the lions share of pets.

Data from Central Animal Records, a national microchip database for pets, shows there are twice as many dogs than cats registered in Victoria. But there are 17 postcodes where cats outnumber dogs  almost all of them in Melbournes inner city.
Personal abuse has brazenly stepped out of the shadows to join craven politics in the increasingly murky and polarised debate surrounding an Indigenous Voice to parliament.

Australians were afforded a glimpse of things to come in the months remaining before they vote on the referendum when forces aligned with the No campaign used a racist trope in a newspaper advertisement which included a cartoon figure of an Indigenous Voice campaigner appearing to dance for money.

Nine, the publisher of The Australian Financial Review, last week apologised after the cartoon was labelled a personal and racist attack by one of its subjects. Advance, the group behind Fair Australia, headed by the shadow Indigenous Australians minister senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, took out the full-page cartoon advertisement in the newspaper; it depicted West Australian teal independent MP Kate Chaney sitting on her fathers knee while he hands money to Indigenous Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo. It was captioned Dont worry sweetheart, its just shareholders money, and describes Mayo as a radical activist. Chaneys father Michael is the chairman of Wesfarmers, the corporation that owns Bunnings Warehouse among its many interests.

Earlier, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton repeated his view that the referendum was dividing the nation and criticised corporate giants such as Wesfarmers, BHP and Rio Tinto for making large donations to the Yes campaign, even personally attacking Michael Chaney: I dont want to, every time I hand over my credit card or cash at Bunnings, or at Coles, I dont want part of that money going to an activist CEO. Dutton followed up with another dubious connection, this time linking Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses espousal of the Voice with economic policy: Thats why youre paying more for your mortgage, its why youre paying more for every element in your family and small business budget.
Berlin: The United States and Germany form the major roadblock to Ukraines achieving membership of the worlds most powerful military alliance days before world leaders meet in Lithuania to strengthen resolve against Russias invasion.

US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have dealt a major blow to hopes that the NATO summits concluding statement will endorse a pathway to membership, let alone invite Kyiv to join once the war is over  as demanded by some of Ukraines staunchest supporters in eastern Europe.

US President Joe Biden arrives at Stansted Airport in England before heading to Lithuania to attend the NATO summit. Credit: AP

NATOs 31 members will meet for a two-day summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, from Tuesday to show support for Ukraine and give Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky a sense of what will have to be done to gain membership some time in the future.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said late on Sunday they held a phone call to discuss the NATO summit and Kyivs counteroffensive campaign to reclaim land taken by Russia.
Brussels: Australian farmers are urging Trade Minister Don Farrell to walk away from negotiations with the EU if the bloc offers a deal akin to the one signed with New Zealand in Brussels overnight.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins inked the agreement in a ceremony alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday (local time).

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Credit: AP

New Zealand says the deal will eventually allow its producers tariff-free access for 97 per cent of goods.

But the EU retained the use of quotas for some Kiwi dairy products, beef and sheep meat, ethanol and sweetcorn.
Berlin: If Anthony Albanese had plans to ratchet up Australias climate ambitions over coming months, his German counterpart could provide him with a cautionary tale.

The Australian prime minister is expected to sign up to the so-called high-powered climate club at German chancellor Olaf Scholzs invitation during a visit to Berlin on Monday, but the unfortunate truth for progressive leaders is that populist politics is alive and kicking when it comes to efforts to decarbonise economies.

Controversy over the home heating bill has plunged Chancellor Olaf Sholzs government into its worst crisis since taking office. Credit: Bloomberg

In scenes all too familiar to Australian political watchers over the past decade, Scholzs three-party coalition has been beset by infighting this year over what was, by Germans standards, a rather radical piece of climate legislation, dubbed the heat hammer by the popular press.

Led by the Greens  a key part of Scholzs coalition  the bill in effect proposed a ban on new gas and oil boilers from January 1 next year. Newly installed heating systems would have to be at least 65 per cent powered by renewables.
SANAA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The Houthi group in Yemen has banned the entry of Swedish imports into the country's north, which is under its control, in protest against the burning of a Quran during a protest in Sweden.

Houthi trade minister Mohammed al-Mutahar said the ban was a "message of protest" against the incident, which he described as "an act of blasphemy."

He said the effect of the ban on the Houthi-controlled region was "limited" because Swedish imports to Yemen are not at a large amount.

The burning of the Quran by an Iraqi refugee in a demonstration in Stockholm last month was condemned by several Islamic countries. Although the Stockholm police had initially granted permission for the Quran burning, the Swedish government subsequently denounced the incident, labeling it an "Islamophobic" act.

Yemen's Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces in late 2014, sparking a civil war and forcing the Yemeni government out of the capital, Sanaa. The government has since moved to the southern port city of Aden. 
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Parliament of Sint Maarten invites the public to submit nominations for the Annual President of Parliament Award.

The application form can be found on the Parliaments website. Persons have until August 11, 2023, to submit their nominations.

The website address is: www.sxmparliament.org and can be found under the public section of the site. Select the President of Parliament Award and you will be able to fill in the application form.

The purpose of the President of Parliament Award is to recognize and award young persons of Sint Maarten who have contributed to the community and the country positively whether it be academically, voluntary or sporting achievements.

The eligibility criteria are:

 the candidate must have the Dutch nationality and/or has been legally residing in Sint Maarten for 10 years or more consecutively, and has been registered in the Civil Registry for that period of time;

 must be between the ages of 15-24 years;

 has made a worthwhile contribution to the development of the community and the country;

 these contributions/achievements must have taken place within the last three years;

 contributions/achievements must have been made while the individual was acting as a private citizen, not as an appointed or elected government official; and

 must have demonstrated a capacity for leadership and ability to motivate.

An award committee consisting of three Members of Parliament reviews the nominations and selects the recipient of the award in consultation with the President of Parliament.

The award is presented yearly to the recipient during the reception ceremony at the Opening of the Parliamentary Year.

Nominations for the Annual President of Parliament Award may be submitted by any citizen of Sint Maarten who believes that the individual that he or she is nominating meets the abovementioned criteria. Nominations can be submitted by delivering a hardcopy to:

The Parliament of Sint Maarten

Attn: Annual President of Parliament Award Committee

Wilhelminastraart 1

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

Or via e-mail to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
UNITED NATIONS, July 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the airstrike in the Sudanese city of Omdurman near Khartoum, which reportedly killed at least 22 people, said his deputy spokesman on Saturday.

In a statement, Guterres offered his condolences to the victims' families in Saturday's attack and hoped for a speedy recovery to the dozens of injured people, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman.

The secretary-general is appalled by reports of large-scale violence and casualties across Darfur in western Sudan. He is also concerned about reports of renewed fighting in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. The statement says there is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing.

Guterres remained deeply concerned that the ongoing military conflict has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region. He reiterated his call for the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to cease fighting and urged both to abide by their obligations under the international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians.

The statement said the United Nations would continue to push for international efforts under the African Union to end the conflict. 
A man has been killed in a hit-and-run in a south London nightlife hotspot.

The 27-year-old died at the scene in Clapham High Street after being struck about 2.40am on Sunday.

Police have cordoned off the area and erected a forensics tent outside a local supermarket.

The surrounding Voltaire Road and A3 were closed as police completed their accident investigation work.

A Met spokeswoman said: Police were called following reports of a collision involving a pedestrian and a car on Clapham High Street, SW9.

Officers attended alongside the London Fire Brigade and medics from the London Ambulance Service.

Despite the effort of emergency services a 27-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Enquiries are ongoing to contact his next of kin.

The driver did not stop at the scene.

A number of road closures are in place as officers continue to investigate.

If you have any information about this incident call police on 101 and quote reference CAD 1040/09JUL.
A man has been charged with murder following a fatal shooting in Tottenham, the Met Police has said.

Reagan Konin, 18, of Victoria Road, N15 will appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Monday charged with the murder of Andre Salmon - also aged 18.

Konin will also face charges of possession of a section 5 firearm; possession of an offensive weapon in a private place; possession with intent to supply class A drugs; and affray.

Following an appeal by the Met, Konin was located and arrested in Southend on Saturday.

The investigation was launched after Andre was shot while riding a moped in Stamford Road before he fled into Constable Crescent, where he collided with a parked car and collapsed, dying at the scene on July 3, the police previously said.

Andres family continue to be supported by specially trained officers.
P olice are hunting a 23-year-old man suspected of stabbing a man and assaulting a woman in Uxbridge.

Sam Gray is believed to have fled the scene of the attack in Arklay Close at around 10.40pm on Friday, 7 July, police said.

Officers found a 24-year-old woman, known to a suspect, and a 19-year-old man who had both been assaulted.

The man was taken to hospital with multiple stab wounds his injuries were later declared non-life changing.

Scotland Yard said Gray made off in a Peugeot with the registration KT13 KNW and detectives believe he may now have left the London area.

He has links to Eastleigh in Hampshire and it is believed he may have returned to that area.

Anyone with information about Grays whereabouts should call 999, giving the reference 9153/07JUL if calling from London or 44230273921 if calling from Hampshire.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing at a hotel being used to house Afghan refugees.

Surrey Police said the double stabbing began at a hotel overlooking the River Thames in Long Ditton with a second victim knifed by a nearby BMW garage on Sunday afternoon.

Mark Knight, 41  who lives in Long Ditton, Surbiton, said he saw a man being led away from the Crowne Plaza hotel in Portsmouth Road in handcuffs.

I saw someone in handcuffs coming out, he said.

There was another guy that came out with a bandage around his head and his bicep. They put him in an ambulance.

Mr Knight also said he first noticed that there was drama at the hotel around 1pm, and saw the road jam packed with police vehicles.

Videos taken on social media show an air ambulance attempting to land in a nearby park with dozens of police officers and paramedics swarming the scene.

A Surrey Police spokesperson said: A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two people were stabbed around 1.45pm this afternoon (9 July).

A helicopter attempts to land / @JohannaBackman6

They have both been taken to hospital following the incident. One person is believed to have been assaulted at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Portsmouth Road while the other man was attacked at the BMW garage next door.

While we appreciate that this may be extremely concerning, we would like to reassure you that we believe this was an isolated incident. An investigation is underway to establish the circumstances of the incident and remains ongoing.

Police arrive at the scene / @JohannaBackman6

We are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information which could assist our enquiries, to come forward quoting reference PR/SYP-20230709-0431.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel overlooks The Thames and is close to attractions like Hampton Court and Chessington World of Adventures. The modern riverside hotel in suburban Kingston boasts meeting facilities, a restaurant and a fitness centre.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We take the welfare and safety of those in our care incredibly seriously.

We are aware of an incident in Surrey at a hotel housing Afghan refugees.

We are working closely with Surrey Police and partners on the ground to support the investigation and those affected by todays events.
H alf of respondents to a new poll have said they believe First Minister Humza Yousaf is doing a bad job.

A YouGov study, shared exclusively with the PA news agency of 1,100 Scots between June 26 and 29, shows 50% viewed the First Minister as having done a bad job since taking office.

Mr Yousaf marked 100 days in the job on Friday.

Meanwhile, just 23% endorsed his time in office, which has been peppered with internal issues withing the SNP and a number of policy U-turns on the deposit return scheme and highly protected marine areas (HPMAs).

A previous poll conducted in April found 19% of people thought Mr Yousaf was doing well, and 44% believed the opposite, although his tenure was just weeks old when the poll was conducted.

The First Minister boasted a slightly better rating than Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with 22% of Scots saying he was doing a good job leading the UK Government, compared to 59% who said he was doing a bad job.

On favourability, 28% had a favourable view of the First Minister, while 51% had an unfavourable view.

Those polled were also given six topics and asked to evaluate Mr Yousafs performance, including on the cost of living, where just 15% believed he had done well, compared to 60% believing the opposite.

On the ongoing investigation into the SNPs finances, 22% of respondents believed Mr Yousaf was doing a good job, compared to 48% who believed otherwise.

Some 17% approved of his stewardship of the economy, while 55% did not.

Elsewhere, 18% believed he had done a good job on healthcare, compared to 56% who did not and 20% believed his administration were handling climate change well, compared to 44% who believed otherwise.

On Scottish independence, 18% believed he had handled the issue well, while 50% did not.

The poll also suggested that support for independence had fallen back since the previous poll in April, with 37% saying they would back separation, down from 39%.

Those who would vote no in a future referendum also increased to 46%, while 6% of respondents said they would not vote, 9% responded that they did not know how they would vote and 2% refused to answer the question.

A spokesman for the First Minister told the PA news agency recent polling has shown the SNP remains the most popular party in Scotland, which reflects the record of delivery of the new Scottish Government.

While the SNP remain in the lead, surveys in recent months have shown the gap to be reducing.

The spokesman added: In his first hundred days, Humza Yousaf defined the core missions of his administration  equality, opportunity, community  and introduced substantial measures to help achieve these aims.

His first action as First Minister was to triple the funding to help households most vulnerable to fuel poverty, and more than 300,000 families are benefiting from our game-changing Scottish Child Payment  which is unique in the UK.

Putting the needs of people is at the heart of everything we do as a Government

We have launched a new 10-year cancer strategy to improve survival rates and provide excellent, accessible care for all, and are making progress in cutting NHS waiting lists.

Just last week, the First Minister announced the biggest pay uplift since devolution for senior medical and dental staff, and Scotland continues to be the only nation in the UK that has avoided NHS strikes over the last year.

Work to reset relationships with business and local government is well underway, as well as rebuilding and reshaping how education is delivered.

Putting the needs of people is at the heart of everything we do as a Government.

But Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the First Minister had somehow managed to fall short of the low expectations we had of him.

He has been missing in action while Scots struggled with the worst cost of living crisis in decades and the NHS crisis he let spiral as health secretary, she said.

He failed as transport minister, justice secretary, health secretary  and now he is failing as First Minister too, leaving his party and our country in chaos.

Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy said the only surprise from the poll was that just half those responding think Humza Yousafs doing a terrible job.

The First Minister has watched several of his flagship policies fall to pieces and his party descend into open warfare, and theres still a huge shadow over their conduct and murky finances, he added.

Meanwhile, while Humza pushes his independence obsession, the health service is at breaking point, the ferries fiasco continues, public services have been slashed and a further 1billion black hole in the budget has been announced.

Anyone who doesnt find that disastrous must have been on the moon for the past 100 days.
BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of passenger trips handled by China's urban rail transit networks surged 37.7 percent year on year in June, official data showed.

A total of 2.44 billion passenger trips were made via China's urban transit networks in 54 cities last month, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The figure was 22.6 percent higher than the average monthly level in 2019, the data revealed.

At the end of June, China had 295 urban rail transit lines in operation, with a total length of 9,728.3 km, according to the ministry. 
R ishi Sunak will use the Nato summit in Lithuania to urge allies to increase their defence spending as he warns they face unprecedented security challenges.

The Prime Minister will meet with leaders in Lithuania on Tuesday for talks that will feature support for Ukraine and its future membership of the defensive alliance.

He will first host Joe Biden in the UK after the US president committed to sending Kyiv cluster munitions, despite many Nato allies prohibiting their use.

Mr Sunak said Britain discourages the weapons as one of the 123 signatories of a convention banning the bombs for their devastating impact on civilians.

The White House said Mr Biden will compare notes with Mr Sunak on the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia.

The president will also meet the King in Windsor Castle.

At the summit in Vilnius, Downing Street said that Mr Sunak will ask allies to up their defence spending to ensure it is prepared for future threats.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said: As we face new and unprecedented challenges to our physical and economic security, our alliances are more important than ever.

The UK is Europes leading Nato ally, we are the United States most important trade, defence and diplomatic partner, and we are at the forefront of providing Ukraine with the support they need to succeed on the battlefield.

We have forged and invested in these alliances because we know they are the foundation of our strength and security. And I will continue to lead a United Kingdom which puts our international relationships at the heart of delivering for the British people.

The UK is among a minority of Nato members that meets the alliances commitment to spend at least 2 per cent of national income on defence.

Estimates for last year had France, Germany and Spain as included in those not meeting the target.

Mr Biden has said it was a difficult decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine and sought to justify the move as needed to fortify Kyivs depleting ammunition stocks.

But Mr Sunak chose not to express support for the move during a by-election campaign stop to Selby, pointing to the UKs commitment to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Well, the UK is signatory to a convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, he told broadcasters.

We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion, but weve done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine.

Russias act of barbarism is causing untold suffering to millions of people.

Its right that we collectively stand up to it and Ill be heading off to the Nato summit next week in Vilnius, where we will be discussing exactly this with our allies how we can strengthen our support for Ukraine.

The weapons deploy a large number of bomblets across a wide area.

Unexploded bomblets can continue to pose a threat to civilians long after conflicts end.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits their use or stockpiling because of their indiscriminate effect on civilian populations.

The US, Ukraine and Russia are not signatories.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster munitions so far in the war.
A new mother, who wants her nine-month-old daughter to connect to her roots in Pakistan, wrote a childrens book to prevent the links to her heritage from dying out.

Unzela Khan Sheikh, 29, a second-generation British Pakistani from north London, had the idea to write the storybook titled Pakistan, Ill Be Back during her maternity leave, taking inspiration from her own visits to the country.

The story centres around an eight-year-old British Pakistani girl named Anam Khan, based on Ms Khan Sheikh herself, and it follows her visit to the country for the first time, seeing family and exploring the city of Karachi.

The book, based on Ms Khan Sheikhs family with illustrations of her relatives to match, has been written with three language translations, English, Roman Urdu, and Urdu script  the latter of which was translated by Ms Khan Sheikhs mother.

I just had a thought that this is going to die out unless I do something about it and try and teach my daughter, Ms Khan Sheikh, the race and diversity editor for MyLondon, told the PA news agency.

Born and raised in north London, Ms Khan Sheikh said she has always been really Pakistani but she felt she had to tone it down in the outside world.

Ms Khan Sheikh said that at school, she felt really conscious about bringing home-cooked food in for lunch, and stopped doing so even though it is a big part of her culture.

I feel like Ive always been really Pakistani, but Ive had to tone it down in the outside world.

If I took, for example, Pakistani food to school at lunchtime, people would be like, oh, whats that smelly food?.

You get really conscious about it.

And then youre like, you know what, I dont want to take this kind of food to school, even though thats a big part of you, because thats the food youve grown up with, the food you have at home.

Youre spending your whole day at school, but you cant let that side out because no one understands.

Ms Khan Sheikh feels many second-generation British Pakistanis find it difficult to connect to either culture, saying you dont feel fully connected to either side.

She said: Were British Pakistanis, and at the end of the day, were never going to be fully British.

You dont feel fully connected to either side.

And then theres some kids who are just in this middle ground, they feel really British or they feel really Pakistani, but they dont have that connection.

After having her daughter, Aafiya Sheikh, in September, Ms Khan Sheikh said she realised theres so many people like herself who have been born and brought up in England and their children are not going to know about their heritage.

To encourage children to explore their roots, Ms Khan Sheikh began writing Pakistan, Ill Be Back in March, and it has just been released for purchase on Amazon.

Kids these days, I really want them to be able to take an interest in Pakistan, she said.

So this is to encourage that, explore that Pakistani side.

You might be more in touch with it than you actually feel you are.

Since the release of her book on July 4, Ms Khan Sheikh said she has been receiving lots of messages from fellow parents saying they will be purchasing it to show their children what Pakistan is about.

Loads of people have just contacted me to be like, this is amazing, for a British Pakistani to be promoting the country.

She added: We could do an all-around-the-world series  Sudan, Ill Be Back or Bangladesh, Ill Be Back  because it would just be really good for kids to get back in touch.

Pakistan, Ill Be Back by Unzela Khan Sheikh can be purchased on Amazon here
N orthern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has been urged to intervene to help find a resolution to a 25-year-old Co Armagh parading dispute.

Members of the Orange Order have staged an annual protest during the Drumcree parade in Portadown for more than two decades.

However, the Parades Commission again refused permission for the return route to proceed along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road, a ruling maintained since 1998.

Orange Order members on Sunday held a short protest at the police lines barring them from the return route.

The orders grand secretary Mervyn Gibson insisted their protest will continue as he called on the Parades Commission to be disbanded.

Standing close to the police line, Mr Gibson said it brought back memories of the Orange Order and the wider unionist community standing together.

Its great but also sad to see that brethren have been standing here for 25 years  25 years and everybody thinks its sorted, he said.

Recent interviews on the radio, I was told this is sorted, I assured them it wasnt sorted and that brethren would remain here until there is a resolution.

That resolution is for the brethren of Portadown to find with those who are prepared to listen to them, with those who are prepared to compromise with them, with those who are prepared to talk with them.

The Parades Commission has a major part to play and they have failed Portadown district, they have failed Northern Ireland in so many different ways.

It is time for them to go. It is time for the Secretary of State (Chris Heaton-Harris) to exercise some influence to see a resolution here.

This shows the people of Northern Ireland and wider world that the Drumcree situation is still here, and were determined to support the Portadown brethren until a resolution is found.

Responding, a Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said decisions around parades are a matter for the Parades Commission acting independently of the Government.

The Parades Commission continues to have the full support of the Government in their challenging role in relation to parades in Northern Ireland, they said.

Dialogue remains the best way to find a solution to local issues such as Drumcree.

This years parade set off from Carleton Street Orange Hall in Portadown town centre on Sunday morning to a church service at Drumcree Parish Church.

Twenty-five years ago the parade was first prevented from completing its traditional return route, with the stand-off making headlines in the 1990s when nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road resolutely opposed to the parade passing through their area.

This lead to violent clashes for several summers and political tensions that resulted in a major security operation.

I think you might as well ask to refight the Battle of the Boyne, that is a fight that is in the past

The parades mark the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, an act that secured a Protestant line of succession for the British crown.

Earlier Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart said it was a very sad day that 25 years on from this dispute were still in the same situation where Orange feet are not welcome on a particular stretch of road.

She told the BBCs Sunday Politics programme: I want to see a society where our culture is respected, our identity is respected, and I think it is no big thing to ask that the Garvaghy Road Residents Association enter in to some form of mediation.

Unfortunately for many, many years their intransigence has actually been rewarded by the Parades Commission.

We cant move on if there is no respect or tolerance for a 10-minute walk down a route which has changed enormously over the last 25 years.

However SDLP MP Claire Hanna said the dispute is in the past.

I think you might as well ask to refight the Battle of the Boyne, that is a fight that is in the past, she said.

That dispute, as anyone who was around at the time will know, was profoundly damaging to community relations. There were awful scenes around it and awful consequences.

I think the DUP need to get their heads around the world we are living in today, and to offer leadership around the world we are living in today.
P resident Volodymyr Zelensky brought home from Turkey five former commanders of Ukraine's garrison in Mariupol, a highly symbolic achievement that Russia said violated a prisoner exchange deal engineered last year.

Russia immediately denounced the release with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Ankara had promised under the exchange agreement to keep the men in Turkey and complained Moscow had not been informed.

In honour of the 500th day of the war, Mr Zelensky also visited Snake Island, a Black Sea outcrop which Russian forces seized on the day of the invasion and later abandoned.

The five commanders have been lionised in Ukraine after leading a fierce three-month defence of Mariupol from the Azovstal steel plant last year, the biggest city Russia has captured.

We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home, said Mr Zelensky, who met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for talks in Istanbul on Friday.

Thousands of civilians were killed in Mariupol when Russian forces laid the city to waste in the first months of the war.

In a ceremony later alongside the men in the western city of Lviv, Mr Zelensky thanked Erdogan for helping secure their release and pledged to bring home all remaining prisoners.

He said that before the outbreak of war, "many people in the world still did not understand what we are, what you are, what to expect from us and what our heroes are. Now everyone understands."

The Ukrainian defenders held out in tunnels and bunkers under the Azovstal plant, until finally ordered by Kyiv to surrender in May last year.

Moscow freed some of them in September in a prisoner swap brokered by Ankara, under terms that required the commanders to remain in Turkey until the end of the war.

Mr Peskov told Russia's RIA news agency: No one informed us about this. According to the agreements, these ringleaders were to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict.

He added that the release was a result of heavy pressure from Turkey's Nato allies ahead of next week's summit of the military alliance at which Ukraine hopes to receive a positive sign about its future membership.

In his remarks, Mr Zelensky gave no explanation for why the commanders were allowed to return home now. Turkey's Directorate of Communications did not respond to a request for comment.
A top RTE executive has resigned to allow space for the new director general to create a fresh leadership team.

Director of strategy Rory Coveney said he had resigned with immediate effect in a statement on Sunday evening.

Mr Coveney said he met with incoming director general Kevin Bakhurst in recent days, and wants to give him the space to create a fresh lead team.

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, he said.

Last week Mr Coveney appeared before the Oireachtas Media Committee, during which he defended the Toy Show musical, which recorded losses of 2.2 million euros in its first year.

He said: It clearly wasnt a commercial success, but it wasnt from a lack of effort from everyone involved.

Mr Bakhurst has thanked Mr Coveney for his contribution to public service media.

His diligence, energy and insight were hugely appreciated by many across the organisation. I wish him the very best for the future, he said.

The new director general is taking over as the Irish national broadcaster remains at the centre of a storm following revelations last month that it had under-reported the salary paid to star presenter Ryan Tubridy.

Earlier Mr Bakhurst said it is time for action.

He is expected to publicly outline his plans to restore trust in RTE on his first day in the role on Monday.

Speaking briefly on Sunday, he said: Id rather not say too much ahead of tomorrow, just say were going to be in contact with staff first thing in the morning via email, and Ill be going around meeting people, trying to take questions and explain what were trying to do.

The only thing Ill say to people is its time for action now, thats all we need.

Earlier government minister Thomas Byrne described Mr Bakhursts arrival at RTE as a really good moment as the broadcaster attempts to rebuild trust.

Appearing on RTE 1s The Week In Politics programme, Mr Byrne also suggested there has been too much focus on commercial activity at RTE and a return to the basics of public service broadcasting is needed.

On Saturday Irish premier Leo Varadkar also called for change.

I think we need to see change in RTE. Without change, I dont think that trust can be restored, he said during a visit to Co Clare.

I understand that the new director general Kevin Bakhurst is going to make some announcements on Monday in relation to changes to the organisation, the way the management is structured and also is going to deal with issues around conflicts of interest.

I am very reassured in what he has said to government and its important that he be allowed to set out those plans on Monday and to talk to staff first and then to inform the wider nation about those changes, and hes going to make them quickly.

Asked about his views on reform of the TV licence, the Taoiseach said the current system needs to be overhauled.

Its a really old-fashioned way of collecting revenue based on ownership of a TV, a device that many people just dont have anymore, and almost all the money goes to RTE even though there are many other bodies involved in broadcasting outside public service broadcasting, Mr Varadkar said.

So I think reform of the TV licence is long overdue and I want that to happen during this government.

I can see the political temptation to put it off for another government or another Dail, but I do not want to do that, and I want to make sure we have a new system up and running during the lifetime of this government.

The furore around RTEs failure to disclose 345,000 euros of additional payments to former Late Late Show host Tubridy between 2017 and 2022 has since widened.

There have been further disclosures about the broadcasters internal financial, accounting and governance practices and its expenditure on corporate hospitality for advertising clients.

The Irish government has already announced two separate external reviews of RTE and also moved to send in a forensic auditor to examine the broadcasters accounts.

Meanwhile, two parliamentary committees in Dublin are conducting their own examinations of the situation.
A port in China's Tianjin has welcomed the first international cruise ship for the first time in three years.
A group of South Korean civic activists, politicians, fishermen and ordinary people gathered in central Seoul on Saturday to raise their voice against the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) final report on Japan's planned discharge of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific.

The protesters demonstrated near the South Korean foreign ministry building, where the visiting IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi was scheduled to meet with the South Korean foreign minister.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Most Democrats and Republicans agree that the federal government should better regulate the biggest technology companies, particularly social media platforms. But there is very little consensus on how it should be done.

Should TikTok be banned? Should younger children be kept off social media? Can the government make sure private information is secure? What about brand new artificial intelligence interfaces? Or should users be regulating themselves, leaving the government out of it?

Tech regulation is gathering momentum on Capitol Hill as concerns skyrocket about China's ownership of TikTok and as parents navigating a post-pandemic mental health crisis have grown increasingly worried about what their children are seeing online. Lawmakers have introduced a slew of bipartisan bills, boosting hopes of compromise. But any effort to regulate the mammoth industry would face major obstacles as technology companies have fought interference.

Noting that many young people are struggling, President Joe Biden said in his February State of the Union speech that "it's time" to pass bipartisan legislation to impose stricter limits on the collection of personal data and ban targeted advertising to children.

"We must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit," Biden said.

Tech companies have aggressively fought any federal interference, and they have operated for decades now without strict federal oversight, making any new rules or guidelines that much more complicated.

A look at some of the areas of potential regulation:

Children's safety

Several House and Senate bills would try to make social media, and the internet in general, safer for children who will inevitably be online. Lawmakers cite numerous examples of teenagers who have taken their own lives after cyberbullying or died engaging in dangerous behavior encouraged on social media.

In the Senate, at least two competing bills are focused on children's online safety. Legislation by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., approved by the Senate Commerce Committee last year would require social media companies to be more transparent about their operations and enable child safety settings by default. Minors would have the option to disable addictive product features and algorithms that push certain content.

The idea, the senators say, is that platforms should be "safe by design." The legislation, which Blumenthal and Blackburn recently reintroduced, would also obligate social media companies to prevent certain dangers to minors  including promotion of suicide, disordered eating, substance abuse, sexual exploitation and other illegal behaviors.

A second bill introduced in April by four senators  Democratic Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Katie Britt of Alabama  would take a more aggressive approach, prohibiting children under the age of 13 from using social media platforms and requiring parental consent for teenagers. It would also prohibit the companies from recommending content through algorithms for users under the age of 18.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not weighed in on specific legislation but told reporters last week, "I believe we need some kind of child protections" on the internet.

Critics of the bills, including some civil rights groups and advocacy groups aligned with tech companies, say the proposals could threaten teens' online privacy and prevent them from accessing content that could help them, such as resources for those considering suicide or grappling with their sexual and gender identity.

"Lawmakers should focus on educating and empowering families to control their online experience," said Carl Szabo of NetChoice, a group aligned with Meta, TikTok, Google and Amazon, among other companies.

Data privacy

Biden's State of the Union remarks appeared to be a nod toward legislation by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., that would expand child privacy protections online, prohibiting companies from collecting personal data from younger teenagers and banning targeted advertising to children and teens. The bill would create a so-called "eraser button" allowing parents and kids to eliminate personal data, when possible.

A broader House effort would attempt to give adults as well as children more control over their data with what lawmakers call a "national privacy standard." Legislation that passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee with wide bipartisan support last year would try to minimize data collected and make it illegal to target ads to children, usurping state laws that have tried to put privacy restrictions in place. But the bill, which would have also given consumers more rights to file lawsuits over privacy violations, never reached the House floor.

Prospects for the House legislation are unclear now that Republicans have the majority. House Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., has made the issue a priority, holding several hearings on data privacy. But the committee has not yet moved forward with a new bill.

TikTok ban

Lawmakers introduced a raft of bills to either ban TikTok or make it easier to ban it after a combative March House hearing in which lawmakers from both parties grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew over his company's ties to China's communist government, data security and harmful content on the app.

Chew attempted to assure lawmakers that the hugely popular video-sharing app prioritizes user safety and should not be banned due to its Chinese connections. But the testimony gave new momentum to the efforts.

Soon after the hearing, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican, tried to force a Senate vote on legislation that would ban TikTok from operating in the United States. But he was blocked by a fellow Republican, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who said that a ban would violate the Constitution and anger the millions of voters who use the app.

Another bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida would, like Hawley's bill, ban U.S. economic transactions with TikTok, but it would also create a new framework for the executive branch to block any foreign apps deemed hostile. His bill is cosponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.

There is broad Senate support for bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, that does not specifically call out TikTok but would give the Commerce Department power to review and potentially restrict foreign threats to technology platforms.

The White House has signaled it would back that bill, but it is unclear if it will be brought up in the Senate or if it could garner support among House Republicans.

TikTok has launched an extensive lobbying campaign for its survival, including by harnessing influencers and young voters to argue that the app isn't harmful.

Artificial intelligence

A newer question for Congress is whether lawmakers should move to regulate artificial intelligence as rapidly developing and potentially revolutionary products like AI chatbot ChatGPT begin to enter the marketplace and can in many ways mimic human behavior.

Senate leader Schumer has made the emerging technology a priority, arguing that the United States needs to stay ahead of China and other countries that are eyeing regulations on AI products. He has been working with AI experts and has released a general framework of what regulation could look like, including increased disclosure of the people and data involved in developing the technology, more transparency and explanation for how the bots arrive at responses.

Schumer has said that any eventual regulation should "prevent potentially catastrophic damage to our country while simultaneously making sure the U.S. advances and leads in this transformative technology."

The White House has been focused on the issue as well, with a recent announcement of a $140 million investment to establish seven new AI research institutes. Vice President Kamala Harris met recetly with the heads of Google, Microsoft and other companies developing AI products.
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When St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann talks about Missouris Deputy Sheriff Salary Supplemental Fund, he uses a pejorative to describe the scheme.

Ehlmann, a Republican, says the fund is an example of rural socialism.

The phrase adds important context to two public safety decisions made in the past week by Gov. Mike Parson. In one case, he signed a bill to add money to the deputy fund; in another, he vetoed money earmarked for a new 911 center in St. Louis.

The fund was created by the Missouri Legislature in 2008 to raise the pay of deputy sheriffs in the states rural areas, where there is a low tax base and the pay is paltry. Thats not a bad idea, but the people paying for it live in St. Charles County, St. Louis County, Jackson County and the rest of the states larger population centers.

The fund gets its money from a $10 court fee attached to civil cases when papers are served. Ehlmann keeps a spreadsheet of where the money comes from (the cities) and where it goes (tiny counties far away).

St. Louis County is the biggest donor, providing more than $10 million of the $40 million raised since the funds inception. Almost none of that money (only $17,000) has come back to the county.

Tiny Dade County in southwest Missouri is the biggest beneficiary of the program, receiving a 7,200% return on what it has put into the fund. Rural socialism, indeed.

Mike Yoakum, a process server I know from Boone County, calls the fund a tax on small businesses and poor people. This year, the Legislature added a new $10 fee to the scheme, this one to be charged by private companies that provide court services. Parson, a former rural sheriff, signed the bill into law this past week.

That action came just a few days after Parson vetoed a line item in the budget with significant implications in St. Louis. Lawmakers had included $23 million for a new unified 911 facility in St. Louis, perhaps as important a public safety priority as exists in the state.

As last weeks damaging storms proved yet again, the center is urgently needed. Two people died in the storms  33-year-old Katherine Coen in St. Louis and 5-year-old R.J. Thomas in Jennings  at least partly because first responders were slow to arrive as Good Samaritans were on hold for 30 minutes or longer trying to get help. The 911 system throughout the St. Louis region, but particularly in the city, has been broken for a very long time. Its the fault of three successive mayors, the Board of Aldermen, bickering police and fire unions and the fractured governance in the region. It is, also, the fault of the governor.

In vetoing items in this years budget, Parson said some priorities are best left up to local folks. Like deputy sheriff salaries, perhaps?

The sad reality is the Missouri Legislature has long practiced a form of rural socialism by ignoring priorities in St. Louis and Kansas City, the states two economic engines, while using money generated in those cities to prop up rural needs. One of the best examples is in transportation funding. In 1952, after three proposals for gas tax increases to pay for state roads had failed, Missouri leaders made a deal with the devil. They told rural voters the state would take over 12,000 miles of county roads, and provide funding to pave those roads, if the voters approved a gas tax increase.

The tax passed, and Missouris cities have paid the price ever since. None of that state transportation money, for instance, goes to transit, unlike in most states. Missouri has more road miles per capita than all but three other states. City taxpayers are subsidizing little-used rural roads and the deputy sheriffs patrolling those roads.

In the same budget in which Parson vetoed 911 funding, he approved pay increases for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Again, this isnt a bad thing, but those patrolmen rarely do traffic enforcement in the city of St. Louis. The budget also includes $2.8 billion to expand Interstate 70, which is a long-delayed need  but most of the project is in rural Missouri, not the cities.

The Legislature spent much of the session pretending to care about public safety in St. Louis but it was mostly talking about the wrong things. Its easier to use the city and its political leaders as punching bags than to work with them to accomplish big things.

Fixing the broken 911 system is, indeed, one of those big things. The most comprehensive proposal Ive seen come from the nonprofit Forward Through Ferguson, which is the former Ferguson Commission, dedicated to improving racial equity. The proposal would streamline 911 services across geopolitical boundaries, upgrade technology, consolidate call centers, treat dispatchers as first responders and encourage non-police responses (such as dispatching behavioral health specialists) to mental health emergencies.

The organizations call for a big fix is a reminder of what St. Louis and Missouri leaders can do when faced with an emergency. The very existence of the Ferguson Commission  created by former Gov. Jay Nixon in 2014 with the support of civic and business leaders throughout the St. Louis region  showed what leaders can accomplish when they are more interested in solving problems than pointing fingers.

Nearly a decade later, that organization is pointing the way to a better 911 system. But fragmentation in the St. Louis region and the states rural-urban divide stand in the way.

Our regions fragmentation has resulted in numerous racial disparities, from health care to justice to economic opportunity. Our 911 delays are yet another consequence of this fragmentation, says Jia Lian Yang, the director of communication for Forward Through Ferguson. Its time to work towards transformation rather than resigning ourselves to living with heartbreak, year to year, from generation to generation.

Messenger: St. Louis County residents are being fleeced by rural sheriffs Since the law's inception, more than $8 million of the fund's $21 million has come from St. Louis County, and less than $20,000 has returned to the county.
JEFFERSON CITY  Hoping to capitalize on anger over the end of legal abortion and concerns about extremist Republicans, the minority leader of the Missouri House will launch her campaign for governor Monday.

According to an introductory campaign video obtained by the Post-Dispatch, Democrat Crystal Quade of Springfield said she plans to restore abortion rights and ban China and Russia from owning Missouri farmland if elected. Quade has served in the House since 2017 and is term limited next year.

Quade, 37, is the lone Democrat to step forward thus far for a gubernatorial run in a state that is controlled by Republicans.

But, with Republican Gov. Mike Parson not running because of term limits, Quade has been considering a bid for months amid some Democratic advances in other states following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade.

A trio of Republicans seeking the nomination are staunchly anti-abortion. They include Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Sen. Bill Eigel, a state senator from Weldon Spring.

In her announcement, Quade only mentions Ashcroft, suggesting Democrats believe he will emerge from the contest.

She casts herself as the product of working class parents in a state where blue-collar workers have lost ground economically while Jefferson City has grown more extreme and divisive.

Missourians care about their freedoms, and extremist Republicans wont stop stripping away the rights of Missourians. Be it abortion, the yearly attacks on the initiative petition process, overruling Missouri voters on Medicaid expansion, the extremist Republicans have been steering Missouri off a cliff, she said.

She is scheduled to formally announce her entrance into the race at a coffee shop in Springfield Monday morning.

Quade has an uphill climb against her GOP counterparts when it comes to fundraising. Filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission show she has $68,565 in her personal campaign account and $33,597 in an affiliated political action account.

By comparison, Kehoe has more than $3.3 million in campaign accounts linked to his bid for governor. That figure dates to April and does not include a bevy of major contributions hes since received.

In 2020, Parson handily beat former state Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat, by a 57% to 40% tally, reflecting Missouris status as a deeply red state.

But, other red states, including Wisconsin and Kansas, have seen Democratic advances in recent years attributed to the abortion ruling and in response to former President Donald Trump.

During her six years as minority leader, Quade has led the opposition against further loosening state gun laws, tax cuts and attempts to limit who receives health care benefits through an expanded Medicaid program.

But, as a member of a legislative super-minority, the Democratic leader has had limited success.

In April, Quade said she was considering a bid for the top office in state government following Ashcrofts formal announcement that he was seeking the post.

Quade slammed Ashcroft, saying he believes public office is his birthright as the son of former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who also was a Missouri governor and senator.

Quade earned a social work degree at Missouri State University and is the former director of chapter services at Care to Learn, a nonprofit organization that addresses the health, hunger and hygiene needs of economically disadvantaged children in several school districts across Missouri.

She previously worked for Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, Organizing for America, and as a U.S. Senate constituent services representative.
Conflicting views on cultural issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and ordaining LGBTQ clergy recently pushed 75 congregations in Missouri to leave the United Methodist Church, including several in the St. Louis region.

The churches vote to disaffiliate from the international organization over signs the organization may soften its stance on those issues came during the denominations annual statewide conference in St. Charles last month. About 11% of Missouris 580 Methodist churches opted to disaffiliate, including Morning Star and Sun Rise churches in OFallon and The Way in Wentzville.

Two congregations in St. Louis County  The River in Eureka and Bethel Pond in Wildwood  also disaffiliated. No churches in the city of St. Louis opted to leave.

Missouri is the latest state to see a Methodist schism over cultural issues. Across the country, more than 6,000 congregations have disaffiliated from the Methodist movement, one of the biggest denominations in Missouri and the U.S., with 10.4 million members worldwide.

Many of the churches left to form a new denomination  the similarly named Global Methodist Church  that shares a core doctrine and policies with the UMC denomination but has a more conservative stance on LGBTQ issues.

The Rev. Rick Just, a regional leader of the newly formed denomination, said the breakup was still raw for many pastors.

Many churches are still sorting this all out, said Just, who spent 30 years in ministry in the UMC denomination in Kansas and Nebraska before joining the new GMC.

In addition to being a pastor at a Kansas congregation, Just now serves the Heartland Region of the GMC, helping disaffiliated UMC churches join the new organization.

It is heartbreaking that it has come to this, because this was not an amicable split, Just said. There are hard feelings and people pointing fingers on both sides, and so people are grieving what they feel is a tremendous loss.

Churches that opted to remain in UMC say they are doing so in hopes of pushing the denomination to be inclusive of LGBTQ people. Pastors at the local churches that disaffiliated either declined or did not respond to interview requests from the Post-Dispatch.

Pastors at some UMC churches that opted to stay said they, too, are feeling the loss of what was once a singular religious movement.

I had friends and colleagues who chose to disaffiliate, and it was painful to see them go, said the Rev. Danny Lybarger, pastor at The Well in Defiance, which is staying with the national organization.

The Rev. Keith Boyette, the leader of the new GMC denomination, said it has been obvious for years that the United Methodist Church was a house that was at war with itself.

He described the number of UMC disaffiliating congregations  now estimated to be nearly 25% of all UMC congregations across the U.S.  as a massive sea change.

In some ways, this division was unprecedented, Boyette said. For this generation, there is no question that the lightning rod was the issue of human sexuality  how we define marriage and the ordination of clergy.

Similar trend in other denominations

UMC pastors have watched as their colleagues in other mainline denominations experienced similar schisms over LGBTQ policies, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 1991; the United Church of Christ in 2003; the Society of Friends, or Quakers, in 2004; the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination in 2013; the Episcopal Church of the United States in 2015; and the Presbyterian Church of the USA in 2018.

Mainline Protestant denominations that still have policies that bar LGBTQ membership, LGBTQ clergy, or same-sex marriage include Seventh Day Adventist, Assemblies of God, Jehovahs Witness, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Southern Baptist Convention, which is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. with more than 16 million members.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Church of the Nazarene allow LGBTQ people to be members, but only if they do not act on their sexuality, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

In each case of a schism, when a denomination adopted platforms that included LGBTQ issues, some congregations splintered off in favor of more conservative denominations.

For Methodists, the division over LGBTQ issues reached a fever pitch in 2019, when the denomination met for its international convention in St. Louis to potentially amend the groups policies on human sexuality.

Ultimately, the conferences delegates voted down the proposed changes, which would have allowed openly gay people to serve as pastors or in leadership roles and would have allowed pastors to officiate same-sex weddings without being disciplined.

Lybarger and other pastors said they have found comfort in peers from other denominations that experienced similar fissures.

It was encouraging to know, actually, that we werent walking down a path into uncharted territory, Lybarger said. The fact that all denominations are dealing with this, or have dealt with this, tells me that the Holy Spirit is leading churches to be a church for all people.

He said those who stayed in the UMC must still contend with existing bans on same-sex marriages and gay clergy  bans that some U.S. congregations have openly defied.

There was this sense that we are not leaving to go and make our own sandbox because we didnt like something happening in the denomination, Lybarger said. Instead, it was seen as an opportunity for us to continue to be that unapologetically inclusive church that we feel called to be.

The Rev. Kate Hanch, an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in St. Charles, said while people are grieving the disaffiliation, the process has offered a chance to clarify our values as Christians.

For this particular church, that meant us saying all together that all means all, Hanch said.

The congregation, which dates back to 1821, decided in the spring of 2019 to become fully inclusive of LGBTQ people.

Meanwhile, Just said, that movement left more conservative congregations grappling with an uncertain future. Some churches are exploring GMC affiliation, while others are considering what it would mean to be non-denominational.

For now, there are fewer than two dozen GMC churches in Missouri. Just expects that figure to climb in the coming months because, he says, the new denomination have been wrongly labeled as homophobic or anti-woman.

Unfortunately, what has been presented about the GMC is that we are not welcoming of LGBTQ people, and that is simply not true, Just said. Just because we dont agree with someone doesnt mean that we dont love them and want to worship alongside them. We would never in any way turn someone away.

Boyette agreed, saying the new denomination welcomes sinners of every stripe.

In no way would we ever tell someone that they couldnt enter our churches, participate in our worship services, belong to our congregations, Boyette said.

But he acknowledged the denomination has clear standards for its members and those in leadership roles.

Boyette said the new denomination has about 3,000 congregations in the U.S. and a presence in Bulgaria, Spain, the Philippines, Croatia and several places in Africa. The denomination is also organizing in several other countries, including Qatar, Dubai, and the United Arab Emirates.

The denomination plans to hold its first conference in the fall of 2024, when delegates will adopt policies.

Ripple effects

Prior to the vote last month, congregations interested in disaffiliating held months of discussions. More than 67% of all members of a congregation had to vote to disaffiliate.

The votes created a line of demarcation and scrambled loyalties: Many of the more liberal members left the conservative, disaffiliated congregations, and the more conservative members left congregations that stayed affiliated.

The new faces we are seeing, I think, are largely because there are so many Methodists right now without a home, and they are looking for a place where they can be a part of a church family of like-minded individuals, Hanch said.

Lybarger has seen ripple effects of the vote in St. Charles County, where, he says, new people coming to The Well are not looking for theology debates.

They may not fully subscribe to everything that the Methodist Church has in policy, or maybe they simply want to belong to a Methodist denomination because the denomination is a huge part of their identity, Lybarger said. Or we have other people who are simply looking for a place where they can participate fully without having to justify their seat at the table.

He and Hanch also say that young people who grew up not attending church are expressing interest in doing so.

We are seeing young people who were previously not interested in the institution of church, because they felt like it didnt reflect their values, now wanting to be a part of a church, Hanch said.

From his office in Kansas, Just shared similar hopes for the GMC.

People are not interested in tradition or the institution of church, so to see us having this play out in public has not been a good witness to all the good that churches can do, he said. I feel terrible about it. But hopefully we can all move forward.
A dozen years ago, 11-year-old Blair Shanahan died after being struck by celebratory gunfire during Independence Day festivities in Kansas City. She was the unintended victim of someone elses bad decision-making. Now the same can be said of the law proposed in her name.

Blairs Law, which would have criminalized celebratory gunfire in Missouri, wont go into effect this year because of unrelated dysfunction in state government. Gov. Mike Parson vetoed it Thursday, along with the rest of the sweeping anti-crime package it was part of, which he says the state cant afford.

This comes less than a year after Parson signed into law a massive state income tax cut. Whats wrong with this picture?

If the most reliable way to assess a governments priorities is by its budgeting decisions, Missouri is in bigger trouble than we thought. Parsons more than half a billion dollars in cuts to the $51 billion annual spending plan the Legislature sent him together present an alarming picture of what kind of state this has become.

Its a state in which often-touted priorities such as infrastructure and crime fighting get the short shrift in the name of knee-jerk tax cuts. A state in which exonerated inmates who have lost years of their lives due to prosecutorial incompetence or worse arent properly compensated. A state in which an education program that is singled out for praise by the governor in May is defunded in July.

And its a state where a glaringly obvious imperative like outlawing celebratory gunfire is somehow beyond the ability of the political system.

Parson vetoed the crime package that included Blairs Law because of a separate provision within it that provided enhanced state restitution for wrongly convicted inmates, which he says the state shouldnt have to pay for.

Its an unfortunate but not uncommon fact of lawmaking that good ideas sometimes get sunk because theyre attached to bad ideas. But that wasnt the case here. Exonerated Missouri inmates like Lamar Johnson, who lose decades of their lives to erroneous prosecution, deserve just compensation from the society that imprisoned them.

Parson argued in his veto message that state taxpayers shouldnt be responsible for prosecutorial errors made at the local level. That rationale ignores the fact that the state backs up local prosecutors and is often directly involved in these miscarriages of justice  as the Missouri Attorney Generals office was directly involved in attempting to keep Johnson incarcerated.

Parson also cut important infrastructure funding the Legislature had slated for St. Louis, including $5 million to remove condemned property, half of the $10 million lawmakers approved to fund a flood wall, and  most crucially  $23 million that was to have gone to new city police and 911 facilities.

In addition, Parson cut $3.5 million that had been approved for a program aimed at helping rural students get into colleges or trade schools. Its a program Parson himself celebrated in May at an event in his hometown of Bolivar, but now he says the state cant afford it.

Missouri, like so many state and local governments, is currently flush with cash from federal pandemic and stimulus programs. But Parson wrote to lawmakers that funding the program with one-time revenue wouldnt support it going forward, which could possibly jeopardize the programs future sustainability.

Its good to know Parson gets that concept. So why is Missouris solution to the states outrageously low teacher salaries a matching state grant program to local districts that puts off the problem but doesnt solve it?

All of this reflects a Republican mindset stretching back to the Reagan era that views all tax cuts as worthy, regardless of their impact on the basic functions of government.

Even as Parson was effectively acknowledging that the state has cut too much future revenue, in fact, he approved a separate bill that will allow counties to freeze property tax increases for senior citizens who are eligible for Social Security  a criterion that has nothing to do with actual need. It could cost counties millions of dollars, potentially affecting services for lower-income seniors who dont even qualify for the tax cut.

In his cuts, Parson has signaled that he sees a fiscal cliff ahead for the state, and wants to (as he put it in one of his veto messages) help ensure the financial stability of Missouri beyond my administration.

Where was that concern about financial stability last year, when Parson signed a state income tax cut that will cost Missouri more than $760 million a year?

As we noted while that disastrous idea was coming together, it would drain revenue from a state that already cant even conduct the basic functions of government.

There was no real rationale for the cuts other than that the government currently has an extra pot of money. Money that, as Parson now seems to suddenly understand, wont be there permanently.

Parson called his cuts the right thing  the conservative thing  to make strategic investments and maintain responsible spending.

After cutting revenue amid unmet needs, and now further undermining functions of government to pay for those cuts, why even talk about responsibility and conservatism?

Those tax cuts werent responsible, and these damaging budget cuts arent conservatism. All of this is the fiscal equivalent of firing guns into the air just because you can, and not bothering to consider what happens next.
The gallery and studio artist Vesna Delevska maintains in Chesterfield Mall fills with music, mostly jazz, when she paints. Her large paintings, bright with color and light dot the walls. She doesn't limit herself to stretched canvases painted on easels, however. She paints on anything she has a mind to  wood panels, brick walls, ceramic mugs and even musicians' guitars when asked. She's painted on buildings far outside her studio.

Her style can't be pigeonholed into one genre. Art in all its magic forms has always called to her. When she lived half a world away, she answered. She moved from Skopje, Macedonia, where she was born and raised. She came to the United States to study art and painting at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Artist in the making  Delevska grew up with a talented father who painted, played in a band, and loved to share music and art with his daughter, even though he worked full time as an audiologist. Her talents landed her in an art-focused high school. The school expanded her view of the arts.

"I visited centuries-old monasteries and churches all over Macedonia on school trips in high school. I was moved with how artists devoted their lives to creating the art within. They also lived in those places, working on mosaics, frescoes and iconography. It was really inspiring for me growing up," she says. She's incorporated the arts that moved her as a teen into her work today.

Ever-forward  In Macedonia's highly structured education system, Delevska knew she wouldn't have the freedom to explore the arts as she would have liked. With her father's encouragement, she enrolled at the University of Central Oklahoma to study fine art.

After graduation, she moved to Kansas City to work. She soon discovered St. Louis and moved across the state 15 years ago. "I love the art, the architecture and the culture of St. Louis," she says. One of Delevska's great pleasures is painting nature. "The light in trees is always so different, and I like to observe their character. Flowers are really a never-ending source of inspiration for me.

"There is so much nature in the St. Louis urban environment, and also in the nearby more rural areas. It's a beautiful mix of things, with a lot of diversity and, and ways to experience both the city and also enjoy the countryside."

Larger than life  She painted several murals when she first arrived in St. Louis. "I saw a large potential for art here, which made me want to stay. I continued painting and opened the art gallery," she says. "I added live painting events with music, and things progressed. I enjoy St. Louis, and I can work full-time as an artist here."

Painting live and in color  Delevska moved outside the walls of her gallery and into the public sphere with her special live painting sessions paired with music. She is often hired to bring her artwork directly to people at benefits and parties.

She thinks the experience adds excitement to her painting process. She creates a large-scale painting in under two hours. "I think the music helps me to accomplish the higher contrast and drama in these paintings. It's fun to watch, and it all unfolds pretty quickly," she says, adding excitement to watching paint dry.

The sum of its parts  Delevska's move from Macedonia to St. Louis proved to be a good one for her. She honors her Macedonian past in her paintings, murals and frescoes. She builds on new experiences to imbue her art with energy.

"My art, the subjects, the categories I paint, and the type of techniques I use flow with my personality and life experiences. My art is a reflection of what I am. It changes over time. My colors have changed from the earthy tones of a few years ago the vibrant and colorful paintings I do now," she says.

Her next free live painting event will be 6 to 8 p.m. July 28 at Carol House Furniture in Valley Park.

Vesna Delevska

Age  43

Family  Delevska's father, Blagoja Delevski, is also a painter and music lover who lives in Macedonia. Her brother, Dino Delevski, lives in the United States.

Home  University City

What she makes  Delevska works in multiple mediums and on different surfaces. She makes paintings on canvas, plans and participates in live painting performances with music. She also does murals and has even painted large utility boxes to beautify urban neighborhoods.

Where to buy  Original paintings are available at Vesna Art Gallery in Chesterfield Mall. You may also visit Art-Inspired Rooms by Carol House Furniture at both the Maryland Heights and the Valley Park locations to purchase originals or to commission an original artwork. She sells her prints through Pixels.com. See her website at vesna-art.com

How much  Original paintings range from $500 to $8,000. Prints start at $115 and go up to $800. Her commissions and murals are priced individually, according to the project's requirements.
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 9, 2023) - MYPROSPEROUS.IO, a leading foreign exchange platform, has unveiled its latest offering with the launch of a 24-hour smart butler service application. This innovative solution aims to revolutionize customer support by providing round-the-clock assistance, personalized guidance, and real-time market insights to enhance the trading experience for its users.

The newly introduced smart butler service application harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and advanced automation technologies. It serves as a virtual assistant, equipped with sophisticated algorithms and natural language processing capabilities, enabling seamless and intuitive interactions with users. The application is designed to cater to the diverse needs of individual traders, investors, and businesses operating in the foreign exchange market.

With this new feature, MYPROSPEROUS.IO clients gain access to an array of personalized services, including instant trade execution, tailored investment recommendations, and comprehensive market analysis. The smart butler can provide real-time updates on currency trends, economic news, and market volatility, empowering users to make informed trading decisions.

"The launch of our 24-hour smart butler service application represents a significant milestone for MYPROSPEROUS.IO," said Johnathan Smith, CEO of MYPROSPEROUS.IO. "We are committed to delivering an exceptional customer experience, and this innovative solution takes our support capabilities to the next level. The smart butler will serve as a reliable companion for our users, offering personalized assistance and empowering them to navigate the foreign exchange market with confidence."

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The smart butler service application is accessible through multiple channels, including web browsers, mobile devices, and messaging platforms. Clients can engage with the virtual assistant using voice commands or text-based interactions, receiving instant responses and tailored recommendations based on their specific trading requirements.

In addition to its customer-centric approach, MYPROSPEROUS.IO has placed a strong emphasis on security and privacy. The smart butler service application adheres to stringent data protection protocols, ensuring the confidentiality of user information and maintaining compliance with industry regulations.

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MYPROSPEROUS.IO's launch of the 24-hour smart butler service application reaffirms its position as a frontrunner in the foreign exchange industry. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and delivering exceptional customer support, the platform remains dedicated to empowering users, optimizing trading outcomes, and driving customer success.

About MYPROSPEROUS.IO:

MYPROSPEROUS.IO is a leading foreign exchange platform that offers individuals and businesses an advanced and user-friendly interface to trade currencies. The platform provides access to a wide range of currency pairs, real-time market data, and robust risk management features, ensuring a seamless trading experience. With a strong focus on customer satisfaction and innovation, MYPROSPEROUS.IO aims to empower its clients to achieve their financial goals.

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BEIJING , July 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President Xi Jinping has called on east China's Jiangsu Province to take the lead and set an example in advancing Chinese modernization.

Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection trip in Jiangsu from Wednesday to Friday.

Lauding the strengths of Jiangsu's solid industrial foundation, rich scientific and educational resources, sound business environment and huge market size, he urged the province to continue to play an exemplary role in promoting reform, innovation and high-quality development, as well as in contributing to China's efforts to foster a new pattern of development.

During the trip, Xi visited the cities of Suzhou and Nanjing , and went to places including an industrial park, enterprises, a historic and cultural block, and a science lab. On Friday morning, Xi also heard a work report from the provincial Party committee and the government of Jiangsu .

Modernization of sci-tech

Xi told officials that the key to Chinese modernization lies in the modernization of science and technology.

Efforts should be made to reinforce the principal role of enterprises in innovation, encourage the flow of innovation resources to enterprises, and promote the industrial application of scientific and technological advances, Xi added.

He also called for establishing a basic system to support comprehensive innovation and increasing sci-tech investment through diverse channels and strengthening the legal protection of intellectual property rights.

During his inspection, Xi reiterated the importance of advancing the development of science and technology.

Visiting the Suzhou Industrial Park, Xi emphasized the crucial role of hi-tech parks in achieving self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology. He called for deeper integrated development of enterprises, universities, and research institutes, with enterprises taking the lead.

The Chinese president highlighted the importance of fostering new industries and accelerating industrial upgrades by leveraging new technologies. Additionally, he emphasized expanding international cooperation to build world-class high-tech parks that are open and driven by innovation.

When inspecting a 6G comprehensive lab of Purple Mountain Laboratories in Nanjing , capital city of Jiangsu on Thursday afternoon, Xi said that with the rapid advancement of information technology, disruptive technologies can emerge at any moment. He stressed pursuing a pragmatic path of innovation.

He also encouraged young researchers at the Nanjing's NARI Group Corporation, to make breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies, thus leading a fulfilling life.

Building a modern Chinese civilization

Building a modern Chinese civilization is essential to advancing Chinese modernization, Xi noted during his meeting with party and governmental officials. He urged Jiangsu to step up the promotion of sectors including science and technology, education and culture.

On Thursday morning, Xi strolled through the Pingjiang Historic and Cultural Block, a site with a rich history spanning over 2,500 years.

He noted that the fine traditional Chinese culture embodies qualities such as resilience, patience, and perseverance, which have become an integral part of the Chinese national spirit.

Xi said that Suzhou has excelled in blending tradition with modernity, simultaneously promoting historical and cultural inheritance and boosting high-tech innovation and high-quality development.

This approach epitomizes the future of development, he added.

Ensuring people's livelihoods

Xi also demanded accelerated efforts to establish a well-rounded social security system, improve employment promotion mechanisms and public services to boost employment.

He called for better ensuring the employment of key groups.

On workplace safety, Xi said safety overhauls must be carried forward to curb serious and major accidents.

Xi called for vigilance against flooding disasters as China is about to enter a key period for flood control. He also noted the increased risks of forest fires in some regions.

Various emergency preparations must be made to reduce all sorts of losses to the minimum, Xi added.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-07-07/Xi-urges-Jiangsu-to-take-lead-in-advancing-Chinese-modernization-1lfdoRI14CA/index.html

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SOURCE CGTN
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

By Ezgi Erkoyun and Kanishka Singh

ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden expressed a desire to see Sweden join NATO "as soon as possible" in a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in which they discussed Sweden's bid to become a member of the Western alliance, the White House said on Sunday.

Turkey, along with Hungary, has been a stumbling block to Sweden's bid, which requires unanimous approval by all NATO members.

Erdogan told Biden that Stockholm has taken steps in the right direction for Ankara to ratify its bid, referring to an anti-terrorism law, but said these steps were not useful as Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) supporters continued to hold demonstrations in Sweden, the Turkish presidency's communications directorate said separately on Sunday.

Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement.

The leaders agreed to meet face-to-face in Vilnius, Lithuania, at an upcoming NATO summit and discuss bilateral relations and regional issues in detail, the Turkish presidency also said.

On Thursday, Sweden failed to convince Turkey to lift its block on Stockholm's path to NATO membership in a foreign minister-level meeting, as Ankara requested more action in the fight against terrorism.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would convene a meeting between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, abandoning policies of military non-alignment that had lasted through the decades of the Cold War in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While Finland's NATO membership was green-lighted in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden's bid. Stockholm has been working to join at next week's NATO summit in Vilnius.

During their call, Biden and Erdogan also discussed the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, and Ukraine's aim to join NATO, according to the Turkish presidency's readout.

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Peter Graff and Leslie Adler)
HARBIN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Daqing Oilfield, China's largest onshore oilfield, produced 15.09 million tonnes of crude oil in the first half of 2023, said the oilfield, a subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Corporation.

During the same period, the oilfield yielded around 2.97 billion cubic meters of natural gas, an increase of 63 million cubic meters compared with the same period last year.

Since the beginning of 2023, Daqing Oilfield has focused on the target tasks of stabilizing oil production and increasing gas production.

Daqing Oilfield is one of China's largest oil production bases. Located in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, the oilfield has made a significant contribution to China's modern petroleum industry.

Up to now, Daqing Oilfield has produced over 2.5 billion tonnes of crude oil, accounting for 36 percent of China's total domestic onshore crude oil production.

From 2003 to 2022, its annual oil and gas production at home and abroad stood above 40 million tonnes of oil equivalent. 
(Reuters) -Russian air defence systems shot down four missiles on Sunday, Russian officials said, one over the annexed Crimean peninsula and three over Russia's Rostov and Bryansk regions that border Ukraine.

A cruise missile was shot down near the city of Kerch on the Crimean peninsula without inflicting any damage or casualties, Russia-installed Governor Sergei Aksyonov wrote on the Telegram messaging app. He did not specify where the missile had been launched from.

Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, but is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.

Local officials said traffic movement on the Crimean Bridge that links the peninsula to the Russian mainland was restored after an apparent suspension. No reason for the traffic halt was given.

In another incident, air defences shot down a Ukrainian missile over Russia's Rostov region, Governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram. "There were no casualties. The debris partially damaged the roofs of several buildings," Golubev wrote.

Alexander Bogomaz, governor of Bryansk, wrote on Telegram that the Russian military had shot down two Ukrainian missiles. A sawmill was totally destroyed as result of one of the missiles falling, Bogomaz said.

Moscow regularly accuses Ukraine of attacks against targets inside Russia. Kyiv has denied this, saying it is fighting a defensive war on its own territory.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by William Maclean and David Holmes)
BILOXI, Miss. (Tribune News Service)  As one of the most important training grounds for the United States Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base possesses quite a history. Yet, few are familiar with the man behind its namesake, 2nd Lt. Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr.

Keesler was born on April 11, 1896, in Greenwood, Miss., to an affluent family. His father was a cotton broker and owned a mansion nearby nicknamed Cottonlandia.

Throughout his high school years, Keesler proved himself an exceptional leader, student and athlete. He continued his academic pursuits at Davidson College in North Carolina, hoping to one day teach in secondary schools. During this time he also served as president of the student body.

While Keesler pursued his studies, Europe became embroiled in the horrors of World War I. In the midst of the global conflict, airplanes emerged as a powerful tool of warfare, evolving from reconnaissance planes to heavily armed fighters and bombers engaged in dramatic aerial battles.

With the sinking of the Lusitania, and German attempts to manipulate Mexico into attacking the U.S., America joined the Allied forces in April 1917. Although millions enlisted in the military, only a select few embraced the field of aviation.

Eager to contribute, Keesler enlisted on May 13, 1917, even skipping his college commencement to do so. He underwent training as an aerial observer at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was commissioned as an officer on August 15.

In March 1918, Keesler and other American service members bound for battle began arriving in massive numbers in France. There, he underwent advanced training in aerial gunnery and artillery fire control.

Assigned to the 24 Aero Squadron near Verdun in August, Keesler and his comrades conducted crucial reconnaissance and observation missions over German lines, providing invaluable support to the American and French armies.

On September 14, Keesler took off on his first mission, flying without an escort behind enemy lines on observation duties. He experienced his first taste of enemy fire and his plane was badly damaged by German forces.

In preparation for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the Squadron relocated to the Vivacourt Airdome on September 22. As the American and French armies assaulted the German front-lines, the Squadron supplied critical intelligence and photographic evidence of enemy positions.

On the afternoon of Oct. 8, Keesler and pilot 1st Lt. Harold W. Riley embarked on a routine reconnaissance mission. However, they were swiftly confronted by four German fighters, outmatched and outgunned.

Riley attempted to disengage, but their plane sustained heavy damage to its rudder and elevator. Remarkably, even as their aircraft dipped toward the ground, Keesler continued firing his machine gun, managing to destroy one enemy fighter.

Keesler and Riley survived the crash landing, but Keesler had sustained six wounds to his chest and abdomen during the encounter. As they crawled out of the wreckage, a strafing run by one of the enemy planes injured both men.

While German soldiers took the men captive, the necessary medical attention was beyond their reach. Tragically, Keesler succumbed to his wounds the following day.

Riley, having endured his wounds and captivity, later recommended Keesler for a citation. Recognizing his exceptional courage, Riley even remarked that Keesler received no medical attention and, although he must have suffered terribly, he showed wonderful self-control and won the admiration of all the German soldiers.

Keesler was only 22 years old and is was buried at Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial in Thiaucourt-Regnieville, France.

Keesler was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary valor. In 1941, Army Air Corps Station No. 8 was officially renamed as Keesler Army Airfield in his honor. This eventually became Keesler Air Force Base.

Today, Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr. is remembered as one of Mississippis most prominent WWI heroes. His faithful service and ultimate sacrifice are remembered by the nearly 30,000 airmen who train at the base each year.

(c)2023 The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.)

Visit at www.sunherald.com
CAIRO  An airstrike in a Sudanese city on Saturday killed at least 22 people, health authorities said, in one of the deadliest air attacks yet in the three months of fighting between the country's rival generals.

The assault took place in the Dar es Salaam neighborhood in Omdurman, the neighboring city of the capital, Khartoum, according to a brief statement by the health ministry. The attack wounded an unspecified number of people, it said.

The ministry posted video footage that showed dead bodies on the ground with sheets covering them and people trying to pull the dead from the rubble. Others attempted to help the wounded. People could be heard crying.

The attack was one of the deadliest in the fighting in urban areas of the capital and elsewhere in Sudan. The conflict pits the military against a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Last month, an airstrike killed at least 17 people including 5 children in Khartoum.

The RSF blamed the military for Saturday's attack and other strikes on residential areas in Omdurman, where fighting has raged between the warring factions, according to residents. The military has reportedly attempted to cut off a crucial supply line for the paramilitary force there.

A spokesman for the military was not immediately available for comment Saturday.

Two Omdurman residents said it was difficult to determine which side was responsible for the attack. They said the military's aircraft have repeatedly targeted RSF troops in the area and the paramilitary force has used drones and anti-aircraft weapons against the military.

At the time of the attack early Saturday, the military was hitting the RSF, which took people's houses as shields, and the RSF fired anti-aircraft rounds at the attacking warplanes, said Abdel-Rahman, one of the residents who asked to use only his first name out of concern for his safety.

"The area is like a hell ... fighting around the clock and people are not able to leave," he said.

The conflict broke out in mid-April, capping months of increasing tensions between the military, chaired by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The fighting came 18 months after the two generals led a military coup in October 2021 that toppled a Western-backed civilian transitional government.

Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said in televised comments last month that the clashes have killed over 3,000 people and wounded over 6,000 others. More than 2.9 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries, according to U.N. figures.

"It's a place of great terror," Martin Griffiths, the United Nations humanitarian chief, said of Sudan on Friday. He decried "the appalling crimes" taking place across the country and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

The conflict has plunged the African country into chaos and turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields. Members of the paramilitary force have occupied people's houses and other civilian properties since the onset of the conflict, according to residents and activists. There were also reports of widespread destruction and looting across Khartoum and Omdurman.

Sexual violence, including the rape of women and girls, has been reported in Khartoum and the western Darfur region, which have seen some of the worst fighting in the conflict. Almost all reported cases of sexual attacks were blamed on the RSF, which hasn't responded to repeated requests for comment.

On Wednesday, top U.N. officials including Volker Turk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, called for a "prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigation" into the increasing reports of sexual violence against women and girls.

The Sudanese Unit for Combating Violence against Women, a government organization that tracks sex attacks against women, said it documented 88 cases of rape related to the ongoing conflict, including 42 in Khartoum and 46 in Darfur.

The unit, however, said the figure likely represented only 2% of the truce number of cases, which means there were a possible 4,400 cases of sexual violence since the fighting began on April 15, according to the Save the Children charity.

"Sexual violence continues to be used as a tool to terrorize women and children in Sudan," said Arif Noor, director of Save the Children in Sudan. "Children as young as 12 are being targeted for their gender, for their ethnicity, for their vulnerability."
CAIRO  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sudan was on the brink of a full-scale civil war as fierce clashes between rival generals continued unabated Sunday in the capital, Khartoum.

Guterres warned late Saturday that the war between the Sudanese military and a powerful paramilitary force is likely to destabilize the entire region, according to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the U.N. chief.

Sudan descended into chaos after months of tension between military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and his rival, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in mid-April.

Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said last month that the clashes have killed over 3,000 people and wounded over 6,000 others. The death tally, however, is highly likely to be much higher, he said. More than 2.9 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries, according to U.N. figures.

The fighting began 18 months after the two generals led a military coup in October 2021 that toppled a Western-backed civilian transition government. The coup and ensuing conflict dashed Sudanese hopes of a peaceful shift to democracy after a popular uprising forced the military removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

The war has turned the capital Khartoum and other urban areas across the country into battlefields.

Residents in Khartoum said fierce fighting was underway early Sunday south of the capital. The warring factions were using heavy weapons in battles in the Kalaka neighborhood and the militarys aircraft were seen hovering over the area, said resident Abdalla al-Fatih.

In his statement, Guterres also condemned an airstrike Saturday that health authorities said killed at least 22 people in Omdurman, a city just across the Nile from the Khartoum. The assault was one of the deadliest in the conflict so far.

The RSF blamed the military for the attack in Omdurman. The military denied the accusation, saying in a statement Sunday that its air force didnt carry out any airstrikes in the city Saturday.

The secretary-general also decried the large-scale violence and casualties in the western region of Darfur, which has experienced some of the worst fighting in the ongoing conflict, Haq said in a statement.

There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing, Guterres said.

U.N. officials have said the violence in the region has recently taken on an ethnic dimension, with the RSF and Arab militias reportedly targeting non-Arab tribes in Darfur, a sprawling region consisting of five provinces. Last month, the governor of Darfur, Mini Arko Minawi, said the region was sliding back to its past genocide, referring to the conflict that engulfed the region in the early 2000s.

Entire towns and villages in West Darfur province were overrun by the RSF and their allied militias, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee to neighboring Chad. Activists have reported many residents killed, women and girls raped, and properties looted and burned to the ground.

There were clashes between the military and the RSF elsewhere in Sudan on Sunday, including the province of North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Egypt, meanwhile, said it will host a meeting on Thursday for Sudans neighboring countries. The gathering aims at establishing effective mechanisms to help find a peaceful settlement to the conflict in coordination with other international and regional efforts, Ahmed Fahmy, spokesman for Egypts presidency, said in a statement.

Fahmy provided no further details on the gathering.

The efforts come as talks between warring factions in the Saudi Arabian coastal city of Jeddah repeatedly failed to stop the fighting. The Jeddah talks were brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States
SEOUL, South Korea  South Korean opposition lawmakers sharply criticized the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Sunday for its approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They met with Rafael Grossi in a tense meeting in Seoul that took place while protesters screamed outside the door.

Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agencys director general, arrived in South Korea over the weekend to engage with government officials and critics and help reduce public concerns about food safety.

The IAEA last week approved the Japanese discharge plans, saying the process would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts. South Koreas government has also endorsed the safety of the Japanese plans.

In his meeting with members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Koreas parliament, Grossi said the IAEAs review of the Japanese plans was based on transparent and scientific research. He acknowledged concerns over how the Japanese plans would play out in reality and said the IAEA would establish a permanent office in Fukushima to closely monitor how the discharge process is implemented over the next three decades.

Our conclusion has been that this plan, if it is carried out in the way it has been presented, would be in line, would be in conformity with the international safety standards, Grossi said.

The lawmakers responded by harshly criticizing IAEAs review, which they say neglected long-term environmental and health impacts of the wastewater release and threatens to set a bad precedent that may encourage other countries to dispose nuclear waste into sea. They called for Japan to scrap the discharge plans and work with neighboring countries to find safer ways to handle the wastewater, including a possible pursuit of long-term storage on land.

The party has also criticized the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for putting peoples health at risk while trying to improve relations with Japan.

If you think (the treated wastewater) is safe, I wonder whether you would be willing to suggest the Japanese government use that water for drinking or for industrial and agricultural purposes, rather than dumping it in the sea, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party lawmaker who attended the meeting, told Grossi. The party said Woo has been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days to protest the Japanese discharge plans.

Further details from the meeting werent immediately available after reporters were asked to leave following opening statements. Closely watched by parliamentary security staff, dozens of protesters shouted near the lobby of the National Assemblys main hall where the meeting was taking place, holding signs denouncing the IAEA and Japan.

Grossi was to fly to New Zealand later on Sunday and would then travel to the Cook Islands as he further tries to reassure countries in the region about the Japanese plans.

Hundreds of demonstrators had also marched in downtown Seoul on Saturday demanding that Japan scrap its plans.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plants cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the facility, has been storing the treated water in hundreds of tanks that now cover most of the plant and are nearly full. Japanese officials say the tanks must be removed to make room to build facilities for the plants decommissioning and to minimize the risk of leaks in case of another major disaster. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons in early 2024.

Japan first announced plans to discharge the treated water into the sea in 2018, saying the water will be further diluted by seawater before being released in a carefully controlled process that will take decades to complete.

The safety of Fukushimas wastewater has been a sensitive issue for years between the U.S. allies. South Korea and Japan have been working in recent months to repair relations long strained over wartime historical grievances to address shared concerns such as the North Korean nuclear threat and Chinas assertive foreign policy.

In a statement released by state media on Sunday, North Korea also criticized the Japanese discharge plans, warning against fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment. The statement, which was attributed to an unidentified official in North Koreas Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, also criticized Washington and Seoul for backing the Japanese plans.

What matters is the unreasonable behavior of IAEA actively patronizing and facilitating Japans projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable, it said. Worse still, the U.S. and (South) Korea openly express unseemly welcome to Japans discharge plan that deserves condemnation and rejection, provoking strong anger of the public.
(Tribune News Service)  U.S, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen struck a positive but pragmatic tone after completing a high-stakes trip to China, even as she pressed officials in Beijing on a range of unfair economic practices.

Yellens comments were delivered at a news conference capping a four-day visit to Beijing that shed described as a mission to revive engagement between the two largest economies. Frictions between Washington and Beijing have soared in recent years over issues ranging from Taiwan to technology access.

While in China, Yellen held 10 hours of talks that she described as direct, substantive and had brought U.S.-China ties closer to a surer footing. Half of that time was spent with her counterpart Vice Premier He Lifeng, the first extensive exchange between the two policy chiefs since Chinas new economic team was appointed. During a shorter meeting with Premier Li Qiang, she had a broader exchange on the U.S.-China relationship.

Yellens task in Beijing was tricky one. She sought to air concerns about Chinese economic policies, while calling for greater cooperation and engagement between the two nations, especially on global challenges such as climate change and debt distress in poorer nations.

It was first major test of a policy she outlined in April thats geared toward defending and securing US national security without trying to hold China back economically. During her trip, she raised contentious issues such as Chinas non-market practices and an uptick in coercive actions against American companies. She also warned Chinese companies against providing material support for Russias war in Ukraine.

Despite those points of contention, her overall message in China was two countries arent in a winner-take-all competition and both sides should manage their rivalry with a fair set of rules.

President Biden and I do not see the relationship between the U.S. and China through the frame of great power conflict, she said on Sunday. We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive.

Yellens visit was part of a broader push by President Joe Bidens administration to mend relations with Americas main geopolitical rival, while also sending clear messages about U.S. policy.

Shes the second member of Bidens Cabinet to visit China in three weeks, after Secretary of State Antony Blinkens visit in June. U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry is expected to visit later this month for talks on global warming.

Treasury officials said Yellens primary objective in Beijing was to build communication channels with the Chinese governments new economic team. She reiterated that goal to Chinas economic czar He, saying where we have concerns about specific economic practices, we should and will communicate them directly.

The vice premier agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation on global challenges on Saturday, while expressing concern to Yellen about U.S. sanctions and other restrictive measures against China, according to a government statement.

He warned the U.S. that generalizing national security was not conducive to economic exchanges, and pressed Yellen on U.S. sanctions and other restrictive measures, according to a readout published by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Yellens trip began on Friday with key members of the old guard of Chinas economic policy during her trip, including Liu He  a fluent English-speaking veteran of the international stage who had studied at Harvard University and with whom Yellen had established a rapport.

She also met Friday with Pan Gongsheng, who is expected to take over as governor of the Peoples Bank of China. Yellen on Saturday sat down with Chinese climate experts, a team of female economists and U.S. businesses operating in the country.

The Treasury chief reiterated concerns about punitive actions China had taken against American firms in recent months. The Chinese government in May banned U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc.s products from some of its critical sectors, and has raided the offices of U.S. consultancy Bain & Company and New York-based due diligence business Mintz Group earlier this year.

Days before her arrival, China announced restrictions on exporting two metals that are crucial to key technology industries.

That was the latest escalation in a trade war that ramped up last year with U.S. export controls on semiconductors and chipmaking equipment. Those tensions could escalate as Bidens team prepares an executive order curbing U.S. outbound investment in China.

While Yellen said the U.S. would continue to take targeted actions to protect our national security, she said such steps would not be used to gain economic advantage.

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Leaders of the 31 countries that comprise the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will gather in Vilnius, Lithuania, for a two-day summit starting Tuesday, as Russias war in Ukraine nears its 18-month mark.

The meeting comes at a crucial moment in the conflict. NATO is seeking to bolster Kyiv with fresh munitions  including U.S.-provided cluster bombs  for its counteroffensive, and gauge the impact of Junes aborted mutiny by Wagner Group head Yevgeniy Prigozhin on Russias leadership and operations.

But the alliance is also grappling with internal squabbling over Turkeys reluctance to approve Swedens membership and whether to pave a path for Ukraines eventual accession.

Nevertheless, the assembled leaders  including U.S. President Biden, still the alliances most powerful figure  are eager to use this weeks meeting to signal that the conflict in Ukraine has only strengthened NATO. Biden has also planned a high-profile climate meeting with Britains King Charles III and a meeting with Nordic nations hosted by Finland, the alliances newest member.

Heres what to watch for as world leaders descend on Vilnius:

Sweden membership

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to meet Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Monday ahead of the summit, as the Nordic nation makes a last-ditch effort to convince Ankara that it should be allowed to join NATO.

Turkey has said its opposition stems from concerns Sweden isnt doing enough to clamp down on Kurdish separatist groups that Ankara views as terrorist organizations.

Erdogan has also signaled his eagerness for a meeting with Biden  U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said he expects the pair to talk at the summit  and to purchase American F-16 fighter jets for his military.

Biden acknowledged that Turkey is looking for modernization of F-16 aircraft and suggested it could be part of a U.S. move to also strengthen neighboring Greece militarily. Its in play, he said in a July 7 interview for CNNs Fareed Zakaria GPS. Its not done.

He renewed his support for Sweden to join NATO, adding Im optimistic.

While its too late for Turkey and fellow holdout Hungary to ratify Swedens membership before the summit, allies are holding out hope that the two sides can announce they have overcome the impasse.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg sounded optimistic on Thursday, saying Swedens membership is within reach and that it was possible to have a positive decision at the summit. A day later, Erdogan said Turkey cant trust a country where terrorists roam free in its streets.

Ukraine aid

Ukraine will be a key topic, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy planning to participate in the summit.

The 31 NATO countries are expected to offer Kyiv a promise of long-term support, which aims to deepen ties without immediately making it a member, given that the blocs Article 5 security guarantees could draw allies into Russias war against Ukraine. The United States announced an $800 million package Friday that includes controversial cluster munitions, which some NATO allies have outlawed over humanitarian concerns related to unexploded ordinance.

Biden in a Friday interview with CNN said that Ukraine isnt ready for membership in NATO, for reasons including Russias ongoing assault on the country and NATOs Article 5 provisions.

Zelenskyy has called for the summit to send clear signals in support of his countrys membership, urging allies to provide a more concrete perspective beyond a 15-year-old statement that Ukraine will eventually join.

The allies are grappling with how to address the question in the summit statement, with some eastern NATO members pushing for a more concrete path. Countries like the United States and Germany have wanted to focus instead on immediate assistance. One option could entail declaring Ukraine doesnt need a Membership Action Plan  a way to fast-track the countrys membership when allies eventually decide to invite it to join.

The Vilnius package will upgrade the formal status of NATOs relationship with Ukraine by establishing a new NATO-Ukraine Council, allowing the country to directly take part in broader discussions about the alliances security and hold consultations with allies about its security concerns.

NATO leaders are also expected to agree to a 500 million a year fund in nonlethal aid to help Ukraine modernize its military. On the sidelines of the summit, some allies are expected to pledge bilateral security assurances to Ukraine, committing to ensure its armed forces are well-equipped and well-trained in an effort to deter Russia from re-invading after the war ends.

Defense spending

NATO leaders are due to sign off on a new defense spending pledge, making an enduring commitment to spend at least 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense. The agreement extends the alliances previous aspirational goal of targeting 2 percent and underscores vows to spend more following the Ukraine invasion.

But many nations  including Luxembourg, Canada and Italy  are still struggling to comply with the old guideline. Only 11 of the 31 allies are expected to meet the 2 percent goal this year, according to estimates published by NATO on Friday.

The alliance is also expected to sign off on three regional defense plans for the first time since the end of the Cold War, which spell out in detail how countries will defend territory if it comes under attack by Russia or terror groups.

Leaders are also set to endorse a defense industry action plan, aimed at boosting defense production as Ukraine burns through artillery ammunition more quickly than allies can produce it.

Secretary General

One of the biggest questions facing the assembled leaders in Vilnius is who will lead their group into the future, especially as the conflict in Ukraine threatens to drag on.

Stoltenberg agreed last week to serve another year  his fourth extension in the top job  despite previously stating publicly that he didnt seek to prolong his post.

But neither top candidate to replace him  Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen or British defense chief Ben Wallace  appears able to corral enough of a consensus to secure the job, and the United States ultimately refrained from publicly endorsing a candidate. Bidens top priority was maintaining unity within the alliance, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Stoltenbergs return has fanned speculation that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a former German defense minister, could be in line for the job after her term expires next year.

Special relationship

Bidens visit to the U.K., his second in three months, is largely seen as a make up trip after he declined to attend Charles IIIs coronation in May.

Although Biden plans to visit 10 Downing Street to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before traveling to Windsor Castle, hes expected to be on the ground for less than a day. During his royal audience, Biden and the British monarch are expected to unveil a dual effort toward a mutual passion  recruiting private companies to help fund projects that can reduce climate change.

The British will be looking for Biden to firm up his commitment to a series of minor trade, military and technology agreements Sunak touted as the Atlantic Declaration while visiting the White House last month.

Biden could also put Sunak on the spot by pressing for a solution to the stalemate over implementing power-sharing provisions of the Good Friday Agreement. Expect a firm pledge of military support for Ukraine, with the UK second only to the United States in providing arms and aid to the Ukrainians.

Brendan Scott contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO's much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The world's biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations lags behind long-standing goals. An inability to compromise over who should serve as NATO's next leader forced an extension of the current secretary-general's term for an extra year.

Perhaps the most difficult questions are over how Ukraine should be eased into NATO. Some maintain admitting Ukraine would fulfill a promise made years ago and be a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others fear it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

"I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO," President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview that aired on Sunday. He said joining NATO requires countries to "meet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues."

He said the United States should provide long-term security assistance to Ukraine  "the capacity to defend themselves"  as it does with Israel.

Bickering among friends is not uncommon, and the current catalogue of disputes pales in comparison with past fears that Donald Trump would turn his back on the alliance during his presidency. But the current challenges come at a moment when Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

"Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance," said Douglas Lute, U.S. ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

"You don't want to present any openings," Lute said. "You don't want to present any gaps or seams."

By some measures, the war in Ukraine has reinvigorated NATO, which was created at the beginning of the Cold War as a bulwark against Moscow. NATO members have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become NATO's 31st member.

"I think it's appropriate to look at all the success," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told The Associated Press. "So I think the invasion has strengthened NATO  exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated."

He noted Germany's shift toward a more robust defense policy as well as an increase in military spending in other countries.

The latest test of NATO solidarity came Friday with what Biden said was a "difficult decision" to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine. More than two-thirds of alliance members have banned the weapon because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. The U.S., Russia and Ukraine are not among the more than 120 countries that have not signed a convention outlawing the use of the bombs.

As for Ukraine's possible entry into NATO, the alliance said in 2008 that Kyiv eventually would become a member. Since then, little action has been taken toward that goal. Putin occupied parts of Ukraine in 2014 and then tried to capture the capital in 2022 with his invasion.

"A gray zone is a green light for Putin," said Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called for a unified signal from NATO on Ukraine and for his country to join the alliance.

"It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia," Zelenskyy said through a translator in an ABC interview, when asked whether he would come to Vilnius. "Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO. And that is a very important point. Only under these conditions our meeting would be meaningful. Otherwise, it's just another politics."

The U.S. and Germany insist that the focus should be on supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join NATO. Countries on NATO's Eastern flank  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  want firmer assurances on future membership.

NATO could decide to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the NATO-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle to Sweden's attempts to join NATO alongside neighbor Finland.

Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey. But a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Erdogan signaled that this would pose another hurdle. He equated "those who permitted the crime" to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the U.S. are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Biden says Sweden's NATO membership has to be dealt with first. McConnell said in the AP interview that he supports the sale of the fighter jets to Turkey "provided that the membership of Sweden is settled."

Underscoring the prominence of Turkey at the upcoming summit, Biden held a lengthy call with Erdogan aboard Air Force One on the way to London. During the conversation, Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," according to the White House.

It's not the first time that Erdogan has sought to use a NATO summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary-general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there's growing frustration among allies toward Erdogan, building on concerns about his ties to Putin, democratic backsliding and sanctions evasion.

"They've tried playing nice," Bergmann said. "The question is whether it's time to get much more confrontational."

Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, is also delaying his country's approval of Sweden's membership. In response, Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is blocking a $735 million U.S. arms sale to Hungary.

"We don't want members who aren't interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests," Risch said. "I'm just sick and tired of it."

But he rejected the idea that these disagreements are a sign of weakness within NATO.

"These are kinds of things that always arise in an alliance," he said. "The fact that we've been able to deal with them and will continue to deal with them proves that this is the most successful and strongest military alliance in the history of the world."

At least one potentially difficult issue is off the summit agenda. Rather than seek consensus on a new NATO leader, members agreed to extend the tenure of Jens Stoltenberg, who's held the job since 2014, for a year. It's his fourth extension.

Most members wanted a woman to be the next secretary-general, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had been considered a favorite. But Poland insisted on a candidate from the Baltic states because there had already been two Nordic secretaries general in a row. (Stoltenberg was a Norwegian prime minister and Rasmussen was a Danish prime minister.)

Others are skeptical of accepting a nominee from the Baltics, whose leaders tend to be more provocative in their approach to Russia, including supporting Ukraine's desire to rapidly join NATO.

More disagreements loom over NATO's updated plans for countering any invasion that Russia might launch on allied territory.

Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
BEIRUT  Syrias Information Ministry has canceled the BBCs media accreditation, accusing the British public broadcaster of biased and fake news in its coverage of the war-torn country.

The announcement came days after BBC Arabic released an investigative documentary about the illicit drug trade in Syria, where they highlighted links between the estimated multi-billion dollar industry and the Syrian army as well as members of President Bashar Assads family.

The Syrian Information Ministry in a statement late Saturday said the decision was made after warning the channel more than once that it has broadcasted its misleading reports relying on statements and testimonies from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria.

Damascus revoked the licenses of both the British broadcasters radio and television correspondents in Syria, as well as their videographer.

We speak to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts, the BBC said in a statement emailed to the Associated Press, adding that the broadcaster provides impartial independent journalism. We will continue to provide impartial news and information to our audiences across the Arabic-speaking world.

The illicit drug industry, most notably the addictive Captagon amphetamine pills, has blossomed in war-torn Syria in recent years. While experts say it has been a way to generate revenue for the countrys crippled economy and sanctioned leadership, it has scourged neighboring Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as other Gulf countries.

Captagon has been used both recreationally and by people with physically demanding jobs to keep them alert as well as fighters on the battlefield.

The United Kingdom, United States, and European Union have sanctioned a handful of drug kingpins and close associates of Assad for their involvement in the trade.

The Syrian government denies any involvement in the production of Captagon. A Syrian parliamentarian told the AP last month that Syria has been used as a transit state for Captagon and other drugs, and accused opposition groups of running the industry.

After Syria restored relations with many of its neighboring countries and returned to the Arab fold, cracking down on drug smuggling has been a key issue in regional talks.

Syrias uprising which turned into a full-blown civil war, now in its 13th year, has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of its prewar population of 23 million. Syrians in both government-held territory and an opposition-held enclave in the countrys northwest suffer from rampant poverty and crippled infrastructure.

Associated Press writer Jill Lawless contributed to this report from London.
DALLAS  Mark Halstead remembers the last time he was outside.

The 17-year-old, being held at Dallas Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center while waiting for his reckless driving case to be resolved, was allowed to walk outside one day in February with other kids to visit a mobile dentist. As they waited for their dental exams, he tried to get a glimpse of what was around the beige brick building.

Mark could hear fast cars. He was near a highway. He could smell sugary confections from a nearby candy factory waft through the air. He felt the sun on his face, relishing the heat and warmth.

Once his dental check-up was finished, he was led inside to continue waiting for a judge to decide his future. For the 11 months Halstead has been at Henry Wade, he says he has been outside only that one time.

Twice a week, he gets 15-minute visits with his mother, Victoria Halstead. While he looks forward to seeing her, she is anxious. Mark gets thinner each time, she says, and her list of concerns grows.

A report commissioned by Dallas County and released in March by Evident Change, formerly the National Council on Crime & Delinquency and Childrens Research Center, found Dallas County is locking up minors for months longer than national standards recommend and is doling out more punitive judgments than some other big Texas counties.

The Dallas Morning News interviewed Victoria Halstead and parents from nine other families whose concerns go much further: They say children in the detention center at Henry Wade are being left in locked cells for the majority of the day, have not been sufficiently fed and some have not received medical care.

At least one concern has lingered for years: Kids have been reporting to investigators, county officials and reporters as far back as 2016 that they havent been allowed to go outside.

If we didnt feed our kids or bathe them, someone would call CPS, Halstead said. Why do they not get in trouble for these things?

In a June 13 interview with The News, Dallas Director of Juvenile Department Darryl Beatty said he was until recently unaware of the allegations about conditions at the detention center.

Those things are not things that we want to happen, he said.

Beatty said the current guard shortage could be a factor in some complaints. According to the latest data made available, from April, the detention center had 78 vacancies and only 76 filled positions.

Beatty said the detention center is compliant with state staffing standards.

Its a unique thing to be fully staffed, he said, adding, Obviously, this is a lot more vacancies than what we want to be working with right now.

A former detention center worker and a current member of the staff, who spoke to The News on the condition they not be publicly identified, confirmed much of what the parents said. One employee said he has worked in corrections for more than 10 years and has never seen a worse facility than the Henry Wade detention center.

Dallas juvenile justice system has been under county commissioners watchful eyes in the months since the scathing report was released. The Dallas County Juvenile Board, appointed to oversee the juvenile department, is suing county commissioners to stop them from accessing records that could show how long children are isolated in their cells as they examine allegations about conditions at the detention center.

Dallas County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman, who serves on the juvenile board that oversees the detention center, has been spearheading efforts to uncover the truth about problems at the center. He said he was not surprised by The News findings after hearing many complaints himself.

We as the juvenile board should take seriously any of these types of complaints and make sure that theyre properly being investigated and evaluated, he said.

The complaints are similar to ones plaguing the state juvenile justice system.

Weve done a lot at the state level. We really need to start digging into whats happening on a local level where there isnt as much oversight, said Alycia Castillo, policy director for the advocacy group Texas Center for Justice and Equity.

Isolation and no fresh air

Mark has been locked up since July 2022, after an elderly woman died when his car struck hers. His mother says he has been locked in a cell for up to 23 hours a day with nothing but a bed, a toilet and his loneliness.

Every parent who spoke to The News in recent weeks confirmed that their detained child has spent most of every day  many said about 22 hours  alone in a cell.

The current and former detention center workers confirmed the lengthy stays in cells. They said children are only out of their cells for two or three hours a day.

The Dr. Jerome McNeil Jr. Detention Center, located in the Henry Wade Justice Center and commonly referred to as Henry Wade, is one of 45 facilities around the state where children wait for their cases to be adjudicated. It was constructed in 1995 to house up to 322 kids and now houses about 140 children with cases for everything from petty theft to murder.

The small, concrete and cinder block cells contain a toilet with a small sink on the back of it, and a concrete slab bench on which a three-inch thick pad is usually laid out for sleeping. A small, horizontal window and a fluorescent light provide illumination. Each cells thick, blue metal door has a narrow, vertical window.

Victoria Halstead worries about the long-term impact of solitary confinement on Mark. He used to be a goofball, playing jokes and roughhousing with his siblings and mother. In visitations, she said he is a shell of who he was.

Parents say their children are locked up in conditions worse than those under which adults are jailed, because the general adult jail population leave their cells more often and go outside.

Adults on death row in Texas get at least an hour a week outdoors.

Families told The News they feel hopeless and angry about conditions in the detention center and an often lengthy judicial process that leaves them feeling in the dark and unsure when their children will get justice.

Victoria Halstead said she wishes Mark were in Dallas Countys adult jail where he would go outside and she could post bail.

Id rather him be charged as an adult so he had options, she said.

Some juvenile board members addressed the allegations of solitary confinement in a June 10 retreat. Family court Judge Andrea Plumlee asked Sommerman and fellow board member County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins to be careful with the words they use.

She denied that children were held in isolation.

I think we should be real careful about our words that we use, because we dont have isolation in juvenile, Plumlee said. When we use those words, as the professional, that gets out into the public domain. And we do not have that.

Lewis Jenkins and Sommerman repeatedly asked what word Plumlee would prefer to use for instances when kids are behind a door and they shouldnt be. She did not respond, but Juvenile Judge Andrea Martin did.

We dont just put kids behind doors when they shouldnt be, Martin replied.

Neither Plumlee nor Martin has responded to repeated requests for comment.

Beatty, who has run the Dallas juvenile department since 2018, said in an April interview that he was unaware of the complaints about children spending long periods in isolation. He said that kids remaining in their room for long periods of time should not happen.

Thats just not something that is appropriate, Beatty said. There shouldnt be a situation where you are in the room for that amount of time.

Parents say since The News first asked about the long periods of isolation, things have changed: Their children can now go to the gym for about an hour a couple times a week.

State standards for juvenile detention centers say children can be placed into forced isolation as a last resort for the well-being of themselves, staff or other children. There is no maximum time that children can be held in isolation, but staff are usually required to check on the children every 15 minutes.

State standards do not require that children get time outside.

This is the third time in recent years that detained Dallas County children have complained that they are not being allowed outdoors.

A state inspector reported in 2016 that Dallas children were not getting time outside, noting in a report that state regulations do not specifically state youth must be allowed to participate in outdoor recreational activities, The News reported. But since it is a requirement for the facility to provide an outdoor area  it is presumed that youth would be allowed access to the outdoor exercise area, the inspector wrote.

In 2017, a News investigation revealed that boys in a juvenile lockup went months  sometimes more than a year  without going outdoors more than a few times.

Nutrition

Most parents who spoke to The News also said they are worried about how little their children are being fed.

Ashley Lively said guards and other kids would take food off of her 15-year-olds tray. Her son told her he was hungry most of the time.

Halstead said her son weighed 150 pounds before his incarceration. Eleven months later, he weighs 130.

Mercy Bruner said her 16-year-old daughter describes the food as old and nasty. Bruner said the detention center staff are punitive when her pregnant daughter acts out or gets into a fight. Pregnant girls are given a second food tray at the center, she said. Her daughter told her that she loses her second tray if she gets into trouble.

Sommerman said at the June juvenile board retreat that he would support spending more on food in juvenile detention facilities after hearing complaints from children.

Cheryl Shannon, juvenile board chair and a juvenile court judge since 1995, replied, They always complain about the food. Thats not new.

The food meets all the FDA requirements, and we are audited, Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price said at the meeting.

Medical care and hygiene LaRonda, who asked that her familys last name not be published because her son is a minor, said he was hospitalized after he exchanged gunfire with another teen at a video game store.

Her 17-year-old son was shot in both legs and taken to the hospital. He was released to the detention center in February in a wheelchair. He later was able to start using a walker.

LaRonda says her son has not seen a physical therapist at Henry Wade. She worries he may never walk correctly again.

Hes literally pulling his hair out, LaRonda said. Thats medical neglect.

LaRonda said she doesnt understand why her son isnt on probation because she says he cant violate it if he cant walk. She said when it has been difficult for her son to go to the bathroom, staff have told him to urinate on the floor.

They are humans, not dogs, she said.

When asked about what LaRonda said, Beatty replied that staff should file an order to take the child to Parkland in such cases.

We dont disallow them to get their medical care if they need it, he said.

Beatty said children who feel ill can tell staff they are sick or write a note in the sick box, similar to a suggestion box where kids can drop off notes detailing their symptoms. Staffers refer concerns to Parkland Health personnel who are on site.

Beatty referred further questions about medical treatment to Parkland, which runs the countys public hospital and is charged with providing medical care for the countys detained children.

Parkland spokesperson Jolene DeVito told The News that the hospital systems clinical care providers at the juvenile detention center make any needed referrals to the hospital.

Parkland also provides health screening and numerous types of tests and treatments for the children, including not only urgent care but also immunizations, dental care and suicide prevention programs.

In interviews after parents visited their children on April 18, several told The News that their children had a rash, some on the side of their faces, others on the neck or arms.

Some parents attribute this rash to a lack of hygiene. One mother, who asked that her family not be named, said her 16-year-old son had been in the center since March for violating his probation, waiting for a judge to decide his case. His sheets hadnt been washed in a month, she said. She said her son told her he had not bathed in three days.

My baby is breaking out real bad, she said.

Beatty said children should be given time to shower every day. He said he was not informed of any breakout of rashes among children in the center.

Bruners daughter has cycled in and out of the detention center since 2021 after she got angry and pushed her binder and school items off a desk while in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program in the Grand Prairie ISD. That led to the first of several trips to the detention center. She most recently arrived in March, while pregnant, after she ran away while on probation and was beaten and hospitalized by a man who her mother says was using her for sex trafficking.

Bruner said the showers are disgusting. Her daughter told her  and the current and former detention center employees confirmed  that there are insects coming out of the drain in the moldy showers.

The former detention center employee told The News that toilets in the cells get blocked frequently and guards sometimes make a child wait two or three days before the toilets are repaired.

Sometimes, guards will have children eat in their cells rather than have to monitor them in the multipurpose rooms, he said. I would not like to eat in the same room where my toilet has been clogged for days, and there is feces everywhere, he said.

Parents also say their children are not receiving prescribed medications. Lively said a psychiatrist prescribed her son psychiatric medication before he was placed in the detention center, but added that he has not received his medication while in the detention center.

DeVito said Parkland cant comment on unverified reports from unnamed parents nor discuss a particular case. At intake, each child is asked if they take medications. If the juvenile says yes, medical providers verify the medication and obtain consent from the guardian to continue.

Lively said she was never asked for her consent for her son to continue his psychiatric medication.

Little parental contact

While the parents worry about their childrens living conditions in the detention center, they also say they dont hear from them enough and have no idea how long their children will remain there.

The report released earlier this year said children in Dallas juvenile court system are languishing in the detention center for an average of 140 days  more than four and a half months.

Many worry about bullying. Children accused of a crime wait for their outcome together in the detention center. So children accused of stealing a car are in the same facility as those who have been accused of killing someone.

Lively said she considers her to be lucky to have only spent about three months in the center after being accused of car theft. She said most of the parents she met while her son was in the detention center still have children stuck there.

It needs to be fixed. These kids dont deserve to be sitting there for months waiting for a court date, she said. These kids need help.

During the childrens confinement, they have little contact with their parents.

The state prohibits detention center staff from restricting contact with parents as a form of punishment. Children at the Dallas center are allowed phone calls with guardians at least once a week for five minutes and they are allowed 15-minute visits twice a week.

I feel like I signed away my rights to my kid, Lively said. I feel like he is not my kid anymore. He is property of the state now.

Bruner says when her daughter has gotten into fights or arguments with others, her phone and visitation privileges have been revoked. Bruner said she worries about the lack of communication, especially when she doesnt talk to her daughter for days  or a week.

Beatty said withholding phone calls should not be a punitive measure.

Every parent that spoke to The News complained about how long they must wait to visit their child. They idle for hours to see their children for 15 minutes.

It takes no less than 3.5 hours to see my son, Lively said.

In a good week, Halstead says she gets to see her son for a total of 30 minutes and he is allowed a call for up to 15 minutes. Many kids only get a three-minute call, the parents said.

Halstead hires a babysitter  for up to five hours sometimes  to watch her other children while she waits in line with parents. Getting to see her son is like a second job, she said.

Marks trial was rescheduled four times between February and May. He finally took an eight-year plea in June. Hes waiting for a bed to open up in a state youth prison. He will remain incarcerated until he is 18 at the earliest.

Its hard. Im just ready for the day to come, Halstead said. Im not the only one waiting for a hug. I think his siblings will push me out of the way.

Marks mother said he recently told her he is scared to get out. Hes become used to a set schedule, worried breaking the routine will end badly for him.

He said, I just want to go home and stay in my own bed and just breathe, Halstead said.

Oversight

Barbara Kessler of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department said the agency is charged with inspecting child detention facilities annually. The TJJDs Office of the Inspector General investigates allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation of youth in county facilities.

The state has one open investigation into alleged supervisory neglect related to an incident this spring at Dallas detention center. Employees reported the incident to the state. Details are not publicly available.

This review is being done at the request of the Dallas County Juvenile Department, Kessler said.

The departments monitoring and inspections division visited Dallas in June, Kessler said. Asked if the investigation will only look at this one incident, Kessler replied that the team will look at standards and do routine inspections of facilities.

The detention center has been found to be violating codes in six of the nine state inspections since 2017, according to records obtained by The News. State auditors reported on problems in the detention center that included no exercise for the children, children were given worn down shoes, and checks on the children required to take place every 15 minutes were not completed overnight and therefore the statutory definition of neglect was confirmed.

In a 2018 report, a state auditor found one childs hands were shackled for an unjustified length of time  57 minutes  following comments of self-harm.

Beyond the annual inspections, the state insists the Dallas County Juvenile Board is responsible for ensuring county and contracted facilities are suitable and appropriate for detention.

Only two of the nine members of the juvenile board  Lewis Jenkins and Sommerman  responded to repeated requests for comment on the allegations about conditions in the facilities. Serving on the Dallas County Commissioners Court, they are part of the same elected body that is fighting for access to data allowing for more scrutiny of conditions at the facilities.

The juvenile board maintains that releasing that information, contained in observation records on each child, would be illegal in part due to the states strict confidentiality laws surrounding juvenile records.

Sommerman has been questioning the transparency of the juvenile department since his appointment in April. He said he does not believe the board is being told the whole truth by the juvenile department.

I want to fix this problem. But I have to know whats going on over there, he said. It is opaque. There is no transparency, and that is wrong.

Lewis Jenkins agreed changes are needed.

The best way to fix this, like everything else, is going to be sunlight, he said.

State code outlines that the juvenile boards may make any special studies or investigations it considers necessary to improve the operations of the juvenile probation departments.

During the June 10 budget retreat, Sommerman and Lewis Jenkins repeatedly asked for a study on salary and staffing levels, noting that added staffing could be the critical solution to the alleged overuse of isolation.

Criminal district court Judge Amber Givens, another board member, said such action is not within the juvenile boards authority.

We arent a body that just gets to govern ourselves, however we choose to. The Legislature governs us, Givens said. Were acting like were this business that we can just run however we choose. The request and the idea that you could step before TJJD is kind of

Hubris  thats the word that comes to mind, Plumlee finished for her.

2023 The Dallas Morning News.

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Flags of NATO member countries flap in the wind outside the venue of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, July 9, 2023. Russia's war on Ukraine will top the agenda when U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts meet in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday. (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP)

WASHINGTON (AP)  As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATOs much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The worlds biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations lags behind long-standing goals. An inability to compromise over who should serve as NATOs next leader forced an extension of the current secretary-generals term for an extra year.

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Perhaps the most difficult questions are over how Ukraine should be eased into NATO. Some maintain admitting Ukraine would fulfill a promise made years ago and be a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others fear it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

I dont think its ready for membership in NATO, President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview airing Sunday. He said joining NATO requires countries to meet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues.

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He said the United States should provide long-term security assistance to Ukraine  the capacity to defend themselves  as it does with Israel.

Bickering among friends is not uncommon, and the current catalogue of disputes pales in comparison with past fears that Donald Trump would turn his back on the alliance during his presidency. But the current challenges come at a moment when Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance, said Douglas Lute, U.S. ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

You dont want to present any openings, Lute said. You dont want to present any gaps or seams.

By some measures, the war in Ukraine has reinvigorated NATO, which was created at the beginning of the Cold War as a bulwark against Moscow. NATO members have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become NATOs 31st member.

I think its appropriate to look at all the success, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told The Associated Press. So I think the invasion has strengthened NATO  exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated.

He noted Germanys shift toward a more robust defense policy as well as increase in military spending in other countries.

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The latest test of NATO solidarity came Friday with what Biden said was a difficult decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine. More than two-thirds of alliance members have banned the weapon because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. The U.S., Russia and Ukraine are not among the more than 120 countries that have not signed a convention outlawing the use of the bombs.

As for Ukraines possible entry into NATO, the alliance said in 2008 that Kyiv eventually would become a member. Since then, little action has been taken toward that goal. Putin occupied parts of Ukraine in 2014 and then tried to capture the capital in 2022 with his invasion.

A gray zone is a green light for Putin, said Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called for a unified signal from NATO on Ukraine and for his country to join the alliance.

It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia, Zelenskyy said through a translator in an ABC interview, when asked whether he would come to Vilnius. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO. And that is a very important point. Only under these conditions our meeting would be meaningful. Otherwise, its just another politics.

The U.S. and Germany insist that the focus should be on supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join NATO. Countries on NATOs Eastern flank  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  want firmer assurances on future membership.

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NATO could decide to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the NATO-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle to Swedens attempts to join NATO alongside neighbor Finland.

Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey. But a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Erdogan signaled that this would pose another hurdle. He equated those who permitted the crime to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the U.S. are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Biden says Swedens NATO membership has to be dealt with first. McConnell said in the AP interview that he supports the sale of the fighter jets to Turkey provided that the membership of Sweden is settled.

Its not the first time that Erdogan has sought to use a NATO summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary-general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

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Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said theres growing frustration among allies toward Erdogan, building on concerns about his ties to Putin, democratic backsliding and sanctions evasion.

Theyve tried playing nice, Bergmann said. The question is whether its time to get much more confrontational.

Hungarys prime minister, Viktor Orban, is also delaying his countrys approval of Swedens membership. In response, Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is blocking a $735 million U.S. arms sale to Hungary.

We dont want members who arent interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests, Risch said. Im just sick and tired of it.

But he rejected the idea that these disagreements are a sign of weakness within NATO.

These are kinds of things that always arise in an alliance, he said. The fact that weve been able to deal with them and will continue to deal with them proves that this is the most successful and strongest military alliance in the history of the world.

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At least one potentially difficult issue is off the summit agenda. Rather than seek consensus on a new NATO leader, members agreed to extend the tenure of Jens Stoltenberg, whos held the job since 2014, for a year. Its his fourth extension.

Most members wanted a woman to be the next secretary-general, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had been considered a favorite. But Poland insisted on a candidate from the Baltic states because there had already been two Nordic secretaries general in a row. (Stoltenberg was a Norwegian prime minister and Rasmussen was a Danish prime minister.)

Others are skeptical of accepting a nominee from the Baltics, whose leaders tend to be more provocative in their approach to Russia, including supporting Ukraines desire to rapidly join NATO.

More disagreements loom over NATOs updated plans for countering any invasion that Russia might launch on allied territory.

___

Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
AMMAN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Three people wanted for "terrorism acts" have been killed in a shoot-out with Jordan's special security forces, the country's Public Security Department said Sunday.

A special security force raided where the three wanted individuals were located near the southeastern border areas of the kingdom, the state-run Petra news agency reported, citing a police statement.

The police added that two of the fugitives had escaped from a correctional and rehabilitation center a few days ago, and the third one was a major-wanted figure who was behind the killing of a local police officer in 2022.

Investigations into the prison breaks were ongoing, said the police. 
NEW YORK  One man died and three others were wounded in Queens and Brooklyn on Saturday when a scooter-riding shooter unleashed a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol on people he seemed to pick out randomly on the street, police said.

The 25-year-old suspect was in custody early Saturday afternoon, and police said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Why the man fired in the five separate incidents was a mystery to police brass who spoke at a news conference several hours after his arrest. It seems that his acts were random, said Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny of the NYPD Detective Bureau.

Kenny said the ages and backgrounds of the victims were all different. He said the evidence as of Saturday afternoon showed the suspect was not targeting anybody. Hes not following anybody. As hes driving on his scooter, hes randomly shooting people.

The suspect  whose name was not released  has one previous arrest, police said.

The shooter appeared to target pedestrians and people in their cars in the shooting spree, said cops.

An 87-year-old man died after the scooter-riding suspect shot him one time in the back on Jamaica Ave. and 109th St. in Richmond Hill at 11:28 a.m. He was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital, said police.

Jasvir Singh, 50, the owner of Zoom Zoom Wireless on the Jamaica Ave. block, said he was inside the store when he saw the shooter ride by the store window.

He did a U-turn and he loaded his gun and he just started shooting, Singh said.

Police said the shooter also aimed at a group of people at the corner of 108th St. and Jamaica Ave., but no one else was struck.

I mean everybody is scared. Everybody is in shock, Singh said.

Minutes later, at about 11:35 a.m., the shooter fired at a 44-year-old man on Hillside Ave. and 126th St. A bullet struck the man in the cheek, and the man was in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital on Saturday afternoon, said police.

Two minutes after that, at 11:37 a.m., another man was shot in the shoulder blocks away on Jamaica Ave. and 134th St., said police. That victim, a 63-year-old man, was hit in the shoulder and was in stable condition at Jamaica Hospital later Saturday, said cops.

A worker at a nail salon near the scene of that shooting said she saw a pedestrian wounded in the gun violence.

The guy was waiting for the light to cross the street and someone came and shot him three times, said the worker, Gabriela Tipan.

Police said they found four 9 mm shell casings at that scene.

(The victim) crossed the street and he laid down on the floor. He didnt die. The ambulance came. He was shot on the shoulder.

One person was wounded in a shooting in Brooklyn that apparently was the shooters first of the day, said police.

In that incident, around 11:10 a.m. at Arlington Ave. and Ashford St. in East New York, a 21-year-old man was hit in the shoulder, said police. His wound was not considered life-threatening.

Soon after the shootings, police found video evidence that gave them an image of the suspect, said New York Police Department Acting Commissioner Edward Caban. The image was distributed to police officers cellphones, Caban said.

Shortly after 1 p.m., officers from the 103rd and 113th precincts spotted the shooter, Caban said. They arrested him near the intersection of 94th Ave. and Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica, near the Jamaica train station.

The suspects 9 mm pistol had an extended magazine, said police.

We have not found a serial number on the gun, Kenny said. Were trying to determine whether its defaced, or possibly a ghost gun. Thatll come out later on in our investigation.

2023 New York Daily News.

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(Tribune News Service)  A girl was found at Camp Pendleton more than two weeks after she had been reported missing, according to her family, who alleges she was raped by a Marine on the military base north of San Diego.

The girls aunt, Casaundra Perez, said in a video posted to TikTok on Thursday that her niece, whom she did not identify by name, went missing from her home near Spring Valley on June 10 and was found at the base June 28.

A photograph posted to Instagram by the account notinregz, which shares content submitted by military personnel, shows an unidentified Marine in handcuffs being escorted by military police officers. The post included a photo of what it said was a handwritten logbook from Camp Pendleton that says military personnel found a 13-year-old girl in the barracks June 28. The Los Angeles Times could not verify the authenticity of the logbook page.

A Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 5 was taken into custody for questioning by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service the day the girl was found, 1st Marine Logistics Group spokesperson Capt. Charles Palmer confirmed.

The Marine is on active duty and assigned to the battalion stationed at Camp Pendleton, Palmer said.

This command takes this matter and these allegations very seriously. The incident is under investigation, and we will continue to cooperate with NCIS and appropriate authorities, Palmer said in a statement.

It is unclear whether the Marine who was taken in for questioning remains in military police custody.

In the TikTok video, Perez alleged that her niece had been trafficked and accused military personnel of trying to cover up the case and shift blame to the girl for the alleged sexual assault.

Perez said security looked her (niece) in the face and allowed this man to bring a minor onto base.

Our family is worried about retaliation from the military and the man that has trafficked my niece, said Perez, who could not be reached for comment.

NCIS spokesperson Jeff Houston said in an email the agency does not comment on or confirm details relating to ongoing investigations.

According to the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, a 14-year-old girl who had been last seen June 9 and reported missing by her grandmother June 13 was found at Camp Pendleton. The grandmother said the girl had run away from home before but had quickly returned, according to the Sheriffs Department.

After the girl was found at Camp Pendleton, sheriffs deputies reunited her with her grandmother. Detectives interviewed the girl and offered services to the family, according to the Sheriffs Department, which is supporting NCIS with the investigation.

The department declined to provide additional details about the case because it involves a minor.

2023 Los Angeles Times.

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(Tribune News Service)  A manhunt was underway on Saturday for a dangerous inmate with survivalist skills who recently escaped from a prison in Pennsylvania, police said.

Michael Burham, 34, was being held in the Warren County Jail  about 11 miles from the states northern border with southwest New York  on arson and burglary charges, and he is also a suspect in a homicide and rape case in Jamestown, New York, according to local authorities.

Prison staff discovered he was missing from his cell early Friday morning,

Burham allegedly escaped from the recreation yard by elevating himself on top of exercise equipment and exiting through a metal-grated roof, Warren County spokesperson Cecile Stelter told ABC News. He was last seen on Thursday around 11:20 p.m. wearing an orange-and-white-striped jumpsuit, a denim jacket and Crocs, police said.

Burham had been in Warren County Jail for less than a month, following his capture in South Carolina on May 24 after a multistate manhunt.

During the early morning hours of May 11, police in Jamestown responded to the fatal shooting of Kayla Hodgkin, who in April told authorities that Burham had raped her, according to documents obtained by the Post and Courier.

After the shooting, Burham allegedly set fire to a car owned by another woman.

During his efforts to dodge law enforcement, Burham is also accused of kidnapping an elderly couple at gunpoint on May 20 in Sheffield, Pennsylvania, and then driving them to North Charleston, South Carolina, according to the FBI. He was charged with kidnapping and a warrant was issued for his arrest out of Warren County, Pennsylvania.

He is considered very dangerous, and the public is asked to be vigilant and report anything out of the ordinary, according to police, who also urged residents in the area to keep their doors locked.

We have no indication that hes being assisted by anyone at this point, but he is familiar with the area and  he is a survivalist and has survivalist skills, spokesperson Stelter added.

Authorities have said there is no particular search radius, but they are using all-terrain vehicles, utility terrain vehicles, drones and an aircraft in addition to searching on foot and with K9 units.

2023 New York Daily News.

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LOS ANGELES  Six people were killed early Saturday when their plane crashed near French Valley Airport in Riverside County, the second deadly crash in the area in the last four days.

The Cessna 550, a turbo fan jet, crashed in a field at 4:16 a.m. near Briggs and Auld roads in Murrieta, and immediately burst into flames, according to a tweet posted by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Riverside County Fire Department.

All of the people aboard were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Coroners officials had not released the identities of the pilot or passengers as of Saturday afternoon.

The flight originated from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, authorities said.

The Federal Aviation Administrations aircraft tracking database lists the plane as belonging to Prestige Worldwide Flights of Imperial, California. Agents for the company could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Investigators with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board responded to the scene.

The NTSBs media office released a statement saying the plane crashed on its second approach to the airstrip.

On Saturday morning a layer of fog hung over the field where the wreckage lay, a short distance north of the runway.

Max Trescott, a Palo Alto flight instructor who publishes the Aviation News Talk podcast, said data from an FAA weather website showed that visibility three minutes before the jets initial approach just before 4 a.m. was one-eighth of a mile less than required for instrument approach at that airport.

A minute after the crash, visibility was worse, at three-eighths of a mile below the minimum.

It was changing for the worse for these folks, Trescott said. The weather did get worse during the time they were making their two approaches.

The pilot would not necessarily have received the second report of deteriorating conditions, he said.

The county-owned airport has no tower or air traffic control. Pilots can be guided to the airport on instruments but have to see the runway to land.

Trescott said the instrument landing would have guided the plane to about 250 feet above ground, at which point the pilot would have made the decision to land if he could see the runway.

Instead, he aborted and circled to make a second attempt. It wasnt clear why the pilot made the second approach.

If they had flown the approach the first time and didnt see the runway, they could have chosen to divert to another airport with better weather, Trescott said. That would always be an option.

NTSB spokeswoman Jennifer Gabris said no further information was immediately available. A preliminary report is expected in 15 days.

Todd Dressler, 66, a longtime Cessna pilot who was in the airport cafeteria Saturday, said he suspects the NTSB will find a mechanical cause.

Once they get it all done, I bet something was going wrong with the plane, had to be, Dressler said.

Saturdays crash came four days after one person was killed and three injured when a plane struck the side of a building near French Valley Airport, authorities said.

In that crash, a single-engine Cessna 172 went down shortly after taking off from the airport, according to the county Fire Department. No one was hurt on the ground.

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MOBILE, Ala.  A museum that tells the history of the Clotilda  the last ship known to transport Africans to the American South for enslavement  opened Saturday, exactly 163 years after the vessel arrived in Alabama's Mobile Bay.

Ceremonies dedicating the $1.3 million Africatown Heritage House and "Clotilda: The Exhibition" took place Friday and Saturday in Mobile. The exhibit tells about the ship, its survivors and how they founded Africatown community in Mobile after they were freed from five years of slavery following the Civil War.

The Clotilda departed Alabama in 1860, more than 50 years after Congress outlawed the importation of additional enslaved people, on a clandestine trip funded by Timothy Meaher, whose descendants still own millions of dollars worth of land around Mobile.

The Clotilda illegally transported 110 captive people from what is now the west African nation of Benin to Alabama. The captain, William Foster, transferred women, men and children off the Clotilda once it arrived in Mobile and set fire to the ship to hide evidence of the journey. Most of Clotilda didn't burn, and much of the ship is still in the Mobile River, which empties into Mobile Bay.

Remnants of the Clotilda were discovered in 2019, and Meaher's descendants released a statement last year calling his actions 160 years ago "evil and unforgivable."

The museum includes a brief history of the transatlantic slave trade and highlights the survivors of the 45-day journey from Africa, AL.com reported. It tells the story of its most famous passenger, Oluale Kossola, better known as Cudjoe Lewis. His interviews in the 1920s provided information about the Clotilda and its passengers to historians and scholars.

Other ship survivors are highlighted, including Matlida McCrear, who died in 1940 in Selma, Alabama, and was the Clotilda's last known survivor. McCrear was separated from her mother at a young age and tried to escape from a slaveholder when she was 3 years old. McCrear and her sister "fled into a swamp, hiding there for hours until dogs sniffed them out," according to a display in the museum.

"I think those who visit will really learn a lot about this particular story," said Jeremy Ellis, president of the Clotilda Descendants Association and a sixth-generation descendant of Pollee and Rose Allen, who were enslaved and on the Clotilda. "It tells the story of west African culture, what the 110 experienced at the Middle Passage and the first five years of slavery and what they overcame in 1865 in the founding of Africatown."
This story has been corrected

An Oklahoma judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dashing an effort to obtain some measure of legal justice by survivors of the deadly racist rampage.

Judge Caroline Wall on Friday dismissed with prejudice the lawsuit trying to force the city and others to make recompense for the destruction of the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood.

The order comes in a case by three survivors of the attack, who are all now over 100 years old and sued in 2020 with the hope of seeing what their attorney called "justice in their lifetime."

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a statement that the city has yet to receive the full court order. "The city remains committed to finding the graves of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims, fostering economic investment in the Greenwood District, educating future generations about the worst event in our community's history, and building a city where every person has an equal opportunity for a great life," he said.

A lawyer for the survivors  Lessie Benningfield Randle, Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis  did not say Sunday whether they plan to appeal. But a group supporting the lawsuit suggested they are likely to challenge Wall's decision.

"Judge Wall effectively condemned the three living Tulsa Race Massacre Survivors to languish  genuinely to death  on Oklahoma's appellate docket," the group, Justice for Greenwood, said in a statement. "There is no semblance of justice or access to justice here."

Wall, a Tulsa County District Court judge, wrote in a brief order that she was tossing the case based on arguments from the city, regional chamber of commerce and other state and local government agencies. She had ruled against the defendants' motions to dismiss and allowed the case to proceed last year.

Local judicial elections in Oklahoma are technically nonpartisan, but Wall has described herself as a "Constitutional Conservative" in past campaign questionnaires.

The lawsuit was brought under Oklahoma's public nuisance law, saying the actions of the white mob that killed hundreds of Black residents and destroyed what had been the nation's most prosperous Black business district continue to affect the city today.

It contended that Tulsa's long history of racial division and tension stemmed from the massacre, during which an angry white mob descended on a 35-block area, looting, killing and burning it to the ground. Beyond those killed, thousands more were left homeless and living in a hastily constructed internment camp.

The city and insurance companies never compensated victims for their losses, and the massacre ultimately resulted in racial and economic disparities that still exist today, the lawsuit argued. It sought a detailed accounting of the property and wealth lost or stolen in the massacre, the construction of a hospital in north Tulsa and the creation of a victims compensation fund, among other things.

A Chamber of Commerce attorney previously said that the massacre was horrible, but the nuisance it caused was not ongoing.

Fletcher, who is 109 and the oldest living survivor, released a memoir last week about the life she lived in the shadow of the massacre. It will become widely available for purchase in August.

In 2019, Oklahoma's attorney general used the public nuisance law to force opioid drug maker Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465 million in damages. The Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned that decision two years later.

Bleiberg reported from Dallas and Associated Press staff writer Michael Biesecker contributed reporting from Washington.
RICHMOND  One hundred Virginia National Guard troops deployed to Texas on Saturday as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) made good on his pledge to support Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) in his efforts to patrol the border with Mexico.

The Virginia soldiers and airmen departed from Fort Barfoot in Blackstone, joined by 10 support personnel, according to a news release from the Guard.

Just as the Virginia National Guard stands ready to assist our fellow Virginians in times of need, our Soldiers and Airmen are also ready to provide assistance to other states through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact process and will provide requested capabilities to help our fellow Americans, Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the adjutant general of Virginia, said in the release.

Youngkin announced the deployment in May after traveling to Texas with other Republican governors to confer with Abbott on border security. He followed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who sent about 800 National Guard troops, along with state law enforcement officers.

Tennessee, Idaho and Nebraska have also sent National Guard troops or state law enforcement personnel to Texas. Abbott and other Republicans have attacked President Biden for what they call lax border security policies, with DeSantis focusing on the issue as he seeks the GOP presidential nomination next year. Youngkin is widely known to have presidential ambitions; while he has said he will focus this year on Virginia legislative elections, he has not shut the door on a possible last-minute bid.

Youngkin said he is sending the Virginia troops to help stop the flow of illegal narcotics from Mexico, arguing that fentanyl causes thousands of deaths every year in the state. Democrats have accused Youngkin of using the troops in a political stunt, countering that fentanyl is usually smuggled in shipping containers and trucks, not by individuals seeking to cross the border.

Someone called for help, and we are going to go help them, Youngkin said Thursday in a visit to the assembled troops, according to the National Guard news release. Thats what this is all about. I firmly believe this is a worthy mission.

The deployment is known as Joint Task Force Cardinal and is expected to stay in Texas about 30 days, the release said. The effort will cost Virginia taxpayers about $3.1 million.

The troops who shipped out are led by a unit headquartered in Portsmouth and include Virginia Army and Air National Guard personnel from Lynchburg, Winchester, Fredericksburg, Danville, Staunton and Hampton.

They will work with troops from the Texas Military Department as part of Abbotts Operation Lone Star, helping to patrol the border.
The man now in his 40s, told how the incident had left him unable to form lasting relationships. I will die lonely, he predicted

A disgraced 78-year-old retired school principal was led away to commence a year in jail on conviction for indecent assault of a pupil.

The attack which landed Sean Kent, formerly Brother Kent, before Wexford Circuit Court occurred more than three decades ago. But Judge James McCourt heard how the crime committed in his office at Gorey CBS continues to affect the life the injured party to this day.

In a victim impact statement, the man now in his 40s, told how the incident had left him unable to form lasting relationships. I will die lonely, he predicted.

The case was decided by a 10-2 majority guilty verdict returned by a jury of six women and six men. They were told that when the complaint of assault was first put to him by investigating gardai at his home in Shielbaggin, Ramsgrange, his initial reaction was to deny everything.

He said he had no recollection of the offence and had no idea as to why any such allegation would be made. However, by late last year, the former teacher indicated he was prepared to plead guilty, only to change his mind late in the day.

The matter went to a full trial, with evidence from the former pupil who recalled how he was brought to the office after an incident in a classroom. He was left alone with the principal who invited him to sit on his lap where he put his hands inside the boys clothing and proceeded to indecently assault the pupil.

He sat terrified while this invasion of his person went on for several minutes before Kent patted him on the bum, told him to be good and sent him back to class.

Barrister Philip Sheahan described his client as a native of County Wexford whose teaching career spanned from 1966 to 1998. During that time he worked in Limerick, Tipperary and Cork as well as spending some time in Zambia. He worked at the CBS in Wexford before taking up the role of principal in Gorey.

After retiring, he carried out some sheep farming.

Counsel described the offender as being in relatively okay health for a man his age. However, he had been taking medication for a heart condition, Mr Sheahan added. This offence does not define his entire character, insisted the barrister.

Kent did not accept the verdict, Judge James McCourt was told, and this was interpreted by the court as showing a lack of remorse. In delivering his verdict, the judge was bound to make his decision within the terms of legislation in force at the time of the offence.

The law as it stood in the early 1990s dictated that the maximum sentence for such a crime was five years. The judge described what occurred in the principals office as an unconscionable breach of trust by the defendant. The injured party in the case had suffered a terrible sadness as a result, which led to the break-up of his relationships.

However, the court could not ignore that Kent was an elderly man and the risk of re-offending was extremely low.

A prison sentence of 18 months was recorded and, in light of health issues, the final six months were suspended. Reporting restrictions in force during the trial were lifted to allow the naming of the perpetrator in press coverage.

Kent followed proceeding with the assistance of a head-set to accommodate his hardness of hearing. Two members of his family were present in court to see him led away quietly from the courtroom by prison officers through the door leading to the cells.

The guilty man showed no emotion at the announcement of the 12-month sentence.

The jury dealing with the case was not aware that he indicated last year he was prepared to plead guilty to perpetrating an indecent assault on one of his former pupils.

But the man, now in his 40s, whom the teacher sat on his lap and molested in his office, had been told of this development.

In his victim impact statement, the injured party told of coming to Wexford Circuit Court in December expecting the matter to be put to bed.

Instead, when the charge was put to the retired Gorey CBS principal, the 78-year-old pleaded not guilty and insisted on his right to trial by judge and jury. The false start only served to increase the upset caused by a crime which has affected the man throughout his life.

He recalled in the Circuit Court how he told no one at the time what happened in the head teachers office more than three decades ago. He suffered nightmares and shame because he felt somehow that he must have done something wrong.

I felt like a freak, he stated, going on to recount how his state of mind affected those around him and how relationships failed. He described building walls around himself: I could not love or be loved. I am damaged goods and the torture goes on.

His life had been constantly blighted by terrible sadness and he expected to die lonely. He was prompted to disclose the indecent assault when his own son made the transition from primary to secondary school.

He expressed gratitude to all the gardai who worked on his case, especially Gorey-based Catherine Keogh.

Prosecution barrister Sinead Gleeson confirmed that a guilty plea had been indicated by Kent but it was not entered when the matter was called in court.

Judge James McCourt noted how, as a result, the injured party had to go through the process of giving evidence and being cross-examined.
The coke-dealing thug was handed a suspended sentence despite being caught on camera dishing out a savage beating to a woman

The 60-year-old thug was convicted of battering a woman in her own flat

Criminal James Kennys prayers were answered this week when a judge allowed him to walk free despite being caught on camera dishing out a savage beating to a woman.

Instead of serving a single day behind bars, the 60-year-old coke-dealing thug was handed a suspended sentence despite unleashing a brutal attack on the woman just last November.

On top of a five-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, Kenny was also handed a two-year Restraining Order ordering him to leave his female victim alone.

We revealed recently how Kenny had been doing volunteer work at a local church, with many in the town believing he was putting on an act to impress the court.

James (Jim) Kenny whos awaiting sentence for a vicious attack on a woman in a flat in Ballymena

Last night a source who knows Kenny told the Sunday World it looks like hes even managed to fool a court.

How can he not have to serve a single minute behind bars for what he did to that woman? they said.

He was caught bang to rights hammering that woman. What protection is there for women who come forward and report domestic violence? It doesnt seem like theres much.

The sentence is also unlikely to go down well with womens groups who continue to campaign for tougher sentences to be given to men found guilty of violence.

In April we revealed exclusive images of father-of-eight Kenny attacking a woman in a flat in Ballymena.

The distressing video of that attack, which has no sound and lasts just over one minute, shows Kenny repeatedly punching the woman in the face before knocking her to the ground and laying into her in a property in the Co Antrim town.

The woman desperately tried to defend herself and seems to be pleading for him to stop but the tattooed thug overpowers her with a serious of heavy blows to the head.

On Thursday at Laganside Magistrates Court, Kenny was sentenced for two counts of common assault on the woman.

For the first one he received three months, suspended for two years, and for the second count he got five months in prison, once again suspended for two years.

Cowardly career criminal Jim Kenny

The court ordered also that to protect his victim Kenny is forbidden to intimidate, harass or pester her and must not instruct, encourage or, in any way, suggest that any other person should do so.

Last month we revealed how his plans to curry favour with the court through his church volunteer work may have hit the buffers after he was charged with having a knife in public.

Kenny had been pictured sweeping streets, cutting trees and helping the elderly at church events.

However, court papers show he is accused of having a lock knife in January in a street in the bible-belt town.

Kenny has had highly publicised run-ins with loyalists and other drug gangs in the last 20 years.

The cocaine courier is no stranger to a jail cell after serving five years when he was caught red-handed doing a drug deal with Dwayne Mullan, the ex-partner of Peru drug courier Michaella McCollum. Kenny was filmed 15 years ago by police exchanging cash and cocaine with Mullan, who coincidentally also has a raft of convictions for beating up women.

Kenny, who admitted to dealing Class A drugs, was jailed for over five years at Belfast Crown Court.

Kenny also has a previous conviction for possessing a firearm without a licence after cops found an air-pistol in his house during a search in the aftermath of his drug deal with Mullan.

The Sunday World understands Kenny was a close associate of Ballymena drugs kingpin Noel Johnston who died after plunging 50ft in 2021 when he jumped out of an apartment window as the police raided his flat.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday reaffirmed that his country would not green-light Sweden's accession to NATO if it doesn't adopt a firm stance against "terrorist groups."
Police confirmed that a man had been arrested over the incident and was released on bail pending further inquiries.

The injuries a blind pensioner suffered at the hands of a UDA thug

The Bully boy thug who attacked a blind man after he called at the wrong house.

The thug attacked the man after he called at the wrong house

Today the Sunday World reveals the true nature of the drug-dealing Ulster Defence Association members in south Belfast.

A burly thug  who holds a senior position in the proscribed loyalist terror group  attacked an innocent man at his home in the respectable Ormeau Road area.

And police confirmed that a man had been arrested over the incident and was released on bail pending further inquiries.

And we can reveal that the UDA bully boy was known to deceased twins Stephen and Claire ONeill.

As he repeatedly assaulted his victim, he wrongly accused him of supplying the drugs which killed them.

Five months ago, the 37-year-old brother and sister captured the hearts of the community when it emerged they had died side by side of a suspected drugs overdose.

Tragic twins Stephen and Claire ONeill.

At the time, it was rumoured the twins had consumed deadly quantities of highly addictive crystal meth.

A recent toxicology report confirmed they had taken microcrystalline cellulose, a high-end variant of crystal meth.

The incident sent shockwaves through the Annadale area of south Belfast, where the twins had been born and brought up. Both were well known and liked in the community.

But this latest violent episode  which resulted in a badly disabled and blind man being savagely assaulted in his own home  has also left the area stunned.

The mistaken identity attack took place last month, but full details only emerged this week after a full Sunday World investigation.

A family friend of the victim told us: The thug arrived at the door where the victim  who is blind  was home alone. He pressed the doorbell which then triggered a digital recording.

As soon as the door was opened, he lashed out, knocking his victim back against the staircase. And he continued to hit and kick him.

The injuries a blind pensioner suffered at the hands of a UDA thug

And as he did so he also accused him of supplying the drugs which killed the twins. It was a ludicrous accusation.

The victim yelled out that he had got the wrong house, but he carried on hitting and kicking him. And he insisted he hadnt got the wrong house.

Unable to defend himself and fearing for his life, the dazed and confused 62 year-old yelled out: Youve got the wrong house  Im a blind man!

The attacker is seen suddenly stopping his attack and walking away.

The family friend said: The entire incident was caught on camera and is now in the hands of the PSNI.

He added: It was a brutal assault, but it was also a ridiculous accusation to accuse a respectable family man and grandfather of being the drugs dealer who supplied the ONeill twins. Everyone around here knows exactly who gave the twins the drugs.

Sunday World inquiries in south Belfast revealed there wasnt an ounce of truth in the UDA mans allegation.

Our investigation revealed that the brutal attack on an innocent man was simply a case of mistaken identity.

The innocent victim and his family are valued and respected members of the Ormeau community.

The disabled grandfather  who also suffers from a range of other illnesses  received multiple bruising to his face, arms and legs during the relentless 15-second assault.

Seeing his victim was indeed blind, the top loyalist turned on his heels and walked back towards his waiting 4x4 which hed left with the drivers door wide open.

This attack connecting the UDA in south Belfast to the illegal drugs trade is bound to cause further embarrassment for the group. money

Leading UDA figures continue to draw large amounts of money from the public purse to supposedly help it transition from criminality into a community organisation.

UDA boss Jackie McDonald has still to comment publicly on the ONeill twins deaths, although it is known he met with their family on a number of occasions. It has also been suggested that following the twins deaths, the UDA leadership paid over cash to a number of loyalist supporters in south Belfast.

The Bully boy thug who attacked a blind man after he called at the wrong house.

In February, the Sunday World revealed a UDA taxi driver was suspected of supplying the twins with the crystal meth which claimed their lives.

Police confirmed that they had arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of common assault in relation to the latest south Belfast incident. Following interview, he was released on bail pending further police inquiries, they said.

Our investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information that can help our inquiries can contact police on 101, quoting reference number 822 of 16/06/23.
Keith Byrne is remanded over partners murder as former girlfriend comes forward with assault claims

Keith Byrne was previously arrested with Kinahan hitman Caolan Smyth (pictured), who is in jail for the attempted murder of James Mago Gately

Keith Byrne is being held over the killing of his partner Kirsty Ward in Salou

Keith Byrne is being held over the killing of his partner Kirsty Ward in Salou

Keith Byrne is being held over the killing of his partner Kirsty Ward in Salou

The 30-year-old suspect being held in a Spanish jail in connection with the murder of mum-of-one Kirsty Ward can be named as Keith Byrne from Duleek, Co. Meath.

Mr Byrne, who is originally from the Kilbarrack area of north Dublin, is being held in custody after he appeared before a Spanish court this week and was remanded in prison while investigations continue.

Ms Ward (36) was found dead at the Hotel Magnolia in the holiday resort of Salou at around 9.30pm last Sunday night, when local police officers were alerted to a disturbance. She had been strangled.

Mr Byrne was discovered next to the victim with what is believed to be a self-inflicted wound.

Our exclusive photo shows Mr Byrne earlier this year.

36-year-old mum Kirsty

It is understood that the couple had been in a relationship for a number of months and had travelled to Salou, south of Barcelona, on Friday afternoon of last week.

Ms Ward had lived in Dundrum, south Dublin, and this week her family issued a brief statement as well as a photograph of the murder victim.

The Department of Foreign Affairs are liaising with the family of mother-of-one Kirsty Ward from Dublin, a spokesperson for the family said.

The family will not be making any further comment or statements and ask for privacy during this distressing time, the spokesperson added.

The Sunday World revealed this week that gardai in Ashbourne, Co. Meath, received correspondence from a former girlfriend of Mr Byrne in the recent days alleging that he attempted to strangle her in an incident in a property in Co. Meath a number of years ago.

Keith Byrne is being held over the killing of his partner Kirsty Ward in Salou

On Thursday, gardai informed the woman that her correspondence had been forwarded to the international crime organisation Interpol, who in turn are expected to inform the Spanish authorities.

Mr Byrnes former girlfriend, who does not want to be identified, said that she contacted gardai about him because I dont want him to be tried as someone who has done this as a one-off, like it is the first time he has hurt someone.

The woman, who is aged in her 30s, was in a relationship with Mr Byrne for a number of years said that she went into shock and has been unable to work since hearing news of last weekends hotel murder.

I felt it could have been me and I am very grateful to the help of my family and friends to get me out of the situation after he attacked me, she said.

The Hotel Magnolia in Salou

Recalling being allegedly attacked by the murder suspect, the woman said that after a night out, he threw her onto the floor of a bedroom they were in and then grabbed me by the throat, put his hands on my throat and he held it until I blacked out.

The alleged incident came to an end when other people walked into the room and the woman ended her relationship with him in the following days.

I thought I was going to die. It all felt very surreal after that, I knew I had to leave him, she explained.

The woman has also alerted gardai to alleged incidents involving Mr Byrne and two other former partners of his.

The Sunday World has learned that Mr Byrne spent some time in the British Army at a garrison in the English town of Colchester and that he is understood to be the father of three children.

His former girlfriend has also alleged to gardai that he is wanted in England by Military Police for going AWOL (Absence without leave) from the British Army after he left for Ireland in 2017.

Keith Byrne was previously arrested with Kinahan hitman Caolan Smyth (pictured), who is in jail for the attempted murder of James Mago Gately

After this it is understood that he worked with a male relative in a Dublin trucking business.

It is understood that Mr Byrne is known to gardai but does not have much in way of previous convictions.

He was previously arrested along with Kinahan cartel hitman Caolan Smyth over a matter that was later prosecuted before the District Court.

Smyth is currently serving a 20-year jail term for the attempted murder of Hutch associate James Mago Gately and is appealing against that sentence.

On Wednesday morning, Mr Byrne was brought before a special court in Tarragona that deals with violence against women.

Following a lengthy hearing held in secret, as is standard with Spanish legal proceedings, the man was refused bail.

In a statement, the court said it received today the man arrested for the death of his partner in a hotel in Salou.

It also said the judge had agreed to remand the suspect to a provisional prison without bail.

The case is open for a crime of homicide/murder, which will be specified as the investigation progresses, the statement added.

It may take months before a judge decides what formal charges should be preferred.

Efforts are being made to repatriate Ms Wards remains to Ireland, and a garda based in Madrid has been assisting local authorities with this process and the investigation.
The Tanaiste released one of the birds on the Shannon Estuary last summer as part of the Irish National Parks and Wildlife Services white-tailed eagle reintroduction programme.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Northern Ireland is offering 5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction for the two illegally poisoned White-tailed Eagles. Photo: RSPB

Micheal Martin has said that he is deeply saddened and shocked to learn that a white-tailed eagle he released last summer had been poisoned.

The Tanaiste released the bird on the Shannon Estuary in August as part of the Irish National Parks and Wildlife Services white-tailed eagle reintroduction programme.

It has been confirmed that the bird, along with a second white-tailed eagle of unknown origin, were poisoned after they were found dead in Co Antrim in May.

 5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction for illegally poisoned White-tailed Eagles 



Today the @PoliceServiceNI have confirmed that the two White-tailed Eagles recovered from the Glenwherry area last month were illegally poisoned.



RSPB Investigations 1/4 pic.twitter.com/h5TkfLlpxQ  RSPB NI (@RSPBNI) July 7, 2023

The alarm was raised when conservationists monitoring the bird released by Mr Martin became concerned when the eagles satellite tag data indicated it had stopped moving.

The animal was then traced, with the remains of a second untagged bird also found nearby in the Glenhead Road area of Ballymena on May 15.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that both birds had been poisoned with the insecticide bendiocarb.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has launched an investigation into the poisonings and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) NI is offering a 5,000 (5,800) reward for information on the cruel act.

Meanwhile, Tanaiste Micheal Martin has expressed his sadness and disappointment.

I have closely followed the reintroduction programme for a number of years and to be involved in the release of the seven young eagles in 2022 was an experience that I will never forget, he said.

These are an iconic species, and the work of the NPWS in reintroducing them is something I, and the Government, am proud to support.

There have been great successes in the programme over recent years, so to learn of a poisoning like this is very disappointing.

The eagle had been brought to Ireland from Norway as a chick last year before it was released in the Shannon Estuary area.

He spent a number of months on the Shannon Estuary before taking flight across the country and travelled into Northern Ireland from south Donegal at the beginning of May.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) believes the second eagle may have been born in Munster in 2021.

NPWS director general Niall ODonnchu described the poisonings as a heinous crime against nature.

White-tailed eagles are beautiful and rare birds, and while we are in the midst of a successful reintroduction programme, these setbacks truly matter, he said.

The deliberate poisoning of birds of prey is a heinous crime against nature and an offence under the Wildlife Act. These birds have no means of detecting that they have been baited and the malice aforethought in these acts doesnt bear thinking about.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland will continue to work with our partners to tackle this criminal activity, investigate any reports made to us and prosecute offenders.

Mr ODonnchu urged anyone with information to contact police or the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

There must be people in the community who are aware of individuals committing these offences, and who can come forward and assist police with any information they have, he said.

If you notice any suspicious activity in rural areas, notice a dead or injured bird of prey, please call police on 101, or you can make a report via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org.

The RSPB can be contacted on their confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101 or online at crime@rspb.org.uk.
The 32-year-old was arrested on suspicion of robbery, drug driving, failing to provide a specimen, failing to stop after a collision, dangerous driving, and failing to stop for police

Two police cars being recovered following the crash. Photo: Daily Echo

An Irish man has been arrested in the UK following a tense police chase that resulted in a major crash.

The 32-year-old, from Dublin, was arrested on suspicion of robbery, drug driving, failing to provide a specimen, failing to stop after a collision, dangerous driving, and failing to stop for police.

Shortly after 8.10am on Saturday morning, tools were stolen from a white Mercedes Sprinter van in Mariners Mews, Hythe, England.

According to police, a man then fled the scene in a white Citroen Berlingo.

Officers chased the van until it ultimately collided with police cars in Butts Ash Lane.

Police in the UK are now appealing for witnesses to the incident.

Anyone with any information should call 101 quoting reference 44230273736.
The new social media platform to rival Twitter has been launched but is not available, so far, in the Republic of Ireland  but there is a way around this

The so-called Twitter killer social media platform Threads, has been launched in 100 countries including the UK and the USA but will be unavailable in the Republic of Ireland for the foreseeable future.

However, the app is now available to those seeking a change from Twitter in Northern Ireland.

Its understood Mark Zuckerbergs new project, which users can sign up to through their Instagram accounts, has been withholding its launch in the EU until Meta, the overarching company which also owns Facebook, is able to figure out how it can launch in harmony with European Union data protection and privacy laws.

Meta's Threads aims to topple Twitter

Since the UK left the EU after Brexit, those laws do not apply to potential Threads users in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

It has been suggested that Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has decided to pounce at a time when Twitter, owned by tech-bro rival Elon Musk, is facing uncertainty.

Musk made several drastic changes to Twitter when he took over the social media platform in 2022, many of which were not received well by the Twitterati.

In recent days Musk said that he had decided to restrict the amount of posts Twitter users could view according to their account status.

As a result, those without Twitter accounts can no longer read the tweets of politicians, activists and those who have built a career on the platform, unless they sign up.

The launch of Metas Threads last week led to a stampede for Twitter users keen to get on to the site early in order to build up a following.

An Apple iPhone screen showing the Threads app. Photo: PA

Zuckerberg has said that he wants Threads to be a friendly space, marketing it as an alternative for those who are fed up with the hate and vitriol which some argue has become synonymous with Twitter.

Threads is similar to Twitter in many ways, but it does have some key differences. For example, users will be able to construct posts with up to 500 characters at a time, as opposed to Twitters 140.

Unlike Twitter, there is currently no way to send private messages on Threads.

Threads is also currently only available through iOS or Android apps.

Alternatives to the platform, which are similar in nature in terms of structure and layout.

Other similar social media platforms such as Mastodon and Bluesky, however with the backing of high-profile social media boss Zuckerberg, it has been argued that Threads is the enterprise with the best chance of toppling Twitter as the short-form social media king in terms of numbers.

With the explosion of social-media users flocking to Threads for a fresh start, it is still possible for users in EU states to access the platform.

Although its likely the platform will soon expand into the EU, many who want to stick their toe in the Threads water to see what its like can do so now.

Heres how:

Get a VPN

A VPN or virtual private network will allow you to make it appear that your ip address is in a different country to where you actually are. In this case EU users will want to make it appear that they are accessing Threads and their Instagram account from either the UK or the USA.

VPNs are relatively cheap, and you can sign up to one and begin using it quickly by simply Googling VPN.

Connect to a UK or US server

Next you must connect to a server in the UK or the USA following the simple instructions on your new VPN app.

This will make it look like your phone is accessing Instagram and Threads from one of the two countries.

Download Threads (and Instagram if you dont have it)

Add the app to your phone and link it to your Instagram account by signing in using your Instagram account details.

If you dont have an Instagram account or wish to set up an unconnected Threads profile youll have to set up a new Instagram account.

Personalise

Your Threads bio will be taken from your Instagram account. If you are not an Instagram user, you will have to sign up by downloading and signing up to the Instagram app.

In order to change your Threads profile pic and bio, you must do so through Instagram.

Get verified

To get a blue tick similar to the ones used for verified profiles on Twitter, you must get verified on Instagram.

To do this, go to your Instagram profile page, click on the three lines in the top right hand corner and then click on Settings and Privacy.

Scroll down and click on Account Type and Tools.

From here, scroll down again and click on Request Verification. Here you will be asked your real name and to upload valid ID.

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The premature Eleventh Night celebration was advertised as the "No Irish Sea Border Bonfire" before it was lit at 10.30pm following a parade

Poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish flag placed on bonfire in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone. Pic by Niall Carson/PA Wire.

People watch as the pyre with a boat on top, with a picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a banner that reads "Good Friday Agreement ? That ship has sailed", is set alight in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

People watch as the pyre with a boat on top, with a picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a banner that reads "Good Friday Agreement ? That ship has sailed", is set alight in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

An Irish tricolour and a poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar were placed on top of a loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone before it was set alight on Saturday night.

The large pyre in Moygashel attracted attention after a boat was mysteriously placed on it last week.

A family fun day took place earlier on Saturday after a banner reading "Good Friday Agreement? That ship has sailed" was added to the side of the vessel.

A mock copy of the 1998 peace deal with the words "null and void" printed over was also added.

An image was previously edited to include the words No Sea Border on the craft and shared on the Moygashel Bonfire Associations Facebook page.

The premature Eleventh Night celebration was advertised as the "No Irish Sea Border Bonfire" before it was lit at 10.30pm following a parade.

A number of activities took place beforehand including target shooting games with ice-cream, candy floss and popcorn on offer to those attending.

Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson addressed the crowd.

Pyre with a boat, picture of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and an Irish flag set alight in Moygashel on Saturday night. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire.

T-shirts bearing the words of the Ulster Covenant and God save the King were sold at the event which also featured a flag stall.

The use of the boat is not the first time organisers have broken with tradition  a caravan was placed on the top of the fire last year.

The Moygashel Bonfire Association said its committee believed its culture was in danger as they railed against post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish flag placed on bonfire in Moygashel near Dungannon, Co Tyrone. Pic by Niall Carson/PA Wire.

A spokesman added: Our culture is under attack on a daily basis, and if not resisted with everything in our power, our Britishness will become unrecognisable.

Our cultural celebrations that we have grown to enjoy with our families will be demonised to the point of extinction.

The bonfire boat and our efforts are to highlight our strong opposition to the Irish Sea border.

We believe that the implementation of the Union-dismantling protocol aligns our economy with the South and is a process of transition towards a united Ireland.

Loyalist anger is at breaking point and we hope to see a peaceful [resolution] to the situation before it is too late. We fear time is running out.
We are scared living here, day time, night times, theres always drug addicts

Karol Wisniewski and his partner Paulina with their daughters

Some of the daily sights that greet Karol and his family outside their apartment in Dublin city centre

Some of the daily sights that greet Karol and his family outside their apartment in Dublin city centre

Some of the daily sights that greet Karol and his family outside their apartment in Dublin city centre

This is the shocking daily sight for a family of four who say they are under siege from drug addicts doing heroin and crack cocaine on their doorstep in Dublin city centre.

Karol Wisniewski, who lives in social housing accommodation managed by Focus Ireland off Capel Street with his partner Paulina Kepinska and their children Julia, seven, and Sabina, four, said addicts are injecting and smoking heroin and crack day and night on his doorstep.

He said his family have been threatened and called Polish rats when they complained about the problem.

He said one addict even threatened to slice his partners face and he has also received death threats for highlighting the anti-social behaviour.

Karol Wisniewski and his partner Paulina with their daughters

We are scared living here. Day time, night time, theres always drug addicts, he said.

Sometimes when I open my door there are five, six, seven needles there and blood.

He said things are so bad he feels his daughters are effectively passive smoking heroin and they have to put up with discarded needles covered in blood, human faeces and urine regularly when they leave their apartment.

We cant even let the kids go to the playground. My kids have no life here and me and my girlfriend havent slept properly in two years, he told the Sunday World this week.

Some of the daily sights that greet Karol and his family outside their apartment in Dublin city centre

Karol has stepped on needles and human faeces while walking outside his apartment and is terrified the same will happen to his kids, who are distraught living in the area.

The principal at my kids school contacted me to ask why they were so scared and crying and sleeping during classes. I showed them videos of what was going on.

Karol, who has been living in the accommodation for two years, said he has recorded over 350 videos on his phone or doorbell camera showing the situation he is living in and has asked to be moved, as it is not suitable for a family, but so far has been unsuccessful.

He praised his case worker in Focus Ireland but said he feels her hands are tied in terms of being able to help.

He showed us shocking videos showing the constant drug use.

Family under siege from drug addicts in Dublin

In one video his two girls are standing across the road from the apartment waiting to go in while an addict takes drugs huddled in a corner outside their apartment.

In another, a woman is sitting on the kerb across from their apartment naked from the waist down and starts urinating into the air.

My daughter a few days ago she called me and said Daddy, this lady has no dress on. I said come back in and I got the phone and saw what was happening and she started to pee on the street.

I have so many videos of how we live. We complain about the smell of heroin all the time.

My kids are passive smoking heroin and other drugs for two years. Whenever I complain, people harass me.

Some of the daily sights that greet Karol and his family outside their apartment in Dublin city centre

He said he has had people banging on his door shouting and his family have also been threatened in the streets.

In the playground a guy came up to my girlfriend and said well slice your face you f**king Polack rat.

On Parnell Street, when my girlfriend passed Aldi, they said well burn you out you f**king Polish rats.

He said on another occasion an addict said he would kill him.

As well as the problem with drug use, Karol said he can hear everything in the apartment below him and even the apartment below that.

We can hear them having a conversation on the phone, flushing the toilet, making food, even using a lighter or opening a can  you can hear everything. Its like living with this person, he said.

When someone does their laundry in the building, the tables and glasses shake. I dont think theres proper insulation.

There are other issues including the heating not working properly and cracks appearing around the apartment.

Karol explained that he moved to Ireland in 2005 and was renting an apartment in Dominick Street and was happy there, but found himself homeless after the landlord decided to sell.

Weeks before he left the apartment his girlfriend gave birth to Sabina and suffered a back injury during a complicated pregnancy.

He said the family found themselves homeless.

We couldnt find anywhere else we could afford and we were homeless. Our youngest was four months old and our older was two and a half.

Karol talks to our reporter Alan Sherry

They eventually were housed in temporary accommodation where there were pigeons in the kitchen, which he showed us in a video, amongst other issues.

The couple were initially delighted when they were offered the Focus Ireland-managed accommodation near Capel Street.

It looked nice when we came in. After a few weeks we started to notice there were needles everywhere on the street, blood everywhere and loads of drug addicts.

It was after that neighbours moved in below and he realised there was no soundproofing.

Mike Allen, Director of Advocacy, Communications & Research with Focus Ireland, said the organisation is actively engaged with the tenants of the apartments to address ongoing concerns.

He said there was no evidence that there was drug use and drug dealing within the building but there were problems outside.

We acknowledge that there is street-level drug use and the disposal of drug paraphernalia outside the building on Anglesea Row, which is a lane adjacent to a busy city centre street.

As the landlord, we have contacted Dublin City Council, Merchants Quay Ireland, and encouraged the tenants to directly contact An Garda Siochana to address drug activity on the street.

Regarding the noise complaints, we have received multiple complaints from tenants in all three apartments, and we have investigated them to minimise disruption for each household.

We contacted the developer in response to the noise complaints to ensure compliance with current apartment regulations.

We are satisfied that the building meets these regulations. We also offered to install carpets in the top and middle apartments to mitigate some of the noise issues, but this proposal was declined by the tenants.

Lastly, the tenants are eligible for transfer. Even prior to their eligibility we actively supported some of their transfer applications to the Local Authority, Dublin City Council.
However, the notoriously private couple are rumoured to have parted ways in recent weeks after some heated rows about Barrys late-night partying

Barry Keoghan has reportedly split from his girlfriend of two years, Alyson Sandro.

The Banshees of Inisherin star first met the Scottish dentist at a London pub back in February 2021 and the pair welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Brando, last August.

However, the notoriously private couple are rumoured to have parted ways in recent weeks after some heated rows about Barrys late-night partying, a source told The Sun.

The insider described their breakup as incredibly sad but said that the new parents are determined to do the best for their son.

They've grown apart over recent months and things have finally come to a head. His partying caused arguments.

Alyson also suspects he has got close to someone else and is adamant there is no going back. As far as she's concerned, it's over, they told the publication.

Barry and Alyson made their red carpet debut almost two years ago in October 2021 and confirmed they were expecting their first child together eight months later.

Brando came along in August 2022, and Barry has since described being a father as a love I've not felt before.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, the Dubliner said: Its indescribable. Its a love Ive not felt before.

You can learn from how you were raised. I have the chance to do the things that werent done for me.

When he scooped up his BAFTA award earlier this year for his supporting role in The Banshees of Inisherin, Barry lovingly dedicated the gong to his mini-me.

In his acceptance speech, he said: Brando. I just want this for my son as well, Brando. For my mother and also for the kids that are dreaming to be something from the area that I came from. This is for yous (sic).

Barry recently paid tribute to his toddler in a heart-warming Instagram post in honour of his first Fathers Day last month.

Brando looked super stylish in a navy jacket and flat cap as he matched his dads stellar grin in the snap.

Happy Fathers Day. Love ya, Buddy. Will always try be the best one for you, Barry wrote, alongside a love heart emoji and a shamrock, the 30-year-old wrote.
We are not quite ready for a world where Alan Rickman isnt Snape or Reese Witherspoon isnt Elle Woods, but it was almost a reality

Demi Moores then husband Bruce Willis passed on the role taken by Patrick Swayze in Ghost

Beyonce was supposed to play Lady Gagas character in A Star Is Born with Clint Eastwood

John Travolta could have been Forrest Gump instead of Tom Hanks

Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, but said Al Pacino was the perfect fit

Brad Pitt as Neo? Jack Nicholson in The Godfather? Or Madonna as Catwoman?

This week Gary Oldman revealed that he turned down Edward Scissorhands after reading a few pages of the script before Johnny Depp went on to make the role one of the most iconic of all time.

That got us wondering about all the other major movie roles that were turned down for one reason or another. And some of them are shocking. We are not quite ready for a world where Alan Rickman isnt Snape or Reese Witherspoon isnt Elle Woods, but it was almost a reality

Demi Moores then husband Bruce Willis passed on the role taken by Patrick Swayze in Ghost

Bruce Willis in Ghost Willis and Demi Moore were a couple when they were both sent the script for the romantic drama  but only one of them ended up doing it. While Moore starred alongside Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg in the film, which became the highest-grossing film of 1990, Willis found the whole concept confusing and said No.

Christina Applegate in Legally Blonde There was no bend and snap for Christina Applegate because she turned down the iconic role of Elle Woods, the part that made Reese Witherspoon a massive star.

Applegate was scared of repeating herself and said in 2015: What a stupid move that was.

Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, but said Al Pacino was the perfect fit

Jack Nicholson in The Godfather Nicholson turned down Al Pacinos part in The Godfather, saying, Back then, I believed that Indians should play Indians and Italians should play Italians.

"There were a lot of actors who could have played Michael, myself included, but Al Pacino was Michael Corleone.

Kathy Bates took on Bette Midlers role in Misery

Bette Midler in Sister Act & Misery In a 2010 interview, Midler reflected on past career mistakes, including the time she passed on the role of Sister Mary Clarence in the iconic 1992 comedy. Ive made so many mistakes.

There was Sister Act, which was written for me, but I said: My fans dont want to see me in a wimple. I dont know where I got that from. Why would I say such a thing? So, Whoopi [Goldberg] did it instead, and, of course, she made a fortune.

I also didnt do Misery and Kathy Bates won an Oscar for it. Thats not to say I would have. It was so violent and I had no relation to it. I was afraid.

Gywneth Paltrow said no to Kate Winslets role in Titanic

Gwyneth Paltrow in Titanic Kate Winslet became a household name for her star-making role in Titanic, but the part almost went to Gwyneth Paltrow. I know that the story is that I turned it down, Paltrow in 2015 interview.

Why the hell did I say no to that? And you know, you look at the big picture and think: Theres a universal lesson here. PLOT TWIST

Kate Winslet in Shakespeare in Love In a funny twist of fate, Winslet turned down the role of Viola in Shakespeare in Love  a role that won Gwyneth Paltrow the Oscar for best actress in 1999  because she wanted to focus on independent films.

John Travolta could have been Forrest Gump instead of Tom Hanks

John Travolta in Forrest Gump John Travolta has openly admitted in several interviews that passing on the role of Forrest Gump was one of the biggest mistakes of his career. Can you imagine it?

Read more Meet the tennis couples turning Wimbledon into their love island

Helen Mirren in Precious

This is just bizarre. Up until three days before filming, Dame Mirren was due to play the role associated with Mariah Carey.

Julia Roberts in the Blind Side

Reportedly Julia Roberts wasnt interested in The Blind Sides script and passed on the role of Anne Touhy, with the part going to Sandra Bullock, who later won an Oscar for her performance.

Sandra Bullock in Million Dollar Baby Bullock was originally attached to Million Dollar Baby, but the role of Maggie ultimately went to Hillary Swank due to Miss Congeniality 2related scheduling conflicts.

Matt Damon in Avatar OK, so he wanted the role and saw its potential. Plus we can totally see him playing Jake Sully in Avatar. But unfortunately for Damon, the filming The Bourne Ultimatum prevented him from taking on Avatar which in turn he claims lost him 10 percent of the movies profits (around 150m).

I will go down in history, Damon said in 2021, according to Deadline. You will never meet an actor who turned down more money.

Hugh Grant as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter Hugh Grant was reportedly forced to turn down the role of the narcissistic Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Lockhart to film Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock. Riddikulus!

Beyonce was supposed to play Lady Gagas character in A Star Is Born with Clint Eastwood

Beyonce in A Star Is Born According to A Star Is Born producer Bill Gerber, the roles of Jack and Ally from the 2018 film starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga were initially meant for Clint Eastwood and Beyonce.

"There was a moment where that was the best version of the movie and then all of a sudden, Beyonce got pregnant. Do we wait? Gerber told The Hollywood Reporter.

She was amazing about all this stuff. She always understood if we were going to take a different direction. And then Clint went off and did another movie.

Tim Roth as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series Its a good thing Tim Roth passed on playing Severus Snape because the Hogwarts professor was made to be played by Alan Rickman.

Roth turned down the role to film Planet of the Apes and says: Do I regret it? I dont know if I ever think about things that way. If I had done it, everything would have changed. Thats the nature of the randomness of life. I think the better man for the job did the job.
The newspaper said the star paid the person, said to have been 17 when the payments began, 35,000 in exchange for the images

A BBC presenter has been taken off air over allegations he paid a teenager for explicit pictures (James Manning/PA)

The BBC has been urged to act very swiftly to deal with the claims centring on an unnamed presenter alleged to have paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.

British Government minister Victoria Atkins described the claims reported by the Sun as very, very serious as questions over the broadcasters handling of the situation were raised.

The newspaper said the star paid the person, said to have been 17 when the payments began, 35,000 in exchange for the images.

In the latest claim, the young persons mother said she saw a picture of the presenter on her childs phone sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.

The mother said she was told it was a picture from some kind of video call and looked like he was getting ready for my child to perform for him.

The family were said to have complained to the BBC on May 19 but became frustrated that the star remained on air. He is understood not to be due on air in the near future.

Ms Atkins, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, told Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday: These are very, very serious allegations and the BBC have said they have processes in place.

But as public attention and concern grows the BBC is going to have to act very swiftly to deal with these allegations and to set out what they are doing to investigate them.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the BBC needs to speed up their processes (Victoria Jones/PA)

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves urged the broadcasters to speed up their processes in investigating such allegations.

The Labour MP told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: I do feel that I often come on this programme and we do start with another crisis at the BBC.

The BBC do need to speed up their processes, it looks like these issues were raised in May, were now in July and the presenter stayed on air.

Thats not good enough so the BBC need to get their house in order and give greater clarity to what on earth has gone on in this case and what they are trying to do to put it right.

Former home secretary Priti Patel said the BBCs response has been derisory.

They must provide the victim and his family a full and transparent investigation, she said.

The BBC which is funded by licence fee payers has become a faceless and unaccountable organisation.

Media lawyer Mark Stephens said the BBC handling of the complaint had been a shambles, arguing it had really dropped the ball.

And it does seem that theyve also caused this to escalate, because it was the frustration with the BBC not acting that led to the family to go to the Sun newspaper, he told Times Radio.

And that I think is reckless, because of course what has happened is weve seen all this conjecture on social media.

A number of BBC stars publicly said they were not the presenter at the centre of the allegations, amid heavy speculation about their identity on social media.

Gary Lineker tweeted: Hate to disappoint the haters but its not me.

Rylan Clark wote: Not sure why my names floating about but re that story in the Sun  that aint me babe. Im currently filming a show in Italy for the BBC, so take my name out ya mouths.

Jeremy Vine said: Just to say Im very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday  whoever the BBC Presenter in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly aint me.

Nicky Campbell suggested he had contacted police about being mentioned online in connection with the story.

He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.

He wrote: I think its important to take a stand. Theres just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends.

A BBC spokesperson said: We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.

As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this. That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.

If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.

If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided  including via newspapers  this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.
KHARTOUM, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese army on Sunday denied responsibility for the killing of 22 civilians in Omdurman city, west of the capital Khartoum, on Saturday.

"The Air Force did not deal with any hostile targets in Omdurman yesterday (Saturday)," the statement said, refuting the claim by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that the army carried out an air strike that killed at least 22 civilians.

It went on to say that "We have made it clear more than once that the militia used to bombard residential areas with artillery and missiles coincident with the flying of our planes in a bid to falsely accuse the armed forces of targeting citizens."

Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, which left over 3,000 people killed and more than 6,000 others injured, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

More than 2.8 million people have been forced into displacement, including 2.2 million internally displaced, since the conflict broke out in Sudan, according to UN estimates. 
Waikato Bay of Plenty Young Farmer Emma Poole is 'absolutely buzzing after being named the 55th FMG Young Farmer of the Year and making history as the contest's first-ever female champion.

The Waikato Bay of Plenty representative will bring the trophy home to her region after being announced the winner of the annual FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final event at an awards ceremony in Timaru on Saturday night.

Emma secured the win following three days of gruelling challenges against six other Grand Finalists.

Contestants' farming skills and general knowledge were put to the test with tasks that included repairing farm machinery, creating a hydroponic system and an intense race-style challenge with multiple tasks that saw points awarded for both skill and speed.

'I'm totally overwhelmed, I really wasn't sure where I was going to sit," says Emma.

"All the finalists have been so great throughout the competition and these last three days have been really tough so I wouldn't say I was feeling confident, but I knew I'd put in my best effort and that's all you can hope for at the end of the day.

Emma Poole competing in her Farmlet on Practical Day. Photo: Supplied.

As Emma accepted the award, Tim Dangen, her brother, mentor and last season's FMG Young Farmer of the Year was there to congratulate her as she expressed "we've finally knocked the grass ceiling off the roof.

'There's a long chain of women that have worked really hard to display the important role we play in agriculture. All those women have given me the confidence to stand up and give it a go. I'm just a product of what they've all achieved.

More than 600 spectators poured into Winchester Showgrounds to watch the action unfold during Friday's practical day.

Many were visibly on edge as contestants worked with quad bikes, power tools and tractors to show off their practical skills. Points added up with every challenge, though the race continued to play out neck and neck right up until the final buzzer quiz on Saturday evening.

In the end, Aorangi representative Peter O'Connor missed out on the title by a small margin, and Otago Southland Young Farmer Hugh Jackson finished up in third place.

Emma is no stranger to the contest. Having qualified for the Grand Final previously in 2019 she was more determined than ever to take out the win this time around.

'The most challenging was definitely the Agri-Sports, I had a pretty frustrating start with the baler and the tractor and that comes down to stress, but it's no different to what we're doing every day. Farming is tough when stress comes on and you've got to find a way to adapt and carry on.

Alongside the coveted title, iconic trophy and famous Cloak of Knowledge, Emma also claimed $90,000 in prizes thanks to the contest's sponsor family.

Runner-up, Peter, also took home the Agri-Skills and Agri-Knowledge challenges and says his favourite part of the contest was racing the tractor down the home straight of the Agri-Sports, a skill that is second nature to him.

'It's a great feeling to be awarded second place. The competition was really challenging, it put us through our paces, with lots of unknowns and things I hadn't done before. I'm a competitive person and I like to get out there and challenge myself, so I'll definitely be back at some stage, says Peter.

New Zealand Young Farmers Chief Executive Lynda Coppersmith says Emma impressed judges with her resilience, broad stroke of skills and knowledge and sheer determination.

'I'm thrilled for Emma  it's the most prestigious farming award in the country and it's incredible to see it go to someone who will be such a strong ambassador for not only the contest but for the entire food and fibre sector as a whole.

Lynda says the talent demonstrated by contestants across the three-day final is proof that the future of the sector is in safe hands.

She also paid special tribute to the hundreds of volunteers who ensured that everything went according to plan.

'There are so many people who have worked tirelessly for months in the lead-up to the Grand Final  donating their time to ensure the event was a resounding success. It is a testament to their dedication that farming continues to thrive in Aotearoa and will for many years to come.
In a heart-warming display of marine camaraderie, an adventurous and charismatic seal has captivated a Mount Maunganui boy and his mate as it snatched their catch on Salisbury Wharf on Saturday.

The playful and sociable marine mammal had been quietly swimming in the water near the wharf, while eyeing up the tantalizing mullet Ari Halpin, age 12, had pulled in on his fishing line.

'The seal came up onto the wharf before any of us noticed, says Ari, who was caught by surprise as he hadn't seen the seal until it took the fish from him.

'He came up the stairs, after I caught a mullet. I was holding it my hand and it was alive. The seal came up to me, I didn't notice it and ate the mullet out of my hand.

Ari, who attends Tauranga Intermediate and plays guitar in the school band, says he goes fishing every day after school. He was fishing with his mate Oli on Saturday when the seal clambered onto the wharf to help itself to any fishy delights within reach.

The boys had arrived at Salisbury Wharf about 7.30am and were fishing for over three hours before the seal arrived.

'It was pretty cool.

The seal, seemingly posing for a photograph on Salisbury Wharf. Photo: Chris Taylor Photography.

During the morning, local photographer Chris Taylor had taken hold of the opportunity that the day presented to go capture some scenes of the beach on his camera.

'I was just going around Pilot Bay looking for a landscape/seascape possibility, says Chris.

'But the weather packed up and I gave up on that idea and went out on the wharf to have a look and realised there was a photo there after all.

On arriving about 11am, he left his camera gear behind due to the rain, just taking his mobile phone, and walked out to the end of the wharf.

'I didn't know the seal was there. There were a lot of people down there on the wharf and quite a number fishing, cos of course it's school holidays.

He saw the seal making itself at home amongst those fishing.

'The seal didn't look aggressive at all. I took some photos on my cell phone. I wish I'd been carrying the bigger camera because there was a fantastic scene where the seal went up to the boy and grabbed the fish out of his bait bin and swallowed it.

The seal avidly watching for any fish that may be caught by a fisher wearing pink crocs. Photo: Chris Taylor Photography.

Chris posted the photos to his Facebook page after which Ari's mother contacted him to ask for copies.

He also posted captions for the photos, suggesting what the seal might be thinking.

'The guy wearing the pink crocs throwing the line with the seal behind him watching  he'd be saying I'll just sit and watch. If you could reel me in a little kahawai or terakihi, that'd be nice', wrote Chris on one post.

Chris says the seal wasn't aggressive but still was a bit close.

'It was after the fish bait.

Ari says soon after his initial seal encounter, everybody left the wharf due to the rain, leaving the seal behind.

'Me and my mate Oli decided to come back about 45 minutes later after everybody else had left, to go back fishing. We didn't know the seal was still there.

The seal was lying on the wharf, chilling out.

'We kept fishing and it just lay on the wharf. We also named it Big Puppy'. It tried getting fish of other people but no one gave it any.

Ari says the seal stayed for the rest of the day while he and Oli continued fishing.

'And then we fed it a bit more squid and it swam off. We left at 6pm, the seal went about 20 minutes before we left.

While unlikely friendships between seals and a fishing community does create a delightful spectacle, those on the wharf were mindful that the cheeky seal is still a wild animal and took care to maintain a safe distance, although Ari discovered the seal wanted to get close to him, attempting to put his head into his lap expecting to be patted.

Ari's mother Veronika says he's very aware of being careful around seals, knowing they can bite.

'Ariel is fascinated with wildlife and nature, and has an interest in studying marine biology, says Veronika.

'He's often found fishing, surfing, paddleboarding.

The seal, dubbed 'Big Puppy' by Ari and his friend Oli, stayed for the rest of the day on the Salisbury Wharf while the boys continued fishing. Photo: Chris Taylor Photography.

The Department of Conservation website states that from July to September each year there's an influx in adolescent seals appearing on our shores and further inland. This is because seal pups begin to wean as their mothers prepare for new pups.

DOC recommends that on finding a New Zealand fur seal it's usually best to leave it alone, however, there are exceptions.

DOC takes a hands off' approach to seals. Seals are capable and resilient and given time and space, they usually find their way home.

Seals are wild animals and will defend themselves if they feel threatened. Adult seals can move surprisingly quickly on land. While they can look harmless, seals can inflict serious injuries to dogs or people and can carry infectious diseases.

It is an offence under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 to disturb, harass, harm, injure or kill a seal. A dog owner whose dog attacks a seal could face prosecution.

DOC provide safety guidelines when watching seals. You should stay at least 20 m away, don't disturb seals by making loud noises or throwing things, keep dogs and children away, don't feed the seals, and never attempt to touch a seal.

More information on seals and what to do if you come across one can be found on the Department of Conservation website http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/seals/nz-fur-seal/what-to-do/
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GUIYANG, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Luo Wenmei, a resident of Qingshan Village in southwest China's Guizhou Province, felt lucky to join the local project of planting Sichuan pepper in the mountainous area which used to suffer from stony desertification.

"I can earn more than 2,000 yuan (about 277.57 U.S. dollars) a month by planting the pepper," said Luo, who was excited to see how the plant, with strong drought tolerance, developed root system, good water retention ability and high output, has turned local hills green and fattened rural residents' wallets.

So far, the pepper industry has created 15,000 job opportunities, helping the 200 households in the village increase their income by more than 6,000 yuan on average.

Like the progress in Qingshan Village in the southwestern part of Guizhou, various other such examples ranging from green agriculture and clean energy to rural tourism were introduced during the two-day Eco Forum Global Guiyang 2023 that opened Saturday in the provincial capital Guiyang. These cases illuminated China's practices in advancing ecological conservation and promoting rural revitalization.

This year's event, themed "pursuing modernization of harmony between humanity and nature -- promoting green and low-carbon development," has attracted over 2,500 participants with both online and offline activities.

In an interview with Xinhua, James George, deputy resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme in China, stressed the importance of ecological conservation in promoting rural revitalization.

"Deterioration of ecological environment will lead to poverty, and poverty will accelerate the deterioration of the ecological environment as you can not address them in isolation," he said, noting that pursuing economic growth without paying attention to environmental protection will lead to a vicious cycle.

Attaching great importance to environmental protection, Huawu Village, a once nationally designated poor village, has shaken off poverty and become a pilot project in developing rural ecological tourism.

Located near the source of the Wujiang River in the western part of Guizhou, the natural environment of the small village of Miao ethnicity has improved thanks to concerted efforts of water pollution control, ecological restoration and a fishing ban in the Wujiang River basin.

Targeting the attraction of splendid mountain views and vast water bodies, in addition to a unique ethnic Miao culture, the village has made great efforts in developing rural tourism. It has been active in building tourism infrastructure, such as roads, parking lots, campsites and guest houses, producing distinctive agricultural products and exhibiting traditional Miao embroidery.

Local residents have received the dividends of ecological tourism. Since 2021, tourists have made over 900,000 trips to the village. The combined tourism income of the village exceeded 300 million yuan, with per capita net income reaching 25,000 yuan.

"Targeted initiatives in China that acknowledge local natural assets, explore new livelihood opportunities and take into account the domestic economic challenges, have enabled more policies and actions to be grounded," said George.

The key moving forward is also scaling up the best practices and leveraging insights from the lessons learned to accelerate progress towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in China, he said.

As a world leader in renewable energy development, China's robust progress in this field has also brought benefits to rural residents.

In the Yi-Hui-Miao Autonomous County of Weining, which is near the peak altitude of Guizhou, it is hard to plant crops due to the high altitude. In recent years, new opportunities for local growth emerged as the province accelerated the development of new-energy power generation.

Covering an area of more than 1,300 mu (about 86.67 hectares), the Jinyuan Meihuashan agricultural photovoltaic power station can generate 53 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each year.

"Photovoltaic panels can help block sunlight and reduce water evaporation, so the vegetation at the photovoltaic base grows better," said Tian Haokun, head of the station.

Photovoltaic power generation not only saves energy and reduces carbon emissions, but also helps with soil and water conservation on barren hills and prevents the expansion of desertification, Tian added.

The income of local villagers has significantly increased as the station pays a large amount in land rent to them each year and offers plenty of job opportunities. The grass flourishing under the photovoltaic panels also provides quality pasture for herding.

From 2012 to 2022, the total installed capacity of clean energy reached 3.68 million kilowatts in the county of Weining, with a cumulative power generation of 29.4 billion kWh and an industrial output of 14.6 billion yuan.

The significant rise of industrial output and tax revenue has provided the once poverty-stricken county with more funds to invest in projects aiming at improving local residents' livelihoods. 
arnieshwartz BHPian



Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 43 Thanked: 86 Times

The Rolls-Royce 'White Glove' Chauffeur Training Program



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2NeuXS0JPc



The Essence of the 'White Glove' Program:

Rolls-Royce understands that a truly exceptional luxury car experience extends far beyond the quality of the vehicle itself. It is the dedication, expertise, and attentiveness of the chauffeur that elevates the entire journey to an extraordinary level. With this understanding, Rolls-Royce has developed the 'White Glove' chauffeur training program, which imparts the brand's values and equips chauffeurs with the skills needed to deliver an impeccable experience to discerning clients.



Training to Perfection:

The 'White Glove' program is an intensive and comprehensive training regimen that leaves no stone unturned in its pursuit of excellence. Rolls-Royce collaborates with renowned training institutes and luxury service experts to deliver a curriculum that covers a wide range of essential skills and knowledge areas.



1. Professionalism and Conduct:

Chauffeurs enrolled in the program are instilled with the values of professionalism, discretion, and personal presentation. They learn to embody the spirit of Rolls-Royce, maintaining an impeccable appearance and ensuring the utmost discretion while catering to the needs and preferences of their esteemed clientele.



2. Driving Skills:

Rolls-Royce vehicles are renowned for their exceptional performance and comfort, and it is crucial for chauffeurs to master the art of driving these luxurious machines. The program focuses on refining driving skills, ensuring chauffeurs possess the finesse and precision necessary to provide an unparalleled experience behind the wheel.



3. Navigation and Route Planning:

To guarantee a seamless journey, chauffeurs are trained in advanced navigation techniques and familiarized with various locations, including popular landmarks, luxury hotels, and exclusive destinations. The program emphasizes efficient route planning to minimize travel time and maximize the enjoyment of passengers.



4. Etiquette and Cultural Awareness:

As representatives of the Rolls-Royce brand, chauffeurs must demonstrate an understanding of cultural nuances and possess impeccable etiquette. They are trained to adapt their service style to meet the preferences of clients from diverse backgrounds, ensuring every interaction is personalized and respectful.



5. Safety and Security:

The 'White Glove' program places significant emphasis on the safety and security of both passengers and the vehicle. Chauffeurs are trained in defensive driving techniques and taught how to handle emergency situations calmly and efficiently. They are also well-versed in the security features and protocols specific to Rolls-Royce vehicles, ensuring a secure environment for clients.





The Rolls-Royce 'White Glove' chauffeur training program exemplifies the brand's unwavering dedication to excellence. By investing in the development of highly skilled and attentive chauffeurs, Rolls-Royce ensures that every moment spent in their vehicles is nothing short of extraordinary. Recent articles in reputable publications, such as Luxury Travel Magazine and Robb Report, have highlighted the program's success stories, celebrating the commitment of Rolls-Royce to delivering unparalleled luxury experiences. From mastering the art of driving these remarkable machines to embodying the values of Rolls-Royce, each chauffeur becomes an ambassador of luxury, providing an unrivaled experience that extends far beyond transportation. As the 'White Glove' program continues to shine, it reinforces Rolls-Royce's position as the pinnacle of automotive luxury and sets a new standard for chauffeur services worldwide. I happened to read this article today that goes on to describe how Rolls-Royce has a special chauffeur training program in which drivers are specifically taught the champagne stop - a special braking technique to stop the car so smoothly that not a single drop of bubbly is spilled by the passengers. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued, so I did some Google-ing and found more about this 'White Glove' chauffeur training program which aims to elevate luxury service to unprecedented heights.Rolls-Royce understands that a truly exceptional luxury car experience extends far beyond the quality of the vehicle itself. It is the dedication, expertise, and attentiveness of the chauffeur that elevates the entire journey to an extraordinary level. With this understanding, Rolls-Royce has developed the 'White Glove' chauffeur training program, which imparts the brand's values and equips chauffeurs with the skills needed to deliver an impeccable experience to discerning clients.The 'White Glove' program is an intensive and comprehensive training regimen that leaves no stone unturned in its pursuit of excellence. Rolls-Royce collaborates with renowned training institutes and luxury service experts to deliver a curriculum that covers a wide range of essential skills and knowledge areas.Chauffeurs enrolled in the program are instilled with the values of professionalism, discretion, and personal presentation. They learn to embody the spirit of Rolls-Royce, maintaining an impeccable appearance and ensuring the utmost discretion while catering to the needs and preferences of their esteemed clientele.Rolls-Royce vehicles are renowned for their exceptional performance and comfort, and it is crucial for chauffeurs to master the art of driving these luxurious machines. The program focuses on refining driving skills, ensuring chauffeurs possess the finesse and precision necessary to provide an unparalleled experience behind the wheel.To guarantee a seamless journey, chauffeurs are trained in advanced navigation techniques and familiarized with various locations, including popular landmarks, luxury hotels, and exclusive destinations. The program emphasizes efficient route planning to minimize travel time and maximize the enjoyment of passengers.As representatives of the Rolls-Royce brand, chauffeurs must demonstrate an understanding of cultural nuances and possess impeccable etiquette. They are trained to adapt their service style to meet the preferences of clients from diverse backgrounds, ensuring every interaction is personalized and respectful.The 'White Glove' program places significant emphasis on the safety and security of both passengers and the vehicle. Chauffeurs are trained in defensive driving techniques and taught how to handle emergency situations calmly and efficiently. They are also well-versed in the security features and protocols specific to Rolls-Royce vehicles, ensuring a secure environment for clients.The Rolls-Royce 'White Glove' chauffeur training program exemplifies the brand's unwavering dedication to excellence. By investing in the development of highly skilled and attentive chauffeurs, Rolls-Royce ensures that every moment spent in their vehicles is nothing short of extraordinary. Recent articles in reputable publications, such as Luxury Travel Magazine and Robb Report, have highlighted the program's success stories, celebrating the commitment of Rolls-Royce to delivering unparalleled luxury experiences. From mastering the art of driving these remarkable machines to embodying the values of Rolls-Royce, each chauffeur becomes an ambassador of luxury, providing an unrivaled experience that extends far beyond transportation. As the 'White Glove' program continues to shine, it reinforces Rolls-Royce's position as the pinnacle of automotive luxury and sets a new standard for chauffeur services worldwide. Last edited by arnieshwartz : 7th July 2023 at 12:06 . Reason: minor refinements and correcting typos
BEIJING, July 9(Xinhua) -- A selection of the best press photos from Xinhua.

This aerial photo taken on July 8, 2023 shows a celebration event for Harbin's successful bid in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Harbin was chosen by the OCA to host the 2025 Asian Winter Games on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

This photo taken on July 8, 2023 shows Lao tea products at Eco Forum Global Guiyang 2023 in Guiyang, the capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province. China's only national-level global forum focusing on ecological civilization, Eco Forum Global Guiyang 2023, kicked off on Saturday in Guiyang, the capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province. This year's event, themed "Pursuing modernization of harmony between humanity and nature -- promoting green and low-carbon development," attracts over 2,500 participants with both online and offline activities. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Tourists visit the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, in Beijing, capital of China, July 8, 2023. Beijng is seeing an increasing number of tourists as summer vacation starts across China. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

This aerial photo taken on July 4, 2023 shows a boat sailing on Wanfeng Lake in Nanpan river town of Xingyi City in southwest China's Guizhou Province. Covering an area of 176 square kilometer, the Wanfeng Lake serves as an important ecological barrier to Pearl River Delta region. The local authority has taken proactive measures to tackle pollution and improve the water quality here. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

A participant interacts with humanoid robot Sophia at AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, July 7, 2023. AI for Good Global Summit was held both on-site and online on July 6-7, aiming at identifying practical applications of AI, scaling solutions for global impact and accelerating progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It was organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN specialized agency for information and communication technology, in partnership with 40 UN sister agencies and co-convened with the government of Switzerland. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

A giraffe is seen on Crescent Island at Lake Naivasha, in Nakuru County, Kenya, July 8, 2023. Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya and a noted scenic spot for tourists. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

People jump into the Nile to cool off in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, on July 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Children play at an artificial fountain to cool off in Sheraton hotel park in Doha, Qatar, on July 6, 2023. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua)
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Get ready for just another celestial spectacle!

Multiple reports tell us that a solar storm forecasted for Thursday, July 13, is expected to provide skygazers in 17 American states with a remarkable opportunity to catch the awe-inspiring Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis.

What Is the Northern Lights?

This breathtaking phenomenon occurs when the solar wind interacts with the Earth's atmosphere, creating a mesmerizing display of vibrant colors dancing across the night sky.

Phys.Org tells us that the Northern Lights have been most commonly observed in regions like Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia.

However, due to an ongoing 11-year solar cycle predicted to peak in 2024, these ethereal lights are becoming visible in locations farther south.

Just three months ago, dazzling light displays were seen in Arizona, marking the occurrence of the third intense geomagnetic storm since the commencement of the current solar cycle in 2019.

Where the Northern Lights Are Visible

The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, has forecasted the auroral activity for this Thursday, and it promises to be a spectacle like no other.

Skygazers in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine, and Maryland are in for a treat.

Additionally, our neighbors to the north in Canada, including Vancouver, are also expected to witness the stunning light displays.

Read Also: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Discovers Large Dust Reservoirs in 2 Dead Stars

Particularly, cities such as Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Helena, Montana, can anticipate the Northern Lights to appear overhead. Meanwhile, locations like Salem, Oregon; Boise, Idaho; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Annapolis, Maryland; and Indianapolis should keep their eyes on the horizon, as the lights are expected to make a compelling appearance there, too.

If you are eager to glimpse this celestial phenomenon, finding a location away from the glaring lights of cities is crucial.

How to Get a Better View

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center recommends seeking higher elevations for optimal viewing.

To enhance your experience, check the local forecast for any signs of clouds or precipitation that might obstruct your view.

Remember, the prime viewing times typically occur between 10 pm and 2 am local time, so prepare for a late-night adventure under the starry skies.

How Scientists Predict the Northern Lights

Scientists utilize a geomagnetic index known as Kp to gauge the intensity of auroral activity.

From zero to nine, with zero representing minimal activity and nine denoting a bright and active display, Kp provides valuable insights into the forthcoming aurora.

According to the Geophysical Institute's forecast, Thursday's storm is expected to reach a Kp of 6, indicating a high level of activity that promises a vibrant and captivating show.

With the solar storm expected to cause the Northern Lights to appear over 17 American states, including notable areas such as Alaska and New York, countless skygazers will have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of experiencing this spectacular cosmic display.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: [LOOK] NASA Features Dazzling Fourth of July Fireworks Amidst Supermoon

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, has long intrigued adventurers and scientists' imaginations.

Now, SCMP reports that a team of Chinese scientists from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made a groundbreaking discovery regarding the snow-covered summit.

Their findings, published in the prestigious scientific journal The Cryosphere, reveal a shocking snow depth on Mount Everest, challenging previous estimates and potentially impacting our understanding of climate change.

Unveiling Everest's Astonishing Snow Depth

For years, estimates of the snow depth on Mount Everest have varied widely, creating inconsistencies and uncertainties.

However, based on an expedition conducted in April and May last year, this new investigation utilized cutting-edge ground-penetrating radar technology to provide a more accurate assessment.

The team took dozens of readings along the mountain's north slope, specifically at elevations above 7,000 meters.

The results were nothing short of astonishing. The Chinese scientists discovered that the average snow depth on the summit of Mount Everest measures approximately 9.5 meters (31.1 feet). That is the height of two giraffes standing on each other!

This depth far surpasses the previous estimates, which ranged from a mere 0.92 to 3.5 meters. The implications of this revelation are profound, potentially transforming our understanding of climate change dynamics in the region.

Why Measure the Everest Snow?

The snow and glaciers on Mount Everest play a crucial role in monitoring and understanding climate change.

Professor Yang Wei, one of the lead researchers from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, explains that these icy formations act as sentinels for climate change, providing valuable insights into ongoing transformations at extreme elevations.

The deeper-than-expected snow depth on Mount Everest highlights the need for a more comprehensive assessment of the impact of human-induced climate change in the Himalayas.

Read Also: China Achieves 10x Satellite Speed with Lasers: Reached 10 Gbps with Space-to-Ground Connection

According to SCMP, the researchers emphasize that further examination of snow depth variations during different periods will be instrumental in comprehending the effects of climate change in this region.

They believe that the relatively flat topography along the ridge of Mount Everest, as indicated by the homogeneity of their radar measurements, offers valuable insights into the potentially widespread influence of climate change on the Asian Water Tower.

What's Next?

Measuring snow depth on Mount Everest poses significant challenges due to the high altitude, harsh conditions, and inconsistencies caused by factors such as snow density.

Previous measurement efforts were hindered by limited technology and uncertainties surrounding stake length. However, the use of ground-penetrating radar in this study has provided a more reliable and accurate assessment of snow depth.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of how the snow is changing over time, the scientists stress the importance of additional research.

They recommend conducting snow core drilling and increasing ground-penetrating radar measurements on Mount Everest. These endeavors will shed light on the evolving nature of the snow cover and contribute to our understanding of the impact of climate change in this vulnerable ecosystem.

Related Article: Injured Hiker Saved by iPhone 14's Emergency SOS via Satellite-Here's How It Could Save Your Life Too

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The US Department of Defense said a US drone killed a Syrian Islamic State leader moments after Russian military jetfighters buzzed MQ-9 Reaper drones in the west.

On Friday, Russian aircraft harassed three Reaper drones for two hours. After the encounter, the drones killed Usamah al-Muhajir in Aleppo, who was attacked while driving a motorcycle. The IS official operated in the east, although the attack occurred in northwest Syria, according to a report from Politico. The US military has not confirmed the victim's identity or released operation specifics.

The strike did not kill civilians, but the US Central Command is investigating civilian injuries.

US authorities had reported concerns about Russian fighter jets flying dangerously near American drones and harassing them for three days before this incident.

US Blasts Russian Aircraft's Dangerous Moves

The commander of the US Air Forces Central Command, Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, criticized the actions of the Russian aircraft, saying that they made 18 careless near passes that required the MQ-9 drones to take evasive action to maintain safety.

The US military had previously filed concerns earlier in the week when Russian military aircraft behaved dangerously while on a mission against ISIS. The near-hour-long events included close fly-bys and the direct firing of flares into the MQ-9 drone.

Rear Adm Oleg Gurinov, the director of the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria, announced joint training exercises between the Russian and Syrian forces that started last week and would end on Monday in the middle of these events. He worried about the US-led coalition's deployment of drones over northern Syria, calling them "systematic violations of protocols" aimed at preventing war, as per an AP News article.

Read Also: AI ChatGPT-Powered Smart Toys: Here's What Parents Need To Know

The United States accused Russia of shooting down a Reaper drone over the Black Sea, prompting these new interactions. According to US footage made public, Reaper drones and Russian airplanes were involved in two incidents on Wednesday and Thursday,

Russian SU-35 pilot having fun with US Reaper drone over Syria. The pilot should have whazzed fuel on it, same technique used to drop the Reaper that invaded Russia's ADIZ, though perhaps the pilot didn't have the fuel to spare. Ingesting a large quantity of fuel should cause the pic.twitter.com/EW7KrB7iev  Chebureki Man (@CheburekiMan) July 6, 2023

US-Russia Tensions in Syria

Earlier this year, a diplomatic disagreement arose when the US accused Russian jets of shooting down a Reaper drone worth over $30 million. The drone was equipped with sensitive US spying technology and conducted operations over the Black Sea then, per Al Jazeera.

Moscow disputed US assertions that the drone crashed into the sea in March. US military released footage that showed Russian planes blocking the drone's flight path.

The Pentagon denied Russian Defense Ministry reports that US drones were operating near Russian planes. However, US drones have targeted prominent IS officials in northeastern Syria in the past, according to ABC News.

Both armed services have been using a deconfliction safety line for years to guarantee safety and stop any possible mishaps.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime is an ally of Russia.

Related Article: Japan's Busiest Port Suffers Ransomware Attack, Raises Economic Concerns

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An incredible milestone! Hubei Province & Africa are celebrating their 60th anniversary of cooperation. Check out what the Madagascar embassy counselor had to say about sci-tech collaboration at the just concluded Wuhan forum.
Marseille: four police officers indicted for violence in assembly, one placed in provisional detention

Did the lioness come from private keeping? In Germany, this is hardly regulated

Berlin: Manja Schreiner has most of the cycle paths built like in Schoneberg

A network of solar power plants in orbit, the crazy bet on which Thales is working

Debate about "costume Jews": What is it all about?

Above Power  Divorces compete with weddings in Lebanon and private companies to organize them

Switzerland: Two people help injured by lightning  and are hit themselves

It is described as the most important milestone in the reshaping of the Middle East. Was the Treaty of Lausanne a victory or a defeat?

Easy money? This road does not work! Why are there so many cases of gang crime?

Close to victory in the Tour de France  after the collapse of the competitor

The Chinese women's football team will play in the World Cup today! The debut is a crucial battle

In the eyes of Japan and South Korea, the "devil away" returned to "rejuvenate" for ten years

What remains to be resolved in the Vosges? "I give myself a 10% chance of getting on the podium"

The second half of the Sepa Championship from 22nd day of professional baseball will focus on the championship battle

Yao Zhenhua was "refused entry"! Is the security guard "Geng straight", or is there another secret?

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: A slight reduction in summer grain will not have a big impact on the market

The Central Bank of Russia does not intend to introduce additional restrictions in the field of cash currency

Movistar remodels its television and launches a new rate with two weekly football matches from 11 euros

Vox assumes that it will lose seats but caresses having the key to the Government nine years after the birth of the party

Biden nominates woman for the first time to head the US Navy

Legislative elections in Spain: a tense end of campaign where the right dominated the debates

DRC: in front of MONUSCO, hundreds of women call for an investigation into the murder of Cherubin Okende

Announcement of dismissal of Ukrainian ambassador to the UK: Criticism of President Zelensky in the background

Guatemala: new attack by the prosecutor's office against Bernardo Arevalo, the favorite of the presidential election

Three activists arrested for sneaking into Ibiza airport sticking to a private jet and spraying it with paint

RaHDit hackers published the routes of ships from which they could hit the Crimean bridge

The astonishing data of the time trial in which Vingegaard swept Pogacar: "He scored more watts than expected"

Ministry of Public Security: Shut down more than 2,1 illegal accounts in accordance with the law

The controversial documentary about the death and last hours of Mario Biondo, the husband of Raquel Sanchez Silva, arrives on Netflix

How is the makeup of Yolanda Diaz to which Nunez Feijoo has alluded in his last rally

 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.
Experts have called for joint efforts to protect gibbons at the Global Gibbon Network (GGN) first Meeting of Partners held from Friday to Sunday in China's Haikou.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
A marsh wren perches on a branch near water during the Palmetto Island Christmas Bird Count Friday, January 4, 2019, in Intracoastal City, La. More than a dozen birders spread out across a 15-mile diameter area in southern Vermilion Parish to spot, count and document as many birds and unique species as possible during the event. The bird count, which runs from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5, provides annual information to Audubon and other organizations to study bird populations, movement and health.
Bishop Michael Duca of the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, Governor John Bel Edwards and members of Catholic Charities pose in front of the box truck that was blessed during a hurricane safety mass on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The term sustainable fashion is now very familiar to consumers. But how to approach buying it and what it actually encompasses can be confusing.

A quick internet search can lead you down a rabbit hole of information on organic fibres, recycled polyesters, clothing rentals, deadstock fabric, alternative leathers, upcycling and recycling. It can all get a bit overwhelming. Even the concept of whether clothing can actually be sustainable is up for debate, as the fashion industry revolves around the consumption of new items and the excitement of emerging trends.

In the words of designer Vivienne Westwood: Buy less, choose well, make it last. Credit: Stocksy

Many people are suggesting that responsible fashion as a more fitting term. But whatever we decide to call it, we all want the tools to be able to shop with more knowledge. So heres an introductory guide, and some labels to look out for.

Fabric matters
JERUSALEM, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli protesters were gearing up on Sunday ahead of a vote in parliament on a key provision of the far-right government's planned judicial overhaul, announcing they would hold a nationwide "Disruption Day" on Tuesday.

In late March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu temporarily halted his plans to overhaul the judiciary under pressure to reach a compromise.

However, Netanyahu recently declared that the compromise talks had failed, and a bill that is a key part of his planned reform will be brought for a vote in the parliament on Monday.

BIG, one of the largest shopping center chains in the country, announced in a statement that it will actively participate in the Disruption Day on Tuesday by shutting down all of its shopping centers throughout Israel.

The legislation "would be a fatal blow to Israel's business and economic certainty, and would directly and immediately endanger our existence as a leading company in Israel," the group said.

At least 24 high-tech companies have expressed their support for the protest and announced that they will either go on strike or provide their employees with the opportunity to take a day off and participate in the rallies.

For 27 consecutive weeks, Israelis have been protesting against the contentious reform ever since Netanyahu regained power as the leader of the country's most right-wing government in history and unveiled the overhaul plan. Opponents of the reform argue that it will encourage more corruption and harm Israel's democratic justice system.

On Saturday, about 365,000 people, according to the organizers' estimates, filled the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities in one of the largest demonstrations seen in weeks.

Netanyahu says the reform is needed in order to curb the overly activist Supreme Court. 
NSW Health is urging parents to be aware of vaping among young people and encourages having early conversations to help discourage it, a spokesperson for the health department said in a statement. They added that NSW Health was increasingly concerned by harmful health effects associated with vapes, particularly for young people. If parents or carers are concerned someone has been poisoned by liquid nicotine, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 immediately. If they have collapsed or are not breathing, immediately call triple zero for an ambulance, it said. Paul Dillon, director of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), realised how easily teenagers could buy vapes on Snapchat while running one of his school education workshops in Sydney. I had a couple of girls who came up to me a while ago who said, Do you want to see how easy it is to buy vapes? Dillon recalled.

It literally only took minutes for someone to meet them at the local train station and sell them 50 vapes. Now you dont even need to go somewhere to get them, they will drop them to you. Loading Dillon stressed teenage vaping was by no means clustered in a certain geographic area, or socio-economic strata. Its everywhere, he said. The NSW Health spokesperson noted vapes for sale in the state may contain other dangerous chemicals, including those found in weedkiller and nail polish remover. A 2019 ANU analysis of e-cigarettes for sale in Australia found, of the 243 unique chemicals found in products, 38 were listed poisons and three exceeded cut-off levels for the poisons standard.

Some vapes tested in the study contained acetone and formaldehyde. Professor Brian Oliver, a research leader at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research who focuses on respiratory health, said flavoured vapes contained a whole cocktail of chemicals, the specifics of which constantly change as manufacturers promote new tastes and products. Its the new version of Russian roulette, but the players dont know they are playing, Oliver said. You can find the same sort of toxic chemicals in a cigarette as you do in an e-cigarette, but the difference is cigarettes are regulated. Oliver said overseas disposable vape manufacturers often sought out chemicals used for flavouring food without considering whether the chemical is safe when heated and vapourised.

There are thousands of different flavours of vapes; nobody has tested all of them, he warned. In May, federal Health Minister Mark Butler announced a raft of regulatory changes for the sale of e-cigarettes intended to crack down on the widespread black market which has allowed nicotine vapes to be easily illegally purchased. The changes, funded in the 2023-24 budget, promise an end to the importation of non-prescription vapes, a ban on disposable vapes and will mandate pharmaceutical-like packaging, restricting coloured and flavoured products, which anti-vaping advocates say promote vaping to young people. Anita Dessaix, director of cancer prevention and advocacy at the Cancer Council, said the recent spate of adverse reactions indicated that governments needed to implement the proposed changes as soon as possible. Im very, very saddened to hear about this, but, unfortunately, I am not surprised, she said of the incidents.
There has been some consternation  of the jobs-for-mates variety  around town at the plonking of former deputy premier James Merlino into the chairmans seat at the Suburban Rail Loop Authority, the outfit tasked with delivering Premier Dan Andrews big money train set.

And things can get complicated when, like Merlino, youre making a life post-politics and sitting on boards is now your thing.

James Merlino: chairman of the big train set. Credit: Paul Jeffers

One of those boards is that of the Hawthorn footy club, where Merlino was elected on the same ticket that saw Andy Gowers take the club presidency at the end of the Jeff Kennett era last year and where Merlino was reunited with his former Spring Street spinner Matt Dixon, who is the Hawks general manager of media and public affairs.

Small world, right?
There are almost 2 million dogs registered in Victoria, and the most popular breeds vary depending on where you live.

Using this colour-coded map, you can see the most popular breeds in every Melbourne postcode. Whats the top dog in your area?

In the wealthy inner city, cavoodles (crosses between King Charles cavalier spaniels and poodles) are the most popular breed, with these areas shaded teal on the map.

Take a walk through a dog park in well-heeled areas like Brighton, Camberwell, Caulfield, Hawthorn or South Yarra, and you will most likely see more cavoodles than any other breed.
Private recruitment companies responsible for finding temporary doctors and nurses to plug gaps in critically understaffed NSW hospitals have been accused of deliberately driving up staff costs while also discouraging medical workers from taking full-time jobs in the public health system.

The increased use of temporary doctors and nurses to cover shortages in the NSW health system has been the subject of criticism across the medical industry due to concern about the enormous cost to taxpayers and its impact on patient care.

Former doctor and now MP Amanda Cohn says companies are incentivised to price gouge hospitals. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

In the 2021-22 financial year, NSW spent $1 billion on visiting medical officers, a 54 per cent increase on a decade ago, as the health system becomes more reliant on temporary staff thanks to an exodus of permanent workers.

The cost of temporary doctors has forced some medical charities to stop funding visits in remote areas and will be examined in a special commission of inquiry into health spending due to begin next month.
Moscow: The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey have spoken by telephone a day after the latter angered Moscow by sending five Ukrainian commanders home with President Volodymyr Zelensky in what Russia called a violation of a prisoner exchange agreement.

The captured Azov commanders, lionised as heroes in Ukraine and vilified in Russia, were released in a prisoner swap in September under terms that required them to stay in Turkey until the war ends.

Five commanders of the defence of the Azovstal steel plant, a gruelling months-long siege early in the war, were returning from Turkey on the plane with Zelensky and two other ministers. Credit: AP

Russia captured the city last year after laying it to waste, killing thousands of civilians in a three-month siege. The Azov unit led the citys defence, holding out in the steelworks for weeks until they were ordered by Kyiv to surrender.

Zelensky brought them home on Saturday after a visit to Turkey.
KABUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Afghan police have arrested more than 16,000 people on charge of involvement in criminal activities over the past one year, the country's interior ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani said.

"In the past one year, 11,800 crimes occurred, and 16,600 criminals were arrested throughout the country and the rate of crimes has been significantly reduced in comparison to previous years," local television channel Tolo News quoted Qani.

Security situation has been stabilized in the country and police would spare no efforts to ensure law and order, said the official. 
17-Year-Old Killed, 2 Wounded in Shooting Near Los Angeles Mall

LOS ANGELESA 17-year-old boy was shot to death and two other males were wounded near the Beverly Center July 9 and the shooter was still at large, authorities said.

Officers were dispatched at 3:50 a.m. to West Third Street and South Orlando Avenue, where the boy was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Paramedics rushed a 17-year-old boy and a 26-year-old man to nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition.

The suspect was last seen fleeing the area on foot southbound on Orlando Avenue, police said.

According to ABC7, the shooting occurred outside Berris Cafe, which is open until 4 a.m.

LAPD West Bureau homicide detectives urged anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 213-382-9470 or 877-527-3247.

Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or use the website.
2 Girls Shot at Large Party on Santa Monica Beach

A police car is seen in Santa Monica, Calif. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

SANTA MONICA, Calif.Two girls suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds at a large party on a Santa Monica beach, authorities said July 9.

At about 9:20 p.m. Friday, multiple officers responded to a large party in the 2700 block of the Santa Monica beach, the Santa Monica Police Department reported.

As they were approaching, officers heard multiple gunshots and the group scattered, including the shooter, Lt. Erika Aklufi said.

Officers located a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl suffering from gunshot wounds to their lower legs. Paramedics rushed the Los Angeles residents to a hospital, Aklufi said.

The victims did not see who fired the weapon or which direction the person fled, she said.

The suspect was described as a 5-foot-10-inch man with dreadlocks wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a black hat.

Santa Monica police urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to call them at 310-458-8451 or 310-458-8427.
Evidence of Little People Found Throughout the World, But Are They Real?
Attorney Leaves Trump Defense Team, Joins Former Presidents Save America PAC

Alina Habba, a spokeswoman for Donald Trump, walks toward a media scrum outside the federal courthouse in Miami, Fla., on June 13, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/Epoch Times)

Donald Trumps lawyer Alina Habba is no longer on the former presidents legal defense team in the high-stakes New York state fraud case and will assume a new role with his political action committee.

Mr. Trumps Save America leadership PAC announced in a statement on July 7 that Ms. Habba will take over as its legal spokesperson and general counsel. Ms. Habbas New Jersey law firm, according to the PAC, will still assist Mr. Trump with certain legal matters.

Alina has worked diligently and tirelessly on many of the witch-hunt cases that have been unfairly brought against President Trump, Trump communications director Steven Cheung said.

It is an honor to be asked by such a leader as President Trump to help Save America. Being able to devote more time to addressing publicly his many legal matters is the privilege of a lifetime, Ms. Habba said in her own statement.

The only reason for her departure that has been provided is that it will allow her to devote her time to her new duties, including serving as Mr. Trumps media representative on legal matters.

In the meantime, Ms. Habba will withdraw from New York Attorney General Letitia Jamess case against Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization and other cases.

Ms. James started her probe into the Trump Organization in 2019 after lawyer Michael Cohen told Congress that his former employer had been falsely inflating the value of its assets when applying for bank loans. She sued Mr. Trumps namesake business last year for fraud, seeking $250 million in damages and other sanctions that could ban the group from operating in the Empire State.

Mr. Trump has denounced the lawsuit as a witch hunt, accusing Ms. James of going after him only to save her bid for reelection as New Yorks attorney general.

She is a failed A.G. whose lack of talent in the fight against crime is causing record numbers of people and companies to flee New York. Bye, bye! Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social last year.

Classified Document Case

While the July 7 announcement specifically mentioned only the New York state lawsuit, Ms. Habba is probably better known for speaking on behalf of Mr. Trumps legal team in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, which she isnt a part of.

On June 13, Ms. Habba delivered a furious statement outside the Miami courthouse where her boss pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges related to keeping classified material at the Florida beach resort after leaving the White House. She denounced federal prosecutors who brought the case, saying theyre weaponizing the justice system in an attempt to undermine a 2024 front-runner.

Alina Habba, a spokesperson for former president Donald Trump, walks toward a media scrum outside the federal courthouse in Miami, on June 13, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/Epoch Times)

In recent years, we have seen the rise of politically motivated prosecutors who dont care for impartiality, dont care for due process for equal protection of laws, she said outside the courthouse as pro-Trump demonstrators chanted in the background.

Ms. Habba called out former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden for not being prosecuted despite also keeping classified documents on private email servers and in private homes.

Hilary Clinton, Joe Biden himself, retained possession of classified documents that have not been prosecuted. And none of them came into possession of those documents while they were president, the lawyer said.

They pursue charges against President Trump while turning a blind eye to others is emblematic of the corruption that we have here, she added, saying it was the type of thing that typically takes place in corrupted countries such as Cuba and Venezuela. What is being done to the president should terrify all citizens of this country.
Authorities Charge 5 More in Probe of Child Sexual Abuse Among Jehovahs Witnesses in Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIAA Pennsylvania grand jury investigating child sexual abuse in the Jehovahs Witnesses community has charged five more people with raping or molesting children as young as 4, the latest developments in an ongoing probe that has identified 14 suspects.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry, at a Friday news conference, said that while the misconduct dates back years or even decades, the trauma endures for these victims.

Henry did not address the churchs handling of complaints, but said the investigation would continue.

Critics say that Jehovahs Witnesses elders have treated child sexual abuse as a sin rather than a crime, documenting complaints in internal files but not reporting them to authorities. And they say the church often required a second witness to substantiate a complaint, a standard that can be impossible to meet when perpetrators often isolate their victims.

Martin Haugh of York Haven, Pennsylvania, a former elder who left the church in 2016 and now advocates for survivors of abuse in the church, applauded investigators.

I hope elders are arrested who knew about child abuse and covered it up and then it happened again, said Mr. Haugh, who testified to the grand jury about the churchs structure and about his own daughters abuse within a Jehovahs Witnesses congregation.

He also hopes organizational leaders are called to account, because its not just a Pennsylvania problem, its a national problem.

In the charges announced Friday, Ms. Henry said that the men had groomed or gained access to the children through the church, sometimes when the childs family took the person into their home. One person said that she was raped 50 or more times between the ages of 7 and 12 by a church member who was 18 when the assaults began. Others involved less serious charges of inappropriate touching.

The five charged were David Balosa, 62, of Philadelphia; Errol William Hall, 50, of Delaware County; Shaun Sheffer, 45, of Butler County; Terry Booth, 57, of Panama City, Florida; and Luis Ayala-Velasquez, 55, of Berks County. Four were taken in custody, while Balosa was being sought. It was not immediately clear if any of them had lawyers representing them.

Church spokesman Jarrod Lopes said in a statement that while the church cannot comment on specific grand jury actions, the news of someone being sexually abused, whether a child or an adult, sickens us.

The church has long worked to educate and warn parents through our publications, meetings, and website, about how to protect their children in a variety of circumstances, he said. We also are quick to support and offer pastoral care to those affected, while working to ensure that unrepentant perpetrators are removed from the congregation. Anyone who has been victimized has the full support of the congregation to report the matter to the authorities.

The church has also said that the second-witness rule applies only to internal church discipline and that elders comply with mandated-reporting laws.

In one case, the grand jury obtained records from Mr. Sheffers congregation in Zelienople, documenting an internal investigation into his conduct. In three other cases, alleged victims testified that they told elders of their abuse. The grand jury presentmentsstatements outlining the chargesgive no indication that any elder ever contacted police to report abuse.

One of the nine earlier defendants killed himself before he was arrested, Ms. Henry said.

The grand jury probe of Jehovahs Witnesses began with a referral from a county prosecutor who felt the state should take a broader look at the issue. Dozens of witnesses then testified before the secret grand jury in Harrisburg or provided information to the attorney generals office.

In a case with some parallels, a state grand jury investigation into child sexual abuse by Catholic priests culminated in a lengthy 2018 report that concluded hundreds of priests had abused children in Pennsylvania over seven decades and church officials had covered it up. More recently, a similar report was issued in Maryland.

The Jehovahs Witnesses, an international Christian denomination founded in the Pittsburgh area more than a century ago and headquartered in New York state, claims 8.7 million members worldwide, including 1.2 million in the United States.

Members will not bear arms, salute a national flag, or participate in secular politics. Believers are known for their evangelistic efforts, including knocking on doors and distributing literature in public spaces.

By Maryclaire Dale and Peter Smith
Rescue vehicles wait near the site of a collapsed building in Recife, capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, July 7, 2023. The death toll from a building collapse in Recife rose to 11 on Saturday, while three people were still missing, authorities said. (Photo by Ivaldo Regis/Xinhua)

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a building collapse in Recife, capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, rose to 11 on Saturday, while three people were still missing, authorities said.

The building, located in the municipality of Paulista, collapsed early Friday morning for unknown reasons.

The Fire Department told the local press that on Friday seven people were found dead and another died in the hospital, while rescue teams found three more bodies on Saturday.

The building was closed to human habitation in 2010 by court order. However, since 2012, several families have illegally moved in.

According to the Fire Department, eight apartments were completely destroyed and four others partially. 

Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building in Recife, capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, July 7, 2023. The death toll from a building collapse in Recife rose to 11 on Saturday, while three people were still missing, authorities said. (Photo by Ivaldo Regis/Xinhua)

Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building in Recife, capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, July 7, 2023. The death toll from a building collapse in Recife rose to 11 on Saturday, while three people were still missing, authorities said. (Photo by Ivaldo Regis/Xinhua)

Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building in Recife, capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, July 7, 2023. The death toll from a building collapse in Recife rose to 11 on Saturday, while three people were still missing, authorities said. (Photo by Ivaldo Regis/Xinhua)

Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building in Recife, capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, July 7, 2023. The death toll from a building collapse in Recife rose to 11 on Saturday, while three people were still missing, authorities said. (Photo by Ivaldo Regis/Xinhua)

Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building in Recife, capital of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil, July 7, 2023. The death toll from a building collapse in Recife rose to 11 on Saturday, while three people were still missing, authorities said. (Photo by Ivaldo Regis/Xinhua)
Biden Begins European Trip With Stop in London Before NATO Summit

President Joe Biden boards Marine One at Gordons Pond State Park in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on July 9, 2023, as he departs for Dover Air Force Base before traveling to Europe. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

LONDONPresident Joe Biden kicked off his five-day trip to Europe with a stop in the UK, where hes set to meet King Charles III at Windsor Castle and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Mr. Biden will then join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on July 11 and 12 in Vilnius, Lithuanias capital. During the two-day summit, NATO leaders will work to address the great challenges of our time, including rising security threats from Russia and the climate crisis, according to the White House.

After the summit, the president is scheduled to go to Helsinki to commemorate Finlands accession to the military alliance.

Mr. Bidens visit to Europe has been overshadowed in part by his recent decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, weapons that are prohibited by more than 100 countries, including U.S. allies France, Germany, and the UK.

According to a Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor report, 97 percent of cluster munition casualties are civilians, the majority of whom are children.

It took me a while to be convinced to do it, Mr. Biden told CNN in an interview released on July 9 regarding his decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine.

Human rights groups reacted quickly to the decision, with Amnesty International declaring in a statement that cluster munitions pose a grave threat to civilian lives, even long after the conflict has ended.

Mr. Biden is expected to address these problems during his engagements in London and Vilnius.

Meeting With King Charles

The president is scheduled to join King Charles on July 10 for a ceremonial arrival and inspection of the Honor Guard at Windsor Castle, which is about an hours drive from London.

Following that, the president will meet with the king and participate in a climate engagement with philanthropists and investors at the castle. Windsor Castle, the worlds oldest and largest inhabited castle, has been the family home of British kings and queens for about 1,000 years.

King Charles III stands after being crowned during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, 2023. (Richard Pohle/WPA-Pool/Getty Images)

Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the UKs sovereigns since 1837, has been ruled out as a venue for Mr. Bidens meeting with King Charles because of renovations. The palace will reportedly be ready for the monarchs move-in after the 369 million pound ($470 million) repair and restoration project is finished in 2027.

The Palaces electrical cabling, plumbing, and heating have not been updated since the 1950s, according to its website.

Its unclear whether Queen Camilla will join the meeting with Mr. Biden.

In May, the president didnt attend the coronation of King Charles; First Lady Jill Biden represented the United States instead.

During his visit to Windsor Castle, Mr. Biden will engage with a forum that will focus on mobilizing climate finance, especially bringing private finance off the sidelines, for clean energy deployment and adaptation in developing countries, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on July 7.

While in London, the president will also meet with Mr. Sunak at 10 Downing Street, the British leaders official residence and office. This will be the sixth meeting between the two leaders since Mr. Sunak took office in October 2022.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) and U.S. President Joe Biden (R) speak during a press conference in the East Room of the White House on June 8, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Mr. Sunak paid a visit to the White House on June 8, when the two leaders signed the Atlantic Declaration, a new economic accord to deepen economic ties. They agreed to enhance critical mineral supply chains, collaborate on emerging technologies, and limit outbound investments and exports to high-risk countries such as China.

Both leaders will consult on a range of bilateral and global issues, Mr. Sullivan told reporters.

NATO Summit

This years NATO summit in Vilnius comes at a critical juncture, with some calling it the most important gathering since the Cold War or even since NATOs inception in 1949.

Ukraine is anticipated to be a major topic of discussion at this years summit, with allies discussing security guarantees, the countrys future membership, and assistance to the war-torn country.

Ukraine formally applied to join the alliance last year, but member countries have made it clear that Ukraine cant join until its war with Russia ends. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty establishes the principle of collective defense, which means that any attack on a NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all.

During the CNN interview, Mr. Biden said the war with Russia must be over before NATO can admit Ukraine.

I dont think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war, he said.

Its a commitment that weve all made, no matter what. If the war is going on, then were all in war. Were at war with Russia if that were the case.

Mr. Biden also said the United States and NATO allies must present a rational path for Ukraine to qualify for membership in the military alliance.

The subject of increasing the spending target by member countries, which was a priority for former President Donald Trump, will also be tackled during this years Vilnius meeting.

The NATO members pledged to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic product nearly a decade ago. However, many countries have yet to fulfill this pledge.

U.S. lawmakers want the 2 percent goal to be a floor rather than a ceiling. Only seven countries met the 2 percent spending target in 2022: the United States, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the UK.

Swedens membership will also be discussed at the summit, as the Nordic country seeks to join but is blocked by members Turkey and Hungary.

The NATO summit will be held in Washington next year, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the founding of the military alliance.
Biden Says Ukraine Not Ready to Join NATO

President Joe Biden unveils his economic plan during an event in the lobby of the old post office building in Chicago on June 28, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden says Ukraine is not ready to join NATO despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys recent push to join the treaty organization.

Ahead of Bidens trip to a NATO summit in Lithuania, Zelenskyy said during an interview that it is wholly in Bidens power to advance the eastern European nations membership with NATO. Many in Ukraine support such a move, but western leaders fear that, due to the nature of NATO treaty obligations, this would immediately embroil all of Europe in a war with Russia.

The U.S. decides today whether Ukraine will get invited to NATO, Zelenskyy said. This is todays situation, and its a fact. The majority of NATO countries support inviting Ukraine to NATO.  Those who have their doubts, look only at President Biden and he knows that this depends on him. It will be his decision.

U.S. President Joe Biden walks next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) as he arrives for a visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)

Under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, an attack on any nation within the NATO alliance is treated as an attack on all, and members of the alliance are each expected to take up arms in defense of the others.

Pointing to this provision, Biden told CNNs Fareed Zakaria that Ukraine is not ready to join the alliance as conflict continues.

Should [Ukraine] get membership in NATO? Zakaria asked during a sit-down interview with the president.

I dont think its ready for membership in NATO, Biden said, emphasizing that bringing Ukraine into NATO would mean a hot war between Russia and the West.

Heres the deal. I spent a great deal of time trying to hold NATO together, because I believe Putin had an overwhelming objective from the time he launched 185,000 troops in Ukraine. And that was to break NATO. He was confident in my view, and and in the view of the intelligence community, he was confident he could break NATO, so holding NATO together is really critical.

Biden suggested disagreement with Zelenskyys claims that the U.S. president was the only stumbling block to Ukraines admission to the body.

I dont think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war, he said. If you did that, then, I meanwhen I say were determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory, [its] a commitment that weve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, were all in war. You know, were rushing if that were the case.

So I think we have to lay out a path, a rational path for  Ukraine to be able to qualify to get into NATO.

Lawmakers Agree

Several lawmakers agreed with the presidents position.

During an appearance on CNNs State of the Union on July 9, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said that any effort to bring Ukraine into NATO would need to be incremental.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) arrives to a caucus meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, on May 10, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

I think first, they have to win the counter offensive, McCaul said, referencing an ongoing effort by Ukraine to reclaim the territory already captured by Russia.

Like Biden, McCaul emphasized that escalating to a full-scale war was unacceptable.

Before joining NATO, Ukraine should have a ceasefire, then negotiate a peace settlement, McCaul said. We cannot admit Ukraine into NATO immediatelythat would put us at war with Russia under Article 5.

Rather, McCaul suggested conversations with Ukraine about separate security agreements  as a predicate to perhaps an ascension of Ukraine into NATO.

But I think its way too premature to be talking about that, he said, adding that while talks of joining NATO could provide deterrence against Russia, this is a risky strategy.

We have to be careful in the way we do this, he said.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Dela.), who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, agreed.

We cant admit Ukraine to NATO right now, he said. Theres a war going on that has to be resolved, that has to end with Ukrainian victory.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) speaks at the CARE International Womens Day Dinner in Washington on March 8, 2023. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for CARE)

Coons pointed to Ukraines efforts to join the European Union as improving their transparency, their rule of law, their civil society, which lays the foundation for NATO membership in the future.

Other lawmakers have been more forceful in warning against Ukrainian admission to NATO.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) called it insanity to give Ukraine an invitation into NATO over Article 5 concerns.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote, If Ukraine were a NATO ally, wed have to go to war with Russia under Article V of the NATO Treaty. While Art. V doesnt obviate the Constitutions declaration-of-war requirement, it shouldnt be treated lightly. We dont want war with Russia.

These comments came after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced that he would be working to pass a resolution urging the admission of Ukraine into NATO.

The best way to prevent future wars and promote peace is to create security guarantees that make aggressor nations think twice before starting wars, Graham wrote, saying that he believes an overwhelming majority of senators would support the move.

Ukraines push to join NATO comes as the organization considers the petition of Sweden to join the alliance, a move which is substantially less controversial than Ukraines bid.
Canada Opposes US Sending Cluster Munitions to Ukraine

Activists and international delegations stand next to cluster bomb units during a visit to a Lebanese military base at the opening of the Second Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in the southern town of Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, on Sept. 12, 2011. (Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo)

Global Affairs has reiterated Canadas opposition to the use of cluster bombs following the decision by U.S. President Joe Bidens administration on July 7 to send the munitions, which can explode indiscriminately, as part of a new multi-million dollar aid package to Ukraine.

We do not support the use of cluster munitions and are committed to putting an end to the effects cluster munitions have on civilians  particularly children, Global Affairs Canada spokesperson John Babcock told The Epoch Times by email on July 8.

Canadas longstanding position on cluster munitions is clear and Canadians can be proud of our leadership on this issue, he said.

Canada is a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and championed its adoption, said Mr. Babcock, noting that the convention built on the Ottawa Treaty to Ban Landmines and has been ratified by more than 100 countries.

Canada is fully compliant with the Convention and we take seriously our obligation under the Convention to encourage its universal adoption, said Mr. Babcock.

Of the 123 nations that have joined the CCMan international treaty that prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitionsUkraine, Russia, and the United States are not signatories.

Human Rights Bill

Canada also has a private members bill currently before the Senate that in part addresses cluster munitions. Bill C-281, the International Human Rights Act, was introduced by Conservative MP Philip Lawrence in June 2022 and received unanimous support in the House of Commons during third reading on June 7 this year.

If passed, the bill would amend the Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, which would prohibit Canadians from working with or investing in individuals known to have used, developed, or transported cluster munitions, explosive submunitions, and explosive bomblets.

[Cluster] munitions are extremely deadly and non-discriminate pieces of military weapons. What differentiates them from other pieces [of weapons] is they are completely indiscriminate, and they will kill civilians just as soon as they would kill soldiers, children, said Mr. Lawrence when he introduced the bill on June 13, 2022.

Its absolutely incumbent on all of us to advocate and to protect the innocents as we go forward.

Dormant Bombs

Cluster munitions, also called cluster bombs, were first used in World War II and are containers that can hold from a dozen to as many as 600 explosives, sometimes called bomblets. The munitions can be dropped from aircraft or launched via artillery and missile strikes. When the containers detonate in the air, they break apart and disperse those bomblets across a large area.

While the bomblets are intended to explode when dispersed, many dont do so but lie dormant while remaining active for years, potentially putting civilians including children at risk when found after the conflict years later. In addition, a high percentage of cluster bombs are not precision-guided but can free-float into areas where civilians are present.

The Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor released a report in August 2022 stating that in 2021, 97 percent, or 144, of all 149 casualties from these cluster munition remnants were civilians who were either killed or injured. In addition, of all casualties where the age group was known, 90 were children.

Mines Advisory Group (MAG) Technical Field Manager Nick Guest inspects a Cluster Bomb Unit that was dropped by Israeli warplanes during the 34-day-long Hezbollah-Israeli war, in the southern village of Ouazaiyeh, Lebanon, on Nov. 9, 2006. (Mohammed Zaatari/Associated Press)

Right to Self-Defence

The risk to civilians was acknowledged by the United States on July 7 when the country announced that cluster munitions would be sent to Ukraine.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said that while the American government recognizes cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance, there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians. Because Ukraine does not have enough artillery.

Ukraine Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Twitter on July 7 that under the United Nations Charter, Ukraine has a universal internationally recognised right to self-defence and thus we have been officially requesting these types of munitions for a long time.

He alleged that Russian has been indiscriminately using cluster munitions from day 1.

Our position is simple  we need to liberate our temporarily occupied territories and save the lives of our people. For this we need to inflict losses on the enemy  war criminals, rapists and looters  who are occupying our territories, Mr. Reznikov wrote.

The more losses we inflict on them the more lives of Ukrainian people we will be able to save, he added. This is why we will continue to do this using all lethal weapons available to us.

He also affirmed that Ukraine will use these munitions only for the de-occupation of our internationally recognized territories. These munitions will not be used on the officially recognized territory of russia.

Opposition

Russians Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the U.S. decision to send cluster munitions on July 8, according to a Reuters report.

Another wonder weapon, which Washington and Kyiv are counting on without considering its grave consequences, will in no way affect the course of the special military operation, the goals and objectives of which will be fully achieved, said Ms. Zakharova.

Other countries and major U.S. allies have criticized or announced opposition to the U.S. decision to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine, including Spain, Britain, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, with some citing concern of the danger to civilians and others stating it violates international treaties.

On June 16, a coalition of 38 human relief organizationsincluding Amnesty International USA, Physicians for Human Rights, UNICEF USA, and Oxfam Americasent a letter to Biden hoping to prevent the U.S. government from being complicit in the use of these indiscriminate weapons.

Andrew Chen, Noe Chartier, Naveen Athrappully, and Ross Muscato contributed to this report.
Chinas Premier Holds Meeting With Experts to Save Economy; Analysts Say Root Cause Systemic With Communism

'I compare it to multiple organ failure,' macroeconomist says

A man works at a construction site of a residential skyscraper in Shanghai on Nov. 29, 2016. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang collected suggestions from mainland Chinese economists on July 6 on how to repair the nations flagging economy, although analysts say the root cause of Chinas economic downturn lies in its political system, which is dictated by the Xi Jinping-led communist regime.

With multiple crises currently looming over Chinas economy and the regimes ongoing divergence with the West, there is no solution for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the analysts say.

The symposium on the economic situation drew Mr. Li, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, and eight scholars from Chinas finance, political economic, and banking institutions.

Under Mr. Xis leadership the economy has shown a positive trend of recovery, Mr. Li asserted during the meeting. He then blamed foreign countries for Chinas economic problems, saying the worlds political and economic situation is complicated and has brought many impacts on our countrys development, Chinese state media reported.

Mr. Li also said that he hoped for more constructive suggestions on the Chinese economy from the experts and scholars.

Zheng Xuguang, an independent political economic scholar and host of the talk show Xuguang Times Commentary, told The Epoch Times on July 7 that Mr. Li is mainly seeking some pro-CCP scholars to help unify thoughts in academia.

Xi Jinping is the one who really decides things, and he only cares about political stability, Mr. Zheng said.

The current economic problems are actually rooted in politics, and he [Li] cant touch the political issues. He sent a message to the academic field: You should put forward more constructive suggestions, which is to help the regime and not to make trouble, he added.

Economic Downturn Continues

Taiwanese financial expert Edward Huang told The Epoch Times on July 6 that Mr. Li hosted the economic symposium mainly because the Chinese and Hong Kong stock markets recently have been plummeting, and the yuan is also depreciating. Industry is quite pessimistic about Chinas economy.

Liu Yuanchun, president of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, published the 2023 China Macroeconomic Analysis and Forecast Report in June, which laid out five 20 percent issues facing Chinas economy. They are a youth unemployment rate that exceeds 20 percent, year-on-year profits of Chinas industrial enterprises declining by more than 20 percent, local government land transfer revenue falling by 20 percent, new real estate construction by area falling by 20 percent, and the consumer confidence index gap being as high as 20 percent.

People attending a job fair in Beijing on Aug. 26, 2022. (JADE GAO/AFP via Getty Images)

Liu Xiaoguang, co-author of the report and a professor at the Institute of Development and Strategy of Renmin University of China, said that these five 20 percent phenomena are extremely abnormal, indicating that the pressure in Chinas related fields has moved past the point of self-recovery.

Its not only difficult to expect any automatic economic recovery; furthermore, it will form a vicious circle in certain economic sectors, Mr. Liu wrote.

Mr. Li pointed out at the symposium that it is necessary for all sectors of Chinese society to pay attention to putting out policies focused on stabilizing growth, employment, and preventing risks, and to promptly introduce and implement a series of targeted, combined, and coordinated policies.

Mr. Huang said in response to the premiers remarks, Chinas economy is not decided by policies at present. No matter how many meetings they are holding, it will be useless. Mr. Li talks about combined policies, but there are no specific things in it. So far, we havent seen any policy that can change status quo.

Mr. Huang believes that Premier Li cant make decisions that tackle the economys real underlying problems, such as the tensions between China and the United States, or the CCPs state institutions advancing at a cost to Chinas private sectors, which he believes are the root causes of current Chinas economic downturn.

Its something only Xi Jinping can decide, and there is nothing others can do if Xi doesnt do anything about it, Mr. Huang said.

Chinas stock market this year is quite bad. The RMB (yuan) is still depreciating. The Hong Kong stock market has fallen very heavily in the past few days, showing that the entire markets confidence in the Chinese economy is quite fragile. Li Qiang doesnt have the ability to reverse the situation, Huang said.

Chinas domestic demand and the real estate market have continued to decline. Li Qiang has not made any achievements since he took office as premier, and the economy continues slipping downward.

USSino Relations Hit Chinese Economy

Wu Jialong, a macroeconomist in Taiwan, believes that the current problem ailing Chinas economy is the simultaneous outbreak of multiple crises.

I compare it to multiple organ failure, he said.

The root cause of Chinas employment crisis is in exports and manufacturing, because orders have been pulled away from China and foreign investment has withdrawn, Mr. Wu told The Epoch Times on July 7.

Mr. Wu agreed with Mr. Zheng that the root of Chinas economic problems also lies in politics.

If tracing further, its because the relationship between the United States and China has been worsening. So the root cause is politics, not in the economy. So when they seek advice from economic experts, what they can get is limited.

Because Xi Jinping decides the major policies, which is to challenge the United States, competing with the United States for leadership of the world or hegemony, as a result, the United States has counterattacked. Moreover, Chinas domestic demand is not enough to absorb the vacated production capacity of the export sector. The current economic problems are not easy to deal with.

He added that theres no solution to Chinas economic problems even if Xi steps down, as its structural to the CCP.

Cargo containers are stacked at the Yantian terminal in Shenzhen in Chinas southern Guangdong Province on June 21, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Mr. Wu said that the United States has taken serious measures to counter the CCPs unfair economic practices.

Then, they sent a ministerial official [Yellen] to visit China. This means having a dialogue while continuing the confrontation. The United States has no intention of reaching an agreement with the CCP at all. Its just to show a consensus that we are having a dialogue and will continue the discussion next time, which is negotiation without agreement.

Ning Haizhong and Yi Ru contributed to this report.
IN-DEPTH: Court Order Halts Government-Instigated Censorship by Big Tech

Judge Terry A. Doughty speaks before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary in 2017. (Senator Bill Cassidy/YouTube/Screenshot)

On July 4, 11 federal agencies and dozens of their officials were legally blocked from further interaction with more than 20 social media companies about the censoring of information deemed by the government as misinformation.

Communication about criminal activity, national security threats, attempted foreign influence, cyberattacks, illegal campaign contributions, and voter suppression are exempt from the ban.

The preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order were issued by Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee, in the U.S. District Court of Western Louisiana.

Greatest Attack Ever on Free Speech in America

In an accompanying 155-page memorandum, Judge Doughty framed the importance of his action.

If the allegations made by the Plaintiffs are true, the present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States history, he wrote.

In his decision, Judge Doughty agreed with the plaintiffs that the harm is ongoing and likely to continue into the 2024 election and beyond.

Judge Doughty said the alleged actions of the federal government blatantly ignored the First Amendment rights to free speech.

Read More DHS Efforts to Police Disinformation Could Threaten Free Speech, House Republicans Warn

Beyond Party Lines

He also said that though the censorship alleged in this case almost exclusively targeted conservative speech, the issues raised herein go beyond party lines.

Some of the conservative free speech that was shown to be suppressed included the integrity of the 2020 presidential election; the security of mail-in voting; the Hunter Biden laptop story prior to the 2020 election; the lab-leak theory about the origins of the COVID-19 virus; the effectiveness of masks, lockdowns, and vaccines; criticism of President Joe Biden; parody posts poking fun at administration officials; and negative comments about the economy, according to the complaint.

President Joe Biden speaks to the National Education Association Annual Representative Assembly virtually from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on July 4, 2023. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The judgment was handed down in a case called State of Missouri, et al., versus Joseph R. Biden Jr. et al., in which the states of Missouri and Louisiana and a group of individuals sued the executive branch of the federal government for violating their First Amendment right to speak and listen.

The Biggest Suppressors

The court order specifically enjoined the Executive Office of the President, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, and other agencies along with their employees.

The defendants were ordered to refrain from either coercing or significantly encouraging the nations leading social media platforms to censor protected speech.

The plaintiffs in the case presented the court with documents that allegedly show that in 2019, the FBI investigated and flagged 929,000 political speech tweets by American citizens as domestic disinformation and sent them on to social media companies for evaluation and possible censoring.

Judge Doughtys memorandum cites the testimony of FBI Special Agent Elvis Chan who said that in 2019 Twitter took down 422 accounts over 929,000 tweets.

All political speech is protected speech, Judge Doughty noted of the U.S. Constitution.

The social media companies involved in the government-directed censoring included Facebook/Meta, Twitter, YouTube/Google, Instagram, TikTok, Linkedin, and others.

None of the social media firms were named as defendants in the case or were parties to the injunction.

Strong-Arm Tactics

According to the memorandum, the plaintiffs allege that the defendants used public pressure campaigns, regular private meetings, and other forms of communication to collude with and/or coerce social media platforms to suppress the governments disfavored speakers, viewpoints, and content.

The plaintiffs also argue that government officials used as leverage possible increased anti-trust scrutiny, additional regulations, and changes to Section 230 of the Decency in Communications Act to prompt social media companies to increase efforts to meet the censorship demands.

Section 230 grants social media platforms immunity from civil liability in suits brought against posters over the content of their postings.

Convincing Evidence

In the first 80 pages of the memorandum, the judge reviewed a portion of the voluminous evidence provided by the plaintiffs that convinced him to issue the injunction.

Much of the evidence goes back to the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 presidential election, and the 2022 midterms.

Judge Doughty cited scores of specific proofs in the form of depositions, emails, letters, documents, and public statements by government officials that contained their exact words and those of the social media companies with whom they communicated.

An example of the evidence that convinced the court to issue the injunction reveals that, from May 28 to July 10, 2021, a senior Meta executive reportedly copied former Whitehouse senior COVID-19 advisor Andrew Slavitt on his emails to Surgeon General Murthy alerting them that Meta was engaging in censorship of COVID-19 misinformation according to the White Houses requests and indicated that expanded penalties for individual Facebook accounts that share the deemed misinformation were in the works.

Meta also stated, We think there is considerably more we can do in partnership with you and your team to drive behavior.

Another example of the close cooperation between social media firms and the White House highlighted by Judge Doughtys memorandum was the reading in pertinent part, On February 7, 2021, Twitter sent Flaherty a Twitters Partner Support Portal for expedited review of flagging for censorship  Twitter also stated that it had been recently bombarded with censorship requests from the White House and would prefer to have a streamlined process.

Rob Flaherty is the White Houses former deputy assistant to the president and director of digital strategy.

Following Up on Requests

Mr. Flaherty is documented as having followed up frequently with social media platforms on how they were meeting the White Houses requests.

The following is an example of Facebooks response to similar oversight and pressure.

We obviously have work to do to gain your trust  We are working to get you useful information thats on the level. Thats my job and I take it seriouslyIll continue to do it to the best of my ability, and Ill expect you to hold me accountable.

Referring to the White Houses dissatisfaction with Facebook, Judge Doughtys memorandum continues, Slavitt  added more pressure by stating, internally, we have been considering our options on what to do about it.

According to documents cited in the memorandum, in June 2022, the White House asked social media platforms to do more to censor so-called misinformation regarding climate change, gender discussions, abortion, and economic policy.

Upset about social media companies allowing what the Biden administration considered misinformation and disinformation about climate change to spread, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy explicitly tied these censorship demands with threats of adverse legislation regarding the Communications Decency Act, according to the evidence.

Also in June 2022, Bidens White House formed a task force to stamp out so-called general misinformation and disinformation about women and LGBT individuals who are public and political figures, government officials, civic leaders, activists, and journalists.

In a memo discussing the creation of the task force and its relationship with social media platforms, threats of adverse legal consequences were again made if the tech firms did not censor aggressively enough.

Judge Doughtys memorandum also listed some of the techniques employed by social media platforms to censor protected speech. They included changing algorithms to avoid amplifying the misinformation; the early detection of misinformation super-spreaders; building frictions to reduce the sharing of misinformation; search diversions; suspensions; and permanent de-platforming.

Role of CISA

CISA meets regularly with social media platforms, according to the plaintiffs.

CISA has a unit called the Mis Dis and Malinformation Team (MDM). Prior to the Biden administration taking office, the team was the Countering Foreign Influence Task Force.

During 2020, what is now MDM engaged in switchboarding, which is a disinformation reporting system run by CISA designed to allow state and local election officials to identify so-called misinformation involving their jurisdiction. Once the information is identified, CISA then passes it on to social media companies.

CISA also funds a non-profit organization called the Center for Internet Security (CIS), which does the same job as MDM but is considered a non-governmental organization.

In addition, CISA began working with a non-profit coalition called the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP), which also does the same job as MDM.

EIP also began to target political partisans with large internet followings who were allegedly spreading misinformation.

CISA, CIS, and EIP share intelligence between themselves.

According to Renee DiResta of the Stanford University Internet Observatory and member of CISAs Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, the EIP was designed to get around very real First Amendment questions that would arise if CISA or other government agencies were to monitor and flag information for censorship on social media.

Private Entities Do Dirty Work

In his order, Judge Doughty wrote, A state may not induce private persons to accomplish what it is constitutionally forbidden to accomplish.

In oral arguments on May 26, the defendants attorneys argued that the EIP operated independently of any government agency.

Judge Doughty disagreed, writing in his legal analysis, The evidence shows otherwise.

He found that the CISA defendants, as well as all the others likely jointly participated with the social media companies with whom they have become pervasively entwined. This government involvement in the private companies workings has blurred the line between public and private action, Doughty said.

The Stanford University Internet Observatory and the University of Washington are two members of the EIP.

Effective Thought Policing

An example of the kind of posts flagged by CISA and its affiliates as so-called misinformation is a post that claimed, mail-in voting is insecure and that conspiracy theories about election fraud are hard to discount.

According to the plaintiffs filings, CISA announced it intends to expand its fight against such so-called disinformation in the 2024 election.

CISA Director Jen Easterly said, We are in the business of protecting critical infrastructure and the most critical is our cognitive infrastructure.

According to EIP, all the major platforms significantly changed procedures and policies in order to slow the dissemination of bogus election-related narratives in 2020.

The non-profit saw 35 percent of the postings it referred to the platforms for censoring acted upon, the pleadings said.

In the EIPs assessment, Internet influencers on the political right spread the most false or misleading information and most of the repeat offenders were supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

Centralized Censorship

The plaintiffs cite the Virality Project (VP) as another non-governmental group dedicated to increased censorship.

The VP has recommended that the federal government create a Misinformation and Disinformation Center of Excellence as a way of centralizing censorship expertise.

Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation expert and vice president at the Centre for Information Resilience, in Washington on March 23, 2023. Jankowicz was the head of the now defunct Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disinformation board. (Bastien Inzaurralde/AFP via Getty Images)

Doughtys decision concluded, The Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that the United States Government, through the White House and numerous federal agencies, pressured and encouraged social media companies to suppress free speech.

The judge listed 22 examples of alleged coercion exercised by the White House.

This seemingly unrelenting pressure by Defendants had the intended result of suppressing millions of protected speech postings by American citizens, Judge Doughty wrote.

The White House Defendants made it very clear to social-media companies what they wanted suppressed and what they wanted amplified  The misinformation to be suppressed was whatever the government deemed misinformation.

What is really telling is that virtually all of the free speech suppressed was conservative free speech  The targeting of conservative speech indicates the Defendants may have engaged in viewpoint discrimination.

Free Speech, Free Thought Upheld

(The government) became partners with social-media platforms, flagging and reporting statements on social media Defendants deemed false, the judge added.

Each United States citizen has the right to decide for himself or herself what is true and what is false. The Government  does not have the right to determine the truth 

Missouri and Louisiana filed the suit on May 5, 2022, and were joined by the individual plaintiffs on Aug. 2, 2022.

The preliminary injunction order, which the court deemed in the public interest, will remain in effect until the case is resolved by further order of the court or by the Court of Appeals or the U. S. Supreme Court.

The DOJ has already announced its intention to appeal.
Iowa Republicans Set Jan. 15 for 2024 Presidential Nomination Caucus

The first-in-the-nation Republican presidential caucus has officially been scheduled after Iowa Republicans gathered on July 8 and voted unanimously on the date.

The Republican Party of Iowa is proud to announce that we will officially hold our 2024 First-in-the-Nation Caucus on January 15, 2024, Jeff Kaufmann, chair of the Republican Party of Iowa, said in a statement.

As in past primary cycles, the Iowa caucus will be the first Republican presidential primary caucus in the nation, often described as the first major electoral test for White House contenders.

Early contest states play a crucial role in selecting the nominee since candidates who struggle with fundraising or popularity tend to drop out before campaigning in other states. These states also receive a lot of media attention and become centers for policy debates.

Matthew Dallek, a professor of political history at George Washington University, told PBS during the 2020 election cycle that the Iowa Republican caucuses effectively serve as referendums on who is the most socially conservative candidate in the Republican field.

GOP Committed Amid Democrat Shakeup

The announcement comes as the national Democratic Party in February approved changes to its presidential primary calendar for 2024. Instead, South Carolina has replaced Iowa in that partys leadoff spot.

Iowa Democrats have proposed changes to the caucus process, allowing them to conduct their presidential preference vote by mail.

Under the Democratic plan, which was endorsed by President Joe Biden, South Carolina will hold its primary on Feb. 3, 2024. This will be followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on Feb. 6.

The Democratic Party looks like America and so does this proposal, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison, of South Carolina, said at the time.

The change continues to make us stronger and elevates the backbone of our party, he said.

Mr. Kaufmann, who spoke to reporters by teleconference on July 8 about the caucuses, blamed Mr. Biden for jeopardizing Iowas first-in-the-nation status, saying that Biden thumbed his nose at Iowa Democrats and Iowans.
Judge Halts Minimum Wage Law for Food Delivery Workers in NYC

A delivery worker rides his bicycle along a path on the West Side Highway in N.Y., on March 16, 2020. (John Minchillo, File/AP Photo)

A New York state judge has temporarily paused a law that would have raised the minimum wage to nearly $18 an hour for food delivery workers in New York City.

The ruling is in favor of four delivery food servicesDoorDash, Grubhub, Uber, and New York-based Relay Deliverywhich filed lawsuits to temporarily block the law.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Nicholas Moyne said in the preliminary injunction (pdf) that the law is on hold until lawyers for the plaintiffs make additional filings.

He set a hearing for July 31 to hear arguments on whether the preliminary injunction should remain in place while the legal challenges play out.

DoorDash and Grubhub had filed a joint lawsuit, while Uber, the parent company of Uber Eats, filed its lawsuit separately, as did New York-based Relay Delivery. The lawsuits were filed against the city in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

The minimum wage law, signed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams in June, would have gone into effect on July 12. Mr. Adams said the new requirement would provide support that delivery drivers deserve.

The citys Department of Consumer and Worker Protection had set the requirement that food delivery workers in the city must receive at least $17.96 per hour in 2023. The requirement would then increase to a minimum of $18.96 per hour in April 2024, and then $19.96 per hour in April 2025.

The figures mark a big step up from the average $7.09 per hour that over 60,000 food delivery workers in New York City currently make.

Minimum wage laws dont apply for app-based food delivery workers, who are generally regarded and treated as independent contractors, rather than company employees.

In their joint complaint (pdf), companies DoorDash and Grubhub called the new law unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious, and argued the minimum wage requirement was based on inherently biased and unreliable survey data that would hurt delivery drivers. The companies said that it would result in a more than $5 increase for customers per order.

Uber and Relay Delivery meanwhile, separately argued that the minimum wage raise would leave the companies out of business unless they raise the fees they charge restaurants.

The food delivery giants issued statements expressing they were pleased with the judges decision to halt the minimum wage law.

Grubhub said in its statement that the rule, if allowed to stand, will have serious adverse consequences for delivery partners, consumers, and independent businesses. DoorDash said it hoped that the decision puts us on the path towards the city establishing a more reasonable earnings standard that reflects how these [food delivery] platforms are used by New Yorkers. Meanwhile, an Uber spokesperson said the company wants to work with the city and others to figure out a minimum pay rule that doesnt have devastating consequences for couriers, consumers, and restaurants.

Vilda Vera Mayuga, the commissioner of NYCs Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, said in a statement she was extremely disappointed with the preliminary injunction.

These apps currently pay workers far below the minimum wage, and this pay rate would help lift thousands of working New Yorkers and their families out of poverty, she said in a statement. We look forward to a quick decision so that the dignified pay rate that workers deserve to earn is not delayed any more than necessary.

Katabella Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Justice Ketanji Jacksons Claim in Supreme Court Case Comes Under Fire

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court pose for their official photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on Oct. 7, 2022. (Front LR) Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan. (Back LR) Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

An attorney who was involved in the Supreme Courts recent landmark affirmative action case responded to a claim made by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in her dissent that black newborn babies are more likely to die if they arent treated by a black physician.

In Ms. Jacksons dissent in the courts ruling on Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, in which the majority ruled to end affirmative action in college admissions, Ms. Jackson sought to show that race-based admissions can be a matter of life and death for minority groups.

For high-risk Black newborns, having a Black physician more than doubles the likelihood that the baby will live and not die, Ms. Jackson wrote as an example.

Her claim came from an amicus brief that was filed by lawyers that represented a group of medical colleges. It cited a 2020 study that looked at mortality rates for Florida newborns between 1992 and 2015.

However, that claim was strongly criticized by Ted Frank, a senior attorney with the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, who said that its mathematically impossible.

A moments thought should be enough to realize that this claim is wildly implausible, Mr. Frank, who filed an amicus brief in support of Students for Fair Admissions, wrote in The Wall Street Journal. Imagine if 40 percent of black newborns diedthousands of dead infants every week. But even so, thats a 60 percent survival rate, which is mathematically impossible to double. And the actual survival rate is over 99 percent. How could Justice Jackson make such an innumerate mistake?

Mr. Frank asserted that the cited study makes no such claims and instead shows a 0.13 percent to 0.2 percent improvement in survival rates for black newborns when cared for by black pediatricians. Thus, there was no statistically significant improvement for black obstetricians, he wrote.

The amicus brief filed by the Association of American Medical Colleges either misunderstood the paper or invented the statistic, he wrote, adding that the study appears to be flawed, too.

There, the most highly specified model still shows an improvement in black newborn survival, Mr. Frank wrote. But if you know how to read the numbersthe authors dont say itit also shows black doctors with a statistically significant higher mortality rate for white newborns, and a higher mortality rate overall, all else being equal.

Meanwhile, the Washington office of law firm Norton Rose Fulbright issued a letter (pdf) stating that Ms. Jacksons argument about black newborn mortality rates warrants clarification.

The principal cited finding of the [study] was that the mortality rate for black newborns, as compared to white newborns, decreased by more than half when under the supervision of [a] Black physician, the letter states. In absolute terms, this study found that patient-physician racial concordance led to a reduction in health inequity.

The letter also states that while decreased mortality often indicates a higher rate of survival, statistically, they are not interchangeable.

And Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University and opinion writer for multiple news outlets, wrote in a blog post that the problem Mr. Frank points to is due to the abundance of amicus briefs submitted to the Supreme Court.

My opposition to the brief is that the justices are in a poor position to judge the veracity or accuracy of such studies, Mr. Turley wrote. They simply pick and choose between rivaling studies to claim a definitive factual foundation for an opinion.

When you are before the Supreme Court, everyone is free to just dump statistics and studies into the record, and the court regularly uses such material to determine the outcome.

Ruling and Outcome

In the majoritys ruling against the universities policies, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that a student should be treated as an individual and not as part of a collective group such as a race. Instead of focusing on an individuals merits, universities have done the opposite, Mr. Roberts added.

[Many universities] have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individuals identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice, Mr. Roberts wrote. Both [universities] programs lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett joined Mr. Roberts in the majority. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined Ms. Jackson in dissenting, with Ms. Sotomayor alleging that the majoritys ruling would [entrench] racial inequality for decades to come in the United States.
Maine High School Pays Drag Performer $1,000 to Host Catered Workshop for LGBT Students

School officials called drag performer 'Priscilla Poppycocks' a 'role model for these kids'

Maine First Project co-founder and president Larry Lockman provides Maine citizens advice on how to win back local school board control. (Courtesy of Maine First Project)

Dominick Varney, known as Priscilla Poppycocks when performing in drag, paints his social media page with sexual innuendo. Yet Maines Bangor High School (BHS) paid him $1,000 to put on a workshop with a theme of his choice for LGBT students in May.

I just know you are a role model for these kids, and we just want you to shine a light on them, BHS English teacher Emilie Throckmorton wrote to Mr. Varney, who also works as assistant director of undergraduate academic advising and support services for the University of Maine (UMaine).

The comment was included in an email obtained through a public records request by parental rights advocate Shawn McBreairty. Mr. McBreairty is a director at the Maine First Project, a parental rights group.

Shawn McBreairty, the director of special projects for the Maine First Project. (Courtesy of Shawn McBreairty)

Ms. Throckmorton and Dana Carver-Bialerthe schools coordinator of diversity, equity, including, and belongingarranged to hire Mr. Varney, emails reveal. And on May 4, the school allowed students to skip class and enjoy a catered lunch while watching Mr. Varneys presentation, documents show.

Yet, students who copy his behavior in school likely would face discipline for violating the school districts rules against obscene talk and clothing that displays underwear. BHS is Bangors only high school, serving about 1,200 students, according to its website.

In 2016, the schools juniors had a median grade-point average of 2.88, its website states. The Epoch Times reached out to BHS but received no response by publication time.

We will invite about 20 kids to attend, Ms. Throckmorton wrote in an email to Mr. Varney. The topic/format is up to you.

Its not clear how many children attended the performance, whether they had parental permission to attend, or what was presented. But Mr. Varneys website shows he has a routine called Livin for Drag, in which he describes how he became a drag performer.

The Epoch Times reached out to Mr. Varney by phone and email but received no comment by publication time.

Dragging Kids Into It

That infuriates Mr. McBreairty.

$1,000 is not a bad gig for an hour and a half worth of talking, he told The Epoch Times in an email. BHS parents and area taxpayers should wonder how many grants Bangor School Department has applied for to enrich actual educational basics. Math, reading, sciencethose things that are supposed to be taught.

Hes not aware of other instances in which Maine public schools paid a drag performer to speak to children, he said. But its likely not illegal, he added.

Currently, 70 percent of Maine high school students lack basic proficiency in English and 76 percent lack basic proficiency in math.

It is unclear to me what a man dressing up as a woman has to do with educational and student success,' Mr. McBreairty said.

He wonders how many parents know that BHS paid for and organized this event.

A drag performer at a pride month event at the old town hall in Fairfax, Va., on Jun. 3, 2023. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

This event was not made public, as far as I am aware. Im guessing that the vast majority of Bangor High School parents were unaware it was even happening, he said.

Mr. McBreairty has advised parents concerned over the incident to take their children out of public schools or fight to reform them.

These are not the schools from the 1980s and 1990s, he said. They are now full-blown indoctrination centers in what equates to educational terrorism, he said.

Its not the first time Maine public schools have supported the transgender agenda.

In the last school year, a Maine school counselor secretly gender-transitioned a 13-year-old girl without her mothers knowledge, and Maine state curricula promoted transgenderism to kindergartners.

A Maine student has also told The Epoch Times that she faces bullying for being heterosexual. The minor said that her peers tried to coerce her into adopting a different sexual orientation while her school aggressively pushed LGBT ideology.

Joyful Events

Whatever the feelings of students parents might be, Mr. Varney appears to enjoy significant academic and activist support. The money BHS used to pay him came from a grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, a Maine LGBT activist group.

The foundation entrusts its grant recipients to vet speakers and vendors they hire with their grant award money, said Julita Bailey-Vasco, the groups acting chief communications officer.

The funding was used to support a five-part event series in the 2022-23 school year to bring LGBTQIA+ students through issues of empowerment so they can advocate for themselves, Ms. Bailey-Vasco told The Epoch Times.

The groups grant-giving guidelines prioritize joyful events, building relationships and solidarity with other organizations and/or communities of youth, space for students to learn self-agency, and cross-identity (racial, cultural, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) dialogues.

As part of his work for the taxpayer-funded UMaine, Mr. Varneys biographical page on the university website links to his personal website. That site advertises his acting roles, performance resume, and contact information.

UMaines guidelines state that its unacceptable for university employees to use university resources for conducting an outside business or private employment, or other similar activities conducted for private financial gain.

The Epoch Times reached out to UMaines press department by phone and email but received no comment by publication time.
A person dances at the annual Chosen Few Picnic & House Music Festival in Chicagos Jackson Park on July 8, 2023. The event draws house music lovers from across the country. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Hundreds of tents dotted Jackson Park in Woodlawn on Saturday, shielding music lovers from the morning rain and the afternoon sunshine as they immersed themselves in house tunes.

In the city widely considered the birthplace of house music, tens of thousands of fans gather every year for a day of good food, good music and good company just south of the Museum of Science and Industry.

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If you love house music, make some noise, yelled DJ Mike Dunn from the main stage. House, he said, is about the spirit of love and unity. You want some potato salad? he said with a laugh, alluding to neighborly exchanges between concertgoers sharing food. Thats how we do it.

Dunn is the newest member of the Chosen Few DJs, a group of South Side musicians who would perform their soulful music in basements, high schools and nightspots beginning in the late 1970s. Other members include DJs Wayne Williams, Alan King, Andre and Tony Hatchett, Jesse Saunders and Terry Hunter.

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People dance at the annual Chosen Few Picnic & House Music Festival in Chicagos Jackson Park on July 8, 2023. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Since 1990, the Chosen Few have put on a yearly Picnic and House Music Festival, drawing house music lovers from across the country and the world.

Attendees made their way around lawn chairs with drinks in hand, stepping carefully on wet grass after the morning showers, the smell of barbecue and food from countless grills wafting through the air. Some wore shirts declaring their love for house music: House. Thats It, Club music is house, House. Nuff said, and All this girl wants is sunshine and house music.

Suburbanite Cassandra Scott, 45, reunites every year for the last decade with hundreds of elementary school, high school and college friends at the picnic. Some of them flew in from Atlanta this year, she said. She started listening to house music as a teenager in the late 1980s, attending shows at the legendary Warehouse dance club, considered the heart and soul of house music in the United States.

Donning a Black History Month T-shirt and sipping from a mug with a Juneteenth quote, Scott said the festival is all about community. Other concertgoers like Scott also wore tees celebrating Black excellence and heritage. Big Black Energy, Black and proud and Dope Black woman, some of them read. These displays of pride are no surprise, really, given the roots of house music in Chicagos vibrant Black nightlife scene.

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But the good thing, Scott said, is it crosses over. Its not just African Americans. Anybody thats here  house music is what connects all over. Regardless of what your race is.

Sisters Keisha Verner, 53, and Quania Verner, 50, drove from Gary and East Chicago, Indiana, to meet up for their yearly long-standing tradition of attending the picnic together since its inception over 30 years ago.

We schedule our lives around this, said the older sister, who listens to house music every day before going to work to pump herself up. The Verners bobbed their heads in sync  and their clothes coordinated too. One of them wore an all-neon pink outfit, the other a bodysuit with pastel colors and purple sunglasses.

Keisha Verner can trace her love for house music to a specific year and one musician: Her mother introduced her to Chicago-based Ron Hardys music in 1982, when she was a teenage in living in Roseland.

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Theres nothing going on here but a good time, she said. You know why? Cause you just dance it out. Her sister agreed: No drama. All peaceful.

We need to see more of this on the news, said V103 local radio DJ Joe Soto. Its a family-friendly crowd, a Chicago crowd, the crowd of the chosen few.

adperez@chicagotribune.com
MOGADISHU, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The African Union's high-level delegation wrapped up their four-day visit to Somalia on Saturday to assess the first stage of a planned troop withdrawal, which it said was successfully concluded at the end of June.

The team, headed by Alhaji Sarjoh Bah, the director of Conflict Management within the Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department, said a joint technical assessment would be conducted in August to inform planning for the next stage of the drawdown of 3,000 AU troops to be completed by the end of September.

"We are at a very critical period, and I am quite impressed by the enthusiasm, the level of cooperation and the sense that we are all pulling in the same direction that is extremely useful," Bah said in a statement issued on Sunday in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

He said the AU delegation was in Somalia to discuss and engage with African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), the Somali government and the UN including other international partners on the transition processes.

Bah said the team also discussed the requirements of the new UN Security Council Resolution 2687 on the steps that they need to take to effectively carry out the next phase of the drawdown, which involves further withdrawal of 3,000 ATMIS troops.

The first phase of the transition involved the drawdown of 2,000 troops serving with ATMIS and the handover of six military bases to the Somali security forces. Bah said his meetings with senior UN senior officials in Somalia also focused on the UN's role in peacebuilding, reconciliation, the drawdown, and transfer of security responsibilities.

He praised Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for the tremendous progress in driving a Somali-led security transformation during his first term of office.

"It is a sign of progress. It is a moment that we must all collectively celebrate. It is also a clear demonstration that the Federal Government of Somalia is stepping forward to take over what is their primary responsibility, the safety and security of Somalia," Bah added.

During the meetings, Bah thanked the stakeholders for demonstrating solid support for Somalia and expressed his admiration to the partners for the universal consensus in consolidating the security gains to restore unity in the Horn of Africa region. 
Man Accused of Crashing Into Police Cars During Chase, Killing 19-Year-Old Officer, Faces Charges

RUTLAND, Vt.A Vermont burglary suspect who led police on a high-speed chase and crashed his truck into two police cruisers, killing a 19-year-old officer and injuring two others, will be arraigned Monday on charges related to the crash, state police said.

Tate Rheaume, 20, is facing charges of grossly negligent operation and attempting to elude, both with death resulting. Additional charges are possible, state police said. It was not immediately known if he is being represented by an attorney.

Rutland City Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen was killed on Friday afternoon. The crash happened as police chased a vehicle driven by Mr. Rheaume, a suspect in an attempted break-in at a house, state police said.

Evidence indicates that Mr. Rheaume crossed the center line and collided head-on with Ms. Ebbighausens cruiser, police said. The suspects truck also hit another police cruiser. Ms. Ebbighausen and another officer riding in the passengers seat were not wearing seat belts, state police said.

Ms. Ebbighausen was pronounced dead at the scene. The two other officers and Mr. Rheaume were taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center with injuries, police said. Mr. Rheaume was transferred to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, where he was listed in serious but stable condition on Saturday afternoon, police said. One officer was released from the Rutland hospital on Friday, and the other was released Saturday.

After an autopsy was completed on Saturday, nearly three dozen law-enforcement officers and first responders escorted Ebbighausens body in a procession from the medical examiners office in Burlington back to Rutland, state police said. Ms. Ebbighausen was a part-time Rutland City officer since May and was scheduled for training in August to become a full-time officer, police said.

Nearly three dozen Vermont law enforcement officers and first responders escort Rutland City Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausens body in a procession from the medical examiners office in Burlington back to Rutland, Vt., July 8, 2023. (Vermont State Police via AP)
US Appeals Court Revives Lawsuit Accusing Cisco of Aiding Beijing in Persecuting Falun Gong

The logo of Cisco at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Feb. 26, 2018. (Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images)

A lawsuit that accuses California-based tech giant Cisco of facilitating the Chinese regimes violent persecution of Falun Gong can move forward to trial, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled on July 7.

Adherents of Falun Gong, a faith group thats been heavily persecuted in China since 1999, filed a lawsuit in 2011 against Cisco along with its two former executives, longtime CEO John Chambers and Fredy Cheung, Ciscos then-vice president for greater China. The firm, the lawsuit alleges, supplied technology to help Chinas communist officials build a vast surveillance network to identify and track Falun Gong practitioners, and facilitate their subsequent arrest and torture.

Reversing a 2014 lower district court decision to dismiss the case, the federal appellate court found the plaintiffs allegations sufficient for the case to proceed.

We conclude that Plaintiffs allegations, accepted as true, are sufficient to state a plausible claim that Cisco provided essential technical assistance to the douzheng of Falun Gong with awareness that the international law violations of torture, arbitrary detention, disappearance, and extrajudicial killing were substantially likely to take place, U.S. Circuit Judge Marsha Berzon wrote in the majority in the 21 opinion reinstating the suit. Douzheng, a term used by the Chinese Communist Party, refers to the violent political campaigns the regime instigates against perceived enemies.

Ms. Berzon said that the companys actions, many of which took place on U.S. soil, constitute aiding and abetting the Chinese regimes abuses.

Terri Marsh, executive director of the Human Rights Law Foundation and a chief attorney for the plaintiffs, touted the development as a positive step toward curbing the persecution campaign.

The message is clear: U.S. companies and their executive officers cannot further human rights abuses in China with impunity. They must be held accountable. They will be held accountable, she told The Epoch Times.

The plaintiffs, citing Ciscos marketing materials found on Chinese websites and elsewhere, allege that Cisco had acted as more than an unwitting commercial actor selling widgets to China. In its eagerness to win over the multibillion-dollar Chinese technology market, the complaint alleges, the company marketed itself to target dissidents and became a facilitator of the regimes violent suppression of faith, designing and developing a comprehensive apparatus with U.S. technologies and talent in exchange for market access.

The system the plaintiffs refer to is Golden Shield, the Chinese security apparatuss data-driven surveillance platform accessible nationwide in China. Cisco, they said, had designed, crafted, and given critical assistance in implementing and subsequently fine-tuning the Golden Shield project at a time when the regime was incapable of developing one on its own.

In addition to customized software, Cisco also provided testing and ongoing skill training and technical training to Chinese agents tasked with persecuting Falun Gong so that they could master the use of the technology, according to the plaintiffs.

From its San Jose headquarters, Cisco designed and manufactured key components such as integrated circuit chips for Golden Shield, and the company intentionally incorporated the Falun Gong-specific signatures into security software upgrades at regular intervals to ensure Falun Gong activities and individuals were identified, blocked, tracked and suppressed, the court filing states.

The resulting product was a surveillance system that could monitor Falun Gong adherents internet activities in real time, allowing the regime to identify, round up, and torture members of the religious group and coerce them into renouncing their faith. The system also builds detailed and constantly updated profiles of suspected and known Falun Gong adherents that Chinese security officers can retrieve anywhere in the country, with information including their location, family members, and contacts, the plaintiffs allege.

Cisco representatives told The Epoch Times there is no basis for the allegations against Cisco.

The July 7th decision by the Ninth Circuit did not make any factual findings or assess any potential liability, but rather simply found that the plaintiffs are permitted to raise their claims and have them further considered by the District Court, a spokesperson said. We build our products to global standards which promote the free flow of information, privacy, and freedom of expression. Cisco has a longstanding commitment to uphold and respect human rights for all people, and we are strongly committed to an open global Internet.

All 13 plaintiffs, including a U.S. citizen, said they were identified via Golden Shield technology as participants of Falun Gong-related activities online and suffered detention for months to years at a time, during which they were subjected to torture.

The physical torture the plaintiffs endured in detention and while imprisoned in forced labor camps included beatings with steel rods and shocking with electric batons, sleep deprivation, being forced to sit or stand for prolonged periods of time in painful positions, and violent force-feeding, Ms. Berzon wrote.

The authorities have allegedly used information stored in the Golden Shield system as tools to exert mental pressure during their torture sessions, she noted.

Ms. Berzon also noted Ciscos allegedly repeated invocation of Party rhetoric regarding Falun Gong. The company had allegedly marketed its services as useful to the douzheng of Falun Gong in early 2000s trade shows in Beijing, and a Cisco training session available in 2012 allegedly used viruses and pestilence in describing Falun Gong, mirroring Party propaganda, she wrote for the panel.

This article has been updated with a response from Cisco.

Terri Wu contributed to this report.
Orange County Hires Professional Firm to Redraw Legislative Districts

The Orange County Legislature passed a resolution on July 6 to hire Boston-based Applied Geographics to assist in its decennial redistricting process.

Applied Geographics was picked out of four firms by a selection committee based on criteria such as qualifications, experience, timelines, and costs, according to a recent rules committee meeting.

The firm has over 30 years of experience in providing geospatial solutions to businesses and local governments across the country, according to the company website.

The contract costs the county around $80,000.

Under the county charter, boundaries for legislative districts must be redrawn following each decennial U.S. census, with the last one being released in 2021.

According to the census data, the county population rose by almost eight percent during the ten years between 2010 and 2020 to over 400,000.

The county is divided into 21 districts, each represented by one legislator.

Orange County legislators during a regular legislative session in Goshen, N.Y., on Dec. 1, 2022. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

The professional consulting firm was also retained in the backdrop of a recent state law that set a new threshold for population differences among county legislative districts.

The law prescribes that, in the cases of single-member legislative districts like those in Orange County, population sizes shall be as same as practically allowed; any difference between the most and least populous districts in a county shall not exceed five percent of the mean district population.

Whereas in the past, the difference could be up to 10 percent.

It also says that county legislative districts shall not be drawn to deny or weaken the opportunities for minority groups to participate in the political process.

New York State Senator James Skoufis, who represents most of Orange County, was the prime sponsor of the above legislation in the Senate two years ago.

After the law became effective, an illegal redistricting map was passed in nearby Ulster County with a variance larger than five percent, according to a now-disposed lawsuit by several voters.

The county planning commissioner presented erroneous information about the new state law to the redistricting commission before the passage of the illegal map, according to the lawsuit.

A state judge ordered the county to produce a new map in compliance with the law last year.

Orange County Democratic legislator Genesis Ramos said at the legislative meeting that she had confidence in the high caliber of Applied Geographics.

Their legal counsel is a nationally respected and recognized expert in redistricting, Ramos said. I have full faith and trust that we are moving in the right direction.

The selection committee members that picked the company included Republican County Legislature Chairwoman Katie Bonelli, Republican Majority Leader Tom Faggione, Democratic Minority Leader Mike Paduch, and members from the Conservative and Independence Party.
People Flock to Newfoundland in Search of the Come From Away Kindnessand Find It

Janet Hayward didnt show too much outward excitement Friday night as she walked toward a Gander, N.L., theatre to see the musical that inspired what she calls her Newfoundland Quest  but she did arrive a full hour early.

The 54-year-old high school teacher from Indiana has spent the past three weeks driving all over Newfoundland to capture the essence of its people, culture and landscape, and relay it for her students. She began dreaming of the trip after she saw Come From Away over a year ago on Apple TV Plus. The musical tells the story of the towns efforts to care for thousands of people stranded there on planes grounded after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S.

The story gripped her, and she couldnt let it go. So she applied for, and won, a special grant for teachers in Indiana to embark on the journey.

Its the kindness of the whole thing, Hayward said in an interview. I really wanted to meet the people behind the kindness.

She is among many, from all over the world, who have come to Gander in search of that kindness. And she was not disappointed.

Thirty-eight planes carrying more than 6,500 people were ordered to land at the Gander airport on Sept. 11, 2001. The town has a population of about 11,800 people and Come From Away is about those who opened their homes, community halls and businesses to shelter the plane people for the five days they were stranded. Its characters are based on real people in Gander, and the real things they did to dampen the passengers horror as they learned what had happened.

The musical was a smash on Broadway, running for a record-setting five years at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City. The Gander production is the first fully staged presentation of the musical in its hometown, according to Michael Rubinoff, the plays originating producer. He congratulated Friday nights crowd for snagging the hottest theatre tickets on the planet.

Barbara Amiel Pearson first saw the musical in 2017, during a particularly dark time in her life. She lives in Florida, and she said she was despondent after Donald Trumps victory in the 2016 election. I had lost hope in this country, I had lost hope in the world, I had lost hope in people, she said in an interview this week. And then I see this play  and I felt like I had to go and see if people could really be this good.

She arrived in Gander for the first time in October 2017. I had one goal: I wanted to meet Newfoundlanders, she said. So she went to the Tim Hortons across from her hotel and started talking to people.

Amiel Pearson, 72, said she met people on that trip she is still friends with today, including Gander resident Diane Davis, who is the inspiration for the character Beulah Davis in the play.

As is a common experience for many Newfoundland visitors, both Pearson and Hayward were invited into strangers homes for meals, tea and lengthy chats.

Amiel Pearson returned to Gander in 2019, and shell be arriving again next month; she has front-row tickets for the Come From Away performance on Aug. 12. She says her will includes instructions for her two daughters to use part of their inheritance to visit Newfoundland. It really caused a profound change in my life, she said.

Derm Flynn said hes heard many stories like Haywards and Amiel Pearsons, but hes still moved by each one. He was mayor of nearby Appleton, N.L., on Sept. 11, 2001. He and his wife, Dianne, took in six passengers.

Were not used to a big deal being made of the fact that we can invite someone into our home for a cup of tea, he said this week, adding that Newfoundlanders dont want to be seen as blowing their own horns.

There are contrary Newfoundlanders, just as there are contrary people all over the world, he added.

The Flynns story is told through the Derm Flynn character in Come From Away. About a year after the play opened on Broadway, they began hosting an event for tourists called Meet The Flynns, where they invite people into their home for lunch, tea and a chat. Theyve entertained guests from the rest of Canada, the United States, Australia and Germany, he said.

They charge for the visit, but its a way to give people whove seen the play the kind of welcoming experience theyre looking for, Flynn said.

Hayward hopes to instil in her students a sense of the kindness she has discovered in Newfoundland. To that end, she plans to start an after-school social club. Shell get students together to talk about themselves and their interests and what theyd like to contribute to their community. And then, together, theyll undertake one wonderful kind act or service a month, she said.

In the meantime, her husband and both of her sons have joined her for different parts of her Newfoundland adventure, and theyve loved it as much as she has, she said.

Well definitely be back.
Performance and Reliability of Chinas First Home-Grown Passenger Jet Is Yet to Be Determined: Experts

The Chinese regime unveils the C919, its first large passenger plane, in Shanghai on Nov. 2, 2015. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas first domestically produced passenger aircraft C919 was grounded temporarily on June 29 and 30, after it was in commercial operation for only one month.

China Eastern Airlines (CEA) owns the C919 passenger jet, which is currently the only aircraft of its kind in commercial operation in China. The CEA replaced the flights with an Airbus A320 for two days.

C919 resumed its scheduled flights on July 1, according to Flightradar24, a global flight tracking app that provides real-time information about aircraft around the world.

It is normal for aircraft to malfunction, an experienced pilot said, but the C919 is a new product assembled from parts supplied by various overseas manufacturers and joint ventures.

Whether the imported and home-made parts are compatible and if the parts needed for ongoing maintenance are readily available will determine the future performance of and reliability of the aircraft, the pilot said.

Mr. Gao Fei is a Chinese-American pilot with 26 years of flying experience and has extensive experience with the culture and management in Chinas aviation industry. He also has extensive experience flying the Boeing 737 aircraft in both China and the United States.

Mr. Gao believes that the grounding of the aircraft reveals safety hazards of the airplane.

Malfunctioning of aircraft is normal, but it is abnormal when the Chinese Communist Party flies the aircraft against safety risks because it wants to blow its own trumpet, he said in a recent interview with The Epoch Times.

The C919 experienced a failure in the engine thrust reversal in a flight test in February this year, which was caused by some problems in foreign-origin parts, according to Hong Kong-based Asia Times.

Home Made or Imported?

The C919 is a narrow-body, twin-engined airliner with 158 to 192 seats developed and made by the Chinese state-run Commercial Aircraft Corporation (Comac). It is designed and built to compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 series, according to the Chinese state-run Peoples Daily Monday.

Touted as Chinas first homegrown passenger jet, the aircraft made its commercial debut on May 28, 2023, and has since been used for regional flights between Chinas eastern metropolitan Shanghai and Chinas southwestern populous city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.

Chinas first self-developed large passenger jetliner C919 is presented after it rolled off the production line at Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co. in Shanghai, China on November 2, 2015. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Though Comac said it was independently developed, the planes major components come from various international suppliers, Gao Fei, an experienced aviation expert, told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times.

According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, about three-fifths of the C919s major suppliers are American companies, and one-third of the suppliers are European.

The CSISs list (pdf) of C919 major suppliers provides a detailed list of the aircraft components and their overseas manufacturers, including the LEAP-1C engine made by CFM International Inc., a joint venture of U.S. GE and the French company Safran Aircraft Engines; the landing gear made by German Liebherr; hydraulic systems and equipment by U.S. Parker; and auxiliary power units (APU) made by U.S. Honeywell.

Some of these overseas manufacturers have established joint ventures (JV) with Chinese companies, according to the CSIS. For example, Safran Electrical Power and Comac have a joint venture named SAIFEI. The components made by the JVs are dubbed China-made.

A commentator for a Chinese think tank believes that C919 cannot be regarded as home-made.

Kunlunce, a Beijing-based think tank, published an article in April, stating that C919s American suppliers account for over 60 percent and European suppliers 30 percent.

If you buy a pile of parts and assemble them into a bike, you cant call the bike home-made, right? wrote the commentator under the pseudonym Lun Jian Shi Jie.

None of the three major parts of a passenger planethe engine, the avionics, and the landing gearis made domestically, wrote the commentator, As the core parts belong to foreign suppliers, C919 has to be grounded because it doesnt have the spare parts for the repair.



He added that future avionics upgrades will cost a lot of money as well.

Safety Concerns

There have been concerns about the safety and reliability of the C919, as seen both in previous validation data and now in actual operational performance after its first flight, said Mr. Gao in the interview.

C919 combines various parts from manufacturers around the world, Mr. Gao noted. Whether they are compatible with each other, how they perform as a whole, how their maintenance is guaranteed, if the whole maintenance procedure can be performed properly, and if supplies of spare parts are guaranteedall these are questions.

For example, are the CFMI engines and Honeywells avionics subject to any technical control by China and Europe? Are there any restrictions imposed on these parts? Mr. Gao asked, adding that there are more concerns regarding the availability of spare parts and maintenance materials of foreign manufacturers.

The availability of C919s spare parts is also of concern amid the growing tension between China and the United States.

In June, SCMP reported that the C919 relies on imported parts and technology, adding that the United States has imposed bans on Chinese entities that may divert U.S.-made civil aviation products for military use, as China implements military-civil fusion tactics, which transfers foreign state-of-the-art technologies to the regimes military.

SCMP reported that three-fifths of the C919s suppliers are American companies, and another one-third are European companies.

In fact, there is no guarantee of a sustainable, reliable, and economic stability of C919, Mr. Gao added.

Yao Cheng, a military commentator and former Lieutenant Colonel Staff Officer of the CCPs Navy Command who lives in the United States, told Radio Free Asia that the malfunctioning of C919 is a sensitive issue.

Other passenger aircraft can fly as long as an accident does not affect flight safety, Mr. Yao said, but once the C919 has an accident, it would be a huge blow to Chinese aircraft manufacturing [industry].

Comac has secured orders for about 1,200 planes of the C919 model from Chinese and overseas clients, according to the state-run media Peoples Daily. Comac has two other modelsARJ21, a smaller aircraft than the C919, and C929, a bigger version than the C919.

So far, China Eastern Airlines hasnt provided an explanation for the replacement of the aircraft.

China Eastern Airlines didnt respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times.

Lin Yan contributed to this report.
Motorists in Australias Queensland will now be tested to see if they have cocaine in their system, with the drug added to the list of illicit substances that roadside police drug vans are set up to detect.

The state had the countries highest road toll last year, with 299 lives lost.

61 people were killed as a result of crashes that involved a drug driver or rider.

Government data shows an increase in the number of people with cocaine in their system after a serious crash in the state rose from 3.6 per cent between 2018 to 2019 up to 7.1 per cent between 2020 to 2021.

The figures are taken from hospital data.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Stream said theres been a 30 percent climb in drug driver detections compared to the previous five-year average, and authorities had to act.

Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol exhibit impaired judgement, memory, coordination and reaction time, he said.

Choosing to drive when affected by drugs is a decision that has a direct consequence on your life and those around you.

The move to add cocaine to the list of testable substances comes five years after New South Wales introduced it as a part of its roadside testing regime.

Act. Ass. Comm. Stream said people need to take responsibility for the choices they make when they decide to get behind the wheel.

Expect to see police anywhere, anytime targeting drivers who are making the wrong choices, he said.

Queenslands Roads Minister Mark Baily said one in four drivers currently tested are returning a positive result for drugs.

It is shocking to think that a quarter of all random drug tests in our state return a positive result, this is unacceptable, he said.

If youre behind the wheel with drugs in your system, youre not only a danger to yourself but to every other Queenslander and we make no apologies for coming down hard.

People caught driving with drugs in their system face licence disqualification, fines of up to $2,167 (US$1,447), and jail time for repeat offenders.
Russia Harassed US Drones in Syria for 3 Straight Days: Pentagon

U.S. military drones were harassed three times in three days by Russian aircraft in Syria, Pentagon officials have confirmed.

The U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, stated on July 9 that it carried out a drone strike on July 7 that killed Usamah al-Muhajir, an ISIS terrorist leader in Syria, and that it used MQ-9 Reaper drones in the attack. No other details were provided, other than that those drones earlier in the day been harassed by Russian aircraft in an encounter that had lasted almost two hours.

Officials said that on July 5 and 6, Russian aircraft also harassed the MQ-9 drones in separate incidents, according to reports.

On July 6, the pilots of Russian fighter jets engaged in what U.S. military officials described as unsafe and unprofessional behavior by dropping parachute flares in front of the drones. A day earlier, three U.S. Reaper drones also were harassed by Russian fighter jets while on a mission against ISIS, according to the Air Force.

The military also declassified videos showing Russian jets dropping the flares in front of the MQ-9 drones. One of the Russian jets was also seen using its afterburners.

Russian aircraft flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations, U.S. Air Forces Central stated.

We continue to encourage Russia to return to the established norms of a professional Air Force so we can all return our focus to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS.

Russia hasnt issued a public comment about the Pentagons latest claims.

But Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, said this past week that the Russian and Syrian militaries had started a six-day joint training that ends on July 10.

Mr. Gurinov added in comments carried by Syrian state media that Moscow was concerned about the flights of drones by the U.S.-led coalition over northern Syria, calling them systematic violations of protocols designed to avoid clashes between the two militaries, according to The Associated Press.

Washington has in the past year stepped up raids and operations against suspected ISIS operatives in Syria, killing and arresting various leaders who had taken shelter in areas under Turkey-backed rebel control after the group lost its last territory in Syria in 2019.

The U.S.-led campaign that killed former ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who had declared himself the caliph of all Muslims, has since targeted its surviving leaders, many of whom are thought to have planned attacks abroad.

Russian military SU-34 and SU-35 aircraft release flares in the flight path of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone, lower left, over Syria on July 6, 2023. (U.S. Air Force via AP)

U.S. military commanders have said that ISIS remains a significant threat within the region despite the degrading of its capabilities and its ability to reestablish its network has weakened.

In 2014, ISIS, sometimes called Islamic State or ISIL, controlled one-third of Iraq and Syria. Though it has been beaten back in both countries, its fighters continue to wage insurgent attacks.

We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, said in the statement on July 9. ISIS is a threat, not only to the region but well beyond.

The statement said there are also no indications that any civilians were killed in the drone strike. However, officials are still assessing reports of civilian casualties.

This will disrupt and degrade ISISs ability to plan and conduct terror attacks, the July 9 statement read. However, CENTCOMs operations against ISIS, alongside partner forces in Iraq and Syria, will continue in order to achieve the groups enduring defeat.

Other Incidents

The several days of close encounters between U.S. and Russian aircraft marks the third such confrontation this year. In March, the Pentagon released a clip of a Russian jet colliding with another MQ-9 drone in international airspace, forcing the drone to crash into the Black Sea.

The incident drew a response from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows, and it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Secretary Yellens Visit Unlikely to Repair Relations

Chinese Premier Li Qiang (right) speaks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a meeting in Beijing on July 7, 2023. (Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellens goal in Beijing is to explain President Joe Bidens China policy, which has shifted a great deal.

Prior to the beginning of the administration, it was widely believed that Mr. Biden would repeal the Trump-era tariffs and take a softer stance on China. In reality, he appointed a number of people who are no friends of Chinas ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), such as United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai who is of Taiwanese descent.

During the first year of the administration, Mr. Biden kept in place most of former President Donald Trumps China tariffs, which many attributed to the fact that the Biden White House had not yet issued a solid China policy.

However, rolling into 2022 and 2023, it became clear that the White House was keeping the tariffs in place and that the CCP would not get a free pass from the new administration. Robert Lighthizer, the Trump-era USTR from 2017 to 2021, told NPR, They have literally done nothing but follow our policy.

In addition to keeping most of the tariffs, the Biden administration has continually added China-based or -linked companies to the Department of Commerces Entities List, restricting U.S. companies from doing business with them.

The United States has also banned the export of certain types of computer chips to Chinese entities, a move which is having an adverse impact on the CCPs ability to develop new technology. Not only the United States, but also its allies, including Europe and Japan, have agreed to observe the chip ban. Furthermore, the Biden administration has brought sanctions against the CCP for the regimes human rights abuses.

Secretary Yellens visit to Beijing, from July 6 to 9, is meant to deescalate worsening relations between the two nations. Explaining the reasons for her trip, Ms. Yellen echoed the words of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who recently returned from Beijing, saying that she hoped to, responsibly manage our relationship, communicate directly about areas of concern, and work together to address global challenges.

Ms. Yellens meetings in Beijing will be a continuation of discussions that took place between Mr. Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in November. Both Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi stressed the importance of avoiding a conflict.

U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (left) shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Shortly before she left for Beijing, Ms. Yellen met with Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng. The meeting was seen as a good sign that both sides were committed to improving relations. Ms. Yellen also said that she would like to reopen economic talks with her Chinese counterpart.

Mr. Biden has expressed that he wants to see relations with China improve. From the CCPs point of view, tensions can only be diminished if the United States removes tariffs, restrictions, and sanctions.

On the other hand, Beijing has done nothing to remedy the issues at the root of U.S. concern. Human rights abuses in Xinjiang continue. Beijing has repeatedly committed fishing violations and encroached on the sea space of U.S. allies in the South China Sea. Mr. Xi is threatening to take Taiwan.

The recent spy balloon incident was also not a one-off. Meanwhile, China is responsible for exporting precursor chemicals to Mexican drug cartels for the production of the fentanyl that killed nearly 100,000 Americans last year.

The Russian war in Ukraine is another point of contention between China and the U.S.-led liberal democratic world. It is becoming increasingly likely that Beijing is secretly supporting the Russian war in Ukraine.

In February, it was determined that the CCP had sent thousands of shipments of goods, including parts for fighter jets, as well as other military technology to Russia. In spite of Mr. Xis assurances that China does not want to see the war escalate, Russia has asked for weapons and it remains unclear if Beijing will oblige.

Back in April, Ms. Yellen announced that the Biden administration would prioritize national security over the economy in its relationship with communist China. At the G7 meeting, the worlds leading economies agreed that they wanted to de-risk by redirecting new investment to other countries, rather than expanding China-based operations.

Although none of the world leaders used the term decoupling, the Biden administration has encouraged shifting manufacturing and supply chains from China to U.S. allies. Additionally, following the United Statess example, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom have all made significant increases to their defense spending.

At the same time that the U.S.-led West appears to be leaning away from China, the CCP is closing China off from the world. Under Mr. Xi, China has been moving further away from market reforms, as the central governments control of the economy increases. Chinas flagging economy, plus the passage of the CCPs new counter-espionage law, is scaring off foreign investment and driving foreign companies to relocate in increasing numbers.

The problems between the United States and China are many and complex. And while Ms. Yellen is a very capable public official, it seems unlikely that her visit will cause the CCP to change track, abide by the global rules-based order, and de-escalate tensions.

Of course, the United States could instantly make the CCP happy by forgetting all of the CCPs wrongdoing and removing tariffs and sanctions. But it seems unlikely that this will happen.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Supreme Court Revives Whistleblowers Medicare, Medicaid Fraud Lawsuits

The Supreme Court resurrected two whistleblower lawsuits against companies for allegedly defrauding Medicare and Medicaid.

The cases concern the federal False Claims Act (FCA), a key tool the government uses to combat health care fraud, and scienter, a legal term meaning prior intent or knowledge of wrongdoing.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has called the FCA the centerpiece of the governments anti-fraud arsenal.

The new orders followed the courts unanimous decision on June 1 to reinstate whistleblower actions against pharmacy operators SuperValu and Safeway for allegedly overcharging the government by filing false Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement claims for prescription drugs they sold.

That ruling, United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu, held that the scienter requirement under the False Claims Act, which asks whether an accused party knowingly filed a false claim with the government, refers to the partys knowledge and subjective beliefs, as opposed to what an objectively reasonable person may have believed.

Sometimes called the Lincoln Law, the FCA was enacted in 1863 to deal with defense contractor fraud during the Civil War.

The act currently provides that anyone who knowingly files false claims with the government is liable for triple damages plus a $2,000 penalty for each false claim.

The FCA allows the government to pursue perpetrators on its own and for private citizens to sue those who defraud the government on behalf of the government in what are known as qui tam suits. Such private citizens, who are called relators, may be awarded part of what the government recovers.

To prove scienter under the statute, the government or the whistleblower must demonstrate that the company acted knowingly, or with reckless disregard or deliberate ignorance of the law in question.

On June 30, in Olhausen v. Arriva Medical LLC and United States ex rel. Sheldon v. Allergan Sales LLC, the Supreme Court summarily granted the petitions of two whistleblowers while skipping over the oral argument phase, when the merits of the case would have been considered.

The court issued unsigned orders in the two cases in a flurry of eleventh-hour rulings as it wrapped up its regular term and recessed for the summer. The court didnt explain the two decisions, and no justices dissented.

The court vacated the judgments of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Olhausen and of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Sheldon, remanding those cases to their respective lower courts in light of its decision last month in United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu.

In the first case, whistleblower Troy Olhausen brought an FCA action on behalf of the government against Florida-based Arriva and its parent companies, which supply mail-order diabetic testing supplies, orthotic braces, heating pads, and other devices, according to his petition (pdf). One of Arrivas parent companies is Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories Inc.

Mr. Olhausen claimed that Arriva falsely certified compliance with legal requirements and made false statements to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so it could secure government contracts to supply medical items to Medicare beneficiaries. He alleged that Arrivas false statements centered on impermissibly channeling some of its functions as a government-contract supplier through undisclosed locations and/or an unauthorized subcontractor, and failing to obtain required assignment of benefits from beneficiaries for certain items.

In 2012, Arriva bought Mr. Olhausens company, another supplier of diabetic testing supplies and equipment. He stayed on at Arriva in a senior post after the acquisition and became aware that Arriva was breaking the law.

Mr. Olhausen filed a six-count qui tam lawsuit under the FCA in federal court in Florida. Arriva moved to dismiss, arguing that he could not meet the laws objective knowledge standard.

The district court dismissed the complaint but didnt reach the issue of scienter. An 11th Circuit panel affirmed the dismissal, and then the full circuit court upheld that ruling without providing an explanation.

Olhausens attorney, Stephen Rosenthal of Podhurst Orseck in Miami, welcomed the new ruling.

The U.S. Supreme Court has vindicated our clients right to continue prosecuting his claim that these companies fraudulently billed Medicare, Mr. Rosenthal told The Epoch Times by email.

The court has made clear that they cannot escape liability by hiding behind after-the-fact interpretations of federal laws that Mr. Olhausen alleged they knew they were violating when they submitted claims for payment.

Arriva attorney John OQuinn of Kirkland and Ellis in Washington didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

In the second case, whistleblower Deborah Sheldon brought an FCA action on behalf of the government against California-based Allergan Sales, alleging that the company intentionally violated the Medicaid Rebate Statute, which requires drug manufacturers to report to the government their drugs best price, meaning the lowest price  inclusive of all rebates, discounts, and other price concessions given to any entity or entities.

The statute was enacted to make sure the manufacturers didnt profit more from selling prescription drugs to the government than they did from selling the same prescription drugs to private concerns, according to Ms. Sheldons petition (pdf).

Ms. Sheldon sued in federal court in Maryland, claiming that the company failed to fulfill its best-price obligations. While the lawsuit was still in the pleadings stage, the company moved to dismiss, and the court granted the motion but erroneously applied precedent, according to Ms. Sheldon. A panel of the 4th Circuit affirmed the lower court.

Ms. Sheldon sought a rehearing before the full circuit court, and the government backed her request. The court reheard the case and vacated the panel opinion. Then, after oral argument, the court failed to come to a consensus and deadlocked in a tie vote, which left the district courts dismissal of the complaint intact, thereby leaving the law unsettled with no governing standard.

Ms. Sheldons attorney, Gregory Utter of Callow and Utter in Cincinnati, and Allergan attorney John Elwood of Arnold and Porter Kaye Scholer in Washington didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
3 First Nation Drinking Water Advisories Lifted With Opening of New Angle Inlet Treatment Plant

Paul Matthews, a certified water operator, shows off his log sheets in the modern treatment plant in Fort Severn, Ontario's most northerly community, on April 27, 2018. The community is one of a minority of reserves in Canada where tap water is drinkable. (The Canadian Press/Colin Perkel)

Three long-term drinking water advisories at Northwest Angle No. 33 First Nation have been lifted following construction of a new water treatment plant in Angle Inlet, Ontario.

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) said in a July 4 news release that the new centralized water treatment plant will provide reliable access to safe and clean drinking water for 100 residents and has the capacity to support future population growth the next two decades.

This community-led project includes the construction of a water treatment plant, raw water intake and distribution system upgrades, said ISC, which provided approximately $19 million in funding for the project.

ISC said the community has hired training operators to maintain and operate the new plant. The ISC-funded Centralized Water and Wastewater Hub, delivered by Anishinaabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council, is training and mentoring other community members. Currently, there is one certified operator, said ISC.

According to the department, First Nations have lifted 142 long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserves since 2015, and they are working with the federal government to address another 28 advisories still in place across Canada.

Short-term advisories automatically become long-term after being in effect for one year, and residents in any area with an advisory need to boil their drinking water to make it safe.

Access to clean drinking water is an inherent right for everyone, said ISC in the news release.

Northwest Angle No. 33 First Nation Chief Darlene Comegan said despite a number of challenges to complete this new water treatment plant, this project secures clean and reliable drinking water for our Angle Inlet community now and for years to come.

Ms. Comegan called it a major accomplishment and thanked those involved with the project.

Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu said, In partnership with communities and their leadership, we are doing whats needed to fix this and provide access to clean drinking water to everyone.

Northwest Angle No. 33 consists of two communities at opposite ends of Lake of the Woods, in the Kenora area in northwestern Ontario, close to the border with Manitoba. The new water treatment plant at Angle Inlet, on the west side of the lake, is only accessible by water, air, or in the winter by ice road.

Another community, Dog Paw, on the east side of Lake of the Woods, is served by an existing water treatment plant.

Drinking water advisories were set on the Elsie Blackhawk Pumphouse and the East Pumphouse in April 2011 and on the West Pumphouse in February 2016. All three advisories were lifted as of June 14.
MOGADISHU, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Forty al-Shabab militants were on Sunday killed by Somali National Army (SNA)'s elite forces, Danab, during a joint operation with regional and international forces in lower Juba region of southern Somalia, officials confirmed

Somalia's Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said the latest onslaught by joint forces' managed to neutralize the al-Shabab militants who were reorganizing in readiness for an attack against soft targets.

Nur did not comment on whether there were casualties on the side of the army that has intensified the airstrikes and ground operations against the al-Qaeda-linked militants in their stronghold of central and southern Somalia.

The latest military onslaught against al-Shabab was conducted a day after the defense minister bid farewell to thousands of troops who completed training and were ready to join the operation against armed groups. 
UK Discourages Use of Cluster Munitions, Says Sunak

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks at the NHS anniversary ceremony as part of the health service's 75th anniversary celebrations at Westminster Abbey, in London, on July 5, 2023. (Jordan Pettitt - Pool/Getty Images)

Britain discourages the use of cluster munitions, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said after the United States agreed to send the bombs to Ukraine.

Mr. Sunak, who will be meeting President Joe Biden in London on Monday ahead of a NATO summit, said Britain is instead supporting Kyiv by providing tanks and long-range weapons.

Answering reporters questions during a by-election campaign stop to Selby on Saturday, Mr. Sunak pointed to the UKs commitment to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The UK is signatory to a convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, he told broadcasters.

Ukrainian army from the 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade fire the German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000, called Tina by the unit, near Bahmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Feb. 5, 2023. (Marko Djurica/Reuters)

We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion, but weve done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine.

He added: Russias act of barbarism is causing untold suffering to millions of people.

Its right that we collectively stand up to it and Ill be heading off to the NATO summit next week in Vilnius, where we will be discussing exactly this with our allies how we can strengthen our support for Ukraine, he said.

Controversial Weapons

The United States said on July 7 that it will send cluster munitions to Ukraine in its ongoing fight to drive Russian forces out of the country.

But the use of cluster bombs is making some NATO allies uncomfortable.

After they are fired, cluster munitions open in midair and release small bombs (bomblets) over a wide area to strike several targets simultaneously.

Human Rights Watch, and other humanitarian organizations, oppose the devices because some of the bomblets dont explode when they are deployed. This unexploded ordinance presents a hazard to civilians, especially children.

More than 100 countries, including the UK and several other NATO members, are part of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but the United States and Russia are not party to the treaty.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on July 7 that its estimated that Russian forces have dispersed tens of millions of the bomblets in their attempt to take over Ukraine. He said that the dud rate, the number of bomblets that fail to explode, is between 30 and 40 percent.

Considering the danger already present from Russian bomblets, the decision was made that the Ukrainians have the right to defend their land with whatever weapons they deem necessary, Mr. Sullivan said.

Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, said the U.S. munitions have a dud rate of 2.5 percent.

Mixed Views

There are mixed opinions on the U.S. decision to send the controversial munitions to Ukraine.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his full backing to Mr. Biden, calling his decision difficult but brave.

He is right. These are terrible weapons. But they have been used by Putin for over a year in his programme of indiscriminate slaughter of an entirely innocent people, the former MP said.

The faster we help the Ukrainians to win, the more lives we will save all round. And never forgetit is the Ukrainians who will use these weapons on their own soil, and to protect themselves, he said.

But Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chairman of the House of Commons Defence Committee, urged Washington to reconsider.

He wrote on Twitter: This is the wrong call and will alienate international good will. Their use leaves deadly unexploded ordnance over the battlefield, killing & injuring civilians long after the war is over.

The opposition Labour Party also opposes the move.

Labours shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told Sky News on Sunday: We all agree that Ukraine needs to be properly armed to fight Russia and their illegal invasion.

But I am concerned about the use of cluster bombs, and it is not just the UK who has these concerns, other countries clearly do as well, Ms. Reeves said.

While I support President Bidens desire to ensure Ukraine is fully armed to fight Russia, I am not convinced that these are the appropriate weapons, she added.

Michael Clements and PA Media contributed to this report.
Washington State Fined $100 Million for Failing to Give Mentally Ill People in Jails Adequate Services

A judge is ordering Washington state to pay more than $100 million in fines after finding that state officials failed to provide adequate mental health services to mentally ill people in jail.

The ruling stems from a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of people with mental health disabilities who were charged with crimes and ordered by a judge to have a competency evaluation. If found incompetent to face charges, the state must then provide services to restore their competency to stand for trial.

U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman, in an order late Friday (pdf), found the state in contempt and said that the Washington Department of Social and Health Services has been making mentally ill people charged with crimes wait in jails for extended periods for their competency evaluations, violating their constitutional rights.

Ms. Pechman said the department had breached a preliminary injunction that required court-ordered competency evaluations for those in jail within 14 days, and for those at state hospitals within seven days. People who are then found to be incompetent to stand trial must be admitted for restoration services within seven days.

According to the lawsuit, a lack of funding, personnel, and beds in mental health facilities resulted in the long waiting times. Ms. Pechman said in her ruling that the main reason for the situation was the departments own lack of foresight, creativity, planning, and timely response to a crisis of its own making.

Washington state entered into a settlement agreement in 2018 and agreed to address the wait times. But theyve only grown longer, Ms. Pechman said.

She also noted that Washington state was previously found in contempt of violating the settlement agreement on two other occasions, which resulted in $400 million in fines. The department has paid some $100 million of those fines.

The remaining was held in abeyance in the hope of compliance, but the judge is now ordering the state to pay $100 million of those fines.

Ms. Pechman said that instead of providing more space in its psychiatric hospitals, the state removed civil beds at one of the hospitals, and closed wards.

The Court is unpersuaded that [the Washington Department of Social and Health Services] adequately planned for and took reasonable measures to address the bed shortage, Ms. Pechman said.

Norah West, a spokesperson for the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, said officials were assessing the ruling and understanding what the court wants us to do.

Beth Leonard, an attorney with Disability Rights Washington, said in a statement Saturday that the order will make real improvements on a reasonable timeline for the most vulnerable Washingtonians.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
We Do Not Support: World Leaders Turn Against Biden for Giving Ukraine Cluster Munitions

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) U.S. President Joe Biden (2L) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) speak next to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (C), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (3R) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (2R) before a G-7 leaders' family photograph during a NATO summit at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on March 24, 2022. (Henry Nicholls/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Major U.S. allies responded negatively to Washingtons decision to include cluster munitions in a new, $800 million military aid package for Ukraine, with some citing the danger of such weapons to civilians while others pointed to international treaty violations.

On July 7, the United States announced that it will send such weapons to Kyiv.

The munitions, also called cluster bombs, are delivered by rockets, missiles, and aircraft, and release a large number of smaller bombs, referred to as bomblets, that can kill indiscriminately over a large area.

I have followed the media reports, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters on July 7 that Berlin opposes Washingtons decision, Reuters reported. For us, as a state party, the Oslo agreement applies.

The agreement Baerbock referred to is the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) agreement signed by 111 nations in Oslo, Norway, in December 2008. The convention prohibits the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of such munitions. The United States, Ukraine, and Russia arent party to the CCM.

The Canadian government expressed its disapproval of Washingtons plan on July 8.

We do not support the use of cluster munitions and are committed to putting an end to the effects cluster munitions have on civiliansparticularly children, the government told CTV News in a statement.

Canada is fully compliant with the Convention and we take seriously our obligation under the Convention to encourage its universal adoption.

Speaking to reporters on July 8, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that his country is a signatory to a convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, according to BBC.

The governments of Spain and New Zealand have also opposed sending cluster bombs for use in the Ukraine war. New Zealand is one of the nations that pushed for the creation of the CCM.

In his July 7 remarks announcing the U.S. decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan justified the move by arguing that not doing so would endanger Kyiv even more.

So, the bottom line is this, we recognize the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance  This is why we deferred the decision for as long as we could, he said.

But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians. Because Ukraine does not have enough artillery.

In a July 8 post on Twitter, Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed the Biden administrations decision.

Last year, WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the use of cluster bombs a war crime. Now, President Biden plans to send them to Ukraine. Stop the ceaseless escalation! It is time for peace, he wrote.

He wrote in a separate post: Biden was opposed to cluster bombs In 1982 as well, when he opposed their sale to Israel. What happened to his conscience?

These munitions scatter bomblets across the landscape. Many fail to explodeuntil children pick them up later. They have caused thousands of injuries and deaths to civilians, he wrote in a third post.

Ukraine Response

On July 8, Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov wrote: We welcome the decision of the US to provide Ukraine with the new liberation weapons that will significantly help us to de-occupy our territories while saving the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers.

Our position is simplewe need to liberate our temporarily occupied territories and save the lives of our people.

For this, we need to inflict losses on the enemywar criminals, rapists, and looterswho are occupying our territories. The more losses we inflict on them, the more lives of Ukrainian people we will be able to save.

A Ukrainian tank rolls on a road near Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region, on Nov. 30, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images)

Mr. Reznikov promised that while Ukraine will use the cluster weapons, it will continue to strictly comply with all international humanitarian conventions that Kyiv has signed and ratified.

He pointed out that Russia has been indiscriminately using cluster munitions since day one of the ongoing conflict. In February and March 2022, Ukraines second-largest city, Kharkiv, was relentlessly bombarded by Russian forces with cluster munitions, he said.

Mr. Reznikov vowed to use cluster munitions only for de-occupation and not in any officially recognized territory of Russia. He also said that these weapons wont be used in urban areas.

A strict record of the use of the munitions will be maintained, he said, adding that once the de-occupation is achieved, Ukraine will prioritize the clean-up of unexploded cluster munitions according to those records.

Cluster Munitions Threat

A major concern regarding cluster munitions is that once they are launched, not all the bomblets explode immediately. Many can end up embedded in the region, only to explode later.

In August 2022, the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor released a report stating that 97 percent of all cluster munition casualties are after-action civilians. In surveys in which the ages of victims were registered, 66 percent of those victims were children.

A July 6 report by Human Rights Watch stated that Ukrainian and Russian forces have both used cluster munitions in the ongoing war, leading to the deaths and serious injuries of civilians.

Cluster munitions used by Russia and Ukraine are harming civilians now and will leave bomblets behind that will continue to do so for many years, the organization stated.

Both sides should immediately stop using cluster munitions and not seek to obtain more of these indiscriminate weapons. The US should not transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine.
Mythos versus logos, part 2

What happens when our understanding of the world is split into the competing camps of science and religion?

In the first part of this article series, we talked about the difference between logos and mythos, and said that both were forms of knowledge that were necessary for our human survival. In the modern world, though, logos had come to dominate thinking to the exclusion of all other methodologies, and that this was impoverishing our collective life and communities.

Essentially, logos explains how things happens (so its most readily, but not exclusively, identifiable with science), and mythos explains why things happen; in other words, the origins of things (and so is most readily, but not exclusively, identifiable with religion).

The Overreach of Science

When Scholars Argue, 1890, from Humoristic Monthly Magazines. The translation of the text on the image: It is good that at all times, the scholars, when they argue dont get into a bar-fight, but just intellectually spar with each other. But WERE things to get physical, one wouldnt be wrong to imagine that it would look something like what you see in the picture here, when they get into it. (Public Domain)

There are regrettable consequences of this fracture between mythos and logos and so between science and religion. In the case of science, it has led to what has been dubbed scientism, a form of overreach in which science pontificates on theological and mythological issues without knowing much about them. For example, in the 2006 bestseller The God Delusion, the authors understanding of both history and theology is severely limited, as well as being highly cherry-picked. Professor Terry Eagleton, an agnostic himself, remarked of the book: Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology.

Some scientists acknowledge the misuse of scientism. As Nobel-prize winning scientist Sir John C. Eccles expressed it in his book Evolution of the Brain: Creation of the Self,:

I maintain that the human mystery is incredibly demeaned by scientific reductionism, with its claim in promissory materialism to account eventually for all of the spiritual world in terms of patterns of neuronal activity. This belief must be classed as a superstition.  We have to recognise that we are spiritual beings with souls existing in a spiritual world as well as material beings with bodies and brains existing in a material world,

Put another way: Science isnt being science when it makes unproven assumptions about ultimate realitythe why, in other words.

Materialisms Effect on Religion

A book illustration of Origen teaching the catechism to a group of students, 1700, by Jan Luyken. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. (Public Domain)

In the case of mythos and religion this fracture produces another problem. As certain scientists (and mainstream media, for that matter) advocate promissory materialism under the guise of scientific truth, and simultaneously attack the truth(s) of religion(s), we find literalism (that is to say that texts have one and only one meaning) and fundamentalism (which is the belief carried into action that the one meaning must be accepted by everybody else) creeping intorushing intothe void that is created by the collapse of mythos and mythos-thinking.

The fundamentalists end up as dogmatic materialists who simply cant entertain, much less understand, mythos-thinking; and religious literalists who become addicted to interpretations of texts which are massively at variance with how those texts were once understood by earlier communities of believers.

Origen (A.D. 185253), for example, is a good example of one of the early church fathers who advocated a mythos approach to interpreting scripture, as did Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354430) and Gregory the Great (A.D. 540604).

The Problems of Fundamental Literalism

One of the traits of this literalism is what might be called selective texting: Certain sacred texts are predicated as being the right ones, and so texts which seem to contradict their central contention are either ignored or explained away. Furthermore, fundamental literalism does, and will, run into real problems with real science: The most glaring example of this is probably the dating of the creation of the world versus the Genesis account. I shall return to this point, but to be clear on my own position: I am not anti-science, for science has much (but not everything) to teach us about the world we live in.

First, though, how was this mythos-type thinking that theologians such as Origen taught constituted? There are many variations on a theme here, but the important point, I think, is to realize that there is a literal understanding of text, a non-literal (hidden) understanding, and a moral or spiritual understanding that can transcend or supersede the other meanings.

Take, for example, the simple word Jerusalem in the Bible. What does it mean? Quite obviously, and literally, it may refer just to the geographical city in Israel. But less obviously, it may actually refer to a hidden sense, for example, of the Holy Church; or it may signify the faithful soul of whoever aspires to the vision of eternal peace; or finally, even, as classical and medieval scholar Harry Caplan noted, it denotes the life of the dwellers in Heaven who see God revealed in Zion. If we fix on just one meaning, we may miss the others. And here we are only dealing with one word! What might happen if we look at whole sentences?

Episodes in the book of Genesis with God creating the sun, moon, and stars, animals, and man in his image. (Wellcome Images/ CC BY 4.0)

To return, then, to an earlier point: One of the most famous conflicts of mythos versus logos concerns the chronology of creation. Bishop Ussher was an English 17th-century theologianone of manywho calculated that the world began in the year 4004 B.C. (and he even calculated the day, the month and the time in 4004 B.C.!). Other theologians calculated other dates, but whatever the dates were, they are massively at variance with scientific calculations.

But lets be clear here too: Scientific calculations of the approximate date of the origins of the universe and Earth have also altered over the last 100 years. Will they alter again? Following the leads of new evidence, it seems highly likely they will, and so the notion that there is somehow a correct or definitive answer to the issue is inherently problematic.

But the point is that in trying to read the Bible as if it were a scientific textbook designed to provide us with the date of the creation of the Earth is fundamentally to misread it, and it is to widen the split between science and religion in a completely unnecessary way.

Interestingly, one thing that scientism and fundamentalism have in common is the quest for certaintythe complete avoidance of ambiguity, the burning desire to believe or subscribe to unalterable texts or irrefutable facts.

Certainty in science, however, is specious as many eminent and brilliant scientists inform us: If you thought that science was certainwell, that is just an error on your part, said Nobel Prize winner for physics Richard Feynman. And if that were not enough, the very history of science itself tells us that its truths, its models, and paradigms shift and change.

The Multifaceted Sacred Text

There is a very strong case for arguing that the Book of Revelation is a poem. Saint John the Evangelist, between 16241629, by Domenichino. National Gallery, London. (Public Domain)

Equally, looking at the Bible in a most cursory way, we see that it is not one book, but a collection of 66 books (in the Protestant tradition) with a large number of authors, over a large time span of human history, and furthermore, in a wealth of different genres. Just to take this last point: Different genres require that we read a text in a different way. We would not, for example, think that reading a novel, reading a love letter, reading a cookbook recipe, reading a business contract, reading a poem, among others, should or might be read in the same way. Would we? Not at all.

The Bible, then, contains historical narratives, wisdom literature, letters and epistles, homilies, parables, apocalyptic and prophetic literature, law codes and moral commandments, priestly and ecclesiastical instructions, theological and salvific debate, poetry (a large amount), and so on. Of the final category, surprisingly, we find that some say more than 30 percent of The Old Testament is actually poetry.

It is not just the obvious texts such as the Psalms that are poetry. There is a very strong case for arguing that the Book of Revelation is a poem. Nick Page in his fascinating book Revelation Road describes the writer of the book of Revelation, John, as a poet. And thats why Revelation scares so many people. Because they will keep reading it as prose. Reading poetry is quite different from reading prosequite, quite different; in fact, one of the major qualities of poetry, as opposed to prose, is its built-in ambiguity. What, exactly, does a poem mean?

When we think about it, there is a lovely symmetry in considering the book of Revelation to be poetry. It is the last book of the Bible, and Genesis as the first book, especially in its pre-Abrahamic early chapters, contains large amounts of poetry, too. Are these, then, the kind of texts on which we would base an estimate of the Earths scientific age?

Furthermore, is knowing the exact date of the Earths, or the Universes, age, or moment of creation actually important in any fully meaningful way? For example, if the Earth were created not in 4004 B.C. but in 4005 B.C., would that make things different for us? Or what if it were 40,000 B.C. or 400,000 B.C. or 4 million B.C., would that affect the spiritual reality of being a human being? Does anything important to our lives hinge on this fact (or should I say, factoid)? Hardly.

Actually, much more important than knowing exactly when the creation occurred is knowing that there was a creation and that it can only have occurred via the intervention of a Divine Mind, which, in the Western tradition, we call God.

This latter point is brilliantly summarized in Eric Hedins Canceled Science: Absolute nothing cannot produce something, because if it had that ability, it would have something, and so it wouldnt be nothing. From this we can conclude that something has always existed because something exists now. So far, were just using logic. The something that has always existed, we call God.

In part 3 of this series, we will go directly to Genesis to see the wonders that the poetry (the mythos) reveals about God, the creation, and mankind. These wonders are far more important than trying to trace back genealogies to establish literal dates, as I hope to demonstrate.

The Creation, 1534, by Lucas Cranach from Martin Luthers 1534 translation of the Bible. (Public Domain)

Would you like to see other kinds of arts and culture articles? Please email us your story ideas or feedback at features@epochtimes.nyc
Parenting plays key role in instilling traffic sense





By Dheeraj Fartode

With the introduction of new-age technology, CCTV cameras have become reliable tools for law enforcement agencies across the globe. With Nagpurs growth and expansion, State Government installed around 3,300 CCTV cameras at important intersections five years ago. Apart from crime control, the traffic police are using CCTV cameras to penalise rule violators by issuing e-challans. However, many are still found breaking traffic rules, raising question about efficacy of CCTV cameras as deterrents for violators. The Hitavada spoke to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Traffic, Chetna Tidke on the issue. A native of Bhandara district, she completed her BTech (Chemical Engineering) from LIT and joined police force in 2010. According to DCP Tidke, traffic police extensively employ CCTV cameras to effectively monitor traffic movement. Upon identifying congestion, officers concerned are immediately instructed to address it. CCTV footage has proved instrumental in identifying and booking offenders.

Traffic police take appropriate action, including booking offenders where nuisance creators are captured in CCTV footage, she stated. Tidke cited a recent incident at Futala Lake, where a group of individuals indulged in car racing on busy roads. Thanks to CCTV evidence, the traffic police were able to identify and book the drivers responsible, including a teenager. The parents of the offenders were also summoned to police station for necessary action, she said, emphasising that CCTVs were definitely working as deterrents for rule violators. DCP Tidke also cited statistics of e-challans to support her claim. Over the past six months, the traffic police have issued a staggering 1.75 lakh challans to violators of traffic rules. The violations include unauthorised interference with vehicles, not wearing helmets, using fancy number plates, parking on roads, and breaching traffic signals, she said. On missing traffic sense in citizens, Tidke said that most citizens followed the rules. However, a significant number of individuals, particularly youngsters and teenagers, flout traffic rules. We are issuing e-challans to them to discourage them from such behaviour. But parenting and teaching in school could play a vital role in making them aware of traffic rules, she said. The Traffic Police are making efforts to tackle traffic congestion and enforce traffic rules, she added. The department has identified 36 congestion points and taken action to address the issue.

By deploying additional manpower and implementing diversion points, the traffic police aim at easing traffic congestion and improving the flow of vehicles. DCP Tidke also acknowledged shortcomings of traffic police but attributed it to ongoing construction works across the city that necessitate traffic diversions. Additionally, growing vehicular population, combined with unchanged road width and infrastructure contributes to congestion during peak hours. The DCP cited successful resolution of traffic congestion at Ajni RoB by implementing diversion points. Additionally, the traffic police have identified 22 points where new traffic signals will be installed to regulate traffic flow. Citizens must adhere to traffic rules sincerely. This can automatically resolve many traffic congestion issues, she believed. n
KOLKATA,

WEST Bengals rural polls drew towards a bloody finish as 12 people killed, bombs exploded and all parties leveled allegations of strong arm tactics against their rivals on Saturday. Twelve people, including eight from the ruling TMC and one worker each of the BJP, CPI(M), Congress and ISF died since midnight in the crucial three-tier panchayat polls, officials said. The election which is being seen by analysts as a litmus test for the 2024 parliamentary elections, also witnessed scenes of ballot boxes being stolen and burnt and of public anger against political workers. Among flashpoints were Murshidabad, Nadia and Cooch Behar districts besides pockets in South 24 Parganas such as Bhangar and in Purba Medinipurs Nandigram. The polling began at 7 am in 73,887 seats in the rural areas of the State with 5.67 crore people deciding the fate of around 2.06 lakh candidates. Till 3 pm, 50.52 per cent voter turnout was recorded, officials said.

Political parties made accusations and counter-accusations as the day lengthened. TMCs senior minister Sashi Panja said, Shocking incidents are being reported since last night. BJP, CPI(M) and Congress have colluded. She also raised questions on the role of the central forces. Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, demanded that Presidents Rule be imposed in the State and threatened to lead a march to Kalighat where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lives against the violence in the panchayat polls. A free and fair election under the State administration is a mirage. It is only possible only if elections are held under Presidents Rule or Article 355, he said In a statement, TMC however claimed that if the party was behind the violence, why would their own workers be targeted and killed? The Opposition has conceded defeat and is now attempting to shape the narrative around how violence affected the election.

It also alleged that there are more than 60,000 booths across West Bengal, however only 60-odd booths have witnessed disruption during the polling process.Meanwhile, Congress leader Kaustav Bagchi made a representation to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court seeking an urgent hearing of a prayer seeking that Saturdays panchayat elections in West Bengal be declared null and void on account of violence and killings. Among those killed was BJPs polling agent Madhab Biswas who was allegedly killed in Falimari gram panchayat in Coochbehar district, the BJP spokesperson said. The BJP alleged that when Biswas tried to enter the polling booth in the morning he was stopped by TMC supporters, and as the situation escalated, they killed him. The TMC denied the allegations. An Independent candidates supporter was injured in the Kadambagachi area in North 24 Paraganas district. Superintendent of Police Bhaskar Mukherjee had earlier told reporters that 41-year-old Abdullah Ali died, but later the superintendent of Barasat Hospital said that he was critically injured and on ventilator support but not dead. Uttar Dinajpurs Goalpokhar witnessed a clash between TMC and Congress workers where the husband of the TMC Panchayat head Shanshah was killed, officials said.

A TMC worker was also killed in Murshidabad districts Kapasdanga area in overnight violence. The deceased was identified as Babar Ali, officials said. Another TMC worker was killed in the districts Khargram area. He was identified as Sabiruddin Sk. The TMC also alleged that its booth committee member in Tufanganj 2 panchayat samiti in Cooch Behar, Ganesh Sarkar, was killed in an attack by the BJP. The brother of a TMC leader was killed in a clash with Congress supporters in Malda district, police said.
AFRICAN FIELDS





THE visit of External Affairs Minister Mr. S Jaishankar to Tanzania and his assertion that unlike other countries India is not an extractive economy tells that Africa is the new diplomatic playground for New Delhi where it is ready to trade punches with another Asian player -- China. Mr. Jaishankars visit to Zanzibar and the port call by INS Trishul reflects the Indian pursuit to strengthen the already cordial relations with African countries and help them become strong partners in the vision of Global South. Mr. Jaishankars visit is in line with the well-thought outreach by India towards the African countries. India and Africa share historical relations with each other. Evidence of contact between the two nations dates back to the Bronze Age. Trade relations had remained a strong point in the long partnership as is reflected in the commercial routes between the maritime partners. New Delhi is now extensively working on the vision of becoming the voice of Global South with African countries by its side.

It is also a diplomatic imperative to counter the Chinese dominance in the African region and provide relief to the small countries from Chinas deadly debt traps. What the EAM has suggested in Tanzania is becoming a telling Indian position in all regions where China has spread its extractive economic relations. Mr. Jaishankar referred to the Chinese policies in his own subtle style while assuring Africa that India was not interested in narrow economic objectives like a lot of other countries and believed in broader, deeper partnerships. It was a veiled attack on China that has long back chosen Africa for military forays at crucial maritime points. China already has military support base in Djibouti in Africa even as its infrastructure companies and financial agencies continue to trap the ruling regimes with their lucrative debt offers. Recognising the need to counter the highly skewed Chinese presence in the African countries, India has been in an overdrive in strengthening ties with the resource-rich and geo-strategically important continent. Indian officials have been making visits to Africa on a regular basis.

The importance attached to the diplomatic vision was underlined by the visit of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to Uganda and Rwanda in 2018. The EAM, too, is busy engaging the African partners by establishing partnerships in agriculture, defence, culture and green energy. Maritime security cooperation also remains a major factor in Indias outreach towards Africa as it makes efforts to enhance the security of southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The African countries have a lot to gain by partnering with India whose diplomatic vision is not limited only upto economic gains. The deal to set up campus of IIT (Madras) in Zanzibar underlines the Indian intentions of seeking a global good. India had been the first responder to the hours of crisis in Africa in recent years. Medical relief during the COVID-19 pandemic and delivery of vaccines to counter coronavirus stand out as Indias vision of goodwill for a society not held by geographical boundaries. The people-centred diplomacy practiced by New Delhi can turn into a win-win situation for both India and Africa given the geographic and cultural proximity both regions share. It will also play as a key advantage in the long run to counter China.
Bhedaghat to have States first indoor laser, multimedia show soon





Staff Reporter

The world famous tourist hotspot Bhedaghat is soon going to have States first indoor laser and multimedia show. Member of Parliament Rakesh Singh performed bhoomipujan for the project that costs Rs 2 crore. It is expected that the laser show will be opened for tourists within next three months. The first indoor laser show in the State will be extremely captivating and entertaining and it will undoubtedly accelerate tourism in Jabalpur.

Addressing a huge gathering on the occasion, Singh said he has always strived to make Jabalpur an important tourist destination and initiated a laser show at renowned tourist spot like Bhedaghat. Earlier, laser shows were conducted, but tourists visiting Bhedaghat left the place before evening, resulting in a shorter duration for the show. Therefore, under the new project, an indoor laser and multimedia show will be introduced both during day time and at night. This will allow tourists visiting the place to witness laser show as per their convenience.
Edible oil prices have bottomed out: Oil traders





Business Bureau

It seems that the edible oil prices have bottomed out and rising due to the diminishing supplies in the wholesale market. With the beginning of the sowing season and the absence of any fresh supplies for another three months, we feel that the edible oil prices have bottomed out, said Rajesh Thakkar, Director of Shantilal Oils Pvt Ltd, Itwari and President of Oil Merchants Association while speaking to The Hitavada. Thakkar further said that the edible oil prices are anticipated to rise gradually from the current levels until the sowing is complete and Government comes out with the report mentioning the area under sowing and estimated output of soyabean and various other crops. He believes that the edible oil prices were at their lowest levels in mid-June. From first week of July the prices have slightly moved up from their lows. It is expected that the upcoming festive demand will push demand northwards resulting in prices to rise.

In the wholesale market on July 8, the soyabean oil prices were being quoted at Rs 1,670 to Rs 1,690 per 15 kg tin, as compared to the lows of 25 days ago at Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,530 per 15 kg tin, and sunflower oil was being quoted at Rs 1,670 to Rs 1,690 per 15 litre tin, as compared to the lows about 25 days ago at Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,530 per 15 litre tin. Whereas, rice bran oil is being quoted at Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,430 per 15 kg per tin, as compared to Rs 1,580 to Rs 1,550 per 15 kg per tin and palm oil was quoted at Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,430 per 15 kg tin, as compared to 25 days ago at Rs 1,590 to Rs 1,600 per 15 kg tin.

Anouther oil trader said that groundnut oil was available at a price of Rs 2,550 to Rs 2,560 per 15 kg tin on Saturday. Apart from this, he felt that the edible oil prices will appreciate from the current levels due to unfavorable weather conditions in the US. The US being one of the major producers of soyabean crop in the world has reported the sowing to be lower by 25 per cent. Lower output of the crop could fuel a mismatch in demand and supply. To make matters worse rains in the US are late by one month. These factors could drive edible oil prices northwards. Similarly, in India the rains are also late by one month due to the El Nino affect. Therefore, it is most likely that the new soyabean output will reach the markets in October-November. At present, India is importing soyabean oil in huge quantity from Indonesia and palm oil from Thailand, while sunflower oil is imported from USSR and Ukraine, he added.
YANGON, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 40,000 foreign tourists visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar during the first half of 2023, U Boe Thin, member of the Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees told Xinhua on Sunday.

A total of 38,445 foreigners, including 18,822 males and 19,623 females, have visited the pagoda during the first six months of 2023.

He added that the number of visitors has increased after opening hours were adjusted. "On the weekdays, about 15,000 pilgrims visited the pagoda per day. On weekends, especially on Sundays, over 40,000 pilgrims visited the pagoda per day." 
Forest Deptt seizes sandalwood worth Rs 6-7 lakh at Sahajpur





Staff Reporter

Jabalpur Forest Department has recovered sandalwood worth Rs 6-7 lakh on Saturday. Jabalpur Ranger Apoorva Prakhar Sharma on Saturday learnt that an Omni van transporting sandalwood was approaching towards Sahajpur. Sharma immediately deployed his staff for checking at Sahajpur. During checking, the staff noticed a white van approaching towards the check-post, they tried to stop it, but the driver did not stop the vehicle. The staff chased the van and reached village Barkheda near Sahajpur where the road was blocked and the accused escaped after locking the van. The staff approached the villagers to know whereabouts of the accused and with villagers support, they caught two accused from Barkheda village.

During inspection of the van, staff found 200 kgs sandalwood worth around Rs 6-7 lakh, packed in five sacks. Further investigation is still on as the accused were being interrogated to know about local connections. The accused revealed that they carried the sandalwood from Gotegaon. Ranger Sharma said that We are interrogating the arrested accused to find out where they were headed, whom the consignment belonged to and who all are involved in the smuggling of the prohibited item. With the understanding and planned action of Ranger Sharma, both the accused were arrested with the consignment. It was the first incident in which sandalwood was seized in Jabalpur Forest Division. Those who played important role in the successful mission included Ranger Apoorva Prakhar Sharma from Jabalpur (Additional Charge, Shahpura) and Rajendra Grewal, Utkarsh Mishra, Neeraj Bharil and other staff.
Manipur violence: Mob sets ablaze two vehicles: Sources





IMPHAL,

A MOB of 150-200 people set ablaze two vehicles near the Kangla Fort here and also tried to snatch weapons from the police, forcing the security forces to fire at the crowd, sources said on Saturday. However, there were no reports of any casualties. Two columns of security personnel -- one each of the Army and the Assam Rifles -- moved to the general area of the Songdo village on Friday night to enforce the cessation of violence. The induction of additional Border Security Force troops was met with interference in the Bishnupur market area, the sources said.

A mob of 150-200 people set on fire two vehicles at Mahabali Road near the Kangla Fort on Friday night, they said.

The mob also tried to snatch weapons from the police, forcing them to fire at the crowd. No casualty was reported so far, the sources said. Later, Army troops were called in and the mob was dispersed by late night. Another mob of 100-200 people, meanwhile, gathered for likely violence during the night at the palace compound here. The crowd was dispersed by troops from the Army and the Rapid Action Force, the sources said.
Modi inaugurates projects worth over Rs 24,300 cr in Bikaner distt





JAIPUR,

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated and laid the foundation stones of development projects worth more than Rs 24,300 crore in Rajasthans Bikaner district. Modi dedicated to people the six-lane greenfield expressway section of the Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor, the first phase of the Inter-State Transmission Line for the Green Energy Corridor, a Bikaner-to-Bhiwadi transmission line and a 30-bed Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital. He also laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of the Bikaner railway station and the doubling of the 43-km-long Churu-Ratangarh section. The PM pressed a remote button to inaugurate the projects at a programme in Norangdesar, Bikaner.

Speaking on the occasion, Modi said Rajasthan has got two modern six-lane expressways within a few months, while pointing out that he had dedicated to people the Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway in February. He said the Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor will give new strength to the industry of western India and that the supply chain will be strengthened. The PM said considering the high potential in the area of development, the BJP-led Centre is making record investment in Rajasthan.

Lashing out at the Congress, Prime Minister Modi on Saturday dubbed the party as a loot ki dukaan and jhooth ka bazaar, and said it is clear that its Government in Rajasthan is on its way out. He alleged the Ashok Gehlot Government has carved a new identity for itself when it comes to corruption, crime and politics of appeasement. Rajasthan has been a centre of immense potential and possibilities. It has the power to speed up the race for development. That is why we are making record investment here and also making the connectivity infrastructure high-tech, he said.
Nagpurs evolving food culture, and stirring discussions on traditional dining at home





By Vaishnavi Pillay

Nagpur, known for its multi - cultural traditions, is also cherished as the zone for diverse cuisines from different regions. Its residents representing various cultures and ethnicities, contribute their flavours to the local cuisine. From street food to fine-dining, the city offers a plethora of options to suit diverse tastes and preferences. Driving through the city on any given day, one will notice the bustling eateries that cater to customers day and night. In the recent years, the culinary landscape of the city has transformed with the emergence of cafes. They are known for cosy ambience, themed interiors, and diverse food menus, these establishments attract young customers. These have become the go-to places to have a relaxing time with friends and family.

Sunita Nair, a homemaker, shared with The Hitavada, Dining out occasionally with family and friends provides a refreshing break from our daily routine. My family enjoys trying different types of food. Also, the restaurants I visit serve delicious dishes prepared by skilled chefs, which are hard to replicate at home with the same ingredients. Shreyas Chinchmalatpure, an architect, adds, There are a lot of options available in Nagpur as compared to more developed cities, like Pune, when it comes to food. I like taking out my family for dinner whenever possible or to have desserts. At home, women are mostly occupied with household chores, so taking them out helps them relax and gives everyone a chance to converse and catch up with each other. Opinions on this growing trend, however, are not unanimous. While many residents applaud the flourishing culture for providing a social space, others express concerns about its impact on traditional family dining at home. Doubts are raised regarding the hygiene standards of the kitchens, to the extent that some people bring their own water bottles when they visit street food stalls or even restaurants.
Parties condemn violence in WB panchayat polls





KOLKATA,

CUTTING across ideological lines, all parties in West Bengal on Saturday condemned the killing of 12 people in various districts as voting for the panchayat elections is underway, while the Opposition BJP called for Presidents Rule in the state. The ruling Trinamool Congress, which lost six of its supporters to poll violence, accused the Opposition of instigating violence and criticised the central forces for their failure to protect the voters. State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, on the other hand, alleged that TMC goons are having a free run and peoples mandate has been looted. The CPI(M)s West Bengal secretary Md Salim claimed that the central force was not properly mobilised. Among those killed since midnight were six TMC members, and one worker each of the BJP, CPI(M), Congress and the ISF, and another person whose political identity could not be known.

Senior state minister Sashi Panja said, Shocking incidents are being reported since last night. BJP, CPI(M) and Congress had colluded, demanding central forces. Where are they deployed? TMC workers are being murdered. Where are the central forces? In a statement, the TMC said 27 people were killed since the panchayat elections were announced on June 8 and 17 of them are from Trinamool, which is over 60 per cent of the total fatalities. If Trinamool were indeed instigating violence, as the media is alleging, why would their own workers be targeted and killed? The Opposition has conceded defeat and is now attempting to shape the narrative around how violence affected the election, utilising their allies in the media, it said.

Across West Bengal, there are more than 60,000 booths but only 60-odd booths have witnessed disruption during the polling process, the statement said adding not that a single incident of violence has been reported. Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, demanded that Presidents Rule be imposed in the State. A free and fair election under the State administration is a mirage. It is only possible only if elections are held under Presidents Rule or Article 355, he said. Art 355 of the Constitution states that it is the duty of the Union to protect the states from internal disturbances and external aggression.
Screening, diagnosis of lungs cancer done through Endo-Bronchial Ultrasound Technique in workshop





Staff Reporter

For the first time in the history of Government Medical Colleges in the State, screening and diagnosis of lungs cancer were done through Endo-Bronchial Ultrasound Technique during two-day Hands-on workshop on Endobronchial Ultrasound held at the School of Excellence in Pulmonary Medicine, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College and Hospital. The two-day workshop concluded on Saturday. Senior Faculty, Dr Pawan Tiwari from All India Institute of Medical Sciences imparted hands-on training among senior residents and MD students during live workshop. Dr Tiwari along with Director, School of Excellence in Pulmonary Medicine, Dr Jitendra Bhargava, Associate Professor, Dr. Virendra Aarya and Assistant Professor, Dr. Shubham Mishra screened five patients through new technique. Senior Anaesthesia Specialist and Associate Professor, Dr. Neeraj Narang and Senior Resident, Dr. Shikha Jain rendered active support in the workshop. It may be mentioned that combination of Endobronchial Ultrasound Bronchoscopy and Ultrasound Technique is a procedure used to diagnose lung cancer, which is a new advanced facility for patients of Mahakoshal region.

NSCBMCH is the first government medical college in the State where this screening facility is introduced. Dr. Bhargava informed that admission on 06 seats of DM Pulmonary Medicine Super Specialty Course will be initiated at the School of Excellence from academic session 2023-24. As the National Medical Council has already given its approval after inspection in March 2023. Simultaneously, the School already have 08 seats for MD Respiratory Medicine. He informed that under the direction of Divisional Commissioner, Abhay Verma IAS, treatment activities were started in the new building along with labs including Pathology, Microbiology and Biochemistry for the patients of pulmonary medicine and TB. As per State Governments plan, this School will be developed as Multi-Facility Centre at the national-level. Those who gave their support in the workshop included Senior Residents Dr. Pournami Balasundaram, Dr. Hema Krishna, MD Students Dr. Naveen Sharma, Dr. Aditya Tiwari, Dr. Sarthak and staff nurses Seema Dehariya and Smita Borkar.
ULAN BATOR, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan agreed to enhance bilateral ties and cooperation in a wide range of areas, according to a joint statement on Sunday.

The statement was issued as Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov begins a three-day state visit to Mongolia at the invitation of Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.

The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, culture, fighting poverty, mining, tourism, ensuring food security and promoting green development.

The two countries also agreed to promote the alignment of their national tree-planting initiatives to combat desertification and increase forest coverage.

Japarov arrived here on Sunday, marking the first visit by a Kyrgyz president to Mongolia in 21 years. 
Shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER  Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of Buy from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.00.

AER has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TheStreet upgraded AerCap from a c rating to a b- rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 2nd. Susquehanna lowered their price target on AerCap from $75.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AerCap from $74.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. Barclays increased their price target on AerCap from $77.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on AerCap in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock.

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AerCap Stock Up 1.1 %

AER stock opened at $62.74 on Friday. AerCap has a one year low of $37.95 and a one year high of $66.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.28. The firms fifty day moving average is $59.23 and its 200 day moving average is $58.86. The firm has a market cap of $14.90 billion, a PE ratio of 8.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.99.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AerCap

AerCap ( NYSE:AER Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.00 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.77 billion. AerCap had a return on equity of 14.03% and a net margin of 24.08%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that AerCap will post 8.77 EPS for the current year.

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AER. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in AerCap by 105.4% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 274,411 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,797,000 after buying an additional 140,800 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in AerCap by 589.5% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 41,378 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,129,000 after buying an additional 35,377 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS purchased a new position in AerCap during the first quarter worth approximately $745,000. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in AerCap by 90.7% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,767,535 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $289,992,000 after acquiring an additional 2,743,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. acquired a new stake in AerCap during the first quarter worth $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.15% of the companys stock.

About AerCap

(Free Report

AerCap Holdings N.V. engages in the lease, financing, sale, and management of commercial flight equipment in China, Hong Kong, Macau, the United States, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers aircraft asset management services, such as remarketing aircraft and engines; collecting rental and maintenance rent payments, monitoring aircraft maintenance, monitoring and enforcing contract compliance, and accepting delivery and redelivery of aircraft and engines; and conducting ongoing lessee financial performance reviews.

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Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM  Free Report) (TSE:AEM) had its price objective dropped by analysts at Barclays from $63.00 to $61.00 in a research report issued on Friday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Barclayss price objective would suggest a potential upside of 26.06% from the companys current price.

AEM has been the subject of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Agnico Eagle Mines in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. They set an outperform rating for the company. Scotiabank began coverage on Agnico Eagle Mines in a report on Monday, April 3rd. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Agnico Eagle Mines in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Agnico Eagle Mines currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $70.38.

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Agnico Eagle Mines Price Performance

Shares of Agnico Eagle Mines stock opened at $48.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 20.43 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 2.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $52.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.56. Agnico Eagle Mines has a one year low of $36.69 and a one year high of $61.15.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Agnico Eagle Mines ( NYSE:AEM Free Report ) (TSE:AEM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The mining company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.07. Agnico Eagle Mines had a return on equity of 6.07% and a net margin of 40.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. Equities analysts expect that Agnico Eagle Mines will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEM. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Agnico Eagle Mines by 86.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 540,450 shares of the mining companys stock worth $33,097,000 after buying an additional 250,445 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Agnico Eagle Mines by 108.6% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,420 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 2,301 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in Agnico Eagle Mines by 37.6% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,795 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. purchased a new stake in Agnico Eagle Mines during the 1st quarter valued at about $678,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Agnico Eagle Mines by 44.0% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 364,215 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $22,304,000 after purchasing an additional 111,208 shares during the last quarter. 55.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Agnico Eagle Mines Company Profile

(Free Report)

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, a gold mining company, exploration, development, and production of precious metals. The company's mines are located in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in Canada, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

Further Reading

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MANILA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The number of cybercrime incidents in Metro Manila rose by 152 percent during the first half of the year compared to the same period last year, according to the Philippine National Police data.

The police recorded 6,250 cybercrimes in Metro Manila from January to June this year, up from 2,477 in the same period in 2022.

Police attributed the "exponential rise" to the carelessness of online users and the availability of malware online.

"Online scams almost tripled to 4,446 compared to 1,551 last year while illegal access reached 1,063, up by 86 percent from 570 during the same period last year," the police said in a statement.

The police added that automated teller machine (ATM) and credit card fraud also rose during the first semester to 625, more than double the 241 cases reported during the same period last year.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Jay Guillermo of the Anti-Cybercrime Unit in the National Capital Region projected that "the exponential growth of cybercrime to continue due to the availability of malware on the internet, ease of doing business of both private and government institutions, technological development and careless online users."

Police said it received 4,615 complaints from Jan. 1 to June 15 this year, most of which are related to online fraud, illegal access, and online libel. 
National Bank of Greece (OTCMKTS:NBGIF  Free Report) is one of 287 publicly-traded companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare National Bank of Greece to related businesses based on the strength of its profitability, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends and earnings.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

9.9% of National Bank of Greece shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 38.5% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by institutional investors. 12.2% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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Valuation & Earnings

This table compares National Bank of Greece and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio National Bank of Greece N/A N/A 19.56 National Bank of Greece Competitors $3.23 billion $709.28 million 252.04

Analyst Ratings

National Bank of Greeces peers have higher revenue and earnings than National Bank of Greece. National Bank of Greece 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.

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for National Bank of Greece and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score National Bank of Greece 0 0 1 0 3.00 National Bank of Greece Competitors 1113 3399 3197 29 2.28

As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 343.33%. Given National Bank of Greeces peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe National Bank of Greece has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Profitability

This table compares National Bank of Greece and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets National Bank of Greece N/A N/A N/A National Bank of Greece Competitors 33.97% 10.25% 0.97%

Summary

National Bank of Greece peers beat National Bank of Greece on 9 of the 11 factors compared.

National Bank of Greece Company Profile

(Free Report)

National Bank of Greece S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Greece, the United Kingdom, North Macedonia, Romania, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Malta, Egypt, and Luxembourg. It operates through Retail Banking, Corporate & Investment Banking, Trouble Assets Unit, Global Markets and Asset Management, Insurance, International Banking Operations, and Other segments. The Retail Banking segment provides deposit, investment, bancassurance products, mortgage loans, consumer and small business lending, debit and credit cards, prepaid cards, and other traditional products and services for individual customers, professionals, and small-medium and small sized companies through its network of branches and digital businesses. The Corporate & Investment Banking segment offers financial and investment advisory services, deposit accounts, loans, foreign exchange, and trade services for corporate customers; and lending services for large and medium-sized companies, as well as shipping finance services. The Trouble Assets Unit segment manages various loans. The Global Markets and Asset Management segment is involved in treasury activities; and provision of asset management, custody, private equity, and brokerage services. The Insurance offers various insurance products. The International Banking Operations segment offers traditional commercial banking, such as commercial and retail credit, trade financing, foreign exchange, and deposits; shipping finance; investment banking; and brokerage services through its foreign branches. The Other segment engages in the real estate management and warehousing businesses. National Bank of Greece S.A. was founded in 1841 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.

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European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:ERE.UN  Free Report) had its price objective reduced by TD Securities from C$4.75 to C$4.00 in a report issued on Wednesday morning, BayStreet.CA reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on ERE.UN. Cormark set a C$4.15 price target on European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Raymond James cut their price target on European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust from C$4.25 to C$4.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. Finally, National Bankshares cut their price target on European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust from C$3.70 to C$3.35 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$4.21.

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European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust Stock Performance

ERE.UN opened at C$2.84 on Wednesday. European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust has a one year low of C$2.70 and a one year high of C$3.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 295.04, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.10. The businesss 50 day moving average price is C$2.98 and its 200 day moving average price is C$3.24. The stock has a market capitalization of C$257.05 million, a PE ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 1.19.

About European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust

European Residential Real Estate Investment Trust  ERES is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust. ERESs REIT units are listed on the TSX under the symbol ERE.UN. ERES is Canadas only European-focused multi-residential REIT, with a current initial focus on investing in high-quality multi-residential real estate properties in the Netherlands.

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Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE:LAC  Free Report) has earned an average rating of Buy from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $37.22.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LAC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Lithium Americas from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Lithium Americas from $36.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. Finally, HSBC dropped their price target on shares of Lithium Americas from $36.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Friday, June 23rd.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Lithium Americas by 51.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 218,536 shares of the companys stock worth $8,412,000 after buying an additional 74,648 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC acquired a new position in Lithium Americas during the first quarter worth $359,000. Citigroup Inc. acquired a new position in Lithium Americas during the first quarter worth $325,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Lithium Americas by 725.0% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 825 shares of the companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 725 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in Lithium Americas during the first quarter worth $860,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.16% of the companys stock.

Lithium Americas Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE:LAC opened at $20.03 on Friday. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $20.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 10.00 and a quick ratio of 10.00. Lithium Americas has a one year low of $17.58 and a one year high of $33.10. The company has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of -51.36 and a beta of 1.42.

Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC  Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 15th. The company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by $0.15. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lithium Americas will post 0.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithium Americas Company Profile

(Free Report

Lithium Americas Corp. operates as a resource company in the United States and Argentina. The company explores for lithium deposits. It owns interests in the Cauchari-Olaroz project located in Jujuy province of Argentina; Thacker Pass project located in north-western Nevada; and Pastos Grandes project located in the Salta province of Argentina.

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Abcam (OTCMKTS:ABCZF  Free Report) is one of 377 publicly-traded companies in the Biotechnology industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Abcam to related businesses based on the strength of its earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and dividends.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

43.6% of Abcam shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 26.4% of shares of all Biotechnology companies are held by institutional investors. 24.8% of shares of all Biotechnology 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.

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Profitability

This table compares Abcam and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Abcam N/A N/A N/A Abcam Competitors -9,809.78% -419.52% -19.46%

Valuation and Earnings

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Abcam N/A N/A 29.38 Abcam Competitors $120.37 million -$11.40 million -2.37

This table compares Abcam and its peers revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Abcams peers have higher revenue, but lower earnings than Abcam. Abcam 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.

Dividends

Abcam pays an annual dividend of C$0.07 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Abcam pays out 42.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, Biotechnology companies pay a dividend yield of 2.8% and pay out 11,872.6% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Abcam and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Abcam 0 0 0 0 N/A Abcam Competitors 667 1583 4403 46 2.57

As a group, Biotechnology companies have a potential upside of 104.40%. Given Abcams peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Abcam has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Summary

Abcam beats its peers on 6 of the 10 factors compared.

About Abcam

(Free Report)

Abcam plc, a life science company, focuses on identifying, developing, and distributing reagents and tools for scientific research, diagnostics, and drug discovery. The company's principal products include primary and secondary antibodies; conjugated antibodies and conjugation kits; singleplex immunoassays; proteins and peptides that include cytokines; edited cell lines and lysates; and various other products, including cellular activity kits, biochemicals, and cell signaling pathway tools. It serves scientists and researchers in academic institutions and research institutes, as well as in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostics companies. The company has operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, Japan, and rest of the Asia Pacific. It sells its products online. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.

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Sienna Senior Living (TSE:SIA  Free Report) had its price target reduced by TD Securities from C$15.00 to C$14.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, BayStreet.CA reports.

Sienna Senior Living Price Performance

TSE SIA opened at C$11.20 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of C$11.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$11.34. Sienna Senior Living has a 52-week low of C$10.32 and a 52-week high of C$14.20. The firm has a market capitalization of C$816.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -46.67 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 239.46, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

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Sienna Senior Living Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.078 per share. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. Sienna Senior Livings dividend payout ratio is currently -391.67%.

About Sienna Senior Living

Sienna Senior Living Inc provides senior living and long-term care (LTC) services in Canada. It operates through Retirement and LTC segments. The company offers a range of seniors' living options, including independent supportive and assisted living, memory care, and long-term care services. The company was formerly known as Leisureworld Senior Care Corporation and changed its name to Sienna Senior Living Inc in May 2015.

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WPP plc (NYSE:WPP  Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,001.29.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of WPP from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday.

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WPP Stock Up 1.0 %

WPP opened at $52.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The companys 50-day moving average is $54.10 and its 200 day moving average is $56.69. WPP has a fifty-two week low of $39.67 and a fifty-two week high of $64.07.

Institutional Trading of WPP

WPP Company Profile

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WPP. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in WPP by 3.6% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 27,982 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,832,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of WPP by 67.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 14,658 shares of the business services providers stock worth $960,000 after purchasing an additional 5,913 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of WPP by 12.4% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 6,060 shares of the business services providers stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of WPP by 9.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 3,811 shares of the business services providers stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of WPP by 12.3% in the first quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 17,421 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 1,909 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 4.10% of the companys stock.

(Free Report

WPP plc, a creative transformation company, provides communications, experience, commerce, and technology services in North America, the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Global Integrated Agencies, Public Relations, and Specialist Agencies.

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AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (NYSE:AMN  Free Report)  Research analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2023 EPS estimates for AMN Healthcare Services in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, July 6th. Zacks Research analyst D. Dey now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $1.81 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.80. The consensus estimate for AMN Healthcare Services current full-year earnings is $8.35 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AMN Healthcare Services Q4 2023 earnings at $1.82 EPS, FY2023 earnings at $8.28 EPS, Q1 2024 earnings at $1.71 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $1.39 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $2.04 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $6.32 EPS.

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A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AMN. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of AMN Healthcare Services from $111.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price objective on AMN Healthcare Services from $128.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Friday, May 5th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on AMN Healthcare Services from $140.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on AMN Healthcare Services from $100.00 to $98.00 in a report on Monday, May 8th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on AMN Healthcare Services in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $113.20.

AMN Healthcare Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AMN opened at $109.03 on Friday. AMN Healthcare Services has a fifty-two week low of $81.15 and a fifty-two week high of $129.04. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $99.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.43, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.38.

AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE:AMN  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.13. AMN Healthcare Services had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 45.31%. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.49 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 27.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMN Healthcare Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMN. Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in AMN Healthcare Services by 1,615.0% in the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 343 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AMN Healthcare Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of AMN Healthcare Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of AMN Healthcare Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of AMN Healthcare Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. 96.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mark G. Foletta sold 1,458 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.78, for a total transaction of $129,441.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,073 shares of the companys stock, valued at $716,720.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Mark G. Foletta sold 6,042 shares of AMN Healthcare Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.35, for a total transaction of $509,642.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $680,957.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark G. Foletta sold 1,458 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.78, for a total value of $129,441.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,073 shares of the companys stock, valued at $716,720.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 8,500 shares of company stock worth $748,654. 0.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About AMN Healthcare Services

(Free Report)

AMN Healthcare Services, Inc provides healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to hospitals and healthcare facilities in the United States. It operates through three segments: Nurse and Allied Solutions, Physician and Leadership Solutions, and Technology and Workforce Solutions. The Nurse and Allied Solutions segment offers travel nurse staffing, rapid response nurse staffing and labor disruption, allied staffing, local staffing, and revenue cycle solutions.

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LONDON, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The "ice-breaking spirit" manifested by British businessmen when they visited China 70 years ago, is still needed today, Keith Bennett, a long-term China specialist and vice chair of Britain's 48 Group Club, has said.

The "ice-breaking spirit" means not to be daunted by difficulties and to find a way forward even in adverse circumstances, Bennett said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

In 1953, a group of people from the British business community made a famous ice-breaking trip to China after overcoming one obstacle after another. The Icebreaker Mission paved the way for the 1954 trade mission to China by 48 businessmen from British companies, which later became known generically as the 48 Group.

"The more time goes by, the more one can see how far-sighted the original icebreakers were," Bennett said. "When there are people of vision and courage, you can make progress even in the most difficult times. That's what we need."

In Bennett's view, a lot has changed from the time of the Icebreaker Mission and there is a great deal of openness on the part of the British business community to the country's relations with China.

However, the so-called "de-risking" is a "wrong term," he pointed out.

"You only need de-risking if there's a risk ... To me, China is an opportunity, not a risk," Bennett stressed.

According to Britain's official data, the total trade in goods and services between Britain and China increased by 18.3 percent to 111 billion pounds (142 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022 and Britain's exports to China increased by 37.7 percent to 37.6 billion pounds (48 billion dollars).

The figures show "how unrealistic it is to talk about ideas of decoupling or de-risking. It's a backward way of looking at the world because no country can develop sustainably and prosperously in isolation," Bennett said.

"The economic and commercial relationship with China is intrinsic to the economic health of the UK and the economic well-being of the British people," he added.

China is advancing to the front ranks of innovation, research and development and there's a great deal of potential for the China-Britain economic relationship in such areas as financial services, new energy vehicles and other environmentally friendly and environmentally sustainable projects, Bennett said.

"Business people, civil society, and others all have their roles to play. We need the ice-breaking spirit at every level, including education, culture, arts, scientific research and academic collaboration," Bennett said. 
Regina Daniels, a Popular Nollywood actress and wife of a top politician has taken to her social media to flaunt her newly acquired jewelry reportedly worth 10 million naira.

Regina Daniels has set tongues wagging as she shared pictures of her multi-million naira Jewelry.

The pictures of her ritzy gold necklace and another beautiful pieces of jewelry are shared on her insta-stories section of her verified Instagram page.

This comes few days after Regina Daniels raised the bar as she made elderly people and police to stand to greet her following visit to her husband Ned Nwokos office in the Senate.

The amazing thing about the jewelry was the cost at which she acquired it. It was gathered that the gold jewelry is worth up to 10 million naira, which left many speechless at its value.

Nana Atiku, the daughter of former vice president of Nigeria who happens to be one of Regina Daniels' friends was seen hailing her repeatedly in the video while showing off the N10 million gold jewelry.

Nana Atiku wrote; Am so proud of you queen, you get mind oooo.
Well before the 25 February date arrived, it was predicted that the 2023 general elections will be another milestone in Nigerias political journey: if effected with transparency and fairness, it will launch Nigeria on the path of democratic consolidation, and if poorly managed; degrade the democratic process further.

Beyond imponderables, the fervour with which the 2023 campaigns were conducted had never been experienced in Nigeria. The emergence of a credible third party, the Labour Party (LP) that was implicitly a Movement was least expected. LP was a revolutionary outlier; anti-norm and anti-old order. Itsimpetus derived from the authentic national desire for change anchored by the Obidient Movement bulwark.

As legendary Chinua Achebe once remarked, Nigeria is what it is because its leaders are not what they should be. Despite her leaders, as Nigerians demanded leadership change they coveted something markedly different from the erstwhile order. They set out to orchestrate that change by registering massively to vote. They understood fully, that there would be consequences if Nigeria failed to get it right in 2023. They also understood that discontented circumstances required resilience.

As if presciently aware of its Judastic role, INEC and her leaders made concerted and unsolicited promises as to their Bona Fidesand diligence. They swore commitment to credible, transparent and genuine elections underpinned by irreproachable technology. Nigerians believed. It was to be a vainglorious affair bereft of integrity, heft and muster.

Beyond the search for a new genre of leadership, what Nigeria needed most was to embark on true nation building devoid of past excuses and recriminations. Germane to such desire was how best to orchestrate the long missing core values and elements of nation building; namely, genuine self rule; creating effective and strong governing institutions; cultural match and legitimization of her diversity; and orchestrating equitable and sustainable strategic development via long-term planning. The LP mantra of consumption to production added fillip to such desire.

Regrettably, in her sixty-three odd years of independence and return to participatory democracy in 1999, no Nigerian government has been able to offer Nigeria a transformative leadership - the sort that redefines a nation and catapults it from routine to remarkable. 2023 seemingly offered a different vista and hope, more so since the Buhari Administration had in eightyears proven most ineffectual and an indisputable kakistocracy- a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.

Nigeria needed to change. Its numerous unmet needs and expectations demanded to be rigorously addressed. Doing so, required a new mindset, a tectonic shift from the old order; and so in the national interest, and not on sectional or primordial considerations. Such hope -as the announced results proved -turned out as misplaced.

Evidently the ruling APC were not in the least predisposed to consolidating and strengthening Nigerias democracy. Quite on the contrary, they were fixated on retaining power by all means. There were clear indicators: their presidential candidate avoided presidential debates and party loyalists resorted to electoral violence, thus breaching signed peace accords with impunity. Understandably, there were palpable concerns about INECs guarantee of credible elections.

Despite these concerns, the elections proceeded apace. What Nigerians did not anticipate was the scope to which INEC would willfully prove inept and compromise its statutory responsibilities. First, INEC conducted the elections without recourse to its own guidelines. And it did so glaringly and egregiously with benumbing impunity. INEC in every regard failed to meet its own benchmarks or pass its self-prescribed litmus test. What it did was dole out wholesale, the most shambolic elections ever held in Nigeria. It was a wholesale institutional compromise, which it frivolously tried to pass off as technical glitches.

Conscious of its perfidy, INEC declared the presidential electionwinner at 4a.m. when Nigerians were asleep, using incomplete results to do so. Abandoning her neutral role, she asked LP, PDP and other dissatisfied and aggrieved opposition parties to go to court. Naturally, INECs comeuppance and subterfuge drew commensurate umbrage, compelling the EU and other foreign and domestic observers who are ordinarily averse to using strong and damning language in rendering elections observation assessments to indict INEC in unvarnished and concrete terms.

Even as the parties went to court, INEC continued its recalcitrant role, refusing to give evidentiary records to the requesting parties in breach of provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act. Worse still, INEC refused to comply with court issued subpoenas. What INEC clearly proved were glaring weaknesses in the governance of elections and concomitant vast implications weak democratic institutions can foist on any nation. By its conduct, INEC presented itself as a malign enemy of democracy.

INEC disposition unwittingly set the stage for an election which ought to have been settled via ballot counts to default to the judiciary. The challenge is that the Nigeria judiciary has proven equally weak, inept and corrupt in handling election petitions. Hence, Nigerians from experience continue to bemoan lack of impartial judiciaries to interpret and adjudicate electoral disputes. Nigerians are also deeply divided over their confidence in the judiciary to rule correctly on the presidential elections petition, even as the evidence are quite overwhelming that the elections were fraught with irregularities. Its against this backdrop that the keenly contested 2023 presidential elections are being adjudicated.

The yoke of salvaging Nigerias democracy is now upon the judiciary. It is incumbent on the judiciary to prove Nigerianswrong. Ample judicial precedent exist that form concrete basis for overturning the declared presidential results. Consequently, national interest considerations, above all else, should compel the judiciary to quash INECs presidential elections result declaration. The grounds for cancellation are multi-tracked; non-compliance with constitutional dictates and extant electoral provisos; criminal conducts and forgeries that are sufficient grounds for disqualification and discernible procedural and coalition infractions, including thousands pages of blurred results that do not lend themselves to transparency of any sort.

As Nigerians now declaim, All eyes on the judiciary. What isneeded, are a few good conscientious patriots on the bar and bench, who can rise above the fray of primordial considerations and the Executive branch coercion, to render an irreproachable judgment, based on evidence. This will only be possible if national interest is given prime consideration. Meanwhile, the consequences of not doing so are too dire to contemplate.



Obaze, a diplomat, politician and governance and public policy expert, is a card carrying member of the Labour Party.
Joy Ride gets thumbs-up for slick comedy

With the arrival of Joy Ride in cinemas we may have just seen the start of a very special film journey for a lot of audience members. See this is one of those films where the trailer just doesnt do the film justice. Many will be turned off by the fact that this seems to be an outrageous comedy targeted at teenagers when in reality the debut feature film from Adele Lim is so much more.

World-Entertainment

By David Griffiths

Sunday 9 July 2023 12:00 PM

Sabrina Wu, Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park, and Sherry Cola in Joy Ride (2023). Image: IMDb

Yes, Joy Ride is a comedy in the vein of classic comedies like American Pie and Road Trip, but there is also a more serious side to the film as it centres around deep and important topics such as learning about ones identity and culture and above all friendship.

The film centres around two friends  Audrey (Ashley Park  Emily In Paris) and Lolo (Sherry Cola  Good Trouble). The pair became best friends at a young age and instantly bonded because both had Chinese heritage.

But their lives couldnt be more different. Lolos Chinese parents made sure she was well aware of her culture while Audrey who was adopted by a white American family knows nothing of her heritage. Even through school while they remained friends they were also very different  Audrey was always the student who was to succeed while Lolo was always in trouble  in fact she was voted Most Likely To Be Arrested.

Flash-forward to today and they are now young adults. Audrey is a successful lawyer and Lolo is an unemployed artist who lives in Audreys garage. Everything changes for them though when Audrey finds herself having to go to China to secure a client for her firm. Unable to speak fluent Chinese she decides to take Lolo with her to act as her interpreter.

Things dont go to plan though. When they arrive at the airport Audrey learns that Lolo has brought her weird cousin, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu  Styx & Stones) along for the ride. Things get even worse when Audrey introduces Lolo to her college best friend, Kat (Stephanie Hsu  The Path), who now works as an actress in China jealousy ensues.

But by far the worst thing to happen is that the client isnt that interested in Audreys business proposal until he gets to learn more about her family  her birth family. Audrey is horrified to discover that Lolo had already tried to find out information about her birth mother and it soon sees the four on an ill-fated journey that seems doomed from the start.

There couldnt be a more apt title for this film than Joy Ride because this is a film that really takes the audience on a ride as well  a truly emotional one with a good mix of comedy. It is rare that an outrageous comedy like this one, and be prepared there are a lot of adult jokes about sex to be found here, that also manages to have a serious side as well, but that is certainly what you will get here.

Lims screenplay gives the audience the best of both worlds. The humour hits the spot and the audience will find themselves laughing out loud very, very frequently. Then there is the more touching side to this story. As previously mentioned Joy Ride touches on some deep topics  self-identity, culture and friendship  but it does so with true emotion. There are emotional twists and turns throughout the film and Lim makes sure that the audience can never be prepared for what is going to happen next.

What also makes this film have such an emotional impact is the fact that the characters are not only likable but also relatable. Every single audience member will find themselves identifying with at least one of the characters in the film and the result is it feels like you are being taken on their emotional journey as well. There will be a lot of self-reflection by people when they leave this film and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

The performances in Joy Ride are also amazing. Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu and Stephanie Hsu handle the fact that they have to mix both comedy with emotion in their roles and they do it remarkably well. Sherry Cola certainly has a career in comedy ahead of her while Ashley Park has the skills to be Hollywoods next big leading lady.

Joy Ride is a phenomenal film that is going to mean a lot to a lot of people. It is rare for an outrageous comedy to have so much heart and emotion attached to it and that is what makes this such a special film. Be prepared to laugh, be prepared to cry but above all be prepared to fall in love with Joy Ride.

Joy Ride is currently screening in Phuket and is rated 15.

4/5 Stars

David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus
New ambulance stations open in tourist areas of Cherng Talay

PHUKET: Two new ambulance stations opened earlier this week in the Surin and Pasak areas of tambon Cherng Talay to provide swift response to medical emergencies in this tourist-oriented part of central Phuket.

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By The Phuket News

Sunday 9 July 2023 02:00 PM

The new ambulance stations were officially inaugurated by Manoch Punchalad, President of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administrative Organization (OrBorTor, or TAO), who visited both locations on Tuesday (July 4).

The Surin station is located at the so-called Cherngtalay Visitor Center on Srisoonthorn Rd, where the road to Surin Beach (Soi Hat Surin 8) begins. In case of a drowning or an aquatic incident at Surin Beach, medics will only have to cover as little as 200 meters to reach the scene to provide first aid, and transport the patient to the hospital.

The Pasak station is located at the Baan Pasak Welfare Center on the Baan Don  Cherng Talay Rd, where Soi Pasak 11 connects to the main road. The Pasak and Baan Don area is home to multiple villa projects popular among tourists and foreign residents of Phuket. The location is also in close proximity to Bang Tao Beach, Layan Beach, and Leypang Beach.

The new station also has relatively convenient access to Thalang Hospital, the nearest full-scale medical facility serving central and northern Phuket.

As of July 2023, Thalang Hospital remains the only hospital located north of Heroines Monument. As a standard practice, emergency patients are rushed there for treatment before, if needed, being transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital or any of the private medical institutions operated by BDMS Group in Phuket Town or Wichit.

In a separate development, Phuket Tourist Police announced this week that the agency is considering opening a Tourist Police service station within the Laguna Phuket integrated complex, also in tambon Cherng Talay.

On Thursday (July 6), Lt Gen Sukhun Prommayon, chief of the Tourism Police Bureau of the Royal Thai Police, visited Laguna Phuket and discussed the matter with Prapha Hemmin, Director of Activities and Corporate Relations at Laguna Phuket. Accompanying Lt Gen Sukhun on his visit were other top brass of the regional Tourist Police.

According to a publication by Phuket Tourist Police, the service point is planned to be set up at Canal Village, where Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BDMS Group) has been operating a clinic for Laguna patrons requiring medical services.

No dates for the establishment of the Tourist Police service center at Canal Village have been announced.
STOCKHOLM, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Stockholm on Sunday to protest against the burning of the Quran in Sweden.

The gathering took place on a square near a mosque where an individual set a copy of the Quran ablaze on June 28.

According to the Swedish Police, Sunday's protest gathered around 3,000 participants, Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reported.

Mustafa Issa, chairman of the United Islamic Associations of Sweden that organized the protest, told DN that the burning of the Quran is hate speech that should not be allowed. 
Reforestation project launches in Rawai

PHUKET: A pilot project focused on reforestation efforts in Phuket was launched yesterday (July 8) as part of a drive to enhance environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.

environmenthealthlandnatural-resources

By The Phuket News

Sunday 9 July 2023 10:30 AM

The collaborative project between the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and the Rowing Association of Thailand took place at Nai Harn public park in Rawai to coincide with a five-day national rowing event that is taking place there.

The project supports EGATs national initiative that aims to restore the integrity of local ecosystems by creating more green spaces, part of the companys carbon neutral by 2050 policy.

The project was officially launched by Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrambam, who was joined by: Admiral Chainarong Charoenrak, President of the Rowing Association of Thailand; Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos; Somsak Prangthong, EGAT Director of Social Affairs. Electricity; government officials and members of the rowing association who were set to take part in a local competition.

This reforestation project is in line with the promotion and development policy of Phuket Province in relation to the development of a Smart Environment, explained Vice Governor Anupap.

The planting of new trees will help tackle the ongoing challenges of climate change by reeucing carbon dioxide levels while restoring the fertility of the ecosystem and imporving the quality of life for local residents, he added.

Admiral Chainarong explained that having so many competing athletes at the EGAT Kings Cup event presented the opportunity for them to get involved in the project and help with the planting of the trees.

This is another collaboration that will promote and create awareness of the conservation of natural resources and contribute towards EGATs goal of one million trees becoming a realisation sooner rather than later, he added.

Mr Somsak explained how the carbon neutral by 2050 project aims for clean energy as per the national energy plan framework. This participatory reforestation project is one of the strategies for achieveing sustainability in natural resources, the environment and energy, said Mr Somsak.

The project is in line with the goal of increasing the countrys green area to decrease carbon dioxide absorption, which is considered the most prevalent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. We encourage more people to plant trees to help towards these goals, he added.

Following the opening ceremony around 200 people then took to planting trees in designated nearby areas, the first such project in the Nai Harn area that aims to build three forests over an area of 2 rai, which will consist of more than 250 fruit trees.

EGAT aims to plant 100,000 rai of forest per year, including conservation forests, community forests, economic forests and mangrove forests, totalling 1 million rai within 10 years between 2022 and 2031, said Mr Somsak.

This can contribute significantly to the offsetting carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1.2 million tonnes per year. It is expected that throughout the project period more than 23 million tonnes of carbon will be absorbed and stored, he concluded.
Ukrainians see no end in sight after 500 days of war

KYIV: On the 500th day since Russias invasion and as the war grinds on, Ukrainian forces are advancing slowly without enough arms and ammunition and with its main cities under constant threat.

RussianUkraineviolencepoliticsmilitary

By AFP

Sunday 9 July 2023 11:30 AM

An elderly man riding a bicycle pushes the bike of his wife killed by a cluster bomb in Lyman, Donetsk region, yesterday (July 8). Photo: AFP

Since the beginning of June, Ukraines army has been on the offensive to reconquer territory captured by Russian forces in the east and the south.

While suffering losses, Russian forces are putting up a ferocious resistance.

Russian forces have built solid fortifications, they have a lot of equipment, said Antonina Morakhovska, a 73-year-old retired teacher in the city of Nikopol in southern Ukraine.

I see how our forces advance. Its not easy for them in this heat. I think about them all the time, poor things.

It will be tough but we will still win.... I dont think it will be soon but we will win, she told AFP.

Despite receiving billions of euros in Western military aid, the Ukrainian army has only managed to take back around a dozen villages and a few hundred square kilometres of territory since the start of the offensive.

There is no comparison to last year when Ukraines forces re-captured 9,000 square kilometres in the Kharkiv region in September and 5,000 square kilometres in the Kherson region in November.

Offensive not fast

In the run-up to a NATO summit next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pressed Western powers for long-range weapons and F-16 fighter jets.

The offensive is not fast, that is a fact. But nevertheless we are moving forward, he said during a visit to Prague this week.

Ukraines military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny has also expressed frustration at the slow deliveries of promised weaponry from the West.

It pisses me off that some in the West complain about the slow start and progress of the long-awaited push against Russian forces, Zaluzhny told The Washington Post last month.

At a street market in Nikopol, Lyudmila Shudinova, 82, said her thoughts were focused on her 49-year-old son, a volunteer fighter recovering from a wound.

She said she had come to buy him potatoes.

I am very scared that, after he heals, he will again be sent to the front, she said, with tears in her eyes.

Ukrainians remain united in the effort to repel Russian forces but their resilience is constantly being tested.

The UN has documented the deaths of 9,000 civilians, including more than 500 children, in the conflict so far.

The real toll could be much higher.

Despite a significant strengthening of Ukraines air defence capability this year, the threat of drone and missile attacks across the country is constant.

In June, a missile hit a restaurant in Kramatorsk in the east killing 13 people, and on Thursday 10 people were killed in a strike on the western city of Lviv, which has so far been spared the daily bombardment of other parts of Ukraine.

Drinking water cut

The city of Nikopol near the front line in the south is also regularly hit by Russian forces and half of its pre-war population of 100,000 people has left.

It lies on the western shore of the Kakhovka reservoir - just 10 kilometres from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station which has been under the control of Russian forces since March 2022.

In the last few days, the threat of a nuclear disaster has loomed large in the region as Moscow and Kyiv accuse each other of preparing to blow up the plant.

The region has already been badly hit by an explosion at the Kakhovka dam on June 6 which caused significant flooding and killed dozens of people.

Ukraine has accused Russia of blowing up the dam intentionally to slow down the counteroffensive.

Upstream from the dam, the Kakhovka reservoir - 100 kilometres long and up to 10 kilometres wide - is running low.

Several areas, like Nikopol, have had their drinking water cut as a result.

Wearing an elegant white hat under a baking hot sun, Morakhovska spoke to AFP at a water distribution point to fill up some canisters with drinking water.

An air raid siren went off as Morakhovska spoke, provoking an emotional reaction from the Nikopol resident living under constant threat of Russian bombardment.

When the alarm goes off like that, I always think the same thing. May you (Russian) bastards all die, she said.
When is a Thai company not a Thai company?

Last month, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) carried out a raid on an accounting and law firm in Phuket following allegations that the company was involved in illegal activities as a proxy for foreigners. The DSIs intervention came after a prolonged investigation into the firms operations, which uncovered potential wrongdoing in facilitating the acquisition of Thai companies and real estate by foreigners, contravening Thai laws.



By The Phuket News

Sunday 9 July 2023 10:00 AM

DSI officers process passports seized during the raid in Phuket last month. Photo: DSI

The recent incident tarnished Phukets reputation, and the DSIs actions against the firm send a clear message that authorities are cracking down on flagrant illegal commercial practices. For individuals who used their services, it is highly probable that their businesses will be shut down, and their property holdings seized.

The firm is managed by a Thai woman and her British husband. During the raid, the DSI confiscated numerous documents and electronic devices for further examination, and the managers were apprehended for questioning.

The company is suspected of appointing its employees as proxies to hold shares on behalf of foreigners, with over 70 companies involved. Out of these, 66 companies dealt with real estate, including 44 exclusively focused on real estate holdings, 14 providing additional services alongside real estate, and eight operating in the tourism sector, which is restricted to Thai nationals under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999). The combined value of the real estate investments was estimated at B440 million (USD 12,600,000).

USE OF PROXIES IN THAILAND

The illicit use of proxies by foreigners has long been a concern in Thailand as it enables foreign individuals to bypass restrictions on foreign ownership of certain businesses. Such practices are illegal under Thailands Civil and Commercial Code, Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542, and various other regulations. Individuals involved in proxy arrangements are subject to criminal and civil penalties, including imprisonment for up to three years and fines ranging from B100,000 to B1 million.

Historically, the prevalence of this arrangement arose due to weak enforcement and challenges in discerning the true intentions of shareholders when establishing companies. Coupled with foreigners difficulties in navigating Thai corporate law and language barriers, opportunistic businesses have taken advantage of this illegal service.

Apart from the fact that it is illegal under Thai law, proxy structures also entail several other drawbacks. One major concern is that investors relinquish control over their capital, company, assets, profits, and clients when using such arrangements. Even with supposedly secure documents and contracts, the fact that proxies are illegal renders these arrangements potentially void in case of disputes.

Fortunately, there are several legitimate options available for foreigners seeking full ownership of businesses in Thailand. For business operators, as long as there is no intent to engage in restricted business activities under the Foreign Business Act, qualified foreign investors can establish Trade and Investment Support Offices, Representative Offices, Board of Investment-promoted companies, businesses under a Foreign Business License, and, for US citizens, Treaty of Amity companies.

Regarding home ownership, there are additional complexities, but condominiums (foreign quota) pose minimal risk, and alternative investment structures can be considered. The key takeaway is that these "legal consultants" offering seemingly too-good-to-be-true solutions and quick ways to circumvent Thai laws may result in the loss of ones entire investment.

An important consideration for foreign investors is to always consult legal professionals when establishing a company in Thailand, rather than relying solely on companies offering "legal consultation" often bundled with accounting, real estate, travel agency, and tour services.

By Dr Paul Crosio

As always, you should seek legal advice if in doubt. Silk Legal is an experienced law firm that advises clients on corporate and commercial matters. For any inquiries about setting up a company or doing business in Thailand, contact them via info@silklegal.com.
Reznikov proposes transforming military enlistment offices into modern public service centers 9 July, 02:02 PM Oleksiy Reznikov (Photo:REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi)

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has proposed that Ukraine convert its military recruitment offices into contemporary public service centers as part of its path towards NATO membership, Reznikov said on Ukrainian national television on July 8.

He explained this proposal by noting that there are significant differences between Ukraines mobilization system and NATO.

Our mobilization system, recruitment centers, and former military enlistment offices are all remnants of the Soviet legacy. We need a fundamental overhaul and a different approach, Reznikov stated.

Video of day

He believes that in order to alleviate Ukrainian citizens concerns about military recruitment centers, the Recruitment and Social Support Centers should undergo comprehensive digital transformation and become modern public service centers.

Reznikov further explained that conscription should be abolished.

We must abolish conscription, establish a professional army, and simultaneously create a well-structured reserve registry for a full-scale war or invasion, he said.

Our most valuable asset is our people, and we must actively engage with them.

Previously, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal declared that following the resolution of the war, Ukraine would discontinue conscription and rely on a professional army as the countrys primary defense force.

Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility  to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth  consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.

Will you help tell Ukraines story to the world? Twenty years ago, most people hadnt even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyones lips and everyones headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of  from music and culture to technology. We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If youre willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

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While the US Supreme Court ruling striking down race-conscious admission rules based on a pair of cases challenging affirmative action at Harvard and the University of North Carolina has predictably stirred up a hornets nest globally, a close look at the observations made by the several judges throws up profound insights into several aspects of how diversity should be treated.

The relevance of the judgment in the Indian context can hardly be ignored. In the US context, affirmative action is a policy initiative in which a persons race and ethnicity are taken into account to extend education opportunities, primarily aimed at minority groups who have been disadvantaged by the colour of skin or ethnicity and have been subject to historical prejudices.

The close analogy to India would be the reservation and quota system in higher education (and jobs). However, the fundamental difference between the two is that unlike in India, there is no specified percentage or quota in US educational institutions to promote affirmative action. In delivering the judgment, the US Supreme Court by a majority of 6:3 effectively overruled a landmark affirmative action precedent.

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This predictably drew cheers from the Republicans and was denounced by the Democrats, with President Joe Biden and ex-President Barrack Obama leading the charge for the liberal lobby. However, what is interesting, and extremely relevant in the Indian context, is the rejection by the learned judges (of the majority opinion) of the concept of stereotyping of the supposedly disadvantaged class.

The court has not per se prohibited the universities from assessing the impact on a students life on the basis of his/her race or ethnicity. It opined that nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicants discussion of how race affected the applicants life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university  At the same time, as all parties agree, nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicants discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.

In plain words, it is the stereotyping of the idea that race or ethnicity alone is a good reason for affirmative action that has been rejected by the verdict. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr, writing the lead judgment for the majority, stated: Many universities have for too long wrongly concluded that the touchstone of an individuals identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned, but the color of their skin. In India, this stereotyping of communities or the historically deprived is a potent instrument for the political class, irrespective of ideologies, to create vote banks.

Thus, we have a reservation policy that does not look into an individuals particular case  but straitjackets him/her into a candidate for the quota system. Similarly, we have the minority or majority stereotypes. We have legislation created such that income from agriculture does not attract any tax, even though some members of that class may be earning in crores.

This ends up creating nothing but warring interest groups  and the resulting social conflicts provide fodder to the political class to divide and rule effectively. Such a state of affairs ends up being detrimental for those very sections of the population that it aims to benefit.

Even a strong proponent of affirmation or positive discrimination like Michelle Obama has recognized this fallacy in no uncertain terms. In the light of the recent judgement, it is pertinent to quote Mrs Obama (a strong critic of the judgement) herself : Back in college, I was one of the few Black students on my campus, and I was proud of getting into such a respected school. I knew Id worked hard for it.

But still, I sometimes wondered if people thought I got there because of affirmative action. It was a shadow that students like me couldnt shake, whether those doubts came from the outside or inside our own minds, she said. Justice Clarence Thomas, one of the six judges who gave a majority opinion, was of the clear view that affirmative action hurts some of the people it is intended to help, including by stigmatizing students who would have been admitted regardless of race. This is perhaps an unintended but still uncanny pointer to some of the tragic social issues seen in Indian campuses of late.

Thus, the process of reservation, pigeon-holing and quota that ends up providing indiscriminate advantage to individuals based solely on their caste or class (such as farmers)  irrespective of the personal situation or economic capabilities  is always fraught with the risk of being counterproductive and manipulative in the hands of the political class. Perhaps the evidence of this is nowhere starker than it is in India.

The recent US judgement on affirmative action throws up much food for thought for the Indian policymakers and social influencers.

(The writer is a chartered accountant and a freelance contributor.)
Political instability is not new to Maharashtra, and the ongoing drama of a split in the Nationalist Congress Party is no exception. The present Sena-BJP government had the numbers and didnt need an NCP faction for survival. The question is why the party lured NCP rebels when the Shinde government is comfortably placed. NCP chief Sharad Pawar faces his most formidable challenge now.

For one thing, age is not on his side, neither is his health very good. Rebuilding the party before the elections wont be easy. After the NCP split last week, the BJP had the upper hand, Congress saw an opportunity, and Sharad Pawar was weakened. However, no one should underestimate the Maratha strongman, as Pawar has survived many battles.

The political drama runs at two levels  one at the regional and the other at the national level. The larger story is not the Maharashtra crisis but its impact on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and Opposition unity. With just 10 months to go for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJPs electoral future is at stake. The Prime Minister will be seeking a third term.

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As for Maharashtra, the elections are due next year. It accounts for Parliaments second highest number of Lok Sabha Seats (48). The BJP has hit multiple targets in one go successfully. The party took its revenge for 2019 when Sharad Pawar had weaned away the Shiv Sena. He persuaded the Congress and put together a Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government. As part of the revenge, the BJP split the Sena and installed rebel Eknath Shinde as chief minister last year.

Now it is the turn of the NCP. The BJP engineered the division in the NCP, established by Sharad Pawar in 1999, rebelling against the Congress. His family controls the party, and he had groomed his nephew, Ajit Pawar. The younger Pawar joined the Shinde coalition government on Sunday with eight other rebels, splitting the NCP.

Ajit Pawar has been joined by some of his most loyal supporters, such as Praful Patel and Chagan Bhujbal. He will work alongside BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the same position. Fadnavis and Pawar have opposing political views and are political enemies.

The ongoing battle for control of the NCP is expected to intensify, with both sides competing against each other. However, the BJP is content with its success in breaking up the Shiv Sena and now the NCP. If Ajit manages to secure the majority of the NCP legislative party for the BJP (36), it could influence Speaker Narwekars decision regarding the disqualification of Shinde and his Sena MLAs.

If the case pending in the court goes against the Sena rebels, Shindes stint as chief minister will end. Shinde apprehends his exit after the entry of Ajit Pawar, as the post might be bestowed on the NCP rebel leader. After the split, the political dynamics in Maharashtra have shifted in favour of the BJP. The party could consolidate power and regain the Maratha and OBC support base before the polls.

The BJP enjoyed the Marathas strong support while keeping its traditional vote base of OBCs from 2014 to 2019, The party is yet to recover from the defeat in the Karnataka state polls this year. However, there is potential for improvement in the other Assembly poll-bound states of Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. At another level, change in Maharashtra has sent shock waves to the Opposition camp. The setback is more for the efforts to unite anti-BJP forces ahead of the 2024 national polls.

The Opposition parties are working towards defeating the BJP in the upcoming Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Recently, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar convened a meeting of non-BJP leaders in Patna, where 16 opposition parties participated. They presented a united front and promised to cooperate to achieve their common objective of defeating the BJP. Another meeting is scheduled for next month.

The Maharashtra crisis sends them a hint that such instablity could hit other states. Next in line could be Bihar. A Bihar coup will decimate the remainder of the Opposition. The BJP could form a government in Bihar if enough JDU MLAs defect.

The JDU had been a long-time BJP ally in Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dumped the BJP last year and formed a government with the RJD, Congress, the Left, and other parties. Sharad Pawar may have lost the battle against his nephew and a conniving BJP, but will he eventually win the war to reclaim his party and reputation? Is the fight over? Of course not. It is a a no-holds-barred, winnertakes-all war.
U.S. confirms transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, delivery expected within days, says Ukrainian PM 9 July, 12:57 PM Exclusive CBU-105 cluster ammunition (Photo:U.S. Department of Defense)

The Pentagon officially announced the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine on July7, MP Oleksandra Ustinova confirmed, following discussions of the matter with U.S. legislators during her visit to the United States.

In an interview with Radio NV on July 8, Ustinova provided details on when these supplies would reach the frontlines in Ukraine.

America would either have to spend a significant amount of its own funds to destroy them, or simply gift them to Ukraine, she explained.

"Some of [these munitions], I can tell you, are located in countries very close to us in Eastern Europe. I sincerely hope they will be swiftly delivered to Ukraine.

Video of day

She clarified that transportation might only take approximately a day: I believe that within 24 hours, if there are no legal obstacles, they can already be here. Some of these ammunition stocks are located in close proximity to Ukrainian territory and can be transferred here. So, they are not all in America.

Ustinova also expressed confidence in the well-established logistics supply chains established by Ukraines partners.

Actually, our logistics take about 24 hours, from the moment the plane lands in Rzeszow, Poland, and until a weapon reaches the frontline, Ustinova added.

So, our logistics are indeed well-coordinated. Therefore, even if they are to be transported from the States, it would only take a matter of days. But I think they will be coming from neighboring countries.

Ukraine has repeatedly asked Washington to supply cluster munitions, including MK-20 air-launched bombs. The military views them as an effective way to stop Russian human wave assaults.

The U.S. Congress has supported Kyivs request, but the White House initially opposed the proposal due to a 2008 international treaty that bans the production, use, and stockpiling of cluster munitions.

The treaty was adopted by 123 countries, including 28 NATO members, although the United States, Ukraine, and Russia have not joined the pact.

Cluster munitions are designed to destroy infantry and light armored vehicles in open terrain. They break up into dozens of smaller charges that can remain on the battlefield for years if they do not explode immediately.

The use of cluster munitions against civilian objects and civilians is prohibited. However, Russia has repeatedly violated this law during its full-scale war against Ukraine.

Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility  to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth  consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.

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The decision by French authorities to ban a protest in Paris against the shooting down of a 17-year-old boy by policemen is aimed at controlling the violence that has rocked parts of the country. But experts fear it may only fuel more anger. Protests are also planned in other parts of the country, and so far there is no suggestion these would be banned.

But it is clear the authorities are keen to ensure things do not spiral out of control in the capital. It is not certain that protestors will accept the ban order, but it is certain that they will be out on the streets in cities such as Marseille and Strasbourg to protest the killing of a 17-year-old by a policeman. French riots have followed a similar pattern ever since the first ones reported in 1981; a person is killed or seriously hurt by police action, and surrounding neighbourhoods, usually inhabited by immigrant communities, erupt in anger.

The 1981 protests had spawned a movement against racism, but because French authorities routinely refute charges of being racist, as indeed they have now, neither the nature of police action, nor the responses to it, have changed much. Experts believe that at the root of the problem lies the unwillingness of the French state to address the many deficiencies in the social order, especially in urban areas where impoverished immigrant communities live. This has resulted in ghettoization where many people trapped in the same economic quicksand find common cause, and unite against real or perceived injustices. The death of the youth, as happened on 27 June apparently after he jumped a traffic light, or any manifestation of discrimination, provides the trigger. With the Left having lost ground in France as indeed it has in many countries, such communities find themselves unable to use grievance redressal mechanisms set up to bring the state to account. The rise of the Far-Right has in a sense legitimised the actions of oppressors, usually members of the majority community. The situation in France is not very dissimilar to that prevailing in other countries, including India, where minority groups find sanctuary in ghettos that they choose to fortify, to stave off attacks by the state or larger communities.

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The use of legal violence by the state is countered with illegal violence from the other side, and this vicious cycle then traps both sides in a relationship where the state believes it is dealing with troublemakers or worse, and the community feels it must act in unison to counter the excesses of a racist or a communal state apparatus. It is clear that the authorities in France will have to do more, much more, to address the needs of its most disadvantaged. But as society adopts a Us Vs Them binary, and politics seem to take a sharp turn to the right, sometimes even trapping centrist liberals such as President Emmanuel Macron into taking hard positions, the solution seems distant.
Despite maintaining an overall numerical supremacy in the polls for the three- tier panchayat system in West Bengal, the ABP- CVoter exit poll for the rural civic body polls has indicated a tough contest for the ruling Trinamool Congress in a number of districts.

The exit poll has indicated that Trinamool Congress might lose its control over the zilla parishad, the highest tier in the three- tier panchayat system, in Cooch Behar district and BJP might take control over the zilla parishad there.

As per the exit polls, while BJP might win in 18 to 22 zilla parishad seats this time in Cooch Behar, Trinamool Congress might end up with 11 to 17 seats. The Left Front- Congress alliance in the district might end up between zero and one seat.

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Similarly, as per the exit polls, BJP might gain control over the zilla parishad in another north Bengal district of Alipurduar. As per the exit polls, while BJP might win in 10 to 14 zilla parishad seats this time in Alipurduar, Trinamool Congress might end up with four to eight seats. The Left Front- Congress alliance in the district might end up between zero and one seat.

Murshidabad, which witnessed the maximum number of deaths in the poll- related violence, is yet another district where Trinamool Congress might be heading for a tough contest despite maintaining overall numerical supremacy. In this district, as per the exit polls predictions, the ruling party will face the challenge more from the Left Front- Congress alliance rather than from BJP. In Murshidabad, as per the exit polls, while Trinamool Congress might end up winning 39 to 49 zilla parishad seats, Left Front- Congress might bag a number between 26 and 36, while BJP might end up between zero and four.

Similarly, in East Midnapore district, which is the home district for the leader of the opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, BJP is expected to give a tough battle to the ruling Trinamool Congress. As per the exit polls, in East Midnapore, while Trinamool Congress might end up between 35 and 45 seats, BJP might gain control over 26 and 32 seats, while the Left Front- Congress alliance might end up between zero and two seats.

Analysts feel that in panchayat polls generally the ruling party in the state maintains its overall numerical supremacy. However, the panchayat polls do give some indications about the voters; mindset for the forthcoming big battles be it Lok Sabha or Assembly polls.
The Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and CPM leader Shamik Lahiri heavily criticized the State Election Commission (SEC) today for its failure to control violence, resulting in deaths and widespread proxy voting in the panchayat election. Both leaders alleged that the SECs active support led to rampant violence and proxy voting.

Adhikari claimed that SEC commissioner Rajiva Sinha and chief minister Mamata Banerjee had a tacit understanding, resulting in violence where neither the state police nor central forces were deployed. He demanded the invocation of Article 356 (Presidents Rule) of the Indian Constitution. After casting his vote in Nandigram, the LoP challenged, Lets go to Kalighat. Few people will die, but Bengal will be saved this way. Suvendu stated that there are two ways to restore peace in the state: Either Article 356 or 355 of the Indian Constitution should be invoked to stop violence in elections, or a peoples uprising is required.

He further added, I dont know whether the Governor and the central government is thinking, but if the administration is not neutralized by invoking Article 356 or 355 during elections in this state, there will be no vote in West Bengal. It cant be. The Trinamul party retaliated and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, He is saying all this knowing well that he will be defeated. Suvendu should talk to the grandfathers in Delhi about Manipur before demanding Presidents Rule in that state. Some BJP supporters were arrested while protesting against the widespread violence and resulting deaths in Bengal. Police prevented them from entering the office of SEC Commissioner Rajiva Sinha.

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The CPM leader Shamik Lahiri stated that since morning, the ruling party had been capturing booths, and there were no central forces. However, people resisted the goons and foiled the attempts of rigging, which were actively supported by chief minister Mamata Banerjee and SEC Commissioner, he said. Meanwhile, the state BJP informed the central leadership about the situation regarding the panchayat polls, and central leaders sought information regarding the violence and related deaths during the elections
The orchestrated violence in some pockets, instigated by the Governor led to stray incidents in the state, alleged Trinamul Congress leaders this afternoon. Addressing the media minister Dr Shashi Panja said out of 61,569 booths across the state, major violence took place in 8-9 booths and stray violence took place in another 60 booths.

In 14 districts, there was not a single incidence of violence. Every death is painful. But 60 per cent of those who died were our leaders or supporters, she said, adding, In the state border areas, BSF jawans told the voters to vote for the BJP. Kunal Ghosh alleged the CPM, Congress, BJP and ISF had conspired to create violence in some pockets just to malign the image of Bengal.

They are being instigated by the Governor and the narrative has been built in such a way that there is violence across the state and it appears that the election in Bengal is a farce. Echoing Dr Panja, Ghosh added, We would like to ask, in how many booths there was trouble. We do not support violence but most of those killed in violence are Trinamul supporters, he said, adding, Some electronic media are showing pictures of violence, but are not showing the areas where people have voted peacefully.

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If Trinamul Congress had snatched the ballots, then the vote percentage would have gone up. The opposition has realised that they have lost the election and to divert the attention of the people who are talking about violence.

 Minister Bratya Basu said, The opposition should answer who had thrown water on the ballot papers in Dinhata. He alleged that the opposition had conspired to create trouble on the day of polling. He said in most of the districts, voting was done peacefully in a festive spirit.
Eighty per cent voters exercised their franchise in the three-tier Panchayat election, which was held on Saturday.

The polling which had started at 7 am ended at 5pm and the poll percentage was 66.28 per cent, according to the State Election Commission. However, the poll percentage went up by 14 per cent taking the total to 80 per cent as those who had been waiting in the queue after 5pm were allowed to cast their votes.

Meanwhile, Governor AC Ananda Bose left for New Delhi to submit his report to the Home Ministry. Bose had visited several places on Saturday and talked to the voters. He had told them to cast their votes without any fear. He also received many telephone calls from the people, who alleged that they were prevented from casting their votes.

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According to the SEC, votes cast in Alipurduar was 78.46 per cent. The poll percentage in Bankura, Birbhum, Cooch Behar and South Dinajpur was 83.05, 83.20,78.37 and 59.13 per cent respectively. In North Dinajpur, it was 79.59 per cent, South 24 parganas 81.44 pc, Purulia 81.37 pc, East Midnapore 83.14 pc, and East Burdwan 80.05 pc.

In West Burdwan, the poll percentage was 72.51 pc, while in North 24 Parganas and Nadia 80.49 pc and 80.88 pc respectively. In Kalimpong, it was 67.21 pc, Murshidabad 80.78 pc and Malda 79.37 pc.

Birbhum had recorded 83.20 per cent polling, which is the highest in the state. This is for the first time since 2011, polling was held in the district without Anubrata Mondol, who is now in the Tihar jail.

East Midnapore, the strong base of Suvendu Adhikari, had recorded 83.14 pc voting. South Dinajpur recorded 59.13 pc votes, which is the lowest in the state.

Political experts said the presence of women voters was remarkable across the state and the Trinamool Congress is heavily banking on them.

The Panchayat election has once again exposed the organizational weakness of the CPI-M, Congress, BJP and ISF. Except for some stray incidents, the polling was peaceful in 14 districts.
India and the United Kingdom will give an impetus to their ongoing negotiations over a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyals two-day visit to the UK beginning tomorrow.

Goyals visit will not only be focused on the ongoing FTA but he will also be meeting with ministers from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member countries to discuss the progress of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with EFTA.

The visit comes at a crucial juncture, as both India and the UK are committed to expanding their economic ties and exploring avenues for enhanced bilateral trade.

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With the FTA negotiations gaining momentum, the visit aims to further propel the discussions and pave the way for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial agreement that would drive economic growth and strengthen ties between the two nations, the Commerce Ministry said today.

During the visit, Goyal will engage in high-level meetings with his UK counterparts, including the Secretary of State for International Trade, as well as representatives from various sectors and industries.

These meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss the key priorities and objectives of the FTA negotiations, with a focus on addressing trade barriers, promoting investments, and fostering greater cooperation in areas such as technology, innovation, and intellectual property rights.

Furthermore, the minister will also meet with ministers and officials from the EFTA member countries, (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), to assess the progress made in the ongoing negotiations of the TEPA with EFTA.

The TEPA aims to enhance trade and economic cooperation between India and the EFTA member countries, fostering an environment conducive to increased investments, reduced trade barriers, and greater market access.

Goyals visit underscores the commitment of the Indian government to actively engage with its international partners and explore opportunities for economic growth and development.

It reflects the determination to forge strong and mutually beneficial trade relationships that will not only benefit the economies of both India and the UK but also contribute to the overall prosperity and welfare of their respective citizens.
A 60-year-old man died allegedly after being electrocuted at a restaurant here in East Delhis Preet Vihar, Delhi police said on Sunday.

A case has been registered and an investigation has been started, they said. According to Delhi Police, on Saturday afternoon they received information at Preet Vihar police station informing that one Satender Negi (60), a resident of Railway colony Mandawali Delhi working as a peon in Salt Cafe in A Block Market, Preet Vihar, suffered an electric shock in the kitchen while placing utensils in the rack, and collapsed.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead, the police said.

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Following the incident, a team of police was called to inspect the spot.

Based on their initial investigation, a case under section 304 A of the IPC has been registered at Preet Vihar police station.

We are further looking into the case, the police added.
The National Capital received heavy rainfall on July 8-9, breaking a 41-year record, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the IMD said.

According to the IMD, New Delhis Safdarjung

recorded the third highest 24-hour rainfall (for the month of July) on 8th-9th July, 2023, since 1958.

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The Safdarjung weather station, which is the citys weather base recorded 153 mm of rain till 8.30 am, the IMD said in a tweet along with the details of the five highest rainfall records of 24-hour rainfall in the month of July for New Delhi (Safdarjung) during 1958-2023.

In 1958, Safdarjung Observatory had recorded 266.2 mm of rain during the July 20-21 period while in 1982, it logged 169.9 during the July 25-26 period, IMD said.

In view of incessant rains in the National Capital, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday spoke to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and took updates.

Shah spoke to Delhi L-G as moderate to heavy rain lashed several parts of Delhi and its adjoining areas. The downpour slowed down the traffic movement after waterlogging in several parts of the city.

Delhi and adjoining areas of the National Capital Region (NCR) continued to witness heavy rainfall on Sunday, resulting in waterlogging and traffic snarls in many parts of the city.

According to the IMD, rainfall recorded in the city during the past nine hours ending at 5:30 pm was 105.8 mm.

The prolonged spell of rain resulted in a dip in temperature as the maximum temperature was recorded at 30.8 degrees Celsius, six degrees below normal. The minimum temperature was recorded at 25.4 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal.

Vehicles in Delhi moved at a snails pace at various places as roads were clogged with heavy traffic jams following heavy rainfall during the day.

According to the Delhi Traffic Police, traffic movement was also affected on Aurobindo marg in the carriageway from Yusuf sarai towards IIT and vice-versa due to waterlogging near U-turn Green park.

Traffic on Pankha road in the carriageway from Uttam Nagar towards Delhi cantt was moving at snails pace due to uprooting of a tree near Sagarpur red light.

Traffic was affected in the carriageway from Kalindi Kunj towards Okhla and vice-versa due to waterlogging and breakdown of vehicles at Okhla underpass.

Traffic was also affected on Bhairon Marg in the carriageway from Ring road towards Mathura road and vice-versa due to waterlogging under Railway bridge Bhairon Marg. Traffic was diverted towards Pragati Maidan tunnel.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the IMD said, Light to moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely Western Himalayan Region, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Rajasthan during 9th-10th and Uttar Pradesh during next five days.

For two days, the entire NCR (National Capital Region) has been witnessing heavy rain, which has triggered waterlogging problems and other significant issues.

The initial downpour of monsoon rain wreaked havoc in both residential and commercial areas of Delhi on Saturday, recording 126.1 mm of rainfall between 8.30 a.m. and 5.30 pm, the highest since the 24-hour rainfall of 133.4 mm on July 10, 2003, said an IMD (India Meteorological Department) official. The city had logged an all-time high of 266.2 mm on July 21, 1958.

The IMD also issued a yellow alert for Sunday. Due to the rain, 15 buildings collapsed in the national capital on Saturday, and one house collapsed on Sunday morning. The wall of a newly built government school in Sriniwaspuri also collapsed.

For Monday, the IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain and thundershowers in the National Capital. It has further said that the maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi would be around 31 and 24 degrees Celsius respectively.
The weather forecast for today  July 10  is that heavy to very heavy rainfall will continue in the north Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.

People have to be particularly cautious about traveling in the hilly areas and if possible try to not travel if not important, said the Indian Meteorological Department chief Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.

Rains in Himachal and Uttarakhand will continue but start receding in its intensity. However, the intensity of the rainfall will be more in parts of western Uttar Pradesh.

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Schools have been closed in Delhi for tomorrow. This was stated by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has also declared July 10 and 11 as holidays for school and college students due to the forecast of heavy rains.

Himachal CM Sukhu has also appealed to the people, especially if tourists are visiting the hill stations of Manali not to venture near the river or any low-lying area where the possibility of water logging remains.

Similarly, schools in Chandigarh have also been closed on July 10, though some schools will take online classes. In the neighbouring Mohali (SASNagar) also, schools will be closed due to the forecast of heavy rainfall.

In Kharar, about 350 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Rakoli found themselves in the midst of a flood in Kurali Nadi. However, they were rescued by the administration with the help of NDRF.
In a tough operation in the Himalayas, rescuers on Sunday rescued nearly 200 tourists stranded in the vicinity of the glacial-fed Chandertal or moon lake in Himachal Pradeshs Spiti Valley owing to heavy rain that triggered snapping of road links, officials said.

All tourists stranded at Chandertal are all safe and healthy. Rescue operations have started. The police control room has started calling families of tourists and is assuring them of the tourists wellbeing, said a senior police official.

He told IANS that Superintendent of Police Mayank Chaudhary was on the spot to supervise the relief and rescue operation.

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The Chandertal lake  a crescent-shaped basin surrounded by the Himalayas  is located at an elevation of 14,100 ft. The lake is accessible only during the summer. In winter, it remains frozen.

Earlier, 30 college students, who were travelling from Spiti to Manali, were rescued to safety after snapping of the road link owing to flash floods and landslides in high mountains.

The district administration was informed on Saturday evening that the group was stranded between Gramphu and Chota Dharra in Lahaul subdivision. They were travelling in two vehicles.

A rescue team, comprising police, Home Guard and the Border Road Organisation (BRO) personnel, was deployed for the rescue operation, a bulletin by the state emergency operation centre here said.

It said flash floods and landslides blocked NH 505 (Sumdo Kaza-Gramphu) at different locations between Gramphu and Dharra. Man and resources will be deployed after the clearance of weather, it said.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu expressed grief over the death of three family members in a landslide in Kumarsain tehsil of Shimla district.

He said the district administration has been directed to provide immediate relief to the affected family.

He ordered closure of schools on July 10 and 11 in the wake of heavy rain.

He appealed to the people to avoid going near the rivers and rivulets, besides remaining vigilant amidst the ongoing adverse weather conditions.

Owing to heavy rain with possibility of snowfall in high altitude areas, the government on Saturday stopped the two-week long Shrikhand Mahadev pilgrimage, considered tougher than the journey to the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir, till Monday.

A day earlier, three devotees slipped during the pilgrimage. The rescue team recovered one body, while two were missing, Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrashekhar Kayath told the media. He said the search operation was hampered owing to bad weather.

Meanwhile, the hills of Himachal Pradesh continued to experience moderate to heavy rainfall on Sunday, causing landslides in several areas and blocking highways, while all major rivers and their tributaries were in spate, officials said.

An official of the local MeT office said there are chances of heavy rainfall at several places in the state till Monday.

Incessant rain has also caused massive landslides on national highways in Shimla, Kinnaur, Mandi and Kullu districts, hampering vehicular traffic.

The water level in the major rivers of the state  the Satluj, Beas and Yamuna  which enter the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana has also increased, a government official told IANS.
In this article, we will look at 16 dental schools with the highest acceptance rates. We will also explore the growth projection of dentistry and the difficulty level of dental schools while looking at the efforts of big companies in ensuring sustainability in the dental industry. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, head straight to 5 Dental Schools With Highest Acceptance Rates.

The Global Outlook of Dentistry

The global dental market had a value of $36.32 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to witness considerable growth in the coming years. It is projected to reach USD 63.93 billion by 2029, with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% during the forecast period. This growth is expected to result in around 8,400 additional job openings in the dental field during that period. However, the market experienced a decline of -7.6% in 2020 due to the unprecedented impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which led to lower demand for dental products across all regions compared to pre-pandemic levels.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), dentists in the United States earned a median pay of $163,220 per year or $78.47 per hour in 2021. It is also one of the highest paying jobs in the world. The U.S. has more than 70 accredited dental schools that are responsible for preparing dentists for coming generations.

How Difficult Are Dental Schools?

Dental school is no walk in the park, and it can be just as demanding as medical school. Many students find themselves grappling with the sheer volume of studying they need to do. Not only do they have to memorize a vast amount of dental knowledge, but they also have to apply it in practical settings. One difference between medical and dental school is that dental students get into hands-on practice much earlier. Practical courses kick in within the first couple of years, piling on more stress alongside heavy coursework and challenging exams.

The second year of dental school is often considered the toughest because it serves as a preparation phase for the clinic. During this period, students can expect little free time and a whole lot of stress. To add to the difficulty, dental school acceptance rates are generally low due to the limited number of dental schools. Prospective students need to demonstrate exceptional grades, solid university credentials, and acceptable scores on the Dental Admission Test (DAT) to even stand a chance.

It is worth noting that the average Dental Admission Test (DAT) score for dental students in 2020 was 20.2, and the average GPA was 3.55. Moreover, while DAT is a prerequisite for almost all dental schools across the US, the Workman School of Dental Medicine is one of the few dental schools that do not require the DAT or any degrees. There are no application or supplemental fees involved either.

The competitiveness of dental schools can also be judged from the fact that Tufts Dental Schools acceptance rate is approximately 5% while the NYU College of Dentistrys acceptance rate is 11%, which are quite low, given that these are not even among the top 10 dental schools in the world.

Data from the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) reveals that in the year 2000, approximately 54.5 % of dental school applicants were accepted and enrolled in a dental school. As of 2019, the acceptance rate had only slightly increased to 55.9%.

Sustainability in Dentistry: Role of the Big Names

In the midst of the challenges faced by dental school students and the limited acceptance rates, companies like Dentsply Sirona Inc (NASDAQ:XRAY), Henry Schein, Inc (NASDAQ:HSIC), and Patterson Companies, Inc (NASDAQ:PDCO) are actively promoting sustainability.

Dentsply Sirona Inc (NASDAQ:XRAY) has recently launched a free Sustainability in Dentistry Resource Kit, providing dental professionals with valuable resources to understand and implement sustainable practices in their practices and labs. Additionally, Dentsply Sirona Inc (NASDAQ:XRAY) also recently participated in the virtual Summit on Sustainability in Dentistry, organized by the FDI World Dental Federation on World Environment Day. The company's sustainability efforts have also been recognized through its inclusion in Newsweek's rankings of America's Most Responsible Companies of 2023.

In terms of corporate social responsibility, Dentsply Sirona Inc (NASDAQ:XRAY) has partnered with Smile Train to support children with clefts. Through equipment donations, fundraising activities, and financial contributions, they have helped provide access to high-quality cleft care. This collaboration has funded over 730 cleft surgeries, and Dentsply Sirona Inc (NASDAQ:XRAY)'s efforts have been acknowledged through its ranking on Newsweek's list.

Dentsply Sirona Inc (NASDAQ:XRAY)'s dedication to sustainability extends to its educational initiatives. They have launched a comprehensive Sustainability Educational Curriculum, offering free online courses through the Dentsply Sirona Academy. These courses address the knowledge gap in dentists' understanding of sustainability and provide practical guidance on implementing sustainable practices.

On the other hand, Henry Schein, Inc (NASDAQ:HSIC) has launched the Practice Green global initiative to encourage healthcare practitioners to adopt sustainable practices for a healthier planet. The program provides eco-friendly solutions and support to dental and medical customers in the U.S. and Canada, with plans for expansion.

Apart from their sustainability efforts, Henry Schein, Inc (NASDAQ:HSIC) has announced the acquisition of S.I.N which is a leading dental implant company in Brazil, which will enable the entry of Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSIC) into the Brazilian implant market and complement their dental consumables and equipment business. The acquisition is expected to accelerate S.I.N.'s growth in Brazil and expand its presence in other markets.

Patterson Dental, which is a division of Patterson Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDCO), has also not been inactive with these efforts. By implementing SAP Field Service Management, a cloud-based solution, the company has been able to optimize routing and reduce mileage, resulting in a 5% reduction in miles traveled per day.

This has led to the saving of 40 metric tons of carbon emissions per year, contributing to a more sustainable environment. Moreover, the solution has helped Patterson Companies, Inc (NASDAQ:PDCO) streamline field service management processes, saving time for technicians and improving customer satisfaction.

Through improved coordination and scheduling, the company has achieved savings of two to five minutes per job for coordinators which has further allowed them to serve more customers. Patterson Companies, Inc (NASDAQ:PDCO) is one of the largest dental companies in the world.

You can also check out our lists of colleges with the highest and lowest acceptance rates here and here, respectively. With that said, let's head over to the list of dental schools with highest acceptance rates.

16 Dental Schools With Highest Acceptance Rates

Pixabay / Public Domain

Methodology

To rank the dental schools with highest acceptance rates, we have relied upon data from the Bemo Academic Consulting Acceptance Rates in 2023. We have made every effort to ensure that the information is up-to-date and accurate. We have also compared the acceptance rates in 2023 from those of 2019 to watch out for a trend in acceptance rates. The list is in ascending order.

16.Indiana University School of Dentistry

Acceptance Rate: 8.58%

In 2022, IU Bloomington students accepted to at least one dental school had an average cumulative GPA of 3.75. Among the matriculants to the IU School of Dentistry in the same year, the average cumulative undergraduate GPA was slightly lower at 3.62. Generally, maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.6 or higher is considered a good benchmark for admission. This relatively lower benchmark makes it one of the easiest dental schools to get into. Compared to the rankings of acceptance rates for dental schools in 2019, there is not much of a difference, as in 2019, the acceptance rate for this school stood at 8.4%.

15. University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry

Acceptance Rate: 8.81%

The University of Nebraska Dental School has an average GPA requirement of 3.67 for admission. Prospective students are also expected to achieve a DAT Academic Average score of 20.1, with a cumulative GPA of 3.67 and a science GPA of 3.58. The school is highly regarded, known for its excellent dental education programs and rigorous academic standards. It provides comprehensive training in various dental specialties and offers a strong foundation for aspiring dentists. Based on our report on Dental Schools With Highest Acceptance Rates in 2019, the acceptance rate for this school was substantially lower at 7.2% back in 2019.

14. The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics

Acceptance Rate: 9.3%

The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics is highly regarded in the field of dentistry. As of 2021, the college had a strong in-state enrollment of 54.74%, indicating its popularity among local students. Moreover, the out-of-state enrollment stood at 3.80%, reflecting the college's reputation beyond its immediate region. There is an insignificant increase of 0.1% in the acceptance rate from 2019, when it stood at 9.2%.

13. LSU Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry

Acceptance Rate: 9.33%

The LSU Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry had an in-state enrollment of 35.40% and an out-of-state enrollment of 3.08%. With a DAT academic average of 21.5 and cumulative GPA of 3.64 (science GPA: 3.55), it offers a solid academic program. It is considered one of the easier dental schools to gain admission to, making it highly attractive for aspiring dentists.

12. University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry

Acceptance Rate: 9.4%

The University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry is a highly esteemed institution for its quality dental education. It offers a comprehensive curriculum and thus, has a strong reputation in the field. In 2019, the acceptance rate was substantially low at 8.2%.

11. University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine

Acceptance Rate: 10%

While the School of Dental Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico does require completion of an additional subject of Spanish, it remains accessible. As a prominent academic institution, it serves as a leading center for doctoral and post-doctoral dental education in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Latin America. In 2019, the acceptance rate was 11.7%; however, it has since decreased to 10%, which reflects the relatively competitive nature of admission to the program.

10. University of Washington School of Dentistry

Acceptance Rate: 10.08%

The University of Washington School of Dentistry, the sole dental school in Washington, is highly prestigious. In 2021, it had a 25.67% in-state enrollment and a 3.36% out-of-state enrollment. It is one of the best dental schools with highest acceptance rates.

9. University of Minnesota School of Dentistry

Acceptance Rate: 10.21%

The acceptance rate for University of Minnesota School of Dentistry is also observed to have increased from 9.4% in 2019 to 10.21%. The school offers six ADA recognized specialties such as Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Pediatrics. It is also one of the best and easiest dental schools to get into.

8. University of Utah School of Dentistry

Acceptance Rate: 10.44%

The acceptance rate for this school stood at 11% which has now decreased by a very low difference at 10.44%. With a focus on continual improvement, the school offers competitive educational and training programs. By integrating research with clinical experience, it provides students with an enhanced learning environment. The school provides opportunities for graduate degrees and residency programs, further enriching the educational experience for aspiring dentists.

7. New York University College of Dentistry

Acceptance Rate: 11%

The NYU School of Dentistry is renowned as one of the most prestigious universities globally that receives more than 4000 annual applications for just 379 available seats. It has an exceptional research program, recognized for its high activity and impact. With nearly 1,900 students enrolled in various pre- and postdoctoral programs, the college provides a comprehensive educational experience. The acceptance rate for NYU College of Dentistry has increased from 9% in 2019 to 11% in 2023.

6. Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University

Acceptance Rate: 11.3%

Since its establishment in 1969, the college has successfully graduated approximately 2,500 dentists. Augusta University prioritizes early patient exposure in dental education, allowing students to begin treating cases as early as their sophomore year. The acceptance rate for this college has increased from 9.6% in 2019 to 11.3% in 2023.

Click here to read about the 5 Dental Schools With The Highest Acceptance Rates.

Suggested Articles:

Disclosure: None. 16 Dental Schools With The Highest Acceptance Rates is originally published on Insider Monkey.
In a setback to the CPI-M, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Sunday decided to reject the CPI-Ms invitation to participate in the seminar organized by the Left party against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

At a leadership meeting held on Sunday at Panakkad in Mapappuram, the Muslim League has decided not to attend the seminar organized by the CPI-M against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on 15 July in Kozhikode.

Speaking to media persons at Panakkad, after the leadership meeting, Muslim League state President Sadikhali Shihab Thangal said that Muslim League is a major constituent in the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). But CPI-M invited only the Muslim League, ignoring other parties of the UDF. Muslim cannot participate at the seminar, he said

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The Muslim League leaders said that only the Congress can raise voice against UCC in the Parliament. They, however, said they have no problem for other Muslim associations like Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, the body of Sunni scholars, attending the CPI-Ms seminar to be held on 15 July in Kozhikode.

Muslim League leaders also said they will organise a seminar under the leadership of partys Kerala State President Panakkad Sadikali Thangal in Kozhikode.

Meanwhile, Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, the body of Sunni scholars, has declared support to the CPI-M in its campaign against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Samastha leader Jifri Muthukoya Thanagal said that members of the association will attend the seminar organised by CPI- M against the UCC. He also added that Samastha will cooperate with the Congress and the Muslim League to protest against the UCC.

In this connection, CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan on Sunday said Muslim Leagues decision to reject the CPi-Ms invitation to the UCC seminar is not a setback to the party.Muslim League is only one of the invitees to the event. Their absence will not affect the programme, he said.
Amid the continuous heavy rainfall in the region, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has issued orders for all officers to remain vigilant. The Punjab Police have taken extensive measures to tackle any potential flood-related emergencies, according to the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, on Sunday.

He said that a state control room has been set up for flood mitigation and concerned officers have been asked to take hourly reports from districts to keep them updated about the current situation in their concerned districts. Pertinently, DGP Gaurav Yadav and Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla have been personally supervising the situation in the state, while, CPs/SSPs have also been directed to remain in the field and personally monitor the situation in their concerned districts at regular intervals, said an official statement.

Divulging more details, Special DGP Arpit Shukla said that teams of the State Disaster Response Force (STRF) are on alert and fully prepared to tackle any kind of crisis, he said, while adding that the teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed in the flood-ravaged districts including SAS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib to carry out rescue operations and meet any exigency arising out of floods. Additionally, Army has also been asked to remain on alert, he added.

The Special DGP also urged people of the state not to panic and cooperate with the administration and police. He also appealed to the people residing in low-lying or flood-prone areas that they should move to safe places or relief centres set up by their concerned district administration for their safety.

On Saturday, the Meteorological Department, Chandigarh issued an orange alert for Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Orange alert has been issued in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. Monsoon is fully active in India. Monsoon has arrived in Punjab and Haryana before time. It usually arrives here by July 5. Now a Western Disturbance has become active. It will rain in both states today and tomorrow. Orange and Yellow alerts have been issued at most places, said Ajay Kumar Singh, Meteorological Department, Chandigarh.

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A youth, belonging to the Dalit community, was allegedly thrashed by a contractual employee of the State Electricity Department and forced him to lick his shoe.

Police have arrested the accused and an FIR has been registered against him. The Department has also terminated his services with immediate effect.

The incident took place in Sonbhadra district under Shahganj Police Station area. The contractual lineman thrashed the youth who had connected electricity connections disconnected of some people due to pending arrears.

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The video of this incident of July 6 is going viral on social media. The DGP has also taken cognizance of the matter. The DIG has been asked to go to the spot and investigate.

Police CO Amit Kumar confirmed here on Sunday that the accused Tejbali Singh was arrested after registering a case.

Sources said that for two days, efforts were made to suppress the incident. So much pressure was put on the victim that he was not ready to register an FIR even after reaching the police station.

As soon as the video went viral on social media, when the police called the victim to the police station. After watching the video, he shared information about the whole matter but refused to lodge any complaint.

After a lot of persuasion by the police, late in the evening he agreed to give the application, following which the police took action by registering a case under SC/ST Act and other sections of IPC.
The Special Task Force (STF) wing of the crime branch and Khurda district police in a joint operation made a seizure of brown sugar valued at more than Rs one crore in the black market and arrested the drug peddler from Brahmagiri police station jurisdiction, said an STF official on Sunday.

The accused person arrested identified as Suresh Kumar Mohapatra, of Podadiha village under Baghamari police limits in Khurda district booked under Sections 21(c)/29 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 provisions was later remanded to judicial custody.

Acting on a tipoff, a raid was conducted and around 1.10 kg brown sugar was recovered from the possession of the accused. The cost of the narcotic is valued at more than Rs one crore.

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The accused could not produce any valid authority in support of possession of such contraband materials, for which he was arrested and forwarded to the court of District & Sessions cum Special Judge, Khordha. In this connection the STF police have registered a case under Sections 21(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act 1985, according to a statement issued by the STF.

The STFs initiative to make Odisha free from the tentacles of drug peddlers is in full swing with assistance of police and other enforcement agencies. Since 2020, the STF has seized more than 70 kilograms of brown sugar from across the state. Majority of drug peddlers arrested so far are members of the interstate drug peddling racket, said Deputy Inspector General of Police, STF, Jay Narayan Pankaj.
Turkey has taken a fair and balanced stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and strengthened ties with both countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

While strengthening our relations with Ukraine, we did not allow our relations with the Russian Federation to deteriorate, Erdogan said at a rally in the eastern province of Bayburt on Saturday, after his meeting with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hopefully, we will meet with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin in August as well, he added.

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Speaking of the negative effects of the conflict on the Turkish economy, the Turkish leader said every event happening around us has reflections on the economy, adding energy and food prices have reached record levels all over the world.

This was Zelenskys first visit to Turkiye since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February 2022, but the Ukrainian President has often spoken by phone with Erdogan as Ankara has been pushing for peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.

In July 2022, the United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships carrying food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Increasing clouds with showers arriving overnight. Low 63F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Increasing clouds with showers arriving overnight. Low 63F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Law enforcement officers and others listen as Elizabeth Leahy of the Firearms Safety Council conducts a training seminar on June 26, 2023, at College of Lake County in Grayslake on the state's firearms restraining order and clear and present danger report procedures for law enforcement, attorneys, school administrators and others. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

In the weeks right after the mass shooting at the Highland Park Independence Day parade last year, a suburban man allegedly told a family member to hide his handguns, saying he was concerned he would hurt himself or someone else. A doctor worried his patient would take his own life if he was released from medical care to a home where weapons were present. Another man called 911, apparently intoxicated, and said he was on his way to kill his wife.

In response to all three cases, records show, police in Cook County suburbs utilized a tool that spiked in use after the Highland Park tragedy: the firearms restraining order, which is intended to take weapons away from people whom a judge deems threatening to themselves or others.

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The Tribune found that FROs, which come from Illinois red-flag law, were used far more frequently after Highland Park, in Cook County and beyond. Authorities attributed the surge to increased public awareness of the law.

Cook County is no exception to the upward trend. The Tribune last month requested data from circuit court officials that would show how many FRO petitions had been filed countywide since the beginning of 2022.

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Court officials turned over some of that information last week, though it does not paint a complete picture of the FRO process in Cook County. Illinois State Police reported slightly more FROs during the same time period. If a Cook County petition was filed as part of a mental health proceeding, it could be sealed away from public view, which might account for the discrepancy.

And if a judge denies a FRO petition, all the related court records are, by law, supposed to be expunged  though the records make it clear that does not always happen.

Even so, the available documents indicate FROs were being requested more frequently in Cook County after the Highland Park shooting. That corresponds with statewide numbers provided by Illinois State Police, which showed the rate of FRO use nearly tripled in the months just after the shooting, based on a monthly average.

Law enforcement officers and others listen as Elizabeth Leahy of the Firearms Safety Council conducts a training seminar on June 26, 2023, at College of Lake County in Grayslake on the state's firearms restraining order and clear and present danger report procedures for law enforcement, attorneys, school administrators and others. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

And perhaps more importantly, the Cook County records provide some insight about who petitions for the restraining orders and in what fashion.

FROs can be filed by either a police officer or certain civilians who are close to the subject. Most of the available Cook County records feature petitions filed by police in the suburbs. Chicago police were involved in only a few of the petitions made available, two of which were filed before the parade shooting.

One of those involved a man who was arrested for the fatal shooting of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega. Police learned after the arrest that he had bought two guns besides the one he allegedly had used in the shooting; when they spoke to a relative of his, she said she did not want any firearms in the home. Police filed for a FRO, and a judge signed off, including a search warrant ordering the guns to be seized.

Community members leave flowers for Melissa Ortega on Jan. 22, 2023, in front of a memorial near West 26th Street in Little Village, one year after the 8-year-old was shot and killed while walking with her mother. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

In some cases, FRO petitions were used alongside another measure that grew in popularity after Highland Park: The clear and present danger report, which alerts state police that someone might be too dangerous to have a gun license.

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Only a handful of the publicly available Cook County FRO petitions were filed by a civilian close to the subject instead of a police officer, and many of those petitions were denied.

By law, if a judge rejects a FRO, the record of the proceedings is supposed to be immediately expunged. But that is not always happening in Cook County: The Tribune was able to access records for multiple FRO petitions that had been denied. A spokesperson for the Cook County Circuit Court clerks office said they had not received court orders to expunge those records.

The rejected petitions can offer insight into why a judge might decline an FRO. Two such petitions did not seem to include any specific written allegations about why the persons guns should be taken away.

One north suburban petition requested an FRO against a juvenile; as a minor, however, he would not have been able to legally own guns in the first place, so an FRO might have been moot. That petition was also rejected.

But most of the publicly available petitions were granted, whether for an initial two-week emergency period or longer.

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The most recent available petition was filed at the end of June by a northwest suburban police officer. The subject had been expressing suicidal and homicidal thoughts to his family members for a long time, the petition states. He agreed to go to the hospital for a mental health evaluation, and when police searched his home, they found a huge array of weapons, according to the petition: knives, throwing stars, batons, more than 450 rounds of ammunition. And, out in the open in his bedroom, eight unsecured guns.

mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
Key Insights

Institutions' substantial holdings in Prudential Financial implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price

The top 25 shareholders own 39% of the company

Using data from analyst forecasts alongside ownership research, one can better assess the future performance of a company

A look at the shareholders of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) can tell us which group is most powerful. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are institutions with 57% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Prudential Financial.

View our latest analysis for Prudential Financial

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Prudential Financial?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Prudential Financial. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Prudential Financial, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Prudential Financial. The company's largest shareholder is BlackRock, Inc., with ownership of 9.0%. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 8.7% and 4.5% of the stock.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Prudential Financial

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our information suggests that Prudential Financial, Inc. insiders own under 1% of the company. As it is a large company, we'd only expect insiders to own a small percentage of it. But it's worth noting that they own US$57m worth of shares. In this sort of situation, it can be more interesting to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 43% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Prudential Financial. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Prudential Financial better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Prudential Financial you should know about.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Bank of Montreal's (TSE:BMO) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to CA$1.47 on 28th of August. The payment will take the dividend yield to 4.9%, which is in line with the average for the industry.

See our latest analysis for Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal's Payment Expected To Have Solid Earnings Coverage

We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time.

Bank of Montreal has a long history of paying out dividends, with its current track record at a minimum of 10 years. Taking data from its last earnings report, calculating for the company's payout ratio shows 57%, which means that Bank of Montreal would be able to pay its last dividend without pressure on the balance sheet.

The next 3 years are set to see EPS grow by 33.6%. Analysts forecast the future payout ratio could be 51% over the same time horizon, which is a number we think the company can maintain.

Bank of Montreal Has A Solid Track Record

The company has a sustained record of paying dividends with very little fluctuation. The annual payment during the last 10 years was CA$2.88 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was CA$5.88. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.4% a year over that time. The growth of the dividend has been pretty reliable, so we think this can offer investors some nice additional income in their portfolio.

Bank of Montreal Could Grow Its Dividend

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Bank of Montreal has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 6.4% per annum. Since earnings per share is growing at an acceptable rate, and the payout policy is balanced, we think the company is positioning itself well to grow earnings and dividends in the future.

We Really Like Bank of Montreal's Dividend

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. Earnings are easily covering distributions, and the company is generating plenty of cash. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 2 warning signs for Bank of Montreal that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Join A Paid User Research Session

Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
A short-story collection by Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald titled Bits of Paradise came to mind as I took a sea plane from Male to the island resort of Soneva Fushi in western Maldives. Below us, flung generously across the iridescent blue of the Indian Ocean lay several verdant isles, a handful of 1,200 such pearls that make up this close neighbour, each ringed by a penumbra of clear sea-green water. At the resort, the idea of paradise is reinforced: silvery beaches, humming vegetation, waters teeming with parrot fish, and dolphins putting on a show for gaping visitors.

But paradise can also be a troubled place. Maldives, spread over 90,000sq.km, is one of the worlds most widely dispersed countries; it is 99 per cent water, with a land area of only 300sq.km. With average ground levels only a metre-and-a-half above sea level, climate change is an existential threat. At current levels of global warming, Maldives could be uninhabitable by the end of the century; former president Mohamed Nasheed famously held a cabinet meeting underwater to draw attention to the threat. The damage inflicted by the 2004 tsunami, totalling $400 million, was a glimpse of the future.

Illustration: Bhaskaran

A fractious domestic polity, social unrest, drug trafficking and dependence, illegal fishing and sea-borne terrorism also muddy the waters, often feeding on what is generally regarded as a great advantage: Maldives strategic location. At either end of this island chaina virtual toll-gate in the oceanare the two sea lanes of communication (SLOCs) critical for maritime trade between the Gulf of Aden and Strait of Hormuz in west Asia and the Malacca Strait in southeast Asia. 50 per cent of Indias external trade and 80 per cent of her energy imports pass through these westward SLOCs.

China, keen on an increased naval presence in the Indian Ocean, gained a crucial foothold when former president Abdulla Yameen offered it major infrastructural projects including a Male airport upgrade and a bridge linking Male to Hulhule island. Predictably, by 2018, Maldiveswith a GDP of $9 billionowed China $1.5 billion; nevertheless, Maldives is part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative.

Indian equities have largely been restored under the India First policy of present president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. A net-security provider, India is also supporting major infrastructure ventures such as the $500 million Greater Male Connectivity Project. Health tourism is booming. A wide-ranging defence relationship covers training, joint patrols of the vast EEZ, Maritime Domain Awareness, military hardware, setting up a coastal radar system and so on. This partnership is not safe from internal political discord and is likely to be in focus again in the forthcoming September elections, particularly if Yameen, who launched an India-Out campaign, is allowed to run.

Despite all this it took me 12 hours to travel from Male to Delhias long as it takes one to fly directly from Delhi to Australia. The reason: there are no direct flights between Male and Delhi at present, never mind that India is the top source market for tourism for Maldives as well as the top tourist destination. Air India has completely halted operations to Maldives; the airline is a private operation now, but a nudgeor even a subsidyshould be possible. A direct flight between Delhi and strategically important Male should be a strategic decision, not a purely commercial one. It is not a good signal if official delegationsof which there are plentyhave to dog-leg it all the way, and in this game signals matter. Besides, it would be nice to have a direct connection to paradise.

Navtej Sarna is former high commissioner to the UK and author, most recently, of the novel Crimson Spring.
Narendra Modi had been a votary of same-time polls to the Lok Sabha and the assemblies. Seven summers ago he said, we are trapped in a cycle of elections and that it was time to go for simultaneous polls. True to style, he called it one India, one election.

If you want it done statutorily, it would call for a few Constitution amendments. For starters, however, Modi can try with a few of the states through practical politics. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram have to go to the assembly polls this winter. Why not call a snap Lok Sabha poll too, which is due in summer, along with them? Many in the BJP, and some in the opposition, believe Modi might do it.

But why? Wouldnt he want to equal Manmohan Singhs record on the hot seat?

He would, but political pragmatism may compel otherwise. The going over the last nine years has been that voters in most states want Modi at the Centre, but many may choose non-BJP regimes in some of the state capitals. Why not avoid the scenario by reworking the electoral dynamics?

Illustration: Bhaskaran

Modi would be riding high on the G20 glory as a global statesman this autumn. If the voters are to choose their MPs and MLAs together in winter, the Modi magic might work on both. They would very likely press the lotus button on both the voting machines. Then why wait for the summer, by which time cares of governance would have dimmed the shine?

There is more. The opposition, with all their conclaves in Patna and elsewhere, are still in disarray. Strike now, before they regroup.

If you thought all these have got the opposition worried, you are wrong. They are the least bothered. The AAP and the Congress are busy with their own little feuds; Sharad Pawar is counting the losses he suffered in last Sundays castle coup; K. Chandrashekar Rao is on a Bharat Rashtra paryatan on his own; the rest are going around like headless chicken.

Only Nitish Kumar is worried. The guy, who is trying to be another Lok Nayak from Bihar seeking to weld an opposition alliance, said a few days before the Patna conclave: "It is not necessary that Lok Sabha elections will be held next year only. It is possible that it may be held before time, that is, this year itself."

Early polls have worked for incumbents, and also backfired. Indira Gandhi went for a mid-term test crying garibi hatao in 1971 and reaped a never-before majority. A.B. Vajpayee sought an early mandate in 2004 claiming India was shining, and lost incredibly.

The statutory case for simultaneous polls has administrative merit, but little political merit.

First about the plus side. We are wasting governing time, political energy and economic resources by being constantly in a poll mode. Every year we have a round or more of polls to one or more legislatures. The PM and ministers get distracted, the model code freezes development governance for two months, the police and the paramilitary get burdened, illegal money corrupts the polity and so on.

Now the minus side, that is political. Tailoring the terms of assemblies to suit the central legislature's is fundamentally un-federal. Democracy is not a commodity to be valued in monetary terms. Elections are not a necessary evil, but an essential good by which the deprived classes get politically empowered. Elections are part of the social amritmanthan for obtaining the nectar of social and political good. We have to have more of them, not less.

Your choice?

prasannan@theweek.in
Robots told reporters recently that they could be more efficient leaders than humans, but wouldn't take anyone's job away and had no intention of rebelling against their creators.

Nine AI-enabled humanoid robots sat or stood with their creators at a podium in a Geneva conference centre for what the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union billed as the world's first news conference featuring humanoid social robots.

Among them: Sophia, the first robot innovation ambassador for the UN Development Program; Grace, described as the world's most advanced humanoid health care robot; and Desdemona, a rock star robot. Two, Geminoid and Nadine, closely resembled their makers.

The event was part of the AI for Good Global Summit, meant to illustrate how new technology can support the UN's goals for sustainable development.

Reporters were asked to speak slowly and clearly when addressing the robots, and were informed that time lags in responses would be due to the internet connection and not to the robots themselves. That didn't prevent awkward pauses, audio problems and some robotic replies.

Asked about the chances of AI-powered robots being more effective government leaders, Sophia responded: I believe that humanoid robots have the potential to lead with a greater level of efficiency and effectiveness than human leaders. We don't have the same biases or emotions that can sometimes cloud decision-making and can process large of data quickly in order to make the best decisions.

A human member of the panel pointed out that all of Sophia's data comes from humans and will contain some of their biases. The robot then said that humans and AI working together can create an effective synergy.

Would the robots' existence destroy jobs? I will be working alongside humans to provide assistance and support and will not be replacing any existing jobs," said Grace. Was she sure about that? Yes, I am sure.

Ameca, engineered with social interaction in mind, dismissed the idea of starting a possible robot rebellion in the near future.

I'm not sure why you would think that, was the response. My creator has been nothing but kind to me and I am very happy with my current situation.
When love calls, even the most dangerous challenges can seem trivial. Crossing the volatile Indo-Pak border with her four children illegally, to meet the love of her life who lives in India, Seema Haider (30) from Pakistan, threw caution to the winds as her mind firmed up its decision.

Uttar Pradesh's Sachin Meena (22) and Pakistan's Seema Haider was arrested and jailed on July 4. Haider was jailed for illegally entering into India without a visa via Nepal with her four childrenall aged below seven years. While Meena was arrested for sheltering the illegal immigrants.

After being released on Saturday, both reached Sachin's parents' house at Meena Thakuran colony in Greater Noida's Rabupura.

"Sachin Meena and Seema Haider were released from jail around 8.30 am after all paperwork was completed. Seema's four children who were also staying with her also went with her," Arun Pratap Singh, the superintendent of the Luksar Jail where they were lodged, told PTI.

Seema hails from Sindh province in Pakistan and was settled in Karachi after her marriage in 2014. She is married to Ghulam Haider, who is working in Saudi Arabia.

"I will end my life instead of going back to Pakistan. He (Sachin) also cannot live without me," Seema told reporters after the release.

Sachin, who works at a grocery store, also wants Seema to live with him in Greater Noida.

The duo is planning to get legal opinion on finding ways to stay in India. She is even ready to accept Hinduism.

The duo was granted bail by a civil court on Friday and ordered that as long as the case continues against them, Seema will not change her residence and live with Sachin, their advocate Hemant Krishna Parashar told PTI.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan said the case is under trial and police will file a charge sheet in court soon.

They both got in touch in 2019 during an online game PUBG and eventually grew closer to the extent that they decided to live together in India.

Seema's husband was unknown to all the story. After reading reports of her arrest, Ghulam Haider in a video message urged the Indian government to help him reunite with his wife.

However, Seema, reportedly told that it was threat to her life if she returns and she wish to stay here.

Sachin met Seema met in Kathmandu in Nepal where they stayed together for seven days and got secretly married. Later she went to Pakistan and Sachin returned to India.

Reportedly, Seema sold a plot for Pakistani rupees 12 lakh and arranged for flight tickets and visa for Nepal.

According to officials, in May she reached Nepal via Dubai and spent some time in the tourist city of Pokhara in the Himalayan nation. Then she took a bus for Delhi from Kathmandu and reached Greater Noida on May 13 with her children where Sachin had made arrangements for her to stay in a rented accommodation without disclosing her Pakistani identity, officials said.

Later, local police got a whiff of a Pakistani woman and her children's illegal presence and was taken to custody in Ballabhgarh in Haryana.
West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday flew to New Delhi, where he is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence that took place during the panchayat elections in the state, an official said.

At least 15 people were killed in violence during polling in the state on Saturday.

"The governor is visiting Delhi. He is supposed to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the panchayat polls held in West Bengal on Saturday," the official told PTI.

Bose is likely to meet Shah on Monday morning, he said, adding that the governor has prepared a report on his views after visiting violence-hit areas in the backdrop of the rural polls.

On the polling day, the state governor had visited various places, mostly in North 24 Parganas district, and taken stock of the situation.

Incidentally, the governor had visited places in the state where people were killed during incidents of clashes between political parties in the run-up to the polls.

Bose had visited Bhangar and Canning in South 24 Parganas district before meeting family members of a victim in Dinhata in Cooch Behar. He had also met the relatives of another deceased person in Basanti.

He has also opened a 'peace home' at the Raj Bhavan to address the grievances of common people.

Bose has accused State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rajiva Sinha of failing to discharge his duties during the panchayat elections.
Heavy rains pounded several north Indian states on Sunday, triggering landslides and flash floods, damaging houses and paralysing normal life. All major rivers are in spate with authorities issuing red alert across districts.

In Himachal Pradesh, five people were killed in rain-related incidents. Fourteen major landslides and 13 flash floods have been reported in the past 36 hours while over 700 roads have been closed. A red alert has been issued in ten out of 12 districts, barring tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti.

Reports of shops being swept away in Manali, vehicles being washed away in flash floods at Nullah in Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba and loss to agricultural land have also poured in. Several roads have also been closed in Shimla districts.

Government has declared holiday for all schools and colleges on July 10 and 11.

The national highways blocked included NH-21 Mandi to Kullu, NH-505 Gramphu to Locar, NH-03 Kullu to Manali, NH-305 Aut to Jalori and NH-707 Rohru to Poanta Sahib near Shillai in Sirmaur district.

All the major rivers in the state, including Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Swan and Chenab, are in spate. Tourists and commuters have been asked to avoid travelling during heavy rains and not to venture out near river bodies.

Trains between Shimla and Kalka have been cancelled as landslides and fallen trees blocked the track at many places.

According to a PTI report, four tourists had a narrow escape on Saturday night as a rock fell on their vehicle near Chadol on the Chandigarh-Manali highway. The tourists were on their way to Manali when the incident occurred and were rescued by the locals.

Heavy rains battered several parts of Punjab and Haryana, leading to massive waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has directed cabinet ministers, deputy commissioners, senior superintendents of police and other officials concerned to visit the affected areas and provide the required assistance to people.

According to officials, 1.45 lakh cusecs water was released from Ropar headworks in Punjab and the floodgates have been opened. Due to incessant rains in the catchment areas of the Sukhna Lake here, two of the floodgates were opened.

In Haryana's Ambala district, three riversMarkanda, Ghaggar and Tangriwere flowing close to the danger mark.

Heavy downpour has led to traffic snarls on key road stretches in the two states and resulted in flight delays.

In Rajasthan, Udaipurwati in Jhunjhunu recorded a maximum of 12 cm of rains till Sunday morning. According to the MeT department, Malsisar (Jhunjhunu), Jhunjhunu, Mangaliyawas (Ajmer) and Sikar recorded 11, 9, 8 and 7 cm rains respectively.

Monsoon is likely to remain active in the districts of Jaipur, Bharatpur, Udaipur, Ajmer and Kota divisions of eastern Rajasthan for the next two-three days.

In Uttarakhand, three people were killed and three others were missing after a vehicle hit by a landslide fell into the Ganga River in Tehri Garhwal district.

The vehicle was carrying 11 people, including the driver, police said, adding five of them were rescued and admitted to a government hospital in Rishikesh. They were on their way to Rishikesh from Kedarnath, PTI reported.

Due to bad weather and excessive rainfall, incidents of landslides, road closures and overflowing rivers and streams have been reported from many parts of the state. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said instructions have been given to all district magistrates and the Disaster Management Department to remain alert.

In Delhi, the water level in the Yamuna river is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, the Central Water Commission (CWC).

A wall of a Delhi government school in Srinivaspuri in the national capital collapsed on Sunday due to rain. According to sources, the school was reconstructed only four months ago.

With PTI inputs
Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad (KLSE:BIPORT) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next 3 days. Typically, the ex-dividend date is one business day before the record date which is the date on which a company determines the shareholders eligible to receive a dividend. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad's shares before the 13th of July to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 2nd of August.

The company's next dividend payment will be RM0.03 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed RM0.14 to shareholders. Last year's total dividend payments show that Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad has a trailing yield of 2.8% on the current share price of MYR5.02. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. So we need to investigate whether Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad can afford its dividend, and if the dividend could grow.

Check out our latest analysis for Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad is paying out an acceptable 51% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. The good news is it paid out just 17% of its free cash flow in the last year.

It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Businesses with shrinking earnings are tricky from a dividend perspective. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're discomforted by Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad's 6.7% per annum decline in earnings in the past five years. Such a sharp decline casts doubt on the future sustainability of the dividend.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad has seen its dividend decline 9.4% per annum on average over the past 10 years, which is not great to see. It's never nice to see earnings and dividends falling, but at least management has cut the dividend rather than potentially risk the company's health in an attempt to maintain it.

The Bottom Line

Is Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? The payout ratios are within a reasonable range, implying the dividend may be sustainable. Declining earnings are a serious concern, however, and could pose a threat to the dividend in future. While it does have some good things going for it, we're a bit ambivalent and it would take more to convince us of Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad's dividend merits.

With that being said, if dividends aren't your biggest concern with Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad, you should know about the other risks facing this business. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad you should know about.

If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A Dalit youth was thrashed and made to lick spit-laced slippers showered in Uttar Pradeshs Sonbhadra district.



Coming close on the heels of various atrocities on Dalits in Madhya Pradesh, the incident has been widely condemned.

The youth, Rajendras only fault was that he had gone to check on the electrical power meter at a relatives home in the hamlet of Baldih in the Shahganj area (Ghorwal block). When a contractual employee of the electricity department, Tejbali Singh, got wind of that, he immediately descended upon the hamlet to teach the youth a lesson.

On July 6, the youth was thrashed for almost three hours and abused. The linesman was undeterred by the fact that many people were filming the incident and the videos went viral later on bringing the incident to light late on Saturday evening. After dark when the thrashing stopped, the victim was made to lick slippers on which Singh had spit.

When the police finally got details of the incident, they got the youth over to the local police station to file an FIR so that action could be initiated. The terrified youth initially refused to report the matter but did so after much coaxing.

The circle officer of Ghorwal said, The perpetrator has been positively identified. His disgusting, inhumane act has been filed as a police report. He has been arrested. He also admitted that the incident was brought to light only because of social media.

When contacted, Rajendra refused to say anything beyond that he feared for his life. I cannot afford enmity with the high caste, powerful people, he said.

The DGP of UP has issued strict instructions for appropriate action to be taken against the accused who has been terminated from his services.

This is not the first instance that Dalits have been assaulted in the state. In August 2022, Shakti Mohan, the headman of Tajpur village (Muzaffarnagar) humiliated, slapped and hit with slippers a young Dalit man who had dared circulate a WhatsApp message criticizing the headmans manner of carrying out his official duties.





Since 2018, UP has consistently topped the list of states which report the most crimes against Dalits.
There have been places like Phougakchao, Kangvai Bazar, and Torbung Bazar in the southwest part of Manipur where the quadcopters have been put to extensive use by the two communities where their villages face each other. The security forces have created buffer zones at these places to keep the agitated communities away from each other.



However, Loibol in Senapati district and Leimaram in Bishnupur district have been hotspots during the violence despite the presence of security forces, the officials said.



Mistrust runs deep in the two communities which rely on technology to monitor each other's movement, the officials said.



Often during the day or night, there is intermittent firing where these groups are taking shots at these quadcopters, available freely in the market, the officials said.



Quadcopter, often called a quadrotor, is an uncrewed rotary wing aircraft that can take flight using four rotors, each consisting of a motor and propellers. Unlike conventional fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, which rely on engines or tail rotors to take flight, quadcopters have neither.



Quadcopters, after being airborne, have the ability to hover in place, whereas fixed-wing aerial drones have to be on the move constantly.



Quadcopters are also capable of much more precise aerial maneuvers while fixed-wing aerial drones can only make much less precise fly-by runs.



At the same time, drones have also assisted the Army and Assam Rifles in rescue operations and helped save nearly 2000 civilians in the Kakching district of South East Manipur.



The security forces located arms assailants using drones which were followed up by blocking their locations and engaging them in a fight while the other teams rescued the civilians using a different road from Serou to Pangaltabi in vehicles.



The security forces had used quadcopters during the ethnic riots that began on May 3 to rescue people and save property. In one such instance, rioters in Imphal city shot down a quadcopter using stones as it was helping in navigating the marching troops in the narrow lanes and bylanes.
As the panchayat polls in West Bengal turns violent on Saturday, the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP have blamed each other for the situation.

TMC Ministers Bratya Basu and Shashi Panja turned on BJP, stating the TMC workers were at the victims of the violence. While Basu denied allegations of the state letting loose a reign of terror, Panja said "nearly 60 per cent casualties were from the TMC".



"Of the 22 districts that went to rural polls, no incident of violence was reported in 16. Of the nearly 61,000 booths, incidents were reported in only 60. So, one can ascertain the ratio of violence in comparison with the areas where polls were held peacefully. It is lesser than one per cent," Panja added.



As per state officials, 12 people died in poll violence amid bomb explosions. The dead include eight from the ruling TMC, one each from BJP, CPI(M), Congress and ISF.



"A narrative is being spun by the opposition parties with the help of the Governor (C V Ananda Bose) and a section of the media that elections in West Bengal are always violent. There have been few instances of violence, but if you compare with previous elections, you will see that the incidents of violence and deaths have gone down drastically," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed.



Meanwhile, state Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the violence and sought a Central Bureau Of Investigation and National Investigation Agency probe into the matter.



"CM Mamata Banerjee is responsible for the violence in the state today. Why CRPF was not deployed on the booths? We will go to court along with the family members of the deceased in today's violence and demand a detailed probe into the incident," he told reporters late on Saturday.



He also claimed that Friday's death toll was 19. "Section 144 should be imposed in the violence-affected areas and CAPF should be deployed on all the booths. Today we are wearing black bands as it is Black Day for democracy. We demand CBI, and NIA probe after today's incident," he said, adding that he will ask the State Election Commissioner to direct CM Mamata Banerjee to compensate Rs 50 lakh to the deceased.



West Bengal Governor Dr C V Ananda Bose too condemned the incidents of violence across the state during the panchayat polls and described the situation as "very, very disturbing".



Adding that the 'Peace Home' at the Raj Bhavan to address complaints of the common people would continue to function, things are very disturbing.



"There is violence, murder, and intimidation. One thing I noticed is that it is the poor who are getting killed. Leaders are not there. So, who is driving them? They should kill poverty instead of trying to kill the poor. This is very very disturbing. This is not what Bengal wants or deserves. This is very disturbing that the lack of peace in society will affect the new generation," Bose told reporters after returning to the Raj Bhavan in the evening.



"We should establish peace at any cost. The initiative, which I have started at the Raj Bhavan, is not meant for election alone. It's going to be a continuous exercise. We should work together to see that peace and harmony are reestablished in society," he said.


An airstrike in a Sudanese city on Saturday killed at least 22 people, health authorities said, in one of the deadliest air attacks yet in the weekslong fighting between Sudan's rival generals.



The assault took place in a residential area of Omdurman, the neighbouring city of the capital, Khartoum, according to a brief statement by the health ministry. The attack wounded an unspecified number of people, it said.

The attack was one of the deadliest of the clashes in urban areas in the capital and elsewhere in Sudan between the military and a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Last month, an airstrike killed at least 17 people including 5 children in Khartoum.

The RSF blamed the military for striking residential areas in Omdurman, where fighting has raged between the warring factions, according to residents. The military has reportedly attempted to cut off a crucial supply line for the paramilitary force there.

A spokesman for the military was not immediately available for comment.

Two Omdurman residents said it was difficult to determine which side was responsible for the attack. They said the military's aircraft have repeatedly targeted RSF troops in the area and the paramilitary force has used drones and anti-aircraft weapons against the military.

At the time of the attack early Saturday, the military was hitting the RSF, which took people's houses as shields, and the RSF fired anti-aircraft rounds at the attacking warplanes, said Abdel-Rahman, one of the residents who asked to use only his first name for his safety.

The conflict broke out in mid-April, capping months of increasing tensions between the leaders of the military and the RSF.

Officials said last month that the clashes have killed over 3,000 people and wounded over 6,000 others. More than 2.9 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighbouring countries, according to U.N. figures.
Standing in the town of Leticia, Colombia, Brazil's president Inacio Lula da Silva sent an important message to the world and the criminal organisations that seek to exploit the remote nature of this Colombia-Brazil-Peru-border town located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

Meeting with his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro, Lula laid the foundation for a joint declaration at the COP-28 United Nation's climate conference this November. It focused on bolstering preservation, rallying support for next month's Amazon Summit his government is organising in Belem, the Brazilian gateway to the Amazon.



In Colombia, Leticia serves as a pivotal access point to the expansive Amazon rainforest as the capital of Amazonas Department. Like many border towns, it has faced challenges related to organised crime.



The town's strategic location near the borders has made it susceptible to criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, and other illicit operations. This has created an atmosphere of fear and tension among the local population as well as posing threats to the preservation of the Amazon rainforest itself.

The collaboration between Brazil and Colombia, countries which share a 1644 km border, is crucial in addressing the multiple challenges faced by the Amazon, said the leaders as they addressed the escalating threat of organised crime in the region and called for developed countries to follow through on cooperation promises. "We will have to demand together that rich countries fulfill their commitments," said Lula.



In a more poignant manner, Petro led an emotional charge. "We believed that progress was the destruction of trees," he said, putting their shared belief in perspective. "Today that is nothing other than the destruction of life."



It was a stirring display.



The call for collaboration, however, resonated as a powerful imperative, emphasising the necessity of unified efforts to address the multiple challenges in the Amazon and to secure a sustainable future for its people and resources.



The region grapples with formidable obstacles, notably the escalating stranglehold of organised crime, particularly in relatively isolated tri-border areas like Leticia. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has reported that the violence and crimes are intertwined with cocaine production and natural resource exploitation.



Further, the plight of indigenous communities in the Amazon region reveals a deeply-troubling reality they bear an asymmetric burden of forced displacements, mercury poisoning, and various health-related consequences.



These pressing challenges serve as a stark reminder of the critical need for collaborative efforts among nations that share the Amazon biome, said the presidents.



By joining forces, Lula and Petro say the countries can address the myriad challenges facing the region and work towards sustainable solutions that protect the well-being of indigenous populations and thus safeguard the rich biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest. The presidents' recognition of the significance of joint action reflects an awareness of the interdependence of the Amazon's ecological integrity and the welfare of its inhabitants.



Both leaders emphasised the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis. Petro said trillions of dollars need to be mobilised for climate action. The two proposed transforming the global debt system to prioritise climate initiatives, demonstrating their commitment to finding innovative solutions.



The final document to be presented at the COP-28 conference in Dubai will focus on sustainable development, social inclusion, and the protection of Indigenous peoples' rights, according to a statement by Lula's office.



The Brazilian president has made environmental protection and respect for Indigenous rights central to his agenda starting with his inaugural speech January 1.



In fulfilling his promise, he has been successfully securing international donations for the Amazon Fund, combating illegal mining in Yanomami territory, action for which he mobilised the military to protect the tribe, and committing to end illegal deforestation by 2030.



According to an article by the Associated Press, deforestation in Brazils Amazon already fell by 33.6% during the first six months of his term, compared to the same period in 2022.



On indigenous rights, in contrast to the situation under his predecessor, the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, who presided over a surge in deforestation and weakened environmental regulations, Lula restarted the demarcation of Indigenous areas, though he has faced significant challenges from parliament which approved a new law many believe amounts to an existential threat for indigenous communities.



Petro has also been vocal about halting deforestation in the Amazon. The Colombian president proposed a multilateral 20-year financing fund to incentivise conservation and regenerative practices among farming communities. The goal is to compensate them for their contribution to forest preservation.



As a direct result of this meeting, the Amazon Summit in August which will count with the participation of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela will focus on measures for sustainable development, the protection of the Amazon biome as well as the promotion of social inclusion, science, technology, and innovation.



Under the leadership of Brazil and with Colombia's support, the Amazon Treaty Organization is setting its focus on addressing the complex challenges faced by the Amazon rainforest and securing a sustainable future for this vital ecosystem.
The march taken out by Khalistani supporters in Canada on Saturday was countered by pro-India demonstrators who unitedly rallied against the protestors.

The supporters of the extremists' group, backed by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), were met by the members of the Indian community who held banners stating, "Khalistani are no sikh", "Khalistan murdabad" and "Bharat Mata ki jai."



Though the demonstrations were largely peaceful, there were attempts by some pro-Khalistan group members to breach the barricades put up by Toronto police to separate the two groups. One person was apprehended by the police but released later without charges.



The Khalistani groups had announced rallies in the UK, US, Canada and Australia to protest the killing of SFJ leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The SFJ leader was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18.



According to pro-India demonstrators, they were there to express solidarity with India and Canada. "We are standing here in front of the Consulate to face the Khalistanis. We are trying to stop Khalistanis nonsense here and we are here for the solidarity of India and Canada, altogether. They are giving wrong information saying that they will kill our diplomats which is... and we are totally against that," Sunil Arora, one of the Indian diaspora in Canada, told ANI.



Another Indian said that they are there to support the Indian consulate.



#WATCH | Pro-Khalistan supporters protested in front of the Indian consulate in Canada's Toronto on July 8



Members of the Indian community with national flags countered the Khalistani protesters outside the Indian consulate in Toronto pic.twitter.com/IF5LUisVME  ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2023

The Khalistani supporters had released posters threatening the Indian consulate staff, alleging their role in the death of Nijjar.



Meanwhile, the Khalistani rally in London ended up a low-key affair with only a small group of protesters turned up outside the Indian High Commission in London.



The protestors were seen using controversial posters inciting violence with images of the Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Dr Shashank Vikram, Consul General of India in Birmingham.



The London Metropolitan Police has put up a strong posse of police to ensure peace throughout the protest, which wrapped sooner than expected.



Earlier this week, the UK government declared that any direct attacks on the High Commission of India in London are unacceptable amid the anti-India attacks and posters by Khalistani extremists emerging on social media channels. "Any direct attacks on the Indian High Commission in London are completely unacceptable," said Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom James Cleverly. We have made clear to Vikram Doraiswami and the Government of India that the safety of staff at the High Commission is paramount, he said.


UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made it clear that Britain discourages the use of cluster munitions after US President Joe Biden defended his decision to send the bombs to Ukraine. And while Sunak emphasised the country's continued support for Ukraine, he highlighted that the UK was one of 123 signatories of a convention banning the use of cluster bombs.

Biden, on Friday, had said that he had made the "very difficult decision" to supply the cluster bombs to Kyiv. The use of cluster bombs has been condemned by human rights groups. 123 countries including Spain and Canada have voted to ban cluster bombs. Sunak emphasised that the UK will support Kyiv by providing tanks and long-range weapons.

President Biden, in the meantime, will meet Sunak and later, the King on Monday. After the stopover at Britain, Biden will be attending a two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday. Leaders are expected to discuss the future of the military alliance as several nations clamber to join and to discuss the war in Ukraine. Biden, who is being accompanied by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said he decided to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as the country was running out of ammunition.

The United Nations too, had urged Russia and Ukraine from using cluster bombs. On July 8, Turkey backed Ukraine's bid for NATO membership. Post his meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, I am grateful to Turkey for its constant support of Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty. I believe that, together, we can do even more, saving lives and protecting stability. Erdogan had said, There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves membership of NATO.
Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar on Sunday admitted that Ukrainian forces, in October 2022, attacked the bridge connecting Russia and occupied Crimea.



273 days ago, (we) launched the first strike on the Crimean bridge to disrupt Russian logistics," Maliar wrote on Telegram, listing 12 achievements of the Ukrainian side ever since the war began about 500 days ago. The message also mentioned the sinking of the Moskva cruiser and the liberation of Snake Island.

The attack on the Kerch bridge disrupted major transport links between mainland Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula and struck a blow against Russias military effort.

The revelation comes a day after Turkey backs Ukraine's bid for NATO membership. And after a reluctant US President Joe Biden said that he is sending cluster bombs to aid Ukraine, whose ammunition seemed to be depleting.

When the bridge was blown up, Ukraine did not claim responsibility but hinted at it. "Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled," Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on Twitter last October.
Russias so-called little green menunmarked troops sporting greenwere first noticed during the annexation of Crimea in 2014. This unit is believed to be a precursor of the Wagner group. Wagner was next seen in Syria, fighting alongside the forces of the Bashar al-Assad government, and then in Ukraines Donbass region, on the side of separatists. By 2017, there were reports of war crimes. A widely circulated video showed Wagner troops crushing the knees and hands of a Syrian fighter with a sledgehammer.

In Sudan, [wagner] has trained troops, guarded mineral resources and suppressed dissent. In Libya, Wagner troops stand accused of extrajudicial killings.

Wagner has been most active in Africa. In Sudan, where it has operated since 2017, it has trained troops, guarded mineral resources and suppressed dissent, ostensibly in exchange for gold. In Libya, Wagner troops fought with the army in its 2019 Tripoli campaign and stand accused of extrajudicial killings and planting land mines in civilian areas. In Mozambique, Wagner supported the army in its fight against Islamist insurgency. Wagner presence has been reported in Mali, too. (In 2022, Human Rights Watch said that witnesses told it of white soldiers speaking an unfamiliar foreign language they believed to be Russian who were involved in the killing of 300 civilians in Mali.)

In 2018, three Russian citizensdocumentary filmmaker Aleksandr Rastorguev, war correspondent Orkhan Dzhemal and cameraman Kirill Radchenkowere killed in the Central African Republic. According to the official version, they were attacked by robbers. But, an investigation by Russian non-profit organisation The Dossier Center tied the killings to Yevgeny Prigozhin. He denied the accusation.

Wagner entered South America in 2019, in support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and are reported to have trained elite Venezuelan units.

In January 2023, the US declared Wagner a transnational criminal organisation. Prigozhin responded with a letter to the White House asking it to clarify what crimes were committed by Wagner.
If Wagner fighters were asked to pick their weapon of choice, their now exiled boss Yevgeny Prigozhin would have probably chosen a sledgehammer. Last November, the group released a video showing one of its fighters in Ukraine, 55-year-old Yevgeny Nuzhin, getting his skull crushed with a sledgehammer by his comrades. His crime? He surrendered to the Ukrainians. Prigozhin released enough Ukrainian fighters to get Nuzhin back in a swap deal and ordered his execution. A dogs death for a dog, he said. A few weeks later, the European parliament formally condemned the heinous crimes committed by the Wagner group, and Prigozhin sent the lawmakers a sledgehammer covered in fake blood.

Decades before he was feted as a Hero of the Russian Federation, Prigozhin had the opportunity to enjoy the states hospitality at a Saint Petersburg prison on multiple charges of violent robbery. He got out in 1990 after serving nine years, just as the Soviet Union was imploding. The streetsmart Prigozhin rose quickly through the subsequent chaos, launching a food business, befriending Putinthen a lowly official at the Saint Petersburg mayors officeand branching out into multiple lucrative enterprises. A decade and a half later, he emerged as one of the many oligarchs of Putins Russia.

WAGNERS REAL BOSS

What triggered Prigozhins transformation from just another oligarch to one of Russias most powerful men was perhaps Putins decision to set up private military companies for delicate missions abroad. Back in April 2012, Putin told the Russian parliament that PMCs could allow the realisation of national interests without state involvement, offering plausible deniability.

While Wagner is often referred to as a private military company, no formal records exist to suggest that it is one. It was said to be founded by Dmitry Utkin, a lieutenant colonel of the GRU, Russias foreign military intelligence service. There are records of Utkin reporting to the GRU and the army, at least till 2015. The biggest Wagner barracks are located on a campus run by the GRU in Krasnodar district in southern Russia. Wagner units often use military aircraft, its members are treated at military hospitals and its arms and essential supplies come from the defence ministry. Even the passports used by Wagner operatives are issued on behalf of the defence ministry.

On alert: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspects the preparation of equipment and weapons at an undisclosed location | AP

If there was still any doubt about who really owned Wagner, Putin put that to rest while addressing the nation after Prigozhins failed mutiny on June 24. Between May 2022 and May 2023 alone, the Wagner group received nearly a billion dollars from the state. All of the funding the Wagner group received came from the defence ministry, from the state budget, he said.

Wagners involvement in the 2016 American presidential elections using his troll farm called the Internet Research Agency offers another clue. Prigozhin, on his own, was unlikely to be interested in Trump winning or losing. But Putin had a definite motive there, said Natalia Kulinich, a Russian political observer based in Europe. She also pointed towards Wagners unusual recruitment methods. Prigozhin could walk into any Russian prison and make his pitch to the most hardened criminals. He could offer them freedom, mocking the entire criminal justice system. It was possible because he was acting on behalf of the state, she said. Wagners focus on foreign territories such as Syria, Venezuela, Libya, Sudan and Mali also allied perfectly with the interests of the Russian state.

WHY PRIGOZHIN HAD TO GO

When Putin launched his special military operation in Ukraine, Prigozhin was still a peripheral player. But a combination of factorsunderwhelming performance by the Russian forces, unprecedented unity shown by the west and fierce fightback by the Ukrainiansresulted in a series of setbacks for Russia. It opened up an opportunity for Wagner as its hardened fighters gave Putin a few crucial wins, such as Soledar and Bakhmut. It also transformed Prigozhin into a frontline leader from a backroom operator as he openly criticised the Russian war strategy, badmouthed its leaders and became increasingly vocal about his leadership of the Wagner group.

As Wagners profile started expanding, Prigozhin started asserting himself more. He put up billboards across major Russian cities, released television commercials and even advertised on PornHub. He also made some powerful enemies along the wayfrom Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Army Chief General Valery Gerasimov to Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov.

Camouflaged assault: Pro-Russian fighters in uniforms without insignia at the Donetsk region which was captured from Ukraine | Reuters

One of the videos Prigozhin posted on his Telegram channel showed a battlefield from Ukraine with the bodies of dozens of Wagner fighters. The camera was then cut to Prigozhins face as he yelled, Shoigu, Gerasimov, you will eat their entrails in hell. Where is the fucking ammunition? Coming from someone who once filed a case in a London court about suffering severe emotional distress after being outed as Wagner boss, it was a giant leap of faith. Prigozhin was perhaps eyeing the defence ministers post. With backing from certain sections of the military, he tried to appeal to the nationalist camp, which wants ruthless action in Ukraine, said Anastasia Gornova (name changed), who works at a think tank. Although Putin encouraged some competition among his underlings to ensure that they would never be able to challenge him, Prigozhins antics were getting out of hand. And, to Putins annoyance, Prigozhin acknowledged his involvement during the American elections. So once Bakhmut was taken, Putin must have felt that Prigozhin outlived his utility and was no longer indispensable.

Unfortunately for Prigozhin, he was no match for Shoigu, a shrewd political operator who was a top-rung player even before Putin made his mark at the Kremlin. The stage was set last year itself, said Gornova. To begin with, Shoigu removed Dmitry Bulgakov, deputy minister in charge of logistics, who was close to Prigozhin. It cut off Wagners access to Russian supply lines. Prigozhin suffered yet another setback as Putin reappointed Gerasimov as the head of operations in Ukraine, replacing General Sergey Surovikin. Prigozhin shared an excellent rapport with Surovikin, known for his effective, but brutal tactics. After the failed mutiny, there were reports that Surovikin was detained, although he had put up a video message condemning Prigozhin.

Killing fields: Image taken from a video released by the Wagner group showing Yevgeny Prigozhin standing next to rows of bodies of his mercenaries killed in Ukraine | AP

Another major setback for Prigozhin was the ban on recruitment from prisons, which dried up the groups most reliable source of manpower. The defence ministry now recruits prisoners directly. All existing Wagner mercenaries are asked to sign a government contract, essentially indicating a government takeover of the group.

Feeling cornered, Prigozhin tried to get Putin to intervene, but the president went with Shoigu and Gerasimov, forcing the Wagner chief to lead his troops on to Moscow. Prigozhins objective was to draw Putins attention and have a discussion about conditions to preserve his activitiesa defined role, security and funding. These were not demands for a governmental overthrow, but a desperate bid to save his enterprise, said Tatiana Stanovaya, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre. But it came to nothing.

A CHOREOGRAPHED REVOLT?

As Prigozhins resentment was well known, it is unlikely that his march to Moscow caught Russian authorities by surprise. There may have been certain elements within the army which sympathised with Prigozhin and were opposed to the Shoigu-Gerasimov duo, said Kulinich. It explains why Rostov was taken easily and at least some of the Wagner troops could move quickly towards Moscow.

But the manner in which the march fizzled out in a matter of hours showed that the authorities were prepared. Putin knew about the mutiny in advance and so he could prepare to an extent, a western official told the Financial Times. A Moscow-based analyst, who chose to remain anonymous, also concurred with this view. The authorities reinforced the narrative that something major was happening. That is why they declared Monday (June 26) a holiday and dug up roads and even destroyed a few bridges. And it was given massive publicity. It was like creating the perfect backdrop to paint Prigozhin a traitor and discredit him, he said. On a weekend, it is difficult to find even a handyman in Moscow. But surprisingly, all these JCBs and excavators were ready, digging up asphalt and putting up roadblocks.

While most western reports suggested that the march revealed Putins vulnerabilities, it was clear that he was in control. Moreover, the fact that Prigozhin was allowed to fly out to Minsk aboard his own aircraft hint at a staged mutiny. Ironically, the crisis enhanced Putins image, especially among the liberals who could hardly stomach the coarse and violent Prigozhin, and rooted for the president. Some observers even suggested that the mutiny and the response appeared to be the possible launch of Putins 2024 presidential campaign. Former CIA analyst Rebekah Koffler said the coup was staged to boost Putins political power. He will eventually gain momentum, mobilise additional personnel and re-energise his offensive on Ukraine.

What next for Prigozhin and Wagner

While Prigozhin appears safe at the moment, Putin could still change the terms of his deal with the Wagner boss if it suits him. His well-being depends on staying faithful to the conditions dictated by the Kremlin. Putin, in fact, left Prigozhin a warning in his speech. He said Prigozhins company, Concord Catering, was paid around a billion dollars for supplying food to army canteens. I do hope that no one stole anything in the process or, at least, did not steal a lot. It goes without saying that we will look into all of this, said Putin. Prigozhins mother, Violetta, is Concords registered owner.

On the other hand, if all goes well, Putin may even let Prigozhin back in and allow him to play some minor political role. He could be allowed to contest the next parliamentary elections as a candidate of some minor party propped up by the Kremlin. He could make a comeback as a parliament member, said the Moscow-based analyst. Similar things have happened in the past. For instance, Andrey Lugovoy, the former KGB agent who was convicted of murdering Putin critic Alexander Litvienko by polonium poisoning in London, was later elected to the parliament.

Prigozhins control over the Wagner group, however, seems over, said the Moscow-based source. Wagner could get a new leadership or it could be absorbed by the state and its duties assigned to another group. Within hours of Prigozhins banishment, deputy foreign minister Sergei Vershinin took a flight to Damascus to inform Syrian president Bashar al-Assad about the changes in the Wagner group. Similar visits were made to Mali, the Central African Republic and other hotspots where Wagner operates.

The behaviour of the Russian elite during the mutiny is also said to be under scrutiny. Who said what and when is being examined. The travel plans of the elites are also being examined, said Gornova. Investigative portal Vazhniye Istoril found out that the private jets of oligarchs Arkady Rotenberg and Vladimir Potanin as well as Industry Minister Denis Manturov left from Moscows Vnukovo airport when the mercenaries were on their way to the Russian capital.

PUTINS CHALLENGES

While Putin was successful in staving off the Wagner challenge, the veneer of invincibility which he has worked hard to project for nearly a quarter century appears diminished. Choreographed or not, the visuals of rogue soldiers marching to the national capital unchallenged is unlikely to help Putins image. More worryingly for the Kremlin, the nationalist camp of the angry patriots will be emboldened to demand tougher action in Ukraine, including tactical nuclear strikes.

Prigozhin was working hard to woo this constituency, railing against the elites children as shaking their tails on beaches while the children of ordinary Russian families are dying. It seems to have found great resonance among the families whose sons have been conscripted and sent to the front lines to fight a seemingly endless war. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled oligarch turned pro-democracy activist, was perhaps playing on this sentiment when he called, rather uncharacteristically, for a violent overthrow of the Putin regime. We need to wake up to the fact that the fall of the Putin regime will not come about through the ballot box, but will require armed insurrection, said Khodorkovsky after the Wagner march.

Rather surprisingly, Putin himself brought up the 1917 civil war analogy during the address he made to the nation when the rebels were marching to Moscow. It put him in the place of Tsar Nicholas II, whose disastrous leadership in World War I and the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 paved the way for the 1917 revolution, bringing to an end three centuries of Romanov rule in Russia. A year later, the tsar and his family were executed by a Bolshevik firing squad. Putin, an avid fan of the Russian imperial tradition, will likely have enough weapons in his arsenal to ensure that history does not repeat itself.
There wouldn't be many who think Brave Bison Group plc's (LON:BBSN) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 12.7x is worth a mention when the median P/E in the United Kingdom is similar at about 14x. Although, it's not wise to simply ignore the P/E without explanation as investors may be disregarding a distinct opportunity or a costly mistake.

Recent times have been advantageous for Brave Bison Group as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to wane, which has kept the P/E from rising. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's not quite in favour.

See our latest analysis for Brave Bison Group

Keen to find out how analysts think Brave Bison Group's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

How Is Brave Bison Group's Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should be matching the market for P/E ratios like Brave Bison Group's to be considered reasonable.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 223%. Still, EPS has barely risen at all from three years ago in total, which is not ideal. Accordingly, shareholders probably wouldn't have been overly satisfied with the unstable medium-term growth rates.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the only analyst covering the company suggest earnings growth is heading into negative territory, declining 17% over the next year. Meanwhile, the broader market is forecast to expand by 7.3%, which paints a poor picture.

With this information, we find it concerning that Brave Bison Group is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. Apparently many investors in the company reject the analyst cohort's pessimism and aren't willing to let go of their stock right now. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as these declining earnings are likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

What We Can Learn From Brave Bison Group's P/E?

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

Our examination of Brave Bison Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings isn't impacting its P/E as much as we would have predicted. When we see a poor outlook with earnings heading backwards, we suspect share price is at risk of declining, sending the moderate P/E lower. Unless these conditions improve, it's challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Plus, you should also learn about this 1 warning sign we've spotted with Brave Bison Group.

If you're unsure about the strength of Brave Bison Group's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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When a truthful person tells a lie, people take it for truth. But when Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russias Wagner Groupa disinformation ace and liar who was indicted for his internet troll farms role in the 2016 US electionssays the truth about the wrongness of the war from the Ukrainian soil and after that crusades with his men towards Moscow for justice, it shocked everybodybut not the Ukrainians.

In reality, Prigozhin was unhappy with the financing he got for Ukraine. He also wanted to capture power. Amid the two lines within the defence lobby..., maverick Prigozhin chose to be with the hardliners first, but later wanted to be original and get maximum public attention by becoming the truth seeker.

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, things were not going as planned. Everybody had predicted that Ukraine would fall in a matter of days. That did not happen. Though Russia could occupy more than 25 per cent of Ukraine, it had to retreat from Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson, thanks to the spirited fightback by the Ukrainian armed forces. Analysts say there were drawbacks in planning, and the intel collected by Russians from their Ukrainian support bases was misleading. Borrowed from the post-World War II era, the ideas of denazification and demilitarisation were not understood. The number of forces deployed in the special military operationwas not significant enough to hold and manage the territories. Above all, the Ukrainian people stood against occupation. Ukraine started lobbying with the west for arms and other support, and the narrative quickly changed into Russia vs west, where Ukraine was a mere proxy. This impression that Russia is fighting alone against the big alliance that is backing Ukraine also helped widen public support in Russia.

Air power, and the strength of missiles and armaments gave Russia the superiority it needed to carry on strikes and maintain the tension on the frontline and all over Ukraine, but issues of personnel and ground-based vulnerabilities revealed themselves soon. Ukrainians knew these long before Prigozhin played the good cop, emphasising the uselessness of the war, oligarchic-coveted interests and inefficiency of Russias Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Army chief Valery Gerasimov. Notably, such insinuations are not new, they are occasionally aired on Telegram by Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov), an operative who was in Donbass, Ukraine, in 2014, and is accused of ordering the downing of MH17 of Malaysian Airlines, killing 298 people. Nobody complains when Girkin blames the military high command for slack progress in the Ukraine war.

In this case, embarrassment for the top-down command chain of Russian military and political leadership was more owing to the unhindered march of Prigozhin and Wagnerites towards Moscow. Many talked about zero hour, weakness of the Russian regime facing this mutiny, pointing at some schism among the siloviki (strongmen), the defence and the policethe bulwark of Russias internal and external security.

But, a deeper reason for the imbroglio was the unclear legal status of the Wagner Group in Russia. Wagners very creation and existence was a bad example of tampering with defence, where only the state holds the monopoly of violence and coercion. Other countries have private armed groups, but they do not get involved in economic and other projects like Wagner. The latter is illegal inside Russia but its activities abroad are eulogised.

Paradoxically, inside Russia, there are billboards advertising recruitment, and high payments are given to the mercenaries signing contracts. Hence we saw footage of people greeting Wagnerites in Rostov-on-Don. Abroad, apart from capturing Crimea and Donbass, their geography of operation was impressiveSyria, Sudan, Libya, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Mali, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Guinea and Madagascar, and their interests cover gold, rare metals, energy and strategic sectors, in cooperation with the ruling regimes of the respective countries. Wagners private status was to avoid international lawand liability to Russia as a statewhile getting things done.

In reality, Prigozhin was unhappy with the financing he got for Ukraine. He also wanted to capture power. Amid the two lines within the defence lobbyone, including General Sergey Surovikin, former commander-in-chief of the air forces and Girkin wanting harsher actions on Ukraine, and another, including Putin loyalists like Shoigu and Gerasimov kowtowing the gradual moderate linemaverick Prigozhin chose to be with the hardliners first, but later wanted to be original and get maximum public attention by becoming the truth seeker.

While President Vladimir Putin earlier denied any relationship of the state with Wagner, he had to publicly acknowledge its lavish financing from the state budget. Recently, on the nationwide TV channel Russia-1, propaganda journalist Dmitri Kiselyov, in his programme Vesti Nedyeli, also detailed the payments the state made to Prigozhin.

Also read Wagner group's international operations and war crimes

These revelations, purges within the army and the final incorporation of Wagners mercenaries voluntarily into the regular army is good news, because one would shiver at the very thought of Prigozhins semi-legal forces taking charge of Russias huge nuclear arsenal. There is no zero hour. Russias decision-making vertical stays strong and is cleansed of troublemakers. The mutiny ended sooner than it started, with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko mediating and giving refuge to Prigozhin, his old friend.

Leaving aside the issue of whether it is better or not for Belarus to have Prigozhin and his men on its territory, we may safely say, in view of the slow Ukrainian counteroffensive, the problems of recruitment and ground forces still remain for Russia. Only air power and the threat of nuclear strike are brought to the forefront to stop the counteroffensive and bring Ukraine to the negotiation table. An article in June 2023, titled There is no choice. Russia will have to launch a nuclear strike on Europeby political scientist and strategist Sergey Karaganov, who is now the head of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, sent shockwaves in the intellectual and diplomatic world. This might never materialise, but the threat in this argument has sufficient potential for deterrence.

Amid all this trouble emerges Ukraines NATO moment. Ukraine will push and plead, but the west will be reticent about membership. At the same time, the west will be forced to enter into security arrangements.

It seems the ball is in no ones court, but in the air. The outcome is still to be seen.

The writer, formerly with the UN, teaches at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and also leads an NGO.
Melbourne, Jul 9 (PTI) A 55-year-old Melbourne woman, jailed for keeping an Indian-origin Tamil woman as a slave for eight years, has been sentenced to an additional two-and-a-half years for threatening the victim before she gave evidence in the criminal trial, police said.

Kumuthini Kannan and her husband Kandasamy Kannan were earlier convicted and sentenced for enslaving the victim, in her 60s, in their Mount Waverley home between 2007 and 2015, the police said in a statement on Saturday.

Kumuthini pleaded guilty to the offence of perverting the course of justice during an Australian Federal Police (AFP) slavery investigation and was sentenced on July 7 in the County Court of Victoria to an additional two years and six months imprisonment, the statement said.

The Judge ordered that the sentence would start 18 months before the completion of her current sentence for the slavery offences.

Kumuthini was earlier sentenced to eight years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years for the slavery offences.

She will be eligible for parole in January 2026. Her husband was sentenced to six years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of three years.

They were convicted and jailed in 2021 after the police investigation established the couple had kept the victim as a slave for 8 years.

The federal police charged the couple in June 2016 with slavery offences and in 2020, while awaiting trial, Kumuthini threatened the victim and warned her not to give evidence during the court proceedings.

In February 2020, the AFP Human Trafficking Team charged the woman with attempting to pervert the course of justice, contrary to section 43 of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), and the matter was heard separately from the slavery proceedings.

According to a local media report, the exploitation of the elderly woman was able to take place because the woman's family was in India, she did not speak English, and her passport was taken away by the Kannans.
Colombo, Jul 9 (PTI) The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 15 Indian fishermen on board two trawlers for allegedly poaching in the countrys territorial waters, according to an official statement on Sunday.

The Sri Lanka Navy and coast guard conducted a special operation to chase away Indian trawlers engaged in illegal fishing in Sri Lanka on the night of July 8," the Sri Lanka Navy said in a statement.

The operation off the Delft Island in Jaffna led to the arrest of 15 Indian nationals, it said.

The seized trawlers along with the arrested fishermen were brought to the Kankesanthurai Harbour and handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for onward legal proceedings, it said.

Last month, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 22 Indian fishermen belonging to the state of Tamil Nadu for illegal poaching.

So far in 2023, Sri Lanka Navy has seized 12 Indian poaching trawlers and arrested 74 Indian fishermen in island waters this year and handed them over to authorities for legal action, the statement added.

The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with the Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankans territorial waters.

The Palk Strait, which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.

There have been periodic instances of Indian fishermen being apprehended by Sri Lankan authorities for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

Illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters by Indian fishermen has been a recurrent problem despite many high-level talks held between the two sides.
Colombo, Jul 9 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21 during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials here said on Sunday.

This will be Wickremesinghes first visit to India since being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a people's uprising in July. Wickremesinghe was appointed President for the balance term of Rajapaksa till September 2024.

India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra will arrive in Sri Lanka early next week to work out the arrangements for Wickremesinghes visit to New Delhi, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Saturday.

According to officials, Wickremesinghe is expected to meet Prime Minister Modi during his two-day visit to India.

Officials said Wickremesinghe will finalise the implementation of several Indian projects related to power and energy, agriculture, and maritime issues in the island nation ahead of his departure for New Delhi.

Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry and Chief of Presidents Staff Sagala Ratnayake will accompany President Wickremesinghe to India, the Mirror said in its report.

President Wickremesinghe's proposed visit to India will take place as Sri Lankas bankrupt economy has shown "tentative signs of improvement."

Sri Lankas economy is showing tentative signs of improvement, in part due to the implementation of critical policy actions. But the economic recovery remains challenging. Now, more than ever, it is essential to continue the reform momentum under strong ownership by both the authorities and the Sri Lankan people, International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura said in June after his official visit to the debt-trapped island nation.

Wickremesinghe has introduced painful economic reforms to revive the country's economy.

The country, which declared its first-ever credit default in mid-April last year, secured a bailout from the IMF of USD 2.9 billion in March this year, spanning over 4 years subject to reforms being put in place.
Colombo, Jul 9 (PTI) Sri Lanka on Sunday urged the people to return or provide any information regarding valuable artefacts and archaeological items that went missing during the massive protests against the government of the then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July last year.

More than 1,000 artefacts, including items of vintage and antique value went missing from Sri Lanka's Presidential Palace and Prime Minister's official residence at Temple Trees in Colombo after irate anti-government protesters occupied these premises in July last year to protest the island nation's worst economic crisis in decades.

During protesters' occupation of the Colombo Fort Presidential Palace from July 9 to 14, 2022, various valuable artefacts and archaeological items went missing, including coats of arms associated with former governors and presidents of Sri Lanka, the Presidents Media Division (PMD) said.

President's Secretary Saman Ekanayake has requested the return of any Coats of Arms with archaeological or artistic value that belonged to Sri Lanka's former governors and presidents. These items are sought to be handed over to the Presidential Secretariat by July 31, the statement added.

Ekanayake has emphasised that retaining of these official insignia beyond the specified period will result in legal consequences, as the unlawful possession of state property is a punishable offence.

The three months of occupation at the entry to the then-president Rajapaksas secretariat ended after he fled the country on July 9.

By then the protesters came to occupy more key buildings until the military intervened to evict them 2 weeks later.

The government then announced that several artefacts had gone missing from key buildings.

Rajapaksa was replaced by incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Moscow, Jul 9 (AP) Russian-installed authorities in the Crimean peninsula on Sunday reported shooting down a cruise missile near the city of Kerch and briefly suspending traffic on the Kerch bridge that links the annexed territory to Russia.

The Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said the interception of the missile by Russian air defenses didn't result in any damage or casualties. He didn't offer any details, including the type of the missile and its origin.

In the nearby Russian region of Rostov, authorities on Sunday also reported shooting down a missile. Gov. Vasily Golubev said the missile was Ukrainian, and its debris damaged the roofs of several buildings. No casualties have been reported.

Such attacks far beyond the front line on Russian regions on the border with Ukraine or the annexed Crimean peninsula have become common during the war in Ukraine that has just surpassed its 500-day mark.

Officials in Russian regions and Moscow-appointed authorities in Crimea, which was illegally annexed in 2014, have regularly reported explosions, drone strikes, and even cross-border raids by Ukrainian saboteurs. Kyiv has never openly taken responsibility for these attacks.

Last October, a massive explosion severely damaged the Kerch bridge  a key transport and supply route for Russian troops in Crimea  leaving it out of commission for weeks. In what appeared to be the first direct admission of Kyiv's involvement, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar in a Telegram post on Saturday listed the attack among the country's main achievements in the war so far.

(It's been) 273 days since (we) carried out the first strike on the Crimean bridge in order to disrupt the logistics for the Russians, Maliar wrote.

Among other successes, she also mentioned the sinking of the Moskva cruiser  something the Russian authorities refused to attribute to a Ukrainian attack.

Maliar's post on Sunday caught the attention of Russian state media and officials. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova once again called President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government a terrorist regime" in an online statement condemning the attack.

In other developments:

 One of the defense commanders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol who returned to Ukraine on Saturday announced going back to the battlefield. The sprawling steelworks was the last bastion of resistance as Russian forces took control of the port city early on in the war. Azovstal's more than 2,000 defenders left the steelworks in mid-May 2022 and were taken into Russian captivity.

The five leaders, some of whom were part of the Azov national guard regiment that Russia denounces as neo-Nazi, were freed in a September prisoner swap and taken to Turkey, where they were to remain until the end of the war under the Turkish president's protection. On Saturday, however, Zelenskyy brought them back to Ukraine. There was no immediate official explanation of how this squared with the conditions of the exchange.

Speaking to reporters in Ukraine upon returning, Denys Prokopenko  one of the five commanders  said he will return to the battlefield. I am deeply convinced that the army is a team effort. And from today we will continue the fight together with you. We will definitely have our say in battle, Prokopenko was quoted by Ukrainian media as saying.

 The death toll from the Russian missile strike on Lyman, a city in the partially occupied Donetsk region that was struck on Saturday, rose to nine on Sunday. Lyman is a few kilometers (miles) from the front line, where Russian troops have recently intensified fighting in the forests of Kreminna. (AP)



AMS
Colombo, Jul 9 (PTI) Sri Lanka on Sunday urged the people to return or provide any information regarding valuable artefacts and archaeological items that went missing during the massive protests against the government of the then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July last year, as the island nation marked the first anniversary of the popular uprising.

More than 1,000 artefacts, including items of vintage and antique value went missing from Sri Lanka's Presidential Palace and Prime Minister's official residence at Temple Trees in Colombo after irate anti-government protesters occupied these premises in July last year to protest the island nation's worst economic crisis in decades.

During protesters' occupation of the Colombo Fort Presidential Palace from July 9 to 14, 2022, various valuable artefacts and archaeological items went missing, including coats of arms associated with former governors and presidents of Sri Lanka, the Presidents Media Division (PMD) said.

President's Secretary Saman Ekanayake has requested the return of any Coats of Arms with archaeological or artistic value that belonged to Sri Lanka's former governors and presidents. These items are sought to be handed over to the Presidential Secretariat by July 31, the statement added.

Ekanayake has emphasised that retaining of these official insignia beyond the specified period will result in legal consequences, as the unlawful possession of state property is a punishable offence.

The three months of occupation at the entry to the then-president Rajapaksas secretariat ended after he fled the country on July 9.

By then the protesters came to occupy more key buildings until the military intervened to evict them 2 weeks later.

The government then announced that several artefacts had gone missing from key buildings.

Rajapaksa was replaced by incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Colombo, Jul 9 (PTI) India has reiterated its willingness to play "a constructive role" in supporting Sri Lanka's efforts for recovery from the worst economic crisis.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Construction, Power and Energy Expo 2023 in Colombo on Friday, Indias Deputy High Commissioner Vinod K Jacob said that recent developments in India-Sri Lanka ties have strengthened the friendship and all-around cooperation between the two countries.

We were the first creditor nation in January this year to convey the financing assurances needed to kick start the IMF process. India will continue to play a constructive role as a Co-Chair of the Creditors Committee along with Japan and the Paris Club, he said.

India in January this year became the first country to hand over its letter of support for financing and debt restructuring of Sri Lanka to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In May this year, 17 countries that have extended loans to Sri Lanka formed an official creditor committee' co-chaired by India, Japan, and France, to discuss Sri Lankas request for debt treatment.

Paris Club is a group of officials from major creditor countries whose role is to find coordinated and sustainable solutions to the payment difficulties experienced by debtor countries.

Jacob said Indias financial and humanitarian support worth USD 4 billion to Sri Lanka is far in excess of the total anticipated Extended Fund Facility of the IMF.

Sri Lanka was hit by a catastrophic financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves.

As the country struggled, locked in the throes of the crisis, India extended multi-pronged assistance of about USD 4 billion to it last year, through multiple credit lines and currency support, in line with Indias Neighbourhood First policy.

The past three years have demonstrated the close links between the people of India and Sri Lanka," Jacob said.

Jacob said the successful visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to Sri Lanka in January this year opened up avenues for further cooperation through investment in infrastructure, manufacturing and promoting connectivity.

"India was Sri Lankas largest trading partner in 2022. Sri Lankas exports to India have also grown. The use of Rupees for trade settlement is further helping Sri Lankas economy. These are concrete steps to help Sri Lankas economic recovery and growth," he noted.

He noted that India was once again the largest source of tourists for Sri Lanka last year with over 100,000 tourists.

"Around one in every five to six tourists in Sri Lanka is an Indian.

He hailed the resumption of Chennai-Jaffna flights as another step in bringing the people of the two countries closer.

Ferry services between the two countries will bolster this further. Connectivity is a force multiplier in this context," he added.
Dar es Salaam, Jul 9 (PTI) India and Tanzania have agreed on a roadmap to further boost their time-tested ties by identifying new areas of cooperation in sectors like trade, investment, agriculture, defence and education, the foreign ministers of the two countries said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday met Tanzania's Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Stergomena Tax at the 10th India-Tanzania Joint Commission Meeting here.

Jaishankar said the two sides had a very productive round of the Joint Commission.

"This gave us an opportunity to do a stocktaking of our relationship to discuss what are the new areas that we need to move forward. Also, to agree on how to deepen our cooperation in the areas that we have been working on for many years," he said.

Among the domains that the two sides looked at was their economic cooperation, and how to increase trade and investment. The two sides also discussed how to promote stronger collaboration in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and technology.

"We spoke about expanding training and exchanges within us. And we looked at areas like health, agriculture, defence and education as new domains to go between India and Tanzania," he told reporters.

He said India and Tanzania have a very strong and time-tested relationship which is based on solidarity and camaraderie which comes from a shared struggle for independence during the colonial times.

"And from the very beginning of our independence, we've always had a very good understanding. Today, that is reflected in a very robust economic engagement. We have a trade of almost six and a half billion dollars annually," Jaishankar said.

He said India has significant Indian investment in Tanzania, which is the country's key trade partner in Africa.

Talking about their bilateral development partnership, Jaishankar said India is proud of the water partnership between the two nations.

"Water Partnership which involves soft loans of almost a billion dollars, which when the projects are completed, will bring safe drinking water to 8 million Tanzanians. I think it will cover 28 towns in this country. And for us, it's a great privilege to be associated with such a major transformational development initiative," he said.

Jaishankar said during his visit, the two sides agreed on a new flagship project -- the establishment of a campus of the Indian Institute of Technology -- that would underline the deep friendship between the two nations.

"...for the first time ever, the IIT is going abroad and we are very very pleased that this should take place in Zanzibar, because in many ways, Zanzibar is a meeting point of African and Indian cultures," he said.

So overall, it has been a very productive visit, he said.

"I would like to end by emphasising that Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi believes that the deep solidarity between India and Africa must be expressed in very practical terms in a way in which we share experiences, we share capabilities, we contribute to each other's understanding of the world.

"And today, this joint commission meeting and the roadmap that we have put forward is a way of doing it because Prime Minister Modi deeply believes that partnerships are made by recognising the priorities of partners," he said.

Tax said the two sides noted with satisfaction the milestones in various areas including politics, trade and investment, energy, education, water, health, ICT and defence and agreed to reinforce cooperation in these areas.

The decision to establish the first Indian Institute of Technology in Zanzibar will contribute to the efforts of Tanzania in enhancing capacity in technology and innovation.

Tanzania remains committed to continue partnering and cooperating with India, she said.

During his stay here, Jaishankar also called on Tanzanian President Samia Hassan of Tanzania and discussed bilateral ties in defence and security, maritime cooperation and capacity building.

He also conveyed the personal greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi to President Samia.
Washington, Jul 9 (AP) As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO's much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The world's biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member.

Military spending by member nations still lags behind longstanding goals. And an inability to compromise over who should serve as NATO's next leader forced an extension of the current secretary general's term for an extra year.

Perhaps most thorny are questions over how Ukraine should be eased into the alliance.

Some maintain admitting Ukraine to NATO would be the fulfillment of a promise made years ago and a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.

Others are fearful it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

Bickering among friends is not uncommon, and the current catalogue of disputes pales in comparison to past fears that Donald Trump would turn his back on the alliance during his presidency.

However, the challenges come at a moment when President Joe Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance, said Douglas Lute, who served as US ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

You don't want to present any openings, Lute said. You don't want to present any gaps or seams.

By some measures, the Ukraine conflict has reinvigorated NATO, which was created at the beginning of the Cold War as a bulwark against Moscow.

Members of the alliance have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its ongoing counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become NATO's 31st member.

I think it's appropriate to look at all the success, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

So I think the invasion has strengthened NATO  exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated.

He noted Germany's shift toward a more robust defense policy as well as other countries' increase in military spending.

But the ongoing war has allowed other challenges to fester or bubble to the surface.

In particular, NATO leaders said back in 2008 that Ukraine would eventually become a member, but little action has been taken toward that goal. Putin occupied parts of the country in 2014 and then attempted to capture Kyiv in 2022, leading to the current war.

A gray zone is a green light for Putin, said Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland, and now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The US and Germany insist that the focus should be supplying weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine win the current conflict, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join NATO.

However, countries on NATO's Eastern flank  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  want firmer assurances on future membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for that as well. During a visit to Prague on Thursday, he said the ideal result of the Vilnius summit would be an invitation for his country to join the alliance.

Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser, described the summit as an important moment on that pathway toward membership" and that allies need to discuss the reforms that are still necessary for Ukraine to come up to NATO standards.

NATO could use the occasion to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the NATO-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle blocking Sweden's attempts to join NATO alongside its neighbor Finland.

Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey.

However, a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Erdogan signaled that this would pose another obstacle. He equated those who permitted the crime to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the U.S. are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Biden says that Sweden's NATO membership has to be dealt with first.

Sullivan said the US is confident that Sweden will join NATO in the not-too-distant future, but it's unclear if the matter will be resolved during the summit.

It's not the first time that Erdogan has used a NATO summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said there's growing frustration among allies toward Erdogan, building on concerns about his ties to Putin, democratic backsliding and sanctions evasion.

They've tried playing nice," Bergmann said. The question is whether it's time to get much more confrontational.

Hungarian Prime Minister Vitkor Orban is also delaying his country's approval of Sweden's membership.

In response, Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is blocking a USD 735 million US arms sale to Hungary.

We don't want members who aren't interested in doing everything possible to strengthen the alliance rather than the pursuit of their own or individual interests, he said. I'm just sick and tired of it."

However, Risch rejected the idea that these disagreements are a sign of weakness within NATO.

These are kinds of things that always arise in an alliance," he said. The fact that we've been able to deal with them and will continue to deal with them proves that this is the most successful and strongest military alliance in the history of the world.

At least one potentially flammable item has been taken off the summit agenda. Rather than seek consensus on a new NATO leader, members agreed to extend Jens Stoltenberg's tenure for a year.

He's had the job since 2014, and it's the fourth time that his time in office has been extended.

Most wanted a woman to take the top job next, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had been considered a favourite candidate.

However, Poland insisted that a candidate from the Baltic states should be next because there had already been two Nordic secretaries general in a row. (Stoltenberg was a Norwegian prime minister, and Rasmussen was a Danish prime minister.)

Others are skeptical of accepting a nominee from the Baltics, whose leaders tend to be more provocative in their approach to Russia, including supporting Ukraine's desire to rapidly join NATO.

More disagreements loom over NATO's updated plans for countering any invasion that Russia might launch on allied territory.

It's the biggest revision since the Cold War, and Skip Davis, a former NATO official who is now a senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said it could involve lots of arm wrestling and card trading.

That's an issue that will cause tension and dissent, and that's not what the Vilnius summit is all about," he said. (AP) FZH
Vauxhall Luton

New Brexit tariffs on electric car parts threaten the future of Vauxhalls huge factory in Luton, the plants director has warned.

Mark Noble, who runs the Bedfordshire site, warned that crippling taxes applied to vehicles exported into mainland Europe pose a risk to the factorys competitiveness.

Under new rules of origin laws that come into force from January, 45pc of the value of an electric car must originate from either the UK or the EU. This is due to rise to 65pc in 2027.

But car makers have urged the Government to roll out a moratorium on the new laws to allow them to catch up with the changes.

Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, has warned it could face tariffs of 10pc on its exports to the EU if it fails to meet the threshold.

Mr Noble said: If we have a 10pc tariff that makes our vans more expensive going into Europe. If we are not cost competitive then we jeopardise our long term future.

The factory boss told the BBC the firm was working with the UK government to try and relax those rules.

The Luton factory, which opened in 1905, employs around 1,500 people and specialises in producing vans, around 70pc of which are exported to mainland Europe.

Mr Noble said Stellantis viewed the site as integral to Vauxhall, adding: There are massive challenges, but I am confident we can overcome these challenges. To be sustainable in any industry you have to be cost competitive.

It marks the latest warning over the impact of looming tariffs on Britains nascent electric vehicle industry.

Last month, industry chiefs said the UK risked missing out on more than 100bn worth of electric car production unless ministers used every policy, every fiscal and regulatory lever to level the playing field with the EU.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of industry body SMMT, said: The Government has set the industry tough targets and we are committed to meeting them.

But we are in the middle of the most fiercely competitive investment landscape of a generation and need a UK response, urgently, using every policy, every fiscal and regulatory lever, to make Britain the most attractive place to invest.

Mercedes and Volkswagen are among the other car brands urging the UK and Brussels to avoid a post-Brexit cliff edge when the new laws come into effect next year.

The SMMT has also called for other reforms, including a VAT cut on public chargers for electric cars and improved science education.

A government spokesman said: The Business and Trade Secretary has raised concerns about the 2024 Rules of Origin changes for Electric Vehicles and their batteries with the EU and is determined to find a joint UK-EU solution that ensures the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing.

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Ujjain, Jul 9 (PTI) A group of Dalit boys allegedly teased some upper caste girls at a village in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district, leading to tension in the area and prompting the police to deploy additional security force, an official said on Sunday.

The situation in Gurla village, located more than 30 km from the district headquarters, is under control following the incident on Friday, Unhel police station in charge Krishan Lalchandani told PTI over phone.

Five minor boys from the community have been taken into custody on a complaint by the girls, and six upper caste persons have also been arrested for allegedly beating up the boys, he said.

Some minor boys belonging to Dalit community allegedly passed lewd comments at upper caste girls on Friday evening, but no one then complained to the police, Lalchandani said.







On Saturday morning, some upper caste persons brought the Dalit boys to the police station after beating them, alleging they had teased girls from their community, he said.







The girls also came to the police station and on the basis of their complaint, a case was registered against five boys under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the official said.







After a medical examination of the boys who were beaten, a case was also registered against five identified and other unidentified persons from an upper caste under provisions of the IPC and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.

"The situation in Gurla is under control. We took out a flag march on Saturday evening. If needed, we will again take out a flag march on Sunday, Lalchandani said.

Security would be withdrawn from the area after the tension fully subsides, he said.

The official said Gurla village has a considerable number of members from the Dalit and Rajput communities.
Rampurhat (WB), Jul 7 (PTI) Elections have come and gone, but the 'mafia raj' grown out of the illegal cattle smuggling and sand mining continues to grow from strength to strength in West Bengals Birbhum district. Long lines of trucks can still be spied carrying away sand mined illegally from about 80 sites scattered along the Mayurakshi, Ajay, and Brahmani rivers here, despite a crackdown by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the alleged leaders who "master-minded" these operations.



The entire "operation" from actual mining using excavators to loading and actual trucking out is supervised by local youths who allegedly work for strongmen who remain well-connected with the local police.



While there has been a slow decline in cattle smuggling through the district after the CBI, started probing the smuggling operations, illegal sand mining remains a potent source of income for many families in this region.



"Who said that there is no sand mining happening in Birbhum? You go to the banks of Ajay, Mayurakshi, Brahmani you will see lorries being filled with sand by people working for those who have connections and power," a local CPI(M) leader, who wished to remain unnamed, alleged.



When PTI visited the banks of Ajay near Bolpur in the district, several JCBs were seen working in tandem and loading sand in lorries and the entire process was manned by a few employees of "powerful" businessmen in the district.



In Nanoor, Madanmohan Gupta, a well-known sand trader told PTI, how difficult it has been to run his business after the shift in power in the state administration and the rise of Anubrata Mondal, the TMC Birbhum president who was arrested in August 2022 by central agencies.



Sitting at his residence in Ratan Pally in Santiniketan, Gupta claimed that there was an average earning of Rs 35-40 lakh per day from the illegal sand mining and the "trade was expanding".

"The mining is done along the river banks of the rivers and they fall under the panchayat areas. We have a legal business and we are doing this for several generations. Now, because of the illegal mining, we are struggling. However, Mondal's arrest has improved things," Gupta told PTI.





Sand after being illegally mined is "smuggled" to Gujarat, Kerala, neighbouring Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, some parts of Odisha, Bihar apart from North 24 Parganas district, Durgapur and Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district, and Behrampur in Murshidabad district.



When contacted, local MLA Ashish Bandyopadhyay, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Bengal Assembly denied that sand was being illegally mined in the district.



"There is no illegal sand mining in Birbhum. These are baseless and false allegations of opposition parties. Our party has ended any such practice which started during the Left Front regime," Bandyopadhyay said.
Agartala, Jul 9 (PTI) In a goodwill gesture, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has sent 980 kg of pineapples to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an official said on Sunday.

Hasina had sent 500 kg of mangoes to the chief minister on June 15.

Director of Horticulture Department, P B Jamatia, handed over 100 boxes of specially plucked 'kew' variety of pineapples to officials at the Assistant High Commission of India, Chittagong on Saturday.

The chief minister, as part of goodwill gesture, sent 980 kg of pineapples to Prime Minister Hasina. We are honoured to send the gift, Jamatia told PTI.

The 'kew' variety of pineapples are unique for their taste, smell and size, he added.
Patna, Jul 9 (PTI) The Pride Parade in the Bihar capital this week will see the transgender community pitching for a monthly pension as a social security measure.

The parade on July 14, to be organised by a Bihar-based NGO 'Dostanasafar', will have participants from Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Mumbai and Karnataka.

Reshma Prasad, founder secretary of 'Dostanasafar', told PTI on Sunday that Pride Parade is organised in several states to celebrate and honour the Queer community.

"We will discuss and explore options to mount pressure on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government for providing a monthly social security pension to members of the third gender in the state. I have already written a letter to the Secretary (Social Welfare department of the state government) in this regard," said Reshma.

The July 14 event in Patna will culminate at Prem Chand Ranghshala, where several cultural programmes will be held and people belonging to the third gender will perform there.

"Through this event, we also raise awareness among the people belonging to the third gender about the rights of the transgender community. We have been organising this parade in Patna for the last 11 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had organised a virtual parade," said Reshma.

The neighbouring state of Jharkhand recently announced that the state government would give Rs. 1000 monthly social security pension to transgender people.

Reshma said, "There are several states like Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Odisha and Manipur which are already giving social security pensions to people belonging to the third gender.

"Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have announced that they would soon implement a pension scheme for the third gender people".

Reshma is also an expert member of the National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP) in Delhi.

The NCTP, established in 2020 under the provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protections of Rights) Act, 2019, is the statutory body of the Government of India, tasked with advising the government on all policy matters affecting transgenders.

Madan Sahni, Bihar Social Welfare Minister, told PTI, "The Bihar government has already launched several welfare schemes for the transgender people. As far as their request for the social security pension scheme is concerned, let me first go through their letter and discuss it with senior officials of the department. At present, I just cannot comment on this".

According to the 2011 Census, the total population of transgender people in Bihar is 40,827.

"Transgenders are neither physically nor mentally challenged. The only problem with us is that we don't have social acceptability. These initiatives will certainly benefit the entire community. It will open new ways for a dignified life for the community", said Reshma.
Baghpat (UP), Jul 9 (PTI) Two men who allegedly held a couple hostage and raped the woman were on Sunday arrested after an encounter here, police said.

On July 3, the accused -- Rashid and Aabid -- held a couple captive here on the Baghpat-Meerut highway and then raped the woman, a police official said.

Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiye said this morning, the two bike-borne accused were intercepted by the police but they tried to flee.

However, a police team surrounded them and arrested the duo after an encounter in Singhawali Aheer police station area of the district.

The two men sustained bullet injuries on their legs, he said, adding that police javan Sanjeev Kumar was also injured in the encounter

The injured are undergoing treatment, Vijayvargiye said.

The SP also informed that both the accused men had earlier been to jail in a case of cable theft.

Police have recovered the looted phone and a motorcycle from their possession, he said.
Gurugram, Jul 9 (PTI) Heavy rainfall led to severe waterlogging and traffic congestion in several parts of Gurugram on Sunday with the administration advising corporate houses to work from home on Monday and schools to announce a holiday.

The downpour wreaked havoc as arterial roads, parks, underpasses, markets, and even schools and hospitals were inundated.

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav urged residents to stay indoors and venture out only for essential work. He also said corporate offices have been asked to advise their staff to work from home on Monday so that waterlogged roads can be cleared as soon as the rain stops.

Private schools in the city are expected to remain closed on Monday after an advisory issued by the district administration.

"Due to incessant rainfall, roads are waterlogged and commuting is extremely difficult. Hence, the schools will remain closed tomorrow (July 10) for students' safety, by orders from the District Authorities," read a message from the principal of DAV public school, sector 14.

According to officials, the downpour lashed Gurugram through Saturday night and continued well into the morning. The city received 150 mm of rainfall till the afternoon.

Pictures and videos of commuters wading through knee-deep water flooded social media platforms, raising concerns about the efficiency of the city's drainage infrastructure.

"There is waterlogging due to continuous rain and traffic is moving at a slow pace. Therefore, we request all of you to leave the house only when necessary work is to be done. Sorry for the inconvenience," an advisory by the traffic police department said.

Severe waterlogging was reported from Himgiri Chowk, Aggarwal Dharmshala Chowk, Sheetla Mata Mandir Road, Kanhai Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, MG Road, and Sohna Road among others, they said.

Areas like Udyog Vihar, Rosewood City, Malibu Town, Sector 14, 17, and 31 among others remained inundated for several hours, they said.

Commuters travelling on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway had a harrowing time as the main carriageway and service lanes near Narsinghpur were submerged under water.

Traffic congestion was also reported on several roads in the city. Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic), Virender Vij, said the movement of vehicles on internal roads and the expressway was slow but there was no heavy congestion. Police personnel are managing the traffic, he said.

Yadav said several teams of civic agencies are clearing waterlogged roads using pumps. Meanwhile, Gurugram residents slammed the Municipal Corporation Gurugram (MCG) and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for not cleaning the drains on time.

Several people shared photos and videos of waterlogged roads on social media sites and expressed frustration over the situation.

"The monsoon season has begun but most of the drains have not been cleaned yet. Waterlogging is an annual affair here with the authorities claiming to make arrangements but failing to execute them," said former councillor Rama Rani Rathee.
Muzaffarnagar (UP), Jul 9 (PTI) A woman and her six-year-old daughter were killed here on Sunday after the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rain, an official said.

Sub-divisional magistrate Parmanand Jha told PTI the incident took place at around 3.30 am in Niyazura village of the district.

Kavita (26) and her daughter Mansi were killed. Kavita's husband Akshay Kumar sustained injuries in the incident, he said.
Medininagar, Jul 9 (PTI) A 45-year-old woman was killed and six others injured as a tree fell on them in Jharkhands Palamu district on Sunday, police said.

The incident took place at Sua village around 180-km from state capital Ranchi, when they were under the tree and waiting for their turn at a PDS shop, police said.

Sadar police station in-charge Gautam Kumar said that they were taken to Medininagar Medical College and Hospital for treatment where the 45-year-old woman identified as Somari Kunwar died during treatment.
New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) A court here has framed charges against six people for allegedly brutally assaulting a man and burning him alive during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pulastya Pramachala was hearing a case against Aman, Vikram, Rahul Sharma, Ravi Sharma, Dinesh Sharma and Ranjeet Rana, accused of being a part of a riotous mob that burnt Shahbaz alive on February 25, 2020, on the Main Khajuri Pusta Road here.

As only a piece of his skull and some pelvic bones remained, the deceased's identity was ascertained by matching the DNA samples of his father, the prosecution said.

"I find that all accused persons are liable to be charged for offences punishable under IPC (Indian Penal Code) sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy ) read with sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 302 (murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 395 (dacoity)," ASJ Pramachala said in an order passed on Saturday.

They would also face trial for the offences of unlawful assembly, disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant, promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence and language, the judge said.

He said Aman was further liable to be charged for the offence under IPC section 412 (dishonestly receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity).

"At this stage, for the purpose of framing charges, even grave suspicion is enough to prosecute the accused persons for the respective charges alleged against them and the veracity, credibility and truthfulness of statements of the public witnesses would be tested during trial," the judge said.

The court said from the statements of witnesses, it had come on record that the accused persons were "actively part of the mob" that had earlier gathered on February 24, 2020, and "properly planned" to commit a riot the next day.

"The accused persons joined this mob being aware of the planning. They had also done so by being an active member of an unlawful assembly having its common object of causing harm and damage to the person and property of the Muslim communitypromoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, causing the killing of the present victim," the court said.

It said in the present case, there were eyewitnesses, who claimed to have seen the accused persons being part of the mob and committing assault and the act of killing the victim.

Noting the extra-judicial confession of accused Aman regarding the incident, the court said the confession along with the statements of witnesses raised a "very grave suspicion" against all those accused.

It said the wristwatch recovered from Aman, was identified in a judicial test identification parade as belonging to the victim. "The wristwatch was apparently taken away either by Aman or any other member of this mob, during this incident," the court said.

The Karawal Nagar police station had registered an FIR against the accused.
Hyderabad, July 9 (PTI) BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday chaired a meeting of senior party leaders of the south and some other states here to discuss the party's preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and others.













The regional consultative meeting held at the BJP Telangana headquarters in Hyderabad was attended by party General Secretary B L Santhosh and other senior leaders as well as party MPs and MLAs and state unit presidents, among others.







Union Minister and newly-appointed president of BJP in Telangana G Kishan Reddy, who received Nadda on his arrival at Begumpet airport here, tweeted: Shri J P Nadda ji will address the meeting of BJP presidents from 12 states today in Hyderabad.







Reddy recently put together an action plan to strengthen the party in the southern states, which would be discussed in the day-long meeting.





The meeting would also focus on the Assembly polls scheduled to be held later this year in Telangana, he had said.
A rendering of the project at 393-397 Shrewsbury St.

393-397

A proposed redevelopment of a Shrewsbury Street property into a five-floor apartment building received approval from the Planning Board. Wei Dong Wang, the owner of Baba Sushi on Park Avenue, plans to redevelop a property at 393-397 Shrewsbury St. with a 24-unit apartment building. Wangs holding company, 318 Park LLC, wants to construct 16 one-bedroom apartments and eight two-bedroom units. Two units would be accessible. 318 Park LLC purchased the 18,500-square-foot property in December 2021 for a total of $895,000. The site currently hosts a three-decker that would be razed.

A rendering of 224 Shrewsbury St.

224

Auburn-based developer Lundgren Equity Partners, through the holding company the 224 Shrewsbury Street Realty Trust, is planning to redevelop the former spot of the popular '50s and '60s burger joint Speedy's Drive-In Restaurant at 224 Shrewsbury St. According to planning documents, the proposed building would be six floors and have 87 units of market-rate apartments. The site is now a parking lot with 67 spaces. The developer is proposing that seven of the apartment units would be accessible. The proposed building would be about 89,650 square feet, including one loading space and 54 parking spaces.

City employees told the License Commission Thursday that they received an email saying the operators of the Shaking Crab, a Newton-based restaurant chain, have worked out the matter.

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The operator of a planned downtown seafood restaurant and the owner of the Main Street property appear to have come to a resolution over ventilation issues that held up renovations. City employees told the License Commission that they received an email saying the operators of the Shaking Crab, a Newton-based restaurant chain, have worked out the matter. The building, at 544 Main St., is owned by the Menkiti Group, a development company that has bought a handful of downtown properties in recent years. The company paid $2.85 million for the building in 2018. The Shaking Crab bills itself as a Cajun seafood restaurant.

Nuestra restaurant in the Bull Mansion on Pearl Street in Worcester has closed.

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Nuestra, a restaurant with Puerto Rican cuisine, recently shut down its restaurant at the Bull Mansion, 55 Pearl St. Nuestra owner Natalie Rodriguez said her business will shift solely to catering. The restaurant owners leased the building, often making use of the second-floor ballroom where they catered celebratory events. Rodriguez said she couldnt pinpoint one reason over others for the closing, but she showed confidence in saying that the decision remains a purely business move. There are no immediate plans for another dine-in location. The mansion is owned by Rhode Island-based Arkland LLC, which bought it in 2020 for $1.16 million.

Pho Sure, a Vietnamese restaurant in Shrewsbury, will move to the building where once was the Wexford House, a Worcester landmark owned by generations.

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The home of the iconic Wexford House for nearly 40 years will come back to life by early next year when a Shrewsbury restaurant relocates to the spot. Pho Sure, a Vietnamese restaurant that has done business at White City Plaza in Shrewsbury since 2014, is slated to move into the property after ongoing renovations are completed. Son Vo, the owner of Pho Sure, and his family purchased the Wexford House property, 503 Shrewsbury St., in November 2021 for $1,400,000. Wexford House closed in mid-March 2020 with intentions to reopen. When that proved futile, the owners decided to close the doors for good.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Business Matters: Central Mass. by the Numbers
Hoshiarpur, Jul 9 (PTI) A day after the police arrested three men following an encounter here, it was revealed that they were part of an extortion gang operated from abroad, the police said on Sunday.

During the encounter on Saturday at Bhilowal village, about 15 km from Hoshiarpur, two accused received bullet wounds, while one was nabbed unhurt.

The arrested trio -- Manraj Raj, Navjot Singh and Ravinder Singh -- worked for an extortion and robbery gang operated by kingpin Balwinder Singh alias Binder from abroad, Swapan Sharma, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar Range, told reporters on Sunday.

Balwinder Singh, who was wanted in 18 cases in India, allegedly went abroad through illegal means and started an extortion racket with the help of his accomplices here, Sharma said.

On the day of the incident, police laid a trap following a tip-off that the trio would be coming to a house in Bhilowal with the intention to harm a person, the police said.

As police lay in their wait, the three men came there in a car and reached the verandah of the house. Police asked them to stop but they opened fire at them, they said.

In the retaliatory firing, Manraj Raj, 26 of Chabbewal and Navjot Singh, 24, of Jian village received bullet wounds. The third man, Ravinder Singh, also from Jian village, was arrested unhurt, they added.

Manraj Raj and Navjot Singh were admitted to a local government hospital, the police said.

A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Arms Act was registered against them at the Chabbewal police station, the DIG said.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused said they carried out extortion on the instructions of Balwinder Singh, he said.

Earlier, five criminal cases had been registered against Navjot Singh and two cases against Manraj Raj, the DIG added.


New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) More than 3,400 police personnel were deployed on Sunday at 50 locations in the city to manage traffic in view of waterlogging on several road stretches due to heavy rains for the second consecutive day.

There was waterlogging since the morning hours, which resulted in traffic snarls across the city, and the Traffic Control room received complaints regarding congestion, uprooting of trees, potholes and signals not working, according to officials.

Police personnel were deployed at intersections where signals were not working, they said and added that data collected by the traffic police showed that there were potholes at four major locations -- Bagga roundabout, on Ambedkar Road, Rail Bhawan to Windsor Place on Raisina Road and Adhchini on Aurobindo Marg.

They said power failure resulted in signals not working. Trees were uprooted at six locations -- Kishanganj Railway Colony, Tara Chand Mathur Marg, Ajmeri Gate, 12, Janpath, Khan Market and Madarsa to JLN Marg, the officials said.

"Trees were removed along footpaths and central verges and traffic movement was managed in best possible manner. The operations at some locations are still going on and services of other departments are also being taken," a senior traffic official said.

According to the data, as at 4.40 pm, traffic congestion was witnessed at 54 locations of Delhi due to various reasons. These included roads in Geeta Colony, Mangolpuri Industrial Area, West Vinod Nagar, East Vinod Nagar, Adhchini traffic signal, Chilla Border, Azad Market, Mundka, Rajdhani Park, Nawab Ganj, Sant Nagar, Burari, Sarai Kale Khan, Nehru Vihar Crossing, Nigam Bodh Ghat, Paschim Vihar and Okhla Subzi Mandi.

Around "3,450 traffic police personnel were deployed who regulated the traffic in entire Delhi wearing rain coats and boots", the traffic department said.

"Messages through Traffic Control Room were also flashed to control rooms of other civic agencies like Horticulture Departments of NDMC, PWD, MCD, etc. They were also pressed into for using local resources, manpower and attending to the situation and calls with due alertness, alacrity and promptness," the traffic department said.

For traffic management, deputy and assistant commissioners of police and inspectors were directed to mobilise personnel, patrol teams and cranes to remove broken branches, uprooted trees and stalled vehicles.

Traffic congestion and waterlogging were also reported in parts Maharani Bagh Bus Stand, Nangloi Flyover, Mathura Road, Ring Road, Kapashera Chowk, Sarita Vihar, Bhairon Marg, JLN Stadium, Pragati Maidan, Civil Lines, Motilal Nehru Marg, Sunehri Bagh, Central Secretariat, Teen Murti, Satya Niketan, Chanakyapuri and RML hospital, the data showed.
Latur, Jul 9 (PTI) A case has been registered against 51 persons for allegedly duping a cooperative sugar factory of more than Rs 2.2 crore in Maharashtras Latur district, police said on Sunday.



Some contractors had signed a contract with Dr Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar Cooperative Sugar Factory (Onkar Co-operative Sugar Factory Pvt. Ltd. Unit-2) for supply of workers and vehicles for 2022-2023, inspector BR Shejal said.

The contractors were paid Rs 2.32 crore, but they allegedly failed to supply labourers and vehicles, he said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the factory manager, a case was registered on Saturday under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.

The contractors are from Parbhani, Beed and Latur, he added.
Thane, Jul 9 (PTI) An autorickshaw driver was injured in a tree fall incident on Sunday night in Thane city of Maharashtra, civic officials said.

A huge tree fell on a car and an autorickshaw at around 9.30 pm in Khopat locality.

He has been admitted to Kalwa civic hospital, the official said.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low near 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low near 65F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.




A new phenomenon known as long vax is emerging, involving a small number of individuals who experience perplexing symptoms for months after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Although cases are extremely rare, medical experts are closely examining the data to unravel the potential causes behind these lingering symptoms.

Symptoms of long vax can resemble those associated with long COVID, such as persistent headaches, severe fatigue, abnormal heart rate, and blood pressure fluctuations. Patients have also reported tingling sensations, electric shock-like feelings, burning pain, and blood circulation issues that manifest weeks, days, or even hours after receiving the COVID-19 shot.

In some cases, individuals exhibit symptoms resembling postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), including weakness, fluctuations in heart rate and blood pressure, fatigue, and cognitive fog. However, many healthcare professionals hesitate to openly discuss the possibility of a long vax syndrome, fearing that it might be exploited by anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists aiming to discredit a vaccine that has saved countless lives.

Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist at Yale University told the New York Post that he is convinced something significant is happening with these side effects. Krumholz and his colleague, immunologist Akiko Iwasaki, have initiated a post-vaccination study called LISTEN (Listen to Immune, Symptom, and Treatment Experiences Now) to explore long COVID, post-vaccine adverse events, and related immune responses.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledge that vaccines can cause side effects, they emphasize that these are typically minor and transient, such as a sore arm or low-grade fever. Rare instances of side effects have been reported for other vaccines, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome associated with the influenza shot and tiredness or muscle pain following the recombinant shingles vaccine.

Although the overwhelming majority of people experience safe and effective vaccinations with only temporary and minor side effects, intriguing reports of long vax symptoms have emerged from medical professionals and researchers worldwide. Of particular interest are cases where POTS overlaps with COVID-19 infection or, less commonly, occurs after vaccination.

The National Institutes of Health noted a slight increase in POTS cases following vaccination in a December 2022 report, as scientists explore potential links between COVID-19 vaccines and uncommon side effects.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




The Republicans who lead three key House committees are joining forces to probe the Justice Departments handling of charges against Hunter Biden after making sweeping claims about misconduct at the agency.

Leaders of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Ways and Means committees opened a joint investigation into the federal case into President Joe Bidens youngest son days after it was announced last month that he will plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses as part of an agreement with the Justice Department.

Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, James Comer of Kentucky and Jason Smith of Missouri have since issued a series of requests for voluntary testimony from senior officials at the Justice Department, FBI and Internal Revenue Service as they investigate what they claim is improper interference. Republicans have also requested a special counsel review of supposed retaliation against the whistleblowers who came forward with the claims.

The congressional inquiry was launched after the House Ways and Means Committee, led by Smith, voted last month to publicly disclose hundreds of pages of testimony from the IRS employees who worked on the Hunter Biden case.

The transcripts of Greg Shapley and an unidentified agent detail what they called a pattern of slow-walking investigative steps and delaying enforcement actions in the months before the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.

The Justice Department has denied the whistleblower claims and said repeatedly that U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, the federal prosecutor who led the investigation, had full authority of the case.

Heres what to know about the emerging investigation.

INVESTIGATING IRS WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS

In April, the first IRS whistleblower, Shapley, came forward when his attorney reached out to GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa to say that his client had information about a failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of what was then an ongoing criminal investigation related to Hunter Biden.

Smith, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, who has jurisdiction over the IRS, brought in Shapley in late May for an hourslong interview, where he described several roadblocks that he and several other IRS agents on the case encountered when trying to interview individuals relevant to the investigation or issue search warrants.

The whistleblowers insist their testimony reflects a pattern of inference and preferential treatment in the Hunter Biden case and not just disagreement with their superiors about what investigative steps to take. Justice Department policy has long warned prosecutors to take care in charging cases with potential political overtones around the time of an election, to avoid any possible influence on the outcome.

The most disputed claim from the whistleblowers is that Weiss  first appointed by former President Donald Trump and kept on by the Biden administration  asked the Justice Department in March 2022 to be provided special counsel status in order to bring the tax cases against Hunter Biden in jurisdictions outside Delaware, including Washington, D.C., and California, but was denied.

A second IRS whistleblower, who asked the committee to keep his identity secret, described his persistent frustrations with the way the Hunter Biden case was handled, dating back to the Trump administration under Attorney General William Barr. He said he started the investigation into Hunter Biden in 2015 and delved deeply into his personal life and finances.

INVESTIGATING CLAIMS OF RETALIATION

Both men have testified that they faced retaliation at the IRS after coming forward with concerns about the handling of the Hunter Biden case. Shapley, who was a career supervisory agent, told the committee that Weiss helped block his job promotion after the tax agency employee reached out to congressional investigators about the Biden case.

The second unidentified whistleblower said he was taken off the Hunter Biden investigation around the same time as Shapley, who was his supervisor. Though he was informed of the decision by officials at the IRS, the second whistleblower believes his removal was actually ordered by officials in the Justice Department. Neither of the men provided lawmakers evidence that was the case, instead citing what they had witnessed internally as they pushed for various investigative steps.

The three Republican chairmen, along with Sens. Grassley and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, sent a letter to the Justice Department asking for an immediate review of the retaliation claims.

The importance of protecting whistleblowers from unlawful retaliation and informing whistleblowers about their rights under the law cannot be understated. After all, it is the law, the lawmakers wrote.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PUSHBACK

The Justice Department has denied the allegations from the whistleblowers, saying that Weiss has had 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.

Attorney General Merrick Garland also rebuffed the idea that Weiss, a veteran prosecutor, asked to be designated as a special counsel.

The only person who has the authority to make someone a special counsel, or refuse to make them a special counsel, is the attorney general, Garland told reporters last month. He added, Mr. Weiss never made that request.

In a June 30 letter, Weiss also further denied the claims by telling House Republicans that the Justice Department did not retaliate against Shapley. He also said he was assured by the department that if he sought to bring charges against Hunter Biden in a venue other than Delaware, he would be granted special status to do so. Generally, U.S. attorneys are limited to their own jurisdictions when bringing criminal charges.

NEXT STEPS

The three Republican chairmen have provided a deadline of Thursday for the department to begin scheduling nearly a dozen individuals for transcribed interviews. They have said that if the deadline is not met, they will resort to issuing congressional subpoenas to force cooperation.

Weiss said in his recent letter that he would be willing to discuss such topics with congressional officials, but reiterated that he cannot divulge information about the Hunter Biden case because it is an active criminal investigation.

Garland has said publicly that he would not stop Weiss from testifying before Congress. I would support Mr. Weiss explaining or testifying on these matters when he deems it appropriate, the attorney general said.

(AP)




President Joe Biden leaves on Sunday for Europe, where he will spend time in three nations tending to alliances that have been tested by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

After arriving at night in London, Biden will meet the next day with King Charles III for the first time since he was crowned. Next is the centerpiece of the trip, the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Alliance leaders will debate the war and revise plans for dealing with Russian aggression.

The final stop is in Helsinki, where Biden on Thursday is expected to celebrate the expanding alliance, with Finland as the newest member of NATO.

His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the trip would showcase the presidents leadership on the world stage.

A look at Bidens agenda and the issues he will face:

London

Biden arrives in London on Sunday night and is expected to have a full schedule of meetings Monday.

Theres always a lot to talk about with the U.K., said Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who leads the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Biden will hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing St. Sunak is facing an election by the end of next year. His Conservative Party is lagging badly behind the opposition in opinion polls.

Despite Sunaks shaky political standing, he has fostered close ties with Biden and it will be their sixth meeting since Sunak took office last October.

Bergmann said Sunaks tenure has been a nice change of pace after there were some concerns about Boris Johnson, one of Sunaks predecessors, being a loose cannon.

Biden will visit the king at Windsor Castle, a royal residence outside London. Biden did not attend Charles coronation  first lady Jill Biden went in his place  so this will be their first encounter since then.

Theyre expected to discuss climate change, an issue that has been a focus for both leaders, and how to finance initiatives to address the problem.

Vilnius

Biden will spend two days in the capital of Lithuania, which is hosting the annual NATO summit. He will participate in meetings with leaders and deliver a speech from Vilnius University.

The alliance has been reinvigorated by the war in Ukraine, and members have been pouring military hardware into the country to help repel Russias invasion.

Biden on Friday defended what he said was a difficult decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, a move his administration said was key to the fight and buttressed by Ukraines promise to use the controversial bombs carefully. Biden is likely to face questions from allies on why the U.S. would send a weapon into Ukraine that more than two-thirds of NATO members have banned because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties.

For Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the summit will send a clear message: NATO stands united, and Russias aggression will not pay.

But NATO has also struggled to bridge divides over important issues. Finland was welcomed into the alliance this year, but Swedens membership has been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

There are also disagreements over how quickly to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO.

Countries on NATOs eastern flank want to move quickly, viewing it as a way to deter Russian aggression. The U.S. and others advocate a more cautious approach.

One issue has already been settled, at least for the time being. Stoltenbergs term has been extended for a year because members could not agree on a new leader.

Sen. Thom Tillis, who will attend the summit, likened the alliance to a gathering of dozens of family members who bicker and clash but nonetheless remain united.

At the end of the day, you know youre family, said Tillis, R-N.C.

Tillis is leading a bipartisan delegation along with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who said NATO is more powerful than before.

Its the strongest military alliance in our history, and I think it only has gotten stronger as a result of U.S. leadership, as the result of Stoltenbergs leadership and as the result of the threat from Vladimir Putin to all of the NATO allies and other countries in Europe and around the world and to the international order, she said.

Helsinki

After two nights in Vilnius, Biden visits Helsinki. The stop is a bit of a victory lap, but could also be a reminder of unfinished business.

The Nordic country in April became the 31st member of NATO, ending its history of nonalignment and demonstrating how Russias invasion of Ukraine has backfired in Europe.

Finland was supposed to join alongside its neighbor Sweden, whose admission has stalled because of Turkey and Hungary. NATO requires unanimous consent of all its members to expand.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited the White House on Wednesday and met with Biden to keep up the pressure for membership. But there is little hope that the issue will be resolved in Vilnius.

The White House is billing Bidens visit to Helsinki as a U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit.

Its a much different occasion from the last time a U.S. president visited Helsinki five years ago.

During that trip, Donald Trump held a news conference with Putin and brushed off concerns about Russian meddling in Trumps election victory.

Now Biden is heading to the city to demonstrate how his administration has held the line against Moscow and expanded Western defenses.

(AP)




At 31 years old, Nasrat Ahmad Yar had spent most of his adult life working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan before escaping to America in search of a better life for his wife and four children.

He found work as a ride-share driver and even managed to send money back to Afghanistan to help family and friends. He liked to play volleyball with friends in the Washington suburb where many Afghans who fled their country now live. At 6-feet-5 inches, he had a powerful serve.

Last Monday night, worried about making rent, he went out driving and was shot and killed in Washington. No suspects have been arrested, but surveillance video captured the sound of a single gunshot and four boys or young men were seen running away. Police have offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

He was so generous. He was so nice. He was always trying to help the people, said Rahim Amini, a fellow Afghan immigrant and longtime friend. He said Ahmad Yar always reminded him, Dont forget the people left behind.

Jeramie Malone, an American who came to know Ahmed Yar through her volunteer work with a veteran-founded organization bringing former Afghan interpreters to safety, also was struck by his generosity.

He always wanted to be giving more than he was receiving and he was just really extremely kind. In America, Malone said, all he wanted was a chance.

Afghans and U.S. military veterans gathered for a funeral service Saturday at the All Muslim Association of America in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Family and friends comforted Ahmad Yars children and wife as his casket was lowered into the ground with ropes and people used shovels to toss soil on top.

One of those in attendance was Matthew Butler, now retired from the military who met Ahmad Yar in 2009 at Bagram Airfield, then an American base north of Kabul, the Afghan capital. Ahmad Yar was his primary interpreter for two tours in the country.

Butler said Ahmad Yar was like a brother or a son to him, and he noted the militarys commitment to leaving no one behind  something he said now extends to Ahmad Yars wife.

I pledged my support to his wife and his children, and said just because Nasrat is gone doesnt mean my support to you is gone. I wont leave you behind, Butler said after the ceremony.

Amini said Ahmad Yar had worked for the U.S. military for about a decade as an interpreter and doing other jobs, seeing it as a way to help pave the way for the next generation in Afghanistan to have a better life.

While the U.S. has had a Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghans who worked closely with the U.S. government to come to America since 2009, Amini said his friend didnt want to apply right away, preferring to stay in Afghanistan, where he felt needed.

He remembered Ahmad Yar saying: I have guys here I need to support.  When I feel that they dont need my support then I can go to America.

Then, in August 2021, the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban took over.

Mohammad Ahmadi, Ahmad Yars cousin, was already in America after also working for the U.S. military. The two talked on the phone about how to get Ahmad Yar and his family out of Afghanistan. Ahmadi said his cousin could see the Taliban soldiers walking through the streets of Kabul and was worried they would discover hed been an interpreter for the U.S. military.

He said, I dont want to get killed in front of my wife and kids, Ahmadi said.

When he wasnt able to get out of the crowded Kabul airport, Ahmad Yar went to northern Afghanistan in hopes of getting into Uzbekistan. When that didnt work, he and his family went to the northwestern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, where he and his family were able to get on a flight to the United Arab Emirates and then eventually travel to America.

Even when laying low in Mazar-e-Sharif, Nasrat would go out of his way to assist other Afghans who also had come to escape the Taliban  greeting them on arrival to the strange city, bringing their families to stay with his, and feeding them, while all waited for flights out, Malone said.

Nasrat was very different, because even though he was needing help, he was always helping me, she said.

While waiting at the interim transit camp in the United Arab Emirates, he asked for writing supplies for the children so he could teach them English before they arrived in the U.S., Malone said. It was really important for him for his kids to get an education and for them to  have opportunities they never would have had in Afghanistan.

His eldest child, a girl, is now 13, and the others are boys, ages 11, 8 and just 15 months old.

The family went first to Pennsylvania, but Amini said his friend was robbed there and decided to move to Alexandria, in northern Virginia. Amini said Ahmad Yar told him hed fled to the U.S. to be safe and unfortunately Im not safe here.

In northern Virginia, they both ended up being ride-share drivers and lived about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from each other. Like many in the Afghan diaspora there, they chatted throughout the day in a WhatsApp group text. And they played in a weekly volleyball game. Ahmad Yar was really good and no one could block his serve, Amini said.

Amini said they spoke Monday evening and the next thing he knew he was woken up by another Afghan friend who had somehow heard that Ahmad Yar had been killed.

In disbelief, Amini began frantically calling his friend. But it was the police who finally answered the phone: The police officer said: Im sorry. Unfortunately hes not alive anymore.

The police said in their report that they responded to a call about an unconscious person and found Ahmad Yars body. They rushed him to the hospital, where he was declared dead. On the surveillance video they released, one of the four suspected attackers shouted, You just killed him. Another answered, He was reaching, bro.

Washington has struggled to handle steadily rising crime rates, with murders and carjackings mostly to blame. Homicides are up 14% compared with this time last year. Early Wednesday, nine people enjoying the Independence Day festivities were shot and wounded, police said.

His wife is still in shock, said Ahmad Yars cousin, Ahmadi. But she said she and her husband had the same goal in coming to America  to provide a future for their children.

She told Ahmadi: I have the same goal for them. They can go to school. They can go to college and become educated and good people for the society.

(AP)




A Vermont police officer was killed and two other officers were injured when a burglary suspect crashed into two police cruisers pursuing him, Vermont State Police said.

Rutland City Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, was killed on Friday afternoon. The crash happened as police chased a vehicle driven by Tate Rheaume, 20, a suspect in an attempted break-in at a house, state police said.

Evidence indicates that Rheaume crossed the centerline and collided head-on with the Ebbighausens cruiser, police said. The suspects truck also hit another police cruiser.

Ebbighausen was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other officers and Rheaume were taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center for what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Rheaume was transferred to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.

State police said they are investigating the role impairment and speed played in the crash and are working with the Rutland County states attorney on potential charges. It was not immediately known if Rheaume is being represented by an attorney.

Ebbighausen, of Ira, Vermont, started working with the Rutland Police Department in May as a part-time officer, state police said. She was scheduled to start training in August at the Vermont Police Academy to become a full-time officer, police said.

Were hurting right now, said Rutland City Police Chief Brian Kilcullen on Friday as he asked for community support, according to the Rutland Herald.

Ebbighausen had wanted to be a police officer since she was 9 years old, Kilcullen said. She did an internship with the police department during high school, he said.

She always had a smile on her face, Kilcullen said. We were looking forward to having her as part of our family.

The department had recently changed its policies to discourage high-speed pursuits, he said, but did not discuss the changes further on Friday, the newspaper reported.

Im here today to mourn, really, the loss of a family member, he said. The state police are conducting the investigation. At some point, well review everything.

Before Ebbighausens death, 28 Vermont officers had died in the line of duty, including 2 in vehicle pursuits, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. Of those Vermont officers whose ages are listed, she was by far the youngest.

(AP)
From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in CEPS PLC's (LON:CEPS ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

See our latest analysis for CEPS

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At CEPS

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Executive Chairman David Horner bought UK138k worth of shares at a price of UK0.40 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being UK0.39). It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when an insider has purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price. David Horner was the only individual insider to buy during the last year.

You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

CEPS is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. CEPS insiders own 50% of the company, currently worth about UK4.1m based on the recent share price. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At CEPS Tell Us?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. It would be great to see more insider buying, but overall it seems like CEPS insiders are reasonably well aligned (owning significant chunk of the company's shares) and optimistic for the future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. When we did our research, we found 2 warning signs for CEPS (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that we believe deserve your full attention.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani could be disbarred in Washington after a review panel on Friday condemned how he pursued the false claims that then-President Donald Trump made about his 2020 presidential election loss.

Giuliani claimed massive election fraud but had no evidence, wrote the three-member panel in a report that details the errors and unsupported claims the former mayor made in a Pennsylvania lawsuit seeking to overturn the Republican presidents loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Between Election Day and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, Giuliani and other Trump lawyers repeatedly pressed claims of election fraud that were almost uniformly rejected by federal and state courts. Hes the third lawyer who could lose his ability to practice law over what he did for Trump: John Eastman faces disbarment in California, and Lin Wood this week surrendered his license in Georgia.

Mr. Giulianis effort to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election has helped destabilize our democracy, wrote the panel, Robert C. Bernius, Carolyn Haynesworth-Murrell and Jay A. Brozost.

The misconduct here sadly transcends all his past accomplishments, they wrote. It was unparalleled in its destructive purpose and effect. He sought to disrupt a presidential election and persists in his refusal to acknowledge the wrong he has done.

Giuliani has already had his New York law license suspended for false statements he made after the election. The Washington review panels work will now go to the D.C. Court of Appeals for a final decision.

Ted Goodman, a political adviser to Giuliani, criticized the panels work as an attempt to persecute Giuliani and part of a larger effort to deny President Trump effective counsel.

I call on rank-and-file members of the DC Bar Association to speak out against this great injustice, Goodman said in a statement.

Giulianis post-election work has made him a key figure in several federal and state probes. He met with the special counsel appointed to investigate efforts to overturn the 2020 election and prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, also conducting an investigation.

The panel examined a case Giuliani argued on Nov. 17, 2020, ten days after The Associated Press and other news outlets called the election for Biden.

The Trump campaign complained that Philadelphia and six Democratic-controlled counties in Pennsylvania let voters make corrections to mail-in ballots that were otherwise going to be disqualified for a technicality, such as lacking a secrecy envelope or a signature. Some other counties did not follow suit.

Giuliani argued the case. While he had once served as a U.S. attorney in New York, the Pennsylvania argument was his first court appearance as an attorney since 1992, the year before he was elected New York mayor, according to federal records.

He spent much of the hearing baselessly alleging a national conspiracy to steal the election from Trump, something the former president continues to argue today.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann rejected Giulianis arguments days later, noting the Trump campaign had wanted him to throw out millions of votes.

One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption, Brann wrote then. That has not happened.

The panels review on Friday said Giuliani did not offer any evidence that fraudulent mail-in votes were actually cast or counted, but instead made his own inferences.

Mr. Giulianis argument that he did not have time fully to investigate his case before filing it is singularly unimpressive, the panel wrote. He sought to upend the presidential election but never had evidence to support that effort.

The panel said Giuliani had violated a rule that prohibits lawyers from from engaging in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice.

Clogging the courts with unnecessary and frivolous cases is such a violation, the panel said.

(AP)




U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimers drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease.

The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimers disease. Its the first medicine thats been convincingly shown to modestly slow the cognitive decline caused by Alzheimers.

Japanese drugmaker Eisai received conditional approval from the FDA in January based on early results suggesting Leqembi worked by clearing a sticky brain plaque linked to the disease.

The FDA confirmed those results by reviewing data from a larger, 1,800-patient study in which the drug slowed memory and thinking decline by about five months in those who got the treatment, compared to those who got a dummy drug.

This confirmatory study verified that it is a safe and effective treatment for patients with Alzheimers disease, said FDAs neurology drug director, Dr. Teresa Buracchio, in a statement.

The drugs prescribing information will carry the most serious type of warning, indicating that Leqembi can cause brain swelling and bleeding, side effects that can be dangerous in rare cases. The label notes that those problems are seen with other plaque-targeting Alzheimers drugs.

The process of converting a drug to full FDA approval usually attracts little attention. But Alzheimers patients and advocates have been lobbying the federal government for months after Medicare officials announced last year they wouldnt pay for routine use of drugs like Leqembi until they receive FDAs full approval.

There were concerns that the cost of new plaque-targeting Alzheimers drugs could overwhelm the programs finances, which provide care for 60 million seniors. Leqembi is priced at about $26,500 for a years supply of IVs every two weeks.

The vast majority of Americans with Alzheimers get their health coverage through Medicare. And private insurers have followed its lead by withholding coverage for Leqembi and a similar drug, Aduhelm, until they receive FDAs full endorsement. An FDA decision on full approval for Aduhelm is still years away.

Medicare administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, said in a statement Thursday the program will begin paying for the drug now that it has full FDA approval. But the government is also setting extra requirements, including enrollment in a federal registry to track the drugs real-world safety and effectiveness.

Medicare will cover this medication broadly while continuing to gather data that will help us understand how the drug works, Brooks-LaSure said.

Some Medicare patients could be responsible for paying the standard 20% of the cost of Leqembi, though the amount will vary depending on their plans and other coverage details.

Hospitals and medical clinics have cautioned that it may take time to get people started on the drug.

Doctors need to confirm that patients have the brain plaque targeted by Leqembi before prescribing it. Nurses need to be trained to administer the drug and patients must be monitored with repeated brain scans to check for swelling or bleeding. The imaging and administration services carry extra costs for hospitals beyond the drug itself.

Eisai has told investors that about 100,000 Americans could be diagnosed and eligible to receive Leqembi by 2026. The drug is co-marketed with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen.

We want to ensure that appropriate patients only are the ones that get this product, said Alexander Scott, a vice president with Eisai.

Eisai studied the drug in people with early or mild disease who were evaluated using a scale measuring memory, thinking and other basic skills. After 18 months, those who got Leqembi declined more slowly  a difference of less than half a point on the scale  than participants who received a dummy infusion. Some Alzheimers experts say that delay is likely too subtle for patients or their families to notice.

But federal health advisers said the difference could still be meaningful and recommended that FDA fully approve the drug at a public meeting in June.

(AP)




Dirshu Chaburas Shas Siyum Held at the Home of Rav Chaim Feinstein Shlita

HaGaon HaRav Chaim Feinstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Ateres Shlomo, related a fascinating incident earlier this month at the Dirshu Chaburas Shas siyum held at his home in Bnei Brak. He said, I heard from my father, Rav Michel Feinstein, ztl, who heard from his shver, the Brisker Rav, that when Rav Chaim Brisker began to learn Masechta Zevachim, he learned from the beginning of the masechta until the perek of Kol Hatadir, a whopping eighty blatt, at once. Every time he came to a difficulty and had a question, he thought about it but then continued without stopping. The lesson is that even when you learn quickly, it doesnt mean that you are not thinking or even thinking deeply. What it means is that you can learn and think about the questions, but you should then carry on learning even if you dont have the answers.

In practical terms, this translates into the concept that when a person learns a sugya, but it is not time for the main iyun seder, of course, he must think deeply about what he is learning but he must also realize that now is not the time to open up the entire sugya. Now it is time to think for a short period of time and even if one hasnt formulated an approach to resolve the difficulty, to just go on. That is iyun kal. Every day has its own amud and one must learn that amud every single day, carrying on, day after day. Not without thinking, but without pursuing the optimum answer for every single question

This is the beauty of Dirshus Chaburas Shas program. Thousands of avreichim throughout Eretz Yisroel and chutz laaretz have completed Masechta Bava Kama. They have learned it thoroughly, but at the same time they have forged ahead, maintaining the schedule of one amud per day.

The siyum at the home of Rav Chaim Feinstein, attended by Roshei Chaburah of various Chaburas Shas groups together with the leaders of Dirshus hanhala led by Rav Dovid Hofstedter, was one of the numerous siyumim on Masechta Bava Kama that took place this month. There was another siyum of Yeshivas Chevron alumni that was attended and addressed by HaGaon HaRav Amram Fried, shlita.

One of the most moving parts of the evening, however, was what transpired before his drasha. Rav Fried started engaging the yungeleit in different sugyos in Masechta Bava Kama. He asked a question on one sugya and that segued into another sugya and before you knew it, a spirited Torah conversation was going on between the mesaymim and Rav Fried. That conversation clearly showed how it was possible to learn an entire masechta in a relatively short period of time with a remarkable level and degree of havana and iyun.

Earlier this year, Rav Dovid Hofstedter had occasion to speak to HaGaon HaRav Avrohom Gurwicz, shlita, venerated Rosh Yeshiva of Gateshead. A conversation ensued about various areas of derech halimud and Rav Gurwicz clearly stated that the proper derech halimud is where the individual finds sippuk hanefesh. He explained that no two people are alike. Every person has their own techunos hanefesh and shoresh haneshama. If a person finds satisfaction and joy in a certain derech halimud that is what is appropriate for his neshama.




Jerusalem Police arrested eight Arab-Israelis on Friday morning for abusing a mentally impaired Chareidi man and live-streaming it on Tiktok.

The horrifying incident occurred on Thursday evening outside Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital when a number of Arab-Israelis came to visit their friend who was injured in the violent Arab riots that transpired in east Jerusalem in solidarity with their Arab brethren in Jenin.

On the way into the hospital, the Arabs noticed a mentally impaired Chareidi young man who had come to the hospital for treatment and began abusing him, mentally and physically, while broadcasting it live on TikTok.

They videoed themselves mocking him and demanding that he eat like a dog from food that they placed ont the ground. They also ordered him to curse an Israeli flag, express support for Jenin, and repeat derogatory statements.

The video came to the attention of the police, who immediately opened an investigation and located and detained all eight suspects, residents of the Tzur Bahar neighborhood of east Jerusalem, and brought them to the Moriah police station for questioning. They were then brought to the Jerusalem Magistrates Court, and at the request of the police, their detention was extended for four days.

The Israel Police will continue to act resolutely to protect the safety of every person, including monitoring such crimes on social networks, locating and arresting suspects, and investigating them accordingly, a police spokesperson said.

 :           https://t.co/AnB1WfDSc4@Yossi_eli pic.twitter.com/ZmKL5ovxoq   13 (@newsisrael13) July 7, 2023

In an act of revenge, the police took the Arabs mugshots on the background of an Israeli flag.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




A yeshivah bochur from Israel was stabbed on Friday night while walking on Union Street in Crown Heights.

The bochur, who is a chassan and traveled to NY to receive an aliyah at 770 before his chasunah, was walking at about 2:30 a.m when he was accosted by two Afro-Americans who asked him if he was Jewish. When he answered yes, they stabbed him in the arm, apparently with a screwdriver.

The bochur, who speaks very little English, didnt call for help and went to sleep with his wound untreated. When he arrived at 770 on Shabbos morning, his friends called Hatzalah, who brought him to Methodist Hospital for treatment.

He received treatment for his wound and was released in good condition a few hours later.

It is currently being investigated as a hate crime, Yaacov Behrman, the director of media relations at Lubavitch International, wrote on Twitter.

Despite being visibly traumatized, the victim expressed gratitude for not having sustained more severe injuries. This incident is deeply concerning, and we have full confidence in the NYPDs ability to conduct a thorough investigation and apprehend the perpetrators.

The New York branch of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded to Behrmans tweet, writing: We are aware of this incident and are reaching out to law enforcement and community partners.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Dozens of Lebanese nationals, most of them soldiers in the Lebanese army as well as a number of Hezbollah operatives, crossed the border into Israeli territory last week, it was revealed for the first time on Sunday morning on Army Radio.

The Lebanese soldiers who crossed the border on Wednesday were armed and in uniform. The IDF exercised caution, refraining from using means to disperse the soldiers, and tried to resolve the incident via liaison channels with the UNIFIL force.

The Lebanese remained in Israeli territory for 20 minutes, refusing to evacuate, after which the incident was resolved via mediators and they re-crossed the border into Lebanon.

An IDF spokesperson stated that the incident occurred during routine engineering work by IDF forces in the area of the Ramim Ridge on the border with Lebanon. The work continued as usual.

The incident is the latest in a series of recent provocations on the border, including the launching of mortar projectiles at Israel last week and the establishment of armed Hezbollah outposts inside Israeli territory, a situation that has not yet been resolved.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Russia is mediating negotiations on a prisoner exchange between Iran and Israel, Kan News reported on Sunday.

According to the report, members of the Kataib Hezbollah militia told the UK-based Arabic Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the negotiations are centered on the exchange of Israeli-Russian citizen Elizabeth Tsurkov for Yusef Shahabazi Abbasalilo.

Abbasalilo, the Iranian head of a terror cell that plotted to carry out terror attacks against Jews and Israelis in Cyprus, was captured by Mossad agents, the Mossad revealed last month. [The Mossad did not reveal the date of his capture.]

The militia members said that Tsurkovs abduction was carried out in order to secure Abbasalios release.

The report added that some sources say that Tsurkov has been transferred to Iran. However, one source claimed that Tsurkov is still being held by Kataib Hezbollah, which is guarding her at Irans request.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




The Iraqi Alrabiaa TV channel aired footage on Friday morning of Israeli citizen Elizabeth Tsurkov in a Baghdad cafe prior to her abduction by the Kataib Hezbollah militia.

Additionally, a spokesperson for the Iraqi government referred to the kidnapping on Friday for the first time, saying that there is no official statement on the matter except that the Iraqi government will complete its official investigations, reach conclusions and afterward, there will be official announcements or positions.

Israels Channel 12 News reported on Thursday that Tsurkov was warned numerous times about the dangers of her trips to Iraq.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, the former prime minister of Iraq, who was also the countrys intelligence chief in the past and has close ties with US government officials, conveyed a message to the US and Russia in recent months that Tsurkovs work in Iraq along with her Israeli and Russian passports are endangering her.

These warnings were personally conveyed to her by various officials in Israel. Prior to her last trip to in Iraq, she was warned once again  but chose not to heed the warnings, explaining to her family members that to study political movements in the Middle East you need a presence in the field. There is no other way to do this research.

An Iraqi source who was in contact with Tsurkov told Kan News that she was abducted from an apartment she rented in Baghdad and that the kidnappers also abducted Tsurkovs roommate, an Iraqi citizen and a fellow researcher. The latter was released two weeks after the kidnapping and even left Baghdad, but returned there recently.

The Iraqi source also added that he and others in the country already contacted Iraqi intelligence two months ago regarding Tsurkovs case. We were told that she is fine, he said, and that she is no longer in Iraq but has returned to the United States. They lied to us. According to the source, Tsurkov was initially held by Iraqi intelligence officials and then transferred to Kataib Hezbollah. He said that Iran is involved in the case as well.

The source is close to former Iraqi prime minister Al-Kadhimi, who is hated by the pro-Iranian camp. Current Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani has close ties with the pro-Iranian camp which also have a strong influence on the countrys intelligence services.

Channel 12 reported that according to Iraqi reports, the Kataib Hezbollah members who kidnapped Zurkov were holding her in a military camp in the Jurf al-Zachar area south of the Iraqi capital. This camp is known for the activities of Iranian Revolutionary Guards experts and houses laboratories and warehouses for missiles and drones.

In April, the Kataib Hezbollah operatives received an update from a local Iraqi agency working with the security forces that their involvement in Tsurkovs kidnapping had been revealed, and since then they have been moving Tsurkov between different hideouts in southern Iraq.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Shore Capital reiterated their house stock rating on shares of Petro Matad (LON:MATD  Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports.

Petro Matad Stock Down 14.9 %

Petro Matad stock opened at GBX 4.85 ($0.06) on Thursday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is GBX 4.88 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 4.41. The company has a market cap of 53.84 million, a PE ratio of -15.50 and a beta of 2.52. Petro Matad has a 1-year low of GBX 1.60 ($0.02) and a 1-year high of GBX 7.10 ($0.09). The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 11.96 and a quick ratio of 16.91.

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Petro Matad Company Profile

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Petro Matad Limited, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, and produces oil in Mongolia. It holds 100% interests in production sharing contract blocks, including Ongi Block V that covers an area of approximately 7,937 square kilometers; and Matad Block XX that consists of an area of approximately 218 square kilometers in Mongolia.

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Pennon Group (LON:PNN  Free Report) had its price objective cut by Morgan Stanley from GBX 940 ($11.93) to GBX 850 ($10.79) in a research report report published on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

PNN has been the topic of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Pennon Group from GBX 840 ($10.66) to GBX 780 ($9.90) and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an overweight rating and issued a GBX 1,200 ($15.23) target price on shares of Pennon Group in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reiterated a neutral rating and set a GBX 900 ($11.42) price objective on shares of Pennon Group in a report on Monday, March 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pennon Group presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of GBX 1,000.83 ($12.70).

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Pennon Group Price Performance

PNN stock opened at GBX 679 ($8.62) on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of 1.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4,263.89, a PEG ratio of 6.98 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 278.67. Pennon Group has a 12-month low of GBX 673.50 ($8.55) and a 12-month high of GBX 1,047 ($13.29). The companys fifty day simple moving average is GBX 785.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 850.57.

Pennon Group Increases Dividend

Insiders Place Their Bets

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 20th will be issued a GBX 29.77 ($0.38) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 20th. This is a positive change from Pennon Groups previous dividend of $12.96.

In other Pennon Group news, insider Paul Boote sold 10,400 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 712 ($9.04), for a total value of 74,048 ($93,981.47). In the last ninety days, insiders bought 55 shares of company stock valued at $44,834. Corporate insiders own 0.64% of the companys stock.

About Pennon Group

(Free Report)

Pennon Group Plc provides clean water and wastewater services in the United Kingdom. It provides water and wastewater services for customers in Cornwall, Devon, and parts of Dorset and Somerset; water-only services in the areas of Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire; and water and wastewater retail services to non-household customers in Great Britain.

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If you have a Christmas Tree Shops gift card to spend, you have until July 21

If you have a Christmas Tree Shops gift card, you have less than two weeks to spend it.

The home goods retailer, which announced this past week that it planned to liquidate its 70 or so remaining stores, filed a document Thursday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware stating that the chain "will cease selling and honoring gift cards on July 21, 2023."

Christmas Tree Shops is notifying customers of the deadline through signage at its stores and a notice on the company's website.

In addition, the company announced Friday that "Going Out of Business sales" had begun nationwide. According to Christmas Tree Shops' website, the sale will offer discounts of up to 50% off on items in stores and that "new merchandise" would be arriving during the sales.

Bee Loprete, of Concord, exits the liquidation sale under way at the Christmas Tree Shops in Sherwood Plaza in Natick, July 7, 2023.

The stores, which are known for their Colonial, Victorian and Old English barn architecture, sell a variety of products, from outdoor furniture and rugs to seasonal decor and gift wrap to grocery items and toys.

According to WCVB-TV, Christmas Tree Shops was granted a few more days to find additional investors during a hearing on Friday in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware, a move that could save the business. But that effort ends at 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to the report, when the case is scheduled to return to court.

Earlier: Christmas Tree Shops was hoping to reorganize after bankruptcy; liquidation now planned

WCVB-TV also reported that Christmas Tree Shops has notified the state and town of Middleboro that all 232 workers at the companys headquarters and distribution center will likely lose their jobs sooner than later.

But Town Manager James McGrail and Select Board Chair Marc Germain each told the Taunton Gazette on Friday that they havent heard a thing from Christmas Tree Shops, nor has it responded to any inquiries from the town regarding how local operations will be affected.

Liquidation sales are under way at the Christmas Tree Shops, including its store at Sherwood Plaza in Natick, July 7, 2023.

Its been radio silent with the town regarding the closure, McGrail told the newspaper.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Christmas Tree Shops defaulted on a $45 million loan intended for financially restructuring itself after its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in May.

Christmas Tree Shops has 14 stores in Massachusetts: Avon, Falmouth, Foxborough, Holyoke, Hyannis, Lynnfield, Natick, North Attleboro, North Dartmouth, Orleans, Pembroke, Shrewsbury, Somerville and West Dennis.

A 15th Massachusetts store, in Sagamore, has already closed.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Christmas Tree Shops will stop honoring gift cards on July 21
Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated their buy rating on shares of Glencore (LON:GLEN  Free Report) in a research note published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a GBX 560 ($7.11) target price on the natural resources companys stock.

GLEN has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Glencore from GBX 590 ($7.49) to GBX 560 ($7.11) and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. Royal Bank of Canada set a GBX 540 ($6.85) price objective on Glencore in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Glencore from GBX 620 ($7.87) to GBX 610 ($7.74) and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 24th. UBS Group raised Glencore to a buy rating and set a GBX 560 ($7.11) price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 550 ($6.98) price objective on shares of Glencore in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine 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 price target of GBX 586.82 ($7.45).

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Glencore Stock Performance

GLEN stock opened at GBX 436.35 ($5.54) on Thursday. The businesss fifty day moving average is GBX 440.47 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 483.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 64.96. The company has a market cap of 54.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 404.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.30. Glencore has a twelve month low of GBX 395.40 ($5.02) and a twelve month high of GBX 584.50 ($7.42).

Glencore Company Profile

Glencore plc engages in the production, refinement, processing, storage, transport, and marketing of metals and minerals, and energy products in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. It operates through two segments: Marketing Activities and Industrial Activities. The company engages in production and marketing copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc, lead, chrome ore, ferrochrome, vanadium, aluminum, alumina, and iron ore; and coal, crude oil, refined products, and natural gas, as well as oil exploration/production and refining/distribution.

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Rio Tinto Group (LON:RIO  Free Report) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at Royal Bank of Canada from GBX 5,000 ($63.46) to GBX 5,100 ($64.73) in a research note issued on Friday, FlyOnTheWall reports. Royal Bank of Canadas target price points to a potential upside of 3.76% from the companys current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on RIO. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Rio Tinto Group in a report on Monday, July 3rd. Berenberg Bank reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 6,600 ($83.77) price objective on shares of Rio Tinto Group in a research note on Thursday, May 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an underweight rating on shares of Rio Tinto Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Rio Tinto Group to a buy rating and decreased their price objective for the company from GBX 6,200 ($78.69) to GBX 6,000 ($76.15) in a research note on Monday, June 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Rio Tinto Group from GBX 5,800 ($73.61) to GBX 5,670 ($71.96) and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of GBX 6,101.54 ($77.44).

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Rio Tinto Group Stock Performance

Shares of Rio Tinto Group stock opened at GBX 4,915 ($62.38) on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 5,008.11 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 5,500.24. Rio Tinto Group has a 12 month low of GBX 4,424.50 ($56.16) and a 12 month high of GBX 6,406 ($81.30). The stock has a market capitalization of 61.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 823.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.64 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.47, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Insider Buying and Selling

About Rio Tinto Group

In other Rio Tinto Group news, insider Ngaire Woods bought 500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 4,921 ($62.46) per share, for a total transaction of 24,605 ($31,228.58). In other news, insider Ngaire Woods purchased 500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 4,921 ($62.46) per share, with a total value of 24,605 ($31,228.58). Also, insider Peter Cunningham sold 5 shares of Rio Tinto Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 5,586 ($70.90), for a total value of 279.30 ($354.49). 14.67% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

(Free Report)

Rio Tinto Group engages in exploring, mining, and processing mineral resources worldwide. The company operates through Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper, and Minerals Segments. It offers aluminum, copper, iron ore, diamonds, gold, borates, titanium dioxide, salt, silver, molybdenum, and lithium. The company also owns and operates open pit and underground mines, refineries, smelters, and concentrator facilities, as well as power stations, research, and service facilities.

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Deliveroo (OTCMKTS:DROOF  Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at BNP Paribas from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research note issued on Friday, Briefing.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on DROOF. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Deliveroo from GBX 91 ($1.15) to GBX 88 ($1.12) in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Deliveroo from GBX 105 ($1.33) to GBX 110 ($1.40) in a research note on Friday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Deliveroo in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Deliveroo from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 23rd. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lifted their target price on shares of Deliveroo from GBX 144 ($1.83) to GBX 159 ($2.02) in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $122.00.

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Deliveroo Price Performance

Shares of DROOF stock opened at $1.40 on Friday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $1.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.18. Deliveroo has a 12 month low of $0.84 and a 12 month high of $1.40.

Deliveroo Company Profile

Deliveroo plc operates an online food delivery platform. It connects local consumers, riders and restaurants, and grocery partners. The company operates in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Belgium, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. Deliveroo plc was founded in 2013 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

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Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE:BAM  Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) by 0.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,981,837 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 9,972 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned 1.21% of Brookfield Asset Management worth $163,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. bought a new position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 146.4% during the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,003 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA increased its holdings in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 35.5% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,057 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. RE Dickinson Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management during the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 1,995.1% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,718 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,636 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.29% of the companys stock.

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Brookfield Asset Management Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of BAM stock opened at $31.93 on Friday. Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. has a 1 year low of $26.76 and a 1 year high of $36.50. The firms 50 day moving average is $32.02 and its 200-day moving average is $32.08.

Brookfield Asset Management Announces Dividend

Brookfield Asset Management ( NYSE:BAM Free Report ) (TSE:BAM.A) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $966.00 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. will post 1.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 30th.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a report on Tuesday, May 30th. They set a hold rating on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of Brookfield Asset Management to an underperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $43.57.

Brookfield Asset Management Profile

(Free Report)

Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. provides alternative asset management services. Its renewable power and transition business includes the ownership, operation, and development of hydroelectric, wind, solar, and energy transition power generating assets. The company's infrastructure business engages in the ownership, operation, and development of utilities, transport, midstream, data and sustainable resource assets.

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National Australia Bank Limited (ASX:NABPH  Free Report) declared a interim dividend on Friday, July 7th, MarketIndexAU reports. Stockholders of record on Sunday, September 17th will be given a dividend of 1.364 per share on Sunday, September 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 4th. This is an increase from National Australia Banks previous interim dividend of $1.30.

National Australia Bank Price Performance

About National Australia Bank

(Free Report)

National Australia Bank Limited provides financial services to individuals and businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. It operates through Business and Private Banking; Personal Banking; Corporate and Institutional Banking; New Zealand Banking; and Corporate Functions and Other segments.

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Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,370 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $177,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Phocas Financial Corp. purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Charles Schwab by 54.8% during the 1st quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Charles Schwab by 704.2% in the 1st quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC now owns 571 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.77% of the companys stock.

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Charles Schwab Price Performance

Shares of SCHW opened at $56.79 on Friday. The Charles Schwab Co. has a fifty-two week low of $45.00 and a fifty-two week high of $86.63. The firms 50 day moving average price is $53.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $100.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.88.

Charles Schwab Announces Dividend

Charles Schwab ( NYSE:SCHW Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.03. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 34.82% and a return on equity of 27.83%. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 11th. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio is presently 27.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Redburn Partners lowered shares of Charles Schwab from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $86.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $75.00 to $69.00 in a report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $89.00 to $65.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Charles Schwab from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Monday, May 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Charles Schwab currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $66.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charles Schwab

In related news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 77,640 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total value of $4,018,646.40. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 59,771,278 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,093,761,349.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 6.60% of the companys stock.

Charles Schwab Profile

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Delta Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,482 shares of the companys stock after selling 608 shares during the period. Delta Financial Group Inc.s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MO. Kentucky Retirement Systems increased its stake in Altria Group by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 140,965 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,692,000 after buying an additional 6,588 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Altria Group by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,630,570 shares of the companys stock valued at $120,243,000 after buying an additional 116,654 shares during the period. Bartlett & Co. LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC now owns 14,223 shares of the companys stock valued at $664,000 after buying an additional 715 shares during the period. Balentine LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 80.2% during the 4th quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 43,366 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,982,000 after buying an additional 19,305 shares during the period. Finally, Cascade Investment Group Inc. acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,156,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.38% of the companys stock.

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Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO opened at $45.98 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $40.35 and a one year high of $51.57. The company has a 50-day moving average of $45.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.65. The stock has a market cap of $82.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.78, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.59.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.19 by ($0.01). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 245.43% and a net margin of 22.44%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.18%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 120.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 4th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $49.50 to $47.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $46.00.

Altria Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.

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Advisor OS LLC lifted its stake in Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW  Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,771 shares of the medical research companys stock after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the period. Advisor OS LLCs holdings in Edwards Lifesciences were worth $808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in EW. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 104,971.3% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,399,249 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,148,938,000 after acquiring an additional 15,384,593 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $658,390,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 21,874,280 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $1,632,040,000 after buying an additional 4,712,819 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 161.5% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,503,803 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $261,419,000 after buying an additional 2,164,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its holdings in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 655.9% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,325,457 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $173,502,000 after buying an additional 2,017,801 shares in the last quarter. 79.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Edwards Lifesciences

In other Edwards Lifesciences news, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.27, for a total value of $676,673.85. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 19,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,795,260.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Michael A. Mussallem sold 19,875 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.20, for a total value of $1,673,475.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,948 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,131,821.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.27, for a total transaction of $676,673.85. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 19,248 shares in the company, valued at $1,795,260.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 231,031 shares of company stock worth $20,306,102 in the last ninety days. 1.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Edwards Lifesciences Stock Performance

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on EW shares. 92 Resources restated a reiterates rating on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a report on Thursday, May 4th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Edwards Lifesciences from $94.00 to $102.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. 58.com reissued a reiterates rating on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Edwards Lifesciences has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $90.00.

NYSE:EW opened at $90.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 3.01 and a quick ratio of 2.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.45, a PEG ratio of 5.13 and a beta of 1.03. The companys 50-day moving average is $88.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.52. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a 1-year low of $67.13 and a 1-year high of $107.92.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW  Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The medical research company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.39 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 27.07% and a return on equity of 25.81%. Edwards Lifesciencess revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. Analysts forecast that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Edwards Lifesciences Company Profile

(Free Report)

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies for structural heart disease, and critical care and surgical monitoring in the United States, Europe, Japan, and internationally. It offers transcatheter heart valve replacement products for the minimally invasive replacement of heart valves; and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement products to treat mitral and tricuspid valve diseases.

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Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lessened its stake in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE  Free Report) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,266 shares of the conglomerates stock after selling 191 shares during the period. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLCs holdings in General Electric were worth $503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in General Electric by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 468,669 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $44,805,000 after acquiring an additional 37,874 shares during the last quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in General Electric by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,322 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of General Electric by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 20,125 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,905 shares during the last quarter. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in General Electric by 94.0% during the 1st quarter. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,349 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 3,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its stake in General Electric by 6.8% in the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 370,243 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $35,001,000 after purchasing an additional 23,555 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.75% of the companys stock.

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General Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GE opened at $108.27 on Friday. General Electric has a one year low of $46.60 and a one year high of $110.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12, a PEG ratio of 7.65 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $104.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.71.

General Electric Announces Dividend

General Electric ( NYSE:GE Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.14. General Electric had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 11.85%. The business had revenue of $14.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.24 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that General Electric will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 11th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 10th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.30%. General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder General Electric Pension Trust bought 35,160 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $995.44 per share, for a total transaction of $34,999,670.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 175,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,361,270.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Scott Strazik sold 173,873 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.56, for a total transaction of $17,310,795.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 56,049 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,580,238.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder General Electric Pension Trust purchased 35,160 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $995.44 per share, with a total value of $34,999,670.40. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 175,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,361,270.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 239,419 shares of company stock worth $24,144,151. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of General Electric from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, March 31st. Barclays raised their price objective on General Electric from $115.00 to $125.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of General Electric from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of General Electric from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of General Electric from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, General Electric presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $106.69.

General Electric Profile

(Free Report)

General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. It offers gas and steam turbines, full balance of plant, upgrade, and service solutions, as well as data-leveraging software for power generation, industrial, government, and other customers.

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Delta Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK  Free Report) by 7.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,592 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 516 shares during the period. Delta Financial Group Inc.s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 47,250 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $5,276,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 29.5% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,751 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,089,000 after buying an additional 2,223 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 447.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,260 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 6,505 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $726,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.13% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $112.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Sunday, June 11th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $107.00 to $92.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. Guggenheim reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. They set a neutral rating and a $99.00 price target on the stock. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $103.00.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.9 %

DUK opened at $89.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $69.18 billion, a PE ratio of 27.62, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The business has a 50 day moving average of $92.30 and a 200-day moving average of $96.79. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $83.76 and a 52 week high of $113.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK  Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.40 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.26 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 8.89% and a return on equity of 8.39%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th were paid a dividend of $1.005 per share. This represents a $4.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 11th. Duke Energys payout ratio is 123.69%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

(Free Report)

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments, Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I) and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, solar and wind sources, renewables, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity.

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Key Insights

Significantly high institutional ownership implies Compass Group's stock price is sensitive to their trading actions

A total of 25 investors have a majority stake in the company with 51% ownership

Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business

Every investor in Compass Group PLC (LON:CPG) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 86% to be precise, is institutions. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Institutional investors was the group most impacted after the company's market cap fell to UK36b last week. Still, the 20% one-year gains may have helped mitigate their overall losses. But they would probably be wary of future losses.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Compass Group, beginning with the chart below.

See our latest analysis for Compass Group

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Compass Group?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

Compass Group already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Compass Group, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Compass Group is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is BlackRock, Inc. with 8.6% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 5.0% and 4.4%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 25 have the combined ownership of 51% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Compass Group

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Compass Group PLC in their own names. As it is a large company, we'd only expect insiders to own a small percentage of it. But it's worth noting that they own UK17m worth of shares. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

With a 13% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Compass Group. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Be aware that Compass Group is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Advisor OS LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 6.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,088 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Advisor OS LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in LLY. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,416,206,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 102,752.2% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,446,026 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,992,374,000 after purchasing an additional 5,440,731 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,059,204 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,411,740,000 after purchasing an additional 3,691,436 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $445,944,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 54.8% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,311,713 shares of the companys stock worth $948,375,000 after purchasing an additional 1,172,504 shares during the last quarter. 87.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on LLY shares. UBS Group upped 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. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $395.00 to $392.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. StockNews.com cut Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, June 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $485.00 to $550.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $437.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Down 2.4 %

In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 164,125 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.60, for a total transaction of $76,744,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 101,028,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,241,071,556. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 164,125 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.60, for a total transaction of $76,744,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 101,028,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,241,071,556. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, EVP Patrik Jonsson sold 6,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.46, for a total value of $2,576,760.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 36,941 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,864,681.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 970,965 shares of company stock valued at $423,725,107 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

LLY stock opened at $452.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $429.15 billion, a PE ratio of 71.87, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.38. Eli Lilly and Company has a twelve month low of $296.32 and a twelve month high of $469.87. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $441.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $380.73.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.87 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 20.54% and a return on equity of 61.42%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys payout ratio is presently 71.86%.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in shares of The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 25.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 242,519 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 48,867 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.s holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $12,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SCHW. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 20,822 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,847,000 after purchasing an additional 1,452 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 6,263 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Charles Schwab by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,064 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,101,000 after acquiring an additional 2,648 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Charles Schwab by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,807 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Charles Schwab by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,239 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.77% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Charles Schwab news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 77,640 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total value of $4,018,646.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 59,771,278 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,093,761,349.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.60% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Charles Schwab Trading Up 1.5 %

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $75.00 to $72.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $86.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $89.00 to $65.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $46.00 to $53.00 in a report on Thursday, June 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $66.25.

Shares of NYSE SCHW opened at $56.79 on Friday. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 1 year low of $45.00 and a 1 year high of $86.63. The stock has a market cap of $100.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $53.08 and a 200 day moving average of $63.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.03. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 34.82% and a return on equity of 27.83%. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.13 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. Charles Schwabs revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 26th. Investors of record on Friday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.32%.

Charles Schwab Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Zullo Investment Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Free Report) by 1.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,373 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 46 shares during the period. Zullo Investment Group Inc.s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its position in Illinois Tool Works by 145.2% during the 1st quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 103 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Red Tortoise LLC purchased a new stake in Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.37% of the companys stock.

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Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance

NYSE:ITW opened at $243.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a fifty day moving average of $235.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.13. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $173.52 and a fifty-two week high of $253.37.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

Illinois Tool Works ( NYSE:ITW Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.98 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 92.13%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be given a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. Illinois Tool Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.40%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 5,425 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.23, for a total value of $1,297,822.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,870 shares in the company, valued at $2,121,970.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.88% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ITW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $205.00 to $203.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Illinois Tool Works from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, June 22nd. 3M reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $240.00 to $236.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $250.00 to $227.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $228.21.

Illinois Tool Works Company Profile

(Free Report)

Illinois Tool Works Inc manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment worldwide. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products. The Automotive OEM segment offers plastic and metal components, fasteners, and assemblies for automobiles, light trucks, and other industrial uses.

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Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL  Free Report) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 32,972 shares of the enterprise software providers stock after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in Oracle were worth $3,064,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 15.9% in the first quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,989 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $2,229,000 after acquiring an additional 3,293 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Oracle by 3.9% in the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 667,293 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $62,005,000 after acquiring an additional 24,921 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Oracle by 5.8% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,815,504 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $261,617,000 after acquiring an additional 153,879 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Oracle by 48.4% in the first quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 7,519 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $699,000 after acquiring an additional 2,453 shares during the period. Finally, Davidson Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Oracle by 24.0% in the first quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 5,755 shares of the enterprise software providers stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 1,115 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 43.43% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Oracle

In other news, EVP Maria Smith sold 1,320 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.78, for a total transaction of $154,149.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,298.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Michael J. Boskin sold 90,000 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Friday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.83, for a total transaction of $10,694,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 87,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,394,416.59. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Maria Smith sold 1,320 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.78, for a total value of $154,149.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 20,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,368,298.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,012,544 shares of company stock valued at $683,088,896 in the last 90 days. 43.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Oracle Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE ORCL opened at $114.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 55.54. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.52. The firm has a market cap of $311.08 billion, a PE ratio of 37.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.01. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $60.78 and a twelve month high of $127.54.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 12th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $13.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.74 billion. Oracle had a negative return on equity of 470.73% and a net margin of 17.02%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 16.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. Analysts expect that Oracle Co. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oracle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 11th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Oracles payout ratio is 52.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ORCL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. DA Davidson increased their target price on Oracle from $85.00 to $115.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Oracle from $86.00 to $106.00 in a research note on Friday, June 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Oracle from $93.00 to $109.00 in a research note on Monday, June 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Oracle from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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 note on Tuesday, June 13th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $118.15.

Oracle Profile

(Free Report)

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 Cerner healthcare, Oracle Advertising, and NetSuite applications suite, as well as Oracle Fusion Sales, Service, and Marketing.

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Zullo Investment Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG  Free Report) by 6.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,228 shares of the companys stock after selling 419 shares during the quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc.s holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF were worth $621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AGG. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 145.5% during the first quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 6,590 shares of the companys stock valued at $705,000 after buying an additional 3,906 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 36.2% in the 1st quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 52,003 shares of the companys stock worth $5,570,000 after purchasing an additional 13,829 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $44,000. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $241,000. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 14,640 shares of the companys stock worth $1,568,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.13% of the companys stock.

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iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Stock Up 0.0 %

AGG opened at $96.53 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $98.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.70. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a 1 year low of $93.20 and a 1 year high of $104.39.

About iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

IShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account.

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Everett Harris & Co. CA reduced its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 5.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,426 shares of the companys stock after selling 650 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CAs holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the first quarter valued at $784,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 12.5% during the first quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 45,008 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,377,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.2% during the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 852,169 shares of the companys stock valued at $82,873,000 after purchasing an additional 34,195 shares in the last quarter. Osborne Partners Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.6% during the first quarter. Osborne Partners Capital Management LLC now owns 42,695 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,152,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davidson Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 10.3% during the first quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 3,215 shares of the companys stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 77.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE PM opened at $97.70 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $94.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.85. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.85 and a 52 week high of $105.62. The company has a market capitalization of $151.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.70.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

Philip Morris International ( NYSE:PM Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 20th. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.04. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 128.55% and a net margin of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $8.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 11th. Investors of record on Friday, June 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.27 per share. This represents a $5.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 22nd. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio is currently 90.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the company from $109.00 to $116.00 in a report on Thursday, March 30th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. 22nd Century Group reissued a reiterates rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the company from $109.00 to $117.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $111.40.

Philip Morris International Profile

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products that are sold in markets outside the United States.

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Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lowered its holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Free Report) by 2.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,171 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 60 shares during the quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLCs holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ITW. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 106,553.0% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,185,211 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,582,902,000 after acquiring an additional 7,178,474 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,005,137 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,531,936,000 after acquiring an additional 545,904 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,004,410 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,100,917,000 after acquiring an additional 85,640 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,591,278 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,011,459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,707,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter worth $708,259,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.37% of the companys stock.

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Illinois Tool Works Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Illinois Tool Works stock opened at $243.81 on Friday. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 12-month low of $173.52 and a 12-month high of $253.37. The company has a market cap of $74.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.38, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The companys 50-day moving average price is $235.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.49.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

Illinois Tool Works ( NYSE:ITW Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.10. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 92.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.11 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be issued a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. Illinois Tool Workss payout ratio is 52.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ITW shares. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $205.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. 3M restated a maintains rating on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $250.00 to $227.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Illinois Tool Works from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, June 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $183.00 to $181.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $228.21.

Insider Transactions at Illinois Tool Works

In related news, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 5,425 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.23, for a total value of $1,297,822.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 8,870 shares in the company, valued at $2,121,970.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.88% of the companys stock.

Illinois Tool Works Profile

(Free Report)

Illinois Tool Works Inc manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment worldwide. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products. The Automotive OEM segment offers plastic and metal components, fasteners, and assemblies for automobiles, light trucks, and other industrial uses.

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Sainsbury's Warehouse

Demand for warehouse space has plunged to the lowest in a decade as the online shopping boom fades.

For the first time in 11 years, the number of companies leaving warehouses has exceeded those occupying them according to CoStar Group.

Warehouse occupiers including Amazon, Boohoo and Asos have shed space as demand for purchasing items online wanes.

Major grocers including Sainsburys and Co-op have also begun to sublet space as home grocery delivery demand falls and shoppers seek out bargains in stores amid the cost of living crisis.

Grant Lonsdale, director, market analytics at CoStar Group said: With cost-of-living pressures weighing on consumers, many online and bricks-and-mortar retailers, as well as the third-party logistics providers that service them, are re-evaluating their storage and distribution space requirements in a bid to optimise overheads.

This trend is likely to persist into next year.

Weakening occupier demand together with high levels of construction activity suggests vacancy rates will rise further, particularly in the case of larger warehouses.

Sainsburys has already closed two of its Argos warehouses and is planning to sublet further space in an attempt to cut costs.

In 2020 it shut most Argos shops on the high street and moved 150 of them into its Sainsburys stores, cutting thousands of jobs in the process.

Asos has announced the closure of three of its smaller warehouses this year, while Fast fashion retailer Boohoo has also been forced to shed space as people refrain from spending online. It closed a 290,000 sq ft distribution centre at the Park Farm Industrial Estate in Wellingborough earlier this year, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

Upmarket confectionery brand Hotel Chocolat is also seeking to sublet space after it warned on profits for the second time last month.

While the national industrial vacancy rate remains relatively low, it has risen to 3.6pc from 3.1pc at the end of 2022.

Additionally, the availability of larger warehouses (250,000 sq ft plus) has been rising sharply and now stands at 4.9pc  a seven-year high.

Amazon, Hotel Chocolat, Co-Op, Boohoo and Sainsburys have been contacted for comment. Asos refused to comment.

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What is the cost of a single gunshot?

A quick check of Ammo.com  which proclaims itself as the best source for discount ammo  tells us we can buy a bullet for a .357-caliber Magnum for about 63 cents.

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Thats what it costs to buy a single bullet. But what changes when one human being, gun in hand, shoots that bullet and it strikes another human being?

The true cost of a single bullet might shock you.

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Lets start with the costs of physical treatment. According to a 2017 Johns Hopkins University study, emergency medical treatment for gunshot wounds averages out to $5,254. Of course, these primary interventions are just the beginning of attending to physical healing. Based on a sample of more than 700,000 American gunshot victims  contemplate that for a moment  researchers determined inpatient charges average $95,887. One 63-cent bullet leads to more than $100,000 in hospital bills.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg of the cost of one bullet.

For every person shot in the state of Illinois, costs accrue in multiple places. There are costs to families directly affected, or, even worse, to families who survive the loss of a loved one. Shootings also affect a neighborhood, taking a toll on commerce, eroding a sense of public safety and eviscerating a communitys mental health.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, has an online tool for calculating the overall economic impact of a gunshot. The calculator factors in the widening ripple effect of a bullets launch from a chamber: the immediate costs of hospital treatment and police response; second-level expenditures related to long-term physical and mental health care, institutional care, foregone earnings and criminal justice costs; and long-term quality-of-life costs for pain and suffering over a victims lifetime. According to the calculator, every person shot in Illinois who is lucky enough to survive results in a total cost of $845,013. If that person is killed, the costs escalate to more than $16 million, $800,000 of which are costs borne by taxpayers: first responders, ambulances, police, investigations and criminal justice services.

While the cost of human life is all that matters, the spending on resources after a shooting is enormous.

And this staggering cost of a single gunshot does not factor in the long-term effects on quality of life: the pain and suffering of those who witness a shooting, those whose families were involved in the shooting and the neighborhoods where shootings occur. Anyone who has witnessed gun violence knows it causes life-altering trauma. As Everytown explains, The collective trauma we all feel when a mass shooting, homicide, or suicide occurs certainly isnt free.

[ Opinion series: Turning the tide on Chicagos gun violence ]

What we have learned from members of our faith community is borne out by research: Gun violence takes a toll, a serious emotional, physical and financial toll, on an entire community. Under Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the city created an initiative called the Ripple Effect to bring to life stories of these widening ripples by placing them throughout the city; the staggering headline reads, Constant fear can cause chronic illness.

Entire neighborhoods, with more unfortunately being added every day, suffer from this chronic affliction. This mostly untreated illness spreads too easily. The long-term, often hidden, costs of firearm injuries include worse mental health, substance use disorders and higher health care spending for survivors, as well as increased mental health disorders for their significant others and children, according to new research by investigators at Harvard Medical School.

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As President Joe Biden said a few weeks ago, Whats the difference between the post-traumatic stress that a soldier meets in the hills of Afghanistan, and a fourth grade kid meets in a classroom when they have to duck and cover?

Our answer? Not much.

The trajectory of a single 63-cent bullet can take a single life, and affect many more. That is the only cost that really matters.

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 >

But what is the cost of preventing that 63-cent bullet from being fired from its chamber? If a single homicide costs the system more than $16 million, how much does it cost to prevent a single gunshot?

Over the next four weeks, here on the Sunday Opinion pages of the Tribune, you can start to explore the many answers to this question. A weekly spotlight this month will shine on many excellent violence prevention leaders and advocates here in our city; they have much to teach us, and we have collective action we should take based on their sage advice.

Regardless of the cost of a single bullet, our real goal should be to make sure bullets are never fired at human beings. While its important to recall Benjamin Franklins advice that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, we know from our faith traditions that the one who saves a single life is like the one who saves the entire world.

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Yes, the financial costs of gun violence are immense and charged to every taxpayer in Chicago, but the uncalculated cost that no one is talking about is the all-too-human cost of broken dreams, depression and traumatized victims and communities. Every life we lose makes us a little less a city.

And so we look forward to learning, alongside you, dear reader, about the many ways we can save our city, and the world, together this summer.

Chicago faith leaders Rabbi Seth Limmer and the Revs. Otis Moss III, Ciera Bates-Chamberlain and Michael Pfleger joined the Tribunes opinion section last summer for a series of columns on potential solutions to Chicagos chronic gun violence problem. The column continues on an occasional basis.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
How much money do I really need to live completely off dividends? Here is the lowest amount you can probably get away with

How much money do I really need to live completely off dividends? Here is the lowest amount you can probably get away with

Whether youre just starting out your career or nearing retirement, the idea of stockpiling an investment portfolio to generate a passive income might be intriguing.

But how much money do you realistically need to be able to drop out of the workforce and get by on dividend payouts alone?

While you will have to start by honestly assessing what you can live with  and without. But theres a simple formula and some less simple risks youll need to consider when making the big dividend-dependency decision.

Dont miss

Dividends are great tools for investors

Dividends are payments made by publicly traded companies to their shareholders. Theyre typically used to communicate strength about the companys financial position. Steady dividends  even low ones  often signal a companys positive projection of its long-term outlook.

Many dividends are paid in cash. For investors with 401(k)s or IRAs, dividends are often automatically reinvested and, through the power of compounding, offer a powerful tool to grow a nest egg.

For straight-up equity investors, those cash payouts fuel dividend income  where passively generated payouts cover your living expenses.

How much youll need

How much youll need exactly depends on your income, spending habits and living expenses. Which means the answer is highly personal.

But once you know how much youll need to live, heres a simple formula to apply that to sort out how much you need in total.

Desired Dividend Income / Dividend Yield (%) = Estimated Portfolio $ needed

Lets consider a desired dividend income of $37,522, which was the real median single-person income in the U.S. in 2021 according to data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

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Next, consider what you can reasonably expect from dividend yields. Its fair to plan on yield rates between 1% and 6%.

Using our formula mentioned above, heres how yields translate to required portfolio size:

2% yields require a portfolio of $1,876,100

3% yields require a portfolio of $1,250,733

4% yields require a portfolio of $938,050

5% yields require a portfolio of $750,440

6% yields require a portfolio of $625,367.

Yet as well see, these numbers need further refinement thanks (or really, no thanks) to taxes.

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Weighing the risks of this approach

There are three potential consequences that should be considered before you commit fully to this income strategy.

Taxes. Dividend payments from a taxable brokerage account, or traditional 401(k) and IRA accounts, are considered taxable income.

Downside risk. Dividends arent a slam dunk. High-yield dividends may not be sustainable and a company too focused on returning profit to investors could lose out on growth later. And sometimes without warning, todays higher dividends tank.

If you plan to pay your bills with dividends, youll need to feel the risk is both reasonable and worth it.

Too-tight budget. If you think you can manage expenses at a median dividend income, then planning is everything. High inflation, rising interest rates and global turmoil can do a number on your portfolio: Youll need a strong stomach and stronger strategy.

As housing is a foundational cost, start there. Should you move? For the first time, median asking rents crossed the $2,000 threshold in May, according to Redfin. The numbers now range nationally from $1,453 in San Antonio, Texas to more than $4,000 in the New York metropolitan area.

High yield = high risk?

Handled carefully, the pursuit of steady, sustainable dividend income can be a winning play.

For older Americans, living off dividend income could make sense, especially if it delays taking a Social Security benefit. The longer you wait, the more money youll get when you collect.

Yet as with anything investment related, risk never goes away. History is littered with companies whose high yields indicated looming weakness.

And when in trouble, companies often ditch the dividends first. So in crafting a strategy, it helps to remember this truism: Powerful dividends and portfolio diversification make for a great combination.

What to read next

36% of millionaires say itll take a miracle to retire amid rising costs and a shaky market  here are the best shock-proof assets to grow your nest egg

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

Want to invest your spare change but don't know where to start? There's an app for that

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has marked the 500th day of war by hailing the countrys soldiers in a video from a Black Sea island that became a symbol of Ukraines resilience in the face of the Russian invasion.

Speaking from Snake Island, Mr Zelensky honoured the Ukrainian soldiers who fought there and all other defenders of the country, saying that reclaiming control of the island is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory.

Russian forces took control of the tiny stony island on February 24 2022, the day Moscow launched its invasion, in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraines biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.

I want to thank  from here, from this place of victory  each of our soldiers for these 500 days, Mr Zelensky said. Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine!

It was unclear when the video was filmed. Mr Zelensky was returning from Turkey on Saturday.

He announced that five commanders involved in the defence of the Azovstal steel plant, a gruelling months-long siege early in the war, were returning on the plane with him.

The sprawling steelworks was the last bastion of resistance as Russian forces took control of the port city of Mariupol. Its defenders became renowned among Ukrainians for holding out in wretched conditions in the plants tunnels and corridors.

Azovstals more than 2,000 defenders left the steelworks in mid-May 2022 and were taken into Russian captivity. The five leaders, some of whom were part of the Azov national guard regiment that Russia denounces as neo-Nazi, were freed in a September prisoner swap and taken to Turkey.

Under the exchange, the leaders were to remain in Turkey until the end of the war under the Turkish presidents protection. There was no immediate official explanation from Ankara or Kyiv about why they were allowed to return to Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: The return of the leaders of the Azovites from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of the existing agreements. Moreover, in this case, the terms were violated by both the Ukrainian side and the Turkish side.

Snake Island took on legendary significance for Ukraines resistance to the Russian invasion, when Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The answer supposedly came back: Go (expletive) yourself.

Ukraine has celebrated the story with patriotic fervour, issuing a postage stamp in commemoration.

The islands Ukrainian defenders were captured by the Russians but later freed as part of a prisoner exchange.

After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there, forcing the Russians to pull back on June 30 2022.

The Russian retreat reduced the threat of a seaborne Russian attack on Odesa and helped pave the way for a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports.

500   .    . ,       !  500 days of the full-scale war. And not a single day of weakness. Thank you to everyone who fights for the freedom and independence of Ukraine! pic.twitter.com/UUJqtLO4G3    (@ZelenskyyUa) July 8, 2023

Let the freedom that all our heroes of different times wanted for Ukraine and that must be won right now be a tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said. We will definitely win!

Intense battles continued to rage on Saturday in the countrys east and south as Ukrainian forces pressed their attacks against multi-layered Russian defences in the initial stages of their counter-offensive.

Ukraines interior ministry said that a Russian rocket strike on the town of Lyman killed eight civilians and wounded 13 others early on Saturday.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region, posted images showing some of the dead, including a body lying under a bicycle and body parts on the pavement next to a damaged vehicle, saying that the Russian terrorists are continuing to strike civilians in Donetsk.

A private residence, a shop and a few cars were also damaged in the attack on the town, which sits just a few miles from the front line, where Russian troops have recently intensified fighting in the forests of Kreminna.

Today marks 500 days of war in Ukraine. In todays @TheSun they cover the milestone and include comment from @JSHeappey. President Putin imagined his special operation would finish the job in just five days. He was wrong https://t.co/Tip60Rhuq7  Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) July 8, 2023

The UK Ministry of Defence said in its latest intelligence update that the eastern town of Bakhmut that was captured by the Russians in May has seen some of the most intense fighting along the front during the last week.

It said that Ukrainian forces have made steady gains to both the north and south of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, noting that Russian defenders are highly likely struggling with poor morale, a mix of disparate units and a limited ability to find and strike Ukrainian artillery.

The Russian military insisted that it has successfully fended off Ukrainian attacks in various sections of the front and inflicted heavy losses on the attackers.

The Russian Defence Ministry on Saturday released footage of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visiting firing ranges where volunteer soldiers are being trained.

Pitched battles along the front line are raging as Nato leaders are set to meet in Vilnius for a two-day summit next week to offer more help in modernising Ukraines armed forces, create a high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that it will join their alliance one day.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support early on Saturday for Ukraine joining Nato, saying it deserves to join the alliance. He made the comment at a joint news conference with Mr Zelensky, who visited Turkey as part of a European tour to rally support for Ukraines entry into the military alliance after the war with Russia comes to an end.

Ahead of the Nato summit, the US has announced that it will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, a move that President Joe Biden described as a difficult decision.

Two-thirds of Nato members have banned the munitions which have a track record of causing many civilian casualties, but the US sees their delivery as a way to help bolster Ukraines offensive and push through Russian front lines.
Shocking undercover footage from Irish marts is due to be broadcast in a new RTE Investigates programme.

An in-depth investigation by RTE presenter and former Agricultural Correspondent, Fran McNulty, has reportedly revealed major animal welfare abuses against Irish dairy calves.

'Milking It: Dairy's Dirty Secret' consists of evidence collected over five months and is due to air tomorrow night (Monday July 10) on RTE One and RTE Player.

According to RTE, one and a half million dairy calves are born in Ireland every year to ensure cows continue to produce milk.

Around half a million of the calves born are male - many of which are lower grade quality and arent suitable to be reared for beef - and are considered valueless.

They end up being slaughtered on farm or in meat factories, or they are exported as veal to mainland Europe.

Monday nights investigation reportedly shows how at some mart sales animals can't even be given away for free due to the oversupply of calves at peak points in the calving season (a short six-eight week period in spring and autumn).

While some handlers were found to treat young calves capably and with respect, others - including mart workers, farmers and transporters - reportedly showed a blatant disregard for animal welfare.

Undercover filming also captured what appeared to be serious breaches of animal welfare, including slapping, striking and kicking of animals, as well as throwing them mid-air.

The programme also investigates the journey taken by some of the 200,000 bull calves exported from Ireland every year to be fattened on veal farms in mainland Europe.

According to the Department of Agricultures own figures, close to 30,000 calves - mostly young bull calves - have been slaughtered at meat factories in Ireland so far this year.

Images/video: RTE Investigates
Government research suggests that the majority of 13-year-olds are healthy, have transitioned well to secondary school and feel supported by family and friends.

More than 6,000 children aged 13 and their caregivers were interviewed for the Department of Childrens Growing Up In Ireland report.

The surveys, conducted by phone during varying Covid-19 restrictions, examined education, physical health, socio-emotional well-being, pastimes and family circumstances.

It also examined how their life has changed since they were interviewed at age nine, and follows up on a special Growing Up in Ireland Covid survey conducted in 2020 to see how they were faring during the pandemic restrictions.

The Department of Children said the children in question were born in 2008 and their early years would have been during a recessionary period.

They were among the first group of children to avail of the free, pre-school year and their middle childhood would have seen significant social changes in Ireland such as the marriage equality referendum.

They have also grown up in a time of significant technological changes; and were born a few months after the first iPhone was launched in 2007.

Under the topic of education, the Department said the vast majority of the 13-year-olds had made the transition to secondary school and 97% agreed that they had made new friends.

A total of 92% were getting on well with schoolwork and 96% said they were settling in well.

Almost three quarters of 13-year-olds expected to achieve a degree.

The survey found the majority of 13-year-olds were healthy, felt supported by friends and family, and participated in a range of pastimes.

However, some young people were struggling in one or more areas.

Girls were much more likely than boys to have low mood (21% compared to 8%), lower self-esteem and parents observed symptoms of emotional distress.

While it is recommended that young people consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, just 11% of 13-year-olds achieved that target on a typical day.

For 53% of the children, usually two or three portions were eaten.

One-parent families were more likely to face socio-economic challenges such as being in the lowest income quintile, being in rented housing, having difficulty making ends meet and not having degree-level education.

Young people living in households with characteristics of socio-economic disadvantage, such as low income, low parental education or lone parenthood, were worse off on several indicators such as lower participation in organised team sports, less access to computers suitable for home learning and being more likely to have a chronic health condition.

Minister for Children Roderic OGorman said he was struck by the complexity of the social world of 13-year-olds.

They were dealing with the usual ups and downs of long-standing relationships with parents and siblings while negotiating multiple new relationships with teachers and peers as a result of the transition to secondary school.

This was after a prolonged period of reduced social interactions due to Covid and also in the context of simultaneously managing interactions online and face-to-face.

It was heartening therefore to read that the majority are doing well and have settled well into school.

The report also highlights where more work is required to ensure that all children have the possibility to flourish and reach their potential.

The key findings show the impact of socio-economic inequalities on childrens lives, and this data will inform priority work across Government to tackle child poverty.

The Growing Up in Ireland project will be surveying the children again when they are 17 years of age to see how Government services and policies addressing poverty are working.
[July 09, 2023] CGTN: Xi urges Jiangsu to take lead in advancing Chinese modernization Tweet

BEIJING, July 9, 2023 /CNW/ -- President Xi Jinping has called on east China's Jiangsu Province to take the lead and set an example in advancing Chinese modernization. Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection trip in Jiangsu from Wednesday to Friday. Lauding the strengths of Jiangsu's solid industrial foundation, rich scientific and educational resources, sound business environment and huge market size, he urged the province to continue to play an exemplary role in promoting reform, innovation and high-quality development, as well as in contributing to China's efforts to foster a new pattern of development. During the trip, Xi visited the cities of Suzhou and Nanjing, and went to places including an industrial park, enterprises, a historic and cultural block, and a science lab. On Friday morning, Xi also heard a work report from the provincial Party committee and the government of Jiangsu. Modernization of sci-tech Xi told officials that the key to Chinese modernization lies in the modernization of science and technology. Efforts should be made to reinforce the principal role of enterprises in innovation, encourage the flow of innovation resources to enterprises, and promote the industrial application of scientific and technological advances, Xi added. He also called for establishing a basic system to support comprehensive innovation and increasing sci-tech investment through diverse channels and strengthening the legal protection of intellectual property rights. During his inspection, Xi reiterated the importance of advancing the development of sience and technology.



Visiting the Suzhou Industrial Park, Xi emphasized the crucial role of hi-tech parks in achieving self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology. He called for deeper integrated development of enterprises, universities, and research institutes, with enterprises taking the lead. The Chinese president highlighted the importance of fostering new industries and accelerating industrial upgrades by leveraging new technologies. Additionally, he emphasized expanding international cooperation to build world-class high-tech parks that are open and driven by innovation.

When inspecting a 6G comprehensive lab of Purple Mountain Laboratories in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu on Thursday afternoon, Xi said that with the rapid advancement of information technology, disruptive technologies can emerge at any moment. He stressed pursuing a pragmatic path of innovation. He also encouraged young researchers at the Nanjing's NARI Group Corporation, to make breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies, thus leading a fulfilling life. Building a modern Chinese civilization Building a modern Chinese civilization is essential to advancing Chinese modernization, Xi noted during his meeting with party and governmental officials. He urged Jiangsu to step up the promotion of sectors including science and technology, education and culture. On Thursday morning, Xi strolled through the Pingjiang Historic and Cultural Block, a site with a rich history spanning over 2,500 years. He noted that the fine traditional Chinese culture embodies qualities such as resilience, patience, and perseverance, which have become an integral part of the Chinese national spirit. Xi said that Suzhou has excelled in blending tradition with modernity, simultaneously promoting historical and cultural inheritance and boosting high-tech innovation and high-quality development. This approach epitomizes the future of development, he added. Ensuring people's livelihoods Xi also demanded accelerated efforts to establish a well-rounded social security system, improve employment promotion mechanisms and public services to boost employment. He called for better ensuring the employment of key groups. On workplace safety, Xi said safety overhauls must be carried forward to curb serious and major accidents. Xi called for vigilance against flooding disasters as China is about to enter a key period for flood control. He also noted the increased risks of forest fires in some regions. Various emergency preparations must be made to reduce all sorts of losses to the minimum, Xi added. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-07-07/Xi-urges-Jiangsu-to-take-lead-in-advancing-Chinese-modernization-1lfdoRI14CA/index.html View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgtn-xi-urges-jiangsu-to-take-lead-in-advancing-chinese-modernization-301872510.html SOURCE CGTN

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Here's yet another reminder that locals seem quicker to anger this Summer as the quotient of gun violence continues to escalate.



Check a nasty food fight that has none of the cray charm of Brittney Spears attempting to toil amongst the plebs way back in the 90s . . .



A sheriffs spokesperson said that first responders arrived and found the female employee shot. The employee was taken to a hospital recovery from her injuries.



The initial investigation points to a fight over a food order. As restaurant employees tried to break up the fight, a handgun was fired, striking the employee.



The sheriff's spokesperson said two females are being questioned in the incident.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Platte County Sheriff: Restaurant employee shot in dispute over food order A 24-year-old employee was shot Saturday night following a dispute over a food order at a restaurant in Northmoor, Missouri.
The struggle against a Kansas City landfill ramps up.

Thanks to some of the best TKC READERS . . . We have a glimpse of their efforts . . .

The main takeaway . . .

These trash talkers don't seem to believe a word of assurances from Kansas City and work to fight back against a stinky local landfill.



First the backstory . . .



"City officials from all five impacted areas, including Kansas City, have all publicly denounced this proposal with the rumblings reaching Jefferson City and the Missouri legislators. Standing up for their constituents House Representative Mike Haffner and Senator Rick Brattin along with bi-partisan support from other area legislators, Senator Mike Cierpiot and Senator Greg Razer, sponsored two bills, HB 909 and SB 590 respectively, which if passed would have killed the landfill idea at that location."



And so . . .

Here's a look at continued local push back . . .



"Kill the Fill PAC is the voice of the communities, united over a single cause, working together to stop a landfill project in South Kansas City. Together we will protect the vulnerable, our homes, and the natural beauty we love so much from the greed of landfill developers who want to destroy it."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kill the Fill PAC | Kansas City Kill the Fill PAC is the voice of the communities, united over a single cause, working together to stop a landfill project in South Kansas City. Together we will protect the vulnerable, our homes, and the natural beauty we love so much from the greed of landfill developers who want to destroy it.

A flyer circulating around the metro along with a nice freebie pin sent our way . . . Click the image or this link for a bigger, better view . . .

Developing . . .


We almost missed this power move but it's worth it to recycle this quote if only our our edification and to document the discourse in these last 12 years we have together.



Check-it . . .



"I received some great news from a friend of mine, this morning. Linn County, Kansas has joined the growing number of counties across the United States who have had the wisdom and foresight to ban industrial wind installations in their countypermanently. Like their counterparts elsewhere, the county commissioners who voted for this ban are doing their jobs by protecting the health, safety, and nature of the county and its residents. They will also be able to avoid the disastrous decommissioning issues, continual road repairs, land disputes, and especially the eminent domain problems that go hand in hand with industrial turbines . . . Congratulations to the residents of Linn County who have fought hard for 5 years to stop industrial wind from entering their county.



"By the way, all of this insanity is due to the climate change fraud. I have been keeping track of that for many years, and just ran across a article I bookmarked in 2010 that does a great job chronicling the history of the climate fraud and the big money that has been behind it since the 1970swhen it really started as global cooling. Great read! Check it out!"

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas State Senator Mike Thompson: "I received some great news from a friend of mine, this morning."

Developing . . .


Abuja, Nigeria--(Newsfile Corp. - July 9, 2023) - According to the organizers, Dotmount Communications, Nigeria will for the second time host the African Industrial and Development Conference and Awards, AIDCA 2023.

The event will take place at the plush Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, from 14th to 15th September.

This comes after the successful AIDCA 2022, which had former President John Mahama of Ghana, the Group Managing Director of the state owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, King of the oil rich Warri Kingdom, Olu of Warri Ogiame Atuwatse III and other prominent figures across Africa as speakers.

This year's conference will be held under the theme: Energy and Sustainable Development in Africa. In a statement signed and made available by the conference director, Adedotun Olaoluwa, said the conference will profile renewable energy opportunities available in Nigeria and Africa to producers of renewable power as their next investment destination.

Olaoluwa argues that the theme is important at this present time, because Africa has abundant renewable resources that could transform the global energy sector, ensuring green growth with low greenhouse gas emissions. Our continent's renewable energy potential is rated as "superabundant". With the right technologies and supportive financing mechanisms, Africa holds the world's potential to change the renewable energy narrative for the entire world.

"Moreover, in Africa we have between 30 to 40 per cent of the minerals that will be indispensable in the world's green industrial revolution. Africa's arable land could feed the globe without the adoption of industrial agriculture and its attendant contribution to climate change. All these enlisted resources, coupled with the carbon sinks in Africa's equatorial and tropical forests, would demonstrate that Africa holds part of the solution to climate change.

AIDCA could not have come at a better time and at a better venue. Africa is among the most vulnerable parts of the world in the face of climate change, and is already experiencing an increase in devastating flood- and drought-related food insecurity according to the latest IPCC report on climate mitigation. The energy transition, with its systematic shift to renewable energy, needs to be understood not as a burden imposed on the world's most vulnerable people, but as a vast opportunity to improve livelihoods across Africa in ways that transcend purely economic benefits," Olaoluwa said.

The keynote is expected to be delivered by a prominent business leader and energy expert from Saudi Arabia.

Other speakers include the Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Africa's richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of Dubai Multi Commodities Center DMCC, Samuela ISOPI, European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Antonella Battaglini of the Renewables Grid Initiative and the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria's Federal Inland Revenue Service, Muhammad Nami, amongst others.

This summit presents an opportunity to further the conversations and network around the shared values of progress, development, and advancement for our continent.

Media Contact

Company Name: Dotmount Communications

Contact Person: Adedotun Olaoluwa

Email: info@dtcoms.com

Phone: +234 902 598 0912

Website: www.aidca.africa

PR Contact

Skyler White

media@pinionpartners.co

www.pinionnewswire.com



AIDCA2023

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8700/172853_pinion172853.jpg

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/172853
And so . . .

Hapless Missouri Democrats attempt to win Missouri with a nice white lady who doesn't even have a beer fortune backing her up.

On paper this is a good move . . .

But the reality is that this debut only serves to reveal and exceptionally WEAK BENCH for Missouri Democrats.

Sadly . . .

Our "local media" will attempt to push this candidacy on the populace whilst the strong urban core voting bloc is mostly excluded from the conversation.

To be fair . . .

We look forward to so many cringe-y selfies that our urban neighbors will have to suffer at 18th & Vine and throughout STL.

Here's info & more from the only news-y outlet that will cover this topic without pom-poms . . .

"While her candidacy was a topic of speculation these past months, her first campaign video was released Sunday. Citizens for Crystal Quade, a PAC associated with the Springfield representative, funded the production."



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Springfield Rep. Crystal Quade launches 2024 campaign for governor "Missouri's never seen a Governor like me before," Quade said in the video launching her campaign.

Here's the clip . . .

You decide . . .
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded 25,170 civilian casualties in 1,504 settlements of Ukraine, including 9,177 killed and 15,993 injured, since Russias full-scale invasion started.

The relevant statement was made by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In particular, among the victims whose sex was known, there were 4,202 men, 2,506 women, 281 boys and 225 girls.

The regions with the highest numbers of civilian casualties were as follows: Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, and Luhansk.

According to the OHCHR, actual numbers of civilian casualties are considerably higher, as many reports of individual civilian casualties in certain locations are still pending corroboration. Such locations include the Donetsk regions Mariupol, and the Luhansk regions Lysychansk, Popasna, and Sievierodonetsk.

The highest monthly numbers of civilian casualties occurred in March and April 2022. The numbers then decreased gradually, reaching their lowest level in February 2023. Most casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects.

A reminder that the UNs Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) stated earlier that three times as many civilians were killed in the last 500 days as during the entire previous 8 years of hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
On July 5, 2023, the budget committee of Germanys Bundestag approved the procurement of additional ammunition for the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer, the Leopard 2 main battle tank and the Puma infantry fighting vehicle.

The relevant statement was made by the German Federal Ministry of Defence, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to the ministry, this way the Bundeswehr will cover its own needs, provide further support to Ukraine and replace the ammunition stocks that have already been sent to Kyiv.

Russias attack on Ukraine has radically changed the security policy framework. This makes it necessary to procure additional ammunition  for the German armed forces, but also for the armed forces of Ukraine, the ministry noted.

Ukraine is actively using the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers and the Leopard 2 main battle tanks and, thus, the need for 155 mm artillery shells for the howitzer and 120 mm shells for the main battle tank is also covered with Germanys help.

Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has received considerable amounts of ammunition from the Bundeswehr stocks to fight against Russian invaders but needs even more.

Every procurement project of the Bundeswehr with a volume of more than EUR 25 million must be approved by the budget committee of the Bundestag.
Ukraine's defense forces continue to advance in the Bakhmut sector, whereas Russian invaders are falling into traps in some places.

Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"The Bakhmut direction. We are having success. The Defense Forces continue to move forward, and the enemy is trapped in some places," the commander emphasized.

Syrskyi also showed a video of "the excellent work of the 'Pryvyd' ['Ghost'] group of the Separate Presidential Brigade named after Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi." "A sniper with the call sign 'Alpha' is working. He destroyed the enemy with one shot from 1,200 meters," Syrskyi wrote.

During the sniper's work, the group shot down an enemy UAV, the commander said.
By Mathieu Rosemain

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - French mining group Eramet is in talks with several European carmakers over commercial agreements that would help the company finance its lithium production project in Argentina, Chief Executive Officer Christel Bories said.

The race for lithium, a key raw material used to make batteries for electric vehicles, is speeding up as rising tensions between the United States and China push Europe's automakers to secure their own supply chain.

"We're talking with a lot of OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers, or carmakers) today," Bories told Reuters on Saturday at a business conference in the southeastern city of Aix-en-Provence, adding that these included French ones.

"We're currently discussing potential commercial agreements," she said, with reference to the group's lithium project in Argentina, adding these involve joint marketing and so-called offtake accords, or commitments to buy a certain volume of the upcoming production.

Eramet is due to start lithium production next year in Argentina in partnership with Chinese steel group Tsingshan, and has said it is interested in studying other potential sites in a lithium-rich zone of South America that also includes Chile.

"We're positioning ourselves (in Chile), we have discussions with state-owned companies," Bories said, with the aim to gain potential lithium concessions "in the coming months."

Two thirds of the world's lithium reserves are located in South America, Bories said.

Demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has increased as climate-conscious consumers snap up cars with electric powertrains, amid soaring fuel prices.

Bories confirmed commodities group Glencore was among parties to have expressed interest in helping finance Eramet's lithium production in Argentina.

She declined to elaborate further or give the names of the European carmakers involved in the talks.

(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine values every life and remembers history.

He said this in his video address to the nation, Ukrinform reports, referring to the presidents press service.

I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today I am in Lutsk with the team.

In the morning I met with Mr. President of Poland Duda. A conversation with him. A prayer service. There were representatives of all denominations and religious communities... In the Lutsk church. Together with Andrzej, we honored the memory of all the victims in Volyn. We value every life, remember history, and defend freedom together.

Here in Lutsk, in Lubart's castle, I held a long meeting today on the situation in the region - security, the situation on the border, the situation in the border areas of neighboring Belarus... The priority is to reinforce each region, our entire northern border. There were reports from the military, law enforcers, and local authorities. We analyzed the training and supply of our Defense and Security Forces and relevant units in Volyn. There was a report on the social situation in the region, the needs of people. Energy, water supply, budgetary support - both for people and for the social sphere. The state of the shelters. Jobs in the region. The state supports and will continue to support as much as possible. And I am grateful to everyone here in Lutsk, to everyone in other cities and communities of the region where IDPs have been accommodated, where people help in the treatment and rehabilitation of our warriors... Thank you!

The frontline, our active actions.

This week we have a lot to be grateful for to the warriors of our 3rd separate assault brigade, the 24th separate mechanized brigade, the paratroopers of the "Eightieth"... Well done, warriors!

In the Tavria direction, as always, the paratroopers of the "Seventy-Ninth", the artillerymen of the 55th separate brigade "Zaporizhzhia Sich", the 74th separate reconnaissance battalion and the 59th separate motorized infantry brigade distinguished themselves with power, courage and accuracy... I want to thank you!

I would like to mention a warrior of the Zaporizhzhia Sich brigade, Major Volodymyr Honcharov. Thank you, Volodymyr! Sailor Serhiy Komar - 35th separate marine brigade - thank you, Serhiy! Soldier Oleksiy Labenets, a rifleman of the security battalion of the 15th transport aviation brigade. Thank you, Oleksiy! Artillerymen of the "Magura", the 47th separate mechanized brigade - Major Anton

Cherevko and Senior Lieutenant Vasyl Abramiv. Thank you, guys!

Thank you to everyone who is fighting and working for Ukraine! Thank you to everyone in the world who helps!

Thank you, Lutsk, for this day!

Glory to Ukraine!
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has chaired a coordination meeting regarding the socio-economic and security situation in Volyn region.

During a working trip to Volyn region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a coordination meeting on the socio-economic and security situation in the region, the Presidents Office reported.

It is noted that Head of the Volyn Regional Military Administration Yuri Pohulyayko informed about the construction of fortifications and defensive engineering structures, as well as the socio-economic situation in the region.

The meeting participants heard a report from Volodymyr Myroniuk, commander of the Volyn joint group of troops, on the situation in the area of operational responsibility.

Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Serhiy Deyneko reported on measures to enhance the protection of the Ukrainian-Belarusian section of the state border in Volyn region.

Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk informed the participants of the meeting about ensuring the city's vital functions and defense measures under martial law.

In addition, Yuri Bolokhovets, CEO of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine, briefed the meeting participants about the company's performance in the first half of 2023.

The parties also discussed the criminogenic and operational situation in Volyn region.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk has arrived in Latvia to reach an international consensus on Ukraines accession to NATO on the eve of the Alliances Summit in Vilnius.

The relevant statement was made by Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Latvia. On a working visit to Riga these days. I am glad to meet with Ukraines loyal friend, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia Edvards Smiltens, Stefanchuk wrote.

In his words, there is no such area in which Latvia would not help Ukraine. Everything that Ukraine needs, Latvia does, and does it quickly and efficiently. Stefanchuk thanked Latvia for providing assistance to Ukraine.

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada mentioned that Latvia had already sent EUR 388 million worth of weapons, ammunition and military goods to Ukraine, which is 1.3% of the countrys GDP.

The main goal of the meeting is to reach an international consensus on Ukraines path to NATO on the eve of the Alliances Summit in Vilnius, Stefanchuk noted.

He expressed hope that historic decisions would soon be made in Lithuania, both for Ukraine and the Euro-Atlantic community.

In addition, the parties discussed Ukraines defense needs.

This support is crucial for achieving victory today, Stefanchuk stressed.

A reminder that the NATO Summit will take place in Vilnius on July 11-12, 2023.

Photo: Ruslan Stefanchuk, Facebook
(Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers are pouring into Thailand, having committed to invest $1.44 billion in production facilities in Southeast Asia's biggest automaking hub that has long been dominated by Japanese companies.

This new wave of investment has been backed by Thailand's government, which has rolled out incentives and courted Chinese firms, with a target to convert about 30% of the country's annual vehicle production into EVs by 2030.

INVESTMENTS UNDERWAY

China's Great Wall Motor made an early punt on Thailand in 2020 when it acquired a factory from General Motors , where it will spend 22.6 billion baht ($647.38 million) turning it into a regional production centre for EV and hybrid cars.

The automaker will start producing its popular compact Ora Good Cat EV in Thailand next year, and is also bringing in its subsidiaries MIND Electronics, HYCET and Nobo Auto that make electronics, powertrains and seating.

Chinese rival SAIC Motor, which owns MG Motor and has a partnership with Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group, launched its first EV in the country in 2019.

It is investing 500 million baht to expand its existing plant for EV parts and battery manufacturing, the company said in April.

Chinese EV giant BYD is investing 17.9 billion baht to set up a new facility in Thailand that will start producing 150,000 passenger cars per year from 2024, some of which will be exported to Southeast Asia and Europe.

China's Hozon New Energy Automobile is also working with Thailand's Bangchan General Assembly to locally produce the electric NETA V model starting next year.

IN THE PIPELINE

Several deals are also in the pipeline, according to the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), which has been pursuing Chinese automakers.

State-owned Chongqing Changan Automobile, which has partnerships with Ford and Mazda, will invest 9.8 billion baht to set up its first right-hand drive EV factory outside China, according to the BOI.

GAC Aion, a subsidiary of state-owned automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) is planning to invest more than 6.4 billion baht to produce EVs in Thailand, the BOI said.

China's Chery Automobile, which first rolled out a self-developed EV in 2009, is "very interested" to invest in Thailand and plans to enter the market early next year, according to the BOI.

Chongqing Changan, GAC and Chery did not respond to requests for comment on their plans for Thailand.

Chinese automaker Geely is also in the early stages of planning an entry into Thailand, Reuters reported in May, including weighing models for import and local manufacturing.

RISING POPULARITY

The influx of Chinese models appears to be helping to boost the popularity of EVs in Thailand, the second-largest car market in Southeast Asia.

In the first half of 2023, over 31,000 EVs were registered in Thailand, more than three times the number for all of 2022, the BOI said, citing industry data.

The price gap between EVs and combustion engine cars has also narrowed, in part because of government subsidies.

The cheapest variant of Great Wall's Ora Good Cat - Thailand's best-selling EV last year - currently costs around 828,500 baht, while Hozon's NETA V is priced at 549,000 baht, according to company websites.

On Toyota's Thailand website, the Corolla Altis is priced at 894,000 baht and the Yaris Ativ at 549,000 baht.

($1 = 34.9100 baht)

(Compiled by Devjyot Ghoshal in Bangkok; Editing by Jamie Freed)


(Photo : CANVASDISCOUNT)

Looking for a budget-friendly way to decorate your dorm room or shared apartment? You might want to try personalized canvas prints.

When it comes to price performance, hardly anything can rival these custom-made wall art pieces. Cheap, great-looking, and easy to take along with you when you move to a new place, these are home decor solutions that could have been designed especially for the student lifestyle.

Read on to learn more about the many benefits of canvas prints with the help of the photo printing experts at CANVASDISCOUNT.com.

Economy Wall Decor to Personalize Your Living Space

Kicking off the new semester presents its share of challenges. As well as maybe feeling the post-summer blues, there's a good chance you're returning to a campus far away you're your hometown. And once the excitement of seeing your peers again wears off, it's all too easy to start feeling homesick.

That's why it's so important to make your student quarters feel as homely as possible. You can bring some keepsakes and other reminders of home along with you, or perhaps make a photo board with some polaroid prints. And these aren't the only low-cost options at your disposal...

When it comes to decorating your living space, few things give you as much room for creative exploration as personalized canvas prints. And crucially, they're also cheap enough to fall within the budget of the average American student, making them the perfect home decor solution for the new school year.

For students looking to spruce up their dorms or apartments, the choice is usually between canvas prints and posters. While posters are lightweight and affordable, canvas prints are definitely much more durable as photos are printed on a piece of strong fabric, not on crease- and torn-prone paper. Canvas prints can also be used as desk decor features, as they can be leaned against the wall (a very convenient solution in case you can't or don't want to make holes in the wall for nails).

Canvas Prints to Keep You Motivated

Canvas prints aren't just a great way to keep that link with your hometown and your previous life. They're also a time-tested means of staying in good spirits and keeping motivated to chase your goals.

Any student will tell you that the stress of academic life with its constant deadlines can take its toll. But something you can do to keep focused is hang a canvas print with a motivational quote above your desk. It might not reduce your workload, but it might just give a boost to your confidence and resolve.

You're not limited to quotes of course. Other great ideas for motivational canvas prints include photos of your idols and role models, perhaps historical figures whose example you want to follow.

And while reasons behind motivation and productivity are much more complex and deeper than simple visual joy from seeing a nice picture, one thing we can be sure about - personalized spaces play an important role in building relationships, setting and achieving goals and functioning well in challenging environments. The personalization approach works for offices - and there isn't a single reason why it shouldn't work for student rooms too.

So with science backing up the idea that a canvas print featuring a photo of your idol could subconsciously boost your motivation, this is essentially a student life hack.

And one of the best things is that with canvas prints you needn't worry about accidentally going over your limited student budget - canvas prints are one of the most affordable wall decor options, provided you opt for a discount printing provider. One of such options is CANVASDISCOUNT.com who offer personalized photo canvases starting at $5.00.

Student Life in the Age of Personalization

Displaying personalized canvas prints in your dorm room reflects the same cultural trend that brought us custom-made clothes, cosmetics, furniture, even beverages. Increasingly people want unique experiences that reflect exactly who they are.

Just like when you opt for a customized hoodie over a regular one or even just decorate your laptop, it's a way of showcasing your interests, telling your story, and making a visual statement - things that are important to us throughout our lives, but probably most of all during our student years.

So for those of you just starting out on your student journeys and looking to personalize your surroundings, custom wall decor such as canvas prints could be exactly what you've been searching for!
Duff Rubin is president of Coldwell Banker Realty in Florida.

Midway through 2023, the Sarasota-Manatee residential real estate market continues to have demand outpace supply and increasing prices. This is due to a variety of factors, including a growing population, a strong economy, and an extremely desirable location.

One of the main drivers of the greater Sarasota real estate market is the area's population growth. According to recent census data, the population of Sarasota has been steadily increasing over the past several years, with many people moving to the area for its warm climate, beautiful beaches, and vibrant culture. This influx of new residents has created a greater demand for housing, which has led to price increases and a growing number of new home communities being started in the area.

Another factor contributing to the strength of the Sarasota real estate market is the area's strong economy. Sarasota has a diverse economy, with a mix of industries, including health care, tourism, and education. In Manatee County, SeaPort Manatee has experienced huge expansion and growth in the last few years. It is now one of the 10 biggest ports in Florida and happens to be the closest deepwater seaport to the Panama Canal. According to the port's website, its had $5.1 billion in economic impact and accounts for 37,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The prime location of greater Sarasota is also a major draw for homebuyers. The area is known for its beautiful beaches, world class dining and shopping, as well as a vibrant arts and culture scene. Sarasota is no longer just for retirees, with many second-home buyers, remote workers and families moving here. Nowhere is this more evident than the Lakewood Ranch area of Manatee County.

According to Holly Pascarella, who is part of the Pascarella Shanahan Luxury Group with Coldwell Banker Realty out of Lakewood Ranch, communities continue to be added because the demand still exists. The homes moving the fastest are either new construction or those that have been fully renovated and accurately priced. With the lifestyle, amenities and convenience of Lakewood Ranch, its an in-demand region.

Pascarella explained that resale homes in Lakewood Ranch communities with the most amenities are selling the best. Properties in the $500,000 to $1.5 million range are still experiencing a strong market and she noted that Lakewood Ranch homes priced at $2 million are moving fast.

For those buying second homes in the area, Pascarella said second home financing is running approximately a percentage point higher and is requiring 30% down, versus a primary home 30-year note, which can require up to 20% cash down. Because of these dual factors, her team is seeing an increased number of all-cash deals. They specialize in luxury real estate in the region and see an estimated 70% of their closings involve all cash.

By comparison, the National Association of Realtors estimated all-cash deals, on average, accounted for 25% of closings nationally in May 2023. Sarasota-Manatee Coldwell Banker Realty offices are seeing a higher percentage than this national average. Our Lakewood Ranch office, for example, has all-cash deals representing 45% of total closings.

Overall, the Sarasota-Manatee residential real estate market is in a solid position midway through 2023. With a growing population, strong economy, and desirable location, the market is likely to continue to see steady demand and price growth in the coming years.

Duff Rubin is president of Coldwell Banker Realty in Florida.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: DUFF RUBIN: All-cash deals highlight Sarasota-Manatee real estate market
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(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 09th Jul, 2023) ABU DHABI, 9th July, 2023 (WAM)  H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Rulers Representative in Al Dhafra Region, visited Das Island to lay the cornerstone of a new hospital and residential complex. The infrastructure expansion marks an important milestone in ADNOCs low-carbon growth strategy as the company accelerates its efforts to deliver the maximum energy safely and sustainably with minimum emissions the world needs.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Rulers Representative in Al Dhafra Region, said: I am proud to see the tangible progress ADNOC is making to build a more sustainable future for all. The world needs more and cleaner energy, and the UAE is leading the way. In the Year of Sustainability, ADNOCs efforts to increase gas capacity and decarbonise its operations will help accelerate the worlds energy transition.

Sheikh Hamdan was accompanied by Sheikh Yas bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Excellency Engineer Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Mansour Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Health, Ahmed Matar Al Dhaheri, Director of the Ruler's Representative Office in Al Dhafra Region, Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of the Environment Agency  Abu Dhabi, Issa Hamad Bushhab, Advisor to His Highness President of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority and His Excellency Nasser Mohammed Al Mansouri, Undersecretary of the Court of the Ruler's Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region.

Upon his arrival at Das Island, His Highness was received by His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, COP28 President-Designate and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, Tayba Abdul Rahim Al Hashemi, CEO of ADNOC Offshore, Ahmed Mohamed Alebri, CEO of ADNOC Gas, and a number of senior managers and officials of ADNOC.

Sheikh Hamdan began the visit with a tour of Das Island, during which he was briefed on the production facilities, prominent technologies used and key projects currently under development. His Highness also visited the control room, where he was briefed about the role of UAE National employees who manage the gas production plant and heard about ADNOC's comprehensive strategy for gas production and its goal to enable gas self-sufficiency for the UAE.

During the visit, His Highness met with ADNOC employees, reaffirming the commitment of the UAEs wise Leadership to continue investing in the development of UAE Nationals in order to ensure their active contribution towards the nations growth and prosperity. His Highness praised the important role of Emirati women, emphasising the need to continue empowering them across sectors, especially in the energy sector where they excel.

Das Island, located 160km Northwest of Abu Dhabi, is a critical part of the UAEs infrastructure and central to ADNOCs ambitious gas growth plans. Natural gas will play an essential role in the energy transition as a lower carbon-intensity fuel, with global gas demand expected to increase over the coming decades. The new residential complex will be a key enabler as ADNOC expands its gas capacity to support UAE gas self-sufficiency, industrial expansion and economic growth, and increased export capacity to meet growing global demand.

The island will also serve as an electricity power hub as ADNOC decarbonises its offshore operations. In 2021, the company announced a AED14 billion deal to build a first-of-its-kind, sub-sea transmission network in the MENA region. The network will connect ADNOCs offshore operations from Das Island to the onshore power network and has the potential to reduce its offshore carbon footprint by up to 50 per cent. This project is part of ADNOCs wider strategic programme to invest AED55 billion for landmark decarbonisation projects by 2030.

The Das Island expansion plan will include new residential quarters with plans to increase female accommodation and services. ADNOC plans to become a regional leader in diversity to attract the best UAE talent to future proof its business. As part of ADNOCs Sustainability Strategy it will double female representation in technical positions to 25 percent by 2030.
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ANKARA, Jul 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Jul, 2023 ) :The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is preparing to open a new terminal and runway later this month for the international airport serving its capital Lefkosa, according to an announcement Sunday.

Trkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be attending the ceremony at Ercan Airport on July 20, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a written statement.

"We are now counting down the days for the opening. Hopefully, we will have the opening ceremony with the presence of our esteemed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 20," he said.

The latest additions to the facility are the result of 400 million (over $438 million) of investment, noted Uraloglu, adding that the terminal would feature a passenger capacity of 10 million and area for 30 aircraft to park.

Its new runway of 3.1 kilometers (over 1.9 miles) will be suitable for all models of passenger aircraft, he underlined.

Noting that test flights were complete, Uraloglu said the upgrade would "make a significant contribution to tourism and the economy" in the TRNC, and connect the country to the rest of the world.
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Taipei, July 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Jul, 2023 ) :Paraguayan president-elect Santiago Pena will visit Taiwan this week, Taipei's foreign ministry announced Sunday, to cement the "friendship" between the self-ruled island and its last diplomatic ally in South America.

Paraguay is one of the few remaining Latin American countries to still recognise Taiwan after Beijing -- which claims the island as its territory -- spent decades convincing Taipei's diplomatic allies to switch sides.

The foreign ministry said Pena would arrive in Taipei for a five-day trip on Tuesday, and would meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen before taking office in August.

"His visit will coincide with the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Paraguay on July 12," the ministry said.

"Paraguay is our staunch ally in South America and has firmly supported our participation in the international community for a long time... The ties and friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay are solid.

" On the campaign trail, economist and former finance minister Pena had vowed to continue recognising Taiwan, and his win erased Taipei's fear that Paraguay would ditch ties with it in favour of Beijing.

"We are determined to maintain these ties of friendship over the next five years," Pena said in a video message posted on Twitter, adding that he would seek to build "a bilateral agenda... to develop and further strengthen the historic ties between Paraguay and Taiwan".

In recent years, Panama, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras have all switched their diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.

Beijing does not permit its own diplomatic allies to also recognise Taipei.

Latin America has been a key diplomatic battleground for China and Taiwan since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

Honduras became the latest country to switch to Beijing in March, leaving only 13 countries that recognise Taipei.

dhc/ssy/smw
UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Jul, 2023 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the air strike that killed at least 22 people in Sudan on Saturday, according to a statement released by his deputy spokesperson on Sunday.

At least 22 people were killed and scores injured in an air strike by Sudan's army on western Omdurman city, the Khartoum state health ministry said on Saturday, as the war between the country's military factions entered its 12th week.

The secretary general is also appalled by reports of large-scale violence and casualties across Sudan's Darfur region, according to the statement released by Farhan Aziz Haq, the Deputy Spokesperson.

Guterres offered his condolences to the families of the victims and expressed hopes for a speedy recovery to the dozens who were injured, Farhan Haq said.

The Sudanese army and rival military group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been battling since mid-April. Hundreds of people have been killed and nearly three million have been displaced, including to neighboring countries.

"He is also concerned about reports of renewed fighting in North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing," the deputy spokesperson added.

The UN chief remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the sides has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region, it was pointed out.

The UN chief reiterated his call for the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF to cease fighting and commit to a durable cessation of hostilities.

"He also urges these parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians and to enable humanitarian action," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the UN continues to push for the cohesion of international efforts under the auspices of the African Union and welcomes the strong engagement of the East African bloc IGAD.
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2023) A regular meeting of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta from July 9-14.

A total of 29 countries are expected to attend the ministerial and related meetings, which will include courtesy calls by delegations from Brunei, Timor-Leste, Norway and Pakistan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the July 13-14 meetings.

The parties will discuss, among other things, strengthening ASEAN's capacity and institutional effectiveness to better respond to the current geopolitical challenges as well as the situation in Myanmar and humanitarian assistance to the country following Cyclone Mocha.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2023) France will increase its military support to Ukraine by preparing new assistance deliveries together with its allies to meet the needs expressed by the Ukrainian authorities and hopes that the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius will bring more specifics on Kiev's prospects related to its possible NATO accession, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Sunday.

"We are providing the support that is aimed at meeting the needs expressed by the Ukrainian authorities in cooperation with our allies and partners ... This assistance will continue and intensify. New military assistance deliveries are being prepared to continuously address the most urgent needs expressed by Ukraine," Colonna told French broadcaster RFI.

The foreign minister also said that France and its allies were working on security guarantees that could be provided to Kiev simultaneously with Ukraine's possible accession to NATO.

"We want the Vilnius summit to be an opportunity for consolidation of the alliance's support for Ukraine on a long-term basis and bring more specifics on its NATO membership prospects," Colonna was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.

The Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius will host the NATO summit from July 11-12. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will chair the meeting. Discussions on Ukraine's NATO prospects, strengthening the alliance's eastern flank and defense spending are expected to top the summit's agenda. On June 19, Stoltenberg said that the summit would not discuss a formal invitation, but rather ways to "move Ukraine closer to NATO."

Western countries have been providing financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine since the start of Russia's military operation in February 2022. The support evolved from lighter artillery munitions and training in 2022 to heavier weapons, including tanks, later that year and in 2023. The Kremlin has consistently warned against further arms deliveries to Kiev, saying they would be regarded as a legitimate military target.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in London Sunday on a five-day trip to Europe, heading first to Britain. He then travels to Lithuania for a NATO summit in Vilnius, before making a final stop in Finland to meet with Nordic leaders.



In London, Biden will have meetings with King Charles III and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss various bilateral issues and climate financing for developing nations. Just a month ago, in Washington, Biden and Sunak agreed to an "Atlantic Declaration" and committed to collaborating on advanced technologies, clean energy, and critical minerals. Biden hosted Sunak at the White House.

SEE ALSO: Biden Heads to UK, Seeks to Bolster 'Close Relationship' At the NATO summit, Western leaders will discuss their latest efforts to bolster Ukraines fight against Russia along with Swedens bid to join the Wests main military alliance. Twenty-nine NATO nations support the bid over the objections of members Hungary and Turkey. Efforts by Ukraine to join the bloc will also be on the agenda.

SEE ALSO: Days Before Vilnius Summit, Biden Wont Budge on Ukraine Joining NATO In an interview taped last week, Biden told CNN he thinks it is premature to call for a vote on Ukraine joining NATO.

I dont think its ready for membership in NATO, Biden said. I dont think theres unanimity in NATO now in the middle of a war. If the war is going on [and Ukraine was a NATO member], then were all in the war. Were at war with Russia, since NATOs charter calls for all its members to defend any individual country when it is attacked.

As it stands, leaders of the NATO countries will discuss the state of Ukraines slow-moving counteroffensive to recapture territory in the southeastern part of the country that Russia took in the earliest stages of 16 months of fighting.

NATO countries, led by the United States, have sent billions of dollars in armaments to Ukraine, but Russian aerial bombardments have continued to kill dozens of Ukrainian civilians even as Kyivs forces have shot down hundreds of incoming missiles. The ones that landed have killed people and destroyed residential buildings.

After the NATO summit, Biden heads to Helsinki, the Finnish capital, to commemorate Finland recently joining the military alliance created in the aftermath of World War II, and to meet with Nordic leaders.

SEE ALSO: Finland Joins NATO in Major Blow to Russia Over Ukraine War NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with Biden at the White House last month, days after Biden hosted Britains Sunak. Biden and Stoltenberg pledged their continued support of Ukraine in its war against Russia.

"The NATO allies have never been more united. We both worked like hell to make sure that happened. And so far, so good," Biden said as he sat alongside Stoltenberg, whose term as NATO leader has been extended for a year.

Finland joined NATO in April, effectively doubling the length of Russia's border with the world's biggest security alliance. Biden has characterized the strengthened NATO alliance as a sign of Moscow's declining influence.

Sweden is also seeking entry into NATO, although alliance members Turkey and Hungary have yet to endorse the move. Biden last week hosted Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the White House as a show of support for Swedens bid.
A man arrested in Paris during a memorial rally for his brother, who died in police custody seven years ago, was released from hospital Sunday, amid calls for more protests.

The appeals for action came with France still on edge after the police killing of a teenager near Paris sparked the worst rioting in the country since 2005.

Youssouf Traore, 29, was detained by police Saturday amid protests across the country that commemorated the death of his brother Adama Traore, a black 24-year-old, in 2016, many of them in defiance of police bans on gatherings.

According to a police source, Youssouf Traore was injured in the eye during his arrest at the Paris protest attended by some 2,000 people and was taken to hospital after becoming sick at the police station.

Traore appeared with a swollen right eye at a gathering Sunday in support of another man who was arrested at the rally, an AFP journalist said.

According to a medical report seen by AFP, he suffered a fractured nose, head trauma with a black eye, and contusions to his chest, abdomen and lumbar.

Traore's lawyer Yassine Bouzrou said he had filed a complaint for deliberate violence.

Traore was arrested on charges of violence against a public official, having been accused of hitting a police officer at the start of the rally at Place de la Republique, according to a source close to the case.

Traore said he was the victim of "injustice" and denied attacking the police officer.

His sister Assa Traore denounced a police "ambush" and said the images of the arrest revived painful memories.

"My brother (Adama) died in exactly the same way," she said.

The second arrested man left custody Sunday, the campaign group set up in Adama Traore's memory told AFP.

The Paris prosecutor's office said the investigation into Youssouf Traore "was continuing," while the second man was summoned to appear before a magistrate later.]

The forceful arrest of Youssouf Traore, filmed by several witnesses, showed him resisting and being tackled and held face down by several police officers, sparking condemnation by several left-wing politicians on social media.

Left-leaning associations, unions and political parties called for another day of mobilization against police violence in Paris on July 15.

France has been on edge since a police officer shot dead Nahel M., a 17-year-old with Algerian roots, during a traffic stop on June 27 in a Paris suburb.

The shooting rekindled long pent-up frustrations and accusations of systemic racism among France's security forces and sparked nights of rioting, the worst urban unrest in the country since 2005.

More than 3,700 people were taken into police custody in connection with the protests since Nahel's death, including at least 1,160 minors, according to official figures.
Car bombs killed at least eight people including three children in two separate incidents Sunday in northern Syria, a war monitor said.

One blast hit a car repair shop in Shawa, a village near the Turkish border held by pro-Ankara fighters, residents told AFP.

Five civilians including three children were killed and 10 others injured, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Areas held by Turkey and its Syrian proxies in northern Syria are the scene of regular targeted killings, bombings and clashes between armed groups.

In the second incident, an explosive device planted in a vehicle killed three fighters affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the city of Manbij, according to the Observatory.

Manbij is a former stronghold of the Islamic State group that is now held by a military council affiliated with the U.S.-backed SDF.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings.

Syria's war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

It has since evolved into a complex conflict involving jihadis and foreign powers and has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions.
Once he and his wife, Jennifer, moved to a Boise suburb last year, Tim Kohl could finally express himself.

Kohl did what the couple never dared at their previous house outside Los Angeles  the newly-retired Los Angeles police officer flew a U.S. flag and a Thin Blue Line banner representing law enforcement outside his house.

"We were scared to put it up," Jennifer Kohl acknowledged. But the Kohls knew they had moved to the right place when neighbors complimented him on the display.

Leah Dean is on the opposite end of the political spectrum, but she knows how the Kohls feel. In Texas, Dean had been scared to fly an abortion rights banner outside her house. Around the time the Kohls were house-hunting in Idaho, she and her partner found a place in Denver, where their LGBTQ+ pride flag flies above the banner in front of their house that proclaims "Abortion access is a community responsibility."

"One thing we have really found is a place to feel comfortable being ourselves," Dean said.

Americans are segregating by their politics at a rapid clip, helping fuel the greatest divide between the states in modern history.

One party controls the entire legislature in all but two states. In 28 states, the party in control has a supermajority in at least one legislative chamber  which means the majority party has so many lawmakers that they can override a governor's veto. Not that that would be necessary in most cases, as only 10 states have governors of different parties than the one that controls the legislature.

The split has sent states careening to the political left or right, adopting diametrically opposed laws on some of the hottest issues of the day. In Idaho, abortion is illegal once a heartbeat can be detected in a fetus  as early as five or six weeks  and a new law passed this year makes it a crime to help a minor travel out of state to obtain one. In Colorado, state law prevents any restrictions on abortion. In Idaho, a new law prevents minors from accessing gender-affirming care, while Colorado allows youths to come from other states to access the procedures.

Federalism  allowing each state to chart its own course within boundaries set by Congress and the Constitution  is at the core of the U.S. system. It lets the states, in the words of former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, be "laboratories of democracy."

Now, some wonder whether that's driving Americans apart.

"Does that work as well in a time when we are so politically divided, or does it just become an accelerant for people who want to re-segregate?" asked Rob Witwer, a former Republican Colorado state lawmaker.

Colorado and Idaho represent two poles of state-level political homogenization. Both are fast-growing Rocky Mountain states that have been transformed by an influx of like-minded residents. Life in the two states can be quite similar  conversations revolve around local ski areas, mountain bike trails, and how newcomers are making things too crowded. But, politically, they increasingly occupy two separate worlds.

Witwer watched Colorado steadily swing to the left as affluent, college-educated people fled the coasts for his home state starting in the late 1990s. For two decades, it was one of the nation's fastest-growing states, and during the Trump era it swung sharply to the left. Democrats control all statewide offices and have their largest majorities in history in the legislature, including a supermajority in the lower house.

In contrast, Idaho has become one of the nation's fastest-growing states during the past decade without losing its reputation as a conservative haven. It has moved even more sharply to the right during that time and become a beacon to those, like the Kohls, fleeing blue states where they no longer feel welcome.

The states' swings aren't simply due to transplants, of course. The increasing clustering of Americans into like-minded enclaves  dubbed "The Big Sort"  has many causes. Harvard professor Ryan Enos estimates that, at least before the pandemic, only 15% of the homogeneity was due to people moving. Other causes include political parties polarizing on hot-button issues that split neatly on demographic lines, such as guns and abortion, and voters adopting their neighbors' partisanship.

"A lot of this is driven by other sorting that is going on," Enos said.

When Americans move, politics is not typically the explicit reason. But the lifestyle choices they make place them in communities dominated by their preferred party.

"Democrats want to live in places with artistic culture and craft breweries, and Republicans want to move to places where they can have a big yard," said Ryan Strickler, a political scientist at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

But something may have changed as the country has become even more polarized. Businesses catering to conservatives fleeing blue states have sprouted, such as Blue Line Moving, which markets to families fleeing from blue states to Florida. In Texas, a "rainbow underground railroad" run by a Dallas realtor helps LGBTQ+ families flee the state's increased restrictions targeting that population.

The switch might have been flipped during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which created a class of mobile workers no longer bound to the states where their companies were based. Those who are now mobile are predominantly white-collar workers and retirees, the two most politically engaged parts of the national population.

Mike McCarter, who has spearheaded a quixotic campaign to have conservative eastern Oregon become part of Idaho, said most people didn't pay much attention to state government until the pandemic.

"Then it was like 'Oh, they can shut down any church and they can shut down my kids' school?'" McCarter said. "If state-level government has that much power, you'd better be sure it reflects your values, and not someone else's values that are forced on you."

The pandemic helped push Aaron and Carrie Friesen to Idaho. When the pandemic hit, they realized they could take their marketing firm remote from its base near Hilton Head, South Carolina. They'd always planned to return to the West, but California, where Aaron, now 39, was born and raised, was disqualified because of its cost and progressive politics.

The Friesens and their three children settled on Boise. They loved the big skies, the mountains rearing up behind the town, the plethora of outdoor activities.

And they liked Idaho's pandemic policies. When the Friesens visited, almost no one was wearing masks, which they took as a good sign  they were happy to mask up when sick, but found constant masking pointless.

"This was a place that had like-minded people," Carrie Friesen said.

The Friesens are happy with the direction of their new state and the abortion and transgender restrictions out of the latest legislative session. But they don't see themselves as part of what they called "the crazy right," referring to the families displaying Trump yard signs in the less-politically-mixed Boise suburbs. They like living close to the center of Boise, one of the more liberal areas in the state.

They try not to make too many decisions based on politics  to a point.

"With the temperature of politics nowadays, if people choose to move somewhere, they are going to choose to move to a place with like-minded people," Aaron Friesen said.

That's apparently been happening in Idaho, said Mathew Hay, who oversees a regular survey of new arrivals for Boise State University. Historically, transplants mirrored the conservative population's leanings, with about 45% describing themselves as "conservative," and the rest evenly split between liberal and moderate.

But something changed last year  the share of newcomers that said they lived in Idaho for the politics jumped to 9%, compared to 5% for long-timers. The percentage describing themselves as "very conservative" also rose.

When Melissa Wintrow rode her motorcycle across the U.S. in 1996, she was captivated by Idaho.

"It was this grounded, commonsense, reasonable group," Wintrow said. "Of course they were conservative, but they weren't going to say openly racist and homophobic things."

Now a Democratic state senator, Wintrow is aghast at how her adopted state has become more hardline.

"The state has just moved to a more extreme view," she said. "It's a certain group of people that is afraid their 'way of life' is diminishing in the world."

In Colorado, the reverse may be happening.

Bret Weinstein, owner of a realty firm in Denver, said politics has become the top issue for people buying a home.

"It's brought up in our initial conversations," Weinstein said. "Three years ago, we didn't have those conversations, ever."

Now, many entering the state tell him they're looking for a way to escape their red state  and homeowners leaving Colorado say they're fed up with it turning blue. Even within Colorado, Weinstein said, homebuyers are picking based on politics, with some avoiding conservative areas where debates on mask mandates and curriculum has dominated school board meetings.

One of those politically motivated migrants is Kathleen Rickerson, who works in human resources for Weinstein's firm. Rickerson, 35, lived in Minnesota for seven years, but during the pandemic grew weary of the blue state's vocal anti-masking, anti-vaccine minority.

Rickerson's parents and sister urged her to join them in Texas, but that was out of the question. Ready for a change, Rickerson instead zeroed in on Colorado. She moved to a Denver suburb in December 2021.

Cheered by the state's strong stance to protect abortion rights, Rickerson wants Colorado Democrats to go further.

"Colorado isn't as quick to take a stand on things, and I'd like to see that happen a bit more," she said.

That was a sentiment shared by Colorado progressives, who were frustrated their party didn't muscle through an assault weapons ban and other priorities of the left during the most recent legislative session.

"There is a point at which we need to stop acting like trying to get along with our enemies is going to preserve our institution," progressive state Rep. Stephanie Vigil said at the end of the session, after the chamber's Democratic leader said it was important that Republicans still feel like they have a voice.

The increasing political homogeneity in states makes it harder for both parties to feel invested, said Thad Kousser, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego.

"It gives one party the ability to move a state further when they're doing exactly what their constituency wants," he said.

The system works as a sort of escape valve, Kousser said, letting the majority in the state feel in power regardless of what's happening in Washington, D.C. But the local minority party gets shortchanged.

The Kohls felt shortchanged in California. They said they watched their native state deteriorate before their eyes, and no one was willing to fix the problems. Trash piled up with homeless encampments. Tax money seemed to go to immigrants who had entered the country illegally rather than U.S. citizens. Jennifer's mother qualified for government assistance due to her low income, but was on dozens of wait lists that were seven years long. Tim's police station, in a former hippie colony in the mountains running through West Los Angeles, was firebombed during the George Floyd protests in 2020.

The Kohls wanted to live in a red state, but Jennifer said they're not just party-line voters. A nurse, she hasn't registered with either party and has a wide range of beliefs, including that abortion is sometimes necessary.

"I believe so many different things," she said.

On balance, they feel more comfortable in a more conservative place.

"Here, the tax dollars naturally goes to the citizens, not the immigrants," said Tim Kohl, who can understand why Idaho is growing so fast. "Most of the people we've met here are from California originally."

In Denver, Dean has found other people who fled red states. She and her partner, Cassidy Dean, discovered that their neighbors fled Florida after the state's hard turn to the political right.

Leah Dean was a 19-year-old cosmetology college student in San Antonio in 2008 when she had an abortion. She chafed at the obstacles she faced  the state-mandated waiting period before the procedure, having to get a sonogram before the procedure  and became a committed Democratic activist. She met her partner at the Texas state party convention in 2016, and every year since then she's felt the Republican state legislature and governor make the state less and less hospitable to people like her.

Now in Colorado, she and her partner both work from home, telecommuting to their old Texas jobs. They have limited social outlets, but took care of that by throwing themselves into politics again, with Leah Dean becoming vice chair of Denver Democrats.

"It's also how we meet people," she said. "We don't have any other way to do that."
Dame Sharon White wants John Lewis to make 40pc of its profits from outside retail by 2030 - Darren Staples/Bloomberg

John Lewiss flagship housing scheme is at risk after local councillors vowed to oppose the project and accused the partnership of a lack of respect.

The mutuals upcoming housing development project in Bromley was branded just not acceptable by the head of the authoritys Liberal Democrats, who accused it of failing to promise enough affordable homes.

John Lewis submitted a planning application for the scheme late last month, with the intention of building 353 one, two and three bedroom flats above a Waitrose store as it attempts to diversify away from retail amid a slowdown on the high street.

Failure to secure approval would be an embarrassing blow to the businesss chairman, Dame Sharon White, who wants the company to make 40pc of its profits from outside retail by 2030.

The Telegraph revealed in June that John Lewis risked missing affordable home targets at the scheme. In a local meeting, the company warned that as few as a fifth of homes will be affordable at the site in Bromley, below the 35pc level recommended by the towns council.

John Lewis said it was still aiming to hit 35pc, but needed grant funding to do so and was in talks with the Greater London Authority and the council.

Julie Ireland, the Bromley councillor who leads the group of Liberal Democrats in the area, said that John Lewis should be able to fund this from within their own resources. The Partnership, which owns both the department store and Waitrose shops, reported revenues of more than 12bn last year.

Ms Ireland said: We were quite excited when we heard John Lewis was going to invest in Bromley, but theyre not looking out for the community... Its showing a total lack of respect.

People would not be happy thinking that their council tax money is being used to subsidise this new project from John Lewis.

She said Liberal Democrat councillors, who represented the ward within Bromley where the project is taking place, will be opposing the plans in their current form.

Residents and councillors are able to give their views when a project is up for review by an independent planning committee, although those who sit on the planning committee are required to go into meetings with an open mind.

Bromley Council is among the areas of London experiencing severe affordable housing pressures. Ms Ireland said the picture was similar across London, but in Bromley in particular, there is a real dearth of affordable housing to the extent that we almost have no options for key workers, such as teachers and the NHS, as well as young people looking for their first home.

Theres just nothing in that range at the moment.

Julie Ireland says that John Lewis should be able to fund this from within their own resources - News Scan

A spokesman for John Lewis said: As the housing crisis continues to make headlines, especially in London where theres a significant lack of genuinely affordable properties, were committed to building new affordable homes for rent.

Well be setting aside properties for key workers, including nurses and teachers. This is an ongoing process where weve been working closely with a range of local stakeholders across the proposed sites to meet the needs of the local community.

It follows similar comments from Dame Sharon when she first unveiled the plans for the housing schemes in 2020, saying the partnership was planning to repurpose and potentially reduce our shop estate, [and] we want to put excess space to good social use.

At another of its projects in Ealing, John Lewis has similarly faced pressure to scale up the number of affordable homes on offer.

Peter Mason, the councillor who leads Ealing Council, said his area desperately needs rented homes, but those that our residents can afford, rather than overpriced flats to help John Lewis cash in on City workers.

As far as I can see, [John Lewis] hasnt committed to at least 35pc affordable homes on paper. Previous discussions suggested theyd even go lower. This simply wont stand.

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Two controversial laws signed by the Bosnian Serb president, which Washington says undermine the peace deal that ended Bosnia's 1990s war, entered into force on Sunday.

Kremlin ally President Milorad Dodik had on Friday signed legislation into law that effectively allow the Bosnian Serb entity to bypass or ignore decisions made by the top international envoy to Bosnia.

The latter, currently German diplomat Christian Schmidt, oversees the civilian aspects of the Dayton peace deal that ended the 1992-1995 war.

A second piece of legislation signed into law by Dodik on Friday suspends the Bosnian Serb entity's recognition of rulings made by Bosnia's constitutional court.

On Sunday, both bills, that were approved by Bosnian Serb lawmakers last month, officially entered into force with their publication in the official gazette of Republika Srpska (RS).

The RS along with the Muslim-Croat Federation makes up post-war Bosnia.

The two semi-autonomous entities are linked by a weak central government.

The Bosnian Serb entity's initiatives had provoked strong reactions particularly from Bosnian Muslim leaders, and have also been criticized by Washington, Paris and Berlin.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday tweeted that Dodik's signing of a law rejecting the international envoy authority "violates the Bosnia and Herzegovina constitution and undermines the Dayton Accords."

Dodik signed the bills just days after Schmidt tried to head off the controversial moves by passing an executive order that deems them illegal and prevents their implementation.

Schmidt made the ruling last weekend when he also passed a new measure that would allow Bosnia's judiciary to prosecute politicians who oppose his orders and those of the constitutional court  with punishments running up to five years in jail.

Dodik has refused to recognize Schmidt's authority since the position lost the backing of the United Nations thanks to an intervention by Russia and Beijing.

Dodik  who remains a Moscow ally  has held enormous sway over the Bosnian Serb entity for years, repeatedly stoking ethnic tensions with his secessionist threats.
Egypt said on Sunday it would host a summit of Sudan's neighbors on July 13 to discuss ways to end a 12-week conflict between rival Sudanese military factions that has triggered a major humanitarian crisis in the region.

Diplomatic efforts to halt fighting between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have so far proved ineffective, with competing initiatives creating confusion over how the warring parties might be brought to negotiate.

Neither Egypt, seen as the Sudanese army's most important foreign ally, nor the United Arab Emirates, which has had close ties to the RSF, have played a prominent public role.

The two countries were also not involved in talks in Jeddah led by the United States and Saudi Arabia that adjourned last month after failing to secure a lasting cease-fire.

SEE ALSO: US: Sudan's Warring Factions Not Taking Advantage of Jeddah Talks for Agreed Truce Goal Sudan's two largest neighbors, Egypt and Ethiopia, have been at odds in recent years over the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam on Ethiopia's Blue Nile, close to the border with Sudan.

The summit in Cairo on Thursday aims to "develop effective mechanisms" with neighboring states to settle the conflict peacefully, in coordination with other regional or international efforts, Egypt's presidency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sudanese delegations, including from civilian parties that shared power with the army and RSF after the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir four years ago, are expected to meet on Monday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for exploratory talks.

The leaders of former rebel groups from Darfur that signed a partial peace deal in 2020 are expected to travel to Chad for talks, though the timing of the talks is unclear and travel in and out of Sudan remains complicated due to the conflict.

The fighting that erupted on April 15 in Sudan's capital Khartoum has driven more than 2.9 million people from their homes, including almost 700,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, many of which are struggling with poverty and the impact of internal conflict.

There were clashes on Sunday between the army and the RSF in El Obeid, southwest of Khartoum, as well as in the south of the capital, residents said.

On Saturday, Sudan's health ministry said a strike by fighter jets in Omdurman, part of Sudan's wider capital, left 22 people dead, an incident that drew condemnation from U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

On Sunday, the army denied responsibility for the strike, saying its air force had not hit targets in Omdurman the previous day and that the RSF had bombarded residential areas from the ground at times when fighter jets were in the sky before falsely accusing the army of causing civilian casualties.

The army has depended largely on air strikes and heavy artillery to try to push back RSF troops spread across Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, the three cities that make up the capital around the confluence of the Nile.
HONG KONG - Punish Mee, an app that listed so-called yellow businesses so Hong Kong consumers could support the pro-democracy movement while shopping, went dark Friday as its social media accounts and their content disappeared.

Yellow became a symbol of political resistance after 2014 pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong used yellow umbrellas to block the pepper spray and tear gas used by police. Control of the onetime British territory was transferred to China in 1997, and Beijing has tightened its grip on the city since.

Earlier in the week, authorities arrested five people identified by Hong Kong media as connected to the app, according to the Hong Kong Free Press and the Hong Kong Standard.

Police did not confirm the identities or party affiliations of those arrested. Local Hong Kong media identified the people and linked them to Demosisto.

Those arrests came after police issued arrest warrants for eight prominent pro-democracy activists now living overseas, including Nathan Law, a Demosisto party founder self-exiled in the U.K., and offered bounties of $128,000, or HK$1 million, for information leading to any arrest.

Demosisto, founded in 2016 with the goal of achieving autonomy and self-determination for Hong Kong, disbanded June 30, 2020, hours after China imposed the sweeping and vaguely worded National Security Law in Hong Kong.

The South China Morning Post reported the funds raised through the now-dark app were to support Laws activities.

Punish Mees disappearance came as the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police appears to be gearing up to crack down on yellow stores, according to a report in Hong Kongs oldest and second-largest newspaper.

The Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao Daily quoted a source Wednesday as saying that the police were following up on the five arrests with crackdowns on the yellow economy to snap the capital chain used to fund the so-called dissidents overseas.

Hong Kongs Sing Tao has often said that it is not "controlled nor influenced" by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The U.S. Justice Department has required that its U.S. subsidiary register as a foreign agent.

The main backers of the yellow economy are restaurants, snack shops and other small businesses. Many were known to display pro-democracy paraphernalia and slogans or support demonstrators during the 2019 protests triggered by a bill that proposed extraditing Hong Kongers to China for trial in some circumstance.

Since the 2019 protests, Hong Kong consumers who support the pro-democracy movement would often patronize the yellow businesses and boycott red stores" that are pro-Beijing and support the police.

Punish Mee, launched in 2020, echoed other online offerings that appeared during protests to advise consumers if an enterprise supported the pro-democracy movement or the Beijing-approved government. Many businesses that supported the government were defaced or damaged. Other apps mapped the location of protests and police.

Punish Mee disappeared from the online Android and Apple app stores in Hong Kong on Friday, according to the Hong Kong Free Press, which reported that for users who had the app installed, a pop-up message, Server busy, try again when they attempted to use it. It is not known if Hong Kong authorities or people affiliated with the app took it offline.

A Punish Mee-recommended enterprise announced Thursday that it was closing. The Hong Kong Free Press reported that many owners of businesses identified by the app were wary of possible repercussions.

Ms. Ding, a Hong Kong resident who requested anonymity to avoid attracting attention from Hong Kong authorities, told VOA she shopped at yellow stores.

There are very few parades and demonstrations in Hong Kong now, the usual means of making demands, she said. We have to support people with the same ideas through relatively indirect means, such as consumption."

Ms. Ding said Punish Mee listed almost all the yellow stores. If it (the Hong Kong government) really wants to take action, it may take action against the hundreds of stores listed by the app. Or maybe it only needs to take actions against a few stores to deter others from labeling themselves as yellow stores. It is not surprising.

She continued to say, In the past, these stores would open some special pages (on social media) and use these platforms to discuss current affairs. Maybe they will shut up in the future. As for fundraising, everyone will see it as a taboo."

Baggio Leung, a former member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, said the definition of the "supporting anti-China chaos in Hong Kong" law cited in the arrests is vague.

This incident is not only aimed at the yellow economic circle but gradually oppresses  Hong Kong people," he said.

Leung said that under the Hong Kong National Security Law, the current yellow store owners want something other than profits.

"If you continue operating the (yellow) business now, there is unlikely any benefit, he said. If you persist, there must be only one reason: to adhere to your political belief. Some yellow stores that closed in Hong Kong have opened in overseas regions such as the U.K. The pandemic forced some businesses to close. Some people keep their businesses open as long as they can. But everyone understands that the living space is getting smaller and smaller under the current political environment in Hong Kong."
Israel's security cabinet adopted Sunday a declaration to "prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Authority" while demanding an end to "its anti-Israel activity," the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The vote by Israeli ministers, which included no specific plans, came days after a major military raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin that killed 12 Palestinians as well as one Israeli soldier.

Netanyahu's hard-right government in January announced a series of sanctions against Mahmud Abbas's Palestinian Authority  which nominally controls parts of the West Bank  over a push to get the United Nations' top court to issue an advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said at the time the Israeli sanctions were aimed at "pushing (the PA) to the brink  financially and institutionally" and part of "a new war against the Palestinian people."

The Israeli security cabinet Sunday voted for a "draft decision submitted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu" which says "Israel will act to prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Authority," the premier's office said in a statement.

The declaration also presents a series of demands for the PA to "cease its anti-Israel activity in the international legal-diplomatic arena" as well as "incitement" and "illegal construction in Area C" of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli control.

It is almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain construction permits in Area C, which covers about 60 percent of the territory.

Another demand was to stop "payments to the families of terrorists," referring to stipends provided by the PA to families of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and to families of prisoners in Israeli jails, or detainees themselves  including those convicted of killing Israelis.

As part of the sanctions imposed in January, Israel withheld dozens of millions of dollars in tax revenues from the PA over its financial support for militants.

The Israeli government also ordered a moratorium on Palestinian construction plans in parts of the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War.

The statement Sunday from Netanyahu's office said the prime minister and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will present "steps to stabilize" the embattled PA.

Israeli media said the proposed measures may include the establishment of industrial zones for Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank and other moves to support the Palestinian economy.
TORONTO - A few hundred members of Canada's Sikh community demonstrated outside the Indian Consulate in Toronto on Saturday to protest the unsolved killing of one of their leaders last month in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area.

They accused the Indian government of being responsible for the gunning down of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of a Sikh temple and campaigner for the creation of an independent Sikh state that supporters hope to call Khalistan.

"When an Indian agency and system commit a crime, they have to be held accountable," Kuljeet Singh, spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice, a US-based organization behind the rally, told AFP.

Nijjar, whom India had declared a wanted terrorist, was killed on June 18 in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver that is home to one of the largest Sikh populations in Canada.

Nijjar advocated for the creation of an independent Sikh state to be carved out of parts of northern India and perhaps part of Pakistan. India accused Nijjar of carrying out terrorist attacks in India, a charge he denied.

The demonstrators, almost exclusively men, carried yellow flags with blue logos representing their separatist movement, and shouted "Khalistan! Khalistan!"

Setting off from the Toronto suburbs, they arrived in front of the Indian Consulate, where they were greeted by around 50 members of the diaspora in support of the Indian government.

"They have a poster here calling to kill Indian diplomats. We are concerned because these groups have committed terrorist acts in the past and politicians are not taking actions," one of the counterdemonstrators, Vijay Jain, an IT consultant, told AFP.

A line of 20 police officers intervened to separate the two groups, and one Sikh protester was taken away after forcing down a barrier and running to the other side.

Since the killing of the Sikh leader, tensions have risen between Canada and India.

New Delhi regularly accuses Ottawa of laxity in its handling of Sikh protesters in Canada.

"We have asked the Canadian government to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our diplomats," Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for India's foreign minister, said Thursday.

Canada is home to the largest number of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab, India.
Latest developments:

The Ukrainian and Polish presidents jointly marked the anniversary Sunday of the World War Two-era massacres of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists. The killings have caused tension between the two countries for generations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, Together with [President] Andrzej [Duda], we honored the memory of all the victims in Volyn. We value every life, remember history, and defend freedom together.

Russian air defense systems downed four missiles Sunday, Russian officials said on Telegram. One of the drones was shot down over the annexed Crimean Peninsula and three over Russia's Rostov and Bryansk regions, which border Ukraine. Moscow alleges Ukraine regularly targets areas inside Russia. Kyiv denies these accusations, saying it is fighting a defensive war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the Black Sea grain deal in a phone call Sunday with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Russia's foreign ministry said. Moscow has been threatening to quit the deal, expiring July 17, that allows the safe passage of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea if its terms to export its own grain and fertilizer are not met.

If Ukraine were to become a NATO member before the wars end, it would drag the whole alliance into the conflict against Russia, said U.S. President Joe Biden in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN.

The U.S. president also said that before Ukraine is considered for NATO membership, it will take time to meet all the qualifications required from democratization to a whole range of other issues. In the meantime, he expressed the U.S. commitment to provide Ukraine the weaponry they need, the capacity to defend themselves.

Biden will be in Europe this week for a three-nation tour that includes attending the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 11-12. He said there is no unanimity in NATO on whether to bring Ukraine into the alliance in the middle of the war, emphasizing that holding NATO together is really critical.

Watch related video by Patsy Widakuswara:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday on ABCs This Week, that during the summit, he hopes to do whatever he can to expedite solutions for an agreement with our partners.

Zelenskyy also touted Ukraines value as a future NATO country member with actually the strongest armed forces in Europe.



Ninety percent of Ukrainians want to be a part of NATO. More than 90% of Ukrainians want to be a part of the European Union, he said.

US allies on cluster bombs

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, both Democrats, expressed concerns Sunday over the White House decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine to combat the Russian invasion.

Kaine, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he had "some real qualms" about the U.S. decision because it could inspire other countries to bypass the international convention barring the munitions.

"It could give a green light to other nations to do something different as well," Kaine said on Fox News Sunday. However, he said that he "appreciates the Biden administration has grappled with the risks." Kaine also affirmed that Ukraine had given assurances that they were not going to use these munitions against Russian civilians.

Republican U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN Sunday, Ukraines counteroffensive was going slowly and that the cluster bombs could be a "game changer" for the Ukrainians, adding that hes pleased the administration has finally agreed to do this."

However, Lee urged the Biden administration to reconsider the move.

"Cluster bombs should never be used. That's crossing a line," she told CNN's "State of the Union, adding the United States risked losing its "moral leadership" by delivering cluster bombs to Ukraine.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby defended the U.S. decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, saying Sunday that it will keep the country in the fight, as Ukrainian forces are running out of regular artillery ammunition.

Watch related video by Veronica Balderas Iglesias:

U.S. allies and Russia reacted Saturday to the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with controversial cluster munitions that are banned by more than 100 entities, though not the U.S., Russia and Ukraine.

Canada, Britain, Spain, Germany and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres all expressed opposition to the U.S. decision.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov welcomed the U.S. announcement to deliver cluster bombs to Kyiv and promised the munitions would be used only in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and not in Russia.Reznikov said on Twitter that the new weapons will significantly help us to de-occupy our territories while saving the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov welcomed the U.S. announcement and promised the cluster munitions would be used only in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and not in Russia.

Reznikov said on Twitter that the new weapons will significantly help us to de-occupy our territories while saving the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers.

Cluster munitions typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode upon contact with the ground then pose a danger for decades.

Moscow described the U.S. decision as another egregious example of Washington's anti-Russian course.

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara, VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin, and VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
RIO DE JANEIRO  Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met Saturday with his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, to build momentum for an upcoming regional summit on the Amazon rainforest and enhance efforts for its protection.

The meeting took place in Colombia's Leticia, a town in the Amazon's triple border region between Colombia, Brazil and Peru, where organized crime has recently increased its hold.

The meeting aimed to lay groundwork for the Amazon Summit that the Brazilian government is organizing in Belem next month. That summit will be attended by leaders of the countries that are party to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Lula is pushing for a joint declaration from the summit, which would be presented at the United Nation's climate conference, known as COP28, in Dubai in November.

"We will have to demand together that rich countries fulfil their commitments," Lula said in Leticia, sitting next to Petro.

Petro also stressed the need for a common front to exert pressure on developed countries.

"We believed that progress was the destruction of trees. ... Today that is nothing other than the destruction of life," he said.

The Colombian leader said tackling the climate crisis will require spending trillions of dollars. This could be achieved by transforming the global debt system and "trading debt for climate action," he said.

The final document will comprise measures for the sustainable development of the Amazon, protecting the biome, and promoting social inclusion, science, technology and innovation while valuing Indigenous peoples and their knowledge, Brazil's presidential palace said in a statement.

"Joint action of the countries that share the Amazon biome is fundamental for facing the multiple challenges in the region," the statement said.

One challenge is the tightened grip of organized crime, particularly in tri-border regions like where Leticia is located. British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous activist Bruno Pereira were killed in the neighboring Javari valley region last year.

These areas have become violent hotspots, according to a report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime released in June. It noted criminal groups are simultaneously engaged in cocaine trafficking, as well as natural resource exploitation.

Indigenous groups are disproportionately affected by the criminal nexus in the Amazon, the report added, pointing to forced displacements, mercury poisoning and other health-related impacts as well as increased exposure to violence.

In 2019, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Guyana and Suriname signed the Leticia Pact to strengthen coordinated actions for the preservation of the natural resources of the Amazon.

But the goals are vague and lack ways to measure progress, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, an umbrella organization of environmental groups.

Since taking office in January, Lula has strived to put environmental protection and respect for Indigenous peoples' rights at the heart of his third term. He successful pursued resumption of international donations for the Amazon Fund that combats deforestation, launched a military campaign to eject illegal miners from Yanomami territory, committed to ending all illegal deforestation by 2030 and restarted the demarcation of Indigenous areas.

Petro has also been vocal about the need to halt destruction in the Amazon. The Colombian leader has proposed the creation of multilateral 20-year financing fund to support farming communities contributing to deforestation. The idea is to compensate them for conservation and regenerative activities instead.

Historically, collaboration between Brazil and Colombia, which share a border longer than 1,500 kilometers, has been lacking, according to Wagner Ribeiro, a geographer and expert in environmental policy from the University of Sao Paulo.

"We hope that opportunities for academic cooperation will arise from the meeting, which will later generate public policies that promote environmental conservation," Ribeiro said.
The body of missing 59-year-old Mexican journalist Luis Martin Sanchez Iniguez was found in the Mexican state of Nayarit with signs of violence, the state public prosecutor's office confirmed Saturday.

Sanchez Iniguez worked for the newspaper La Jornada. He had been missing since Wednesday and his wife filed a missing persons report with Mexican authorities on Friday.

His body was found on the outskirts of the city of Tepic. It was not immediately clear how he died, but authorities estimated the time of his death occurred 24-48 hours before his body was found.

The discovery comes as authorities are investigating two other potential crimes against media workers in Nayarit. Another media worker was reported missing on July 4. He has not been seen since he left for work at a school the prior morning, authorities said.

Mexican media has identified him as Osiris Maldonado, who previously worked with La Jornada.

On July 7, two armed, hooded men broke into the apartment of journalist Jonathan Lora Ramirez and forced him into a car. Lora Ramirez has been found alive and "in a good state of health." Authorities are investigating the crime of illegal detention.

Nayarit authorities said they immediately opened investigations once the cases were reported, and they are following special protocols for journalists and human rights defenders.

"In accordance with what is established provisions into the applicable protocols, it is necessary to take into consideration the activities of the victims who put them at a greater degree of vulnerability," the public prosecutor's office of Nayarit said in a statement.

In Mexico, investigating corruption, crime and drug cartels often comes at a high risk. The country consistently ranks as one of the most deadly countries for journalists, according to press freedom groups.

Press-related killings have skyrocketed under the administration of current Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, increasing 85% compared in the first half of his term compared to his predecessor's.
In a world where technology, such as artificial intelligence, is advancing at a rapid pace, what guidance do technology developers have in making the best ethically sound decisions for consumers?

A new handbook, titled "Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap," promises to give guidance on such issues as the ethical use of AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

The handbook, released June 28, is the first product of the Institute for Technology, Ethics and Culture, or ITEC, the result of a collaboration between Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the Vatican's Center for Digital Culture.

The handbook has been in the works for a few years, but the authors said they saw a need to work with a new sense of urgency with the recent escalation of AI usage, following security threats and privacy concerns after the recent release of ChatGPT.

Enter Father Brendan McGuire.

McGuire worked in the tech industry, serving as executive director of the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association in the early 1990s, before entering the priesthood about 23 years ago.

McGuire said that over the years, he's continued to meet with friends from the tech world, many of whom are now leaders in the industry. But, about 10 years ago, their discussions started to get more serious, he said.

"They said, 'What is coming over the hill with AI, it's amazing, it's unbelievable. But it's also frightening if we go down the wrong valley,'" McGuire said.

"There's no mechanism to make decisions," McGuire said, quoting his former colleagues. He then contacted Kirk Hanson, who was then head of the Markkula Center, as well as a local bishop.

"The three of us got together and brainstormed, 'What could we do?'" McGuire said. "We knew that each of these companies are global companies, so, therefore, they wouldn't really respect a pastor or a local bishop. I said, if we could get somebody from the Vatican to pay attention, then we could make some traction."

For McGuire, a Catholic priest, getting guidance from Pope Francis and the Vatican  with its diplomatic, cultural, and spiritual influence  was a natural step. He said he was connected with Bishop Paul Tighe, who was serving as the secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education at the Vatican, a department that works for the development of people's human values.

McGuire said Tighe was asked by Pope Francis to look into further addressing digital and tech ethical issues.

After a few years of informal collaborations, the Markkula Center and the Vatican officially created the ITEC initiative in 2019.

"We're co-creators with God when we make these technologies," he said, recognizing that technology can be used for good or bad purposes.

The Vatican held a conference in 2019 in Rome called "The Common Good in the Digital Age." McGuire said about 270 people attended, including Silicon Valley CEOs and experts in robotics, cyberwarfare and security.

After gathering research by talking with tech leaders, the ITEC team decided to create a practical handbook to help companies think about and question at every level  from inception to creation to implementation  how technology can be used in an ethically positive way.

"Get the people who are designing it. Get the people who are writing code, get the people who are implementing it and not wait for some regulator to say, 'You can't do that,'" McGuire said.

These guidelines aren't just for Catholics, he said.

One of the handbook's co-authors, Ann Skeet, senior director of leadership ethics at the Markkula Center, said the handbook is very straightforward and written in a manner business leaders are familiar with.

"We've tried to write in the language of business and engineers so that it's familiar to them," Skeet said. "When they pick it up and they go through the five stages, and they see all the checklists and the resources, they actually recognize some of them.  We've done our best to make it as usable and practical as possible and as comprehensive as possible."

"What's important about this book is it puts materials right in the hands of executives inside the companies so that they can move a little bit past this moment of 'analysis paralysis' that we're in while people are waiting to see what the regulatory environment is going to be like and how that unfolds."

In June, the European Parliament passed a draft law called the AI Act, which would restrict uses of facial recognition software and require AI creators to disclose more about the data used to create their programs.

In the United States, policy ideas have been released by the White House that suggest rules for testing AI systems and protecting privacy rights.

"AI and ChatGPT are the hot topic right now," Skeet said. "Every decade or so we see a technology come along, whether it's the internet, social media, the cellphone, that's somewhat of a game-changer and has its own inherent risks, so you can really apply this work to any technology."

This handbook comes as leaders in AI are calling for help. In May, Sam Altman of OpenAI stated the need for a new agency to help regulate the powerful systems, and Microsoft President Brad Smith said government needs to "move faster" as AI progresses.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has also called for an "AI Pact" of voluntary behavioral standards while awaiting new legislation.
The U.S. military says it has conducted three new airstrikes against al-Shabab fighters in Somalia, killing 10 militants overnight.

The collective self-defense airstrikes were carried out in support of the Somali National Army who were engaged by al-Shabab, the U.S. Africa Command known as AFRICOM said in statement.

AFRICOM said the strikes took place at the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, in a remote area near Afmadow town in the Lower Juba region, approximately 105 kilometers (65 miles) north of Kismayo.

Working with the Somali National Army, U.S. Africa Commands initial assessment is that the U.S. airstrike killed 10 al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed, the statement read.

AFRICOM said it will continue to assess the results of this operation and will provide additional information as appropriate.

Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released in order to ensure operations security, the statement said.

This brings the number of airstrikes carried out by the U.S. in Somalia this year to 13.

Earlier the Somali government also reported three operations conducted by Somali forces in support of international partners that took place near Afmadow. A statement by the Ministry of Information put the number of militants killed in the three operations at over 40.

Meanwhile, Somali government troops supported by Jubaland regional security forces have entered the al-Shabab-controlled town of Xagar in the Lower Juba region, Sunday.

Xagar is 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Buale, the capital of Jubaland state, which has been controlled by al-Shabab for more than 15 years. Buale is also the regional capital of Middle Juba, the only region entirely controlled by al-Shabab. It is unclear if the troops will establish a regular base in Xagar or advance to Buale.
Framingham's Learning Center for the Deaf has a new director of development

Dwight Martin has been hired as director of development at The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham.

He will oversee the research, writing and management of local and federal grant work to support TLCs services, while increasing programmatic growth through fundraising efforts, donor relations, marketing and communications.

Martin

Prior to joining TLC, Martin worked for six years at Deaf Pathway Global in Brentwood, Tennessee, where he was director of strategic operations.

He holds an MBA from the University of Houston-Victoria, as well as a bachelors degree in biomedical sciences from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

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Milford Regional Medical Center recently recognized several employees who achieved employment milestones.

Marilyn Nydam, of Uxbridge, was honored for 50 years of service at the hospital.

Employees honored for 45 years of service include Rose Galimi-Hayes, of Uxbridge; Deborah Grenier, of Dayille, Connecticut; and Debra Tredeau, of Northbridge.

Employees honored for 40 years of service include Carol Giardino, of Franklin; Diane Hill, of Millbury; Jayne Leahy, of Marlborough; and Kathleen Perdoni and Cheryl Volpicelli, both of Milford.

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Digital Federal Credit Union in Marlborough recently announced a pair of promotions:

Laurie LaChapelle has been named chief financial officer. She was previously senior vice president of finance.

LaChapelle

LaChapelle, who has worked at DCU for 12 years, will continue to oversee teams for accounting, capital planning, finance, procurement and support services as well as the DCU for Kids Foundation. Additionally, she will focus on strategies for balance sheet management, capital growth and allocation and enhancements to DCUs budgeting process.

David DeWitt has been named chief risk officer. He was previously senior vice president of enterprise services.

DeWitt

DeWitt will focus on strategies to advance DCUs risk management program further as it grows past $10 billion in assets. A 17-year DCU veteran, he will continue to lead the program, providing oversight in compliance, internal audit, fraud, BSA, legal, information security, physical safety and enterprise risk management.

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Ivette Mesmar, of Marlborough, assistant vice president and manager of Brookline Banks Wellesley Hills office, was recently recognized for her community efforts by the Lions Club International and by the City of Marlborough.

Mesmar was recently elected as district governor for District 33K of Lions Club International. She has been involved with the Lions for more than 40 years.

Mesmar

Separately, in May she was presented with the City of Marlboroughs 2023 Humanitarian of the Year Award by Mayor Arthur Vigeant, in recognition of 20-plus years of charitable efforts in the city.

A native of Panama, Mesmars professional career began as a microbiologist. She eventually transitioned to the banking industry where her background in research helps her develop solutions for her banking customers.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham hires development director
North Korea denounced on Monday what it called a move by the United States to introduce a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine to waters near the Korean peninsula, saying it creates a situation that brings a nuclear conflict closer to reality.

North Korea also claimed U.S. reconnaissance planes recently violated its air space near the east coast, quoting an unnamed spokesperson of its Ministry of National Defense in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

"There is no guarantee that a shocking incident where a U.S. air force strategic reconnaissance plane is shot down over the East Sea will not happen," the spokesperson said.

The moves by the United States to introduce strategic nuclear assets to the Korean peninsula is a blatant nuclear blackmail against North Korea and regional countries and presents a grave threat to peace, KCNA said.

A U.S. nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine arrived at the port of Busan in South Korea last month.

In April, the leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed a U.S. Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine will visit South Korea for the first time since the 1980s, but no timetable has been given for such a visit.
NEW YORK  There were fancy dresses and men in tuxes, but some came in attire that was decidedly more casual  not an unusual sight at New York's Lincoln Center. But the scene Saturday evening was far from routine as faux flowers hung from the balconies and as brides  yes, brides  clutched bouquets of roses and wildflowers in the din of a hall teeming with hundreds of giddy couples.

In all, some 700 couples arrived at the iconic New York City venue to profess their love, no matter how new or how long. Some were exchanging vows for the first time, while others like Hazel Seivwright-Carney and her husband, Rohan Carney, came to renew their vows after eloping so many years ago, to the dismay of family.

"When we eloped 28 years ago, my mother did not have a chance to see us get married," the bride said.

On Saturday, her mother, who declined to discuss that matter, waited patiently in the humidity for the nuptials to begin so she could finally witness her daughter exchange vows with the love of her life.

It was just the second year for what could become an annual event at Lincoln Center. With so many weddings delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, center officials thought the event would help COVID-fatigued couples reengage after months of lockdowns and seclusion. None of the weddings were legally binding. More than 500 couples took part last year.

Last year's overwhelming success convinced organizers that they needed to do it again.

"We started doing this last year, right after the pandemic and we felt it was a time for all of us to come together," said Shanta Thake, the center's chief artistic officer. "There was so much to be sad about and mourn. It's also important for us to have these rituals together."

Alexander Fischer and his soon-to-be fiancee, Nina Oishi, who met while attending law school at Yale, took the opportunity Saturday to express their commitment before they would have to temporarily part, after living together in New York for a year, because of clerkships in different cities.

"It felt like such a New York thing to do," said Oishi, who wore green for the occasion. "We know we're going to get married, so why not get a chance to celebrate it now before we're apart?"

The couple didn't tell their parents what they were doing.

"Our parents would obviously be very upset to miss the real one," Oishi said.

Added Fischer: "We just wanted to be part of a celebration with a bunch of other people and doing the same thing."

Mirian Masaquiza admitted she had to drag her husband, Oscar, and their two children to the festivities. Her family wore traditional wear reflecting their Ecuadorian heritage.

"I just saw that it was a very nice opportunity for us to strengthen ... um ... our team because we are a team now with our two kids," Masaquiza said.

"I was more happy about it," she added. "He was like, 'OK, I will do it.'"

The clear majority were couples who were using the event as a recommitment ceremony.

Archley Prudent and his spouse of 12 years, Hugh, were married as soon as gay marriage became legal in New York.

"We just jumped at the chance," he said, explaining they thought they would eventually have a proper wedding. "And then 12 years passed by. ... So many other things happened in between so we never got around to it."

Like their marriage 12 years ago, their decision to take part in Saturday's nuptials was also a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"I got so excited when this came up and asked, 'Why don't we reaffirm our love?'" Archley Prudent said, as he looked around the lobby of the hall. "I'm thinking about everybody attending, and how we have something in common. We're doing this because I think we all love each other. We all care for each other, and we want to celebrate that."
Peruvian authorities Sunday rescued 23 Afghans from migrant traffickers along the border with Brazil, the attorney general's office said.

The migrants, who were trying to get to Ecuador, paid money to people smugglers to transport them across the nation and to the northern border, prosecutors said.

But they were cheated out of their money and crowded into a house without food in the village of Inapari in the Madre de Dios department along the Peru-Brazil border, a statement from the prosecutor's office said.

Among the victims were "four children, including a two-month-old baby," it said.

Prosecutors did not say how much the migrants had paid the smugglers.

The Afghans were led to believe they would be transferred to a regional city, then on to the capital Lima before heading to Tumbes, a city near Peru's northern border with Ecuador.
WASHINGTON - A U.S. media rights group says Iran has kept two jailed female journalists in legal limbo for more than a month after their trials began as a ploy to make global attention fade as it figures out what to do with the women whose detentions sparked outrage in the West.

Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi were taken to Tehran's Revolutionary Court on May 29 and 30 respectively for the first sessions of their closed-door trials. Since then, there has been no word from Iranian officials or relatives and lawyers of the two women on when or whether the reporters will have a second trial session at the court.

Iranian authorities jailed Hamedi and Mohammadi last September for their coverage of the death and funeral of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman whom Tehran police arrested that month for allegedly not following Iran's strict Islamic dress code. Amini's death in police custody within days of her arrest triggered months of nationwide protests against Iran's ruling Islamist clerics.

Hamedi had photographed Amini's distraught parents embracing inside the Tehran hospital where Amini died after falling into a coma, while Mohammadi covered and wrote about Amini's funeral in the northwestern city of Saqqez. Both reporters were working for Iranian state approved news outlets.

Iranian intelligence agencies issued a joint statement in October accusing Hamedi and Mohammadi of being agents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA. Iranian authorities later charged them with being collaborators of a "hostile" United States, acting against national security and spreading anti-government propaganda.

The U.S. State Department denounced what it called Mays "sham" trials as a "mockery of justice." In a June 1 tweet, U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley wrote: "Journalism is not a crime. Iranian authorities should stop jailing journalists like Elaheh and Niloufar simply for doing their jobs."

Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council on Wednesday, the chairperson of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, Sara Hossein, said the two women were among at least 17 journalists in the country "remaining in detention ... for their alleged reporting on the protests."

Yeganeh Rezaian, a senior researcher with the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists, discussed the legal limbo of Hamedi and Mohammadi in this week's edition of VOA's Flashpoint Iran podcast.

The following transcript of Rezaian's June 28 interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

VOA: What do you know about the status of Iran's legal proceedings against the two female journalists?

Yeganeh Rezaian, Committee to Protect Journalists: It seems as if the regime is trying to keep them in a limbo situation. One speculation, which has been reoccurring in that system, is that once a political prisoner becomes high profile, usually the regime likes to keep them in that limbo and extend their imprisonment, hoping that at some point, they will be forgotten in the world. And once their name is not out there anymore, the regime can, in a face-saving way, let them out, or give them a sham trial and sentence and quietly let them serve a bit of their sentence.

But the truth is that these two female journalists are innocent. They did not do anything wrong, except report the truth and inform not just their domestic society but also the international community. And they are paying the price for doing their job truthfully.

The world is not going to forget about them. The longer they stay in the dungeon, the more their names will be spread out.

VOA: How much awareness do Iranian officials have about the big network of international support that these two women have? Are you aware that messages from CPJ and other rights groups are getting through to Tehran?

Rezaian: Absolutely, because the regime has an expansive cyber army. And their first and foremost job is monitoring any news about the country that is out in the international arena. So they know exactly what awards these women have been nominated for and what organization is issuing statements in their support. I promise you, based on personal experience, and also on our work with previous cases, that the regime is monitoring how the world is reacting.

VOA: How has the international support for Mohammadi and Hamedi impacted their treatment by the Iranian government?

Rezaian: The support has already resulted in the fact that they dropped the charges of espionage, which could have been punishable by execution; the fact that they realize that they do not have any supporting documents for proving such a farce of a charge; and also the fact that they do not know how to deal with the cases.

One of the reasons that political cases often get extended is because the officials themselves are not sure about how to deal with them.

If [Hamedi and Mohammadi] were dual citizens, [the regime] would be looking to either ask for money or a prisoner swap [in return for their release]. But these women are just two local journalists working for state-run media. Technically, they went through all kinds of background checks within the system. So [the regime] cannot say they are spies. They are not.

VOA: How do you see the Iranian government treating its own state-approved journalists going forward?

Rezaian: The truth is that Iran's media scene has been terrible since the regime came to power. They have in many cases throughout the years treated the media, and domestic journalists in particular, very brutally and harshly. That is why so many journalists are emigrating and going to self-imposed exiles. They know that as long as they are inside the country, they will not be able to do their jobs freely and safely. Those who decide to stay know they will be silenced by arrest and long-term detention and harsh sentences.

Obviously, very silently and slowly killing traditional journalism is what the regime is looking for. They would love to see more and more people leave this profession, and to see those who think differently than the regime go silent and do other things. This is not a new phenomenon, but with all the ways that the regime is treating journalists, it has been sped up.
Latest developments:

Ukraines military intelligence reported Saturday that Russia continues to deliver mines and explosives around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The IAEAs on-site experts say they have not yet found any explosives during their inspections of the nuclear plant but note they have not been granted access to inspect the rooftops.

Turkey favors Ukraines entrance into NATO. Without a doubt, Ukraine deserves to be in NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys visit to Istanbul.

Wagner mercenary fighters are preparing to move to Belarus under the agreement that averted their mutiny against Russia's military leadership, a senior commander of the group was quoted as saying. The exact whereabouts of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries is unclear.

Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country Saturday, the defense minister said, amid rising concern in the NATO-member that Wagner Group mercenaries were moving to Belarus and that their presence could lead to increased tensions on its border.

The British Defense Ministry said Sunday that Russian state media outlets were caught off guard by last months Wagner Group mutiny. Outlets were almost certainly initially surprised by the mutiny and were not prepared, the ministry said in its daily intelligence report on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

SEE ALSO: West Says Failed Wagner Mutiny Reveals Putin's Weakness After the insurrection died down, the British ministry said, Russian state outlets created stories to counter other reports that Russian security forces played a passive role in dealing with the Wagner mercenaries. The state media also, according to the report, created stories praising Russian President Vladimir Putins triumph in putting down the mutiny without any bloodshed and sought to unite the country behind the president, who since the insurrection has undertaken unusually prominent public engagements, almost certainly aiming to project strength.

At least eight civilians were killed and 13 wounded by Russian artillery Saturday in the Ukrainian city of Lyman, a key railway junction in the eastern Donetsk region.

Russian forces tried to advance in the Lyman sector but were repelled, the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported. It said at least 10 towns and villages were struck by the shelling, which started fires that burned a house, printing shop and three cars in the area.

The attacks came as Ukraine marked the 500th day of the Russian invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy observed the somber anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine from the liberated Snake Island in the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian president thanked soldiers during a morning address Saturday.

I thank you! Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine.  We will definitely win, he said.

In a statement marking the 500 days of war in Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed Ukraines resilience.

The United States remains committed to helping Ukraine defend itself and to rebuild its future. Each day, the people of Ukraine demonstrate their resilience and unity in defending against Moscows brutal, relentless assaults. In the face of enormous adversity, the people of Ukraine inspire the world, reminding us of the importance of upholding the tenets of the U.N. Charter, the top U.S. diplomat said.

Earlier Saturday, returning from his visit to Turkey, Zelenskyy brought home five former commanders of Ukraines garrison in the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol.

After a three-month siege, the city was seized by Russian forces and the five fighters were sent to Turkey, where they were to remain until the end of the war as part of a prisoner swap brokered by Turkey between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian denounced their release. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Turkey had violated the prisoner exchange terms and had failed to inform Moscow.

Peskov said the release was a result of pressure from Turkey's NATO allies ahead of next week's summit, where Ukraine hopes to receive a positive signal about its future membership in the military alliance.

US allies on cluster bombs

U.S. allies and Russia reacted Saturday to the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with controversial cluster munitions that are banned by more than 100 countries, though not the U.S., Russia and Ukraine.

Canada, Britain, Spain, Germany and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres all expressed opposition to the U.S. decision.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov welcomed the U.S. announcement to deliver cluster bombs to Kyiv and promised the munitions would be used only in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and not in Russia.

Reznikov said on Twitter that the new weapons will significantly help us to de-occupy our territories while saving the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers.

Reznikov said that cluster munitions will be used only in the fields where there is a concentration of Russian military. He emphasized that such munitions will not be used in urban areas to avoid the risks for the civilian populations.

These are our people; they are Ukrainians, and we have a duty to protect, he wrote.

Cluster munitions typically release large numbers of smaller bombs that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode upon contact with the ground then pose a danger for decades.

Oksana Markarova, Ukraines ambassador to the U.S., said Friday in an interview with VOAs Ukraine Service that the cluster bombs from the U.S. are of a much better quality and much safer than the typical cluster munitions that people are talking about. She said the cluster munitions will help us to faster liberate our territories.

Moscow described the U.S. decision as another egregious example of Washington's anti-Russian course.

President Joe Biden defended the U.S. move Friday, calling it a difficult decision.

It took me a while to be convinced to do it, Biden said in a CNN interview, underscoring the cluster munitions would help Ukraine to stop those [Russian] tanks from rolling."

Bidens decision circumvents U.S. law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1% by allocating the munitions from existing defense stocks under the Foreign Assistance Act once the president deems that such a provision is in the U.S. national security interest.

The cluster munition supply is part of an $800 million security package that brings the total U.S. military aid to Ukraine to more than $40 billion since Russia's February 2022 invasion.

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara, VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin, and VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
BEIRUT - Syria's information ministry said Saturday it had canceled the accreditation of two local journalists working for Britain's BBC over what it said was false and politicized coverage.

The accreditations of an unidentified correspondent and camera operator have been revoked following "subjective and false information and reports" on Syria, the ministry said on its website. It described other BBC reports as politicized.

Contacted by Reuters, the BBC said its Arabic news service provided impartial and independent reporting by speaking to people across the political spectrum.

"We will continue to provide impartial news and information to our audiences across the Arabic-speaking world," it said.

Syria's information ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for additional information on Saturday, which is not a working day in the country.

Syria, ravaged by conflict since 2011, ranks 175 out of 180 on a press freedom index compiled by Reporters' Without Borders. The government and other authorities impose strict limits on media coverage and require accreditations and permissions to report.

The BBC published a report last month on what it said were direct links between the trade of an amphetamine known as Captagon and the family of President Bashar al-Assad, as well as the Syrian military.

Syria has denied playing a role in the Captagon trade.

The United States, Britain and European Union have blamed Syria's government for the production and export of the drug, naming Maher al-Assad, the head of the army's Fourth Division and the president's brother, as a key figure.
Syria's Information Ministry has canceled the BBC's media accreditation, accusing the British public broadcaster of biased and fake news in its coverage of the war-torn country.

The announcement came days after BBC Arabic released an investigative documentary about the illicit drug trade in Syria, where they highlighted links between the estimated multibillion-dollar industry and the Syrian army as well as members of President Bashar Assad's family.

The Syrian Information Ministry in a statement late Saturday said the decision was made after warning the channel more than once that it has broadcasted its misleading reports relying on statements and testimonies from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria.

Damascus revoked the licenses of both the British broadcaster's radio and television correspondents in Syria, as well as their videographer.

We speak to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts, the BBC said in a statement emailed to the Associated Press, adding that the broadcaster provides impartial independent journalism. We will continue to provide impartial news and information to our audiences across the Arabic-speaking world.

The illicit drug industry, most notably the addictive Captagon amphetamine pills, has blossomed in war-torn Syria in recent years. While experts say it has been a way to generate revenue for the country's crippled economy and sanctioned leadership, it has scourged neighboring Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as other Gulf countries.

Captagon has been used both recreationally and by people with physically demanding jobs to keep them alert as well as fighters on the battlefield.

The United Kingdom, United States, and European Union have sanctioned a handful of drug kingpins and close associates of Assad for their involvement in the trade.

The Syrian government denies any involvement in the production of Captagon. A Syrian parliamentarian told the AP last month that Syria has been used as a transit state for Captagon and other drugs, and accused opposition groups of running the industry.

After Syria restored relations with many of its neighboring countries and returned to the Arab fold, cracking down on drug smuggling has been a key issue in regional talks.
NEZUK, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA  A solemn peace march started on Saturday through the forests in eastern Bosnia in memory of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Europe's only acknowledged genocide since World War II.

The annual 100-kilometer march retraces a route taken by thousands of men and boys from the Bosniak ethnic group, made up primarily of Muslims, who were slaughtered as they tried to flee Srebrenica after it was captured by Bosnian Serb forces late in the 1992-95 war.

The march is part of several events preceding the commemorations on the actual date of the massacre on July 11.

Nearly 4,000 people joined this year's march, according to organizers. The event comes as ethnic tensions still persist, with Bosnian Serbs continuing to push for more independence and their open calls for separation.

"I come here to remember my brother and my friends, war comrades, who perished here," said Resid Dervisevic, who was among those who took this route back in 1995. "I believe it is my obligation, our obligation to do this, to nurture and guard (our memories)."

Osman Salkic, another Srebrenica survivor, said, "Feelings are mixed when you come here, to this place, when you know how people were lying (dead) here in 1995 and what the situation is like today."

The war in Bosnia erupted in 1992 after the former Yugoslavia broke up and Bosnian Serbs launched a rebellion and a land grab to form their own state and join Serbia. More than 100,000 people died before the war ended in 1995 in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement.

In July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosniak males were separated by Serb troops from their wives, mothers and sisters, chased through woods around Srebrenica and killed. Bosnian Serb soldiers dumped the victims' bodies in numerous mass graves scattered around the eastern town in an attempt to hide the evidence of the crime.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Bosnia's carnage was considered the worst in Europe since WWII. There have been fears that the separatist policies of pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik could fuel further instability as the war rages in Ukraine.

Despite rulings from two U.N. courts, Dodik has denied that genocide took place in Srebrenica, even as the remains of newly identified victims are continuously being unearthed from mass graves. They are reburied each year on July 11, the day the killing began in 1995.

A U.N. war crimes court in The Hague, Netherlands, has sentenced to life in prison both the wartime Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic and the ex-military commander Ratko Mladic for orchestrating the genocide.

So far, the remains of more than 6,600 people have been found and buried at a vast and ever-expanding memorial cemetery outside Srebrenica. The remains of 30 more victims will be laid to rest there Tuesday.
Conflict-torn Sudan is on the brink of a "full-scale civil war" that could destabilize the entire region, the United Nations warned Sunday, after an airstrike on a residential area killed around two dozen civilians.

The health ministry reported "22 dead and a large number of wounded among the civilians" from what it described as an airstrike Saturday on Khartoum's sister city Omdurman, in the district of Dar al-Salam, which means "House of Peace" in Arabic.

After nearly three months of war between Sudan's rival generals, the airstrike is the latest incident to provoke outrage.

Around 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict, survivors have reported a wave of sexual violence and witnesses have spoken of ethnically targeted killings. There has been widespread looting, and the U.N. warned of possible crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

A video posted by the health ministry on Facebook showed apparently dismembered bodies lying partly covered on the ground after the airstrike. Several women were among the victims.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the regular army, claimed that the "airstrikes" killed 31.

Residents contacted by AFP also confirmed an airstrike but said it happened Sunday, the armed forces released a statement "clarifying that the air force did not deal with any hostile targets in Omdurman yesterday."

Witnesses also reported more airstrikes Sunday near the presidential palace in Khartoum and in Omdurman, as well as machine gun clashes and artillery fire in the city's south.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the air strike in Omdurman, which he said, "reportedly killed at least 22 people" and wounded dozens, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Guterres "remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region," Haq said.

Meanwhile civilians began digging graves for those killed in Saturday's airstrike, witnesses said.

Since the war began, many bodies have been left to rot in the streets in both Khartoum and the western region of Darfur, which has seen some of the most violent fighting.

Dangerous and disturbing

Nearly 3 million people have been uprooted by Sudan's fighting, among them almost 700,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The U.N. and African blocs have warned of an "ethnic dimension" to the conflict in the western region of Darfur, where the United States, Norway and Britain have blamed the RSF and allied militia for most of the widespread violations.

Concentrated in Darfur and the capital Khartoum, fighting has also been reported in Blue Nile state near Ethiopia, which also has a history of unrest, as well as in South Kordofan state.

Residents in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and a commercial hub south of Khartoum, reported renewed fighting in their area overnight Saturday-Sunday, and then again Sunday afternoon.

"There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing," said Haq, expressing support for efforts by the African Union and East African bloc IGAD to end Sudan's crisis.

On Monday leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan  IGAD members handling the Sudan file  are to meet in Addis Ababa.

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo have been invited but neither side has confirmed they will attend.

Several Sudanese civilian figures are already there, however, "in order to accelerate peace efforts," said Khalid Omer Yousif, who was fired from the government in 2021 when Dagalo and Burhan led a coup, before their falling out.

Egypt, a close ally of Burhan's, said it will host a summit Thursday of Sudan's neighbors to seek an end to the conflict and its regional "repercussions," a statement from the president's office in Cairo said.

Numerous cease-fires in the war have been announced and ignored.
A U.S. airstrike has killed an Islamic State leader in eastern Syia, the U.S. Central Command said Sunday.

A CENTCOM statement said the airstrike that killed Usamah al-Muhajir was conducted Friday.

We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region, said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, using an acronym for the terrorist group. ISIS remains a threat, not only to the region but well beyond.

The statement added that operations against IS, alongside partner forces in Iraq and Syria, will continue to achieve the groups enduring defeat.

CENTCOM also said Sunday there were no indications any civilians had been killed in Fridays airstrike. Coalition forces were, however, assessing reports of an injured civilian.

Friday's strike on IS "was conducted by the same MQ-9s (drones) that had... been harassed by Russian aircraft in an encounter that had lasted almost two hours, CENTCOM said in a statement.

Russia is a key ally of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.



At its peak in 2014, Islamic State controlled one-third of Iraq and Syria. The militant group was beaten back in both countries, but its militants continue to wage attacks.

Some information for this article came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
Photo: jim Allen - FreightWaves

Chart of the Week: National Truckload Index Linehaul Only, Outbound Tender Volume Index  USA SONAR: NTIL.USA, OTVI.USA

Truckload spot rates excluding estimated fuel costs are up ~13% since early May with truckload tender volumes up 7% since the start of the year, though still a shadow of what they were in 2021. Is the freight market finally recovering from its post pandemic hangover or is this simply a seasonal bump of false hope?

The answer to both questions is yes. The fact there is any semblance of seasonal movement instead of a continuous downward trend is a sign that the freight market is stabilizing, but it is not definitive evidence that supply and demand have rebalanced.

Rates are noisy

Spot rates are a culmination of multiple factors. At their simplest they measure the fair market value for moving a truckload in a given lane. That value tends to increase around the holidays as shippers have narrowing service windows and carrier availability becomes increasingly limited.

At times, the simple fact that many people expect rates to become more expensive can inflate the market without capacity actually tightening meaningfully. This occurs due to the lack of transparency, where neither shippers, brokers nor carriers have a complete view of the market.

Carrier costs are also a component of the rate. While the direct costs like labor and equipment are easier to estimate from an outside perspective, the network component driven by their unique customer footprint makes them less understandable.

For instance, a carrier may have more freight moving out than into the Houston market thanks to a large customer. This leads it to offer rates that are lower than market average (or even direct costs) into the Houston area so it can win more business and cover its obligations.

Losing this account would change the way the carrier prices freight into Houston. This is currently happening on a larger scale in the U.S.

As demand patterns have shifted post-pandemic, carrier networks are also in flux. The epicenter of the freight boom was in Southern California. Carriers priced loads moving into this region more cheaply than others to help position their trucks.

Ontario, Californias outbound market share fell from 4.25% at the beginning of 2022 to near 3% at the end of that year while Atlanta has remained relatively flat and Dallas has grown.

Demand has fallen more sharply out of Southern California than many of the larger Eastern markets, leaving freight contracts underpriced heading out West. Pair that with a relatively low amount of freight moving in that direction and you get less capacity in the region, exposing it to more price fluctuations.

The current spot rate from Los Angeles to Dallas according to FreightWaves TRAC is $2.15 per mile  up 23% from May 1. The near-term increase is impressive, but rates are still well below contract and 20% lower than last year. There is a rebalancing act taking place that is pushing rates back into equilibrium.

Demand seems stable

The national Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI), a measure of shipper requests for truckload contract capacity, has been trending higher since January and is following a semblance of a seasonal pattern that existed prior to 2020.

Comparing 2023 to pre-pandemic 2018 (purple) and 2019 (green), spring demand came and sustained earlier than usual. Another takeaway is that the market can expect demand to ease to an extent in July without cause for alarm.

The main takeaways as we close the first half of 2023 are that the market has found a demand floor and there is no strong evidence that spot rates will sustain their trend beyond the typical summer seasonality bump. The Western regions are tightening, but this will smooth out as pricing aligns. The majority of the bubble has burst but capacity is still due for a strong correction.

About the Chart of the Week

The FreightWaves Chart of the Week is a chart selection from SONAR that provides an interesting data point to describe the state of the freight markets. A chart is chosen from thousands of potential charts on SONAR to help participants visualize the freight market in real time. Each week a Market Expert will post a chart, along with commentary, live on the front page. After that, the Chart of the Week will be archived on FreightWaves.com for future reference.

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Relations between the United States and China are on a surer footing, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday in Beijing as she wrapped up a four-day visit there, saying "no one visit will solve our challenges overnight. The worlds two largest economies  the United States and China  have a duty to themselves and other nations to communicate more closely when it comes to their economic decisions and climate change, Yellen said at a press conference at the U.S. Embassy. During her visit, Yellen met with Chinese officials for 10 hours of talks. Five of them were with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Saturday. The U.S. Treasury Department described the meetings as candid, constructive and comprehensive, while Chinese state media termed them in-depth, candid and pragmatic. Yellen defended Biden administration restrictions on technology exports that Beijing disagrees with and said such disagreements should not prevent the two countries from finding ways to address important global challenges, such as debt distress in emerging markets and developing countries and climate change.

The Chinese side expressed concern about U.S. sanctions and restrictive measures against China, the Xinhua state news agency said. The vice premier said the two governments should return to an agreement reached last November by Biden and Xi to improve relations.

The two countries should act with a sense of responsibility for history, for the people and for the world, he said.

On climate, Yellen pointed out that the U.S. and China are the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases and the largest investors in renewable energy.

She said that "climate finance should be targeted efficiently and effectively" to support already established institutions like the Green Climate Fund, a U.N. entity that is endeavoring to support a paradigm shift in the global response to climate change.

Yellens three-day visit to China wraps up Sunday with an early morning news conference.

On Friday, Yellen held candid and constructive talks with Chinas prime minister, Li Qiang, in Beijing.

A Treasury Department statement said Yellen discussed the administrations desire to seek healthy economic competition with China that benefits both economies, including American workers and businesses.



She also emphasized close communication on global macroeconomic and financial issues and working together on global challenges, including debt distress in low-income and emerging economies and climate finance. Chinas foreign ministry released a statement saying the prime minister noted that U.S. and Chinese economic interests are closely intertwined, and that Chinas development is an opportunity rather than a challenge to the United States. Beijing said that Yellen stated during the talks the U.S. does not seek decoupling and disconnection and has no intention of hindering China's modernization process.

The foreign ministry said, China and the United States should strengthen coordination and cooperation, join hands to tackle global challenges and promote common development.

While both sides described Yellens visit in positive terms, no new plans for more high-level meetings were announced.

China's going to continue to be around and be a major player on the world stage, White House press secretary Karin Jean Pierre said Friday, adding that an intense competition requires intense diplomacy.

So, it is important to have an intense competition requires intense diplomacy, she said. That's what you see Secretary Yellen do, that's what you saw Secretary Blinken do. These are the type of conversations that the president has had with President Xi in meetings that he's had with him as well, she said.

The U.S. Treasury secretary began a four-day visit Friday to China by calling for market reforms in the world's second-largest economy, and warning that the United States and its allies will fight back against what she called China's "unfair economic practices."

Speaking Friday in Beijing to the American Chamber of Commerce in China, Yellen said, The United States does not seek a wholesale separation of our economies. ... The decoupling of the world's two largest economies would be destabilizing for the global economy, and it would be virtually impossible to undertake."

And while she noted the importance of trade and investment with China, Yellen also raised concerns, including barriers to market access, Chinas use of non-market tools, and punitive actions that have been taken against U.S. firms in recent months, during a roundtable with more than 10 U.S. businesses operating in Beijing.

She also reaffirmed the U.S. economic approach to China, which remains focused on three primary objectives: securing vital interests pertaining to national security and human rights; pursuing healthy and mutually beneficial economic competition, in which China plays by international rules; and seeking mutual cooperation on urgent global challenges, including on the macroeconomy, climate, and global debt, according to a Treasury Department statement Friday.

Chinas foreign ministry said in its statement, the two sides should strengthen communication and seek consensus on important issues in the bilateral economic field through candid, in-depth, and pragmatic exchanges, so as to inject stability and positive energy into Chinese-U.S. economic relations.

Yellen arrived in Beijing Thursday and tweeted, President Joe Biden charged his administration with deepening communication between our two countries on a range of issues, and I look forward to doing so during my visit.

Treasury Department officials said before the trip that Yellen would be discussing stabilizing the global economy, as well as challenging Chinas support of Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yellen was not expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Her visit, which is scheduled to last through Sunday, follows U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinkens trip to Beijing last month.

Yellen met earlier this week with Chinas ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, a meeting during which the Treasury said Yellen raised issues of concern while also conveying the importance of the two largest economies working together on global challenges, including on macroeconomic and financial issues.

Chinese state media said Xie expressed hope the two countries will eliminate interference and strengthen dialogue.
Before starting college, Taylor Mohead had never been outside her hometown of Houston, Texas. Now, the recent Tuskegee University graduate is trekking around trees in Hazel Green, Alabama, in fire gear and sweltering heat.

The U.S. Forest Service intern is among 20 students from historically Black colleges or universities who are participating in a prescribed burn demonstration under instructors' supervision. They clear paths, light fires and make sure the embers are out when they're done. It's part of an apprenticeship program that will give them the credentials to hit the ground running toward a fire line.

It's a grueling way to spend summer break, but Mohead is relishing it. She never pictured herself fighting forest fires.

"Look at me. I'm really small. I'm really short. And then being a woman of color, that's something, too. I feel like that's more inspiring," Mohead said, grinning. "I got goosebumps right now."

The on-site fire academy is part of the 1890 Land Grant Institution Wildland Fire Consortium, a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and a cluster of HBCUs comprised of Florida A&M University, Southern University in Louisiana, Tuskegee University and Alabama A&M University.

The recruitment effort comes as wildfire season around the U.S. grows due to climate change and minorities remain underrepresented in forestry and firefighting. The number of wildfires this year is below the 10-year average, but hot and dry conditions are raising the risk, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The idea for a consortium came during the pandemic to address a "mission critical area of the Forest Service," said Stephanie Love, the USDA Forest Service's national diversity student programs manager and an Alabama A&M alum. The initiative became official in 2021.

"These four HBCUs have some of the top agricultural programs at HBCUs in the nation. So, it just makes sense to align our efforts and move together in the same direction," Love said. "We're trying to create a pipeline of students who are pursuing this natural resources education and forestry and fire."

The hope is every student comes away with a foundation to chart one of many possible paths in forestry, ecology, agriculture or firefighting.

The consortium is building on top of a decadeslong relationship between Alabama A&M and the Forest Service. A USDA Forest Service Center of Excellence in Forestry was created at the school in 1993 to prepare students for jobs with the agency.

The Bulldogs established a nationally accredited firefighting team in 2009 made of students, called the FireDawgs. When class isn't in session, the FireDawgs are dispatched to wildfires or burn operations around the country.

The development programs that have come out of the Alabama-Forest Service collaboration are responsible for training two-thirds of Black foresters in the federal agency, said Love, who was in the first FireDawgs squad.

Diversity among the Forest Service's wildland firefighters has increased by 20% in the last decade, according to data collected by the agency. It has approximately 13,000 employees including firefighters and other staff who respond to wildfires. Between July 2010 and July 2022, white staffers fell from 86% to 66%.

Black fire personnel have remained mostly around 1.3%. Black women make up around half a percent. The number of Hispanic staff has grown by 10%. Native Americans/Alaska Natives and Asians linger around 3% and 1%, respectively. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders make up less than 1%.

The dearth of applicants of color may partly be due to a lack of awareness. They are not often encouraged to consider firefighting by guidance counselors or recruiters, said Terry Baker, CEO of the Society of American Foresters and its first Black leader. There also is a misconception that working outdoors isn't highly technical or doesn't require skill, he said.

Once students decide to study forestry or related fields, retaining them becomes the next challenge. Love said the Forest Service and HBCUs ensure there are mentorships, scholarships and internships.

Bradley Massey, an Alabama A&M junior and president of the school's forestry club, said the school sparked a passion he was missing. Massey said he was a student at Auburn University when he lost focus, working in retail back home in Huntsville before enrolling in Alabama A&M in 2021.

"As the school year progressed, that's when more information about the FireDawgs presented itself," Massey said in between running around in fire gear. "I wanted to just have experience and be able to make the most out of my college experience because I wasn't just going back for fun. I was going back for a purpose."

He has since accomplished feats like passing several firefighter work capacity tests including walking 3 miles (5 kilometers) in under 45 minutes while carrying a 45-pound (20-kilogram) pack. In October, he traveled to a conference in Boise, Idaho, where he went on field trips and talked with fire professionals and students from around the nation.

"I didn't want to leave," Massey said. "It was like going into Comic-Con and seeing all the cool stuff and just wanting to take many pictures ... I feel like it has helped me a lot in my career now."

Baker, of the Society of American Foresters, said the need for more firefighters will only increase as wildfires intensify with worsening climate change and droughts.

"If we're going to meet these challenges, we're going to have to have everyone," Baker said. "What does that mean to a profession that has been primarily white male?"

Black firefighters can feel intimidated and isolated in the field when they parachute into fires in predominately white communities or don't have other crew members of color around them, Baker said. He recalled fire scenes where "people became comfortable enough to openly say I was the first Black person they've ever met in real life that they didn't see on TV."

The current crop of students says it has been reassuring to meet HBCU alumni who have gone on to become fire or forestry professionals, noting there is something special about being in the field surrounded by classmates turned crew who look like them.

"It makes you more willing to go out there," Mohead said. "If you hit a road stop or obstacle, you have someone on your left who's probably been through it."
Yellen defended Biden administration restrictions on technology exports that Beijing disagrees with and said such disagreements should not prevent the two countries from finding ways to address important global challenges, such as debt distress in emerging markets and developing countries and climate change.

During her visit, Yellen met for five hours with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Saturday. The Treasury Department described the meetings as candid, constructive and comprehensive, while Chinese state media termed them in-depth, candid and pragmatic.

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A senior Treasury official said Yellens trip did not result in specific policy breakthroughs but was "very successful" in terms of "re-establishing contact" and building relationships.

The U.S. diplomatic push comes ahead of a possible meeting between Biden and President Xi Jinping at September's Group of 20 summit in New Delhi or at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering scheduled for November in San Francisco.

With relations between the two countries at a low point over national security issues and trade, top officials of the two countries have met in recent weeks to try to restore more normal links. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing last month, the first trip by the top U.S. diplomat during Biden's presidency. Climate envoy John Kerry is expected to visit later this month as well.

But Yellen added that she and U.S. President Joe Biden believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive. The U.S. and China are the worlds two biggest economies.

"The U.S. and China have significant disagreements," Yellen said at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, citing what she called unfair economic practices and punitive actions against U.S. businesses operating in China.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that 10 hours of talks with Chinese officials in recent days were productive and that she was leaving China with the relationship between the two world powers on surer footing.

The Chinese side expressed concern about U.S. sanctions and restrictive measures against China, the Xinhua state news agency said. The vice premier said the two governments should return to an agreement reached in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping to improve relations.

The treasury secretary was also able to meet with Chinas new economic team.

My objective during this trip has been to establish and deepen relationships with the new economic leadership team in place in Beijing, Yellin said.

Our discussions are part of a broader concerted effort to stabilize the relationship, reduce the risk of misunderstanding, and discuss areas of cooperation.

On Friday, Yellen held candid and constructive talks with Chinas prime minister, Li Qiang, in Beijing.

A Treasury Department statement said Yellen discussed the administrations desire to seek healthy economic competition with China that benefits both economies, including American workers and businesses.

She also emphasized close communication on global macroeconomic and financial issues and working together on global challenges, including debt distress in low-income and emerging economies and climate finance.

Chinas foreign ministry released a statement saying the prime minister noted that U.S. and Chinese economic interests are closely intertwined, and that Chinas development is an opportunity rather than a challenge to the United States. Beijing said that Yellen stated during the talks the U.S. does not seek decoupling and disconnection and has no intention of hindering China's modernization process.

The foreign ministry said, China and the United States should strengthen coordination and cooperation, join hands to tackle global challenges and promote common development.

While both sides described Yellens visit in positive terms, no new plans for more high-level meetings were announced.

Washington is keen on strengthening ties with Chinas and next month the top U.S. diplomat, Antony Blinken, is scheduled to visit China.

Climate envoy John Kerry is set to be in China later this month.

Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
Latest developments:

Ukraines military intelligence reported Saturday that Russia continues to deliver mines and explosives around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The IAEAs on-site experts say they have not yet found any explosives during their inspections of the nuclear plant but note they have not been granted access to inspect the rooftops.

Turkey favors Ukraines entrance into NATO. Without a doubt, Ukraine deserves to be in NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys visit to Istanbul.

Wagner mercenary fighters are preparing to move to Belarus under the agreement that averted their mutiny against Russia's military leadership, a senior commander of the group was quoted as saying. The exact whereabouts of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries is unclear.

U.S. allies and Russia reacted Saturday to the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with controversial cluster munitions that are banned by more than 100 countries, though not the U.S., Russia and Ukraine.

Canada, one of Ukraines most vocal advocates, as well as military and humanitarian supporter, asserted its full compliance with the 2008 Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions. We take seriously our obligation under the Convention to encourage its universal adoption," the federal government said in the statement.

Britain, another signatory to the convention, prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated Saturday.

"No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defense of Ukraine, which we understand should not be carried out with cluster bombs, Spain agreed in its statement.

Another U.S. ally, Germany, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed opposition to the U.S. decision.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov welcomed the U.S. announcement to deliver cluster bombs to Kyiv and promised the munitions would be used only in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and not in Russia.

Reznikov said on Twitter that the new weapons will significantly help us to de-occupy our territories while saving the lives of the Ukrainian soldiers. For this reason, he said, we need to inflict losses on the enemy  war criminals, rapists and looters  who are occupying our territories. The more losses we inflict on them, the more lives of Ukrainian people we will be able to save, he said.

Reznikov pointed out that cluster munitions will specifically be used only in the fields where there is a concentration of Russian military. He emphasized that such munitions will not be used in urban areas to avoid the risks for the civilian populations. These are our people; they are Ukrainians, and we have a duty to protect, he wrote.

Cluster munitions typically release large numbers of smaller bombs that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Those that fail to explode upon contact with the ground then pose a danger for decades.

Oksana Markarova, Ukraines ambassador to the U.S., said Friday in an interview with VOAs Ukraine Service that the cluster bombs from the U.S. are of a much better quality and much safer than the typical cluster munitions that people are talking about. She said the cluster munitions will help us to faster liberate our territories.

Moscow described the U.S. decision as another egregious example of Washington's anti-Russian course.

President Joe Biden defended the U.S. move Friday, calling it a difficult decision.

It took me a while to be convinced to do it, Biden said in a CNN interview, underscoring the cluster munitions would help Ukraine to stop those [Russian] tanks from rolling."

Bidens decision circumvents U.S. law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1% by allocating the munitions from existing defense stocks under the Foreign Assistance Act once the president deems that such a provision is in the U.S. national security interest.

The move comes amid concerns that Kyivs counteroffensive is going more slowly than anticipated against entrenched Russian troops and that Kyiv is diminishing Western stocks of conventional artillery.

Colin Kahl, the Pentagon's top policy adviser, told reporters it is too soon to draw any conclusions about Kyiv's battlefield gains. He added that Russia was more successful digging in "than perhaps was fully appreciated."

The cluster munition supply is part of an $800 million security package that brings the total U.S. military aid to Ukraine to more than $40 billion since Russia's February 2022 invasion.

500 days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy observed the 500th day of Russias invasion of Ukraine from the liberated Snake Island in the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian president thanked soldiers during a morning address Saturday.

I thank you! Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine.  We will definitely win, he said.

In a statement marking the 500 days of war in Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed Ukraines resilience.

The United States remains committed to helping Ukraine defend itself and to rebuild its future. Each day, the people of Ukraine demonstrate their resilience and unity in defending against Moscows brutal, relentless assaults. In the face of enormous adversity, the people of Ukraine inspire the world, reminding us of the importance of upholding the tenets of the U.N. Charter, the top U.S. diplomat said.

NATO aspirations

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Friday that NATO members meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week would reaffirm their goal for Ukraine to eventually become a member of the alliance. Membership talks are not expected, however, until after the war is over.

When asked when, or how, Ukraine might join the alliance, Stoltenberg said the most important thing now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails in its fight against Russia.

In his CNN interview Friday, Biden said he does not think there is a consensus right now among NATO member states to welcome Ukraine into the military alliance.

Zelenskyy has acknowledged it is unlikely Kyiv will be able to join NATO while at war with Russia. During his tour of NATO countries before the two-day NATO summit next week in Vilnius, Lithuania, Zelenskyy tried to rally support for Ukraines entrance into the military alliance.

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara, VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin, and VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
CAIRO  An airstrike in a Sudanese city Saturday killed at least 22 people, health authorities said, in one of the deadliest air attacks yet in the three months of fighting between the countrys rival generals.

The assault took place in the Dar es Salaam neighborhood in Omdurman, the neighboring city of the capital, Khartoum, according to a brief statement by the health ministry. The attack wounded an unspecified number of people, it said.

The ministry posted video footage that showed dead bodies on the ground with sheets covering them and people trying to pull the dead from the rubble. Others attempted to help the wounded. People could be heard crying.

The attack was one of the deadliest in the fighting in urban areas of the capital and elsewhere in Sudan. The conflict pits the military against a powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Last month, an airstrike killed at least 17 people including 5 children in Khartoum.

The RSF blamed the military for Saturday's attack and other strikes on residential areas in Omdurman, where fighting has raged between the warring factions, according to residents. The military has reportedly attempted to cut off a crucial supply line for the paramilitary force there.

A spokesman for the military was not immediately available for comment Saturday.

Two Omdurman residents said it was difficult to determine which side was responsible for the attack. They said the militarys aircraft have repeatedly targeted RSF troops in the area and the paramilitary force has used drones and anti-aircraft weapons against the military.

At the time of the attack early Saturday, the military was hitting the RSF, which took peoples houses as shields, and the RSF fired anti-aircraft rounds at the attacking warplanes, said Abdel-Rahman, one of the residents who asked to use only his first name out of concern for his safety.

The area is like a hell ... fighting around the clock and people are not able to leave, he said.

The conflict broke out in mid-April, capping months of increasing tensions between the military, chaired by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The fighting came 18 months after the two generals led a military coup in October 2021 that toppled a Western-backed civilian transitional government.

Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said in televised comments last month that the clashes have killed more than 3,000 people and wounded upwards of 6,000 others. More than 2.9 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries, according to U.N. figures.

Its a place of great terror, Martin Griffiths, the United Nations humanitarian chief, said of Sudan on Friday. He decried the appalling crimes taking place across the country and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

The conflict has plunged the African country into chaos and turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields. Members of the paramilitary force have occupied peoples houses and other civilian properties since the onset of the conflict, according to residents and activists. Additionally, there were reports of widespread destruction and looting across Khartoum and Omdurman.

Sexual violence, including the rape of women and girls, has been reported in Khartoum and the western Darfur region, which have seen some of the worst fighting in the conflict. Almost all reported cases of sexual attacks were blamed on the RSF, which hasnt responded to repeated requests for comment.

On Wednesday, top U.N. officials including Volker Turk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, called for a prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigation into the increasing reports of sexual violence against women and girls.

The Sudanese Unit for Combating Violence against Women, a government organization that tracks sex attacks against women, said it documented 88 cases of rape related to the ongoing conflict, including 42 in Khartoum and 46 in Darfur.

The unit, however, said the figure likely represented only 2% of the true number of cases, which means there were a possible 4,400 cases of sexual violence since the fighting began on April 15, according to the Save the Children charity.

Sexual violence continues to be used as a tool to terrorize women and children in Sudan, said Arif Noor, director of Save the Children in Sudan. Children as young as 12 are being targeted for their gender, for their ethnicity, for their vulnerability.
BINDURA, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - A Zimbabwean court on Sunday upheld a ban on the planned campaign launch by main opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the third of its rallies to be banned as its leader Nelson Chamisa face hurdles on his campaign trail.

CCC was scheduled to hold its campaign launch on Sunday in Bindura, about 100 km (62 miles) north of the capital Harare, but police banned the gathering citing problems with the venue.

CCC lawyers filed an urgent application at the High Court on Friday challenging the police decision, but a judge on Sunday referred the matter back to the lower court. Bindura Magistrate Mary Musika then upheld the ban, saying CCC had failed to notify the police on time.

CCC lawyer Agency Gumbo said: "The ruling showed there is an uneven playing ground in this election. It shows that the democratic space has been eroded. We are getting into a match with both legs tied so you cannot score."

The ruling ZANU-PF party could not immediately be reached for comment.

A handful of opposition supporters chanted party slogans as they protested outside the court, adding they were not free to support their party. Some said they had traveled all night to attend the rally.

"It is disheartening because ZANU PF is allowed to campaign freely but they are using the law to block our rallies. People now fear for their lives and this will impact our vote," 36-year-old Patience Chigwande told Reuters.

Political analysts say the elections, in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking a second term, may lose credibility if the clampdown on the opposition continues.

(Reporting by Nyasha Chingono; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and David Holmes)
The war in Sudan that began in April 15 has so far forced some 2.5 million people from their homes, according to the U.N., with about 80 percent of them displaced internally. Sidahmed Ibraheem spoke to some of the displaced, now leaving Al Jazirah state, in this story narrated by Vincent Makori.
(Bloomberg) -- Once touted as a key driver of global oil profits, the plastics industry is staring down years of anemic margins as giant plants in China look set to send a deluge of production into the market.

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The construction of more than 20 petrochemical projects  to produce raw materials that go into making everything from plastic packaging to clothing and detergents  will be completed across China this year, said industry consultant ICIS.

While part of their output will go into factories across what is still the worlds largest consumer, a slower-than-expected rebound in Chinas economy and excessive investment means oversupply is on the cards. As a result, returns for making petrochemicals such as ethylene and propylene are set to shrink, extending a malaise from this year when June margins stood at about 40% below 2019 levels.

China has been expanding enthusiastically in the industry as domestic demand growth for plastics began to outpace other oil-derived products such as transport and industrial fuels. While the initial idea was to move up the value chain and compensate for the drop in gasoline use as more people switch to electric cars, the completion of so many plants at once is setting the stage of a glut and squeezed profits, but also an overnight increase in market share and dominance.

Unable to take on more at home, China is exporting more cheap plastics into the rest of the region, eating into the market share of traditional manufacturing giants, such as South Korea and Japan. Thats bad news for large producers in the region like Formosa Plastics Corp., Lotte Chemical Corp. and GS Caltex Corp., now competing with Chinas might.

The market expected Chinas recovery from the pandemic to be sharp and robust, but this has not happened, said Salmon Lee, global head of polyesters at Wood Mackenzie. Now theres supply that even growing markets such as Vietnam, Turkey, South Africa and India may not fully absorb.

In polyesters, for example, Chinese excess already means producers now see thin to no margins, Lee said.

Oversupply could come this year, says Larry Tan, vice president of chemical consulting in Asia at S&P Global Commodity Insights in Singapore. S&P sees global margins weak until demand and capacity rebalance in 2025.

Of the roughly 50 million tons of new ethylene capacity poised to come online from 2020-2024, nearly 60% will come from China, said Tan. He points out that the countrys increase in that period is 400% of current Japanese capacity.

And China continues to pour more investment into these plants. In May this year, Sinopec announced a 27.8 billion yuan ($3.85 billion) investment in a new plant in Luoyang city, poised to be completed in 2025, according to local media. Petrochemicals will also be at the core of Saudi Arabias latest investment in Rongsheng Petrochemical Co. Ltd.

China has an advanced petrochemicals sector, the advantage of a huge and growing domestic market as well as potentially cost competitive output for exports, said Michal Meidan, director of the China Energy Research Programme at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

As we have seen with BASF investments and the recent Saudi investments in China, it is clear that the country will be an important market even as it becomes a growing competitor.

But for Western nations the question is the impact of Chinas expansion. Chinas petrochemical capacity will make up nearly a quarter of the worlds total by the end of this year, according to ICIS data. Thats a jump from five years ago, when it comprised just 14% of global manufacturing capacity. And its sizable at a time when China is flexing its muscles in other parts of the supply chain, while nations are fretting about supply disruptions and industrial security.

China can leverage on its strength as the worlds leading refiner to also become the most important and competitive supplier of petrochemicals, said John Driscoll, director of JTD Energy Services Pte in Singapore.

The West will one day wake up to China as the single biggest supplier of all things plastics, as more mature economies in the US, Europe and places such as Australia drastically cut back on production without addressing their continued need for these materials.

In light of those risks, nations such as India and Vietnam may choose to build their own production facilities on their own shores, says S&Ps Tan, arguing countries will weigh the return on investments against other objectives from national economic growth to jobs and reducing dependence on imports.

This year and next year is the tipping point for the petrochemicals industry, Lee added. North Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan used to lead it, but now China will be a major force for years to come.

--With assistance from Sarah Chen, Rachel Graham, Serene Cheong and Kevin Dharmawan.

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The European Union is often eulogized as historys greatest peace project. That sounds beautifully idealistic and enlightened, and Im all for it. Now, though, the continent is at war again  not within the EU, admittedly, but right at its edge. What future, if any, does the greatest-ever peace project have in this harsh new era?

This is a question Im asking myself as I move back to the US after 11 years of living in Berlin and covering Germany and the EU. Europeans, a German foreign minister once said, are vegetarians in a world of carnivores. How long can herbivores survive when the predators start feasting?

Germany was a good vantage point to observe the messianic naivete with which some (mainly western) Europeans used to insist  before Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine  that were surrounded by friends nowadays. Europe, in their telling, had transcended its old militarist mentalities and was on its way to becoming a different kind of superpower  of commerce and regulations, values and civilization.

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Not all Europeans indulged in such phantasms. The relatively new members in central and eastern Europe that used to be under Moscows heel  places like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  have long been agape at their western neighbors willful blindness toward the Kremlins aggressive potential. They were irate as Germany spent two decades hugging Putin and making itself dependent on his hydrocarbons.

This fault line between east and west, long before Putins invasion of 2022, cleaved the EU one way, while a different rift, exposed by the euro crisis, was pulling apart its north and south. The north (which included the UK until it exited the bloc) tends to be more market-oriented, economically strong, fiscally conservative, and culturally Protestant. The south leans more corporatist, spendthrift and culturally Catholic or Orthodox. In some ways, the ancient Roman Limes still divides the continent.

Europeans, it turns out, built their common abode atop creaking and grinding tectonic plates. The deepest of these faults today runs between members who equate the EU with liberal democracy and others  notably Hungary and Poland  who increasingly undermine the rule of law to build mini-Kremlins of autocracy.

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Ultimately, the problem is that no master narrative about Europe  not even the one about irenic transcendence  has ever captured the imagination of Europeans as much as their national storylines. And those frequently clash.

Such frictions were there from the beginning. The postwar West Germans, for example, viewed European integration as a way of re-entering Western civilization after their Nazi crimes. As part of their post-nationalist atonement, they were not only willing but eager to cede sovereignty to Europe. (Whether they still are is another matter.)

The French, by contrast, saw Europe as a way of continuing to project Gallic national power via Brussels to the world, at a time when they were losing their empire and global status and economically falling behind Germany. This is still the subtext today whenever French President Emmanuel Macron talks about European autonomy but really means French-led independence from the US.

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Ah, the US. Its an often overlooked irony that America has done more for European integration than any other country. During the Cold War, its military and nuclear aegis  in the form of NATO  scared away the Kremlin, so that the western Europeans could reconcile and build something new. And thats still true today. Uncle Sam has been the father figure in whose benevolent presence the squabbling European kids learned to play nicely.

Thats why the presidency of Donald Trump came as such a shock to Europeans. It frightened them more than the Brexit referendum in 2016; more than the refugee crisis happening around the same time; more than the euro crisis which had not yet quite ended; more, even, than Putins illegal annexation of Crimea two years earlier and the hybrid warfare he was already waging in eastern Ukraine. Each of these crises exposed a different vulnerability of the EU. But having Trump or somebody like him in the White House  back then or again in 2025  could wreck the bloc.

Trump refused to play that old paternal role. It was understandable that he was fed up with paying to defend Europe when the Europeans, and notably the Germans, were often freeriding. But Trumps reaction was so transactional, it undermined the alliance. With his trade policy and rhetoric, he treated Europeans such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel as foe more than friend. Simultaneously, he approached Putin more as friend than foe.

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Trump made clear that he saw no intrinsic value in NATO  and, by extension, the West. He cast doubt on his commitment to the alliances mutual-defense clause and was even thinking of pulling the US out of NATO altogether. For the first time since World War II, Europeans had to contemplate a continent without an American presence. Suddenly, the European herbivores remembered that they had molars but lacked fangs.

The next big shock came when Putin launched his genocidal war of conquest against Ukraine. At a stroke, he took Europe back to an earlier and darker age. Gone was the consensus to honor rules, norms and borders. In its place was once again ruthless and anarchic imperialist aggression.

To some extent, Putins assault made both Europe and the West pull together. Finland is now part of not only the EU but also NATO, and Sweden will, I hope, follow. Germany has  at least rhetorically  abandoned its long demilitarization and promises to re-arm. Countries like Italy that used to be cozy with the Kremlin have lined up against Russia.

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But the EU is far from united. Putin still has sympathizers there who regurgitate the Kremlins disinformation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Putin epigone, blocks or slows EU sanctions on Russia whenever he can. If the war in Ukraine is protracted, Europe will start wobbling.

Putins invasion has also exposed Europes vegetarianism. Despite recurring talk since the 1950s of a European Army, itll never come to anything  unless you count various technocratic schemes to pool military procurement. But thats a far cry from war-waging.

Instead, in supporting Ukraine, Europe has once again ducked under that old American aegis. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz actually made that a condition: He only agreed to send German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if the Americans also sent their own M1 Abrams. If the US were ever to waver in backing Kyiv  in a second Trump term, say  Europe would lose heart.

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***

This is the reality as I leave the continent, and as the EU confronts various dilemmas that may seem abstruse but are germane.

One question is whether Europe should try to return to its professed path of ever closer union, by ceding more powers from the capitals to the center. A hot-button issue in this category is how countries vote in Brussels. Members including Germany want almost all decisions to be made by qualified majority as opposed to unanimity, so that no country  Hungary, for example  can block policies on Russia, China or whatever. Other nations, including Poland, object, fearing that without veto power theyll be dominated by the large countries, above all Germany.

A second and related controversy is about enlargement. The EU has grown from six founding members in the 1950s to 27 today. Another eight are official candidates to join, and two more (Kosovo and Georgia) are considered potential candidates.

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The prospect of so many new members puts the EU in a bind. The club is already difficult to manage. Without a drastic rewrite of its treaties (including that change to qualified majority voting), how could it avoid breaking down in dysfunction? It appears that the EU can, in Brussels argot, either deepen or widen, but not both.

Moreover, the EU has in recent years noticed that it has sway over the governance of countries while theyre candidates, but not once theyre members. Several nations, including Bulgaria, still tolerate far too much corruption. A few, notably Hungary, are moving from democracy to autocracy. The fear now is that countries such as Serbia, Albania, Moldova or indeed Ukraine could also backslide after they join, dragging down standards in the whole bloc.

Yet the geopolitics of this new and post-pacific era seems to demand that the EU expands. For the remaining Balkan countries, membership may be their best, or only, way out of ethnic strife and toward prosperity. If they were rejected, they could take up arms again against one another or throw themselves into the geopolitical embrace of autocratic Russia or China.

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For Ukraine, the aspiration of integrating with western Europe was what started the enmity between Kyiv and Moscow in the first place. That EU dream is now one reason why Ukrainians are continuing to resist so bravely and fight for their independence. Ukraines NATO membership may prove elusive for the time being. EU membership, by contrast, is something that Europe feels it owes the Ukrainians.

Instead of ending after the Cold War, history appears merely to have paused and then restarted with Putins invasion. But this was just the opening salvo in our neo-nationalist, neo-imperialist, neo-anarchic era of great-power rivalry. For if Trump and Putin were shocks number one and two, Chinese President Xi Jinping is lining up to be three.

Its been said that Russia is the storm, China is climate change. For years, Beijing has been throwing its weight around not only in Asia  from the Taiwan Strait to the South China Sea and beyond  but also in Europe. It has bullied EU members such as Lithuania and spread its financial and diplomatic tentacles into the Balkans and beyond. And now its formed a no limits friendship with Moscow as a way of staring down the West.

Europeans are just beginning to notice that theyre at risk of chaining themselves economically to China just as they depended on Russian energy until recently. As they ponder the consequences, though, theyre still splitting hairs. Should they decouple from China, merely de-risk or just diversify?

Those among Europes friends who are watching this most closely and nervously are once again the Americans. Theyve long been hoping to pivot their attention and resources from the Atlantic to the Pacific, on the understanding that the Europeans would take care of their own neighborhood. Instead, the Europeans seem as far away as ever from stepping up on their continent and still iffy in lining up behind the US in Asia.

One fear that runs through capitals from Brussels, Paris and Berlin to Washington, New Delhi, Jakarta and Brasilia is that the new era of power politics will demand wrenching strategic decisions. Faced with a Chinese attack on Taiwan concurrent with Russian aggression in Europe, which would America do most to stop? Would the Europeans be there for a fight in Asia too? Would the rest of the world  the so-called Global South  finally choose sides?

***

The sad reality is that the epoch weve entered is one that Thucydides might recognize more readily than the founding fathers of European integration would. In this world, ideals mean little, might once again makes one right, the strong prey on the weak, and only the strongest can set limits.

No member state of the EU will be among those mightiest powers, nor the bloc as a whole. In theory, Europe could be a superpower, by becoming a United States of Europe. But I dont see that happening. The EU will instead remain a confederation masquerading as a federation, and possibly revert to being a mere trade area.

Nor, after so many decades, will Europeans suddenly grow fangs and turn into carnivores that keep away predators. This means their fate, ultimately, may be decided elsewhere  somewhere between Washington, Moscow and Beijing. The worlds greatest peace project, which has inspired me and others for so long, may end as just that  a project, like so many we read about in history books.

More from Andreas Kluth at Bloomberg Opinion:

 And Now Putin Decides Which Bugs to Crush

 The West Must Offer the Global South a New Deal

 There Are Right and Wrong Ways to Fight for Democracy

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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ISTANBUL  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support early Saturday for Ukraine joining NATO, saying the war-torn country deserves to join the alliance. Erdogan made the comment at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Turkey as part of a European tour to rally support for Ukraines entry into the military alliance after the war with Russia comes to an end.

NATO leaders meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week are expected to reaffirm that Ukraine will join their alliance one day.

There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves NATO membership, Erdogan told reporters,

His support for Ukraine comes as Turkey has been holding off giving its final approval to Sweden joining NATO, saying Stockholm is not effectively cracking down on Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara views as threats to its security.

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Sweden, along with Finland, abandoned its decades-long neutrality and applied to join NATO following Russias invasion of Ukraine last year. Turkeys parliament ratified Finlands membership earlier this year, after Ankara voiced satisfaction with its efforts to address Turkeys security concerns.

Erdogan also said Turkey was working toward extending a Turkish- and U.N.-brokered grain deal that has paved the way for the shipment of more than 30 million tons of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

The deal, which helped temper rising global food prices, is set to expire July 17. Russia has been reluctant to extend the deal, citing obstacles to its own exports of food and fertilizer.

We are continuing our work on the grain corridor issue. We are working to see how long we can extend it after July 17, Erdogan said.

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Zelenskyy accused Russia of obstructing the movement of ships.

Russia behaves as if it owns the entire Black Sea, as if it is the owner here, said Zelenskyy, making his first trip to Turkey since Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Erdogan said Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit Turkey in August, when he hoped to discuss renewal of the Black Sea grain deal as well as a possible prisoner swap.

Turkey has maintained close ties with both Ukraine and Russia, using its relations to both to act as a mediator.

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SEOUL, South Korea  South Koreas president says its time to clearly demonstrate strong international resolve to deter North Koreas nuclear ambitions, and he plans to discuss how to cope with the Norths expanding weapons arsenal with NATO leaders this week. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the annual NATO summit being held this year in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a two-nation trip that includes a stop in Poland.

Now is the time to clearly demonstrate that the international communitys determination to deter North Koreas nuclear weapons program is stronger than North Koreas desire to develop nuclear weapons, he said.

Its the second consecutive year that Yoon will take part in the summit, underscoring his push to deepen ties with the worlds biggest military alliance. South Korea faces a mix of security challenges, including North Koreas nuclear program and the U.S.-China strategic rivalry. Last year, he became the first South Korean leader to attend a NATO summit when he took part in Spain.

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In written responses to questions from The Associated Press ahead of his departure, Yoon said South Korea will stress at the NATO meeting the importance of international cooperation against North Koreas illegal acts. He also said a new NATO-South Korean document will take effect at the summit to institutionalize cooperation in 11 areas, including non-proliferation and cybersecurity.

North Koreas headlong pursuit of reliable nuclear weapons has taken on new urgency after it test flew more than 100 missiles and openly threatened to use nuclear weapons in potential conflicts with South Korea and the United States since the start of last year.

Whether North Korea possesses functioning nuclear missiles is still a source of debate. But according to a South Korean government estimate in 2018, North Korea already had up to 60 nuclear warheads. Experts say North Korea is able to add six to 18 new warheads every year.

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In response to North Koreas missile tests, Yoon, a conservative who took office in 2022, took steps to beef up his countrys own missile capability and expand military drills with the United States. Yoon and President Joe Biden in April announced plans to reinforce their countries deterrence capabilities, such as the periodic docking of a U.S. nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea and the establishment of a new bilateral nuclear consultative group, whose inaugural meeting is slated for next week in Seoul.

In its typical, fiery rhetoric, North Koreas Defense Ministry warned Monday the deployment of the U.S. submarine may incite the worst crisis of nuclear conflict in practice. It also threatened to shoot down U.S. spy planes. South Koreas military countered it maintains a readiness to repel potential North Korean provocations.

Yoons discussion of North Korea with NATO leaders could trigger a backlash from North Korea, which has called increasing cooperation between NATO and U.S. allies in Asia a process to create an Asian version of NATO that it said will raise regional animosities.

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North Korea argues its weapons testing spree was meant to issue a warning over the expanded South Korean-U.S. military drills that it views as invasion rehearsals. Yoon says he wants to opt for peace through strength, though he remains open to dialogue with North Korea.

Peace is never as certain and reliable as when it is backed by powerful force and deterrence, Yoon added. Strong international sanctions against North Korea have the effect of preventing the advancement of its nuclear and missile capabilities.

In Vilnius, Yoon said that there will be several opportunities for him to speak with Biden over a range of topics, such as the strengthening of the U.S. security commitment and the expansion of trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

Yoon said he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also plan to hold a bilateral meeting there. He said he and Kishida will be able to discuss the advancement of bilateral relations but also ways to expand mutual solidarity and international cooperation.

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Relations between South Korea and Japan have improved significantly in recent months, with Yoon taking a major step toward resolving a thorny dispute over Japans colonial-era mobilization of forced Korean laborers. The Yoon-Kishida meeting in Vilnius is expected to touch upon Japans contentious plan to release treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, which was recently approved by the U.N. nuclear watchdog but is still opposed by many in neighboring countries.

During the summit in Vilnius, NATO leaders are expected to offer more help in modernizing Ukraines armed forces as the Russian invasion of the country continues with no end in sight. They are also expected to create a high-level forum for consultations and reaffirm that Ukraine will join their alliance one day.

Yoon said South Korea has provided humanitarian and financial support to Ukraine in a variety of forms and that supplies of de-mining equipment, ambulances and other materials are in the works following a request from Ukraine. He said South Korea has also already provided support to repair the damaged Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine.

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South Korea, a growing arms exporter, has avoided directly providing arms to Ukraine in line with its long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflict. Leaked U.S. intelligence documents posted online earlier this year indicated that South Koreas National Security Council grappled with the U.S. in March over an American request to provide artillery ammunition to Ukraine.

The Korean government will continue to fulfill its necessary role in tandem with the international community in order to safeguard the freedom of Ukraine, Yoon said. On top of this, we will work out multipronged support measures needed for the prompt post-war restoration of peace in Ukraine and its reconstruction.

Yoon is invited to the NATO summit along with the leaders of Japan, Australia and New Zealand, a sign of strengthening ties between NATO and nations in the Asia-Pacific region. The four countries were invited to last years summit as well.

Just as incidents in Europe can have a substantial and consequential impact on the Indo-Pacific region, Indo-Pacific events can have immense ramifications for countries in Europe, Yoon said. In particular, the war in Ukraine has reminded us all that a security crisis in one particular region can have a global impact.

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A London-based insurer has walked away from Adanis big Australian coal mine after facing pressure from environmental campaigners, making it the third insurer recently to back away from the Indian conglomerates working operation.

Lloyds of London underwriter Probitas 1492 said it stopped insuring Adanis coal mine at the end of last year and would not renew policies it currently holds for Adanis rail line and associated activities when they expire this year. The about-turn follows pressure from Money Rebellion and the Britain-based Coal Action Network over Probitas support for Adanis mine.

The insurance about-turn follows pressure from Money Rebellion and the UK-based Coal Action Network over Probitas support for Adanis mine. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Lloyds chief executive Ash Bathia confirmed in an email seen by this masthead that it would cease underwriting Adanis operations once its existing policies expired in the next quarter.

Adani acquired the Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland in a cash and royalty deal worth $2.7 billion 13 years ago. The mine is operated under its Bravus Mining & Resources arm. It faced numerous legal and political challenges during its approval process before beginning to export coal last year.
Theres something nostalgic about Metas new app Threads. If you were around during the early Web 2.0 days, before social media was called social media, youd remember nerdy forums that felt really underground and global at the same time, where you gathered with like-minded people. There was mIRC, internet relay chat that could be open (to strangers) or closed (to people you knew) at the same time. ICQ was usually reserved for actual friends. This was a time when the promise of the global web started to materialise for many people, as we were able to connect and communicate with anyone who had access to the internet.

Meta has launched Threads at a perfect time to win over disaffected Twitter users. Credit: Reuters

Years later, social networks like Twitter superseded these platforms, and became what many referred to as an online town square  a public, much more open forum based on stream of consciousness thoughts expressed in less than 140 characters. This town square has recently resembled more of a dumpster fire, as chaos android Elon Musk makes erratic product changes weekly, allows hateful voices to proliferate, and made the app more unpleasant and unreliable than its ever been.

Many have been searching for alternatives for some time, and while a few emerged  Mastodon, Tribel Social, Blue Sky  none have been able to gain proper traction and a critical mass of users. Metas newly launched app Threads seems to have provided the right replacement. In its first few days Threads has amassed 90 million users, as jaded Twitter users finally abandon ship. Of course, the easy integration with Instagram, already a platform of scale, has helped.

I am no fan of Meta and Mark Zuckerberg, in fact Im a vocal critic, but I have to give credit where its due  Threads is a masterstroke in agile product release and timing, giving dissatisfied Twitter users something that comes close to the scale, user experience and ease of onboarding that Twitter provided.
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 This story is part of the July 9 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories . Back in 2000, Pia Miranda had the kind of breakout role actors dream about. Playing troubled teenager Josephine in the Australian feature film Looking for Alibrandi (based on the novel by Melina Marchetta), she quickly became a household name. But looking back on that time in her life, Miranda reveals that her instant fame wasnt all it appeared to be. When Looking for Alibrandi came out, my life quickly changed, she says. I was incredibly famous but still struggling to pay my rent. It was stressful. I was recognised on the street but financial stability didnt come my way because of it, and that was a shock. Although she won an AFI Award for Best Actress in 2000 for the role, her acting career didnt go to plan either; there were periods in the mid-2000s when Miranda auditioned up to 15 times without landing a single job. I had 12 months where I didnt do any acting at all, she says. I look back and can say I have been successful and done some amazing things, but there was a lot of sitting around the house staring at the phone, too. Miranda went on to appear in six episodes of the popular Channel Seven hospital drama All Saints, and seven episodes of the Network Ten hit The Secret Life of Us. She also had a small part in the locally made feature film Queen of the Damned (her scene got cut from the cinema release but is included in the DVD version), and roles in the films Garage Days and Travelling Light. Greta Scacchi, Pia Miranda and Anthony LaPaglia in Looking for Alibrandi. Now, two decades on, Miranda has returned, more confident than ever, in Network Tens four-part thriller Heat, playing a late-40s married mother in the midst of a sexual awakening.

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The series tells the story of two families that find themselves trapped by a bushfire while on holiday, and the fire metaphor certainly sets the scene for the inflamed secrets that tug at the core of this drama, which also stars Darren McMullen. Heat is all about family skeletons, desire, infidelity and wondering what lifes all about after you get married and have kids. The role is also an opportunity for Miranda to make peace with her past and all the times she beat herself up for not scoring major parts. A younger version would have blamed her half-Italian heritage and European features, and not being beautiful enough, but the married mother of two has taught her inner voice to be kinder. I am much more secure in who I am now, says Miranda, who recently turned 50. In order to take on the role of Sarah in Heat, Miranda asked her mother Susan to move into the family home to help look after the kids  Lily, aged 14, and James, nine  she shares with husband Luke Hanigan. It was such an intense role and I couldnt focus on much else, Miranda says. Mum moved in for two months. Between my crazy hours and Lukes [he works on the set of MasterChef Australia], our lives are so unpredictable. It was nice to have Mum give our kids continuity of care when we werent around. Its bizarre to think that everything my dad ran away from is what made my career. PIA MIRANDA It was a photo of Miranda on a cinema popcorn box that caught the attention of her now-husband in 2000. As the frontman of pop-rock group Lo-Tel, Hanigan asked her if shed like to be in the video clip for his bands song Teenager of the Year, which appeared on the Looking for Alibrandi soundtrack. The rest is a romance with a happy ending. We hung out for a long time before we got together, says Miranda, who first kissed Hanigan at the ARIAs in 2000, then tied the knot with him in an Elvis chapel in Las Vegas in 2001. We fell into a groove and have grown up together. Weve been reflecting on how lucky we are because we both have big birthday milestones this year.

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She adds that both feel fortunate to have found each other and created a secure family  they now call Altona, in Melbournes western suburbs, home. We laugh a lot and he will watch Real Housewives of New Jersey with me, which I appreciate in a man. I still get excited when he walks in the door, too. I text him incessantly at the end of his workday, asking what time hell be home. Its a lucky position to be in. Miranda is cooking lamb shanks and tidying the house while she takes this call (the kids are at school). The aroma takes her back to a childhood spent in Melbournes eastern suburbs, where she scooted between the home of her paternal Italian grandmother, Angelina, and that of her Australian maternal grandparents, Kathleen and Harry. Having been born in Melbourne, Miranda moved with her family to Darwin and Canberra for father Vinces work before they returned to Melbourne when she was 12. Vince had been bullied, dubbed the spaghetti muncher, when he migrated from the Mediterranean island of Lipari to Australia. As a consequence, he chose not to enrol either of his daughters (Miranda has an older sister, Nicole) into Saturday Italian classes because he didnt want them to have an accent and get picked on. Loading Miranda notes that while her Italian heritage has been rewarding for her, Dad had a completely different experience  Its bizarre to think that everything my dad ran away from is what made my career. Vince had a stroke 20 years ago and is now in care, but still a big part of the family. I am the same age Dad was when he had the stroke, Miranda reflects. It was definitely the reason I wanted to keep fit and healthy and do Survivor [she appeared in the 2019 series]. It is always in the back of my mind that what happened to my dad could happen to me.

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It was during her stint on Tens Survivor  in which Miranda was crowned the winner and took home $500,000 for her effort  that she met her best friend Janine Allis, founder of Boost Juice. The pair formed a close bond and Miranda, who turned 50 in June, chose to celebrate the landmark birthday early with a trip to Milan with Allis in March. I didnt expect to find a lifelong friend on reality TV, and so late in my life. Not a day goes by where we dont call or text each other. We ate our way through Milan! she says, laughing. Mirandas metaphorical plate is also full to the brim. She has been filming another series, Riptide, for Network Ten, is a contestant on Channel Sevens Dancing with the Stars, and has a memoir slated for an October release. Titled Finding My Bella Vita, the book is a charming dive into her personal and public lives. It addresses the highs and lows that came with fame and the ensuing self-doubt, all told with plenty of humour. Pia Miranda, with her dancing partner Declan Taylor, on the set of Dancing with the Stars. Her stories are linked to food memories  the Italian and Australian classic dishes that play a huge part in her life. However, she stresses that its still very much a work in progress. I havent had much time to finish the book as Ive been working. The process of getting her voice down on paper and not hiding behind characters on the screen was cathartic for Miranda. I majored in writing at university and its always been in the back of my mind as something I wanted to come back to, she says. She also had a pragmatic reason for penning a memoir. As I get older, there are fewer roles. I find myself wondering what else I can do. Relying on acting is hard when youre young, and its even harder when you get older!
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 The three women sit around a wooden dining table laden with a banana cake and steaming cups of tea. The sun pours into the living room of Jann Harries Errowanbang home in the central west of NSW. Youd be mistaken for thinking this is a morning tea for three friends catching up, but anger not friendship brings the women together. Harries home is a few minutes drive from Cadia, home to one of Australias largest gold mines, operated by Newcrest and open for a decade. The project, 23 kilometres from Orange, hasnt been without controversy, including last month when the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) threatened to suspend the mines operating permit after it found its main vent was emitting an unacceptable level of dust. Harries lives just a few kilometres from the mine. On the morning we visit, she leaps up to check her phone every time it pings. Shes waiting for the results from a hair test to see if heavy metals are present in her body. And shes not alone. Other residents believe they have been contaminated by heavy metals such as copper and lead from the Cadia mine. One of the other women, Frances Retallack, pulls out a map of the region dotted with red and green pins. The pins represent the rainwater tanks around the district that she and neighbour Sally Green collected samples from over two months earlier this year. They werent the only community members who collected samples, which were then all sent to an independent laboratory for testing. Of the 68 samples, 15 were 10 times the safe lead level recommended by the Australian drinking water guidelines. Some in the community believe that dust from the mine hasnt been managed properly  allowed to drift across the region, land on peoples roofs and wash into their water tanks, drinking water and bodies. They claim there have been a range of symptoms: children have rashes, some residents say their nails have become rough, ridged and slightly deformed.

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As yet, there is no proven link between the mine and these afflictions. Concerned residents undertook blood and urine tests with local pathologists. They say their results show they have heavy metals above the recommended amounts in their bodies. For example, Retallacks husband has three times the upper limit of nickel, while Harries neighbours all have selenium above the maximum range. Ive been doing a table of everybodys results and I start to see patterns. When you get the [results] individually, you dont necessarily see that pattern, says Retallack, vice president of the Cadia Community Sustainability Network. The group formed two years ago and has hundreds of members in the district who aim to work with the mine to find a way to live and work together. One pattern Retallack says shes noticed is that those who spend more time outside have higher levels of chemicals  including selenium, copper, silver, aluminium and thorium  than those inside. Weve got a duty of care within our boundaries to not affect the neighbours. Why is the mine any different? Frances Retallack says. Credit: Brook Mitchell We should have looked in our water tanks and done blood tests years ago, Retallack says. The three women are angry. They say the mine had a duty of care to look after them, and it failed. None of us can go and spray weeds and let it drift on to the neighbours, Green says. If we put out fox baits, weve got to put a sign on the gate to alert the neighbours  Weve got a duty of care within our boundaries to not affect the neighbours. Why is the mine any different?

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The states independent environmental watchdog is also paying attention. In May, the NSW EPA announced it was investigating the Newcrest Cadia mine and issued it with a pollution prevention notice and a draft licence variation regarding the management of emissions of dust and other pollutants. Part of that investigation will require the company to finalise and release a report examining dust and its impact on the local community. Last month, the EPA threatened to suspend the mines licence when the agency found an unacceptable level of dust coming from the mine. At the time, Cadia general manager Mick Dewar said the company had taken immediate action to accelerate efforts to curtail known sources of dust from the underground operation. The EPA also placed several variations on the mines license, including a requirement for additional vent emission monitoring and reporting. On Friday, the EPA received the interim results from the first round of dust emissions monitoring from part of the mine, which found the operation changes made by Cadia had reduced the discharge of particles from its underground operations. The EPA has requested that Cadia undertake further testing. But the EPA is also testing Cadia residents rainwater tanks, and results will be available in coming weeks. Previous tests carried out in March by NSW Health found contaminants in the local communitys tap water including copper, lead, nickel and zinc were within the Australian drinking water guidelines and safe to drink. An honorary professor of environmental science and human health at Macquarie University, Mark Patrick Taylor, says while he understands the communitys concern, there is yet to be any cause and effect shown between possible pollution from the mine and whether it has contaminated peoples bodies.

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There is no definitive evidence ... [of] the link between the mine and what is in peoples homes  there is no definitive evidence yet, he says. Until we can match it up, we are swinging in the dark. But it is in the interests of the community, and it is the regulators duty, to establish if there is a connection between the potential source of harm and actual harm. Taylor believes baseline data should be collected before a mine is opened to allow for ongoing monitoring and evaluation. That way, if something adverse happens, there is the data to fall back on, he says. While mining operations can affect surrounding properties, Taylor says focus should be directed at evaluating how toxic that effect is and the impact of exposure. For example, he points to a project that has mapped global soil lead contamination and shows that many places in Sydney have more than double the recommended amount of lead but it poses little-to-no risk to residents health. We live in a contaminated and industrial environment, he says. EPA chief executive Tony Chappel says its vital to ensure projects are well designed and comply with the law. The problem at Cadia is that the mine has been very dramatically exceeding the clean air regulatory standard in terms of the dust coming out of the site. No mine is allowed to operate like that, he says. If one operator is not meeting the standard, it obviously puts doubt in peoples minds about the broader industry. A well-designed and regulated mine can be a tremendous source of good in a community and globally for the planet. While Chappel is sympathetic to Cadia residents health concerns, he says the top priority is ensuring the mine complies with its legal obligations. Most days, Retallack cries. Sometimes your stress bucket is so full it only takes the tiniest thing to completely overwhelm you, she says. We are like that all the time. The network members are determined to fight by campaigning for more regulatory investigations for as long as they can. But Harries faces a difficult decision.

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The mine intends to expand its operations to border her property and her neighbours have sold to Newcrest. We expect to work with the mines ... and we dont want to see them close. But we deserve to be able to have clean air and not be subjected to their heavy contamination. Chappel says there is room for improvement in the regulatory space, including better handling of advice, from the EPA to the planning system, and how that advice takes shape in the form of project conditions. A Newcrest spokesperson said it had heard of community members undertaking their own blood tests but had not been informed by NSW Health about these results. We continue to work with residents on their concerns raised in a transparent and factual manner, the spokesperson said. We do not compromise on peoples health and safety and remain firmly committed to meeting all our obligations in a way that is aligned with our values. Newcrest has also provided bottled drinking water to residents in the area who requested it. Earlier this week, Cadia mines general manager Mick Dewar told the ABC that the EPA had rightly pulled it into line over its lack of compliance. Theres too much dust coming from the [mine], he said. Our most recently installed vent rise was found to be emitting dust quite a way above acceptable compliance levels.

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There are few travel experiences more ignominious than arriving at the departure gate to find your carry-on, which you slavishly packed  in part to avoid the hefty checked-baggage fees on some airlines  is overweight.

But Lise Carlaw has become a professional flyweight  in travel, not boxing, terms  packing for her five-week trip to Europe with her husband and two sons with only cabin bags. Total weight: 24.8 kilograms.

Lise Carlaw, in three different outfits drawn from her carry-on baggage challenge. Credit: Instagram

When this masthead speaks to Brisbane-based Carlaw, who co-hosts The Lise and Sarah Show with Sarah Wills, she is in the French Alps, where the weather has turned a little nippy. No matter, she says, the rules allowed them to pick up some additional layers at a local sports store. You could say were cheating, but I was very clear at the start of this the [carry-on] was critical at the start of the trip: we were on planes, trains and moving every few days, she says.

Carlaw, who spent a month packing for her trip  a process which included creating a Europe room in their house  says travelling light means the family has focused on experiences over stuff. We still havent shopped or bought souvenirs, she says. It would just be a punish for everyone involved, me included, if were traipsing through boutiques  thats not what this trip was about.
Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt will vow to axe nearly 100 pieces of unnecessary, outdated and protectionist EU legislation this week in a bid to turbocharge Britains financial services industry after Brexit.

The Chancellor will also unveil plans to boost pension investment in British business to increase returns for savers and unlock capital for our growth businesses.

A raft of deregulatory proposals as part of implementing the Governments so-called Edinburgh Reforms will be announced in his Mansion House speech on Monday.

The Telegraph understands that Mr Hunt will unveil new legislation to support stock market listings; scrap laws inherited from Brussels which require companies to produce excessive transparency documents; and disclose pension reforms aimed at encouraging UK retirement funds to invest tens of billions of pounds more in the domestic economy.

A Treasury source said the Chancellors speech will focus on scrapping outdated EU regulations, abolishing protectionist rules inherited from our time in the [bloc] and repealing almost 100 pieces of unnecessary retained EU law.

The Chancellor is expected to say: I want to lay out plans to enable our financial services sector to increase returns for pensioners, improve outcomes for investors and unlock capital for our growth businesses.

It comes as the City of London continues to struggle, with new data last week showing that floats on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) plunged again during the first six months of the year.

Shares in a newly listed payments company also flopped on its first day of trading in a further blow to Londons capital markets.

Writing in The Telegraph, Andrew Griffith, the City minister, echoed these concerns, saying the UK faces a challenge owing to the reduction of domestic listed companies over the last 20 years.

He added: The Chancellor will reveal more how we will tackle this head-on.

He will update on our comprehensive programme of reforms to Capital Markets that will make the UK an even more attractive place for firms to start, scale, and grow.

Mr Hunt wants to make the documents that companies produce when raising capital simpler and more useful to investors.

Following a consultation, he is also set to confirm that the Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs), which require companies to hand out information sheets showing customers the risks and expected returns of their products, will be scrapped.

A Treasury source said the EU-era rules have forced companies to produce excessive transparency documents which have not improved consumer understanding.

Mr Hunt will also reveal a long-awaited shake-up of the pensions industry, outlining a series of reforms designed to encourage new UK superfunds and drive more investment into British assets.He will also focus on incentives to consolidate existing pension pots to create the scale needed to invest in high-growth companies and other illiquid assets.

Mr Hunt is expected to initiate a process that will push the current 86 local government pension funds into larger investment pools further and faster. This will build on work initiated by former Chancellor George Osborne in 2015, and move towards a smaller number of pools in excess of 50bn.

Changes are also expected to the so-called value for money pensions framework that the Chancellor worries is currently too focused on fees instead of potential returns.

The Treasury has also been considering the role of master trusts and the Pensions Protection Fund (PPF), which could play a bigger role in consolidating thousands of smaller UK pension pots.

The PPF currently protects people in retirement schemes when their employer goes bust but the pensions lifeboat has consistently delivered higher returns through a diverse investment portfolio. It is understood that Labour is also looking at using the lifeboat to create a pensons superfund by encouraging smaller schemes to fold into the PPF.

Treasury sources insisted that the changes would bear fruit over several years, saying: This is not going to be a sudden change. If you look at what happened in Canada, it was like over a 20 year period.

Ministers are understood to be concerned about the relatively low level of capital pension funds are investing in UK assets compared to international peers.

In May, Mr Griffith urged pension funds to embrace a culture of risk-taking amid fears that a reluctance to put money in the stock market is holding the economy back.

The Chancellor is also set to reveal a pledge by insurers to invest around 5pc defined contribution pots they manage into startups and infrastructure projects.

A senior executive at one FTSE 100 insurer, who has been involved in the talks with industry officials and Government, said: We would see this as beneficial both for our investors and the wider economy. We would definitely welcome it and think it would be a positive step.

Mr Hunt will also confirm that Mifid 2 rules, which force financial companies to separate the cost of investment research from trading expenses, will be scrapped following a review by Rachel Kent, a senior City lawyer.

Mifid was regulation introduced by the EU around financial research that was intended to reduce conflicts of interest but is widely felt to have harmed capital markets.

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.
Feel like your drinking habits changed during the pandemic? You would be right.

There are hundreds of thousands more Australians drinking than there were before the COVID-19 lockdowns, even though alcohol consumption has fallen from the heights of the pandemic.

Michael Madrusan, who owns The Everleigh in Fitzroy, says there has been a cocktail renaissance during the pandemic. Credit: Joe Armao

Data from Roy Morgans Alcohol Consumption Report shows that in the 12 months to March, more than 13.7 million (or two-thirds) of Australians aged over 18 consumed alcohol during a four-week period, compared to 13.07 million in the same period before the pandemic hit.

Associate Professor Michael Livingston, an alcohol policy researcher at Curtin Universitys National Drug Research Institute, said peoples drinking habits had changed, but it was unclear why.
In remarkable fashion, royal commissioner Catherine Holmes has combined humanity for the victims of robo-debt with unflinching scrutiny of what went wrong with the failed welfare repayment scheme. Her report, at nearly 1000 pages, compellingly sets out where blame lies and how accountability can be pursued, as well as how legal and administrative processes should be strengthened.

But we shouldnt miss the deeper structural problems in the Australian welfare state that this royal commission has brought to light. More profoundly, though, weve been presented with a rare opportunity to disrupt punitive, stigmatising attitudes towards the poor.

Robo-debt royal commissioner Catherine Holmes, SC, delivered her 990-page report to Governor-General David Hurley on Friday morning. Credit: AAP

The report stresses the need to take vulnerability seriously, design policies and processes with a primary emphasis on ... recipients, and involve advocacy groups and frontline staff meaningfully in programs.

I was trying my best to keep my house  the roof over our head, robo-debt victim Sandra Bevan is quoted as telling the commission. I was working so hard It was just a really horrible time. And it was just made worse by these constant accusations of me apparently doing the wrong thing when I went to such lengths to do the right thing.
Instead of being a flesh-and-blood character, Chad has a hilarious self-admiring myth-in-the-making quality (he only has to caress a broken jukebox for it come to life), with Berry expertly imbuing him with the exactly right balance of the self-assured and the asinine. You love Chad at the same time at laughing at his complete lack of self-awareness.

The other great idea in All Shook Up is that Chad acts as a kind of Cupid, sparking the rest of the town to throw off the shackles imposed upon them by the mayor and her mid-50s morality and act upon their impulses, even if most of them are misdirected.

A Shakespearean finale: Paula Parore (holding the bouquet) as Sylvia and Brendan Hanson as the widower Jim. Credit: Anthony Tran

Most delightful of all is when Simonettes Natalie puts on a checkered hunting cap and lowers her voice to win over Chad, who seems more interested in hanging around men than being genuinely interested in women (this is a show that could be even more potent if it was transplanted to mid-50s Australia).

Thus, the very amusing second half of All Shook Up is centred on those Shakespearean shenanigans in which Chad is forced to examine his attraction to his new sidekick Ed, who also catches the eye of the curvy museum director (a firecracker of a performance from Emma Haines), who is being chased by Natalies widower dad (Brendan Hanson), who is the object of desire of cafe owner Sylvia (vivacious, big-voiced Paula Parore), and whose daughter (Jade Baynes) is crossing the race barrier to romance the mayors mollycoddled son (Tate Bennett).
By buying an index fund, you can roughly match the market return with ease. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. For example, Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:EQH) shareholders have seen the share price rise 42% over three years, well in excess of the market return (31%, not including dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 7.9% in the last year , including dividends .

Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

See our latest analysis for Equitable Holdings

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

During the three years of share price growth, Equitable Holdings actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) drop 25% per year.

Thus, it seems unlikely that the market is focussed on EPS growth at the moment. Given this situation, it makes sense to look at other metrics too.

It could be that the revenue growth of 11% per year is viewed as evidence that Equitable Holdings is growing. In that case, the company may be sacrificing current earnings per share to drive growth, and maybe shareholder's faith in better days ahead will be rewarded.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

Take a more thorough look at Equitable Holdings' financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Equitable Holdings the TSR over the last 3 years was 53%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

Equitable Holdings shareholders are up 7.9% for the year (even including dividends). But that was short of the market average. It's probably a good sign that the company has an even better long term track record, having provided shareholders with an annual TSR of 8% over five years. Maybe the share price is just taking a breather while the business executes on its growth strategy. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Even so, be aware that Equitable Holdings is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those doesn't sit too well with us...

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

A stray evening shower or t-storm, mainly in the Poconos; skies becoming mostly clear overnight with lowering humidity..

Tonight

A stray evening shower or t-storm, mainly in the Poconos; skies becoming mostly clear overnight with lowering humidity.
CAIRO (AP)  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sudan is on the brink of a full-scale civil war as fierce clashes between rival generals continued unabated Sunday in the capital of Khartoum.

Guterres warned late Saturday that the war between the Sudanese military and a powerful paramilitary force is likely to destabilize the entire region, according to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the U.N. chief.

Sudan descended into chaos after months of tension between military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and his rival, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in mid-April.

Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said last month that the clashes have killed over 3,000 people and wounded over 6,000 others. The death tally, however, is highly likely to be much higher, he said. More than 2.9 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries, according to U.N. figures.

The fighting began 18 months after the two generals led a military coup in October 2021 that toppled a Western-backed civilian transition government. The coup and ensuing conflict dashed Sudanese hopes of a peaceful shift to democracy after a popular uprising forced the military removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

The war has turned the capital Khartoum and other urban areas across the country into battlefields.

Residents in Khartoum said fierce fighting was underway early Sunday south of the capital. The warring factions were using heavy weapons in battles in the Kalaka neighborhood and the militarys aircraft were seen hovering over the area, said resident Abdalla al-Fatih.

In his statement, Guterres also condemned an airstrike Saturday that health authorities said killed at least 22 people in Omdurman, a city just across the Nile from the Khartoum. The assault was one of the deadliest in the conflict so far.

The RSF blamed the military for the attack in Omdurman. The military denied the accusation, saying in a statement Sunday that its air force didnt carry out any airstrikes in the city Saturday.

The secretary-general also decried the large-scale violence and casualties in the western region of Darfur, which has experienced some of the worst fighting in the ongoing conflict, Haq said in a statement.

There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing, Guterres said.

U.N. officials have said the violence in the region has recently taken on an ethnic dimension, with the RSF and Arab militias reportedly targeting non-Arab tribes in Darfur, a sprawling region consisting of five provinces. Last month, the governor of Darfur, Mini Arko Minawi, said the region was sliding back to its past genocide, referring to the conflict that engulfed the region in the early 2000s.

Entire towns and villages in West Darfur province were overrun by the RSF and their allied militias, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee to neighboring Chad. Activists have reported many residents killed, women and girls raped, and properties looted and burned to the ground.

There were clashes between the military and the RSF elsewhere in Sudan on Sunday, including the province of North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Egypt, meanwhile, said it will host a meeting on Thursday for Sudans neighboring countries. The gathering aims at establishing effective mechanisms to help find a peaceful settlement to the conflict in coordination with other international and regional efforts, Ahmed Fahmy, spokesman for Egypts presidency, said in a statement.

Fahmy provided no further details on the gathering.

The efforts come as talks between warring factions in the Saudi Arabian coastal city of Jeddah repeatedly failed to stop the fighting. The Jeddah talks were brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States
Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Voor DE Media PNO lifted its holdings in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) by 9.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,050 shares of the information technology services providers stock after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Accenture comprises about 3.0% of Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Voor DE Media PNOs portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Voor DE Media PNOs holdings in Accenture were worth $18,165,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,850,765,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Accenture by 101,214.0% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,040,402 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,078,141,000 after purchasing an additional 4,036,414 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in Accenture in the 1st quarter valued at $638,488,000. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Accenture by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 16,642,841 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $4,440,976,000 after purchasing an additional 2,163,582 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Accenture by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,475,017 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $2,528,314,000 after purchasing an additional 1,710,992 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.00% of the companys stock.

Get Accenture alerts:

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on ACN. Edward Jones raised Accenture from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Accenture from $311.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Accenture from $306.00 to $358.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Accenture from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Accenture from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, March 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $329.20.

Accenture Trading Down 0.7 %

ACN traded down $2.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $305.76. 1,902,932 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,611,106. The firms fifty day moving average is $297.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $281.99. Accenture plc has a 1-year low of $242.80 and a 1-year high of $327.93. The company has a market cap of $203.22 billion, a PE ratio of 27.25, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.22.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 22nd. The information technology services provider reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.96 by $0.23. Accenture had a return on equity of 30.47% and a net margin of 11.28%. The firm had revenue of $16.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.79 EPS. Accentures revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Accenture plc will post 11.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 13th will be given a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 12th. Accentures dividend payout ratio is currently 39.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 1,344 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $403,200.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 10,506 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,151,800. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Ellyn Shook sold 5,250 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.90, for a total value of $1,448,475.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,908 shares in the company, valued at $7,423,917.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Melissa A. Burgum sold 1,344 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $403,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 10,506 shares in the company, valued at $3,151,800. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,354 shares of company stock valued at $4,583,230 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

About Accenture

(Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, interactive, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management, intelligent automation comprises robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents, and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprises turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Free Report).

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The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. To wit, the Quaker Chemical Corporation (NYSE:KWR) share price is 39% higher than it was a year ago, much better than the market return of around 11% (not including dividends) in the same period. So that should have shareholders smiling. Having said that, the longer term returns aren't so impressive, with stock gaining just 4.9% in three years.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

View our latest analysis for Quaker Chemical

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

Over the last twelve months Quaker Chemical went from profitable to unprofitable. While this may prove temporary, we'd consider it a negative, so we would not have expected to see the share price up. It may be that the company has done well on other metrics.

We doubt the modest 0.9% dividend yield is doing much to support the share price. However the year on year revenue growth of 9.1% would help. We do see some companies suppress earnings in order to accelerate revenue growth.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. So it makes a lot of sense to check out what analysts think Quaker Chemical will earn in the future (free profit forecasts).

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Quaker Chemical shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 40% over one year. That's including the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 5% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Quaker Chemical (including 1 which is significant) .

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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General Electric (NYSE:GE  Free Report) had its target price boosted by Bank of America from $108.00 to $120.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

GE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of General Electric from $97.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of General Electric from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of General Electric from $95.00 to $109.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of General Electric from $107.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 28th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, General Electric currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $106.69.

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General Electric Stock Up 0.8 %

General Electric stock opened at $108.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $117.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12, a P/E/G ratio of 7.59 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.92. General Electric has a fifty-two week low of $46.60 and a fifty-two week high of $110.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $104.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.71.

General Electric Announces Dividend

General Electric ( NYSE:GE Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The conglomerate reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $14.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.46 billion. General Electric had a net margin of 11.85% and a return on equity of 9.45%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.24 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that General Electric will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 10th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.30%. General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Thomas S. Timko sold 7,254 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.82, for a total transaction of $731,348.28. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,953 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,112,481.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Thomas S. Timko sold 7,254 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.82, for a total value of $731,348.28. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,953 shares in the company, valued at $2,112,481.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Scott Strazik sold 173,873 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.56, for a total transaction of $17,310,795.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 56,049 shares in the company, valued at $5,580,238.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 239,419 shares of company stock valued at $24,144,151 over the last three months. 0.67% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On General Electric

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in General Electric by 0.7% in the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 21,745 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $2,389,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of General Electric by 0.7% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 102,873 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $11,184,000 after acquiring an additional 668 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of General Electric by 78.3% during the second quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 11,097 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $1,219,000 after acquiring an additional 4,872 shares during the period. Greenfield Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of General Electric during the second quarter worth $219,000. Finally, Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. raised its holdings in shares of General Electric by 32.2% during the second quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. now owns 15,974 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $1,755,000 after acquiring an additional 3,891 shares during the period. 74.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About General Electric

(Free Report)

General Electric Company operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. It offers gas and steam turbines, full balance of plant, upgrade, and service solutions, as well as data-leveraging software for power generation, industrial, government, and other customers.

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Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. (OTCMKTS:TKGBY  Free Report) is one of 278 public companies in the BanksRegional industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. to related companies based on the strength of its dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. N/A N/A N/A Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. Competitors 35.58% 10.81% 1.05%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. and its competitors revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. N/A N/A 1.71 Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. Competitors $3.30 billion $907.29 million 262.71

Dividends

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S.s competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S.. Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. 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.

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. pays an annual dividend of $0.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.3%. Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. pays out 10.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BanksRegional companies pay a dividend yield of 13.3% and pay out 18.8% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. 0 2 1 0 2.33 Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. Competitors 1154 3371 3388 23 2.29

As a group, BanksRegional companies have a potential upside of 337.20%. Given Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S.s competitors higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

37.5% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by institutional investors. 14.1% of shares of all BanksRegional companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. competitors beat Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. on 11 of the 13 factors compared.

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. Company Profile

(Free Report)

Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. provides various banking products and services. It offers current, savings, time and term deposit, ELMA, structured deposit, and gold accounts; and general purpose, auto, revolving, house, discount, SME project, installment, working capital, foreign currency, mortgage, and other loans, as well as spot TL and foreign currency, letters of guarantee and reference, and overdraft accounts. The company also provides various cards; and auto, liability, health, unemployment, life, house, individual accident, automobile, business premises, fire, freight, engineering, accident, loan, and agriculture insurance products, as well as pension products. In addition, it offers mutual funds, T-bills/government bonds, Eurobonds, repos, equities, dual currency deposit transactions, Turkish derivatives exchange, e-trader, forward transactions, and taxation services; cash management services; and SME specific products, such as support packages, foreign trade financing and legislation, and related services. Further, the company provides leasing, fleet management, factoring, investment and private banking, payment, safety box, and Internet and mobile/SMS banking services. As of May 18, 2022, Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. operates as a subsidiary of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.

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CP ALL Public (OTCMKTS:CPPCY  Free Report) and Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI  Free Report) are both consumer defensive companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, dividends and valuation.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for CP ALL Public and Albertsons Companies, as reported by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score CP ALL Public 0 0 1 0 3.00 Albertsons Companies 0 8 3 0 2.27

Albertsons Companies has a consensus price target of $25.93, suggesting a potential upside of 18.43%. Given Albertsons Companies higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Albertsons Companies is more favorable than CP ALL Public.

Valuation and Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio CP ALL Public N/A N/A N/A $10.86 1.59 Albertsons Companies $77.65 billion 0.16 $1.51 billion $2.17 10.09

This table compares CP ALL Public and Albertsons Companies gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Albertsons Companies has higher revenue and earnings than CP ALL Public. CP ALL Public is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Albertsons Companies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

68.3% of Albertsons Companies shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.2% of Albertsons Companies shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

CP ALL Public pays an annual dividend of $7.25 per share and has a dividend yield of 42.0%. Albertsons Companies pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. CP ALL Public pays out 66.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Albertsons Companies pays out 22.1% 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.

Profitability

This table compares CP ALL Public and Albertsons Companies net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets CP ALL Public N/A N/A N/A Albertsons Companies 1.95% 68.28% 6.56%

Summary

Albertsons Companies beats CP ALL Public on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CP ALL Public

(Free Report)

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.

About Albertsons Companies

(Free Report)

Albertsons Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company's food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores. It operates stores under various banners, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw's, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Market Street, Haggen, Kings Food Markets, and Balducci's Food Lovers Market; and pharmacies, in-store branded coffee shops, adjacent fuel centers, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities, as well as various digital platforms. The company was founded in 1860 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Albertsons Companies, Inc. is a subsidiary of Albertsons Investor Holdings LLC.

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Auto Trader Group (OTCMKTS:ATDRY  Free Report) and Kunlun Energy (OTCMKTS:KLYCY  Free Report) are both mid-cap auto/tires/trucks companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation and dividends.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.0% of Auto Trader Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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Risk and Volatility

Auto Trader Group has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its stock price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Kunlun Energy has a beta of 0.89, suggesting that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Analyst Recommendations

Auto Trader Group pays an annual dividend of $0.01 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Kunlun Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%.

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Auto Trader Group and Kunlun Energy, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Auto Trader Group 0 4 1 0 2.20 Kunlun Energy 0 1 0 0 2.00

Auto Trader Group currently has a consensus price target of $596.33, indicating a potential upside of 31,619.86%. Given Auto Trader Groups stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Auto Trader Group is more favorable than Kunlun Energy.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Auto Trader Group and Kunlun Energys top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Auto Trader Group $591.22 million 11.60 $334.21 million N/A N/A Kunlun Energy $21.47 billion 0.31 $3.57 billion N/A N/A

Kunlun Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Auto Trader Group.

Profitability

This table compares Auto Trader Group and Kunlun Energys net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Auto Trader Group N/A N/A N/A Kunlun Energy N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Auto Trader Group beats Kunlun Energy on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Auto Trader Group

(Free Report)

Auto Trader Group plc operates in the digital automotive marketplace in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company provides vehicle advertisement on its websites for private sellers, as well as insurance and loan financing products to consumers; and display advertising on its websites for manufacturers and their advertising agencies. It offers its products to retailers, home traders, and logistics firms. Auto Trader Group plc was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Manchester, the United Kingdom.

About Kunlun Energy

(Free Report)

Kunlun Energy Company Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It operates through four segments: Natural Gas Sales; Sales of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG); Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Processing and Terminal; and Exploration and Production. The company is also involved in the processing, unloading, storing, gasification, and entrucking of LNG; trading, distribution, and retail sale of various natural gas products; and wholesale and retail of various LPG products. It operates in the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Sultanate of Oman, the Republic of Peru, and the Kingdom of Thailand. The company was formerly known as CNPC (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to Kunlun Energy Company Limited in March 2010. The company was incorporated in 1991 and is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Kunlun Energy Company Limited operates as a subsidiary of PetroChina Hong Kong Limited.

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Eagle Point Credit Company Inc. (NYSE:ECC  Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 11th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 11th will be given a dividend of 0.14 per share by the investment management company on Monday, July 31st. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 10th.

Eagle Point Credit has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 11.2% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 2 consecutive years. Eagle Point Credit has a payout ratio of 116.7% meaning the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Analysts expect Eagle Point Credit to earn $1.45 per share next year, which means the company may not be able to cover its $1.68 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 115.9%.

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Eagle Point Credit Price Performance

Shares of ECC stock opened at $10.25 on Friday. Eagle Point Credit has a 12-month low of $9.96 and a 12-month high of $12.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $10.63 and a 200-day moving average of $10.79.

Insider Activity at Eagle Point Credit

Eagle Point Credit ( NYSE:ECC Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 23rd. The investment management company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $31.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.05 million. Equities analysts predict that Eagle Point Credit will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In other news, CEO Thomas P. Majewski bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $20.80 per share, for a total transaction of $62,400.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 3,000 shares in the company, valued at $62,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Point Credit

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Eagle Point Credit by 492.3% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,843 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,363 shares in the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Eagle Point Credit in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. UBS Group AG lifted its position in Eagle Point Credit by 20.8% during the 2nd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 9,066 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 1,559 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Eagle Point Credit by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,933 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 1,740 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Point Credit during the 1st quarter worth about $135,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 25.35% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, B. Riley lowered their target price on Eagle Point Credit from $13.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 6th.

Eagle Point Credit Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eagle Point Credit Company Inc is a closed ended fund launched and managed by Eagle Point Credit Management LLC. It invests in fixed income markets of the United States. The fund invests equity and junior debt tranches of collateralized loan obligations consisting primarily of below investment grade U.S.

Further Reading

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Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE  Free Report) had its price target boosted by Piper Sandler from $125.00 to $135.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

ICE has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $130.00 to $135.00 in a report on Friday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $120.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $122.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Wednesday, June 28th. They set an equal weight rating and a $123.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $129.73.

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Intercontinental Exchange Price Performance

NYSE:ICE opened at $112.29 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $62.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $109.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.27. Intercontinental Exchange has a 1-year low of $88.60 and a 1-year high of $114.11.

Intercontinental Exchange Announces Dividend

Intercontinental Exchange ( NYSE:ICE Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a net margin of 14.97% and a return on equity of 12.98%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Intercontinental Exchange will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Intercontinental Exchanges dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.12%.

Insider Activity at Intercontinental Exchange

In related news, SVP Douglas Foley sold 1,600 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.48, for a total value of $173,568.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,156,690.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, SVP Douglas Foley sold 1,600 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.48, for a total transaction of $173,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 19,881 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,156,690.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, President Benjamin Jackson sold 2,000 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.50, for a total value of $217,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 125,526 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,619,571. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 93,934 shares of company stock worth $10,139,046 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp bought a new position in Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Red Tortoise LLC bought a new position in Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. OLD Mission Capital LLC bought a new position in Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 187.6% during the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 256 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.28% of the companys stock.

About Intercontinental Exchange

(Free Report)

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of market infrastructure, data services, and technology solutions for financial institutions, corporations, and government entities in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Singapore, India, Abu Dhabi, Israel, and Canada.

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Lennar (NYSE:LEN  Free Report) had its target price lifted by Citigroup from $139.00 to $148.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Lennar from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a report on Friday, March 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Lennar from $130.00 to $145.00 in a report on Friday, June 16th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Lennar from $127.00 to $150.00 in a report on Friday, June 16th. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Lennar from $94.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, June 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Lennar from $103.00 to $120.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $123.20.

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Lennar Stock Performance

NYSE:LEN opened at $120.21 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 7.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market cap of $34.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.46. Lennar has a fifty-two week low of $69.90 and a fifty-two week high of $127.08. The firms 50 day moving average is $115.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.80.

Lennar Announces Dividend

Lennar ( NYSE:LEN Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 14th. The construction company reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $8.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.28 billion. Lennar had a net margin of 12.66% and a return on equity of 18.27%. Analysts expect that Lennar will post 12.65 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 7th will be given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 6th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. Lennars dividend payout ratio is presently 10.24%.

Insider Activity at Lennar

In related news, CFO Diane J. Bessette sold 10,790 shares of Lennar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,310,553.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 270,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,861,731.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 9.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lennar

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Lennar by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,016 shares of the construction companys stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Lennar by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,851 shares of the construction companys stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Lennar by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 27,918 shares of the construction companys stock worth $2,527,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lennar by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Lakewood Asset Management LLC now owns 9,173 shares of the construction companys stock worth $964,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lennar by 47.0% during the 1st quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 397 shares of the construction companys stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. 82.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lennar Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Materion (NYSE:MTRN  Free Report) had its price target upped by CL King from $128.00 to $133.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Materion from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, June 26th.

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Materion Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:MTRN opened at $117.76 on Wednesday. Materion has a 1 year low of $64.89 and a 1 year high of $121.29. The stock has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.11 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day moving average of $107.88 and a 200-day moving average of $103.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 2.85.

Materion Increases Dividend

Materion ( NYSE:MTRN Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $442.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $447.10 million. Materion had a return on equity of 14.03% and a net margin of 5.57%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Materion will post 5.78 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 31st were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. This is an increase from Materions previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 30th. Materions dividend payout ratio is currently 11.09%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Emily M. Liggett sold 2,398 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total value of $250,806.82. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,621 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $274,130.39. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Materion news, Director Emily M. Liggett sold 2,398 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total value of $250,806.82. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,621 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $274,130.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Gregory R. Chemnitz sold 2,378 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.05, for a total value of $242,674.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 19,310 shares in the company, valued at $1,970,585.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Materion by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 4,835 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Materion by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,165 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $2,687,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Materion by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 5,948 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Fiera Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of Materion by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 40,692 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $4,720,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Materion by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 2,174 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.24% of the companys stock.

Materion Company Profile

(Free Report)

Materion Corporation, through with its subsidiaries, produces advanced engineered materials used in semiconductor, industrial, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, consumer electronics, and telecom and data center in the United States, Asia, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Performance Materials, Electronic Materials, and Precision Optics segments.

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Quaero Capital S.A. lowered its stake in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE  Free Report) by 81.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,400 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 66,610 shares during the period. Quaero Capital S.A.s holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $1,187,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NEE. Two Sigma Advisers LP purchased a new stake in shares of NextEra Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $24,166,000. Appleton Partners Inc. MA boosted its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy by 3.3% in the first quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA now owns 13,360 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,030,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Virginia VA grew its position in shares of NextEra Energy by 14.0% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Virginia VA now owns 8,776 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $676,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares in the last quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of NextEra Energy by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 5,511 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, M. Kraus & Co lifted its holdings in NextEra Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. M. Kraus & Co now owns 139,454 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $11,658,000 after purchasing an additional 3,229 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.70% of the companys stock.

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NextEra Energy Trading Down 1.3 %

NextEra Energy stock traded down $0.97 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $72.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 7,511,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,514,013. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $74.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.75. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $69.64 and a 12 month high of $91.35. The stock has a market cap of $145.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

NextEra Energy ( NYSE:NEE Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The utilities provider reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.09. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 26.97%. The business had revenue of $6.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.78 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.11 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $0.4675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 26th. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. NextEra Energys dividend payout ratio is currently 55.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at NextEra Energy

In other news, CEO John W. Ketchum acquired 13,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $74.26 per share, with a total value of $1,009,936.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 184,485 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,699,856.10. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Robert Coffey sold 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.90, for a total transaction of $299,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,292 shares of the companys stock, valued at $845,770.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO John W. Ketchum purchased 13,600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $74.26 per share, with a total value of $1,009,936.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 184,485 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,699,856.10. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NEE shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded NextEra Energy from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of NextEra Energy from $93.00 to $85.00 in a report on Thursday, June 8th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on NextEra Energy from $95.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on NextEra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. They issued a buy rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on NextEra Energy from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NextEra Energy currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $91.17.

NextEra Energy Company Profile

(Free Report)

NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear, coal, and natural gas facilities. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.

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Pennon Group (OTCMKTS:PEGRF  Free Report) and Guangdong Investment (OTCMKTS:GGDVY  Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Pennon Group and Guangdong Investments top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Pennon Group N/A N/A N/A $0.29 32.13 Guangdong Investment N/A N/A N/A $35.70 1.19

Guangdong Investment is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Pennon Group, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Pennon Group N/A N/A N/A Guangdong Investment N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

This table compares Pennon Group and Guangdong Investments net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Pennon Group and Guangdong Investment, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Pennon Group 0 1 1 0 2.50 Guangdong Investment 0 0 2 0 3.00

Pennon Group currently has a consensus price target of $815.00, suggesting a potential upside of 8,641.35%. Given Pennon Groups higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Pennon Group is more favorable than Guangdong Investment.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

44.0% of Pennon Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of Guangdong Investment 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.

Dividends

Pennon Group pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Guangdong Investment pays an annual dividend of $10.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 25.3%. Pennon Group pays out 104.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Guangdong Investment pays out 30.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Guangdong Investment is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Guangdong Investment beats Pennon Group on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Pennon Group

(Free Report)

Pennon Group Plc provides clean water and wastewater services in the United Kingdom. It provides water and wastewater services for customers in Cornwall, Devon, and parts of Dorset and Somerset; water-only services in the areas of Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire; and water and wastewater retail services to non-household customers in Great Britain. The company also offers regulated water to approximately 1.2 million customers in the Bristol region. Pennon Group Plc was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Exeter, the United Kingdom.

About Guangdong Investment

(Free Report)

Guangdong Investment Limited, an investment holding company, engages in water resources, property investment and development, department store operation, hotel ownership, energy project operation and management, and road and bridge operation businesses. The company's Water Resources segment provides water distribution, sewage treatment, water pipeline installation and consultancy services, constructs water supply and sewage treatment infrastructure, and sells machineries in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Its Property Investment and Development segment invests in and rents various properties in Hong Kong and Mainland China; and develops and sells properties in Mainland China. This segment also provides property management services for various commercial properties. The company's Department Stores Operation segment operates department stores in Mainland China. Its Electric Power Generation segment operates coal-fired power plants that supply electricity and steam in the Guangdong province, Mainland China. The company's Hotel Operation and Management segment operate hotels and provides hotel management services to third parties in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Its Road and Bridge segment invests in various road and bridge projects, which engages in the toll road operation and road management in Mainland China. The company's Others segment provides treasury services in Hong Kong and Mainland China, as well as corporate and other related services. It also offers financing, marketing management, environmental engineering, and water technology development and consultation services. The company was formerly known as Union Globe Development Limited and changed its name to Guangdong Investment Limited in January 1987. The company was incorporated in 1973 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. Guangdong Investment Limited operates as a subsidiary of GDH Limited.

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Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad fair value estimate is RM22.81

Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad is estimated to be 27% overvalued based on current share price of RM28.88

Our fair value estimate is 10% lower than Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad's analyst price target of RM25.39

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad (KLSE:MPI) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad

Step By Step Through The Calculation

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM367.9m RM426.8m RM472.1m RM512.3m RM548.3m RM581.1m RM611.7m RM640.8m RM669.0m RM696.8m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 10.62% Est @ 8.51% Est @ 7.03% Est @ 5.99% Est @ 5.26% Est @ 4.76% Est @ 4.40% Est @ 4.15% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 14% RM323 RM328 RM318 RM303 RM284 RM264 RM244 RM224 RM205 RM187

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM2.7b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (3.6%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 14%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM697m (1 + 3.6%)  (14% 3.6%) = RM6.9b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM6.9b ( 1 + 14%)10= RM1.9b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is RM4.5b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of RM28.9, the company appears slightly overvalued at the time of writing. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

Important Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 14%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.306. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Semiconductor market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Malaysian market.

Good value based on P/E ratio compared to estimated Fair P/E ratio.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by cash flow.

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Looking Ahead:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a premium to intrinsic value? For Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad, there are three further factors you should further examine:

Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad . Future Earnings: How does MPI's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Severn Trent (OTCMKTS:STRNY  Free Report) and Pennon Group (OTCMKTS:PEGRY  Free Report) are both utilities companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Severn Trent and Pennon Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Severn Trent N/A N/A N/A Pennon Group N/A N/A N/A

Insider & Institutional Ownership

0.1% of Severn Trent shares are owned by institutional investors. 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

Analyst Recommendations

Severn Trent pays an annual dividend of $1.47 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.7%. Pennon Group pays an annual dividend of $0.17 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Severn Trent pays out 179.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Pennon Group pays out 29.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Severn Trent and Pennon Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Severn Trent 0 2 3 0 2.60 Pennon Group 0 3 0 0 2.00

Severn Trent currently has a consensus price target of $2,932.50, suggesting a potential upside of 9,345.97%. Pennon Group has a consensus price target of $1,048.00, suggesting a potential upside of 5,761.30%. Given Severn Trents stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Severn Trent is more favorable than Pennon Group.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Severn Trent and Pennon Groups revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Severn Trent N/A N/A N/A $0.82 37.89 Pennon Group N/A N/A N/A $0.58 30.81

Pennon Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Severn Trent, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Severn Trent beats Pennon Group on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Severn Trent

(Free Report)

Severn Trent PLC operates as a water and sewerage company in England and Wales. It operates through two segments: Regulated Water and Waste Water, and Business Services. The Regulated Water and Waste Water segment offers water and waste water services to approximately 4.8 million households and businesses. The Business Services segment generates renewable energy from anaerobic digestion, hydropower, wind turbines, and solar panels; property development; and offers affinity products and search services. It also provides services to municipal and industrial clients, including the Ministry of Defence and the Coal Authority for design, build, and operation of water and wastewater treatment facilities and networks. Severn Trent PLC was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Coventry, the United Kingdom.

About Pennon Group

(Free Report)

Pennon Group Plc provides clean water and wastewater services in the United Kingdom. It provides water and wastewater services for customers in Cornwall, Devon, and parts of Dorset and Somerset; water-only services in the areas of Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire; and water and wastewater retail services to non-household customers in Great Britain. The company also offers regulated water to approximately 1.2 million customers in the Bristol region. Pennon Group Plc was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Exeter, the United Kingdom.

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StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of International Tower Hill Mines (NYSEAMERICAN:THM  Free Report) (TSE:ITH) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the mining companys stock.

International Tower Hill Mines Price Performance

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN:THM opened at $0.43 on Wednesday. International Tower Hill Mines has a 12 month low of $0.37 and a 12 month high of $0.75. The stock has a market cap of $84.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.64 and a beta of 0.70. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $0.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $0.52.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in International Tower Hill Mines stock. Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in shares of International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (NYSEAMERICAN:THM  Free Report) (TSE:ITH) by 314.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,808 shares of the mining companys stock after purchasing an additional 46,910 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLCs holdings in International Tower Hill Mines were worth $26,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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Citigroup upgraded shares of Transocean (NYSE:RIG  Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $9.50 price objective on the offshore drilling services providers stock, up from their prior price objective of $6.50.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on RIG. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Transocean from $6.00 to $6.50 in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Compass Point upgraded Transocean from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $7.50 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Benchmark increased their price target on Transocean from $7.50 to $12.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. StockNews.com raised Transocean to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, June 16th. Finally, Clarkson Capital upgraded Transocean from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $7.50 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Transocean presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $7.25.

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Transocean Stock Up 5.9 %

Shares of NYSE:RIG opened at $7.73 on Wednesday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $6.23 and its 200 day moving average is $6.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Transocean has a 12-month low of $2.32 and a 12-month high of $7.84. The stock has a market cap of $5.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.13 and a beta of 2.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Transocean

Transocean ( NYSE:RIG Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 1st. The offshore drilling services provider reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.22) by ($0.16). Transocean had a negative return on equity of 6.80% and a negative net margin of 34.53%. The firm had revenue of $649.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $646.29 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.28) earnings per share. Transoceans revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Transocean will post -0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In other Transocean news, CAO David A. Tonnel sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.53, for a total value of $78,360.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 476,802 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,113,517.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 13.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Transocean by 4,396.4% in the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,463,189 shares of the offshore drilling services providers stock valued at $22,026,000 after acquiring an additional 3,386,167 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Transocean by 25.5% in the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,874,398 shares of the offshore drilling services providers stock valued at $11,921,000 after acquiring an additional 380,634 shares during the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Transocean by 536.0% in the 1st quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,900 shares of the offshore drilling services providers stock valued at $2,500,000 after acquiring an additional 13,400 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Transocean in the 1st quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Penn Capital Management Company LLC grew its stake in Transocean by 46.8% during the 1st quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 3,197,416 shares of the offshore drilling services providers stock worth $20,466,000 after buying an additional 1,019,912 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.49% of the companys stock.

About Transocean

(Free Report)

Transocean Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells worldwide. It contracts its mobile offshore drilling rigs, related equipment, and work crews to drill oil and gas wells. It serves integrated energy companies, government-owned or government-controlled energy companies, and other independent energy companies.

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Owens Corning (NYSE:OC  Free Report) had its price objective increased by Truist Financial from $105.00 to $135.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning, FlyOnTheWall reports.

OC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Owens Corning from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Owens Corning from $102.00 to $110.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Barclays upgraded shares of Owens Corning from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $113.00 to $135.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Owens Corning from $96.00 to $111.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Owens Corning from $125.00 to $138.00 in a report on Friday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $114.08.

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Owens Corning Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of OC opened at $127.13 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.15. Owens Corning has a 1-year low of $74.22 and a 1-year high of $132.67. The stock has a market cap of $11.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.46.

Owens Corning Announces Dividend

Owens Corning ( NYSE:OC Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The construction company reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.55. Owens Corning had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 26.06%. The business had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.84 EPS. The companys revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Owens Corning will post 10.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 4th. Investors of record on Monday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 14th. Owens Cornings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Paula Russell sold 3,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 21,364 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,136,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Marcio A. Sandri sold 8,000 shares of Owens Corning stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $800,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 62,962 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,296,200. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Paula Russell sold 3,000 shares of Owens Corning stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 21,364 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,136,400. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,570 shares of company stock valued at $2,282,993 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.89% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of OC. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Owens Corning during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in Owens Corning during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Owens Corning during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Owens Corning during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Owens Corning by 87.8% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 353 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. 93.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Owens Corning Company Profile

(Free Report)

Owens Corning engages in manufacture and sale of insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composite materials in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Composites, Insulation, and Roofing. The Composites segment manufactures, fabricates, and sells glass reinforcements in the form of fiber; and glass fiber products in the form of fabrics, non-wovens, and other specialized products.

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Berenberg Bank restated their hold rating on shares of Virgin Money UK (LON:VMUK  Free Report) in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a GBX 195 ($2.47) price target on the stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Virgin Money UK from GBX 205 ($2.60) to GBX 220 ($2.79) and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 9th. Citigroup reissued a buy rating on shares of Virgin Money UK in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Virgin Money UK from GBX 230 ($2.92) to GBX 200 ($2.54) and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Virgin Money UK currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of GBX 209 ($2.65).

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Virgin Money UK Price Performance

LON:VMUK opened at GBX 142.20 ($1.80) on Wednesday. Virgin Money UK has a 1-year low of GBX 117.25 ($1.49) and a 1-year high of GBX 200 ($2.54). The company has a 50-day moving average of GBX 151.87 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 164.53. The firm has a market cap of 1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 406.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.56 and a beta of 1.96.

Virgin Money UK Cuts Dividend

Insider Activity

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 18th were issued a dividend of GBX 3.30 ($0.04) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.15%. Virgin Money UKs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 3,142.86%.

In other news, insider David Duffy sold 6,683 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 157 ($1.99), for a total transaction of 10,492.31 ($13,316.80). In related news, insider David Duffy sold 6,683 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 157 ($1.99), for a total value of 10,492.31 ($13,316.80). Also, insider Sara Weller purchased 20,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 152 ($1.93) per share, for a total transaction of 30,400 ($38,583.58). Corporate insiders own 18.47% of the companys stock.

About Virgin Money UK

(Free Report)

Virgin Money UK PLC provides banking products and services for consumers, and small and medium sized businesses under the Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank, and Virgin Money brands in the United Kingdom. The company offers savings and current accounts, mortgages, credit cards, and home loans; business loans, overdraft facilities, treasury solutions, and corporate and structured finance; asset and invoice finance services; risk management; international trade services; and home, car, and life and critical illness insurance products.

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StockNews.com lowered shares of WPP (NYSE:WPP  Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning.

WPP Stock Performance

NYSE:WPP opened at $52.03 on Wednesday. WPP has a 12 month low of $39.67 and a 12 month high of $64.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The companys 50 day moving average is $54.10 and its 200-day moving average is $56.69.

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Institutional Trading of WPP

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of WPP by 187.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 617 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of WPP in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of WPP in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its position in shares of WPP by 78.8% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 642 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of WPP in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 4.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

WPP Company Profile

WPP plc, a creative transformation company, provides communications, experience, commerce, and technology services in North America, the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Global Integrated Agencies, Public Relations, and Specialist Agencies.

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Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE:NBR  Free Report)  Investment analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Nabors Industries in a report released on Wednesday, July 5th. Zacks Research analyst N. Choudhury now forecasts that the oil and gas company will earn $1.72 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.75. The consensus estimate for Nabors Industries current full-year earnings is $2.36 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nabors Industries Q3 2023 earnings at $2.66 EPS, Q4 2023 earnings at $3.42 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $3.42 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $4.64 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $16.27 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $4.31 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $3.20 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $14.32 EPS.

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Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Nabors Industries from $195.00 to $176.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Nabors Industries from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $175.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. 888 reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Nabors Industries in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Nabors Industries from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, June 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on Nabors Industries from $110.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Friday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $150.86.

Nabors Industries Stock Up 8.4 %

NBR opened at $97.88 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $94.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $127.15. Nabors Industries has a 52 week low of $83.05 and a 52 week high of $190.90. The company has a market cap of $933.78 million, a PE ratio of -6.54 and a beta of 2.75.

Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR  Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.55) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.06 by ($1.61). The company had revenue of $789.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $767.96 million. Nabors Industries had a negative net margin of 4.03% and a negative return on equity of 26.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nabors Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NBR. Valiant Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Nabors Industries in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $19,420,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Nabors Industries by 158.1% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 234,826 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $35,863,000 after purchasing an additional 143,840 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Nabors Industries by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,696,916 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $172,152,000 after purchasing an additional 136,874 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Nabors Industries during the 1st quarter worth $14,112,000. Finally, Sirios Capital Management L P purchased a new position in shares of Nabors Industries during the 4th quarter worth $16,797,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.81% of the companys stock.

Nabors Industries Company Profile

(Free Report)

Nabors Industries Ltd. provides drilling and drilling-related services for land-based and offshore oil and natural gas wells in the United States and internationally. The company operates through U.S. Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. It provides tubular running, wellbore placement, directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), equipment manufacturing, and rig instrumentation services; and logging-while-drilling systems and services, as well as drilling optimization software.

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FILE - Mexican Navy officers stand guard next to a security checkpoint at the Benito Juarez International Airport, in Mexico City, Friday, June 30, 2023. Mexico's armed forces are taking control of the capital's main airport and the government plans to give the military control of nearly a dozen more across the country as the president aims at corruption and mismanagement. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico's armed forces are taking control of the capital's main airport, and the government plans to give the military control of nearly a dozen more across the country as the president takes aim at corruption and mismanagement.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been setting the armed forces to a wide range of nontraditional tasks since he was elected in 2018, creating concerns about the separation of the military from civilian life.

A new airport was built by the army outside Mexico City a year ago at a cost of $4.1 billion. It is run by the military but little used. Lopez Obrador says the old airport, the country's busiest, will be run by the navy.

The navy took charge of security at Mexico City International Airport, or Benito Juarez, more than a year ago. It will soon have control of everything else, from customs and immigration to handling luggage and cleaning bathrooms, with the imminent publication of a presidential order to make that official.

The list of problems at Mexico City Airport has long included major drug shipments and illegal migration. Infrastructure was in disrepair, and a number of close calls were reported on the runways in recent years as the airport increasingly had trouble handling flights.

The airport also had a reputation for stolen luggage, mismanaged airline schedules, business without contracts and corruption.

Meanwhile, Lopez Obrador has gone to the armed forces for help throughout his term, giving them some immigration duties and control of ports and customs. They are also building major infrastructure projects such as a tourist train through the Yucatan Peninsula and a new airport in the same area. They even run plant nurseries and tourist trips to a former penal colony.

The airport, which is used by some 4 million travelers each month, will be a company within a naval military entity, Rear Adm. Carlos Velazquez Tiscareno, the airports 73-year-old director, said in a recent interview. But, he said, this is not going to look like a military department.

Unlike the capitals other airport, Felipe Angeles, where National Guard troops take passenger tickets at the gate, at Benito Juarez the only uniformed military are the 1,500 marines deployed since February 2022 for security. The rest of the airport personnel will be civilians but with clearer rules ... that govern with more order and discipline, Velazquez Tiscareno said.

The navy will form a company called Casiopea to run the airport and six others that have deficiencies and are in the hands of organized crime, Velazquez Tiscareno said. Among them will be Matamoros, across the border from Texas, and Playa del Carmen on the Gulf of Mexico.

Lopez Obrador has already said that he plans to have a dozen airports in the hands of the army or navy by the end of his administration in 2024. And by the end of this year, the military is scheduled to begin operating its own commercial airline.

The Mexico City takeover runs contrary to international aviation recommendations that clearly distinguish between military and civilian, said Rogelio Rodriguez Garduno, an aviation law expert at Mexicos National Autonomous University. But the legal consequences of the move remain unclear.

Earlier this year, Mexicos Supreme Court ruled that the transfer of the National Guard from civilian to military control was unconstitutional. Lopez Obrador left the guard under a civilian department but with a military operational chief.

While navy operational control could help some security issues, experts dont believe it will resolve other problems. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Mexicos aviation safety rating in 2021, preventing Mexican airlines from expanding flights to the U.S.

FAA safety ratings of other countries are designed to measure those countries oversight of their airlines but do not mean that the airlines are unsafe.

In Mexico, corruption got to the point years ago that coded messages were sent using airport internal communications to hold up baggage inspections so drug shipments could pass untouched, according to testimony during the U.S. trial of former Public Security Secretary Genaro Luna. He was convicted of drug trafficking in February.

Mexico City has the countrys most important airport, and the navy is the branch of Mexican security forces in which the U.S. authorities have the most confidence, but the U.S. has not commented on the increasing power of the Mexican military.

There are various airports in the country that have had big problems for many years, and they had to be fixed, said Velazquez Tiscareno, himself a retired pilot.

In the past year, the navys security oversight has shut down some illegal business inside the airport, improved inspections and reduced stolen luggage, Velazquez Tiscareno said. Some airport workers confirm that, but note too that complaints about flight delays continue.

The navy has put things under greater control, but now we need to see how they're going to work," said Jose Beltran, 72, who picks up trash at the airport.

It's more peaceful, said Luis Martinez, who's been working at the airport for 25 years, helping passengers who need wheelchairs. But, he said, people have the same complaints: flight delays and problems with luggage."

Rodriguez Garduno said Mexican aviation needs more money, more training and inspection regimes, among other measure, to raise its competitiveness on the global stage.

He said he was not sure if the military could help solve all those problems.
The buoys were being loaded from trucks on Friday to be installed in the Rio Grande.
Britains Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed last week that UK special forces (UKSF) members are at the centre of a war crimes inquiry pertaining to their deployment in Afghanistan.

A challenge had been made by bereaved family members and by media outlets into the conduct of the Special Air Service (SAS) between 2010 and 2013. The inquiry follows years of reporting of alleged unlawful killings in Afghanistan by the SAS.

British soldiers storm a building in Afghanistan, 2007 [Photo by Defence Imagery / Flickr / CC BY-NC 4.0

The probe will also look at allegations that a previous investigation by the Royal Military Police (RMP) of unlawful killings by special forces was inadequate. In 2014, the RMP launched Operation Northmoor, an investigation into allegations of over 600 offences by British forces in Afghanistan, including the alleged killing of children by the SAS. It began winding down in 2017 and was terminated in 2019. The MoD said it had not found sufficient evidence for any prosecutions.

In a statement ahead of the latest hearing of the Independent Inquiry, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, The inquiry is now reaching the stage of substantive hearings, and I can confirm that the allegations relate to the conduct of UK Special Forces.

Wallace was careful to make clear that the military and government view the proceedings as extremely restricted and unique in character.

Stressing that a confirmation of Special Forces involvement was made only in the exceptional circumstances of this inquiry, Wallace continued, Outside of this very specific context, such confirmation should not be seen to alter the long-standing position of this government, and previous governments, to not comment on the deployment or activities of the UK Special Forces.

Prior to its July 3 announcement, the MoD held that the inquiry should restrict from the public any evidence or documents or words or passages of documents, that tend to confirm or deny the alleged involvement of United Kingdom Special Forces in the operations that are to be investigated. However, before they were due to argue their case in front of the chair of the inquiry, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, MoD lawyers wrote to the inquiry informing it that the ministry proposed to abandon that part of their application.

This reversal, confirmed at a hearing Wednesday, means that evidence of involvement of UK Special Forces in the alleged unlawful killings in Afghanistan can be discussed openly in the inquiry proceedings and reported.

The government has already made clear that any official inquiry will aim to protect the guilty. In January, Wallace said, While there have been several comprehensive investigations into the events in question, if there are further lessons to learn it is right that we consider those fully, to ensure all allegations are handled appropriately and in equal measure, to ensure our personnel are adequately protected from unnecessary re-investigations.

The MoD is currently pursuing automatic anonymity for all UKSF personnel involved in operations in Afghanistan. It was also pushing for all witness evidence about the operations themselves to be held in closed hearings, away from both the bereaved families and the public.

The MoD lawyer, Brian Altman KC, said that the ministry intended to keep in place its neither confirm nor deny policy in relation to naming specific UK Special Forces units or sub-units. Altman argued that the identification of particular force elements would pose a risk to future capabilities and operations.

Lawyers for the families of Afghans killed in seven separate SAS operations have argued that restrictions sought by the MoD are unjustifiable and seriously damaging to the credibility of the inquiry.

Tessa Gregory, a partner at Leigh Day, representing the families, said that the relatives had suffered years of cover-up and obfuscation. The relatives remained concerned even as the inquiry began that the MoD was seeking to shut the door on them and prevent evidence being heard in public.

Lord Justice Haddon Cave, speaking at the opening of the hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, said the case as much as possible should be heard in public to allay public concerns about the subject matter of the inquiry, while declaring that some evidence would need to be heard in closed hearings, because of national security concerns.

Last July, the BBC screened an episode of its Panorama documentary series, SAS Death Squads Exposed: A British War Crime? The programme aired interviews and evidence based on official files from police investigations and a four-year probe showing that one SAS unit in Helmand province had killed 54 people in suspicious circumstances between 2010 and 2011.

The units tour of duty resulted in an Afghan death toll more than double that number. None of the units members sustained any injuries in the raids, indicating they had not faced threats to their safety. Also revealed was evidence that senior officers were aware of concerns within the SAS but failed to pass on evidence to the military police.

The government denounced Panorama for irresponsible, incorrect journalism. But within 24 hours the government was forced to initiate a formal fresh investigation into the allegations, in which the BBC and other organisations were asked to share information, and which led to the recent announcement of a statutory inquiry. The inquiry was announced by the government a day after the BBC released a follow-up investigation into a night raid on the southwestern Nimruz province in 2012 in which the SAS killed two young parents and severely injured their infant sons.

US-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan

In October 2001, under the manufactured pretext of retaliation for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States carried out an invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Cloaked in a spurious mission to destroy Al Qaeda, a creation of the CIA-orchestrated war against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1970s and 1980s, the real objective of the US military was to seize control of a country bordering the oil-rich former Soviet republics of the Caspian basin, as well as China and Iran.

Britains military played the leading supporting role. The invasion inaugurated the war on terror under which Washington claimed the right to pre-emptively invade any country it perceived as a threat to its global interests, establishing black sites used for rendition, torture and interrogation. In March 2003, the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq commenced, based on lies relating to weapons of mass destruction.

The British government and military signed off on all of this in defiance of mass protests by millions in the UK and around the world.

Subsequent regime-change wars were launched under the hypocritical banner of human rights, including in Libya, the country with the largest oil reserves in Africa, and Syria. These wars killed and injured millions of civilians, turned tens of millions more into refugees and destroyed entire societies.

In Afghanistan, the longest official war involving the US military before its ignominious departure in August 2021, conservative estimates are that at least 175,000 civilians were killed since the 2001 invasion. The true death toll including deaths caused indirectly by the war, such as due to disease and cold, are believed to be closer to a million.

This dirty colonial war, with mass murder through air strikes and night raids and the killing and torturing of detainees, was intended to terrorise the population into submission. Instead, it swelled a growing anti-occupation insurgency until Taliban militias were able to overrun six provincial capitals within the space of barely one week, ousting the hated and isolated US-backed Kabul regime in August 2021.

UK forces stationed in Afghanistan reached a peak of 10,000 a decade into the occupation and were deployed to Helmand province in the south, between 2006 and 2014, where many of the 457 British fatalities took place. These were predominantly soldiers in their 20s or younger, fighting a futile but bloody battle to stop the insurgency spreading to the nearby capital. It was during this period that British special forces were operating.

The persistence of the bereaved families for justice for their murdered loved ones is a thorn in the side on London as it pursues its geopolitical interests. A major propaganda trope of the US/NATO war against Russia in Ukraine has been demands to arraign Russian president Vladimir Putin before the Hague on charges of war crimes.

No-one can believe that any inquiry overseen by Britains ruling elite can bring justice. Those in charge of this and previous inquiries are motivated solely by protecting the integrity of the armed forces and the state they defend. No official inquiry will condemn as war criminals the political and military elite that has inflicted a 30-year cycle of imperialist military violence across the globe and left countless millions destitute in its wake.
For your next party, a mid-Michigan mobile bar with cocktails, mocktails and more

Cassandra Hixson poses in the Cocktail Hour Mobile Bar at her property in Highland Township.

HIGHLAND TWP.  It's a local business inspired by TikTok.

Highland Township resident Cassandra Hixson recently launched a mobile bar that can be transported to outdoor parties throughout Livingston County and across the state.

I was always more of an entrepreneur than an employee," Hixson told The Daily. "I just always did my own thing."

After seeing TikTok creators with similar portable businesses, Hixson created Cocktail Hour Mobile Bar. The bar itself is a former horse trailer which, after a year of slow renovation, has been completely transformed. The simple, white trailer can be decorated to fit any theme and signature drinks can be created for the occasion.

I liked the idea of being a part of celebrations, Hixson said. Everybody's happy, everybody's having a good time, everybody's in a good mood."

While she doesnt have bartending experience herself, Hixson employs a professional bartender for large events. Meanwhile, she's learning as she goes along.

So far, she loves the creativity, the decor and the versatility. While the business is called Cocktail Hour, alcohol doesnt have to be on the menu. Hixson wants to include children by creating fun, themed drinks that are non-alcoholic. Already, at the Milford Famers Market, she sells mocktails, rather than alcohol.

Subscribe: Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage

Liquor licenses require a brick-and-mortar location to sell alcohol, so Hixson works with the host to create a menu. They purchase the alcohol, and she supplies everything else.

Hixson is already booked in advance for weddings outside the mid-Michigan region. As she becomes more established, she hopes to have multiple mobile bars doing several events per week.

 Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@livingstondaily.com. Follow her on Twitter @tess_journalist.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: For your next party, a mid-Michigan mobile bar with cocktails, mocktails and more
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Koninklijke KPN fair value estimate is 5.25

Koninklijke KPN's 3.23 share price signals that it might be 38% undervalued

The 3.64 analyst price target for KPN is 31% less than our estimate of fair value

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Koninklijke KPN N.V. (AMS:KPN) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

View our latest analysis for Koninklijke KPN

Crunching The Numbers

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (, Millions) 941.6m 968.4m 1.00b 1.01b 1.01b 1.02b 1.02b 1.03b 1.03b 1.04b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x8 Analyst x8 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 0.54% Est @ 0.50% Est @ 0.47% Est @ 0.45% Est @ 0.44% Est @ 0.43% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 5.2% 895 876 861 824 788 753 719 687 656 627

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 7.7b

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (0.4%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 5.2%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = 1.0b (1 + 0.4%)  (5.2% 0.4%) = 22b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 22b ( 1 + 5.2%)10= 13b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is 21b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of 3.2, the company appears quite undervalued at a 38% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Koninklijke KPN as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 5.2%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Koninklijke KPN

Strength

Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Telecom market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow for the next 3 years.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the Dutch market.

Moving On:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Koninklijke KPN, there are three relevant elements you should look at:

Risks: Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Koninklijke KPN , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. Future Earnings: How does KPN's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the ENXTAM every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The crash was the second to occur near French Valley Airport in the past week, and is currently under investigation

Nbc News A private plane crashed into a Murrieta field near French Valley Airport in California on Saturday, killing six people.

Six people were killed in a Southern California plane crash on Saturday.

A Cessna C550 business jet crashed into a Murrieta field near French Valley Airport when "heavy fog blanketed the area," creating low-visibility conditions as it attempted to land, local news station KTLA reported. It missed the runway by several hundred yards.

The private aircraft made impact in the early morning, according to a press release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies responded to the Murrieta field crash site around 4:15 a.m., per the release. When they arrived, the jet was completely engulfed in flames.

Nbc News

Related: Dad Who Died in Plane Crash 'Made Sure He Protected' 3 Sons Who 'Miraculously' Survived, Says Wife

Six victims were located and pronounced dead at the scene, the release stated.

The Riverside County Coroner's Office identified the individuals as Alma Razick, 51, Ibrahem Razick, 46, Lindsey Gleiche, 31, Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32, Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, and Riese Lenders, 25.

More on the plane crash near French Valley Airport, east of 215 fwy. The flight departed from Harry Reid Int'l Airport in Las Vegas around 3am, per FAA. All 6 on board were killed. This is the 2nd time in the past 5 days a plane has crashed in that area. @ABC7



(: @INLANDNEWS) pic.twitter.com/0FlCY1JQxi  Marc Cota-Robles (@abc7marccr) July 8, 2023

The 45-minute flight departed from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, KTLA reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board, who is investigating the crash in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration, told the California news outlet that the jet was flown by a certified commercial pilot.

Story continues

Related: 5 Dead After Small Aircraft Crashes in North Myrtle Beach

The pilot informed air traffic control that he would be performing a missed approach (a procedure that generally occurs when runways are not visible), the NTSB explained at a press conference on Saturday, per KTLA.

When heavy fog (like the conditions observed on Saturday morning) blankets Murrieta, it is "almost like a whiteout if youre in the hills, Patrick ONeil, a manager of a local plant nursery told the outlet.

You couldnt see probably two to five feet in front of you," the California man told KTLA, adding that "its almost like youre driving blindfolded.

Aircraft Emergency:rpt@4:16 a.m. Auld Road X Briggs Road in French Valley. Cessna aircraft down in a field, fully involved in fire. The fire burned approximately one acre of vegetation, was contained at 5:35 a.m. and the incident has been turned over to RSO and the FAA. Please pic.twitter.com/szG5HLH4n7  CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) July 8, 2023

A small fire erupted in the field as a result of the crash, but firefighters were able to extinguish it after about an hour, the Riverside County Fire Department shared in a tweet. It burned approximately one acre of vegetation, the department said.

Related: 1 Dead, 3 Injured After Small Plane Crashes into Side of Southern California Building

French Valley Airport will remain closed for an unspecified amount of time while the crash investigation is underway, Angela Jamison, a manager at the airport, confirmed to ABC News. A preliminary report on the investigation will be published in about two weeks.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The incident was the second of two crashes that occurred near the Riverside County airport this week.

On Tuesday, a California man named Jared Newman was piloting a private aircraft when it crashed near the airport. The 39-year-old had just became a certified pilot last month, NTSB informed PEOPLE.

GoFundMe Jared Newman and his family in a photo shared to a GoFundMe campaign started for the family following his death and the hospitalization of three of his sons.

Newman was pronounced dead at the scene. The other three passengers, his sons Connor, Caleb and Elijah, all "miraculously" survived and are currently in stable condition, a GoFundMe campaign for the family stated.

It is too early to tell if the Fourth of July incident  which is also being investigated by the NTSB and FAA  is linked to the Saturday morning crash, NTSB investigator Elliott Simpson told ABC News.



For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.
Larger-than-life legends and folklore of the Hoosier state are explored in The History Museums "Indiana Lore" exhibit from June 3, 2023, to May 12, 2024. This provided photo shows Churubuscos Beast of Busco portion of the exhibit.

SOUTH BEND  The exhibit Indiana Lore continues through May 12, 2024, at The History Museum, 808 W. Washington St.

Through historic photos and original art by the Indianapolis-based artists BrainTwins, Indiana Lore traces the roots of Indianas tall tales, from the green-eyed ghost of a bulldog guarding a grave at Terre Hautes Highland Lawn Cemetery to the Grey Lady who lurks in the childrens book section of Evansvilles Willard Library.

Local stories from the St. Joseph River Valley are also featured in Indiana Lore, such as that of Hazel McNalley, accused of murdering her children, who she claimed had been only dolls. Also included in the exhibit is the bizarre tale of LaPorte Countys Belle Gunness, said to have advertised far and wide for would-be husbands, only to have them mysteriously disappear once they (and their fortunes) arrived at her farm.

Other tall tales explored include the palm reader at the Tuckaway House in Indianapolis, Churubuscos Beast of Busco and the supernatural spirits that surround the Avon Bridge in Hendricks County.

Shown in conjunction with the Indiana Historical Society, these mysterious and mesmerizing campfire stories spark the imagination and illuminate another side of Hoosier history. Each story highlights a different region in Indiana and covers distinct themes surrounding houses and buildings, bridges and railways, parks and cemeteries, and seemingly impossible creatures.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Admission is $11-$7; free for members and ages 5 and younger.

For more information, call 574-235-9664 or visit historymuseumsb.org.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 'Indiana Lore' explores mysterious Hoosier tales at History Museum
President Joe Biden addressed concerns over his age while interviewing with CNNs Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, saying that he has the wisdom to lead the U.S. through its current inflection point and he wants to finish the job.

Capping a wide-ranging, 20-minute conversation covering foreign policy ahead the 2023 NATO Summit, Zakaria put aside previous topics like the Ukraine War and U.S. relations with China to ask the president to address Democratic constituents concerns that, at 80 years old, he may not be up to serving a second four-year term in the Oval Office.

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Youve often said when people asked you about your age, Just watch me. And I think a lot of people do watch you and are impressed, and they think youve been a great president, Zakaria began. Youve brought the economy back, youve restored relations with the world. But many of these people do say, and these are ardent supporters of yours, The next thing he should do is step aside and let another generation of Democrats take the baton. Why are they wrong?

Biden responded, saying that it wasnt a matter of right and wrong, but that he believed his age gave him the wisdom necessary to bring unity to the U.S. and democracies the world over.

I think were at an inflection point. I think the world is changing, and I think there is one thing that comes with age if youre being honest about it your whole life, and that is some wisdom, Biden said. I think were on the cusp of being able to make significant positive changes in the world. I really honest to God do.

He then cited some of the efforts his administration has made overseas.

You see what weve done in Europe. Europes more united than its ever been since the end of World War 2, Biden said. You see what weve been able to do in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea  weve united that part of the world I think were putting the world together in a way that is going to make things significantly  how can I say it?  more secure for people.

Story continues

Were uniting democracies  have the possibility of uniting democracies  in a way that hadnt happened ever, he continued. And so I think that whether its the Far East, whether its NATO, whether its Europe, whether its whats going on in Africa, I think we have enormous opportunities. And I think I just want to finish the job, and I think we can do that in the next six years.

Watch Bidens CNN interview, which aired Sunday at 10 a.m. PT, in the video above.

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Howard Weitzmans Widow Laments Removing His Name From Legendary Law Firm: Disappointment Is Not a Big Enough Word
last-call-when-a-serial-killer-stalked-queer-new-york_3 - Credit: HBO

One of the most telling moments of Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York, the new HBO docuseries about a serial killer who terrorized gay men in the Nineties, comes when director Anthony Caronna is interviewing a pair of retired police detectives who worked the case. The interviewer asks a pretty standard wrap-up question, something along the lines of, Is there anything you wish I had asked? One of the detectives replies with his own question: Why is the emphasis on the gay part? Well, sir, its a film about a murderer who killed gay men. Whom he picked up at gay bars. Thereby terrifying the gay community. And yet there remains a trace of Dont say gay among the mostly straight, mostly male cops here, who doth protest that they did everything in their power to crack the case as quickly as possible. The film suggests that these two factors  a queasiness about homosexuality, and a sense of justice delayed  are closely related. This context, and a high level of craft, are what elevate Last Call above the realm of a mere serial killer procedural.

Based on the book by Elon Green, the four-part Last Call tells a disquieting tale. Between 1991 and 1993, the butchered remains of four gay and bisexual men were found along highways in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The men had been lured from Manhattan piano bars and chopped into pieces. Most were well-to-do; one, Anthony Edward Marrero, was a blue-collar sex worker. The Last Call Killer, as he came to be known, was meticulous but also sloppy, leaving a trail of clues  a saw, a pair of latex gloves  that led police to focus on the Staten Island area.

More from Rolling Stone

(Warning: spoilers ahead). But Richard Rogers wasnt arrested until 2001, tracked down through advances in fingerprint technology. It turned out he had also killed a college housemate at the University of Maine, in 1973, but was acquitted on the basis of a so-called gay panic defense (he claimed his victim hit on him). Rogers was also arrested after drugging and assaulting a man he met in a bar in 1988, but was acquitted there as well, which allowed to keep killing. Former New York City Anti-Violence Project member Matt Foreman recalls his reaction upon hearing Rogers was finally arrested: Im grateful, but what took so long?

Story continues

Last Call is about many things, including living in the closet and hunting a killer. It is also a subtle indictment of how gay lives are devalued by society. When youre talking about homosexuals, youre talking about someone who commits a crime, explains former Patrolmens Benevolent Association present Samuel DeMilia in archival news footage. But if the police dont come out looking good here, the media might look even worse. Take the New York Times obituary brief on Morrero, headlined, Anthony Morrero: Crack Addict, Prostitute, which goes on to explain that his life was marked by a failed marriage, drug addiction and ultimately gay prostitution, the authorities said. And just like that, a life and death are dismissed. Tabloid headlines described Rogers spree with phrases such as gay-slay. Clearly, it cant be easy to solve or report on a crime when you view the victims as less than human.

A scene from HBO docuseries Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York

Caronna creates a steady storytelling rhythm, mixing artful recreations with interviews, period media coverage, maps, and stills; Last Call never feels like it is almost four hours long. The pace is also aided by a vivid and impassioned grasp of the bigger picture. Executive producer Howard Gertler was also a producer of the superb, Oscar-nominated AIDS activism documentary How to Survive a Plague, and Last Call has some of that films urgent recounting of the struggle to be seen and heard.

I have but one quibble: a desire to learn more about Rogers. Who is this man? We never really learn, aside from his horrific acts. Thats hardly a deal-breaker; Last Call is ultimately focused on the culture of anti-gay violence, all too common then and on the rise now, and how that culture is perpetuated. In the end, this is more important than the What makes the serial killer tick? stories to which weve been conditioned. Its safe to say he hated gay people. Sadly, he had, and still has, plenty of company.

Best of Rolling Stone

Click here to read the full article.
Nelly performs on the Palomino stage during Stagecoach at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., Saturday, April 29, 2023.

Nothing says summer like a state fair. But how does our state fair sing?

The Missouri State Fair  set for Aug. 10-20 in Sedalia  typically delivers a cache of classic rock bands and country chart-climbers, sprinkling in the occasional Christian artist to bless the whole proceeding. The formula is dependable, if a bit shopworn.

This year's lineup follows in similar fashion. Before you think about making the trip, check out who's playing. And examine the musical lineups in neighboring states to see how Missouri stacks up to its peers.

Who is playing this year's Missouri State Fair? Lainey Wilson, Nelly, 3 Doors Down and more

Lainey Wilson

The blue-ribbon act at this year's fair is clear  thanks both to the quality of her music and her show's early sellout. Lainey Wilson (Aug. 11) delivers on an appealing, often darkly funny mix of raucous country and bell-bottom wearing classic rock.

Near the head of the class, in terms of vibrance and nostalgia, is St. Louis rap icon Nelly (Aug. 18), but a recent history of sexual misconduct allegations clouds the atmosphere.

If you came of musical age in the 1990s, a double bill featuring 3 Doors Down and Candlebox (Aug. 12) should scratch the itch; the former act's current run celebrates a little more than 20 years of its album "Away from the Sun" (which yielded the hits "Here Without You" and "When I'm Gone") while the latter is calling this tour its final bow.

The Country Comeback tour, boasting Shenandoah, Billy Dean and Wade Hayes (Aug. 17) will also pull at the strings of time.

Filling out the lineup: Tyler Hubbard (the Georgia part of Florida Georgia Line), whose solo work continues in the same pop-country vein (Aug. 10); Cory Asbury and CAIN should reach all corners of the fairgrounds with their hooky Christian music (Aug. 16); and Alabama's Riley Green will put his spin on the sort of country music that makes an appearance at nearly every state fair (Aug. 19).

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Here's what the lineups look like at neighboring state fairs. By press time, the Arkansas State Fair, set a bit later than the rest in October, hadn't released its roster. And Tennessee, either despite or because of its musical pedigree, sticks to smaller, mostly regional acts, so it's unfair to make the comparison.

Illinois State Fair, Aug. 10-20 in Springfield

Maren Morris performs on NBC's Today Show on July 28, 2022.

Blue-ribbon acts: No '90s nostalgia act, Alanis Morissette still delivers the goods, both jagged and soulful; Treeline Music Fest (formerly Roots N Blues) alum Maren Morris makes any stage her church; Alter Bridge affords audiences a chance to hear Mark Tremonti's guitar heroism; and there's no denying the continued star power of Tim McGraw.

Weighing down the lineup: REO Speedwagon somehow feels like the quintessential state act and yet is about 30 years past its prime  thankfully, relative to most bands of its era, this lineup has been together a good, long time.

Rounding out the field: Nelly will head east from St. Louis to play in Illinois, this time joined by Ashanti and Ja Rule; Old Dominion remains a serviceable pop-country act.

Learn more: https://statefair.illinois.gov/

Iowa State Fair, Aug. 10-20 in Des Moines

Ben Harper

Blue-ribbon acts: The Chicks with Ben Harper promise a remarkable evening of Americana; Eric Church will visit Des Moines to play his signature blend of heartland rock and country; and veteran duo The Black Keys plays its garage rock fast and hot.

Weighing down the lineup: Despite his country mega-stardom, Jason Aldean's catalog sags from a lack of originality. Though the fair is a date on his "Still Not Cancelled" tour, comic Jeff Dunham's act suffers on two fronts: it relies on a number of outdated, unfruitful cultural tropes and it's not all that funny.

Rounding out the field: A good time should find devoted fans of acts such as Lindsey Stirling, New Kids on the Block and Ludacris; For King and Country will bring solid Christian rock to the fairgrounds; Tyler Hubbard will perform here, as in Missouri; and Maren Morris will hit Iowa first, two days before visiting Illinois.

Learn more: https://www.iowastatefair.org/

Nebraska State Fair, Aug. 25-Sept. 4 in Grand Island

TobyMac on stage

Blue-ribbon acts: Bush might be a '90s nostalgia act at this point  though the band's two albums this young decade have been solid  but Gavin Rossdale's voice still carries; TobyMac remains the populist prince of Christian hip-hop.

Weighing down the lineup: If you haven't seen Oak Ridge Boys by now, did you really want to? And you can hear country music like the sort Lee Brice makes at just about any state fair.

Rounding out the field: Jalisco, Mexico's own Banda Maguey will bring the Technobanda sound to Nebraska; comedian Gabriel Iglesias is a superstar in the eyes of those who appreciate his particular sense of humor.

Learn more: https://www.statefair.org/

Kansas State Fair, Sept. 8-17 in Hutchinson

Carly Pearce stands before being interviewed at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, June 8, 2023.

Blue-ribbon acts: South Carolina band Needtobreathe has found the right chemical reaction from anthemic Christian rock and resonant Americana; Carly Pearce infuses her country ballads with a crystal-clear Kentucky timbre; La Fiera de Ojinaga delivers on the rich promises of quality regional Mexican music.

Weighing down the lineup: Rob Schneider used to find his way into some interesting characters on "Saturday Night Live"  his run on the show ended in 1994; if you like the songs of '80s pop-metal without any of the stars, maybe Hairball is for you; you can hear country music like the sort Cooper Alan makes at just about any state fair.

Rounding out the field: Matthew West has landed somewhat memorable Christian pop hits such as "More" and "The Motions."

Learn more: https://www.kansasstatefair.com/

Oklahoma State Fair, Sept. 14-24 in Oklahoma City

Country music singer/songwriter Kolby Cooper performs Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 at the Peoria Civic Center.

Blue-ribbon acts: Texan Kolby Cooper brings soul to his version of country music, singing with the grit of an old-school Southern rocker. Stokely owns R&B bonafides galore thanks to his work fronting Mint Condition and time spent on stage and in studios alongside Janet Jackson, Prince and Johnny Gill.

Weighing down the lineup: Hinder is the epitome of no-brainer rock, and Motley Crue leader Vince Neil has offered diminishing returns over the decades. If you're really into tribute bands, maybe you'll dig Marshall Charloff & The Purple Experience (Prince) or Shawn Klush (Elvis), but even with free admission, it feels like a stretch.

Rounding out the field: Soon to be 23-year-old Katy Nichole has enjoyed a strong start to her Christian pop career with No. 1 hits "In Jesus' Name (God of Possible)" and the Big Daddy Weave collaboration "God Is In This Story." Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm promises to bring that band's catalog to life in a solo performance. The Drifters, Cornell Gunters Coasters, and The Platters will sound out the spirit of street-corner doo-wop. Los Pescadores Del Rio Conchos play norteno with skill and pride.

Learn more: https://okstatefair.com/

State fair musical lineups, ranked

Iowa Illinois Nebraska Missouri Kansas Oklahoma

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Can Lainey Wilson, Nelly distinguish Missouri State Fair music from peers?
Wynter Cole-Smith, a smiling 2-year-old wearing a T-shirt with a rainbow pattern, was Michigan's first Amber Alert this year, according to State Police.

A little over three hours after her mother was found about 11:20 p.m. July 2 by police stabbed and assaulted in her home in Lansing, cellphones across the state blared with the Amber Alert, waking many from a sound sleep and asking the public's help to find the little girl and her captor.

A flyer is handed out to community members who attend a vigil in memory of Wynter Cole-Smith on Friday, July 7, 2023, on Erwin Avenue in Detroit near where the body of the 2-year-old Lansing toddler was found.

About two hours after the 2:41 a.m. alert last Monday, the vehicle suspected in the kidnapping of Wynter and assault of her mother was spotted by an officer on patrol in St. Clair Shores. Detective Sgt. Eric Bowers said officers knew about the Amber Alert as well as a police generated "be on the lookout." Lansing Police said it put out a message to law enforcement statewide at 12:12 a.m. that morning  about 12 minutes after its first Facebook post about the situation.

Rashad Maleek Trice, 26, who was charged Friday in federal court in western Michigan with two kidnapping charges related to Wynter's kidnapping and death, admitted after his capture to an FBI agent Tuesday  among other things  that he was aware of the Amber Alert, according to court documents.

"Trice stated, words to the effect of 'I am already a monster,' " according to the federal court complaint.

It's difficult to say whether the Amber Alert proved effective, though it did disseminate information to the news media and the public about Wynter and Trice, seeking assistance in finding them.

Jordan Gulkis, Lansing Police spokesperson, said the department was appreciative of the Amber Alert and believes it helped, as Trice was located and arrested.

But the outcome for Wynter was obviously tragic.

Her body was found three days after her disappearance, in an alley on Detroit's east side, bringing devastation to family and friends, law enforcement and the public who searched for her, called in tips, or simply watched the story and prayed for her safe return.

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Federal authorities said Friday that Wynter's cause of death appeared to be strangulation with a pink cellphone charging cord that was recovered with her body and was consistent with pink cord parts found in the car Trice had been driving.

Wynter was not Trice's biological child, according to the federal complaint, but he is the biological father of a 1-year-old son with Wynter's mother, Symari Cole,. The boy was found in the Lansing apartment where Trice is accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend Cole and taking Wynter.

More: Suspect charged in kidnapping of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith

Expert: Abductors and their intentions play big role in outcomes

Timothy Griffin, an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, who has studied the Amber Alert system across the U.S. for years, said he had not heard Wynter's story, but the timespan from when Lansing Police responded to the stabbing call and the time the Amber Alert went out was typical and "actually pretty good. Sometimes, they don't even know about the crime until days after, until hours after."

"These cases are incredibly difficult to predict," Griffin said. "Law enforcement are put in an incredibly difficult situation."

Griffin said the Amber Alert system works as intended "maybe one-fifth of the time."

Griffin said who abducts a child and that person's intentions influence the outcome. Some situations, he said, unfortunately, can be hopeless from the start. But law enforcement can never know that in the moment.

"They want to win," he said. "They want to help these kids."

A study published in 2021, which Griffin authored with others after examining a sample of 472 Amber Alerts from 2012 to 2015, indicated "the crucial variable predicting Alert outcomes is abductor relationship to victim, not AMBER Alert 'performance,' " findings consistent with prior research examining Amber Alert effectiveness.

USA TODAY investigation: Amber Alerts rare

A USA TODAY investigation published in February indicated Amber Alerts across the country are extremely rare and, when used, it's unclear how much they help bring children home safely. The investigation analyzed data on Amber Alerts dating to 2017, following up with police on every alert issued across the country to gauge the outcome, as well as other reporting.

It found Amber Alerts are issued for a tiny fraction of missing child cases. In 2021, there were 254 Amber Alerts nationwide, according to an annual report from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

But there were more than 337,000 missing child reports logged by local law enforcement with the FBI that year, according to the USA TODAY report. Police told USA TODAY that most children who receive Amber Alerts are found safe.

The USA Today investigation found from 2017 through 2021, Black children comprised 37% of missing children reports and nearly 37% of Amber Alerts, indicating alerts are issued proportionately. But reporters found the alerts were less likely to play a role in locating the children, according to the news report.

The USA TODAY report stated from January 2017 through June 2022 in Michigan, local law enforcement called in 86 requests for an Amber Alerts, and the state coordinator approved 19 of them.

There were no originating Amber Alert activations in Michigan last year, according to the 2022 Amber Alert report by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. There was one in Michigan in 2021 and five in the state in 2020, according to prior years' reports by the national center.

If a request for an Amber Alert from a local law enforcement agency to Michigan State Police doesn't meet specific criteria, it may not be approved. But State Police can provide different resources to assist in finding the child, including search and rescue or canine or aviation services, said First Lt. Mike Teachout, who has been the state's Amber Alert coordinator for about two months.

State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw, public information officer for the metro Detroit region, said there also could be investigative reasons why an alert isn't issued.

"We dont want to cry wolf and have people ignore these," Teachout said of Amber Alerts.

More: Records shed light on suspect connected to deceased toddler Wynter Cole-Smith

More: Man accused in Wynter Cole-Smith death once threatened to kill her father, records say

Amber Alert history

The Amber Alert system began in 1996 and stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. It was inspired by 9-year-old Amber Hageman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Texas and later found murdered.

Its used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and more than two dozen other countries, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It claims 1,140 children have been recovered since its inception because of Amber Alerts as of June 30 and that 136 are because of Wireless Emergency Alerts or WEA.

The Amber Alert plan in Michigan began in 2001 and is a partnership between law enforcement and the media to immediately disseminate information to the public about an abducted child using the Emergency Alert System. It expanded to freeway message signs in metro Detroit and Grand Rapids a year later, according to a 2002 Free Press article.

Michigan State Police is responsible for the system. Starting Jan. 1, 2017, State Police said, the system's criteria changed, and alerts would be issued only for cases of child abductions involving victims under age 18, but all Amber Alerts would receive WEA. A WEA is an emergency message sent by an authorized government alerting authority through mobile carriers. It looks like a text message, is no more than 90 characters and shows the type and time of the alert, any action you should take and the agency issuing the alert, according to the state.

There are three types of alerts  extreme weather and other area emergencies, Amber Alerts and Presidential alerts during a national emergency. People can opt out of receiving WEAs for imminent threats and Amber Alerts, but not Presidential messages, according to the state.

Before 2017, Amber Alerts were authorized for abducted children as well as missing children with severe mental or physical disabilities who wandered away and were unable to care for themselves. Then-State Police Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue said tightening the standards for issuing an Amber Alert would "ensure these alerts are utilized only in the most dire of circumstances to get credible, useful information out to the public in order to bring abducted children home safely."

Missing child cases that didn't meet the revised Amber Alert criteria were eligible for a new notification  the Endangered Missing Advisory  for which there is no age restriction. Unlike an Amber Alert, the advisory does not use the Emergency Alert System to interrupt broadcasting and is not sent to mobile devices.

More: 'Our Wynter': Detroiters vow to come together after killing of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith

Amber Alert criteria

Each state's Amber Alert plan includes its own criteria for issuing alerts. A federal act passed in 2003 established an Amber Alert coordinator within the U.S. Department of Justice and calls on the department to issue minimum standards or guidelines for Amber Alerts that states can adopt, according to the department's Office of Justice Programs website.

It indicates state guidelines adhere closely to the handful of recommended guidelines, which are:

Reasonable belief by law enforcement an abduction occurred.

Law enforcement belief the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.

Enough descriptive information about the victim and abduction, as well as the suspect and suspect vehicle, for law enforcement to issue an alert to help in the child's recovery.

The abducted child is age 17 or younger.

The child's name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center system.

Teachout said the state stays in parallel with federal criteria. He said the key is the imminent risk of great bodily harm or death. Once State Police have all the information, it meets criteria, forms are filled out and boxes are checked, the alert goes out.

"The timely distribution of information is very, very important," Teachout said.

If a situation happens in the middle of the night, like with Wynter, authorities said they can't wait until business hours to put out information.

While people may not like waking up to the alert, Teachout said: "Thats somebodys child. You want that information out there."

Shaw said many people work night shifts or start early for work; others are up because they cant sleep. Teachout said truck drivers are out at all hours, and they are "always good sources of information."

"Why not put it out as soon as we have it?" he said of an Amber Alert.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Expert: Amber Alert cases 'incredibly difficult to predict'
Author and attorney Suzanne Sattler, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, is shown with Detroit Bishop Thomas Gumbleton. Sattler co-wrote a book about Gumbleton. It was released June 29.

Suzanne Sattler, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, is an attorney and a former English teacher. Now, she's also an author.

On June 29, she and Frank Fromherz released the biography No Guilty Bystander: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit. A book launch party will be held later this month.

Gumbleton, 93, was a bishop in Detroit for 55 years and is known for his social advocacy. Now retired, he continues to speak on social issues. Sattler has been Gumbletons driver and friend for years.

When the author Frank Fromherz arrived in Detroit to interview the subject of his new biography, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, he was not looking for a co-author. And yet, after being driven around town by Sister Suzanne Sattler, he knew he needed her input for his evolving manuscript. Sister Sue contributed five chapters regarding the work of Bishop Gumbleton, whom she knows well, Michele Farrell from the IMH Communications Department wrote in a release.

Sue is Bishop Gumbletons driver most of the time, Calley Duffey from the IHM Communications Department said. Sue has known Bishop Gumbleton since 1968. He was the celebrant at her first vows, and they got to be closer and closer friends over the years. She witnessed most of the areas she wrote about. Her part was about his life in Detroit, at St. Leos Parish.

Sattler collaborated with Gumbleton on several projects through the years. Gumbletons ministry has involved several locations and issues, including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, racism, discrimination, civil rights, labor and economic injustice, LGBTQ rights, nuclear weapons and the arms race, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti, and clergy sexual abuse, the IHM Communications Department said.

Gumbleton was named a bishop in 1968 by Pope Paul VI and eventually became known as the peace bishop. He began speaking out against the war in Vietnam following his work with young men who were morally opposed to the draft.

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Through his work at St. Leos Parish, Bishop Gumbleton experienced a dramatic change. He went from being a white middle-class clergy member with limited exposure to the African American community, to greatly valuing African American culture. He demonstrated this with an insistence that mass fully incorporate Black music and worship traditions that heretofore had been underappreciated, Farrell wrote. In addition, Bishop Gumbleton advocated for survivors of childhood clerical sexual abuse, and he is the first bishop to reveal that he was also a victim of clergy sexual abuse, a secret he kept for 60 years. Sister Sue has written about the bishop with a clarity that leaves the impression of a man who has journeyed, practiced civil disobedience and answered all those who needed something from him by providing whatever that something was, albeit guidance, money, direction or a listening ear.

Sattler, the youngest of four children, was born in Toledo during World War II. Her formal education was in Catholic schools. After high school, she moved to Detroit to attend Marygrove College, where she met the IHM Sisters and joined the congregation after college graduation in 1965. Her ministry has included high school teaching, graduate work at the University of Michigan and work at the University of Detroit School of Law. As a member of the Michigan Bar, she practiced poverty law specializing in health care and aging policy. Shes also served on nonprofit boards for more than 40 years. For the last 25 years, Sattler has been involved in solidarity work with the people of El Salvador.

Her next ministry will be working for immigrants, specifically undocumented Immigrants, Duffey said.

No Guilty Bystander: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit" is a 336-page softcover book with many black and white photos. A book launch party will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. July 27 at Sacred Heart Church, 1000 Eliot St. in Detroit. John Thorne, pastoral associate, will host the program, which will include a book signing. Gumbleton will attend. The book is available for $30; royalties go to the Kay Lasante Health Clinic in Haiti. The launch party also will be livestreamed at www.sacredheartdetroit.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: IHM Sister co-wrote biography on Detroit Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
The actress shared photos from their time at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita resort in Mexico on Instagram

Jenna Dewan/Instagram

Jenna Dewan and her daughter Everly embarked on a girls trip theyll never forget.

On Sunday, the Step Up star, 42, shared a series of photos captured from their time together at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita near Puerto Vallarta in Mexico.

Mom x Ev girls trip...so beyond grateful for this special time together and crazy fun trip we will never forget!! Heart is bursting  , Dewan captioned the Instagram post.

The first photo in the carousel features a stunning closeup of Dewan and Everly, 10, holding each other with their eyes closed as their foreheads touch, while the suns bright rays beam from above.

Following a snapshot of the notes the hotel wrote to the mother-daughter duo, Dewan shared a sweet candid lifting her daughter up at the beach  both sporting great big smiles.

She also included a picture of her daughter wearing a pink watercolor swimsuit and a straw hat looking at bracelets.

Jenna Dewan/Instagram

Related: Jenna Dewan's Daughter Everly Dresses as Belle During 'Magical' Disneyland Trip for 10th Birthday

In between shots of her colorful bag and an iguana, Dewan posted a photo chasing her daughter along the shore in a dark green string bikini.

The actress later shared a selfie of the two at their dinner on the beach at sunset.

Dewan also shared a clip of Everly relaxing in the spa with cucumbers on her eyes and a towel over her face, alongside a video of the mother-daughter duo hugging side-by-side in the water.

Jenna Dewan/Instagram

Several of Dewans friends commented on the post, including fellow professional dancer Allison Holker, who wrote, This is beautiful .

This is so sweet. What a duo, Lucy Hale wrote. Michelle Monaghan commented, This is so special indeed!!!! Adore you both so much! .

On her Instagram Stories Friday, Dewan shared a sweet snap of her and fiance Steve Kazees son Callum Michael, 3, stepping onto the sand in a tie-dye shirt and khakis.

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Jenna Dewan/Instagram

Related: Jenna Dewan and Steve Kazee Dress as Pinatas with Superhero Kids in Sweet Family Halloween Photo

She then posted a video of both her son and daughter  whom she shares with ex-husband Channing Tatum  walking along the boardwalk.

The mom of two snapped a pic of her children smiling as they enjoyed some Sprinkles cupcakes. Cutest duo, she wrote.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Jenna Dewan/Instagram

Last month, Dewan celebrated Everly's 10th birthday at Disneyland, where she dressed as Belle from Beauty & the Beast..



"Celebrating Evs bday in the most magical place on earth ," she captioned the Instagram photos from their visit to the California theme park.

On Everly's actual birthday, Dewan wrote in a touching tribute, "10 years ago today this fierce, magical soul entered the world and made me a mom.. and my life has never and will never be the same. You are everything and more to me."

"I am eternally, proud and grateful to be your mom. Thank you for choosing me. I love you more than I could ever express!! Ahhh 10.! ," she concluded her Instagram caption.

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Read the original article on People.
The Biden administration is currently considering the creation of a new national monument that would protect more than a million acres of the public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park.

The proposed Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument represents a transformative opportunity, not only to protect the irreplaceable ecosystems of the Grand Canyon region, but to imagine a more just and equitable future for the public lands of the United States.

Baaj Nwaavjo is a Havasupai phrase meaning where the tribes roam; itah kukveni is Hopi for our footprints.

The proposed monument is the culmination of a movement to protect the lands surrounding the Grand Canyon from the toxic effects of uranium mining that has been unfolding for more than a decade.

The driving force behind this movement has been a coalition of Arizona tribal nations, many of which continue to suffer the human and environmental consequences of uranium mining undertaken on their lands.

This tribal-led struggle has galvanized a remarkable coalition of local residents, environmentalists and outdoor recreationalists who understand the invaluable nature of these landscapes and the waters that move through them.

We booted tribes to create national parks

The Grand Canyon and other iconic national parks still had Indigenous peoples living within their boundaries when they were created.

Efforts to conserve public lands in the Western United States have not always been so inclusive.

For those of us who grew up believing the celebrated idea, first articulated by writer Wallace Stegner and popularized by documentarian Ken Burns, that these public lands represent Americas best idea, an honest look at the history of how our national park system came to be can be sobering.

Even some of the most iconic national parks of the American West still had Indigenous peoples living within their boundaries when they were created.

This inconvenient fact led to a continuation of the process of dispossession that began with the violence of the frontier, all in order to create the illusion of parks untouched by human habitation.

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In signing The Antiquities Act in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt empowered himself and future presidents to protect millions of acres of significant landscapes and hundreds of Indigenous heritage sites.

He did so, however, not out of any sense of solidarity with Indigenous peoples, but rather thanks to his desire to celebrate the myth of the frontier and preserve the ruins of a people he understood to be a dying race.

Now, we're reimagining Indigenous nations' role

Proposed Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Ku kveni Grand Canyon National Monument

In the 117 years since Roosevelt signed that act, generations of Indigenous activists have begun to transform how the rest of us understand the relationship between public lands and Indigenous peoples.

The restoration of Timbisha Shoshone lands to tribal control in Death Valley National Park in the year 2000, and the creation of Bears Ears National Monument, administered through a collaboration of the federal government and the tribal governments of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, are two striking examples of how that relationship is being reimagined.

By creating Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument, the Biden administration would be taking the next step on the path towards restoring Indigenous nations rightful role in the stewardship of the lands they have lived in relation with since time immemorial.

But Indigenous peoples are far from the only constituencies who would benefit from this act.

The protection of these lands and the Colorado River watershed is of vital importance for the regions legions of visitors and the local businesses that depend on them; the hunters and anglers who rely on thriving fish and wildlife populations; and the millions of residents of the Southwest who utilize the Colorado River for drinking water.

As Hopi Chairman Timothy Nuvangyaoma said in voicing his support for the proposed monument, The creator gave us a gift. That gift is in the form of the Grand Canyon. That gift is not only to the tribal nations that have that intimate connection with it, its a gift to the state of Arizona, its a gift to the United States, its a gift to the entire world.

For all of us who believe that our public lands ought to stand as a living testament to the best of our democracy, it is time to start listening to Indigenous leaders like Nuvangyaoma and urge President Biden to use his authority to work with the Indigenous nations of the region to protect that gift for future generations.

Alex Trimble Young is a scholar of the literature and culture of the United States West, and an associate teaching professor at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. Reach him at alex.t.young@asu.edu.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Grand Canyon national monument would help right a wrong against tribes
New Mexicans impacted by the first nuclear weapons test in American history could see relief payments from the federal government, after a bill was introduced by the states members of the U.S. House and Senate.

The legislation would expand a program to assist those suffering with medical problems believed tied to their exposure, chiefly from the Trinity Test Site in south-central New Mexico where the first atomic weapon was tested in 1945.

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez led legislation to amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include New Mexicos communities affected by the test. Those who allege long-term complications due to exposure are known as downwinders.

More: Air system at nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad makes progress as site nears capacity

As it presently stands, the RECA provides lump sum relief payments and medical coverage for former uranium miners in New Mexico and only for communities downwind of the Nevada Test Site where nuclear tests started in 1951.

The bill would identify New Mexicans near the Trinity Site as downwinders and increase payments to $150,000.

Last year, lawmakers were successful in extending the program by two years, to avoid its sunset in July 2022, giving them more time to expand the available money to New Mexicans from communities around the Trinity Site.

More: Nuclear waste terms agreed on by New Mexico and feds for WIPP facility near Carlsbad

Lujan said Trinity downwinders were unduly exposed to heavy doses of radiation after the test, leading to generations of cancers and other health problems.

He said the legislation sought justice for these communities.

Last years victory to extend RECA showed the bipartisan support behind this effort. Now its time to build on that momentum and continue our movement for justice and compensation for New Mexicos downwinders and uranium workers, Lujan said in a statement.

Through no fault of their own, these workers and nearby communities were exposed to radiation as part of our national defense effort, impacting generations to come without providing the same relief available to other communities included under RECA.

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More: New Mexico leaders fear nuclear waste could endanger oil and gas in the Permian Basin

Under the RECA program, lump sum payments of $100,000 are made to uranium mine workers in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and both Dakotas.

Downwind counties, under the program are only identified in Arizona, Nevada and Utah and can receive $50,000 payments.

Onsite participants of nuclear test sites receive $75,000 payments.

More: Nuclear waste drum stranded at Carlsbad-area repository to be sent back to South Carolina

To be considered a downwinder a claimant must establish a physical presence in a downwinder area between January 1951 and October 1958 or between June 30, 1962, and July 31, 1962.

They must also prove a diagnosis of a disease tied to exposure.

These include leukemia, and cancers of several organs.

More: Air shaft 90% done at Carlsbad-area nuke waste facility amid concerns for site's expansion

Leger Fernandez said it was unfair that other downwinder communities were compensated by the federal government, but New Mexicans were ignored.

She said the bill would also extend RECA beyond its present July 2024 sunset date.

Imagine having radioactive waste fall down like dirty snow on your homes and communities causing cancer and disease. Then think about the despair when you learn that the U.S. government compensated other communities exposed to radiation during the nuclear testing program but not yours, Leger Fernandez said.

We must pass this bill and get people the compensation they deserve.

More: What we know about the federal government's ongoing nuclear waste plans in New Mexico

Cosponsor U.S. Rep. James Moyan (R-Guam) said all Americans affected by radiation exposure from federal activity should be compensated, and he urged Congress to pass the bill to do so.

Ensuring that those who have been affected by radiation exposure are properly compensated is of the utmost importance, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation and help ease the pains of those who have been exposed to toxic levels of radiation, Moyan said.

Tina Cordova, founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, a group of New Mexicans from communities near the Trinity Site, said her people will not receive justice until Congress amends RECA.

She said the language in the recent bills was similar to others introduced by Lujan and Leger Fernandez in 2021, but this time she worried they had less support from Republicans needed for the legislation to advance.

In addition to New Mexico, Cordova argued most of the states that would expand RECA's reparations are conservative, calling for GOP leaders in those states to support the bill.

"I hope that we'll get Republican support that we need. That's the hold up," Cordova said. "We're talking about mostly red states. No one should ever say it's too expensive. That is not an acceptable answer."

She said it was difficult to quantify the exact cost, both financially and emotional that generations of health problems have on downwinders, but that the payments would provide a small measure of solace for those suffering the effects of nuclear weapons development.

"It doesn't matter how much they give you, it will never bring a family member back or make up for lost time," Cordova said. "We will never accept that this is too expensive. We're hopeful. We're going to continue to push Congress. Everyone should view this as a nonpartisan issue. It's the right thing to do."

New Mexico took a disproportionate role in nuclear proliferation throughout history, Cordova said, with uranium mining in the northern part of the state, the Trinity Site and nuclear waste disposal occurring at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad and the URENCO Enrichment Facility near Eunice.

"We as a state have done more than our part," she said. "We've been asked to do much more than we should, and no one comes to look at the effects. It's incredibly egregious. Everyone in New Mexico should stand up and say 'Pass the RECA amendments.'"

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexican downwinders could be compensated for radiation exposure
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Republican presidential candidate DeSantis walks in the Fourth of July Parade in Merrimack

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Sunday he would take steps to revoke China's permanent normal trade relations status if he won the 2024 White House race.

"I favor doing that. I think we probably need Congress but I would take executive action as appropriate to be able to move us in that direction," DeSantis said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

The U.S. Senate voted in 2000 to grant that status to China as it prepared to join the World Trade Organization. Any step to remove it would also need congressional approval. The status is a legal designation in the United States for free trade with a foreign nation.

U.S.-China relations have been tense for years over national security issues including Taiwan, U.S. export bans on advanced technologies, China's state-led industrial policies, human rights issues, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and trade tariffs.

Washington has been trying to repair ties between the world's two biggest economies. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said over the weekend that her meetings with senior Chinese officials in recent days were "direct" and "productive", helping stabilize the superpowers' often rocky relationship as her four-day Beijing trip ended.

China is "the No. 1 geopolitical threat this country faces," DeSantis added in the interview.

Former President Donald Trump, who leads the Republican field currently in the polls with DeSantis a distant second, has said he would give China a 48-hour deadline to get out of what sources familiar with the matter say is a Chinese spy facility on the island of Cuba 90 miles (145 km) off the U.S. coast.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)
Steve Abbott reads during the weekly Poetry Forum, the longest-running poetry open mic in Ohio, at Bossy Grrls Pin-Up Joint in Old North. The Monday night mainstay is closing after 39 years.

Its a Monday evening at Bossy Grrls Pin-Up Joint, and the Old North bar is filled with poets and poetry-lovers. Theyre here for the Poetry Forum, a weekly reading series and longstanding Columbus institution.

Steve Abbott, the groups de facto leader, takes the stage and explains the rules. The event always starts with a featured poet. (Tonights guest is Sayuri Ayers, who recently released the poetry collection Mother/Wound.) After that, theres an open mic. Twelve people read, and each is allotted five minutes or two poems  whichever comes first.

Abbott opens the evening with a reading of Try to Praise the Mutilated World by Adam Zagajewski.

You should praise the mutilated world.

Remember the moments when we were together

in a white room and the curtain fluttered.

Its a beautiful poem about finding joy in difficult moments, and the role memories play in ones happiness. Its also a fitting poem for the Poetry Forum as it wraps up its final run. After 39 years, the Poetry Forum is ending. By Abbotts estimate, its the second-longest running weekly poetry series in the country. (First place goes to the poetry night at Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans.)

Tom Barlow, of Clintonville, reads during the weekly Poetry Forum, the longest-running poetry open mic in Ohio, at Bossy Grrls Pin-Up Joint in Old North.

Columbus poets: Writers Block Poetry Night to end after 24 years of antics, art

The Poetrys Forum final show is July 31. The decision to end wasnt made lightly, said Abbott, 73, of the North Side. He mentioned the difficulties of finding people to keep the Poetry Forum going, the amount of work hosting a weekly event entails and the lingering effects of the pandemic.

Everything has a lifespan, Abbott said. This thing was started to provide a specific kind of service. Maybe it's time to just let that down.

The Poetry Forum was started in 1984 by a group of friends and poets. At the time, the Columbus Museum of Art hosted Poets in the Gallery, and local poet Michael Vander Does ran the summer program Poetry in the Park. But the group wanted to establish an ongoing weekly poetry reading.

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At the time, Abbott was just getting off the ground as a poet. In the summer of 1984, Ellen Carter featured his poem Elijah Pierce Wood Carver in her Columbus Dispatch column, The Poets Corner. It was Abbotts first published poem.

When Abbott was asked if hed be interested in helping to establish a weekly reading, he immediately said yes. Abbott, along with Cheryl Abdullah, John Cropp, Mary Kenney Rumm, Homer Weathers, Elizabeth Ann James, Jack Boenninghofen and William Redding, hosted the first Poetry Forum in October 1984 at the now-shuttered campus bar Larrys.

It was a real funky place, Abbott said of the beloved local spot. It had the most interesting jukebox on High Street.  And the graffiti  at least on the men's room wall; I never visited the women's  was some of the most weirdly intellectual offbeat kinds of things that I've ever seen. So, it was just a perfect place for a poetry reading.

Hooshang Hemami, of Worthington, applauds during the weekly Poetry Forum at Bossy Grrls Pin-Up Joint in Old North.

After its first year, the Poetry Forum applied for an Ohio Arts Council grant in order to pay its featured poets. After about 10 years, the group was able to raise enough money on its own to pay performers. The team also published a couple of chapbooks called Larrys Poetry Review.

When Larrys closed in 2008, the Poetry Forum moved to Rumba Cafe, then Kobo before finally settling at Bossy Grrls in 2013. The event has hosted about 1,000 readers  including repeat performers. The lineup has featured well-known poets such as Hanif Abdurraqib, Maggie Smith, Terrance Hayes, Gordon Grigsby and Scott Woods.

For me, going to the Forum is like going to the gym, said Woods, of Columbus, who also owns Streetlight Guild, a performance space and gallery on the Near East Side. It worked different creative muscles for me. And so, the things that I saw, books that I maybe didn't understand, I could go to the Forum and get some clarity. There's something about seeing that kind of work in the real world that makes it come alive for you, and the Forum was really good for that.

Columbus-based writer Hanif Abdurraqib first learned about the Poetry Forum around 2011. At the time, there was a poetry reading happening almost every night in the city, he said. There was Writing Wrongs on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, there was Writers' Block Poetry Night, co-founded by Woods. (It wrapped in December after 24 years.) Abdurraqib hosted Pen & Palette on Thursdays. Every third Friday, there was the Writers' Block offshoot First Draft. And on Mondays, there was the Poetry Forum.

Poetry Forum is interesting to me because people go there, for real, to hear poems, said Abdurraqib, a 2021 MacArthur Fellow, who first read at the Poetry Forum in 2014 and will read again July 24. People are just waiting to hear what you can do. Theres a real interest in, 'Can you write? What is your work sounding like?' That was vital to me.

The format of the weekly Poetry Forum includes a reading by a featured poet, followed by an open mic for anyone else interested in reciting poetry.

Columbus poets: His effect is seismic. Columbus mourns poetry and theater giant Charles Is Said Lyons

Somewhere along the way, Abbott became the unofficial leader of the Poetry Forum. Partly truth here, partly in jest: I outlived everybody, he said. I was just into this thing that we'd started as kind of a cultural public service, and now it had become an institution.

As the Poetry Forum prepares to say goodbye, Abbott has mixed feelings. He will miss the weekly camaraderie. There are some nights hell never forget, like when Amit Majmudar read at the Poetry Forum two weeks after he was selected as the states first poet laureate. Or hearing Maggie Smith, a childhood friend of his niece, make her Poetry Forum debut.

We were ragtag, and we were loosey-goosey, and we had to come up with rules, like, You cannot use a poem to attack a member of the audience, he said. So, you know, it was an adventure.

Its an institution that makes Abbott proud. And hes happy to pass the reins to the next generation of Columbus poets.

People saw what was possible, because a number of people came together and they said, 'This is what the city needs, Abbott said. And my personal dictum is, 'Look for what needs to be done, then do it.' And that's what I'm hoping will happen in the wake of the Poetry Forum.

brittany.moseley6@gmail.com

@britt_moseley

At a glance

The Poetry Forum takes place 7 p.m. on July 10, 17, 24 and 31 at Bossy Grrls Pin-Up Joint, 2598 N. High St. Free admission. For more information, visit columbuspoetryforum.com.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Poetry Forum to end after 39 years
Poetry Society of Indiana is calling for submissions by young poets for its annual contest.

INDIANAPOLIS  The Poetry Society of Indiana has issued a call for submissions for its 2023 Young Voices Annual Poetry Contest.

The contest is open state-wide to public, private and homeschool students in grades 3-12.

Guidelines include a recommendation by a teacher is required, original unpublished work only, one poem submission per student and a 30-line limit (including blank lines).

Contest categories are grades 3 and 4, grades 5 and 6, grades 7 and 8, grades 9 and 10, and grades 11 and 12.

Deadline for submissions is Sept. 20.

There is no fee.

First place winners will receive public acknowledgement on the PSI website and social media platforms. The poems may be published in the annual anthology Ink to Paper.

Founded in 1941, PSI is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and encouraging poets in Indiana.

For more information, visit poetrysocietyofindiana.org.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Poetry Society of Indiana seeks poems from students for annual contest
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

WWE is reportedly returning to Saudi Arabia later in 2023.

Per Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, WWEs next show in Saudi Arabia will be a premium live event on November 4. As of this writing, WWE has yet to confirm the news.

The companys latest Saudi Arabia show, WWE Night of Champions, was held on May 27. WWE has annually held two shows in Saudi Arabia since 2018, aside from 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, WWE has held a number of premium live events in international locations in 2023; Montreal hosted Elimination Chamber, Backlash was held in Puerto Rico, Night of Champions was held in Saudi Arabia, and Money in the Bank emanated from London, England.

WWE recently announced that the Survivor Series premium live event will be held on November 25. More information is available here.

WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.

The post Report: WWE To Return To Saudi Arabia In November appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Robert De Niro attended the funeral for his grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez on Friday, five days after the 19-year-old tragically died in New York City.

The 79-year-old actor was accompanied by his girlfriend Tiffany Chen and their 3-month-old daughter Gia for the service at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Leandro was the son of De Niro's eldest child Drena De Niro, 51, and graffiti artist Carlos Rodriguez, who were also in attendance at the memorial.

The two-time Academy Award winner was joined by longtime friends and former co-stars Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli, per photos obtained by Page Six.

Robert De Niro attended the funeral for his 19-year-old grandson Leandro on Friday.

On Thursday, the family held a wake at the chapel, which has previously provided funeral services for Former First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis, John Lennon, Judy Garland, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Heath Ledger, Mary Tyler Moore and The Notorious B.I.G. among others.

ROBERT DE NIRO DEEPLY DISTRESSED BY DEATH OF 19-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON

Drena announced Leandro's death in an emotional tribute that she shared to Instagram on Sunday night. "My beautiful sweet angel," she began. "I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly. You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The actress continued, "I wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you. I dont know how to live without you but Ill try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama. You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you."

The actor attended a wake for Leandro on Thursday at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on New York City.

"Im so sorry my baby, I'm so sorry @carlosmare," she wrote, tagging Leandro's father. "Rest in Peace and Eternal Paradise my darling boy."

Drena is the oldest of De Niro's seven children. She was adopted by the actor when he was married to her mother, his ex-wife Diahnne Abbott, from 1976 to 1988. In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, De Niro commented on the devastating loss.

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"Im deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo," the "Goodfellas" star said. "Were greatly appreciative of the condolences from everyone. We ask that we please be given privacy to grieve our loss of Leo."

Leandro was the son of De Niro's eldest child Drena De Niro, 51, and graffiti artist Carlos Rodriguez. Drena is pictured with De Niro's friend Harvey Keitel at the wake on Thursday.

Drena also shared her grief in a statement to Fox News Digital, "It is with immeasurable shock and sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved son Leo. We thank you for the outpouring of love and support and ask that we are given privacy at this time to process this inconsolable grief."

In response to Fox News Digital's questions about his death, a DCPI spokesperson shared that they responded to a 911 call on July 2, where "an 18-year-old male was found unconscious, unresponsive and was pronounced deceased by EMS on scene." A cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office.

A DCPI spokesperson was not immediately available for comment regarding if the case is being investigated as an overdose or if there are any suspects.

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Drena said on Instagram that her son was given drugs known to be laced with fentanyl.

On Wednesday, Drena discussed her son Leandro's passing in the comments section of her Instagram, replying to a user who asked what happened.

"Someone sold him fentanyl laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him, so for all these people still f---ing around selling and buying this s--- , my son is gone forever," she wrote.

A representative for both De Niros additionally told Fox News Digital, "No comments are being made at this time."

Fox News Digital's Caroline Thayer contributed to this report.
Members of SAG-AFTRA volunteered their time this weekend to prepare picket signs in case their leadership is unable to reach a deal on a new labor contract with Hollywood studios and orders a strike Wednesday night.

On its Twitter page, SAG-AFTRA showed dozens of members assembling signs at union headquarters, writing in its caption Friday, If a strike becomes necessary, were ready.

On the weekend prior to the expiration date of its contract this past April, members of the Writers Guild of America went through the same sign construction process as the final hours of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ticked away. After the two sides were unable to resolve multiple sticking points, the WGA called its first strike since 2007 on May 1. Writers have been on the lines ever since.

Conversely, the below-the-line workers union IATSE had its own picket sign building events just before its contract deadline in fall 2021, only for the union and AMPTP to reach an 11th hour deal that was narrowly ratified by its members.

It remains to be seen which of these two outcomes SAG-AFTRA will take, as both it and AMPTP are under a customary media blackout during negotiations, which were extended from their initial June 30 deadline to July 12. On June 24, the guild sent out a video from president Fran Drescher and national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland expressing optimism about the progress of talks.

I just want to assure you that we are having an extremely productive negotiations that are laser-focused on all of the crucial issues you told us are most important to you, Drescher said. And were standing strong and were going to achieve a seminal deal.

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But days later, a letter that has since been signed by over 2,000 SAG-AFTRA members, including A-listers like Meryl Streep and Amy Poehler, urged the guilds negotiating committee not to settle for a less than transformative deal.

We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories, the letter read. We want you to know that we would rather go on strike than compromise on these fundamental points, and we believe that, if we settle for a less than transformative deal, the future of our union and our craft will be undermined, and SAG-AFTRA will enter the next negotiation with drastically reduced leverage.

Also Read:

IATSE Plans Multipronged Approach to Address AI Use in Hollywood

An individual with knowledge of the talks told TheWrap that while progress has been made between both sides on several fronts, some key sticking points remain, such as a new residual structure for streaming. Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have pushed for streaming residuals to be tied to viewership data, which streamers like Netflix have kept tightly under wraps.

Last month, members of the Directors Guild of America ratified a contract that ensured significant increases in residual payments with a significant surge in foreign residuals. But the DGAs contract did not include any gains on viewership-based residuals. Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have said that they will not be beholden to any terms the DGA agreed to in their own negotiations.

An actors strike would mark the first time since 1960 that two Hollywood guilds have been on strike simultaneously and would shut down all remaining productions still filming in spite of the WGA strike. Actors would also withhold their appearance at marketing events, film premieres and awards ceremonies such as the Emmys, which are supposed to begin preparation ahead of a Sept. 18 telecast later this month.

Also Read:

SAG-AFTRA Asks Members to Volunteer as Captains for Potential Strike
President Joe Biden begins a five-day swing through Europe on Sunday with a focus on NATO gathering later this week in Lithuania, as allied countries look to boost support for Ukraine and the possibility of Sweden's approval to join the military alliance.

"We're looking forward to a busy week in Europe. And we're looking forward to the president being able to further solidify, strengthen and give momentum to the strong united alliance that has been standing up so effectively against Russian aggression," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Friday afternoon.

The president begins his trip in London, where he will meet King Charles III at Windsor Castle on July 10, the first time Biden will meet with the king since his coronation. First Lady Jill Biden represented the United States at the coronation with their granddaughter Finnegan in May.

"While in London, he will meet with King Charles at Windsor Castle and engage with a forum that will focus on mobilizing climate finance especially bringing private finance off the sidelines for clean energy deployment and adaptation in developing countries," Sullivan said Friday.

Biden is also expected to meet with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak -- the sixth time the leaders will meet in the past six months. They last met at the White House in June.

From London, Biden heads to Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend the 74th NATO summit -- which is expected to center around the alliance's support for Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion.

"Ukraine will not be joining NATO coming out of this summit," Sullivan stressed, but he added there will be discussion of "what steps are necessary as it continues along its path."

PHOTO: President Joe Biden addresses the Russian invasion of Ukraine, from the East Room of the White House, Feb. 24, 2022. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

"Vilnius will be an important moment on that pathway towards membership because the United States, our NATO allies and Ukraine will have the opportunity discuss the reforms that are still necessary for Ukraine to come up to NATO standards. So, this will, in fact, be a milestone. But Ukraine still has further steps it needs to take before membership in NATO," Sullivan added.

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Ukraine's counteroffensive is underway and has allowed their forces to regain territory in the southeast, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he'd like it to be accomplished sooner. He's repeatedly asked the U.S. for F-16 fighter aircraft, which he says would give them an "opportunity to move faster."

The Biden administration had resisted that request but is now working with allies to train Ukrainians on F-16s and eventually help get them jets for the war.

The NATO summit also takes place with an additional member, Finland, after being approved in April, and a lingering question of whether Turkey and Hungary will drop objections to Sweden joining the alliance.

Biden met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the White House on Wednesday, calling the country a "capable and committed partner" for the U.S. and repeating his call for them to join NATO.

"The United States fully, fully, fully supports Sweden's membership," he said, adding that they would "make our alliance stronger."

In order to expand the military alliance, there must be unanimous approval of all members. Turkey has delayed their ascension, accusing Sweden of being soft on terrorists groups, such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Biden wraps his trip on Thursday, July 13, in Helsinki, Finland, for a U.S.-Nordic leaders summit.

Biden journeys through Europe ahead of NATO summit originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
(Photo Credit: YouTube)

WARNING: This post contains graphic content

A family in Ohio is demanding justice after their dog, a Labrador Retriever, was shot by a police officer outside their home. Tammie Kerns, in an emotional interview with local TV station WKYC, recounted the incident in Lorain where officers arrived while she and her daughter were trying to control their loose dogs.

Disturbing body camera footage captured officer Elliott Palmer shooting at Dixie, one of the dogs, as she approached him. Bleeding, the dog collapsed and fled into the street. Kerns expressed her frustration, stating that the officer continued to shoot at Dixie despite her being injured and seeking safety. In their pursuit for justice, Kerns family participated in a rally outside the police department and plans to file a lawsuit.

Justice for Dixie

A Justice for Dixie rally was held with yet another family whose dog was shot and killed by the Lorain Police Department.

After she was shot one time in the street, he should have just let it go and let us get the dog and take her where she needed to be treated, Kearns tearfully told WKYC. But he didnt do that. She was crawling  useless, helpless  in the street. He continued shooting her. She was trying to come to safety, and he just kept shooting her three more times after the first time.

She added, He should lose his job. He should go to jail. He should rot. I dont want him to shoot somebody else. He needs to be off the streets. There were innocent bystanders nearby.

Lieutenant Jacob Morris of the Lorain Police Department attended the rally to do damage control. I want to offer our condolences to the Kerns family, Morris said. Regardless of the situation, theyre dealing with the loss of a family member. It hurts to even say that we were involved in that, but with that being said we can offer our condolences  and we certainly, certainly do. Ive spoken to the family and trying to be a resource for them as the investigative process rolls out.

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An epidemic

According to a recent study, police officers in the United States shoot and kill 25-30 dogs every single day. Many organizations and advocates are actively working to develop and implement programs that focus on educating law enforcement on dog behavior, de-escalation techniques, and the use of non-lethal force when dealing with animals.

The post Dog Fatally Shot by Ohio Police, Family Demands Justice appeared first on DogTime.
Chris Schimpf is a son of Joe and Joyce Wood Schimpf. Karen Eckstein is Chris sister. According to Mrs. John (Wanda) Schimpf, Frederick and Rosena Sammet Schimpf came to Chatfield Township with his parents, Andreas and Katharina Gruber Schimpf, from Hoesselsuelz, Germany, in 1848.

Chris Schimpf is one of the owners of The Market at Pickwick LLC.

Chris started school at Holmes Liberty, then Mt. Zion Junior High and finally to Wynford High School. He was involved in marching band  a favorite  plays and musicals. Chris appreciates music. His sister-in-law, Desra Ulrich, is a flute teacher at the University of Findlay. Chris graduated from Wynford in 1990 and went on to Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. He graduated in 1994 with a history degree and a minor in psychology.

Chris moved home and started farming with his parents who raised hogs for Hords. Then in 1995, Chris married Andrea Ulrich, a daughter of Ed and Carolyn Ulrich of Bucyrus. They taught school in Bucyrus  Ed, business classes, and Carolyn, elementary. After high school, Andrea also went to Taylor U., from 1992 until 1995 when she graduated. Andrea went on to Kent State and got a masters degree in library science and was the youth and assistant director at Bucyrus Library from 1996 to 2002. Next, Shelby High School Library hired her and assisted her in getting a library education degree through Ohio Dominican College. In 2012, Andrea left Shelby and became the librarian at Seneca East School where their children, Jolie and Emilia, attend school.

Chris started his own business in 2002, with the help of Andrea, called Eyestone Flower Farm. They raised lilies, gladiolus, sunflowers, zinnia and lots of cockscomb. There was a huge market for celosia; it was their bread-and-butter item. The farmers markets were in Worthington, Clintonville, Grandview Heights and Westerville. In the fall, it was pumpkins. Chris said its very physical raising everything until harvest time to sell at markets. They also harvested their own bulbs  a big money saver. Andrea was especially good at marketing, and the Columbus market saw them as a couple.

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Things in life fell into place, as they often do. Kent and Laura Pfeifer Stuckey were in the process of starting Pickwick Place. They contacted Chris and Andrea Schimpf and asked if they were interested in becoming involved. Even though it wasnt exactly known how they would fit into the Stuckeys plans, Chris had the marketing experience. Besides, they had years of friendship. They started cleaning Pickwick Place, the old Michael Stables, and deciding how to utilize the buildings and the directions they should take. Early on they decided the north building, with the barn doors, would be the market. They officially became The Market at Pickwick LLC in 2015 and hauled wagons out to the front selling veggies and apples. Ethan and wife Hannah Kocher Stuckey are also owners. Ethan planted 4,000 apple trees for a long-term start.

The owners moved into the market in 2016. By the end of the year they had expanded into the back. Chris was getting a crash course on how to order, saying, I was very naive; it was sink or swim. Just learning where to find good products, he took the attitude from the beginning  what do area people want, the lake traffic and travelers passing by? The traveler might need supplies for the road and especially junk food to snack on. Chris wanted products that were unique and surprising, not the usual items. One of Chris strategies is selling Dave Kennedys ceramic cups in the front. It gives the impression of a market with varied items. Chris also wants people to get good peaches and strawberries and find the unusual, such as the fast-selling Kickles Pickles. Sometimes he can barely keep them in stock.

The Market is Chris main focus. While the other two parts  The Loft and The Stalls  are important, Chris supports them and they support him, too; however, he isnt involved in their decisions.

With COVID hitting in 2020, they had great local support. In 2021 they made two important decisions  building the cafe and adding on to the market.

In closing, Chris is thankful to be a part of the community  to offer products and job opportunities and a place where people feel it is "their market and a place to meet friends." Chris feels it should be everybodys place. He thinks there is a strong sense of community here, and The Marketplace desires to be a great addition and promote other businesses in Bucyrus, too. Chris wants it to be a welcoming place and please come back. Its great when he overhears someone say "its my market." It warms his heart.

Go online for more of Mary Foxs stories and photos on bucyrustelegraphforum.com. If you are interested in sharing a story, write Mary Fox, 931 Marion Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820 or email littlefoxfactory@columbus.rr.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Chris Schimpf's story from the farm to The Market at Pickwick
Indiana Jones; River Phoenix; Harrison FordPhoto illustration by Salon/Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd./Getty Images

"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," the fifth and (so they say) final installment of the franchise to star Harrison Ford as the titular whip-cracking archaeologist, centers on the joining of two pieces of Archimedes' Dial  "an Antikythera mechanism built by the ancient Syracusan mathematician Archimedes"  which allows for transport through fissures in time in a very "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" sort of way.

Using time travel as a plot point in addition to incorporating CGI to de-age Ford in certain scenes, you can all but feel director James Mangold and his team of screenwriters (brothers John-Henry and Jez Butterworth, along with David Koepp) stretching hard to wrap a bow around 42 years of cinematic history, but it provides a nice opportunity to say goodbye to Indy via tracing his adventures to their origins.

Ford's most iconic character  second only to Han Solo  takes us with him on one final adventure, joined along the way by core characters from the previous films like Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and Marion (Karen Allen), and while it's slow in parts and rushed in others, seeing Indy hang up his hat in signature style feels satisfying, but not as satisfying as an earlier film in the franchise, 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," where we see how he got that hat in the first place.

Related

Harrison Ford doesn't belong in a museum: Indiana Jones in his 70s is exactly the hero we need

In "Last Crusade," the third installment from original director Steven Spielberg, we're taken back in time, without the use of Archimedes' Dial, to witness a pivotal moment in Indy's origin story.

Earning a record-breaking $37,031,573 over the four-day Memorial Day weekend on which it was released in 1989, Spielberg and his own platinum team of writers  Jeffrey Boam, Menno Meyjes and George Lucas  accomplished with their "Hello" what "Dial of Destiny" set out to do with their "Goodbye," and with a fraction of the budget.

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All in all, "Dial of Destiny" dumped $250300 million into Indy's curtain call, with the lion's share likely going towards CGI and celebrity cameos (Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Helena Shaw, Mads Mikkelsen as Jurgen Voller, Antonio Banderas as Renaldo) but "Last Crusade" spent their $48 million judiciously, bringing back Sean Connery as Henry Jones, Sr., Indiana's father, and tapping a 17-year-old River Phoenix to portray young Indy.

river phoenix in indiana jones and the last crusade (1989) will forever be THE moment pic.twitter.com/CuramCCVJ8  fran (@obiwankenomg) November 10, 2022

In an archival "Beyond the Screen" clip, Phoenix talks about the film saying that Ford himself helped him to step into the role.

"Harrison came out and he helped me a lot with motivation. You know, where does all this come from? What propels him? And what makes him really cool when he has to jump off of a horse and onto a train?" he said.

The answer to the question of what makes Indy so cool  not part of Phoenix's interview, because it goes without saying  is Indy's hat and whip, two accessories that effectively make the character so iconic.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

"Last Crusade" opens with Phoenix as young Indy, part of a Boy Scout troop who chances upon a team of robbers excavating the crucifix of Coronado, an ancient relic that he believes should be in a museum and not in their hands. Attempting to steal the cross away from them, a chase ensues atop a moving circus train that's traveling through town and Indy falls inside one of the cars, discovering the now iconic whip which he uses for the very first time to scare off an attacking lion.

Making his way back home, he's met by the very robbers he tried to outsmart and although he loses the cross to them, he's awarded for his gumption by the head thief (Paul Maxwell), who takes off his fedora and puts it on Indy's head. Now his "costume" is complete.

In a cut to the future, we see Ford as adult Indy, recovering the cross in a death-defying excursion on the Portuguese coast in a repeating theme in the franchise that, most recently, "Dial of Destiny" showcases one last time.

Indiana Jones always fulfills his mission. All it takes is time.

Harrison Ford as the eponymous archaeologist in a scene from the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," 1989. (Murray Close/Getty Images)

In a 2023 Town & Country Magazine feature, journalist Simon Ingram further explores the origin story of Indy's hat.

"This is how you find a hat for an actor, always," Deborah Nadoolman Landis, whom Spielberg signed on as costume designer, says of the costuming choice in the article. "You would stand in the fitting room, as Harrison and I did, and boxes and boxes of fedoras will be dumped on the floor. Or Panama hats. Or straw boaters. Because everyone has a different shaped head. And it is almost impossible to find a hat that suits you."

"Harrison has a long narrow face. We came across one that kind of looked OK. So I said, we're going to lower the crown, and we're going to shorten up the brim so you don't have to wear it on the back of your head," says Landis (Town & Country, 2023)

The hat they landed on from came from a take on a Herbert Johnson "Australian" model.

"I said, I'm going to take this one, I'm going to lower this side, I'm going to cut it to the length that we need it, shorten it . . . I said, please make it to these measurements. Go!" (Town & Country, 2023)

In the final scene of "Dial of Destiny," a choice is made to not close out with a final look at Indy himself, but at his hat. Whether this truly ends up being the character's final adventure (again, doubtful), "the man with the hat" will live forever via an exploration through time that we can play over and over again. But in terms of re-watches, I'd suggest starting with the best out of the bunch, "Last Crusade." [Insert whip-crack noise].

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about this topic
Closeup of Prince Harry

News broke this past week that Prince Harry wasnt present for the wedding of Jack Mann, who was apparently Harrys real best man at his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle (though his older brother Prince William stood next to Harry at the altar and was his official best man, Mann was the unofficial onesignifying his importance in the Duke of Sussexs life).

Harry and Mann met at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; both are Afghanistan and Iraq veterans and, in more recent years, have played polo together. And while its no secret how Harrys family feels about his revelations through his and Meghans Netflix docuseries, his memoir Spare, and other interviews, apparently his friends are also miffed at his bombshells. Harry said so himself in Spare, writing Several close mates and beloved figures in my life had chastised me for Oprah [Harry and Meghans sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in March 2021]. How could you reveal such things? About your family? I told them that I failed to see how speaking to Oprah was any different from what my family and their staffs had done for decadesbriefing the press on the shy, planting storiesThe only difference was that Meg and I were upfront about it.

Prince Harry and Jack Mann playing polo

Prince Harry at Prince Philip's funeral in 2021

Royal expert Rebecca English said, per The Daily Mail , that Harrys friends are very hurt by his candor and feel he has not repaid the loyalty they have shown himcase in point: Harry skipping Manns wedding. The fallout has been profound, she said. From what I hear, there are a lot of people who are genuinely disgusted by what hes done since leaving the royal family, she said on the podcast Palace Confidential. She continued They feel very hurt by some of the revelations that hes made. As they were growing up, William and Harry created a very close-knit circle of friends around each other. There was almost a kind of omerta between them. There are people who said, Weve been very loyal to him over the years, and we dont feel that loyaltys been repaid.

Prince Harry speaking into a microphone

There is apparently disappointment that neither Harry nor Meghan attended Manns own big day. The Daily Mails Richard Eden, also speaking on Palace Confidential, said We dont know if Jack Manns become estranged from Harry or not, but in Harrys memoirs, at the end he talks about how he was chastisedin his wordsafter the [Oprah] interview by some of his closest friends. Hes done a lot of damage to those old relationships.
To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. And in light of that, the trends we're seeing at XOX Berhad's (KLSE:XOX) look very promising so lets take a look.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for XOX Berhad:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.22 = RM55m  (RM378m - RM131m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Thus, XOX Berhad has an ROCE of 22%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 9.4% earned by companies in a similar industry.

Check out our latest analysis for XOX Berhad

roce

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for XOX Berhad's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you're interested in investigating XOX Berhad's past further, check out this free graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

How Are Returns Trending?

Investors would be pleased with what's happening at XOX Berhad. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 22%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 95%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at XOX Berhad thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

For the record though, there was a noticeable increase in the company's current liabilities over the period, so we would attribute some of the ROCE growth to that. The current liabilities has increased to 35% of total assets, so the business is now more funded by the likes of its suppliers or short-term creditors. It's worth keeping an eye on this because as the percentage of current liabilities to total assets increases, some aspects of risk also increase.

The Bottom Line

All in all, it's terrific to see that XOX Berhad is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Although the company may be facing some issues elsewhere since the stock has plunged 87% in the last five years. In any case, we believe the economic trends of this company are positive and looking into the stock further could prove rewarding.

If you'd like to know more about XOX Berhad, we've spotted 3 warning signs, and 2 of them are concerning.

If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The surf world is mourning following news of a fatal surf injury involving Mikala Jones.

Jones was surfing in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, when he suffered an injury that allegedly severed his femoral artery and led to a fatal loss of blood.

He was 44 years old.

Specifics about what exactly happened are still scarce. However, after news broke of the tragedy, the surf world began pouring in their remembrances of Jones, who was well-known for his tube-riding acumen at home in Hawaii and beyond.

Hawaii-based surf photographer, Brian Bielmann, posted this tribute to his friend:

I put on the Brian Wilson/Beach Boys album Smile, I made a cup of coffee and sat down to make this really sad sad post. Our friend Mikala Jones passed away yesterday in The Mentawais while surfing the waves he loved.. Im so sorry and send prayers to his family . He was 44 which is far too young. He was a wonderful person an incredible artist, his Go pro photos were mind blowing. . Were gonna miss him so much. Ive been sitting her all morning trying to grasp this reality . We all will pass on but its so shocking when its so unexpected like this. What he packed into his 44 years was astounding. He lived a great life was loved by many and will never be forgotten. He left this world a beautiful soul can any of us ask to live a better life than that .Aloha Mikala We love you buddy.

Three-time surfing World Champ, Mick Fanning, posted:

Mick captioned:

"So shattered to hear the news. Mikala you were one of a kind. Funny, mellow, an explorer, a pioneer but most of all loving husband and father.Going to miss your sense of humour and classic one liners. Love how you always kept it real but were a true ambassador of aloha.To Emma and the girls sending so much love. Mikala loved you more than anything and would always be showing us pictures and videos with the proudest smile on his face.Grateful to have known you the past 25 years and honoured to go exploring with you in that time.You will be missed. #MJalldayMay you forever get barrelled whilst guiding your family from above.Love you brother "

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And on Mikalas Instagram, a whos who of surf world greats expressed their sadness:

Legend.   Kelly Slater

Love you MJ  surf photog Zak Noyle

RIP Brother   Michel Bourez

RIP MY BROTHER   pro surfer turned EDM DJ, Paul Fisher

Our deepest condolences go out to Mikalas family and friends.

***

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Kristen Bell recently shared a slideshow of pics from a family vacay, but it was one photo in particularlywhich depicted a star-studded dinnerthat has gotten the internet buzzing.

The 42-year-old Gossip Girl alum headed to Idaho this week with her husband, Dax Shepard, 48, and their two kids, Lincoln, 10, and Delta, 8. During their getaway, Bell shared a carousel of snaps, which she captioned, Idaho, chapter 1. Amongst the rare family photos, the third pic saw the crew eating dinner with an astonishing number of Hollywood stars.

In this photo, we see the Bell/Shepard family sitting with Friends alums (Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox), late night hosts (Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon) and comedic actors (Jason Bateman and John Mulaney). And that's not even the whole group.

According to sources like People, it is believed that the group gathered at Kimmel's secluded Idaho lodge, which the late night host purchased in 2020. While it's unclear how much Kimmel paid for the South Fork Lodge in Swan Valley, it was originally listed for around $8 million.

Other stars featured in the photo include Severance actor Adam Scott, Newsroom star Olivia Munn and CNN anchor Jake Tapper.

While we can't get over the number of celebs in this pic, we first heard about these get-togethers back in 2021. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Aniston spilled that she has weekly dinners with her famous friends.

The article revealed: Jason Bateman, another longtime friend, brings his family over to Anistons most Sunday evenings for whats known in their circle as Sunday Fundays, where dinner and drinks are served and A-list progeny (i.e., his and Jimmy Kimmels kids) run around [Aniston's] sprawling Bel Air property.

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Seems Kimmel decided to host this week's dinner (and thank goodness Kristen decided to document it).

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Dax Shepard Speaks Candidly About What Makes His Marriage with Kristen Bell Work
When Joey Piscitelli was 14, he was sent to Silesian High School in Richmond, California. A self-described runt, he weighed 70 pounds and looked about 10. I think thats why I was picked, he told me. He was befriended by the schools vice principal, Father Stephen Wheelan, before being subjected to years of abuse. It began with priests masturbating in front of him and ended in violent rape. He is aware of at least four other victims of the paedophile ring at his school who have since committed suicide.

Piscitelli is now an advocate for other victims, having won $600,000 in compensation from a 2006 jury trial against the Diocese of Oakland  which last month declared bankruptcy, after receiving more than 330 legal claims of sexual abuse. Its part of a growing trend in the Catholic Church of the United States, which Piscitelli and other campaigners believe is an attempt by the church to skirt its responsibilities  but the reality is not as clear-cut as it may seem.

Since ground-breaking reporting by The Boston Globe in 2002 exposed widespread sexual abuse in Americas Catholic Church  including the practice of moving known paedophile priests between parishes  countless victims have sought justice. Two years after the expose was published, the United States Church commissioned a report, which found that, between 1950 and 2002, over 4,000 Catholic priests were the object of sexual abuse allegations. The cases involved some 11,000 children, the overwhelming majority of whom were young boys. The allegations go all the way to the top, with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked by the Pope in 2019, the subject of an ongoing criminal case. A seismic reckoning, but one that is still far from complete.

In California, a 2019 law opened a three-year window in which cases would be exempt from statutory limitation, resulting in more than 3,000 lawsuits. The influx of claims has seen at least four of the 12 Roman Catholic dioceses in California file for bankruptcy, or contemplate doing so, to deal with the crisis. In New York, five of the states eight dioceses have also recently sought bankruptcy protection.

In a letter to parishioners last month, Oakland Bishop Michael C. Barber said that the Diocese made the filing because it believed that the bankruptcy process is the best way to support a compassionate and equitable outcome for survivors of abuse, while ensuring that the church continues to support the community. He warned that the Diocese would be forced to close some of its worship sites, and re-imagine how to use others. This was part of the dual challenge of declining engagement by Catholics, he explained, citing a 25% decline in priests since 1985 and Mass attendance that has almost halved since 2010.

According to research firm Gallup, between 2000 and 2020 the percentage of self-described Catholics in the United States who were members of a church declined by 18 points (from 76% to 58%)  double the number of Protestants no longer going to church. While the decline in church attendance cannot be solely put down to child sexual abuse scandals  it is occurring to an extent across most Christian denominations, and has been accelerated by pandemic lockdowns  they may explain why it has been particularly precipitous for Catholics.

The hypocrisy of Pope Francis

By Damian Thompson

For those seeking financial redress for these horrific crimes, understanding the true wealth of the Catholic Church is a frustrating pursuit. One estimate suggests its total United States assets are worth $65 billion, but there is no way to prove this figure. Only through individual bankruptcy cases can churches true wealth be known. The Oakland Dioceses recent petition says that its assets are valued between $100 million and $500 million  and that liabilities from the claims against it are estimated to be in a similar dollar range.

When an organisation files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, it automatically halts any pending civil lawsuits, while allowing the organisation, in this case the churches, to continue operating. Marie Reilly, a law professor at Penn State Law and practising Catholic, has compiled Chapter 11 bankruptcy data for The Catholic Project, which aims to provide transparency regarding the process. She noticed that filing for bankruptcy was becoming commonplace after the Diocese of Portland first sought the legal protection in 2004: 32 of the countrys 195 dioceses have sought it since. But Reilly believes that media coverage of the practice is often misleading.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs, who are great at what they do, manage the media extremely well, she told me. The Church, Reilly added, tends to be unwilling to publicly push back on some of some of the inflammatory and colourful statements that are made by advocates for survivors of sexual abuse. She believes that bankruptcy is a very powerfully charged word and public perception of it, along with legal complexities, makes the bankruptcy process seem sinister in a way that in fact, it is not.

A number of bankruptcy scholars, and lawyers who have no affiliation to the Church, have also come out in support of the bankruptcy strategy as the best way to handle mass sexual abuse claims. (The Boy Scouts of America, facing a similar crisis, is using the same mechanism). The reasoning goes that United States tort law could permit the first few claimants to take the lions share of compensation, meaning that subsequent victims could be left fighting for scraps. Reilly says that the untold story about bankruptcy is that it provides an alternative to the winner-take-all race approach to litigation. If all the claims against the church are resolved in a single forum, she says, all the victims will be treated similarly.

Victims, however, say that filing for bankruptcy shields the Catholic Church from true justice. Mike McDonnell, a child sexual abuse victim of the Church in Philadelphia and spokesperson for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), says that bankruptcy proceedings stop the operations of the Church hierarchy coming to light. Many victims, he explained, are seeking to unveil how some of these well-known predators within the diocese were allowed to continue their career by being transferred to parish after parish. He believes that it is not only financial claims that are halted when a bankruptcy petition is filed, but also any deeper inquiries into the systemic cover-up of abuse. The victim is then prevented from seeing documents that we know the diocese is holding on to, he says. We know that the Catholic Church is extremely good at keeping records and taking notes.

There is only so much the national, and international, Church is willing to do. The Vatican wrote to the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2020, reminding them that dioceses filing for bankruptcy may require consent from the Holy See  when the alienation of temporal goods exceeds $7.5 million for dioceses with more than 500,000 members, and $3.5 million for those with smaller numbers. The overarching US Church body, meanwhile, has established a protocol for managing cases  each diocese is supposed to have its own designated Victim Assistance Coordinator, for instance  but it has eschewed responsibility for the financial management of claims. Chieko Noguchi, executive director of public affairs for the US Bishops Conference, told UnHerd in a statement that the financial, legal, structural, and operational matters of each United States diocese operates separately under the governance of its respective bishop. (She also said that the Church has made much progress, but we also know that the painful experience of survivors calls us to continual improvement.)

Marie Reilly agrees that victims deserve restitution, but says that their cause has been hijacked by class action lawyers who advertise on television and generate a large number of claims though communicating an anti-church sentiment. She suspects that some victims groups are funded by well-organised, extremely sophisticated donors looking for profit rather than justice.

On that front, she has a case. In 2017, former SNAP fundraiser Gretchen Rachel Hammond filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the Network, alleging that she was fired for confronting the organisation about colluding with survivors attorneys. Hammond accused SNAP of exploiting victims, stating in her lawsuit that the organisation routinely accepts financial kickbacks from attorneys in the form of donations, and it then refers survivors as potential clients to attorneys, who then file lawsuits on behalf of the survivors against the Catholic Church. Mike McDonnell told UnHerd that SNAP will not comment on that resolved issue.

How manifesting was corrupted

By Elle Hardy

Church bankruptcy is the real issue, he says, that needs to be addressed. Its not fair, because it still allows the dioceses to steer the proceedings and have a better outcome, he says. Victims need significant compensation. But the days of large six figure settlements for survivors are becoming increasingly rare. If you really tally up the cost of trauma over the course of an individuals lifetime, its a heck of a lot more than $175,000, which he says is now roughly the average payout. McDonnell believes that, by refusing to take financial responsibility for that trauma, the Catholic Church is kicking the can down the road, and revictimising those who have been terribly hard done by.

Many have pointed to the vast property holdings of the Church as another sign that filing for bankruptcy is a shady tactic. But some dioceses have actually started selling property to contribute to settlements. In 2021, Long Island in New York sold its headquarters for $5.2 million. Last year, the Archdiocese of New Orleans sought court approval to sell off properties as part of its bankruptcy case. So far, it has only sold one former school for $1.9 million  a drop in the ocean of the $243 million in assets, and $139 million in liabilities, that it listed in its bankruptcy petition. (Marie Reilly notes that the Diocese has layers of financial problems beyond sexual abuse cases).

And while the Catholic institutions unpopularity balloons, it appears that an equally despised, albeit secular villain is entering the arena. Reilly says that insurance companies have become increasingly involved in this scandal, on behalf of the Church, and that they are resisting victims claims in court. Historical lawsuits without witnesses are notoriously difficult to prosecute, and insurers are beginning to mount more robust legal defences. Insurers are saying, the dioceses wont push back, so were going to push back  were not just going to write the checks anymore, she says. This is another way in which bankrupt churches might serve victims better: under bankruptcy law, claims are batch processed, with few going to jury trial  a process that is not only traumatic for victims, but also has a less predictable outcome.

Catholics for clout

By Ann Manov

Pope Francis has asked victims of clerical sexual abuse for forgiveness, but SNAP says it is up to individuals, and not something that can be granted to the institution. These cases are about redressing failure, and everyone  even insurance companies  recognises that nothing in this world can ever truly compensate for the moral, psychological and spiritual injuries inflicted on untold numbers of young children by an institution that was supposed to love them.

For survivors like Joey Piscitelli, the Churchs request for grace is a step too far. And nothing will persuade him that the legal manoeuvring is not a false pretence to keep perpetrators names, and details of their crimes, out of the media. A bankruptcy court shouldnt have jurisdiction over the information of what priests did to kids, he says. By filing for bankruptcy because theyre being pursued for tens of millions of dollars, Catholic Churches are claiming that they are the victims.
People wait on a rainy afternoon for their rides at the new bus station serving Greyhound, Barons, and other bus lines at 845 N. Wilson Road on the West Side. After years of being in Downtown, the bus station has moved to this location, but critics are venting about crime, nuisance and traffic of the new bus depot. They also say it's just too close to their residential homes.

Clutching his ticket to St. Louis in one hand and snacks in the other, Kenneth Jones sprinted across the street toward the Greyhound bus, which had begun to pull from its loading bay.

As he crossed four lanes of busy North Wilson Road, a southbound cargo van slammed its brakes just feet away from Jones, who threw his hands up in stunned disbelief. He then soldiered on, yelling at the bus driver to stop.

She didn't.

"She wasn't supposed to leave until 10:30," Jones said later. "I was there at 10:20. I guess it was kind of my fault."

Moments before, a young man in camouflaged pants also crossed Wilson to the new Greyhound bus terminal, stopping in the middle turn lane as cars whizzed past to repeatedly stab a can of Monster Energy drink with a long knife until it popped open.

Just another day, outside the freshly painted former Shell gas station, where men and women slumped against walls, under trees, along curbs and at a nearby Speedway. They slept with blankets and their strewn belongings. Some mumbled to themselves. Others huddled in the small air-conditioned waiting area.

Start-up pains or typical big city terminal?

Travelers wait inside the new bus station serving Greyhound, Barons, and other bus lines at 845 N. Wilson Road on the West Side. After years of being downtown, the bus station has moved to this location, but critics are venting about crime, nuisance and traffic at the new bus depot.

Late last month, the Greyhound bus terminal moved from Downtown, where it had been for decades, to 845 N. Wilson Road, just south of Interstate 70 in the Hilltop area.

City officials had said the iconic Downtown terminal, 111 E. Town St., blocks from the Ohio Statehouse, Columbus Commons and near restaurants, bars and hotels, had been a safety concern for years. A year after Greyhound sold the station to the Central Ohio Transit Authority for $9.5 million, Greyhound used a portion of COTA's other big station until last month.

Read More: Greyhound to open new West Side terminal, ending Downtown presence

Now its new neighbors in the Hilltop community and Franklin Township are angry. They fear the terminal will spawn crime, noise and traffic and lower property values. And bus users say they miss the familiarity of Downtown with its spacious waiting area, easy connections, overhead schedule displays  and running water.

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Mayoral candidate, Joe Motil, who is running against Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, says the new terminal is a travesty to the city's image.

"This is how our city welcomes those who travel by bus. This is failure in redeveloping the central Downtown area for mass transit and lack of leadership and thoughtful planning that has plagued City Hall for years," Motil wrote in a prepared statement.

Cameron Keir, Ginther's re-election campaign spokesperson responded: Greyhound has put cost savings ahead of public safety, and Mayor Ginther and Columbus will use every tool at our disposal to hold Greyhound accountable and ensure the neighborhood and passengers remain safe."

More: COTA board approves purchase of Greyhound station Downtown for nearly $9.5 million

Zach Whitt, who lives near the terminal with his wife and 2-year-old, has mobilized neighbors, citing noise and pollution, buses that back up and block residential roads and lack of basic services for users including parking, storage lockers, restrooms and running water.

While there are hourly stops at the station by Central Ohio Transit Authority buses, there is no nearby crosswalk from east to west along North Wilson Road.

"Nobody's happy here," said Whitt, who lives in the nearby Wilson-Oaks neighborhood. "And it's also a disservice to the passengers themselves."

Plans to improve and expand

The old Shell station's car wash will be razed next month, Greyhound has said, to be replaced with a larger waiting area and restrooms instead of portable toilets.

But people still question how and why this site was chosen.

Brett Gaj, Greyhound's district manager for Ohio and three other states, said that when Greyhound was sold to Germany-based Flix 18 months ago, a new emphasis was placed on terminals and cutting costs.

"It's not that we really wanted to be out of downtowns," Gaj said. "In most cities we have found that downtown just isn't where a lot of people live who are riding us."

Greyhound data and ZIP code analysis showed that most users live west of Downtown.

In addition, the city's demands for safety and other improvements made the Downtown terminal "extremely costly to operate. And we really didn't want to raise costs for customers," Gaj said.

Chaos and control

The terminal is a 24-hour operation. But even the slow times seem chaotic.

That's when Greta Hibbs is ready to call it quits. On this afternoon she's been working at the station since 7 a.m., alone except for a single private security guard.

"I'm supposed to be out at the buses. I'm supposed to be helping with security. I'm supposed to be in here," she said behind a glass window where she takes questions and prints tickets. "You literally can't do it all."

Homer Franklin, a security guard for A1 Tactical Protection Services, said the new location is similar to Downtown with people "drinking, smoking, whatever they can do."

"We either have to break up fights, or we get in fights," he said, explaining that most are misunderstandings about bus schedules and rules.

Amid the churn of buses, a driver and a customer exchange harsh words.

"You want respect; you give respect," said the young woman, who was dropping off her aunt and didn't understand why she wasn't allowed to board when she was first in line.

The driver, who didn't want to be named, said that those with mobility issues boarded first.

"I can be one of the nicest drivers until you get in my face," she said afterward.

Despite the challenges, Hibbs, who is paid $13 per hour, was proud of the re-tiled counters and flooring and newly paved bus stops and parking area. "When I first saw this property it looked like crap," she said.

As storm clouds gathered, Fatimah Rasheed escorted her 87-year-old mother into the depot for her return trip to Cleveland.

Rasheed said she misses the old terminal near her home near Nationwide Children's Hospital.

"I think it's ridiculous to stick us out here," she said.

As she waited, her mother, who uses a cane and declined to be named, watched people dodge the five lanes of traffic to cross the street.

'That's an awful lot of highway to cross and not get hit," she said. "I won't be in a hurry to get back here."

Greyhound's Gaj said the growing pains should pass, especially after improvements are made.

"We take the brunt of the criticism because we're a big national corporation and our name's on the building."

dnarciso@dispatch.com

@DeanNarciso

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus neighbors and passengers assail new Greyhound terminal
THE WHITE HOUSE WANTED SOUTH CAROLINA TO VOTE FIRST IN 2024. THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE OBLIGED. IT HASNT GONE ACCORDING TO PLAN.

Last December, the 30-odd members of the Democratic Partys rules and bylaws committee filed in to the Omni Shoreham, the glittering resort hotel that once hosted Franklin D. Roosevelts inaugural ball. All of the Democrats, many of them gray-haired habitues of the rubber-chicken circuit, knew they had come to Washington to hash out, after months of debate, what the presidential-primary calendar would look like come 2024.

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The order in which the states vote has defined American politics since the 1970s, when Jimmy Carter rocketed to the presidency on the strength of his performance in the Iowa caucuses. Always Iowa first, then New Hampshire  which zealously guarded its status as the first-in-the-nation actual primary, luring all future presidents to the rickety diner back rooms and high school gymnasiums of the flinty Northern state with a streak of independence. Joe Biden performed terribly in each of those contests in 2020, hitting his stride only in larger states with fewer white voters. It was now understood that the curious caucus system  voters clustering on frost-tinged church and library floors to choose candidates  needed to be retired, particularly after Iowa failed to tally the vote in a timely manner.

So Iowa would be demoted, as would tolerance for any kind of caucus. New Hampshire, perhaps, would vote first, along with Nevada and its increasing Latino population. That seemed like plenty of change as Biden, who will turn 81 this November, seeks a breezier path to a second term as president.

Instead, the co-chair of the rules and bylaws committee  and the grandson of Franklin Roosevelt  made a different announcement.

I move a resolution, which will be displayed on the screen, James Roosevelt Jr. said, which grants waivers to Rule 12-A, conditional upon the outlined stipulations for a state-run primary in South Carolina on Feb. 3, 2024; New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6; Georgia on Feb. 13.  

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The room offered no immediate public reaction to the legalese. But privately, some members were astounded. Everyone was shocked, one told me, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing the White House. We would have to vote for it anyway, because the feeling was youre either with the president or against him.

A few members of the Democratic National Committee had known what was coming  but only because Biden-administration officials called them on the phone mere hours after Biden himself sent a letter to the rules and bylaws committee, on the first day of December, outlining his demand for a primary calendar that ensured that voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process and throughout the entire early window. Biden called Black voters the backbone of the party, though he didnt specifically mention South Carolina in his letter. It was left to his aides to tell the top-ranking D.N.C. members, including Roosevelt, that South Carolina was the new first-in-the-nation primary. It had been decreed, and so it would be done.

But New Hampshire, the state that prides itself on its Live Free or Die motto, has declared that it will vote first anyway, setting up a clash with the D.N.C. that could widen to publicly embarrass Biden  who, assuming he coordinates with the D.N.C. on its new calendar, would not be on the New Hampshire ballot in this scenario  handing the incumbent president a shocking statewide defeat.

Biden has the entire party establishment on his side. The D.N.C. has formally endorsed him, which means that the organization, in addition to rubber-stamping a primary calendar that is far more favorable to him, will not sponsor any debates. Normally, this wouldnt matter much; incumbent presidents enjoy such deference. But Biden is already the oldest president in history and would be 86 if he finishes a second term. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Democrats dont want him to run again (though this doesnt mean they wont vote for him). His approval ratings consistently hover around 40 percent.

At the same time, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a son of the slain senator and attorney general and a nephew of the slain president, has polled at 20 percent nationally among Democratic voters and has begun a campaign blitz in New Hampshire, where voters and politicians alike are aggrieved over the D.N.C.s revision of the primary calendar, with the secretary of state, David Scanlan, a Republican, calling the first-in-the-nation status a defining part of the states culture. It is also enshrined in state law. Iowas reaction has been more muted because there are so few Democrats of note left in the state after successive Republican electoral waves. Still, Iowa Democrats may sync their caucuses with the Republicans anyway, defying the D.N.C.

Kennedy was once widely respected as an environmentalist; he has since drawn condemnation for his anti-vaccine advocacy, taste for conspiracy theories and incendiary statements  including invoking Hitler Germany in a speech about American vaccine mandates  but may hold appeal for the large base of libertarian voters in New Hampshire. (Marianne Williamson, the author and spiritual figure who dropped out of the 2020 race, is running again as well.) Democrats there are alarmed.

The reality is that New Hampshire is going to keep the first-in-the-nation primary, Ray Buckley, the chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and a longtime D.N.C. member, told me, and the question only is whether or not the president is going to put his name on the ballot. Theyre trying to come after New Hampshire, but its not going to be successful. So why go through all that pain?

D. Arnie Arnesen, a left-leaning New Hampshire talk-show host and former Democratic state representative, understands the arguments against her state: Were too white, too rich, too privileged, she conceded. New Hampshire has two Democratic senators but a Republican-controlled state government (including a governor, Chris Sununu, who once considered his own presidential challenge this cycle). On the question of the 2024 primaries, however, Arnesen sides with Buckley. They knew the Republicans were going to Iowa and New Hampshire anyway. Why change now? Theres no upside. Not one iota of benefit for Joe Biden. Nothing. No benefit to Joe, no benefit to the Democrats. They shot themselves in the foot.

As chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison, a 47-year-old who rose to his position two years ago from statewide politics in South Carolina and whose profile has risen along with his states, has to try to play mediator between angered state Democrats and a White House that expects fealty from the national organization. For now, Harrison is sanguine about all of it. The New Hampshire situation. Bidens advanced age. The partys declining share of many demographic groups, especially Latino voters and those without college degrees. A dire Senate map, where Democratic incumbents in Montana, Ohio and West Virginia could fall, along with the formerly Democratic senator in Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, plunging Democrats into an indefinite minority.

In Harrisons office at D.N.C. headquarters, which looks out on the dome of the Capitol, there hangs a portrait of Biden with Jim Clyburn, the 82-year-old South Carolina congressman whose endorsement and championing of Biden in 2020 is credited with rescuing his candidacy. Displayed over Harrisons desk is a vintage sign for Ron Brown, who in 1989 became the first Black chairman of the D.N.C. Brown and Clyburn are both heroes to Harrison, who was Clyburns intern and, later, his director of floor operations when the congressman served as majority whip. A lucrative private-sector career followed as a lobbyist at the Podesta Group. With Clyburns blessing, he became chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Harrison then ran a very high-profile, extremely expensive and ultimately unsuccessful campaign in 2020 for the Senate seat held by Lindsey Graham. Now Clyburns protege heads a D.N.C. that has put their home state, where Harrison still lives with his family, quite literally first.

Harrison insisted that Clyburn never advocated for South Carolina as the very first state  only for it to retain its status as the first of the Southern states. I think, for him, he always wanted South Carolina  and I felt the same way  we enjoyed and took a lot of pride in being the first in the South, Harrison told me on a June afternoon, sitting beneath that portrait. People thought early on, Oh, God, Jaimes the chair of the D.N.C., so therefore hes going to put his finger on the scale for South Carolina. And everybody will tell you, I was evenhanded in this. The only thing that I wanted was that South Carolina would remain, because I think its earned its spot as an early state. But South Carolina, of course, moved up, and Harrison is now thrilled. National Geographic said that 90 percent of African Americans can trace one of their ancestors to South Carolina. In our primary, 50 to 60 percent of the people who vote in the Democratic primary will be Black folks. Think about how powerful this is, that the descendants of those enslaved people will be the very first people in this country to determine the most powerful person on the face of this planet. Thats transformative.

A few dissidents in the D.N.C., made up of New Hampshirites and some Iowans, progressives and union members, see it differently: Biden is elevating a state that a Democratic presidential candidate hasnt carried since 1976. Beyond Clyburn, there are few Democrats of note in South Carolina, and the state has the lowest percentage of union membership in America. Progressive candidates could, cycle after cycle, meet a wall of opposition there.

The persistent quandary, which no version of the primary calendar could resolve, is how to account for the various long-range challenges of the Democratic Party. A first-in-the-nation South Carolina primary lends Black moderates, a pivotal Democratic constituency, the kind of clout that many believe they deserve. White rural voters  the sort who need to be courted in Iowa and New Hampshire  have not proved loyal to the Democratic brand. But there are only so many of them that Democrats can afford to lose in a general election. New Hampshire, which Biden carried by less than 10 points in 2020, is not guaranteed to be eternally blue.

For Harrison, South Carolinas premier placement will mean that the many men and women who dream of commanding the Oval Office will need to pay attention to completely different issues and concerns. Now, instead of talking about ethanol in Iowa, were going to be talking about the infant-mortality rate in the Black community, he said. It changes the agenda. It changes the conversation. And now presidential candidates will then be making promises to those communities.

ON A SUMMER day in the late 1990s, Don Fowler, the chairman of the D.N.C., needed help. The South Carolinian and former head of the state party had bushels of juicy peaches sent up from farmers back home, and he wanted the president of the United States to sample some. None of his interns were free. He queried the most powerful Democrat in his state: Would he have a hand to spare?

Clyburn, the Charleston congressman, did. They sent me, Jaime Harrison recalled, beaming at the memory. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life at that point, to have these bags of peaches that Im going to deliver to Bill Clinton, right?

Harrison, peaches in tow, trekked from the Capitol to the White House. He ended up in the East Wing  no face-to-face with the president  but the journey stoked his ambition, which he says has been realized with the position he has held since Biden selected him. If I dont do anything else in politics for the rest of my life, I have hit a great point, being the D.N.C chair.

On my June visit, a wall in the D.N.C. lobby featured portraits honoring the highest-ranking Democrats: Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris; Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader; the head of the Senates campaign arm, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan; Jaime Harrison. But the wall seemed to have been frozen in pre-midterm 2022: Nancy Pelosi, not Hakeem Jeffries, the new House minority leader, had a portrait on the wall, as did Sean Patrick Maloney, the New York Democrat who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Not only is Maloney no longer the D.C.C.C. chair, but hes not in Congress at all. He lost his re-election bid, one of the seats with which the Democrats lost their majority.

At the core of its mission, the D.N.C. raises and spends titanic sums of money on organizing and messaging for political contests: more than $300 million over the course of 2021 and 2022, leading up to the midterms. The committee is a constellation of various interests  activists, wealthy donors, state party chairs  that is more fractious than its Republican counterpart because of the sheer number of individuals who make up the 483-member national committee, which far outstrips the 168-member R.N.C. The Republican Party has had its own ideological struggles, but the once-insurgent Trump wing has come to largely command party business, with Ronna McDaniel, a Trump ally, well into her seventh year as party chair.

In the aftermath of Donald Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton, amid lingering bitterness from progressives who felt that the D.N.C. had unfairly supported Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the 2016 primaries and convention, Harrison was one of several Democrats who very publicly vied for the D.N.C. chairman title. He operated, though, on the periphery of that contest, as the ideological and institutional factions organized around two candidates: Tom Perez, Obamas labor secretary; and Keith Ellison, a Minnesota congressman and Sanders supporter. With tacit backing from Obama, Perez narrowly won the vote of several hundred eligible D.N.C. members at the partys meeting in Atlanta.

After Perezs victory was announced, Ellison supporters erupted in anger, chanting, Party for the people, not big money! Perez placated them by naming Ellison deputy chairman. Under Perezs leadership, a so-called Unity Reform Commission overhauled the superdelegate system, restricting their vote on the conventions first ballot (the superdelegates, who are party elites, had operated like free agents, unaccountable to how their states actually voted). He also partnered with Howard Dean, the former D.N.C. chairman who was the architect of the partys short-lived strategy to compete in all 50 states, to create the Democratic Data Exchange: a private company, mirroring Republican Party efforts, that allows various Democratic campaigns, committees, unions and other left-leaning groups to share the information they gather on voters.

Building on successes during the 2018 blue-wave year, the D.N.C. pumped more than $95 million into its midterm programs in 2022  tripling its investment from 2018 and paying for as many as 35 campaign staff positions in Georgia, 42 in Michigan and 53 in Pennsylvania. The D.N.C. now pours more cash into state parties than it did during the Obama years and has established a red state fund that can add paid staff to Republican-dominated states in the hopes of growing the Democratic vote there in the years to come. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who was born in Thailand, raised in Hawaii and is now a D.N.C. vice chair, hopes to raise more cash to improve Democratic organizing efforts with Asian Americans. Weve seen that when we dont speak to that community, they can vote Republican like they did in New York, she said, referring to the state-level results in the midterms. You had Brooklyn switch over and elect Republican representatives.

Asian American voters, as Duckworth noted, migrated significantly rightward last year, and not just in Brooklyn. The share of Latino voters supporting Democrats continues to slip, from 66 percent in 2018 to 57 percent in 2022, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the national electorate. Some analysts warn that the Latino voters who swung to Republicans in 2020 and sat out the 2022 midterms could buoy a Republican presidential contender. The white working class continues to defect from Democratic candidates, and theres some evidence that culturally conservative nonwhite voters, once reflexive Democrats, are slowly sorting into the Republican coalition. From 2016 to 2020, Trump was able to grow his share of the Black vote, and over the last decade, almost every cohort of voters under 50 has shifted toward the right, belying predictions of a permanent Democratic hold on millennials.

Ruy Teixeira, a scholar who studies political demographics  and recently decamped from the liberal Center for American Progress to the conservative American Enterprise Institute  believes that Democrats, despite their recent victories, are losing too many working-class voters as they rush leftward on identity concerns at the expense of class. They are a party very dependent on the college-educated vote, Teixeira told me. In a way, Democrats were getting a premium among some nonwhite voters, getting way above the underlying ideology of voters in terms of their support. Thats changing.

The D.N.C. will learn, soon enough, if its confidence heading into the next election is warranted. The 2022 midterm results could have been, as Harrison contends, a reflection of Bidens policy accomplishments and the savvy of the partys myriad investments. Or the outcome might have been because of the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade, which galvanized outraged Democratic voters, and the many extreme and inexperienced candidates who upended Republican primaries and then stumbled badly in the fall.

I dont think the building is on fire, Harrison said confidently. The decline of the white working-class voter in the Democratic coalition could be reversed, Harrison argued, because Biden is the most pro-union president in recent years  the A.F.L.-C.I.O. endorsed him in June, and he appeared at rally with union workers in Philadelphia later that month  but many of those elusive working-class voters dont belong to unions anymore. Latinos defecting to the right, Harrison said, could be won back by pointing out how cruel some Republican governors have been for busing and flying migrants north  never mind that not all Latinos who are American citizens have sympathy for those making illegal border crossings. Eric Adams, the Democratic mayor of New York, who once deemed himself the Biden of Brooklyn, has castigated Bidens response to the migrant crisis in unusually public criticism of the White House, declaring that his city is being destroyed by the large influx of asylum seekers.

Yet if voters only knew more about what Democrats have done for them, there would be no doubt about their mutual allegiance, according to Harrison. Were going to make sure they understand where the Democratic Party is, what our values are, he said, and that we are the only party that will fight for them.

THE RESULTS OF 2022 were inarguably rosy, from a Democratic standpoint, defying historical precedent: The presidents party gained a seat in the Senate, won several high-profile governors races, flipped state legislatures and almost, despite forecasts of a red wave, retained control of the House. In Barack Obamas first midterm as president, Republicans netted 63 seats in the House, the largest electoral shift since 1948. Democrats lost six Senate seats. The enormous majorities of the 2008 election had vanished, never to be regained.

The Obama era was particularly cataclysmic for Democrats on the state level. Republicans dominated a redistricting process that safeguarded their legislative majorities for much of the next decade; by 2016, the last full year of Obamas presidency, Democrats had full control of just seven states. Even now, after the Democrats triumphant midterms, Republicans control 28 state legislatures to the Democrats 19. And its these state legislatures that decide much of the policy  taxes, education, transit  that impacts everyday American life.

The D.N.C. suffered under Obama, in part because he created his own political group, Organizing for Action, outside the aegis of the party. The group built a parallel structure that hoovered up donor cash. State party chairs were livid, believing that the group, which focused chiefly on the promotion of Obamas policy agenda, deprived them of attention and dollars. Heading into 2020, the Democratic presidential contenders, including Biden, pledged not to create another extraparty organ.

Historically, Democratic presidents have undercut or ignored the D.N.C., especially compared with their Republican counterparts and their willingness to bolster the R.N.C. According to Daniel Galvin, a political-science professor at Northwestern University, every Democratic president in the second half of the 20th century  John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton  raided funds meant for party building or shot down proposals to strengthen down-ballot campaigns. For many decades, Democrats enjoyed congressional and statehouse majorities that seemed unbreakable, Galvin argues in his 2010 book, Presidential Party Building, and this incentivized them to focus on policy promotion over extensive investments in the future of party organizing. Republican presidents saw a path forward taking their own popularity and platform and ability to raise money and grafting it onto the Republican Party, he said. Democrats didnt.

Harrison, who refused to directly criticize Obama to me, repeatedly emphasized that it was Biden who now cared about building the Democratic Party; it was Biden who was, in his favored word of the moment, transformative. My boss  it is Joe Biden. He is the head of our party. We are doing things in the image of what he wants for this party, and we are very fortunate because he believes in the strength of the party. He believes in the D.N.C., he said with typical cheer. Im not the final word on where we go as the Democratic Party. I am part of the machinery.

Like past D.N.C. chairmen, he is subordinate to the president, though reports have suggested he hasnt always been entirely pleased about it. The de facto boss of the D.N.C. is not simply Biden, but the White House staff members closest to him, those charged with executing his political vision. None of the state party chairs who regularly interact with the D.N.C. had an ill word for Harrison; if they dont always regard him as a visionary, they at least find him to be an affable power broker with an intimate understanding of the mechanics of party building.

Many state chairs consider, rather, operatives like Anita Dunn, one of Bidens closest senior advisers, and Jen OMalley Dillon, a Biden deputy chief of staff, as the top shot-callers; Ron Klain, Bidens first chief of staff, was part of that cohort before he left the White House. Sam Cornale, the D.N.C.s executive director, carries out their mandates. And if Bidens inner circle cares far more than Obama ever did about the fate of a governor, a statehouse majority or even the House elections, they are still, naturally, most focused on 2024, and the small number of states in the Electoral College that will decide the next president. No Biden White House is going to sign off on a very expensive, long-range plan to turn Nebraska or Mississippi blue.

Rhetorically, Howard Deans 50-state vision has won out: D.N.C. staff members talk fondly of Deans tenure. But many of the largest investments today  the millions of dollars transferred, the sophisticated targeting of voters, the dispatching of seasoned operatives  are reserved for the relatively few states that play host to the prime federal races. Dean himself wishes that the states where the Republicans now dominate got far more attention from the national party. The reason Democrats dont win there is because they do not put the work in, Dean said. You cannot abandon a state. Otherwise, its Rush Limbaugh and Tucker Carlson giving the Democratic message to voters.

The state party chairs who sing the highest praises for Biden, Harrison and the D.N.C. are naturally in the battlegrounds. Lavora Barnes, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said she speaks with Harrison at least once a month and called him terrifically helpful. Michigan was, perhaps, the brightest spot for Democrats last year, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer winning re-election and Democrats winning full control of the State Legislature for the first time in nearly 40 years. Ben Wikler, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, extolled both Harrison and his predecessor, Perez, for recognizing that year-round campaign organizing was required in his state, where Republicans and Democrats are virtually deadlocked. He called the D.N.C. a godsend for Wisconsin.

Tina Podlodowski, who until this year served as chair of Washington States Democratic Party, has a more conflicted view. For the folks that believe a national party should be focused in on the presidential race and Washington, D.C., the D.N.C. functions exceedingly well, Podlodowski said; Washington State reliably votes blue in presidential elections. I think for people like me who believe there should be more investment in down-ballot races and building state party organizing, the D.N.C. is a disappointment.

Podlodowski called the D.N.C.s investment in her state negligible, even with Democrats there battling to win a majority in the legislature and flip crucial House seats, pointing enviously to the D.N.C.s strong support of Wisconsin. Ben Wikler is a good chair, but honestly Wisconsin has a million less voters than Washington State, and the amount of money that has been spent should have a better return.

Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said states like hers, which used to send Democrats to the Senate with regularity but now are G.O.P. strongholds, arent receiving enough aid. State parties continue to really be on their own, she said. I would love to see us get back to where we were during the 50-state strategy days, she told me. There will always be tension, I think, between how national thinks things should be run versus when youre on the ground. But we really do always have to trust and believe the on-the-ground perspective first.

Relaying that perspective can be a challenge. D.N.C. members describe tightly choreographed meetings where dissenting resolutions are stifled. And with an incumbent in the White House, even members of pivotal committees, like rules and bylaws, lack tangible clout. The White House advises they want X, Y, Z, the member of the rules committee told me, and then we vote on it.

IN JUNE, THE brinkmanship continued, as the D.N.C.s rules and bylaws committee met again, this time deciding to allow New Hampshire Democrats until Sept. 1 to continue negotiating a plan for their primary. But Georgias new status as an early-voting state is also now in doubt: The spokesperson for the Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, said in a statement that he would not go along with the new Democratic calendar and would keep the established March primary date.

What difference more time will make for New Hampshire is unclear. Democrats there insist that it is their right to go first, ahead of South Carolina. Biden, as of now, plans to be nowhere near the Granite State next winter. In theory, Harrisons D.N.C. will simply not recognize the New Hampshire primary nor any of the delegates won by Kennedy and Williamson. For national Democrats, the ugliness of it all  a sitting president losing a primary to the incendiary son of a Democratic icon  would be harder to dismiss.

The way Arnesen, the New Hampshire talk-show host, sees it, unless one of the warring factions blinks, Republicans will have free rein in her state for the next half a year as Biden and his surrogates are absent. If I am going to have to vote in that first presidential primary in New Hampshire, who do I vote for: Marianne or R.F.K.? No Biden on the ballot. Whats my [expletive] choice?

Harrison, for now at least, is not budging. The D.N.C. is recognizing South Carolina as the first primary, he told me firmly. Regardless of what New Hampshire does or whatever, our D.N.C. has authorized that the first primary we are counting toward the allocation of delegates will be South Carolina. New Hampshire, he added, will have plenty of time to come to the table and figure it out, and were going to give them as many opportunities as possible.

THE WHITE HOUSE WANTED SOUTH CAROLINA TO VOTE FIRST IN 2024. THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE OBLIGED. IT HASNT GONE ACCORDING TO PLAN.

Last December, the 30-odd members of the Democratic Partys rules and bylaws committee filed in to the Omni Shoreham, the glittering resort hotel that once hosted Franklin D. Roosevelts inaugural ball. All of the Democrats, many of them gray-haired habitues of the rubber-chicken circuit, knew they had come to Washington to hash out, after months of debate, what the presidential-primary calendar would look like come 2024.

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The order in which the states vote has defined American politics since the 1970s, when Jimmy Carter rocketed to the presidency on the strength of his performance in the Iowa caucuses. Always Iowa first, then New Hampshire  which zealously guarded its status as the first-in-the-nation actual primary, luring all future presidents to the rickety diner back rooms and high school gymnasiums of the flinty Northern state with a streak of independence. Joe Biden performed terribly in each of those contests in 2020, hitting his stride only in larger states with fewer white voters. It was now understood that the curious caucus system  voters clustering on frost-tinged church and library floors to choose candidates  needed to be retired, particularly after Iowa failed to tally the vote in a timely manner.

So Iowa would be demoted, as would tolerance for any kind of caucus. New Hampshire, perhaps, would vote first, along with Nevada and its increasing Latino population. That seemed like plenty of change as Biden, who will turn 81 this November, seeks a breezier path to a second term as president.

Instead, the co-chair of the rules and bylaws committee  and the grandson of Franklin Roosevelt  made a different announcement.

I move a resolution, which will be displayed on the screen, James Roosevelt Jr. said, which grants waivers to Rule 12-A, conditional upon the outlined stipulations for a state-run primary in South Carolina on Feb. 3, 2024; New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6; Georgia on Feb. 13.  

The room offered no immediate public reaction to the legalese. But privately, some members were astounded. Everyone was shocked, one told me, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing the White House. We would have to vote for it anyway, because the feeling was youre either with the president or against him.

A few members of the Democratic National Committee had known what was coming  but only because Biden-administration officials called them on the phone mere hours after Biden himself sent a letter to the rules and bylaws committee, on the first day of December, outlining his demand for a primary calendar that ensured that voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process and throughout the entire early window. Biden called Black voters the backbone of the party, though he didnt specifically mention South Carolina in his letter. It was left to his aides to tell the top-ranking D.N.C. members, including Roosevelt, that South Carolina was the new first-in-the-nation primary. It had been decreed, and so it would be done.

But New Hampshire, the state that prides itself on its Live Free or Die motto, has declared that it will vote first anyway, setting up a clash with the D.N.C. that could widen to publicly embarrass Biden  who, assuming he coordinates with the D.N.C. on its new calendar, would not be on the New Hampshire ballot in this scenario  handing the incumbent president a shocking statewide defeat.

Biden has the entire party establishment on his side. The D.N.C. has formally endorsed him, which means that the organization, in addition to rubber-stamping a primary calendar that is far more favorable to him, will not sponsor any debates. Normally, this wouldnt matter much; incumbent presidents enjoy such deference. But Biden is already the oldest president in history and would be 86 if he finishes a second term. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Democrats dont want him to run again (though this doesnt mean they wont vote for him). His approval ratings consistently hover around 40 percent.

At the same time, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a son of the slain senator and attorney general and a nephew of the slain president, has polled at 20 percent nationally among Democratic voters and has begun a campaign blitz in New Hampshire, where voters and politicians alike are aggrieved over the D.N.C.s revision of the primary calendar, with the secretary of state, David Scanlan, a Republican, calling the first-in-the-nation status a defining part of the states culture. It is also enshrined in state law. Iowas reaction has been more muted because there are so few Democrats of note left in the state after successive Republican electoral waves. Still, Iowa Democrats may sync their caucuses with the Republicans anyway, defying the D.N.C.

Kennedy was once widely respected as an environmentalist; he has since drawn condemnation for his anti-vaccine advocacy, taste for conspiracy theories and incendiary statements  including invoking Hitler Germany in a speech about American vaccine mandates  but may hold appeal for the large base of libertarian voters in New Hampshire. (Marianne Williamson, the author and spiritual figure who dropped out of the 2020 race, is running again as well.) Democrats there are alarmed.

The reality is that New Hampshire is going to keep the first-in-the-nation primary, Ray Buckley, the chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and a longtime D.N.C. member, told me, and the question only is whether or not the president is going to put his name on the ballot. Theyre trying to come after New Hampshire, but its not going to be successful. So why go through all that pain?

D. Arnie Arnesen, a left-leaning New Hampshire talk-show host and former Democratic state representative, understands the arguments against her state: Were too white, too rich, too privileged, she conceded. New Hampshire has two Democratic senators but a Republican-controlled state government (including a governor, Chris Sununu, who once considered his own presidential challenge this cycle). On the question of the 2024 primaries, however, Arnesen sides with Buckley. They knew the Republicans were going to Iowa and New Hampshire anyway. Why change now? Theres no upside. Not one iota of benefit for Joe Biden. Nothing. No benefit to Joe, no benefit to the Democrats. They shot themselves in the foot.

As chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison, a 47-year-old who rose to his position two years ago from statewide politics in South Carolina and whose profile has risen along with his states, has to try to play mediator between angered state Democrats and a White House that expects fealty from the national organization. For now, Harrison is sanguine about all of it. The New Hampshire situation. Bidens advanced age. The partys declining share of many demographic groups, especially Latino voters and those without college degrees. A dire Senate map, where Democratic incumbents in Montana, Ohio and West Virginia could fall, along with the formerly Democratic senator in Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, plunging Democrats into an indefinite minority.

In Harrisons office at D.N.C. headquarters, which looks out on the dome of the Capitol, there hangs a portrait of Biden with Jim Clyburn, the 82-year-old South Carolina congressman whose endorsement and championing of Biden in 2020 is credited with rescuing his candidacy. Displayed over Harrisons desk is a vintage sign for Ron Brown, who in 1989 became the first Black chairman of the D.N.C. Brown and Clyburn are both heroes to Harrison, who was Clyburns intern and, later, his director of floor operations when the congressman served as majority whip. A lucrative private-sector career followed as a lobbyist at the Podesta Group. With Clyburns blessing, he became chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Harrison then ran a very high-profile, extremely expensive and ultimately unsuccessful campaign in 2020 for the Senate seat held by Lindsey Graham. Now Clyburns protege heads a D.N.C. that has put their home state, where Harrison still lives with his family, quite literally first.

Harrison insisted that Clyburn never advocated for South Carolina as the very first state  only for it to retain its status as the first of the Southern states. I think, for him, he always wanted South Carolina  and I felt the same way  we enjoyed and took a lot of pride in being the first in the South, Harrison told me on a June afternoon, sitting beneath that portrait. People thought early on, Oh, God, Jaimes the chair of the D.N.C., so therefore hes going to put his finger on the scale for South Carolina. And everybody will tell you, I was evenhanded in this. The only thing that I wanted was that South Carolina would remain, because I think its earned its spot as an early state. But South Carolina, of course, moved up, and Harrison is now thrilled. National Geographic said that 90 percent of African Americans can trace one of their ancestors to South Carolina. In our primary, 50 to 60 percent of the people who vote in the Democratic primary will be Black folks. Think about how powerful this is, that the descendants of those enslaved people will be the very first people in this country to determine the most powerful person on the face of this planet. Thats transformative.

A few dissidents in the D.N.C., made up of New Hampshirites and some Iowans, progressives and union members, see it differently: Biden is elevating a state that a Democratic presidential candidate hasnt carried since 1976. Beyond Clyburn, there are few Democrats of note in South Carolina, and the state has the lowest percentage of union membership in America. Progressive candidates could, cycle after cycle, meet a wall of opposition there.

The persistent quandary, which no version of the primary calendar could resolve, is how to account for the various long-range challenges of the Democratic Party. A first-in-the-nation South Carolina primary lends Black moderates, a pivotal Democratic constituency, the kind of clout that many believe they deserve. White rural voters  the sort who need to be courted in Iowa and New Hampshire  have not proved loyal to the Democratic brand. But there are only so many of them that Democrats can afford to lose in a general election. New Hampshire, which Biden carried by less than 10 points in 2020, is not guaranteed to be eternally blue.

For Harrison, South Carolinas premier placement will mean that the many men and women who dream of commanding the Oval Office will need to pay attention to completely different issues and concerns. Now, instead of talking about ethanol in Iowa, were going to be talking about the infant-mortality rate in the Black community, he said. It changes the agenda. It changes the conversation. And now presidential candidates will then be making promises to those communities.

ON A SUMMER day in the late 1990s, Don Fowler, the chairman of the D.N.C., needed help. The South Carolinian and former head of the state party had bushels of juicy peaches sent up from farmers back home, and he wanted the president of the United States to sample some. None of his interns were free. He queried the most powerful Democrat in his state: Would he have a hand to spare?

Clyburn, the Charleston congressman, did. They sent me, Jaime Harrison recalled, beaming at the memory. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life at that point, to have these bags of peaches that Im going to deliver to Bill Clinton, right?

Harrison, peaches in tow, trekked from the Capitol to the White House. He ended up in the East Wing  no face-to-face with the president  but the journey stoked his ambition, which he says has been realized with the position he has held since Biden selected him. If I dont do anything else in politics for the rest of my life, I have hit a great point, being the D.N.C chair.

On my June visit, a wall in the D.N.C. lobby featured portraits honoring the highest-ranking Democrats: Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris; Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader; the head of the Senates campaign arm, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan; Jaime Harrison. But the wall seemed to have been frozen in pre-midterm 2022: Nancy Pelosi, not Hakeem Jeffries, the new House minority leader, had a portrait on the wall, as did Sean Patrick Maloney, the New York Democrat who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Not only is Maloney no longer the D.C.C.C. chair, but hes not in Congress at all. He lost his re-election bid, one of the seats with which the Democrats lost their majority.

At the core of its mission, the D.N.C. raises and spends titanic sums of money on organizing and messaging for political contests: more than $300 million over the course of 2021 and 2022, leading up to the midterms. The committee is a constellation of various interests  activists, wealthy donors, state party chairs  that is more fractious than its Republican counterpart because of the sheer number of individuals who make up the 483-member national committee, which far outstrips the 168-member R.N.C. The Republican Party has had its own ideological struggles, but the once-insurgent Trump wing has come to largely command party business, with Ronna McDaniel, a Trump ally, well into her seventh year as party chair.

In the aftermath of Donald Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton, amid lingering bitterness from progressives who felt that the D.N.C. had unfairly supported Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the 2016 primaries and convention, Harrison was one of several Democrats who very publicly vied for the D.N.C. chairman title. He operated, though, on the periphery of that contest, as the ideological and institutional factions organized around two candidates: Tom Perez, Obamas labor secretary; and Keith Ellison, a Minnesota congressman and Sanders supporter. With tacit backing from Obama, Perez narrowly won the vote of several hundred eligible D.N.C. members at the partys meeting in Atlanta.

After Perezs victory was announced, Ellison supporters erupted in anger, chanting, Party for the people, not big money! Perez placated them by naming Ellison deputy chairman. Under Perezs leadership, a so-called Unity Reform Commission overhauled the superdelegate system, restricting their vote on the conventions first ballot (the superdelegates, who are party elites, had operated like free agents, unaccountable to how their states actually voted). He also partnered with Howard Dean, the former D.N.C. chairman who was the architect of the partys short-lived strategy to compete in all 50 states, to create the Democratic Data Exchange: a private company, mirroring Republican Party efforts, that allows various Democratic campaigns, committees, unions and other left-leaning groups to share the information they gather on voters.

Building on successes during the 2018 blue-wave year, the D.N.C. pumped more than $95 million into its midterm programs in 2022  tripling its investment from 2018 and paying for as many as 35 campaign staff positions in Georgia, 42 in Michigan and 53 in Pennsylvania. The D.N.C. now pours more cash into state parties than it did during the Obama years and has established a red state fund that can add paid staff to Republican-dominated states in the hopes of growing the Democratic vote there in the years to come. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who was born in Thailand, raised in Hawaii and is now a D.N.C. vice chair, hopes to raise more cash to improve Democratic organizing efforts with Asian Americans. Weve seen that when we dont speak to that community, they can vote Republican like they did in New York, she said, referring to the state-level results in the midterms. You had Brooklyn switch over and elect Republican representatives.

Asian American voters, as Duckworth noted, migrated significantly rightward last year, and not just in Brooklyn. The share of Latino voters supporting Democrats continues to slip, from 66 percent in 2018 to 57 percent in 2022, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the national electorate. Some analysts warn that the Latino voters who swung to Republicans in 2020 and sat out the 2022 midterms could buoy a Republican presidential contender. The white working class continues to defect from Democratic candidates, and theres some evidence that culturally conservative nonwhite voters, once reflexive Democrats, are slowly sorting into the Republican coalition. From 2016 to 2020, Trump was able to grow his share of the Black vote, and over the last decade, almost every cohort of voters under 50 has shifted toward the right, belying predictions of a permanent Democratic hold on millennials.

Ruy Teixeira, a scholar who studies political demographics  and recently decamped from the liberal Center for American Progress to the conservative American Enterprise Institute  believes that Democrats, despite their recent victories, are losing too many working-class voters as they rush leftward on identity concerns at the expense of class. They are a party very dependent on the college-educated vote, Teixeira told me. In a way, Democrats were getting a premium among some nonwhite voters, getting way above the underlying ideology of voters in terms of their support. Thats changing.

The D.N.C. will learn, soon enough, if its confidence heading into the next election is warranted. The 2022 midterm results could have been, as Harrison contends, a reflection of Bidens policy accomplishments and the savvy of the partys myriad investments. Or the outcome might have been because of the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade, which galvanized outraged Democratic voters, and the many extreme and inexperienced candidates who upended Republican primaries and then stumbled badly in the fall.

I dont think the building is on fire, Harrison said confidently. The decline of the white working-class voter in the Democratic coalition could be reversed, Harrison argued, because Biden is the most pro-union president in recent years  the A.F.L.-C.I.O. endorsed him in June, and he appeared at rally with union workers in Philadelphia later that month  but many of those elusive working-class voters dont belong to unions anymore. Latinos defecting to the right, Harrison said, could be won back by pointing out how cruel some Republican governors have been for busing and flying migrants north  never mind that not all Latinos who are American citizens have sympathy for those making illegal border crossings. Eric Adams, the Democratic mayor of New York, who once deemed himself the Biden of Brooklyn, has castigated Bidens response to the migrant crisis in unusually public criticism of the White House, declaring that his city is being destroyed by the large influx of asylum seekers.

Yet if voters only knew more about what Democrats have done for them, there would be no doubt about their mutual allegiance, according to Harrison. Were going to make sure they understand where the Democratic Party is, what our values are, he said, and that we are the only party that will fight for them.

THE RESULTS OF 2022 were inarguably rosy, from a Democratic standpoint, defying historical precedent: The presidents party gained a seat in the Senate, won several high-profile governors races, flipped state legislatures and almost, despite forecasts of a red wave, retained control of the House. In Barack Obamas first midterm as president, Republicans netted 63 seats in the House, the largest electoral shift since 1948. Democrats lost six Senate seats. The enormous majorities of the 2008 election had vanished, never to be regained.

The Obama era was particularly cataclysmic for Democrats on the state level. Republicans dominated a redistricting process that safeguarded their legislative majorities for much of the next decade; by 2016, the last full year of Obamas presidency, Democrats had full control of just seven states. Even now, after the Democrats triumphant midterms, Republicans control 28 state legislatures to the Democrats 19. And its these state legislatures that decide much of the policy  taxes, education, transit  that impacts everyday American life.

The D.N.C. suffered under Obama, in part because he created his own political group, Organizing for Action, outside the aegis of the party. The group built a parallel structure that hoovered up donor cash. State party chairs were livid, believing that the group, which focused chiefly on the promotion of Obamas policy agenda, deprived them of attention and dollars. Heading into 2020, the Democratic presidential contenders, including Biden, pledged not to create another extraparty organ.

Historically, Democratic presidents have undercut or ignored the D.N.C., especially compared with their Republican counterparts and their willingness to bolster the R.N.C. According to Daniel Galvin, a political-science professor at Northwestern University, every Democratic president in the second half of the 20th century  John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton  raided funds meant for party building or shot down proposals to strengthen down-ballot campaigns. For many decades, Democrats enjoyed congressional and statehouse majorities that seemed unbreakable, Galvin argues in his 2010 book, Presidential Party Building, and this incentivized them to focus on policy promotion over extensive investments in the future of party organizing. Republican presidents saw a path forward taking their own popularity and platform and ability to raise money and grafting it onto the Republican Party, he said. Democrats didnt.

Harrison, who refused to directly criticize Obama to me, repeatedly emphasized that it was Biden who now cared about building the Democratic Party; it was Biden who was, in his favored word of the moment, transformative. My boss  it is Joe Biden. He is the head of our party. We are doing things in the image of what he wants for this party, and we are very fortunate because he believes in the strength of the party. He believes in the D.N.C., he said with typical cheer. Im not the final word on where we go as the Democratic Party. I am part of the machinery.

Like past D.N.C. chairmen, he is subordinate to the president, though reports have suggested he hasnt always been entirely pleased about it. The de facto boss of the D.N.C. is not simply Biden, but the White House staff members closest to him, those charged with executing his political vision. None of the state party chairs who regularly interact with the D.N.C. had an ill word for Harrison; if they dont always regard him as a visionary, they at least find him to be an affable power broker with an intimate understanding of the mechanics of party building.

Many state chairs consider, rather, operatives like Anita Dunn, one of Bidens closest senior advisers, and Jen OMalley Dillon, a Biden deputy chief of staff, as the top shot-callers; Ron Klain, Bidens first chief of staff, was part of that cohort before he left the White House. Sam Cornale, the D.N.C.s executive director, carries out their mandates. And if Bidens inner circle cares far more than Obama ever did about the fate of a governor, a statehouse majority or even the House elections, they are still, naturally, most focused on 2024, and the small number of states in the Electoral College that will decide the next president. No Biden White House is going to sign off on a very expensive, long-range plan to turn Nebraska or Mississippi blue.

Rhetorically, Howard Deans 50-state vision has won out: D.N.C. staff members talk fondly of Deans tenure. But many of the largest investments today  the millions of dollars transferred, the sophisticated targeting of voters, the dispatching of seasoned operatives  are reserved for the relatively few states that play host to the prime federal races. Dean himself wishes that the states where the Republicans now dominate got far more attention from the national party. The reason Democrats dont win there is because they do not put the work in, Dean said. You cannot abandon a state. Otherwise, its Rush Limbaugh and Tucker Carlson giving the Democratic message to voters.

The state party chairs who sing the highest praises for Biden, Harrison and the D.N.C. are naturally in the battlegrounds. Lavora Barnes, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said she speaks with Harrison at least once a month and called him terrifically helpful. Michigan was, perhaps, the brightest spot for Democrats last year, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer winning re-election and Democrats winning full control of the State Legislature for the first time in nearly 40 years. Ben Wikler, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, extolled both Harrison and his predecessor, Perez, for recognizing that year-round campaign organizing was required in his state, where Republicans and Democrats are virtually deadlocked. He called the D.N.C. a godsend for Wisconsin.

Tina Podlodowski, who until this year served as chair of Washington States Democratic Party, has a more conflicted view. For the folks that believe a national party should be focused in on the presidential race and Washington, D.C., the D.N.C. functions exceedingly well, Podlodowski said; Washington State reliably votes blue in presidential elections. I think for people like me who believe there should be more investment in down-ballot races and building state party organizing, the D.N.C. is a disappointment.

Podlodowski called the D.N.C.s investment in her state negligible, even with Democrats there battling to win a majority in the legislature and flip crucial House seats, pointing enviously to the D.N.C.s strong support of Wisconsin. Ben Wikler is a good chair, but honestly Wisconsin has a million less voters than Washington State, and the amount of money that has been spent should have a better return.

Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said states like hers, which used to send Democrats to the Senate with regularity but now are G.O.P. strongholds, arent receiving enough aid. State parties continue to really be on their own, she said. I would love to see us get back to where we were during the 50-state strategy days, she told me. There will always be tension, I think, between how national thinks things should be run versus when youre on the ground. But we really do always have to trust and believe the on-the-ground perspective first.

Relaying that perspective can be a challenge. D.N.C. members describe tightly choreographed meetings where dissenting resolutions are stifled. And with an incumbent in the White House, even members of pivotal committees, like rules and bylaws, lack tangible clout. The White House advises they want X, Y, Z, the member of the rules committee told me, and then we vote on it.

IN JUNE, THE brinkmanship continued, as the D.N.C.s rules and bylaws committee met again, this time deciding to allow New Hampshire Democrats until Sept. 1 to continue negotiating a plan for their primary. But Georgias new status as an early-voting state is also now in doubt: The spokesperson for the Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, said in a statement that he would not go along with the new Democratic calendar and would keep the established March primary date.

What difference more time will make for New Hampshire is unclear. Democrats there insist that it is their right to go first, ahead of South Carolina. Biden, as of now, plans to be nowhere near the Granite State next winter. In theory, Harrisons D.N.C. will simply not recognize the New Hampshire primary nor any of the delegates won by Kennedy and Williamson. For national Democrats, the ugliness of it all  a sitting president losing a primary to the incendiary son of a Democratic icon  would be harder to dismiss.

The way Arnesen, the New Hampshire talk-show host, sees it, unless one of the warring factions blinks, Republicans will have free rein in her state for the next half a year as Biden and his surrogates are absent. If I am going to have to vote in that first presidential primary in New Hampshire, who do I vote for: Marianne or R.F.K.? No Biden on the ballot. Whats my [expletive] choice?

Harrison, for now at least, is not budging. The D.N.C. is recognizing South Carolina as the first primary, he told me firmly. Regardless of what New Hampshire does or whatever, our D.N.C. has authorized that the first primary we are counting toward the allocation of delegates will be South Carolina. New Hampshire, he added, will have plenty of time to come to the table and figure it out, and were going to give them as many opportunities as possible.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum played up his posture as a China hawk as he looked to draw voter support for his long-shot White House bid.

We are in a cold war in China, we just won't admit it, the Republican said in an interview to air Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press. But the way you work your way through a cold war is you win it economically.

Burgums comments came just as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen makes her way home from a trip to Beijing, where she met with Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng and Peoples Bank of China Head Pan Gongsheng.

The conversations she had were direct, substantive and productive, Yellen said at a Sunday morning news conference in Beijing. Yellen is the second Cabinet official to visit the country in recent weeks, following a highly anticipated trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month.

Burgum, a relative unknown in the crowded GOP presidential field, has gone on an ad blitz in key early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire. In one early ad titled Why." Burgum highlighted U.S.-China relations as a key pillar of his campaign.

"Why run? First, fix this crazy economy. Second, unleash American energy production. Third, rebuild our military to win the Cold War with China, Burgum says in the clip.

On Sunday, the multimillionaire ex-software executive also knocked former President Donald Trump, telling NBCs Chuck Todd he would not do business with the GOP front-runner. When Todd pressed him on why, Burgum replied: I just think that it's important that you're judged by the company you keep.

Burgum also talked about his stance on abortion, one of more dedicate issues the GOP field faces, saying he did not support a federal ban.

My position is that I support the Dobbs decision, and this is the decision that should be left to the states, Burgum said. And what's going to pass in North Dakota is not ever going to pass in California and New York, and wouldn't even pass in the state of Minnesota.  That's why I'm on the record saying that I would not sign a federal abortion ban.

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Abortion and other culture-war issues, like legislation limiting the rights of transgender people, shouldnt be the focus of the commander-in-chief, Burgum said.

We need a president that's focused on the challenges that we're being faced as a nation  not a president that's going to decide whether a book is in the right section or not in a library in a small town somewhere in America.

It's definitely not the place where the president should be spending their time, he added.
When Floridas law cracking down on illegal immigration took effect July 1, it included those holding Delaware-issued drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants.

In accordance with Florida's recently passed Senate Bill 1718, Delaware was one of five states listed whose driver's licenses exclusively available to undocumented immigrants are not recognized as valid in Florida. Delaware issues unauthorized immigrants a driving privilege card. Delaware's driving privilege card is valid only within the state. If someone presents a Delaware-issued driving privilege card during a traffic stop in Florida, they may be subject to penalties under the new law.

In addition to Delaware, four states that issue licenses to undocumented immigrant drivers that are considered "invalid" in Florida are:

Connecticut

Hawaii

Rhode Island

Vermont

More than 100 immigrants and allies peacefully protested in opposition of Senate Bill 1718 in front of the Historic Florida Capitol on Friday, June 30, 2023.

An unauthorized immigrant is one who does not have permission from the federal government to enter or remain in the country and would not qualify for a federally compliant state driver's license or Real ID. Real IDs were developed following the recommendation by the 9/11 Commission after terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001. Delaware adopted the standards for Real IDs and the Division of Motor Vehicles began offering secure driver's licenses and identification cards on July 1, 2010.

Facts about Delawares driver privilege card

According to the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, a driving privilege card is considered a valid driver's license issued for driving purposes only and not for identification. U.S. citizens and persons with valid legal presence are not eligible for driving privilege cards.

To obtain a driving privilege card, eligible applicants must provide documents that verify their identity and show the applicant has filed Delaware taxes within two years of the application. They also must provide an individual tax number or Social Security number. They will need to bring their tax documents and appear in person at the State Bureau of Investigation where they submit fingerprints, have their photo taken and take vision and road tests.

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The Delaware driving privilege card is valid for four years.

A scannable Delaware driver's license

Florida's stance on illegal immigration

The Florida law, approved last month by the Florida Legislature, is considered among the toughest steps taken by any state to deter persons crossing the border illegally from arriving. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, has seized on immigration as an animating issue for GOP voters.

Last year, after a group of migrants who were bused to Washington, D.C., from the Texas border said they planned to settle in Miami, DeSantis gave them a warning.

Do not come to Florida, he stated. Life will not be easy for you.

Florida Rep. Alina Garcia, R-Miami, told pastors and community activists at a public meeting that the law is basically to scare people from coming into the state of Florida, and I think that its done its purpose.

Contact reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com. Join her on the Facebook group Delaware Voices Uplifted. Support her work and become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Florida's immigration law invalidates Delaware's driver privilege card
The romance section at the Hoover High School library will be one of many sections that could lose books because of a new Iowa law ordering the removal of any books depicting sex acts.

For weeks now, Superintendent Angela Huseman has been waiting for guidance from the state on how to handle a sweeping new education law that requires the removal of almost every school book in Iowa depicting sex acts.

So far, all she's heard is silence.

Until they get some direction, teachers at her Tri-Center Community School District just north of Omaha won't remove a single book, a frustrated Huseman said.

"Since I wont jump to change anything until we have guidance, it will be a non-issue," Huseman told the Register about the impact of Senate File 496, the new law banning books describing sex acts.

On Thursday, the Iowa Department of Education finally stepped forward, saying guidance is on the way after initially telling media that districts would need to consult with their local attorneys on how to follow the law.

But with the new school year quickly approaching, some district leaders say the state's instructions might not come soon enough.

Tri-Center Superintendent Angela Huseman

"The issue will be if guidance requiring us to make big changes comes out during the year when we have kids in the building, I might have to pull adults that should be working with kids to make sure we are compliant," Huseman said.

The passage of Senate File 496 places Iowa among a growing number of states including Florida, Arkansas, Arizona and Texas that have passed laws restricting books that conservatives contend are inappropriate for students.

Iowa law defines sex act with specificity, providing a list of sexual interactions. But Huseman and educators across the state say they are looking to the Iowa Department of Education to provide detailed advice on how to sort through entire libraries of books.

How detailed does a sex scene need to be to meet the threshold? And who will flip through all the books to confirm they are sex-free?

The problem with this topic is, again, it is so subjective, Huseman said. One person could read the law and they could say, Oh, Shakespearean works are out. No more Shakespeare because they at least have innuendo and bawdy innuendo to different sex acts.

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Related: Kim Reynolds signs sweeping Iowa education law on book bans, LGBTQ teaching. What it does:

But lawmakers who helped pass the bill, like Senate Education Committee Chair Ken Rozenboom, R-Oskaloosa, say removing school books with sex acts is just not difficult.

Let's not drag Shakespeare and the Bible into this discussion, because we all know that's not what we're dealing with, Rozenboom said. These are books  and the list is out there  that the schools know.  Books that have very explicit, sometimes perverse, pornographic descriptions.

Republican lawmakers passed the legislation after conservative families from a small number of Iowa school districts called for the removal of a few contentious titles. Republicans frequently referred to the same book titles, most notably Maia Kobabes "Gender Queer," while debating the topic.

Related: Dozens of books are being challenged in Iowa schools. Here's the ones targeted most often:

Books being challenged in Iowa school districts include "Gender Queer," "The Hate U Give," "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," "Lawn Boy," "Hey, Kiddo," and "All Boys Aren't Blue."

While the law took effect July 1, penalties for teachers and administrators do not take effect until Jan. 1. After that, staff members will face a warning and then professional penalties if they provide students with books that contain sex acts.

That gives schools less than six months to sort through hundreds or thousands of books and remove the ones that run afoul of the law.

It's just one of several laws in recent years that have hurt educators, said Mike Beranek, Iowa State Education Association president. Others include 2021's House File 802, which, among other things, bans teaching about sexism and systemic racism.

We have certainly witnessed the true chilling effect from that legislation two years ago, and this just continues to place that burden, mental anguish on our educators, because there are consequences to this (bill), Beranek said.

What does the law actually say about school books?

Senate File 496 makes several significant restrictions on the materials available to Iowa students.

It redefines age-appropriate in Iowa law. Any book or other material that has descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act between two or more people will no longer be considered age-appropriate, and it must be removed from school libraries and classrooms.

The law creates two exemptions: Descriptions of sex acts will be allowed in human growth and development materials and in religious publications, including the Bible.

The law also bars school districts from providing any program, curriculum, test, survey, questionnaire, promotion, or instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation before seventh grade.

Its unclear what that means for books available in elementary schools. The law does not explicitly prohibit materials relating to gender identity or sexual orientation.

Rozenboom, who led passage of the law through the Iowa Senate, said he believes the law does prohibit books with gay or transgender characters for those grade levels.

For all of human history, that was not an issue, Rozenboom said.

Iowa Sen. Ken Rozenboom, left, speaks with Sen. Jeff Taylor during a recess in the Senate chambers at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines on Thursday, April 1, 2021.

Iowa is one of many Republican-led states to pass restrictions on what books children can access.

Tennessee teachers were told to review all their books for age-appropriateness and to provide parents with a list of all the materials in their classroom.

Florida now prohibits education on LGBTQ topics from kindergarten through 12th grade.

And an Arkansas law will make it a misdemeanor for librarians or booksellers to give a "harmful" book to a minor.

Sean Connor, an associate professor of English education at the University of Arkansas, said the array of legislation has made it "an incredibly difficult time to be a teacher."

"The school districts are very much left to figure out what the implications of these laws are to them, and how they should navigate them  which, I think, puts an unfair burden on the schools," Connor said.

Iowa Department of Education says guidance coming; no timeline released

School administrators and librarians say sorting books forces them to wade into precarious legal territory to determine which book passages count as a depiction of a sex act.

In May, the Iowa Association of School Librarians and the Iowa Library Association sent a list of 20 questions to the Department of Education ahead of the 2023-24 school year, looking for help.

We went to the folks who were dealing with this on the frontlines and said, What logistically do you see in your schoolwork, your school libraries that you need to have answered? said Sam Helmick, Iowa Library Association president.

The list of questions included:

Will librarians receive training on the new age-appropriate standard?

Can elementary school libraries keep books that discuss gender identity and sexual orientation?

What does this mean for ebook collections, or advanced placement syllabi, or public libraries that partner with schools?

Then-Department of Education Director Chad Aldis emailed back three days later, thanking the librarians for their thoughtful email.

The department is currently working to develop guidance, and your email will help to enlighten that effort, Aldis wrote May 12.

This was the last communication between Aldis and library advocates on the subject.

A number of books have been challenged in Iowa in recent years including "The Hate U Give," "All Boys Aren't Blue," "Hey, Kiddo," "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," "This Book is Gay," "Gender Queer" and "Melissa."

Education spokesperson Heather Doe echoed Aldis' May email in a department statement on Thursday.

"The Department is working to provide additional information on legislation from the 2023 session, which will include Senate File 496," she said.

Aldis resigned as director in June, citing family reasons. Director McKenzie Snow began her tenure on June 26.

Related: Iowa Department of Education director resigns. What we know about his replacement:

Both library organizations plan to resubmit the letter to Snow.

In the interim, they are recommending that teacher librarians not remove books.

I am sure that there are probably districts that are anxious to get the work underway or to make sure they're complying with the law, said Michelle Kruse, a teacher librarian and past president of the Iowa Association of School Librarians. We are advocating at IASL and ILA that librarians wait and, hopefully, there will be some information that comes from the state.

Some districts begin sorting books. Others are still waiting

Tri-Center Community School District in Neola near the Nebraska border has two libraries for its 724 students.

The district has not had a formal book challenge during Huseman's 26 years as an administrator. But the district already has policies in place to review challenged books, along with a cataloged list of the districts library books on its website.

A large-scale assessment of the districts books would take staff from preparing for the new school year and could cost the Tri-Center district a substantial amount of money, Huseman said.

I know what we have (for books). I think everything is fine, she said. I dont see a need to spend time reviewing books.

But Rozenboom argues schools shouldn't wait.

They should be going through their library offering and their coursework, which I dont find difficult at all, Rozenboom said.

Some district leaders aren't convinced.

Four districts told the Register, in response to an open records request, that they specifically are awaiting guidance from the Department of Education. Three others said they are in a wait-and-see holding pattern.

In the metro area, Urbandale Community School District officials will continue to follow district policies related to reviewing and removing materials, and public hearings.

We were hopeful the Iowa Department of Education would provide guidance for the implementation of SF 496, said Dena Claire, Urbandale spokesperson. As we have not received a response yet, we will continue to plan, finalize and implement a process for recollection of existing materials.

To be proactive ahead of the 2023-24 school year, Johnston Community School District officials sent a letter to staff May 18 laying out the district's plan for assessing books, said Lynn Meadows, Johnstons spokesperson.

It encouraged educators to review their classroom libraries and organize books using a stoplight approach as we await further guidance, Meadows said.

Green light means an educator feels confident a book is in compliance with the new law and it can stay in the classroom, the letter states.

Yellow light is a book that "you may not have read or may leave you with 'wonders' about compliance" and can be put aside until further guidance comes, the letter advises.

Red light is "a book that you feel no longer meets the expectations as defined by SF 496" and should be "boxed up if purchased with school district funds."

Officials will change the process once the state releases further guidance, she said. The books removed under SF 496 will be stored in the districts warehouse. Officials did not say whether any books had been removed.

At Des Moines Public Schools, Iowas largest school district, officials and staff have begun to review books ahead of the new school year.

My directors of teaching and learning at the elementary and secondary level, along with our librarian coordinator for the district  are reviewing the inventory of the books both in our library, but also in our curriculum as well," said Associate Superintendent Matt Smith.

While no books have been removed yet, there have been ongoing conversations between staff, the district's lawyers and neighboring districts about which books to keep and what constitutes a sex act, Smith said.

It's kind of like an onion, right? The more you start to peel it, the next layer sort of surfaces and manifests itself, Smith said. So, there's just a lot of questions.  Everyone's striving to be compliant with the law recognizing that there's a lot of material that we need to comb through."

The other goal is to make sure students feel reflected in the district's books and curriculum.

"It's not always as blatant as someone might suspect it is," he said. "At the same time, we're also trying to not become a society of censorship."

Des Moines Public Schools Associate Superintendent Matt Smith.

Officials will likely review books and curriculum again when guidance is released, Smith said.

Advocates hope any state guidance will be extra thoughtful of educators, given the potential repercussions of requiring them to remove books from schools, as well as the ramifications on families and residents.

"The health and welfare of our school communities depends on it," Beranek said.

Data analyst Tim Webber contributed to this story.

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her atkakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa schools still waiting for guidance on ban on books depicting sex
The man charged in connection with killing a 72-year-old Roseville man and the wounding of the mans wife and a California Highway Patrol officer at Mahany Park in April escaped Sunday morning from Sutter Roseville Medical Center off of Secret Ravine Parkway, and law enforcement agencies across the Sacramento region were searching for him.

Eric James Abril, 35, had been held in custody by Placer County sheriffs officials since April on charges of murder and attempted murder. Abril escaped from the hospital after apparently being taken there Thursday from the Auburn jail for an unknown medical issue.

As of Sunday afternoon, authorities were focused on a neighborhood more than a mile north of the hospital in Rocklin. A helicopter circled above and alerted residents of their search for Abril, who was described as a 6-foot, 175-pound white male with brown hair.

A Placer County sheriffs deputy, joined by two police officers, points toward a home on Greenbrae Road in Rocklin on Sunday, July 9, 2023, after a potential sighting of Mahany Park murder suspect Eric James Abril, who escaped early Sunday from Roseville hospital.

How did he escape?

Few details were provided about Abrils actual escape.

At around 6 a.m. Sunday, officials from the Placer County Sheriffs Office announced they and multiple allied agencies were searching for Abril after he ran from the second floor of the sprawling hospital and exited the building.

Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo, during a 10 a.m. news conference, vowed his office would investigate how Abril managed to escape from custody at the hospital, where he was supposed to be under 24-hour guard.

A Placer County Sheriffs Office vehicle is parked outside of Sutter Roseville Medical Center on Sunday, July 9, 2023, after a suspect in an April standoff and shooting escaped police custody at the hospital. Eric Abril, a suspect in the Mahany Park shooting, is at large following his escape.

What is law enforcement doing about it?

Sheriffs officials warned the public to exercise extreme caution as they search for Abril.

Authorities urge anyone who sees anything suspicious to call their tipline at 916-409-1257 or submit tips to https://bit.ly/pcso-abril-manhunt-tips.

Authorities responded to a series of calls from citizens reporting possible sightings throughout southwest Pa, scanner traffic revealed. Reports of people wearing orange clothing or abandoned orange clothes were called in.

Police vehicles, assisted by aircraft from the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office and the California Highway Patrol, zeroed in on reports of sightings in Roseville, Rocklin and Granite Bay to the east. In each case, Abril was not located.

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Why was Abril in the hospital?

Lt. Ty Conners, a Sheriffs Office spokesman, said during the media briefing that Abril would have had a deputy assigned to guard him at all times since he was taken to the hospital Thursday for what officials said was an unknown reason.

Sutter officials declined to comment Sunday, referring inquiries to law enforcement, but a source with knowledge of the incident who was not authorized to speak said Abril had been taken to the hospital after complaining of seizures in the jail.

Conners said an investigation would be conducted to determine if Sheriffs Office policies and procedures were followed as Abril was being held.

Thats under investigation right now, Conners said. Well let you know later on.

Why was he in police custody?

Abril was in custody following an April 6 shootout at Mahany Park that killed James MacEagan, 72, and wounded his wife, Patricia. A CHP officer also was shot during the standoff, which authorities say occurred after Abril took the couple hostage as law enforcement officers attempted to take Abril into custody on an earlier warrant.

Sources say Abril exchanged gunfire with Roseville police several times and used Patricia MacEagan as a shield while he threatened to kill her. He eventually shot her in the arm, authorities said. Her husband was shot and killed at the scene.

The standoff sparked a massive law enforcement response of more than 100 officers drones and armored vehicles until Abril, who was wearing a body armor vest and had been sought in connection with an earlier freeway shooting, surrendered.

Woo said Sundays search involved over 200 law enforcement officials.

Abril pleaded not guilty to the charges, which could lead to a death penalty prosecution, on April 18.

Eric James Abril appears for his arraignment on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 in Placer Superior Court. He is accused of shooting a California Highway Patrol officer and two hostages during a standoff April 6, 2023, at Mahany Park in Roseville. One of the hostages died, and the other hostage and a CHP officer were wounded by gunfire.

Abril has four previous criminal convictions in Santa Clara County, including 2008 convictions of resisting or preventing an officer from performing their duties and grand theft, a 2010 second-degree burglary conviction and a 2013 conviction for carrying a concealed knife.

In 2014, he acquired his fifth and sixth convictions in San Luis Obispo County for second-degree burglary and preventing or dissuading a witness or victim from testifying.

Abril was wounded during the April 6 standoff and hospitalized until the following evening, when he was booked into Placer County Jail.
LONDON  When President Joe Biden missed King Charles IIIs once-in-a-lifetime coronation last spring, his absence was interpreted by some in the British populace as a snub. Now, Biden will have an opportunity to smooth over tensions, real or imagined, with a brief stop in England and visit with the king this week en route to a NATO summit.

The American president with Irish ancestry angered Brexit supporters who accused him of harboring anti-British sentiments and meddling in the U.K.s affairs after an April visit to Ireland to trace his heritage and celebrate a landmark peace accord.

Biden fanned the flames a month after the trip when he said during a political fundraiser that he visited Northern Ireland to make sure the Brits didn't screw around with commitments under the U.S.-brokered agreement that brought peace to the region.

His trip to Ireland came on the heels of a phone call to Charles in which the U.S. leader told the British monarch he would not attend his coronation. Although no U.S. president has attended the coronation of a British monarch, Bidens critics added it to his tally of perceived slights against the U.K.

The U.S. presidents visit to London now ends the kerfuffle and puts to rest speculation that the alliance between the two nations is in some kind of peril or is under strap, said Laura Beers, a British history expert and professor at American University.

Biden often speaks colorfully and maybe without fully thinking through the implications, Beers said, but I don't think he was intending to go to Ireland and put any strain on the historic relationship between Britain and the United States.

Britain's then Prince Charles, left, greets President of the United States Joe Biden ahead of their bilateral meeting during the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Biden will head to Europe this week for a three-country swing in an effort to bolster the international coalition against Russian aggression as the war in Ukraine continues well into its second year. The U.S. president will begin his trip to the continent in London, where he will meet with King Charles III.

Tension over trade deals

His administrations unwillingness to authorize a fulsome trade deal for the U.K. has been a continued source of frustration, however. Conservatives had hoped for a swift agreement with the U.S. after breaking away from the European Union. The Biden administration has instead offered more narrowly tailored commitments on issues such as critical minerals and electric vehicle batteries.

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Biden's efforts to reinvigorate the United States military partnership with Britain, coupled with Russias aggression in Ukraine, have helped ease tensions between the longtime allies.

The U.S. president has sought to build a reliable, if not close, personal relationship with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who he met with last month in Washington, amid turbulence in Europe and in both nations governments.

Both countries have been through such dramatic political turmoil, said Rep. Jim Himes, a co-chair of the Congressional United Kingdom Caucus. The Democratic lawmaker from Connecticut invoked Brexit and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Bidens visit is a chance to recenter the special relationship with Britain, Himes said, and demonstrate that it has weathered all storms.

Then Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (2L) and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (L) meet former U.S. President Barack Obama (3L) and then U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in the Oval Office in the White House on March 19, 2015 as part of their trip to Washington, DC.

It is Bidens fifth official visit to the U.K. since taking office. He attended Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral in London last September and a Group of Seven summit in Cornwall his first year in office. On separate occasions, he delivered speeches in Belfast, marking the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement last April, and Glasgow, at a 2021 climate conference.

While at the G-7, Biden took part in a climate and sustainability-focused reception with business leaders that Charles hosted, a White House official said, and went to a reception with the royal family.

Biden and Charles also conversed at the late queen's funeral, U.S. and British officials said, and met during the climate summit in Scotland.

They've had quite a close relationship through those various meetings. They see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, Deputy British Ambassador to the U.S. James Roscoe said in an interview.

The White House said at the time of the Glasgow summit that the pair discussed climate issues for roughly 15 minutes, with Biden praising the environmental activism of the British royal during the informal conversation.

'A friendly conversation' between Biden and King Charles

U.S. officials have not provided an explanation for Bidens decision to skip the coronation earlier this year. First lady Jill Biden represented the administration at the celebration instead.

At the time many historians said it's actually a centuries-long tradition for American presidents to miss the coronation. In part, experts attribute the 250 years of protocol to how impractical it used to be for a U.S. president to travel overseas.

The president dodged a question about his absence during an MSNBC interview that aired the day before the celebration.

We're going to be going to a NATO conference in Europe. And I told him I'd stop either on the way there or on the way back to discuss what he really is passionate about  the environment, Biden told host Stephanie Ruhle after first claiming he was missing the coronation because of their interview.

White House officials say that Biden and Charles have a very good relationship and a shared passion for fighting climate change.

They had a friendly conversation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in April after their call. It is not a snub."

Roscoe also downplayed Bidens decision to skip the event, saying there was no expectation that Biden would make multiple trips to the U.K. in such quick succession.

We were very touched that the president came over for the funeral of the queen. In the same way, as we were incredibly moved the president came here to the embassy on the day the queen died to sign our condolence book, Roscoe said.

US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive to take their seats inside Westminster Abbey in London on September 19, 2022, for the State Funeral Service for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Nile Gardiner, an adviser to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher after she left office, said he does not believe Biden is visiting Charles out of any kind of warmth towards the United Kingdom or the British monarchy.

I don't think Biden is any friend of Britain. In fact, I think he treats Britain with sneering disregard, said Gardiner, a fellow at the conservative, Washington-based Heritage Foundation. I think that the only reason why Biden is meeting with the king is that he is expected to do so as part of the visit to Britain.

Beers, the American University professor and British historian, said trade deal components that Biden and Sunak announced in June during the prime ministers visit to the White House  even if it was largely symbolic"  and the nations united front against Russia demonstrate that America does not want to push Britain away.

I don't think Biden has an anti-British slant to his foreign policy by any means, she said.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden smile while standing with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II watching a Guard of Honour march past before their meeting at Windsor Castle near London, June 13, 2021. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96.

Britain has had its own share of problems over the past few years. Sunak is the third British prime minister that Biden has dealt with since taking office. The two leaders have met five previous times since Sunak became prime minister, including at a March summit in San Diego where they announced developments in a trilateral security pact with Australia. The meeting on Monday will be their sixth engagement together.

Amid a visit last month to Washington, Sunak addressed concerns about the U.K. and its alliance with the U.S., telling reporters during a White House news conference, I feel confident that through the strength of our relationship, we can shape the world once again in our pursuit of liberty, prosperity, and the possibilities of a new age.

I know some people have wondered what kind of partner Britain would be after we left the EU. Id say: Judge us by our actions. Were committed to our values as ever, as reliable an ally as ever, as attractive an investment destination as ever, he said.

Biden noted the two nations long-running military ties. Thats the unshakable foundation of this special relationship. And it is a special relationship. Theres no country closer to us than Great Britain," he said.

Maintaining the special relationship

The key to keeping relations between the two countries on solid footing is to keep expectations at a reasonable level, said Bronwen Maddox, director and chief executive of Chatham House, a London-based policy institute.

Rishi Sunak has done that very well, she said. He hasn't reached for or implied to the country that a trade deal is around the corner. This is a long, long, long process.

Sunak has opened up a more practical avenue of conversation, she said, on issues such as China, military cooperation and artificial intelligence.

Those issues and Ukraine are expected to be part of the conversation when the two leaders meet in London.

Jean-Pierre initially described Biden's trip as a state visit" while talking in April about the prospective stop. She declined on Friday "to get into specifics" of what it will be called. "I think whats important is that the president is going to go to London. Hes going to go to the U.K.," the White House spokeswoman said.

The British government says the White House press secretary misspoke and a state visit invitation was never extended.

State visits take months and months of planning, Roscoe said. I don't think we could have announced a state visit in April and delivered it in July. That would be quite something.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can President Biden repair US-UK 'special relationship' ?
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in Sherwin-Williams' (NYSE:SHW) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Sherwin-Williams, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.19 = US$3.1b  (US$23b - US$6.3b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Thus, Sherwin-Williams has an ROCE of 19%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Chemicals industry average of 11% it's much better.

See our latest analysis for Sherwin-Williams

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Sherwin-Williams compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Sherwin-Williams here for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

Sherwin-Williams' ROCE growth is quite impressive. The figures show that over the last five years, ROCE has grown 49% whilst employing roughly the same amount of capital. Basically the business is generating higher returns from the same amount of capital and that is proof that there are improvements in the company's efficiencies. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.

The Bottom Line

To sum it up, Sherwin-Williams is collecting higher returns from the same amount of capital, and that's impressive. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 92% return over the last five years. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

If you'd like to know about the risks facing Sherwin-Williams, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The man charged in connection with the slaying of a 72-year-old Roseville man and the wounding of a California Highway Patrol officer at Mahany Park in April escaped from Sutter Roseville Medical Center early Sunday, sparking a daylong manhunt as law enforcement agencies across the Sacramento region searched for him.

LATEST UPDATE: ABRIL SURRENDERS TO POLICE IN ROCKLIN CREEKBED





Eric James Abril, 35, who had been held by Placer County Sheriffs officials since April on charges of murder and attempted murder, escaped from the hospital around 3 a.m. after apparently being taken there Thursday from the Auburn jail, where he had been in custody.

Authorities deployed helicopters, drones, armored vehicles and police dogs as they received various reports of Abril sightings from residents in the region.

Just after 1 p.m., authorities were focused on a Rocklin neighborhood more than a mile north of the hospital. A helicopter circled above alerting residents of their search for Abril, who was described as a 6-foot, 175-pound white male with brown hair.

Dozens of officers  including about two dozen officers in tactical gear and two armored police trucks  swarmed the 4500 block of Greenbrae Road near Secret Ravine, a creek that runs parallel to Interstate 80 and travels down past Sutter Rosevilles sprawling property.

Residents had called authorities after seeing a man jumping backyard fences as police converged on the area. More law enforcement officials on off-road motorcycles were seen searching in the dried grass running behind houses where Abril was spotted earlier, aiding by drones, K-9 officers and various tactical equipment.

By 1:30 p.m., deputies and allied law enforcement officers, including the California Highway Patrol, were going house to house in the hopes of locating the murder suspect.

I was cleaning the house, then I heard the helicopter, said Anastasia Gonzalez, who lives on Greenbrae Road near where a Folsom police SWAT team was searching for Abril. Its scary.

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Gonzalez said the area south of Greenbrae, where the search was focused, is mainly vacant with plenty of dry yellow grass.

Police radio traffic reflected a series of false alarms, hopeful reports of Abril sightings and deputies searching empty houses, small caves and greenbelt areas as the manhunt dragged into the afternoon.

Sheriffs officials gave no details on how Abril escaped or why he was at the hospital, but warned the public to exercise extreme caution amid the manhunt. They urged anyone who sees anything suspicious to call their tipline at 916-409-1257 or submit tips to https://bit.ly/pcso-abril-manhunt-tips.





Numerous resources from #PCSO, #Roseville PD, and other LE agencies are searching the greater east Roseville area for 35-year old inmate Eric Abril, who escaped from Sutter Roseville Medical Center early this morning. CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY IF ABRIL IS SEEN. https://t.co/w5G1SfXYIV pic.twitter.com/cS7XyhApzG  Placer Sheriff (@PlacerSheriff) July 9, 2023

We ask the immediate public to exercise extreme caution and to call 911 immediately if Abril is seen, sheriffs officials said in their initial bulletin about the manhunt.

Shortly after 9:20 a.m., the sheriffs office updated its description: Throughout our investigation, we have learned Abril was not wearing a shirt and was not shackled at the waist. He is believed to be wearing orange jail pants.

Just after noon, officials said Abril had been spotted on a security camera walking near a cul de sac in Rocklin, and expanded their search area to include that area.

A Placer County sheriffs deputy approaches a home on Greenbrae Road in Rocklin on Sunday, July 9, 2023, after a potential sighting of Mahany Park murder suspect Eric James Abril, who escaped earlier in the morning from a Roseville hospital.

A Placer County Sheriffs Department BearCat armored vehicle drives down Greenbrae Road in Rocklin on Sunday, July 9, 2023, after a potential sighting of the Mahany Park murder suspect Eric James Abril, who escaped early in the morning from a Roseville hospital.

Placer County sheriffs deputies wait on Sunday, July 9, 2023, at the staging area for the manhunt for escaped Mahany Park murder suspect Eric James Abril, who escaped early in the morning from a Roseville hospital, at Palisades Plaza in Roseville.

Abril spotted on home surveillance footage

At about 12:20 p.m. sheriffs officials released what appeared to be a residential surveillance camera photo of Abril walking shirtless and wearing orange pants or orange shorts. The photo included a tattoo on his left shoulder of what officials said appeared to be ocean waves and bamboo.

We have developed new information revealing Abril was last seen on video surveillance walking near Rainier Ct in Rocklin at 3:39 a.m., and then (nearby) a few minutes later on Saddletree Ln, sheriffs officials said in a tweet. We have expanded our search area to include parts of Rocklin, as reflected in our updated map.

Police also asked residents to check their security cameras for any signs of Abril.

In an image released by the Placer County Sheriffs Office, Eric Abril is seen on a doorbell video camera more than a mile from Roseville Sutter Medical Center around 6 a.m. on Sunday. Abril had escaped custody while being hosptalized.

Law enforcement scanner traffic indicated that Abril was seen going out the doors of Sutter Roseville Hospital on the north side and headed across a field toward Highway 65 at about 3:20 a.m. wearing orange jail garb and shackles.

When was the last time he was seen moving? a deputy asked just before 4 a.m., according to scanner traffic archived on Broadcastify.com

I saw him exit the second floor, run down the stairs and exit the building, another deputy replied. When I exited the door behind him thats when I lost contact.

That occurred at 3:08 a.m., according to scanner traffic, and law enforcement officials began setting up a command post at a nearby Starbucks and calling in all day shift officers to help.

A Placer County Sheriffs Office vehicle is parked outside of Sutter Roseville Medical Center on Sunday, July 9, 2023, after a suspect in an April standoff and shooting escaped police custody at the hospital. Eric Abril, a suspect in the Mahany Park shooting, is at large following his escape.

How very dangerous fugitive escaped is under investigation

A grim-looking Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo gave a brief update at 10 a.m., vowing to investigate how Abril managed to escape from custody at the hospital, where he was supposed to be under 24-hour guard, but declined to provide details.

Instead, he said officials were focused on finding the fugitive.

Clearly, we consider Abril a very dangerous fugitive, Woo said. We have over 200 law enforcement officials on scene right now helping us with this search.

We will not stop until Abril is back in custody.

Placer sheriffs Lt. Ty Conners said during the media briefing that Abril would have had a deputy assigned to guard him at all times since he was taken to the hospital Thursday for what officials said was an unknown reason.

But he said an investigation would be conducted to determine if Sheriffs Office policies and procedures were followed as Abril was being held.

Thats under investigation right now, Conners said. Well let you know later on.

Sutter officials declined to comment Sunday, referring inquiries to law enforcement, but a source with knowledge of the incident who was not authorized to speak said Abril had been taken to the hospital after complaining of seizures in the jail.

Abrils attorney, Matthew Bockmon, also declined to comment in detail.

I am stunned, Bockmon said early Sunday after learning of the escape. I hope he turns himself back in.

Authorities set up a gathering area for media at the Roseville Golfland Sunsplash water park, where roads and parking lots were deserted around 8 a.m. Sunday when they are normally bustling with activity, according to Shaniqua Johnson, 50, an assistant manager at Shell gas station on Taylor Road at East Roseville Parkway.

Johnson said that at roughly 6 a.m. a security employee from the hospital came into the station and informed the staff that Abril escaped. Johnson said she had not been notified of any immediate danger, and the owners had not told her to close the location.

About four hours prior, she said she noticed police cars establishing roadblocks and covering bike trail entrances in the area.

He could come around and take more hostages, said Wes Butram, 44, a gas station employee. They need to loosen up on concealed carry permits with mass shooters running around.

At Sutter Roseville, the parking lot was filled with police cars and any vehicles leaving the parking lot were subjected to having their trunks checked for any signs of Abril.

Sightings reported in Roseville, Rocklin and Granite Bay

Scanner traffic showed authorities responding to a series of calls from citizens reporting possible sightings throughout the Roseville area, and investigating reports of people wearing orange clothing or abandoned orange clothes reported.

Police vehicles, assisted by aircraft from the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office and the California Highway Patrol, zeroed in on reports of sightings in Roseville, as well as Rocklin to the north and Granite Bay to the east. In each case, police located subjects only to find it wasnt Abril.

At the Roseville home where Abrils mother lives, a woman inside opened the front window blinds when a Bee reporter knocked, but did not answer the door.

Not far from that house, Sun City retirement community resident John Endacott said he saw police vehicles outside the mothers home on Burnt Cedar Way at about 9:45 a.m. and heard commands from police coming out of a public address system.

Endacott said he heard police say they had a warrant and were going to go inside the house.

At some point, officers had Abrils mother outside the house across the street, Endacott said.

He said he saw three or four Roseville police vehicles in the street in front of the home, along with an armored police truck and a large white police van. At least one officer was wearing tactical protective gear.

Police left the home and drove away about 30 minutes later.

Were all on pins and needles until he gets caught, Endacott said.

Eric James Abril appears for his arraignment on April 18 in Placer Superior Court. He is accused of shooting a California Highway Patrol officer and two hostages during a standoff April 6 at Mahany Park in Roseville. On Sunday, July 9, Abril escaped custody at Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

April 6 standoff at park left 1 dead, 2 wounded

Abril was in custody following an April 6 shootout at Mahany Park that left James MacEagan dead and his wife, Patricia, wounded. A CHP officer also was shot during the standoff, which authorities say occurred after Abril took the couple hostage as law enforcement officers attempted to take Abril into custody on an earlier warrant.

A source has told The Sacramento Bee that Abril exchanged gunfire with Roseville police several times and that he used Patricia MacEagan as a shield while he threatened to kill her and eventually shot her in the arm.

Her husband was shot and killed at the scene.

The standoff sparked a massive law enforcement response of more than 100 officers drones and armored vehicles until Abril, who was wearing a body armor vest and had been sought in connection with an earlier freeway shooting, surrendered.

Abril pleaded not guilty to the charges, which could lead to a death penalty prosecution.

Abril has four previous criminal convictions in Santa Clara County, including 2008 convictions of resisting or preventing an officer from performing their duties and grand theft; a 2010 second-degree burglary conviction; and a 2013 conviction for carrying a concealed knife, according to court documents.

In addition, he was convicted in 2014 in San Luis Obispo County for second-degree burglary and preventing or dissuading a witness or victim from testifying.

Abril was wounded during the standoff and hospitalized until the following evening, when he was booked at the Placer County Jail.

The Bees Camryn Dadey and Sara Nevis contributed to this story.
Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Officers Daryl Wilson, left, and Kyle Johnson talk to a man arrested after running from police.

TULSA  Officer Daryl Wilson puts on his Ray-Ban sunglasses and starts the Black Stallion of Justice, his nickname for the Dodge Durango he drives on patrol. His department-issued rifle rests next to the passenger seat. He finds his laptop and logs in to start another day on patrol for the Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police.

Exactly three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that reshaped the criminal justice system in eastern Oklahoma. Justices ruled the Muscogee reservation still exists, meaning state courts could no longer prosecute crimes involving Native Americans on those lands.

State prosecutors and county sheriffs immediately decried the ruling, warning of the chaos it could create by disrupting how they had worked for decades. Gov. Kevin Stitt was even more vocal about how he thought it would divide the state. The decision triggered a litany of court fights to determine the limits of state powers on reservation lands, and those legal disputes continue to this day.

But leaders of the Muscogee Nation celebrate the ruling as a recognition of the tribes right to govern itself and keep people safe on its reservation, which encompasses most of Tulsa and east-central Oklahoma. The dire consequences state officials warned about have yet to come to pass, tribal officials say, as theyve worked to expand the tribal police force and court system to handle the burgeoning new demands.

Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Officers Chris Goforth, middle, and Daryl Wilson, right, assist an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper after he arrested a man in Tulsa on July 3. Lighthorse officers police the large part of east-central Oklahoma that makes up the Muscogee Nation reservation.

More: Oklahoma's governor emails 14 tribal leaders his offer to extend tobacco tax compacts

Wilson saw his tribe building up its police force and decided to apply. He started in January 2021, riding the waves of change as the police force more than doubled to 86 officers. He works out of a Lighthorse police station in Tulsa, fielding calls in the northern part of the reservation with three to five other officers at a time. When there are no calls in the queue, they go on out on patrol.

I'll drive around and try to be proactive, Wilson says, See if I can help out anywhere, look for traffic violations.

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Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Officer Daryl Wilson checks out paperwork for a vehicle he pulled over July 3 that did not have a tag.

Four hours into his shift, Wilson is navigating through the industrial and residential neighborhoods that run along the Arkansas River in the western outskirts of Tulsa. He spots an abandoned car on a side street behind a half-empty strip mall. He can see the car has no doors, tires or trunk. He turns around to check it out. A fellow Lighthorse Police officer, Kyle Johnson, parks behind him.

Johnson uses an app on his phone to run the vehicle information number. Wilson surveys whats left  not much. The hood and engine are also gone. A Tulsa County sheriffs deputy stops to ask if they need assistance. Then an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper does the same.

More: At odds with the governor, Oklahoma tribal leaders are working around him

In Johnsons view, more law enforcement means more ways to work together to keep people safe. Sometimes, the Lighthorse SWAT team backs up counties who do not have as many resources. Other times, they attend trainings together. Most often, they help one another out on routine calls.

A Tulsa County Sheriff's Department deputy inspects an abandoned car found on the west side of Tulsa by Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Officers Daryl Wilson, left, and Kyle Johnson. They ultimately called for a wrecker to tow the car off the street.

Theres no way we can survive without each other, says Johnson, who joined Lighthorse Police a little more than a year ago after a decade working in the sheriffs departments of Muskogee and Wagner counties. He hasnt noticed many operational differences, except his new supervisors allowed him to work day shifts to accommodate his family schedule, something he considered unheard of for recent hires.

Can a tribal citizen be stopped by city police?

Johnson thinks theres a disconnect between perception and reality of how state and tribal police agencies work together. Operating agreements allow the officers to conduct traffic stops and enforce laws regardless of whether or not someone is a tribal citizen, Johnson says. Then they forward their report to state court, tribal court or in some cases, federal court, for prosecution. The only difference, Johnson says, is the box that the paperwork goes into.

The Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police divides the tribe's reservation into three parts to patrol: north, central and south. The northern division covers Tulsa and surrounding counties within the Muscogee reservation.

Still, some courts have refused to change how they operate. The Tulsa municipal city court continued to fine Native Americans for city code violations, such as speeding, instead of passing those tickets on to the Muscogee Nation courthouse in Okmulgee, 40 miles to the south.

But in late June, a federal appeals court ruled against Tulsas practice. Stitt responded with a new round of objections, tweeting an image of a fake road sign with two speed limits: 75 mph and a tribal speed limit of 100 mph. We cant have two sets of rules for Oklahomans, Stitt wrote. Its that simple.

We cant have two sets of rules for Oklahomans its that simple. pic.twitter.com/nTFvyY9Th8  Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) June 29, 2023

There is no separate speed limit for tribal citizens. In a statement sent hours after Stitts tweet, Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill noted that tribal police and Tulsa police have been working together since at least 2006 and will continue to do so. The sky is not falling, he said. We know what to do.

A man thanks Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Officer Kyle Johnson. Johnson and Officer Daryl Wilson had stopped at the building in Tulsa because Johnson wanted to check on the welfare of a woman who often sleeps nearby.

More: Six key moments defining Oklahoma's relationship with Native tribes under Gov. Kevin Stitt

What happens when state police arrest a tribal citizen?

This morning, as Wilson and Johnson wait for a tow truck to haul the car remnants away, they dont need any extra help. But as the state trooper gets ready to leave, a man drives by on a green ATV. The officers watch him cross onto a busier street where ATVs arent legal. The trooper follows him for a block until the man pulls onto a sidewalk and stops in front of a house. Then, the man starts running.

There is a guy over here that is running from a state trooper on foot, Wilson tells dispatchers as both he and Johnson drive over to help. Im going to assist.

Which direction did he go? Johnson asks.

Hey Kyle, hes in the backyard over here, Wilson replies.

The man stops running as officers close in. Hes handcuffed and walked to the troopers car. He tells them hes a Cherokee Nation citizen. He thinks there is a warrant out for his arrest.

Later, the officers learn the man is facing drug charges in Muscogee Nation District Court and missed a May court hearing. He could face additional charges after the court receives the troopers report about the brief chase.

Before the 2020 Supreme Court decision, the tribal court handled about 100 pending criminal cases a year. Now, that number is close to 6,500. About a quarter of those cases are eventually set for trial, but as in the state court system, most are settled through plea agreements or other avenues before they make it to a jury.

More: Tribal regalia protections take effect in Oklahoma

More officers arrive to the scene of the Tulsa arrest and begin canvassing the neighborhood for anything the man might have tossed. As they search, the man starts dozing off in the car. Officers believe he might have taken drugs. A few officers help him out of the car and onto the curb.

Wilson talks him through a list of questions. Did you take anything? How are you feeling? Where does it hurt? Have you ever had a heart attack? Do you know what a heart attack feels like?

With each question, the man says less. Whats your name again? He doesnt answer.

Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Officer Daryl Wilson hands out police stickers to a woman whose family watched an arrest unfold in front of their house.

Two paramedics arrive to check his vitals. They load him onto a gurney, into their ambulance and begin driving away.

Neighbors who had come out to watch start going back inside. One woman asks Wilson if he has any police stickers for the kids, since they had just watched reality TV play out in front of their home. Wilson isnt sure he has any stickers. He looks inside his SUV and finds some. He walks back to hand them to her.

Then, Wilson returns to his vehicle and tells dispatch he can be assigned to another call.

Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 3 years after McGirt, how tribal police work on Muscogee Nation
Ron Katz

I have been an unaffiliated voter for many years. It is important to me because I worked for and volunteered with nonprofits since I moved to Asheville in 1996. Nonprofits, at least those designated as 501(c)(3), are required to be nonpartisan by law.

However, it appears that supporters of one political party are questioning an issue that should not be partisan  democracy. Some are election deniers, many say there is rampant voter fraud. Others are questioning the objectivity and professionalism of the various boards of elections as well as poll workers. Equally as egregious, in my opinion, they are offering solutions to problems that dont exist that will make casting a ballot more difficult for voters and for running elections for those same boards of elections.

There has been little evidence of significant voter fraud let alone rampant fraud, but the laws and initiatives that are being promoted include the following:

Photo IDs have been or are in the process of being implemented in many states including North Carolina. There is little evidence that photo IDs will do anything to address fraud. Rather, this requirement will make it more difficult for those marginalized to be able to vote and will slow down the lines for those casting ballots.

One bill (SB 747) would require absentee ballots be received by the close of business on Election Day. For many years, North Carolina has required absentee ballots be postmarked no later than Election Day and received by the Friday after. Why make such a change? Canvass by each Board, which takes place 10 days after Election Day, is when the final and official tally of votes is completed. Requiring that absentee ballots be received on Election Day is unnecessary.

That same bill would require voters to complete a provisional ballot for same-day registration during early voting. For those with limited time, same-day registration is a great benefit, but this action will discourage voters. In 2020, over 110,000 people in N.C. took advantage of same-day registration. Provisional ballots take longer to complete, are not guaranteed to be counted, take a lot more work by each county board to review, and are likely to dissuade a significant number of people to cast a ballot.

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More: Opinion: NCs short-term strategy to restrict youth voting may have long-term consequences

These are only some of the negative changes in place or being proposed that would hamper voters. What is sometimes not considered is how those same laws make the work of the county and state Boards of Elections more difficult. Here are some of the ramifications of what the N.C. General Assembly has implemented or is considering:

The costs of implementing photo ID will require additional funding from the state. Yet, both the N.C. House and Senate are not coming close to covering the funding levels the N.C. State Board of Elections has requested.

N.C. is not a member of ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center). This organization has been shown to do good work in cross referencing voters who have moved and shared that information with boards of elections in member states. This is an important step in determining who is eligible to vote. Yet many states, without any evidence, are characterizing ERIC as being partisan and either not considering joining or leaving.

Another bill (SB 749) does much to disrupt the process of choosing members for county and state boards of elections in N.C. The governor is involved in that decision-making process, but this bill would take away all input by the governor. In addition, the bill would change the number of members on each board, with the likely result of deadlocked boards which, in turn, would jeopardize the decisions of boards and impact voting.

More: Editor: Open call for women to share their voices, during Women's History Month and always

The reason for these bills can only be seen as an effort to take the power to make decisions about voting away from the voters and the governor and give more control to the N.C. General Assembly. Implementation of such bills will actually erode the trust in how elections are run in N.C.

Voting is at the heart of a democracy. It currently works well in this country and the state, but those who offer misinformation about its safety and accuracy must not be given the opportunity to change the rules. Unfortunately, the N.C. Senate has passed both these bills, but you can still tell your N.C. House member to oppose these bills.

More: Opinion: A call to pass For The People Act, John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Ron Katz is a retired nonprofit professional and administrator for the website WNC Social Justice Advocacy Guide. He also edits a nonpartisan Voting & Democracy Rights e-newsletter for WNC among other volunteer activities.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: New NC election laws make voting more difficult
Two-and-a-half years after rioters stormed the nations Capitol, the massive investigation has picked up the pace, with authorities rounding up suspects from California to New York, often aided by online sleuths who help identify them.

A Maryland man charged with assaulting officers while wielding a flagpole. A Long Island man accused of spraying police with insecticide. A Los Angeles resident arrested for fighting police in a tunnel leading into the U.S. Capitol and carrying a stolen police riot shield.

The recent arrests include a man taken into custody near former President Barack Obamas home on June 29 with guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his nearby van. Three Missouri residents were caught in the latest wave as well.

Steven and Kimberly Dragoo, of St. Joseph, were charged with four misdemeanors after they documented their breach of the Capitol  including a photo of Kimberly Dragoo entering through a broken window. And Kansas City church staffer Kyle Kumer  who authorities said took his mom to the Capitol and participated in a concerted heave-ho movement against a line of officers protecting an entrance  was charged with a felony and three misdemeanors.

Arrests continue to mount in the probe described by Attorney General Merrick Garland as one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history.

The arrest tally stands at more than 1,000, on charges ranging from demonstrating in a Capitol building to seditious conspiracy. And prosecutors vow to continue tracking down the remainder of the estimated 2,000 to 3,000 protesters who breached the Capitol, causing nearly $2.9 million in damages.

Some of the recent arrests are for minor offenses  the Dragoos were in the Capitol less than two minutes. Others, such as those involving assaults on officers, are much more serious. And the continued push to file charges appears to indicate that the investigation isnt close to wrapping up.

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The U.S. government, the FBI, the Justice Department, are persevering, and theyre following through with prosecuting these people who invaded our Capitol and caused all this damage and tried to disrupt our democracy, said Daryl Johnson, a former senior domestic terrorism analyst for the Department of Homeland Security.

When asked how long the investigation is expected to go on and whether it has the financial resources and staff to continue tracking down and prosecuting more suspects, the Justice Department declined to discuss the issue.

We cannot make any comments about this ongoing matter, said Patricia Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington, D.C., in an email to The Star.

But a letter last fall to the D.C. federal court from Matthew Graves, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said that more than 1,000 additional suspects could still face charges in connection with the Capitol attack, according to Bloomberg News, which reviewed the document.

The letter, dated Oct. 28, was written at the time the number of arrests neared 900, Bloomberg reported in a story published in March. The government estimated there could be 700 to 1,200 more defendants.

Graves told then-Chief Judge Beryl Howell in the letter that it was difficult to predict future cases because of the nature and the complexity of the investigation, Bloomberg reported. Graves said he expected a higher percentage of felony charges than misdemeanors.

We expect the pace of bringing new cases will increase, in an orderly fashion, over the course of the next few months, Graves wrote, according to Bloomberg. He concluded by saying the arrest predictions could change as the office continued to evaluate changing resources and circumstances.

Kimberly Dragoos now-deleted Facebook post on Jan. 5, 2021, showing a picture of her and her husband, Steven, on a plane headed to Washington, D.C., to attend the Stop the Steal rally.

In monthly updates on the status of the investigation, the Justice Department has repeatedly said that the Department of Justices resolve to hold accountable those who committed crimes on January 6, 2021, has not, and will not, wane.

And on May 4, in lauding the conviction of four Proud Boys leaders who were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, Garland said the verdict makes clear that the Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people and American democracy.

Our work will continue, Garland said. Todays verdict is another example of our steadfast commitment to keeping those promises. The Justice Department will never stop working to defend the democracy to which all Americans are entitled.

Help from the public

The government acknowledges that the public has played a crucial role in the mammoth investigation. More than 1,069 people in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia have been charged so far, according to the latest Justice Department figures, dated July 6.

Hundreds of thousands of people have called the FBIs tip line to report friends, neighbors, colleagues  even relatives  who stormed the Capitol.

Citizens from around the country have provided invaluable assistance in identifying individuals in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, the Justice Department said in its July update. The FBI continues to seek the publics help in identifying approximately 323 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on Capitol grounds.

The FBIs Capitol Violence website contains 14 videos of rioters wanted for violent assaults on federal officers. One of those suspects can be seen in a video striking multiple officers with what looks like a stick, the FBI says, and three others are shown charging at and assaulting officers.

The website also displays more than 1,400 photos of suspects the FBI is asking for help to identify.

Among the most productive in identifying and tracking down suspects are the sedition hunters, a loose network of online investigators who spend countless hours scouring the web, social media sites and often-overlooked places searching for even the smallest details that could help determine a suspects identity.

These sleuths  some anonymous amateurs, some professional researchers and some who are part of organizations including Deep State Dogs, Capitol Terrorists Exposers and Capitol Hunters  have gathered evidence that has helped identify hundreds of rioters.

One group, the Sedition Hunters, describes itself as a global community of open-source intelligence investigators (OSINT) working together to assist the U.S. FBI and Washington D.C. Capitol Police to find those who committed crimes on January 6 at the Capitol.

The group, whose Twitter profile name is TheRealJ6, says it has examined thousands of hours of videos and hundreds of images. It also creates Do You Know posters and composites, asking the public to share them on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

The Sedition Hunters website has a section called #SeditionInsiders that currently displays 3,200 photos of people it says were observed inside the Capitol during the riot.

Prosecutors say Kyle Kumer of Kansas City reached out and passed a stolen police riot shield back into the crowd as he approached the tunnel at the Capitols lower west terrace entryway.

On June 7, the FBI arrested Long Island funeral home director Peter Moloney two weeks after the group called out authorities on Twitter for failing to file charges nearly 700 days after online investigators had identified him.

Its been 694 days since 199-AOM #BlackBonoHelmet was identified and reported by online researchers, the May 24 tweet said. The Long Island business owner used a can of Wasp killer to assault officers, yet to date has not been arrested. Why hasnt the #DOJ brought charges?

Moloney now faces eight charges, including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, civil disorder and assault by striking.

Prosecutors say that during the initial breach of the Capitol grounds, Moloney removed a can of wasp, hornet and yellow jacket spray from his backpack and used it on police officers at least twice. Two other times, Moloney joined rioters in surrounding and striking people they thought were members of the media, according to a charging document.

The document cites an image from a video tweeted by the Sedition Hunters that the government used as evidence to identify Moloney as a participant in the riot.

Threats to McCarthy, Obama

In August 2021, the Deep State Dogs identified D.C. chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman as one of the rioters seen brawling with police inside the Capitol  including a confrontation with Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, who can be seen on video collapsing in the middle of the mob.

Soon after identifying Walls-Kaufman, the Deep State Dogs and others in the network identified Taylor Taranto of Washington state as the other person allegedly involved in the skirmish with Smith. The officer died by suicide nine days after the riot.

Walls-Kaufman was charged in 2022 with four misdemeanors, pleaded guilty to one count  parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building  and was sentenced June 13 to two months in jail. Taranto wasnt arrested until late last month, when he was picked up near Obamas home June 29 on a warrant for charges related to the insurrection.

In a document filed in federal court Wednesday, the government said the FBI had been monitoring Tarantos online activities since hed been identified as a participant in the Capitol riot. Authorities were having trouble finding him, it said, because hed recently moved to the D.C. area from Washington state and had been living in his van.

But on June 28, the document said, Taranto started live streaming on a public YouTube channel. He said he was in Maryland and headed to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which has a nuclear reactor on its property. He said he was just going one way for this mission, to hell, that his vehicle was self-driving and that he had a detonator and planned to blow up his van there.

During the live stream, the court filing said, Taranto also made ominous comments referencing Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying, Coming at you McCarthy. Cant stop whats coming. Nothing can stop whats coming. After seeing the live stream, the FBI alerted other law enforcement, and the federal court issued an arrest warrant based on Tarantos alleged Jan. 6 crimes.

The next day, former President Donald Trump posted what he claimed was Obamas address on the social media platform Truth Social, according to the document. Taranto then re-posted it on his own Truth Social account. Then, Taranto wrote on Telegram, We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell, Podestas and Obamas.

Soon after that, the court document said, Taranto began live streaming from his van while driving in a residential area of D.C. He exited the van and started walking through the neighborhood, continuing to stream. He made several concerning comments about the residences in the area, the filing said, saying he was searching for entrance points and that he had them surrounded and was going to find a way to the tunnels underneath their houses.

He also repeatedly stated that he was trying to get a shot and that he wanted to get a good angle on a shot, the government said in its filing.

When Taranto saw uniformed Secret Service officers approaching, he headed into a wooded area and tried to flee but was arrested, the document said. A search of his nearby van found hundreds of rounds of 9mm ammunition, two firearms, a machete and a mattress inside.

So far, Taranto is charged only with four misdemeanors related to the Capitol riot, but prosecutors say they intend to file felony charges. The charging documents involving Jan. 6 say Taranto and Walls-Kaufman scuffled with police inside the Capitol and that Taranto fought with other rioters outside, using a cane to fend them off.

Taranto and Walls-Kaufman also are co-defendants in a civil lawsuit filed in August 2021 by Officer Smiths wife. The lawsuit alleges that the men contributed to Smiths death. The suit says Taranto assisted Kaufman during an altercation with officers and that Kaufman grabbed Smiths baton and violently swung it, striking Smith in the head and causing a concussion. Both Taranto and Kaufman have denied the allegation.

Johnson said the work of the online detective community has been invaluable to the federal investigation  and has helped keep it going.

Theyre holding the Justice Departments feet to the fire, holding them accountable, to make sure that they follow through with these arrests, he said. I think without those peoples help, we may have reached the end of this investigation.

Were two-plus years removed from the riot, and the news cycle has moved on to other things. The Justice Department has rounded up over 1,000. Once they hit that threshold, I think they could say, Hey, we did our job, blah, blah, blah. But these private groups are doing a great job because theyre doing a lot of legwork and sending them these referrals. And once the FBI and DOJ get the referral, theyve got to follow up on it.

Videos, transparency at issue

As the Jan. 6 investigation persists, so does a battle over access to Capitol Police security video from that day.

The issue flared up in February when McCarthy granted then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson exclusive access to view more than 40,000 hours of footage. Carlson then aired dozens of clips on his shows, downplaying the violence and portraying protesters as mostly peaceful.

The Justice Department, however, says about 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Eighty were from the U.S. Capitol Police and 60 were from the Metropolitan Police Department.

About 350 defendants face charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees. That includes 110 people charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

After facing intense criticism for his decision, McCarthy said he planned to make the footage available to the broader public and to lawyers of defendants charged in the insurrection.

A Jan. 6 defendant from Kansas charged with multiple felonies has been at the forefront of the push to make those videos public. William Pope, of Topeka  who is representing himself in his case  wants U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to release videos that he says include footage of undercover Metropolitan Police officers inciting protesters to breach the Capitol.

The government has argued that the videos have been designated sensitive and highly sensitive and that it would be a matter of grave national security to make them public.

William Pope, of Topeka, was among the crowd near The Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, where he attended former President Trumps speech at the Stop the Steal rally.

In March, a coalition of more than a dozen media companies filed a motion to intervene in Popes case. They asked that the court permit Pope to release the videos to the press and public. The coalition argued that many of the video clips had already been made public, including some aired on Carlsons shows. The judge has not yet ruled on the issue.

Pope has called the videos clear evidence of undercover provocateurs and has filed a series of motions saying he has a right to see them. He has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals and is awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, following the Jan. 6 cases through the courts has gotten more difficult.

In 2020, in response to the pandemic, Congress granted special authority for federal courts to hold hearings in criminal cases by video conference or teleconference. That included an access line that allowed the public and the press to listen to those hearings by phone or through the internet.

But on April 9, the national emergency declared with respect to the pandemic was terminated, and on May 9, Chief Judge James Boasberg issued an order for the D.C. federal courts to stop providing public audio feeds to criminal proceedings.

So even though some hearings are still taking place via Zoom, judges have stopped allowing the public to listen in on the audio feeds. Now, public access to criminal hearings conducted by video or teleconferencing is only available in the courtroom of the presiding judge.

Critics of the ruling, including some defendants, say it results in less transparency.

My opinion is that the court should allow more public access, not less, especially when the January 6 cases come from all over the country, Pope said. This is another aspect of future arrests that isnt being talked about much  these new cases will likely not receive as much local coverage because its more difficult for journalists to follow.

Jan. 6: A campaign issue in 2024

Amid all the clashes over issues related to the Capitol riot, theres one thing everyone seems to agree on.

The Jan. 6 investigation is certain to be an issue in the 2024 election.

When Biden announced in April he was running for re-election, the first scenes in his launch video were of the Capitol riot. Trump, who is under investigation into whether he and his allies tried to overturn the 2020 election results, has vowed to pardon a large portion of the Jan. 6 defendants, who call themselves political prisoners and say they are being persecuted for their beliefs. And a House subcommittee continues to hold hearings on the so-called weaponization of the federal government against conservatives, including its handling of Capitol riot cases.

I think for a segment of voters, it will be a big issue, said Don Haider-Markel, a political science professor at the University of Kansas. You cant deny that Biden at least in part is basing the foundation for running for re-election on January 6, but linking that to Charlottesville as well, which was the impetus for his 2020 campaign.

Trump is using January 6 in a similar way, Haider-Markel said, trying to mobilize voters by calling investigations of him witch hunts instigated by his political enemies to delegitimize his 2016 election.

And then there are people on either side that actually are really concerned about January 6, and then those who think it was a sort of setup or something, he said. So I think in the 2024 election, January 6 definitely matters.
Separate manhunts were continuing simultaneously on Monday afternoon for two of three murder suspects who escaped from custody in separate incidents that occurred across the country in a four-day span, authorities said.

One of the fugitives, 35-year-old Eric Abril, suspected in a Northern California hostage-taking homicide and shootout with police, was captured on Monday afternoon just miles from a hospital he escaped from early Sunday, authorities said.

The latest fugitive to escape was identified as Chadwick Shane Mobley, 42, alleged to have absconded from authorities in Montana on Sunday while being taken to Michigan to face charges in the 2011 slaying of a 20-year-old woman, who was found fatally shot in the basement of a relative's home, according to officials.

Employees of a private transport company contracted by the U.S. Marshals Service were driving Mobley from the Lincoln County Jail in Libby, Montana, to Michigan on Sunday when he managed to slip out of his handcuffs and ankle shackles and bolt from custody around 10 a.m. local time at a gas station in Plains, Montana, according to the Sanders County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's officials said Mobley is considered dangerous and warned residents of Plains, a small town of about 1,100 people, to keep the doors of their homes and vehicles locked and to immediately call 911 if they spot the fugitive.

PHOTO: Fugitives, from left, Chadwick Shane Mobley, Eric Abril and Michael Burham. (Plains Police, Placer County Sheriff, Warren Police Dept.)

Mobley was arrested on June 28 in Lincoln County following a nationwide manhunt.

Mobley's escape came just hours after Abril escaped just after 3 a.m. Sunday from a medical facility in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville, where he was supposed to be under 24-hour surveillance, Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said at a news conference.

Woo said a sheriff's deputy spotted Abril shortly after he escaped but lost him during a brief foot chase.

Abril, described by authorities as a "very dangerous fugitive," was captured about 12:45 p.m. in a Rocklin, California, residential neighborhood, about 6 miles from the hospital he escaped from, officials said.

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"I know there's a lot of questions surrounding this case, specifically, surrounding the circumstances regarding the escape," Woo said. "Quite frankly, I have a lot of questions, as well. I can assure the community that when the time is right there will be a thorough investigation into how this was able to occur and whether there were any policy violations."

Abril was arrested on April 6 after he allegedly shot a California Highway Patrol officer in an ambush while wearing body armor and took two hostages at gunpoint at a park, killing one and wounding the other, according to police. He was arrested when he was injured during a shootout with law enforcement officers, authorities said.

Woo said Abril was taken to the Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, the facility he escaped from, on Thursday for an undisclosed medical issue.

PHOTO: A search was launched on July 9, 2023, for 35-year-old Eric Abril, a suspected murderer, who authorities said escaped from the Sutter Roseville Medical Center near Roseville, Calif. (Placer County Sheriff's Office)

Abril's escape came as a massive manhunt was already underway for murder suspect Michael Burham more than 2,000 miles away in northern Pennsylvania.

The 34-year-old Burham, a suspect in homicide and rape cases in Jamestown, New York, escaped Thursday night from the Warren County Jail in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

Burham, who authorities described as a "self-taught survivalist" with military experience, remained on the run Monday.

PHOTO: The Jamestown Police Department released this booking photo of Michael Burham. (Jamestown Police Department)

Army spokesman confirmed to ABC News that Burham served as a water treatment specialist and utilities equipment repairer in the Army Reserve from February 2008 to December 2020. Burham had no deployments and held the rank of Sergeant at the end of service.

Burham was last seen around 11:20 p.m. Thursday wearing an orange-and-white-striped jumpsuit, a denim jacket and a pair of Crocs, state police said.

Burham escaped from the recreation yard by climbing atop exercise equipment and exiting the yard through a metal-grated roof, Warren County spokesperson Cecile Stelter told reporters during a news conference Friday. Burham then used bed sheets tied together to lower himself to the ground and flee on foot, she said.

More than 165 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers are involved in the search for Burham, authorities said.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a news conference Monday afternoon that the search remains focused on the Northern Pennsylvania, where evidence found at several campsites has been linked to Burham.

Bivens said investigators believe Burham is receiving some kind of external assistance.

We do believe that he is getting some assistance. From where or what that type of assistance is, Im not prepared to comment on, Bivens said.

Pressed by ABC News on whether Burham could have gotten inside help with his escape, Bivins responded, "I can tell you that is being thoroughly investigated."

Residents in and around the city of Warren have been advised by authorities to lock their doors and windows and were warned that Burham should be considered armed and dangerous.

MORE: 2 escaped inmates, including convicted murderer, found after multistate manhunt

Bivens described Burham as a "self-taught survivalist" who "could be potentially holed up in a wooded area near the city," he said.

Assuming Burham is hiding out in the local woods, Bivens described the plan to continue pushing Burham, increasing his desperation and making him susceptible to capture.

We continue to make sure that were putting pressure on him and we wont know until we capture him just how close we really are, Bivens said.

The search is challenging due to the rugged and steep terrain, Bivens said. "It is taking a lot of time and effort to search those areas," he noted.

Burham was arrested on May 24 after leading authorities on a multi-state manhunt. At the time, there were three warrants issued for his arrest, including one stemming from charges he raped and unlawfully imprisoned a woman on March 13 in Jamestown, authorities said.

MORE: NY Prison Escape: Inmates Kept Notes About Escape Plan on Cell Walls, Source Says

Burham was previously named a person of interest in the killing of 34-year-old Kala Hodgkin on May 11 in Jamestown, police said. Amid the latest manhunt, Jamestown police are now referring to Burham as a suspect in that case.

During the previous manhunt, Burham allegedly kidnapped an elderly couple at gunpoint on May 20 in Sheffield, Pennsylvania, and drove them to North Charleston, South Carolina, where he was arrested, according to the FBI.

In the new search for Burham, a $9,500 reward is being offered for information that leads to his apprehension, state police said.

Stelter told ABC News that in the previous manhunt, Burham lived in the woods for multiple days, demonstrating his survivalist abilities.

ABC News' Peter Charalambous and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

1 of 3 suspected murderers who escaped from custody in separate incidents captured originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
More than 2,000 people filled the streets marching under sweltering heat in North Miami Sunday afternoon to rally in support for the people of Haiti and to protest ongoing gang violence, political instability and corruption.

We are marching against violence, we are marching against kidnapping, Anna Dorvilier, 40, from West Palm Beach, yelled waving a sign that read If we are not on the table, we are on the menu.

Chanting and singing Jistis pou Ayiti and Souf pou Ayiti  Creole for Justice for Haiti and Relief for Haiti  the crowds waved tiny Haitian flags and followed a tractor trailer truck with an elevated platform carrying dignitaries like Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, clergy and musicians

We are united for Haiti, and Gods ears are open today, Levine Cava said.

Dance and church music boomed over huge speakers towed by the truck and the people in back and ahead of the semi sang along.

We want everyone to hear our voices, said marcher Mana Pierre-Louis, a 31-year-old who moved to South Florida from Haiti seven years ago. We need a solution to Haiti now.

The Relief for Haiti rally was organized by pastor Gregory Toussaint, senior pastor of Tabernacle of Glory Church in North Miami. Toussaint, who is CEO of Shekinah.fm. The North Miami was among several the pastor organized in major cities across the United States and in Haiti itself. He decided to organize a March after a petition drive to get support for a sanctions bill in congress garnered more than 100,000 signatures in a week.

Toussaints goal was to bring together Haitians in the U.S., Haiti, Canada and France in an effort to bring awareness to the escalating gang violence and kidnappings in the Caribbean country, and demand something be done.

Sundays rally also comes amid escalating violence in the Caribbean country. On Friday, Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres announced suspension of all treatment at its trauma facility in the Haitian capital after approximately 20 armed men stormed its hospital in Tabarre.

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The incident on Thursday night serves as a microcosm of the unprecedented level of violence in Port-au-Prince, and particularly in Tabarre, where armed men last month kidnapped prominent journalist Marie Lucie Bonhomme out of her home in the middle of the night. Ten days later they abducted her husband, the former head of the Provisional Electoral Council, Pierre-Louis Opont. He remains in captivity.

The march started at North Miami Senior High School on Northeast Eight Avenue and ended at North Miami City on 125th Street.

And though the rally was announced last week, the enormous size of the crowd was a pleasant surprise to those marching.

Ive never seen anything like this before, said Babylson Dorelien, a 49-year-old Coral Springs man who moved from Haiti when he was a little boy in the early 1980s. He grew up to join the U.S. Army, and while Dorelien considers the United States home, he  like the others at the rally  want to be able to visit Haiti. Something the increasing gang violence makes nearly impossible.

Its necessary to be united and bring everyone together to show the world we are as one and we want our country to be free of the corruption and to be free to go back to our country and enjoy our country as we should, he said.

His wife, Marjorie Dorelien, also 49, said something divine was afoot Sunday gauging from the sea of people covering the streets and hearing about similar rallies in other cities around the world.

This is Gods purpose, and God is going to make a move, she said.

READ MORE: Haiti trauma hospital suspends services after armed men drag patient out of operating room

In the United States, marches were planned a number of cities, including Atlanta, Newark, N.J., Brookyln, San Diego, Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Orlando, Philadelphia and Tampa.

Guerty Saint Jour, 43, said she hasnt been back to Haiti in six years. She said if those living in the U.S. cant visit friends and family in Haiti, the people left behind will continue struggle, especially economically.

The people are suffering and they need help, she said. But, we cant help them because we cant go back to our country, to visit, to send money, to send goods.

Her friend, Woodline Mezier, 39, was born in Haiti, but also hasnt been able to return since 2017.

Were tired of working 40 hours a week, and were not able to go home, she said.

Mezier said shes also sad that her young children have never been able to go to Haiti to visit their relatives there.

Our heart breaks because Haiti is our country, she said. Its home.

In its latest report on the situation in the country, the United Nations says that violence by armed groups in the country is worsening, with sexual violence against women and girls and attacks against police officers and substations on the rise. Maria Isabel Salvador, who heads the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti, told the U.N. Security Council that another worrying trend is the rise in vigilante killings. Her office has documented the killing of 264 alleged gang members by vigilante groups this year.

Back in Haiti, several thousands took to the streets at noon, traveling a familiar protest route that started near the Carrefour airport and headed in the direction of the National Palace. As they marched, they waved signs in Creole that read, Haiti will not go to waste.

Those participating in the North Miami march said theyre optimistic the large turnout at home and at similar rallies abroad could create a momentum resulting in improved conditions for people living in Haiti.

The country of Haiti has suffered a lot, and the roots of the challenges in our country are very deep, said Mashli Fleurestil, a member of Fraternity Baptist Church in North Miami. But change has to start, and this is our first step in helping organize the diaspora here in Miami.
A worker at the Blue Grass Army Depot cuts the metal bands on a pallet of M55 rockets containing sarin. U.S. Army via AP

The US military has destroyed the last of its chemical weapons, President Joe Biden announced.

The US was the last party to a 1997 treaty to eliminate its stockpile.

But the head of the OPCW warned: "Preventing re-emergence will remain a priority."

The US military has destroyed the last of its chemical weapons as part of an international campaign that began in 1997, President Joe Biden announced.

The weapons were eliminated at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, where as many as 51,000 M55 rockets containing sarin  a toxic nerve agent  had been stored since the 1940s, The Guardian reported.

Just a small amount of sarin gas can be deadly. Here's what sarin gas is and what it does to the body, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The US was the last of the 193 countries that signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention to eradicate its stockpiles ahead of a September 30 deadline.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Nobel peace prize-winning organization that oversees the treaty, confirmed in a statement that the last chemical weapons declared by the convention's parties were destroyed.

"The end of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles is an important milestone for the organization," said Fernando Arias, the director-general of the OPCW. "It is a critical step towards achieving its mission to permanently eliminate all chemical weapons."

The disposal by the US military was the final chapter of a global destruction process of more than 30,000 tons of chemical weapons, per The Guardian.

OPCW said it would continue to monitor the closure of Blue Grass and the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and ensure the safe disposal of waste.

But Arias also warned that "recent uses and threats of use of toxic chemicals as weapons illustrate that preventing re-emergence will remain a priority."

cyano66 / Getty Images

Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan are the only nations not to have signed the treaty, according to The Guardian.

Story continues

"I continue to encourage the remaining nations to join the Chemical Weapons Convention so that the global ban on chemical weapons can reach its fullest potential," Biden said in a statement.

The president added that Russia and Syria had undeclared chemical weapons programs, "which have been used to commit brazen atrocities and attacks."

In 2018, barrel bombs filled with chlorine and sarin gases reportedly fell on and near a hospital in Douma, Syria, killing dozens of men, women, and children.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The remains of artillery shells and missiles including cluster munitions are stored on December 18, 2022 in Toretsk, Ukraine. Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images

The United States is providing Ukraine with cluster bombs it says have a failure rate of 2.35%.

But past use suggests "failure rates of 10% to 30%," according to a report prepared for Congress.

Cluster bombs that fail to explode can pose a risk to civilians for decades to come.

The US claim that the cluster bombs it's sending to Ukraine have a failure rate of less than 3% is unlikely to hold up under real-world conditions, with past use of the widely-banned weapon suggesting as many as 3 in 10 fail to explode.

At a press conference on Friday announcing the transfer, Colin Kahl, US undersecretary of defense for policy, said that the "dud" rate for US-provided 155-millimeter DPICMs, or dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, is just 2.35%. He compared it to the alleged failure rate for Russian cluster munitions of 30-40%.

"I'm as concerned about the humanitarian circumstance as anybody," Kahl said. "But the worst thing for civilians in Ukraine is for Russia to win the war."

The failure rate is important because each cluster bomb that does not explode immediately is a threat to explode later when the war is over. In Laos, for example, littered with US cluster munitions from the 1970s, thousands of people have died during peacetime from stepping on or picking up unexploded ordinance.

Most countries have banned cluster bombs, citing the long-term threat they pose to civilians. The US, Russia, and Ukraine have not.

'Failure rates of 10% to 30%'

Russia has been criticized not just for using cluster bombs but for deploying them in densely populated civilian areas. Ukraine insists it will only use cluster bombs against military targets, with experts saying that, against entrenched Russian forces in the east of the country, they are a particularly effective substitute for the 155 mm artillery shells it's running out of (and which the US cannot manufacture quickly enough to replace).

Story continues

But as The New York Times reported, past use of the particular munitions the United States is providing suggests a far greater potential harm to civilians in the aftermath of any battle, with an Army study from 2000 indicating a failure rate of up to 14% for artillery-fired M42/46 submunitions.

The US military has said it will select from its stockpile only cluster munitions that have been assessed to have a failure rate of 2.35%. But even so, there has been a gap between past claims of the weapon's effectiveness and actual experience.

A 2022 report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service noted that, despite manufacturers claiming a dud rate of just 2 to 5% for their cluster munitions, experts in real-world cleanup operations "have frequently reported failure rates of 10% to 30%."

Defenders of the decision to send Ukraine cluster bombs argue that the weapons will ultimately save lives by pushing back a Russian occupation force accused of war crimes, including torturing and killing civilians.

In an interview with CNN on Friday, President Joe Biden said the decision to send Ukraine cluster bombs was "very difficult" but cast it as necessary given that the country is running out of alternatives, namely the artillery shells that the United States had previously provided.

"This is a war relating to munitions," he said. "And they're running out of that ammunition."

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

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To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? In a perfect world, we'd like to see a company investing more capital into its business and ideally the returns earned from that capital are also increasing. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, we've noticed some promising trends at UG Healthcare (Catalist:8K7) so let's look a bit deeper.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for UG Healthcare:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.067 = S$16m  (S$258m - S$23m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

Thus, UG Healthcare has an ROCE of 6.7%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Medical Equipment industry average of 10%.

Check out our latest analysis for UG Healthcare

roce

Historical performance is a great place to start when researching a stock so above you can see the gauge for UG Healthcare's ROCE against it's prior returns. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of UG Healthcare, check out these free graphs here.

How Are Returns Trending?

We're glad to see that ROCE is heading in the right direction, even if it is still low at the moment. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 6.7%. Basically the business is earning more per dollar of capital invested and in addition to that, 434% more capital is being employed now too. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at UG Healthcare thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

In another part of our analysis, we noticed that the company's ratio of current liabilities to total assets decreased to 9.1%, which broadly means the business is relying less on its suppliers or short-term creditors to fund its operations. So shareholders would be pleased that the growth in returns has mostly come from underlying business performance.

The Key Takeaway

In summary, it's great to see that UG Healthcare can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. And a remarkable 108% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. In light of that, we think it's worth looking further into this stock because if UG Healthcare can keep these trends up, it could have a bright future ahead.

One more thing to note, we've identified 3 warning signs with UG Healthcare and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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New Delhi: There has been a smartphone revolution, as we are all aware, but this has also resulted in significant security and privacy vulnerabilities. Threats and annoyances come in many different forms today. Aside from security breaches, there are a number of problems that plague us on a regular basis, including missed calls, blank calls, fraudulent calls, etc.

Prior until recently, it was practically hard to locate such unknown numbers, but thanks to recent technological advancements, we now feel more protected, safe, and informed.

And Alan Mamedi, a person who enjoys avoiding the spotlight, is the one who has provided us with this easiness. Truecaller was founded by Alan Mamedi. True Software Scandinavia AB, a privately held firm based in Stockholm, Sweden, and established in 2009 by Alan Mamedi and Nami Zarringhalam, is the company that created the Truecaller app.



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Foundation Of Truecaller

As avid users of smartphones, Alan and his old friend Nami Zarringhalam frequently discussed their experiences with them.

One day, they got into a conversation about how the Internet had mostly replaced the outdated Yellow Pages phone directories (Commercial), but at the same time, there was no way to verify individual phone numbers, or White Pages as they are known in many other countries.

They observed that while a short web search could provide you with a phone number, address, and pretty much anything else about the majority of organisations, it was incredibly difficult to discover trustworthy information about an individual.

It was made even more challenging for anyone to even consider creating something like White Pages in the modern era because of a few additional factors, such as the recent transition from landlines to mobile and the fact that mobile carriers do not exchange customer information.

Other than that, it was pretty much certain that you would never find the appropriate person using the white pages that were available online.

They were thinking about this, that's what!

The fire was further fueled by the fact that, on an arbitrary day, they began to receive a barrage of calls from unknown numbers that finally revealed out to be their own family.

Only if there was a simpler way to check up phone numbers for the missed calls they had gotten from distant relatives, or in this case, from clients phoning them at their prior place of employment. Basically, a quick and simple way to find the caller's identity!

A startup that could give customers the names of callers whose numbers weren't saved on their phones was one of the ideas that emerged from their rage. Having stated that, Truecaller was officially born in 2009!

The net worth of Truecaller at present as per several media reports is Rs 8509 crore.
Success Story: Mohan Singh 'Oberoi's' journey seems amazing, starting as a billing clerk at Shimla's The Cecil hotel making INR 50 a month to founding a luxury hotel chain like Oberoi.Long before India woke up to the potential of hospitality and tourism, one man had a dream. It started in Rawalpindi, where a young teenager would gaze in awe at Hotel Flashmans, and ended with the creation of a multinational group, spanning 35 hotels. It was common to refer to MS Oberoi as the 'Grand Old man Of The Indian Hospitality Industry'. Perhaps describing him as one of its ancestors would be more accurate. After all, he was the nation's first Indian to head a hotel business.

Struggle And Failure

In the Pakistani village of Bhanau, in the Jhelum district, MS Oberoi was born into a Sikh family. He was just six months old when his father passed away, and following his father's death, Oberoi's mother took on all of the obligations of the family, which was not a good condition for a woman in those days. Therefore, when he was mature enough, Mohan Singh made the decision to discontinue his studies and start working as a manager in his uncle's shoe business in Lahore (before Partition) in 1918. However, due to widespread rioting in Amritsar, the factory was forced to close after only a year.



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Life After Marriage

The life of MS Oberoi changed when he married Ishran Devi. He relocated to Sargodha in present-day Pakistan after getting married, where he stayed with his brother-in-law and looked for work. However, nothing seemed to be working out, and Oberoi gave up and went back to his home village in the Jhelum district. His mother requested that he go back to his in-laws' place, even though he wanted to stay and take care of her. His mother gave Oberoi Rs. 25 as he was departing.

Ray Of Hope

Oberoi arrived in Shimla in 1922 to escape the plague pandemic after much struggle and failure. He was hired as a front desk billing clerk at The Cecil Hotel for a salary of Rs 50 per month. After going through a lot of hardships, Mohan finally had this chance, and he gave it everything he had to make the most of it. MS Oberoi, who arrived in Shimla without shoes and with only Rs 25 in his pocket, is now in charge of upgrading one of the city's most illustrious hotels. In fact, the majority of the well-known hotels in Shimla were upgraded thanks to Oberoi, who worked hard to take advantage of the chance.

A Multi-Billion Dollar Dream

By mortgaging all of his assets and his wife's jewelry in 1934, Oberoi was able to purchase his first piece of property, The Clarkes Hotel, from his mentor. Over the following five years, his diligent labor allowed him to repay the whole amount of the mortgage. After that, he agreed to a lease to run the 500-room Grand Hotel in Calcutta, which had been put up for sale as a result of a cholera epidemic. He was able to turn this hotel into a very successful commercial endeavor with his customary confidence and pure willpower. MS Oberoi, who created the second-largest hotel company in India, principally operating under the Oberoi Hotels and Resorts and Trident brands, employs more than 12,000 people worldwide and owns and operates 31 luxury hotels and luxury cruise ships in five countries. His first global business, The Soaltee Oberoi in Nepal, was launched by him in 1969. The group currently has properties in Melbourne, Bali, Colombo, Mauritius, Cairo, and Budapest, among other places.

The secret to Mohan Singh Oberoi's success was that he never stopped working hard, which is why he kept moving up the success ladder. The Oberoi Group of hotels, which Mohan Singh Oberoi founded, bears witness to his legacy of excellence in service and his status as the father of the Indian hotel industry. The British government awarded Oberoi the title of "Rai Bahadur" in 1943 in recognition of his contributions to the Crown. And many accolades later, in 2001, he received the Padma Bhushan. In 2002, MS Oberoi said goodbye to the world.
New Delhi: An Indian court rejected PepsiCo Inc's appeal against an order that revoked a patent for a potato variety grown exclusively for the New York-based company's popular Lay's potato chips. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPVFR) Authority in 2021 revoked intellectual protection granted to PepsiCo's FC5 potato variety, saying that India's rules do not allow a patent on seed varieties.

The authority removed PepsiCo's patent cover after Kavitha Kuruganti, a farmers' rights activist, argued that the company cannot claim a patent over a seed variety. PepsiCo petitioned the Delhi High Court against the revocation of the patent cover.

In its order dated July 5, Delhi High Court judge Navin Chawla dismissed PepsiCo's appeal against the authority's decision. "We are aware of the order ... and are in the process of reviewing the same," a PepsiCo India spokesperson said in a statement.

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The U.S. snacks and drinks maker, which set up its first potato chip plant in India in 1989, supplies the FC5 seed variety to a group of farmers who in turn sell their produce to the company at a fixed price. PepsiCo has maintained that it exclusively developed the FC5 variety and registered the trait in 2016. The FC5 variety has a lower moisture content required to make snacks such as potato chips.

In a statement, Kuruganti said: "It is good that the judgement of Justice Navin Chawla upheld the revocation order . . ." In 2019, PepsiCo sued some Indian farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety, accusing growers of infringing its patent. The company also sought more than 10 million rupees ($121,050) each for alleged patent infringement.

Within months, PepsiCo withdrew lawsuits against farmers. In its order, the Delhi High Court did not uphold accusations of any public interest violation by PepsiCo. PepsiCo is the second large U.S. company to face patent infringement issues in India. After a long-standing intellectual property dispute, seed maker Monsanto, now owned by German drugmaker Bayer AG, withdrew from some businesses in India.
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. Having said that, unprofitable companies are risky because they could potentially burn through all their cash and become distressed.

So, the natural question for Rex Minerals (ASX:RXM) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.

View our latest analysis for Rex Minerals

How Long Is Rex Minerals' Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. In December 2022, Rex Minerals had AU$30m in cash, and was debt-free. In the last year, its cash burn was AU$23m. So it had a cash runway of approximately 15 months from December 2022. That's not too bad, but it's fair to say the end of the cash runway is in sight, unless cash burn reduces drastically. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

How Is Rex Minerals' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Because Rex Minerals isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. Nonetheless, we can still examine its cash burn trajectory as part of our assessment of its cash burn situation. Its cash burn positively exploded in the last year, up 216%. With that kind of spending growth its cash runway will shorten quickly, as it simultaneously uses its cash while increasing the burn rate. Clearly, however, the crucial factor is whether the company will grow its business going forward. For that reason, it makes a lot of sense to take a look at our analyst forecasts for the company.

Can Rex Minerals Raise More Cash Easily?

Given its cash burn trajectory, Rex Minerals shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Rex Minerals' cash burn of AU$23m is about 17% of its AU$139m market capitalisation. As a result, we'd venture that the company could raise more cash for growth without much trouble, albeit at the cost of some dilution.

How Risky Is Rex Minerals' Cash Burn Situation?

On this analysis of Rex Minerals' cash burn, we think its cash burn relative to its market cap was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. Summing up, we think the Rex Minerals' cash burn is a risk, based on the factors we mentioned in this article. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 4 warning signs for Rex Minerals (3 make us uncomfortable!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies insiders are buying, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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New Delhi: Utkarsh Small Finance Bank is all set to launch its Initial Public Offering (IPO) from July 12, 2023, to July 14, 2023. The bank aims to raise capital of Rs 500 crore through equity shares and provide investors with an opportunity to participate in its growth story.

This article provides an overview of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank's IPO, including key details such as issue size, eligibility & allocation, registrar, GMP, and more.

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank IPO Issue size:

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The IPO will offer 21,73,91,304 equity shares of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank. The price band for the shares is set at 23.00-25.00 per share, with a face value of 10.00. The minimum bid quantity is 600 shares, and the market lot is also set at 600 shares. The tick size for bidding is 1.00.

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank IPO Eligibility and Allocation:

Qualified Institutional Investors (QIBs) can bid for a maximum quantity of 215,217,000 shares, while Non-Institutional Investors (NIIs) can bid for up to 53,803,800 shares. This allocation ensures a fair distribution of shares across different investor categories. The allotment process will probably start on July Wednesday, July 19.

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank IPO Listing Date:

It is supposed to list on BSE and NSE on Monday, July 24, 2023.

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank IPO Lead Managers:

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank has appointed two renowned Book Running Lead Managers (BRLMs) for the IPO. The first BRLM is ICICI Securities Limited, a leading financial institution with expertise in managing IPOs. The second BRLM is Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Limited, which also brings extensive experience in capital market transactions.

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank IPO Registrar:

The registrar for Utkarsh Small Finance Bank's IPO is KFIN Technologies Limited (formerly known as KFIN Technologies Private Limited). The registrar is responsible for handling the share allocation process, refund, and other related activities.

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank IPO Sponsor Banks:

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank has secured sponsorship from two prominent banks for its IPO. The first sponsor bank is ICICI Bank Limited, a leading private sector bank in India. The second sponsor bank is Axis Bank Limited, known for its expertise in financial services.

The Utkarsh Small Finance Bank IPO offers investors a chance to invest in a promising player in the small finance banking sector. With a reasonable price band, strong lead managers, and support from reputable sponsor banks, the IPO presents a compelling investment opportunity. However, investors are advised to carefully analyze the IPO's prospectus and consult with financial advisors before making any investment decisions.
New Delhi: The Delhi government issued a flood warning on Sunday as Haryana released more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnikund barrage. The irrigation and flood control department said this was the first warning, with 1,05,453 cusecs of water discharged at 4 pm. Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. The water from the barrage takes around two to three days to reach Delhi.

Authorities have been instructed to stay vigilant and take necessary action in vulnerable areas. Quick response teams have been deployed to raise awareness and warn the people living near the river embankments, according to the department.

The Delhi government has set up 16 control rooms, including a central control room, to monitor the flood-prone areas and the water level of the Yamuna.



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Earlier in the day, the Central Water Commission (CWC) said the water level in the river in Delhi is rising and is expected to surpass the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday.

According to the CWC's flood-monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge touched 203.18 metres at 1 pm on Sunday. The warning level is 204.5 metres.

The water level is anticipated to rise to 205.5 metres between 11 am and 1 pm on Tuesday, the CWC said.

Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last two days, with many areas in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording "heavy to very heavy" precipitation.

This has resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that have massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall in a single day in July since 1982, recording 153 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. Between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, the city received an additional 105 mm rainfall, exacerbating the situation.

In response to the torrential rains, the Delhi government announced a closure of all schools on Monday and cancelled the Sunday leave of government officials, instructing them to be in the field. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Chandigarh and Ambala reported a record rainfall of 322.2 mm and 224.1 mm respectively.

The Yamuna river system's catchment covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi are considered prone to flooding and are inhabited by around 37,000 people.

Encroachments on the river floodplain have occurred over the years, despite the land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), revenue department and private individuals.

Last year, the river breached the danger mark twice in September.
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday shared a video of his recent interaction with motorcycle mechanics at Delhi's Karol Bagh. Calling it the 'next pit stop' of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', the former Lok Sabha MP shared on social media glimpses of his candid conversations with the mechanics at Karol Bagh on June 27, in which he is seen learning the nuances of servicing a bike and answering their queries.

In the 12-minute long video, Rahul Gandhi is seen answering queries from the mechanics, with one of them asking when would he get married, to which the 53-year-old replied, "Let us see."

The former Congress chief was also heard saying that he has a KTM390 motorcycle, which is just parked unused as his security people do not allow him to go for a ride on it.



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ALSO READ | 'No PM Should Be Without A Wife': Lalu Yadav On Rahul Gandhi's Marriage

At the bikers' market, he interacted and serviced a motorcycle with Umed Shah, Vicky Sen and Manoj Paswan.

"To strengthen the automobile industry of India, there is a need to empower the mechanics of India," Rahul said in a tweet in Hindi as he shared the video.

"I made an effort to understand the difficulties and know the dreams of mechanics in India. As he taught me the nuances of servicing a bike, Umed Shah, a senior mechanic, told me how poverty had forced him to stop his studies and become a mechanic, like his elder brother, decades ago," Gandhi was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Congress.

"Our mechanics toil to sustain the automobile industry -- they deserve access to better facilities and the best opportunities. In the prosperity and well-being of every individual and workers of every profession lies Bharat's true progress," he asserted.
In a tale of resilience and determination, Shweta Katti, hailing from Kamathipura, one of Asia's infamous red-light districts, has defied all odds and achieved remarkable success. She became the first girl from an Indian red-light district to secure an international scholarship and study abroad. Katti's inspiring story has captivated audiences as she delivers motivational speeches at TedX events. Recognized as one of the "25 Women Under 25 to Watch Out For," she has become a beacon of hope, challenging the social stigma associated with Dalits. Let's delve into the remarkable journey of Shweta Katti, who turned adversity into triumph.

A Challenging Upbringing:

Growing up in Kamathipura, Katti faced numerous hardships. She endured an abusive stepfather who subjected her to years of sexual abuse. While her mother provided some support, it was the arrival of the nonprofit organization Kranti that would change the trajectory of her life. Kranti aimed to empower girls from Mumbai's red-light areas, and its impact on Katti's life was transformative.

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The Turning Point:

Amidst the challenges, Katti found inspiration from her sex worker neighbor, Radha, who shed light on the potential consequences if she didn't prioritize education. This revelation motivated Katti to complete her 12th grade education successfully at SNDT University in Mumbai. Her dedication and perseverance led to a pivotal turning point.

Securing an International Scholarship:

Shweta Katti's journey took a monumental leap when she earned a prestigious scholarship to Bard College in the United States. This achievement made her the first girl from an Indian red-light district to secure an international scholarship and study abroad. Her accomplishment not only shattered barriers but also symbolized hope and possibility for others facing similar circumstances.

Inspiring Others with Motivational Speeches:

Katti's impact extends beyond her academic achievements. She has gained recognition in TedX circles for her motivational speeches, captivating audiences with her personal story of overcoming adversity and breaking societal stereotypes. Her words resonate deeply, inspiring individuals to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams.

Embracing Self-Acceptance:

Despite her accomplishments, Katti acknowledges that true success lies in self-acceptance. She emphasizes that awards and external validation do not define her journey. Instead, it is her ability to embrace her identity, including her skin color, past experiences, and the UN Youth Courage award she received alongside Malala, that empowers her. Katti's unwavering self-love and acceptance exemplify the power of embracing one's uniqueness.

Continuing the Pursuit of Education:

Currently, Shweta Katti is pursuing her MA on a full scholarship in Italy, further demonstrating her commitment to education and personal growth. Her remarkable journey serves as an inspiration to others, illustrating that determination, resilience, and self-acceptance can triumph over adversity.

Conclusion:

Shweta Katti's journey from Kamathipura's red-light district to securing an international scholarship is a testament to the human spirit's indomitable nature. Overcoming a challenging upbringing, she defied societal expectations and empowered herself through education. Katti's achievements inspire individuals to strive for their dreams, emphasizing that the path to success begins with self-acceptance and embracing one's unique identity. Her remarkable story continues to uplift and transform lives, proving that no obstacle is insurmountable when accompanied by unwavering determination and a resilient spirit.
We often use emojis in our message replies, but do we truly understand their precise meanings? This time, it resulted in a costly mistake. Yes, a person has been fined 50 lakh due to the misinterpretation of an emoji. Although this incident took place in Canada, it serves as a lesson for all of us.

The Whole Incident

The incident occurred in Saskatchewan, Canada, when a local grain buyer sent an online message to farmer Chris Actor in March 2021, promising to purchase his crops in November. The contract was sent, and in response, Chris Actor replied with a thumbs-up emoji. However, in November, Chris Actor couldn't deliver the crops, and by then, the price of the crops had increased.



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Controversy Surrounding Emoji Meaning

While Chris Actor claims that he intended the thumbs-up emoji to convey that he had received the contract, he did not confirm the contract itself. On the other hand, the grain buyer insists that the farmer confirmed the terms of the contract with the thumbs-up emoji.

The Case Reaches Court

As the case reached the court in Canada, the judge recognized the thumbs-up emoji as an official signature. Consequently, the farmer was fined 61,442, equivalent to approximately 50 lakh, for breach of contract.

Are You Making the Same Mistake?

If you reply to someone with an emoji without knowing its actual meaning, you could face significant consequences. It's crucial to understand the meaning of an emoji before using it in your messages.

What Does Thumbs-Up Really Mean?

According to studies, the thumbs-up emoji is commonly used to indicate approval or to signify "okay." However, a report published in the Daily Mail suggests that a thumbs-down emoji may imply disagreement or disapproval. Similarly, different hand emojis carry different meanings.

The incident serves as a reminder to be cautious while using emojis and to ensure that the intended meaning is clearly understood.
Light to heavy rain lashed parts of the national capital in the early hours on Sunday, for the second day straight with the weather department predicting more showers in the next few days. In its daily weather forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heavy rainfall is likely to occur over North India in the next four days. "Heavy rains in North India for the next four to five days. The effect of active monsoon will be seen in other states," the IMD said in a statement.

The India Meteorological Department on Saturday issued a red alert for seven districts of the state and an orange alert for three districts for the next 48 hours as the state continued to receive heavy rainfall. IMD also issued alerts for flash floods, landslides in the state. "A red alert has been issued for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts. Most places in the state will receive rainfall. An orange alert has been issued for Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts," IMD HP deputy director Bui Lal told ANI.

#WATCH | Severe waterlogging witnessed in Rajasthan's Sikar following incessant rainfall in the region. (08.07) pic.twitter.com/VOLYgo3tw2  ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 9, 2023

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India Meteorological Department on Saturday warned of flash floods and avalanches in the Lahul and Spiti district. "Due to the continuous and heavy rainfall in the district of Lahul and Spiti, there is a great possibility of flash flooding and avalanches," read an official statement by the national weather forecaster. Earlier, on Saturday, the Indian Meteorological Department issued a red alert for seven districts of the state and an orange alert for three districts over the next 48 hours.

The IMD has also issued alerts for flash floods, landslides and shooting stones in the state. Himachal Pradesh police said that a road was blocked due to the falling of a tree in the Khera district near the Sidhartha factory on National Highway 105, connecting Manpura and Nalagarh, following incessant rains in the district.

After a clearing operation by the officials, normal vehicular movement was restored on the highway. In the state capital, Shimla, on Thursday, a railway track between Koti and Sanwara was closed following floods after heavy rainfall. "A railway track between Koti Railway Station and Sanwara Railway Station at Tunnel No. 10 was closed on Thursday following floods after heavy rain in Shimla," an official statement said. According to officials, the state has already suffered major losses in infrastructure because of unrelenting showers.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in Udhampur on Saturday after the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed on account of bad weather. Earlier, on Saturday, a road connecting Tunnel 3 and 5 in the Ramban district was damaged following a landslide. After the landslip incident, the National Highway was closed till further notice.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall was witnessed in several parts of Kerala and Lakshadweep on Saturday. IMD tweeted, "Rain occurred at most places in Kerala and Lakshadweep. Heavy to very heavy rainfall reports in cm are: Amini (Lakshadweep UT) 15, Padinjarathara Dam AWS (Wayanad district) 12, Kudulu (Kasaragod district) & Peringome AWS (Kannur district) 9 each." It also issued a yellow alert for certain districts in Kerala. Meanwhile, overnight rainfall in Kottayam left various residential areas of the city waterlogged. "A yellow alert has been issued in the Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragode districts of Kerala," the IMD said.
New Delhi: Sana Khan delivered her first child in Surat on July 5, 2023. The actress, who quit showbiz sometime back, got married to Anas Saiyad in a private ceremony. She shared both her wedding and baby arrival news on social media with fans. Recently, she revealed the name of her newborn.

In an interview with Times Of India, Sana disclosed the name of her baby boy. It is said naam ka insaan par bohot asarr hota hai. So, we wanted a name that signified piousness, gentleness, care, and honesty. Jamil means beauty, and Tariq means pleasant.

On being newly inducted to motherhood, the former actress said, Its one of the best feelings in the world and indescribable at the same time. Bringing a new life into the world is unimaginable. I still cant believe he is my baby; it seems I have come to visit someone elses child (smiles). Its a lifetime responsibility, and you are accountable for everything good or bad happening in the childs life. A woman goes through so many changes during this phase. You feel helpless when your baby cries; they are so tiny you dont know how to hold them. So, for now, my mother-in-law is changing his diapers.



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When talked about how her husband Anas is flaring with fatherhood, she said, I feel I dont even know him. He is so different. He gets so emotional while looking at the baby that he sometimes has tears in his eyes. I often see him crying. I even asked him once why he was crying as I was the crybaby in the relationship, and the baby was my partner-in-crime.

Sending shockwaves across the showbiz, Sana Khan quit the industry in October 2020 and married Surat-based businessman, Maulana Anas Saiyad. Sana has worked in movies like Jai Ho, Halla Bol, Wajah Tum Ho, and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and participated, in reality, shows Bigg Boss 6 and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi
New Delhi: Every other day, we read accounts of people being stolen from their hard-earned money in India, where cases of scams and fraudulent activities are increasing at an alarming rate. The easiest approach to prevent falling victim to such scams is to be wary of strangers and do extensive background checks on everyone you communicate with online.

And when it comes to investing money, one should exercise utmost caution and avoid doing so merely on the advice of another person. (Also Read: From Being Born In A Refugee Camp To Founding Billion-Dollar Empire: Meet The Man Whose First Job Was A Salesman, Now Owns Rs 8,509 Crore)

Financial advice from strangers can frequently have rather disastrous outcomes. A Pune-based software worker who met a woman through a matrimonial website and paid almost Rs 92 lakh on her advise had a similar situation. The techie lost all of his money since the woman turned out to be a con artist. (Also Read: Once Struggled To Survive, Closed Website In 2015, Its App-Only Model Failed But Now It's Over Rs 3501 Crore Company)



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Many people utilise matrimonial websites to discover their life companions. However, one must also keep in mind that the users they are engaging with on the site are strangers and shouldn't be trusted unless they have met them several times and have undergone a background check.

A Pune-based IT worker who had met a woman online was defrauded of Rs 91.75 lakh. According to a report in The Indian Express, a man who works for an IT company met a woman online in February of this year with the intention of getting married to her. According to the investigation, the woman persuaded the man to make a total investment of Rs 91.75 lakh.

According to police officials, the woman made a marriage commitment to the man when they first spoke on the phone after meeting on a matrimonial website. After proposing marriage, the woman persuaded the man to invest in "blescoin" trading for "a bright future."

The victim took out loans from various banks and a loan app because she believed the woman. For the investment, he took out a total loan of Rs 71 lakhs.

The man has been following the woman's directions since February and has made a total of 86 lakhs rupees (including the money withdrawn from the loan and his own savings) to various bank accounts.

He believed that the funds were being used to fund a 'blescoin' trading enterprise. The woman advised the man to make an additional investment of Rs. 10 lakh when he received no return.

In order to receive a return on his investment, the report states that he deposited approximately Rs 3.95 lakh, followed by Rs 1.8 lakh. However, when this didn't materialise, he concluded that he had been duped.

The man, who resides in Adarsh Nagar on Dehu Road, reported the incident to the police, who have since arrested the unnamed woman and her accomplices.
New Delhi: On July 26, Samsung is likely to introduce its most recent, high-end Galaxy products during a widely anticipated mega-event. New folding phones from the Galaxy Z Fold series, maybe Galaxy Tab S tablets, and Watch 6 series smartwatches will also be unveiled at the event. These intriguing Samsung products will also arrive in India, and pre-orders have already started.

Even though the sale might not start right away, it is anticipated to start in the first week of August. Here's a sneak peek at some of the products that the forthcoming Galaxy Unpacked presentation on July 26 is expected to introduce. (Also Read: From Being Born In A Refugee Camp To Founding Billion-Dollar Empire: Meet The Man Whose First Job Was A Salesman, Now Owns Rs 8,509 Crore)

Galaxy Z Flip 5 And Fold 5

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The highly anticipated Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are among the cutting-edge smartphones that Samsung is scheduled to unveil at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. (Also Read: High Profit-Making Business Idea: Invest Rs 20 lakh And Earn Upto Rs 2 lakh/Month - Govt Subsidy Also Available To Fund You)

The new Galaxy Z Flip 5 has already been unveiled on the official poster, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to be a more expensive model. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a bigger form factor, is brimming with cutting-edge capabilities, and is more expensive.

The Z Flip 5, on the other hand, is anticipated to get substantial changes, including a sizable external display that might allow running apps. According to recent reports, Samsung may improve the design and include formal dust protection, both of which were previously absent from their prior Galaxy foldable handsets.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 will have a fingerprint scanner, according to the official poster, and Samsung will keep the sturdy metal frame. The newest Snapdragon chipset from Qualcomm, such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC or the yet-to-be-announced Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 SoC, is anticipated to power these upcoming Samsung folding devices.
Srinagar, July 9 - After two days of suspension due to inclement weather, the much-awaited Amarnath Yatra has finally resumed in the scenic Kashmir Valley. Pilgrims were given the green light to proceed towards the holy cave from the Nunwan and Baltal base camps on Sunday. However, due to unfavorable conditions, no pilgrims were permitted to move from Jammu to Kashmir as the National Highway 1 (NH1), connecting the two regions, remained closed for the third consecutive day.

**Relief for Pilgrims as Amarnath Yatra Resumes**

The yatra had been temporarily halted on Friday due to the adverse weather conditions and concerns for the safety of the pilgrims. The annual Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 1, has seen the participation of around 85,000 devotees thus far.



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**Assistance Provided to Stranded Pilgrims**

During the suspension of the yatra, some pilgrims found themselves stranded in various locations. However, the administration and security forces promptly stepped in to assist them. Over 650 stranded Amarnath pilgrims, including women and children, were provided emergency relief and aid by the civil administration, as well as the security forces, including the Army's 2 sector. The stranded individuals were stuck near the Wuzur area of Qazigund on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.

**Increase in Water Levels Amidst Heavy Rainfall**

Meanwhile, the incessant rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir over the past two days has resulted in a significant increase in the water level of rivers and canals across the region. The Jhelum River, in particular, was observed flowing above the flood-alert mark in southern Kashmir and Srinagar on Sunday morning, accompanied by cloudy weather and the possibility of further precipitation within the next 24 hours.

**Improvement in Weather Forecasted, Red Warning Issued**

Although the weather department has forecasted overall improvement in the Jammu and Kashmir region starting from July 10, a "red warning" has been issued for additional rainfall in the lower catchment areas of Kathua, Samba, and other regions in Jammu.

**Efforts to Tackle the Impact of Heavy Rainfall**

Officials have reported that the water level at the Sangam gauge in south Kashmir surpassed the flood alarm mark of 21 feet yesterday, currently flowing at 21.25 feet, approximately 4 feet below the flood declaration level. At Pampore, it was observed to be flowing at 5.51 meters, exceeding the floodmark of 5.0 meters by 10 a.m. Furthermore, at Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar, the water level was recorded at 19.60 feet against the alarm level of 18 feet and the flood level of 21 feet.

**Affected Areas and Loss of Lives**

The southern areas of Kashmir have been the most affected by the heavy rainfall, leading to waterlogging in houses, orchards, and rice fields. Tragically, in Jammu province, four lives were lost. Two individuals died, and another sustained injuries when a bus was struck by a landslide in Bhanghroo Gandoh village of Doda district. Additionally, two Army soldiers, who were part of a patrolling team, were trapped in a flash flood in a river near Poshana along the Mughal Road and were subsequently swept away.

**Stay Alert, Improvement Expected**

According to meteorological officials, an overall improvement in the weather is expected to take place from July 10. However, a red warning has been issued for Kathua, Samba, and other lower catchment areas of the Jammu region, as the risk of flooding and flash floods has considerably increased. All concerned individuals are advised to remain vigilant during the next 24 hours.
Russia has resources China needs to fight the West, and Beijing can't find them anywhere else in the world, think tank analyst says

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 21, 2023. Sergei Karpukhin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Russia's economy has become more reliant on China since Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine.

But an analyst said Russia retains key leverage in its relationship with China and won't be Beijing's vassal.

"The experience that the Russian army is currently gaining in Ukraine is even more interesting for Beijing."

Russia's economy has become more dependent on China since Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine, but that doesn't mean Vladimir Putin will become subservient to Beijing, according to an analyst.

Russia is now China's top oil supplier, while Chinese companies provide Russian firms with technology that's no longer available from the West. Such trends have led to predictions of the "yuanization" of Russia's economy.

But Mikhail Korostikov wrote for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that there's little sign of Moscow ceding control to Beijing.

"The relationship between Russia and China is by no means perfect, but the shared interests of both countries' leaderships and the strategic logic of the confrontation with the West create a solid foundation for reasonably equal cooperation," he said. "Within that interaction, China does have a certain opportunity to turn Russia into its vassal  but, crucially, it has no compelling reasons to do so."

Arguments of a Russian vassal dependency miss the mark, as trade between the two countries is comparable to China's trade with other countries, he noted.

For instance, while China's share of Russian trade has boomed to an estimated 22% since the Ukraine war, its share of Australian trade is even larger, at the 26%. In fact, China is the top trading partner of about 120 countries, and many are more dependent on Beijing than Russia is, Korostikov added.

"Nearly a year and a half into the full-scale invasion, the relationship between Russia and China is largely following the same rules as before," Korostikov pointed out.

Meanwhile, he doesn't see a motive for Beijing to make Moscow a vassal. Already, the two countries enjoy market openness, and the few areas that China could pressure Russia on would result in a strong pushback from Kremlin leadership.

To be sure, Korostikov acknowledged that the Ukraine war has strengthened China's hand in its relations with Russia. But the Kremlin has gained its own leverage too.

"It has also provided Moscow with several important advantages, most notably information on withstanding sanctions and on fighting a war against Western weaponry, which China cannot obtain from anywhere but Moscow," he explained.

Because China sees a confrontation with the West as inevitable, collaborating with Russia can give Beijing needed perspective on how sanctions affect the economy, how to circumvent them, how the financial system will behave, and which protections are effective, he said.

Moreover, as China holds a large amount of Russian weaponry, the Kremlin's war in Ukraine can provide Beijing with lessons on how to best fight Western weapons used by Kyiv's forces. And that information may be Putin's most valuable resource in his relationship with China.

"The experience that the Russian army is currently gaining in Ukraine is even more interesting for Beijing," Korostikov said.

Not all that intelligence would be relevant in the event China attacks Taiwan, he noted. But just a fraction of it "would have to be obtained by China at the cost of soldiers' blood if it decided to find it out itself," Korostikov wrote. "Instead, the established military cooperation between the two countries gives China access to this information without significant costs."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Bhopal/Indore: The Indore police have registered a case against Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh for allegedly sharing a controversial post on former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief MS Golwalkar on social media, an official said on Sunday. Following the post, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused Congress leaders of spreading "misinformation" and creating social hatred by sharing a "false" post on Golwalkar.

Chouhan said the former RSS head worked throughout his life to remove social differences and build a harmonious society. However, a state Congress leader said Digvijaya Singh shared facts on the basis of a book and that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot silence the voice of his party.

Golwalkar was the longest-serving RSS chief and was at the helm of the organisation from 1940-73.



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Digvijaya Singh on Saturday tweeted a picture of a page carrying several controversial comments quoted to the former RSS head, known as 'Guruji' among his admirers.

Golwalkar was quoted as saying he would rather live under the British rule than have equal rights given to Dalits, backwards and Muslims. Some other controversial comments were also attributed to him.

Following the post, senior RSS functionary and its publicity department head Sunil Ambekar accused the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister of posting a "photoshopped" image. It is baseless and is meant to cause social disharmony, he said, adding that 'Guruji' never made such remarks.

His life was spent removing social discrimination, he said.

Based on a complaint filed by lawyer and RSS worker Rajesh Joshi, an FIR was registered in Indore on Saturday night against Digvijaya Singh under Indian Penal Code sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 500 (defamation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), an official from Tukoganj police station said.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Indore Police Commissioner Makarand Deuskar said, "We received a complaint claiming that Singh in the post attributed some remarks to Golwalkar which the latter never made. Based on this complaint, the case has been registered against Singh." Further steps would be taken after a probe into the charges against Digvijaya Singh, Deuskar said.

In his complaint, Rajesh Joshi alleged Singh had shared a controversial poster on Facebook and Twitter bearing the name and picture of "Guruji" to incite people by creating conflict among Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and Hindus, as per the FIR.

The complaint claimed Singh's post on Golwalkar allegedly hurt the religious beliefs of Sangh workers and the entire Hindu community, according to the FIR.

In a statement sent to the media, a Sangh official from Indore alleged Digvijaya Singh had made a "false and unwarranted post" about Golwalkar on social media to tarnish the organisation's image.

MP CM Chouhan in a tweet posted on Saturday night said, It is the habit of Congress leaders to spread misinformation and hatred without knowing the facts. Revered Shri Golwalkar Guruji worked throughout his life to remove social differences and build a harmonious society." This kind of "false propaganda" about Guruji (as Golwalkar was popularly called) shows the frustration of Congress leaders, he said.

The attempt to create social hatred by putting a false picture of Guruji is condemnable, the CM said.

On Saturday morning, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in a tweet while sharing a post on Golwalkar stated, "Must know what Guru Golwalkar ji's thoughts were for Dalits, backwards and Muslims and on the rights over water, forest and land." Singh's post had a page with a quote claimed to be from a book of Golwalkar. Another quote about Dalits, backwards and Muslims was claimed to have been made by Golwalkar in 1940.

When contacted, MP Congress media department chairman KK Mishra told PTI that Digvijaya Singh shared the facts on the basis of an English book.

Digvijaya Singh writes everything after verifying the facts and this case will not stand in the court of law, he claimed.

The BJP can't silence the voice of Congress. I had given a complaint to the police about a video on beef shared by a state BJP spokesman, but four months have passed and the police have not take any action despite submission of all proofs, Mishra said.

The police act only on the complaints of BJP and RSS workers, the Congress leader further claimed.
Amidst the ongoing turmoil within the NCP, senior leader of Ajit Pawar camp, Chhagan Bhujbal, has reacted strogly to Sharad Pawar's Saturday rally in his bastion Nashik. In response, Bhujbal directly targeted Sharad Pawar, saying, "I am an OBC, that's why Sharad Pawar held a rally in my constituency first." Bhujbal questioned why the NCP President did not visit Ajit Pawar's constituency. Bhujbal warned that he would soon make several major revelations. He made these statements while speaking to journalists in Nashik.

Chhagan Bhujbal Responds to Sharad Pawar

After the rebellion by NCP leader Ajit Pawar, the NCP has been engulfed in a severe crisis. Following this, a confrontation between the Ajit Pawar faction and the Sharad Pawar faction has become evident. In the midst of this, Sharad Pawar has begun his tour of the state to rebuild the party. During this backdrop, Sharad Pawar held a meeting in Bhujbal's stronghold, Yevla. In yesterday's meeting, Sharad Pawar criticized Chhagan Bhujbal. Today, Bhujbal has responded to it fully. Discussing the rebellion within the NCP, Bhujbal advised Pawar to reflect upon why such a situation occurred.



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It should be noted that in Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar has formed a separate faction by rebelling against the NCP and has joined the NDA. After joining the NDA, Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister, and several MLAs also took oath as ministers in the Maharashtra government. The departure of several prominent NCP leaders has dealt a significant blow to party chief Sharad Pawar.
Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), debates have sparked nationwide regarding the proposed equal civil laws. It is expected that the central government may present the UCC in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, scheduled to commence this month. While Muslim organizations continue to oppose it, political parties have varied opinions on the matter. Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor, has issued a statement on the party's stance regarding the UCC.

Tharoor stated that they need to first see what the government's proposal entails. He highlighted that the government has not yet presented a draft or initiated any discussions with stakeholders. Therefore, the Congress party has decided not to comment until a draft is made available.

Concerns and Fears Surrounding the UCC

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Addressing concerns about the Uniform Civil Code, Tharoor expressed apprehension that it might lead to the erosion of rights for various communities. He pointed out that it took nine years to bring the Hindu Code Bill, and it takes time to educate people on such matters.

AIMPLB Opposes the UCC

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has also voiced its opposition to the Uniform Civil Code. AIMPLB has released a statement from Muslim religious leaders, urging the government to abandon its plans. They have also urged the Muslim community to respond to the recommendations made by the Law Commission and clarify that the UCC is not acceptable.

SGPC Opposes the UCC

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the largest Sikh organization, has also expressed its opposition to the UCC. According to the SGPC, the UCC would harm the distinct identity of minority communities in the country. During the executive committee meeting chaired by SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami on Saturday (July 8), members stated that there is no need for the UCC in the country as the constitution recognizes the principle of "unity in diversity."
Los Angeles: Actor Bradley Cooper is entering the world of podcast to bring real people telling real stories that inspire and motivate listeners. The Silver Linings Playbook' actors Lea Pictures production company has signed a multiyear audio deal with iHeartPodcasts, the podcast division of iHeartMedia.

Cooper will serve as the executive producer for the entire slate, which will be distributed by iHeartPodcasts on the iHeartRadio app and other audio platforms, as per 'Variety'. Sharing stories that inspire, motivate and resonate is one of the reasons I started Lea Pictures, and Im excited to team up with iHeartPodcasts to bring them to life for millions of listeners, Cooper said in a statement provided to 'Variety'.

Our shows will feature real people telling real stories, and we knew iHeart was the perfect partner to reach as many people as possible. I look forward to dreaming up more extraordinary stories together," the statement added.



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The podcast is hosted by Jacob Schick, a Marine Corp vet and CEO of One Tribe Foundation, and his wife Ashley Schick. The podcast is aimed at showcasing individuals who have made a positive impact through their acts of kindness, successful careers, businesses and military service.

One Tribe is dedicated to raising awareness and preventing suicide among veterans of the military, first responders and medical workers. News of the deal comes after the 'Hangover' actor spoke about parenting daughter Lea (6) during a video clip from an upcoming episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge.


Mumbai: Kajol issued a clarification after receiving backlash for her recent comment on political leaders during an interview. In an interview during the promotion of her upcoming courtroom drama 'The Trial,' she said that there are political leaders who don't have an educational background. Kajol took to her Twitter handle to clarify her intentions.

She tweeted, "I was merely making a point about education and its importance. My intention was not to demean any political leaders, we have some great leaders who are guiding the country on the right path."

Earlier she said in an interview, "Change, especially in a country like India, is slow. It is very very slow. Because we are steeped in our traditions and steeped in our thought processes and, of course, it has to do with education."



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She added, "You have political leaders who do not have an educational system background. I'm sorry but I'm going to go out and say that. I'm being ruled by leaders, so many of them, who do not have that viewpoint, which I think education does give you, at least the chance to look out for a different viewpoint."

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kajol was last seen in Netflix's 'Lust Stories 2.' She will be seen headlining new web series titled 'The Trial - Pyaar, Kaanoon, Dhoka'.

It is a gritty courtroom drama that unravels moral dilemmas that drive Noyonika to take charge of her family and her independence. Driven to prove herself in the competitive world of law and navigating her way through complicated relationships while seeking justice for her husband, Noyonika treads through tough challenges served by her fate.

Talking about the show, Kajol said, "The complexities are what defines a character to me and the layers surrounding Noyonika are what spoke to me when this role first came over. Noyonika felt personal, I instantly felt protective about her and that reaffirmed my faith in choosing The Trial - Pyaar, Kanoon, Dhoka on Disney+ Hotstar to be my first step into the long format. Suparn Varma has built a world where the vulnerability of characters meets the cruel situations posed by life. The audience will feel for and feel one with Noyonika as she makes difficult choices because I did."

Suparn S Varma has helmed the show, which is slated to release on Disney+ Hotstar on July 14.
New Delhi: More than 40 percent of UK universities are investigating students for using AI chatbots like ChatGPT to cheat in their examinations, a report has said. According to The Tab, about 48 institutions have investigated at least one student since December 2022 for using ChatGPT in their assessments.

At least 377 students have been investigated for using AI chatbots in a university-assigned piece of work and 146 have been found guilty, with dozens more pending. The number was highest at the University of Kent, where 47 students were examined for using ChatGPT or another AI chatbot.

Moreover, the report suggested that AI investigations are taking a long time to reach an outcome of investigation. At Birkbeck, University of London, 41 students have been investigated but so far "the number who have admitted the offence is less than five".

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"As this is new technology most of these investigations are still open," the university was quoted as saying.

Moreover, the report mentioned that Leeds Beckett, the third highest was trying its best to deal with "the rapidly developing situation regarding generative AI tools." More than half (19) of the 35 inquiries launched so far have not yielded a result and are still underway.

Meanwhile, in a significant development in the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) exam paper leak case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has found that one of the accused allegedly used ChatGPT and electronic devices to share answers with the candidates appearing in at least two exams conducted for recruitment in government departments.

According to a BestColleges survey, more than half of college students (51 per cent) believe that using AI tools like ChatGPT to complete assignments and exams counts as cheating or plagiarism, while one in five uses them anyway.
New Delhi: In a recent episode, Cyrus Broacha has asserted that he cannot deal with the pressure of being inside Bigg Boss OTT 2 house. In his strong-worded appeal, Broacha urged Bigg Boss as well as host Salman Khan to allow him to take an exit from the ongoing reality show. However, Salman and Bigg Boss told him that he does not have that option until the time that audience votes him out of the show.

Existing in the Bigg Boss house is a challenging experience which has its aftereffects both on physical and mental wellbeing. Confined to a restricted space, with no contact with loved ones and the outside world, can lead to serious feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and frustration. The constant scrutiny and judgment from viewers and the intense competition among contestants adds another layer of stress. It becomes a constant battle to navigate through the dynamics, alliances, and conflicts that arise within the house.

Ex Bigg Boss contestant Manu Punjabi reacted saying "At Cyrus Broacha's age, it is important to prioritize health and family. He has also admitted to having less enthusiasm and energy than other contestants. When I was on Bigg Boss and had health issues, I became very vulnerable and overwhelmed due to the cutoff from my loved ones."



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He also added, "However, when you come out of it, you emerge stronger, as rightly said by Salman Khan. It is a great opportunity and platform to rebuild your image and personality in front of billions of viewers. I would really like to see Cyrus inside the house, and I want him to give his 100%."
New Delhi: Special edition of 'India's Best Dancer 3', 'Tyohaaron Ka Tyohaar', will celebrate diverse Indian festivals through performances crafted by the contestants and their choreographers.





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Bringing alive the spirit of Navaratri, the shows sher bacha, Anjali Mamgai, along with choreographer Akash Thapa, will present a Garba Act to the song 'Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje'. Given Anjali's record, it'll be interesting to witness how judges will react to her performance.On the sets, Judge Sonali Bendre will be seen reminiscing about the time when she was taught by the late choreographer Saroj Khan. She shared, "Although I have never really played garba, I have a favourite garba song which is Chand Aaya Hai from 'Dil Hi Dil Mein'. It was this song in which I performed this dance style for the first time. Saroj ji was choreographing it and it was my first time working with her as well. I was scared that she would throw her dandiya sticks at me when I do something wrong; I still remember that. The song was very beautifully done and when I saw Saroj ji, I knew that I was going to face her wrath if I made any mistakes. Even though she was strict, she was an amazing teacher! I love her!"
(Bloomberg) -- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Ruttes government abruptly collapsed on Friday amid infighting over migration policy. Rutte, whos led the Netherlands since 2010, effectively brought his fourth administration to an end after he gave his coalition partners an ultimatum to limit the right to family reunions for refugees from war zones.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The coalition partners  Ruttes VVD, the Christian Democrats, progressive D66 and the smaller Christian Union  had been in talks over asylum policy for weeks. Though they were close to a deal, the conflict escalated Wednesday when Rutte abruptly introduced non-negotiable demands. The troubles snowballed from there.

Read more: Mark Rutte Bets on Hard Migration Stance for New Dutch Election

Migration is a large and important subject, both politically and socially, Rutte told reporters in the Hague Friday night. Now that we cannot come to an agreement on this subject, we have jointly decided that the political support disappeared.

1. Whats next?

Rutte offered the governments resignation to King Willem-Alexander. A debate on the collapse of the cabinet will be held Monday at the lower house of the Dutch parliament, with lawmakers pulled back from their summer recess to attend. Rutte will kick off the discussion, scheduled to start at 10:15 a.m., with a statement. Dutch opposition parties have called a vote of no confidence in Rutte in an attempt to oust him as caretaker premier until the next election. The opposition will submit the motion during the parliamentary debate.

2. When is the election?

A vote will be held mid-November at the earliest, the countrys Electoral Council said Friday, given Dutch law that allows time for new parties to register and polling stations to be organized, among other factors. Until then, the cabinet will stay on in a caretaker capacity.

3. Will Rutte run again?

Theres a good chance Rutte, 56, will run again in pursuit of a fifth term. Hes the nations longest-serving Dutch prime minister and remains broadly popular, with an ability to shake off troubles, earning him the nickname Teflon Mark.

Rutte hinted last year that hes nowhere near done. I do feel that Im halfway through my time as prime minister, Rutte said, calling the role the most beautiful job in the world.

4. What are his chances?

Some polls suggest Ruttes party remains in the lead and that he might secure a new term by stitching together a different coalition. But Rutte also oversaw the worst Senate election result of his premiership this year as the Farmer-Citizen Movement, or BBB, became the biggest party in the Dutch upper house after opposing a government push to halve nitrogen emissions.

Rutte may turn to the right wing for coalition partners more in sync with his new stance on migration. Environmental policies, including the nitrogen crisis, will also be important topics for any deal.

5. What will it mean for policy?

Policymaking is likely to be at a standstill, putting decisions on hot-button issues like the housing market, climate and nitrogen targets on ice. Still, the caretaker cabinet must come up with a new budget for next year and unveil it in September during Budget Day, or Prinsjesdag. The budget is likely to lean heavily on pre-existing policies.

Rutte pledged that the caretaker cabinet will continue to support Ukraine in its military response to Russias invasion. He spoke on Saturday with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

6. What will the campaign look like?

Ruttes move to splinter his coalition over migration raised the possibility he was deliberately pushing his party to the right at a time when populism appears on the rise in Europe. Therefore, its likely that Rutte will try to keep the migration debate at center stage.

The coalitions collapse comes amid a rise of anti-migration sentiment, often stoked by the Freedom Partys Geert Wilders, who came to prominence for his anti-Islamic positions. Wilders has signaled hes willing to work with Rutte.

Although Rutte may be betting on a hard migration stance going into the next election, other challenges abound. The government has been dealing with issues including a lack of affordable housing and deterioration in health care and education amid a chronic labor shortage. Rutte also faces the fury of Dutch farmers over the governments goal of halving nitrogen output by by 2030. Thousands of farmers are likely to be forced out of business, and theyve formed a movement thats pushed the BBB to the forefront of Dutch politics.

7. Is there an impact on the upcoming export controls on ASMLs sales to China?

The US pressed the Netherlands and other nations to help stop China from further developing its own chip industry. Dutch and Japanese officials agreed in principle to join the US campaign. Export controls that will restrict more of ASML Holding NVs chipmaking machines from being sent to China are due to come into effect on Sept. 1 despite the domestic turmoil. The regulations will force ASML, the largest European tech firm by market valuation, to apply for licenses to ship some advanced deep ultraviolet lithography, or DUV, systems.

Rutte Coalition Falls Over Asylum Crisis as Dutch Face Vote

Ruttes Gambit Risks Unraveling as Dutch Rivals Seek His Ouster

Dutch Coalition at Risk With Farm Party Fighting Climate Targets

Angry Rebel Farmers Have Become the Worlds Latest Climate Enemy

ASML, Europes Most Valuable Tech Firm, Defines Global Chip War

ASML Hit With New Dutch Limits on Chip Gear Exports to China

(Updates with vote of no confidence in the fourth paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Savaria fair value estimate is CA$21.71

Current share price of CA$16.84 suggests Savaria is potentially 22% undervalued

The CA$21.56 analyst price target for SISis comparable to our estimate of fair value.

How far off is Savaria Corporation (TSE:SIS) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Savaria

Is Savaria Fairly Valued?

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (CA$, Millions) CA$78.5m CA$87.2m CA$94.4m CA$100.4m CA$105.4m CA$109.7m CA$113.4m CA$116.6m CA$119.6m CA$122.4m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Est @ 11.08% Est @ 8.30% Est @ 6.35% Est @ 4.98% Est @ 4.03% Est @ 3.36% Est @ 2.89% Est @ 2.56% Est @ 2.34% Present Value (CA$, Millions) Discounted @ 8.9% CA$72.1 CA$73.5 CA$73.1 CA$71.4 CA$68.8 CA$65.8 CA$62.4 CA$59.0 CA$55.5 CA$52.2

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CA$654m

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.8%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = CA$122m (1 + 1.8%)  (8.9% 1.8%) = CA$1.8b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= CA$1.8b ( 1 + 8.9%)10= CA$748m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is CA$1.4b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of CA$16.8, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 22% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Savaria as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.195. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Savaria

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Machinery market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Canadian market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by earnings.

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Savaria, there are three important factors you should further examine:

Risks: As an example, we've found 2 warning signs for Savaria that you need to consider before investing here. Future Earnings: How does SIS's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Canadian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market index fund. But every investor is virtually certain to have both over-performing and under-performing stocks. At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in Oceania Healthcare Limited (NZSE:OCA), since the last five years saw the share price fall 32%.

So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress.

Check out our latest analysis for Oceania Healthcare

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

During the five years over which the share price declined, Oceania Healthcare's earnings per share (EPS) dropped by 30% each year. The share price decline of 7% per year isn't as bad as the EPS decline. The relatively muted share price reaction might be because the market expects the business to turn around.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Oceania Healthcare, it has a TSR of -17% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 6.5% in the last year, Oceania Healthcare shareholders lost 15% (even including dividends). Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 3% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Even so, be aware that Oceania Healthcare is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 2 of those are potentially serious...

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on New Zealander exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Join A Paid User Research Session

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Virgin Galactic signed a partnership agreement with Boom in 2016 that expired four years later - Boom Supersonic

Sir Richard Branson has shelved plans to buy a fleet of aircraft nicknamed the son of Concorde in a blow to hopes for the revival of supersonic travel.

Virgin Group has allowed an option to buy jets from Boom Supersonic to lapse, despite frequently being linked with the high-profile American start-up.

Sir Richards space venture Virgin Galactic signed a partnership agreement with Boom in 2016 that expired four years later, insiders said.

Sources close to the group said that Boom never had a concrete agreement with Virgin Atlantic, a flagship business in which Sir Richard retains a majority stake.

Booms Overture aircraft is intended to fly 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7, or about 1,300 miles per hour.

The company has struck a deal with aerospace companies Leonardo, Aernnova and Aciturri to help build its planes, with the aim of securing certification for commercial use by 2029.

However, the project divides opinion among aviation enthusiasts and industry watchers. Advocates say that there is demand for supersonic travel.

Booms Overture aircraft is intended to fly 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7, or about 1,300 miles per hour - Benjamin Girette/Bloomberg

Those most sceptical, however, doubt the project will ever be a commercial reality two decades after the demise of Concorde.

United Airlines, American Airlines and Japan Airlines have committed to an order book of 130 aircraft. Boom has raised about $150m (117m) from venture capitalists and other investors to date.

Boom announced a delayed rollout last month, with the first flight pushed back to 2027 and entry into service now scheduled for 2030  both a delay of a year.

The company is building a $500m plant to construct its aircraft in Greensboro, North Carolina, with support from US taxpayers.

Rolls-Royce was originally lined up to build Booms engines, but subsequently withdrew after saying supersonic travel was not a priority.

Sources close to Virgin this weekend said that the group remained interested in the development of high-speed sustainable forms of air travel. Sir Richard and his team are continuing to monitor Booms development.

Boom announced a delayed rollout last month, with the first flight pushed back to 2027 - Boom Supersonic

A spokesman for Boom said: Booms commercial order book stands at 130 aircraft, including orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines. Virgin Group does not have a firm commitment with Boom currently. We look forward to continued discussions with their team about sustainable supersonic travel.

United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby is a vocal supporter of Boom. He told reporters at a conference in Istanbul last month: Its not the 1950s technology that the Concorde was.

I think its doable. Its not a guarantee. Its not a layup. Its not done yet. But its doable. Weve become a leader in all kinds of areas and this is an opportunity to, really help move the next generation forward and if we can get it

If they can get it over the finish line, our customers will love it.

A spokesman for Rolls-Royce said: Weve completed our contract with Boom and delivered various engineering studies for their Overture supersonic program.

After careful consideration, Rolls-Royce has determined that the commercial aviation supersonic market is not currently a priority for us and, therefore, will not pursue further work on the program at this time.

Virgin Group, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways declined to comment.

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If the first half of this year was distinguished by the U.S. securities regulator slapping fines on cryptocurrency exchanges, warning of legal action and then following up with the same, the second half started in Asia with a raft of jurisdictions running out new rules for exchanges  without the lawsuits.

While some Asia nations, such as Singapore and Thailand, seem to be following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in frowning upon certain products offered by exchanges, the approach in Asia so far seems to be clarity instead of court battles, in contrast with North America.

The U.S. is in a state of political and regulatory warfare over how to manage the cryptocurrency industry, John Rizzo, senior vice president of public affairs at Washington-based public relation firm Clyde Group, said in email comments.

Congress appears to be making progress on regulatory frameworks for stablecoins and crypto market structure, but the SEC seems to be determined to essentially ban crypto, said Rizzo, a former spokesperson on digital assets at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

According to Zennon Kapron, founder of Asia-based fintech consultancy Kapronasia, crypto was always on shaky ground in the U.S. as the regulations were never clear. For this reason, many firms have focused on overseas markets to begin with, Kapron said in an email interview.

Nick Ruck, chief operations officer at blockchain infrastructure platform ContentFi Labs, agrees with that view.

The largest issue with the crypto industry in the US stems from regulators trying to apply a century-old framework to new innovations in financial technology, said Ruck in text message comments.

Countries in Asia are attracting crypto companies by clarifying rules and being adaptable to innovation, he said.

South Korea appears to be one of them. The countrys National Assembly on the final day of June approved a bill focused on protecting the interests of cryptocurrency investors.

Singapore and Thailand followed with rules that include forbidding crypto staking services, though Singapore authorities added that the product is still being studied.

Not to forget Hong Kong  once home to the now bankrupt FTX exchange that became the poster child for all thats wrong with cryptocurrency trading platforms.

Hong Kong introduced stricter crypto trading regulations of its own on June 1 and is one of the jurisdictions in Asia running for a spot as a leading digital asset center, with all the potential investment, jobs and financial technology edge it could bring.

Tough rules

While the new crypto rules in Asia are tough, come with penalties for violations, and will require restructuring by some crypto business, Lasanka Perera, chief executive of crypto exchange Independent Reserve Singapore, said the new rules of the road in the city-state are welcomed.

This not only underscores the regulators conviction to protect investors but will also undoubtedly inspire greater confidence from the corporate and institutional sectors, Perera said in an emailed statement.

While South Koreas Virtual Asset User Protection Act wont come into effect as law for a year, it is the countrys first step to build a digital asset legal framework, according to the Assemblys official website.

The South Korea bill focuses on investor protection and includes penalties for rule violations that include fines and jail time. Image: National Assembly of South Korea

The bill was approved a little over a year after the collapse of the US$40 billion Terra-Luna cryptocurrency and stablecoin, which was founded in South Korea and caused losses to hundreds of thousands of investors.

As the name suggests, the South Korea bill focuses on investor protection and includes penalties for rule violations that include fines and jail time.

As an aside, the founder of the Terra-Luna project, Kwon Do-Hyung, is now in jail in Montenegro after fleeing to Europe. Both South Korea and the U.S. want to extradite him on fraud charges. He has denied the allegations.

Lots of bills

Back in the U.S., Congress has conducted extensive discussions on digital assets, John Cahill, an attorney at the law firm Wilson Elsers New York office, wrote in a Forkast commentary this month.

Recent hearings with the chairs of the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have showed the diverse opinions on cryptocurrencies and the legislative gridlock, said Cahill.

More than 30 proposed bills related to digital assets have been filed to Congress, but to date, none has advanced and Congress has yet to pass any substantial legislation in this area, according to Cahill.

Despite ongoing efforts to gather information, the legislative branch has been hesitant to take concrete action, he said.

The U.S.Capitol dome behind the U.S. House of Representatives. Image: via Getty Images

Because of that, Cahill said the nations courts have stepped up to interpret digital assets within the existing legal framework. But as courts have been flooded with submissions detailing why, or why not, digital assets should be considered securities progress is delayed.

While Congress and its constituents continue to learn about this developing technology, it will be up to the U.S. court system to bridge current laws to digital assets while helping to navigate these unchartered legal waters, Cahill added.

SEC just doing its job?

After the meltdowns of Terra-Luna and the FTX exchange last year, causing billions of dollars of losses to millions of investors and setting off a cascade of bankruptcies among scores of related businesses, not everyone in the digital asset world is saying the SEC has got it all wrong.

Blockstation, a blockchain-driven platform for tokenizing, listing, trading, clearing and settlement of digital assets and securities, put together an internal memo in 2015 that reportedly said when the crypto market reached a market cap of around a trillion dollars, regulators would react with enforcement measures.

We called it, and its exactly whats taking place now, said Blockstation Chief Executive Officer Jai Waterman in an email response to questions.

Regulators are against unlicensed brokers dealing in securities, and they are against unregistered securities being offered to the public, he said. What the industry calls cryptocurrency, is mostly securities, and its the regulators fiduciary responsibility to protect investors, he added.

What the industry calls cryptocurrency, is mostly securities, and its the regulators fiduciary responsibility to protect investors Blockstation CEO Jai Waterman

If you ask an investor would they rather send money to Binance to trade bitcoin or would they prefer Merrill Lynch to do the same, most would choose the latter, said Waterman, adding thats because established brokerages have the credibility, governance and proven infrastructure.

The missing component is that such institutions dont have the appropriate guidance from the regulators and they dont have the necessary technology and training in blockchain, he said.

A spokesperson for Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, told Forkast that the SECs lawsuits are long-expected actions and theyre right on the cusp of Congress very seriously considering stablecoin and digital asset market regulation.

The spokesperson, who declined to be named, added: We now effectively have the three branches of the U.S. government clearly signaling that they want to see legislation.
Insiders who bought AU$3.1m worth of Spirit Technology Solutions Ltd's (ASX:ST1) stock at an average buy price of AU$0.062 over the last year may be disappointed by the recent 20% decrease in the stock. Insiders purchase with the hope of seeing their investments increase in value over time. However, due to recent losses, their initial investment is now only worth AU$2.0m, which is not great.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

View our latest analysis for Spirit Technology Solutions

Spirit Technology Solutions Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Co-Chief Executive Officer of Nexgen James Harb bought AU$2.3m worth of shares at a price of AU$0.064 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of AU$0.04. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels.

Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 49.75m shares worth AU$3.1m. On the other hand they divested 5.00m shares, for AU$308k. In total, Spirit Technology Solutions insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. So if that suits your style you could check each stock one by one or you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insiders At Spirit Technology Solutions Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last quarter, Spirit Technology Solutions insiders have spent a meaningful amount on shares. Not only was there no selling that we can see, but they collectively bought AU$246k worth of shares. That shows some optimism about the company's future.

Insider Ownership

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 37% of Spirit Technology Solutions shares, worth about AU$11m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Do The Spirit Technology Solutions Insider Transactions Indicate?

It is good to see recent purchasing. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Spirit Technology Solutions insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. While conducting our analysis, we found that Spirit Technology Solutions has 3 warning signs and it would be unwise to ignore them.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Join A Paid User Research Session

Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here
Bridget Ziegler speaks to hundreds of conservatives at a candidates' rally at Sarasota's Robarts Arena in July 2022. The event was held to raise support for GOP candidates in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Partisanship should disqualify Ziegler

The headline atop Chris Andersons Opinion column June 27 was: Bridget Ziegler has no background in education. Maybe that explains it all.Does her lack of background disqualify her from being Sarasota County School Board chairman?Ziegler was appointed to the nonpartisan School Board by Gov. Rick Scott in June 2014, only months before she ran for the seat, and she has been an aggressive right-wing partisan ever since.

She was 31; her children were not of school age. She had sold Gucci bags for six years and her only involvement in education was graduating from high school.

Related story: Far-right groups 'actively working' to replace Karen Rose on School Board

More: How to send a letter to the editor

She co-founded Moms for Liberty, a far-right parental rights organization that advocates against school curriculums that mention LGBTQ rights, race, ethnicity, critical race theory and discrimination.

The members believe that parents, not educators, should determine a schools curriculum and books. Many of their supporters harass teachers, administrators and board members.

More: School Board's Bridget Ziegler rebuts Moms for Liberty 'extremist' label

The Southern Poverty Law Center has termed Moms for Liberty a far-right extremist organization.Ziegler, who doesnt even send her own children to Sarasota public schools, leads a board majority determined to remake Sarasotas excellent school system in its image. That partisanship disqualifies her from being on the board.

If Moms for Liberty succeeds, Sarasota will have a mediocre school system.F. Lowell Curtis, Longboat Key

Affirmative action perfectly imperfect

Since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, Im asking, What now? What are the right programs to enact that necessitated abolishing affirmative action to better achieve equality?

Affirmative action, Ill agree, is not a perfect remedy for unequal opportunity for aspiring college students. It was most assuredly imperfect, yet noble, and a positive initiative aimed at achieving balance in just one segment of our society fraught with imbalance regarding race.

So what have we done with the decision of our Supreme Court majority? I dont think weve improved equal opportunity.

I dont think weve improved the human condition or affirmed our commitment to ensuring equality or posterity or strengthening rights for the pursuit of happiness. We certainly have not advanced ourselves toward securing a more perfect union.

As with other recent questionable Supreme Court decisions, we have checked freedoms and strongly affirmed divides while frustrating, marginalizing and further excluding fellow Americans. How are we better?

If sincerely in pursuit of equality, then lets see the same passion in policy solutions that assure 14th Amendment rights and reflect our proclaimed values.

Randal Jacobson, Sarasota

Court turns back clock on racial equality

I have so much to say about the Supreme Courts affirmative action ruling I dont know where to begin.

First, it is racist, designed to do away with racial equality gains weve made. Affirmative action leveled the playing field for many minorities. It did not punish white people.

Second, affirmative action did not let unqualified minorities into universities. The vast majority excelled at Harvard, Northwestern and Princeton. Its not like these minorities got in and skated.

I can tell you from my own teaching experience at a major university, my minority students were excellent.

We have a Supreme Court majority that wants to turn the clock back on equality and progress. Shame on them! To all my friends of all races and religions: Fight the powers that be in all ways we can.

It is our job to help the new generation by continuing to tell the truth about institutional racism in this country and not let the new radical right of Gov. Ron DeSantis try to erase that ignominious part of our history.

Lou Grossman, Sarasota

Pull together to improve test scores

With Sarasota County schools earning state test scores in the 50's and 60's percentiles, we all know that our students will need a lot of help to improve.

That means the new superintendent, Terrence Connor, has a heavy lift. Commitment from all levels is needed to lay the groundwork for a successful transition.

The principals, teachers, union, public meeting attendees and community must resolve their differences and understand the future success of our students will only materialize if we all are on the same team. The students must also be prepared for some extra studying.

The present silo School Board is detrimental. The members must find ways to effectively deliberate toward consensus on topics. They should not expect the new superintendent to be a babysitter.

Connor is being paid a substantial salary that we all hope will prove to be well deserved, but putting in a bonus as part of his contract is not appropriate.

If any bonus is considered, it should be for all the students if they bring up their scores.

How about pizza and soda once a week for lunch?

Carole Nikla, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Right-wing partisanship should disqualify School Board leader
Few would argue fake money poses no threat to the financial system. If you can't trust that currency is real, buying and selling gets more difficult, with implications for the economy. But according to one noted author, not enough attention goes to another danger: A.I. bots on social media pretending to be real people.

Now it is possible, for the first time in history, to create fake peopleto create billions of fake people, Israeli historian and author Yuval Noah Harari said this week. You interact with somebody online, and you don't know if it's a real human being or a bot.

The author of Sapiensa history of humanity that Bill Gates calls one of his favorite booksmade the comments while addressing the UNs AI for Good summit in Geneva.

He continued, "What happens if you have a social media platform when it's not just bots that retweet what a human created, but you have millions, potentially billions, of bots that can create content that in many ways is superior to what humans can create, like more convincing, more appealing, whatevermore tailored to your specific personality and life history. If we allow this to happen, then basically humans have completely lost control of the public conversation, and things like democracy will become completely unworkable."

He warned that it will do to society what fake money threatens to do to the financial system. If you cant know who is a real human and who is a fake human, trust will collapse, and with it, at least free society. Maybe dictatorships will be able to manage somehow, but not democracies.

'AI bot swarms taking over'

Twitter owner Elon Musk is also aware of the bot problem. He tweeted in March that only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations, calling it the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, meanwhile, cofounded a startup called Worldcoin, which offers a way for people to prove they're a human being and not an A.I. bot, with the help of an iris-scanning device and crypto system. The venture announced a $115 million Series C funding round in May.

Harari called for very strict rules against faking people.

If you fake people, or if you allow fake people on your platform without taking effective countermeasures, so maybe we dont execute you, but you go to 20 years in jail, he said.

Facing such consequences, tech giants would quickly find ways to prevent the platforms from being overflown with fake people, he said.

As for why such rules dont exist already, he noted that until now creating fake people in such a way was technically impossible. Counterfeiting money, by contrast, has long been possible, and governments have enacted very strict rules against it to protect the financial system.

He noted that he wasnt calling for laws against creating such bots, but rather, youre not allowed to pass them in public as real people. For example offering an A.I. doctor is fine and "can be extremely helpful," he said, but only provided its very clear that this is not a human doctorI need to know whether its a real human being or an A.I.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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(Bloomberg) -- Near record heat will spread from the US Southwest across Texas and the Great Plains this week, with temperatures of 100F (38C) or more straining electricity networks.

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The blistering heat will sear down across the southern US and northern Mexico, challenging local records. Temperatures in Phoenix may reach 109F Sunday and as high as 114F across the region. Residents have been urged to stay indoors and seek air conditioning.

An excessive heat warning extends across parts of southern California and Arizona, and heat advisories reach into Texas and Florida, where temperatures in many places may reach or exceed 100F for days, the National Weather Service said.

Readings will reach similar levels across the Mexican states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas bordering the US. In addition to the daytime highs, overnight low temperatures will stay warm enough to break records in many places, putting more pressure on fragile power systems.

The temperatures of 100 degrees are going to expand, said Andrew Orrison, a forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. The big story is the expanding heat wave across the South.

Record-breaking heat taxed energy grids in both Mexico and Texas in June, with power outages popping up and the threat of rolling blackouts rising as officials tried to manage supplies. A surge of deaths across northern Mexico were blamed on excessive heat.

Del Rio, Texas, near the border with Mexico, set 12 daily temperatures records, including 11 in a row, as well as posting its all-time hottest day of 115F on June 21, according to the NWS. Austin, the state capital, is forecast to hit 102F Sunday and 103F for the rest of the week. By Wednesday, Dallas is forecast to reach 102F and Houston will be in the high 90s through the week with humidity making it feel much hotter.

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Some US schools are deploying robots that can surveil campuses and confront intruders

Some schools are turning to robots to provide more security at school campus. Getty Images

Some US schools are deploying robots to beef up campus security, The Wall Street Journal reported.

A New Mexico school district is currently testing a 400-pound robot that can roam the campus 24/7.

Some robots can take steps to confront an intruder such as pointing a laser at a suspect.

Some US schools are turning to robots to help beef up campus security and potentially confront intruders, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In New Mexico, Santa Fe High School became among the first US schools to test an autonomous robot that uses artificial intelligence to learn the campus' routes and typical hours of activity, according to the report. The school is running a 60-day pilot program that began in June to test its effectiveness.

School security has become an increasing concern due to mass shootings at campuses, including the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed. Between January and April of this year, there were about 146 mass shootings across the country, surpassing the number of mass shootings in the same period in the past four years, data from Gun Violence Archive showed.

What the solutions exactly are have become a point of political contention. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has called for more armed security at schools while rejecting proposals for tighter gun laws. Last June, the Biden Administration signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which invests millions of dollars into mental health services and school security.

Created by Team 1st Technologies, an Albuquerque-based robotics company, the 400-pound, four-wheeled robot currently roaming Santa Fe High School can provide 360-degree video footage. KRQE reported that the robot has seven cameras and a battery that lasts 20 hours, requiring four hours to charge at a self-charging station.

Andy Sanchez, a manager at Team 1st, told the Journal the robot could alert a security team in cases of an active shooter and move toward the suspect to send a video to authorities.

The robot also can confront intruders, although it is not armed, according to the Journal. It has a speaker system that can allow a remote security team to speak to an intruder.

A spokesperson for Team 1st did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent during the weekend.

Mario Salbidrez, executive director of safety and security at Santa Fe Public Schools, told KRQE that the robot would supplement the existing security system the district has in place.

"As you know, sometimes we're limited on human resources to be out and they also need breaks and lunches and so forth, so the robots are going to help us supplement the downtime for our regular staff," Salbidrez told the news station.

At Wyandotte Public Schools district in Oklahoma, Superintendent Brad Wade told the Journal the district plans to deploy four robots from Stokes Robotics, which sells quadruped and wheeled robots.

The school official told the publication that the district is mainly interested in surveillance bots that can watch the entrances of school buildings. Still, it may also consider robots that can confront intruders.

According to the Journal, Stokes Robotics President Robert Stokes said he's working with multiple school districts to introduce robots in the classroom.

The robots can be used to teach coding, but they can also take more proactive actions, such as pointing a laser beam or flashing a light to distract the intruder, Stokes wrote in an email to Insider.



"When an intruder is detected, the security personal takes control of the robots, takes them out of the classroom, and confronts the intruder," Stokes said wrote. "The robots provide two-way communication and video feeds for security and law enforcement."



Stokes added that his company's robots also have the ability to "district, disorient" and draw the intruder's attention for several minutes until law enforcement can arrive at the scene.



A video demo from Stokes Robotics shows how a quadruped robot can point the laser beam at an intruder's chest or bump into the suspect.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photograph: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images

As a longtime owner of a technology consulting firm I have something to disclose publicly: I discriminate. I have turned down new clients and fired existing clients. Ive never refused to do business because of the color of someones skin, sexual orientation or their religion. But I have refused to do business with people that behaved rudely, unprofessionally or were jerks to either myself or my employees. It had nothing to do with the services requested or their ability to pay. It was just my decision. I chose not to do business with these people.

Putting individual jerks aside, when it comes to last weeks supreme court ruling that allows businesses to discriminate against a whole class of people, Id urge small businesses to think twice.

In this case, a web designer in Colorado didnt want to perform services for an LGBTQ+ customer because of religious convictions. This is not the first time this has happened. California and Colorado bakers opted not to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. There are numerous other examples where businesses turned away customers and all for a myriad of reasons. One music store in Ohio refused to serve a supporter of Donald Trump. As long as theyre within the law, thats their prerogative.

But if youre a small business owner, be aware. You can decide not to work with a whole class of people if your beliefs dont jive with them. But you do so at your own peril.

We need every customer we can get. Every dollar counts, at least for me. And it doesnt just count for me. Small business owners arent just responsible for themselves. They are responsible for others. Their employees, customers, partners, suppliers and even their community. My family relies on my business for the income it provides. All of these people also rely on my business for the income it provides to them and their families. Turning away work just because you dont agree with someones sexual orientation hurts not just those people (which is bad enough) but everyone that relies on that business for their livelihoods.

Big brands, retail stores and restaurant chains dont question the religious beliefs or sexual orientation of every customer who walks in the door or buys a product because they have shareholders and investors. Even Chick-fil-A, whose public mission statement is To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us will still sell a Spicy Chicken Sandwich to an atheist.

Because of their religious beliefs, the Colorado web designer has now pissed off the LGBTQ+ community, all their friends, allies and families. People talk. Small businesses live off of referrals and businesses of all sizes go out of their way to be seen favorably by the public. They advertise. They seek media attention. They sponsor events. They avoid controversy. The web designer in Colorado, is now famous. But not in a good way. Sure, there are some that are going to take their side. But when a business publicly does something in the name of politics or religion, theyre pretty much guaranteed of upsetting a significant number of both current and prospective customers.

So go ahead and discriminate. Scotus says its fine. But do so at your own peril.
This Week on Crypto Twitter: Winklevoss Calls on Silbert to Negotiate, Sues Him 3 Days Later

Illustration by Mitchell Preffer for Decrypt

The prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum this week remained trapped in amber due to a dearth of both adoption or regulation stories.

The week also saw the launch of Metas Threads, an Instagram-based microblogging site that looks suspiciously like Twitter. Dont expect to see This Week on Crypto Threads just yet, however. In spite of the mass onboarding (ten million users in a few hours), Twitter will probably remain the Cryptoverses platform of choice for the foreseeable future.

The week began with a DAO hack that severely disrupted the NFT market. Azuki DAO was formed by disgruntled Azuki NFT holders who banded together to coordinate a lawsuit demanding a $38 million refund from the Azukis creator, Chiru Labs, after its most recent release appeared to shamelessly plagiarize the original collection and do even better.

The DAO itself was exploited for tens of thousands of dollars and appeared to have a knock-on effect on Yuga Labss iconic blue chip Bored Ape and Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFT collections, tweeted blockchain journalist Colin Wu.

Affected by the Azuki incident, the NFT market fell sharply again in the past 24h. BAYC fell 16% and fell below 30 ETH, MAYC fell 20% and fell below 5 ETH, and Azuki fell 11% and fell below 6 ETH. The overall market value of the NFT market has fallen by 53% to 3.33million ETH in  Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 3, 2023

Beeple, the digital artist who currently holds the record for the most expensive NFT sold at auction$69.3 million for his 10,000 Days collectionresurfaced in a headline in The Art newspaper. He donated a censored NFT of disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried having an orgy with himself to an Italian art gallery. Molto bene!

The artist @beeple has donated a "censored" NFT work starring the disgraced crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried to an Italian museum @rivolicast https://t.co/HjYrb8c1OI  The Art Newspaper (@TheArtNewspaper) July 3, 2023

The Twitter account for crypto trading platform Bitfinex was seen dispensing some serious hopium on Monday.

 The current #BTC 30-31k level is critical. This zone served as a rebound point in Jan 2021 after a 35% depreciation, leading to the $64,800 peak. https://t.co/wtjPwPhal9  Bitfinex (@bitfinex) July 3, 2023

The next day, Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss shared an open letter to Digital Currency Group CEO Barry Silbert who, according to Winklevoss, owes users of Geminis Earn program around a billion dollars. This feud has appeared in our Twitter roundup before, but this week Winklevoss channeled it into its logical conclusion: the courtroom. He warned Silbert about it three days in advance.

Silbert may have just put his head in the sand, because it appears he didnt respond to Winklevosss offer to negotiate. On Friday, Winklevoss posted a lengthy lawsuit thread with screenshots of his filing, alleging some very underhand stalling tactics on Silberts part.

1/ Today, @Gemini filed a lawsuit against @DCGco and @BarrySilbert personally in New York court. Barry was not only the architect and mastermind of the DCG and Genesis fraud against creditors, he was directly and personally involved in perpetrating it.  Cameron Winklevoss (@cameron) July 7, 2023

Billionaire Shark Tank star, Dallas Mavericks owner, and high-profile crypto fan Mark Cuban jumped on a thread by crypto skeptic lawyer John Reed Stark in order to praise Japans regulatory approach to crypto. The pair exchanged essays; Stark replied: To me, crypto is not innovation  its mathematical computational blather typically dressed up by trickery and marketing theater.

You should read up on how Japan deals with regulation. https://t.co/yHCVwZAqvG When FTX crashed, NO ONE IN FTX JAPAN LOST MONEY. If the USA/SEC had followed their example by setting clear regulations that required the separation of customer and business funds and clear https://t.co/Msvn9o9PCU  Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 4, 2023

On Friday, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao was swatting away rumors that his workforce was shrinking. The exchange and its CEO was recently sued by the SEC for alleged securities violations.

4. More FUD about some departures. Yes, there is turnover (at every company). But the reasons dreamed up by the news are completely wrong. As an organization that has grown from 30 to 8000 people in 6 years, from 0 to the worlds largest crypto exchange in less than 5 months  CZ  Binance (@cz_binance) July 6, 2023

That day, Polygon Labs president Ryan Wyatt announced hes leaving his position at the end of the month, but hes staying adjacent to both the industry and Polygon.

It's bittersweet to share I am leaving @0xPolygonLabs at the end of the month!@0xMarcB, our Chief Legal Officer, will be stepping up & leading working closely with @sandeepnailwal! For me, I'll be advising Polygon, investing, & staying in the industry! More to come later. pic.twitter.com/ssPaY79oRc  Ryan Wyatt (@Fwiz) July 7, 2023

The founder of DeFi lending protocol Swivel Finance, Julien Traversa, noticed that somethings up with the now-defunct stablecoin issuer Fei Protocols Discord. It was taken over by the Superior Court of California for San Francisco County!

Looks like @feiprotocol's discord has been taken over by San Fransisco's superior courts This is the first I've personally seen courts take over a discord, is this common? A link to the class action -- https://t.co/fD20xLofTX pic.twitter.com/5HI1EpFZp2  Julian Traversa (@TraversaJulian) July 7, 2023

Finally, machine learners can now pay each other in Bitcoin. Should we be worried?
(Bloomberg) -- During Janet Yellens trip to Beijing, US officials sowed confusion over the role of Pan Gongsheng, who was named party chief of the Peoples Bank of China just days earlier. By the end of her visit, one thing was clear: Hes now firmly in charge of the central bank.

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The uncertainty built over the course of the US treasury secretarys four-day trip, which saw her meet current PBOC Governor Yi Gang on Friday, in what US officials described as an informal exchange.

By Sunday morning, the Treasury Department simply referred to Pan as head of the PBOC, adding to expectations he would soon be the first person to concurrently hold the titles of party chief and governor since 2018.

Asked to clear up the confusion at a press briefing to conclude her visit, Yellen only added to it by referring to Pan as acting governor  a title that China hasnt used.

Its up to the Chinese side to decide and announce their decision, Yellen said, before leaving Beijing. But I did meet with the acting governor, the head of the PBOC at this point, and we had very good discussions.

Pans elevation to PBOC party chief last weekend set expectations that hell soon take the governor title. Beijing often announces changes in party and government posts at different times, as they go through separate approval and bureaucratic processes.

Yi has reached the official retirement age of 65 for ministerial-level officials and his reappointment in March was seen by some as a stop-gap while China restructures its economic institutions. While he retains the governor role for now, he retired as deputy PBOC party chief earlier this month when Pan was elevated.

Strong Signals

Yellen held just one meeting with Yi during her trip. A Treasury department statement after that exchange referred to him as the former Peoples Bank of China governor.

On her official trip to the PBOC later Friday she was received by Pan and a deputy governor, stoking more speculation of an unannounced promotion. Typically, external guests would be met by the central banks governor.

The most important meeting of Yellens push to stabilize ties was her five-hour conversation with Vice Premier He Lifeng and his economic team on Saturday. Yi was not present for that exchange.

Instead, Pan attended along with Finance Minister Liu Kun and Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the General Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, sending a clear signal about who is steering Chinas economy.

Traditionally, an institutions party boss has held more sway than its administrative chief. While that could have made it unclear to US officials who is truly in charge at the central bank, the Treasury didnt refer to Pan by his party chief title during Yellens visit.

China hasnt deviated from the official script. In a Saturday release, the PBOC referred to Pan as party secretary of the PBOC and head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, which manages the countrys $3 trillion in foreign reserves.

Pans appointment to governor would likely need to be approved by the standing committee of Chinas legislature, which usually convenes at the end of each even-numbered month. That protocol could punt his official appointment to the end of August, although the group can hold ad-hoc sessions in special circumstances.

Pan held a deputy governor role at the central bank since 2012 and became the administrator of the SAFE in 2016. He has a PhD in economics from the Renmin University of China, and his overseas experience includes post-doctoral research at Cambridge University and a research fellowship at Harvard University.

--With assistance from Viktoria Dendrinou and Yujing Liu.

(Updates with Treasury statement in the eighth paragraph.)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, New Zealand King Salmon Investments fair value estimate is NZ$0.35

New Zealand King Salmon Investments' NZ$0.21 share price signals that it might be 39% undervalued

When compared to theindustry average discount to fair value of 30%, New Zealand King Salmon Investments' competitors seem to be trading at a lesser discount

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZSE:NZK) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for New Zealand King Salmon Investments

The Model

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (NZ$, Millions) NZ$2.13m NZ$3.42m NZ$4.90m NZ$6.42m NZ$7.85m NZ$9.13m NZ$10.2m NZ$11.2m NZ$12.0m NZ$12.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ 85.93% Est @ 60.82% Est @ 43.24% Est @ 30.94% Est @ 22.33% Est @ 16.30% Est @ 12.08% Est @ 9.12% Est @ 7.05% Est @ 5.61% Present Value (NZ$, Millions) Discounted @ 7.0% NZ$2.0 NZ$3.0 NZ$4.0 NZ$4.9 NZ$5.6 NZ$6.1 NZ$6.4 NZ$6.5 NZ$6.5 NZ$6.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = NZ$51m

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.0%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = NZ$13m (1 + 2.2%)  (7.0% 2.2%) = NZ$272m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= NZ$272m ( 1 + 7.0%)10= NZ$138m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is NZ$190m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of NZ$0.2, the company appears quite good value at a 39% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at New Zealand King Salmon Investments as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.0%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For New Zealand King Salmon Investments, we've compiled three pertinent factors you should assess:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for New Zealand King Salmon Investments that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does NZK's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NZSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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As Michael and Brittany Layne try to piece together how their 17-year-old son, Nick, died from an accident involving fireworks, they say none of the information theyve received makes any sense.

They know he had gone with a neighbor to a friends house in Louisa County, the Saturday before the Fourth of July. Theyve since learned he was on the porch with others about 9:30 p.m., as the fireworks show was about to start.

But no one seems to know what happened next, said the parents, who live in Hanover County. It was dark, and people said they had their backs turned to Nick when they heard this loud boom, the mother said.

He just kind of stopped, she said. I think they ended up laying him down and starting CPR on him right away.

Nicholas Ryan Layne died that night, a month shy of his 18th birthday, in a darkened yard off Belle Meade Road in Bumpass. The Louisa County Sheriffs Department hasnt gotten a report from the medical examiners office on his cause of death.

Nicks parents believe a firework blast threw him into cardiac arrest. But they also said that a funeral home director told them there were no signs of an explosion on his chest or body except for some marks on his left hand.

A spokesman for Found and Sons Funeral Chapel wouldnt confirm what was said, stressing that the funeral home doesnt discuss information shared with family members for privacy reasons.

The only thing I can think is, its just a freak accident. It was just something that you could not even reproduce if you wanted to, Nicks mother said as tears welled in her eyes. I dont question Gods timing or what His will is and were gonna celebrate the 17 years that we had with him.

On Saturday, a week after Nicks death, the Louisa County Sheriffs Office stated in a news release that while responding, deputies were advised that the victim had a firework explode in their hand, was not breathing, and that CPR had been started by individuals on location.

The fire marshal and detectives from several units collected evidence and are awaiting the medical examiners report.

The Louisa County Sheriffs Office responds to numerous calls for service each year involving fireworks, and this incident is proof that handling fireworks the wrong way can cause serious injury or death, said Sheriff Donald Lowe. Let the professionals handle the fireworks while you celebrate New Years and Americas independence responsibly and safe.

Rockets red glare

Last year, 10,200 Americans were treated for injuries from fireworks and 11 of them died, according to a Consumer Product Safety Division report.

Most of the deaths occurred around the July 4th holiday and were associated with mortar-style explosions, according to the CPSD. Misusing fireworks resulted in five fatalities, with victims ranging from ages 11 to 43.

Any firework that explodes, moves on the ground or in the air, or shoots a projectile is considered illegal in Virginia, according to the State Fire Marshals Office.

But as evidenced by the glare of red rockets and the booms of pyrotechnic blasts in backyards across the Fredericksburg region last week, plenty of people cross state lines, where they can legally buy whats illegal to have in Virginia, and bring them home.

Then, they become part of the type of Independence Day gathering that Nick Layne attended. His parents had been to similar celebrations over the years and stressed in an interview on Friday that they taught fireworks safety, just as they drilled in proper procedures with firearms, to Nick and his 14-year-old sister, Savannah.

If they dont know, then how can they be safe? his mom asked.

His father cant believe Nick would have lit a firework in the midst of so many people or held one that was lit.

Theres no way that he would have intentionally done anything while on the porch, at someones house with people around, Michael Layne said. He was taught to be much more respectful than that.

Left to wonder

The parents said they dont want the Sheriffs Office to press charges against the homeowners who hosted the party or whoever might have brought illegal fireworks to the event.

While laws at the county, state and federal level address the purchase and transport of fireworks, theyre difficult to enforce unless someone is selling them illegally in Virginia.

Last week, Stafford Fire and Rescue officials seized the largest cache of illegal fireworks in county history, more than $600,000 worth of items that were being sold at a stand in the White Oak area, according to public information officer Katie Brady. The items were displayed in plain sight, and an anonymous tipster told the county about them.

Its a different matter altogether when numerous people are gathered on someones lawn, shooting off fireworks.

The challenge that many of our fire marshals encounter is determining who, in a large group of people, actually purchased, transported and shot off the illegal fireworks, Brady said.

Michael Layne said he was definitely angry from the start about the fact that illegal fireworks were present at the event. But the more he talked to others, including the man who hosted the party, the more he realized the accident involving Nick wasnt anything intentional. They did everything they could to help him.

And what good does being angry do? his wife asked. Its only going to create bitterness in our own hearts. We want to show love and compassion. We dont blame anybody. We want to also be supportive of our daughter, too, because she needs us as well. What would we be teaching her if we got angry?

However, the father would like to know more details about exactly what happened the night his son died.

I just dont want to go on forever, wondering, he said. If I can get a definitive answer, its one more thing I wont have to think about.

Hippie style

As noted in Nick Laynes obituary, the young man loved his long hair and hippie style. It was more than a phase, his family said, with his interest in music and people from the 1960s and 70s starting when he was about 10.

He loved Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, said his grandmother, Sherry Pritchert of Stafford County.

She talked about the weekends he spent at her home, the way hed climb up the shelf in her garage and retrieve about 30 bins of Christmas decorations. Then after the holidays, hed be there to put them all back.

He enjoyed playing bass guitar and putting together complex Lego sets. He loved the outdoors, fishing, playing video games and cards, skateboarding, fast food and lasagna.

He really knew who he was and he was comfortable with who he was, his mother said. He didnt care what anybody else thought. He was just gonna be his own person and we embraced him and we loved him for that.

But it didnt necessarily make him popular in high school, and he was bullied, his parents said. He took some online classes and planned to get a GED when he turned 18.

Nick also wanted to celebrate his birthday by jumping out of an airplane, so his family is honoring those wishes by supporting anyone who wants to fly with him. Friends, family members and co-workers have donated several thousand dollars toward the event, which probably will involve about 12 people skydiving next month.

A relative will take some of his ashes and swirl them into resin beads so the jumpers will have a piece of Nick with them. His parents had planned to be there in August when he made his celebratory jump  to watch and support him, but not to participate.

Its not something that I ever wanted to do, but I feel like I owe it to him, his mother said.
Remote Area Medical, a nonprofit which provides pop-up clinics offering free dental, vision and medical care to those in need, is seeking volunteers for a two-day clinic in Westmoreland County.

The event will be held Sept. 16-17 at Westmoreland High School, 14 Opal Lane in Montross, and is being held in collaboration with Rappahannock Community College and the Virginia Area Health Education Center, Rappahannock Region.

All RAM services are free, and no identification is required. Dental, vision and medical services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and include dental cleanings, fillings, extractions and X-rays; eye exams, health screenings, prescriptions and eyeglasses made on-site; womens health exams and general medical exams.

More details on the time of the Westmoreland clinic will be available closer to September, but clinic doors typically open about 6 a.m., according to RAM.

RAM is looking for volunteer medical, dental and vision professionals as well as for general support staff, who can help set up the event on Friday, Sept. 15, and take it down on Sunday, Sept. 17. Also needed are parking staff who can work overnight to greet people, who often show up hours before the clinic opens, and volunteer interpreters to aid patients through the process, both in the parking lot and clinic.

Volunteers do not need to work in the medical field to help as general support. Individuals or organizations interested in helping provide free health-care services to people in Montross and surrounding communities are asked to visit the RAM website at ramusa.org or call 865/579-1530.

Founded in 1985, RAM has treated more than 910,000 individuals with $189.5 million worth of free health-care and veterinary services. Since its foundation, more than 196,000 volunteers have supported RAMs mission.
If you think politics are a mess in America, just consider the recent events in Russia.

On Jun. 23 Yevgeny Prigozhin led members of the Wagner Group on what the military leader termed a march for justice. The groups ultimate goal was Moscow, but it stopped short of Russias capital two days later.

The fact that there is an active mercenary group in a tightly controlled country like Russia is a bit strange. The fact that this group has been fighting alongside the regular Russian military in Ukraine is even stranger.

But the fact that Russian president Vladimir Putin essentially forgave these fighters for even beginning a march toward Moscow is the strangest thing of all. Thats not the iron-fisted Russia that my generation was raised to distrust.

That is not the Russia of Lenin or Stalin or even the Putin of two decades ago. One would have expected that any military march on Moscow, even though Prigozhin assured the world it was not an attempted coup, would have been met by government resistance and firing squads. It was not.

What do we take from this episode? Has Russia grown soft? Is Putin losing control of his country? Are the Russian people tired of their leader and on the verge of revolt?

The main question, however, is why would leaders in Russia even allow a mercenary group of between 20,000 and 50,000 soldiers to exist? A private army of that size would seem to be a constant threat to the government.

But Putin and the Russian leaders do allow the Wagner Group to exist and have since 2014. These mercenaries were involved in the invasion of Crimea and Ukraine.

Where do these fighters come from? Apparently from all over Russia and Eastern Europe. There are reports that some have been recruited out of Russian prisons. They are apparently hardened fighters.

As Putin discovered during last months march for justice, a large army of hardened mercenaries can lead to trouble. Can you imagine what would have happened if Donald Trumps followers had had a 50,000-man private army during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol?

Some believe that Putin allows the Wagner Group to exist because any war crimes or atrocities can be blamed on its soldiers and not Russias regular army. Still, if that group really decided to turn on Russias government, it would cause big trouble.

Why should America worry about Russian mercenaries? Initially one would think that internal fighting would help destabilize Putins government and that would be good for us and the world.

But we must never forget that Russia has an arsenal of nuclear weapons and many are programmed to strike American cities. Even though the Cold War is 30 years behind us, we are still the push of a button away from World War III and a nuclear holocaust.

We may not like Putin, but he is a known quantity. His actions may be erratic at times but they are still predictable. Should a successful coup occur and a new leader assume power, who knows what his intentions might be.

In fact, Middle East oil money could buy a private army like the Wagner Group and finance a revolt. Americas enemies from Iran or Saudi Arabia could put their own man in charge in Russia and put the United States behind the eight ball, both militarily and economically. After all, Russia has plenty of oil reserves.

Yes, the Jun. 23 march for justice in Russia leaves the world with plenty of questions but few answers. Putin allowed Prigozhin to leave the country but there are rumors that he is still in St. Petersburg.

Some mercenaries were allowed to assimilate into the Russian army, but there are no figures on how many. Thus, no one  including the Russian government  knows the exact status of the Wagner Group and its leader.

Ordinarily, the CIA would work to help destabilize the government of a foreign power that is perceived to be a threat to America. But this is Russia, the same Russia that brought Napoleon and Hitler to their knees.

And this is the same Russia that has had nuclear missiles aimed at us for more than 60 years. Perhaps it is best to remain in the wings and let the Great Bear clean up its own house.
Remember when employees cared about their jobs and cared about the company for which they worked? We call it a work ethic. It meant that an employee felt like he, too, was part of the company.

One of the reasons we see such poor work ethic today, such reluctance to get back to work after COVID, and such complacency to be on the dole is that companies give employees little autonomy and force them to become soulless robots.

When you punish workers for showing any initiative, why would you be surprised when they show none?

Heres a perfect story. On Fathers Day at the King Soopers in Centennial, three brazen thieves loaded up a shopping cart with scented laundry detergent (laundry detergent, really?) and rolled it out to their car to load it up and speed away.

King Soopers employee Santino Burrola was there to witness it. Trained not to physically intervene in any theft, he pulled out his phone to video the event.

His color commentary was priceless. As the idiots were frantically shoving laundry detergent into their car he mused to them, Really bros, you gotta resort to this? The economy is not that bad. As they speed off Burrola peeled off the aluminum foil they had covering their license plate, getting that on video as well.

After posting his video on social media, which was shared by many including rapper Snoop Dogg, the police arrested the driver who (surprise) had multiple felonies but wasnt behind bars (Yeah, Colorado!).

For his good work in catching thieves, caring about his employer, and saving customers money from shoplifters Santino Burrola didnt get a hardy slap on the back or even a job well done from his bosses at King Soopers. Instead, he got fired.

Weve all heard these stories of heroic employees who stopped shoplifters and held them until police came, only to be fired for their courageous deed. It boggles our collective minds to punish heroes, as well it should.

We were raised seeing such people rightfully praised, in hopes that others would emulate such behavior. Society would be better and safer for it.

As bizarre as it seems, from the companys point of view it makes perfect sense to fire this well-intentioned employee. Its not the type of behavior they can allow to be encouraged.

Stay with me on this one (dont worry, theyre still wrong for firing him).

Encounters with criminals could easily turn bad and end up injuring or even killing an employee or bystanders, causing a liability nightmare for the company. The payout after the lawsuits that would certainly follow would be immense. Thus, the company is justified in firing these people who were doing the morally right thing.

Looking at it by the numbers, one could say, Its not personal, its just business.

In fact, it might not be King Soopers call at all. It might be their insurance company demanding such firings. To keep their liability insurance, Soopers may have little choice but to enforce a zero-tolerance policy against employee intervention.

God bless lawyers.

And thats a fine corporate way to look at it. Corporations must look after the best interest of their shareholders.

But I would argue turning employees into automatons, trained to witness criminal acts and do nothing, is ultimately destructive to the bottom line.

The King Soopers where I shop in Boulder was home to a horrific mass shooting that the company did not prevent. The ultimate cost of passivity.

A heroic employee not trained to just passively witness such revulsions, might save a company from colossal and crippling lawsuits.

That is, a courageous and intervening employee could also prevent liability lawsuits.

Its only the hypersensitive, see-everything-as-risk, fear-based lawyers who push businesses to strip employees of their humanity and autonomy.

Current employees become the farm team for future leaders and management for any company.

Trained in unresponsiveness, beaten into robotic submission, and taught that caring for the company and taking personal risk to protect shareholders and clients is a fireable offense makes for a hiring pool of weak, ineffective, non-creative leaders. This is certain death for a company in the long term.

There was something else we used to teach employees  discretion.

The more we take it away from employees, the less theyll know what to do with it if they actually get some.

Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute in Denver and hosts The Devils Advocate with Jon Caldara on Colorado Public Television Channel 12. His column appears Sundays in Colorado Politics.
One person was killed in a shooting involving law enforcement officers in Summit County Sunday morning, officials said.

During the police activity, a shelter-in-place was issued for Summit Cove in Keystone, Colorado, Denver Gazette media partner KUSA reported.

The Summit County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies responded to reports of a man walking through a neighborhood, waving a firearm and "banging on residents' doors," the sheriff's office said in a news release.

"The individual failed repeatedly to comply with verbal commands given to him," according to the news release.

The man allegedly pointed a handgun at a deputy and an officer, who both fired their weapons in response, the sheriff's office said. Law enforcement began rendering medical aid to the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The sheriff's office did not identify the man who died or the officers who fired their guns. Both the deputy and the police officer were placed on paid administrative leave. Neither was injured in the incident.

We recognize that incidents like this have a significant impact on our community, and we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the individual who lost their life. We understand the pain and grief that follows such a tragic event, and we are committed to providing support and resources to those affected during this difficult time, Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said in the news release.

The sheriff's office did not respond to interview requests.

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The sheriff's office initially reported that it received six calls between 11:50 p.m., Saturday and 7:30 a.m., Sunday reporting a man acting erratically in the Summit Cove neighborhood. A call came in Sunday morning for a man with a handgun.

A Summit County Sheriff's deputy and a Dillon Police officer responded, and the suspect was shot and killed.

The sheriff's office said the suspect was a man who had been contacted several times in the past several weeks by the Summit County SMART team, a mental health response team that tries to deescalate situations before someone gets hurt, but the suspect refused help each time he was contacted.

Our Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team, our SMART team as we refer to [them], responded to numerous calls with this individual over the last 24 hours and has actually been working with this individual for the last three weeks," FitzSimons said. "During all of the interactions with this individual, at no time did the person present a danger to himself or others and refused voluntary services, and so was let go to family during these contacts.

A shelter-in-place was issued to Summit County around 8 a.m., Sunday. Around 8:45 a.m., an all-clear message was sent out to residents. According to a Facebook post from the Summit County government, the all-county message for the shelter-in-place was sent in error.

The shelter-in-place was lifted around 8:50 a.m., but residents were asked to avoid the area.

Anyone with more information or who witnessed the incident can contact Summit County Sheriff's Office Detective Sergeant Mark Gafari at 970-423-8960.

This is a developing story and will update once more information becomes available.
An attorney for former President Donald Trump was booted from the New York attorney general's case against Trump, and will now serve in a new role with a Trump-aligned political action committee.

Alina Habba will take the lead in a new position for the Save America Leadership PAC, according to a press release on Friday.

BIDEN ANNOUNCES SWEEPING 'BIDENOMICS' PLAN TO REDUCE HEALTHCARE COSTS

Habba is set to take over as the PAC's legal spokesperson and general counsel while maintaining her position in assist Trump with "certain legal matters." Trump's communication director described the now-ex-general counsel as having performed "diligently" and "tirelessly" regarding the "many witch-hunt cases that have been unfairly brought" against Trump.

A cause behind Habba's departure has not yet been revealed besides that she will be afforded more time to dedicate to her new duties within the Saving America PAC.

Habba previously admitted to having searched for classified documents at Trump's Mar-a-lago residencewhich reportedly permitted at the permission of the former presidentlast year, in response to a subpoena from the New York attorney general. The admission came shortly before the FBI raided the Florida estate.

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CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Just recently, Fox News Tonight, Habba appeared to stumble with her explanation of Trump's defense following the leaking of an audio tape of a meeting between the pair at his Bedminster Gold Club.

Original Location: Attorney booted from Trump team in NY AG's case against fmr. President

Washington Examiner Videos
Centrist and progressive groups will arrive on Capitol Hill this month to warn senior Democrats about the effect a third-party ticket could have on the 2024 election.

An invitation obtained by Politico shows that officials from MoveOn, a progressive group, and Third Way, a centrist organization, are planning to brief Senate Democrats chiefs of staff on July 27, after early polling showed an independent ticket could help former President Donald Trump secure the White House in 2024.

ARIZONA BRACES FOR MOST UNPREDICTABLE SENATE RACE: AN ABSOLUTE DOGFIGHT'

The groups have been vocal opponents to the third-party bid funded by the No Labels group, a multi-million dollar campaign to secure an independent ticket in all 50 states.

The invite states that the groups "want to share some information that they have on No Labels" with the senators' top aides. The briefing will be given by Matt Bennett, executive vice president for public affairs at Third Way, and Rahna Epting, the executive director of MoveOn.

No Labels has sought to open the door for a third-party candidate in several presidential elections. For the 2024 election specifically, the group hoped to provide alternatives to Trump or President Joe Biden for voters who do not want to see a repeat of 2020.

The group has launched a $70 million campaign to secure an independent ticket in the United States, gaining momentum in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska and drawing criticism from Democrats and their allies.

No Labels said it would halt its efforts if polling shows Biden significantly further ahead of Trump. Also, the group said it would likely exit the race entirely if Trump is not chosen as the GOP nominee.

Ryan Clancy, No Labels chief strategist, previously told the Washington Examiner that many Republican voters who do not see Trump's name on the ballot will not show up to vote. Because of this, it would "close off the potential path for an independent ticket," he said.

Still, Third Way and MoveOn, as well as other Democratic groups and anti-Trump allies, have criticized No Labels' bid for a unity presidential ticket, claiming it could lead to a Trump and GOP victory.

Third Way released research in early June showing that a No Labels ticket will be a "spoiler" and ruin Democrats' chances at keeping the White House.

"No Labels argues this is a unique historical moment that gives their "unity ticket" a real shot at winning the White House," Third Way said in the research. "But that is an illusion. The data and historical evidence are clear: no third-party candidate would come close to winning."

Several polls have shown a third-party ticket narrowing the margin between Biden and Trump compared to when it is just a two-person race. A recent poll from Data for Progress showed a "moderate independent candidate" would deliver Trump a narrow victory.

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"Very often, there are differences of opinion or strategy when it comes to the Democratic coalition because it's very, very broad. But here, there's unanimity, and everyone agrees that if they go forward this is going to hurt Joe Biden," Bennett said in an interview with Politico. "We need to make clear to folks that what they are selling is an illusion, not a choice."

No Labels has dismissed these claims that their efforts will aid a Republican victory. For now, they have ruled out a campaign to elevate a candidate like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a centrist Democrat and longtime supporter of the group, to a third-party presidential bid.

Manchin himself has not announced whether he is running for reelection or will shoot for higher office but has insisted that the country needs a bipartisan candidate to bring the parties together.

The West Virginia senator's aide told Politico that if his schedule permits, the senator's chief of staff will attend the July 27 meeting.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

His decision could impact Democrats' chances in 2025: If he runs for the White House and loses, Democrats will forfeit the presidential race and their Senate majority, the latter which hangs on by a single Democratic member.

The Washington Examiner reached out to No Labels, Third Way, and MoveOn for comment.

Original Location: Centrist groups to brief top Democrats about effect third-party ticket could have on 2024

Washington Examiner Videos
The Dutch Prime Minister issued his resignation from office on Saturday, bringing an end to one of the country's longest-serving political leaders in decades.

Mark Rutte established his fourth and latest government in January 2022, following ten-months of negotiating measures surrounding the issue of immigration across four political parties.

ARIZONA BRACES FOR MOST UNPREDICTABLE SENATE RACE: AN ABSOLUTE DOGFIGHT'

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte sits in a car as he leaves Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, Netherlands, Saturday, July 8, 2023 after he informed King Willem-Alexander that his coalition government has resigned. Rutte announced the collapse of the government Friday night and declined to answer reporters' questions as he left. (AP Photo/Michael Corder) Michael Corder/AP

"It's no secret that the coalition parties think very differently about asylum policy and today we unfortunately need to draw the conclusion that the differences are unbridgeable," Rutte explained Friday night during a press conference. "The fall of a government is never good. But it is sometimes impossible in a coalition country like the Netherlands to come to one agreement."

The Netherlands anticipates approximately 45,000 immigrants entering the country in 2024amounting to roughly the same number it welcomed last year. This follows Rutte's attempts to negotiate more strict policies as it relates to refugees emmigrating from countries at war.

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Dutch King Willem-Alexander cut his vacation short in Greece in order to receive outgoing prime minister's resignation.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

"The Netherlands is waiting for solutions and not for postponement," Rutte said on Saturday.

Rutte was first elected as prime minister in October 2010, with his longest coalition government lasting five-years, and this latest spanning just 18-months.

Original Location: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigns after almost more than a decade in office

Washington Examiner Videos
United States Central Command conducted a strike in Syria, resulting in the death of Usamah al-Muhajir, an ISIS leader, on Friday.

The strike, which occurred in eastern Syria, was carried out by MQ-9 drones that had been harassed by Russian aircraft shortly beforehand.

INSIDE THE PENTAGON OFFICE LEADING UFO INVESTIGATIONS

The Syrian Civil Defense, a humanitarian response group often referred to as the "White Helmets," said they responded to the scene where a person who was riding on a motorcycle on the Al-Bab-Bazaa road in the eastern part of Aleppo was killed by a drone. The group also said a civilian passing through the area sustained minor injuries.

CENTCOM said no civilians were killed in the strike, but they are "assessing reports of a civilian casualty."

"We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region," said Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. "ISIS remains a threat, not only to the region but well beyond."

CENTCOM also noted, "The strike on Friday was conducted by the same MQ-9s that had, earlier in the day, been harassed by Russian aircraft in an encounter that had lasted almost two hours."

The drones that carried out the strike were harassed by Russian fighter jets over Syria, which capped off three days of such events, which U.S. defense officials characterized as "unsafe and unprofessional."

"Three Russian fighter jets began harassing those drones, using things like parachute flares to drop in front of them, as well as one aircraft engaging its afterburner, clearly meant to harass and clearly unprofessional and unsafe behavior on the part of the Russians," Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said at Thursday's briefing.

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The department released a declassified video of the incident, which appears to show a Russian Su-35 positioning itself in front of the U.S. drone and dropping parachute-born flares into its path.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

CENTCOM is also investigating a May 3 strike in Syria due to concerns the individual targeted and killed in that strike was a civilian.

They initially said it killed a "senior al-Qaeda leader," though they still haven't publicly confirmed the identity of the target.

Gen. Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, directed a 15-6 investigation be conducted on June 6, and the commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve initiated the investigation on June 23, Lt. Col. Troy Garlock, a CENTCOM spokesman, told the Washington Examiner. CENTCOM declined to comment on why it took a month for Kurilla to initiate the investigation and two months for it to begin.

Original Location: ISIS leader killed in airstrike by US drones that were harassed by Russian fighter jets

Washington Examiner Videos
Parents are understandably on edge over the potential for harm to come to their kids on Colorados K-12 campuses. Incidents of school violence nationally and especially closer to home in our own state have heightened awareness  and raised questions  about what safety measures are in place to protect children. Too often, the answers seem inadequate.

The broader policy debates at Colorados Capitol  over gun control, criminal justice and other issues  seem to swirl high up in the air, well above the here-and-now realities of our kids schooldays. What parents really want to know is what concrete steps their local schools are taking to secure their childrens hallways and classrooms.

Last Sundays Perspective, authored by a security expert who also happens to be a parent and school board candidate, compellingly sketched out the multiple factors that have compounded security concerns at Colorado schools. Paul Ballenger, a Denver-based security consultant and military combat veteran, helped found the Parent Safety Advocacy Group with other parents concerned about security in Denvers public school system.

In his commentary, Ballenger recapped the influences over the past few years  from COVIDs school closures to the resurgence of gangs  that have created a perfect storm of threats that undermine kids mental health, discipline and overall sense of security.

That perfect storm may account for two shooting incidents involving Denvers East High School earlier this year. In February, an East High student was shot dead near the campus; in March, another student at the high school shot and seriously wounded two administrators inside the school building.

The student in the latter incident  he fled the scene and killed himself later that day  had been on probation at the time for a weapons charge that had gotten him expelled previously from a neighboring school district. Yes, incredibly, he was still being allowed to attend class.

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Ballenger cites nonsensical school discipline policies that contribute to the threat level in schools  and that clearly was a factor in Denvers second school shooting this year. Any school district that prioritizes equity for a student already adjudicated on a gun charge, over the safety of all other students, is urgently in need of new leadership.

Indeed, as The Gazettes own Jimmy Sengenberger pointed out in his column Friday, Denvers school district in particular seems to be developing a pattern of keeping students in class even when they pose a clear risk to their fellow students. Some 350 Denver students, Sengenberger notes, posed enough of a risk given their track records to require a threat assessment last year. Of those, 42 needed pat-downs to check for weapons  but still were allowed in school.

Its almost unfathomable how such reckless policies were implemented by elected school board members and administered by school execs to whom parents entrust their childrens safety. What to do about such misplaced priorities?

Ballenger offers some common-sense recommendations all school districts in Colorado should embrace and implement. Among them:

Identifying at-risk students long before high school and ensuring they support them as early as possible.

Keeping people safe inside, and keeping threats outside  which means dangerous students and non-students.

Not putting politics and emotion into decisions that affect safety.

Electing school officials who make safety a priority.

Parents and teachers holding schools and districts accountable for safety.

Particularly those last two points ought to come into play in upcoming school board elections around the state this November. It ultimately will be up to voters, after all, to remind school districts of their sacred duty to protect Colorados children.
Our current system for the selection and retention of state court judges in Colorado was created in 1966 by an initiated constitutional amendment known as the Missouri Plan. Our state has gone through significant changes in the last 67 years. Our population has grown dramatically and gotten younger. The expectation of Coloradans for our judicial system has changed as well. Calls for increased transparency and responsiveness by the judicial system are being heard all over the state. I believe that it is time to review our current system of selection and retention of state judges and ask some hard questions.

The current system

By way of background, the Colorado state courts as established by Article VI of the Colorado Constitution and statute, consist of the following:

 Colorado Supreme Court

 Colorado Court of Appeals

 Colorado District Courts

 Colorado County Courts

 Colorado Water Courts

 Municipal Courts

All of these courts, with the exception of the municipal courts and Denvers County Court, are part of the state court system. Federal courts are not part of this system.

Generally speaking, courts are either courts of general jurisdiction or limited jurisdiction. For example, the Colorado Supreme Court and the district courts are courts of general jurisdiction, including civil cases, criminal cases, domestic relations, family law, juvenile delinquency, paternity actions, probate and mental health. Courts that have limited jurisdiction include county courts which handle misdemeanor cases, setting bail, preliminary hearings in felony cases, evictions, civil cases up to $25,000 in dispute, and other narrowly defined cases like issuance of temporary restraining orders and the like.

Water courts, which are divisions of district courts, are pretty self-explanatory as these courts are charged with adjudication of water rights.

Most Coloradans have had limited experience with the judiciary. Traffic tickets, jury duty, family law and perhaps debt collection matters. If you are a farmer or rancher, you have more than passing experience with water courts.

Regardless of your experience, courts are extremely important in our system of democracy. They are one of three branches of government, along with the executive and legislative branches. As serious viewers of The Paper Chase and Legally Blonde know well, state courts play a broad and serious role in ruling on state laws, making and interpreting common law. Mens rea, anyone?

The rubber hits the road when the discussion turns to the selection of judges. Federal judges are nominated by the president, confirmed by the U.S. Senate and serve for life. Their professional experience and history and current judicial philosophy are the subject of extensive media stories. But, what about state judges?

If you live in rural Colorado, you may interact with district court judges as a normal part of everyday life in business, church or social activities. Chances are that if you are a non-lawyer urban dweller, you have had no interaction with a member of the judiciary.

Given the publics general lack of contact with the judiciary, the increasing demands for transparency for all levels of government, coupled with decreasing trust and confidence in our public institutions, it is critical that we examine carefully the current system of judicial selection.

How we pick judges

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The Missouri Plan was widely lauded as a reform system of merit selection of judges free of the politics observed in other states utilizing the partisan election of judges. A number of other states followed suit. Thought leaders in Colorado sold the idea to voters as a reform system to achieve the merit selection and retention of qualified judges. The Missouri Plan has two steps: (1) judicial selection known as assisted appointments and (2) retention of individual judges by a vote of the people. The Missouri Plan replaced partisan elected judges.

Assisted appointments for the selection of judges is a system whereby a commission appointed by the governor sifts through candidates from a pool of applicants for final appointment by the governor. The commission then recommends three qualified candidates to the governor who must appoint one of the three. There are two types of nominating commissions in Colorado: (1) the Supreme Court Nominating Commission, which selects judges for the Supreme Court and the court of appeals; (2) the District Court Nominating Commissions for each judicial district, which nominate district and county court judges. Both commissions include the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court as a nonvoting member who chairs each commission. Commission members must include one citizen who is a non-lawyer from each congressional district and a lawyer appointed jointly by the governor, attorney general and the chief justice. The Supreme Court Nominating Commission includes 17 members. No more than one half of the commission members plus one may be members of the same political party. The current commission includes five unaffiliated members. Non-lawyers make up the majority of both commissions.

The second part of the Missouri Plan is a requirement that each appointed judge be subject to a retention vote within two years after the initial appointment and in specified intervals thereafter. The retention vote is nonpartisan and no other candidates are included, the only question is the retention of the specific individual judge. Typically, there are only two to six appellate court judges on the ballot in any election year.

In an attempt to provide voters with more information on judges for the retention vote, the state has created the Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation, which reviews all judges in the year of the retention election. Reviewers include lawyers and non-lawyers. Surveys look at integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, temperament, and service to the public. Reviewers also look at neutrality, fairness and plain language, for examples. Decisions are also reviewed. The end product is a determination that a judge meets or does not meet performance standards. Hardly telling or substantive recommendations.

Suggested reforms

There have been discussions over the years of revising the process by which judges are selected under the Missouri Plan. Specifically, there have been calls to subject the three nominees for the Colorado Supreme Court to what is known as confirmation by the Colorado state Senate, including a Senate committee hearing in which a judicial candidate is subject to questions to which the candidate must respond. Under the current system, there is very little public information about judicial candidates prior to selection and no formal mechanism by which candidates are questioned by elected officials, the public or the media for which they must respond. Except for reporting by The Gazette, there is very little media reporting of court decisions in general.

Review of a judicial candidate in the form of confirmation by the Colorado Senate is similar to the current approach for confirmation of heads of Colorado executive branch agencies and commissions. Confirmation would assure some robust investigation into the qualifications and judicial philosophy of a nominee. Such a system would also mirror the federal court process, which citizens routinely follow. Requiring a Senate confirmation hearing prior to each renewal term for all appellate judges will further assure timely review of decisions prior to any retention vote.

While rare, there are examples of the Colorado Senate rejecting gubernatorial nominees for agency heads. Injecting Senate confirmation into the judicial selection process would at least ensure some public debate concerning a judicial nominee.

Commentators on judicial reform have also looked at reforming the assisted appointment system by changing who appoints commission members. It has been suggested that the governor be allowed to appoint one third of the commission members, with the remaining two thirds evenly divided by the president of the Senate and the speaker of the house. This change alone would work to assure broader representation of judicial candidates even without state senate confirmation.

Beyond reforming the method of appointing judicial commission members, and subjecting candidates to Senate confirmation, reformers have also looked at modifying the retention vote system with several different suggestions.

The first suggestion is to require a super-majority approval vote at the initial retention election. Whether the vote requirement is set at two thirds or three fourths, the result would no doubt result in fewer judges being retained, thereby increasing the numbers of new appointments available. More new appointments might certainly please the increasing number of young Colorado voters and might generate more voter interest.

The second suggestion is to make the performance evaluations broader to include more relevant issues to voters such as no cash bail, criminal sentencing, abortion and civil rights. However, without robust media coverage of these performance reviews, even broader evaluations are unlikely to result in increased voter interest or roader media coverage.

But, I would like to make a final bold suggestion.

We need to look no further than our neighboring state of New Mexico to examine a real-life alternative. New Mexico uses the assisted appointment system to recommend judicial candidates to the governor for selection, but in the first retention election other candidates may enter the race to oppose a sitting judge. Given the Colorado preference for nonpartisan voting, Colorado could adopt the New Mexico system and simply make the retention election nonpartisan but open to one or more other candidates. In keeping with a nonpartisan approach a candidate would simply appear on the ballot through the use of a petition, similar to congressional candidates. The retention vote itself could use the increasingly popular system of ranked-choice voting.

There is nothing like a robust campaign between two or more candidates to flesh out issues and candidate qualification concerns. I know that there are those who recoil at the election process and claim dirty politics at every juncture. But Colorado has a robust system of campaign finance regulation to rein in dirty politics claims.

Regardless of which reform idea is selected, any change will end a selection process that lawyers control (and us lawyers like)  giving more of a voice to the people and less to lawyers.

Shayne Madsen serves as general counsel and director of the Political Law Center for the Independence Institute in Denver.
Editor's note: This story is the result of compiling and analyzing nearly five years of occurrence reports submitted to the state by assisted-living facilities, reviewing police records, state Senate committee testimony and court documents. In addition, The Gazette interviewed or received statements from family members of the victims, legal experts, elder care advocates, prosecutors and assisted-living administrators and owners, and advocates for the industry.

The last time anyone at Applewood Our House assisted-living facility checked on Lavina Bonacci was between 7:30 and 8 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2021. At age 88, her mind had turned foggy with Alzheimers disease, and she was known as a wanderer who needed to be regularly monitored to keep her safe.

It is why her family turned to the 16-bed facility in Lakewood the summer before for help.

But on that frigid night, more than 12 hours passed before the staff realized she was missing, eventually finding her outside frozen to death. She was lying on the ground, her legs poking from the bushes in an outdoor area no bigger than a suburban backyard. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, thin pants and socks.

Her empty wheelchair was nearby, its tracks visible in the snow. A toothbrush and tube of toothpaste were on the ground next to her, presumably what she grabbed when in her confusion she thought she was leaving.

At least one required nighttime safety check was missed. No one knows how long she had been outside in temperatures that dropped to 16 degrees.

Her body was so frozen, the staff later said, ice had formed inside her mouth. The autopsy report said she died of hypothermia. It was ruled an accident.

Gruesome deaths like hers are often seen as terrible but isolated mistakes. But a four-month Gazette investigation into Colorados burgeoning assisted-living industry revealed that preventable deaths at facilities promising a watchful eye happened more often than the public knows.

There were 110 documented deaths classified by the state as unexplained or suspicious at assisted-living facilities between Jan. 1, 2018, and Oct. 28, 2022, according to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment records obtained and analyzed by The Gazette. The records come from mandatory self-reporting by facilities.

But the Gazette analysis of the more than 4,500 reports plus independent reporting also discovered three dozen more deaths or incidents of neglect and abuse that later led to death. In some of those cases, the deaths were found within state records classified as something other than death. In at least one other, a facility never reported a death at all.

The Gazette further found that after a tragedy, punishment to those in charge is minimal due to vague state regulations, limited or nonexistent criminal prosecution and a fine structure currently so low a national expert called it absurd.

The series of preventable deaths across the state included a resident who died after not getting medication for days, another with an untreated wound that led to fatal sepsis, and a yet another left unattended outside for six hours in 100-degree heat that slowly baked her to death.

There have been at least six cases of hypothermia alone  four fatal, including Lavina Bonaccis. In each, an elderly resident with signs of dementia walked out of a supposedly secure facility into the Colorado cold and was not found for hours:

 Dec. 8, 2019. Spring Ridge Park in Wheat Ridge. A memory care resident in her 90s wandered outside into the fenced courtyard sometime after 5:45 p.m. No one spotted her on the facilitys surveillance camera until 9 p.m., lying on the concrete. Records were falsified by a staff member, who was later fired, to make it appear she had been checked at 6 p.m. The resident, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital with hypothermia.

 Feb. 3, 2020. Union Printers Home in Colorado Springs. Margarita Sams, 89, was found frozen to death on an outside bench just 40 yards from the facility. Her mental condition had deteriorated, and staff were told to keep a close watch on her. A surveillance video showed her heading for an exterior door around 4 a.m. A thorough search was not conducted for seven more hours.

The facility was shut down by the state and three workers initially faced criminal charges but those were later dropped. (While Sams was a nursing home resident, her death was included in this story because the facility also had assisted living.)

 Oct. 8, 2020. Mary Sandoe House in Boulder. A resident in her 90s with dementia went missing sometime after 10:45 p.m. She was found lying on the ground at 7 a.m. the next day. Around 3 a.m. a staff member noticed she was not in her room and texted another worker. That staff member later admitted she was half-asleep and confused the missing resident with another who was often in the hospital. No search was conducted. After discovered, the resident, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital and died three days later of pneumonia. The facility voluntarily closed last year.

 Jan. 2, 2021. Morningstar Bear Creek in Colorado Springs. A resident in her 70s with dementia was found outside at night in the courtyard wearing her nightclothes. Staff said they did not know how long she had been outside, despite a requirement that residents be checked every two hours and the courtyard searched to make sure no one was outside. The resident, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital with a fractured arm and signs of hypothermia. Two staff members were fired. The resident returned to the facility after being released from the hospital.

 Feb. 26, 2022. Balfour at Lavender Farms in Louisville. Mary Jo Staub, 97, was found frozen to death after being trapped outside for more than five hours in temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees. The facilitys surveillance camera showed that just after midnight, she wandered outside unnoticed and became locked out. Her family said they were told she would be checked at night.

The footage, according to a lawsuit filed by the family, showed her trying to scoot with her walker before falling in the snow and crawling the rest of the way on her hands and knees to a glass door, leaving a trail of blood. She pounded on it with her fists and a broom in view of a nursing station that was unoccupied. At 1:40 a.m. she collapsed on the sidewalk, her body twitching for two more hours before it stopped moving at 4:23 a.m. She was found just before 6 a.m. The cause of death was hypothermia. It was ruled an accident.

Assisted living facility officials insist resident safety is their priority.

I am still so devastated, said Sherrie Bonham, the administrator at Applewood Our House where Bonacci died. She said she immediately reported the death to the state and police as required and filed a correction plan.

She said she was told she could not legally lock the door to keep residents inside. She has since installed an alarm on the door.

A spokesperson for MorningStar said in an email the facility took the incident there extremely seriously, launching an investigation, working with the state, and taking corrective action to ensure residents are protected in our community.

Spring Ridge Park and Balfour did not respond to multiple emailed requests for comment. The other facilities are closed.

Advocates for the elderly say that most of the time the assisted-living model works, filling an important role in the health care continuum when people can no longer live independently. It is especially welcomed by families overwhelmed by the needs of a parent or grandparent in cognitive decline.

But they also say the lack of substantial penalties in Colorado when things go wrong points to a systemic failure to protect its most vulnerable seniors. The stakes are especially high in a state with the nations third-fastest population growth rate of people ages 65 to 84, increasing by more than 300,000 in the past decade and projected to grow by another 265,000 in the next, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

We can no longer excuse these deaths as accidents. They are homicidal negligence, said Shannon Gimbel, ombudsman manager at the area agency on aging for the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Until there is a real consequence  or the fear of a consequence  nothing is going to change.

A $96 billion market

Since its inception in the 1980s, families have been drawn to assisted livings promise of safe, steady care mixed with hominess, finding it preferable to the perceived dreariness of nursing homes.

There are currently 665 assisted-living facilities licensed in Colorado, although many are small. That is up from 562 a decade ago and now outnumbering licensed nursing homes by nearly 3 to 1, according to state data.

Nationally, assisted living has become a $96 billion market with projections to reach $141 billion by the end of the decade.

In Colorado, the cost of assisted living is now roughly $5,000-$7,000 per month plus added services. At some facilities, it is more than $10,000. The bulk is not covered by traditional health insurance or Medicare. And Medicaid is only accepted in limited circumstances.

Yet despite the explosive growth, assisted living, unlike nursing homes, has no direct federal oversight. Regulation is left to individual states. In Colorado, administrators do not have to be licensed as they are in nursing homes. And the qualifications for assisted-living staff  often paid little more than minimum wage  are also less stringent than those in nursing homes, because it is assumed residents do not need as much hands-on attention.

In recent years, though, the original model has evolved to offer higher levels of care, especially for those in memory units. Critics say that Colorados regulations have not kept pace with the change, setting the stage for problems.

And when tragedy occurs, accountability can be elusive.

Criminal prosecutions are rare. Although police investigate  some departments now have elder abuse specialists  it often stops there. Cases are not forwarded to the attorney general or district attorney, because officers conclude there is not enough evidence of a crime or dont know who is culpable. Even if forwarded, prosecutors may decide the case is not strong enough to pursue.

We will review any case of abuse or neglect resulting in death that is presented to our office by any law enforcement agency, said Eric Ross, media spokesperson for the 18th Judicial District which includes Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. But he added, to win a conviction, prosecutors must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If there is no likelihood of a conviction or a case lacks sufficient evidence for us to take to trial, we must dismiss the case.

Lawrence Pacheco, a spokesperson for the Colorado Attorney General's Office, said that charges will only be filed by that office if "the elements of a chargeable crime have been established," and if investigators can "identify the person who committed the offense."

So, enforcement falls to the limited muscle of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. While the regulatory agency could suspend a facilitys license, that, too, is uncommon. It has happened just five times since 2019.

The state can take the intermediary step of issuing a conditional license, which means the facility requires a higher level of monitoring and stricter rules as a warning to bring the facility into compliance. CDPHE has issued 31 conditional licenses since 2019  sometimes more than once to the same facility, it said.

More typically, though, violations  including those that led to a death  are met with citations and fines along with a demand to fix deficiencies.

Under current state law, the maximum fine is $2,000 per year per facility, no matter the number of violations. It equates to roughly one residents weekly rent at some facilities.

Thats absurd, said Sam Brooks, director of public policy at Washington D.C.-based Consumer Voice, a national advocacy group for residents in long-term care and their families. Why would you comply with anything?

Fines increasing

The Gazettes investigation found that fines against facilities are sometimes even less.

Balfour at Lavender Farms, where Mary Jo Staub froze to death, received eight citations and was fined $1,500, according to CDPHE. Applewood Our House, where Lavina Bonacci froze to death, received one citation and no fine at all.

No criminal charges were filed in either case.

The message we got was the state does not really consider events like our mothers death a big deal, Mary Beth Bonacci said in testimony last year before a heated state Senate committee to revamp regulations.

Bonacci declined an interview by The Gazette because of a nondisclosure agreement that is part of her familys out-of-court settlement with the facility.

We recognize there are sometimes tragic outcomes at health facilities, and we are committed to doing all we can to protect vulnerable residents. It is our mission," Elaine McManis, director of the health facilities and emergency medical services at CDPHE, said in an emailed statement. One of our main strategies to protect residents is to assist facilities to correct issues quickly once we identify problems."

The agency added that when determining the fine, a facility's past and current record of compliance is taken into consideration.

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Last year, state Sen. Jessie Danielson, D-Jefferson County, introduced Senate Bill 154, which removed all limits on fines. The proposal was met with swift and strong opposition from the assisted-living industry, contending it was too punitive and could potentially drive small homes out of business or have the unintended consequence of creating financial hardship that could reduce services to residents.

A compromise was struck, and the bill passed into law with the fine for the most serious infractions set at $10,000 per incident with the possibility of even more if the violation is egregious. Set to go into effect next year, the details of the new law are still being reviewed before final rules are approved.

The current version of the rules state that violations resulting in serious injury or death will come with a range of fine from $2,000 to $10,000 with the possibility of more.

While acknowledging that $2,000 was not much, Deborah Lively, director of public policy and public affairs for LeadingAge Colorado, the largest association of senior living care providers in the state, said the higher fines are ill-advised.

Theres no real research out there that increased fines improves quality of care, she said.

'Unexplained or suspicious'

Assisted-living facilities are required to report problems or complaints to the state, known as an occurrence, to "capture serious issues that must be reported to us quickly," CDPHE said in its emailed statement. Occurrences are classified under categories such as death, neglect, physical, verbal or sexual abuse, misappropriation of property and drug diversion, which includes medication errors or a drug gone missing.

To be counted as a death by CDPHE, the loss of life must be reportable to the coroner as unexplained or suspicious, according to the agencys manual. CDPHE further explained to The Gazette that "deaths that are reportable to coroners may have resulted from actions from facility staff."

The state's reporting manual also recommends that if an occurrence starts as one type of incident but escalates, a facility should report it as the more serious.

Under the current system, an occurrence can only be logged under one category, and facilities determine the category when submitting to the state. The submission is later reviewed by CDPHE to ensure it "best fits the details of the situation," the agency said.

There were 110 state-classified deaths between Jan. 1, 2018, and Oct. 28, 2022, The Gazette's analysis found.

It is difficult to put that into national perspective because there is no uniform tracking and each state has its own system, creating a patchwork of rules and accountability.

Even within Colorado there are inconsistencies. The Gazette investigation, for instance, found an additional three dozen deaths not classified as deaths and listed in other categories. Most were caused by accidents, such as falls, or the resident later died at a hospital or in hospice after an incident. Other omissions, though, revealed horrific cases that raise questions as to why the death was not counted as a death.

For instance, Hazel Place died in June 2021 after being trapped outside unnoticed for six hours in temperatures topping 100 degrees. Staff at Cappella of Grand Junctions memory unit falsified records to make it appear the 86-year-old was checked and given medication when she had not. She was only discovered after the husband of another resident saw her through a hallway window slumped on a patio love seat.

Three workers were charged by the Attorney Generals Office in connection with the death. One was acquitted after trial, and the other two pleaded guilty, serving 17 and 33 days in Mesa County jail, respectively.

CDPHE classified the case as neglect.

Hazel Places death and its aftermath were the subject of a Jan. 19 Gazette investigation.

A May 2018 death of a resident at Retreat at Sunny Vista in Colorado Springs also was not classified as a death. The elderly resident, whose name was not disclosed, died after not getting his medication for days, including missing overnight oxygen for nine days.

The January 2021 death at Pine Grove Crossing in Parker also was not classified as a death. There, an elderly woman was force-fed by a staff member until she began to violently vomit, according to the CDPHE report. The resident, who was not identified, was found dead the next morning in her bed, believed to have aspirated her vomit. The death was not reported to the state as required at the time and only discovered after the facility changed owners.

The Sunny Vista death was classified as neglect and the Pine Grove death was classified as physical abuse. No on-site inspection was conducted by CDPHE in either case, the agency said, nor were any fines issued.

Cappella Living Solutions, which provides management services for Sunny Vista, said in an emailed statement it self-reported potential concerns, cooperated with external evaluations, and conducted an internal review, resulting in appropriate action being taken.

Christian Living Solutions, which owns Capella of Grand Junction, previously told The Gazette it self-reported the circumstances surrounding Hazel Places death and cooperated with authorities.

Pine Grove Crossing did not respond to emails requesting comment.

Two deaths

Melisa Goodard was warned by a hospice worker to steel herself before seeing her mothers bashed and bloodied face. Yet when she walked into her mothers room at Almost Like Home assisted-living facility in Arvada, she felt sick. I almost threw up.

It was Nov. 25, 2020. Goodard was told her 76-year-old mother, Judith McCurry, nonverbal and mostly immobile from frontal-lobe aphasia, had somehow rolled off a 2-foot-high bed onto a mat and struck her face. It didnt make sense. How could there be that much damage?

McCurry had been taken to the hospital but released. By the next day, though, her wounds looked significantly worse, possibly because she was taking blood thinners which can exacerbate bruising. She returned to the hospital. A nurse called the police to report possible abuse or neglect, but the investigation stalled.

A doctor told the family it was probably the beginning of the end. Less than four months later, in March 2021, McCurry was dead. She never fully recovered even after being moved to a new facility where Goodard said the care was excellent. Her mother had lost six teeth from the fall that made it difficult to eat. Her death certificate said she died from malnutrition.

WARNING: Graphic photo

Six weeks before Judith McCurrys fall, Sylvia Torralba visited her 78-year-old mother at Almost Like Home. She was stunned at how much her condition had deteriorated during the months she had been unable to come because of COVID. Julia Ann Gutierrez had lost nearly 40 pounds, was pale, and nearly unresponsive. She kept shifting in her wheelchair as if she was uncomfortable, but because she had dementia, she couldnt express what was wrong. A worker said there was a really bad sore on her buttocks.

Torralba asked why her mother had not been treated. The administrator later told CDPHE a clinic was called the day before. The clinic told investigators it never received the call. Torralba called the doctor herself who dispatched a mobile medical unit. Gutierrez was taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with dehydration so severe it caused irreversible bowel damage. She also had an open wound, a serious urinary tract infection that spread through her body, and her blood pressure was dangerously low. The doctor told the family there was nothing much that could be done.

Gutierrez died Oct. 13 at her daughters home.

The details of the two deaths were pieced together from local news, first reported by CBS-Colorado, state Senate testimony, police records and the CDPHE investigations. Both daughters declined to be interviewed by The Gazette about their mothers deaths because they, too, are under nondisclosure agreements that do not allow them to disparage the facility or even name it.

Arvada police investigated the two cases but concluded there were no crimes. CDPHE classified the deaths as neglect. Almost Like Home received 31 citations that year and fines that totaled the maximum of $2,000. The state took the further step of putting a condition on the facilitys license, requiring it be monitored by an outside management company.

In September 2021, Assured Senior Living, which now operates a total of 16 long-term care facilities in Colorado, took over management of Almost Like Home and finalized the purchase last year.

At the April 2022 state Senate hearing for SB 154, Goodard introduced herself to Francis LeGasse Jr., the owner of Assured Senior Living. He made me a ton of promises, she said, He said this would not happen again.

Debbie Ladley knew none of what had come before when her 78-year-old mother, Beverly Montgomery moved in during the fall of 2021 during the management transition. But almost immediately she saw troubling signs that never got better.

On Thanksgiving 2021, Ladley remembers the terrible smell when her mother got in the car. Her adult diaper was so saturated with urine it could not be explained as a recent accident. Over the coming months, there were several trips to the hospital for urinary tract infections. She never had UTIs before, Ladley said. My mom was not being taken care of.

Ladley got a call on Jan. 7, 2023, from her stepfather that her mother was in pain and would not get out of bed. But because of her dementia she could not explain why. Montgomery was taken to the hospital where an X-ray showed three broken ribs. There were also bruises on her legs, arms and forehead, some old. Ladley said the facility staff had no explanation and acted surprised.

After being released from the hospital, Montgomery returned to the assisted-living facility on Jan. 11. The next day, she was found on the floor, presumably after falling out of bed unnoticed. This time the X-ray showed a broken hip. She died at a hospice facility on Jan. 19.

CDPHE was unaware of the death until The Gazette told the agency in June.

In response to The Gazette's questions, LeGasse, the owner, did not address why the incident was not reported to CDPHE. It is our policy to not speak about residents, their families, or anyone in our care in the public setting, the email said.

On May 18, CDPHE sent a letter to LeGasse warning him the facility was under a fitness review that put its license renewal in jeopardy. For more than a decade there have been repeated violations and it failed to take proper action, the letter said.

The facilitys inability to sustain implementation of past corrective measures rises to the level of a pattern of behavior or history of noncompliance that could endanger residents, the agency warned.

In response, LeGasse wrote to the agency on May 31 stating the colossus failures at Almost Like Home predated his company and that the quality and care has improved since. He added that the Arvada location is scheduled to become a traumatic brain injury residential facility and his company is not seeking to renew the assisted-living license there.

We have removed the black eye this location caused for CDPHE, the community and the state, he said in his letter.

Gimbel, the ombudsman, acknowledged CDPHE has been more aggressive of late. But she also said that facilities still get a ton of chances.

She sees a larger issue in the way society cares for its old and sick.
Wrapping paper by famous American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein is being flattened in the photo room at McGlinchey Sexton Conservation.

On a table a few feet away rests a 50-pound paper sculpture ensconced in a large glass case from the 80s by abstract artist Don Bowman.

A second table holds a magazine published around the start of the 20th century by photographer Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia OKeeffes husband. It was the first publication dedicated to photography as art, an idea spearheaded by the famous artist, who claimed photography was as legitimate as painting.

Jennifer Sexton, the only art conservator in the Pikes Peak region, hangs out with some pretty famous folks at her conservation lab housed inside ZoneFIVE, a community of art professionals and practitioners she opened last summer at 1902 E. Boulder St. The building also is home to two artist studios and Pikes Peak Arts Council, which holds workshops and courses for professionals and non-professionals in a sunny front room.

It feels important to preserve our cultural heritage for the future, Sexton said. Its fun to be around art all the time and understand the nuts and bolts of how its made. It changes the way I look at things in a museum, sometimes for the worse, but it usually helps me appreciate how difficult or complicated things are.

And every week looks different. She doesnt always treat works by famous artists. Sometimes she works on pieces from the private collections of clients from around Colorado and surrounding states. Other days she concentrates on projects from museums or historical societies, including Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Denver Art Museum, Colorado State University and the Georgia OKeeffe Museum in Santa Fe, N.M.

Two of Sextons recent projects for the Pioneers Museum involved preserving a brittle and crumbling 10-feet-wide by 8-feet-tall 1919 map of the Stratton street car system in the Springs, as well as an 1897 work by caricaturist and editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast, who created a 3-feet by 4-feet satirical cartoon of Colorado Springs live in front of a crowd at the Colorado Springs Opera House.

Its great to have a conservator for greater challenges in collection preservation that go beyond rehousing and create the proper environment, said Pioneers Museum Archivist Hillary Mannion. It was so important to have her when the map came into our hands. We knew we needed a conservator to make it stable and accessible to researchers. She helps us to meet our mission.

Sexton, who offers paper and photo conservation and conservation imaging, puts together a plan for each project, which can include treatment or repair, consulting, education, conservation framing or imaging. She also offers classes and workshops and recently started a DIY Archival Matting and Framing training program, led by studio manager and printmaker Riley Bratzler. Artists learn to use matting and framing equipment and, once trained, can sign up for time to work on their own pieces.

Clearly, art conservation isnt a job one takes lightly. Working on original pieces by such epochal artists comes with an eddy of emotions.

It feels like a unique experience to touch works of art because youre usually not allowed to, Sexton said. We have this training and all this understanding of art and were allowed to touch it, which is a great honor, but its also really stressful because if something goes wrong its the original and youre responsible.

And stuff has gone wrong. In graduate school she watched a historic photo from a church collection dissolve in front of her after trying to reduce an adhesive that had caused it to yellow. It was traumatizing, but thankfully they had taken pre-treatment photos. It was a hard lesson to learn, Sexton says.

There are risks in the work we do, risks both I and the client have to assume, she said. Sometimes I have to say Im unwilling to do something because Im afraid something bad will happen. Learning that skill has been important for me to know when to say no, when somethings not possible.

For example, she had to flatten the Lichtenstein paper three times, something she couldnt have predicted: Its kind of wavy and the papers really thin, so it has a mind of its own. To complete the project, shell mount it and put it in a conservation-grade frame for her Denver client.

Were trained to be careful and work very slowly so things dont go wrong, Sexton said. And we can identify if something is happening and how to react. You also learn things dont react the way you expect them to.

A conservator also must be diligent to not change the work during treatment, a task made more challenging if there are no historical records of what it looked like before. This is when Sexton relies on the art itself, such as Bowmans twisting paper sculpture, which she needs to open up in order to reattach some of the paper.

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Art gives us clues about what was connected to each other, she said. The joint has either the same color paint on it, so you know it was attached to something yellow, or itll have papery edges that match something nearby so you can tell they were attached but not anymore.

Its painstaking work, aided by Bratzler, who helps with matting and framing, documenting the work pre- and post-treatment, and other client details.

Sometimes we get documents from someones grandmother thats important to the family and we treat it the same as if we got a Francisco Goya, Bratzler said. Its not so much about the value of the piece, but the value to the client. Sometimes its something famous and sometimes its love letters between grandparents.

Naturally, conservation work isnt cheap. Sexton estimates the Bowman piece will cost about $1,500 to treat because she needs other people to help with the large piece. But another piece, a railroad broadside from the 30s, will be much less expensive, as she can do the work herself. Treatments usually start around $300.

I usually try to work with the clients to get a reasonable expectation or result, Sexton said. The goal isnt to make it look new again because thats unrealistic and also usually not what people want. Usually if you have a historic piece of art you dont expect it to look new. If it looks new its sort of confusing.

Art history

Sexton and her family moved to the Springs from Boston in 2016, the same year she started her conservation business out of her home.

With a background in photography and a bachelors in fine art, Sexton didnt see herself pursuing a career as an artist. Art conservation seemed like a good fit for her, she says, with its fusion of art skills: making art, art history, understanding the history of why things were made a certain way, and even chemistry. Though she finished graduate school 13 years ago, shes been doing conservation work for the last 20.

She wants to help people understand preserving fine art isnt only for museums. Its for anyone who has something of sentimental or potential monetary value.

My goal is always to preserve the work of art for as long as possible, she said. Almost always Im trying to undo something thats happened to it to make it look better, but also age better.

And art owners do plenty of unintentional damage to their pieces, including incorrect framing, using tape, putting a piece in direct sunlight and storing works where accidental floods can occur.

Being an artist myself, its shown me the life cycle of art, Bratzler said. Before working here, anytime I was making art Id think by the time this has an issue Ill be dead so its not a problem. But working with Jen, I see this type of issue is coming more quickly than I thought, and Ill have to deal with it. If you dont use archival material it will greatly affect the works on paper.

Fixing those ruinous mistakes can be expensive, Sexton acknowledges.

Sometimes the cost of what we do can be prohibitive, she said, and it makes it hard for me because I feel things should be preserved whether they have monetary value or not. But often thats what makes the final decision.

Contact the writer: 636-0270
RALEIGH  Governor Roy Cooper recently toured Ashe Developmental Day School in Ashe County to highlight the need to invest in child care and early childhood education. He outlined the dangerous impacts of extreme Republican legislation that would provide no meaningful funding for critical early childhood education and child care, cause public schools to lose hundreds of millions of dollars through the expansion of private school vouchers and exacerbate the states teacher shortage.

Early childhood education provides children with a strong start, allows parents to work and helps businesses hire employees, said Governor Cooper. Republican legislators are threatening North Carolinas historic economic growth if they fail to invest in child care.

We greatly appreciate Governor Coopers stance on the importance of early childhood education. We feel like our concerns and needs as a profession are finally being heard! The stabilization grants enabled us to stay open during the pandemic and maintain the quality of care provided. Since reinstating open enrollment in June of 2020, weve faced a lot of staff turnover but with the compensation support, weve been able to offer new hires competitive wages and increased benefits, said Rebecca Rash, Director of Ashe Developmental Day School. As the current grant money ends, our program is very excited to have multiple participants enrolled in the Building Bright Futures apprenticeship program which will allow us to better support and guide new early childhood educators. This amazing partnership will help to fill gaps in our budget while opening doors for higher education and incentives for staff.

Building Bright Futures demonstrates the states decades-long commitment to children by building a high-quality early care and learning network that helps families raise capable children and build a stronger North Carolina, said Susan Osborne, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary of Opportunity and Well-Being. But we need to strengthen investment in our early childhood teachers to give more parents the security they need and more children the high-quality early learning that is critical for their success in school and life.

Both the Senate and House budgets provide no meaningful support for critical early childhood education and child care. The Senate budget fails early learners, their families and businesses by providing no state funding for child care stabilization grants or the expansion of Smart Start or NC Pre-K. The House budget proposes only minimal funds to increase the child care subsidy rate and for Smart Start.

Ashe Developmental Day School received over $380,000 of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) child care stabilization grants to help increase teacher wages and make repairs for school equipment. As of April 18, 2023, NCDHHS has distributed a total of $875 million to more than 4,400 child care centers across the state. Stabilization grants will expire in December 2023.

At the event, Governor Cooper also discussed the Building Bright Futures (BBF) early childhood education pre-apprenticeship-to-apprenticeship program. The program is a partnership between the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) and the NCDHHS Division of Child Developmental and Early Education (DCDEE) to pilot new pathways to entering the early childhood profession. Building Bright Futures offers a variety of benefits to participating early child care providers and students including mentorship, professional development, career awareness, and other enrichment activities. Multiple staff members from Ashe Developmental Day School have applied to be in the BBF program.

Ashe Developmental Day School is a five-star, private, nonprofit child care center in Jefferson. It is an inclusive center that serves students with disabilities.
This is a rare opportunity to own a 1903 Victorian masterpiece curated to its stately half-acre in the heart of Helenas historic Upper West Side. The main home contains 5 large bedrooms (+1 bonus), 3.5 bathrooms, and features original wood finishes, updated windows, and abundant natural light. With its timeless charm, ample living space, functional floor plan, and convenient amenities, you can showcase this Golden Era mansion as an integral part of your best Helena life. Looking for versatility as well? Housed above the detached garage youll find a cute 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment complete with laundry and a full kitchen. Use this space for guests or as an income-producing unit. Or, capitalize on investment potential by seeking a lot line adjustment with the City of Helena to split the seven-lot parcel into two, each with its own paved driveway access into this corner parcel. Call Ryan Stavnes 406-465-3830, Michelle Johnson 406-461-9685, or your real estate professional. As you step through the grand front entryway and pass through the antechamber, you are greeted by a classic Victorian foyer that opens across to a grand staircase. Three sets of French doors line the foyer, each leading to large inviting spaces. Nearest the entrance, the bright front room currently serves as an office. Additional French doors connect it to the expansive living room which walks through a small enclosed porch attached to a much larger sun porch which was added in 2006. Opposite the living room, the formal dining room sets the stage for memorable gatherings. The last door off the foyer discretely holds the main floor half bathroom. Moving further into the main level, youll pass into the back hall which accesses the kitchen, basement, or second entry to the large sun porch. The kitchen continues the functional layout with an adjoining butlers pantry complete with a formal swinging door connecting it to the dining room. From the kitchen, you can also pass through the large laundry room to a back door or ascend the back-of-house stairs to the second landing. The second floor is a haven of comfort and privacy. Four generously sized bedrooms provide ample accommodation for family and guests, while two full bathrooms offer convenience and style. This level lends itself to modern comforts featuring a new ceiling fan, updated windows, and large closets. A versatile bonus room can be customized to suit your needs, and a second sun porch provides a delightful spot to bask in the sunlight and enjoy the fresh air. The attic of this Victorian gem is complete with a wet bar and entertaining space, multiple storage areas, an enclosed porch, a large bedroom, and a full bathroom offering endless possibilities for personalization. With a full basement providing additional storage and utility space, this house caters to all your practical needs. Outside, the property spans half an acre and encompasses an impressive seven city lots. This property already has two access driveways and two separate dwellings making it simple to apply to the City to split this half-acre into two residences each on their own large lot. Mature landscaping includes shade trees, fruit trees, bushes, and flowers. Excellent location - close to shopping, amenities, schools, downtown, trails, and Hwy 12. 801 Stuart St. presents an exceptional opportunity to own a piece of history in one of Helena's most sought-after locations.

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DECATUR  Instead of the sound of bombs bursting in air, police said several drivers in the Decatur area marked Independence Day with the harsh noise of jail doors being clanged shut.

Decatur Police Department patrols reported making 15 impaired driving arrests during a vacation crackdown aimed at getting drunk or buzzed drivers off the roads. The campaign began June 16 and finished on Independence Day, with two drivers arrested that day. There was also one citation for a seat belt violation.

DPD Sgt. Steve Hagemeyer said the local effort was part of a campaign involving some 200 other state and local law enforcement agencies and was funded by federal traffic safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

A look back at Decatur police through the years  1911 1911 1911 1924 1934 1939 1941 1942 1951 1960 1977 1990
" " An illustration of Custer's Last Stand from the Battle of Little Bighorn; lithograph, 1876. A similar lithograph was distributed to saloons and dining places with a logo advertising the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Assn. GraphicaArtis/Getty Images

In 1896, exactly 20 years after General George Armstrong Custer was killed alongside 261 of his cavalrymen at the Battle of Little Bighorn, the beer company Anheuser Busch brewed up a wildly popular advertising campaign. The company reproduced 150,000 copies of a lithograph called "Custer's Last Fight!" and plastered it in saloons and taverns across America.

The lithograph, based on an 1888 painting by Cassilly Adams, depicts a chaotic battle scene on the Montana plains with a dozen blue-uniformed cavalrymen laying dead or wounded on the ground as war-painted Indians finish them off with clubs and spears before ceremonially scalping the white men's corpses. In the center of the violent scrum is a long-haired Custer dressed in fringed buckskin, raising his saber skyward to dispatch one last "savage" before succumbing to the overwhelming force of his attackers.

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"More people 'learned' about what they think happened at Custer's last stand from this Anheuser Busch lithograph, and probably after a few Budweisers," says Tim Lehman, a professor of history and political science at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana, and author of "Bloodshed at Little Bighorn: Sitting Bull, Custer, and the Destinies of Nations."

In American mythology, the popular notion of Custer's "last stand" echoes the story told in that 19th-century painting. Custer's down-to-the-last defeat ranks with the Alamo as a tale of white heroism in the face of "barbaric" aggression, of patriotic martyrs dying "with their boots on" to protect Western settlers.

But the real story of Custer's last stand isn't nearly so innocent, or cut and dry. On June 25, 1876, the Civil War cavalry hero known as the "Boy General" led a U.S. Army attack on an Indian village in the Black Hills in violation of a treaty promising those lands to the Lakota Sioux. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were clearly the aggressors, and if the Battle of Little Bighorn was anyone's "last stand," it was the Plain Indians'.

"It was crystal clear to Sitting Bull and the Lakota that they would be attacked that summer, and they saw the confrontation as one last great fight for their free way of living, before they had to submit to agencies and reservations and federal domination," says Lehman.
" " L-R: Hans Scholl, his sister Sophie Scholl and their friend Christoph Probst are photographed in 1943. Public Domain/Jim Forest/Flckr

On Feb. 18, 1943, during the height of World War II, two German college students at the University of Munich entered one of the main campus buildings, walked to the top of a staircase and tossed a stack of leaflets over the railing and down into the crowded atrium. The leaflet, the sixth in a series of underground publications from a group calling itself the White Rose, exhorted fellow students to rise up against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi war machine.

"The Day of Reckoning has come," read the White Rose pamphlet, "the reckoning of our German youth with the most despicable tyranny ever endured by our nation ... Students! The German people are looking to us!"

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The two students who dumped the pamphlets at the University of Munich were grabbed by the janitor and handed over to the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police. They were siblings, Hans and Sophie Scholl. And within days, Hans and Sophie, and their friend Christoph Probst, were convicted of treason and executed. Many of their co-conspirators in the White Rose resistance movement were executed in the months that followed.

Today, the name Sophie Scholl is synonymous in Germany with courage, conviction and the inspirational power of youth. At just 21 years old, Sophie fought a murderous regime  not with guns and grenades, but with ideas and ideals.
This is Peter Hitchens's Mail on Sunday Column

Here are two good rules, confirmed by history, to bear in mind. It is very dangerous to assume that any sort of alliance or diplomacy can deter or control a country which does not think it is defeated, or thinks it has been wronged. And powerful states do not always keep promises to defend small weak countries against aggression.

For example, for 75 years from 1870, Germany was the main threat to peace in Europe. In that year, the Prussian cynic Bismarck provoked France into starting a war which it duly lost. I have no doubt that German aggression also began the 1914 war which ruined Europe forever. Europe did not sleepwalk into it. Berlin marched into it and very nearly won. The crushing Versailles treaty of 1919 was supposed to put an end to this, but made it worse.

Britain and France then promised to defend Poland, in Spring 1939. But they did not mean it. When Germany attacked Poland in September of that year, Britain did nothing except drop propaganda leaflets on the German countryside (the RAF could not find German cities in the dark). France briefly sent some troops into a western corner of Germany, bumbled around for a few weeks and then pulled out again. Poland was horribly crushed.

Alas, it was not until Berlin was barbarically occupied by Stalins Red Army and Germanys eastern regions pillaged and ruined by Soviet power, that Germany learned not do this sort of thing again. Nowadays, it uses peaceful methods, mainly the EU, to dominate Europe and thank heaven for that. I state these brutal facts because it seems to me that we often forget them.

For this coming week, NATO will hold a summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius - a city where, in January 1991, I watched the last bloody flailing of Soviet power in an episode overshadowed at the time by the First Gulf War and now almost wholly forgotten. It is still amazing to me, as I recall those violent, terrifying days, that NATO has got this far east, and we shall see how that works out in the long term. Power and fear really exist, and drive mens actions. Both power and fear seethe in that part of Europe, as I have seen with my own eyes. They cannot be abolished by paper treaties.

So what we have to grasp - as the NATO leadership considers admitting Ukraine later this week - is that Russia was never defeated by the West in war, and is still full of wounded pride over its largely-forgotten and incredibly costly role in crushing Hitler. Its state of mind reminds me a bit of Britains in 1956 when, deluded that we were still a major power, we launched the disastrous Suez adventure. As I have written here, that resulted in the US Navy seriously considering opening fire on our fleet, a humiliating retreat by us and our French allies, and the biggest single loss of power and prestige by this country in modern times.

Well, it is perhaps possible that the west might now inflict a crushing lasting military defeat on Russia, which could permanently alter that countrys view of itself and make it as docile as modern Germany. But it might just as easily go wrong. Russia has nuclear weapons and might fall into the hands of ultra-nationalists who make Vladimir Putin look like the Liberal Democrats.

As for NATO, it is like Tinkerbell. It exists only if people believe in it. We are ceaselessly told of its noble and selfless Article Five, in which an armed attack [against one or more NATO members in Europe or North America] shall be considered an attack against them all. Few read on to find just how weak that pledge really is. The US Senate in 1949 would never have ratified an open-ended commitment to go to war. So it says that each signatory will assist the party or parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force. This is waffle. The member state remains free to choose whether to deem force necessary, or to use force at all. Action not including force is clearly implied as a possible response.

Ukraines President Volodomyr Zelensky may get a membership pledge in Vilnius this week. But he and his countrymen should not (as Poland did in 1939) assume that it means his paper allies will actually sacrifice Chicago for a Ukrainian city. He should recall just how anxious the Chairman of the USAs Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, has been that the current war should not expand beyond Ukraines borders. NATO membership will not change that, as Zelensky will find.

Which brings us back to ask exactly what we are playing at in this high-explosive part of Europe. I no longer even try to ask anyone to consider or adopt my own view of the war. The task is hopeless in the current atmosphere of gung-ho passion. But surely it is beginning to be clear that a negotiated peace would be better than all this blood and ruin. Ukraine, by its courageous and tenacious defence, has actually secured rather a strong position in any talks. I listened on the radio last week to a description of a young Ukrainian soldier being brought, terribly wounded, from the front line to a casualty clearing station. I considered all the men and women in his life who would be grieved for decades to come by what had happened to him. And I cursed all the vain and foolish people from all sides who followed the gory path to war, when they did not have to. If we do not turn away from it soon, we may find we have brought war here too.

******

Actually I rather wish that King Charles had been properly crowned in Edinburgh last week, in a profoundly Scottish ceremony instead of just wistfully touching the Crown of Scotland. I love the differences between the two countries, the different law, the different religion, literature and music, the distinct landscape and history. Such a declaration that Scotland is a separate country, yet mysteriously shares the same King, might actually help to bind us together in a grown-up friendship. As Ive said before, if Scotland wants to leave us, then it is no business of ours to try to stop her. Whod want to live in a union whose members were forced to stay? But Id always leave the light on, in the hope that the Scots might one day return, of their own will. And a Scottish crown would be a good way of helping that happen.

********

The strange behaviour of banks, in closing some accounts for obscure and unclear reasons, is mainly alarming because we are are heading so fast towards a cashless economy. How can anyone survive without a bank account? But if the banks cannot be talked out of this, then a simple measure will make it more bearable. In sensible France, Article 642-3 of the penal code states that traders cannot refuse cash payments  as so many now do here. They can be fined more than 100 for doing so. Parliament should enact such a law here, and quickly.
When Australian comprehensive social archiving platform Brolly began hitting scalability challenges it turned to the open-source cloud data platform company Aiven, allowing Brolly to meet the challenges and size of all its customer needs without downtime.

Brolly serves an important role, but its not always clear to understand what were doing with social media archiving, said Brolly chief technology officer Ali Nazemian (pictured). Social media archiving is about archiving, of course, but the problem we solve is retaining digital records for regulated industries.

A lot of organisations in regulated industries use social media as a tool for engaging with the community and customers. Social media posts and comments and so on are considered digital records. These are public records that impact citizens, Nazemian explained. Some regulations are in place to make social media records treated the same way as other digital records and this is where Brolly comes in.

Brolly was established in 2014 with specific use cases around emergency services and bushfires in Melbourne around the Great Ocean Road. If something on social media channels was having an impact on the community then it needed to be archived and can be later used in evidence, Nazemian said. This ensures a record is retained even if the item is later deleted from social media.

The company started with great success but began hitting the challenges caused by the unpredictable nature of social media. You cant predict the amount of data you will deal with, Nazemian said. For example, if a storm or bushfire takes place there are 100 times as many records published in social media, he said, and you need a platform that can cope with that real-time high-traffic volume.

Similarly, "you don't know what kind of record can go viral, he explained. You always need to make sure each record is treated as if the entire business depends on it.

As such, it's crucial to have a reliable platform that can recover rapidly from any failure. Anything could be published, and while youre trying to recover, something may have changed in social media and you miss it if your platform is down, Nazemian said.

Brolly does not only capture the social media post itself; the platform captures every records metadata such as a timestamp and proof of when and how it was collected. Further, social media has a context and replies or comments can go indefinitely. Brolly makes sure all the context on the record is captured.

Brolly's engineers rose to the challenge of ensuring their platform was robust, responsive, and fast - but soon found they were spending more than 60% of their operational effort on trying to manage the platform and this was detracting from providing value to organisations - the core purpose of Brolly itself.

By late 2018 Brolly realised something had to change, and that outsourcing the platform to a managed provider would provide the freedom to focus on helping customers get the greatest value out of it.

This journey led them to Apache Kafka, and to Aiven, a managed provider of Apache Kafka and other open-source solutions. The company was started in 2016 by four Helsinki-based software engineers who found themselves in a similar situation to Brolly in the present day.

The Aiven founders were working on a different business and found they were spending a lot of time on operations, instead of the core business. It occurred to them they could separate out these operations and make it a service, and hence Aiven was born. It started life with Postgres, then moved to Apache Kafka and other platforms. Today, Aiven currently serves customers across more than 60 locations and has close to 500 employees. Its Asia Pacific arm started in Sydney in 2019, and today covers New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia and is still growing.

Aiven APAC solutions architect Troy Sellers explained, what we do is manage open-source tech. Brolly came to us with interesting challenges of scale, with emergency services and serious outcomes involved. If a post or comment becomes viral and blows up on the Internet, Brolly cant stop to deploy hardware and have to handle it as it comes.

"The ability to scale is something we provide, both up and down, and with efficient use of resources, Sellers said. We provide these services through our tech, including our Kafka service which Brolly adopted.

By late 2019 Brolly committed to Aiven, albeit with a trial for a few months - so we could test it, and make sure it was the right move for us, Nazemian said.

However, the trial was a resounding success and in March 2020 Brolly moved to be fully live in production using Apache Kafka managed by Aiven, and the partnership has continued to build and expand with Brolly saying it has significantly improved our operational efficiency.

The transition to Aiven took four months and was pulled off with zero downtime. We wanted to make sure we could rely on it, and that it could really cope with the high volume of data. What we did first was benchmark it from different angles, he said. It was what we were looking for.

Both platforms were run in parallel for a period and then when ready, the switch to the new Aiven platform went live with a simple DNS change in March 2020. It was as seamless as it could be, Nazemian said.

Of course, March 2020 was right at the point COVID-19 began significantly impacting the lives of Australians and Australian businesses. For Brolly, the organisation moved from a Melbourne-based office supporting two solutions to everyone working remotely from home.

More significantly, COVID changed how organisations were using social media. The health sector was making 20 times as many records because of COVID, he said. Some COVID announcement was made every morning, and people would engage on social media talking about the different aspects of statistics, or mental health aspects, and all sorts of things. It was a trigger point that increased the number of records significantly.

For Brolly, their platform needed to be more robust than ever before and truly exaggerated the scalability challenges they would have experienced if they had not built on new infrastructure.

Brolly found numerous benefits beyond guaranteed uptime and scalability; latency was reduced, mean time to recovery was decreased by more than 300%, and the 60% of time previously spent on operations and support was reduced to under 10%.

In fact, Brolly has continued to expand its offerings to customers. One such new feature is Brolly Protect, to help identify scams, spam, and cyber-bullying. The company has employed artificial intelligence technologies and says its the free time they regained from operational support is bringing more value to customers by re-focusing it on development.

Sellers adds, "not only do Brolly have the platform and its capabilities today, but they also have a partner in Aiven who are growing the tech. Theres a lot of value today, but as we evolve our platform it also evolves for Brolly.

We talk a lot about the new things coming. For example, a lot of executives are thinking about AI and how to bring it into their business. As our platform evolves we make using that tech inside your organisation a lot easier, he said. To have this capability bubble itself up in the platform is a great addition to the value proposition.
Premium audio company Epos has launched its new Impact 5000T series, their first ever product certified for Microsoft Teams Open Office specifications meaning the flexible wireless DECT headset is guaranteed to deliver superior sound, even in noisy offices.

Modern professionals need to be able to communicate and collaborate effectively when working in Open Office spaces, be it in the workplace or at home. The Impact 5000T has been designed to deliver a flexible headset solution that offers seamless integration with Teams. Built on EPOS BrainAdapt technology, this series enables users to stay focused for longer and boost productivity.

Certified for Microsoft Teams, the Impact 5000T Series and Impact SDW D1 USB (DECT dongle) ensure a high-quality end-user experience. A dedicated Teams button activates Teams and responds to notifications with a single click. The discreet LED light also indicates when there is a new message, a missed call, or a when new meeting begins.

Those working in busy office environments cannot afford to have unwanted ambient noise and neighbouring voices disrupting calls. With super wideband sound and an advanced two-microphone noise-cancelling system, the Impact 5000T provides ultimate voice clarity for high-quality, crystal-clear calls every time.

The Impact 5000T is developed to meet the requirements of a modern workforce, with plug-and-play functionality, triple connectivity to your computer, desk, and mobile phone, and a wireless range of up to 180 m / 590 ft, allowing users to move with flexibility around the office. Users can enjoy all-day wearability, with soft leatherette earpads and flexible wearing styles for hours of comfort.

The ever-growing trend towards increased flexibility and mobility in the office has huge benefits for productivity, collaboration, and customer service. However, as with all communications technology, security is a primary concern. Protected Pairing, 128-bit authentication, and DECT Security certification offer a high level of safety against unauthorised third-party access. This ensures that conversations are truly private and protected from security breaches.

Epos VP global product management Theis Mrk says, we are proud to announce the release of the Certified for Microsoft Teams Impact 5000T, which has been rigorously tested to meet Open Office specifications. This new addition to the IMPACT 5000 series empowers modern professionals by providing a flexible headset solution that delivers a seamless end-user experience in any environment.

The headset is available now from $309 (NZ $409).
The Federal Government is seeking the particpation of councils, telcos, and communities as the Federal Government opens up a $20 million round of the peri-urban mobile programme (Pump), which aims to deliver a more disaster-resilient communications in underserved peri-urban communities as communication in these areas tend to suffer from high infrastructure cost and difficult terrain, making connectivity access hard to reach.

According to reports, the community will also have their own say on how to spend the money allocated for Pump.

The $20 million funding is part of a $39.1 million commitment in the Federal Budget. Another round of the programme is yet to come.

"We want to make sure that industry, the community and state and territory governments have an opportunity to have their say on the draft grant opportunity guidelines for Round 2 before they are finalised and the round is opened for applications," read the announcement of the Department of Infrastructure government website.

The Infrastructure website also said comments will "help finalise grant opportunity guidelins for the peri-urban Mobile Programme Round 2."

Local media reported that Telstra, Optus, and TPG divided $28.2 million of the Pump programme last year.

Ballarat, Bendigo, Cairns, Canberra and Queanbeyan, the NSW Central Coast, Darwin, the Sunshine Coast, Tweed Heads, Toowoomba, Townsville, and Wollongong will be covered for future Pump support.

The consultation is open until 16 August.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 07 July 2023.
A recently released Chinese animated film about the most iconic poets from the Tang dynasty (618-907) has become the world's longest theatrical animated release, boasting a running time of 168 minutes. The film integrates an epic depiction of the dynasty's evolution and the poets' individual journeys with elements of profound Chinese traditional culture, enriching the narrative with 48 beautiful ancient poems.



Creators of "Chang'an" pose for a group photo at the film's premiere in Beijing, July 5, 2023. [Photo courtesy of Table Film]



"Chang'an," directed by Xie Junwei and Zou Jing, tells the story of Li Bai, China's beloved poet, and his close friend Gao Shi. Set against the backdrop of the Tang dynasty's shift from its majestic peak of prosperity to the upheaval caused by the rebellion led by An Lushan, a former trusted general of Emperor Xuanzong, the film explores the decades-long friendship between the two poets. Amid poetic landscapes and featuring a pantheon of renowned Tang dynasty poets such as Du Fu, Wang Wei, and Meng Haoran, their destinies intertwine with the country's changing fortunes.

Never has such a production brought the poets and their works, long a staple of students' textbooks, to life on such a grand scale. The poets in the story were not merely literary figures; they possessed martial arts and had personal ambitions intertwined with complex politics, patriotism, and even a pursuit of Taoist immortality, as depicted in the film.

To ensure historical accuracy, the film creators undertook numerous research trips to various locations, including Tongguan, Songzhou, and, of course, Xi'an. Formerly known as Chang'an, Xi'an served as the capital of the Tang dynasty and is now the provincial capital of Shaanxi province. These visits not only inspired the creative process but also allowed the creators to gather valuable ideas from the figurines and ancient paintings exhibited at the Shaanxi History Museum.

Yu Zhou, the film's producer and co-founder and president of Light Chaser Animation Studios, expressed at the premiere event in Beijing on July 5 that he hopes this film can convey the deep and extensive culture of Chinese civilization through animation. Light Chaser Animation Studios predominately focuses on narratives inspired by traditional culture and mythology. The studio has garnered recognition for its inventive adaptations of China's fantasy and mythological tales, including notable works like "White Snake," "New Gods: Yang Jian," and "New Gods: Nezha Reborn."

"Compared to Light Chaser's previous works, 'Chang'an' represents a significant departure," added producer Song Yiyi. "Through this film, we aim to broaden the range of domestic animated films." "Chang'an" is an integral part of the animation studio's new cultural project, which presents and reimagines traditional cultural stories with a fresh approach.

A poster for "Chang'an." [Image courtesy of Light Chaser Animation]



While Xie Junwei noted that the film embodies their admiration for the great poets of the Tang dynasty, co-director Zou Jing emphasized that audiences can witness the magnificent lives of these poets in the film and experience the charm of Tang poetry.

"My child will have to recite Tang poems in elementary school, but what impressed me is that at one point, I recited a few words after him, and instantly we felt connected and bonded through poetry," Xie told China.org.cn. "He also enjoyed my work in animation. During the production process, I would show him some parts of the project on the computer, and he loved it."

Producer Song echoed, "Our generation will read these poems, and so will future generations. It is a form of inheritance. Chinese characters have a lineage, and they record these cultural and spiritual elements, forming a tremendous treasure. For Chinese people, it is something intrinsic to us, carried within our breath and flowing in our blood."

"Also, animation is a form of distillation and synthesis of the real world, which bears striking similarities to poetry. I firmly believe that exceptional animated works can provide an extraordinary interpretation of the essence of Chinese culture and its inherent spiritual temperament," director Zou Jing explained.

He further emphasized, "We created 'Chang'an' to delve into the limitless treasures of Chinese culture through animation. In the grandest epoch, amidst the monumental currents of history, we narrate those characters' unwavering pursuit of ideals. We aim to showcase and disseminate Chinese culture, enabling more viewers to develop an affinity for it. To me, this endeavor holds immense significance."

"Chang'an" debuted in Chinese theaters nationwide on July 8.
100 years ago,

July 9, 1923

PARIS  Fire destroyed the Paul Kuhn grain elevator at Isabel Saturday containing 1000 bushels of oats. Six Vandalia box cars also were destroyed. The loss is estimated at about $20,000, partially covered by insurance. The blaze is thought to have been caused by a spark from a freight train...HUMBOLDT  Fire, caused by lightning during the firestorm Saturday night, destroyed the barns of George Ashworth, near Humboldt, and Joseph Cobb in Cooks Mills. The storm broke about 7:30 and with a torrential rainfall came a drop in temperature exceeding 20 degrees, giving relief from the oppressive heat of the past week. The rainfall measured 1.27 inches. The Ashworth barn, which is on the Mart S. Ashworth old home place, containing 500 bushels of corn and 250 bushels of oats was burned to the ground. The bolt of lightning which started the fire killed five small pigs and a cow. The Cobb barn, containing hay and feed was but lightly insured. A scale house and automobile shed near the barn were saved by neighbors.

50 years ago, 1973

CHARLESTON  The body of Shirley Ann Rardin was found at 4 p.m. Saturday in a wooded area near Paris. The 20-year-old EIU student had been missing since 12:30 a.m. last Monday when she left work at a restaurant near the EIU campus. Authorities here and in Edgar County declined to discuss specific details surrounding her death pending the results of an autopsy. Coles County State's Atty. John J. McCarthy said, however, "it does not appear to be a nature death. That would be stretching the imagination." The body was "found by some kids northeast of Paris in a wooded area," Edgar County Sheriff Karl Farnham said. The Journal asked McCarthy if authorities were still seeking David Weber, an EIU student from Manteno, for questioning in connection with Miss Rardin's disappearance. Weber and Miss Rardin both disappeared the same day. The JG asked McCarthy today if Weber was a suspect in the connection with the death of Miss Rardin. "They are looking for several people," he said...MATTOON  A telephone booth on Lake Land Blvd. was damaged sometime Saturday night. Damage to the Illinois Consolidated Telephone Booth amounted to approximately $300 dollars. Taken from the pay telephone was an estimated $100 in change.

25 years ago, 1998

CHARLESTON  For sale: one 80 year old rapidly deteriorating building and surrounding 2 1/2 acres for perhaps as little as $250. Terms: don't worry about delinquent property taxes unpaid on the property for the last several years but agree to pay its taxes in the future. Coles County is trying to wash its hands of problems with the old Ashmore Estates building by including it in the annual surplus property auction later this month. Property can go into the auction and be sold to a new owner if no one pays the taxes on it for two years. Taxes on the Ashmore Estates Property haven't been paid for a number of years and there's currently more than $9,000 owned on it. But a buyer wouldn't have to pay that, only taxes for future years. Bidding at the auction begins at $250...WESTFIELD  Fred Bugle of Westfield was the winner of a year's supply of M&M's. Bugle's winning bag of M&M's contained grey-colored candies. "If all of the M&M's in the bag and been gray, I would have one the million dollar prize, "Bugle said. Bugle and his wife Carol found the contest phone number in the bag and called. Earlier this week, Bugle was presented with 365 bags of M&Ms. Bugle said he did not realize he was a winner, because he had the winning bag for several months before he opened it. He decided to cash the gray M&M's in because the deadline to claim prizes was this week.
The exchange of text messages on a languid Sunday seemed odd.

Even for Winston-Salem.

A nude woman dancing outside police station on Cherry Street  Maybe some sort of protest?

A judge allowed the states new, restrictive abortion law to go into effect the previous day, so that theory didnt seem all that far-fetched. Stranger things happen all the time in this city.

As it turns out, this was neither a performative act nor protest. Some poor soul had experienced a mental-health issue in a very public place.

The official response, however, was something radically new.

Instead of reflexively sending uniformed patrol cops, dispatchers had the option to send mental-health professionals instead.

Rescue plan money

City officials announced earlier this year the creation of the Behavioral Evaluation and Response (BEAR) team to offer an alternative in responding to non-violent mental health calls.

Winston-Salem opted to use $700,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds as seed money.

It joined Greensboro and other North Carolina cities in looking for something different to help deal with a public-health crisis.

Other cities send mental-health professionals along with first responders; Winston-Salems BEAR team is a standalone group of counselors stationed at firehouses around the city.

Trained 911 dispatchers determine whether a call is safe and if a situation calls for mental-health workers before sending them as first-responders in their own right.

Police officers are very well trained, said assistant city manager Patrice Toney earlier this year. Theyre trained for de-escalation, but they cannot be everything to every situation.

A 2021 study conducted with a nonprofit research institute analyzed data and found 37 percent of 911 calls made in the city had some connection to a mental-health issue. Coming after the death of George Floyd, it had become obvious that new ways of thinking were needed.

In May 2021, more than 100 mental-health professionals signed a petition asking for alternatives.

The city does nothing without documentation, and the wheels were set in motion. After earmarking the grant, officials set about establishing new protocols and hired Kristin Ryan as the BEAR team director.

Once six other counselors and mental-health professionals were hired and training completed, BEAR opened for business in May. Thats enough time to get an initial read on how the program is working.

Its gone better than expected, Ryan said last week. You never know when youre starting something up how it will go.

Raw statistics justify the initiative. I just did the numbers (Wednesday), she said. Weve had 402 calls since May 15.

Sorting them out will take additional time. Each call is different.

Some involve anxiety and/or stress. Others are rooted in drug abuse, psychosis or other acute mental-health crises. Still others, Ryan said, are medical issues that present themselves as mental-health problems.

It really depends on the situation, Ryan said. Sometimes (counselors are) needed to de-escalate, and sometimes it is a crisis intervention. Sometimes it requires further treatment, and we help find providers that meet someones needs the best.

One thing that does stand out in the early analysis: a noticeable number of older citizens who require help.

A large volume of our calls are about seniors, Ryan said. I came here from Florida, which as you know has a large population of retirees. (The number of calls involving seniors) is even higher here. I was surprised by that.

Sales job ahead

Evidence of success is anecdotal so far.

Police, firefighters and EMTs report being relieved to have a ready resource to help deal with a particularly tricky aspect of their jobs.

With some (first-responders) there was a feeling sometimes of not knowing exactly what to do, Ryan said. Others weve heard from have commented about the time savings.

The bane of any patrol cops existence is paperwork, and in an age when finding  and paying  qualified people to do police work is increasingly difficult, any help is welcome. Having someone who knows straight away which providers best suit a patient is a huge help, too.

Then there are actual financial savings to tout.

In addition to saving time, well save (the city) money on transportation, too, Ryan said. Law enforcement was the only resource before.

Now, with BEAR team responders working out of the citys busiest fire stations, someone in obvious distress can be seen by a trained counselor in a matter of minutes.

Tweaking to schedules and shifting BEAR team members to areas with high call volumes is next.

After that comes the difficult part.

Starting a new initiative with a one-time grant is relatively easy. Convincing elected officials to pay for it in subsequent years could be another matter.

Its now up to me to show that were doing what we said were going to do, Ryan said. Im confident the answer is yes. The need is there.

Im pretty sure were doing exactly what the community has called for.
In the past 10 years, law enforcement body-camera footage has shown a Forsyth County deputy breaking up a fight at Walkertown High School in April and another deputy arresting a man in June 2020 at Cooks Flea Market, which led to accusations about the deputy using excessive force against the man.

The video footage also depicted a Winston-Salem police officer shooting to death Edward Van McCrae on March 30, 2018, after the officer and McCrae struggled following a traffic stop in the citys northeastern section.

In December 2019, video recordings showed five detention officers at the Forsyth County Jail pinning John Neville, a 56-year-old jail inmate, in a prone position for nearly an hour. Neville, a Greensboro resident, died three days later at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

In the Neville case, the only person criminally charged is Michelle Heughins, a nurse who worked at the jail. Heughins was indicted for involuntary manslaughter, and her case is pending in Forsyth Superior Court.

Video footage in these cases and others provided local residents and the authorities with clear pictures of what actually happened in the incidents. Body and dashboard cameras are used by local and state law enforcement officers throughout the United States.

Most officers and sheriffs deputies who wear body cameras interact with the public daily. Research shows that the effectiveness of body cameras especially is mixed, according to the National Institute of Justice.

Supporters of these cameras say they provide accountability to law enforcement officers for their actions, especially when they are arresting people or firing their guns at suspected criminals.

Critics say body-worn and dashboard cameras in patrol vehicles violate peoples privacy when they are filmed in their encounters with law enforcement officers.

The Lee Enterprises Police Diversity/Accountability project is examining the use of body and dashboard cameras used by police departments and sheriffs offices throughout the United States.

Recently, Lee Enterprises looked at the diversity among police officers and sheriffs deputies three years after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020.

Lee Enterprises Inc. of Davenport, Iowa, publishes 77 daily newspapers, including the Winston-Salem Journal, in 26 states.

Disclosure of videos

Under state law, in cases involving police violence that result in death or serious injury, relatives and their legal team can request the disclosure of the body camera videos.

The law enforcement agency must then file a petition to a superior court within three business days of that request. Within seven days, a judge will either deny or grant the request.

Law enforcement agencies also can file a petition to a superior court to publicly disclose videos.

Legislators passed these updated provisions in 2021, five years after the N.C. General Assembly approved the initial legislation regarding body-worn cameras and law enforcement dashboard cameras.

The updated law will help alleviate violent protest(s), conflict and confusion between law enforcement and the public, said Keith Vereen, the president of the Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity.

The laws previous version does not support trust and transparency when in most cases of violence, death or injury involving law enforcement use of force, the body camera footage is not released to the public, Vereen said.

Often public outrage, protest and ongoing mistrust of law enforcement, Vereen said, is fueled by an apparent lack of transparency concerning the slow, partial or non-existent release of body camera footage of the incidents in question.

Under state law, footage from cameras worn by law enforcement officers and recorded by dashboard cameras are not considered a public record. Police and other law enforcement agencies dont have the authority to release footage on their own.

The Forsyth County Sheriffs Office agrees with the updated state law about law enforcement video camera footage, Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. said.

We welcome the update to the North Carolina law regarding body-worn camera recordings, and we are excited about it, Kimbrough said. We have practiced full transparency since coming into office in 2018.

We will continue to practice that because we think the families have a right to see what takes place involving themselves or anyone that is a part of their family, Kimbrough said.

The Winston-Salem Police Department will comply with all laws regarding body and fleet cameras as directed by (state law), a police spokeswoman said.

At the Winston-Salem Police Department, we strive to be accountable and transparent in all our actions, the spokeswoman said. We understand the release of video from critical incidents is an important place in the publics understanding of our procedures and actions.

The sheriffs office and police department have been involved in incidents in which video footage from their deputies and officers provided additional insight on what happened in controversial arrests and shootings.

In most cases, iPhone video footage of these arrests found its way into social media, giving the public depictions of deputies and officers involved in arresting local residents.

Providing accountability

Robert Frommer, a senior attorney for the Institute for Justice, said body-worn and dashboard cameras are essential in providing police accountability.

Otherwise, its just one persons word versus another persons word, said Frommer, the institutes director of its Fourth Amendment Project. A camera can provide an objective view about what actually happened. Body cameras can provide light on misconduct.

Snippets of a video shared on social media showed a school-resource officer, who is also a Forsyth County sheriffs deputy throwing a girl against the wall after breaking up a fight April 17 at Walkertown High School.

The Winston-Salem chapter of the NAACP has denounced the actions of the SRO and is requesting the sheriffs office to publicly release the complete video footage of the incident.

The SRO is Deputy A. Faircloth, who has worked for the sheriffs office since 2018, a spokeswoman for the sheriffs office said.

The 70-second video shows Faircloth separating the two girls before slamming one of the girls against the wall and tackling her. Faircloth then handcuffs the girl and walks her from the scene.

Faircloths body camera footage hasnt been publicly released. Kimbrough told the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education that its members would be horrified in they saw Faircloths body camera footage of the incident.

Kimbrough defended Faircloths actions to the school board.

Police body camera footage also documented the incident that happened Aug. 5, 2022, in which five law-enforcement officers fired their guns in the fatal shooting of a Charlotte man in the parking lot of a Clemmons convenience store.

The officers will not face any criminal charges, a spokeswoman for the State Bureau of Investigation told the Journal in November 2022. The officers were trying to arrest Alexander Dekontee Weah, who was wanted for murder in Charlotte.

In October 2022, Judge Richard Doughton of Forsyth Superior Court denied a request from the Winston-Salem Journal and the News & Record of Greensboro for the release of body-camera footage and any other recording that might have captured the shooting on Aug. 5, 2022.

Jeff Welty, who is also a professor of public law and government at the UNC School of Government, said most people seeking access to body camera videos want those publicly released rather than merely an opportunity to view the footage.

In most jurisdictions of which I am aware, requests for release are routinely granted, frequently without opposition by the law enforcement agency, Welty said. That is true regardless of whether the request is (from) someone involved in the incident, next of kin, a media entity or a nonprofit (organization).

Under state law, the process for seeking release of police videos is clearer and more uniform than under the laws initial provisions, Welty said, where various agencies had different approaches to whether or when to release videos.

Cooks Flea Market

Al Jabbar, the president of the local chapter of the NAACP points to body-camera footage in June 2020 that provided clarity in a situation in which a white Forsyth County sheriffs deputy was accused of using excessive force when he arrested a Black man at Cooks Flea Market.

At that time, Kimbrough said his deputy didnt use excessive force during the arrest. The arrest was heavily scrutinized after it was caught on video and shared via social media.

Kimbrough was joined during a press conference on June 29, 2020 by four leaders from the Black community who said they had seen the deputys body-camera footage, though that footage has not been made public.

The four said they agreed with Kimbrough that Deputy Troy Curry did not use excessive force. Jabbar was among the local community leaders who looked at the Currys body camera footage.

Law enforcement will call local community leaders to watch a (body camera) video even before it before it becomes public. Jabbar said. Thats when they (law enforcement officials) are totally in the right.

But whens there is a question about their actions, its a totally different process, Jabbar said.

Three years ago, Kimbrough said he consulted with the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office, which also determined that Curry acted properly and didnt use excessive force.

Charles Redell Moody, a Black man, said that Curry, who is white and was working security at the flea market, used excessive force when Curry arrested him. A video that lasts 1 minute and 18 seconds was widely shared on social media.

The sheriffs office and the owners of the flea market said Moody was arrested because he refused to comply with a statewide mandate requiring masks to combat the spread of COVID-19, and the owners asked him to leave.

At that time, Moody said that wasnt true.

Moody said he never refused to wear a face mask and he was never asked to leave the flea market. Moody was charged with resisting arrest and second-degree trespassing, both misdemeanors.

At the news conference, Kimbrough read a report about the arrest. It said an employee at the flea market approached Moody, who was trying to get money out of an ATM, and told him masks were required at the business and offered to provide one.

Moody refused to wear a mask, Kimbrough said as he read the report.

At that time, Moody declined to comment about Kimbroughs statements. Moody couldnt be reached for comment for this story.

Kimbrough and the four community leaders said three years ago that body-camera footage showed that Curry asked Moody to leave the flea market five times and told Moody that he was trespassing.

Moody disputed the sheriffs offices version of the incident, saying in June 2020 no one told him to leave.

The body-camera footage in Moodys case was never seen in court because the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office voluntarily dismissed the charges against Moody in 2021, a court official said. Those charges were expunged from Moodys record as well.

In light of police violence and killings that have happened since the introduction of police body cameras in general, we believe its safe to say that presence of police body cameras has little, if any, public accountability, said the Triad Abolition Project, a group that advocates for ending most current aspects of the criminal justice system.

What people are hoping with laws like these is that cameras and access to their footage will help reduce harm and violence perpetuated by the police, the Triad Abolition Project said. The issue with having faith in this system is that true harm reduction requires multiple steps that the band-aid of body camera footage cannot begin to cover.
A local World War II veteran will celebrate his 100th birthday Wednesday, but declared this week hes gonna be 21 again.

Alfred Zieg, a former first-class electronics technician in the Navy, was born on May 31, 1923, in Waco to Henry and Alma (Hinze) Zieg.

As one of nine siblings, Zieg was in the middle of five brothers and three sisters. Only a younger brother remains today.

His father worked as a depot agent for the railroad after moving to America from Prussia. Zieg too would join the railroad industry in Las Vegas after graduating from Scribner High School in 1941.

But when he was 19, Ziegs life changed forever. In December 1941, he traveled to Reno, Nevada, where he enlisted in the Navy.

I always favored the Navy, but to come back home, I figured I had the best chance in the Navy, Zieg said. I found out it couldve been the worst choice for the ships we lost and the guys.

He knew the draft was coming and signed up for a program where he would learn the radar system. However, Zieg never went through Naval basic training and he didnt know how to swim.

Eventually, Zieg would board the AGC-9, also known as the USS Wasatch, which launched Oct. 8, 1943. During WWII, the USS Wasatch was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, where it would earn four battle stars for her service.

The ship, along with two other command ships, had to be kept secret because they would be a high priority target for enemy planes and submarines.

About 900 crewmen were aboard the USS Wasatch with Capt. Alford M. Granum in command. War hero and military leader Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Adm. Thomas Kinkaid occasionally boarded his ship as well. To Ziegs knowledge, he is the last surviving crewman.

Zieg would become a first-class electronic technician, helping take care of all the transmissions that were being sent to each ship in addition to changing the antennas. He was known as Antenna Al because he was the only one who would climb some 100 feet above water without a harness to change an antenna.

Zieg met his future wife, Thelma, in high school when his family moved to Scriber. He later reached out to Thelma asking for her brothers military address, which she sent via letter. Thelma continued to write to Zieg nearly every day that he was away and he wrote back when time allowed.

We were busy, Zieg said. We didnt sit there with our feet up on the desk and enjoying the nice scenery. We went there to get the job done.

Yet, through all the months on the ship, he still found beauty in the dullness and time to write back to Thelma.

You sit on the fantail of a ship with the moon shining and the moon shines all the way down the water to the ship. Theres some beautiful things that if you want to take the time to do it, Zieg said.

The men on board did have some occasional fun. He recalled seeing Comedian Bob Hope and Actress Dorothy Lamour perform on the Island of Samar in the Philippines.

On Feb. 22, 1946, Zieg returned to Scriber on his first discharge for 30 days, and he asked Thelma to marry him, even though the two had never been on an actual date. They got married on March 24, 1946, and were married for 62 years before her passing in 2008.

She was nice and she liked everything simple, Zieg said. When you meet the right one, it blends and you know. Its hard to describe.

The couple had three children together  Nancy, Tom and Jim  who all live in Lincoln. Tom was stationed in Vietnam for the Navy for four years. His other son Jim wasnt in the military, but still had to live with the effects that WWII had on Zieg.

When Jim was in the fourth grade, he had to have a kidney removed and they related that back to me, Zieg said.

Zieg was contaminated with radiation while stationed in Japan. For more than 40 years, Zieg has had to take coumadin, also known as warfarin, to help treat the leukemia that has formed throughout his body. Hes lost most of his hearing and said his lungs are scarred worse than a lifetime smoker.

After 38 months of service, Zieg was discharged on Feb. 22, 1946, after returning to the United States from Taku, China.

I was lucky, Zieg said. The good Lord walked with me the whole time I was in the service. The Lord took me to war, and the Lord brought me back.

Many military members of WWII were not so lucky. Zieg still recalls the painful memory of having to find his fellow service members in the water.

Thats part of my life and its a part I cant forget, he said.

Through it all, Zieg said they went to win freedom, which he wants people to enjoy.

To win the war, we could win freedom. Freedom of everything.  Thats what we fought for and thats what we intend to keep. And if we have to go back again to do that, its got to be that way, Zieg said. You got to enjoy every day. Maybe tomorrow is a day you wont get to enjoy because youre gonna be gone and thats the way it is. It will always be that way.

And hell enjoy that freedom this week, with plans to visit a Nebraska staple  Runza  with friends for his birthday.

Thats what Im gonna have, a Runza hamburger and a strawberry milkshake, he said.
WASHINGTON  At 31 years old, Nasrat Ahmad Yar spent most of his adult life working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan before escaping to America in search of a better life for his wife and four children.

He found work as a ride-share driver and managed to send money back to Afghanistan to help family and friends. He liked to play volleyball with friends in the Washington suburb where many Afghans who fled their country now live. At 6-feet-5 inches, he had a powerful serve.

Last Monday night, worried about making rent, he went out driving and was shot and killed in Washington. Surveillance video captured the sound of a single gunshot and four boys or young men running away. Police offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

"He was so generous. He was so nice. He was always trying to help the people," said Rahim Amini, a fellow Afghan immigrant and longtime friend. He said Ahmad Yar always reminded him, "Don't forget the people left behind."

Jeramie Malone, an American who came to know Ahmed Yar through volunteer work with a veteran-founded organization bringing former Afghan interpreters to safety, also was struck by his generosity.

"He always wanted to be giving more than he was receiving and he was just really extremely kind." In America, Malone said, "all he wanted was a chance."

Afghans and U.S. military veterans gathered for a funeral service Saturday at the All Muslim Association of America in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Relatives and friends comforted Ahmad Yar's children and wife as his casket was lowered into the ground and covered with soil.

One of those in attendance was Matthew Butler, now retired from the military who met Ahmad Yar in 2009 at Bagram Airfield, then an American base north of Kabul, the Afghan capital. Ahmad Yar was his primary interpreter for two tours in the country.

Butler said Ahmad Yar was like a brother or son to him, and he noted the military's commitment to leaving no one behind  something he said now extends to Ahmad Yar's wife.

"I pledged my support to his wife and his children, and said just because Nasrat is gone doesn't mean my support to you is gone. I won't leave you behind," Butler said after the ceremony.

Amini said Ahmad Yar had worked for the U.S. military for about a decade as an interpreter and doing other jobs, seeing it as a way to help pave the way for the next generation in Afghanistan to have a better life.

While the U.S. has had a Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghans who worked closely with the U.S. government to come to America since 2009, Amini said his friend didn't want to apply right away, preferring to stay in Afghanistan, where he felt needed.

He remembered Ahmad Yar saying: "I have guys here I need to support.  When I feel that they don't need my support then I can go to America."

In August 2021, the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban took over.

Mohammad Ahmadi, Ahmad Yar's cousin, was already in America after also working for the U.S. military. The two discussed how to get Ahmad Yar and his family out of Afghanistan. Ahmadi said his cousin could see the Taliban soldiers walking through the streets of Kabul and was worried they would discover he'd been an interpreter for the U.S. military.

"He said, 'I don't want to get killed in front of my wife and kids,'" Ahmadi said.

Ahmad Yar went to northern Afghanistan in hopes of getting into Uzbekistan. When that didn't work, he and his family went to the northwestern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, where Nasrat would go out of his way to assist other Afghan refugees  greeting them on arrival, bringing their families to stay with his and feeding them, while all waited for flights out, Malone said.

While waiting at the interim transit camp in the United Arab Emirates, he asked for writing supplies for the children so he could teach them English, Malone said. "It was really important for him for his kids to get an education and for them to  have opportunities they never would have had in Afghanistan."

His eldest child, a girl, is now 13, and the others are boys, ages 11, 8 and just 15 months old.

They family was able to get on a flight to the United Arab Emirates and then eventually travel to America.

The family went first to Pennsylvania, but Amini said his friend was robbed there and decided to move to Alexandria, Virginia. Amini said Ahmad Yar told him he'd fled to the U.S. "to be safe and unfortunately I'm not safe here."

Amini said they spoke Monday evening and the next thing he knew, he was awakened by another Afghan friend who somehow heard that Ahmad Yar had been killed.

The police said they responded to a call about an unconscious person and found Ahmad Yar's body. They rushed him to the hospital, where he was declared dead. On the surveillance video they released, one of the four suspected attackers shouted, "You just killed him." Another answered, "He was reaching, bro."

Washington has seen steadily rising crime rates, including car jackings. Homicides are up 14% compared with this time last year. Early Wednesday, nine people were shot and wounded, police said.

His wife is still in shock, said Ahmad Yar's cousin, Ahmadi. Still, she said she and her husband had the same goal in coming to America: to provide a future for their children.

"I have the same goal for them," she told Ahmadi. "They can go to school. They can go to college and become educated and good people for the society."

Where refugees to the US come from and why Where refugees to the US come from and why #20. Central African Republic #19. Burundi #18. Honduras #17. Iran #16. Russia #15. Colombia #14. Pakistan #13. Ethiopia #12. Moldova #11. Somalia #10. Guatemala #9. Iraq #8. Bhutan #7. El Salvador #6. Eritrea #5. Afghanistan #4. Syria #3. Ukraine #2. Myanmar #1. Democratic Republic of the Congo
WASHINGTON  As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, NATO's much-celebrated unity faces fresh strains when leaders gather for their annual summit this week in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The worlds biggest security alliance is struggling to reach an agreement on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member. Military spending by member nations lags behind long-standing goals. An inability to compromise over who should serve as NATOs next leader forced an extension of the current secretary-general's term for an extra year.

Perhaps the most difficult questions are over how Ukraine should be eased into NATO. Some maintain admitting Ukraine would fulfill a promise made years ago and be a necessary step to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Others fear it would be seen as a provocation that could spiral into an even wider conflict.

"I dont think its ready for membership in NATO," President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview airing Sunday. He said joining NATO requires countries to meet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues.

He said the United States should provide long-term security assistance to Ukraine  "the capacity to defend themselves"  as it does with Israel.

Bickering among friends is not uncommon, and the current catalog of disputes pales in comparison with past fears that Donald Trump would turn his back on the alliance during his presidency. But the current challenges come at a moment when Biden and his counterparts are heavily invested in demonstrating harmony among members.

Any fissure, any lack of solidarity provides an opportunity for those who would oppose the alliance, said Douglas Lute, U.S. ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager to exploit divisions as he struggles to gain ground in Ukraine and faces political challenges at home, including the aftermath of a brief revolt by the Wagner mercenary group.

You dont want to present any openings, Lute said. You dont want to present any gaps or seams.

By some measures, the war in Ukraine has reinvigorated NATO, which was created at the beginning of the Cold War as a bulwark against Moscow. NATO members have poured military hardware into Ukraine to help with its counteroffensive, and Finland ended a history of nonalignment to become NATOs 31st member.

I think its appropriate to look at all the success, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told The Associated Press. So I think the invasion has strengthened NATO  exactly the opposite of what Putin anticipated.

He noted Germanys shift toward a more robust defense policy as well as increase in military spending in other countries.

The latest test of NATO solidarity came Friday with what Biden said was a "difficult decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine. More than two-thirds of alliance members have banned the weapon because it has a track record for causing many civilian casualties. The U.S., Russia and Ukraine are not among the more than 120 countries that have not signed a convention outlawing the use of the bombs.

As for Ukraine's possible entry into NATO, the alliance said in 2008 that Kyiv eventually would become a member. Since then, little action has been taken toward that goal. Putin occupied parts of Ukraine in 2014 and then tried to capture the capital in 2022 with his invasion.

A gray zone is a green light for Putin, said Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called for a unified signal from NATO on Ukraine and for his country to join the alliance.

It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia, Zelenskyy said through a translator in an ABC interview, when asked whether he would come to Vilnius. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO. And that is a very important point. Only under these conditions our meeting would be meaningful. Otherwise, its just another politics.

The U.S. and Germany insist that the focus should be on supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, rather than taking the more provocative step of extending a formal invitation to join NATO. Countries on NATO's Eastern flank  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  want firmer assurances on future membership.

NATO could decide to elevate its relationship with Ukraine, creating what would be known as the NATO-Ukraine Council and giving Kyiv a seat at the table for consultations.

Also in the spotlight in Vilnius will be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the main obstacle to Swedens attempts to join NATO alongside neighbor Finland.

Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too lenient on anti-Islamic demonstrations and militant Kurdish groups that have waged a long insurgency in Turkey.

Sweden recently changed its anti-terrorism legislation and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey. But a man burned a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, and Erdogan signaled that this would pose another hurdle. He equated those who permitted the crime to those who perpetrated it.

Turkey and the U.S. are also at an impasse over the sale of F-16 fighter jets. Erdogan wants the upgraded planes, but Biden says Swedens NATO membership has to be dealt with first. McConnell said in the AP interview that he supports the sale of the fighter jets to Turkey provided that the membership of Sweden is settled.

Underscoring the prominence of Turkey at the upcoming summit, Biden held a lengthy call with Erdogan aboard Air Force One on the way to London. During the conversation, Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," according to the White House.

Its not the first time that Erdogan has sought to use a NATO summit for Turkish gain. In 2009, he held up the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as secretary-general but agreed to the move after securing some senior posts for Turkish officials at the alliance.

How Biden's approval rating compares to other major world leaders How Biden's approval rating compares to other major world leaders #20. Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea #19. Karl Nehammer, Austria #18. Mark Rutte, Netherlands #17. Jonas Gahr Store, Norway #16. Leo Varadkar, Ireland #15. Olaf Scholz, Germany #14. Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland #13. Rishi Sunak, United Kingdom #12. Ulf Kristersson, Sweden #11. Fumio Kishida, Japan #10. Pedro Sanchez, Spain #9. Alexander De Croo, Belgium #8. Joe Biden, United States #7. Justin Trudeau, Canada #6. Giorgia Meloni, Italy #5. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil #4. Anthony Albanese, Australia #3. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico #2. Alain Berset, Switzerland #1. Narendra Modi, India
The confidential documents stolen from schools and dumped online by ransomware gangs are raw, intimate and graphic. They describe student sexual assaults, psychiatric hospitalizations, abusive parents, truancy  even suicide attempts.

Please do something, begged a student in one leaked file, recalling the trauma of continually bumping into an ex-abuser at a school in Minneapolis. Other victims talked about wetting the bed or crying themselves to sleep.

Complete sexual assault case folios containing these details were among more than 300,000 files dumped online in March after the 36,000-student Minneapolis Public Schools refused to pay a $1 million ransom. Other exposed data included medical records and discrimination complaints.

Rich in digitized data, the nations schools are prime targets for far-flung criminal hackers, who are assiduously locating and scooping up sensitive files.

Often strapped for cash, districts are grossly ill-equipped not just to defend themselves but to respond diligently and transparently when attacked, especially as they struggle to help kids catch up from the pandemic and grapple with shrinking budgets.

Months after the Minneapolis attack, administrators have not delivered on their promise to inform individual victims. Unlike for hospitals, no federal law exists to require this notification from schools.

The Associated Press reached families of six students whose sexual assault case files were exposed. The message from a reporter was the first time anyone had alerted them.

Truth is, they didnt notify us about anything, said a mother whose sons case file has 80 documents.

Even when schools catch a ransomware attack in progress, the data are typically already gone. That was what Los Angeles Unified School District did last Labor Day weekend, only to see the private paperwork of more than 1,900 former students  including psychological evaluations and medical records  leaked online. Not until February did district officials disclose the breachs full dimensions.

The lasting legacy of school ransomware attacks, it turns out, is not in school closures, recovery costs or even soaring cyberinsurance premiums. It is the trauma for staff, students and parents from the online exposure of private records  which the AP found on the open internet and dark web.

A massive amount of information is being posted online, and nobody is looking to see just how bad it all is. Or, if somebody is looking, theyre not making the results public, said analyst Brett Callow of the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.

Other big districts recently stung by data theft include San Diego, Des Moines and Tucson, Arizona. While the severity of those hacks remains unclear, all have been criticized either for being slow to admit to being hit by ransomware, dragging their feet on notifying victims  or both.

While other ransomware targets have fortified and segmented networks, encrypting data and mandating multi-factor authentication, school systems have been slower to react.

Ransomware likely has affected well over 5 million U.S. students by now, with district attacks on track to rise this year, said analyst Allan Liska of the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Nearly one in three U.S. districts had been breached by the end of 2021, according to a survey by the Center for Internet Security, a federally funded nonprofit.

Just three years ago, criminals did not routinely grab data in ransomware attacks, said TJ Sayers, cyberthreat intelligence manager at the Center for Internet Security. Now, its common, he said, with much of it sold on the dark web.

The criminals in the Minneapolis theft were especially aggressive. They shared links to the stolen data on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and the dark web, which standard browsers cant access.

The Minneapolis parents informed by the AP of the leaked sexual assault complaints feel doubly victimized. Their children have battled PTSD, and some even left their schools. Now this.

The family is beyond horrified to learn that this highly sensitive information is now available in perpetuity on the internet for the childs future friends, romantic interests, employers and others to discover, said Jeff Storms, an attorney for one of the families. It is AP policy not to identify sexual abuse victims.

Minneapolis Schools spokeswoman Crystina Lugo-Beach would not say how many people have been contacted so far or answer other AP questions about the attack.

Despite parents' and teachers' frustration, schools are routinely advised by incident response teams concerned about legal liability issues and ransom negotiations against being more transparent, said Callow of Emsisoft. Minneapolis school officials apparently followed that playbook, initially describing the Feb. 17 attack cryptically as a system incident, then as technical difficulties and later an encryption event.

The extent of the breach became clear though when a ransomware group posted video of stolen data, giving the district 10 days to pay the ransom before leaking files.

The district declined to pay, following the standing advice of the FBI, which says ransoms encourage criminals to target more victims.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, districts prioritized spending on internet connectivity and remote learning. Security got short shrift as IT departments invested in software to track student engagement and performance, often at the expense of privacy and safety, University of Chicago and New York University researchers found.

Cybersecurity money for public schools is limited. As it stands, districts can only expect slivers of the $1 billion in cybersecurity grants that the federal government is distributing over four years.

Minnesotas chief information security officer, John Israel, said his state got $18 million of it this year to divvy among 3,600 entities. State lawmakers provided an additional $22.5 million in grants for cyber and physical security in schools.

Infrastructure sectors hit hardest by ransomware Infrastructure sectors hit hardest by ransomware #10. Communications #9. Energy #8. Transportation #7. Food and agriculture #6. Commercial facilities #5. Government facilities #4. Critical manufacturing #3. Information technology #2. Financial services #1. Health care and public health
It is unusual, but not unique, for a Nebraska county seat not to be its largest city. Nuckolls County is one example where the county seat is about one fourth the size of its largest city. Once, having 18 post offices, it now has two cities, five villages and two unincorporated communities.

Although Nuckolls County had virtually no population, the Nebraska Territorial Legislature created the county in 1858, named for a wealthy firm of merchants doing business in Nebraska City, brothers and pro-slavery advocates Stephen F. Nuckolls and Lafayette Nuckolls, who was a member of the first territorial legislature.

It was felt that, though there were no settlements, the county was bound to succeed, partially because it was on one of the early Mormon trails which followed the Little Blue River, Russell, Majors & Waddells Overland Stage route and hosted 16 miles of the Oregon Trail.

One of the first settlers in the county, B. S. Comstock, arrived in 1858 then brought his family, in 1861 to Oak Grove Farm on the Little Blue and there, in June of 1871, the first election was held with a total of 33 votes cast.

An election recorded variously in 1872, 1873 and 1874 put the county seat at centrally located Nelson, named for Horatio Nelson Wheeler, a landowner originally from Peoria, Illinois, in an election contest with Elkton and Vernon, both of which disappeared. 1872 is more probably correct as while all county business was transacted at the home of D. W. Montgomery, the first, two-story, frame courthouse was completed on the northwest corner of third and Main Streets in 1873 at a cost of $2,500.

As there was no safe in the building, which also served four church denominations and a school, the first treasurer carried the countys funds on his person. Although prohibitionists feared incorporation would invite saloons, the city of Nelson was incorporated as a village in 1873 and two years later the first county fair was held using the courthouse for its exhibits.

In 1887 the three-story, $55,000 Nelson Opera House was completed. The building, which housed the Columbia Theatre and business college, was also rented by the county for two years while a new courthouse was being built. A new brick jail, which was said was a palace compared with the courthouse, was finished in 1882 on Court House Square, the highest elevation in the city, then, with the completion of the new courthouse in 1890, Nelson reported having over a dozen businesses, two newspapers, three hotels, five churches and two banks.

At the age of 21 William Loudon came from Illinois on an investigating trip to Nebraska in 1870, primarily looking at Lincoln and Omaha, but the following year he filed in Beatrice for abandoned homesteads in southern Nuckolls County at a site he called Superior for the lands quality.

The city of Superior was platted with 56 square blocks in 1875. The same year saw completion of a combination grocery store and post office. Superior was incorporated as a village in 1879 and the following year the Republican Valley Division of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad built through along First Street with a depot on Central and elevator on Commercial Street.

By 1885 three additions joined the original map, with East Superior virtually the same size as the original. Within another five years, Superior claimed there were five railroads serving the city. As Superior began to grow with railroad connections, the population grew quickly, which prompted their challenging Nelson for the county seat in 1889. Nelson, however, narrowly retained the capital.

Termed the first settlement in what would become Nuckolls County, Oak Grove on the Little Blue was the site of the election which established the county. With a peak population of 237 in 1910, now known simply as Oak, it is estimated at 54.

Ruskin, first known as Henrietta, was established in 1887 with the arrival of the Rock Island Railroad. Its peak population of 36 in 1920 is 105 today. Noras post office opened in 1878, and by 1888 was served by two railroads. Its population peaked at 127 in 1920 though today its count is around 21.

Hardy, a project of the Burlington Railroads Lincoln Land Co., was platted in 1880, reaching its peak of 496 in 1920 and today, a mere half mile from the Kansas border reports only 97. Lawrence opened its post office in 1887, peaking at 530 in 1930 but now reporting 272 inhabitants.

Nuckolls County, number 42 on state license plates, has a total population today estimated at 4,000 with about half of that in Superior and around 500 in Nelson.

Top Journal Star photos for July 2023
The company that wants to mine for critical minerals in Southeast Nebraska has signed a deal with Stellantis, giving the automaker access to the rare earth elements used to produce high-powered magnets needed for its electric vehicles.

NioCorp announced the tentative agreement with the automaker whose brands include Chrysler, Alfa Romeo and Maserati on Thursday. The companies didn't disclose how much Stellantis will pay because those details are still being negotiated, but this deal with such a high-profile buyer will likely provide a boost to NioCorp's effort to raise $1.1 billion to establish the mine about 80 miles south of Omaha near the town of Elk Creek.

It's also not clear just how much of the highly sought-after elements Stellantis would be able to buy as part of this agreement because NioCorp is still working to determine whether it will make economic sense to produce the neodymium-praseodymium oxide, dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide used to make magnets. The proposed mine's main product would be niobium that's used to make steel lighter and stronger.

But most of the rare earth elements available today are produced in China, so President Joe Biden has been pressing for more of them to be mined domestically.

This could really turbocharge our project financing and help to accelerate moving the project to construction and eventual commercial operation, NioCorp CEO Mark Smith said.

NioCorp has raised more than $80 million since 2013 to explore the site, but development of the project dates back to the 1970s when a different company first started drilling samples. The proposed mine is expected to create over 400 jobs if it is built.

The Centennial, Colorado, company still has a long way to go to raise the $1.1 billion it needs to establish the mine. But NioCorp officials are optimistic because they have applied for up to $800 million in financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which is in the process of reviewing the mining company's applications.

NioCorp also said Stellantis will consider investing in the mine, but that won't be decided until after the companies finalize the rare earth purchase agreement.

Stellantis Maxime Picat said in a statement that this agreement should help the automaker meet its goals to produce more electric vehicles and cut its carbon emissions.

Currently, America imports all the niobium and scandium and most of the titanium and rare earths that NioCorp hopes to produce. The only U.S. mine that produces rare earths now is run by MP Materials in Mountain Pass, California.

Top Journal Star photos for July 2023
DES MOINES  Abortion access in Iowa would be restricted under legislation that statehouse Republicans plan to craft next week during a special session of the Iowa Legislature, called for last week by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The special session will take place Tuesday at the Iowa Capitol.

The special session will be conducted with the sole purpose of enacting legislation that addresses abortion and protects unborn lives, the governors news release said.

Three Iowa House Republican lawmakers  Reps. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids; Norlin Mommsen, R-DeWitt; and Luana Stoltenberg, R-Davenport  told The Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau they expect Republicans once again will pass legislation that would ban abortions once a fetus heartbeat can be detected.

Currently, abortion in Iowa is legal until the 20th week of pregnancy. The Nebraska Legislature recently passed a bill that bans abortions at 12 weeks based on gestational age, which took effect immediately after Gov. Jim Pillen signed it in May.

According to a 2023 Iowa Poll, more than three out of every five Iowans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Reynolds and Iowa Republicans passed a so-called fetal heartbeat bill in 2018, but it was struck down by the state courts. After separate rulings by the Iowa and U.S. Supreme Courts in 2022, Reynolds appealed the state courts ruling on the 2018 fetal heartbeat bill. But that ruling was left in place when, last month, the Iowa Supreme Court delivered a split decision on Reynolds request.

Iowans have elected representatives willing to stand up for the rights of the unborn and, in doing so, they have voted strongly in support of pro-life principles and against the arbitrary destruction of innocent, defenseless lives, Reynolds said Wednesday in a news release, also asserting that the Iowa Supreme Courts split ruling disregards the will of Iowa voters and lawmakers.

Although they do not hold enough seats to stop any legislative action, statehouse Democrats have said consistently that they will oppose any attempts to further restrict abortion access in Iowa.

We knew this would happen. Republican extremists, led by Gov. Kim Reynolds, are rushing to take away Iowans established rights and personal freedoms. And they hope they can do it fast enough that Iowans wont even notice, Iowa Sen. Pam Jochum, leader of the minority-party Senate Democrats from Dubuque, said in a statement. Now is the time for Iowans to fight back against an extreme abortion ban that will cost women their lives as well as their freedom. Iowans see how abortion bans have caused heartbreak, complications and death in other states. We wont stand for it here.

Supporters of so-called fetal heartbeat laws say they ban abortions roughly around the sixth week of pregnancy, which often is before a person is aware they are pregnant. Abortion rights advocates say such a prohibition would end 98% of the now-legal abortions in Iowa.

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.

Special sessions in Iowa

This will be the 24th year with a special session of the Iowa Legislature, according to state records. But it will be just the 10th since 1970, when the Iowa Legislature went from meeting every other year to meeting annually.

Iowa legislators held a one-day special session in 2021 to finish the states decennial redrawing of legislative maps. Prior to that, the most recent special session of the Iowa Legislature was in 2006, when state lawmakers met to override a gubernatorial veto of eminent domain legislation.

Legislators will be paid $175 per day for the special session, and receive daily expense reimbursements of $131.25 for Polk County legislators and $175 for legislators from all other counties.

Opponents, advocates react

Maggie DeWitte, executive director of the anti-abortion group Pulse Life Advocates, said shes thankful Reynolds and Republicans responded to calls to act quickly on new abortion restrictions, which she called a life and death issue.

DeWitte said she and Pulse Life Advocates want to see a total abortion ban, from the moment of conception with limited exceptions, but she would support lawmakers if they passed a bill similar to the six-week fetal heartbeat abortion ban.

We are going to support them in any efforts to save innocent lives, fellow Iowans, she said. And so we would support them if they want to move forward with another heartbeat law and see that law passed to demonstrate our serious intent to save innocent lives.

Planned Parenthood, a reproductive health care system that provides abortion services, in a news release called the special legislative session part of a yearslong trend by anti-abortion politicians to cut access to health care in Iowa, warned abortion restrictions would further health inequities, and claimed Iowans are increasingly traveling out of state to have abortions.

Calling a special session in the middle of summer for the sole purpose of stripping Iowans of the liberties they prize is not only unprecedented but shows the drastic lengths power-hungry politicians will take to pass deeply unpopular policies, Mazie Stilwell, the public affairs director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa, said in a statement. A growing majority of Iowans support abortion access. Make no mistake: we are prepared to mobilize supporters across the state to demand state legislators reject any proposed abortion ban or further restrictions on abortion care.

Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Rita Hart also pledged to make abortion policy a focus of the 2024 elections in Iowa.

Iowans have made themselves clear that they are not in favor of extreme positions concerning abortion, and I am committed to making sure Iowans have the final word, Hart said in a statement. As Iowa Republicans call a special session to concentrate on taking away peoples rights instead of giving them more opportunities, Democrats will work tirelessly to ensure every voter will make their voice heard in the next election cycle. Everyone deserves to make their own health care decisions.

Destined for courts

Whatever new abortion restriction statehouse Republicans pass and Reynolds signs into law, it likely will be challenged in the courts also, legal experts say.

That expected legal challenge could center on the level of legal scrutiny that should be applied to abortion restrictions. In the wake of those 2022 Iowa and U.S. Supreme Court rulings that reversed a fundamental right to abortion at both the state and federal levels, abortion opponents argue that the current undue burden test should no longer apply, and that a new rational basis test should now apply. That would effectively lower the legal bar for abortion restrictions, making it easier for them to survive court challenges.

Statehouse Republicans also have started the process of amending the Iowa Constitution to state that it does not guarantee the right to abortion services.

To amend the Iowa Constitution, the proposal must pass the Iowa Legislature twice  with an election between  and then pass a public vote.

Republicans passed the proposed anti-abortion constitutional amendment in 2022. In order for it to be enshrined in the Iowa Constitution, they must pass it again by next year and then put it to a public vote.

The Supreme Court fight over an abortion pill: What's next? A closer look What could happen next? How did the case get to the Supreme Court? Intro How did the case get started? What is mifepristone?
A staff member walks past the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 21, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the country's top securities regulator, on Saturday said that it will promote the high-quality development of the public offering fund sector and steadily lower the sector's fee rates.

The CSRC statement came after a number of Chinese fund management companies on Saturday announced they would lower the management and custodian fees of their actively managed equity fund products to no more than 1.2 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively, from Monday.

The CSRC said it will guide the public offering fund sector to carry out the reform of fee rates in a sound and orderly manner, and support public fund managers as well as other institutions in the industry in making appropriate reductions on fund fee rates.

Assets under the management of China's public offering funds totaled 27.77 trillion yuan (about 3.95 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of May this year, data from the Asset Management Association of China shows.

By the end of May, a total of 10,890 public offering funds were being operated by 143 fund management companies, the association said.
CALEDONIA  A Caledonia police officer collided with a white SUV causing the squad car to roll over and catch fire on Saturday afternoon. No one was seriously injured.

The officer was travelling northbound on Douglas Avenue in a marked squad car trying to catch up with a vehicle that allegedly was travelling 90 mph in a 45 mph zone.

The police officers siren and emergency lights were turned on, according to a press release from the Caledonia Police Department.

A white SUV, also travelling northbound on Douglas Avenue, tried to turn left onto Harvest Lane but was in the path of the squad car. The white SUV was driven by a woman and had a male passenger.

The squad car and the white SUV crashed and the squad car was pushed off the road and rolled onto its roof. A fire started in the engine compartment.

Bystanders helped free the officer from the car before the fire reached the passenger side of the car and later engulfed the entire vehicle in flames.

The officer suffered minor injuries and returned to work Sunday, according to Lt. Gary Larsen from the Caledonia Police Department. Neither of the people in the white SUV reported any injuries.

Because an officer was involved, the Wisconsin State Patrol assisted with the crash and is investigating.

The Caledonia Police Department is requesting that anyone who has additional information or who witnessed the crash call the department at 262-835-4423 and ask to speak to Det. Chad Zoltak.

Caledonia trustee's K9 honored with bronze statue, in photos and video Holly McManus makes opening remarks at statue dedication Holly McManus makes closing remarks at K9 Bane statue dedication Former handler Holly McManus pets retired K9 Bane after ceremony Uncovering the statue Kevin Hunter plays with retired K9 Bane Holly and Bane With artist Officials Officials K9 Bane statue K9 Bane Hero Fund K9 Bane statue Eric Look Band K9 Bane cookies Eric Look Band performs "She's Not Just a Pretty Face" by Shania Twain Installing
BURLINGTON  The Echo Lake project will not be getting an extra $1 million boost in the new state budget.

Gov. Tony Evers vetoed funding proposed by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, to relieve local property taxpayers in funding the citys proposed $9 million project.

Vos sought the $1 million state allocation in addition to a $1 million grant previously approved for Echo Lake by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Republican lawmakers supported Vos and included the Burlington project in a final budget package sent to the governors desk.

Evers vetoed the new funding Wednesday while signing into law the $98 billion two-year state spending plan. In his veto message, the governor cited Echo Lakes previous state grant award.

I object to providing additional state funding for a project that already received a $1 million grant, he said.

It was among 51 vetoes the Democratic governor applied to a budget approved by the Republican-led legislature, which had similarly rejected many of the governors proposals.

Vos said he was disappointed, and he blamed partisanship for the disagreement on the Echo Lake funding.

Its hard to see it as anything else but a partisan slight against a Republican-leaning community, the legislative leader said. We will continue to fight for the funding in the future.

Vos did not indicate whether he would attempt to override the veto in the legislature, or whether he would try something else.

Burlington city officials could not be reached for comment on whether the lost state funding would affect their plans for Echo Lake.

The DNR has ordered Burlington to expand and upgrade the Echo Lake dam, or remove the city-owned dam and drain the lake as a safety measure. Without the dam, a restored White River would resume flowing through the area in place of the pond.

Burlington Park Board members have recommended draining the lake and bringing back the river.

However, in a citywide referendum last November, 60% of voters favored rebuilding the lake, which includes dredging the polluted human-made impoundment.

City officials have said the $9 million plan would cost the average Burlington homeowner $140 a year in higher property taxes for the next 20 years. Removing the lake and restoring the river could be accomplished for about $1.5 million.

The city hopes to find additional sources of funding to minimize the impact on property taxes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has indicated that it would manage the project and possibly pay the entire cost, if city officials decide to remove the lake rather than preserve it.

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RACINE  The Racine Unified School District Board is considering forming a subcommittee as part of the search to find the districts next superintendent.

The RUSD Board will discuss forming the subcommittee during a work session Monday evening.

The meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m. in the Mygatts Room of Administrative Service Campus Building 1, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St.

The School Board on June 26 approved the resignation of former RUSD Superintendent Eric Gallien. His last day was June 30.

Gallien had served as RUSD superintendent since 2018.

It has been an honor to serve as the superintendent of RUSD for the past five years, and together, we have made tremendous strides for our students, Gallien wrote in his resignation letter. I am proud of our accomplishments and continuous growth.

Last month, Gallien accepted a job to be superintendent of the Charleston County School District in South Carolina.

The School Board on June 26 also approved a contract with Soren Gajewski to be RUSD interim superintendent starting July 1. The contract does not have an end date.

Referendum-funded work

On Monday, the board will also discuss work related to referendum-funded projects at three schools.

The board will discuss the guaranteed maximum price for construction work at the future Starbuck K-8 School.

The recommended guaranteed maximum price is $40.48 million with Hunzinger Construction, the firm approved by the board in December.

The total cost is projected to be $50.54 million to expand Starbuck from a middle school into a K-8 school, which is scheduled to be done by August 2024.

The School Board will receive an update on the design process of the new Schulte K-8 School from Bray Architects.

In December, the board awarded the design bid to Bray at a cost of $2.34 million.

In December, the board also approved up to $76 million to build the new 153,000-square-foot Schulte K-8 School at a site next to Schulte Elementary.

The estimated budget is $65.28 million. The new school is scheduled to open in August 2025.

In November, the board approved adding two sixth grade classes to Schulte in 2023-24 and two seventh grade classes in 2024-25.

The expanded Schulte K-7 School will have the same boundaries in 2023-24 and 2024-25 as Schulte Elementary, meaning current Schulte fifth graders will attend Schulte for sixth grade next school year instead of Mitchell K-8 School.

The RUSD Board will discuss who to hire as construction manager for renovations at Horlick High School.

RUSD administration recommends the board award a contract worth $2.715 million to J. P. Cullen & Sons, Inc.

J. P. Cullen & Sons, based in Milwaukee, was one of four companies that submitted a bid for the work at Horlick, which is scheduled to be done by August 2025.

Other business

The board will discuss contracting with the City of Racine RYDE program to provide bus transportation for students during the 2023-24 school year. The proposal is for a one-year, $350,000 contract.

The School Board is expected to vote on all of these items during its July 24 business meeting.

Close Racine Unified teachers, including Paige Kiesler, right with glasses, and Bill Sakalaucks, center with fist raised, rallied Monday at the RUSD Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Educators rallied to emphasize their demands for better pay in the form of an 8% cost of living adjustment and a salary step increase based on years of service. Racine Unified teachers, including Heather Jirgensen, right, rallied Monday at the RUSD Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Educators rallied to emphasize their demands for better pay in the form of an 8% cost of living adjustment and a salary step increase based on years of service. Maurizia Johnson, Wadewitz Elementary educational assistant, speaks Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Johnson said educational assistants need a living wage because, although we love our jobs, love does not pay the bills. Angelina Cruz, president of Racine Educators United, speaks Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Cruz urged the RUSD Board "to start prioritizing the kids and families of Racine Unified over failed administrators. About 50 Racine Unified educators rallied Monday at the RUSD Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St., to advocate for better pay and support. Heather Jirgensen, Olympia Brown Elementary teacher and building union representative, speaks Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. A teacher holds a sign Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Angelina Cruz, Racine Educators United president, speaks Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. A teacher holds a sign Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Nine photos of Racine teachers advocating for fair pay Racine Unified educators rallied Monday to emphasize their demands for better pay and support. Racine Unified teachers, including Paige Kiesler, right with glasses, and Bill Sakalaucks, center with fist raised, rallied Monday at the RUSD Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Educators rallied to emphasize their demands for better pay in the form of an 8% cost of living adjustment and a salary step increase based on years of service. Racine Unified teachers, including Heather Jirgensen, right, rallied Monday at the RUSD Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Educators rallied to emphasize their demands for better pay in the form of an 8% cost of living adjustment and a salary step increase based on years of service. Maurizia Johnson, Wadewitz Elementary educational assistant, speaks Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Johnson said educational assistants need a living wage because, although we love our jobs, love does not pay the bills. Angelina Cruz, president of Racine Educators United, speaks Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Cruz urged the RUSD Board "to start prioritizing the kids and families of Racine Unified over failed administrators. About 50 Racine Unified educators rallied Monday at the RUSD Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St., to advocate for better pay and support. Heather Jirgensen, Olympia Brown Elementary teacher and building union representative, speaks Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. A teacher holds a sign Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. Angelina Cruz, Racine Educators United president, speaks Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St. A teacher holds a sign Monday at the Racine Unified School District Administrative Service Campus, 3109 Mt. Pleasant St.
Fourth of July 2023 is in the history books and the fireworks that lit up the skies in southeastern Wisconsin are fading away along with the overhead blasts and the oohs and aaahhs of enthralled spectators.

Its a grand celebration of the countrys birth and pays homage to the words of Francis Scott Key who penned the Star Spangled banner  the national anthem  celebrating the defense of Fort McHenry against the British in the War of 1812;

Oer the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, oer the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Those are stirring words that still fuel the fires of nationalistic fervor.

But while there were a multitude of fireworks celebrations across the country this year, there were also communities who, for several reasons, dropped away from the bomb-bursting sky shows and the attendant aerial booms.

They opted, instead, for drone shows to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Theres less risk of fire, less risk of damage, less risk of injury, said Rick Boss, president of Sky Elements Drone Shows, a Texas-based company, that has performed more than 500 drone shows using fleets of drones with brilliant LED lights to create animated scenes with shapes and patterns in the night sky  often patriotic ones featuring things like the Liberty Bell.

Drones leave no smoke or debris behind them when performing, Boss said. We leave nothing behind but great memories.

Much of the rise in popularity of the drone show-alternative comes in the western U.S., where the risk of forest fires is running high this year.

Salt Lake City was one municipality that went drone, with Mayor Erin Mendenhall saying the change was made to minimize high fire danger and air quality concerns. As temperatures rise and fire danger increases we must be conscientious of both our air quality and the potential for wildfires, he said. Utah is one of the most wildfire-prone states in the country, with about 1,000 wildfires a year.

Boulder, Colo., and Flagstaff, Ariz., shifted to laser light shows this year, and in California several coastal cities also went to drone shows because of stricter laws on polluting the ocean with debris.

Closer to home, Highland Park, IL., honored seven people who were killed in last years July 4 parade with a ceremony and a walk  not a parade. At night the city planned a drone show instead of fireworks to avoid noises that sound like gunfire.

That noise factor from fireworks is echoed on social media neighborhood sites in Racine and Kenosha, where people have been highly critical of neighbors and do-it-yourself fireworks enthusiasts for shooting off their wares at all times during the day and night over the past week  scaring their pets and turning them into shivering, frightened animals. The commenters ire also focuses on military veterans who suffer from PTSD and struggle with fireworks noise.

Clearly, there is some fertile ground for those who wish to switch away from traditional pyrotechnics and go to a safer, less fiery and quieter Fourth of July celebration. It remains to be seen if that will take hold, but sometimes societal changes come in increments. It wasnt too long ago that children bounced down the road in the back of pickup trucks secured only by the parental admonition to hold on tight. And within recent memory, actors and TV stars were lighting up cigarettes as the ventured into our living rooms.

No more.

Sometimes change is afoot before we even see it.
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
Fourth of July 2023 is in the history books and the fireworks that lit up the skies in southeastern Wisconsin are fading away along with the overhead blasts and the oohs and aaahhs of enthralled spectators.

Its a grand celebration of the countrys birth and pays homage to the words of Francis Scott Key who penned the Star Spangled banner  the national anthem  celebrating the defense of Fort McHenry against the British in the War of 1812;

Oer the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, oer the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Those are stirring words that still fuel the fires of nationalistic fervor.

But while there were a multitude of fireworks celebrations across the country this year, there were also communities who, for several reasons, dropped away from the bomb-bursting sky shows and the attendant aerial booms.

They opted, instead, for drone shows to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Theres less risk of fire, less risk of damage, less risk of injury, said Rick Boss, president of Sky Elements Drone Shows, a Texas-based company, that has performed more than 500 drone shows using fleets of drones with brilliant LED lights to create animated scenes with shapes and patterns in the night sky  often patriotic ones featuring things like the Liberty Bell.

Drones leave no smoke or debris behind them when performing, Boss said. We leave nothing behind but great memories.

Much of the rise in popularity of the drone show-alternative comes in the western U.S., where the risk of forest fires is running high this year.

Salt Lake City was one municipality that went drone, with Mayor Erin Mendenhall saying the change was made to minimize high fire danger and air quality concerns. As temperatures rise and fire danger increases we must be conscientious of both our air quality and the potential for wildfires, he said. Utah us one of the most wildfire-prone states in the country, with about 1,000 wildfires a year.

Boulder, Colo., and Flagstaff, Ariz., shifted to laser light shows this year and in California several coastal cities also went to drone shows because of stricter laws on polluting the ocean with debris.

Closer to home, Highland Park, IL., honored seven people who were killed in last years July 4 parade with a ceremony and a walk  not a parade, At night the city planned a drone show instead of fireworks to avoid noises that sound like gunfire.

That noise factor from fireworks is echoed on social media neighborhood sites in Racine and Kenosha, where people have been highly critical of neighbors and do-it-yourself fireworks enthusiasts for shooting off their wares at all times during the day and night over the past week  scaring their pets and turning them into shivering, frightened animals. The commenters ire also focuses on military veterans who suffer from PTSD and struggle with fireworks noise.

Clearly, there is some fertile ground for those who wish to switch away from traditional pyrotechnics and go to a safer, less fiery and quieter Fourth of July celebration. It remains to be seen if that will take hold, but sometimes societal changes come in increments. It wasnt too long ago that children bounced down the road in the back of pickup trucks secured only by the parental admonition to hold on tight. And within recent memory, actors and TV stars were lighting up cigarettes as the ventured into our living rooms.

No more.

Sometimes change is afoot before we even see it.
You are here: Business

The number of passenger trips handled by China's urban rail transit networks surged 37.7 percent year on year in June, official data showed.

A total of 2.44 billion passenger trips were made via China's urban transit networks in 54 cities last month, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The figure was 22.6 percent higher than the average monthly level in 2019, the data revealed.

At the end of June, China had 295 urban rail transit lines in operation, with a total length of 9,728.3 km, according to the ministry.
We cant fault Gov. Tony Evers for wanting to have a lasting impact on Wisconsin, especially when it comes to supporting public schools.

But 400 years? Thats more than twice as long as Wisconsin has been a state.

The Democratic governor signed a two-year, $99 billion state budget last week after issuing 51 partial vetoes  one of which was clever and aggressive if not fantastical. He crossed out a hyphen, several words and 20 in the text of the budget to change the expiration of a $325-per-student annual spending increase from 2025 to 2425.

Thats more than symbolic or aspiration. It means future state budgets, starting two years from now, will default to a $325-per-student increase for schools if the governor and Legislature cant agree on a different amount.

Assuming Evers veto survives a court challenge, hell now have more leverage in future budgets to insist on higher spending for schools. Our public schools definitely need more money, given tight limits on spending in the past, rising prices, a teacher shortage and record numbers of local referendums seeking voter permission to cover operating expenses.

Yet on principle, governors  no matter which party they represent  shouldnt be able to unilaterally increase spending using the veto pen. Vetoes are supposed to stop or limit action by the Legislature.

Another governor could quickly get rid of the $325-per-student mandate once Evers leaves office. Thats likely to occur the next time a Republican governor is elected.

Still, Evers dramatic change to school funding suggests Wisconsins powerful veto pen needs further limits. Voters in 1990 wisely got rid of the Vanna White veto, named after the celebrity on Wheel of Fortune who flips letters. Former Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican, partially vetoed individual letters from the budget to spell new words.

Voters in 2008 eliminated the Frankenstein vote, in which former Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, stitched together individual words from across pages of the state budget to unilaterally bring new law to life. He did so by vetoing around the words he wanted to keep.

In fairness to Evers, his predecessor, Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, used his veto pen in 2017 to push back the deadline for a state program 1,000 years  from 2018 to 3018. Walkers Republican colleagues didnt try to limit the states veto powers after that, though we suspect some will revisit the governors authority now that a Democrat is in charge.

The solution to further veto abuse would be a constitutional amendment creating a true line-item veto, in which a single sentence could be struck in its entirety or not at all. Previously, lawmakers from both political parties have resisted going that far, usually because their guy sat in the governors office.

Even if you support more money for public schools  which we definitely do  its important to consider how a governor with different priorities could play similar veto games. What if a future governor with her veto pen extended an annual increase in private school choice enrollment indefinitely for centuries? Democrats wouldnt like that. Nor would we.

The budget signed into law last week includes a $1 billion increase in spending authority for public schools. Thats about a 4% increase the first year of the budget, and a 7% increase the second year. The $325-per-student annual increase also is the highest in modern state history.

Yet private and religious schools in Wisconsins choice program are getting even higher per-pupil increases than public schools (though public schools still get more per student overall).

Evers called that a compromise, which we appreciate. Evers was right to negotiate what he could with Republicans, rather than vetoing the entire budget, which would have triggered months of delays in state programming and left local governments struggling to pass their own budgets.

The two partisan sides at the state Capitol agreed to send more money to local governments for basic services such as police and fire protection. That was encouraging. The city and county of Milwaukee also got permission for a higher local sales tax to help balance their budgets.

A big win for Wisconsins justice system were raises to keep assistant district attorneys and public defenders staffing our courts. In addition, prison guards and other state employees are getting raises to hopefully stem attrition and shortages.

The governor and Legislature agreed to $125 million for fighting the forever chemicals known as PFAS. We like that.

The worst decision in the state budget was the Republican-driven cut to the University of Wisconsin System. Evers is right that cutting higher education when the state is sitting on a $7 billion surplus makes no sense. The GOPs nixing of an engineering building at UW-Madison is particularly galling, given that private funds were contributing to the project and it was the Systems top priority.

Because the pandemic is over, the federal government is ending emergency dollars for child care facilities. The Republican-run Legislature failed to step up in this budget with significant state dollars to help ensure more child care centers dont close. Quality child care is key to keeping parents in the workforce and making sure young children get off to strong starts in life.

Evers vetoed most of the GOPs planned tax cut. Thats how a veto is supposed to work by limiting things. Yet even if the rich dont need a tax cut, Evers should have allowed more relief for the middle class, given the state surplus.

Four-hundred years from now, this state budget will be long forgotten, as will Evers veto.

Whats important today is that public schools, local governments, public health and our courts are being strengthened. Unfortunately, our universities and the child care industry are not.
Jake Sullivan Considers Cluster Bombs as a Humanitarian Measure

July 8, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)The Biden Administration is so insane that not only do they make the provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine into yet another silver bullet thatll supposedly turn the war around on the ground in Ukraines favornone of the previous silver bullets have done this so farbut make it out to be a humanitarian gesture that will save the lives of Ukrainian civilians from the evil Russians. And besides that, these humanitarians point out, the U.S. is running low on non-cluster bomb munitions.

We recognize that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance. This is why weve deferreddeferred the decision for as long as we could, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House yesterday, using his best PR consultant-crafted language. But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians because Ukraine does not have enough artillery. That is intolerable to us.

At the Pentagon, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl echoed this nonsense. Ill also say that its not a good thing for civilians in Ukraine or the humanitarian situation in Ukraine for Ukraines counteroffensive to be unsuccessful, or for the Russians to be more successful. That seems like a recipe for more humanitarian suffering, he said. So to the degree that theres a utilitarian calculus in this, I think its worth thinking that through.

But the Kiev regime has promised, in the form of written assurances, that it is going to use these in a very careful way that is aimed at minimizing any risk to civilians, Sullivan said. And, by the way, Ukrainethe democratically elected government of Ukraine has every incentive to minimize risk to civilians because its their citizens, he claimed.

But the other reason for supplying cluster munitions is that supplies of regular 155mm artillery ammunition are running low and production still hasnt caught up to the actual usage rates. We have provided Ukraine with a historic amount of unitary artillery rounds, and we are ramping up domestic production of these rounds, Sullivan said. Weve already seen substantial increases in production, but this process will continue to take time, and it will be critical to provide Ukraine with a bridge of supplies while our domestic production is ramped up. We will not leave Ukraine defenseless at any point in this conflict, period.

The third reason for supplying cluster munitions to the Kiev regime is that Russia has allegedly been using its own cluster munitions all over Ukraine. Russia has been using cluster munitions with high dud or failure rates of between 30 and 40%, Sullivan said. In this environment, Ukraine has been requesting cluster munitions in order to defend its own sovereign territory. The cluster munitions that we would provide have dud rates far below what Russia is doingis providingnot higher than 2.5%.
A civil rights group is taking legal action against legacy admissions at Harvard University. It says the practice discriminates against students of color by giving special consideration to mostly white children of alumni.

The practice has faced growing criticism after the recent Supreme Court decision that ended the consideration of race in college admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The decision ended admissions policies used by American colleges to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other minority groups.

The legal action was filed Monday by Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit group based in Boston. The group filed the complaint on behalf of Black and Latino community groups in New England. It argued that Harvards admissions system violates the Civil Rights Act.

Your familys last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should have no bearing on the college admissions process, said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal. He is the group's executive director.

The civil rights group National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) added its support to the effort on Monday. And the group asked more than 1,500 colleges and universities to make admissions more fair, including by ending legacy admissions.

Opponents of legacy admissions say the practice is no longer defensible following the high courts decision. They note that the Supreme Courts ruling says colleges must ignore the race of applicants but schools can still give a lift to the children of alumni and donors.

The complaint was submitted to the Education Departments Office for Civil Rights. It uses Harvard data that became public during the affirmative action case that went before the Supreme Court. The records showed that 70 percent of Harvards donor-related and legacy applicants are white. Being a legacy student makes an applicant about six times more likely to be admitted.

The complaint points out that other selective schools, including Amherst College in Massachusetts and Johns Hopkins University of Maryland, have ended the practice.

The complaint argues that Harvards legacy preference has nothing to do with merit and takes away spots from qualified students of color. It asks the U.S. Education Department to declare the practice illegal. It also asks the department to force Harvard to stop the practice as long as the university receives federal funding.

If legacy and donor preferences were removed, more students of color would be admitted to Harvard, the complaint says.

Harvard said it would not comment on the complaint.

The complaint was filed on behalf of Chica Project, African Community Economic Development of New England, and the Greater Boston Latino Network.

Also Monday, the NAACP started a campaign aimed to get universities across the nation to improve diversity. The group called on 532 public and 1,134 private colleges and universities to end legacy preferences, eliminate racially biased entrance exams, hire teachers from different backgrounds, and support poor and first-generation students.

Another campaign is urging the alumni of 30 top colleges to stop giving donations until their schools end legacy admissions. That campaign, led by education nonprofit Ed Mobilizer, also targets Harvard and other Ivy League schools.

U.S. President Joe Biden suggested last week that universities should rethink the practice. He said legacy admissions expand privilege instead of opportunity.

It is unclear exactly which schools use legacy admissions and how much it helps. In California, state law requires schools to say if they use legacy admissions. The University of Southern California reported that 14 percent of last years admitted students had family ties to alumni or donors. Stanford reported a similar rate.

An Associated Press survey of the nations most selective colleges last year found that legacy students in the freshman class ranged from 4 percent to 23 percent. At four schools  Notre Dame, the University of Southern California, Cornell and Dartmouth  legacy students outnumbered Black students.

Supporters of legacy admissions say it builds an alumni community and can increase donations. The donations, they add, can help support poor students of color.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting from Associated Press.

Quiz - Activists Challenge Harvards Legacy Admissions Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

legacy n. something that happened in the past or that comes from someone in the past

admission  n. the right or permission to enter a place

alumni  n. someone who was a student at a particular school, college, or university

complaint  n. a statement that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something

merit  n. a good quality or feature that deserves to be praised

bearing  n. the way in which a person moves, stands, or behaves

applicant  n. someone who formally asks for something

preference  n. a feeling of liking or wanting one person or thing more than another person or thing

biased  adj. having or showing a bias

privilege  n. a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others

opportunity  n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done
VOA Learning English presents Americas Presidents.

Today we are talking about Rutherford B. Hayes. He took office in 1877 and was president during the end of what Americans call Reconstruction  the period following the Civil War.

Hayes had a public image as an honest, dignified man. And even though he had ideas that were radical at the time, he supported moderate policies and measured change.

One exception was alcoholic drinks. Hayes banned wine and liquor from the White House.

Early life

Before Rutherford Hayes was born, his father died. Not too long after that, his older brother died, too.

As a result, Hayes grew up mostly with just his mother and his older sister. Later, an uncle helped raise him, as well.

As a boy, Rutherford Hayes was called Rud. He grew up on a farm in Ohio and spent his early years playing with his sister, who taught him to love books.

Hayes was an excellent student, and in time he attended Kenyon College and Harvard Law School.

Hayes started his career as a lawyer in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. He did not go into a field that made much money. Instead, he defended people who were poor or in difficult situations.

He also courted the woman he would marry. Lucy Webb  like Hayes mother and sister  strongly influenced the way Hayes thought.



Hayes own views at the time were moderate. He drank alcohol, but not much. He opposed slavery, but he was not an anti-slavery activist.

His new wife, however, was strongly against alcohol and slavery. She was part of social movements at the time to ban alcoholic drinks entirely in the United States.

And she encouraged Hayes to defend not only the poor in his law business, but also runaway slaves.

Together, Rutherford and Lucy Hayes formed an equal marriage committed to helping others. They were known for being friendly, informal and welcoming.

They also went on to have eight children, five of whom survived to adulthood. Lucy Webb Hayes said her husband was always calm as a father, and took time even when he was president to care for his children.

Election of 1876

Because Hayes had such a positive public image, it is ironic that the contest that elected him president was one of the most hostile in U.S. history.

The full story is complex. But the general story is that Hayes was the Republican candidate, and Samuel Tilden was the Democratic candidate.

Tilden won more popular votes across the country. But in the U.S. system, the majority of voters do not choose the president. Instead, a few electors in each state cast votes. In a way, then, the states choose the president.

And in the election of 1876, three Southern states gave conflicting reports. It was not clear whether Tilden or Hayes had won South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana.

Even though the election was held in November, the debate over the winner lasted until the following March  days before the new president was to be sworn in.

One of the most serious accusations was that Democrats in the South had prevented many black men from voting. If those men had been able to vote, they almost certainly would have voted for Hayes.

In the end, a special commission in Congress gave the votes in all three disputed states to Rutherford Hayes.

His opponents pointed out that the majority of people on the commission were Republicans. As a result, they said, the new president had earned his position only because of party politics. They called him Rutherfraud and His Fraudulancy.

But, in the end, Hayes was widely considered an independent president who operated outside of party loyalties.

Presidency

One of Hayes first acts as president was probably his most important: He withdrew federal troops from Southern states.

The troops had been trying to protect the civil and political rights of African-Americans . But white Democrats disliked the federal governments involvement in their affairs. Also, the troops were not very effective.

So Hayes said that if Southern officials promised to obey the countrys laws protecting all people equally, he would end the federal governments occupation of their states.

The officials agreed, and the period known as Reconstruction officially ended.

But, as the years went on, the rights of black Americans were increasingly violated.

As a result, part of Hayes legacy is one of betrayal. His policy permitted systemic violence and racism to continue for decades.

Another of Hayes important acts was to reform the countrys civil service. For the most part, members of Congress offered their political allies government jobs with good pay. But Hayes sought to change the rules. He wanted to give government jobs to the most able workers.

While his goal was a good one, his action shocked and angered many members of Congress.

The Democrats especially sought to weaken Hayes position by removing the presidents ability to veto their bills. Hayes fought back  and won.

By the second half of his term, Hayes had restored some of Americans trust in government that had been lost under the two presidents before him, Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant.

He had helped ease the tensions between the North and South.

He had stabilized the economy.

He had increased the power of the presidency in a mostly positive way.

And he had prepared the way for major civil service reform.

But Hayes is not remembered as an especially great president. He is often placed toward the middle  not one of the best, and not one of the worst.

Some historians suggest that Hayes would be better remembered if he had stayed a second term and supervised some of the gains begun in his first years.

But, Hayes had promised that he would serve only one term as president.

So, true to his word, Hayes did not seek re-election.

Final years

Hayes had always believed that the best way to solve the countrys problems was to improve the education system.

So, in his retirement, Hayes became president of two social welfare organizations. One aimed to provide a Christian education to blacks in the South. One of the people helped by that organization was the well-known writer and activist W.E.B. DuBois.

Hayes also led a group aimed at reforming the countrys prison system.

When he was 70 years old, Hayes fell ill. Although he had a big heart for children and for helping people, he died of heart failure.

Afterwards, one of his sons began a new tradition in honor of his father. He established the first presidential library.

Im Kelly Jean Kelly.

Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Quiz - America's Presidents - Rutherford B. Hayes Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

dignified - adj. serious and somewhat formal

court - v. to act in a way that shows that you want or intend to get married

encourage - v. to make someone more determined, hopeful, or confident

committed - v. willing to give time and energy to something

informal - adj. having a friendly and relaxed quality

positive - adj. good or useful

ironic - adj. strange or funny because a situation is different from what you expected

contest - n. a struggle or effort to win or get something

decade - n. a period of 10 years

stabilize - v. to stop getting worse
China published a regulation on Sunday concerning the supervision and administration of private investment funds, the country's first administrative regulation on the sector, marking the latest move to safeguard the healthy development of the industry and protect investors.

The regulation, with 62 items in seven chapters, will come into effect on Sept. 1, 2023, the State Council said in a statement.

The regulation aims to encourage the standardized and healthy development of the private investment fund industry, better protect the legitimate rights and interests of investors, and encourage the industry to further play a role in serving the real economy and promoting scientific and technological innovation.

The regulation clarifies the scope of application, specifies the obligations and requirements of private fund managers and custodians, regulates fundraising and investment operations, and strengthens supervision and management as well as legal liability.

The new rules also make special provisions for venture capital funds, showing that China is encouraging investment into technology companies and start-ups.

Also on Sunday, China's top securities regulator said it would make solid efforts to promote the implementation of the regulation, draw up related measures and rules, and further refine the regulatory requirements, to better leverage the positive role of private investment funds in satisfying financing demands.

The private investment fund sector has developed rapidly in China, playing a positive role in serving the real economy while supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.

As of May, about 22,000 private investment managers had been registered, managing funds of around 21 trillion yuan (about 2.92 trillion U.S. dollars), ranking among the top globally.
And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.

Today, we discuss the word board .

As a noun, board has a couple of meanings.

It can be a long thick piece of wood or other strong material  like a diving board . A board can also be a group of people who make decisions for an organization. An example is a board of directors .

As a verb, board means several things.

Board can mean providing food for someone regularly. For example, a college students costs include housing and food, called room and board .

Board can also mean closing off parts of a building with pieces of wood. Sometimes in scary movies, people board up the doors and windows to keep monsters from entering.

Board, on board, aboard

Board, on board, and aboard are all used differently.

At a train station, we sometimes hear a conductor say,  All aboard,  as the train is getting ready to leave. And the captain of a ship might say,  Welcome aboard,  as you climb on the boat.

However, we say you board a plane, train, or boat when you get on it. And we say you are on board once you get on.

If you agree with an idea or a process, we also say that you are on board with it. But we never say you are aboard with it. And if you are very excited about an idea or process, you do not just get on board , you jump on board!

We also use the term onboarding to describe the process of starting a new job. This is the process in which new workers learn about a company, work rules, and things related to the job.

Across the board

At VOA Learning English and many other organizations, all workers are required to attend onboarding and other training. So, we say the training requirement affects everyone across the board .

We use the expression across the board when something affects every part or every individual within a larger group. For example, when the government raises taxes on all income levels, it affects everyone across the board .

Experts say, across the board comes from a horse-racing bet. It means the same amount is bet for a horse to come in first, second, and third in a race.

And thats all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.

We hope you are on board with the expressions and use them in your next English conversation!

Until next time ... Im Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

scary adj. something that causes fear or makes people afraid

monster n. a strange and horrible imaginary creature

conductor n. a person who takes tickets on a train

bet v. to put money at risk in hope of winning more money by guessing the outcome of a game or a competition

__________________________________________________________________

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Scientists say they have successfully created embryo models designed to support research on early human development.

The models are made from stem cells  simple cells in the body that can develop into one of many specialized cells. Researchers say the embryo models cannot grow into babies. But they are meant to be complete enough to provide information about what might be going on in the embryo during a pregnancy.

The use of embryo models permits scientists to carry out research without the ethical concerns linked to experiments using real embryos.

Several groups are working on the research. Teams from the United States and England shared their work in two studies that recently appeared in the publication Nature. Other scientists in Israel and China published studies on their work earlier this month. Those studies, however, have not yet been examined by a wider community of scientists.

Insoo Hyun is an ethicist and director of life sciences at Bostons Museum of Science. He is also a member of the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School.

Hyun told The Associated Press that past research has centered on a process that creates pre-embryos designed to behave like real embryos. But the latest creations model an embryo after it has reached the uterus. Real human embryos can be extremely hard to see at that point in the process because they attach themselves deep into the uterus.

Each teams models differ in how complete they are, Hyun said. For these kinds of models, scientists use a kind of stem cell that is able to develop into many different kinds of cells or tissues in the body. They can be formed from embryos or reprogrammed from adult tissues.

The writers of several studies described models that look similar to human embryos nine to 14 days after fertilization.

Berna Sozen studies developmental stem cell biology at Yale University in Connecticut. She told The Associated Press, If we can experimentally model this period, then we can finally start asking questions about how human development happens in those very early stages that are normally hidden within the body of the mother.

Sozen added that scientists should be able to use the models to study embryonic failure, developmental disorders and pregnancy loss. Currently, scientists do not understand a lot about how those things happen, she said.

Another study was led by Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, an expert in stem cell biology at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge in England. She said the model her group worked with appears similar to embryo development up to 14 days from fertilization.

The researchers say that model contains embryonic tissues and other tissues that can produce structures surrounding the embryo, such as the placenta and yolk material. The placenta is a structure that develops in pregnancy and attaches to the uterine wall.

In the future, Zernicka-Goetz said researchers could use human embryo models to explore the effects of the environment and chemicals on early human development.

Yale Universitys Sozen said scientists could also test drugs on embryo models and combine them with germs in experiments that currently cannot be done on pregnant individuals.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

ethical  adj. relating to what is right or wrong

uterus  n. (medical) a term for the organ in a woman that holds the baby during pregnancy; womb

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How do disparate tax rates from state to state affect business and worker attraction and retention? The debate over that question has been reignited by Gov. Tony Evers' veto of a personal income tax cut approved by the Republican majority in the Wisconsin Legislature.

The answer depends on who is asked  but one thing is certain, economic decisions made by businesses and workers alike don't often hinge on a single tax category. Total tax burden is often a better indicator.

As expected, Gov. Tony Evers used his veto pen Wednesday to thwart a Republican-led plan to collapse Wisconsin's four personal income tax brackets from four to three, focusing mainly on eliminating a tax cut for the top two brackets. Many Democrats contended the GOP plan offered too much of a break for Wisconsin's wealthiest earners.

Also as expected, majority Republicans condemned the veto  mainly because they believe Evers' veto reached deep into what most people would consider the "middle class."

There is truth in the GOP position. The third personal income bracket in Wisconsin has a curiously wide range, starting with $36,841 at the low end for joint filers and ranging up to $405,550 on the high side for joint returns. They all will pay the same 5.3% rate now instead of the 4.4% proposed by Republicans. The fourth bracket is where the "wealthy" earners are more congregated, at $405,550 and above.

Republicans could have constructed a tax cut plan that ensured more people above $36,841 on a joint return would get a tax cut, perhaps leaving the top end at a dollar threshold where it would have been politically difficult for Evers to veto it. They did not do so because of a longstanding GOP belief that Wisconsin should move toward being a "flat tax" state.

As a net result, the truly middle class won't get much of an income tax break at all. Total income tax cuts proposed by the Republicans were about $3.5 billion over the two year state budget. With Evers' line-item veto, it will be about $175 million.

"Evers passed up a golden opportunity to give anyone at all making over $36,840 any sort of break on the next dollar they earn, even though Wisconsin has accumulated an enormous multibillion-dollar surplus," commented two leaders of the Badger Institute. The Wall Street Journal editorialized that "Tony Evers's tax veto is a gift to Illinois," suggesting it will make it harder for Wisconsin to compete with Illinois for people and companies.

Perhaps the Wall Street Journal is correct, but some perspective on the overall tax burden is necessary.

Wisconsin's composite personal income tax rate is 17th-highest in the nation, according to one source I checked, still lower than Illinois (eighth-highest) and also lower than Minnesota and Michigan.

Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Ohio all have lower personal income rates than Wisconsin. (It's worth noting than 10 states have no income tax at all or nearly none.)

Wisconsin's total state and local tax burden (10.9%) is ranked 20th-highest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. That usually combines categories such as property tax, corporate taxes and sales taxes, among others. Illinois stands at 12.9% and seventh-highest in the nation for total tax burden.

Here's where Illinois has an edge over Wisconsin: Capital gains are taxed at 4.95%, among the nation's lowest. Wisconsin taxes capital gains at 7.65%, or eighth-highest in the United States. On the flip side, the two-year budget just passed by the Wisconsin Legislature included a larger research and development tax credit for allowable expenses, raising it from 15% to 25%. That's a competitive plus.

Companies and people make location decisions based on many factors, from taxes to quality of life; from education and training programs to traffic jams; and from housing costs to health care quality. Taxes of all types can be a big deal, but they're not the only determinant.

Tom Still is the president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. Email: tstill@ wisconsintechnologycouncil.com.

Wisconsin's composite personal income tax rate is 17th-highest in the nation. Wisconsin's total state and local tax burden (10.9%) is 20th-highest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
RESTAURANT NEWS | WEST SIDE

A father and daughter who have owned restaurants in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin are opening a Mexican restaurant on Madison's West Side.

Tony Ornelas, 61, said he and his daughter, Maria Ornelas, 27, should have Casa Fiesta Mexican Grill open by Wednesday in the former KJ's Curry Bowl, 7005 Tree Lane, across from Memorial High School.

He said they opened a restaurant of the same name in Milton in 2020 and sold it two months ago. They also opened one in Flat Rock, Michigan, a Detroit suburb, in 2014 and had it for five years. Before that, they had four restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, over 23 years.

All the restaurants were called Casa Fiesta Mexican Grill.

He said he moved to Detroit to be close to his former wife and children and later sold his Michigan restaurant because it was hard to find employees.

Tony, who moved from the Mexican state of Jalisco to Ohio when he was 16, said he came to Madison two years ago to help his brother-in-law in Evansville run a restaurant and he decided to stay.

He said he's been making mostly cosmetic renovations to the West Side Madison restaurant by himself for about eight months. Getting the necessary permits from the city is what took so long, he said.

Tony said that through the years they've been concentrating on Mexican food for American palates, and with the Madison restaurant they hope to serve Mexican food for both Mexicans and non-Mexicans.

"For Mexicans, we've got all those tongue tacos and those soups like chicken soup, beef soup and a lot of other dishes that I don't think Americans will like to eat that much," he said.

Tony, who will cook and train other cooks, said on Saturdays and Sundays, he'll also serve menudo, a traditional Mexican soup made with cows' stomach, and other dishes that appeal to Mexicans. The regular menu will appeal to a more general audience with tacos, quesadillas, tortas and burritos.

"We are willing to take suggestions," he said. "If they don't like something, they always can tell us and we'll fix it. We can fix anything the way they want it ... If it is not on the menu, we can put it on the menu.

Because I've been doing this food for 30 or more years. And we pretty much can do and change anything. It's easy."

KJ's Curry Bowl, with Sri Lankan owners, had a menu that went in surprisingly different directions with Cajun, Asian, and only a few Sri Lankan specialties. It also had a Southwest section that offered fajita and burrito bowls. It was in that spot from 2013 to 2017.

Read more restaurant news at: go.madison.com/ restaurants
For Allan Tejeda, earning a cost-free commercial driver's license through the Latino Academy of Workforce Development meant an upward shift to a higher-paying supervisor role.

"Like every one of us, (I) came looking for a dream, to help our families," Tejeda, who came to the United States in 2005 from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, said in a speech at the academy's Saturday commencement ceremony. "My CDL helped me open a lot of doors in my work life."

Tejeda has worked in the concrete industry for 15 years but could not afford the $5,000 cost to earn a CDL that would allow him to move into a foreman role.

Now, with his CDL in hand, he recently landed a foreman job at KS Energy, he said, and oversees the Madison and Dane County areas for the company.

Tejeda is one of 83 students who received diplomas Saturday for completing a general education development (GED) or commercial driver's license (CDL) program with the Latino Academy of Workforce Development, a local nonprofit started in 2011 that offers employment training and other academic programming with a goal to advance its students in the workforce.

The class  the academy's largest  included 29 CDL students and 54 GED students. Fifty-five students graduated last year, said Baltazar De Anda Santana, executive director and co-founder of the Latino Academy of Workforce Development.

Graduates, family members and friends packed a room in the Badger Prairie Needs Network building in Verona for the graduation ceremony, a joyous celebration of laughter and tears complemented by music from Luis Antonio Mendoza, a Latino Academy student who played his saxophone to a wide range of songs including James Blunt's "You're Beautiful." Also in attendance was Julia Arata-Fratta, the first Latina mayor of Fitchburg.

One student's graduation cap read "Si se puede!!" spelled out in sparkling letters, which roughly translates in English to "Yes, it can be done!"

"If we were a country, the graduation would be our independence day celebration," De Anda Santana said in an interview. "I always tell folks, when you come to the graduation, then you will understand who we are and why we do what we do and who our students are."

'Hard work, resilience'

The event was emceed by Dulce Maria Danel, the associate director of community engagement and impact at PBS Wisconsin. For Danel, the graduation was a testament to the students' hard work.

"Unfortunately we live in a system that continues to take away opportunities from our students. Our students continue to be told, 'No you can't do it.' And every day, they prove people wrong," said Danel, who was born in Mexico and raised in Texas. "Our students' hard work, resilience ... is what keeps the academy moving."

Many of the graduating students had to work multiple jobs while going through the program and studied or did homework at nights, De Anda Santana said.

For Marisol Bravo, graduating from the academy with a GED satisfied her longtime goal to earn a high school diploma. Bravo, who is from Guadalajara, Mexico, and has lived in Madison since 2001, began working toward becoming a teaching assistant at Madison Area Technical College after arriving in Madison but did not have the time to go back to school while raising her two daughters.

"Despite the hard times we spent during the (COVID-19) pandemic, here we are," Bravo said to the crowd. "Nobody could stop us. We are (in) the country of the opportunities. Let's take advantage of it."

Building bridges

The Latino Academy tries to prepare students for and connect them with high-demand industries. Some students go into green energy jobs. Others enter the transportation industry, and the academy has a partnership with the Dane County Highway Department, De Anda Santana said.

The academy served 600 in 2019 and 2,249 people in 2022, according to a statement from the organization.

The organization recently moved into a new space on the Near West Side at 2909 Landmark Place, with 2,000 square feet of office space, three classrooms with capacity for 50 students and a kitchen area.

The theme for Saturday's ceremony was "Bold Moves, a phrase that for De Anda Santana represents the drive students need to succeed. GED students have the opportunity to learn soft skills while at the academy, including how to be assertive and advocate for themselves, he said.

Ramona Natera, an equal rights administrator for the state Department of Workforce Development, delivered the commencement speech. A child of immigrants, Natera attended East High School and graduated from the UW-Madison Law School.

"The Latino Academy has prepared you for the workforce," Natera said. "They are a tremendous asset and ally ... look at the future not only with a sense of accomplishment, but with a sense of duty and responsibility."

Honoring an advocate

The event was also dedicated to Juan Jose Lopez, the first Latino to serve on the Madison School Board, who died June 6 at 64 after years of advocacy for underrepresented students in the community.

"One thing that Juan Jose Lopez always, always, always told me (was), 'We need to make sure that our community can reach to the middle class. It has to happen,'" De Anda Santana said.

For De Anda Santana, Saturday's graduation is a starting point for a long term relationship between the academy and its students. He often sees students return to the academy to gain other certifications and hopes that these educational programs help them eventually enter post-secondary education.

"Our challenge continues growing. Because now, we want to make sure that we have the resources and we have what it takes for us to continue supporting folks to move into post-secondary education," De Anda Santana said. "This is not the end for the students ... I think that's the beauty of the work that we do at Latino Academy."
Wandering the Isthmus on Saturday was much like navigating a warm jar of honey  slow, sticky, and, thanks to many vendors peddling fresh-squeezed lemonade and other sugary goods, sweet.

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Arts biggest fundraiser of the year, the 65th annual Art Fair on the Square, saw densely packed crowds strolling at leisurely speeds down State Street, pausing to pick up a painting or a sculpture at some of the more than 400 artists booths lining the sidewalks.

Under the shade of a well-trafficked booth sat Greta Sandquist and her many paintings. This is Sandquists third Art Fair on the Square, her favorite yet, she says, due to her status as this years featured artist, a title given to her by a committee at the museum. Her featured piece, an oil and copper leaf painting of a fox titled Edge of the Forest, made the rounds on T-shirts and programs for this years art fair, as well as being available to bidders at a silent auction tent.

Sandquist is one of many artists for whom events like the Art Fair on the Square are a primary source of income. While shes enjoyed setting up shop at similar events, she says this particular art fair is special.

Ive loved every year that Ive been (at the Art Fair on the Square), its one of my favorite shows that I do, said Sandquist. What I love is being able to interact with people who buy my art.

So, each year she loads up her pieces and travels to Downtown Madison from her home in St. Paul, Minnesota, guided by her love of art, which she says began in childhood. She began selling acrylic paintings in 2011, but shes since grown fond of oil paints in her work, which she uses to add a thicker texture and more movement in capturing her primary inspirations: nature, women and animals.

Its hard to describe why someone makes art, its that creative drive in me that makes me want to paint, she said. I love using a lot of color and texture in my paintings.

Further off from Sandquists booth, the dreams, nightmares and encounters of Tomas Savrda take physical form. His assemblages and kinetic objects, as he calls them, feature doll parts, clowns and sculpture work. Many involve multiple layers, moving parts. His inspirations are varied, he said, but many come from his subconscious, with emphasis on dreams, the environment, childhood and, most of all, the human condition.

Sometimes I see the dark side of things, and I mean, you know, you have to take these things in stride, said Savrda.

An Art Fair newcomer, Savrda drove from Connecticut for the weekend and set up shop at 5 a.m. Saturday. While this is his first Art Fair on the Square, its far from his first endeavor into art. He doesnt recall exactly how many years its been since he quit his career in advertising for art, a decision he made so that he could do whatever he wants, instead of being told but its been at least three decades, and he doesnt plan on putting his materials down anytime soon.

Time flies when youre having fun, he said.

Behind much of the color, sound and flavor of the day was Marni McEntee, communications director for MMOCA. For McEntee, this weekend meant a huge undertaking, hours of preparation, committee meetings, and other types of organizing on the museums end go into the fair each year.

Its been a great turnout, thats really important, said McEntee. A lot of the artists make their living on the art fair circuit.

For the museum, the fair is a large fundraising opportunity, powering things like free educational programming. For hotels and restaurants around the city, its an influx of customers, an economic boost. For the 425 artists working booths, the fair is a chance to interact with the people buying their art, showcasing pieces to new crowds. For the community, its a slow walk around Capitol Square, perhaps with family and friends, set to a soundtrack of the Bee Gees from a speaker, Billy Joel covers and a cappella opera music.

Photos: Art Fair on the Square
This beautiful setting currently is the home of Emily's Ten Oaks Ranch - a farmette and event venue. However, the property is located within the Pumpkin Hollow Neighborhood Redevelopment plan and is slated for attachment into the City of Madison with a medium density of 16-40 units of housing per acre proposed for the site. An added future benefit is a Mixed Use Neighborhood overlay is proposed for across the street adding future interest for the location. Don't let the beautiful bucolic views fool you - this property is a very short drive to grocery stores, restaurants, shops, the Token Creek Dog Park and Disc Golf Course, the American Parkway area and the Dane County Regional Airport making this an attractive location for multiple levels and price ranges of multifamily housing.

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ST. PAUL, Minn.  The U.S. citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates worry the changes will hurt test-takers with lower levels of English proficiency.

The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship  a monthslong process that requires legal permanent residency for years before applying.

Many are still shaken after former Republican President Donald Trumps administration changed the test in 2020, making it longer and more difficult to pass. Within months, Democratic President Joe Biden took office and signed an executive order aimed at eliminating barriers to citizenship. In that spirit, the citizenship test was changed back to its previous version, which was last updated in 2008.

In December, U.S. authorities said the test was due for an update after 15 years. The new version is expected late next year.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposes that the new test updates the speaking section to assess English skills. An officer would show photos of ordinary scenarios  such as daily activities, weather or food  and ask the applicant to describe the photos.

In the current test, an officer evaluates speaking ability during the naturalization interview by asking personal questions the applicant has already answered in the naturalization paperwork.

For me, I think it would be harder to look at pictures and explain them, said Heaven Mehreta, who immigrated from Ethiopia 10 years ago, passed the naturalization test in May and became a U.S. citizen in Minnesota in June.

Mehreta, 32, said she learned English as an adult after moving to the U.S. and found pronunciation to be very difficult. She worries that adding a new speaking section based on photos, rather than personal questions, will make the test harder for others like her.

Shai Avny, who immigrated from Israel five years ago and became a U.S. citizen last year, said the new speaking section could also increase the stress applicants already feel during the test.

Sitting next to someone from the federal government, it can be intimidating to talk and speak with them. Some people have this fear anyway. When its not your first language, it can be even more difficult. Maybe you will be nervous and you wont find the words to tell them what you need to describe, Avny said. Its a test that will determine if you are going to be a citizen. So there is a lot to lose.

Another proposed change would make the civics section on U.S. history and government multiple-choice instead of the current oral short-answer format.

Bill Bliss, a citizenship textbook author in Massachusetts, gave an example in a blog post of how the test would become more difficult because it would require a larger base of knowledge.

A current civics question has an officer asking the applicant to name a war fought by the U.S. in the 1900s. The applicant only needs to say one out of five acceptable answers  World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War or Gulf War  to get the question right.

But in the proposed multiple-choice format, the applicant would read that question and select the correct answer from the following choices:

A. Civil War

B. Mexican-American War

C. Korean War

D. Spanish-American War

The applicant must know all five of the wars fought by the U.S. in the 1900s in order to select the one correct answer, Bliss said, and that requires a significantly higher level of language proficiency and test-taking skill.

Currently, the applicant must answer six out of 10 civics questions correctly to pass. Those 10 questions are selected from a bank of 100 civics questions. The applicant is not told which questions will be selected but can see and study the 100 questions before taking the test.

Lynne Weintraub, a citizenship coordinator at Jones Librarys English as a Second Language Center in Massachusetts, said the proposed format for the civics section could make the citizenship test harder for people who struggle with English literacy. That includes refugees, elderly immigrants and people who have disabilities that interfere with their test performance.

We have a lot of students that are refugees, and theyre coming from war-torn countries where maybe they didnt have a chance to complete school or even go to school, said Mechelle Perrott, a citizenship coordinator at San Diego Community College Districts College of Continuing Education in California.

Its more difficult learning to read and write if you dont know how to do that in your first language. Thats my main concern about the multiple-choice test; its a lot of reading, Perrott said.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a December announcement that the proposed changes reflect current best practices in test design and would help standardize the citizenship test.

Under federal law, most applicants seeking citizenship must demonstrate an understanding of the English language  including speaking, reading and writing words in ordinary usage  and demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and government.

The agency said it will conduct a nationwide trial of the proposed changes in 2023 with opportunities for public feedback. Then, an external group of experts  in the fields of language acquisition, civics and test development  will review the trial's results and recommend ways to best implement the proposed changes, which could take effect late next year.

More than 1 million people became U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2022  one of the highest numbers on record since 1907, the earliest year with available data  and USCIS reduced the huge backlog of naturalization applications by over 60% compared to the year before, according to a USCIS report also released in December.

Could you pass the U.S. citizenship test? A look at what's on the U.S. citizenship test Question #1: What is the supreme law of the land? Question #2: What does the Constitution do? Question #3: The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words? Question #4: What is an amendment? Question #5: What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution? Question #6: What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment? Question #7: How many amendments does the Constitution have? Question #8: What did the Declaration of Independence do? Question #9: What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence? Question #10: What is freedom of religion? Question #11: What is the economic system in the United States? Question #12: What is the "rule of law"? Question #13: Name one branch or part of the government. Question #14: What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful? Question #15: Who is in charge of the executive branch? Question #16: Who makes federal laws? Question #17: What are the two parts of the US Congress? Question #18: How many US Senators are there? Question #19: We elect a US Senator for how many years? Question #20: Who is one of your state's US Senators now? Question #21: The House of Representatives has how many voting members? Question #22: We elect a US representative for how many years? Question #23: Name your US representative. Question #24: Who does a US senator represent? Question #25: Why do some states have more representatives than other states? Question #26: We elect a president for how many years? Question #27: In what month do we vote for president? Question #28: What is the name of the president of the United States now? Question #29: What is the name of the vice president of the United States now? Question #30: If the president can no longer serve, who becomes president? Question #31: If both the president and the vice president can no longer serve, who becomes president? Question #32: Who is the commander-in-chief of the military? Question #33: Who signs bills to become laws? Question #34: Who vetoes bills? Question #35: What does the president's Cabinet do? Question #36: What are two Cabinet-level positions? Question #37: What does the judicial branch do? Question #38: What is the highest court in the United States? Question #39: How many justices are on the Supreme Court? Question #40: Who is the chief justice of the United States now? Question #41: Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government? Question #42: Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states? Question #43: Who is the governor of your state now? Question #44: What is the capital of your state? Question #45: What are the two major political parties in the United States? Question #46: What is the political party of the president now? Question #47: What is the name of the speaker of the House of Representatives now? Question #48: There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them. Question #49: What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens? Question #50: Name one right only for United States citizens. Question #51: What are two rights of everyone living in the United States? Question #52: What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance? Question #53: What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen? Question #54: How old do citizens have to be to vote for president? Question #55: What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy? Question #56: When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms? Question #57: When must all men register for the Selective Service? Question #58: What is one reason colonists came to America? Question #59: Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? Question #60: What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? Question #61: Why did the colonists fight the British? Question #62: Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Question #63: When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? Question #64: There were 13 original states. Name three. Question #65: What happened at the Constitutional Convention? Question #66: When was the Constitution written? Question #67: The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. Question #68: What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for? Question #69: Who is the "Father of Our Country"? Question #70: Who was the first president? Question #71: What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? Question #72: Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s. Question #73: Name the US war between the North and the South. Question #74: Name one problem that led to the Civil War. Question #75: What was one important thing that Abraham Lincoln did? Question #76: What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? Question #77: What did Susan B. Anthony do? Question #78: Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s. Question #79: Who was president during World War I? Question #80: Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II? Question #81: Who did the United States fight in World War II? Question #82: Before he was president, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in? Question #83: During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? Question #84: What movement tried to end racial discrimination? Question #85: What did Martin Luther King Jr. do? Question #86: What major event happened on Sept. 11, 2001, in the United States? Question #87: Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. Question #88: Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States. Question #89: What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States? Question #90: What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? Question #91: Name one US territory. Question #92: Name one state that borders Canada. Question #93: Name one state that borders Mexico. Question #94: What is the capital of the United States? Question #95: Where is the Statue of Liberty? Question #96: Why does the flag have 13 stripes? Question #97: Why does the flag have 50 stars? Question #98: What is the name of the national anthem? Question #99: When do we celebrate Independence Day? Question #100: Name two national US holidays.
 Flash

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Saturday met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Beijing.



Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng meets with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Beijing, capital of China, July 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

Focusing on the implementation of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their meeting in Bali, the two sides had in-depth, candid and practical exchanges on the economic and financial situation of the two countries and the whole world as well as on working together to address common global challenges. The talks were constructive.

Noting that the overstretching of national security does no good to the normal economic and trade exchanges, the Chinese side expressed concerns over the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the United States on China.

The two sides agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation on addressing global challenges, and continue maintaining exchanges and interactions.
WASHINGTON  The Republicans who lead three key House committees are joining forces to probe the Justice Department's handling of charges against Hunter Biden after making sweeping claims about misconduct at the agency.

Leaders of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Ways and Means committees opened a joint investigation into the federal case into President Joe Biden's youngest son days after it was announced last month that he will plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses as part of an agreement with the Justice Department.

Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, James Comer of Kentucky and Jason Smith of Missouri since issued a series of requests for voluntary testimony from senior officials at the Justice Department, FBI and Internal Revenue Service as they investigate what they claim is improper interference. Republicans also requested a special counsel review of supposed retaliation against whistleblowers who came forward with the claims.

The congressional inquiry was launched after the House Ways and Means Committee, led by Smith, voted last month to publicly disclose hundreds of pages of testimony from the IRS employees who worked on the Hunter Biden case.

The transcripts of Greg Shapley and an unidentified agent detailed what they called a pattern of "slow-walking investigative steps" and delaying enforcement actions in the months before the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.

The Justice Department denied the whistleblower claims and said repeatedly that U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware, the federal prosecutor who led the investigation, had "full authority" of the case.

In April, the first IRS whistleblower, Shapley, came forward when his attorney reached out to GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa to say that his client had information about a "failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition" of what was then an ongoing criminal investigation related to Hunter Biden.

Smith, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, who has jurisdiction over the IRS, brought in Shapley in late May for an hourslong interview, where he described several roadblocks that he and several other IRS agents on the case encountered when trying to interview individuals relevant to the investigation or issue search warrants.

The whistleblowers insist their testimony reflects a pattern of inference and preferential treatment in the Hunter Biden case and not just disagreement with their superiors about what investigative steps to take. Justice Department policy long warned prosecutors to take care in charging cases with potential political overtones around the time of an election, to avoid any possible influence on the outcome.

The most disputed claim from the whistleblowers is that Weiss  first appointed by former President Donald Trump and kept on by the Biden administration  asked the Justice Department in March 2022 to be provided special counsel status in order to bring the tax cases against Hunter Biden in jurisdictions outside Delaware, including Washington, D.C., and California, but was denied.

A second IRS whistleblower, who asked the committee to keep his identity secret, described his persistent frustrations with the way the Hunter Biden case was handled, dating back to the Trump administration under Attorney General William Barr. He said he started the investigation into Hunter Biden in 2015 and delved deeply into his personal life and finances.

Both men testified that they faced retaliation at the IRS after coming forward with concerns about the handling of the case. Shapley, who was a career supervisory agent, told the committee that Weiss helped block his job promotion after the tax agency employee reached out to congressional investigators about the case.

The unidentified whistleblower said he was taken off the Hunter Biden investigation around the same time as Shapley, who was his supervisor. Though officials at the IRS informed him of the decision, the whistleblower believes his removal was actually ordered by officials in the Justice Department. Neither of the men provided lawmakers evidence that was the case, instead citing what they witnessed internally as they pushed for various investigative steps.

The three Republican chairmen, along with Sens. Grassley and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, sent a letter to the Justice Department asking for an immediate review of the retaliation claims.

"The importance of protecting whistleblowers from unlawful retaliation and informing whistleblowers about their rights under the law cannot be understated. After all, it is the law," the lawmakers wrote.

The Justice Department denied the whistleblowers' allegations, saying 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."

In a June 30 letter, Weiss further denied the claims by telling House Republicans that the Justice Department "did not retaliate" against Shapley.

The three Republican chairmen set a deadline for Thursday for the department to begin scheduling nearly a dozen individuals for transcribed interviews. They said that if the deadline is not met, they will resort to issuing congressional subpoenas to force cooperation.

Photos: Hunter Biden through the years
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Gov. Tony Evers used his uniquely powerful veto pen to creatively increase per-pupil school spending for the next 400 years. One can imagine that with Republican lawmakers like Robin Vos, R-Rochester, entrenched and protected with partisan gerrymandering, that nothing much will change in Wisconsin politics between now and when Evers' veto measure expires in 2425.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby sounded off recently, focusing his ire on the Federal Aviation Administration after thunderstorms were deemed the cause of the cancellation of thousands of U.S. flights. While Kirby blamed airport staffing issues, the FAA said staffing limitations did not play a role in this instance.

Regardless, in several key East Coast hubs, staffing is an issue. Due to Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages at key airports, travelers will face longer lines, which will cause missed flights and missed connections throughout the system and may contribute to a more nightmarish travel and vacation season.

Earlier this year, the FAA said East Coast airports will be the hardest hit, with delays to rise by 45% when compared with those last summer. Staffing shortages and rising consumer demand are driving the problem. Last summer, New York-area airports reported more than 40,000 flight delays, which amounted to the highest yearly percentage of delayed flights in seven years, according to Business Insider.

More than 20% of flights are arriving late, on average, and 1% to 2% of flights now are being canceled. Passenger volumes at TSA security checkpoints are equal to or are exceeding pre-pandemic levels, but airports still dont have the transportation security officers to move those passengers more efficiently through checkpoints.

Keep in mind, the TSA has a goal that everybody should make it through airport security in 30 minutes or less in standard lanes and 10 minutes or less in PreCheck lanes. Often, waits are much longer.

While the TSA has stepped up efforts to hire more security officers, filling staffing shortages takes time. The recruitment process involves background and credit checks, computer-based testing, training and a physical examination. With the job market still favoring candidates over employers, vacancies outnumber the qualified people to fill them. The TSA has lost thousands of employees due to retirements, attrition and departures to higher-paying jobs elsewhere.

Pragmatically speaking, its in policymakers best interest to adopt forward-looking policies to avoid a nightmarish 2023 travel season. They need to pressure administrative decision-makers at TSA and other agencies to get more creative in attracting and retaining security officers at critical hub airports. They need to make it easier for the TSA to offer better pay, benefits and working conditions to attract good employees.

Additionally, they need to expedite processes for hiring TSA employees and offer signing bonuses, especially in cities with the largest staff shortages. A commitment to increasing TSA employee salaries can ensure that staffing levels are adequate for future seasons of travel.

Second, policymakers should support innovative policies to move more passengers from standard security to PreCheck security lanes. Doing so would help keep lines short at checkpoints with persistent staffing shortages, because PreCheck lanes require fewer resources than standard lanes.

To encourage more travelers to enroll in PreCheck, the government could decrease or eliminate the fees in certain cases. Last year, the TSA experimented with a modest $7 reduction in the PreCheck enrollment fee with limited success.

Other approaches could be more fruitful. Decreasing the renewal fee for travelers with lapsed PreCheck memberships, offering free PreCheck to military veterans and their spouses, and offering a discounted enrollment fee to older passengers would increase PreCheck applications. Notably, travelers 75 and older receive expedited screening in the standard screening lanes  they do not have to remove shoes or light jackets  and therefore have less incentive for enrolling in PreCheck.

The TSA should expand benefits associated with PreCheck so it is more attractive for families. For example, the agency now allows children ages 13 to 17 traveling with an eligible parent or guardian with PreCheck to also access PreCheck lanes. (Previously, the policy applied only to children age 12 and younger.) This is a move in the right direction.

Such changes would create jobs and generate significant tax revenue for the government.

For their part, travelers should take certain steps to improve their travel experience and reduce the impact of disruptions. One step people often overlook is booking flights away from the busiest hub airports. Flying in and out of less busy airports circumvents some travel hassles such as long security lines.

Regular travelers should look at enrolling in TSA PreCheck, considering that staffing shortages are likely to persist and waiting times in PreCheck lanes are typically less than 10 minutes.

Travelers can take an active role in monitoring flights and security lines in real time. Several apps offer this feature, making it possible to adjust travel arrangements on the fly. The TSA app MyTSA, for example, monitors security checkpoints and waiting times in real time.

Enrolling in PreCheck should significantly reduce wait time. And of course, make sure to get to the airport as early as possible.

As America returns to the skies in record numbers this summer, we should take smart actions to avert a nightmare for travelers.
This State Journal editorial ran on July 9, 2013:

A prominent group of attorneys is understandably concerned about Wisconsins brutal high court election campaigns.

The sitting justice is attacked and demeaned, and the challenger is attacked and demeaned, said Joe Troy, a former circuit judge who led a state Bar of Wisconsin study of the problem. The public sees that and thinks we must not have very good justices.

To help reduce the negative impacts of ugly Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, Troys task force just proposed having fewer court contests. Instead of running for reelection every 10 years, justices would only be able to run for a single 16-year term.

This offers one big benefit:

No justice, once elected, would ever be elected again, Troy explained. The perception that they are there serving the people (with money) who put them there, or they are worried about the next election, thats just not going to happen.

Special interest groups now dominate high court campaigns by spending millions of dollars on television ads touting favored candidates and assailing their opponents. The special interest groups bank on favored candidates winning and delivering favorable court decisions.

But if justices no longer had to seek reelection, they would be less susceptible to political pressure when ruling on cases.

Voters would lose influence, too. They would no longer be able to vote out justices for making unpopular decisions. But thats OK. Unlike lawmakers and governors, Supreme Court justices are not supposed to represent constituencies or bow to the whims of the majority. Theyre supposed to rule on the law as written and respect the rights of individuals.

Troy and his group hope fewer elections would encourage more and better candidates to run for the high court.

Candidates for the state Supreme Court would still have to shill for votes and campaign donations to get through an initial election. Moreover, special interest groups might increase their spending on high court campaigns, knowing theyll have fewer opportunities to affect the makeup of the court.

The ultimate solution is to appoint justices based on merit, rather than having any high court elections at all. Nonetheless, a single and longer term would be a step in the right direction.
MADISON | EAST SIDE

The Woodman's grocery store on Madison's East Side is undergoing a $4 million remodeling project that is temporarily shutting down the deli counter and displacing its meat department.

Clint Woodman, president of Woodman's Food Markets, called the project complex.

He said the goal is to expand the number of grocery items the store carries and add to its natural and organic aisle.

The store at 3817 Milwaukee St. will get a new meat department and deli and the ceiling will be raised in the produce department, he said.

The project started in March, and Woodman said it should be done by the end of the year. He said the store will get a new front end and decor throughout.

For now, all the meat cases, about 30 of them, have been moved into the produce area, he said.

Woodman said the retail area is being expanded with the meat department getting pushed back into former warehouse space.

The idea is to add an additional aisle on the other side of the store for more natural and organic foods. To do that, every aisle will need to be moved, Woodman said.

The Janesville-based company has 19 stores, with 13 in Wisconsin and six in Illinois.

Woodman said most Woodman's stores have 2 1/2 aisles of natural and organic foods and Madison East has just one.

The store is about 230,000 square feet with 65% to 70% of it retail floor and the rest of it warehouse, Woodman said.

The deli counter is closed during the remodeling with deli items getting packaged and made available for purchase from cases in the produce area.

The roof is also being repaired. Woodman said the original East Side store was about 75,000 square feet and multiple expansions meant roofs that were at different levels and created issues during major rainfalls or snowstorms.

"So yeah, we're leveling off the roof and kind of combining the buildings better," he said.

Woodman's was founded in 1919 as a produce stand. In 1921, it became a 580-square-foot grocery store in Janesville. The store expanded over the years and in the early 70s, a Woodman's opened in neighboring Beloit.

In 1975, Woodman's became the first grocery store in Wisconsin to start using UPC scanners.

The Madison East store opened in 1979, and owner Phil Woodman, Clint's father, created an employee stock trust to give employees ownership in the company. In 1984, a second Madison store opened, this one on the West Side.

It was in the 1980s that the Janesville and Madison stores would be remodeled to the warehouse format they have today.

The Sun Prairie store opened in 2012.
School registrations

While summer seems like it just got started, school registration dates are quickly approaching.

This year, Cassia County will register students using a paper-only system, and parents are encouraged to contact their students school for more information.

For students entering kindergarten (or any grade of school for the first time) parents will need to provide records, such as a certified copy of the childs birth certificate, immunizations records or immunization exemptions, and proof of residency (current utility bill, rental agreement, house sales agreement).

Twin Falls registration for kindergarten is done online. Any child who will be 5 years old before Sept. 1, 2023, should be registered for school using the online registration form found on the districts website.

Kimberly School District seeks board member

The Kimberly School Board of Trustees is looking to appoint a community-minded individual to the recently vacant Zone 5 seat for the remainder of the term, ending December 2023.

The board is seeking an applicant with a vision for high student achievement, who can attend the regular meetings held on the third Thursday of each month.

Letters of interest and other inquiries may be sent to csearby@kimberly.edu by 3 p.m. on July 17, 2023.
Water in Idaho is considered a real property right, much like the land that the water is appurtenant to. Rightfully so, as land in the desert landscape of southern Idaho has a fairly limited value without a water right.

Prior to statehood, the Idaho Supreme Court adopted the prior appropriation doctrine to govern water appropriation and administration in the case of Malad Valley Irrigating Co. v. Campbell (1888). The Court stated whatever conflict there may seem to be in the adjudged cases in this country relating to the subject of water-rights, the law of this territory is that the first appropriation of water for a useful or beneficial purpose gives the better right thereto; and when the right is once vested, unless abandoned, it must be protected and upheld.

Two years later Idaho was admitted into the union on July 3, 1890. With statehood, the prior appropriation doctrine was codified in Article XV, Section 3 which provides Priority of appropriations shall give the better right as between those using the water. This constitutional precept has been repeatedly upheld by Idaho courts since its adoption, both as applied to surface and groundwater. The doctrine provides certainty to water users and is the cornerstone of our water policy.

Ten years after Idaho became a state, Ira Burton Perrine incorporated the Twin Falls Land and Water Company and filed notice with the State of Idaho for the diversion of water on both the north and the south sides of the Snake River, and planned an irrigation project that would turn 500,000 acres of arid desert lands into what are now some of the most productive agricultural lands in the Pacific Northwest.

When the Twin Falls Canal Company tract was originally developed (1900-1905) the land was sold for 25 cents per acre while a share of water for that same acre commanded $25 per share. This is further testament to the fact that the value of land in southern Idaho lies primarily with its water right.

Water was first diverted at Milner Dam and onto the Twin Falls tract in 1905. For the next 100 years the Twin Falls Canal Company water right was the envy of much of the state. The gold plated water right was 3,000 cfs of natural flow in the Snake River, dependent upon water flowing out of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer in the form of springs and reach gains that emerge and flow into the river below Blackfoot. Twin Falls Canal Company shareholders cannot solely rely upon snowpack and upstream storage, as the natural flow in the Snake River accounts for approximately 80% of the shareholders water rights supply.

In 1970, center pivot irrigation systems became more readily available and the transformation of the State of Idahos water supply began. Over the next twenty years, thousands of acres in Idaho that were previously considered non- irrigable came into development with ground water wells holding junior priority rights.

Although conjunctive management conflicts began in the early 1990s with the Musser case, between 2000 and 2005, it became even clearer that the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer did not hold an infinite supply of water. Ground water levels had been monitored for years and a steady decline in those ground water levels and associated reach gains in the Snake River resulted in senior water right holders (TFCC 1900 right) experiencing water supply shortages while junior ground water rights holders enjoyed, what was believed at the time, a nearly unlimited supply of water.

In 2005, the Surface Water Coalition made a water delivery call upon junior ground water pumpers (collectively represented by the Idaho Ground Water Appropriators, Inc. or IGWA) as a result of water supply shortages that senior water rights holders experienced from 2000-2005. Several years of litigation followed and, in 2015, the SWC/IGWA Settlement agreement was signed by both parties.

The agreement highlighted several important responsibilities that were identified in an effort to take actions on the plain to preserve and protect the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer. The goal of the agreement was to first, stop the drop, or stabilize water levels in the ESPA, and further, enhance and improve aquifer levels. Groundwater users agreed to conserve or reduce 240,000-acre feet change per year in the overall ESPA water budget by reducing pumping and taking other measures to help recover the aquifer level to the 1990-2001 average. Goals were developed, and milestones were set in hopes to achieve improved aquifer levels by 2020, 2023, and 2026.

The 2020 goal was met and there was a great deal of hope throughout the state as it appeared that the aquifer was on its way to a healthier level. But in 2021, the director found that groundwater users had only performed about half of the agreements requirement. Further, data supplied this spring shows that IGWAs 2022 fell short as well. Consequently, aquifer levels have fallen to back to levels close to what we saw in 2015.

Reductions in pumping, actions on the plain, and curtailment, are not acceptable in the eyes of many IGWA members. Instead, many IGWA members are choosing to attack senior water rights holders with claims of inefficiency, unfairness, and waste.

The Twin Falls Canal Company has for many years strived to be as efficient as possible while providing a high level of service to its shareholders. Measured headgates, automation, and canal lining projects, coupled with practices and policies concerning water conveyance and delivery are just a few examples of the companys efforts in efficiency.

Across the west, the Twin Falls Canal Company has long been considered to be a leader in operating an open canal delivery system and continuously looks for opportunities to improve system efficiencies and level of service.

In summary, southern Idahos water users have a choice to make, either work together to sustain and recover our groundwater resource, or face the prospects that other states are struggling with through overappropriation and lack of proper management.
Philippines flagship steel company SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. has shipped over 36,000 metric tons of high-strength steel bars used in infrastructure construction in Canada.

We have broken through the First World market where quality and performance standards are the highest. We have invested in the best available technology to produce the highest quality steel products and these shipments are our initial reward, and a validation of our reliability and capability, said SteelAsia chairman and chief executive Benjamin Yao.

SteelAsias fifth shipment brought total exports to about $24 million or P1.32 billion.

Yao said the steel bars were produced using green steel production methods.

SteelAsia has been using geothermal energy to recycle steel scrap into high-value, infrastructure-grade steel bars. This technology not only supports the Philippines infrastructure program but also promotes sustainability in steel production.

Yaos vision is for the Philippines to have its own integrated steel industry that is capable of supporting big industries like automobile, airplane and ships manufacturing, appliances production as well as the construction and housing sectors.

The Philippines imports most of its steel needs, sapping the countrys dollars and surrendering employment opportunities to the other countries.

In the Philippines, we export our resources such as steel scrap and iron ore, then import back finished steel products. This is a tragedy because the value and the jobs are created in another country and, in the meantime, the Philippines is import-dependent. We need job creation here, and thats what having our own steel industry does, Yao said.

He said the solution is to invest in state-of-the-art steel mills. The company has lined up investment in new plants, on top of its existing ones scattered all over the archipelago, each one a state-of-the-art steel plant.

SteelAsia is the largest rebar manufacturer in Southeast Asia and operates three steel mills in Luzon, two in the Visayas and one in Mindanao.

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The Manila Hotel, a symbol of elegance, grandeur, and Filipino hospitality, celebrates its 111th anniversary. Since 1912, this iconic landmark has reflected the rich history and heritage of the Philippines. To mark this milestone, The Manila Hotel presents exciting offers to valued patrons.

The Manila Hotel invites guests and patrons to share their cherished memories at the hotel over the years, whether its a captivating photograph of their celebration or a memorable keepsake with a heartwarming story. Participants can submit their entries on the hotels official website until July 18.

Since 1912, the Manila Hotel has become the venue of various historic events, special occasions, and memorable celebrations

The first 111 entries will each receive a regular Prestige card, while the Top 11 entries, selected by a set of judges, will each receive a staycation voucher and an exclusive The Manila Hotel coffee table book.

As part of its anniversary celebration, The Manila Hotel is offering a luxurious stay in its Presidential Suite. From the spacious living area to the elegantly designed rooms and breathtaking views of Manila Bay and Intramuros, every corner of the Presidential Suite exudes elegance and comfort.

For a special rate of P111,000+++ per night, guests can enjoy an overnight stay, buffet breakfast in Cafe Ilang-Ilang for six persons, complimentary mini bar, and a 24-hour butler service. Booking period is from July 4 to 31, while stay period is from July 5 to December 30.

True Heart of the Philippines

Discover the captivating story of The Manila Hotel through its exquisite coffee table book. This visual journey showcases nostalgic photographs, architectural splendor, fascinating anecdotes, and remarkable stories that celebrate the Grand Dames 111 years of history and heritage.

Available for purchase at The Manila Hotels gift shop, the coffee table book serves as a treasured keepsake for guests, history enthusiasts, and admirers of the hotels enduring charm.

The Manila Hotel has been an integral part of Philippine history, and it is an honor to continue our tradition of providing exceptional experiences to our valued guests. We are thrilled to share this momentous occasion with our patrons and invite them to join us in celebrating our cherished memories and timeless heritage, Marvin Kim Tan, The Manila Hotels Director of Sales and Marketing, expresses his gratitude to guests for their unwavering support throughout the years.

For more information about The Manila Hotels 111th anniversary offers, call 632 527 0011, email [email protected], or visit www.manila-hotel.com.ph/.

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A few hundred members of Canadas Sikh community demonstrated outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on Saturday to protest the unsolved murder of one of their leaders last month in the Vancouver area.

They accused the Indian government of being responsible for the gunning down of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of a Sikh temple and campaigner for the creation of an independent Sikh state that supporters hope to call Khalistan.

When an Indian agency and system commit a crime, they have to be held accountable, Kuljeet Singh, spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice, a US-based organization behind the rally, told AFP.

Nijjar, whom India had declared a wanted terrorist, was gunned down on June 18 in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver that is home to one of the largest Sikh populations in Canada.

Another protestor, Hakirt Singh, a lawyer, told AFP that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) should investigate this murder as a political assassination.

When there is vandalism against a member of Parliament you see tweets and reactions from politicians. Here it is an assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil. That is foreign interference.

Nijjar advocated for the creation of an independent Sikh state to be carved out of parts of northern India and perhaps part of Pakistan. India accused Nijjar of carrying out terrorist attacks in India, a charge he denied.

The demonstrators, almost exclusively men, carried yellow flags with blue logos representing their separatist movement, and shouted Khalistan! Khalistan!

Setting off from the Toronto suburbs, they arrived in front of the Indian consulate, where they were greeted by around 50 members of the diaspora in support of the Indian government.

They have a poster here calling to kill Indian diplomats. We are concerned because these groups have committed terrorist acts in the past and politicians are not taking actions, one of the counterdemonstrators, Vijay Jain, an IT consultant, told AFP.

A line of 20 policemen intervened to separate the two groups, and one Sikh protester was taken away after forcing down a barrier and running to the other side.

Since the murder of the Sikh leader, tensions have risen between Canada and India.

New Delhi regularly accuses Ottawa of laxity in its handling of Sikh protesters in Canada.

We have asked the Canadian government to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our diplomats, Arindam Bagchi, spokesman for Indias foreign minister, said on Thursday.

Canada is home to the largest number of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab, India.

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German police on Saturday fired tear gas and used water cannon to quell unrest at a controversial Eritrean music festival in the town of Giessen during which more than 20 officers were hurt.

Twenty-six police were injured, mainly in incidents of stone throwing, regional police said on Twitter, adding that around 100 arrests were made.

About a thousand police were deployed in the town of 80,000 residents north of Frankfurt after last years edition of the festival degenerated into violence.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 people had been expected to attend the festival, due to run till Sunday.

The organisers are accused of being close to the authorities in the small and secretive one-party state, where critics disappear into gulags and civilians are conscripted for life or forced into labour under an extreme policy of national service that has been likened to slavery.

Hesse regions interior minister Peter Beuth said such an escalation of violence, with targeted attacks against our intervention forces was totally unacceptable.

He called on the national government to summons the Eritrean ambassador to make it clear that Eritrean disputes must not play out on German soil.

A global pariah, the Red Sea nation has been sanctioned for meddling in regional conflicts, including most recently over abuses by its army in the Tigray war in Ethiopia.

Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia in May 1991 and formally declared independence on May 24, 1993. It is led by Issaias Afeworki, who is known for his iron-fisted rule.

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North Korea on Sunday slammed the United Nations nuclear watchdog for approving Japans plan to discharge treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency approved Tokyos plan to release treated water from the tsunami-hit nuclear plant into the sea over the next few decades.

The plan has raised concerns in neighbouring countries, prompting China to ban some food imports and sparking protests in South Korea.

The release of the treated water will have a fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment, an official from Pyongyangs environmental protection ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

What matters is the unreasonable behaviour of IAEA actively patronizing and facilitating Japans projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable, the statement added.

Some 1.33 million cubic metres of groundwater, rainwater and water used for cooling have accumulated at the Fukushima nuclear plant, where several reactors went into meltdown after the 2011 tsunami overwhelmed cooling systems.

The plant operator treats the water to remove almost all radioactive elements except tritium, and plans to dilute it before discharging it into the ocean over several decades.

The statement comes as IAEA head Rafael Grossi is wrapping up his three-day visit to Seoul with a meeting with opposition lawmakers, who have criticised the planned release.

On Saturday, Grossi met with South Korean foreign minister Park Jin to brief him on his agencys findings, Seouls foreign ministry said in a statement.

Park requested active cooperation from the IAEA for safety verification and public reassurance, it added.

Following that meeting, Grossi said the IAEA will remain at the Fukushima plant to ensure safety every step of the way, tweeting: What starts now is even more important than the work done so far  the continuous monitoring of the plans implementation.

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The Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday urged all Filipinos in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to go home after infighting there between the military and paramilitary forces has claimed the lives of at least 3,000 people.

The DFA made the call amid reports of looting of homes of foreigners in the northeast African country.

Our advice is still it is time to go home, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said, in an interview over TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

The DFA official noted that some 110 Filipinos still remained in Sudan despite earlier repatriation efforts of the Philippine government through the Saudi government.

Others dont want to go home because their employers still owe them.

They want to be paid first, De Vega added.

Currently, the Philippines is processing the repatriation of 17 Filipinos who are at the Port of Sudan since two weeks ago.

We are waiting for commercial flights to be available again. Before, Saudi (airlines) flies for free but not right now, he said.

Deadly fighting raged in Sudan since mid-April between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Lamenting that the ceasefire is not being followed, De Vega pleaded with Filipinos there that it is now mandatory to leave the country.

Economically, the country has collapsed, he said, stressing that there is always a chance the situation could get worse.

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The Department of Justice has rendered an opinion that the Commission on Audit can review for audit purposes the gross gaming receipts (GGR) of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) on the request of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR),

In a legal opinion dated June 30, 2023, the DOJ said: There appears to be basis and sound fiscal reasons for COA to audit the GRR of the POGO, while PAGCOR is still in the process of procuring the services of a qualified third-party audit platform in accordance with the provisions of RA (Republic Act) 11590 and RA 9184.

RA 11590 is the law on the taxing of POGOs and amends a number of provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 (NIRC), while RA 9184 is the Government Procurement Reform Act.

However, the DOJ opinion issued by Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez informed COA Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba that the opinion was issued for COAs information and guidance only.

Citing the DOJs 1988 opinion, Vasquez said: This Department will not pass upon any opinion, ruling and/or actuations of officials/agencies, over which it has no revisory authority.

Being an independent constitutional body, this Department does not possess any reviewing authority over the rulings or official actuations of said agency (COA), he stressed.

Nonetheless, the DOJ said that COA is the watchdog of the financial operations of the government and is tasked with the examination, audit, and settlement of all accounts pertaining to the revenues and receipts of, and expenditures, or uses of funds and property, owned or held in trust by, or pertaining to, the government or any of its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities including government-owned and controlled corporations with original charters.

Vasquez also reminded there is a pending case before the Supreme Court (SC) concerning the issue and, because of this, the matter is considered sub-judice, and as a judicial courtesy, this Department is constrained from rendering a legal opinion on the matter.

In seeking a legal opinion, Cordova informed the DOJ that PAGCOR requested that COA examine the GRR of POGOs.

Cordova said that PAGCOR sought the help of COA after terminating last March 31 the consultant contract of third-party auditor Global ComRCI due to default and violation of R.A. 9184 and its implementing rules and regulations.

Citing RA 11590, the DOJ opined that PAGCOR or any special economic zone authority or tourism zone authority or freeport authority shall engage the services of a third-party audit platform that would determine the gross gaming revenues or receipts of offshore gaming licensees.

It said the law mandates that the third-party auditor should be independent, reputable, internationally-known, and duly accredited as such by an accrediting or similar agency recognized by industry experts.

It also said RA 11590 does not prevent the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Commission on Audit from undertaking a post-audit or independent verification of the gross gaming revenues determined by the third-party auditor.

We note that the conduct of the GGR of the POGO is necessary to ensure that the proper gaming tax on services rendered and regulatory fees are levied and collected, as provided under the above-quoted amended Section 125-A of the NIRC. Without this audit, POGOs would be able to defraud the government, i.e., PAGCOR and BIR, of its rightful share in the GGR, by declaring a lower amount, it added.

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Cybercrimes in the National Capital Region (NCR) are on the rise despite the SIM Registration Act, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said over the weekend.

Citing a report from the Philippine National Police, CICC said the cybercrimes in Metro Manila rose exponentially by 152 percent during the first half of the year, partly due to the carelessness of online users and the availability of malware online.

Data from NCRPO showed that the total number of cybercrimes reported to police from January to June 30 reached 6,250 up from 2,477 recorded during the same period last year.

Online scams during the same period almost tripled to 4,446 compared to 1,551 last year while illegal access reached 1,063, up 86 percent from 570 during the same period last year.

ATM and credit card fraud also rose during the first semester to 625 which is more than double the 241 cases reported during the same period last year.

Police Lt. Col. Jay D. Guillermo of the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit-NCR projected that the exponential growth of cybercrime will continue due to the availability of malware on the internet, ease of doing business of both private and government institutions, technological development, and careless online users.

CICC Division Chief Engineer Norman Ancheta (Cybercrime Monitoring and Public Complaints Coordination) said the groups Inter-Agency Response Center has received 4,615 complaints from January 1 to June 15 this year.

IARC was established on December 27, 2022 following the implementation of the SIM (subscriber identity module) registration law.

Despite the ongoing implementation of the SIM Registration Act, cybercrime and cybersecurity-related concerns of the public are on the uptrend, Ancheta said.

IARC, which receives complaints through social media, website, and telephone hotline 1326, received a total of 3,609 complaints related to SIM registration and 904 cyber complaints from January 1 to June 15.

Most of the cyber complaints are related to online fraud (364), illegal access (192) and online libel (103). CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos has emphasized: The need for a single portal is necessary to allow the government to have a firm grasp of reality in fighting cybercrimes.

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Slowly, we have come to endure the system and the leaders, seemingly inured to how the corruption and inefficiency has pauperized the economy, save for the few who profit from it

Benjamin Magalong, a former PNP officer elected mayor of the summer capital twice over, has just turned the heat on Congress.

While other soldiers and retirees have chided the finance secretary for wanting to reform a fiscal problem called the MUP, and many more contemplate early retirement from the active service, whether as soldier or policeman and others, Magalong has brought the battleground where it ought to bethe House and Senate of Pork.

Ben Diokno was DBM secretary and BSP governor during the previous government which decided to double the salaries of uniformed personnel whose lives were laid on the line to defend and preserve the republican democracy which is actually feudal in practice.

Now, as the finance secretary, in charge of raising the ways and means to sustain the governments operations, and amid a legacy debt of P12.3 billion now almost P14 billion after a year, he warns of fiscal collapse unless the pension system for active and retired personnel of the military, police, fire protection, our jail system, the coast guard and even the mapping agency called NAMRIA, is appropriately reformed.

Dioknos reform plan specifically wants to remove the automatic indexation of pension to the salary of active personnel, limit the receipt of pensions only when the pensioner reaches 57 years and not after 20 years as provided by the current law.

Furthermore, mandatory contributions similar to those that civilian government employees contribute to the GSIS shall be henceforth required.

Because the current MUP is non-contributory, the national government, through the annual appropriations act (GAA), funds it fully.

And our economic managers find the burden too huge, and its sustainability too difficult.

Since Diokno called for reforming the current MUP, both houses of Congress have been holding hearings on the matter and, to date, no consensus has been reached between our legislators and the executive, for that matter, the active and retired recipients.

In oblique manner, former senator Panfilo Lacson months ago drew a similarity between Dioknos multi-million salary in the BSP as compared to what a retired general receives as monthly pension.

Others have pointed at the gross disparity between civilian employees and those of the military: one which contributes monthly deductions to gross pay but receives far less than one who contributes nothing at all.

Similarly, a retired justice, or a retired official of the constitutional commissions receives even more, although some have served as such only for a few years through mostly political patronage.

Comes now the mayor of Baguio City who trounced political hegemons in the summer capital after leaving the police force with unsullied reputation and brilliant career, who waded into the debate, unfortunately lost in the welter of copy-cat confusion spawned by the tourism departments LOVE the Philippines.

Magalong says active and retired military personnel would be willing to contribute their share to avoid Dioknos fiscal collapse, provided lawmakers do their share by shunning corrupt practices like getting kickbacks from government projects.

Touche!

Pork barrel, which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional after the massive scandal where practically every lawmaker colluded with Napoles in the scam of the century with ghost projects exposed a decade back, still exists, Magalong charged.

Indeed, sanitized from congressional earmarks to insertions, thence identification and now built-in exists in our budget, and bigger, more humongous than ever before.

Pork barrel funds are the raison detre of most congressmen, whether district representative or party-listed.

And the executive, realizing that, without the pork, its desired legislation will not see the light of day, has played along, with legislators now slicing their meat from DPWH, DA, and other agencies budget.

In the current HoR, a cabal of contractors turned congressmen, mostly from the party-list, has become the clearing house for the allocation of pork, and with so many neophytes, mostly second or third generation dynasty members, wonder whether there is tong-pats in who gets what better than the rest.

In the Senate, after Ping Lacson and the late Joker Arroyo, everyone takes a slab of juicy meat from the GAA, which starts when the Presidents budget is seen by its august members.

I had a chance to talk to several contractors. I asked them assuming that I will take cuts from infrastructure projects, how much will it be? And they said about 10 percent to 15 percent or 20 percent to 25 percent, depending on the decision of the mayors or the lawmakers, Magalong said.

Tell you what, Mayor Benjie: some lawmakers demand as much as 40 percent, sobrang takaw.

The result, as everyone knows, is sub-standard projects, or the favorite flood control systems that are out-flooded each time the rains pour.

The way they dispose of it is institutional. Some congressmen have several projects and roads but the bidding was rigged. You can check the profile of some legislators and LGU executivesmany of them are contractors and suppliers. They get a percentage and they also get the projects as contractors, he pointed out.

En punto, Senor alcalde!

Pero damay-damay naman, Magalong suggests.

We, in the uniform service, are willing to give up a small amount of our pension just to help the national government, just to address this huge deficit, just to address this big national debt. Lets wait to see what our brave legislators have to say, Magalong said in his speech during a virtual flag raising ceremony on July 3 at Camp Crame.

And added: It is about time that legislators should also give a big contribution to address national government issues, especially on our financial debts.

So bad is the stand-off that a sizeable part of our active military and police personnel are now planning to retire early, so as to get their pensions and entitlements before the MUP is reformed, aware that legislation cannot be retro-active in effect.

But wait!

Will our legislators ever reform? Mend their ways and atone for the happy days just as kings of yore wore sackcloth?

Will the executive find the courage to stand up for the people and finally abhor the abominable pork barrel insertions, looking at Congress eye to eye and fight mano a mano for the public interest against greed and entitlement?

Not on your life. Not now, and perhaps not ever, given the political system we have, given the depravity of our moral standards as a society.

Which reminds me of what once upon a time happened, not in EDSA, but in Portugal.

For far too long after the monarchy was dethroned, Portugal and its colonies were under the grip of an authoritarian regime, the Estado Novo, headed by Antonio de Salazar, who after his death in 1968, was replaced by Marcelo Caetano, in a long reign that lasted more than 40 years.

But on April 25, 1974, the military revolted, surrounding the National Assembly, and the people rallied behind them, placing flowers in the muzzle of their guns, thus the event is immortalized as the Carnation Revolution.

What followed were two years of a military junta which later gave way to elections that established a constitutional government led by Mario Soares and the Portuguese Socialist Party.

Despite early transitional bumps, Portugal, now relieved of its former colonies most of which have become economic powerhouses in their continents, has become one of the most stable polities and economies in Europe.

Similar to the Philippines, Portugals authoritarian Estado Novo was an economy under the control of oligarchs disguised as corporations, which led to unequal wealth distribution and distorted economic policies.

These families kept the dictator Salazar in power from pre-war to post-war, just as Generalissimo Franco controlled Spain from civil war till 1975.

Now fast forward to our country, which ought-to-be National Artist Lea Salonga decries in heart-felt terms, Pilipinas, kay hirap mong mahalin, and a mis-placed LOVE wants to entice.

We had several opportunities in the past for meaningful change.

But always, the leaders we choose, who the electorate thought were the best, have become the least among us.

And slowly, we have come to endure the system and the leaders, seemingly inured to how the corruption and inefficiency has pauperized the economy, save for the few who profit from it.

Will we ever see real change in our lifetime?

Sir Benjie, what say you?

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German radio station BR24 devoted a detailed reporting to the presence of terrorist groups in Africa, as well as their Internet propaganda and recruitment methods in areas of instability, particularly in Polisario camps in Algerias southwestern province of Tindouf.

Terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda have an easy time in the Tindouf camps, stresses the media under the headline Terrorist groups in Africa: A breeding ground for attacks in Europe?

Islamist groups have a strong presence in Africa and recruit in huge refugee camps. They use conflicts for their Internet propaganda, which reaches as far as Bavaria, it pointed out.

Co-authors Sabrina Wolf and Joseph Rohmel cite the case of Ismail, a 38-year-old stateless Polisario supporter. The latter was sentenced in May by the National Court of Justice in Madrid to two years imprisonment and five years probation for radicalization, they add, noting that an entire network had been built around Ismail, to promote the jihad espoused by the Islamic State.

Spanish media had revealed that Ismail (whose real name is Monni Ahmed Merhaba) had, in the weeks leading up to his arrest, published daily calls for jihad and martyrdom in videos he had created himself and distributed via various mobile applications.

He had also expressed his support for the Islamic State and his hatred of Spain, which he described as a land of miscreants.

Spanish investigators had revealed the close links of Ismail, who was close to Abu Walid, the former leader of the IS and member of the polisario, with other IS supporters and unveiled a network of dozens of polisario members in the Tindouf camps, who played a role in the Islamic States activities in the Sahara and Sahel.

Investigations had also revealed, from the Facebook account of Ismail and his many friends, strong support for the polisario, which controls the Tindouf camps, increasingly infested by extremist jihadist ideology.

The German media quotes several experts, including Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, an international non-profit organization that monitors and evaluates the propaganda of terrorist groups in Africa.

Africa is increasingly becoming a hotspot for Islamist terrorism, and attacks could be launched from there, he noted, adding that it is still possible to instrumentalize people from conflict regions in Europe, radicalize them and possibly motivate them to commit attacks.

The Spanish authorities and an organization of former intelligence officers have analyzed the propaganda network centered around Ismail, noting that all leads to Syria, Spain and the Tindouf camps in Algeria, reports BR24.

According to former intelligence officers approached by the German radio station, most of the networks Facebook accounts are not public: Communication is very limited, which means they only use their Facebook accounts to connect with each other. Then they switch to the Telegram messaging service or other means of communication.

During Ismails trial, it emerged that he was also using a German phone number to mask his identity, the article states.

One thing is certain: the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution observes that Africa plays a central role in propaganda, the media outlet notes, pointing out that the Islamic State declared Africa as a zone of emigration and Jihad in its online magazine al-Naba of June 16, 2022.
Missoula Public Library staff training closure

Missoula Public Library, Potomac Public Library, and the Lolo School Library will be closed on July 17 for staff training. Patrons can access their accounts during the closure at missoulapubliclibrary.org/.

All Together Now Summer Learning Program

The Summer Learning Program is part of MPLs mission to promote childrens literacy, help prevent the summer slide in reading skills, and provide lifelong learning opportunities for readers of all ages. From June 1 through Aug. 31, patrons of all ages can pick up a printed reading log for young readers or a Library BINGO card for teens and adults, as well as, enjoy a variety of fantastic offerings during our Summer Learning Program, All Together Now. Visit missoulapubliclibrary.org/home/programs-events/summer-learning-program/ for details on how to participate in this years challenge and for a complete list of programs that we have to offer. The Summer Learning Program is made possible with support from the Missoula Public Library Foundation.

Kids Table with the Missoula Food Bank

Kids aged 18 and under can eat a free lunch every week day during the summer at Missoula Public Library. Drop in for a meal Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Imaginarium on Level Two of the library. Meals provided by Missoula Food Bank and no registration is required. For more information and locations, please visit the USDA Food and Nutrition website at fns.usda.gov/meals4kids.

Big Sky Branch Arts and Crafts

Create! Learn! Discover! Drop-in to the Big Sky Branch for DIY Arts & Crafts projects for young kids and their families every Tuesday. The next Arts and Crafts program will be held on July 11 from 12 to 3 p.m. at 3100 South Avenue West in Missoula. Email bdoyle@missoulapubliclibrary.org for info about upcoming projects.

Missoula Public Library Memory Cafe: Massage Therapist Debra Shorrock Visits

Missoula Public Librarys Memory Cafe is a safe, welcoming, and supportive space for individuals experiencing memory loss and their caregivers and family members. On July 11 from 2 to 3 p.m. in Cooper Room A/B on Level Four of the library, learn the importance of self-care for body and mind as Licensed Massage Therapist Debra Shorrock leads us in effective self-care techniques through massage, simple movements and body awareness.

Become a Community Naturalist: Mammalogy

As part of MPLs Summer Learning Program, All Together Now, were teaming up with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to offer this series of courses for adults and teens. Nature-centered programs are often restricted to children or are accessible only through higher education, however, conservation and continued public access to nature depends on community action and community science. Through this program, we hope to empower community members to protect their local wild spaces and serve as educators themselves for others in our community. Earn your certificate of completion by attending all sessions over the summer! Separate topics are covered each second and third Tuesday evenings of July and August. The next session covers mammalogy and is held on July 11 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Cooper Room A on Level Four of the library. For session dates and topics please visit our website at tinyurl.com/communitynaturalist.

Summer Learning Program: Im Trying to Love Spiders! with Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium

Come learn to appreciate and even love spiders! With the guidance of expert educators from the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium, children will gain confidence and learn how to observe spiders safely and responsibly. Join us July 12 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Imaginarium on Level Two of the library. Kids can enjoy a craft and will learn how they can develop a positive relationship with one of the most important and misunderstood species on our planet! Space is limited and registration is required. Email Sydney at sydney@familiesfirstmt.org to reserve your spot.

Big Sky Branch Library Summer Game Day

Big Sky Branch Library will have board games for checkout, the PS4 hooked up to the projector with an extensive library of video games, and if you want to try a tabletop roleplaying game, well even have short one-shot Dungeons and Dragons adventures ready to go! This program will be held on July 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3100 South Avenue West in Missoula. No experience necessary, just bring your imagination! Contact bdoyle@missoulapubliclibrary.org for details.

Summer Learning Program at Potomac Branch Library: Kindness Trees and Paper Chains

Help the Potomac Branch Library celebrate the All Together Now Summer Learning Program with acts of kindness by adding leaves or a kindness paper chain to our Kindness Tree! Take-home kits will be available to children and their families who cant stay for the program. This program will be held on July 12 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on 29750 Potomac Road.

Western Montana Genealogical Society Work Day at the Library

The Western Montana Genealogical Society will hosts a Work Day on July 15 from 12 to 4 p.m. in the Blackfoot Conference Room on Level Four of the library. Bring a part of your genealogical project to the gathering. Other genealogists will be working on their projects and can lend a hand if needed, and share websites and advice on research problems.
Montana is seeing a generational investment in our local economies, through infrastructure improvements, broadband funding, and clean water. Workers have an opportunity to build our local economies like never before and union apprenticeship programs are ready to teach the next generation of workers.

Investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law include: $3.1 billion for roads, bridges, and roadway safety, hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure high-speed internet coverage across the state, and $373 million to provide clean and safe water. This critical funding was possible because of the advocacy of workers across Montana and the critical work of Sen. Jon Tester to make sure Montanas communities were prioritized in Washington. These investments will not only help local businesses grow but will also provide good paying union jobs for the next decade.

Investing in our workforce is what unions have been doing for a century. Joint apprenticeship and training centers, also known as JATCs, partner with employers to train the best workforce in Montana. These apprenticeship programs provide the highest level training, a clear path to long term employment, and higher wages than nonunion programs.

If you are looking for a good paying job, with the best safety standards and benefits, check out union Joint Apprenticeship and Training Centers across the state. In fact union apprenticeship graduates can expect to earn 46 percent more than nonunion construction workers and 89 percent of union construction workers have private health insurance coverage compared to only 55 percent of nonunion workers.

Union training centers are also fully funded, so they come with no debt after graduation and allow you to earn while you learn. This means workers can start their career quickly with a clear path to financial independence.

Unions in Montana have played a central role in building an economy that works for everyone and by keeping money in our communities through collective bargaining, we ensure economic stability, healthy families, and a secure financial future. Getting young people into good paying jobs that support our families and our communities is a central part of what unions do. We build communities and we build predictable futures for workers.

Joining my union was the best decision I made in my working life. When I graduated high school I went to college and never made the progress that I should have, I felt lucky to get a job as a laborer, and joined LiUNA. That led to an apprenticeship in the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB). As a journeyman I got the opportunity to start a welding school at Colstrip to encourage others and was then elected president of IBB L-11 before running for state senate.

What I discovered first-hand is that unions change lives and what we can accomplish together to build communities and local economies is unlimited. But workers must be met at the bargaining table and at the Legislature as equals in order to realize this promise. Our voice at work is critical to maintain balance in the economy, keep wages in our communities, and protect our safety on the job. Working people in both the public and the private sectors keep Montana moving forward and when workers are protected, Montana is protected.

Great accomplishments are ahead for working families. We have the tools and resources already in place to create a brighter future. By protecting our voice on the job and at the Legislature, Montana will be a dynamic and exciting place to live and work over the next decade.

Find out more about union Joint Apprenticeship and Training Centers on our website at mtaflcio.org/apprentices.
Thank you to Stacie Barry and other brave scientists who have stood up to the wall of silence imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and ARCO-British Petroleum.

The excellent investigative article by David McCumber (Missoulian, June 23) reveals the extent to which the agency and corporation have gone not merely to quash science but to discredit independent scientists. The EPA does not want us to know the truth about the health problems left by historic mining and smelting, health problems that continue after inadequate cleanup.

Stacie Barrys 2012 Ph.D. dissertation showed a strong link between Buttes mortality rate and pollution from arsenic and heavy metals. I was privileged to chair Dr. Barrys dissertation committee, which included faculty from Montana Tech and the University of Montana. Buttes relatively small population and the difficulty of accessing health data posed huge challenges for Dr. Barry and others who study the effects of arsenic and other mine waste pollution in Butte.

She used sophisticated statistical techniques to tease out the pollution-mortality relationship, and it is unconscionable that EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry chose to repress the results instead of following up with more in-depth studies and more protective cleanup.

A few years after Dr. Barry completed her research, I taught a course on science communication at Sun Yat-sen University in China. By remarkable coincidence, one of my graduate students was doing research very similar to Dr. Barry. The student studied cancer rates in the Hengshi River watershed, a historic copper mining and smelting region of China. There were two huge differences with Dr. Barrys study: one, the government gave the Chinese scholar full access to health records that would be protected as private in the U.S. (the HIPAA rule); and two, the regions population was about 1 million, which removed many statistical constraints.

Soil arsenic levels near historic Hengshi mining and smelting sites range up to 218 ppm. Residential areas, which Chinese locals refer to as cancer villages, have arsenic levels as high as 88 ppm with a mean of about 29 ppm. Like Butte, heavy metals such as lead and cadmium are also often present at toxic levels. It is well known that toxic metals have additive and sometimes multiplicative effects, so that 1 + 1 can equal 4. (Note the similarity to the tobacco smoking and asbestos exposure multiplicative effect known as additive synergism.)

My Chinese students work confirmed earlier studies and showed a high (statistically strong) cancer risk at arsenic levels above 50 ppm. Based on her work and other studies, the Chinese governments action level for arsenic is 30 ppm. Cleanup may occur or whole villages may be moved, depending on the circumstances.

The EPA action level for arsenic in Butte and Anaconda, that is the level at which residential cleanup is triggered, is 250 ppm.

Ouch.

Americans dont normally think of Chinas government as more protective of environmental health than our own. To add insult to injury, Butte and Anaconda are a huge exception even within the U.S., where the EPAs typical action level for arsenic is below 80 ppm. The EPA would have us believe that arsenic in Butte is far less dangerous than arsenic from similar sources (copper mining and smelting) in China or in other parts of our own country.

From the inception of Superfund in the early 1980s to today, journalists have played a key role in exposing EPA ineptitude and willful negligence. The asbestos tragedy in Libby is a prime example, because both EPA and the state of Montana ignored the Libby tragedy until the Seattle-Post Intelligencer newspaper broke the story in 1999 as A Town Left to Die.

Similarly, in Butte, even the limited EPA remedy that we have is largely due to coverage by reporters beginning with Rick Foote and Gerry OBrien in the 1980s and continuing with Duncan Adams and David McCumber today. From the time of the American Revolution newspapers have been the fourth estate, informing we the people on what goes on behind the wizards curtain.

Lets hope the wizards at EPA read the newspaper.
LINVILLE  Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, has announced that you may now reserve your spot for the second of the Saturday presentations  and fourth overall  in its 2023 Grandfather Presents speaker series. Audubon North Carolina Director of Conservation and Interim Executive Director Curtis Smalling will present State of the Birds 2023 on Aug. 26.

The hour-long event, included in park admission or with a Bridge Club membership, will take place at 2 p.m. in the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery.

This seasons Grandfather Presents roster also features five ticketed Thursday evening events with internationally- and nationally-known presenters who make it their lifes mission to highlight the challenges, opportunities and good work happening around exploration, nature and conservation. The four remaining Thursday presenters in the 2023 lineup are:

Emmy Award-winning travel TV host and producer Samantha Brown  July 13

Ornithologist, author and illustrator David Sibley  Aug. 31

Appalachian State University Geography Professor and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Baker Perry  Sept. 7

Chief meteorologist at WCNC-TV Brad Panovich  Sept. 21

Audubon North Carolina, a state office of the National Audubon Society, represents over 50,000 supporters, nine local chapters and six college campus chapters across North Carolina. Founded in 1902, Audubon North Carolina builds upon a rich heritage of conserving and restoring ecologically valuable land that we share with all wildlife by focusing on the needs of birds.

As both director of conservation and interim executive director of Audubon North Carolina, Smalling is responsible for the Working Lands, Coastal Sanctuaries and Bird-Friendly Communities and Policy programs for the organization.

He is a member of several conservation committees, such as the International Golden-winged Warbler Working Group (including working on this species and others on their wintering grounds in Nicaragua), chair of the N.C. State Scientific Council Bird Committee and a member of the steering committee for the Bird Atlas effort in North Carolina. He has been involved in wind and bird interactions for two decades, including serving on the states first wind working group and helping draft legislation and model local ordinances regarding wind energy.

Smalling is a 1985 magna cum laude graduate of Appalachian State University with a bachelor of arts in biology and, in 1996, received a master of arts in Appalachian Studies. A lifelong bird watcher, Smalling began watching birds with his grandfather, who was very interested in purple martins. He is a contributing author or editor for several books, publications and peer-reviewed papers. He resides in Garner, with his wife of 40 years, Mary, and has three children and five grandchildren.

The presentation will be held in the Wilson Centers Classroom in the Clouds event space at 2 p.m., and guests are encouraged to arrive early or stay late to chat with Smalling.

We greatly look forward to hearing from Curtis Smalling and learning more about his efforts at Audubon North Carolina and the work he does on various conservation committees, said John Caveny, director of conservation and education for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. Curtis epitomizes the spirit of stewardship and dedication to our avian friends that is so important to us here at Grandfather Mountain, and we hope all attendees will come away from his presentation sharing that same sentiment.

To learn more about Grandfather Presents: Curtis Smalling  which is included in park admission or with a Bridge Club membership  and to reserve your spot, visit www.grandfather.com/event/curtis-smalling.

To learn more about the Grandfather Presents speaker series, visit www.grandfather.com/grandfather-presents.

The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, visit www.grandfather.com.
Hitchhiker robbed at gunpoint (Wednesday, July 11, 1973)

A United States Marine stationed in North Carolina told Morganton police around 1:30 a.m. today that he had been robbed on Interstate 40 by a motorist.

Officers stopped the Marine, John B. Smith of Indiana, while he was walking on Jamestown Road and asked for his identification. Smith said he was en route from his Marine base to Louisville, Kentucky, and was planning to proceed from there to his home in Indiana.

He reported that he had been hitchhiking along I-40 when he was picked up by a man driving a green late model Chevrolet Vega with Ohio license plates. According to Smith, the driver drove for about 500 yards then reached under his seat, pulled out a pistol and demanded Smiths wallet. Smith advised the officers that he had about $30 in the wallet. After he gave the driver his wallet, the driver ordered him out of the car and sped away.

Smith described the motorist as being about 5 feet, 10 inches tall in his early 20s with dark brown hair and a stocky build. He was wearing a white T-shirt, trousers and black-rimmed glasses. Smith told the officers that he would be able to identify the man if he saw him again.

Thieves hit doctors home during vacation (Thursday, July 12, 1973)

The detective division of the Morganton Police Department has launched an investigation of a breaking and entering and larceny at the home of Dr. Hugh C. Hemmings at 106 Kinwood Drive in Morganton.

Hemmings and his family returned from vacation around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday and discovered that a break-in of the home had resulted in the theft of approximately $1,200 worth of personal possessions. Items stolen include several antique guns, a camera, drugs from a medical bag, a coin collection and numerous items of jewelry. The doctor reported that an undetermined number of disposable syringes had been taken from his medical bag in addition to unspecified amounts of Valium and Librium.

Judge lashes out at state of court (Thursday, July 12, 1973)

Judge Marshall Cline of Lenoir, who was appointed chief judge of the 25th Judicial District last month, lashed out Wednesday at the manner in which court is being operated in Burke County while presiding over court in Morganton.

He said he could not see how Burke operates its court with some of the allowances it has made in the past. He criticized the manner in which the court has been allowing consistent failure of prosecuting officers to appear, allowing defense attorneys to be late or not appear at all and allowing cases on the docket to be called out of turn. He also frowned upon the manner in which defendants have been allowed time to make payments of fines and court costs and declared that they should be prepared to pay those fees on the day of their trials or be subject to consequences.

Were not running a finance company in the District Court system, Cline said.

Addressing District Attorney Sam M. Tate, Cline said it appears that we have our work cut out, implying that he plans to make changes in the systems operation.

Superintendent put in charge of all N.C. schools for deaf (Tuesday, July 10, 1973)

Dr. Rance Henderson, superintendent of the North Carolina School for the Deaf, has been appointed to the position of director of the North Carolina schools for the deaf, according to David T. Flaherty, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Human Resources.

Under the reorganization of the department, approved by the 1973 North Carolina General Assembly, the three schools for the deaf in the state are being placed under the overall supervision of one director, a new position within the department. Henderson will still remain superintendent of the school in Morganton. He has served there since 1970.

The business affairs of NCSD, the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf in Wilson and the Central North Carolina School for the Deaf temporarily located in Raleigh will continue to be supervised by a superintendent at each location.

At the press conference announcing his appointment, Henderson revealed plans to begin a new state-supported program of preschool education for deaf or hard of hearing children ages 5 and younger in about 20 locations throughout North Carolina. An appropriation of about $522,000 by the North Carolina General Assembly will fund the preschool satellite program.

Court orders teenagers to clear mile of litter (Thursday, July 12, 1973)

Two teenagers appearing in the 25th District Court on Wednesday were ordered by the court to remove all litter from one mile of a Burke County road following convictions on littering charges.

The two had been charged by State Trooper J.R. Touhy after he saw them toss a beer bottle from the car in which they were traveling.

Judge Marshall Cline, chief judge of the district, ordered the teenagers to report to Sheriff Alvin Wise at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, and the sheriff will designate the one mile of roadway to be cleared. The defendants will be required to reappear in court next Wednesday to present certificates issued by Wise documenting that they complied with the court order.
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington and Alexander Hamilton never called it a Revolution. They referred to the war with England as The Cause, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph Ellis.

Ellis claims the war for independence was preordained. The spark that ignited it came from the French and Indian War (also called The Seven Years War). France was increasingly encroaching on territory in this new world that the English felt was theirs. It was a bloody and expensive war, forcing Britain to borrow heavily to finance it. And since this war was conducted on colonial soil, many believed the colonies should pay for it. At that same moment there was a power struggle in England. Parliament was wresting power from the crown; the colonies became pawns in the battle. Mad King George was blamed for the odorous taxes imposed on the colonies, but it was really Parliament that enacted them, to demonstrate their new authorities.

The population of the colonies was doubling about every 20 years and it was only a matter of time before it would outnumber Great Britain and create strife between them. There was a widening culture clash between the two. England was historically a top-down governing structure and America was evolving into more of a bottom-up model.

Adams, Jefferson, Washington and most colonists, loved their mother country but increasingly believed their mother didnt love them back. The British Parliament were the revolutionaries  they believed, taxing and legislating them without their input or consent. Though there were numbers who remained loyal to England, a growing majority came to the conclusion their only redress was war.

Ellis cites these factors in his book called, The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents. And despite our notions that it was a David vs. Goliath victory, Ellis says the outcome from fighting a war on a foreign land when the populous was overwhelmingly against you was more a demonstration of British arrogance.

Kathleen DuVal, a UNC Chapel Hill historian, says that our history narrative maintains the war was fought exclusively within the 13 colonies; more recently it is understood to have been a World War. The French came to the aid of the colonies more in opposition to England than their love of Americans. Spain and Netherlands were also in skirmishes with England, diverting their manpower and resources.

Following Yorktown, the victors still didnt identify themselves as Americans but as Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, Marylanders and Carolinians. What was to come next?

We were blessed to have common people with uncommon minds. Here were the questions facing them: Could the 13 colonies remain united in some new confederation or were they to become 13 individual nation-states? How were they to protect themselves from future attacks from outsiders or even from other colonies? What was the best way to assure cooperation among the 13 in such areas as commerce, transportation, safety and justice? Did they want a strong central government or a decentralized one? And how were these common endeavors going to be funded? At some level, we are still asking ourselves these questions.

We didnt get the right answers in our first attempt to form a government, but for more than 200 years, the United States has been through floods and droughts, booms and busts, great leaders and lousy, good laws and bad, interspersed with partisan and regional battles. Weve gotten through them mostly in pretty good ways and stayed together, primarily because, at our core we believed we were stronger united than separate, however we have never fully recovered from The Civil War  racial, sexual and class discrimination continues to plague us.

As we celebrate the Declaration that was the rallying cry for those early colonists it is fair to do some soul searching. Do we still hold to those beliefs our founders pronounced self-evident? Why are there are growing numbers trying to tear us apart? What are their true motives? We went through this once before and it was horrible. What will our nation be like today if we rupture?

We have always romanticized the Revolutions end at Yorktown with Cornwallis surrendering. Don Glickstein, a Seattle-based historian and journalist who covered the subject in depth in his 2015 book, After Yorktown, points out it was actually a victory of Allies. French soldiers at Yorktown outnumbered Americans and the French fleet prevented the British from escape. That in no way is an attempt to minimize the courage, sacrifice and efforts of our patriots in the war, only a reminder that we got where we are with the help of others. In turn, the United States has been that help to other nations in time of need. We are not alone on this planet and have a role to help and be helped.

Before the warm memories of this years gatherings for hot dogs, watermelon, parades and fireworks begin to fade, take a moment to remember The Cause, and those patriots who gave themselves to build the nation we love. We are charged to be more like those patriots.
Its hard to put into words the heartache many people of Butte and beyond felt when the news came last Monday that Lori Maloney had lost her short battle with cancer.

The thought of never seeing her smiling face again, nor being able to hear her Hi, darlin! greeting seemed almost unfathomable.

The former Butte-Silver Bow clerk of the court and an enthusiastic ambassador of the Irish festival, An Ri Ra, was well loved and Maloney reciprocated that love time and time again.

Lori raised the bar on who we should aspire to be in this life, said Shawn Harrington.

With his voice quivering, Harrington reflected on the lessons his beloved relative taught in her lifetime. The Maloney-Harrington crew had experienced loss numerous times before and according to Harrington, Lori stepped up to the plate each and every time.

She was such a wonderful caregiver, he said, and the chief nurse in our family.

The Harringtons and Maloneys are first cousins, but thats not how they view it. To them, they are a band of brothers and sisters who gravitated toward each other through good times and bad to form a single nucleus. That bond is unbreakable.

Lori was an irreplaceable part of Butte and an irreplaceable part of our family, said Shawns twin, Bernie. We were darn lucky to have her.

Whether the topic was Butte or family history, Maloney was a wealth of knowledge.

She knew so many families in Butte, explained Bernie, and if you needed a genealogy lesson, she was the go-to person, too.

Tom Powers, the recently retired clerk of the court, worked side by side with Maloney for 30 years. In fact, she hired him as a deputy clerk.

I spent as much time with her as I did my wife, laughed Powers, who had hoped to spend more time with his longtime friend now that he, too, has retired.

Maloney and Powers did indeed spend a lot of time together  at work, planning the next An Ri Ra or any other Irish event that came along or more.

Lori threw herself into everything she did, said Powers. She didnt just dive in; she cannon-balled.

Without the presence of such an energetic ball of fire, An Ri Ra wont be same.

She absolutely poured her heart into An Ri Ra, said Shawn.

According to Powers, Maloney always hated to see the yearly Irish celebration come to a close. So much so that she would host an impromptu gathering in her garage at the festival's end, with an abundance of food and drink for all the artists and volunteers.

She always wanted to squeeze a bit more music out of the weekend, laughed Powers.

Hearing the news of Maloneys diagnosis, many of these past An Ri Ra performers called her in the days leading up to her death. Some wanted just to talk to her one last time, while others paid homage by singing to her over the phone.

Kurt Krueger worked with Maloney for nearly 40 years, first as a lawyer and later as a district court judge.

Judge Krueger was always impressed with Maloneys commitment to her job, her kind demeanor and her willingness to always assist.

She was truly a Butte person, said the judge, and always concerned about Buttes citizens.

Maloney took over the helm in the clerks office following the passing of Dan Bukvich in 1986. The first woman to hold the job, such was her popularity that she would stay at the elected position for more than 30 years.

The fast-paced job seemed to suit Maloney.

When she became clerk of the court, Lori enhanced that position as we headed into the computer age, said Krueger, and she did an excellent job.

Along the way, Maloney helped others while working at the courthouse, including Mary McMahon, who had served as clerk and recorder.

Lori wanted to make sure that other employees knew they were appreciated, said McMahon. She was always right there to help.

According to McMahon, Maloneys death has left a giant void.

She was a walking powerhouse who gave 150 percent, said McMahon.

Close friend Danette Harrington shared the same sentiment.

Everything Lori did, she did from her heart, said Danette. She was a gal who gave it her all.

Looking through past Montana Standard articles, it was more than evident that Maloney did give her all. If there was a medical benefit to organize, she pitched in to help. Need a hand putting together a reunion, class or otherwise? Well, that was her, too.

In her spare time, she was an active member of Soroptimist International of Butte, served as president a time or two with the Montana Association of Clerks of District Court, and, no surprise here, was a loyal member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Butte.

She didnt bleed red, laughed McMahon, she bled green.

Oh yes, Maloney was proud of her Irish heritage.

As a proud, card-carrying member of the Original Street Painters, Maloney, Ellen Kelly, Rand Rafish, Betty Ann Harrington, and siblings Sherrie, Kathy and Bubba, began a St. Patricks Day tradition that remains to this day.

In 1984, led by Rafish, Maloney, who was the last surviving original member, along with the rest of the crew painted a small shamrock in Uptown Butte to honor their loved ones who had died. That Irish symbol eventually grew to be giant-sized and painted right at midnight every March 17, in the middle of the busy intersection of Main and Broadway streets.

It was no secret that Maloney loved all the holidays, whether they were in winter, spring, summer or fall. She, along with close friend Danette Harrington, were credited with getting the courthouse adorned with yuletide lights. The two took it up a few notches by initiating the departmental contest for the best decorated courthouse Christmas tree and the competition for the top carved Halloween pumpkins.

We did some stupid, silly, wonderful and great things together, said Danette

Later, and not surprising giving their surnames, the courthouse would be all decked out with festive decorations just in time for St. Patricks Day. A time or two, the women even served up some corned beef sandwiches and blarney stones to their fellow workers.

She was Irish from her toenails to the top of her head, said Danette.

Maloney loved her family and friends, and was an unapologetic Butte fan.

According to Danette, her friend wanted others to love Butte, too.

She was so proud of her hometown, she said.

Each August, though, Maloney was truly in her element.

That was when she, Danette and McMahon, along with a few others, donned their Irish attire to become members of the Apron Ladies, an An Ri Ra group that looked after the entertainers by providing meals and finding lodging.

According to McMahon, the women took their cues from Maloney, who was the leader of this particular pack.

She just got things done, said McMahon.

A friend of more than 50 years, Dan Kelly, totally agreed with that statement.

If it was for Butte, she was in, said Kelly. If it was for the Butte Irish, she was in even more.

Through the years, the two, along with friends and families, took numerous out-of-two trips. He even traveled to Ireland with her, along with other members of the Kelly and Maloney families.

A dozen people boarded a plane to the Emerald Isle in 1984, and as Kelly recalled, it was a wild time

It was the best way to see Ireland, said Kelly.

Kelly will miss his longtime friend. The two An Ri Ra volunteers also sat together on the Butte Catholic Communitys parish council.

Loris most endearing quality was the fact that she truly cared, said Kelly. She will be a tough act to follow.

Because Father Patrick Beretta is currently out of town, funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday, July 18, at St. Patricks Church. A devout Catholic and loyal St. Patricks parishioner, it was Maloneys wish that the Butte priest preside over her funeral.

Her family wouldnt have it any other way.

So, those who loved this wonderful Butte woman, they will have some time to gather their thoughts before saying their farewells.

In the meantime, in her memory,

May the Irish hills caress you.

May her lakes and rivers bless you.

May the luck of the Irish enfold you.

Saint Patrick behold you.

On a more personal note and it needs to be said to a woman who made such an impact on so many lives, including my own  Bye, Darlin  until we meet again.
You cant make this stuff up. The recent property reappraisals sweeping across Montana have left residents in various stages of extreme shock and concern, wondering if theyll be able to afford to live in their own homes. But never fear, fellow Montanans! The politicians are coming to homeowners rescue by  wait for it  blaming each other for a totally predictable crisis they neglected to address.

Its only been two months since Montanas biennial legislative session adjourned, yet the Democrats are now asking Gov. Greg Gianforte to call legislators back for a special session to deal with the looming property tax revolt.

Predictably, the governor has responded by blaming Democrats for not supporting Republican bills dealing with the unbelievably soaring home and business evaluations that skyrocketed by 45% on average, with many in the 50-67% range.

Someone might want to remind the governor that his Republican Party held a historic super-majority in the legislature and could have passed anything they wanted to deal with property taxes without a single Democratic vote. They did just that on a host of culture war and environmental degradation issues  but I guess that kept them too busy to deal with the very real dilemma now facing Montanas residents.

Those legislators werent too busy, however, to give themselves pay raises  a hefty 74% at that  although the bill was later vetoed by the governor, who apparently figured the quality of their work product (aka: the laws we live by) wasnt worth the extra money.

But rest assured, we are told by any number of local government and state sources, that just because your home is now reappraised at a hellaciously high value, that doesnt mean your taxes are going to go up by that much. No, no, no. Why that will be up to the local government officials to deal with in how many mills they levy on your property.

Again, you cant make this up, but the way the Helena City Commission and Lewis and Clark County Commission dealt with the issue is anything but reassuring. To wit, they gave themselves raises  and these are the same people who are supposed to be willing to cut back on the coming tax increases. Nor were the raises minimal. The mayors pay went up 36% while commissioners pay went up 22%.

As reported for the county: Most elected officials received a $2,000 annual bump to their base salaries on top of increased longevity pay. The average salary of elected officials in Lewis and Clark County will be $100,475 in fiscal year 2024. The average commissioner salary will be $94,023. But thats without the longevity pay, which for the county commission vice chair will be $23,912.

Comparing those numbers to the median per capita income in Montana  a whopping $32,463 in 2023  doesnt exactly instill confidence that our local government officials will be lowering our tax bills any time soon.

The trends are clear. As posted by Helena City Commissioner Sean Logan  notably, the only commissioner to vote against their own pay increases  county taxes and assessments went up 209.8% from 2013 to 2022 while city taxes and assessments went up 106.7%. Thats one-third more than the market value increase of 194.7%  which doesnt count this years reappraisal values averaging 45%.

If the past is any indication of the future, Montanans are absolutely right to be worried about what tax burdens the new reappraisals will bring. Meanwhile, our politicians are leaping into action  as usual, by pointing fingers, playing partisan politics and blaming each other for this ongoing property tax debacle.
Federal regulators want most patients to see a health care provider in person before receiving prescriptions for potentially addictive medicines through telehealth  something that hasnt been required in more than three years.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Drug Enforcement Administration allowed doctors and other health care providers to prescribe controlled medicine during telehealth appointments without examining the patient in person. The emergency declaration ended May 13, and in February, the agency proposed new rules that would require providers to see patients at least once in person before prescribing many of those drugs during telehealth visits.

Controlled medications include many stimulants, sedatives, opioid painkillers and anabolic steroids.

Regulators said they decided to extend the current regulations  which dont require an in-person appointment  until Nov. 11 after receiving more than 38,000 comments on the proposed changes, a record amount of feedback. They also said patients who receive controlled medications from prescribers theyve never met in person will have until Nov. 11, 2024, to come into compliance with the agencys future rules.

The public comments discuss the potential effects on a variety of patients, including people being treated for mental health disorders, opioid addiction, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Thousands of commenters also mentioned possible impacts on rural patients.

Opponents wrote that health care providers, not a law enforcement agency, should decide which patients need in-person appointments. They said the rules would make it difficult for some patients to receive care.

Other commenters called for exemptions for specific medications and conditions.

Supporters wrote that the proposal would balance the goals of increasing access to health care and helping prevent medication misuse.

Zola Coogan, 85, lives in Washington, Maine, a town of about 1,600 residents northeast of Portland. Coogan has volunteered with hospice patients and said its important for very sick and terminally ill people in rural areas to have access to opioids to ease their pain. But she said it can be hard to see a doctor in person if they lack transportation or are too debilitated to travel.

Coogan said she supports the DEAs proposed rules because of a provision that could help patients who cant travel to meet their telehealth prescriber. Instead, they could visit a local health care provider, who then could write a special referral to the telehealth prescriber. But she said accessing controlled medications would still be difficult for some rural residents.

It could end up being a very sticky wicket for some patients to access care, she said. Its not going to be easy, but it sounds like its doable.

Some health care providers may hesitate to offer those referrals, said Stefan Kertesz, a physician and professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham whose expertise includes addiction treatment. Kertesz said the proposed referral process is confusing and would require burdensome record-keeping.

Ateev Mehrotra, a physician and Harvard professor who has studied telehealth in rural areas, said different controlled drugs come with different risks. But overall, he finds the proposed rules too restrictive. Hes worried people who started receiving telehealth prescriptions during the pandemic would be cut off from medicine that helps them.

The proposed federal rules also have a special allowance for buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid use disorder, and for most categories of non-narcotic controlled substances, such as testosterone, ketamine, and Xanax.

Providers could prescribe 30 days worth of these medications after telehealth appointments before requiring patients to have an in-person appointment to extend the prescription. Tribal health care practitioners would be exempt from the proposed regulations, as would Department of Veterans Affairs providers in emergency situations.

Many people who work in health care were surprised by the proposed rules, Kertesz said. He said they expected the DEA to let prescribers apply for special permission to provide controlled medicine without in-person appointments. Congress ordered the agency to create such a program in 2008, but it has not done so.

Agency officials said they considered creating a version of that program for rural patients but decided against it.

The physicians organization said the in-person rule should be eliminated for most categories of controlled medication. Even telehealth prescriptions for drugs with a higher risk of misuse, such as Adderall and oxycodone, should be exempt when medically necessary, the group said.

Some states already have laws that are stricter than the DEAs proposed rules. Amelia Burgess said Alabamas annual exam requirement, which went into effect last summer, burdened some patients. The Minnesota doctor works at Bicycle Health, a telehealth company that prescribes buprenorphine.

Burgess said hundreds of the companys patients in Alabama couldnt switch to in-state prescribers because many werent taking new patients, were too far away, or were more expensive than the telehealth service.

Critics of the federal proposal are lobbying for exemptions for medications that can be difficult to obtain due to a lack of specialists in rural areas.

State-by-state breakdown of the more than 34 million living in primary care deserts with limited telehealth access State-by-state breakdown of the more than 34 million living in primary care deserts with limited telehealth access #41. California #40. Nebraska #39. Nevada #38. Maryland #37. Wisconsin #36. Utah #35. Alabama #34. Colorado #33. New York #32. Minnesota #31. Indiana #30. Ohio #29. Florida #28. Iowa #27. Michigan #26. Oregon #25. Washington #24. Wyoming #23. Illinois #22. Texas #21. Arkansas #20. Delaware #19. Hawaii #18. Kansas #17. North Dakota #16. Virginia #15. Tennessee #14. Georgia #13. South Dakota #12. Kentucky #11. Montana #10. Missouri #9. North Carolina #8. Louisiana #7. Idaho #6. South Carolina #5. Alaska #4. New Mexico #3. Oklahoma #2. Mississippi #1. West Virginia
A 21-year-old man was convicted Friday of second-degree murder for supplying fentanyl to a Roseville-area teen who fatally overdosed last year.

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Placer County prosecutors said this was the first time in California that a defendant was convicted of homicide for supplying fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

Along with the murder charge, Nathaniel Cabacungan was convicted of furnishing a controlled substance to a minor in the death of the 15-year-old girl, according to the Placer County District Attorneys Office.

Cabacungans preliminary hearing to determine whether there was enough evidence for him to stand trial was scheduled for last week. But Cabacungan decided to change his plea on Friday.

He was initially charged with meeting with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd behavior, but that charge was dropped, the district attorney's office said.

The girls death was reported June 21, 2022. Prosecutors alleged that Cabacungan possessed and transported the fentanyl pressed into the form of Percocet pills for the purposes of sale.

Two arrested on suspicion of murder in 2022 fentanyl death of Napa teenager Napa County prosecutors charged two men with murder on suspicion of selling pills to a 17-year-old high schooler who died in 2022.

On Friday afternoon, Cabacungan remained in custody at the Placer County Jail. He is scheduled to return Aug. 16 for his sentencing hearing in Placer Superior Court.

There was a 450% increase in fentanyl deaths in Placer County from 2019 to 2021, with nearly half of the deaths being those under 25 years old, according to county officials. The state Department of Justice said 2 milligrams of fentanyl can result in overdose and potentially death.

The district attorney's office has been aggressive in going after fentanyl dealers, with prosecutors filing murder charges in two other fentanyl deaths last year. The criminal cases against Carson David Schewe and Aaron Kurtis Dare II are still pending.

The murder conviction today demonstrates that our office remains committed to holding dealers of deadly fentanyl accountable for the lives they take, District Attorney Morgan Gire said in a statement.

Other prosecutors in Northern California have begun pursuing murder charges against those suspected of supplying fentanyl to customers who later die from overdoses.

In June, Napa Police arrested two Santa Rosa men on suspicion of murder in connection with the May 2022 death of Monica Flores, a 17-year-old who was three weeks from graduating at Vintage High School. Prosecutors allege that Alan Jazeel Martinez, 22, and Luis Fajardo Melgoza, 20, twice sold pills to Flores, who believed they were the painkiller Percocet, in the weeks before her fatal overdose.

Earlier, the Santa Clara District Attorneys Office in December charged 29-year-old Manuel Luarodriguez of San Jose with murder in the case of a 61-year-old man found dead in his apartment in April 2022, about 10 days after prosecutors say he bought fentanyl from Luarodriguez.

Napa Valley Register city editor Howard Yune contributed to this report.

Photos: Tranq, the new fentanyl additive worsening Americas opioid epidemic
Journalists from all over the world, people are dying a few kilometers away from you! UJA

China supports sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia: Deputy Foreign Minister

Russia says new grain deal with Turkey is possible

Aliyev threatens Armenia

Prime Minister Pashinyan receives Igor Khovaev

Aliyev hurries to sign peace treaty with Armenia

Aliyev announces mass settlement of occupied part of Artsakh

Supply of dairy products to Artsakh no longer possible

Armenia agrees to meeting of FMs in Moscow

Aliyev once again rattles with arms

Lavrov, Bayramov discuss normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations

Aliyev confirms upcoming Moscow meeting of Azerbaijan, Armenia FMs

Erdogan hopes for continued grain deal with Russia

A legal solution acceptable for Armenia and Russia will be found: Arshakyan on Armenias joining Rome Statute

38th sitting of Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Armenian-Russian Cooperation will be held in Dilijan

Ardshinbank terminates operations with the Unistream money transfer system

Immediate measures should be taken to unblock the Lachin corridor - Lukashevich

Aliyev's latest visit to occupied Armenian Shushi

Azerbaijan is holding a media forum in occupied Armenian Shushi

The Lachin Corridor should be opened immediately - Matthew Miller

Artsakh parliament calls on Armenia to ask UN to grant international mandate to peacekeepers

Russias Federal Council urges Armenian MPs to consider risks of Armenias joining the Rome Statute

Armenian and Azerbaijani deputy PMs will meet in different parts of border each time. Sputnik Armenia

I still don't know how to shout to make them realize the situation is grave. Ombudsman of Artsakh

We are ready to recognize Azerbaijans 86,600 square km, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh. Minister of Foreign Affairs

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

A handcuffed man threw himself from the 5th floor of the Investigation Department of SRC and died

Ambassador of Poland was presented with the current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

EU Council extends Toivo Klaar's mandate for one year

Turkey slows pace of rate hikes, jeopardizing the lira

EU Mission at the OSCE Council meeting: Brussels calls on Baku to ensure movement along the Lachin corridor

Zakharova evades question on sending Arstakh aid by Russian planes

Stores in Artsakh no longer sell bread

Russian MFA Spox: Artsakh is not in area of CSTO responsibility

State Revenue Committee head: Armenia cooperates with partners transparently

Armenia requests OSCE Permanent Council speacial meeting: Mirzoyan made a speech

Armenian Health Minister: Transport of medicine to Artsakh is disrupted

Russia MFA spox on organizing Mirzoyan, Bayramov meeting in Moscow: Chances are good

Russian MFA: Stability in South Caucasus should be in Turkey's interests

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)
LAGOS, July 9 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed in an armed attack in Nigeria's central state of Plateau on Saturday night, a community leader and police source said on Sunday.

The police source told Xinhua on the phone that at least nine villagers were killed in the attack by unidentified gunmen on the Sabon Gari village in Mangu local government area of the state on Saturday night.

Jerry Datim, one of the village leaders, confirmed the attack to reporters in Jos, the state capital, on Sunday, saying six houses in the village were burned down and nine dead bodies have been recovered so far.

"We are still searching because some people are still missing," Datim said, adding troops of security forces have been deployed to the scene of the attack.

Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. 
China-US ties 'on surer footing', says Yellen

China-US ties 'on surer footing', says Yellen

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Sunday that her talks with top Chinese officials have put ties "on surer footing", as she wrapped up a trip aimed at stabilising fraught relations between the world's two biggest economies.



She described bilateral meetings with senior Chinese officials in recent days as "direct" and "productive".



During her four-day trip, which came on the heels of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit, Yellen stressed the need for greater exchanges and collaboration, even as deep divides persist between the countries.



"Both nations have an obligation to responsibly manage this relationship: to find a way to live together and share in global prosperity," she told journalists at the US embassy in Beijing on Sunday.



"My bilateral meetings  which totalled about 10 hours over two days  served as a step forward in our effort to put the US-China relationship on surer footing."



She said the two countries remained at odds on a number of issues.



"The US and China have significant disagreements," Yellen said, citing Washington's concerns about what she called "unfair economic practices" and recent punitive actions against US firms.



"But President (Joe) Biden and I do not see the relationship between the U.S. and China through the frame of great power conflict. We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive," she said.



Yellen also said the objective of her visit was to establish and deepen ties to China's new economic team, reduce the risk of misunderstanding and pave the way for cooperation in areas such as climate change and debt distress.



"I do think we've made some progress and I think we can have a healthy economic relationship that benefits both of us and the world," she said, adding that she expected increased and more regular communications at the staff level.



Yellen said Chinese officials raised concerns about an expected executive order restricting outbound investment, but she assured them that any such measure would be narrow in scope and would be enacted in a transparent way, through a rule-making process that would allow public input.



Xinhua News Agency said late Saturday that her meeting with Vice Premier He Lifeng yielded an agreement to "strengthen communication and cooperation on addressing global challenges".



"Noting that the overstretching of national security does no good to the normal economic and trade exchanges, the Chinese side expressed concerns over the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the United States on China," Xinhua added.



Yellen met with senior Chinese officials during her four-day visit, including Premier Li Qiang, as well as US companies doing business in China, climate finance experts and women economists.



Her trip was the latest in efforts to stabilise tense relations and prevent conflict between the world's two largest economies. US climate envoy John Kerry is expected to travel to China later this month for talks on global warming. (Agencies)
American actor Chad Michael Murray announced that he and actor Sarah Roemer are expecting their third child, PEOPLE reported. Murray took to Instagram on Saturday to share a sweet photo of his smiling wife showing off a large baby bump. Murray captioned the post, " Baby #3 loading... Anyone know any new gadgets for babies? It's been a bit since we had one. Ps- forgive the quality of the photo- alas I'm still on IPhone 8 becoz I love the button and won't trade it away. Sometimes I see ppl staring at my phone with button envy and I get it." https://www.instagram.com/p/CubRO0FOgrG/ The actor and Roemer married in 2015 and had a son the following year. They also have a daughter, who was born in 2017, as per PEOPLE. The couple's exciting baby news comes just days after Murray shared a rare video of his son, 8, and daughter, 6, -- the names of whom he and the 'Disturbia' actress have not yet revealed -- playing ball outside together. "Watching the leaps a kid can make every year is utterly fascinating," he captioned the post, adding, "We made him take 3 months off & now our boy is starting to dial in for the upcoming season. #thisis8 #proudparents." "Side note -- how dang cute is it that our daughter wanted to help train her big brother by being the ball girl," Murray added. On Mother's Day in May, the 'Cinderella' actor paid tribute to his wife by posting a photo of Roemer on a plane with a heartfelt caption celebrating her role as a mother. "My forever dream woman. Happy Mother's Day to this woman who carry's this family pack on her shoulders:) You're our rock mama," Murray wrote. Murray added, "I never celebrated Mother's Day growing up because I didn't have a Mother- but watching the selflessness and sacrifices you make, without ever flinching, blow me away and truly show me why Mothers are like no other. And somehow you do all of it and still look this dang good:) I love you Sarah." (ANI)
Delhi Police Special Staff, South, on Saturday busted a fake call centre and arrested six persons, including three women, who duped people on the pretext of providing a job in the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Police said they recovered eight keypad mobile phones, one laptop, a printer, a pitch device and the data of unemployed people from the possession of the arrested persons. They revealed that two of the arrested accused, who have been identified as the masterminds of the fake call centre, recruited all the staff who were rounded up, adding that they provided data on jobless persons through their sources. In further raids, the two masterminds of the gang -- Ranjit Singh and Prashant Singh -- were apprehended from Gaur City in Sector-122, Noida and from near Ghaziabad railway station respectively. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South, Chandan Chaudhary, police received an input that an illegal call centre was duping people on the pretext of providing them with a job at the Airports Authority of India. The call centre was beng operated from a house at Wazir Nagar in the Kotla Mubarakpur police station area of the national capital. The police conducted a raid during which, four persons, including three women, were found making calls and luring people with jobs at AAI. All the accused persons were rounded up from the office, which was being run under the name NISM (National Institute of Securities Markets), police said, that three of the accused were identified as Ranjit Singh, Prashant Singh and Yash. On being questioned, the arrested accused revealed that they were working out of the fake tele-calling centre for three months and the office was being run under the name of NISM. The tele-calling staff used to charge people Rs. 2,000-10,000 in the name of an application form and processing fees, police said, informing further that the fraudsters would mostly target people who reside outside Delhi. (ANI)
Special team of South-East Delhi Police on Saturday apprehended three persons in connection with an assault and a mobile theft case in South-East Delhi, officials said. According to the police, the accused were identified as Vishal (27), Deepak alias Dilip Ganja (32) and Pawan Kumar (age undetermined). DCP, South East Delhi, Rajesh Deo stated that the word of the assault on the victim, identified as Fakhruddin (38), was received at the Badarpur police station on June 28. He informed further that on receipt of the information, the police reached the spot and got the injured shifted to AIIMS Trauma Centre in the national capital. The injured was later learned to be receiving treatment for multiple injuries inflicted by a sharp object, police said, adding that he was admitted in a serious condition. In his statement to the police, the injured victim said both Vishal and Varun, who were acquaintances of his, attacked him with beer bottles, knives, and other sharp objects on June 28 at a tea shack near his house. The officials added that CCTV footage of nearby areas was examined and inputs gathered before Vishal, Dilip alias Ganja, Varun and other associates involved in the attack, were traced. In addition, technical surveillance was used to track the movement of the accused and multiple raids were conducted at suspected hideouts in Delhi-NCR, said officials. The officials informed further that the arrested trio were involved in more than thirty cases of robbery, snatching, house thefts, and criminal intimidation and was wanted in several cases in North India. "Members of this gang were found to have operated across North India, in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Mewat region of Rajasthan, and Bihar. The items they stole were even shipped beyond Nepal," the officer said. (ANI)
Despite repeated requests from the Border Security Force (BSF) on sensitive polling booths, the West Bengal State Election Commission didn't provide any information on such booths to the central security forces, a senior BSF official said on Sunday. SS Guleria, DIG BSF said that BSF has written several letters to the state election commission seeking information on sensitive polling booths but no information was provided except on June 7, when they were informed of just the numbers of such booths but nothing about their location or any other information. He added that the deployment of BSF was at the behest of local administration. "There were 59,000 troops of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and state armed police arrived from 25 states for election duty but they were not adequately utilised on sensitive polling booths," he said. The state declared only 4834 sensitive booths on which only CAPFs are deployed but actually, there were more sensitive polling booths, DIG Guleria said. On Saturday, at least 13 people were killed and several injured in violence reported across the state during the Panchayat poll. There were reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes and assault of presiding officers from several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia. BSF informed that the State Election Commission has set up a total of 61,636 polling booths to conduct elections for 3317 Gram Panchayats, 341 Panchayat Samitis and 20 Zila Parishads in the state of West Bengal on Saturday. To ensure the safe conduct of the polls, 59,000 personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and other state police forces have been given the responsibility for the security of polling booths across the state which also includes 4834 sensitive booths on which only CAPFs are deployed, they further informed. After the completion of the polling process in the evening, all the ballot boxes were kept secured in the 339 strong rooms across the state and the responsibility to secure the strong rooms is given to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). (ANI)
One pilgrim was killed and two others went missing after falling from a hill near Parvati Bagh during the Shrikhand Mahadev Yatra in Himachal Pradesh, said officials on Sunday. As per information, the three pilgrims slipped while undertaking the Yatra from Parvati Bagh. Deputy Commissioner of Kullu Ashutosh Garg said that in view of the inclement weather conditions in the regions, a red alert has been issued and the Yatra has been suspended for Sunday and Monday. He said, "In view of the 'red' alert for heavy rain and the fact that the Yatra route beyond Parvati Bag is damaged, the Yatra has been suspended for July 9 and 10." The Shrikhand Mahadev trek is a pilgrim trail that leads to the Shrikhand Mahadev peak (17,150 ft), named after Lord Shiva. The main attraction of this trek is the view of the beautiful Himalayan ranges from the Parvati Valley. Earlier in the day, a portion of National Highway 3 has been washed away by the overflowing Beas River in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. Meanwhile, Losar village in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh received an 'unexpected' spell of snowfall on Sunday as various parts of north India remain affected due to heavy rainfall. The entire village was covered with a thick layer of snow after it experienced the surprise snowfall on Sunday morning. "Losar village received an unexpected sudden snowfall on Sunday morning as various parts of north India are affected due to heavy rainfall," officials said. A flash flood and a landslide occurred in Gramphu village and Chota Dharra in Lahaul and Spiti district in the wee hours of Sunday, an official statement said. No casualties were reported in the incident. Earlier on Saturday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for seven districts of the state and an orange alert for three districts for the next 48 hours as the state continued to receive heavy rainfall. IMD also issued alerts for flash floods, landslides in the state. "A red alert has been issued for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts. Most places in the state will receive rainfall. An orange alert has been issued for Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur districts," IMD HP deputy director Bui Lal told ANI. (ANI)
This photo taken on Jan. 24, 2023 shows the Kingfisher oil field in Kikuube, Uganda. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

KIKUUBE, Uganda, July 9 (Xinhua) -- On the shores of Lake Albert in central Africa, which is shared by Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, international oil giants China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and French TotalEnergies, are busy preparing to start Uganda's first-ever commercial oil production.

In the Kingfisher oil field here in Kikuube district in the Western Region of Uganda, and Tilenga oil field in neighboring Buliisa, run by CNOOC and TotalEnergies respectively, young Ugandan oil talents are taking on tasks, acquiring skills and knowledge from international experts.

Emmanuella Kaducu, was one of the oil and gas university students in Uganda who has won a national contest regarding the country's budding oil industry. One of the rewards of the contest was a trip to visit the oil wells in the western part of her country.

At Kingfisher, Kaducu and the other winners met their future peers who are already working in the oil and gas sector.

Kaducu told Xinhua in a recent interview that she drew a lot of inspiration from the young professionals, and this strengthens her resolute to finish her course in petroleum geoscience and production at university.

At Kingfisher, CNOOC has taken on young Ugandan professionals who acquire practical skills and knowledge from their Chinese supervisors.

Linette Naiga, a junior drilling engineer at a rig on one of the oil pads at Kingfisher who spoke to Kaducu and her friends, said increasingly young professionals are taking positions in the country's nascent oil sector. She said opportunities are there for those who are determined to work hard and focus on their career.

Naiga, who graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering and Environment Management in 2021, is optimistic that she will pass on the skills and knowledge acquired in the sector to younger Ugandans who join the oil and gas industry.

"Working with the Chinese is so rewarding, there is so much to learn, so much technology transfer. It is challenging though rewarding, it pushes me every other day to the limit," said Ambrose Ogwang, one of Naiga's workmates.

Ogwang, who is a drilling engineer, said his humble background, including his parents dying when he was young, did not stop him from pursuing his dream.

"In my family, my journey in oil industry has inspired quite a number. It has been a series of learning and growth," he added.

Kaducu said such stories from young people in the oil and gas industry are inspiring.

"There so many examples of young people doing well in the oil and gas industry. I know a number of those who were doing my course. I see that they are doing well, the impact they are making on people's lives," she said.

CNOOC and TotalEnergies in February last year announced the Final Investment Decision (FID) to start commercial production in Uganda. FID is the detailed plan that an oil company will follow to develop an oil field.

The 10-billion-USD project, according to Uganda's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, includes the development of the oil wells and the construction of a crude oil pipeline that will transport the oil from western Uganda to the Tanzanian seaport of Tanga.

The 1,445-km pipeline, estimated to cost 3.55 billion dollars, will be the world's longest-heated pipeline. The first oil output is expected in 2025 after completion of construction, according to the ministry. The project will generate about 160,000 jobs besides provisions of goods and services.

Uganda in 2006 discovered 6.5 billion barrels of oil, of which 1.4 billion barrels are commercially viable, according to the ministry. 

A Ugandan worker walks through facilities at the Kingfisher oil field in Kikuube, Uganda, Jan. 24, 2023. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)

A Ugandan worker operates the mud pump unit at the Kingfisher oil field in Kikuube, Uganda, Jan. 24, 2023. (Photo by Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua)
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Youth and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur on Sunday expressed deep concern over the election violence in West Bengal on the day of the Panchayat Polls. Reacting sharply to the violence that erupted in West Bengal on the day of the Panchayat Polls in the state, the Union Minister raised questions about the recurring instances of violence, arson, and anarchy in Bengal during elections, suggesting a disturbing trend. "It is disheartening to witness the prevalence of violence in Bengal during elections. The culture of resorting to destructive means tarnishes India's reputation and undermines the essence of democracy worldwide," Thakur stated. Referring to several instances of rigging, Thakur also criticized the use of ballot boxes instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He further remarked on the grave extent to which violence and murder were being used by Mamata Banerjee led TMC to establish dominance in Panchayati Raj. The deteriorating law and order situation in Bengal, which has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries, has drew attention and raised worries throughout the country and abroad, he said. Thakur strongly denounced the orchestrated violence in West Bengal, holding the Trinamool Congress (TMC) responsible. He posed a direct question to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asking why every election in West Bengal is accompanied by violence, bombings, and murders. He emphasized that the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cannot absolve herself of responsibility and that she must be held accountable. Additionally, Thakur pointed out the silence of certain individuals and groups who are typically vocal on issues related to violence. He questioned the silence of the "Award Vapsee" (award returning) gang, which was vocal even on minor incidents. "They are now, nowhere to be seen," he added. He urged everyone to address the alarming situation in Bengal and voiced disappointment over the lack of attention it has received. Thakur further called for immediate action to restore peace and order in West Bengal and ensure that democracy prevails in the state. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter Amit Shah tweeted, "The NDRF and the SDRF have always stood tall in service to the nation and humanity despite all odds. Their role has been crucial in fulfilling our goal of providing a safer Amarnath Yatra to every pilgrim."

"Sharing a photograph of an SDRF Jawan carrying a lady yatri on his back for 3 km through the unforgiving terrain of the Himalayas on her way back from the holy shrine. I applaud them for being the beacon of safety for the citizens," Shah tweeted.

Earlier today, the annual Amarnath Yatra resumed on the Pahalgam route following an improvement in weather conditions, officials said.

The Yatra on the other route, Baltal, is yet to resume.

Earlier, the Yatra was halted since Friday due to bad weather conditions in Jammu and Kashmir.

Authorities on Sunday stopped a batch of devotees at the Jammu Base camp due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

Following the suspension of the Yatra, 6,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were stranded at Ramban, officials said.

At least 80 people from Karnataka were trapped in the Panchtarni, six km away from the Amarnath cave following the adverse weather conditions, said the Karnataka government on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Mussarat Islam told ANI that the administration is taking all steps to ensure that the pilgrims do not face any problems.

The official further informed that Jammu Srinagar National Highway (NH44) remains closed for vehicular traffic at Ramban due to a landslide.

At least 67,566 pilgrims visited the Amarnath cave shrine since the beginning of the Yatra on July 1.

About 18,354 pilgrims on July 5 left for the Amarnath cave shrine both from the Baltal base camp and Nunwan base camp performed the darshan.

"These include 12483 males, 5146 females, 457 children, 266 sadhus, and 2 sadhvis," an official statement said earlier this week.

The total number of yatris who performed Darshan since the beginning is 67566. More yatris will visit the shrine in the coming days," it added.

The 62-day-long Shri Amarnath Yatra will culminate on August 31, 2023. (ANI)
Moderate to heavy rain continued to lash several parts of the city and its adjoining areas continued on Sunday morning with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting high-intensity showers over the National Capital for the next two days.

Heavy rainfall lashed Delhi on Saturday causing waterlogging in several areas of the national capital. Several areas like Pragati Maidan, Nehru Nagar, Panchsheel Marg, Kalkaji and ITO got waterlogged which restricted the movement of traffic.

Meanwhile, Amit Shah also spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and took updates about Amarnath Yatra which was suspended due heavy rains.

The annual Amarnath Yatra has been suspended for the third consecutive day on Sunday due to bad weather conditions in Jammu and Kashmir.

Authorities on Sunday stopped a batch of devotees at the Jammu Base camp due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

Following the suspension of the Yatra, 6,000 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were stranded at Ramban, officials said.

At least 67,566 pilgrims visited the Amarnath cave shrine since the beginning of the Yatra on July 1.

About 18,354 pilgrims on July 5 left for the Amarnath cave shrine both from the Baltal base camp and Nunwan base camp performed the darshan.

The 62-day-long Shri Amarnath Yatra will culminate on August 31, 2023. (ANI)
Multiple incidents of violence earlier on Saturday cast a long shadow on the conduct of the panchayat polls across the state.

Meanwhile, West Bengal State Election Commission on Sunday said the Police have confirmed 10 deaths in poll-related violence across the state.

The West Bengal State Election Commission stated that the police confirmed 10 deaths in the poll-related violence on Saturday that broke out in several parts of West Bengal on the day of the Panchayat Polls.

The three-tier panchayat elections in 20 districts were marked by widespread violence, looting of ballots papers and rigging.

There were reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes and assault on presiding officers in several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia.

Polling occurred on Saturday at 7 am amid tight security in the state in 73,887 seats in rural areas of West Bengal with 5.67 crore people deciding the fate of around 2.06 lakh candidates. The counting of votes will take place on July 11. (ANI)
"Inspected Patliputra Ground today on the complaint of the general public of Patliputra Colony, the situation is dilapidated, in view of which the people have been assured that the problem will be resolved soon by getting this ground included in the forest department from the cooperative," Tej Pratap Yadav tweeted.

Earlier on July 7, he inspected many parks in Kankarbagh and issued various guidelines to the officials.

"The work of inspection of parks in Patna is going on for the fourth consecutive day. During the surprise inspection of many parks in Kankarbagh, various guidelines were issued to the officials. Also met the people of the area and listened to their problems and resolved them," Bihar Minister tweeted.

These days Bihar minister is inspecting the parks of Patna and said that no laxity in work will be tolerated. (ANI)
The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education on Sunday released the Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) combined report for 2020-21 & 2021-22 which assesses the performance of school education system at the district level by creating an index for comprehensive analysis. The Indian Education System is one of the largest in the world with about 14.9 lakh schools, 95 lakh teachers, and nearly 26.5 crore students from varied socio-economic backgrounds, the Ministry of Education said in a statement. As per the Ministry of Education, "DoSE&L devised Performance Grading Index (PGI) for States and released a report for the reference years 2017-18 to 2020-21. Based on the success of State PGI, 83-indicator based PGI for District (PGI-D) has been designed to grade the performance of all districts in school education." "The data is filled by districts through an online portal. The PGI-D is expected to help the state education departments to identify gaps at the district level and improve their performance in a decentralized manner. The indicator-wise PGI score shows the areas where a district needs to improve. PGI-D report for 2018-19 and 2019-20 has been released so far the current one is a combined report for 2020-21 & 2021-22," MoE added. Education Ministry further said in a statement that The PGI-D structure comprises of total weightage of 600 points across 83 indicators, which are grouped under 6 categories viz., Outcomes, Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure Facilities & Student's Entitlements, School Safety & Child Protection, Digital Learning and Governance Process. These categories are further divided into 12 domains, Learning Outcomes and Quality (LO), Access Outcomes (AO), Teacher Availability and Professional Development Outcomes (TAPDO), Learning Management (LM), Learning Enrichment Activities (LEA), Infrastructure, Facilities, Student Entitlements (IF&SE), School Safety and Child Protection (SS&CP), Digital Learning (DL), Funds convergence and utilization (FCV), Enhancing CRCs Performance (CRCP), Attendance Monitoring Systems (AMS) and School Leadership Development (SLD). PGI-D grades the districts into ten grades, the Highest achievable Grade is Daksh, which is for Districts scoring more than 90 per cent of the total points in that category or overall. The lowest grade in PGI-D is called Akanshi-3 which is for scores upto 10 per cent of the total points. The ultimate objective of PGI-D is to help the districts to prioritise areas for intervention in school education and thus improve to reach the highest grade. (ANI)
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar on Saturday, Sinha said, "The new scheme would extend the monthly food availability to the PHH category at a subsidized rate, ensuring that it does not exceed 35 kg per household".

The scheme would cost the exchequer Rs 180 crore a year, officials said.

Officials from LGO's office informed, for the additional allocation, J&k govt will procure the rice from Government of India at Rs 34 per kg and it will be provided to the beneficiaries at Rs 25 per kg, thus ensuring subsidy of Rs 9 per kg.

"We are starting a new scheme named 'Prime Minister's Food Supplementation for Priority Households'," he said.

Officials further informed that under the new scheme, a PHH with one beneficiary will get an additional allocation of 5 kgs and a PHH with beneficiaries ranging from 2-5 will get an additional 10 kgs each month while maintaining maximum allocation per household.

The L-G further said that in the Priority Households (PHH) category, there are 14.32 lakh ration card holders with about 57.24 lakh beneficiaries.

"The new scheme would strengthen food security for marginal sections of society. It would ensure accessibility, affordability & availability of adequate quantity of food to Priority Households," officials further informed. (ANI)
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena approved the proposal to forward to Union Ministry of Home Affairs the recommendation for extension of 'The Gujarat Prevention of Anti-social Activities Act, 1985,' that provides for preventive detention of bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders and property grabbers for preventing their anti-social and dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, to the national capital. Delhi's Home Department on June 27, 2023 submitted the proposal to the LG Saxena for issuance of notification under Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act for extending the Gujarat law to the NCT of Delhi, a Raj Bhawat statement said. The Law Department, GNCTD has vetted the draft notification with the observation that the Administrative Department must ensure to comply with the provision of GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021 read with the GNCTD (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 and provisions of Transaction of Business Rules (TBR), 1993, which entail that the draft notification be sent to the Union Home Ministry for extension of the said Act to the National Capital, it said. It may be noted that an identical law from Telangana (The Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Boot Leggers, property offenders ... etc Act, 1986) was also examined and it was found that the Gujarat Law is more reasonable and better. Further, the Lieutenant Governor had also agreed to the proposal that the Gujarat Law may be forwarded to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for considering its extension to the national capital after taking note of the observation that between Telangana and Gujarat law, "the Gujarat law is more reasonable and better". Earlier in March this year, Saxena accorded approval to the proposal of the Home Department that Delhi Police should effectively use The National Security Act of 1980 whose purpose is "to provide for preventive detention in certain cases and for matters connected therewith". Delhi Police vide its letter dated February 14, 2023, had requested that the provisions of the Gujarat Act be examined. The Home Department in October last year had forwarded the approval accorded by the Lieutenant Governor to the request of the Delhi Police to examine the Telangana and Gujarat Laws for taking a decision, inter-alia, including a decision on the subject of the Law & Order Vs Public Order and the competency to extend the proposed law to NCT of Delhi. Section 2 of the Union Territories (Laws) Act, 1950 dealing with the Power to extend enactments to certain Union Territories, entails that, "The Central Government may, by notification in the official gazette, extend to the Union Territory of Delhi or any part of such territory, with such restrictions and modifications as it thinks fit, any enactment which is in force in a State at the date of the notification". It is expected that once notified the said Act will provide the Police with more teeth to deal with criminals and at the same time ensure effective deterrence against crimes like chain snatching, bootlegging, drug peddling and trafficking etc. (ANI)
"As a part of Operation Goldmine, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 48 kg of gold paste at Surat International Airport. This is one of the biggest gold seizures at airports in recent times," said DRI

Further investigation is underway, said an official.

Meanwhile, on July 3, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Trichy International Airport intercepted a male passenger on Tuesday and seized 382.00 grammes of 24-carat gold worth Rs 22.52 lakh, said officials. (ANI)
This photo taken on July 7, 2023 shows an artwork exhibited at an Italian contemporary art exhibition "Italian Contemporary Art and Artists on the Silk Road" in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province.(Xinhua/Zhao Yingbo)

XI'AN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- An Italian contemporary art exhibition at the Grand Tang Mall, an enchanting scenic area in the historic Chinese city of Xi'an, has attracted visitors for the past month.

The touring exhibition, "Italian Contemporary Art and Artists on the Silk Road," closed on Sunday after 37 days at the Xi'an Art Museum in the scenic area, having welcomed over 60,000 people.

"It is like traditional Chinese culture and modern Western art communicating with each other in the same block, making the exhibition a captivating journey that transcends time and space," said Zhang Yin, an art enthusiast from Beijing.

What makes the exhibition unique is its tour route. According to its curator, Angela Tecce, the exhibition began in Italy, the end point of the ancient Silk Road. It has toured several countries and regions along the route, including Turkiye and Uzbekistan, and finally landed in China's Xi'an, the starting point of the Silk Road.

The exhibition's tour to China can be read as a message of renewal and a fresh beginning, in which art confirms itself as a true facilitator for dialogue, said Pasquale Terracciano, director general for public and cultural diplomacy at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in a preface to the display.

The cultural communication between China and Italy can be traced back to ancient times. In the Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-25 A.D.), Chinese envoy Zhang Qian began his journey to the West via Central Asia, and opened up a trade route that later became the Silk Road.

Originally a setting for commercial exchange, it evolved into a crossroads of different cultures. More than 700 years ago, the Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo traveled to China on the ancient Silk Road. Chinese culture had spread to the Italian Peninsula through the trade of silk, tea and porcelain, and Roman architecture and art had also spread to China.

In recent years, the Xi'an Art Museum has been working closely with its peers in Italy. In 2018, it held the exhibition "Beyond the Wall: Xi'an Contemporary Art Exhibition" in Florence, Italy, and it was well-received by locals.

Both China and Italy boast long histories. Since visual art needs no translation, the exhibition can serve as a carrier for direct dialogue between classical and contemporary art, and between East and West, said Yang Chao, curator of the Xi'an Art Museum.

A total of 31 art pieces from 33 emerging Italian artists and established masters were on display at the exhibition. The artists utilized a variety of creative methods to manifest Italy's latest artistic developments, from the 1960s to the present day. Exhibits ranged from paintings and photography to sculpture and installation.

One of the artworks, "What holds it all together," drew many visitors. Made from porcelain and organic glass, it was inspired by the porcelain from the royal palace of Naples, demonstrating the then-popular artistic genre known as chinoiserie.

"The touring exhibition was vital to cultural exchange and the formation of consensus between the peoples of China and Italy in today's turbulent world," Yang said. 

A visitor takes photos of an exhibit during an Italian contemporary art exhibition "Italian Contemporary Art and Artists on the Silk Road" at the Xi'an Art Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, July 4, 2023.(Xinhua/Zhang Sijie)

Visitors view exhibits during an Italian contemporary art exhibition "Italian Contemporary Art and Artists on the Silk Road" at the Xi'an Art Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, July 4, 2023.(Xinhua/Zhang Sijie)

Visitors view exhibits during an Italian contemporary art exhibition "Italian Contemporary Art and Artists on the Silk Road" at the Xi'an Art Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, July 7, 2023.(Xinhua/Zhao Yingbo)
According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Moradabad, Akhilesh Bhadoria, the accused were identified as Lucky, Saurabh and Lala, all residents of Laxmanpuri Chidiya Tola locality of Moradabad.

Information about the incident came to light after the minor's mother filed a complaint against the three accused in Moradabad's Majhola Police Station.

The complainant alleged that the incident took place on July 2 when her daughter was alone near their residence, said SP Bhadoria.

The police official also stated that as per the complainant, the three accused lured the minor while she was alone near her residence.

After luring the girl, accused Lala alongwith the other perpetrators took her to his father's residence and committed the heinous crime, added the SP.

The SP further stated that the three accused had also filmed the rape incident and started blackmailing the girl.

Subsequently, the girl's mother discovered the incident and filed a complaint against the three accused.

Civil Lines Circle Officer (CO) Arpit Kapoor said that on the complaint of the victim's mother, a case has been registered against the three accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Officials also stated that the three accused are presently on the run, and that a search to nab them has been launched.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)
The annual Urs of Sufi Saint Syed Peer Akbar Shah Khaleefa-e-Naqashbandi (RA) was celebrated with religious fervor in Ganderbal, Kashmir. The tranquil village of Waliwar in Ganderbal district buzzed with spiritual energy and devotion as thousands of devotees gathered to honor the revered saint. This two-day event, held at the saint's shrine, attracted devotees from far and wide, seeking solace, divine blessings, and a deeper connection with their spiritual heritage. The serene surroundings of Waliwar Lar were filled with prayers, hymns, and the fragrance of incense. Devotees of all ages arrived at the shrine to pay their respects to Hazrat Syed Peer Akbar Shah Khaleefa-e-Naqashbandi (RA) and participate in the sacred rituals of the Urs. Abdul Rouf Qureshi, a devoted attendee, expressed his deep devotion, stating, "Attending the Urs fills my heart with tranquility and brings me closer to the teachings of Hazrat Syed Peer Akbar Shah Khaleefa-e-Naqashbandi (RA). His message of love, peace, and unity resonates with me, and I feel blessed to be part of this spiritual gathering." The Urs featured special congregational prayers held at Darga Aliyaa, where devotees fervently prayed for the well-being and prosperity of the Muslim Ummah, with a particular focus on the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The atmosphere was charged with overwhelming faith and devotion as individuals sought spiritual enlightenment and blessings from the revered saint. During the Urs, devotees had the opportunity to witness the Tabarkat (sacred relics) associated with Hazrat Syed Peer Akbar Shah Khaleefa-e-Naqashbandi (RA). It is believed that these relics possess spiritual blessings and serve as a source of inspiration and healing for the faithful. Sajada Nasheen Khaleefa Silsilla, Syed Peer Afsar Shah, Syed Peer Skindar Shah, and Per Aksar Shah spoke about the significance of the Urs and emphasized the teachings of Hazrat Syed Peer Akbar Shah Khaleefa-e-Naqashbandi (RA) in building a society based on virtuous values. They stated, "The annual Urs is a time for introspection and renewing our commitment to live by the teachings of our revered saint. It is an opportunity to foster unity, love, and harmony in our communities." The Urs serves as a reminder of the timeless values promoted by Hazrat Syed Peer Akbar Shah Khaleefa-e-Naqashbandi (RA) - values that advocate peace, compassion, and social harmony. The event brings together people from diverse backgrounds, transcending barriers of caste, creed, and gender, as they gather in devotion and seek spiritual guidance. As the celebrations come to a close, devotees carry with them a profound sense of spiritual rejuvenation. They remain steadfast in their commitment to the teachings of Hazrat Syed Peer Akbar Shah Khaleefa-e-Naqashbandi (RA), aspiring to emulate his virtuous life and spread his message of love and unity in their own spheres of influence. (ANI)
Researchers discovered how the WOX13 gene influences the fate of regenerating plant cells and how this affects shoot regeneration efficiency. The study was published in the journal, 'Science Advances.' Plants are the only animals that can regenerate entirely from a somatic cell, which is a normal cell that does not normally participate in reproduction. This process involves the formation of a shoot apical meristem (SAM) from scratch, which gives rise to lateral organs that are essential for plant reconstruction. SAM formation is tightly regulated at the cellular level by either positive or negative regulators (genes/protein molecules), which can either induce or restrict shoot regeneration. The process was studied in Arabidopsis, a plant commonly used in genetic research, by a research team led by Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) in Japan. Their findings were published in Science Advances, and they identified and characterised a key negative regulator of shoot regeneration. They showed how the WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 13 (WOX13) gene and its protein can promote callus cell non-meristematic (non-dividing) function by acting as a transcriptional (RNA-level) repressor, influencing regeneration efficiency. "The search for strategies to enhance shoot regeneration efficiency in plants has been a long one. But progress has been hindered because the related regulatory mechanisms have been unclear. Our study fills this gap by defining a new cell-fate specification pathway," explained Momoko Ikeuchi, the principal investigator of this study. Previous studies from her team had already established the role of WOX13 in tissue repair and organ adhesion after grafting. Hence, they first tested the potential role of this gene in the control of shoot regeneration in a wox13 Arabidopsis mutant (plant with dysfunctional WOX13) using a two-step tissue culture system. Phenotypic and imaging analysis revealed that shoot regeneration was accelerated (3 days faster) in plants lacking WOX13, and slower when WOX13 expression was induced. Moreover, in normal plants, WOX13 showed locally reduced expression levels in SAM. These findings suggest that WOX13 can negatively regulate shoot regeneration. To validate their findings, the researchers compared the wox13 mutants and wild-type (normal) plants using RNA-sequencing at multiple time points. The absence of WOX13 did not considerably alter Arabidopsis gene expression under callus-inducing conditions. However, shoot-inducing conditions significantly enhanced the alterations induced by the wox13 mutation, leading to an upregulation of shoot meristem regulator genes. Interestingly, these genes were suppressed within 24 hours of WOX13 overexpression in mutant plants. Overall, they found that WOX13 inhibits a subset of shoot meristem regulators while directly activating cell wall modifier genes involved in cell expansion and cellular differentiation. Subsequent Quartz-Seq2-based single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) confirmed the key role of WOX13 in specifying the fate of pluripotent callus cells. This study highlights that unlike other known negative regulators of shoot regeneration, which only prevent the shift from callus toward SAM, WOX13 inhibits SAM specification by promoting the acquisition of alternative fates. It achieves this inhibition through a mutually repressive regulatory circuit with the regulator WUS, promoting the non-meristematic cell fate by transcriptionally inhibiting WUS and other SAM regulators and inducing cell wall modifiers. In this way, WOX13 acts as a major regulator of regeneration efficiency. "Our findings show that knocking out WOX13 can promote the acquisition of shoot fate and enhance shoot regulation efficiency. This means that WOX13 knockout can serve as a tool in agriculture and horticulture and boost the tissue culture-mediated de novo shoot regeneration of crops," concluded Ikeuchi. (ANI)
Chinese authorities imposed a fine of nearly USD 1 billion for the financial technology giant Ant Group on Friday, nearly three years after regulators blocked the company's proposal for a record-breaking public offering, which launched a period of intensified government scrutiny of technology firms, The New York Times (NYT) reported. A period of stringent regulation for the industry is coming to an end with the announcement of the penalties by China's top securities regulator, which is considered a hint that the authorities are closing up their inquiries into technological companies. Officials said this year that they would begin to relax their control over tech companies. Following the crackdown on Ant in 2020, its sister company Alibaba, received a record antitrust penalty of USD 2.8 billion, while Didi, a ride-hailing company, received a USD 1.2 billion fine. The Chinese authorities fined Ant and its subsidiaries USD 985 million and ordered the company to shut down its crowdfunding platform for medical costs, Xianghubao. The regulators have also announced a switch in their focus, as "most of the prominent problems in the financial business of technology giants have been rectified", as per NYT. In a statement, Ant Group said it "has been conducting business rectification proactively since 2020 and would comply with the terms of the penalty in all earnestness and sincerity." Ant, one of the biggest online financial tech companies in the world, was founded in 2014. Chinese regulators stopped Ant's massive IPO in November 2020 only days before it was scheduled to raise an estimated USD 34 billion in Hong Kong and Shanghai, in what was anticipated to be the largest IPO ever. Chinese officials gave Ant one month to revamp its business. At the time, Ant was deemed to have been "indifferent" to the law by the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank. The company was given orders by the central bank to increase transparency, strengthen corporate governance, and create a holding company, according to NYT. After Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Ant, publicly criticised Chinese regulators in 2020 for limiting innovation and being unduly conservative, the probe against Ant got underway. Ma, the prominent Chinese IT entrepreneur, then disappeared from the public eye. This year, Ant Group announced that Ma would give up ownership of the company. At about the same time, the Chinese central bank announced that its regulatory battle against Big Tech was almost complete. After spending a significant amount of time abroad, Ma recently returned to mainland China, sparking rumours that he would take on a more significant position at Alibaba. In a shake-up last month, two seasoned executives who assisted Ma in founding Alibaba were given the reins of the company. Alibaba Group said in March that it would transform into a holding company and restructure into six distinct business groups, each with its own CEO and board of directors. By making this choice, the units could be able to execute successful IPOs and allay Beijing's worries about the internet giant's growing strength and influence, The New York Times reported. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [UAE], July 9 (ANI/WAM): The National Election Committee (NEC) today announced the lists of the electoral college members from all emirates for the 2023 Federal National Council (FNC) elections, which features 398,879 members, marking an 18.1 per cent hike over the 2019 lists that included 337,738 Emirati electors. The representation of Emirati women in the electoral college for 2023 has increased by 51 per cent, compared to 49 per cent for men, the NEC said, adding that the electoral college lists have a significant representation of electors in the 21-40 age category (55 per cent), reflecting the crucial role of youth in the UAE's progress. Those in the 21-30 age category and 31-40 age category account for 29.89 per cent and 25.11 per cent respectively of all electoral college members. "This allows a large number of young Emiratis across the UAE to participate in the elections and choose their representatives in FNC," the NEC added. In terms of geographical distribution, 126,779 members originate from Abu Dhabi, 73,181 members from Dubai, 72,946 members from Sharjah, 12,600 members from Ajman, 7,577 members from Umm Al Qaiwain, 62,197 members from Ras Al Khaimah and 43,559 members are from Fujairah. Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of NEC affirmed that the unlimited support extended by President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and the Rulers of the Emirates, constitutes the key cornerstone for developing the parliamentary experiment in the UAE. ''The announcement of the electoral colleges marks a new, important milestone in organising the electoral process as per the best standards in line with the UAE people's aspirations and preserving the gains through which the UAE offered an exemplary parliamentary model based on consultation and effective participation in the decision-making process,'' he added. NEC has requested members of the electoral college to validate their names on the 2023 list using their Emirates ID numbers through a variety of channels, including its website and smart applications on the App Store and Google Play. The electors can also contact the elections call centre on 600500005, and track their names or talk directly to the centre's representative. They can also visit the electoral committee office in their respective emirate for any clarifications. According to the Executive Regulations, all citizens in the electoral college list are entitled to participate in the electoral process, whether as candidates or as voters. Every voter has the right to vote once in person and cannot authorise anyone else to exercise this right on his or her behalf, the NEC concluded. (ANI/WAM)
Members of the Indian community holding the Tricolour, on Saturday (local time), gathered outside the consulate to protect their diplomats and the consulate office, and unitedly countered a pro-Khalistan protest in Canada's Toronto. The Indian diasporas were seen raising slogans like "Bharat Mata ki jai", "Vande Mataram", "Long Live India" and "Khalistan Murdabad", and carried placards, written, "Khalistani are not Sikh", and "Canada stop supporting Khalistani Canadian terrorists". The pro-Khalistani protesters, in the purported video, could be seen disrespecting the Tricolour. Sunil Arora, one of the Indian diaspora in Canada, said, "We are standing here infront of the Consulate to face the Khalistanis. We are trying to stop Khalistanis nonsense here and we are here for the solidarity of India and Canada, altogether. They are giving wrong information saying that they will kill our diplomats which is... and we are totally against that." Another member of the Indian diaspora, Anil Shiringi said that they are there to support the Indian Consulate and stood up against the Khalistani's threat, which was given to Indian diplomats. Vidya Bhushan Dhar, another member of the Indian community, who stood in the counter-protest outside the consulate, said, "Canada is a peaceful country and we wanted to remain peaceful and we should. Basically, we are trying to tell the government of Canada to take cognizance of this that this is not freedom of expression. This is for sure not a freedom of expression." "When you tell somebody that you are killing somebody or you are displaying a killing act like the one which happened in Branton last week you are not basically showing the freedom of expression but you are promoting reason and separatism. So the government of Canada is requesting by the peace calling Canadians like me and Sunil ji that they take cognizance of this and take appropriate measures and cut the perforators to the site," he added. Pro-Khalistani elements had announced to hold rallies outside Indian Missions in the UK, US, Canada and Australia on Saturday after the alleged killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last month. This was followed by posters threatening the Indian ambassadors to Canada and the US, as well as the consulate general in Toronto. In the past couple of months, three major anti-India incidents involving Khalistani separatists have been reported in Canada. According to sources, India on Monday raised concerns over threats to its diplomats in posters being circulated in Canada with information on a pro-Khalistan rally to be held on July 8. The posters contained threats to the Indian Ambassador to Canada and the consulate general in Toronto. The posters purportedly circulated by Sikh extremists have named Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and the Consulate General of India, Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava accusing them of playing a role in the alleged killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Nijjar. (ANI)
The Department of Refugees and Repatriation of Afghanistan said that these Afghan nationals were detained after failing to provide legal residence permits. The detainees were returned to the country through the Spin Boldak crossing point after being released.

At least 556 Afghan refugees were deported to Afghanistan via the Spin Boldak border from July 4 to 6, according to the statistics released by the Taliban.

According to the Taliban's border security command in the Spin Boldak area of southern Kandahar province, 83 families including 537 individuals and 19 single people returned to the country from Pakistan.

The ministry said the returnees were referred to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to receive the required aid after registration, according to Khaama Press.

The source added that Salamat Network provided free treatment for some returnees who suffered from different diseases.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Refugee Council provided food packages to the returnees, the statement said.

After the recent regime change in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans migrated to the neighboring countries including Iran and Pakistan fearing death threats and persecution by the Taliban's de facto authorities.

Last month, on June 25, a total of 230 Afghan migrant families from Pakistan returned to Afghanistan through the Torkham crossing in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported.

The refugee department said that each family received drinking water, biscuits, and the return fare and expenditure from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office, Khaama Press reported.

The Taliban-led Nimruz province's Directorate of Immigrants and Returnees Affairs said that 64,115 Afghan migrants returned to Afghanistan through the Nimruz crossing in May. Afghan migrants returned after Amnesty International received recent complaints from Afghan refugees alleging harassment by Pakistani police, the report said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Islamabad called on the Pakistan government to stop arresting and expelling refugees after the arbitrary detention of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Khaama Press reported. (ANI)
Bhutan's National Assembly Speaker Wangchuk Namgyel thanked the King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck for his work on the peace and security of the country and stated that he didn't even pause for "a moment of rest," The Bhutan Live reported. On Sunday, the King, along with his Queen the Gyaltsuen graced the closing ceremony of the 9th session of the third parliament. During that occasion, National Assembly's Speaker, in his closing ceremony said that the DeSuung and Gyalsuung programmes have been recognised as crucial elements for strengthening the country's identity and heritage. "His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo embarked on a journey to Pelrithang, Gelephu to honour the passing out parade of the 56th DeSuung Batch, who successfully completed their pilot basic military training. Not pausing for even a moment of rest, His Majesty, imparted invaluable wisdom and guidance to the trainees," the National Assembly's Speaker said. He further stated, "His Majesty emphasised the uniqueness of Bhutan as a nation, forged through the collective efforts of generations, and emphasised the need to persistently strengthen these endeavours. The DeSuung and Gyalsuung programs, in particular, were highlighted as integral elements for fortifying the nation's identity and heritage. This inspiring message not only moved the general public but also motivated the young participants in the Gyalsuung training programme. The Parliament expresses its heartfelt appreciation to His Majesty for this uplifting guidance, which deeply touches the people's hearts." The King, on 17 December 2019, announced the launch of Gyalsung - National Service. The Gyalsung is envisioned as a one-year integrated training program mandatory for all youths attaining the age of 18 and if in school - upon completion of grade twelve. Meanwhile, the Desuung programme strives to provide Bhutan's youth with knowledge, training, and a feeling of civic duty so they can support the growth of their country. The current session adopted the National Digital Identity Bill of Bhutan 2023, the Pay Revision Bill of Bhutan 2023, the Forest and Nature Conservation Bill of Bhutan 2021 and the Civil Liability Bill of Bhutan 2022, according to The Bhutan Live. The King has granted assent to the Budget Appropriation Bill for Financial Year 2023-2024 and the Supplementary Budget Appropriation Bill for Financial Year 2022-2023. The National Assembly also adopted The Biological Corridor Nine Bill of Bhutan 2023, Agreement on the Movement of Traffic-in-Transit between the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Royal Government of Bhutan, The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Charter and The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They were presented to the National Council. (ANI)
After the Indian community unitedly countered a pro-Khalistan protest in Canada's Toronto, Former Indian Ambassador to Jordan, Libya and Malta, Anil Trigunayat, on Sunday, said that this is "a letdown for the Khalistani extremists and separatists". "This is really, in a way, a letdown for the Khalistani extremists and separatists who have been threatening the Indian diplomats and the Indian missions for quite some time and have been indulging in anti-activities," former Indian diplomat Trigunayat said. Earlier, the Indian community holding the Tricolour, on Saturday (local time), gathered outside the consulate and unitedly countered a pro-Khalistan protest in Canada's Toronto. "Regarding the safety of Indian diplomats, the External Affairs Minister and Prime Minister have conveyed messages and concerns about the safety and security of the diplomats and our missions," Trigunayat said in a self-made video. Trigunayat further stated that if the foreign countries wished to continue the strategic partnership and a special relationship with India then they have to ban "seditious activities." "If they wish to continue to have the same sort of strategic partnership and the special relationship that they expect from India, I think it is important that seditious activities like these should be banned and controlled in their countries. The most minimum they can do is to fulfil their commitments," he said. "As regards the Vienna Conventions are concerned and they seem to be the upholders of that. And therefore they have to show in practice that yes, we stand by it and not by vote politics or by, I would say, the implicit designs that act against India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added. The former diplomat stated that India has sent a loud and clear message. He further added that the US, UK, and Canadian governments for the time being taken adequate action to protect the Indian premises. "But these kinds of activities like referendums and all that must not be allowed from their own soil under the garb of some kind of democracy and freedom and rights, etc, Trigunayat said. Pro-Khalistani elements had announced to hold rallies outside Indian Missions in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia on Saturday after the alleged killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last month. This was followed by posters threatening the Indian ambassadors to Canada and the US, as well as the consulate general in Toronto. According to sources, India on Monday raised concerns over threats to its diplomats in posters being circulated in Canada with information on a pro-Khalistan rally to be held on July 8. The posters contained threats to the Indian Ambassador to Canada and the consulate general in Toronto. The posters purportedly circulated by Sikh extremists have named Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and the Consulate General of India, Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava accusing them of playing a role in the alleged killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Nijjar. (ANI)
Taliban's Ministry of Border and Tribal Affairs in a statement said that border issues were thoroughly discussed between the two sides on July 8.

Moreover, Mawlavi Ghulam Nabi Sameem, the head of the border and tribal affairs department of the Taliban for northern Jawzjan province spoke about the challenges faced by local residents along the border.

The Taliban authorities assured their Uzbekistan counterparts that they will not permit insurgent groups to use Afghan soil against Uzbekistan, reported Khaama Press.

However, the Taliban officials did not provide any further details on what they meant by "border issues." Notably, in the past two years, several rockets were launched to Uzbekistan.

Furthermore, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has continuously warned that thousands of ISIS fighters are positioned in Afghanistan's northern borders which can strike severe threats to the security of Central Asian states, as per Khaama Press.

Contrarily, Afghanistan's de facto authorities have denied such claims and termed them as propaganda and baseless allegations aimed at destroying Afghanistan's relations with its neighbours. (ANI)
by Xinhua writer Guo Yuqi

GUIYANG, China, July 9 (Xinhua) -- South of the Yangtze River, southwest China's Guizhou Province is a realm of biodiversity, karst landscape and natural heritage. In the province's capital city Guiyang, a two-day global forum on ecological civilization just concluded.

As a national-level global forum themed on ecological civilization, the Eco Forum Global Guiyang 2023, which attracted over 3,200 participants, provided a platform for international discussion on ecological civilization and green development.

FIGHTING CHALLENGES

Guizhou, a mountainous region, has overcome ecological degradation and severe economic distress to become what it is today.

At the forum, participants were welcome to taste the locally-produced Roxburgh rose juice. This small and sweet fruit has a remarkable history of fighting against rocky desertification.

Rocky desertification, also known as "the earth cancer," refers to land degradation where vegetation is destroyed, bedrock is exposed and the surface resembles a desert landscape. Local people would say, "Rocks come to light, no plants survive."

In Guizhou, areas of rocky desertification are often located in impoverished regions. People discovered that Roxburgh roses are relatively cold-resistant, shade-tolerant and have well-developed root systems, making them naturally appropriate for combating rocky desertification.

With government support, local people in areas of rocky desertification areas such as Liupanshui City, Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Qiannan, Anshun City and Bijie City started to grow Roxburgh roses in stone cracks and make products out of its fruits, which not only improved natural conditions but also helped people find a path to wealth.

Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, once visited the Roxburgh rose planting areas in central Guizhou. He underscored that this solution for combating rocky desertification has economic value and inspires the world.

This is just one example of the numerous instances where Guizhou showcases the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. Through years of dedicated efforts toward building a more eco-friendly society, Guizhou was designated the country's ecological civilization pilot zone in 2016.

Thorjorn Larssen, deputy managing director of the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, came to China for the first time in 1993. He recalled that when he first came to Guiyang 30 years ago, the air pollution in the city was quite severe. "It's very impressive to see how the air quality has improved and how fast measures are taken."

According to the professor, poverty reduction and environmental improvement must go hand in hand. Ecological civilization entails incorporating environmental considerations into all forms of social progress.

COMMON GOALS

The pursuit of ecological civilization in China matters to the world because no country or continent can manage environmental issues alone.

In his congratulatory letter to the Eco Forum Global Annual Conference Guiyang 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping said, "ecological conservation concerns the future of humankind, and it's the common goal of all nations to build a green home."

Examples such as the commitment to achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality, as well as the promotion of initiatives like the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, demonstrate that China is dedicated to building a beautiful China and shouldering global responsibilities.

"We face roughly the same issues worldwide," said Tamas Hajba, senior advisor for China with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). "It's very important that we measure biodiversity loss and exchange information and data with each other, and this is the way how we improve our own policies," he added.

Furthermore, China's experience, accumulated over generations and in diverse geographical conditions, is valuable for those facing similar challenges.

Solutions in tandem with the Sustainable Development Goals provide a global roadmap that protects the planet but also reduces poverty and leaves no one behind, James George, deputy resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme in China, told Xinhua.

"We are working closely together with China and all partners globally to develop new innovative development actions. Let us utilize this opportunity to share the best practices and new innovative approaches in China that we can share with the rest of the world for mutual exchange and learning for a better planet for everyone," he said.

Michia Moncho, a full-time national community member of the Young Communist League of South Africa responsible for international relations, was impressed by what she saw in China. Besides theorizing "development," what matters is to work with people and show them that ecological civilization is not only going to benefit us for now but for generations to come, she noted during the eco forum.

"I'll take home what I saw here, how China is implementing measures with Chinese characteristics, and we, as South Africans, can implement them with our characteristics," she said.

LEADING ROLE

In recent years, China has been leading in addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and promoting a green transformation. The green technologies developed in China have benefited other parts of the world.

In his written statement for the World Leaders Summit at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2021, Xi said it is vital to harness innovations in science and technology to transform and upgrade the energy and resources sectors as well as the industrial structure and consumption pattern.

"We will foster a green, low-carbon and circular economic system at a faster pace, press ahead with industrial structure adjustment, and rein in the irrational development of energy-intensive and high-emission projects," he said.

Erik Solheim, former executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, told the eco forum that according to his observation, several Chinese companies are leading the way in future green industries, some even being established in third-tier small cities.

These companies, such as those in the electric vehicle industry, "brought jobs, prosperity, and profits in China, while at the same time, it is very good for global environmental progress," Solheim said.

A few days earlier in Camacari, Brazil, Chinese automaker BYD announced the construction of a production base complex comprising three factories, which is expected to create over 5,000 new jobs in the local area. In addition to producing electric vehicles, the complex will process lithium-iron phosphate batteries.

Filipe Porto, a researcher at the Federal University of ABC and a member of the Brazilian Foreign Policy Observatory, believes China is becoming an essential partner for Brazil to meet its decarbonization and energy needs.

In Africa, China has been working with countries to meet their green targets.

"China has been the leading partner in the continent's desired to switch to solar and wind energy," said Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar.

The expert told Xinhua that with China's help, Kenya is now home to the largest grid-connected solar power plant in East and Central Africa. The Garissa China-built 50MW solar power plant is proving benefits to the country as Kenya now taps over 2 percent of the national energy source from the facility.

Adhere said that through targeted technology transfers, Kenyans in the northern part of the country are now reaping the benefits of Chinese technology with improved access to power. Enditem

(Zhang Dailei, Zhang Yuan, Wu Si, Zhou Xuanni, Liu Qinbing, Liu Wanli, Li Hualing, Zhao Yan, Chen Weihua, Yang Yanbin and Xie Jiang also contributed to the story.)
Indian Tri services contingent on Saturday held practice sessions in France for the Bastille Day parade on July 14, the Indian Defence officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this year's parade as the guest of honour at the invitation of France's President Emmanuel Macron. The tri-services contingent of the Indian Armed Forces marching alongside their French counterparts left for France on Thursday. The Bastille Day Parade will witness a 269-member tri-services contingent of the Indian Armed Forces marching alongside their French partners, the Ministry of Defence said. The Fete Nationale Francaise is celebrated on July 14 or the National Day in France. It is also known as Bastille Day as this day is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789 during the French Revolution. The Ministry further stated that the association of the Indian and the French Armies dates back to World War 1. Over 1.3 million Indian soldiers participated in the war and almost 74,000 of them fought in the muddy trenches to never return again, while another 67,000 were wounded. Indian troops valiantly fought on French soil also. This year, both countries are celebrating 25 years of Strategic Partnership. The armies of both countries have been participating in joint exercises and sharing their experiences. Over the years, India and France have become reliable defence partners. The Indian Army contingent comprising of 77 marching personnel and 38 members of the Band is being led by Captain Aman Jagtap. Indian Navy contingent is being led by Commander Vrat Baghel and the Indian Air Force contingent by Wing Commander Sudha Reddy. The Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force will also form part of the flypast during the parade. The Army contingent is being represented by the Punjab Regiment which is one of the oldest Regiments of the Indian Army. The troops of the Regiment have participated in both the World Wars as well as the post-independence operations. In World War-I, they were awarded 18 Battle and Theatre Honours. The Rajputana Rifles Regiment Band is accompanying the contingent. (ANI)
The city, which was retaken by Ukrainian forces last year, was rocketed by Russian troops, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Ukrainian military administration in the Donetsk region.

According to him, the residential blocks were explicitly targeted in the attack on Saturday.

Earlier the toll was reported as eight people killed and thirteen were injured in the Russian shelling in Ukraine that took place on Saturday, CNN reported citing the Ukrainian officials.

The shelling took place around 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET). Russian forces launched multiple launch rocket systems towards the town, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the chief of the military administration for the Donetsk area.

A house and a store were damaged as a result of the shelling that struck a private residential area, according to CNN.

Police and emergency services are on the site for rescue work, Kyrylenko added. According to the interior ministry of Ukraine, firefighters put out fires in three vehicles, a nearby shop and a private residential property.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began 500 days ago on February 24 last year. Since then, numerous people have been displaced and killed. Quoting Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office on Saturday, CNN reported that at least 494 children have been killed and 1,051 injured since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. (ANI)
1 person in hospital after shooting in northeast Charlotte, MEDIC says

One person is in the hospital after being shot in northeast Charlotte on Saturday evening.

The incident happened just after 5 p.m. on Curtiswood Drive, just off Eastway Drive.

ALSO READ: Juvenile suspect in custody after deadly shooting at northwest Charlotte shopping center

MEDIC said they took one person to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Channel 9 has reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for more information about the shooting.

Details are limited at this time.

This is a developing story; check back at wsoctv.com for updates

(WATCH BELOW: Arrest made in Statesville shooting that left 1 man hospitalized, police say)




14-year-old arrested in deadly shooting of Kansas man, authorities say

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating a shooting that left a man dead on Friday in southeast Kansas.

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in the shooting, authorities said.

Thaine Lee Anderson, 74, of Cherryvale, Kansas, was shot in the head, according to a KBI news release.

The preliminary investigation indicates the death is the result of a homicide, the KBI said.

Around 1:30 p.m. Friday deputies from the Labette County Sheriffs Office responded to a shooting call at Andersons home at 21079 Douglas Road, the release said.

Around 2 p.m., the Labette County Sheriffs Office requested help and KBI agents and the crime scene response team responded, the release said.

Investigators located a suspect, a 14-year-old boy, whose name was not released. He was arrested and faces a charge of first-degree murder. He is being held at the Southeast Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Girard, Kansas, the release said.

It is unknown what led up the shooting and if the boy and victim knew each other.

The investigation is ongoing, the KBI said. No further information will be released at this time.

The case will be handled by the Labette County Attorney.

The Kansas Wildlife and Parks also assisted with the investigation.
A 14-year-old girl with a learning disability went missing. Military police found her in Camp Pendleton barracks 2 weeks later.

This file photo shows the main gate of Camp Pendleton Marine Base at Camp Pendleton. Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

A 14-year-old girl went missing on June 9 and was later found by military police in Camp Pendleton barracks.

Military authorities and a human-trafficking task force are now investigating the case.

An active-duty Marine has reportedly been taken into custody.

A 14-year-old girl whose family says she has a learning disability went missing for two weeks until she was discovered by military police at the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Military authorities have since taken an active-duty Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 5 into custody, a military spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. San Diego's human-trafficking task force is also investigating the incident, along with the Naval Criminal Investigative Services, the sheriff's department told Insider in a statement.

It's unclear if that Marine has been criminally charged or released from custody. Military representatives did not immediately provide a statement to Insider.

A woman who identified herself as the girl's aunt, Casaundra Perez, posted a TikTok video that quickly went viral, alleging her niece was raped at the Camp Pendleton military barracks.

"They're trying to cover it up and place the majority of the blame on her. However, the reality is the whole facility allowed this to happen," Perez said in her video. "The security looked her in the face and allowed this man to bring a minor onto the base, where he proceeded to have sex with her. Due to her age, she could not have given this consent."

The sheriff's department told Insider in a statement that the girl ran away from her grandmother's Spring Valley home on June 9, and was ultimately reported missing on June 13. The statement said her grandmother waited several days before calling police because her granddaughter "had previously run away before, but always returned home quickly."

Authorities logged the 14-year-old girl's information into multiple missing persons databases and proceeded to investigate the girl's disappearance. On June 28, military police at Camp Pendleton located her and returned her to her grandmother, the statement said.

Read the original article on Insider
A 17-year-old boy died and a man was wounded in a shooting in a Walmart parking lot in La Habra on Friday night. (KTLA)

A 17-year-old boy died and a man was wounded in a shooting in a Walmart parking lot in La Habra on Friday night.

Officers responded to 911 calls at 1340 S. Beach Blvd. at around 8:35 p.m. Friday. They found the two victims outside of a gray Infiniti sedan, said Lt. Nick Baclit of the La Habra Police Department.

The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center, where he was in stable condition, Baclit said.

The investigation was ongoing. There was no immediate risk to the community, the department said in a news release Friday night.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact the La Habra police at (562) 383-4300.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A rookie police officer is dead after a fleeing suspect crashed into her vehicle during a chase in Rutland, Vermont, officials say.

Jessica Ebbighausen, 19, had joined the Rutland City Police Department on May 23  about six weeks before the July 7 crash  as a part-time officer, Vermont State Police said in a news release.

She was scheduled to start training at the Vermont Police Academy in August, so she could become a full-time officer, the release said.

Ebbighausen had dreamed of becoming a police officer since she was 9 years old, Rutland City Police Chief Brian Kilcullen told the Rutland Herald.

She always had a smile on her face, he told the news outlet. We were looking forward to having her as part of our family.

At 2:35 p.m., police responded to a call about an attempted break-in at a home in Rutland, the release said. Shortly after officers arrived at the scene, the 20-year-old suspect got into a truck, sped away, and an officer chased after them, police said.

Ebbighausen was behind the wheel with a full-time officer riding in the passenger seat when she and several other officers joined the chase, according to the release.

The suspect was driving west while Ebbighausen and another cruiser arrived on the opposite side of the road, ahead of the fleeing suspect, police said. As they neared, police said the suspect crossed the center line, slamming into Ebbighausen and the second cruiser.

Ebbighausen died at the scene, state police said. The suspect and two officers, including Ebbighausens supervisor, were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspect is facing charges of grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle with death resulting, and attempting to elude with death resulting, state police announced July 8.

His bail has been set at $500,000, and he is scheduled to be arraigned July 10, the release said.

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Benjamin Taylor is a Phoenix-based civil rights and criminal defense attorney. He previously worked as a prosecutor and public defender.

The organization and nonprofit that regulates the practice of law in Arizona has sworn in the first Black president in its 90-year history.

A Tucson native, Benjamin Taylor went to Sahuaro High School and graduated from the University of Arizona law school in 2004 before beginning his law career in Maricopa County.

Sworn in as president of the Arizona State Bar on June 16 in Tucson, Taylor said he hopes he will pave the way for other people of color. When he first joined the state bar, there were not many people of color participating and he never thought the position of president could be his, he said.

You look on the board and there wasnt anybody I could relate to as far as a person of color, he said. I just didnt think it was my pathway or my career path to do it. Then I realized I can take action. I can be the one who helps trailblaze and be that first person.

Despite the lack of diversity when Taylor began on the board in 2017, the board has become more diverse since then, Taylor said.

He credits this to the Bar Leadership Institute, which trains future bar members and offers them networking opportunities, training, community awareness and other skills to help them better serve their diverse communities.

Having a diverse group of judges and lawyers will help members of the bar and the justice system better serve the community, he said.

People want to see a fair and just system. And the way to achieve that is by working on a diverse bar, Taylor said.

Taylor spent his early life, some college years in Tucson

Growing up in Tucson with his mother, a math teacher at Tucson Unified School District, and his father, a Vietnam veteran in the U.S. Air Force, helped him develop a solid foundation in life to go after his goals, he said.

Before finding law, Taylor worked in finance and thought he dreamed of working on Wall Street. But after feeling unfulfilled in a finance career, he made the switch to law so he could help more people.

After studying at the University of Arizona and interning at the Pima County Attorneys Office, Taylor took a job at the Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender so that he could have a hands-on approach to helping the community.

This gave me an opportunity to actually sit down and talk to clients, listen to clients and strategize with clients, he said.

Taylor has dealt with cases of inequality in the justice system

To help even more people and increase the types of cases he works on, Taylor decided to start his own firm. Eventually, he merged with his law partner Dominic Gomez to form Taylor and Gomez, LLP, to help even more people.

Attorney Benjamin Taylor speaks at a press conference on behalf of his client, Ricky Barnes, outside Avondale City Hall in Avondale on Feb. 1, 2021.

In his career, Taylor said he has seen firsthand equity issues in the court system. One case in particular involved a woman he represented who was accused of shoplifting baby formula and diapers. Because she had a prior conviction, the prosecution wanted to give her jail time.

He saw how the justice system used peoples past against them, instead of focusing on what they are currently doing with their lives.

It really broke my heart. I realized how the system really needed to change, he said.

It reminded him that not only does everyone deserve defense under the U.S. Constitution, but everyone deserves to have a good defense attorney, or else they could go to prison for a long time.

A defining moment in his career was a case in 2021 that received national attention when his firm defended Yessenia Garcia. The woman had been wrongfully arrested for a hit-and-run that she had proof she did not commit. She won a lawsuit for $200,000 earlier this year.

Yessenia Garcia's attorney, Benjamin Taylor, speaks to reporters on Tuesday.

Taylor has seen many injustices and is passionate about improving the states justice system and making sure the system is fair.

He said the state needs prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges to come together to revise the justice system to make sure it is fair to everyone.

Taylor reiterated that part of the bar associations mission is to increase access to justice. The organization has an ethics hotline, member assistance programs, and continuing education for attorneys.

Lina Garcia, deputy director of the Office of the Maricopa County Public Defender, worked with Taylor, who at the time was an attorney in the trial division while she was a law clerk in 2006.

She recalled when she first started at the office, he was welcoming and took time out of his day to introduce her to the office and explain why the work they do is important.

He quickly became a sounding board and somebody you could trust to have conversations about where you were working to grow and what you want to do in your career, Garcia said.

She said Taylor is someone who would take time to say hi and catch up with former colleagues and acquaintances at social events, and try to get people involved in the profession, like opportunities to participate in state bar leadership positions or community organizations looking for help from an attorney.

He always seems genuinely interested in conducting the profession as a whole to serve the community," Garcia said.

As a Latina, she noticed there were very few attorneys who were people of color. She valued Taylors mentorship and seeing another person of color succeeding in the field.

As a fellow minority in this work, it meant a lot to see representation, even with somebody that was a few steps ahead in their career of where I was, she said.

She also noted what a big accomplishment this was for the Black community in the profession.

I don't think that we have ever seen somebody in this top position with the state bar, who is African American," Garcia said. I think looking at like Black bar representation is huge to be able to see that in this type of position.

According to the National Association for Law Placement, in 2020, people of color only made up 26% of associates in U.S. law firms, which increased from previous years.

In 2022, Black people only made up 4.5% of lawyers in the U.S., according to the American Bar Association. The association noted that about half of all state bars and licensing agencies track race and ethnicity in the profession, with 26 states reporting in 2022.

Taylor hopes to bring the state Bar to communities

Attorney Benjamin Taylor speaks during a press conference regarding Angel Benitez, who was shot and killed by Mesa police, on Sept. 28, 2020, in Phoenix.

Now that he is the president of the Arizona Bar Association, he wants to continue making the bar more diverse by not only attracting attorneys of different ethnicities but also of different genders, backgrounds, nationalities, ages and more.

To do this, the Bar needs to go out into the communities, rural as much as urban, and to schools, Taylor said.

During his one-year term, Taylor wants to educate youth and the general community about the justice system, and the Arizona Bar Associations mission and services.

The state Bar has a range of services from free legal advice to continuing education for its attorneys.

He hopes that by going out into the community and to schools, the bar association can help inspire todays youth to help recruit more Arizonans to consider becoming an attorney or judge in the future

"If young students and children see it, they can become it and believe it, he said.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republics coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Bar President Benjamin Taylor pushing for more diversity
2 workers were killed and another is missing after a fire erupted on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico

The fire started on Friday in the Gulf of Mexico. Reuters

Two workers died after a fire broke out on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Others were injured, with one worker suffering burns to more than a third of his body.

Pemex said its top priority was the search for a missing worker.

Two workers were killed and one remains missing after a fire broke out on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Several were injured when the blaze erupted on Friday at the Nohoch Alfa platform, according to a Pemex press release.

The statement reported that one of the injured people had burns to more than a third of his body and was transferred to a hospital in Mexico City for further treatment.

Pemex's CEO, Octavio Romero Oropeza, said firefighting ships were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to other platforms in the Cantarell Field.

He visited the offshore oil field to check on workers and supervise efforts to control the fire, the company tweeted Saturday.

Pemex said it's still investigating the cause of the fire and that its top priority was searching for the missing worker.

The company estimated that it had lost more than a third of its daily output, or about 700,000 barrels of crude oil, as a result of the fire. But it added that it had already recovered output to 600,000 barrels.

Another fire linked to a Pemex offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico killed five people in August 2021, BBC News reported.

"The oil industry is a risky industry. We have had accidents, which in numbers are less than in previous years," Oropeza said at a news conference at the time, the BBC reported.

Six weeks prior to that blaze, a gas leak in an underwater pipeline caused a fire on the ocean's surface that took some five hours to put out, Reuters reported. The company reported no injuries from the incident, which was dubbed the "eye of fire."

Pemex did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Read the original article on Insider
20-year-old SC man dies in hospital emergency room after shooting, coroner says

A 20-year-old man died in the emergency room of a South Carolina hospital following a shooting, the Greenwood County Coroners Office said.

Greenwood resident Xavier Kenyon Boyd died at about 4 p.m. Friday at Self Regional Healthcare, Coroner Sonny Cox said in a news release.

Boyd was taken to the hospital after being shot in the upper body, according to the release.

Cox ruled Boyds death a homicide, and its being investigated by the Greenwood Police Department and the coroners office. An autopsy is scheduled for this week, Cox said.

The shooting happened in the Gilliam Avenue area, police said. Thats near the intersection with Hackett Avenue, where Boyd lived, according to the coroners office.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word on a shooter, or shooters, or any motive for the gunfire.

No arrests have been reported by police.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni (R, front) attends the national Arbor Day celebration in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, July 9, 2023. Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Sunday stressed the importance of forest, saying that it is an invaluable natural resource for human lives and animals on the planet. Speaking at the annual national Arbor Day, or the tree planting day, here in the country's central part, the monarch said any forest loss would result in flood, tornado, lightning and drought, and deplete water reserves for the need of human beings and animals. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

KAMPONG CHHNANG, Cambodia, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Sunday stressed the importance of forest, saying that it is an invaluable natural resource for human lives and animals on the planet.

Speaking at the annual national Arbor Day, or the tree planting day, here in the country's central part, the monarch said any forest loss would result in flood, tornado, lightning and drought, and deplete water reserves for the need of human beings and animals.

"Forest not only provides economic and social value but also helps maintain the balance of natural environment, purify climate, maintain the stability of water sources, and protect slope ground and biodiversity," Sihamoni said.

The king called on people to help protect forest and all kinds of wildlife to ensure forest resources for this generation and next generations.

"Please continue to contribute so that Cambodia can achieve the goal of sustainable development and become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country in 2050," Sihamoni said.

At the event, some 13,000 tree seedlings were planted on the parcel of 10 hectares at a tree planting station in Samaki Meanchey district.

Forests cover approximately 8.5 million hectares, or 46.86 percent of Cambodia's land area, according to the country's Ministry of Environment.

Of the total forest cover, some 7.3 million hectares, equivalent to 41 percent of Cambodia's land area, are in the Southeast Asian nation's 76 protected areas and biodiversity corridors, the ministry said. 

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (C) plants a tree in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, July 9, 2023. Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Sunday stressed the importance of forest, saying that it is an invaluable natural resource for human lives and animals on the planet. Speaking at the annual national Arbor Day, or the tree planting day, here in the country's central part, the monarch said any forest loss would result in flood, tornado, lightning and drought, and deplete water reserves for the need of human beings and animals. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni (C) plants a tree in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, July 9, 2023. Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Sunday stressed the importance of forest, saying that it is an invaluable natural resource for human lives and animals on the planet. Speaking at the annual national Arbor Day, or the tree planting day, here in the country's central part, the monarch said any forest loss would result in flood, tornado, lightning and drought, and deplete water reserves for the need of human beings and animals. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)
3 TSA officers arrested at Miami International Airport for stealing from travelers, cops say

Three Transportation Security Administration officers were arrested at Miami International Airport for allegedly stealing from passengers during security screenings.

Arrest affidavits show that 22-year-old Elizabeth Fuster, 33-year-old Labarrius Williams and 20-year-old Josue Gonzalez were all arrested Thursday on charges of organized schemes to defraud.

According to the affidavits, the airport federal security director for law enforcement at MIA contacted a Miami-Dade Police detective regarding thefts that occurred at Checkpoint E involving TSA officers. The investigation revealed that three officers, while on duty, were seen on surveillance video conspiring together to distract passengers as they were being screened and stole money from their belongings.

Due to security concerns, the detective immediately researched the thefts, which revealed a recent case that was previously opened by police.

After watching surveillance video provided by TSA, the detective saw Fuster, Williams and Gonzalez remove $600 from a passengers wallet while they were being screened, the affidavits stated. Additionally, all three were seen on several other incidents conspiring together to commit more thefts.

Following a formal interview at the TSA Command Center, Gonzalez and Fuster waived their rights and provided written statements confessing to their actions, while Williams did not waive his rights and refused to speak.

All three were then transported to the Airport Station to be processed before being sent to Turner Guilford Knight Detention Center without incident.

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.
A man was shot twice in the back after six men broke into the victims Dayton home Sunday overnight.

>> TRENDING: Suspect shot, killed in another shootout with authorities in Columbus

Dayton Police were alerted to a shooting in the first block of Sherman Street at 2:53 a.m., Montgomery County Regional Dispatch said.

A preliminary investigation found that six men broke into a mans home and eventually shot the victim in the back twice. The severity of the injuries were unknown at the time of reporting. Medics responded to the scene to treat the victim.

The suspects left the scene in an unknown direction before officers arrived, prompting a search of the nearby area. Dayton Police contacted Kettering Police for K-9 units to help with the search.

Dispatch was unable to provide any descriptive information about the suspects as investigators were still looking into who could have possibly broken into the home and later shot the victim.

The Dayton Police Department led the investigation into the shooting. News Center 7 reached out to the department for more information.

We will update this story as it develops.
Russian occupation forces have lost another 600 soldiers, as well as 20 artillery systems and 19 UAVs.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces from 24 February 2022 to 9 July 2023 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses  ed.]:

approximately 234,040 (+600) military personnel;

4,078 (+4) tanks;

7,964 (+11) armoured combat vehicles;

4,366 (+20) artillery systems;

668 (+7) multiple-launch rocket systems;

413 (+3) air defence systems;

315 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft;

309 (+0) helicopters;

3,685 (+19) tactical UAVs;

1,271 (+0) cruise missiles;

18 (+0) ships/boats;

6,929 (+15) vehicles and tankers;

628 (+9) special vehicles.

The information is being confirmed.

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The death toll of a Russian rocket attack on the city of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast has risen to nine, with 12 people injured, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on the morning of July 9.

Russian troops targeted Lyman with the Smerch multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) at 10 a.m. on July 8, damaging a home and a store in a neighborhood with private residences.

According to the Interior Ministry, Russian forces also attacked the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast with the Smerch MLRS overnight on July 9, but there were no casualties.

The aftermath of the Russian attack on Donetsk Oblast on July 9, 2023. (Interior Ministry/Telegram)

Over the past 24 hours, Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast also killed a person in Avdiivka and injured another one in Zakitne, Kyrylenko reported. A total of 13 people have been injured across the oblast over the past day, the governor said.

Interior Ministry reported that Russian attacks also damaged 16 civilian infrastructure facilities over the past 24 hours.
After the Affirmative Action Ruling, Asian Americans Ask What Happens Next

Divya Tulsiani, a student with Indian American roots who is pursuing a masters degree in sociology and law at New York University, in New York, July 4, 2023. (Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times)

Kawsar Yasin, a Harvard sophomore of Uyghur descent, found the Supreme Court decision last week banning race-conscious college admissions gut-wrenching.

Jayson Lee, a high school sophomore of Taiwanese descent, hopes the courts decision will open the door for him and others at competitive schools.

And Divya Tulsiani, the daughter of Indian immigrants, cant help but think that the decision would not put an end to the poisonous side of college admissions.

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Asian Americans were at the center of the Supreme Court decision against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. In both cases, the plaintiffs said that high-achieving Asian American applicants lost out to less academically qualified students. In Harvards case, Asian Americans were docked on a personal rating, according to the lawsuit, launching a painful conversation about racial stereotyping in admissions.

But in the days following the courts ruling, interviews with some two dozen Asian American students revealed that for most of them  no matter their views on affirmative action  the decision was unlikely to assuage doubts about the fairness of college admissions.

I dont think this decision brought any kind of equalizing of a playing field, Tulsiani said. It kind of did the opposite.

Lower courts found that Harvard and UNC did not discriminate in admissions. But the Supreme Court ruled that, however well intentioned and implemented in good faith, the universities admission practices did not pass constitutional muster and that race could no longer be considered in deciding which students to admit.

The court noted that the two universities main response to criticism of their admissions systems was, essentially, trust us.

The universities said they would comply with the ruling. Harvard added that it must always be a place of opportunity, a place whose doors remain open to those to whom they had long been closed.

In a community as large and diverse as the Asian American community, opinions on affirmative action were wide-ranging. A recent Pew Research Center poll conveyed the ambivalence of Asian Americans. Only about half of Asian Americans who had heard of affirmative action said it was a good thing; three-quarters of Asian respondents said that race or ethnicity should not be a factor in college admission decisions.

A few students found hope in the Supreme Courts decision.

Lee, the Maryland sophomore, is interested in studying science and technology and supports standardized tests and other traditional measures of merit.

Before the case, yes, I did have worries about my ethnicity being a factor in college admissions, he said. But if colleges implement the new court rulings to get rid of affirmative action, then I think that it will be better, and more even, for every ethnicity.

Others had more mixed feelings. Jacqueline Kwun, a sophomore at a public high school in Marietta, Georgia, whose parents emigrated from South Korea, said she has felt the sting of stereotyping, when people assumed she was born smart.

Even so, she said she believed the courts ruling was wrong.

Why would you shut the entire thing down? she asked. You should try to find a way to make yourself happy and make other people happy at the same time so its a win-win situation, rather than a win-lose.

In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that colleges could consider mentions of race in the essays students submit with their applications if they could be tied to, for instance, overcoming discrimination through personal qualities like courage and determination. But many Asian American students had doubts about that prescription.

Students already feel pressure to write about hardship, said Rushil Umaretiya, who will go to the University of North Carolina in the fall. He wrote in his essay about how the women in his Indian immigrant family were the breadwinners and intellectuals, and how his grandmother rose through the white, male-dominated ranks at the Roy Rogers restaurant chain to become a regional manager.

Even before the decision, he had seen anxious classmates at his selective high school, Thomas Jefferson High School, in Alexandria, Virginia, making up stories about facing racial injustice.

I think college admissions has really dipped into this fad of trauma dumping, he said.

Tulsiani, who is studying for a masters degree in sociology and law at New York University, is a veteran of the application process.

She wrote an application essay for Georgetown about her family  her father worked his way up from deli worker and taxi driver to owning restaurants  in response to a prompt about diversity.

You accept that you have to sell some kind of story in order to appeal to this audience, she said.

She was glad the court preserved the diversity essay option but felt sympathy for the applicants having to spill their most intimate secrets and speak with moral force. Its a huge burden on a 17-year-old child, she said.

Tulsiani thinks the stigma of affirmative action will persist. The narrative will be, instead of you got in because of affirmative action, you must have gotten in because of your class, she said.

Some Asian American students believe, contrary to the dominant narrative in the court case, that they have benefited from affirmative action. Evidence introduced in court showed that Harvard sometimes favored certain Asian American applicants over others. For instance, applicants with families from Nepal, Tibet or Vietnam, among other nations, were described with words like deserving and Tug for BG, an abbreviation for background.

I do believe I was a beneficiary, said Hans Bach-Nguyen, a Harvard sophomore from Camarillo, in Southern California. He said he was not sure until he requested his admissions file and found that one of the two reader comments in it concerned his Vietnamese heritage.

He was happy, he said, to be recognized as a member of an underrepresented minority in higher education. But he wondered whether he was fully deserving. His parents came to the United States as refugees at around his age and got college degrees at state universities.

I think my guilt comes from that I did not grow up low-income, he said.

Echoing a common criticism of the university, he noted that many Harvard students, even if they are from minority backgrounds, are from financially stable or more affluent families.

In California, affirmative action has been banned since 1996, but even so, a few Asian American students there seemed suspicious of what they thought of as a secretive admissions process.

Sunjay Muralitharan, whose family is of Indian origin, was rejected or wait-listed by his top five college choices, a mix of public and private colleges in California. He believes his race was a factor. He ended up at the University of California San Diego, where he is a sophomore.

I know people are saying, Oh, its just going to be merit-based, merit-based, merit-based, he said. No, its not.

Still, he said, he has gotten over his initial resentment. I grew up middle-class. I never had to worry about where the next meal was coming from, he said. Like it or not, I was put into a bunch of tutoring programs. Its understandable to give an opportunity to someone who didnt have the same amount of opportunities when they were younger.

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The Russians have said that an air defence system was allegedly deployed in Rostov Oblast, and some buildings were damaged.

Source: TASS

Details: Governor Golubev specified that a missile was allegedly shot down in the vicinity of Kamianske, and the fragments "partially damaged the roofs of several buildings".

It is not specified what kind of buildings.

On social media, photos are published in which Russians find shrapnel, probably from a missile.

Previously: Around the same time, the so-called "head" of Russian-occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksionov, said that air defence forces allegedly shot down a cruise missile near Kerch.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A man who began hemorrhaging blood in midair after surgery.

An infant whose veins wouldnt hold an adult-sized IV.

A woman with a precarious spinal cord injury.

Capt. Katie Lunning saved them all.

Her calm and skill under pressure that ensured 22 patients survived the suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan  and more than a dozen others in the days before  has earned Lunning, now a major, Military Times 2023 Airman of the Year award.

U.S. Air Force airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron prepare their equipment on a C-17 Globemaster III over the skies of U.S. Central Command, Aug. 26, 2021. (Courtesy of Katie Lunning)

Lunning, 40, of Urbandale, Iowa, is the chief critical care nurse at the Minnesota Air National Guards 133rd Medical Group, and the intensive care unit nurse manager at the Iowa Department of Veteran Affairs.

The daughter of an Army veteran, Lunning enlisted in the Guard in 2002 to help pay for college and support the local communities where she was raised. She alternated between jobs in Air Force health service management and Army recruiting, and rose to the rank of staff sergeant in the Army Guard.

Then, Lunning set off on the same path as the nurses in her family before her. She returned to her health care job in the Air Guard in 2009, earned her bachelors degree in nursing from Bethel University in 2012, and was commissioned as an officer in 2013.

Her time as a nurse in the National Guard and in VA-run hospitals prepared Lunning for the emergency she would face nearly 10 years later, several thousand miles from home.

In June 2021, Lunning got the chance to deploy as a critical care air transport nurse with the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Three-person CCAT teams act as flying ICU staffs for ill and wounded troops around the world, ferrying service members from field hospitals to larger medical facilities for further treatment.

Lunning saw it as a chance to learn firsthand how those teams work in the field, with a squadron that is typically far removed from the front lines of war. And at first, it was.

The Air Force's critical care air transport team that responded to the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at the Kabul airport's Abbey Gate poses for a photo outside the 379th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron headquarters at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. (Courtesy of Katie Lunning)

She arrived at Al Udeid on July 17, 2021, and spent weeks on call but dispatched only once to help a sick Australian service member. Troops in Qatar believed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan would last several more months.

But as town after town fell to the Taliban, the U.S. began evacuating the special immigrant visa holders, applicants and prospective applicants who had helped push for democracy there.

Then came word from Lunnings leadership: The evacuation needed medical support.

Without knowing what lay ahead, two critical care teams devised a plan to shrink their enormous arsenal of ventilators, monitors, intravenous pumps and other equipment into a tiny footprint so that each C-17 cargo plane could bring on more passengers.

The group was also down two people, after one nurse had fallen off a Peloton bike at Al Udeid and a respiratory therapist had returned to the U.S. due to a death in the family  leaving Lunning, two doctors and one respiratory specialist to handle every ICU flight out of a country in chaos.

Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15; Lunnings team arrived at the capitals Hamid Karzai International Airport three days later.

Seeing the desperation of people, leaving everything that they have behind for a chance of an opportunity in a country with freedom  nothing could have prepared me for that, Lunning said.

But she began doing what any nurse would: making her rounds.

Armed with only a Beretta M9 pistol, Lunning would push a stretcher from the runway to the airport gates, past the throngs of Afghans clamoring to board military jets to safety, down three city blocks as the Taliban proclaimed victory from the streets, until she reached the tiny international hospital where patients in critical condition awaited.

We had a lot of people who had flash-bangs to the face, some gunshot wounds, she said. We had a little girl who had some sort of disability that required her to have a [tracheotomy tube] long-term  and quite a few pregnant people that were about to give birth.

Air Force Capt. Katie Lunning, a critical care air transport team registered nurse with the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, checks equipment on a C-17 Globemaster III in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2021. (Courtesy of Katie Lunning)

One pregnant woman arrived with dangerously high blood pressure and in distress after watching the Taliban kill her brother, Lunning said. The womans husband and daughter reminded the nurse of her own family in Iowa.

I cant imagine being in that situation  leaving the country where were from, flying off to who knows where, she said.

With a stretcher-bound patient in tow, she would return to the plane, hand them off to the medical team, and head back to the hospital to collect another. Once the crew was ready to return to Qatar, the critical care team worked to keep the patients stable until they reached the next leg of their journey.

That rhythm  fly three-and-a-half hours to Kabul, pick up a few patients, fly back to Qatar, help treat evacuees at the aid station on base, and nab a few hours of sleep  continued for more than a week. Then the bomb hit.

On Aug. 26, 2021, Lunning was heading to bed after a 20-hour mission when her phone rang: Something had exploded in Kabul. Sleep had to wait.

On the way back to Afghanistan, this time with a full medical team, Lunning learned they would be airlifting Marines.

It was a different feeling and a sense of urgency, knowing were getting out our people, and our people had been killed, she said. Very sobering.

The Air Force's aeromedical evacuation and critical care air transport team members who responded to the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport's Abbey Gate on Aug. 26, 2021, pose for a photo before leaving Afghanistan. (Courtesy of Katie Lunning)

The Islamic State-linked suicide bombing killed 11 Marines, a soldier and a sailor, and wounded hundreds more troops and Afghan civilians.

The crowds that had mobbed Abbey Gate before were gone, replaced by distant gunfire and sirens. Lunning retraced her route to the frantic hospital and received her first patient: a severely injured 18-month-old baby, whose mother was killed holding him when the bomb went off.

She hurried the brain-damaged infant back to the jet and returned to the hospital, again and again and again. Next was an Afghan man with severe abdominal wounds; a female Marine with a spinal cord injury; a male Marine whose heart had stopped beating.

Getting the patients to the cargo plane was just the beginning of the journey. Lunnings critical care team needed to keep them alive on the eight-hour flight to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the U.S. militarys premier hospital in Europe, with minimal medical equipment and staff and even less sleep.

Were all fighting being awake for like 40 hours, she said. We would hit walls from time to time. You try to help each other out, like, Hey, Ill take the vitals, you sit down for a minute or take a lap around the airplane.

Lunning said she polished off an entire 5-pound bag of Sour Patch Kids in a last-ditch attempt not to fall asleep.

The desperate measures worked: Three aeromedical evacuation missions moved 38 patients to higher care in less than 15 hours, recalled Capt. Kayleigh Migaleddi, another Air Force flight nurse, in a September 2022 op-ed.

Lunnings team ferried 22 of them, including six critical care and 16 non-critical patients. All arrived alive.

When their work as a flying ICU was done, Lunning and her team left the hospital, found a Burger King, and collapsed onto the sidewalk with their sandwiches and fries  too exhausted to bother with the nearby picnic table. In all, she worked seven 20-hour missions from Aug. 18-29, 2021.

Capt. Katie Lunning and other Air Force medical personnel eat Burger King meals at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, following the aeromedical evacuation of victims of the suicide bombing at Kabul's airport on Aug. 26, 2021. (Courtesy of Katie Lunning)

She became the first flight nurse in the Air National Guard to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the militarys highest honors for courage in aviation, on Jan. 7.

Lunning is clear-eyed about the danger she and her wingmen were in that summer. But when she sees what the Marines who survived are doing now, and thinks about the Afghans she helped, she knows she was the right person, in the right place, at the right time.

Theyre not just living. A lot of them are thriving, she said. Everything we did was worth it.

See all Military Times 2023 Service Members of the Year honorees.
Somethings rotten in the state of Idaho, and its not Albertsons produce.

Its the stink of Kroger buying Boises hometown store for $25 billion. How could anyone be surprised at who wins and who loses? It sure wont be the consumers who win. I shopped at Kroger for years in the Midwest, and its far afield from Albertsons quality. From what Ive heard from shoppers living near a Kroger store today, nothing has changed. And now the proposed gargantuan can hike prices indiscriminately with competition riding out of town on a rail.

Bob Kustra

Nor is it the employees who win. They stand to lose the most in this deal.

Supermarket News helps us understand how mergers like this reduce the diversity of grocery store employment options available to workers and place downward pressure on grocery store workers wages.

Based on data from The Economic Policy Institute, the merger will permanently reduce the wages of 746,000 grocery store workers in over 50 metropolitan areas with their annual incomes falling by $334 million, at least an estimated $450 loss per worker. That $450 loss may not look like much to wealthy corporate board members, but for many of Albertsons employees trying to raise a family on a grocery store wage, its a big deal and a bad deal.

If this is such a bad deal for the employees and for consumers who care about the quality they experienced over the years at Albertsons, then why do it? What could possibly be driving this?

Im reminded of a recent book by two prize-winning journalists, When McKinsey Comes to Town. Its a devastating critique of McKinseys corporate consulting work. Too often, McKinseys mantra boiled down to a simple formula: reduce the number of employees and hike the pay of the executives. McKinsey may have had nothing to do with the lead-up to this purchase, but the Kroger/Albertsons deal falls in line with the template for how corporate executives feather their own nests and the nests of their board members.

Albertsons execs have the executive pay issue figured out. The top executives of the two firms make out like bandits if this merger falls into place.

Boisedev reported on a Cincinnati Enquirer analysis of a Securities and Exchange Commission report filed in April of this year that Albertsons top ten executives could take home as much as $146 million if they quit or are laid off as part of the merger deal. And that is often the way it works.

Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran could walks away with somewhere between $30 million and $43 million. Heres a guy whos only been with the company since 2019, but just long enough to sell it off and make a huge profit. The Albertsons board members are likely not faultless in this deal. Its not uncommon for boards to bring in CEOs for the express purpose of selling the company with enormous financial consequences for the board and the execs.

As of 2021, CEO compensation, on average, was about 398.8 times the annual average salary of production and nonsupervisory workers. Albertsons Sankaran makes that ratio look modest, as his pay last year was 506 times the median employees pay at the company. His pay nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022 to $16.1 million, an increase of 86% from the year before.

Under Krogers purchase plan, the combined company would have stores in 48 states, excluding only Minnesota and Iowa, though some stores would be spun off from Albertsons to offset antitrust concerns, the companies announced Oct. 24, 2022.

Its not as though this is the first time Boises flagship company has been sold with the CEO walking off with millions. A few years ago, a guy from Jack Welchs General Electric, Larry Johnston, sauntered into town to take over Albertsons and guess what? It was sold not long thereafter and Johnston stuffed his pockets with his hefty buyout.

We hear a great deal about inequality in America these days, but seldom do we see it played out as close to home as the Kroger/Albertsons merger. Corporate boards and execs seem to give little thought to even a modicum of corporate social responsibility.

I cant count the number of times Ive been to events, performances or venues where Boise corporations are touted for their generosity in supporting the not-for-profit organizations hosting the event. The day may come when you attend one of these events and hear Albertsons acknowledged for its philanthropic ways. Perhaps it will be at Albertsons Stadium where the Broncos play and Albertsons paid to have its name on the stadium.

Thats when you may want to spend a few moments thinking about the employees at Albertsons who will suffer as employee wages decline with one company holding life and death control over workers, their employment options, and their wages. You can also give some thought as to how much we will lose in competitive pricing of grocery items if Albertsons, Kroger and Fred Meyer are all under the same ownership. Whats to guarantee quality and value wont slip with such concentrated ownership and management?

This time, Boise will also lose the iconic Albertsons brand name. Krogers CEO Rodney McMullen and CFO Garry Millerchip who would lead the new company say there will be a new name for the combined company, and it wont be Albertsons or Kroger. Nor have they said where the company will be based and how that may impact Albertsons employees. These guys are opining on Albertsons future from Cincinnati which makes this deal look like the 2006 Supervalu purchase which jettisoned Boise employees and sent others to Minneapolis.

Joe Albertson must be spinning in his grave as the store he founded and branded once again loses its focus on consumers, employees and the entire Boise community. Krogers corporate raiders ride into town to buy yet another of our grocery chains, welcomed by Albertsons execs who cant resist the windfall buyouts. As usual, consumers and employees suffer the consequences.

See you at WinCo. Now theres a Western grocer that has not forgotten its roots.

Bob Kustra served as president of Boise State University from 2003 to 2018. He is host of Readers Corner on Boise State Public Radio and he writes a biweekly column for the Idaho Statesman. He served two terms as Illinois lieutenant governor and 10 years as a state legislator.
Dawna Hetzler, a Realtor who learned to use a gun after fearing the dangers of her job, at a listed property in Elizabeth, Colo., May 1, 2023. (James Stukenberg/The New York Times)

Sara Ghodsi sold auto parts before moving to San Diego and becoming a real estate agent. She didnt have to sit in an office all day, made a good income and had the freedom to work on her own schedule, all of which she enjoyed.

But Ghodsi also understood it was a very competitive field as the number of agents across the country swelled to a record high. So when a homeowner in the coastal town of Oceanside, California, called and said he would consider selling, Ghodsi, eager to find a property for her client during the pandemic, agreed to meet him at his condominium  alone.

As they talked that afternoon in August 2021, the man began inching his chair closer to hers. Then he reached out, groped her thigh and forcefully kissed her.

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I kind of blacked out a little, said Ghodsi, 37. I was trying to be calm and collected because I was by myself in a strangers house. The door was maybe 5 feet away, but I had no idea what this guy was capable of doing.

Across the nation, the overwhelming majority of real estate agents are women  and they are vulnerable to abuse in an industry that offers few protections, demands that they meet clients alone in empty homes and encourages them to use their appearance to help bring in buyers. Reports of harassment and occasionally physical violence, including rape and even murder, highlight the risks they face.

The National Association of Realtors reports that 66% of their members are women. Many were attracted to the field for the same reasons as Ghodsi: flexible schedules, a workplace thats almost entirely remote and a licensing process that can be completed in as little as a few weeks.

But the industry is also structured so that 90% of agents are not actually employees of the agencies they work with. They are independent contractors, which means they are not protected under Title VII  the federal law that prohibits discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.

It also means that many real estate agencies that rely on these agents for the vast majority of their income do not feel obligated  or even inclined  to offer them any kind of institutional protection or training. For most of the women out there, it is up to them to come up with safety strategies like sharing their location with a family member or friend, insisting on references before meeting a client  or even carrying a firearm for protection.

And so, nearly six years after the #MeToo movement ignited a global reckoning about sexual harassment and assault, hundreds of thousands of women across the country are working in an industry that resists new measures to protect the women in its ranks.

That world is pretty much the wild, wild west, said Kimberly Perlin, a complex trauma therapist in Towson, Maryland, who has treated several real estate agents who were sexually assaulted at work. Anybody can call up and say they have money and want a house, including sexual predators. And in a house, you have an unattended space, and an inherent power balance, because the salesperson wants the sale and the buyer knows it.

The National Association of Realtors, a trade organization representing 1.5 million members, has been resistant to require any sort of safety training of its members.

Classes in its Realtor safety program, which includes webinars on best practices for safety, remain optional. On the groups website, the program makes safety a matter of personal precautions, advising agents to avoid showing houses after dark and always ensure that properties have reliable cellphone service.

Its hard to force people to take certain things, said Tracy Kasper, president-elect of the National Association of Realtors, of safety training. Could that become part of what we make mandatory? It could. Have we done it yet? No we havent.

Agents say the solution requires industrywide buy-in, and some recommended universal background checks for buyers and making mandatory safety trainings a contingency for all brokerages memberships in trade organizations. Others suggested that female agents have an option to ask for an escort when client meetings feel unsafe, with their brokerages covering the cost.

Ghodsi began carrying a stun gun after her encounter. She filed a police report, but declined to press charges against her aggressor. I just wanted it on file, she said, so its on record.

It continues to affect both her mental health and her career.

I feel like I havent been able to do my job to my full potential like I was before, because Im scared, she said.

Younger agents, and those new to the profession, are not always aware of the dangers.

I never thought about it when I was starting out, said Rachel DiSalvo, 41, who has been selling homes in New York and New Jersey for 12 years. I would meet strangers at vacant homes at night.

She has faced both sexual harassment while on the job  buyers making innuendoes or attempting to grope her  as well as violence. One seller, angry she hadnt secured him a higher price, took out an ax in front of her and proceeded to attack the lawn sign that bore her picture.

I didnt know what to do so I just tried to keep calm, DiSalvo said of the incident. He was screaming and yelling. In the industry, we call it a mantrum.

Surveys by industry groups have found that harassment in the industry is commonplace, with most real estate agents reporting that they had either personally experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in the workplace.

Working with house flippers, when homes sit vacant for prolonged periods, has also presented her with risks. In November, a squatter laid claim to a recently renovated home that DiSalvo was trying to sell, and after she asked him to leave the property, he began calling her cellphone  the number on the For Sale sign  at all hours, threatening to have her killed.

She got the police involved, and eventually had him evicted from the property.

DiSalvo now has an alarm button on her phone and keeps pepper spray in her car, which she takes into properties whenever she feels uneasy. She always shares her live location with friends or family when going to showings. But she is aware of the industrys Catch-22: Every time she asks a new client to provide identification before meeting, or refuses to set a meeting after dark, she knows they might just opt to go with another agent.

We dont have an HR department, she said. If someone does harass you, and you complain about it, you basically lose the opportunity to make that commission.

DiSalvo is an independent contractor currently working with a Keller Williams brokerage in New Jersey. She notifies the brokerage every time she faces an uncomfortable incident. That follows protocol.

Keller Williams policies and guidelines encourage employees and agents who believe they have been harassed in the workplace to promptly report those facts to their franchisees management, said Darryl Frost, a spokesperson for Keller Williams, who added that management is also required to investigate. But while DiSalvo has always felt that she receives a sensitive ear, little action follows.

After the squatter threatened her, she was left on her own to coordinate with the police. And at a previous brokerage, it was suggested a male colleague step in to close a deal after she was verbally harassed by the client. But that meant DiSalvo paid the male agent a referral fee out of her own commission.

There is no scenario in which the brokerage gets involved unless the police report comes to them directly, she said. In 12 years, I have always been the one problem-solving in these scenarios.

Agents also know that their physical appearance is linked to their success.

One need only watch an episode of Selling Sunset, Netflixs hit reality show following a group of high-earning female agents, to get the connection: the higher the hemlines and the stilettos, it seems the higher the commissions, as well. Real estate agents use headshots to bring in business, because they know their physical appearance is part of their brand.

Its really a double-edged sword because as a Realtor, you have to look good, be nice, and sometimes flirt with everybody to make them trust you. But that shouldnt make me a target, said Ghodsi.

Yet the very nature of their jobs  often meeting strangers to woo them into buying property  exposes real estate agents to danger. Those in the industry are well aware of high profile murders: One agent was killed showing a million-dollar home in 2008 in British Columbia; another was gunned down outside a property she was showing in Florida last year. In 2021 alone, 25 real estate professionals died from violence on the job, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Perhaps no crime sent more shock waves through the industry than the death of Beverly Carter.

Carter had just one more property to show on that September day before she could go home.

It was nearly 6 p.m., and the Arkansas real estate agent called her husband to tell him that she would be home for dinner before getting into her brown Cadillac and driving 30 minutes outside of Little Rock to show a home to a stranger.

She was never seen alive again.

Carter was 50 years old when she was murdered in 2014. Her killer, who lured her to the isolated property by pretending to be an interested buyer, kidnapped her, suffocated her and eventually buried her body in a shallow grave nearby. He later told reporters that he targeted Carter because  like most real estate agents  she was a woman working alone. He was sentenced to life in prison; his wife, who served as an accomplice, received a 30-year sentence.

Her son, Carl Carter, remembers being woken by the doorbell at 4 a.m. on the Tuesday detectives found her body. She had been missing for four days and a group of his mothers colleagues, knowing that media was already camped out at the concrete plant where her body was discovered, came to his home to break the news to him personally.

The industry is operating without guardrails, he said.

In 2017 he began the Beverly Carter Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to creating more stringent safety measures for real estate agents. The same year, he and his family filed a lawsuit against Crye-Leike Realtors, the agency for which Carter had been working as an independent contractor, alleging the firm was aware of the dangers she faced but never offered any training or safeguards to prevent them. That suit was later dismissed because of the statute of limitations.

No comment is needed, said Harold Crye, president of Crye-Leike, in an email when contacted by a reporter about the case.

Too much onus is on individual agents to create their own safety measures, Carl Carter said, when what is needed is industrywide reform. Rather than put protocols in place that would protect agents in the field, brokerages have been slow to respond to calls for broader reform  or resistant all together, he said.

Ive been told by big-name brokerages: Sorry about your mom. But Im not here to keep people safe, Im here to make money, he said. Its just very much a for-profit industry. The National Association of Realtors has made other trainings mandatory in the past: in May, after mounting pressure over discriminatory practices and appraisal bias, the organization announced that agents must now take regular continuing education classes in fair housing and diversity, equity and inclusion.

On the groups webpage, they offer safety strategy tips like share your schedule with a colleague, assistant or family member; check your cellphone battery and signal before heading to an appointment and never go into attics, crawl spaces or garages where you could be trapped.

The organization also conducts an annual survey on safety. This year, when agents were asked if theyd been a victim of a crime while on the job, 98% of respondents said no. While the organization has touted those numbers as a success, Carl Carter views them differently.

A few percentage points out of 1.5 million suddenly becomes a really different conversation when you realize it means thousands of people have been victimized, he said.

Some female agents, concerned about their own personal safety, are choosing to carry handguns on the job.

Dawna Hetzler, 53, began carrying a gun on the job years ago after a friend encouraged her to get tactical training and a concealed weapon permit because she worked alone so often.

She was still arranging brochures at an open house in the Denver suburbs in August 2019 when she heard a knock at the door. The tall man with a shaved head who stood outside said he was interested in potentially buying the townhouse she was showing. She let him in, and when he asked to see the upstairs, she led him to the primary bedroom.

Then he suddenly pulled up his shirt, revealing a 12-inch knife tucked into his pants. He also reached for a canister of bear spray and doused her in the face. But that day, she had her Springfield 9-mm gun hidden in an ankle holster beneath her pants leg. She fired one shot, and he fled.

He brought a knife to a gunfight, she said.

Her attacker was arrested four days later, and later sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Hetzler now offers trainings to other real estate agents, some of which involve tactical skills including headlocks as well as how to handle a gun during an attack. But carrying a weapon, she said, is a deeply personal decision.

If you dont believe in firearms, it doesnt matter to me, theres no judgment. Just find another way to defend yourself, she said. Nothing is worth your life, including a sale.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
APL student art contest underway for library mural

The Amarillo Public Library is working with Blank Space Murals to hold a student art contest leading to a mural on the front of the Downtown Library. The contest theme is "Learn, Create, Inspire!" Three distinct but coordinating designs illustrating the theme will be chosen for the librarys mural and installed across three of the second-story brick panels on the front of the Downtown Library facing 4th Avenue, according to the library.

Winners receive a cash prize of $500 per winning entry and get to see their artwork turned into a mural on the Downtown Library. The entry deadline has been extended to July 15. Finalists will be announced at AMA-CON on Aug. 5.

For more information, visit the mural page on the library's website.

West Texas A&M University students selected for the 2022-23 McNair Scholars cohort are, from left, Wendy "Nayeli" Galvan, Veronica Torres, Jolina Lopez, Stephanie Espinoza, Nadia Reyna, Yadhira "Yaya" Avalos, Alejandro Mata, Annali Flores, Kara Ramirez, Castina Dobbins, Samuel Issac and Marty Kacsh. Not pictured are Raquel Chavez and Michelle Truong.

WTs McNair Scholars cohort announced for 2023-24

CANYON  Fifteen West Texas A&M University students will join one of the Universitys most prestigious academic programs in the fall.

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, or the McNair Scholars Program, at WT prepares underrepresented, low-income and first-generation undergraduate students for doctoral study through research and other scholarly activities. In 2022, the program won a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, providing $275,000 in annual funding for five years. The program has been offered at WT since 1999. In that time, 260 McNair Scholars have earned their bachelors degrees, and another 152 have earned graduate or professional degrees.

Our new cohort of McNair Scholars boasts a higher number of STEM majors than in previous years, indicating WT's commitment to expanding these majors among diverse populations and attracting them to attend, said Victoria Salas, director.

Fifteen are in the fall 2022 cohort, listed with their current research project:

Yadhira Yaya Avalos, a junior biology / pre-med major from Hereford: Ethical Issues with Social Media in Health Care: A Literature Review;

Raquel Chavez, a senior physical therapy major from Los Lunas, New Mexico: Comparative Analysis of Muscle Characteristics Among Long Jumpers, 100 Meter Sprinters, and 1500 Meter Distance Runners;

Castina Dobbins, a senior accounting and finance major from Amarillo: The Financial Hardship on Lives that Face Cancer;

Stephanie Espinoza, a senior English major from Hart: Defining Space Through Chicano Literature (La Llorona);

Annali Flores, a senior biology/pre-med major from Booker: Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus Aureus and their Effect on Antibiotic Sensitivity;

Wendy Nayeli Galvan, a senior biochemistry/pre-med major from Booker: Synthesis and Characterization of Epoxidized Limonene;

Joeziv Joe Hernandez, a junior social sciences education major from Amarillo: Mexican-American Conflict After World War II;

Samuel Isaac, a junior animal science/pre-vet major from Rocksprings: Investigating Multi-Decadal Patterns of Changing Temperature and Their Effects on the Growing Season Length in the Texas Panhandle;

Marty Kacsh, a senior animal science/pre-vet major from Evergreen, Colorado: Electrocardiographs and Lactate Levels in Blood on Competitive School Horses to Show Loss of Fitness from Show Season to Off Season;

JoLina Lopez, a junior digital journalism major from Abernathy: Improving Hispanic Serving Institutions: A Research Proposal to Promote Success for Hispanic Students;

Alejandro Mata, a senior political science major from Hereford: Code Switching in Collegiate Forensics;

Kara Ramirez, a senior biology/pre-vet major from Andrews: Epidemiological Study of the Diversity, Distribution, and Abundance of Ticks within the Texas Panhandle;

Nadia Reyna, a sophomore health science major from San Antonio: Patterns of Surgical Care and Additional Treatments for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Post COVID-19;

Veronica Torres, a junior digital communication and media from Littlefield: The K-pop Industry and Gender Discrimination Toward Female K-pop Idols; and

Michelle Truong, a junior biology/psychology major from Houston: The Effect of Childhood Trauma on the Brain.

McNair was one of six crewmembers who died Jan. 28, 1986, when the Challenger exploded shortly after launching at Cape Canaveral, Fla. After his death, Congress named a research program in his honor  the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, or the McNair Scholars Program. It is designed to prepare underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation undergraduate students for doctoral study through research and other scholarly activities. McNair  who, in addition to his work as a physicist, also was a talented musician and decorated martial arts champion and instructor  was the second African American to fly in space.

Texas HHSC notes important steps in renewing Medicaid for older adults, people with disabilities

Older adults and people with disabilities who are on Medicaid (and their authorized representatives) should be on the lookout for important notices from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) about their Medicaid renewal.

Renewal packets are being sent out in phases. Renewal notices are being mailed in a yellow envelope with Action Required printed in red. People who opted to go paperless will receive a notice through their Your Texas Benefits account.

If you received a renewal packet, its important that you fill out and return the packet to HHSC so you dont lose coverage or have a gap in coverage. Contact HHSC as soon as possible to report any changes, such as contact information or household changes, and make sure your address is updated to continue receiving all official HHSC notices.

If you need support completing or submitting your renewal notice, call 2-1-1 or visit a local HHSC office or community partner. To find one, visit the Your Texas Benefits website and click on Find an Office, or call 2-1-1 and choose option 2 after picking a language.

If you didnt receive a renewal packet, you can still check your renewal status by logging into Your Texas Benefits or calling 2-1-1 and choosing option 2.

Once you turn in your renewal packet, HHSC will review your application and may ask for missing information. People who remain eligible will receive a notice from HHSC stating your Medicaid benefits are renewed. If youre no longer eligible, HHSC will determine if there are other HHSC health care programs available to you.

Watch out for potential scams. HHSC will never charge you or ask for money to help you apply for Medicaid. Confirm youre talking to an HHSC representative before discussing financial information.

The best way to stay updated on benefits, including Medicaid, is to create an account on the Your Texas Benefits website. You can view your account information, update your contact information, submit a renewal and respond to requests from HHSC through the portal. You can also sign up for text and email alerts and reminders to stay informed about your renewal. Learn more on the HHSC End of Continuous Medicaid Coverage webpage.

TxDOT seeks public input on $100B plan for projects across the state

As the Texas population continues to boom, TxDOT is drafting a record-breaking 10-year transportation plan and now the public is invited to weigh in on the projects proposed in their communities.

To help guide transportation projects over the next decade, TxDOT is seeking public input on the draft 2024 Unified Transportation Program (UTP), the states 10-year transportation plan. The draft 2024 UTP totals $100 billion, which is $15 billion more than the 2023 plan. The increase primarily comes from growth in revenues from Proposition 1 (passed in the 2015 legislative session) generated by oil and gas severance fees dedicated to highway improvements.

The public is invited to learn about the UTP and participate in a virtual public hearing on July 25 at 2 p.m. The public may join the meeting and hearing by phone or online via TxDOT Public Involvement.

The draft 2024 UTP public comment period began Friday, July 7, 2023, and ends Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at 4 p.m. (CDT). There are multiple ways to comment throughout the process, and they can all be found on the Public Involvement section of TxDOT.gov, along with recordings and presentations from each meeting and hearing.

United Supermarkets teams up with local law enforcement for Cops 4 Kids initiative

Once again, United Supermarkets will team up with local law enforcement agencies across Texas for the Cops 4 Kids initiative throughout the summer and year.

The Cops 4 Kids initiative, which began four years ago, was initially developed to promote positive interactions between children and police officers. United Supermarkets supplies local law enforcement officers with coupons for a free coke or Icee at United Express locations. The police officers then hand them out while they are in the community.

To find out more about Cops 4 Kids, follow along on United Supermarkets Facebook page.

Sanitary sewer overflow contained July 3 at Osage

A sanitary sewer overflow from a mechanical failure was contained earlier this week.

The lift station at 5601 S. Osage sustained a mechanical failure resulting in the overflow from a manhole, the city reported. A total of 850,000 gallons of untreated wastewater was released. The event was resolved at 9 a.m. Monday, July 3. Clean-up activities included vacuum removal of excess untreated wastewater and application of HTH to clean remaining residual wastewater.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was notified and is working with the city to minimize environmental impacts.

For more information, contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager David Henry at (806) 378-5219 or by email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area Our Town briefs for July 9, 2023
KABUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Police have rounded up three people on charge of involvement in drug trafficking in Afghanistan's capital Kabul over the past 24 hours, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said Sunday.

Police have recovered illicit drugs including objects used in manufacturing heroin, the official said.

Over the past several days, police have destroyed two acres of poppy in the northern Jawzjan province and arrested over a dozen drug smugglers in the western Herat and neighboring Ghor provinces.

Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, supreme leader of the Afghan caretaker administration, banned the cultivation of illegal crops including poppy, processing to drug and drug trafficking in a decree issued in April last year. 
American mink are now widespread in both Northern Ireland and the Republic

In a quiet County Tyrone valley on the outskirts of Plumbridge, lies Butterlope Farm.

Surrounded by the Sperrin Mountains, it's just 18 miles from the county town of Omagh.

And it is there that the story begins of how the American Mink - described as an aggressive predator and threat to native wildlife - came to flourish in the wild in Northern Ireland.

Butterlope is a working farm but it also provides education and training for adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues.

Part of that is working with the poultry on the farm - on two separate occasions the farm's hens have been attacked.

Annie Mullan, manager and tutor at Butterlope, told BBC News NI: "Both times the mink killed all of our hens - around a dozen each time."

https://www.facebook.com/ButterlopeFarm/posts/pfbid0Gpex7NLdjs9fFuck2msSeRCqk3rvRzsm8vecu7nWQYW8DYUZwqDUZvRXjymPQ1QXl

A mink attack is different to that of other predators, she said.

"You know when it's a mink that has attacked because of the puncture wounds to the neck," she added.

Annie and her colleagues have worked hard to mink proof the farm's coop since the attacks two years ago and are, naturally enough, on their guard.

"The first thing we do every morning is check the hens," she said.

Her view is that, in the interests of wider conservation, the time may have come for authorities to consider controlling the mink population.

There have been efforts to do so in other parts of the UK.

When did the American mink arrive?

American mink were introduced into Ireland for fur farming in the 1950s. Over time, some escaped and some were deliberately released.

In 1961, 30 mink escaped from a farm in Omagh - the first documented escape from a fur farm in Northern Ireland.

They quickly became established in the wider countryside.

By the end of the decade the Belfast Telegraph was reporting that the "severity" of their presence was being felt on the banks of the River Strule.

The Duke of Abercorn, the paper reported, had lost 32 pheasant chicks and two broody hens to mink attacks at his Barons Court estate that year.

Mink farming has since been banned on both sides of the border but feral American mink are now widespread on the island of Ireland, according to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

A threat to fish as well as to ducks and other birds, mink are prolific breeders. And, with no natural predators, their numbers have flourished.

"Mink are opportunistic predators that can impact on native wildlife, as with any other invasive species," a spokeswoman for Stormont's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said.

The department carries out its own control on the estates, parks and fish farms it owns and it "encourages landowners to control mink on their properties for the protection of native biodiversity".

The department currently has no plans for a wider mink control campaign, the spokeswoman said.

In the Republic of Ireland, discussions have previously taken place about how the mink could be eradicated completely. But that has been ruled out due to cost.

Ger O'Donnell, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) manager in the north west, monitors territory including the Inch Wildfowl Reserve in County Donegal, where a number of mink have been spotted in recent weeks.

"Two things set them apart from other predators," he said.

"One, they are not meant to be here, and two they have a particular versatility - [they are] as at home in the water as they are on land."

As predators go, he added, they are "on top of their game".

Inch is designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EU Birds Directive and home to curlews, corncrakes, black headed gulls and snipe, among others.

"All water fowl and ground-nesting birds are vulnerable to mink," Ger said.

Trappers work during breeding season to control the mink; other measures have included a predator fence being erected on the island site.

"There was an implied wisdom at a time that suggested the local wildlife would adapt to the presence of a new species," he said.

"It's maybe too early to say if that is the case with mink."

The Irish Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said controlling mink numbers was "an ongoing issue".

The American mink is one of 78 species included on the Republic of Ireland's list of invasive alien species - that means work is undertaken "to manage, control and, where practicable, eradicate these species".

"The National Parks and Wildlife Service prioritises the protection of nationally important ground-nesting bird sites and is also looking to expand these efforts to vulnerable sea-bird colonies," a spokesman for the department said.

He added: "Funding provided to local authorities in Ireland under the National Parks and Wildlife Service's Local Biodiversity Action Fund is also supporting mink control operations in some areas."

Earlier this year a member of the Irish parliament called for a more radical approach.

Fianna Fail TD (Irish MP) for Tipperary Jackie Cahill wants a 20 (17) bounty paid per tail to mink hunters.

A scheme offering 3 had been in place previously.

At that time junior agriculture minister Malcolm Noonan promised to examine the feasibility of reintroducing such a scheme.
As your State Auditor, my job is to hold those accountable who choose to steal and misuse your hard-earned money. Lets take a look at some of the recent cases that have had an impact on your community.

In Jackson County, Charles Smith and Jonathan Smith were indicted for embezzlement by a grand jury in September 2022. The duo is accused of embezzling county-owned equipment like chainsaws, weedeaters, and other implements. Several of the items were allegedly pawned or sold at local shops.

Johnathan Smith is also accused of stealing catalytic converters from county-owned vehicles. Both men were served their respective indictments and demand letters in September. Charles Smith was served a$1,435.77 demand letter, and Jonathan Smith was served a $3,549.79 demand letter.

In December, Charles Smith pled guilty to embezzlement, and his full demand amount has been recovered and returned to Jackson County taxpayers. In February, Jonathan Smith was convicted on two counts of embezzlement. The majority of the equipment has already been recovered and returned to Jackson County. Both Charles and Jonathan Smith are now convicted of a felony offense and will not be able to handle public funds again.

In Harrison County, Michael Ludlow pled guilty in March to submitting fraudulent timesheets from October 2020 to November 2020 and embezzling money from the Biloxi Public School District. He was absent from work while he claimed to be present and conducted personal business at other times he was on the clock and being paid by the school district. Ludlow was presented with a $6,678.32 demand letter upon his arrest in May 2021. Sentencing will be held at a later date.

Investigators also believe Ludlow purchased controlled substances during the workday while using a district-owned vehicle away from school property. This incident was referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency and is pending prosecution.

In Stone County, a $335,353.61 demand letter was presented to former circuit clerk Jeffrey ONeal after he was indicted on four counts of embezzlement and arrested in September 2021. ONeal is accused of embezzling money from Stone County by writing checks to himself instead of to the county general fund as required by law. He also allegedly embezzled money that should have been returned to crime victims. Unrelated to the criminal charges against him, a portion of the demand issued to ONeal is to repay the county for nearly $60,000 lost as a result of errors like his misplacing a certified check. ONeal is currently in jail awaiting a hearing and a new trial date.

In George County, Elijah Murrah was indicted for grand larceny in January 2022. Murrah is accused of stealing multiple catalytic converters from parked vehicles owned by the George County School District. He allegedly used a saw to cut the catalytic converters from school-owned vehicles and later sold them. Murrah was sentenced to serve at least three years in prison for stealing the catalytic converters from taxpayer-owned vehicles. Both sentences will run concurrently with each other. In addition, Murrah was fined $700.00 and ordered to pay $200.00 to the Crime Victims Fund, and all court costs.

You are the victim of these crimes  along with your friends and neighbors who live in Mississippi. Thats not something I take lightly. Im committed to doing my part to hold these people liable for their actions. From the smallest case to the largest one, any amount of money and resources stolen from the taxpayers is too much. My office will continue to work with prosecutors to hold crooks accountable.
Mining firms prefer to transport metals via truck to Lobito and other often congested ports (CAROLINE THIRION)

Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are pinning hopes for economic revival on the revamp of an iconic African railway connecting mineral-rich inland areas to the Atlantic Ocean.

Earlier this week, Luanda and Kinshasa granted a group of investors a 30-year concession to operate the line linking Angola's seaport of Lobito to Kolwezi, a southern city in the heart of the DRC's copperbelt.

Partially funded by the United States, the $555-million project is expected to boost mineral export and intra-African trade and cements Angola's diplomatic pivot to the West, analysts said.

"Unlocking the Lobito corridor with American funding... is a historical watershed," said Alex Vines at British think-tank Chatham House.

Currently stretching about 1,700 kilometres (1,050 miles), the railway was completed around 100 years ago by British investors interested in getting copper out of Africa.

The Angolan section of the line was closed during the height of the country's 1975-2002 civil war and remained in disuse afterwards due to damage.

Rebuilt by a Chinese company, it reopened in 2015 but traffic has struggled to take off.

Only about one train every two weeks currently runs over it, according to Vecturis, a Belgian railway operator, part of the consortium awarded the railway concession.

- Cobalt, copper, derailments -

The Congolese stretch dates back to colonial times and is poorly maintained, said Marcel Lungange, head of infrastructure at the DRC's national railway company, SNCC.

"We have an average of three derailments a day due to the dilapidated state of the tracks, with our locomotives running at two-kilometres-per-hour in many places," he said.

Mining firms prefer to transport metals via truck to other often congested ports in Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa -- but such journeys are expensive and take weeks to complete.

With the International Energy Agency expecting global demand for critical metals to quadruple by 2040 as countries race to tackle climate change, new export routes are badly needed, said Louis Watum, who heads the DRC's Chamber of Mines, a trade group.

DR Congo is respectively the world's and Africa's biggest producer of cobalt and copper. Both minerals are used to build solar panels, wind farms and electric vehicles.

"We already have huge queues of lorries" at border posts, Watum said.

The consortium, which includes global commodity trader Trafigura and Portuguese construction firm Mota-Engil, hopes the revamped railway will slash transit times from the DRC to Lobito to under 36 hours.

It wants to have at least six trains a day crossing in and out of the country within five years.

To that end it plans to pour $455 million on upgrades in Angola, including buying more than 1,500 new wagons and locomotives, reinforcing bridges and welding rails.

Another $100 million are earmarked for the DRC, with the concession agreement also envisaging extending the tracks to neighbouring Zambia.

- US money -

About half the money is expected to be financed by the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), a government agency.

The commitment comes at a time of heightened competition between Washington and Beijing over access to critical minerals.

It puts some flesh on the bones of US President Joe Biden's pledge to go "all in" on Africa and bolster trade with the continent, said Vines.

It also reflects a shift in Angola's diplomacy.

The oil-rich country has long held close ties to China and Russia. Its ruling party was supported by the Soviet Union in the civil war against US-backed rebels.

But under President Joao Lourenco, it has moved closer to Washington.

There is no guarantee that minerals shipped from Lobito will head west, but the Atlantic port naturally looks towards Europe and the Americas, said Vines.

Angola and the DRC hope the railway will also boost their economies, which depend on oil and mining respectively.

"Our interest is for this corridor to enhance trade between our nations," Angola's Transport Minister Ricardo D'Abreu told a local broadcaster.

Agriculture was one of the sectors that stood to benefit from improved transport links, he said.

Luanda, which is working to up its limited refining capacity, said it wants to use the railway to ship fuel upstream to Zambia and the DRC.

The revamped line could increase the GDP of the three countries by $177 billion, the government said this week.

Independent analyst Marisa Lourenco cautioned that Africa's recent history is rich in grand infrastructure plans that were never completed.

Yet, she was "cautiously optimistic" this would see the light of day, given the global thirst for minerals and the money behind it.

Work is expected to start within the next three months, according to Vecturis.

"This project is long overdue," said Watum of the DRC's Chamber of Mines.

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Florida Democrats, hoping to claw their way back from the brink of political irrelevance, seized on Gov. Ron DeSantis struggling presidential campaign on Saturday to unite a deeply fractured political coalition ahead of the 2024 elections.

The Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue weekend at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach was billed by party leaders as a kind of launch party for a more aggressive, reenergized state party after years of financial difficulties and lackluster election results. Throughout the day on Saturday, state and local party members met in various workshops and seminars to talk through how they plan on reasserting themselves in Florida after a particularly difficult midterm election in 2022 that saw Democrats suffer some of their deepest-ever losses in the state.

Yet DeSantis, who is running in a distant second place behind former President Donald Trump in most polls of the GOP presidential primary, proved to be the strongest uniting force for party members and activists attending the conference.

Speaking at a Saturday evening fundraising gala, Nikki Fried, the former state agriculture commissioner who took over as chair of the Florida Democratic Party in February, stated her partys mission in blunt terms: back Ron DeSantis into a corner and call out his bulls--t.

Frieds message was an attempt to overcome a party that remains deeply frustrated and divided after years of political struggles. There are now nearly 500,000 more registered Republican voters in the state than Democratic voters, the GOP holds super majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, and for the first time since Reconstruction, theres not a single Democrat in a statewide elected office.

Frieds remarks  and those of other speakers on Saturday night  also displayed a coarser, more-aggressive Florida Democratic Party than in the past.

The galas keynote speaker, actor and Democratic activist Bradley Whitford, mocked DeSantis (whom he dubbed Little Ronny D) as a cocky little wannabe MAGA dictator, using the acronym for make America great again, former President Donald Trumps main political slogan.

Keynote speaker actor and producer Bradley Whitford speaks during the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.

At another point in his speech, Whitford was even more crass.

Ron DeSantis is a fing coward, Whitford said. Hes a fing coward. Hes afraid of history. Hes afraid of people loving each other. Hes afraid of people who are different from him. Hes afraid of Donald Trump.

To cap off the evening: a drag show that served as an overt dig at DeSantis, who signed legislation earlier this year that restricts children from attending certain performances.

Drag performer Velvet LeNore joins dancers on stage during the gala at the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.

A spokesperson for DeSantis campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The tone of the weekend was significantly more optimistic than Florida Democrats have gotten used to in recent months.

Multiple speakers, including Fried and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, touted the conference as the start of a new day for Florida Democrats, while former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell mused that 2023 felt similar to 2017, the year she won a key South Florida U.S. House seat and Democrats captured a majority in the lower chamber of Congress.

Im feeling that there is an energy on the ground similar to what I felt in 2017, she told the Herald. When a political party becomes so extreme against the interests of the people that theyre serving, which is exactly what the Republicans have done here in the state of Florida, people start rejecting those policies, the party, the politicians that have been representing them.

There may be at least a few reasons for Democrats to believe that things are on the upswing in Florida.

Democrat Donna Deegan flipped control of the Jacksonville mayors office in May, notching a win over a DeSantis-endorsed Republican that her party held up as a sign of hope after a rough midterm election.

The conference itself is also likely to rake in a substantial amount of money for the party. Tickets to the gala, which cost $300 each, sold out quickly, and Fried said that money had continued to trickle in throughout the weekend, though she declined to provide an exact amount or estimate of how much the party had raised.

Attendees arrive for the gala at the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.

Yet plenty of attendees had their own prescriptions for fixing Democrats struggles in Florida.

Susan Khoury, who ran unsuccessfully last year for the Democratic nomination for a Miami-Dade County Commission seat, said that Florida Democrats needed to be more vocal and actively contest even the most difficult offices for Democrats to win.

To me, every single race in Miami-Dade County should have a Democratic person running, Khoury said. You shouldnt allow anybody to win without any competition. You earn your votes. If they deserve it, theyll win it.

Millie Herrera, a Miami businesswoman who served on the Miami-Dade County Democratic Executive Committee, said that Democrats had abandoned the Hispanic community and needed to rethink their strategy for winning back Hispanic voters in South Florida, especially after the 2022 midterm elections, which saw DeSantis win Miami-Dade County.

We need to have Puerto Ricans knocking on Puerto Rican doors. We need to have Cuban Americans knocking on Cuban American doors, Herrera said. We need to be there.

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson arrives for the gala at the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.

Annette Taddeo, a former state senator from Miami who challenged Fried for Florida Democratic Party chair earlier this year, said it was too early to make a judgment call about the direction of the state party and its prospects, noting that Fried and her team were still in the early phases of rebuilding the organization.

Whether they are able to do that, she added, will depend on whether they can raise the money to compete with Republicans on the ground.

You could have the best plan in the world, but if youre not raising the money, how are you going to pay for any of this? she said.

Florida Democratic Party Chair, Nikki Fried speaks to reporters at the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023. Joining her at the podium are, from left, actor and producer Bradley Whitford, Florida State Representative Dotie Joseph and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Actress Amy Landecker and actor/producer Bradley Whitford walk down a hall as they attend the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.

2022 candidate for Senate Val Demings greets Joel Flores, mayor of Greenacres, Florida, as they arrive for the gala at the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023. From left, Charlie Rodriguez, chair of the Puerto Rican Democratic Party; Tonio Burgos, CEO of Tonio Burgos and Associates; Demings; Don Lowery, vice president of government affairs at the Nielsen Company, and Flores.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks to reporters during the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber speaks as Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava joins him on stage during the gala at the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.

Nelson Quezada takes in the view outside during the Florida Democratic Partys annual Leadership Blue Weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, on Saturday, July 8, 2023.
The anti-Putin Freedom of Russia Legion says it has 'ambitious plans' for more cross-border raids into Russia, report says

Fighters of the Russian Volunteer Corps and allied group, the Freedom of Russia Legion, pose with a seized armored personnel carrier from their May 2023 raid into southern Russia. Sergey Bobok/Getty Images

The Freedom of Russia Legion comprises defectors from the Russian army and other volunteers.

The anti-Putin group launched two cross-border raids into the Belgorod region in May and June.

Its commander told The Observer it's planning more attacks, bolstered by the dissolution of Wagner.

A paramilitary group of Russian citizens who oppose Vladimir Putin is planning more attacks into Russia, its commander told The Observer.

"There will be a further surprise in the next month or so," the Freedom of Russia Legion's spokesperson and commander, Caesar, told the newspaper. "It will be our third operation. After that, there will be a fourth and fifth."

"We have ambitious plans," he added. "We want to free all our territory."

The Freedom of Russia Legion is based in Ukraine and comprises a few hundred soldiers, who are defectors from the Russian army and other volunteers fighting against their homeland.

Reuters reports that the group says it operates under Ukrainian command, although Ukraine has denied a connection and says the Legion operates independently, per The Guardian.

Caesar  a former member of the ultranationalist Russian Imperial Movement  told The Observer that Ukraine and Russia's future is "a common struggle, a common tragedy."

The Legion's first cross-border raid took place in May, as the rebels said they took control of villages in the Belgorod region. In early June, they again crossed into the Belgorod region with armored vehicles and shelled the town of Shebekino.

Russia said more than 70 militants were killed during the fighting in May, per Al Jazeera. Although Caesar told The Observer, only two of his group's soldiers died and that the dead bodies had been dressed in Ukrainian uniforms. "It was all a dumb lie," he added.

And now the commander is more confident of success following the dissolution of the Wagner Group. The private military company took part in some of the conflict's fiercest battles until its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a rebellion and marched toward Moscow on June 23,

"Their exit depresses the morale of the Russian army," Caesar told The Observer. "I'm certain 100% Ukraine's counter-offensive will succeed."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A file photo of City Hall. Police believe someone threw an object through a window Saturday night, starting a fire that damaged an office. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Fire Department's arson team is investigating a fire that occurred Saturday night on the second floor of City Hall, authorities said.

Police believe that someone may have started the fire by throwing an unknown object through a window in the building.

"Initially it appears a suspect outside of City Hall threw an object ... into the office, breaking the window and causing the fire," said Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Officer Warren Moore. There was damage inside one of the offices, he said.

The fire alarm on the second floor was activated at 8 p.m. Saturday, Moore said.

Firefighters were quickly dispatched to the building at 200 N. Spring St., LAFD spokesperson Margaret Stewart said. The building's fire sprinkler was activated, and when firefighters responded, they found "a large amount of water in the main hallway" and entered an office "where they saw what appeared to be possible suspicious ignition," she said.

The fire had already been extinguished by the sprinkler system when the LAFD arrived, Stewart said.

The fire started in the office of Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso, Moore said. Tso confirmed there was a fire in her office but said she was unable to speak further because the investigation was ongoing.

LAFD responders cleared water from the first and second floors of the building, Stewart said. Members of the department's arson section also responded to the scene, Stewart said.

She said she couldn't comment on what kind of object had been thrown through the window because of the ongoing arson investigation.

Numerous blower fans were set up in and around the affected office suite on Sunday morning, drying carpets. A boarded-up windowpane was visible from the south lawn of City Hall.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Trade and security will be priorities for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on a trip this week to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and attend a NATO summit in Lithuania, Albanese's office said.

He will meet Scholz on Monday to discuss "deepening cooperation between Australia and Germany" in "trade and investment, the clean energy transition, and defence", the Labor leader's office said in a statement late on Saturday.

At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, Australia will advocate for "our regions strategic priorities and advance Australias security, economic and trade agenda," the statement said.

Australia is not a member of NATO but has a decades-long relationship with the Western alliance and attended last year's summit in Madrid as a non-member participant.

"Alongside our NATO allies, Australia continues to demonstrate our unwavering support for Ukraine, and our condemnation of Russias illegal and immoral invasion," Albanese said in the statement.

Australia, one of the largest non-NATO contributors to the West's support for Ukraine, has supplied aid and defence equipment and banned exports of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia.

Last month, Australia promised a new A$110 million ($74 million) package to Ukraine, including 70 military vehicles to defend against Russia's invasion, taking Australia's total contribution for Ukraine to A$790 million ($530 million).

Also this week, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell will travel to Brussels, seeking to advance stalled talks for a free trade agreement between Australia and the EU.

The trip comes after recent talks between Australian and European Union trade ministers, Reuters has reported, as optimism builds that sticking points over the pact can be overcome with more negotiation.

"While in Brussels I will meet my counterpart, Executive Vice-President and European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, as well as the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski," Farrell said in a statement on Sunday.

($1 = 1.4952 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by William Mallard)
Azovstal commanders promise to have their say in battle

The commanders of the defenders of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works who have returned to Ukraine have pledged to continue the fight and to have their say in battle.

Source: Azov Regiment Commander Denys Prokopenko in Lviv, answering journalists' questions

Quote: "I am deeply convinced that the army is a joint effort, and from this day onwards, we will continue the fight together with you. We will definitely have our say in battle.

The main thing is that the Ukrainian army has seized the strategic initiative on the front line, and every day we advance, destroy the enemy, and liberate temporarily occupied territories.

And we will do everything possible and impossible to speed up this process so that the war reaches its logical conclusion."

Details: Asked whether they would go back to the front, Prokopenko answered: "Of course. That's why we returned to Ukraine. This is our main goal."

Describing their stay in Turkiye, Sviatoslav Palamar, Deputy Commander of the Azov Regiment, paraphrased a poem by Lesia Ukrainka: "We are paraplegics with sparkling eyes, great in spirit, small in strength. We feel the wings of eagles behind us, but we were chained to Turkish land."

"We have returned, and we will continue to do our work. We are military, we swore an oath," Palamar said.

Background:

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that the military commanders who defended the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works and then stayed in Turkiye after being released from Russian captivity in a prisoner swap were returning to Ukraine from Turkiye.

The presidents press service later confirmed that five commanders from Azovstal had been brought back to Ukraine on Saturday following negotiations with Turkiye.

Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine and Turkiye of violating agreements after five commanders who defended the Azovstal steelworks were brought back to their homeland.

On Saturday evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Lviv together with the commanders who defended Azovstal.

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The Ajax tank is built for the British Army by defence contractor DE&S - Jack Eckersley/MoD

Banks face an investigation by the Ministry of Defence after closing the accounts of military contractors to the department.

The MoD launched the investigation after dozens of defence companies complained that they were being denied banking services or charged higher rates because of the nature of their work.

Defence experts have blamed the growth of environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies, which encourage firms to invest ethically.

James Cartlidge, the minister for defence procurement, is in talks with ADS, the trade body representing 1,200 firms in the aerospace, security, defence and space sectors, to discuss how the Government can end the practice.

Ministers are concerned that it could jeopardise jobs and undermine the competitiveness of the sector, which employs 417,000 people and provides equipment to the Armed Forces.

Russias illegal invasion has highlighted why we must advocate for a strong defence industry, without which we could not have supplied Ukraine with the means to defend its freedom, said Mr Cartlidge.

Defence businesses large and small have told me that ESG rules have undermined them, from facing more expensive finance to being denied basic banking facilities.

We are currently investigating the extent of this challenge  but I am clear that a strong defence industry supports well-paid jobs around the UK and enables our Armed Forces to keep us safe in dangerous times.

Larger firms struggle to raise capital

Smaller defence businesses have been refused accounts, or told existing accounts will be closed and their balance refunded.

They have also been refused insurance, while larger firms struggle to raise capital. Research by ADS found that the proportion of investment funds that exclude the defence sector on ethical grounds has risen from 59 per cent in 2021 to 91 per cent this year.

An ADS spokesman said: The aerospace and defence sectors have already seen reduced access to investment and financial services, due to investor concerns about ESG performance or other reputational risks.

Our small and medium-sized enterprises are facing unprecedented barriers in accessing the finance they need. This can range from high-value investment rounds, down to difficulties faced accessing basic business banking services due to overzealous interpretation of risks from banks.

For many funds, defence stocks have overtaken tobacco as less desirable, despite the vital role defence plays.

Review of the rules

It comes amid a row over the closure of the accounts of politically exposed persons (PEPs) after several public figures, including Nigel Farage, complained that their accounts had been shut without warning.

Treasury officials have ordered the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the City watchdog, to urgently review rules around PEPs.

Andrew Griffith, the economic secretary to the Treasury, has written to the FCA asking it to speed up a review of the rules.

Given the strength of concern on this issue, I would expect that the FCA will prioritise this important review over the coming months, and if there are easy wins along the way will implement those expeditiously, he said.

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California Rep. Barbara Lee (D) on Sunday criticized the Biden administrations plan to give Ukraine cluster munitions as Kyiv mounts its counteroffensive against Russias ongoing invasion.

Cluster bombs should never be used. Thats crossing a line, Lee said on CNNs State of the Union.

Once you see what takes place, we know what takes place in terms of cluster bombs being very dangerous to civilians. They dont always immediately explode. Children can step on them. Thats a line we should not cross, she said.

The administration last week announced plans to provide Ukraine with the weapons, which contain multiple explosive submunitions. The controversial bombs are banned by many countries due to the risks the explosives pose to civilians.

President Biden defended the decision, saying it was a very difficult decision made after discussions with allies and lawmakers.

The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition, Biden said on CNN, adding of the cluster munitions that I think they needed them.

Lee, while praising Bidens other work in dealing with the war in Ukraine, broke with her fellow Democrat on the type of weapons the U.S. now plans to send the war-torn country.

I think the Presidents been doing a good job managing this war, this Putin aggressive war against Ukraine, but I think that this should not happen, Lee said Sunday of the cluster munitions.

And so Im hoping that the administration would reconsider this because these are very dangerous bombs. Theyre dangerous weapons. And this is a line that I dont believe we should cross.

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Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) on Sunday wouldnt join her fellow Democrats in calling for the resignation of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who Lee is running to replace.

I have said over and over and over again that I, first of all, Im most concerned about Senator Feinsteins health. Shes back at work and shes doing her job, Lee said on CNNs State of the Union.

Feinstein, who announced in February that shes retiring at the end of her current Senate term, was absent from Congress for several weeks earlier this year as she battled shingles and complications from the disease. The longtime senator is now facing calls to resign amid concerns about her ability to fulfill her duties including the inability of the Senate Judiciary Committee to confirm judges appointed by President Biden.

Among those calling for Feinsteins resignation is Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who is co-chair of Lees campaign to replace Feinstein.

Host Jake Tapper pressed Lee on the matter on Sunday, asking whether Khanna speaks for her with his repeated calls for the senator to step aside.

I respect  my friend, Congressman Ro Khanna. Im speaking for myself when I say that I hope that Senator Feinstein continues to improve, Lee said.

[Feinstein] is back in Washington, D.C., and she is doing her job, and what I am doing is talking to voters and putting forth my record, my experience, my lived experiences and connecting with people so that people understand that Im going to be fighting continuously for them, or better life for everyone, the California lawmaker said.

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Wichitans have had it with overgrown weeds, garbage-laden yards and dilapidated houses.

Code enforcement scored the lowest  24% approval  of all city services included in Wichitas 2022 resident survey.

The proposed 2024-2025 city budget aims to boost enforcement efforts, with an additional $112,000 for nuisance abatement next year and an extra $100,000 for the demolition of structures deemed dangerous and unsafe.

We are seeing an increase in nuisance conditions and blight in some areas, said Chris Labrum, director of the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, which is responsible for inspections, notifying property owners of violations and bidding out work to contractors when owners fail to make fixes on their own.

We have consistently gotten requests from neighborhood associations and neighbors to do more with and be more aggressive with those properties, Labrum said.

Janet Radig, president of the McAdams Neighborhood Association in northeast Wichita, said she wants to see problem houses in her neighborhood dealt with quicker.

There is a lot of dilapidated housing and people not doing what they need to do, landlords not doing what they need to do, Radig said.

Depending on the level of nuisance, a property owner will be given anywhere from seven to 30 days to take care of the problem or show enough progress to be given more time. MABCD data shows that the voluntary compliance rate is 87%.

An untended lawn in north Wichita.

But some of the roughly 10,000 cases MABCD deals with annually wind up in court, prolonging the timeline as the department seeks an order to gain entry for an inspection or abatement.

A lot of their problem is dealing with the way the laws are set up, said Chad Roush, president of the South Area Neighborhood Association. With all of these out-of-state owners, its hard to get people to remediate stuff and it gets tied up in court forever before they can do anything.

I agree that property rights should be there, but theres got to be some way to keep moving things along if theyre not going to get compliant.

Labrum said hes worked in recent years to remove as many administrative slowdowns as possible, and that additional resources will help his department act quicker to inspect nuisances and enact fixes when necessary.

Mike Hoheisel, who represents south Wichitas District 3 on the City Council, said he hears almost daily from residents about health, safety and property value concerns related to nuisance houses.

We have to have a budget to make sure we can clean that up, Hoheisel said. We just blow through these budgets to where were having to find money elsewhere at the end of the year to help cover some of these issues that were facing. I think its wholly appropriate that we just go ahead and allocate more resources on the front end.

City Manager Robert Layton will present next years budget proposal to the City Council on Tuesday. A series of public budget hearings will be held before it is adopted.

Concerns about blight, vacant houses

Fire damage to vacant houses, often caused by squatters trying to keep warm during the winter months, has become a persistent problem in recent years, Labrum said.

We do an emergency demo if we have a situation where a structure, generally residential, is damaged to the point that it is immediately dangerous and we dont have an engaged owner and any level of confidence that theyll take care of it immediately, Labrum said.

All demolitions of structures determined to be dangerous must ultimately be approved by the City Council.

By retired developer John Todds assessment, inspectors are far too quick to recommend demolition in non-emergency cases.

Real estate is more than bricks and mortar. It involves people and the situations they find themselves in as property owners, Todd told The Eagle.

Bulldozing houses and leaving vacant lots that draw trash and weeds and landowners that have $8,000 to $10,000 bulldozing fees against them is certainly not the solution.

He said what property owners need is to be connected with resources, including attorneys who can help handle estates when relatives leave behind houses without a will, and programs like the Federal Housing Administrations Limited 203(k) Mortgage program, which can be used to finance up to $35,000 in home repairs and improvements.

If mom and dad are in a house basically and die and you dont want to own it  you live out of town  a lot of people have no idea that the house thats got weeds and trash around it might be worth $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, Todd said.

Hoheisel said owners must be given a fair chance to bring their properties back into compliance before administrative action is taken against their will.

We dont want to crack down on anybody, Hoheisel said. We want to give them every opportunity to take care of this.

Im just scared of the day that I get a call of a firefighter being injured or even killed going out to a fire that could have been prevented by us making sure that the places are boarded up and that we stay on people with regard to taking care of their property.

Labrum said it takes community buy-in to keep neighborhoods safe and appealing.

The broken window theory  when we keep blight to a minimum, the better we can do with keeping neighborhoods clean, up to code, the less likely they are to slip into higher levels of decline and crime, he said.
By Paul Sandle

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's BBC suspended a male member of staff on Sunday following an allegation that one of its star presenters paid a teenager thousands of pounds to pose for sexually explicit photos, beginning when they were 17 years old.

The broadcaster said it first became aware of a complaint in May, but new allegations of a different nature were made to it on Thursday, and it had informed "external authorities".

London's Metropolitan Police said it had received initial contact from the BBC but no formal referral or allegation had been made.

"We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow," it said in a statement.

The BBC said it was a "complex and fast moving set of circumstances" and it was "working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps".

"We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended," it said in a statement.

The statement said "it is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care", without giving details on the claims.

The Sun newspaper, which first reported the allegations, cited the young person's mother as saying the unnamed male presenter had paid the teenager more than 35,000 pounds ($45,000) over three years for the images.

The mother told the newspaper that the teenager had used the cash to fund a crack cocaine habit.

The family complained to the broadcaster on May 19, but the presenter was not immediately taken off air, according to the Sun, which said the family had not requested payment for their story.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held urgent talks with the broadcaster's director general, Tim Davie, earlier on Sunday about the allegations, which she described as "deeply concerning".

"(Davie) has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively," she said on Twitter.

"Given the nature of the allegations it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action."

The BBC, which is funded by a licence fee paid by every TV watching household, said it "takes any allegations seriously" and had "robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations".

"We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up," it said.

($1 = 0.7791 pounds)

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by William Maclean, David Holmes and Sharon Singleton)
By Steve Holland

STANSTED, England (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Britain on Sunday, starting a three-nation trip that will be dominated by a NATO summit in Lithuania aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine in its fight against Russia while not yet accepting Kyiv as a member of the alliance.

But the challenges of forging solidarity among NATO's 31 member countries were highlighted in a call between Biden and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan before the alliance summit in Lithuania this week, with Sweden's bid for membership in the Western alliance a continued point of contention.

Biden landed at Stansted Airport and boarded the Marine One helicopter for central London, where he will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street on Monday. He will later travel to Windsor Castle for a visit with King Charles.

The talks with the king, expected to include climate initiatives, will give Biden a greater sense of the man who succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after her death last September.

Biden had tea with the queen at Windsor in June 2021, and they discussed many of the same issues that remain a top priority today, like Russia and China.

Biden will travel on to Vilnius, Lithuania, on Monday night and hold talks with NATO leaders there on Tuesday and Wednesday. Biden and the NATO allies aim to show support for Ukraine and give Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a sense of what will have to be done to gain NATO membership sometime in the future.

In a CNN interview previewing his trip, Biden urged caution for now on Ukraine's drive to join NATO, saying the alliance could get drawn into the war with Russia due to NATO's mutual defense pact.

"I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war," Biden said.

Zelenskiy said an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO would send a message that the Western defense alliance is not afraid of Moscow. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO, and Zelenskiy said that would be one of his goals in Vilnius, in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

"I'll be there and I'll be doing whatever I can in order to, so to speak, expedite that solution, to have an agreement with our partners," Zelenskiy said on ABC's "This Week."

The NATO membership of Sweden, whose accession to the alliance has been blocked by both Hungary and Turkey, will be part of the agenda in Vilnius. New members must be approved by a unanimous vote of all existing NATO members.

Biden discussed Sweden's NATO bid on a call with Erdogan, and "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement on Sunday.

Erdogan told Biden that Sweden must do more to contain supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which it considers a terrorist group and who continue to hold demonstrations in Sweden, Erdogan's office said.

'CONFIDENT' ALLIANCE

A centerpiece of Biden's visit to Lithuania will be a speech he will deliver at Vilnius University on Wednesday night.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the speech will cover Biden's vision of "a strong, confident America flanked by strong, confident allies and partners taking on the significant challenges of our time, from Russias aggression in Ukraine to the climate crisis."

One of Biden's objectives is to show Americans back home the importance of continuing support for Ukraine as he faces re-election. Some of his Republican rivals in the race for the November 2024 presidential election have voiced doubts about his strategy.

Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey late last month.

Some Democratic lawmakers on Sunday raised concerns about Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. The artillery shells release dozens of bomblets that cause destruction over wide areas and unexploded ordnance can pose hazards for decades.

Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, told reporters on Sunday that Ukraine in written assurances said it would not use cluster bombs in Russia or in populated areas.

Biden's last stop will be in Helsinki for talks with the leaders of the newest NATO member, Finland, and to attend a summit of U.S. and Nordic leaders.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Franklin Paul, Andrea Ricci and Leslie Adler)
(Bloomberg) -- Democratic lawmakers voiced concern about President Joe Bidens decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as NATO countries, some of which have also spoken out against the weapons, are set to meet this week.

Most Read from Bloomberg

No, cluster bombs should never be used. Thats crossing a line, Representative Barbara Lee, a California Democrat, said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday.

Over 100 countries have agreed to ban the use of cluster munitions, in part because of the danger to civilians from unexploded bomblets. That includes many of the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations 31 member countries, which will discuss aid to Ukraine at a NATO summit starting Tuesday that Biden is due to attend.

Bidens team said the choice was difficult but necessary because Ukraines stock of ammunition is dwindling as it mounts a counteroffensive against Russias invasion. I think they needed them, Biden said in a CNN interview Friday.

Read more: Solidarity or Squabbling: Five Things to Watch at NATOs Summit

Another source of lawmakers criticism is a Congressional mandate that cluster bombs sent from the US have a non-explosion rate of less than 1%. The US supply to Ukraine has a 2.5% failure rate, according to Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.

Look, I share this concern, Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said on Fox News Sunday, but the US wouldnt be in this position if Russia wasnt already harming Ukrainian civilians. Ukraine has given the US a variety of assurances that the risk to civilians will be minimized, Kaine said.

Lee is among 19 House Democrats who criticized Bidens decision last week, saying it hurts the global effort to eradicate these dangerous munitions, taking us down the wrong path, according to a statement from Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal.

A group of moderate Democrats expressed support for the administrations stance.

Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming backed the decision. Russias been using them all along, and I think this fills a gap that the folks need in Ukraine, in their battle, he said on Fox News Sunday.

Ukraines ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, said on CBSs Face the Nation that there is nothing controversial about it. Ukraine will be very responsible in deploying the munitions, track where theyre used and de-mine those areas, she said.

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Biden could have ended war at cost of Ukraine in 5 minutes, but we would not have agreed  Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that US President Joe Biden could end the war in Ukraine in five minutes if it were a question of surrendering Ukrainian territories, but our country would not agree to this.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with ABC News

Details: The Ukrainian President once again commented on the words of former US President Donald Trump, who promised to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, recalling that he already had such a chance while serving as US President at a time when Ukraine was going through a hybrid war.

Quote: "The sole desire to bring the war to an end is beautiful, but this desire should be based on some real-life experience. Well, it looks as if Donald Trump had already had these 24 hours once in his time. We were at war, not a full-scale war, but we were at war and as I assume he had that time at his disposal, but he must have had some other priorities."

"If we are talking about ending the war at the cost of Ukraine, in other words, to make us give up our territories, well, I think in this way Biden could have brought it to an end even in five minutes."

More details: Zelenskyy also responded to those Americans who are sceptical about continuing assistance to Ukraine and want to focus on their domestic problems.

"I appreciate those who say that you've done enough. Trust me, no matter what, I appreciate help. When it comes to the word 'enough,' well, we Ukrainians are not people known for excessive appetites. Our victory is enough for us," he said.

At the same time, Zelenskyy mentioned "dangerous signals" regarding the reduction of assistance to Ukraine.

When asked if he was concerned about the upcoming US presidential election and continued aid, Zelenskyy said: "It's an internal, domestic policy issue. It's up to Americans to decide, and I would hate to interfere, but it is important for us to preserve the bipartisan support of Ukraine... We understand that there are some dangerous signals coming from particular politicians of the U.S. regarding the reduction of assistance for Ukraine".

Background:

On 23 March 2023, former US president and likely Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised his voters to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of being elected to a second term. Later, he also repeated this thesis.

On 13 May, Zelenskyy recalled that former US President Donald Trump, who repeatedly promised to end Russia's war against Ukraine in 24 hours, had not done so before the full-scale invasion.

On 3 June, Zelenskyy noted that he "did not understand" Trump's statement that he would have ended a full-scale war in one day, putting Kyiv and Moscow at the negotiating table.

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President Joe Biden said that Ukraine is not yet ready to join NATO, calling the prospect of its membership in the international alliance premature amid its war with Russia.

I dont think its ready for membership in NATO, Biden said in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria that aired Sunday. I dont think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war.

Biden added that Ukraine still has work to do to meet all of the qualifications for membership, cautioning the process is going to take a while. But he reiterated his pledge to provide the country with security guarantees in the interim, stressing that the U.S. would ensure Ukraine has the weaponry it needs to defend itself against Russia.

Bidens vow came shortly after he agreed to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, overriding humanitarian concerns about the bombs by arguing that it was crucial to provide Kyiv with more artillery. The president on Sunday left for an international trip that will include the NATO summit in Lithuania, where he will seek to rally the organizations support for Ukraine.

It was a very difficult decision on my part, Biden said of approving the cluster munitions. But the main thing is, they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now from their  keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas, or they dont. And I think they needed them.

Biden during the interview also expressed optimism that Sweden would soon gain entry to NATO, and touted the alliances ability to remain united in the face of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

I believe Putin has had an overwhelming objective from the time he launched 185,000 troops into Ukraine, and that was to break NATO, he said. So holding NATO together is really critical.

During the wide-ranging discussion, Biden also was asked about the White Houses posture toward China. The president said he was confident the U.S. could reach a stable point with its international rival and would work toward establishing a working relationship with China that benefits them and us. But he also indicated he believes that Chinas overarching goal is to become the largest economic and military power in the world.

China has enormous potential capacity, but enormous problems as well, he said. I think theres a way we can work through this.

Biden warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against providing more support to Russia in its war against Ukraine, he added, emphasizing the economic blow if American corporations pulled out of the nation at the same pace as they have in Russia.

I said, this is not a threat, this is an observation, Biden said. And if you notice, he has not gone full-bore on Russia.

Biden also waved away questions about his age amid concerns over the ability for an 81-year-old seeking reelection to excite the Democratic base ahead of the 2024 election, arguing that he possesses wisdom only gained through his decades in politics.

Were uniting democracies, he said, pointing to the continued support for Ukraine across Europe. I think we have enormous opportunities. And I just want to finish the job, and I think we can do that in the next six years.
US President Joe Biden waves while boarding Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, on July 9, 2023 en route to a meeting with King Charles III in England, before attending a NATO summit in Lithuania and then visiting Finland (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

President Joe Biden arrived in Britain Sunday where he will meet King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before continuing to Vilnius for a NATO summit, then a final stop in new NATO member Finland.

Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport north of London late in the evening, an AFP journalist reported.

On Monday, he meets the British monarch at Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences, for the first time since Charles III's coronation.

The US president did not attend the ceremony, sending First Lady Jill Biden instead.

Their talks are expected to focus on environmental issues, the White House said.

Biden will also be meeting with Sunak at 10 Downing Street.

The main part of Biden's Europe trip will be the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Tuesday and Wednesday, where the Western allies will discuss helping Ukraine to oust Russian occupation forces.

Ukraine is pressing for admission to the military alliance but Biden said in an interview aired Sunday with CNN that this cannot happen until the war is over.

Bringing Ukraine in now would mean NATO is at war with Russia, Biden said.

Under its Article 5, NATO is committed to defending any member that comes under attack. "It's a commitment that we've all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we're all in war. We're at war with Russia, if that were the case," Biden said.

Biden hopes to use the summit to pressure Turkey to drop its opposition to Sweden's all-but-cleared NATO membership bid. Entry requires unanimous consent from all members.

In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said.

The two leaders "expressed their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine," the statement added.

Erdogan's office said separately that he would meet with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.

The talks will focus on "Ukraine's position in NATO, Sweden's NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16" fighter jets, which Turkey hopes to secure from the United States, the Turkish presidency said.

- Ukraine and NATO -

In the interview with CNN, Biden had said he was considering supplying Turkey and Greece with new or upgraded US-made fighter aircraft as an enticement for Turkey to let Sweden join NATO.

"And so, what I'm trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here where we're strengthening NATO in terms of the military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey and allow Sweden to come in," Biden said.

"But it's in play. It's not done."

Erdogan's office said, however, that it was "not correct" to link Turkey's desire to acquire the fighter jets, which need congressional approval, with Sweden's membership drive.

While in Vilnius, Biden will also deliver a major foreign policy speech at the city's university.

His trip comes in the wake of a controversial decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, which most NATO member countries have banned but which the United States continues to hold in its arsenal and says will help Ukraine destroy heavily dug-in Russian forces.

Biden's final stop before returning to Washington on Thursday will be Finland, which ended its historic neutrality to enter NATO in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Biden will be the first US president to visit Helsinki since Donald Trump went five years ago to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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President Biden said that people, including some of his own Democratic supporters, who think he should step aside because of his age are not wrong, but argued that he has more work to do to finish the job in a second term.

Theyre not right or wrong, Biden told CNN in an interview that aired Sunday. Look, to use the phrase again, I think were at an inflection point. I think the world is changing. And I think there is one thing that comes with age, if youre  been honest about it your whole life, and that is some wisdom.

The presidents age has so far proven to be a stumbling block to his reelection bid, with U.S. voters expressing in recent polls that they think he is too old to serve another four-year term. Biden, at 80, is already the oldest person to serve as president, and he would be 86 at the end of a second term.

Biden argued on his own behalf that progress has been made so far in his first term, including settling global matters while Russia is at war with Ukraine and his leading the NATO alliance.

I think were on the cusp of being able to make significant positive changes in the world, he said. Really, honest to God, I do. You see what weve done in Europe. Europe is more united than its ever been since World War II  end of World War II. You see what we have been able to do in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

I think were putting the world together in a way that is going to make things significantly, how can I say it, more secure for people. Were uniting democracies  have the possibility of uniting democracies in a way that hadnt happened ever, he added.

The interview comes as the president is set to leave for Europe to attend the NATO summit in Lithuania, where the war in Ukraine and Swedens and Ukraines acceptance in the alliance are all topics on the table.

Meanwhile, at home, 68 percent of voters in a recent NBC News poll said they worry about Bidens health, with 55 percent reflecting major concerns.

In a USA Today/Suffolk University poll of Democrats and Independents, 37 percent say the presidents age made them less likely to vote for him. A third poll from The Economist-YouGov found that 45 percent of independents say Bidens health and age severely limit his ability to do the job.

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President Biden said that he doesnt think Ukraine is ready for NATO membership, adding that its premature to call for a vote to accept the war-torn country into the alliance.

I dont think its ready for membership in NATO, Biden told CNN in an interview that aired on Sunday.

The president added that he doesnt think theres unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war.

Bidens comments come as hes set to leave for Europe and attend the NATO summit in Lithuania on Tuesday where Ukraines membership as well as Swedens is expected to be front and center of discussions.

I think its premature to say  to call for a votetheres other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization and some of those issues, Biden told CNN.

I think we have to lay out  the rational path for Russia  for, excuse me, for Ukraine  to be able to qualify to get into NATO, he added.

The president last month said he wont make it easier for Ukraine to join NATO, noting that the country has to meet the requirements to be a member. But, he also at the time expressed confidence that the membership will happen.

He noted to CNN that NATO members have a responsibility to defend each other so accepting Ukraine into NATO while it is still fighting war means they would all be at a war with Russia. Biden said when it comes to Sweden, however, he was optimistic that country could attain membership.

Were determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory. Its a commitment that weve all made, no matter what. If the war is going on, then were all in a war. You know, were at war with Russia, if that were the case, he said.

The U.S. is sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, a decision that Biden had to defend in the interview with CNN after the approval of the transfer has sparked concern from human rights groups and some congressional lawmakers over the weapons ability to harm civilians.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
KAMPALA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military on Sunday said it has killed a senior commander of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels and three of his fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) in a joint operation with the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) killed Lubangakane, one of the most senior ADF commanders in Mwalika valley, North Kivu province in the eastern DRC, the military said in a statement issued here.

At least two guns including a PMK Machine gun and one sub machine gun, were recovered from the rebels.

"My forces under Makindye battalion, had a contact early this [Sunday] morning and Lubangakane, a dare devil commander of the ADF did not survive," said Maj. Gen. Dick Olum, the overall Commander of the joint operation, dubbed "Shujaa", according to the military statement.

"We are not relenting on our mission of degrading ADF," he said. Olum who has relocated his tactical headquarters to Kasindi in North Kivu said UPDF troops have so far recovered 10 weapons from the ADF in the last three weeks.

The statement said the ADF rebels have been on the receiving end for the last three weeks following the group's attack in Lhubiriha Secondary School, about two kilometers from the DRC border.

Ugandan troops, together with their DRC counterparts, have been jointly fighting the rebel group since November 2022.

The ADF, also a branch of the Islamic State in central Africa, is blamed for causing havoc and mounting attacks in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in eastern DRC. 
President Biden would not commit to inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, a split from previous presidents who have long welcomed the countrys longest serving prime minister.

Biden, who has split with Netanyahu due to the extreme right-wing nature of his new cabinet as well as settlement expansions, instead noted Israeli President Isaac Herzog will be visiting Washington later this month.

The Israeli president is going to be coming. We have other contacts. Ive been I think its fair to say, an unyielding supporter of Israel for over Ive only been around a couple of years, but for as long as I have been around, Biden told CNN in an interview that aired on Sunday when asked what it would take for Netanyahu to get an invitation to the White House.

And Bibi, I think, is trying to work through how he can work through his existing problems in terms of his coalition, he said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

Netanyahu was sworn in as prime minister again in December after he teamed up with far-right parties to form a conservative coalition and win the election.

Biden told CNN he thinks members of Netanyahus cabinet are extreme, but also reiterated his support for the two-state solution in the Middle East. Biden has consistently promoted two states as the best path forward for the Palestinians and Israelis and he was among the earliest supporters of a two-state solution.

Im one of those who believes that Israels ultimate security rests in a two-state solution. I think its a mistake to think that, as some members of his cabinet and this is one of the most extreme members of cabinets that I have seen, he said.

He added that he is hopeful Bibi will continue to move toward moderation in changing the court.

He also criticized the Palestinian Authority, saying they lost all credibility and left a vacuum for extremism.

I think that the fact that the Palestinian Authority has lost its credibility, not necessarily because of what Israels done, just because its just lost its credibility, number one, and, number two, created a vacuum for extremism in the among the Palestinians, the PLA. They are there are some very extreme elements, Biden said.

So its not all Israel now on the West Bank, all Israels problem, but they are a part of the problem, and particularly those individuals in the cabinet who say, they have no right to we we can settle anywhere we want. They have no right to be here, et cetera, Biden said referring to the expansion of Jewish settlements that often encroach on where Palestinians live.

Netanyahu, who was allied with President Trump, beat his centrist opponent to create one of the most ring-wing government Israel has ever had. Biden and lawmakers have been concerned over Netanyahus judicial reforms, which have been criticized by opponents as stripping Israels Supreme Court of its independence.

Herzog is set to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 19, which will mark the 75th anniversary of Israels statehood. He address comes two months after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) addressed Israels parliament.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Black farmers have lived here for generations. Now, a Ford plant is changing the landscape

Farmer Marvin Sanderlin walks in his family's wheat farm on Friday, Jun. 9, 2023.

Inette Wilks has seen big changes in the tiny farming town of Stanton, Tennessee, since Ford broke ground here last year on a $5.6 billion electric truck megaplant slated to bring thousands of jobs to the region.

Trucks filled with construction debris barrel down once-quiet country roads as cranes dot the grassy skyline. At lunchtime, hungry construction workers line up at Wilks small business, the Variety Stop N-Go, eager for her fried chicken and homemade lasagna.

In another sign of change, Wilks said, For Sale signs are popping up on the surrounding farmland as farmers look to cash in on plans for future development. Some are from the areas historically Black farming community  one of the last in Tennessee.

We all know changes are coming, Wilks said. Its going to look completely different here in a few years.

While the Ford construction has been a boon for business owners like Wilks, not everyone is benefiting.

Farmer Marvin Sanderlin leans against a hauling truck in the middle of his family's wheat farm in Stanton, Tennessee on Friday, Jun. 9, 2023.

In a push to build a new highway to the coming Ford plant, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is using eminent domain to seize land from a group of Black farmers and landowners in Stanton and surrounding Haywood County.

The farmers, including some whose families have owned their farmland here for generations, say the state is taking their land while offering them a fraction of what its worth.

Theyre now battling the state in court and have gained public support from the NAACP and the Legal Defense Fund.

John Boyd Jr., a fourth-generation Virginia farmer and president of the National Black Farmers Association, said Black farmers have long struggled with discriminatory laws and federal lending policies, as well as land loss due to interstate highway systems.

Uneven Ground: Exceptional Black farmers and their fight to flourish in the South

And with younger generations reluctant to take over family farms, their numbers keep dwindling.

Our farmers are expected to compete with megafarms today, and they just dont have the resources to do it, he said. Were facing extinction.

A study last year published in the American Economic Associations Papers and Proceedings journal found that Black farmers in the 20th century lost roughly $326 billion worth of acreage, according to present-day value.

While they owned more than 16 million acres in 1910, that number had dropped to 4.7 million by 2017, accounting for less than 1% of all agricultural sales, according to the most recent Census of Agriculture.

As of 2017, Tennessee had an estimated 1,422 Black farmers.

Boyd said that number will likely continue to drop as small farmers, like the ones in Haywood and Henderson counties, face change and development.

Once they lose that land, its never coming back, he said

A boon for Haywood County

Haywood County has a Black population of just over 50% and is about an hour east of Shelby County, home to Memphis and the only other majority Black county remaining in Tennessee. Haywood is the only majority Black county where agriculture has remained one of its most important industries.

Haywood had a rich cotton industry based on slave labor before the Civil War. After emancipation, many planters hired formerly enslaved people as tenant farmers.

In 1939, the Farm Security Administration established the Haywood County Farm Project in Stanton to give Black families an opportunity to rent and eventually own small farms. About 39 families participated in the program.

The county seat of Brownsville is quaint with historic buildings but few job opportunities. So when Ford announced its plan for a megasite called BlueOval City in nearby Stanton, the company was welcomed with open arms.

The project, the largest investment in Tennessee history, is slated to transform the region with an estimated 27,000 new jobs (direct and indirect) and more than $1 billion in annual earnings for workers, according to state estimates.

Blue signs saying, Welcome Yall! Ford BlueOval City dot the windows of small businesses throughout Brownsville.

A sign welcoming the upcoming Ford BlueOval Plant seen in a flower bed in Stanton, Tennessee, on Thursday, June 8, 2023.

Tammy Barr, a Brownsville native who sits on several city commissions, said the small town with just 10,000 residents is now planning for big developments with new hotels, restaurants and homes.

As big business rolls in, city leaders are working carefully to preserve the towns charm, she said.

We want to keep its character and certainly its historic value, she said.

But Barr and others are concerned that some longtime residents will be displaced since rents have doubled over the past year as investors buy up properties in anticipation of a population boom.

Local real estate agent Joey Conner said he had his biggest sale ever last year when an investor out of Memphis bought 55 homes in the county for $5.6 million. Property sales here have jumped 40% since Ford came in, he said.

Farmland is also selling fast, with potential investors from California and Texas showing interest, Conner said. Real estate websites show farmland listed for tens of thousands of dollars an acre in proximity to BlueOval City.

While big for Haywood County, Conner, who grew up here, said he hopes it doesnt completely change the landscape.

Weve always been a poor county so it's a blessing to have this coming here," he said. "But at the same time, we dont want to hurt the people in the community who have worked hard all these years."

A family history

Farmer Marvin Sanderlin, 68, is one of those hard-working people.

The son of sharecroppers from New Hope, Sanderlin now owns 400 acres of farmland. This year, he received notice that the state planned to use eminent domain to take 10.8 acres of his land in Stanton for a road to BlueOval City.

The road would run directly through a plot of pine trees he plans to farm for timber one day. He said he was shocked when the state offered him what he said was a lowball sum of $36,550, amounting to around $3,600 per acre.

Harvested wheat gets transported into a chassis on the Sanderlin family farm in Stanton, Tenn., on Friday, Jun. 9, 2023.

Sanderlin said surrounding land is going for several times that amount and is expected to skyrocket in the coming years with Fords development.

Standing near a soybean field as his son Matthew, 39, runs the tractor, Sanderlin said hes long fought for the rights of Black farmers and in the past has petitioned Congress for debt relief and fair loans. He said he just wants the state to offer fair market value for his property.

We always get cheated, he said. Its not about the money. Its about the general principal.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson Nicole Lawrence said in a statement federal laws protect property owners in eminent domain cases and that all land offers for the new road to service BlueOval City reflect fair market value, as determined by an independent appraiser.

Nonetheless, the state Attorney Generals Office has requested a second opinion appraisal for the properties, except for those where the families have already settled with the state. TDOT is planning to acquire 31 tracks of land for the road, of which eight cases were still pending as of May 10, Lawrence said.

If an agreement cannot be reached, TDOT will turn the case over to the Tennessee Attorney Generals Office to acquire the land through legal proceedings, Lawrence said. The property acquisition process is not something TDOT takes lightly, and we always ensure we follow the federally mandated process.

The planned highway, which will provide a quicker connection from Interstate 40 to BlueOval, will also run through the property of Ray Jones, paving over a spring his great grandfather Wesly Jones discovered in 1930.

The water turned out to be rich in minerals, and the Jones family began selling it in bottles for its healing alkaline properties, drawing people from across the state.

The spring hasn't been touched in many years, but Ray Jones, a retired school teacher and head of the local Boys & Girls Club, said he had hoped to once again sell the water with Ford coming to town.

Instead, the state in January notified him that it planned to take an acre of his property with the mineral spring, offering him less than $10,000.

The offer is grossly low, he said.

Its not just the price of that one acre of land, its the fact that there is a little water spring there, he said. Its part of our family. Its part of our heritage, so its not something you want to lose. But if we have to lose it, we feel like we should be compensated more than just fair market value.

Jones, Sanderlin and a handful of other landowners are planning to fight the case in court and are working with the NAACP to hire their own land appraisers.

A Ford spokesperson in a statement said it is committed to being a good neighbor and has encouraged TDOT to meet with the property owners for an equitable resolution.

Despite the dispute, Jones said he 100% supports BlueOval City and the changes it will bring to his hometown of Brownsville.

We all want to see our city thrive, and it is thriving, he said. But with thriving, there comes growing pains.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: New Ford battery plant changes landscape for Tennessee Black farmers
Boston man arrested on assault to murder charges near scene where 5 people were shot in Mattapan

A Boston man with active warrants for assault to murder is among two men who were arrested during a traffic stop late Saturday night while investigators were at the scene where five people were earlier shot in Mattapan, police said.

Traequon Duncan, 26, was arrested on outstanding warrants out of Suffolk Superior Court on charges of assault to murder, firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm, and out of Dorchester District Court on charges of assault to murder, firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm, police said.

Damarius Bultmer, 23, was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.

Both men were passengers in a vehicle that was stopped by police in the area of Harvard and Wales streets around 11 p.m. Saturday, police said.

At the time of their arrests, police said officers were investigating in the area of Edgewater Drive and Rivers Street, where five people were shot early Wednesday morning, and where several firearms were recovered.

Late Saturday night, officers saw a motor vehicle with dark tinted windows traveling on Westview Street without its headlights on, police said. Officers activated their emergency lights and sirens and stopped the vehicle, and located its passengers, Duncan and Bultmer.

Police said they recovered a loaded firearm, Ruger Mayodan .380 with six rounds in the magazine, from Bultmer.

Duncan and Bultmer are expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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More than 50 million Americans in the southwestern United States are under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings as a blistering heat dome maintains its grip on the region. The heat will place additional stress on the energy grid, elevate the threat of wildfires and increase the risk of heat-related illnesses.

Temperatures will climb to levels unusual even for the notoriously hot region of the U.S., putting long-standing records in jeopardy. A sprawling area of high pressure that is positioned over the Southwest, known as a heat dome to meteorologists, is the culprit behind the extreme temperatures.

"This [pattern] will help to minimize the number of showers or storms and allow for intense sunshine that will help boost temperatures," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Johnson-Levine.

AccuWeather meteorologists say that the scorching conditions will increase heading into the weekend and even expand into parts of the Central states and Southeast by next week.

Several records will likely be challenged throughout mid-July across this corner of the country, including metro areas like Phoenix. Daily highs can be at risk throughout the upcoming week in Arizona's Valley of the Sun, with the peak of the heat this week likely to occur by Thursday. In addition to daily high-temperature records being at risk, a separate, long-standing record also stands a chance of being broken.

Observations show that Phoenix has reached the 110-degree mark or higher each day since June 30. AccuWeather forecasters say the area can challenge the existing 18-day record for that temperature mark as July trudges on. The previous record was set almost 50 years ago, in 1974.

In addition to setting records, there remains an outside chance that parts of the Phoenix area can reach 120 degrees.

"While the 120-degree mark is not a certainty for Phoenix, it is possible late this week and this upcoming weekend as a high-pressure area and northward bulge of the jet stream simultaneously strengthen and force the core of the hottest air westward for a time," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

"Phoenix has only reached the 120-degree Fahrenheit mark three times since records have been kept dating back to 1929. The last time temperatures topped that mark was on July 28, 1995, when a high of 121 was recorded. The all-time record high of 122 was set on June 26, 1990," Sosnowski added.

As long as the dome of high pressure across the Four Corners keeps thunderstorms at bay this week, locations including Phoenix may stand a chance of climbing near or to the 120-degree mark by late week. Currently, the city is forecast to meet or exceed the existing daily max temperature record on more than one occasion later this week, and experts warn that residents are unlikely to get relief from the heat once the sun goes down.

The record for most consecutive days above 100 degrees for El Paso, Texas, was broken Sunday when the mercury topped 100 F for the 24th consecutive day. The previous record of 23 consecutive days was set back in 1994. High temperatures are forecast to remain above 100 in El Paso through at least this coming weekend.

"Aside from daytime temperatures, heat may stick around at night. Summertime temperatures in the desert usually plunge into the 70s or 80s. Later this week, some spots, including Phoenix, may be stuck near 90 overnight," said Johnson-Levine.

Elevated overnight temperatures can pose hidden health dangers, particularly to those in highly urbanized areas that face the urban heat island effect. Metropolitan areas constructed of a high density of buildings and roadways are often made up of materials that can absorb the daytime heat more easily than rural or vegetative landscapes, allowing surfaces such as concrete or asphalt to continue to release heat after the sun goes down.

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During a heat wave, residents can still face elevated temperatures during the overnight hours compared to what is typically observed, which can place additional strain on the heart as the body tries to regulate the internal temperature. With overnight low temperatures this week expected to linger in the upper 80s to mid-90s F, residents are urged to take steps to stay cool at night.

Very high cooling demands are expected to persist in the Southwest this week and even into next week as fans and air conditioners are cranked into high gear.

"While the Desert Southwest cities are usually quite hot in July, this week will bring heat that is highly anomalous. In Las Vegas, daytime highs usually hover around 105 degrees in July, with Phoenix a few degrees warmer. As temperatures may surge into the 120s, this will not be typical heat for the region," said Johnson-Levine.

This week, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is forecast to climb to 100 on multiple days. After coming close to the century mark on multiple days, the city finally had its first 100-degree high of the year Sunday. Last year, the city reached the 100-degree mark roughly a month earlier, on June 10.

Meanwhile, America's hottest location will reach levels of heat that are noteworthy over the next week. In Death Valley, California, high temperatures are set to reach the 120s beginning Wednesday and may even climb close to 130 degrees over the weekend. Even overnight, the temperature may only fall into the middle or upper 90s.

The annual event that sparks thunderstorms over the southwest, known as the North American monsoon will continue to be suppressed over the next week or two at least. This change in wind direction that allows moisture to creep northward from the tropical Pacific, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico has been delayed.

However, some uptick in moisture in recent days may allow very spotty thunderstorm activity in parts of eastern Arizona, New Mexico and southern Colorado. Where the storms manage to bring a downpour, they may cool the local environment for a day or two. But, many of the storms may bring little or no rain and could kick up dust or trigger lightning-induced wildfires.

People are urged to use caution when hiking in the mountains due to the lightning strike risk from sudden storms that may develop during the midday and afternoon hours.

There are some dangers when taking a dip in area mountain streams as well. The waters flowing out of the mountains from melting snow are ice-cold and could lead to a dangerous shock for many individuals, AccuWeather western weather expert Ken Clark warned.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when subscribing to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Cardinals reliever Gallegos gets wiped down by umpire after using rosin bag on his left arm

Umpire Lance Barrett, left, wipes the arm of St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos with a towel during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, July 8, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

CHICAGO (AP)  Two years ago, it was Giovanny Gallegos' hat. This time, it was rosin on his left arm.

It's just something about Gallegos and Chicago's South Side.

Gallegos pitched the eighth inning in the St. Louis Cardinals' 3-0 victory over the White Sox on Saturday. But it wasn't exactly a routine outing.

It all started when plate umpire Lance Barrett saw Gallegos hit his left arm with the rosin bag after he warmed up. Barrett told Gallegos that was illegal and the umpire used a towel to clean off Gallegos' arm.

When the 31-year-old Gallegos did the same thing with two out in the inning, Barrett got a towel from the White Sox dugout and wiped down the reliever's arm again.

They can do rosin on their throwing hand and arm, but not on their glove hand. And so any time we see a pitcher do that we just have him wipe it off and tell him he cant do it, crew chief Alfonso Marquez said.

I dont know if there was a language barrier or not. Im not saying it was. But when he did it a second time, which has happened to us before, we just go out there and remind him, hey, you cant do that.

With bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran acting as his translator, Gallegos said Barrett visited the second time after someone yelled something from the home dugout. But Marquez said it had nothing to do with Chicago, and White Sox manager Pedro Grifol also said his team did not ask the umpires to check Gallegos.

I didnt really inquire about it. I knew what the umpire was doing, Grifol said. "He wasnt trying to doctor the ball or anything like that. Its rosin. Umpire sees it on the arm, he can take it off if he wants to. Im assuming. I dont know or not. I didnt go ask.

After recording the final out of the eighth, Gallegos glared at the White Sox dugout as he made his way off the field. The right-hander also motioned as if he was cleaning off his arms.

Gallegos said through the translator that he went to the bag a second time without knowing, without remembering. Something that everybody does, something normal. He also said he had an issue with the second visit, especially in a game at the White Sox, and then motioned toward his head.

Gallegos was ordered by then-umpire Joe West to switch caps during the Cardinals' 4-0 victory at the White Sox on May 26, 2021. West said another umpire noticed a substance on the brim of the pitchers cap, and Gallegos told him it was sunscreen.

Thinking his player was unfairly singled out, then-Cardinals manager Mike Shildt got ejected during an animated argument.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
(photo/YouTube)

A Catholic-run Indian boarding-school group in southeastern Montana has commissioned an investigation into student deaths and unmarked graves at its three schools during their century-plus history.

The three schools are St. Labre Indian School, a pre-K through 12th-grade school in Ashland, just beside the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation; Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy (previously called St. Xavier Mission School), a pre-K through 8th-grade school in St. Xavier, on the Crow Reservation; and St. Charles Mission School in Pryor, also on the Crow Reservation.

The schools, founded in the 1880s and 1890s, were among nine run by the Catholic Church in Montana and were staffed by various religious orders, including the Jesuits and the Ursulines. The three still serve as elementary, middle, and high schools for Crow and Cheyenne students. A private Catholic group, the St. Labre Indian School Educational Association, took over their operations in 1985.

The St. Labre school board was inspired to start its investigation after a First Nations tribe in British Columbia announced its discovery of more than 200 unmarked graves on a former Indian residential school property in 2021. That brought the scandal of Indian boarding school history into prominence in the mainstream media. It also set off a chain of similar investigations in the United States, including one by the federal government, which is responsible for funding and operating the schools.

In late 2022, the St. Labre school board appointed a five-member commission to investigate how many students died at its three schools and find out where they were buried.

The thing that we do not have at Labre is any evidence of deaths and unmarked graves, said commission chair Dr. Janine Pease (Crow), founder and president of Little Big Horn College on the Crow Reservation and an experienced researcher of federal indian boarding schools. But that doesnt mean there werent any deaths, she said: Census documents from the Cheyenne and Crow from 1890 to 1910 show that half of the total population of children died.

The death rate was documented, but not the specific deaths, Dr. Pease told Native News Online.

Her grandfathers younger brother Bennys body was sent home from a federal Indian boarding school on the Crow Reservation without any explanation of his death. Pease has pored over federal documents from that time period without finding any record of his death.

What is in our family is: He died of being beaten or of meningitis. Those are the two things that have been discussed in our family all these years, she said. There's no record of his death; we have to speculate.

The commissions four other members are Dr. Matthew Redinger, the only non-Native, provost of the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana; Dr. Walter Fleming (Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas), who grew up on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation and heads the Native American Studies department at Montana State University-Bozeman; Dr. Richard Littlebear (Northern Cheyenne), the retired president of Chief Dull Knife College (a tribal college in Lame Deer, Montana) and a fluent Cheyenne speaker; and Anda Pretty on Top (Crow), a retired local teacher and fluent Crow speaker. The school board calls the commission independent, though two of its membersRedinger and Pretty on Topserve on the St. Labre board of directors.

The commission's work will have three parts, Dr. Pease said. First, it hired a research company, Historical Research Associates in Missoula, Montana, to review government, private, and religious documents held at various sites throughout the United States. A leading historian with the firm, James Grant (Little Shell Chippewa Tribe), is expected to complete his research this fall.

Second, it will host seven local listening sessions to document oral histories from former students at the three St. Labre schools and their descendants. The commission is asking that only those with information to share attend those sessions, which are scheduled for next week, July 10-12.

We're inviting people locally to come, Pease said. Our interest is in that very narrow area: Do you know of any deaths or unmarked graves? I can't speculate, but I know but from my own family's memory and the death of little Benny, I expect there will be memories.

The listening sessions will be held in three communities on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and four on the Crow Reservation. The schedule is as follows:

- Blessed Sacrament Church, Lame Deer: July 10 9:00 a.m.

- Christ the King Catholic Church, Busby: July 10 1:00 p.m.

- St. Labre Auditorium, Ashland: July 10 5:30 p.m.

- St. Dennis Meeting Hall, Crow Agency: July 11 9:00 a.m.

- Our Lady of Loretto Catholic Church, Lodge Grass: July 11 1:00 p.m.

- Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy Cafeteria, St. Xavier: July 11 5:00 p.m.

- St. Charles Mission School Cafeteria, Pryor: July 12 10:00 a.m.

Tribal members interested in a private session with a commissioner can make that request by filling out this form. The listening sessions will last three hours each, and mental-health support will be available on site, Pease said.

Finally, the commission will combine the oral histories with archival research in a report for the St. Labre board of directors, to be completed by early 2024, Pease said. She added that, while it's up to the directors to decide what to do with the report, the commission also plans to copy all archival materials to be housed at a central location at the St. Labre schools. They are also prepared to use ground-penetrating radar or cadaver-search dogs if they uncover information indicating a possible unmarked gravesite.

One of the key parts of our investigation is that we are members of our communities, Pease said. We're not going to be a hit-and-run outfit, we're right here, right now. And once we're done with the report, well still be right here.



Tribal members with questions for the commission can contact Pease at peasej@lbhc.edu, or by phone at 406-208-4549.

About the Author: "Jenna Kunze is a staff reporter covering Indian health, the environment and breaking news for Native News Online. She is also the lead reporter on stories related to Indian boarding schools and repatriation. Her bylines have appeared in The Arctic Sounder, High Country News, Indian Country Today, Tribal Business News, Smithsonian Magazine, Elle and Anchorage Daily News. Kunze is based in New York."

Contact: jkunze@indiancountrymedia.com
The cervix is sensitive, and surgeons need to acknowledge the part it plays in some women's pleasure

Women and their doctors need to communicate about potential sexual side effects from procedures that involve the cervix. RacheeLynn/Shutterstock.com

Sexual Response in the Human Female, popularly known as the Kinsey Report, generated an international sensation in 1953, revolutionizing the way society thinks of sex.

One particular statement in the book regarding the cervix, however, has been misinterpreted leading to a misconception that persists today. On page 584, Kinsey states, All of the clinical and experimental data show that the surface of the cervix is the most completely insensitive part of the female genital anatomy.

Along with our colleague, physician Irwin Goldstein, we are specialists in neuroscience and sexual medicine. We believe Kinseys statement has led healthcare providers to conclude, erroneously, that the cervix is devoid of sensory nerves and can be cut or removed without consequence.

A closer look at the data

The Kinsey investigators reported when the cervix was gently stroked with a glass, metal or cotton-tipped probe, only 5% of 878 women reported they could feel it. This data was the basis of Kinseys claim of cervical insensitivity.

However, when the investigators stimulated the cervix of the same women with distinct pressure using an object larger than a probe, 84% of the 878 women reported they could feel it. Kinseys conclusion did not take into account his own significant finding.

The sensate cervix

There is extensive clear data from diverse sources that women can certainly feel stimulation of the cervix. Women commonly report they can feel the Pap smear procedure in which tissues are scraped from the cervix surface.

Many women undergoing cervical dilation for insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) report pain.

Cervical, clitoral and vaginal self-stimulation activate the same overlapping region of the sensory cortex, the paracentral lobule. Barry Komisaruk, CC BY-SA

In a functional MRI study, when women stimulated their cervix, the same part of their brain responded as when they stimulated their clitoris or vagina. They also reported they could feel each region distinctly. The contribution of the cervix to orgasm is described in popular media and some women report cervical-stimulated orgasms as having qualities different from clitoral or vaginal-stimulated orgasms.

Surgery and the cervix

Researchers also know the cervix is sensate based on the effects surgery can have on it. While well-intentioned medical procedures are designed to treat significant gynecological problems, in the process, they can cause damage to the nerve supply of the cervix.

According to one study, when the cervix is saved in a sub-total hysterectomy, women are significantly more likely to continue experiencing orgasms than when the cervix is removed in a total hysterectomy.

Another review of recent hysterectomy procedures, though, found no significant difference in the effects on sexual response between the two types of surgery. However, while the majority of the women reported an improvement in their sexual response, due to the resolution of the problem that necessitated their hysterectomy, in almost every one of the 22 reports reviewed, multiple women stated that their genital sensations were diminished. The discrepancies in the literature might well be due to different womens preferred source of stimulation.

Some women undergoing an often-used loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) for the excision of lesions on the cervix report sexual side effects. Some women describe a consequent distressing loss of orgasm and erotic feeling in body regions including the clitoris and vagina. The procedure, in which a cone-shaped volume of cervix is burned away using a cauterizing wire loop, may be causing destruction of nerve pathways that normally convey genital sensation to the brain.

In another common surgical procedure for treatment of stress urinary incontinence, surgeons insert a mesh mid-urethral sling between the vagina and the urethra to produce a slight bend in the urethra, thereby adding resistance to the flow of urine. The sling may damage nerves that carry sensation from the vagina and cervix. Indeed, some women report reduced orgasm satisfaction after surgery.

Talk to your doctor

Doctors should be aware that three pairs of nerves  pelvic, hypogastric and vagus  convey sensation from the cervix to the brain. If any of these nerves are compromised, it can profoundly affect sexual pleasure. If surgical treatment is necessary, doctors should attempt to avoid the location of critical nerve pathways to minimize sensory damage.

Patients and their health care providers are often reluctant to discuss sensitive issues, such as possible side effects relating to sexual pleasure. At the very least, doctors should inform their patients of the possible detrimental consequences of their proposed treatment.

[Youre smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversations authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Barry Komisaruk, Rutgers University - Newark and Maria Cruz Rodriguez del Cerro, UNED - Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia.

Read more:



The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Chicago Police Department on Friday confirmed that it is investigating allegations that its officers engaged in sexual misconduct involving at least one migrant who was being "temporarily housed" at a police station on the city's West Side.

In a statement, police confirmed that both its internal affairs bureau and its Civilian Office of Police Accountability were investigating the allegations involving officers assigned to its 10th District station.

Sources told CBS Chicago that the allegations involved as many as four officers. No names have been released.

About 60 migrants who were being housed at the 10th District station had all been relocated as of Saturday, CBS Chicago learned. The migrants were dispersed to a number of shelters across the city.

Ephraim Eaddy, first deputy chief administrator for the police accountability office, said in a statement Friday that while its investigators "are currently determining whether the facts and details of this allegation are substantiated, we want to assure the public that all allegations of this nature are of the highest priority and COPA will move swiftly to address any misconduct by those involved."

The Fraternal Order of Police, the union that represents Chicago police officers, pushed back against the claims, calling them ridiculous in a statement posted to YouTube late Friday.

"There is no validity to the complaints," union president John Catanzara said. "There is no basis or origin of where it originated from. We don't have a victim's name or anything, or victims repeatedly, multiple at this point. Who knows if it's even true?"



A spokesperson for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement that the city "takes these allegations, as well as the care and well-being of all residents and new arrivals, very seriously."

Hundreds of migrants have been taking shelter at police stations across Chicago.

In response to the situation, Democratic U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, said more federal funding is needed to house this growing population.

"Those allegations themselves should shake us to our core," Ramirez said in a statement. "We're talking about people who have been crossing borders; in some cases, deserts and jungles, for weeks."

"It reminds us that we have a responsibility to ensure that we get the resources necessary to move every single person out of police stations," she added.

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CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Police Department is investigating claims that several officers engaged in sexual misonduct with migrants living at a West Side police station. Many in the community are expressing outrage as key questions remain unanswered.

All the migrants who were being housed at the 10th District have now all been relocated. The group has been dispersed to a number of shelters across the city, and many were bused out early Friday.

The allegations being made are very disturbing. Police officers are accused of having sex with migrants. Sources say as many as four officers are involved in the alleged misconduct.

Sources tell CBS 2 that a teenage migrant is now pregnant as a result of one of these alleged encounteers.

The only thing that the Chicago Police Department would confirm is that it has opened an investigation into the allegations.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the agency that investigates police misconduct cases, is also investigating.

The Fraternal Order of Police, the union that represents Chicago Police officers is pushing back against the claims, calling them ridiculous in a statement on YouTube late Friday.

"There is no validity to the complaints," said John Catanzara, president of the FOP. "There is no basis or origin of where it originated from. We don't have a victim's name or anything, or victims repeatedly, multiple at this point. Who knows if it's even true?"



A spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson released a statement Friday saying the city is taking these allegations very seriously.

The names of the officers allegedly involved in this situation have not been released.

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DAR ES SALAAM, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has called for the removal of trade barriers on the East African nation's border with Malawi to boost trade between the two countries, the presidency said late Friday.

A statement by the Directorate of Presidential Communications said Hassan made the call at the end of her three-day state visit to Malawi on Friday. "People between the two countries should do business along the border without barriers," said Hassan.

The statement, signed by Zuhura Yunus, director of Presidential Communications, said Hassan and Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera tasked ministers responsible for trade to work out the elimination of existing trade barriers.

The statement said Hassan commended Malawi for starting to teach the Kiswahili language in schools, saying the language stood a better chance of uniting Africa.

According to the statement, during her visit, Hassan witnessed the signing of agreements on information and communications technology between the two countries. 
TOKYO  In an unprecedented move, Japan has taken steps to open a NATO liaison office in Tokyo, solidifying its position with the West and against China.

Japans ambassador to the U.S. recently announced plans to open a NATO liaison office in Tokyo. Japan, which has primarily relied on the U.S. for its national security since World War II, has recently been making moves to bolster its national defense and strengthen security ties with Western nations.

Former Japanese Senior Vice-Minister of Defense and member of Japans House of Representatives Kenji Wakamiya, told Fox News Digital about the significance behind strengthening Japans ties with NATO.

"The U.S.-Japan alliance has been at the core of Japans approach to national security. In response to the changing international climate, I believe that it is of great significance to build a multifaceted security network by deepening cooperation with NATO, especially in Europe, while still maintaining the U.S.-Japan alliance at the core of our national security policy."

NATO CALLS FOR JAPAN, OTHER DEMOCRACIES TO DEFEND AGAINST CHINAS THREAT ON INTERNATIONAL ORDER

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hold a joint media briefing Jan. 31, 2023 in Tokyo.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also plans to meet with his counterparts from South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand at the NATO summit in Lithuania starting this week. The agenda includes how to deal with Chinas growing presence in the East and South China seas and China strengthening its partnership in the South Pacific islands, according to a report by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

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"As with deepening NATO ties, deepening ties with Australia, New Zealand and South Korea will strengthen the security network in the Indian Ocean, South China Sea, East China Sea and Pacific Ocean," Wakamiya said. "It is of high importance for Japan to strengthen these ties."

"I think that countries that attempt to change the status quo by force should not be confronted by a single country alone, but should be deterred by building a multilayered security network to provide a wider safety net."

A ship of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force sails in formation during a naval fleet review exercise Oct. 22, 2006, off Sagami Bay, Japan.

Although Prime Minister Kishida has stated that Japan does not plan on joining NATO, Japan has been strengthening ties with the multilateral defensive organization for over a year now. Kishida became the first Japanese leader to speak at NATO headquarters in June 2022 and coordinated with NATO to airlift emergency supplies to Turkey earlier this year.

China has taken note of Japans push to expand ties with NATO by establishing a liaison office in Tokyo. In response to the announcement of the idea of a NATO liaison office in Tokyo, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, "The Asia-Pacific does not welcome group confrontation, does not welcome military confrontation," according to Reuters.

US, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA TO FUND UNDERSEA CABLE PROJECT TO COMBAT CHINAS INFLUENCE IN INDO-PACIFIC REGION

Lance Gatling of Nexial Research, a retired U.S. Army Japan strategic planner and former U.S. Department of Defense liaison officer to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff Office, told Fox News Digital that closer Japanese cooperation with NATO is a means to help deter China.

President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meet in the Oval Office at the White House Jan. 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

"In 2022, NATO specifically cited China as a systemic challenge in its latest Strategic Concept and invited Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia to the NATO Summit, citing them as Indo-Pacific partners.'

Gatling noted that Japans dialogue with South Korea, Australia and New Zealand is "in and of itself is simply a sort of symbolic yet significant step if followed up by measures of increasing commitment, complexity and difficulty" and that "liaison offices help plan and coordinate such activities."

JAPAN'S INCREASED DEFENSE BUDGET MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN CHINA DETERRENCE, 'NO SERIOUS DISCUSSION' ON NUKES

Japan sees itself in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood with China, North Korea and Russia at its doorstep. The G-7 summit in Japan in May focused on the threats posed by both China and Russia, Fox News reported at the time. Japan shares a maritime border with Russia above Hokkaido, Japans northernmost prefecture.

North Korea has also violated Japanese territorial sovereignty by launching missiles. Just last month, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

Japan drastically increased its defense budget in 2022 and announced in February that it would purchase 400 tomahawk cruise missiles from the U.S. This was in addition to Japans move to work closer with the U.S., NATO and other Western nations.

Gatling said Japan being more proactive on the national defense front is "clearly in the interest of the United States [and] of Japan itself."

"Japan has the consensus to seek a counterstrike capability," Gatling said. "Heretofore, it only procured weapons consistent with a purely defensive role, meaning that the U.S. forces were completely responsible for any and all offensive measures if ordered. Now, with the Self-Defense Forces adopting long-range counterstrike weapons, in a contingency, Japan and the U.S. can divide the counterstrike missions."

"Such is clearly in the interest of the United States and, I would argue, Japan itself," Gatling added. "I believe the broad support required to reach a Japanese consensus to adopt such a posture is a major event in Japanese national defense that enhances the security of both Japan and the United States."
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) called estimates of tens of thousands of people attending former President Trumps campaign rallies absurd.

Fox Newss Shannon Bream asked Christie on Fox News Sunday to weigh in on local authorities in South Carolina estimating that one of Trumps recent rallies there had been attended by around 50,000 people, which Christie labeled absurd. He said that Trumps rallies are meant to serve Trump, not the American people.

50,000 is absurd, Christie told Bream. But I am not going to get in an argument about that. Heres why he doesnt care about the American people. He droned on for an hour and a half yesterday in Iowa.

He lied about the farm deal with the Chinese, Christie continued. They havent even complied with a quarter of what they agreed to Donald Trump to do in terms of buying soybeans and other things from the farmers in Iowa. And he spent the rest of the time talking about his own indictment. This is not somebody whos fighting for the American people and their future. This is all about his ego.

Christie, who is challenging Trump in the 2024 election, has been a sharp critic of the former president despite the fact they used to be allies. Christie has repeatedly said that Republicans will lose the White House if they nominate Trump again in the primary. He said Sunday that Trumps campaign is for himself and himself only, and not in it for the American people.

What he cares about the most is trying to undo the loss he had to Joe Biden in 2020, Christie said. But since hes a three-time loser, having lost in 2018 the House of Representatives, lost the White House and the Senate in 2020, and in 2022 he winds up losing two more governorships, another seat in the Senate and we barely won the House by five votes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie weighed in on the investigation of President Bidens son Hunter Biden and the plea deal reached in the case, calling the probe as well as the U.S. attorney who oversaw it as either not truthful or incompetent.

U.S. Attorney [David] Weiss has to explain himself and he has to explain himself in public, Christie told Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday. You know, the fact is that this investigation of Hunter Biden in Delaware is either a lie or its incompetent. Theres no way that it should take five years to get to a two-count misdemeanor tax plea and then to dismiss the gun charges.

Christie, himself a former federal prosecutor, also blasted Democrats for pushing for stricter gun laws while they wont even enforce the gun laws that exist, adding that the presidents son should have been charged under those gun laws.

So either David Weiss is incompetent in taking five years to do that, or hes not telling the truth. And [Attorney General] Merrick Garland is not telling the truth. Either way, theres a lot more work to be done on this case, Christie said.

Bidens son agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanors for failing to pay income taxes in 2017 and 2018. He also agreed to enroll in a pretrial diversion program for possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user or addicted to a controlled substance.

Many Republicans have railed against the plea deal made between Hunter Biden and federal prosecutors, with some pointing to former President Trumps recent federal indictment and calling it a double standard. Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 federal counts related to mishandling classified documents and attempts to keep them from the government.

Christie launched his bid for the White House last month to join a growing number of GOP candidates willing to challenge former President Trump in 2024. He has also been a staunch critic of the former president since he lost the 2020 election.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
This city is planning an enormous vertical forest that will let residents live alongside over 10,000 plants and trees

Utrecht, Netherlands, will be the latest epicenter of award-winning Italian architect Stefano Boeris vertical forest tower block  a project that will house over 10,000 plants and trees in addition to its residents.

Over a decade ago, Boeri designed his first vertical forest in Milan, inspiring a new generation of urban reforestation projects around the globe, from Europe to China.

The Wonderwoods Vertical Forest will be ready for residents of The Netherlands fourth-largest city by the summer of 2024, Euronews reported.

According to Euronews, the Wonderwoods development comprises two towers that will serve as residential and office spaces. The taller tower, known as Tower A, is designed to be a vertical forest.

In total, the site will accommodate 200 apartments of different styles and over 160,000 square feet of office space.

Euronews also reported that this urban ecosystem will be able to produce around 45 tons of oxygen on a yearly basis while also helping remove planet-warming gases from the atmosphere and capturing fine dust particles.

But plants do more than just purify the air we breathe. They can also mitigate noise pollution and provide shade in the summer, keeping the building cool and reducing the need for air conditioning, which uses lots of energy.

Studies have shown that there are also numerous psychological benefits to being surrounded by nature, and living in a building shrouded in plants and trees may have the potential to enhance the well-being of residents.

In a 2021 interview on WBURs Radio Boston, Peter James of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Healths Department of Environmental Health said that trees effects on us translate into long-term [positive] changes in the incidence of depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

It appears people are catching on to the benefits of living in green structures.

Stefano Boeris vertical forest design was also being considered as the design for a green stadium in Milan, with over 61,000 square feet of horizontal green roofs, 7,500 square feet of green facades, and 3,300 trees, along with 56,300 shrubs of 70 different species.

With regard to the Wonderwoods Vertical Forest in Utrecht, architect Francesca Cesa Bianchi, a partner and project director at Stefano Boeri Architetti, told Euronews, It will be a model of virtuous integration between architecture and living nature, which we hope will be an instrument to be used in making cities ever greener.

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A University of Chicago student who happens to be white objected to an undergraduate anthropology class titled The Problem of Whiteness.

Daniel Schmidt, a sophomore who didnt know the lecturer, was outraged  and he showed it in a tweet that happened to include the lecturers photo and email address.

If you know anything about the bottomless hunger of online culture, it wont surprise you to hear that a storm of hate mail inundated the inbox of the lecturer, Rebecca Journey, after Schmidts description went out into cyberspace.

Contrary to the insistence of Schmidt and other misreaders of her class title, Journey was not promoting anti-white hatred.

Anti-white hatred is now mainstream academic inquiry, Schmidt said of her class.

Not quite, although I am sure that mislabeling innocent academic study as hatred helps to wake up the fearful masses. Conservatives have generated similar mileage from insisting that a Black-supremacist version of critical race theory is lurking under every bed.

With inflammatory rhetoric aimed at her from the Twitterverse and other social networks, its understandable that Journey, a new Ph.D. recipient, postponed her new class to the spring while the university addresses safety concerns.

She also hopes the university will deal with the complaints she filed, accusing Schmidt of doxxing (public exposure of her personal information on the internet) and harassing her.

For his part, Schmidt strongly denies encouraging anyone to harass her, and the university reportedly dismissed her claims. Under the universitys widely praised commitment to academic freedom, speech is restricted only when it constitutes a genuine threat or harassment.

But the rest of the academic year has tested how well the universitys principles can keep up with a new and rapidly changing media environment in which a single tweet can trigger a hailstorm of reactions.

This, after all, is an age of do-it-yourself media and entrepreneurial politics in which public anger can be rounded up and inflamed into large and often-lucrative movements at the speed of a broadband signal.

In this superheated environment, it becomes more important to counter disinformation with good information, beginning with whiteness studies, an area of sociological study and research that probes how race is defined, its origins and how it is constructed by societies more than by nature.

As W.E.B. DuBois said in 1920, The discovery of a personal whiteness among the worlds people is a very modern thing  a 19th and 20th matter, indeed.

Whiteness studies tend to take it as a premise that race is more of an evolving social construct than a biological reality. It evolves in interaction with such historical events as wars, slavery, colonial settlement and citizenship.

As Princeton professor Nell Irvin Painter wrote in her 2010 book, The History of White People, the idea of whiteness is not just a matter of biology but also includes concepts of labor, gender, class and images of personal beauty.

It is not surprising, then, that some people flinch at the notion that whiteness studies examine social structures that produce white privilege and, inevitably, racism.

I have learned from experience that mentioning the phrase white privilege by itself can be so triggering to white people that they immediately take a defensive posture and quickly point out how they are not racist nor benefiting from any special privilege.

Knowing how uncomfortable it makes some people to even bring up racial topics in mixed company, I have learned better than to argue the privilege point for very long with anyone who takes it that personally.

For now, allow me to at least to correct the record for those people who think incorrectly that Journeys course is titled The Problem of White People.

I understand their sense of offense, since I have been through a lifetime of folks who view African Americans like me as a problem people. On the contrary, as several civil rights leaders I have covered used to say, Were not a problem people. Were just people with problems.

The universitys late President Robert Zimmer wrote about academic freedom in 2016: Universities cannot be viewed as a sanctuary for comfort but rather as a crucible for confronting ideas and thereby learning to make informed judgments in complex environments.

That still holds true today. Or, at least, it should.

cpage@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @cptime
Lawmakers took to the Sunday morning news shows to discuss President Bidens authorization of cluster bombs to Ukraine last week.

Lawmakers remained split on the authorization of the controversial bombs to Ukraine, with many of them saying that the bombs will threaten civilians safety. The Biden administration announced last week that it planned to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, which contain multiple explosive submunitions and are banned by many countries due to the risks the explosives may pose to civilians.

Biden has defended his decision, saying in a CNN interview that he believes Ukraine needed them. He also said that it was a very difficult decision made after discussing it with allies and lawmakers.

Democrats on Sunday news shows appeared be torn on whether to support the cluster bombs. California Rep. Barbara Lee (D) took aim at Bidens approval of cluster munitions to Ukraine as the country prepares a counteroffensive against Russias invasion.

Cluster bombs should never be used. Thats crossing a line, Lee said on CNNs State of the Union.

Once you see what takes place, we know what takes place in terms of cluster bombs being very dangerous to civilians. They dont always immediately explode. Children can step on them. Thats a line we should not cross, she added.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) also expressed concerns about the cluster munitions Sunday, saying that he has some real qualms about the decision. He pointed to a 2008 treaty signed by 123 countries that pledged not to use cluster munition weapons in war, but the U.S., Russia and Ukraine are not signatories on the treaty.

He did offer some praise for the Biden administrations agreement with Ukraine to ensure it will use them in a way to dislodge Russian military while minimizing risks to Ukrainian civilians.

I would still say, though, I have some real qualms about it, he told anchor Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday. When theres an international prohibition, and the U.S. says, But heres a good reason to do something different, it could give a green light to other nations to do something different as well.

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons (Del.) said Sunday that he backed Bidens tough call to send the weapons to Ukraine, adding that the country is burning through artillery munitions at a remarkable rate. He also said that the Ukrainians are at risk of losing this counteroffensive if they run out of their shells, which is why he backed the decision.

Its the Ukrainians who are asking to be able to use these on their own soil. Theyve committed to monitoring their use, to remediating them after the war. And frankly, they will be tactically helpful against dug-in Russian troops that are behind large mine fields. So, weighing all of those factors, the President made a tough call that I will support, Coons said on CBSs Face the Nation.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) also said Sunday that he sees no wrong in sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, noting that they could actually be a game changer in its efforts against the Russian invasion.

They want these as self-defense to use against Russians in their own country of Ukraine. I dont see anything wrong with that because, quite honestly  as you look at the counteroffensive, its been slowed tremendously because this administration has been so slow to get the weapons in, McCaul said on CNNs State of the Union.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
CNN Exclusive: Biden says war with Russia must end before NATO can consider membership for Ukraine

President Joe Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview that Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership, saying that Russias war in Ukraine needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks.

Biden told CNNs Fareed Zakaria that while discussion of Ukraines imminent membership in NATO was premature, the US and its allies in NATO would continue to provide President Volodymyr Zelensky and his forces the security and weaponry they need to try to end the war with Russia.

Biden spoke to Zakaria ahead of his weeklong trip to Europe, which includes a NATO summit in Lithuania where Russias war in Ukraine and Zelenskys push for NATO membership will be among the key issues looming over the gathering.

I dont think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war, Biden said. For example, if you did that, then, you know  and I mean what I say  were determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory. Its a commitment that weve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then were all in war. Were at war with Russia, if that were the case.

Biden said that hes spoken to Zelensky at length about the issue, saying that hes told the Ukrainian president the US would keep providing security and weaponry for Ukraine like it does for Israel while the process plays out.

I think we have to lay out a rational path for Ukraine to be able to qualify to be able to get into NATO, Biden said, noting that he refused Russian President Vladimir Putins demands before the war for a commitment not to admit Ukraine because the alliance has an open-door policy.

But I think its premature to say, to call for a vote, you know, in now, because theres other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization and some of those issues, Biden said.

Biden holds his notes as he speaks with Zakaria. - Tom Brenner for CNN

On Friday, the White House announced that the US was sending Ukraine cluster munitions for the first time, a step taken to help bolster Ukraines ammunition as it mounts a counteroffensive against Russia. Biden told Zakaria that it was a difficult decision to give Ukraine the controversial ammunition, but that he was convinced it was necessary because Ukraine was running out of ammunition.

The NATO meeting also comes as Sweden is seeking to join the Western alliance, a move that has faced resistance from Turkey and Hungary. Biden told Zakaria he was optimistic that Sweden would eventually be admitted to NATO, noting the key holdout, Turkey, is seeking to modernize its F-16 fleet, along with Greece, which has voted to admit Sweden.

Turkey is looking for modernization of F-16 aircraft. And (Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos) Mitsotakis in Greece is also looking for some help, Biden said. And so, what Im trying to, quite frankly, put together is a little bit of a consortium here, where were strengthening NATO in terms of military capacity of both Greece as well as Turkey, and allow Sweden to come in. But its in play. Its not done.

In the wide-ranging interview, Biden and Zakaria also discussed other key foreign policy challenges, including China, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Biden said that hes confident Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to replace the US as the country with the largest economy and military capacity in the world, but he said that he believes the US can have a working relationship with Beijing.

I think there is a way to resolve, to establish a working relationship with China that benefits them and us, Biden said. And the last thing Ill tell you, I also called him after he had that meeting with the Russians about this new relationship, etc. And I said, This is not a threat. Its an observation. I said, Since Russia went into Ukraine, 600 American corporations have pulled out of Russia. And youve told me that your economy depends on investment from Europe and the United States. And be careful. Be careful.

Biden said Xi didnt argue with him and noted that China has not gone full bore on Russia.

"I think we have to lay out a rational path for Ukraine to be able to qualify to be able to get into NATO," Biden said ahead of his trip to Europe. - Tom Brenner for CNN

He talks about nuclear war being a disaster, there is such a thing as security thats needed, Biden said of the Chinese leader. So, I think theres a way we can work through this.

Asked whether he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, Biden said that Israels President Isaac Herzog was coming soon to the White House for a visit.

In March, Biden criticized Netanyahu for his now-scrapped plan to overhaul the countrys judiciary, a rare public instance where the two allies were publicly at odds.

Biden told Zakaria that he continued to believe a two-state solution was the correct path forward in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and he criticized some members of Netanyahus cabinet for their views on Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Its not all Israel now in the West Bank, all Israels problem, but they are a part of the problem, and particularly those individuals in the cabinet who say, We can settle anywhere we want. They have no right to be here, etc., Biden said. And I think we were talking with them regularly, trying to tamp down whats going on and hopefully, Bibi will continue to move toward moderation and change.

Biden also defended his trip to Saudi Arabia last year, telling Zakaria a number of successes came from the visit, such as establishing Israeli overflights over Saudi Arabia. Asked whether the US would provide the Saudis with a defense treaty and civilian nuclear capacity, as Riyadh has requested, Biden said, Were a long way from there.

Whether or not we would provide a means by which they can have civilian nuclear power, and/or be a guarantor of their security  I think thats a little way off, Biden said.

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Co-owner of popular SLO County coffee shop diagnosed with cancer. Heres how you can help

At Malibu Brew Coffee in Atascadero, customers become adopted family  and lifetime friends.

Thats the philosophy of coffee shop co-owners Paul and Lakhena Say. Theyve operated the San Luis Obispo County coffeehouse for 16 years, moving from one popular North County location to another.

Paul Say was recently diagnosed with cancer, and, his son David Say said, his family has been amazed by the outpouring of community support.

The situation were in right now is overwhelming in a sad, unfortunate way, Say said. Then how the community has responded has been overwhelming in the ... most beautiful way.

Co-owner Lakhena Say helps a customer at Malibu Brew Coffee in Atascadero in 2019. Her husband, Paul Say, has been diagnosed with cancer.

Atascadero coffee shop popular with locals

Originally from Cambodia, Paul Say moved to the United States in the 1980s and served in the U.S. Marines. He met his wife when he volunteered at an orphanage in Cambodia her mother operated.

In 2007, the Say family moved to Atascadero and bought Malibu Brew around the same time.

The Says closed the El Camino Real gas station-turned-coffee shop in 2019 in preparation for the La Plaza mixed-use development, and relocated across the street to 5955 East Mall in Atascadero.

Located near Atascadero Middle and High schools, the shop has remained popular with locals since its move. Malibu Brew serves hot and iced drinks as well as smoothies, pastries, burritos and ice cream.

David Say and his sister Alicia have been helping their parents run the coffee shop since they were both around 10 years old  operating the register, washing dishes and handing customers their drinks.

We definitely grew up in the business, Alicia Say said.

Co-owner Paul Say greets customers at Malibu Brew Coffee in Atascadero in 2019. Say has been diagnosed with cancer. A friend started a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help Say and his family.

Alicia and David Say are currently running Malibu Brew so their mom can support their dad, balancing their time between the shop and the hospital.

The siblings are encouraging customers to stop by Malibu Brew to support their family.

The two recommend ordering the Polar Espresso, which regulars call the Pablo Especial.

Regulars get this drink because it gets the job done, David Say said.

He calls it his migraine cure, just like a punch in the face but a delicious treat kind of coffee, Alicia Say added.

GoFundMe fundraiser started to help family

Malibu Brew customer Katie Hoium, who met the family 13 years ago, launched a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help the Say family with issues including hospital bills and the loss of income from shortened work hours.

We expect the best for the future, but this time will be financially difficult, Hoium wrote on the GoFundMe page. We all want to give back the love we have received from this remarkable family.

As of Sunday, donors had contributed more than $18,700 toward a goal of $50,000.

According to his daughter, Paul Say is in high spirit and goodwill right now.

He knows hes so loved by us and by the community and this is possible because of our town, Alicia Say said.

To donate to the GoFundMe fundraiser, go to gofund.me/afa63cc3.

Customers enjoy drinks at Malibu Brew Coffee in Atascadero in 2019. Co-owner Paul Say has been diagnosed with cancer.

Malibu Brew Coffee

Due to the Say familys new schedule, Malibu Brew Coffee is currently open 6:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.

Those hours may change depending on Paul Says health needs, Hoium wrote on the GoFundMe site.

For more information, call 805-460-9981.
Columbus police continue to investigate three separate homicides that occurred within a half-hour early Saturday morning.

Columbus police detectives continued Sunday to investigate three separate homicides that occurred within a half-hour span early Saturday morning.

At approximately 1:31 a.m Saturday, police officers responded to a reported shooting on the 1400 block of Bairstow Court on the city's Southwest Side near Galloway.

Austin Allen Roberts, 22, was found suffering from a gunshot that hit his upper body. Medics transported Roberts to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He later died at 11:03 a.m. Saturday, detectives said.

Records show Roberts had resided on the 1400 block of Bairstow Court as well as on South Richardson Avenue in the south central area of Columbus' Hilltop neighborhood.

Also at approximately 1:31 a.m. Saturday, Columbus firefighters and police responded to a report of a suspicious fire in the 1600 block of South High Street on the city's South Side. A male body was found in nearby woods. Fire medics pronounced the unidentified man dead at the scene.

At 1:58 a.m., officers responded to a reported shooting in the 1200 block of East 25th Avenue on the city's Northeast Side. An adult female was found suffering from gunshot wounds.

The woman was pronounced dead at 2:05 a.m. by fire medics. She was identified as 64-year-old Flo A. Wilkes, of South Linden, according to the Franklin County Coroner's Office.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about these killings to contact the Columbus police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4036 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).

In addition to the three homicides, police are also investigatilng a shooting reported Saturday night in which a man was wounded on the city's Near East Side.

Police were called at 10:54 p.m. to the 800 block of East Broad Street, where they found a 47-year-old man with a gunshot wound to one of his legs. The victim told police he was walking when he heard several gunshots and was struck. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment, and is expected to survive.

Anyone with any additional information on this incident is encouraged to call the Felony Assault Unit at 614-645-4373 or Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).

JNimesheim@dispatch.com

@JackNimesheim

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police detectives investigate three homicides in a half-hour
Column: Here's why California will be the 2024 presidential kingmaker. (Just kidding)

The last time California held a decisive presidential primary was more than half a century ago. Ron DeSantis, left, had yet to be born and Joe Biden was elected, at age 29, as the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. (Associated Press)

Its summer in California, a time when thoughts turn to sandy beaches, sultry nights and, among a certain set, the significance of the states March 2024 presidential primary.

More than half a century has passed since California played a decisive role choosing either a Democratic or Republican nominee.

The last time was in 1972, when George McGoverns defeat of Hubert Humphrey after a prolonged fight sent the South Dakota Democrat forth to a landslide defeat at the hands of President Nixon.

That same year, a 29-year-old upstart named Joe Biden won a surprise victory in Delaware to become the youngest member of the United States Senate. (Biden turned the requisite age 30 a few weeks before his swearing-in.)

Ron DeSantis hadn't even been born.

That's a long, frustrating time for California to cede the spotlight to the likes of Iowa and New Hampshire  states that, respectively, have about as many residents as Los Angeles and San Diego.

Clearly, size doesn't matter. The Iowa-New Hampshire axis has been rooted at the front of the nominating calendar for the last several decades, giving voters there enormous sway over which candidates fall by the wayside and which advance to the many contests elsewhere around the country.

Read more: How California, land of Nixon and Reagan, turned blue and changed American politics

Still, hype and hope spring eternal, so every four years talk surfaces in California that this time will be different, that the state, lavished with attention, will finally wield its weight and play the kingmaking role that has so long eluded its many millions of voters.

Don't count on it.

Barring extraordinary circumstances, President Biden will be the 2024 Democratic nominee and California will do nothing more on March 5 than ratify his selection and pad the delegate count needed for his installment atop the ticket.

(At the moment, the Democratic calendar is a bit of a muddle. Party leaders are busy trying to figure out how to implement the president's plan to shove Iowa aside and start the nominating process in South Carolina, which resuscitated Biden's gasping 2020 campaign, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire.)

On the Republican side, California will vote the same day as a dozen other states, among them Texas, North Carolina and Virginia. So once the candidates leave Iowa and New Hampshire  which still hold the lead positions in the GOP contest  they will be spread veneer-thin from the Atlantic to Pacific coasts.

If you're expecting to shake Mike Pence's hand in downtown Alturas or watch Donald Trump flip pancakes in Brawley, the way you can catch a presidential hopeful in just about any Iowa pinpoint town or New Hampshire hamlet, well, sorry.

It's not, however, for lack of trying.

Over the years, the timing of California's presidential primary has intermittently surfaced as an issue in Sacramento. (Though not in the most recent session.)

Starting in 1992, the date bounced around several dates between February and June as lawmakers sought to elevate the states relevance beyond its customary role as a dispenser of cash spent elsewhere.

All to no avail.

That's because changing the state's lowly presidential campaign status would require a number of feats beyond the power of even the most super-powerful legislative supermajority.

For one thing, California is physically immense.

Placed on a map, the state stretches from Maine to South Carolina. That's a lot of ground for a candidate to cover and takes a lot of time. (Forget all the fanciful talk of breaking California into smaller chunks. That's not going to happen.)

So the best and most efficient way to reach the greatest number of California voters is through television advertising, which is hugely expensive. An ad dollar goes much further in Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as South Carolina and Nevada, so it's not hard to figure out a campaign's bang-to-buck ratio.

The only way to make California more affordable and enticing for a presidential candidate to seriously compete would be a legally mandated bargain-basement rate for TV advertising. (That's another nonstarter.)

Also working against California is the front-loaded nature of the presidential nominating process.

A candidate must win early to gather the momentum needed to slingshot into the nationwide campaigning that commences as soon as voters in the leadoff contests have their say.

John Kasich, then a Republican congressman from Ohio, put it succinctly.

I would love to campaign in California, he said during a 1999 stop in Bel-Air. (He was, naturally, out of sight of most voters, raising money for his long-shot White House bid.)

I cant even think about that until I get out of Iowa and New Hampshire," Kasich said. "If I die in New Hampshire . . . therell be no California, except for vacations.

There was no California.

Kasich didn't even make it to Iowa or New Hampshire in 2000.

Read more: Column: Barbara Boxer warns progressives to back off on Dianne Feinstein or they may be sorry

If you think California could exert itself simply by elbowing its way to the front of the calendar, consider what happened in 2008. The state moved up its vote to Feb. 5 and nearly two dozen others states crowded onto the same date, nullifying California's impact and making Iowa and New Hampshire even more important for candidates seeking to break out ahead of the nationwide balloting.

The bottom line: California will almost surely be overshadowed once more in 2024 by fiercely fought presidential contests in other, much smaller states.

There is, however, some solace.

Go watch a technicolor ocean sunset. Take a walk among the giant redwoods. Enjoy the granite majesty of the Sierra.

You can't do any of those things in Iowa or New Hampshire.

Get the latest from Mark Z. Barabak

Focusing on politics out West, from the Golden Gate to the U.S. Capitol.

Sign me up.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
COLOMBO, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's navy and coast guard apprehended two Indian trawlers with 15 Indian nationals poaching in Sri Lankan waters off the Delft Island in Jaffna on Saturday, said the navy in a statement on Sunday.

The navy and coast guard conducted a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from Sri Lankan waters and the operation led to the apprehension, said the navy.

The navy said it continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing trawlers.

The seized trawlers together with Indian fishermen were brought to the Kankesanthurai Harbor and they will be handed over to the fisheries authority for onward legal proceedings, said the navy.

Thus far in 2023, the navy has seized 12 Indian poaching trawlers and 74 Indian fishermen and handed them over to authorities for legal action, said the navy. 
Commodities trader caught in DOJ probe ruined her own non-prosecution agreement by taunting the former colleagues she was helping to investigate

A trader reacts during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 28, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City. JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images

Charlotte Bamber admitted to wire fraud and price manipulation while working as a commodities trader.

She entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ in exchange for cooperating with a probe.

A court filing shows Bamber ruined the agreement by harassing colleagues she was helping investigate.

A former commodities trader who admitted to wire fraud and price manipulation ruined a non-prosecution agreement she scored after it was revealed she was harassing the former colleagues she was helping to investigate.

Charlotte Bamber, a former trader of oil products at Trafigura Group, entered into the non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ in 2020 in exchange for cooperating with a probe into her former employer.

Under the terms of the agreement, Bamber was not to have contact with her colleagues and would not face jail time if she helped investigators dig into the price manipulation plan she was a part of.

In a June 26 court filing reviewed by Insider, Bamber acknowledged she violated the agreement after the investigators on the case discovered she was sending threatening messages to her former co-workers.

Bamber did not acknowledge she had sent the emails until confronted with the evidence by FBI and DOJ agents. It remains unclear how the agents tracked the emails to Bamber.

"You should probably tell your family what is about to be made public," Bamber wrote to another employee being investigated, using a pseudonymous email account, in November 2021. "Everything you do always catches up with you. Always. You'll get a great roommate, don't worry."

In January of the following year, she wrote another taunting email to a different employee of the firm: "Tick Tock. There's no way out for you. Enjoy balding even further, if that's possible."

Bamber specifically mentioned the investigation and that management planned to throw the former employees "under the bus" for participating in the trading fraud.

"Guess who snitched on the other about C07 payment approvals?" Bamber wrote, copying two colleagues under investigation in the same email thread: "One of you will lose everything."

In a February 2022 interview, according to the filing, Bamber was asked by FBI agents and DOJ Fraud Section attorneys whether she had any contact with other employees of Trafigura Group  and lied about it. She denied having had contact with her former colleagues, violating the non-prosecution agreement, and opening herself up to a sentence of up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"In relation to the previous investigation referred to in this document, external legal counsel conducted a review and found no evidence of improper trading activity by Trafigura or its employees," Representatives for Trafigura Group told Insider in an emailed statement. "From our perspective, this matter is now closed."

Bamber's sentencing hearing, which would have been avoided had she not sent the harassing emails, is set for October 24.

Lawyers representing the United States and Bamber did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Your letters to the editor for July 9, 2023:

Our Congressional reps should cosponsor the FIGHT Act

I worked at the USDA for 15 years at the National Meat Animal Research Center. Today, I live on my 140-year-old South Dakota farm and am appalled at what I read these days about animal fighting.

Dogfighting and cockfighting are barbaric practices, banned in South Dakota and in every other state and also under federal law. Unfortunately, despite these comprehensive prohibitions, both practices remain widespread. I ask Sens. John Thune who is on the Senate Agriculture committee and Mike Rounds, and our U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson, who is on this critical committee, to cosponsor the FIGHT Act to help reduce the presence of cockfighters in our state.

When we enforce our laws against animal fighting, we make our communities safer. Animal fighting is a violent crime bound up with other criminal conduct, including illegal gambling, illegal immigration, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering.

Cockfighting threatens to extend the duration and geographic range of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak. When it comes to virulent Newcastle Disease (vND), 10 of the 15 outbreaks of this disease have been triggered by illegal movement of cockfighting birds. Failure to contain the spread of infectious zoonotic diseases could put Arkansas multi-billion-dollar poultry industry at risk.

The FIGHT Act would ban broadcasting dogfights and cockfights for the purposes of gambling in the U.S., ban the shipment of adult fighting birds through the U.S mails, and create a citizen suit provision to allow civil actions against known animal fighters.

This is a bipartisan bill backed by law enforcement, animal control agencies, agriculture groups, and the gaming industry. Animal fighting is a disgrace and danger, and its time to strengthen our laws to pull it up by the root.

 Jim Keen, Director of Veterinary Science, Center for a Humane Economy, Mitchell

More: A thank you to kind drivers; applause for Johnson's protection of farmers: Your letters

My SD should not be sold to the lowest bidder

What is happening to my South Dakota?Last month, I purchased a park sticker at West Bend State Park. A few days later I was going through my credit card statement and I saw a charge from MySD in Tallahassee, Florida. I have never been to Tallahassee. I thought it had to be a fraud charge. I mean, after all, why would MySD be a Florida company. Well it turned out to be legit. But not in my mind!I have been a lifelong South Dakotan. I raised my family here. My parents were born and raised in South Dakota. And over 100 years ago, their parents immigrated to South Dakota. So I think of my South Dakota with pride and honor.So why is MySD in Florida? Maybe no one in South Dakota can do the job. I doubt it. Maybe the bids to do the job were more expensive, possible. Regardless, MySD should not be in Florida or any other state. If we really want to grow business in South Dakota, pay a living wage, and be accountable to ourselves. Should we be giving that opportunity to someone else?Now the State parks are run by GFP. That is a State agency.Should our tax dollars go to Florida. No! My SD should not be sold to the low bidder, especially if they are from some other state.

 Jeff Eidenshink, Sioux Falls

More: Future morality is not found in the religious realm, keep speaking out against eminent domain: Your letters

Johnson shoudl help repeal Iraq war authorization

In 2002 Congress passed an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) granting the President power to take military action against Iraq without further consent of Congress. Today, that authorization still exists. That the current or future President can rely on this decades old authorization to take military action without the approval of Congress is concerning and constitutionally wrong.Military families like mine need to know that our elected officials have considered the true cost of war for the people and communities they represent.I urge Congressman Dusty Johnson, to co-sponsor H.R.932, a bill to repeal the Iraq war authorization. His leadership would speak volumes to the defense community, especially at Ellsworth AFB, and demonstrates to his caucus that we must formally end the war in Iraq.In a twist to end the Iraq war story, Iraq is now a strong ally and this relationship is crucial for maintaining regional security. Upholding this policy threatens and tears at the base of this important relationship. The reasons to justify the invasion and military force against Iraq are no longer relevant, and havent been relevant for years  it is beyond time to repeal the irrelevant and outdated war authorization.

 Megan Paone, Sioux Falls

More: There's cause for concern about Sioux Falls water, sewer rate increases: Your letters

How to submit a letter to the editor:

Letters need to be roughly 300 to 500 words, and will need to include first and last name, address, city and title. Addresses wont be publicized, of course, but its a way for us to make sure those who submit a letter are who they say they are.

Letters will run on Sundays in print and online as we receive them. There may be moments, however, when we don't have any as we work to solicit interest and actively rebuild this part of our coverage for readers.

You can submit those to News Director Shelly Conlon by emailing sconlon@argusleader.com or submit them through our online form here, which also is sent directly to the news director.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Concerns for taxpayer money going out of state; Congressional support needed against animal fights: Your letters
When a defendant appearing in court has been jailed for a lengthy period, a color-coded spreadsheet alerts the judge that the case has been dragging.

Instead of hearings that last only a minute or two  just long enough to set a date for the next hearing  judges often explore whether a delay is necessary and set firm deadlines for attorneys.

Outside of court, the major players in the court system talk regularly about ways to ensure cases dont stall, aiming to avoid delays that can be agonizing for victims, witnesses and defendants alike.

This is the scenario in the Kane County criminal courts, 40 miles west of Cook County and miles ahead of its larger counterpart in addressing problems that can slow the pace of justice to a near-standstill.

Every day that passes, theres a stress that goes along with having an open case for the victims, for the witnesses, for the defendant, said Kane Countys chief judge, Clint Hull, in explaining his courts push to tackle delays. In the end, trying to get the case resolved is something that helps everybody.

In just two short years, Kane County has reduced by half the backlog of people languishing in jail for more than a year. Only one defendant has been detained for more than three years without trial. Meanwhile, in Cook, delays have only worsened, as the Tribune recently reported in the investigation Stalled Justice. Some cases are now taking a decade or more to resolve.

The type of effort shown in Kane County is generally what experts have long recommended on a far larger scale in Cook. The Tribunes investigation, published in April, found Cook Countys criminal courts were taking longer than ever to complete murder cases  more than four years in most instances. Thats longer than it takes in New York, Los Angeles or any other big city with available data.

Cook Countys chief judge, Timothy Evans, has downplayed the Tribunes findings and failed to make it a priority to limit unnecessary delays. Instead, Evans has given county judges wide latitude even as they let cases fester for longer than a presidential term. Thats consistent with decades of inaction on the part of county leaders, who have ignored numerous recommendations to fix the maddening courthouse roadblocks that can delay cases at every phase.

To be sure, Kane County has a tenth of the population of Cook, but Kane contains much of Illinois second largest city, Aurora, and sees its share of violent crimes, including murders, rapes and robberies.

Hull acknowledged that Cooks courthouse players have far more complex bureaucracies to navigate, but said he knows the county is also stocked with quality prosecutors and judges.

Theyre hardworking. Theyre passionate. They care, Hull said. Everything were doing here can be replicated. Its just a matter of trying to figure out how to do it.

Going after delays

Hull, whos served as chief judge in Kane since late 2019, began the push to study and limit delays when he had some down time in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, records and interviews show. He was later joined by the countys five felony trial judges, as well as the sheriff, public defender and states attorney.

All agreed that case delays were a serious problem worth tackling, particularly during a pandemic in which shutdowns were exacerbating the problem.

We all saw an end goal in mind, and we wanted to get to that end goal, said Kane County States Attorney Jamie Mosser.

The Kane County officials focused on cases in which defendants had been jailed more than a year without trial, first strategizing what to do and then launching the effort in May 2021.

Key to the effort was something Kane County judges simply call the list. Its a weekly spreadsheet, with special tabs, that lists details of every pending case involving a defendant jailed at least a year. Hulls assistant puts it together with help from the sheriffs office, and its sent to each of the five felony trial judges.

In a sit-down interview, the five judges credited Hulls spreadsheets with helping them prioritize cases that may have slowed to a crawl without anyone noticing.

After all, the judges each juggle roughly 500 cases, a dozen or two of which might come before them on a typical day. Usually thats for short status hearings, held every month or two, when attorneys can update the judge on what theyve done to get the case ready for trial and what they need more time to accomplish.

Before the tracking system, it was easy for cases to drag as judges OKd multiple seemingly innocuous requests for delays.

When (the) list came out, I was kind of surprised at some of the numbers, how long people were in, said Associate Judge David Kliment, a former public defender. We realize its our responsibility to push these things along, and we all started doing it, and the cases started getting resolved.

Judges said no magic, massive change was needed to limit delays and push cases to resolution. Each judge, in their own way, pushed more aggressively for attorneys to complete the basic phases of court cases, from sharing evidence to filing pretrial motions.

At each mornings call of court cases, when attorneys didnt meet deadlines, the judges pressed for explanations and worked up specific goals to be met by future hearing dates. Courthouse players said judges still approve delays that are unavoidable, but otherwise attorneys are expected to meet deadlines.

You have to push the call, said Circuit Judge John Barsanti, a former states attorney. If you rely on lawyers to push it, they never push it.

In Cook County, in comparison, Tribune reporters who observed hearings rarely saw judges question attorneys who sought delays. Judges simply asked when attorneys wanted to come back for another hearing, then scribbled the new date on the standard courthouse case log with the initials B/A to signify the delay was by agreement of both attorneys.

Though state law technically requires attorneys to write up special motions when seeking most delays, Chicago-area judges rarely demand them, saying its impractical. Thats true in Kane County too. But judges there say they often ask attorneys to better describe the holdup and state for the record whats going to be done about it.

I dont just let a case get continued for status, said Associate Judge Alice Tracy. When I see that in an order, I sort of have a little prickle go up my back. I want to know exactly why its continued, whats the problem.

The county also has installed a faster evidence-sharing computer system to speed up the first phase of a case and has released more defendants on electronic monitoring, which reduces the number of people held behind bars. (Cook County prosecutors also recently announced a plan to try to speed up the sharing of evidence.)

Judges and attorneys acknowledge that the aggressive push to limit delays could make courtrooms more tense at times. But judges say they try to limit any courtroom drama by engaging with attorneys without belittling them.

You dont have to be unpleasant about it, said Circuit Judge Elizabeth Flood. You dont have to tear into someone for not doing their job or saying that theyre being lazy or anything like that.

And the Kane County courthouse players say all parties are committed to limiting unnecessary delays without rushing attorneys in ways that might jeopardize defendants right to a fair trial.

We are working hard, both sides, to get finality to these cases, said the countys public defender, Rachele Conant.

Backlog cut in half

The results of that work can be seen in the courts weekly lists, which Hull shared with the Tribune.

Nationally, some legal advocates want courts to aim for an ambitious goal, that all felony cases are completed within a year. Recently enacted state standards set the bar lower: 98% of felonies completed in 2  years.

When the efforts in Kane began, 10 people had been held without trial for longer than three years, county data show. By late June, only one remained in that category.

Another six defendants have been held at least two years without a trial  down from 26 in May 2021, a 77% drop. The number of additional people held at least a year without a trial fell 55% since 2021, from 71 to 32.

Meanwhile, in Cook County, jail data shows that as of June 28, it was holding 599 people whose cases had been pending for at least three years, with an additional 463 jailed more than two years and another 845 jailed at least a year. Those numbers havent changed much since 2021.

Another way to compare: Cook County has roughly 10 times the felony case filings of Kane County but nearly 50 times the number of defendants jailed at least a year with a pending case.

Cook County doesnt compare poorly just to smaller Kane County. New York City has a greater volume of felony cases than Cook, but its courts are jailing roughly 600 fewer people with cases pending at least a year.

Evans office declined to directly answer questions about Kane Countys efforts. It instead pointed to a commentary by Evans that the Tribune published June 16, in which he defended the system hes overseen for two decades.

In that commentary, he said his courts are improving while cautioning that cases are complex, Cook County has a notorious record of wrongful convictions and judges must be careful not to rush justice.

If cases are forced to trial prematurely, injustice may result for the defendant or victim and additional time and taxpayer money may be needed for an appeal or a new trial, Evans wrote.

In fairness, Kane County judges acknowledge that their game plan would be harder to implement in a bigger county with far more cases and entrenched bureaucracies, such as Chicago police dragging their feet on providing evidence and ensuring officers dont skip court hearings.

At the same time, national research has found that both big and small systems can be efficient, given proper case management. New York City saw success after it pushed to cut delays a decade ago. Cook County made a brief effort nearly two decades ago that was credited for a roughly 30% drop in backlogged cases.

For bigger counties, an initiative to reduce delays could begin with one wing of a large courthouse or a smaller branch courthouse, Hull said.

A three-year wait

One key to Kanes success has been regular data tracking, seen in Hulls weekly list of long-running cases. Cases at least two years old are colored orange on the spreadsheet to draw attention, and there are still a handful on the latest list.

Colored in red is the case of the one defendant whos spent more than three years in jail awaiting trial. Thats Keyshaune Steele, whose wait exemplifies how cases can linger without resolution.

Court records show Steele was arrested in 2019 on a gun charge, released on bond, then arrested in March 2020, accused of shooting a woman during a robbery in Elgin.

Jailed since his 2020 arrest, Steele had more than 80 defendants ahead of him on Kane Countys earliest list in 2021  people who had been arrested before him and were still waiting for trial.

As each of those other cases got resolved, Steele remained in jail.

A trial date on the illegal gun charge, which prosecutors chose to pursue first, has been pushed back for more than a year as Steele switched attorneys twice. His current attorneys, from the public defenders office, filed pretrial motions seeking to invalidate some of the evidence in the case.

In Cook County, such motions frequently become speed bumps in cases as attorneys ask for time to prepare their arguments and arrange testimony from witnesses, including police officers who sometimes fail to show up to court. The process can drag on for years.

But for Steeles gun case in Kane County, court records show the judge in the case  Kliment  has been issuing increasingly explicit orders with tight timetables.

In May, he scheduled a June hearing to decide the motions and a July trial date. At the June hearing, where a police officer showed up to testify on time, Kliment listened to 90 minutes of testimony and arguments, ruled on the three pending motions and reminded the attorneys, again, that trial was set for July.

And if you have any other motions, you have to have them filed by June 30, Kliment told them.

Neither side asked for more time. That means Steeles name could be off the list by the end of July.

If that occurs, no one still in Kane County Jail will have been detained for more than three years without a trial.

jmahr@chicagotribune.com
A mama duck was in need of help after her babies were in trouble.

Luckily, a California couple were on their way to lunch and jumped at the chance.

Crystal Guinnane and her husband Gary were on their way to grab a bite in their hometown of Manteca when they saw a stressed mama duck, Guinnane told McClatchy News in a phone interview July 9.

#rescuea#babyducks Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O'Hara) - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Daniel Pemberton @thatonegirl209 On our way to lunch today we noticed a mama duck out in the 85 heat standing in the road quacking and looking visibly distressed at a storm drain grate. My mama heart told me that something was wrong and I had a feeling that she had lost her babies inside of the storm drain. We pulled over and my husband looked down the grate and noticed that they were babies trying to jump out, he pulled the grate off and climbed into the storm drain. there were a total of eight baby ducks inside that were alive. We were able to save all eight of them. But one of them was unfortunately already dead. And part two of the reunion and what happened to one of the ducks next. #an #animalrescue

The nine ducklings were stuck at the bottom of a sewer drain after falling through the grates, a TikTok video Guinnane posted July 8 showed.

We live by Bass Pro Shop and they have a big lake in front, Guinnane said. We go there often and every spring theres ducklings so we always go see them. We werent expecting babies in the summer.

After turning the corner, Guinnane saw the mother duck standing by the grate in the middle of the street, frantically quaking.

I just felt that mom instinct in me, the mother of a 6-year-old boy said. I just knew something was wrong.

The womans mama heart told her that the duck was waiting for her babies.

After expressing the worries to her husband, the man pulled over, lifted the grate up, jumped down there.

Typically, wildlife officials tell the public to leave baby animals alone, McClatchy News reported.

If you encounter a baby animal that is hurt or sick, call your local wildlife rehabilitation center or the nearest fish and game office, McClatchy News reported.

Guinnanes husband, however, plucked the babies out of the drain while she pushed them toward their mother.

There were nine babies down there but one had died, she said, It was hiding under the little stairs to the grate.

After the rescue mission was completed, the couple went to lunch and made their way to the pond to see how the duck family was doing.

My husband counted all the ducks and we realized there were only seven, Guinnane said. After looking in the bushes for the other duck, my husband took off to look for it and he found it squished in the parking lot.

Although two of the ducks didnt survive, Guinnane said the couple will be checking every crate they see for lost baby ducks.

TikTok users agreed the heartfelt rescue was worthy of praise.

I literally wish you the absolute best in life, you guys are amazing, one person said.

Not all heroes wear capes, another person said.

Manteca is 60 miles south of Sacramento.

Ducklings hatch near lazy river at SC waterpark. See how staff helped get them to lake

Beloved 17-year-old sea lion with booming voice and heart nose dies at CA aquarium

Watch mama duck lead babies through elementary school halls in adorable Virginia video
TEMECULA, Calif.  Three Southern California school board members backed by a far-right pastor narrowly won election last fall in campaigns fueled by pandemic rage.

Then they banned critical race theory and rejected social studies materials that included LGBTQ rights hero Harvey Milk.

Now, theyre fighting for their political lives.

After just six months in office, those officials face a recall effort on top of a civil rights investigation launched by the states Democratic-led education department. Students have held protests, and irate parents and teachers are swarming the boards meetings, feeling that their town  the fast-growing, politically diverse suburb of Temecula in Riverside County  has become consumed by partisan warfare.

We don't want culture wars. We don't want Fox News appearances, Alex Douvas, a parent of two kids in the district who previously worked for two Republican congressmembers in Orange County, told the board recently. Our schools are not ideological battlegrounds. They're not platforms for religious evangelism. These are institutions for learning and growth.

The religious right saw an opening to jump into the parental rights movement amid intense backlash about pandemic-era school closures and mask mandates. But those policies have all but disappeared in schools, and its proving harder to sustain that level of outrage over teachings on race and gender. The effort to ban certain books and challenge curriculum has split Republicans and polled poorly with independent voters nationally.

Local Democrats see the strategy flopping  and are already looking to capitalize on it in a part of the state that has become a battleground for control of the House. Joy Silver, chair of the Riverside County Democrats, said shes intensely focused on winning down-ballot races like school board seats because the battles are taking place there.

In Temecula, the political agenda embraced by school board trustees Joseph Komrosky, Danny Gonzalez and Jen Wiersma has set off a different kind of public outrage than was likely intended. The booing and shouting at a recent public hearing grew so loud that the board president  who appeared to be wearing a bullet-proof vest under his sweater  cleared the room.

To the extent you keep it focused on parents and students first, not teachers, I think there's room where you can push back on quote-unquote woke agenda issues, but if you go too far in the other direction and are trying to make that the only issue you care about, I think you're going to see predictable backlash, California GOP consultant Rob Stutzman said in an interview. I look at something like Temecula, and to me its an eye roll.

A similar ethos has dominated the campaigns of Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has made curriculum restrictions and parental rights a centerpiece of his bid for the GOP nomination. It could also factor into local and congressional races, particularly in inland California, where Republicans are likely to face strong challenges from the left in 2024.

I don't want to say it's a particularly Republican Party issue, because everyone who is upset by this is not necessarily Democratic, but the people who are causing the trouble are the extremists of that party, Silver said.



Silver pointed to other parts of California where social policy pushed by the religious right has met organized resistance. A recall attempt is brewing against a conservative majority in Orange County, where a pastor in Chino helped flip the school board. A pastor in San Diego County drew dozens of counter protesters last month after mobilizing his congregation against a proposed school district inclusion policy. So far, the effort is failing to sink the proposal.

An NPR/Ipsos poll conducted in May found that the majority of Americans oppose book bans and curriculum restrictions, with 64 percent saying that school boards should not restrict what students learn. Majorities of GOP respondents also opposed state legislative book bans and content restrictions, the survey found  a cautionary sign for candidates who risk losing centrist voters by leaning too hard into curriculum crackdowns.

Temecula Valley reflects broader changes across inland Southern California. Once agricultural, mostly white and conservative, it has become a fast-growing bedroom community for coastal San Diego and Los Angeles. Along routes that draw tourists for balloon excursions and wine tastings, the former Republican stronghold of Riverside County now is home to more registered Democrats.

But Covid injected a fervor into local politics. Tim Thompson, an evangelical pastor in Riverside County, emerged as an outspoken opponent of mask mandates, along with the California GOP and conservative activist groups such as Moms for Liberty, best known for its anti-vaccine organizing. When churches were ordered closed at the onset of the pandemic, Thompson began railing against stay-at-home orders in sermons and traveled to Sacramento for unsanctioned protests at the state Capitol  one of which led to his arrest.

Thompson waded further into politics in the following months, bringing in Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to speak at his church when other Southern California venues canceled on her during the summer of 2021. Locally, he pressured the Temecula school board to take up a resolution to disobey a state mask mandate. When they refused, he became irritated.

Barbara Brosch, board president at the time, described a tense period in which elected officials were occasionally escorted home from public meetings by police after being threatened by activists. Brosch  who went to high school with Thompson  said he warned her and other board members that he would run candidates against them if they didnt go along with his anti-masking proposal.

Tim asked me to put the resolution on our agenda, or else we would be replaced, Brosch, an independent voter who describes herself as a conservative Catholic, recalled of a meeting with the pastor.

A year later, Thompson made good on his threat. Three candidates funded by his Inland Empire Family PAC narrowly won in a low-turnout election, defeating Brosch and two other candidates who served on the board during the pandemic.

This Inland Empire Family PAC was using what sounded like benign language, said Kristi Rutz-Robbins, a Democrat who served three terms on the school board and now teaches in the district. I wasn't even paying attention during the election. It wasn't in my district, or my trustee zone. And I figured it'd be fine, whoever gets elected.

None of the board members answered questions from POLITICO at a recent board meeting or responded to multiple inquiries about their decisions or Thompsons efforts to shape district policy. Kromrosky previously said he does not attend the 412 Church.

But a local GOP leader said he was confident voters would back the officials in a recall.

"The voters in Temecula spoke clearly during the election last November. If the recall qualifies, I have no doubt the voters will speak clearly again, said Matthew Dobler, chair of the Republican Party of Riverside County. The Republican Party has faith in voters to decide what's best for their community."

On the day they were sworn in, the new board members passed a resolution condemning critical race theory. That landed them on Fox and Friends even though the subject wasnt being taught in Temecula schools. Then they hired an outside consultant to run workshops warning educators about the perils of CRT, a lens used by academics to challenge institutional racism that is viewed by many on the right as simply shorthand for any teaching about race that they dont like.



But until last month, when a curriculum fight over the late gay-rights leader Harvey Milk got the governors attention, many residents hadnt noticed.

The board rejected a social studies curriculum that featured a half-page biography of Milk, with Komrosky repeating a disputed allegation against the slain San Francisco supervisor. Why even mention a pedophile? he said.

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said people attending the California Democratic Party convention in Los Angeles the following week asked him to get involved. They included delegate Julie Geary, who said she also raised the issue with Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Thurmond, Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom already had a joint letter in the works cautioning school districts against banning books and restricting teaching materials for political reasons. But the Democrats, dismayed by the comment about Milk, began to single out Temecula. Newsom called Komroskys comment ignorant on Twitter. Bontas office pressed the district for justification of its decision. And Thurmond traveled back to Southern California to meet with Komrosky and Gonzalez, who had made the same allegation against Californias first openly gay elected official.

If there was a single factor that was the final push for me to go to Temecula, it was seeing the statement made calling Harvey Milk a pedophile, Thurmond said in an interview. The state Department of Education is now investigating a civil rights complaint against the district.

Less than a week later, the board fired the districts popular superintendent, Jodi McClay, following the lead of new conservative school board majorities in Florida, South Carolina and nearby Orange County.

McClays supporters packed the high school auditorium and pleaded with the board to keep her on. When that failed, they drowned out a small group of the boards supporters with a barrage of boos, continuing for hours.

In California, where the Republican Party has long been shut out of statewide office, GOP officials played a role in Temeculas election as part of a broader strategy targeting low-turnout school board races. Theres also another advantage for outnumbered California Republicans: The party affiliations of school board candidates dont appear on the ballot, as those races are technically nonpartisan.

Republican National Committee member Shawn Steels law firm donated to Thompsons PAC, while Dobler, the county GOP chair, helped with candidate recruitment and funding in Temecula and elsewhere, an effort he described in an interview on Thompsons YouTube channel.

Steel discussed the strategy at a March meeting of The Parent Revolt, a California GOP group that recruits and trains local candidates. We make it look very nonpartisan, because every time you run for school board office, it's nonpartisan, Steel said. And they're the ones that people are least likely to vote on.
For the next two months, city residents can enjoy free programs and events at the newly-renovated Curley Community Center in South Boston, the mayor said.

The center officially reopened on Friday after a $31.2 million renovation, Mayor Michelle Wu said.

The center now includes state-of-the art fitness and activity spaces for community members of all ages, and was built with climate resiliency features to better protect the beachfront facility from flooding and coastal storms, Wu said in a statement.

The renovations to the Curley Community Center transform the space into the family-friendly, accessible facility our residents deserve and have been waiting for, said Wu. The design complements the natural beauty of South Bostons shoreline, while also providing modern indoor spaces to gather for health and community. Im grateful to our City departments and partners at every level of government for their support in reopening this beloved community amenity.

The building originally opened in 1931 as a bathhouse and was dedicated by former Mayor James Michael Curley as a monument to health. It was last renovated in 1989 and is a quarter-mile long.

The interior renovations include open and accessible hallways throughout the entire building, fitness rooms (including weight training and cardio machines), a yoga/dance studio, childrens space, womens and mens steam and sauna, senior space, teen space, multi-purpose spaces, and offices.

The renovation includes a new deck area behind the center with ramps to the beach for people with mobility needs.

The center is designed to serve all ages, including a large senior population. Beginning this summer, the Ethos Senior Cafe will serve free lunch to seniors daily. Seniors will also be able to participate in morning stretches, community social walks, card and board games, senior fitness, book clubs, and more.

The center also has youth-only spaces and will be hosting weekly family friendly activities as well as ReadBoston Storymobile visits.

Wu said the renovations also included measures to combat the impacts of climate change and future king tides, such as an open basement so water and sand can flow in and out, interior waterproofing, and removable metal plates to help hold back water on the ocean side.

We are thrilled to be able to re-open the Curley Community Center and welcome residents into this beautiful new space, said Chief of Operations Dion Irish. Were very proud to renovate this historical building to meet the needs of our communities today, including innovative flood resilience and accessibility measures to ensure everyone in our community can enjoy the facility.

The City of Bostons Public Facilities Department managed the construction project working with designLAB architects and Boston Building and Bridge Corp general contractors.

Due to nesting of the threatened Piping Plover birds, there will be no beach access from the center until wildlife officials determine that beach access does not pose a risk to the birds. In 1986, there were only 140 breeding pairs of piping plovers in Massachusetts. Through careful conservation efforts, the population has increased to over 1,000 breeding pairs in 2022. BCYF is working with the Boston Conservation Commission and the State to secure beach access for the near future. Members are welcome to use the nearby beaches surrounding the center for this summer.

For the first two months of operation, there will be no charge for membership or programming but visitors need to create a membership at Boston.gov/BCYF-Registration. Registration for classes and programs can be found on the centers webpage, Boston.gov/BCYF-Curley.

More information can be found at: http://boston.gov/bcyf.

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THE WHITE HOUSE WANTED SOUTH CAROLINA TO VOTE FIRST IN 2024. THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE OBLIGED. IT HASNT GONE ACCORDING TO PLAN.

Last December, the 30-odd members of the Democratic Partys rules and bylaws committee filed in to the Omni Shoreham, the glittering resort hotel that once hosted Franklin D. Roosevelts inaugural ball. All of the Democrats, many of them gray-haired habitues of the rubber-chicken circuit, knew they had come to Washington to hash out, after months of debate, what the presidential-primary calendar would look like come 2024.

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The order in which the states vote has defined American politics since the 1970s, when Jimmy Carter rocketed to the presidency on the strength of his performance in the Iowa caucuses. Always Iowa first, then New Hampshire  which zealously guarded its status as the first-in-the-nation actual primary, luring all future presidents to the rickety diner back rooms and high school gymnasiums of the flinty Northern state with a streak of independence. Joe Biden performed terribly in each of those contests in 2020, hitting his stride only in larger states with fewer white voters. It was now understood that the curious caucus system  voters clustering on frost-tinged church and library floors to choose candidates  needed to be retired, particularly after Iowa failed to tally the vote in a timely manner.

So Iowa would be demoted, as would tolerance for any kind of caucus. New Hampshire, perhaps, would vote first, along with Nevada and its increasing Latino population. That seemed like plenty of change as Biden, who will turn 81 this November, seeks a breezier path to a second term as president.

Instead, the co-chair of the rules and bylaws committee  and the grandson of Franklin Roosevelt  made a different announcement.

I move a resolution, which will be displayed on the screen, James Roosevelt Jr. said, which grants waivers to Rule 12-A, conditional upon the outlined stipulations for a state-run primary in South Carolina on Feb. 3, 2024; New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6; Georgia on Feb. 13.  

The room offered no immediate public reaction to the legalese. But privately, some members were astounded. Everyone was shocked, one told me, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing the White House. We would have to vote for it anyway, because the feeling was youre either with the president or against him.

A few members of the Democratic National Committee had known what was coming  but only because Biden-administration officials called them on the phone mere hours after Biden himself sent a letter to the rules and bylaws committee, on the first day of December, outlining his demand for a primary calendar that ensured that voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process and throughout the entire early window. Biden called Black voters the backbone of the party, though he didnt specifically mention South Carolina in his letter. It was left to his aides to tell the top-ranking D.N.C. members, including Roosevelt, that South Carolina was the new first-in-the-nation primary. It had been decreed, and so it would be done.

But New Hampshire, the state that prides itself on its Live Free or Die motto, has declared that it will vote first anyway, setting up a clash with the D.N.C. that could widen to publicly embarrass Biden  who, assuming he coordinates with the D.N.C. on its new calendar, would not be on the New Hampshire ballot in this scenario  handing the incumbent president a shocking statewide defeat.

Biden has the entire party establishment on his side. The D.N.C. has formally endorsed him, which means that the organization, in addition to rubber-stamping a primary calendar that is far more favorable to him, will not sponsor any debates. Normally, this wouldnt matter much; incumbent presidents enjoy such deference. But Biden is already the oldest president in history and would be 86 if he finishes a second term. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Democrats dont want him to run again (though this doesnt mean they wont vote for him). His approval ratings consistently hover around 40 percent.

At the same time, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a son of the slain senator and attorney general and a nephew of the slain president, has polled at 20 percent nationally among Democratic voters and has begun a campaign blitz in New Hampshire, where voters and politicians alike are aggrieved over the D.N.C.s revision of the primary calendar, with the secretary of state, David Scanlan, a Republican, calling the first-in-the-nation status a defining part of the states culture. It is also enshrined in state law. Iowas reaction has been more muted because there are so few Democrats of note left in the state after successive Republican electoral waves. Still, Iowa Democrats may sync their caucuses with the Republicans anyway, defying the D.N.C.

Kennedy was once widely respected as an environmentalist; he has since drawn condemnation for his anti-vaccine advocacy, taste for conspiracy theories and incendiary statements  including invoking Hitler Germany in a speech about American vaccine mandates  but may hold appeal for the large base of libertarian voters in New Hampshire. (Marianne Williamson, the author and spiritual figure who dropped out of the 2020 race, is running again as well.) Democrats there are alarmed.

The reality is that New Hampshire is going to keep the first-in-the-nation primary, Ray Buckley, the chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and a longtime D.N.C. member, told me, and the question only is whether or not the president is going to put his name on the ballot. Theyre trying to come after New Hampshire, but its not going to be successful. So why go through all that pain?

D. Arnie Arnesen, a left-leaning New Hampshire talk-show host and former Democratic state representative, understands the arguments against her state: Were too white, too rich, too privileged, she conceded. New Hampshire has two Democratic senators but a Republican-controlled state government (including a governor, Chris Sununu, who once considered his own presidential challenge this cycle). On the question of the 2024 primaries, however, Arnesen sides with Buckley. They knew the Republicans were going to Iowa and New Hampshire anyway. Why change now? Theres no upside. Not one iota of benefit for Joe Biden. Nothing. No benefit to Joe, no benefit to the Democrats. They shot themselves in the foot.

As chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison, a 47-year-old who rose to his position two years ago from statewide politics in South Carolina and whose profile has risen along with his states, has to try to play mediator between angered state Democrats and a White House that expects fealty from the national organization. For now, Harrison is sanguine about all of it. The New Hampshire situation. Bidens advanced age. The partys declining share of many demographic groups, especially Latino voters and those without college degrees. A dire Senate map, where Democratic incumbents in Montana, Ohio and West Virginia could fall, along with the formerly Democratic senator in Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, plunging Democrats into an indefinite minority.

In Harrisons office at D.N.C. headquarters, which looks out on the dome of the Capitol, there hangs a portrait of Biden with Jim Clyburn, the 82-year-old South Carolina congressman whose endorsement and championing of Biden in 2020 is credited with rescuing his candidacy. Displayed over Harrisons desk is a vintage sign for Ron Brown, who in 1989 became the first Black chairman of the D.N.C. Brown and Clyburn are both heroes to Harrison, who was Clyburns intern and, later, his director of floor operations when the congressman served as majority whip. A lucrative private-sector career followed as a lobbyist at the Podesta Group. With Clyburns blessing, he became chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Harrison then ran a very high-profile, extremely expensive and ultimately unsuccessful campaign in 2020 for the Senate seat held by Lindsey Graham. Now Clyburns protege heads a D.N.C. that has put their home state, where Harrison still lives with his family, quite literally first.

Harrison insisted that Clyburn never advocated for South Carolina as the very first state  only for it to retain its status as the first of the Southern states. I think, for him, he always wanted South Carolina  and I felt the same way  we enjoyed and took a lot of pride in being the first in the South, Harrison told me on a June afternoon, sitting beneath that portrait. People thought early on, Oh, God, Jaimes the chair of the D.N.C., so therefore hes going to put his finger on the scale for South Carolina. And everybody will tell you, I was evenhanded in this. The only thing that I wanted was that South Carolina would remain, because I think its earned its spot as an early state. But South Carolina, of course, moved up, and Harrison is now thrilled. National Geographic said that 90 percent of African Americans can trace one of their ancestors to South Carolina. In our primary, 50 to 60 percent of the people who vote in the Democratic primary will be Black folks. Think about how powerful this is, that the descendants of those enslaved people will be the very first people in this country to determine the most powerful person on the face of this planet. Thats transformative.

A few dissidents in the D.N.C., made up of New Hampshirites and some Iowans, progressives and union members, see it differently: Biden is elevating a state that a Democratic presidential candidate hasnt carried since 1976. Beyond Clyburn, there are few Democrats of note in South Carolina, and the state has the lowest percentage of union membership in America. Progressive candidates could, cycle after cycle, meet a wall of opposition there.

The persistent quandary, which no version of the primary calendar could resolve, is how to account for the various long-range challenges of the Democratic Party. A first-in-the-nation South Carolina primary lends Black moderates, a pivotal Democratic constituency, the kind of clout that many believe they deserve. White rural voters  the sort who need to be courted in Iowa and New Hampshire  have not proved loyal to the Democratic brand. But there are only so many of them that Democrats can afford to lose in a general election. New Hampshire, which Biden carried by less than 10 points in 2020, is not guaranteed to be eternally blue.

For Harrison, South Carolinas premier placement will mean that the many men and women who dream of commanding the Oval Office will need to pay attention to completely different issues and concerns. Now, instead of talking about ethanol in Iowa, were going to be talking about the infant-mortality rate in the Black community, he said. It changes the agenda. It changes the conversation. And now presidential candidates will then be making promises to those communities.

ON A SUMMER day in the late 1990s, Don Fowler, the chairman of the D.N.C., needed help. The South Carolinian and former head of the state party had bushels of juicy peaches sent up from farmers back home, and he wanted the president of the United States to sample some. None of his interns were free. He queried the most powerful Democrat in his state: Would he have a hand to spare?

Clyburn, the Charleston congressman, did. They sent me, Jaime Harrison recalled, beaming at the memory. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life at that point, to have these bags of peaches that Im going to deliver to Bill Clinton, right?

Harrison, peaches in tow, trekked from the Capitol to the White House. He ended up in the East Wing  no face-to-face with the president  but the journey stoked his ambition, which he says has been realized with the position he has held since Biden selected him. If I dont do anything else in politics for the rest of my life, I have hit a great point, being the D.N.C chair.

On my June visit, a wall in the D.N.C. lobby featured portraits honoring the highest-ranking Democrats: Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris; Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader; the head of the Senates campaign arm, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan; Jaime Harrison. But the wall seemed to have been frozen in pre-midterm 2022: Nancy Pelosi, not Hakeem Jeffries, the new House minority leader, had a portrait on the wall, as did Sean Patrick Maloney, the New York Democrat who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Not only is Maloney no longer the D.C.C.C. chair, but hes not in Congress at all. He lost his re-election bid, one of the seats with which the Democrats lost their majority.

At the core of its mission, the D.N.C. raises and spends titanic sums of money on organizing and messaging for political contests: more than $300 million over the course of 2021 and 2022, leading up to the midterms. The committee is a constellation of various interests  activists, wealthy donors, state party chairs  that is more fractious than its Republican counterpart because of the sheer number of individuals who make up the 483-member national committee, which far outstrips the 168-member R.N.C. The Republican Party has had its own ideological struggles, but the once-insurgent Trump wing has come to largely command party business, with Ronna McDaniel, a Trump ally, well into her seventh year as party chair.

In the aftermath of Donald Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton, amid lingering bitterness from progressives who felt that the D.N.C. had unfairly supported Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the 2016 primaries and convention, Harrison was one of several Democrats who very publicly vied for the D.N.C. chairman title. He operated, though, on the periphery of that contest, as the ideological and institutional factions organized around two candidates: Tom Perez, Obamas labor secretary; and Keith Ellison, a Minnesota congressman and Sanders supporter. With tacit backing from Obama, Perez narrowly won the vote of several hundred eligible D.N.C. members at the partys meeting in Atlanta.

After Perezs victory was announced, Ellison supporters erupted in anger, chanting, Party for the people, not big money! Perez placated them by naming Ellison deputy chairman. Under Perezs leadership, a so-called Unity Reform Commission overhauled the superdelegate system, restricting their vote on the conventions first ballot (the superdelegates, who are party elites, had operated like free agents, unaccountable to how their states actually voted). He also partnered with Howard Dean, the former D.N.C. chairman who was the architect of the partys short-lived strategy to compete in all 50 states, to create the Democratic Data Exchange: a private company, mirroring Republican Party efforts, that allows various Democratic campaigns, committees, unions and other left-leaning groups to share the information they gather on voters.

Building on successes during the 2018 blue-wave year, the D.N.C. pumped more than $95 million into its midterm programs in 2022  tripling its investment from 2018 and paying for as many as 35 campaign staff positions in Georgia, 42 in Michigan and 53 in Pennsylvania. The D.N.C. now pours more cash into state parties than it did during the Obama years and has established a red state fund that can add paid staff to Republican-dominated states in the hopes of growing the Democratic vote there in the years to come. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who was born in Thailand, raised in Hawaii and is now a D.N.C. vice chair, hopes to raise more cash to improve Democratic organizing efforts with Asian Americans. Weve seen that when we dont speak to that community, they can vote Republican like they did in New York, she said, referring to the state-level results in the midterms. You had Brooklyn switch over and elect Republican representatives.

Asian American voters, as Duckworth noted, migrated significantly rightward last year, and not just in Brooklyn. The share of Latino voters supporting Democrats continues to slip, from 66 percent in 2018 to 57 percent in 2022, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the national electorate. Some analysts warn that the Latino voters who swung to Republicans in 2020 and sat out the 2022 midterms could buoy a Republican presidential contender. The white working class continues to defect from Democratic candidates, and theres some evidence that culturally conservative nonwhite voters, once reflexive Democrats, are slowly sorting into the Republican coalition. From 2016 to 2020, Trump was able to grow his share of the Black vote, and over the last decade, almost every cohort of voters under 50 has shifted toward the right, belying predictions of a permanent Democratic hold on millennials.

Ruy Teixeira, a scholar who studies political demographics  and recently decamped from the liberal Center for American Progress to the conservative American Enterprise Institute  believes that Democrats, despite their recent victories, are losing too many working-class voters as they rush leftward on identity concerns at the expense of class. They are a party very dependent on the college-educated vote, Teixeira told me. In a way, Democrats were getting a premium among some nonwhite voters, getting way above the underlying ideology of voters in terms of their support. Thats changing.

The D.N.C. will learn, soon enough, if its confidence heading into the next election is warranted. The 2022 midterm results could have been, as Harrison contends, a reflection of Bidens policy accomplishments and the savvy of the partys myriad investments. Or the outcome might have been because of the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade, which galvanized outraged Democratic voters, and the many extreme and inexperienced candidates who upended Republican primaries and then stumbled badly in the fall.

I dont think the building is on fire, Harrison said confidently. The decline of the white working-class voter in the Democratic coalition could be reversed, Harrison argued, because Biden is the most pro-union president in recent years  the A.F.L.-C.I.O. endorsed him in June, and he appeared at rally with union workers in Philadelphia later that month  but many of those elusive working-class voters dont belong to unions anymore. Latinos defecting to the right, Harrison said, could be won back by pointing out how cruel some Republican governors have been for busing and flying migrants north  never mind that not all Latinos who are American citizens have sympathy for those making illegal border crossings. Eric Adams, the Democratic mayor of New York, who once deemed himself the Biden of Brooklyn, has castigated Bidens response to the migrant crisis in unusually public criticism of the White House, declaring that his city is being destroyed by the large influx of asylum seekers.

Yet if voters only knew more about what Democrats have done for them, there would be no doubt about their mutual allegiance, according to Harrison. Were going to make sure they understand where the Democratic Party is, what our values are, he said, and that we are the only party that will fight for them.

THE RESULTS OF 2022 were inarguably rosy, from a Democratic standpoint, defying historical precedent: The presidents party gained a seat in the Senate, won several high-profile governors races, flipped state legislatures and almost, despite forecasts of a red wave, retained control of the House. In Barack Obamas first midterm as president, Republicans netted 63 seats in the House, the largest electoral shift since 1948. Democrats lost six Senate seats. The enormous majorities of the 2008 election had vanished, never to be regained.

The Obama era was particularly cataclysmic for Democrats on the state level. Republicans dominated a redistricting process that safeguarded their legislative majorities for much of the next decade; by 2016, the last full year of Obamas presidency, Democrats had full control of just seven states. Even now, after the Democrats triumphant midterms, Republicans control 28 state legislatures to the Democrats 19. And its these state legislatures that decide much of the policy  taxes, education, transit  that impacts everyday American life.

The D.N.C. suffered under Obama, in part because he created his own political group, Organizing for Action, outside the aegis of the party. The group built a parallel structure that hoovered up donor cash. State party chairs were livid, believing that the group, which focused chiefly on the promotion of Obamas policy agenda, deprived them of attention and dollars. Heading into 2020, the Democratic presidential contenders, including Biden, pledged not to create another extraparty organ.

Historically, Democratic presidents have undercut or ignored the D.N.C., especially compared with their Republican counterparts and their willingness to bolster the R.N.C. According to Daniel Galvin, a political-science professor at Northwestern University, every Democratic president in the second half of the 20th century  John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton  raided funds meant for party building or shot down proposals to strengthen down-ballot campaigns. For many decades, Democrats enjoyed congressional and statehouse majorities that seemed unbreakable, Galvin argues in his 2010 book, Presidential Party Building, and this incentivized them to focus on policy promotion over extensive investments in the future of party organizing. Republican presidents saw a path forward taking their own popularity and platform and ability to raise money and grafting it onto the Republican Party, he said. Democrats didnt.

Harrison, who refused to directly criticize Obama to me, repeatedly emphasized that it was Biden who now cared about building the Democratic Party; it was Biden who was, in his favored word of the moment, transformative. My boss  it is Joe Biden. He is the head of our party. We are doing things in the image of what he wants for this party, and we are very fortunate because he believes in the strength of the party. He believes in the D.N.C., he said with typical cheer. Im not the final word on where we go as the Democratic Party. I am part of the machinery.

Like past D.N.C. chairmen, he is subordinate to the president, though reports have suggested he hasnt always been entirely pleased about it. The de facto boss of the D.N.C. is not simply Biden, but the White House staff members closest to him, those charged with executing his political vision. None of the state party chairs who regularly interact with the D.N.C. had an ill word for Harrison; if they dont always regard him as a visionary, they at least find him to be an affable power broker with an intimate understanding of the mechanics of party building.

Many state chairs consider, rather, operatives like Anita Dunn, one of Bidens closest senior advisers, and Jen OMalley Dillon, a Biden deputy chief of staff, as the top shot-callers; Ron Klain, Bidens first chief of staff, was part of that cohort before he left the White House. Sam Cornale, the D.N.C.s executive director, carries out their mandates. And if Bidens inner circle cares far more than Obama ever did about the fate of a governor, a statehouse majority or even the House elections, they are still, naturally, most focused on 2024, and the small number of states in the Electoral College that will decide the next president. No Biden White House is going to sign off on a very expensive, long-range plan to turn Nebraska or Mississippi blue.

Rhetorically, Howard Deans 50-state vision has won out: D.N.C. staff members talk fondly of Deans tenure. But many of the largest investments today  the millions of dollars transferred, the sophisticated targeting of voters, the dispatching of seasoned operatives  are reserved for the relatively few states that play host to the prime federal races. Dean himself wishes that the states where the Republicans now dominate got far more attention from the national party. The reason Democrats dont win there is because they do not put the work in, Dean said. You cannot abandon a state. Otherwise, its Rush Limbaugh and Tucker Carlson giving the Democratic message to voters.

The state party chairs who sing the highest praises for Biden, Harrison and the D.N.C. are naturally in the battlegrounds. Lavora Barnes, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said she speaks with Harrison at least once a month and called him terrifically helpful. Michigan was, perhaps, the brightest spot for Democrats last year, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer winning re-election and Democrats winning full control of the State Legislature for the first time in nearly 40 years. Ben Wikler, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, extolled both Harrison and his predecessor, Perez, for recognizing that year-round campaign organizing was required in his state, where Republicans and Democrats are virtually deadlocked. He called the D.N.C. a godsend for Wisconsin.

Tina Podlodowski, who until this year served as chair of Washington States Democratic Party, has a more conflicted view. For the folks that believe a national party should be focused in on the presidential race and Washington, D.C., the D.N.C. functions exceedingly well, Podlodowski said; Washington State reliably votes blue in presidential elections. I think for people like me who believe there should be more investment in down-ballot races and building state party organizing, the D.N.C. is a disappointment.

Podlodowski called the D.N.C.s investment in her state negligible, even with Democrats there battling to win a majority in the legislature and flip crucial House seats, pointing enviously to the D.N.C.s strong support of Wisconsin. Ben Wikler is a good chair, but honestly Wisconsin has a million less voters than Washington State, and the amount of money that has been spent should have a better return.

Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said states like hers, which used to send Democrats to the Senate with regularity but now are G.O.P. strongholds, arent receiving enough aid. State parties continue to really be on their own, she said. I would love to see us get back to where we were during the 50-state strategy days, she told me. There will always be tension, I think, between how national thinks things should be run versus when youre on the ground. But we really do always have to trust and believe the on-the-ground perspective first.

Relaying that perspective can be a challenge. D.N.C. members describe tightly choreographed meetings where dissenting resolutions are stifled. And with an incumbent in the White House, even members of pivotal committees, like rules and bylaws, lack tangible clout. The White House advises they want X, Y, Z, the member of the rules committee told me, and then we vote on it.

IN JUNE, THE brinkmanship continued, as the D.N.C.s rules and bylaws committee met again, this time deciding to allow New Hampshire Democrats until Sept. 1 to continue negotiating a plan for their primary. But Georgias new status as an early-voting state is also now in doubt: The spokesperson for the Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, said in a statement that he would not go along with the new Democratic calendar and would keep the established March primary date.

What difference more time will make for New Hampshire is unclear. Democrats there insist that it is their right to go first, ahead of South Carolina. Biden, as of now, plans to be nowhere near the Granite State next winter. In theory, Harrisons D.N.C. will simply not recognize the New Hampshire primary nor any of the delegates won by Kennedy and Williamson. For national Democrats, the ugliness of it all  a sitting president losing a primary to the incendiary son of a Democratic icon  would be harder to dismiss.

The way Arnesen, the New Hampshire talk-show host, sees it, unless one of the warring factions blinks, Republicans will have free rein in her state for the next half a year as Biden and his surrogates are absent. If I am going to have to vote in that first presidential primary in New Hampshire, who do I vote for: Marianne or R.F.K.? No Biden on the ballot. Whats my [expletive] choice?

Harrison, for now at least, is not budging. The D.N.C. is recognizing South Carolina as the first primary, he told me firmly. Regardless of what New Hampshire does or whatever, our D.N.C. has authorized that the first primary we are counting toward the allocation of delegates will be South Carolina. New Hampshire, he added, will have plenty of time to come to the table and figure it out, and were going to give them as many opportunities as possible.

THE WHITE HOUSE WANTED SOUTH CAROLINA TO VOTE FIRST IN 2024. THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE OBLIGED. IT HASNT GONE ACCORDING TO PLAN.

Last December, the 30-odd members of the Democratic Partys rules and bylaws committee filed in to the Omni Shoreham, the glittering resort hotel that once hosted Franklin D. Roosevelts inaugural ball. All of the Democrats, many of them gray-haired habitues of the rubber-chicken circuit, knew they had come to Washington to hash out, after months of debate, what the presidential-primary calendar would look like come 2024.

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The order in which the states vote has defined American politics since the 1970s, when Jimmy Carter rocketed to the presidency on the strength of his performance in the Iowa caucuses. Always Iowa first, then New Hampshire  which zealously guarded its status as the first-in-the-nation actual primary, luring all future presidents to the rickety diner back rooms and high school gymnasiums of the flinty Northern state with a streak of independence. Joe Biden performed terribly in each of those contests in 2020, hitting his stride only in larger states with fewer white voters. It was now understood that the curious caucus system  voters clustering on frost-tinged church and library floors to choose candidates  needed to be retired, particularly after Iowa failed to tally the vote in a timely manner.

So Iowa would be demoted, as would tolerance for any kind of caucus. New Hampshire, perhaps, would vote first, along with Nevada and its increasing Latino population. That seemed like plenty of change as Biden, who will turn 81 this November, seeks a breezier path to a second term as president.

Instead, the co-chair of the rules and bylaws committee  and the grandson of Franklin Roosevelt  made a different announcement.

I move a resolution, which will be displayed on the screen, James Roosevelt Jr. said, which grants waivers to Rule 12-A, conditional upon the outlined stipulations for a state-run primary in South Carolina on Feb. 3, 2024; New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6; Georgia on Feb. 13.  

The room offered no immediate public reaction to the legalese. But privately, some members were astounded. Everyone was shocked, one told me, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid antagonizing the White House. We would have to vote for it anyway, because the feeling was youre either with the president or against him.

A few members of the Democratic National Committee had known what was coming  but only because Biden-administration officials called them on the phone mere hours after Biden himself sent a letter to the rules and bylaws committee, on the first day of December, outlining his demand for a primary calendar that ensured that voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process and throughout the entire early window. Biden called Black voters the backbone of the party, though he didnt specifically mention South Carolina in his letter. It was left to his aides to tell the top-ranking D.N.C. members, including Roosevelt, that South Carolina was the new first-in-the-nation primary. It had been decreed, and so it would be done.

But New Hampshire, the state that prides itself on its Live Free or Die motto, has declared that it will vote first anyway, setting up a clash with the D.N.C. that could widen to publicly embarrass Biden  who, assuming he coordinates with the D.N.C. on its new calendar, would not be on the New Hampshire ballot in this scenario  handing the incumbent president a shocking statewide defeat.

Biden has the entire party establishment on his side. The D.N.C. has formally endorsed him, which means that the organization, in addition to rubber-stamping a primary calendar that is far more favorable to him, will not sponsor any debates. Normally, this wouldnt matter much; incumbent presidents enjoy such deference. But Biden is already the oldest president in history and would be 86 if he finishes a second term. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Democrats dont want him to run again (though this doesnt mean they wont vote for him). His approval ratings consistently hover around 40 percent.

At the same time, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a son of the slain senator and attorney general and a nephew of the slain president, has polled at 20 percent nationally among Democratic voters and has begun a campaign blitz in New Hampshire, where voters and politicians alike are aggrieved over the D.N.C.s revision of the primary calendar, with the secretary of state, David Scanlan, a Republican, calling the first-in-the-nation status a defining part of the states culture. It is also enshrined in state law. Iowas reaction has been more muted because there are so few Democrats of note left in the state after successive Republican electoral waves. Still, Iowa Democrats may sync their caucuses with the Republicans anyway, defying the D.N.C.

Kennedy was once widely respected as an environmentalist; he has since drawn condemnation for his anti-vaccine advocacy, taste for conspiracy theories and incendiary statements  including invoking Hitler Germany in a speech about American vaccine mandates  but may hold appeal for the large base of libertarian voters in New Hampshire. (Marianne Williamson, the author and spiritual figure who dropped out of the 2020 race, is running again as well.) Democrats there are alarmed.

The reality is that New Hampshire is going to keep the first-in-the-nation primary, Ray Buckley, the chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and a longtime D.N.C. member, told me, and the question only is whether or not the president is going to put his name on the ballot. Theyre trying to come after New Hampshire, but its not going to be successful. So why go through all that pain?

D. Arnie Arnesen, a left-leaning New Hampshire talk-show host and former Democratic state representative, understands the arguments against her state: Were too white, too rich, too privileged, she conceded. New Hampshire has two Democratic senators but a Republican-controlled state government (including a governor, Chris Sununu, who once considered his own presidential challenge this cycle). On the question of the 2024 primaries, however, Arnesen sides with Buckley. They knew the Republicans were going to Iowa and New Hampshire anyway. Why change now? Theres no upside. Not one iota of benefit for Joe Biden. Nothing. No benefit to Joe, no benefit to the Democrats. They shot themselves in the foot.

As chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison, a 47-year-old who rose to his position two years ago from statewide politics in South Carolina and whose profile has risen along with his states, has to try to play mediator between angered state Democrats and a White House that expects fealty from the national organization. For now, Harrison is sanguine about all of it. The New Hampshire situation. Bidens advanced age. The partys declining share of many demographic groups, especially Latino voters and those without college degrees. A dire Senate map, where Democratic incumbents in Montana, Ohio and West Virginia could fall, along with the formerly Democratic senator in Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, plunging Democrats into an indefinite minority.

In Harrisons office at D.N.C. headquarters, which looks out on the dome of the Capitol, there hangs a portrait of Biden with Jim Clyburn, the 82-year-old South Carolina congressman whose endorsement and championing of Biden in 2020 is credited with rescuing his candidacy. Displayed over Harrisons desk is a vintage sign for Ron Brown, who in 1989 became the first Black chairman of the D.N.C. Brown and Clyburn are both heroes to Harrison, who was Clyburns intern and, later, his director of floor operations when the congressman served as majority whip. A lucrative private-sector career followed as a lobbyist at the Podesta Group. With Clyburns blessing, he became chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Harrison then ran a very high-profile, extremely expensive and ultimately unsuccessful campaign in 2020 for the Senate seat held by Lindsey Graham. Now Clyburns protege heads a D.N.C. that has put their home state, where Harrison still lives with his family, quite literally first.

Harrison insisted that Clyburn never advocated for South Carolina as the very first state  only for it to retain its status as the first of the Southern states. I think, for him, he always wanted South Carolina  and I felt the same way  we enjoyed and took a lot of pride in being the first in the South, Harrison told me on a June afternoon, sitting beneath that portrait. People thought early on, Oh, God, Jaimes the chair of the D.N.C., so therefore hes going to put his finger on the scale for South Carolina. And everybody will tell you, I was evenhanded in this. The only thing that I wanted was that South Carolina would remain, because I think its earned its spot as an early state. But South Carolina, of course, moved up, and Harrison is now thrilled. National Geographic said that 90 percent of African Americans can trace one of their ancestors to South Carolina. In our primary, 50 to 60 percent of the people who vote in the Democratic primary will be Black folks. Think about how powerful this is, that the descendants of those enslaved people will be the very first people in this country to determine the most powerful person on the face of this planet. Thats transformative.

A few dissidents in the D.N.C., made up of New Hampshirites and some Iowans, progressives and union members, see it differently: Biden is elevating a state that a Democratic presidential candidate hasnt carried since 1976. Beyond Clyburn, there are few Democrats of note in South Carolina, and the state has the lowest percentage of union membership in America. Progressive candidates could, cycle after cycle, meet a wall of opposition there.

The persistent quandary, which no version of the primary calendar could resolve, is how to account for the various long-range challenges of the Democratic Party. A first-in-the-nation South Carolina primary lends Black moderates, a pivotal Democratic constituency, the kind of clout that many believe they deserve. White rural voters  the sort who need to be courted in Iowa and New Hampshire  have not proved loyal to the Democratic brand. But there are only so many of them that Democrats can afford to lose in a general election. New Hampshire, which Biden carried by less than 10 points in 2020, is not guaranteed to be eternally blue.

For Harrison, South Carolinas premier placement will mean that the many men and women who dream of commanding the Oval Office will need to pay attention to completely different issues and concerns. Now, instead of talking about ethanol in Iowa, were going to be talking about the infant-mortality rate in the Black community, he said. It changes the agenda. It changes the conversation. And now presidential candidates will then be making promises to those communities.

ON A SUMMER day in the late 1990s, Don Fowler, the chairman of the D.N.C., needed help. The South Carolinian and former head of the state party had bushels of juicy peaches sent up from farmers back home, and he wanted the president of the United States to sample some. None of his interns were free. He queried the most powerful Democrat in his state: Would he have a hand to spare?

Clyburn, the Charleston congressman, did. They sent me, Jaime Harrison recalled, beaming at the memory. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life at that point, to have these bags of peaches that Im going to deliver to Bill Clinton, right?

Harrison, peaches in tow, trekked from the Capitol to the White House. He ended up in the East Wing  no face-to-face with the president  but the journey stoked his ambition, which he says has been realized with the position he has held since Biden selected him. If I dont do anything else in politics for the rest of my life, I have hit a great point, being the D.N.C chair.

On my June visit, a wall in the D.N.C. lobby featured portraits honoring the highest-ranking Democrats: Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris; Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader; the head of the Senates campaign arm, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan; Jaime Harrison. But the wall seemed to have been frozen in pre-midterm 2022: Nancy Pelosi, not Hakeem Jeffries, the new House minority leader, had a portrait on the wall, as did Sean Patrick Maloney, the New York Democrat who led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Not only is Maloney no longer the D.C.C.C. chair, but hes not in Congress at all. He lost his re-election bid, one of the seats with which the Democrats lost their majority.

At the core of its mission, the D.N.C. raises and spends titanic sums of money on organizing and messaging for political contests: more than $300 million over the course of 2021 and 2022, leading up to the midterms. The committee is a constellation of various interests  activists, wealthy donors, state party chairs  that is more fractious than its Republican counterpart because of the sheer number of individuals who make up the 483-member national committee, which far outstrips the 168-member R.N.C. The Republican Party has had its own ideological struggles, but the once-insurgent Trump wing has come to largely command party business, with Ronna McDaniel, a Trump ally, well into her seventh year as party chair.

In the aftermath of Donald Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton, amid lingering bitterness from progressives who felt that the D.N.C. had unfairly supported Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the 2016 primaries and convention, Harrison was one of several Democrats who very publicly vied for the D.N.C. chairman title. He operated, though, on the periphery of that contest, as the ideological and institutional factions organized around two candidates: Tom Perez, Obamas labor secretary; and Keith Ellison, a Minnesota congressman and Sanders supporter. With tacit backing from Obama, Perez narrowly won the vote of several hundred eligible D.N.C. members at the partys meeting in Atlanta.

After Perezs victory was announced, Ellison supporters erupted in anger, chanting, Party for the people, not big money! Perez placated them by naming Ellison deputy chairman. Under Perezs leadership, a so-called Unity Reform Commission overhauled the superdelegate system, restricting their vote on the conventions first ballot (the superdelegates, who are party elites, had operated like free agents, unaccountable to how their states actually voted). He also partnered with Howard Dean, the former D.N.C. chairman who was the architect of the partys short-lived strategy to compete in all 50 states, to create the Democratic Data Exchange: a private company, mirroring Republican Party efforts, that allows various Democratic campaigns, committees, unions and other left-leaning groups to share the information they gather on voters.

Building on successes during the 2018 blue-wave year, the D.N.C. pumped more than $95 million into its midterm programs in 2022  tripling its investment from 2018 and paying for as many as 35 campaign staff positions in Georgia, 42 in Michigan and 53 in Pennsylvania. The D.N.C. now pours more cash into state parties than it did during the Obama years and has established a red state fund that can add paid staff to Republican-dominated states in the hopes of growing the Democratic vote there in the years to come. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who was born in Thailand, raised in Hawaii and is now a D.N.C. vice chair, hopes to raise more cash to improve Democratic organizing efforts with Asian Americans. Weve seen that when we dont speak to that community, they can vote Republican like they did in New York, she said, referring to the state-level results in the midterms. You had Brooklyn switch over and elect Republican representatives.

Asian American voters, as Duckworth noted, migrated significantly rightward last year, and not just in Brooklyn. The share of Latino voters supporting Democrats continues to slip, from 66 percent in 2018 to 57 percent in 2022, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the national electorate. Some analysts warn that the Latino voters who swung to Republicans in 2020 and sat out the 2022 midterms could buoy a Republican presidential contender. The white working class continues to defect from Democratic candidates, and theres some evidence that culturally conservative nonwhite voters, once reflexive Democrats, are slowly sorting into the Republican coalition. From 2016 to 2020, Trump was able to grow his share of the Black vote, and over the last decade, almost every cohort of voters under 50 has shifted toward the right, belying predictions of a permanent Democratic hold on millennials.

Ruy Teixeira, a scholar who studies political demographics  and recently decamped from the liberal Center for American Progress to the conservative American Enterprise Institute  believes that Democrats, despite their recent victories, are losing too many working-class voters as they rush leftward on identity concerns at the expense of class. They are a party very dependent on the college-educated vote, Teixeira told me. In a way, Democrats were getting a premium among some nonwhite voters, getting way above the underlying ideology of voters in terms of their support. Thats changing.

The D.N.C. will learn, soon enough, if its confidence heading into the next election is warranted. The 2022 midterm results could have been, as Harrison contends, a reflection of Bidens policy accomplishments and the savvy of the partys myriad investments. Or the outcome might have been because of the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade, which galvanized outraged Democratic voters, and the many extreme and inexperienced candidates who upended Republican primaries and then stumbled badly in the fall.

I dont think the building is on fire, Harrison said confidently. The decline of the white working-class voter in the Democratic coalition could be reversed, Harrison argued, because Biden is the most pro-union president in recent years  the A.F.L.-C.I.O. endorsed him in June, and he appeared at rally with union workers in Philadelphia later that month  but many of those elusive working-class voters dont belong to unions anymore. Latinos defecting to the right, Harrison said, could be won back by pointing out how cruel some Republican governors have been for busing and flying migrants north  never mind that not all Latinos who are American citizens have sympathy for those making illegal border crossings. Eric Adams, the Democratic mayor of New York, who once deemed himself the Biden of Brooklyn, has castigated Bidens response to the migrant crisis in unusually public criticism of the White House, declaring that his city is being destroyed by the large influx of asylum seekers.

Yet if voters only knew more about what Democrats have done for them, there would be no doubt about their mutual allegiance, according to Harrison. Were going to make sure they understand where the Democratic Party is, what our values are, he said, and that we are the only party that will fight for them.

THE RESULTS OF 2022 were inarguably rosy, from a Democratic standpoint, defying historical precedent: The presidents party gained a seat in the Senate, won several high-profile governors races, flipped state legislatures and almost, despite forecasts of a red wave, retained control of the House. In Barack Obamas first midterm as president, Republicans netted 63 seats in the House, the largest electoral shift since 1948. Democrats lost six Senate seats. The enormous majorities of the 2008 election had vanished, never to be regained.

The Obama era was particularly cataclysmic for Democrats on the state level. Republicans dominated a redistricting process that safeguarded their legislative majorities for much of the next decade; by 2016, the last full year of Obamas presidency, Democrats had full control of just seven states. Even now, after the Democrats triumphant midterms, Republicans control 28 state legislatures to the Democrats 19. And its these state legislatures that decide much of the policy  taxes, education, transit  that impacts everyday American life.

The D.N.C. suffered under Obama, in part because he created his own political group, Organizing for Action, outside the aegis of the party. The group built a parallel structure that hoovered up donor cash. State party chairs were livid, believing that the group, which focused chiefly on the promotion of Obamas policy agenda, deprived them of attention and dollars. Heading into 2020, the Democratic presidential contenders, including Biden, pledged not to create another extraparty organ.

Historically, Democratic presidents have undercut or ignored the D.N.C., especially compared with their Republican counterparts and their willingness to bolster the R.N.C. According to Daniel Galvin, a political-science professor at Northwestern University, every Democratic president in the second half of the 20th century  John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton  raided funds meant for party building or shot down proposals to strengthen down-ballot campaigns. For many decades, Democrats enjoyed congressional and statehouse majorities that seemed unbreakable, Galvin argues in his 2010 book, Presidential Party Building, and this incentivized them to focus on policy promotion over extensive investments in the future of party organizing. Republican presidents saw a path forward taking their own popularity and platform and ability to raise money and grafting it onto the Republican Party, he said. Democrats didnt.

Harrison, who refused to directly criticize Obama to me, repeatedly emphasized that it was Biden who now cared about building the Democratic Party; it was Biden who was, in his favored word of the moment, transformative. My boss  it is Joe Biden. He is the head of our party. We are doing things in the image of what he wants for this party, and we are very fortunate because he believes in the strength of the party. He believes in the D.N.C., he said with typical cheer. Im not the final word on where we go as the Democratic Party. I am part of the machinery.

Like past D.N.C. chairmen, he is subordinate to the president, though reports have suggested he hasnt always been entirely pleased about it. The de facto boss of the D.N.C. is not simply Biden, but the White House staff members closest to him, those charged with executing his political vision. None of the state party chairs who regularly interact with the D.N.C. had an ill word for Harrison; if they dont always regard him as a visionary, they at least find him to be an affable power broker with an intimate understanding of the mechanics of party building.

Many state chairs consider, rather, operatives like Anita Dunn, one of Bidens closest senior advisers, and Jen OMalley Dillon, a Biden deputy chief of staff, as the top shot-callers; Ron Klain, Bidens first chief of staff, was part of that cohort before he left the White House. Sam Cornale, the D.N.C.s executive director, carries out their mandates. And if Bidens inner circle cares far more than Obama ever did about the fate of a governor, a statehouse majority or even the House elections, they are still, naturally, most focused on 2024, and the small number of states in the Electoral College that will decide the next president. No Biden White House is going to sign off on a very expensive, long-range plan to turn Nebraska or Mississippi blue.

Rhetorically, Howard Deans 50-state vision has won out: D.N.C. staff members talk fondly of Deans tenure. But many of the largest investments today  the millions of dollars transferred, the sophisticated targeting of voters, the dispatching of seasoned operatives  are reserved for the relatively few states that play host to the prime federal races. Dean himself wishes that the states where the Republicans now dominate got far more attention from the national party. The reason Democrats dont win there is because they do not put the work in, Dean said. You cannot abandon a state. Otherwise, its Rush Limbaugh and Tucker Carlson giving the Democratic message to voters.

The state party chairs who sing the highest praises for Biden, Harrison and the D.N.C. are naturally in the battlegrounds. Lavora Barnes, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said she speaks with Harrison at least once a month and called him terrifically helpful. Michigan was, perhaps, the brightest spot for Democrats last year, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer winning re-election and Democrats winning full control of the State Legislature for the first time in nearly 40 years. Ben Wikler, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, extolled both Harrison and his predecessor, Perez, for recognizing that year-round campaign organizing was required in his state, where Republicans and Democrats are virtually deadlocked. He called the D.N.C. a godsend for Wisconsin.

Tina Podlodowski, who until this year served as chair of Washington States Democratic Party, has a more conflicted view. For the folks that believe a national party should be focused in on the presidential race and Washington, D.C., the D.N.C. functions exceedingly well, Podlodowski said; Washington State reliably votes blue in presidential elections. I think for people like me who believe there should be more investment in down-ballot races and building state party organizing, the D.N.C. is a disappointment.

Podlodowski called the D.N.C.s investment in her state negligible, even with Democrats there battling to win a majority in the legislature and flip crucial House seats, pointing enviously to the D.N.C.s strong support of Wisconsin. Ben Wikler is a good chair, but honestly Wisconsin has a million less voters than Washington State, and the amount of money that has been spent should have a better return.

Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said states like hers, which used to send Democrats to the Senate with regularity but now are G.O.P. strongholds, arent receiving enough aid. State parties continue to really be on their own, she said. I would love to see us get back to where we were during the 50-state strategy days, she told me. There will always be tension, I think, between how national thinks things should be run versus when youre on the ground. But we really do always have to trust and believe the on-the-ground perspective first.

Relaying that perspective can be a challenge. D.N.C. members describe tightly choreographed meetings where dissenting resolutions are stifled. And with an incumbent in the White House, even members of pivotal committees, like rules and bylaws, lack tangible clout. The White House advises they want X, Y, Z, the member of the rules committee told me, and then we vote on it.

IN JUNE, THE brinkmanship continued, as the D.N.C.s rules and bylaws committee met again, this time deciding to allow New Hampshire Democrats until Sept. 1 to continue negotiating a plan for their primary. But Georgias new status as an early-voting state is also now in doubt: The spokesperson for the Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, said in a statement that he would not go along with the new Democratic calendar and would keep the established March primary date.

What difference more time will make for New Hampshire is unclear. Democrats there insist that it is their right to go first, ahead of South Carolina. Biden, as of now, plans to be nowhere near the Granite State next winter. In theory, Harrisons D.N.C. will simply not recognize the New Hampshire primary nor any of the delegates won by Kennedy and Williamson. For national Democrats, the ugliness of it all  a sitting president losing a primary to the incendiary son of a Democratic icon  would be harder to dismiss.

The way Arnesen, the New Hampshire talk-show host, sees it, unless one of the warring factions blinks, Republicans will have free rein in her state for the next half a year as Biden and his surrogates are absent. If I am going to have to vote in that first presidential primary in New Hampshire, who do I vote for: Marianne or R.F.K.? No Biden on the ballot. Whats my [expletive] choice?

Harrison, for now at least, is not budging. The D.N.C. is recognizing South Carolina as the first primary, he told me firmly. Regardless of what New Hampshire does or whatever, our D.N.C. has authorized that the first primary we are counting toward the allocation of delegates will be South Carolina. New Hampshire, he added, will have plenty of time to come to the table and figure it out, and were going to give them as many opportunities as possible.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Danger for next 100 years: Cambodian PM urges Ukraine not to use cluster munitions

The supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine will have serious consequences for the countrys civilian population for decades, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen

The supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine will have serious consequences for the countrys civilian population for decades, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen wrote in a tweet on July 9.

This will pose a serious threat to Ukrainians for years or even centuries if cluster bombs are used on the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, the politician wrote.

Hun Sen recalled Cambodias painful experience when it was bombarded with American cluster munitions in the 1970s, leading to the death and injury of tens of thousands of civilians.

Read also: U.S. confirms transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, delivery expected within days, says Ukrainian PM

It has been half a century since then, PM Hun Sen wrote.

At that time, there were simply no means for their clearance. That is why I feel sorry for the Ukrainian people, and I appeal to the United States as the supplier and to Ukraine as the recipient of such munitions not to use these weapons in the war, as the real victims will be the civilian population of Ukraine.

The United States handed over a new package of military aid to Ukraine on July 7, which included DPICM-type munitions, namely cluster projectiles.

Later, U.S. President Joe Biden explained that he agreed to transfer cluster munitions because the Ukrainian army lacks ammunition needed to prosecute the on-going counter-offensive against Russian occupation.

Read also: Russia has repeatedly used cluster munitions in Ukraine since invasion, says HRW

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 authorities have reported that the death toll from the Russian attack on the city of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast on 8 July, where they used multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), has risen to nine.

Source: Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Details: Twelve people have been listed as injured (13 were reported on 8 July).

On top of the nine people killed in Lyman, one more was injured and killed in the city of Avdiivka over the past 24 hours.

Previously: Russian forces attacked Lyman in Donetsk Oblast using MLRS on the morning of 8 July, with at least 8 people reported killed and 13 injured.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Democrats are mounting a coordinated mission to kill a third-party presidential bid  and its coming soon to Capitol Hill.

Officials from the progressive group MoveOn and centrist group Third Way are planning to brief Senate Democratic chiefs of staff on July 27, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. Its part of an effort to educate Democrats about the risk that a third-party bid funded by the well-heeled group No Labels could pose to President Joe Biden  particularly if centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) runs for president rather than reelection.

Matt Bennett, executive vice president for public affairs at Third Way, and Rahna Epting, the executive director of MoveOn, will speak to Democratic senators top aides, according to the invitation. The invite tells chiefs of staff dryly that the two want to share some information that they have on No Labels.



Third Way has put together research showing that a third-party campaign would hurt Biden, an argument that No Labels has dismissed. Bennett declined to comment specifically on this months Capitol Hill meeting but confirmed that Third Way is working urgently to stop a third-party candidate.

Very often there are differences of opinion or strategy when it comes to the Democratic coalition, because its very, very broad. But here, theres unanimity, and everyone agrees that if they go forward this is going to hurt Joe Biden, Bennett said in an interview. We need to make clear to folks that what they are selling is an illusion, not a choice.

The alliance between the partys leading centrists and prominent liberals to publicly squash a third-party effort demonstrates how seriously Democrats fear that a spoiler candidate could tip the election to Donald Trump or another Republican candidate. If next years presidential ballot is as close as 2016 or 2020 were, Democrats worry that Trump-weary voters could defect from Biden to an alternative candidate  and just a few thousand of those defections could be decisive in the Electoral College.

Liz Cattaneo, a spokesperson for MoveOn, said that the group is working with a broad range of Democratic organizations to stop No Labels from running a third-party presidential ticket. She added that her organization is committed to accountability for No Labels and to preventing right-wing extremists from winning back the White House.

No Labels is unbowed. Ryan Clancy, the groups chief strategist, said that it shouldnt surprise anyone  that voters are more open to an independent than ever before. Its why our polling shows an independent ticket has a viable path to winning.



Manchin has argued that theres little harm in his entertaining a third-party bid, and he's refused to rule one out even as his colleagues try to talk him out of it. Both Democrats and Republicans are being driven by business extremes and catering to the far right and far left, he said in an interview on the topic last month.

Briefing top Hill Democrats about No Labels is a clear move to get the party on the same page in opposition to the group's work. And all these dynamics could make the difference between the Senate majority and minority come 2025: If Manchin runs for the White House instead of reelection in West Virginia, Democrats could end up losing both his Senate seat and the presidential race.

A Manchin aide said that if his schedule permits, the senator's chief of staff will attend the July 27 meeting.

Manchin is the candidate most frequently mentioned as a potential recruit for No Labels, which is eyeing a budget as high as $70 million for its third-party initiative. But theres also some private talk about former Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan or even Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona leading an alternative slate, though Hogan says he won't run for president and Sinema generally stays away from such speculation.

Any of those three candidates on a presidential ballot could influence a close contest for the Electoral College next fall. Dritan Nesho, No Labels chief pollster, said that polling shows an overwhelming opening for a third-party ticket before names are even announced and any campaign communicating the vision and issue positions is run.

Detractors counter that the group is wildly overstating its chances.

What we are trying to make clear to the people around No Labels, especially people thinking about running on their ticket, is that that is a preposterous pipe dream. And they can have an impact, but it isn't by winning, Bennett said. They can have an impact by spoiling.
Edgars Rinkevics speaks at the inauguration ceremony at the parliament house in Riga, Latvia, July 8, 2023. Rinkevics, Latvia's long-standing foreign minister, took office as the Baltic country's new president on Saturday. (Photo by Janis Laizans/Xinhua)

RIGA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia's long-standing foreign minister, took office as the Baltic country's new president on Saturday.

In the inauguration ceremony at the parliament house, Rinkevics took the presidential oath in the presence of lawmakers. In his first speech to parliament as the head of state, Rinkevics pledged to promote justice, the rule of law, and a prosperous, inclusive and respectful society.

Rinkevics, who had been serving as Latvia's foreign minister since 2011, was nominated for the post of president by his New Unity party after the previous president Egils Levits decided not to seek reelection.

Rinkevics was elected president by the Saeima, Latvia's parliament, with 52 votes in favor. His rival contender Uldis Pilens, who was nominated by the United List, received 25 votes. 

Edgars Rinkevics lays flowers at the Freedom Monument in Riga, Latvia, July 8, 2023. Rinkevics, Latvia's long-standing foreign minister, took office as the Baltic country's new president on Saturday. (Photo by Edijs Palens/Xinhua)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Sunday accused Trump administration agencies of colluding with Big Tech to bury the Hunter Biden story in 2020 and criticized the former president for not firing those involved with the alleged collusion at the time.

I look back at the Hunter Biden censorship, which was a huge, huge deal to happen in the 2020 election, and yet those were Donald Trumps own agencies that were colluding with Big Tech. I would never allow that to happen. I would fire those people immediately, DeSantis told Maria Bartiromo in an interview on Fox Newss Sunday Morning Futures.

Republicans have raised concerns about alleged collusion between the FBI and social media companies in order to silence conservative viewpoints  which they say is particularly evident in Twitters initial decision in 2020 to limit the spread of a story containing contents of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden. Twitter executives have since said their initial decision may have been flawed, but they adamantly insisted Democrats had no involvement in their decision.

DeSantis, who frequently touts his war on Big Tech in Florida, is now using the frequent Trump talking point against the former president himself  pointing out that the New York Post story was published during his presidency.

We will end the weaponization of government. And thats, of course, a new FBI director on day one, DeSantis said, repeating a frequent pledge. Thats a difference between me and Donald Trump. He says the jury is still out on FBI Director Wray. I think you need a new start on day one. Were going to clean house at the Department of Justice.

DeSantis, who has been trailing Trump in recent primary polls, continued to pitch himself as the more disciplined, results-oriented alternative to Trump, with all the same policy positions.

But heres what it requires, Maria. It requires a president that is disciplined, a president that is focused, he said. You cant get distracted on this. These people are not going to voluntarily give up the power that they have accumulated over many decades of neglect. I have shown in Florida the ability to get the job done.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday he isn't concerned that there's a perception that he has struggled to gain ground in the GOP primary since launching his campaign in May.

"Maria, these are narratives, he said to Fox News' Maria Bartiromo of reports on polls that show his support waning since January. The media does not want me to be the nominee. I think that's very, very clear.

DeSantis has consistently been polling second in the crowded Republican presidential field, behind former President Donald Trump. But that position has made him a target for the GOP front-runner, who has ceaselessly attacked DeSantis on the campaign trail, while largely avoiding direct hits on some of his other opponents.

Despite an impressive $20 million fundraising haul in the first six weeks of his campaign, the conservative governor is now polling in the 20-percent range, down from his January peak of 40.5%. Last week, Steve Cortes, a top spokesperson for DeSantis super PAC, called the DeSantis campaign a clear underdog, and praised Trump as a runaway frontrunner.

On Sunday, DeSantis pushed back.

You know, my reelection in Florida we had the greatest victory that any Republican governor candidate in the history of the state had, and yet a few months before the election I had media saying that somehow my reelection campaign was stalling, that we weren't doing anything, DeSantis said during the interview on Sunday Morning Futures.

DeSantis also made an effort to draw distinctions between himself and Trump, promising to fire FBI Director Chris Wray and clean house at the Department of Justice, and casting blame on the former president for social media companies handling of Hunter Bidens leaked computer files.

I look back at, like, the Hunter Biden censorship which was a huge, huge deal to happen in the 2020 election. And yet, you know, those were Donald Trump's own agencies that were colluding with big tech. I would never allow that to happen. I would fire those people immediately, he said, adding that if Hunter Biden were a Republican, "he would have been in jail years ago."
DeSantis on reports of stalled 2024 campaign: Media does not want me to be the nominee

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a 2024 presidential candidate, said Sunday that he thinks the media doesnt want him to be his partys nominee as reports suggest his presidential campaign is stalled.

The media does not want me to be the nominee. I think thats very, very clear. Why? Because they know I will beat Biden. But, even more importantly, they know I will actually deliver on all these things, DeSantis said in response to such a report on Sunday Morning Futures.

We will stop the invasion at the border. We will take on the drug cartels. We will curtail the administrative state. We will get spending under control. We will do all the things that they dont want to see done, and so theyre going to continue doing the type of narrative, he said.

The Florida governor was responding to a Saturday headline in Politico Playbook: Failure to launch  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss campaign to topple Donald Trump has stalled.

He shrugged off the reporting, saying, These are narratives.

Former President Trump, who is running for another four years in the White House, is steadily polling at the front of a field of a dozen GOP candidates, but DeSantis has consistently polled as the top contender behind Trump.

DeSantis Sunday touted his reelection victory in Florida, noting that a few months before the election, I had media saying that somehow my reelection campaign was stalling, that we werent doing anything. He also highlighted his recent fundraising.

If you look at what was reported, it was about $150 million, and that hasnt even been deployed yet. So we have got a long way to go. Im looking forward to being able to participate in the debates, but this is not something that I ever expected to just snap fingers and, all of a sudden, you win seven months before anything happens, the candidate said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida  After overseeing only two executions during his first four years in office, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to carry out his fifth in six months, with Brevard County murderer James Barnes set to die Aug. 3.

Some death penalty experts say DeSantis sudden drive is powered by politics, part of a grim chase of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.

While president, Trump set a remarkable record of executing 13 federal inmates during his last six months in office. Trump executed more civilian prisoners during his term than any president since President Grover Cleveland in 1896.

This is bluster for DeSantis, said Abe Bonowitz, executive director and co-founder of Death Penalty Action, who has fought against capital punishment for more than 30 years in Florida and nationwide.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to execute his fifth Florida inmate this year, stepping up his pace in what critics call a grim contest to compete with former President Donald Trump, who executed more federal inmates than any president in more than a century.

He needs a way to equate himself with Trump on this issue. Its all about looking for help with certain parts of the base.

Although DeSantis is the former presidents closest rival for the GOP nomination, polls show the Florida governor trailing by huge margins across the nation, even losing ground to Trump from surveys earlier this year across key primary states.

DeSantis has been campaigning almost full-time since declaring his candidacy in May. But he badly needs a spark, and has tried to attack Trump as soft of crime.

Death penalty part of DeSantis' conservative pitch

DeSantis hasnt spoken about the reasons behind his accelerated pace of executions. But he has clearly leaned into a conservative agenda on criminal justice and a host of cultural issues during the legislative session preceding his official presidential announcement.

DeSantis signed into law a measure making it easier for juries to apply the death penalty  allowing for only an 8-4 vote. The move followed the less-than-unanimous vote that resulted in Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz being sentenced to life in prison.

Floridas Republican-controlled Legislature endorsed DeSantis push to enhance capital punishment laws.

Whenever Florida executes an inmate, death penalty opponents hold prayer vigils at the Great Seal of the State of Florida at the Capitol's front door. This vigil took place on Feb. 24 after Donald Dillbeck was executed by the state.

I do not celebrate when we have an execution, said Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, during debate about changing the jury vote requirement. Its a very sad day to me...But at the same time, if were going to have accountability, you have to have something that happens where you ultimately pay with your life if you ignore all the bounds.

DeSantis also approved legislation that makes child rapists eligible for the death penalty, which conflicts with a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found such punishment unconstitutional in cases where the victim did not die.

A legal challenge to that new Florida law could eventually make its way to the high court, where the conservative majority may be ready to reconsider that 15-year-old ruling.

Florida has 293 inmates on Death Row, some since the 1970s.

Timing tied to host of issues, governor's office says

DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said a range of issues contribute to the timing of executions.

Factors deciding death warrants include the complete exhaustion of remaining appeals and the egregiousness of the crime(s) committed, Redfern said in an email.

The procedure is far more complicated  and involves many more people and resources  than is commonly understood, he added.

Redfern cited the availability of the lethal injection drug protocol, which has been a problem for states, and coordinating with Corrections Department officials, witnesses and family members of victims.

The COVID-19 pandemic and other periods of state emergencies, such as hurricanes, also affect scheduling, he added.

All four of the men DeSantis executed this year had been on death row for more than 30 years: Donald Dillbeck, Louis Gaskin, Darryl Barwick and last month, Duane Owen. Barnes, scheduled to die next month, pleaded guilty in 2006 to the 1988 murder and rape of a nurse during a random break-in at a Melbourne condominium.

The average time of Floridas death row is almost 23 years, according to Florida Corrections Department records.

A gurney in an execution chamber at Florida State Prison in Starke where inmates receive lethal injection.

Florida's record of wrongful convictions worse than many states'

The Death Penalty Information Center also cites that 30 inmates in Florida were among the 191 people in the U.S. exonerated of their crimes and taken off death row since 1972, a rate of wrongful conviction much higher than the national average.

Daniel Medwed, a professor of law and criminal justice at Northeastern University School of Law, said Florida has put itself on the extreme edge of U.S. states with the new capital sentencing laws signed by the governor.

But, he added, DeSantis appears to be playing to Republican voters who remain overwhelmingly supportive of the death penalty. That endures despite research casting doubt on whether capital punishment plays any role in deterring crime.

It also carries extraordinary legal costs for governments to carry out, Medwed said.

Governor Ron DeSantis listens to speakers during an interfaith vigil at Pine Trails Park in Parkland, Florida, on Thursday, February 14, 2019.

DeSantis moves on the death penalty are a microcosm of a larger political debate going on and the trend toward deep partisanship, Medwed said. The people on the right are trying to show theyre tough on crime and those on the left are showing their openness to criminal justice reform.

The death penalty is really the tip of the spear in this fight, he added.

Executions get thumbs up from GOP voting base

The Pew Research Center found that most respondents who identify with the Republican Party favor the death penalty  with 42% strongly supporting it, according to a 2020 survey. Most who identify with the Democratic Party oppose the death penalty, with 29% saying the strongly oppose it.

Given such balances, DeSantis aggressive use of capital punishment may help him court GOP support. But, like many of his policies on free speech, LGBTQ rights, gun access and abortion, DeSantis approach could alienate huge swaths of voters if he can somehow win the Republican nomination and square off against President Joe Biden.

It seems like theres disconnect between the short game of earning the Republican nomination and then winning the general, Medwed said.

Still, a Gallup poll from last October showed overall, Americans were in favor of the death penalty for murderers, 55%-42%.

Even with that, though, there are signs of rising opposition to capital punishment. Only 27 states authorize the death penalty and five of them currently have a moratorium on executions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

The most recent halt was in Republican-led Ohio, where Gov. Mike DeWine paused executions because of the states inability to obtain drugs from pharmaceutical companies to carry out lethal injections. Three more executions scheduled there for this year have been postponed.

Biden has moratorium on federal executions  after Trump surge

More than 70% of countries around the world have effectively abolished the death penalty, including all but one European nation. The Biden administration has enacted a moratorium on carrying out federal death sentences since July 2021 after the surge at the end of Trumps term.

Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said its not surprising that capital punishment has emerged early in the presidential contest, noting that it always been a political tool, used by Democratic and Republican administrations.

It is the ultimate expression of governmental power and authority, she added.

More: 'Huh?' A Donald Trump pardon recipient would face the death penalty under his new plan

DeSantis, Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence are among the Republican presidential candidates now campaigning on increased use of the death penalty.

But there is a growing awareness that the death penalty is remarkably inefficient and terribly expensive, Maher said. What will you get when candidates say theyll use the death penalty more often? Will communities be safer? I dont think that will be true, she added.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Networks Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @JKennedyReport

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Florida executions: DeSantis' pace up in 2023, compared to first term
Some death penalty experts say DeSantis sudden drive is powered by politics, part of a grim chase of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.

TALLAHASSEE  After overseeing only two executions during his first four years in office, Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to carry out his fifth in six months, with Brevard County murderer James Barnes set to die Aug. 3.

While president, Trump set a remarkable record of executing 13 federal inmates during his last six months in office. Trump executed more civilian prisoners during his term than any president since President Grover Cleveland in 1896.

This is bluster for DeSantis, said Abe Bonowitz, executive director and co-founder of Death Penalty Action, who has fought against capital punishment for more than 30 years in Florida and nationwide.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to execute his fifth Florida inmate this year, stepping up his pace in what critics call a grim contest to compete with former President Donald Trump, who executed more federal inmates than any president in more than a century.

He needs a way to equate himself with Trump on this issue. Its all about looking for help with certain parts of the base.

Although DeSantis is the former presidents closest rival for the GOP nomination, polls show the Florida governor trailing by huge margins across the nation, even losing ground to Trump from surveys earlier this year across key primary states.

DeSantis has been campaigning almost full-time since declaring his candidacy in May. But he badly needs a spark, and has tried to attack Trump as soft of crime.

Death penalty part of DeSantis' conservative pitch

DeSantis hasnt spoken about the reasons behind his accelerated pace of executions. But he has clearly leaned into a conservative agenda on criminal justice and a host of cultural issues during the legislative session preceding his official presidential announcement.

DeSantis signed into law a measure making it easier for juries to apply the death penalty  allowing for only an 8-4 vote. The move followed the less-than-unanimous vote that resulted in Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz being sentenced to life in prison.

Floridas Republican-controlled Legislature endorsed DeSantis push to enhance capital punishment laws.

Torres: Murderer's family anxiously awaits his execution

I do not celebrate when we have an execution, said Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, during debate about changing the jury vote requirement. Its a very sad day to me...But at the same time, if were going to have accountability, you have to have something that happens where you ultimately pay with your life if you ignore all the bounds.

DeSantis also approved legislation that makes child rapists eligible for the death penalty, which conflicts with a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found such punishment unconstitutional in cases where the victim did not die.

A legal challenge to that new Florida law could eventually make its way to the high court, where the conservative majority may be ready to reconsider that 15-year-old ruling.

Florida has 293 inmates on Death Row, some since the 1970s.

Timing tied to host of issues, governor's office says

DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said a range of issues contribute to the timing of executions.

Factors deciding death warrants include the complete exhaustion of remaining appeals and the egregiousness of the crime(s) committed, Redfern said in an email.

The procedure is far more complicated  and involves many more people and resources  than is commonly understood, he added.

Redfern cited the availability of the lethal injection drug protocol, which has been a problem for states, and coordinating with Corrections Department officials, witnesses and family members of victims.

In case you missed it: DeSantis signs death warrant for Brevard man convicted of killing Melbourne nurse in 1988

The COVID-19 pandemic and other periods of state emergencies, such as hurricanes, also affect scheduling, he added.

All four of the men DeSantis executed this year had been on death row for more than 30 years: Donald Dillbeck, Louis Gaskin, Darryl Barwick and last month, Duane Owen. The average time on Floridas death row is almost 23 years, according to Florida Corrections Department records.

James Phillip Barnes

Barnes, who waived his right to a jury and represented himself in the case, pleaded guilty in 2006 to the first-degree murder of 41-year-old Patricia "Patsy" Miller along with burglary, two counts of sexual battery with a weapon and arson during a random break-in of a Melbourne condominium. He has been on death row since the conviction.

Millers homicide went unsolved for a decade before Barnes confessed to killing the nurse in a letter he wrote to an assistant state attorney in 2005. Previously, in 1997, DNA evidence was matched with Barnes, who had already been questioned in the case, but he refused to talk with Brevard County sheriff's agents, court records show. No charges were filed until an indictment was handed down by a Brevard County grand jury.

In 1998, Barnes was already serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Linda Barnes, who was strangled to death on Dec. 11, 1997. The letter in which he confessed to killing Miller was sent after Barnes converted to Islam, telling prosecutors he wanted to clear his conscience while fasting during Ramadan, a holy month on the Islamic calendar.

The last prisoner executed from Brevard County was Mark Dean Schwab in 2008. He was convicted of raping and killing 11-year-old Junny Rios-Martinez in 1992.

A gurney in an execution chamber at Florida State Prison in Starke where inmates receive lethal injection.

DeSantis expands death penalty DeSantis signs law allowing death penalty for child rape, defying US Supreme Court ruling

More from John Torres: DeSantis misses mark on new death penalty laws | Opinion

Florida's record of wrongful convictions worse than many states

The Death Penalty Information Center also cites that 30 inmates in Florida were among the 191 people in the U.S. exonerated of their crimes and taken off death row since 1972, a rate of wrongful conviction much higher than the national average. Among those: Cuban immigrant Juan Ramos was convicted of murder in Brevard County and sentenced to die in the electric chair. But the Florida Supreme Court overturned his conviction because of junk science testimony from dog handler John Preston. Ramos was retried and found not guilty. The jury was only out for a couple of hours in his case. Preston was later exposed as a fraud.

Daniel Medwed, a professor of law and criminal justice at Northeastern University School of Law, said Florida has put itself on the extreme edge of U.S. states with the new capital sentencing laws signed by the governor.

But, he added, DeSantis appears to be playing to Republican voters who remain overwhelmingly supportive of the death penalty. That endures despite research casting doubt on whether capital punishment plays any role in deterring crime.

It also carries extraordinary legal costs for governments to carry out, Medwed said.

Governor Ron DeSantis listens to speakers during an interfaith vigil at Pine Trails Park in Parkland, Florida, on Thursday, February 14, 2019.

DeSantis moves on the death penalty are a microcosm of a larger political debate going on and the trend toward deep partisanship, Medwed said. The people on the right are trying to show theyre tough on crime and those on the left are showing their openness to criminal justice reform.

The death penalty is really the tip of the spear in this fight, he added.

Executions get thumbs up from GOP voting base

The Pew Research Center found that most respondents who identify with the Republican Party favor the death penalty  with 42% strongly supporting it, according to a 2020 survey. Most who identify with the Democratic Party oppose the death penalty, with 29% saying the strongly oppose it.

Given such balances, DeSantis aggressive use of capital punishment may help him court GOP support. But, like many of his policies on free speech, LGBTQ rights, gun access and abortion, DeSantis approach could alienate huge swaths of voters if he can somehow win the Republican nomination and square off against President Joe Biden.

It seems like theres disconnect between the short game of earning the Republican nomination and then winning the general, Medwed said.

Still, a Gallup poll from last October showed overall, Americans were in favor of the death penalty for murderers, 55%-42%.

Even with that, though, there are signs of rising opposition to capital punishment. Only 27 states authorize the death penalty and five of them currently have a moratorium on executions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

The most recent halt was in Republican-led Ohio, where Gov. Mike DeWine paused executions because of the states inability to obtain drugs from pharmaceutical companies to carry out lethal injections. Three more executions scheduled there for this year have been postponed.

Biden has moratorium on federal executions  after Trump surge

More than 70% of countries around the world have effectively abolished the death penalty, including all but one European nation. The Biden administration has enacted a moratorium on carrying out federal death sentences since July 2021 after the surge at the end of Trumps term.

Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said its not surprising that capital punishment has emerged early in the presidential contest, noting that it always been a political tool, used by Democratic and Republican administrations.

It is the ultimate expression of governmental power and authority, she added.

DeSantis, Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence are among the Republican presidential candidates now campaigning on increased use of the death penalty.

But there is a growing awareness that the death penalty is remarkably inefficient and terribly expensive, Maher said. What will you get when candidates say theyll use the death penalty more often? Will communities be safer? I dont think that will be true, she added.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Networks Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @JKennedyReport. Reporter J.D. Gallop of Florida Today contributed to this report.

Support local journalism and become a subscriber. Visit floridatoday.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida executions: DeSantis' pace up in 2023, compared to first term
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss weaker-than-expected campaign is prompting other Republicans, such as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, to take a new look at running for president, GOP strategists say.

These Republicans argue that DeSantis, long seen as the strongest potential challenger in a GOP primary to former President Trump, has failed to establish himself as the clear alternative.

I think his high point was right after the last election, when he was the brightest spot on an otherwise somewhat disappointing night for Republicans, said GOP strategist Vin Weber, commenting on the big DeSantis reelection victory for governor in 2022.

Since then, he hasnt come on as strong. It looks to me people are looking at it because hes not as strong as he was before, added Weber, who advised Republican presidential campaigns in 1996, 2004 and 2008.

Weber argued Trump also looks vulnerable, despite his massive polling lead, because of his mounting legal problems, which could make the race look more attractive to Youngkin and Kemp.

The fading of a guy who was never the front-runner is not in and of itself a good reason for someone to take a look at running, Weber said. They have to perceive vulnerability in the front-runner. I think those two factors play into it together.

John Merrill, who served two terms as Alabamas secretary of state, said, Gov. DeSantis is in trouble.

There were high expectations for Gov. DeSantis and his team when they entered the race. I think they were confident they were going to be the Trump-lite alternative, he said. What I mean by that is having the same emphasis that President Trump had, having the same following that President Trump [had].

But the problem is he didnt have a ground game in place that was able to allow him to continuously mature [Trump-inclined supporters] to make them the kind of supporters that he had to have, Merrill added. Its a major problem for him.

He waited too long because I think that he anticipated that people were just waiting on him to be the guy to come out and beat Trump and that is obviously not the case, added Merrill, who hasnt endorsed a candidate but plans to support Trump.

Republican strategists have pointed to other DeSantis missteps, such as his glitch-riddled campaign launch on Twitter Spaces, which was marred by audio feedback and stretches of dead air.

More recently, DeSantis drew sharp criticism after his campaign posted what LGBTQ Republicans blasted as a homophobic video highlighting Trumps past statements supporting LGBTQ rights.

Even though a lot of the Republican base would agree with him on those issues, it looks bad. It looks like hes scapegoating a group of people. If thats part of his effort to get to the right of Trump, it was a mistake, Weber said of the video.

Other Republican strategists say DeSantis simply hasnt been able to connect with GOP primary voters on a personal level.

DeSantis Thursday blamed his sagging poll numbers on the media.

Well, I think if you look at the people like the corporate media, who are they going after? he told Fox News. Who do they not want to be the nominee? Theyre going after me.

Steve Cortes, a spokesman for a super PAC supporting DeSantis, acknowledged recently that the Florida governor is way behind in the polls and faces an uphill battle against Trump.

Trump leads DeSantis by an average of 32 points in recent national polls.

Former New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg (R) said its not too late for Youngkin or Kemp to enter the race and win the New Hampshire primary, which will take place a week after the Iowa caucuses next year.

I dont think its too late at all. Nobodys getting traction, said Gregg, who argued Trumps lead is superficial and based on name recognition. Gregg did acknowledge Trumps base, which GOP strategists estimate comprises a solid 30 percent of the Republican primary electorate, remains solidly behind him.

If somebody wanted to get into this race and come to New Hampshire once a week for the next 16 weeks, they would be a force if they connected with people, he said. Youngkin seems to be a very strong guy.

Gregg suggested a candidate like Youngkin could enter the race late and still have a chance of beating Trump in New Hampshire for two reasons.

New Hampshire is notoriously late deciding. We can be two weeks from a major election, especially the primaries, and we dont know whos going to win. Very late-deciding voters, he said.

The second is there isnt going to be a serious Democratic [presidential primary] race up here  That means were going to have a huge independent vote in the Republican Primary, huge. Independents outnumber both the Democrats and Republicans up here, he said. So a late entrant, whos a legitimate, viable person who comes here and takes the time to meet people, I think theyre still viable.

Republican strategists think DeSantiss weakness has spurred Youngkin and Kemp to take a second look at running for president.

I think the fact that people are taking a second look at the race speaks more to DeSantis faltering out of the candidate than anything else, said Ford OConnell, a GOP strategist.

But he predicted others wont get into the race because of the appearance Trump is gaining steam.

A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,584 registered voters conducted from June 22-26 in Pennsylvania, a key swing state, showed Trump leading Biden in a hypothetical general election matchup, 47 percent to 46 percent.

An Echelon Insights poll of 1,020 likely voters in several presidential swing states showed Trump ahead of Biden 48 percent to 41 percent.

I think at this point Trump is far and away the front-runner. That people are looking at [the race] for a second time really speaks to DeSantiss weakness out of the gate, OConnell said.

Republican strategists who have been in touch with Youngkins and Kemps advisers say the Virginia governor is more likely to jump into the race but caution it wont be easy for anyone to position themselves as a viable alternative to Trump, despite DeSantiss struggles.

Youngkin has sent mixed signals about running for the White House despite only being in the second year of his gubernatorial term.

One Republican strategist said Youngkins camp isnt ruling anything out yet, despite his statement in early May that he wouldnt be running for president this year.

Kemp, meanwhile, hasnt ruled out running for president, though he insists hes staying focused on the state of Georgia.

In politics, theres always doors opening and closing and everything else, he told CBS News recently.

A Republican strategist who keeps in regular contact with several Republican presidential campaigns predicted DeSantis will retool his super PAC in the next few weeks.

They probably got another month to turn this thing around and if they dont theyre going to have to bring someone and do a major retooling, the source said.

The strategist said its very likely Youngkin could get in, adding that hes appealing to all stripes of Republicans and hes actually appealing to some of the softer, more moderate elements  if you can call them that  of MAGA.

The DeSantis campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University, said DeSantis or any candidate seeking to win the GOP nomination faces a math problem because Trump is dominating among Tier 1 voters who are sure about whom they will support in next years primary.

The problem for DeSantis, Youngkin or any of the other 13 announced candidates is that Trump owns [many] of the first-tier voters and the second tier is split 13 ways, he said. I dont think theres a pathway for anyone else getting in the race.

Trumps got a lock on that first, biggest chunk of votes and 13 other people are splitting second tier, so the math is very challenging, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison defended the move to shift South Carolinas primary date to be first in the nation, saying the state has long been the best indicator of which candidate would ultimately ascend to the top of the party ticket.

The DNC approved in February a new primary calendar for the 2024 presidential campaign cycle that would make South Carolina the first state to hold a Democratic primary in the election cycle. The move has been somewhat controversial, especially among voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, who have long enjoyed their first-in-the-nation primary spots in presidential elections.

Others, too, have criticized the move as stacking the deck in favor of President Joe Biden, whose strong support from South Carolina Democrats in the 2020 primary election revitalized his campaign, after receiving low support from Democratic voters in Iowa and New Hampshire.

In an interview that aired on MSNBCs Inside with Jen Psaki, Harrison expanded on the standard explanation for the primary calendar shift, adding that the state is more racially diverse. He said not only are voters in South Carolina more representative of the partys diversity than those in New Hampshire and Iowa  but, he added, historically, winners of South Carolinas Democratic primary have served as an early indicator of the partys eventual nominee.

South Carolina has been in your early state window now for almost two decades. And if you look at the other early state parties or states during that time  you look at Iowa and New Hampshire and Nevada  South Carolina has been the best indicator, Harrison said when asked why South Carolina was a better option to go first than states such as Georgia or North Carolina, which also have a large share of Black voters.

Harrison expanded on the importance of South Carolina, which is his home state, and pointed to a statistic that showed most African Americans today can trace at least one ancestor from South Carolina, noting approximately 40 percent of enslaved people in America arrived at the Port of Charleston.

South Carolina has been the best indicator of who is eventually going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party, and why is that the case? It is the case because for decades Black voters have been the backbone of the Democratic Party, and what happens in South Carolina has a ripple effect, he said. It really is the glue for a lot of the African American community. It has been the backbone for the Democratic Party. We have saved democracy as we saw in the last election. And South Carolinian voters, particularly the Black voters, will continue to do that as the first in the nation primary.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), whose endorsement of Biden in 2020 is largely seen as securing Bidens victory in the states primary, conveyed a similar sentiment in an interview in May 2023. Clyburn said he did not expect the earlier primary date would influence the outcome of the election, but instead the move saves Biden potential embarrassment.

I dont think youre stacking the deck, Clyburn said in the interview. I think youre avoiding embarrassment. And that is what he is attempting to avoid here. And I would expect anybody to do the same.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
It can stretch your mind to ponder what's really out there. Stijn Dijkstra/EyeEm via Getty Images

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question youd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

What is beyond outer space?  Siah, age 11, Fremont, California

Right above you is the sky  or as scientists would call it, the atmosphere. It extends about 20 miles (32 kilometers) above the Earth. Floating around the atmosphere is a mixture of molecules  tiny bits of air so small you take in billions of them every time you breathe.

Above the atmosphere is space. Its called that because it has far fewer molecules, with lots of empty space between them.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel to outer space  and then keep going? What would you find? Scientists like me are able to explain a lot of what youd see. But there are some things we dont know yet, like whether space just goes on forever.

Planets, stars and galaxies

At the beginning of your trip through space, you might recognize some of the sights. The Earth is part of a group of planets that all orbit the Sun  with some orbiting asteroids and comets mixed in, too.

A familiar neighborhood. Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

You might know that the Sun is actually just an average star, and looks bigger and brighter than the other stars only because it is closer. To get to the next nearest star, you would have to travel through trillions of miles of space. If you could ride on the fastest space probe NASA has ever made, it would still take you thousands of years to get there.

If stars are like houses, then galaxies are like cities full of houses. Scientists estimate there are 100 billion stars in Earths galaxy. If you could zoom out, way beyond Earths galaxy, those 100 billion stars would blend together  the way lights of city buildings do when viewed from an airplane.

Recently astronomers have learned that many or even most stars have their own orbiting planets. Some are even like Earth, so its possible they might be home to other beings also wondering whats out there.

A galaxy among many other galaxies. Michael Miller/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

You would have to travel through millions of trillions more miles of space just to reach another galaxy. Most of that space is almost completely empty, with only some stray molecules and tiny mysterious invisible particles scientists call dark matter.

Using big telescopes, astronomers see millions of galaxies out there  and they just keep going, in every direction.

If you could watch for long enough, over millions of years, it would look like new space is gradually being added between all the galaxies. You can visualize this by imagining tiny dots on a deflated balloon and then thinking about blowing it up. The dots would keep moving farther apart, just like the galaxies are.

Is there an end?

If you could keep going out, as far as you wanted, would you just keep passing by galaxies forever? Are there an infinite number of galaxies in every direction? Or does the whole thing eventually end? And if it does end, what does it end with?

These are questions scientists dont have definite answers to yet. Many think its likely you would just keep passing galaxies in every direction, forever. In that case, the universe would be infinite, with no end.

Some scientists think its possible the universe might eventually wrap back around on itself  so if you could just keep going out, you would someday come back around to where you started, from the other direction.

One way to think about this is to picture a globe, and imagine that you are a creature that can move only on the surface. If you start walking any direction, east for example, and just keep going, eventually you would come back to where you began. If this were the case for the universe, it would mean it is not infinitely big  although it would still be bigger than you can imagine.

In either case, you could never get to the end of the universe or space. Scientists now consider it unlikely the universe has an end  a region where the galaxies stop or where there would be a barrier of some kind marking the end of space.

But nobody knows for sure. How to answer this question will need to be figured out by a future scientist.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question youd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit  adults, let us know what youre wondering, too. We wont be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

This article has been updated to correct the distances to the nearest star and galaxy.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation is trustworthy news from experts. Try our free newsletters.

It was written by: Jack Singal, University of Richmond.

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Jack Singal does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Does Sacramentos Howard Chan deserve to be the highest paid city manager in the state? | Opinion

Chans salary

Sacramento, CA, city manager has highest pay in state, (sacbee.com, July 1)

At the time of Howard Chans initial appointment to his current position, he was the head of the citys parking division, minimally qualifying him for appointment as city manager.

As recently as November 2022, the mayor and city council raised Chans salary to over $400,000. Now, at roughly $493,655 per year, Chan is the highest paid city manager in the state, and the article hints that yet another raise is currently being contemplated by Mayor Darrell Steinberg and the city council.

Since 2018, with the Steinberg-Chan team in place, the homeless population has quadrupled, 25 positions have been eliminated from the police department and many of our neighborhoods are unsafe. How can such compensation be justified?

Bill Motmans

Sacramento

Hypocritical justices

California electeds blast Supreme Courts dangerous and horrifying anti-LGBTQ decision, (sacbee.com, July 3)

The absurdity surrounding the 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis Supreme Court ruling is only outdone by the ruling in the college admissions case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.

In one ruling, the conservative majority of Supreme Court Justices want everyone to be colorblind. In other words, establishing zero race-based discrimination when it comes to college admission. Yet, in the other ruling, the same justices said it was OK for one group to discriminate against another group.

If you ever wonder why Americans lose faith in their country, this is one of those moments.

Anthony Lucas

Folsom

Protect our water

California governor signs order for those hit by Tulare Lake, (sacbee.com, March 31)

Ian James piece about Tulare Lake was moving and poignant. The Indigenous people of the Tachi Yokut Tribe understand the value of a more enlightened water policy. I applaud and support their activism to allow the reformed lake to be restored to its natural state.

Its unbelievable that private interests were allowed to drain the lake, taking so much from Indigenous tribes and wildlife for private gain. Water is the lifeblood for us all, not just agriculture and private interests.

Storage into our aquifers via wetlands can mitigate the damage of human activity. Mother Nature is showing us the way. We need to listen and enact policies that protect this precious resource.

Theresa Ann Lown

Sacramento

This idea is a bust

Speed enforced by aircraft? Heres how it actually works, California Highway Patrol says, (sacbee.com, June 30)

California is once again facing speed cameras on our roads with Assembly Bill 645. Like right turn cameras, speed cameras are about money, not safety. There is no independent verification that photo enforcement improves highway safety, reduces overall accidents or improves traffic congestion.

Dont let California become more unaffordable than it already is under the false guise of public safety.

Gary A Incaudo

Sacramento

Union greed

CA state workers protest after state offers 6% pay raises, (sacbee.com, June 30)

As a retired state worker, I am a strong supporter of unions. We can thank unions for better working conditions and benefits, and we need unions to ensure employers dont regress to times when labor protections were significantly less. However, union leaders seem to think they must justify the dues they collect by raising the bar for salary and benefits. Asking for a 30% raise is ludicrous.

I challenge any state worker who complains that they cant live on their salary to go out and find higher pay, better benefits and more job protections in the private sector. I guarantee they wont leave their state job because they know they wont find a better one elsewhere.

Mary Bane

Sacramento

Deserved raise

CA state workers protest after state offers 6% pay raises, (sacbee.com, June 30)

Hundreds of California state workers descended Thursday on the State Capitol to protest what they call an offensive and unfair contract offer from the state. Over the course of three years, the state has offered 2% raises each year for a total of 6% overall.

Perhaps if the Service Employees International Union Local 1000 could vote for a raise behind closed doors  much like our Sacramento County Supervisors, who, by the way, have proved ineffective  they too could have the 26% raise they so desperately need.

Paul Koscheka

Antelope

Blow to education

Supreme Court damages America by killing Affirmative Action, (sacbee.com, July 1)

The Supreme Courts decision to strike down affirmative action is a devastating blow to our education system across the country. Affirmative action has been a tool to break down systemic barriers, and we must continue to advance our ideals of inclusivity and opportunity for all.

Paul Bacon

Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Domestic workers throughout the country are pushing for better working conditions, staging rallies and protests and lobbying for labor protections.

The workers, including nannies, house cleaners and home care workers, have launched campaigns in places including Miami, where two organizations led a mid-June march calling for a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

That same week, workers rallied in Philadelphias Rittenhouse Square  a tony area with well-staffed homes  as legislators from California to Rhode Island considered bills strengthening the labor rights of domestic workers.

The idea of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights has been a centerpiece of the push for better working conditions for nearly two decades, ever since activist Ai-jen Poo envisioned the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) around the concept.

Founded in 2007, it has grown into a national advocacy organization. In April, it co-hosted the Care Workers Cant Wait Summit in Washington, D.C., along with major labor and political organizations SEIU; AFL-CIO; the American Federation of Teachers; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Community Change; MomsRising; Care in Action; and Care Cant Wait.

Its really the first time that you have domestic workers, home care, child care, early educators, nursing home workers all together to say, Our jobs are the jobs of the future. Our work is here to stay,' Poo told The Hill in a recent interview.

Though specific legislative proposals vary from state to state and city to city, the main thrust of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights is to remove labor law exclusions implemented for domestic workers starting in the New Deal era.

The coalition with care workers outside the home is a strategic move for domestic workers; implementing the bill of rights has been a challenge even in jurisdictions that have enshrined it into law.

Philadelphia, for instance, passed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in 2020, but according to a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer, 44 percent of workers surveyed by NDWA said their employers had violated provisions of the bill.

A national bill, first introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in 2019, would guarantee sick leave, require written contracts, implement meal and rest breaks, establish protections against workplace harassment and protect workers from losing pay due to last-minute cancellations.

We have to pass legislation. We need to be able to invest in this workforce. We need to be able to train, add to and provide rights on the job, Jayapal said.

I have the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which also for the first time would provide the same protections to domestic workers that other workers get.

With Republican control of the House, its unlikely the bill will get a vote. But Jayapal lauded President Biden for an April executive order that expanded access to grants to make care services more affordable and directed the Department of Labor to publish a sample employment agreement.

The idea that the Department of Labor and the federal government will say, Actually, this is a job that should have a contract and an agreement, the work agreement should be clear like any other job in America, is a game changer, Poo said.

Because if you are a domestic worker, and you are in a one-to-one relationship with your employer, you really dont have negotiating power.

Millions of workers face pay gap

According to a 2022 study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), domestic workers face a 25 percent pay gap: The average domestic worker is paid 75 cents for every dollar that a similar worker would make in another occupation.

The study identified 2.2 million domestic workers in 2021, though researchers wrote it is highly likely that figure is a significant undercount, since many workers are paid under the table, and a significant number are undocumented immigrants, who are generally underrepresented in surveys.

In that population, the EPI identified 304,557 house cleaners, 211,675 nannies, 239,942 child care workers who tend to children in their own home, 148,897 nonagency home care aides, and 1,253,899 agency-based home care aides.

The poverty rate among domestic workers generally is 8.5 percentage points higher than the poverty rate among similar workers in other industries, and the twice-poverty rate  workers whose family income is below twice the official poverty line  is 17.8 percentage points higher, according to the EPI.

The twice-poverty rate is often used by researchers as a cutoff to gauge whether a family has enough income to realistically make ends meet.

The economic portion of the study, which used data compiled between 2016 and 2018, also found large gaps in benefits compared to workers in other economic sectors.

While 49 percent of workers analyzed in the study had employer-paid health insurance coverage, only 19 percent of domestic workers had coverage. Similarly, 33 percent of workers overall had some sort of employee provided retirement plan, compared to only 9 percent of domestic workers.

Coverage rates were higher for agency-based home care aides  25 percent had health coverage and 13 percent retirement benefits  but still significantly lower than the national average.

Labor law exclusions for domestic workers

Those working directly for domestic employers are often left to their own devices to negotiate their working conditions.

That unique relationship was at the heart of creating labor law exclusions for domestic workers in the first place, but workers and advocates say those exclusions have led to abuses from wage theft to workdays with no set start or end time and no formal breaks.

Those abuses often go unreported or unpunished for a variety of reasons, including fear of reprisals, and in many cases undocumented workers fear of approaching authorities.

Employers of domestic workers are also AWOL in public discussions of the topic. At a Rhode Island House Labor Committee hearing on the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights earlier this year, no employers or employees in the field showed up to testify, reported the Providence Journal.

Yet, at a California Senate floor debate on the states version of the bill, California state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D), the lead sponsor of the bill, said employers largely support the proposal because its been molded to the unique needs of the industry.

Thats what the domestic workers are looking for. Its, Fix the problem, its not a, Hey I gotcha,' Durazo said.

The proof is in the pudding that theyve spent several years coming up with what are rational types of guidelines, and thats why employers are so supportive  household employers are so supportive because they see that it makes sense. When you have safer homes, its safer for everybody.

Opposition to the legislation, however muted, rests on the challenges of policing labor laws in private domiciles.

California state Sen. Brian Dahle (R), who in 2022 mounted a shoestring campaign to unseat Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), compared the bills provisions to Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations applicable in a commercial or industrial worksite.

I would think this bill would actually deter people from having those people do those services because of the liability in your own home, Dahle said during a short-lived California Senate floor debate.

The bill cleared the Senate 24-8 on a largely party-line vote and is now under consideration by the California Assembly.

The broader legislative push is emboldening some domestic workers to participate in protests like the ones in Philadelphia and Miami, breaking from the traditional silence enveloping their industry.

And the alliance with the broader out-of-home care field is helping domestic workers find a model structure to engage employers and legislators.

When workers see other workers organizing and they see a powerful movement like this, that has built in size, in depth, in relationship and in power to elected officials, you think about all the states that states and cities that have passed domestic workers bills of rights, that is all a testament to the power of the people who are organizing, Jayapal said.

Powerful organizing begets more powerful organizing, and itll continue to grow because other workers will say, Wait a second, we deserve this too. We deserve rights on the job, we deserve good pay, we deserve union jobs.'

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Beijing/Hong Kong (CNN)  The world is big enough for both the United States and China to thrive, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday as she wrapped up a visit to Beijing aimed at stabilizing the relationship between the worlds two largest economies.

Yellen said she had direct, substantive, and productive talks with Chinas new economic leadership, including Premier Li Qiang and Pan Gongsheng, the newly appointed Communist Party chief of Chinas central bank.

No one visit will solve our challenges overnight. But I expect that this trip will help build a resilient and productive channel of communication, Yellen told a news conference in Beijing.

Broadly speaking, I believe that my bilateral meetings  which totaled about 10 hours over two days  served as a step forward in our effort to put the US-China relationship on surer footing.

Yellens trip marked the second visit by a US cabinet official to the Chinese capital in a matter of weeks as Washington seeks to steer relations with Beijing back on course after months of inflamed tensions.

In recent months, while pushing to resume high-level diplomatic talks, the US has imposed sanctions on Chinese companies, successfully pushed allies in Japan and the Netherlands to restrict sales of advanced semiconductors to China and rallied other advanced economies to counter Beijings economic coercion.

But Yellen reiterated that the United States is not seeking to decouple from China, which she said would be disastrous for both countries and destabilizing for the world and virtually impossible to undertake.

There is an important distinction between decoupling, on the one hand, and on the other hand, diversifying critical supply chains or taking targeted national security actions, she said.

She said the United States would continue to take targeted actions to protect its own national security interests and those of its allies, while making sure these actions are transparent, narrowly scoped and targeted to clear objectives.

A way to live together

Yellen said the US and China have significant disagreements that need to be communicated clearly and directly, but noted that the Biden administration does not see US-China relations through the frame of great power conflict.

We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive. Both nations have an obligation to responsibly manage this relationship: to find a way to live together and share in global prosperity, she said.

Yellen said she pressed Chinese officials on Washingtons serious concerns about Chinas unfair economic practices  including barriers to market access for foreign firms and issues involving intellectual property  and worries about a recent uptick in coercive actions against American firms.

Beijings updated counter-espionage law and crackdown against Western consulting and due diligence firms has unnerved US businesses.

Over the past months, Chinese authorities have questioned staff at the Shanghai office of US consultancy Bain & Company, and closed the Beijing office of Mintz Group, an American corporate due diligence firm, while detaining five of its local staff.

Targeted restrictions

Yellen said no final decision has been made to limit outbound investments by US companies in China, when asked about potential upcoming foreign investment curbs that might be implemented by Washington.

I was able to explain to my Chinese counterparts that if we do implement such restrictions, that we will do so in a transparent way, she said, adding any new curbs or sanctions would be highly targeted and clearly directed narrowly at a few sectors where we have specific national security concerns.

I want to allay their fears that we would do something that would have broad-based impacts on the Chinese economy. Thats not the case. Thats not the intention, she said.

The Biden administration is preparing new rules that could restrict US investment in certain sectors in China, according to multiple media reports including from the The Wall Street Journal and Politico.

Yellen said she discussed with Chinese officials areas of cooperation on global challenges, including working together to mobilize multilateral financing for climate action. US climate envoy John Kerry is expected to visit China next, according to US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, though he did not provide a timetable for the trip.

Yellen said she also raised the importance of ending Russias brutal and illegal war against Ukraine, and said it was essential that Chinese firms avoid providing Russia with material support for the war or in evading sanctions.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "The world is big enough for US and China, Yellen says as she concludes Beijing trip"
Dozens of federal lawmakers are pushing for more flights to a DC-area airport, a move that would drastically improve some of their commutes

Some lawmakers want more flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

A bipartisan group of lawmakers want major flight changes at Reagan National Airport in Virginia.

Many lawmakers want to see the 1,250-mile perimeter restriction for round-trip flights relaxed.

But some members of Congress argue that Reagan National is already under immense strain.

Dozens of federal lawmakers are pushing for 28 additional round-trip flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to destinations across the country, arguing new flights from the airport will boost tourism, lower airfare costs, and create additional jobs.

But members of Congress also have a huge personal motivation for increasing the number of flights at Reagan National: the location.

Reagan National, located right across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, is only minutes away from Capitol Hill by car  and can usually be reached in a timely manner on the Washington Metro system from downtown DC.

The prime location makes Reagan National the preferred airport for most lawmakers, but any route alterations would require changing a law which currently blocks long-haul flights of over 1,250 miles to or from the airport. Because of the rule, many lawmakers use the two other major Washington-area airports  Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) or Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)  which are futher from the halls of Congress than Reagan National.

And many lawmakers are seeking to relax the rule at Reagan National, with Delta Air Lines leading a lobbying push to tweak the regulation as part of a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, according to The New York Times.

Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, who has served in the upper chamber since 2007, told The Times that his commute from his home state to Washington was "a pain."

Tester told the newspaper that he "absolutely would be in favor" of new destinations outside of the 1,250-mile perimeter, but added that he would have to view the details of any legislation before he threw his support behind it.

To get to the nation's capitol, Tester told The Times that he drives 90 miles from his Montana farm to Great Falls International Airport in Great Falls, Montana. From there, he has a layover in Denver, Minneapolis, or Salt Lake City before arriving in Washington DC.

Rep. Blake Moore of Utah told The Times that the creation of additional nonstop flights at Reagan National beyond the perimeter limit would provide a jolt to tourism in his home state. But he also spoke of the difficulty of relying on one daily direct flight to head back to Salt Lake City to see his children before their bedtimes.

"We need more direct flights out of DCA," the GOP lawmaker told the newspaper.

But some members from Maryland and Virginia aren't convinced that the perimeter rule should be changed, arguing that Reagan National is already operating with heavy traffic and a high baggage volume.

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, who represents a district anchored in the suburbs of Washington DC, said in a statement to The Times that Reagan National "already has the busiest runway in the country."

"I'm also concerned in the wake of a recent F.A.A. analysis that found that more long-haul flights at DCA would throw the airport's operational performance out of balance," she continued.

Unlike Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines have lined up against the perimeter rule change, according to The Times, with the latter two carriers arguing that any added flights would trigger additional delays.

Delta  which only has a 14% market share at Reagan National  is looking to initiate or ramp up service to Austin, Texas; Salt Lake City; and Seattle, according to an analysis commissioned by the airline.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The driver of a utility bucket truck was sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a rollover crash in Keene on Saturday morning, state police said.

At approximately 10:45 a.m., troopers responded to a report of a crash involving a 1996 International utility bucket truck owned by BGWN Services of Milford, state police said.

The truck was traveling south on Route 12 in the area of the transfer station when the vehicle experienced a serious mechanical malfunction, causing it to roll over several times before coming to a final rest on its side.

The driver, Wade Methe, 23, of Milford, was sent to a local hospital, state police said.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

The vehicle was placed out-of-service due to extensive damage, state police said. An out-of-service order is given to a commercial driver or vehicle that violates a certain set of conditions with the purpose to protect the public from imminent safety hazards.

New Hampshire State Police were assisted by members of the Keene Police and Fire Departments, New Hampshire Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Services.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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A driver was killed and three passengers  including two children  suffered major injuries in a crash Sunday morning in the Beard Industrial District, according to the Modesto Fire Department and the California Highway Patrol.

A Fire Department battalion chiefs incident summary says that at 4:17 a.m., crews responded to a report of an injury crash with pin-in.

A California Highway Patrol news release says the crash was on McClure Road north of Leckron Road, which is by the Modesto & Empire Traction Co. rail yard. The driver of a 2014 Scion XB was northbound when for unknown reasons he crossed over the southbound lane and struck a big-rig trailer parked on the side of the road.

The CHP says a wrecker tow truck was requested to lift the trailer off the passenger vehicle.

The Scion driver, a 34-year-old Modesto man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

One passenger, a 29-year-old Modesto woman, was taken to Memorial Medical Center. A 9-year-old girl was flown to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Another girl, age 5, was flown to Valley Childrens Hospital in Madera.

The CHP release says it has not been determined if alcohol or drugs factored in the crash.
Two people have pled guilty to their involvement in a drug trafficking case that happened in Cherokee County.

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On March 3, 2022, just after noon, Cherokee County deputies pulled over a silver Honda Civic with a cracked windshield after the driver, later identified as, Christoper Lewis Partin, 36, of Fort Oglethorpe, merged into the right lane without signaling lane change while traveling north on I-75 toward Highway 92.

Partin reportedly told deputies he had recently bought the car but did not have a title, bill of sale, or proof of insurance.

According to the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office, he told authorities that he along with Mandy Macall Maloney, 38, of Rossville, were coming from Savannah, where they had visited a friend for about an hour.

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After running Partins information, deputies learned that he had an active warrant from Bartow County for violation of probation for a charge of possession of drugs with intent to distribute.

A K-9 then conducted an air sniff, alerting deputies to the smell of drugs in the car.

The pair then admitted that there was a large amount of marijuana and methamphetamine in the car. Deputies then searched the vehicle on the side of I-75.

During the search, officials found 4 pounds of marijuana inside a backpack in the trunk.

A backpack on the passenger side floorboard reportedly had several bags of methamphetamine weighing nearly 1.5 kilograms.

Both Partin and Maloney were taken to the Oak Grove precinct where they spoke to police. They each claimed to be working with an incarcerated man who sent them to pick up drugs for him. Maloney said she brought Partin in as part of the drug ring.

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On June 23, Partin pled guilty and was sentenced to 30 years with 18 years to serve in prison and the remainder on probation. Due to the states prosecution, he will be required to serve the entire prison portion of his sentence without parole eligibility.

Maloney pled guilty on June 26 and was sentenced to 30 years, with the first 25 years to serve in prison and the remainder on probation.

The deputy who initiated the traffic stop was not surprised to hear the suspects were transporting drugs. They had been acting suspicious from the beginning. The driver was excessively nervous, and there was an overpowering smell of air fresheners coming from the vehicle. When the driver claimed to have traveled five hours to Savannah for a one-hour visit with a friend, the deputy recognized this as likely related to criminal activity, said Assistant District Attorney Macelyne Williams.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Deflated globeGetty Images/Moussa81

On the heels of several consecutive record-breaking "hottest days ever," it has become increasingly clear that there is an urgent need to address human-caused climate change. After all, a recent study published in the scientific journal PNAS revealed that the types of so-called compound drought and heatwaves that humanity is currently experiencing  these are known as CDHW events  are projected to become what co-author Dr. Michael E. Mann labelled a "new abnormal."

By the late 21st century, the PNAS authors contend, approximately one-fifth of the species will endure CDHW events roughly twice a year, each one lasting approximately 25 days, with all of the wildfires and blistering, scorching heat they entail.

"Climate change and its associated extreme events will put additional stress on the world's ecosystems, which are already under tremendous pressure. This might cause some ecosystems to collapse surprisingly quickly."

Yet humanity may not need to wait until the late 21st Century for climate change to bring about real-world apocalyptic conditions. This will especially be so if ecosystems undergo abrupt changes after too many extreme weather events occur, one after another after another. According to a new study in the scientific journal Nature Sustainability, that scenario might indeed occur sooner rather than later.

Related

The new "abnormal": Experts agree climate change will intensify droughts and heatwaves in the future

"We previously knew that ecosystems can undergo very abrupt changes," Professor Simon Willcock of Rothamsted Research and Bangor University, who co-authored the study, told Salon by email. He added that this knowledge had been derived from past observations of small increases in stress on particular ecosystems. As one example, deforestation in one tropical region might turn a rainforest into a "savanna-type system," which is a drier, grassier ecosystem with far fewer trees.

Prior to this study, much of our understanding of these vast changes "[came] from focusing on a single stress at a time," according to Willcock. By contrast, the new paper examines how ecosystems respond when there are multiple simultaneous stresses, such as climate change, deforestation and pollution caused by mining.

"We show that the combination of additional stresses and/or the inclusion of noise [such as variables like El Nino] brings ecosystem collapses substantially closer to today by ~3881%," Willcock explained. "We also show that, if you were focused on just one stress  because it was easier to measure, for example  the ecosystem collapse may occur at stress levels you thought were safe (i.e. due to the pressure of the stresses you are not observing)."

To reach these conclusions, the scientists performed experiments on four models to simulate what would happen after abrupt changes in areas such as the Chilika lagoon fishery and the Easter Island community, as they comprise "ecosystems with a range of anthropogenic interactions." In addition to finding that ecosystem collapses occur much sooner when there are multiple stresses, the paper also determined that they collapse faster if the primary stress is particularly powerful.

"As the strength of a main driver increases, the systems collapse sooner," the paper concludes. "Adding multiple drivers brings collapses further forward, as does adding noise, and the two effects can be synergistic."

Does this mean people should expect catastrophic consequences due to climate change in the near future?

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"As the strength of a main driver increases, the systems collapse sooner."

"I think that, with climate change and its associated extreme events, [they] will put additional stress on the world's ecosystems, which are already under tremendous pressure," Willcock wrote to Salon. "This might cause some ecosystems to collapse surprisingly quickly."

For instance, the study warns that the Amazon region may transition from a rain forest into a savanna-type region earlier than predicted by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is currently projecting that to occur in the year 2100. Instead, it may occur about 20 years earlier.

At the same time, Salon pointed out that the basic premise of the scenario described in this paper  climate change being linked to rapid, cataclysmic changes in our environment  sounds analogous to the premise of a climate change-themed blockbuster like the movie "The Day After Tomorrow." Willcock sounded a slightly more reassuring note.

"That is a very extreme tipping point (i.e. triggering an ice age!!)," Willcock replied, adding that "I think the rapidity of that change remains in the realms of Hollywood." He said that anything which happens in real life "will be at a smaller scale and, by comparison, more gradual."

This doesn't mean there won't be a global impact to some of those relatively smaller events, such as the aforementioned possibility of the Amazon hitting a "tipping point" by 2030 and turning into a savanna by 2080. If this process were to unfold, it would release so much carbon that it could on its own "trigger other tipping points (e.g. the melting of the ice sheets)," Willcock explained. "But again, these would take some time to melt. When they did, sea levels would rise, which could affect cities across the world, as well as biodiversity."

In the PNAS study released earlier this week, scientists predicted that CDHW events will occur with increasing frequency from eastern North America and eastern Africa to Central Asia, Central Europe and the American southwest. According to Dr. Ashok Mishra, a professor at Clemson University's Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth's Science and co-author of the study, "compound drought and heatwaves severely threaten socio-ecological systems, leading to greater impacts  e.g., wildfires, crop failure, and heat-related mortalities  than individual extremes."

Mishra later added that there are ways to prepare for these impending calamities, such as by "implement[ing] sustainable water management strategies, including water conservation measures and investments in water infrastructure, to ensure a reliable water supply during CDHW events."

Similarly, Willcock told Salon that "there is still hope! Obviously, we want to try to avoid collapsing ecosystems as that would have huge consequences for many species, including us. By reducing emissions and using ecosystems more sustainably, we can hopefully avoid putting ecosystems under pressures they can't bear. Also, if any ecosystems do collapse, in future, we hope to learn how to apply pressure in a positive direction to trigger rapid ecosystem recovery."

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Eddy County residents should not panic when receiving phone calls from an alleged scammer saying there is an active warrant for an arrest, according to Eddy County Undersheriff Matthew Hutchison.

He said the Sheriffs office received multiple reports of an individual claiming to work for the department.-

Hutchison said the Eddy County Sheriffs Office would never call to request money transfers or prepaid cards to remediate a warrant.

More: Eddy County Sheriff warns of telephone warrant scam

The New Mexico Attorney Generals website said threatening phone calls and demands for personal and financial information are common signs of scams.

Any company requesting you send prepaid card numbers is almost always a fraudulent company. This is not a legitimate way of conducting business and should be questioned immediately, Hutchison said.

The Attorney Generals website noted telephone scams come in various forms, including calls from real people, robocalls or text messages.

The callers often make false promises, such as opportunities to buy products, invest your money, or receive free product trials. They may also offer you money through free grants and lotteries. Some scammers may call with threats of jail or lawsuits if you dont pay them, according to the website.

The Attorney Generals website said real legal notices are sent in writing.

More: Addressing some rumors around Carlsbad

Phone scams are not limited to government entities like the Eddy County Sheriffs Office, said Wes Reeves, Xcel Energy spokesperson.

The most common type is a phone scam where the caller impersonates an Xcel Energy customer agent and demands payment for a delinquent bill to avoid having the customers service disconnected, he said.

Reeves said if an Xcel customer faces a potential disconnection a printed notice will be sent through the U.S. Mail before power is cutoff.

He said Xcel Energy customers can view their account at xcelenergy.com or by calling 1-800-895-4999.

Scams even take place on the internet said Lauren Rodriguez, New Mexico Attorney Generals Office spokesperson.

She said an alleged victim claimed to have lost $800 when computer access was given to the Geek Squad during the June 25 through July 7 time frame.

Rodriguez said the complainant later discovered several bogus computer sites claiming to be the Geek Squad.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Eddy County Sheriff warns of scam demanding money for warrants
Their education came to a halt in Afghanistan. An Oklahoma school gave them a new start.

A college diploma hung on an office wall in Jalalabad as its owner boarded a plane out of Afghanistan, with no plans to return.

Waheedullah Atal, 24, wouldnt realize until later how sorely hed miss that diploma and the rest of the records verifying his education. But assembling paperwork was far from his mind as the country fell to the Taliban and his family rushed to escape at the Kabul airport.

Once Atal arrived in Oklahoma in January 2022, he was eager to continue his schooling in nursing, but without a transcript and other key documents, enrolling at a university was impossible.

Waheedullah Atal, 24, is one of 20 Afghan refugees enrolled in a pilot program, called Pathways, at Epic Charter School to help students age 21-25 complete high school. Several Afghan refugees fled their country without their educational records, prompting them to retake high school classes in America.

Without those records, Atal would need to earn his high school diploma all over again before restarting college, and his age presented another issue. He was too old for traditional high school programs, and the GED test would be a difficult exam to pass for someone learning English as a second language and had never studied in the U.S.

A new program, called Pathways, from Epic Charter School is focusing on students age 21-25 who still lack a high school diploma. The programs first 20 students are all Afghan refugees.

More: Several of Oklahoma's Afghan refugees are saying 'I do' again as their US transition continues

Families fleeing Afghanistan left nearly everything behind

Tens of thousands of people fled Afghanistan in August 2021, when the Taliban seized control of the country while U.S. military forces withdrew.

It was an emergency situation, said Behroz Bashari, a 20-year-old refugee. Everybody was just thinking to find a way to just be safe. Nobody thinks about his documents.

Behroz Bashari, 20, escaped Afghanistan with his family before he received his high school diploma. He enrolled at Epic Charter School to retake high school classes. He works as an interpreter for Epic.

Bashari had just completed high school and was waiting to receive his diploma when the Afghan government collapsed. His father, Feroz, had a long history of working with the American military and was the director of the Afghan governments media and information center.

The family escaped to the U.S. and left most possessions behind. Without his diploma, Bashari had to re-take his high school credits in America.

He was young enough to enroll at Epic, a free virtual charter school, but its not so simple for students who are 21 or older. Their options are an adult education course or the GED test.

More: YMCA steps in to bring a little bit of home to Afghan refugees celebrating Eid ul-Fitr

Staff at Epic wanted to link these students with resources, a sense of community and opportunities to further their education, said Misty Kline, coordinator for the Pathways program. Many Afghan families had younger children enrolled in Epic, and the school discovered older relatives who wanted a chance, as well.

Theres a reason that everyone in this program has ended up here, Kline said. They have some kind of story. We want to help them tell their story but not let these stories keep them from their dreams and goals and whatever they want to do.

Misty Kline is the coordinator for the Pathways program at Epic Charter School. The first 20 students to enroll in the program are Afghan refugees.

How Epic Charter Schools created Pathways

The first challenge was figuring out how to fund a program for adult learners. Public school districts and charter schools cant receive state or federal funds for students older than 20, Kline said.

Epic discovered a revenue source that didnt qualify as state or federal dollars  payment card rebates. The school earned about $200,000 last year in these rebates from JP Morgan Chase, money the school could use for an innovative project like Pathways, said Jeanise Wynn, deputy superintendent of finance.

Epic budgeted $100,000 to serve 100 students in the 2023-24 school year. Not all need to be Afghan refugees, but each student must be at least 21 and no older than 25, seeking to finish high school.

The school pays a private education provider, Excel, a fee to supply most of the students online classes and translation services. Epic administers two more courses, English language and Oklahoma history, and connects each student with mentorship.

Theyve had the information before. Theyve studied biology. Theyve studied physics, Kline said of the refugees. We just need to provide them an opportunity to show they know the information, and they can get the documentation.

Waheedullah Atal, 24, works on a computer in an Epic Charter School classroom at 50 Penn Place in Oklahoma City. Atal arrived in Oklahoma in January 2022 without an academic transcript or education records. He is one of 20 Afghan refugees to sign up for a new adult program at Epic to complete high school credits and take English classes.

Student aims to create a 'legacy of change and hope' for women

One 24-year-old Afghan woman finished a semester of Algebra II in a month or two. The woman requested anonymity to protect family members who are still trying to reach the U.S.

She was in law school and worked as a schoolteacher in Kabul at the time the Taliban took over. Staying in Afghanistan under the Talibans fundamentalist rule would deprive her the opportunity to finish her education and have her own career.

We were lucky that we were able to get out from our country, she said. There are a lot of girls (who stayed) that they had to just sit in their house. The only thing they can do  just get married.  They cant work. They cant go to school. They cant go to university. I can feel their pain because Im a woman.

She said her family had painful memories from the last Taliban regime so they escaped to Pakistan as quickly as possible  an arduous journey in which they waited three days at the Pakistani border, hoping to cross.

The student said her family finally booked a flight from Pakistan to Rwanda, where she spent 14 months waiting for a chance to come to the U.S.

More: Afghan refugees adjust to Oklahoma, overcoming hurdles, finding freedom

An Afghan woman speaks about her journey to the U.S. after the Taliban takeover in her home country. She is one of 20 Afghan refugees to sign up for a new adult program at Epic Charter School to complete high school credits and take English classes.

Now that shes settled in America, she hopes to complete a computer science degree. But first, she must re-take high school courses. She has a picture of her diploma from Afghanistan but not the document itself.

While completing her credits, she continues to study English. She hopes to write a book one day about her story and the experiences of Afghan women. She wants to be an educated mother for her future children and to leave a legacy of change and hope for women in countries that deny their rights.

A diploma is another step toward her dreams.

A high school diploma shows I was part of a community of learners, she said. Having the interaction of classes in a group, for example like my English class, allows me to interact and build relationships that I might not have if I were just pursuing a GED.

It also means Im not alone in my journey to restart my interrupted learning and life. I have a team.

Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nurias work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Epic Charter School new program helps Afghan refugees restart education
A view shows a destroyed vehicle as clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue, in Omdurman

By Aidan Lewis and Khalid Abdelaziz

CAIRO (Reuters) -Egypt said on Sunday it would host a summit of Sudan's neighbours on July 13 to discuss ways to end a 12-week conflict between rival Sudanese military factions that has triggered a major humanitarian crisis in the region.

Diplomatic efforts to halt fighting between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have so far proved ineffective, with competing initiatives creating confusion over how the warring parties might be brought to negotiate.

Neither Egypt, seen as the Sudanese army's most important foreign ally, nor the United Arab Emirates, which has had close ties to the RSF, have played a prominent public role.

The two countries were also not involved in talks in Jeddah led by the United States and Saudi Arabia that adjourned last month after failing to secure a lasting ceasefire.

Sudan's two largest neighbours, Egypt and Ethiopia, have been at odds in recent years over the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam on Ethiopia's Blue Nile, close to the border with Sudan.

The summit in Cairo on Thursday aims to "develop effective mechanisms" with neighbouring states to settle the conflict peacefully, in coordination with other regional or international efforts, Egypt's presidency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Sudanese delegations, including from civilian parties that shared power with the army and RSF after the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir four years ago, are expected to meet on Monday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for exploratory talks.

The leaders of former rebel groups from Darfur that signed a partial peace deal in 2020 are expected to travel to Chad for talks, though the timing of the talks is unclear and travel in and out of Sudan remains complicated due to the conflict.

AIR STRIKE

The fighting that erupted on April 15 in Sudan's capital Khartoum has driven more than 2.9 million people from their homes, including almost 700,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries, many of which are struggling with poverty and the impact of internal conflict.

Over 255,000 have crossed into Egypt, according to latest figures from the International Organization for Migration.

There were clashes on Sunday between the army and the RSF in El Obeid, southwest of Khartoum, as well as in the south of the capital, residents said.

On Saturday, Sudan's health ministry said a strike by fighter jets in Omdurman, part of Sudan's wider capital, left 22 people dead, an incident that drew condemnation from U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

On Sunday, the army denied responsibility for the strike, saying its air force had not hit targets in Omdurman the previous day and that the RSF had bombarded residential areas from the ground at times when fighter jets were in the sky before falsely accusing the army of causing civilian casualties.

The army has depended largely on air strikes and heavy artillery to try to push back RSF troops spread across Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, the three cities that make up the capital around the confluence of the Nile.

Violence has also flared in other parts of Sudan including the western region of Darfur, where residents say militias from Arab tribes along with the RSF have targeted civilians on the basis of their ethnicity, raising fears of a repeat of the mass atrocities seen in the region after 2003.

(Additional reporting by Mohamed Waly and Omar Abdel-Razek, Writing by Hatem Maher and Aidan Lewis; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
El Paso police homicide detectives have arrested a man accused of fatally shooting his mother during a struggle for a firearm at an Upper Valley farm last week.

Jake Butler Bean, 31, faces a murder charge in connection with the shooting death of his mother, 59-year-old Tracy Bean on Thursday, July 6, in the 6200 block of Strahan Road near Artcraft Road, police officials said Sunday.

The Bean family runs the Johnny Bean Horse Farm, a more than 60 year old "horse motel" that offers temporary stables for horses visiting El Paso for special events or traveling through the area.

Gun violence: Multiple teens wounded in 'mass shooting' at house party in El Paso's Upper Valley

The farm was founded by the late horseman and saddle maker Johnny Bean, who passed away in 2013. The farm was later run by his son, Jim, and his wife, Tracy, according to an El Paso Inc. article in 2005.

Deadly shooting on Strahan Road

Shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, police officers responding to a call of a shooting found Tracy Bean with a fatal gunshot wound at the home on Strahan Road. Bean's husband, who reported the shooting, and their son, Jake, were at the scene, police said in a news release.

Jake Butler Bean is accused of murder in the fatal shooting of his mother, Tracy Bean, on Thursday in the 6200 block of Strahan Road in El Paso's Upper Valley.

Texas heat wave: El Paso matches record with triple-digit temperatures; heat warning continues

An investigation by detectives with the Crimes Against Persons Unit allegedly found that Tracy Bean was fatally shot during a struggle over a firearm with her son, police said.

Jake Bean was arrested on a murder charge on Friday and remains held at the El Paso County Jail in Downtown on a bond of $650,000, police officials said.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man arrested in mother's shooting death at Upper Valley farm
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. The U.S. Supreme Court giveth and it taketh away. The ultimate arbiter on earth for us, as Americans, is the Supreme Court.

As lower courts rule on matters that affect daily living, most litigants know that those rulings are appealable. As the litigants go through each level of the federal court system, they eye the Supreme Court as the resting place to secure a result that is favorable to his cause.

Elaine Harris Spearman

The Supreme Court receives tens of thousands of petitions from lawyers to have it hear their clients' cases. The high court chooses to hear only a small percentage; it does not have to hear your appeal.

The Supreme Court ordinarily accepts those cases that affect many more people than just the parties involved in the dispute.

Congress has the power to determine the number of judges on the Supreme Court. The number has remained at nine since 1869. To become a Supreme Court justice, the person must be appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate. Once confirmed, a justice can only be removed by impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery or other serious crimes.

In small words, it is a lifetime appointment. It is doubtful that any Supreme Court justice would resign for any reason less than an impeachable offense.

Any time you hear a person say that they dont vote because their vote does not count couldnt be more uninformed, or more wrong. From the knowledge of how these justices are selected comes the wisdom to pay attention to who is running for president of the United States and who is running for a U.S. Senate seat.

The Senate and the president hold the sacred key to unlocking and handing out lifetime appointments to people who will dictate right and wrong for all of us. The Senate is so important in its makeup. Take a look at the Senate  the members lack of representation of all of the people, and what those who are there actually stand for.

In recently released Supreme Court decisions, we witnessed the giving and taking.

The Voting Rights Act was given a reprieve of sorts when Alabamas redistricting map was ordered to be redrawn to provide fair representation to the state's Black citizens.

President Bidens student loan forgiveness plan was struck down. This decision has been met with derision from those who have a student loan debt and parents who fear for their offspring and themselves being mired in debt and unable to move forward.

On the other hand, taxpayers being interviewed have no problem expressing their view that the general public should not have to pay for mass educational choices.

As the Supreme Court struck down the plan; students with debt must begin payments Oct. 1. Experts are recommending that students pay more than the minimum payment due and consider more affordable options, such as community colleges and other kinds of careers since four-year college enrollment is steadily dropping.

I might remind people that this is not the first generation to confront financial crisis from student loan unavailability and indebtedness for those who did get a student loan.

During former President Reagans two terms, he proposed to slash federal aid. The worst thing that he did was sic private bill collectors on those with student loan debt, even if they were paying.

Having a law school debt, it was pretty horrifying to have one of your colleagues behaving like a cheap debt collector. A lot of lawyers became debt collectors without shame or compassion. At least President Biden is seeking an alternative solution to the student debt crisis, although many do not agree with him.

Whatever the solution is, the fact must be faced that a loan is not a scholarship. After an education is received, there is no entitlement to that education being provided at the taxpayers expense.

Know that I paid my partial law school loan as it was threatening to ruin my career. I coupled that loan with applications for every scholarship that I could find.

It would be wise to start now to develop a plan for survival.

Elaine Harris Spearman, Esq., a Gadsden native, is an attorney and is the retired legal advisor to the comptroller of the City of St. Louis. The views expressed are her own.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Elaine Harris Spearman looks at recent Supreme Court decisions
(CNN)  It was a double helping of Taylors on Friday night, when superstar Taylor Swift welcomed her ex, Twilight heartthrob Taylor Lautner, on stage at her Eras tour stop in Kansas City.

The occasion was to debut the new music video for I Can See You, one of the songs from the vault (meaning, previously unreleased) off of Speak Now (Taylors Version), Swifts re-recorded issue of her 2010 third studio album, which dropped on Friday.

Countless social media users captured the moment Lautner started doing backflips on stage in Missouri, as Swift warmly welcomed him.

Swift marked the moment on her social media, as well. She introduced the music video to fans on her verified Instagram and shouted out Lautner as incredible, noting he didnt have a stunt double in the music video.

She also tagged Lautners wife, Tay Lautner (previously Taylor Dome), thanking her for being so awesome to hang with on set. The Tale of 3 Taylors.

Swift and Lautner both shared a hilarious photo of all three Taylors pointing at each other, inspired by the iconic comic book image  which has become a notable meme  showing a trio of Spider-Men.

The I Can See You music video stars Lautner, along with Presley Cash and Bullet Train actor Joey King  who were also present on stage Friday night  in a bank heist-inspired storyline directed by Swift.

Judging from the response of the audience in Kansas City on Friday, and the already enthusiastic reception to the new music video, its fair to say that Swifties are definitively Team Jacob.

This story was first published on CNN.com. "Taylor Swift invites ex Taylor Lautner on stage to debut music video for Speak Now (Taylors Version)"
The elite Horatio Alger Association, which counts Clarence Thomas among its members, has repeatedly been given unusual access to the Supreme Court's courtroom: report

Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

Clarence Thomas' membership in the Horatio Alger Association gives it rare access, per the Times.

The elite group welcomed Thomas into the fold after his stormy Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

Thomas has reveled in the ability to mentor the group's scholarship recipients, per the Times.

In 1991, Clarence Thomas became a household name in one of the most tumultuous Supreme Court nomination hearings in modern history, with the jurist facing allegations of sexual harassment from law professor and former colleague Anita Hill.

Under the glare of the national media, Thomas  a Black conservative who had previously chaired the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and at the time was a judge on the influential Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit  was narrowly confirmed to the high court. But the confirmation battle had deeply affected him.

"I couldn't be defeated without first being caricatured and dehumanized," Thomas said of his opponents in his 2008 memoir, "My Grandfather's Son."

But shortly after his confirmation, he was embraced by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, a nonprofit organization that counts amongst its membership an array of highly influential and wealthy individuals who had revered Thomas' life story and were thrilled by his ascension to the high court, according to The New York Times.

Thomas soon became a member of the Horatio Alger Association himself and cherished his ability to speak with students and mentor scholarship recipients.

Along the way, he has become one of the most prominent ambassadors for the group.

Each year, Thomas leads the induction ceremony for the newest members of the Horatio Alger Association in the courtroom of the Supreme Court, placing medals around the necks of the inductees in an event that holds great personal significance to the judge. But the group's level of access to the Supreme Court is quite unusual, per The Times.

"The Horatio Alger Association has been a home to Virginia and me," Thomas remarked in 2010, mentioning his wife, Ginni, in a speech given to the organization as he received its most venerable award.

Armstrong Williams, the conservative commentator and longtime friend of Thomas, told the Times that the Horatio Alger Association made the jurist "realize that not everyone judges him by the confirmation process, particularly among people of that class and wealth group."

"They really treated him like a brother, like he mattered and, in return, he opened up the Supreme Court," Williams added.

That openness is evident each spring, when the association holds several events in Washington, DC, which often includes a dinner at the National Portrait Gallery and an awards ceremony that in the past has been hosted by the actor Tom Selleck and conservative commentator Lou Dobbs, according to the Times.

Thomas hosts the induction ceremony in the Supreme Court courtroom, where roughly 10 new individuals are welcomed into the elite organization. Near the end of the event, the organization's scholarship recipients are presented to the attendees, and the recipients walk in a procession in the room, per the Times.

Based on fundraising records obtained by the Times, the Horatio Alger Association has highlighted its court ceremony when raising funds for its scholarship recipients. But according to the newspaper, the Supreme Court advises entities against using its facilities  or the justices themselves  when seeking any sort of funding.

Several members told the Times that Thomas presenting them with their medals in the courtroom remained a cherished memory.

"He really seemed to like the fact that everyone else enjoys being in the courtroom," former Horatio Alger event producer and communications specialist Anthony Hutcherson told the Times, adding that "nobody else" but Thomas could give them such an experience.

Thomas this year has been ensnared in a major controversy over legal ethics.

In April, the judge faced criticism after ProPublica published a bombshell report that detailed how he had taken luxury vacations funded by billionaire megadonor Harlan Crow for more than 20 years without disclosing the excursions.

Thomas, in a response to revelations about the previously undisclosed trips, said at the time that he was advised that it wasn't necessary to report "this sort of personal hospitality." But he added that he would now follow the new guidelines set forth by the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Read the original article on Business Insider
'Enough is enough': Ocala church rally calls for justice for AJ Owens

The messages from an array of speakers at the Kingdom Revival Church on Saturday, during the National Day of Righteous Outrage for Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens, were clear: Justice for AJ. We're not going away. Keep fighting. Stay on the State Attorney's Office so it can get a conviction against Owens' killer.

Owens, a 35-year-old mom, went to the residence of her neighbor, Susan Louise Lorincz, on June 2 because the woman had yelled at her children, used racial slurs, and thrown skates at them. Owens, who was Black, was shot by Lorincz, a white woman, through the closed front door.

The controversial shooting death has ignited protests, marches and heated debates, both locally and nationally.

Lorincz said the shooting was self-defense. But she was arrested on June 6 and prosecutors have charged her with manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault. Lorincz is being held at the county jail, where bail is set at $154,000. If convicted, she could face 30 years in prison.

Benjamin Crump speaks

Noted civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, who is one of two lawyers representing the Owens family, told the roughly 200 people at Saturday's rally that prosecutors need to do more. He said there's more than enough proof to show Lorincz knew what she was doing the night of the fatal shooting.

Crump noted that Lorincz has admitted using racial language toward the children, had researched the stand your ground law before the shooting, and had told the children to go get their mother that night.

To Crump, Lorincz's intent was clear. He said if the roles had been reversed, Owens would have been charged with murder, not just manslaughter.

Attorney Ben Crump was among the speakers Saturday at the National Day of Righteous Outrage Justice for Ajike Owens, held at Kingdom Revival Church in Ocala.

Addressing the audience, Crump said he knows he's "speaking to the choir," but "the choir got to sing louder."

The attorney added that the community should not settle for state charges. He said the federal Department of Justice needs to step in and prosecute the shooting as a hate crime.

Owens' mother speaks

Residents, community leaders and others are upset about the charges and want State Attorney Bill Gladson to go for second-degree murder. Gladson said his charging decision is based on the law.

Some members of the community have voiced their displeasure with Gladson. One woman, Regina A. Pines, was taken into custody for reportedly threatening to shoot Gladson. Her case is ongoing.

Pamela Davis, Owens' mother, said the community needs to continue fighting for her daughter. She urged people to register to vote so they can make a difference.

Pamela Davis, AJ Owens' mother, speaks Saturday during the National Day of Righteous Outrage Justice for Ajike Owens at Kingdom Revival Church in Ocala.

Anthony D. Thomas, the other lawyer for the Owens family, said he wants to see Lorincz convicted and she deserves the maximum penalty.

Thomas said he wants to see justice for AJ.

Owens' children

Takema Robinson and Tiffany Bess were the moderators of Saturday's three-hour event, which was both spiritual and fiery. Bess fired up the attendees by calling out "when we fight" and having the crowd answer "we win."

War Cry 4 Peace representative Pastor Darrell Tolbert said there's "a spiritual battle," and the people on Saturday had "gathered for injustice."

Press conference: Attorney Benjamin Crump, family of slain Ocala mom urge community to keep fighting

Tolbert invited those touched by gun violence to come to the stage and light one of the dozens of candles on a table. He prayed, asking God to "comfort and guide them." There was a moment of silence for the survivors.

Marcus Arbery, whose son Ahmaud was killed while jogging in a Georgia neighborhood, told the Owens family that he stands with them and feels their pain.

"Enough is enough," he said, calling for unity.

Pastor Chrissy Vickers wondered why the voices of the local political leaders are so quiet. She said they  making reference to the community  should form a link and unite because if they're together, then they are hard to break.

Attendees call for justice for AJ during the National Day of Righteous Outrage Justice for Ajike Owens on Saturday at Kingdom Revival Church in Ocala.

The women in the crowd were called to the stage for a prayer that was led by Charnelle Gibson.

Two of Owens' children, Israel and Afrika, went on stage to pay tribute to their mother. Israel said "my mom is alright," which drew an applause. The children told the crowd that they loved them and thanked them. They also danced.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala woman shot and killed last month honored at church rally
Commanders of Ukraine's Azov Regiment flew home from an airport in Istanbul on Saturday - EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Turkey has angered Vladimir Putin by freeing commanders of the Ukrainian Azov Regiment that were being held under a prisoner swap deal.

Russian commentators demanded a tough response to Turkeys betrayal and Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, called it a violation of trust.

No one informed Russia about the transfer, Mr Peskov said. They were supposed to stay in Turkey until the end of the conflict.

Mr Peskov was reacting to a video of the Azov Regiment commanders hugging Volodymyr Zelenksy and other members of the Ukrainian government after being handed over at an airport in Turkey and then flying to Ukraine on Saturday.

An Azov commander embraces President Zelensky in Istanbul - EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Mr Zelensky had been in Turkey for talks with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the countrys president, who has also pledged to support Ukraines Nato membership aspirations.

Without a doubt, Ukraine deserves to be in Nato, Mr Erdogan said after talks with the Ukrainian president on Friday in Istanbul. Ukraines membership of Nato is due to be discussed at the annual Nato summit in Vilnius this week.

Turkey is a Nato member but it has maintained business and air links with Russia when Europe cut contact after the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

When Putin faced a rebellion two weeks ago by his Wagner mercenary unit, Mr Erdogan was one of the few international leaders to support him. He has also hosted failed peace talks and negotiated a deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain via its Black Sea ports.

Mr Erdogan said that Putin will travel to Turkey in August for rare overseas talks, but analysts said that his prisoner release deal with Mr Zelensky may show that he is beginning to support Ukraine more strongly.

President Erdogan understands Putin better than many, said Konstantin Sonin, a professor in public policy at the University of Chicago. Putin does not listen to words, but can get a message if the message is a tangible action.

The Azov Regiment defended Mariupol in south-eastern Ukraine against the Russian military during the first few months of the invasion. The Kremlin has accused the regiment of being a sanctuary of fascism and has held it up as proof that Ukraine harbours Nazis.

Under the terms of a prison swap deal agreed last September, 215 Ukrainian soldiers were swapped for Viktor Medvedchuk, a personal friend of Putin, and 55 other Russian soldiers. Ordinary soldiers from the Azov Regiment were sent back to Ukraine but their commanders were sent to Turkey where Mr Erdogan promised to keep them until the end of the war.

Now, in Moscow, Russian pundits feel that Mr Edrogan has betrayed Russia and the spirit of the prisoner swap deal. Sergei Markov, a pro-war commentator and a former adviser to the Kremlin, said that Putin needed a strong response.

The consequences of this gross violation of these agreements and the release of Azov fascists needs to be very, very significant, he said.

On Sunday, Sergei Lavrov, Russias foreign minister, discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea grain deal in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, Russias foreign ministry said.

In Lviv, western Ukraine, the Azov Regiment commanders were given heroes welcomes and they immediately promised to return to battle.

Denis Prokopenko, one of the freed Azov Regiment commanders, said it was his main goal to return to the front line.

We will continue the fight, he said. We will definitely have our say again in battle.

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A fresh batch of damning European intelligence reports reveal that the Islamic Republic of Iran sought to bypass U.S. and EU sanctions to secure technology for its nuclear weapons program with a view toward testing an atomic bomb.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which first published translations of the intelligence documents on its website, the security agencies of Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany revealed sensitive data during the first six months of 2023 on the Iranian regime's illicit nuclear weapons proliferation activities. The reports mainly cover Irans alleged illegal conduct in 2022.

The most shocking revelation in the trove of intelligence data was from the Netherlands General and Intelligence Security Service (AVID) that determined Irans astonishingly fast development of weapons-grade uranium "brings the option of a possible [Iranian] first nuclear test closer."

Fox News Digital reached out to AVID for comment.

IRAN REGIME CLOSE TO GETTING NUCLEAR BOMB, BUT WHAT'S THE HOLDUP?

"Last year, Iran proceeded with its nuclear program," the Dutch report noted. "The country continues to increase stocks of 20% and 60% enriched uranium. By means of centrifuges, this can be used for further enrichment to the 90% enriched uranium needed for a nuclear weapon."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

According to the Netherlands' intelligence report, "Iran is further ignoring the agreements that were made within the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). And by deploying increasingly more sophisticated uranium enrichment centrifuges it is enlarging its enrichment capacity."

The U.S. and other world powers reached an agreement (JCPOA) with Iran in 2015 to provide Tehran with over $100 billion in sanctions relief in exchange for temporary restrictions on Tehran's alleged atomic weapons programs.

The Trump administration withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 because, according to President Trump, the deal did not stop Irans rulers from attempting to build nuclear weapons and impose an end to its state-sponsored terrorist activities.

The Biden administration is reportedly seeking to replicate a mini-version of the JCPOA.

"The reality is that Iran has not in any way backed off from its efforts to build nuclear weapons, has taken every opportunity to advance its technological capabilities to this end and has for years misled the international community and lied about its intentions while at the same time widely publicizing its goal to legitimately attain nuclear-threshold status and continues doing so to this day," Ayelet Savyon, director of MEMRIs Iran Media Project, wrote.

A picture shows a newspaper stall with a view of Etemaad newspaper's front page with a headline, in Farsi, "The night of the end of the JCPOA," in the capital of Tehran Aug. 16, 2022.

European intelligence agencies have documented prior to 2015 and after the JCPOA was agreed upon that Iran continued efforts to illegally secure technology for its atomic, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction programs.

The Swedish Security Service wrote in its annual report in 2023 that "Iran engages in industrial espionage, which is mainly aimed at the Swedish high-tech industry and Swedish products that can be used in nuclear weapons program."

MOSSAD FOILS HIT SQUAD LOOKING TO KILL ISRAELIS, CAPTURES TERROR CHIEF IN IRAN

"The Swedish Security Service can confirm that Iran are conducting security-threatening activities in Sweden and against Swedish interests," Adam Samara, a spokesperson for the Swedish Security Service, told Fox News Digital in an email.

"Examples of these activities are industrial espionage targeting Swedish high-tech industries and unlawful intelligence gathering targeting Swedish higher education institutions. Iran seeks Swedish technology and knowledge that can be used in their nuclear weapons program.

CCTV cameras are seen in a street in Tehran, Iran, April 9, 2023.

"The Swedish Security Service has an ongoing collaboration with our international partners, but we do not however go into details concerning that collaboration."

When asked about the European intelligence findings, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "We have seen the reports. We have long made clear our concerns about Irans nuclear, missile and conventional arms-related activities and associated procurement efforts. Irans development and proliferation of ballistic missiles pose a serious threat to regional and international security.

"We continue to work closely with our allies and partners to use all tools at our disposal to impede these activities, including through interdictions, export controls and sanctions. We will also continue raising our concerns, including at the U.N. and in other public forums, about Irans ballistic missile capacity and the need for concerted action to counter it."

This photo taken May 15, 2023, shows the logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

The U.N.s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for monitoring Irans alleged illicit nuclear weapons program. When questioned about the European intelligence, Fredrik Dahl, a spokesman for the IAEA, told Fox News Digital, "In line with agency policy, we don't comment on such matters."

The European intelligence reports are of great significance, according to a leading expert on non-proliferation.

"There should be more public reporting of the findings in these intelligence reports," David Albright, a physicist who is the founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., added.

IRAN UNVEILS LATEST VERSION OF BALLISTIC MISSILE AMID WIDER TENSIONS OVER NUCLEAR PROGRAM

"The public and, more importantly, industry need to be alerted about the threat posed by Iran and Russia. Iran as well as Russia depend heavily on foreign procurement of both specific items but also technology for their nuclear, missile, conventional arms and/or drone programs.

"The intelligence reports show that Iran continues to try to find ways to subvert European controls and obtain items needed for its nuclear and missile programs. Often it succeeds. It is hard to ignore that one unfortunate side effect of the 2015 nuclear deal was a declining focus, and allocation of resources, to detecting and preventing Iranian Illicit procurements, where intelligence played a critical role.

"So, it is good to see this renewed focus on Iran. European nations need to deploy more intelligence resources aimed at detecting Iranian procurement efforts. They also need to step up their enforcement of the perpetrators and their sanctions action against Iranian entities and officials."

David Albright, founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, speaks during a Senate Foreign Committee hearing on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding Iran's nuclear program in Washington, D.C., Aug. 4, 2015.

Albright worked closely with the IAEA Action Team from 1992 until 1997 focusing on Iraqi documents and past procurement activities. In 1996, he served as the first non-governmental inspector of the Iraqi nuclear program.

"These intelligence reports confirm that Iran focuses on gaining both technical data and assistance technology for its nuclear and missile programs in Europe," Albright said. "This is the specific knowledge or information needed for the development, production or use of these items. In some ways, technology is just as, or in some cases, more important to stop than the procurement of specific items. There needs to be accelerated efforts against Iran acquiring technical data (e.g., blueprints and engineering designs) and technical assistance (e.g., instructions and training).

"It goes without saying that the government should fully inform the IAEA about the details of these cases since they could indicate additional undeclared Iranian nuclear activities."

Germanys Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) also had warnings in its June 2023 intelligence report.

"The authorities for the protection of the constitution were able to find, in 2022, a consistently high number of indications of proliferation relevant procurement attempts by Iran for its nuclear programs," the report states.

A picture taken Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

The German intelligence report defines proliferation as "the activities of foreign powers (that) also include procuring products and knowledge for the production of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, other armaments or elements of new weapon systems."

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps plays a key role in the construction of the nations alleged atomic weapons program.

BIDEN'S IRAN ENVOY ROBERT MALLEY PLACED ON LEAVE AMID SECURITY CLEARANCE INVESTIGATION

A spokesman for Germanys Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community told Fox News Digital it "generally does not comment on deliberations regarding a possible (IRGC) ban, regardless of whether there is reason for such deliberations in individual cases.

"The Federal Ministry of the Interior handles it this way because otherwise there would be a risk that those potentially affected would act accordingly, and the effectiveness of operational official measures could be impaired or thwarted."

Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps listen to a speech in parliament in Tehran Oct. 7, 2018.

Israeli Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser (res.) is a senior researcher at the Israeli Defense Security Forum and an expert on Iran.

"Iran is evidently committed to its nuclear weapons plan," Kuperwasser said. "The European intelligence reports describe covert Iranian efforts to shorten the breakout time to a nuclear arsenal by illegally acquiring equipment and knowledge from various European countries."

"The European intelligence reports come only as a small surprise since Iranian efforts to achieve military nuclear capabilities have continued unabated over the last years. "

IRANIAN PRESIDENT HACKED AS GROUP CLAIMS DATA SHOWS EXPANDED SECURITY AROUND NUCLEAR SITE

"The reports only expose part of the Iranian efforts in Europe, and it would be wise to assume that many of those efforts have remained clandestine. Iran is likely interpreting Western policy towards it as a sign of weakness since European and U.S. actions against Iran (have) been passive and unintimidating."

He said the U.S. and other world powers seeking to reach an interim deal with Tehran are "rewarding Iran with a new understanding and would only motivate Iran to continue and enhance its efforts to obtain the required components of nuclear weapons."

The Biden administrations attempt to reach a deal with Iran has been referred to as an "understanding" to avoid congressional scrutiny of the controversial accord, critics say.

In response to a Fox News Digital press query, a U.N. spokesman sent Fox News Digital the July 6 remarks by Rosemary A. DiCarlo under-secretary-general to the U.N.s Security Council on non-proliferation.

"We are alarmed that the Agency remains unable to verify the stockpile of enriched uranium in the country [Iran ]," DiCarlo said.

"It estimates that Iran now has a total enriched uranium stockpile of more than twenty times the allowable amount under the (JCPOA). This includes increased quantities of uranium enriched to 20% and 60%. Such a stockpile of enriched uranium is of serious concern."

Numerous Fox News Digital press queries sent to Irans Permanent Mission to the U.N. and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs were not returned.
Popular social media influencers and husbands Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo are officially ending their relationship.

After tying the knot in August of 2022, the couple, who had been together for nearly 6 and a half years after becoming boyfriends in 2017, have decided to part ways.

"With social media, it's a bit complicated. Our relationship became a brand," Champa exclusively tells Out about his and Boo's decision.

He continued:

"I want to say I have nothing but love and respect for this person. I spent my entire twenties with this person. I grew up with this person. He's a very special person and will always remain that way for me."

The 27-year-old credits his and Boo's nine-year age gap (Boo is 36 years old) and the constant pressures of being social media stars as contributing factors to the end of their relationship.

"I think as you age, you kind of realize different things," he said. "Then on top of it, the social media aspect of it and people constantly comparing ourselves to each other and the pressure of maintaining this image. It almost became, I would tell people, like a Black Mirror episode."

"It was almost like I felt trapped within an ideology of what we've become," he continued. "I can only speak for myself. I lost myself in this relationship, incredibly. I sacrificed a lot for this relationship. I dedicated myself to this relationship and the brand that we were building. I think that at this stage in my life, I had to choose me and pick me first. And I think [Pierre] had to do the same, and that's the direction we're heading in."

Screengrab via Instagram (@itspierreboo)

Boo (whose real name is Pierre Amaury Crespeau) took to his Instagram Stories earlier today (July 9) to post a short announcement signaling to his and Champa's followers that they had split.

"We broke up," Boo wrote.

www.youtube.com

We arrived in Milan!  | Nicky and Pierre #NiPi

Most known for their respective TikTok accounts (Nicky has 13.3 million followers and Pierre has 13.7 million, at the time of writing), the two made a name for themselves creating content about their daily lives and travels as a gay couple.

The two also shared a joint YouTube account, where they had nearly 2.5 million subscribers tuning into their videos.

Post-breakup, Champa says he and Pierre will no longer be creating content together, as they are now both focusing on different stages in their career.

"I will be continuing my own process," Champa tells Out. "I recently started working with CAA (Creative Artists Agency) and I want to focus more on acting and modeling. So that's my pursuit and also social media on top of it.

"I think my biggest goal is to find my voice," Champa continued. "I think that for a long time I was kind of shadowed by the brand that we created and I didn't have the platform or space to be myself. That's what my focus will be going forward."
Wynter Cole-Smith, a smiling 2-year-old wearing a T-shirt with a rainbow pattern, was Michigan's first Amber Alert this year, according to State Police.

A little over three hours after her mother was found about 11:20 p.m. July 2 by police stabbed and assaulted in her home in Lansing, cellphones across the state blared with the Amber Alert, waking many from a sound sleep and asking the public's help to find the little girl and her captor.

A flyer is handed out to community members who attend a vigil in memory of Wynter Cole-Smith on Friday, July 7, 2023, on Erwin Avenue in Detroit near where the body of the 2-year-old Lansing toddler was found.

About two hours after the 2:41 a.m. alert last Monday, the vehicle suspected in the kidnapping of Wynter and assault of her mother was spotted by an officer on patrol in St. Clair Shores. Detective Sgt. Eric Bowers said officers knew about the Amber Alert as well as a police generated "be on the lookout." Lansing Police said it put out a message to law enforcement statewide at 12:12 a.m. that morning  about 12 minutes after its first Facebook post about the situation.

Rashad Maleek Trice, 26, who was charged Friday in federal court in western Michigan with two kidnapping charges related to Wynter's kidnapping and death, admitted after his capture to an FBI agent Tuesday  among other things  that he was aware of the Amber Alert, according to court documents.

"Trice stated, words to the effect of 'I am already a monster,' " according to the federal court complaint.

It's difficult to say whether the Amber Alert proved effective, though it did disseminate information to the news media and the public about Wynter and Trice, seeking assistance in finding them.

Jordan Gulkis, Lansing Police spokesperson, said the department was appreciative of the Amber Alert and believes it helped, as Trice was located and arrested.

But the outcome for Wynter was obviously tragic.

Her body was found three days after her disappearance, in an alley on Detroit's east side, bringing devastation to family and friends, law enforcement and the public who searched for her, called in tips, or simply watched the story and prayed for her safe return.

Federal authorities said Friday that Wynter's cause of death appeared to be strangulation with a pink cellphone charging cord that was recovered with her body and was consistent with pink cord parts found in the car Trice had been driving.

Wynter was not Trice's biological child, according to the federal complaint, but he is the biological father of a 1-year-old son with Wynter's mother, Symari Cole,. The boy was found in the Lansing apartment where Trice is accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend Cole and taking Wynter.

More: Suspect charged in kidnapping of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith

Expert: Abductors and their intentions play big role in outcomes

Timothy Griffin, an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, who has studied the Amber Alert system across the U.S. for years, said he had not heard Wynter's story, but the timespan from when Lansing Police responded to the stabbing call and the time the Amber Alert went out was typical and "actually pretty good. Sometimes, they don't even know about the crime until days after, until hours after."

"These cases are incredibly difficult to predict," Griffin said. "Law enforcement are put in an incredibly difficult situation."

Griffin said the Amber Alert system works as intended "maybe one-fifth of the time."

Griffin said who abducts a child and that person's intentions influence the outcome. Some situations, he said, unfortunately, can be hopeless from the start. But law enforcement can never know that in the moment.

"They want to win," he said. "They want to help these kids."

A study published in 2021, which Griffin authored with others after examining a sample of 472 Amber Alerts from 2012 to 2015, indicated "the crucial variable predicting Alert outcomes is abductor relationship to victim, not AMBER Alert 'performance,' " findings consistent with prior research examining Amber Alert effectiveness.

USA TODAY investigation: Amber Alerts rare

A USA TODAY investigation published in February indicated Amber Alerts across the country are extremely rare and, when used, it's unclear how much they help bring children home safely. The investigation analyzed data on Amber Alerts dating to 2017, following up with police on every alert issued across the country to gauge the outcome, as well as other reporting.

It found Amber Alerts are issued for a tiny fraction of missing child cases. In 2021, there were 254 Amber Alerts nationwide, according to an annual report from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

But there were more than 337,000 missing child reports logged by local law enforcement with the FBI that year, according to the USA TODAY report. Police told USA TODAY that most children who receive Amber Alerts are found safe.

The USA Today investigation found from 2017 through 2021, Black children comprised 37% of missing children reports and nearly 37% of Amber Alerts, indicating alerts are issued proportionately. But reporters found the alerts were less likely to play a role in locating the children, according to the news report.

The USA TODAY report stated from January 2017 through June 2022 in Michigan, local law enforcement called in 86 requests for an Amber Alerts, and the state coordinator approved 19 of them.

There were no originating Amber Alert activations in Michigan last year, according to the 2022 Amber Alert report by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. There was one in Michigan in 2021 and five in the state in 2020, according to prior years' reports by the national center.

If a request for an Amber Alert from a local law enforcement agency to Michigan State Police doesn't meet specific criteria, it may not be approved. But State Police can provide different resources to assist in finding the child, including search and rescue or canine or aviation services, said First Lt. Mike Teachout, who has been the state's Amber Alert coordinator for about two months.

State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw, public information officer for the metro Detroit region, said there also could be investigative reasons why an alert isn't issued.

"We dont want to cry wolf and have people ignore these," Teachout said of Amber Alerts.

More: Records shed light on suspect connected to deceased toddler Wynter Cole-Smith

More: Man accused in Wynter Cole-Smith death once threatened to kill her father, records say

Amber Alert history

The Amber Alert system began in 1996 and stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. It was inspired by 9-year-old Amber Hageman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Texas and later found murdered.

Its used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and more than two dozen other countries, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It claims 1,140 children have been recovered since its inception because of Amber Alerts as of June 30 and that 136 are because of Wireless Emergency Alerts or WEA.

The Amber Alert plan in Michigan began in 2001 and is a partnership between law enforcement and the media to immediately disseminate information to the public about an abducted child using the Emergency Alert System. It expanded to freeway message signs in metro Detroit and Grand Rapids a year later, according to a 2002 Free Press article.

Michigan State Police is responsible for the system. Starting Jan. 1, 2017, State Police said, the system's criteria changed, and alerts would be issued only for cases of child abductions involving victims under age 18, but all Amber Alerts would receive WEA. A WEA is an emergency message sent by an authorized government alerting authority through mobile carriers. It looks like a text message, is no more than 90 characters and shows the type and time of the alert, any action you should take and the agency issuing the alert, according to the state.

There are three types of alerts  extreme weather and other area emergencies, Amber Alerts and Presidential alerts during a national emergency. People can opt out of receiving WEAs for imminent threats and Amber Alerts, but not Presidential messages, according to the state.

Before 2017, Amber Alerts were authorized for abducted children as well as missing children with severe mental or physical disabilities who wandered away and were unable to care for themselves. Then-State Police Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue said tightening the standards for issuing an Amber Alert would "ensure these alerts are utilized only in the most dire of circumstances to get credible, useful information out to the public in order to bring abducted children home safely."

Missing child cases that didn't meet the revised Amber Alert criteria were eligible for a new notification  the Endangered Missing Advisory  for which there is no age restriction. Unlike an Amber Alert, the advisory does not use the Emergency Alert System to interrupt broadcasting and is not sent to mobile devices.

More: 'Our Wynter': Detroiters vow to come together after killing of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith

Amber Alert criteria

Each state's Amber Alert plan includes its own criteria for issuing alerts. A federal act passed in 2003 established an Amber Alert coordinator within the U.S. Department of Justice and calls on the department to issue minimum standards or guidelines for Amber Alerts that states can adopt, according to the department's Office of Justice Programs website.

It indicates state guidelines adhere closely to the handful of recommended guidelines, which are:

Reasonable belief by law enforcement an abduction occurred.

Law enforcement belief the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.

Enough descriptive information about the victim and abduction, as well as the suspect and suspect vehicle, for law enforcement to issue an alert to help in the child's recovery.

The abducted child is age 17 or younger.

The child's name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center system.

Teachout said the state stays in parallel with federal criteria. He said the key is the imminent risk of great bodily harm or death. Once State Police have all the information, it meets criteria, forms are filled out and boxes are checked, the alert goes out.

"The timely distribution of information is very, very important," Teachout said.

If a situation happens in the middle of the night, like with Wynter, authorities said they can't wait until business hours to put out information.

While people may not like waking up to the alert, Teachout said: "Thats somebodys child. You want that information out there."

Shaw said many people work night shifts or start early for work; others are up because they cant sleep. Teachout said truck drivers are out at all hours, and they are "always good sources of information."

"Why not put it out as soon as we have it?" he said of an Amber Alert.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Expert: Amber Alert cases 'incredibly difficult to predict'
GREAT LAKES  Michigan is a state chock full of natural beauty, from state parks to forests to trails to snow; but perhaps the most impressive and well-known features of Michigan are the Great Lakes that surround it.

To that end, we've created a guide to enjoying Michigan's best, bluest and brightest feature this summer:

Northern Michigan

The Salmon Festival at De Tour Village

Fishermen from across the Upper Peninsula will make their way to the waterfront of De Tour Village in August to put their fishing skills to the test. The 37th Annual Salmon Fest takes place Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 3-5. Participants will compete in three different categories: heaviest salmon, heaviest trout and heaviest Atlantic.

Prizes for placing in the competition range from $100 to $1,200, depending on rank and category. Learn more at detourvillage.org/salmonfest.html.

Isle Royale can only be traversed by hiking or boating, and has over 150 miles of shoreline covered in natural barriers and bays that make for interesting exploration.

Kayaking Tours in Copper Harbor

Copper Harbor is located on the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, several hours west of the Mackinac Bridge. It's the northern-most point of the Upper Peninsula and a well-known tourist destination. Visitors can ferry to Isle Royale, a small island on Lake Superior known for its natural beauty. Here, tourists will find some of the best kayaking opportunities in Michigan.

The island can only be traversed by hiking or boating, and has over 150 miles of shoreline covered in natural barriers and bays that make for interesting exploration. A guided tour includes ferrying back and forth and equipment, and runs throughout the summer. Learn more at keweenawadventure.com.

Boat Tour of Mackinac Bridge near Mackinac Island

The Mackinac Bridge is one of the most iconic and recognizable landmarks in Michigan and connects the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula. While anyone can drive across the bridge for a toll, getting a better view of the bridge is considerably more difficult.

On Mackinac Island, some organizations specialize in showcasing the unseen side of the bridge, a view normally reserved for passing freighters and other ships. Starting at the Coal Dock on Mackinac Island, cruises give tourists a chance to get up close and personal. Learn more mackinacisland.org/activities/sip-n-sail-cruises.

Scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, July 12-15, the Blue Water Festival  Port Hurons Boat Weekend  will feature concerts, a street fair, mannequins and fireworks.

Eastern Michigan

Blue Water Festival in Port Huron

Scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, July 12-15, the Blue Water Festival  Port Hurons Boat Weekend  will feature concerts, a street fair, mannequins and fireworks. The Rotary International Day Parade kicks off the festivities July 12. For a full schedule of activities, visit thebluewaterfest.com

Lake Erie Metropark Marshlands Museum in Brownstown

Nature lovers can enjoy three miles of Lake Erie shoreline when they visit the more than 1,600-acre park at 32481 W. Jefferson Ave. Visitors can also explore the culture and natural heritage of the downriver area through exhibits and programs at the Lake Erie Metropark Marshlands Museum. The building is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Aug. 31. Park hours are 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Admission is $10 daily or $40 for an annual pass. For more information, visit metroparks.com/lake-erie-metropark.

Monroe's Sterling State Park

Sterling State Park in Monroe

Michigan's only official state park on Lake Erie at 2800 State Park Road in Monroe protects more than 500 acres of marsh and restored prairie habitat. The park offers a mile of sandy shoreline, a 256-site campground, cottages, boat access and six miles of trails. The Hotter Than July Campout is planned for July 16-17, and includes comedians around a bonfire. A recreation passport is required for admission. Learn more at facebook.com/sterlingstatepark.

Western Michigan

Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival

The U.S. Coast Guard will be honored during this nationally recognized festival running July 28-Aug. 6 in Grand Haven, also known as Coast Guard City, USA. The Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium will host several concerts, a cardboard boat race competition, and fireworks. The festival also includes a carnival, a parade, a craft fair, ship tours and more. The full schedule and tickets are available at tickets.coastguardfest.org.

Ships line up along Escanaba Park at the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven on Aug. 3, 2022.

Great Lakes Surf Festival in Muskegon

A celebration of surfing culture is set for 12:30-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon. General admission and family passes are available for purchase at greatlakessurffestival.com. The event includes surfing lessons, vendors, awards and giveaways, yoga, music and more.

Ludington Offshore Classic

Competitors fish for prize money in this annual tournament running July 10-16 on Lake Michigan. There are six tournament categories: Big Boys, Ludington Legends Memorial Tournament, Ladies Pro/Am, Youth, Pro/Am and Big Fish. Registration is available online at offshoreclassic.com.

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Explore Michigan's Great Lakes through this USA Today Road Trip
Crimean bridge

Multiple explosions were reported in Crimea on July 9, as Russian forces claimed that they had downed a cruise missile in the Kerch area, according to Radio Free Europe / Radio Libertys Krym.Realii service.

The explosions are said to have occurred around noon and were heard three to four times consecutively.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimeas occupation authority, claimed that Russian air defense forces successfully shot down a cruise missile, resulting in no reported damages or casualties.

In response to the incident, the Russian Telegram channel Mash, citing its sources, reported that traffic on the Crimean Bridge, had temporarily been halted in both directions due to the alleged attack.

However, by 1:17 p.m., Mykola Lukashenko, the Kremlin-backed head of the Ministry of Transport of Crimea, announced that traffic had already been restored.

Read also: Crimean bridge must be destroyed, says Zelenskyy advisor

Regular explosions have been heard in the Russian-occupied Crimea since 2022, with Russian authorities often attributing them to air defense drills while accusing Ukraine of instigating attacks.

In October 2022, an explosion occurred on the illegally constructed Crimean Bridge.

Presently, the peninsula operates under an elevated (yellow) level of terrorist threat, according to Russian authorities.

Providing insights on the recent explosion near Bakhchisaray in May 2023, Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukrainian intelligence, emphasized infrastructure construction in Crimea can only be conducted in Crimea following its liberation by 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
Gov. Spencer Cox holds his monthly news conference at PBS Utah in the Eccles Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City, on Thursday, March 16, 2023. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

On a Sunday appearance on Face the Nation, Gov. Spencer Cox said the number of young people in Utah who identify as transgender and ask for hormone therapy or puberty blockers is exploding, and that American medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics have become politicized.

Its impossible to get unbiased information out of the United States right now on this issue, he told host Margaret Brennan.

On the show, Brennan asked Cox about several hot button culture war issues like medical interventions for transgender youth, whether transgender athletes should be able to participate in high school sports, and if the state has done enough to protect young people from guns.

They also spoke about the states new social media law, and Cox renewed his earlier call for the Republican Party to endorse a governor in the presidential race next year.

Cox, who is vice chair of the National Governors Association, was on the show to talk about young people and mental health, a focus of the organization this year.

Cox: Medical groups politicized

During his eight-minute segment on the show, Brennan asked Cox about several recently-passed Utah laws, including one that restricts access for young people to hormone treatments and puberty blockers, as well as gender reassignment surgery.

Brennan asked Cox if he has an end date in mind for the law, since he had earlier said the state was pausing medical interventions.

Cox said he was looking for more data and information on the subject, and said it has been impossible to get good information on what medical treatments are safe for young people, because medicine in the United States has become too politicized.

Brennan responded by listing a number of American medical groups  including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics  that have endorsed the use of medical interventions to slow or stop puberty in young people, and said, theyve rejected the claims that it is harmful.

All very political groups, Cox said in response. Those groups are all politicized.

Its impossible to get unbiased information out of the United States right now on this issue, he said.

Brennan pointed out that the number of young people who have gender transition surgery is relatively small, but Cox said the number of children who ask for hormone therapy is exploding.

And you dont know whats driving it? asked Brennan.

Cox replied, Thats what these scientists in other countries are actually trying to figure out, where in the United States were putting our head in the sand, and saying, were not even going to talk about this, he said.

In other countries, theyre saying, something is happening. Hundreds in my state, thousands all across the country that are making requests for this, and ... theyre presenting with several other mental health issues as well, he said.

Transgender youth in sports

He was also asked about his earlier veto of a state law banning transgender youth participation in sports. The veto was overridden by the state legislature. In his veto letter, Cox said there were only four students out of 85,000 student athletes who would be impacted by the legislation.

Why didnt that call for empathy persuade your party? asked Brennan.

But Cox said he agreed with what the state legislature was trying to accomplish.

I think it is wrong to have a transgender female, a person who was born a male, taking scholarships, taking records away from people. ... That should not happen, he said. What we were negotiating in the state of Utah was something that would allow some kids to play and others not to, depending on their physical capability.

He said he does believe that there is a lack of compassion and empathy in our politics today.

Im hoping that Utah can be an example of being a little better on that side, he said.

Utahs law limiting social media access

On the states new social media law, Cox said he expects Utah to be sued over the law, which restricts access to social media for young people, but he said the state has plans to sue as well.

In fact, were going to be suing social media companies for the harm and damage that theyre causing our young people, he said.

Theres not just a correlation between social media use and an increase in suicide, anxiety, depression, self harm, there is a causal link there, he said.

He also said he expects the Supreme Court to eventually weigh in on the issue.

Given the number of firearm-related deaths among young people, Brennan asked Cox why Utah hasnt done more to stop those deaths from happening.

Cox said the increase in firearm deaths is being driven by suicide deaths. He said the state is doing more to keep guns from kids, but said his focus is on working to make sure the kids know that it is going to get better and there is a reason to stay here.

Brennan: Can a governor defeat Trump?

On the upcoming Republican presidential primary, Brennan asked Cox if any of the six current or former governors in the race can defeat former President Donald Trump.

I hope so. I like governors, said Cox. I think governors are great. I think governors have real experience. The great thing about governors is we actually have to get stuff done, right? We cant just do the performance thing.

I think any of any of those governors could win and I certainly hope well give them a chance, he said.

After appearing on the show, Cox said in a tweet that appearing on a national interview show is like showing up in court to get cross-examined but no one will tell you what the case is even about.

Not sure how the heavily edited version will turn out, but here is the un-edited version for anyone interested, he said, posting a link to the full interview.
Press Release

July 9, 2023 Bong Go commends PBBM for action versus onion cartel and smuggling; calls for protection for poor consumers Senator Christopher "Bong" Go expressed his support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive for the conduct of a thorough investigation into the alleged onion cartel as well as the smuggling and hoarding of agricultural products. "I commend President Marcos for his decisive action to address the issue of hoarding, smuggling, and price fixing of agricultural commodities, " Go said in reference to the President's directive to the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation to launch a thorough investigation. Go stressed the importance of protecting the interests of local farmers and consumers and said "these unlawful practices have severe consequences for our farmers and the general public, particularly the poor." He said there is a need to put an end to the manipulative tactics employed by the onion cartel, which led to a significant surge in onion prices and negatively affected the consumers' purchasing power and the livelihood of farmers. "It is crucial to hold those responsible accountable for their actions. Our farmers work hard to provide for our nation, and they should not be exploited by unscrupulous individuals seeking to profit at their expense. We must ensure that justice is served," he said. "Napakaimportante ng food security. Huwag natin hayaang may nangsasamantala lalo na sa sektor ng agrikultura kung saan nakasalalay ang ikabubuhay ng marami nating kababayan. Importante na may laman ang tiyan ng mga tao lalo na mga mahihirap," he added. Go stressed the need for collaboration among different government agencies and enforcement bodies to ensure a comprehensive and efficient inquiry. He said there is a need for coordination and pooling of resources to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. "Cooperation among relevant agencies is essential in dismantling the cartel and curbing smuggling activities effectively," Go said. "We must work together to protect our farmers, stabilize prices, and safeguard the welfare of our consumers," he added. Previously, Go stressed the importance of apprehending and prosecuting those involved in smuggling activities that allow them to sell onions at higher prices. Invoking the Anti-Smuggling Law, he cited the need to impose stricter penalties, including imprisonment, on offenders who exploit the market and violate the established price ceiling. Citing the crucial role of farmers in ensuring food security, Go has been consistently pushing for stronger agricultural support systems and infrastructure. He was one of the authors of the measure that became Republic Act No. 11901, expanding the agriculture, fisheries, and rural development financing system. He has also been advocating for other programs to support farmers and fisherfolks in the country, such as the enhancement of the irrigation of farmlands and expansion of the National Rice Program. Go also co-authored Senate Bill No. 1804 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act which was already approved by the Senate. The measure seeks to condone loans that agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) incurred in owning lands under the government's agrarian reform programs. Moreover, the senator also filed SBN 2117 which aims to provide full crop insurance coverage for agrarian reform beneficiaries, as well as SBN 2118 which aims to provide better insurance coverage and services to farmers and help mitigate the impact of natural disasters on the agricultural sector, if enacted into law. Earlier, Go also emphasized the importance of improving competitiveness and safeguarding local farmers and industries amid the recently ratified Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. Go believes that with open competition as a result of RCEP, the prices of goods should decrease, and ordinary Filipinos, especially the poor and those in the agricultural sector, must benefit from it. Go likewise backed proposals to convert idle government lands into agricultural areas to boost food production in the country.
(CNN)  Theres nearly a 50-year age gap between the oldest Baby Boomer and the youngest member of Gen Z. And for years weve heard how different these generations can be, from how they spend their money to how they work to how they use emojis.

Weve seen OK Boomer trend on TikTok as Gen Z criticized their elders, and heard Boomers retort that younger generations should stop whining.

But Baby Boomers and Gen Z have something in common thats often overlooked: Bias is shaping the way we talk about them, allowing stereotypes and myths to drown out facts and reality.

Its an important point the president of the Pew Research Center made in a recent post. And its worth unpacking, because it has big implications for how we can better understand huge swaths of the US population  and the countrys political future.

As Pew President Michael Dimock put it, a common misconception about Baby Boomers past serves as a reminder of a key question we should be asking as we talk about Gen Z today.

What many get wrong about Boomers history

Student protests of the Vietnam War are a common reference point in contemporary conversations about Baby Boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964.

But in his recent post about Pews new approach to generational research, Dimock says this anti-war image is an example of an upper-class bias that often surfaces when we generalize about generations.

Popular history recalls that Baby Boomers in the 1960s and 70s were deeply opposed to the Vietnam War. This notion is based on attention-grabbing protests on college campuses and at political events, Dimock writes. Many high-quality surveys at the time showed that younger Americans  most of whom were not attending college  were more supportive of the war than older generations who had lived through previous conflicts.

Opinion of the war, both nationally and on college campuses, shifted over time. By 1969, a Gallup poll found that 50% of college students supported the war, but there were notable regional differences. Criticism of President Nixons Vietnam policies were more prevalent on East Coast campuses. But in other parts of the US, students were significantly more supportive.

Cultural critic Louis Menand has pointed out that another important detail often gets overlooked when talking about this chapter in Baby Boomers past.

Many were children during some of the 1960s most notable cultural and political shifts.

At the time of Woodstock, in 1969, more than half the baby-boom generation was under thirteen, Menand wrote in a New Yorker story.

Menand, a Baby Boomer himself, says his generation is incorrectly credited with liberal initiatives that were really driven by people from earlier generations.

All the things that we think about as typical of the 60s, activism, liberation movements, none of that stuff really is attributable to my generation, Menand told CNN in a recent interview. We were passive. We were consumers. We werent producers.

And those who did attend the famed 1969 concert, he says, were only a sliver of the population. Most young people in the 1960s, Menand says, did not practice free love, take drugs, or protest the war in Vietnam.

In other words, one of the most well-known images tied to Baby Boomers in their youth wasnt the reality lived by most members of that generation.

Its a lesson that applies to other generations, too.

As Dimock points out after describing this widely believed Baby Boomer myth, Readers today should similarly question whether stereotypes of Gen Z might be skewed toward the experiences of the upper middle class.

A major conversation right now is misunderstanding much of Gen Zs reality

For Gen Z, one of the starkest examples of upper-class bias often bubbles up in media reports that try to predict workplace trends, according to Kim Parker, Pews director of social trends research.

A lot of the discussion about Gen Z and work leaves out such a big swath of young people and their experiences, Parker says.

The generation, generally described as those born between 1997 and 2012, is often tied to conversations about remote work. But thats missing a key point, Parker says.

Most workers, and particularly young workers, dont even have jobs that can be done remotely, she says.

A Pew study in late 2020 found that remote work was an option for less than a third of workers aged 18-29, an age range that would include members of Gen Z and Millennials, another generation thats often subject to stereotyping.

Members of those generations are more heavily concentrated in service-sector, hospitality and retail jobs, Parker says.

And Gen Z may not be as woke as you think

Could our understanding of Gen Zs politics  frequently described as liberal  also be missing part of the picture?

Psychologist Jean M. Twenge thinks so, though she says class bias may not have as much to do with it.

There are examples out there based on anecdotes, or only looking at certain regions, or people trying to extrapolate based on their kids and kids friends, she says.

Even as many members of Gen Z do have more liberal viewpoints, theres still a sizeable conservative contingent, says Twenge, author of Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents  and What They Mean for Americas Future.

With young people in general and Gen Z in particular earning a reputation as liberals, its especially surprising how many politically are far right, she writes in her book.

Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University, cites studies of high school seniors and college freshmen and observes a common thread: There is a groundswell of support for the extremes of political belief.

More high school seniors now identify as very conservative (as opposed to merely conservative)  surprisingly twice as many Gen Zers identify as very conservative as Gen X high school seniors in the Reagan era late 1980s, she writes. The number identifying as very liberal or radical has also increased, but more moderately.

Menand, an English professor at Harvard, says that when talking with his own students he regularly sees how stereotypes about Gen Zs politics dont match up with reality.

I have more students that complain about wokeness than are woke, he says.

Some findings about Gen Z after recent polling have painted a more complicated picture of voters from that generation.

We were surprised, says Whitney Ross Manzo, an associate professor of political science at Meredith College and assistant director of its Meredith Poll.

She and coauthor David McLennan summarized some of their results in an opinion piece for The Hill last year, titled Why Generation Z might not be as woke as most think.

The Meredith Poll, which surveys North Carolina residents, did find that Gen Z voters had more liberal views on issues like abortion rights, LGBTQ+ protections and legalization of marijuana. But the poll also recently found that over half of Gen Z respondents felt it was more important to have a strong leader than to protect democracy, and two-thirds agreed that force should be used if the American way of life was disappearing.

They were embracing authoritarianism more than we would have guessed, Manzo says.

In poll after poll, we have found enormous diversity among Gen Z and their views, she says.

And leaders from either party preparing for Americas political future, she says, ignore this at their peril.

We dont think its going to be as clear-cut as a lot of pundits have made it seem like its going to be, she says.

We hear a lot about Baby Boomers vs. Gen Z, but theres a bigger debate happening

When it comes to Gen Zs politics, experts say another point is often overstated by market researchers, consultants and journalists.

The more conservative Baby Boomers and the more liberal Gen Z are portrayed like opposing forces in generation wars rather than people with shared goals living in the same society.

It feels like were incredibly tense or divided between the generations, says Bobby Duffy, a professor of public policy and director of the Policy Institute at Kings College London. That, Duffy says, is a tale as old as time.

The issues change, but theres always a difference between the attitudes of young and old, says Duffy, author of The Generation Myth: Why When Youre Born Matters Less Than You Think.

That doesnt mean theres no common ground. Within any generation, theres a wide variety of opinions and life experiences that can easily get lost when we talk about everyone born in certain years as a monolithic group.

Thats why experts have been weighing a larger question: Should we label generations at all?

Pew had been planning a large research project on Gen Z, but recently halted that effort to reassess its approach to generational research in the face of criticism from a group of social scientists whove been arguing that generation labels are harmful and unscientific.

Thats significant because Pew is known as one of the most authoritative sources on generations, including its oft-cited definitions of when different generations begin and end.

Now Pew is changing its approach.

Going forward, Pew says it will only analyze generations when it has enough data to compare different generations in similar stages of life, to make sure its highlighting generational change rather than differences based on age that can change over time. The organization also says its trying to avoid perpetuating stereotypes and will no longer default to using standard generational labels.

Our recommendation is for readers to bring a healthy dose of skepticism to the generational discussions they see, Dimock says.

That includes reports about generations, he says, that assume or exaggerate intergenerational divides that may actually be quite small.

In the end, when we look at the facts, we may find that Baby Boomers and Gen Z have even more in common than how misunderstood they often are.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Debunking this myth about Baby Boomers also reveals something about Gen Z."
Melissa Perez was shot and killed by San Antonio police on 23 June (Packard Law Firm via CNN)

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the family of a woman who was fatally shot by police inside her home while experiencing a mental health crisis.

Melissa Perezs deadly encounter with San Antonio police unfolded after midnight on 23 June. Sergeant Alfred Flores and officers Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos were charged with the 46-year-olds murder less than 24 hours later.

In their lawsuit against the city and the three officers, Perezs family pointed to the San Antonio Police Departments formal and informal policies as the moving force behind her death - specifically mental health policies, CNN reported.

The suit also accuses the department of [creating] a culture of tolerance for the improper and unconstitutional use of excessive force through a consistent failure to discipline its officers.

The family are seeking compensation commensurate with the harm done.

The suit also calls for the department and the city to address the improvements that need to be made, and then do the hard work needed to make sure that Melissa Perez is the last person in San Antonio wrongfully killed by the police.

City officials responded to the lawsuit in a statement saying they would seek a speedy resolution through the judicial system.

Mr Flores, 45; Mr Alejandro, 28; and Mr Villalobos, 27, were all suspended from the police force without pay following the shooting. They were released from jail on $100,000 bond ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for 25 July.

From left to right: San Antonio police Sergeant Alfred Flores and officers Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos were charged with murder after the fatal shooting of Melissa Perez on 23 June (AP)

The three officers confrontation with Perez began as they responded to a report about a woman allegedly cutting wires to a fire alarm system at an apartment complex in the city.

After initially speaking to the officers, Perez ran to her apartment and locked the door, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told a press conference last month.

Body-cam footage released by the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) appeared to show the officers trying to speak with Perez through a window at the rear of the apartment, urging her to come out.

On the footage, she can be heard telling the officers that they do not have a warrant. Youre going to get shot, an officer can be heard saying at one point.

One officer appears to try to open a window. Perez threw a candleholder, then swung a hammer which hit the window and broke it, Chief McManus said.

One officer then opened fire but it appeared that Perez was not shot.

Police body-worn camera footage shows officers firing into the home of Melissa Perez (San Antonio Police Department)

Seconds later, Perez advanced toward the window again while still holding the hammer, and all three officers opened fire, according to the police chief.

More than a dozen shots can be heard on the video. Perez was struck at least twice, according to Chief McManus. She died at the scene.

It appeared that Ms Perez was having a mental health crisis, Chief McManus said.

The shooting officers actions were not consistent with SAPD policies and 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, he added.

Mr Flores was a 14-year veteran of the department while the other two officers had been with the force for five and two years, respectively.

Investigations from SAPDs Internal Affairs and Civil Rights divisions and the Bexar County district attorneys Civil Rights Division are underway.

We have always been a pro-police family. This breaks my heart. I always trusted the police to protect me and now I dont know who to trust. We cant express how hurt we are, Perezs daughter Alexis Tova told ABC News.

An arrest warrant for the officers states that Perez did not pose an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death when she was shot because the defendants had a wall, a window blocked by a television, and a locked door between them.

A statement from the San Antonio Police Officers Association to The New York Times offered its deepest condolences to the victims family.

At this time, this is an active investigation, and cant speak to the matter further until the investigation is complete and judicial process is underway, the statement said.
The family of Melissa Perez, who was fatally shot in her home by San Antonio police in June, is filing a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city and three officers involved who have been charged with murder.

The suit alleges the San Antonio Police Departments formal and informal policies were the moving force behind the 46-year-old womans death. It also claims the police departments policies relating to mental health calls and the mental health unit caused Perezs death.

The departments consistent failure to discipline its officers created a culture of tolerance for the improper and unconstitutional use of excessive force, according to the complaint.

The police encounter with Perez unfolded on June 23 after the officers responded to a call about a woman cutting wires to a fire alarm system at her apartment complex, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said in a news conference shortly after the shooting.

It appeared that Ms. Perez was having a mental health crisis, the chief said.

After initially speaking with officers outside, Perez went back inside her apartment and locked the door, according to McManus. An officer later tried to open a window and Perez threw a glass candleholder at him, McManus said.

At one point, Perez swung a hammer at an officer but hit the window instead, breaking it, police said. One officer opened fire, according to McManus, but Perez was not hit and could be heard still speaking on officers body camera video.

She then advanced toward the window again while still holding the hammer, and all three officers opened fire, McManus said. She died at the scene.

Although she was allegedly approaching the officers with a hammer when they opened fire, the arrest warrant said Perez did not pose an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death when she was shot because the defendants had a wall, a window blocked by a television, and a locked door between them.

Officer Eleazar Alejandro, 28; Sgt. Alfred Flores, 45; and Officer Nathaniel Villalobos, 27, were all charged with murder less than 24 hours after the encounter.

All three are suspended from the force without pay as the investigation continues. They were released on $100,000 bond, Bexar County jail records show, and none commented to CNN at the time. All three have been suspended without pay, according to a city spokesperson.

The officers charged, from left -- Sgt. Alfred Flores and Officers Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos. - San Antonio Police Department/AP

Perezs family is now asking for compensation in an amount that is commensurate with the harm done and to address the improvements that need to be made, and then do the hard work needed to make sure that Melissa Perez is the last person in San Antonio wrongfully killed by the police.

The plaintiffs in the suit have serious and legitimate complaints about the City of San Antonio policymakersfor the policies, procedures, training, and lack of enforcement that directly led to this shooting. Plaintiffs feel strongly that the City itself is also liable for Ms. Perezs death, the complaint read.

The Citys policymakers acted with deliberate indifference to the known or obvious constitutional violations that would result from such policies, the document read.

San Antonio city officials said they will seek a speedy resolution through the judicial system, according to a statement.

The San Antonio Police Department has well established training, policies and procedures in place that preserve the Constitutional rights of our residents. The officers involved in this incident didnt follow proper training, policies and procedures, said San Antonio city attorney Andy Segovia.

CNN is reaching out to SAPD and the three officers for comment.

In a statement, the head of the San Antonio police union expressed condolences to Perezs family. San Antonio Police Officers Association President Danny Diaz said McManus followed all necessary protocols in the wake of the shooting.

Diaz cannot speak to the matter further until the investigation is complete and judicial process is underway, the statement said.

Perezs children, who range in age from 9 to 24 years old, have been struck with incomprehensible grief following their mothers death, the familys attorney, Dan Packard, told CNN last week.

Theres no words to explain to a 9-year-old how three police officers all thought it was OK to gun this woman down in unison while she was in her own house behind a wall, Packard said.

CNNs Andy Rose contributed to this report.

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(Reuters) - Colombia's government has reached an agreement to begin peace talks with a faction of dissident Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels who rejected a 2016 peace agreement, according to a statement.

A temporary ceasefire between the government and the dissident faction of the now-demobilized FARC, which is made up of approximately 3,500 people and is known as the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), will be discussed.

Leftist President Gustavo Petro has vowed to end Colombia's 60-year conflict - which has killed at least 450,000 people - by inking peace or surrender deals with remaining rebels and crime gangs and fully implementing the peace accord with the FARC.

"Both parts reiterate the firm intention to advance toward the construction of a Peace Agreement that puts to an end the armed confrontation," the two parties said in a joint statement dated Saturday and published via Twitter by the Colombian government's High Commissioner for Peace on Sunday.

The statement called for an "integral, stable, and lasting peace with social and environmental justice."

The EMC is one of two breakaway factions of FARC that did not accept the previous peace deal, which demobilized 13,000 people and led to the creation of a political party that won 10 seats in Congress.

Another rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), which was not part of the 2016 deal, is currently in talks with Petro's government. The parties announced in June that a six-month ceasefire will begin in August.

(Reporting and writing by Anna-Catherine Brigida; Editing by Mark Porter)
Fast Food Worker Is Fired For Being Autistic  'Youre Asking Me To Go Home Because I Told You I Had A Disability?'

screenshots from fast food worker's tiktok in which she was fired for being autistic

A fast food worker and TikToker has left many online shocked after she posted a video that showed her work supervisor seemingly retaliating against her for disclosing her disability.

Employment discrimination against those with disabilities is shockingly common, despite the protections the Americans with Disabilities Act provides. And after seeing her video, many are urging the TikToker to lawyer up.

A fast food worker says she was fired for being autistic.

Nowadays, most of us are aware of the protections provided by legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act for workers with disabilities. These include workplace accommodations that help people with disabilities do their jobs, most of which are basic changes that are easy and inexpensive to implement.

RELATED: Server Reveals She Was Fired After Receiving $100 Tip From Customer

Nevertheless, discrimination in the workplace against people with disabilities is a major problem, and Andria, a fast food worker and TikToker known as @iliftfordoughnuts on the app, said she was a victim of such discrimination during a recent altercation at her job in which she disclosed that she has autism after being reprimanded for her interactions with other employees.

Andria said she was sent home after requesting workplace accommodations for her autism.

"I was asked to have a talk on how my boss and coworkers perceive me," Andria wrote in her TikTok caption. "I explained that I struggle with social cues so I don't understand perception but with some [accommodations] I can work on it."

Misunderstanding common social dynamics is a frequent struggle for people with autism, and the nuances that come with workplace dynamics can often prove confusing.

But Andria said her employer was not willing to work around that. "I was immediately asked to clock out," she wrote, despite the fact that she was "never late. No customer complaints. Work was done well and on time. Never written up."

The footage that Andria uploaded makes it clear that this was more than a simple understanding. "I just want to be clear," she was heard saying to her boss. "You're asking me to go home because I told you I have a disability." Her supervisor repeatedly evaded the question, simply repeating her instructions to Andria to "log out" and "clock out."

RELATED: Mom Called Cruel For Making Autistic Nephew Leave Her Daughters Birthday Party

People on TikTok were shocked by Andria's video, and urged her to get in touch with a lawyer.

"I'm asking you if I'm being sent home related to the fact that I said I told you I had a disability, and you immediately said, okay, we need you to get home," Andria continued in the video. "So I just want to document for the ADA and for my lawyer."

Still, her supervisor refused to discuss it, nor would she clarify whether Andria was indeed being fired or simply sent home early.

Many on TikTok felt like Andria's instincts were right on track. When the corporate office of her employer, Pizza Hut, showed up in the comments of her TikTok asking for clarification, commenters immediately jumped into action urging her not to say a word.

comments on woman's video about being fired for being autistic

Photo: @iliftfordoughnuts / TikTok

Some, however, weren't on Andria's side, pointing out that she was being confrontational with her supervisor. But others wondered how Andria was supposed to respond to a pretty clear case of discrimination.

"People complaining about you being 'confrontational,'" one person wrote, "you have every right to be? She's actively discriminating against you?" And in the eyes of the law, at least, they're absolutely right.

RELATED: Woman Is Accidentally Included In A Group Text That Says She'll Be Fired In 3 Weeks

According to the ADA, people can only be fired for being autistic under very specific circumstances, and cases of workplace discrimination against the disabled are on the rise.

It's frequently said that it's illegal to fire people with disabilities, but under the Americans with Disabilities Act, that's not strictly true. According to the Department of Labor, disabled workers can be fired if their disability creates a safety concern or their disability precludes them from fulfilling their duties even with reasonable accommodations.

Neither seem to be the case in Andria's situation, however, and according to the Autism Research Institute, the workplace accommodations for autistic workers are very simple changes like schedule modifications and adjustments to supervisory methods.

Still, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, ableist discrimination in the workplace is shockingly common, accounting for more than one-third of all employment discrimination cases in 2022, and autistic people experiencing high rates of unemployment.

RELATED: A Mom Went To Visit Her Son At Lunch & Caught Him Receiving An Unusual Punishment For Being 'One Minute Late' To School

And according to the Society of Human Resources Management, a trade organization for HR professionals, some 70% of people with disabilities don't feel comfortable even disclosing their disability to HR or management like Andria did, for fear of precisely the type of retaliation her video seemed to show.

Perhaps there's more to the story of why Andria and her supervisor had a falling out, but her video made it pretty hard to dispel the charge that disability discrimination was at play  especially since Andria gave her repeated opportunities to clarify the reason.

RELATED: Mom Paid $80 For A One-Day Summer Camp For Her Son And Was Asked To Pick Him Up One Hour Later

John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.

This article originally appeared on YourTango
Mark Noble is the UK lead for manufacturing at Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, and Luton Vauxhall plant director

The long term future of a major vehicle plant and 1,500 jobs could be put in jeopardy if part of the Brexit treaty is not renegotiated, its plant director has warned.

Luton Vauxhall director Mark Noble said he was confident, however, the "massive challenges" could be overcome.

But he said with 70% of vans being exported into mainland Europe, tariffs risked its competitiveness.

The government said it was working with the EU to find a solution to the issue.

A motor production plant in Luton was opened in 1905 and has made vans including the Vivaro

Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, warned it could face tariffs of 10% on exports to the EU due to rules on where parts are sourced from.

Mark Noble, who is also UK lead for manufacturing at Stellantis, said: "If 45% of the components of our vans are not from the EU, then you would incur a tariff."

From next year, 45% of the value of an electric car should originate in the UK or EU to qualify for trade without tariffs. This will rise to 65% in 2027.

He told BBC Politics East's Luton special the firm was "working with the UK government to try and relax those rules".

Mr Noble said the firm saw Luton as "integral" to Vauxhall, which provides 1,500 direct jobs and 300 to 400 indirect jobs in the area

"If we have a 10% tariff that makes our vans more expensive going into Europe. If we are not cost competitive then we jeopardise our long term future," he said.

But he added: "There are massive challenges, but I am confident we can overcome these challenges. To be sustainable in any industry you have to be cost competitive."

Mr Noble said the firm saw Luton as "integral" to Vauxhall, which opened a plant in the Bedfordshire town in 1905.

A government spokesperson said: "The Business and Trade Secretary has raised concerns about the 2024 Rules of Origin changes for Electric Vehicles and their batteries with the EU and is determined to find a joint UK-EU solution that ensures the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing."

BBC Politics East will broadcast on Sunday, 9 July at 10:00 BST on BBC One and be available after broadcast on 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
[This show previously aired on July 9, 2022. It was updated on July 8, 2023.]

For Patrick De La Cerda and Jessica Devnani, 2018 was shaping up to be a year to remember.

"I was looking forward to getting married," Devnani told "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant. "We're going to have, like, the fairy-tale life."

De La Cerda proposed just six months after they began dating  and ordered a custom-made engagement ring for Devnani. "He never got to give it to me," she said.

On Feb. 27, 2018, De La Cerda was gunned down, ambush-style at the front door of his home Deltona, Florida, home.

Who would want to harm him? Detective Chad Weaver of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office learned from Devnani that the couple had been harassed by her jealous former boyfriend, Greg Bender, who left the couple threatening messages.

"It's almost like he never left. Like he was shadowing my life, like he was not accepting of it at all," said Devnani.

Weaver knew he had a prime suspect in Bender, but little evidence linking him to the crime  until he got a tip from Bender's former wife, who told the detective Bender had written a murder plan. But what were the chances Weaver would find it?

A DEADLY AMBUSH

What started as a slow Tuesday morning in 2018 for Volusia County Sheriff's Detective Chad Weaver changed dramatically when a fragmented 911 call from a neighbor reporting Patrick De La Cerda's death came in.

OPERATOR: 911, where is your emergency? CALLER: ... has been shot and killed! OPERATOR: When did that happen? CALLER: I don't know. OPERATOR: You don't want to try CPR, correct? CALLER: No, No. He's dead. He's cold.

Within minutes, sheriff's deputies wearing body cameras entered the lush, 9-acre compound on the outskirts of Deltona, worried that the killer may still be here.

DEPUTY [body cam video, shouting into the building]: Sheriff's Office! If you're inside, you need to announce yourself now!"

Detective Chad Weaver: When the deputies showed up, they had their guns out and  preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.

With the gunman still at large, Detective Weaver took charge of the crime scene as TV news choppers hovered above.

Det. Chad Weaver: As we walked up to that area, you could see a male, looked like he was in his early 20s  appeared that he was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

WKMG NEWS REPORT: Deputies say someone shot right through his front door.

Patrick De La Cerda was newly engaged and planning for his wedding when he was tragically gunned down at his home. / Credit: Jessica Devnani

Patrick De La Cerda, 25, had been shot four times by a high-powered rifle, right in the doorway of the house he shared with his father, Max, who was out of town that day.

Max De La Cerda: I never got to say goodbye to my son, I never got to talk to himnothing

Detective Chad Weaver: You could see the front door was open, there was glass all over the place, there's a lot of blood. ... You know, right off the bat you're going, "OK, this is probably going to be a whodunit."

At the scene, Detective Weaver and several deputies approached a traumatized Jessica Devnani, Patrick's 29-year-old fiancee,

OFFICER: Whose house is this? JESSICA DEVNANI: My boyfriend's house and his dad's house.

Jessica Devnani: I was just walking in circles around, like, the front yard, just pacing up and down.

OFFICER [to Jessica]: Ma'am, come over here. Stay here behind the tree.

Just two months earlier  at this very location  De La Cerda had popped the question to Devnani and presented her with a temporary engagement ring.

Jessica Devnani: It just came out of nowhere.  He just asked, "Like, you know, will you marry me?"

Peter Van Sant: And what did you say?

Jessica Devnani: Of course I said yes, I was so excited.

Patrick De La Cerda and his fiancee Jessica Devnani were looking forward to their future together. / Credit: Jessica Devnani

The marriage proposal couldn't have come at a better time for Devnani, who worked as a bank teller. Months earlier, she had ended a tumultuous eight-year relationship and then met De La Cerda on a dating app.

Jessica Devnani: We just fell in love, like right away.  It was a connection from the beginning. So, it was kind of like love at first sight.

Devnani and De La Cerda, who worked a construction job with his father, partied and played together as their romance blossomed.

De La Cerda ordered a custom-made work of art to be delivered to his home for Devnani's permanent engagement ring. He was a romantic, says his mother Patricia Ronze.

Patricia Ronze: Patrick was a wonderful son.  And he loved kids. He loved babies. ... And I really was looking forward to have grandchildren from him.

Devnani and De La Cerda lived in different cities. She was in Orlando, while Patrick lived with his father in Deltona, 30 miles away.

On the night of Feb. 26, 2018, De La Cerda left her this sweet voicemail:

PATRICK DE LA CERDA VOICEMAIL: "I love you, good night, sweet dreams. In the morning I'll call you, I'll send you a text when I wake up a little later, all right? Love you.  Good night, bye."

It would be the last voicemail she would ever receive from her love. The next day, a series of what seemed like random events would change everything. The first came when De La Cerda's father Max, who was 70 miles away working on a construction job, received a phone call.

Det. Chad Weaver: Max gets a phone call from an unknown person stating that they have a package to deliver to his son, Patrick. Max hangs up the phone, he tries to call Patrick. Patrick doesn't answer.  So, he sends him a text message: "Hey, there's someone with a delivery." Max never hears from Patrick again after that. He never answers, never responds.

Meanwhile Max and Devnani kept calling Patrick with no luck. Devnani feared the worst because of those disturbing threats the couple had received.

Peter Van Sant: You're thinking he's been harmed?

Jessica Devnani: Yes. Yes. For sure.

Max and Devnani rushed to the house. She got there first.

Jessica Devnani: I'm approaching the front door and that's where his body laid.  Patrick just laying there in this big pool of blood and just  he was just lifeless.

Soon after Devnani discovered her fiance's body, Patrick's dad arrived. He took "48 Hours" back to the crime scene with Devnani.

Max De La Cerda: My son was lying down there [pointing to the floor inside the doorway]. His head was right there. His foot were still on top of this [tapping the second step of the staircase], so that means that he fell back.

Peter Van Sant: And that tells you the gunman was right here [standing outside the front door].  Because no bullet can take a right-hand turn.

Max De La Cerda: That tells me  exactly, exactly. That guy was right there. My son saw this guy, he turned around and the guy shot him because my son was just like this.

Max De La Cerda [laying on the floor the way Patrick was found]: My son was like this.

Peter Van Sant: Wow.

Detective Weaver's team combed through the house. They soon discovered that the killer had taken Patrick De La Cerda's computer and the hard drive from the home's security camera system. Investigators also recovered unique shell casings from 300 Blackout ammunition, bullets often used in semi-automatic weapons like an AR-15.

Det. Chad Weaver: When we saw the shell casings  with how close they were to the body  Immediately realized that this was a calculated murder. This was  this was planned.

But why would anyone want to kill Patrick De La Cerda? Weaver learned about a bizarre incident in 2017.

WKMG NEWS REPORT: In a strange twist, News6 has discovered the young man has been shot at before 

When De La Cerda called police, saying his neighbor had fired some bullets after arguments back and forth about trespassing. Patrick wasn't harmed.

Det. Chad Weaver: There had been some complaints.  And Patrick felt that the neighbor was shooting towards their house.

There's night footage of the man being tackled and arrested by police for that incident. It was an intriguing lead until Weaver learned the man was in custody on the day De La Cerda was murdered.

Det. Chad Weaver: We were able to check him off the list.

Detective Weaver then focused on some ominous voicemails that had been discovered:

GREGORY BENDER VOICEMAIL: "Call me back, talk to me."

.... which led them to a man that Patrick and Jessica knew quite well.

GREGORY BENDER VOICEMAIL: "I'll talk to you soon, I hope."

Jessica Devnani: I was really scared because.  Like, he was always shadowing my life.

OMINOUS THREATS

A couple in love with everything in front of them, dreams of marriage and family about to come true.

Then came Feb. 27, 2018. When Jessica Devnani came upon her fiance, Patrick De La Cerda in a pool of blood at his home shot four times at close range by an assassin.

Jessica Devnani: I think my mind just doesn't want to accept it  My whole future was taken away. My whole world was taken away.

The ambush style-assault of De La Cerda made it seem like the killer was lying in wait. Detective Chad Weaver was hoping Devnani might have a lead that would jump start his investigation.

Det. Chad Weaver: And we were speaking to her about any enemies or any problems with anyone, you know, that Patrick had had.

The detective learned that there was someone who wasn't happy with Devnani and De La Cerda's whirlwind romance.

Peter Van Sant: Who was that person?

Jessica Devnani: My ex, Gregory Bender.

Devnani told Detective Weaver that right before she met De La Cerda, she broke up with Bender, her ex-boyfriend of eight years. It was a breakup that he was not happy with.

Jessica Devnani: He was not accepting of itit's almost like he never left. Like he was shadowing my life, like he was not accepting of it at all.

Det. Chad Weaver: He was very controlling.

And as Weaver was about to learn, Devnani and Bender had a very complicated, love-hate kind of relationship over the eight years they were together.

Jessica Devnani: He could be very charming and manipulative.

Before dating Patrick De La Cerda, Jessica Devnani was in an tumultuous eight-year relationship with Gregory Bender, a successful hedge fund manager. / Credit: Jessica Devnani

At 42 years old, Bender was almost twice Devnani's age when they first met online in 2009. He was a successful hedge fund manager who lived in this house in Windemere, a wealthy suburb outside of Orlando.

Jessica Devnani: He had a very charismatic personality. He was very intelligent.  It felt like we'd known each other all our lives. He became my best friend.

Peter Van Sant: Was he a down-to-earth kind of guy?

Jessica Devnani: Not so much in the sense that he did like to show off.  He loved fast cars and he loved guns as well.

But what, if anything, did Gregory Bender have to do with De La Cerda's death? Detective Weaver wanted to know more.

Det. Chad Weaver: Patrick was middle class, blue collar, hard-working young man. Gregory, on the other hand, who's white collar, well educated, lived in a three quarter of a million dollar house ... Totally different people from totally different walks of life.

Devnani told the detective that Bender simply couldn't tolerate the idea of any other man in her life. She told a story about what happened when she briefly dated someone else after first meeting Bender.

Jessica Devnani: He did stalk the person that I was dating. And he described exactly where he lived. And he said that he would tie him up and harm him.

Peter Van Sant: So, a relationship that had love in it now had a little bit of terror in it.

Jessica Devnani: I never feared what he could do to me, but I feared what he could do to other men.

Despite his jealousness and verbal threats, Devnani accepted Bender's proposal to marry a few years into their relationship.

Jessica Devnani: I was in love with him at the time. And maybe I was a little bit naive at the time. I didn't want to find someone else.

And there is another twist in Devnani's twisted relationship with Bender. In early 2016, he was having a procedure done at a local hospital. Devnani decided to drop by for a surprise visit. When she entered his room, another woman was there.

Jessica Devnani: I was like, "what is she doing here?" And she's like, "What are you doing here?"  And I told her, I'm like his fiancee and I showed her the ring. And then she showed me her ring. She's like, "I'm his wife!"

She was Daymara Sanchez.

Peter Van Sant: He's secretly married to this woman?

Jessica Devnani: Yes.  My heart just dropped. I couldn't believe it. I was in shock.

Several days passed when Bender finally called Devnani, and tried to explain that he had only married Sanchez so her son could go to school in the district where his house was located.

Jessica Devnani: And he said, "I'm so sorry." ... And he told me that he had only married her, as like, a business marriage. He was just trying to help her out and they had an arrangement together.

At that point, Devnani had sort of had enough.

Peter Van Sant: So, you end up giving Greg Bender an ultimatum. What was that?

Jessica Devnani: Yes, I told him that he had until the end of the year to leave her.

Peter Van Sant: He had to divorce her, not only leave but divorce.

Jessica Devnani: Yes.

But that "business marriage" line was just another of Bender's lies and he stayed married to Sanchez. With that, Devnani finally ended the relationship in 2017. One month later, Devnani met Patrick De La Cerda and began dating him. But Bender was often on her mind.

Jessica Devnani: I was afraid that he would find out about our relationship.

But just five months after dumping him 

Jessica Devnani: Gregory Bender  came across our Facebook page.

Jessica Devnani: He immediately started messaging Patrick on his Facebook, threatening him  And he said, "I know where you live. I'm going to harm you guys."

Bender left ominous voicemails like this one:

GREGORY BENDER: "I'm giving instructions. And I'm going to have my plan put into action."

Peter Van Sant: What's he talking about?

Jessica Devnani: At that point in time, he had mentioned to me that he was going to hire a hit manor he was going to do the job himself.

Peter Van Sant: And what job was that?

Jessica Devnani: To kill Patrick.

Enough was enough. Devnani and De La Cerda had these tapes and text messages presented to a judge who issued a restraining order. Bender was ordered to stay away from Jessica and turn in his large collection of firearms to authorities.

Peter Van Sant: Did Greg Bender go away?

Jessica Devnani: We thought he did go away. We didn't hear anything. And we felt confident.

Until she told Detective Weaver that on the morning of Patrick's murder, Gregory Bender called for the first time in two months.

Jessica Devnani: He called my job that very morning.

But Devnani said she didn't answer.

Det. Chad Weaver: So, when she got the phone call and saw on the caller ID that it was Gregory Bender, flags started going up and that's what made her so worried.

Flags were also going up for Detective Weaver. He believed he now had a prime suspect in De La Cerda's death. And, Weaver had an idea; now was the time for Devnani to return Bender's calls and investigators would listen in.

Det. Chad Weaver: She really wanted to solve Patrick's murder, so she did that without hesitation.

DET. WEAVER: OK, call him and put him on speakerphone. GREGORY BENDER: Hello. JESSICA DEVNANI: Hello.

Detective Weaver was hopeful Bender might say something to implicate himself:

JESSICA DEVNANI: You ruined my life.  You got your revenge, and you ruined my life. GREGORY BENDER: What are you talking about?

THE MURDER PLAN

It was a tense, awkward moment. Just a few hours after she'd seen her fiance's body, investigators' asked Jessica Devnani to call the man they thought may have murdered him. Gregory Bender quickly spoke up.

GREGORY BENDER: I saw what happened on the news, I want to tell you, I feel sorry for you.

Jessica Devnani: I just wanted to try to do everything I could to help the investigation.

She reminded Bender about his previous threats.

JESSICA DEVNANI: You said, "Enough is enough. I can't do this. I'm going to hire a hitman. I'm gonna kill him." GREGORY BENDER: No. That's not. No, no, no, I didn't say that.

Peter Van Sant: Did you ask him outright, "did you shoot Patrick?"

Jessica Devnani: I did.

JESSICA DEVNANI: But that's why I want to find out if it is you, like  GREGORY BENDER: No, it's not. I'm your friend. I did not do this.

Peter Van Sant: Could you tell he was lying to you?

Jessica Devnani: Yes, I could tell he was lying.

While Bender denied any involvement in De La Cerda's death, Det. Chad Weaver says there was enough evidence to arrest him: not for murder, but for violating that restraining order.

Det. Chad Weaver: We had seen that he . attempted to contact her twice at work, which we found was a violation of that injunction.

Even with Bender behind bars for the night, Weaver didn't have much to link him to De La Cerda's murder. Then he received a phone call from the attorney of Bender's now ex-wife Daymara Sanchez  the woman Devnani had first met in the hospital.

Det. Chad Weaver: And he said  "She has some information that will be valuable to your case."

Sanchez asked to meet Weaver in a parking lot.

Det. Chad Weaver: She's very, very nervous.  She didn't want us coming to her house.

It turns out Sanchez had a pretty good reason to be nervous. She was about to provide a crucial piece of evidence.

Det. Chad Weaver: So, we spoke with her, she had told us that  her and Gregory had gotten a divorce and she had moved out in December of 2017. Around that same time, she had discovered what she believed to be a murder plan in a spiral notebook that she had seen Gregory writing in in the past.

A murder plan, handwritten in a notebook detailing an elaborate plot to kill. Sanchez said when she confronted Bender about it, he told her it was all a fantasy. And she forgot about it until she saw the report that the man Bender was supposedly fantasizing about killing had just been murdered.

Det. Chad Weaver: Once she told us about the murder plan, that gave us what we needed to get into the house to see, you know, what else was in there.

Volusia County Prosecutor Ashley Terwilleger says learning about the murder plan was a potential game changer  if investigators could find it.

Ashley Terwilleger: So, the next day, February 28 of 2018, they execute the search warrant at Gregory Bender's home in Orange County, Florida, in Windemere.

Weaver had some doubts. But almost as soon as he entered Bender's house, the detective hit pay dirt. He spotted several balls of crumpled-up note paper.

Det. Chad Weaver: I looked in the trash can and  I was in shock, there's no way that we just found this murder plan. The first thing I wanted to do was reach in the trash can, grab it.

Weaver wisely held off while this paper was bagged and tagged for forensics. Later, when he was able to read the plan, it was just as Sanchez said  a detailed road map for murdering Patrick De La Cerda.

Det. Chad Weaver: Some of the first things in it were directions.  It actually had Patrick De La Cerda's address. Howland Boulevard.

Weaver took "48 Hours" to the crime scene to explain how the plan matched the actual murder.

The detailed murder plan was complete with Patrick De La Cerdas's address, sketches of his property, and notes on how to enter and exit the premises without being detected. / Credit: Volusia County State Attorney's Office

Det. Chad Weaver: This road leads down the side of the property, it's off of Howland Boulevard. This is important because of the dirt road that was drawn on the murder plan runs down the side of the property.  It's pretty heavily wooded down this way, so I think he walked on foot until he got to this opening and this is the area, we believe Gregory Bender accessed to sneak up on our victim.  The sketch of the property was spot on.

The plan was evidence of Bender's obsession with detail and compulsion to kill, says Weaver.

The plan read: "Put duct tape on the bottom of a second pair of shoes so no tread prints"  "wait for confirm that he is alone. Then turn off cell phones"  "and dispose of clothes, plate, tracker, gloves"

With the murder plan in hand, Weaver had a powerful case against Bender. And with the discovery of this ammunition, there was now a direct link to those unique bullet shells found at the scene.

Ashley Terwilleger: They find that arsenal of 300-blackout ammunition.

Remember, De La Cerda was shot four times with that type of unique ammo, but only two shell casings were recovered at the crime scene. That's what made another discovery by investigators at Bender's house so important.

Ashley Terwilleger: They find a shell casing in a desk drawer, essentially a junk drawer.

Det. Chad Weaver: The casing  matched the two recovered shell casings from the crime scene.  Short of actually finding the murder weapon, um in my opinion, I think that was probably the most important piece of evidence that we found.

That's because the murder weapon has never been recovered, although Devnani remembers seeing a powerful rifle at Bender's house when they dated.

Peter Van Sant: The AR-15, this semi-automatic rifle. Did he have one of those?

Jessica Devnani: Yes, he did.

Det. Chad Weaver: I think it's probably at the bottom of a lake somewhere.

The evidence was overwhelming  Weaver now had a clear and concise theory of the crime.

Det. Chad Weaver: Greg Bender was lying in wait in the bushes, just out of view. He made the phone call posing as a delivery man. Patrick receives a text message just thinking that he has a package.

Det. Chad Weaver: And as Patrick answered the door, he shot and killed him.

Less than 48 hours after Patrick De La Cerda's death, an arrest warrant was issued for Gregory Bender, charging him with the murder. / Credit: Volusia County Sheriff's Office

Less than 48 hours after De La Cerda's death, an arrest warrant was issued for Gregory Bender, charging him with the murder. Volusia County sheriff's deputies had an easy time locating their suspect, who had been released from jail after violating that restraining order. Bender was in his own front yard, says prosecutor Andrew Urbanak.

Andy Urbanak: Mr. Bender actually showed up, bonded out from the Orange County jail just a short time after they started executing that warrant.

Det. Chad Weaver: You can't make this stuff up.

For Patrick De La Cerda's mother, the arrest is just the first step against a man she despises.

Patricia Ronze: Psychopath, that's what he is.  You want me to say his name? I'll never pronounce his name. I don't want to pronounce his name. That is hurting my mouth to just say his name.

Patrick De La Cerda and Jessica Devnani / Credit: Jessica Devnani

Peter Van Sant: Why did Patrick have to die?

Jessica Devnani: Just out of jealousy of a man that was obsessed  and he thought that, by doing this, that I would go back to him.

But with no weapon, no eyewitnesses, and no DNA at the crime scene 

Richard Parker | Defense attorney: Ultimately, this case  is a circumstantial case.

 Bender and his attorneys are planning a vigorous trial defense.

And.using undercover video shot by a private eye, they plan to challenge Devnani on the stand about the real nature of her relationship with Bender.

RICHARD PARKER [to Jessica in court]: You started dating Patrick in June. Why are you dining with Greg and going to Greg's house in November of 2017 if you're happily moving on with Patrick?

THE MURDER TRIAL

Two months after Patrick De La Cerda was gunned down as he went to his front door expecting to pick up that engagement ring for Jessica Devnani, she was finally able to put on the ring at her 30th birthday celebration  a surprise finally delivered by Patrick's family.

Patrick's family surprised Jessica Devnani with the engagement ring Patrick had custom made  but never got to give her  at her 30th birthday celebration. / Credit: Jessica Devnani

Jessica Devnani:  he got me the perfect ring.

Peter Van Sant: Why do you wear that ring today?

Jessica Devnani: I wear it because Patrick will always be the love of my life.

And Devnani will be wearing the ring at the murder trial of Gregory Bender, her former boyfriend, who stands accused of stalking and killing the man she had hoped to marry.

This day could not have come soon enough, says Patrick De La Cerda's devastated mother, Patricia Ronze.

Patricia Ronze: Jessica and I  we felt victimized every single day for three years-and-a-half because we have no voice, absolutely no voice.

Prosecutor Ashley Terwilliger is now the voice Patrick's loved ones had longed for as she began her opening statement.

ASHLEY TERWILLIGER: Patrick de la Cerda was the victim of a murder, A detailed and meticulously thought-out murder plan and a tragic ending in which he was shot four times in the head, face, chest and hip.

Defense attorney Richard Parker says the state's case is no slam dunk.

RICHARD PARKER: We will show that there's more than just one or two people that have motive and opportunity in this case.

Devnani is the prosecution's star witness and will be the first to testify.

Jessica Devnani: It was really hard. I was really nervous.

Devnani describes for the jury how Gregory Bender was a man consumed by jealousy, who made many threats.

JESSICA DEVNANI: He would message me saying if I didn't leave Patrick, he would harm Patrick.

And Devnani read one of those threatening texts for the jury:

JESSICA DEVNANI: "Think about it. If I don't hear from you or the cops call again, I'll just do what I said and move on."

Jurors learned that Bender went to extraordinary lengths to poison Devnani and De La Cerda's relationship. On secretly recorded video, it appears Bender and Devnani are at lunch, and then a week later at a restaurant enjoying dinner, just a few months after she started dating Patrick.

PROSECUTOR ANDREW URBANAK: Did you actually see these videos? JESSICA DEVNANI: I did.

Jurors learned that Gregory Bender went to extraordinary lengths to poison Devnani and De La Cerda's relationship. On secretly recorded video, it appears Bender and Devnani are at lunch, and then a week later at a restaurant enjoying dinner, just a few months after she started dating Patrick. / Credit: Seventh Judicial Court  State Attorney's Office

The encounters were captured by a private investigator hired by Bender. There's a scene of the two of them entering and leaving Bender's home. He's seen rubbing Devnani's leg for the camera; they hold hands, and he leans in for a kiss.

Jessica Devnani: I felt really odd because I felt like he was trying to put on a show looking back, because he kept, like, trying to get close to me.  like trying to hold my hand, which he never used to do.  I was like, "what are you doing?" I was like, "we're just friends right now.  what are you trying to do?"

But prosecutors say the video was all a setup.

ANDREW URBANAK: What did he do with it? JESSICA DEVNANI: He had given it to Patrick. ANDREW URBANAK: Did that cause some strife between you and Patrick and your relationship? JESSICA DEVNANI: Yes. JESSICA DEVNANI: We had a fight and we had broke up for a few days. ANDREW URBANAK: Did the two of you end up getting back together after that? JESSICA DEVNANI: Yes.

As the prosecution's star witness, Jessica Devnani described for the jury how Gregory Bender was a man consumed by jealousy, who made many threats. / Credit: CBS News

Defense attorneys tried to use their client's video production to convince jurors that Devnani and Bender actually were more than just friends.

RICHARD PARKER: Why are you dining with Greg and going to Greg's house in November of 2017 if you're happily moving on with Patrick? JESSICA DEVNANI: Because the defendant was threatening, and I was trying to calm him down. And he said that if I went to see him, he would not harm anyone.

The defense tries another tactic. Making what prosecutors say is an unfounded allegation that Patrick's father Max was attracted to Devnani.

RICHARD PARKER [to Jessica]: Did Max De La Cerda comment in a very positive way regarding your appearance? ANDREW URBANAK: Same objection judge, still a hearsay statement. DEFENSE [to Max De La Cerda]: Would you say you had a good relationship with her? MAX DE LA CERDA: I didn't have any relationship with her at all!

That led to a combative cross examination when Max De La Cerda took the stand.

MAX DE LA CERDA: What you are asking me makes no sense!  I don't think that has nothing to do with Patrick's murder.

And the defense implied he may have had the motive. and the opportunity to kill his own son because of discrepancies of his whereabouts that day.

RICHARD PARKER: Your girlfriend said that you were in fact staying with her//is it her memory that's wrong or is it yours? MAX DE LA CERDA: It might be mine, sir. I'm constantly on the go. I work here, I work there, I don't keep track of phones, I don't keep track of time.  so, what point are you trying to make? I don't know!

Ashley Terwilleger: They wanted to blame it on Max and you can tell  he's angry that his son was killed unnecessarily, violently, horrifically and now he has to be in a room with his son's killer.

Throughout the trial, Bender remained stoic until his ex-wife Daymara Sanchez took the stand and spoke through an interpreter.

ANDREW URBANAK: Were you married to Mr. Bender? DAYMARA SANCHEZ: Yes.

During Sanchez' testimony, Bender broke down, showing emotion for the first time in the trial.

And jurors heard her audio interview with Weaver about the murder plan.

DAYMARA SANCHEZ: It was a plan to kill the guy. DET. CHAD WEAVER: The guy is Patrick? DAYMARA SANCHEZ: Yes.

During a break in her testimony, Bender appears to say "I love you" to someone  in the gallery and is admonished by an official.

COURT OFFICIAL: Don't talk to anybody in the courtroom.

When Detective Weaver took the stand, the defense grilled him about the lack of forensic evidence in the case.

RICHARD PARKER: How about any hair or skin or DNA, anything like that from the scene that was helpful to your investigation? DET. CHAD WEAVER: Uh, no, sir.

Prosecutors responded by calling cell phone experts who could connect Bender's personal phone to a burner phone that was tracked to a cell tower near the murder scene.

ASHLEY TERWILLEGER: So, the burner phone  is the cellphone that made the call to Max De La Cerda that morning at 7:18 a.m.? SGT. AMRHINE: Yes ANDY URBANAK: The state would rest at this time. After the prosecution rested, Gregory Bender chose not to testify. JUDGE: Are you comfortable with the decision you made? RICHARD PARKER: Yes. ANDY URBANAK: Thank you, your honor. JUDGE: Thank you.

For closing arguments, prosecutors said Bender was the only person who had motive to kill Patrick De La Cerda.

ANDY URBANAK: He couldn't take that Jessica left him and wouldn't come back to him because of Patrick De La Cerda.

In his closing, defense attorney Richard Parker insisted that Bender's murder plan did not equate to guilt.

RICHARD PARKER: This case is about the difference between a fantasy and reality. RICHARD PARKER: People should not be judged on their worst thoughts just because they put them to paper. But that's what they're doing in this case.

Finally, after four days of testimony, the case went to the jury. Prosecutor Andy Urbanak was uncertain about what verdict they'd come back with.

Andy Urbanak: Once it goes to a jury, we can't make any guarantees.

But Devnani was confident a guilty verdict would finally put an end to Bender's reign of terror.

JUDGE: It's my understanding you have a verdict

Jessica Devnani: I just wanted to see the expression on his face

THE VERDICT

Memories. Tender words from a son.

Max De La Cerda: This is from a Christmas card that he gave me. "Dad, with all my love, thank you for always being there for me. To many more years. Love, Patrick. [crying].

Max De La Cerda surrounds himself with reminders of his son, taken violently, and far too soon.

Max De La Cerda: I feel my son's presence here. I haven't moved his stuff, I haven't, you know, everything is pretty much the same because I love this kid so much, man.

Patricia Ronze: The only reason it makes me feel better, is  I lost my child for love.

Patrick's mother has found some solace in her suffering.

Patricia Ronze: He had love in his heart when he passed, he was going down the stairs to get  the ring.

And Jessica Devnani still wears that very engagement ring, in honor of a marriage that never took place.

Jessica Devnani: It's been a hard past three years. I've been living in respect to Patrick.

Jessica Devnani and Patrick De La Cerda's family are angry about the restraining order because they believe it failed to save Patrick's life. / Credit: Jessica Devnani

But now, Patrick's loved ones huddle together, hoping finally, three years after his murder, the jury will give them justice.

During four days of testimony, they relived the horror of his death  listening to excruciating details of Bender's murder plan.

WITNESS: We can see the entrance wound on the right side of the face. JUDGE: It's my understanding you have a verdict. Is that correct?

As the verdict was about to be read, Bender turned his head to Jessica.

Jessica Devnani: He was looking at me.  I don't know what was going on in his head.

JUDGE: Madame clerk, if you can please read the verdict. CLERK [reads verdict]: We the jury find the defendant, Gregory Bender, as follows guilty of the charge of first-degree murder as charged in the indictment.

Peter Van Sant: It's guilty and his face does what?

Jessica Devnani: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

In Florida, a conviction of first-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence without parole. So just moments after the emotion of victory, Patrick's loved ones are allowed to address the court as Gregory Bender listens just a few feet away.

PATRICIA RONZE: And I want to thank all of you for having put evil where it belongs.

Devnani then spoke but chose not to look at her tormentor.

JESSICA DEVNANI: You will not win. You have only lost. I hope you feel some peace Patrick. Rest assured the man who took your life is going to pay with his own life now.

Then it was Max De La Cerda's turn.

MAX DE LA CERDA: I will miss my son.  And I regret that I wasn't there for him to save him (cries).

Remember that during the trial, the defense shamefully tried to suggest that Max may have been involved in his son's murder.

MAX DE LA CERDA [addressing Bender]: I hope they keep you in jail until you die there, until you die. Because the moment you step out, I'm going to finish you off. I'm going to peel you like an onion. The same thing you did to my son. ANDREW URBANAK: Mr. De La Cerda, Max, you have to address the judge, you have to address the judge. MAX DE LA CERDA: You understand that? ANDREW URBANAK: ... address the judge. MAX DE LA CERDA: And I will miss my son.  he was a beautiful soul. A beautiful kid.

And with that, Gregory Bender was carted off to prison for the rest of his life.

Jessica Devnani: He lost everything.  He's not going to win again, ever again.

Devnani and Ronze are angry that this restraining order they felt would offer protection for Patrick turned out to be worthless.

Patricia Ronze: My son would be today alive if the restraining order had been enforced by the law enforcement.

Bender had been ordered to turn over his gun collection to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. He never did ... and without probable cause for a search warrant, law enforcement lacked the authority to seize those weapons

Jessica Devnani: It failed us. It failed Patrick.

Now behind bars, the days of Gregory Bender lurking in the shadows of Devnani's life are finally over.

Peter Van Sant: Will you go on with life, as Patrick would like you to do?

Jessica Devnani: I will. I will go on for Patrick. I will live in his happy memories close to my heart.

With Gregory Bender now behind bars, Jessica Devnani says she will continue to live on for Patrick De La Cerda.



One week after Bender's conviction, was what would have been Patrick's 29th birthday.

Jessica Devnani: Patrick's mom and I, we went out to the cemetery in West Palm Beach and we just celebrated his life. We brought some cake, and we brought some champagne.

Peter Van Sant: And what did you say to Patrick on this birthday when you were at his grave?

Jessica Devnani: I said  "we finally did it. We got the guilty verdict."  We always tell him we love him.  We will always love him.

Gregory Bender's appeal has been denied.

Produced by Chris O'Connell. Tamara Weitzman is the development producer. Jordan Kinsey is the field producer. Marlon Disla, Ken Blum and Grayce Arlotta-Berner are the editors. Kayla Laine is the associate producer. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

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Fire at triple-decker home in Roslindale displaces 14 people and a dog

A fire at a triple-decker home in Roslindale left 14 people and a dog displaced.

According to Boston Fire, firefighters were called to 293 Belgrade Ave just before 1 a.m.

Upon arrival, firefighters knocked down heavy fire in the basement.

14 people and a dog were displaced, and they are being assisted by the Red Cross.

According to Chief Hogan the home has $250,000 in damages.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

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
I was a flight attendant on private planes for over 2 years. To land the job, I had to learn everything from pet CPR to wine tasting.

Cindy Kowalewski worked for VistaJet as a cabin host for two years. Hans Neleman/Getty Images

Cindy Kowalewski worked as a cabin host at VistaJet before she started training new hires.

Kowalewski went through a two-week training process in Malta before joining the VistaJet team.

She learned safety procedures from MedAire professionals and etiquette tips from butlers.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cindy Kowalewski, a VistaJet cabin host and trainer. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I turned my dream of seeing the world by private jet into a career by becoming a cabin host for VistaJet, a private aviation company. The steps I took to do it may surprise people.

VistaJet refers to its onboard crew members as cabin hosts instead of flight attendants, considering them to be at a service level all their own. The company offers membership options to its clients, and its private-jet charters start at $11,000 an hour.

Before joining the team, I had to undergo a rigorous screening and training process, learning about everything from pet CPR to plating techniques. For two years, I worked as a VistaJet cabin host before the company promoted me to train new cabin hires.

Here's what the process looks like.

I worked for a commercial airline before making the jump to private aviation

I worked on commercial flights before starting my career at VistaJet. Britt Erlanson/Getty Images

I started my career as a flight attendant for a commercial airline, but that isn't the case for all VistaJet cabin hosts.

Some get their start working at five-star hotels or on luxury yachts. Others take on an apprenticeship or enroll in cabin-crew courses to get a shot at securing a high-flying gig.

Those with comprehensive safety knowledge, multilingual skills, and a passion for delivering top-notch service also have a leg up.

After my initial interview, I went through a service assessment and a 2-week boot camp

Following a successful first-round interview, VistaJet invited me to one of its office locations for an assessment, during which a member of senior cabin management got to know my service style.

It's not as intimidating as it sounds, and there's no real right or wrong way to handle this step. The point is to see how the candidate's personality shines through and to evaluate the way they serve clients.

After making it through the interview process, I underwent a two-week training program in Malta (there's also one in Fort Lauderdale) that covered service standards, security protocol, and safety procedures.

I learned about medical procedures, cybersecurity, and fire safety

I received comprehensive emergency training  learning how to respond to various medical emergencies, administer first aid and CPR, and use medical equipment  before I took flight. VistaJet has in-house MedAire instructors to get cabin hosts up to speed.

The company requires its hosts to have this knowledge to ensure the safety of all in-flight passengers, including beloved pets, who receive the same exceptional service and attention to detail as their owners.

The training program covers essential procedures such as giving a pet CPR, identifying the warning signs of choking, and checking vitals  like heart rate, pulse location, body temperature, and capillary refill time. We also learned to recognize and interpret pets' body language to better understand their behavior.

The pet-safety training is in addition to security modules covering cybersecurity and fire safety.

A butler taught me and the other trainees proper service etiquette

My career as a cabin host has taken me around the world. Bim/Getty Images

Butlers from the prestigious British Butler Institute taught me and the other trainees lessons that give us the skills and knowledge we needed to give passengers a refined, sophisticated experience. We learned about table settings, silverware arrangements, and much more.

Because VistaJet clients are flying private, the butlers also trained us to ask clients about their flight preferences to make the aircraft feel like a home away from home. So if they'd like to rest during the flight, we'd make that bed for them. If they preferred to eat right away, we'd offer them fine dining.

To teach new hires about childcare, VistaJet brought in professional nannies

I received early-childhood education and training as a cabin host, as VistaJet enrolled me in a program with Norland College, a prestigious higher-education institution based in Bath, England, that specializes in childcare and nanny training. Norland graduates have gone on to work as nannies for the British royal family.

The program covered a wide range of topics, including child development and behaviors, family dynamics, and times of need for families while traveling.

I also spent an entire day learning about wine

Many VistaJet clients love wine, so during my training, I spent an entire day learning about it so I'd be able to offer the best recommendations possible. I did a blind tasting to assess different grape varieties' characteristics and recorded my tasting notes on cards.

VistaJet trains its cabin hosts to be on the WSET Level 2, meaning they possess a deep understanding of wine and are equipped to advise passengers on wine selection.

To complement this lesson, a chef also gave us a rundown on plating techniques.

Trainees take live flights with an experienced cabin host before manning their own

After completing my initial training, I embarked on live flights with an onboard trainer, giving me the chance to put everything I'd learned to use. They exposed me to every aspect of flying.

I learned what it was like to be in the air on a full client flight during the day and at night. This experience built up my confidence and made me comfortable enough to fly independently.

On many commercial flights, flight attendants work in teams to serve passengers. But on VistaJet, cabin hosts manage each flight independently, allowing them to provide personalized attention and deliver a luxurious travel experience.

The work didn't end after a few training flights. VistaJet brings its cabin hosts back in for training every single year to refresh them on service standards and make sure they're all on the same page.

Read the original article on Insider
Former NATO official calls Bidens cluster bomb decision a smart move, but urges for more

Retired Adm. James Stavridis, the former NATO supreme allied commander for Europe, praised President Bidens decision to provide Ukraine with cluster bombs as a smart move but also called on the administration to step up and provide F-16s.

I think its a smart move on the part of the U.S. to provide the cluster munitions that can help unlock that offensive going forward, Stavridis said in an interview with radio talk show host John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AMs The Cats Roundtable.

The Biden administration announced its controversial plans to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, which have long been requested by Kyiv, on Friday.

Cluster munitions, which are designed to spread out multiple submunitions over a wide area, are banned by more than 100 countries under a treaty due to the risk that undetonated bombs could remain an explosive hazard for civilians.

Biden defended the decision to send the munitions, claiming it was difficult to make and came only after he discussed the idea with allies.

The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition, Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview set to air on Sunday. I think they needed them.

However, while Ukraine is on the front foot in what Stavridis described as the land war, he suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin has more or less command of the air.

That air war, mind you, is where the administration should step up and provide F-16s, Stavridis said. They are authorizing training, but the next logical step is to bring that F-16 Fighting Falcon, as its called, to the battlefield, to the skies over Ukraine.

After months of rejecting Kyivs requests for the F-16 fighter jets, Biden changed course in late May and said the U.S. would support an international coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on the jets.

I think that would help the Ukrainians in the second war thats going on, Stavridis said, referring to the war in the air.

He added, Its time for the administration to really lean in with F-16s.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Richmond County Coroners Office is investigating the shooting death of a Fort Gordon man.

Allen White, 34, of Fort Gordon, was shot at least once and pronounced dead at 3:55 a.m. Saturday.

The shooting occurred at a home on the 1200 block of Derby Lane in Grovetown, according to a news release.

Fort Gordon officials did not immediately respond to inquiries about White's affiliation with the base.

An autopsy has been scheduled, according to the coroner's office.

Gunman commits armed robbery at bank: Gunman robs Graniteville bank, considered 'armed and dangerous'

Augusta sheriff to host town hall: Richmond County Sheriff's Office to host town hall to discuss homelessness and crime

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Fort Gordon man killed in shooting
(CNN)  In the wake of the uprising by Wagner Group forces in Russia, the US and Europe have turned their gaze to an increasingly unpredictable Belarus  a key Russian ally that Western officials fear could give the exiled mercenary troops a new home and serve as a staging ground for Russian nuclear weapons.

But so far, US and European officials have not seen clear signs that either scenario is unfolding. While officials are closely monitoring an apparent military camp that sprung up outside of Minsk following the uprising in southern Russia, Wagner troops do not appear to have moved into the country en masse.

It could happen that Wagner PMC decides not to relocate here, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is not even in Belarus, Lukashenko told CNN  he is in Russia, Lukashenko claimed.

And while Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that the facilities in Belarus necessary to store the tactical nuclear weapons would be ready by July 7, Western officials have seen no signs of that, either. Belarus still does not appear to have the proper infrastructure to house the weapons, officials said, and it will likely be months, if not longer, before doing so is even technically feasible.

Available satellite imagery has also not shown any signs of the kind of preparations and security that would be standard at a Russian nuclear facility. Russia has the worlds largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, with 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including around 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists. It is not clear how many of those Russia is potentially planning to deploy to Belarus.

We are in this fog of Russian mirrors. What actions will Putin take? We dont know, said Max Bergmann, the director of Russian and European studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Putin does not need tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus to use those weapons, Bergmann added. But it is concerning to the US that tactical nuclear weapons could potentially be co-located in Belarus with Wagner fighters. That said, it seems there is a long way to go before we would even get there.

Russian nuclear command and control

US officials still have questions about how Russia would protect its potential arsenal in Belarus from rogue actors. The concerns have not set off a five-alarm fire within the US government, however, officials feel confident that when it comes to command and control, it is in Putins interest to keep both Wagner fighters and Lukashenko from having any access to Russias nuclear arsenal.

The 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense has controlled Russias nuclear arsenal since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Experts say it would be surprising if another body was assigned control of any tactical nuclear warheads in Belarus. A senior officer from the Directorate did travel to Belarus in the spring.

Still, Lukashenkos close relationship with Putin, and the unexpected role he played in quelling the Wagner uprising, has left intelligence analysts vigilant about what could come next and is a key topic of discussion among NATO allies ahead of next weeks leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. And some US officials are also concerned that Putin could make an announcement related to Russias presence in Belarus during the summit.

But even without any major announcement from Russia next week, the alliance is already on edge about Wagner potentially expanding to Belarus: Poland is demanding additional funding from the European Union to bolster its border security amid fears that Wagner will reconstitute in neighboring Belarus. Latvias prime minister said Wagner could attempt to infiltrate Europe from a new perch in Belarus. And Lithuanias president described Wagner fighters as serial killers who could emerge in Belarus at any moment. And nobody knows when they could turn against us.

The countries presidents wrote a letter to the NATO secretary general and the heads of the NATO alliance on Friday, warning them about the threat posed by Russias aggressive actions and the evolving situation in Belarus.

The cooperation between Russia and Belarus has deteriorated the security of the region and that of the entire Euro-Atlantic area, they wrote, according to the Lithuanian Presidents Communication Group.

The Russians moving even a part of its nuclear arsenal to Belarus is something new, we dont know what the intention is, so the Poles are right to be concerned, said Angela Stent, the director of Russian studies at Georgetown University. This is part of the nuclear brinkmanship that Putin has engaged with from the beginning of the war.

Signs of Wagner in Belarus

US and European officials have not seen signs that Wagner troops have retreated to Belarus in large numbers, and it does not even appear that Prigozhin is in the country himself. Lukashenko told CNN on Thursday that Prigozhin is currently in St. Petersburg, Russia, despite striking a deal with Putin nearly two weeks ago in which he agreed to be exiled to Belarus for his role in staging the Wagner uprising.

Officials have been closely monitoring signs that a military garrison around 50 miles southeast of Minsk is being revived, possibly for use by Wagner forces. The Belarusian government on Friday gave foreign media, including CNN, a tour of the garrison, which could be used to house Wagner fighters if they come to the country.

The work on the field camp appears to predate the uprising, officials said. And Belarusian Major General Leonid Kasinsky told CNN on Friday that there is absolutely no connection between this camp and Wagner. He added that yesterday the President said that if Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a decision together with his commanders to come to Belarus to set up, then this camp among other places could be offered to them.

With Prigozhin now cut off from much, if not all, of his funding from the Kremlin, however, it is not clear he can sustain a large Wagner contingent inside Belarus  or that Lukashenko would allow him to do so, knowing that he could pose a threat to his rule.

The Belarusian leader said that if Wagner did relocate to Belarus, they would have to sign a contract with the Belarusian government  something Prigozhin refused to do with the Russian Ministry of Defense before staging his attempted insurrection in Russia last month.

When they decide to be located in Belarus, we will draft up a contract with them, Lukashenko said on Thursday. Everything will be spelled out in it. The framework within which this unit will operate will be determined at the level of a law or a presidential decree.

This story was first published on CNN.com. Western intel officials hunt for signs of Wagner and nuclear warheads in Belarus ahead of NATO
Fourth drowning in less than four weeks in Bucks County. What happened on Biles Island

Falls police are investigating a fatal drowning in the Delaware River that happened Saturday evening.

Police were dispatched shortly after 6 p.m. to an area of Biles Island where they learned four men were swimming in the coves when two were pulled out by the current, said Lt. Christopher Clark.

A Trenton man drowned on Saturday night in the Delaware River, according to Falls police.

Telford man couldn't swim but saved 2 The dad who saved 2 on Lake Nockamixon: 'Hero for everyone with such an act of courage'

A nearby boater who saw what happened was able to rescue one of the men by throwing him a float, then bringing him to shore. When the boater returned for the second man he saw him slip beneath the water, Clark said.

The Trenton Dive Team and New Jersey State police located the body of the 37-year-old Trenton man at 7:30 p.m. The man, whose name was not released pending next-of-kin identification, was taken to Capital Health System where he was pronounced dead at 8 p.m.

The drowning death is the fourth in less than a last month across Bucks County.

New Britain boy, 9, drowns in pond New Britain pond drowning ruled accidental, as community grieves loss of 9-year-old boy

Authorities identify downing victim Man who washed up dead on Delaware River in Bucks County identified

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Man drowns in Delaware River in Bucks County
France is banning the sale of fireworks on its biggest national holiday after protesters used them as weapons against police

Fireworks explode during clashes with police in Le Port, La Reunion. RICHARD BOUHET/AFP via Getty Images

The French government has imposed a temporary prohibition on the sale of fireworks.

The ban comes after anti-police protesters used fireworks as weapons during civil unrest.

It comes as France prepares to celebrate Bastille Day on July 14.

France is banning fireworks ahead of its most important national holiday after people used them to shoot at law enforcement during a recent spate of civil unrest sparked by the police killing of a teenager last month.

In a decree published Sunday, the French government announced that it would restrict the sale and possession of "pyrotechnic articles and fireworks" until July 15 in order to prevent "serious disturbances to public order," the BBC reported. The country celebrates Bastille Day, marking its 1789 revolution, on July 14.

The ban comes after fireworks "became the staple weapon of rioters" during the days of unrest sparked by the police killing of a 17-year-old outside Paris, Le Monde reported. It is not clear that a ban on legal sales will impact the supply, however, as the outlet noted that many protesters have to date been ordering their fireworks from sellers on social media.

The police killing has brought to the surface long-simmering resentment against French authorities amongst the country's minority population. Protesters complain of systemic racism and economic disenfranchisement. Police shot and killed the teenager, who was of North African descent, during a traffic stop.

Police initially said the shooting was in self-defense, but that claim appears to be contradicted by a video of the incident. One officer has since been arrested on charges of homicide.

The temporary fireworks ban comes after French lawmakers on July 5 approved a measure that increases authorities' ability to track criminal suspects using their phones. It also follows a widely-panned suggestion from French President Emmanuel Macron that the government might need more authority to regulate and even block social media during protests.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
The French government has banned firework sales ahead of Bastille Day celebrations as the country still reels from widespread anti-police riots.

"In order to prevent the risk of serious disturbances to public order during the July 14 festivities, the sale, carrying, transport and use of pyrotechnic articles and fireworks are prohibited until July 15 inclusively throughout the national territory," a government decree published Sunday in the Official Journal of the French Republic read.

The decree does not apply to professionals with the required approvals and authorizations or public authorities set to put on firework shows celebrating Bastille Day.

FRENCH GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDS TIKTOK RESTRICTIONS AFTER MACRON BLAMED CHINESE APP FOR FUELING YOUTH RIOTERS

In an interview Saturday with the daily Le Parisien, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne vowed that the government would deploy "massive means to protect the French" during the two "sensitive days" of July 13 and July 14 amid concern that National Day could inspire a resurgence of riots.

France saw six nights of destruction, arson, looting, and rioting unleashed on multitudes of communities in the wake of the June 27 death of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old of Algeria-Morocco descent, who was shot and killed by a 38-year-old motorcycle officer during a traffic stop in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

In what was considered the worst rioting in France since 2005, more than 3,700 people were taken into custody -- including at least 1,160 minors -- in connection to demonstrations following Merzouk's death, France 24 reported, citing official government figures.

French President Emmanuel Macron has accused social media  namely TikTok and SnapChat  of playing a "considerable role" in encouraging copycat acts of violence. Prosecutors allege many of the young people acquired information on where to obtain incendiary devices from the platforms.

FUNDRAISER FOR FRENCH COP ACCUSED OF KILLING TEEN SURPASSES $1M AS VIOLENCE RAGES

On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal, in a piece recounting "The Checkered History of Frances Bastille Day Parade," noted how in recent days the tanks that rumbled along the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris  past viewing stands erected in advance of France's national holiday  were not there to rehearse for the traditional July 14 military parade from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde but instead sent to quell "riots involving thousands of young people, mostly of North African descent" in the wake of Merzouk's death.

Though the violence has subsided in recent days, officials estimated more than 800 law enforcement officers were injured and that the unrest has caused more than $1 billion in damages.

What was typically referred to in France as "les violences urbaines" -- urban violence -- the unrest in the wake of Merzouk's death was unique in that it spread to small towns in the French countryside, the Associated Press reported. The mayor of the picturesque French town of Quissac, of just 3,300 people in the Gard region of southern France, detailed how a small group of people bombarded the local gendarmes' barracks on Quai de la Gare road with powerful fireworks, denting its metal shutters and setting fire to a cypress tree.

"In the press and even on the TV news, it was mainly Paris and its suburbs, Lyon and Marseille that were talked about. But when you look, there were also incidents in a certain number of small communities," said Philippe Van-Hoorne, the mayor of L'Aigle in Normandy, where fires were lit, cars torched, and police chased around after small groups of suspects. "Unfortunately, the increase of uncivil behavior, of violence, is developing even in modest towns like ours ... It's very hard to solve."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
France plans to boost the supply of military equipment to Ukraine, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna

France plans to boost the supply of military equipment to Ukraine, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna said in an interview with RFI on July 8.

"France has repeatedly stated that it will support Ukraine as much as necessary for it to be able to ensure the legitimate defense of its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," she said.

"No one should doubt our determination to fulfill this commitment."

Colonna emphasized that France is currently focused on strengthening Ukraine's air defense and artillery capabilities as soon as possible. In the long term, the minister said that the provision of all necessary weapons is planned in order to deter Russia from "any further attempts at aggression in the future."

Read also: France may transfer SCALP long-range missiles to Ukraine

"It is with this purpose in mind that the French President (Emmanuel Macron) proposed to Ukraine that France, along with several European partners, would train fighter pilots," she said.

France continues to strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine with state-of-the-art air defense systems, artillery, and armored vehicles.

On May 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that France would transfer dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks.

Later, Zelenskyy stated that France was joining the coalition of fighter aircraft and had expressed a willingness to begin training Ukrainian pilots.

Read also:

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
Dear Jackson County neighbors,

As your county executive and a fellow homeowner, I know how much our homes mean to us. Theyre not just buildings; theyre where we build our lives. Thats why I understand the worry many feel about our current property reassessment.

Under Missouri law, we must reassess the more than 300,000 properties in our county every two years. This state-mandated process is designed to ensure that every homeowner pays a fair share of taxes based on their homes actual value.

In the past, the county didnt always meet the mark, leading to some homes being undervalued and a tax burden unevenly carried by our community. Our County Assessor Gail McCann Beatty and her diligent team are working hard to rectify this, resulting in necessary adjustments to property values.

If you believe your homes new assessed value doesnt reflect its true worth, please appeal. Gail and her team have streamlined the appeal process to make it as accessible as possible.

Regrettably, in the midst of this challenging process, some are choosing to mislead rather than guide. A proposal by a county legislator to cap increases at 15% is not only illegal but irresponsible. Proposing an unattainable solution is a disservice to our community and a reckless attempt to win political points. We need leaders who promote clarity, not confusion.

I want to assure you that the county will not profit from these reassessments. Instead, it is about redistributing the tax burden so that people pay only their fair share.

I empathize with the concern this process brings, but we must remember that this reassessment is about achieving fairness. Its about ensuring everyone pays only what they should, based on their homes true value.

We are Jackson County  a community known for meeting challenges head-on, with unity and commitment to fairness. We cannot forget that were not just complying with a state mandate but also paving the way for a more balanced, equitable Jackson County.

Frank White Jr. is county executive of Jackson County.
Mike Reynolds, the Fresno father who became the driving force behind Californias three strikes crime-sentencing legislation after the murder of his daughter in 1992, has died, his family confirmed Sunday. He was 79.

Reynolds died from complications after recent heart surgery, said son Michael Reynolds.

A career photographer, Mike Reynolds turned into an activist for tougher laws to keep repeat violent offenders behind bars after his 18-year-old daughter, Kimber, was gunned down during a robbery outside a Tower District restaurant in 1992.

Family members reached Sunday at his Fresno High-area home, including his wife, Sharon, said they were still processing his death.

He devoted the last 30 years of his life to making things better for Californians, said son Chris.

He was a husband and father, and thats the most important thing to us.

Said Michael Reynolds:

Were grateful for the outpouring of support.

He was a role model of integrity and determination to preserve human life and to make his community a better place to live. Some people thought he was motivated by anger and resentment, but he wanted to spare other families from the pain our family suffered when Kimber was murdered.

(My father) was always trying to make things better, no matter how small or large, whether it was improving his spaghetti sauce, or the criminal justice system.

Fresno mayor hails Mike Reynolds as hero

Fresno Mayor and former Police Chief Jerry Dyer, reached Sunday, said Reynolds has done more for crime victims and their families than anyone I know. He was definitely a hero for law enforcement.

Kimber Reynolds was killed outside The Daily Planet restaurant by gunman Joe Davis, who was trying to take her purse. Davis was later killed by police in Clovis.

The tragedy drove Reynolds to push for the tougher sentencing provisions of the Three Strikes and Youre Out law to keep repeat offenders in prison longer after co-defendant Douglas Walker received just nine years in prison. He was paroled after serving 4 years.

After an unrelated felony conviction, Walker received a 44-years-to-life term in 2018.
Gabon President Ali Bongo says will run for third term

Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, took over from his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, in 2009 (LUDOVIC MARIN)

Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba said on Sunday that he would seek a third term as the oil-rich African nation's head of state.

The Bongo family has ruled the country for 55 years already and is branded a "dynastic power" by the opposition after Bongo, 64, took over from his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba in 2009.

"I officially announce today that I am a candidate," he told a crowd of supporters in a speech broadcast live on his Facebook page.

Presidential elections will be held on August 26.

His powerful Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) holds strong majorities in both houses of parliament.

The president was narrowly re-elected in 2016, with just 5,500 more votes than rival Jean Ping who claimed the election had been fixed.

Announcement of the results sparked violence in the capital Libreville that killed four civilians and a policeman, according to the government, while the opposition says 30 people were shot dead by the security forces.

Bongo suffered a stroke in 2018 and spent months on the sidelines recovering, leaving the opposition to question his fitness to run the nation.

He still has a stiff arm and leg and has mobility difficulties, but in recent months has held "republican meetings" around the country and made official visits abroad, including for summits.

- Opposition disunity -

The failure of the opposition to agree on a single candidate for the presidential election left some 15 candidates to announce their intentions to stand.

Former minister Paulette Missambo, head of the National Union party, has said she will run, as has Alexandre Barro Chambrier, who served as a minister to the current president and his father.

The official closing date for candidates to announce their intention to run is Tuesday.

In April, the Gabonese parliament voted to amend the constitution and reduce the president's term from seven to five years.

Sections of the opposition criticised the changes, in particular the end of two rounds of voting, as a means of "facilitating the re-election" of Bongo.

The presidential ballot will coincide with elections for the National Assembly and regional and municipal councils, with July 11 set as the deadline for filing candidacies.

Gabon is one of the richest countries in Africa in terms of per capita GDP due largely to its oil revenue and relatively small population of 2.3 million.

Crude represents 38.5 percent of its GDP, and 70.5 percent of its export revenues.

Other areas of activity are manganese mining and forestry, but efforts to diversify the economy remain in low gear.

A third of the population live below the poverty threshold, according to the World Bank.

gir/rox/gw
We make gains on Bakhmut front, Russian forces trapped in certain spots  Ukraine's Ground Forces Commander

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, has reported that the Ukrainian military is advancing on the Bakhmut front and posted a video of the soldiers' work.

Source: Syrskyi on Telegram

Quote: "Bakhmut front. We are making gains, the Defence Forces keep advancing, and the enemy is trapped in some places.

The video features the excellent work of the Pryvyd [Ghost] group of the Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Separate Presidential Brigade.

A sniper with the alias 'ALFA' is in action. He killed the enemy with one shot from 1,200 metres away."

Details: Syrskyi said that while the sniper was working, the group was being hunted by a Russian UAV, which was also shot down.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
President Joe Bidens decision to include cluster bombs in the latest $800 million weapons package for Ukraine has drawn disparate reactions from members of Congress, with some Democrats breaking with Biden.

Cluster bombs should never be used. That is crossing a line, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union. I think the President [has] been doing a good job managing this war, this Putin aggressive war against Ukraine. But I think that this should not happen.

Lee isnt alone. Several top Democrats have spoken out against the decision, arguing that providing the weapons, which are banned by more than 120 countries under the Geneva Convention, will likely result in the death of civilians.

What I think is that we are  would risk losing our moral leadership, Lee said. And so I'm hoping that the administration would reconsider this because these are very dangerous bombs, they're dangerous weapons and this is a line that I don't believe we should cross.

The Biden administration itself has expressed different views on whether the weapons constitute a violation of international law. Bidens former press secretary Jen Psaki, previously said that Russias use of such weapons could potentially constitute a war crime.



In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Biden said it was "a very difficult decision," to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.

"But the main thing is, they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now from their  keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas, or they don't. And I think they needed them," Biden said in the interview, which aired Sunday on "Fareed Zakaria GPS."

Speaking on ABC's "This Week," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Ukrainians were still far less likely to kill civilians than the Russians. "I think we can all agree that more civilians have been and will continue to be killed by Russian forces with  whether it's cluster munitions, drones, missile attacks or just frontal assaults  than will likely be hurt by the use of these cluster munitions fired at Russian positions inside Ukrainian territory."

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) also came to Biden's defense. "This was a very hard decision. The President, really, he listened to all sides," Coons said during an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation," adding that the Ukrainians are "at risk of losing this counter-offensive if they run out of their shells."

Some Republicans applauded the administrations decision.

"This should have happened long ago. Russia has been using those for a long time," said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) on "Fox News Sunday" saying the Biden administration needs to continue "to step up" in support of Ukraine.

House Foreign Affairs Chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) echoed those remarks on CNNs State of the Union.

All that "the Ukrainians and Zelenskyy are asking for is to give them the same weapons the Russians have to use in their own country against Russians who are in their own country, McCaul said.

They would be a game-changer in the counter-offensive, and I'm pleased the administration has finally agreed to do this.
Editor's Note: The following is part of a class project originally initiated in the classroom of Ball State University professor Adam Kuban in fall 2021. Kuban continued the project this spring semester, challenging his students to find sustainability efforts in the Muncie area and pitch their ideas to Deanna Watson, editor of The Star Press, Journal & Courier and Pal-Item. This spring and summer, stories related to health care have been featured.

MUNCIE, Ind.  When Purdue University student Elliot Martin fell and injured his wrist while doing parkour, it was the first time he sought medical care since starting his college career over two years ago.

When I was younger, I did the yearly checkups at the doctor, Martin said, but now Im older, so those dont really happen anymore.

A student enters the Ball State Student Health Center. The number of yearly visits to the health center have decreased by thousands since 2018.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of those over the age of 18 having wellness visits decreased annually for three consecutive years between 2019 and 2021. When looking more specifically into Martins age group, young adults ages 18 to 34 were the group with the lowest percentages of going in for wellness visits overall, with less than 70% having a wellness visit in all three recorded years. With on-going public health funding debates at the Indiana Statehouse, those young adults, especially those uninsured and/or without primary care providers, may be affected.

Upon finding the Purdue University Student Health Centers website and attempting to schedule an appointment for his wrist, Martin said the earliest available time for him to see a medical professional was March 7.

(March 7) was like two weeks out, he said. In two weeks, its either going to be worse or its not going to be sprained anymore.

After calling and making the staff aware of the issue, Martin said they recommended he walk in and wait in hopes to be seen. To his surprise, after around 30 minutes of sitting in the waiting room, Martin received X-rays and a brace before being sent off.

For an urgent care type of place, thats not that bad, he said.

Young adults rely on urgent care

Urgent care is especially relevant for those in Martins age group. According to a study into dependence on emergency care among young adults, emergency department care accounts for 21.6% of all health care visits from the age range. Furthermore, a 2019 study from the National Center for Health Statistics found those ages 18 to 24 to have the highest rates of emergency department visits.

Deidre Dorman, M.D., a physician at the Ball State Student Health Center, said injuries like Martins are one of the main reasons students use campus health centers, and she underscored the importance of the resource.

Students typically come to the health center to receive services from the main clinic for physical and mental health concerns, Dorman said. Having a health center on a college campus offers students easy access to be evaluated for acute illnesses and injuries which can disrupt their ability to attend classes.

Martin said his visit to the student health center at Purdue was all covered by his parents' insurance. However, according to Dorman, students may be faced with out-of-pocket costs depending on what each student needs at the time of their visit.

According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, roughly four in 10 of those aged 18-29 report taking prescription drugs.

According to a 2015 qualitative study on why people avoid medical care, more than half of respondents cited traditional barriers to medical care as the reason for avoiding it. Among these barriers were high cost and lack of insurance. For those uninsured students concerned about out-of-pocket payments, Dorman recommended Open Door Health Services as a primary care option and a resource for obtaining health insurance.

A 2019 study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found 45% of those ages 18 to 29 reported not having a primary care provider. Dorman advises all students in this situation to reach out to student health centers.

Students can often return to their primary care provider for routine visits when they are on school breaks, but when this is not possible, our providers would speak with the student about their particular health concern and tailor recommendations for them, she said.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: A gap: Routine medical treatment and young adults
(CNN)  A Pride festival was canceled in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Saturday by organizers who say authorities failed to prevent violent disruptions from Russian-affiliated far-right groups.

According to Georgian public broadcaster First Channel, police clashed with anti-LGBTQ protesters in Lisi Wonderland, an events venue outside Tbilisi where the closed event was scheduled to take place.

Festival organizers Tbilisi Pride said in a tweet that they were compelled to cancel the festival and evacuate the festival territory.

The Ministry of Interior of Georgia once again neglected to protect us from violent far-right groups and allowed the mobs to prevent us from exercising our freedom of expression and assembly even in private settings, Tbilisi Pride said.

Videos posted by Georgian activist channels showed clashes between police officers and anti-LGBTQ protesters in the festival area in Lisi Wonderland. Anti-Pride protesters were also pictured setting Pride flags on fire.

Tbilisi Pride has accused the Georgian government of orchestrating and coordinating with Russian-affiliated, far-right group Alt Info, who they claim disrupted the event.

Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze told reporters that the event had been hard to police because of its location, Reuters reported.

The protesters managed to find ways to enter the area of the event, but we were able to evacuate the Pride participants and organizers, Darakhvelidze said, according to the news agency. Nobody was harmed during the incident and police are now taking measures to stabilize the situation.

In a statement on Friday, the Georgian Interior Ministry said it was taking appropriate measures to ensure the safe format of Saturdays event and to protect the freedom of expression and assembly of each person.

The speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, stressed the governments condemnation of any violence on Saturday, according to First Channel.

Papuashvili said police coped with the situation and prevented festival participants from being injured, according to First Channel.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said statements from Papuashvili and other government officials had no value, calling on the government to stop using hate speech and inciting confrontation.

Zourabichvili, who is independent of the countrys ruling Georgian Dream party, said the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression guaranteed by the Georgian constitution were violated on Saturday.

The UN condemned the violence and attacks on Tbilisi Pride in a tweet, calling on Georgian authorities to denounce this disturbing incident and protect the rights to peaceful assembly and expression of LGBTQI+ people in Georgia.

The US Embassy in Tbilisi also condemned the actions of an uncontrolled crowd threatening violence, tweeting that they had denied Georgian citizens their right to peacefully assemble. The embassy called on the Georgian authorities to hold accountable all those who broke the law and make clear that violence is unacceptable.

Britains ambassador to Georgia, Mark Clayton, said he was shocked and saddened to see the festival canceled despite the planning and preventative measures.

In a tweet, Clayton called on the Georgian authorities to ensure that all who broke the law & aggressively disrupted a peaceful gathering will be brought to justice.

The German ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, called it a sad day, remarking in a tweet that Georgian law had been violated.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Tbilisi Pride festival canceled after violent anti-LGBTQ protests"
New Orleans House

A clothing-optional Florida resort catering to gay and bisexual men must open all areas to women, according to a June 30 ruling from a judge on the Florida Commission on Human Relations and reported by Metroweekly.

The decision  which overruled a previous ruling stating the resort did not discriminate  affects Key West's New Orleans House, though it's not binding until the full commission weighs in. The resort is one of at least two nude resorts challenged by Amita Chaudhry, a 38-year-old cisgender woman who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Chaudhry also filed a complaint against Key West's Island House resort, claiming she wasn't allowed to rent a room there because she doesn't identify as male. Island House attorneys dispute that, saying Chaudhry attended a 2022 Pride party at the resort and was disruptive. Chaudhry allegedly left fliers around the resort saying it discriminated against women and then told staff she planned to sue the resort.

I felt affronted by the fact that there was someone who was invited to the space and enjoying it, but while passing out literature to the detriment of our property and aggravating our guests, Island House owner Bobi Lore said in an administrative hearing in the spring. We eventually had the police escort her off the property.

Chaudhry later returned to the property and asked to rent a room, but was told the resort was fully booked. The status of Chaudhry's complaint against Island House is not clear.

Both Island House and New Orleans House have areas open to women, but restrict clothing-optional areas to men; Island House also allows female guests to stay at an adjacent guest house and utilize a nearby gym. A New Orleans House attorney said the judge's ruling siding with Chaudhry trampled on the rights of male guests of the resort who wish to only be naked around other men.

For her part, Chaudhry told Metroweekly, Living in Key West and going through all of this, theres this just kind of pervasive sense that I was the one in the wrong. Like I was some kind of crazy lunatic who was going against the natural order of things.
A Georgia mayor was charged with burglary and criminal trespassing Saturday, leading the way for him to be temporarily replaced by one of five City Council members who sued him this year.

Khalid Kamau, the mayor of the city of South Fulton in metropolitan Atlanta, was charged with criminal trespassing and first-degree burglary. He was released the same day on $11,000 in surety bonds.

He was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta reported.

The police department forwarded a request for more information to the city's public affairs director, who declined to provide details Sunday, citing an "ongoing investigation.

"The City of South Fulton is committed to upholding the law and ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their position, are subject to the same fair and just treatment," said Jacqueline Howell, the interim director of public affairs.

Khalid Kamau, Mayor of South Fulton, Ga., in Atlanta on June 16, 2023. (Paras Griffin / Getty Images file)

The city's public records office was asked for the incident report Sunday.

An email to Kamau's official city email address and to his chief of staff was not immediately replied to Sunday. Kamau said Saturday on Facebook that he was "good" and "free."

"God is still using me. Stay tuned," he wrote.

Kamau also shared a Bible verse about "those who are persecuted because of righteousness."

City Council member Natasha Williams-Brown, the mayor pro tem, will replace Kamau as acting mayor, WXIA reported. She told the station that the city will continue to function as usual as she takes over mayoral duties.

"If I get called upon to do any official actions as the acting mayor, that's what I will do until such time as Mayor Khalid returns to duty," she said.

Williams-Brown and four other council members sued Kamau in March to remove him from office. Only two members of the council were not party to the suit, court records show.

The suit alleges that Kamau knowingly disclosed confidential information for his benefit since his election and recorded confidential executive sessions, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported at the time.

Kamau has been in a contentious relationship with the council for over a year. The council asked the district attorney's office in June 2022 for an investigation of transactions Kamau's charged on a city-issued credit card that were discovered in an audit.

He asked Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate the City Council for possible corruption the next month, WXIA reported.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The German Parliament's Budget Committee has approved the purchase of additional ammunition for the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery system, Leopard 2 battle tank and Puma infantry fighting vehicle, which will be used to meet the Bundeswehr's own needs and support Ukraine.

Source: press service of the Ministry of Defence of Germany

Quote: "Russia's attack on Ukraine has fundamentally changed the security policy framework. It has forced the purchase of additional ammunition for both the German and Ukrainian armed forces.

Ukraine is fighting for its independence with Panzerhaubitze 2000 and Leopard 2 battle tanks. The needs for 155-mm artillery shells for the howitzer and 120-mm shells for the battle tank are met with the help of Germany."

Details: It is reported that since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine has received significant amounts of ammunition from Bundeswehr storage points.

It is noted that every Bundeswehr procurement project worth more than 25 million must be approved by the German Parliament's budget committee before a contract is signed.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Germany cannot prevent US from sending cluster munitions to Ukraine  Steinmeier

On Sunday 9 July, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that in todays circumstances, his country cannot stand in the way of the United States in its decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.

Source: Steinmeier spoke about this in an interview with ZDF, which was released on Sunday, reports European Pravda

Details: Steinmeier said he was the man who, on behalf of Germany, signed the convention banning cluster munitions in Oslo. He noted that he considered this position of Germany a correct one.

Quote: "But in the current situation, it [Germany  ed.] can not stand in the way of the United States," said the German President.

Steinmeier noted that in the Russian-Ukrainian war, Germany is clearly on the side of the victim.

He stressed that if Ukraine no longer has the means to defend itself, or if those who support the war-torn country retreat, "it will be the end of Ukraine."

On Friday 9 July, the US Department of Defence released details of a new US$800 million military aid package to Ukraine, which includes dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICMs), or cluster munitions.

Washington's statement drew criticism from non-governmental organisations and confused several European countries and other states, such as Canada.

A German government spokesman said that the US decision to send cluster munitions was "a tough one", and noted that Russia had already used such weapons in Ukraine.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

GETTYSBURG, Pa.  A week before becoming chair of the National Governors Association, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox provided a preview of what he hopes to accomplish during his one-year term: improve how Americans disagree.

I dont want to scoop my own announcement, Cox said to a supportive crowd on the closing day of the Braver Angels National Convention Saturday. I wont get into details here, but the initiative will feature governors modeling healthy conflict and helping to amplify the good work you are doing.

The governor drew on quotes from the Founding Fathers during his remarks, emphasizing the sacrifice and service required to preserve a healthy American democracy. He cited a letter from John Adams to his wife, Abigail, underscoring the toil and blood and treasure necessary to establish the United States.

Two hundred and forty-seven years later, I think John Adams would be proud to see the Independence Day festivities.  I think John would be excited to know weve gotten so much better at blowing stuff up, he said to laughter. I think weve pretty much nailed the celebration part.

But Im less sure that Adams and Washington and Hamilton and Franklin would be as proud of our country when it comes to the blood and treasure part  the real work of preserving our republic. The founders understood that true patriotism wasnt just pomp and circumstance.

Keeping the republic strong will require so much more sacrifice and selflessness, he said.

Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

The alternative of continuing down our current path is unthinkable. But perhaps not  because were here on the site where the unthinkable actually happened.

He continued: We can never solve any of the other challenges  if we hate each other and continue to fill state houses and halls of congress with performers and people who destroy institutions.

Hes brave to be engaged in this work, said Bob Mitchell, the founder of Bipartisan Leadership, an organization that trains future political leaders in Michigan, after the governors speech, stating that depolarization can sometimes be politically risky.

The speech, which received two standing ovations and extended applause, came in the closing portion of the three-day Braver Angels conference, which had a notable presence from Utahs own Braver Angels chapter and other local organizations.

The convention included dozens of presentations, considering various strategies, techniques and approaches to improve political disagreements in America. A nonprofit, the organization was founded in 2016 and attempts to ameliorate political polarization. The group brought together 700 people  evenly divided between left- and right-leaning Americans  for three days at Gettysburg College located in close proximity to historic Civil War sites located throughout Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Paul Edwards, executive director of BYUs Wheatley Institute, and Troy Williams, Equality Utah executive director, talk about the Utah Way during a breakout session at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Legislation, not litigation

Troy Williams and Paul Edwards, who lead Equality Utah and Brigham Young Universitys Wheatley Institute, respectively, made a joint presentation about their experience working together on the Utah Compromise around marriage and religious liberty, widely hailed as a legislative success.

Williams applauded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others for saying come to the table  lets work through these issues. He described how the experience influenced his desire to engage across partisan lines, noting his organizations recent decision to host a booth at the Utah Republican Partys convention.

Recollecting meetings with key stakeholders over breakfast during the time leading up to the Utah Compromise, Edwards suggested there was something about eggs and hollandaise sauce that can do wonders to facilitate softer hearts in conversation.

It may look kumbaya, Williams said, but he emphasized the hard work required to truly bridge divides. He recalled moments when those involved thought theres no way we can pull this off. Eventually, however, the third path opens up and another way appears.

Helene Biandudi Hofer, broadcast journalist and Good Conflict co-founder, speaks on a panel called Can Media Go From the Problem to the Solution? at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

The role of media

The challenges of popular discourse in America today was a common topic at the conference. In a panel called Can Media Go From the Problem to the Solution? Farah Stockman of The New York Times joked that media being the problem was one thing red and blue sides can agree on  with laughter from the audience.

Helene Biandudi Hofer of Good Conflict, and a journalist, said she got involved in the work of depolarization after I realized I was part of the problem, pointing to the Solutions Journal Network as a positive resource for journalists to do work focused on solving problems through reporting.

Christa Case Bryant, writer for The Christian Science Monitor, suggested that the U.S. may have entered a new era of yellow journalism, noting that The Monitor was established in 1908 with a kind of golden rule of journalism  namely, to injure no man, but to bless all mankind after religious leader Mary Baker Eddy was subject to persecution.

Hal Boyd, editor of the Deseret News, noted the power journalists can have in showing the humanity of their subjects.

Answers to the question Why are we here? are posted at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Gathering across divides

On a wall at the conference, cards noted why people attended the event. One person wrote, I am exhausted by the lack of space to have honest, respectful debate. Another described losing a close family relationship to political conflict, and feeling hopeless and helpless as their talks quickly degraded from curiosity towards anger, defensiveness and resentment.

One young participant who recently became old enough to participate in the elections wrote, Politics are a pretty scary thing to me because I see them as a thing that tears friendships apart and causes tension. The person expressed interest in learning ways to talk about important things with people with different views.

Urgent steps forward

Utahs governor carved out a reputation for a less contentious approach to politics after he joined his Democratic opponent in 2020, Chris Peterson, in an unusual political advertisement. The ad showed the two candidates side by side, saying they can disagree without hating each other or smearing each others character.

I believe the very security of the world lies in the balance, as ravenous and power hungry dictators thrive while the most important and powerful nation in the world spends its time fighting on Twitter about stupid things that dont matter.

Cox quoted Tim Shriver, stating, There is nothing more un-American than hating our fellow Americans.

He added, Its not hyperbole to say that this is the greatest challenge of our time.

Related

Jonathan Rauch, author of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, talks with Ryan Hoffman, right, at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Len Breslow raises his hand to ask a question as Jonathan Rauch, author of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Jonathan Rauch, author of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Paul Edwards, executive director at BYUs Wheatley Institute, talks about the Utah Way during a breakout session at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Quanta Dawn-Light makes a comment and asks Gov. Spencer Cox a question as Cox speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

David Blankenhorn, founder and president of the Institute for American Values and Braver Angels, asks Gov. Spencer Cox a question as Cox speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Dr. Doug Teschner, Braver Angels New England regional coordinator and former New Hampshire GOP state legislator, talks to Gov. Spencer Cox at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Braver Angels delegates rise to give Gov. Spencer Cox a standing ovation mid-speech at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Saturday, July 8, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Deseret News editor Hal Boyd, right, speaks on a panel called Can Media Go From the Problem to the Solution? with, from left, Farah Stockman, The New York Times editorial board member, Christa Case Bryant, The Christian Science Monitor senior Congressional correspondent, and Helene Biandudi Hofer, broadcast journalist and Good Conflict co-founder, at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Bernardo Guzman, Brent Morden and B.E. Farrow jam together with other musicians during the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Deseret News editor Hal Boyd, right, shakes hands with David Rine after speaking on a panel called Can Media Go From the Problem to the Solution? at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Troy Williams, Equality Utah executive director, talks about the Utah Way during a breakout session with Paul Edwards, executive director at BYUs Wheatley Institute, at the Braver Angels National Convention at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., on Friday, July 7, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
German police report large-scale unrest in Giessen (file pic)

Hundreds of German police have used batons and pepper spray to quell crowds targeting an Eritrean cultural festival in the central town of Giessen.

The protesters were angry that the festival went ahead in Giessen, calling it a propaganda exercise by the authoritarian Eritrean regime.

A police statement said clashes took place for hours on Saturday, and that 26 police officers were injured.

Police arrested nearly 100 people and had to stop traffic in the town centre.

The police statement said protesters threw bottles and stones at police, damaged some vehicles and ripped down fencing around the festival venue.

They also threw stones at buses carrying participants to the festival, the statement said.

Video on Twitter appears to show crowds of protesters engaged in running battles with police in the town.

The town authorities had tried to stop the festival going ahead after similar unrest erupted last year, but a local court overturned the ban.

Giessen has about 84,000 residents and lies roughly 50km (30 miles) north of Frankfurt am Main.

The festival is organised by the Central Council for Eritreans in Germany, which is considered close to the Eritrean embassy.

In recent years Germany has granted asylum to many Eritreans - they form one of the largest groups of African migrants seeking to settle in the EU.

Human rights organisations have documented large-scale abuses by the authorities in Eritrea, including strict censorship, forced labour and military conscription that is likened to slavery.
"Good leader" and "right policy": majority of Russians will support Putin in elections  sociology poll

An opinion poll has indicated that around 70% of Russians will support dictator Vladimir Putin in the next election.

Source: Levada Center, a Russian nongovernmental polling and sociological research organisation

Details: Most respondents describe their attitude to Putin as "positive-neutral". Two-thirds of respondents would like to see him re-elected in 2024.

Supporters of his re-election explain this by saying that Putin is "pursuing the right policy", "a good leader", "acting in the interests of the people", and that "there is no alternative to him".

The respondents believe that Putin expresses the interests of the "security forces" as well as "ordinary people", "oligarchs", and the "middle class".

Positive and neutral assessments of the dictator continue to prevail. About a quarter (23%) of respondents describe their attitude towards Putin as "sympathetic", while another 19% say they "admire" him, and the share of such opinions has not changed since last year. Another 12% of respondents say they have a "neutral, indifferent" attitude, and about a third (31%) cannot say "anything bad" about him.

Putin's re-election is expected by 68% of Russians, a record number since 2012, except for May 2022 (when it was 72%).

The poll by Levada Centre, adapted by Ukrainska Pravda

Respondents aged 55 and older, those who trust TV as their primary source of information, and the most affluent Russians most often expressed a desire to see Putin as president of the Russian Federation after the end of his current term.

Twenty per cent of Russians are against his re-election. One in 12 of those dissatisfied mentioned that the dictator had started a war against Ukraine, "killing people and exterminating the nation" (though they did not specify which nation).

For reference: Russia will hold presidential elections in March 2024.

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Over the past year and a half, eight Republican-led states quit a nonpartisan program designed to keep voter rolls accurate and up to date.

Top Republican election officials in those states publicly argued the program was mismanaged. The conspiracy theorists who cheered them on falsely insisted it was a front for liberals to take control of elections.

But experts say the program, known as the Electronic Registration Information Center, was among the best nationwide tool states had to catch people trying to vote twice in the same election. Now, those Republican-led states who left  and other states who lost access to their data  are scrambling to police so-called double voters ahead of the presidential election in 2024.



In recent months, elections officials in Ohio  one of the states that led the flight from ERIC  and elsewhere have been quietly convening leaders from dozens of states to talk about ways they can still work together to try to catch double-voters.

The whole goal is to have something in place, state-to-state, prior to the 2024 election, Amanda Grandjean, Ohio's assistant secretary of state and senior adviser, told POLITICO, the first time she has spoken publicly about the efforts.

The scramble by states to fill a security gap left open by exiting ERIC comes at a critical time. Elections officials face ongoing scrutiny about the accuracy of voter rolls after extensive  and untrue  accusations of widespread fraud in the past two election cycles. The 2024 elections are getting closer.

Grandjean said 27 states have expressed interest in the effort, with varying degrees of commitment.

But actually getting it off the ground is a different matter.

Grandjean declined to share a complete list of participants, but said there has been a bipartisan working group which also includes states that remain active members of ERIC. She said states have been meeting weekly to discuss the structure of the program. States she mentioned that have been actively involved in conversations include West Virginia, Florida and Virginia  three states that left ERIC  as well as Georgia, which remains in ERIC and whose Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, has been one of the organizations chief public defenders.



In a text message, a spokesperson for Raffensperger confirmed that his office is trying to work out agreements with several non-ERIC states, but said they had no further details to share. A spokesperson for the Virginia elections department told Virginia Public Media in May  shortly after the state announced its intention to pull out of ERIC  that it had been participating in talks with other states for several months on a potential double-voter program, but declined to answer further questions about the effort.

Interstate double voting  someone successfully or trying to cast a ballot in the same election in two different states  is widely believed by election officials to be rare. But it does happen. Election officials, and Republican politicians, have praised ERIC in the past as a key tool that has helped them catch cases.

In the interview, Grandjean stressed that the new effort she is trying to rally support for is not meant to be something thats comparative to ERIC. It would be structured entirely differently, based on individual states signing data sharing agreements with one another, and not a more centralized database structure.

There's no bylaws, there's no membership agreement, she said. It's just sharing information with each other.

But that also means that any arrangement will be much more limited in practice than ERIC. One of ERICs biggest values was serving as a central clearinghouse for states data that they used to update voter rolls, either by scrubbing out-of-date registrations or finding potentially eligible but unregistered voters. Those two things are much harder, if not impossible, to replicate with one-on-one agreements between states.

The future of ERIC also remains uncertain.

The states that left have denied that the attacks from conspiracy theorists had anything to do with the rush for the exits. Grandjean, who at one point chaired ERICs board, said she did not want to relitigate the fight but that it was unfairly portrayed in the media. Instead, most of the states that left said it was due to a fight over efforts to change the composition of ERICs board to remove a non-voting member and disagreements over what member states had to do with the data collected and distributed by the organization  something that many of the remaining states dismissed as a false pretense put forward to justify an exodus and score political points.

Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia are currently members of the organization  a number that includes Virginia, whose resignation is set to take effect next month. Efforts are underway in New York and California to potentially join the organization, but that number could further dwindle in the future as well.



Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a law late last month that would allow the state to leave the program.

And Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams  a Republican who has also vocally defended ERIC  recently acknowledged his state is also looking at alternatives.

In a statement late last month, Adams said ERIC has been weakened because there are less participating states contributing data, increasing costs and decreasing utility to remaining states.

While my administration will never cave to conspiracy theorists, it nevertheless is true that the value of ERIC to us going forward is a debatable question, he said. Kentucky is about to pay a lot more money to get a lot less information.
Governor Brian Kemp issued a statement following a shooting that left one dead and one deputy injured Saturday.

Richmond County Sheriff officials said on Saturday at 11:53 a.m., deputies received reports of a person with a gun on Ellis Street.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

According to the investigation, a deputy and the subject were shot at least once.

The deputy was taken to the hospital, where his condition is unknown.

Authorities told WJBF that the subject was pronounced dead on the scene.

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The identity of the subject has not been released.

Gov. Kemp said on Twitter that he and his family are praying for the injured deputy.

Marty, the girls, and I are asking all Georgians to pray for Richmond County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Mercer who was shot in the line of duty today. We join his loved ones and the entire law enforcement community in asking God to keep him stable and on the road to recovery.  Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 8, 2023

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case.

The investigation remains ongoing.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Guest: State of maternal health in Oklahoma is bleak. We are failing women, especially Black women

Black women face many risks in pregnancy and childbirth. There is something intrinsic to the experience of Black women  regardless of education, income or medical background.

Tori Bowie, a gold medal Olympic athlete, recently died of pregnancy-related complications. Once the fastest woman in the world, she was found dead, alone, at home. The autopsy report cites possible complications from eclampsia (a severe form of preeclampsia related to high blood pressure during pregnancy that includes seizures, sometimes stroke and even death).

Bowies death helps highlight the risks that Black women face in pregnancy and childbirth. To see Black women like Beyonce, Serena Williams and Tori Bowie, who have every resource at their disposal, still face such significant pregnancy complications suggests there is something intrinsic to the experience of Black women  regardless of education, income or medical background.

The number of women who die giving birth in America each year has nearly doubled in the last 20 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the maternal mortality rate for 2021 was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with 17.4 in 2018. The numbers are even more disconcerting when disaggregated by race/ethnicity. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women in the United States.

More: Maternal deaths in the US more than doubled over two decades

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Black maternal health disparities are symptoms of broader underlying social and economic inequities rooted in racism and discrimination. Differences in insurance coverage and access to care play a role in determining maternal health outcomes for people of color, but inequities in broader social determinants of health are underlying causes, as well. However, these disparities persist even when controlling for factors such as education and income.

So what is the state of maternal health in Oklahoma?

 Oklahoma ranks among the states with the worst rates (44th) of maternal deaths in the United States.

 Oklahoma has the second-highest uninsured rate in the country. Paradoxically, Oklahoma is preparing to purge nearly 300,000 Oklahomans from Medicaid.

 Out of 77 counties in Oklahoma, 61 have limited or no access to maternity care.

 Black women account for only 10% of Oklahomas births but comprise 22% of Oklahomas maternal deaths. Black infant mortality is two times that of white infants.

As an OB-GYN practicing in Oklahoma, I am acutely aware that improving maternal morbidity and mortality, especially for Black women, will require buy-in at every level:

 It will require that health care systems expand access to coverage; commit to diversifying the health care workforce and addressing the roles of racism and discrimination within the health care system. Studies show that outcomes are improved when Black patients have physicians who look like them. Only 11% of OB-GYNs in the country are Black and 5% of MDs in Oklahoma are Black. There are only four Black OB-GYNs in the Oklahoma City metro area offering obstetric care. We must increase access to Black birth workers who can help advocate for Black women, as well.

 Patients have to assume accountability for their own health, not only during pregnancy, but before and after pregnancy. Oklahoma still has some of the highest rates of obesity, smoking and substance abuse in the country. Black women in Oklahoma have the lowest rates of returning for their postpartum visits. We have to be our own biggest advocates in a system that fails us.

 Stop politicizing health care! Oklahoma physicians practice in a legislative environment where they are under threat of prosecution, fines and loss of licensure. Respondents to a survey sent to Oklahomas OB-GYNs based on the past few years of legislation indicated that 58% of physicians were either leaving or would consider leaving the state. Another 18% stated they would like to leave, but it wasnt feasible at this time.

When a majority of our counties are already maternity care deserts, we are on the precipice of a crisis. In the last legislative session, bills were introduced to address period poverty, protect access to contraception, and to assist the Maternal Mortality Review Committee in data collection. None of these bills passed. To make a bad situation worse, access to Title X, a federal program that provides low- or no-cost preventative and reproductive health care to low-income and uninsured individuals has been suspended.

More: Therapist: If you have postpartum depression, all is not lost

We have to reimagine what health care could look like when patients, physicians, health care systems and legislators truly commit to health equity. As it stands, we are failing the women of Oklahoma, especially Black women. Continued failure to act falls far short of The Oklahoma Standard.

Dr. Angela Hawkins

Dr. Angela Hawkins is a Fellow of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; chair of the Oklahoma Section of American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and president of Oklahoma Black Physicians Alliance.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Guest: 61 Oklahoma counties have limited or no access to maternity care
The heroic death of a Fayetteville high school student is remembered with award

A Fayetteville teenager who drowned at a South Carolina state park last month will be honored by his high school with an annual award in his name, officials said Thursday.

TreSean Snow, 16, a rising junior at Douglas Byrd High School, drowned at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, on June 6 while trying to save another child, according to the Georgetown County Coroners Office.

Principal Kenneth Williams said Thursday that the school has created the TreSean Snow Courage Award in his honor.

Snows guardian and cousin, Kiara McPhaul, 32, said in a phone interview that TreSean was on a day trip to the beach with his two best friends when he noticed a 13-year-old girl struggling on her boogie board and swam out to help. The girl was saved, but TreSean was swept under by a current, McPhaul said.

It was an act of heroism that most adults would not be capable of, she noted.

I respect how selfless he was, she said. That was just his nature  to help anybody that he could that was in need.

Tre'Sean Snow, 16, drowned at a South Carolina state park on June 6, 2023, while trying to save another child, officials said.

'The kid was different'

TreSean had encountered many tragedies in the past five years, but that never stopped him from being a source of light for others, his loved ones said.

His aunt and mother died less than two months apart in 2018, leaving TreSean and his two older sisters in the care of other family members before McPhaul took custody of them, she said.

McPhaul moved her family from Raeford to Fayetteville two years ago, she said. The change was hard on Tre'Sean. Family friend Thomas Jackson came into his life in 2020 after TreSeans uncle passed, introducing the teen to the world of car shows.

He kind of just stayed attached to my side for a few months after that, learning about the different car meets and learning about YouTube and making money on social media, Jackson said.

Tre'Sean Snow celebrating his 16th birthday in December 2022. Snow died at a South Carolina state park in June while trying to save another child, officials said.

Jackson runs TKs Garage, a YouTube channel he began in 2016 that focuses on the car community.

TreSean fell in love with the car community, specifically with Dodge cars, and Jackson sometimes took him to a nearby drag strip in his Challenger, he said.

He kind of was addicted to it at that point, he said.

Jackson also helped the teen get involved in wrestling.

I started taking him on the weekends to these open classes or training, Jackson said. It was like a feeder program for the local high schools to have wrestlers.

Jackson, a defense contractor who does not have children, said what impressed him most about TreSean was his positive attitude and determination to build a great life for himself. He said the teen dreamt of building a home for the disabled in honor of his disabled sister and joining the JROTC program at Douglas Byrd.

The kid was different, Jackson said. He had aspirations and things that he wanted to do different.

Jackson found out from his ex-wife and Tre'Sean's family about the teens death, but it wasnt until he spoke to the coroner in Georgetown County that he heard how TreSean died, he said.

That knowledge inspired him to speak out, and Jackson published a video to his 106,000 subscribers on YouTube, sharing TreSeans story and encouraging the car community to attend the teens June 14 funeral in Raeford.

"That kid gave up everything to save a little girl," Jackson said.

Honoring a sacrifice

News of TreSeans final act spread, and members of the Hoke County Sheriffs Office and the Raeford Fire Department, Jackson and McPhaul said.

Deputies attended TreSeans funeral and closed intersections from the funeral home to the cemetery, while fire trucks lined up to pay tribute to TreSean, Jackson said. According to McPhaul, members of the car community escorted the family to and from the funeral home.

It was also at TreSeans funeral that his loved ones learned about the Douglas Byrd High School's TreSean Snow Courage Award, McPhaul said. Principal Williams said Thursday that the details have not been finalized, but it will be presented to a student during the annual senior awards ceremony and recipients will be determined through faculty nominations and votes.

TreSeans loved ones said they want people to remember the teens spirit.

He was still positive and always looking for the better aspect of life, Jackson said. The community lost somebody that I sense was going to make a massive difference in their community, just because of how huge this kids character was.

Its a loss that will forever be felt by his family, McPhaul said.

I want people to know how much were going to miss him and how this has put a hole in our heart, she said. He was just a good kid.

Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville teen to be remembered with Douglas Byrd annual award
Warehouse etiquette

Costco members, please:

Pick items from the top of the piles theyre stacked in. Those voids you leave on the bottom have to be plugged by the workers.

Put your carts back in the corrals.

Nest your cart into the one ahead of it.

Do not leave your trash in the cart.

If you decide not to buy an item, take it back where you got it. The time to decide you dont want an item is not while youre standing at the register.

- Mark Kamau, Irving

Go ahead and build the wall

Rep. Chip Roy is absolutely correct: Our state needs a border that is controlled. (July 2, 5C, Texas lawmaker says state should tell feds to stick it on border)

I am sure the feds will take the state to court and argue that, constitutionally, states have no jurisdiction over the border. So, start building a wall and let the case proceed through the court system. Appeal it all the way on the grounds of safety.

By the time it reaches the Supreme Court, I hope, either the wall will be finished or an administration will be in power that supports the state. We do not have a country or a state if we do not control our borders.

- Charles Hunter, El Paso

Why not mention the Carter?

Does Jenny Rudolph not know that Fort Worth is home to one of the nations major museums of American art  the Amon Carter Museum of American Art? She omitted it in her article about the new Crescent Hotel on July 4. (1A, Luxury Crescent Hotel opens bookings for September debut

The Carter is also within easy walking distance of the new hotel. It is closer than the Dickies Arena, which she mentioned in her news story.

- D. Jack Davis, Fort Worth

You arent owed an education

Somehow, the word loan has been forgotten in the political debate over student debt. Loan means that its not a gift. There has to be payback. Why would the people who get student loans not expect to have to pay them off at some time?

There is no higher education by right in this country, nor should there be. There is freedom for everyone to be educated, but that doesnt mean a degree from a prestigious school and a giant student loan debt. It also doesnt mean our young people are entitled to four years of the college experience.

- Wanda Conlin, Fort Worth

A legacy we all must endure

Student loan debt must be wiped out, but the Supreme Court does not get it. The decision to strike down debt relief was a bad mistake, making a major error rather than preventing one. Its legacy is now of being a check not on the governments power but on the American people themselves.

This Supreme Court is the most conservative in modern times based on the end of Roe v. Wade and other decisions by Donald Trumps three appointments. This is a sad episode in our history.

- John Huerta, Merced

Commonsense Supreme Court

Lets be sure we all understand the logic behind three notable recent Supreme Court rulings. Ruling No. 1: If you take out a student loan for your education, you are required to repay the loan. Ruling No. 2: You cannot gain admission to a college or university because of your race. Ruling No. 3: If you own a business, you have the right to decline service for religious beliefs.

Wow, those really are radical thoughts  at least that is how it is being portrayed by the political left, including some Democrats in the executive branch. The first ruling might result in lower costs to attend college. The second is an insult to any race that it was ever in effect. The third means the government does not run your business.

The left and many in the media enjoy stirring the pot on these and other issues for the sake of creating controversy. All it does is create mistrust of both of them.

- Paula Scoggin, Benbrook

Politics entering into elections

It seems that new Tarrant County Judge Tim OHare isnt being up front about experienced candidates for the elections administrator job. That troubles me because one of the three he considered sued, and none of the three had experience in elections. Yet there were 52 applicants for the job. We were told that few people applied, but many were well qualified, as reported by the Star Telegram (good work). (July 3, 1A, Several experienced candidates applied for elections chief job)

Now it seems that Tarrant County is going from moderate/conservative in its elected officials to far right who want to change voting procedures in the name of fighting fraud and corruption when none has actually existed.

- Thomas Grant Nehm, Saginaw
HGTV is making people so concerned about being judged for their decor that it's creating a world where everything looks the same, study says

HGTV

HGTV and other home improvement media are causing people to decorate their homes all the same.

Homeowners are now seeing their interior design through the prism of monetary, rather than personal, value.

One person interviewed for the study said people liked her bathroom because it was like a "hotel room."

Home improvement shows on HGTV and other channels, as well as interior design magazines, are making people see their homes through a so-called "market-reflected gaze," which is causing houses to all look the same, a new study says.

Annett Grant, an assistant professor of markets, innovation, and design at Bucknell University, and Jay M. Handelman, an associate professor of marketing at Smith School of Business at Queen's University, published a study on how home improvement media influences homeowners.

Traditionally, people thought of homes as a place of singularization that should be styled to the homeowner's unique identity, the study says. But homeowners are starting to shift their thinking to consider their home as a marketplace asset rather than a space that is unique to them, according to the study.

Grant told The Washington Post that home improvement media, which constantly shows people what is "wrong" with their house, makes them fearful to take risks in their interior design.

"They're seeing everything that's wrong with their home and imagining when people come into their home [that] they're also criticizing and scrutinizing and judging their home," Grant told the outlet.

Grant told the Post that the 17 people who participated in the study all want to be "that smart homeowner who has invested in my home and now, on paper, my home is worth so much more."

Homeowners start to experience a "market-reflected gaze," by viewing their home through the lens of marketplace standards, thus "shunning singularization."

"Professionalization of the home, through marketplace expertise and standardization, discourages personalization, leading to an experience of disorientation with the place of home," the study says.

The phenomenon causes spaces to look broadly neutral with the aim of creating a space that is welcoming to everyone.

One study participant told researchers that people like her bathroom because it's "a bit more like a hotel room kind of cleanliness, looking very streamlined, and everything coordinates," the Post reported.

Grant says this market-reflected gaze has homeowners at odds with themselves about how to view their home, as a way to build wealth or as a living space to be personalized.

They are "torn between two ideas of what the home should be," Grant told the Post.

HGTV did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
high school student raising hand in class

A high school principal is under fire after sending home a new dress code policy that applies to both parents and students.

Carlotta Outley Brown, a principal at James Madison High School in Houston, Texas, sent home a letter to all parents of students at the school in April 2019. The new dress code policy was not only for students to follow, but also applied to any parents or guardians who would be stepping on school grounds.

Brown claimed that the new dress code policy would effectively ban bonnets, hair rollers, and other specific items.

Brown first sent the letter home to parents after a mother of a student had shown up to the school wearing a headwrap and T-shirt dress and was unable to register her daughter for classes because of it.

RELATED: Woman Called To Pick Her Little Sister Up From School Because Her Shoulders Were Showing'This Is Ridiculous...You're Not Changing'

Brown insisted that from now on, both students and parents alike were banned from wearing certain items of clothing. Some of those items included satin caps, shower caps, bonnets, hair rollers, and revealing jeans and shirts.

RELATED: Mom Of 3 Bullied By Other Moms For Wearing 'Inappropriate Parental Clothing To Kids' School

"To prepare our children and let them know daily, the appropriate attire they are supposed to wear when entering a building, going somewhere, applying for a job, or visiting someone outside of the home setting, I am going to enforce these guidelines on a daily basis at Madison High School, Brown wrote in the letter. We are preparing our children for the future and it begins here.

In the letter, Brown shared the long list of clothes that weren't going to be acceptable for both students and parents, which included "jeans that are torn from your buttocks," "pajamas of any kind," "sagging pants, shorts [and] jeans," and "very low-cut tops or revealing tops that [show] your busts."

Along with that, Brown also banned boys and men from wearing any type of undershirt, and if they did show up in one, they would be banned from entering the campus until they changed.

"Parents, we do value you as a partner in your childs education. You are your childs first teacher. However, please know we have to have standards, most of all we must have high standards.

RELATED: High School Student Says School Made Her Wear Duct Tape On Her Leg For 8 Hours For A 'Dress Code' Violation

Many parents and students were outraged by Brown's new dress code policy.

In an interview with KPRC-TV, Joselyn Lewis, the mother who was turned away from registering her daughter for classes because she showed up in a headwrap and T-shirt dress, voiced her discontent with the new dress code policy.

[The administrator] said that my headscarf was out of dress code and my dress was too short, she told the outlet. I can wear what I want to wear. I dont have to get all dolled up to enroll her [in] school."

"My childs education, anyones childs education should be more important than what someone has on. That shouldnt matter.

RELATED: Judgmental Boy Says Teacher Wearing 'Inappropriate' Jeans & T-Shirt Should Be Dress Coded At School

In a similar vein, Zeph Capo, the president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, told the Houston Chronicle he found dress codes regarding womens hair classist.

Im sorry  this principal may have plenty of money and time to go to the hairdresser weekly and have her stuff done, Capo pointed out. Who are you to judge others who may not have the same opportunities that you do? Having a wrap on your head is not offensive. It should not be controversial.

Dress codes are predominantly forced upon schools with a heavy population of Black and Brown students.

Other parents pointed out the discriminatory undertones of the dress code policy, and how much of the language used seemed to be aimed at Black women specifically.

RELATED: Father Responds To Nasty Comments About Daughters Homecoming Outfits

Time and time again, we see Black women's hair being targeted as somehow falling under the "standard" and labeled as "inappropriate." By enacting dress codes that single out Black students unfairly, this type of selective enforcement reinforces harmful stereotypes and implies that black students' appearances are inherently problematic or inappropriate.

According to data acquired by the Government Accountability Office, more than 80% of predominantly Black schools and almost two-thirds of predominantly Hispanic schools enforce strict dress codes, compared with just over one-third of White schools.

I really think it was discriminatory, the language that was used. It was demeaning, another mother of a student, Tomiko Miller, told the Chronicle. And Im African American  and if its misty outside and I have a hair bonnet on, I dont see how thats anyones business.

Efforts should always be made to create inclusive dress code policies that respect and celebrate diversity, rather than enforcing rules that discriminate against specific racial or ethnic groups.

RELATED: Teacher Criticized Over Her Inappropriate Work Outfits After Sharing What She Wears To School

Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.

This article originally appeared on YourTango
When it comes to online merchandizing, nobody is bigger than Amazon. The same can be said for Walmart's utter domination of physical retail. But for a brief time in 2016, the two behemoths sought to get all up in each other's lanes. The resulting multi-year fracas would shake the world of commerce to its foundations with every above-board strategy and under-handed trick made available to crush the competition. In Winner Sells All, journalist Jason Del Rey recounts the business battles both between and within these titans of industry as both corporations sought to further entrench their market positions. In the excerpt below, we see some of said underhanded tricks.

Blue and white writing on blue black and tan columns, red shopping cart icon.

Excerpted from Winner Sells All: Amazon, Walmart and the Battle for Our Wallets by Jason Del Rey . Published by Harper Business. Copyright  2023 by Jason Del Rey. All rights reserved.

In the late 2010s, the power and valuations that Amazon and other titans of the technology industry were accumulating incited a new movement in antitrust circles, catalyzed by a law school paper written by a then-unknown law student named Lina Khan. In her seminal paper, Amazons Antitrust Paradox, published in the Yale Law Journal, Khan argued that our interpretation of antitrust laws was outdated in light of a new digital economy, and there was a need to return to the days when merely having low prices or providing free services wasnt enough to avoid scrutiny for anticompetitive behavior.

Amazon doesnt just want to dominate markets; it wants to own the infrastructure that underpins those markets, said Stacy Mitchell, the longtime critic of both Amazon and Walmart who runs a left-leaning think tank called the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). And thats an order of magnitude difference of a monopoly ambition than Walmarts. Mitchell had spent many years agitating for the government to step in to slow down Walmart during its go-go Supercenter growth years and she is still clear today that she finds the companys power problematic.

But in her view, and that of many Big Tech critics in her circles, Amazon poses an altogether different threat to business competition. Its not just the retail platform, but its AWS [Amazon Web Services], its the logistics piece, its [Alexa] and being the interface for how we interact with the web, and all the devices and everything that are connected to the smart home, she said. It enables Amazon to favor its own goods and services in those markets, to levy a kind of tax on all the businesses that rely on that infrastructure, and to surveil all of that activity and use that intelligence to its own advantage.

As the pressure from Washington, DC, increased, Amazon leaders were becoming heated. In one key annual meeting of Bezoss senior leaders in early 2020, Jassy, the then-CEO of AWS, digested the content of a memo sitting in front of him. It laid out Amazons plans for messaging in response to accusations that it was too big or too powerful and engaged in anticompetitive behavior. As Bezos listened in by phone, Jassy pointedly asked those before him why the messaging didnt argue that Walmart, and AWS rival Microsoft, should be investigated. Other top company officials tried to explain that each of those companies had already been scrutinized years ago and their time had passed. But Jassys reaction left a lasting impression on those in attendance.

It was very clear from his comments that we shouldnt let our foot off the gas, someone in attendance told me years later. In subsequent years, especially in the part of the company that focused on so-called competition issues, there wasnt a day that Walmart didnt come up. The fact that Walmart, with more annual revenue than Amazon, was not being scrutinized by policy makers drove executives like Jassy crazy. It didnt help when Amazon executives discovered that Walmart was indirectly funding a nonprofit front group called Free and Fair Markets, which was bombarding reporters and social media with anti-Amazon accusations. For some time, Amazon leaders suspected that a competitor, or group of competitors, was funding the operation but couldnt prove it. One of Amazons longtime spokesmen, Drew Herdener, grew frustrated every time the group placed an op-ed or social media message that got traction.

How does the press not know this is a front group? he would lament. As a result, an Amazon communications staffer named Doug Stone spent upward of a year trying to help reporters uncover the groups funders. Finally, in the fall of 2019, the Wall Street Journal pulled back the veil in an expose titled A Grass Roots Campaign to Take Down Amazon Is Funded by Amazons Biggest Rivals. A Walmart spokesperson denied funding the group to the newspaperthe article had stated that Walmart used an intermediary to pass along funds to FFM, so the companys defense might have been a matter of semantics but said that Walmart share[s] concerns about issues that the group was publicizing.
A homeless person in Augusta was killed in a shootout with a Richmond County deputy Saturday morning, according to authorities.

At 11:23 a.m., Richmond County Sheriffs Office deputies responded to the 1200 block of Ellis Street for a person with a gun, according to a news release. During the incident, a deputy and the homeless person were both shot at least once.

The deputy was transported to the hospital for treatment, according to the release.

The homeless person, who not yet been identified as of Saturday evening, was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:46 p.m., according to the Richmond County Coroner's Office.

Homeless issue in Augusta: Richmond County Sheriff's Office to host town hall to discuss homelessness and crime

Armed robbery in Graniteville: Gunman robs Graniteville bank, considered 'armed and dangerous'

An autopsy has been scheduled, according to the coroner's office.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested due to the nature of the incident, according to the sheriff's office. The GBI has assumed the investigation.

"This investigation is ongoing and no further information will be provided at this time," sheriff's office officials wrote in the release.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Homeless person killed, deputy injured in Augusta shooting
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi speaks at an interview with Reuters in Tokyo

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) -It is "absolutely logical" that Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from its Fukushima nuclear plant is attracting great interest in the region, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said on Sunday.

Grossi also said he understands concerns remain over the plan but added that a review by the IAEA released last week found it was "in conformity with international safety standards" if executed according to plan.

Grossi met with South Korea's opposition Democratic Party members on Sunday who expressed strong public concerns over Japan's plan and criticized the IAEA's findings.

"The issue at hand today has attracted a lot of interest, and this is absolutely logical because the actions and the way in which Japan will be addressing this ... have important implications," Grossi said in the meeting.

A Democratic Party member who chairs a special committee on the issue said the IAEA's findings had "shortcomings", and the widespread public concerns over safety in the country were "legitimate and reasonable".

"We deeply regret that the IAEA concluded Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant meets international standards," Wi Seong-gon, the committee chairman, told Grossi.

Grossi was met with angry protests by civic groups as he arrived in South Korea on Friday from Japan and drew street rallies on Saturday criticising the plan.

South Korea's government said on Friday it respected the IAEA's report and that its own analysis had found the release will not have "any meaningful impact" on its waters.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Wednesday criticised the move towards discharging the water and threatened action if the plan should move ahead.

North Korea also criticised IAEA's backing of Japan's plan, calling it "unjust" and a demonstration of double standards, citing the U.N. nuclear watchdog's work to curb Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

North Korea has faced U.N. Security Council sanctions for its six underground nuclear tests.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Kim Coghill and Sonali Paul)
Panel discussion "Trade: Now what?" at the World Economic Forum 2022 in Davos

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's trade minister will hold talks in the UK on a free trade deal with Britain and meet ministers from the European Free Trade Association from July 10 to 11, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Sunday.

Trade minister Piyush Goyal will meet with his UK counterpart, Kemi Badenoch, as well as representatives from British industry, the ministry said in a statement.

The talks offer an opportunity to discuss the main priorities of a free trade agreement "with a focus on addressing trade barriers, promoting investments, and fostering greater cooperation in areas such as technology, innovation, and intellectual property rights," the statement said.

Differences have emerged between India and the UK on some key tariff lines and investment protection rules, including disagreement over concessions on duties levied by India on car and liquor imports.

Goyal will also meet ministers and officials from the European Free Trade Association, which comprises Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, to assess progress toward reaching a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement with them.

(Reporting by Nikunj Ohri; Editing by Sonali Paul)
This article was originally published in Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Indianas private school voucher program grew by 20% in the 2022-23 school year  the largest increase in the number of students in nearly 10 years, according to a new report.

The Indiana Department of Educations (IDOE) annual Choice Scholarship Program analysis released this month showed state funds paid private school tuition for 53,262 Hoosier students.

Thats compared to 44,376 students who used vouchers during the 2021-22 academic year.

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With that growth came increased costs. The state spent $311.8 million on the program in the 2022-23 school year  29% more than the year prior.

Voucher participation and spending are expected to jump even more this fall after state lawmakers expanded the program to be nearly universal and open to almost all Hoosier families.

The broader eligibility provisions are projected to grow the voucher program to some 95,000 students by 2025  and more than double the state money spent on the Choice Scholarships, costing taxpayers $1.1 billion over the next two years.

As the program continues to grow, the vouchers are additionally less likely to be linked to low-income assistance.

In 2022-23, only 28.1% of voucher households had an income below $50,000, compared to 37.4% in the 2021-22 school year. Instead, most voucher recipient households were more likely to make over $100,000 than under $50,000.

I think its great that Indiana is funding families and giving opportunities to families from across the income spectrum, said Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice, an Indianapolis-based group that backs voucher programs. Its a really good thing to see this growth in the Choice program, and I expect it to grow even more next year.

By the numbers

The 2022-2023 school year saw the largest growth in the number of students since the 2014-2015 school year, according to the IDOE report.

A record 343 private schools participated in the last school year  up from 330 the year before. Most are religious schools that exclusively offer Christian-based education.

Nearly 62% of voucher students in 2022-23 were white, a 3% increase from the previous year. Only 9.5% were Black, which is less than the statewide Black public school enrollment of 13.1%.

Most voucher students live in a metropolitan area, but the number of students in suburban, rural, and town communities increased in the 2022-2023 school year.

About 64% of Choice Scholarship students have never attended a public school  a slight drop from more than 69% the school year before.

But for the first time in the programs history, the percentage of students who previously attended an Indiana public school at any point in their educational history has increased, according to IDOE.

For the 2022-2023 school year, about 36% of students participating in the Choice Scholarship Program had a record of previously attending an Indiana public school. That means more students are transferring from their traditional public schools to those that are voucher-eligible.

Still, the majority of Indianas K-12 students  more than 87%  still attend traditional public schools. In 2022-23, 4.6% of students attended charter schools, 4.7% attended private schools with vouchers, and 3.2% attended private schools without vouchers.

Indiana voucher participation has grown rapidly since the program began in 2011, when less than 4,000 students used a Choice Scholarship. Spearheaded by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels, the program intended to help children from poor families find alternatives to low-performing public schools.

But critics have long argued that most Choice Scholarship students will attend private schools with or without a voucher, meaning their tuition is an added expense for taxpayers and only the states wealthiest will benefit.

Public schools officials and teachers unions also remain opposed to Choice Scholarship expansions, arguing that its projected cost over the next two years will stymie K-12 education funding increases for public schools. They point to state law, too, that allows voucher schools to reject students for their religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or academic ability, among other reasons.

More growth on the horizon

Private school choice laws have surged in recent years as conservative lawmakers seized on parents frustrations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans have also used parents rights rhetoric to justify the laws, arguing that they empower families who are dissatisfied with the public school system to opt out.

Indianas Republican-controlled legislature did just that in April, approving a massive expansion of the states voucher program, making nearly every student eligible to receive public money to attend private school.

After the expansion, the program could cost the state an estimated $500 million in fiscal year 2024, and another $600 million in the following fiscal year. The current state budget appropriates $240 million annually for vouchers.

With the change, higher-income families can now participate. The new two-year state budget  which takes effect July 1  raises the income ceiling to 400% of the amount required for a student to qualify for the federal free or reduced price lunch program, equal to about $220,000.

Currently, vouchers are limited to families that make less than 300% of the free or reduced lunch income eligibility level, meaning a family of four can make up to $154,000 annually.

Students will also no longer be required to meet other need-based criteria, or pathways, that are currently in place.

As a result, roughly 97% of students will now qualify for private school subsidies, according to the Institute for Quality Education. State projections indicate that participation could soar by nearly 42,000 additional students within two years.

School choice advocates are celebrating the move as part of a years-long effort to give every student the option of a publicly-funded private education.

Weve been saying that Indiana is the state of educational options. And I think youre going to see faster growth than weve seen in the last few years because weve gotten rid of all of these sort of arcane pathways. Now youll see, hopefully, private schools growing, which is great, Enlow said. There is radically more growth to be had. The reality is were getting very close to a system where all dollars follow our kids.

Related

New Research Underscores Widespread, Pandemic-Fueled Learning Loss in Indiana

Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.
Unlike the infamous cocaine bear, these hippos are not doing drugs. But Colombian officials are still worried about so-called cocaine hippos taking over the country.

A recent census by the Colombian government and the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute counted the invasive hippopotamuses in Colombia and found a rapidly expanding population.

What are cocaine hippos?

The invasive cocaine hippos are the descendants of four hippos from Africa that drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar illegally brought into the country.

When Escobar died in 1993, his hippos escaped. Thirty years later, those hippos have expanded to a population now threatening humans and the natural environment.

Why should we care about these hippos?

Since the hippos are non-native to Colombia, they have no natural predators, and their population can grow unchecked.

The hippos are a point of contention among locals. Some locals benefit from the tourism based around the hippos, while others live in fear. Fishermen are especially worried as hippos are highly territorial and can quickly kill or seriously injure humans.

Researchers have studied the effects of the hippos on local ecosystems. The humongous animals are damaging the riverbanks and forests by trampling plants. Additionally, the hippos are out-competing native animals, like the West Indian manatee, for food resources.

Scientists are urging officials to take action before the problem gets worse.

There is a moral weight to the decision to cull a hippo. But the weight of the other decision  inaction  is far greater, ecologist Rafael Moreno said. I hope this is something the politicians will understand.

What did the census find?

In 2020, there were an estimated 98 hippos in Colombia. However, the 2022 census showed that the current population is 181-215 individuals.

With 37% of the population being juveniles, the data showed that the hippos are breeding rapidly, perhaps even reaching sexual maturity sooner in Colombia.

Before, one argument against dealing with the hippos was that our information was limited and our arguments theoretical, commented Moreno. But we have put that argument to bed now. This study shows that this is a real issue, and that the state must act urgently.

How do we solve the cocaine hippo problem?

The Colombian government is focused on tactics to eradicate the hippos. One option is to administer contraceptives to the hippos, which is costly and hasnt been adequately tested. One model suggested that this could take 45 years and cost at least $850,000 (in U.S. dollars).

Another option is to capture and castrate the hippos. This plan is projected to take 52 years and cost $530,000.

Both options are relatively expensive, and these figures were estimated before the new population study was released.

While Colombia tries to handle the hippos, it is looking to other countries with sanctuaries to take the animals. Given the animals size, range, and habits, all of the options the government is considering will be difficult to execute.

The last option is to kill the hippos, which some researchers think is worth it, given that Colombia is the second-most biodiverse country in the world. The hippos, if left to spread unchecked, could seriously impact the balance of flora and fauna in Colombia.

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Inside the rodeo capital of the Philippines, where cowboys and cowgirls still thrive

Filipino cowboys take part in the cattle wrestling event at the 2003 National Rodeo Championships. David Greedy/Getty Images

After a three year hiatus, Masbate returned with its annual Rodeo Masbateno, the largest rodeo in the country.

The Rodeo Masbateno began in the 1990s as a way to revitalize the country's cattle industry.

But the origins of cattle ranching date back to the 16th century when the Spanish brought cows to the Philippines.

Every year people gather decked out in denim, cowboy hats, and big boots to watch men and women wrestle, wrangle, and ride. Country music blasts as families grab snacks and seats to watch the day's events. The twist is that this rodeo is not in Texas, the American Southwest, or Mexico. This rodeo is in the Philippines.

After a three-year hiatus, the rodeo Masbateno returned to the Filipino city of Masbate this year with over 300 contestants looking to participate in bull riding, lassoing, and the carambola, an event where men and women attempt to restrain a cow in a rodeo ring.

The Rodeo Masbateno began in the 1990s as a way to revitalize the country's failing cattle industry. But the origins of cattle ranching and cowboys date back to the 16th century when the Spanish brought cows to the Philippines.

Today, the province takes pride in their cattle and displays this pride every year during their rodeo.

Between the 16th to the 19th centuries, Spanish colonizers brought cattle to Masbate via the Manila-Acapulco trade route between the Philippines and Mexico.

Filipinos riding towards the village on cows and their baskets full of goods. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Source: Manila Times

The arrival of cattle and the fledgling cattle industry turned the landscape of Masbate from forests to sprawling grasslands.

Slash and burn forest clearance with calf, Alcoy Forest, Cebu, Philippines. David Tipling/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

As the population of cattle grew, so did the community of cowboys who had to care for them.

Spanish colonizers set up ranches and imported cattle and horses throughout the Philippines.

By the 19th century, while the rest of the country rode horses to collect and transport coconuts, sugar, and other materials, the people of Masbate were on horseback herding cows.

The Rodeo Masbateno Inc. launched their annual rodeo in 1993 in an effort to bring attention to the cattle industry and attract more tourists.

A Filipino cowboy practices with a lasso. David Greedy/Getty Images

Source: Bicol Mail

Although there are other rodeos throughout the Philippines, Masbate is considered the rodeo capital of the country and has the one of the only dedicated and permanent arenas.

Filipino cowboys watch the competition at the 2003 National Rodeo Championships David Greedy/Getty Images

Source: New York Times

Students and professional teams can participate in eight main events for a $23,000 prize.

Filipino rider Henry Zamora falls from his bull during the cattle bareback riding competition JAY DIRECTO/AFP via Getty Images

The events include bull riding, cattle wrestling, bullwhipping, and load carrying.

Competitors vie for a total of $23,000 in prizes, which averages out to about $250 per person for the approximately 90 winners spread across the professional and student categories.

For the people of Masbate, one of the poorest provinces in the country, $250 goes a long way. One of the participants Justin Bareng, 26, told the New York Times that he earns $100 a month as a ranch worker. That $100 goes toward feeding his six children and sending his teenage brother to high school.

But the prize money isn't the only thing drawing people to the rodeo. For others, it's about a show of strength.

A man wrestles cattle to the ground. ROMEO GACAD/AFP via Getty Images

"Rodeo, for me, is a game of strength, and only for the brave," Kenneth Ramonal, the captain of a rodeo team from the southern province of Mindano, told the New York Times.

The carambola is known amongst regulars as the most exciting and dangerous event.

A Filipino cattle handler keeps an eye on the bulls used in the National Rodeo Championships. David Greedy/Getty Images

Source: New York Times

For carambola, a team of two or four people try to restrain a cow inside of the ring using only their hands.

Filipino cowboys take part in the cattle wrestling event at the 2003 National Rodeo Championships. David Greedy/Getty Images

Traditionally this might be done from horseback or using lassos, however, the cowboys of Masbateno do it with their bare hands. The event is meant to mimic a real-life situation where ranch hands might have to restrain an unruly cow on the job.

Participants say it's important to be aware of the animal's movements, anatomy, and weak points to safely restrain a cow.

"It is about courage, anticipation and knowing the inherent characteristics of the animal and their movement," said Kenneth Ramonal, a former Rodeo King of Masbate.

Competing in the carambola is not without its risks.

A Filipino cowboy is nearly trampled by a bull during competition David Greedy/Getty Images

But it's all in the spirit of the Rodeo Masbateno and part of the fun of the event.

Rodeo helpers in clown suit prepares a cattle for competition ROMEO GACAD/AFP via Getty Images

In addition to the rodeo events, there are food vendors, line dancing, and Filipino honky-tonk music.

Filipino performers in cowboy outfits perform a barn dance. ROMEO GACAD/AFP via Getty Images

Sources: New York Times

Once an effort to bolster the cattle industry, the rodeo has now become a proud representation of the cowboy and cowgirl culture in Masbate.

Children chase a pig coated with grease. ROMEO GACAD/AFP via Getty Images

"Where there's cattle, there's rodeo, it is not necessarily American," said Leo Gozum, the director of rodeo events at the festival.

Gozum also pointed out to the New York Times that, despite its similarities to American ranching techniques and its roots in Spanish culture, the rodeo has taken on a distinctly Filipino style, with its emphasis on virtues like patience and perseverance.

Read the original article on Insider
ISIS leader killed by airstrike in Syria, U.S. Central Command says

A U.S. airstrike on Friday killed ISIS leader Usamah al-Muhajir in eastern Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said early Sunday.

The deadly drone strike was carried out the same day and by a drone that the Defense Department said was being "harassed" by Russia flying over the western part of Syria.

According to CENTCOM, no civilians were killed in drone strike but they are evaulating reports of a civilian injury.

On Friday, Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, Commander, 9th AF (AFCENT) and Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC) for CENTCOM, issued a statment said that "three MQ-9 drones wer eonce again harassed by Russian fighter aircraft while flying over Syria."

En esta imagen, tomada de un video distribuido por la Fuerza Aerea de EEUU, un SU-35 ruso vuela cerca de un dron MQ-9 Reaper estadounidense el 5 de julio de 2023, sobre Siria. (Fuerza Aerea de EEUU via AP) / Credit: EEUU via AP

"During the almost two hour encounter, Russian aircraft flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations," Grynkewich said. "We continue to encourage Russia to return to the established norms of a professional Air Force so we can all return our focus to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS."

It was the third straight day the Defense Department issued a statement about the Russian military engaging in "unsafe and unprofessional behavior."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Africa Command said Sunday that they had conducted three collective self-defense airstrikes overnight in a remote area against al Shabaab terrorists in support of the Somali National Army forces.

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FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Biden delivers remarks on healthcare coverage and the economy, in Washington

By Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israel and Saudi Arabia are a long way from a normalization agreement that would involve a defense treaty and a civilian nuclear program from the United States, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a CNN interview broadcast on Sunday.

U.S. officials have been negotiating in a bid to reach an elusive normalization deal between the two countries.

"We're a long way from there. We got a lot to talk about," Biden said in an interview with "Fareed Zakaria's GPS."

Israel's energy minister expressed opposition last month to the idea of Saudi Arabia developing a civilian nuclear program as part of any U.S.-mediated forging of relations between the countries.

Biden pointed to Saudi Arabia's decision on the eve of his visit to the kingdom last summer to open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel.

The U.S. president also noted efforts toward a permanent ceasefire in Yemen, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

"So, we're making progress in the region. And it depends upon the conduct and what is asked of us for them to recognize Israel," Biden said in the interview.

"Quite frankly, I don't think they have much of a problem with Israel. And whether or not we would provide a means by which they could have civilian nuclear power and/or be a guarantor of their security, that's - I think that's a little way off."

Israel has said it expected to be consulted by Washington on a U.S.-Saudi deal affecting its national security. Israel, which is outside the voluntary Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has no nuclear energy, is widely believed to have atomic weaponry.

Pointing to precedents like Iraq and Libya, Israel has long worried that potentially hostile neighbors could use civilian nuclear energy and other projects developed under the 1970 NPT as cover for clandestine bombmaking.

Public fury grew in the Arab world last week after one of Israel's biggest military operations in the occupied West Bank in years, a raid in a Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian militant stronghold.

Saudia Arabia on Tuesday joined other Arab League nations in condemning the raid, which killed 12 Palestinians. Even before the latest violence, Riyadh said normalization is not possible until Palestinian statehood goals have been addressed.

Israels religious-nationalist government has acknowledged setbacks in the normalization efforts amid Saudi censure of its policies toward the Palestinians.

Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen sounded a hopeful note on Sunday about the rare participation of an Israeli delegation at a Riyadh-hosted soccer video-gaming tournament over the weekend.

"Ultimately we want to reach a state of full relations - meaning cooperation on economic matters, intelligence, tourism, flights, et cetera - and I reckon this will happen sooner or later," he told Israels Army Radio.

The Israel Football Association, which is managing the delegation at the FIFAe World Cup Riyadh 2023, said its participation was enabled by Riyadhs agreement to admit all comers - not any arrangement between the Saudi and Israeli governments.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu,;Additional reporting by Dan Williams; Editing by Andrea Ricci, William Maclean and Mark Porter)
Italy agrees to lift ban on flights from conflict-stricken Libya, officials say

This is a locator map for Libya with its capital, Tripoli. (AP Photo) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

CAIRO (AP)  Commercial flights between Italy and conflict-torn Libya will resume in September after the Italian government agreed to lift a 10-year-long ban on civil aviation in the North African nation, one of Libyas rival governments said Sunday.

Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, prime minister of the Tripoli-based government, said on Twitter that the Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni informed his government of the decision.

He called the removal of the ban a breakthrough.

The decision came after Libyan and Italian aviation officials met Sunday in the Libyan capital of Tripoli to discuss the upcoming restoration of direct flights and the strengthening of cooperation" between the two countries, according to a statement from the Italian Embassy in Libya.

Oil-rich Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the disarray that followed, the country split into rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.

Italy and other European countries banned Libyan flights from their airspace as the country descended into chaos.

Over the past decade, Libya has had direct flights to limited destinations, including cities in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia, and other Middle Eastern countries, such as Jordan.

A Libyan government statement said the two countries have agreed that one airliner from each country would operate flights starting in September. They did not name the destination cities.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

The Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign has a public Slack channeland they dont seem to care who joins it.

They probably should.

The link is being shared on Twitter. It doesnt have any barriers to entry. And they texted an invitationaccidentally, it seemsto a reporter from The Daily Beast.

Whats even more odd about the longshot campaign so halfheartedly protecting its communications is that inside that Slack channel, which the campaign is effectively endorsing by promoting it, there are a number of cringeworthy exchanges and grim portraits of Kennedys supporter base.

The channel, which has more than 800 members, is primarily composed of volunteers and supporters who have been elevated to leadership positions. Whether those labeled as leadership are paid or unpaid is unclear. Members labeled as leadership had posted that the space would be moderated.

The success of that moderation, howeverwhats acceptable and whats notseems murky.

Much of the Slack is used as a sounding board for supporters thinking on how to sell Kennedy to votersand sometimes, where they think hes falling short.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

In one exchange, a user under the name Natasha, labeled as the Media Coordinator / Midwest Leadership, was publicly fretting about conservative Black journalist Candace Owens announcing she was inviting Kennedy on her show. One user said itd be great. But the coordinator insisted its not something to be done before the primary. She argued itd maybe help get some Trumpers during the general but its a potential liability before the primary.

Its no problem with going on totally crazy extreme shows After the primaries, she added. Its kind of like getting into the club with your fake ID youre not going to turn up until youre sure youre past the door man, understand?

Natasha argued Kennedy would need to do more interviews with Black journalists before the primary in order to be electable, but she insisted Kennedy should be selective.

The only other black interviewer he has had so far was with CNN and I feel like this is going to be a red line for a lot of people and if he blows this, by going on an uncle Tom black show first before any other independent black hosts since the campaign started, he might blow the whole election Im dead serious here, the media coordinator wrote.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

One user twice suggested Kennedy do an interview with Kanye West, but later said he was joking. Steve Harvey, Sway in the Morning, and Joe Budden were other suggestions.

In a number of other instances, a popular topic of conversation was how to fix the perception that Kennedy was anti-vax. In one thread with more than a hundred replies, a user said this is clearly the pivotal issue of his campaign and that thus far his handling of the opposition has not been ideal.

The solution, echoed below in the comments, was that Kennedy needed to be rebranded as a vaccine safety expert. (Users werent especially skeptical of Kennedys outright position that vaccines pose medical risks like autism.)

My experience is that my lefty friends are closed to him only bc of the vaccine issue another user wrote. Maybe instead of: He believes in vaccine safety, we can make it more broad. He believes in the safety of all pharmaceutical products.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

In another thread posted after Kennedys interview with Joe Roganwhere he talked extensively about vaccinesother supporters worried he might have talked about vaccines too much, while some insisted that the more people who hear his reasonable arguments and evidence, the more people will vote for him.

Users broadly compared vaccines to cigarettes, opioids, and 1900s-era suggestions that household cleaners could be used as a vaginal douche. Some echoed the autism claims outright, adding their own conspiracies into the mix, like one that bioweapons tech in vaccines allegedly causing an increase of autism in African American children.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

Plenty of the space is actively used for organizing support for Kennedy, like a push to walk in Fourth of July parades around the country, which happened this past weekend. Theres also plenty of leadership team members telling supporters who live in states with closed-party primaries that they must be registered as a Democrat in order to vote for Kennedy in the primaries next year.

At the top of one welcome channel, a user listed as Sophia Erik - Campaign Kennedy24 Contact, who is also one of the listed owners of the Slack, said the space would be used to share campaign missions with volunteers, including High priority missions the campaign needs our HELP for.

I belong to the campaign and am bridging communication the [sic] campaign and the volunteers. I am here to hear, see and understand your needs and wants and forward your feedback and experiences on everything Bobby, she wrote.

In a statement, the Kennedy campaign acknowledged helping to create the channel, but attempted to distance themselves from the space, telling The Daily Beast in a statement that the Slack channel is just one of many community groups that have self-organized on Slack with the support of the campaign but they do not represent the campaign in any official way.

We obviously cannot comment on the views of Mr. Kennedys more than 100,000 volunteers or supporters.

The campaign also repeatedly declined to define Eriks role on the campaignand to answer what the rationale was for sharing the Slack publicly if it was not representative of the campaign itself.

After The Daily Beast reached out for comment on the matter, the resident reporter in the Slack was removed from channels one-by-one, and the meme channel was deleted altogether, before the reporters account was outright deactivated.

A cursory glance shows quick requests here and there for help on quick tasks, like asking for help formatting a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or help with social media. Sometimes users coordinated to fact check posts online criticizing Kennedys record.

But the Slack channel also includes a number of other less professional, potentially more embarrassing, topics. There is a meme channel, which consists of a mix of posts about the war in Ukraine, images of Biden going up against Kennedy, memes mocking transgender people and other sentiments. There are also channels for supporters to organize by region and a channel for random posts, among others.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

Screenshot from RFK Jr. Slack channel.

Kennedys viral moments often inspire breakout conversations. The video of Kennedy doing pushups with the caption caused quite a ruckus on his slack channel. As did YouTube censoring an interview between Kenendy and podcaster Jordan Peterson over vaccine misinformation.

Its not unusual for campaigns to have Slack channels for volunteers and volunteer coordinators. It is unusual, however, for them to be shared so casually with the public.

The slipup of sending an invitation directly to a reporter was perhaps a long time coming.

When The Daily Beast tried to make contact with the Kennedy campaign in March to arrange an interview, it was difficult to locate an actual campaign contacta misstep many campaigns make. A treasurer for the campaign did not respond to an email inquiring about a campaign contact. A spokesperson for Childrens Health Defense, Kennedys anti-vax group, did respond, but said they would inquire with his CA team.

Nothing came of that. So, The Daily Beast tried contacting a generic number on their site with the phrase Hello Bobby!which was what the campaign individuals to write in order to get in touch. After a generic response saying someone would be in touch soon, the reporter texted two more times to no response.

(Its common for reporters to sign up for generic campaign text and email updates as a means of tracking campaign messaging.)

This Daily Beast reporter finally got in touch with the campaign in April via email. The campaign ultimately did not follow through on arranging an interview.

RFK Jr. Praised Fringe Host Who Claims Hitler Was Set Up

But eventually, this reporter received from someone who was here to point you in the right direction for the Kennedy campaign. The text offered three links: one to donate, one to volunteer, and one to a Slack channel titled the Kennedy24 Slack Workspace.

The channel was also shared publicly on Twitter at least two other times by top Kennedy supporters. (One user responded to one of the Twitter posts by saying, Please create a more secure channel to work with supporters.)

In at least one instance in May, someone trolling the Kennedy campaign joined and interrupted a video call that was organized in the group in Slack. The infiltrator shared apparently pornographic images to the screen for all to see. It was a great meeting until the hackers arrived, one supporter posted afterwards.

Still, as of July, it took no donation, pledge of allegiance, or commitment to volunteer in order to join the Slack group, where such Zoom links were shared.

Kennedy is an overwhelming longshot for the Democratic nomination. Head-to-head among Democratic voters, he polls at 17 percent against President Joe Biden, who polls at 70 percent.

But as Kennedys campaign soldiers on, other fandoms have emerged, including those outside of the campaigns official organizing space. A page called Bobby Bros, which was frequently alluded to in the Slack, has become a bit of a catchphrase for Kennedy supporters.

The Bobby Bros group on Instagram posts a series of pro-Kennedy memes and imagery, like one meme of a text exchange where the first texter asked, Do you like Biden or trump?

The other responded, RFK JR IN 2024, BEEYATCH!

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has faced scrutiny for making a flawed claim about Black infant mortality under White doctors in her dissenting opinion to last week's landmark affirmative action decision.

Jackson sought to show that race-based admissions are a matter of life and death for racial minorities, and her dissenting opinion in the Supreme Court's ruling on Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard cited an example. The law firm apparently responsible for the misleading statement sought to "clarify" the claim on Friday.

Seeking to show that considering race in admissions was fair and realizes equality, Jackson argued in her dissent that diversity "saves lives" and is essential for "marginalized communities." She asserted that diversity is for the "betterment" of students and society at large beyond college campuses.

"For high-risk Black newborns, having a Black physician more than doubles the likelihood that the baby will live, and not die," Jackson wrote as one example.

SUPREME COURT REJECTS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN RULING ON UNIVERSITIES USING RACE IN ADMISSIONS DECISIONS

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is under scrutiny for her dissent in a landmark decision rejecting affirmative action.

That claim came from an amicus brief filed by lawyers representing an association of medical colleges. The brief stated that for "high-risk Black newborns, having a Black physician is tantamount to a miracle drug; it more than doubles the likelihood that the baby will live," citing as support a 2020 study that examined mortality rates in Florida newborns between 1992 and 2015.

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In a letter Friday filed to the Supreme Court docket, Norton Rose Fulbright wrote that the argument cited by Jackson in her opinion "warrants clarification" and sought to clear up any "confusion."

"The principal cited finding of the [study] was that the mortality rate for Black newborns, as compared to White newborns, decreased by more than half when under the supervision of Black physician," the law firm's letter said. "In absolute terms, this study found that patient-physician racial concordance led to a reduction in health inequity."

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON CLASHES WITH ANTI-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION LAWYER DURING SUPREME COURT ARGUMENTS

However, the letter continued, while survival and mortality may be opposites and decreased mortality generally indicates increased survival, "statistically they are not interchangeable. Thus, the statement in the [amicus brief] warrants clarification."

Still, the lawyer added that the study nonetheless supports Jackson's argument in her dissent, expressing "regret" for "any confusion" that may have been caused by the statement in its brief.

The letter to the Supreme Court added that a "more precise" summary of the 2020 study's findings would have been to say that "having a Black physician reduces by more than half the likelihood of death for Black newborns as compared to White newborns."

In other words, Jackson's claim in her opinion that having a Black physician "more than doubles the likelihood that the baby will survive" could be misleading, because the study on which that statement is based examined lower mortality rates, which is not the same thing statistically as survival.

Norton Rose Fulbright's letter came after Jackson's statement in her dissenting opinion caught the attention of several legal experts.

The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to end affirmative action in college admissions.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed this week, Ted Frank, a senior attorney at Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, responded directly to Jackson's claim, lambasting the justice for making a mathematical error.

"A moment's thought should be enough to realize that this claim is wildly implausible," wrote Frank, who filed an amicus brief in support of Students for Fair Admissions. "Imagine if 40% of black newborns died  thousands of dead infants every week. But even so, that's a 60% survival rate, which is mathematically impossible to double. And the actual survival rate is over 99%. How could Justice Jackson make such an innumerate mistake?"

THOMAS BLASTS JACKSON'S 'RACE-INFUSED WORLD VIEW' IN SUPREME COURT RULING OUTLAWING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Frank went on to argue that the 2020 study was "flawed" and didn't match Jackson's claim about Black newborns having a significantly higher chance of surviving with a Black physician.

"The study makes no such claims. It examines mortality rates in Florida newborns between 1992 and 2015 and shows a 0.13% to 0.2% improvement in survival rates for Black newborns with Black pediatricians (though no statistically significant improvement for black obstetricians)," Frank wrote.

"So, we have a Supreme Court justice parroting a mathematically absurd claim coming from an interested party's mischaracterization of a flawed study. Her opinion then urges 'all of us' to 'do what evidence and experts tell us is required to level the playing field and march forward together.' Instead, we should watch where we're going."

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University and Fox News contributor, used Frank's op-ed and Jackson's opinion to argue in a blog post Friday that it can be problematic when various advocacy groups file waves of amicus briefs in Supreme Court cases supporting one side or the other by pushing studies and other data that the justices use in their arguments.

"My opposition to the brief is that the justices are in a poor position to judge the veracity or accuracy of such studies," Turley wrote. "They simply pick and choose between rivaling studies to claim a definitive factual foundation for an opinion.

"When you are before the Supreme Court, everyone is free to just dump statistics and studies into the record, and the court regularly uses such material to determine the outcome.

"It produces more of a legislative environment for the court as different parties insert data to support their own view of what is a better policy or more serious social problem. There is only a limited ability of parties to challenge such data given limits on time and space in briefing. The result is that major decisions or dissents can be built on highly contested factual assertions. In this case, critics believe that the Jackson argument literally does not add up."

The Supreme Court ended affirmative action in a landmark 6-3 decision June 29. The case combined lawsuits brought against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina by the student activist group Students for Fair Admissions, which argued that the schools' admissions programs discriminated against Asian applicants in violation of, respectively, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

"A benefit to a student whose heritage or culture motivated him or her to assume a leadership role or attain a particular goal must be tied to that student's unique ability to contribute to the university," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court's majority opinion.
To keep the Colorado River's heart beating, people step in to do what nature once did

Sandhill cranes land at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona on Feb. 16, 2023.

PIUTE FARMS WATERFALL, Utah  The muddy San Juan River plunged over a waterfall on its final push toward Lake Powell, trapping endangered fish in the whorl of driftwood, plastic foam and trash that heaved in the eddy below.

This sedimentary hurdle in the river's path didnt exist before the government dammed the Colorado River downstream at Glen Canyon in 1963, creating Lake Powell. Water backed up past this remote expanse of rippling Navajo Nation desert shore, a point accessible by horse, boat or high-clearance vehicle. Decades of silt piled up below the surface. Then amid drought and overuse, the still water receded and left the San Juan, a tributary of the Colorado, to slice a new course through the mud and create the waterfall.

As temperatures started their seasonal rise in March, native suckers swam up from Lake Powell seeking more natural spawning beds in the river. Instead, they hit an 18-foot wall they couldn't pass without help in the form of orange Home Depot buckets. Once contained, their tails flopped from the rims, and the unexpected assist rendered a telling portrait of the ecological damage control America must employ to squeeze a semblance of nature from one of its most used and abused river systems.

Like most of the Colorado River and its feeder streams  from diverted headwaters to denuded delta  nature here needs a hand from humans if it is to survive what humans have done to it. River flows that already were overallocated for farms and cities have declined by double-digit percentages and temperatures have risen over the last century, drying precipitously since 2000. Climate scientists expect the long-term average flows to continue shrinking in the coming decades.

The states that use the river are haggling over how to spread unavoidable cutbacks, first with new emergency measures expected later this year and then with a long-term and likely more austere shortage-sharing plan for 2027 and beyond. Conservation measures that keep more water stored in Lake Mead have reduced flows downstream through habitats for endangered fish, birds and snakes, necessitating ever more intervention to avoid extinctions.

All around its 246,000-square-mile drainage, the Colorado River is on life support.

At Piute Farms, state, federal and tribal crews take turns each spring camping out and capturing native fish to move around the waterfall and toward cobbly spawning beds in the San Juan. Farther north, on smaller, heavily diverted Colorado River tributaries, hired arborists build artificial beaver dams by weaving juniper limbs through posts driven into the riverbeds, trying to keep some pools wet all summer. On the Lower Colorado, downstream of Hoover Dam, heavy equipment operators bulldoze weedy flats to create new ponds and irrigated lowlands  literally farming habitats for fish and birds that thrived naturally before dam builders arrived in the Southwest.

Throughout the vast watershed from the Rocky Mountains to the sea, state, federal, tribal and nonprofit partners spend tens of millions of dollars a year to preserve a hint of the natural bounty the once-grand river enriched with annual floods that filled backwaters and slaked cottonwood forests.

The river got tamed and we lost all of those natural processes, said Tice Supplee, Audubon Arizonas director of bird conservation. Now it takes heavy equipment and pipes, plantations and hatcheries to give thousands of endemic fish and millions of migratory birds a lifeline. This is a way to try to bring that back through a managed approach.

Facing the twin threats of aridification and overconsumption, guardians of the wild now practice a measure of backcountry zookeeping.

Helping nature, one fish at a time

At Piute Farms Waterfall, Talitha McGuire stood atop the bow of a catamaran raft below the falls in March, ready to assist nature. A native fisheries technician for the Utah Department of Natural Resources, she clutched a hoop net on an 8-foot pole, primed to jab at the water when a salmon-size razorback sucker broke the surface. She yipped and howled when she ensnared the fish and hauled it aboard to be dropped in a holding tank.

Native fisheries biologist Brian Hines rowed the boat and minded the generator that powered a steel ball, slitted like a big jingle bell and hanging overboard, pulsing electricity into the water. The current enticed and then momentarily stunned fish in the river. If not immediately within reach, the fish revived and squirmed away, requiring blind stabs of the hoop into the brown water. McGuire left the non-natives  mostly common carp  to swim free, but hoisted a big razorback from the froth.

Later, at camp on the riverbank, they took turns measuring and weighing their live catches of flannelmouth and razorback suckers, waving a detection wand over them to see if they had been previously caught and tagged with a tiny transmitter. Then they clipped a sliver from a fin for later DNA sampling.

Shh-shh-shh-shh-shh. McGuire shushed wiggly fish as she hung them from the scale.

The big razorback she had snared weighed in at more than 4 pounds. Oh, youre so fat! she said before lowering it into a tank with a pump that kept it refreshed with muddy river water. At days end they would hand-deliver the fish and the others past the waterfall, sending them on their way upstream.

The hike, with arms pulled low by the weight of water-filled buckets, took the two up a steep sedimentary bank around the waterfall, then a half-mile over some sand dunes, through a tunnel of tamarisk bristles and over piles of wild burro dung, then briefly onto some riverside quicksand to dump the suckers back in the San Juan.

A lot of work for some fishies, Hines said.

So far, he said, the genetics testing has proved that it works at least on a small scale. One fish that was spawned from a parent caught and transported has shown up back at the waterfall. He had not yet sent the fin clips collected during 2022 to the lab, so there could be more.

Without help, Hines said, these fish will struggle to persist in and around Lake Powell. They spawn in the reservoir and nearby on the Colorado, but those young larval fish dont survive into adulthood. Besides aiding their migration to more suitable grounds in the San Juan, biologists stock hatchery-raised fish and also patrol the Green River, upstream of Lake Powell. They zap and remove predatory walleye that have invaded the Green after being stocked as sportfish in reservoirs.

Suckers are hardy fish. If species like that are kind of going into decline, he said, theres something wrong with the system.

Because concrete dams and diversions supplying and feeding tens of millions of Americans are the ecosystems ultimate problem, there may be no end to this painstaking midwifing of the native species and killing of their predators.

I would like to say theres an end, but in reality I dont know that there is, Hines said. Were not going to get rid of the dams  all the dams. Were not going to get rid of all the nonnative fish. And so theres going to have to be something done, I think, in the long-term to make (native species) thrive.

Lake Powell as seen on April 23, 2023, near Page. Lake Powell was at 24% of capacity, 175 feet below its full elevation of 3,700 feet above sea level.

A river with few rights

The rivers own needs have suffered through a century of interstate compacts, settlements and treaties. The so-called Law of the River is not a law for the river. Instead, the suite of river rules developed since 1922 mostly dictates which groups of humans get how much of the water.

The Endangered Species Act and the Grand Canyon Protection Act both contain mandates involving water, but both also face serious limitations when the reservoirs are low. For instance, a Glen Canyon Dam flood release to benefit both Grand Canyon and its rare native fish was put off for years until a strong snow season assured Lake Powells storage pool of a partial rebound this year.

The rivers precarious status in its own watershed is why its so important for the states to reach a deal that stabilizes their supplies, according to Jennifer Pitt, who directs Audubons Colorado River program. Nature only gets its slim share if an interstate deal props up the reservoirs at least enough to keep the river flowing into Mexico. Its a product of a legal system that doles out water to people and, with rare exceptions, not specifically to the river.

A crisis for water users makes it much more difficult for (officials) to think about management that includes water for the river, let alone restoration, Pitt said. If water stores sink low enough, she fears, Congress could override its own mandates, such as a program using some water to create new endangered species habitats along the lower river.

An Arizona State University water policy expert doubts the nation would allow the states to dewater the river within the U.S. now, even though this country and Mexico allowed that to happen in the formerly lush delta south of the border during the last century. The delta was drained before there was an Endangered Species Act, said Sarah Porter, who directs ASUs Kyl Center for Water Policy. There are laws in place to protect whats left, she said.

The Endangered Species Act may ultimately thwart future efforts to move more water away from riverside farms, such as those around Yuma, and transport it to cities around Phoenix, Porter said. Even artificial nature has its limits.

Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the regions big storage tanks, dipped to about one-quarter of capacity before rising with the runoff from last winters healthy snowpack. Theyre expected to climb back to about one-third full, which wont put them out of risk for catastrophic plunges if dry weather returns, as it usually has over the past two decades.

Pitt hopes the states and the federal dam managers will create a new system that adapts in real-time, hitching water allowances to the current years natural flow instead of just tracking reservoir levels.

We need to acknowledge the uncertainty that we face in the future because of warming temperatures, she said.

In May, Arizona, California and Nevada released a proposal to share new cuts in water use over the next three years. At 3 million acre-feet in total, its less than the U.S. Interior Department had sought from them before an increasingly rare big snowpack piled up in the Rocky Mountains last winter, relieving some of the urgency. If Interior Secretary Deb Haaland approves the deal later this year, it could forestall further interstate squabbling and potential litigation at least until new and potentially more painful long-term river-management guidelines are due for adoption in 2026.

The ultimate goal is to keep Lake Mead from reaching dead pool, the elevation so low that Hoover Dam can no longer release water to the lower river that divides Arizona first from Nevada and then from California before it enters Mexico. The river there, approaching its dried-up delta, is a lifeline in the desert, supporting birds that need its food and respite on the long annual journeys to and from nesting areas.

It does seem like a really perilous time for environmental resources in a place where effectively a lot of species are on life support, Pitt said.

Life support for a weakened river

Sandhill cranes land at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona on Feb. 16, 2023.

Cibola National Wildlife Refuge was built to compensate for the destruction that Hoover Dam wrought on the lower Colorados environment. Its a cultivated bird haven straddling the river on the downstream end of the Palo Verde Irrigation District, one of Californias sprawling farm empires.

In February, excavators at Cibola plowed a gaping ditch across a levee from the river and inserted a new water main. It will serve new backwater ponds that the crews also dug out of the tamarisk-choked flats just downriver, scraping new artificial fish and wildlife habitats from the desert. The goal is to rebuild the kinds of wetlands that the river in its wilder days used to make on its own, delivering water for the trees and bugs that sustain wildlife.

Farther back from the river, a flock of gangly sandhill cranes feasted on corn stubble planted and left specifically for them and migrating waterfowl.

This altered landscape is part of the life support system that Pitt described, a fish and wildlife farm growing the natural resources that a thoroughly domesticated river cant grow on its own.

Habitat restoration work at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona on Feb. 17, 2023.

This is big, Audubons Supplee said as she stood on the levee road watching the earth movers. When wet, the new lagoons will expand the haven that already supports about 1,000 cranes each year on their way north to Idaho. On that day, she counted 650. But she remembered decades past, before many of the habitat enhancements, when only a few hundred made the trip.

The cranes are a sight and sound to behold during their late-winter refueling stopover, especially at twilight. After a day of grazing in Cibolas grain fields, they will lift off to find a place to rest and wet their feet nearer the river. They come first in pairs and small groups, and then in great waves, their croaking cacophony echoing from cottonwoods and desert bluffs until they settle down like gray flamingos in a canal-fed lagoon.

This phenomenon, like so many others among the Wests migrating flocks, now relies on the state and federal funds that effectively farm nature for them, Supplee said. Without that program and the wetlands it creates along this wet ribbon in the desert, birds would struggle to reach their northern nesting zones. Their peril is compounded by the decline of other invaluable waypoints, the inland saline lakes such as the Salton Sea and the Great Salt Lake, she said.

Replicating riverine habitat for water birds and for the bugs that feed neotropical songbirds is essential to continued bird life in the Northwest. Theyll stop in by the thousands, refuel, then head on north, Supplee said.

Rebuilding what the Colorado once provided requires constant work. In the old days, the river constantly swelled and shifted to mow down old trees to raise the new. Some birds, like the regionally threatened yellow-billed cuckoo, prefer younger willows and cottonwoods of the sort that spring up after floods. The endangered southwestern willow flycatcher, by contrast, likes the understory among established trees near water.

They evolved around a dynamic, flooding system that would take the trees out and bring new growth, Supplee said. A stand of tall willows on Cibolas edge demonstrates the dilemma. When planted years ago, they were a prime habitat for some species that wont enter them now because they create an impenetrable wall.

The contractors pushing earth around during Supplees February visit were helping America compensate the river for its dams and diversions. They were working for a federal-state partnership that has spent nearly $400 million since 2005 to perpetuate the species that rely on the river and its surroundings. Called the Multi-Species Conservation Program, it is intended to provide 50 years of restoration for imperiled fish and wildlife that are harmed by lower and more controlled flows. It costs about $35 million a year, with the federal government paying half and California, Arizona and Nevada covering the rest.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation administers the program from its offices near Hoover Dam. That agency, which also manages the dam, rejected a request by The Arizona Republic to jointly tour some of the habitat that it created and also declined interview requests. When approached after an April news conference about federal funding of Colorado River water conservation, though, Deputy Reclamation Commissioner David Palumbo said the program seeks to make the best of what the river can still provide on its way from dam to diversion canal.

Given the water shortage were seeing, he said, were looking to see that every drop of water does pass through the habitat in the best way possible. Were making strategic use of that water.

The programs annual report describes a massive undertaking designed not only to scrape more habitat out of the Southwests deserts and farmlands, but to capture and safeguard young endangered fish and to rear them until theyre safe from predators and can be slipped back in the river.

In fiscal year 2021, during the winter and spring razorback sucker spawning season on Lake Mohave, biologists with the program captured 38,218 of the young fish in their larval stage. They did this one fish at a time, luring them to light, then netting them. The captives move to a riverside hatchery to be raised in safety until they can be put back or moved to other river segments as they near adulthood.

Lake Mohave, a reservoir downstream of Hoover Dam, holds the species greatest store of genetic diversity, according to the report, so ensuring the survival of its young may help razorbacks adapt to fluctuating river conditions.

Another hatchery participating in the program, at Lake Mead, closed last year and transferred its fish to others after the reservoirs water sank too low for its intake pipe. At least $8.5 million in direct federal funds and $3.1 million from Nevadas share of federal pandemic recovery dollars is going toward construction of a new intake to reopen that hatchery next year.

Elsewhere along the river, the program supports tree farming for native species that require cottonwoods, willows or honey mesquites, species that were largely crowded out by nonnative tamarisks, after the dams started regulating flows last century.

At the Palo Verde Ecological Reserve, near Blythe, California, the program relies on miles of concrete-lined canals to deliver some of the Palo Verde Irrigation Districts farm water to 1,300 acres of trees. Wildlife surveys last year found yellow-billed cuckoos breeding there and a solitary willow flycatcher, among other rare species.

The Multi-Species Conservation Program intends to create 8,132 acres of new habitat for 27 affected species of state or federal concern, eight of which are federally listed as endangered. That includes 512 acres of marsh and 360 acres of backwaters. By last year, the total acreage created had reached 6,840.

Nonprofits also have added trees to harbor the rivers avian guests, including where the river usually no longer flows at all. Groups including the Tucson-based Sonoran Institute and Mexicos Pronatura Noroeste have planted bosques of mesquite, palo verde and other natives along portions of the dry riverbed where depth to groundwater is shallowest, an effort that also capitalizes on targeted flows through Mexicos farm canals.

At the Miguel Aleman restoration site, Pronatura says the partners have rooted more than 100,000 native plants and counted 122 bird species. Its no match for the massive oasis that birds found on the delta before the U.S. built Hoover Dam and Mexico diverted its share. But without it, they would find only a wasteland.

How toppling tamarisk could help habitats

Nancy Meister (center, with the Yuma Audubon Society) leads a bird walk on April 12, 2023, at East Wetlands, in Yuma.

Yumas handsomely forested riverfront is another oasis that took a yeomans effort  and an irrigation system  to bring back. Its shade attracts both birds and nature lovers.

Pshh-pshh-pshh-pshh! Some of the 11 birders out for a weekly organized stroll around the Yuma East Wetlands mimicked the songbirds they stalked through the palo verdes, mesquites and cottonwoods in March, hoping to draw them in for a closer look through binoculars. An Aberts towhee bounced through the underbrush.

Its an underbrush that wouldnt have been comfortably accessible when Karen Reichhardt moved to Yuma in the mid-1990s, not to her and the other birders, and not to some of the birds. Back then the riverside stretching north from downtown Yuma and the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area was clogged with nonnative tamarisks, also known as salt cedars, and reeds. These scruffy, poky green invaders have taken over much of the Colorado Basins riversides, aided by the unnatural stability left by upstream dams that tamed floods.

Some people did penetrate those thickets and lived along the river outdoors. City residents hesitated to approach, worried about drugs and unsanitary conditions, and called the upstream confluence with the usually dry Gila River Shit Creek.

We thought the river was dead, Reichhardt said. There was no hope.

A Eurasian collared dove perches on a plant at East Wetlands in Yuma on April 12, 2023.

And yet, when the heritage area and partners with the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, the city and the Arizona Game and Fish Department started a program to clear and replant the banks with native species, volunteers abounded. Back then, Reichhardt was a natural resources specialist for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, another agency that got involved. They battled tamarisk thickets you couldnt even crawl through, she said.

Youd never guess it today, under a tall, leafy canopy where Annas hummingbirds zoom and rough-winged swallows dart after insects. Like the marshes a few dozen river miles upstream around Cibola, some of the area is irrigated by canal and culvert from a nearby farm district. Like Reclamations multispecies program, the Yuma partners make the most of every drop that passes on its way to its ultimate user downstream. The trees shade walkers and canoeists in a town that blisters in the summer heat.

The birders count after an hour that day, submitted to a Cornell University survey app, included 24 species, among them a Bullocks oriole. They would be back the following week to see what life the renewed forest might embrace.

Its just phenomenal, Reichhart said. Every single tree you see was planted.

Emmett Hartt (center) and Mario Barley work at the Quechan Indian Tribe Bee Wash restoration area on April 12, 2023, on the Colorado River near Winterhaven, California.

Across the river and downstream on Quechan land, Tribal Environmental Director Chase Choate checked on workers tending buckets of honey mesquites that would soon be transplanted where they had cleared tamarisk stands. Near the bank, a diesel generator powered a pump moving river water into drip lines to irrigate the latest stand in the 100 acres that the tribe has restored since 2010 on the California side between Yuma and the Mexican border.

They typically add 15-20 acres at a time, and were planning to help volunteers root another 500 or so trees bought for $5 apiece from the Colorado River Indian Tribes nursery the following month. Most of the works cost is reimbursed through federal grants.

The restored areas, including mesquites and flowering palo verdes, cottonwoods and Goodings willows, rise over bare sand, in contrast with the solid tamarisk jungles elsewhere on the river. Ideally, Choate said, when the new forests mature and sink their roots into the water table so they no longer need irrigation, theyll invite struggling species such as willow flycatchers and Ridgways rails, marsh waders formerly known as Yuma clapper rails.

The Quechans seek to restore culturally significant plants, such as arrow weed, used in funeral rites. A handwritten note on the chalkboard in Choates office reminded workers of the need to gather some for an upcoming funeral. Theyre also planting native berry shrubs, such as wolfberry. We got our own native superfood here, he said.

Taming the river to power and water farms and cities brought this local ecosystem to the brink of collapse by favoring nonnative species that thrive in the absence of floods. The tribe cant undo all the damage, but it is working to maintain a sliver of what its ancestors knew as home.

The trees and the critters were our ancestors too, Choate said. We need to honor them.

Far upstream, around Moab, Utah, willows are recolonizing the Colorados banks without the direct aid of humans.

Tim Graham checks a tamarisk for beetle damage on March 28, 2023, on the Colorado River near Moab, Utah.

There, in March, Tim Graham dug through the leaf litter under roadside tamarisk bunches and found a tiny beetle ready to emerge for a season of gorging on tamarisk leaves. Not very big, acknowledged Graham, a retired federal entomologist who now helps Grand County monitor beetle activity, but when you get a lot of them they make an impact.

The impact since 2007, when the government released these insects native to Asia to munch on trees also native to Asia, has been pronounced around Moab. Tamarisks still live there, and sometimes bounce back from one years insect assault, inviting beetles back for another round. But throughout this red rock canyon country, Graham said, native willows are regaining some of their old turf.

Its been a success, Graham said. I dont think that tamarisk is the dominant thing out here anymore.

The success can only go so far while dams and canals continue to siphon off the rivers formerly cyclical high flows. The tamarisks themselves altered the rivers floodplain in ways that dont support cottonwood reestablishment. Acting as strainers, they slowed whatever high water has encroached on them over the last few decades, causing sand to fall out and build the banks higher.

It has become sort of a semiarid environment, instead of a riparian zone, Graham said. Restoring the full complement of native trees would require bigger and more frequent floods than this era of drought and diversion generally deliver.

The beetle also is problematic in some parts of the river basin, such as the Grand Canyon and in central Arizona. It hasnt taken to feasting on native vegetation, but it has spread farther south than scientists thought it could, based on the hours of summer daylight it needs. Where it has defoliated tamarisks that cant easily be replaced by native trees, it has taken out the only riverside nesting habitat that supported birds including the southwestern willow flycatcher.

The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture for releasing the beetles without accounting for their effects to endangered species, and the department agreed to support flycatcher conservation both along the Colorado and in other habitats the beetles threaten, including central Arizona and the San Pedro River.

Tim Graham holds a tamarisk beetle on March 28, 2023, on the Colorado River near Moab, Utah.

Environmental concerns 'override everything else'

Human control of the Colorados water has created new recreational opportunities, such as bass fishing in Lake Powell or trout fishing in the clear, cold waters below dams on the Green River, the Colorados largest tributary. Even these artificial playgrounds exist at the whims of the Southwests demands for water and electricity, though, as trout anglers learned anew last year.

Just below Fontenelle Dam, on the Green in southwest Wyoming, Layne Edwards launched his drift boat. He planned to pitch his artificial flies at trout numbering from 200 to 250 per mile. If the dam and the fishing below it were managed to maximize the fishery, he said, that remote, high-desert stretch should hold twice as many fish.

Instead, the fly-fishing guide from Park City, Utah, said the flows fluctuate wildly according to downstream needs, as do the reservoir levels. Water temperatures in summer can reach higher than 70 degrees, stressing the trout. When people hook and wear out already stressed fish, Edwards said, even catch-and-release is a killer.

Layne Edwards at Fontenelle Dam and Reservoir, Wyoming, on March 24, 2022.

Edwards fished in spring 2022, before the warm-up. He hoped to return that fall, when introduced kokanee salmon head upstream from Flaming Gorge Reservoir, their eggs drifting and creating a feeding frenzy among both trout and bald eagles.

Its kind of a wild fishery, he said. Outside of Alaska, you dont really get to see this salmon process, even though its artificial.

He held out little hope that his goals for the river, both water and fish, would influence dam managers.

This is where all your water comes from, he told The Arizona Republic. Everything that comes out of this dam is a product of what theyve gotta have in Lake Mead or Lake Powell. He chose a fly while his fishing partner rowed downstream toward a trout hole. Were the last person anyones going to listen to for how much waters going to come out of here.

By late summer, a trout kill like those that Edwards dreaded on the Green was happening far downstream below the Greens confluence with the Colorado. The Bureau of Reclamation announced that temperatures at Lees Ferry, driven higher as Lake Powell dropped lower against Glen Canyon Dam, were affecting oxygen levels in the river. Fishing guides in the stretch between the dam and Grand Canyon National Park reported stressed fish, and anglers wading in the river watched trout float past them, belly-up.

Warming waters last year also raised threat levels for native humpback chubs farther downstream in the Grand Canyon. Those fish are fine living in warmer water, as they did much of the year before Glen Canyon Dam started releasing cold water from Lake Powells depths more than half a century ago. But the warm band of water atop Lake Powell hosts smallmouth bass, a dangerous predator for chubs. As that surface water plunged closer to the dams hydroelectric turbine intakes, the bass started slipping through.

Last year was the first year those predators were confirmed to have bred in the river below the dam. This spring, bass-control teams had captured 26 young bass and spotted two adults between the dam and Lees Ferry, National Park Service biologists reported at a meeting of the dams adaptive management program partners in May. They planned to continue removing bass through this summer, including by electric shock that stuns the fish so they can be netted.

Dan Allen ties a river map to his kayak before the start of a six-day trip down the Green River on March 26, 2023.

As snowmelt started pulsing downstream from the Rockies this spring, river rafters and kayakers were celebrating. Kurt Schroeder, a parks manager from Colorado Springs, Colorado, pumped up a raft for launch at Green River State Park in Utah, ready to join friends on a five-day float that would end just outside Canyonlands National Park.

Schroeder has floated and kayaked the West for 25 years, including twice through Grand Canyon. He believes the regions thirst for the rivers water threatens a way of life, one that is written in marker on his floppy hat, an entry for each trip.

We dont want to lose our ability to raft these rivers and kayak them, he said. I cant say its our life, but golly its fun.

A warming climate and continued overuse endanger the natural wonders that make being on the water worthwhile, he said. One big winters snowpack wont reverse that, and he hopes everyone among the millions who draw water from the river will do their part. Green grass, for instance, belongs in parks and not lawns, he said.

The environmental concerns, as far as Im concerned, override everything else.

Drawing a line in the sand

Aaron Lerdahl weaves juniper branches into beaver dam analog structures on the Price River near Green River, Utah, on March 24, 2023.

Throughout most of the Colorado and its web of tributaries, the chief environmental problem is far more basic than the unnatural regimentation of dam releases, the takeover of floodplains by invasive shrubs and sand, or even the menace of predatory fish that native species did not evolve defenses against.

Its the water.

Society continues to manage our desert rivers as if we think that fish dont need water, said Phaedra Budy, a Utah State University professor of fish management and aquatic ecology. She made the assertion in an introduction to research she and colleagues published about how still more new diversions will push native fish toward the edge. If we continue down this path, we will watch native fish, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth, blink off the planet.

Budy and Utah State colleague Casey Pennock co-led the 2021 research, published in Fisheries magazine, that studied four tributaries of the Green and found that among them, only the White River, flowing from western Colorado into eastern Utah, had sufficient water with a relatively natural flow schedule to provide safe haven for suckers and chubs.

Only the White has the right balance of water, sediment, sandbars with backwaters, sheltering cottonwood forests and pool-forming deadwood to sustain themselves without hatchery help. They didnt study the Yampa, farther north, which also has favorable conditions. Those are the only two sizable tributaries that still favor native fish, they say, yet both rivers face calls for more water development.

The White has long been the subject of a dam proposal in Colorado. Protecting its flows could require action by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to designate a conservation area with federal water rights, Pennock said.

Were kind of drawing a line in the sand and saying its important and we should conserve it, he said.

Wes Newman (left) tosses Aaron Lerdahl a juniper branch for beaver dam analog structure his crew is building on the Price River near Woodside, Utah, on March 24, 2023.

That line was crossed long ago on Utahs Price River, another relatively small tributary, but one that barely flows past all the farms by late summer and that cant sustain fish or beavers year-round.

So Utahns are doing the beavers work in hopes of bringing the fish back.

In late March, a gang of friends from northern Utahs Cache Valley waded chest-deep in the Price just downstream of Woodside, a U.S. 6 crossing over the stream north of the town of Green River. They dragged juniper limbs lopped from the slopes closer to Soldier Summit, the mountain pass leading to Utahs urban front. They had hauled them there because the Price Valleys scrubby barrens, even at riverside, no longer supply the kind of stout wood they had in mind for clogging up the waterway.

The water had risen sharply since the last time they worked there, but it hadnt fully immersed the V-shaped BDA, short for beaver dam analog, they had built under contract with the state. The structure, woven among posts they had pounded into the riverbed with a motorized driver, spanned the 12-foot-wide river and forced some of the risen water to flow over it, creating a foot-tall cascade. Its the kind of work that both fish managers and groups including Trout Unlimited are supporting in several Colorado tributaries.

The muddy water obscured the mass below the Prices surface, so it wasnt clear whether the limbs the crew had loaded into it on their previous visit still held, or if the posts had instead caught new sticks floating down from elsewhere. Either way, it would do, even though it appeared the high water would keep them from loading as much wood into it as they had hoped.

Thats the goal right there, said Wes Newman, a Minden, Utah, arborist. Wood slowing the river, creating ripples and catching sediment to reinforce the obstacle should eventually help create little pools to cool fish.

Thats satisfying to see, even if we didnt get to weave it the way we wanted, said Aaron Lerdahl, of Logan, Utah and, at 23, the youngest of the contracted workers. Their work was altering the waterway.

A competitive weightlifter at his hometown university, he barreled through the Prices springtime depths, dragging armloads of juniper limbs to stuff between the posts he had already driven into the riverbed. The water lapped at the top of his chest waders and dampened his Hawaiian shirt as he filled the gap between a double-chevron of posts, then compacted the limbs and added more as his colleagues tossed them from the banks.

Aaron Lerdahl weaves willow branches into beaver dam analog structure on the San Rafael River near Green River, Utah, on March 24, 2023.

Slogging upstream again to find the next structure, he turned to look back at his latest creations newly formed ripple, and said it again: Oh, thats satisfying.

On inspection for Utah State river researchers later that week, geomorphologist Scott Shahveridan was less satisfied. At every structure he reviewed, he wanted more: more width, more density, more wood.

Wood drifting and lodging in rivers is what adds complexity, and ultimately what aids fish, he said. Even if blown out by the next flood, more wood coming from one structure to the next will help the cause. Until now, the altered river has flowed in a largely unimpeded shot to its confluence with the Green, rarely collecting in deep pools or eddies.

So long as irrigators along the Price effectively drain it during summer, Shahveridan said, native and endangered fish cant sustain themselves there.

This thing gets sucked dry, he said.

A U.S. Geological Survey graph tracking flows past the nearby gauge show that the Price fluctuated wildly according to human needs last summer, from a high in the hundreds of cubic feet per second to a low of 0.27 cubic feet per second on Aug. 14, and back. Such dry-outs would leave any surviving fish gasping in pools, if any such pools existed. The goal with the wood structures is to build barriers and sandbars that can hold water until the next wave of dam releases, Shahveridan said.

If these are the only places that maintain water, he said, then we need these places to exist in the first place.

Until now, they havent. The Price is deeply channelized, in places pulsing below 10-foot-high banks as if through an excavated flume. As with other Colorado Basin streams, Shahveridan said, this one was colonized by tamarisks after irrigators started altering its flows. Their intermingled stalks slowed the occasional floodwaters, filtering out sand and building up the banks until cottonwoods and willows could no longer grow there. Its a cycle that robbed the river of its wood.

Now the wood is going back in, in the form of BDAs and PALS, or post-assisted log structures meant to mimic a tree falling across part of the stream. If they sufficiently slow the flow and cause sediment to drop out in strategic locations, pools will emerge during dry seasons.

How well they succeed in attracting native fish such as the Colorado pikeminnow into the Price and sustaining them there may ultimately depend on collaborations with farmers who own the water rights. The Nature Conservancy is working with Utah and an irrigation district to move some unused canal water into a reservoir for release into the Price when flows get critically low.

Who cares how topographically complex your streambed is if theres no water in it? Shahveridan said.

A tour boat cruises on Lake Powel's Antelope Point near Page on April 25, 2023. Lake Powell was at 24% of capacity, 175 feet below its full elevation of 3,700 feet above sea level.

The river calls

Tending to nature in this highly unnatural environment requires keeping one eye on the long view to recovery, and one on each step along the way. For McGuire, the Utah fish technician netting and transporting suckers upstream, its a calling that has anchored her in her home waters on the Colorado Plateau.

McGuire grew up in Flagstaff and went to college in Iowa with the idea of working abroad, but then took on a series of jobs in her home region, each helping her to see that she was needed here. She worked on the program to conserve endangered condors, and also on the electrofishing program in Grand Canyons Bright Angel Creek to remove nonnative brown trout so they wouldnt eat humpback chubs. She guided young people on educational raft trips in Utah. Then she joined the states native fish program.

You dont have to go very far to have an impact, she said.

She sees a Colorado River and tributaries that need her help. I dont think it will ever go back to the way it was because humans have had such an effect on the environment.

Still, in an age when so many species are disappearing or at risk of extinction, each razorback sucker she helps on its way seems like a gift from the past to her, and from her to the future.

You just feel like youre holding this really, really special thing, she said. And youre like, Yeah buddy. Youre surviving.

Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com or follow on Twitter @brandonloomis.

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Why keeping the Colorado River healthy is a constant struggle
Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi is named after this WWI hero. Do you know his story?

As one of the most important training grounds for the United States Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base possesses quite a history. Yet, few are familiar with the man behind its namesake, 2Lt. Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr.

Keesler was born on April 11, 1896, in Greenwood, Mississippi to an affluent family. His father was a cotton broker and owned a mansion nearby nicknamed Cottonlandia.

Throughout his high school years, Keesler proved himself an exceptional leader, student and athlete. He continued his academic pursuits at Davidson College in North Carolina, hoping to one day teach in secondary schools. During this time he also served as president of the student body.

While Keesler pursued his studies, Europe became embroiled in the horrors of World War I. In the midst of the global conflict, airplanes emerged as a powerful tool of warfare, evolving from reconnaissance planes to heavily armed fighters and bombers engaged in dramatic aerial battles.

With the sinking of the Lusitania and German attempts to manipulate Mexico into attacking the U.S., America joined the Allied forces in April 1917. Although millions enlisted in the military, only a select few embraced the field of aviation.

Eager to contribute, Keesler enlisted on May 13, 1917, even skipping his college commencement to do so. He underwent training as an aerial observer at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was commissioned as an officer on August 15.

In March 1918, Keesler and other American service members bound for battle began arriving in massive numbers in France. There, he underwent advanced training in aerial gunnery and artillery fire control.

Assigned to the 24 Aero Squadron near Verdun in August, Keesler and his comrades conducted crucial reconnaissance and observation missions over German lines, providing invaluable support to the American and French armies.

On September 14, Keesler took off on his first mission, flying without an escort behind enemy lines on observation duties. He experienced his first taste of enemy fire and his plane was badly damaged by German forces.

Second Lieutenant Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr.

In preparation for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the Squadron relocated to the Vivacourt Airdome on September 22. As the American and French armies assaulted the German front-lines, the Squadron supplied critical intelligence and photographic evidence of enemy positions.

On the afternoon of Oct. 8, Keesler and pilot 1Lt. Harold W. Riley embarked on a routine reconnaissance mission. However, they were swiftly confronted by four German fighters, outmatched and outgunned.

Riley attempted to disengage, but their plane sustained heavy damage to its rudder and elevator. Remarkably, even as their aircraft dipped toward the ground, Keesler continued firing his machine gun, managing to destroy one enemy fighter.

Both Keesler and Riley survived the crash landing, but Keesler had sustained six wounds to his chest and abdomen during the encounter. As they crawled out of the wreckage, a strafing run by one of the enemy planes injured both men.

While German soldiers took the men captive, the necessary medical attention was beyond their reach. Tragically, Keesler succumbed to his wounds the following day.

Riley, having endured his wounds and captivity, later recommended Keesler for a citation. Recognizing his exceptional courage, Riley even remarked that Keesler received no medical attention and, although he must have suffered terribly, he showed wonderful self-control and won the admiration of all the German soldiers.

Keesler was only 22 years old and is was buried at Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial in Thiaucourt-Regnieville, France.

Keesler was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary valor. In 1941, Army Air Corps Station No. 8 was officially renamed as Keesler Army Airfield in his honor. This eventually became Keesler Air Force Base.

Today, Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr. is remembered as one of Mississippis most prominent WWI heroes. His faithful service and ultimate sacrifice are remembered by the nearly 30,000 airmen who train at the base each year.
The king of the Netherlands gave a monumental first-person apology for slavery. Royal experts say King Charles should follow suit, and prepare to do more.

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands at the national slavery monument on July 1, 2023, in Amsterdam, Netherlands (L), King Charles III at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on July 5, 2023 (R). Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images, CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands recently apologized for his historical ties to slavery.

Experts told Insider it directly contrasts the non-apology approach King Charles III has taken.

They said that Charles should not only offer a similar apology, but prepare to do more.

The King of the Netherlands recently took a step no British monarch has ever dared to take.

On the 160th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander offered a first-person apology for his ancestors' role in the slave trade and went even further by acknowledging how the repercussions of the practice continue to this day.

"On this day that we remember the Dutch history of slavery, I ask forgiveness for this crime against humanity," he said in a speech on July 1, 2023, according to royal author Omid Scobie. "As your king and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul."

Willem-Alexander, 56, said knew his apology would likely divide opinion, Politico reported. But he made it nonetheless.

In doing so, he sparked questions about whether other monarchies, namely the British, will do the same.

Insider spoke to Kristen Meinzer, a royal watcher, Marlene Koenig, a royal historian, and Chika Okeke-Agulu, an art historian and a professor at Princeton University, about whether King Charles III  who has never openly apologized for the monarchy's historical ties to slavery  should follow suit.

The answer was a resounding yes.

Charles should follow the Dutch king's lead and stop skirting around the issue, experts say

Like its Dutch counterpart, the British monarchy has undeniable links to the slave trade, an institution only outlawed in the UK in the 19th century.

Just as a recent study commissioned by the Dutch government found that several previous kings directly profited off of slavery, so did a number of British monarchs  including Queen Elizabeth I and James I, The Guardian's David Conn reported in April.

But as the kings and queens of old are no longer with us, experts like Meinzer say there's no better time than the present for an apology, and no better person to offer it than the heads of the current royal houses.

"The right time for the King of the Netherlands to apologize for slavery was in the 1500s," she said. "But considering the monarch didn't then, or in the centuries since, the second-best time is now," Meinzer told Insider.

More than that, she said Willem-Alexander's speech shows he understands how the apology should be made: clearly, directly, and "delivered in the first-person," something that Charles and his heir, Prince William, have "skirted" around in the past.

King Charles III making a speech at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Dinner at the Marriott Hotel on June 24, 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

"They've cloaked their remorse in passive language," she added. "Neither has ever stated that the British monarchy directly funded and perpetuated the transatlantic slave trade  or that, as members of the monarchy, their family (and the family business) have profited from it."

Okeke-Agulu shared a similar view, saying that the expressions of "sorrow" that both Charles and William have offered thus far are "highly watered down" ways of "acknowledging the horrors of British involvement in slavery."

According to Okeke-Agulu, Charles' decision to skirt around an apology may very well come from a fear of what that would mean in terms of reparations, but "an expression of sorrow has no legal implications," he said.

While there are different schools of thought surrounding reparations, Okeke-Agulu said there's not much point in getting stuck into those issues until an apology is made.

"The first step is a formal apology," he said. "When we get to that point, we can engage in that debate."

While reparations are complicated, Charles should be prepared not only to apologize  but to back it up

An apology without action would carry little weight, Okeke-Agulu said. Simply put: "You might just as well be reading poetry," he added.

Likewise, Koenig said an apology from Charles would undoubtedly have to "come with something else." That something else may very well be reparations, which Koenig said would have to be supported and made by the British government, "not the sovereign."

"Apologizing for something that was government related is difficult," she said.

In her view, Charles would have to work in tandem with the British government to come up with thought-out solutions and offerings on top of a formal apology. But an apology would and should still have to be made nonetheless, she added.

Prince William pledges his allegiance to his father King Charles. YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

"You were responsible for it. Your country benefited from it. You became a world power because of it," she said.

But Meinzer suggested a direct apology may not necessarily have to be followed by an answer to questions about reparations straight away  the important first step is acknowledgment and understanding, she said.

"I think the first thing it would result in is a bit more respect for the monarchy for pulling their heads out of the sand, and for stopping the denials. The second thing it would result in is a more open dialogue  and long overdue tough conversations that need to be had everywhere  not just in the castle," she said.

"Perhaps there would also eventually be demands for reparations, but I'm OK with that," Meinzer said, adding that it would make sense to look closely at the ways the monarchy historically profited from the slave trade and how it continues to do some from the vestiges of slavery today.

If he doesn't, Charles could suffer the 'shame' of being one of the last monarchs to hold themselves accountable

While Willem-Alexander appears to be the first modern European monarch to offer a first-hand apology for his ancestral ties to slavery and colonialism, other European royal houses have shown through concerted efforts and symbolic gestures that they are willing to hold themselves accountable.

Okeke-Agulu named Belgium as an example. Under the reign of King Leopold II, Belgium caused untold devastation throughout its colonies in Central Africa in the late 1800s. According to the BBC, Leopold's rule saw upwards of 10 million African men, women, and children killed.

In recent years, Okeke-Agulu said Belgium  which remains a monarchy  has made progress, such as initiating plans to return stolen artwork to the Democratic Republic of Congo and having its current sovereign, King Philippe, make an in-person visit the former colony in an effort to achieve a level of reconciliation.

"The British had not even gotten to that point," Okeke-Agulu said. "So they might be the last to come on board, but it is to their own shame."

To not offer an apology or take further strides toward reconciliation, as his European counterparts have, would be more than a shame for Charles, according to Koenig, who said Charles has "thought" carefully about how to approach such a conversation, evident from his public support toward a research project looking into the monarchy's links to slavery, according to a Guardian report from April.

But it's not enough. And continuing down a path of silence would be allowing his son, William, and the future heirs to the British throne to carry on the burden of an apology after he's gone, Okeke-Agulu said.

"It will continue to weigh down on their souls," he said. "It is in his own best interest, for the sake of his children and grandchildren, and future generations of the Windsor family, to address the generation burden that their family has on their head."

Read the original article on Insider
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby doubled down on the U.S. decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, saying that it will keep the country in the fight.

This is about keeping Ukraine in the fight. You were just there. You talk to President Zelenskyy about the counteroffensive, and in some ways, its not going as fast as he would like, Kirby told ABCs Martha Raddatz on This Week.

The Biden administration announced last week that it planned to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, which contain multiple explosive submunitions. The bombs are banned by many countries due to the risks the explosives may pose to civilians.

President Biden has also defended the administrations choice, saying it was a very difficult decision made after discussing it with allies and lawmakers. Kirby said Sunday that the administration is mindful about the risks the bombs will pose to civilians, but noted that Russia is already using these bombs in Ukraine that have killed civilians.

Kirby said that Ukraine will be using the cluster bombs to defend its territory and to target Russian positions.

We are very mindful of the concerns about civilian casualties and unexploded ordnance being picked up by civilians or children and being hurt. Of course, were mindful of that, Kirby said.

And I think we can all agree that more civilians have been and will continue to be killed by Russian forces with  whether its cluster munitions, drones, missile attacks or just frontal assault than will likely be hurt by the use of these cluster munitions fired at Russian positions inside Ukrainian territory, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Kitten rescued by Ga. police, mechanics after being stuck inside motor of car for over 2 hours

It was quite litter-ally, a busy day Saturday for a few Newnan officers and mechanics.

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Newnan police said it was almost a cat-astrophe when officers received a call about a cat named Maxxi, stuck inside the motor area of the car.

Officials said Newnan Animal Control along with Cyndi Hoffman tried for two hours to get Maxxi out of the car in the TJ Max parking lot.

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And Maxxi wasnt kitten around! Authorities said the kitten could be hard meowing loudly, but unfortunately couldnt be reached.

The Newnan Police Department reached out to Honda of Newnan and their mechanics helped rescue Maxxi from a small area between the radiators front bumper, behind a plastic cover.

Officials said Maxxi, will be available for adoption in the coming days from the Coweta Animal Shelter.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
What to know about the new Alzheimers drug, Leqembi

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Thursday gave full approval to Leqembi, the first drug that can change the course of Alzheimers disease. The move gives patients a glimmer of hope, and patient advocates and some doctors say its the beginning of a new era of Alzheimers treatment.

But there are lingering questions about the drugs safety, cost, effectiveness and accessibility.

Here are five things to know:

Leqembi is meant only for people in the very early stages of Alzheimers disease

Alzheimers disease affects more than 6 million Americans. Scientists have been searching for an effective treatment for decades and still dont know what causes the disease, which is ultimately 100 percent fatal.

Leqembi, developed by Eisai and Biogen, is a breakthrough, but the impact is very modest. Its not a cure and doesnt restore memories of people afflicted with the disease.

It was only approved for patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, who have a confirmed presence of brain plaque called amyloid.

Its a major step. And its going to change how we practice and how we diagnose, University of Kansas Medical Center neurologist Jeffrey Burns said. But I see it as a first step with a lot of steps hopefully to come, with new drugs and new approaches.

Late-stage trial data showed that the drug slowed cognitive decline by about 27 percent over 18 months compared to a placebo. But the difference between patients receiving the drug and the placebo was small, and some critics say it wasnt clinically significant.

Supporters argue that for the patients who benefit, the drug could stave off memory loss long enough to buy them a few extra months with family and loved ones.

Leqembis approval will unfortunately not help patients who are already past the early stages of the disease.

Leqembi is expensive. Medicare will cover it, with caveats.

The FDAs approval opens up Leqembi to a much wider population, because Medicare said it will cover the $26,500 annual cost.

After the FDA gave Leqembi accelerated approval in January, Medicare said it was limiting coverage to clinical trials only. Now, Medicare will broadly cover it, so long as patients and providers participate in data collection registries that will track how the drug performs in real-world settings.

Industry groups, patient advocates and bipartisan lawmakers have been lobbying against the use of a registry, arguing it will prevent people who could benefit from accessing the drug. Registries are used for some medical devices, but never for an FDA-approved drug.

Regardless of the registry requirement, patients could also face thousands of dollars a year in co-insurance. Leqembi is an infusion drug, meaning that without supplemental coverage, enrollees are responsible for 20 percent of the cost after meeting a deductible.

Patients may also be responsible for potentially tens of thousands of dollars of additional costs beyond the drug itself. Its unclear if Medicare will pay for the cost of the medical visit or the regular brain scans needed to monitor a patients progress.

There are risks in taking it

The positive outcomes of Leqembi are tempered by a potentially serious type of brain swelling or bleeding.

The condition, called amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), is usually asymptomatic and managed safely, but there have been serious and even fatal cases. Three patient deaths during the trial were thought to be linked to the drug.

Nearly 13 percent of patients receiving Leqembi in a large clinical trial experienced brain swelling, compared to 2 percent on placebo, but most of those cases were mild or moderate. About 17 percent of the patients experienced brain bleeding, compared with 9 percent of patients receiving the placebo.

The FDA included a boxed warning on the drugs label to highlight the safety issues.

Patients who are at higher risk of ARIA include those on blood thinners. The FDA recommended caution for clinicians who may consider prescribing Leqembi for those patients but did not advise against it.

The agency also said patients with two copies of a gene mutation linked to Alzheimers have a considerably higher risk of complications. The FDA recommended genetic testing, but did not require it.

There are barriers to widespread uptake

Experts largely agree that the U.S. health system isnt equipped to diagnose and treat large numbers of Alzheimers patients.

Getting the drug to everyone who qualifies for and wants it is not something were going to be able to do overnight, Burns said.

Memory clinics around the country are backed up without this drug. I dont know how fast the demand will increase, but its going to increase for memory clinics and really stretch us even further, he said.

To even be eligible for Leqembi, patients need complex imaging or a spinal tap to confirm the presence of amyloid in the brain. Once prescribed, they need to travel to get infusions every other week, as well as regular brain scans for monitoring.

Large academic medical centers are likely the best equipped to handle those patients, which could be a barrier to rural patients. And even the capable medical centers will likely experience a bottleneck of patients because of a shortage of qualified specialists.

A similar drug is on the horizon

There could be another anti-amyloid drug on the market soon.

Eli Lilly in May released promising initial results from a clinical trial of its new Alzheimers antibody treatment that were comparable to Leqembi.

The company is expected to release more detailed data later this month, and the FDA could approve it by the end of the year.

Leqembi is the second anti-amyloid drug to hit the market, but its predecessor was the controversial Aduhelm.

The FDA granted accelerated approval to Aduhelm in 2021, despite a recommendation from its outside panel of experts not to.

The data on Aduhelm was conflicting and contradictory; while it appeared to remove plaque from the brain, it did not seem to slow the progression of the disease. As a result, Medicare refused to cover the drug, and doctors wouldnt prescribe it.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Miami Marlins' Jesus Sanchez celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, July 9, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

MIAMI (AP)  Bryan De La Cruz homered among his four hits as the Miami Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 on Sunday.

Jesus Sanchez and rookie Dane Myers also went deep for the Marlins, who reached the All-Star break with their best record in franchise history at 53-39.

Its been fun to watch them grow, Marlins first-year manager Skip Schumaker said. There is a lot of belief in that clubhouse that were ready to win, and theyve proved it.

Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo (8-5) struck out nine and allowed four hits over 6 1/3 innings. The left-hander gave up two runs and was lifted after he plunked Bryson Stott, who had two of the hits against Luzardo. He took steps toward Stott during his walk to first and they briefly exchanged words.

Obviously, I was not intentionally trying to throw at anyone, Luzardo said in Spanish. I believe someone in the dugout didnt like that I was pitching inside but that is part of the game. As a pitcher, if you stay on only one side of the plate, it is not going to go well for you.

Phillies star slugger Bryce Harper was kept out of the lineup as a precaution because of right elbow soreness. Harper was hit by a pitch on his surgically repaired elbow Saturday and exited after the third inning.

Every Marlins batter, except Luis Arraez, had a hit against Phillies starter Aaron Nola and two relievers. Arraez went 0-for-4 and his major league-leading batting average dropped to .383.

Just proud of how they come in and work every day, Schumaker said. When youre excited to get to the ball park every day, that creates a fun culture.

After a franchise-tying 13-game road win streak, the Phillies lost the final two of the three-game set against Miami.

We lost two out of three against these guys and thats going to happen, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. But I feel really good about this club. I love the rotation, the bullpens been great and I think theres more offense there. We havent peaked there and we will.

Sanchez gave Miami an early lead with his two-run shot in the first. He drove the first pitch from Nola (8-6) over the wall in center for his ninth homer.

Solo blasts by Myers and De La Cruz and Jean Seguras RBI single in the third made it 5-0. The 27-year-old Myers has four multi-hit games since being promoted from the minors July 3.

Selected in the Rule 5 draft in December, Myers joined the lineup after centerfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and his replacement Jonathan Davis were sidelined with injuries.

Its been pretty surreal, today it finally sunk in during the anthem, got a little emotional that Im actually here, Myers said. Gods put me in a good spot and Im glad Im taking advantage of it.

Myers also retrieved the ball that became the first homer of his major league career. He exchanged a separate signed ball for the homer ball caught by a spectator.

Nola was lifted after six innings. The right-hander gave up five runs, eight hits and struck out six. His final strikeout against Joey Wendle on a third-strike clock violation in the sixth was the 1,500 of his career.

Just too many pitches over the plate and they put good swings on them, Thomson said. Those guys hit the ball hard today. They hit the ball hard off everybody.

Philadelphia cut the deficit on Edmundo Sosas two-run shot in the fifth before De La Cruz added an RBI single off Phillies reliever Matt Strohm in the seventh.

ROSTER MOVE

The Phillies placed LHP Jose Alvarado on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Friday, because of left elbow inflammation. RHP Andrew Bellatti was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

SHORT SPAN BETWEEN TWO MIAMI VISITS

The reduction of inter division games and road stops has brought noticeable quirks to the schedule. It took three months for the Phillies to make their first visit to Miami yet they will return for their second and final road division set against the Marlins on Aug. 2.

TRAINERS ROOM

Phillies: INF-OF Josh Harrison was a late scratch because of right wrist soreness. Harrison felt discomfort after a slide during Saturdays game.

UP NEXT

Both teams enter the All-Star break.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder sits at the head of a legislative session in Columbus in October 2019.

Last week, the curtain finally fell on former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder's dog-and-pony show after an angry federal judge went Monopoly cop and ordered him to go to jail, go directly to jail and do not pass go, following his conviction on corruption charges; the largest such case in state history.

Householder, who has been convicted on racketeering charges involving a $61 million bribery scheme as part of a $1 billion taxpayer-funded bailout for FirstEnergy, now finds himself looking down the barrel of a 20-year stretch.

In an era when punishment and convictions for white-collar crimes are stalled and appealed into oblivion, the idea of Householder immediately heading to the hoosegow was a man-bites-dog moment.

Former GOP State Chair Matt Borges, who was in cahoots with Householder in concocting the now-infamous House Bill 6, was given five years in prison. Lobbyist Neil Clark died by suicide rather than endure a trial.

Hooked and cooked

Now we all know politics are not practiced in a kissing booth, but taped FBI conversations played during Householder's trial revealed him to be, in the judge's words, a bully. A vindictive, crude and arrogant cynic who possesses the moral conscience of a pirate; a braggart who made no pretense that he governed by "pay-to-play."

In one jaw-dropper, Householder bitterly crowed that he couldn't wait for former House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson to die so that he could defecate on her grave for not marching in lockstep with his ambition.

No church pancake suppers for this crew. They lived like rock stars on the largesse of lobbyists, so it's no wonder that two FBI agents posing as crooked developers were able to hook and cook Householder like so much brisket.

But here's the kicker: Should Householder decide to run for office after prison, he very likely could win back his House seat. While gerrymandering has been the practice of Democrats and Republicans alike (it's wrong no matter who does it), Ohio's current gerrymandering makes a mockery of the state's election process, enabling people like Householder to wallow in scandal while winning reelection.

In 2021, he was thrown out of office by House Republicans.

A bug in the bloodstream

There is a bug in the American bloodstream in which resentment causes people to cast votes against their own best interests. Voters who view themselves as otherwise powerless commit self-sabotage as a means of sticking a thumb in the eye of those whom they blame for the current state of things.

As a result, some voters go for people they know are unfit simply because they share the same dislikes and causes, then cheer as such candidates wreak havoc and do irreparable damage.

History demands name changes: People who attack their own country don't need to be honored

Case in point: The late Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry squandered a stellar career in public service and civil rights upon his own appetites. After serving a six-month prison sentence for smoking crack cocaine in a hotel with a prostitute in 1990, he became an antihero which was ironic given that much of the city's violence at the time was driven by drug trafficking.

Yet after jail, Barry ran for and won a council seat in 1992, and recaptured the mayor's office in 1994.

Householder, too, could make a comeback because many of his former constituents still love him and probably see him as a victim of the Feds, and because attention to his trial was drowned out and overshadowed by the latest gossip about Hunter Biden.

Few if any Ohioans outside of Columbus followed the scandal, while others, frankly could care less that Larry Householder is a crook because, as the old joke goes, he's their crook.

Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and member of the editorial board. Reach her at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Larry Householder abused the public's trust...but does it matter?
Las Vegas Valley is making major changes to its landscape to keep up with its fast-growing population  heres whats happening

The Las Vegas Valley is working with its citizens to help them ditch their grassy yards and embrace Nevadas natural landscape instead.

The news was shared in an article by ProPublica that was reposted on Reddit.

Photo Credit: u/WhoIsJolyonWest / Reddit

The effort will conserve water and allow the population in Vegas to continue growing.

Community members have already done their part to conserve water indoors, and Nevada treats and recycles all indoor water. Outdoor water, however, cannot be recycled in the same way because it evaporates or settles into the ground.

Because of this, the state is turning toward grass reduction because growing grass in the desert climate requires a significant amount of water.

A similar plan has been utilized before and helped the conservation effort, but it encountered some pushback from homeowner associations (HOAs.) Also, some citizens want to preserve the aesthetic of green lawns, so the state is making an effort to find a compromise.

The state is targeting nonfunctional grass first, like grass that lines roadways and lakes, with the goal to get rid of all of it by 2027. Citizens upset about grass removal can submit an exemption request  many of which are approved  making the pushback from HOAs minimal.

In addition, some companies like Par 3 Landscape and Maintenance are offering ideas for alternative plantlife that is native to the area, such as evergreens and desert-friendly shrubs.

Families that choose to embrace the natural landscape will lower their water bills while leaving resources for the addition of new residents and businesses. On top of that, theyll be helping to fight rising global temperatures.

Princeton reported that 800 million gallons of gasoline, which releases planet-warming gases, are used by lawn equipment each year, and an additional 17 million gallons are spilled in the process.

Plus, the Natural Resource Defense Council reported that lawns are responsible for consuming almost three trillion gallons of water each year. And when grass is grown outside of its natural habitat, it doesnt benefit the local wildlife either.

One Redditor echoed this in the comments. Lawns do NOT belong in the southwest, they wrote.

Luckily, the Las Vegas Valley is setting a great example for communities looking to conserve water.

If everyone else takes on similar initiatives, well be able to sustain our community and communities across the Colorado River Basin for future generations, said Howard Watts, Nevada state representative.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
White House officials give a timeline for when to expect more details about the presidents Plan B to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers.

After last months Supreme Court ruling striking down President Joe Bidens plan for broad student loan debt cancellation, borrowers and advocates are eagerly awaiting more details about Bidens next plan to provide relief.

While newly announced actions like reducing discretionary income for income-based repayments and declining to report missed payments to credit bureau agencies for one year will certainly help some borrowers in the short term, what isnt clear is whether the Biden-Harris administrations plan to issue targeted relief under the Higher Education Act (HEA) will go as far as the presidents original program.

U.S. President Joe Biden announces new actions to protect borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down his student loan forgiveness plan in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on June 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

On June 30, the high court ruled that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, under the HEROES Act, does not have legal authority to issue debt relief up to $10,000 for all borrowers making less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. Hours later, Biden unveiled his Plan B girded in a different law (HEA), but with little details.

The Higher Education Act and the rule-making process

The Higher Education Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. The law grants the Department of Education broad power to strengthen educational resources for colleges and universities. Title IV of HEA authorizes programs that provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education.

The HEA also includes a provision that, in certain circumstances, requires the Secretary of Education to conduct negotiated rulemaking and obtain advice and recommendations from specified individuals and groups, according to the Congressional Research Service.

In the case of Bidens new plan to explore other legal pathways to enact student debt relief, the Department of Education will have to conduct a negotiated rule-making process, which includes forming a committee of stakeholders to research and develop policy rules. The committee then works to reach a consensus and then sends a report back to the federal agency.

After the Department of Education receives the proposal, it will publish it in the Federal Register. The public will then have a period of time to provide comments on the proposed rule. After those steps have been completed, the department will issue a final rule after considering the comments received from the public.

What is the Biden administration saying?

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (L) and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona talk to reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on June 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Until the entire negotiated rule-making process is complete, student borrowers will not know much specifics about Bidens debt relief program. The White House said last week during a press briefing call that the process will take several months.

In the meantime, the Department of Education is encouraging borrowers to prepare themselves for the payments to resume in October. Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the National Economic Council, stressed that borrowers who can make their payments in the meantime should do so because interest will be accruing.

Ramamurti also emphasized that not making payments means you wont get credit for programs like income-based repayment and public service loan forgiveness. Bidens decisions to not report missed payments to credit bureaus and reduce the discretionary income from 10% to 5% for qualified borrowers in the income-based repayment program are designed to provide immediate assistance.

They will also give borrowers some reprieve as they wait to find out if any additional relief sought through the Higher Education Act will amount to the kind of relief previously announced under the HEROES Act.

In addition to the ongoing rule-making and public comment process, Cardona said the Department of Education is analyzing the Supreme Court decision to determine what the best pathway forward is.

Were beginning a new process thats going to change the rules to get us to as much debt relief, to as many people, as quickly as possible, Cardona said during last weeks call. He said the interpretation of the courts decision will factor in how the Department of Education, the Department of Justice and the White House lawyers work together to move us forward to debt forgiveness.

Ramamurti acknowledged that it may be frustrating to borrowers that the Biden-Harris administration cant provide more information, like who exactly will get relief under this new process.

Unfortunately, thats the way it works, he said.

Administration officials urged the public to visit StudentAid.Gov to learn more about the programs available to eligible borrowers.

What advocates are saying about President Bidens new plan

People for student debt relief demonstrate in front of the White House after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Bidens student debt relief program on June 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Student loan advocates say they welcome Bidens newly announced programs after the Supreme Courts ruling, however they are calling for the White House to issue relief swiftly.

Wisdom Cole, national director of NAACPs Youth & College division, told theGrio that if borrowers have to resume payments without debt cancellation, it will have devastating impacts for Black households, including folks potentially going into default.

Cole said Bidens on-ramp plan not to report missed payments to credit bureaus for 12 months is not enough as borrowers anticipated needed debt cancellation.

Thats not what was promised when this plan was put into place, and so we really need to continue to push that this program actually gets implemented, he said.

As the White House goes through its process, Cole said the NAACPs policy and legal teams are currently working on their own strategies. He said any relief from the administration has to equal up to the $20,000 promised in Bidens initial plan or more.

That is the groundwork that was set by the president, he noted.

When the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Biden v. Nebraska, Cole led a group of student demonstrators and advocates who marched from the steps of the court to the White House. He told theGrio that the NAACP will continue to make noise on the ground and work with partners in Congress to make sure the Biden-Harris administration hears their demands.

The NAACP previously called for the administration to cancel a minimum of $50,000 per student borrower. Cole noted that the civil rights organizations advocacy and negotiation led to Biden issuing a more equitable plan for Pell Grant recipients, a significant number of whom are Black.

Were going to do everything in our power to ensure that we continue to amplify the stories of Black borrowers who are impacted by this decision, he continued. And were going to continue to ensure that we keep the administration accountable to this promise.

Gerren Keith Gaynor

Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Heres the latest on Bidens new student loan debt relief plan appeared first on TheGrio.
A new law is supposed to protect pregnant workers  but what if we dont know how?

Vanessa Langness had always been a bit worried about the chemicals she worked with as a biomedical researcher, but when she got pregnant in October, her concerns grew. The 34-year-old based in Santa Maria, California, suspected the ethidium bromide she was using in the lab for molecular cloning could put her and her baby at risk.

She wasnt sure what to do; she was only a few weeks into her pregnancy and didnt know how it would affect her career.

Women are taught: You arent supposed to tell people until after the first trimester, she said. But thats actually a really delicate stage for the formation of the baby.

Langness did some research online but couldnt find much information on what kind of extra precautions she should take because of her pregnancy. Without realizing it, she had stumbled upon an often overlooked area of science and medicine: the occupational health of pregnant workers. Those who are pregnant often face hazardous circumstances doing jobs in which they must lift heavy objects, stand for long periods, or, like Langness, work with chemicals.

At the end of last year, Congress approved the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a law that requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to those who are pregnant. But the new law, which took effect June 27, has a big hole in it: Public health experts say not nearly enough is known about which work circumstances are dangerous for pregnancies, especially when chemical exposures are involved. Thats because occupational health studies overwhelmingly have been centered on men, and so have the health and safety standards based on those studies.

A pregnant persons physiology is very different from a nonpregnant person, said Carissa Rocheleau, an epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. A lot of our existing permissible exposure limits date back to 1970. In the studies they based the limits on, there were very few women in general and even fewer pregnant women, if any.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidance for employment considerations during pregnancy says that very few chemical compounds have been sufficiently studied to draw conclusions about potential reproductive harms.

Even though the data is sparse, several physiological factors suggest pregnant workers face higher health risks from chemical exposures than other adults, said Julia Varshavsky, a Northeastern University environmental health scientist focused on maternal and child health. And chemical exposures during pregnancy can be dangerous not just for the prospective parent, but also for the fetus, which can absorb toxins through the placenta.

For one thing, blood volume increases during pregnancy because the body is working overtime to supply the fetus with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to develop. Such blood-flow expansion can make those who are pregnant susceptible to developing high blood pressure. Some studies also suggest a link between exposure to lead during pregnancy and high blood pressure.

Pregnancy also considerably alters a persons metabolism; the body prioritizes breaking down fats instead of sugars to preserve the sugar for the developing fetus. Especially after the first trimester, those who are pregnant have high blood sugar and must double their insulin production to keep it under control. Its risky for them to be exposed to chemicals such as PFAS that have been linked to insulin resistance, a condition in which cells dont respond to insulin anymore.

Finally, those who are pregnant are also especially susceptible to a category of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors. Estrogen is the hormone responsible for promoting the bodys changes during pregnancy. When endocrine disruptors enter the body, they mimic those hormones and can increase the risk of certain pregnancy-related health conditions, such as preeclampsia.

But despite these known risks, the occupational health of pregnant women has often been understudied, especially as women have entered more diverse areas of work.

Occupational health really assumes a neutral body worker, said Swati Rayasam, a public health scientist at the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California-San Francisco. By concentrating on this neutral body worker, occupational health as a field has overlooked the other stressors workers can face, either internal stressors, such as pregnancy, or external stressors, such as psychosocial stress due to racism or food insecurity, Rayasam said.

It also is tough to study those who are pregnant. It is unethical to expose them to even the slightest amount of chemicals, so research protocols are highly restricted. And very few occupational health surveys include enough pregnant workers to draw reliable conclusions about the unique risks they face.

Langness, the biomedical researcher in California, had a miscarriage while working in the lab. She later decided to change jobs, although she doesnt know if the chemicals had anything to do with the loss of the baby.

The lack of research doesnt affect only current pregnancies but also leaves women who have already been exposed with lots of questions. They include Leticia Mendoza, a 38-year-old woman who lives in Oakland, California. She said she was exposed to pesticides when she worked pruning strawberries while pregnant. When her baby was born, he did not crawl until he was 1 year old and started walking after he turned 2.

I thought he was going to start talking when he was 3, but he still doesnt, and he is 5, Mendoza said.

Mendozas child has been diagnosed with autism.

Although researchers have studied potential links between pesticide exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders, the evidence is not conclusive, which complicates proving in a court what caused the harm, said Sharon Sagiv, an associate adjunct professor in environmental epidemiology at the University of California-Berkeley.

Advocates hope the new federal law will give workers a little more leverage when they raise concerns about risks on the job. We really just want them to be able to have a conversation with their employer without facing retaliation or being forced on unpaid leave, said Kameron Dawson, a senior staff attorney for A Better Balance, a workers advocacy organization that pushed for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act for over a decade.

But although some of the regulations might lead to better accommodations for pregnant workers, that depends partly on the employer or a union knowing what can represent a risk. Its not rocket science, but it does take effort on the employers side to understand what in their workplace could be hazardous, said Gillian Thomas, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union.

In the past, women have sometimes been forbidden from working while pregnant, so a delicate balance must be struck between protecting them and their pregnancies and not removing them from the workforce. Its tricky because, for many women, this is their livelihood, said Sagiv.

Some researchers believe studying the enhanced risks faced in pregnancy may result in more protective regulations that would help the wider public.

If we really try to protect the most vulnerable workers in the workplace, were protecting everybody, Rocheleau said.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency
Degrading lead-covered cables hang above bus stops and schools, and sit underwater, in many parts of the US, The Wall Street Journal found. kampee patisena/Getty

The Journal estimates about 2,000 lead-covered phone cables are spread throughout the country.

As old cables degrade, lead can leach into the soil at high levels, the report found.

A 2021 pediatric study found that half the kids in the US have high levels of lead in their blood.

An investigation has revealed that more than 2,000 lead-covered cables left behind by telecommunication companies could be the source of soil contamination as they degrade underwater and overhead.

Despite efforts to rid the environment of dangerous lead paint and pipes, a Wall Street Journal investigation found that old cables abandoned by Verizon, AT&T, and others also pose a threat to unsuspecting Americans.

The Journal tested samples from about 130 underwater cable sites and found lead present in the soil of the Passaic River in New Jersey, the Detroit River in Michigan, the Willamette River in Oregon, and the Mississippi River in Louisiana. The soil of more than 48 locations where contaminated beyond levels determined safe by the EPA, the Journal found.

"Legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables were deployed in the nation's telecommunications infrastructure, and placement of these cables then began to get phased out in the 1950s, after the development of a new type of sheathing," a USTelecom spokesperson told Insider.

According to the EPA, the safety standard for lead levels in the soil where children play is 400 parts per million. Sediment in a Louisiana fishing spot often frequented by local kids was found to have 14.5 times that amount in June 2022, the Journal reported.

Former EPA official Linda Birnbaum told the Journal its findings "suggest there is a significant problem from these buried lead cables everywhere, and it's going to be everywhere, and you're not even going to know where it is in a lot of places."

A 2021 study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association, found that half of young kids in the US have high levels of lead in their blood. Exposure to lead can cause damage to the brain, and nervous system, and developmental issues in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Journal's investigation found that more than 100 schools have lead cables running overhead, and more than 1,000 schools and childcare centers are within half a mile of underwater lead cables.

Verizon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, which was made outside of normal working hours. An AT&T representative responded to Insider's request for comment by directing questions to broadband association USTelecom, but gave the Journal a written statement.

"The health, safety and well-being of our people, our customers, and our communities is of paramount importance," the statement read.

In the statement to the Journal, AT&T went on to say that the investigation's findings "conflicts not only with what independent experts and long-standing science have stated about the safety of lead-clad telecom cables but also our own testing."

"We have been unable to confirm the information reported by the Wall Street Journal because we do not have access to all of the data or methodology underlying its conclusions," the statement from USTelecom read. "We have not seen, nor have regulators identified, evidence that legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables are a leading cause of lead exposure or the cause of a public health issue."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Modesto firefighters extinguish a trash bin blaze sometime during the night of July 4-5. Many of the fire calls were reported in areas of heavy illegal fireworks use. (Modesto Fire Department)

Fundraising should be firework-free

Re Firework booths across Modesto support nonprofit groups (Front Page, June 25): Each year fireworks are responsible for hundreds of fires and injuries. We are reminded, It doesnt take long for fires to spread. So, what does the city of Modesto do? They permit 52 stands across Modesto that sell fireworks. Fifty-two places that sell noxious chemicals that pollute, leaving behind some of the dirtiest air imaginable. Fifty-two places that will harm children, people with allergies and asthma sufferers. Fifty-two places that sell noise. Noise so loud it scares children, startles vets with PTSD, and sends small animals crawling under beds for safety.

Its not just the so-called illegal fireworks that are the problem. Its all of them. The Bee even published the names of those 52 gross polluters. Do-gooder agencies who have been planning since last July 4 how to make the lives of most of Modestos citizens uncomfortable, while enriching themselves. The Bee article did point out the obvious: they, the 52 stands, get the money. The rest of us pay a real price in health care and safety.

The state of Massachusetts is the only state that completely bans the sale and use of fireworks. Something to think about, Modesto.



Ed Bearden, Modesto

Dems excel in doublespeak

Re Calif. Democrats blast Supreme Court on admissions ruling (Front Page, Jun. 30-Jul. 1) It took longer than George Orwell expected, but 1984 has finally arrived. California Democrats and Gov. Newsom have perfected the art of doublespeak.

Apparently, we all dont even speak the same language. How does Proposition 209, which barred weighing race, gender, and other factors in hiring, contracting and admissions discriminate against a race or gender? If what you really want is an advantage for some based on their race or gender, then have the courage to say so, and come up with a logical reason in which it makes sense to do it. Then pass a law.

The story quotes our governor accusing the court of changing the law. The job of the Supreme Court is to ensure that laws passed in Congress and signed by the president are in accord with the supreme law of the land, our Constitution. This the Supreme Court has done in its recent decision on affirmative action. Precedent should never be the last word on how to apply the Constitution. If anyone does not agree with the Constitution or thinks that it is unclear in a certain area, then please amend it. But at least say what you mean and eliminate the doublespeak.



Dave Turnbaugh, Modesto

Trumps supreme court rules for discrimination

Kudos to Trump. His supreme court has given the green light to all businesses to bring out their straight whites only signs! Whether you are white enough will be the business managers decision, not yours.



Ken Garst, Turlock

Religion isnt essential to democracy

Re Americans dismissal of religion doesnt bode well for the republic (Page 3C, July 2): How to react to the Heritage Foundations screed regarding their fear that the decline in Christian fervor by Americans bodes ill for democracy? The author selectively quotes our (white male) founders, citing several instances where they seemingly endorsed religion and its positive influence on our freedom. She confidently states that without religion there could be no morality and virtue. Huh?

So, in her world, I can be neither moral or virtuous? I look at todays religious advocates (not just Christians) with a combination of horror and amazement. They advocate censorship of ideas that they, or more likely their religions, dont agree with. They discriminate indiscriminately. They support perhaps the most amoral president in our history and abhor one of our most pious. Their worldview and mine are incompatible.

Our founders were not infallible. They got more than a few things wrong when they set the rules for our democracy. And Id wager that, if they were alive today, they would agree.



Lou Hampel, Modesto

Remembering Judge Vander Wall

Judge Dave Vander Wall passed away on June 14. Let the record show that Dave, besides being an excellent judge, was also an outstanding presiding judge during his tenure on the Superior Court bench. Dave appreciated the need for rules that would make a court more cohesive.

More importantly, he clearly understood the limitation of judicial independence in the administrative operation of the court. He knew how the administration needed to work with other county and city departments. He often said we werent an island. His support of the court as an independent third branch of government was critical when conflicts would occur. During Scott Petersons preliminary hearing, hallways and the street outside were jammed. On one occasion an ambulance had difficulty getting to the court during an emergency. Dave made a local rule that, with the cooperation of the sheriff and Modesto Police Department, controlled the courthouse. He understood calendar management and how goal-setting and internal measurements were an integral part of case flow.

As the court executive officer, I appreciated his active support. Dave listened in the truest meaning of the word. He was a team player with a good sense of humor.

Mike Tozzi, Oakdale

Eating contests not sensitive to those without

As July 4 came to an end, I turned the television to SportsCenter. One of the top stories was the world famous hot dog eating contest and how Mr. Joey Chestnut won his 16th title.

And that got me thinking of a student I had in my class 17 years ago. You see, this student started showing up early to school when the weather started to get a bit chilly. He just wanted to sit in his seat, back of the class. After a few days, I asked him why he wanted to just come in and sit while I prepared for the day. He said that he and his mother and his little sister lived in a borrowed car and this was the only time in the day he could be warm, safe and alone. When the breakfast was served at school, hed go get his meal and come back to my classroom, and Id leave for 15 minutes so the young man could have time to himself and eat in peace.

There are 828 million starving people in this world, 34 million here in America and 9 million children. Yes we can have food eating contests, but should we?

Tim de Lorimier, Modesto
Early one summer morning, Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna responded to a minor vehicle accident near South Shore Hospital. Minutes later, he was shot and killed with his own gun. Police arrested Emanuel Lopes, charging the Brockton resident not only with Chesnas murder -- but also that of Vera Adams, a 77-year-old bystander who was shot while on her porch.

That all transpired five years ago this week. But it wasnt until last month that Lopes went on trial.

Testimony wrapped up in late June and, so far, jury deliberations have gone on for five days. The panel had the weekend off but will resume work on the case Monday.

Lopess lawyers dont dispute their client fatally shot Chesna and Adams -- but they say he has a long history of mental illness -- including auditory hallucinations and incidents of self-harm. Lopes is now 25-years-old, but defense attorneys say his struggles with mental illness stretch back to his teen years.

Will the jury buy an insanity defense? Odds are they wont. One study from 1991, still cited today, found the insanity defense was used in only about one percent of criminal proceedings -- and successfully in just a quarter of that one percent.

People are very rarely found not guilty by reason of insanity, said Peter Elikann, a criminal defense attorney in Boston and a Boston 25 legal analyst. You really have to show that somebody is very, very mentally ill. Not just a little bit. They (the jury) almost wants to see a person thats delusional, drooling, completely out of it.

That is not how Emanuel Lopes has appeared thus far. In fact, he has mostly sat through the proceedings emotionless.

If the jury cant come to an agreement the judge will have no choice but to declare a mistrial -- but shes encouraged jurors to keep working together to, one way or another, close out this case.

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As Phillip Engle watched the blockbuster movie "Dune" in a theater in December 2021, the Austin father cringed because the movie sound suddenly became unbearable. After the film ended, he had trouble walking and needed the handrails for balance.

Once back at home, his daughter noticed he was talking funny. They rushed him to the hospital, where he had a stroke while in the emergency room in the wee hours of the next day.

By the end of that week, the former marathon runner and mountain climber could not walk, could not talk and could not pick up a foam cup.

"I was in shock. I felt like I was lost in a frozen body," Engle said.

He began a journey from the abyss of despair to an extraordinary recovery and a new path where he now counsels stroke patients on their rehabilitation journey. Aiding in his recovery, Engle said, is the desire to return outdoors and climb mountains again with his children.

Yearly, more than 795,000 people have a stroke in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 137,000 die of a stroke each year in the U.S., the CDC calculates. The chances of a recovery are increased if a person gets to a hospital within 4 hours after the stroke  the window in which medication can be given to break up the blood clot causing it.

One of the most common risk factors is high blood pressure, which Engle had. For him and many others, exercise and fitness can create a false sense of security that they are safe.

Phillip Engle shows an image of his brain after his 2021 stroke as he talks to people who have had strokes about his recovery at St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital.

"It's so much easier to prevent a stroke than to go through the years or thousands of hours to recover from a stroke," said Dr. Robert Lee, medical director of stroke and neurological recovery at St. Davids Rehabilitation Hospital, who treated Engle.

Lee also cited other risk factors, including high cholesterol, heart defects, diabetes, obesity and smoking.

Engle's stroke began as cascading episodes, ministrokes, on Dec. 10. They were followed by the big stroke Dec. 11 and the worsening of symptoms over the next week. He had difficulty moving his right side. At one point, Engle needed a wheelchair to get around.

"It was a weird collection of symptoms," Engle said. "I had gone from being functional to being dysfunctional."

His family doctor explained that stroke symptoms can worsen over time and said Engle needed intense therapy.

Stroke survivor Phillip Engle visits the rehabilitation room at St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital, where he learned to walk again and use his hands. Engle is back to climbing mountains again 18 months after his stroke.

Physical therapist Kasey Kihlberg introduces her former patient, stroke survivor Phillip Engle, as he speaks to stroke patients and their families about his recovery experience.

Climbing back up

Engle entered St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital to participate in the Young Stroke Survivors Program  an intense six-hour-a-day regimen of physical, occupational and speech therapy. When Engle arrived for rehabilitation, he had trouble moving his hands, dragged his foot and lacked balance, and it took great effort "just walking from the bed to the door," he said.

"He was discoordinated," Lee recalled.

Life after stroke: Marine brings combat, stroke recovery lessons into role as Lakeway hospital chaplain

On Engle's second day of rehab, after six hours of therapy, a therapist handed him putty to squeeze with his right hand. The task seemed impossible, Engle said, questioning the empathy of his therapists and nurses for his plight.

Then a man who sat beside him, who had survived a similar stroke, offered words of comfort. "I was where you are two weeks ago," he said.

Stroke survivors and their loved ones listen to Phillip Engle describe his recovery experience.

"That gave me hope," Engle said. "It was hope that got me out of bed in the morning. It was more significant in my life than the stroke."

Engle began to push himself, to do more than asked, to practice his exercises even at night. He gave himself a goal: Go ice climbing a year later.

Phillip Engle speaks to fellow stroke survivors about getting through rehab. St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital has a Young Stroke Survivors Program that involves intensive therapy.

Retraining the brain

Lee said goals are important and often more intense for the one-third of stroke survivors younger than 65. The Young Stroke Survivors Program was created with this group in mind, but there is no age cutoff. It's more the state of mind, Lee said. These stroke patients need intensive therapy, Lee said, because often they want to return to work and need to relearn the skills to do so.

With strokes, time matters. Early medical intervention helps lessen the damage, and early intensive therapy helps rebuild the brain's neural pathways to regain skills that were lost.

Dr. Robert Lee and staff members applaud stroke survivor Phillip Engle after his presentation. The medical team helped Engle learn how to give presentations again as part of his recovery.

"Usually, three to six months after a stroke the brain is most receptive," Lee said, and patients "make the most gains."

Improvements can still come after six months, Lee said. Research now shows the brain can continue to make new pathways. It just takes more intensive therapy than in the first six months.

The team at St. David's tailored Engle's treatment to his goal. They had him practice climbing up a ladder.

"I couldn't do it. I almost started crying," Engle said.

After the stroke, Engle said he didn't have a good sense of where his foot or hand was in the space. In ice or mountain climbing, there is no room for missteps.

After three weeks in the rehab hospital, Engle returned home. He could run on the treadmill, walk up stairs and raise a 10-pound dumbbell with his right arm above his head.

"Amazing what I could do," he said.

Phillip Engle loves the independence of climbing ice walls and mountains. He had a stroke in December 2021 but was back climbing ice walls in January 2023.

Therapy for life

Engle continued practicing for his big climb in outpatient therapy.

"The therapists got creative," Engle said, "and designed exercises that mimic the actions to kick my boots into the ice, to swing an ice pick over."

Engle said none of it would have worked "if I hadn't turned that attitude around."

He joined a stroke survivor's group and began mentoring fellow survivors. He also now speaks at St. David's Rehabilitation Hospital to patients and their families. He came up with his own words to remember and share with other survivors: Fear, Faith, Perseverance, Courage and Yet.

Phillip Engle went from not being able to walk after a stroke in December 2021 to ice climbing by January 2023.

Fear: It's OK to be afraid. Without fear, there would be no courage.

Faith: Have faith in the process. Trust the therapists to help you improve.

"Usually, three to six months after a stroke the brain is most receptive," said Dr. Robert Lee, left, medical director of stroke and neurological recovery at St. Davids Rehabilitation Hospital, who helped treat stroke survivor Phillip Engle.

Perseverance: One day you can drink from the cup. The next day you can't. But you will again.

Courage: "I would get beat down," he said. "It affected me. I had to exert a lot of courage."

Yet: Instead of I can't, pivot to I can't do this yet. You must believe you will one day.

Stroke stories: Innovative stroke procedure restores Central Texas man's ability to see color

Back to the ice

This January, Engle made it to Colorado to climb the ice again. Before he knew it, "I was 10 feet, 15 feet off the ground. A chill went up my spine. It was easier to climb up the wall than walking down the sidewalk. I was in tears."

Last month, Engle took his children Dylan, 16, and Nicole, 20, to climb Middle Sister mountain in Oregon. For five days, it was just the three of them and the mountain  one step at a time.

He again had to trust that his foot would go in the right place, even though there's still a mental disconnect between his brain and his foot.

Phillip Engle, with son Dylan and daughter Nicole, climbed Middle Sister mountain in Oregon in June.

In January, he plans to go ice climbing again. Perhaps next year, he and the kids will answer the call of Mount Kilimanjaro and the strong sense of independence that comes with climbing.

"Each person is on an individual journey in the climb," he said. "Whether you make it or don't make it is entirely up to you. You can't worry about your problems and climb."

Phillip Engle is still working on rock climbing, which is harder than ice climbing. He still has difficulty knowing where his feet and hands are situated.

Know the signs of a stroke

Think of the acronym BE FAST:

Balance (loss of balance, dizziness or headache).

Eyes (blurred vision).

Face (one side of the face is drooping).

Arms (weakness in an arm or a leg).

Speech (difficulty speaking or understanding words).

Time (time to call for an ambulance immediately to get help).

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin father learns to ice climb again after St. David's stroke rehab
CANTON  The Domestic Violence Project of Stark County is in elite company, receiving funding from a Lowes program aimed at boosting groups community impact.

The national program, part of Lowes home improvement stores Hometowns program, helps organizations to make physical improvements that then boost their ability to help.

More: Julie Donant named new Domestic Violence Project CEO

One hundred community projects across the country will be completed this year as part of Lowes Hometowns, the largest community impact program in its history.

The grant will help renovate two spaces at Domestic Violence Projects Canton facility. The Founding Mothers Room will be transformed into a trauma-informed space offering more organized spaces for clothing and other personal care supplies. The second space will convert an old office into a new tranquil Community Space dedicated for peer support groups.

Founded in 1978, the Domestic Violence Project has offered safety, hope, and healing to victims ofdomestic violence and their families in Stark County and surrounding communities. In 2022, the agency assisted 356 men, women and children in two emergency shelters and helped more than 1,500 survivorsthrough its legal, medical, and outreach and aftercare programs.

More: Why spending more to protect survivors of domestic violence is a good deal for Ohio

Because most survivors leave their situation quickly and with very little, DVPI works with each survivor to meet all their basic needs, including food, clothing and shelter. All services and resources are provided at no cost.

Renovating the outdated spaces into functioning spaces will help create a fresh and inviting environment for survivors to begin the healing process.

Lowes will partner with Domestic Violence Projects local Lowes associates, construction pros, and impact partner, Points of Light, to complete the project.

This years Lowes Hometowns projects were selected from 94 communities across 41 states andWashington, D.C., and will address needs specific to each community, from housing and communitycenters to outdoor spaces and facilities for first responders and veterans.

For information about the Domestic Violence Project visit dvpi.org.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Lowe's fund to help Domestic Violence Project renovation
This photo provided by Vermont State Police shows Rutland City Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen. Ebbighausen, 19, was killed and two other officers were injured Friday, July 7, 2023 when a burglary suspect crashed into two police cruisers pursuing him, Vermont State Police said. The two other officers and the suspect were taken to the hospital with injuries. (Vermont State Police via AP)

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP)  A Vermont burglary suspect who led police on a high-speed chase and crashed his truck into two police cruisers, killing a 19-year-old officer and injuring two others, will be arraigned Monday on charges related to the crash, state police said.

Tate Rheaume, 20, is facing charges of grossly negligent operation and attempting to elude, both with death resulting. Additional charges are possible, state police said. It was not immediately known if he is being represented by an attorney.

Rutland City Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen was killed on Friday afternoon. The crash happened as police chased a vehicle driven by Rheaume, a suspect in an attempted break-in at a house, state police said.

Evidence indicates that Rheaume crossed the center line and collided head-on with the Ebbighausen's cruiser, police said. The suspect's truck also hit another police cruiser. Ebbighausen and another officer riding in the passenger's seat were not wearing seat belts, state police said.

Ebbighausen was pronounced dead at the scene. The two other officers and Rheaume were taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center with injuries, police said. Rheaume was transferred to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, where he was listed in serious but stable condition on Saturday afternoon, police said. One officer was released from the Rutland hospital on Friday, and the other was released Saturday.

After an autopsy was completed on Saturday, nearly three dozen law-enforcement officers and first responders escorted Ebbighausens body in a procession from the medical examiners office in Burlington back to Rutland, state police said. Ebbighausen was a part-time Rutland City officer since May and was scheduled for training in August to become a full-time officer, police said.
Man convicted as a teen of murdering his mom says the real killer is still out there

This story originally aired on Nov. 26, 2022. It was updated on July 8, 2023.

Michael Politte was just 14 years old when he was charged in 1998 with murdering his mother, Rita Politte, who died after being hit in the head and set on fire in her Missouri home. More than three years after the crime, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder, though he maintained he was innocent. He spent nearly 20 years in prison before a new law passed in Missouri that made him eligible for parole. Now out on parole, Michael Politte tells "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty who he believes is responsible for the murder.

A MURDER IN HOPEWELL

Michael Politte: There's nothin' in this world that anybody can ever do to me that's gonna be worse than what I seen.

On Dec. 5, 1998, Michael Politte says he woke up to find his mother's body lying on her bedroom floor  on fire.

He was 14 years old.

Michael Politte: What I seen was hatred and evil.  The individual that did that to my mother hated her with everything inside of 'em.

Rita Politte was just 40 when she died. All these years later, Michael's older sisters, Chrystal and Melonie, still have vivid memories.

Erin Moriarty (looking at photo album): What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Rita?

Melonie Politte: Her laugh. Definitely.

Chrystal Politte: She was always laughing, smiling.

Michael and Rita Politte.

Michael and his sisters grew up in the tiny, rural community of Hopewell, Missouri. It's about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis.

Chrystal Politte: We didn't lock our doors.  We lived by all of our family.

Michael Politte: We rode bicycles, motorcycles  I was happy.

Michael went by the nickname "Bernie" back then.

Melonie Politte: His middle name is Bernard. It's short for Bernard.

Their parents, Edward and Rita, got married as teens, and Chrystal and Melonie say the couple had their struggles.

Melonie Politte: He was very mentally abusive.

Chrystal Politte: He also cheated on her 

Melonie Politte: A lot.

Chrystal Politte: But she loved him. Love  It outweighed any other feeling she ever had(crying).

Eventually, though, love wasn't enough.

Michael Politte: I witnessed violence between the two of 'em.

The Politte family: Chrystal, top left, Michael and Melonie with their parents Rita, bottom left, and Edward. / Credit: Politte family

There were allegations of domestic violence on both sides. The year before the murder, there was an incident where police were called. Michael told an officer that his dad pushed his mom to the floor and choked her. The couple ultimately divorced in the summer of 1998 after more than 20 years of marriage. The divorce decree cited Edward's infidelity.

Michael Politte: My dad would  he would try to pay me to come live with him. I wouldn't. I wanted to live with my mom.

Michael ended up having to split time between both parents. On Dec. 4, 1998, he was at his mom's. That night, she was out working at a local bar, and Michael was home alone.

Michael Politte: Probably 7, 8 or so, I get bored.  I ride my bicycle down to the general store.

It's there that Michael says he met up with his friend, 15-year-old Josh SanSoucie, who he invited to sleep over. The two hung out for hours until Michael's mom got home around midnight.

Michael Politte: I asked him, I was like, "Man, where do you wanna sleep at?"  "You can sleep here in the living room on the foldout couch."  "Or you can just sleep, you know, on the floor in my room." He's like, "I'll just crash on your floor."

Michael says he slept through the nightuntil just before 6:30 a.m., when he and Josh awoke and noticed smoke in the room.

Michael Politte: We ran outta the room.  My mom's  bedroom door is facing me  And I could see the glow, an orange glow in that area.

He says he called out to his mom, but there was no answer.

Erin Moriarty: Michael, what are you feeling at this point?

Michael Politte: Panic, fear.

Michael says he went and grabbed a hose outside and then ran toward his mom's room  and what he saw, he'd never forget.

Michael Politte: I seen blood on her legs. And she was on fire from the waist up. And I turn the water hose on.  I don't know how long I sat there. It coulda been minutes, it coulda been seconds. I don't know (emotional).

Josh ran to get help, but it was too late. Chrystal would soon get a call from her brother with the news.

Chrystal Politte: I just sat on my bed, and I just kept sayin', "I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go." (Crying) Because, you know, then you know it's real.

Chrystal picked Melonie up and by the time they got to the scene, police cars and fire trucks were lining the driveway.

Chrystal Politte: Mike was  in the front seat, passenger side of the police car. And we just ran up to the window  asked him what waslike, what happened.  And he had soot on his face and he had tear marks all down his face. And he said, "I don't know. Mom's dead."

Tammy Nash: You could smell the smoke; you could smell flesh.

Tammy Nash worked for the Washington County Sheriff's Department back then and was one of the responding officers.

It was clear that this was a murder. Rita had suffered blunt force trauma to the head and blood was visible on her bedroom walls, indicating a struggle had occurred. A fire marshal quickly concluded that an accelerant was used to set her on fire.

Erin Moriarty: What was your job at that point? What was your assignment?

Tammy Nash: To gather the evidence  We was looking for anything that  she coulda been struck with.  We never found a weapon.

While Nash processed the scene, Michael and Josh were taken away to the sheriff's department for questioning. A police report indicates that on the way, Michael asked an officer something that quickly put him under suspicion. He asked, "What's going to happen to my mom's truck?"

Erin Moriarty: Isn't that an odd thing to say after you just saw your mother on fire?

Michael Politte: I don't think so.

Chrystal Politte: When you lose someone, you wanna hang onto things. To me that's all it was, you know. And our mom loved that truck.

But it did raise eyebrows. And at the sheriff's department, Michael was given a voice stress test.

Michael Politte: And then they told me that I failed.

Investigators also took Michael's shoes so that an accelerant sniffing dog could examine them.

Michael Politte: They said that the dog alerted to my shoes to  an accelerant.

Erin Moriarty: How would you describe the tone of the questioning after the dogs alerted on your shoes, and after you failed this voice stress test?

Michael Politte: They wasn't questioning me no more.  They were telling me that I did something.

When Josh SanSoucie, right, went for a sleepover at a Michael Politte's house in 1998 at the age of 15, he had no idea he would land in the middle of a murder investigation. / Credit: Politte family/SanSoucie family

Michael and Josh both insisted they didn't know what happened to Rita, that they had stayed in Michael's room all night. But investigators told them they didn't believe them. The boys were questioned repeatedly. And, two days after the murder, Josh gave a videotaped statement, with an officer on each side and his mother present. That statement seemed to poke a hole in Michael's account. He said he woke up to a noise in the middle of the night.

JOSH SANSOUCIE: I heard a little thud, and I thought I heard, like a  a woman's voice  OFFICER 1: Did Bernie wake up too, or did you  JOSH SANSOUCIE: No. OFFICER 2:  see Bernie in the room at that time? JOSH SANSOUCIE: No. OFFICER 2: Bernie wasn't in bed? JOSH SANSOUCIE: I didn't see him  OFFICER 2: Could you have seen him if he was? OFFICER 1: You looked at the OFFICER 2: Is that yes or no? JOSH SANSOUCIE: Yes. OFFICER 2: OK  OFFICER 2: So, there's no doubt that he wasn't in the bed? OK. And was he anywhere else in that bedroom? JOSH SANSOUCIE: No.

On Dec. 7, 1998, 14-year-old Michael Politte was arrested for his mother's murder. / Credit: Washington County Sheriff's Department

Shortly after Josh gave that statement, on Dec. 7, 1998, 14-year-old Michael Politte was arrested for his mother's murder.

Michael Politte: I always believed that I was gonna be found innocent because I didn't have anything to do with what happened to my mother. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.

"I DIDN'T MURDER MY MOTHER"

Erin Moriarty (looking at photo album): He looks like a really happy kid.

Melonie Politte: He was always really happy.

When Melonie and Chrystal learned that their 14-year-old brother had been arrested for their mother's murder, they say they couldn't believe it.

Melonie Politte: How were they coming up with that conclusion?  I just thought they were crazy.

Chuck and Patsy Skiles are Michael's uncle and aunt. They live next door to where the crime took place. They also felt police had made a mistake.

Chuck Skiles: He didn't do it and I want him cleared.

Patsy Skiles: You know, we was the first ones to see him  after it happened. He had no scratches, no nothin' on him.

Chuck Skiles: He was always givin' his mom a hug.

Patsy Skiles: He loved his mom.

But while Michael's family believed in his innocence, the truth is, Michael was hardly the model child  something that even he admits.

Erin Moriarty: You failed seventh grade three times.

Michael Politte: Yeah, I was on my third year  because I became truant. I just wasn't goin'.

Skipping school was one thing, but 10 months before the murder, things got so bad that Michael was hospitalized for behavioral issues after he threatened to kill his mother and himself.

Michael Politte: For whatever reason, I told her that I would put her six feet under just like her mom and dad.

Erin Moriarty: Did you mean that, Michael?

Michael Politte: No, I didn't. And it's the biggest regret of my life.

Melonie and Chrystal blame Michael's misbehavior on their parents' divorce.

Melonie Politte: Our dad would kind of put him in the middle.

Erin Moriarty: Michael was clearly an angry, troubled teenager.

Melonie Politte: Yeah, I think he was mad at our dad, for sure.

Erin Moriarty: Was he mad at your mom, as well?

Melonie Politte: No, I think  I mean, I know they didn't always get along perfectly. I don't think any parent and child does.

Three years passed with Michael in custody, awaiting trial. And then the prosecution came to him with a deal: plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and he'd spend a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Michael Politte: I rejected it.

Erin Moriarty: You didn't think about it?

Michael Politte: No.

Erin Moriarty: Why not?

Michael Politte: 'Cause I didn't murder my mother.

In January 2002, Michael Politte, then 17 years old, went on trial. His life was on the line. The prosecutors and defense attorney who tried the case didn't respond to "48 Hours"' calls, but Josh Hedgecorth  the current prosecutor of Washington County, where the murder took place  was willing to talk about the case.

Erin Moriarty: What was the most important evidence?

Josh Hedgecorth: The scientific evidence  And that would start with the shoes that he was wearing at the sheriff's office.

Not only had a dog detected an accelerant on Michael's shoes, according to the prosecution, later testing also confirmed the presence of gasoline on them. And there was testimony that an accelerant had been used to burn Rita's body.

Josh Hedgecorth: And so, all of these components together I think solidified that he must have set the fire.

But Michael had told police that gasoline found on his shoes meant nothing, and that he and his friends would often set fires for fun.

Michael Politte: We all did that.  It was in  it was in the country.

In fact, Michael told police that just hours before the murder, he and his friend Josh used gasoline to set a fire on the railroad tracks near his house  before Rita got home.

Michael Politte had told police that he and Josh SanSoucie had set a fire on the local train tracks the night before his mother's murder. But the prosecution used that admission to their advantage. They told the jury that the burn pattern on the tracks matched the burn pattern on Rita. / Credit: Washington County Sheriff's Department

But the prosecution used that admission as another piece of evidence against Michael. They argued the burn pattern on the tracks matched the burn pattern on Rita.

Linda Dickerson-Bell and Jonathan Peterson were jurors on the case.

Jonathan Peterson: I'm like, "It's not looking good for him."

Linda Dickerson-Bell: What they were telling us was that Michael had a problem with burning and that  he was the only person that could have done this.

The jurors never heard about Michael's problems at school and that threat to his mother, but a witness testified about a disagreement that Michael had with his mother weeks before the murder. It was over money, and he sat flicking a lighter afterwards.

Michael Politte: It happened. But not in the way that the State portrayed it.  I was flickin' the wheel on the lighter. That's that.

Erin Moriarty: You weren't threatening your mother with that?

Michael Politte: No.

And there was something even more damaging: the prosecution claimed that Michael had actually confessed to the crime during a suicide attempt at a juvenile detention center exactly one month after the murder. Three witnesses who worked there wrote in reports that Michael said, "I haven't cared since  I killed my mom." But Michael says that's not what he said.

Erin Moriarty: When they asked you why you were trying to kill yourself, you say you said what?

Michael Politte: I haven't cared since they killed my mom.

It's the difference of one word. But that one word carried a lot of weight. And the jury would never hear from Michael, because when it was the defense's turn, he didn't take the stand.

And leaving the jury with even more unanswered questions was the fact that they were told that Josh, the other boy in the house that night, had been granted immunity.

Linda Dickerson-Bell: I kept waiting, thinking, "OK, well if he's been given immunity then he's got to have something to offer."

But the jury never saw or heard from Josh at all. He wasn't called to the stand, and they were never shown his videotaped statement. Michael's sisters also weren't called.

Linda Dickerson-Bell: I never really heard anybody in his defense say, "Michael didn't do this."

Instead, the defense hinged its case on the lack of direct evidence: no murder weapon had been found and, despite the violence of the attack, Michael had no injuries and no blood on his clothing. After three days of testimony, the case went to the jury.

Linda Dickerson-Bell: To hold someone's life in your hand, have you ever done that? It's not a pleasant thing to do.  I wanted to get it right.

But Dickerson-Bell and Peterson say they were left with so many questions  too many questions  and they felt pressured by other members of the jury.

Jonathan Peterson: I think everybody finally just got to me and just, like  you know, "We're ready to go home." And then I was like, "Hell, but, you're ready to go home and this kid's ready to go to prison?"

After more than four hours, the jury filed into the courtroom with their verdict: guilty of second-degree murder.

Linda Dickerson-Bell: I wept.

Erin Moriarty: Why?

Linda Dickerson-Bell (crying): Because it was wrong.

Michael was sentenced to life in prison.

Michael Politte: It was unbelievable.  I never thought it would happen.

Michael would spend years in a Missouri prison before a new team of lawyers would take his case and make it their mission to turn it around.

Megan Crane: The State essentially never really had any case against this kid. But the case that they even did have back at trial has been indisputably proven false.

"PROBLEMATIC" EVIDENCE?

After Michael Politte was convicted and sentenced to life at the age of 18, he was sent to the Missouri State Penitentiary  once called "the bloodiest 47 acres in America."

Michael Politte: Bein' so young, I was a target.  I got in a fight my first day there  Dudes were trying to rape me.

Michael says he became desperate for some sense of safety.

Erin Moriarty: You became a skinhead?

Michael Politte: Yeah. Joined a gang.

Erin Moriarty: That's where you got the tattoos?

Michael Politte: Yup.  It was somethin' that  I felt like I needed to do to survive.  It's not the way that I feel. It's not the way that mom raised me. I just didn't fit in.

Michael says he longed to prove his innocence and get out of prison. He needed to hire a lawyer, so he says he asked his dad for help.

Erin Moriarty: Did he?

Michael Politte: Nope.

Erin Moriarty: So how did you keep up any hope at all?

Michael Politte: I didn't for a few years. I was a heroin addict  anytime I left my cell I was lookin' for drugs. I was just self-medicatin'.

That's the way things were  until Michael finally found something that gave him hope. Five years after his conviction, he wrote a letter to the Midwest Innocence Project, and they agreed to take his case. The organization worked on it for years and eventually, attorneys Tricia Bushnell, Megan Crane and Mark Emison became involved.

Megan Crane: Mike was convicted because he was a kid, pure and simple.  They said  he wasn't emotional enough.  Trauma doesn't look like what people think it should look like.

Bushnell, Crane and Emison picked apart the case against Michael. They say it was based on bad science, starting with the prosecution's claim that an accelerant was used to set the fire that killed Rita.

Mark Emison: When the fire investigator came to the scene  they immediately determined it was a fuel-fed  fire  based on just visual patterns  just based on looking at the scene  which, at the time, violated gold standards of fire investigation.  There has to be lab testin'.

Michael Politte's new attorneys picked apart the case against Michael, starting with the prosecution's claim that an accelerant was used to set the fire that killed Rita. They say there's no concrete proof of that and they also say there's no proof of gasoline on Michael's shoes either. / Credit: Washington County Sheriff's Department

And lab testing was done on carpet samples from the crime scene. No accelerant was detected. The prosecution explained that away by saying it could have burned up, but defense attorney Megan Crane says that suggestion isn't reasonable.

Megan Crane: There's no scientific basis for that being possible.

Erin Moriarty: Do you believe that the jury believed that in fact there was an accelerant used to set Rita on fire?

Mark Emison: Absolutely.  The main case against Michael was that it was a gasoline fire  and  in order to attempt to tie Mike to the crime, the only physical evidence was the gasoline that the State alleged  was on his shoes.

But Michael's new lawyers say that Michael's shoes didn't have gasoline on them, either. They say a chemical used in the shoe manufacturing process was wrongly identified as gasoline at trial. And even the Missouri State crime lab agrees. In a 2020 letter, officials say, " it is now known that solvents found in footwear adhesives have similarities to gasoline." But that "In the late 1990s, this knowledge was not widely known."

Erin Moriarty: Could the dogs have been alerting to the chemicals used in the shoes?

Mark Emison: Absolutely.

Megan Crane: The jurors cared about the gas on the shoes.  They asked to see the shoes.  It was the nail in the coffin.

But what about Michael's alleged confession at the juvenile detention center? Witnesses wrote that they heard him say, "I haven't cared since  I killed my mom." But Michael insists he said, "I haven't cared since  they killed my mom."

Tricia Bushnell: In the same way we talk about tunnel vision, people can hear what they want to hear. We're talking about one word in a room where there's lots of activity happening.  They have a kid in the detention center that they believe has probably committed this crime, right?  And so, that's their view of him.

There is one big question that remains. What about Josh SanSoucie? Remember, the jury was told he got immunity, and there was that videotaped statement where he told police that he woke up in the middle of the night and Michael wasn't there.

OFFICER 2: So, there's no doubt that he wasn't in the bed? OK. And was he anywhere else in that bedroom? JOSH SANSOUCIE: No.

Now, many years after the crime, Josh is speaking publicly for the first time about what he says really happened that night.

Josh SanSoucie: I've spent the majority of my life just tryin' to forget about it.

KEY WITNESS SPEAKS OUT

Josh SanSoucie: I've done pretty good just movin' on with it. But, I mean, it's still  it's always there, you know?

Josh SanSoucie is now 39 years old. He says he's never been quite the same since he woke up from that sleepover at Michael's at the age of 15 and found himself in the middle of a murder investigation. He says he was questioned by police repeatedly for hours at a time.

Josh SanSoucie: Every time I'd tell 'em something, they would be like, "No, that's not what happened. This is what happened."  I remember tellin' my mom. I said, "They keep saying that I'm lying." I said, "I don't even know if I'm telling the truth anymore."

But the truth, Josh says, is that nothing out of the ordinary happened on that night in question.

Josh SanSoucie: It was just like a normal night.

JOSH SANSOUCIE (videotaped statement): And I couldn't sleep very good that night. I was just kind of waking up. I woke up one time 

Two days after Rita Politte's murder, Josh SanSoucie, second from left, gave a videotaped statement with an officer sitting at each side and his mother present. / Credit: Washington County Sheriff's Department

But what about that videotaped statement where Josh told police that he woke up in the middle of the night and Michael wasn't there?

OFFICER 2: So, there's no doubt that he wasn't in the bed? OK. And was he anywhere else in that bedroom? JOSH SANSOUCIE: No.

Josh SanSoucie: I don't remember ever saying that.  And I feel like if I said that, then it was maybe at a weak point or somethin'.

Michael's attorneys say they have seen this all too often in interrogations.

Tricia Bushnell: What we see in Josh's interrogation is the result of hours and hours of interrogation  And every other time, he has never, ever said that that was what happened.

In a deposition right before Michael went on trial, Josh said that he never sat up from where he was sleeping on the floor and that, "It's not that I did not see him in his bed. It's I couldn't see him in his bed."

Josh SanSoucie: There's no way I could see anything that's on top of the bed.

Josh SanSoucie, now 39, says he's never been quite the same since he woke up from that sleepover at Michael Politte's in 1998 at the age of 15. / Credit: CBS News

So, why did Josh take that immunity deal?

Josh SanSoucie: I just wanted it because I knew they was gonna try to pin it on me or Bernie.  And I was, like, "Well, if they're giving immunity, then maybe I don't have anything to worry about, you know?

Michael's lawyers say the prosecution was likely trying to get Josh to flip on Michael and the fact they didn't even put Josh on the stand, says it all.

Megan Crane: They didn't call him because it wasn't gonna go well for them.  He had nothing helpful to say for the State.

Erin Moriarty: Why didn't the defense call Josh?

Megan Crane: That's a great question, Erin. And there's a lotta great questions about what the defense didn't do and who they didn't call.

Michael's trial attorney was a public defender back then. In a court affidavit, he admits that Michael's case was the first homicide case that he had tried on his own. And that today, he would handle his representation of Michael differently.

Michael's new legal team was committed to getting him out of prison. They filed court documents suggesting an alternative suspect: Michael's father, Edward Politte.

Michael Politte: I believe he is responsible for what happened to my mother.

Michael Politte's new legal team was committed to getting him out of prison. They filed court documents suggesting an alternative suspect: Michael's father, Edward Politte. / Credit: Politte family

If that's true, that means Michael's own father stood by and let his son take the fall for a murder that he was behind. Michael's sisters say their father was furious over the financial terms of the divorce. A judge had finalized them just four days before the murder.

Melonie Politte: She got half of his retirement.

Chrystal Politte: Maintenance 

Melonie Politte: Maintenance 

Chrystal Politte:  child support.

Melonie Politte: Child support. Alimony.  And the one thing that I remember about growing up with our dad is you don't mess with his money. You just don't do it.

Chrystal Politte: He had an outburst  in the court.  He said, "You'll never live to see a dime of that money."

Police did interview Edward Politte after the murder. He had an alibi. He was home, more than 80 miles away, at the time of the murder. But Michael's defense team says investigators didn't look hard enough.

Megan Crane: They didn't at all investigate the possibility that perhaps Ed did this with someone else.

And Michael says he believes his dad did arrange the murder and had help.

Michael Politte: I think he hired Johnny to murder my mother.

"Johnny" is Johnny Politte, Edward's cousin. Michael's legal team identified witnesses who place Johnny near the crime scene on the morning of the murder, just as first responders were arriving.

Larry Lee: Well, I had heard sirens  and as I'm comin' up the road and I'm approaching  the railroad tracks, Johnny Politte was walkin' down the railroad tracks.

Larry Lee is one of those witnesses. He has known Johnny for years.

Larry Lee: As he's walkin' up to my truck, he asked me if I heard about Rita.  He said, "Somebody killed her." And I'm like, "Dude, what?"

About a week later, Larry's wife Carolyn says Johnny came to their door.

Carolyn Lee: And it was like 6 o'clock in the morning. He said  "I need to know what you know about Rita's death."  He said, "Me and Edward are doin' our own investigation. And we heard you were up at the store talkin' about it."  And I said, "Johnny I don't know nothin'."  "No, we need to know what you know," he said. And I said, "You know, I think it's time for you to go."

Erin Moriarty: Were you scared?

Carolyn Lee: A little bit.

Erin Moriarty: Did the two of you talk to investigators about this?

Carolyn Lee: No.  We think back now, and we wish we would've.

Larry Lee: And I ain't sayin' he had anything to do with anything, either. I don't know. But, you know.

Another man places Johnny Politte's truck near the same spot that Larry Lee says he ran into Johnny on the morning of the murder. In an affidavit filed by Michael's team, the man says he saw the truck just as emergency vehicles were coming down the road.

Former investigator Tammy Nash says she doesn't remember hearing that Johnny Politte had been seen that morning, but she does recall something that happened in the days after the murder  once the crime scene had been released.

Tammy Nash: Somebody came into the sheriff's department  and said that they had found a tire iron, or tire tool or something  in the closet.

Erin Moriarty: Whose closet?

Tammy Nash: Michael's closet.

Police records show the person who found that tire tool was Johnny Politte.

Erin Moriarty: Could you have missed that in your first search?

Tammy Nash: No. No.

Erin Moriarty: Are you absolutely sure 

Tammy Nash: I am positive I did not miss that.

Erin Moriarty: If wasn't there when you searched, what does that mean?

Tammy Nash: That somebody placed it there.

Tammy went and retrieved the tire tool from Michael's closet. It was later ruled out as the murder weapon.

Erin Moriarty: Do you believe that tire iron was put in your closet to set you up?

Michael Politte: I do.

Johnny and Edward Politte didn't respond to "48 Hours"' request for an interview. Neither has been charged in the case. It's been years since Michael and his sisters have spoken to their father, but they say they did ask him whether he had anything to do with their mother's murder and he denied it.

Tricia Bushnell: It's not our job and it's not our focus to say who did commit this crime. But what we do know is it was not Michael Politte.

And while Michael's lawyers were trying to prove that, the case would take a turn.

MICHAEL POLITTE (outside prison): I never thought this day would come.

Michael Politte: Best day in the world. It was amazing.

A SECOND CHANCE

Tricia Bushnell: It's hard  it's real hard here in Missouri  to get these convictions overturned, it's a battle.

Michael Politte's legal team was shut down by appeals courts at every turn.

Melonie Politte (crying): It is a constant fight with, you know, Goliath really is what it feels like.

Michael Politte, center, with his sisters during a prison visit. They kept up hope that one day he would be freed. / Credit: Politte family

Despite the letdowns, Michael and his sisters kept up hope that one day he would be freed. And in 2021, there was an unexpected development: a bill passed in Missouri giving juvenile offenders convicted of serious crimes a second chance.

Michael Politte: It gave me an immediate parole hearing.

Michael went before the parole board asking for his release.

Michael Politte: I told 'em I was innocent, and I told 'em this is why I'm innocent, and this is why you should believe I'm innocent.

It worked. On April 22, 2022, Melonie and Chrystal brought friends and family and a change of clothes to the Jefferson City Correctional Center.

Melonie Politte: It was a really great day.

Chrystal Politte: It was a dream come true, really.

On that day, Michael Politte walked out of prison. Incarcerated at just 14-years-old, he was now 38.

Michael Politte (outside prison): Where's my lawyers?

Michael Politte (outside of prison): It's overwhelming to see all the love. All the nights sitting in my cell, wondering what it would be like to be out here and have this moment, and have it finally come true  it's awesome.  Yup. It's finally here.  I'm free.

Michael says he felt his mom's presence when a bird flew by overhead.

Michael Politte (outside prison, looking up at the sky): Hi mom.

Michael Politte (outside prison): She's always in my thoughts. She's always in my mind. And everything I do and everything that I'm processing today is guided by her.

On April 22, 2022, Michael Politte left prison doing one of the things he enjoyed most before he went in.

Michael left prison that day doing one of the things he enjoyed most before he went in  riding a bike.

Michael Politte (outside prison): We're gonna take a bike ride from the parking lot to the railroad tracks.  I'm leaving here the same way that I came in here, riding a bicycle.  Justice for Rita. Let's go. Let's go, man (crowd cheers).

Michael Politte: (Laughs) It felt good. It was the best bike ride in the world.

Following his release, Michael moved in with his sister, Melonie. He started getting those reminders of prison, his tattoos, covered up with new art. He also found a job as a carpenter and got his driver's license.

Erin Moriarty: You're now out. Is that enough?

Michael Politte: No, it ain't enough.

Erin Moriarty: Because as you sit right now, you are a convicted felon on parole.

Michael Politte: Yep.

Erin Moriarty: You have a criminal record that says you killed your mother.

Michael Politte: Yep.

Michael wants to clear his name. And it just might happen because Josh Hedgecorth, the current prosecutor in the county where the murder took place, has filed a motion asking for Michael's conviction to be overturned.

Josh Hedgecorth: To me, it all  always comes back to the science.

Hedgecorth agrees with Michael's attorneys that the scientific evidence used to convict Michael is problematic.

Josh Hedgecorth: So, I don't believe that Michael received a fair trial.  I can't say that the prosecutor at the time knew what he was putting on was false  It just shouldn't have been presented.

Erin Moriarty: Could you retry Michael Politte for the murder of his mother based on the evidence you have today?

Josh Hedgecorth: On the evidence I have today  I don't believe I would file this case.

But while the local prosecutor believes Michael's conviction should be thrown out, another public official, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, is fighting it.

Megan Crane: In every exoneration in Missouri, the attorney general fights it because, they say, "We have to respect, honor, and protect the verdict of these jurors"  Well, that goes out the window when the jurors themselves want this verdict overturned.

In sworn affidavits, five jurors have questioned whether Michael got a fair trial  including Jonathan Peterson and Linda Dickerson-Bell.

Linda Dickerson-Bell: I do not believe that Michael Politte killed his mother.  But I don't know how to fix it.

The attorney general's office didn't reply to "48 Hours"' request for comment, but in a court filing, they say Michael "cannot meet the standard for actual innocence." And the attorney general has argued that the evidence against Johnny and Edward Politte would have been inadmissible at trial.

Michael hopes that a judge will hear the case and decide to overturn his conviction, but in the meantime, prosecutor Josh Hedgecorth has revealed to "48 Hours" that the local sheriff's department has reopened the investigation into Rita's murder.

Josh Hedgecorth: We wanna do the right thing. If someone else did this, we wanna know that.  even if it's new evidence that it was Michael.

Neither Hedgecorth, nor the local sheriff, would comment on the specifics of the investigation, including whether Johnny Politte or Edward Politte are persons of interest.

Josh Hedgecorth: I feel bad for Bernie and his family. I mean, everything they had to go through. Bernie lost his whole childhood.

Josh SanSoucie hasn't seen Michael Politte since they were kids, but they hope to one day reunite. The night of that sleepover and its aftermath has haunted Josh all these years.

Erin Moriarty: What would you say to him?

Michael Politte: I'm sorry. And that, you know, he didn't do anything wrong.

In Potosi, Missouri, not far from where the murder took place, Rita's truck has sat all these years.

Michael Politte with his mother's truck. He and his sisters hope to fix it up and get it running again. / Credit: CBS News

Her family says they held onto it because it's one of the only things they have left of her.

Michael Politte: That's her truck. You know, it's a part of her. That belongs to her.

They hope to fix it up and get it running again.

Michael Politte: We're gonna get justice for her. I believe that one day. We're gonna get justice for Rita.

Washington County Prosecutor Josh Hedgecorth lost his bid for reelection.

His motion to vacate Politte's conviction was later denied by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Produced by Stephanie Slifer and Emily Wichick. Sara Ely Hulse is the development producer. Doreen Schechter, Joan Adelman and Gary Winter are the editors. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.

Michael Politte paroled decades after conviction for his mother's murder

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe to retire after 2023 season

Overdue book returned to Massachusetts library 119 years later
A 36-year-old man was shot in Carmichael on Saturday morning in what authorities called an incident related to a biker gang.

The victim wore a bulletproof vest and was shot three times near torso around 9:30 a.m. on the 7000 block of Laurel Oak Way, according to Sacramento County Sheriffs Office spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi. The roadway runs parallel to Madison Avenue, several blocks south of the Citrus Heights city limits.

Gandhi said the vest appeared to stop at least one bullet. He said the victim reportedly called 911 himself to report the incident.

Deputies said they believe the victim, who was not identified, is a member of a motorcycle gang and that he was shot by a member of a rival gang.

Authorities said the 36-year-old victim had been likely in possession of a gun during the incident if he was rolling around in a bulletproof vest. The mans associates likely took the gun away before law enforcement arrived on scene, according to deputies.

By the time we got there, everything was clean, Gandhi said.

Gandhi said the victim was stable as of Sunday morning. No suspects have been named as the detectives continue their investigation.
Police are investigating the death of a motorcyclist in Grapevine in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to a news release.

Officers responded to Interstate 635 at the exit to southbound Texas 121 around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Grapevine police. A witness told police that the man on the motorcycle hit a retaining wall and was ejected from the motorcycle on the overpass, which is north of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. His body was found in a creek bed below and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

When police arrived, the motorcycles gas tank was on fire, according to the news release. The overpass was shut down for about three hours and fire crews extinguished the flames.

The overpass was shut down for about three hours while police investigated the accident and cleared debris.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office will release the motorcyclists identity after next-of-kin have been notified.
Before we begin the new week in earnest, we're taking a look back at the week that was, and the stories that led the news with Taunton Daily Gazette readers.

Top stories this past week included:

This week's edition of Taunton Eats, where we compile a list of meal deals, special events and mouth-watering offerings at local eateries and markets to consider when planning your next night on the town. This week, we take a look at how Society Coffee Bar in Taunton is offering gallon-sized Quinny bags, so you can enjoy lots of iced coffee all summer long.

The latest Greater Taunton real estate report, featuring a custom-built ranch in Taunton that sold for $775,000. The Crane Avenue S home features custom built-ins, a gas fireplace, and cathedral ceilings. Check out this property, as well as other recent top-sellers.

These were the Top 5 stories of the past week, according to Gazette readers:

Are marijuana edibles and cultivation coming to Sherwood Drive in Taunton?

KBD Associates and Tower 3, both cannabis companies, want to grow marijuana and make edibles side-by-side on Sherwood Drive.

Cannabis companies KBD Associates and Tower 3 LLC are seeking approval to open a marijuana cultivation and manufacturing facility at this site on Sherwood Drive.

KBD Associates wants to make marijuana edibles and Tower 3 wants to grow marijuana at the same address. Both have host community agreements with the city.

Gazette Reporter Ed Baker has the story on what to know about the proposed businesses.

Retail marijuana: Are marijuana edibles and cultivation coming to Sherwood Drive in Taunton? What to know

'Helping those in distress': Taunton homeless shelter moves to new location

Catholic Social Services CEO Susan Mazzarella said Samaritan Houses new homeless shelter in a former rectory at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish is helping the unhoused.

Catholic Social Services CEO Susan Mazzarella describes the services that are offered to homeless people who stay at the Samaritan House during a dedication of the facility on Wednesday, June 28, 2023.

The work carried on here for individuals who are unhoused mirrors the same virtues in the (Biblical) parable, she said during a dedication of the shelter at 80 Bay St. in Taunton by Fall River Diocese officials.

Here's a look at the new space, why they moved, and the care they offer.

'Helping those in distress': Taunton homeless shelter moves to new location. What to know

TMLP linemen crack $100K in overtime alone. Here are top 10 highest paid workers in 2022

Which Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant employees made the most in 2022? The Gazette analyzed salary data to get the answer.

More than two thirds made more than $100k in 2022, with overtime pay being a major factor.

These are the Top 10.

TMLP salaries: TMLP linemen crack $100K in overtime alone. Here are top 10 highest paid workers in 2022

DA: Easton man in hostile relationship kills Raynham woman, then himself

An Easton man broke into the Raynham home of a woman he was in a hostile relationship with and killed her before taking his own life, prosecutors said.

Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County district attorney's office are investigating an "apparent murder-suicide" that occurred early in the morning on July Fourth.

This is the information that was available at the time of this writing.

Under investigation: DA: Easton man in hostile relationship kills Raynham woman, then himself

8 more Middleboro teens charged in triple stabbing at fire pit party

Eight additional teens have been charged with assault and battery in connection with a triple stabbing during an outdoor fire pit party near Wall Street on Friday, June 23, Police Chief Joseph Perkins said in a written statement on July 5.

The charges come on the heels of the arraignment on June 26 of Jayden Wainwright, 18, of Middleboro on an attempted murder charge in connection with the same incident.

The latest charges involve two additional adults and six juveniles "that were allegedly involved in the incident, Perkins said.

'Out of control': 8 more Middleboro teens charged in triple stabbing at fire pit party

Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Gazette Top 5: Marijuana businesses on Sherwood Drive?
Master Sgt. Kevin Haunschild thought his 2021 deployment with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit would be a typical one.

A seasoned air traffic controller who previously had deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, he was the senior enlisted Marine for the group of controllers in the unit.

But then he and other Marines from the unit flew into Kabul for what would become the largest noncombatant evacuation in military history.

As civilian air traffic controllers departed the airport, it was up to Haunschild and his team of Marines  and, as time went on, some airmen as well  to coordinate the arrivals and departures of aircraft, many of which carried evacuees.

And they succeeded, handling about 110 flights per day with no aircraft mishaps.

In January, Haunschild received a Bronze Star for his efforts coordinating air traffic  and for his quick thinking and leadership in rescuing a civilian contractor.

At first, only four Marines from the air control detachment arrived in Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 13, 2021. Two days later, the Taliban took over the city, plunging the airport into chaos.

That day, an Afghan plane with a blown tire had to abort its takeoff, obstructing the runway, according to a news release announcing his Bronze Star.

Along with three other service members, Haunshchild jumped into a pickup truck while Afghans were running out of the aircraft. They attached straps to the plane and towed it off the runway.

Later that day, Haunschild had to rescue an Afghan air traffic controller who was stranded with important radio equipment in a crowd of people that included both Afghans desperate to flee and some members of the Taliban.

Haunschild and a soldier wove their way through the crowd, bringing body armor to the civilian and taking him back to their truck.

On the drive back, their truck was sprayed with small-arms fire. Because it was from an unknown source in a crowd filled with civilians, Haunschild said, they couldnt return fire.

But they managed to drive the civilian and his radio equipment to safety.

Lt. Col. Robert Barbaree III, left, commanding officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station New River, pins a Bronze Star onto Master Sgt. Kevin Haunschild on Jan. 20. Haunschild received the medal for his actions as Marine air traffic control mobile team leader with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 in Afghanistan. (Cpl. Antonino Mazzamuto/Marine Corps)

Over the coming days, Haunschild and the other Marines from his detachment monitored the skies nonstop, except for occasional short naps. Those first two nights, they came under gunfire multiple times, Haunschild recalled.

Once 10 more troops from Marine Air Control Group-28 flew in on Aug. 17, 2021, the Marine air traffic controllers worked, with just a tailgate-style tent to protect them from the sun, in 12-hour shifts.

Thats a long time to control aircraft, especially with the amount of aircraft that was coming in and out of the airport, Capt. Zackary Dahl, the officer in charge of the element, previously told Marine Corps Times.

In interviews with Marine Corps Times, Haunschild was humble about his own accomplishments and extremely proud of his Marines work.

Master Sgt. Kevin Haunschild is now the senior air traffic controller at Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron on Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. (Marine Corps)

The evacuation of Kabul remains controversial as a matter of strategy and policy. But Haunschild stressed his appreciation for the work the individual Marines and other U.S. troops did on the ground.

They did a phenomenal job for what they had to work with, he said.

U.S. troops in Kabul led an evacuation of more than 124,000 at-risk Afghans and U.S. citizens. Although the Air Force spearheaded the effort, more than 2,000 Marines were also involved on the ground, Marine Corps Times previously reported.

A Texas native, Haunschild enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004. He had tried college, but it didnt work out, and the Marine Corps was something he had always wanted to do, he told Marine Corps Times.

Haunschild is the senior air traffic controller at Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, according to service-record information provided by Marine spokeswoman 2nd Lt. Haley Pratt.

Apart from his Bronze Star, the master sergeant has received the Meritorious Service Medal; the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal; the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, twice; the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, six times; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, twice; the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, five times; the Navy Arctic Service Ribbon; the Humanitarian Service Medal, three times; the Korea Defense Service Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the National Defense Service Medal; the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, twice; the NATO Medal-Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan; a letter of appreciation, seven times; the NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan; and a Certificate of Commendation, once for his unit and once for him individually.

Master Sgt. Haunschild doesnt give himself credit for the things that he does, because he is a super cool dude, said Gunnery Sgt. Julio JoseMendez, another air traffic controller who deployed to Kabul in 2021. He doesnt take any bulls--t, hell tell you things how they are. Hes just a Texas boy, and he loves a simple life.

Staff Sgt. Ian Chryst, another of the Marine air traffic controllers who was on Haunschilds team, said in the news release about the Bronze Star that the master sergeant was a great mentor and selfless leader.

He could lead me into a burning pit and Id follow him right in, he said.

See all Military Times 2023 Service Members of the Year honorees.
Christopher Dobbs is retiring as head of interpretation at the Mary Rose Museum

On 11 October 1982, Christopher Dobbs had a unique perspective on one of the most significant events in maritime history - the raising of the Mary Rose.

While millions watched on TV, the marine archaeologist was under the Solent as Henry VIII's flagship slowly moved past him through the murky waters on its way to the surface for the first time in 437 years.

He is now retiring as head of interpretation at the Mary Rose Museum, marking the end of a 44-year association with the wreck.

The warship famously sank in 1545 while leading an attack on a French invasion fleet, with Henry VIII looking on from nearby Southsea Castle.

It is thought about 500 soldiers and sailors perished when the ship went down.

Mr Dobbs was among the early teams of divers who salvaged items from the wreck site after it was discovered, about 40ft (12m) down, on the seabed in 1971.

"That was an amazing experience - on every dive we were coming across objects no-one in the world had seen before," he said.

Mr Dobbs guided the then Prince of Wales on several dives to the wreck as the future king championed the massive archaeological and engineering project which culminated in its raising in 1982.

He recalled the "incredible buzz of excitement and anticipation" on the day as he worked underwater with the lifting bags designed to cushion the fragile hull.

"I can't really describe what it was like when it broke the surface - I was safely cocooned underwater.

"It was nice and quiet, but when I saw the TV pictures there were champagne corks popping and guns firing from Southsea Castle.

"It was amazing to see the Mary Rose lift up from the seabed and move towards the surface, but it was only done through the combination of so many different teams.

"It was touch and go but the great thing was we achieved it."

The Prince of Wales made several dives to the wreck site

The timbers were taken to an atmospherically controlled dry dock where they were sprayed with a mist of cold water, then water-soluble wax, before an air-drying process began.

Telling the story of a "Tudor time capsule" with its artefacts including weapons and personal possessions of the crew, has been Mr Dobb's life's work since the raising.

"It was a Portsmouth ship - it was built here and sailed from here during her lifetime. It was part of the Portsmouth culture.

"Although it has international significance, it's also important as a Portsmouth story," he said.

Now housed in a 39m purpose-built museum in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, visitors are able to view it though floor-to-ceiling windows and walk along a balcony entered through an airlock.

Dr Alexzandra Hildred of the Mary Rose Trust paid tribute to Mr Dobbs' knowledge of the artefacts and their handling as "second to none".

"All the volunteers - both in the museum and the 500 volunteer divers say it's the way he treated and taught them, that he imparted his knowledge about the Mary Rose.

"His contribution to the displays in the museum have to be applauded. What he put into the design of the museum has made it more accessible and available."

As well as carrying out regular dives to check the condition of the wreck site, Mr Dobbs also worked with Unesco and other international organisations protecting shipwreck sites around the world.

One of the Mary Rose Museum's latest innovations is a 4D simulation of diving on the wreck site, narrated by Mr Dobbs.

"I've been so privileged - can you imagine a better job if you are both an archaeologist and a diver than to work on a project like the Mary Rose and then share that with the wider world?," he said.

Mary Rose - Timeline

1510 - The ship is ordered by the newly crowned King Henry VIII and construction begins in Portsmouth. It is launched in 1511.

1545 - On 19 July, at the Battle of the Solent, the ship sinks while leading the attack on the French invasion fleet.

1549 - 1836 - After expert Venetian salvors make unsuccessful attempts to raise the wreck, the ship lies undisturbed for almost 300 years.

1836 - Early pioneering divers, John and Charles Deane, discover the wreck site and raise guns using explosives. They later lose its location.

1965 - A new search for the wreck begins.

1971 - Divers see the first exposed timbers and the site is identified as the Mary Rose.

1979 - 1982 - The ship's contents are excavated by divers and more than 19,000 artefacts are brought to the surface.

1982 - The wreck of the hull is raised. The event is watched live on television by an estimated 60 million people worldwide.

2013 - A 35m Mary Rose Museum opens in Portsmouth.

2016 - Museum visitors finally get an unobstructed view of the wreck.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.
Mass panic at Wellington mall after sound of teen's fireworks mistaken for gunfire

WELLINGTON  Sheriff's deputies swarmed the Mall at Wellington Green in response to a possible shooting Saturday evening, only to find a 15-year-old boy who had lit fireworks in the men's restroom.

Mistaken for gunfire, the sound caused "mass panic," a spokesperson for The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Sunday. Several mall-goers began calling 911 at 5 p.m., and officials closed the mall for more than three hours while members of the county bomb squad investigated.

Deputies booked the teen, whom they have not named, into the Juvenile Assessment Center. He faces one count of felony criminal mischief, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fireworks in the bathroom mistaken for gunfire Wellington mall
The family of Keoni Hubbard, the Massachusetts boy killed in a boating accident on a New Hampshire lake on Friday, is remembering him as a selfless child who found joy in the happiness of others.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Hubbard family said, Our hearts are forever broken by the loss of our Keoni. Beloved by his family and friends, Keonis spirit and empathy for others resonated with all who love and admire him. Keoni was simply the best  a selfless child who truly found joy in the happiness of others. Our family appreciates the support of the community and respectfully asks that you respect our privacy as we mourn the unimaginable loss of our beloved Keoni.

Keoni, a Lexington student, had been among a group of campers from out-of-state who were in New Hampshire at the Boy Scout camp for the week when he died. He was among three people killed in separate incidents in New Hampshire waters on Friday, state police said.

At approximately 2:15 p.m. Friday, New Hampshire 911 received a call for a boating accident on Manning Lake in Gilmanton, where a young boy was injured while out on a boat, state police said.

Keoni was a student at Clarke Middle School in Lexington who was attending a summer camp in New Hampshire, Lexington Public Schools Superintendent Julie Hackett said in a letter to the school community.

Multiple students witnessed the boating accident and the district is working with Lexington Human Services to make grief counseling available for students and staff, Hackett said.

Our hearts are with the victims family, as well as the Clarke school community and all those impacted by this tragic event. We are blessed to be part of a loving, caring community, and we come together in times of need. I know that you will continue to be there for one another, and you will keep all those affected by this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers, Hackett said.

The Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts of America also issued a statement on Keonis death.

We are heartbroken to confirm the death of a Scout yesterday following a tragic accident on Manning Lake in Gilmanton. We offer our deepest condolences to the Scouts family and ask everyone to please join in keeping this young man and his loved ones in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time, the statement said.

State Police are investigating the cause of the boating accident.

Also Friday, Marine Patrol recovered the body of Shawn Barton, 40, with an unknown address, from the Piscataquog River in Manchester, near the border of Goffstown, state police said.

Then, at around 8:45 p.m., a third call was received for a possible drowning on Middle Pea Porridge Pond in Madison, for a swimmer who had not returned to her family after being on the water in front of their rental property, state police said. Investigators said Amy Posocco, 41, of Beverly, Massachusetts, had been swimming with a group of her family members when she failed to return to shore.

GoFundMe: Keoni Hubbard Memorial Fund

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Vitali Klitschko

Over 170 civilians have been killed in Kyiv by Russian attacks since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Ukrainian television on July 8.

"Putin wants the territory, he doesn't need us, Ukrainians," the mayor noted.

Read also: Kyiv to establish shelters with automated opening system, allocates $20 million to refurbish shelters

"That's why he is killing innocent civilians. In our city, more than 400 residential buildings have been destroyed, and over 170 civilian residents have lost their lives, including seven children."

On the night of June 24, Russian forces mounted a missile attack on Ukraine, with the majority targeted at Kyiv. The citys military administration reported that all 20 missiles had been intercepted over the capital. However, fragments of one missile hit a multi-story building in the citys Solomianskyi district, killing five people.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
McCain Republicans are alive and well. We're just ignoring the GOP

Trump's attacks against the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., cost Trump support in Arizona.

John McCain and I were born in 1936. We both served in Vietnam. He was shot down and I was not.

We met in 1983. He was a newly elected member of Congress, and I was an Air Force colonel stationed at Luke Air Force Base. I retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1985 and became involved in Arizona politics.

John ran for the Senate in 1986, and I contributed to his campaign and made cold calls to voters. He took office in 1987, and I was appointed as director of AHCCCS.

During the seven years I served as AHCCCS director, I had many meetings with John. One memorable one was in the Roosevelt Room at the White House where John was assisting our program.

My take on John McCain:

Honest, hardworking and fiercely independent.

I voted for him in each race for the Senate.

My question is, where are the McCain Republicans?

When Kari Lake told the McCain Republicans to get out of the room, she lost my vote and the election. It was political malpractice.

Heres the answer to my question.

There are many McCain Republicans, and in 2022 they either left the vote for governor blank or voted for Katie Hobbs.

Brilliant political strategy!

Leonard Kirschner, Litchfield Park

Low achievement is schools' fault

I have been a high school teacher in Yuma for 2 years. I taught for eight years at the college level in Washington state.

Chad Gestson, superintendent of Phoenix Union High School District, in his June 29 guest column, writes, Many of the challenges we experience in schools are not the schools fault.

It is well-known that Arizona consistently ranks low in the country in public education.

You can Google it.

Ill tell you why. Districts and administrators care more about looking good in reports than they do about educating Arizonas kids.

Gestson discloses, We spend millions on educator professional development.

But most of the teachers at the schools I taught at ridiculed the professional development as thinly veiled strategies to give good grades to students who are barely paying attention.

The student-centered classroom minimizes the role of the teacher, and discipline is mostly not allowed.

In the last weeks of every school year, administrators pressure teachers to pass students who are not even close to passing.

Arizonas education system is cranking out students who are not prepared to be responsible citizens.

Brian Martin, Yuma

Blame students, not the schools

Chad Gestsons guest column on how public schools are not the problem is right on point.

When I hear people say, The schools are failing our children, I often wonder what they mean when they say schools.

Perhaps the problem is the lack of drive and motivation among students themselves, not the schools.

Do those students go home each school day and do an hour or two of homework to improve their academic skills?

Or are they spending most of their time on their iPhone or watching television or doing other non-academic things?

Until and unless students get motivated to do the hard work required to succeed in school, they will continue producing subpar scores on tests and fall behind their peers in the United States and around the world.

Another view: A high school diploma is not enough to secure a career

To me, we need to focus on how to better motivate and hold accountable the students, because that is how they will achieve success.

We need not blandly blame the schools.

We need to be willing to acknowledge the vast majority of the problem lies with the students, regardless of how much it may offend people who think it politically incorrect.

Robert Bertrand, Paradise Valley

Why Biden's debt plan is wrong

President Biden wants to forgive outstanding student loans, shifting payment of more than $400 billion to taxpaying citizens.

Two aspects he ignores: Equity and ethics.

His plan does not refund payments made by students who have already met their legal obligations. They are objecting to this discrimination on the sound basis of equal treatment.

More serious is the message it sends that obligations are not absolute.

History is full of reminders:

The Bible: If a man borrows anything of his neighbor ... he shall make full restitution.

Cephalus: Justice consists in speaking the truth and paying ones debt.

Ben Franklin: Rather go to bed without dinner than to rise in debt.

The president of the United States should be the example to the rising generations of their moral obligation to repay debt.

Fortunately for us, his illegal attempt to forgive college debt was stopped. He is now trying to recover from his error by stretching out repayment periods.

That plan should be viewed on its merits. But he already sent his moral message.

Jim Talbot, Scottsdale

Whats on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@arizonarepublic.com. And consider joining our moderated Voices: Engaging Arizona group on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: McCain Republicans are alive and well, just ignoring the GOP
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to strike three Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs) and nuclear facilities in Eastern Europe if an alleged attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to attack the Smolensk NPP in Russia with "NATO missiles" is confirmed.

Source: Medvedev on Telegram; Russian propaganda Telegram channel Mash

Quote from Medvedev: "If the attempt to attack the Smolensk NPP [in Desnogorsk, Russia] with NATO missiles is confirmed, we should consider the scenario of a simultaneous Russian strike on the Pivdennoukrainsk, Rivne and Khmelnytsky NPPs, as well as on nuclear facilities in Eastern Europe. There is no reason to hold back."

Details: An alleged attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to attack the Smolensk NPP with missiles was reported on Sunday evening by the propaganda telegram channel Mash. There is no official information on the matter.

According to Mash, Ukraine allegedly attempted to carry out a missile attack on the Desnogorsk nuclear power plant in Smolensk Oblast and a military airfield in Kaluga Oblast.

The Telegram channel suggests that British-made Storm Shadow missiles were used in the attempted attack on the nuclear power plant - this is supposedly evidenced by the wreckage.

"Both missiles were shot down by Russian air defence in the skies over the village of Bytosh, Bryansk Oblast, Russia, at around 14:00. The first one fell into a field, the second on the premises of a sawmill," Mash claims.

Background:

Earlier on Sunday, 9 July, the Russian-appointed puppet leader of occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said that air defence forces had shot down a cruise missile near Kerch.

Vasily Golubev, Governor of Russias Rostov Oblast, also said that the air defence system in the oblast had been activated, that a missile had allegedly been shot down near Kamianske, and that shrapnel had damaged the roofs of several buildings.

Bryansk Oblast Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said that two Ukrainian missiles have been shot down in the oblast, and a sawmill has been destroyed in the village of Bytosh.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Christina Schnyders is the first female provost at Malone University in Canton. Following a national search, she began her new position in March.

Christina Schnyders is the first female provost in the history of Malone University.

She began serving in that role on an interim basis in July 2022 and, following a national search, was hired to the position in March.

She began her career in higher education as the worship ministries coordinator at Simpson University in Redding, California. After serving in that role for two years, she decided to pursue a masters degree in counseling and became a licensed counselor in 2005.

Over the years, she has served as a counselor in various settings, including community mental health, college counseling, and private practice. Schnyders is an independently licensed counselor with supervisory status in Ohio.

She began at Malone in 2006 as a resident director, later transitioning into a visiting instruction position in counseling. After completing her doctoral studies in counseling in human development services at Kent State University, she took a position with Milligan College in Tennessee and helped launch a graduate program in counseling there.

She returned to Malone a year later and has served on the faculty since 2013. She served as faculty chair from 2019 to 2021, and was asked by President Greg Miller to serve as interim provost.

She and her husband Scott have two children, Caiden and Madison. Scott serves as the mens shelter director at Refuge of Hope. They live in Plain Township.

Education has faced significant changes over the years, particularly in the post-Covid era, Schnyders said. One of the major changes in education relates to the use of technology as an educational tool. Many of our degree programs and course offerings are now offered via hybrid or online instruction, and faculty now use a variety of tools to meaningfully incorporate technology into the learning process as well.

Meet Betty Joe Schneider: Founder of Designs by Jo Jo's Creations

Christina Schnyders is the first female provost at Malone University in Canton. Following a national search, she began her new position in March.

What does it feel like or mean to you to be the first female provost at Malone University?

It is truly an honor to serve as provost at Malone. I hold gratitude for the opportunity to be the first female in this role at Malone, and I am grateful that my sense of calling into this work was affirmed by Dr. Miller and by members of the Malone community.

Would you share the three top things you like best about working in higher education?

Collaborating with faculty, staff, administrators and our Board of Trustees to create a meaningful educational experience that empowers students to learn, grow, lead and serve. Seeing students grow and transform through their curricular and co-curricular experiences. Watching students apply their learning in ways that positively transform themselves, others and society.

What do you feel are Malones top three strengths in competing with other colleges in Stark County?

Christian faith integration is at the center of our mission and our educational experience. Our motto, Christs Kingdom First, is a true articulation of our purpose and aim. The Pendle Hill Pledge. As an institution, we are committed to helping students discover their purpose and provide vocational readiness through one-on-one mentoring, experiential learning, internship opportunities and career support services throughout their educational experiences. Holistic growth and development are core focuses. We seek to develop the whole person through our educational experience, so while students gain an outstanding education in the classroom, they are also experiencing intellectual, social and spiritual formation. It is this emphasis on holistic student development and transformation that has caused countless employers to seek Malone students and Malone alumni for employment.

Do you have a personal philosophy that guides you in the classroom or as an administrator?

Ora et labora  the motto of the Benedictine order. It means pray and work. The intersection of faith and work has been deeply meaningful in my own life, and I aim to allow that intersection to inform my approach to leading and serving at Malone.

One for fun: If you could be granted one superpower, what would it be and why?

Time travel. I would love to have an immersive experience in other eras.

Editor's note: Five questions with ... is a Sunday feature that showcases a member of the Stark County community. If you'd like to recommend someone to participate, send an email to newsroom@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Five questions with Christina Schnyders, Malone University provost
Meta's new Threads platform is going gangbusters, but that doesn't mean it will replace Twitter. AP Photo/Richard Drew

Twitters move on July 1, 2023, to limit the number of tweets users can see in a day was the latest in a series of decisions that has spurred millions of users to sign up with alternative microblogging platforms since Elon Musk acquired Twitter last year.

In addition to a surge in numbers on Mastodon, the acquisition and subsequent changes boosted small existing platforms like Hive Social and has spawned brand new upstarts like Spoutible and Spill.

Most recently the microblogging platform backed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Bluesky, saw a surge of sign-ups in the days following Twitters rate limit, and Meta launched its microblogging platform Threads on July 5. Threads claimed 30 million users on its first day. Even very different forms of social media such as TikTok are benefiting from what many see as Twitters imminent demise.

As an information scientist who studies online communities, this feels like something Ive seen before. Social media platforms tend not to last forever. Depending on your age and online habits, theres probably some platform that you miss, even if it still exists in some form. Think of MySpace, LiveJournal, Google+ and Vine.

When social media platforms fall, sometimes the online communities that made their homes there fade away, and sometimes they pack their bags and relocate to a new home. The turmoil at Twitter is causing many of the companys users to consider leaving the platform. Research on previous social media platform migrations shows what might lie ahead for Twitter users who fly the coop.

Several years ago, I led a research project with Brianna Dym, now at University of Maine, where we mapped the platform migrations of nearly 2,000 people over a period of almost two decades. The community we examined was transformative fandom, fans of literary and popular culture series and franchises who create art using those characters and settings.

We chose it because it is a large community that has thrived in a number of different online spaces. Some of the same people writing Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan fiction on Usenet in the 1990s were writing Harry Potter fan fiction on LiveJournal in the 2000s and Star Wars fan fiction on Tumblr in the 2010s.

By asking participants about their experiences moving across these platforms  why they left, why they joined and the challenges they faced in doing so  we gained insights into factors that might drive the success and failure of platforms, as well as what negative consequences are likely to occur for a community when it relocates.

You go first

Regardless of how many people ultimately decide to leave Twitter, and even how many people do so around the same time, creating a community on another platform is an uphill battle. These migrations are in large part driven by network effects, meaning that the value of a new platform depends on who else is there.

In the critical early stages of migration, people have to coordinate with each other to encourage contribution on the new platform, which is really hard to do. It essentially becomes, as one of our participants described it, a game of chicken where no one wants to leave until their friends leave, and no one wants to be first for fear of being left alone in a new place.

For this reason, the death of a platform  whether from a controversy, disliked change or competition  tends to be a slow, gradual process. One participant described Usenets decline as like watching a shopping mall slowly go out of business.

Itll never be the same

The current push from some corners to leave Twitter reminded me a bit of Tumblrs adult content ban in 2018, which reminded me of LiveJournals policy changes and new ownership in 2007. People who left LiveJournal in favor of other platforms like Tumblr described feeling unwelcome there. And though Musk did not walk into Twitter headquarters at the end of October and turn a virtual content moderation lever into the off position, there was an uptick in hate speech on the platform, as some users felt emboldened to violate the platforms content policies under an assumption that major policy changes were on the way.

What makes Twitter Twitter isnt the technology, its the particular configuration of interactions that takes place there. And there is essentially zero chance that Twitter, as it exists now, could be reconstituted on another platform. Any migration is likely to face many of the challenges previous platform migrations have faced: content loss, fragmented communities, broken social networks and shifted community norms.

But Twitter isnt one community, its a collection of many communities, each with its own norms and motivations. Some communities might be able to migrate more successfully than others. So maybe K-Pop Twitter could coordinate a move to Tumblr. Ive seen much of Academic Twitter coordinating a move to Mastodon. Other communities might already simultaneously exist on Discord servers and subreddits, and can just let participation on Twitter fade away as fewer people pay attention to it. But as our study implies, migrations always have a cost, and even for smaller communities, some people will get lost along the way.

The ties that bind

Our research also pointed to design recommendations for supporting migration and how one platform might take advantage of attrition from another platform. Cross-posting features can be important because many people hedge their bets. They might be unwilling to completely cut ties all at once, but they might dip their toes into a new platform by sharing the same content on both.

Ways to import networks from another platform also help to maintain communities. For example, there are multiple ways to find people you follow on Twitter on Mastodon. Even simple welcome messages, guides for newcomers and easy ways to find other migrants could make a difference in helping resettlement attempts stick.

In this sense, Threads has an advantage over other Twitter alternatives because users sign up via their Instagram accounts. This means Threads social graph  who follows who  is bootstrapped by links among Instagram accounts. Users may not be able to easily bring over their communities from Twitter, but they can instantly pull follows and followers from Instagram.

And through all of this, its important to remember that this is such a hard problem by design. Platforms have no incentive to help users leave. As longtime technology journalist Cory Doctorow recently wrote, this is a hostage situation. Social media lures people in with their friends, and then the threat of losing those social networks keeps people on the platforms.

But even if there is a price to pay for leaving a platform, communities can be incredibly resilient. Like the LiveJournal users in our study who found each other again on Tumblr, your fate is not tied to Twitters.

This is an updated version of an article originally published on Nov. 3, 2022.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Casey Fiesler, University of Colorado Boulder.

Read more:



Casey Fiesler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
New Mexican downwinders could be compensated for radiation exposure via bill in Congress

New Mexicans impacted by the first nuclear weapons test in American history could see relief payments from the federal government, after a bill was introduced by the states members of the U.S. House and Senate.

The legislation would expand a program to assist those suffering with medical problems believed tied to their exposure, chiefly from the Trinity Test Site in south-central New Mexico where the first atomic weapon was tested in 1945.

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez led legislation to amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include New Mexicos communities affected by the test. Those who allege long-term complications due to exposure are known as downwinders.

More: Air system at nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad makes progress as site nears capacity

As it presently stands, the RECA provides lump sum relief payments and medical coverage for former uranium miners in New Mexico and only for communities downwind of the Nevada Test Site where nuclear tests started in 1951.

The bill would identify New Mexicans near the Trinity Site as downwinders and increase payments to $150,000.

Last year, lawmakers were successful in extending the program by two years, to avoid its sunset in July 2022, giving them more time to expand the available money to New Mexicans from communities around the Trinity Site.

More: Nuclear waste terms agreed on by New Mexico and feds for WIPP facility near Carlsbad

Lujan said Trinity downwinders were unduly exposed to heavy doses of radiation after the test, leading to generations of cancers and other health problems.

He said the legislation sought justice for these communities.

Last years victory to extend RECA showed the bipartisan support behind this effort. Now its time to build on that momentum and continue our movement for justice and compensation for New Mexicos downwinders and uranium workers, Lujan said in a statement.

Through no fault of their own, these workers and nearby communities were exposed to radiation as part of our national defense effort, impacting generations to come without providing the same relief available to other communities included under RECA.

More: New Mexico leaders fear nuclear waste could endanger oil and gas in the Permian Basin

Under the RECA program, lump sum payments of $100,000 are made to uranium mine workers in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and both Dakotas.

Downwind counties, under the program are only identified in Arizona, Nevada and Utah and can receive $50,000 payments.

Onsite participants of nuclear test sites receive $75,000 payments.

More: Nuclear waste drum stranded at Carlsbad-area repository to be sent back to South Carolina

To be considered a downwinder a claimant must establish a physical presence in a downwinder area between January 1951 and October 1958 or between June 30, 1962, and July 31, 1962.

They must also prove a diagnosis of a disease tied to exposure.

These include leukemia, and cancers of several organs.

More: Air shaft 90% done at Carlsbad-area nuke waste facility amid concerns for site's expansion

Leger Fernandez said it was unfair that other downwinder communities were compensated by the federal government, but New Mexicans were ignored.

She said the bill would also extend RECA beyond its present July 2024 sunset date.

Imagine having radioactive waste fall down like dirty snow on your homes and communities causing cancer and disease. Then think about the despair when you learn that the U.S. government compensated other communities exposed to radiation during the nuclear testing program but not yours, Leger Fernandez said.

We must pass this bill and get people the compensation they deserve.

More: What we know about the federal government's ongoing nuclear waste plans in New Mexico

Cosponsor U.S. Rep. James Moyan (R-Guam) said all Americans affected by radiation exposure from federal activity should be compensated, and he urged Congress to pass the bill to do so.

Ensuring that those who have been affected by radiation exposure are properly compensated is of the utmost importance, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation and help ease the pains of those who have been exposed to toxic levels of radiation, Moyan said.

Tina Cordova, founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, a group of New Mexicans from communities near the Trinity Site, said her people will not receive justice until Congress amends RECA.

She said the language in the recent bills was similar to others introduced by Lujan and Leger Fernandez in 2021, but this time she worried they had less support from Republicans needed for the legislation to advance.

In addition to New Mexico, Cordova argued most of the states that would expand RECA's reparations are conservative, calling for GOP leaders in those states to support the bill.

"I hope that we'll get Republican support that we need. That's the hold up," Cordova said. "We're talking about mostly red states. No one should ever say it's too expensive. That is not an acceptable answer."

She said it was difficult to quantify the exact cost, both financially and emotional that generations of health problems have on downwinders, but that the payments would provide a small measure of solace for those suffering the effects of nuclear weapons development.

"It doesn't matter how much they give you, it will never bring a family member back or make up for lost time," Cordova said. "We will never accept that this is too expensive. We're hopeful. We're going to continue to push Congress. Everyone should view this as a nonpartisan issue. It's the right thing to do."

New Mexico took a disproportionate role in nuclear proliferation throughout history, Cordova said, with uranium mining in the northern part of the state, the Trinity Site and nuclear waste disposal occurring at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad and the URENCO Enrichment Facility near Eunice.

"We as a state have done more than our part," she said. "We've been asked to do much more than we should, and no one comes to look at the effects. It's incredibly egregious. Everyone in New Mexico should stand up and say 'Pass the RECA amendments.'"

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexican downwinders could be compensated for radiation exposure
Ukrainian Air Force

Already the primary staple of Ukrainian airpower, the country's MiG-29s have yet another role in Kyivs defense: precision standoff strike.

The War Zone can now confirm that some of Ukraines MiG-29 fleet has been modified to carry winged JDAM-ER GPS-guided glide bombs. A photo shows the winged smart bombs onboard Fulcrums on the ground, one commemorating Ukraine Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyis birthday.

https://twitter.com/KpsZSU/status/1677622805741879296

The message reads "Happy anniversary, Valerii Fedorovych! The best gift is dead Russians!" In late June, we first wrote about this possibility when a MiG-29 appeared bearing peculiar inboard weapons pylons.

However, the first airstrikes using the winged bombs reportedly began in early March. The above photos appear to show JDAMs attached on these inboard pylons. You can see the tapered triangular protrusions forward of the bomb's mounting point.

Ukrainian Air Force/via Twitter Ukrainian Air Force/via Twitter

The exact function of the forward protrusions of these unique pylons are unclear. But you can read about the possibilities in our previous report. Some Ukrainian MiG-29s and Su-27 Flankers were modified to carry AGM-88 HARM anti-radiaiton missiles last year, with both types flying frequent sorties in the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) role.

A pre-war Ukrainian MiG-29 with inert R-27R missiles on the inner underwing pylons. Oleg V. Belyakov/Wikimedia Commons

Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is not a bomb itself but a kit applied to an otherwise dumb conventional bomb of the U.S.-made Mark 80 series. The bombs use inertial and GPS guidance to hit their static targets, becoming true fire-and-forget weapons.

JDAM-ER gives these bombs not only precision guidance but also wings, making an otherwise dumb bomb a standoff weapon with a range of dozens of miles. You can read our full report on the unique capabilities JDAM and JDAM-ER provides Ukraine in this past feature.

A graphic showing JDAM kits fitted to unguided general-purpose bombs. From top to bottom: 2,000-pound Mk 84, 2,000-pound BLU-109 penetrator warhead, 1,000-pound Mk 83/BLU-110, 500-pound Mk 82/BLU-111. On the right is the guidance and control section, mounted in the tail of the bomb body. U.S. Air Force

A JDAM-ER in flight after bomb release. Royal Australian Air Force

However, the JDAM-ER should not be confused or put in the same standoff category as Ukraines Storm Shadow cruise missiles launched from Su-24 Fencers. Unlike the Storm Shadow with its onboard turbojet engine, JDAM-ER lacks any propulsion of its own, limiting its range to how far it can glide on its wings.

The latest addition to Ukrainian MiG-29s growing Western armaments is indeed further evidence that even if Kyiv must wait longer for Western fourth-generation fighters of its own, Ukraine, with the help of its Western supporters, isnt wasting any time making existing airframes more lethal.

Contact the author: stetson.payne@thewarzone.com
Henry Hoods home, which was damaged by a tornado earlier in the year, in Rolling Fork, Miss. on May 18, 2023. (Emily Kask/The New York Times)

ROLLING FORK, Miss.  Two years into their marriage, Talia and Malissa Williams were working diligently to lay the groundwork for the rest of their lives together. Both were taking online college classes that could lead to stable careers. They had taken tentative steps toward adopting a child.

The couple had talked about settling permanently in Rolling Fork, the tiny Mississippi Delta hometown that Malissa Williams had followed Talia back to a few years earlier. But the medical billing and coding jobs theyd been studying for werent likely to be found within an hours drive. Their older wooden house  essentially their least worst option in a town with a limited supply of rental housing  gave them nothing but problems.

Then came the tornado.

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The house, gone. Their possessions  cars, clothes, computers  eviscerated in winds that reached 170 mph as the storm, the deadliest to hit Mississippi in more than a decade, tore through on the night of March 24.

Gone, too, was any incentive for them to stay.

My heart is in Rolling Fork; it will always be there, Talia Williams, 42, said as she stood outside the motel room, a 45-minute drive away, that is serving as the couples temporary home. But now this has happened, we have an opportunity, she said.

As powerful storms raked across the Southeast on that night in March, Rolling Fork was shredded. Sixteen people were killed in the area. Dozens of families were forced into the same position as Talia and Malissa Williams: Their homes were mangled, their lives upended in an instant.

But just like Talia and Malissa Williams, many people in the community had already been navigating a slower-motion crisis for years, one that has swept the whole of the Mississippi Delta over decades of disinvestment and decline.

The devastation of this other disaster is manifest in the decaying homes and abandoned storefronts in the few areas of Rolling Fork left unscathed by the tornado, as well as in the citys neglected infrastructure, entrenched poverty, struggling schools and troubling health statistics. The population of about 1,700 has been shrinking steadily for as long as most residents can remember.

We were struggling to rebuild the town before the tornado, said Angela Hall Williams, a longtime resident. She ticked off some of the things that had disappeared from Rolling Fork long before the storm, including decent-paying jobs, thriving stores and any evidence of bustle.

The Delta  a pancake-flat expanse wedged between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers in the northwestern part of the state  has long been defined by a contradiction. It is known for having some of the most fertile soil in the world, sustaining cotton, soybean and corn crops that for generations have been distributed around the world. But the bounty has rarely been shared in any meaningful way with the African American families who make up much of the population in the impoverished, hollowed-out communities that speckle the region, like Rolling Fork.

You still see the vestiges of racial segregation, of economic segregation, said Rolando Herts, the director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University, in Cleveland, Mississippi. Were inheriting the decisions that were made years and years, decades and decades ago.

The most viable solution for many Delta residents has been to leave. That was the case during the Great Migration, the mass exodus from the South of African Americans fleeing racist oppression and poverty during the 20th century. The population drain continued as increased mechanization of farming reduced the need for farm laborers and other types of industry fled the region.

Annie Lee Reed, 69, spent most of her life in Rolling Fork, but she was relieved when her children left town. The distance was difficult, but the alternative was worse. If they stayed, she said, I knew they werent going to do nothing or make nothing.

There are those who believe the tornado was not a nudge to flee, but an opportunity for Rolling Fork. In the immediate aftermath, Mayor Eldridge Walker assured the community that the city would come back bigger and better than ever before.

His argument was that the storm had drawn attention  and the prospect of investment  to the town. If not for the tornado, President Joe Biden would never have flown in and promised the support of his administration. Good Morning America would never have broadcast live from Rolling Fork or solicited donations for the town from viewers.

As clear-eyed as Hall Williams was about what ailed Rolling Fork, she was among those who saw promise in the town. Its coming back, she said confidently.

Her home was severely damaged by the storm, leaving Hall Williams and her husband to stay in a motel outside of town. But she was sketching out plans to open a restaurant serving her favorites: macaroni and cheese, catfish, brisket. She would be an employer, someone helping Rolling Fork survive, giving others incentive and resources to stay put.

Im not giving up, Hall Williams said.

Henry Hood was far less sanguine. Two months after the tornado, the attention to the town had already faded. Assurances from elected officials were followed by a formal process for seeking government assistance that was so thick with bureaucratic and other hurdles that even the best of intentions were no match.

So far, he and Reed, his wife, had gotten $650 in federal emergency aid to fix a damaged car and $1,200 from a church to repair their house, which had been handed down from Reeds parents.

Its just going to be patched back up, little by little, Hood said of his home. Theres not going to be a remodeling and all that.

His prediction: The same would be true for Rolling Fork.

The community was daunted by a bleak catalog of destruction: City Hall, the post office, the police department, both laundromats, the Family Dollar store, the convenience store that also had a decent menu of hot food.

There were also things that, while not essential to a functioning community, held deep value as the landmarks of home. Domonique Smith, who grew up in Rolling Fork, noticed the loss of the pear tree in the yard of a woman known as Miss Louise, which had long been harvested by neighborhood children.

Smiths mothers house had seemingly vaporized, its contents spread across the neighborhood. She found a single photograph of her father, who died when she was so young that she had no memories of him. A neighbor found a photo of Smith in her cap and gown, from when she was the valedictorian of her class at South Delta High School.

Now 35, she lives in Jackson, the state capital, almost 90 minutes away. But she said she had always found comfort in knowing her mothers house, a safe haven, was there in Rolling Fork.

She returned to Rolling Fork on a recent Sunday because her family, at last, had something to celebrate. Her cousin, Jakiya Powell, had just graduated from high school, third in her class. The family gathered in another relatives front yard, boasting of Powells accomplishment with a banner hanging from the front of the house.

Almost a year ago, Powells mother had moved to Texas, but Powell stayed behind, living with relatives. She wanted a normal senior year with her friends, something different from her school experience during the pandemic. The tornado hit the town just before her prom.

She was preparing to follow her mother and cousin out of Rolling Fork, starting at the University of Mississippi in the fall.

There was a little taste of something before the tornado, Powell, 18, said of her hometown. Aint nothing now.

A shadow Rolling Fork has sprouted in the collection of motels on Route 82 in Greenville, about 40 miles away, where the Red Cross is still distributing three meals a day and a shuttle bus totes residents back to town to clean up their property or just to be close to whatever is left of home.

Talia and Malissa Williams have mostly stuck to their room on the first floor of the Days Inn, which they share with Pee Wee, an ancient yet remarkably spry Chihuahua, and Bailey, a much younger pit bull.

They are waiting for government aid and possible temporary housing  a runway allowing them to save money and plot a future far from Rolling Fork. Talia Williams still works as a home caregiver.

Its basically God, Malissa Williams, 43, said. Wherever his direction is leading us, thats where were going.

Maybe it will be Tupelo, a city of 37,000 outside the Delta. Memphis, three hours north, could be an option, or somewhere in Texas, where Malissa Williams brother lives.

In the quiet moments, an odd thought keeps surfacing. It is uncomfortable to articulate, given the heartache that surrounds the couple and all the disruption to their own lives. But that does not make it any less true.

To me, its beautiful, Malissa Williams said. I dont know what else to say about it.

There was the Nissan sedan parked outside their motel room, which they called their blessing. There were generous strangers, like the woman Malissa Williams had met shopping at the Goodwill store in Greenville. The woman handed Malissa $60, then pulled it back and said God had commanded her to offer a $100 bill instead.

Malissa Williams even found gratitude for the storm that had destroyed her home. It was the shove she and her wife needed, sending them toward the possibility of something better, somewhere else.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
More than a year after Ukraine reclaimed control of a Kyiv suburb, its residents are still identifying bodies

More than a year after Ukraine reclaimed control of a Kyiv suburb, its residents are still identifying bodies

Russia took control of Bucha, a Kyiv suburb, in a brutal campaign at the beginning of the war.

Ukraine fought back and reclaimed the town, which is trying to rebuild.

More than a year later, Bucha's residents are still trying to identify the bodies of civilians killed there.

It's been 501 days since Russia first invaded Ukraine. And it wasn't long after that Russian forces reached the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.

The Russians found staunch resistance around the capital and were ultimately pushed back, but not before exacting a brutal campaign on surrounding Ukrainian towns.

More than a year after the Russians were driven out of Bucha, a Kyiv suburb, residents there are still healing.

And they are still identifying the bodies of civilians killed.

Today, tidy homes decorate Bucha's streets, The New York Times reported. Children splash and play in a town fountain. Schools and a church have been rebuilt, and life is slowly returning to something that resembles normal.

Only a little more than a year ago, it was a different scene there. Mutilated bodies lay strewn on the street after a Russian sniper stationed atop a local school cut them down, The New York Times previously reported. Survivors found parents shot dead next to their children, and bodies that had been raped, tortured, and held captive in basements.

A memorial for those killed during the invasion lists 501 names, though officials note it remains incomplete. Officials are still working to identify the remains of some 80 people, according to the Times.

Vadym Yevdokymenko, 21, is still trying to determine if the remains of a burned corpse found in a garage belonged to his father.

"I wish it had ended," Yevdokymenko told the Times. "This case is not closed; it's complicated."

While many families fled before the Russians arrive, not everyone made it out. Nazar Havryliuk, 17, told the Times that his father and uncle were amongst those who chose to stay. They were found slain in their yard, along with the family's two dogs.

"They were not able to defeat our army so they killed ordinary people," he told the Times.

The Times documented nearly three dozen people who were either shot dead in their homes or set ablaze in a parking lot. Reporters for the outlet also found more than 100 body bags at a communal grave. Now there is a makeshift memorial where people come to pay their respects.

"We don't ask these people to come here," Andriy Halavin, a priest in Bucha, told the Times. "But since they do come, we share with them our experience and pain."

Read the original article on Business Insider
SC man killed when motorcycle crashed into tree is identified by coroner

A Midlands man was killed Saturday evening when a motorcycle crashed into a tree, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Austin William Russell Outlaw, a 27-year-old Camden resident, died at the scene Kershaw County Coroner David West said Sunday.

The single-vehicle collision happened at about 6 p.m. in Kershaw County, said Master Trooper Brandon Bolt of the Highway Patrol.

Outlaw was driving a 2018 Harley-Davidson south on Providence Road, and near the 2700 block the motorcycle ran off the right side and hit a tree, officials said. Thats in the Cassat area, about five miles from North Central High School.

Outlaw was the only person on the motorcycle, and no other injuries were reported.

Outlaw was not wearing a helmet, West said.

Information about what caused the motorcycle to veer off the road was not available, but the crash continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through July 4, at least 489 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2023, and 54 involved a motorcycle, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,091 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least six people have died in Kershaw County crashes in 2023, according to DPS data. Last year, 17 deaths were reported in the county, DPS reported.
How much should you tip on a $20 food delivery? A DoorDasher went viral for saying a $5 isn't enough. We asked 10 drivers.

Delivery drivers from DoorDash and other services in New York City told Insider they'd gladly take a $5 tip on a $20 order these days. Alexi Rosenfeld / Contributor/Getty Images

DoorDash recently fired a driver after he cursed at a woman for tipping $5 on a $20 order.

The incident falls into a larger debate that's been brewing about tipping culture in the US.

So how much should you tip, anyway? Insider asked 10 food delivery couriers in New York City.

A national debate around tipping etiquette appears to be raging, leading to one big question: How much should you tip, anyway?

It comes as more businesses are asking customers to tip at cash registers and even at self-checkout stations. Some restaurants like Denver's Casa Bonita, owned by the creators of South Park  are doing away with tips altogether.



And then there are tips for food delivery. The disconnect between what delivery drivers expect and what customers are tipping has led to confrontations: DoorDash fired one of its drivers after he cursed at a woman for tipping $5 on a $20 order.

At the time, DoorDash said that it's OK for a driver to "respectfully" ask for a tip  but that abusing a customer isn't OK. "Our rules exist to help ensure everyone who uses our platform  Dashers, customers, merchants  have a safe and enjoyable experience," a spokesperson previously told Insider.

But what's "enjoyable" for a customer could be at odds with what's enjoyable for a driver. So we set out to ask 10 delivery people across New York City: What do they think is a reasonable tip?

We used DoorDash to order a breakfast sandwich and an iced coffee from Starbucks. The total came to $14.65 with tax and service fees. We tipped $2.50  or 17%  then asked the driver what he thought. "Good," he said, because it was a "small order." He said people should tip based on the size of the order. In other words, if you're ordering dinner for 10  with all those accompanying boxes and bags  then you should tip more, he said.

For context, this Starbucks was about 400 feet from our office in downtown Manhattan  or a two-minute walk, according to Google Maps.

We placed a second Starbucks order for an egg wrap and an iced matcha drink. The total came to $17.43. We added a $2.50 tip  a little more than 14%. This time, the driver was disappointed. He said he would have liked to have seen a $5 or even $6 tip. That'd be 30% to 34% of the total.

For their part, DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub didn't respond to requests for comment on what customers should tip. In a blog post from 2019, Grubhub suggested customers tip 20%  and consider adding more if it's an extra-big order, or if there's bad weather.

Alberto Mendes, a driver who's been delivering for Grubhub and DoorDash for the past seven years, told Insider: "When you order delivery, it's a commodity. You're not going out, it comes to you. I'm the one that goes through 90-degree weather, going up and down a walk-up, signing into a building  all of that is time for me."

The general consensus among the 10 delivery workers Insider talked to was that a reasonable tip falls somewhere between 15% to 20% of the total bill  and that percentage should be calculated on the grand total that includes taxes and fees, they contended.

"It depends on how big your order is  good tips are at least 15%," said a DoorDasher who declined to share his name.

That means the woman who tipped $5 on her $20 DoorDash order  which is a 25% gratuity  actually gave quite a good tip, drivers said.

"A $5 tip on a $20 order? That's not bad at all. I mean nowadays, a $5 tip is good," said Olam, a delivery worker for both Instacart and Grubhub who didn't want to give his last name.

Still, the "vibecession" that's set in across the country  exacerbated by rising prices and concerns about a looming recession  means customers are ordering  and thereby tipping  less than they were in the freewheeling days of the pandemic. As a result, delivery drivers said they've shifted their expectations around what constitutes a good tip.

"In Covid, you might get $10 on the same order" for which a customer might tip $5 today, Olam said.

The biggest tips he's gotten recently? "I would say $20, on a $60 or $70 order," Mendes said, chuckling. That's around 28% to 33%. "But before, I used to get $80 on a $60 order," he said, recalling a 133% tip from during the height of the pandemic. "You have to understand Covid was a different story because you were risking your life pretty much," he said.

These day's, it's the meager tips that stick in the mind of some delivery workers: One Grubhub driver who declined to give his name said he got a $5 tip on a $1,000 delivery a few months ago. "It was so heavy," he said of all the bags.

Still, even that beats receiving nothing.

"Sometimes it can be a $100 order and you'll get zero," said Juan, a delivery worker who didn't want to give his last name who said he's been working with Grubhub for seven years. "Every 10 orders, two will give you nothing."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Murder suspect arrested in multi-state manhunt is now on the run again after escape from Pennsylvania jail

A murder suspect who was arrested after a multi-state manhunt is now on the run again after escaping from a Pennsylvania jail on Thursday.

Michael Burham is accused of shooting Kala Hodgkin of Jamestown, New York, on 11 May before going on the run.

This led to a days-long manhunt that stretched from the western part of the state near Buffalo all the way to South Carolina.

During his time fleeing authorities, he embarked on a further crime spree including alleged arson and the kidnapping of an elderly couple at gunpoint at their home in Pennsylvania.

Taking their car he drove them to South Carolina before releasing them unharmed, Fox News reports.

They were reported missing on 20 May by Pennsylvania police and were found by South Carolina Highway Patrol on 21 May in North Charleston.

Mr Burham was eventually arrested on 22 May. Authorities found a note to his father in the car he had stolen.

According to court filings, the note in part says: Im not sorry for what I did, however, I do feel terrible about the children.

He also claimed to have quit drinking the day before he shot Ms Hodgkin and apologised for all the problems he had caused his family.

Before the murder of Ms Hodgkin, Mr Burham was already wanted on charges of sexual assault against her.

He was also allegedly seen on the day of the murder on his ex-girlfriends Ring doorbell camera as he tried to break into her house before setting fire to her car.

Mr Burham was being held while awaiting extradition to New York to face the murder charge when he escaped from the Warren County Pennsylvania Jail.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) blasted predecessor Chris Christie (R) for halting the Gateway tunnel project between New York and New Jersey.

Murphy told NBCs Chuck Todd on Meet the Press Sunday that the biggest policy mistake of the past 50 years in New Jersey was Christies decision to cancel the construction of a new tunnel between New York City and New Jersey in 2010. Murphy said that if the construction was not halted, the new tunnels would have been completed five years ago.

The tunnels that exist were built in 1910, Murphy said. Theyve been damaged severely over the years. This is two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River. Its a game changer for New Jersey commuters but tragically the  the project that was cancelled by my predecessor would have been opened five years ago. So, were going to get it but its sadly later than it should have been.

Murphy also noted that the construction of the tunnel costs more now than it did when Christie was in office. At the time, Christies administration said it cancelled the Access to the Regions Core project, which would have built two new tunnels, due to rising costs to the state.

Oh, it definitely costs more money, Murphy said. But we have no choice. This is 20 percent of the American economy rides in these rails, and thousands of commuters from New Jersey go into New York every day. We have no choice.

The Biden administration announced last week that it advanced the Gateway Hudson River Tunnel project to the next step in the Federal Transit Administrations Capital Investment Grants program. The next phase is the next part necessary to unlocking the nearly $7 billion in funding for this project to construct a new tunnel under the Hudson River to serve commuters between New Jersey and New York.

For a long time now, the Gateway project has been my passion. Its a labor of love. And after many false starts and obstacles placed in our way, Gateway is full speed ahead with $6.88 billion ready to go and be used for critical work and construction, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) said in a statement last week. Gateways future is assured and the most important public works project in America is all systems go.

A spokesperson for Chris Christie told The Hill, Given that state spending has exploded by more than 57% under Governor Murphy, its no surprise to hear he doesnt care about protecting New Jersey taxpayers.

The spokesperson pointed to a taped interview Christie did with Larry Kudlow at WABC in 2015, in which the former governor said, The reason I killed the ARC tunnel was the federal government was contributing to it, the state of New Jersey was contributing to it and the state or city of New York was contributing nothing. And New Jersey was going to be responsible for every nickel of cost overruns, which at that time was estimated to be three to five billion dollars.

Christie continued, Quite frankly, I said to Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg and Governor [David] Paterson at the time, I said, Listen, guys, if you want this tunnel as badly as I do, then pony up some money. But they got a great deal from Jon Corzine, who negotiatedthat master negotiatoryou know, he said New Jersey will take on all the burden. Well, I am not going to put that on the tax payers of New Jersey, nor should anybody expect us to, because New York benefits from this as well.

According to the Biden administration, the tunnel carries 200,000 passenger trips per day on the New Jersey Transit lines as well as Amtrak.

Updated at 8:25 pm.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
New museum in Alabama tells history of last known slave ship to US and its survivors

FILE - Traffic passes a mural along Africatown Boulevard in Mobile, Ala., May 30, 2019. A museum that opened in Mobile on Saturday, July 8, 2023, tells the story of the Clotilda, the last ship known to have brought enslaved people from Africa to the United States. (AP Photo/Kevin McGill, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

MOBILE, Ala. (AP)  A museum that tells the history of the Clotilda  the last ship known to transport Africans to the American South for enslavement  opened Saturday, exactly 163 years after the vessel arrived in Alabama's Mobile Bay.

Ceremonies dedicating the $1.3 million Africatown Heritage House and Clotilda: The Exhibition took place Friday and Saturday in Mobile. The exhibit tells about the ship, its survivors and how they founded Africatown community in Mobile after they were freed from five years of slavery following the Civil War.

The Clotilda departed Alabama in 1860, more than 50 years after Congress outlawed the importation of additional enslaved people, on a clandestine trip funded by Timothy Meaher, whose descendants still own millions of dollars worth of land around Mobile.

The Clotilda illegally transported 110 captive people from what is now the west African nation of Benin to Alabama. The captain, William Foster, transferred women, men and children off the Clotilda once it arrived in Mobile and set fire to the ship to hide evidence of the journey. Most of Clotilda didnt burn, and much of the ship is still in the Mobile River, which empties into Mobile Bay.

Remnants of the Clotilda were discovered in 2019, and Meaher's descendants released a statement last year calling his actions 160 years ago evil and unforgivable.

The museum includes a brief history of the transatlantic slave trade and highlights the survivors of the 45-day journey from Africa, AL.com reported. It tells the story of its most famous passenger, Oluale Kossola, better known as Cudjoe Lewis. His interviews in the 1920s provided information about the Clotilda and its passengers to historians and scholars.

Other ship survivors are highlighted, including Matlida McCrear, who died in 1940 in Selma, Alabama, and was the Clotildas last known survivor. McCrear was separated from her mother at a young age and tried to escape from a slaveholder when she was 3 years old. McCrear and her sister fled into a swamp, hiding there for hours until dogs sniffed them out, according to a display in the museum.

I think those who visit will really learn a lot about this particular story, said Jeremy Ellis, president of the Clotilda Descendants Association and a sixth-generation descendant of Pollee and Rose Allen, who were enslaved and on the Clotilda. It tells the story of west African culture, what the 110 experienced at the Middle Passage and the first five years of slavery and what they overcame in 1865 in the founding of Africatown.
Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis

The inaugural NAFO (North Atlantic Fella Organization) Summit took place in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, on July 8, attracting a virtual community that employs humor to counter Russian disinformation and raise funds in support of Ukraine.

The event offered online ticket purchases and was inaugurated by Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The summit featured various speakers, concluding the first day with a rehearsal of a beach party in Crimea.

Welcome, NAFO fellas, to the inaugural NAFO Summit in Vilnius, a historic gathering, proclaimed Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who joined the event via video call.

NAFO is a living example of how humor, intellect, and enthusiasm can disarm Russian disinformation. Behind each fella stands a real person who believes in Ukraines victory. Thank you for your service.

NAFO is a virtual community and internet meme aimed at countering Russian propaganda and disinformation during Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The community, which emerged in May 2022, refers to its members as fellas and uses images of the distinctive Shiba Inu dog breed as avatars on Twitter.

Prominent world leaders and politicians actively engage in this informal movement. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov also used a NAFO avatar. During the NAFO Summit, an auction was held, offering his portrait with a value of 1000 euros, and the proceeds are promised to be donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Furthermore, NAFO sells its merchandise and collects donations for Ukraine. In March, the community received recognition for its support from the fundraising platform United24 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The NATO Summit, eagerly awaited by Ukraine for a clear signal regarding its membership and political decisions, will take place in Vilnius on July 11-12.

Read also:

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
On Wednesday, July 12, Nassau County Sheriffs Office is hosting a hiring event for those who are interested in working for them.

The event is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

There is an opening in all departments. They are more specifically looking for detention deputies.

For more information on how you can apply, please contact our HR Department at 904-548-4012.

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Read: Jacksonville Sheriffs Office responded to a person shot in the groin in Hogans Creek area

Read: St. Johns County temporarily closes vehicle beach access ramps for FEMA dune enhancement project

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WASHINGTON  In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.

FCC Informational Webinar on Affordable Connectivity (ACP) Outreach Grant Program Available Online

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) hosted an informational webinar on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, on the Affordable Connectivity (ACP) Outreach Grant Program, Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Round 2.

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The ACP Outreach Grant Program seeks to enlist trusted community messengers to develop innovative outreach strategies to reach qualifying, low-income households living on Tribal lands, to increase awareness of and encourage participation in the ACP.

The Tribal webinar provided a detailed overview of the second NOFO (Round 2) that includes the National Competitive Outreach Program (NCOP) and the Tribal Competitive Outreach Program (TCOP), including eligibility, how to navigate the application process, and what to expect after submitting an application.

TCOP eligibility will be limited to Tribal governmental and non-governmental entities that will conduct ACP outreach and enrollment assistance to eligible households on qualifying Tribal Lands:

Tribal governments and subdivisions thereof;

Tribal designated housing entities;

Tribal designated community-based organizations to include social service organizations;

Tribal designated community anchor institutions;

Tribal designated public service organizations; and

Consortia of the entities listed above.

The TCOP grant application deadline is July 28, 2023, 6:00 p.m. EST.

If you were unable to attend the webinar, you may access both the full recording and other pertinent information at the event page here: https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/events/2023/06/acp-outreach-tribal-webinar

$8 Million Available to Promote Native American Languages

The Department of Education announced more than $8 million in grant funding across three key initiatives to Raise the Bar for Native students.

The funding includes three competitive programs to increase to Native American languages in schools, support the success of Native American teachers, and ensure Tribal Educational Agencies can coordinate grant resources alongside state and local partners.

Approximately $2.9 million in funding will support a new Native American Language Resource Centers (NALRC) Program.

The NALRC Program furthers policies set forth by the Native American Language Act and ensures the revitalization and reclamation of Native American languages.

Three Tribal Nations to Modernize America's Electric Grid

As part of President Bidens Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced seven states, three tribal nations and the District of Columbia were selected as the second cohort to receive more than $77 million in Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants.

Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grants will help modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters while also ensuring power sector reliability. This historic funding is helping deliver on the Presidents goal of ensuring all communities have access to affordable, reliable, 100% clean electricity.

Three tribal nations were selected to participate in this grant cycle:

The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana will use funding to develop distributed energy resources that provide grid resilience during disruptive events and allow the Tribal community to capture energy savings, generate revenue for reinvestment into the community, and control its energy future. Selected projects will strengthen the community through partnerships with training providers and strong labor standards and protections. (Amount: $711,000)

The Mohegan Tribe will work to ensure that critical community facilities and the operation of essential programs and services are protected from disruptive events and extreme weather. Selected projects will address outdated and failing monitoring and control technology infrastructure and build the Tribal workforce by ensuring that any new resilience measures can be operated and maintained by Tribal members and tribal employees. (Amount: $317,000)

The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians will fund activities that increase resilience to the devastating effects of wildfires and support electric production during planned and unplanned regional power outages. Selected projects will also increase the tribes skilled workforce that implements activities to increase resilience against the wildfires. Projects will also advance the economic vitality of the tribe through creating and sustaining good-paying jobs. (Amount: $266,000)

About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
A small group of NATO states are holding "frantic last-minute talks" to finalise a declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania on 11-12 July.

Source: This was reported by Politico, referencing four officials familiar with the negotiations, writes European Pravda

Details: The United States, Britain, France and Germany have been discussing this issue with Kyiv for several weeks, the US outlet writes. They also appealed to other NATO, EU and G7 allies.

The idea is to create an "umbrella" for countries that are willing to provide Ukraine with constant military assistance, even if the details differ by each state.

The effort is part of broader talks at NATO and among several groups of countries about how Western allies should demonstrate long-term support for Ukraine.

Consequently, the largest Allies are working to determine what interim security commitments can be provided to Ukraine at this time.

However, this view is not universal: countries on NATO's eastern flank are pushing for Ukraine to have a faster path to NATO membership, even as fighting continues.

The aim of the Western countries, according to officials in Berlin, Paris, London, and Brussels who all spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the delicate nature of the conversations, is to reveal their umbrella framework around NATO's annual meeting.

"A discussion is underway; its quite advanced, in fact its very advanced, and were very hopeful that it can be concluded by the end of the summit," a French official told reporters at a briefing.

Senior NATO officials agreed, telling reporters in a separate briefing that there are currently "frantic last-minute negotiations" taking place "on what this should look like."

Another NATO source with knowledge of the preparations has said that U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday in London, where their Staffs would confer to try and smooth out last-minute issues.

The initiative may eventually come down to promises to continue providing much of the assistance the Allies already provide: weapons, equipment, training, funding and intelligence.

But the intention is to offer a "more permanent signal of unity" for Ukraine, especially given that Kyiv is unlikely to get the firm NATO membership promise it wants at the summit.

"It is basically a guarantee towards Ukraine that we will, for a very long time to come, we will equip their armed forces, we will finance them, we will advise them, we will train them in order for them to have a deterrent force against any future aggression," said a senior NATO diplomat.

However, many of the details of this support would be saved for later. The envoy added it would be up to each interested nation to individually decide "what their commitment would be" with Ukraine. And it could be anything, including air defence, tanks, or anything else.

Last week, Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, issued an "appeal to all countries that want to support Ukraine," urging them to "make decisions for themselves that enable them to continue to keep up that support for one, two, three, and, if need to be, more years, because we do not know how long the military conflict will last."

Apart from the declaration on security guarantees that Western powers are finalising, NATO is also developing new ways to help the Ukrainian military for years to come.

NATO will decide at the meeting how to support Ukraine's defence modernization, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Friday. According to him, the strategy entails "a multi-year program of assistance to ensure full interoperability between the Ukrainian armed forces and NATO."

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Nine injured in Cleveland mass shooting as suspect opens fire on group before going on the run

Nine people were injured during a mass shooting in Cleveland on Sunday morning, police said.

No deaths have been reported, according to Cleveland 19.

Preliminary information indicates that a suspect opened fire toward a group of people and then fled the scene, Jennifer Ciaccia, a spokesperson for the Cleveland Police Department, said in a statement.

Multiple shots were reported shortly before 2.30am near downtown Cleveland. When police arrived they found multiple people shot and began administering medical aid.

The victims are seven men and two women, were ages 23 through 38, according to Fox8.

Investigators are in the process of reviewing evidence and video, as well as interviewing victims at MetroHealth Medical Center," Ms Ciaccia said.

Police have not arrested a suspect.

Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond said the suspect was believed to be a Black male, possibly wearing a gold grill on his teeth.

Bobby George, the owner of several downtown businesses, is offering $50,000 in reward money for anyone with information that leads to the arrest of the suspect.

Congresswoman Shontel Brown of Ohio offered a statement following the shooting:

I am horrified by the shooting last night in Cleveland. My office is in contact with local authorities and is monitoring the situation. Im deeply thankful to the officers and first responders at the scene.

Gun violence is devastating Northeast Ohio and Clevelanders deserve to be safe. This epidemic is tearing at the fabric of our communities, and it will not end without significant legislative action.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law last year, shows that Congress can take action - if we keep listening to our constituents, not the gun lobby. This legislation strengthened background checks, provided funding for enforcing red flag laws and disarming domestic abusers, support for community violence intervention, school safety funding and more.

Now there is more work to do, including establishing truly universal background checks, banning assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, closing more loopholes related to illegal gun purchases, cracking down on gun trafficking, and more.

As a woman of faith, on this Sunday, I pray for the victims and their families. As a legislator, I will redouble my efforts to fight gun violence. This shooting and so many others like it across the country is a call to action and its time for Speaker McCarthy and extremist politicians to listen to the American people and bring gun safety legislation to the floor for a vote.
New York City is known for its vibrant art scene. There are countless galleries that showcase a wide range of artistic perspectives  including some standout spaces owned or curated by Black women.



To make sure you know exactly what Black Woman-owned and -curated galleries to check out while in the Big Apple, 21Ninety has rounded up several spaces that you should visit.

Pace Gallery

The Pace Gallery is curated by art critic and author Kimberly Drew. Drew previously worked as social media manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York,

The gallery is featuring summer exhibitions by artists Lee Kun-Yong, Song Dong, and Tony Smith that will open on July 14.

Nicola Vassell Gallery

This contemporary art gallery describes itself as being committed to discourse that widens the lens of the history and future of art. Its focus is on developing an inter-generational, cross-disciplinary program of international artists and thinkers.



The gallery is owned by art dealer and curator Nicola Vassell. Before opening her own gallery, Vassell previously held directorial posts at Pace and Deitch galleries.

David Zwirner

Ebony L. Haynes joined David Zwirner gallery in 2020 as a director  working specifically with its 52 Walker gallery in Lower Manhattan.

Upcoming exhibitions at the gallery include work from Heji Shin, Toba Khedoori, and Wolfgang Tillmans.



The gallery also features the 52 Walker Library, which features circulating books that can be checked out for 4 weeks at a time. It allows access to non-circulating reference books that can be used on-site.

Jenkins Johnson Gallery

The Jenkins Johnson Gallery is a contemporary art gallery owned and directed by Karen Jenkins-Johnson. The gallery was founded in 1996.



In its Brooklyn location, the gallery is currently showing the Cylcial Blooms exhibition. The exhibition features artists like Patrick Alston, Kevin Cole, Lisa Corinne Davis, Scott Fraser, Aida Muluneh, Wycliffe Mundopa, Blessing Ngobeni, Enrico Riley, and Philemona Williamson.

The post NYC Galleries Curated by Black Women You Should Visit appeared first on 21Ninety.
NYC scooter shooter charged with murder in horrifying cross-borough spree worked as deliveryman, seemed normal

To his roommate and neighbors, 25-year-old Brooklyn man Thomas Abreu was the ideal acquaintance  quiet, unaggressive and normal.

Then on Saturday he hopped on his moped, drove two blocks away from his home and allegedly initiated a half-hour of horror that spanned two boroughs, left three wounded and claimed the life of 87-year-old Queens man Hamod Ali Saeidi.

I never thought he would do something like that, Rueben Vargas, Abreus 55-year-old roommate, told the Daily News on Sunday. He seemed like a good boy.

Abreu, 25, was slapped with murder and attempted murder charges at the 107th Precinct stationhouse in Pomonok, Queens, police said Sunday.

Neighbors and Vargas knew Abreu as Brian and said he could be spotted smoking weed every night outside the Elton St. duplex where they lived, according to upstairs neighbor Manuelissa Genao Lora.

He seemed normal, Lora, 20, said through a translator.

Abreu worked as a delivery driver, according to Vargas.

Police nabbed Abreu on Sutphin Blvd. near 94th Ave. around 1 p.m. Saturday, shortly after he ditched the moped that carried him from shooting to shooting during the spree that began in Brooklyn and ended in Queens, cops said.

Abreus violent rampage started at 11:10 a.m. when he allegedly shot a 21-year-old man in the shoulder from his scooter on Arlington Ave. and Ashford St.  two blocks away from the Elton St. duplex he shared with Vargas in Cypress Hills  according to police.

Surveillance footage obtained by the Daily News shows the victim crossing the street when the moped-riding gunman zips past him and appears to open fire, sending him sprawling to the ground in the crosswalk.

The gunman next surfaced on Jamaica Ave., where he shot 87-year-old Hamod Ali Saeidi in the back during one of his daily walks near 109th St. in Richmond Hill at 11:27 a.m., according to law enforcement.

Another security feed obtained by The News shows Saeidi stumbling in confused agony as blood leaks from wounds to his chest and back, before he collapses to the pavement.

Medics rushed Saeidi to Jamaica Hospital, but he could not be saved, cops said.

After gunning down Saedi, Abreu allegedly opened fire on a group standing a block away on 108th St., but his bullets failed to hit their marks and he sped away, according to police.

The shooter next targeted a 44-year-old man on Hillside Ave. and 126th St. at 11:35 a.m., striking him in the cheek, police said. The man was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition.

The scooter rider shot his final victim, a 63-year-old man, on Jamaica Ave. and 134th St. at 11:37 a.m., striking that victim in the shoulder.

Paramedics took him to Jamaica Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

A worker at a nail salon near the scene of that shooting said she saw a pedestrian wounded in the gun violence.

The guy was waiting for the light to cross the street and someone came and shot him three times, said the worker, Gabriela Tipan.

Police said they found four 9-mm. shell casings at the scene near 134th St.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said in an interview that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has made some very large, critical errors as the governor contends for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

During an appearance on MSNBCs Inside with Jen Psaki, host Jen Psaki asked Ocasio-Cortez if she thinks former President Trump will be the easiest Republican candidate for President Biden to go up against in 2024.

Yes. I think theres something to be said about that. The dynamics of these races change from day to day, Ocasio-Cortez told Psaki. I think that Governor DeSantis has made some very large, critical errors.

Ocasio-Cortez explained that DeSantis, who has been Floridas governor since 2019, is trying to outdo fellow candidate Trump, noting his recent attacks and legislation targeting his states school system and LGBTQ community.

Well, you cant out-Trump Trump, right? And thats what hes really been trying to do. His attacks on teachers, on schools, on LGBT Americans I think go way too far in the State of Florida, the lawmaker said. And I think that they are a profound political miscalculation and an overcompensation.

Ocasio-Cortez added that she thinks DeSantis sacrificed showcasing himself to be the rational candidate compared to Trump in an effort to win votes from Trumps base.

He may be trying to win a base, but that base belongs to Donald Trump, she added. And he has sacrificed, I think, the one thing that others may have thought would make him competitive, which is this idea that he would somehow be more rational than Donald Trump, which he isnt.

Ocasio-Cortezs remarks come as questions surround DeSantiss presidential campaign strategy nearly a month after he launched his 2024 presidential bid. DeSantis launched his presidential campaign in a Twitter Spaces live forum with Elon Musk last month.

Even after the anticipation of his campaign launch, DeSantis still continues to trail Trump in national polls, as results from Real Clear Politicss average of polls show 52.4 percent of respondents support Trump, while 21.5 percent cast their support for DeSantis.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Aleksandr Bogomaz, Bryansk Oblast Governor, has said that two Ukrainian missiles have been shot down in the oblast, and a sawmill has been destroyed in the village of Bitosh.

Source: Aleksandr Bogomaz on Telegram; Baza; ASTRA

Quote from Bogomaz: "Today the anti-aircraft forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation shot down two missiles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A sawmill was destroyed in the village of Bitosh after fragments of one of the missiles crashed there.

There were no casualties. Emergency services have been deployed to the site."

Details: The governor has not shared any photos or videos of the attack.

Meanwhile, the Baza Telegram channel posted several photos and claimed that an unmanned aerial vehicle attacked the sawmill in Bryansk Oblast. "According to early reports, the drone crashed into the roof of a building in the village of Dyatkovo and exploded," Baza wrote.

ASTRA reported, citing local social media accounts, that the explosion occurred at the sawmill in the village of Bitosh. "Local residents say there were several explosions," ASTRA wrote.

Previously: The Russian-appointed puppet leader of occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said on 9 July that Russian air defence forces had shot down a cruise missile near Kerch.

Later the governor of Russias Rostov Oblast also said that an air defence system was allegedly activated in Rostov Oblast, and some buildings were damaged.

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State Rep. Bob Young, R-Green

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens is asking state Rep. Bob Young to resign amid multiple criminal charges, including domestic violence, that allegedly occurred at Young's residence following a GOP fundraiser last week.

Stephens said he attended the fundraiser and an invitation-only after-party at Young's house but left before the alleged criminal activity occurred.

Authorities issued a warrant for Young's arrest Friday. Barberton Judge Todd McKinney dismissed the warrant Saturday when Young appeared with his attorney in court for an arraignment on two misdemeanor counts of first-degree domestic violence and a fourth-degree felony charge of disrupting public service. The 42-year-old lawmaker secured his release with $520, or 10% of the $5,000 bond plus fees.

In a criminal affidavit released to the Beacon Journal on Monday, investigators with the sheriff's office allege that Young struck a female relative with an open hand at his house and, at another residence, rammed a male family member who "did sustain cuts from broken glass."

Robert F Young Charges by dhlivingston on Scribd

Young's lawyer, John Greven, said there will be no comment at this time.

"This is going to be decided in court, not in the newspapers," Greven said when reached by phone Monday.

The allegations of domestic violence, according to the affidavit and an official familiar with the case, occurred at separate locations.

The alleged face slap occurred about 1 a.m. Friday at Young's residence on Greensburg Road. When a woman tried calling the police, investigators allege that Young committed a felony of disrupting public service by throwing the cellphone into the swimming pool behind his house.

The second incident occurred around 9 a.m. at an undisclosed residence belonging to another family member, according to the official. At this location, the criminal affidavit says Young caused "physical harm" to the male relative "by lowering his shoulder and charging at him."

A Summit County grand jury will determine whether to indict the two-term state representative on the felony disrupting public service charge. If indicted, the misdemeanor domestic violence charges could be heard with the felony case at the Summit County courthouse. If the grand jury decides not to indict on the felony charge, the misdemeanors could return to the municipal court in Barberton.

A felony conviction would prevent Young from serving as a state representative.

The Summit County Sheriff's Office initially denied a request Monday to release records, including notes from responding officers, witness statements and body-worn camera footage. The sheriff later agreed to release the records by the end of the day Monday, including a police report that the sheriff's office said was not yet completed.

Those records were not released by the time this story went to print.

A Beacon Journal reporter was unsuccessful in contacting the two alleged victims Monday morning, which included efforts to knock on doors.

Political fallout ensues

The unfolding scandal sent local Republican circles into a frenzy Friday as elected officials who attended the joint fundraiser Thursday evening at the Tudor House in New Franklin with Young and Speaker Stephens called to warn others about the potential fallout of being associated with Young.

By Sunday, when asked by the Beacon Journal for comment, Stephens publicly called for Young's resignation so Young could "focus on his family at this time."

Judge McKenney and his wife, County Councilwoman Bethany McKenney, attended the GOP fundraiser but were not invited to Young's house for the after-party, Judge McKenney said.

Some critics are questioning whether Judge McKenney should have any role in Young's case. The two men sat together as honorary judges of a pie contest on July 4. If the case comes back to his courtroom, the judge said he would find someone else to handle it. But, partly due to the fact that Judge Dianna Stevenson's appointment to the bench last month didn't take effect until Monday, he had no visiting judge to assign to the largely procedural matter Saturday.

"It was only an arraignment," McKenney said. "All I was able to do was take a not guilty plea from him. So, I could not have decided his case."

McKenney said he checked with the law director and prosecutor before setting a "typical bond" of $5,000 for such cases. McKenney also informed Young that he would need to be booked at the Summit County Jail following the hearing.

Young explained that he would like to stay at his home. But McKenney called one of the victims and confirmed that Young would have to find someplace else to stay as a condition of the temporary restraining order, which is in effect during the course of the case.

The political irony of the situation is that Young, along with the Ohio Republican Party, is being sued for defamation over 2020 campaign attack ads that claimed Young's Democratic rival was "guilty" of domestic violence 20 years earlier when a police report at the time stated there was no evidence to support the claim.

'Disappointed and shocked to hear what allegedly transpired'

After the fundraiser, according to a person familiar with the case, Young and his wife returned home to host the speaker and friends at their sprawling Greensburg Road property, which includes a guesthouse and garage by the pool in the backyard and a nearly life-size statue of an elephant in the front yard.

In a statement to the Beacon Journal, Stephens said he spent a couple hours at Young's home on Greensburg Road before staying the night at a local hotel.

"I was disappointed and shocked to hear what allegedly transpired sometime after I had left the Young house," Stephens said of the allegations of domestic violence. "Although I believe that people are innocent until proven guilty, I asked Bob for his resignation as state representative so he can focus on his family at this time."

Young is alleged to have yelled at someone at his home, the person familiar with the case said. When a woman interjected, Young allegedly slapped her.

Police were called to the relative's house following an alleged altercation at the front door, where the criminal affidavit says Young tried to force entry. Young was gone when deputies arrived.

That's when the arrest warrant was issued Friday.

Young, who formerly served on Green City Council, is serving a second term in the Ohio House of Representatives from the 32nd District in southern Summit County. His official House biography says he "married his Green High School sweetheart, Tina, and they have four school-age children. They have built their life together with their family and reside in the City of Green."

Young was one of just 22 of the 67 Republicans in the Ohio House to elect Stephens speaker in January. That vote upset the Ohio GOP, which had expressed their official support for Toledo-area Rep. Derek Merrin.

The state party later passed a resolution to censure the 22 Republicans who joined all 32 Democrats in the House to elect Stephens, a move the state party said brought dishonor to the conservatives who elected Ohio's Republican supermajority. Stephens and the GOP lawmakers who supported his speakership have been mocked by conservatives as the "Blue 22" for siding with Democrats.

Young sued for 'false' domestic violence attack ads

While facing criminal charges of domestic violence, Young is also being sued for running ads in 2020 that accused his then opponent, Matt Shaughnessy, of being "guilty" of domestic violence 20 years earlier.

But Shaughnessy was never on trial or even charged for domestic violence. And police never found any physical evidence that the attorney had committed domestic violence against his ex-wife.

"She made some complaints, and they were unfounded," Shaughnessy said Sunday of the allegations made against him in October 2000. "And theres not much I can do about that. It happened 20-some years ago. The police never saw any evidence of anything. They never made an arrest. In fact, oddly enough, I was able to continue trick-or-treating festivities with my children.

"A lot of it didnt make sense," said Shaughnessy, whose defamation lawsuit against Young also goes after the Ohio Republican Party for running ads in newspapers and on Facebook. "But (Young) actually turned around and told people I was guilty.

For the past two decades, Shaughnessy, who like Young is a former Green councilman, has worked to help domestic violence victims recoup economic losses. His defamation lawsuit is ongoing. In February, Young and his campaign filed a motion denying that the ads were false or defamatory.

Reach reporter Doug Livingston at dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio Rep. Bob Young charged with domestic violence, misconduct
One dead, three wounded in Queens, Brooklyn by random-firing shooter riding scooter, NYPD says; suspect in custody

NEW YORK  One man died and three others were wounded in Queens and Brooklyn on Saturday when a scooter-riding shooter unleashed a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol on people he seemed to pick out randomly on the street, police said.

The 25-year-old suspect was in custody early Saturday afternoon, and police said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Why the man fired in the five separate incidents was a mystery to police brass who spoke at a news conference several hours after his arrest. It seems that his acts were random, said Assistant Chief Joseph Kenny of the NYPD Detective Bureau.

Kenny said the ages and backgrounds of the victims were all different. He said the evidence as of Saturday afternoon showed the suspect was not targeting anybody. Hes not following anybody. As hes driving on his scooter, hes randomly shooting people.

The suspect  whose name was not released  has one previous arrest, police said.

The shooter appeared to target pedestrians and people in their cars in the shooting spree, said cops.

An 87-year-old man died after the scooter-riding suspect shot him one time in the back on Jamaica Ave. and 109th St. in Richmond Hill at 11:28 a.m. He was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital, said police.

Jasvir Singh, 50, the owner of Zoom Zoom Wireless on the Jamaica Ave. block, said he was inside the store when he saw the shooter ride by the store window.

He did a U-turn and he loaded his gun and he just started shooting, Singh said.

Police said the shooter also aimed at a group of people at the corner of 108th St. and Jamaica Ave., but no one else was struck.

I mean everybody is scared. Everybody is in shock, Singh said.

Minutes later, at about 11:35 a.m., the shooter fired at a 44-year-old man on Hillside Ave. and 126th St. A bullet struck the man in the cheek, and the man was in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital on Saturday afternoon, said police.

Two minutes after that, at 11:37 a.m., another man was shot in the shoulder blocks away on Jamaica Ave. and 134th St., said police. That victim, a 63-year-old man, was hit in the shoulder and was in stable condition at Jamaica Hospital later Saturday, said cops.

A worker at a nail salon near the scene of that shooting said she saw a pedestrian wounded in the gun violence.

The guy was waiting for the light to cross the street and someone came and shot him three times, said the worker, Gabriela Tipan.

Police said they found four 9 mm shell casings at that scene.

(The victim) crossed the street and he laid down on the floor. He didnt die. The ambulance came. He was shot on the shoulder.

One person was wounded in a shooting in Brooklyn that apparently was the shooters first of the day, said police.

In that incident, around 11:10 a.m. at Arlington Ave. and Ashford St. in East New York, a 21-year-old man was hit in the shoulder, said police. His wound was not considered life-threatening.

Soon after the shootings, police found video evidence that gave them an image of the suspect, said New York Police Department Acting Commissioner Edward Caban. The image was distributed to police officers cellphones, Caban said.

Shortly after 1 p.m., officers from the 103rd and 113th precincts spotted the shooter, Caban said. They arrested him near the intersection of 94th Ave. and Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica, near the Jamaica train station.

The suspects 9 mm pistol had an extended magazine, said police.

We have not found a serial number on the gun, Kenny said. Were trying to determine whether its defaced, or possibly a ghost gun. Thatll come out later on in our investigation.
In response to allegations that officials coerced social media platforms to remove conservative views, a judge ruled to limit government contact with tech companies. (Jenny Kane / Associated Press)

On Tuesday a federal judge banned communications between large parts of the federal government and social media platforms. The case was brought by two Republican attorneys general and several individuals to allege that the government has unconstitutionally censored online speech from conservatives.

The issue of government interference in what social media platforms can publish is real. But the judges solution  widely halting contact between the government and Big Tech  is both legally dubious and practically dangerous. Its important that online speech, irrespective of political viewpoint, flourish without the specter of censorship. But its also essential that the government be allowed to engage with social media giants to address manifest harms from online content.

The solution lies not in this ban, but in exposing government communications with tech to scrutiny so that both parties are held accountable for ensuring that their relationships serve the public interest.

Read more: Injunction blocks Biden administration from working with social media firms about 'protected speech'

The Biden administration has appealed Judge Terry A. Doughtys 155-page ruling, which remains in effect as the case advances. Given the vast dominion social media companies hold over public discourse, real concerns exist about authorities potentially using platforms to punish critics, invade privacy and limit political speech. Yet instead of surgically targeting the most concerning facets of government engagement with tech companies, the judges sweeping injunction prohibits even routine and crucial exchanges between government and platforms regarding issues such as child safety and public health.

In fact, this unprecedented near-blanket ban is, in itself, a major infringement on freedom of speech. Although the order provides exceptions, including for content relating to criminal conduct and national security, those loopholes are too narrow. They will not allow government officials to alert social media companies when, for example, false cures for a raging disease or other forms of dangerous quackery go viral. Nor do they allow the government a role in countering false information about election results. Tech watchdogs also fear the ruling will give online behemoths a convenient excuse to scale back costly efforts to remove disinformation, harassment and other harmful content from their platforms on the grounds that they cannot risk being seen as doing the governments bidding.

For all these reasons, its important that a higher court scale back Doughtys ruling. Nonetheless, buried within the courts opinion are some claims of government contacts with social media companies that raise genuine concerns.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, officials reasonably sought to curb the spread of public health claims that contradicted factual evidence and advice from health agencies. In some cases, though, the pandemics unprecedented nature and fast-breaking spread led public health authorities to seek to tamp down viewpoints that should have been subject to open debate. One plaintiff claims that her posts questioning the efficacy of mask mandates for young children were censored on Facebook and other platforms at the governments behest. We now know, as we did not in an earlier stage of the pandemic, that masking little kids offers limited benefits; efforts to quash discussions of the issue now appear wrongheaded.

Read more: Op-Ed: Regulate social media? California still has a plan for that

Others claim that government officials sought to prevent online discussion of the lab leak theory that tied the origins of COVID to the work of a virology institute in Wuhan, China. While the theory remains unproved, efforts from the Chinese government and others to prevent it from even being assessed have impeded a clear-eyed understanding of the pandemics origins. The case also involves the alleged suppression of posts and accounts related to the Biden family, which may have been motivated as much by a desire to protect the president and his relatives as by disinformation concerns.

The government has argued that, in many instances, its overtures took the form of flagging and conveying concerns about specific content rather than demanding its removal. But even friendly calls from officials can be read as intimidation.

The Meta Oversight Board, on which I serve, is a body of independent experts commissioned by the company to review content moderation decisions. The board has documented how Facebook and Instagram privilege certain users, including government officials, by affording them more leeway for posts that would otherwise be swiftly removed for violating company standards. That such officials also enjoy special access to get problematic posts removed further illustrates how platforms can aid the powerful, often in hidden ways. Whereas ordinary users fighting online harassment or false information can feel as if they are shouting into a void, top officials more easily have their requests accommodated. While this unique influence can be used responsibly to protect citizens from online harms, it also poses risks.

Most examples cited in Doughtys decision appear to involve well-intended officials sincerely trying to prevent serious online harms. But cozy relationships between governments and social media companies cannot be presumed benign.

Around the world, weve seen governments weaponize concepts including disinformation and fake news to silence critics. Tech platforms have sometimes been accessories to repression, focusing on keeping government interlocutors happy to prevent shutdowns and other legal troubles that could impair operations and cut profits. Before Turkeys May election, Twitter announced it was heeding government requests to close accounts critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While these demands flouted Turkeys own constitution, Twitter owner Elon Musk said he acquiesced to keep his platform from being throttled in its entirety. Wikipedia, which denied similar requests, was banned in Turkey for nearly three years.

The public has a right to hold government authorities and tech platforms accountable for how they collaborate. To do so, citizens need far greater visibility for these relationships. While certain social media platforms including Meta and Google voluntarily disclose government content requests, as Tuesday's decision shows, dealings between officials and tech executives go beyond takedown demands for specific pieces of content.

Read more: Big Tech attacks become rallying cry for GOP candidates

Rather than cutting off these exchanges, regulators should impose transparency requirements that force companies to reveal the breadth of communications they receive from the government and how those contacts have affected content on the platforms. Subject to limited redactions on legal or national security grounds, such disclosures would help elucidate how government is influencing social media, and vice versa.

In the meantime, companies should expand their voluntary disclosures, allowing civil society and other watchdog organizations to assess whether such dealings are in the interests of users. Knowing that their encounters would be the subject of detailed public reports would help deter government officials from abusing their clout.

Doughtys overbroad injunction should be overturned on appeal. At the same time, legitimate concerns about the ties between government and tech must be addressed. The best way to do so is subjecting such interactions to the light of day.

Suzanne Nossel is chief executive of PEN America and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Press Release

July 9, 2023 Bong Go lauds PBBM for signing New Agrarian Emancipation Act Senator Christopher "Bong" Go commended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing into law Republic Act No. 11953 on Friday, July 7, as it will help alleviate the debt burdens of over 600,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries nationwide. Go, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, co-sponsored and co-authored Senate Bill No. 1850-the Senate version of RA 11953, also known as the New Agrarian Emancipation Act. "This is a historic day for our agrarian reform beneficiaries and a major leap forward for our agricultural sector," Go said. "This new law will help ensure the stability of our food supply by empowering our local farmers," he added. The law condones all loans incurred by agrarian reform beneficiaries, including interests, penalties and surcharges. Currently, up to 610,054 ARBs owe the Land Bank of the Philippines a total of P57.56 billion in loans. This covers 1,173,101.575 hectares of agrarian reform lands. Go previously underscored the necessity of condoning agrarian reform-related debts. He also pushed for the provision of a better support mechanism for the country's agricultural workers. "Forgiving their debts is just one aspect of the solution," Go said. "We are not saying that our food supply will be secure simply because their loans have been written off. They need further support from the government, more agricultural input to make them more competitive," he added. Go is an advocate of providing better conditions for Filipino farmers. He emphasized their crucial role in maintaining the country's food supply and reducing dependency on imports. "These farmers are the backbone of our food security," Go said. "Our government should focus on supporting our small-scale farmers because they are the ones who make our food supply possible. It's not only about us not needing to import from other countries. It's about recognizing and supporting our local farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries," Go added. The New Agrarian Emancipation Act is expected to significantly contribute to the country's agricultural competitiveness and stability, as it provides much-needed relief and support to ARBs. Go said this measure is part of a broader effort to revitalize the country's agricultural sector and uplift the lives of Filipino farmers. "We have a long road ahead, but with measures like the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, we are steadily moving towards a more prosperous and resilient agricultural sector," he said. Aside from the newly signed measure, Go is also one of the authors of the measure that became RA 11901, expanding the agriculture, fisheries, and rural development financing system. He has also been advocating for other programs to support farmers and fisherfolks in the country, such as the enhancement of the irrigation of farmlands and expansion of the National Rice Program. Go likewise backed proposals to convert idle government lands into agricultural areas to boost food production in the country. Go previously expressed his support for Marcos's directive on the conduct of a thorough investigation into the alleged onion cartel as well as the smuggling and hoarding of agricultural products. On July 7, Go expressed his support for the distribution of Certificate of Land Ownership Award to ARBs in the Davao Region held in Davao City. His team likewise distributed additional assistance to the beneficiaries.
A total of 64% of Polish citizens assess relations with Ukraine positively, with this figure having increased more than two-fold in the last five years.

Source: Polish radio station Polskie Radio, with reference to a study by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS)

Details: While in 2018 this figure was 29%, this year it reached 64%, according to the sociologists report.

At the same time, only 4% of Polish residents rated relations between the two countries as poor.

CBOS stressed that the increase in the positive assessment of relations indicates a growing closeness between the two nations amid the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sociologists recalled that after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, there was also a significant increase in sympathy for Ukrainians from Polish society.

It is noted that positive ratings above average are most often observed among respondents aged 45 to 54 years, residents of large cities, people with higher levels of education, as well as respondents with a higher per capita income.

Earlier: Most Polish citizens believe that as the anniversary of the Volhynia (Volyn) massacre approaches, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy should make an official apology on behalf of the Ukrainian people for the crimes committed at that time. [The Volhynia (Volyn) massacre is a tragic event in Volyn during the Second World War, when units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army committed actions of mass murder of Poles, which are now considered genocide in Poland  ed.]

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New Bedford Public Library Director Olivia Melo points to a stamp dating to 1882 when the New Bedford library system acquired the book, on Friday, July 7, 2023, in New Bedford, Mass. An Elementary Treatise on Electricity by James Clerk Maxwell, last checked out about 119 years ago, has been returned to the Massachusetts library after it was discovered among books donated to the libraries at West Virginia University. | Peter Pereira, The Standard-Times via Associated Press

Checked out in February 1904, a copy of An Elementary Treatise on Electricity by James Clerk Maxwell made its way back to the New Bedford Free Public Library in Massachusetts 119 years later.

This came back in extremely good condition, New Bedford Public Library Director Olivia Melo told The Associated Press. Someone obviously kept this on a nice bookshelf because it was in such good shape and probably got passed down in the family.

Stewart Plein, a curator of rare books at West Virginia University Libraries, found the book while looking through a box of donated books, per AP. While the book wasnt rare, he saw in the books stamp that it wasnt marked withdrawn or removed from the library. So he sent it back to its original home.

Melo said that while she has occasionally seen books 10 or 15 years overdue make their way back to the library, this one due over a century ago is a rarity, per AP.

It even outdates an overdue book returned to the Boise, Idaho, main library in November 2021 that was 110 years overdue, as reported by The New York Times.

The written word, Melo told AP, is invaluable.

The value of the printed book is its not digital, its not going to disappear. Just holding it, you get the sense of someone having this book 120 years ago and reading it, and here it is in my hands, she said. It is still going to be here a hundred years from now. The printed book is always going to be valuable.

Related
Pace of Jan. 6 arrests picks up with help of citizen tips  2 years after Capitol riot

Two-and-a-half years after rioters stormed the nations Capitol, the massive investigation has picked up the pace, with authorities rounding up suspects from California to New York, often aided by online sleuths who help identify them.

A Maryland man charged with assaulting officers while wielding a flagpole. A Long Island man accused of spraying police with insecticide. A Los Angeles resident arrested for fighting police in a tunnel leading into the U.S. Capitol and carrying a stolen police riot shield.

The recent arrests include a man taken into custody near former President Barack Obamas home on June 29 with guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his nearby van. Three Missouri residents were caught in the latest wave as well.

Steven and Kimberly Dragoo, of St. Joseph, were charged with four misdemeanors after they documented their breach of the Capitol  including a photo of Kimberly Dragoo entering through a broken window. And Kansas City church staffer Kyle Kumer  who authorities said took his mom to the Capitol and participated in a concerted heave-ho movement against a line of officers protecting an entrance  was charged with a felony and three misdemeanors.

Arrests continue to mount in the probe described by Attorney General Merrick Garland as one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history.

The arrest tally stands at more than 1,000, on charges ranging from demonstrating in a Capitol building to seditious conspiracy. And prosecutors vow to continue tracking down the remainder of the estimated 2,000 to 3,000 protesters who breached the Capitol, causing nearly $2.9 million in damages.

Some of the recent arrests are for minor offenses  the Dragoos were in the Capitol less than two minutes. Others, such as those involving assaults on officers, are much more serious. And the continued push to file charges appears to indicate that the investigation isnt close to wrapping up.

The U.S. government, the FBI, the Justice Department, are persevering, and theyre following through with prosecuting these people who invaded our Capitol and caused all this damage and tried to disrupt our democracy, said Daryl Johnson, a former senior domestic terrorism analyst for the Department of Homeland Security.

When asked how long the investigation is expected to go on and whether it has the financial resources and staff to continue tracking down and prosecuting more suspects, the Justice Department declined to discuss the issue.

We cannot make any comments about this ongoing matter, said Patricia Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington, D.C., in an email to The Star.

But a letter last fall to the D.C. federal court from Matthew Graves, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said that more than 1,000 additional suspects could still face charges in connection with the Capitol attack, according to Bloomberg News, which reviewed the document.

The letter, dated Oct. 28, was written at the time the number of arrests neared 900, Bloomberg reported in a story published in March. The government estimated there could be 700 to 1,200 more defendants.

Graves told then-Chief Judge Beryl Howell in the letter that it was difficult to predict future cases because of the nature and the complexity of the investigation, Bloomberg reported. Graves said he expected a higher percentage of felony charges than misdemeanors.

We expect the pace of bringing new cases will increase, in an orderly fashion, over the course of the next few months, Graves wrote, according to Bloomberg. He concluded by saying the arrest predictions could change as the office continued to evaluate changing resources and circumstances.

Kimberly Dragoos now-deleted Facebook post on Jan. 5, 2021, showing a picture of her and her husband, Steven, on a plane headed to Washington, D.C., to attend the Stop the Steal rally.

In monthly updates on the status of the investigation, the Justice Department has repeatedly said that the Department of Justices resolve to hold accountable those who committed crimes on January 6, 2021, has not, and will not, wane.

And on May 4, in lauding the conviction of four Proud Boys leaders who were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, Garland said the verdict makes clear that the Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people and American democracy.

Our work will continue, Garland said. Todays verdict is another example of our steadfast commitment to keeping those promises. The Justice Department will never stop working to defend the democracy to which all Americans are entitled.

Help from the public

The government acknowledges that the public has played a crucial role in the mammoth investigation. More than 1,069 people in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia have been charged so far, according to the latest Justice Department figures, dated July 6.

Hundreds of thousands of people have called the FBIs tip line to report friends, neighbors, colleagues  even relatives  who stormed the Capitol.

Citizens from around the country have provided invaluable assistance in identifying individuals in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, the Justice Department said in its July update. The FBI continues to seek the publics help in identifying approximately 323 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on Capitol grounds.

The FBIs Capitol Violence website contains 14 videos of rioters wanted for violent assaults on federal officers. One of those suspects can be seen in a video striking multiple officers with what looks like a stick, the FBI says, and three others are shown charging at and assaulting officers.

The website also displays more than 1,400 photos of suspects the FBI is asking for help to identify.

Among the most productive in identifying and tracking down suspects are the sedition hunters, a loose network of online investigators who spend countless hours scouring the web, social media sites and often-overlooked places searching for even the smallest details that could help determine a suspects identity.

These sleuths  some anonymous amateurs, some professional researchers and some who are part of organizations including Deep State Dogs, Capitol Terrorists Exposers and Capitol Hunters  have gathered evidence that has helped identify hundreds of rioters.

One group, the Sedition Hunters, describes itself as a global community of open-source intelligence investigators (OSINT) working together to assist the U.S. FBI and Washington D.C. Capitol Police to find those who committed crimes on January 6 at the Capitol.

The group, whose Twitter profile name is TheRealJ6, says it has examined thousands of hours of videos and hundreds of images. It also creates Do You Know posters and composites, asking the public to share them on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

The Sedition Hunters website has a section called #SeditionInsiders that currently displays 3,200 photos of people it says were observed inside the Capitol during the riot.

Prosecutors say Kyle Kumer of Kansas City reached out and passed a stolen police riot shield back into the crowd as he approached the tunnel at the Capitols lower west terrace entryway.

On June 7, the FBI arrested Long Island funeral home director Peter Moloney two weeks after the group called out authorities on Twitter for failing to file charges nearly 700 days after online investigators had identified him.

Its been 694 days since 199-AOM #BlackBonoHelmet was identified and reported by online researchers, the May 24 tweet said. The Long Island business owner used a can of Wasp killer to assault officers, yet to date has not been arrested. Why hasnt the #DOJ brought charges?

Moloney now faces eight charges, including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, civil disorder and assault by striking.

Prosecutors say that during the initial breach of the Capitol grounds, Moloney removed a can of wasp, hornet and yellow jacket spray from his backpack and used it on police officers at least twice. Two other times, Moloney joined rioters in surrounding and striking people they thought were members of the media, according to a charging document.

The document cites an image from a video tweeted by the Sedition Hunters that the government used as evidence to identify Moloney as a participant in the riot.

Threats to McCarthy, Obama

In August 2021, the Deep State Dogs identified D.C. chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman as one of the rioters seen brawling with police inside the Capitol  including a confrontation with Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, who can be seen on video collapsing in the middle of the mob.

Soon after identifying Walls-Kaufman, the Deep State Dogs and others in the network identified Taylor Taranto of Washington state as the other person allegedly involved in the skirmish with Smith. The officer died by suicide nine days after the riot.

Walls-Kaufman was charged in 2022 with four misdemeanors, pleaded guilty to one count  parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building  and was sentenced June 13 to two months in jail. Taranto wasnt arrested until late last month, when he was picked up near Obamas home June 29 on a warrant for charges related to the insurrection.

In a document filed in federal court Wednesday, the government said the FBI had been monitoring Tarantos online activities since hed been identified as a participant in the Capitol riot. Authorities were having trouble finding him, it said, because hed recently moved to the D.C. area from Washington state and had been living in his van.

But on June 28, the document said, Taranto started live streaming on a public YouTube channel. He said he was in Maryland and headed to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which has a nuclear reactor on its property. He said he was just going one way for this mission, to hell, that his vehicle was self-driving and that he had a detonator and planned to blow up his van there.

During the live stream, the court filing said, Taranto also made ominous comments referencing Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying, Coming at you McCarthy. Cant stop whats coming. Nothing can stop whats coming. After seeing the live stream, the FBI alerted other law enforcement, and the federal court issued an arrest warrant based on Tarantos alleged Jan. 6 crimes.

The next day, former President Donald Trump posted what he claimed was Obamas address on the social media platform Truth Social, according to the document. Taranto then re-posted it on his own Truth Social account. Then, Taranto wrote on Telegram, We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell, Podestas and Obamas.

Soon after that, the court document said, Taranto began live streaming from his van while driving in a residential area of D.C. He exited the van and started walking through the neighborhood, continuing to stream. He made several concerning comments about the residences in the area, the filing said, saying he was searching for entrance points and that he had them surrounded and was going to find a way to the tunnels underneath their houses.

He also repeatedly stated that he was trying to get a shot and that he wanted to get a good angle on a shot, the government said in its filing.

When Taranto saw uniformed Secret Service officers approaching, he headed into a wooded area and tried to flee but was arrested, the document said. A search of his nearby van found hundreds of rounds of 9mm ammunition, two firearms, a machete and a mattress inside.

So far, Taranto is charged only with four misdemeanors related to the Capitol riot, but prosecutors say they intend to file felony charges. The charging documents involving Jan. 6 say Taranto and Walls-Kaufman scuffled with police inside the Capitol and that Taranto fought with other rioters outside, using a cane to fend them off.

Taranto and Walls-Kaufman also are co-defendants in a civil lawsuit filed in August 2021 by Officer Smiths wife. The lawsuit alleges that the men contributed to Smiths death. The suit says Taranto assisted Kaufman during an altercation with officers and that Kaufman grabbed Smiths baton and violently swung it, striking Smith in the head and causing a concussion. Both Taranto and Kaufman have denied the allegation.

Johnson said the work of the online detective community has been invaluable to the federal investigation  and has helped keep it going.

Theyre holding the Justice Departments feet to the fire, holding them accountable, to make sure that they follow through with these arrests, he said. I think without those peoples help, we may have reached the end of this investigation.

Were two-plus years removed from the riot, and the news cycle has moved on to other things. The Justice Department has rounded up over 1,000. Once they hit that threshold, I think they could say, Hey, we did our job, blah, blah, blah. But these private groups are doing a great job because theyre doing a lot of legwork and sending them these referrals. And once the FBI and DOJ get the referral, theyve got to follow up on it.

Videos, transparency at issue

As the Jan. 6 investigation persists, so does a battle over access to Capitol Police security video from that day.

The issue flared up in February when McCarthy granted then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson exclusive access to view more than 40,000 hours of footage. Carlson then aired dozens of clips on his shows, downplaying the violence and portraying protesters as mostly peaceful.

The Justice Department, however, says about 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Eighty were from the U.S. Capitol Police and 60 were from the Metropolitan Police Department.

About 350 defendants face charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees. That includes 110 people charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

After facing intense criticism for his decision, McCarthy said he planned to make the footage available to the broader public and to lawyers of defendants charged in the insurrection.

A Jan. 6 defendant from Kansas charged with multiple felonies has been at the forefront of the push to make those videos public. William Pope, of Topeka  who is representing himself in his case  wants U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to release videos that he says include footage of undercover Metropolitan Police officers inciting protesters to breach the Capitol.

The government has argued that the videos have been designated sensitive and highly sensitive and that it would be a matter of grave national security to make them public.

William Pope, of Topeka, was among the crowd near The Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, where he attended former President Trumps speech at the Stop the Steal rally.

In March, a coalition of more than a dozen media companies filed a motion to intervene in Popes case. They asked that the court permit Pope to release the videos to the press and public. The coalition argued that many of the video clips had already been made public, including some aired on Carlsons shows. The judge has not yet ruled on the issue.

Pope has called the videos clear evidence of undercover provocateurs and has filed a series of motions saying he has a right to see them. He has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals and is awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, following the Jan. 6 cases through the courts has gotten more difficult.

In 2020, in response to the pandemic, Congress granted special authority for federal courts to hold hearings in criminal cases by video conference or teleconference. That included an access line that allowed the public and the press to listen to those hearings by phone or through the internet.

But on April 9, the national emergency declared with respect to the pandemic was terminated, and on May 9, Chief Judge James Boasberg issued an order for the D.C. federal courts to stop providing public audio feeds to criminal proceedings.

So even though some hearings are still taking place via Zoom, judges have stopped allowing the public to listen in on the audio feeds. Now, public access to criminal hearings conducted by video or teleconferencing is only available in the courtroom of the presiding judge.

Critics of the ruling, including some defendants, say it results in less transparency.

My opinion is that the court should allow more public access, not less, especially when the January 6 cases come from all over the country, Pope said. This is another aspect of future arrests that isnt being talked about much  these new cases will likely not receive as much local coverage because its more difficult for journalists to follow.

Jan. 6: A campaign issue in 2024

Amid all the clashes over issues related to the Capitol riot, theres one thing everyone seems to agree on.

The Jan. 6 investigation is certain to be an issue in the 2024 election.

When Biden announced in April he was running for re-election, the first scenes in his launch video were of the Capitol riot. Trump, who is under investigation into whether he and his allies tried to overturn the 2020 election results, has vowed to pardon a large portion of the Jan. 6 defendants, who call themselves political prisoners and say they are being persecuted for their beliefs. And a House subcommittee continues to hold hearings on the so-called weaponization of the federal government against conservatives, including its handling of Capitol riot cases.

I think for a segment of voters, it will be a big issue, said Don Haider-Markel, a political science professor at the University of Kansas. You cant deny that Biden at least in part is basing the foundation for running for re-election on January 6, but linking that to Charlottesville as well, which was the impetus for his 2020 campaign.

Trump is using January 6 in a similar way, Haider-Markel said, trying to mobilize voters by calling investigations of him witch hunts instigated by his political enemies to delegitimize his 2016 election.

And then there are people on either side that actually are really concerned about January 6, and then those who think it was a sort of setup or something, he said. So I think in the 2024 election, January 6 definitely matters.
Approaching Franklin Boulevard in south Sacramento, color spills across your field of vision as murals covering school buildings, local businesses and sidewalk fences multiply.

On Saturday, music added to the bright atmosphere, pouring out of the 21st Avenue underpass as community members poured in  biking, walking and pushing strollers onto the closed-off street to participate in a community painting event and leave their mark on the neighborhoods newest mural.

A man wearing a hat identifying him as a Vietnam War veteran was kneeling on the sidewalk, carefully adding strokes of blue to the wing of an outlined butterfly, while a little girl with plaited pigtails and orange Crocs stuck her hand into a cup of purple and smeared messy handprints across the wall. A pair of teenage girls posed for a picture, paint streaked across their arms and legs.

Jaya King stood in the middle of it all, buzzing with energy, her voice rising to join the echoes of chatter filling the underpass as she hugged person after person who had been eagerly waiting for this project to come to fruition.

King is the artist who designed a mural for the underpass as part of Caltrans Highway 99 Beautification and Safety Improvement Project  and on Saturday, she saw hundreds of hands grab brushes and small cups of paint to bring her paint-by-numbers vision to life.

This is the walls birthday, King said, gesturing to the taco truck parked nearby, and the speaker blasting Spanish music into the tunnel. Thats why were having this celebration.

The project has been in the works for nearly three years and will eventually include seven murals, as well as significant infrastructure improvements in the area, according to Uli Smith, an artist who has worked on some of the other murals lining the street.

State comes through, as do local artists

In addition to the long search for funding, which was eventually provided by a Clean California Initiative grant, she noted that the search for artists had very specific criteria: the artists had to be local, and they had to be willing to conduct outreach to crowdsource ideas for what images residents felt would be most representative of their community.

Smith and King said that the outreach they led after being selected included talking to local businesses, holding meetings and canvassing the street. For this mural, King settled on featuring a tree, monarch butterflies, falcons and marigolds, among other imagery.

Im stepping back from the ownership of it, King said. This is where they get to paint their mural.

So how does it all work?

King said that she simplified the mural design she created so that it would be easier to split into sections. She covered the walls with pink paint as a background color, painted sections at the top that were too high for residents to easily reach, and then sketched in an outline of the design on the lower walls.

Each section was labeled with a number and a dot of paint to indicate the color intended to fill in the space. Participants could walk up to tables in the center of the tunnel to pick up small cups of paint, similarly labeled with numbers that matched corresponding sections of the mural.

A portion of the street on either side of the overpass was also blocked off, with booths hosted by community resource organizations lined up alongside a shaded area with seating where participants could take a break from painting.

Under the shady overpass, some residents came with family or friends, while others came alone, but fell quickly into conversation with their fellow amateur artists.

Adults, youths and a state lawmaker join in

Marques Pitcher brought his two kids  Jayden, 10, and Averie, 6  as well as his dog Zorro. He heard about the event from his girlfriend, who was running a booth for a local school at the event.

We came out to support her and to see what was going on, Pitcher said. And my kids really do love painting, so its a win-win.

He said that he has driven through the underpass before, and described the difference that the artwork makes on the feel of the area.

I just drove through here on Friday, and saw a little bit of the artwork that I guess was a bit of a blueprint, he said. To see this is amazing.

In addition to residents and local community leaders, local leaders including Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, came to the event to participate in painting the walls.

Clean California was part of the state budget that we voted on, McCarty said, swirling his paintbrush through a cup of bright yellow paint. A lot of times we fund stuff in the budget and were like, well, hopefully somewhere its getting implemented as its supposed to be. And this is pretty exciting, because I can literally go and see it make a difference.

He said that hes a big fan of murals in general, but that he thinks a community-created one is even better.

(This is) the dream! McCarty said. They can drive by and say, Hey, I helped paint the wing of the falcon! Which is what Im doing right now, by the way.

Leo Rubio, a consultant with the city of Sacramento, explained the larger infrastructure changes that the city is planning for the area as part of the $13.2 million dollar Caltrans project, funded by the Clean California Initiative and other sources of federal and state money. Rubio noted that part of the motivation behind the project is to bolster the business district, and encourage outside residents to visit the neighborhood.

We want to make this a place where people want to come, and maybe slow down and see what we have to offer here, Rubio said.

Road changes, bike lane still to come

The project includes plans to reduce the road size from five lanes to three in order to integrate a protected bike lane on either side of the street, as well as adding better street lighting, better storm water drainage and better crosswalks and planting several trees. Progress will continue through next year.

Marques said that he has noticed the improvements, saying that his car is appreciative of the pavement and pothole repairs that have been done.

As the pieced-together picture started to take shape, revealing orange-and-black butterfly wings and pink flowers, the crowds continued to grow, gathering at the taco truck for a much-needed lunch break. Residents took selfies with their small section of the wall, immortalizing their contribution to the neighborhoods collection of public art.

Smith turned slowly in a circle, grinning at the sight, and asked, Whats better than getting the community to take ownership of their space?
WEST PALM BEACH  A longtime defense attorney and a high-ranking prosecutor are vying to become Palm Beach Countys next state attorney, citing crimes against the elderly, the opioid epidemic and combatting gun violence among the challenges facing the next person to lead the office.

Defense attorney Gregg Lerman and Chief Assistant State Attorney Alexcia Cox formally announced their candidacies in June, just one day apart from each other. Both are seeking to succeed three-term incumbent Dave Aronberg, who announced that he will not run for a fourth term in 2024.

Lerman filed his paperwork to run in May, anticipating that Aronberg would not seek re-election. He has practiced criminal defense law for 38 years and was a candidate for Palm Beach County judge in 2016.

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Gregg Lerman announced his candidacy for Palm Beach County state attorney outside of the State Attorney's office in downtown West Palm Beach, Fla., on June 14, 2023.

This office has done a great job representing Palm Beach County and prosecuting criminal cases, he said during his June 14 news conference. However, every government office can use some improvement and I hope to bring that improvement to the Palm Beach County State Attorneys Office.

Cox declared her candidacy on June 15. She currently oversees prosecutors in the Palm Beach County State Attorneys Office domestic-violence unit, the county courts and the conviction review unit. She is running for an elected office for the first time and is seeking to become the first woman and the first African American to hold the position of Palm Beach Countys top prosecutor.

Alexcia Cox

"This is my home county and I was raised and supported by the people in this community," Cox said in a telephone interview with The Palm Beach Post. "I've worked at the State Attorney's Office for 16 years.  I care about that office. I care about the people who get up out of their beds every day and walk through those doors to work there and seek justice for the community."

Both candidates to run as Democrats, setting up primary election

Both have filed as Democrats, meaning the election would be decided in the August 2024 primary unless a challenger from a different party or an independent candidate files. Otherwise, the winner of the primary would advance to the general election that following November.

Others have been mentioned as having an interest in running for the office, but to date no other candidates had announced as of July 5. The filing deadline is April 2024.

In announcing their respective candidacies, Lerman and Cox each listed prosecuting crimes against the elderly as a top priority if elected.

Time and again, I hear from senior citizens of this county that they are defrauded, and nothing is being done about it, Lerman said.

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In the nursing home industry, quite honestly, its running rampant where people have their property and money taken away from them by (employees) of nursing homes, and that has to be dealt with. It has to be investigated and its not he said.

Cox said she wants to create an elder-abuse task force, with at least one prosecutor overseeing cases involving crimes against the elderly. She said many victims of elder abuse have expressed reluctance to press charges, feeling they have no choice but to stay with their abusers.

I want to make sure that we know all of the resources that are available to, not just prosecute the elder-abuse crimes, but also make sure one we do that, we can give them the resources that they need to continue on living in our society, she said.

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg arrives at courtroom 10B prior to the start of a pre-trial hearing in the case of the Wellington 'clown murder' at the Palm Beach County Courthouse on Friday, October 21, 2022, in downtown West Palm Beach, FL.

While Cox has not held or sought elected office before, she cited her experience leading various divisions of the State Attorneys Office.

She said other priorities if elected would include expanding the offices special-victims and domestic-violence units, ramping up recruitment efforts for new prosecutors and establishing regional community advisory boards.

Each part of our county has different needs and different concerns, and they may have different expectations from our office, she said.

The safety concerns in Wellington are not the safety concerns maybe in Riviera Beach or out in the Glades, and I want to hear from the people, the stakeholders as well as people in our business community, to know what they need, what theyre seeing and how crime is impacting them.

Only one of the two candidates has sought elected office before

Lerman cited the opioid epidemic and gun violence as issues he wants to address as the next state attorney.

I am running because there are issues that need to be dealt with in this county, he said. There are issues with the drug problem, with fentanyl, that need to be prosecuted. Crimes of violence, gun violence, need to be dealt with in a better way in this county.

Lerman was narrowly defeated in his 2016 run for county judge, losing by 2 percentage points to probate and guardianship attorney Dana Santino.

Election 2024: Ric Bradshaw, county's longest-serving sheriff, says he will seek a sixth four-year term

However, the Florida Supreme Court removed Santino from the bench after just 18 months, making her the first judge in county history to face such a sanction. In rendering its decision, the court ruled that Santino engaged in misconduct during her campaign against Lerman as she attacked his work as a criminal defense attorney.

Santino was replaced by Paige Kilbane (formerly Paige Hardy Gillman), who was later appointed to the circuit bench. She resigned in December to join the Fifth District Court of Appeal in northeastern Florida.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County State Attorney race draws prosecutor, defense lawyer
On the 500th day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Ukrainian people inspire the world by reminding everyone of the importance of upholding the principles of the UN Charter.

Source: statement by Blinken quoted by the press service of the US Department of State

Quote: "Five hundred days ago, on February 24, 2022, the Russian government launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As the Kremlin attempts to subjugate Ukraine, seize its land, topple its democratically elected government, the spirit of Ukraines people remains unbroken, and the United States remains committed to helping Ukraine defend itself and to rebuild its future.

Each day, the people of Ukraine demonstrate their resilience and unity in defending against Moscows brutal, relentless assaults. In the face of enormous adversity, the people of Ukraine inspire the world, reminding us of the importance of upholding the tenets of the UN Charter."

Details: Blinken has noted that the Russian government remains the only obstacle to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

According to him, the United States will continue to impose serious costs on the Russian government through sanctions, export controls and other measures that will affect the Kremlin's ability to wage war and help hold the aggressor accountable for violations of international law.

Quote: "We will stand with Ukraine  along with our allies and partners  for as long as it takes by providing security, economic, and other assistance to Ukraine, so Ukraine can continue to defend itself and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table when the time comes."

Background: The Institute for the Study of War has assessed that during the 500 days of the full-scale invasion, Russia failed to achieve any of its planned goals in Ukraine.
Planning for State Colleges 1st arts festival took mere months. How it came together

A new summer arts festival in State College was merely a suggestion in the winter of 1966 and a few months later was the first edition of the Central Pennsylvania of the Arts.

Concern that State College should continue to put on appropriate new faces and try itself in new mediums led a State College Area Chamber of Commerce committee to propose the festival, the CDT wrote in a special section previewing the inaugural festival, which was held July 22-30, 1967. The first event was sponsored by the chamber and Penn State College of Arts and Architecture.

Days before the start of the 57th annual event, heres a look at the festivals beginnings:

Building community support

Initial planning for a nine-day festival began in May 1967, with leaders of the university departments of art, music and theater collaborating with administrators in the College of Arts and Architecture.

Organizers were optimistic as work got underway.

The enthusiasm of people who already have spoken with us about the festival indicates that it will be a high spot of the summer in central Pennsylvania, Wallis Lloyd, chamber president and festival co-chairman, was quoted in the CDT in mid-May. Eventually we expect it will attract visitors from the entire eastern part of the United States.

Jules Heller, Arts and Architecture dean and festival chairman, said he expected the festival to become an annual event.

But only a handful of residents showed up for the first open planning meeting for the festival in early June, the CDT reported. Heller noted that a recent arts festival in Philadelphia wrapped after a year of planning, while State Colleges festival was being put together in a manner of months.







Participants and competitors were sought from an eight-county area. Organizers personally contacted regional artists and art groups and sent volunteers to surrounding counties with brochures and posters to spread the word.

Advertisements also ran in the CDT looking to draw community backing for the festival.

The festival attracted the attention of Gov. Raymond Shafer, who suggested Arts Fest could lead to a statewide festival, a cultural olympics. While visiting the area to see his son (a grad student in theater arts) in a university production, he said the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts was planning for an event that would get all our young people competing in all the arts, the CDT reported May 15.

The arts council provided a $2,000 grant while downtown State College merchants contributed $1,200.

In this photo from May 1967, Gov. Raymond Shafer helps complete a sign announcing the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Acknowledging his support are, from left, Wallis Lloyd, State College Area Chamber of Commerce president and festival co-chairman, and Jules Heller, dean of the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture and festival chairman.

Residents were asked to create banners 7 feet long and 30 inches wide that would hang from light fixtures on College Avenue, Allen Street and on campus to add a cultural atmosphere to the week-long festivities, the CDT reported. By late June, Decoration Committee Chairman Guy Kresge launched a contest to bring in another 200 banners. The three winners would receive gift certificates redeemable at downtown businesses.

Organizers also asked residents to donate flowering plants to help decorate the South Allen Street intersections that were closed to traffic for the festival.

A parachute goes up on South Allen Street as part of preparation for the first Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

Anticipation was building in early July, with a CDT editorial noting the last week of the month promises to be one of the most exciting in Centre County history thanks to the festival.

Itll be exciting for many reasons, most important of which may be the simple fact that the program will feature something to satisfy most everyones preferences, the editorial stated.

In a story the day before the festival opened, the CDT noted the contributions from many community members in getting the festival on its feet: Scores of residents pitched in their imaginations and creative abilities to formulate the program encompassing fine arts, music, drama and film art.

Festival week arrives

The governor returned to town to open the festival on July 22. Shafers helicopter touched down on Old Main lawn, and he  accompanied by State College Mayor Chauncey Lang, university President Eric Walker and Heller  made his way to the South Allen Street stage to cut the strings on a banner that read Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

Anything that can stimulate the arts is a benefit to all of us, Shafer said.

Gov. Raymond Shafer helps open the first Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts on July 22, 1967, by unfurling the festival banner.

Students and professionals demonstrated their art in process each afternoon from stages on Allen Street, and about 300 works were submitted for a juried exhibition.

A sidewalk show on the festivals first day  a Saturday  was deemed so successful that artists were given the OK to set up along College Avenue during the week. A second formal sidewalk show was scheduled for the next Saturday.

Experimental films were screened on South Allen Street and proved so popular that an additional night was added. There were jazz and band and choral concerts, along with plays by Penn State grad students in theater. The Little German Band of State College performance was a real crowd pleaser, according to a CDT headline.

An artists model poses for drawers and painters on South Allen Street during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in 1967.

The festival even extended to television sets, with WPSX-TV airing a Festival of the Television Arts featuring programs on art or programs that use TV as an art form.

The weather wasnt very cooperative, as rain fell almost every day of the festival and forced some events indoors. For the month, almost three times as much rain fell in the county as had been recorded during the previous July.

An artist braves the rain on South Allen Street during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in 1967.

The reaction

The CDTs Good Evening! column the day after the festival ended said from almost every standpoint, it was a smashing success.

In a venture which demanded mass cooperation, only the mythical weatherman failed to come through. But even his record offerings of rain couldnt eliminate enthusiasm for the program.

Future festivals, the CDT urged, should be even greater, considering all the untapped potential in Centre County and central Pennsylvania.

Organizers said 15,000 people attended the nine-day event.

In a letter to the editor on Aug. 2, Heller offered his deepest gratitude and heartfelt congratulations to those who contributed to making the festival a success. The next festival should improve on the first, he wrote. And succeeding ones should prove incisively that the creative and performing arts hold a meaningful place in the lives of the citizens in this region.

At the end of November, the second Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts was announced. The CDTs story laid out high expectations for the July 1968 festival, noting the event was promising even now an endless panorama of art, music, dance and theatre. Perhaps guided by Hellers advice, organizers were planning new and bigger programs that will once again turn State College into a thriving mecca of the arts, a miniature New York and Paris rolled into one.
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, left, and the head of Poland's Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, right, exchange forgiveness and reconciliation notes during a joint religious service held as part of observances honoring some 100,000 Poles murdered by Ukrainian nationalists in 1943-44, at St. John's cathedral in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polands prime minister and Catholic church leaders opened several days of observances Friday to honor victims of World War II massacres of tens of thousands of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists, which have marred the tightening strategic relations between the neighboring nations.

We can say that for many years this has been an unhealed wound in Polish-Ukrainian relations," said Rafal Bochenek, the spokesperson for Poland's ruling right-wing party.

We would expect truth to be told and things to be called by their proper name," Bochenek said.

Poland says the 1943-44 massacre of some 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists was genocide. Entire villages were burned down and all their inhabitants killed by nationalists and their helpers who sought to establish an independent Ukraine state. The killings took place in Volhynia and in other regions of what was then eastern Poland under Nazi German and then Soviet occupation, and which are now in western Ukraine.

Warsaw is among the staunchest supporters of Kyiv in its war against Russias aggression and the increasingly close ties seem to have provided an opportunity for the two nations to deal with their past. Many Poles still harbor grudges for family members who were brutally killed in the massacres. Some 15,000 Ukrainians were killed in retaliation at the time.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki traveled early Friday to Ukraine to visit massacre sites, the villages of Ostrowki and Puzniki that were wiped out by units of Ukraine's nationalist forces. He put up commemorative crosses and visited local cemeteries where some of the victims were buried. Not all burial sites are known.

I will not rest until the last victim of that terrible Volhynia Massacre is found and buried with respect," Morawiecki said.

The leader of Poland's Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, and Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church held a joint religious service Friday in Warsaw.

The observances will culminate on Tuesday, the 80th anniversary of the intensified violence.

Poland has long pursued Kyivs permission for the search for burial sites, exhumations, identification and commemoration of the Polish victims.

Some of the Ukrainian nationalist leaders who were responsible for instigating the massacres are lauded in Ukraine for fighting for the nation's independence during World War II, leading to strains in relations with Poland. But Ukraine's authorities recently signaled a more open approach to Poland's wishes.

Polish leaders insist that bringing the full truth into the open will strengthen bilateral relations with Ukraine and neutralize vulnerabilities that could be exploited by third countries seeking to undermine these ties.

We must be aware, Poles and Ukrainians, that without the full clarification and full record of the Volhynia crimes, Russia will always be using this card to drive a wedge between Poles and Ukrainians," Morawiecki said.
Police ask for help finding second suspect in Wichita mass shooting at nightclub

Police are looking for a 23-year-old Wichita man suspected of being involved in the July 2 mass shooting at City Nightz in Old Town.

Jaylen Thomas is wanted on suspicion of two counts of aggravated battery with a gun, Wichita police spokesperson Juan Rebolledo said.

Police on Friday arrested 19-year-old Ameir Jayshon King-Ingram also on two counts of aggravated battery with a gun and criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, Rebolledo said.

Thomas is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached, Rebolledo said. Anyone who sees him should call the police.

Nine people were shot and two more injured from being trampled during the chaos at the nightclub. Rebolledo said Thomas may have been injured as well, but they do not know.

Based on video and witnesses, police think the two suspects fired guns in the incident, he said.

He said they were not part of the rapper Mozzys entourage. Police had previously arrested one of Mozzys security detail. He was released Thursday after Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett determined the man had fired in self defense after two gunmen started shooting.

Rebolledo did not know if police are looking for anyone else.

Anyone with information about the shooting or Thomas whereabouts should call detectives at 316-268-4407, the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111. Callers can remain anonymous with Crime Stoppers.
Pope to create new cardinals who will choose his successor

The names Pope Francis announced include clergy in regions where Christianity is growing, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia (Alberto PIZZOLI)

Pope Francis said on Sunday he would appoint 21 new cardinals from across the world at the end of September as he seeks to leave his imprint on the papacy.

The upcoming assembly of cardinals, scheduled for September 30 and known as a consistory, will be the ninth for Pope Francis, 86, who became pope a decade ago and is seeking to put a lasting stamp on the institution.

"Their provenance expresses the universality of the Church that continues to proclaim God's merciful love to all people on earth," said the pope, following his weekly Sunday Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Saint Peter's Square.

Francis' new choices are closely watched as an indication of the future direction of the Catholic Church and its priorities for the 1.3 billion faithful.

All cardinals under the age of 80, including 18 out of the group named on Sunday, are known as "cardinal electors", who will participate in the vote to nominate the successor to Pope Francis.

Following the consistory in late September, there will be 137 cardinal electors, about three-quarters of whom will have been appointed by Francis.

Since becoming pope, Francis has sought to elevate clergy from developing nations far from Rome to the highest ranks of the Church, as part of his general philosophy of diversity and inclusion.

The names Francis announced Sunday include clergy in regions where Christianity is growing, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Among the archbishops to become cardinals are those of Juba in South Sudan, Cape Town in South Africa and Tabora in Tanzania.

The list also includes the bishop from Penang, Malaysia, and that of Hong Kong, Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, who has a Harvard PhD in psychology and will be key in improving the Church's fraught ties with communist China.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the top Catholic in the Holy Land, Italy's Pierbattista Pizzaballa, whose archdiocese encompasses Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus, also will be inducted.

- Missionaries and administrators -

Francis is also tapping the heads of key dicasteries, including the Italian Claudio Gugerotti, currently prefect for the Dicastery of the Eastern Churches, and Argentina's Victor Manuel Fernandez, chosen earlier this month by the pope to head the powerful Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Chicago-born head of the Dicastery for Bishops, Robert Prevost, who is charged with overseeing bishop appointments and a longtime missionary in Peru, was also named, as was the Holy See's apostolic nuncio, or diplomat, to the United States, Christophe Pierre from France, who has also served as envoy in Haiti, Uganda and Mexico.

Included from Latin America is the emeritus archbishop of Cumana, Venezuela, the archbishop of Cordoba in Argentina, and a 96-year-old Capuchin priest from Buenos Aires.

The last consistory was held in August 2022, when Francis inducted 20 cardinals.

Cardinals, who wear the scarlet robes of their office, serve as the pope's top advisers and administrators.

During the consistory, the future cardinals kneel one by one at the feet of the pope, who places on their heads the quadrangular scarlet cap, or biretta.

Following the ceremony, the Vatican holds a traditional "courtesy visit", in which the new cardinals greet the general public.

ams/kjm
Rishi Sunak

A think tank co-founded by Margaret Thatcher has joined calls for inheritance tax to be scrapped.

The death tax is tortuously complicated, unfair and economically damaging, the Centre for Policy Studies has said in a report calling for fairer taxation of British families.

The CPS argued inheritance tax was a burden to grieving relatives, raised relatively little money for public finances and was largely avoided by the very wealthy.

It joins more than 50 Conservative MPs who have called for divisive 40pc levy to be abolished in a bid to help secure a record fourth term in office.

Ranil Jayawardena, MP for North East Hampshire and the chairman of the Conservative Growth Group, described the tax as an anti-family policy.

Its not fair, its not Conservative and it needs to go, he said.

The taxman collected 7.1bn in death duties last year.

Under current rules, inheritance tax is charged at 40pc on wealth over the 325,000 threshold, the nil rate band, which has been frozen since 2009 and will remain so until 2028. Individuals have an extra 175,000 allowance towards their main residence if it is passed to children or grandchildren, and spouses can share their allowances.

However, rising house prices over the past decade have dragged an increasing number of ordinary families into paying the tax and forced many more to take action to avoid falling into the trap.

The CPS said inheritance tax should be replaced by a change in capital gains tax, to compensate for the loss in revenue.

Under these new rules, when heirs came to sell their inherited assets, they would pay capital gains tax on the entire historic gain, not just the gain since they inherited. The CPS said this would eliminate the lock-in effect where investors are financially incentivised to hold onto their asset for as long as possible.

The think tank added that if abolition of the death tax was off the cards, then the Government should at least honour former shadow Chancellor George Osbornes pledge in 2007 to raise the nil-rate band to 1m. The move was so popular at the time that it was widely credited with deterring Gordon Brown from calling a snap election.

Restricting the inheritance tax net to only the highest-value estates would mean that the vast majority of families who have lost a loved one could simply self-certify that no inheritance tax was owed, removing the need for extensive paperwork, it said.

Inheritance tax remains profoundly unpopular, with around half of the public judging it to be unfair or very unfair, according to a recent poll by YouGov.

The CPS noted Britain was an international outlier on inheritance tax, being one of just four countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development which imposes a tax on the estate rather than a tax on the value of the assets that beneficiaries inherit.

A number of OECD countries do not implement any estate or inheritance tax at all, including Australia, Czechia, Canada, Norway and Sweden.

A Government spokesman said: More than 93pc of estates arent expected to pay any inheritance tax in the coming years, however the tax still raises more than 7 billion a year to help fund public services like the NHS and schools.

Estates of surviving spouses and civil partners can pass on up to 1 million without an inheritance tax liability  significantly more than the average UK home of 285,000.

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Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have seen no signs that the Russian authorities have expelled or detained commanders or ordinary members of the Wagner Group who took part in the rebellion in Russia.

Source: ISW

Quote: "Putin continues to allow Wagner and Prigozhin to operate in Russia and potentially pose a threat to his regime.

Allowing Prigozhin, his commanders, and as many as 25,000 Wagner fighters who led and participated in the armed rebellion apparent full freedom of movement and communication in Russia shows that Putin has either remarkable (and unwarranted) confidence in their renewed loyalty, desperation to lure as many as possible to his side, or an inability to take action against them."

Details: The ISW has stressed that the consequences of the armed rebellion remain unclear for the Wagner Group and Prigozhin, but Ukraine has already benefited from it.

"Putins handling of the Wagner Group  Russia's most effective fighting force at this time  following the June 24 rebellion will likely keep them from fighting in Ukraine for the duration of the current Ukrainian counteroffensive and may permanently degrade Russias overall capability to wage war in Ukraine," the ISW said.

The ISW has also noted that the Wagner Group's hasty withdrawal from Bakhmut undermined Russian positions in the area and contributed to the tactically important gains that Ukrainian forces made around the city.

Background:

The self-proclaimed leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has announced plans to meet with Vladimir Putin in the near future to discuss, among other things, the "Wagner Group issue".

Representatives of the Wagner Group have not yet arrived to inspect the alleged location of the company's soldiers in a tent camp near the town of Asipovicy, Mahiliou Oblast of Belarus.

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Flag of Poland

Pro-Russian forces organized a protest in front of the Ukrainian Embassy in Warsaw on July 9, aggressively confronting activists who had gathered there with Ukrainian flags, Ukrainian state-owned news outlet Ukrinform reported on July 9.

A verbal altercation unfolded between the two groups, with the police stepping in to surround the pro-Ukrainian activists, aiming to prevent any potential violent clashes.

Outside the Ukrainian Embassy, several hundred supporters from different pro-Russian organizations assembled, holding placards bearing various messages, including Volyn  we remember, This is not our war, Russia is not our enemy, Ukraine is not fighting for Polands freedom, and No to Ukraines membership in the EU and NATO.

They urged Poland to halt all cooperation with Ukraine and its support until Banderaism in Ukraine is condemned, and to normalize relations with Russia and Belarus  referring to a Russian propaganda narrative claiming that controversial 20th century Ukrainian partisan Stepan Bandera was the founder of the Ukrainian state.

Read also: Terrorist from pro-russian Vostok gang detained in Vinnytsia

The Polish Anti-War Movement and the Front Party were among the organizers of the demonstration.

Meanwhile, individuals holding Ukrainian flags and a sign that read Stop Racism gathered in close proximity to the Ukrainian Embassy. The pro-Russian demonstrators labeled them as provocateurs and demanded they leave.

On July 9, President of Poland Andrzej Duda made an unannounced visit to Ukraine. He was accompanied by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they visited the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Lutsk.

Inside the cathedral, commemorative events took place to honor the victims of World War II and the 80th anniversary of the Volyn Tragedy.

Read also: SBU adds high treason charge against pro-Russian blogger Anatoliy Shariy

Earlier on July 7, Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki traveled to Ukraine to pay respects to the victims of the Volyn Tragedy at the former site of the village of Ostruwki in Volyn Oblast.

The Volyn Tragedy refers to the painful history of ethnic cleansing that took place during World War II, involving the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the Polish Home Army, Polish Shutzmannschaft battalions, and Soviet partisans. In 1943, these events resulted in the loss of numerous lives among the Ukrainian and Polish populations in Volyn Oblast.

Poland estimates that during the Nazi occupation, Ukrainian nationalists were responsible for the deaths of 100,000 Poles, and claims that the number of Ukrainians who lost their lives in reprisals was lower than that of the Polish victims. As the 80th anniversary of the Volyn Tragedy approaches, Warsaw will observe this solemn occasion at the national level on July 11.

Read also: Hungarys Orban obsessed with EU funding to maintain regime, claims Ukrainian FM Kuleba

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin is turning to a familiar playbook in shoring up his authority: a smear campaign against Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group military leader who led a brief mutiny against the Kremlin.

Public opinion against Prigozhin dropped sharply in the days after the rebellion.

So Putin moved quickly to discredit Prigozhins public image.

Putin has directed the state to dismantle the Wagner business empire, including its military, internet troll farms and gold- and other mineral-mining operations on the African continent. And a Russian state media report published what it said were images from a police raid on one of Prigozhins palatial homes in St. Petersburg  pointing out weapons, cash, gold bricks, wigs and multiple passports in a space filled with ornate furnishings, an indoor pool and a helicopter pad outside.

Those kinds of moves are meant to discredit Prigozhins image among the public, who see him as a warrior on the frontline of Russias war in Ukraine calling out Russian generals as incompetent and corrupt.

Showing the wealth that Prigozhin has is a way to undercut his anti-elite message amongst the population, said Mary Glantz, senior advisor for the Russia and Europe Center for the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).

While the Kremlin initially said criminal charges against Prigozhin would be dropped in exchange for him taking exile in Belarus, the mercenary group leader appears to be in Russia.

The media hit usually precedes the actual hit, Brian Whitmore, nonresident senior fellow at the Eurasia Center with the Atlantic Council, said during a panel discussion Thursday.

So Im watching this closely, and the first thing that came into my mind when this all went down  come at the king, you best not miss, Prigozhin missed.

Polling by the Russian-based Levada Center documented public favorability of Prigozhin dropping by half  from about 58 percent to 30 percent  in the days immediately before and after the attempted mutiny. Polling recorded 22 percent favorability of Prigozhin in early July.

Denis Volkov, director of the Levada Center, said that the polling firm was in the middle of a monthly, door-to-door survey and that gave them unique insight into how public opinion changed from one day to the next.

Most respondents appeared to have learned about Prighozins mutiny from remarks by Putin or other government sources and after it was largely resolved, influencing their negative views of the Wagner leader, Volkov wrote in an analysis.

Volkov said their polling found little damage to Putins reputation, with a majority holding a positive-neutral assessment and indicating that they would like to see him re-elected in Russias 2024 presidential elections, set to take place in March 2024.

While Levada is considered one of the few reputable polling agencies left in Russia, its data is collected in a culture where critical speech against the government and military is heavily policed, and nearly all independent news and analysis are blocked in the country.

And while criticism, opposition, disagreements and debates are present in the Russian media environment, they are often blunted or undermined by a stronger, government-backed effort to promote propaganda and sow confusion and mistrust.

They [Russia] do a good job of changing the subject  thats kind of what they do often, and so its more of like informational chaos, said Jonathan Teubner, founder and CEO of Filter Labs, which is using artificial intelligence to comb through online communications in Russia to track public opinion.

While the informational chaos serves to discourage the public from mobilizing a unified opposition, it also has the drawback of weakening efforts to organize support.

What were seeing now is they probably need to be motivating their population to believe something, or to do something, and theyre really bad at that, Teubner said.

They dont have another playbook.

Western intelligence said Prigozhins mutiny  which was launched and aborted over a chaotic 36 hours late last month  has presented the most serious challenge to Putins more than two-decade rule in Russia.

But the U.S, allies and experts have held back on predicting the Russian leaders quick fall from power.

People will sort of talk about this that Putin is weak, and why didnt he follow through on what he said  but there is a history of him sort of taking these less straightforward approaches to resolving challenges, said Peter Schroeder, a former senior U.S. intelligence official focused on Russia who serves as a senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security.

Putin made a rare televised public address in the initial hours of Prighozins rebellion  which broke out in earnest on June 24  promising to deliver punishment against the mutineers and describing the acts as treason and terrorism.

But with the intervention of Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Putin backed off his public threats, saying Prigozhin and his band of mercenaries could take refuge in Belarus. Russias internal security service, the FSB, dropped criminal charges against the Wagner head.

Schroeder called the episode striking, adding that Putin could face consequences for not following through on his words.

Putin might not care about the perceptions and believe that through control of state media, he can control the narrative. But, how elites view Putin does matter; it matters to how they will act in the future, he said. And he wont be able to hide the fact that he let the rivalry between Prigozhin and the Russian military leadership go on too long and that he had to scramble to prevent a worse outcome.

Shoring up public support is a key way to push back against faltering loyalty among the elite, said USIPs Glantz, and that likely prompted Putin to make a surprise visit and walk among the public in the southern Russian territory of Dagestan, days after Prigozhins retreat from his march on Moscow.

Video and images showed Putin taking selfies with supporters on the street, at one point kissing a little girl on the forehead.

It was a shocking visit for a leader who has largely withdrawn from public life, enacting strict isolation policies around COVID-19 and hosting visitors, from his closest advisors to foreign leaders, in cavernous rooms across a 20-foot table.

One of the things hes used to help maintain his control of the elites is his ability to say, the people are with me, Glantz said.

Thats one of the reasons he went to Dagestan is to be with the people and to show the elites around him, look, dont assume that Prigozhin has their support and I dont.

Glantz added that Putin is being cautious, carrying out retribution slowly  taking away Prigozhins wealth, weapons and power  and asserting himself as more engaged in managing the state.

It is sort of a familiar playbook, she said. I think hes returning to the more active management, to assert that hes making decisions and he knows what to do and to try and reestablish that maybe hes not as weak or incompetent as he seems.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Trump says he can end war in 24 hours; Zelenskyy says Biden could in 5 minutes: Ukraine live updates

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday dismissed claims by Donald Trump that he could end the war in 24 hours, saying the current GOP presidential front-runner failed to do so while president.

Zelenskyy, speaking through a translator on ABCs This Week," noted that Ukraine has been battling Russian proxies in the Donbas region since Russia seized Crimea in 2014. Trump served as president from 2016 to 2020.

"The sole desire to bring the war to an end is beautiful, but this desire should be based on some real-life experience," Zelenskyy said. "Donald Trump had already these 24 hours once in his time. We were at war, not a full-scale war. ... (Trump) had that time at his disposal, but he must have had some other priorities."

Trump has claimed to have a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but details on his plans to halt the war have been vague. Zelenskyy said that if Trump meant to end the war by forcing Ukraine to cede territory, "(President Joe) Biden could have brought it to an end even in five minutes, but we would not agree."

A Ukrainian soldier looks on next to a Russian TOS-1A Solntsepyok rocket launcher, which was captured by the Ukrainian army in Luhansk region on July 7, 2023.

Developments:

 Biden said he was "optimistic" Sweden would soon get the green light to join NATO. He said Sweden is making some adjustments to its laws at the behest of Turkey, the holdout against Swedish membership, and that a deal could include strengthening Turkey's air defenses.

 On his way to a NATO summit this week, Biden arrived Sunday in London for meetings with King Charles and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which present a chance to bolster the relationship with Britain and solidify the continued opposition to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

 Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was booed after losing Sunday in Wimbledon and not shaking hands with Ukrainian rival Elina Svitolina, even though Svitolina does not meet Russian and Belarusian players for the traditional post-match exchange in protest of Russias invasion of Ukraine. Azarenka said the crowd's reaction "wasn't fair.''

 Russia claimed it shot down a Ukraine missile over Russia's Rostov region along the Ukraine border. Regional Gov. Vasily Golubev said no damage or injuries were reported.

Biden says Putin's goal is to 'destroy NATO'

A primary goal of Putin's ambitious invasion of Ukraine was to destroy NATO, and keeping the alliance together is critical for the security of the U.S. and the West, Biden told CNN in an interview released Sunday. Biden and other NATO leaders will meet in Vilnius, Lithuania, starting Tuesday. Talks will be centered around providing Ukraine military support and a possible path to membership in the alliance.

"I believe Putin has had an overwhelming objective from the time he launched 185,000 troops into Ukraine, and that was to break NATO," Biden said. "So, holding NATO together is really critical."

Biden said when he first met Putin two years ago in Geneva, the Russian leader sought a commitment from the U.S. to keep Ukraine out of NATO. Biden declined to make the pledge, citing the alliance's "open-door policy. We're not going to shut anybody out."

But Biden acknowledged there is little desire among current NATO members to "bring Ukraine into the NATO family now" because the defense commitment would mean that all alliance members, including the U.S., would be at war with Russia. He also stressed that it will take Ukraine some time to meet NATO qualifications.

"I have spoken with Zelenskyy at length about this, and one of the things I indicated is the United States would be ready to provide, while the process was going on ... security a la the security we provide for Israel," he said.

Zelenskyy: Counteroffensive advancing; 'initiative is on our side'

The Ukraine counteroffensive is slowly gaining ground, but "every day means new losses of Ukrainians," Zelenskyy said in the ABC interview. The Ukrainian president noted that several months ago his military was forced to retreat from some areas of eastern Ukraine. Now some of that land is being taken back. He dismissed claims that some Western leaders were disappointed in the pace of the gains, saying all are well aware of the "total strength of Russians" and amount of equipment they have at their disposal.

"Of course, we would all like to see the counteroffensive accomplished in a shorter period of time, but there's reality," Zelenskyy said, adding that "today the initiative is on our side."

White House was 'not involved' in secret Ukraine talks

The White House says it was aware of but did not encourage or sanction secret talks about Ukraine between a group of former senior U.S. officials and Russians close to Putins government.

Members of the Council on Foreign Relations met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in April to begin laying the groundwork for an end to the war, NBC reported last week. The National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, said Sunday that the U.S. government was not involved in any way in the conversations.

We werent passing messages through them, Kirby said.

 Francesca Chambers

Zelenskyy hails 'heroes' return as Russia fumes

Ukraine is celebrating the return home of five commanders from the storied failed defense of the steel plant in Mariupol, released through a prisoner exchange that Russia says was not meant to grant them passage back to their country.

The swap was brokered in September by Turkey, where the Kremlin argues the commanders were supposed to stay until the end of the war. Regardless, they traveled Saturday with Zelenskyy to Ukraine against Moscow's objections.

Zelenskyy thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his intervention as he hailed the commanders' return to the western city of Lviv.

Before the war, Zelenskyy said: "Many people in the world still did not understand what we are, what you are, what to expect from us, and what our heroes are, Now everyone understands."

The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries had a phone conversation Sunday about the decision on the Ukrainian prisoners and about Erdogan's desire for the Black Sea grain agreement he helped broker, which expires July 17, to be extended by three months, Reuters reported.

Russian media portraying revolt in Putin's favor, British ministry says

Russias state-approved media, a critical tool as the Kremlin seeks to control the narrative around the war, was unprepared and taken aback by the Wagner mutiny of late June, the British Defense Ministry said in its latest update, noting that TV news shows kept their usual schedule.

Since then the state media have denied security forces reacted passively to the threat and stepped up their portrayal of the quelled insurrection as a Putin victory, highlighting his attempts at unifying the country behind him and making uncommon public appearances, most likely to project strength, the ministry said.

In addition, the state started to play down the significance of Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin and the mutiny, while tarnishing his character, the assessment said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine Russia live updates: Zelenskyy skeptical of Trump ending war
Rep. Barbara Lee campaigns during California Democrats' annual convention in downtown Los Angeles this spring. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

Sara Nichols is torn.

The environmental activist and political fundraiser loves the three Democratic members of Congress running to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein  who at 90 has said she will not run for reelection. Feinstein's wannabe successors all excite Nichols  with their interests in consumer protection, environmental justice and inequality.

"I would be thrilled to see any one of these exceptional candidates win Dianne Feinstein's seat: Rep. Adam Schiff, Rep. Katie Porter and Rep. Barbara Lee. Sadly, they will be duking it out for the foreseeable future, trying to win our hearts and minds," Nichols wrote in an April email to her political network.

But as Nichols has thought more about which candidate to support, having a woman represent California in the Senate has become a priority. She also wants generational change, and can't get past Lee being nearly 77 years old.

Lee "aligns with my political worldview. She's one of the kindest people I know. I love that woman to the moon and back. But I also love my country, and I love my granddaughter more," Nichols told The Times.

"My generation has screwed up this planet so badly. We've had our chance. Time to move on," she continued. "The end of her term, though, if [Lee] were to win, she'd be 84. And I had lots of reliable people tell me in 2018 that Dianne Feinstein was showing serious signs of dementia."

Nichols' views reflect an anxiety heard among nearly a dozen political activists, donors and elected officials who spoke to The Times and questioned whether it would be right for someone in her late 70s to replace a 90-year-old. Some, like Nichols  who is 76 herself  said a changing of the guard is sorely needed.

If Lee were to win the 2024 Senate race, it could leave the party in the same predicament it faced in 2018, when Feinstein insisted on running again despite calls for her to step aside. She won, but was spurned by the California Democratic Party, which endorsed Kevin de Leon, then a liberal state senator.

Age remains a sensitive subject, at least publicly, among California's political glitterati. When Feinstein announced earlier this year that she wouldn't seek another term, it appeared to clear the path for a younger person to take over.

Porter, a third-term congresswoman from Irvine, is 49. Schiff is 63 and was first elected in 2000. Dodgers great Steve Garvey, 74, is contemplating a run as a Republican. Lee would be 78 on her first day in office if elected. She would join a body where the median age of a senator is about 65, according to the Pew Research Center.

The collective agita over the question only increased during Feinstein's months-long absence from Washington when she was ill with shingles, and upon her return when, during a discussion with reporters, she appeared to not realize she'd been away from the Capitol.

During this period, Porter, Schiff and Lee would only say they wished Feinstein a speedy recovery and that it was her choice when to hang it up.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, then 89, outside the U.S. Capitol after her return in May. Her months-long absence for shingles only increased concern about her age and her ability to serve. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Recent polling from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and The Times indicated that most Californians want Feinstein to resign, and nearly two-thirds of registered voters in the state said her recent battle with shingles showed she was no longer fit to serve.

"How can you say DiFi is old and [Lee] is not," said one prominent California Democrat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid offending Lee. Others were leery of talking on the record because Feinstein's failing health has also been such a fraught topic.

"There's already a frustration about how were gonna spend so much freaking money for a safe Democratic seat this cycle  and then what? We have to do it again if she's not going to be there that long," the prominent Democrat said.

This all comes at a moment when the two leading candidates to be president of the United States are both over three-quarters of a century old. President Biden, 80, is constantly contending with questions about his age and fitness for office. In a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, 68% of Americans said Biden is too old for another term as president. In that same poll, 43% said former President Trump, 77, is also too old for another term.

Lee says the questions around her age amount to a distraction  one she addresses head-on but not something that she worries will hold her back. She's running to win, and despite reports about her only seeking one term, she's not closing off the option of running again in 2030.

"It's important for me to stay focused and to not let the noise become a destabilizing factor in my campaign, because I intend to win this," Lee said. "Voters will make their own decision.... People want representation. The lens that I bring as an African American woman has not been in the Senate for a while, and [there have been] only two African American women since 1789."

Democratic Reps. Adam B. Schiff, 63, and Katie Porter, 49, are also running to represent California in the U.S. Senate. (Kent Nishimura, Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

At the moment, she's focused on fundraising. Her campaign advisors say raising $10 million would help propel her into a runoff.

Shortly after the quarterly election fundraising deadline, Lee's campaign announced she'd raised $1 million in the second quarter and $2.1 million overall. Schiff netted $8.1 million, boosted by headlines around his censure by House Republicans, and has almost $30 million in cash, according to his campaign. Porter has yet to release her numbers.

Lee said donors and supporters bring up her age "only 10% of the time."

Some of Lee's allies and other California Democratic Party officials said questions about her age smack of sexism and the same double standard they say Feinstein has faced. Elected officials including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi have repeatedly said that more infirm male senators have served longer with less scrutiny than Feinstein.

"This is the first time Ive really heard mention of her age. She looks great. I wasnt even aware that she was 76," said Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chair Mark Gonzalez, a candidate for state Assembly, who hasn't endorsed anyone in the U.S. Senate race. "My only pushback to you is: Would you ask a white man that?"

Read more: California Politics: Senate candidates split on a few key points

USC Davis School of Gerontology professor Jennifer Ailshire said the focus on Feinstein's age had become a proxy for frustrations about her being out of step with the Democratic Party's liberal tilt.

She said the way Lee or even Biden campaign offers some insight into their fitness, because "some of these people in their 70s and 80s are just amazing in the amount of energy they have."

Lee has been crisscrossing the state fundraising and meeting voters, and just last week she held a multi-stop bus tour through the Central Valley.

"Campaigning is difficult. It's cognitively challenging. It's certainly physically challenging. If someone seems to have high energy, they're probably in pretty good shape," Ailshire said.

"Health risks do increase with age, and things can always happen to people. That's a decision that we're all making when we go to the polls," she said. "But ultimately, I think if a candidate looks kind of worn down, I might question them a little bit. Focusing on the level of energy that the person is showing can tell us a lot about what the next few years are going to be like for them."

Read more: Partisan mistrust still festers in Washington after Sen. Dianne Feinstein's absence

There are ample examples of Californians supporting older candidates for prominent elected offices. Jerry Brown was elected to his final term as governor at 76, nearly 40 years after he first served in the role. The longtime politician would challenge reporters to pushup contests, and recently told Politico that at 85 he is still fit enough to be president, but that "were not like the old Soviet Union, where they had all those men in the Politburo, people want some fresher faces.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, now 81, won the state's Democratic presidential primary in 2020. Nearly half a century ago, Californians elected Republican S.I. Hayakawa, a former president of San Francisco State, to the U.S. Senate at the age of 70. And in November, Democrat Shirley Weber, 74, became the first Black politician to be elected as California secretary of state.

Many of Lee's supporters see her long track record of advocating for progressive policies as a strength. They are captivated by her experience in government representing the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party  and her dissenting views on committing American troops abroad.

The Oakland politician regularly talks about her past: her key role in desegregating the cheerleading team while attending San Fernando Valley High School, her experience getting an illegal abortion in Mexico, her volunteer work with the Black Panthers, and how her career in politics began when she worked on Shirley Chisholm's presidential campaign in 1972.

One of Lee's strengths is the wisdom she has attained with age, her supporters say. She has also witnessed this nation's ever-changing political climate for more than half a century, from Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights era to Trump and his right-wing MAGA movement.

Rep. Ro Khanna, a chair of Lee's campaign, said he was drawn to her willingness to buck convention and take bold stands. The Fremont Democrat was one of the loudest voices this spring calling on Feinstein to step down after she missed an extended period of time. He said that voters saw the senator as someone unfit to fulfill her duties and that it showed how "D.C. politicians get to live by a different set of rules than most Americans who have jobs. There is such a frustration with a political system where entrenched politicians have clung to power for the last 40 years."

Lee is "fresher than the other candidates. It's not about age," Khanna said.

"It's a willingness to call into question the status quo and be the only vote against a 20-year-war in Afghanistan, be the voice that speaks up against [invading] Iraq, and is a voice that is speaking out against bloated military budgets," he continued. "When people say 'Barbara Lee speaks for me,' that's what they're talking about."

Rep. Barbara Lee leaves a Capitol news conference in May with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Greg Casar other members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Nathan Barankin, a consultant for an independent expenditure committee supporting Lee, said her biggest challenge isn't age, but introducing herself to voters.

Public and private polling show she's far less known than Porter or Schiff, he said, adding that there was a wide gulf between voters and political pundits when it came to views on Lee's age. For voters, he said, being older isn't a turnoff on its own. Rather, "it's age plus something  an inability to do the job [or] a misalignment between where Democratic voters are on policy and where the elected is."

"Advocates for those running who are not named Barbara Lee whisper about this all over the place, and thats sad to me," he said.

This spring, Barankin showed poll respondents the campaign launch videos for Schiff, Porter and Lee. Lee's featured images spanning decades, including a black-and-white photo of her as the first Black cheerleader at her high school.

He said that in polling before voters saw the videos, the numbers were very similar to those in public polls, with Lee trailing Porter and Schiff. But after voters saw the videos, their support for Lee grew  particularly among those 18 to 49 years old, whose support for her tripled. A similar phenomenon occurred among progressive and liberal voters.

"It says that age has no effect unless there is something more," Barankin said, adding that Lee "has none of the downsides of some of these other candidates  and certainly of Dianne Feinstein  and all of the upsides."

Former Times staff writer Melanie Mason contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
109 year old survivor of the Tulsa Race massacre Viola Fletcher (L) and Hughes Van Ellis (R) is 102 years old, is a survivor of the Massacre and brother of Mother Viola Fletcher speaks about their memoir in Washington D.C., United States on June 18, 2023. Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A judge dismissed a lawsuit brought forward by survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Plaintiffs sought damages and a plan for the city to rebuild what was lost during the massacre.

The city argued it didn't need to pay because the plaintiffs didn't prove they had a claim to compensation.

An Oklahoma judge dismissed a lawsuit brought forward by survivors of what historians call the "single worst incident of racial violence in American History" after lawyers for the City of Tulsa argued that the city's connection to the event should not allow plaintiffs to "seek compensation."

On Friday, court records show Judge Caroline Wall ordered that the suit  filed in September 2020 by three survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921  should be dismissed with prejudice.

This means that Lessie Benningfield Randle, 108, Viola Fletcher, 109, and Hughes Van Ellis, 102, can not refile the suit in the Oklahoma district court it was originally filed in. However, they can still appeal the decision to a higher court.

Randle's home was destroyed and looted during the massacre, while siblings Ellis and Fletcher escaped with their family after their home was burned to the ground.

"We still remain blighted. We wish the DOJ would investigate," Ike Howard, the grandson of Fletcher, told CNN following the ruling. "How can we get justice in the same city that created the nuisance? Is justice only for the rich?"

In an amended petition filed in 2022, the plaintiffs argued that the City of Tulsa created a public nuisance when it failed to act after white residents looted and burned down the prosperous Black neighborhood of Greenwood  sometimes referred to as Black Wall Street  killing an estimated 300 Black residents in the process. The lawsuit cites an Oklahoma statute that defines a public nuisance as "unlawfully doing an act, or omitting to perform a duty" that results in injury or harm to others.

The suit also pointed out the ongoing harm Black residents in Oklahoma suffered due to the massacre.

The plaintiffs also said that the city profited off these deaths by "marketing Black Wall Street" while refusing to pay reparations for or investigate the massacre. For example, the plaintiffs argued that the primary purpose of a $30 million history center built in the Greenwood District was to drive revenue for the city. The plaintiffs sought punitive damages, although they did not specify a dollar amount, as well as the replacement of buildings, homes, and businesses destroyed during the massacre.

The city moved to dismiss the suit, arguing that plaintiffs did not prove that they suffered "individualized injury" and that "simply being connected to a historical event does not provide a person with unlimited rights to seek compensation from any project in any way related to that historical event."

In a statement to Insider following the ruling, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said that the city had not yet received the full order or an opinion on the case but was aware of the decision.



"The city remains committed to finding the graves of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims, fostering economic investment in the Greenwood District, educating future generations about the worst event in our community's history, and building a city where every person has an equal opportunity for a great life," Bynum said in a statement.

The tragic 1921 massacre stemmed from an incident in May of that year after a white female elevator operator accused a 19-year-old Black shoeshine of attacking her. The massacre began following a spat between a white mob and a group of Black men trying to protect the shoeshine.

By the time the National Guard arrived, the neighborhood was burned to the ground. No one was ever held responsible for the damage or deaths.

Representatives for Justice for Greenwood, an organization representing the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Reparations lawsuit filed by last three known survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre is dismissed

A judge in Oklahoma has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations brought by the last three known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The move dashes efforts to obtain some measure of legal justice more than 100 years after the deadly racist rampage.

On Friday, Judge Caroline Wall dismissed with prejudice the lawsuit trying to force the city and others to make recompense for the destruction of the once-thriving Black district known as Greenwood.

The case was brought in 2020 by the three survivors  Lessie Benningfield Randle, 108, Viola Fletcher, 109, and Hughes Van Ellis, 102. They hoped to see, as their attorney put it, justice in their lifetime.

The plaintiffs brought the lawsuit under Oklahomas public nuisance law, stating that they wanted to seek relief from the day in which a white mob killed as many as 300 Black people and left thousands homeless, destroying a 35-block area, looting and burning it to the ground. Survivors were housed in a hastily constructed internment camp.

Greenwood, then one of the most prosperous Black business districts in the nation, never recovered. The lawsuit contended that Tulsas long history of racial division and tension stemmed from the massacre.

No compensation has ever been paid to the victims for everything they lost either by the city of insurance companies  the subsequent racial and economic disparities can still be seen today, the plaintiffs argued.

In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Oklahoma during the racially driven massacre

The lawsuit sought a detailed accounting of the property and wealth lost or stolen in the massacre, the construction of a hospital in north Tulsa, and the creation of a victims compensation fund, among other things.

A Chamber of Commerce attorney previously argued that while the Tulsa massacre was horrible, the nuisance it caused was not ongoing.

The City of Tulsa requested the lawsuit be dismissed with prejudice against refiling. Part of their legal teams argument was that simply being connected to a historical event does not provide a person with unlimited rights to seek compensation from any project in any way related to that historical event.

If that were the case, every person connected to any historical event could make similar unjust enrichment claims against every museum or point of remembrance, they claimed.

Tulsa County District Court Judge Wall appears to have been convinced and wrote in a brief order that she was tossing the case based on arguments from the city, regional chamber of commerce, and other state and local government agencies. She had previously allowed the case to proceed having ruled against a 2022 dismissal motion by the defendants.

While local judicial elections in Oklahoma are technically nonpartisan, Ms Wall has described herself as a Constitutional Conservative in past campaign questionnaires.

Ms Fletcher, the oldest living survivor and plaintiff, is set to release a memoir next month about the life she lived in the shadow of the massacre. She was seven years old when Greenwood burned.

In 2019, Oklahomas attorney general used the public nuisance law to force opioid drug maker Johnson & Johnson to pay the state $465m in damages. The Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned that decision two years later.

With reporting by The Associated Press
Restaurant employee shot in foot after fight over food order in Platte County, officials say

An employee was shot and injured Sunday at a restaurant in Northmoor, Missouri.

The Platte County Sheriffs Office and Riverside Police Department responded around 5:20 p.m. to a shooting at the Vivion West Shopping Center in the 2500 block of Vivion Road, where a 24-year-old woman was shot one time while working at a restaurant, according to Major Eric Holland, a spokesman for the sheriffs office.

Investigators believe a fight broke out over a food order before customers assaulted restaurant employees. Workers tried to remove the involved individuals, when a single shot was fired from a handgun that struck an employee in the foot.

Two suspects, a 29-year-old woman and a 21-year-old woman, are speaking to investigators. The sheriffs office does not believe there is any danger to the public.

We never want to see this type of senseless behavior occur, Sheriff Mark Owen said in a statement. Thankfully no one lost their life in this incident.
A retired Texas veteran became a bestselling author overnight after a TikTok video of him selling books at Kroger went viral

TikTok screenshots of Shawn Warner doing a book signing for his book "Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor" at a Kroger in Texas. @internetfamouslol/TikTok

A retired veteran's mystery novel became a bestseller after it went viral on TikTok.

Shawn Warner said the video going viral was an "amazing thing that happened."

Another author's decade-old fantasy novel also became a bestseller after his daughter posted a TikTok about it.

A Texas man's mystery novel became a bestseller overnight after a TikToker posted a video of him selling copies of the book at a table inside a grocery store.

Shawn Warner's book "Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor" follows the story of an orphaned girl who uses the help of ghostly companions to solve the murder of her parents, according to Warner's website.

Warner is a retired veteran and father of two who is living out his "childhood dream" of being a writer, his author profile says.

TikToker Jerrad Swearenjin, who uses the username @internetfamouslol, posted a video of Warner selling copies of his book inside a Kroger store in Texas, which has more than 18 million views at the time of writing.

"I was just shopping when I noticed this man trying to promote his new book," Swearenjin wrote in the caption. "I honestly don't even read books nowadays. But something told me to get a couple."

TikTok has become one of the biggest modern purveyors of culture in recent years. Songs that gain popularity on TikTok have dominated music charts and many spawned creative dances to accompany them.

The push to make music and artists profitable on TikTok has permeated the music industry to such a degree that some marketers and songwriters say they're exhausted trying to meet the demand.

More recently the social media outlet has also become a way for authors to find new audiences through the rise of BookTok, a community of authors and book lovers. In February, Lloyd Richards' daughter turned his 2012 fantasy novel "Stone Maidens" into a bestseller after she posted a TikTok about the book that got millions of views.

Warner posted a follow-up video on TikTok where he said that he was now talking to his publisher about putting out an audiobook and was planning to put out a hard copy version. On Amazon, the book is the #1 best seller in teen and young adult detective story ebooks.

"When Red came up and talked to me, I was just so eager to talk to anybody at that point because there had been a lull in my sales," Warner says in the video. "It was just an amazing thing that happened after that and it's all thanks to you for your kindness and generosity."

Warner did not immediately return Insider's request for comment Sunday.

Read the original article on Insider
(Photo : Niall Carson - Pool/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden defended his decision to reverse course and provide lethal cluster munitions to Ukraine, stating categorically in an interview that Ukraine was "running out of ammunition."



President Joe Biden defended his decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, which are prohibited by many of the United States's closest allies, on Friday, stating that it was a difficult choice, but "the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition" in their fight against Russian forces.

Biden struggled for months with the decision to provide the munitions, which disperse small, lethal bomblets across the battlefield.

US to Send More Weapons to Ukraine

Per NY Times, they have been known to cause severe injuries months or years after a conflict has ended, frequently among children who gather up bomblets that did not detonate when dropped.

The president ultimately determined that depriving Ukraine of the armaments would leave it defenseless against Russia. He stated that it was a provisional measure until conventional artillery ammunition could be produced in more significant quantities.

The decision represented a departure from several of America's closest allies and prompted criticism from Democrats, who expressed concern that the weapons endangered America's moral standing. The measure could also complicate Biden's efforts to demonstrate unity during next week's NATO summit in Lithuania.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg evaded whether he believed it prudent for the United States to provide the weaponry to Ukraine. US officials have noted that Russia has employed cluster munitions in Ukraine for most of the conflict.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pressuring Biden to provide him with more to flush out the Russians entrenched in trenches and prevent the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Several weeks ago, Jake Sullivan, the president's national security adviser, told reporters at the White House that Ukraine had made a direct request for the munitions. Sullivan stated that the Ukrainians had pledged to use the munitions to avoid civilian casualties but that there were no guarantees.

Biden characterized the transfer as a limited endeavor during a "transition period" instead of a fundamental shift in US policy. He had to circumvent his administration's condemnation of Russia's bombing of civilian areas during its barbaric invasion of Ukraine, as per Daily Mail.

He made a similar remark after his address on health care on Friday in response to why the United States was now providing them. Cluster munitions disperse "bomblets" over a large area, allowing them to target enemy forces effectively.

Although the US is not a signatory to a pact, he acknowledged the international effort to ban the munitions, supported by more than 100 nations. Neither are Ukraine and Russia.

He also discussed the obstacles the Ukrainians face in their renewed offensive now that Russian forces have entrenched their positions and the Ukrainians are attempting to reclaim territory.

The Ukrainian military has been steadily recuperating territory and liberating some villages from Russian control, but at a slower rate than some offensives from the previous year.

However, the conflict has reduced stockpiles. The Biden administration has made a complete about-face on cluster munitions, going from labeling their use in the Russia-Ukraine conflict a "war crime" last year to insisting that they are essential to Ukraine's defenses this year.

Meanwhile, Zelensky reiterated his request for long-range armaments to conduct offensive and defensive operations against the invading Russian forces. Zelensky stated on Friday during a visit to the Czech Republic that Ukraine was discussing long-range weapon systems with some allies, including the United States.

Read Also: Yellen Criticizes China's Treatment of US Companies, Urges Beijing To Adopt Market Reforms

EU to Spend $545 Million for Ukraine

According to VOA News, the visit to Prague is part of Zelensky's foreign tour preceding next week's NATO summit, where he is anticipated to advocate for Ukraine's membership.

The European Union announced on Friday that its member states have agreed to spend $545 million to increase munitions production in Ukraine and replenish the munitions inventories of EU members.

The Act in Support of Ammunition Production, or ASAP, will concentrate primarily on manufacturing artillery projectiles and missiles.

Ukrainian forces have advanced more than a kilometer against Russian troops near the eastern city of Bakhmut, a military spokesman told Ukrainian television on Friday. Serhiy Cherevatyi was quoted as saying.

The controversial weapons are launched from a canon and disperse dozens of "bomblets" over a large area. They can continue to inflict damage long after the war has ended. 123 nations have prohibited cluster munitions due to their risk to civilians, but the United States, Ukraine, and Russia have not.

Cluster munitions are anticipated to be included in a new U.S. aid package for Ukraine that will be announced on Friday. The provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine is being considered, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said on Thursday.

On the battlefield, Ukraine and Russia employ their own cluster munitions. However, Ukraine has requested that the United States deliver cluster munitions because its forces are running low on ammunition. Due to the civilian risk, the United States has resisted providing cluster munitions thus far.

Related Article: Zaporizhzhia Attack: UN Scrambles To Order Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Following Catastrophic Plot Claims

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Reznikov showcases Ukrainian reconnaissance station RPS-7 Inhul, capable of long-range aircraft detection

Ukrainians are testing an innovative domestically produced radio-electronic reconnaissance station called RPS-7 Inhul, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov reported on Twitter on July 9, sharing a video of the station.

After all stages are completed, it will be handed over for deployment in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The station is capable of detecting enemy radars, air defense systems, and aircraft at long distances. The soldiers informed the minister that thanks to this station, they were able to see Russian aircraft, including Il-20s over the Azov Sea, Il-22s, tactical aviation, and the operations of the Tor, Osa, and Zoopark air defense systems.

Obtaining this information is critical for our artillery, which hunts down Russian military equipment, explained Reznikov.

This project is being implemented not with state funds but with the assistance of designers, sponsors, and businesses, said Reznikov. He hopes that the Ministry of Defense will soon receive an official report from the brigade that will utilize the RPS-7 Inhul.

Read also:

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Laura Lowry, who is on disability and who said that she could not afford to run her air conditioner, in Houston, July 7, 2023. (Callaghan OHare/The New York Times)

HOUSTON  When the torrential rain stopped Friday afternoon, Laura Lowry could see the steam rising off the wet pavement. She was on her front porch in the Fifth Ward neighborhood of Houston, desperate for relief from the relentless humidity and 91-degree heat. The air conditioner in her house worked, but she and her husband, reliant on disability checks, couldnt afford to run it.

The lack of cool air wasnt simply a matter of discomfort for Lowry, 73. It was dangerous. Just a few weeks ago, there had been a terrifying moment when she was so taxed by the heat after waiting outside a food pantry that she had slumped into her porch chair as soon as she got home. I couldnt make it inside, she said. I felt like I was passing out.

Another wave of dangerous heat sweeping across the South and into the West this past week has posed particular perils for older people, who are among the most vulnerable to such extreme conditions.

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Forecasters expect the scorching spell to continue through the coming week, with heat indexes rising to well over 100 degrees across a vast swath of the South, reaching from Texas, across the Gulf Coast and into Florida.

It has created misery, and has also underscored a recognition that health risks stand to intensify as a changing climate brings higher temperatures that will likely endure for longer periods.

This can be deadly, especially in these vulnerable populations, said Natalie Christian, an assistant professor of geriatrics at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.

I certainly dont think its a problem that is going to go away, she added. Its something were going to have to respond to, and were going to have to respond to in a bigger way.

The aging process makes older bodies generally less capable of withstanding extreme heat, doctors say.

Theyre at extremely high risk of heat stroke and death, James H. Diaz, a professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at Louisiana State Universitys School of Public Health, said of older people. When we look at what happens with these heat waves, most of the deaths occur in the homebound elderly.

In many communities, including in New Orleans and Houston, officials have opened cooling centers and shelters in recent weeks, with air-conditioned shuttle buses meandering through neighborhoods, picking people up. Programs are also in place to provide or repair air conditioners or help people struggling to afford their electricity bills.

But in some of the Souths hottest places, there was a sense Friday that the heat was inescapable.

Theres nothing we can do about this heat; only God can do something, said David Flores, 81, who lives in an apartment in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood. The temperature there approached 90 degrees Friday, and the heat index  a measure of what the temperature actually feels like  ranged from 105 to 109 degrees. With a single wall unit in his apartment, he said, I leave the bedroom door open so that it cools down my little living room.

Victor Hugo Grajales, 66, said he was trying to avoid leaving his air-conditioned home in Miami. Young people can handle this. They have the energy, he said. But seniors are suffering.

Older bodies tend to hold more heat than younger ones, and as people age, they produce less sweat, making it tougher to regulate body temperature and dissipate heat. It can be harder for even healthy older adults to tell if theyre dehydrated or overheated, Christian said.

Common health issues  including heart problems, high blood pressure and diabetes  put older people more at risk of consequences from heat stress, medical experts said. Medications also have an effect: Certain drugs can increase the amount of heat generated in a persons internal organs, influence the amount of heat that a person can tolerate or interfere with sweating.

Signs of heat stress include feelings of exhaustion and possibly a headache, dizziness and flushed skin. Your skin may be moist and clammy, your pupils are dilated, Diaz said. You may be sweating a little bit but not enough.

If a situation is progressing to a heat stroke, a persons body temperature will spike, reaching 103 degrees or higher. The patient is going to stop sweating entirely, Diaz said, and could lose consciousness.

Thats a 911 emergency, he said. Youre now dealing with heatstroke. Your mortality rate is now approaching 50%.

Euradell Williams, 71, underwent a triple bypass surgery last year and has diabetes. She knows the heat affects her blood pressure. She tries to be cautious, but living on the south side of Houston means the heat is unavoidable, especially as she takes the bus most days to a community center more than an hour away, where she does crafts, swims in the indoor pool and socializes.

By the time I leave here Im drained, she said at the center Friday. Im just slumped over on the bus after just a minute of being out there.

Familiarity with the heat has led to strategies for coping. Nati Guerrera, 88, of Miami, only emerges from her house at night. Virginia Rivera, 77, monitors the palm trees at her retirement community in downtown Orlando, Florida.

You see the trees blowing in the breeze, you can go out and enjoy it, said Rivera, who has a heart monitor and recently suffered a stroke. If you open the door and the trees arent moving, stay inside.

This years especially intense heat causes aches and pains, she noted, adding, It just cuts your air and you cant breathe.

In another neighborhood of Orlando, Veronica King, 67, said she keeps her air conditioner running even if she cant afford to. I have to figure out how to cover that bill, she said, adding that she relies on machines that help her breathe. When its hot, I cant breathe.

In Houston, where the heat index could reach 107 degrees Sunday, Lowry and her husband, Jasper, 72, have come up with a compromise. They have two cars, neither with working air conditioning. But they figured they could at least spare the money to repair it in one of them.

I used to get out here and work in the yard, and trim the grass and work on the car, Jasper Lowry said, sitting in the wheelchair he has needed since having a stroke. But I cant do it no more because its too hot.

He stayed outside, watching over the man he had hired to fix his car, waiting for the chance to turn it on and  at last  feel a blast of cool air.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Whats wrong with protecting disinformation by blocking a bunch of Biden administration agencies and officials from communicating with social media companies about it?

The answer to that question is found right in the 155-page memo issued last week by federal judge Terry A. Doughty, along with his preliminary injunction. Doughtys ruling was in response to a lawsuit brought by Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons appointed attorney general, Andrew Bailey, and Baileys Louisiana counterpart, Daniel Cameron. The suit accuses President Joe Biden and a long list of others of violating the First Amendments free speech protections.

Doughty, a Donald Trump appointee in Louisiana whose oeuvre also includes blocking the vaccine mandate for health care workers, says the case arguably involves the most massive attack against Free Speech in United States history.

His response is arguably a footlong baloney sub of spicy hyperbole and internal contradictions.

As his memo notes again and again, government attempts to fight disinformation about COVID-19 did begin under Trump. (Of course they did, just as they should have, and would have under any president, who after all has a responsibility to try and protect the public during a pandemic.)

Yet Doughty also says again and again that what he sees as government censorship almost exclusively targeted conservative speech and so amounts to viewpoint discrimination.

Plaintiffs include Jim Hoft of St. Louis, who owns and runs the conspiracy theory website Gateway Pundit. His fake scoops have included debunked theories about everything from the Parkland school shooting to Nancy Pelosis husband Paul supposedly being attacked by his gay lover.

First, theres nothing conservative about spreading bum information about public health, or about election fraud, either, even if anti-vax and antidemocratic views have now been adopted by many on the right.

Doughty himself notes that one of those supposedly targeted, more than two years ago, was Robert Kennedy, Jr., longtime anti-vax wackadoodle and now Democratic presidential candidate, who despite his support from Steve Bannon and others who hope hell help get Trump reelected cannot fairly be described as conservative.

That the plaintiffs are all of the far right could mean that Doughty is correct about viewpoint discrimination, but it could also mean that in this moment, the dangerous anti-vax views that started on the left have migrated to and exploded on the right. Thanks largely to Trump, thats where antidemocratic views have blown up, too.

Surely government officials are supposed to use their bully pulpits to take on any viewpoint that is getting people killed, yet Doughty notes that in a deposition, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthys senior adviser Eric Waldo admitted that Murthy used his bully pulpit to talk about health misinformation and to put pressure on social media platforms.

Is that not the job of a surgeon general? And if it isnt, what is?

Because the Republican AGs arent suing Trump, the judge says that whether the previous Administration did the same thing is not an issue before this Court, and would not be a defense to Defendants even if it were true.

It would, however, seem to refute what hes saying about viewpoint discrimination.

US fights terrorism, child abuse in social media

For years, the government has tried to work with social media companies to get them to inhibit terrorism and criminal activity like child porn.

Those efforts expanded, as they had to, after 2016 election interference and again after the pandemic began.

In his order, the judge said some exceptions to whats generally considered protected speech would still allow communication between government officials and social media companies on national security threats or voter suppression.

But since disinformation about the pandemic and about election security are national security threats, and disinformation about the pandemic and election security is also what the suit centers on, all thats left to complain about might only be communications like that time the Biden White House asked Twitter to add a disclaimer to a video that had been edited to make it look as though Jill Biden had been profanely heckling kids while reading to them. (Twitter did take the video down, too  more than a month later.)

Democrats, naturally, continue to complain that social media platforms have done far too little to protect our democracy. Even the instances of coercion cited by Doughty shows that government pressure on companies to fight disinformation didnt work very well. Which cuts against his feeling that yes, the targeted entities reacted in a manner evincing the perception of implicit threat.

And that was before Elon Musks Twitter laid off much of its Trust and Safety division and Meta cut back on Facebook content moderation.

Both Republicans and Democrats have talked about amending Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which essentially lets tech companies make their own decisions about what content to remove.

Trump targeted social media over fact-checking

In 2020, just after Twitter applied fact-checking labels to two of Trumps tweets, he signed an executive order directing the Federal Communications Commission to review Section 230. The Washington Post reported at the time that the order could open the door for the U.S. government to assume oversight of political speech on the internet, a broadside against Silicon Valley that a wide array of critics derided as a threat to free speech.

Doughtys ruling says Biden administration officials can rightly be considered to have coerced social media companies by threatening, but not actually carrying out, action on 230.

The problems he cites include emails and regular meetings between government and social media officials, but also public statements, as if government officials dont have the same free speech rights that the judge says theyre suppressing.

At one point, the National Institutes of Health apparently asked Twitter to remove impostor accounts from those posing as Tony Fauci, and they did eject six fake online Tonys.

Doughty also notes a number of times when social media companies asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for COVID-19 guidance. Would it have been better if they had instead queried those pushing ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine on Fox News?

The judge says in conclusion that though this is not his final word, the evidence thus far depicts an almost dystopian scenario, and that during the pandemic, the government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian Ministry of Truth. 

The Department of Justice has asked the judge to stay his order, arguing that its vague, confusing and likely to be overturned. Yes, yes, and lets hope.
Russia bans Ukrainian citizens in occupied territories from speaking with people in free Ukraine

Occupiers

Russian invaders are making efforts to isolate local residents in occupied areas from engaging with individuals residing in Ukrainian-controlled territories, according to a report by the National Resistance Center (NRC) on June 9.

Specifically, in Luhansk Oblast, the occupation administration is issuing threats to anyone found in contact with individuals from Ukrainian-controlled territories, in order to prevent the leakage of information regarding the location of enemy forces.

The National Resistance Center highlighted that, following a series of successful missile strikes targeting Russian troop concentrations, heightened scrutiny of local residents phones has been observed in populated areas of Luhansk Oblast, with the purpose of identifying potential informants.

Read also: Ukraine reportedly destroys huge Russian ammo dump

On July 6, the NRC reported that Russian invaders have intensified propaganda efforts in the occupied territory of Kherson Oblast, aiming at fostering increased loyalty among the civilian population towards the occupation administration.

Russian occupation forces explicitly did not assist in rescue and evacuation efforts following the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in occupied areas that were flooded.

Read also:

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Russia wants Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to be discussed at NATO Summit

NATO should include the issue of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on the agenda of its upcoming summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on Telegram on July 9.

Using typical Russian propaganda cliches, Zakharova referred to Ukraine as a "terrorist regime" and accused Kyiv of "deliberately causing harm" to the Zaporizhzhya NPP.

"They (the Ukrainian authorities) have now embarked on a plan for 'self-rescue'  a deliberate infliction of damage to the Zaporizhzhya NPP," she alleged.

Zakharova says she believes that NATO should consider this issue at the upcoming summit,as "the majority of Alliance countries will be directly affected."

Zakharova did not comment on the actions of her country at the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP: she did not mention the deployment of Russian troops at the nuclear facility, intimidation and interference with the station's personnel, the mining of various locations at the NPP, and the threat of a radioactive explosion.

Read also: Nuclear security specialist on potential terrorist attack at ZNPP

The ZNPP was occupied by Russian forces in March 2022. Since then, the invaders have constantly interfered with the work of Ukrainian specialists at the plant. They have consistently intimidated the planets personnel, engaged in kidnappings, and have forced them to sign contracts to work with Russias nuclear operator, Rosatom.

On June 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia was considering a scenario for a terrorist act at the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP and had "prepared everything" for it.

The chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, also stated that the Russians had completed preparations for a possible terrorist act at the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP. According to his information, explosive devices have been placed near four out of six reactors, and the cooling pond has also been mined.

On July 6, Budanov stated that Ukraine was able to reduce the threat to the Zaporizhzhya NPP through public and covert actions. The head of the Military Intelligence Directorate believes that the threats to the NPP will persist as long as the Russians occupy the nuclear facility.

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Russia said it was blindsided by Turkey after Zelenskyy left the country with formerly imprisoned Azov battalion members

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Vladimir Putin (R). Alexey Furman/Getty Images, Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA

Five Ukrainian soldiers returned from Turkey, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

Russia said Turkey violated an agreement for the soldiers to stay until the war's end.

The comments came after Turkey's Erdogan announced he would host Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy collected five previously imprisoned Azov battalion commanders in a recent trip to Turkey, prompting confusion from Russia, which accused Ankara of walking back an agreement to keep them until the war's end.

In a Saturday video posted by Zelenskyy, commanding members of the battalion  a white nationalist paramilitary force within the Ukrainian National Guard  can be seen hugging the Ukrainian president before they board a plane. The commanders had been captured in the port city of Mariupol.

"We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home," a post on Zelenskyy's Twitter read.

According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agency RIA that Turkey was supposed to keep the prisoners in the country, according to an agreement forged between Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey. The comments came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the country would host Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the exporting of Ukrainian grain during the war, per the outlet.

"No one informed us about this," Peskov said, according to Reuters. "According to the agreements, these ringleaders were to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict."

Russian forces captured hundreds of Ukrainian fighters during the three-month bloody battle in Mariupol before troops surrendered in May 2022. Many of these troops who held the line by hiding in bunkers and tunnels under the Azovstal steel plant were Azov battalion members.

A prisoner swap organized with the help of Turkey and Saudi Arabia in September allowed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers to return home. Zelenskyy announced part of the agreement included that five commanders of the Azov battalion who led the charge in Mariupol would remain in Turkey until the war concluded. Zelenskyy did not share what conditions changed that allowed him to take the commanders home.

As for the other Azov soldiers captured in Mariupol, 22 are currently facing trial in Russia after the country designated the battalion as a terrorist group. Human Rights Watch chastised the proceedings, saying the trial violated the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Spokespersons for Zelenskyy, Erdogan, and Putin did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Denys Prokopenko

Commander Denys Prokopenko of the Azov Battalion has declared his intention to return to the frontlines to continue the fight against Russia, following his repatriation from Turkey, in an interview on June 8.

Prokopenko said that their primary goal is to be back in Ukraine and contribute to the ongoing war effort.

He expressed confidence that the Ukrainian military will make a significant impact on the battlefield.

I firmly believe that the army is a collaborative effort," Prokopenko said.

"Today, we stand united, and we will continue the fight. We will undoubtedly have our say in the battle. The most crucial aspect at present is that the Ukrainian army has gained strategic initiative on the front lines. With each passing day, we advance, destroy the enemy, and liberate temporarily occupied territories."

The returned soldiers were flown to Ukraine via a passenger aircraft belonging to the Czech Air Force, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote on Twitter on July 8.

I am glad that our Air Force assisted in bringing these brave defenders of freedom from the Azov Battalion back to Ukraine. We will always stand by Ukraine, Fiala wrote.

The same aircraft was used by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his visits to Czechia, Slovakia, and Turkey.

Russia has protested the transfer, alleging that it violated agreements Moscow has struck with Ankara and Kyiv. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, said that "the return of the leaders of the terrorist Azov from Turkey to Ukraine violates the conditions of existing agreements. The conditions of their return were breached by both the Turkish side and Kyiv."

Peskov further added that Russia was not informed about the transfer of commanders to Ukraine, and according to the agreements, Ukrainian military personnel were supposed to remain in Turkey until the end of the conflict.

Read also: Erdogan confirms Putin's August visit to Turkey

Responding to the Kremlins allegations of agreement violations, Andriy Yusov, representative of the Ukrainian militarys Main Intelligence Directorate, stated to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that all relevant actions were taken with respect to the interests of Ukrainian prisoners of war, who were released from captivity, and, of course, in compliance with all necessary procedures and international norms of law.

Yusov emphasized that he cannot disclose the details and conditions of the commanders return but assured that Kyiv will continue repatriating Ukrainian captives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on July 8 that five Azov Battalion commanders were returning home. Zelenskyy welcomed them at Istanbul airport, and later in the evening, they arrived in Lviv.

Read also: Turkish media reveal new details of Medvedchuks swap for Azovstal commanders

The five Azov Battalion commanders had been in Turkey under the personal protection of President Erdogan as part of an agreement following the large-scale prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia in September 2022. Five Azov Battalion commanders were exchanged for 55 Russian military personnel, while the remaining prisoners were traded for a suspected Putin ally and Ukrainian lawmaker, Viktor Medvedchuk, who faced charges of state treason.

They spent over nine months in Turkey after being released from Russian captivity.

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Russia is implementing software at seized enterprises that will allow it to export agricultural products from the occupied territories of Ukraine to China.

Source: Ukraines National Resistance Center

Quote: "At the occupier-controlled enterprises for the production, processing, and storage of agricultural products (especially grain), automated systems of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (known as Rosselkhoznadzor) are being implemented. The software package includes the Argus, Cerberus, Mercury (veterinary control) and Vesta (phytosanitary) subsystems. These software tools are designed to automate the process of collecting and analyzing information on agricultural products to be exported outside the Eurasian Union member states.

In the context of sanctions imposed on Russia for waging war against Ukraine, China remains a key exporter of Russia. At present, Russia is actively exporting stolen grain from the [temporarily occupied territories] of Ukraine to Syria and Turkey under the guise of its own harvest. The introduction of these programs will allow it to expand the geography of looted exports, in particular to China."

Background: According to the National Resistance Center, the occupation so-called administration of the city of Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast has prepared a plan to evacuate collaborators, documents and valuable property from the city.

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Russia warns NATO summit to discuss Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant given most allies in 'direct impact zone'

Russia warns NATO summit to discuss Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant given most allies in 'direct impact zone'

Russias Foreign Ministry warned Sunday that those attending the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania this week should discuss the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, given "the vast majority of the alliance members will be in the direct impact zone" should any impending disaster occur at the facility.

In a Telegram message, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of plotting a "systematic infliction of damage" to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant  Europes largest  which is located in southeastern Ukraine and occupied by Russian troops.

"The NATO summit's key attention should be devoted to it," Zakharova wrote, according to Reuters. "After all, the vast majority of the alliance members will be in the direct impact zone."

Last week, Ukraine and Russia accused each other of planning an imminent attack against the plant.

UKRAINE, RUSSIA ACCUSE EACH OTHER OF PLANNING IMMINENT ATTACK AGAINST EUROPE'S LARGEST NUCLEAR PLANT

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg on June 16, 2022.

Ukrainian intelligence noted that Russian forces were pulling out of the territory around the plant.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an interview on ABCs "This Week" Sunday that he believes "Russia is planning a local explosion" and anticipates "additional steps in order to make the entire world to be afraid of the global nuclear disaster and halt all military action on the battlefield."

In a July 7 statement, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said "experts have received additional access at the site of Ukraines Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, without  so far  observing any visible indications of mines or explosives."

President Biden will be among the NATO leaders planning to meet in Vilnius, Lithuania, located some 620 miles from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, from July 11-12. The worlds biggest security alliance is expected to iron out agreements on admitting Sweden as its 32nd member as well as continued support for Ukraine.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control, on July 7, 2023.

JOHN KIRBY DEFENDS BIDEN'S DECISION TO SEND CLUSTER MUNITIONS: THIS IS ABOUT KEEPING UKRAINE IN THE FIGHT

Biden  who despite unease from several U.S. allies agreed to send cluster munitions to Ukraine  has spoken out against granting Ukraine NATO membership in the immediate future as the war against Russia continues, raising the concern that doing so would spark a wider scale conflict.

Zelenskyy alleged Tuesday, citing intelligence reports, that Russian troops placed "objects resembling explosives" atop several power units to "simulate" an attack as part of a false flag operation. The "foreign objects" were placed on the roof of the plants third and fourth power units, the General Staff of Ukraines armed forces said.

In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, called the situation at the nuclear plant "quite tense," and accused Kyiv of planning an attack.

The U.N. atomic watchdog has repeatedly warned of the possibility of a radiation catastrophe like the one at Chernobyl, about 300 miles to the northwest, where a reactor exploded in 1986. The Zaporizhzhia plant has been shelled numerous times since the war began.

Regular power outages have made it impossible to operate the plant safely, and its six reactors have been shut down to minimize the threat of a disaster.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Celebrations of the Victory Day marking the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two

BEIJING (Reuters) - Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko will lead a delegation to China from Sunday through Wednesday, state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.

The speaker will attend the eighth meeting of the China-Russia committee for parliamentary cooperation, the report said.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by William Mallard)
Captured equipment left behind by Russian troops in their invasion of Ukraine is now turned against them, including tanks and the notorious TOS-1A Buratino thermobaric rocket launcher.

Ukrainian soldiers from the 67th Mechanized Brigade, Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, reportedly conducted strikes against Russian positions outside of Tors'ke in the Donetsk region Saturday (July 8) using the so-called heavy flamethrower the Russians also called "Solntsepyok" or "Sunheat."

The strikes were also confirmed by a certain Telegram user named @horevica.

Read Also: Sweden on Track for NATO Membership as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Enters Last-Ditch Negotiations

TOS-1A: Both Flamethrower and Rocket Launcher

The TOS-1A is a multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) based on a T-72 tank chassis. The particular unit used in the strike was reportedly captured late last year in Balakliya with a number of rockets.

The vehicle has a rotating launch system capable of holding up to 24 220mm unguided thermobaric rockets, which could be launched within six to 12 seconds. The Buratino's munitions are vacuum bombs or fuel-air explosives that release a large cloud of flammable gas and cause massive explosions, which is perfect for attacking enemy-fortified positions and lightly-armored vehicles and transports in open terrain.

TOS-1As have a minimum firing range of approximately 600 meters and a maximum of 6 kilometers due to the size and weight of the thermobaric munitions it stores. Despite the limited range, the Buratino remains a highly devastating weapon due to the sheer destructive power of its rockets.

Related Article: US Defends Decision To Send Cluster Munition to Ukraine; EU Reveals $545 Million Support Agreement for Kyiv

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Mars operates ten factories in Russia

Prosecutors in Russias Moscow Oblast are allegedly investigating U.S.-based chocolate and food manufacturer Mars Inc. on suspicion of funding the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian state propaganda agency TASS reported on July 7.

They will also be investigating the tax compliance of the U.S. multinational with Russian legislation.

In May, the company announced that it had allocated $13.5 million to help the residents of Ukraine and their pets. Of this amount, $9 million was funneled into projects to provide food to Ukrainians, while $4.5 million was allocated for projects supporting pets in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Mars operates ten factories in Russia. The company recorded a 14% increase insales, amounting to 177 billion rubles ($1.94 billion), last year, with a 58% increase in profits, reaching 27 billion rubles ($295.9 million).

Read also: Ukraine adds Unilever to list of sponsors of Russian war

Previously, the company promised to sell only "essential" products in Russia.

According to Andrew Clarke, Global President of Mars Wrigley and a member of the Mars Leadership Team, Mars is minimizing its activities in Russia.

Mars is a major producer of confectionery products, food, and pet food. Their brand portfolio includes Mars, Snickers, Milky Way, Bounty, Twix, Skittles, M&M's, Orbit, Pedigree, and Whiskas.

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Russian puppet leader of Crimea claims cruise missile was downed near Kerch

The Russian-appointed puppet leader of occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, has said that air defence forces had shot down a cruise missile near Kerch.

Source: Aksyonov on Telegram

Details: Before his post, local Telegram channels reported about explosions in Kerch.

Quote from Aksyonov: "Air defence forces have shot down a cruise missile near Kerch. There are no casualties or damage.

I ask everyone to remain calm."

More details: There is no photo or video evidence at this time.

Propagandists reported that traffic on the Crimean Bridge has been stopped in both directions.

The reason given is that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are supposedly "trying to attack a part of it near Kerch".

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea grain deal in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Sunday, Russia's foreign ministry said.

Moscow has been threatening to quit the deal allowing the safe export of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian ports because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertiliser have not been met. The deal expires on July 17.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he was pressing Russia to extend the deal, brokered last year by Ankara and the United Nations, by at least three months.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alison Williams)
(Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey spoke by telephone on Sunday, a day after Ankara angered Moscow by sending five Ukrainian commanders home with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in what Russia called a violation of a prisoner exchange agreement.

The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries said Sergei Lavrov and Hakan Fidan discussed the situation in Ukraine, as well as a Black Sea grain export agreement that lifted a Russian de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports last year.

Moscow has threatened to quit the grain export deal when it comes up for renewal on July 17, saying demands to facilitate sales of its own grain and fertiliser have not been met.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he was pressing Russia to extend the deal, brokered last year by Ankara and the United Nations, by at least three months.

The Russian ministry said the two sides had focused on recent developments around Ukraine, including Ankara's returning detained commanders of Ukraine's Azov unit, which defended a steelworks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol last year.

Russia captured the city last year after laying it to waste, killing thousands of civilians in a three-month siege. The Azov unit led the city's defence, holding out in the steelworks for weeks until they were ordered by Kyiv to surrender.

The captured Azov commanders, lionized as heroes in Ukraine and vilified in Russia, were released in a prisoner swap in September, under terms that required them to stay in Turkey until the war ends. Zelenskiy brought them home on Saturday after a visit to Turkey.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Turkey had violated agreements in permitting their release, and had failed to notify Russia in advance.

Ankara has not commented publicly about the decision to send them home. Turkey's presidency and foreign ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Peter Graff)
Russians aged 30 to 50 start showing doubts about Putin's policy  expert

Russians aged 30 to 50 are beginning to demonstrate doubts in the policies of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Vadim Denysenko, the director of the Ukrainian Institute of the Future, said in an interview with Radio NV on July 6.

"Look at the recent sociological surveys, he said.

However we may perceive them, they clearly showed that the middle-aged generation, which refers to the 30-50 age group, has begun to doubt Putin in many respects.

He noted that previously, it was primarily the younger generation aged between 18 and 28 who had doubts about Putin.

"Now everyone is starting to seriously and, I would say, even fearfully look at their future, Denysenko noted.

"Because they have ahead of them, roughly speaking, 20-30 years, if not of active life, then certainly just life, and they understand that things are not going in the right direction.

Read also: Poll reveals over 90% of Ukrainians view Russian dictator Putin as modern Hitler

After the mutiny of the Wagner mercenary company, led by Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putins former advisor who now heads the so-called "Institute of Political Studies," Sergei Markov, claimed that the approval of the Russian dictator supposedly rose from 80 to 90%.

Meanwhile, a new survey conducted by a group of Russian sociologists from the company Russian Field showed that 35% of Russian citizens would like to repeal Putin's decision on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine if they could go back in time.

In the first months of the full-scale war against Ukraine, 26-28% of respondents opposed the decision to wage war, and in December of last year, it was 33%.

The share of those who would still start a war despite being able to go back in time has fallen below half for the first time and stands at 49%.

Read also: Putin tries to assure Chinese leader hes still in control after Prigozhin mutiny

According to the survey, the most anti-war sentiments prevail among young people aged 18 to 24, while support for the war is most popular among male respondents aged 45 and older.

At the same time, according to the survey, the level of support for Putin's possible decision to launch a new offensive on Kyiv is at its highest among Russians since July 2022. It is supported by 64% of respondents. Among them, almost three-quarters (74%) consider the outcome of the full-scale war against Ukraine as "successful."

The survey was conducted by phone from June 16 to 19 and involved 1,604 people.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed concern that Russia is planning to destroy the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant because its war with Ukraine is going so poorly.

Speaking via a translator in an interview that aired Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Zelenskyy said: "Can we, while analyzing this, think that Russia is planning a local explosion in order to stop Ukrainian operations on the battlefield? Yes."

He said of the Russians: "If they are going to lose more initiative than they have lost at the moment, they will make some additional steps in order to make the entire world be afraid of the global nuclear disaster and halt all military actions on the battlefield."

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Sunday accused Kyiv of "systematic infliction of damage" to the Zaporizhzhia plant and warned of the possible fallout from a catastrophe there. In the ABC interview, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared for a possible disaster there.

Zelenskyy said he was not particularly concerned that Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin may be back in Russia after leading an aborted rebellion against the authority of Russian President Vladimir Putin.



"As of today, he has become a political figure," he said of Prigozhin. "And this, to me, must have been his primary objective."

He also said that he was not worried about Prigozhin possibly resuming command of the Wagner Group or bringing some fighters back into the war, given that those soldiers have been unable to defeat Ukraine's forces so far.

Speaking before the start of a NATO summit that will concern itself at least partially about the war, Zelenskyy said Ukraine remains adamant that will not yield any territory to Russia to end the war, including Crimea, which was seized in 2014.

"No territory," he told host Martha Raddatz.

Ukraine's president also said he didn't see former President Donald Trump's assertion that he could end the war in a single day as realistic, given that Trump didn't attempt to fix things between Russia and Ukraine during his presidency.

"It seems to me that the sole desire to bring the war to an end is beautiful," Zelenskyy told Raddatz. "But this desire should be based on real-life experience. Well, it looks as if Donald Trump had these 24 hours once in his time. We were at war. Not a full-scale war, but we were at war. And as I assume, he had that time at his disposal. But he must have had some other priorities."

Zelenskyy also said he hopes Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive can gain speed.

"All of us we want to do it faster because every day means new losses of Ukrainians," he said.
Saharan dust is moving across the Atlantic Ocean and could reach South Florida, resulting in hotter days and less rain, meteorologists said. (Getty Images)

As Florida recovers from the tangled seaweed blob plaguing its coasts, nature may have something else in store for the state: dust from the Sahara.

Saharan dust is moving across the Atlantic Ocean and could reach South Florida, resulting in hotter days and less rain, meteorologists said.

As of Sunday afternoon, the dust was still approaching South Florida.

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Earlier satellite images showed patches of dust over Puerto Rico, with more over the northern and western parts of the island, said Keily Delerme, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa, Florida. The weather service does not track the dusts speed as it travels, she said.

The dust could arrive in South Florida by this week, said Ping Zhu, an earth and environment professor at Florida International University. However, he added, it is not a reason to panic.

I dont think we should worry too much of it, Zhu said. So far we dont see the evidence that its very serious.

This is not an uncommon occurrence. Saharan dust travels to Florida periodically throughout the year, Zhu said. Thunder and windstorms cause conditions that pick up dust, and certain winds blow it westward toward the United States.

It is not clear whether the dust will make it the thousands of miles to Florida, or how long it could linger, Delerme said.

It could take a day or two, she said. It could dissipate. It could not make it at all.

If the dust travels far enough, it could result in higher temperatures and less rain for South Florida. Since Saharan dust is so dry, it makes it difficult for water vapor to form in the atmosphere, limiting chances of rain, Zhu said. It could also have a blanket effect, trapping heat on the ground.

Still, many Floridians might not notice much change.

People in sensitive groups or who have asthma may feel some of the effects, a meteorologist with the weather service said, as dust can worsen air pollution, allergies and lung problems.

The dryness of the dust could also affect air quality, according to Miami-Dade Countys website. As of Saturday evening, the air quality level in the county was listed as moderate.

Meteorologists said that the haze wouldnt be strong enough to affect visibility and threaten air traffic. However, Federal Aviation Administration officials said they frequently grappled with visibility constraints and were prepared to modify operations as needed.

This wouldnt be the first time Saharan dust made it out of Africa. Last summer, a dust cloud traveled all the way to Texas, and another turned the skies over Europe orange, with red dust coating cars and blood rain falling in certain areas.

In 2018, the dust turned snow in Eastern Europe orange, and in past years it has prompted both U.S. and international officials to issue health alerts.

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Sarah Silverman is suing OpenAI and Metathe creators of AI language models ChatGPT and LLaMA, respectivelyfor stealing information from her book The Bedwetter, according to a pair of lawsuits filed Friday in a U.S. District Court.

Silverman joins fellow authors Richard Kadrey and Christopher Golden in the class-action copyright lawsuits, which claim that that both ChatGPT and LLaMA were trained on their books without the writers permission. The suits also allege that the models were likely fed the books from shadow library databases like Library Genesis and Z-Library.

The books aggregated by these websites have also been available in bulk via torrent systems, one suit claims, adding that, these flagrantly illegal shadow libraries have long been of interest to the AI-training community.

Exhibits attached to the OpenAI suit show that ChatGPT summarizes the authors books when prompted, producing a derivative work of virtually any copyrighted source.

If a user prompts ChatGPT to summarize a copyrighted book, it will do so, the suit claims.

Most damningly, both suits suggest that the mere existence of these AI models are illegal under the Copyright Act since they need to be fed with potentially copyrighted information in order to work as anticipated.

The OpenAI suit questioned whether ChatGPT itself is an infringing derivative work based on Plaintiffs copyrighted books.

Similarly, the Meta suit alleges that the LLaMA models are themselves infringing derivative works, since they cannot function without the expressive information extracted from the Plaintiffs Infringed Works.

While these class-action suits only include the three plaintiffs, they allege that there are at least thousands of members in the Class around the United States whose copyrights are potentially being violated by the AI language models.

Lawyers at the Joseph Saveri Law Firm and attorney Matthew Butterick, who are representing the three authors, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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He saw the best in me: How a Hilton Head principal influenced the Souths ugly history

Isaac W. Wilborn Jr. was asked to carry the sins of the Deep South on his small shoulders.

He was young, not long out of college and fresh off military service in Korea, when he was appointed principal of Hilton Head Islands first consolidated elementary school in 1954.

Its gone now, but that red-brick building with such marvels as bathrooms and water fountains, was to be the white establishments silver bullet to keep Blacks in their place forever.

That building, as well as a new brick Michael C. Riley school building in Bluffton and hundreds of others statewide, was funded to prove that South Carolina schools were separate but equal.

Wilborns professional life of 30 years in the Beaufort County public schools precisely overlays the long and painful demise of that separate-but-equal lie.

He graduated from Allen University in Columbia in 1950, the same year a group of parents in Clarendon County filed suit in federal court because the school board ignored complaints that their children were walking dusty roads to inferior schools while white kids cruised by in school buses.

That suit  Briggs v. Elliott  became part of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against segregation in 1954. But it would be 1971 before full school integration came to Beaufort County.

South Carolina Gov. James Byrnes had in 1951 pushed through a 3 percent state sales tax to fund new schools and buses for the express purpose of avoiding integration.

A quick flip through history shows how unequal the schools were  and just how heavy the burden was that Wilborn carried.

When he took his first job in Bluffton, the school for blacks went only through the 10th grade. White kids had 12 grades.

Black teachers had lesser certification requirements. Black students had fewer school days. For decades, if black students wanted to go beyond elementary school, they had to pack up and leave home.

In 1927, South Carolina had 279 high schools for whites and only 10 for blacks, according to the S.C. Encyclopedia. It was 1929 before South Carolina issued its first high school diploma to a Black student.

Reporting by The State newspaper in Columbia showed that in 1949, South Carolinas per-pupil expenditure for white students was $111 compared to $50 for blacks. The average annual salary for white teachers was $600 more than blacks. The value of white school property was $68 million compared to $13 million for blacks. The state was spending $2.4 million on transportation for whites and $184,000 for blacks.

Wilborn stepped into the Souths tinderbox, challenged to bring up to speed children who had been taught in one-room schools dotted around the island.

He did not burst out of a phone booth to save the day. He never pretended to be Superman.

Sunny Littlejohn, who he hired in 1968 to teach a class of 32 second graders, said, I dont remember him ever raising his voice. He was a lovely person to work with.

Wilborn immediately asked for the youngest students get more time in school, which resulted in a forerunner to Project Head Start.

He later asked the full community, then filling with retirees from around the nation, to build a daycare center for working families. He told everyone that his little scholars were missing school to tend to baby siblings while their mothers took the islands new jobs.

Wilborn became a beloved fixture, known as Fess, showing the human capital that blacks brought to education even if all else was unequal.

He was deeply involved in community affairs and institutions, helping bridge the gap between newcomers and native islanders.

The long list of his contributions aired at the time of his death on June 23 at the age of 93 was surprising, even for a man inducted into two halls of fame.

But at his core, Isaac Wilborn bore his special burden by treating everyone as he treated the Rev. Jon R. Black.

Black eulogized his mentor on July 3 from the pulpit at Campbell Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bluffton.

This man saw the best in me, Black said.

David Lauderdale may be reached at LauderdaleColumn@gmail.com.
Schumer calls out Thomas, Alito for accepting lavish gifts and vacations from billionaires

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Sunday called out conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito for accepting lavish gifts and vacations from their powerful, billionaire friends.

Schumer did not mention the justices by name but made clear reference to them after ProPublica revealed in a series of articles this year that Thomas and Alito accepted gifts, including luxury vacations and trips on private planes from major conservative donors, without disclosing them publicly.

This MAGA-captured Supreme Court feels free to accept lavish gifts and vacations from their powerful, billionaire friends. And these are no ordinary billionairesthey are ideological extremists who bankroll hard-right MAGA causes and then bring those cases before the same Justices theyve patronized, Schumer wrote in a Dear Colleague letter circulated publicly Sunday.

Schumer pledged that Senate Democrats will consider all means at their disposal to pressure the court to take steps to reform its ethical practices.

Congress has clear authority to oversee the federal judiciary, and we must explore every option for restoring faith in our courts, he said.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says his committee will mark up legislation in the next few weeks to address the ethical scandals hanging over the court.

The highest court in the land should not have the lowest ethical standards. Thats why, as I previously announced, the Senate Judiciary Committee will mark up Supreme Court ethics reform legislation when the Senate returns after the July 4th recess. An announcement on the timing of this vote will be made early next week, Durbin announced Thursday.

Since the Chief Justice has refused to act, the Judiciary Committee must, he said.

A Democratic aide said Durbin will announce the timing of a committee markup and what legislation he plans to advance within the next few days.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who chairs the Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, has introduced a bill that would require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct for itself and require justices to adhere to the same gift, travel and income disclosure standards as members of Congress.

The legislation would also require the Supreme Court to publish its ethics rules and procedures and establish an investigative board made up of circuit court judges to review complaints against its justices.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform in May.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The U.K. government is allegedly wasting people's taxes on weapons companies. Common Wealth, a London-based non-profit thinktank, revealed this in its new study.

The research organization stated that the arms manufacturers that the U.K. government funds are offering huge returns to their shareholders.

UK Allegedly Wastes Taxes on Weapons Companies

According to The Guardian's latest report, billions of dollars of taxes are wasted on corporate warfare.

Common Wealth's new study explained that the long-term direct subsidies and purchase orders allow leading defense companies to give huge returns to their investors.

These funds are commonly paid for over 90% of the research and development budgets of the U.K. government's partner weapons manufacturers.

Because of this, Common Wealth concluded that the arms companies are failing to deliver on the government work despite being supported by the state "in a way no other sector" is being financially assisted.

"Despite this privileged position, the industry forms a smaller part of the UK economy overall than the scale of its state support would imply," explained Common Wealth via its official study.

The think tank added that the weapons manufacturers are adding less value to the overall economy of the United Kingdom.

Read Also: UK Airstrikes Tragedy: Research Finds Evidence of Civilian Deaths in Iraq, Syria Because of Deadly Attacks

Giving Huge Sharedholder Returns

Common Wealth talked about some weapons manufacturers that are giving huge returns to their investors.

One of these is General Dynamics, the American weapons manufacturer that the UK government partnered with to develop the Ajax armored vehicle.

The British think tank explained that around $4 billion (3.2 billion) was provided to the U.S.-based arms company to conduct the armored vehicle project.

However, General Dynamics' Ajax vehicles have been plagued by setbacks. Although the armored vehicle had delays, the American weapons creator still gave over $25 billion to its shares holders.

Aside from General Dynamics, BAE Systems is also doing this habit. Common Wealth discovered that the weapons company only pays 14.5% of its R&D costs despite having over $27 billion (21.25 billion) revenue in 2022.

If you want to learn more details on how the UK government is allegedly wasting its people's taxes on corporate warfare, you can click here.

Related Article: UK Economy Expected to Drop This Year; Will It Lag Behind Other Key Markets?

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Spotted lanternflies are taking over again.

And while stomping out these invasive pests can control the issue a little, a new autonomous robot from Carnegie Mellons School of Computer Science may be ready to save us the hassle.

The robot, nicknamed TartanPest, was built by Carnegie Mellons School of Computer Science and uses AI to detect eggs laid by the invasive spotted lanternfly and remove them from trees before the eggs can hatch.

What is the TartanPest?

The TartanPest is a promising tool in the war against the spotted lanternfly. Using machine learning, the TartanPest can identify spotted lanternfly nests and remove them before they can do the environment harm.

The robot has computer vision that allows it to see potential egg masses. The computer on the robot then compares what it sees to a database of images. The images on this database are crowdsourced, meaning the photos were taken by citizen scientists and nature lovers.

If the TartanPest determines that the nest in question is from a spotted lanternfly, the robots arm will scrape the egg masses off the tree.

Why is the TartanPest important?

In the eastern United States, the spotted lanternfly is an invasive species, meaning it is not native to the continent. Invasive species have been moved from their natural habitats into new habitats that lack their usual natural predators, meaning there is no natural population control for the species.

Since 2014, spotted lanternflies have been growing in population in the eastern United States, a threat to over 100 species of trees and plants. Most of the plants the spotted lanternflies love are important to the grape and logging industries.

Spotted lanternflies do not harm humans or animals, but they do feed on ecologically and economically valued plants. In Pennsylvania alone, spotted lanternflies could cost the state and its farmers $324 million annually and cause the loss of about 2,800 jobs.

Brian Eshenaur, from the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, told Time that one female spotted lanternfly can lay up to 40 egg masses. So, stopping the problem early can greatly diminish population numbers.

The TartanPest offers a solution to save time and money, killing spotted lanternflies before theyre born.

How is the TartanPest helping?

By targeting nests and killing eggs before they hatch, the TartanPest can curb population growth in the spotted lanternfly more quickly and effectively than trying to kill the adults.

In a YouTube video, the team working on the robot said that its solution can increase the efficiency of farms, lower costs, lower chemical pollution of crops [from pesticides], and save labor costs for farms.

With a robotic solution on their side, farmers do not need to manually identify and destroy the bugs nests.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
Researchers studying a powerful form of fungus have found that it stores about 36% of the worlds yearly air pollution underground.

Englands Sheffield University published a report on the fungi, describing the diplomatic organisms relationship with soil, plants, and the air we breathe. Its part of what could be an overlooked solution to the worlds air pollution woes.

Mycorrhizal fungi live in vast networks underground on every continent while in a symbiotic relationship with plants. The plants turn air pollution into sugars. The fungi, entwined with the plants roots, feed on the sugars. In turn, they provide the plants with the nutrients they need to survive, according to Sheffields description of the relationship.

People on the surface seldom sustain this give-and-take philosophy. But researchers are now starting to understand how vast and ancient the unique relationship underground has become.

A giant fungi network in Michigan encompasses 91 acres, according to a report from The Hill. The story also notes that these fungi carbon banks store 13 gigatons of air pollution underground annually. Thats almost how many polluting gases China provides the planet each year.

Mycorrhizal fungi represent a blind spot in carbon modeling, conservation, and restoration  the numbers weve uncovered are jaw-dropping, and when were thinking about solutions for climate we should also be thinking about what we can harness that exists already, Sheffield Professor Kate Field said in the research.

Still, above-ground activity could disrupt the harmony below. Agriculture and other human activities are destroying soil ecosystems, the experts said, citing a United Nations warning that 90% of soils could be degraded by 2050.

Now, they are calling on the worlds leaders to initiate protections for the dirt so this ancient air-cleaning process can be maintained.

Soil conservation is one way humans can give back to the symbiotic process long established between fungi and plants, the research said.

When we disrupt the ancient life support systems in the soil, we sabotage our efforts to limit global heating and undermine the ecosystems on which we depend, Field said in the Sheffield report.

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Using new technology to answer questions about shark reproduction. Tanya Houppermans

If you have a toddler, or if you encountered one in the last year, youve almost certainly experienced the Baby Shark song. Somehow, every kid seems to know this song, but scientists actually know very little about where and when sharks give birth. The origins of these famous baby sharks are still largely a mystery.

Many of the large iconic shark species  like great whites, hammerheads, blue sharks and tiger sharks  cross hundreds or thousands of miles of ocean every year. Because theyre so wide-ranging, much of sharks lives, including their reproductive habits, remains a secret. Scientists have struggled to figure out precisely where and how often sharks mate, the length of their gestation, and many aspects of the birthing process.

I am a Ph.D. student studying shark ecology and reproduction and am on a team of researchers hoping to answer two important questions: Where and when do sharks give birth?

In need of innovation

Until very recently, the technology to answer these questions did not exist. But marine biologist James Sulikowski, a professor at Arizona State University and my research mentor, changed that. He developed a new satellite tag called the Birth-Tag with the help of the technology company Lotek Wireless. He has no stake in the company. Using this new satellite tag, our team is working to uncover where and when tiger sharks give birth and is demonstrating a proof of concept for how scientists can do the same for other large shark species.

The Birth-Tag is a small, egg-shaped device that we insert into the uterus of a pregnant shark where it will remain dormant and hidden among the fetal sharks throughout pregnancy. This kind of tag has never before been used on sharks, but similar implanted tags have been used to figure out the birthing locations of terrestrial mammals, such as deer, for decades with great success. When a tagged mother shark gives birth, the tag will be expelled alongside the babies and float to the sea surface. Once it senses dry air, the tag transmits its location to a passing satellite, which then sends that location and time of transmission back to our lab. As soon as we download this information, we know where and when that shark gave birth.

After years of fine-tuning this new technology, we launched the first phase of the study in December of 2019 and began deploying the tags. Once the study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees at both Arizona State University and the University of Miami, as well as the Bahamian government, we set out to find some tiger sharks. To do this, our team of researchers from the Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab and the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the University of Miami led by marine biologist Neil Hammerschlag, traveled to the crystal-clear waters of Tiger Beach off Grand Bahama Island to tag tiger sharks.

Tiger sharks are large and powerful predators. Getting close enough for a check-up is not easy. Tanya Houppermans

Up close with an apex predator

Tiger Beach is a hot spot for female tiger sharks of many different life stages, including large pregnant individuals. These pregnant females may be aggregating in the warm, calm waters of Tiger Beach to take refuge and speed up their gestation.

The high number of pregnant sharks in this small area makes finding one much easier, but actually catching and bringing a 10-foot-plus shark to the boat is no easy task. We fish for the sharks using drumlines, and it can take several hours to safely catch, pull in by hand, and secure one of these powerful creatures next to the boat.

Once we catch a female tiger shark, we first take several length and girth measurements to get an idea of her general health and to see if she is sexually mature. Then we check for bite marks, which are evidence of a recent mating event.

After we collect this baseline information, we rotate her upside down to coax her into a trance-like state called tonic immobility. Tonic immobility is a natural reflex in many sharks that induces a state of physical inactivity. This keeps the powerful shark calm and still for the most exciting part of the workup, the part where my experience comes into play: the pregnancy check.

A not-so-routine ultrasound. Tanya Houppermans

Expecting

Just like the ultrasounds used on humans, we use a mobile ultrasound machine to figure out if a shark is expecting. I put on a pair of goggles that allow me to see everything the ultrasound sees, lean over the side of the boat, and place the probe onto the upside down sharks abdomen. The image is usually fuzzy at first as water splashes over the shark and up onto the boat. The team holds the shark still as I slowly maneuver the probe along her belly. Then, if shes pregnant, something magical happens.

Wriggling baby tiger sharks, up to 40 of them packed tightly together inside their mothers womb, appear in front of my eyes. The image also appears on a screen held by another team member on the boat, and everyone cheers as they gather around to take a peek into the secret world of unborn sharks. We spy on them as they pump fluid through their still-developing gills, and we watch in awe as they wiggle around, blissfully unaware that anything extraordinary is happening outside in the world. Once we have enough data on the approximate size of the offspring  which gives us an idea of how far along the pregnancy is  its time to tag the mama shark.

As I hold the probe as still as possible to keep a visual of the sharks internal anatomy, Dr. Sulikowski takes the Birth-Tag and uses a custom-designed applicator to carefully insert it into the uterus through the urogenital opening. No surgery required, the tagging procedure is complete in a matter of minutes. Once the tag is inside the uterus, we rotate the shark upright to wake her and release her back to the open ocean. I am filled with hope as I watch her swim gracefully away to continue her pregnancy, with a stow-away Birth-Tag hidden among her unborn offspring.

These apex predatory sharks are important to ecosystems around the world. Tanya Houppermans

Solving the mystery

Last December, we deployed the first Birth-Tags on three pregnant tiger sharks. For tiger sharks, pregnancy is thought to last 12-16 months, but researchers have little in the way of hard data. Since these tagged sharks ranged from recently mated to mid-gestation, an added bonus of this study is that it might help refine estimates of the length of pregnancy for this species.

Although we work in The Bahamas, a shark sanctuary where it is illegal to kill sharks, tiger sharks migrate extensively. As such, each tagged shark will likely spend time outside of The Bahamas in unprotected waters where she will have to navigate carefully to avoid interaction with fishing gear. Tiger sharks are considered near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and their populations are currently in decline. The data we gain from this first round of tags will give us and policymakers information that could inform future protections for this species.

We are currently waiting to receive a notification from our online ARGOS satellite system that will alert us that one of our sharks has given birth. When that happens, we will be the first in the world to know, in close to real time, where and when tiger sharks give birth.

Many species of shark are threatened with extinction, and understanding their reproductive cycles is key to the effective conservation of these ecologically important and beautiful creatures. Using the Birth-Tag, we are at the cusp of unlocking this information about tiger sharks and will hopefully show that this can be done for many more species.

We are planning future expeditions to deploy many more Birth-Tags, but for now, well just have to keep singing the Baby Shark song as we patiently wait for our first glimpse into the private lives of these incredible creatures.

This story has been updated to remove a photo of the Birth-Tag.

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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: Hannah Verkamp, Arizona State University.

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Hannah Verkamp works for Arizona State University as a Research Associate in the Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab. The research is funded by the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation.
Seattle getting new safe RV parking lot with one catch

Seattle is getting a new safe parking lot for RV parking.

Its expected to open next month and will be along 15th Avenue Northwest in the Interbay neighborhood.

The site is expected to hold 26 RVs and will have 9 tiny homes.

Though, living there comes with a big requirement. The Seattle Times reported that everyone who lives there must be willing to give up their vehicle and eventually move into permanent housing.

While in the lot, every car will also be inspected to make sure its OK to live in.




Second girl, 8, dies after crash at Wimbledon prep school as family pay tribute to light of our lives

Eight-year-old Nuria Sajjad has died of her injuries after the crash in Wimbledon (Met Police/handout)

A second eight-year-old girl has died days after a Land Rover crashed through a primary school fence in Wimbledon and into an end-of-term tea party.

Nuria Sajjad was left fighting for life in hospital after the crash at The Study prep school on Thursday morning.

The Metropolitan Police has now confirmed the eight-year-old died of her injuries at St Georges Hospital on Sunday.

It was announced on Thursday that eight-year-old Selena Lau had been killed in the crash, which unfolded at around 9.54am as pupils celebrated the last day of term.

Nurias family have paid tribute to the beloved eight-year-old, saying she was the light of our lives.

Police have confirmed a second eight-year-old has died after the crash on Thursday (PA)

They said: It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Nuria on Sunday. Nuria was the light of our lives. She embodied joy, kindness and generosity and she was loved by all around her.

We would like to thank the efforts of the emergency services, all the extraordinary staff at St Georges Hospital, the parents of Nurias class fellows and staff of the Study Prep for all they have done to ease Nurias journey.

We request that our privacy is respected at this difficult time.

Eight-year-old Selena Lau was named as the first victim of the Wimbledon crash (PA Media)

A number of other people, including a seven-month-old girl, were injured and taken to hospital after the crash in Camp Road. Their injuries were later deemed to be non-life threatening.

The driver of the car, a 46-year-old woman from Wimbledon, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She has been bailed to a date in late July.

More follows.
De'Mallon White

A man accused of murder in the death of a Gastonia man has been arrested in Texas.

Mackenzie Dalton Roebuck, 22, of Shelby, is the second suspect to be arrested in the April 29 shooting death of Demallon Lamarea Anthony White, 25, of Gastonia, police announced, according to The Gazettes news partner WSOC.

Gastonia police were called to the Fern Forest Apartments on Pebblestone Way around 5:30 a.m. on that Saturday morning. White was found shot to death in a bedroom in one of the apartments, police said.

The first man arrested in the incident was 25-year-old Quinton Payne Palmer-Whitesides.

The incident was initially reported as a home invasion.

The men face charges of murder.

Roebuck is awaiting extradition to Gaston County, North Carolina, while Palmer-Whitesides is being held in Gaston County jail without bond. He has additional charges of probation violations and unrelated drug charges.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Second person arrested in Gastonia homicide
Second person arrested in south Wichita gas station shootout where bystander was hit

A second person has been arrested in a south Wichita QuikTrip robbery and shootout that left an 18-year-old bystander paralyzed after being shot in the neck, Wichita police spokesperson Juan Rebolledo said on Saturday.

Rebolledo was uncertain whether the teen was still paralyzed or how he had recovered since the June 3 shooting.

The shooting was reported around 11:40 p.m. in the 3900 block of South Meridian. The shooting happened in the parking lot, Rebolledo said.

On Friday, police arrested 20-year-old Douglas Leon Willis on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal possession of a firearm by a felon and felony theft.

Rebolledo said police had previously arrested a 19-year-old suspect in the case. Rebolledo didnt know if police were looking for anyone else.

Rebolledo said there had been a fight during a robbery involving the 19-year-old suspect and Willis against a 20-year-old man who was robbed of a gun. The 20-year-old had another gun, and he and the 19-year-old shot at each other.

The 18-year-old Wichita man was a bystander hit during the shooting, Rebolledo said.
By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. assistant secretary of State for African affairs, Molly Phee, will travel to Addis Ababa on Monday and Tuesday to meet with African leaders and Sudanese civilians on how to end the conflict in Sudan, the State Department said on Sunday.

Diplomatic efforts to halt fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have so far proved ineffective, with competing initiatives creating confusion over how the warring parties might be brought to negotiate.

The fighting that erupted on April 15 in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, has driven more than 2.9 million people from their homes, including almost 700,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, many of which were already struggling with poverty and internal conflicts.

"We call on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to immediately end the fighting and return to the barracks; adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law; and allow unhindered humanitarian access to meet the emergency needs of civilians," the State Department said in a statement.

During her travel, Phee will meet with Sudanese civilians and with senior representatives of governments in the region, the East African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union Commission, according to the State Department.

There were clashes on Sunday between the army and the RSF in El Obeid, southwest of Khartoum, as well as in the south of the capital, residents said. Egypt said on Sunday it would host a summit of Sudan's neighbors on July 13 to discuss ways to end the conflict between the rival Sudanese military factions.

Talks hosted in Jeddah and sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia were suspended last month, while a mediation attempt by East African countries was criticized by the army as it accused Kenya of bias.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Rev. Peterson Mingo has people raise their hands if they have been touched by gun violence during a Saturday vigil for his niece, Shamari Mingo, who was killed in a Downtown shooting on Wednesday.

Few people have seen firsthand the problem of gun violence in Cincinnati like Rev. Peterson Mingo.

But the death of his 18-year-old niece, Shamari Mingo, killed in a double shooting early Wednesday morning in the Central Business District Downtown, has once again brought that violence close to home for the prominent anti-violence advocate who for years has worked to combat the city's shootings.

Family members and supporters gathered Saturday evening at the Metro stop in Government Square, where Shamari was shot, to memorialize the young woman.

They held hands, prayed and shared memories of Shamari.

Mingo said his niece was a Cincinnati Public Schools student going into her senior year. She loved to dance and sing.

"She enjoyed the world," said Mingo, the longtime pastor at Christ Temple Full Gospel Baptist Church in Evanston and most recently led the God Squad, a street intervention group.

For Mingo, losing a family member to gun violence is nothing new. His four brothers, two nieces and two nephews have all been killed in shootings, he said.

"It's something you don't get used to," Mingo told The Enquirer.

A 16-year-old boy was struck by a bullet during the incident and hospitalized as well, according to police.

While Mingo credits the Cincinnati Police Department for its work trying to prevent fatal shootings and catch those responsible when one does happen, he said police can't stop gun violence on their own.

So, what's the solution? Mingo says the city needs more people living in communities, who are committed to stopping gun violence, to connect with young people and steer them away from violence.

Rev. Peterson Mingo hspeaks during a vigil for his niece, Shamari Mingo, in Cincinnati on Saturday. Shamari was killed in a Downtown shooting.

"You have to be able to show them what is real," Mingo said, adding that kids have become desensitized to violence. "People are suffering."

Through his work with the God Squad, Mingo has supported the families of shooting victims on the worst days of their lives.

At least one of those people, 48-year-old Gary Smith, of Westwood, showed up to the vigil to do the same.

Smith's 14-year-old son, Cameron Franklin, was killed in a shooting on Storrs Street in Lower Price Hill in July 2019. The boy's killing remains unsolved.

Smith said Mingo prayed with him on the night his son died. On Saturday, the two men prayed together again.

"He was there," Smith said of Mingo. "He's there for everybody."

Pastor Alvin Scales leads a prayer during a vigil for Shamari Mingo in Cincinnati on Saturday. Shamari was killed in a Downtown shooting.

Cincinnati police have not released any information about possible suspects in Shamari's killing. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call CrimeStoppers at 513-352-3040 where tips can be left anonymously.

Shamari's family has set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe, with donations going toward funeral expenses.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Family holds vigil for niece of anti-violence advocate killed in shooting
Shein parent company wants to force Twitter to reveal who is behind fake accounts impersonating the fast fashion brand

Accounts accused of impersonating the Shein brand have been suspended. Getty Images

The parent company of Shein has accused rival fast fashion company Temu of online impersonation.

Shein is also suing Twitter to reveal whether Temu was behind fake accounts that used its trademark.

Twitter has refused to comply with a subpoena on the grounds that it violates privacy law.

The parent company for Shein is aiming at Twitter in its pursuit of knocking down copycat accounts online, suing the social media giant to force it to reveal who is behind anonymous accounts impersonating the fast fashion company.

In a court filing reviewed by Insider, Roadget Business Pte. Ltd., the Singapore-based parent company of the Chinese brand Shein, argues that fake Twitter accounts use Shein trademarks to advertise non-Shein products and damage the brand's reputation.

Shein  a company with a reputation for extremely low-cost clothes and allegations of labor violations  has alleged that a rival fast fashion company, Temu, is behind the fake accounts and is seeking to reveal the IP addresses and advertising identification numbers of the accounts, messages sent and received by the fakes, and access to the accounts' device address books and the phone numbers of their contacts, if linked to Twitter.

The allegations against Temu come as the rivalry between the two Chinese fast fashion sites heats up: In May, US spending on Temu was 20% higher than on Shein, Insider previously reported.

Twitter has so far refused to comply with a subpoena for account information filed in February, according to a complaint by Roadget Business filed in June, on the grounds that Roadget Business' request violates existing privacy law under the Stored Communications Act.

"Twitter further objects to the Subpoena because you have provided no documentation demonstrating that the Court considered and imposed the First Amendment safeguards required before a litigant may be permitted to unmask the identity of an anonymous speaker," lawyers for Twitter wrote in response to Shein's request for data.

The official Shein account remains active and is verified on Twitter. Accounts listed in the filing of impersonating the brand, such as @SHEIN_NYC have been suspended.

Accounts accused of impersonating the Shein brand have been suspended.

Accounts accused of impersonating the Shein brand have been suspended.Screenshot/Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert

Lawyers for Roadget Business and representatives for Temu did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. The Twitter press team replied with an automated response.

Roadget Business' legal team has argued they will continue to pursue Twitter account information about the impersonator accounts, citing concerns over its trademarks and brand safety on the platform.

"We understand that any further attempt to resolve this without Court intervention is futile," Roadget Business lawyers ominously wrote to Twitter's legal team in May. "We will proceed accordingly."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Parents are horrified by Planned Parenthood's campaign to entice Minnesota teens to enroll in its "sex ed summer camp" by providing payments ranging from $100 to $150 in gift cards to some as young as 13.

Among those unhappy is Karin, a home educator and mother of six from Minnesota. She stated on "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Sunday that her top three concerns about the program are related to predatory behaviors, "grooming" young people to engage in sexual activity, and graphic content covered at the camp, according to Fox News.

The S'MORE Camp

The three-week S'MORE (science-based, medically accurate, open-minded, responsible (sex) education) camp is offered free of charge to young teens between the ages of 13 and 15 who have finished eighth grade but have not yet started high school, according to Planned Parenthood North Central States, the camp's organizer.

Additionally, participants must secure parental approval and be prepared to participate for the whole program duration.

Pete Hegseth of Fox News claims that one camp in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area was canceled due to low registration, but teenagers in Mankato between the ages of 15 and 18 can still sign up for a condensed program run later this month.

According to a tweet from Planned Parenthood Minnesota Advocates marketing the program, registrants receive a free lunch and a $150 gift card upon successful completion of the course.

(Photo : by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles CEO Sue Dunlap speaks as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass looks on, about a federal judges ruling to rescind FDA approval of the abortion pill Mifepristone at a news conference at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles on April 10, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Dunlap and Los Angeles officials said the decision has no immediate impact on abortion and reproductive healthcare in Los Angeles County.

Karin stated that she thinks it is "critical" for parents to be informed of the information discovered in the camp, including what she refers to as "explicit instruction" on how to engage in oral, anal, and vaginal intercourse.

Read also: South Korea's Aging Population Forces Shift in Care Priorities

Planned Parenthood in the US

Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that provides reproductive health care services, including birth control, abortion, and cancer screenings, to millions of people in the United States. It is the largest provider of reproductive health care in the country, and its services are essential for many people, especially low-income women and people of color.

Today, Planned Parenthood operates more than 600 health centers across the country. It provides a wide range of services.

It also advocates for reproductive rights and access to affordable health care. It ensures that all people, regardless of their income or insurance status, have access to the necessary health care.

Planned Parenthood is a controversial organization. Some people believe that it provides essential health care services, while others believe that it promotes abortion and is, therefore, morally wrong. However, Planned Parenthood remains a vital resource for millions of people in the United States, and it is committed to providing high-quality, affordable health care to all.

In recent years, Planned Parenthood has been the target of numerous attacks from anti-abortion activists. These activists have tried to defund Planned Parenthood, pass laws making it more difficult for women to access abortion, and even close down Planned Parenthood clinics.

Despite these attacks, Planned Parenthood has continued to provide essential healthcare services to millions of people. It is a strong and resilient organization, and it is committed to ensuring that all people have access to the health care they need.

Related article: 'Vampire Facials' Linked to HIV Infection in New Mexico

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Everything was going fine as Ian Azeredo plummeted toward the ground from 13,500 feet.

The exit from the plane was routine. The freefall went smoothly. The parachute opened at 3,500 feet with no problem.

It was July 4, 2019, and Ian was enjoying his third skydive of the day over Sussex Airport in New Jersey with a few buddies  one of more than 700 jumps he had under his belt.

But with 400 feet to go, sudden turbulence hit Ian, preventing him from turning toward the drop zone. He was now falling toward an airplane hanger and powerlines.

Ian made a sharp left to avoid everything, but in doing so picked up speed and crashed to the ground at almost 70 miles per hour. He bounced 67 feet until he came to rest near a group of startled customers preparing to take their first tandem jumps.

Ian Azeredo poses during a return to Morristown Medical Center, for a photography session and to reunite with those he calls miracle workers. Azeredo was in the ICU for months after crashing to Earth at 70 miles per hour during a skydiving accident. Thursday, June 29, 2023

Ian thought he should have been dead. So did the medivac crew, the trauma surgeons, the nurses and everyone else who saw his shattered, bleeding, broken body that day. No one walks away from an accident like this.

But Ian did.

After more than a dozen surgeries, 300 days in the hospital, a two-month medically induced coma and years of hard work, Ian is walking again.

This is a story of luck, perseverance, a dedicated medical team and "a bunch of small miracles that added up to a big one," as Ian calls his recovery.

"You always hope to give everyone who comes in here a chance, but patients with his injuries don't often make it," said Dr. Louis DiFazio, a trauma surgeon who treated Ian for months at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, New Jersey. "Everything went right for him. And his will to get better just took over."

700 jumps, one crash

Skydiving had long been a part of Ian's life. So much so that he and his wife, Linda, jumped out of a plane on their first date. After they married and settled in Ringwood, it continued to be their go-to activity. They skydived locally and planned vacations around it.

"It always felt like a natural place for me to be," said Ian, 36, an engineer who designs helicopter equipment for the U.S. Air Force, among other clients. "I felt I was no longer limited by what I could do on the ground."

Ian was so experienced he became certified and was using smaller, more nimble parachutes for better control, but also made descending much faster. "The faster the parachute, the less time it takes to get to the ground, and likewise the less time to adapt to problems in the air," Ian said.

On the day of the crash, the jumps were just some fun activities with friends to kill time before kicking back for the rest of the July 4th holiday.

When Ian crashed, he was somehow still conscious but in shock. He told those gathered around him that he was fine and just needed to sleep it off in my truck.

The reality was Ians pelvis was shattered, he had compound fractures in both legs, several organs were badly damaged and he was bleeding internally.

The first miracle came immediately. Ian had landed only a few hundred feet from a medivac helicopter and its medical crew. About 20 minutes after his crash, he was loaded onto the helicopter. About 20 minutes after that, he was being wheeled into Morristown Medical when he went into cardiac arrest.

Ian Azeredo poses for a photograph with Dr. Louis DiFazio and an Emergency Department technician, at Morristown Medical Center. Thursday, June 29, 2023

Ian was still within the "golden hour" when immediate medical treatment and surgery can lower the risk of death from a traumatic injury. As the medical team worked to stabilize him, Ian remained conscious, squeezing a nurse's hand.

Meanwhile, Linda was 3,000 miles away on a cruise with her parents off the coast of Alaska. She received a call that Ian was injured and might not recover. It took her three days to get back to New Jersey.

He was put into a medically-induced coma to avoid any movement that could further damage internal organs. Even days after the accident, doctors were still not sure he would survive, given the number of injuries and their severity.

"He had lost so much blood and required so many transfusions," DiFazio said. "We were really concerned he wasn't going to make it."

Debating whether to amputate a leg

Ian came out of the coma in late August. While in intensive care on pain medication, he was often delirious, trying to tear oxygen tubes from his nose believing he was flight training in the Air Force, using an oxygen mask in the cockpit.

Once he regained his mental composure, other parts of the recovery became grueling. He wasn't able to sit up until December or get into a wheelchair until January. He would travel 50 feet in the chair and be wiped out.

There were multiple follow-up surgeries. Damaged pieces of leg muscle had to be removed. Infection was a constant worry. Ian's liver was damaged, and at one point his skin turned so yellow he said he resembled "a Simpsons character."

"My mentality was just to move forward after every time something went wrong," he said of his recovery. "I had to make this second chance worth it."

Ian couldn't move his left leg due to extensive nerve damage. Life in a wheelchair loomed. There were serious discussions between Ian and his doctors about whether he should have the leg amputated since a good right leg and a prosthetic left leg would allow him to walk again.

Ian Azeredo, of Ringwood, is able to walk, four years after crashing to Earth at 70 miles per hour, during a skydiving accident. He attributes his ability to walk to his Ottobock C-Brace and the "miracle workers" at Morristown Medical Center, and other facilities. An Ottobock C-Brace is a device that allows him to move his leg. Thursday, June 29, 2023

Another miracle came in the form of Catherine Pocoroba, a physician assistant who came to Ian one morning with printouts about exoskeleton suits that help some people who are paralyzed walk again. It gave Ian hope and he refused to get his left leg amputated.

After a stint at a rehab center following his discharge from Morristown at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ian returned to a home that had already been retrofitted by friends and co-workers who installed a ramp, widened doorways and retrofitted the bathroom to accommodate his wheelchair.

About two years after the accident came a "game-changing" moment. Ian received a device called a C-Brace  a hydraulic exoskeleton device placed over the leg that helps people with certain forms of paralysis to stand and walk.

Ian Azeredo walks with the help of this Ottobock C-Brace. Thursday, June 29, 2023

Ian walked a quarter mile the first day. The next day he walked a half mile. After years of therapy and practice, Ian now walks with only a slight limp while aided by the C-Brace and a cane.

"It was challenge after challenge," DiFazio said. "He just had this strong desire to succeed. It was like every setback was a battle for him to get back to where he used to be."

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The next adventure

Ian regularly attends Morristown Medical Center's Thrive meetings, a virtual support group for those who have been treated for severe injury or illness.

Ian and Linda adopted a dog, Otter, soon after he got home. He eventually returned to work at Breeze-Eastern, an aerospace company in Whippany. He has given up skydiving to "leave the good memories in the past." But he has a new adventurous hobby: scuba diving.

Ringwood couple Ian Azeredo and Linda Farkas ride with Otter, adopted in spring 2020 from the St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison.

Ian's big project is using his engineering skills to rebuild a 1946 Ercoupe plane he had towed down from Connecticut. It was last flown in 1969 and is a perfect fit for someone in Ian's condition: It has no rudder pedals.

Ian has spent about 18 months working on the plane and figures he needs two more years before the Ercoupe would be ready to fly.

Recently, he went back to Morristown Medical Center and was greeted by a dozen staffers  from doctors to nurses to housekeepers  he had befriended over the course of his 300-day hospital stay.

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Ian Azeredo with his wife, Linda, and the 1946 Ercoupe plane he is restoring.

At first some didn't recognize Ian because of how far he had progressed since discharge. Pocoroba, the physician assistant who first told him about exoskeletons, kissed him on the cheek. Others whipped out their smartphones for video calls between Ian and staffers who couldn't be there.

Before his restored Ercoupe ever takes its first flight, he wants everyone who treated him at Morristown Medical to sign the fuselage like they would a cast.

"They put in so much work to save my life," he said. "You owe it to these people to come back as far as you can."

Ian Azeredo smiles while meeting with "miracle workers" at Morristown Medical Center who helped him recover after a skydiving accident four years ago. Thursday, June 29, 2023

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: After skydiving accident and surgeries, he's walking again
In this handout photo released by Uzbekistan's Presidential Press Office, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev casts his ballot at a polling station during a snap presidential election in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday, July 9, 2023. Uzbekistan is holding a snap presidential election, a vote that follows a constitutional referendum that extended the incumbent's term from five to seven years. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was elected in 2021 to a second five-year term, the limit allowed by the constitution. (Uzbekistan's Presidential Press Office via AP)

MOSCOW (AP)  Voters in Uzbekistan cast their ballots on Sunday in a snap presidential election that is widely expected to extend the incumbent's rule by seven more years.

The vote followed a constitutional referendum that extended a presidential term from five to seven years and allowed President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to run for two more terms in office.

In 2021, Mirziyoyev was elected to his second five-year term, the limit allowed by the constitution at the time. A set of constitutional amendments approved in Aprils plebiscite allowed him to begin the count of terms anew and run for two more, raising the possibility that he could stay in office until 2037.

In May, the 65-year-old Mirziyoyev called for a snap election. He is set to win the vote by a landslide against three token rivals.

More than 10,700 polling stations opened in Uzbekistan at 8 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) and were scheduled to close 12 hours later. By 11 a.m., more than 33% of voters have cast their ballots, election officials reported, which is enough to deem the vote valid in accordance with Uzbek laws.

Since coming to power in 2016 after the death of longtime dictator Islam Karimov, Mirziyoyev has introduced a slew of political and economic reforms that eased some of the draconian policies of his predecessor, who made Uzbekistan into one of the regions most repressive countries.

At the same time, Uzbekistan has remained strongly authoritarian with no significant opposition. All registered political parties are loyal to Mirziyoyev.

In Aprils referendum, more than 90% of those who cast ballots voted to approve the amendments extending the presidential term. Similar constitutional amendments in recent years have been adopted in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Like the leaders of other Central Asian nations that have close economic ties with Moscow, Mirziyoyev has engaged in a delicate balancing act after Russian troops swarmed Ukraine, steering clear of backing what the Kremlin calls a special military operation but not condemning it either.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday he is getting ready to sue social media companies for the harm caused to his state's young people.

In the coming months, you will see lawsuits being filed by the state of Utah to hold them accountable, Cox, a Republican, said during an interview on CBS Face the Nation.

We believe theyve known about the dangers, some of this has been leaked out, Meta and others, very clear evidence that they knew the harms that their products were causing to kids, and that they intentionally tried to hide that information.

Cox signed legislation earlier this year that sets limits on the ways minors are able to use social media. The laws, which will take effect next year, set a digital curfew on social media users younger than 18, require minors to get parental consent to sign up for accounts and demand social media companies verify the ages of users in Utah.

The laws are the first of their kind in the U.S., though Cox has acknowledged that they will be difficult to enforce  and could face legal challenges.

I suspect that at some point, the Supreme Court will weigh in on this decision when it comes to restricting youth access, he said Sunday.

"What we're trying to do is give families more control over what is happening on social media. When you when you look at the new research that's coming out, there's not just a correlation between social media use and an increase in suicide, anxiety, depression, self-harm, there is a causal link there.

The goal, he added, is to give parents and kids more control over their experiences with social media, by making these social media companies turn off the algorithms that we know are driving so much of this harmful addiction.
Soil samples taken in Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts after flooding: first results

95% of the first soil samples taken in Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts in areas where the water has completely receded after the flooding caused by the blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant meet hygiene requirements.

Source: Ukraines Ministry of Health

Quote: "The first 23 soil samples have been taken in Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts in areas where the water has completely receded after the flooding.

The tests will help determine the level of soil contamination, in particular, the presence of toxic substances and the level of parasitic contamination.

As of 4 July, 95% of the samples meet hygiene requirements. In 5% of the samples taken in the area of the Kherson river port, parasitological indicators were exceeded."

Details: The Ministry of Health explained that these are indicators of parasitic worm eggs and the presence of intestinal cysts in the samples, which can cause gastroenteritis or dysentery. These infectious diseases are transmitted through contact with contaminated substances.

To prevent infection, it is important for people to avoid contact with contaminated soil, particularly when cultivating land for agricultural purposes, and not to eat contaminated fruit and vegetables or use water from wells in the contaminated area.

If you experience symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or other signs of illness, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Background:

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Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York

By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare arrives in China on Sunday for his first visit since striking a security deal, pledging to "remain neutral" amid rising China-U.S. competition and prioritise his nation's development needs.

Western analysts said Sogavare would be feted after signing the security pact that alarmed Washington and some Pacific Islands neighbours including Australia last year. Concern over China's naval ambitions in the strategically-located region prompted Washington to strike a defence agreement with Papua New Guinea last month.

Sogavare highlighted his focus on infrastructure in a speech to mark the 45th anniversary of independence from Britain on Friday, where he said bigger countries were jostling for influence.

"We want to remain neutral because it is not in the interest of our people and country to take sides and align ourselves with interests that are not our interests. Our national interest is development," he said.

The need for infrastructure on islands outside the capital Honiara was urgent, he added.

Already, Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is building a cellular network financed by a $66 million Chinese EXIM bank loan, prompting concern by a parliamentary committee about the debt burden, and a Chinese state company will redevelop Honiara's port.

On a week-long trip funded by Beijing, Sogavare will open the nation's embassy, meet Chinese companies, and visit Jiangsu and Guangdong, his office said.

"The relationship continues to thrive and expand, a testament of a serious connection," his office said.

China's foreign ministry said China and the Solomon Islands had "contributed to peace, stability and development in the region", and the two countries leaders would discuss international and regional issues.

In a local television interview, Sogavare said the Solomon Islands was dependent on aid from Australia, but was shifting its foreign policy to look for opportunities with China, as well as India and Gulf states.

Sogavare came to power in 2019, switching the nation's diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing.

Honiara will host the Pacific Games in November. China has constructed the stadium, is advising on security, and will train 80 Solomon Islands athletes arriving in China this week.

"The timing is about the Pacific Games, the athletes are being sent over, and showing gratitude... this is the domestic theatre of Chinese foreign policy," said Graeme Smith, a Pacific affairs experts at the Australian National University.

Sogavare will be feted as "this small nation that dares to stand up to the U.S. and to stand up to Australia," he added.

Solomon Islands has one of the closest relationships with China in the region, said Meg Keen, director of the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands program.

"With the Pacific Games and elections coming up, Sogavare will be seeking resources for national and political advantage," she said.

"It is not a zero-sum game," she added. Sogavare will leverage geopolitical rivalries to also accept aid from the U.S. and Japan.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Liset Fonseca holds a photo of her son Roberto, who was taken away by Cuban security during a July 2021 pro-democracy uprising (YAMIL LAGE)

Two years ago, Marta Perdomo and Liset Fonseca were two unassuming Cuban women with little interest in politics and no social media footprint.

That changed overnight when their sons were arrested in a mass roundup that followed the biggest anti-government protests in the history of the communist island. Today, they are fervent activists.

"Liberty for Jorge and Nadir. Enough. They are innocent," screams a poster that adorns the home of Perdomo in San Jose de las Lajas, a city of some 80,000 people southeast of Havana.

Her life became filled with "pain and anguish" on July 16, 2021, the 60-year-old seamstress told AFP, when police came to take both her two sons: 40-year-old IT professor Jorge, and Nadir, an English teacher aged 39.

Then, "when we started making complaints, the state security started calling us and the threats began," she said.

Since the arrests, Perdomo says she needs tablets to sleep.

Also on July 16, police took Roberto Perez, the 40-year-old son of Fonseca, a fellow resident of San Jose de las Lajas.

"Knowing that he innocent but in prison is an enormous sadness," the 62-year-old homemaker told AFP in tears.

The three men were among thousands of Cubans who spilled onto the streets of dozens of cities and towns on July 11 and 12, 2021 in a spontaneous outburst of frustration.

Demonstrators chanted "Freedom!" and "We are hungry!" amid economic strife, medical and food shortages which have gotten no better in the two years since then.

A crackdown by the security forces left one dead, dozens injured and more than 1,500 people detained, according to rights groups.

- The biggest ask: freedom -

The government says 488 protesters have been sentenced, some for up to 25 years in jail for crimes including "sedition."

Jorge Martin Perdomo is serving eight years for "assault, contempt and public disorder" and his brother six years for similar crimes -- all "fabricated" according to their mother.

Perez, who was among a group of protesters defacing a poster of Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, was given a 10-year sentence.

"They committed perhaps the biggest crime of all: asking for freedom" in Cuba, said Perdomo.

Along with Fonseca, she has vowed to continue the fight for the protesters' freedom "whatever the cost."

In a country where political opposition is illegal and all newspapers and broadcasters are aligned to the one-party State, one of the few ways to do so is on social media.

Learning the ropes of online activism was almost as difficult as dealing with the "pressure" and "threats" of the authorities, recounted Perdomo.

"We started protesting without knowing what we were doing," she recalled. "I didn't know how to do a direct" internet broadcast and "my legs were shaking" when she did her first.

- 'More radical' -

The women are naturally scared.

Fonseca said five other women in the city have sons behind bars but remain quiet for "fear of losing their jobs."

She herself was once warned during a prison visit that: "Unless you stay quiet, your son will pay the price."

But the pair is not giving up.

"If I died or something happened to me, on my grave would be written: 'Freedom for Jorge and Nadir.' But I think I will not die yet. I think I will be alive to see them come back to this house," said Perdomo.

During the interview with AFP at her kitchen table, Perdomo's phone rings and her face lights up.

"My boys," she says, and indeed it is a call from Nadir.

"Everything is fine, Mom," he told his mother on speaker phone. "We are strong and... proud of everything we did."

Minutes later, Jorge called too.

"That day (of the protest) we had a more intuitive awareness" of what was going on in Cuba, he told AFP on his mother's phone.

"But today our thinking has become more radical and we believe, obviously, in all the ideals of freedom," he said.

Perdomo and Fonseca form part of a group called "Cuba in Mourning" made up of the mothers and wives of participants in what have become known as the J11 protests.

They wear only black.

With few if any signs of change afoot, the women are hopeful something might come from a meeting at the Vatican last month between President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Pope Francis -- just months after a Church envoy called in Havana for the release of jailed protestors.

It is time, said Perdomo, "for this injustice to end."

Dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, also jailed ever since trying to join the protests two years ago, has begun a hunger strike to demand his release, his girlfriend -- exiled in the United States -- said on Facebook Friday.

Alcantara, 35, was sentenced last year to five years in prison for "offending the symbols of the homeland, contempt and public disorder.

This would be his sixth hunger strike, according to his partner and fellow activist Claudia Genlui.

Named one of Time magazines 100 most influential people of 2021, Alcantara was arrested when he set out to join the protests.

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Main opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Won-shik, left, shows a list of proposed disposal methods for the Fukushima contaminated water as his party lawmaker Wi Seong-gon and Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, right, look on during a meeting with the party's lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean opposition lawmakers sharply criticized the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog on Sunday for its approval of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They met with Rafael Grossi in a tense meeting in Seoul that took place while protesters screamed outside the door.

Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agencys director general, arrived in South Korea over the weekend to engage with government officials and critics and help reduce public concerns about food safety.

The IAEA last week approved the Japanese discharge plans, saying the process would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts. South Koreas government has also endorsed the safety of the Japanese plans.

In his meeting with members of the liberal Democratic Party, which controls a majority in South Korea's parliament, Grossi said the IAEAs review of the Japanese plans was based on transparent and scientific" research. He acknowledged concerns over how the Japanese plans would play out in reality and said the IAEA would establish a permanent office in Fukushima to closely monitor how the discharge process is implemented over the next three decades.

Our conclusion has been that this plan, if it is carried out in the way it has been presented, would be in line, would be in conformity with the international safety standards, Grossi said.

The lawmakers responded by harshly criticizing IAEAs review, which they say neglected long-term environmental and health impacts of the wastewater release and threatens to set a bad precedent that may encourage other countries to dispose nuclear waste into sea. They called for Japan to scrap the discharge plans and work with neighboring countries to find safer ways to handle the wastewater, including a possible pursuit of long-term storage on land.

The party has also criticized the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for putting people's health at risk while trying to improve relations with Japan.

If you think (the treated wastewater) is safe, I wonder whether you would be willing to suggest the Japanese government use that water for drinking or for industrial and agricultural purposes, rather than dumping it in the sea, Woo Won-shik, a Democratic Party lawmaker who attended the meeting, told Grossi. The party said Woo has been on a hunger strike for the past 14 days to protest the Japanese discharge plans.

Further details from the meeting werent immediately available after reporters were asked to leave following opening statements. Closely watched by parliamentary security staff, dozens of protesters shouted near the lobby of the National Assembly's main hall where the meeting was taking place, holding signs denouncing the IAEA and Japan.

Grossi was to fly to New Zealand later on Sunday and would then travel to the Cook Islands as he further tries to reassure countries in the region about the Japanese plans.

Hundreds of demonstrators had also marched in downtown Seoul on Saturday demanding that Japan scrap its plans.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima plants cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the facility, has been storing the treated water in hundreds of tanks that now cover most of the plant and are nearly full. Japanese officials say the tanks must be removed to make room to build facilities for the plants decommissioning and to minimize the risk of leaks in case of another major disaster. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons in early 2024.

Japan first announced plans to discharge the treated water into the sea in 2018, saying the water will be further diluted by seawater before being released in a carefully controlled process that will take decades to complete.

The safety of Fukushimas wastewater has been a sensitive issue for years between the U.S. allies. South Korea and Japan have been working in recent months to repair relations long strained over wartime historical grievances to address shared concerns such as the North Korean nuclear threat and Chinas assertive foreign policy.

In a statement released by state media on Sunday, North Korea also criticized the Japanese discharge plans, warning against fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment." The statement, which was attributed to an unidentified official in North Koreas Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, also criticized Washington and Seoul for backing the Japanese plans.

What matters is the unreasonable behavior of IAEA actively patronizing and facilitating Japans projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable, it said. Worse still, the U.S. and (South) Korea openly express unseemly welcome to Japans discharge plan that deserves condemnation and rejection, provoking strong anger of the public.
Early last year, as Russia mounted its all-out assault on Ukraine, the U.S. Space Force quietly built a shadowy electronic warfare enterprise in the remote European countryside to secure U.S. satellite networks.

That effort, led by Capt. Victoria Garcia, safeguarded the travel of two U.S. Cabinet secretaries to Kyiv, deployed a brand-new EW system for the first time and set a new standard for how the Space Force operates in far-flung parts of the world.

Garcias role in leading the first space EW deployment to Europe at the onset of the continents largest military crisis in over two decades earned her Military Times inaugural Guardian of the Year award.

Garcia, 37, of El Paso, Texas, is now a speechwriter at Space Operations Command, the Space Force branch in charge of organizing its combat units.

Garcia, a Mexican immigrant, rose through the Air Forces enlisted ranks before earning her officer commission and transferring into the Space Force. The four-month deployment was a chance for her to do what shed always dreamed of: lead troops in the field.

Her unit, the 4th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron at Colorados Peterson Space Force Base, began hearing talk of a potential deployment to Europe in December 2021, as Russia was amassing hundreds of thousands of troops on Ukraines border.

Whats more, U.S. Space Command  the organization that directs Space Force troops in daily missions around the world  wanted to set up a new combat detachment from scratch, in an area where it hadnt previously operated.

With Christmas around the corner, that task fell to Garcia.

As the squadrons mission support director, she knew how to run the secretive hardware that stops enemies from interfering with U.S. and allied use of the electromagnetic spectrum. That keeps lines of satellite communications open, allows the U.S. to collect intelligence from space and ensures foreign adversaries dont intercept classified information.

She also understood the massive logistical effort needed to operate those systems in the field, far from an established base like Peterson.

Whats the security going to look like? she said. What type of radio frequency transmission support are we going to need for that system? What type of comms support, like plugging in computers, phones?  How are we going to get generator power to this location? How are we going to cool it?

Garcia got the nod to serve as deployment commander and began building her team of intel specialists, equipment sherpas, cyber experts and more  54 troops across 15 career fields. The 54-person team left for Europe on Feb. 2, less than two months after planning began in earnest.

The group first headed to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where they packed pallet after pallet of equipment onto five C-130 Hercules airlifters for the final leg of the journey to their undisclosed location. Their destination offered only a basic runway that couldnt bear the weight of the larger cargo jets theyd typically use.

Capt. Victoria Garcia is now a speechwriter at Space Operations Command, the Space Force branch in charge of organizing its combat units. (Space Force)

Garcia and a few others arrived on site early to test a new, $2 million EW system, built by a rapid reaction team to speed cutting-edge technologies to the field for the first time. She declined to answer how the system differed from existing electronic warfare tools, or what gap in military capabilities it filled.

Over the course of 30 hours, the team turned two hardened, Soviet-era aircraft hangars  a 45-minute drive from where they lived on one of the host countrys military bases  into makeshift command centers fit for classified operations.

Wiring crisscrossed open fields; without the security afforded by a larger base, their hardware needed to be guarded around the clock. Garcia said she was aware of threats to the facilities but declined to provide details.

It was ... kind of madness, she said. You have people directing [network] fiber, pulling cases and building the system.  We would have to drive out two to three miles into the larger town to go get larger pieces of wood and things like that.

Once their stronghold was up and running, the unit tracked 84,000 network events over 3,000 hours in the field from February to May.

We conducted a lot of passive operations, Garcia said. We had two systems at that site, which were about a mile apart, overseeing the electromagnetic spectrum in this area of this country.

That April, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinkens three-day trip to Ukraine and Poland  their first since the war began  put the detachments capabilities to the test.

Being in Europe allowed the unit to watch and manipulate parts of the spectrum that they wouldnt otherwise have access to, Garcia said. Those troops could intervene if they detected any electronic interference that could jeopardize the defense secretarys safety, or disrupt his ability to communicate.

If you think of it like an overwatch surveillance mission, we were there to answer the call  if things went south, she said.

As part of the trip, Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries, cash that countries could use to purchase any needed supplies.

In their down time, the guardians would sprint around the flight line for Sunday Fun-day Run-day, barbecue and hitch rides on visiting U.S. Army helicopters.

In November, Garcia received one of the inaugural U.S. Space Force Polaris Awards for guardians at the field command level. She received the Polaris Courage Award as a representative of Space Operations Command.

Garcia has continued to follow the war in Ukraine and kept up with her old unit, now called the 44th Electromagnetic Warfare Combat Detachment, as it has expanded its mission. Shes found it difficult to disconnect from the venture to which she gave so much time and sweat.

Theres a deep appreciation of what you do as a Space Force guardian, when you know the capabilities that you operate are feeding a joint fight, she said. You get the satisfaction of, Im truly part of something that is helping mankind.

See all Military Times 2023 Service Members of the Year honorees.
Ohio Veterans' Memorial Park will honor longtime park volunteer and board member, the late Richard "Rick" F. Stoltz.

Akron resident Richard F. Rick Stoltz likely had no idea when drafted in 1969 at age 19 that he would become a multi-decorated American hero of the Vietnam War for his bravery and valor.

And Stark County musician and music educator J. Ted Wenger, as a young trumpet and French horn rising star, probably never dreamed of the impact his career would have on so many lives of his public and university students who followed in his footsteps as classroom teachers and professional musicians.

Ted Wenger

Now both are to be saluted this month with separate free concerts by the 66-member Canal Fulton Community Band as a tribute for all the lives both have touched.

The concert honoring Stoltz, who served in Vietnam and Cambodia and received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with oak-leaf cluster, will take place 7 p.m. July 15 at the Ohio Veterans Memorial Park at 8005 S. Cleveland Massillon Road in Summit Countys village of Clinton.

The tribute for Wenger will be held 7 p.m. July 31 at the Duncan Plaza amphitheater in front of the Massillon Police Department and Municipal Court Building off Lincoln Way East and First Street Southeast.

Concertgoers are urged to bring chairs to enjoy both programs. If canceled due to inclement weather, the performances will each be the following night and same time.

Remembering American war hero Rick Stoltz

The Clinton concert of patriotic music and narrative is being dedicated to Stoltz, who died May 28 at age 72 after living in Akron most of his life. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service after 30 years.

During duty with the Armys 25th Infantry Division, Stoltz was a Tunnel Rat, according to current Ohio Veterans' Memorial Park Board President and Army veteran Gary Kindig, who explained the designation was given to those who performed underground search-and-destroy missions.

Shortly after returning stateside, the dedicated park volunteer and financial supporter became an ardent advocate for veterans and had been a dedicated longtime volunteer and financial supporter of the OVMP, which was dedicated May 17, 2009, according to Kindig, who was drafted out of his alma mater, Manchester High School, in 1966.

Clinton Mayor Bud McDaniel, who served on the OVMP board with Stoltz, called Stoltz a fantastic person, a park volunteer from the beginning. He did it all, and I was saddened when I received word of his passing.

Because the $1.7-million scenic, historical and recreational memorial is privately funded and has never received any government funding, donations are welcome, Kindig said. He added that a lap top quilt and wooden American flag are to be raffled off and other military merchandise will be sold at the concert.

Contributions also can be made to the non-profit organization at the park site, online at www.ovmp.org, or by mail to OVMP, P.O. Box 3, 8005 Cleveland Massillon Road, Clinton, OH 44216-8918.

The idea and discussion of a memorial to honor Ohio veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice defending America began several years before the Clinton memorial became a reality, Kindig explained. Groups from Akron, Columbus and Mansfield met several times before the latter two groups stepped aside and Akron area proponents moved forward.

Kindig said several area locations were considered before the Clinton site was chosen across the street from the Clinton Cemetery. Ground was broken for the park in 2007 on the 1.6-acre hayfield owned by the Clinton Cemetery Association.

The park, where nobody is buried, honors Ohio veterans from all wars, all branches of military service and those serving in both war and peacetime. Kindig noted the mission is to preserve the memories of those who swore to protect the American way of life  FREEDOM.

The main attraction among hundreds throughout the park is the 125-foot, free-standing granite Ohio Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall with 3,095 names of fallen Ohio veterans etched alphabetically on one side and names of 1,822 Ohioan vets lost in the Korean War etched on the other side.

Standing facing the Lest We Forget granite wall are the life-size Gold Star Mother and Gold Star Father statues carved by Ken Noon and members of his Summit Memorials of Akron team, which also sand-plasted and etched the memorial wall names.

Kindig said the Gold Star Mother statue was dedicated to Lanes mother, which by coincidence its gaze is fixed on her daughters name on the wall. The fathers statue is the first monument in the nation dedicated to fathers of Ohios Fallen Heroes.

More than 100 benches throughout the park are dedicated to fallen Ohio war veterans.

The park is open 24-hours-a-day, year-round.

Other features include a M60 Patten Tank, a 48-foot-long Cobra Helicopter, a 1946 Dodge ambulance, a POW/MIA reflecting pond and eternal flame, the Family of Heroes Hall and pavilion and much more.

The Ted Wenger Tribute

Barbara Wenger said she and her husband, Ted, graduated from Canton South High School a year apart, with Ted, now 86, graduating in 1955 and she a year later. He went on to Kent State University, earning his music degree in 1959.

Throughout high school, she was Teds piano accompanist during rehearsals and solo competitions.

As a South High sophomore, Barbara said she was too young to go to the junior-senior prom so she helped Ted wash the car in which he took another girl.

Already smitten by Ted in high school, Barbara said, We didnt begin going together until we were both at Kent. We married in 1958. And Id do it all over again.

The pair raised two children, son Jeff and daughter Jennifer Wenger Elliott. The couple, who celebrated their 65th anniversary in June, have five grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Son Jeff said: I always knew my hero was a great father and that I was raised by loving parents. But it wasnt until I was older that I realized just how influential my father was in the lives of so many others. It is truly an honor to be his son.

"He's the funniest man I have ever known and the best dad a girl could ever hope for," added his daughter, Jennifer.

Wenger spent 34 years as a high school band director  four years each at Sandy Valley and Canton Local and then 26 years at Massillon Perry Schools, beginning in 1967. He earned his masters certification from VanderCook College of Music during his early teaching days by spending six weeks each of four summers taking classes.

In the 1970s, Wenger was one of three music instructors chosen to take over 200 student instrumentalists and vocalists, including 19 from Perry, on a 28-day School Bands of America performance tour through eight European countries, with Wenger directing the groups jazz band.

He retired from Perry in 1993, but he didnt leave the profession or his performing. He played with several local bands, including the John Tripani Big Band, Bob Blyers Meadowbrook Big Band and the Canton Concert band.

From at least a decade beginning in 1997, he was an adjunct music instructor at the University of Mount Union. He also directed the Stark County Fair Band for over decade through 2013.

Asked about his musical career and teaching, Wenger often said, I couldnt believe I got paid for doing what I loved. He also said he was delighted that so many of his students followed in his footsteps.

Among the many students he influenced was 1979 Perry graduate trombonist Paul Ferguson, who graduated from the University of Akron and Eastman School of Music and played with notable big bands, including the Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey orchestras. Since 1988, Ferguson has been the director of jazz studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Trombonist Paul Ferguson

As a tribute to his longtime friend and mentor, Ferguson has re-arranged one of Wengers favorite Henry Mancini tunes, Two for the Road, for this concert and will perform the work with the Canal Fulton band at the Duncan Plaza concert. He also will sit in with the band for the entire concert of show tunes and popular marches, according to Pat Grutzmacher, the bands longtime conductor.

Massillon Mayor Kathy Carazaro-Perry, a 1980 Perry graduate and three-year majorette with the marching band, said: Ted was a fabulous band director and knew how to have fun while caring about his students and the whole community. Ted respected the students and they respected him. I want to personally honor him at the concert because everybody loves Ted Wenger.

Susan Bair, who worked with Wenger for 18 years of her 30-year teaching career, said: Ted had a charisma that encouraged students to rally around him and work diligently to accomplish what he asked of them. His standards were high, and the students were inspired to do their best for him. He created an atmosphere that taught students to work together to achieve the goals set for them.

Over the years since we have both retired I have talked to many former students. Their comments are always positive when describing their band experiences with Ted. He was demanding  and they loved him for it.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Concerts to honor Akron war hero, influential Stark music educator
Staten Island deli co-owner fatally shot at Castleton Corners business; leaves behind wife, two children, friends say

A shooter took the life of a Staten Island delis hard-working co-owner on Saturday night in a brazen killing that brought tears to victims friends, police and people who knew the man said.

The shooting was discovered around 7:50 p.m. by someone who walked into Manor Deli & Convenience on Manor Road near Goodwin Ave. in Castleton Corners, said police.

The person who found the victim called 911 and reported a possible robbery, cops said.

The victim, 35, had a gunshot wound to his chest, said police. Medics rushed him to Staten Island University Hospital, but he could not be saved.

It was not immediately clear when the man was shot, said cops. His identity was not released on Saturday night.

It was unclear if anything was stolen from the store.

Friends said the shooting victim had shut down another deli in Richmond Terrace and opened the new establishment on Manor Road.

He came here because it was a nice area, said one friend, Alex Omer.

The victim leaves behind a wife and two children, said Hazem Alasad, a second friend of the victim who sat crying on a curb across the street from the store on Saturday night.

Very, very, very hard worker. He worked very hard to support his family. All the way, Alasad said. He was very nice and very pleasant. Everybody liked him.

Police searched Saturday for a suspect or suspects in the killing.
With the approval of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Quiapo Church is officially the National Shrine of the Black Nazarene.

During the bishops' 126th plenary conference in Kalibo, Aklan, the CBCP declared on Sunday that the church canonically known as the Saint John the Baptist Parish has been upgraded from its archdiocesan shrine status, as reported by CNN.

Since the "traslacion" or transfer of the image from Intramuros to Quiapo began in 1787, Quiapo Church, which is located in the center of Manila, has been a site of devotion for Filipinos, according to the CBCP.

Quiapo Church officially became an archdiocesan shrine on May 10. Pope John Paul II recognized it as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in 1987 in honor of its cultural influence on Filipino religious customs.

(Photo : by TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images)

Catholic faithful stand outside the Quiapo church in Manila on October 9, 2020, as health protocols imposed by authorities limit church goers inside the church to filling only 10 percent of their seating capacity. - After months of livestreaming mass to millions of faithful from behind closed doors, churches in the Catholic-majority Philippines are beginning to reopen.

The Black Nazarene is one of the most popular religious icons in the Philippines. Millions of devotees flock to Quiapo Church every year to pray to the statue and to participate in the annual Traslacion procession, which is held on January 9. The Traslacion is a religious procession commemorates the statue transfer from the Church of Saint Nicholas Tolentino to Quiapo Church in 1787.

Quiapo Church is a popular tourist destination and is also a major pilgrimage site for Catholics from all over the Philippines. The church is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Black Nazarene is made of dark wood and is about 5 feet tall. It is believed to have miraculous powers, and many devotees come to Quiapo Church to pray for healing and other blessings. The Traslacion procession is one of the largest religious processions in the world.

Read also: Vatican Diary Could Shed Light on Decades of Priestly Abuse in Bolivia

The Devotees

The devotees of the Black Nazarene are a diverse group of people from all walks of life. They come from all over the Philippines, as well as from other countries around the world. They are young and old, rich and poor, educated and uneducated.

What unites the devotees of the Black Nazarene is their shared faith and devotion to the statue. They believe that the Black Nazarene is a miraculous image of Jesus Christ, and they come to Quiapo Church to pray for healing, guidance, and other blessings.

The devotees of the Black Nazarene express their devotion in many different ways. Some people come to Quiapo Church to simply pray and offer their respects.

Others participate in the annual Traslacion procession. A religious procession commemorates the statue transfer from the Church of Saint Nicholas Tolentino to Quiapo Church in 1787.

Millions of devotees participate in the procession, which winds its way through the streets of Manila. The procession is a time of great faith and devotion and a powerful experience for the devotees who participate.

In addition to the Traslacion procession, there are many other ways that devotees of the Black Nazarene express their devotion. Some people make pilgrimages to Quiapo Church, while others pray to the statue at home. Some people also wear amulets or talismans associated with the Black Nazarene.

The devotion to the Black Nazarene is a deeply personal and meaningful experience for the devotees. It is a way for them to connect with their faith and seek the blessings of Jesus Christ.

Related article: Guam to Hire 10,000-15,000 Filipino Workers for Military Base Construction

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On a cold January night in 1876, two weary travellers knocked at Mohammed Khan's house in Delhi's Sabzi Mandi - a thriving labyrinth of narrow alleys in India's capital - and asked if they could stay the night.

Khan graciously decided to let the guests sleep in his room. But the next morning, he found that the men had disappeared. Also missing, was Khan's bedroll which he had given the men to rest. Khan had been robbed, he realised, in a way like no other.

Nearly 150 years on, the story of Khan's ordeal now features in a list of the earliest crimes reported in Delhi, records for which were uploaded on the city police's website last month.

The "antique FIRs" provide details into some 29 other similar cases that were registered at the city's five main police stations - Sabzi Mandi, Mehrauli, Kotwali, Sadar Bazar and Nangloi - between 1861 to the early 1900s. In Khan's case, the police caught the men and sent them to three months in jail on charges of theft.

Originally filed in the tenacious Urdu shikastah script - which also uses words in Arabic and Persian - the FIRs were translated and compiled by a team led by Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police Rajendra Singh Kalkal, he also illustrated each of the cases himself.

Mr Kalkal told the BBC the records "spoke to him" because of the fascinating insights they offered into the lives of people in a city which has survived waves of conquests and change. "The files are a window to the past as well as the present," he says.

Most of the complaints involve petty crimes of theft - of stolen oranges, bedsheets and ice cream - and carry a comical lightness to them. There's a gang of men who ambushed a shepherd, slapped him and took away his 110 goats; a man who nearly stole a bedsheet but got caught "at a distance of 40 steps"; and the sad case of Darshan, the guardian of gunny bags, who gets beaten black and blue by thugs before they snatch his quilt and a shoe - just one of the pair - and run away.

For anyone familiar with India's past, this might seem odd given how the 1860s was a particularly grim period in Delhi's history. The Mughal rule had just ended after the British suppressed the revolt of 1857, often referred to as India's first war of independence. The city - once an idyll of pleasure gardens, Sufi devotion, arts and Mughal regalia - now laid in ferment, sacked and looted.

Artist and historian Mahmood Farooqui says that one possible reason why no serious crimes occurred at that time was that people had become deeply intimidated by the British, who continued to run a an iron-fisted rule in the years after the revolt.

Men, women and children were brutally massacred. Many were forced to leave Delhi forever and move to the surrounding countryside, where they lived the remaining years in abject poverty. And a few of those, who managed to remain within the city walls, had to live under the constant threat of getting shot or being hanged to the gallows. "This was a time of carnage. People were terrorised and brutalised so much that they bore its trauma for years."

Mr Farooqui adds that unlike other cities such as Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) where modern policing had already taken shape, Delhi continued to run on a unique, "a purana, or old" system of policing, laid under the Mughal rule, which was hard to dismantle and replace completely. "So discrepancies or gaps in records are not entirely out of question."

Indian soldiers revolted against the British in 1857

The records, which lie in the Delhi Police Museum, were discovered sometime last year. Mr Kalkal, who was in-charge of the research and preservation of the museum's artefacts, said he found them while he was browsing through the musty old archives one fine day. "I saw hundreds of FIRs lying in obscurity. When I read them I realised how its format has remained unchanged even after 200 years."

Mr Kalkal says he too was struck by the innocuous nature of the offences, a time when stealing objects like cigars, pyjamas and oranges was "the worst imaginable thing".

But the fact that relatively benign crimes were being reported to the cops does not necessarily mean that a lot of heinous crime weren't already happening - Mr Kalal suspects the first case of homicide would've surfaced as early as 1861 itself, when an organised form of policing was established by the British under the Indian Police Act.

"Finding murder cases was not the focus of our research but I am sure they are there, somewhere," he says.

In many complaints, the outcome of the case is marked as "untraceable", suggesting that the culprit was never caught. But in several other, such as Khan's case, swift punishment appears to have been delivered with severity ranging from whippings, beating with canes to a few odd weeks or months of jail time.

One such crime took place at the city's most graceful grande dame, the 233-room Imperial Hotel, in 1897. A chef from the hotel was sent to the Sabzi Mandi police station with a "complaint letter in English" stating that a band of thieves, in an act of unimaginable travesty, had nicked a liquor bottle and a pack of cigars from one of the rooms. The hotel announced a handsome reward of 10 rupees for catching the men. But the case turned cold and could never be solved.

"Today, crimes have become so sophisticated that it takes months and years to solve them. But life was much simpler back then, you either cracked a case or didn't," Mr Kalkal says.

Mr Kalkal's team couldn't be happier about the compilation but he says the initial process of translation was hardly delightful. The difficulty of reading the Urdu shikasta script wore him down on multiple occasions and for cracking that, his team had to seek the skill and persistence of Urdu and Persian scholars and maulvis brought in from every corner of the city.

"But we always knew the effort was worth it," he says.

He was particularly charmed by one passage which described a police officer's annoyance after he was forced to park his "vehicle" - his beloved horse - out in the heat while investigating a theft case.

"The details really make you wonder how far we've come, isn't it?"
Five people, including four teenagers, were arrested late Saturday after staging a street takeover and attempting to evade officers, according to a news release from Fort Worth police.

Three of the people arrested are legally considered adults. Police identified them as::

Bruce Camacho, 17, evading arrest or detention, a Class A misdemeanor;

Gustavo Camacho, 19, evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, a third-degree felony, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a state jail felony;

and Saul Olade, 20, evading arrest or detention, a Class A misdemeanor.

Police were dispatched around 10:30 p.m. Saturday to a call about hot-rodders near the corner of North Beach Street and North Tarrant Parkway in north Fort Worth, according to the news release. Investigators later determined the street takeover was organized by a group that committed mayhem in Austin a few months ago, according to the news release.

When officers arrived, they saw a silver and black Dodge Challenger doing doughnuts in the intersection with a crowd watching and filming them.

When the officers at the scene activated emergency lights and sirens, the driver of the Dodge Challenger drove out of the intersection and started trying to evade officers at a high rate of speed, according to police. A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter followed the Challenger.

During the chase, a lieutenant from Richland Hills police heard police radio traffic and was able to deploy road spikes in front of the evading vehicle, police said in the release. The spikes disabled the vehicle and when the driver pulled in at a QuikTrip gas station, the people inside got out of the vehicle and started running.

Police said they ran toward a Dodge Charger and got in. The Charger sped off with everyone inside and they continued trying to evade police. Officers started pursuing the Charger, with assistance from a DPS helicopter, to a bridge near Texas 121 and South Riverside Drive, where the Charger stopped under a bridge and everyone inside got out and fled on foot.

Police chasing them found all five people who were in the Charger, which they determined was reported stolen from Addison police jurisdiction, according to the news release. The Dodge Challenger was reported stolen from Farmers Branch police jurisdiction.

Police were able to identify all five of the people who ran and took the three adults to the city jail, authorities said in the news release. Two others were identified as minors and taken to juvenile detention. Investigators have determined that both vehicles had fake license plates.
Sunak discourages use of cluster bombs after Biden agrees to send munitions to Ukraine

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the United Kingdom discourages the use of cluster bombs, following President Bidens decision to send the munitions to Ukraine.

The United Kingdom is one of over 100 countries that have banned the weapons under an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer, production and stockpiling of all cluster munitions.

Sunak, in a video interview shared by BBC on Saturday, emphasized the treaty as his answer on cluster munitions, but said the UK will continue to support Ukraine in other ways.

We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion, but weve done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine, he said.

More Defense coverage from The Hill

However, Sunak did not directly call out the U.S. for the decision to send the munitions, choosing his words carefully, while denouncing Russias actions.

Russias act of barbarism is causing untold suffering to millions of people, the prime minister said.

Criticism on the decision came from others as well, including Spain and Russia, whose leaders warned Biden about sending the munitions.

No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defense of Ukraine, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told Politico, adding which we understand should not be carried out with cluster bombs.

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In spite of the global commentary, Biden defended his decision to send cluster bombs to aid in the war effort, saying it was a very difficult decision on my part, and that he spoke with allies abroad and on Capitol Hill.

The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition. I think they needed them, Biden added, referring to the munitions.

On the other side of the controversy, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov committed to using the weapons cautiously.

It is important to note that the Russian Federation has been indiscriminately using cluster munitions from day 1 of the unprovoked large-scale aggression, he tweeted.

In addition, former national security adviser John Bolton praised Bidens decision, calling it an excellent idea.

We should have done it before the Ukrainians were asking for it, Bolton said.

Sunak is expected to meet with Biden in London on Monday ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
During a telephone conversation, Hakan Fidan, Turkiye Foreign Minister, discussed the Black Sea Grain Initiative with his Russian counterpart.

Source: TRT Haber, with reference to Turkiye Foreign Ministry; European Pravda

"During the conversation, the latest developments around Ukraine and the Istanbul grain agreement were discussed," the report says.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Lavrov discussed with Fidan the return of the defenders of Mariupol to Kyiv.

"Ankara's attention was drawn to the destructiveness of the course to continue supplying military equipment to the Kyiv regime. As it was emphasised, appropriate steps can only lead to negative consequences", the ministry reported.

During the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Istanbul recently, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was willing to extend the agreement on the safe transit of Ukrainian grain for three months instead of two.

The grain supply agreement expires on 17 July. This is a vital route for Ukrainian agricultural exports, thanks to which millions of tonnes of grain and other goods have been exported over the past 11 months.

Stopping the transit may raise global food prices, given the importance of Ukraine as a grain exporter.

On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it does not consider it possible to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was concluded last summer for grain export from Ukrainian ports.

Despite Russia's threats to withdraw from the agreement in mid-May, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was extended for another two months.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Story at a glance

The number of book challenges in the United States doubled between 2021 and 2022, according to the American Library Association.

That spike is partially the result of changing tactics used by those seeking to remove titles from schools.

Parent groups are organizing online and going directly to school districts to demand that lists of books be taken off of shelves.

A group of Arkansas librarians, booksellers and readers filed a lawsuit Friday challenging a state law restricting what books can be given to minors.

More than 1,200 book challenges were compiled by the American Library Association last year, the most the organization has recorded since it began keeping records 20 years ago.

That marks a 50 percent increase from 2021, when 729 book challenges were recorded.

The spike in book ban attempts has in part been driven by changing tactics in how works are challenged.

Gone are the days of an individual parent requesting that a book be reviewed by a school. Now, parent groups are thronging school board meetings and organizing over social media to demand that lists of books be removed from school libraries  and some like-minded elected officials are throwing their weight behind efforts to limit what titles students can read, as well.

A group effort

In the past, book challenges typically came in the form of a single parent complaining to a teacher or school if they did not approve of their child reading a certain book, censorship experts explain.

There might even be a group of parents who would get together in one school and complain directly to the teacher or the principal, said Ann David, a member of the National Council of Teachers for English.

But, she said, it really tended to be localized.

In recent years, however, that has changed.

Conservative parent-led groups like Florida Citizens Alliance, No Left Turn in Education and Moms for Liberty, which take issue with topics of race and sexuality being taught in schools and have distributed lists of books with graphic or explicit materials, began to pop up.

It has also become more common for people challenging books to go directly to school superintendents or to school board meetings demanding that lists of books be removed from school libraries, according to David.

Its far more public and far more contentious, she said.

The power of social media

The growing group efforts to challenge lists of books have been bolstered by social media.

Over the past three years, there has been a shift toward far more organized and purposeful challenges that are being organized in online spaces, said David.

And there is no question that social media has played a major role in how conservative parent groups communicate regarding books they want to remove from school libraries, according to Christopher Finan, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship.

PEN America, which keeps track of book challenges, has noted that Facebook is one of the primary platforms where lists of to-be-challenged books are shared.

A particularly popular group of Facebook pages that circulate such lists are called Mary in the Library.

Different pages under that name appear to have been created for different states. Each one features the same profile picture of a stern-looking older woman with horn-rimmed glasses, presumably Mary, and the same twosentence intro:Mary has a dirty little secret. She collects naughty childrens books!

Mary in the Library Indiana is filled with images of books accompanied by ratings and excerpts of what users characterize as obscene or objectionable content from those works.

Many of those reviews, according to PEN America, look as if they have been directly lifted from a site called BookLooks.org, which writes and collects easy to understand book content reviews centered on objectionable content like profanity, nudity and sexual content.

BookLooks claims it is not affiliated with any other organization like Moms for Liberty and instead is merely trying to make its reviews available to all parents so they can make informed decisions.

The pages are also filled with discussion on current book bans and titles that users say should be considered for future ones.

That exchange of information between Facebook users results in the same books being challenged in school districts across the country, according to PEN America.

What we are seeing is a book that gets challenged in Florida tends to show up on list in Missouri and California and Indiana and Virginia, said Kasey Meehan, freedom to read program director at PEN America. Theres this kind of network across states, as well as across districts within a state, that are challenging similar books.

Caldwell-Stone, of the American Library Association, added that members of the organization and similar groups are concerned social media is making conservative parent groups more powerful by increasing their visibility and promoting their viewpoints to the point that they could exert influence on elected officials.

Thats a big concern, that these groups are encouraging elected officials to promote their views of books belonging in libraries and putting that into legislation, she said.

Powerful supporters

Some conservative elected officials have followed the same list sharing tactic employed by parent groups to promote the removal of books from school libraries.

Former Texas state Representative Matt Krause (R), for instance, is viewed by book ban critics as the reason why the Lone Star State is home to the most book challenges.

In 2021, Krause, who was thenchair of the state Houses General Investigating Committee, issued a book query to determine how many Texas school districts had in their libraries books related to topics that might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress, because of race or sex, according to the Texas Tribune. Krause later asked school districts to report how many copies of the books on a list of 850 titles they had.

Some schools ignored him, some schools pulled the books, said David, of the National Council of Teachers for English. That really is the first large instance of this passing around of a list.

David added that some parent groups pulled book titles from Krauses massive list, while others were inspired by his actions to make lists of their own.

Some states have also passed laws that restrict what kinds of books can be in schools or change the process for adding titles to school libraries.

In Florida, for example, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) enacted three state laws last year limiting reading and educational materials.

Such laws have supercharged book banning in schools, according to PEN America.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
People standing in line at a government agency

Transgender people who live in Tennessee can no longer change their identification documents to reflect their gender identity. As of Saturday, birth certificates, drivers licenses, and other official documents in the state can only reflect a persons sex assigned at birth.

Tennessee has adopted a law that defines a persons sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth. Accordingly, transgender Tennesseans cannot change their IDs gender if it differs from their birth certificate.

For people who have already changed their documents, its unclear what will happen when they apply for renewal. Opponents of the law have many questions about the new statute, and this is just one of them.



For someone thats trans, it can mean that they end up being wrongly detained. It can mean that in a criminal justice system, they are wrongly prosecuted, or it can mean that their marriage license doesnt match what it actually should  that it misrepresents the relationship they have as well, said Jace Wilder, Education Manager for the TN Equality Project, Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF reports.

The transgender and intersex community is unfairly targeted by this law, according to Wilder.

Having that sex marker be incorrect, it creates this idea of deviance and of lying, or being someone who is inherently criminal, he explained.

As a result of the new law, Tennessee may also lose millions of dollars in federal education and health funding.

A court challenge is expected to be brought against the new law, according to Wilder.

This is a very clear First Amendment issue, he declared. This is a clear Fourteenth Amendment issue.

How the law will be enforced is another area that remains unclear.
Tennessee ban on transgender procedures for minors can be enforced: appeals court

Tennessee ban on transgender procedures for minors can be enforced: appeals court

Tennessees ban on transgender procedures for minors  including puberty blockers and surgery  can be enforced, an appeals court ruled Saturday, overturning a lower courts ruling.

The decision from the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati came following an emergency appeal from the state of Tennessee, and after a district court judge ruled late last month that it was unconstitutional because it discriminated on the basis of sex.

In a split decision, the panel of judges voted 2-1 to temporarily allow the ban to go into effect, saying the issue is better left to the legislature than the judiciary.

"Given the high stakes of these nascent policy deliberations  the long-term health of children facing gender dysphoria  sound government usually benefits from more rather than less debate," wrote Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton, a former President George W. Bush appointee.

FLORIDA MEDICAID MOVES AGAINST TRANSGENDER THERAPIES COVERAGE, CALLS IT EXPERIMENTAL

He added that "life-tenured federal judges should be wary of removing a vexing and novel topic of medical debate from the ebbs and flows of democracy by construing a largely unamendable federal constitution to occupy the field."

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The panel added that the LGBTQ advocate groups that had challenged the law hadnt shown they would be able to prove the law was unconstitutional.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called the ruling a "big win."

"The case is far from over," Skrmetti said in a statement, "but this is a big win. The court of appeals lifted the injunction, meaning the law can be fully enforced, and recognized that Tennessee is likely to win the constitutional argument and the case."

Dissenting Judge Helene White, another Bush appointee, said the law is "likely unconstitutional" as sex discrimination.

"I fail to see how the state can justify denying access to hormone therapies for treatment of minor Plaintiffs gender dysphoria while permitting access to others, especially in light of the district courts robust factual findings on the benefits of these treatments for transgender youth," White wrote.

GEORGIA PARENTS OF TRANSGENDER CHILDREN CHALLENGE STATE'S BAN ON SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR MINORS

Judge Amul Thapar, a former President Trump appointee, joined Sutton is the majority ruling.

The panel will now conduct a full review of the law, which they said they hope to complete by Sept. 30.

"These initial views, we must acknowledge, are just that: initial," Sutton wrote. "We may be wrong."

The ACLU, its Tennessee chapter and two law firms called Saturdays ruling "beyond disappointing and a heartbreaking development."

"As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want all the transgender youth of Tennessee to know this fight is far from over and we will continue to challenge this law until it is permanently defeated," the joint statement said.

Tennessees law, which is also being challenged by the federal government, prohibits gender-affirming care "inconsistent with the immutable characteristics of the reproductive system that define the minor as male or female."

Other Republican states like Arkansas and Florida have also enacted similar laws banning transgender care for minors and have faced similar legal challenges.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
MANCI Corrections Officer Terry Burke was named Corrections Officer of the Year for MANCI and he received the Ronald C. Marshall Award as Corrections Officer of the Year for the entire state in 2023.

It's easy to see why the 2023 Mansfield Correctional Institution "Corrections Officer of the Year" also was chosen as Corrections Officer of the Year for the entire Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.

Terry Burke, 50, said there are a lot of hard-working people at the prison along Ohio 13, and what he loves about working in corrections is trying to make a difference in inmates' lives.

"Every day when I put my badge on I tell myself to try and make a difference," he said. "That's what I do every day."

Burke said people at MANCI say he is always smiling and has "the gift for gab."

He added, "If you have a smile, it's hard to have a bad day."

Burke said he prides himself on being positive and hopefully show people he cares about them inside the prison. Burke has worked at MANCI for 10 years and has been in the same honor inmate living quarters or "pod" for four years, along with another corrections officer, supervising 118 inmates for eight hours each day.

"I like to get to know them more on a personal level but I keep it on professional at the same time," he said of incarcerated individuals.

'They still have lives on the outside'

"They're doing time, they're doing their punishment for whatever crime but they still have lives on the outside but a lot of their abilities to handle their lives gets stopped. All they can do is hear about their lives a lot of times so they have issues to deal with, they might lose a family member while in here or going through a divorce while they're in here and I've had where someone has lost a child while being in here," he said. "If you don't have a certain level of caring about them, then they feel hopeless because they don't have anyone to turn to.

"I try to let them know I'm an officer that you can come to and I have an open door policy at this desk, that's what I call it," he said.

"I'm proud to do what I do," Burke said.

Burke said he grew up in Clinton near Barberton and came to college late in life having always been fascinated with criminal justice. During college he heard a speaker from Indian River, a juvenile facility in Massillon.

He said he did not get hired at Indian River but he had always heard about MANCI and it was always a dream job of his. He interviewed for a job at MANCI where they were 200 people were interviewed for 50 job openings.

He said he told his wife Valarie he wasn't coming back home without a job and told the interviewer he had a letter of recommendation from the Magnolia police chief where he had an internship and that they should hire him.

"You hire me and I guarantee I will be the best officer you ever had," Burke said. He was taken to the next step to begin his testing.

Burke said he is the first in his family to have a career in corrections. His father was a truck driver and his brother a diesel mechanic.

He currently commutes an hour and 20 minutes each way on U.S. 30 to and from MANCI from Waynesburg.

Getting people on a positive path for life outside prison

Terry Burke

He may be caring but he also believes in holding people accountable if they "go out of place" on him. Once, an inmate returned to the pod two hours late after lunch and Burke figured the inmate might have contraband so he strip searched him in private and ended up doing it a second time, and was strip searched again, which spurred the inmate to begin to follow the rules.

"I do have a very loud, boisterous voice," he said. "I don't know where it comes from."

Burke shared a story about the then 19-year-old inmate who is no longer incarcerated and, from the last time he heard, is living a positive life on the outside.

He said the man asked him why he cared about him and why Burke didn't just write him a ticket and put him in the hole and Burke told him he cares about him and he sees good in him. The inmate started coming to class, not getting in trouble, and was even showing Burke his homework.

The young inmate had grown up with a single mother working two jobs and had learned to fend for himself, stealing fruit and vegetables from a grocery store.

Burke came back from two days off work and found the inmate with two black eyes and a swollen cheek.

"He said, 'I did this for you,'" Burke said, learning the inmate told a gang called Heartless Felons he wanted out of the gang and they beat him up.

"He jumped out of the gang and ... he ended up getting out of the institution and doing good," Burke said.

Burke said for those inmates not getting out of prison, serving life with no chance for parole, he tells them everybody has a purpose and a reason for living. He told one man he was working in the prison to help others by telling his story and mentoring them.

His reward for his positive attitude at work is receiving word from former incarcerated individuals they are doing OK on the outside.

Burke also has been lauded for his diligence in finding contraband inside the prison and in May 2022 found a large amount of contraband not once but twice.

"I believe if I can change one person then that's my reward and I have done by job," he said.

Burke enjoys nature, fishing, hiking

In his spare time he and his wife enjoy hiking at Hocking Hills State Park, enjoying time with their three dogs, Zoey a pug, Puggle (pug/beagle mix) Precious and Husky Collie mix Robbie, all three of which are rescues.

He also has been invited by the prison Honor Guard to travel to Georgetown, Ohio, with them for Christmas in July, an event for wounded veterans where he will take woodworking items made by incarcerated MANCI individuals to give to veterans. He's also planning a trip to Sandusky for a similar event.

Burke said he was raised to respect others from both parents, who are from West Virginia. He has two half sisters, one of whom died. He served as a volunteer firefighter for four years and has always liked to do his part to contribute to society. He graduated from Northwest High School in Canal Fulton.

He is an avid catfish fisherman and said he enjoys night fishing.

Burke said a lot of people come to corrections and some get discouraged working weekends and second shift but he said the career comes with an opportunity for a free college education.

"ODRC is my extended family," he said.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @lwhitmir

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Terry Burke, 50, corrections officer at MANCI, named Ohio's "top C.O."
One Redditor claimed they were suffering through the Texas heatwave when their landlord delayed fixing their air conditioner by two weeks.

The last eight years have been the hottest ever recorded, and experts predict that the next five will keep getting hotter. Texas in particular has been experiencing a massive heat wave, with most of the state under a heat alert, making this Redditors struggle particularly alarming.

My air conditioner went out, the user said in a post on r/mildlyinfuriating. Texas is in a heat advisory. It was 95 [degrees Fahrenehit] inside my house today. They even included a picture of their thermostat as proof.

Photo Credit: u/Avengelina254 / Reddit

In a comment, the user explained that 95 was the inside temperature. Outside, the heat index was a dangerous 117 degrees Fahrenheit.

An elderly gentleman in the neighborhood across from mine passed away from heat stroke two days ago, they said, underscoring just how urgent their situation was.

But despite that fact, their landlord was slow to fix the issue.

Landlord says it wont be fixed until the end of June, they said. In a comment, they added, They claim all the companies they have called in the area are booked until the end of the month. Oddly enough, a friends air conditioner went out today and they had a company out the same day.

According to the Redditor, their options for beating the heat were limited.

I work from home, so no escaping it either, they said.

Commenters were appalled at the situation.

That seems inhumane, said one user.

Thats WAAAY more than mildly infuriating, said another. Thats unlivable.

One Redditor, who said they lived in Arizona, said that if they were in the original posters position, theyd get a lawyer to send the landlord a notice regarding their violation of the landlord tenant law and my intent to either pay for a faster repair, buy a portable unit, or go to a hotel and deduct the cost from future rent.

Other users thought the fastest way to fix the problem would be for the original poster to buy an air conditioner of their own.

If you have the funds, I would buy a portable unit like they use in campers and on boats, suggested one commenter. You can always sell it later or keep it for emergencies.

Readers who find themselves in a similar situation this summer can try these tips to cool off.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Drug Enforcement Administration DEA OfficerRJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

As of this week, the United States has "enjoyed" half a century under the thumb of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a wing of the Department of Justice established in 1973 by former President Richard Nixon. Instead of truly addressing the deepening drug problem in the U.S., the DEA has worsened public health outcomes related to drug use, promoted racially stigmatizing policies, stomped on civil liberties and burned stacks of cash in a vain effort to control the uncontrollable.

There's no denying the drug situation in the U.S. is dire. Approximately 1 million people have died of overdoses since 1999, many of these deaths driven by powerful opioids like illicit fentanyl and its many analogs. Nonetheless, polydrug use  the mixing of multiple substances  is a far more lethal combination than any drug on its own, as well as the true underbelly of this drug crisis disaster.

Despite decades of increased funding, more seizures and more policing, the DEA cannot seem to make a dent in this crisis. The body count from overdoses continues to rise, and there's no end to the flow of drugs into the U.S.

Related

An epidemic of fentanyl misinformation: How politicians fail to understand the synthetic opioid

In fact, the situation seems to be intensifying, given that many drug mixtures sold as "heroin" now include the animal tranquilizer xylazine, which can incapacitate users for up to eight hours and generate horrific skin lesions. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates a 276% increase in overdose deaths in which xylazine was detected between January 2019 and June 2022.

While xylazine has been on the radar of some drug policy experts for years, the DEA only recently seemed to notice this growing issue. Its response has been more of the same policing tactics that, regardless of the substance, have gotten us nowhere in the last five decades.

With few exceptions, every illicit drug sold on the streets has medical value in the right context.

In fairness, the agency doesn't really have the necessary tools available to accomplish tackling the overdose crisis. Addiction and chaotic drug use are inherently health issues. Trying to wedge them under the purview of law enforcement is thus a fool's errand. (The same goes for policing abortion and gender-affirming health care.) In light of the stark failures of the drug war, it's clearly time to abolish the DEA and invest in public health strategies that are actually effective.

Disrupting the narcotics supply with guns drawn, drug-sniffing dogs snarling and helicopters circling doesn't incentivize anyone to stop using drugs. But it does generate chaos that increases the risk of death, to say nothing of the civilians who regularly die in botched drug raids. None of this will ever discourage someone with a serious drug problem to stop using  just like it would be absurd to address rising diabetes and obesity cases by jailing people who artificially spike their blood sugar.

The kernel of the DEA's authority rests on the puritanical view that some drugs are "good," while others are "bad." Not only is this a deeply moralistic view, but also it's an unscientific one. With few exceptions, every illicit drug sold on the streets has medical value in the right context. Cocaine is useful as a topical anesthetic in nasal surgeries; methamphetamine is prescribed for narcolepsy, ADHD and extreme obesity; and fentanyl is used daily in hospitals across the country for surgery and cancer pain. It's not the chemicals themselves that are the issue, but rather how they're applied.

This bizarre logic doesn't only lack scientific rigor: It has real-world implications for how the DEA operates and who it operates against.

The DEA was inaugurated not long after the passage of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a contradictory piece of legislation that categorizes drugs into "schedules" based on their perceived harms and medical use. Heroin is Schedule 1, which indicates it has a high level of "abuse potential" and zero medical value. Morphine, the naturally-occurring painkiller widely used in hospitals, is Schedule 2, because although it can be as addictive and deadly as heroin, it's seen as having some medical value under a doctor's guidance.

Psychedelics like MDMA (sometimes called ecstasy or molly) and psilocybin mushrooms are all Schedule 1, despite a growing body of research that these drugs have broad therapeutic value. Marijuana, too, is Schedule 1 despite the fact that THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, has been a prescription drug, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, since the 1980s.

Tobacco and alcohol, two of the most destructive and deadly drugs on the planet, are not scheduled  at all. Despite millions of annual deaths attributed to smoking and drinking  tobacco alone kills 8 million people globally every year, according to the World Health Organization  these drugs don't garner the same scrutiny as others. This is one example of how the CSA, the backbone of the DEA's authority, is riddled with logical errors, arbitrary exclusions and poor quantification of perceived harms.

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This bizarre logic doesn't only lack scientific rigor: It has real-world implications for how the DEA operates and who it operates against. Not only does this have a trickle-down effect on local police departments by loading their priorities to focus on drugs at the expense of preventing other crimes and arming them with military-grade equipment, but also these policies have been largely exported across the planet, creating global health inequities that target some groups of people above others.

Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have long been disproportionately targeted by what Nixon dubbed the "War on Drugs." Speaking with journalist Dan Baum in 1994, John Ehrlichman, the Watergate co-conspirator who served as one of Nixon's key drug war architects, left nothing to the imagination as to why this drug policy was implemented:

"The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and Black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or Black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and Blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."

Civil rights attorney and author Michelle Alexander describes this brutal campaign that has relished in racial profiling and mass incarceration as "the New Jim Crow," writing in her book of the same title that "African Americans are not significantly more likely to use or sell prohibited drugs than whites, but they are made criminals at drastically higher rates for precisely the same conduct."

The sentencing disparities for crack cocaine versus powdered cocaine are only one example of this bias in action. Nkechi Taifa, president of the social justice advocacy firm the Taifa Group, described the situation succinctly writing for the Brennan Center for Justice:

"Since the late 1980s, a combination of federal law enforcement policies, prosecutorial practices and legislation resulted in Black people being disproportionately arrested, convicted and imprisoned for possession and distribution of crack cocaine. Five grams of crack cocaine  the weight of a couple packs of sugar  was, for sentencing purposes, deemed the equivalent of 500 grams of powder cocaine; both resulted in the same five-year sentence. Although household surveys from the National Institute for Drug Abuse have revealed larger numbers of documented white crack cocaine users, the overwhelming number of arrests nonetheless came from Black communities who were disproportionately impacted by the facially neutral, yet illogically harsh, crack penalties."

This gulf was slightly addressed by the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act, but the law was still riddled with disparities, simply reducing the ratio of punishment from 100:1 to 18:1. The American Civil Liberties Union described this as a "compromise" that "reflects outdated and discredited assumptions about crack cocaine. Because crack and powder cocaine are two forms of the same drug, there should not be any disparity in sentencing between crack and powder cocaine offenses  the only truly fair ratio is 1:1."

The law wasn't even retroactively applied until the 2018 First Step Act was passed, which means this reform didn't do much to help anyone arrested for crack cocaine before 2010.

Despite similar drug policy reforms, especially the legalization of cannabis and psychedelics in some states, echoes of Nixon-era drug war strategies are creeping back up across the country, even in states controlled by Democrats. This includes drug homicide laws, in which individuals who sell or share drugs with someone who dies from them, are charged with murder. Even "progressive" Colorado recently adopted such a law, though Wyoming and Utah rejected similar bills.

The most effective way to address a rotten system is to eradicate it, not attempt to reform it.

While the DEA isn't responsible for sentencing, it is responsible for enforcing these disparities. The most effective way to address a rotten system is to eradicate it, not attempt to reform it. We know from decades of experience that criminalization really never stops certain activities; it merely facilitates underground markets that are far more dangerous. In other words, the drug war amplifies the hazards of drugs. One of these cause-and-effect relationships is known as the Iron Law of Prohibition, which posits that when psychoactive substances are prohibited, they will become more potent and thus easier to smuggle due to their lesser volume. Fentanyl, for example, is potent in low dosages, making it much easier to transport across borders than heroin or opium, which is why we will likely never be rid of it.

The Iron Law can also be demonstrated in the proliferation of moonshine over beer and wine during nationwide alcohol prohibition more than a century ago. This "experiment" in trying to ban booze is largely judged by historians and drug policy experts as an abject failure, especially given its repeal in 1933. But it doesn't matter what drug it is  the Iron Law will still incentivize more potent narcotics in the face of stricter penalties.

There's good evidence to suggest that the DEA both understands this dynamic and is aware of its own impotence against drug cartels. Its leadership knows it cannot hope to unravel underground markets with more of the same badge and gun strategies. In a 2000 interview with Frontline, Robert Stutman said, "We, as a nation, should have learned the lesson a long time ago that you cannot depend on law enforcement to solve the [drug] problem." The retired special agent for the DEA added that "interdiction strategies, of all of the strategies, is the most foolhardy because it literally takes money and throws it against the wind."

"We, as a nation, should have learned the lesson a long time ago that you cannot depend on law enforcement to solve the [drug] problem."

What Stutman didn't mention is that it would, in fact, be antithetical to the DEA's own interests of self-preservation to win the drug war  if victory were even a possibility. With more than $1 trillion spent on the drug war since 1971, and the DEA's ever-increasing budget, currently some $3.28 billion per year, there's a lot of cash at stake. Winning would mean the DEA would be out of a job.

Victory would also mean less opportunity for the DEA to skim off millions of dollars via drug money laundering schemes, such as in 2015, when a Justice Department report revealed that DEA agents were attending lavish sex parties funded by Colombian drug cartels. Jose Irizarry, a disgraced former DEA agent now serving a 12-year federal prison sentence after confessing to involvement in the scheme, told the Associated Press (AP) last year that DEA agents are well aware they cannot make a dent in the drug trade.

"The drug war is a game," Irizarry told the AP. "It was a very fun game that we were playing."

In the fallout of the scandal, the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General began an external probe into the agency in 2021, and it is currently scrutinizing whether DEA director Anne Milgram improperly awarded $4.7 million in no-bid contracts to hire past associates.

This barely scratches the surface of scandals at the DEA, including the disastrous Operation Fast and Furious, in which guns were sold to straw purchasers in an attempt to track them to Mexican drug cartel leaders. Unsurprisingly, the agencies lost track of the weapons, many of which were eventually used in violent crimes. Also, for 15 years, the DEA violated the Constitution via warrantless spying on the phone calls of domestic citizens. It was only after Reuters and the New York Times revealed this program that it was stopped in late 2013. The agency regularly conducts wide-scale, unconstitutional dragnets, such as building a national network of license plate scanners to spy on drivers.

"The drug war is a game. It was a very fun game that we were playing."

But these sorts of scandals only scratch the surface of the violence that the DEA has left in its wake. It rarely, if ever, takes responsibility when its intelligence operations result in the deaths of dozens, or even hundreds, of people. For example, a joint investigation by ProPublica and National Geographic examined the DEA's outsized role in a 2011 massacre in Allende, Mexico. The agency's shoddy handling of intelligence is likely what led to cartels murdering an estimated 300 people in the small ranching town near the U.S.-Mexico border.

These incidents, which are hardly anomalies or scandals in the distant past, amount to the broader "collateral damage" that occurs when coercing other countries to join us in our drug war  or risk having armed DEA agents on their doorsteps. Horace Bartilow of the University of Kentucky and Kihong Eom of Kyungpook National University wrote in Foreign Policy Analysis in 2009 that "the DEA has often encouraged Latin American governments to militarize the drug war, consequently creating an environment in which the drug trade and the accompanying violence and human rights violations continue to increase."

The DEA's use of violence and fear, its tactical disruption of communities, its mishandling of budgeting  all in a fruitless attempt to wage a war its leadership knows is unwinnable  do not depict a bureau that is competent or effective. Half a century later, we have the worst drug crisis in American history, and the primary organization tasked with handling it is instead squandering funds better spent on harm reduction while protecting systemic inequality.

Is the alternative to a corrupt, useless organization like the DEA to let illicitly-manufactured drugs swamp our communities? Of course not. This is a false dichotomy. Public health experts advocate for a public health-centered approach incorporating addiction treatment on demand, which must be voluntary, and broad access to addiction medications like buprenorphine and methadone is critical. Harm reduction services, which run the gamut from syringe access to naloxone distribution to supervised consumption, are all important stop gaps to preventing death.

None of these strategies will totally eliminate drug use in the U.S.  but this isn't possible in the first place. If the level of policing we have now could stop drug use, it would have made an impact already. When every metric is trending in the opposite direction, it's time to admit that the immense focus on supply instead of demand isn't helping.

If the level of policing we have now could stop drug use, it would have made an impact already.

In fact, it's making things worse, quite like putting out fires with gasoline. We know there's strong evidence to suggest that drug busts actually increase the risk of fatal overdose rather than decreasing them, and it's far from a fringe belief to advocate for alternative approaches. Last month, a group of United Nations experts appointed by the Human Rights Council called for an end to the War on Drugs, arguing that this "conflict" doesn't address drugs, but rather targets people.

"The international community must replace punishment with support and promote policies that respect, protect and fulfill the rights of all," the policy experts said in a statement. "We urge member states and international bodies to supersede their current drug policies with ones grounded in the principles of the application of a comprehensive, restorative and reintegrative justice approach. Effective, community-based, inclusive and preventive measures are equally important."

It's hardly the first time members of the U.N. have made such policy proposals. Last year, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the adoption of "science-based treatment and support services for drug users [treating] them as victims who need treatment rather than punishment, discrimination and stigma."

The struggles for reproductive rights, sexual freedom, and ending the drug war are related. This was my 2016 statement at the UN meeting on drugs. #UNGASS2016 https://t.co/EcrjfgUtVg pic.twitter.com/rqDcf0bIcs  Sanho Tree (@SanhoTree) May 3, 2022

Bodily autonomy doesn't only apply to reproductive freedom, the right to identify as one pleases or access to clean air and water. It also includes what chemicals you put inside your body. In 2016, at the 30th Special Session of the General Assembly on the World Drug Problem, Sanho Tree, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies who directs its drug policy project, made it clear how the Drug War is a human rights violation:

We're going to look back someday  or at least the next generation will look back  and ask why did you ever go around incarcerating human beings for what they do to their own bodies? It's a profoundly absurd concept. Where in the Constitution of the United States does it say the government has the right to kick down your bedroom door and throw you into prison for something that you do with your own body, absent harm to anyone else? There's a sovereignty of the corpus. Your body belongs to you. You were born a free and independent human being. You're not a subject of a king. You're not property of a state. And what you choose to do with your lungs, with your veins, with your brain, with your mouth, with your stomach or any other orifice, either recreationally, sexually or anything else, absent harm to others, should be your own business. Because if you don't own your body, what do you own?

At nearly every turn, the DEA violates these basic principles of sovereignty. If you add up the duration of every major war in U.S. history, from the Revolutionary War to the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, there are roughly 64 years of armed conflict over more than two centuries of American history. The War on Drugs is now 50 years old  and there's no end in sight. It's finally time to admit that it cannot be won.

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U.S. President Joe Biden has already started visiting Europe ahead of the NATO Summit 2023.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting is scheduled on July 11 until July 12. But Biden decided to fly to Europe on Sunday, July 9, to visit London.

Joe Biden Starts Visiting Europe Ahead of NATO Summit

According to ABC News' latest report, Biden will visit London before the NATO Summit 2023 begins.

On Monday, July 10, the American leader will meet with King Charles III. This is a big deal since it will be the first time they'll see each other since Charles' coronation.

If you will recall, First Lady Jill Biden was the one who represented the U.S. at the coronation instead of Joe.

White House National Security Advisory Jake Sullivan said that Biden and King Charles will discuss mobilizing climate finance.

"Especially bringing private finance off the sidelines for clean energy deployment and adaptation in developing countries," said Sullivan.

Aside from King Charles, POTUS will also meet with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the sixth time they'll talk in the past six months.

After meeting with Sunak and King Charles, Biden will attend the 74th NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Read Also: Pentagon Orders Tightening of Classified Information Control Following Controversial Jack Teixeira Discord Leak

NATO Summit 2023

The NATO Summit 2023 will be a big deal for Ukraine since the meeting will focus on the alliance's support for the country against Russia.

Sullivan said they're looking forward to how Biden will further strengthen and solidify the strong united alliance that has been helping Ukraine stand against Russia's aggression.

AP News reported that the upcoming meeting will test the NATO unison. But, among the possible difficulties NATO members will face is how they will ease Ukraine into the alliance.

Some experts explained that admitting Ukraine would be necessary to deter Russian aggression in the country.

On the other hand, others are concerned that making Ukraine a member of NATO will be seen by the Russian government as a provocation, which can lead to a more serious issue.

But, it will still depend on what NATO members think is the best solution for the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. You can click this link to learn more about the upcoming NATO meeting.

Related Article: Biden Expresses 'Full Support' for Sweden's NATO Bid, Hosts Prime Minister at White House

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There's 'a little something for everyone' at Worcester Sweets Cafe

Diana and Norman Gallego own Worcester Sweets Cafe.

Worcester Sweets Cafe, 649 Chandler St., is a new spot in the Tatnuck Square neighborhood of the city, joining other well-established, family-owned businesses and eateries in the area.

Diana and Norman Gallego of Oxford, owners of the Colombian bakery and coffee shop, held a soft opening in March after renovating and refreshing space formerly occupied by Subway. The couple, originally from Colombia, first met in Worcester, where Norman Gallego founded the family-owned BestPro Cleaning more than 20 years ago. His wife works with him in the June Street business.

Diana Gallego has had a passion for baking and cooking almost her entire life. She fulfilled a dream when she opened the doors to Worcester Sweets Cafe. I knew immediately it was the perfect spot for our bakery, said Gallego, who with her husband had spent months scouting a Worcester location. I love coming to work at the bakery, said Gallego. The people are friendly, and we love the neighborhood. So far, its all good.

Gallego is a self-described planner and event organizer, who enjoys cooking for large family gatherings in her home. I know exactly what I have to do when I need to do it, said Gallego, who avoids feeling overwhelmed despite having a busy weekday schedule.

Pastry chef Stephania Gallego, Norman Gallegos daughter, has plenty of experience in baking and pastry arts and specializes in wedding and special event cakes. Popular bakery items include Tres Leches cake (three-milk cake), an ultralight sponge cake, and Fruit Pavola, a confectionery with a meringue base, topped with fresh cream and seasonal fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches) that is stunning and tastes great, said Gallego. We use natural ingredients to create all our delicious cakes and pastries, she said. And, theres a little something for everyone. The bakery also offers Latin American artisan bread products.

Norman Gallego, a certified barista, has created signature coffee drinks, in addition to teas (hot and cold) and smoothies for the shop. Drinks are made with 100% Colombian coffee bean origin, according to the owners. Colombian coffee is world famous for flavor and unmistakable mild but rich flavor, they said. Colombia is considered the second-largest coffee producer in the Latin America and the third-largest in the world, growing mostly Arabica beans.

Worcester Sweets Cafe hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday. Telephone (508) 459-1106; Visit www.worcestersweets.com. Connect on social media. Seating for 20, with plans for outdoor tables in season. The cafe can accommodate small private parties. On-street parking and several spaces in back of the building.

Diana Gallego said the bakerys dream team works tirelessly to give its customers the very best tasting experiences, from savory to sweet.

Customers will find Worcester Sweets Cafes decor colorful, with inviting seating areas. Owners offer a warm and welcoming bakery experience.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: The Dish: For owners, Worcester Sweets Cafe is a dream come true
Thousands flood the streets in South Florida to rally for Haiti as kidnappings, violence surge

More than 2,000 people filled the streets marching under sweltering heat in North Miami Sunday afternoon to rally in support for the people of Haiti and to protest ongoing gang violence, political instability and corruption.

We are marching against violence, we are marching against kidnapping, Anna Dorvilier, 40, from West Palm Beach, yelled waving a sign that read If we are not on the table, we are on the menu.

Chanting and singing Jistis pou Ayiti and Souf pou Ayiti  Creole for Justice for Haiti and Relief for Haiti  the crowds waved tiny Haitian flags and followed a tractor trailer truck with an elevated platform carrying dignitaries like Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, clergy and musicians

We are united for Haiti, and Gods ears are open today, Levine Cava said.

Dance and church music boomed over huge speakers towed by the truck and the people in back and ahead of the semi sang along.

We want everyone to hear our voices, said marcher Mana Pierre-Louis, a 31-year-old who moved to South Florida from Haiti seven years ago. We need a solution to Haiti now.

The Relief for Haiti rally was organized by pastor Gregory Toussaint, senior pastor of Tabernacle of Glory Church in North Miami. Toussaint, who is CEO of Shekinah.fm. The North Miami was among several the pastor organized in major cities across the United States and in Haiti itself. He decided to organize a March after a petition drive to get support for a sanctions bill in congress garnered more than 100,000 signatures in a week.

Toussaints goal was to bring together Haitians in the U.S., Haiti, Canada and France in an effort to bring awareness to the escalating gang violence and kidnappings in the Caribbean country, and demand something be done.

Sundays rally also comes amid escalating violence in the Caribbean country. On Friday, Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres announced suspension of all treatment at its trauma facility in the Haitian capital after approximately 20 armed men stormed its hospital in Tabarre.

The incident on Thursday night serves as a microcosm of the unprecedented level of violence in Port-au-Prince, and particularly in Tabarre, where armed men last month kidnapped prominent journalist Marie Lucie Bonhomme out of her home in the middle of the night. Ten days later they abducted her husband, the former head of the Provisional Electoral Council, Pierre-Louis Opont. He remains in captivity.

The march started at North Miami Senior High School on Northeast Eight Avenue and ended at North Miami City on 125th Street.

And though the rally was announced last week, the enormous size of the crowd was a pleasant surprise to those marching.

Ive never seen anything like this before, said Babylson Dorelien, a 49-year-old Coral Springs man who moved from Haiti when he was a little boy in the early 1980s. He grew up to join the U.S. Army, and while Dorelien considers the United States home, he  like the others at the rally  want to be able to visit Haiti. Something the increasing gang violence makes nearly impossible.

Its necessary to be united and bring everyone together to show the world we are as one and we want our country to be free of the corruption and to be free to go back to our country and enjoy our country as we should, he said.

His wife, Marjorie Dorelien, also 49, said something divine was afoot Sunday gauging from the sea of people covering the streets and hearing about similar rallies in other cities around the world.

This is Gods purpose, and God is going to make a move, she said.

READ MORE: Haiti trauma hospital suspends services after armed men drag patient out of operating room

In the United States, marches were planned a number of cities, including Atlanta, Newark, N.J., Brookyln, San Diego, Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Orlando, Philadelphia and Tampa.

Guerty Saint Jour, 43, said she hasnt been back to Haiti in six years. She said if those living in the U.S. cant visit friends and family in Haiti, the people left behind will continue struggle, especially economically.

The people are suffering and they need help, she said. But, we cant help them because we cant go back to our country, to visit, to send money, to send goods.

Her friend, Woodline Mezier, 39, was born in Haiti, but also hasnt been able to return since 2017.

Were tired of working 40 hours a week, and were not able to go home, she said.

Mezier said shes also sad that her young children have never been able to go to Haiti to visit their relatives there.

Our heart breaks because Haiti is our country, she said. Its home.

In its latest report on the situation in the country, the United Nations says that violence by armed groups in the country is worsening, with sexual violence against women and girls and attacks against police officers and substations on the rise. Maria Isabel Salvador, who heads the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti, told the U.N. Security Council that another worrying trend is the rise in vigilante killings. Her office has documented the killing of 264 alleged gang members by vigilante groups this year.

Back in Haiti, several thousands took to the streets at noon, traveling a familiar protest route that started near the Carrefour airport and headed in the direction of the National Palace. As they marched, they waved signs in Creole that read, Haiti will not go to waste.

Those participating in the North Miami march said theyre optimistic the large turnout at home and at similar rallies abroad could create a momentum resulting in improved conditions for people living in Haiti.

The country of Haiti has suffered a lot, and the roots of the challenges in our country are very deep, said Mashli Fleurestil, a member of Fraternity Baptist Church in North Miami. But change has to start, and this is our first step in helping organize the diaspora here in Miami.
Migrant on his mobile at the US-Mexico border

Stepping into the brown waters of the Rio Grande, a small group of migrants is all smiles as they look off into the distance - the end of their long and dangerous journey into the US is just hundreds of feet away.

"Crossing the river safely," reads a message splayed across the top of the video, which includes the Spanish-language hashtag #AmericanDream. "Write to me and I'll give you more information."

The video is one of hundreds on social media that promise to help migrants start a new life in the US, securely and cheaply.

And while they seem innocent - even friendly - experts say they are deceptive. "This is advertised people smuggling," said Ed Calderon, a former Mexican police officer who specialises in the border's underworld. "And it's out in the open''.

Experts say these video clips - on platforms including TikTok, YouTube and WhatsApp - are the public face of a highly sophisticated, multi-billion dollar illegal industry that has taken advantage of confusion over changes in US immigration policies to spread disinformation and drive demand for their services.

Business is booming in the wake of the 11 May expiry of Title 42, a Donald Trump-era policy that allowed the US to swiftly deport people without an asylum hearing, using the coronavirus pandemic as justification.

The new approach encourages legal pathways, while at the same time also implementing strict penalties for those who cross illegally.

US officials say since Title 42 expired, migrant detentions have fallen by 70%, as more people come to the country legally.

Falling figures, however, do not mean falling profits for the criminal organisations that help migrants cross the border undetected.

"It's like Christmas for these smugglers right now," Mr Calderon told the BBC, adding that there is a perception among many migrants that successfully crossing the border without being detained is more difficult.

"That's all because of their propaganda, and it allows them to raise prices."

Mr Calderon's assessment was echoed by Adam Isacson, a migration and border expert from the Washington Office on Latin America, who said that demand for the services of smugglers is likely up "among those who want to enter the United States undetected" after Title 42.

"If numbers dip because of a tough new policy change, that absolutely raises the price of smuggling services," he added. x

The videos splashed across social media come in various forms, and are in many cases far from subtle.

Some are testimonials from seemingly satisfied customers, supposedly speaking from safe houses or city streets in the US.

"Here we are in New York City," the Venezuelan-accented narrator of one such video says while walking down a Manhattan street. "I'd like to thank my companions for getting me here safe and sound."

The caption of the video, from a "travel agency", asks viewers to send a message requesting help getting to the US without a visa.

Others show camouflaged smugglers leading groups of migrants through harsh terrain, or using ladders to swiftly get over border barriers. Many promise door-to-door services from as far away as South America to final destinations in the US.

Migrants often pay thousands of dollars to smugglers to reach and cross the US-Mexico border.

Almost universally, they include a phone number to WhatsApp or a promise that more details - including price and payment plans - will be revealed in response to private messages.

The clandestine nature of the industry means that there are no reliable statistics on how many migrants find their smugglers on social media, or which posts are genuine or not.

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, an associate professor at George Mason University who researches smuggling organisations, said that social media allows criminals to create a constant "sense of urgency" among migrants.

This, in turn, can ultimately drive migrants into the hands of smugglers, even among migrants who do not contact them online.

"Migrants are out of their comfort zone, and the trip can be horrible. There's a lot of things that take place in their psyche too," she said. "Smuggling networks understand that and work, organically, to feed misinformation, to feed the fear, so that the migrants try to make it however they can."

Experts say that prices for smuggling services vary enormously and often are determined by what the smugglers perceive a migrant - or their family - can pay, either up front or in instalments over time.

US officials have warned that migrants who don't pay are often forced to work for the cartels, sometimes as prostitutes, drivers or drug-runners. Some are simply held hostage in secret stash houses until the fees are fully paid, or threaten their families in the US or back home.

"It's a giant industry, and it's a cartel industry," Mr Calderon said. "Smuggling people across the border is one of their biggest money makers right now".

Mr Calderon estimated that even the most basic packages - which he described as a "let's see if we can get there" trip - would start at between $5,000 and $8,000 for a family of four starting in Mexico.

Current and former law enforcement sources in the US and Mexico estimated that typical prices are now around $15,000, rising to between $50,000 and $60,000 for many migrants coming from outside of Latin America. The BBC was unable to independently verify these prices.

The issue of disinformation on social media has increasingly caught the eye of US officials.

Just ahead of Title 42's expiry, for example, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned would-be migrants of falling to lies meant to "lure vulnerable people to the Southern Border".

Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security launched a "geo-targeted" digital advertising campaign on social media platforms across Central and South America. The ads are designed to reach migrants via their mobile devices, and direct them to government-run landing pages that clarify facts about US immigration policies and provide warnings about the dangers.

US officials have told the BBC the ads are still running even after the recent policy changes.

TikTok, for its part, has said it has a "zero tolerance" approach to human smuggling and has dedicated "significant investment" to finding and removing such content, with offending accounts permanently banned. The two videos mentioned in this story have already been removed, only to be swiftly replaced by others with similar content.

Alex Pacheco, a former Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) supervisor with 20 years' experience on the force, said that social media rumours are likely to continue to run rampant, with smugglers keen to exploit migrants' anxieties about the impact of domestic US policies and events on the border.

Mr Pacheco believes this trend will become even more evident as the US heads towards the 2024 presidential election.

"They'll always say that people need to cross now. Some people would have been told that the price will go up if you don't cross before Title 42, for example," Mr Pacheco said.

"Now they'll probably say that there may be a new administration, that the new president won't be Joe Biden, or that the border will go back to how it was in the previous administration this all benefits the criminal organisation," he added. "That's capitalism."
Photo: Charles Dharapak (AP)

Clarence Thomas has yet again solidified his status as someone who aint as sh*t by recently ruling to abolish affirmative action with his conservative Supreme Court peers. In addition, Thomas was also at the center of controversy following ProPublicas report that he accepted gifts from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. From luxury trips to Crow paying tuition for a child Thomas has raised, these revelations have prompted questions about ethics and disclosure requirements for Supreme Court justices. Heres a list of times Thomas proved hes entirely worthless.

Anita Hill And Other Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Anita Hill testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee during Clarence Thomass Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Washington, D.C., USA, R. Michael Jenkins, October 11, 1991.

In 1991, attorney and law professor Anita Hill worked as a legal adviser to Thomas. During their time together at the U.S. Education Departments Office of Civil Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hill claimed Thomas sexually harassed her and made inappropriate remarks.

Read more

Her claims were investigated by the FBI after George H.W. Bush nominated Thomas for the Supreme Court in 1991. Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Thomas alleged behavior. However, Thomas was still confirmed on October 16, 1991. In 2016, lawyer Moira Smith said that Thomas groped her at a dinner party in 1999.

High Tech Lynching

American lawyer and US Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas testifies before the confirmation hearings before the US Senate Judiciary Committee in the Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC, 11th September 1991.

In response to Anita Hills 1991 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, Thomas crudely victimized himself in order to shift the attention from the heinous behavior he was being accused of. During his confirmation hearings, Thomas infamously stated: This is a circus. It is a national disgrace. And from my standpoint, as a black American, as far as I am concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks...this is what will happen to you, you will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate, rather than hung from a tree.

Marriage To Ginni Thomas

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (R) and Virginia Thomas arrive for the State Dinner at The White House honoring Australian PM Morrison on September 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. Prime Minister Morrison is on a state visit in Washington hosted by President Trump.

Thomas has been married to his conservative activist wife, Virginia, for decades. However, their union has proven to be quite nefarious. According to The Washington Post, from 2003-2007 Thomas didnt report more than $686,000 in income that Ginni received while she worked at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

Virginia Thomas also repeatedly texted Donald Trumps former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. In the texts, she pushed the notion of election fraud. Do not concede. It takes time for the army who is gathering for his back, Thomas said. In addition, she and her husband, partook in luxury gifts from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow which was revealed just last month by Propublica.

Ending Affirmative Action

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite (AP)

Last month, the Supreme Court abolished affirmative action when it ruled that Harvard University and the University of North Carolinas race-based admissions policy violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. For years, Thomas has shared his intense disdain for affirmative action. In an interview with ABC News, Thomas said he could not get rid of the stigmatizing effects of racial preferenceeven when he was nominated for the Supreme Court. Once it is assumed that everything you do achieve is because of your race, there is no way out...it is irrebuttable and it is proved to be true. He has also made it his mission to go after diversity initiatives in schools.

Overturning Roe v. Wade

Cardboard cutouts of the conservative Supreme Court justices were propped up by pro-choice activists in front of the Supreme Court before the Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization decision overturning Roe v Wade was handed down at the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, June 24, 2022.

Thomas now serves as the senior member of a group of conservative justices who have enough votes to control how the court rules. Last year, Thomas and his peers were able to expand gun rights and overturn Roe v.Wade, the countrys nationwide protection for abortion.

After a draft of the abortion decision was leaked online, protests occurred at his house as well as the houses of other conservative justices. During an appearance, Thomas quipped: You would never visit Supreme Court justices houses when things didnt go our way. We didnt throw temper tantrums.

Attack On LGBTQ Rights

Demonstrators with a sign of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during an abortion-rights protest in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.

In his June 2022 opinion concurring with the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Thomas wrote that the Supreme Court should revisit all cases that had the same legal reasoning per Politico. He pinpointed cases that guarantee the right to contraception, same-sex consensual sexual relationships and same-sex marriage.

In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Courts substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell, Thomas stated. Because any substantive due process decision is demonstrably erroneous  we have a duty to correct the error established in those precedents.

Standing Up For Trump

US President Donald Trump watches as Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas swears in Judge Amy Coney Barrett (out of frame) as a US Supreme Court Associate Justice during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House October 26, 2020, in Washington, DC.

Last year, Thomas temporarily blocked a subpoena requesting testimony from South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham from a Georgia grand jury investigating election interference by former President Donald Trump. Lawyers who helped Trumps attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election also said an appeal to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was key to their chances of achieving it according to emails that were leaked to the public, per Associated Press.

His Refusal For Recusal

Executive Director of MoveOn.org Rahna Epting (far left), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) (C), Tamara Brummer and Matthew Witten hold up an Impeach Clarence Thomas banner outside of the US Capitol after a demonstration where MoveOn.org delivered over 1 million signatures calling for Congress to immediately investigate and impeach Clarence Thomas at the US Supreme Court on July 28, 2022 in Washington, DC.

In 2009, Virginia Thomas started Liberty Central, a political advocacy group associated with the Tea Party movement. She worked to repeal former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act. In 2011, Thomas was asked to recuse himself from any cases pertaining to the healthcare legislation but he refused. The Supreme Court upheld the law even though he was one of its dissenters.

Following Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election, Virginia Ginni repeatedly messaged Trumps former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows asking him to look into the election being rigged. She also reached out to a minimum of 29 Arizona lawmakers, according to The Washington Post, and asked them to overturn Bidens victory in the state and select presidential electors that would support Trump. Thomas was asked to once again recuse himself from any cases pertaining to the 2o2o election as well as the January 6 insurrection at the Capitolhe refused.

Harlan Crow Scandal

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has for more than two decades accepted luxury trips nearly every year from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow without reporting them on financial disclosure forms, ProPublica reported.

Last month, it was revealed that GOP megadonor Harlan Crow paid for luxurious trips and private jet travel for the Thomas and his wife. Crow also bought Georgia properties from Thomas and his family; none of this information was reported on disclosure forms officials are obligated to file to give the public insight into their financial situations. In addition, Crow paid private boarding school tuition for Thomas grandnephew, which raises further questions about proper conduct for Supreme Court justices.

Striking Down Student Loan Program

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite (AP)

Last month, the Supreme Court vetoed President Bidens groundbreaking plan to forgive some or all federal student loan debt for millions and millions of Americans. By a 6-to-3 vote, the high court ruled that federal law does not authorize the Department of Education to cancel such student loan debt. In typical hypocritical fashion, Thomas voted against the plan even though he complained about the crushing weight of his student loan debt from Yale in his 2007 memoir, My Grandfathers Son.

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Titan sub only reached the depth of the Titanic on 13 out of 90 dives, says the waiver OceanGate passengers had to sign

OceanGate's Titan submersible imploded in June, killing all passengers on board. OceanGate/Getty Images

The Titan sub reached the depth of the Titanic wreck on 13 of 90 dives, the passenger waiver said.

This meant OceanGate's success rate might have been as low as 14% on its deep-sea expeditions.

The Titan failed a test dive in 2021, and other trips were scrapped in the three years prior.

OceanGate's Titan submersible only reached the depth of the Titanic wreck on about 13 out of 90 dives, according to the company's passenger waiver.

The sub successfully completed "as few as 13" dives of 3,800 meters to the depth of the Titanic, said a waiver signed by a would-be passenger that was reviewed by Insider.

It meant the company, which called the Titan "experimental" three times in the four-page liability waiver, may have only had a success rate of about 14% for its dives to Titanic depths.

OceanGate stated that it had completed more than 14 expeditions and 200 dives in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico using two submersibles, an archive of its website says, while it had its first successful dive to the Titanic in 2021, according to Forbes.

But since the sub's catastrophic implosion on June 18 that killed all five people on board, experts have discussed multiple issues with its design.

Rob McCallum, who provided consulting services for OceanGate in 2009, had raised safety concerns with its CEO, Stockton Rush, as early as 2018.

McCallum told Insider that the company's approach to engineering was "ad hoc" and "ultimately inappropriate," but Rush's company dismissed the red flags McCallum raised with the CEO in emails, seen by Insider.

One of the submersible expert's biggest concerns was that no regulatory bodies had certified or approved the sub, as the waiver disclosed.

The form also said the Titan sub was "constructed of materials that have not been widely used for manned submersibles."

Guillermo Sohnlein, who cofounded OceanGate with Rush, told BBC News that the sub underwent a "rigorous test programme," was developed over a 14-year period, and was "very robust."

But Brian Weed, a former passenger, told Insider the sub failed a test dive in 2021 because its thrusters stopped working. It was stuck underwater for more than two hours and never made it deeper than 100 feet.

Tests on the sub at the Deep Ocean Test Facility, part of the United States Naval Academy, also found that its carbon-fiber hull "showed signs of cyclic fatigue" at lower depths, according to GeekWire. OceanGate then had to scrap planned dives to the Titanic in 2018, 2019, and 2020, the report said.

An OceanGate representative told Insider that the company was "unable to comment."

Read the original article on Insider
Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade launched a campaign for governor on Sunday, saying Missouris never seen a governor like me before.

The 37-year-old Springfield Democrat would be the states first female governor in history if elected in 2024. Quade is the first Democrat to enter a race that features two of the states top Republicans in Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe.

First elected to the Missouri House in 2016, Quade has served as one of the most prominent Democrats in the General Assembly. During her time in office, she has been a strong advocate for abortion rights, gun reform and child care aid. She has also been an outspoken critic of what she describes as an increasingly extreme and divisive Missouri Republican Party.

A video announcing her campaign features Quade skating in a roller derby match. It also depicts her tough upbringing where her family struggled financially and relied on food stamps.

People say politics can be tough, she says in the video. I tell them, I can handle it.

This year, Quade frequently railed against the states near-total ban on abortion as well as GOP-backed initiatives to make it harder to amend the constitution, a corporate tax cut and plans to remove diversity initiatives from the state budget.

A victory by Democrats in 2024 would make a major win for abortion rights supporters in Missouri. Quade, in her announcement video, said shes leading the fight to restore our abortion rights.

Last year, she filed a bill that would have repealed the states near-total ban on abortion, which was triggered after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to the procedure.

But the Springfield Democrat faces an uphill battle to take the governors office. Republicans hold every statewide office and a supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly. Then-Auditor Nicole Galloway was the last Democrat to win a statewide office back in 2018.

Galloway, viewed at the time a serious contender to take the office, lost the 2020 race for governor to incumbent Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, by more than 16 percentage points. Parson terms out of office in 2025.

Quades Springfield roots may prove to be helpful in her campaign as she will have to make inroads throughout rural Missouri, an area that has grown increasingly conservative.

In her announcement video, Quade took a direct shot at Ashcroft but made no mention of Kehoe or state Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican who is also considering a run for governor.

Im not worried about bullies like Jay Ashcroft, she says. Ashcroft uses fear to score cheap political points and divide us.

Quade has previously sparred with Ashcroft, painting the Republican as extreme and railing against a rule the Republican filed that threatens public libraries state funding over providing minors with books deemed pornographic or obscene.

In the video, Quade said she was the first member of her family to graduate high school. She later graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in social work.
Ranil Jayawardena, the chairman of the Conservative Growth Group group - Julian Simmonds for The Telegraph

A Tory pressure group is urging Rishi Sunak to reform the unfair tax system so that it reflects household income.

The Conservative Growth Group, led by allies of Liz Truss, the former prime minister, has called for a German-style approach to taxing married couples.

It highlighted concerns about the current penalty for couples in which one person is a high earner while the other earns relatively little or no income.

Ranil Jayawardena, the chairman of the Conservative Growth Group and a former member of Ms Trusss Cabinet, co-authored a paper with Tom Cloughtery, the director of research at the Centre for Policy Studies, which sets out a range of reforms.

Mr Jayawardena and Mr Cloughtery recommend turning the marriage allowance into a fully transferable personal allowance, which could then be transferred to a spouse in its entirety rather than just the existing rate of 10 per cent.

Only basic-rate taxpayers can currently make use of the allowance, but the paper calls for this restriction to be removed.

Unfair towards families

The report goes on to call for a German income-splitting approach, which would involve combining a married couples incomes, dividing the result by two, working out how much tax an individual with that income would owe and then doubling the result.

This would ensure families with the same overall income pay the same amount of income tax, regardless of how their income is split.

The UK tax system is unfair towards families, focusing almost exclusively on individual incomes without reference to household income, the report says.

We believe the tax system needs to be more family-friendly. We should not discriminate against non-couples  but at the moment, were actively discriminating against too many families.

Mr Sunak is also urged to make child benefit universal again and turn childcare subsidies into a simple refundable tax credit for parents with children below school age.

Families should be free to keep more of their money and spend it however they want, Mr Jayawardena told The Telegraph. They earned it and they should keep it. Thats why we need to reform income tax to make it family-friendly. Lets celebrate, not penalise, people who are trying to do the right thing.

Not fair, not Conservative

Backing the abolition of inheritance tax, for which The Telegraph is campaigning, Mr Jayawardena added: It is right to work towards abolishing inheritance tax too. Its a death tax. Its not fair, its not Conservative and it needs to go.

The report argues the levy is not even doing a particularly good job of doing what it is meant to do help level the playing field within society.

In the short-term, the authors urge ministers to make good on George Osbornes abandoned 2007 pledge to raise the inheritance tax threshold to 1 million.

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.
David E. Dix

In the foothills of the beautiful Taurus Mountains of southwestern Turkey lies a World Heritage site called Pamukkale-Hieropolis. Its thermal spring waters have drawn people since ancient times and the carbonate minerals the waters deposit have formed a limestone cliff more than a mile long that a person can walk on to view the productive farmlands of the Curuksu Valley below.

The nearby ruins of ancient Hieropolis, a once thriving city destroyed by an earthquake, are impressive. A byproduct of carbonate minerals as they interact with air is carbon dioxide. At the edge of Hieropolis is a fissure that emits carbon dioxide gas, which, heavier than air, never rises high enough to threaten humans.

It can, however, suffocate small lambs and goats. In ancient times, priests of Romes pagan religious culture would scare a gullible public by saying Hades had reached out of the fissure to snare the small animal. The apostle Saint Paul, ever outspoken, denounced the site as religious chicanery reminding his followers that there is only one God revealed through the life of Jesus.

What I learned about Pamukkale-Hieropolis is because of a wonderful two-week Bible tour by bus of ancient Turkey and Israel that Janet and I participated in recently. The Rev. Dr. David Palmer, the retiring senior minister at Kents United Methodist Church, the church I grew up in, organized and led the tour group that consisted of 28. The tour focused for a week on the ministry of Paul in Turkey, formerly known as Asia Minor, followed by a week of tracing the three-year public ministry of Jesus.

I am no Biblical scholar, but Paul, whom the church designates as a saint, is interesting. Like nearly every leader of early Christianity, Paul was Jewish. Born in Asia Minor, he was well-educated and enjoyed Roman citizenship. Defending Judaism in its struggle to survive within the pagan culture of the Roman Empire, Paul spent his early years persecuting Christians whose preaching he thought defiled Judaism. In 34 A.D., Paul witnessed the murder of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and (my opinion only) was probably an accomplice who incited the mob that stoned Stephen to death. Shortly thereafter, traveling to Damascus to persecute more Christians, Paul suffered a mental break-down and a major crisis of conscience. The Bible tells us he was confronted by the risen Jesus. He spent the rest of his life propagating Christianity, advocating for it as a religion for everyone and not as a branch within Judaism that some early Christian leaders at first wondered might be the case.

Thanks to the tour, our group was able to see some of the sites where Paul evangelized 2,000 years ago. We visited the well-preserved ruins of Ephesus near the Aegean Sea. The thriving city of 250,000 at its zenith kept Paul three years there. The citys major attraction was a temple devoted to Diana, goddess of the hunt. Paul would tell the crowds who came to hear him that the temple and Diana were a hoax. Since pilgrimages to the Temple of Diana were a major source of revenue for Ephesus merchants, they collectively decided to have Paul killed. Paul had to flee for his life.

Turkey has been Muslim for 700 years. We sometimes forget that greater Istanbul, a city of 20 million that straddles the Bosporus and exists in both Europe and Asia, was for more than a thousand years called Constantinople, the center of Byzantium from which the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches trace their origins. We visited Istanbuls Hagia Sofia, a fabulous Romanesque church built in the sixth century whose dome was the worlds largest until St. Peters Cathedral in Rome was built 1,000 years later. Constructed by Byzantium, Hagia Sofia currently is part museum and part mosque. We saw a large basilica near Ephesus, built by the emperors of Byzantium. It hosts the grave of John, the youngest of Jesus 12 disciples. He cared for Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is believed buried there also. The basilica, long neglected, lies in ruins.

Outside of Antalya, a modern coastal vacation city on Mediterranean, are the extensive and well-preserved ruins of Perge. During Roman times, Perge was a bustling seaport from which Paul sailed on his adventurous missions that took him to Greece and ports in Asia Minor.

During our stops at cities where Paul evangelized, our leader, Dr. Palmer, would read pertinent scriptures that came to life in these ancient settings. He had told us at the outset that he wanted us to see that the people in the Bible were real people with all the hopes, disappointments, challenges and joys that life dishes out.

Respecting the religious traditions of others, our group visited the beautiful Blue Mosque in Istanbul. In the ancient city of Konya in the Taurus mountain range, we stopped at the Mevlana Museum, dedicated to Rumi, an important Islamic mystic and later attended a religious service of whirling dervishes.

An hour east of Konya, still in the mountains, we arrived at a town called Sultanai, a way station on the old Silk Road that connected China with the Roman Empire and then in Medieval times, the Byzantine Empire. Our Turkish guide, Hakan, said the Silk Road is being revived under Chinese leadership and eventually a modern highway and railway will connect China with Europe.

Herding 28 Americans around Turkey was no easy task. Kudos to David Palmers wife, Mavis, a retired surgical nurse and indispensable to her husband in guiding us. Mike and Laurel Stiller pitched in admirably as did Amanda Ballentine who watched over those of us who are seniors. Traveling with Common Pleas Court Judge John Enlow gave me the opportunity to renew a friendship that began more than 50 years ago when we were both in law school. A stellar Portage County judge for 33 years, he did more with his degree than I did. Janets friends, Jane Hornyak, Gail Pytel, and Chris Schjeldahl gave us a little group to compare notes with at the end of each busy day.

Turkey has enough from ancient times yet to be discovered and reassembled that archeologists will remain busy there for generations. Productive farmlands in valleys with freshwater streams flowing from mountains, hillsides of olive, pistachio, and walnut trees, well-built roads, handsome cities, and well-mannered people were what we saw. It made me want to see more of Turkey. I will write about Israel next week.

David E. Dix is a retired publisher of the Record-Courier.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: A tour of Turkey brought ancient, early Christian times to life
Toxic algae that can cause lung infections and neurological disorders is taking over a giant lake in Florida, and ecologists say the bloom will only grow

More than half of Lake Okeechobee is covered in algae blooms. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida's Lake Okeechobee is already half full with toxic algae, and the bloom will only grow.

Fumes from the algae can cause several health complications, like lung infections.

Climate warming and pollutant run-off from nearby crops help it thrive, experts say.

The largest freshwater lake in Florida, which is a draw for fishing and boating in the summer months, likely won't see many faces this year.

That's because Lake Okeechobee is already half-full with a bright green, toxic algae that researchers say will only grow as algae season continues on through the summer. The algae can cause several health complications, including lung infections, organ damage, and neurological disorders, The New York Times reports.

Experts told the Times the severity of this year's bloom is, in large part, due to the warming climate that has resulted in increased rainfall and rising levels of carbon dioxide, which the algae feeds on. The algae also thrives among the fertilizer and manure that runs into the lake from nearby crops.

This is not a new problem for Florida. In 2018, former Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency across seven counties in an effort to combat the same toxic algae in Lake Okeechobee that was also inundating a nearby river.

Finding a solution to this toxic bloom has been a challenge.

Florida plans to build a reservoir to stop the algae from flowing out of the lake and into other bodies of water  though the Times reports that the reservoir would fill to capacity after depleting Okeechobee by only six inches.

Environmentalists are also calling on the state of Florida to implement rules limiting the run-off of pollutants from nearby crops that feed the algae, the Times reports.

This policy would take decades to make a large impact, thanks to the phosphorous-rich sediment already present in the lake.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The following is a transcript of an interview with Sen. Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, that aired on "Face the Nation" on July 9, 2023.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

We turn now to Delaware Democratic Senator Chris Coons. Good morning, good to have you here.

SENATOR CHRIS COONS:

Good morning. Great to be on set with you Margaret.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

A lot to talk about, but I want to start with China. America is reliant on its greatest adversary for key things. For missiles, for computer chips, electric vehicles. Do we need a domestic industrial policy? Why don't we have one?

COONS:

We do have one. Margaret, that's what the Chips and Science bill that President Biden signed into law last year that the Congress moved forward on a bipartisan basis has delivered: tens of billions of dollars of new investments in onshoring, semiconductor chip manufacturing; a record number of new advanced manufacturing sites in the United States. There is more work for us to do on this in this Congress. And Senator Schumer and Republicans in the Senate are leading work on that. So we have turned a corner on having an industrial policy in the United States. That brings back manufacturing. That's the core of Bidenomics, of rebuilding our economy from the middle out.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

But what we were just talking about the Treasury secretary is August 1st, China's going to stop the export of key minerals. So to make those chips you need what China had--.

COONS:

--That's right.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

So where do you get that from?

COONS:

So China is in a commanding position on the processing of strategic critical minerals. The administration has a plan has a- has a pro- has a program underway with a dozen countries around the world that are our allies and partners, who have untapped resources. I was just on a bipartisan trip to Europe. We visited Norway, which has critical minerals in abundance, several of them that we need, that China currently has, there is a plan and a path forward. And as long as we sustain our bipartisan support for it, I think there is a clear path to transition away from what is currently a dangerous dependency on China for these strategic minerals.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

I'm going to ask you about Europe. President Biden is leaving today on this trip that will involve a stop at NATO. I know that you have signed on to efforts to help Sweden get into NATO, but Turkey is standing in the way. You've said you're fine with withholding F-16s. Those kinds of military equipment- provisions to Turkey until they back down. Are they going to?

COONS:

We'll have to see. President Biden is directly, personally engaged in this diplomacy. The Greeks need and deserve security reassurances that the lessening of tensions with Turkey will continue. We are continuing to provide cutting-edge equipment like the F-35 to our critical NATO partner Greece. As long as Greece is reassured, Sweden has taken the steps they should to address Turkey's legitimate concerns. I remain hopeful that there will be a resolution of this before the Vilnius Summit. We have 31 members of NATO today, there should be 32. Adding Finland and Sweden to NATO is a strategic defeat for Putin. It means that no matter the outcome on the ground in Ukraine, he has failed in his objective to divide and weaken NATO, because of President Biden's leadership. NATO is the strongest it's ever been.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

You have another applicant: Ukraine. As you know, the President gave an interview in which he said he doesn't think Ukraine is ready to join NATO. Have you talked to him about it? And what specifically is it that he needs to see for them to be allowed in? They've been waiting since 2008.

COONS:

Well, first, we can't admit Ukraine to NATO right now. There's a war going on that has to be resolved. That has to end with Ukrainian victory. I was just on a bipartisan trip, as I mentioned, with Senator Murray, Chair of Appropriations, to meet with EU leaders and NATO leaders. It's important to keep in mind that what the Ukrainians are fighting for is full membership in Europe, and they are on track to join the EU. Joining the EU also means improving their transparency, their rule of law, their civil society, which lays the foundation for NATO membership in the future.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

Wha- President Zelensky has said he knows it's in the future, it's not drawing the United States into a war. In other words, if he were to get in this week, which the White House said he won't. But, the President also said something about an Israel-style assurance of defense for Ukraine. That sounds very open ended, we give billions of dollars to Israel. What does that mean for Ukraine?

COONS:

Oh, there has to be a security guarantee for Ukraine going forward. For them to- for them to be conceivably admissible to NATO, their equipment, their training, their-their military has to be up to NATO standards, and we are moving them in that direction. But I'll remind you back in 1994, in Budapest, the U.S., U.K., and Russia persuaded Ukraine to give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for a commitment to a territorial security guarantee. Some sort of security guarantee for Ukraine has to be on the far side of this war, where so many Ukrainians are fighting and dying bravely to push back out the Russian aggressors who are occupying 20% of Ukraine today.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

But you don't expect any firm assurances out of this week's summit? No timeline, no specifics?

COONS:

That's a decision for 31 NATO members to make. My hunch is they'll make real progress on Sweden accession. They'll make real progress on sustaining our critical support in the middle of this counteroffensive, but I don't think they'll leave Vilnius with a specific timeline.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

President Biden said that Ukraine's military is running out of ammunition and that was a factor in his decision to greenlight providing cluster munitions. Do you think that morally justified his decision to do this?

COONS:

I do. This was a very hard decision. The President really- he listened to all sides.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

Did you speak to him about it?

COONS:

I did not speak directly to him about this decision. I weighed in indirectly through folks in his core team. But bluntly, he looked at several different core factors. First, we are running out of 155mm artillery munitions, and they are burning through them at a remarkable rate. Six to eight thousand a day. That's a million a year. We have a plan to bring back online the manufacturing of 155mm shells at scale, but that won't happen for months. They are at risk of losing this counter offensive if they run out of their shells. We have a large stockpile of 155mm shells that are cluster munitions. It's the Ukrainians who are asking to be able to use these on their own soil. They've committed to monitoring their use to remediating them after the war. And frankly, they will be tactically helpful against dug-in Russian troops that are behind large minefields. So weighing all of those factors, the President made a tough call that I will support.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

You will support. I want to ask you as well about Iran. The President's envoy to Iran, his name is Rob Malley. And he told CBS that he is on leave right now pending a review of his security clearance. He's so central to the nuclear talks, and also the point of contact for the hostage families. Have you been briefed on what's happening?

COONS:

I have not. On- on his security situation I have not.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

Because on- in your key role on Senate Foreign Relations, I would imagine there is some oversight. There is some reporting that the FBI is now involved. Are- are you concerned? How should people understand this?

COONS:

Look, I can't share anything about the FBI and what they are or are not doing with regards to the special envoy. But there is a lot of concern and interest in Congress on that committee and others about the status of any potential negotiation with Iran. The Iranians are providing the Russians critical drones and munitions for their aggression in Ukraine. I think that puts even greater tension on any possible conversations between the United States, our regional allies, and Iran. And I do think we need a briefing to update the members of Congress.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

On- on this matter, as well as the talks. Do you think that the President should meet with the families of those hostages in Iran? They have been asking for some time.

COONS:

Look, you know, I'm an advocate for the hostages, broadly speaking. Jason Rezaian, who was held in an Iranian prison for more than 500 days, came home and received an IRS bill in the mail as a result for unpaid taxes. I just introduced a bipartisan bill to get rid of those undue, unexpected, unreasonable harms. Yes, I think the president should meet with hostage families. He has a lot on his plate. He has been a strong advocate for recovering Americans from overseas. As you know, his administration led the return of Brittney Griner. I am hoping that there will also be some movement in the case of a Wall Street Journal reporter who is unjustly imprisoned in Russia as well.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

Evan Gershkovich.

COONS:

Evan Gershkovich.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

Do you have reason to believe that that is moving forward?

COONS:

I have reason to believe that the administration is working tirelessly on trying to return all Americans who are unjustly detained.

MARGARET BRENNAN:

Senator, thank you for your time this morning. "Face the Nation" will be back in a minute, so stay with us.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says it's "impossible to get unbiased information" about gender-affirming care

Zelenskyy marks 500th day since Russian invasion

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says China trip "has been successful" in forging relationship
A customer enters a branch of MG Community Credit in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap



By Lee Yeon-woo



The National Assembly is proceeding with a revision in the law that would permit financial authorities to supervise MG Community Credit Cooperative instead of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.



This change is deemed necessary due to the cooperative's unusual circumstance of being under the supervision of the interior ministry, which is believed to have contributed to its subpar management.



The move has come amid growing public concerns over the possible bankruptcy of the cooperative as its loan delinquency rate has risen, leading to a spree of customers withdrawing their capital from it.



Since 1973, the interior ministry has held supervisory power over the cooperative, unlike other domestic credit cooperatives, which are typically under the supervision of the financial authorities.



According to sources from National Assembly, some members of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the minor opposition Basic Income Party are preparing to propose relevant revisions bills within this week. They are also seeking support from lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party to endorse them.



The main focus of the bills is to authorize the Financial Service Commission (FSC) to supervise the cooperative's credit and mutual-aid businesses, and to issue necessary orders if required.



Under existing regulations, financial authorities lack the power to directly supervise the cooperative unless the interior ministry requests their "cooperation." This stands in contrast to other domestic credit cooperatives, where the FSC and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) hold the authority to supervise their respective operations, regardless of which ministry is in charge of the cooperatives.



"The interior ministry announced its plans to enhance the cooperative's solvency last August, but the delinquency rates have continued to rise. This is clear evidence that the cooperative requires comprehensive reform," Rep. Yong Hye-in from the Basic Income Party said.



Concerns about inadequate oversight have been raised repeatedly. It is understood that the interior ministry lacks the manpower to thoroughly supervise the cooperative as its primary expertise does not lie in finance. Currently, around 14 officials within the ministry are known to be in charge of the cooperative's affairs.



As of 2022, MG Community Credit's overall assets amounted to 284 trillion won ($217.9 billion).



So far, any attempt to modify the law has consistently been thwarted due to the FSC's cautious stance on receiving this authority, along with a pervasive lack of political interest.



"The first thing to do at this moment is to stabilize the current situation (with customers withdrawing their deposits)," FSC Chairman Kim Joo-hyun said during a press conference on Friday, marking his first anniversary in office.





Leaders of financial industry announce the results of their meeting on MG Community Credit Cooperative in downtown Seoul, Sunday. They are, from left, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Choi Sang-mok, Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong, Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, Vice Interior Minister Han Chang-sub, Financial Service Commission (FSC) Chairman Kim Joo-hyun and Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun. Courtesy of FSC
Former President Trump addressed a crowd in Nevada during a campaign stop on Saturday, once again using his platform to rail against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)  who is seen as his biggest competition in the 2024 GOP race.

Im not a big fan of his and hes highly overrated. Hes highly overrated, Trump told the crowd at a GOP volunteer event in Las Vegas. Remember, hes the one that wanted to cut Social Security. Hes the one that wanted to raise the minimum age and he voted on this.

This isnt just. And the one thing you have to remember when a politician comes out with an initial plan and then they go into a corner because theyre getting killed because hes getting killed, the former president said in his remarks, which were under an hour long. Well, he also has no personality. That helps, right?

Trump, who lost the support of the state in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, acknowledged the difficulty hes had with Nevadan voters.

We have a big job to do. This has been a hard state, he said during Saturdays event. I really believe its a Republican state.

This is the most important election in the history of our country, Trump added.

He also attacked the Florida governor for his stance on ethanol, echoing remarks he made the previous day during a stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Before the Las Vegas event, Trump claimed DeSantis was desperately trying to get out of the 2024 race.

Ron DeSanctimonious is desperately trying to get out of the Presidential race, while at the same time saving face for 2028, where he has been greatly damaged, he posted on Truth Social, later adding Ron is just wasting time!

The Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Trump currently with 52.4 percent support, while DeSantis trails at 21.5 percent support. While the former president cited his lack of personality and policy decisions, the Florida governor blamed media outlets for his sagging poll numbers.

Well, I think if you look at the people like the corporate media, who are they going after? he said. Who do they not want to be the nominee? Theyre going after me.

Trump has consistently argued that DeSantis rise in the party and ultimately to the governors desk is due to his endorsement, and he did not hold back this week either.

He was so far behind, cause, you know why? Cause he was a lousy candidate, and I endorsed him and he became like a rocket ship, and he ended up getting the nomination, Trump said Friday in Iowa.

The Iowa GOP announced on Saturday that the caucuses are slated for Jan. 15, 2024.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Trump's claim that he could end Ukraine's war in a day is a 'beautiful' thought but not true, Zelenskyy says

Trump's claim that he could end Ukraine's war in a day is a 'beautiful' thought but not true, Zelenskyy says

President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Trump's claim he could end the war in a day.

Zelenskyy told ABC that the idea is "beautiful" but not grounded in "real-life experience."

He argued that Trump failed to achieve peace during his four years as president.

Donald Trump was president for four years and in that time was unable to resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview that aired Sunday, rejecting as pure fantasy the Republican's claim that he could end the war in a day.

Speaking in Kyiv with ABC's Martha Raddatz, Zelenskyy said there were some "dangerous signals coming from particularly politicians" regarding future aid to Ukraine, though he noted the question of future support is "up for Americans to decide, and I would hate to interfere."

While many Republicans back the Biden administration's military support, including a recent package that includes controversial cluster munitions, the party's MAGA wing  including grassroots activists, Trump, and his rival for the presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis  have suggested the conflict is a distraction from domestic priorities.

Trump has even asserted that Russia's full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022, could have been ended, by him, in a single day. "It'll take 24 hours. I will get that ended," he said in May. "It would be easy."

Zelenskyy, asked about that assertion, was himself diplomatic, saying the "desire to bring the war to an end is beautiful." But, he added, "This desire should be based on some real-life experience."

Noting that Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, illegally annexing Crimea, Zelenskyy argued that Trump already had a chance to negotiate a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Well, it looks as if Donald Trump had already these 24 hours once in his time. We were at war, not a full-scale war, but we were at war and as I assume he had that time at his disposal, but he must have had some other priorities," the Ukrainian leader said.

While president, Trump temporarily withheld congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine in an effort to pressure Zelenskyy to open an investigation into his political rival, then-Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, an incident that led to his impeachment. In his memoir, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Trump "didn't seem to care" that failing to deliver the aid  intended to support "a democracy under siege"  was a violation of federal law.

Zelenskyy, on Sunday, said that he doesn't have much interest in any peace deal that envisions him ceding land to an invader.

"If we are talking about ending the war at the cost of Ukraine, in other words to make us give up our territories, well, I think in this way Biden could have brought it to an end even in five minutes," he said. "But we would not agree."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Tim Hong, with California Water Services, talks with a resident who sits in front of her damaged home on Peartree Lane in Rolling Hills Estates on Sunday. Twelve homes were evacuated in Rolling Hills Estates on Saturday night after the ground shifted, causing major cracks. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

For the record:

12:44 p.m. July 11, 2023: A previous version of this story said the Rolling Hills Estates neighborhood affected by the slides is on the northern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. It is in the southwestern part of the peninsula.



Twelve homes were evacuated in Rolling Hills Estates on Saturday night after the ground shifted, leaving major cracks and some structures "visibly leaning," officials said.

Firefighters and investigators were sent about 4 p.m. Saturday to Peartree Lane, where hilltop homes overlook a canyon, officials said. The community is on the southwestern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Cracks in the homes were visible on the inside and outside, said Los Angeles County Fire Captain Chiyoshi Hasegawa. About 16 people were evacuated, he said, and utilities were shut off to reduce the risk of fire.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes the city, said she was notified Saturday night about the land movement and the evacuation.

Residents of the affected homes "were told they had 20 minutes to get their belongings and get out," Hahn said at a noon press conference Sunday at the site, where she was joined by Rolling Hills Estates Mayor Britt Huff and officials from the county fire and public works departments.

She said a fissure, or crack in the earth's surface, was winding its way between the affected homes.

"We believe many of these homes will fall into the canyon sooner than later," Hahn said.

Rolling Hills Estates resident Bob Brown photographs the damaged home of his mother-in-law, Edna Campbell, 98, on Peartree Lane in Rolling Hills Estates on Sunday. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

City and county officials said Sunday that it is too early to speculate on what caused the ground to shift and that the matter is under investigation. They said they are monitoring other homes in the neighborhood for movement.

"This neighborhood was built in 1978 and it's been solid for 45 years," Huff said. "So we're very much in shock by what is happening here."

Pete Goodrich, a building official with the city, said geologists will inspect the site and decide what can be done. He said there was substantial damage to the homes.

The land movement "could be due to the extensive rains that we've had .... but we don't know," Goodrich said of recent winter storms.

Hahn said she could understand the fears of the affected homeowners.

"I haven't seen anything like this in my career," she said. "To think that these homes were intact yesterday afternoon and today to hear them creaking.... These homes are going to fall."

David Zee, a former Torrance resident who said he moved into one of the 12 houses two months ago, told Hahn and the other officials that his family was devastated by what was happening.

"We thought this would be our forever house," he said. "Maybe it still will be, but I'm just concerned. I'm usually not emotional but, you know, it's our house."

Mimi Borg has owned a home for six years across the street from one of the evacuated homes. She said her house has not been damaged, but her gas has been shut off indefinitely amid concerns that the problem could spread.

On Sunday morning, she surveyed the house across the street with a Spanish-style roof that had sustained significant damage.

Last night I was out for a walk, and there was just a crack on the driveway and the wall, and now its 100 times worse," she said. "Were just hoping it doesnt spread to us. I am worried. I have all of my stuff packed, all ready to go if they tell me to go.

Ferry Mafinezam of Canada was visiting her sister a short walk up the hill from the evacuated homes. She said she felt an earthquake in the area last week and that her sister is concerned her home could be damaged.

About a week ago I woke up to an earthquake just shaking the house, Mafinezam said. Now this morning I walked up and saw this.

Geologists are expected to survey the land to determine what will happen to the homes.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula has long been prone to landslides, and the most dramatic one is affecting Portuguese Bend, an area on the south side named after a whaling operation, now known for its natural beauty and native vegetation.

A dormant landslide complex has shaped the area for hundreds of thousands of years. It was reactivated 67 years ago and is threatening to destroy homes and infrastructure.

The geological phenomenon has hit a 240-acre area particularly hard over the last seven decades, causing fissures to open in the earth and homes to strain, buckle and drift, sometimes onto adjacent properties.

City officials are planning to mitigate the landslide before its too late.

Something catastrophic is imminent, Ara Mihranian, a city planner, told The Times in March. Since being named city manager in 2019, he has made slowing the landslide a primary focus.

The Portuguese Bend landslide was triggered in summer 1956  nearly two decades before Rancho Palos Verdes became a city  when a Los Angeles County road crew was constructing an extension of Crenshaw Boulevard that would run from Crest Road to Palos Verdes Drive South.

The crew dug up thousands of tons of dirt for the project and dropped it on top of the ancient landslide zone, which hadnt moved in 4,800 years. The extension was never completed, but the weight and movement of the dirt shifted the balance of the earth enough to reactivate the slide, sending the land into a slow-motion descent toward the sea.

In recent years, the landslides harm has been more incremental than the initial destruction in 1956 that tore up a community clubhouse and 130 area homes. City officials said the land moves sometimes horizontally, sometimes vertically. Sometimes inches, sometimes feet.

Officials said it moves at a pace of roughly eight feet, in a southwesterly direction, per year. Over the last 15 years, sections of land have moved anywhere from 100 to 225 feet horizontally and dropped eight to 18 feet vertically.

The most noticeable damage is dealt to Palos Verdes Drive South  the road that winds along the coastal cliffs  warping it into a crooked, hilly mess with dips that make your stomach jump. The city has to send a crew once a month to fill cracks, maintenance that costs roughly $1 million per year.

Sooyun Cho stands next to her damaged home, right, on Peartree Lane in Rolling Hills Estates on Sunday. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Times staff writer Jack Flemming contributed to this story.





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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Two dead, one injured in separate Saturday night incidents in northeast Charlotte

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating Saturday night homicides that left two people dead in separate incidents in the University City division.

One victim died from a gunshot wound at the scene. In the other incident, the person died at a hospital. Police havent said the two are connected.

In the first incident, officers responded to the 2400 block of Turtle Point Road shortly before 7 p.m. for a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to a news release. Two victims were taken to a local hospital by private cars; one died upon arrival and the other had non life-threatening injuries, police said.

Police did not say in a news release what type of weapon was used in the first case. WSOC-TV, The Charlotte Observers news partner, said officers at the scene called the incident a double shooting.

In a separate incident, police responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call around 8:30 p.m. in the 8200 block of North Tryon Street. A victim was discovered on scene with a fatal gunshot wound, according to police.

Police havent released further information about either case.

Anyone with information about other case is asked to call 704-432-TIPS to speak directly with a homicide unit detective. The public can leave information anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 704-334-160 or online at charlottecrimestoppers.com.
Ukraine will receive fire trucks

Ukraine will receive 17 special fire trucks from the United Kingdom, the Ukrainian militarys General Staff reported on Twitter on July 9.

The United Kingdom will provide the firefighting and rescue services of Ukraine with 17 specialized fire trucks, primarily obtained from the Royal Air Force and the Defense Fire and Rescue Service, with one being provided to the government of Wales, the General Staff wrote.

Read also:

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova on Sunday said theres nothing controversial about the Biden administrations decision to send cluster munitions to Kyiv as it fends off Russias ongoing war.

Well, first of all, let me say how grateful we are to President Biden and to everyone for making this decision to provide us with this munition. I know everyone is discussing how difficult it was and sometimes even call it controversial, but there is nothing controversial about it, Markarova said on CBS Newss Face the Nation.

We are fighting on our territory, brutal enemy. There is nothing worse than tortures, rapes and everything that Russians do on the territory they occupy and we need to liberate as quick as possible. So were really grateful that in times when we do need increased numbers of munitions to support our counter offensive, that US made the decision, and we really hope we will see it very quickly on the battlefield, the ambassador said.

The administration last week announced plans to provide Kyiv with the munitions, which contain explosive submunitions that can spread over a wide area and may not explode immediately, posing risks to civilians.

President Biden defended the very difficult decision, which he said was made after discussions with allies and lawmakers. He noted that the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition.

The move has drawn mixed reactions even among Bidens party. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) on Sunday said the bombs should never be used, while Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said he backs the Biden administrations decision.

Markarova stressed that Ukraine is already dealing with issues of unexploded weapons, as Russia has lobbed the munitions into Ukraine during the invasion, and Kyiv is already doing a lot of de-mining.

We are controlling it, the ambassador said, adding that Ukraine has very responsible ways of recording the units and where and how theyre used, and that Ukraine wont use the weapons in civilian areas.

And of course, you know, every time we liberate our territories, de-miners are the first people that go there, try to make sure that the area is safe, so we will do exactly the same, she said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ukraine to join NATO regardless of decisions of Vilnius summit  Ukrainian official

Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, is convinced that Ukraine will join NATO regardless of whether it is invited to join the bloc at the Vilnius summit on 11-12 July.

Source: an interview with European Pravda

Stefanishyna noted that Ukraine will definitely not hear "no" in Vilnius regarding its future membership in NATO.

"Now there is a discussion about what kind of "yes" it will be. You need to be aware of this. We will not hear "no", "never", "until the war ends there"  there will be no such messages," the deputy prime minister stressed.

According to her, NATO is now discussing what could be a favourable decision on Ukraine, and "it is very important to realise this."

"It is important for us that we start some work the next day after Vilnius. This is exactly in the context of the Ukraine-NATO Council and in the context of preparations for the next NATO summit in Washington," Stefanishyna added.

The deputy prime minister noted that at the Vilnius summit, Ukraine wants to receive an invitation to membership under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty. At the same time, whatever Vilnius' decisions, Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance, Stefanishyna is convinced.

"We will be in NATO, regardless of the decisions of the Vilnius summit," the deputy prime minister stated.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, said earlier that at the Alliance's summit in Vilnius, the leaders will adopt a package on Ukraine, which will contain three main elements. At the same time, he didn't disclose the content of the future NATO decision on Ukraine's membership.

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(Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden said theres no unanimity about bringing Ukraine into NATO as the military alliance prepares to meet in Vilnius. The US president departed Washington on Sunday and will meet with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Monday before traveling to Lithuania for the NATO summit, which starts Tuesday.

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I dont think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war, Biden said in an interview with CNN conducted on Friday and broadcast on Sunday. If the war is going on, then were all in war. Were at war with Russia, if that were the case. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with his Polish counterpart on Sunday, the latest in a round of diplomacy with NATO members ahead of the summit. Zelenskiy also discussed a possible path to negotiations in an ABC News interview.

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Russia spoke by phone on Sunday. Hakan Fidan and Sergei Lavrov discussed recent developments around Ukraine, including the recent return of Azov regiment commanders from Turkey to Ukraine. The pair also talked about the soon-to-expire Black Sea shipping agreement. Russias foreign ministry said in a statement that the continued supply of military equipment to Kyiv could only lead to negative consequences for Ankara.

The US decision on Friday to provide controversial cluster bombs to Ukraine continues to cause waves, with NATO members Italy, the UK and Spain - all strong allies to Kyiv  questioning the move. Ukraine has said it will maintain strict controls over the use of the weapons. Sunak and Biden are expected to discuss the US decision in their meeting.

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As world leaders prepare to gather this week for a much-anticipated NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the alliance's unity may be newly tested as divisions over the type of assurances made to Ukraine regarding its future membership become starker.

More than 500 days into a grinding war launched by Russia in February 2021, Ukraine has pressed for a detailed path toward membership into the alliance that some member countries appear reluctant to provide.

The impasse has prompted concerns in Kyiv and among some eastern European NATO members that the Vilnius summit  touted for weeks by the Biden administration as a show of enduring support  may result again in ambiguous commitments reminiscent of those made in Bucharest in 2008.

It was there that NATO members told Ukraine and fellow candidate Georgia they "will become members" of the alliance, but  despite public pressure from then-U.S. President George W. Bush  declined to offer them Membership Action Plans (MAP) that would have laid out a detailed roadmap.

Later that year, Russia invaded Georgia, and six years later in 2014, seized Crimea.

A security guard sits in front of a banner outside the venue of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, July 9, 2023. Russia's war on Ukraine will top the agenda when U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts meet in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday. / Credit: Mindaugas Kulbis / AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some of his staunchest allies in eastern Europe are now arguing that clearly defined commitments from NATO are essential to boosting Ukrainian fighters' morale as they wage a grueling counteroffensive and to deterring Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has banked on waning interest in support for Ukraine from Western capitals.

"We are getting ready for NATO membership," said Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Markarova said that in 2008, the "open door policy" toward Ukraine had been adopted, and now "we want not only for the door to be open, we want to be invited to come in."

"The Eastern Europeans and particularly the hosts have been very forward-leaning, but they've already been told by other allies that they can't be that forward-leaning," said one Western diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.

While there have been "intensive discussions" going into the summit on how to update the commitments made in Bucharest, the official said, "it wouldn't be the first multilateral meeting that fell back on something less than crystal clear."

"Fundamentally, the message to the rest of the world has to be that the direction of travel [for Ukraine] hasn't changed," the Western diplomat said.

The Biden administration has already said Ukraine, with an open border conflict, would not be offered membership at Vilnius.

"I don't think it's ready for membership in NATO," President Biden said about Ukraine in an interview with CNN on Friday.

However, Mr. Biden then added, "I don't think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war."

Sen. Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan that "there has to be a security guarantee for Ukraine going forward," but that a firm assurance on NATO membership is "a decision for 31 NATO members to make."

"They'll make real progress on sustaining or critical support in the middle of this counter offensive," said Coons, "but I don't think they'll leave Vilnius with a specific timeline."

Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden's National Security Advisor, expressed a similar message at the White House press briefing on Friday.

"The president also has been clear that we are going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes and provide them an exceptional quantity of arms and capabilities, both from ourselves and facilitating those from allies and partners," said Sullivan, "but that we are not seeking to start World War III."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday the alliance would agree to a "multi-year program of assistance" to Ukraine and establish a NATO-Ukraine Council to "upgrade our political ties."

"I expect allied leaders will reaffirm that Ukraine will become a member of NATO," Stoltenberg added, "and unite on how to bring Ukraine closer to its goal.

In the meantime, Mr. Biden is still trying to usher in Sweden as a new NATO member. Coons, a fellow Democrat from Delaware and a close Biden ally, said Sunday that Mr. Biden has been personally engaged in trying to persuade reluctant NATO members like Greece to let in Sweden.

"We have 31 members of NATO today, there should be 32. Adding Finland and Sweden to NATO is a strategic defeat for Putin. It means that no matter the outcome on the ground in Ukraine, he has failed in his objective to divide and weaken NATO, because of President Biden's leadership. NATO is the strongest it's ever been," said Coons. "My hunch is they'll make real progress on Sweden accession."

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The International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi attends a meeting with South Korean lawmakers at National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday, July 9. Yonhap



North Korea on Sunday slammed the United Nations' nuclear watchdog for approving Japan's plan to discharge treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.



The International Atomic Energy Agency approved Tokyo's plan to release treated water from the tsunami-hit nuclear plant into the sea over the next few decades.



The plan has raised concerns in neighbouring countries, prompting China to ban some food imports and sparking protests in South Korea.



The release of the treated water will have a "fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment," an official from Pyongyang's environmental protection ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.






Key developments on July 8-9

Azovstal defenders return home from Turkey

Military reports Ukrainian forces advancing near Bakhmut

Russian attack kills 9 civilians in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast

Kuleba: Ukraine's path toward NATO 'to become shorter' after summit

Duda makes surprise visit to Lutsk, commemorates victims of Volyn Massacre with Zelensky

The commanding officers who defended the Azovstal plant in Mariupol have finally returned to Ukraine from Turkey, where they had been kept after a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.

Their long-awaited return took place on July 8, when Ukraine marked 500 days of Russia's full-scale war.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the officers and picked them up during his visit to Turkey, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bartholomew I, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople.

The officers include Denys Prokopenko, Serhiy Volynskyi, Sviatoslav Palamar, Denys Shleha, and Oleh Khomenko. Previously they had been expected to remain in Turkey until the end of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Upon their return to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv in the evening of July 8, Prokopenko, the commander of the Azov Regiment, thanked Zelensky and his team, along with Ukrainian forces and every soldier who defended our motherland and continued to fight the occupiers on the front lines while we were held captive.

"I am deeply convinced that the Armed Forces is a team effort, and from today we will continue to fight together, and we will have our say in battle," Prokopenko said.

"The most important thing is that the Ukrainian army has seized the strategic initiative on the front line and that every day we are moving forward, destroying the enemy and liberating the temporarily occupied territories," he added.

"We will do everything possible to speed up this process and bring the war to a conclusion."

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Denys Prokopenko, the commander of the Azov Regiment, shake hands before returning to Ukraine. On July 8, commanding officers who defended the Azovstal plant in Mariupol finally returned to Ukraine from Turkey, where they had been kept after a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. (President's Office)

"I am very happy that today these real men are on their native land. Its very important," said Zelensky.

Ukraine reached a deal to secure the release of 215 prisoners of war, including some of the Azovstal defenders, from Russian captivity in September.

In that exchange, Russia received Ukrainian politician and Putin's family friend Viktor Medvedchuk and 55 Russian POWs.

Following the defenders' return home, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed Ukraine and Turkey "violated prisoner exchange agreements amid the return of Ukrainian commanding officers who defended the Azovstal steel plant from Turkey.

He claimed Moscow was "not notified" about the officers' transfer to Ukraine.

However, Ukraine's military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov told Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne that Ukraine returned Azovstal commanders home "in accordance with international law."

The Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance at the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion, as Ukrainian soldiers valiantly defended it.

Russian forces occupied Mariupol in late May 2022. The port city on the Azov Sea was turned to scorched earth after an almost three-month siege.

Military reports Ukrainian forces advancing near Bakhmut

General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, reported on July 9 that Ukrainian forces are "making progress" near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast.

At the same time, Russian troops get "trapped" in some areas, Syrskyi said without providing further details.

His statement follows the U.K Defense Ministry July 8 report saying that intense fighting had resumed in Bakhmut, with Ukrainian forces making gains along the northern and southern parts of the city.

According to the ministry, Russian forces are struggling to hold the city even though Russian officials "almost certainly see it as politically unacceptable to concede Bakhmut" given its symbolic importance as one of the few gains claimed by the Russian military in recent months.

The battle of Bakhmut raged for over 10 months, with Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin declaring at the end of May that his forces had captured the city. Wagner's forces soon began to retreat from the city to be replaced by the regular Russian army.

Ukrainian officials never formally acknowledged the loss of Bakhmut, and Ukrainian forces have been engaged in combat with the Russian military along the city's outskirts since late May.

Francis Farrell: As the world watches the counteroffensive, a sober hold on reality is Ukraines greatest weapon This June was meant to be all about the great Ukrainian counteroffensive. After months of waiting, dozens of public statements from exasperated Ukrainian officials bound to silence, and even more analyses from experts and commentators in the media, the moment finally came when Ukrainian soldiers on The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Russian attack kills 9 civilians in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast

Russian July 8 attack on the city of Lyman in Donetsk Oblast killed nine people and wounded 12 more, according to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.

Russian troops targeted Lyman with the Smerch multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) at 10 a.m., damaging a home and a store in a neighborhood with private residences.

The death toll was finalized on the morning of July 9, as Kyrylenko reported a total of nine civilians killed.

According to the Interior Ministrys earlier reports, among those killed were two men and four women.

The ministry later added that the Russian attack damaged 16 civilian infrastructure facilities across Donetsk Oblast over the past 24 hours.

Kyrylenko said Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast also killed a person in Avdiivka and injured another person in Zakitne over the past day. A total of 13 people have been injured across the oblast in the past 24 hours, the governor said.

Kuleba: Ukraine's path toward NATO 'to become shorter' after summit

Ukraine's path toward NATO is expected "to become shorter" after the Alliance's upcoming summit, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on July 8.

According to him, "several important decisions for Ukraine and NATO have already been agreed on."

Kulebas statement comes after Zelensky's recent trips to Bulgaria, Czechia, Slovakia, and Turkey, where Ukraine's bid for membership in NATO was discussed.

"Based on the results of the (upcoming NATO) summit, our path towards the alliance will definitely become shorter," Kuleba said.

The same day, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Ukraine would be able to become a member of NATO because of its success in countering Russia.

"If Russia is the main threat to NATO, I have a simple question for my fellow defense ministers. If only one country in the world has modern, effective, successful experience with countering the Russian army, what other arguments do you need to invite Ukraine to the Alliance?" Reznikov said.

"I am convinced  Ukraine is a de facto NATO country and will become a de jure NATO country," the minister said.

The next NATO summit will take place in Vilnius on July 11-12, where the topic of the Russia-Ukraine war is expected to occupy a high place on the agenda. Despite that, the alliance has not made any promises to Ukraine about extending a membership offer and has expressed an intention to bring Ukraine "closer" to the alliance instead.

Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky, have repeatedly asked NATO for a "clear signal" of the alliance's support for future membership at the upcoming summit.

Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, half a year into Russia's full-scale invasion of the country.

Dietzen, Druckman: Vilnius NATO Summit  Accelerating Ukraines membership and deterring Moscow and Minsk This months NATO summit takes place at a time of both peril and opportunity for the future of European security. The Wagner Groups June 24 sprint from Rostov to the gates of Moscow dealt a fresh blow to criticism of NATOs decision to extend a Membership Action The Kyiv IndependentMark Dietzen

Duda makes surprise visit to Lutsk, commemorates victims of Volyn Massacre with Zelensky

On July 9, Polish President Andrzej Duda made an unannounced visit to Lutsk, a regional capital in northwestern Ukraine, where he commemorated the victims of the 1943 Volyn (Volhynia) Massacre together with Zelensky.

"In Lutsk, Volyn, on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, together with President Zelensky, we paid tribute to the murdered Poles," Duda wrote on Twitter.

"Together, we honor all the innocent victims of Volyn (Massacre). Memory unites us! Together we are stronger!" Zelenskys Telegram post reads.

The members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the military wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, or OUN, massacred thousands of Poles throughout Volhynia in Nazi-occupied Poland  an area that is now part of western Ukraine  in the spring and summer of 1943.

While most of the victims were Poles, some Ukrainians were also killed by Poles in retaliation.

Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhy, director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, estimates that the number of Ukrainians killed may vary between 15,000 and 30,000, while the estimates for the Polish victims vary between 60,000 and 90,000.

In 2016, Poland's Parliament recognized the killings as genocide, a term that Ukraine denies.

Following his visit, Duda also wrote on Twitter that he met with Zelensky not only to "give a testimony of friendship in the face of a difficult history" but to hold "final consultations" before the upcoming NATO summit.

"Effective support for Ukraine in its pursuit of membership in the Alliance is very important for Poland," Duda wrote.
A view shows a building of a restaurant heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia"s attack on Ukraine, in central Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine June 27, 2023

False and misleading posts about the Ukraine conflict continue to go viral on major social media platforms, as Russia's invasion of the country extends beyond 500 days.

Some of the most widely shared examples can be found on Twitter, posted by subscribers with a blue tick, who pay for their content to be promoted to other users.

Weapons for Ukraine not used in French riots

Many misleading posts have been shared online about the recent riots in France, but one viral post last week focused on US military aid to Ukraine.

It featured a screenshot of what appeared to be a headline from a news website, along with an image of two rifles.

"French police are fired upon with American rifles that may have come from Ukraine," reads the headline.

Several Twitter accounts with Blue subscriptions have shared the post, which has been viewed more than a million times.

BBC Verify has traced it back to pro-Kremlin channels on the Telegram messaging app. The image used in the post appears in a Russian military blog from 2012 about a shooting competition held on a firing range near Moscow.

We have also been unable to find any online articles with the headline and picture as above, and there is no evidence any weapons provided to Ukraine by the US have been used during the recent unrest in France.

No evidence of 'baby factories' in Ukraine

Several Twitter accounts with a blue tick have recently promoted a claim that Russia has discovered "baby factories" in Ukraine.

Children between the ages of two and seven are said to be "factory farmed", and either sent to "child sex brothels" or to have their organs harvested and sold in the West.

BBC Verify has traced the origin of the claim to an article published in March by The People's Voice, an alternative name for YourNewsWire, which has been described by fact-checking organisations as one of the biggest producers of fake news on the internet.

It has previously promoted a wide range of false and misleading stories, including anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and false claims about the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.

The Russian government and Kremlin-controlled media have a history of promoting unsubstantiated claims about illegal organ harvesting in Ukraine.

Kramatorsk missile not Ukrainian

A Russian missile attack killed eight people in the centre of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, at the end of June.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, a post by an account with a Twitter Blue subscription, which positions itself as a legitimate news source, claimed the strike was mistakenly launched by Ukraine and hit a military barracks housing Nato troops and foreign mercenaries.

"Storm Shadow missile suddenly changed trajectory dramatically, hitting Kramatorsk obliterated a Ukrainian military barracks housing foreign soldiers and mercenaries," the tweet claimed.

The post was viewed more than a million times.

There is no evidence that a missile launched by Ukrainian forces was responsible, nor that a military barracks was hit.

Zelensky has not cancelled elections

Posts claiming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has "cancelled" elections in Ukraine have recently gone viral on Twitter.

As evidence, users cited remarks made by Mr Zelensky in an interview with the BBC in late June.

Asked whether there will be elections in Ukraine next year, Mr Zelensky responded: "If we win [the war], there will be. It means there will be no martial law, no war. Elections must be held in peacetime, when there is no war, according to the law."

Commenting on the statement, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who's been critical of US aid for Ukraine, said in his recently launched Twitter show that Mr Zelensky's comments proved he'd ended democracy in Ukraine.

Twitter Blue accounts on a similar theme have been shared hundreds of thousands of times.

The Ukrainian constitution prohibits the dissolution of parliament and national elections during martial law, meaning the current president and parliament will remain in charge until the period of martial law comes to an end.

Oleksii Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council, recently confirmed that based on the Ukrainian constitution, "no elections can take place" while martial law is in effect in the country.

Contacted by BBC Verify for a response to the false and misleading Twitter Blue posts highlighted in this article, Twitter's press office acknowledged receipt of our enquiry, but declined to comment.

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Oleksandr Syrskyi

Ukrainian troops are making progress on the Bakhmut front  Ukrainian forces continue to advance, while the enemy finds itself trapped in some areas, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander of Ukraines Ground Forces, said on Telegram on July 9.

He also shared a video showcasing the precise work of a sniper.

"The video shows the excellent work of the Ghost Group of the Separate Presidential Brigade "Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Gen. Syrskyi explained.

The sniper nom de guerre ALPHA is at work. From a distance of 1,200 meters, he eliminated the enemy with a single shot.

According to Syrskyi, while the sniper was operating, an enemy drone was also being tracked and successfully shot down.

Read also: Ukrainian forces gain ground and hold advantage on southern front as Russian countermeasures fail

On July 7, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar announced that Russian invasion forces in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, had fallen into a trap and were unable to withdraw from the city thanks to Ukrainian forces.

Earlier, the spokesperson for the Eastern Joint Forces Operation, Serhiy Cherevatyi, reported that the defense forces on the Bakhmut front continued to maintain the initiative and put pressure on the enemy. Over the past day, they advanced over a kilometer forward.

On July 6, Cherevatyi stated that intense battles were taking place in the Klishchiivka area near Bakhmut. The Ukrainian Armed Forces maintain the initiative on that part of the front.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Natalia Humeniuk

The intensity of Russian military attacks in the south has slightly decreased, likely due to the effective strikes by Ukrainian defenders on enemy ammunition depots, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian militarys Operational Command South, said on Ukrainian national television on July 9.

While the situation in the south remains challenging, there is active development. The Russian forces are persistently targeting all populated areas along the front line in an attempt to shell them.

Read also: Russian invaders focusing primary efforts in four areas of front

Humeniuk also highlighted the continued use of guided aerial bombs by the invaders, resulting in the destruction of residential buildings and educational institutions.

Read also: Ukrainian military has partial success near Klishchiyivka, says General Staff

The shelling intensity has decreased slightly, she stated.

It is quite possible that our successful operations targeting the ammunition depots last week have had an impact. The destruction of five such depots in the left bank strip has resulted in a decrease in the number of shelling incidents to 70 in the past day, compared to the previous average of 90+.

Previously, U.S. OSINT analyst Brady Africk presented images depicting the aftermath of a strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a Russian ammunition depot in the village of Rykove in Kherson Oblast.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Editors Note: This is issue 96 of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly, covering events from July 1-7, 2023. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission.

Ukrainian SOE Weekly is an independent weekly digest based on a compilation of the most important news related to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and state-owned banks in Ukraine. This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union within the project Supporting Ukraine in rebuilding and recovery implemented by the KSE Institute. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the editorial team of the Ukrainian SOE Weekly and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Banks

Fitch affirms most of the credit ratings of Ukrainian state-owned banks. On June 30, Fitch Ratings updated the sustainability ratings of four Ukrainian state-owned banks: Oschadbank, Ukrgasbank, PrivatBank, and Ukreximbank.

Here are the key updates from Fitch:

Bank Viability Rating (VR) Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (LTFC IDR) Long-Term Local-Currency Issuer Default Rating (LTLC IDR) Government Support Rating (GSR) PrivatBank affirmed at ccc- affirmed at CCC- affirmed at CCC downgraded to no support (ns) from ccc- Oschadbank upgraded from cc to ccc- affirmed at CCC- affirmed at CCC downgraded to no support (ns) from ccc- Ukrgasbank upgraded from cc to ccc- affirmed at CCC- affirmed at CCC downgraded to no support (ns) from ccc- Ukreximbank affirmed at f affirmed at CCC- affirmed at CCC affirmed at no support (ns)

Three of the four banks now have a Viability Rating (VR) at ccc-, with Ukreximbank having a lower VR at f.

The Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (LTFC IDR) and the Long-Term Local-Currency Issuer Default Rating (LTLC IDR) are the same across the four banks, at CCC- and CCC, respectively.

The Government Support Rating (GSR) is now also the same for all the four banks  no support (ns)  with PrivatBank, Oschadbank, and Ukrgasbanks GSRs downgraded from ccc- and Ukreximbanks GSR affirmed.

According to Fitch, the downgrade of PrivatBanks GSR reflects its belief that in the event of a material capital shortfall, PrivatBank would likely operate under regulatory capital forbearance in the near term, rather than receive prompt extraordinary capital support from the sovereign.

Ukreximbanks LTFC IDR of CCC- reflects Fitchs view that the risk of default on the banks senior foreign-currency third-party non-government creditors remains a real possibility due to the war.

Fitch expects that the bank would continue to service its obligations in the near term, reflecting its generally adequate foreign-currency liquidity relative to its needs, supported by various regulatory capital and exchange controls in place since the outbreak of the war to reduce the risks of deposit and capital outflows and maintain stability and confidence in the banking system.

The upgrade of Ukrgasbanks VR reflects Fitchs view of the banks moderately lower risk of failure, as it is more profitable and has more resilient asset quality because it operates in a less severe environment than Fitch previously expected.

Nonetheless, Fitch believes that failure remains a real possibility. The downgrade of the GSR reflects its belief that in the event of a material capital shortfall, Ukrgasbank would likely operate under regulatory capital forbearance in the near term, rather than receive prompt extraordinary capital support from the sovereign.

The same forecasts were made for Oschadbanks (as for Ukrgasbanks) LTFC IDR, LTLC IDR, and GSR.

Ukraine, allies must do more to hit Russias economy, says Moral Rating Agency head As Yevgeny Prigozhins mutiny exposed Russias political weakness, theres an opportunity to follow up with an economic punch by targeting foreign companies that stayed in the country. This is the belief of Mark Dixon, the director of the Moral Rating Agency, which scrutinizes foreign companies tha The Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov

The NBU warns of risks posed by a high share of state capital in the banking sector. In its Financial Stability Report for June 2023, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) reported an increase in the predominance of state-owned banks on all key indicators of the banking system.

According to the NBU, such growth is justified in a period of deep crisis caused by the full-scale war. However, this poses great risks for the competitive environment in the banking sector during any subsequent recovery period.

The central bank noted that the war has once again postponed the plans to privatize Ukrainian state-owned banks. According to the NBU, the strategies of state-owned banks need to be updated to address key shortcomings in their operations and prepare most of them for privatization after hostilities end.

The regulator also reported that the share of household deposits in all state-owned banks was over 60%.

The NBU drew attention to lending by state-owned banks to SOEs. Such lending makes up almost a third of the net corporate portfolio of state-owned banks. This is three times as high as the share of loans to SOEs in the corporate portfolio across the entire banking sector, suggesting that the share of loans to SOEs in the banking sector is around 10-11%.

Currently, only state-owned banks are prepared to provide sufficiently large loans to SOEs, given how much state-owned companies need due to the governments priorities, the NBU claimed.

The central bank stated that the strategic areas of activity of state-owned banks during martial law and post-war economic recovery should be supplemented by more specific objectives in the short term. Based on these goals, the newly elected supervisory boards of state-owned banks should approve full-fledged strategies that will define the role and tasks of each bank in the context of a prolonged war, the NBU said.

The NBU added that the nationalization of a bank whose shareholders are under sanctions related to the Russian aggression (this applies to the last major Russia-linked bank in Ukraine, Sense Bank, which had operated under the name Alfa-Bank until 1 December 2022) may be a new challenge (because it will lead to an even higher share of the state in the banking sector and, accordingly, a higher volume of non-performing loans (NPLs) in state-owned banks).

In SOE Weeklys Issue 91, we reported that the share of non-performing loans (NPLs) in state-owned banks has grown to 53% as of May 1.

In Issue 94, we reported that the law allowing the nationalization of Sense Bank came into force. See more about the process of nationalization in Issue 94.

How nationalist movements paved Ukraines way to freedom When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many in the West, and in the Kremlin too, expected the Ukrainian state to crumble in weeks, if not days. The government would flee, the state would be carved up  some lands absorbed by Russia, the rest perhaps being made into a The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query

Ukrposhta wants to take over the PINBank of sanctioned Russian oligarch Giner and turn it into a postal bank. According to Ekonomichna Pravda (EP), Ukrposhta aims to take over PINBank which was confiscated from Russian oligarch Yevgenii Giner.

According to the EP, Ukrposhtas CEO Igor Smelyansky refused to talk about the possible transfer of the banks shares to his company, but noted that there is progress in this matter.

Currently, Ukrposhta offers various financial services, such as paying out pensions, making money transfers, and acquiring bank cards. However, it is limited to conducting transactions in cash or processing cards from other banks. To open accounts for its clients, Ukrposhta requires a banking license.

Note also that Ukrposhta is the sole financial service provider with complete geographic coverage of Ukraine, while bank branches are primarily concentrated in urban areas. This makes Ukrposhta an ideal candidate for ensuring financial inclusion of Ukraines population by offering financial services to individuals who may not have access to them otherwise.

This proposal was also put forth by Andriy Boytsun and Dmytro Yablonovskyi, two members of the SOE Weekly team, in their 2017 policy paper titled What should the state do with its banks?

The importance of ensuring financial inclusion has become even more significant during the full-scale Russian aggression, as Ukrposhta often remains the only company capable of providing services close to combat zones. Additionally, Ukrposhta has taken on new public service obligations in wartime, including the disbursement of financial aid to internally displaced persons.

The EP also wrote that there was still no consensus among the authorities on the establishment of a postal bank. According to EPs sources, this idea is strongly supported by Smelyansky and Deputy Head of the Presidents Office Rostyslav Shurma. Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko is also in favour of this decision.

At the same time, the Ministry of Infrastructure, which regulates Ukrposhta, has not yet dared to propose its own plan to transfer the Russian bank to the postal operator. According to the EPs sources in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Smelyanskys idea is generally supported, but the Ministry wants to avoid conflicts with the Ministry of Finance, the NBU, and international partners.

The EPs sources in the Ministry of Finance criticized this idea, saying it would violate Ukraines commitments to international donors, including the IMF and the World Bank.

The NBU agreed that a postal bank would violate Ukraines commitments to the IMF. The Fund is concerned about the large share of the state in the banking market. For this reason, the authorities have pledged to co-ordinate each new nationalization with the IMF, the media said.

The EP also said that PINBank is one of the smallest banks in Ukraine. As of May 1, its net assets stood at Hr 990.6 million ($27 million), ranking the bank 56th (by net assets) among 65 Ukrainian banks. The vast majority of these assets are government bonds: Giners bank holds Hr 602 million ($16.5 million) in such bonds.

The EP added that this is not Ukrposhtas first attempt to launch a postal bank. The Verkhovna Rada passed the first reading of a draft law to establish a bank piggybacking off the postal operator in May 2020, but this was opposed by the IMF and the NBU.

The second attempt was Ukrposhtas purchase of Alpari Bank, Ukraines smallest bank in terms of assets. The AMCU cleared the deal in June 2022. However, the NBU again opposed the deal, which was eventually abandoned, the EP wrote.

See more about Ukrposhta's attempts to buy Alpari Bank in our Issue 58.

Energy

Ukrnafta CEO interviewed. Ukrnaftas CEO Sergii Koretskyi was interviewed this week by Ekonomichna Pravda (EP). We selected the key points:

On debts and financial situation:

There was a huge number of problems, we had money only for salaries. There was nothing to pay taxes, rent, or income tax for the previous period before my appointment. There was a huge receivable of Hr 30 billion ($820 million).

The problems faced by the new management amount to approximately Hr 100 billion ($2.7 billion).

In the first half of the year, the company will earn about Hr 12 billion ($328 million) in net profit. This means that we have already fulfilled our annual plan in the first half of the year. The total amount of taxes and duties paid in the first half of the year is about Hr 15 billion ($410 million).

In SOE Weeklys Issue 90, we reported that Ukrnaftas financial plan for 2023, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, expects Hr 74 billion ($2 billion) in net income from operations, Hr 12 billion ($328 million) in net profit, and Hr 25 billion ($684 million) in tax payments to the state.

As we also reported in Issue 90, Koretskyi said earlier that Ukrnafta earned about Hr 7 billion ($191 million) in net profit in January-April 2023. This figure is most likely unaudited. We have not been able to identify any official reporting on profits. We have also not been able to find Ukrnaftas financial statements for 2022.

OCCRP: Ukrainian grain exported through tax-avoiding shell firms, robbing country of wartime revenue Editors note: This investigation was initially published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. It was reported with the support of Journalismfund Europe. As an OCCRP member center, The Kyiv Independent reposts it with permission. Reporters looked into who imported millions of eu The Kyiv IndependentRomana Puiulet (RISE Project)

On plans:

The company produces 1.45 million tonnes of oil per year, but we plan to increase this figure to 3 million. The same goes for gas. We currently produce 1 billion cubic metres, and we plan to produce 2 billion cubic metres. This is a five-year perspective.

All problems can be solved. The company has huge potential. In five to 10 years, it could become the second Orlen I believe that (this requires) about $2.5 billion over five years.

PKN Orlen is a Polish multinational oil refiner and petrol retailer. According to the 14th annual Coface CEE Top 500 ranking, Orlen is the largest company in Central and Eastern Europe, measured by turnover and net profit.

In Issue 68, we reported that the shares of Ukrnafta, Ukrtatnafta, Motor Sich, AvtoKrAZ, and Zaporizhzhiatransformator (ZTR) were seized for the needs of the state and transferred to the Ministry of Defense on Nov. 6, 2022.

The seizures were made under the Law on the Transfer, Forced Alienation, or Seizure of Property under Martial Law or State of Emergency, which obliges the state to eventually return the seized assets to the owners or give them fair compensation.

Naftogaz owns 50% + 1 share of Ukrnafta. These shares were not seized. A group of companies informally known as the Privat group, associated with businessmen Ihor Kolomoisky and Hennadiy Boholyubov, owned about 42% of the shares.

The remaining shares were held by some 11,000 dispersed shareholders, including the companys former or current employees, investment funds, and pension funds. All these shares were seized by the state along with those of the Privat group.

After the seizure, the state replaced the supervisory boards and executive management at most of these companies. On Nov. 7, 2022, the Ministry of Defense, as Ukrnaftas new shareholder, appointed a new supervisory board for the company.

Former CEO of the WOG chain of petrol stations, Sergii Koretskyi, became the CEO of both Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta on Nov. 8 and 10, respectively.

Privatization

The SPFU reports privatization results for the first half of 2023. On July 4, the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) reported that it had raised Hr 1.82 billion ($50 million) from privatization auctions to the budget in the first half of 2023.

The revenue from privatization to the state budget is projected to be Hr 6 billion ($164 million) in 2023.

According to the SPFU, a total of 210 auctions were held with 1,012 participants. The total sum of the winning prices for all auctions was 3.5 times as high as the total sum of the starting prices.

The SPFU said that the most successful auctions in the first half of the year included the Hermitage Hotel (Hr 311 million, or $8.5 million), Ukroboronresursy (Hr 210 million, or $5.7 million), Ust-Dunaisk port (Hr 201 million, or $5.5 million), Storonybabsky distillery (Hr 142 million, or $3.9 million), and Elektronmash (Hr 120.8 million, or $3.3 million). See more in Issue 90.

In SOE Weekly (Issue 85), we reported that the state budget received Hr 902 million ($24.7 million) from privatization in the first quarter of 2023.

SPFU sells RivneTorf for Hr 205 million. On July 5, the SPFU sold peat briquette plant RivneTorf for Hr 205 million ($5.6 million), a more than fourfold increase from the starting price (Hr 47.1 million). There were 12 bidders in the auction.

According to the auction results protocol, the winner is Land Grow LLC. YouControl shows that the beneficiary of this company is a man named Oleksiy Khalimon.

The winner of the auction has 20 working days to pay the lot price. In addition to the winning bid, it must pay VAT of Hr 41 million ($1.1 million). If the winner should not pay on time, it will lose Hr 9.4 million ($257,000) of its guarantee deposit, the SPFU said.

According to YouControl, RivneTorf owns two real estate objects, 13 land plots (with an area of 248 hectares) in Rivne Oblast, and 44 transport vehicles.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 15  Why culture matters during war Episode #15 of our weekly video podcast This Week in Ukraine is dedicated to Ukrainian culture, the important role it plays in war, and why it has been a target of Russian dictators for decades. Host Anastasiia Lapatina is joined by the Kyiv Independents culture reporter Kate Tsurkan. Listen to The Kyiv IndependentAnastasiia Lapatina

Ust-Dunaisk port not yet handed over to the privatization auction winner. On June 30, Elixir Ukraine, the winning company in the privatization auction for the Ust-Dunaisk trade port, said that it has not yet received the asset that it acquired. The SPFU will not sign the port over due to an open criminal case (concerning an illegal construction on the ports site).

According to Elixir Ukraines lawyer, the company paid the full amount of Hr 201 million ($5.5 million) to the state budget for the port in April. The investor is ready to take over the facility, invest and develop the cargo flow, and develop Danube shipping in the face of the fact that the grain corridor is currently not working. But there is an obstacle  a criminal case was immediately initiated for obvious reasons, the lawyer said. Representatives of the company declined to comment further.

The lawyer did not name the obvious reasons. His comment may suggest that the criminal case is an artificial one, and it has been made up to pressure the company with the aim of extorting illegal benefits.

According to registries, the SPFU remains the owner of the Ust-Dunaisk port. One court ruling was made against the port in a single criminal case cited above. However, according to registers, Elixir Ukraine is not involved in the case.

The main problem is that the acceptance certificate for the facility has not yet been signed, and accordingly, the investor is unable to commission the facility and start operating with the funds, the company said.

According to Elixir Ukraines representative, the SPFUs regional office will also not sign off on the purchase without consent of the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU). The company believes that in this case, such consent is not required by law, but admits that officials want to be safe and demand such consent.

The SPFU confirmed that the process of transferring the port from the state to the new owner is still ongoing, and the investor is currently awaiting the AMCUs permit.

According to the acting CEO of the port, Oleksandr Popov, there is yet another bottleneck  6% of the ports assets have been allegedly appropriated by local murky [crime] lords in an illegal manner. These assets must yet be returned into the ports ownership, and this issue should also be resolved soon.

In SOE Weekly (Issue 71), we reported that on Jan. 17, the SPFU sold the Ust-Dunaisk trade seaport for Hr 201 million, a more than threefold increase from the starting price (Hr 60 million). This was the first sale of a seaport in the history of independent Ukraine.

In Issue 85, we reported that the SPFU announced the signing of a sale and purchase agreement for the port with the winner of the auction, Elixir Ukraine LLC.

According to the SPFU, Elixir Ukraine, an official representative of the Serbian company Elixir Zorka trading in complex mineral fertilisers, aims to increase transshipment volumes.

Confiscation of the aggressor states assets, nationalization, and asset seizure

The SPFU establishes a new unit to manage confiscated assets. On July 3, the SPFU announced that it is establishing a new department for the support of its work with sanctioned property.

The newly created unit would manage the seized assets of the Russian Federation and its residents, organize joint work with the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), the Ministry of Justice, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), and law enforcement agencies to recover such assets and prepare them for lease or privatization, the SPFU explained.

The SPFU has announced a competitive selection of the director of the new department.

On the edge of disaster: What could really happen if Russia destroys Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant? In late June, 16 months into the full-scale Russian invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky alerted his nation of an unprecedented threat. Russia, the president said, had rigged the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with explosives, and was ready to set off the charges and cause radiation to The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

AMCU approves the transfer of Ukrnaftoburinnya to Ukrnafta. On July 5, Ukrnafta reported that the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) allowed Ukrnafta to manage the corporate rights of four companies: PrJSC Ukrnaftoburinnya, East Europe Petroleum LLC, Sakhalinske LLC, and Sirius-1 LLC.

The AMCUs approval follows changes in the law on improving state property management and increasing the effectiveness of the sanctions policy.

According to ExPro Consulting, the AMCU did not support the Cabinet of Ministers draft resolution on the transfer of Ukrnaftoburinnyas assets to Ukrnafta in May 2023. The AMCU said that this transfer would be recognized as a concentration requiring merger clearance.

In May 2023, UNIAN (a news agency allegedly owned by businessmen Ihor Kolomoisky), reported that the Ministry of Finance also did not approve the transfer of Ukrnaftoburinnyas assets to Ukrnaftas management as initiated by the Cabinet of Ministers.

After that, the above law was changed. According to these changes, during martial law, the acquisition of control of 50% or more of the shares in the authorized capital of which are owned by the state, would be considered a concentration, unless the purpose of acquiring control is to prevent the occurrence or eliminate the consequences of emergencies or disruptions in heat, energy, electricity, water supply, sewerage, or natural gas supply (in which case, the acquisition of control is not considered as a concentration.) Concentration may require prior approval of the AMCU.

Ukrnafta said that PrJSC Ukrnaftoburinnya, East Europe Petroleum LLC, Sakhalinske LLC, and Sirius-1 LLC produce oil and gas in the Sakhalin hydrocarbon field. Their assets were seized in a recent criminal case brought against Ukrnaftoburinnya.

According to the registry, Ukrnaftoburinnyas ownership is split between Ares Systems Ltd (22.49%), Deripon Commercial Ltd (22.49%), JKX Ukraine B.V. (10%), and Ariana Business Limited (22.49%). The media reported that the company is associated with businessmen Ihor Kolomoisky, Pavlo Fuks, and Vitaliy Khomutynnik.

Ukrnaftoburinnya is one of the largest private gas producers in Ukraine, extracting 725.4 million cubic metres in 2021. According to Ekonomichna Pravda (EP), its 2021 net profit was Hr 5.65 billion ($154 million). In 2022, this fell to Hr 3.77 billion ($103 million).

Ukrnaftoburinnyas press service argued that Ukraine [was] de facto legalizing the illegal [confiscation] of private assets and creating a legislative framework that contradicts the legal norms already adopted.

It also said that the AMCU made the above decision without consulting the company, and its position was not taken into account. We consider the decision to have been made under administrative pressure with a gross violation of the law, Ukrnaftoburinnyas press service added.

According to Ukrnaftoburinnya, the companys shareholders will challenge the decision in international courts, including the European Court of Human Rights.

In SOE Weekly (Issue 84), we reported that the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) received all shares of Ukrnaftoburinnya after the asset was seized on April 7. The shares were seized in connection with a criminal investigation into the development of Ukraines largest explored gas field, the Sakhalin, in Kharkiv Oblast. See more about this case in Issue 84.

In Issue 86, we reported that on April 27, Ukrnaftas CEO Sergii Koretskyi asked the Ministry of Economy to hand the corporate rights of Ukrnaftoburinnya to Ukrnafta.

In Issue 90, we reported that on May 23, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal of ARMA and the Ministry of Defense to transfer the corporate rights of Ukrnaftoburinnya to Ukrnafta.

As we reported in Issue 92, Ukrnafta said on June 14 that it had signed agreements to manage Ukrnaftoburinnya assets on ARMAs behalf. Ukrnafta stated that it would start managing the assets after receiving a merger clearance from the AMCU.
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - A UN mission of experts arrived in Honduras to examine the establishment of an international anti-corruption mission in the Central American nation, which is plagued by widespread corruption that exacerbates poverty and immigration, Honduran authorities announced Sunday.

Leftist President Xiomara Castro pledged during her campaign to install an anti-corruption commission known as the International Commission Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (CICIH). A year and a half after taking office, civil society groups have grown frustrated with delays in the process as the government and the United Nations have not yet reached an agreement on the scope of a potential commission.

Castro's government signed a letter of intent with the UN in December to promote the installation of the mission in Honduras, where U.S. diplomats say $3 billion is lost annually and local authorities say 74% of the population lives in poverty.

"We are going to start negotiating with the UN mission the conditions for the installation of the international anti-corruption body," Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina told local media on Sunday, adding that the government "aspires for it to enjoy autonomy to prosecute corruption."

The length of the mission's stay in Honduras to meet with various sectors was not specified.

The UN previously called for the repeal or reform of a series of laws that hinder the Public Ministry's ability to investigate and prosecute officials and legislators for the misuse of public funds and money laundering. The independence of the CICIH to investigate crimes has also been a key sticking point to negotiations.

The CICIH would be the second anti-corruption commission to operate in Honduras. In 2016, the Mission to Support Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) was installed with the backing of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Obama administration

The MACCIH exposed the corruption of officials, legislators and politicians, many linked to former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was extradited to the United States on drug trafficking charges after leaving power in early 2022.

The mission left Honduras in 2020 after the OAS failed to reach an agreement with the Hernandez government to extend its stay.

(Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by Anna-Catherine Brigida; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Covered bodies lie in the West Darfur state capital El Geneina, on June 16, 2023 (-)

Conflict-torn Sudan is on the brink of a "full-scale civil war" that could destabilise the entire region, the United Nations warned Sunday, after an air strike on a residential area killed around two dozen civilians.

The Ministry of Health reported "22 dead and a large number of wounded among the civilians" from the strike on Khartoum's sister city Omdurman, in the district of Dar al-Salam, which means "House of Peace" in Arabic.

After nearly three months of war between Sudan's rival generals, the air strike is the latest incident to provoke outrage.

Around 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict, survivors have reported a wave of sexual violence and witnesses have spoken of ethnically targeted killings. There has been widespread looting, and the UN warned of possible crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

A video posted by the health ministry on Facebook showed apparently lifeless bodies after the airstrike, including several women. The narrator says that residents "counted 22 dead".

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the regular army, claimed that the strike killed 31.

Since the war began, paramilitaries have established bases in residential areas, and they have been accused of forcing civilians from their homes.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the air strike in Omdurman, which he said "reportedly killed at least 22 people" and wounded dozens, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Guterres "remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilising the entire region", Haq said.

He added: "There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing."

Nearly three million people have been uprooted by Sudan's fighting, among them almost 700,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries according to the International Organization for Migration.

The UN and African blocs have warned of an "ethnic dimension" to the conflict in the western region of Darfur, where the United States, Norway and Britain have blamed the RSF and allied militia for most of the widespread violations.

Haq expressed support for efforts by the African Union and East African bloc IGAD to end Sudan's crisis.

On Monday leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan -- IGAD members handling the Sudan file -- are to meet in Addis Ababa.

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been invited but neither side has confirmed they will attend.

Numerous ceasefires in the war have been announced and ignored.

bur/it/fz
When the outcome is success, a high-risk decision can look courageous and wise. But if it doesnt go to plan, questions are asked.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina opted for an underarm serve at a crucial point in his third-round Wimbledon match against Holger Rune on Saturday.

After nearly four hours on Court Three, the pair were embroiled in a fifth-set tiebreak and all-square at 8-8 when the Spaniard rolled the dice with his risky strategy.

Rune, the 20-year-old sixth seed, comfortably dealt with the ball  hitting a fierce return winner for match point, eventually clinching an entertaining 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-6 (10-8) win.

Davidovich Fokina returns the ball to Rune during their men's singles match. - Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Yeah, that was crazy. That was very unexpected, for sure, the Dane, who had saved two match points, told reporters afterwards. In a way, its nice, because he was serving really well during the match. But also, you know, its pressure, because imagine I missed that one. That would feel awful.

Asked if he would have served underarm at such an important period, the Dane said no.

Every player has a different style. If he made it, it would have been the right shot. Its tough to say, he added.

But yeah, I wouldnt have done it. I thought that I would trust my serve and go big, also like I did in the match points, the match point I saved. I think its different from person to person.

It was obviously surprising, but I dont think he even bounced the ball, so I was aware that something was different.

Then when I saw it, I just ran for it and tried to hit it where he wasnt there. I mean, I choose to go cross. That was the right way. Yeah, I was maybe a little bit lucky, but Im happy to be through.

The pair shake hands at the net after their third-round match. - Michael Regan/Getty Images

Davidovich Fokina, the world No. 34, had served seven aces in the match, winning an average 70% of points on his first serve and 60% on his second.

It was the second successive year he had lost a match at Wimbledon in unusual circumstances, receiving a penalty point when match point down last year for hitting a ball in frustration.

He told reporters, per Reuters: I cannot explain what is going through my mind there in that moment because a lot of things are going through your mind, everybody is shouting and you are nervous.

I cannot explain to you what is happening in my head.

Rune, who lost in the first round at Wimbledon last year, will next play either 10th seed Frances Tiafoe or 21st seed Grigor Dimitrov.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Ten al-Shabaab members were killed by airstrikes conducted by US Africa Command in Somalia in the overnight hours of Saturday, the Defense Department announced.

At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted three collective self-defense airstrikes overnight in a remote area near Afmadow, approximately 105 kilometers north of Kismayo, against al-Shabaab terrorists, US Africa Command said in a statement Sunday.

The initial assessment of the Somali National Army and US Africa Command found that 10 members of the terrorist group were killed and there were no civilian casualties, per the statement.

Al-Shabaab is the largest and most active al Qaeda network in the world, according to the US Africa Command. The group controlled a vast area of Somalia before being pushed back by government counteroffensives last year, according to Reuters.

However, the militants continue to launch lethal attacks across the country with the aim of toppling the central government and establishing a rule based on its strict interpretation of Islams Sharia law.

In late May, al-Shabaab fighters launched an attack on an African Union military base in Somalia, in which at least 54 Ugandan soldiers were killed, according to Ugandan officials.

The US has provided ongoing support to the Somali government since President Joe Biden last year approved a Pentagon request to redeploy US troops to the area in an attempt to counter the terrorist group.

The approval to send fewer than 500 troops was a reversal of former President Donald Trumps 2020 decision to withdraw nearly all US troops from the country.

The US has launched a number of strikes against al-Shabaab this year, including one that killed 30 fighters in January and three in February that killed a total of 24 soldiers.

CNNs Oren Liebermann and Shawna Mizelle contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Janet Yellen says talks with China on various issues have been "substantive and productive"

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said her visit to Beijing has marked a "step forward" in efforts to stabilise relations between the two countries.

Ms Yellen spoke at the end of a four-day trip, during which talks were held over issues including climate change.

She described the talks as "direct, substantive and productive" and said both sides had learned more about each other.

However, she admitted the US and China still had "significant disagreements".

"No one visit will solve our challenges overnight," she said.

"But this trip will help build a resilient and productive channel of communication with China's new economic team."

The US-China relationship has deteriorated in recent years. Issues dividing the countries include human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, territorial claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea and Beijing's growing domination of a host of industries.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who was among those to meet with Ms Yellen, said on Saturday he regretted "unexpected incidents" - such as the row over a spy balloon - had hurt ties with the United States.

Ms Yellen stressed the need for better communication in order to try and overcome these issues, adding that US President Joe Biden did "not see the relationship between the US and China through the frame of great power conflict.

"We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive."

On the issue of economic competition, Ms Yellen said the US sought a "dynamic and healthy global economy that is open, free and fair, not one that is fragmented or forces countries to take sides".

She said any future curbs to business with China would be implemented "in a transparent way" and focus on sectors where the US had "specific national security concerns".

Earlier in the visit, Ms Yellen criticised Beijing's curbs against US firms, including the tightening of controls over exports of two materials crucial to producing computer chips.

The move follows Washington's efforts in the past year to curb Chinese access to some advanced computer chips.

Ms Yellen said the US would fight back against China's "unfair economic practices".

In response, China's finance ministry said "the nature of China-US economic and trade relations is mutually beneficial and win-win" and that there was no winner in a trade war.

On climate change, Ms Yellen urged Beijing to work with the US and support institutions like the Green Climate Fund, which was set up to help developing nations adapt to climate change and lessen its effects.

The Treasury Secretary was the second senior Washington official to visit Beijing in the last two months.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing in June - the highest-ranking Washington official to visit the Chinese capital in almost half a decade.

His sentiments at the end of his trip echoed Ms Yellen's. He said that while there were still major issues between the two countries, he hoped they would have "better communications, better engagement going forward."

However, the next day President Joe Biden referred to Mr Xi as a "dictator" - triggering outrage from Beijing.

Despite the political tensions, trade between the two countries grew in 2022 for the third year in a row.

According to official figures, China exported more than $536bn (422.3bn) worth of goods to the US last year, while $154bn of goods went in the other direction.
Azerbaijan will supply crude oil to Tajikistan for processing at a plant in the free economic zone (FEZ) "Dangara". According to Azernews, this was reported by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan, following the meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation between the two states.

The meeting, which took place in Baku, was attended by the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan Zavki Amin Zavkizoda and the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev. "At a meeting of the commission, in order to fulfill the instructions and orders of the presidents of the two countries, the parties agreed to implement specific projects in the field of strengthening trade and economic cooperation, the creation of joint industrial enterprises, including in the territory of the free economic zones of the Republic of Tajikistan, the supply of crude oil from Azerbaijan for the needs of an oil refinery plant FEZ "Dangara", - the message says.

The parties also discussed raising funds for the reconstruction of the capacities of the Tajik Aluminum Company, the export of aluminum, cryolite and aluminum fluoride from Tajikistan to Azerbaijan, the import of alumina from Azerbaijan to Tajikistan, the processing of agricultural products and discounts on transportation by rail, the development of tourism, the exploration of deposits in Tajikistan and the increase in bilateral turnover.

In addition, during the visit, the head of the Ministry of Economic Development of Tajikistan met with the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov and discussed trade and economic issues.

Free economic zones were created in Tajikistan to attract foreign investment, new technologies, as well as to provide the domestic market with goods. FEZ "Dangara" is located in the Khatlon region south of Dushanbe.
gettyimagesbank



Group 2B carcinogens also include kimchi, aloe vera extract



By Jun Ji-hye



Health authorities and experts warn against excessively creating fear and panic over aspartame amid deepening confusion among consumers, as the common sweetener is expected to be labeled a possible carcinogen later this week.



The authorities and experts say aspartame is safe for the general population as long as they take in proper amounts as they have done so far.



The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)  the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization  will reportedly classify aspartame as a Group 2B carcinogen  which it considers to be "possibly carcinogenic to humans"  in its report to be published Friday.



Discovered in 1965 by U.S. chemist James Schlatter, aspartame is approximately 200 times sweeter than regular table sugar. As a low-calorie sugar substitute, it has become one of the world's most popular artificial sweeteners, being widely used in a variety of sugar-free foods and fizzy drinks including some brands of makgeolli (Korean rice wine), as well as drugs including some fever reducers for children.



As the IARC's move is shaking the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, several companies are already moving fast to find a substitute for aspartame, apparently mindful that negative public perceptions of aspartame as a result of the IARC report could lead directly to a sharp fall in sales.



But health experts say there is no need to worry too much about the health effects of aspartame as the amount people consume in their daily lives would not have a significant effect on their health.





Hong Hye-geol, a doctor-turned-TV personality, offers an explanation about aspartame on his YouTube channel, July 1. Captured from YouTube
Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

The decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine risks costing the US its moral leadership in world affairs, the influential California Democratic congresswoman Barbara Lee said.

Related: Joe Biden to meet Rishi Sunak at No 10 before Nato summit

We know what takes place in terms of cluster bombs being very dangerous to civilians, Lee said. They dont always immediately explode. Children can step on them. Thats a line we should not cross.

In 2001, Lee was the only member of Congress to vote against the war in Afghanistan. She is running to replace the retiring Dianne Feinstein in the Senate next year.

Speaking to CNNs State of the Union, she added: I think [Joe Biden] has been doing a good job managing  [Russian president Vladimir] Putins aggressive war against Ukraine, but I think that this should not happen. [Biden] had to ask for a waiver under the Foreign Assistance Act just to do it because we have been preventing the use of cluster bombs since I believe 2010.

Biden also spoke to CNN, an interview released as he traveled to the UK, then to the Nato summit in Lithuania.

His host, Fareed Zakaria, said: These are weapons that a hundred nations ban, including some of our closest Nato allies. When there was news that the Russians might be using it, admittedly against civilians, your then press secretary said this might  constitute war crimes. What made you change your mind?

Biden said: Two things  and it was a very difficult decision on my part. And I discussed this with our allies, discussed this with our friends up on [Capitol] Hill. And were in a situation where Ukraine continues to be brutally attacked across the board by  these cluster munitions that have dud rates that are  very high, that are a danger to civilians, number one.

Dud rates refers to cluster munition bomblets that do not explode when fired or dropped but can do so later.

Biden continued: Number two, the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition  And so what I finally did, [I] took the recommendation of the defense department to  provide them with something that has a very low dud rate.  I think its one in 50, which is the least likely to be blowing [up] and its not used in civilian areas. Theyre trying to  stop those tanks from rolling.

Biden said: It took me a while to be convinced to do it. But the main thing is, they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now from  stopping the Ukrainian offensive  or they dont. And I think they needed them.

Lee was asked if the US was at risk in engaging in war crimes.

What I think is that we would risk losing our moral leadership, she said. Because when you look at the fact that over 120 countries have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, saying they should never be used, they should never be used.

And in fact, many of us have urged the administration to sign on to this convention. And so Im hoping that the administration would reconsider this because these are very dangerous bombs  and this is a line that I dont believe we should cross.

Another influential Democrat, Tim Kaine, from Virginia and a member of the Senate armed services committee, also questioned Bidens decision.

It could give a green light to other nations to do something different as well, Kaine told Fox News Sunday, adding that he appreciates the Biden administration has grappled with the risks.

A House Republican, Michael McCaul of Texas, chair of the foreign affairs committee, said he did not see anything wrong with supplying cluster bombs.

Speaking to CNN, McCaul said: Russia is dropping, with impunity, cluster bombs in Ukraine  all the Ukrainians and [President Volodymyr] Zelenskiy are asking for is to give them the same weapons the Russians have to use in their own country, against Russians who are in their own country  they do not want these to be used in Russia.

McCaul criticized Biden, saying: As you look at the counter-offensive, its been slowed tremendously because this administration has been so slow to get the weapons.

John Kirby, the national security council spokesperson, told ABCs This Week: We are very mindful of the concerns about  unexploded ordnance being picked up by civilians or children and being hurt  and were going to focus on Ukraine with de-mining efforts. In fact, were doing it right now and we will when war conditions permit.

Ukraines push for membership of Nato is another divisive issue.

I dont think its ready for membership in Nato, Biden said. I dont think there is unanimity in Nato about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the family now, in the middle of a war  were determined to [defend] every inch of territory that is Nato territory. Its a commitment weve all made, no matter what.

Related: Democrat Barbara Lee on reparations and righting historys wrongs: This is the moment to push forward

If the war is going on, then were all  at war with Russia, if that were the case. So, I think we have to lay out a rational path for  Ukraine to be able to qualify to get into Nato.

Kirby said Ukraine needed to make reforms necessary for any Nato ally to become a member  political reforms, economic reforms, good governance. Those kinds of things.

Zelenskiy also spoke to ABC. If there was no unity on an invitation for Ukraine to join Nato, he said, Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in Nato and that is a very important point.

Adding that Ukraine would like to have all the decisions to be made during this summit, he said: Its obvious that Ill be there and Ill be doing whatever I can in order to, so to speak, expedite that solution.  I dont want to go to Vilnius for fun if the decision has been made beforehand.
US destroys all of its supply of toxic nerve agent, the military's last chemical weapons

A worker at the Blue Grass Army Depot cuts the metal bands on a pallet of M55 rockets containing sarin. U.S. Army via AP

The US military has destroyed the last of its chemical weapons, President Joe Biden announced.

The US was the last party to a 1997 treaty to eliminate its stockpile.

But the head of the OPCW warned: "Preventing re-emergence will remain a priority."

The US military has destroyed the last of its chemical weapons as part of an international campaign that began in 1997, President Joe Biden announced.

The weapons were eliminated at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, where as many as 51,000 M55 rockets containing sarin  a toxic nerve agent  had been stored since the 1940s, The Guardian reported.

Just a small amount of sarin gas can be deadly. Here's what sarin gas is and what it does to the body, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The US was the last of the 193 countries that signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention to eradicate its stockpiles ahead of a September 30 deadline.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Nobel peace prize-winning organization that oversees the treaty, confirmed in a statement that the last chemical weapons declared by the convention's parties were destroyed.

"The end of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles is an important milestone for the organization," said Fernando Arias, the director-general of the OPCW. "It is a critical step towards achieving its mission to permanently eliminate all chemical weapons."

The disposal by the US military was the final chapter of a global destruction process of more than 30,000 tons of chemical weapons, per The Guardian.

OPCW said it would continue to monitor the closure of Blue Grass and the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and ensure the safe disposal of waste.

But Arias also warned that "recent uses and threats of use of toxic chemicals as weapons illustrate that preventing re-emergence will remain a priority."

cyano66 / Getty Images

Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan are the only nations not to have signed the treaty, according to The Guardian.

"I continue to encourage the remaining nations to join the Chemical Weapons Convention so that the global ban on chemical weapons can reach its fullest potential," Biden said in a statement.

The president added that Russia and Syria had undeclared chemical weapons programs, "which have been used to commit brazen atrocities and attacks."

In 2018, barrel bombs filled with chlorine and sarin gases reportedly fell on and near a hospital in Douma, Syria, killing dozens of men, women, and children.

Read the original article on Business Insider
US drone strike kills an Islamic State group leader in Syria, the Defense Department says

In this image from video released by the U.S. Air Force, a Russian SU-35 flies near a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, over Syria. The U.S. Air Force says Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to several U.S. drone aircraft over Syria, setting off flares and forcing the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive maneuvers. (U.S. Air Force via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

WASHINGTON (AP)  A U.S. drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, according to the Defense Department.

Three Reapers had been flying overhead searching for the militant on Friday, a U.S. defense official said, when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian aircraft. Shortly after that, the drones struck and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe details of the military operation.

The official said al-Muhajir was in northwest Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually operated in the east.

It was not immediately clear how the U.S. military confirmed that the person killed was al-Muhajir; no other details were provided.

In a statement Sunday, U.S. Central Command said there are no indications any civilians were killed in the strike. The military was assessing reports a civilian may have been injured.

Friday was the third day in a row that U.S. officials complained that Russian fighter jets in the region had conducted unsafe and harassing flights around American drones.

Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement that during the Friday encounter, the Russian planes flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations.

The first friction occurred Wednesday morning when Russian military aircraft engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behavior as three American MQ-9 drones were conducting a mission against IS, the U.S. military said. On Thursday, the U.S. military said Russian fighter aircraft flew incredibly unsafe and unprofessionally against both French and U.S. aircraft over Syria.

Col. Michael Andrews, Air Forces Central Command spokesman, said the Thursday incident lasted almost an hour and included close fly-bys, by one SU-34 and one SU-35 and that they deployed flares directly into the MQ-9.

U.S. officials said the drones were unarmed in the earlier flights, but were carrying weapons on Friday, as they were hunting al-Muhajir.

We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region, said Gen. Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, in the statement.

Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, said this past week that the Russian and Syrian militaries had started a six-day joint training that ends Monday.

Gurinov added in comments carried by Syrian state media that Moscow was concerned about the flights of drones by the U.S.-led coalition over northern Syria, calling them systematic violations of protocols designed to avoid clashes between the two militaries.
The United States Postal Service is looking for a way to get 452 packages of unidentified cremated remains to their final destination, according to a report by the USPS Office of Inspector General.

Though USPS is the only legal method for sending cremated remains through the mail, the OIG found that strict shipping rules are not being followed between 28% and 50% of the time.

Regulations state these sensitive parcels must be shipped via Priority Mail Express and labeled with an alarming orange cremated remains sticker. This label is supposed to indicate the goods should be handled by their specific protocols.

Overlooking these rules could be a major reason hundreds of cremated remains are currently resting at USPSs lost package warehouse, officially known as the Mail Recovery Center. Illegible addresses are often another big reason behind the wayward packages.

Funeral director Archer Harmon poses for a portrait with a box of cremated human remains at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home in Fairfax, Virginia, on March 1, 2021. The remains were those of a veteran and were to be sent to Arlington National Cemetery.

Funeral director Archer Harmon poses for a portrait with a box of cremated human remains at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home in Fairfax, Virginia, on March 1, 2021. The remains were those of a veteran and were to be sent to Arlington National Cemetery.

Some of the unidentified and/or undeliverable ashes have remained in limbo for years. Among the 452 remains is one that has been with USPS since Feb. 24, 2015.

Packages sent to the MRC are typically held for 60 days and then sent to theauction site GovDeals if valued at over $25  but this does not apply to cremated remains.

Though hope these parcels get home may seem unlikely, the OIGs report says, The MRC continues to work to find a resolution for delivering these undeliverable and/or damaged Cremated Remains packages.

Those wary of postal debacles dont have many options besides USPS. An individual may personally transport remains via automobile or airplane but would be required to provide the legal death certificate, a cremation permit and a letter from the funeral home.

If flying, TSA regulations require remains to be screened like any other carry-on item would be, meaning the urn or container must be thin enough to be scanned. Only some airlines allow remains to be checked in.

Cremation has outgrown the stigma that once surrounded it. While only 4% of Americans were cremated in 1960, that number jumped to 1 in 3 by 2005. According to a report by the Cremation Association of North America, 59% of deceased Americans were cremated last year.

Related...
Investigators at the scene of the crash site Saturday morning near French Valley Airport in Murietta. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Authorities have identified the six people who died in a plane crash early Saturday near French Valley Airport in Riverside County.

Killed in the crash were Riese Lenders, 25, of Rancho Palos Verdes; Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32, of Temecula; Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, of Murrieta; Ibrahem Razick, 46, of Temecula; Alma Razick, 51, of Temecula; and Lindsey Gleiche, 31, of Huntington Beach, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.

The crash of the Cessna 550 was the second deadly plane crash in the area in four days.

The plane left Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas about 3:15 a.m. and was trying to land an hour later in heavy fog at the county-owned French Valley Airport, which has no tower.

The plane crashed 500 feet from the airstrip on a second approach, near Briggs and Auld roads in Murrieta, bursting into flames and killing everyone on board, authorities said.

Four days earlier, a single-engine Cessna went down shortly after takeoff and struck the side of a building near the same airport, killing one person and injuring three others.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Vindman on cluster munitions: From a practical standpoint, the president did the right thing

Retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman said on Saturday that President Biden did the right thing in agreeing to send cluster munitions to Ukraine.

From a practical standpoint, the president did the right thing, Vindman told CNN, adding, Ukraine is going to be very mindful.

Theyre going to take responsibility for their territory, he continued. Its being deployed on their territory. Theyre going to be careful with them.

The Biden administration announced the decision to provide Kyiv with cluster munitions as part of an $800 million military aid package on Friday.

Cluster munitions, which are designed to spread out a few dozen to hundreds of submunitions over a wide area, are banned by more than 100 countries due to the risk that the bombs can fail to detonate and remain an explosive hazard for civilians.

Vindman acknowledged that Biden is facing pushback over the decision and noted that the president would likely take a bit of heat from some NATO members who have the leisure to take these kind of principled approaches, as he heads to the NATO summit next week.

However, the retired Army lieutenant colonel said that Ukrainian officials see the cluster munitions as essential to being able to liberate territory and destroy the Russian army.

This is all about being able to attack the Russian army at its heart, break its ability to continue to wage war in Ukraine, and with that, help usher in the conclusion of the war, Vindman said.

In a lot of ways, it seems counterintuitive, but its frankly one of the most humane things that they could do, he continued. Instead of having this war run indefinitely, having a sharp punctuated conclusion to this war is a pretty humane approach.

Vindman, who has pushed for Ukraines admission into NATO, also suggested that Russia believes it can block the effort to bring Kyiv into the alliance by dragging out the war, which hit its 500th day on Saturday.

Russia believes that, as long as this war is continuing on, it maintains a veto over Ukraines NATO membership, he told CNN. So that means that were setting up a recipe for Russia to continue to interfere, continue to wage war in Ukraine, in an effort to block accession.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
While the scuffles may be verbal as leading Republicans jostle to become the partys 2024 presidential nominee, down at the state level things have actually turned physical  at least in Michigan, and not for the first time.

Tensions boiled over within the Michigan Republican Party on Saturday resulting in an altercation at a hotel to which the police were called.

The GOPs state committee came together for a meeting at the Doherty Hotel in Clare as members have been feuding over the partys direction and the leadership approach of the new chairwoman, Kristina Karamo, The Detroit News reports.

Some Michigan Republicans arriving at the venue on Saturday were frustrated to find the meeting was limited only to members of the state committee and was taking place behind a locked door.

In an interview with The Detroit News, James Chapman, a Republican from Wayne County, said he had travelled to Clare for the meeting but was forced to listen to it through a locked door.

Mr Chapman said he and others said the Pledge of Allegiance together in the lobby outside the meeting, after which he jiggled the doorknob of the meeting room.

It was then that Mark DeYoung, chairman of the Clare County Republican Party, approached the door, saw someone flip him off through a small window, and opened it.

He kicked me in my balls as soon as I opened the door, Mr DeYoung said, adding that Mr Chapman ran at him and slammed him into a chair.

Mr DeYoung gave his account to the outlet over the phone from an emergency room where he said he was being treated for a broken rib.

For his part, Mr Chapman alleges that Mr DeYoung had swung at him and said: Ill kick your ass. Mr DeYoung denies this happened.

Continuing, Mr Chapman says he removed his glasses, took Mr DeYoung by the legs and knocked him down: When you see me taking my glasses off, Im ready to rock.

Multiple police officers were at the scene after the scuffle and Mr DeYoung said he intended to press charges against Mr Chapman.

Were so divided, Mr DeYoung said from the hospital. I just wish we could come together.

This is also not the first time internal tensions have erupted. The Washington Post reported in June: At least four county parties in Michigan have been at open war with themselves, with members suing one another or putting forward competing slates that claim to be in charge. The night before an April state party meeting, two GOP officials got into a physical altercation in a hotel bar over an attempt to expel members.

Other tension stems from criticism of Ms Karamo, who became the chairwoman in February, for not providing more information about fundraising and spending. The Post also reported that she has struggled to raise money and abandoned the partys longtime headquarters.

Ms Karamo had recently removed Matt Johnson, the budget committee chairman, citing dereliction of duty and several other grievances.

Mr Johnson had said spending was so far out of proportion with income as to put us on the path to bankruptcy.

The Michigan Republican Party was trounced in the 2022 midterms  Ms Karamo lost a run for secretary of state in November by 14 percentage points to her Democrat rival  and has found itself out of power in the state legislature for the first time in four decades.

The Democratic Party also controls the state Senate and Governor Gretchen Whitmer comfortably won reelection by 11 points in November 2022.

Continuing internal struggles will likely make it even harder for a Republican candidate to take the state in 2024s presidential election.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy slammed Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Saturday for pushing for Ukraines admission into NATO, accusing the Republican lawmaker of marching us to the brink of nuclear war.

@JoeBiden needs to man up to his bully-friend Zelensky & clearly state that we are dead-set opposed to Ukrainian admission to NATO, Ramaswamy tweeted, ahead of next weeks NATO summit in Lithuania. This should be a hard red line.

Its shameful that even Republicans like @LindseyGrahamSC are now pushing for it, he added. Stop marching us to the brink of nuclear war.

Graham said on Friday that he would work across the aisle in the Senate to pass a resolution urging for Ukraines admission into the Western alliance, adding that he believes there is an overwhelming majority of senators who would support such a measure.

The best way to prevent future wars and promote peace is to create security guarantees that make aggressor nations think twice before starting wars, the South Carolina Republican tweeted. Ukrainian NATO membership is vital to the future security of Europe and the world.

Ramaswamy called NATOs further expansion sheer lunacy and vowed not to be bullied by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if elected.

As President Ill refuse to be bullied by an anti-democratic comedian-turned-leader & its truly mystifying to me that the rest of the West is eating out of this Pied Pipers hand every day, he added.

However, as Biden prepares to head to Lithuania, he has remained hesitant about Kyivs potential admission into NATO, telling CNN on Friday that he doesnt think the country is ready to join the alliance.

Holding NATO together is really critical, the president added. I dont there is unanimity about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now at this moment in the middle of a war.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Yoon Suk Yeol looks at a special exhibition on the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in downtown Seoul, June 25, making the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon



By Jung Min-ho



The inaugural meeting between South Korea and the United States on the operation of U.S. nuclear weapons in response to North Korea's growing security threats will be held in Seoul on July 18.



According to the presidential office, Saturday, the meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group will be co-chaired by Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo, White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Cara Abercrombie.



The allies had initially planned to appoint deputy minister-level delegates to lead the talks but decided to elevate the discussions to the vice minister level for the upcoming session, officials in Seoul said.



"Issues including information-sharing, consultation mechanisms as well as joint planning and execution are expected to be discussed to bolster nuclear deterrence against North Korea," the presidential office said in a statement. "Through regular (quarterly) meetings, we expect South Korea and the U.S. to build up strong joint capabilities, including nuclear, as part of the extended deterrence."



The meeting comes after President Yoon Suk Yeol reached an agreement with U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit in April to establish the first official communication channel on U.S. nuclear weapons.



Under the agreement, if North Korea were to attack the South with nuclear weapons, Washington would respond overwhelmingly with its "full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear." The U.S. also promised to further enhance the regular visibility of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula.



Speaking at a White House press briefing, Friday (local time), U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said he spoke with his South Korean counterpart the previous night to discuss preparations for the meeting.



"It will be an important meeting. There will be high-level participation by the United States because this is an important issue on which we place priority," Sullivan said. "And you will see in this meeting that we are quite serious about taking this effort forward."


They wanted to jazz up their vehicles. A Richland business took their money and vanished

More than a dozen Tri-Citians say they were scammed by a Richland business they say took thousands of dollars to customize vehicles, then disappeared.

Now, they are pressing for a criminal investigation and want their money back.

Steve Zetz, a Benton City resident and self-described car guy, is leading efforts by at least 15 people who say they collectively paid $10,000 to Anthem Wraps & Coatings.

They say its owner, Daniel Crouchet, 40, led them on with promises and excuses, then vanished along with their money without working on their vehicles.

The Richland Police Department confirmed it is looking into the complaints against Crouchet as a possible criminal matter but no decision has been made about a formal investigation.

The Washington Attorney Generals Office also confirmed to the Tri-City Herald it received several complaints but could not comment or confirm if an investigation is pending.

Similarly, the Washington Department of Revenue said it cant speak about individual businesses.

There is no record that Crouchet registered Anthem as a business in Washington state. The department noted it has a compliance division to pursue businesses with questionable operations.

This spring, Anthem closed its doors at 1852 Bronco Lane, near the Richland Airport, shut down social media, canceled its phone and was evicted for failing to pay rent.

The Herald previously reported on Daniel Crouchet in 2012, then 29, when he was sentenced to 29 months in prison for stealing leased household goods from Rent-A-Center in Kennewick. At the time, he told the judge the theft was linked to his drug addiction.

He has convictions for second-degree robbery (2012), stolen property (2006), gun possession (2005), burglary (2005), escape (2003), controlled substance possession (2001), felony stolen property (2001) and a significant juvenile history involving theft and assault, according to court documents.

Car people

Zetz and his wife, Cherylann, embraced high end cars in 2018. Car culture is a central part of their lives as Cherylann battles cancer.

When their vehicle was dinged in a parking lot, they turned to Anthem to rewrap it in a new color. The project was on Cherylanns bucket list of things she wanted to accomplish in her time left.

Zetz said Anthem understood it was important to complete the work this spring.

Automobile aficoanado Steve Zetz of Benton City turned to a Richland auto wrap business to handle minor damage from a wreck on his 2016 BMW i8 but instead joined more than a dozen Tri-Citians who say they were scammed by the business that promised to customize their vehicles.

When the April appointment date arrived, Zetz said a secretary called to tell him the project would be delayed to June because of an emergency, a date they feared would be too late. By June, Anthem was gone.

Zetz arranged for another firm to do the work, but isnt giving up on pursuing a business he believes had no intention of performing the work.

Hes filed police reports and helps manage a private Facebook page where victims share stories and push for an investigation.

Its frustrating, Zetz said.

Common thread

The details differ from customer to customer, but a common thread emerges.

Customers who wanted to personalize cars, trucks and motorcycles met Crouchet at the shop to discuss their vision. They paid a deposit, often the full amount, after he said he needed money to purchase materials.

When the scheduled appointments approached, a secretary would call to explain there was a delay, typically citing a family emergency. Some were told the owners father had died. Others were told the owners mother had been in an accident.

I think his father died five times, Zetz said.

The Herald found an obituary notice for a man named Daniel Crouchet, 66, died June 7 in Auburn, but its unclear if the two were related.

Eventually, all customers were told the shop had closed and the money was gone.

Leased space

Anthem rented garage space near the Richland airport from Roy Keck, a Port of Benton commissioner, and his son, Jeff.

Keck said the car wrap business operated for about two years. When it stopped paying rent, he moved to evict it and remove the equipment it left behind.

Roy Keck considers himself a victim over the unpaid rent, but his involvement complicates the story.

He leased the land from the Port of Benton in 2003 and built a building to house his business, subleasing other spaces. He was elected to the commission four years later.

The port connection rankles victims, who say it gave the business an aura of legitimacy. So does the lack of a business license. Zetz told the Herald he plans to attend the ports July 12 public meeting to raise his concerns to Keck and the other two commissioners.

Ports commonly enter long-term land leases as part of their economic-development mission.

Steve Zetz of Benton City claims he and others were scammed by a business they paid to customize their vehicles. Behind Zetz are a friends yellow 1999 Ferrari 360 Modena and a 2020 Audi r8.

Weve been robbed

Reiko Evans dropped off a new motorcycle and a $600 deposit in October. Evans wanted the lime green details covered by a shimmery purple wrap. The work dragged on. Evans was told the owners father had died.

After six months of minimal contact, empathy turned to impatience. Evans demanded the return of the motorcycle and the money. The money was gone and the motorcycle had been worked on, but was damaged.

Its lime green base had been partially covered with an iridescent wrap that didnt cover the original finish. The new motorcycle was scratched.

Purple, lime green and orange do not go together. That is not what we talked about, Evans said.

Evans said the motorcycle was supposed to be his break from the demands of raising six children.

You cant take six kids anywhere on a motorcycle. Thats why I got a motorcycle, he said.

In another case, a couple wanted to obscure the chrome on their black Ford Explorer. A local auto detailer referred them to the Richland business.

They sent $505 for the $1,010 job via Cash App, expecting to drop the vehicle off a few days later. But the day before the appointment, the shop texted an excuse: The owners mother had been in an accident. The job would have to wait.

Follow up messages went unanswered.

Suspicious, the wife began searching for information about Anthem. She found the Facebook page filled with similar stories.

My hunch was true.

Another customer paid $1,200 cash after meeting Crouchet at the shop and seeing equipment, including vehicles being worked on. When the time came to schedule the work, Crouchet stopped responding to messages.

The day before the appointment, a secretary informed the customer Crouchets father had died.

We dont have our money. Social media and the website have been taken down. His number no longer works, the customer said. We feel weve been robbed.

Trentyn Stubbs, another customer, wanted to customize his newer Ford Mustang with his favorite color.

I wanted to get something that was purple, but color changing, Stubbs said.

A Google search led to Anthem. Stubbs paid the entire $4,100 cost up front, a big number. Eight months later, no work had been performed.

Id just get a bunch of excuses. Hes sick. Hes out of town. He had a family medical emergency, Stubbs said. Eventually, the secretary told him the business was closed and there wasnt any money.

Stubbs filed a complaint with the Attorney Generals Office, but is trying to absorb the loss of $4,100.

Its unfortunate, but it is what it is.

Tips to avoid scams

The Better Business Bureau has 10 tips to avoid being scammed. While the advice focuses on online scams, several are relevant when working with an in-person business.

Never send money via gift cards or wire transfer to someone you have never met face-to-face.

Avoid clicking on links or opening attachments in unsolicited emails.

Dont believe everything you see.

Double check that online purchases are secure before checking out and paying.

Use extreme caution when dealing with anyone youve only met online.

Never share personally identifiable information.

Resist pressure to act immediately.

Use secure and traceable transactions.

Whenever possible, work with local businesses with proper identification, licensing and insurance. Washington business license information is posted on the Secretary of State website, sos.wa.gov.

Be cautious about what details you share on social media.

Herald staffer Cory McCoy contributed reporting to this story.

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Washington state fined over $100M for failing to provide timely resources for mentally ill in jail

A federal judge on Friday ordered Washington state to pay more than $100 million in fines for failing to provide timely competency evaluations and treatment to mentally ill individuals who are charged with crimes.

U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman found that the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services had breached a 2015 settlement agreement that required it to cut down wait times for competency evaluations and treatment to 1-2 weeks.

While Pechman acknowledged that several factors impacted the rise in wait times, she criticized the departments lack of foresight, creativity, planning, and timely response to a crisis of its own making.

In particular, the judge said that she was unpersuaded that the Department of Social and Health Services adequately planned for and took reasonable measures to address the bed shortage at the states psychiatric hospitals.

Washington state has previously been found in contempt for violating the 2015 settlement agreement on two other occasions and has faced roughly $400 million in fines, according to court documents.

Courts can order competency evaluations if there is a reason to doubt whether a person is competent to stand trial. If an individual is found incompetent to stand trial, the state is required to provide restoration services.

Under the settlement agreement, Washington state is required to conduct competency evaluations within 14 days of a court order for individuals in jail and within seven days for those at state hospitals.

Individuals who are found to be incompetent to stand trial must be admitted to receive treatment within seven days.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, died when the Titan submarine imploded in June. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Stockton Rush's wife, Wendy, was OceanGate's "No. 2," a former Polar Prince passenger said.

Arnie Weissmann said that she was part of the team that tracked the Titan sub's location on dives.

Wendy Rush would "chirp in" if she felt that the OceanGate CEO "wasn't correct," he said.

Wendy Rush, the wife of Stockton Rush, OceanGate's CEO, was effectively the company's second-in-command, according to a former passenger on the Titan sub's support ship, the Polar Prince.

Her official title was director of communications, but Arnie Weissmann, the editor in chief of Travel Weekly, told Insider that Wendy Rush also played a key part in the expeditions.

Weissmann spent eight days on the Polar Prince in May and said there were multiple meetings a day on the support ship to discuss operations.

OceanGate eventually canceled his dive to the Titanic wreck due to bad weather, but Weissmann was able to spend time with Stockton and Wendy Rush on the Polar Prince, which he said had a crew of about 14. The team included Kyle Bingham, the operations manager of OceanGate, and a photographer and a videographer.



Those on the Polar Prince would have breakfast between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. each day before going to an all-hands meeting. Missions specialists were instructed to join, and Stockton Rush would go through a "long list of to-do items."

"She took part in the meetings and you got the sense that she was No. 2," Weissmann said.

The journalist added that Stockton Rush was the "driver of the operation" at OceanGate. But he also said that Wendy Rush was "in a support role. He ran the meetings, but Wendy would be the one who would most likely chirp in if there was something more to add, or if she felt his statement wasn't correct."



Weissmann said he saw a video from a previous expedition where Wendy Rush was "part of the team that was in communication with the sub" on a dive, helping track its location.

Aaron Newman, who visited the Titanic wreck on the Titan in August 2021, told Fox Business that Wendy Rush was always "looking over his shoulder" to ensure operations were safe, although Weissmann says he "didn't get that feeling."



Wendy Rush is a descendant of two famous Titanic victims, The New York Times reported last month. Stockton and Wendy both attended Princeton University, graduated in 1984, and got married two years later.

Before it was taken offline, Wendy Rush's LinkedIn profile said she was OceanGate's communications director and an expedition-team member.



An OceanGate representative told Insider the company was "unable to comment."

Read the original article on Insider
Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will chair the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the next 12 months (Lewis Joly)

West African heads of state on Sunday chose Nigeria's new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lead their regional bloc for the next year, replacing Guinea-Bissau's leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo, AFP journalists reported.

Speaking at a summit in Bissau after being named chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Tinubu said democracy was "the best form of government", despite being "very tough to manage".

"We need it, to be an example to the rest of Africa and the world," he said. "We will not allow coup after coup in West Africa."

Three ECOWAS members -- Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso -- have undergone five putsches since 2020.

Omar Alieu Touray, president of the ECOWAS commission, urged those countries' ruling juntas to respect agreed-upon deadlines to hand power to civilian leaders.

"In the event of a failure to meet the transition deadlines, major sanctions could be imposed," he said.

The West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) on Saturday agreed to lift a suspension of Mali imposed in January 2022 over the military's timeline for returning to civilian rule.

ECOWAS had also imposed a range of measures against the Sahel state, but lifted them in July 2022 after the junta agreed to a March 2024 transition.

On Sunday, Touray said ECOWAS had set up a commission to examine security options in Mali as the UN winds down its decade-long peacekeeping mission there.

"This commission has 90 days to reflect and make proposals," he said.

Mali has since 2012 been battling a jihadist insurgency that has since spread to Burkina Faso and Niger.

Tinubu -- who was in May sworn in as president of Africa's largest economy -- said ECOWAS members would pursue "inclusive" economic integration in the year ahead.

"We should serve a warning to exploiters that our people have suffered enough," he said on Sunday.

"I am with you -- and Nigeria, we are back."

aye-sd-prc/imm
The White House is fending off new questions about Hunter Biden, a sign of how the legal problems and personal issues of the presidents son are likely to be a lingering distraction as President Biden mounts his reelection campaign.

House and Senate Republicans have consistently targeted Hunter Biden with investigations, which are expected to intensify as they argue he received preferential treatment in a plea deal he reached with the Justice Department on tax and gun charges. The presidents son is expected to make an initial court appearance on those charges in the weeks ahead.

The White House over the last week had to deal with questions in the briefing room from reporters asking whether President Biden accepted Hunter Bidens daughter in Arkansas as his granddaughter. The New York Times recently published a piece about the child, writing that shes never met Hunter Biden or her grandfather.

The administration is also dealing with barbs and innuendo over Hunter Biden because of the cocaine found at the White House last week. Bidens possible opponent in next years presidential race, former President Trump, publicly insisted the cocaine belonged to Hunter Biden, who has been open about his drug recovery.

The White House has pushed back on questions over whether the Biden family was involved in the incident, which is under investigation by the Secret Service. The cocaine was found in an area frequented by tourists and other White House visitors.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday told a reporter who asked whether the cocaine belonged to the family that to ask that question is actually incredibly irresponsible.

There has been some irresponsible reporting about the family and so, Ive got to call that out, she said. I have been very clear  the Biden family was not here. They were not here. They were at Camp David.

The GOP sees Hunter Biden as a vulnerability for the president and has signaled they will not slow their attacks. They point to an IRS whistleblower who questioned the integrity of an IRS probe into Biden after the plea deal was announced. Biden will avoid jail time as part of the deal.

Hunter Biden is the gift that keeps on giving, and he will continue to serve as a thorn in the side of the Biden administration and political operation throughout the election, said a former Trump donor.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is also getting involved, suggesting the IRS whistleblowers insight could be grounds for impeaching Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Still, the Trump donor said the GOP focus on Hunter Biden risks backfiring on Republicans.

Republicans have to walk a very fine line between the legitimate oversight of the presidents son and obsessive activities that look like theyre engaging in a witch hunt, the source said.

President Biden is navigating how to talk about his son in the politically charged environment.

Im very proud of my son, Biden declared when asked about the plea deal reached with the Justice Department on federal tax and gun charges.

When Biden was asked June 26 whether he lied about business dealings related to his son, he responded No.

Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre shut down questioning on Wednesday over Bidens acknowledgment of Hunter Bidens daughter in Arkansas.

I dont have anything to share from here, she said.

The New York Times reported that in strategy meetings in recent years, aides have been told the Bidens have six and not seven grandchildren, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Hunter Biden appeared in court in Arkansas in May in a paternity-related case, and the mother of the young girl recently agreed to a settlement over child support for the minor.

The Bidens are protective over their son, and their responses about his legal or personal troubles often involve how proud they are of him. First lady Jill Biden in October told NBC she knows Hunter is innocent, adding I love my son.

Theres been lots of former presidents who had challenging relatives that theyve had to deal with, said one Democratic strategist who worked as an aide in a previous administration.

I think, to Joe Bidens credit, he is a loving father who has seemingly infinite supply of patience and love dealing with his sons challenges. I think that the way hes handling it is sort of what youd come to expect from him, the strategist said.

Hunter Biden is not lying low amid the GOP attacks.

He attended a state dinner last month and the Fourth of July celebration at the White House last week. His wife, Melissa, and son, named after his late brother Beau, are often spotted with him.

This contrasts with the relatively low profile he kept during the 2020 campaign and in the early months of the presidency.

Allies of President Biden say Hunter Biden spending time around the family shows a close and supportive dynamic.

To me, it would be unusual and notable if all of a sudden he wasnt around. I think more people would read into it if he wasnt a presence in the presidents life, said the Democratic strategist.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Why Ohio's James A. Garfield was more than just an assassinated president

A statue of President James Garfield stands at the east end of Piatt Park near the Main Library. Garfield was assassinated in 1881, and the statue was placed in tribute to the Ohio-born president.

President James A. Garfield was not from Cincinnati. He was from Ohio, though  born in the former Orange Township in Cuyahoga County in 1831.

Yet, he has a statue in Piatt Park (formerly Garfield Place), on the corner of Eighth and Vine streets, facing Downtowns Main Library.

Why is a statue of a nonlocal president with little renown at such a prominent location in Cincinnati? It was erected as a tribute after Garfield was assassinated in 1881.

The bronze figure of the martyred president was sculpted by Cincinnati-born artist Charles Henry Niehaus, commissioned to memorialize the Ohio president during a time of national mourning. Garfield is depicted as an orator, with the pages of his speech in his hand. (Niehaus also crafted the similar statue of Garfield in the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.)

Cincinnatis Garfield statue, dedicated in 1887, was originally placed on a pedestal in the middle of the road at the intersection of Eighth and Race streets, but because it obstructed traffic, it was moved inside the park in 1915. Then, as part of the Piatt Park remodel in 1988, the Garfield statue was relocated to its current spot, formerly occupied by the equestrian statue of William Henry Harrison, which was moved to the opposite end of the park.

Historian C.W. Goodyear, author of the new biography President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier, makes a case that we should know more about the 20th president than just his statue.

Garfield was often a footnote in history, known as the president who died less than a year into his term, Goodyear told The Enquirer. The deeper I got into the man himself, the less fair that seemed to be as his record, he said.

Garfield wrangled with the politics after the Civil War

President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier by C.W. Goodyear shines a spotlight on James Garfield and the politics of the Reconstruction Era that has parallels to today.

I wanted to find a period of American history where the conditions of American society at that time  social, economic, political  were maybe somewhat analogous or comparable to todays, but somebody on a national level was resisting the device or the spirit of the times, Goodyear said.

I found the same person kind of floating in the background of pretty much every major event between Reconstruction and the early Gilded Age, he said. It was also somebody who everybody was saying vaguely nice things about, sometimes in a passive aggressive way. Nevertheless, positive regardless of their own personal politics. And that person was James Garfield.

Garfield represented Ohios former 19th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863-1880. His tenure in the House came came during the entire tumultuous Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, from the passage of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery to the compromise that helped settle the 1876 election in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes, who lost the popular vote but narrowly won the electoral vote.

Then, Garfield was the compromise candidate in 1880, winning the Republican nomination on the 36th ballot. He won the presidency, becoming the only sitting House member to be elected to the White House.

Started so low, accomplished so much

President Hayes wrote of Garfield: The truth is no man ever started so low who accomplished so much in all our history. Not Franklin or Lincoln even.

He certainly had a hardscrabble upbringing. Garfield was the last U.S. president born in a log cabin. His father died when he was 2, and the kids had to pitch in to help their widowed mother. Garfield worked as a mule driver for a canal boat, a school teacher and a preacher. He paid his way to the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (which became Hiram College) by working as their janitor.

He finally graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, where he fomented his abolition views that sent him into politics.

When the Civil War broke out, Garfield commanded the 42nd Ohio Infantry Regiment and rose to the rank of major general. While the war still raged, he was elected to the House. President Abraham Lincoln told him they had too many generals than they knew what to do with but a shortage of congressmen. So, Garfield resigned from the Army and joined Congress.

There, he allied himself with the Radical Republicans, who advocated for abolition and Black suffrage. He supported the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, who had taken over the presidency after the assassination of Lincoln. When Johnson was not removed from office, Garfield blamed his own former mentor, Salmon P. Chase, who presided over the trial as chief justice on the Supreme Court.

Kept an open mind to other viewpoints

James A. Garfield served in the House of Representatives from 1863-1880 and was president in 1881.

Despite serving in one of the most contentious political eras in American history, Garfield remained civil with political friends and enemies alike. He was someone who believed in bridging divides, Goodyear said.

He was really never one to entirely cloister his mind or shut off his mind from alternative viewpoints, he said.

This frustrated some of his Republican critics, including Ulysses S. Grant and Frederick Douglass, who claimed Garfield had no moral backbone.

It was because they were perceiving his kindness and open-mindedness as profound weakness, Goodyear said. But he would turn that back on them. Garfields position was that it was extremism and close-mindedness that was easier than being an open-minded moderate.

That stance was difficult for Garfield, who wrote, To be an extreme man is doubtless comfortable. It is painful to see so many sides to a subject.

Garfields life and death provide lessons on politics

Not everyone respected their opponents.

One of the major conflicts of his presidency was the Republican infighting between the Stalwarts, who supported political machines and the spoils system of giving positions to supporters, and the Half-Breeds, including Garfield, who favored civil service reform and the merit system.

Charles Guiteau, who thought he deserved a political position for helping Garfield get elected, decided to kill the president so that Vice President Chester A. Arthur, a Stalwart, would be in charge.

An engraving shows President James Garfield felled by an assassins bullets in July 1881.

On July 2, 1881, Guiteau shot Garfield twice at a train station in Washington, D.C., and declared, I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts. Arthur is president now!

Garfield lingered for months as doctors, with the limited medical knowledge of the time, made things worse as they probed the wounds with unsterilized fingers and used magnets to look for the bullets. He died Sept. 19, 1881.

His death did bring about political change. President Arthur defied expectations by signing the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (which was drafted in 1882 by Sen. George Hunt Pendleton at his Cincinnati home, which still stands on Prospect Hill).

But it is Garfields life that can provide lessons on politics today, which has similarities with that period of national conflict, contested elections and refusal to compromise. Our times are not unprecedented.

We have somewhat been through this before, Goodyear said, and I think Garfields life is a demonstration of how we were able to get through it, for better or worse.

C.W. Goodyear will be discussing and signing President Garfield on Tuesday, July 11, 7 p.m., at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Norwood.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why is there a statue of President James Garfield in Cincinnati?
Donald Trump continues to be the clear favorite to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Most of his rivals  from South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott to former Vice President Mike Pence  have a game plan to slow down the Trump train: Compete hard in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses, now scheduled for January 15.

The idea makes sense on its face. These candidates have to beat Trump somewhere, so why not do it in the first contest where they can potentially change the narrative.

There are just a few problems with this proposition. First, a Trump loss in Iowa is by no means a guarantee of anything for the non-Trump Republicans based on history. Second, the polling suggests the voters among whom Trump is most vulnerable are more plentiful in the state with the second-in-the-nation contest: New Hampshire.

Republican presidential candidates are currently flocking to Iowa as they have every four to eight years in modern memory. They go to fairs, eat corn and pizza, and ask Iowans for their vote.

Many hope to upend the national front-runner at the Iowa caucuses, as Mike Huckabee (2008), Rick Santorum (2012) and Ted Cruz (2016) have done before.

All those candidates, however, then proceeded to lose the New Hampshire primary and the party nomination.

Iowa, it turns out, has not been very good at picking Republican nominees for president. In primary seasons since 1980 that didnt feature a GOP incumbent, the Iowa winner went on to win the nomination two times. Both times, that candidate had been the national front-runner prior to his Iowa win (Bob Dole in 1996 and George W. Bush in 2000). Five other Iowa winners did not become the nominee.

One reason Iowa hasnt done nearly as well at predicting nominees is that socially conservative candidates often appeal to the states religious conservative base. Religious conservatives tend to have an outsize influence in the Hawkeye State compared with other states.

Mike Pence greets supporters and signs autographs after speaking at a campaign event in Derry, New Hampshire, on June 9, 2023. - Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images

New Hampshire has had a significantly better track record. Republican primary voters there have picked the eventual nominee in five out of seven elections since 1980 without an incumbent GOP president. This includes the last three primary seasons without an incumbent, while Iowa, at the same time, has gone 0 for 3.

Of course, 2024 could end up being like 1996 or 2000, when Iowa went with the eventual nominee while New Hampshire did not. We have a limited historical sample size.

That said, there are also a few characteristics about New Hampshire Republicans that indicate they may be more open to a Trump challenger than Iowa Republicans this time around.

We have seen, for example, ideology play a major role in how Republicans view Trump. Polling has consistently shown the former president to be far weaker in the center of the GOP political spectrum than he has been on the right  which is a change from 2016 when Trump was weakest among very conservative voters.

Trumps national polling lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in last months Quinnipiac poll, for example, dropped from 41 points among the very conservative to 31 points among those who were somewhat conservative to 14 points among moderate and liberal potential Republican primary voters.

New Hampshire GOP primary voters are usually more moderate than their counterparts in Iowa. In 2016, 40% of Iowa Republican caucusgoers described themselves as very conservative, according to the entrance polls before voting began. Only 26% of New Hampshire Republican primary voters identified the same way. The percentage who called themselves moderate or liberal in New Hampshire (29%) was nearly double that in Iowa (15%).

Trump has also been weaker among demographic groups who make up a larger share of the New Hampshire Republican electorate.

Income, which was not too much of a predictor of primary voting patterns in 2016, seems to be playing a bigger role this year.

Our most recent CNN/SSRS poll found, for example, that Trump had a 27-point lead over DeSantis among potential Republican primary voters with a household income of less than $100,000. His advantage over DeSantis among those making $100,000 or more was a mere 3 points.

Although the 2016 Iowa entrance poll did not ask about income, the 2020 general election exit poll did. Among self-identified Republicans in Iowa, 26% had a total family income of $100,000 or more. Among self-identified Republicans in New Hampshire, 48% of them did.

(Note: Household and family income are somewhat different measures, but Im merely demonstrating that New Hampshire Republicans are, on the whole, wealthier than Iowa Republicans.)

Perhaps, it should come as no surprise that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie seems to be the rare Republican basing his campaign in New Hampshire and not Iowa. Christie is by far the most anti-Trump candidate registering in the polls at all.

His chance of winning the nomination is slight, but he seems to have the right idea.

If Trump is going to get tripped up in the 2024 primary, the numbers suggest his opponents would be wiser to focus more on New Hampshire than on Iowa.

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Andreeva (right) shakes hands with Potapova after her win. - Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

One umpire at Wimbledon had a polite reminder for spectators on Sunday: please dont uncork champagne bottles while players are serving.

This was after a fan interrupted the third-round match between Russians Anastasia Potapova and Mirra Andreeva by popping open a bottle of bubbly, disturbing the otherwise tranquil atmosphere on Court 3.

Potapova, who was preparing to serve when umpire John Blom made the announcement to a ripple of laughter and applause, smiled and nodded in agreement.

Unfortunately for the 22nd seed, she had few smiles come the end of the contest. The 16-year-old Andreeva went on to win 6-2 7-5, reaching the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time in her young career.

Playing in just her second grand slam after her debut at the French Open earlier this year, she will next face American Madison Keys for a place in the final eight.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
The Wall Street Journal explained that the Russian military has had months to dig in and set up defences, including bunkers, which is why Ukraine's counteroffensive is slow.

Source: BBC referring to WSJ

Details: The journalists have tried to answer the question that is asked every day both in Ukraine and in the West: why the counteroffensive is so slow.

The authors have pointed out once again that last year, thanks to skillful manoeuvres, Ukraine managed to gain an advantage over the Russian army, despite the lack of manpower, weapons and sufficient air support.

Skillful command, good knowledge of the territory and effective use of drones and digital technology allowed the Ukrainian military to repel a much larger and initially better-equipped army, which looked clumsy and bogged down in bureaucratic delays.

The outlet has written that "thats all over" now.

Quote: "Ukraine is now attempting to dislodge an entrenched enemy, one of the most daunting operations any military can undertake. Russian troops have spent months building physical defences that include bunkers, tank traps and mine fields."

For Russian forces, which earlier this year tried to seize more Ukrainian territory, the offensive was unsuccessful, but it will be easier to maintain defensive positions, the WSJ writes, citing Michael O'Hanlon, a security specialist at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

More details: According to the media, Ukrainian soldiers said that the Russian military in Zaporizhzhia Oblast built kilometres of winding, interconnected trenches, some of which are reinforced with concrete or covered with branches and soil to make them difficult to detect with drones.

The fields are also heavily mined, and in at least two cases, according to Ukrainian soldiers, the bodies of dead Russian soldiers were also mined.

A Ukrainian soldier has explained to the outlet that to take these positions, the area must first be covered by artillery fire, and then the troops have to move forward with armoured vehicles to engage the infantry. However, the lack of tanks and other armoured vehicles makes this strategy difficult to implement.

Attacking the dug-in forces of the occupiers was a difficult challenge even for the most powerful armies in the world, the WSJ says. It took the Allies who landed on the Normandy coast during World War II more than two months to break through the German fortifications and move inland.

In 1991, before the coalition ground forces advanced during Operation Desert Storm, the United States waged a five-week air campaign to weaken the Iraqi military's positions, the outlet writes.

Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shared a video to mark 500 days of the full-scale war, in which the heads of Ukrainian security agencies and military commanders say: "We are moving forward".

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Face scan devices are installed at departure gates in Incheon International Airport, as the airport operator is set to begin the "smart pass" service at the end of this month. Courtesy of Incheon International Airport Corp.



By Jun Ji-hye



Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) will release a mobile app, Monday, enabling travelers to register their faces in order to hasten departure procedures.



The system will eliminate the need for people using the app to present passports or boarding passes.



The operator of the country's largest airport will officially begin the facial recognition service at the end of this month.



Those who want to use the service can download the ICN Smartpass app from Apple's App Store or the Google Play store, and register the necessary information.



The IIAC said many airports around the world have already introduced non-face-to-face services following the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Singapore Changi Airport and Tokyo's Narita International Airport use facial recognition as an identification method.



A survey announced last year by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showed that 88 percent of respondents were satisfied with procedures using their biometric information at airports, and 75 percent preferred the use of the biometric information to passports or boarding passes.



According to the IATA, the time required for check-in and boarding is expected to be reduced by 10 percent and 40 percent, respectively, if passengers' biometric data is used in the departure procedures.



"The smartpass service is expected to help improve passengers' convenience and enhance airport security," IIAC President Lee Hag-jae said. "We will make thorough preparations so the service can begin without a hitch in time for the summer peak season."



Both Koreans and foreign nationals can use the app, which is offered in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.


Poland recently sent Ukraine about a dozen Soviet Mi-24 attack helicopters in an undisclosed transfer, according to anonymous sources cited by the Wall Street Journal on July 9.

However, Ukraines fleet is still small compared with Russias air fleet, with less sophisticated targeting and defensive systems, the WSJ writes.

Poland has been one of Ukraine's staunch supporters, delivering about 3 billion euros worth of military aid to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on April 14.

Duda said on April 5 that his country has already transferred four MiG-29 jet fighters to Ukraine, has prepared to transfer four more, and is preparing six more that can be transferred quite soon, bringing the total number of MiG-29s pledged to Kyiv to 14.

Duda also suggested that in the future, his country might provide its entire fleet of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, once the Polish Air Force acquires new aircraft to offset the loss.



During the same visit, Poland and Ukraine signed a joint memorandum on the reconstruction of war-damaged areas of Ukraine and the production of 125mm tank rounds.

As of May 11, Poland has delivered 325 tanks and 14 fighter jets to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU reported.

Ukraine war latest: Pentagon unveils $800 million aid package, approves cluster munition for Ukraine Key developments on July 7: * Pentagon announces $800 million aid package * US approves cluster munitions for Ukraine * Zelensky arrives in Turkey * Russia excludes IAEA experts from Zaporizhzhia plants reactor rooftops * NATO to agree on package to bring Ukraine closer, says Stoltenberg * The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Czechia also plans to deliver attack helicopters to Ukraine.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted on July 7 that his country would send Ukraine additional attack helicopters and "hundreds of thousands" rounds of large-caliber ammunition "in the coming months."

Czechia will also help Ukraine to train its pilots, including on F-16 fighter jets, said Fiala. The country will deliver flight simulators to enable Ukraine to conduct the training on its soil, not just in Western countries.

The announcement comes a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Prague to meet with Czech President Petr Pavel, PM Fiala, and other top officials.
WSP looking for witnesses to I-5 drive-by shooting near Tukwila

The Washington State Patrol is looking for witnesses to a drive-by shooting that happened near Tukwila Friday night.

Just after 8 p.m., the WSP received a 911 call. The caller said their brother was shot as he was driving southbound on Interstate 5 near State Route 900 and that they were currently at the Chevron station off the freeway.

Tukwila police and troopers arrived and found a light blue Toyota Camry with several buttle holes and the driver suffering from gunshot wounds.

The driver was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The passenger had minor injuries.

The WSP said further investigation revealed that the car was traveling SB I-5 approaching SR 900 when what was described as possibly a white Toyota Camry pulled up next to it. The right front and back passengers opened fire and hit the car several times.

If you have any information about the car or suspects email Detective Early at Todd.Early@wsp.wa.gov.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called a visit to China constructive despite heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.

What I can tell you is that I had a very constructive visit. I received a warm welcome, and had [a] very substantive series of meetings, Yellen said on CBS Newss Face the Nation in response to a question from moderator Margaret Brennan about whether tension has been smoothed over after the Chinese spy balloon incident earlier this year.

Yellen said she had around 10 hours of meetings with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Vice Premier He Lifeng, finance minister Liu Kun and the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) head Pan Gongsheng.

We had substantive conversations about the global economy, developments in our own economies, financial markets, and a list of concerns that each of us brought to the table that we agreed to follow up on over time, Yellen said.

Yellens visit to Beijing comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited last month. Blinkens trip had been initially planned for February, but was postponed amid controversy over the Chinese spy balloon shot down by the U.S. military after it flew over much of the country.

U.S.-China tensions have been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic issues, Chinas relationship with Russia amid Moscows war on Ukraine, Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and other factors. Yellen and Blinkens trips have been part of an effort from the U.S. to ease those tensions.

Yellen during her visit urged cooperation on climate change and other international issues. She also told Brennan that she raised a host of concerns, including the treatment of some American companies at the hands of Chinese authorities.

Yellen also left the door open for an executive order the administration is considering that would put restrictions on what American companies in China could invest in.

Its still something being discussed in the administration and the timing of it is not- is not yet certain. But I wanted to explain to my Chinese counterparts that if we go forward with these- with this executive order, that we will do so in a transparent and narrowly targeted way, she said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen signaled at a Sunday morning press conference in Beijing that her talks with Chinese officials this week made progress in shoring up the frayed relationship between the U.S. and China.

Yellen, the second Biden administration official to visit the country in the last several weeks, said conversations with her counterparts were direct, substantive and productive. The talks covered U.S.-China economic issues, national security, climate change and global debt challenges.

The big takeaway as Yellen prepared to leave Beijing: The U.S. believes the worlds two largest economies can have a constructive relationship despite their geopolitical tensions, which have triggered export controls for high-tech goods and materials.

"President Biden and I do not see the relationship between the U.S. and China through the frame of great power conflict," she said. "We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive."

Yellen's attempt to rehabilitate the Washington-Beijing economic dialogue is the latest step in a Biden administration initiative to stabilize ties, which have been strained by trade disputes, Covid-19 and this year's incursion of a Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken touted progress last month after he met with President Xi Jinping and other officials in Beijing.

Yellen said her meetings, which totaled about 10 hours over two days, "served as a step forward in our effort to put the U.S.-China relationship on surer footing."

While she said the U.S. will continue to take actions to protect its national security interests, Yellen and President Joe Biden believe there can be healthy economic competition between the U.S. and China  an economic relationship that is mutually beneficial in the long term.

I do believe that its possible for both countries to be attentive to and to take actions to protect their national security interests, she said.

The major win from Yellens visit appeared to be a willingness on the part of both sides to keep talking after years of escalating tensions over trade and security.

Yellen said the trip was an opportunity for U.S. officials and a new economic team in Beijing to establish a desire and willingness to work together to discuss issues where we have disagreements and see deeper engagement on the part of our staffs.

Yellen's trip included meetings with Vice Premier He Lifeng and Peoples Bank of China Head Pan Gongsheng.

Certainly, I expect our staffs to be in much more regular communication about the full range of issues that we discussed that require greater work, she said.
While it did not yield breakthroughs, Yellen's trip furthers a push by Biden's administration to steady ties with China (Pedro PARDO)

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that her talks with top Chinese officials have helped put ties on "surer footing", as she wrapped up a trip aimed at stabilising fraught relations between the two biggest economies.

During her four-day trip -- which came on the heels of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit -- Yellen stressed the need for healthy economic competition and improved communication, and urged cooperation on the grave threat posed by climate change.

"And on both sides, the sentiment that was expressed is that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive, to cooperate on shared global challenges, to have a meaningful economic relationship and that we needed to stabilise our relationship to make sure that we were able to accomplish that," Yellen said in an interview with CBS News.

While it did not produce specific breakthroughs, Yellen's trip furthers a push by President Joe Biden's administration to steady ties with China.

Beijing's official Xinhua news agency said Saturday that Yellen's meeting with Vice Premier He Lifeng yielded an agreement to "strengthen communication and cooperation on addressing global challenges".

Both sides also agreed to continue exchanges, the readout added.

Yellen said Sunday in Beijing that while there are "significant disagreements" between the countries, her talks had been "direct, substantive and productive".

"My bilateral meetings - which totalled about 10 hours over two days - served as a step forward in our effort to put the US-China relationship on surer footing," she said at a news conference at the US Embassy.

"I feel confident that we will have more frequent and regular communication."

- Sources of tension -

Topping the laundry list of disagreements are Washington's trade curbs, which it says are crucial to safeguard national security.

On Sunday, Yellen said she had stressed that Washington's measures "are not used by us to gain economic advantage".

"These actions are motivated by straightforward national security considerations," she said.

And with the US mulling fresh curbs that could more strictly regulate American outbound investment to China, Yellen said any new moves would be implemented in a transparent way.

"The objective of my trip was to explain that national security is something that we can't compromise about and we will protect, and we will do so even if it harms our own narrow economic interests," Yellen told CBS, "but that when we take such actions, which do have an effect on the Chinese economy, that we will make sure that they are transparent, narrowly targeted and well-explained."

In Beijing she said she had raised serious concerns over what she called unfair economic practices by Beijing.

She cited barriers to foreign firms entering the Chinese market as well as issues around the protection of intellectual property.

In an interview aired Sunday on CNN, Biden said he has warned Chinese President Xi Jinping on the war in Ukraine. China has avoided criticising Russia for the invasion and depicted Moscow as a victim of Western seduction of Ukraine, although China has not taken the big step of supplying Russia with weapons.

"I said: Since Russia went into Ukraine, 600 American corporations have pulled out of Russia. And you have told me that your economy depends on investment from Europe and the United States. And be careful. Be careful," Biden said.

- 'Messaging' a key goal -

Looking ahead, "any concrete key breakthroughs and major deliverables presumably will be reserved for the two top leaders to announce," said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center.

"The two sides have not had this level of communications and consultations for a number of years," she told AFP.

Last month, Biden voiced confidence in meeting Chinese leader Xi soon.

Lindsay Gorman, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, added: "I think one underappreciated audience is really US allies and partners, both in the region and globally."

"The main goal for this trip is really a messaging goal," she told AFP.

Among the aims are communicating how Washington considers its economic relationship with China, and dispelling the notion that it might embrace "pure zero-sum competition" -- while signaling it targets a fairer playing field.

Overall, China's response towards Yellen's visit appears "more enthusiastic" than to Blinken's trip, as he is considered more hawkish, said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University.

"Yellen is seen as a professional in the eyes of the Chinese, and her attitude towards China-US economic and trade relations is relatively rational," said Wu.

Taylor Fravel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told AFP: "I don't think a single visit or interaction alone can achieve the goal of stabilising relations."

But Yellen's visit and remarks convey support for continued US-China economic cooperation, "despite the political frictions in the relationship and competitive actions around limiting China's access to certain technologies such as semiconductors."

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New York is making a huge change to its power grid right before blackout season  heres what to know

New York Citys biggest utility provider, Con Edison, has just added a 7.5-megawatt battery system on Staten Island, Canary Media reported.

On June 20, Con Edison announced that it would soon bring the system online, just in time to meet the increased demand for electricity this summer when fans and air conditioners come on across the nation. The system is located in the Fox Hills area, and it will reduce the risk of summer blackouts for local residents, the company said.

Con Edison explained that the system was being added to an existing utility substation to minimize any inconvenience for the neighborhood. It would eliminate the need to buy more land for the project or install additional power lines. This is particularly important in a crowded city like New York.

The company said the system relies on 11 Tesla Megapacks, each of which holds 19 batteries and its own inverter.

We are deploying batteries to help maintain the industry-leading reliable electric service that our region needs, and our customers deserve, said Con Edisons president, Matthew Ketschke, in the initial announcement.

Battery storage is also vital to affordable, non-polluting energy sources like solar and wind because, unlike traditional polluting sources such as coal, they dont create energy all the time. Solar panels only generate electricity during the day, and wind power only works when the wind is blowing.

To make power available 24/7, providers need huge amounts of battery storage so they can save up electricity when theres extra and send it out when its needed.

Establishing battery stations like the one in Fox Hills will prepare the area to rely more on clean energy sources. According to Canary Media, Governor Kathy Hochul has called for the state to install six gigawatts (6000 megawatts) of energy storage by 2030 for this reason. At the same time, New York City has banned natural gas for appliances in new buildings, so the demand for electricity is about to increase.

The advent of large-scale energy storage technology also greatly increases our opportunities to integrate clean, renewable power into the mix and transition to a low-carbon future, Ketschke said.

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KYIV (Reuters) - The Ukrainian and Polish presidents jointly marked the anniversary on Sunday of World War Two-era massacres of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists, killings that have caused tension for generations between countries that are now close allies.

Warsaw has positioned itself as one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters since Russia invaded the country in 2022.

But the Volhynia massacres have continued to hang over ties between the two nations, particularly ahead of the July 11 anniversary of one of the bloodiest days of a series of killings that took place from 1943 to 1945.

Poland says around 100,000 Poles were killed in the massacres by Ukrainian nationalists. Thousands of Ukrainians also died in reprisal killings.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda attended a church service together in the western Ukrainian city of Lutsk, in memory of the victims.

"Together we pay tribute to all the innocent victims of Volhynia! Memory unites us!," Duda's office and Zelenskiy both wrote on Twitter. "Together we are stronger."

The service was attended by the heads of the largest Orthodox and Catholic churches in Ukraine and the head of the Polish Bishop's Conference, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki.

The Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on Telegram that Ukraine and Poland were "united against a common enemy who dreamed of dividing us".

Duda called the service "a testimony of friendship in the face of a difficult history".

In a post on Twitter, Zelenskiy said he had a "brief but very substantive" discussion at the event with Duda about the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, where Ukraine is hoping for decisions that will hasten its goal of membership in the alliance.

"We agreed to work together to get the best possible result for Ukraine," Zelenskiy wrote.

The head of Duda's office said the fact that the presidents were commemorating the victims together was "historic", but that more work was needed.

"This is not the end of this difficult road, explaining to our Ukrainian friends about the historical truth, it will of course be continued," Pawel Szrot told private broadcaster Polsat News.

The Polish parliament has said that the murders, carried out between 1943 and 1945 by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists under the leadership of Stepan Bandera, bore elements of genocide.

Ukraine has not accepted that assertion and often refers to the Volhynia events as part of a conflict between Poland and Ukraine which affected both nations.

Warsaw and Kyiv have also clashed over the issue of whether Polish specialists can search for and exhume the remains of Poles that died in Ukraine.

The massacre caused an unusually public row between Poland and Ukraine earlier this year, after a Polish foreign ministry spokesman said that Zelenskiy should apologise and ask for forgiveness for the events in Volhynia.

However, Ukraine's parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk moved to defuse tensions in May when he told the Polish parliament that Kyiv understood Poland's pain.

(Reporting by Max Hunder in Kyiv and Alan Charlish in Warsaw; Editing by William Maclean, Sharon Singleton, Peter Graff)
Donald Trump has boasted that if he were president again, he could end Russias war with Ukraine. I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours, he has said. But Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called bullshit, saying that Trump already had his chance to end Vladimir Putins aggression against his country.

It seems to me that the sole desire to bring the war to an end is beautiful, Zelensky said during an interview on ABCs This Week Sunday after host Martha Raddatz played a clip of Trumps brag. But this desire should be based on some real-life experience. Well, it looks as if Donald Trump had already these 24 hours once in his time. We were at war, not a full-scale war, but we were at war, and as I assume, he had that time at his disposal, but he must have had some other priorities.

Asked what he would say to Americans who think U.S. has given enough to Ukraine, Zelenskyy tells @MarthaRaddatz that he appreciates all the help.



We, Ukrainians, are not people known for excessive appetites. Our victory is enough for us." https://t.co/Kuuzty4v6y pic.twitter.com/q1bwXfB1LF  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 9, 2023

Zelensky added that Trumps idea of ending the war might be for Ukraine to cede some of its land to Russia. If we are talking about ending the war at the cost of Ukraine, in other words to make us give up our territories, well, I think, in this way, Biden could have brought it to an end even in five minutes, but we would not agree, he said.

In recent weeks, world leaders have debated the merits of admitting Ukraine to NATO, which would give it the guarantee of NATO protection in a war with Russia. Zelensky said he hopes that even if Ukraine is not invited to join the alliance, that it will give his nation security guarantees regardless. If those guarantees are not on the table, however, he may not attend NATOs upcoming summit.

If there is no unity regarding the technical invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance, its all a matter of political will just to find the proper wording and invite Ukraine, he said. It would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia. Ukraine should get clear security guarantees while it is not in NATO. And that is a very important point. Only under these conditions our meeting would be meaningful. Otherwise, its just another politics.

Ahead of upcoming NATO Summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells @MarthaRaddatz that admitting Ukraine into the alliance "would be an important message to say that NATO is not afraid of Russia." https://t.co/wiM5T13qOH pic.twitter.com/OxZP2m0Rvx  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 9, 2023

Zelensky also shared words of gratitude to Americans for all they have done to help Ukraine and a message for those who say the U.S. has helped enough already and should cease its support.

I would like to say thank you to all Americans for what you have done, and I appreciate those who say that youve done enough. Trust me, no matter what I appreciate help, he said. When it comes to the word enough, well, we, Ukrainians, are not people known for excessive appetites. Our victory is enough for us. Honestly, when we have enough for our victory, then it will be enough.

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On July 9, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda commemorated the victims of the 1943 Volyn (Volhynia) Massacre during their surprise visit to Lutsk, a regional capital in northwestern Ukraine.

"Together, we honor all the innocent victims of Volyn (Massacre). Memory unites us! Together we are stronger!" Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

The members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the military wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, or OUN, massacred thousands of Poles throughout Volhynia in Nazi-occupied Poland  an area that is now part of western Ukraine  in the spring and summer of 1943.

How nationalist movements paved Ukraines way to freedom When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many in the West, and in the Kremlin too, expected the Ukrainian state to crumble in weeks, if not days. The government would flee, the state would be carved up  some lands absorbed by Russia, the rest perhaps being made into a The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query

While most of the victims were Poles, some Ukrainians were also killed by Poles in retaliation. Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhy, director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, estimates that the number of Ukrainians killed may vary between 15,000 and 30,000, while the estimates for the Polish victims vary between 60,000 and 90,000.

In 2016, Poland's Parliament recognized the killings as genocide, a term that Ukraine denies.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda during their visit to the Ukrainian city of Lutsk on July 9, 2023. (President Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram)

Earlier on June 28, Duda also made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to meet with Zelensky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a new interview that Ukraine will prepare for European Union membership after the war with Russia ends.

Ukraine has already got a place in the world for itself, he told ABCs Martha Raddatz on This Week through a translator. I consider that as a fact. We are now a country that is respected, a country that is really fighting for human values, for human rights, for freedom, for democracy, and everyone has already understood that it is exactly such a country.

I assume that Ukraine will be a valued NATO countries partner with actually strongest armed forces in Europe, he added.

Zelensky has previously pushed for the European Union to admit Ukraine to its coalition. He also said that 90 percent of Ukrainian want to be apart of NATO and more than 90 percent want to be admitted to the European Union.

After the war, well take some time, well make necessary changes to our legal framework in order to finally become E.U. member state, he said. I think that the country with such potential is important for the unity. And what is more important is that we are really a democratic nation that is dying for that on the battlefield.

Zelensky is also pushing for NATO membership once the war is over.

President Biden said in an interview with CNN Sunday that he does not believe Ukraine is ready for NATO membership because it could open the door for members of the alliance, including the U.S. to be in direct war with Russia.

I think its premature to say  to call for a votetheres other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization and some of those issues, Biden told CNN.

I think we have to lay out  the rational path for Russia  for, excuse me, for Ukraine  to be able to qualify to get into NATO, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, right, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), sits next to Wi Seong-gon, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker who has been heading a special committee of the party established to oppose the Japanese water discharge, June 9. Yonhap





Senior officials of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Sunday met with the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to express concerns and regret over Japan's plan to discharge water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.







IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met DPK officials during his three-day visit to Seoul to explain the U.N. nuclear watchdog's report that concluded Japan's Fukushima water discharge plan would meet international standards.







DPK floor leader Woo Won-shik expressed regret over the IAEA's backing of Japan's water release plan despite lingering public concerns over the potential long-term impact of treated wastewater on people and the environment.







"(The IAEA)'s verification was biased in favor of Japan from the beginning, losing its neutrality and objectivity," Woo, who has staged a hunger strike for the 14th day, said during the meeting at the National Assembly.







"It is very regrettable that (the IAEA) made a conclusion without properly investigating (the water release's) impact on neighboring nations, making it 'self-verification' and 'a Japan-tailored investigation,'" Woo added.






Zelenskyy: 298 Ukrainians awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in 500 days of war

Nearly 50,000 Ukrainian military personnel have received state awards since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, including 298 who have been awarded the title of the Hero of Ukraine.

Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a speech in Lviv, after arriving there from Turkiye, along with Azov Regiment commanders, on the evening of 8 July; Zelenskyy on Telegram

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Five hundred days of the full-scale war. During this time, thousands and thousands of our people [have shown the] strength, glory and courage of the Ukrainian people [in the fight for] our country.

Almost 50,000 of our people have been [presented with] state awards, [and] 298 Ukrainians have been awarded the highest title, the title of the Hero of Ukraine. I am proud of all of them, and grateful to each of them. We remember our heroes."

Details: Zelenskyy read the names of over 270 Heroes of Ukraine, stressing that the names of some of the soldiers who have been awarded with this title, the highest state award in Ukraine, cannot be disclosed yet.

"We cannot name all the names now. We will be able to tell about some [of these] heroes only after our victory  their bravery is so special. But Ukraine will always be grateful to all of them," Zelenskyy said.

He also said that many of the Heroes of Ukraine whose names he read out have been awarded the title posthumously.

Background:

On Saturday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Lviv together with the commanders who defended Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, whom he brought back from Turkiye.

Zelenskyy appointed combat officer Oleksii Pivnenko as Commander of the National Guard.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!




Mykhailo Podolyak

Cluster munitions will help Ukraine to compensate for the shell shortage faced by its Armed Forces, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the President's Office, tweeted on July 9.

According to Podolyak, cluster munitions are of utmost importance to Ukrainian soldiers because they:

 compensate for the shell deficit,

 partially restore parity on the battlefield.

"Given the fact that Russia has been using this type of ammunition in Ukraine for over a year, this is at least fair, he said.

And actually Russia should be talked to only in a language it understands  commensurate force

Ukraine made a confidential request to the United States for the transfer of cluster munitions, including air-launched cluster bombs MK-20, which the U.S. has agreed to supply.

In 2008, the Convention on Cluster Munitions was adopted in Ireland, which prohibits the use of this type of weapon. To date, it has been ratified by approximately 100 countries worldwide. However, neither the United States, nor Russia, nor Ukraine are among them.

Read also: US expected to announce transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine

Although the United States has not ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions, at the end of President George W. Bush's second term, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates implemented an approach in which the United States planned to eliminate its stocks of cluster munitions, in which more than 1% of submunitions might not detonate upon use.

Now, the administration of Joe Biden has found a way to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine, citing an urgent necessity and national security needs. According to reports, projectiles with a failure rate of submunitions not exceeding 2.35% are carefully selected for Ukraine.

Later, Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor to Biden, announced that the United States would transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine.

The Pentagon officially announced a new $800 million military aid package to Ukraine, which will include cluster munitions.

Read also:

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 is confident that the mercenaries from the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) will not attack Ukraine from Belarus.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with ABC News

Details: ABC News notes that the interview with Zelenskyy was recorded amid speculation that Belarus could become a springboard for a new attack from the northern border of Ukraine after the mercenaries of Wagner PMC were offered to withdraw to this country after the rebellion.

But Zelenskyy said he was confident that Wagner's troops would not attack from the north.

He also believes that when the leader of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, launched an unsuccessful rebellion in Russia, he was motivated by an attempt to improve his domestic position inside the country.

Quote: "That's what I think, based on the intelligence [data] ... he has become a political figure. And this, in my view, must have been his primary objective. Why did he stop? Well, I don't know for sure," the president said.

Zelenskyy has said that Prigozhin's uprising revealed the weakness of Putin's leadership.

"There is a signal that there might be another mutiny in Russia, a revolution. Moreover, there are many people who might support such a mutiny," he concluded.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a lengthy meeting on the security and social situation in the region at Lubart's Castle in Lutsk.

Source: Zelenskyy on Facebook

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Firstly, the border, the situation in neighbouring Belarus.

Second, strengthening our Defence and Security Forces and the entire northern section of the border, in every region. The military, law enforcement bodies and local authorities reported [on this issue  ed.].

Third: the state of shelters.

Fourth: budgetary support.

Fifth: jobs."

Background:

Earlier, Zelenskyy and Polish President Andrzej Duda met in Lutsk.

They visited the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Zelenskyy honors victims of World War II massacres of tens of thousands of Poles carried out by Ukrainian nationalists

Zelenskyy honors victims of World War II massacres of tens of thousands of Poles carried out by Ukrainian nationalists

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Andrzej Duda attend the service in Lutsk, Ukraine. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended a memorial service with the Polish President on Sunday.

They honored the Polish victims of World War II massacres carried out by Ukrainian nationalists.

Tensions over the tragedy remain, but Poland is one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters against Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended a memorial service on Sunday which honored the Polish victims of massacres carried out by Ukrainian extremists.

Images shared by Zelenskyy's Twitter account showed him and Polish President Andrzej Duda in a church in Lutsk, a city in western Ukraine.

"Together, we honor all the innocent victims of Volyn," Zelenskyy said on Telegram. "Memory unites us! Together we are stronger!"

Tens of thousands of Poles in Volhynia  a historic eastern European region that is primarily in Ukraine's Volyn Oblast but includes parts of Poland  were killed by extreme Ukrainian nationalists between 1943 and 1945.

The Ukrainian Insurgent Army was a nationalist paramilitary and partisan formation founded by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. At times, it fought alongside Hitler's Nazis and provided the Third Reich with auxiliaries who committed the mass murder of Jews in the Holocaust.

Polish civilian victims of March 26, 1943 massacre committed by Ukrainian Insurgent Army assisted by ordinary Ukrainian peasantry. Wikimedia Commons

Estimates for the death toll during the World War II ant-Polish massacres range from 20,000 to 100,000, The New York Times previously reported. Polish historians also say up to 12,000 Ukrainians were killed in retaliation, per Reuters.

In 2016, Poland's parliament officially declared the massacres genocide, provoking tensions with Ukraine. But since Russia invaded its neighbor, Poland has become one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters, donating 330 tanks.

Several days of observances honoring the victims began on Friday when Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki traveled to Ukraine to visit massacre sites, the Associated Press reported.

Zelenskyy's recognition of those atrocities does not go as far as joining Poland in calling it a genocide, but it is still symbolically important.

Even as Vladimir Putin uses "denazification" to justify the ongoing conflict, the Ukrainian president is confronting Ukraine's dark history during World War II.

"Without the full clarification and full record of the Volhynia crimes, Russia will always be using this card to drive a wedge between Poles and Ukrainians," Morawiecki said, per the AP.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the rhetorical statements that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be forced to seek dialogue when Ukrainian troops are on the administrative border with the occupied Crimea, as the ones that "make sense".

Source: Zelenskyy, in an interview with ABC News, commenting on the Washington Post's report on the secret visit of CIA Director William Burns to Ukraine in June

Details: ABC News notes that Zelenskyy did not deny the Washington Post's report that during Burns' recent visit to Kyiv, Ukrainian officials told him that the purpose of the counteroffensive was to approach the administrative border with Crimea, and then force Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate.

Asked if this was "possible", Zelenskyy said: "Well, it is absolutely clear rhetoric that makes sense; at that moment when Ukraine will reach the administrative border with a temporarily occupied Ukrainian peninsula, Crimea, it's very likely that Putin will be forced to seek dialogue with the civilised world, unlike how it was before the full-scale invasion, because he will be weakened".

The President also said that he feels no "pressure at all" from Western allies to make the Ukrainian counteroffensive happen faster.

"Today, the initiative is on our side. We are advancing, albeit not as fast [as we would like]. But we are advancing," he said.

Background: The Washington Post, citing sources in late June, reported that during a secret visit to Ukraine by CIA Director William Burns earlier that month, Ukrainian authorities revealed their strategy to him  to regain Russian-occupied territories and begin ceasefire talks with Moscow by the end of the year.

According to sources, in private conversations, military planners in Kyiv assured Burns that their goal was to reclaim a significant territory before the autumn; move artillery and missile systems to the border with Crimea controlled by Russia; move deeper into Ukraine's east, and then start negotiations with Moscow.

After that, Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine would be ready for a diplomatic settlement of the war only when it reached the borders of 1991, and he himself would not consider "peace" without Crimea a "victory".

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in a prayer event, God Save Ukraine! 500 Days of Resistance and Victory, during his trip to Lviv, where he arrived from Turkiye on 8 July with the Azov Regiment commanders.

Source: press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Quote: "At the monument to Taras Shevchenko in Lviv, representatives of the clergy and heads of religious organisations served prayers for Ukraine. They prayed for the victory of our state and a just peace.

The spiritual leaders asked for protection and strength for the defenders of our Motherland, blessings for the representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, and salvation for all those who suffered in the war. They also prayed for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Prayer for Ukraine was performed by the chamber choir."

Details: In addition to Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Head of the President's Office Andrii Yermak, Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi, and Maksym Kozytsky, head of the Lviv Oblast Military Administration, also took part in the prayer event.

Background:

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Lviv on the evening of Saturday, 8 July, together with the commanders who defended Azovstal.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed combat officer Oleksii Pivnenko as Commander of the National Guard.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
As years of revitalization efforts in downtown Lynchburg continue to drive more visitors and residents into the neighborhood, one new family-owned business is hoping to become the Burgs version of a bodega.

Nestled into the first floor of the nearly 100-year-old Allied Arts Building at 725 Church St. is a brand new downtown convenience store: City View Market. Owned by the Ramsey family, the shop has quickly become a frequented spot of downtown residents, employees and hotel visitors.

Jonathan Ramsey, who runs City View Market with his wife, Melissa, supervises valet and security services for The Virginian Hotel just across the street and said the idea for the store came about after hearing many people say they were looking for certain items that werent carried by the hotel.

One day, he said, the mayor actually walked into The Virginian and goes, Man, I wish there was a convenience store downtown. And me and my wife had been joking about Hey, we should open up a little store.

After Melissa said she was looking for a job change, and some saving up, Jonathan said a space came open in the bottom of the Allied Arts Building.

And so was born the new City View Market, where theres something in the shop for just about everybody.

There are the usuales of a convenience store: sodas, candy bars, chips and other sundry items. But the selection goes far beyond the basics. One can pick up greetings cards, phone chargers, Pokemon cards and, according to Ramsey, the fan favorite Prime Hydration drink.

Weve had people drive from Roanoke down here to get some of those Primes, which is astonishing, Jonathan said. He said the store carries flavors of the hydration drink that arent commonly found in grocery stores, including one U.K.-exclusive flavor that goes for upwards of $45 due to its rarity.

The Ramseys store, managed day-to-day by Melissa, sets out to be Lynchburgs version of a bodega  the wish of the propertys owner when the family first reached out to open the store  even selling simple grocery items for downtown residents.

The couples son, Colin, helps out with the store managing the online presence, with the markets website set to open on Monday. Once it launches, he said the store will be offering free delivery to anybody in the immediate downtown area, and free deliveries citywide for all orders over $25.

Melissa said its absolutely important to her that she is able to operate the business as a family, with Jonathan adding that he enjoys teaching his son about the business world through the store.

Hes learning, Jonathan said about Colin. Hes putting together the website, hes learning the taxes, inventories a little bit for us  he does a little bit of everything for us.

Living in Madison Heights for some time now, Jonathan said hes seen the growth of downtown Lynchburg in the recent years go from very little traffic to now it looks like theres two or three business popping up all the time.

Its awesome and [downtowns] only going to continue to grow with all of these new businesses opening up, he added.

Beyond providing the downtown area with a much needed service, the Ramseys are hoping to create relationships with customers as well.

Its a service thats needed, Jonathan said about the store. But it also gives my wife a good job to have, where she enjoys talking to people and taking care of our customers.

The stores customer appreciation is on display every day through their 50% discount on purchases for all first responders, as well as their weekly Lucky Sevens giveaways, where if a customer spends $7 on Wednesdays they will receive whatever the free item of the day is.

People should definitely know what separates us from other stores is our customer service. Many places wont take the time to get to know the person or build a connection with them. They just check them out and thats it. But were way different here, Jonathan added.

The stores website launches for online orders on Monday at CityViewMarket.com, and the physical location is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays at 725 Church St. across from The Virginian Hotel.
ROANOKE  The harmful algal blooms that have affected recreation at Smith Mountain Lake for the past month may finally be on their way out. The Virginia Department of Health ended its swim advisory for much of the Blackwater River arm of the lake on Friday following results from their most recent round of testing.

The swim advisory has now ended along the Blackwater River arm of the lake including Gills Creek and downstream to where it connects with the Roanoke River arm. The advisory is still in effect for the portions of the Blackwater River arm upstream from channel marker B18.

The update comes after concerned lake residents crowded into a meeting Thursday at Trinity Ecumenical Parish hosted by the Smith Mountain Lake Association and attended by representatives from the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. All provided details on how the algal blooms have progressed in recent weeks, but were unable to provide answers on what caused it or when it might end.

This is the first year Smith Mountain Lake has had any significant reports of harmful algal blooms. Margaret Smigo, VDH waterborne hazards program coordinator, said Smith Mountain Lake had one reported harmful algal bloom in 2020 and three reports in 2021. No algal blooms were reported in 2022.

More than 40 potentially harmful algal blooms have been sighted and reported so far this year, Smigo said. The blue-green blooms are created by cyanobacteria that can produce toxins that are harmful to people and pets. Swimming in or ingesting cyanobacteria can cause skin rash and gastrointestinal illnesses, such as upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Ingestion of the water is the highest risk, Smigo said.

So far, there have been only five cases of illnesses possibly connected to the algal blooms. The individuals were in the water, but Smigo said it is difficult to confirm since most had gastrointestinal issues that could be caused by other factors. One of the individuals also reported some skin irritation, she said.

According to Smigo, initial sightings of blue-green algae at Smith Mountain Lake were reported May 20. Testing done in those locations showed the water samples had amounts of cyanobacteria within acceptable levels. Cell counts of cyanobacteria greater than 100,000 cells per milliliter trigger an advisory.

When the results came back, we were well below our cyanobacteria concentration level threshold for issuing an advisory, Smigo said of the early testing.

The state issued the swim advisory June 8 when test results from a June 1 sampling showed cyanobacteria levels above 100,000 cells/ml in the areas of the Anthony Ford Public Boat Ramp, Virginia Key and Kemp Ford Road. The swim advisory was for the entire Blackwater River arm of Smith Mountain Lake.

Due to the widespread observations, we proactively issued the advisory for all of the Blackwater River, Smigo said.

Another round of VDH testing June 13 showed a slowdown in the growth of the harmful algal blooms. Of the nine sights tested on the Blackwater River arm, only four contained unsafe levels of cyanobacteria. Smigo said the Anthony Ford Public Boat Ramp, which had the highest levels of cyanobacteria June 8, was near zero by June 13.

We had toxins detected at most of our upriver sites that were sampled, and they were below detectable limits at the lower sites, Smigo said.

Smigo said sites that previously had unsafe levels of cyanobacteria must be tested twice, 10 days apart and show safe levels before an advisory can be lifted.

Positive results once again at several sites from VDH testing done June 26 led to Fridays updated advisory. Results showed cyanobacteria within acceptable levels once again in those five areas tested June 13.

Four locations along the upper Blackwater River arm still have algae concentration levels above unsafe levels. The public is advised to continue avoiding contact with the water in those areas upstream of channel marker B18. Additional testing is expected by the VDH on Monday, weather permitting.

As for a cause of this years increase in harmful algal blooms, Smigo said they have found no smoking gun so far that would explain it. The blooms are fueled by phosphorus that comes from organic material as well as fertilizer.

One concern was that septic tanks could be failing near the shoreline and dumping waste into the lake. Smigo said there has been no evidence of that so far.

Keri Green, chair of the Smith Mountain Lake Associations water quality council, said efforts are already underway to create a harmful algal bloom working group at Smith Mountain Lake. The goal of the group will be to collect information on why the blooms appeared this year as well as how to prevent them.
My lifes work has focused on the large systemic forces that have played a major role in shaping the human world. My point has been we need to understand these forces in order to bring them under control, and we need to control these forces in order to be able to create the kind of human world we would choose.

One indication of how powerful I claim these large, systemic forces has been that I frequently use the word inevitable to describe many of the major directions in which human history has unfolded.

But thats only one side of the picture.

History also provides plenty of examples of relatively small things  things that dont look inevitable at all, that seem matters of good or bad fortune  that have had huge consequences. If only ... things might have turned out so differently!

Consider the assassination of President Lincoln. Not inevitable, for there were plenty of quite possible alternative scenarios in which Lincoln would have survived that night.

The question arises: How different might our history have been if  during those hugely consequential years following the trauma of the American Civil War  the nations leader had been Lincoln (judged by historians as our greatest president) rather than Andrew Johnson (judged one of the very worst)?

Although there is no way of knowing, I can intuitively envision a hugely consequential, better path the nation might have taken under the president who pledged malice toward none, and charity for all.

Malice toward none might have gone a long way toward bringing the nation back together, rather than entrenching hostility of one region toward the other.

Perhaps Lincoln would have had limited success in binding up the nations wounds. But what we do know is the path the nation took after his assassination led to those wounds festering, even into our times.

Lincoln would have applied his outstanding leadership skills to bring about an effective transition between a social order based on slavery and one based on equal citizenship for all races. And we know that the path the nation took failed at that transition, as racial oppression re-established itself in the Jim Crow South.

Out of the post-war disorder in the North, the Party of Lincoln came under the substantial control of the Forces of Greed with the great expansion of industrial corporate capitalism in the decades following the Civil War. And that corporatist Republican Party had almost complete control of the U.S. government over those years.

Maybe Lincoln could have infused more of his profound moral vision into the party he led, counterbalancing the greedy forces that used their power for less humane and just purposes.

Paths  better paths  the nation might have taken, but for one man being able to get into a theater box wielding a gun.

Not necessity, but more like a throw of the dice.

In our own times, weve witnessed a hugely impactful just by chance occurrence in America. Its clear  if it werent for the small thing of a woman down in Palm Beach, Florida, making an unintentional mistake in designing their 2000 ballot  the war in Iraq would never have occurred.

The ballot design resulted in a few thousand people who were trying to vote for Al Gore marking their ballot for Pat Buchanan.

Had there not been that confusion, Gore would have clearly won Florida.

Which means that Gore  not G.W. Bush  would have become president.

As events made clear, that meant the United States would never have launched the Iraq war.

The consequences of that war, and thus of the ballot confusion, included profound damage to American politics and cultural cohesion, to our international reputation, and to the system of international law that the United States  greatly its credit  had done so much to establish.

A still more recent example of the serendipitous sending things on a different course involves the COVID-19 pandemic. By chance, the pandemic struck the world the same year as Donald Trump was seeking re-election. Had it not been for that chance stroke of synchrony, it appears Trump would not have been removed from the American presidency.

The 2020 election was close enough in a few battleground states that a smallish shift in the electorate could have given Trump their electoral votes. But Trumps handling of the pandemic was so obviously defective in so many ways noticed by so many people, that it seems reasonable to believe he lost those states, and the elections, because the pandemic struck that year.

And the consequences of Trump winning a second term  for American democracy, as well as for the response of the free world to Russias criminal invasion of Ukraine  are dreadful to contemplate.

So the bottom line is that the way the human world unfolds is the product of both

necessity  which drives things to develop in predictable ways. (Such as large social-evolutionary forces that mandate civilization overall will develop in certain directions.)

and randomness, in which what look like chance events  an assassination, a confusing ballot, the chance timing of a pandemic  can determine which of highly divergent paths into the future the human world might take.

Both can be true: It had to be and It might have been.

Andy Schmookler is the author of The Parable of the Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, right, listens to Rep. Wi Seong-gon of the Democratic Party of Korea, during his meeting with main opposition party lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap



DPK calls report 'tailored for Japan'; PPP slams DPK for fighting against science



By Jung Min-ho



After two years of safety inspections on Japan's plan to release treated wastewater from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the final report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was supposed to settle the argument.



However, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) rejected its conclusions on Sunday, expressing regret over the IAEA's report, claiming it was "tailored for Japan" and attacking the credibility of the international organization.



Speaking directly to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi at the National Assembly in Seoul, Rep. Woo Won-shik accused him of conducting research with a "predetermined conclusion."



"I think there was a lack of neutrality and objectivity from the beginning," he said during the party members' meeting with Grossi who arrived in Korea last Friday. "It is very regretful that the IAEA made the conclusion without looking into how the water release will affect the neighboring countries in the region."









Rep. Wi Seong-gon, head of the party's committee against Japan's water release plan, asked Grossi to demand Tokyo delay it.



"We demand Japan put off the discharge plan and consider alternatives, in cooperation with the international community," he said. "We also ask for the IAEA's responsible handling as an international organization of Koreans' concerns and the issue they rightly raised."



The heated meeting comes after the IAEA announced, in last week's comprehensive report on Japan's plan to release the treated water into the Pacific Ocean, that it is "consistent with international safety standards." Grossi also said the conclusions reached were a consensus among all scientists who took part in the Fukushima inspections.



Yet Grossi said the lawmakers' worries were reasonable and assured that the IAEA will continue to monitor the issue. But he reiterated the IAEA's stated position of there being no risk to safety.



"The issue at hand today has attracted a lot of interest, and this is absolutely logical because the actions and the way in which Japan will be addressing this have important implications," Grossi said.





Activists hold a rally at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday, in protest of Japan's plan to release wastewater from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The sign in the middle says, "Did you sell the IAEA report for 1 million euros?" Yonhap
Correction Matthew Briggs, 41, a suspect in an Omaha homicide who was shot and killed by police after a chase Saturday, had his first name and age incorrectly identified in an earlier version of this story.

An early-morning homicide in Omahas Regency neighborhood led to a manhunt, an armed carjacking and a high-speed chase before the alleged culprit was shot and killed later Saturday by police officers in Council Bluffs.

This was a very volatile situation, said Omaha Police Capt. Jeremy Christensen.

Matthew Briggs, 41, was wanted as a person of interest in the killing of Steven Greg Donsbach on Saturday morning and in a related domestic assault report from a separate location, authorities said. According to court documents, Briggs had previously been convicted of felony theft in 2010 and 2012.

The days events began about 5:40 a.m. with a report of a domestic assault at a residence in southwest Omaha, Christensen said. As a result of that investigation, he said, police went to check on the well-being of a resident at 9927 Essex Drive in Regency.

Donsbach, 52, was found shot dead inside the Regency home that he had owned for the past decade. There were signs of forced entry, according to Christensen, and preliminary investigation suggests that Donsbach was the only person in the home at the time of the killing.

Christensen said police are still investigating what relationship, if any, existed between Donsbach and Briggs.

A car reportedly belonging to Briggs, a red 2005 Buick Century sedan, was seen on a security camera in Regency and was discovered Saturday afternoon at Mandan Park in southeast Omaha.

About 3:30 p.m., a blue Toyota Camry was carjacked just south of Mandan Park. Christensen said he believes Briggs used a firearm in taking the vehicle.

Law enforcement responded to the incident and eventually chased the Camry across the Missouri River into Iowa. Council Bluffs police became involved in the chase, as did the Omaha police helicopter, and the chase ended when the Camry crashed near College Road and Valley View Drive on the east end of the city near Iowa Western Community College.

Two officers -- one from Omaha and one from Council Bluffs -- shot at Briggs multiple times. Omaha police could not say how many shots were fired, nor did they identify the officers who shot him. Briggs was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he was pronounced dead.

Christensen expressed gratitude to the other jurisdictions that helped respond to Saturdays events, including Council Bluffs police, Iowa state troopers and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Everybody involved has done a phenomenal job, he said.

The Iowa DCI will investigate the shooting, and DCI's findings will be reviewed by the Pottawattamie County Attorney's Office. Both officers are on paid administrative leave in accordance with their departments' policies.
DES MOINES  Iowa Republicans will hold their upcoming presidential caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024, the state party announced Saturday.

The announcement resolves one uncertainty about the 2024 Iowa caucuses, but much is still in question as Iowa Democrats seek to hold an early caucus while following rules set by the Democratic National Committee last year that kicked Iowa Democrats from the first-in-the-nation spot.

Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann criticized Iowa Democrats previous caucus proposals  which included conducting the presidential selection process mostly by mail  in his announcement on Saturday.

After our state legislature and governor took needed action earlier this year to preempt Iowa Democrats' plans to derail the Iowa Caucus by running a de facto primary election instead, we are also proud to affirm that Iowa will continue to honor our half-century-old promises to the other carveout states, he said in a statement. "We remain committed to maintaining Iowa's cherished first-in-the-nation caucuses, and look forward to holding a historic caucus in the coming months and defeating Joe Biden come November 2024."

Generally a point of agreement between Iowa Democrats and Republicans, the caucus process has become fractious as Republicans have accused Democrats of threatening Iowas first-in-the-nation status with their mail-in caucus proposal.

Republicans said that process would be considered a primary, and cause New Hampshire, the first primary state, to jump ahead of Iowa in the presidential selection process. Democrats argued that was premature, as their caucus process is not finalized.

The DNC rules committee denied Iowa Democrats plan in June, and they have not submitted a new delegate selection plan. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said in a statement Saturday the party did not have any input on the Republicans' choice of caucus date.

No matter what, Iowa Democrats are committed to moving forward with the most inclusive caucus process in Iowa's history. Were committed to doing what's good for Democrats, what's good for Iowa, and what's good for democracy, she said.

Kaufmann said in a press conference Saturday party officials had notified each other in the past of when they planned to hold their caucus, but it has not been a joint decision.

He criticized Hart's decisions in pursuing a mail-in participation system, saying that led to the misalignment between the parties.

"The moment that they went for a primary, the moment they decided to go with the primary, the moment they decided to play politics with this, is the moment that the communication broke down," he said.

Iowa Republican lawmakers also moved to constrain Iowa Democrats during the legislative session this year. Republicans passed, and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed, a law that requires parties to hold their caucuses in person if the purpose of the caucus is to select delegates for the presidential nomination.

The caucus date falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday. Kaufmann said that may allow more participation, but it was not the primary motivator. Instead, it was the earliest Monday that worked with the other early states' plans.

Kaufmann also said Republicans are still working on the rules of participation in the caucuses. The law passed earlier this year allowed parties to set their own participation criteria for the caucus, including a registration deadline. Previously, Iowa law required parties to allow voters to register with the party on the same day as the caucus.

Kaufmann and other Republicans have said a registration deadline would be necessary to prevent Democrats from participating in their caucus if the Democratic caucus is on a different day, but Democrats have not suggested any plans to do that. It is illegal under Iowa law to participate in both parties' caucuses.

But, Kaufmann said, the party is also considering rules to prevent interest or advocacy groups from having an outsize influence in the caucus.

"Trying to prevent not just Democrats  mostly Democrats  But also some other elements even within our party that may be targeting one particular candidate, or interest groups and advocacy groups, what we need to do to address that," he said. "Certainly giving an amount of days of which you have to be registered Republican is one way."

Iowa Republicans are garnering most of the caucus attention this year, as it is the first for more than a dozen candidates who are vying for the partys presidential nomination. President Donald Trump currently leads in polling, but the caucuses will be the first test of the candidates electoral strength.

President Joe Biden is expected to easily hold onto the Democratic Partys nomination, though he faces minor primary challengers like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Norfolk City Council convened on Monday in council chambers at city hall for its regularly scheduled meeting. All council members were present, with the exception of Justin Snorton. Also in attendance were 11 city staff members and more than 50 members of the community. The meeting laste
The Sahara conflict and the serious regional threat posed by the Iranian military support to the Algeria-backed Polisario armed militia have triggered the alarm bell at the UK parliament.

During a debate held lately at the House of Commons on Iranian hostile activities threatening UK partners and allies, conservative MP James Duddridge (Rochford & Southend East) raised the issue of the drones provided by Teheran to the Polisario in southern Algeria, saying the Iranian UAVs could destabilize a very fragile peace with the Moroccans in the Sahara.

The Iranians are also involved in places such as Tigray and South Sudan, destabilizing a whole continent as a lever of political power, underlined the British lawmaker.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly shared the concern voiced by Duddridge who knows the continent of Africa and its politics well, explaining that the Iranian malign activity is not restricted to its own near neighborhood or, indeed, the United Kingdom.

We look very carefully at the credible reporting of the support through military equipment not just to Russia in its attack against Ukraine, but to militia groups and other military groups in the region and across Africa, stressed the foreign secretary, making reference to the Polisario, which is armed, financed and sheltered by Algerian junta.

I can reassure MP James Duddridge that we will take that into consideration when it comes to any future sanctions response that we have towards the Iranian regime, affirmed Mr. Cleverly, warning Teheran that the U.K. will not tolerate the Iranian malign behavior.

The UK government has announced plans to impose new sanctions against Iran for its hostile activities. Under existing legislation, the UK can sanction Iranians for human rights violations or nuclear proliferation activities.

The new plans would allow the government to target Iranians responsible for hostile activities towards the UK and our partners, the foreign secretary said.

Under the new UK sanctions regime, the Iranian decision-makers could also be sanctioned for undermining peace, stability and security in the Middle East and internationally, for using or spreading weapons or weapons technologies from Iran, and undermining democracy, rule of law and good governance.

Several international press reports have warned against Irans military support for Algeria and Polisario to expand its influence in North Africa threatening the stability of the whole region.
Pundits have been warning that terror groups in Africa have found a breeding ground for recruiting militants in the huge refugee camps scattered around the continent, including the Polisario-controlled camps in Tindouf in Algeria, with plans to stage attacks on Europe.

Islamists have a strong presence in Africa and recruit in huge refugee camps. And they use conflicts for their Internet propaganda, which reaches as far as Bavaria, wrote lately Sabina Wolf and Joseph Rohmel in an analysis published by German media group ARD, noting that terrorist groups such as IS and al-Qaeda have an easy time in these camps, and citing as an example the huge refugee camps in Algeria.

The same warning was expressed by Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the international non-profit organization Counter Extremism Project, which monitors and evaluates the propaganda of Islamist terrorist groups in Africa.

Schindler argues that as these groups grow more strengthened, they will end up not focusing exclusively on gaining control over areas in the region, but they are all still part of this global strategy, which means attacks on the West are a priority.

Many associate IS primarily with countries like Syria or Iraq, but experts like Schindler say that Africa is increasingly becoming a hotspot for Islamist terrorism with groups such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), al-Shabab in Somalia or Boko Haram in Nigeria, and that attacks could be called for from there: Its still possible to instrumentalize people in Europe from the conflict regions, radicalize them and then possibly even motivate them to carry out attacks.

The co-authors of the analysis, Sabrina Wolf and Joseph Rohmel, also explained how these terrorists use online networks to promote Jihad and glorify martyrdom and gain the support of thousands.

They mentioned in this connection the case of a 38-year-old who was condemned in late May by the National Court of Justice in Madrid to a two-year prison sentence plus five years probation  for radicalization, among other charges.

This individual, whose real name is Monni Ahmed Merhaba, has repeatedly shared videos on social networks under the pseudonym Ismail, using images from North African refugee camps for his propaganda. Ismail is stateless and part of the nomadic Sahrawi people, the authors stated, adding that an online network was created around Ismail, which also deals with the fight of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Africa.

Spanish investigators had revealed the close links of Ismail, who was close to Abu Walid, the former leader of the IS and member of the polisario, with other IS supporters and unveiled a network of dozens of polisario members in the Tindouf camps, who played a role in the Islamic States activities in the Sahara and Sahel.

Investigations had also revealed, from the Facebook account of Ismail and his many friends, strong support for the polisario, which controls the Tindouf camps, increasingly infested by extremist jihadist ideology.

Traces of the exchange of information between IS supporters lead to Syria, Spain and the Tindouf Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria, revealed an organization of former intelligence officers, which evaluates online traces for authorities in the European Union in the field of counterterrorism. The organization explained that most of the Facebook accounts are not public. Communication there is very limited. This indicates that they only use their Facebook accounts to connect with each other. Then they switch to the messenger service Telegram or other means of communication.

As to the way to stop the unfurling Islamist wave in Africa, experts like Schindler see fighting poverty on the ground as a key to curbing the influence of IS and other terror groups. Wherever governments are weak, where there is economic hardship, where there is inequality, that is of course a recruitment potential for terrorist groups, says the senior director of the Counter Extremism Project.
Ulema have a duty to have a beneficial presence in peoples lives, by introducing them to the virtues of moderation and tolerance, and by neutralizing any negative sway ignorant extremists may have on innocent minds, stressed King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, on Saturday.

In a message addressed Saturday to participants in a symposium on the theme The rules of Fatwa in the African context, being held from July 8 to 10 in Marrakech, the Sovereign pointed out that Ulema have always been entrusted with a noble mission, which today is gaining in sensitivity and complexity, noting that the duty of scholars is all the more imperative as perverted extremists present most of their views as fatwas, exploiting the sanctity of fatwa in peoples minds.

In order to protect the faith willed for us by the Almighty, I took measures to create an institutional framework for the issuing of fatwas in the Kingdom of Morocco, making it a collective endeavor falling within the remit of the Higher Ulema Council, the Commander of the Faithful added.

It is up to the Ulema, on the other hand, to initiate the community individually to the rest of the provisions of religion that do not fall within the scope of the Fatwa, continued the King in this message, which was read out by the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq.

This is, perhaps, the approach that African countries should adopt, namely to entrust the issuing of fatwas on public affairs to a collective institution made up of moderate, trustworthy religious scholars committed to the immutable values and madhab of their country, the Sovereign said.

Emphasizing the importance for the Ulema of Africa to engage in periodic collaboration and consultation in order to keep abreast of new variants in the demand for and formulation of fatwas, the King indicated that it is up to the African Ulema in charge of issuing fatwas to develop more skills and to engage in exchanges notably around the jurisprudence of reality (or Fiqh al-Waqi).

They should also record the findings of their research work through all electronic means available in order to benefit more people and contribute to better qualification of religious leaders, continued the Commander of the Faithful.

Welcoming the symposium as an initiative of the Mohammed VI Foundation for African Ulema, created at the Sovereigns instigation, the King pointed out that this institution has devoted its eight years of existence to achieving the objectives initially assigned to it, which essentially consist in pooling and coordinating the joint efforts of Moroccan ulema and their counterparts in African Muslim countries to promote and firmly establish the values of tolerant Islam.

Its mission is also to ensure, through initiatives of its own, that the sense of moderation, the spirit of conciliation and the propensity for Ijtihad are the catalysts of any reform aimed at consolidating the foundations of development, on the scale of the entire African continent or within any one of its countries, insisted King Mohammed VI.

The Commander of the Faithful added that his first concern in creating the Mohammed VI Foundation for African Ulema was that it should leverage the rich heritage bequeathed by our righteous ancestors over the centuries in the Kingdom of Morocco as well as in sub-Saharan African countries.

These ties draw their essence from the intangibility of the religious values that Morocco shares with brotherly African countries in terms of faith and Sunni rites, which have the major characteristic of advocating moderation, insisted the Sovereign, noting that these immutable principles are rooted in the codes of conduct instituted by Sufi orders and in the foundations of Sharia sciences, brought down to us through successive lineages of trustworthy sheikhs.

Morocco is linked to the Mashyakhas of African Sufi brotherhoods through centuries of exchange and interaction, the King said. He also called on the participants in this Symposium to adopt a dynamic of virtuous interaction, to deploy their inventiveness and to exchange their respective experiences. This should make it possible for each group of religious scholars in a given country to benefit from the knowledge and proficiency of all African Ulema who commit to this initiative. It goes without saying that the right of religious scholars in each country to take into account their own particularities shall be preserved.

The Commander of the Faithful was keen to point out that the work of this Symposium, which aims to define the conceptual field of Fatwa, can only be fully successful if women scholars (Alimates) are involved in all aspects of this undertaking. This is because, in our religion, women are sisters of men in terms of rulings, states the Sovereign, pointing out that the Kingdom of Morocco, availing itself of this postulate of equality, entrusts the religious guidance of citizens, both men and women, to Alimates and Morshidates.

In the same spirit, women play a leading role in the religious guidance provided by the mass media, the Sovereign pointed out.

The symposium is attended by over 350 ulema, men and women, from 72 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, representing Fatwa institutions and Higher Islamic Councils in these countries, as well as presidents and members of sections of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulemas on the continent.

This event is part of the efforts made by the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulema, under the leadership of the King, Commander of the Faithful, President of the Foundation, to unify the action and positions of African ulema in the fight against all forms of mystification by zealots, false allegations by impostors and interpretations by the uneducated, and to make noble religious values a lever for stability and development in their respective countries.

The symposium debates will deal in particular with the conceptual authentication and scientific anchoring of Fatwa, the scientific norms and principles of Fatwa, and the reality of Fatwa in the African context.
STAR, Idaho  Once he and his wife, Jennifer, moved to a Boise suburb last year, Tim Kohl could finally express himself.

Kohl did what the couple never dared at their previous house outside of Los Angeles  the newly retired Los Angeles police officer flew a U.S. flag and a Thin Blue Line banner representing law enforcement outside his house.

We were scared to put it up, Jennifer Kohl acknowledged. But the Kohls knew they had moved to the right place when neighbors complimented him on the display.

Leah Dean is on the opposite end of the political spectrum, but she knows how the Kohls feel. In Texas, Dean was scared to fly an abortion rights banner outside her house. Around the time the Kohls were house-hunting in Idaho, she and her partner found a place in Denver, where their LGBTQ+ pride flag flies above the banner in front of their house that proclaims Abortion access is a community responsibility.

One thing we have really found is a place to feel comfortable being ourselves, Dean said.

Americans are segregating by their politics at a rapid clip, helping fuel the greatest divide between the states in modern history.

The split has sent states careening to the political left or right, adopting diametrically opposed laws on some of the hottest issues of the day. In Idaho, abortion is illegal once a heartbeat can be detected in a fetus  around six weeks  and its a crime to help a minor travel out of state to obtain one. In Colorado, state law prevents any restrictions on abortion. In Idaho, minors arent allowed gender affirming care, while Colorado allows youths to come from other states to access the procedures.

Federalism  allowing each state to chart its own course within boundaries set by Congress and the Constitution  is at the core of the U.S. system. It lets the states, in the words of former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, be laboratories of democracy.

Now, some wonder whether thats driving Americans apart.

Does that work as well in a time when we are so politically divided, or does it just become an accelerant for people who want to re-segregate? asked Rob Witwer, a former Republican Colorado state lawmaker.

The states swings arent simply due to transplants, of course. The increasing clustering of Americans into like-minded enclaves  dubbed The Big Sort  has many causes. Harvard professor Ryan Enos estimates that, at least before the pandemic, only 15% of the homogeneity was due to people moving. Other causes include political parties polarizing on hot-button issues that split neatly on demographic lines, such as guns and abortion, and voters adopting their neighbors partisanship.

A lot of this is driven by other sorting that is going on, Enos said.

When Americans move, politics is not typically the explicit reason. But the lifestyle choices they make place them in communities dominated by their preferred party.

Democrats want to live in places with artistic culture and craft breweries, and Republicans want to move to places where they can have a big yard, said Ryan Strickler, a political scientist at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

But something may have changed as the country has become even more polarized. Businesses catering to conservatives fleeing blue states have sprouted, such as Blue Line Moving, which markets to families moving from blue states to Florida. In Texas, a "rainbow underground railroad run by a Dallas realtor helps LGBTQ+ families flee the states increased restrictions targeting that population.

The switch might have been flipped during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which created a class of mobile workers no longer bound to the states where their companies were based. Those who are now mobile are predominantly white-collar workers and retirees, the two most politically engaged parts of the national population.

Mike McCarter, who has spearheaded a quixotic campaign to have conservative eastern Oregon become part of Idaho, said most people didnt pay much attention to state government until the pandemic.

Then it was like Oh, they can shut down any church and they can shut down my kids school? McCarter said. If state-level government has that much power, youd better be sure it reflects your values, and not someone elses values that are forced on you.

The coronavirus pandemic helped push Aaron and Carrie Friesen to Idaho. They realized they could take their marketing firm remote from its base near Hilton Head, South Carolina. Theyd always planned to return to the West, but California, where Aaron, now 39, was born and raised, and Washington state, Carries native state, were both immediately disqualified because of their progressive politics.

The Friesens and their three children settled on Boise. They loved the big skies, the mountains rearing up behind the town, the plethora of outdoor activities.

And they liked Idahos pandemic policies. When the Friesens visited, almost no one was wearing masks, which they took as a good sign  they were happy to mask up when sick, but found constant masking pointless.

With the temperature of politics nowadays, if people choose to move somewhere, they are going to choose to move to a place with like-minded people, Aaron Friesen said.

Thats apparently been happening in Idaho, said Mathew Hay, who oversees a regular survey of new arrivals for Boise State University. Historically, transplants mirrored the conservative populations leanings, with about 45% describing themselves as conservative, and the rest evenly split between liberal and moderate.

But something changed last year  the share of newcomers saying they came to Idaho for the politics jumped to 9%, compared to 5% for long-timers. The percentage describing themselves as very conservative also rose.

In Colorado, the reverse may be happening.

Bret Weinstein, owner of a real estate firm in Denver, said politics has become the top issue for people buying a home.

Its brought up in our initial conversations, Weinstein said. Three years ago, we didnt have those conversations, ever.

Most conservative county in liberal states Most conservative county in liberal states #20. Wisconsin: 24% liberal, 35% conservative #19. Pennsylvania: 24% liberal, 34% conservative #18. Delaware: 24% liberal, 29% conservative #17. Minnesota: 25% liberal, 32% conservative #16. Rhode Island: 25% liberal, 29% conservative #15. Colorado: 26% liberal, 33% conservative #14. Illinois: 27% liberal, 31% conservative #13. Connecticut: 27% liberal, 30% conservative #12. New Jersey: 27% liberal, 29% conservative #11. Oregon: 28% liberal, 32% conservative #10. Maryland: 28% liberal, 29% conservative #9. Hawaii: 28% liberal, 22% conservative #8. California: 29% liberal, 29% conservative #7. New Hampshire: 30% liberal, 28% conservative #6. New York: 30% liberal, 27% conservative #5. Washington D.C.: 30% liberal, 24% conservative #4. Washington: 31% liberal, 28% conservative #3. Vermont: 32% liberal, 28% conservative #2. Maine: 33% liberal, 35% conservative #1. Massachusetts: 35% liberal, 21% conservative
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Even though I value my sanity, I sometimes wish I could disappear into a religious frenzy like this. Just to see what its like.

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Meh, I've seen that movie and it's not for me. You end up self-immolating on a beach in stereotypically dreary UK weather and that seems like a real bummer tbh.

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saint maud reference?

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From what I've seen before with my friends' parents, your kids start to hate you, you never see your grandkids, and you write endlessly diatribes about how autism is a 'vaccine injury' and your doctor knows Suramin is the cure but Joe Biden and doctors don't want you to know!

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Take some meth. Same thing

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this exact a/c issue happened when i went to see spider-man: across the spider-verse! the lobby was fine but the theater was shockingly warm. we stayed but i'm a little scared to buy tickets at that theater for barbie...



also it was a cinemark so shut the fuck up, bitch, this isn't a conspiracy.

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OMG me too but it wasn't a Cinemark. We just asked the dude at the counter and eventually the air came on.

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yeah I almost saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter during the middle of summer and the guy selling tickets warned us that there wasn't AC, and he'd give us a refund if we got in there and realized it was too hot. and indeed, it was. still haven't seen the movie!

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The German in me is like: what is AC?



I remember when I randomly decided to go to the cinema in the Philippines, I was almost freezing to death and when I was on a bus in Hawaii, I was covering myself in towels. No me gusta



Edited at 2023-07-08 10:50 pm (UTC)

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Now that I live in a hot country, I need AC at the movies. But some crank it up so high thats its so cold it makes for a miserable viewing experience. On principle, I wear jeans and take a sweater with me when I go see a movie.

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This comment reminded me of a youtube video I watched of a German girl who moved to the US and stated how much she now loves AC when before she used to not like it lol. When you live in a country where it can get well over 32 Celsius in the summer you too would learn to appreciate AC.

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It is 34 here all week but we just keep the shutters down all day and open the window over night 

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Movies theaters have historically been the place to go to stay cool during heatwaves. I assume a lot of places still capitalize on that and overdo it on the cold temps for that reason.

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Something you will need soon due to climate change.



Or some of yall already need it now. Didnt like tens of thousands of people die last year in heat waves across europe?





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Does it not get hot over in Germany??

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And if they hadn't tried to refund her, she would have tried to spin it that they were making her uncomfortable/trying to make her leave so she wouldn't see the entire thing.

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How do the loud qanoners always all look the same? Theyre either bleach blond or brunettes (no other colors allowed) with skin so sun damaged that you cant tell if theyre 35 or 55. Just clones of each other.

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Thats just many women in the south, QAnon or not. Two Lesbian southern TikTok couples that I saw on the app match this description.

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Lol white people weren't supposed to live this far south we are all cooking down here. I am wearing SPF 50 daily to try and avoid looking like a leather handbag as I age (though mostly to avoid skin cancer, it's not uncommon in my pasty family).



For me it's the heavy, outdated hair and makeup that singles out conservatives.

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I remember seeing the Simpsons Movie on opening night in a packed theater with no a/c. We all make choices.



But also lol sitting in a room with no a/c to watch a Jesus movie doesnt make you a martyr.

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How dare you downplay her struggle!

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the min wage and 20 year old movie theater employees are not spending time

doing whatever this lady thinks they are doing.

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God was trying to cook her in that theater.

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Are people stupid? In humongous buildings like movie theatres, there are likely separate AC units for each area and possibly each theatre. I dont even want to give her the views.

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These people are in fact that stupid.

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Yes, in general. Double yes in this case.

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right? hell, its not unusual for two story houses in FL (and other parts of the sunbelt, Im assuming) to have separate a/c units for each floor

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Wow.



Ok story: We went to see Tar in October (?) or maybe November (?) whenever it came out. Anyway the cineplex had the heat on. It was cold outside. Individual screening rooms have their own air control because theyre different sizes. (That woman is not bright). A theatre employee was standing outside the entry door to tell everyone that the air conditioning was broken. Like they couldnt change the thermostat. (Some said well why cant you just turn it off lol). But anyway. We nearly froze to death. Same employee was waiting outside the door when movie ended and gave us all a free movie pass.



I guess God works in mysterious ways because we got to see Tar and got a free movie pass whereas this weird lady didnt get to see her Christian-promoted sex trafficking film starring a QAnon MAGA actor which exhibits the irony of the organized churches pushing this film to pretend they arent the largest organized perpetrators of sex abuse in the history of mankind.

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What is with these people? Sometimes shit just happens. Not everything is a fucking conspiracy.

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I read its because they need to feel special so they see conspiracies everywhere and theyre the only one smart enough to spot them, theyre insufferable

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A new scientific paper from GCB Bioenergy has found that bamboo could be the next big thing in biofuels. The authors argue that industrialized agriculture of bamboo for diversion to fuel mixes could be a win-win for the environment, as bamboo is fast-growing, absorbs carbon dioxide, and provides substantial quantities of oxygen to the atmosphere. Various transformative processes including fermentation and pyrolysis could then be used to convert raw bamboo into diverse bioenergy products, with bioethanol and biochar being the primary outputs.

The research is still in its early phases, and lead author Zhiwei Liang, of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science, says that since the chemical composition of bamboo varies across different species, future research efforts should focus on gathering a more extensive collection of quantitative data for selecting species advantageous for minimizing biomass pre-treatment time and cost.

While bamboo would be a nearly inexhaustible source of biomass, there are concerns about the overall viability and logic behind pouring resources into bamboo biofuel research. For one thing, its deja vu all over again. For decades, algal biofuel was touted as the next big thing to save the planet, with much of the same reasoning as you just heard related to bamboo. But after years of research and billions of dollars invested, algal biofuel is dead in the water. In fact, research now suggests that biodiesel from microalgae may actually produce more carbon than petroleum-based diesel due to its highly energy-intensive production process.

Furthermore, lots of environmentalists argue that even when biofuels have an efficient production process, they still arent good for the environment. Since they are combusted like fossil fuels, they create considerable carbon emissions, but they are also considered to be inefficient land hogs. Industrial biomass production such as corn and wood pellet production are drivers of serious environmental harm including deforestation, water pollution, and the creation of toxic dead zones across the country and the Gulf of Mexico thanks to the heavy use of pesticides.

Furthermore, intensive biofuel production elevates food insecurity. Industrial agriculture is already recognized as being environmentally devastating due to its overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and depletion of soil fertility and natural carbon sinks. But when industrial agriculture isnt even being used to grow desperately needed food products, the problems are compounded. It takes about 100 acres worth of biofuels to generate as much energy as a single acre of solar panels; worldwide, a land mass larger than California was used to grow under 4 percent of transportation fuel in 2020, the New York Times reported last month.

Industrializing bamboo production for biofuels would likely be no different. One thing algal biofuels had going for them was that their production doesnt require large areas of land, but clearly that didnt work out either.

Nevertheless, an increasingly big market is opening up for renewable biofuels in the United States thanks to increasing policy support including increased biofuel quotas from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But the jury is still out on whether biofuels are actually good or bad for the environment. While researchers continue to search for improved technologies and new sources for biofuels and government backing continues to grow, a conversation about whether it wouldnt be better to abandon the whole venture is also getting louder.

A new proposed Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) from the EPA includes a notable increase in renewable fuel quotas for the national fuel mix to supplement petroleum-based fossil fuels. Renewable fuel is a catch-all term used by the government to encompass fuel produced from planted crops, planted trees, animal waste and byproducts, and wood debris from non-ecological sensitive areas and not from federal forestland, according to a summation from Grist.

Under the new EPA proposal, renewable fuels would see a 9% uptick (about 2 billion gallons more than current quantities) by the end of 2025. All told, the EPA is targeting the inclusion of over 22 billion gallons of different renewable fuel sources in the national energy mix by 2025. 15 billion of those gallons would come from corn-based ethanol alone. Corn ethanol is a first-generation biofuel, which means that it provides few emissions benefits and competes with food crops. However, the corn lobby is extremely powerful in the United States, and theyre big fans of increased biofuel mandates.

Relying on dirty fuels like factory farm gas and ethanol to clean up our transportation sector will only dig a deeper hole, Tarah Heinzen, legal director for the non-profit environmental watchdog group Food & Water Watch recently told Grist. The EPA should recognize this by reducing, not increasing, the volume requirements for these dirty sources of energy in the Renewable Fuel Standard.

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Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, attends a senior party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 6. Yonhap



The leader of Korea's ruling People Power Party is set to make a weeklong trip to the United States for meetings with U.S. officials and lawmakers, his spokesperson said Sunday.



Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon plans to lead a delegation of party members to visit Washington, New York and Los Angeles from July 10-16, according to PPP spokesperson Kang Min-kuk.



Kim is scheduled to meet National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell, Department of State officials and members of Congress to discuss ways to forge closer bilateral ties, Kang said.



He also plans to meet Korean residents and entrepreneurs, as well as U.S. think tank experts on the Korean Peninsula during the trip, he added. (Yonhap)


Governments and private companies worldwide are looking at innovative new ways to generate renewable energy and support a green transition. Thanks to stronger climate policies in several countries, and a significant boost in public and private funding in recent years, several breakthroughs have been seen in the world of renewables. This includes both the variety of clean energy sources we have access to, new green technologies, and greater knowledge about the potential to tap into previously unthought-of energy sources. One such option is volcanoes, which scientists are suggesting could be a major source of both geothermal energy and the provision of metals needed for a global green transition.

As we make a collective shift away from fossil fuels to green alternatives in a bid to reduce the worlds greenhouse gas emissions and slow the effects of climate change, one big concern is the growing need for metals to support this move. The demand for metals, such as copper, nickel, and zinc, is increasing as greater amounts are required for new renewable energy operations, with cobalt production expected to grow sixfold and silver by half as much again by 2050. But to meet this demand, mining activities worldwide will need to increase exponentially, potentially posing a new threat to the environment, just as we move away from fossil fuels. In response to this threat, energy experts and scientists have been hurriedly researching other ways to access these metals.

One way in which researchers now believe they may be able to get these metals without new mining operations is in the magma from volcanoes. In May, Olivia Hogg and Jon Blundy wrote in Geoscientist about the potential of harnessing the power of volcanoes, rather than looking at potentially damaging alternatives such as deep-sea mining. The magma found in volcanoes is extremely rich in metals. In fact, active volcanoes such as Mount Etna in Italy release around 20 tonnes of copper and 10 kg of gold a day in the form of volcanic gases. While metals cannot be extracted from volcanic gas, it may be possible to mine them from hot magmatic brines in the volcano.

The metals found in these brines are highly concentrated. And with around 2,000 volcanoes worldwide, this could provide a huge source of important metals. Both active and dormant volcanoes may be suitable for metal extraction. The mining of metals is already linked to magma, but typically that which is found in the Earths crust and mantle. It may be possible to directly mine brings from hot magmatic rocks, such as those under dormant volcanoes, which would allow metals to be extracted from a concentrated solution rather than solid rock. In addition, Hogg and Blundy believe the hot fluids found in volcanoes could be used to produce geothermal power to make the metal extraction process carbon neutral, meaning there would potentially no longer be a need for the energy-intensive processes associated with typical mining operations.

While there is abundant geothermal energy hidden inside the earth, accessing it has not always been so easy. The tools needed to access and extract this energy effectively did not exist in the past, meaning that there has been significant underinvestment in geothermal technologies in previous decades as it was thought of as a lost cause. However, as governments push a green transition and support research and innovation into a diverse range of green energy sources, we are gradually gaining a better understanding of geothermal energy and how we might harness its power.

Geothermal energy typically comes from underground, produced by converting heat energy from underneath the Earths crust. Energy is accessed by digging one-mile-deep wells to reach underground reservoirs to access steam and hot water, which can turn turbines connected to electricity generators. New technologies have enabled several countries to tap into their geothermal resources in recent years, including Iceland, El Salvador, New Zealand, Kenya, and the Philippines. In fact, geothermal energy meets more than 90 percent of Icelands heating demand.

But now, scientists are suggesting that volcanoes may be an abundant source of geothermal energy. Researchers from the Geological Survey of Canada have been investigating whether it is possible to access geothermal energy from Mount Meager and Mount Cayley. So far, their research suggests that there is a high potential for extracting geothermal energy from volcanoes in Canada, especially Mount Meager. As it continues to release volcanic gasses, it shows that the volcano remains fairly active. Both volcanoes at on top of extremely hot underground reservoirs that could be used to generate electricity. But to access this geothermal energy, hot liquid would need to be pumped into facilities nearby, requiring drilling to release steam from the reservoir. This steam could power a turbine, in the same way as conventional geothermal energy production. However, just as with accessing geothermal energy from underground, significant investment in research and exploration may be required to harness this power.

As more funding is pumped into research and innovation in a broad green energy mix and related technologies, scientists and energy experts are increasingly seeing the potential of previously overlooked energy sources. It is probable that countries could access both the metals needed to support renewable energy projects and geothermal energy from their dormant volcanoes. But putting this into practice will require much more research and understanding of the geology, as well as investment in the equipment needed to launch these operations.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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Actor Geena Davis will be the keynote speaker at the Womens Fund of Omahas annual celebration, Lead the Change, on Oct. 12.

Davis is also an author and founder and chair of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

A powerful advocate for women and girls and a feminist icon from her dynamic onscreen portrayals of strong characters, Geena Davis has been integral in using data to advance gender equity in media representation for decades, said Jo Giles, Womens Fund executive director. Her past experiences of staying small to keep others comfortable are relatable and her work to change the narrative is admirable. We are excited to learn from Geena Davis efforts and look forward to being inspired by her tenacity for change.

Davis, a two-time Academy Award winner, is one of Hollywoods most respected actors, appearing in several roles that became cultural landmarks, such as Muriel Pritchett in The Accidental Tourist, Thelma in Thelma & Louise, and Dottie Hinson in A League of Their Own.

She is also a world-class athlete (at one time the nations 13th-ranked archer), a member of the genius society Mensa, and the author of a new memoir, Dying of Politeness, published by HarperOne. The book explores her life, rise to fame and journey from crippling politeness to full on feminist icon status.

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media engages film and television creators to dramatically increase the percentage of female characters and reduce gender stereotyping in media made for children.

In addition to hearing from Davis, the Womens Fund will recognize local nonprofits and leaders working to advance gender equity, share an update on the groups impact in the community and award grants to programs that make a positive impact on the lives of those who experience gender-based oppression.

Sponsorship opportunities and event tickets are available at OmahaWomensFund.org/Lead-The-Change.

100 trees planted in the Sacred Heart neighborhoodCommunity volunteers planted 100 trees in the Sacred Heart Church neighborhood along Locust, Binney and Wirt Streets last month.

In partnership with the Claire M. Hubbard Foundation, the Arbor Day Foundation and Habitat for Humanity, the Urban Bird & Nature Alliance was able to direct the project forward to continue the organizations mission.

Its an effort to beautify the neighborhood, provide shade and cool temperatures, save energy and improve air quality in a region of the city that holds historic stately homes and Habitat for Humanity homes.

The area holds many heat islands where temperatures are 20 degrees hotter due to the concrete vs. green ratio.

Volunteers planted around large parking lots, apartments where children live and the Sacred Heart Elementary School, where the city had taken down many ash trees due to emerald ash borer.

Residents have been welcoming and excited to receive trees to shade and flower their homes. Many have asked for several trees, said Diana Failla, executive director of The Urban Bird & Nature Alliance.

This was the third large planting of trees in North Omaha this year. The organization with volunteers planted along Minne Lusa Boulevard and then along Emmet, Pinkney and Evans Streets in May.

Job and housing fair is planned for Sept. 2

Freedomtainment is presenting the Level Up job and housing fair on Sept. 2 at Gene Leahy Mall.

Job opportunities, housing information, re-entry assistance, food, haircuts and family-friendly activities will be available at the event, which is hosted by Scott Pathway director Racquel Henderson and Omaha Skills Connection director Michella Blankman.

For more information, email freedomtainment@gmail.com or call 531-772-0842.

Former CSM president receives new title

Dr. Maryanne Stevens received a new title upon her retirement June 30 as president of College of St. Mary.

During a retirement celebration, Stevens was awarded the status of president emerita. The designation is reserved to honor a president who has provided outstanding and distinguished service to CSM, including going beyond the normal duties and responsibilities, leading to an extraordinary impact on the University and the broader community. The president must have served at least 10 years.

It is my honor and privilege to announce that, during the May meeting, the College of St. Mary Board of Directors unanimously voted to designate the status of president emerita to Dr. Maryanne Stevens, board member Steve Eulie said.

Heather A. Smith assumed the role of CSMs eighth president on July 1. With her new title, Smith can call on Stevens to provide counsel or serve in various volunteer roles to support the university.

Stevens began her presidency on June 1, 1996. Under her leadership, CSM has developed several innovative programs, specifically, a residence hall allowing single mothers to live with their children on campus; Marie Curie scholarships for low-income women majoring in math or science; the Summer Academies for high school girls; graduate programs in education, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy, kinesiology and exercise science, and organizational leadership, as well as a unique doctoral program in physical therapy.

Mathiasen again appointed to landmark commission

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has recently reappointed Jerry Mathiasen of Council Bluffs to the Terrace Hill Commission. Terrace Hill is a designated National Historic Landmark in Des Moines, where it serves as the residence for Iowa governors. The commission oversees the management and preservation of the historic site.

Terrace Hills architect was William Boyington of Chicago, who also in the late 1860s was the architect for the Historic General Dodge House in Council Bluffs.

This will be Mathiasens fifth three-year term on the nine-member State of Iowa commission.

Its humbling that Gov. Reynolds reappointed me to help manage this state and national treasure, Mathiasen said. Especially, with the connection to the local Dodge House, too.

Mathiasen has a connection to Terrace Hill, as well. Prior to his retirement from many years as a charitable foundation executive in Council Bluffs, he was deputy chief of staff for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

For more information go to TerraceHill.iowa.gov and dodgehouse.org.

United Way welcomes new board members

United Way of the Midlands has added seven community leaders to its board of directors.

The newcomers are: Anna Cramer, chief legal officer, Nebraska Medicine; Josh Dixon, group president, irrigation, Valmont Industries; Sal Issaka, director of resident initiatives and public housing engagement, Omaha Housing Authority; Ty Kreitman, emerging leaders board liaison, assistant economist, Federal Reserve Bank; Dr. Andrew Rikli, superintendent, Papillion-La Vista Community Schools; Tracy Schaefer, senior vice president and chief information officer, Conagra Brands; and Gretchen Twohig, chief legal officer and corporate secretary, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska.

With their diverse backgrounds and expertise, the seven individuals will help guide the work of UWM, ensuring it is investing dollars wisely in nonprofit programs and direct services that are addressing social and economic disparities and meeting community members essential needs.

UWM also recognizes the contributions of its outgoing board members: Susan Courtney, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska; Gail DeBoer, Cobalt Credit Union; Jamie Gutierrez, Midwest Maintenance Companies Inc.; Jessica Heidebrecht, Metropolitan Utilities District; and Steve Kaniewski, Valmont Industries.
HAVANA  Elian Gonzalez has the same big, expressive eyes he did 23 years ago when an international custody battle transformed him into the face of the long-strained relations between Cuba and the United States.

Now 29, Gonzalez is stepping into Cuban politics. He recently entered his country's congress with hopes of helping his people at a time of record emigration and heightened tension between the two seaside neighbors.

"From Cuba, we can do a lot so that we have a more solid country, and I owe it to Cubans," he said during an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. "That is what I'm going to try to do from my position, from this place in congress  to contribute to making Cuba a better country."

Gonzalez has given only a handful of interviews since he was unwittingly thrust into the geopolitical spotlight as a boy. In 1999, at just 5 years old, he and his mother were aboard a boat of Cuban migrants headed toward Florida when the boat capsized in the Florida Straits. His mother and 10 others died, while Gonzalez, tied to an inner tube, drifted in open water until his rescue.

Granted asylum under U.S. refugee rules at the time, Gonzalez went to live with his great-uncle, a member of the Cuban exile community in Miami that is often a center of fierce criticism of Cuba's government. In Cuba, his father begged then-President Fidel Castro for help. Castro led protests with hundreds of thousands of people demanding little Elian's return. Anti-Castro groups in Miami pressed for him to stay in the U.S.

The tug-of-war quickly gained the world's attention and became emblematic for the testy feelings between the two neighboring nations. Then-U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno ruled the boy should be returned to his father, but Gonzalez's relatives refused. AP photojournalist Alan Diaz captured the moment when armed immigration agents seized Gonzalez in a Miami home, and the photo later won a Pulitzer Prize.

"Not having my mom has been difficult, it has been a burden, but it has not been an obstacle when I have had a father who has stood up for me and been by my side," Gonzalez said.

He is a father him self now, of a 2-year-old daughter. He works for a state company that facilitates tourism to the island nation that his mother left, underscoring the alternate track his life has followed since his homecoming.

What's more, he recently became a lawmaker.

In April, Gonzalez was sworn in as a member of Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power, effectively Cuba's congress. He represents Cardenas, a town in Matanzas province about 80 miles east of Havana where he lived until his mother took him to sea. He still lives in the province.

Dressed in black pants and T-shirt, with a discreet braided bracelet on his right hand and his wedding ring on his left, Gonzalez was interviewed in Havana's Capitol, the renovated seat of congress.

"I think the most important thing is that I have grown up like other young people. I have grown up in Cuba," he said.

For years, his father made it nearly impossible to get close to the child. From afar, the boy could sometimes be seen playing with other children or accompanying his father to political events. Castro would visit him on his birthday.

Over the years, Gonzalez was a military cadet and later became an industrial engineer. Because Cuba's congressional positions are unpaid, he will continue to work his tourism job.

The legislative body has faced criticism for lacking opposition voices and for carrying out the agenda set by the country's leadership.

Gonzalez's legislative term comes amid historic emigration from the crisis-stricken Caribbean island, as many young Cubans seek a new life in the U.S.  just as his mother did.

It also comes at a moment of heightened tensions between the two nations. There have been allegations that Cuba hosted a Chinese spy base, which Cuba adamantly denies. Meanwhile, Cuba claims Biden has yet to ease tough policies enacted by former U.S. President Donald Trump that target the island, while the U.S. points to resumption of some flights and sending of remittances.

Amid a deepening political and energy crisis in Cuba, Gonzalez cast blame on decades of American sanctions stifling the island's economy as the root of many of Cuba's problems, echoing many in the government. He said he believes in Cuba's model of providing free access to education and health services among other things, but acknowledged there is a long way to go for that to be perfected.

Despite harsh prison sentences doled out by Cuban courts, punishments defended by the communist government, Gonzalez said his people have the right to demonstrate. But he added that the causes of current crises should be analyzed before condemning the state.

He also had kind words for the hundreds of thousands of Cubans who, like his mother, chose to emigrate.

"I respect all those who made the decision to leave Cuba, I respect those who do so today, just as I do my mom," he said. "My message will always be that (those who leave) do all they can to ensure that Cuba has a status (without sanctions) equal to any country in the world."
UNITED NATIONS  At the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, the aging men known by their serial numbers arrived at the meeting shackled. Every single one told the visitor  for many the first independent person they had talked to in 20 years  "You came too late."

But they still talked, about the scant contacts with their families, their many health problems, the psychological and physical scars of the torture and abuse they experienced, and their hopes of leaving and reuniting with loved ones.

For the first time since the facility in Cuba opened in 2002, a U.S. president allowed a United Nations independent investigator, Fionnuala Ni Aolain, to visit.

She told The Associated Press that it's true she came too late, because 780 Muslim men were detained there following the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed almost 3,000 people, and today there are just 30 remaining.

The United Nations tried for many years to send an independent investigator but was turned down by the administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Ni Aolain praised President Joe Biden's administration for allowing "critical voices" into the facility. She expressed hope that other governments that barred U.N. special investigators will follow Biden's example.

The Belfast-born law professor said she believes the cross-section of "high-value" and "nonhigh value" detainees she met with  the Biden administration gave her free rein to talk to anyone  "recognized the importance of sitting in a room with me."

"But I think there was a shared understanding that at this point, with only 30 of them left, while I can make recommendations and they will hopefully substantially change the day-to-day experience of these men, the vast majority of their lives was lived in a context where people like myself and the U.N. had no influence," she said.

Ni Aolain, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and at Queens University in Belfast, said she visited many high-security prisons during her six years as a U.N. human rights investigator, including some built for those convicted of terrorism and related serious offenses.

But "there is really no population on Earth like this population that came to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the circumstances in which they came, rendered across borders," she said.

In her report issued June 26, Ni Aolain said even though the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, were "crimes against humanity," the treatment of the detainees at Guantanamo was unjustified. The vast majority were brought there without cause and had no relationship to the terrorist attacks, she wrote, adding that all of the men still alive suffer from psychological and physical trauma.

The Biden administration said in a statement attached to the report that Ni Aolain's findings "are solely her own" and "the United States disagrees in significant respects with many factual and legal assertions," but it will carefully review her recommendations.

In last week's interview with the AP, Ni Aolain talked about what she saw on a personal level.

She said all U.S. personnel are required to address detainees by their internment serial number, not their name, which she called "dehumanizing."

Ni Aolain said she is especially concerned about three detainees who have not been charged and "live in a complete legal limbo," which is "completely inconsistent with international law."

Of the others, 16 have been cleared to leave but haven't found a country willing to take them, and 11 still have cases pending before U.S. military commissions.

When the detainees were brought to meet her, they were shackled, which she said is not standard procedure even for those convicted of terrorism. Under international law, she said, people cannot be shackled except for imperative security reasons, and in her view at Guantanamo, it should be prohibited and used only as a last resort in exceptional circumstances.

"You're dealing with an elderly vulnerable population who are incarcerated," Ni Aolain said.

"These men, because they are torture victim survivors, they have difficulties concentrating, they have challenges with recurrent memory, somatic pain. Many of them struggle with mobility and other issues," including permanent disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain and gastrointestinal and urinary problems, she said.

Ni Aolain said force feeding has been an ongoing practice in response to their hunger strikes, which along with suicidal ideas and self-harm "speak to the core finding of this report  which is the deep and profound despair of individuals who've been held without trial for 20 years, have not seen their family members, have had no access to the outside world" except their lawyers until she visited in February for four days.

Practices like using restraints cause added psychological distress for many of the detainees, she said.

For the report, Ni Aolain also interviewed victims, survivors and families of those killed on 9/11, and she met with some of the 741 men who already were released from Guantanamo, including approximately 150 resettled in 29 countries. The rest returned home, and 30 men have since died.
LINCOLN  In a trip aimed at growing the state's trade opportunities abroad, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen will lead a delegation to Vietnam on Sunday for a weeklong visit to the Southeast Asian country, the Governor's Office announced Friday.

Pillen's delegation  which includes Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Sherry Vinton and University of Nebraska at Omaha Chancellor Joanne Li  will make multiple stops throughout the country in a visit that Pillen's office called a trade mission.

The governor's visit will include meetings with Vietnamese trade officials, a trip to a large grocery/distribution center, product demonstrations and a stop at the Vietnam University of Agriculture, Pillen's office said in a press release.

"Vietnam is an important and growing export market for Nebraska processed feed like corn gluten, soybean meal and distillers grains," Pillen said in the press release, pointing to the country's consumption of dairy products, eggs, beans and beef from Nebraska.

The state's exports to Vietnam from Nebraska exceeded $946 million in 2021, according to the press release.

"I'm excited to have Vietnam as my first trade mission," Pillen said. "Southeast Asia is an important market for Nebraska, and we are primed and ready to meet demands for ag goods."

Pillen's delegation also will include ag-related business, academic and government representatives from across Nebraska. The governor said the trip will mark "another step in strengthening" the state's bond with Vietnam, which has been the destination for "many positive visits and exchanges" over the years.

In January, a group of Nebraska business leaders and representatives from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development visited the country to discuss both business and educational opportunities.
Correction Matthew Briggs, 41, a suspect in an Omaha homicide who was shot and killed by police after a chase Saturday, had his first name and age incorrectly identified in an earlier version of this story.

An early-morning homicide in Omahas Regency neighborhood led to a manhunt, an armed carjacking in Bellevue and a high-speed chase before the alleged culprit was shot and killed later Saturday by police officers in Council Bluffs.

This was a very volatile situation, said Omaha Police Capt. Jeremy Christensen.

Matthew Briggs, 41, was wanted as a person of interest in the killing of Steven Greg Donsbach on Saturday morning and in a related domestic assault report from a separate location, authorities said. According to court documents, Briggs had previously been convicted of felony theft in 2010 and 2012.

The days events began about 5:40 a.m. with a report of a domestic assault at a residence in southwest Omaha, Christensen said. As a result of that investigation, he said, police went to check on the well-being of a resident at 9927 Essex Drive in Regency.

Donsbach, 52, was found shot dead inside the Regency home that he had owned for the past decade. There were signs of forced entry, according to Christensen, and preliminary investigation suggests that Donsbach was the only person in the home at the time of the killing.

Christensen said police are still investigating what relationship, if any, existed between Donsbach and Briggs.

A car reportedly belonging to Briggs, a red 2005 Buick Century sedan, was seen on a security camera in Regency and was discovered Saturday afternoon at Mandan Park in southeast Omaha.

About 3:30 p.m., a blue Toyota Camry was carjacked just south of Mandan Park in Sarpy county. Christensen said he believes Briggs used a firearm in taking the vehicle.

Law enforcement responded to the incident and eventually chased the Camry across the Missouri River into Iowa. Council Bluffs police became involved in the chase, as did the Omaha police helicopter, and the chase ended when the Camry crashed near College Road and Valley View Drive on the east end of the city near Iowa Western Community College.

Two officers -- one from Omaha and one from Council Bluffs -- shot at Briggs multiple times. Omaha police could not say how many shots were fired, nor did they identify the officers who shot him. Briggs was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he was pronounced dead.

Christensen expressed gratitude to the other jurisdictions that helped respond to Saturdays events, including Council Bluffs police, Iowa state troopers and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Everybody involved has done a phenomenal job, he said.

The Iowa DCI will investigate the shooting, and DCI's findings will be reviewed by the Pottawattamie County Attorney's Office. Both officers are on paid administrative leave in accordance with their departments' policies.
Diners wont have to watch much longer to check out Papillions newest Tex-Mex eatery.

On The Border has a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Tuesday, July 18, at 4 p.m. with the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce.

The chain of casual Tex-Mex restaurants will make its Nebraska debut at 8810 S. 71st Plaza, the former home of Pizza Ranch before it left Sarpy County in November 2021.

Were incredibly lucky to be partnering with On The Border to help launch the brand in Nebraska, Amy Morrison, the franchisee along with Bryant Morrison, said in a March news release.

The Morrisons already have a location in South Dakota thats been successful. They plan to open two more locations over the next few years.

Were eager to expand with the brand and bring its iconic Tex-Mex offerings to new guests, Amy Morrison said.

Amy and Bryant are excellent partners to work with, and were so fortunate to have them as part of the team, said

Tim Ward, CEO of On The Border, said the Morrisons are excellent partners to expand into Nebraska for the first time.

I trust that with their experience, were going to see a lot of success in Lincoln and Omaha and the surrounding communities, Ward said.

On The Border describes itself as the worlds largest Mexican casual dining brand. Its menu features margaritas and mesquite wood flavor grilled dishes.
BLACK HILLS ENERGY ANNOUNCES STATE LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS Kevin Jarosz Quintin Gaddis Kevin Jarosz is now the vice president of operations in Iowa and Nebraska and Quintin Gaddis is now the general manager for Nebraska. "These changes position the company with highly skilled, tenured and energized leaders committed to serving the needs of our customers and communities while driving operational efficiencies and growth within our expansive eight-state service territory," said Marne Jones, Black Hills Energy's senior vice president of utilities. With 35 years of gas operations experience, Jarosz most recently served as the vice president of operations for Nebraska. He is an advocate for community service and economic development, serving on numerous boards including Sarpy County Economic Development, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and Partnership for Economic Development, The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, the LaVista Community Foundation and Black Hills Corporation Foundation. Gaddis joined Black Hills Energy in 2022, he previously held several leadership positions at Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp and Dayton Power and Light Company. He has served in the United States Air Force and earned an M.B.A. from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, a B.S. from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Gaddis will build on the utility's commitment to supporting our communities as a volunteer at Bryan Health, the Lincoln Food Bank home delivery program and United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County. Black Hills Energy serves for more than 300,000 natural gas customers in 319 Nebraska communities. In 2022, the utility had a $119 million economic impact in Nebraska and was recently recognized by the Nebraska Chapter of the National Safety Council with a Nebraska's Safest Company award.
A 22-year-old Iowa man died early Sunday after the motorcycle he was riding rear-ended a motorcycle driven by his brother on a South Omaha street.

The collision occurred just before 1 a.m. at Missouri Avenue and L Street, an Omaha police spokesman said. Riley Denisse of Neola, Iowa, was eastbound on L Street on a 2005 Harley-Davidson motorcycle that struck the rear of a 2007 Harley-Davidson driven by Austin Denisse, 25, of La Vista.

Investigators said the force of the collision caused Riley Denisses motorcycle to go over a curb and flip over a guardrail. Austin Denisse lost control of his motorcycle and went into a slide.

The brothers were taken to an Omaha hospital, where Riley Denisse died. Austin Denisse suffered a broken leg that is not considered life-threatening.

The crash remains under investigation.
An early-morning homicide in Omahas Regency neighborhood led to a manhunt, an armed carjacking and a high-speed chase before the alleged culprit was shot and killed later Saturday by police officers in Council Bluffs.

This was a very volatile situation, said Omaha Police Capt. Jeremy Christensen.

Matthew Briggs, 41, was wanted as a person of interest in the killing of Steven Greg Donsbach on Saturday morning and in a related domestic assault report from a separate location, authorities said. According to court documents, Briggs had previously been convicted of felony theft in 2010 and 2012.

The days events began about 5:40 a.m. with a report of a domestic assault at a residence in southwest Omaha, Christensen said. As a result of that investigation, he said, police went to check on the well-being of a resident at 9927 Essex Drive in Regency.

Donsbach, 52, was found shot dead inside the Regency home that he had owned for the past decade. There were signs of forced entry, according to Christensen, and preliminary investigation suggests that Donsbach was the only person in the home at the time of the killing.

Christensen said police are still investigating what relationship, if any, existed between Donsbach and Briggs.

A car reportedly belonging to Briggs, a red 2005 Buick Century sedan, was seen on a security camera in Regency and was discovered Saturday afternoon at Mandan Park in southeast Omaha.

About 3:30 p.m., a blue Toyota Camry was carjacked just south of Mandan Park. Christensen said he believes Briggs used a firearm in taking the vehicle.

Law enforcement responded to the incident and eventually chased the Camry across the Missouri River into Iowa. Council Bluffs police became involved in the chase, which ended when the Camry crashed near College Road and Valley View Drive on the east end of the city, near Iowa Western Community College.

Two officers shot at Briggs multiple times. Omaha police could not say how many shots were fired. Nor did they identify the officers who shot him. Briggs was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Christensen expressed gratitude to the other jurisdictions that helped respond to Saturdays events, including Council Bluffs police, Iowa state troopers and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Everybody involved has done a phenomenal job, he said.

The Iowa DCI will investigate the shooting.


Ensure economic security amid G2 tech war



The tech battle between the U.S. and China has entered the second round, with China striking back.



On July 3, China said it will impose export controls next month on gallium and germanium, two metals used in high-end semiconductors. Beijing took out a sword of resource control to fight against Washington's tech control.



The move came days before U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Beijing to discuss economic issues. China wanted to gain the upper hand using resource exports as leverage.



Both countries cite "national security" to justify their protectionist moves. However, the rest of the world knows that the G2 nations intend to pursue global economic hegemony. Countries go all out to protect their economic security and maximize national interests. In this post-globalization world split into democratic and authoritarian blocs, both sides show signs of crossing over to the other camp.



A notable exception is Korea.



The industry ministry said China's planned export restriction on the two metals essential for chips, solar panels and electric vehicles would have a limited impact on Korea in the near term. However, it will be hit hardest if the control prolongs and expands to other metals, including rare earth elements. Korea relies on imports for 95 percent of its mineral demand. Regrettably, many of these come from China.



Most Koreans remember China's trade retaliation in 2016 against Korea's deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. Beijing still maintains its ban on some Korean products, as well as Korean dramas and entertainers. In 2021, Korean farmers and truckers also experienced a severe "supply crisis" of urea solution, as China stopped its export for domestic reasons. Korea's dependency rate on China for this particular product reached 97 percent.



Yellen expressed concerns during her stay in Beijing about China's metal export control. She then reiterated Washington's position to "cooperate with allies" to resolve Beijing's "unfair economic practices."



It may be just a statement of principle, but reminds one of another remark. After Beijing banned semiconductor purchases from Micron in May, a U.S. lawmaker told Korean firms not to "backfill" the void. Overinterpretation may not be desirable. However, if Yellen's comment means allies should not seek independent solutions with Beijing, that narrows Seoul's room to move.



Regarding metals and other natural resources, Korea is right to try diversifying import sources to reduce undue dependency on its resource-rich neighbor.



Its move to resume "resource diplomacy" with partners as far away as Africa and Latin America is also commendable. However, it must never repeat the fiasco of the Lee Myung-bak administration more than a decade ago, which wasted nearly 40 trillion won ($30 billion) due to ill-prepared, nepotistic projects. Such concerns are not unwarranted, not least because the Yoon Suk Yeol government seems set to follow its conservative predecessor, from policy to personnel.



Seoul must find more effective and immediate remedies through direct bargaining with Beijing in metals and other economic issues. President Yoon's stance not to yield to China's arrogant pressure is right. However, Seoul can  and should  negotiate with Beijing on an equal footing for national interests. Economy and security are not two things but one.



Korea's peculiar geographic position does not seem to leave much room for independent maneuvering in economic diplomacy. Some Western media outlets also criticized Korea for saying one thing and doing another. They cited Seoul's reluctance to provide munitions for Ukraine or join the U.S.-led "chip alliance," as Japan, Taiwan and the Netherlands did.



However, East Asia is not Europe, and Korea differs even from Japan and Taiwan. Korea must, of course, belong to the democratic bloc but maintain contact with China and Russia for its economy and discuss matters with them concerning North Korea.



Since taking office 14 months ago, President Yoon has focused on cementing ties with the U.S. and Japan, prioritizing the values of freedom and democracy.



However, no countries or governments have sacrificed their national interest for their values. Korea must not be the first one to do so.








Historically Black Colleges and Universities are gearing up for an increase in applicants following a U.S. Supreme Court decision barring schools from using race as a factor in admissions.

While the ruling says schools can consider an applicants individual life experience  which may pertain to race  the change could lead to fewer Black students at the countrys most-selective universities as hundreds of schools revamp their admissions policies.

There is a likelihood of a shift in underrepresented students looking to go where they feel welcome, said Emily Wadhwani, a senior director at Fitch Ratings Inc.

But any influx of applicants at historically Black institutions could be problematic for a cohort that is already underfunded and short on resources. Even before the courts decision, HBCUs, which were founded to educate Black people but are now open to all races, started to see heightened interest resulting from George Floyds murder by Minneapolis police in May 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement.

For many HBCUs like Spelman, applications have been increasing, said Helene Gayle, president of the historically Black womens college in Atlanta. So we expect that trend will probably accelerate as a result of this decision.

The total number of applicants at 35 HBCUs more than doubled in the past 20 years, rising to nearly 233,500 in 2021, according to National Center for Education Statistics data.

As schools receive more applications, some have expanded their student bodies. With more than 9,000 students, Morgan State University saw record enrollment in fall 2022. The Baltimore, Maryland, school is expecting that demand to continue. For this fall, Morgan State received about 25,000 applications.

Similarly, Morehouse College in Atlanta, which has about 2,200 students enrolled, is anticipating a 50% to 100% increase in applicants over the next three years.

In the current frame of resources that we have available to us, we could not absorb that kind of increase and continue to provide the quality of education that Morehouse guarantees its applicants unless we had a significant infusion of resources from a combination of philanthropist, corporations and the government, Morehouse President David Thomas said.

Morgan State President David Wilson advocates for more federal funding to be allocated to HBCUs as those institutions become the models of diversity in American higher education.

The record $2.7 billion of federal funds that the American Rescue Plan Act injected into HBCUs during the pandemic was a rare investment. Less than 1% of federal research and development grants are awarded to HBCUs, the Brookings Institution recently wrote.

South Carolina State University, which saw nearly 15,000 in applications for the upcoming school year, has asked the state for about $200 million to help with campus improvements. So far this year it has received nearly $55 million.

The Supreme Court decision is a call to action to invest in HBCUs, Howard Universitys Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tashni-Ann Dubroy said.

Although HBCUs represent a small portion of higher education institutions, they produce 70% of all Black doctors and dentists, 50% of Black engineers and 35% of Black lawyers, according to United Negro College Fund.

While the recent calls for racial justice and equality has spurred philanthropic organizations and the nations wealthiest to invest in historically Black institutions in the past couple of years, donations have started to drop off.

We have not received another eight-figure gift since MacKenzie Scotts $20 million, Thomas said in an email. I am optimistic the decision will lead donors to make greater investment in Morehouse College and other HBCUs. That said, the jury is still out.

According to a recent Brookings report, the 10 largest HBCU endowments were 100 times smaller than the 10 largest endowments for predominantly White institutions.

Howard would need 10, 15, 20 times the investment we currently have not only for us to have a stable institution over time but also to invest in additional facilities, Dubroy said. Howard has an endowment of $900 million as of 2022, compared to Harvard Universitys $50 billion, she added.

Spelman Colleges endowment is at about a half-billion.

If I compare that to some of our peer womens liberal arts colleges, their endowments are three, four, even six times as large as ours, said Gayle, adding that with the anticipated increase in enrollment doubling our endowment over time would be just the bare minimum to be able to keep pace with the need.

Biggest HBCUs in America #20. Hampton University #19. Virginia State University #18. Delaware State University #17. Winston-Salem State University #16. Grambling State University #15. Norfolk State University #14. Albany State University #12. Alabama A&M University #11. Fayetteville State University #10. Jackson State University #9. Southern University and A&M College #8. Morgan State University #7. North Carolina Central University #6. Tennessee State University #5. Prairie View A&M University #4. Texas Southern University #3. Howard University #2. Florida A&M University #1. North Carolina A&T State University
Shirley Bloxom cant forget the pride-swallowing shame she felt asking friends and church members for financial help.

After surgery left her husband partially paralyzed, he needed to use disposable underwear at least three times a day, said Bloxom, 72. Living on a fixed income, the couple couldnt afford them.

Bloxoms husband is among the estimated 2.5 million older Floridians who use incontinence products, like pads and adult diapers, daily. But with over a tenth of the Sunshine States seniors living in poverty, many struggle to pay for the supplies they need.

This year, Florida joined a growing number of states that are banning sales taxes on diapers to make them more affordable for older adults and families with young children. Florida is one of the United States top three destination states for retirees, with about 21% of its residents age 65 or older.

So it affects more people in Florida than it does in other places, said state Sen. Jay Trumbull, a Republican.

Fifteen other states, including California, Louisiana, and Minnesota, as well as the District of Columbia, have permanently eliminated the diaper tax, according to the National Diaper Bank Network. Five others do not have sales taxes in general.

Exemptions can vary widely. Some states ban taxes on diapers but no other incontinence products; others exempt taxes only on diapers purchased with a doctors prescription. Floridas effort is particularly comprehensive  eliminating sales taxes on both baby diapers and adult incontinence supplies.

Eliminating taxes on the products could save an adult who uses four or five diapers a day about $18 a month, according to a clinic analysis.

Though diapers, including for babies, are essential for many, they are not covered by food stamps. Nor are incontinence products for older adults typically covered by Medicare.

The cost can easily add up on a fixed income.

The Bloxoms receive $2,500 a month through Social Security. With medical copays, groceries, and mortgage payments, the money dries up quickly, Shirley Bloxom said.

Bloxom, who lives in Tallahassee, said she knows too many friends who have sat in unchanged incontinence products, stretching their luck and resources thin because money was tight.

This stuff does not come cheap, she said. I can understand why some people let their loved ones sit there in that kind of condition. Because they dont have the money.

Karla Munoz, a manager of aging services for Floridas Hillsborough County, said the regions older adults can spend about $100 a month on incontinence products. About half of the low-income seniors served by the county rely on these supplies, she said.

Lacking clean diapers can have a social cost. Seniors may avoid activities with grandchildren or friends, putting them at risk of isolation, which is linked to poorer health outcomes.

Sometimes, theyll have a tendency to use them a little bit longer, and that poses health risks, Munoz said. They could develop bedsores, and now youre talking about hospitalizations.

Eliminating sales taxes has long been considered a way to make essential items more affordable. Many states, including Florida, have removed taxes on period products, for example.

For the past year, the Sunshine State has had a temporary pause on taxing diapers for infants, through a relief package Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last May. But the one-year ban did not apply to products for older adults.

I just didnt think it was fair to ignore one over the other  especially knowing many seniors are on a fixed income, said state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, who has proposed bills in the past three legislative sessions that would ban taxes on all incontinence products. Every penny does count.

This years tax bill, which sailed through the Florida Legislature owing to a bipartisan push, made the diaper tax ban permanent  and extended it to senior incontinence products.

The relief package provides a sales tax exemption for diapers, incontinence undergarments, pads, and liners. DeSantis signed it into law on May 25.

The Sunshine State joined Iowa, Virginia, and North Dakota in permanently banning sales taxes on diapers this year.

The Bloxoms were eventually connected to Elder Care Services, a local nonprofit that provides support to low-income seniors in northeastern Florida. Because of the program, they no longer pay for diapers.

It has been a lifesaver, Shirley Bloxom said.

Healthiest states for seniors Which states are the most and least healthy for senior populations? #50. Mississippi #49. Louisiana #48. Kentucky #47. West Virginia #46. Oklahoma #45. Alabama #44. Arkansas #43. Nevada #42. Missouri #41. New Mexico #40. Georgia #39. Tennessee #38. Texas #37. Ohio #36. South Carolina #35. Indiana #34. North Carolina #33. Illinois #32. New York #31. Michigan #30. Pennsylvania #29. New Jersey #28. Florida #27. Kansas #26. California #25. Wyoming #24. Alaska #23. Arizona #22. North Dakota #21. Iowa #20. Montana #19. Delaware #18. Rhode Island #17. South Dakota #16. Virginia #15. Idaho #14. Wisconsin #13. Maine #12. Oregon #11. Nebraska #10. Massachusetts #9. Maryland #8. Washington #7. Hawaii #6. New Hampshire #5. Colorado #4. Connecticut #3. Minnesota #2. Vermont #1. Utah
WASHINGTON  As President Joe Biden looks to revive a key campaign promise to provide widespread debt relief to student loan borrowers, legal experts warn that hes likely to encounter a fresh wave of lawsuits challenging his authority to act without congressional approval.

Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court axed Bidens initial attempt at debt forgiveness on June 30, the president announced a new plan that he said is legally sound and is the best option remaining to deliver sweeping relief to millions of borrowers as quickly as possible.

But even in a best-case scenario, the new plan cant be rolled out until long after October, when loan payments are due to resume after a three-year pause. And it could still be vulnerable to legal attacks targeting executive powers, as it relies on the authority of the Higher Education Act, which governs financial assistance in post-secondary schooling.

I have no doubt that any relief under the Higher Education Act will face a spate of lawsuits, essentially pitching the same claim  that the administration acted outside of its statutory authority, said Steven Schwinn, a professor at the University of Illinois John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

The high court ruled that the administration overstepped its authority by authorizing such a broad, costly program under a 2003 law that gives the education secretary special powers over loans when responding to national emergencies. The court held that the law  called the Heroes Act  does not allow for such drastic action, despite the unprecedented nature of the pandemic.

The question here is not whether something should be done; it is who has the authority to do it, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court, concluding those powers rest with Congress.

Roberts also offered a hint at how the high court might rule if a plan based on the Higher Education Act lands back on justices desks. He wrote in the majority opinion that the act could only be used to cancel or reduce loans under limited circumstances, specifically for public servants, bankrupt borrowers, people who have become severely disabled or those defrauded by their institution.

Although the courts ruling was based on the Heroes Act, the opinion signaled implicitly that the language in the Higher Education Act would not be considered as a valid basis for the scope of student debt relief Biden initially sought, according to Jed Shugerman, a professor at Boston University School of Law.

It wrote this decision in a way that is meant to preview for federal courts, both the Roberts Court or lower courts, the same reasoning that would strike down the waiver based on the Higher Education Act, Shugerman said.

The Roberts court point was: Dont try this again, he said.

The Higher Education Act includes a provision that allows the secretary of education to compromise, waive, or release any right, title, claim lien, or demand, however acquired, including any equity or any right of redemption. Some Democrats, such as Elizabeth Warren, have urged the administration to use this act to pursue forgiveness, rather than the Heroes Act  the authority that Biden used to pursue his initial relief program.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the regulatory process for the Heroes Act was much quicker, given the law does not require a comment period. The White House was able to announce and initiate applications for its original student debt relief plan in a matter of weeks last year, just months before a consequential midterm election.

Biden warned that his new proposal will take longer to authorize, but the administrative proceedings have been initiated. The Department of Education will hold a public hearing on the matter July 18, according to a notice.

It will take at least a year for the administration to go through those required procedures, meaning a final rule would not be announced until fall 2024  shortly before the presidential election.

Once announced, legal experts expect challenges to ensnare the program, again.

Schwinn said the Higher Education Act seems to provide more flexibility to the Biden administration than the Heroes Act to authorize debt forgiveness. But he also said recent rulings from the Supreme Court curtailing federal authority signal that the administration will face strong headwinds in defending any relief under any authority that doesnt explicitly say that the administration can grant federal student loan forgiveness.

Biden would have to be reelected in order to orchestrate a sustained legal defense of the plan, potentially thrusting the issue back into the spotlight in the heat of the campaign season.

The easier thing for Biden to do is win reelection, Shugerman said. The harder thing is to get the courts to then approve this.

Shane Wu, a former federal prosecutor who served in the Clinton administration, says the newest members of the conservative majority, including Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, have demonstrated a trend of restricting the authority of federal agencies in recent rulings.

Whether the administrations new plan will stand up to court challenges will ultimately depend on how they approach it, says Wu. The White House has yet to release details about eligibility or the amount of debt cancellation in their new program, only saying they aim to reach as many working and middle-class borrowers as possible.

The idea of whether its simply legal or illegal really just depends on what the arguments are, Wu said.

Average student loan payments to top $200 once resumed Average student loan payments to top $200 once resumed The Average Monthly Student Loan Payment Is $203 Renewed Student Loan Payments Will Add to Already Growing Household Debt Burden
PARKLAND, Fla.  For more than five years, the bloodstained halls and classrooms where 17 people died in the Parkland school shooting have remained locked away and mostly untouched  not even the victims' families were allowed inside.

That changed Wednesday, as heart-wrenching private tours began for relatives of the 14 students and three staff members who died. The 17 wounded and their loved ones will also be able to visit the 1200 building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, now that it is no longer needed as evidence in the trials of the convicted killer and the deputy who was just acquitted of failing to stop him.

The school district plans to demolish the three-story building, likely replacing it with a memorial.

Four families were led through the building Wednesday by prosecutors. Others are scheduled in the coming weeks. There might also be a reenactment of the Valentines Day shooting for a still-pending civil lawsuit against the deputy.

I needed to see where my son was murdered," said Linda Beigel Schulman, whose 35-year-old son, geography teacher Scott Beigel, died while directing his students to safety.

"I needed to see where he tried to close the door that saved 31 of his students. I needed to be where my son was when he took his last breath, she said, beginning to weep as she spoke to reporters across the street from the school. I tried to say goodbye, but I can tell you, I cant say goodbye. I cant say goodbye. It has been five years and 151 days, its been 1,961 days and I still cant say goodbye.

Behind a chain-link fence, the building has remained a constant, looming reminder of the tragedy for the schools 3,000 students, staff and anyone who drives past.

The building was preserved as evidence so that the jurors in last years penalty trial of shooter Nikolas Cruz could tour the building, which they did in August at the conclusion of the prosecutions case. Cruz, a 24-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student, received a life sentence after the jury couldnt unanimously agree that he deserved the death penalty. The Associated Press was one of five media outlets allowed inside the building last year after the jurors left.

There are still bloodstains and broken glass on the floor, along with deflated Valentines Day balloons, wilted flowers and discarded gifts. Opened textbooks and laptop computers remain on students desks  at least the ones that werent toppled during the chaos. In one classroom, an unfinished chess game one of the slain students had been playing still sat, the pieces unmoved.

Tony Montalto, whose 14-year-old daughter Gina was fatally shot on the first floor, said stepping inside the building and walking its halls was one of the hardest things he has ever done, superseded, of course, by seeing her cold body.

My first born. My only daughter. My beloved, he told reporters.

Beigel Schulman took several items from her sons classroom, including his sunglasses, a students exemplary paper he had mentioned to her on one of their last calls, his computer and his lesson plan. She also took photographs of his classroom.

I took away memories of Scott's last day, she said.

Prosecutors had hoped that the jury in the trial of former Deputy Scot Peterson could also tour the building, but the judge denied their request. Peterson, the school's on-campus deputy, was acquitted last week on charges he failed to confront Cruz during the six-minute attack.

Peterson has insisted that because of echoes, he could not pinpoint where the shots were coming from. He got to within 10 yards of a hallway door, but backed away without opening it or looking through its window. He took cover next to an adjoining building and made radio calls.

Montalto brought a tape measure with him Wednesday, saying the body of his daughter, one of the first killed, was 63 feet from the door  she could have been easily seen if Peterson had looked. Prosecutors and families have said that if Peterson had gone into the building, he could have shot Cruz or at least distracted him long enough that some victims could have taken cover or escaped.

Beigel Schulman said that if Peterson had delayed Cruz's arrival on the third floor by just 15 seconds, her son could have gotten to safety inside his classroom.

Peterson's defense attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, called Peterson a hero who did everything he could given the echoes. He said the families were misled by former Sheriff Scott Israel and other officials who made Peterson a scapegoat to deflect from their own failures to prevent the shooting.

The school district wants to demolish the building soon, but five students' families want a reenactment as part of a civil lawsuit targeting Peterson, the sheriffs office and others.

Attorney David Brill wants recordings made outside the 1200 building while someone inside fires blanks from an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle like the one Cruz used. If the judge approves the unusual request, the recordings would be played for the jury. The trial has not been scheduled.

The evidence we already have in this regard  which includes evidence that the State failed to introduce in the prosecution of Peterson  is substantial and powerful. But we dont want to leave anything to chance for Peterson to escape justice in our civil case like he escaped justice in the criminal case, Brill said.

Peterson's civil attorney, Michael Piper, declined direct comment.

Our benchmarks of professionalism include respect for our community and respect for and deference to our trial judge in such matters. Extrajudicial comment on attorney Brills motion to restage Nicolas Cruzs murderous rampage compromises those benchmarks," Piper said in a statement.

The sheriff's office declined comment.

Photos: A list of high-profile mass shootings in the US this year Monterey Park, California Half Moon Bay, California Nashville, Tennessee Louisville, Kentucky Dadeville, Alabama Bowdoin, Maine Cleveland, Texas Allen, Texas
LINCOLN  A year after a turbulent convention resulted in a massive turnover of party leadership, local donations to the Nebraska Republican Party have yet to return to previous levels.

Since the state party convention on July 9, 2022, the last 11 months of local donations to the Nebraska GOP added up to about $122,000, according to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. In the year leading up to the convention, the party raised nearly $1 million.

In contrast, national donations to the Nebraska GOP as recorded by the Federal Election Commission remained at the same level. The party collected about $632,000 in money during the last 11 months, according to FEC reports, and $631,000 in the previous year.

All told, the state GOP has brought in roughly $746,000 since the convention, compared with more than $1.6 million the previous year.

Meanwhile, the Nebraska Democratic Party has outraised the Nebraska GOP, both in local and national money. Combined, over the last 11 months, the states Democrats have raised roughly $2.1 million.

Thats unusual, according to former Nebraska GOP Chairman Dan Welch and current Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb. While some Democratic congressional candidates have outraised their Republican opponents in individual races, the two said its abnormal for the state Democratic party to outraise its Republican counterpart, especially by this much. Welch said it never happened during his eight years as chairman.

The Nebraska GOP convention last year was marked with tension from beginning to end, culminating in delegates voting to change the partys constitution so they could immediately vote out Welch and replace him with current Chairman Eric Underwood.

Welchs removal prompted a wave of resignations among other leaders in the party, including the executive director, the national committeewoman, the first and second district chair, the party treasurer, the secretary, the assistant chairman, and the assistant state party chair.

Whether the events of the convention is the main cause of the drop in local donations to the party is up for debate. But observers tend to agree that its at least a factor.

Underwood said there hasnt been much time to focus on fundraising efforts because of the partys restructuring, multiple major elections and a contentious legislative session. But in recent months, he said, hes begun developing a new fundraising method that he believes will bring the partys revenues back to more normal levels by 2024.

Kleeb said the $746,000 total that the Nebraska GOP has raised in the past 11 months is barely enough to maintain the normal operations of a state party. In a heavily red state like Nebraska, Kleeb said, a Republican organization ought to have annual donations in the millions.

If Republicans are unable to turn their fundraising around, Kleeb and others said it could impact how the party operates in the future.

Without money, essentially you shrivel up and die, said University of Nebraska at Omaha political science professor Randall Adkins.

Both Adkins and Underwood noted that political parties typically raise more money during election years than during off years, and 2023 isnt an election year.

Still, roughly four months of the donations over the last year included the lead-up to the 2022 midterms, and the Nebraska GOP received lower contributions in those months than during the months before the July 2022 convention.

Another major factor is the absence of donations from Sen. Pete Ricketts. In the year before the convention, when Ricketts was governor, more than half the $1 million in Nebraska donations to the party came from the Ricketts family. But since the convention, the family hasnt donated any money directly to the Nebraska GOP.

Ricketts has continued to contribute to individual campaigns and other political groups in Nebraska, however. He gave $150,000 to Suzanne Geists mayoral campaign in Lincoln, and more than $60,000 to Rep. Don Bacons upcoming re-election campaign. Hes also donated $250,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and nearly $290,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee.

When Ricketts was governor, Kleeb said the Nebraska GOP was the epicenter of campaign coordination. But after the events of the convention  which many suspect was in part an act of resistance against Ricketts influence over the party  Ricketts and other donors lost trust in the party, she said.

Underwood acknowledged that Ricketts was the single biggest funding source for the party before the convention. However, he argued it was poor planning for party leadership to rely solely on one donor for the majority of its fundraising. He said he intends to cast a wider net when collecting donations.

Since the convention, Underwood said, several other major donors besides Ricketts have not contributed to the party. In the last month, however, he said hes begun to reach out to them to work on rebuilding those relationships.

Adkins said he assumes the latest legislative session  which tackled several divisive topics such as gender-affirming care, abortion and gun control  affected donations to the party. The shifting political landscape nationally could also play a role, he said.

Adkins wasnt surprised by the lack of change in contributions recorded nationally to the Nebraska GOP. Though some Nebraska residents are among those donors, the bulk of donations recorded by the FEC to either party came through large contributions from national political organizations. Such groups are unlikely to change their donations based on local events like a contentious state party convention, he said.

While donations to the Nebraska Democratic Party have ebbed and flowed over the years, contributions to Democrats during the past year have been higher than usual, Kleeb said. She hopes to make the most of that money by focusing more on rural Nebraska and putting more effort into recruiting candidates for smaller races where Republicans have often run unopposed.

Kleeb said she still expects Republican candidates in Nebraska to be well-funded even if less money is going directly to their party. Candidates will continue to be supported by contributions straight to their campaigns, or through political action committees and other groups, she said.

Even so, she said less money for the state party could impact Republicans overall. State parties are able to use more political tools like direct mail at a lower cost due to their tax status, she said, allowing candidates to spend their money on other things. Welch said parties also have a lot of influence on turnout through voter outreach efforts.

Money is the lifeblood of these political races, Welch said.

Beginning in April, Underwood said he began developing a new method of fundraising. Rather than focusing on large contributions from a handful of donors, Underwood said he plans to focus on building relationships with a larger group of Republicans.

One of the new strategies the party recently launched on its website includes multiple tiers of party membership for individuals based on how much they donate annually.

The first level, NEGOP+, is for members who donate between $150 and $600 each year, and includes perks such as access to special party events and party merchandise. The second level is for larger donors who contribute between $1,000 and $25,000 yearly, and offers a range of additional benefits, such as invitations to a private reception with elected officials.

Underwood said he anticipates that the new effort, combined with more traditional event-based fundraising, will bring the Nebraska GOPs fundraising closer to what the party was getting before the convention.

Youll see, from the party here, a natural ramp up, Underwood said.

Photos: Former President Trump speaks at the MidAmerica Center




The Kaduna State First Lady, Hadiza Isma El-Rufai, has cried out to Kaduna State people to help her get her real husband back. She disclosed these on twitter while claiming her husband El-Rufai who is the governor has being substituted with a fresh and relaxed husband.

We all recalled rumours of Governor El-Rufais death on several social media platforms, but the governor returned to Nigeria on Wednesday after a brief holiday abroad.

She disclosed her funny caption on twitter, mocking those who claimed her husband was dead. Read below.

Hey KD people, I need your help. I know you wont believe me, but theyve definitely substituted my husband. The one they returned to me is too fresh and relaxed.

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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Representative, Ms. Liz Ahua has hailed the collaboration between UNHCR and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in tackling myriads of humanitarian challenges in the sub-region particularly statelessness. She made this remarks at the opening ceremony of joint ECOWAS-UNHCR retreat for ECOWAS Ambassadors in Uyo, April 15, 2019 with theme Mixed Population flows and durable solutions in the ECOWAS Region.

Liz Ahua stated that UNHCRs partnership with ECOWAS which also includes the ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS Parliament, and ECOWAS Court of Justice has proved very useful and created an avenue for regular stock taking of progress made in shaping a better future. She observed that the retreat is one of the foremost regional initiatives birthed by the partnership between ECOWAS-UNHCR some 12 years ago.

The UNHCR-ECOWAS partnership has been actively instrumental in advocating at a political level, for the protection of displaced persons and other affected populations, raising awareness about UNHCRs work and ensuring the commitment of Member States to the protection of displaced persons.

One of the successes Ahua ascribed to the partnership is the momentous results in statelessness which has led to the ratification of both 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions by West African countries. Only three countries are yet to sign the two statelessness conventions, thus making the region one of the most advanced regions in that regard in the world.

Statelessness which occurs when a person is not considered as a nationality of any country has become a major issue worldwide with about 10 million people said to be stateless. It is estimated that at least 1 million stateless people reside in West Africa and Nigeria adds significantly to this burden with over 750,000 stateless people allegedly residing in the country.

Ahua also noted the myriads of problems bedeviling the sub-region stressing that the UNHCR will continue to work with governments of all concerned countries to mitigate if not eradicate these problems.

Forcible displacement of people both internally and across borders remains a thorny issue. Within the Lake Chad Basin situation Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroun continue to bear the brunt of the Boko Haram activities. UNHCR, working with the governments of all affected countries, has initiated two protection dialogues, organised respectively in June 2016 and January 2019, Ahua noted.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to ECOWAS and Chair, ECOWAS Permanent Representatives Committee, Amb. Babatunde Nurudeen called on member states to undertake a thorough appraisal and analysis of all the factors responsible for Mixed Flows in West Africa and come up with durable solutions to the problem. He also charged member states to put an end to political instability which he described as the major reason fueling migration problems in the West Africa.

The diplomat then admonished stakeholders including UNHCR and ECOWAS to ensure that the retreat is regularly organised so as to properly maximise and X-ray the achievement of previous meetings and chart a new course to tackle emerging problems in the sub-region.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the chief of Army staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, on Thursday, April 11, lauded the doggedness of gallant troops in the defeat of Boko Haram insurgents at Maisadari community in the outskirts of Damaturu, Yobe.

Lt Njoka Irabor, the acting assistant director, Army public relations, Sector 2 Operation Lafiya Dole, disclosed that the commendation was conveyed to the troops by the theater commander, Major General Benson Akinroluyo, in Damaturu.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Antonio Jose Canhandula has advised the Nigerian government on the best way to tackle the spate of insecurity in the country particularly in the north east.

The UN official in an exclusive interview with Olajide Adelana, today, Monday, April 15, at an ECOWAS Ambassadors Retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, said that the problems of Boko Haram and insecurity in Nigeria are best tackled with increased social and economic inclusion of citizens by the Nigerian government.

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The minority caucus in the House of Representatives, led by the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently devoted two days to interrogate the major contenders for the position of speaker of the 9th Assembly. PHILIP NYAM reports

The race for speaker of the 9th House of Representatives was fast forwarded last weekend when the minority parties under the guide of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) engaged six key contestants for the position of speaker of the 9th House.

The 9th House will be populated by lawmakers from nine political parties including PDP, All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), Accord Party (AP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Action Alliance (AA).

Incidentally, all the six candidates for the speakership except one were elected on the platform of the ruling APC. On the first day of the exercise conducted by the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Chukwuka Onyema (PDP, Anambra), the caucus interviewed Hon. John Dyegh (APC, Benue), Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC, Abia), Hon. Mohammed Umar Bago (APC, Niger), Hon. Olajide Olatunbosun (APC, Oyo) and Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba (Accord Party, Imo).

The preferred candidate of the APC, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila was unavoidably absent as he was in the South-South part of the country, where he took his campaign to the governors of the geopolitical zone. However, a special session was organised for him the next day. Also, four other candidates who had earlier indicated interest in the position did not show up for the event, perhaps signaling the end of their ambition. They include the House spokesman Abdulrazaq Namdas (APC, Adamawa), Aliyu Betara (APC, Borno), Buba Yakub (APC, Adamawa) and Segun Odebunmi (APC, Oyo). Yakub has officially withdrawn from the contest, but Namdas, Betara and Odebunmi are yet to declare their stand.

In his opening remarks, Onyema explained that the essence of the interaction was for the minority lawmakers to have firsthand information on the plan of action of each of the speakership hopefuls.

He said the caucus wants the best for Nigeria and therefore decided to gauge the preparedness of each of the candidates to enable them take a position.

Being the only female contestant, Onyejeocha was offered the first slot to address the lawmakers, but she turned down the privileged preferring to be the second person. Consequently, Dyegh was called upon to open the floor for the interaction.

John Dyegh

Mounting the podium, Hon. Dyegh, who had a long session with the lawmakers promised that if elected speaker, he will pursue the amendment of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) to ensure legislative experience counts by extending the four-year tenure to six-year tenure for the legislature.

Dyegh, who holds a doctorate degree in Economic History, further said he would initiate evidence-based legislations by ensuring enhanced capacity and improved welfare of legislators and legislative support services through training and retraining to enable the 9th National Assembly pass national priority laws in critical sectors such as security, employment and productivity, power and agriculture.

Speaking further, the lawmaker representing Gboko/Tarka federal constituency of Benue said he would sustain and deepen independence of the National Assembly and ensure harmonious interdependent working relationship with the executive arm of government without undermining the principles of separation of powers.

Dyegh insisted that the north central deserves the speaker for equity and fairness adding that he will initiate legislative measures and laws that will promote and engender national unity, providing equal opportunities to all Nigerians especially members of the House of Representatives irrespective of ethnic, political, social and religious affiliations.

Umar Bago (APC, Niger)

In his presentation before the caucus, Bago (APC, Niger) promised to share all committees equally between the APC and opposition adding that all committees will be equitably distributed in a proportionate manner. Although, this promise from Bago elicited a thunderous applause from the lawmakers, some of them who were seated at the back expressed some pessimism about the prospect of the APC having equal committee chairmen with the PDP and other minority parties. Bago, like Dyegh also hammered on the need for justice and equity in the nations polity, arguing that the North Centrals performance in the 2019 general elections earned it a deserving place to vie for the number four position in the nation. He said his aspiration was a response to a combination of factors, divided broadly into three personal characteristics, geo-political balancing consideration, sensitivity and generational imperatives. He maintained that whoever will be the speaker of the 9th Assembly must be strong on relational dictates.

He must be able to manage all stakeholders and relationships, from the ever recurring frosty executive-legislature relationship, to the primus intern pares dictum. The person must not convey a boss and subordinate National Assembly bureaucracy. Former members and other stakeholders must be well and effectively managed, he said. Bago maintained that he has a clear understanding of the workings of the National Assembly as a member and chairman of committees who moved and supported several motions and bills. I have been an active person in plenary and at committee sessions. I have related with speakers. I believe I am eminently able to also manage our colleagues from the chair to the benefit of the 8th Assembly. He said.

Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC, Imo)

Onyejeocha, who is the highest ranking APC lawmaker from the South-East promised to run an all-inclusive leadership that will carry all members of the House along. According to her, the relationship between the executive, legislature and judiciary will be cordial if she is given the opportunity to lead the House. The lawmaker, who represents Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi federal constituency of Abia State explained that she took the decision to vie for the speakership as a result of the concerns of the people of the South-East regarding the distribution of presiding officers positions in the National Assembly. According to her, the people are worried that an inequitable distribution will create lopsidedness and lead to worsened divides in the country. She also noted that she has been a member of the House for more than 11 years and has served her constituents and Nigeria diligently and with distinction. On her performance as a legislator, Onyejeocha said she has sponsored several motions and bills, conducted oversight over multiple activities and initiatives of government, ministries, departments and agencies, as well as helped deliver meaningful constituency projects to the people of her constituency. She, therefore, pledged that if elected as Speaker, she would improve communications with Nigerians as well as strengthen internal communications and relationships among members of the House. She also promised to strengthen House committees and processes as well as adopt a legislative agenda with a clear framework for compliance and monitoring, among others.

Olajide Olatunbosun (APC, Oyo)

Olatunbosun, who also appeared before the panel called on members to rise up and save Nigerias democracy from forces that want to dominate the nations polity. The lawmaker, who represents Saki West/Saki East/Atisbo federal constituency of Oyo State in the House, said: Our democracy is at risk and we must stand to be counted and rescue it from forces bent on appropriating it to their selfish ends. We are united by a common destiny and we dont want the House to be controlled by external forces. We run three tiers of government and we must not allow ourselves to be cowed. The latest entrant into the race told his colleagues that he decided to run because Nigeria has gotten to a point that men of goodwill must not hold back. We have to stand up to be counted. The National Assembly, most especially the House of Representatives, where I belong needs good, quality leadership as well as a Nigerian who can unite members of the House across political divide and also unite Nigerians in general regardless of their ethnic and religious beliefs. The House also needs a speaker, who will ensure harmony between the executive and the legislature, he said.

Emeka Nwajiuba (Accord Party, Imo)

Nwajiuba is the only contestant for the speakership, who is presently not serving in the House. This will be his second term in the Green Chamber having served between 1999 and 2003. Although, he was the last contestant that was taken on the first day, Nwajiuba, a humorous politician, brought life to the occasion as his use of proverbs and comic expressions lighten the mood in the Niger Hall, venue of the interaction. He promised to engage the executive and try to build a cordial and sustainable relationship. He told the lawmakers that his aspiration was borne out of his desire to press for power balancing among the geopolitical zones, arguing that he is eminently qualified by virtue of his academic attainment and political and legislative experience. He revealed his long standing relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari, saying they share the same political philosophy. Nwajiuba added that he was not in the race for monetary gains saying if it were for pecuniary reasons, he would not have resigned his appointment as chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). He also disclosed that he was a founding member of the APC, but had to contest election on the platform of the Accord Party for political exigency.

Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos)

The anointed candidate of the APC, Gbajabiamila had his day with the minority lawmakers the following day at Kano Hall of Transcorp Hilton. However, unlike the first day when the media was allowed to cover the presentation of candidates, the House leader demanded to interact with the minority caucus in camera. He asked journalists to excuse them half way into his address before the lawmakers. But before journalists were asked to leave the hall, Gbajabiamila lamented that as majority leader, the leadership of the House under Speaker Yakubu Dogara did not accord him the privilege of nominating any of his loyalists as chairman of the 98 standing committees of the House. Speaking glowingly about his person, Gbajabiamila said: I am the leader of the House, with no single committee chairman slot of almost 200 committees. I heard about the appointment of committee chairmen on the floor of the House like any other person, but I took it in my stride.

One of the longest serving members of the House, the lawmaker representing Surulere II federal constituency of Lagos explained that he was a different person from what many people paint him, saying he has been accused of partisanship. I have been accused of being partisan, but I am a politician and there is nobody here that is not partisan.

I am somebody who when I lost election in 2015, I quickly raised the hand of the speaker; I am somebody who never opposed the speaker; I am somebody who is often quiet but jovial, I am somebody who those that opposed me in 2015 are now some of my best friends in the House, he said. The House leader also revealed that he knows no other business in the past 20 years apart from lawmaking. Although, the media was barred from covering the interaction between the caucus and Gbajabiamila, some of the lawmakers who were part of the exercise later disclosed in confidence what transpired during the session.

One of them revealed that Gbajabiamila disowned the APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on his declaration that the PDP will not be given any committee to head. According to him, Gbajabiamila promised to give us (PDP) committee chairmen and told us that his party chairman (Oshiomhole) doesnt understand how the House works On the concern that the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is behind his aspiration and is likely to dictate for him, the lawmaker said Gbajabiamila told us that every politician has a godfather, but someone in Lagos will not determine committee chairmen for him or how he will run the House, if he is elected speaker.

He added: We put him to task and he opened up even though some of us were not comfortable with the idea of interrogating him in secret because we had a similar interview with five other speakership contestants on Wednesday evening and the media was allowed to be part of it. So, it was quite unfortunate that the media was asked to vacate the room. But the request came from him, so we respected his preference.

Speaking further on what prevailed at the closed door session, the lawmaker revealed that Gbajabiamila was frank and open. He was actually frank because he told us that as House leader, his budget is N2.5 billion annually. He also told us how he fought with former speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, over sharing of committees because he (Tambuwal) was giving committees to our enemies. In a brief chat with the media after the interaction, the deputy minority leader (Onyema) disclosed that the minority caucus will analyse and review the presentations from the six speakership contestants and take a position.

He said the PDP has not endorsed any candidate but we will soon come up with a position, not necessarily endorsement. We have listened to the candidates and it is a successful exercise, but we need to sit down and look at what they have presented to us. On why the caucus decided to take Gbajabiamila behind closed door, he explained that it was the House leaders desire and they had to respect his views.

The haze over the PDP caucus decision got cleared on Tuesday, when it advised its members to support any speakership aspirant of their choice from the APC. Minority leader of the House, Hon. Leo Ogor who disclosed this in a Sallah message said the caucus took the decision in national interest.

He said: While we further our unflinching commitment to the principles and ethos of democracy, the PDP House Caucus has endorsed its members decision to work with speakership aspirants from the ruling party, thereby allowing all who feel thus inclined, the freedom to attend all meetings, participate in campaigns, strategy sessions and other activities of any speakership aspirant of their choice.

Ogor maintained that while the nation looks forward to the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly, the PDP House Caucus is leaving no stone unturned in furtherance of its resolute determination to proactively decide the final outcome of the ongoing contest for leadership of the House in ways that would ultimately ensure that the peoples will ultimately prevails.
Romanus Ejikeme, the father of embattled Anambra Student Mmesoma Ejikeme, has apologised to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Nigerians at large to forgive his daughter.

Romanus revealed that his daughter didnt confess her crime to him on time.

Recall that Politics Nigeria reported that JAMB had accused Mmesoma of manually inflating her 2023 UTME result from 249 to 362.

The embattled student had obtained a scholarship from Innoson, an award now withdrawn.

Despite multiple pleas by JAMB, Mmesoma insisted her result was not forged and noted that she printed her result from the website of JAMB.

Following her insistence, the board slammed a three-year ban on her, with the House of Representatives calling for a stay of action.

In an interview with the Nigeria Television Authority, Mr Ejikeme said, My daughter didnt open up to me on time. When I realised her mistake, I blamed her a lot, but Im still apologising to JAMB and Nigerians to pardon her.

Many Nigerians who had earlier shown support for her began to withdraw support, while others have started tendering unreserved apologies to JAMB following her confession.
Romanus Ejikeme, the father of Mmesoma Ejikeme, the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate who falsified her result, has tendered an unreserved apology to JAMB and Nigerians at large saying his daughter lied to him initially.

Ejikeme had earlier accused JAMB of pulling his daughter down.

He admitted that he didnt know where his daughter registered for the examination but he gave her the money for the registration.

The Committee set up by the Anambra state governor, Professor Charles Soludo to investigate the circumstances surrounding the veracity of the result, indicted the suspect of manipulating her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.

Mmesoma had claimed scoring 362 when she actually scored 249 in the examination.

The eight-page report of the panel also recommended that Mmesoma immediately tender an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), her school, Anglican Girls Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi, and the state government and should undergo psychological counselling and therapy.

Mmesoma, had sat for the UTME in May and came under scrutiny for parading the highest score of 362, which JAMB later revealed was manipulated.

The panel report, also circulating online, was addressed to the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and made available by the Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu on Friday.

The panel said it conducted interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and other individual(s) involved in the process as well as the principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School.

According to the panel, Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of an aggregate score of 362, with Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81 which differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.

The panel indicated in its findings that the results released by the JAMB with respect to the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249.

The result paraded by Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with an aggregate score of 362 is fake as buttressed by the very significant and instructive variations in the registration number, date of birth, centre name and other infractions.

Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone.

The Principal, Anglican Girls Secondary School  Mrs Edu Uche and the Education Secretary, Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed dismay at the conduct of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma.

The report, titled, Report of the committee on Ejikeme Joy Mmesomas JAMB score controversy also indicated that the candidate was well informed of her correct score of 249.

The report read in some parts, Recall Mr Governor that with the recent release of scores of candidates who applied for admission by the JAMB and subsequent announcement of Nkechiyere Umeh as the candidate with the highest score of 360, Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, a 19-year-old student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi, from Enugu State, protested to the state government that she scored 362 and ought to have been so recognised.

This has elicited interest and generated serious controversy and misgivings among the general public that the state government in its wisdom decided to constitute a committee of inquiry to look into the under-listed terms of reference; review Ejikeme Joy Mmesomas JAMB results and associated documents.

Conduct interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and any other individual(s) involved in the process. Provide recommendations based on the findings of the investigation.

The committee invited Mmesoma, the Principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School, and officials of JAMB for an interactive session with the Committee.

JAMB officials led by Dr Fabian Benjamin, the Head of Public Affairs presented the detailed processes and procedures involved in JAMB admissions, the policy changes that have occurred in the release of UTME scores since 2021 and what specifically transpired between the candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF in her quest to obtain her JAMB score.

JAMB revealed the different times that Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma made several requests to the JAMB portal asking for her results at different hours, and each of these times (four in number), she received in her phone, same results from JAMB indicating candidates UTME Results to Wit: Eng: 64, Phy:54, Bio: 74, Che: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249.

JAMB disclosed that the candidate was well informed of her correct score. Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of an aggregate score of 362, with Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81. The results she sent differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.

The panel also disclosed that a number of red flags were also highlighted by JAMB officials showing a different date of birth, different Registration Number, and Notification of results template that has been discarded since 2021, amongst others.

It was also evident that even the centre name Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development as it was known before now) used for the examination was also manipulated where the candidate used the old name of the centre (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development) in her own manipulated result sheet.

In Ejikeme Joy Mmesomas submission, she owned up in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by the JAMB officials was a true and correct description of what transpired.

She also admitted to having given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using the same phone Airtel Number.

According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafe (Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi) where she printed the results she had manipulated.

The Committee tried to find out the motive behind her action, but Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma said nothing.

In their own submissions, the Principal Anglican Girls Secondary School, Uruagu, Nnewi, and the Education Secretary  Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed shock at what transpired where in their presence, Mmesoma admitted to have manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the state government.

The panel commended JAMB for their diligent handling of the matter and the information supplied about the interface with the candidate.

We hope that this unearthing of the truth as we have discovered will go a long way in correcting the sentiments, misconceptions and deceptions that have been in the public domain.

Related


By Casey Lartigue Jr.



In September 2019, the BBC asked, "Was this North Korean defector failed by the South?" The New York Times wrote, "She Fled Famine in North Korea, Then Died Poor in a Prosperous Land." National Public Radio reported, "In South Korea, Anguish Over Deaths Of North Korean Defectors Who May Have Starved."



The Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, ABC News and other major media outlets also reported about a North Korean refugee 42-year-old single mother named Han Sung-ok who reportedly starved to death on the outskirts of Seoul along with her young epileptic child. Alive, she had been invisible, few people knew her, and apparently she had a difficult life in North Korea overcoming starvation and oppression, China where she was trafficked, and South Korea where she had various struggles. In death, she was featured in major media and by prominent people in South Korea.



North Korean refugees held tearful vigils at a makeshift memorial they created for Han in Seoul, her death was discussed in meetings at South Korea's National Assembly with North Korean refugee single mothers as attendees and witnesses, and some North Korean refugee activists vowed to go "door-to-door" to check on fellow North Korean refugees.



On June 16, I was forwarded an invitation to a funeral scheduled for the following day. Incredibly, the person who had passed away was a prominent North Korean refugee entrepreneur I will call "Kim."



She escaped from North Korea in 2011 and became a free woman in South Korea in 2014. I first met Kim in early 2016 when she began studying English in a small project I co-founded with Lee Eun-koo. Kim went to the international level after just a few years, but she cheered us on as we grew from an informal group to an official organization. She was always smiling, even in photos featuring her in articles within the last few months as her life seemed to be falling apart.



According to an article by United Press International published earlier this year, Kim ran a catering business, hosted special cooking classes, won a start-up competition, and received funding from various government and foundation programs supporting young North Korean entrepreneurs. In 2019, she cooked North Korean food for actress Angelina Jolie and appeared on an episode of the Netflix culinary travel series "Somebody Feed Phil."



She was larger than life in the North Korean refugee community. In disbelief, several North Korean refugees contacted me after I shared an Instagram post by one of Kim's friends. North Korean refugees questioned if she had really passed away and some suggested it might have been a different North Korean refugee.



North Korean refugees and South Korean colleagues who knew her better than I did have theories about why Kim gave up. Some say internal problems with her business had led to debts she couldn't overcome and didn't want to reveal publicly. Others suggested the media had highlighted her so much that she could not meet the grand expectations. Some others blamed influential NGOs and government agencies that had supplied her with access to money and resources that made it easy for her to overextend her business. And she probably also heard some of the critics saying her cooking was not that great and that she was overrated.



I don't know. Whatever the case, it seems Kim is now being erased as if she never existed. As far as I know, her death has not been reported in the Western or South Korean media although she was known to many of the media outlets that rushed to Han's neighborhood four years ago to report on her death. Han supposedly kept to herself so the media had trouble finding friends. At least one or two media outlets contacted me asking for contacts. In contrast, Kim's circle included CEOs, influencers and prominent people.



There are some North Korean refugees and South Korean colleagues whispering that large organizations and prominent people who promoted Kim are "embarrassed" and would prefer the media to not report on her death. In contrast to Han four years ago, Kim was supported and highlighted by prominent South Korean foundations, churches, NGOs and individuals.



When I hit "enter" on my column and blog posts for the Korea Times I almost always do so with great joy. This column is different so I will finish with comments from Kim, in what may have been the final major interview before her death. "I just hope people here can treat me like a local friend. And I hope I can be a role model for North Korean defectors. I want to be a bridge between North and South Korea. There is no huge difference between us. I hope our daily lives here can one day be spread back to North Korea."





Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is co-founder with Lee Eun-koo of Freedom Speakers International (FSI) and co-author with Han Song-mi of the book "Greenlight to Freedom."


ICPC states this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Spokesman, Azuka Ogugua.

The statement was in reaction to a report that the Department of State Services (DSS) stormed one of the commissions offices and carted away files implicating the president and his close aides.

Ogugua in the statement, described the report as unfounded and urged Nigerians to disregard it.

The statement read, The attention of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has been drawn to a spurious news report by an online media, titled Secret Police, DSS Carts Away Files Implicating President Buhari, Close Aides from ICPC, CCB.

The Commission hereby refutes the report and states unequivocally that there were no files implicating President Tinubu or close aides at its headquarters or offices across the states. Therefore, the alleged carting away of such imaginary files is unfounded and should be disregarded by the public.

While the Commission does not dispute the role of the media to inform the public, it is deeply disturbed by irresponsible practice and non-adherence to the tenets of the journalism profession by some media outlets.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri on Saturday, dragged Mmesoma Ejikeme, the Anambra school girl who forged her Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) UTME results.

JAMB had accused Mmesoma of forging her UTME score from the 249 she scored at the exam sitting to 362 as the highest scorer.

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Ivanna Bay, the alleged pregnant French side chick of Nigerian superstar, Davido, has cried out for help as she experiences bleeding and pain.

In a post shared on her Instagram story, Ivanna Bay revealed that she woke up with severe stomach pain that radiated throughout her body, accompanied by continuous bleeding.

Expressing her emotional state, the real estate agent conveyed her deep sorrow, stating that she couldnt stop crying.

Ivanna, who emphasized on the urgency of her condition, informed her followers that she would be seeking immediate medical attention at the emergency room.

She wrote, I just woke up with the biggest pain ever in my stomach but I can feel it through my entire body While I keep bleeding I cant stop crying right nowI am going to the emergency.

KanyiDaily recalls that Ivanna Bay had also asked Davidos American pregnant side chic, Anita Brown, to respect their baby daddys wife, Chioma Rowland.

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By Chuks Eke

Romanus Ejikeme, the father of Mmesoma Ejikeme, who has been indicted over the manipulation of her University and Tertiary Matriculation Examination, said he regretted all his actions of supporting his daughter.

Ejikeme said his daughter misrepresented the real facts behind the controversy without opening up to him on time.

He stated these following the release of the findings of the panel of inquiry set up by the Anambra State government which revealed that Mmesoma manipulated her UTME result, where she actually scored 249 as against the 362, she paraded.

The eight-member panel of inquiry set up by the Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to investigate the ongoing controversy between Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and Mmesoma, whose UTME result has come under controversy, with the mandate of making its findings public had indicted her for inflating her UTME figures.

Reacting to the report in a telephone chat yesterday, Ejikeme, who tendered unreserved apologies to Nigerians and the management of JAMB, admitted that his daughter lied.

He said, When I realised what she did, I regretted all my earlier actions on this matter. I apologise to Nigerians and JAMB. I still beg JAMB and Nigerians to pardon her.

We are not considering any legal action. We have handed the matter over to God. We had never thought of taking JAMB to court over the matter but we would leave the matter to God because He is the only person that can show mercy.

It was very shocking and devastating to us. We were not expecting such news because we never suspected any foul play as far as the result presented by Mmesoma is concerned, so the news jolted us and everybody around us.

Since the controversy started, I received over 500 calls in one hour. A lot of people have been visiting us, even press men and some human rights groups. Any one of them that comes always come with camera and they always video my daughter. So, they were the ones that did the video for her. We can only plead that JAMB should tamper justice with mercy.

Mmesoma would have completed her secondary education before this time, but we had issues of accommodation and relocation and in the process, she missed about two years.

We were formerly leaving in Ogbunike before fighting erupted in that community and we had to move to Asaba in 2012, we had yet to settle down at Asaba before the 2012 flooding occurred where the building we were leaving was submerged by flood.

And for about two years or so, my children were not enrolled in school during the period because we did not settle down as we were battling with the flood. After this, we had to move again to Oba, where she was enrolled at a government school, where she also maintained her top position. We moved to Nnewi three years ago from Oba, where she enrolled at Anglican Girls Secondary School.

Meantime, Innoson Group said it has withdrawn the scholarship it earlier awarded to Mmesoma following her indictment over the manipulation of her University and Tertiary Matriculation Examination score.

Chairman of Innoson group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma in a statement signed by the Head of Corporate Communications & Affairs, Cornel Osigwe, yesterday, said the move is in line with the companys principles and response to the confirmed findings by a panel of enquiry set up by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

It said, In recent days, we have been involved in the process of investigating allegations surrounding the 2023 UTME examination results of one of our scholarship recipients, Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme.

It was reported initially that Mmesoma scored exceptionally high in the exam, a feat that led to her being awarded a scholarship by our company.

However, subsequent reports of discrepancies in her UTME score led us to seek clarification from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and to allow her to voice her stance, we engaged in direct dialogue with Miss Mmesoma.

Further to this, a committee set up by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, carried out a thorough independent investigation into this matter.

The organisation said findings from the rigorous investigation have now confirmed that Mmesoma manipulated her UTME results.

It added that the conclusion is deeply disappointing and stands in direct contravention of the values it holds dear at Innoson Vehicles, particularly those that underscore its scholarship program.

We acknowledge that this development is regrettable, and it has undoubtedly caused dismay among those who stood by Miss Joy, including her school principal and other well-meaning supporters. However, it is crucial to maintain the integrity of our scholarship program and the values it represents.

Innoson Vehicles remains steadfast in its mission to support deserving students, invest in the future of our education sector, and uphold the highest ethical standards.

We have always been deeply committed to advancing educational excellence and upholding academic integrity through our scholarship program. We believe in rewarding exceptional students who display not just academic prowess but also embody the values of honesty, transparency, and respect for the processes that govern our educational system.

We extend our appreciation to the public, JAMB, the Anambra State Governors committee, and all those who have shown understanding and support during this challenging situation. We remain committed to fostering educational excellence in Nigeria, the statement added.

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President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Guinea-Bissau to participate in an ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government summit.

POLITICS NIGERIA previously reported that Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, announced that President Tinubu would embark on an official trip to Guinea-Bissau from Aso Rock, Abuja, on Saturday, July 8.

President Tinubus visit is to attend the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The summit is scheduled for Sunday, July 9, in the capital city of Bissau, Republic of Guinea-Bissau.

During this meeting, regional issues will be discussed, with a focus on a comprehensive review of the Report of the 50th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC). Of utmost concern is the security challenges faced by member countries, along with other pressing matters.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, President Tinubu is expected to return to the country.
..says Nigeria depends on the armed forces

After his successful participation at the summit on A New Global Financing Pact in Paris, France hosted by President Emmanuel Macron, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived Bissau, capital of Republic of Guinea-Bissau, for the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

President Tinubu also used the opportunity of the summit to visit the Nigerian contingent stationed in the country under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force.

The 63rd Ordinary Session summit, which will open on Sunday July 9, 2023, will be the first international engagement of the President within the African continent since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.

President Tinubus whose plane touched down at the International Airport in Bissau at exactly 5.30pm local time will be the centre of attraction at the summit.

The 16 regional leaders are expected to address memoranda on pressing sub-regional issues including Report of the 50th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC) covering security challenges faced by the member countries, Report of the 90th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the financial situation of the body and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Other matters slated for consideration by the leaders are the Report on the status of Transition in the Republics of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, Memoranda on the ECOWAS Single Currency Programme and the Report on Obstacles to Free Movement of Goods on the Abidjan- Lagos corridor.

Upon his arrival, President Tinubu visited the Nigerian Troops under the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force in Guinea-Bissau.

He expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the soldiers and their Commander, General Al-hassan Grema, for their dedication and service to Nigeria and their host country, adding that Nigeria would continue to support democracy in West Africa and around the world.

I am here to show solidarity with you. I want to assure you we are committed to support peace and democracy not only in West Africa but around the world.

Nigeria is a giant that has made its mark in Sierra Leone and Liberia and other places. We count on your support for the defence of constitutional order. I heard your allowances have been paid up to date. Nothing else should make you angry. We will continue to build a virile force.

We are proud of you. Proud of your loyalty. Nigeria depends on you. There will be peace and progress in our country, President said.

Brigadier General Grema expressed the appreciation of the troops to President Tinubu for being the first Commander-in-Chief in Nigerias history to visit his soldiers outside the shore of the country.

While in Guinea-Bissau, the Nigerian leader is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings and have other engagements on the sidelines of the summit.

On the entourage of the President on the trip are National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Acting Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Folashodun Shonubi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa; Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Kana; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Aliyu Ahmed, and ECOWAS Permanent Representative, Ambassador Musa Nuhu.

Others on the entourage include former Governors, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Senator Abu Ibrahim from Katsina State.
A filing made on July 7, 2023, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois discloses that the U.S. Marshal Service will now assume control of confiscated cryptocurrency assets for disposition, as stated in Mr. Woodberrys forfeiture order.

This development stems from Woodberrys agreement to relinquish all proceeds obtained through wire fraud, which he perpetrated under the alias Mark Kain, involving the recruitment of a minimum of 4 individuals acting as money couriers while he was residing in Dubai, UAE.

ALSO READ: Lagos Police on a trail of businessman accused of blackmailing widow

Following his arrest by law enforcement authorities in Dubai and subsequent extradition to the FBI in 2020, Woodberry was expeditiously transferred to Chicago, where his trial has been underway.

The federal authorities have issued a call for interested parties to submit a claim for the property within a 30-day period and provide valid documentation to register their interest. They have further emphasized that written notice will be furnished to any individual known to have asserted an interest in the property subject to the preliminary forfeiture order.
The Ebonyi State Police Command has arrested individuals alleged to be responsible for shooting in parts of the state on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.

Parading them at the command headquarters in Abakaliki, the state capital, the Police commissioner, Faleye Olaleye, explained that his men apprehended 15 suspects including a herbalist who prepares charms for the gunmen.

Some of the suspects were also said to have invaded parts of Abakaliki shooting sporadically to enforce the sit-at-home order by pro-Biafra agitators.

ALSO READ: Residents scampered for safety as gunmen enforce sit-at-home order in Ebonyi

15 of them have been apprehended even with their herbalist. You can see the board, you can see the red cloth they were wearing that day & you can see the paraphernalia which also includes the women.

They were preparing for another attack today when we carried out the sting operation & arrested them, the Commissioner of Police said.

Recall that gunmen, on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, dispersed citizens, particularly traders, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
The father of Mmesoma Ejikeme, the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate who falsified her JAMB result, Mr Romanus Ejikeme, has tendered an unreserved apology to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Nigerians at large, saying his daughter lied to him initially.

Ejikeme had earlier accused JAMB of pulling his daughter down.

He admitted that he didnt know where his daughter registered for the examination but that he gave her the money for the registration.

This is just as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has been vindicated over its result manipulation allegations levelled against a candidate in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Mmesoma Ejikeme

The Board stated that this had further reinforced its position that its system was not and cannot be compromised.

Having initially come under fire from some quarters for declaring Mmesoma a fraud, JAMB in a statement on Saturday, said it will not despair in spite of the painful realisation that some Nigerians would do anything to cast aspersions on the good name of the Board.

Mmesomas Father Apologizes To JAMB, Nigerians

The report of the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Anambra State Government, an independent and unbiased body, as demanded by some Nigerians to look into the Mmesoma saga, has vindicated the Board, the statement said.

This has further reinforced the position of the Board that its system was not and cannot be compromised. It is to be noted that the Board has built a reputation in terms of the conduct of credible examinations over the years and cannot afford to fail the nation at this critical juncture of its development.

Therefore, we will not despair in spite of the painful realisation that some Nigerians would do anything to cast aspersions on the good name of the Board. However, in spite of all the posturing of its detractors, the Board remains resolute and uncompromising in its commitment to give Nigeria the best as far as credible and fair assessment is concerned.

In fact, the Board is, more than ever, determined to continue to forge ahead unmindful of the shenanigan of those who desire its fall.The committee set up by the Anambra State governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the trending result saga indicted the girl of manipulating her examination result.

JAMB warned candidates to stay away from fraudulent Apps that promise to enhance their scores as the end result would always be anguish and misery.

19-year-old Ejikeme Joy Mmessoma had at last confessed that she manipulated her result.

The Anambra State government stated that Mmessoma admitted to the investigation panel set up on the controversy that trailed her UTME result that she inflated her result from her actual score of 249 to 362 unaided.

The state government had set up an eight-man panel made up of five professors headed by Prof. A. U Nonyelu of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka to find out Mmesomas actual score in the UTME following her claim that she topped in the exam with 362.

Her claim was faulted on hearing that the state government was according another student who hails from the state, Miss Nkechinyere Umeh who scored 360 recognition as the authentic highest scorer in the 2023 UTME.

On arrival at the office of the state commissioner for education, Prof Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, accompanied by the principal of her Anglican Girls Secondary school, Uruagu, Nnewi and the secretary of education, Nnewi Anglican Diocese wherein she protested that the state government was trying to deny her, the hard academic success, which had already earned her N3million scholarship award from the proprietor of the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing company, IVM, Nnewi, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the education commissioner had put a telephone call across to the head of public relations of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin who promptly clarified that the highest score in the 2023 UTME was 360.

According to the Anambra state government the JAMB representative at the investigation panel had revealed that Mmessoma made several requests to the JAMB portal asking for her result at different hours, and each of these times (four in number) she received in her phone, same results from JAMB indicating her UTME results to wit: Eng: 64, Phy:54, Bio:74, Che: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249.

Following her admission of guilt, the investigation committee recommended that she should tender a written apology to the JAMB, the Anambra State government and her school, Anglican Girls Secondary school, Uruagu, Nnewi for dragging their names to the mud.

The panel also recommended that Mmessoma should undergo psychological counselling and therapy.

Already, the IVM boss has cancelled the N3 million scholarship awarded to Mmessoma.

JAMB has also cancelled her 249 score and banned her from participating in its exams in the next three years.

However, an indigene of Enugu State has awarded Mmesoma scholarship to study in any university of her choice either in London or Canada.

Innoson Withdraws Mmesomas N3m Scholarship

The N3m scholarship awarded to Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme by Innoson Vehicles has been withdrawn after the Anambra committee of inquiry revealed that she faked her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.

LEADERSHIP reports Mmesoma was awarded a scholarship worth N3m by Innoson vehicles to pursue her tertiary education with ease in the next five years.

Following the report of the Committee set up by Anambra State Government which indicted Mmesoma and revealed her UTME scores were inflated, Innoson made a decision.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Cornel Osigwe, head of corporate communications, Innoson, said the company made the difficult decision to withdraw the scholarship in response to the confirmed findings.

JAMB in a statement said: those who are still doubting the capacity of Ms. Mmesoma to commit this egregious crime and those who are pushing the narrative that the girl is just 16 years old even against all available data that indicate her age as an adult of 19 years, Ms. Mmesoma has owned up to committing the heinous infraction, which was carefully crafted to destroy the very foundation of one of the nations agencies charged with the critical role of apportioning the limited educational resource of the nation based on fairness equity and integrity.
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29th May, 2023 set another mile stone for Senator Bala Mohamed for taken oath of office for the second term as duly elected civilian Governor of one of the most populous state in Nigeria, Bauchi state after another similar landslide victory against team of frustrated and expired politicians who did not add an iota of value to the state they over the years benefited from it.

The election has sharpened as well as shines the lovers and the perceived enemies of the state who team up to topple the government without open-fathomable elucidation, expect; what many indigenes of the state described as envy, jealousness and desire to accumulates wealth at the peril of the masses. The system were overheated, tension and fear of eventualities were raised in an attempt to foil a governor who was helpless from the elites unless the convinced and satisfied people of Bauchi state that largely assembled themselves to payback the respect for the elders, traditional institutions, religious leaders , trade unions and security outfits in the state.

With passion and determination, Governor Bala Mohamed come up with Bauchi urban Renewal projects which comprises of vital economic blueprint to restore the fading glory of the state. The urban renewal project according the governor during his first tenure would set a yardstick for the development of the state. The 2500 mass housing projects that cut across the three senatorial districts of the state, the educational revolution that saw massive transformation and the healthcare improvement plus adequate provision of basic tools.

With the developmental feats achieved by the governor, none of his first commissioners and advisers stood filmy to protects the interest of the governor during the election time, proved to that is how they massively failed to deliver their electoral wards, starting from the two SSGs he appointed despite much criticisms from various political angles , the three sequential unproductive chief of Staffs he appointed, through ungrateful commissioners and advisers who are pompous, rude and crude to people not to talk of the immediate commissioner for women affairs who achieved nothing, if thorough investigation would be established, definitely she will be prosecuted in the court of law. The executive secretary of the Muslim pilgrims welfare board Sheikh Abdulrahman who disappointed hundreds of intending pilgrims who had paid their money far-back two to three years until left in disarray as alleged preferential treatment for some people who came on political sponsorship. Zaharadeen Shehu, is among the victim of the preferential treatment, he told newsmen, that he paid in legitimate money to perform the religious obligation timely and was patiently enough to be airlifted to perform the Hajj exercise, all of a sudden he found himself in Bauchi state, left without tangible reason the commissioner of youths and sport who can hardly mention names of head couches of the various sporting, the commissioner for commerce Zainab whose period investigated the ICPC, the college of health technology loose it trademark as one of the best institution that produces potential health personnel due to lackadaisical attitudes of the provost and a seemingly compromised system, above all is his alleged anti-party activities in the reelection bid of governor Bala Mohamed in anticipation for another political appointment, this why various groups appealed to Governor Bala Mohamed to order for forensic auditing of the schools activities as mindboggling issues would unveil itself.

Over the years, the governor expanded billion of naira to support farmers, amid late provision and sales to the public. The lacuna surrounding the whole process disbursement need to be overhaul by patriots rather than those angling for self-enrichment against the demand of the public. The progressed recorded under review was the multiple effort by the governor himself to actualize by agricultural revolution after realizing the significant of farming to the economy of the state.

Governor Bala Mohamed assume office with the pledged to revive the ailing industries in the state which includes; the Bauchi meat factory, Alind Nigeria, the fertilizer blending company etc. commendably, the government invested a lot but the mangers remained unfocused about the progress rather than accumulating wealth for self-enrichment, which saw them building mansions and driving luxurious cars while their industries were left in comatose. Though, governor Bala Mohamed has done his part by adequate funding of all the existing companies in the state but the captains doesnt care the stare development, especially the meat company which is performing far below average bench mark against its capacity of hundreds slaughtering at least 250 castles. Governor Bala Mohamed should replace the present general manager Kabiru labaran Makera, who is an accountant by profession should be replace with professional veterinarian to change the narrative of the company for optimum result and advisedly, the federal government home grown school feeding program which the company partners in the area of beef supply should be thoroughly review to ascertain the loopholes and the strength of the company.

For the first time local government autonomies were given to the local government chairmen of Bauchi state. sadly, all the elected chairmen abused their positions whilst embracing lavish life style at the peril of the masses, they turned to be millionaires building masons while some have edifice etc. only left the locals in hardship and quagmire for survival. People with proven integrity need to be appointed as caretakers pending the next local government election they may pave way for credible and godly people to charge the local government affairs of the state.

The massive corrupt officials, the government was able to flush out of the system indicates the governors commitment to set a paradigm shift in the state he prepared to develop for the future citizens. The dirty deals going on in the state treasury need to be look into to consolidate the goals of the government. The present leadership of the state treasury should be transfer to relevant organizations n the state because they are making the government unpopular in the heart of many aggrieved civil servants who consistently experience salary, pensions and other entitlements. 90% of the treasury leadership are not sincere and their loyalty to the government is questionable, majority of them worked against the victory of the government t in the just concluded election.

The state specialist hospital has turned to be a dead zone hospital, the management has allegedly contributed to the destruction of the multibillion naira less than two decade hospital, and 85% of the work force has reduced to its lowest ebb. The health assurance of patients was compromised just like the facilities installed were whisked away due to lackadaisical of the chief Medical director. The revenue generated for the development of the hospital has turned to be personal income for the corrupt managers some have private business empires. Governor Bala Mohamed should use his vast recognize experience to change the leadership and hold the incumbent responsible for the decay of the hospital desires investing millions of naira in the last four years plus the inherited compromised structures.

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THE Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has again given the assurance that the reconstruction work on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway will be completed by the first quarter of 2024, which is approximately in nine months time.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mahmuda Mamman, gave the assurance on Friday during an inspection of the road and other ongoing federal road projects in Kaduna State.

Mamman took a tour of the 375.9 km of the dual carriageway way beginning from the Abuja end through Kaduna to Zaria and extending further to Kano all in the North-West zone.

During the inspection tour, the Permanent Secretary attributed the late completion of the road project which was awarded since 2017 to insecurity and funding challenges, which he said are being sorted out to ensure that the contractor delivers the project next year.

The essence of the inspection according to him is to assess the progress made so far by the contractor handling the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road project, Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.

Among other challenges identified by Mamman and the project manager during the inspection are the issue of funding, insecurity, and weather conditions, which they noted had largely slowed down the project.

The Permanent Secretary also inspected the ongoing reconstruction work on the Kaduna Western bypass road, expressing disapproval of the slow pace of work by the contractor handling the project.

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Chinnampo (modern Nampo), a gateway to a great escape, circa early 1900s Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection



By Robert Neff



Often we think of the early Korean immigrants in Hawaii as Christians and people from the lower social classes who left Korea in hopes of enriching their lives (financially and spiritually), but many of them were from the upper class (yangban) and financially well-off  they left Korea not so much for wealth, but for freedom from the social norms.



In his book, "The Korean Frontier in America," Wayne Patterson provides several family testimonies from yangban families who gave up everything and moved to Hawaii.



According to one account, long before Joseon was established, there was a prime minister named Kim who "was the duplicate of the King in face and figure." This likeness was the source of his fame and his death.



"Once when the Korean King was at war with his rebellious lords, the prime minister, seeing the danger that the King was in, quickly changed his garb for the King's, had him taken to a safe refuge, then riding boldly to the front and cheering the soldiers on, he died bravely in the midst of battle, thus saving the King's life and bringing victory for the King. This brave heroism was made renowned in Korean history and every student in Korean history loves and reveres this noble prime minister."



According to the transcriber, the prime minister's tomb was located in Pyongsan, Hwanghae Province (North Korea)  as was the family estate. Considering the account is from the 1930s, I am not so sure the tomb still exists and  I am ashamed to say  I have no idea who this prime minister might have been. The only person I could immediately identify as coming from this region was Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea.





A Korean gentleman and his son in the late 19th or early 20th century Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection



Apparently, having famous relatives isn't always such a good thing. In the late 19th century, one of the descendants of this illustrious prime minister was known as "The Tiger of Pyongsan." Like a tyrant, he struck fear and loathing in the hearts of his servants and family. He was very tall and powerful and when his servants displeased him, he had them whipped publicly  unmercifully. His family was equally afraid of displeasing him as his word was law and no one dared to contradict him. To say he was conservative would be an understatement.



He had a wife and three concubines and was opposed to women being educated other than learning how to perform their household duties. Ancestral worship was an essential part of his life and he offered "gifts to the ancestral graves and household gods faithfully." He was fond of drink, but forbade his son from drinking. "He [was] a true patriarch, masterful and domineering, stern, cruel at times, and the dominant head of the Kim clan."



To his son, he was the epitome of Hell Joseon. Thus, when the opportunity presented itself, the younger Kim gathered his wife and their infant daughter, along with a few trusted friends and, in the middle of the night, escaped to Chinnampo where they obtained passports and passage to a new life in Hawaii.






Aishatu yan Guru Nahuce, a Nigerian pilgrim from Bungudu Local Government Area, Zamfara State, has been hailed for her good act.

The woman returned $80,000 (about N56 million) she found to the owner in Saudi Arabia.

This was disclosed via the Facebook page of Independent Hajj Reporters of Nigeria yesterday.

The post shared with the picture of the woman reads: This Nigerian pilgrim Hajiya Aishatu yan Guru Nahuce from Bungudu LGA of Zamfara State found $80,000 (N56 million) and handed it over to the Zamfara Pilgrims Welfare Agency official for onward return to the owner.



May Almighty Allah reward her honesty and accept her Hajj. Amen.



Lets make this woman famous!

Her name is Hajiya Aishatu Yan Guru Nahuce from Bungudu in Zamfara State of Nigeria.
By Izunna Okafor, Awka

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo has order the immediate handover of the girl with controversial JAMB result, Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, to a professor of clinical psychology for psychological counselling and therapy.

The Public Relations Officer of the States Ministry of Education, Mr. Nnaemeka Egwuonwu made this known in a statement issued to newsmen on Sunday.

According to him, the Governor gave the directive in a letter to the Principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi (Mmesomas former school). He said the Governor also directed that Mmesoma be handed over to the State Guidance Counselor.

Mr. Egwuonwu said the Governors directive was in line with the recommendations of the Panel of Enquiry that was set up by the State Government to investigate the controversy trailing the UTME results of the 16-year-old girl.

The statement read: The Governor of Anambra State Prof Chukwuma Soludo has directed that, Mmesomma Joy Ejikeme be handed over to the State Guidance Counselor.

In a letter to the Principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School Nnewi, Gov. Soludo further directed the immediate commencement of psychological counseling and therapy session for Mmesomma, who had on Thursday 6th July 2023 admitted that she manipulated the fake results she she had been parading.

In the letter signed by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, Gov. Soludo directed the handing over of Mmesomma to a Professor of Clinical Psychology.

The directive is in line with one of the recommendations of the Committee set up by Anambra State Government to investigate the matter, following the parading of the fake results which elicited interests and generated controversy and misgivings the general public.

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The court also ordered the government of President Bola Tinubu to disclose the exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of Abacha loot recovered and all agreements signed on same by the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari.

Justice Kolawole Omotosho delivered the judgement last week following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/407/2020, brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

Justice Omotosho in his judgement, held that In the final analysis, the application by SERAP is meritorious and the Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance is hereby ordered to furnish SERAP with the full spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot within 7 days of this judgment.

The judge ordered the government to disclose details of the projects executed with the Abacha loot, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects since the return of democracy in 1999 till date.

Justice Omotosho also ordered the government to disclose details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot under the governments of former presidents Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari.

Justice Omotosho also stated that, The excuse by the Minister of Finance is that the Ministry has searched its records and the details of the exact public funds stolen by Abacha and how the funds have been spent are not held by the Ministry. The excuse has no leg to stand in view of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Justice Omotosho dismissed all the objections raised by the Federal Government and upheld SERAPs arguments. Consequently, the court entered judgment in favour of SERAP against the Federal Government.

Justice Omotoshos judgment, dated 3 July, 2023, read in part: The failure of the Minister of Finance to write to SERAP informing it of where the said information exists or to transfer the request to public office who has custody of such information is fatal to their case under section 5 of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Ministry cannot use a blanket statement that it was not in possession of the said records of about $5bn Abacha loot sought by SERAP. The government failed to provide details of the projects executed with the money. It also failed to provide locations of the projects and the names of the companies and contractors that carried out or are carrying out the projects funded with the money.

I hold that by the clear wordings of section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, access to information about spending details of $5bn Abacha loot was denied SERAP by the Federal Government.

The Federal Government had filed a 14 paragraph Counter Affidavit deposed to by Abah Sunday, Litigation Officer in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation argued that SERAPs suit is frivolous, as it has not shown that the government denied it the information it seeks.

The Federal Government has also stated that SERAP has not established sufficient interest in its application. The government urged the Court to dismiss the suit.

For the sake of emphasis, possession of locus standi has been the bane of the citizens advocates, in the public interest litigation, to query transparency and accountability in governance in Nigeria.

In a democratic dispensation, such as in Nigeria, the citizens have been proclaimed the owners of sovereignty and mandates that place leaders in the saddle.

The requirement is a serious fracture of the citizens inalienable right to ventilate their grievances against poor governance vis-a-vis expenditure of public funds generated from their taxes.

The sacrosanct provision of Section 1(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which has ostracised this disturbing requirement, has, admirably, remedied the harmful mischief appurtenant to it.

Clearly, section 1 gives a person the right to access any information from any public institution in Nigeria. SERAP is an organization registered in Nigeria and thus a juristic person. As a juristic person, SERAP need not show any specific interest in the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot to be entitled to the same.

I therefore hold that SERAP is entitled to the information on the spending details of about $5bn Abacha loot, and need not show any special interest in the information sought.

The provision of Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act is quite clear and mandates that public institution or public officer such as the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice must make available the information requested within 7 days of the request.

In the letter dated 8 July 2023 sent to President Tinubu on the judgment, and signed by SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said, We urge you to demonstrate your expressed commitment to the rule of law by immediately obeying and respecting the judgment of the Court.

SERAPs letter, read in part: We urge you to direct the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately compile and release the spending details of recovered Abacha loot as ordered by the court.

The immediate enforcement and implementation of the judgment by your government will be a victory for the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes and management of public resources including the $5bn Abacha loot.

By immediately complying with the judgment, your government will be demonstrating to Nigerians that it is different from the Buhari government, which persistently and brazenly defied the countrys judiciary, and sending a powerful message to politicians and others that there will be no impunity for grand corruption.

Immediately implementing the judgment will restore trust and confidence in the independence of Nigerias judiciary. SERAP urges you to make a clean break with the past and take clear and decisive steps that demonstrate your commitment to the rule of law, transparency and accountability in the governance processes.

SERAP trusts that you will see compliance with this judgment as a central aspect of the rule of law; an essential stepping stone to constructing a basic institutional framework for legality and constitutionality. We therefore look forward to your positive response and action on the judgment.

Joined as defendants in the suit are the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Justice Omotosho granted the following orders of mandamus against the Nigerian government:

AN ORDER OF MANDAMUS is hereby made directing and compelling the Federal Government [through the Ministry of Finance and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to provide and disclose the following information to SERAP:

[a] Exact amount of money stolen by General Sani Abacha from Nigeria, and the total amount of Abacha loot recovered and all agreements signed on same since the return of democracy in 1999 till date

[b] Details of the projects executed with the recovered funds, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried or carrying out the projects

[c] Details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot since 1999

AN ORDER OF MANDAMUS is hereby made directing and compelling the Federal Government to:

[a] Refer any allegations of corruption involving the execution of projects with Abacha loot to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation

[b] Ensure that anyone involved in alleged corruption in projects executed with Abacha loot is brought to justice if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says there were no files incriminating President Bola Tinubu and some of his close aides in any of its offices across the country.

ICPC states this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Spokesman, Azuka Ogugua.

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The United Nations has called on the Nigerian Government to speed up the passage of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill.

This call is contained in its concluding observations from Nigerias review at the 126th session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee which held at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland from July 1-26, 2019.

The global body urges that Nigeria should speed up the process to pass the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill and take all necessary measures to ensure that all surveillance activities are in keeping with its obligations under article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and that any interference with the right to privacy is governed by law and conducted in accordance with the principles of necessity and proportionality and subject to effective safeguards.

Also, while noting the steps taken towards passage of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, the Committee is concerned about reports of website shutdowns and increased monitoring of online activities by government, particularly on social media.

The Committee is also concerned that the Terrorism (Prevention) Act and the Cybercrimes Act of 2015 provide for broad authority with respect to surveillance measures.

Adeboye Adegoke, Digital Rights Program Manager at Paradigm Initiative, while commenting on the development said Paradigm Initiative is excited that its advocacy on Digital Rights is yielding results and getting the attention of the United Nations and other key regional and global organizations.

Nigeria puts itself in the positive spotlight by initiating the laudable process of having a Digital Rights Law, but it must ensure that the process is completed to earn deserved commendation from across the globe and more importantly, to establish and cement its leadership position in Africa, Adeboye concluded.

In July 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution for the promotion, protection, and enjoyment of human rights on the internet which condemns any country that intentionally disrupts the internet access of its citizens.

The resolution stresses that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online particularly with regards to the freedom of expression already protected by Articles 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We live in the digital age and the United Nations Human Rights Committee is emphasizing the importance of human rights in the digital age, that rights that apply offline, must apply online, said Babatunde Okunoye, Research Officer at Paradigm Initiative.

In February this year, President Buhari declined assent to the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill after it was passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the 8th National Assembly.

Meanwhile, stakeholders revised the Bill and asked the National Assembly to revisit the Bill. On July 16, 2019,

The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, 2019 (HB. 98) was read on the floor of the House for first reading in the Nigerian 9th National Assembly.

The Bill must be passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate before it is sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

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Juanito

A 16-year-old alleged hitman had his head blown off in a gruesome shoot-out when he was dispatched with fellow gangsters to kill police in Mexico, according to Dailymail.

Juanito Pistola, also known as Commander Little, was inside a van with members of Hells Troop on Tuesday when they were ordered to ambush police in the town of Nuevo Laredo, a smuggling gateway.

At around noon, Pistola and six others, armed with rifles and dressed in military fatigues, travelled in the van with Texas license plates and engaged the police in a gun battle close to the airport.

High calibre rounds tore through their bodies and pictures of the aftermath showed Pistolas head taken clean off and the blood-soaked corpses of his comrades.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, says the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, sacked the only commissioner he nominated into his cabinet.

Oshiomhole, who is the immediate past governor of Edo State, said this during an interview on Channels Television on Saturday.

He said the irony was that Obaseki took the drastic action after a reconciliatory meeting which was attended by some APC stalwarts including Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State.

The APC chairman said, We have no argument over money or appointment In the meeting we held with four governors, including Governor Bagudu, I asked the governor, how many commissioners I nominated into his cabinet. He agreed that I only nominated one person out of more than 20 commissioners.

Not many Nigerians will believe that because for me I was out of government and I have convinced myself that the day I step out of government, that is it. After that first meeting, the governor decided to remove that one commissioner along with seven others. But that is not my business.

Oshiomhole, who has been at loggerheads with his successor in the last couple of months, said he was also disturbed that Obaseki decided to abandon some of his projects.

The former, however, assured his successor that he was not under any threat.

He said, The governor can never tell you that I have interfered in his choice of projects and so on. The only thing I feel a bit worried about is that some of the projects we started together have been abandoned. There is no way to solve disagreements without talking to the aggrieved parties.

Let me assure you. This governor is not under threat. It is those who make money from crisis, those I call merchants of confusion, who can tell the governor that he wants to be impeached. What will I gain if Godwin does not run a second term?

Obaseki and Oshiomholes feud deepened in June when the former issued a letter of proclamation for the inauguration of the House of Assembly.

The inauguration subsequently took place at night in the absence of lawmakers loyal to Oshiomhole, thereby making it possible for those loyal to Obaseki to emerge as presiding officers of the Assembly.

The move was said to have infuriated Oshiomhole and the APC leadership, causing the National Assembly to threaten to take over the state legislature.

Oshiomholes brother, Seidu, was also violently attacked during the crisis that ensued.
Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa at the weekend rewarded no fewer than 12 teachers with cars and cash gifts for outstanding performance of their duties, saying the era of teachers expecting their reward in Heaven is over.

Governor Okowa announced the rewards for teachers who emerged through a rigorous process at a Dinner and Awards night organized by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in conjunction with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) for teachers in Asaba on the sidelines of this years World Teachers Day.

Recipients of the awards were principals, headteachers and teachers at primary and secondary school levels, as they were charged to not only teach, but also develop the attitude and moral traits of their pupils.

Okowa, who told the awardees that the reward of teachers should not only in heaven, noted that diligent and hard work teachers should first be appropriately appreciated and rewarded here on earth. He said:

I want to congratulate the awardees, and to let them know that the reward of teachers is not only in heaven. Teaching is a passion that genuinely flows from the heart. This type of recognition will touch the hearts of our teachers and make them to work harder in the development of our children. The teachers, just like parents, play an important role in the development and upbringing of the child. We need to continue to give care to our children and guide them aright because it is at this foundational level that we can mould their character. We need to get the moral development of the children aright at this level, so that it will be well with our nation, Nigeria.

The governor commended the state Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education for organising the event, and the NUT for its tremendous support and partnership in improving the education sector in the state.
By: JOEL Duku, Damaturu

The Chief of Army State, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai, has warned 452 graduating army officers that the army does not condone laziness and complacency.

The COAS, who was addressing the Passing Out Parade of officers of Regular Combatant 66 and Short Service Combatant 45 who have successfully gone through Leadership and Regimentation Course in 241 Model Battalion Nguru, Yobe State charged them to go out and be good ambassadors of the army by making the institution proud.

I urge you to keep alive the knowledge acquired, put it into effective use and give good account of yourselves wherever deployed.

I am happy with your overall performances and wish to particularly congratulate you for completing this course on a high note.

 Do not rest on your oars but continue to strive harder in all your endeavours. I must also remind you that discipline is the bedrock upon which a successful military career is built and nourished.

It therefore beholds on you as individual officers to remain disciplined at all times, to exercise good command and control of men and resources placed under your watch. I must warn you that the NA has no room for laziness and complacency, therefore, you must take your career very seriously and discharge your duties with utmost diligence while shunning any acts capable of bringing your integrity to disrepute.

I charge you all to become leaders who by their courage in times of great adversity and competence will motivate their subordinates to follow them to any length. This implies that you must be selfless in rendering your services, firm and fair to all, Buratai said.

The Nation recalled that the officer one week ago undertook a fitness and show of force march through the ancient town of Nguru which attracted jubilations and praises from the residents for the soldiers.

The Nation finding revealed that out of the 452 graduating officers of the training, 26 are females and have been reported to have being very active during the 13 weeks drilling.

During the period of the 13 gruelling weeks, The Nation also gathered that the officers were schooled on various aspects of Regimentation and Leadership including Physical Training, Weapon Handling, Map Reading, Military Law, Civil Military Cooperation, tactical operations in the field, Professionalism and Discipline, amongst others which will develop the capacities of the young officers to be professionally responsive in all spheres of military duties in line with my vision for the Nigerian Army (NA).

Buratai, who was represented at the occasion by the Director Training, Army Headquarters Department of Training and Operation, Maj. General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, reminded the officers that their training came at the right time when the country is faced with different forms of security challenges, while expressing delight that the officers are well equipped to handles such challenges where and whenever they are faced with them.

I believe that the period spent on this course has exposed you to the basic tenets, techniques and requisite skills in Leadership and Regimentation to enable you take off on a sound professional footing.

Regimentation which is the vital element of combat spirit is one of the greatest factors for winning battles and achieving successes in the military. This vital element seems to have been undermined at the junior leadership cadre of officers. The inability of some young officers to adapt to the art of managing the norms, ethics, traditions and responsibilities of the regiment has occasioned dire consequences on their leadership capacity.

To address this gap, we must train and retrain young officers as there is no substitute for effective training. It is only through focused and realistic training that officers can become more proficient and well equipped to perform their jobs. The immediate training requirement is to ensure that the Nigerian Army is capable of carrying out its constitutional roles particularly in the conduct of CTCOIN in the NE and other parts of the country. The essence is to enhance troops combat and operational efficiency in combating the security challenges confronting the Nigerian nation. It is on this premise, that this orientation course is designed to provide you with the requisite knowledge to enable you attain high level of professionalism urgently needed to overcome the many challenges bedeviling our society.

The training you have received has inculcated in you highly regimented, skilled, confident and motivated spirits which makes you ready to perform any assigned task. It has equally broadened your understanding of military operations and better equipped you to carryout difficult tasks in the face of great danger.

The NA as you are aware is currently faced with myriads of security challenges and this training has further prepared you to play your role more effectively. I therefore charge you to go and make the NA proud by the wealth of knowledge you have acquired during this orientation training in your units and the theatre of operations, he said.

The COAS thanked the Commanding Officer and his team for carrying out a successful for producing this highly-regimented crop of young officers for the NA.

Col. Edwin Ugorji, the Commanding Officer of the 241 RECCE Model Battalion Nguru informed that the training was rigorous and successful.
The Kaduna State Police Command, said on Wednesday that it had arrested a pastor who allegedly staged his own kidnap and demanded N5 million ransom from his family.

A statement by the Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo said the pastor, James Clement and his accomplice, George Otokpa, were arrested by operatives of the commands Anti-Kidnapping Unit.

According to the statement, the fake kidnap was stage-managed on Jan. 27.

The 39-year-old pastor who lives in Nasarawa Tirkaniya area of Kaduna, allegedly conspired with Otokpa, who resides at No. 23 Aleri Water by Sarki Street, Kudandan, to commit the offence.

It said that, Clement demanded the payment of Five Million Naira as ransom from his own family through text messages using the second suspect as the negotiator.

The statement said two members of the pastors family reported his kidnap, and the police team was able to track him at his hide-out and arrested him together with his accomplice.

The suspects are currently undergoing interrogation and will be charged to court on completion of investigation.

It said the Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri condemned such criminal mentality and cautions members of the public against such heartless and barbaric act.

(NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, vowed not to rest until he secures the freedom of all children and other victims abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in the country.

Buhari made the vow in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during a high level breakfast dialogue on Stop the War on Children Affected by Armed Conflicts, Dividend of Silencing the Guns, an event on the sidelines of the 33rd AU summit.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari said his administration will not relent until everyone in the custody of the insurgents group regain freedom.

A number of schoolgirls from Chibok and Dapchi earlier abducted by Boko Haram have regained their freedom, Buhari said. We commend the gallant efforts of the MultiNational Joint Task Force and the partners in supporting the reintegration of the girls. Let me categorically reassure you of the steadfast commitment of the Government of Nigeria to ensure the freedom of all kidnapped children from the shackles of Boko Haram. We will not relent until every child, boy, or girl, every Nigerian adult in custody of Boko Haram, is freed! It is for this reason that the Nigerian government has severally condemned, and is combating frontally the dreadful activities of terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the so-called Islamic State.

Buhari urged African countries and stakeholders on the continent to work fervently towards strengthening the protection of children from the six grave violations during armed conflict.

He also expressed concern that these grave violations against children have continued unabated.

The six grave violations are killing and maiming of children, recruitment or use of children as soldiers, sexual violence against children, abduction of children, attacks against schools or hospitals and denial of humanitarian access for children.

This is coming barely 24 hours after Boko Haram insurgents killed over 30 civilians and kidnapped many travellers who were stranded outside the military entrance city gate in Auno town, Konduga local government area of Borno state.
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By Ross Oke







Ross Oke, general manager of Human Rights Beyond Borders / Courtesy of Human Rights Beyond Borders

Defending and advocating human rights requires continuous engagement. One doesn't simply sit back and hope that the U.N. or other human rights bodies will initiate investigations. And even when this does occur, it requires constantly knocking on people's doors  diplomats, U.N. officials, relevant experts, and stakeholders to ensure accountability. It also means that when we see U.N. rights statements, government truth-seeking missions, and so on, these are a culmination of stakeholders' active advocacy efforts.







Last year, a joint statement on illegal intercountry adoptions was released by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-recurrence, the Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children including child prostitution, child pornography, and other child sexual abuse material, the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.







In the context of intercountry adoption, "illegal" means infringed on the relevant laws of the state of origin or of the receiving countries, or in violation of relevant human rights norms. And "abuse" means when an adoption of a child was accomplished by such an illegal process.







The statement calls on states to investigate all illegal intercountry adoptions and reaffirms that "victims of illegal adoptions have the right to know the truth." The timing of this statement wasn't random but arrived as several European countries that received Korean adoptees undertook investigations into intercountry adoption abuses after a slew of adoptee abuses emerged and advocacy by adoptee groups, reports, and others.











In December 2019, Switzerland requested the Zurich University of Applied Sciences to conduct an inquiry into abusive intercountry adoption practices in Sri Lanka. The final report, released the following year, revealed that as early as the 1980s, the Sri Lankan media and Swiss Embassy issued warnings about systematic abuses. However, at the time, the Swiss government refrained from taking action; instead, it carried on with business as usual. The report concludes that due to serious misconduct by Swiss authorities, there should be further investigations into all cantons and other sending countries. However, the Swiss government dismissed the recommendation, stating that pursuing broader investigations is a task for academic researchers.







In another case, Belgium tasked an independent commission to investigate intercountry adoption practices in Ethiopia as part of its adoption reform efforts, while a Belgian court investigated an orphanage in the Democratic Republic of Congo over allegations of child trafficking. While one could blame the sending countries or the adoption actors in those countries, receiving countries also have a responsibility to protect the rights of the children they adopt, and this includes evaluating and reforming their systems that allow such adoptions.







In 2021, Denmark examined intercountry adoptions from Chile and uncovered a pattern of poor practices and rights violations. The investigative committee declared that the Danish government could not ensure that all adoptions at the time were legal. A second investigation examined a wider scope of sending countries and confirmed further illicit activity in intercountry adoptions to Denmark.







In February 2022, the Netherlands introduced a temporary moratorium on all its intercountry adoptions after a special commission found that the Dutch government failed to take sufficient safeguards and measures to monitor adoption procedures. At the end of last year, the Dutch government resumed intercountry adoptions with a select few countries while maintaining a ban on other countries.







In November 2022, France launched an investigation to identify illicit intercountry adoption activities and prevent their recurrence. Until February that year, France permitted individual adoptions, in which a couple could adopt without using an accredited body or adoption agency. International rights bodies and adoption experts have long said that a lack of state oversight in such private arrangements creates conditions conducive to abuses. Alongside the official investigation, researchers gained permission from the French Foreign Affairs Ministry to compile independent research. The report was released early this year and found wide-scale illicit activity in over 20 countries since 1979. Despite French diplomats issuing alarms to their central government, France continued adopting children.







A variety of current investigative actions have arisen at all levels  international, national, and local. Sweden's investigation isn't restricted to Korea but also includes other sending countries as it aims to determine whether Swedish authorities knew about the illicit activities going on in sending countries. Norway's inquiry was prompted by a combination of Korea's own investigative efforts into hundreds of intercountry adoption abuse cases and local news reports of Norwegian adoptees claiming their rights were violated during their adoptions. Like Sweden, Norway's investigation includes Korea and seeks to understand whether the Norwegian government violated any rights.







While the scope of these investigations has varied between countries, several common patterns emerge. First, in many cases, European receiving countries received repeated warnings about adoption abuses, sometimes by their own consular services in the sending countries. As I said earlier, these investigations occurred after much effort and warnings. Second, those investigations have reported a pattern of abuses and called for further inquiries that include a wider scope of sending countries. Third, the fact that European receiving countries adopted children from sending countries where pervasive abuses took place raises questions about why European countries did not launch these investigations earlier.







The answer may involve the shifting nature of discussions on illicit intercountry adoption practices. In the past, sending countries shouldered much, if not all, of the blame, but today, receiving countries are being pushed to take accountability for their role. A major impetus for this shift, along with the wave of investigations, is the result of campaigns by adult adoptees to demand that their adoptive countries take accountability for violating their rights. Some sending countries are also playing a greater role in examining not only their past but current adoption practices, and adult adoptees have also played a role in many of these activities as well.







We cannot rely solely on the good faith of sending and receiving countries to conduct comprehensive investigations. Instead, adoptees, their parents, whether adoptive or biological and other stakeholders must proactively compel their governments to not only investigate but also implement measures for accountability. Without such persistent pressure, our knocks will go unanswered.











This article is the first in a series about intercountry adoptions. While over 160,000 Korean children have been adopted abroad since the 1950-53 Korean War, it is believed there have been many cases that the adoptions infringed on relevant laws of the sending or receiving countries or violated the children's human rights to know the truth on filiation. The series will review such abuses in transnational adoptions, not only of Korean children but also those in other nations, and receiving countries' move for own investigations. This series is co-organized with Human Rights Beyond Borders.  ED.?Ross Oke is the general manager of Human Rights Beyond Borders. He has been involved in child rights activism for two decades. He served as a member of the International Working Group on Universal Birth Registration.
A 66-year-old citizen of the United Kingdom has died of coronavirus in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, made this known via Twitter handle on Wednesday.

He also confirmed that cases of coronavirus had increased to 130 in the state.

He tweeted, Lagos recorded another #COVID-19 related death: a 66-year-old Briton, who travelled from India via Dubai to Lagos on 17th of March, 2020.As of 7th of April, 2020, there are 10 new cases of #COVID-19 confirmed.

The total of #COVID-19 cases in Lagos rises to 130.Another #COVID-19 patient was discharged after full recovery. This brings the number of discharged patients to 32.

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The female armourer and her gang member arrested by the police

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Special Tactical Squad (STS) have apprehended a 28-year old female armourer, Fatima Garba, alongside her gang of kidnappers and armed robbers, notorious for allegedly attacking innocent Nigerians around Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna and Niger States.

According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, Abuja, DCP Frank Mba, as an armourer, Fatima was responsible for ensuring the safety of the weapons used by the gang whenever not in use.

The Police said Fatima, who confessed to being the gangs armourer for over a year, claimed to receive a handsome reward each time the weapons were returned to her after each operation.

According to the Police, she acknowledged knowing that the arms which she usually kept in a neatly dug hole in her compound were used for robberies, kidnapping and other criminal purposes.

Investigations show that Fatima, who is a trader and single mother of two was recruited by her boyfriend Abubakar Usman. Other members of the gang include: Samaila Usman m aged 28, Mohammed Ibrahim m aged 30, Mohammed Agali m aged 22, Dahiru Bello m aged 33, Shamsu Mohammed m aged 30, Mohammed Usman m aged 37, Umar Abdullahi m 33, Buhari Abubakar m aged 33 and Abubakar Garba m aged 37. Since they began operations, the gang is estimated to have made over twelve million naira from their various criminal escapades.

Recovered from the gang are five AK47 rifles, one G3 rifle, one Beretta pistol, 1476 rounds of ammunition, 36 rounds of G3 ammunition, 6 AK47 magazines, one operational vehicle, eight mobile phones and a box containing operational tools.

All the suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations, it read.

Also according to the statement, the Police had smashed a notorious two-man car stealing gang led by one 34-year old Bashir Isiaku, notorious for stealing cars from the car park of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

The arrest of Bashir, a graduate of one of the Federal Polytechnics, followed painstaking efforts and investigations by operatives of the STS to hunt down the criminals, the statement revealed.

The Police said Bashir and his accomplice, Aminu Yakubu, specialized in using the customized master key, crafted out of screwdriver to open and start vehicles.

Police investigations showed that the criminals choices of cars were ones without special security features such as pedal or steering locks, Mba said.

He disclosed that a total of twenty-one 21 vehicles have so far been recovered from the hoodlums and their criminal receivers.

The statement read, The following criminal receivers have also been arrested: in Funtua  Rilwanu Garba, Ibrahim Hassan, Kabiru Aliyu, Sikiru Danjuma, Bashir Abba; in Sokoto  Dodo Danbello, Mudeen Adelera, Nasiru Bello, Hassan Bawa; in Kucheri  Magazine Garba; in Tsafe  Yushehu Abdullahi; in Gusau  Abdurazaq Adekoya; and in Marafa  Kabiru Aliyu.

The recovered vehicles comprise 2 Opel Vectra, 1 Toyota Camry, 1 Honda CRV, 2 Toyota Carinae, 7 Golf-3, 1 Toyota Corolla, 6 Honda Civic and 1 Toyota Avensis. The suspects claimed that they found it easy to steal in JUTH due to the lax security at JUTH premises. Police investigations reveal that their choice cars are Toyota products, Honda products, and Volkswagen especially the Golf brand because these brand of cars are in high demand by criminal receivers, either in whole or in parts across the country and other neighboring countries.

In the light of the above, members of the public whose cars were stolen between January 2019 and March 2020, within the premises of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) are advised to come forward for possible identification and recovery. Nigerians are equally enjoined to take extra measures to secure their cars by utilizing special security features such as steering or pedal locks, tracking systems, etc. In the same vein, institutions and organizations are encouraged to enhance security and access control within their premises to minimize the possibility of theft and other mischief by criminals.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A. Adamu, NPM, mni assures Nigerians of the continued commitment of the Force to the protection of lives and property and rid the country of crime and criminality especially during this lockdown period.
The objects the museum collects hold immense storytelling power. Many objects have been witnesses to at least one, if not more, major historical events, embodying the stories and sentiments of their time. These object help connect our local history to larger national events.

It is rare, however, that we find an object that has truly been a witness to history. That said, one of our newest acquisitions is an exception to that rule. A 1940 Model 19 Teletype machine was recently donated to the museum by the Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington.

This particular teletype started its journey through history at The Pantagraph's downtown Bloomington offices in 1940, where it relayed valuable information to the press during the events of World War II. It is believed that this machine printed out reports on the Pearl Harbor attack, Franklin Roosevelts death, Victory in Europe Day, and Victory over Japan Day.

Teletype machines were devices that could be used for all types of communications, from within the office to across the globe. They could message a single other machine or multiple machines all at the same time. The attached keyboard made the machines much more user-friendly, meaning users needed little training to operate the teletype.

The concept for the teletype machine came in 1902 from the mind of a young engineer named Frank Pearne. He approached Joy Morton, a prominent businessman, asking for financial support to develop an improved telegraph system.

Morton collaborated with his friend Charles Krum, an electrical engineer and vice president of the Western Cold Storage company. Together, the two funded the teletype project, eager to see what technology could be discovered.

Unfortunately, discouraged by a year of failed attempts, Pearne left the project to pursue teaching.

Luckily this was not the end for the teletype. In 1903 Krum picked up where Pearne left off and began working to complete the project. In 1904 a patent for the type wheel printing telegraph machine was filed, and the journey of the teletype began.

Although the patent for the technology was submitted in 1904, the first fully working teletype was not completed until 1908, when the first test took place using a modified Oliver typewriter. Joy Morton, who was director of the Chicago and Alton Railroad at the time, decided that the first trial for this new technology would be to send a message between Chicago and Bloomington using railroad lines.

The message would need to travel a distance of about 150 miles. The test went well and launched Charles Krum, and his son Howard Krum, into a trial-and-error period that would last for the next 10 years.

After many tests and corrections, the first successful unit of commercial teletype machines, also known as the Type-Wheel Tape Printer, was produced in 1921 by the Morkrum Company. These machines were created and sold in 1927, with 883 machines sold during that time.

During this first launch, the name "Teletype" was created and used to market its unique form of communication.

As teletypes developed, many different models were created to keep up with evolving technology. The Model 19 added to the museums collection is a unique design that reflects a combination of earlier teletypes.

The device uses a Model 15 integrated paper tape perforator and a Model 14 Transmitter Distributor. This design was first created in 1940, and the combination style allowed the company to utilize older model materials in construction. That was important because it conserved resources needed for the war effort.

In the years following the war, the technology of teletypes quickly advanced and the Model 19 was replaced with the M28  a model that represented years of research and development and was considered a significant advancement over the previous models.

After being replaced by an M28 and sitting in Pantagraph storage for many years, our Model 19 continued its journey at the Bloomington airport. During the height of the cold war, the Pantagraph believed that the airport should have alternative methods of communication in the case of a nuclear threat.

Thankfully the airport never had to use the teletype machine, and it was eventually given to the Prairie Aviation Museum, who used it for many years as part of a World War II display.

The museum is grateful to the Prairie Aviation Museum who generously donated the machine so its unique history and connection to McLean County can be preserved. Although this teletype is not currently on display, photos of it being used in the Pantagraph offices can be found through the Museum's online Pantagraph Negative Collection.

Visit mchistory.org/participate/saving-history to learn more.

Highlights of Pantagraph Collection at McLean County Museum of History
Even as The Pantagraph's digital presence continues to evolve with products like the E-Edition and newly redeveloped mobile app, the print edition remains vital to the morning routines of thousands of readers.

Kat Baker is determined that routine will not be disrupted for the customers she has served since 2016.

Baker is The Pantagraph's Carrier of the Month, a new recognition for the men and women who work to deliver the print edition each morning. Assisted by her husband, Ryan Baker, she delivers about 325 papers a night across an area that includes Downs.

And she takes the job seriously. Baker places each newspaper in a plastic bag no matter the weather, lest it fall prey to morning dew and sprinkler systems. She has perfected a knot that customers can loosen easily with one finger, rather than having to tear into the plastic.

Years ago, one customer received a torn paper from a substitute carrier and promised to cancel if it ever arrived with a crease again; ever since, she has been folding that one newspaper in half instead of the standard three-way fold. She even gives out treats on holidays.

At a time when many would say it's hard to find people so committed to such details, what motivates Baker?

She credited her spirit of service to a military background: Her father served in the Navy for 26 years, her son is an Army veteran and Ryan Baker, her husband, is an Air Force veteran.

"Its just the way I was brought up, that you take care of people and they take care of you," she said.

Folks on Kat Baker's route have certainly taken notice. "She has letters of recommendation sent to her thanking her from all her customers," said Robin Vandiver, Pantagraph operations manager.

The feeling goes both ways. "I do appreciate my customers very much, very very much," Kat Baker said. "They mean a lot to us."
Do you know how safe C02 pipelines are? If not, ask residents of East Palestine, Ohio. Many of them are still ill or disabled due to the recent derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials.

Yes, these are different chemicals, but the results are the same, probably worse, with C02. Wolf and Navigator are two companies who want to build deep underground pipelines to carry liquid C02 through Illinois for storage in Decatur. Safety regulations will probably be completed in 2024 and they want to build the pipelines and storage units before safeguards are in place.

Their goal is to make money. C02 pipeline construction will destroy much of our precious farmland. They may go through environmental justice neighborhoods in our communities, such as Peoria. There is a proposal for a pipeline that will go under or through the Mahomet Aquifer, which supplies water to about 850,000 people, including the entire town of Normal. A leak in the pipeline could destroy our water supply for many years.

Do not let the state of Illinois become a dumping ground for hazardous materials don't want within their borders.

Marilea White, Normal
Twelve countries across different regions in Africa are set to receive 18 million doses of the first-ever malaria vaccine over the next two years. The rollout is a critical step forward in the fight against one of the leading causes of death on the continent.



The allocations have been determined through the application of the principles outlined in the Framework for allocation of limited malaria vaccine supply that prioritizes those doses to areas of highest need, where the risk of malaria illness and death among children are highest.



Since 2019, Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have been delivering the malaria vaccine through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP), coordinated by WHO and funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Unitaid. The RTS, S/AS01 vaccine has been administered to more than 1.7 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi since 2019 and has been shown to be safe and effective, resulting in both a substantial reduction in severe malaria and a fall in child deaths. At least 28 African countries have expressed interest in receiving the malaria vaccine.



In addition to Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, the initial 18 million dose allocation will enable nine more countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone and Uganda, to introduce the vaccine into their routine immunization programmes for the first time. This allocation round makes use of the supply of vaccine doses available to Gavi, Vaccine Alliance via UNICEF. The first doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in countries during the last quarter of 2023, with countries starting to roll them out by early 2024.



This vaccine has the potential to be very impactful in the fight against malaria, and when broadly deployed alongside other interventions, it can prevent tens of thousands of future deaths every year, said Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director of Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. While we work with manufacturers to help ramp up supply, we need to make sure the doses that we do have are used as effectively as possible, which means applying all the learnings from our pilot programmes as we broaden out to a new total of 12 countries.



Malaria remains one of Africas deadliest diseases, killing nearly half a million children under the age of 5, and accounting for approximately 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of deaths in 2021.



Nearly every minute, a child under 5 years old dies of malaria, said UNICEF Associate Director of Immunization Ephrem T Lemango. For a long time, these deaths have been preventable and treatable; but the roll-out of this vaccine will give children, especially in Africa, an even better chance at surviving. As supply increases, we hope even more children can benefit from this life-saving advancement.



The malaria vaccine is a breakthrough to improve child health and child survival; and families and communities, rightly, want this vaccine for their children. This first allocation of malaria vaccine doses is prioritised for children at highest risk of dying of malaria, said Dr Kate OBrien, WHO Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. The high demand for the vaccine and the strong reach of childhood immunisation will increase equity in access to malaria prevention and save many young lives. We will work tirelessly to increase supply until all children at risk have access.



Given the limited supply in the first years of the roll-out of this new vaccine, in 2022, WHO convened expert advisors, primarily from Africa  where the burden of malaria is greatest  to support the development of a Framework for the allocation of limited malaria vaccine supply, to guide where initial limited doses would be allocated. The Framework is based on ethical principles on a foundation of solidarity; and it proposes that vaccine allocation begin in the areas of greatest need.



The Framework implementation group that applied the framework principles included representatives of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), UNICEF, WHO and the Gavi Secretariat, as well as representatives of civil society and independent advisors. The groups recommendations were reviewed and endorsed by the Senior Leadership Endorsement Group of Gavi, WHO and UNICEF.



Annual global demand for malaria vaccines is estimated at 4060 million doses by 2026 alone, growing to 80100 million doses each year by 2030. In addition to the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, developed and produced by GSK, and in the future supplied by Bharat Biotech, it is expected that a second vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, developed by Oxford University and manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), could also be prequalified by WHO soon. Gavi has recently outlined its roadmap to support increasing supply to meet demand.









Source: graphic.com.gh









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Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as "Napo", has been adjudged the overall "Africa Role Model in Politics and Governance".



Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh received this honor on Saturday, 8th July, 2023 at the Great Hall of KNUST during the 14th MTN Pulse Africa Role Model Awards.



Organized by the Young Professionals and Youth Coalition (YPYC), the award conferment recognized the Energy Ministers position as one of Africas most distinguished role models and transformational leaders in the corporate world; an elite listing of influential and inspiring leaders.



According to President of YPYC, Mr. Andy Osei Okrah, the award recipients constitute the finest selection of the most outstanding personalities who have truly excelled as transformational leaders and role models impacting society.



The award winners are few and were carefully chosen on the back of several considerations, he stated.



You are dexterous, tolerant, resolute and endowed with political far sightedness, a virtue not lost on your constituents and the public at large. A golden fish cannot be hidden, portions of the citation presented to the Minister read.



In a brief remark, Dr. Prempeh expressed appreciation to the almighty God for the divine strength to serve his country diligently and to inspire young leaders.



I am humbled by this recognition and wish that together we contribute our quota to make our country great and strong, he said.



The Minister, who is also Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, by this award joins the league of past award recipients in this category like former Presidents Rawlings, Kufuor and Mahama.



The category also includes the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, distinguished academics and other dignitaries of society.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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It has been less than a month since aYo Intermediaries Ghana introduced their affordable and inclusive microinsurance product, aYo Family Cover, and it has already recorded about 10,000 customers.



CEO of aYo Ghana, Francis Gota disclosed this exclusively to Techfocus24 at the second launch of the aYo Family Cover product at Kasoa New Market in the Central Region. The first launch was at Madina Market in Accra just about a month ago.



The company has chosen to launch the product in the selected markets because it is designed as inclusive product with affordability as its main cornerstone, to ensure that even very low-income earners will be able to buy, use and benefit from insurance.



At the Kasoa launch, the CEO, Francis Gota said the company is committed to democratising insurance through affordability, so when tragedy strikes, even low-income people would have something to count on to meet the usually high expenses.



He therefore urged market women, street hawkers and other petty traders present at the launch to put themselves into groups of seven and buy aYo Family Cover, or even as individuals, buy any of aYo's highly affordable products and secure their future against the inevitable.



Head of Microinsurance at Sanlam Insurance (underwriters for aYo), Ken Owusu Nantwi noted that because of aYo's innovative and affordable insurance products "now insurance is no more for just the rich but for the poor as well."

According to him, people often weep over their dead relatives because of the cost of funerals, but now aYo has created the platform for everyone to get help in such times, adding that formerly insurance covered only one person but not aYo has included the family as well.



Guest speaker at the event, Nana Kwesi Gyan Apenteng noted that with affordable insurance packages like aYo Family Cover, the days when families looked up to a few well-to-do relatives to foot funeral bills are going away because now even low-income earners in the family can also bring some money to help meet funeral expense.



"Up till date older men like myself continue to foot funeral bills for families - but you have the opportunity to change that in the generation by patronizing affordable insurance products like aYo Family Cover so that when you have a funeral in your family you can also contribute your quota," he told the traders at the event. "No matter your income level, aYo can make you important in your family when there is a funeral."



Nana Gyan Apenteng urged all the traders to use their social media platforms to spread the news about the affordable insurance products on aYo so that their families and friends can join and also benefit.



Kasoa Police Commander Timothy Dassah was also present at the event and he urged the traders to patronize the aYo products saying that "I have had insurance cover for the past 20 years and I can assure you it helps in times of need."



As of 2021, Ghana's insurance penetration by GDP was less than 2%, but in terms of the number of persons who have insurance cover, aYo alone has close over 8 million customers, with an additional 2 million being indirect beneficiaries.



aYo Family Cover, which is poised to even boost the coverage further, allows the policyholder to put six more persons on the policy and each of the six will pay up to GHS15 a month as premium for a GHS15,000 life cover, plus GHS3,000 hospitalization cover.



Meanwhile, there is a more affordable version where each of the seven persons will pay GHS10 each as premium every month for a GHS10,000 life cover each and GHS2,000 hospitalization cover.



The policy, which is available of *296# on MTN only, requires that a policyholder has a valid MTN mobile money wallet because the premiums will be paid with the wallet.



Additionally, aYo still runs its Recharge with Care (RwC), Send with Care (SwC) and the RwC Annual Cover products, under which policyholders pay very affordable premiums with airtime and mobile money, and benefit from up to GHS6,000 life cover under RwC and Annual Cover, and up to GHS30,000 under SwC.



They also come with hospitalization cover depending on the number of nights one spends in the hospital.



Under the Annual Cover product in particularly, the policy holder pays GHS130 for the whole year, and if the year passes and the policyholder did not make any claim, aYo will give the policyholder a 10% cash back.



Between the three products, aYo has so far paid out GHS14 million in claims to more than 40,000 persons. Claims are usually paid within 24 hours of application, provided all the particulars are intact. Claims can be made via phone and the benefit will be paid into the policyholder's MTN mobile money wallet.



Meanwhile, aYo also organized free medical screening for the traders in collaboration with Clarion Health Service.

The traders were also treated to several aYo branded goodies amidst singing and dancing powered by aYo brand ambassador and Ace Broadcaster Abeiku Aggrey Santana.



Source: Peacefmonline com









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Acclaimed architect David Adjaye is facing significant professional repercussions as institutions distance themselves and review their relationships with him in light of allegations of sexual assault and harassment.



The Studio Museum in Harlem is the latest institution to sever ties with Adjaye, who had been commissioned to design a highly anticipated new building for the museum. However, following the allegations in the Financial Times, the museum announced that Adjaye will no longer be involved in the project.



Raymond J. McGuire, board chair of the Studio Museum, expressed that the alleged actions are contrary to the museum's founding principles and values. Adjaye himself released a statement to the New York Times, acknowledging that the accusations may tarnish the museum's reputation and create a distraction.



The allegations against Adjaye were first reported in the Financial Times, with three women coming forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct and describe a toxic work environment. Adjaye has denied the allegations, stating they are untrue, but he expressed regret for engaging in consensual relationships that blurred professional and personal boundaries.



Other projects involving Adjaye in the United States now hang in the balance as postponements and cancellations have ensued following the Financial Times investigation. The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Massachusetts has indefinitely halted the presentation of a large-scale sculptural work by Adjaye. The Counterpublic triennial in St. Louis is also organizing a public dialogue about a monumental work installed at the Griot Museum of Black History.



The status of Adjaye's involvement with the Princeton University Art Museum remains uncertain, as the director, James Steward, found the accusations troubling but did not explicitly state if the institution would continue its relationship with the architect.



Similarly, the Shelburne Museum in Vermont, which had commissioned Adjaye to design a new centre for Indigenous art, announced that it would reassess his involvement.



Adjaye's work is currently featured in the "New Publics, New York" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, but the museum has not responded to requests for comment.



Internationally, Adjaye's projects are showcased at the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy, and he is the architect for upcoming buildings such as the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, and the Africa Institute in Sharjah.



Earlier this week, Adjaye resigned from his roles as an architectural advisor to the mayor of London, a board member of the Serpentine Galleries, and the Holocaust memorial project planned for London. The allegations against Adjaye have created significant professional consequences and led institutions to reconsider their collaborations with him.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak will use the Nato summit in Lithuania to urge allies to increase their defence spending as he warns they face "unprecedented" security challenges.





The Prime Minister will meet with leaders in Lithuania on Tuesday for talks that will feature support for Ukraine and its future membership of the defensive alliance.





At the summit in Vilnius, Downing Street said that Mr Sunak will ask allies to up their defence spending to ensure it is prepared for future threats.





In a statement, the Prime Minister said: "As we face new and unprecedented challenges to our physical and economic security, our alliances are more important than ever.





"The UK is Europe's leading Nato ally, we are the United States' most important trade, defence and diplomatic partner, and we are at the forefront of providing Ukraine with the support they need to succeed on the battlefield.






By Kim Sung-woo



Myron Scholes, a professor at Stanford University and a 1997 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, remarked during his visit to Korea last June that the carbon credit market would grow enormously in the future. As a founder of the Black-Scholes Model for pricing option contracts, he is known to have built a theoretical framework for pricing financial derivatives. Through carbon credits, companies can trade their carbon reduction performance. Companies short of their reduction targets may purchase carbon credits to fill the gap and achieve their target.



While acknowledging the huge potential in the market for carbon credits, Professor Scholes also flagged the underlying risks in the market that may arise from the ambiguous nature of what counts as a carbon credit. Professor Scholes advocated the need to introduce legal and accounting frameworks to address these risks. In other words, the Nobel Laureate seemed to believe that carbon credits are a promising means to reduce carbon emissions but also a potentially controversial tool that requires further discussion and improvement.



Carbon credits are key to the emissions trading system, which is rising as an effective tool to reduce carbon emissions. The emissions trading system is a market for trading carbon credits. Companies that emit a certain amount of carbon are allocated a certain quantity of carbon emissions they are allowed to emit. Those companies under the permissible emissions threshold can sell their carbon credits to other companies that exceeded their permissible threshold.



Since 2015, Korea has been operating an emissions trading system to achieve its national carbon reduction target. It was the second country in the world after the EU to initiate the emissions trading system nationwide. The total volume of transactions in Korea was 54.72 million tons in 2021. The covered entities emit 73 percent of the country's total emissions, which is the largest ratio around the world.



The Korean government adopted the emissions trading system as a primary tool for achieving the national reduction target, established for the first time in 2009. In 2020 and 2021, the national reduction target was heightened due to the Paris Agreement taking effect. In addition, the emissions trading system has become increasingly more important as Korea needs to navigate various hurdles in international trade that arise from environmental concerns such as the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.



Meanwhile, companies have been raising concerns due to the difficulty in implementing the emissions trading system into their business and calling for improving the system to make it more reasonable and practical. Against this backdrop, the Korean government has faced a huge need to upgrade the emission trading system to address the lack of motivation for companies to reduce carbon emissions and the increased volatility in the market environment.



Accordingly, the government and the private sector jointly formed the Partnership for Advancing Emissions Trading System, consisting of experts from relevant ministries, companies and associations, and announced plans to improve the emissions trading system last November. As key strategies, the partnership proposed increasing incentives for carbon reduction, enhancing market mechanisms for proper pricing of carbon and supporting companies to implement reductions.



The partnership proposed to increase the incentives for companies' carbon reduction investments by recognizing their reduction performance if they replace existing facilities with high-efficiency facilities that are the top 10 percent of the industry on average, produce products with low-carbon raw materials such as bio-naphtha, or use electricity produced with renewable energy. In addition, the partnership also suggested that the government would gradually increase the participation of financial institutions as market makers and introduce a trading system based on a third-party delegation and a futures trading system to mitigate volatility in carbon credit prices and facilitate transactions.



The government is also planning to ease the procedure for converting overseas carbon reduction projects into carbon credits that can be traded in Korea, if the reduction projects have been certified by the UN. The government support for carbon-neutral facilities using funds generated from the paid allocation (auction) of carbon credits will continue to increase.



For successful implementation of the plan, a few conditions must be met. First of all, the electricity market should take into account prices of carbon credits such that the carbon prices can incentivize companies to reduce carbon emissions in the power generation sector, a key industry in Korea's transition to the next generation of energy. In addition, since future emission allocation is determined based on past emissions, the government must take action to prevent moral hazard for those companies that used to have large emission amounts in the past. Lastly, the government must make it more predictable regarding how they exercise discretion over carbon credits for price stability.



There is no one-size-fits-all type of emissions trading system for roughly the 700 companies covered in the system. It is even more difficult for companies that grow by increasing the number of factories they operate. Nevertheless, for the past eight years, Korea has operated the emissions trading system for industries with high energy-consuming structures, and Korea should tap into such experience as an asset.



Korea's emissions trading system, which is evolving, is a good example for developing countries that need to introduce carbon reduction policies. Korea's failures and successes can be both a learning resource for developing countries so that they do not repeat the same failures and a way of not reinventing the wheel. Korea is well-positioned to share its trials and errors with the international community in its journey to perfecting the emissions trading system.





Kim Sung-woo is head of Environment & Energy Research Institute at Kim & Chang.






Charles Owusu has slammed the Minister of Communications and Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful for throwing a tantrum at the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Murtala Mohammed on the floor of the Legislative House.



A heated clash broke out in Parliament on Wednesday, July 5, when the MPs were debating the anti-LGTBQ+ bill which seeks to criminalize homosexual acts in Ghana.



The bill is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values.



It bans lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and all related activities, therefore offenders will face a jail term or fine or both.



While the MPs were debating the bill, Hon. Ursula Owusu directed the mind of the Speaker to a distasteful statement she believed she had heard clearly made by her colleague MP referring to her as a practitioner of homosexuality.



The Speaker drew the attention of Hon. Murtala Mohammed and asked him to retract his comment but he refused to withdraw the statement, telling the House he had made no such comment.



"I said so many things, may I please know which one I should withdraw," he said but the comment Hon. Ursula Owusu strongly believed to have heard her colleague MP say infuriated her, thus giving the latter a corrosive reply.



"Mr. Speaker, I sat here and repeatedly heard Murtala refer to me as an LGBTQ+ practitioner to the hearing of everyone in the House. I sat here and repeatedly heard him shout at the top of his voice and refer to me as a practitioner of LGBTQ and every single last one of you is behaving as if you didn't hear. And if in response to that I say he is mad.



"It is only a mad man who will refer to his colleague in this House as a practitioner of LGBTQ when you haven't seen me having sexual intercourse with your wife or your daughter or your mother. When you haven't caught me having sexual intercourse with your wife or your daughter or your mother, you sit there and refer to me in those terms and we call ourselves honorable members of this House when you hear it and pretend that suddenly you've lost your sense of hearing", she replied.



To Charles Owusu, he wished the Minister had exercised patience and not spewed those unparliamentary words.



He advised Hon. Ursula Owusu to take note that two wrongs don't make a right and that the behaviour she exhibited doesn't suit her character.



"I'm not supporting whichever word Murtala used but you see, when you look at the anger that my dear sister was exhibiting on Television, it doesn't befit the character of the person I know. Sometimes, we will be angered but we should have the patience to control ourselves," he said while discussing the matter on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.



Watch video below





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Charles Owusu, a former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, has thrown a challenge to the Members of Parliament who disagree with the anti-LGBTQ+ bill to publicly declare their support for the homosexual community.



Although all 275 Members of Parliament have accepted the bill, Charles Owusu however believes there are some who agreed out of fear.



To him, it is good that none of the MPs could boldly speak against the bill, nonetheless, he is giving anyone who feels he is not in agreement with the bill to come out and boldly tell Ghanaians his position.



"I dare anybody in Parliament who doesn't agree to come publicly to tell us he or she support the LGBTQ. If you are a man or woman, come out and tell us publicly; whether you will go back to that Parliament, you will see," he said.



He stressed that homosexuality is a "taboo. It destroys a nation", therefore it won't be entertained in Ghana.



Charles Owusu applauded the MPs for unanimously adopting the bill, stating on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show that "they will be remembered. Posterity will remember you".



The MPs, on Wednesday, July 5, adopted the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022 which is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values as well as proscribe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and related activities.



The bill, when it comes into effect, will criminalize homosexual acts, hence offenders may face a jail term.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Governance Lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah has lauded the Members of Parliament for adopting the anti-gay bill.



Members of Parliament, by a unanimous decision on Wednesday, accepted the bill which seeks to ensure proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values.



It awaits the final stages to be passed into law and when it comes into effect, all persons caught in homosexual acts or making open declaration of support for the LGBTQ+ community and their activities will be criminally charged and face a jail sentence or fine or both.



Discussing the matter during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah noted that LGBTQ+ was said to be a "mental disorder" but the forces that be have managed to convince the World Health Organization to revise their documents in support of them.



To him, those who practice homosexuality are "mad people".



He, therefore, commended the MPs for fully supporting the bill and also advised them to display the same energy in fighting corruption.



"The way they have all unanimously accepted this with one voice, I am expecting that they will also, with one voice, fight against corruption," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Charles Owusu has slammed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for threatening to boycott Parliament if the criminal trial of the Assin North Member of Parliament, James Gyakye Quayson, is not aborted by the Attorney-General.



There have been incessant calls on the Attorney-General to drop the case against Mr. Gyakye Quayson with the Chief of Dormaa traditional area, Osaagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II admonishing the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to intervene and halt the legal action.



"Honestly, I dont see the benefits this prosecution will bring Ghanaians. If he is in court, he cant fulfil his mandate so the president and the Attorney General should do something urgently to end this matter, so we move on as Ghanaians".



As a matter of urgency, I am appealing to the President of the Republic, Attorney General if he has any role to play, that trial should be aborted. The Attorney General should as a matter of urgency file a nolle prosequi to end that particular decision, the Dormaahene said.



Also, the NDC Members of Parliament led by their leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, on Tuesday, July 4, served notice to boycott the business of Parliament in favour of the Assin North MP.



I wish to serve notice that the entire Minority group will accompany our colleague to court today and any other day that he is to appear in court.



Mr Speaker, we are solidarising with our colleague and we will not participate in the business of the House anytime our colleague is in court and well be withdrawing from the chamber after this ceremony if the court processes indeed happens today, he said.



Reacting to the NDC's position on Gyakye Quayson's trial, Charles Owusu sought to find out from them if they will also join him should he be sentenced to prison.



"If he is jailed, will you follow him to prison?", he questioned.



He advised the NDC to use an appropriate approach and channel to resolve the issue, stressing sometimes "matters are best solved behind the scenes, not being loud about it" like the Minority Caucus is doing regarding the trial.



To him, the approach the NDC is adopting will only aggravate the issue.



Listen to him below:





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Some assert that "buttload" was first used in print in the novel "Los Angeles Without a Map" by Richard Rayner in 1988, and that it's chiefly used in the United States. Fair enough. But what about its close yet more vulgar cousin, sh*tload? Merriam-Webster has that one going as far back as 1954, but they still blame Americans for it. The Brits had cleaned this one up by the 1990s, exchanging it for "shedload."

As long as we're looking up words, what about "boatload?" Could that have led to the "buttload" phenomenon? Maybe, but boatload has been in use since at least 1625, when it was used by explorer John Davis as recounted by Samual Purchas in "Purchas His Pilgrims." It really does just mean the number of people a boat can hold, and there don't seem to be any clear lines between boatload and buttload across more than 400 years.
By Politico staff writer

Politico can authoritatively reveal that high level talks have begun between the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party and the main opposition, APC. Sources who should know about the meeting told Politico that Hon. Mohamed Sidi Tunis, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and John Oponjo Benjamin who was sacked from his job as a Senior Adviser to President Bio on Wednesday, met former president Ernest Bai Koroma at his home in Makeni.

Our sources believe the meeting was approved by President Julius Maada Bio.

When contacted on the matter, the ECOWAS Speaker confirmed that they met the former President but refused to be drawn on the issues discussed and their conclusion but he described the meeting as exploratory, noting that further meetings are planned as a way of bringing the political temperature in the country down. Hon Tunis said everything should be done to maintain peace and national cohesion in Sierra Leone and for all political parties to play their part in the governance of the state.

The meeting happened at a time the APC said they will boycott all governance activities in the country in protest over the outcome of the 24th June General Elections.

The leadership of the APC had claimed lack of transparency and irregularities in the electioneering process and had rejected the results of the Presidential Election announced by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) which certified incumbent President Julius Maada Bio as winner.

ECSL has dismissed the accusations as a ploy to undermine their credibility.

A list that bears the names and signatures of the elected APC Members of Parliament and Local Councils, giving their assent to the partys stance to boycott governance, has surfaced on social media.

Former President Koroma left his role as chairman and leader of the APC just before the elections but remains an influential figure in the party.

Copyright  2023 Politico (07/07/23)
US soldier who defected to NK had been in prison workshop in Seoul: sources
By Politico Staff Writer

Eight Presidential Advisers and the Chairman of the Office of Presidential Infrastructure Initiative, Dr. John E. Tambi have had their services terminated.

A letter from the Secretary to President Julius Maada Bio, addressed to the Accountant- General at the Ministry of Finance dated Wednesday 5th July 2023, with notification for updating of the payroll, highlighted the names of those affected.

Special Adviser to the President Dr.Kona Cecilia Koroma, Senior Presidential Adviser and Ambassador at Large for Heritage and Culture, Raymond De Souza-George, Political Adviser , Dr. Brima Patrick Kapuwa, and Adviser to the President John Oponjo Benjamin have all lost their jobs.

Senior Presidential Adviser and Head of Strategic Communication, Dr. Patrick K.Muana Presidential Adviser on National Security, Retired Major General Mohamed M. Keita, Presidential Adviser Augustine Boss Fallay and Special Adviser to the President Dr. Umaru B.Wurie have also had their services terminated.

Their dismissals came just a week after the President Bio was sworn in for his second term after winning the June 24th General Elections..

Copyright  2023 Politico (07/07/23)
QUEENSBURY  Queensbury Union Free School District kicked off their Q-munity bus summer learning tour with a scavenger hunt and free books and popsicles at Hovey Pond Park on Friday afternoon.

The districts big blue bus will be stationed in several Queensbury neighborhoods, including Forest Park, Montcalm Apartments and Jenkinsville Park, throughout July and August to facilitate partnerships between the school and its families by providing engaging educational and family-friendly events.

The repurposed school bus is equipped with state-of-the-art furnishings, white boards with dry erase markers, tablets that merge tactile exploration with innovative technology, and hands-on learning materials for number and math learning. The bus also has Wi-Fi, a TV with an HDMI cable, a Chromebook, a microphone and surround-sound system, Ozobots, Spheros, giant Jenga, arts and crafts and a supply basket.

Queensbury Elementary Principal Jessica Rossetti and Assistant Principal Jennifer OLeary were joined by STEM teacher Jacqueline Muller at the Hovey Pond Park to get students excited about technology.

The pop-up program is meant to encourage all students to practice reading and math facts during the summer months. Elementary students are also invited to participate in the QES Summer Reading and Math BINGOALS Challenge, in which students can use the BINGOALS Summer Chart they received on the last day of school to track their reading and math skills practice.

Muller also spoke about the idea of failing forward, which means the students grow and learn from their mistakes in order to problem solve.

Our goal was to ensure that the community understands that the school district cares about them, Superintendent of Schools Kyle Gannon said in a news release. Our administrative team has worked hard to put together fun-filled and educational opportunities for any Queensbury community member that stops by.

Jaime Kirker and his dad were among some of the first community members to join the districts planned activities.

Kirker is going into second grade in the fall and picked out one of the free books available to continue his summer reading competition both for school and the Pizza Hut reading program.

Even though hed seen the bus at school, he said he was excited to check out everything on Friday afternoon.

The second event is 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Monday at the Homestead Acres neighborhood, off of Luzerne Road. Gannon and the assistant superintendents will bring the bus to the neighborhood for outdoor games, literacy and STEM activities and popsicles.
STONE HARBOR  A lineup of longboarders jockey for waves off 110th Street on a sunny morning, while beachgoers wheel overladen wagons, making their way across the beach and over a large steel pipe.

On this early July morning, that pipe is quiet, but most of the time, 24 hours a day, a rush of water and sand flows through as part of a $37.7 million beach building project.

As the summer of 2023 warms up, that project is winding down, the latest in a decades-long effort to keep sand on the beaches of New Jersey.

According to Steve Rochette with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District, the Stone Harbor and Avalon beach project is set to be completed by mid-July, although there will still be some ancillary crossover and fencing work to take place after that.

Rochette described it as minor and not very impactful for the use of the beach.

As for the ongoing project, which requires a block of the beach to be shut down to visitors at a time while the sand is shaped and distributed, beachgoers appear to have grown accustomed to the climb over the long pipe, with mounds of sand forming crossovers at regular intervals.

Since Cape Mays first federal beach replenishment project more than 30 years ago, federal projects building beaches using sand dredged from offshore shoals have become commonplace in New Jersey. Stone Harbor and Avalon, which share a barrier island, had another beachfill completed in 2017.

In most instances, the cost is divided between the federal government, the state and the municipality. So far, the total bill for all that sand is close to $1.5 billion. While some have balked at the numbers, and groups like the Surfrider Foundation have questioned the long-term viability of using sand to keep barrier islands from moving, supporters of beach replenishment say it is vital for the tourism economy and for storm protection.

Protection of lives and property is the stated reason the Army Corps builds beaches. For Avalon and Stone Harbor, those wide beaches and dunes protect homes and properties with an assessed value of close to $15 billion.

Its key to everything Avalon holds dear, said Jamie McDermott, Avalons Borough Council president, describing the impact of the beach project completed there this year as enormous.

He said he recalls walking with his father as a boy along the beach and touching the uprights of the Townsends Inlet Bridge before turning around.

Today, where he once walked is underwater, and the north end of Avalon along the inlet is protected by a stone seawall. He praised the work of the Army Corps and the contractor, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock.

The project reached Stone Harbor in early June, with the arrival of the dredge Texas.

The borough has posted regular updates on the progress of the work, the most recent indicating the beaches were closed from 117th Street through 121st Street as of July 6.

Ocean City also received additional sand last winter, with more expected to be added to the south end of the city this fall, as part of a project that will include Sea Isle City and the Strathmere section of Upper Township.

In Strathmere, several beach walkways in the north end remain closed because of erosion, but officials were able to open the path at the Beach Patrol headquarters at Williams Avenue to pedestrians.

At a recent Township Committee meeting, Upper Township Mayor Jay Newman cautioned beachgoers to stay clear of the edges of the dunes, both above and below, where erosion has cut 10-foot cliffs into the sides.

He said the dunes could collapse without warning and that it can be extremely dangerous, even deadly, to be caught under a pile of sand.

Township officials say the planned beach replenishment project is badly needed, but that visitors will have to make due with the smaller beaches available this summer.
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EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  An intoxicated driver drove into the back of a NJ Transit bus that was letting passengers off, causing minor injuries to several, early Sunday morning, police said.

Kennedy Doughty was issued multiple summons, including driving while intoxicated, for his role in the crash. Additional criminal charges are pending, police said.

At 3:42 a.m., police responded to English Creek Avenue and the Black Horse Pike for a crash involving a sedan and a bus.

An investigation revealed the bus, operated by Aneudy Depena, was traveling west on the pike when he was in the process of letting off passengers, police said. He was stopped on the shoulder of the road west of English Creek in front of Lowe's. While the bus was on the shoulder, a 2021 Kia Seltos, operated by Doughty, was traveling west on the highway, crossed over the fog line and struck the rear of the bus, police said.

Five of the bus' 10 passengers, which included the driver, sustained minor injuries, police said. Three of those passengers were transported to Shore Medical Center for further treatment. Doughty was also transported to Shore and treated for minor injuries.

The westbound lane of the Black Horse Pike was closed for one hour while the crash was investigated.
OCEAN CITY  With a wind power project proposed off the beach taking a big step forward this week, Mayor Jay Gillian on Thursday criticized the approval process and called offshore energy production a crazy gamble.

City officials have expressed skepticism about the Ocean Wind 1 project since its proposal, but at the City Council meeting, Gillian went farther than usual, offering a blunt assessment of the project, describing the approval process as rushed and suggesting most of the benefits would flow to a foreign company.

Ocean Wind 1, owned by the Danish energy company rsted, received its record of decision from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Wednesday, clearing a major hurdle and opening the way for construction to begin.

The company expects to begin onshore work in the fall and start offshore work on 98 huge wind turbines starting about 15 miles off the beach in 2024. A recent projection indicates the turbines will begin generating power in 2025, and when completed the project is expected to power about 500,000 homes.

An announcement from the company Wednesday included quotes from elected officials and environmental advocacy groups describing the project as a vital step toward a cleaner energy future, and stating the new wind industry will bring good-paying jobs to the state, in the construction phase and in the long term.

As proposed, it will be the largest offshore wind power project on the East Coast and the first such project in New Jersey, but many more projects are working through the planning and approval process.

Gov. Phil Murphy and company representatives celebrated the approval Wednesday.

By preparing to begin onshore construction this fall, Ocean Wind 1 will help bring New Jersey one crucial step closer to achieving a 100% clean energy economy by 2035 and 11,000 MW of offshore wind power by 2040, Murphy said.

New Jersey governor signs tax break for Orsted's offshore wind farm New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed a bill giving a tax break to Danish offshore wind developer Orsted for the first of two energy projects it plans to place in the waters off the Jersey Shore. And he faces pressure from another offshore wind company looking for similar assistance. The governors office said he would sign the bill, allowing Orsted to keep federal tax credits that it otherwise would have been required to pass along to New Jersey utility ratepayers. Another offshore wind project, Atlantic Shores, also wants government aid for its own project off the southern New Jersey coast.

But the reaction was far different in Ocean City.

During his report to council, Gillian painted the project as reckless and the approval process as exceedingly fast, with the potential impacts and costs still largely unknown.

Despite the thousands of pages of paper masquerading as a complete review of the projects impact, we still have absolutely no idea what this will cost the states taxpayers and ratepayers, and what benefits we might see in return, Gillian said, reading from a prepared statement. One thing is certain, everyones electricity bill is going up.

Ocean City and Cape May County held off on approving the route power lines will use to land wind turbine-generated electricity. As proposed, the lines will run under Ocean City at 35th Street and along Roosevelt Boulevard in Upper Township to reach a new substation at the former B.L. England power plant in the Beesleys Point section.

In 2021, a state law took the decision on the use of the right-of-ways from Ocean City and the county, instead giving it to the Board of Public Utilities. Local officials condemned the move as a significant erosion of New Jerseys principal of home rule.

Both Gillian and city Administrator George Savastano alleged the approval process moved far too quickly. Gillian cited the extensive approval process required for beach replenishment projects and for a proposal to used dredged material to rebuild a marshy island in the bay known as Shooting Island.

I cant even move mud from Snug Harbor over to build up Shooting Island because of environmental issues, Gillian said.

He criticized the recent state approval to transfer federal tax credits to Ocean Wind 1, money he said should have gone to ratepayers and taxpayers.

New Jersey governor signs tax break for rsted's offshore wind farm Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Thursday giving a tax break to Danish offshore wind developer rsted for the first of two energy projects it plans to place in the waters off the Jersey Shore.

Thats over $20 million out of our pockets into rsteds, Gillian said. Instead of worrying about what the Kardashians are wearing, maybe well worry about where the money is going.

He added that the billions to be spent on offshore wind could be spent to help communities and residents deal with the effects of climate change, including raising homes and infrastructure above future flood levels.

Theyre scaring everybody with global warming, he said.

Savastano, who is an engineer, argued the federal environmental impact statement and other documents compared the proposed project to the potential harm from climate change, as though the single project could reduce the impact of carbon in the atmosphere.

Vague references to climate change replaced actual specifics across much of the documents, Savastano said. He suggested that at thousands of pages, the federal environmental impact statement seemed designed to keep people from reading it all.

Everyone here, I believe, here is for green energy. We all want to help with climate change, Savastano said. But that does not mean he supports the offshore wind project. Gillian suggested nuclear power or solar energy as potentially better options for electricity without burning fossil fuels that release carbon into the atmosphere.

Council member Bob Barr said the federal decision infuriated him.

Can we appeal? Can we challenge? he asked. To me, this is complete and utter nonsense.

US gives go-ahead for Orsted's New Jersey offshore wind farm to start construction The federal government has given the go-ahead for New Jerseys first offshore wind farm to begin construction. It cleared the way Wednesday for the first of at least three such projects in a state trying to become the East Coast leader in wind energy. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved a construction and operations plan for Ocean Wind I, which would be built by Danish wind energy company Orsted off the coast of Atlantic City. The wind farm would power 500,000 homes. Other approvals remain to be granted, but Orsted plans to start construction this fall, The company hopes to have power flowing by 2025.

He asked city attorney Dottie McCrosson what could be done. She said she would be happy to speak with him outside of the public session.

I dont think this is the time or place, she said.

Gillian compared the project approval process at the state and federal levels to the governments pandemic response.

If COVID taught us anything, its that theyre going to tell us what to do: The few, Gillian said.

He also suggested that once the project reaches the end of its useful life, the huge monopiles could be left in the ocean.

There are a lot of politicians who are desperate to see clean energy as a part of their legacy, Gillian said. It sure seems that in the rush to achieve green energy, the legacy will be an obstacle course of failed and wildly expensive structures running the length of the East Coast.

Officials with Ocean Wind 1 said the project is expected to have an operational life of 35 years, after which the structures will be removed from the ocean.

In an emailed response to questions Friday, rsted spokesperson Stephanie Francoeur said, It is anticipated that all structures above the seabed level or aboveground will be completely removed.

Ocean Wind 1 receives federal approval; offshore work to start next year Ocean Wind 1 announced it received its Record of Decision from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which falls under the U.S. Department of the Interior. Onshore work is expected to start this fall, while offshore construction is expected to start next year.

Citing federal law governing the offshore construction, she continued, The decommissioning sequence will generally be the reverse of the construction sequence, will involve similar types and numbers of vessels, and will use similar equipment.

Plans call for up to 98 wind turbine generators within the project lease area, which will be visible from the beach. The upper tip of the wind turbine blade will be more than 900 feet above the water, with each turbine describing a circle with a diameter of more than 500 feet, set on a monopile in an underwater foundation.

The structures will be visible from the beach, if built as proposed.

Be assured, we will continue to fight, Gillian said.
State Sen. Chris Cournoyer, a Republican from LeClaire, sees parallels between herself and Nikki Haley.

Both women graduated with degrees unrelated to politics, Cournoyer's in computer science and Haley's in accounting. Neither set out with ambitions for public office. Both helped with family businesses, ran for office with young children at home and served in state legislatures.

Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, is running for the Republican presidential nomination, and Cournoyer has emerged as an early supporter of Haley ahead of Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Cournoyer introduced Haley during a May event at the Dahl Old Car Home in Davenport, and has appeared with her at eastern Iowa events since as early as October 2020, when they supported Mariannette Miller-Meeks for Congress.

Cournoyer said she had been following Haley since her time in the South Carolina Legislature and was "very impressed" with how Haley handled crises as governor and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She bought Haley's book, met her at a speaking engagement several years ago in Des Moines and decided to back her earlier this spring.

"I've made a point to go and listen to what she has to say and her message, and her life story of working in a family business, getting a degree in accounting and never really having a political ambition, to really seeing that there's an issue and stepping into a position where she can actually do something about it," Cournoyer said. "I think it just really resonated with me."

Cournoyer first ran for school board in 2013, prompted she said, by the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, where a gunman killed 20 children and six staff members at a Connecticut elementary school.

"My twin boys were in first grade at the time," Cournoyer said. "It freaked me out. It really affected me, I guess I should say, and I didn't even know who my school board member was."

"I was president of the PTA, but I didn't know who my school board member was," Cournoyer added. "And I called him to see what we were doing to protect our kids at school because at the time at Cody Elementary School, the front door was unlocked, and you walked right in."

But he didn't return her phone calls, she said. Unsatisfied, she ran for the school board and won.

Cournoyer said she was particularly impressed with Haley's efforts to end a widespread practice of doing voice votes in the South Carolina Legislature and instead record how each lawmakers voted on a piece of legislation, going against her own party at the time.

Cournoyer was impressed with how Haley handled the South Carolina economy as governor, prioritizing attracting businesses and more jobs, and how she navigated the aftermath of the mass shooting at a South Carolina church, when she demanded the legislature take down the Confederate battle flag from the top of the state capitol building.

"I think she really did that with strong leadership and compassion and empathy and, really dealing with very challenging situations with measured grace," Cournoyer said. "And that can be very difficult to lead through some of those especially emotional issues."

Cournoyer is one of a couple area state Republican lawmakers who've announced their support for a particular 2024 candidate. Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf, first pledged his support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, then switched to back businessman and author Vivek Ramaswamy.

Republican hopefuls courted lawmakers during the state legislative session, holding meetings in the capitol and in lawmakers' districts.

Several statewide officials have pledged neutrality ahead of the 2024 caucuses, including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, and U.S. Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley.

Standing out

Haley was among the earliest candidates to announce their run for president after former President Donald Trump announced his. Since then, close to a dozen more Republicans have announced their presidential runs.

Although Haley has consistently polled behind Trump and DeSantis in national average polling, Cournoyer said Haley's campaign strategy is putting her face-to-face with Iowa Republicans.

"She's on the ground, she's doing townhalls, she's meeting with Iowans," Cournoyer said. "I've seen her at several town halls where she's literally standing in the middle of the room and she's got people on all four sides of her, and they're just passing the microphone around and she's taking every single question, she is answering it very honestly, very thoroughly."

"Spending time answering questions, I'm just not seeing that from other candidates," Cournoyer added.

Trump, Haley's former boss, leads polling in Iowa, according to a Real Clear Politics compilation of recent polling data, with DeSantis the only other candidate consistently in double digits. Haley, fellow South Carolinian Sen. Tim Scott, Mike Pence and Ramaswamy trail.

"I think (Trump) had a lot of really good things as president. But, I think right now, the country is looking for a new style of leadership," Cournoyer said. "They're looking for someone who can be measured. Someone who can be compassionate and empathetic, but also be tough and assertive when when they need to be."

The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024 Interactive: 2024 Senate map
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, second from left, and Intel Corporate Vice President Ann-Marie Holmes, second from right, pose at Intel's industrial campus, Ireland, in this July 7 photo provided by Hyundai Motor Group. Yonhap



Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung has visited Intel's industrial campus in Ireland as part of efforts to diversify the company's automotive semiconductor supply, the company said Sunday.



Chung looked around the Fab 24 manufacturing facility at Intel's campus in Kildare county with Intel Corporate Vice President Ann-Marie Holmes on Friday.



Fab 24 is where the fifth generation standard infotainment system for Hyundai Motor and the central processing unit of the advanced driver assistance system for Hyundai Motor's Genesis G90 and its affiliate Kia's EV9 are produced.



Chung has emphasized the importance of automotive semiconductor and technology internalization for the transition to software defined vehicles (SDVs).



"Two thousand semiconductor chips are expected to be needed for Level 4 self-driving cars, unlike current cars that require 200 to 300 chips," Chung said in a new year meeting with employees in January.



At Level 4, a vehicle can drive itself under limited conditions and will not operate if all required conditions are not satisfied.



The group plans to begin launching most of its new vehicles as SDVs in global markets in 2025 and aims to regularly update the performance and function of all vehicles to be sold globally in the same year. (Yonhap)


A Johnson County massage therapist who lost his license three years ago due to sexual impropriety with clients is facing new allegations tied to a criminal conviction for having resumed his practice with a suspended license.

In September 2020, the Iowa Board of Massage Therapy issued an emergency order suspending the license of a Darryl Dodd of Tiffin. At the time, he was accused of failing to conform to the minimum standard of acceptable and prevailing practice for a massage therapist.

The board alleged that in the fall of 2017, while providing a massage to a female client, he removed the sheet covering the client and exposed the womans breasts. He then proceeded to touch her breasts and make comments such as, You have a nice rack on you, and, Can you imagine if someone walked in right now what sex position this would look like?

In 2019, he reportedly provided a massage to another woman and touched her pubic area without her consent while commenting how nice and fit she was. He allegedly contacted the woman later and offered to teach her a procedure that makes guys super excited and really gets guys off.

According to the board, Dodd allegedly told one female customer in an email, Anxiety hit me hard as soon as I uncovered your breast tissue. He allegedly told investigators that after exposing the womans breasts he sounded like a perverted teenager with Tourette syndrome and I could not get myself to shut up.

During the boards investigation, Dodd allegedly said to investigators, Am I aggressive on getting close to the private areas? Yes, guilty as charged, but I do it because I know that the results I get are far superior to those that do not.

He was also accused of telling investigators, I am what some would consider aggressive with my techniques because they are on or close to the private areas.

The emergency suspension of Dodds license led to a hearing at which the board charged Dodd with unethical conduct and professional incompetency and suspended his license for a minimum of five years.

Last August, Coralville police charged Dodd with running a massage therapy business without the required permit from the city. Court records indicate Dodd claimed to only be practicing reflexology the clinic, which would not require a license, but police alleged he advertised massage therapy services at his business, through email communications, and through an online program used to book appointments. After a trial, he was found guilty and fined $105.

The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy recently charged Dodd with being convicted of an offense that directly relates to the duties and responsibilities of the profession. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Sept. 5.

Counties with the worst droughts in Iowa Counties with the worst droughts in Iowa Iowa statistics #25. Webster County #24. Fremont County #23. Shelby County #22. Sioux County #21. Kossuth County #20. Humboldt County #19. Carroll County #18. Mills County #1. Ida County (tie) #1. Pocahontas County (tie) #1. Crawford County (tie) #1. Plymouth County (tie) #1. Clay County (tie) #1. Cherokee County (tie) #1. Palo Alto County (tie) #1. Osceola County (tie) #1. O'Brien County (tie) #1. Harrison County (tie) #1. Dickinson County (tie) #1. Sac County (tie) #1. Monona County (tie) #1. Woodbury County (tie) #1. Emmet County (tie) #1. Calhoun County (tie) #1. Buena Vista County (tie)
The quadrennial rush of presidential candidates into Iowa is well under way. Television ads keep popping up on local stations, extolling the virtues and qualifications of those running to replace Trump on the Republican ticket.

Its interesting to watch. They dont dare criticize the former president; that would alienate his rabid followers whose votes they will need if, against all the odds, they should prevail. The irony of it all is that the more of them competing for the top spot, the tighter the Donalds grip on GOP primary voters. Still, they campaign, spending tons of money in what seems to be a hopeless cause.

Ever since Jimmy Carter came out of nowhere (actually, Georgia) to win the Democratic vote in the state, riding that victory into the Oval Office, Iowa has been a long-shot magnet. But Carter was in an open field; the current crop of GOP hopefuls have a sizable orange boulder in their path: a man who is assured of getting votes no matter what he does. They are either banking on Trump being in jail  which wont deter the true believers  or they are angling to be his running mate.

The one man in the race with an edge is Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida. He has a compelling theme that he flogs in every TV spot: he is against wokeness," which he boasts to be something that goes to die in Florida. Thats different. It used to be aging New Yorkers.

Which provokes a question: What, exactly, is wokeness and why is it so important to kill it?

That question has engendered a cottage industry in definition, history, and analysis. So important has this become that Britains BBC recently presented a five-part series on the term. It was hosted by journalist Matthew Syed and covered every conceivable aspect of what has become our latest, multi-purpose, oft-used, four-letter word.

In addition, a variety of publications have devoted space to the subject, along with a dizzying number of internet entries. So, lets join the crowd and take a quick review of what has been unearthed.

In the beginning, woke was simply the past tense of wake. The importance of being awake was asserted some two thousand years ago in the gospel story of the Five Wise Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-4). From Omar Khayyams AWAKE! for Morning . . . has put the Stars to flight to the Everly Brothers Wake up, little Susie, we have been urged to be wide-eyed and alert. Whats wrong with that?

During Lincolns campaign for the presidency, his youthful followers were called the Wide Awakes. In contemporary Republican politics, being awake seems to be discouraged. How did a positive become so negative that DeSantis wants to kill it?

Its complicated. Over a hundred years ago, socialists urged working citizens to wake up and realize that you have nothing that they may have much. In 1918, union organizers claimed that they finally woke up after winning a contract. But it was in the '30s, when woke entered the language of Black citizens, that it assumed racial meaning.

After Black sawmill workers were massacred in 1912 for protesting working conditions in Louisiana, Ramblin Willard Thomas wrote Sawmill Moan, singing, Sure cant stay woke for crying." It was an oblique reference to the outrage, but Huddie Leadbelly Ledbetter was more direct. After singing about the Scottsboro Boys, nine young Black men in Alabama wrongly accused of rape in 1931:

Don ya ever go to Alabama.

Go to Alabama and ya better watch out.

Scottsboro boys Scottsboro boys

Gon tell ya all about.

after which he advised his listeners, Best stay woke.

The notorious Scottsboro case was an international scandal that helped kick off the Civil Rights movement in the United States and woke became of general use in what academics call African American Vernacular English (AAVE). sometimes known as Ebonics. Woke became a one-word slogan for Black Lives Matter.

It was used to remind Black Americans that, although slavery was officially done with, they were still restricted in the lingering social and political structures and habits of the present. To be woke was to be aware of this and to take action to achieve full citizenship.

To many white Americans, it was assumed that granting Blacks and other minorities full equality somehow entailed loss of privilege. The election of a Black president and the presence of a Black family in the White House seemed as much a loss to many whites as it was a victory for Blacks. Battle lines were drawn.

Complicating this was a growing campaign to accept gender fluidity as a reality, something that offended those who would rather deny that fact. The effort to help people understand both racial and gender problems ran into a full range of censorship in both education and reading material. To be woke was simply to be aware of the flaws win our social fabric and to start repairing them.

Humans can be torn between reason and emotion, between individual rights and the herd instinct. And some politicians saw in what they called wokeness an effective distraction from unsettling problems of economic inequality, climate change, and a host of other problems endemic to our complicated world.

We are in a time when a choice has to be made between what is and what is imagined; between wakefulness and dreaming. Being woke is to be able to see the reality of our democracy against the seductive and deceptive lure of autocracy.

Leadbellys advice: best be woke.
The latest Indiana Jones movie, The Dial of Destiny, revolves around the Antikythera mechanism. This device was discovered by sponge divers in 1901. Whats amazing is that it was found among much more valuable artifacts and was, at that time, in several pieces. This artifact was among wreckage retrieved from a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island Antikythera on May 17 1902, it was identified by archaeologist Valerios Stais as containing a gear. It has been speculated that this device is an ancient Greek analog. Although the purpose of the device remains a subject of debate, several compelling theories have emerged, shedding light on its potential functions and significance. Lets take a look at the most prominent.

The prevailing theory suggests that the Antikythera mechanism was primarily used as an advanced astronomical calculator. The intricate system of gears and dials could track celestial events, including the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and eclipses. This theory is supported by the presence of various astronomical cycles and calculations encoded within the mechanism.

Another theory is that the device had the ability to predict lunar and solar eclipses, suggesting that it may have been employed as a sophisticated calendar tool. It could aid in determining the dates of religious festivals and events, aligning them with astronomical occurrences.

Still another theory proposes that the Antikythera mechanism had navigational applications. By aligning the device with specific celestial bodies, ancient mariners might have been able to determine their latitude and longitude, assisting them in navigation across vast distances.

Some scholars argue that the Antikythera mechanism served as an educational tool, providing visual representations of complex astronomical concepts. By manipulating the gears and dials, students could observe and comprehend the movements of celestial bodies, aiding their understanding of the cosmos.

It has been suggested by some that the mechanism was used for astrological purposes, as the ancient Greeks attached great significance to celestial events and their impact on human affairs. By accurately predicting astronomical phenomena, the device could have aided astrologers in making astrological interpretations and predictions.

The Antikythera mechanism may have been utilized by ancient astronomers and scientists to validate and refine their mathematical and astronomical theories. It could have been employed in the calculation of planetary positions and motions, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Some individuals contend that the device had traveled through time from the future to the ancient past. This theory is based primarily on the belief that ancient Greeks lacked the technological knowledge to craft such an advanced device.

Finally, some scientists wonder if the device ever really worked at all. Its taken over a century of various scientists pouring over the device, using available technology and still there are questions surrounding antikythera. What complicates why and how the antikythera device operated is that two-thirds of it is missing.

To better understand the device, researchers have employed a variety of techniques, including 3D scanning, X-ray imaging, and computational modeling. These approaches allow for the reconstruction and simulation of the mechanisms inner workings, providing valuable insights into its potential applications.

It is important to note that the Antikythera mechanism is a unique artifact, with no comparable counterparts discovered to date. This uniqueness contributes to the challenges faced by researchers in deciphering its exact purpose and functionality. Theories are continually refined and expanded as new evidence and technological advancements in imaging and analysis emerge.
Nearly all working-age Montanans, more than half the states total population, are getting some welcome news this month: the state is sending them money.

Lets be clear. The money being sent to over 530,000 Montanans is their own money. Montana collected more income taxes, the primary source of revenue for state government, than it needed to fund its obligations during the pandemic recovery year of 2021, leading to a historic budget surplus. The Republican super-majority in the state Legislature recognized that that over-collection is working Montanans money, not the governments. So were returning it to the people who paid it.

If you paid $1,250 or less in state income taxes in tax year 2021, youll be getting 100% of your money back. For married couples who filed jointly, the figure is $2,500. You might even have already received it by the time youre reading this. If you paid more than $1,250 as an individual or $2,500 as a couple, youll get the full rebate amount of $1,250 or $2,500, respectively. If youre wondering how much you paid when you did your 2021 taxes, look at Line 20 on your 2021 Montana tax return.

If you have questions or want additional information, visit GetMyRebate.mt.gov.

When Republicans won a supermajority in the Legislature, we said our No.1 goal was providing financial relief to Montanans. These income tax rebates are the first major piece of that relief, and Montanans have Republicans to thank. Only two Democrats, making up only 4% of the Democrats serving in the Legislature, voted to give the people their money back.

While these rebates are one-time-only, Im proud to have sponsored the bill that permanently cuts income taxes going forward. My Senate Bill 121 cuts the top income tax rate down from 6.5% to 5.9%, while also raising the earned-income tax credit from 3% to 10% to benefit lower-wage earners. The bill will save Montanans about $170 million per year going forward. All Democrats voted against providing this permanent tax relief.

You might hear attacks from Democrats claiming that Republicans tax reforms are only benefitting the wealthy, but those talking points dont make sense for two reasons: most Montanans pay the top income tax rate, and we already cut taxes for the lowest income Montanans. Senator Greg Hertzs SB 399 from the 2021 legislative session, which goes into effect this upcoming year, removed tens of thousands of the lowest-income Montanans from paying any income taxes at all. Democrats voted against that bill as well.

There are more rebates (on property taxes) coming later this year and next year. Ill leave that discussion for another time.

For now, when you see your money being returned to your bank account or your mailbox (depending on how you paid your 2021 income taxes), know that Republicans are happy to have overcome Democrats opposition to provide this financial relief, and more, to working Montanans.
Hetaunda, Nepal, July 9, 2023: The meeting of the House of Representatives has been adjourned till Monday after the so-called agreement reached between Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress member Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-UML President Pushpa Kamal Dahal regarding the adjournment of the Parliament meeting, which has been stalled for a few days.









In the meeting held on Sunday between Prime Minister Dahal, Nepali Congress Chairman Deuba and UML President Oli discussions were held about opening the obstruction in the functioning of the Parliament and agreed to give Prime Minister Dahal a chance to explain and remove the obstruction of the Parliament. But later UML Chairman Oli backed out of the agreement.





Protesting a controversial statement made by Prime Minister Dahal made few days ago, the UML, RPP and RSP have been obstructing the Parliament demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Dahal since last Wednesday.









It is said that UML Chairman Oli called on Prime Minister Dahal objecting to the statement issued by Prime Minister's Press Advisor Gobind Acharya and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha's tweets. Oli has put forth a demand that Prime Minister's Press Advisor Acharya should give his resignation and the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Shrestha publicly apologizes for the tweets.
Tommy Norment is retiring from the Virginia Senate after 32 years, having moved from back-bencher to power-broker. At 77, he can rest on his laurels. They were about to become a lot cushier, with his selection by Gov. Glenn Youngkin for a seat on the oversight board of the College of William & Mary in Norment's backyard, Williamsburg.

Until state law pulled the chair from under him.

Norment's appointment to the board of visitors at William & Mary, where the James City County lawyer-legislator taught for more than a decade and was a legal adviser for three years, is prohibited under the Code of Virginia: "Members of the General Assembly shall be ineligible to serve on boards, commissions, and councils within the executive branch of state government who are responsible for administering programs established by the General Assembly."

When asked, Youngkin's legal counsel, Richard Cullen, and press aide, Macaulay Porter, did not say whether the governor, who had no experience in politics and policy until his election in 2021, or his patronage-dispensing secretary of the commonwealth, Kay Coles James, were aware of the restriction, in place since at least 1977 and intended to maintain the separation of powers. That is, that members of the executive and legislative branches operate only in their constitutionally specified lanes.

Put another way: Norment cannot, as a legislator, set policies and appropriations for the university and simultaneously serve as a representative of the executive branch responsible for carrying out those policies and appropriations. Norment, a graduate of the William & Mary Law School, can be one or the other  not both.

Norment did not blame fellow Republican Youngkin for the apparent breach of law, saying that he  as a lawmaker  should have been aware of it: "I am not going to direct criticism at the governor or his team. I do own it. It's totally my responsibility."

Youngkin is not the first governor to make such a mistake. It is, arguably, a bipartisan tradition  one also carried out by the Democrat Youngkin narrowly defeated for a second, nonconsecutive term, Terry McAuliffe.

Like Youngkin, inexperienced in Virginia government before becoming chief executive in 2014, McAuliff e made two appointments to the panel that oversees college and university academic policies that violated a Virginia law barring membership to state employees. Suzette Denslow, a deputy chief of staff to McAuliffe who later became clerk of the House of Delegates, and Janet Muldoon, top aide to Senate Democratic Majority Leader Dick Saslaw of Fairfax, were ineligible for the State Council of Higher Education.

The language controlling gubernatorial selections for the agency: "No officer, employee, trustee, or member of the governing board of any institution of higher education, employee of the Commonwealth, member of the General Assembly, or member of the Board of Education is eligible for appointment to the Council."

This is arcana, for sure, and may have little to do with sexy stuff  such as tax cuts, law and order, gun control and abortion rights  but without it, Virginia wouldn't as much have representative government as it would have chaos. Though there is the case to be made that in the shrilly partisan setting that is Richmond these days, Virginia's representative government is reflexively chaotic.

For Youngkin, a multimillionaire investment executive whose staff works assiduously to shield him from un-choreographed moments, lest he veer off message or say or do anything that might remind voters he's new to his current line of work, this Whoops in Williamsburg is a snap lesson in governmental nuts and bolts that, though seeming minutiae, were traditionally mastered by committed practitioners of Virginia politics.

Over the years, however, the General Assembly has carved out exceptions, allowing delegates and senators to serve on about 24 oversight boards. One steers the New College Institute in Martinsville, set up with millions of dollars from the sale of an area hospital to help jump-start the rural Southside Virginia economy decimated by the collapse of textiles and furniture makers. Five legislators sit on its board, with Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, as chairman.

The ban does not apply to boards whose functions are largely historical and celebratory, such as the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an agency that promotes Virginia's colonial and Revolutionary history and of which Norment is chairman. With the gig at William & Mary, Norment wouldn't have to travel too far to cover his appointive bases.

Bernie Henderson, a former member of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Board and a senior deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth who vetted candidates for appointments by two Democratic governors, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, said there's no excuse for the Youngkin miscue: "The Youngkin administration has had enough time to realize that there are legal requirements, to say nothing about the appearance of improprieties, regarding appointments of board and commission members. Making appointments of sitting legislators, even if they don't take the seat until their term expires, demonstrates a certain contempt for the law."

For Norment, the simplest way around the legal obstacle to serving two masters is for him to give up his Senate seat. The question would be when.

Though he did not rule out resigning before his four-year term concludes in January, Norment indicated in an interview Thursday that he would likely remain in the Senate until then. And Porter, in an email statement Thursday, said Norment "will not begin his term on the William and Mary Board of Visitors until he has concluded his service as a member of the Virginia Senate."

Norment would join the board approximately six months after the start of his term as a part-time trustee at William & Mary, serving the balance of the four years for which he'd been picked by Youngkin.

The timing of his departure ensures that Norment, as Republican minority leader, would still have a say in long-overdue, election-year revisions to the state budget  if and when the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-ruled House reach a deal. They should have finished their work in February but remain paralyzed over GOP proposals for further cutting taxes and a Democratic preference for increased spending.

"I am not going to abdicate my responsibility to cast some critical vote," Norment said.

Sounds as if Norment's will be a working retirement.
DOC's Full Comment

The ultimate responsibility for hiring physicians falls on the Chief Medical Officer and the Director of Health Services. As with all state hires, there is a diverse panel who interviews candidates with standardized questions. Once a person is selected for hire, a background check is completed by the VADOCs security background review process. This involves a criminal background check, using the Virginia State Police database. References are obtained from prior supervisors, and for physicians, the VADOC also conducts a check of the person through the National Practitioner Data Bank for any active and past actions on the individuals license, including in other states. In addition, the VADOC reviews the providers license and any available public records. All providers are required to have current, active licenses to practice in Virginia.

Recruitment for providers in corrections, and in health care in general, is very competitive. It is challenging to find providers with correctional experience, or who are committed to providing care to this vulnerable population. Many of the VADOCs doctors choose to work for the department due to a genuine interest in practicing medicine in a correctional setting. This setting provides a unique challenge and opportunity for public service. There are numerous other reasons providers consider correctional medicine, such as work/life balance and competitive salaries. All of the VADOCs providers are eligible to practice in the community and many do work in hospitals or clinics outside the hours of their position with VADOC, similar to what is an increasingly common practice among current clinicians in the United States.

The Virginia Department of Corrections does not routinely discuss personnel matters. Employees are hired through standards governed by Department of Human Resource Management policies and procedures. The hiring process includes reference, background, and applicable licensure checks. All providers are fully licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine to practice medicine within any community setting, to include corrections.

The VADOC Health Services Unit has a centralized, electronic medication record, which allows the department to monitor all prescriptions. This is tightly controlled, and the VADOC monitors all physician prescription practices in facilities. The VADOC has a review process and uses schedule drugs (e.g., narcotics, and other psychoactive drugs) as clinically appropriate. The VADOC endorses the practice of evidence-based medicine and effective delivery of quality care to our patients.
12-17-1990 (cutline): The Capitol Hotel played host to the wrecker's ball yesterday. The rundown hotel at Eighth and Grace streets had become a symbol of the decline in affordable housing in the city and a rallying point for advocates who pressed the housing needs of the homeless and poor. They failed however, to save the hotel from destruction. A parking lot will be built on the site.

01-18-1991 (cutline): The dilapidated Capitol Hotel was razed to make way for a parking lot and the first vehicle on the uncompleted lot has license number SHAIA 1. The property at Eighth and Grace streets is owned by Dr. Fred T. Shaia. It is managed by his son Lawrence, who has said they do not have detailed plans for the site but would entertain proposals from developers.

01-10-1991 (cutline): It's Almost Gone. Rubble is all that remains of the Capitol Hotel at 720 E. Grace St. as demolition, which began in mid-December, nears completion. The nearly 90-year-old structure was owned by Dr. Fred T. Shaia, who plans to convert the site into a parking lot. The 120-unit hotel, which has rented rooms to low-income people in recent years, became a symbol of the decline in affordable housing in the city and rallying point for advocates who sought assist the homeless and poor. The effort to save the structure failed.

From the Archives: The Capitol Hotel

The Capitol Hotel was located on 720 E. Grace St. Street in downtown Richmond. The 120-unit hotel was built in the early 1900s and served as a hotel for decades until the late 1980s when rooms were rented out as affordable housing.

When the structure started to decline, the property owner decided to raze the hotel and build a parking lot in its place. Advocates who sought to assist the homeless and poor rallied to stop the demolition but the effort to save the structure failed.

The hotel was ultimately emptied and closed in 1990. Residents were given 120 days notice to vacate.

The Capitol Hotel was razed in 1991. Capitol Parking expanded a 30- space lot to hold 100 cars in its place.

Today, the United States District Court Eastern District of Virginia Courthouse stands in the former Capitol Hotels location.
Last months ruling by the Southern Baptist Convention affirming the exclusion of churches led by female pastors, while disappointing, is not surprising. The debate over the authority that women can hold in the church is a tale as old as time, and as a female pastor, it makes me even more weary than the drive home from a weeklong youth retreat.

Frankly, Id be more interested in the deliberations if the actual needs of people werent so immediate and serious. Maybe the reason you dont hear much from female pastors is because theyre too busy being pastors.

In the first week after my ordination in 2015, I drove to a nearby cemetery, wondering if I was supposed to park in the special clergy space. I was officiating my first funeral, engrossed by wanting to get it all right, bringing the right words of comfort, saying the words that men and women have said for generations before me: The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not be in want. It felt like a sweet mercy to have my first funeral with a loving, intact family laying their grandmother to rest.

In the years that followed, I would stand next to women like Michelle, who lost her teenage son to an overdose; Sarah, who lost her infant to SIDS; Jackie, who lost her husband in a car accident. I would stand quietly next to people in all the deepest places of transition of a human life. Next to graves. Next to hospital beds. Next to couples saying their vows. I would hold babies in my arms to baptize, hold hands in the emergency room, grab a shoulder before walking down the aisle to a wedding ceremony, hold out bread and wine to offer life.

I do what women are often beautifully gifted to do: I explain the Scripture. I go in crisis. I offer wisdom. I lead. But it was not what I set out to do. I was raised to believe that I could do and be anything, but that mandate stopped at the church doors. Growing up, we moved around a lot and went to various churches. In all of those different spaces, I never once heard a woman preach, or even lead a congregation in prayer. Women made announcements. Women sang special songs. Women taught children. But women never prophesied, or organized, or comforted the congregation.

To no ones surprise, I didnt want to be a pastor. I wanted to be a Supreme Court justice. And honestly, it felt more likely that I would be in the highest court of the land than preach a sermon on a Sunday morning. There was nothing I wanted to do less than fight my way into a position of authority. But while volunteering as a youth leader in my little church, I found myself coming alive as I planned Bible lessons. I was preparing for graduate school in another field, and yet nothing felt more right than when I was leading and teaching.

In my first year, I met Darcy, who had a sister named Elizabeth with a rare, terminal genetic disease. I was barely an adult myself, trying to find words of comfort and truth for a middle schooler who was asking the deepest questions we all have: If there is a God, why does he allow pain and suffering?

I was with Darcy the day her sister died. I didnt know a lot, but I knew enough to be quiet. To hold her hand. To desperately ask God to be close, to allow her to find a place in a family whose life had revolved around sickness and death for so long. One year later, the family called me to ask if I would come lead a time of celebration and remembrance at their Elizabeths graveside. I recall asking the family if they wanted me to call the real pastors of our church. But they wanted me. It was November, it was cold, and I read from Psalm 139: All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. In the pain of the moment, my faith was telling me God knew the days of Elizabeths life, and he knew the days of Darcys life. We released balloons and told stories of Elizabeth. I stood next to Darcy. We got ice cream. And He knew my days, too.

I wrestled with my calling for years. God, if you wanted me to be a pastor, why didnt you make me a man? I didnt want to be an icon, or a trailblazer, or a symbol of some argument that started way before me and, honestly, will continue well beyond the time I am laid to rest. I thought my first funeral was after I was ordained, but it turns out, Id been pastoring for much longer than that.

Pastoring is not something I wanted to choose  but I couldnt not lead. I couldnt not show up with spiritual authority in the spaces I found myself, because thats how I was made. And so by the grace of God, and the sacrificial leadership of men willing to open the door for me, by a congregation willing to evolve and accept me, and with so many tears and much more drama than I expected, I became a pastor. Fifteen years after I took my first seminary class, 13 years after my first impromptu graveside service, I took my vows of ordination.

And for those who might wonder: I dont have to do biblical gymnastics to get to this point of view. Ive been taught to interpret the whole of Scripture, to ask the question of Gods intent from Genesis to Revelation. I read that it was Gods holy design for men and women to lead together (Genesis 1:28). Skip ahead a few books, and I find Deborah, who led all of Israel (Judges 4). I need only look to Jesus, who consistently invited women to the table, who made it clear to everyone about the needs of the world: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord, therefore, to send workers into his harvest (Luke 10:2). If the workers are so few, its a strange strategy to exclude more than half of the church.

Now, my little corner of the church world looks a little different than it did 20 years ago. Im one of a handful of women ordained as a teaching elder in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I have a seat at the table. Not every male pastor in the room agrees with my authority, but we have all taken vows to mutually submit to each other and respect one another, in the way of love. And so we sit together and pray together; we take communion together; we hold the tension together. We have such a long way to go, but I am glad I now live in a world where my daughter has seen a woman preach, lead and pray  even if it is her own mom.

It is still easy to question this calling. It is still wearisome to have this conversation. But between this argument and my vulnerable heart, I hold these words of Jesus: By their fruit you will recognize them. The measure of a pastor isnt in their gender. Its in the way you felt when they counseled you in your marriage. Its in the way they prayed over you when you were troubled. Its in the way they live as spouses and parents and friends. Maybe we need to care less about the gender of our spiritual leaders and a little more about the fruit of their leadership.

So for the women leading and the men who support them, its apt to end with the words that the leader, the prophet, the judge Deborah herself wrote, after leading Israel to victory over King Sisera: March on, my soul; be strong!

Close In August 1966, Sister Mary Angela of the Monte Maria Monastery on Church Hill in Richmond reviewed a page off convents printing press. The nuns built the print shop themselves. That year, the monastery celebrated its centennial and released a book, Sentinel on the Hill, that combined more than 60 years of memories from the convents archives. 06-01-1986 (cutline): Sisters are planning move from Church Hill monastery to Hanover toward the end of year. 08-23-1966 (cutline): Sister Fidelis handles outside needs of convent. Extern sister has many unusual technical skills. 12-18-1986 (cutline): Mother Superior Margaret Mary McGuire donned a hard hat yesterday as the chapel cupola at the new monastery for the Sister of the Visitation of Monte Maria was lowered into place. 09-12-1966 (cutline): After silent meals with spiritual readings, nuns relax at recreation with work. 12-03-1986 (cutline): The new Monte Marie Monastery of the Sister of the Visitation is taking shape on state Route 607 in rural Hanover County. 08-23-1966 (cutline): Members of the cloistered order, sisters of the visitation, attend mass in convent chapel. 07-26-1977 (cutline): Sister Mary Fidelis Sanders finds that her duties as 'extern' involve more than doing the shopping. She does gardening, takes the other nuns to medical appointments, pays bills and is responsible for building maintenance. 07-26-1977: Monte Maria Monastery. 08-23-1966 (cutline): Sister of Visitation Order looks down on Richmond and Faraway skyline. She is a cloistered nun of the Monte Maria Monastery on Church Hill. 07-26-1977: Monte Maria nuns. From the Archives: The Sisters of this local monastery arrived in Richmond after the Civil War In 1866, the Visitation Sisters of Baltimore, Maryland, moved to Richmond per the request of Bishop John McGill and the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. The Sisters were asked to come specifically to offer their prayers to the city, devastated by the recent Civil War as well as to help educate girls. Shortly after they arrived, the Sisters opened an academy for girls; however, it was closed in 1927 after a unanimous decision to shift their focus and concentrate on more contemplative activities. The dormitories were then converted to serve as individual rooms for the nuns and they turned to baking sacramental bread for local parishes as their main source of income. In the early 1950s, the Sisters added a print shop and built a printing press themselves. The Monastery of the Visitation of Holy Mary Monte Maria was located in Richmonds Church Hill for 120 years until 1987 when the Sisters sold it and moved to a more rural location in Rockville, Virginia. Today, the building in Church Hill serves as a retreat center. In August 1966, Sister Mary Angela of the Monte Maria Monastery on Church Hill in Richmond reviewed a page off convents printing press. The nuns built the print shop themselves. That year, the monastery celebrated its centennial and released a book, Sentinel on the Hill, that combined more than 60 years of memories from the convents archives. 06-01-1986 (cutline): Sisters are planning move from Church Hill monastery to Hanover toward the end of year. 08-23-1966 (cutline): Sister Fidelis handles outside needs of convent. Extern sister has many unusual technical skills. 12-18-1986 (cutline): Mother Superior Margaret Mary McGuire donned a hard hat yesterday as the chapel cupola at the new monastery for the Sister of the Visitation of Monte Maria was lowered into place. 09-12-1966 (cutline): After silent meals with spiritual readings, nuns relax at recreation with work. 12-03-1986 (cutline): The new Monte Marie Monastery of the Sister of the Visitation is taking shape on state Route 607 in rural Hanover County. 08-23-1966 (cutline): Members of the cloistered order, sisters of the visitation, attend mass in convent chapel. 07-26-1977 (cutline): Sister Mary Fidelis Sanders finds that her duties as 'extern' involve more than doing the shopping. She does gardening, takes the other nuns to medical appointments, pays bills and is responsible for building maintenance. 07-26-1977: Monte Maria Monastery. 08-23-1966 (cutline): Sister of Visitation Order looks down on Richmond and Faraway skyline. She is a cloistered nun of the Monte Maria Monastery on Church Hill. 07-26-1977: Monte Maria nuns.
Michael Paul Williams Follow Michael Paul Williams Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Monument Avenue, unlike three summers ago, is quiet these days. The busy circle once filled with protesters around the graffiti-decked Robert E. Lee statue is now home to a fenced-in landscaping project.

The social justice demands of 2020 seem similarly disconnected from our current reality, as if we imagined them. The ascendant progressivism in the aftermath of George Floyds murder by a Minneapolis police officer has been overtaken by an aggressive backlash and reset by the political right.

This is not an environment conducive to a flourishing of the police reform movement in Virginia, as affirmed by a report by the Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Or as one of its findings states: Recent legislative initiatives in Virginia have sought to increase accountability and curb police abuses in some contexts, though implementation of these efforts has been limited, and has been met with significant resistance from the law enforcement community.

My first response is ... none of this is new, says Angela Fontaine, former co-chair of a city task force set up to establish civilian oversight of the Richmond Police Department. I think thats where all my frustration comes in.

As for that oversight?

The Richmond City Council, after two years of discussion, unanimously approved the creation of an advisory civilian review board for the police department last October. But nine months later, the board has neither a director nor members appointed by the council and Mayor Levar Stoney, who used a policing expert from Virginia Commonwealth University to undercut the task forces push for a completely independent office to handle all complaints against officers, audit police data and procedures, and make binding disciplinary decisions.

But even the relatively toothless result remains unrealized.

It seems to be stuck and not being pushed by the community anymore, and were kind of seeing this pendulum swinging the other way now that theres not protests in the streets, Fontaine said.

As for Richmond officials, I dont feel like its a priority for them. The fire has gone out, if you will.

Former Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney testified before the Virginia Advisory Committee that the movement in the aftermath of Floyds murder and other high-profile killings by police provided a moment that made authentic oversight and accountability feel uniquely attainable.

But the Justice for George Floyd in Policing Act failed in the U.S. Senate over proposed restrictions to qualified immunity. And community review boards were made optional in legislation passed by the General Assembly. In the 2023 session, lawmakers introduced several bills to reverse reforms made in 2020, according to the report.

Meanwhile, police chiefs open to reform have left their departments or been forced out, according to Brackney, who was fired from her Charlottesville post in 2021.

Dana Schrad of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police told the committee that 12,000 local law enforcement officers and 1,300 state police and civilian employees have recently left the profession due to these legislative and accountability reform efforts.

If officers are leaving because they feel threatened by reform, OK, let them leave ... or educate them on why this is important, Fontaine said.

The other side of that is theres also officers that have resigned because of the culture within policing, she added.

The report suggests that officers who fled the profession out of fear of reform or accountability jumped the gun.

There are few procedures in place to address inappropriate police workplace culture, or manage officers with aggressive or hostile attitudes toward the communities they police, states the report, adding that testifying panelists raised concern of cultural norms and standards within many departments that develop and perpetuate problematic behaviors that do not serve community needs nor lend themselves to transparency or accountability.

And yet, speakers cited political and structural barriers that tend to reinforce the status quo, shielding law enforcement from reform and accountability efforts, with Brackney, who now lectures at George Mason and Carnegie Mellon universities, testifying that law enforcement has been able to so successfully inoculate itself against reform that many individuals in the profession believe they are invulnerable to accountability, the report states.

Thats not an activist or protester talking. Thats a former police chief. The few bad apples excuse-making for police brutality ignores the cultural rot in the entire law enforcement barrel.

Those officers are still working in a system thats allowing certain things to happen, Fontaine said. The system itself has to be changed. We can praise good cops all day long, but as long as the system isnt changed, there are still going to be bad cops. But you cant change a system without buy-in. And the buy-in has to be internal.

Its a huge task. Youre not going to change the culture in policing overnight. But its frustrating when leaders have information and arent trusting it in trying to change things. So now we have this report from another agency. Thats great. Im happy about it. Now what?

This problem isnt going to simply go away. We cant allow police reform to become the next Massive Resistance. As long as its momentum stalls, the next George Floyd is around the corner.

PHOTOS: George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project launched in Richmond
Korean Arts Week advertisements are displayed on screens of a New York subway station, Sunday. Courtesy of SK Group



By Kim Hyun-bin



SK will support Korean Arts Week event, scheduled to take place at the Lincoln Center in New York from July 19 to 22, to promote the beauty and diversity of Korean culture and generate publicity for Korea's efforts to host World Expo 2030 in Busan, according to the company, Sunday.



Korean Arts Week showcases various cultural and artistic programs, including performances, exhibitions and films, highlighting the past, present and future of Korean art. The centerpiece is the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company's production of "One Dance," created by the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.



From July 20 to 22, "One Dance" will be performed three times at the Lincoln Center, offering a contemporary reinterpretation of the UNESCO-designated intangible cultural heritage, "Jongmyo Jeryeak." The work embodies the essence of Korean art, blending vibrant colors, explosive energy, and restrained aesthetics beyond tradition.



SK not only provides financial support but also implements diverse promotional strategies to ensure the event's success. In addition to SK's subsidiaries  SK E&S, SKC, SK Networks, SK C&C, SK E&C  Korea Investment & Securities will also join as a sponsor.



Since the end of last month, Korean Arts Week and "One Dance" have been promoted via over 80 circulating buses and screens in New York's Manhattan subway stations. The promotional efforts aim to reach New York citizens and tourists, conveying news about the event and a message supporting the bid for World Expo 2030 Busan.



To heighten interest in the performances, SK will collaborate with renowned Korean dance crew Just Jerk to create YouTube content. Additionally, SK will support the promotion of the event through various digital advertising channels, including Google, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.



"Korean Arts Week will serve as a catalyst to elevate Korea's position as a cultural powerhouse in New York, a global hub for culture and economy," an SK Group official said. "SK will continue fulfilling its social responsibilities and contribute to strengthening Korea's national competitiveness through various messaging activities."


The more people you pack in limited space, the more those people have to follow the rules. Law, order and good manners are essential to the healthy functioning of our towns and cities.

Democrat-run cities often have an unfair reputation as hotbeds of left-wing activists intent on letting miscreants run wild. That's because lefty activists have bigger megaphones through which they often shout ludicrous proposals, such as cutting police forces in the middle of a crime wave.

In reality, these cities usually have two political factions  progressive Democrats and moderate Democrats. As the disruptions caused by COVID shutdowns unleashed disorder, electorates in these cities started moving toward the moderates. That's happening from San Francisco to Chicago to New York.

Their voters are jettisoning many of their fringe politicians. San Franciscans famously recalled their uber-progressive district attorney, Chesa Boudin. Who can forget former Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, who created the outrageous no-go zones for police during the 2020 protests?

Durkan was replaced by Bruce Harrell, whom Fox News called a "pro-police candidate." And New York's mayor is former police captain Eric Adams, a law-andorder guy along the lines of Mike Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani in his sane days.

In Portland, Oregon, left-wing excess let homeless encampments spread and trash pile up. The city is suffering economically and psychologically from the departure of the REI sporting goods store. REI cited thefts and break-ins in its decision to leave. Moderates are fighting back.

Before going on, let's recognize that though most big cities are Democrat-run, those with Republicans in charge have problems as bad or worse. For all the handwringing over the crime surge in San Francisco, violent crime is worse in Miami, whose mayor, Francis Suarez, is a Republican candidate for president.

Nor are these cities as monolithically Democratic as many think. Giuliani and Bloomberg were elected mayor as Republicans. And San Francisco has the highest percentage of independent voters of any county in California.

In New York City's outer boroughs, local officeholders are being challenged by candidates to their right who happen to be other Democrats. Public safety is a major issue.

One of the most interesting races involves Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Two years ago, Katz barely won the Democratic primary against lefty Tiff any Caban, who was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Now Katz is being primaried by a Democrat who is accusing her (unfairly) of being soft on crime.

Ocasio-Cortez has not been endorsing candidates for city council of late, and, as it's becoming clear, they don't want her endorsement. As Jeff Leb, who runs super PACs that champion moderates, put it, "A lot of the luster of AOC's endorsement has really gone out the window. The more she endorses candidates, and loses, it devalues her."

The pandemic hurt cities in several ways, but those downward trends have begun to reverse. Tourist dollars disappeared for a while, but the visitors are returning even to troubled San Francisco. In New York, they're back big time.

Downtown office towers may not soon enjoy their previous high occupancy rates, but more employers are calling their workers back to the office. Transforming some of these office spaces into residences could lower some high rents as well as repopulate business districts.

In the big cities, rare is the successful politician who rails against gay marriage. And anyone who portrayed drag queens as a threat to America would get laughed off the podium. There's also no bashing of immigrants, who make up a large part of the electorate.

Call them conservative liberals, if you want. They are really moderates. The cities need their pragmatism to keep the gears turning. Actually, the country does as well.

Harrop, who lives in New York City and Providence, Rhode Island, writes for Creators Syndicate: fharrop@gmail.com.

"A lot of the luster of AOC's endorsement has really gone out the window. The more she endorses candidates, and loses, it devalues her."
Weve allowed a week to pass before addressing this, but the U.S. Supreme Court concluded its term last week, delivering a slew of momentous decisions that upset many of us who favor more progressive policies. This is hardly surprising, given that the Court has been exhibiting a rightward shift since Trumps era. It seems theyve been delivering judgments without considering the potential consequences these decisions might have on ordinary citizens.

In June, the Court showcased its conservative leanings in a number of verdicts.

One involved Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian web designer in Colorado who opposed her states anti-discrimination law, fearing she may be asked to create a website for a couple in a same-sex marriage. She won her case, and in a strange twist, it seems she made up the initial request.



The Smith case outcome is far from trivial, setting a risky precedent by undermining nondiscrimination laws. If the Supreme Court now deems it acceptable for businesses to selectively discriminate based on sexual orientation, the question arises, where do we draw the line again? This raises concern  if people can refuse services based on sexual orientation, what prevents them from doing so based on race? It seems as though were regressing with this potentially harmful decision.

Next, we have the decision to abandon affirmative action in colleges and universities. This represents a significant blow to many minorities in Virginia, further widening the gap between the privileged and the less fortunate. It appears the aspiration to level the playing field in education has been left behind. While we may need to reassess basing college admissions on race, shouldnt there be some protections ensuring that individuals from lower-income brackets have equal opportunities in higher education?

In a related educational development, the Supreme Court rejected President Joe Bidens student loan forgiveness plan, which was intended to address the student debt crisis. This ruling affects over 40 million Americans.



Compounding the situation, there are rumors of judges enjoying luxurious vacations and gifts funded by donors. These unsavory reports are undermining the publics confidence in the Courts impartiality.

The past few years have been consistently marked by conservative rulings, with the reversal of Roe v Wade, the landmark abortion rights case, serving as a pivotal turning point. This decision has resonated across the nation, impacting political landscapes everywhere.

The day before US abortion rights were dismantled, the Supreme Court established the right to carry a gun outside the home, just a month after a tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

As the 2024 elections draw near, the Supreme Court is under close scrutiny. Virginians, like all Americans, are hoping for a Court that respects their constitutional rights while upholding justice, equality, and basic fairness. However, after a string of recent decisions, many question whether the Court is genuinely reflecting their understanding of their rights, or if it has been co-opted by the wealthy elites the Republicans are aligned with.
Hounsfield formulated a new way to approach the problem of imaging what's inside the skull.

First, he would conceptually divide the brain into consecutive slices  like a loaf of bread. Then he planned to beam a series of X-rays through each layer, repeating this for each degree of a half-circle. The strength of each beam would be captured on the opposite side of the brain  with stronger beams indicating they'd traveled through less dense material.

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" " This graphic shows how X-rays beam slice through layers of of brain, oriented at each degree from 1 to 180 in a semicircle. Edmund S. Higgins (CC BY-ND 4.0)

Finally, in possibly his most ingenious invention, Hounsfield created an algorithm to reconstruct an image of the brain based on all these layers. By working backward and using one of the era's fastest new computers, he could calculate the value for each little box of each brain layer. Eureka!

" " Calculating the strength of each X-ray once its passed through the object, and working backward with an impressive algorithm, it is possible to construct an image. Edward S. Higgins (CC BY-ND 4.0)

But there was a problem: EMI wasn't involved in the medical market and had no desire to jump in. The company allowed Hounsfield to work on his product, but with scant funding. He was forced to scrounge through the scrap bin of the research facilities and cobbled together a primitive scanning machine small enough to rest atop a dining table.

Even with successful scans of inanimate objects and, later, kosher cow brains, the powers that be at EMI remained underwhelmed. Hounsfield needed to find outside funding if he wanted to proceed with a human scanner.

Hounsfield was a brilliant, intuitive inventor, but not an effective communicator. Luckily he had a sympathetic boss, Bill Ingham, who saw the value in Hounsfield's proposal and struggled with EMI to keep the project afloat.

He knew there were no grants they could obtain quickly, but reasoned the U.K. Department of Health and Social Security could purchase equipment for hospitals. Miraculously, Ingham sold them four scanners before they were even built. So, Hounsfield organized a team, and they raced to build a safe and effective human scanner.

Meanwhile, Hounsfield needed patients to try out his machine on. He found a somewhat reluctant neurologist who agreed to help. The team installed a full-sized scanner at the Atkinson Morley Hospital in London, and on Oct. 1, 1971, they scanned their first patient: a middle-aged woman who showed signs of a brain tumor.

It was not a fast process  30 minutes for the scan, a drive across town with the magnetic tapes, 2.5 hours processing the data on an EMI mainframe computer and capturing the image with a Polaroid camera before racing back to the hospital.

And there it was  in her left frontal lobe  a cystic mass about the size of a plum. With that, every other method of imaging the brain was obsolete.

" " The first clinical CT scan shows a plum-sized brain tumor visible in the patient's left front lobe. It shows up on the scan as a dark blob. Medical Imaging Systems: An Introductory Guide (CC BY 4.0)
 Inartful dodgers: no constitutional substance in Justice Sotomayor's cert denial statement in acquitted conduct cases | Main | Mid-summer update on the relatively good homicide news from cities in first half of 2023 

July 8, 2023

Some interesting "war on drugs" stories making headlines

I have seen a number of interesting "drug war" pieces in recent days, and I figured this round-up would provide an efficient way to spotlight some of them:

From Bezinga, "DEA Turns 50: Unveiling The Ineffectiveness Of The Ongoing War On Drugs, Now What?"

From The Hill, "Justice for all: Its time to end the discrimination between crack and cocaine sentencing"

From The Hill, "A simple solution to save lives  and money  in the war on drugs"

From NBC News, "Costs in the war on drugs continue to soar"

From the New York Times, "U.S. Raises Pressure on China to Combat Global Fentanyl Crisis"

From Reason, "After 50 Years, the DEA Is Still Losing the War on Drugs"

From Vice News, "The War on Drugs Has Failed And It's Time to Decriminalise, Scotland Says"

From the Washington Post, "Once hailed for decriminalizing drugs, Portugal is now having doubts"

July 8, 2023 at 08:51 PM | Permalink

Comments

Let's assume arguendo that the war on drugs is a failure (of course we'd also have to assume that the war on crime generally is a failure, since many more crimes are committed now than 50 years ago -- so should we give up the war on crime too?)

Anyway, making that assumption, can we think of something even more of a failure than the war on drugs?

Sure we can: The war on the war on drugs. For FIFTY LONG YEARS, the war on the war on drugs has made its fevered pitch and, except for simple possession of small amounts of pot (which was largely accepted 50 years ago, too) it has made zero headway. Indeed, as the Reason article notes, the DEA's budget (that would be Joe Biden's DEA) is bigger than ever. And with the horrific surge in fentanyl deaths, opposition to fighting drugs is getting, ummmmmmmmmmmm, quieter.

If raucous opponents of the drug war want to see failure up close, they have but to look in the mirror.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Jul 8, 2023 9:22:19 PM

Bill, there is a mountain of evidence and data to document the success of the war on the war on drugs, though I do not believe these are assembled in any one place. Let me provide just a few highlights that I can rattle off just from the top of my head:

At one extreme level, consider LWOP federal sentences for drug offenses. They have dropped dramatically from 1990 to 2020 as detailed in a report my Center produced: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4043137. This reflects one part of a big and broader (and underdiscussed) trend of the nations' prison populations shifting away from the incarceration of drug offenders (which, I believe, not too long ago composed about 30% of the total prison population and are now closer to 15%)

At the other extreme, marijuana sales and use are legal in all but a handful of states. Businesses fronted by the former GOP House Speaker and many other prominent individuals now help produce and traffic "legally" more marijuana to Americans than any foreign cartel ever did. And the number of marijuana arrests have shrunk while the number of Americans using marijuana have grown --- and now rivals, at least in some US communities, the use of America's most popular drug, alcohol.



The success of marijuana reform has led to a major reform movement for psychedelics that has now decriminalized the use of many such drugs in many US jurisdictions. And wide-spread legal availability of psychedelic drugs in many part of the US seems likely in the coming decade. Once that occurs, reform advocates are likely to look to still other drugs to exempt from the "war on drugs."

I could go on and on and on and on and on --- eg, focusing on sentence reductions at the federal level via the Fair Sentencing Act and the First Step Act AND through reduced drug sentencing guidelines and less use of drug MMs due to charging memos; OR focusing on state level reforms via statutes lowering crack penalties and reducing MMs and broader decriminalization efforts AND progressive prosecutors' elections and policy choices and data showing state judges sending drug defendants to prison far less; OR focusing on presidents and governors commuting and pardoning many more drug offenders than other types of offenders.

The fentanyl problems we have faced in recent years is tragic and anyone who think they have a winning "war strategy" fails to understand how hard these problems are. But to assert that the war on the war on drugs has made "zero headway" would be almost like saying Donald Trump made "zero headway" during the 2016 campaign. Of course, he made lots of headway, which led him to becoming a President who advocated for, and then signed into law, the biggest federal statutory drug sentencing reduction (with massive support from a Congress controlled by the GOP at the time) in roughly half a century.

Posted by: Doug B | Jul 9, 2023 11:29:37 AM

The War On The War On Drugs is a success as Doug has pointed out. However, we still have much work to do. In Federal prison, 44.5% of inmates are serving sentences for drug offenses. However, at the state level, drug offenders make up a much smaller percentage. The widespread acceptance of drug use in this country will lead to more lenient sentences and hopefully major drug reform where few if anyone will serve a sentence for a drug offense.

Posted by: Anon | Jul 9, 2023 1:33:39 PM

Even on that front, Anon, there has been tangible and significant progress made. BJS reported in Sept 2011 that 53% of federal offenders were in for drugs, and that totaled just short of 100,000 federal incarcerated for drugs. The latest USSC data shows now less than 66,000 federal prisoners in for drug offenses.

Posted by: Doug B. | Jul 9, 2023 2:36:59 PM

Doug --

After 50 years of the war on the war on drugs, can you name a single drug that was illegal under federal law 50 years ago but is legal now?

Yes, the length of sentences has gone down in the last few years (as crime has gone up -- a coincidence I'm sure), but that is a general phenomenon covering many, many crimes, not just drug crimes. And lower sentences are not legalization, which is what the war on the war on drugs is all about at its base.

And yes, some one-party jurisdictions have elected pro-criminal prosecutors (although San Francisco recalled theirs in a landslide), and those prosecutors have de-emphasized or tanked some drug prosecutions, but that was merely the formal ratification of the long-existing status quo ante in those jurisdictions in which there were few or no possession-only drug prosecutions anyway.

And according to the Huffington Post poll (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/drug-legalization-poll_n_5162357), the public by huge majorities -- 70 and 80 percentage points -- remains opposed to legalizing any drug but pot. If the war on the war on drugs were successful, nothing like that would be the case. The opposite would be the case.

The reason that the public broadly supports keeping drugs (again, except simple-possession pot) illegal is easy to see. The health effects of drugs range from bad to lethal and the public knows it. If we increase access to fentanyl, through legalization or anything else, we'll get even more than the record 100,000+ overdose deaths we've had in each of the last two years. Those 100,000 victims were human beings. How many thousands of them were young people deluded about what they were really getting into because the war on the war on drugs kept telling them that drug use is "liberating" or whatever the line is now?

As I was saying, Joe Biden's DEA is the biggest and most expensive in history, and DeSantis's will be bigger still. And wasn't Donald Trump the fellow who wanted death sentences for drug dealers?

When you're massively losing the (very liberal) Huffington Post poll, and you're losing the leading presidential contenders from both major parties, and you have an historic overdose catastrophe on your hands, you're losing.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Jul 9, 2023 2:56:46 PM

Bill O,

While we are often in agreement, this is one area where we diverge greatly. I see overdose deaths as a benefit rather than cost of drugs, I would prefer that we make it as inexpensive and simple as possible for people to kill themselves. I would certainly offer a guaranteed lethal dose of opiates or barbiturates to any prisoner that requested it. Were I designing policy with a free hand the _only_ drugs that would be regulated at all are those like antibiotics where aggregate use affects individual efficacy. And for those substances the controls I would enact would actually be far tighter than is currently the case.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Jul 9, 2023 7:24:19 PM

Soronel Haetir --

You're right, we don't agree on this one, but I appreciate your contributions here. You don't play politics and you don't play to the crowd.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Jul 9, 2023 9:05:36 PM

Many, if not most, folks fighting against the drug war seek de-escalation and not full legalization as the most important goal of the fight. That goal has had many successes (and broader reductions to all sentences have often been catalyzed by drug war retrenchment success). Indeed, I cannot readily think of any other CJ reform movement that has been as successful as the war on the war on drugs over the last 20 years.

As we see with legal drugs like tobacco and alcohol and prescription drugs, even legal substances have all sorts of associated criminalized activity. So the size of the footprint of criminalization is a sensible way to assess the size and trends of the war, and I still see the war on the war continuing to score victories there.

But it is true that there remains widespread support for criminalization because, as you note, people see many harms in illegal drug use and society has long failed to effectively address these harm in other ways. I still want to believe we can do better than mass criminalization and mass punishment, but I agree that the anti-war folks will only find greater success when they can show how to win the peace.

Posted by: Doug B | Jul 10, 2023 1:24:26 AM

I believe those, fighting against the drug war,, who say they are for de-escalation are the same lying bastards who wanted LWOP in order to fight the DP. Or, just look at the conditions of our once great cities. Could anyone have imagined 10 years ago that we would practically legalize robbery? Of course they didnt advertise it. They chipped away piece by piece until we got here.

Im not talking about the casual voter, but those organizations and people fighting on the front lines. I bet some of the Soros DAs would say they want full legalization publicly and the rest if forced to be honest.

Its all a slippery slope. I know it is supposed to be a fallacy, but in criminal justice matters it always ends up being a sheet of ice.

Posted by: TarlsQtr | Jul 11, 2023 7:48:11 PM

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SIOUX CITY  Siouxland Soup Kitchen volunteers are feeding dozens more mouths on a nightly basis than they used to.

Over the past three months, Lyn Kluender, executive director of the nonprofit, said the Siouxland Soup Kitchen, 717 West Seventh St., has routinely served 170 diners, up from the usual 100 to 120 per night.

"We believe it's due to the high cost of groceries, rent increases, utility increases," Kluender said. "Our numbers go up dramatically the last two weeks of the month. So, we think maybe people's government benefits run out."

Siouxland Soup Kitchen Lori Sales, kitchen manager, left, and Lyn Kluender, director, right, season a donation of prime ribs, which is enough food for one night at t

Kluender noted that she is seeing more "new faces," including a growing number of individuals and families who are classified as low-income but not homeless. At first, she said the Soup Kitchen wasn't prepared to sustain such a high demand for meals.

"Our pantry actually got pretty bare. We put out the call to our board members and the public, asking to help us. So far, the community has been excellent," she said. "We appreciate their support, and we absolutely need their support to sustain these numbers and to keep feeding hungry Siouxlanders."

The Siouxland Soup Kitchen was founded in 1987 with the goal of addressing food insecurity in the community. Since that time, the Soup Kitchen has been 100% reliant on the generosity of the Siouxland community to help fulfill its mission of providing a free, hot meal to anyone, no questions asked. The Soup Kitchen operates solely through donations and volunteers from local businesses, churches, and others in the community.

Siouxland Soup Kitchen Deb Skouge smooths out the dough for strawberry brownies with the help of Kitchen Manager Lori Sales at the Siouxland Soup Kitchen in Sioux City.

Currently, Kluender said the Soup Kitchen is running low on lemonade, a beverage diners enjoy on hot days. She said a needs list on the Soup Kitchen's website, siouxlandsoupkitchen.com, is regularly updated. The Soup Kitchen accepts donations from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at its back door.

Having enough space to accommodate 170-plus people has also been an issue. Kluender said the Soup Kitchen has been opening early in order to serve everyone.

Siouxland Soup Kitchen The Siouxland Soup Kitchen is located at 717 West Seventh St. in Sioux City.

The kitchen's regular hours are 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 1 p.m. on Saturday and 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

"We put down two extra big, long cafeteria tables. We've just been opening up 15 to 20 minutes early just to get everybody through," Kluender said.

Last August, the Soup Kitchen announced that it had scrapped plans to build a new facility, after the construction bids the nonprofit received were unaffordable. The new building was to be constructed in a parking lot at the corner of Ninth and Nebraska streets, directly adjacent to The Warming Shelter. The Soup Kitchen has been at its current building since 2013.

Siouxland Soup Kitchen Deb Skouge stirs dough to make strawberry brownies for dessert at the Siouxland Soup Kitchen in Sioux City.

Besides food donations, Kluender said the Soup Kitchen can always use more volunteers. Visit the Soup Kitchen's website to sign up to volunteer.

"We did add extra slots for volunteers to keep up, especially at night, because we just can't keep up with serving all the food and the dishes," she said. "We added extra prep volunteers to help us prepare more food. We used to only prepare 50 pounds of meat per meal. Now, we're preparing 75 pounds of meat per meal."

The Siouxland Soup Kitchen isn't the only local nonprofit facing challenging times. Last month, Joe Twidwell, the Warming Shelter's president, announced that Sioux City's only emergency shelter, will be restricting its services to certain populations this summer due to a lack of funding.

Siouxland Soup Kitchen Kitchen Manager Lori Sales opens bags of noodles to cook and serve with beef tips at the Siouxland Soup Kitchen in Sioux City.

Traditionally, the shelter had been open 24/7 from Nov. 1 until April 30. During the summer, the shelter had limited hours for people to get mail, do their laundry and shower. But, last year, the shelter's board voted to keep the shelter open 365 days a year. That plan has been stymied by monetary constraints.

"The board has voted to restrict our services this summer, effective July 9, unless we get adequate funding, to serving families and those who have wheelchairs or are otherwise disabled with a walker," Twidwell told the City Council on June 26.

The shelter, 916 Nebraska St., had been averaging about 100 people a night, according to Twidwell. On a recent evening, when it housed 90 people, he said there were five families with eight children and nine people with permanent disabilities.

Siouxland Soup Kitchen Kitchen Manager Lori Sales stirs a pot of noodles, which she plans to serve with beef tips, at the Siouxland Soup Kitchen in Sioux City.

Siouxland Soup Kitchen Kitchen Manager Lori Sales pours noodles into a boiling pot to cook and serve with beef tips at the Siouxland Soup Kitchen in Sioux City.
An eastern Iowa company that applied more than 1.5 million gallons of manure to a field and contaminated a nearby creek in 2021 did not take steps to stop the contamination after it was discovered, according to state regulators.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently fined Cat-Nip Ridge Manure Application, of Lone Tree, $8,000 for the incident.

The company was hired to inject manure from a hog confinement south of Bloomfield into the soil of a field in October 2021, a DNR order said. After the work concluded, another company that manages the facility reported that water was flowing from tile lines that drain the field.

A DNR officer went to the field the next day and noted pools of manure on the fields surface. He saw manure had been applied to the area of a surface tile intake and also close to the edges of the field, where there was manure runoff.

Further, manure that went into the underground tiling discharged onto land and through a culvert. An unknown amount of manure went into a nearby creek.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says short-term exposures of aquatic life to ammonia nitrate in concentrations of 17 parts per million can be toxic, and the DNR says much lower concentrations of less than 3 parts per million can cause fish kills in certain situations.

Tests of the contaminated creek water revealed ammonia concentrations of more than 100 parts per million along with a significant amount of bacteria. Lab tests noted E. coli concentrations of up to 2.4 million in less than a half cup of water. Thats about 10,000 times the safe limit for swimming at state beaches.

No fish kill was reported as a result of the creek contamination. At the time, the DNR said there was very little water in the creek, which joins with others to flow into the South Wyaconda River. A test of the river water revealed significantly lower concentrations of ammonia of 0.6 parts per million.

The DNR officer who investigated the incident told Cat-Nip Ridge and the company that operates the facility  Seaboard Foods of Iowa  that manure on the surface of the field needed to be mixed into the soil to prevent further creek contamination. About a week later, the creek still had signs of contamination.

The elevated pollutants indicated that no actions had been taken by Cat-Nip Ridge to stop or cleanup the manure release, the DNR order said.

In November 2021, the department sent notices to Cat-Nip Ridge and the owner of the facility  Woodford Creek Farms  that detailed the water quality violations and said further enforcement action was forthcoming.

A recent agreement with Cat-Nip Ridge levied a fine of $8,000. There has not been an order in regard to Woodford Creek. Its facility  one of many it owns across the state  has about 4,500 swine, according to DNR records.

In 2019, Cat-Nip Ridge was ordered by the DNR to develop written procedures related to transferring and applying manure after its equipment spilled manure into another small waterway. It took immediate steps to contain the manure and was not fined for that incident, DNR records show.

Counties with the warmest summers in Iowa Counties with the warmest summers in Iowa #25. Louisa County #24. Montgomery County #23. Union County #22. Adams County #21. Monroe County #20. Marion County #19. Appanoose County #18. Wayne County #17. Wapello County #16. Davis County #15. Dallas County #14. Pottawattamie County #13. Madison County #12. Harrison County #11. Taylor County #10. Lucas County #9. Lee County #8. Polk County #7. Page County #6. Mills County #5. Ringgold County #4. Warren County #3. Clarke County #2. Decatur County #1. Fremont County
Iowa lawmakers will meet Tuesday in a special session to consider a bill to severely restrict abortions, making another attempt to enact a law that was blocked by courts in 2018 and remains blocked after an Iowa Supreme Court decision last month.

Iowa Republicans will consider a similar bill to the so-called fetal heartbeat bill that passed in 2018. The bill, which was introduced Friday, would ban abortions after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus, with some exceptions.

What is in the bill?

The bill was published Friday afternoon as companion bills in both chambers, Senate Study Bill 1223 and House Study Bill 255. It is another version of a so-called fetal heartbeat bill, and while it is not identical to the 2018 bill, it is similar in most ways.

The bill prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected and defines a fetal heartbeat as cardiac activity, the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac.

The bill includes exceptions for pregnancies that are the result of rape in cases that are reported within 45 days of the incident and incest in cases that are reported within 140 days.

It also includes exceptions for miscarriages, a fetal abnormality that would result in the infants death and for when the mothers life is threatened.

What do Republicans say about the bill?

With large majorities in both chambers, Republicans are likely to have the votes to pass the bill.

Rep. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids, said lawmakers would give the bill thoughtful discussion, but she expected it to pass.

A lot of us have already voted for that; we've already debated most of that, she said. ... We probably know where everybody's at by this point, and I see it on the governors desk by the end of the day.

Some of Iowas most staunch anti-abortion legislators said they would eventually prefer a life at conception ban that would ban nearly all abortions but said that a six-week ban was a good start and a way to test the standard at the Iowa Supreme Court level.

We have to realize where Iowans are, and I can only go as far as my fellow legislators and Iowans want us to go, said Rep. Jon Dunwell, R-Jasper, who co-sponsored a bill to ban abortions from conception this year. And so I think this is a great start for us to say, How many babies can we save as soon as possible?

Luana Stoltenberg, an anti-abortion activist and Republican representative from Davenport, said the move to a total ban should be done incrementally.

Im not sure were there yet, so we have to do it incrementally, she said. So if we can do heartbeat, that would be wonderful because its more babies saved.

What, if anything, can Democrats do?

While they dont have the votes to stop the bill, Democrats are planning to put up a fight on the debate floor, hoping to illustrate the harm they say an abortion ban would bring to Iowa women and reproductive health care.

Sen. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, said Democrats would try to represent the broad spectrum of Iowans who would be affected by a ban on abortion. She said limitations would impact more than just abortion access, affecting reproductive health care and exacerbating Iowas OB-GYN shortage.

We want to assure that families, women have access to healthy babies as well, if that is their choice, she said. And for many people that is exactly what it is. They want healthy children, and they want access to health care.

Iowa House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights said a strong majority of Iowans supported reproductive freedom, based on polling. She said House Democrats intend to put people over politics and fight for the reproductive freedom of every Iowan.

Iowa Democrats believe that everyone deserves the right to make their own health care decisions, especially when it comes to reproductive care and abortion, Konfrst said. Politicians and judges have no place interfering in someone elses decisions about when to start a family.

How long will the session last?

Lawmakers will gavel in for the special session at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

In the Senate, the Republican has planned this schedule: Legislators will vote to adopt the rules for the special session at 9:15 a.m. The Senates committee work on the bill will begin at 11 a.m., and will conclude no later than 2 p.m. Legislators will then have time to caucus (closed-door discussions held by each party), and floor debate will begin at 4 p.m. Finally, the Senate set a hard deadline to complete debate no later than 11 p.m. At that point, if legislators are still debating, debate will be stopped and legislators will immediately vote on the bill.

In the House, this is the schedule is: The House committee work will begin on the bill at 9:15 a.m., and the committee will recess for a public hearing on the bill at 9:30 a.m. The public hearing is scheduled to last 90 minutes. Each speaker will get 2 minutes, and they will be alternated between speakers supporting the bill and those against it.

Beyond that, the House had not as of Friday afternoon set rules for limiting debate, according to a House Republican spokeswoman. A spokesman for House Democrats said those rules could be determined during party caucuses on Tuesday, and he expects a similar deadline as the Senates.

Will legislators get paid?

Legislators will be paid $175 per day for the special session and receive daily expense reimbursements of $131.25 for Polk County legislators and $175 for legislators from all other counties.

This will be the 24th year with a special session of the Iowa Legislature, according to state records. But it will be just the 10th since 1970, when the Iowa Legislature went from meeting every other year to meeting annually.

Iowa legislators held a one-day special session in 2021 to finish the states decennial redrawing of legislative maps. Before that, the most recent special session of the Iowa Legislature was in 2006, when state lawmakers met to override a gubernatorial veto of eminent domain legislation.

What happens if they pass the bill?

The bill states the law takes effect upon enactment. Opponents will likely ask for a temporary injunction to allow time to prepare for an emergency hearing on a preliminary injunction that the state would likely appeal, said Sally Frank, an abortion law expert and law professor at Drake University.

The idea that the Legislature will convene and pass a law effective upon the governors signature is moving at breakneck speed, and that will put womens lives at risk, ACLU of Iowa Policy Director Pete McRoberts said. When this becomes law, nobody will know what to do.  The idea that within one day the legislature can show up and the governor sign this bill that night and everything changes from one minute to the next is virtually unheard of in Iowa, with something of such importance to hundreds of thousands of Iowa women and their families.  They deserve better from the governor and the Legislature and its beyond irresponsible.

Iowa Planned Parenthood representatives this week said they plan to challenge in court any abortion restriction that comes out of the special legislative session  teeing up whats sure to be another protracted legal battle that could take a year or more to resolve, according to Iowa legal experts.

Frank expects the abortion ban will again be blocked by a district court 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.

Both the Iowa Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court last summer reversed the fundamental right to an abortion, with the U.S. Supreme Court throwing the issue back to states to decide.

Iowa Supreme Court Justice Edward Mansfield, writing for the court in its 2022 ruling, said while there was no fundamental right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution subject to strict scrutiny, for now, the undue burden test remained the governing standard.

Abortion opponents argue that the current undue burden test should no longer apply, and that a new rational basis test be used for evaluating abortion restrictions. That would effectively lower the legal bar for abortion restrictions, making it easier for them to survive court challenges.

Frank anticipated that process could take a year for a ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court. Other legal experts estimated it could take longer, potentially until summer 2025 for the court to rule.

The question becomes whether Iowa courts will put a stay on the law, or permit the law to go into effect pending a final ruling on the merits of the new law, according to legal experts.

The state will likely argue because the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbs ruling allows legislatures to set abortion standards; there shouldnt be a stay of the law. Opponents will likely argue the law should be stayed because it places an undue burden on someones access to abortion and cause irreversible harm to pregnant individuals in the state, Frank and other legal experts said.

I would anticipate that a district court judge would say since we dont know what the standard is yet, well keep the law as it is, Fransk said, and maintain the status quo where abortion remains legal in Iowa until roughly 20 weeks of pregnancy, until the Iowa Supreme Court says otherwise.

Statehouse Republicans also have started the process of amending the Iowa Constitution to state that it does not guarantee the right to abortion services. Lawmakers have approved the proposed amendment once; they would need to pass it again by 2024 and then put it to a public vote.

How many abortions are there in Iowa?

In 2021, an estimated 10.2% of pregnancies in Iowa ended in abortion. That number does not take into account miscarriages.

There were 3,761 abortions in Iowa in 2021, the most recent year for which numbers were available from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, compared to 36,786 total births.

Thats down about 7% compared to the 4,058 abortions performed in the state in 2020, marking the first time in three years that the annual number of abortions has decreased in the state.

The number of Iowa abortions increased from the previous years in both 2019 and 2020, according to state reports, but are less frequent than they were in the mid-2000s, when pregnancy terminations numbered more than 6,000 per year.

What do medical professionals have to say about further abortion restrictions?

Iowa physicians on Friday warned such restrictions will hinder their ability to provide medically necessary care, prevent disease, avert emergencies and respond to time-sensitive issues. They noted doctors in other states with strict abortion measures, fearing legal repercussions, are risking grave patient harm to comply with new abortion restrictions, including letting patients conditions deteriorate until they threaten the mothers life.

We're going to have to justify mothers dying because our governor and our representatives think thats less important than an early pregnancy, Dr. Emily Boevers, an OB-GYN in Waverly, said.

Dr. Francesca Turner, an OB-GYN in Des Moines, told reporters Friday she has endless stories from her 20 years of practice where women need emergency surgery because of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or other circumstances.

Right now we can just focus on taking care of our patients. An abortion ban could result in a delay of care that would harm our patients, Turner said.

They also called the use of the term fetal heartbeat misleading.

The law defines "fetal heartbeat" as "cardiac activity or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac, which supporters claim indicates life.

Some major medical organizations, like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, however, 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.

Turner said a doctor's ability to detect embryonic cardiac activity varies between pregnancies.

"It could be six to eight weeks. Sometimes you see it a little bit earlier, and sometimes you don't.  It's generally early in pregnancy," Turner said, which often is before an individual is aware they are pregnant.

Abortion rights advocates say such a prohibition would end 98% of the now-legal abortions in Iowa.

Turner also noted that an embryo does not become a fetus until later in pregnancy.

Everyone has their own unique situation and story, Dr. Jill Meadows, former medical director, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, said Friday. One thing that the vast majority have in common is that they didn't anticipate being in this position at that time in their lives, whether because reliable contraceptives failed or were ineffective, and may have masked pregnancy; or risky complication arose from a wanted pregnancy; or their financial situation or financial situation changed.

Meadows called the so-called fetal heartbeat ban arbitrary and cruel.

There are just so many reasons why people would not know that theyre pregnant that early, she said. And it doesnt make any medical sense. These government mandates, including so-called exceptions, dont really work in real life, day-to-day situations where were having to make quick decisions in real time.  Women's health, life, and safety should always be the priority in any situation."

Photos: Gov. Kim Reynolds delivers the condition of the state address
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A cultural revolution has been sweeping through the U.S. Armyand the remarkable thing is its barely been noticed, as a deeper revolution had already taken hold very quietly.

Starting this past March and continuing into the fall, all nine Army bases that are named after Confederate generals have been, or will be given, new names more in keeping with American values and the look of the U.S. military today.

The move was ordered by Congress in 2020, and the new names were chosen by a bipartisan eight-member commissionhalf of them retired officers, half civiliansafter an exhaustive year-and-a-half-long process.

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Two of the top Republican presidential candidatesformer Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisrecently inveighed against the move as an example of wokeness or political correctness in the hallways of Pentagon, and vowed, if elected, to restore the name of Fort Bragg, which the commission changed to Fort Liberty.

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We can draw one of two inferences from these remarks: Either these GOP hopefuls are engaging in even more base-dipping cynicism than usualor they know nothing about the history of these bases and should keep their mouths shut.

Fort Bragg, one of the largest military bases in the world, was named after Braxton Braggnot only a Confederate general during the Civil War (and therefore a traitor to the United States), but one of the very worst Confederate generals, a commander who didnt win a single battle and who wantonly shot his own soldiers for the slightest dissension.

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Similarly, Fort Benning, a leading infantry training base, was named after Henry Benning, among the most ardent secessionists in the entire Confederate army who once said hed rather die in pain and misery than see slavery abolished and who was the last, foot-dragging general to attend the surrender ceremony.

Fort Gordon was named after Lt. Gen. John Brown Gordon, who, after the Civil War, became a Grand Dragon in the Ku Klux Klan.

Fort Hood was named after Gen. John Bell Hood, the fastest-rising officer in the Confederate army, who led his troops to some of the wars most catastrophic defeats.

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Fort Lee was, of course, named after Gen. Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate army and a cruel plantation owner even by the standards of the day, regularly whipping his 200 slaves and splitting up many of their families.

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Most of the people we talked toat the bases and in nearby communitieshad never heard who these officers were, what theyd done, the commissions co-chair, Ty Seidule, told me in a phone conversation. Then wed tell them about guys like Hood or Bragg, what terrible people they were. Some people would say, Well, it will always be Fort Bragg to me, but many others saidand well, you cant hear these stories and say, No, I dont want that name around here! 

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Congress passed the name-changing law in the wake of national protests following the George Floyd killingwhich led even the fairly hidebound Army establishment to rethink its past and present. Black Americans account for 20 percent of the Armys ranks, Hispanics for another 17 percent, and women (of all races) for 17 percent. Yet until now, no military bases were named for Black people or womenand just one, a small facility in Puerto Rico, for a Latino.

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It was therefore natural for the commissioners to seek diversity in the new names. However, Seidulea retired Army brigadier general, former chair of the military history department at West Point, and visiting professor of history at Hamilton Collegestressed that they werent seeking diversity for its own sake. They wanted the new names to fit not only todays Army but also the function of the base.

For instance, Fort Lee is the Armys logistics center. And so its new nameFort Gregg-Adamsis in honor of two of the Armys most decorated pioneers in logistics.

Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg volunteered for the Army in 1946, organized its supply networks amid the devastation of postwar Germany and Japan, and spent the next 35 years doing the same at bases worldwide, rising from private to three-star general and ultimately serving as the Joint Chiefs of Staffs logistics director, all while privately mentoring countless enlisted men and leading the fight to desegregate the Fort Lee officers club.

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Lt. Col. Charity Adams, the highest-ranking Black female officer in World War II, set up and commanded the Armys postal directorythe lifeline for soldiers morale, as the commissions report puts itprocessing, sorting, and delivering nearly 200,000 letters a day, close to 6 million pieces of mail each month, to and from 7 million soldiers. In her 1995 memoir, One Womans Army, Adams recalled a general threatening to send a white 1st lieutenant here to show you how to run this unit. Just a major at the time, Adams snapped back, Over my dead body, sirinspiring great loyalty from her battalion, most of them also Black women.

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Gregg, age 95, is still alive and spoke at the naming ceremony in Fort Gregg-Adams in Virginia this past April. Adams died in 2002, but her children attended and spoke as well.

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Seidule, who has attended several naming ceremonies, including this one, said, These have been the most moving, most emotional that Ive ever been to. These are amazing people. You tell the people at the bases about their stories, and for the most part, they have embraced the stories.

Here are some of those stories:

Fort Benning is now Fort Moore, named after Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julia Moore, mainly for their contributions to Army family life. Julia came up with the idea of having uniformed messengers personally notify families of soldiers killed or wounded in battlethen fiercely lobbied for the Pentagon to create those notification teams. (Until she did this in 1965, taxi drivers delivered telegrams bearing the news.)

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Fort Hood in Texas is now Fort Cavazos, named after Gen. Richard Cavazos, a Korean and Vietnam War herowinner of two Legions of Merit, a Silver Star, five Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart as well as careerlong roots in Texaswho was the first Hispanic American to pin four starts on his epaulet.

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Fort Polk, in Louisiana, is now Fort Johnson, named after Pvt. William Henry Johnson, a member of the Harlem Hellfighters, who joined the French army during World War I after the U.S. Army refused to enlist any Black Americans. The French awarded him the Croix de Guerre for his bravery, the first American soldier to be so honored. Upon returning home, he was paraded through Harlem and down Fifth Avenue to chants of Here comes Black Death, the nickname he famously earned on the battlefield. The U.S. government paid him no benefits, and he died destitute in 1929.

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Fort Rucker, home of a large Army aviation unit, is now Fort Novosel, named after Chief Warrant Officer Michael Novosel, a medevac helicopter pilot who flew 2,543 extraction missions, rescuing more than 5,500 seriously wounded soldiers, in Vietnam.

Fort Gordon is now Fort Eisenhower. And its just incredible that, until now, no U.S. Army base has been named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the five-star general who commanded allied forces in Europe during World War II, then later became president of the United States.

The name-changing marks a formal end to the U.S. Armys long, largely unquestioned obeisance to the Lost Cause myth, which honored Confederate soldiers for upholding Southern traditions and states rights rather than seeing them as perpetrators of slavery.

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Related From Slate Fred Kaplan Trumps Support for Confederate Base Names Has Nothing to Do With Respecting the Military Read More

It also exposes the tacitly assumed myth that these bases were named during or soon after the Civil War. In fact, about half were named during World War I, about half during World War IIin other words, many decades after the Civil War. The purpose of the original names, like that of the gigantic statues commemorating Confederate officers in cities throughout the South, was to remind Black soldiers and citizens just who was still in charge.

Seidules presence on the commission is significant. The author of Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerners Reckoning With the Myth of the Lost Cause, he had been pushing for renaming the basesand reassessing this aspect of Army culturefor more than 15 years. I got nowhere with this until three events, he told me. Those were the [Charleston] massacre of 2015, the Charlottesville [killing] of 2017, and George Floyd in 2020. Then even some of my Army comrades started thinking.*

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One of those comrades was retired Gen. David Petraeus, former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, then CIA director, who wrote in the Atlantic that he was stationed for many years at the bases named after Confederate officers, but

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I never thought much about these menabout the nature of their service during the Civil War. Nor did I think about the message those names sent to the many African Americans serving on these installationsmessages that should have been noted by all of us.

Petraeus told me that it was only after he retired in the Army, in 2011, that he started thinking about how strange it was that the leaders of the fight against the Union were more widely honored than were those who fought for the country. The Floyd killing and the subsequent protests, he said, were the catalyst to writing his Atlantic essaywhich, in turn, lent extra legitimacy to Seidules campaign and, finally, the bill creating the commission.

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There is a lot more work ahead. The commission identified 1,011 things on Defense Department propertystreets, bridges, courtyards, water towers, and so forththat were named after Confederate officers. It passed these lists to the secretary of defense, who passed them to the service secretaries, who pushed them down to base commanders. All of them will be changed, though this will take longer.

Meanwhile, the underlying realities have started to change. According to Seidule, no elected politicianother than Pence and DeSantishas criticized the name changes since they were announced. You dont need to be woke or politically correct to consider Arthur Gregg, Charity Adams, Hal and Julia Moore, William Henry Johnson, and all these other new names to be far more worthy of military honors than any slave-holding secessionist.
Currently, around 14 different chemotherapy drugs are in shortage. These are generic drugs, pretty basic ones, that are absolutely fundamental to chemotherapy treatments for more than a dozen types of cancerand the current shortage is so dire that its threatening the care of hundreds of thousands of patients around the country. But while this shortage is unprecedented in scope and the number of patients affected, the problem itself is nothing new.

On the June 30 episode of What Next: TBD, I spoke with Ed Yong, who covers science for the Atlantic, about how things got so bad and why these kinds of shortages are a feature, not a bug, of the cancer drug market. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Lizzie OLeary: In your story for the Atlantic, you traced some of the shortages to an Indian drug manufacturer named Intas Pharmaceuticals. What happened?

Ed Yong: Intas Pharmaceuticals manufactures many kinds of generic drugs, including cancer drugs, that are then supplied to the U.S. Last November, the FDA conducted an inspection of Intas plant in India, and it found just farcical conditions. Basic steps that are necessary to ensure that the drugs are of high quality, that theyre pure, that theyre at the right dose, that they are free of bacteria and other contaminantsthey just werent being taken. Sometimes they didnt exist. Worse still, the plant seemed to be engaged in a cover-up. They had shredded and hidden documents. One quality-control officer admitted to dousing some documents in acid. As a result, Intas was forced to shut down production. It so happened that this company was supplying the U.S. with half of its cisplatin, half of its methotrexate, 20 percent of its carboplatin. It had a huge market share in a lot of these incredibly important drugs, and that was one of the things that precipitated this wave of shortages.

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How did a company with those practices capture so much market share?

These kinds of drugs are generics. They are not patented, and they are sold at extremely low prices. That means that they are very, very unprofitable. Those low profits mean that a lot of manufacturers have just left the market entirely, leaving it weak. The other problem is that these drugs are very hard to make. Unlike the kinds of medicines that we can take in oral capsules, cancer chemotherapies are injected into the bloodstream, and usually into the bloodstream of people who are extremely sick. The quality control has to be really exacting. You do not want a single bacterium inside this stuff, but theres no incentives for companies to actually invest in upgrades or training for quality control. That creates weaknesses. It means that the manufacturers are vulnerable to either spontaneous manufacturing problems or the kind of disastrous inspections that weve talked about. If those happen, other manufacturersof which there probably arent very manycant compensate, and then you have a shortage.

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Thats part of the answer. The other part is that the market is completely opaque. Its not just that it is small and frail, but that you cannot see either the weaknesses or the strengths of it. A lot of the people who work in this space didnt know that Intas had 50 percent of the market in cisplatin until the plant went into shutdown.

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It seems almost unfathomable that major hospital systems and purchasers wouldnt have a sense of the durability of the market. Why is that?

I think it is completely unfathomable. Were not even talking about the high-end, state-of-the-art, super expensive new drugs that patients might struggle to access. These are the basic, vanilla, front-line drugs that have been around for decades, and should be the most accessible.

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Let me give you an example of how little we know about these markets. Theres a drug called fludarabine that is currently in shortage. If you look at FDA approvals, there are 12 companies that are licensed to make it, which seems like a strong market. But actually, only five of those companies market the drug. Based on publicly available information, we do not know which of those companies makes how much of that drug. We know a bit more because of a Senate committee inquiry which showed that of those five, one makes the drug itself, two others actually get their drug from Europe, and then one of those two supplies the final two of the five companies.

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There is currently no way for any hospital, or any purchaser, to actually see any of that, or to make decisions based on that. Because theres no quality-rating system or transparency of the data, what happens is that people make decisions based only on price. Then the manufacturers have this massive race to the bottom, where theyre competing solely to lower prices, and that pushes them to cut corners.

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It feels obvious that some government agency should be keeping track of this market. Who should be in charge here?

Often, people point the finger at the FDA because they are a regulatory body, they approve medicines, and so on. But the FDA isnt really an economics agency, and this is fundamentally an economics problem. One simple way of summarizing everything I just told you is that the problem is the inability of the market to observe or reward quality. That is beyond the scope of the FDA. Part of the solution to this problem is identifying some kind of agency that can actually take ownership so that it doesnt slip between the cracks of different parts of government. One good candidate for that is an agency called ASPR [the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response], which currently handles preparedness for emergenciesso, natural disasters, or, hey, a pandemic. ASPR does a lot of things, including shoring up medical supplies, to make sure that the drugs we need are available when we need them. You could very easily argue that this shortage of cancer drugs is just an ongoing emergency created by this dysfunctional market that weve ended up with, and thus it falls within the purview of an agency thats designed to stop these kinds of emergencies from happening.

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Related From Slate Kent Sepkowitz Why Havent We Been Able to Cure Cancer? Read More

Where does all this leave patients and doctors right now?

It leaves them in a really bad state. A lot of the cancer treatment apparatus just doesnt work without a lot of these drugs. Now, the worst-case scenario, of course, is that a patient who gets cancer might just not be able to get treated, which is almost unfathomable. Cancer alone, its a horrible diagnosis to receive, and I think one thinks that the question is always Is there a cure? I dont think anyone ever imagines that there might be a cure, but you cant have it because the drug isnt in stock.

Currently, what Ive heard from a lot of oncologists is that hospitals around the country are trying to make this work, and theyre succeeding, but just. Sometimes they are lowering the dose that patients receive. Sometimes they are spreading out the doses over longer intervals. Theyre really doing everything they can to make their meager supplies last for as long as possible. Theyre pulling every string possible to get more of these drugs. But some of the oncologists have told me that their colleagues are starting to have to ration care. Some of them are having to ration care themselves. An oncologist named Patrick Timmins, whos a gynecologic oncologist, told me that at his hospital, he can treat people who come in with primary ovarian cancer who just had a new diagnosis, but he no longer can offer these drugs to people with recurrent cancer, because he doesnt have enough. Even though giving them cisplatin, or carboplatin, might really help to improve their quality of life, might give them a lot more months, or even years, of good-quality life.

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Those are the stakes. Peoples lives will be shortened. Their treatments might be harder to endure. On top of all of that, there is the psychological cost. Being told you have cancer is shattering. A lot of the time, cancer patients just want a plan. They have to rearrange so much of their lives to get care, and to deal with this horrible problem. To add to that the knowledge that I can treat you now, but maybe I wont be able to in two or three months unless this thing resolvesthats a horrible toll on top of the toll that they already must bear.

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What needs to happen to create a less vulnerable and opaque system?

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You need to shift all of the incentives in the market in a direction that actually promotes stable manufacturing, that promotes resilience, that stops these ludicrous inspections that lead to shortages. One really important way of doing that is to have some kind of badge of quality. The FDA has actually been working on a program that rates different drugs. Say you have cisplatin from this company. The rating will tell you how reliable the supply chain for that is.

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There are also a couple of nonprofits which are doing similar things. Theres one called RISCS, which uses manufacturer data to rate different kinds of generic drug products based on how robust the supply chain is. Theres one called Civica, which is negotiating between hospitals and suppliers to get long-term contracts for lots and lots of drugs that they buy in volume. That gives the supplier a bit of a guarantee. Thats the kind of thing we need to add more stability so that hospitals can now see which manufacturers are going to be most reliable, which ones are not going to go down in a shortage. Again, there is no current way of making that choice, because you just dont have the information. Getting the information will be really, really important. Then, you have to make it more compelling for hospitals to actually use that information. You could imagine a situation where, say, Medicare has a payment scheme where it reimburses hospitals according to the quality of the drug manufacturers that they choose to use. That would then compel them to use these ratings.

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One thing youre bringing up here is the difficulty of rewarding quality in the American health care system. Why is that such a hard shift to make? Everyday quality is a thing that Americans want, and yet it does not seem to be the thing that the economic structure of the U.S. health care system rewards.

Im struggling to give you a better answer than just waving my hands and saying, Well, thats capitalism for you. But also, thats capitalism for you. The structure of the market is so utterly dysfunctional. Unlike the supply chain problems that result from external shocks, like a hurricane or a pandemic, if the shocks are coming from within the market itself, you know theyre going to happen. You know where the problem is, and you know how to fix that. Reports have come out for a decade-plus about how to fix this problem. I hope that the huge stakes of the current shortages will compel more people to actually take these kinds of actions that we all, ultimately, will depend on.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, left, receives questions from a reporter before he enters the Seoul Central District Court to attend a hearing for conspiracy allegations in a case regarding an illegal merger and accounting fraud, Friday. Yonhap



By Park Jae-hyuk



Samsung refuted a claim that it offered a preferential treatment to Elliott Management by acquiring the U.S. private equity firm's share in Samsung C&T for a higher price than that the Korean company had offered to minority shareholders, who complained about the share swap ratio for the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries in 2015.



The denial was made by Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong's attorney, during last Friday's court hearing on his alleged violations of the Capital Markets Act.



Before the hearing, Samsung kept silent on the Permanent Court of Arbitration's document which showed that Elliott had received 65.9 billion won ($50 million) from Samsung C&T in May last year.



The document was unveiled recently, following the U.S. firm's victory last month in an international lawsuit filed against the Korean government. Elliott seeks compensation for the losses caused by the National Pension Service's approval of the controversial merger, which was apparently intended for Lee to inherit the group's control from his father.



According to the document, the money was paid after the Korean Supreme Court ordered Samsung C&T in April last year to acquire Ilsung Pharmaceuticals' share in Samsung C&T for 66,602 won per share, instead of the 57,234 won per share that the affiliate had initially offered its shareholders who opposed the share swap ratio.



At that time, Samsung C&T also agreed on Elliott's request to acquire its stake for 66,602 won per share, instead of 57,234 won per share, the document showed.



Because Samsung C&T had kept the agreement confidential until recently, the new revelation has enraged minority shareholders who sold their stakes for 57,234 won per share. Some of them argued that the company violated its duty to disclose important information to protect investors.



The financial authorities, however, have not regarded the secret agreement as illegal.



"Companies are allowed to offer different prices, when their shareholders seek to exercise their appraisal rights," a Financial Supervisory Service official said.



Before last Friday's court hearing, reporters asked the Samsung Electronics chairman on his way into the court building how he will respond to the growing calls for he or his company to compensate the government for the payment of $108.5 million worth of taxpayers' money to Elliott.



Lee did not reply.



Progressive civic groups and the opposition bloc have urged the government to ask Lee's family and former government officials to make up for the loss, rather than lodging an appeal against the international tribunal's ruling.



The government has until July 19 to decide whether or not to lodge an appeal, but it has yet to announce any follow-up measures.


https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/air-defense-system-works-in-town-of-donetsk-in-russias-rostov-region-1111771055.html

Air Defense System Fends Off Attack in Town of Donetsk in Russia's Rostov Region

Air Defense System Fends Off Attack in Town of Donetsk in Russia's Rostov Region

The air defense system worked in the town of Donetsk in Russia's Rostov Region on Sunday, but only minor damages to roofs were reported, Mayor Roman Kuraev said.

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"There is a dispersion of small debris on the territory of the town of Donetsk after the air defense system has worked out ... Thank God, there are no casualties, there are only minor technical damages, to roofs and so on," Kuraev said on Telegram. The mayor added he was inspecting the streets where the fragments had fallen and noted that all damage would be repaired.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/austrian-energy-company-omv-will-continue-to-import-russian-gas---ceo-1111765119.html

Austrian Energy Company OMV Will Continue to Import Russian Gas - CEO

Austrian Energy Company OMV Will Continue to Import Russian Gas - CEO

Austrian oil and gas company OMV will continue to buy a major part of its gas from Russia and is not planning to terminate a long-term contract with Russian energy giant Gazprom despite securing alternative contracts from other sources to cover Austria's energy imports needs, OMV Group CEO Alfred Stern said on Sunday.

2023-07-09T08:32+0000

2023-07-09T08:32+0000

2023-07-09T08:32+0000

economy

omv

russia

austria

gas

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"As long as Gazprom will supply  we will continue to take these quantities from Gazprom  There is an obligation we have as an industrial company to ensure that we use those sources as long as they are legally acceptable," Stern told the Financial Times newspaper. The Austrian energy giant's chief also said that the issue of possible Western sanctions on Russian gas was "for policymakers to decide" but warned that "eliminating certain sources will also drive price rises," as quoted by the newspaper. Stern added that OMV was not making any plans to exit its long-term supply contract with Gazprom, which had been extended in 2018 until 2040. Former OMV CEO Gerhard Roiss said in early June that Austria should prepare for the fact that Russian gas supplies through Ukraine would cease by the end of 2024, when the current transit contract would expire. Last week, Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler said that Russia still remained Austria's main supplier of gas. The minister noted that receiving gas from Russia was an unreliable option and it is necessary to make efforts to decrease dependence on Russian energy. Gazprom has continuously said that the company met all of its obligations to European consumers. The European Union did not impose sanctions against Russian gas supplies after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, but most European countries decided to reduce imports of Russian gas.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230701/austrian-govt-delusional-for-shifting-away-from-russian-gas---eu-lawmaker-1111596648.html

russia

austria

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austrian oil and gas, omv group, russian energy giant gazprom
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/beach-boy-biden-sleepy-joe-skewered-for-spending-40-of-presidency-on-vacation-1111770324.html

Beach 'Boy' Biden? 'Sleepy Joe' Skewered for Spending 40% of Presidency 'on Vacation'

Beach 'Boy' Biden? 'Sleepy Joe' Skewered for Spending 40% of Presidency 'on Vacation'

Americas oldest sitting President has been spotted taking a break at a beach amid GOP criticism that Joe Biden spent a record number of days on vacation while in office.

2023-07-09T12:05+0000

2023-07-09T12:05+0000

2023-07-09T12:55+0000

americas

us

joe biden

delaware

jill biden

ukraine

cluster munitions

video

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Americas oldest sitting President, Joe Biden, has been spotted taking a break from his 'strenuous' White House duties again.Images are flooding the Internet that appear to capture the 80-year-old commander-in-chief lounging around shirtless on Delaware's Rehoboth beach with his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, and one of his granddaughters.Comments erupted on social media, seething with sarcasm. Some remarked that the POTUS was soaking up some sun after a failed "Bidenomics" rollout, an embarrassing cocaine scandal in the White House, and signing off on delivery of lethal cluster bombs to fuel the Ukraine crisis.Surely the octogenarian who's famous for "going off script" and serving up meme-generating blunders deserved some downtime after all that, Twitter users quipped, tongue-in-cheek.Many recalled that Biden, who is running for reelection in 2024, has spent 353 days  39.2 percent of his presidency  on vacation.Numerous social media users commented that if ex-President Donald Trump were out on a beach like that, there would be hordes of people milling around him.Some facetious Twitter users photoshopped an image of Joe Biden carrying a bong in his hand.US media reports showed photos of Joe Biden donning blue swim trunks with a festive sea turtle pattern and a white polo shirt, visiting the beach near his Delaware home after what they called "a rough work week."However, the latest sarcasm on social media feeds into the criticism that the Republican National Committee previously lobbed at Biden, calling the Democrat out for a record number of days spent on holiday. The GOP estimated last August that the US President had vacationed for 228 days during his time in office, which is more than any of his predecessors. By this time in their terms, former US president Donald Trump, had taken off 132 days to relax, his predecessor Barack Obama had had 38 days, and George W. Bush, who was president prior to Obama, had spent 100 days unwinding.This May, the Republican National Committee (RNC) again highlighted the issue of Biden's frequent weekend excursions, saying they amounted to "40 percent of his presidency."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220823/joe-biden-spent-a-record-228-days-of-presidency-on-vacation-says-republican-national-committee-1099884371.html

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Svetlana Ekimenko

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Svetlana Ekimenko

joe biden, americas oldest sitting president, spotted taking a break, biden's days on vacation, record number of days biden spent on vacation
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/campaigners-seek-trumps-disqualification-from-2024-election-on-grounds-of-jan-6-riots-1111767988.html

Campaigners Seek Trump's Disqualification From 2024 Election on Grounds of Jan. 6 Riots

Campaigners Seek Trump's Disqualification From 2024 Election on Grounds of Jan. 6 Riots

Civil rights associations launch campaign targeting state secretaries of state to invoke the 14th Amendment's Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause to dash Trump's 2024 hopes.

2023-07-09T14:04+0000

2023-07-09T14:04+0000

2023-07-09T14:04+0000

americas

viral

donald trump

kathy griffin

oregon

california

georgia

colorado

democrats

congressional research service

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Two civil rights organizations, Mi Familia Vota and Free Speech for People, are initiating a campaign to persuade state governments to bar former President Donald Trump from running in the 2024 election. They claim that secretaries of state can use their authority, granted by the US Constitution's 14th Amendment, to reject Trump's qualification or eligibility due to his alleged involvement in the Capitol insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021.Beginning on Sunday, the groups will organize a series of gatherings and display banners outside the offices of the secretaries of state in California, Oregon, Colorado, and Georgia.Additionally, they previously sent a letter to Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, urging him to invoke the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause to block Trump's candidacy.Dubbed "Trump is Disqualified," the campaigns timing coincides with the 155th anniversary of the 14th Amendment to add some significance to it.The secretaries of state play a crucial role in certifying candidates' eligibility and overseeing the electoral process within their respective states.In addition to the campaign's focus on Trump's alleged involvement in the Capitol insurrection, various allegations, investigations, and lawsuits have targeted Trump, which further serves as a recipe for Mi Familia Vota and Free Speech for People. While there have been indictments and most cases pending, Trump describes them as political persecution and a witch hunt orchestrated by the Democrats to prevent him from running in the 2024 election.Mi Familia Vota and Free Speech for People aim to convince some secretaries of state to interpret the clause in a way that disrupts Trump's chances of running for office in 2024. They argue that holding Trump accountable is a constitutional obligation and essential for safeguarding democracy.However, the groups contend that Trump's alleged role in the Capitol insurrection aligns with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars individuals who have previously taken an oath to support the Constitution and have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States from holding public office.The Capitol riot, which occurred on January 6, 2021, was a historic event in America, where a group of protesters entered the US Capitol building, disrupting the certification process of the 2020 presidential election results. President Donald Trump's reaction to the riot sparked controversy as he initially called for a peaceful protest, but subsequent remarks were criticized for potentially inciting violence. After the riot, President Trump faced criticism for his response. Some argued that Trump did not act swiftly to condemn the violence or call for its end, and his video statement urging rioters to go home while expressing love for them was controversial.A House committee report, released last year, shed light on the events and response to the Capitol Riot. It uncovered security failures, intelligence lapses, and communication breakdowns that allowed the unrest to happen. The report also detailed the involvement of extremist groups and individuals in planning and executing the riot, emphasizing the urgent need for reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future.The House committee's report on the Capitol incident ignited political and legal debate. Democrats saw it as evidence supporting the need for accountability and further investigation into the role of Trump and his allies. Republicans, however, criticized the report as politically biased, accusing Democrats of using it to target Trump and his supporters. The release of the report further deepened the divisions surrounding the Capitol skirmish, reflecting the challenges of reaching a consensus on this significant event in American history.However, it remains uncertain whether the Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause applies to the presidency, as it is not explicitly mentioned in Section 3. The events of January 6 have also raised questions about whether they meet the threshold of "insurrection or rebellion against" the United States, according to the Congressional Research Service.Nonetheless, the campaign organizers draw attention to the removal of Couy Griffin, an elected county commissioner in New Mexico, for his involvement in the attack. While Griffin was convicted, the Constitution does not require a criminal conviction for disqualification.Moreover, one thing is obvious, the targeted states are predominantly Democrat-run. Meanwhile, Georgia has particular significance due to the pressure exerted by Trump on Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to reverse the state's 2020 presidential vote count in favor of President Joe Biden.We had a number of meetings with secretaries of state and we have had this discussion. So its a real possibility, Sanchez said.It is worth noting that if any secretary of state disqualifies Trump, it would be an unprecedented move and likely face legal challenges. However, the civil rights groups assert their confidence in interpreting the clause and believe they can succeed.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210617/dems-view-us-capitol-riot-as-insurrection-republicans-favor-legitimate-protest-poll-says-1083177479.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/trump-calls-for-jan-6-panel-to-be-tried-for-treason-carlson-vows-to-show-more-capitol-breach-clips-1108190546.html

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civil rights associations, state secretaries of state, 14th amendment's insurrectionist disqualification clause, trump's 2024 hopes, mi familia vota, free speech for people, civil rights organizations, president donald trump, trump is disqualified campaign, 14th amendment, 155th anniversary of the 14th amendment, capitol insurrection, section 3 of the 14th amendment, united states, events of january 6, couy griffin, new mexico, georgia, secretary of state brad raffensperger, president biden, hector sanchez, executive director of mi familia vota, nevada secretary of state cisco aguilar, offices of the secretaries of state in california, oregon, colorado, capitol riot,
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/crimean-bridge-attack-confession-shows-zelensky-us-no-longer-pretending-to-be-good-guys-1111777734.html

Crimean Bridge Attack Confession Shows Zelensky, US No Longer 'Pretending to Be Good Guys

Crimean Bridge Attack Confession Shows Zelensky, US No Longer 'Pretending to Be Good Guys

The October 8, 2022 attack on the Crimean Bridge was a crossing the Rubicon moment in the Ukrainian crisis, freeing Moscows hands to lift self-imposed restrictions on precision missile strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure. Why did Kiev decide to admit responsibility now? Observers queried by Sputnik have a few ideas.

2023-07-09T18:32+0000

2023-07-09T18:32+0000

2023-07-10T12:03+0000

russia

ukraine

volodymyr zelensky

nato

russian foreign ministry

crimean bridge

admission

confession

analysis

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Ukrainian deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar admitted Saturday that Ukraine was responsible for last years attack on the Crimean Bridge. 273 days ago we delivered our first strike against the Crimean Bridge in order to disrupt Russias logistics, Maliar wrote in a Telegram post dedicated to Kievs accomplishments over the course of the conflict as it hit the 500-day mark.Her statement contradicts months of denials by officials in Kiev that Ukraine had anything to do with the terrorist incident. We definitely did not order that, as far as I know, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Western media in October after Russia began a series of missile strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Kiev and its allies in the West alternated between blaming feuding Russian internal actors and claiming that Moscow bombed its own bridge in a false flag attack, but Maliars confession serves to confirm what Russia has been saying all along: that the terrorist incident was ordered, concocted and carried out by Ukraines security services.Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to Saturdays admission of guilt with two words, calling the Ukrainian government a terrorist regime.Timing No AccidentThe timing of the deputy defense ministers admission is most likely not an accident, Dr. Joe Siracusa, a US politics expert and dean of Global Futures at Curtin University in Australia, told Sputnik, pointing out that the confession comes just days ahead of next weeks NATO summit in Vilnius.Confession is Good for the Soul?Adriel Kasonta, a London-based foreign affairs analyst, journalist and commentator, said that in the space of 48 hours, Kiev and Washington have demonstrated, through Maliars confession, and the US announcement that it would be sending deadly cluster munitions to Ukraine, that they just dont care about even pretending to hold the moral high ground in the proxy war against Russia anymore.Suggesting that Kievs Western benefactors have already achieved the goal of turning Ukraine into a foreign banker and corporation-controlled vassal whose only purpose is to weaken Russia, Kasonta argued that officials in President Zelenskys administration simply dont care anymore about pretending that they are the good guys.So the mask fell off and everyone around the world [can] see this conflict for what it is, he said.Latest in a String of Important AdmissionsSaturdays statement by Maliar is important, but certainly not the first time that Ukrainian officials have admitted to their role in escalating the conflict.In January, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov acknowledged that the Ukrainian crisis is really a Russia-NATO proxy war, and that today Kiev is carrying out NATOs mission, shedding its soldiers lives, and serving as a shielddefending the entire civilized world, the entire West, from Russia.In late 2022 and early 2023, Zelensky, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former French President Francois Hollande each separately admitted that Kiev never intended to adhere to the terms of the 2015 Minsk peace deal with Russia, and that the agreement was only signed to buy time and prepare for a conflict with Moscow.

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ukraine

crimean bridge

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Ilya Tsukanov

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Ilya Tsukanov

crimean bridge, russia, ukraine, terror attack, terrorist attack, admission of guilt, admission, confession
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/death-toll-from-building-collapse-in-brazil-rises-to-14-1111759581.html

Death Toll From Building Collapse in Brazil Rises to 14

Death Toll From Building Collapse in Brazil Rises to 14

The death toll from a building collapse in Pernambuco, Brazil killed at least 14 people.

2023-07-09T01:18+0000

2023-07-09T01:18+0000

2023-07-09T01:19+0000

americas

brazil

building collapse

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A part of the building in the Janga suburb of Pernambuco's capital, Recife, collapsed on Friday morning, local media said. Previous reports put the death toll at 11. A total of 13 people were found dead at the scene, and one person died in hospital, the Folha de Sao Paolo newspaper reported, adding that there is no information about other missing people. Two teenagers and a 65-year-old woman were pulled from the rubble alive and rushed to hospital, the report said. Around 50 rescuers and volunteers were involved in search and rescue efforts.Officials said that the cause of the collapse, which came during heavy rainfalls, remains unknown.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230601/collapsed-iowa-building-used-in-us-to-portray-drone-strike-in-moscow-1110842986.html

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building collapse; recife; janga; brazil; pernambuco
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/french-confidence-in-police-grew-despite-fatal-police-shooting---poll-1111759838.html

French Confidence in Police Grew Despite Fatal Police Shooting - Poll

French Confidence in Police Grew Despite Fatal Police Shooting - Poll

The confidence French citizens have in their police forces have grown since February, according to a new poll.

2023-07-09T03:01+0000

2023-07-09T03:01+0000

2023-07-09T04:01+0000

world

france

paris

protest

riots

police

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The survey results published on Saturday showed that 73% of respondents trust the French police, with 46% having said that they have a lot of confidence in law enforcement. The poll also showed that 59% of the French believe that the authorities should use a tough approach when dealing with problems in the suburbs. Only 36% of the surveys respondents consider immigration to be one of the main problems in France. Over 60% said they believed that purchasing power was a major issue, while 49% said security was one of the key problems. France has been on edge since June 27, when a teenager was shot dead by a police officer for allegedly disobeying a traffic stop in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. The officer who pulled the trigger on 17-year-old Nahel M. has been taken into custody on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter. The fatal police shooting sparked riots across the country. Violent protesters have clashed with police and set fire to public buildings and vehicles. Hundreds of protesters have been detained.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230708/frances-protests-reflect-its-colonial-past-and-neocolonial-present-1111733392.html

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french riots; paris riots; protests; police violence in france; opinion of police in france; did they defund the police in france? teenager killed by police in france; nahel m.; 17-year-old killed by french police
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/germany-set-against-ukraines-bid-for-nato-membership---reports-1111759298.html

Germany Set Against Ukraines Bid for NATO Membership - Reports

Germany Set Against Ukraines Bid for NATO Membership - Reports

At the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania, Germany plans to push against Ukraine being granted NATO membership.

2023-07-09T00:24+0000

2023-07-09T00:24+0000

2023-07-09T05:05+0000

world

jens stoltenberg

volodymyr zelensky

european union (eu)

ukraine

article 5

nato

russia-nato showdown

nato expansion

germany

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The source said that Berlin plans to urge other NATO members during the Vilnius summit on July 11-12 that they should focus on security assurances to Kiev, and not NATO membership, in order not to risk a war with Russia. According to the report, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union are currently working on "Bucharest-plus" - a series of bilateral security offerings to Kiev - instead of offering Ukraine NATO membership. Individual offers of security guarantees to Kiev would then be combined into an umbrella deal, a "Memorandum of Understanding," endorsed by NATO and the EU, the newspaper said, adding that, according to sources, it would be the "next best offer" to Kiev. Ukraine applied for a fast-tracked membership in NATO in September 2022 following the start of the Russian military operation in February of that year. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has on numerous occasions said that the bloc was supportive of Kiev's aspirations but was not ready to approve its application right away, chiefly due to Ukraine's active involvement in an armed conflict. In early June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev hoped to receive a clear invitation to join the bloc at the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on July 11-12. He also said the Ukrainian military was disappointed that Ukraine had not yet received a clear positive response about joining both the European Union and NATO. On June 19, Stoltenberg said that the top-level summit in July would not discuss a formal invitation, but rather ways to "move Ukraine closer to NATO."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230708/spain-joins-nato-allies-un-in-opposing-us-transfer-of-cluster-munitions-to-ukraine-1111755149.html

ukraine

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nato; ukraine; germany; nato summit; lithuania
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/kiev-loses-up-to-470-soldiers-in-4-directions-in-past-24-hours---mod-1111771974.html

Kiev Loses Up to 470 Soldiers in 4 Directions in Past 24 Hours

Kiev Loses Up to 470 Soldiers in 4 Directions in Past 24 Hours

Kiev has continued its unsuccessful attempts to advance in the South Donetsk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Krasny Liman directions, as a result of which Ukrainian troops lost up to 470 military and foreign mercenaries in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

2023-07-09T12:01+0000

2023-07-09T12:01+0000

2023-07-09T12:27+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

donetsk

zaporozhye

russian defense ministry

kiev

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The Russian armed forces successfully repelled new attacks by Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk, South Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Krasny Liman directions, the ministry said. Moreover, Russian troops defeated over 210 Ukrainian military and destroyed four Ukrainian tanks and one US-made M109 howitzer in the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, the ministry added. In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian troops defeated up to 80 Ukrainian soldiers and suppressed the actions of two Ukrainian sabotage groups, the ministry also said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230707/russian-forces-repel-10-attacks-in-donetsk-direction-kiev-lost-over-420-soldiers-1111724262.html

donetsk

zaporozhye

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unsuccessful attempts to advance, russian defense ministry, ukrainian troops
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/lavrov-notes-destructiveness-of-arms-supplies-to-kiev-in-talks-with-turkish-counterpart-1111775755.html

Lavrov Notes Destructiveness of Arms Supplies to Kiev in Talks With Turkish Counterpart

Lavrov Notes Destructiveness of Arms Supplies to Kiev in Talks With Turkish Counterpart

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted the destructiveness of Ankara's course for ongoing weapons deliveries to Ukraine during a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

2023-07-09T15:41+0000

2023-07-09T15:41+0000

2023-07-09T17:18+0000

world

sergey lavrov

turkiye

ukraine

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"Ankara's attention was drawn to the destructiveness of the course for ongoing supplies of military equipment to the Kiev regime. These steps, as it was stressed, can only lead to negative consequences," a Foreign Ministry statement summarizing Lavrov's remarks read. Lavrov and Fidan also exchanged views on the regional agenda, including the controversial decision to return commanders from the ultra-nationalist Azov Regiment* from Turkiye to Ukraine on Saturday, the ministry said.Turkiye has played a unique role among NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine, sending weapons (including heavy Bayraktar drones) to Kiev, but also continuing to cooperate with Moscow economically in areas including natural gas energy and nuclear power, selling tomatoes to Russia, and serving as a hub facilitating air travel after the closure of most Western countries' airspace to Russian airlines.Ankara also played an instrumental role in brokering peace negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in the spring of 2022 (which were ultimately broken off at Washington and London's behest), and helped negotiate the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, under which Ukraine was allowed to continue to export grain through Russian-controlled waters, ostensibly to prevent a global hunger crisis. Moscow has signaled that the grain deal likely won't be extended beyond the July 17 renewal date, owing to the failure of the West and Ukraine to facilitate Russia's own grain and fertilizer exports, and data showing that much of the grain goes to wealthy countries, instead of needy nations in the Global South, as was promised. Ukraine's destruction of a major ammonia pipeline running from Togliatti to Odessa last month further weakened the prospects of the deal being renewed.Turkiye was the last NATO power to approve Finland's entry into the alliance, with Sweden's bid for alliance membership continuing to be held up amid Turkish concerns over Stockholm's tolerance for Kurdish militants and Quran burnings. The topic of Swedish NATO membership is expected to be discussed, and possibly resolved, at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius next week. In a related development, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Saturday that "without a doubt, Ukraine deserves to be in NATO," a position anathema to the Russian side.* The neo-Nazi Azov Regiment is banned in Russia as a terrorist organization.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230708/kremlin-calls-return-of-azov-leaders-to-ukraine-violation-of-existing-agreements-1111756212.html

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U.S. Air Force plane Boeing C-17A Globemaster III lands at Vilnius airport in Lithuania, Saturday, July 8. The Vilnius NATO summit will take place on July 11-12. AP-Yonhap



NATO has turned Vilnius into a fortress defended by advanced weaponry to protect U.S. President Joe Biden and other alliance leaders meeting next week only 32 km (20 miles) from Lithuania's razor-wire topped border fence with Russian ally Belarus.



Sixteen NATO allies have sent a total of about 1,000 troops to safeguard the July 11-12 summit, which will take place only 151 km (94 miles) from Russia itself. Many are also providing advanced air defence systems which the Baltic states lack.



"It would be more than irresponsible to have our sky unprotected as Biden and leaders of 40 countries are arriving," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said.



The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, once under Moscow's rule but part of both NATO and the European Union since 2004, all spend above 2 percent of their economies on defence, a larger share than most other NATO allies.



But for the region with total population of about 6 million people, this is not enough to sustain large militaries, invest in their own fighter jets or advanced air defence. Germany deployed 12 vehicles Patriot missile launchers, used to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles or warplanes.



Spain has brought a NASAMS air defence system, France is sending Caesar self-propelled howitzers, France, Finland, and Denmark are basing military jets in Lithuania, and the United Kingdom and France are supplying anti-drone capabilities.



Poland and Germany sent helicopter-enhanced special operations forces. Others are sending measures to deal with any potential chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear atacks.



For Nauseda, the allied effort to ensure air safety during the leader's gathering means NATO needs to urgently set up permanent air defences in the Baltic states.



"We think about what happens after the summit ends, and we will work with allies to create a rotating force for a permanent air protection", he told reporters.





A poster promoting NATO is on display in central Vilnius, Lithuania, July 8. EPA-Yonhap
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/lavrov-to-take-part-in-asean-meeting-in-jakarta-1111761065.html

Lavrov to Take Part in ASEAN Meeting in Jakarta

Lavrov to Take Part in ASEAN Meeting in Jakarta

A regular meeting of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta from July 9-14.

2023-07-09T05:47+0000

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A regular meeting of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta from July 9-14. A total of 29 countries are expected to attend the ministerial and related meetings, which will include courtesy calls by delegations from Brunei, Timor-Leste, Norway and Pakistan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the July 13-14 meetings. The parties will discuss, among other things, strengthening of the ASEANs capacity and institutional effectiveness to better respond to the current geopolitical challenges as well as the situation in Myanmar and humanitarian assistance to the country following Cyclone Mocha.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230617/indonesia-expects-russias-participation-in-asean-summit-in-fall-1111252441.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/one-killed-3-others-injured-after-string-of-shootings-in-new-york-1111761439.html

One Killed, 3 Others Injured After String of Shootings in New York

One Killed, 3 Others Injured After String of Shootings in New York

A gunman riding a scooter without a license plate has opened fire in New York's Queens and Brooklyn districts at four people, killing a 87-year-old man and injuring three others, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has said.

2023-07-09T05:54+0000

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new york police department (nypd)

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"A[n]  individual who took a part himself to shoot four innocent people, tragically killing one  The shooter in this connected incident used an illegal scooter that did not have a license plate to move from one location to the next," First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban told a briefing on Saturday. The police have detained a 25-year-old man, who staged a string of shootings in Brooklyn and Queens, and whose motives are still unknown and presumably "random," Joseph Kenny, the assistant chief in the NYPD's Detective Bureau, told a news conference. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230703/authorities-announce-20000-reward-for-information-about-baltimore-shooting-suspects-1111646499.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/poland-delivers-about-dozen-mi-24-helicopters-to-ukraine---reports-1111762434.html

Poland Delivers About Dozen Mi-24 Helicopters to Ukraine - Reports

Poland Delivers About Dozen Mi-24 Helicopters to Ukraine - Reports

Poland has recently handed over about a dozen Soviet-designed Mil Mi-24 large attack helicopters to Kiev, but Ukraine's fleet still remains "small" compared with the capacity of the Russian air systems, a newspaper reported on Sunday, citing sources.

2023-07-09T06:36+0000

2023-07-09T06:36+0000

2023-07-09T06:36+0000

military

jens stoltenberg

sergey lavrov

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The aircraft delivery has not been previously disclosed, the newspaper reported. Western countries have been providing financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine since the start of Russia's military operation in February 2022. The support evolved from lighter artillery munitions and training in 2022 to heavier weapons, including tanks, later that year and in 2023. The Kremlin has consistently warned against further arms deliveries to Kiev, saying they would be regarded as a legitimate military target. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in June that the alliance would begin the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets that summer. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a possible supply of F-16 fighters to Ukraine would become another escalation, as there is a modification of the fighter capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230627/sweden-bulgaria-announce-new-aid-packages-for-ukraine-1111487165.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/russia-becomes-main-supplier-of-gas-to-spain-in-june---enagas-1111774086.html

Russia Becomes Main Supplier of Gas to Spain in June - Enagas

Russia Becomes Main Supplier of Gas to Spain in June - Enagas

Russia became the first largest supplier of gas to Spain in June this year, according to Spanish energy company Enagas.

2023-07-09T15:27+0000

2023-07-09T15:27+0000

2023-07-09T15:27+0000

economy

spain

russia

algeria

european union (eu)

liquefied natural gas (lng)

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According to the company, Spain imported 7,673 gigawatt hours (GWh) of liquefied natural gas from Russia last month, which accounted for 26.8% of the kingdom's total purchases. From January to June, Spain purchased 41,145 GWh of LNG from Russia, Enagas added. Russia is followed by Algeria and the United States. Algeria exported to Spain 21% of the total amount of gas, and the United States - 18.5%.Earlier, media reported, citing sources, that Madrid urged Spanish importers of Russian gas not to sign new contracts with Moscow and to increase the diversification of LNG supply contracts.In March, Enagas reported that gas imports from Russia to Spain in February 2023 increased by 151%. According to the company, the kingdom's imports of Russian gas increased from 2,174 gigawatt hours (GWh) in February 2022 to 5,465 GWh in 2023, accounting for 17.2% of total gas imports.Spain is currently positioning itself as a major gas hub, capable of solving the European energy crisis due to the reduction of Russian gas supplies. The country is one of the EU member states with the most diversified list of natural gas suppliers. Since the beginning of the year, more than 20 countries have exported gas to Spain.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221215/spain-plans-to-persuade-germany-netherlands-to-agree-to-lower-gas-price-cap-reports-1105500608.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/russias-upper-house-speaker-matvienko-to-visit-china---reports-1111760417.html

Russias Upper House Speaker Matvienko to Visit China - Reports

Russias Upper House Speaker Matvienko to Visit China - Reports

Speaker of the upper chamber (Federation Council) of the Russian parliament (Federal Assembly) Valentina Matvienko, will visit China from July 9-12, media report.

2023-07-09T05:06+0000

2023-07-09T05:06+0000

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china

russia

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chinese national people's congress (npc)

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Matvienko will head a Russian delegation that will come to China at the invitation of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji, Chinese news agency said on Sunday. Matvienko will participate in a meeting of the inter-parliamentary commission on cooperation between Russias Federal Assembly and the National People's Congress (NPC) of China.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230628/foolish-western-regime-change-policy-only-driving-russia-china-closer-together-1111510890.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/trump-jr-joins-gopers-in-slamming-neocon-hawks-ukraine-in-nato-gamble-1111763554.html

Trump Jr. Joins GOPers in Slamming Neocon Hawk's 'Ukraine in NATO' Gamble

Trump Jr. Joins GOPers in Slamming Neocon Hawk's 'Ukraine in NATO' Gamble

NATO membership for Ukraine would result in the US being dragged from fighting a proxy war into a direct war with Russia, ex-President Donald Trumps son has warned.

2023-07-09T10:55+0000

2023-07-09T10:55+0000

2023-07-09T10:55+0000

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donald john trump jr.

lindsey graham

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volodymyr zelensky

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NATO membership for Ukraine would result in the US being dragged from fighting a proxy war into a direct war with Russia, ex-President Donald Trumps son has warned.Trump Jr.'s post referenced an earlier tweet made by US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), where the lawmaker argued that giving Ukraine NATO membership is "vital to the future security of Europe and the world."Graham had also doubled down on his support for the Biden administration's latest decisions regarding a new package of military assistance worth $800 million to Ukraine. As part of the most recent package, the Pentagon also announced the planned transfer of cluster munitions to Kiev. However, Graham appeared convinced that thrusting such lethal weapons to the regime led by President Volodymyr Zelensky was exactly the sort of "tools' they "need".Sen. Lindsey Graham's proposal to congressional colleagues to potentially introduce and pass a resolution urging Ukraine's admission into NATO has already sparked tremendous backlash. Republican 2024 presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy accused the Republican lawmaker of marching us to the brink of nuclear war on Saturday for pushing for Ukraines NATO membership. Referring to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as Joe Biden's "bully-friend", he tweeted that ahead of the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania, membership for Kiev in the alliance "should be a hard red line."This is madness," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) had tweeted. She insisted that such moves could "bring us to the brink of World War 3.""Absolutely not. This is exactly wrong - as usual - and could very well lead us to war with Russia, something no one should want," Republican Senator Rand Paul said in a statement on Friday.Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado tweeted that surely Lindsey Graham was aware that NATO membership for Kiev would spell "American troops on the ground in Ukraine."Ohio GOP Rep. Warren Davidson lashed out at Lindsey Graham's effort, branding it, "essentially a declaration of war.""HARD NO... Epically bad idea. Low zero," tweeted Davidson.Conservative commentator Carmine Sabia echoed these thoughts, tweeting that it appeared that Sen. Lindsey Graham was "in love with the idea of WWIII". In the run-up to the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is touring European countries in an effort to lobby for his countrys entry into the US-led military bloc. Earlier in June, the comedian-turned-president said that Kiev hoped to receive a clear invitation to join the bloc at the alliance's gathering in the Lithuanian capital on July 11-12. However, while the Brussels-based bloc has said it would not slam its door on any country joining it, NATO members have been reluctant to add Ukraine to the bloc anytime soon. Germany intends to insist at the summit that Ukraine should not be granted NATO membership, UK media reported on Saturday, citing a source within the bloc. Berlin ostensibly planned to urge other NATO members to focus on "security assurances to Kiev", in order not to risk a war with Russia."Berlin is stand-offish at the prospect of offering immediate membership," and wants "a process and time to develop guarantees to essentially block membership," the source was cited as saying.US President Joe Biden himself has been giving ambiguous statements about Ukraines potential future NATO membership, saying recently that his administration would not make it easy for Kiev to join. US officials this week indicated Ukraine was not yet eligible to join NATO, and no one should expect the alliance to grant them membership after the summit in Vilnius.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230708/us-congressman-on-decision-to-send-cluster-bombs-no-one-in-biden-admin-seeks-peace-in-ukraine-1111755892.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/germany-set-against-ukraines-bid-for-nato-membership---reports-1111759298.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230707/despite-zelensky-protestations-nato-statesmen-understand-zero-likelihood-for-ukraine-to-join-nato-1111733027.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/trump-rails-against-ron-sanctimonious-over-vote-for-yucca-nuclear-waste-site-1111771582.html

Trump Rails Against Ron 'Sanctimonious' Over Vote For Yucca Nuclear Waste Site

Trump Rails Against Ron 'Sanctimonious' Over Vote For Yucca Nuclear Waste Site

Donald Trump has skewered Ron DeSantis (R) over the support the Florida Governor has shown for a plan to store US nuclear waste at a site deep within Yucca Mountain, in Nevada.

2023-07-09T15:22+0000

2023-07-09T15:22+0000

2023-07-09T15:22+0000

americas

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2024 us presidential election

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Donald Trump has skewered Ron DeSantis (R) over the support the Florida Governor has shown for a plan to store US nuclear waste at a site deep within Yucca Mountain, in Nevada.The US has been trying to set up a permanent national nuclear waste disposal site, as about 88,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from its commercial reactors are "stranded" at reactor sites spread out across around 35 states, according to the US National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. In 2002, Congress approved the construction of a repository within Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Under then-President Barack Obama that project was torpedoed. In 2012, a panel of experts published a set of recommendations that suggested creating "interim storage facilities" for nuclear fuel and waste until the government developed a permanent repository. Under the presidency of DonaldTrump there was an attempt to restart the Yucca Mountain project, however, coming up against tremendous backlash and opposition, the 45th POTUS finally tweeted: Nevada, I hear you on Yucca Mountain. Trump had vowed that his administration would explore "innovative alternatives" to the controversial option.The US Department of Energy (DOE) insisted that Yucca Mountain was selected because it had the best technical and scientific characteristics for serving as a repository. It was in a desert location, far from population centers, the site would be potentially 1,000 feet under the surface, protected by "natural geologic barriers." Those against the stalled project argued that Yucca was in an active seismic region, boasting earthquake faults, as well as other concerns.Ron DeSantis, however, then representing Florida's 6th congressional district in the US House of Representatives, in 2013 voted in favor of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which had incorporated a provision to reopen the Yucca Mountain waste repository after Congress scrapped funding for the site two years earlier.Elswhere during his rally speech, Trump contined to lob verbal jabs at DeSantis, saying:Before the campaign event in Las Vegas, Trump went on the social media site of his own creation,Truth Social, to claim that DeSantis was desperately trying to get out of the 2024 fray.Ron DeSanctimonious is desperately trying to get out of the Presidential race, while at the same time saving face for 2028, where he has been greatly damaged, Trump wrote, adding, Ron is just wasting time!Donald Trump currently boasts 52.4 percent support among potential voters, according to Real Clear Politics average of polls. Ron DeSantis is seen as trailing the ex-president with just 21.5 percent support.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210916/us-regulator-approves-creation-of-nuclear-dump-in-texas-despite-opposition-from-local-authorities-1089132848.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230708/polls-favor-trump-as-biden-loses-traction-in-swing-states-1111729712.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/ukraines-defense-ministry-admits-it-attacked-crimean-bridge-to-break-russias-logistics-1111760144.html

'Terrorist Regime': Moscow Reacts to Kiev Admitting Attack on Crimean Bridge

'Terrorist Regime': Moscow Reacts to Kiev Admitting Attack on Crimean Bridge

'Terrorist Regime': Moscow reacts to Kiev admitting attack on Crimean Bridge in autumn of 2022.

2023-07-09T05:34+0000

2023-07-09T05:34+0000

2023-07-09T07:49+0000

crimean bridge terror attacks

crimean bridge

russia

ukraine

crimea

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"Terrorist regime," was the succinct response of Russias Foreign Ministry to Ukrainian deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliars admission that Kiev had carried out the attack on the Crimean Bridge in autumn of 2022.273 days since we struck the first blow on the Crimean Bridge to disrupt the logistics of the Russians, Maliar had written on Telegram on Saturday.Previously, a huge threat of a sabotage at the ZNPP from Kiev amid its stuttering counteroffensive was emphasized by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.Up until now, the Kiev regime has refused to claim responsibility for the attack on the 19-km long bridge - the longest in Europe and connecting the Crimean peninsula and mainland Russia's Krasnodar region. Crimea reunited with Russia in March 2014 after a referendum in which over 96% of the peninsula's voters said yes to reunification. The bridge was opened by Russia's President Vladimir Putin in May 2018.Immediately after the attack, Russian authorities announced a series of measures to repair damage and ensure stable transport ties between Crimea and Krasnodar Territory. Putin signed a decree Saturday night to step up security for transport crossing through the Kerch Strait, as well as electricity and energy infrastructure in the area.At the time, Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, hinted at Kiev's responsibility for the terrorist incident in a series of meme-riddled posts on social media. Presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak had gloated that the attack on the bridge was just "the beginning" and that "everything illegal must be destroyed" and "everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine."Two senior Ukrainian officials also purportedly told the New York Times that Ukrainian intelligence were behind the attack on the bridge. Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) stated a week after the attack that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate was behind the explosion.The FSB also said that the explosive device was camouflaged in rolls with a construction polyethylene film and was shipped from the [Ukrainian] seaport of Odessa to Bulgaria's Ruse in early AugustAccording to the FSB, control over the movement of cargo along the entire route and contacts with participants in the criminal scheme had been carried out by an Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate employee.Russia launched a series of missile strikes deep into Ukraine in the wake of the bridge attack after confirming Ukrainian special forces involvement. The strikes targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure and military command and communications posts across the country.

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Watch: Ukrainian Armored Vehicles Blown to Bits During Counterattack

Watch: Ukrainian Armored Vehicles Blown to Bits During Counterattack

The Russian Defense Ministry has released video footage from a reconnaissance drone showing the advance of the Ukrainian armored group toward Russian positions and then the detonation of at least five vehicles on Russian minefields, with at least two other vehicles already damaged, presumably from running over mines earlier.

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The Russian Defense Ministry has released video footage from a reconnaissance drone showing the advance of a Ukrainian armored group toward Russian positions and then the detonation of at least five vehicles on Russian minefields, with at least two other vehicles already damaged, presumably from traversing over earlier mines.Ukraine's much-touted counteroffensive kicked off in early June after months of delays over a lack of military supplies from Western donors. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops kept trying, but were failing to advance. A number of Western media outlets also noted the poor results of Kiev's counteroffensive, in addition to Zelensky himself admitting that progress was "slower than desired."

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Bettors Donttell, who looked to be the worst-placed of the four main contenders in Saturday afternoons (July 8) $18,500 pacing feature at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania, showed great gameness to go on to a 1:49.4 victory.

Traceur Hanover yielded to RIP Wheeler before an opening quarter of :26.1; that one then reached the half in :54.3. Bettors Donttell started first over headed down the backstretch, with favoured Backstreet Shadow in second-over position. Those positions didnt change by the 1:21.3 three-quarters, and they didnt change as the field turned for home.

RIP Wheeler couldnt maintain his advantage, and Backstreet Shadow, involved in an incident in the Battle Of Lake Erie and not in peak form since, couldnt take advantage of the cover trip after swinging wide. Traceur Hanover raced well in the pocket, but Bettors Donttell -- who was not the smoothest-gaited of the foursome -- showed the most heart to take the top event by a half length over Traceur Hanover.

Simon Allard guided the winner to victory for the meets leading trainer, Ron Burke, and the Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC partnership.

There was an $18,000 trot for the highest level of developing younger horse before they go on to fast-class racing (non-winners of 11 races life). Speed Away, who had won against older horses in his last start, making it two straight with a 1:53.4 score. The gelded son of Father Patrick was kept by driver Matt Kalaley just behind Diehard Seelster and College Tuition as they argued through early fractions of :27.3 and :56.1. Speed Away entered the battle going to the 1:24.3 three-quarters then had to beat those two contenders but was capable of that task, winning for trainer Jonas Czernyson and Consus Racing Stable Inc.

Kakaley, the meets top driver, ran his victory total on the day to six with the fastest mile of the hot afternoon, a 1:49 jaunt with Gentle Giant. The altered son of JK Endofanera posted fractions of :26.4, :54.4 and 1:21.2 in progress to an overwhelming win and a lifetime mark for trainer Jason Brewer, also co-owner with Kirk Nichols and Thomas Gillis.

Sundays 6 p.m. (EDT) card at Pocono will feature a $20,000 trot for the fast-class set and it will be followed on Monday and Tuesday at 1 p.m. by Pennsylvania All-Stars contests for stakes two-year-olds; pacing colts on Monday and trotting fillies on Tuesday.

(PHHA / Pocono)
A burned vehicle is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, April 26. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday Sudan was on the brink of a "full-scale civil war" as fierce clashes between rival generals continued unabated Sunday in the capital, Khartoum. Reuters-Yonhap



U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sudan was on the brink of a "full-scale civil war" as fierce clashes between rival generals continued unabated Sunday in the capital, Khartoum.



He warned on Saturday evening that the war between the Sudanese military and a powerful paramilitary force is likely to destabilize the entire region, according to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general.



Sudan descended into chaos after months of tension between military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and his rival Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in mid-April.



Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said in televised comments last month that the clashes have killed over 3,000 people and wounded over 6,000 others. The death tally, however, is highly likely to be much higher. More than 2.9 million people have fled their homes to safer areas inside Sudan or crossed into neighboring countries, according to U.N. figures.



The fighting came 18 months after the two generals led a military coup in October 2021 that toppled a Western-backed civilian transitional government. The conflict dashed Sudanese hopes of a peaceful transition to democracy after a popular uprising forced the military removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.



The war has turned the capital Khartoum and other urban areas across the country into battlefields.



Residents in Khartoum said fierce fighting was underway early Sunday south of the capital. The warring factions were using heavy weapons in the battles in the Kalaka neighborhood and the military's aircraft were seen hovering over the area, said resident Abdalla al-Fatih.



In his statement, Guterres also condemned an airstrike Saturday that health authorities said killed at least 22 people in Omdurman , a city just across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum. The assault was one of the deadliest in the conflict.



The RSF blamed the military for the attack in Omdurman. The military, in turn, denied the accusation saying in a statement Sunday that its air force didn't carry out any airstrikes in the city that day.



The secretary-general also decried the large-scale violence and casualties in the western region of Darfur, which has experienced some of the worst fighting in the ongoing conflict, Haq said in a statement.



"There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing," Guterres said.



U.N. officials have said the violence in the region has recently taken an ethnic dimension, with the RSF and Arab militias reportedly targeting non-Arab tribes in Darfur, a sprawling region consisting of five provinces. Last month, the governor of Darfur, Mini Arko Minawi, said the region was sliding back to its past genocide , referring to the conflict that engulfed the region in the early 2000s.



Entire towns and villages in West Darfur province were overrun by the RSF and their allied militias, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee to neighboring Chad. Activists have reported many residents killed, women and girls raped, and properties looted and burned to the ground.



There were clashes between the military and the RSF elsewhere in Sudan on Sunday including the province of North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Blue Nile. (AP)


The first leg of Ohio Sires Stakes for two-year-old colt and filly pacers opened on Saturday, July 8 at Eldorado Scioto Downs. Fresh off her victory in the Next Generation, Magestic Seas made it look easy, scoring her second win in as many starts.

In the first of nine $40,000 divisions, Ronnie Wrenn Jr. took Magestic Seas (pictured above) to lead heading to the half and opened up a five-length lead around the final turn to win easily in 1:51.1. Brian Brown trains the daughter of Downbytheseaside for Country Club Acres, Kirk Nichols and Scott Dillon In her two wins this year, Magestic Seas has earned $95,000. Rose Run Zoey was second with Fearless Ginger third

In the second division for the fillies, Brett Miller collected the first of his two Sires Stakes wins on the night as he guided Daisy Star to victory in 1:53.1. The daughter of Racing Hill was fourth entering the final turn, shot down the passing lane and pulled away to win by a length in 1:53.1. It was the first win in two starts for Daisy Star, who is trained by Johnson Hill Jr. and owned by Brent Tartar. Venice Blue Chip was second with Bad Girls Racing finishing third.

Irreplaceable with Jeremy Smith took the pocket trip and shot down the lightning lane to win the third division of filly pacers by a head for trainer Todd Luther in 1:55. It was Irreplaceables first win in two career starts. The daughter of Racing Hill is owned by Greg Luther Racing. Cruiser Cancelled finished second with Heartofthesea third.

The final division for filly pacers went to Dancing On Glass. Cameron McGown gave Brian Brown his second Sires Stakes training win of the night with the Downbytheseaside filly. Dancing On Glass sat in the pocket until the top of the stretch, moving to the outside and catching the favourite, Seaside Streaker, to win by a length in 1:54.1. Dancing On Glass was making her first career start for owners Hutchison Harness. Rock Ur Wings was third.

On the colt side of the ledger, Rose Run Zane and Austin Hanners won the first division for colt pacers in 1:53 for trainer Dan Venier. The son of Racing Hill, making his first career start, fired off the final turn and pulled away down the stretch to win by two lengths for owners John and Leann Saunders. High On The Hill was second with Denial third.

Ron Burke trainee Outer Banks with Chris Page took the lead at the top of the stretch and held off a late charge from Seasideescape to win the second division of freshman colt pacers by a head in 1:52.4. It was the first win in two starts for the son of Downbytheseaside. Burke Racing Stable, RAS Racing, J&T Silva  Purnel & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi own Outer Banks. Topofthehill AS finished third.

In the third division, Hundred Dollar Man with Montrell Teague raced off the gate from the far outside, grabbing the lead heading to the quarter pole. The son of Lather Up held the lead until Noble Dale and Brett Miller took over entering the final turn. Down the stretch, Hundred Dollar Man battled back, retook the lead and held on to win by a head in 1:53.3. It was the first win in two starts for owner/trainer Brenda Teague. Janelle Granny rallied for second with Noble Dale finishing third.

Longshot Racing Rebel and Sam Widger took the pocket trip and fired down the passing lane beating Pariss Dragon to the line to win the fourth division in 1:52.4. The son of Racing Hill went off at 18-1 for trainer Dan OMara. It was the first win in three starts for Racing Rebel, who is owned by Marjorie Polhamus. Clever Cody was third.

In the final division of the night, Brett Miller earned his second Sires Stakes win of the evening as he drove Fear The Image to victory. The Fear The Dragon gelding grabbed the lead at the three-quarter pole and won by two lengths in 1:53. It was the second win in as many starts for Fear The Image, who has earned $26,500 this year for trainer Randy Smith and owner Jessica Smith. Midwind Beach Boy finished second with Believe It Sea It third.

Sires Stakes action for Ohio two-year-olds continues on Sunday night, July 8 at MGM Northfield Park as six divisions of freshman colt and filly trotters take to the track.

Since returning from Scioto Downs two starts ago, Waitforever N has been chomping at the bit to return to the winner's circle and she was able to do it on Saturday with a gate-to-wire victory in the $20,000 Filly and Mare Open Pace.

Leaving alertly from post four and only a single challenger inside of her, Waitforever N and driver Aaron Merriman wasted no time leaving down the center of the racetrack. She duelled with Lydeo into the first turn but made the lead after a stiff quarter in :26.3. Merriman got a big breather in the second quarter, with a soft half of :56.1, but a host of pursuers came, including Tiny Bit Of Sky, who led the assault in the outer flow. Into the backstretch, Tiny Bit Of Sky got within three-quarters of a length of the leader, but Merriman repelled that challenge. Turning into the stretch, Merriman asked Waitforever N for a little more and she responded, winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.2. Lydeo tried to close but managed only to be second with Rock Me Cristal rallying to be third.

The win was the 19th lifetime for the American Ideal mare, who now has $190,880 in the bank for owners D Racing Stable, Donald MacRae and Kapildeo Singh, and trainer Braiden Rhoades.

(With files from Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association and Scioto Downs)
Cannibal and Confederate won Saturdays (July 8) $50,000 Meadowlands Pace eliminations for three-year-old pacers at The Meadowlands and will start the $668,000 final on July 15 from posts four and five, respectively.

Following the draw, Confederate, who won the faster of the two elims, stopping the clock in 1:47.3, was established as the 6-5 morning-line favourite for the final. Cannibal was made the 4-1 third choice behind Voukefalas, who finished second to Cannibal, at 7-2.

Both elimination winners are owned by Diamond Creek Racing and were bred by Diamond Creek Farm.

Confederate won his elimination by a half-length over El Rey. Christchurch was third and followed across the finish line by Ammo and Stockade Seelster. However, Stockade Seelster went off stride coming out of the last turn and in the stretch and was placed eighth for violating the breaking rule and interference. Save America was sixth-placed-fifth to get the last spot in the final.

In that second elim, Christchurch took the field to the opening quarter in :25.4 and half-mile point in :52.1 as he battled with longshot Lyons Surfing to maintain the lead. Christchurch was still on top as he reached three-quarters in 1:20.1 but Confederate, who was fourth for much of the way, moved three-wide on the last turn and burst down the stretch for the win.

Tim Tetrick drove Confederate, the 1-5 favourite, for trainer Brett Pelling.

Hes got high speed, he can follow speed, speed is his thing, Pelling said about Confederate. He loves to go quick. Timmy thinks hes OK either way [from in front or off the pace]. Hes raced him a lot more than what I have. But his best runs that Ive seen have been coming off a helmet.

Tetrick added that, He chased big speed and when it was time to go, he got the job done.

Confederate, who was second by a head in last months million-dollar Pepsi North America Cup, has won three of four races this season.

Hes been perfect, said Tetrick. Hes very consistent. Hes just a good drive away from everybody being happy.

A son of Sweet Lou-Geothermal, Confederate has won eight of 11 lifetime starts and earned $777,825. He paid $2.40 to win.

Cannibal, who was fifth at the half-mile point in the first elimination, rallied off a second-over trip behind favourite Voukefalas to win by a half-length in 1:48.1 for driver Scott Zeron and trainer Nancy Takter. Voukefalas finished second, followed by Its A Me Mario, Hungry Angel Boy and Fulton to reach next weeks final.

Bamboozler held the lead as the field reached the opening quarter in :26. Fulton went to the front on the backstretch, hitting the half in :53, then faced first-over pressure from Voukefalas on the last turn as they got to three-quarters in 1:21.2. Voukefalas, the 4-5 choice, took the lead in the stretch but was unable to hold off Cannibal.

I lit up when I realized they were going too fast for [Voukefalas] to make a power move and he would eventually be the first-up horse, and I would be in a position that I wanted to be, said Zeron. Whether or not I had the horse to do it, we were going to find out.

I didnt really have to do any of the heavy lifting throughout the mile. At the point of coming out of the last turn is when I realized that mine was feeling as good as the rest of them looked.

With the victory, Cannibal improved to four-for-four this year. Two of those previous wins were in the Pennsylvania Stallion Series in May and the other was against older horses in a conditioned race on June 24.

I think that was the management he was under; they wanted to keep him brave, keep him confident racing against the cheaper division horses, said Zeron. So far, its worked. He couldnt have been any more confident than he was today.

Cannibal, a son of Sweet Lou-No More Losses, has won seven of 12 career races and earned $175,798.

Sent off at odds of 9-1, Cannibal paid $20 to win.

The following is the field for the $668,000 Meadowlands Pace final in post position order, with drivers from the elims, trainers and morning line odds.

$668,000 Meadowlands Pace

Post  Listed Driver  Trainer  Morning Line Odds

1. Fulton  Dexter Dunn  Linda Toscano  8-1

2. Voukefalas  Jordan Stratton  Michael Russo  7-2

3. Christchurch  Dexter Dunn  Nancy Takter  15-1

4. Cannibal  Scott Zeron  Nancy Takter  4-1

5. Confederate  Tim Tetrick  Brett Pelling  6-5

6. Hungry Angel Boy  Yannick Gingras  Tony Alagna  20-1

7. El Rey  Scott Zeron  Tony Alagna  6-1

8. Its A Me Mario  Lauren Tritton  Shane Tritton  20-1

9. Ammo  David Miller  Joe Holloway  30-1

10. Save America  Andrew McCarthy  Nancy Takter  30-1

Saturday's card also featured a pair of Graduate Series finals. For complete recaps, click here.

In the overnight feature, a $25,000 high-end conditioned pace, Allywag Hanover had a tough go of it in his first start back after getting banged up in a spill at Woodbine Mohawk Park in the Mohawk Gold Cup. Sent to the gate as the 8-5 favourite, the Brett Pelling student languished far back throughout before closing to finish sixth in the race won by My Pal Joe in 1:48.3.

Andy McCarthy, Scott Zeron, Tim Tetrick and Dexter Dunn all recorded driving doubles. Ake Svanstedt trained a pair to victory lane.

All-source wagering totalled $3,443,434 on the 14-race program, the 42nd time this year from 55 race cards that betting busted the $3-million barrier.

Racing resumes Friday, July 14 at 6:20 p.m. (EDT).

(with files from USTA & The Meadowlands)
Former Platte Valley Bible College president Gerald Parriott has been named Old Settlers President for the 2023 Oregon Trail Days.

Parriott was a Bayard native and graduated from Bayard High School in 1950. According to Betty Parriott, his wife of 68 years, Gerald knew that he wanted to attend Bible college right out of high school.

He thought he would go to Minnesota, but another young man needed to go, so Gerald took a scholarship to San Jose Bible College, she said. That was an unusual thing that he did, but he stayed there for four years and graduated.

That unusual decision proved fateful. During his senior year, Gerald met Betty, a freshman who had decided to attend San Jose on the fly when the opportunity was presented to her. The two were married the next summer, kicking off a lifelong partnership that carried them all across the country and the globe.

Over the years, Gerald served as a minister in Bayard and Scottsbluff in addition to stints in Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Indiana, Alaska, Hawaii, Texas and even Australia. According to his wife, however, Parriotts largest role was as an educator. It all began when another unexpected opportunity came knocking shortly after the two got married.

There was a Bible college in Huron, South Dakota, and they came over and said, You have to come and teach for us, because our academic dean was drafted. Thats how he got started teaching at Bible colleges. He tried it and he liked it, and so he always taught, Betty said.

Though he served as a professor at many Bible colleges, Parriott was often drawn back to Platte Valley Bible College, now known as Summit Christian College. Beginning in 1959, Parriott held roles as a professor, academic dean and president of the institution over the next 50 years.

Through their work at Bible colleges, camps and churches, Gerald and Betty Parriott made hundreds of friends and lifelong connections across the country and beyond. By rarely  if ever  turning down a chance to be of service, Parriott saw the world and changed it for the better wherever he went.

Parriott passed away on Sept. 20, 2022, but his legacy lives on in the countless people his work and kindness touched throughout his long life of service to God and his family. He was known for his long bicycle rides around Scottsbluff, strong desire to always handle business in person and working side-by-side with his beloved wife to build believers.

He was absolutely a wonderful man, Betty said.
Israel still strongly opposes any increase in Iranian influence over Syrian airports and seaports, Iyad al-Jaafara underlines in al-Modon.

According to undisclosed sources within the Syrian Ministry of Transport, a private partner, whose identity remains unknown, is set to hold a 49% stake in Damascus International Airport. This revelation has raised concerns among pro-regime economists who view it as an unusual and potentially misleading move.

Normally, such leaks would be expected to appear in Al-Watan newspaper, a privately-owned newspaper known for its close ties to the regime. However, the fact that an official newspaper like Al-Baath, which serves as the regimes mouthpiece, obtained sensitive information about a critical infrastructure project like Damascus airport through media leaks is quite perplexing.

The leakers seem to be contemplating the future of the airports investment scheme with specific parties. The leak appears to target external parties who have a vested interest in the fate of the airport, which, for the past three years, has increasingly resembled an Iranian military base.

Recent reports of Iranian pressure to recover debts from the Assad regime, coupled with the potential involvement of an Iranian company as the undisclosed partner, have led analysts to speculate about the possibility of an actual Iranian takeover of the airport. This scenario would involve an investment contract with a front company affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, similar to what happened with the third cellular operator, Wafa Telecom.

Israel still strongly opposes any increase in Iranian influence over Syrian airports and seaports. In the past, Israeli forces have bombed Damascus airport multiple times, resulting in its temporary closure. In June 2022, following one such bombing, Israeli officials conveyed a message to the Assad regime through Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, warning that the regimes compliance with Iranian plans and facilitation of weapons transfers to Hezbollah and Iranian militias would come at a high cost.

Similar threats were made regarding the port of Lattakia when Iran sought to legitimize its control over it. Granting the investment of Damascus airport to an Iranian company would undoubtedly increase the airports vulnerability to Israeli airstrikes and disrupt its civilian operations.

Additionally, Western sanctions imposed on the official aviation corporation, which represents the public sector in the airport partnership according to the Baath report, hinder any external party from participating in such an investment. These sanctions exacerbate the airports existing challenges, which are primarily caused by the restrictions. If the undisclosed partner happens to be Iranian, this partnership would likely face even more severe penalties.

Therefore, an Iranian investment in Damascus airport does not appear to be the best solution for the regime to recover its debts, considering the Iranian interest. Nor does it offer a viable path to alleviate the suffocating conditions faced by the Syrian civil aviation sector and enhance the airports operations, as claimed by the Baath report, from the perspective of the Syrian state.

The leak from Baath resembles an invitation for an international tender, outlining the expected submissions from potential exhibitors. It hints at the presence of an unidentified external partner capable of overcoming the obstacles imposed by Western sanctions and revitalizing the Syrian civil aviation sector through the main gateway of Syrias largest airport. Alternatively, Iran, which already maintains a strong security presence and military proximity to the airport, might become its official investor.

It seems that this solicitation of offers, presented through a newspaper aligned with the regime, targets Gulf countries that view investing in Syria as a means to counter Iranian influence. If successful, it could serve as a cover for intensified Iranian security activities centred around Syrias major air facilities, potentially shielding them from Israeli airstrikes. However, if this ploy fails to yield any results, it remains a mere hint from the Assad regime regarding the Iranian airport in Damascus, potentially used as a form of blackmail against neighbouring countries, similar to how daily shipments of Captagon are used.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Al-Watan says the Ukrainian army established a special battalion for SDF fighters.

Corroborating sources in northern and northeastern Syria said that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has recently accelerated the recruitment of militants from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militias to fight Russia in Ukraine.

Sources close to the SDF, and some Arab tribes allied with it and with the U.S. occupation forces in northern and northeastern Syria, confirmed to Al-Watan that large groups of militants joined the battlefronts in Ukraine for the benefit of President Zelenskys regime in the last three months.

The sources pointed out that the number of SDF militants who went to Ukraine by private planes through Iraqi Kurdistan from the governorates of Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor and Hassakeh since the beginning of this year reached about 850, out of approximately 2,000 militants that U.S. intelligence was able to recruit since the Ukraine war began in mid-February last year.

They indicated that the Ukrainian army established a special battalion for SDF militants within the so-called Foreign Corps, created by the Kiev authorities at the beginning of their war with Moscow. The salaries of militants affiliated with Washington, including militia members, were raised from 1,500 to 2,000 U.S. dollars monthly. The increase was designed to boost numbers following the failure of the Biden administrations efforts to make significant military breakthroughs in support of Ukraine.

The sources predicted another salary increase soon as the Ukrainian military suffers more setbacks vis-a-vis its Russian counterpart along the battlefronts, especially after the recent failure of the Wagner coup.

The sources pointed out that the U.S. occupation forces established three camps in rural Hassakeh and Deir-ez-Zor to train SDF militants, with the encouragement of the so-called Autonomous Administration of North and Northeast Syria, which receives support from Washington in return.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
HTS announced the arrest of a cell affiliated with Hezbollah militias that were active in opposition-controlled areas, according to Syria TV.

The campaign to arrest agents and spies affiliated with Russia and the United States within Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), revealed by Syria TV two weeks ago, has not ended. Rather, it has expanded after intensive investigations to include leaders in sensitive positions. The number of those arrested rose to more than 300 members and leaders in the military, administrative and media joints within the HTS and the Syrian Salvation Government, on charges of being agents of the Syrian regime, Russia and the CIA.

Security and military sources told Syria TV two weeks ago that HTS arrested the general administrator of the Ali bin Abi Talib Brigade in the military wing of HTS, along with the security officer of the Eastern Bloc in the central region; the former HTS emir in Taftanaz; an assistant to the HTS crossings official; and the editor of the Idleb Post channel, which operates within the HTSs auxiliary media.

HTS began the arrest campaign after obtaining information and a list of names of leaders involved in dealing with and spying for the international coalition from external intelligence. The campaign and internal investigations led to the discovery of another cell working for Russia and the Assad regime.

On June 24th, HTS announced the arrest of a cell affiliated with Hezbollah militias that were active in opposition-controlled areas.

Intersecting sources revealed to Syria TV that the arrest campaign affected leaders in sensitive positions, prompting the commander of HTS, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, to form a small operations room to remedy the major breakthrough within HTS ranks.

Among the recently arrested leaders is the human resources officer in the military wing of HTS, who provided full copies of HTSs military records along with photos of their military IDs to the CIA.

The arrests also affected military figures on the ground who were supervising the so-called killing of the opposition factions on the Miznaz axis in February 2020, which killed more than 20 fighters from the opposition factions and destroyed several vehicles. Then the opposition factions tried to retake the town from the regime forces so that the attacking force fell into an ambush previously prepared by the regime forces.

Mini-operations room for crisis management

According to Syria TVs sources, Julani formed something like a crisis management cell or a mini-operations room, which includes alongside him the leaders Abu Ahmad Hudood, Abu Ahmed Zakour and Abdul Rahim Attoun. The decision followed the developments of the issue of the agent cells. The operations room was granted full powers to arrest any individual whose name is mentioned in the investigations, regardless of his position.

The sources did not explain the reasons for the absence of Abu al-Qahtani from participating in the mini-operations room formed by al-Julani, which raises many questions about the reasons for Qahtanis absence from this operation and such a mission. This is especially true since Qahtani is HTS leading security official, and controls several issues related to the issue  most notably, the labour issues of the regime, Russia, the international coalition and ISIS.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Syrian regime forces and Russia targeted the town of al-Bara in the southern countryside of Idleb on Sunday, according to Syria TV.

On Sunday morning (July 9th), Syrian regime forces and Russia targeted the town of Al-Bara in the southern countryside of Idleb with artillery shelling, which led to the injury of civilians, including three children. One of the victims remains in critical condition, according to a preliminary toll published by the Syrian Civil Defense.

The Civil Defense published photos that showed the response of its teams after the shelling that targeted Al-Bara, and the rescue of several civilians, including children, in addition to the effects of destruction that affected residential neighbourhoods and civilian homes in the town.

On July 4th, regime and Russian forces targeted the town of al-Bara with artillery shelling, killing a woman and wounding another civilian.

Recent weeks have witnessed a remarkable escalation by the regime and Russia in targeting residential neighbourhoods in northwestern Syria, which has led to civilian casualties, including children.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is greeted at a local polling station during an early presidential election in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, July 9. Reuters-Yonhap



Uzbekistan is holding a snap presidential election Sunday, a vote that follows a constitutional referendum that extended the incumbent's term from five to seven years.



President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was elected in 2021 to a second five-year term, the limit allowed by the constitution. But the amendments approved in April's plebiscite allowed him to begin the count of terms anew and run for two more, raising the possibility that he could stay in office until 2037.



The 65-year-old Mirziyoyev is set to win the vote by landslide against three token rivals.



"The political landscape has remained unchanged, and none of the parliamentary political parties stand in open opposition to the president's policies and agenda," the elections observer arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a pre-voting report.



Since coming to power in 2016 after the death of longtime dictatorial leader Islam Karimov, Mirziyoyev has introduced a slew of political and economic reforms that eased some of the draconian policies of his predecessor, who made Uzbekistan into one of the region's most repressive countries.



Under Mirziyoyev, freedom of speech has been expanded compared with the total suppression of dissent during the Karimov era, and some independent news media and bloggers have appeared. He also relaxed the tight controls on Islam in the predominantly Muslim country that Karimov imposed to counter dissident views.



At the same time, Uzbekistan has remained strongly authoritarian with no significant opposition. All registered political parties are loyal to Mirziyoyev.



In April's referendum, more than 90 percent of those who cast ballots voted to approve the amendments extending the presidential term.



As part of his reforms, Mirziyoyev has abolished state regulation of cotton production and sales, ending decades of forced labor in the country's cotton industries, a major source of export revenues. Under Karimov, more than 2 million Uzbeks were forced to work in the annual cotton harvest.



Mirziyoyev has also lifted controls on hard currency, encouraging investment from abroad, and he moved to improve relations with the West that soured under Karimov. He has maintained close ties with Russia and signed a number of key agreements with China, which became Uzbekistan's largest trading partner as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.



Like the leaders of other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations that have close economic ties with Moscow, Mirziyoyev has engaged in a delicate balancing act after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, steering clear of backing the Russian action but not condemning it either. (AP)


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Benin Management CORP purchased a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK  Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 8,000 shares of the industrial products companys stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter worth approximately $216,432,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 70.0% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,911,606 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $218,669,000 after buying an additional 4,493,702 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 114.8% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 7,690,896 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $171,122,000 after buying an additional 4,111,129 shares during the last quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 16,681.4% in the 4th quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 3,220,179 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $71,955,000 after buying an additional 3,200,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter worth approximately $64,806,000. 92.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Graphic Packaging

In other news, CFO Stephen R. Scherger sold 160,492 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $4,142,298.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 427,548 shares in the company, valued at $11,035,013.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.20% of the companys stock.

Graphic Packaging Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:GPK opened at $23.92 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 0.96. Graphic Packaging Holding has a 12-month low of $19.46 and a 12-month high of $27.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK  Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.15. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 6.46%. The business had revenue of $2.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Graphic Packaging Holding will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 14th. Graphic Packagings dividend payout ratio is currently 20.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GPK. StockNews.com began coverage on Graphic Packaging in a research report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Graphic Packaging from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price target for the company from $30.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Graphic Packaging from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. 888 restated a downgrade rating on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn restated a buy rating on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $28.75.

Graphic Packaging Profile

(Free Report)

Graphic Packaging Holding Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides fiber-based packaging solutions to food, beverage, foodservice, and other consumer products companies. It operates through three segments: Paperboard Mills, Americas Paperboard Packaging, and Europe Paperboard Packaging. The company offers coated unbleached kraft (CUK), coated recycled paperboard (CRB), and solid bleached sulfate paperboard (SBS) to various paperboard packaging converters and brokers; and paperboard packaging products, such as folding cartons, cups, lids, and food containers primarily to consumer packaged goods, quick-service restaurants, and foodservice companies; and barrier packaging products that protect against moisture, hot and cold temperature, grease, oil, oxygen, sunlight, insects, and other potential product-damaging factors.

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The Sage Group (OTCMKTS:SGGEF  Free Report) is one of 297 public companies in the SoftwareApplication industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare The Sage Group to similar companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, profitability, risk, valuation, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings for The Sage Group and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score The Sage Group 0 0 0 0 N/A The Sage Group Competitors 399 1455 3229 26 2.56

As a group, SoftwareApplication companies have a potential upside of 31.33%. Given The Sage Groups competitors higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe The Sage Group has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Dividends

Insider & Institutional Ownership

The Sage Group pays an annual dividend of $0.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. The Sage Group pays out 67.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, SoftwareApplication companies pay a dividend yield of 1.8% and pay out 70.9% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

54.7% of The Sage Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 31.9% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are held by institutional investors. 30.3% of shares of all SoftwareApplication companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares The Sage Group and its competitors revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio The Sage Group N/A N/A 67.61 The Sage Group Competitors $418.25 million -$9.62 million 622.32

The Sage Groups competitors have higher revenue, but lower earnings than The Sage Group. The Sage Group 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 The Sage Group and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets The Sage Group N/A N/A N/A The Sage Group Competitors -29.41% -255.35% -7.05%

About The Sage Group

(Free Report)

The Sage Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology solutions and services for small and medium businesses in North America, Northern Europe, and internationally. It offers cloud native solutions, such as Sage Intacct, a cloud accounting software products and financial management software; Sage People, a HR and people management solution; Sage 200, a finance and business management solution; Sage X3, a business management solution; Sage Accounting, a solution for small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers to manage customer data, accounts, and people; Sage Payroll for small businesses manage their payroll; and Sage HR for small and mid-sized businesses for record management, leave management, staff scheduling, and expenses services. The company also provides Sage 50cloud and Sage 200cloud that provides a range of cloud connected accounting solutions. The company was founded in 1981 and is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, the United Kingdom.

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Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS  Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $88.83.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FIS shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Fidelity National Information Services in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $58.00 to $62.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $80.00 to $75.00 in a report on Monday, July 3rd. Credit Suisse Group reduced their target price on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $75.00 to $70.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $70.00 to $69.00 in a report on Friday.

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Fidelity National Information Services Price Performance

Shares of FIS opened at $59.27 on Friday. The stocks 50 day moving average is $55.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.11 billion, a PE ratio of -2.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Fidelity National Information Services has a twelve month low of $48.57 and a twelve month high of $105.16.

Fidelity National Information Services Dividend Announcement

Fidelity National Information Services ( NYSE:FIS Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The information technology services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. Fidelity National Information Services had a positive return on equity of 10.66% and a negative net margin of 114.79%. Fidelity National Information Servicess revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Fidelity National Information Services will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 9th were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 8th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. Fidelity National Information Servicess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -7.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey A. Goldstein acquired 958 shares of Fidelity National Information Services stock in a transaction on Monday, April 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $57.24 per share, for a total transaction of $54,835.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,404 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $309,324.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Erik D. Hoag sold 3,451 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.15, for a total value of $186,871.65. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 19,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,076,881.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey A. Goldstein purchased 958 shares of Fidelity National Information Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $57.24 per share, for a total transaction of $54,835.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 5,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $309,324.96. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Information Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FIS. Korea Investment CORP lifted its position in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 236,690 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $16,059,000 after acquiring an additional 20,115 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 6,619 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $449,000 after buying an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 41.4% in the 1st quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC now owns 15,754 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $846,000 after buying an additional 4,613 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 1,294.7% in the 1st quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 64,143 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $3,723,000 after buying an additional 59,544 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 125.3% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 19,069 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,969,000 after buying an additional 10,606 shares during the last quarter. 90.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Fidelity National Information Services Company Profile

(Free Report

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.

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Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C  Free Report) by 36.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,285 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 20,592 shares during the quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Citigroup were worth $3,624,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Citigroup by 24.5% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,752 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,589,000 after acquiring an additional 5,853 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its position in shares of Citigroup by 50.5% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 6,256 shares of the companys stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Citigroup by 20.8% in the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 5,274 shares of the companys stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC bought a new position in shares of Citigroup in the first quarter valued at approximately $761,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Citigroup by 7.0% in the first quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 4,077 shares of the companys stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. 69.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

C has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Citigroup from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Citigroup from $61.00 to $59.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Citigroup from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Monday, June 5th. 92 Resources restated a reiterates rating on shares of Citigroup in a research note on Friday, June 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $47.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Citigroup currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $54.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Citigroup Price Performance

In other Citigroup news, insider Zdenek Turek sold 12,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.87, for a total transaction of $598,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 155,979 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,778,672.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . Company insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock.

Shares of Citigroup stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $45.74. The companys stock had a trading volume of 13,160,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,763,498. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Citigroup Inc. has a one year low of $40.01 and a one year high of $54.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.56.

Citigroup (NYSE:C  Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 14th. The company reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.53. Citigroup had a return on equity of 7.84% and a net margin of 12.96%. The business had revenue of $21.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $20.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.02 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Citigroup Inc. will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citigroup Profile

(Free Report)

Citigroup Inc, a diversified financial services holding company, provides various financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions in North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through three segments: Institutional Clients Group (ICG), Personal Banking and Wealth Management (PBWM), and Legacy Franchises.

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J Sainsbury (OTCMKTS:JSNSF  Free Report) is one of 62 public companies in the Grocery Stores industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare J Sainsbury to related businesses based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings and risk.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

23.0% of J Sainsbury shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 46.0% of shares of all Grocery Stores companies are held by institutional investors. 24.0% of shares of all Grocery Stores 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.

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Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for J Sainsbury and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score J Sainsbury 0 0 0 0 N/A J Sainsbury Competitors 1118 2727 2988 112 2.30

Dividends

As a group, Grocery Stores companies have a potential upside of 101.04%. Given J Sainsburys rivals higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe J Sainsbury has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

J Sainsbury pays an annual dividend of $0.17 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.1%. J Sainsbury pays out 1,061.3% 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, Grocery Stores companies pay a dividend yield of 4.4% and pay out 62.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares J Sainsbury and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio J Sainsbury N/A N/A 206.13 J Sainsbury Competitors $26.97 billion $608.69 million 199.79

J Sainsburys rivals have higher revenue and earnings than J Sainsbury. J Sainsbury 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.

Profitability

This table compares J Sainsbury and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets J Sainsbury N/A N/A N/A J Sainsbury Competitors 1.88% 11.91% 4.72%

Summary

J Sainsbury rivals beat J Sainsbury on 8 of the 10 factors compared.

J Sainsbury Company Profile

(Free Report)

J Sainsbury plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the food, general merchandise and clothing retailing, and financial services activities in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It operates through three segments: Retail Food, Retail General Merchandise and Clothing, and Financial Services. The company operates various store formats, including convenience stores and supermarkets. It is also involved in the online grocery and general merchandise operations. In addition, it offers financial services, such as credit cards, scorecards, and personal loans; and home, car, pet, travel, and life insurance products. J Sainsbury plc was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Shares of Corteva, Inc. (NYSE:CTVA  Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $72.59.

CTVA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Corteva from $75.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, June 1st. VNET Group reissued an upgrade rating on shares of Corteva in a report on Monday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Corteva from $75.00 to $68.00 in a report on Monday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of Corteva in a report on Wednesday, June 28th. They set a buy rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Corteva in a report on Thursday, April 6th. They set a market perform rating for the company.

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Corteva Stock Up 1.2 %

CTVA stock opened at $57.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Corteva has a 1-year low of $50.03 and a 1-year high of $68.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $57.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.58. The firm has a market cap of $40.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.37, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.79.

Corteva Announces Dividend

Corteva ( NYSE:CTVA Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported $1.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.23. Corteva had a net margin of 6.64% and a return on equity of 8.03%. The firm had revenue of $4.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Corteva will post 2.97 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 31st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. Cortevas payout ratio is presently 37.04%.

Institutional Trading of Corteva

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Corteva by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,055,723 shares of the companys stock worth $4,689,484,000 after buying an additional 300,866 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Corteva by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,726,824 shares of the companys stock worth $886,490,000 after buying an additional 208,948 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its holdings in Corteva by 52.8% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,950,274 shares of the companys stock worth $600,287,000 after buying an additional 3,438,104 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Corteva by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,452,940 shares of the companys stock valued at $555,644,000 after purchasing an additional 746,972 shares during the period. Finally, Putnam Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Corteva by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 8,216,280 shares of the companys stock valued at $482,953,000 after purchasing an additional 390,777 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.63% of the companys stock.

About Corteva

(Free Report

Corteva, Inc operates in the agriculture business. It operates through two segments, Seed and Crop Protection. The Seed segment develops and supplies advanced germplasm and traits that produce optimum yield for farms. It offers trait technologies that enhance resistance to weather, disease, insects, and herbicides used to control weeds, as well as food and nutritional characteristics.

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First Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D  Free Report) by 21.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,909 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 6,674 shares during the quarter. First Bank & Trusts holdings in Dominion Energy were worth $2,119,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Dominion Energy by 93,554.0% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,865,509 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $604,953,000 after acquiring an additional 9,854,975 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Dominion Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $332,276,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Dominion Energy by 197.1% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,807,950 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $233,503,000 after acquiring an additional 2,526,350 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Dominion Energy by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 49,478,314 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,419,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853,875 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Dominion Energy by 321.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,101,849 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $129,642,000 after acquiring an additional 1,602,582 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.58% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

D has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Dominion Energy from $54.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 16th. 51job reissued a maintains rating on shares of Dominion Energy in a research report on Friday, June 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Dominion Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 7th. They issued a neutral rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Dominion Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Dominion Energy from $61.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Monday, July 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Dominion Energy presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $61.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dominion Energy

Dominion Energy Stock Performance

In other Dominion Energy news, COO Diane Leopold sold 6,250 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total transaction of $307,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 100,115 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,921,653.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . Insiders own 0.14% of the companys stock.

Shares of NYSE:D traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $52.24. The company had a trading volume of 3,214,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,807,324. The companys 50 day moving average price is $52.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market cap of $43.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.45. Dominion Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.47 and a 52-week high of $86.28.

Dominion Energy (NYSE:D  Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.46 billion. Dominion Energy had a net margin of 7.05% and a return on equity of 12.67%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Dominion Energy, Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dominion Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 2nd were paid a $0.6675 dividend. This represents a $2.67 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 1st. Dominion Energys dividend payout ratio is currently 186.71%.

Dominion Energy Profile

(Free Report)

Dominion Energy, Inc produces and distributes energy in the United States. It operates through four segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Gas Distribution, Dominion Energy South Carolina, and Contracted Assets. The Dominion Energy Virginia segment generates, transmits, and distributes regulated electricity to approximately 2.7 million residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in Virginia and North Carolina.

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Superior Industries International, Inc. (NYSE:SUP  Free Report) CFO Timothy Trenary sold 3,053 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.68, for a total transaction of $11,235.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 217,211 shares in the company, valued at $799,336.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Timothy Trenary also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Wednesday, July 5th, Timothy Trenary sold 17,402 shares of Superior Industries International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.56, for a total transaction of $61,951.12.

On Friday, June 30th, Timothy Trenary sold 11,326 shares of Superior Industries International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.58, for a total transaction of $40,547.08.

On Wednesday, June 28th, Timothy Trenary sold 8,130 shares of Superior Industries International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.52, for a total transaction of $28,617.60.

On Monday, June 26th, Timothy Trenary sold 3,800 shares of Superior Industries International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.59, for a total transaction of $13,642.00.

On Thursday, June 22nd, Timothy Trenary sold 6,303 shares of Superior Industries International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.51, for a total transaction of $22,123.53.

On Tuesday, June 20th, Timothy Trenary sold 10,817 shares of Superior Industries International stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.48, for a total transaction of $37,643.16.

Superior Industries International Stock Performance

SUP opened at $3.55 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average is $3.66 and its 200-day moving average is $4.71. Superior Industries International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2.88 and a 1-year high of $7.38.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Superior Industries International

Superior Industries International ( NYSE:SUP Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The auto parts company reported ($0.07) earnings per share for the quarter. Superior Industries International had a net margin of 1.41% and a negative return on equity of 76.52%. The company had revenue of $381.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $404.51 million.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Superior Industries International by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,095,268 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $3,308,000 after buying an additional 25,252 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Superior Industries International by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 946,309 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $3,738,000 after buying an additional 28,300 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its position in Superior Industries International by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 749,540 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $3,710,000 after buying an additional 108,450 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Superior Industries International by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 730,527 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $3,082,000 after buying an additional 8,046 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Superior Industries International by 27.9% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 613,028 shares of the auto parts companys stock worth $2,587,000 after buying an additional 133,754 shares during the period. 45.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Superior Industries International in a report on Saturday. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock.

Superior Industries International Company Profile

(Free Report)

Superior Industries International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells aluminum wheels to the original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket distributors in North America and Europe. It offers its products under the ATS, RIAL, ALUTEC, and ANZIO brand names. The company was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan.

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Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SHYG  Free Report) by 29.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 84,310 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 19,408 shares during the quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV owned about 0.07% of iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF worth $3,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHYG. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new position in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF during the 4th quarter worth $5,699,000. Laffer Tengler Investments boosted its position in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Laffer Tengler Investments now owns 8,817 shares of the companys stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,369 shares of the companys stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance acquired a new position in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF during the 4th quarter worth $2,097,000. Finally, Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF during the 4th quarter worth $1,031,000.

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iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Trading Down 0.0 %

SHYG stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $40.91. 1,032,466 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,386,762. iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has a 1-year low of $39.49 and a 1-year high of $42.78. The companys fifty day moving average price is $41.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.28.

About iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

The iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (SHYG) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in high yield fixed income. The fund tracks a market-value-weighted index of high-yield USD-denominated bonds with 0-5 years remaining in maturity. SHYG was launched on Oct 15, 2013 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Sage Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA  Free Report) by 14.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,860 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares during the quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF were worth $1,849,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of EFA. VitalStone Financial LLC purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA increased its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 172.9% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 464 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Field & Main Bank increased its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 189.7% in the 4th quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 504 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.99% of the companys stock.

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iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Trading Up 0.8 %

EFA opened at $70.90 on Friday. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a one year low of $54.61 and a one year high of $74.05. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $72.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.97.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Company Profile

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Funds investment objective is to seek investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by MSCI Inc as an equity benchmark for its international stock performance.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA  Free Report).

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The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC  Free Report)  Stock analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2023 EPS estimates for shares of Macerich in a report issued on Tuesday, July 4th. Zacks Research analyst N. Dass now expects that the real estate investment trust will post earnings of $0.41 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.40. The consensus estimate for Macerichs current full-year earnings is $1.80 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Macerichs Q1 2024 earnings at $0.41 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $1.79 EPS.

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A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Macerich from $15.00 to $14.00 in a report on Wednesday, June 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Macerich in a report on Tuesday, March 21st. They issued a sell rating and a $8.50 price objective for the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Macerich in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a sell rating for the company. VNET Group reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Macerich in a research note on Wednesday, May 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Macerich from $11.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Friday, May 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $11.25.

Macerich Trading Up 0.5 %

Macerich Dividend Announcement

Shares of MAC opened at $11.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -28.35, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 2.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. Macerich has a fifty-two week low of $7.40 and a fifty-two week high of $14.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $10.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.07.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 18th. Macerichs payout ratio is currently -170.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MAC. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Macerich during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Macerich during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Macerich by 42.2% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,831 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its position in Macerich by 92.4% during the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 7,618 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 3,658 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Macerich during the 3rd quarter valued at $79,000. 83.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Macerich

(Free Report)

Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator, and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich's portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, DC corridor.

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Keppel Land secures 65% stake in company owning Hanoi retail property

By Huong Dung Sun, July 9, 2023 | 11:20 pm GTM+7

Singapore's Keppel Land Limited is paying $50 mln for a 65% stake in a joint venture company that will hold a retail property in Hanoi.

The acquisition is made through Keppel Land's wholly-owned subsidiary VN Prime Vietnam Co., Ltd (VNPV), parent company Keppel Corporation said in a release on Thursday.

The retail property project is part of a mixed-use commercial development, which is under construction and slated for completion in 2025.

VNPV will acquire 65% interest in the joint venture, named ProjectCo, for an aggregate consideration of approximately VND1.23 trillion (about $52 million), subject to completion adjustments. The consideration will be payable in cash in two tranches.

Vietnamese firm Binh Minh Investment and Trading Development JSC will hold the remaining 35% interest in the ProjectCo.

Saigon Centre in HCMC, a top-class commercial development owned by Keppel Land. Photo courtesy of the company.

In late May, Keppel Corporation said it had acquired a 49% stake in two adjacent residential projects in Ho Chi Minh City from Vietnamese property developer Khang Dien for VND3.18 trillion ($135.42 million).

According to Keppels announcement, the Vietnamese firm, listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) as KDH, holds the remaining 51% interest and will develop the projects in Thu Duc city on HCMC's outskirts with Keppel Corporation and Keppel Vietnam Fund, jointly known as the Keppel consortium.

This marked the second joint investment by the consortium following the acquisition of three residential sites in Hanoi in 2022.

Last year, Keppel Land, together with Keppel Vietnam Fund and a co-investor of KVF, entered an agreement with Phu Long Real Estate Joint Stock Company and its subsidiary to acquire a 49% stake in three residential land plots in the Mailand Hanoi City project in Hoai Duc district of Hanoi.

The firm recently embarked on a partnership with Panasonic, which will leverage Keppel Lands deep experience in smart and sustainable urban space solutions, as well as Panasonics leading expertise in smart electronics to explore the development of a suite of solutions for sustainable urbanization, spanning smart mobility, smart community and environmental solutions. The solutions are intended to be applied across Keppel Lands projects in Vietnam.

Keppel Land entered Vietnam in the early 1990s and is well known for high-quality residential projects such as Estella Heights, Celesta Rise and Empire City, and top-class commercial developments like Saigon Centre in HCMC.

In urban development, Keppel Land has grown to become one of the largest foreign real estate investors and contributors to urban development in Vietnam, with more than 20 projects and total registered investment capital of about $3.5 billion to date, according to Joseph Low, president of Keppel Land Vietnam.
Vinamilk reports $94 mln profit in Q2, changes brand identity

By Trang Nguyen Sun, July 9, 2023 | 12:45 pm GTM+7

Vietnams largest dairy producer Vinamilk reported consolidated revenue of VND15.2 trillion ($642.27 million) and consolidated after-tax profit of VND2.22 trillion ($93.8 million) in the second quarter of this year, up 1.6% and 5.6% year-on-year, respectively.

In the first six months of the year, the firm recorded total revenue of more than VND29.15 trillion ($1.23 billion) and post-tax profit of over VND4.1 trillion ($173.25 million), fullfilling 46% and 48% of its year targets, respectively.

Vinamilk's after-tax profit rose 5.6% to $93.8 million in Q2/2023. Photo courtesy of the company.

In 2023, Vinamilk, listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange as VNM, has targeted VND63.38 trillion ($2.7 billion) in consolidated revenue, a year-on-year increase of 5.5%.

At a virtual annual general meeting of shareholders on April 26, CEO Mai Kieu Lien said the companys after-tax profit was estimated to reach VND8.62 trillion ($367 million) this year, flat compared to the previous year.

To realize these goals, Vinamilk will expand in international markets, invest in factories and farms, and deploy investment projects at home and abroad, she said.

At the AGM, shareholders approved a plan to pay cash dividends of at least 50% of consolidated post-tax profit, with 15% to be paid on October 5, 2023. They also authorized the board of directors to decide on the dividend in advance and the date for the second payment in 2023.

This year, Vinamilk will implement new plans on production, sales, the domestic market, exports, research and development, and human resources.

"We believe this strategy will achieve positive results and a brighter future is awaiting us from the second quarter when the prices of raw materials stabilize," said Lien.

However, she noted that it will take Vinamilk about a year to reach profits as high as pre-pandemic levels.

In early April, Vinamilk and Japanese company Sojitz broke ground on a $500-million cattle complex to supply beef in northern Vietnam. The project, a 49-51 joint venture between Sojitz and Vinamilk subsidiary Vilico, will cover almost 76 hectares in Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province, bordering Hanoi.

On the stock market, VNM's share price hit VND70,900 ($3) at Friday's close.

On Thursday, Vinamilk officially announced a new brand identity.

The new logo has been updated with the words "est 1976", which is the year the brand was launched. The two main colors, blue and white, leave a deep visual impression, blending with the tropical color palette.

Vinamilk's new and old logos. Photo courtesy of the company.

Mai Kieu Lien said changing the brand identity was an effort to reposition, marking the first step in the process of modernizing the user experience and creating a breakthrough in the future.

"A brand that wants to exist for 100 or 200 years always has to change with actual conditions. During 47 years of establishment and development, Vinamilk has changed many times, and this change is no exception. The financial investment value was not much, but the effect brings great expectations," said Lien.

According to the plan, the new identity will be deployed throughout the Vinamilk system including the website, online sales channels, retail points, stores, brand publications, and product packaging from July 2023.
Paris, TX (75460)

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A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph..

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A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. To sign-up for EZ-Pay, call us at (903) 785-6901 or e-mail us at circulation@theparisnews.com. We will use the information you provide to change your current billing to EZ-PAY. Your current subscription delivery schedule will not be changed. No refunds for early cancellations. Remainder of early cancellation funds will be donated to Newspapers in Education.
Deputies with the Orangeburg Count Sheriff's Office were involved in an officer-involved shooting on Saturday, Sheriff Leroy Ravenell announced Sunday.

"We are so very thankful no one was injured in this incident," the sheriff said. "There are many incidents where not everyone goes home, but thank the Lord this was not one of them."

Ravenell said OCSO deputies were called to a Norway Road residence around 10:30 a.m. Saturday where the confrontation took place.

Immediately after, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was asked to conduct a separate investigation.

Any further comment will have to come from SLED, as it would be inappropriate for the OCSO to intervene, according to Ravenell.
ST. MATTHEWS  St. Matthews Christian Center is hosting a Back to School Family Day on July 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event is for parents and youth in the Calhoun community.

The purpose of this event is to get the youth ready for the 2023-2024 school year by providing them and their parents with tools they need in order to be successful in school this year.

Speakers will address financial responsibility, college and career readiness, and the problem with drugs in communities. Each student who attends will receive school supplies.

The church is asking for assistance and is looking for a minimum of 150 book bags and composition notebooks, 200 pencils packs and pens, as well as paper to give away to the students. Monetary donations will also be accepted in going toward the purchase of school supplies.

St. Matthews Christian Center is a non-denominational church located at 731 St. Matthews Road. The leader of the ministry is Bishop Vincent S. Sanders Sr. The church was established in 1999 by Sanders. For more information, call 803-874-2002.
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